Arsenal found out?

[The_weatherman]

Yesterday got me thinking. In the second half particularly we got them on the backfoot and kept them quiet for a good part of the game, I think the way to stop them, and obviously Rafa, is pressing them high and try and keep a distance between the Arsenal players. We pressed them intensely high up the pitch and they couldn't get any rythm going.

But if they are allowed in numbers near the box they will start weaving through.

So to sum up, press them higher up the pitch where there is more space between their players and it forces them to give up possession.

[dww]

Yesterday got me thinking. In the second half particularly we got them on the backfoot and kept them quiet for a good part of the game, I think the way to stop them, and obviously Rafa, is pressing them high and try and keep a distance between the Arsenal players. We pressed them intensely high up the pitch and they couldn't get any rythm going.

But if they are allowed in numbers near the box they will start weaving through.

So to sum up, press them higher up the pitch where there is more space between their players and it forces them to give up possession.

I think it has pretty much always been the way and was as important as the kicking in the way that Bolton under Alladyce consistently gave them problems. However as the Walcott goal exemplifies they have always been a stunning team on the break so this strategy is not fool proof. On their day Arsenal are a match for anyone. The thing is that like United you have to be willing to set up your team to be solid and always have at least three back against the big teams and have faith that the players you have in attack will score.

United are also quite willing to kick players out of the game and cynically stop attacks with pulling/blatant fouls around the half way line. I don't approve of this type of play as I have stated elsewhere and would rather we didn't but it has been a feature of the two teams who have recently won the league and are challenging again.

[Tee]

Personally I do not believe that the style of football and pace at which Arsenal play can ever be sustsained throughout a whole 90 mins. They will probably need two 20 minute spells in each game tocreate enough chances and seal a game.

They are still, however, the benchmark in how a football should be passed. Awesome movement, touch, technique and understanding.

[The_weatherman]

I think it has pretty much always been the way and was as important as the kicking in the way that Bolton under Alladyce consistently gave them problems. However as the Walcott goal exemplifies they have always been a stunning team on the break so this strategy is not fool proof. On their day Arsenal are a match for anyone. The thing is that like United you have to be willing to set up your team to be solid and always have at least three back against the big teams and have faith that the players you have in attack will score.

United are also quite willing to kick players out of the game and cynically stop attacks with pulling/blatant fouls around the half way line. I don't approve of this type of play as I have stated elsewhere and would rather we didn't but it has been a feature of the two teams who have recently won the league and are challenging again.

Of course there is always the danger of breakaway attack but I think we got the hang of playing them in the second half and controlled the game as much as you can control a game against Arsenal. It will be interesting to see the United game this weekend - hopefully Arsenal manage to pull themselves together.

[AFII]

Personally I do not believe that the style of football and pace at which Arsenal play can ever be sustsained throughout a whole 90 mins. They will probably need two 20 minute spells in each game tocreate enough chances and seal a game.

They are still, however, the benchmark in how a football should be passed. Awesome movement, touch, technique and understanding.

and every team don't have a Masch to take out Fabregas from the game.

[Exiled_red]

Personally I do not believe that the style of football and pace at which Arsenal play can ever be sustsained throughout a whole 90 mins. They will probably need two 20 minute spells in each game tocreate enough chances and seal a game.

They are still, however, the benchmark in how a football should be passed. Awesome movement, touch, technique and understanding.

But also when they go a goal up they seem to stop playing the same way as though they think the game is won because they've dominated 20mins or so and are a goal in front

[NICKZS]

For me, Arsenal have no Plan B (as much as I hate contrived cliches like that). If one of their players is having a mare then the whole system crumbles, and I think Eboue's inclusion over the last few weeks has been instrumental in doing just that.

I also remember David Bentley saying that he'd never done any kind of weight-training before he got to Blackburn and you can tell that Arsenal are lacking in terms of physicality compared to the likes of us. If they're on form then that makes **** all difference because you'll never get the ball off them but last night in the second half you could tell they were struggling with that aspect of the game.

