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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:10:27:16:52:19 by Padre Pio.

Since RVP came back from his injury in the middle of last season, he has been the premier leagues best striker bar none. Probably in the worlds top 3 actually. He is as prolific as Henry. Thats7 league goals already.

The problem is very clearly what will happen if/when he gets injured. Not a lot of goals will come from midfield, other than Ramsey, and Chamakh is frankly useless. He may have been OK in his first four months but hes been practically invisible for a year now, yesterday he looked like someone who had wandered onto the pitch by mistake.

People are a bit defensive about Arsenal being a one man team saying that United have their Rooneys and Liverpool have their Gerards. But these teams do not have such a dramatic drop in class between their main men and the players who step in for them when they are injured. Unless Park turns out to be the South Korean Pele, but early evidence is that he will not.

There is also very definitely a missing creative spark from the midfield. There is a lack of vision and creativity in the approach to the box which perhaps only Wilshere out of the current squad could provide. Benayoun is the other possibility and thats probably why Wenger bought him, but he's been injured lately. Arshavin is the other option, if Wenger stops playing him wide and gives him the opportunity to dictate the game. Personally I think he could do this, but nobody else seems to.

What is bailing out Wenger at present is the defence. I think Mertesacker will turn out to be one of his best ever purchases. Jenkinson, if we are fair, looks to be better than his first few games suggested. Santos seems OK, and the keeper and Koscielny both seem to be growing becasue of Mertesackers organisation in front of them.

The other reason for this apparent stability is Arteta, who hasnt turned out as people imagined, an attacking replacement for Fabregas. He is a hard working and competent player, not an inspirational one, but fits very well together with Song and shields the defence.

This team is very very similar to the one George Graham left with. A one man band up front, some strange signings in the middle, and a decent defence to bail them out. That team used to beat your Sunderlands and Stokes of the era, but it didnt go up to Old Trafford and Anfield and win. I dont think this team will either, without signings.

The recent period has placated the fan unrest that was evident in the first month of the season. And why not? the club has vastly lowered our expectations and by fielding a team of battlers that has slowly started to climb the league there is the illusion of progress. Of course my argument would be that it should not have been at the bottom of the league in the first place. But it seems churlish to complain when the team, for what it is, is winning its games.

The club can go one of two ways. In the xmas transfer window it can address the very obvious problems in the creative department and get rid of Chamakh to buy a better striker not just to stand in for Van Persie but challenge him, paying some big money for both signings and in the process perhaps persuading RVP to sign in the meantime. I would be looking to Italy or Germany for these type signings, and if it is at the extend of the wage structure, so what. Gotze would still be my preference, or Marko Marin, or perhaps try to prise someone from Napoli/Lazio. Yes it will cost money, but the alternative is to continue to hedge our bets in this fashion, wait for the RVP injury to come, and very probably the season will end in recrimination and tears, despite the promising progress of the last few weeks, where whatever anyone says, we have been handed a fixture list of home games against the Premier leagues worst teams, and made progress in Europe against an appalling Marseille side and a Dortmund one that was not playing very well either.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:10:24:20:36:27 by celine dion.

great post celine. I would add that Wenger has to buy a big name striker in January to convince RvP to stay, and if RvP doesnt stay it will cushion the blow.

"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.

If 4th place is within reach we may buy. If we're 10 points behind then we probably won't.

Arteta is playing more the role Wilshee did last season. I agree that if we can get a bit of quality in up top we may do alright.

I don't expect we will sign anyone in jan no matter what position we are in

*Signing Ozil is a signing Bergkamp type moment for Arsenal. It changes things utterly.*

Totally agree with what you said on Gump Walcott.

And I do think we shall buy in Jan.

"𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴."

Great read guys.
I can remember a day, about two seasons ago when a certain young Spanish AMF came on latish (about 30mins to go) in a FAPL game for us at Emirates against Aston Villa. He came on, it was 0-0. He turned the game around, just like RvP did for us last Sunday. It finished 3-0 Cesc got 2.

At that time we all asked is our team turning into a one-man band? Unable to compete with even the low-lights of the FAPL without our hero. If I remember correctly Villa had had a very good start to their season that year, much like what Stoke have done this season and yet we still asked `What has our team turned into?

Who were our forwards that day 2seasons ago? That forward line that couldn`t produce the goals without Cesc coming on?

Nasri...Ed9..AA Vs Sundays Theo...Chammy...Yao

Now if we take your point of view, Padre, to the present day and we look with the benefit of hindsight, we can see quite clearly that we weren`t a one man team that day or any other game that season. Just like we`re not at present

Wenger, himself, has suggested what I am saying yesterday when he said "When you want to be a team with quality you always have a player who stands out and who gets on the end of things. We had Thierry Henry before. Robin has exceptional quality and so you get these questions,"

It is true that we played better with Cesc on the field, as it is now with RvP, but we were not and are not reliant on just one player. It just seems that way because they are exceptional.

ps Things must just be picking up Padre. 3 weeks ago you suggested to me that 6th place was as high as Arsenal could possibly get this season, and yet by you`re latest offering you are actually suggesting we could make the top 4. Love the optimism mate. Your last line is wrong though.

Since the end of WW1, 1919, when the FA restarted its 4 tier football league, with Arsenal fc in the 1st div, there’s only ever been one club to have never been relegated from Div 1/ EPL.

Arsenal fc

Let’s keep making history

Every club has a focal player RVP has become ours,the team have gelled a lot since the 1st Sept and are vastly improved.Per,Arteta,Santos and Gervinho get better with each game.
Jenkinson will I believe make a decent RB and looks capable of overcoming a horrible start to his AFC carreer,I agree however there is a chasm when RVP is not available,I agree a striker in Jan would seem neccesary,unless of course Park is the new Ian Wright.
Hopefully Jack,TV and Diaby will be back also this would give us a huge lift.

Hopefully Park will score tonight so we can forget about the invisible maroane.

Well I think 4th wil be a great achievement because it will be lioke climbing Everest for this squad in light of such a poor start. I am not certain it can be achieved.
I note that no one is arguing that they can win the league.

But we have to ask, without too much hindsight needed, how did a squad that was only capable of 3 wins for the rest of season come about overnight? The answer has to be it wasnt one event. I dont believe the final did it - all that did was expose the lack of fight and committment that typified players like Nasri and Denilson.

"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.

I think what you say about some not being that committed is closer to the mark. Cesc wanted to go home, Nasri wanted more money and there were others.

I think players like Per and Mikel bring more professionalism and commitment to the squad. Our senior players are more senior.

Since the end of WW1, 1919, when the FA restarted its 4 tier football league, with Arsenal fc in the 1st div, there’s only ever been one club to have never been relegated from Div 1/ EPL.

Arsenal fc

Let’s keep making history