Post Arsenal match thread

[tomasjj]

Apart from Fabregas, who from Arsenal would make it into the Liverpool team????

Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, Hleb, Toure, Gallas even.

h:h:

[dww]

Clichy has always had a sound mentality - it took him a long time to supplant Cole and only really got a full chance once he left but he didn't moan and always gave his all. Good player too.

[Joe King]

That was great. The passage of play at the end when they couldn't clear and just kept hoofing it up in the air about 5 times to a massive roar of 'hoof' was priceless.

There was this passage of play where the ball was headed around and everyone started to shout HOOF. Brilliant

[Scratch]

Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, Hleb, Toure, Gallas even.

h:h:

At the expense of whom tho?

Reina

Sagna
Carra/Skittles
Agger
Clichy (altho i'm not convinced he's much ahead of Aurelio, who has really impressed me recently)

Mascher
Fabregas

Hleb
Gerrard
Babel

Torres

[RedsFan83]

that would be an awesome team to be fair

[Exiled_red]

Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, Hleb, Toure, Gallas even.

h:h:

I would say Fabregas and Clichy. I wouldn't take Toure and Gallas because I don't think they are better than what we have. Sagna possibly, and I think although Hleb is a decent player and he's comfortable with the ball in the final third something we lack but again he's just a possibly

[Snigger]

yeah but he's got a woman's first name.

[dave edwards]

yeah but he's got a woman's first name.

[Maestro]

yeah but he's got a woman's first name.

That's such a clichy....

[lfc1394]

Spot on with his comments though, babel was passed the defender, pen or no pen, they shouldn't have allowed him to get in that position from a kick off. BTW cast iron pen

[el matador]

at times they were fantastic. some of their passing is so sharp and incisive its unreal. I dont know of any other team that has opened us up on so many occasions. We would love to see some of that flair at anfield.

The reality is that even when they were top of the league we all knew it wouldnt last. Fabregas is the key, at 20 he is the most important player for them and 20 year olds cannot play at the same high level for 60 games. Its not possible. They are over reliant on him to produce the killer passes every game. Other players need to step up.

The same thing happened last season, they had a really good start and then faded badly after christmas.

Wenger has a problem in that he knows this team has definitely got something special about it but they dont seem to produce the results when they matter.

There's something not quite right about arsenal and maybe its time to put the fancy football away and play results orientated football. However, their style of play relies totally on Fabregas and his passing ability.

Dare I say it, arsenal may have to change the way they play to start winning things. That might start with the sale of Fabregas this summer.

[Shaggy]

at times they were fantastic. some of their passing is so sharp and incisive its unreal. I dont know of any other team that has opened us up on so many occasions. We would love to see some of that flair at anfield.

The reality is that even when they were top of the league we all knew it wouldnt last. Fabregas is the key, at 20 he is the most important player for them and 20 year olds cannot play at the same high level for 60 games. Its not possible. They are over reliant on him to produce the killer passes every game. Other players need to step up.

The same thing happened last season, they had a really good start and then faded badly after christmas.

Wenger has a problem in that he knows this team has definitely got something special about it but they dont seem to produce the results when they matter.

There's something not quite right about arsenal and maybe its time to put the fancy football away and play results orientated football. However, their style of play relies totally on Fabregas and his passing ability.

Dare I say it, arsenal may have to change the way they play to start winning things. That might start with the sale of Fabregas this summer.

Aye good post mate, completely agree.

Wenger has his principles and it appears he won’t ever change them. He won’t even adapt just slightly. In some ways you have to admire him for that – he wants to play and win one way and one way only. He won't be swayed by clamouring from media or fans and his footballing philosophy is clear and steadfast.

In other ways he’s ripe for criticism because, as you’ve pointed out, you don’t win things without working on the defensive side of things and you don’t win things with a 20 year old as the fulcrum of your side.

[Shaggy]

Oh yeah...

But besides all that, he is a hypocritical, undignified, predictable, whinging, bleating, sore loser CUNT!

[el matador]

Aye good post mate, completely agree.

Wenger has his principles and it appears he won’t ever change them. He won’t even adapt just slightly. In some ways you have to admire him for that – he wants to play and win one way and one way only. He won't be swayed by clamouring from media or fans and his footballing philosophy is clear and steadfast.

In other ways he’s ripe for criticism because, as you’ve pointed out, you don’t win things without working on the defensive side of things and you don’t win things with a 20 year old as the fulcrum of your side.

The other thing is that he seems not to want to buy big name players for his side. I dont know if he thinks another big name player like henry would upset the balance of his team or push people like fabregas into his shell but most key matches are decided by world class players.

Arsenal have a few but not enough, most of the lads are young players that they bought on the cheap and have moulded into decent players. The exceptions are hleb who cost around £10m (but not many of us had heard of him) and rosicky (who is a decent player but wouldnt get into many people's first XI).

Gallas was another that was signed for approx £10m (in the cole deal).

Flamini is having a good season but is he world class like mascherano ? Eboue on the right is a clod hopper like riise. If wenger goes out and buys big it would be a slap in the face for his so called home grown policy. But they need to do something.

Anyway, I want to congratulate arsenal on some great football last night and they did play us off the pitch at times. They were at times magnificent.

However, our anti-football has once again seen us through to the last 4

[dww]

I think they have the class but lack real leaders. I think Flamini is a different type of player to Mascher his passing is much better but he is less effective defensively. Wenger will never compromise his style so for me Flamini is about the best player out there for him. They could do with an experienced partner to put deep in midfield with him at times though - this is Flamini's breakout season and he still lacks some things in terms of dictating a game.

I think a few years experience and the current Arsenal team without any additions except someone to take van Persie's place when he is injured (most of the time) would begin to win things. However short term I don't think you can have one really experienced player who is clearly the leader of the squad in Gallas if that man is as flaky as he has shown himself to be lately.

I would completely disagree about Eboue on the right. His is not a swift footed natural winger but he is a decent passer and has an excellent cross on him and is very pacy.

I would say that you also under rate Hleb and Rosicky. Hleb would be one of the very best attacking midfield players in the PL for me.