What is it with Rafa and full backs?

[badpiggy]

i reckon rafa's system is a tricky one for fullbacks. he doesn't seem to want them to be too attacking or totally defensive - which is probaly fairly pragmatic anyway. bit it seems like rafa's system makes tidy non-spectacular footballer seem very good e.g arbeloa and finnan. whereas guys with a bit of more an attacking sensibility - dossena (supposedly) and riise - seem to falter.

i like the idea that alves was player that rafa really wanted because all reports about him seem to be great and i'm assuming that he's alright defensively cos i never hear otherwise.

[Marky]

you mean this one

I've seen that pic loads of times before, i still think it's a fake.

[Craig_H]

I've heard it talked about in passing on Sky too. No doubt they'd picked it up from The Times or wherever The Times got the idea from.

This is how myths get spread. Someone, usually a journalist or a pundit, picks up on something and magnifies it for the sake of a headline and then others pick up on it, amplify it and before you know it it's conventional wisdom.

We've seen it before with zonal marking, "Fergie's mind games", etc. There may be an element of truth in these things but still they're largely bollocks.

I cant say i remember sky saying anything about it really, but their stuff often goes in one ear and out the other.

[LFC1892]

Finnan can't get a game for Espaynol and demonstrated last season that he wasn't up to the job anymore imo.

The last part of your sentence there is utter rubbish. He was struggling with injuries over the last year with us but, when he did get a game, never displayed the same defensive ineptness Arbeloa, Aurellio and Dossena are all guilty of. He's still better than anything we currently have and it was utter stupidity by Benitez to offload him.

As for the first part of your sentence, i believe Finnan is currently injured.

[dww]

I certainly believe Arsenal, if though they have the capabilities of capitulating in defence have the best full backs in the Premiership in Clichy and Sagna. They both have pace, energy, stamina, delivery and weren't too much in price too. Sagna cost something like £5.5m whilst Clichy was signed for tuppence.

In comparison, our fullbacks are possibly the cheapest out of the top four. Arbeloa was something like £2m and Aurelio was free so reasonable value for money. I simply feel even though Arbeloa is very good going forward, he doesn't have the delivery to put into the box. Took his goal very well on Saturday, mind.

The thing is that I have noticed this season in the absence of a good holding midfielder that when things go wrong at the back it often the fullbacks fault. I thought last season that Sagna and Clichy were possibly the best fullbacks in the division. This year however I think they have been much less effective.

Obviously it is not at all clear how our fullbacks would do in a similar situation. The thing is even United have struggled this season when Fergie has tried a policy of not playing a holding player. However the Arsenal fullbacks seem to be part of a systematic failure to be good in the air and to try and counter attack even when its not on.

[Neil Young]

The last part of your sentence there is utter rubbish. He was struggling with injuries over the last year with us but, when he did get a game, never displayed the same defensive ineptness Arbeloa, Aurellio and Dossena are all guilty of. He's still better than anything we currently have and it was utter stupidity by Benitez to offload him.

As for the first part of your sentence, i believe Finnan is currently injured.

Did you consider that maybe his continuing injury problems are part of the reason he was sold?

Anyway I've never been convinced by Finnan. He was certainly good enough for a while but never the world beater some on here cracked him up to be.

[dww]

The last part of your sentence there is utter rubbish. He was struggling with injuries over the last year with us but, when he did get a game, never displayed the same defensive ineptness Arbeloa, Aurellio and Dossena are all guilty of. He's still better than anything we currently have and it was utter stupidity by Benitez to offload him.

As for the first part of your sentence, i believe Finnan is currently injured.

Finnan even when fit last year was awful and the season before went through a period where teams exploited his aerial weaknesses. I have to say I'm with MrM on this he is no longer the player he once was. Arbeloa has grown as a layer and is now a very good fullback as is Aurelio when he gets a run of games.

[Neil Young]

The thing is that I have noticed this season in the absence of a good holding midfielder that when things go wrong at the back it often the fullbacks fault. I thought last season that Sagna and Clichy were possibly the best fullbacks in the division. This year however I think they have been much less effective.

Obviously it is not at all clear how our fullbacks would do in a similar situation. The thing is even United have struggled this season when Fergie has tried a policy of not playing a holding player. However the Arsenal fullbacks seem to be part of a systematic failure to be good in the air and to try and counter attack even when its not on.

Are you suggesting Wenger has a policy of deliberately playing defenders who aren't good in the air? It seems incredible but I suppose it certainly fits with all the available evidence.

[Reece]

The last part of your sentence there is utter rubbish.

No it's not. Well it might be in your opinion but many would agree that Finnan was poor last season.

[dww]

Are you suggesting Wenger has a policy of deliberately playing defenders who aren't good in the air? It seems incredible but I suppose it certainly fits with all the available evidence.

Damn it, I know you are taking the piss but I still can't resists a serious reply so:

Not exactly - I think he prioritizes almost all other aspects of the game. There are very few defenders in the world who have the technique and pace he requires as well as the ability in the air. He seems to take the opposite view to Houllier in that he seems to believe if you reduce the number/quality of crosses then you don't have to be as good at defending them (as opposed to Houllier who was happy for teams to cross while we had Hyypia and Henchoz in the middle to head it out again).

[Neil Young]

Damn it, I know you are taking the piss but I still can't resists a serious reply so:

Not exactly - I think he prioritizes almost all other aspects of the game. There are very few defenders in the world who have the technique and pace he requires as well as the ability in the air. He seems to take the opposite view to Houllier in that he seems to believe if you reduce the number/quality of crosses then you don't have to be as good at defending them (as opposed to Houllier who was happy for teams to cross while we had Hyypia and Henchoz in the middle to head it out again).

Actually that's a really clever strategy because in the terribly unusual event a cross does come in - say the opposition happen to win a corner or if Rory Delap is on the pitch - then you can have defenders who can't head if your keeper can collect. That would explain why he sets so much store on having a really good keeper who is excellent on crosses...oh.

[dww]

Apropos of very little - I believe that last season Arsenal let in the least number of goals from crosses.

[Neil Young]

Apropos of very little - I believe that last season Arsenal let in the least number of goals from crosses.

OK, OK, stop taking everything so damned seriously.

[dww]

OK, OK, stop taking everything so damned seriously.

I was very tempted to add white text to that one but didn't want to ruin my hard won reputation.

[Kenneth]

Apropos of very little - I believe that last season Arsenal let in the least number of goals from crosses.

How on earth do you know that?