[Nicey]

Yesterday got me thinking. In the second half particularly we got them on the backfoot and kept them quiet for a good part of the game, I think the way to stop them, and obviously Rafa, is pressing them high and try and keep a distance between the Arsenal players. We pressed them intensely high up the pitch and they couldn't get any rythm going.

But if they are allowed in numbers near the box they will start weaving through.

So to sum up, press them higher up the pitch where there is more space between their players and it forces them to give up possession.

Spot on, everybody knows Arsenal do not like it when teams get at them ... sit back and they will tear any team apart .. get in there faces and attack them and they bottle it, time after time

[Nic83]

Bit like you I'd guess, talk a good game until faced with the reality of whatever it may be

[dww]

For me, Arsenal have no Plan B (as much as I hate contrived cliches like that). If one of their players is having a mare then the whole system crumbles, and I think Eboue's inclusion over the last few weeks has been instrumental in doing just that.

I also remember David Bentley saying that he'd never done any kind of weight-training before he got to Blackburn and you can tell that Arsenal are lacking in terms of physicality compared to the likes of us. If they're on form then that makes **** all difference because you'll never get the ball off them but last night in the second half you could tell they were struggling with that aspect of the game.

In terms of the plan B aspect I think earlier in the season they did the fairly obvious one of long balls to Adebayor and getting Hleb and Rosicky to follow up. I think there is an element that when other teams get under pressure or low on confidence their fall back is the long ball but for Arsenal it is to revert to short passing. Their are risks to both but the long ball is ultimately easier to get lucky with.

[Individuum]

It's simple... When Flamini went out, their midfield collapsed.

[Joe King]

To play against Arsenal, you have to do what teams did a few seasons ago when Arsenal couldn't get a win away from home.

Play two banks of four and sit deep. Nothing special. Its the basics of defending.

In terms of pressing, you press the core of the team, the core being Fabregas and Flamini. This would cut off the supply to Hleb.

Another thing which Rafa elaborated a lot on in his press conferences was that Arsenal play in a very narrow way. In this case, you would ask your full backs to tuck in as you know there aren't going to be wingers bombing down the flanks.

[RedsFan83]

underrated but dirty little ****er that flamini. you're totally right, their midfield collapsed when he got injured. cesc is only twenty and can't be expected to carry their entire team for the full ninety minutes. he was running on empty by the end.

[NICKZS]

In terms of the plan B aspect I think earlier in the season they did the fairly obvious one of long balls to Adebayor and getting Hleb and Rosicky to follow up. I think there is an element that when other teams get under pressure or low on confidence their fall back is the long ball but for Arsenal it is to revert to short passing. Their are risks to both but the long ball is ultimately easier to get lucky with.

I think it was at Everton (I could be wrong), where they constantly hoofed the ball all day and scored from long balls exclusively. There seems(understatement!) to be a kind of elitism, however, which prevents Arsenal from using the long ball for the most part, and they regularly condescend against teams who do so - such as last season at Anfield where we used the long ball all day, were berated with constant shouts of "Hoof!" even though almost every ball went straight to Crouch.

I don't know; Arsenal are obviously fantastic to watch in full-flow and can be devastating, but they are very poor at grinding results out on the whole. Compare this with Man U and I think that's where the Gunners might lose the title this year.

[certifiable]

I think it was at Everton (I could be wrong), where they constantly hoofed the ball all day and scored from long balls exclusively. There seems(understatement!) to be a kind of elitism, however, which prevents Arsenal from using the long ball for the most part, and they regularly condescend against teams who do so - such as last season at Anfield where we used the long ball all day, were berated with constant shouts of "Hoof!" even though almost every ball went straight to Crouch.

I don't know; Arsenal are obviously fantastic to watch in full-flow and can be devastating, but they are very poor at grinding results out on the whole. Compare this with Man U and I think that's where the Gunners might lose the title this year.

Wow, you're going out on a limb with that prediction aren't you