Vote of Confidence

By Merlion
September 7 2011

Does Wenger  have a Defence?Arsene Wenger said he will strengthen the Defence. He did just that by buying Mertesacker,  and Andres Santos, not forgetting buying Jenkinson as an understudy to Sagna.Gary Cahill?Is anyone daft enough to believe that Arsene Wenger is prepared to pay ₤17million for a player on his last year of his contract? Remember Sol Campbell and Chamakh and how they were signed by Arsene Wenger?If Cahill is still keen to join Arsenal FC, then I can see him coming in during January Transfer Window or he will join other marquee clubs with deep pockets and better title-winning credentials than Arsenal FC.

For the present, Per is certainly a vast improvement over a “lightweight” Djourou, so easily outmuscled and out-thought by a young Welbeck. A raw Koscielny that needs a senior like Vermaelen as “leader” and really does not inspire confidence in Arsenal fans with his “frozen rabbit caught in the headlight” demeanour. Let’s hope Per is also a “Leader” like Vermaelen, assuming responsibility for the Defence and organizing the Defence and using his experience in ensuring all fellow defenders are focused and covering every threats.

Andre Santos?

Armand Traore effectively ended his Arsenal career at OT, hence the purchase of Andres Santos. Although Arsene Wenger still has faith in Gibbs as “No. 1 LB”, Gibbs needs competition from a proven LB in his development. And I also see Andres Santos as a “transitory buy” as hopefully, the availability of Botelho in 2012 (needed 4 years of residence in Spain to qualify for a Spanish passport) will further strengthen our troublesome “Left Flank”. Certainly, a Back-4 of Sagna-Mertesacker-Vermaelen-Santos will provide that “height, muscle, steel and experience” so lacking since 2007/08 season.

  Our actual problems are tactics and non-committed players

Wenger failed to heed the lessons of February 2008 disaster at BRUM where the team never recovered, and stopped playing, with Hleb and Flamini looking for a way out. Adebayor started eyeing his pension funds, and “civil war” broke out between Kolo and Gallas.

 Even Fabregas admitted  he felt “stagnant” at Arsenal and needed a new challenge to rejuvenate himself. Contrast present Fabregas’ scintillating from playing for Barcelona and Spain to his dreadful injury-plagued 2010/11 season, never recovered his 2009/10 scintillating form at all. And all these cumulate into our dreadful run of 2 wins in 14 league games, which is the form of a team fighting against relegation.

 And with virtually the entire senior team either injured or suspended, Arsene Wenger, at of all places, played his deluded attacking 4-2-31 against an in-form team known for its attacking quality plus its swift counter-attacking attacking with pacy wingers. It is like Arsene Wenger had a death wish and vowing to fulfill his promise not to play “Negative Football 4-5-1” like he did at Cardiff 2005.

 I am glad he had solved one problem in getting rid of non-committed players selling Nasri, loaning out Denilson and a deluded Bendtner) and brought experienced players in Gervinho, Park Chu Young, Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Arteta and “borrowed” Benayoun.

It is with “Rejuvenation” and the  boosting of morale to rekindle hope in existing players that Wenger is determined to have a successful season, to win something and to be a title-contender. The second matter on tactics he may have resolved by buying those experienced players whom offer a wide variety of tactical formations and the flexibility of multi-prong attacks which we have not seen since 2007/08 .

In Gervinho he has a quick-silver flank player who switches flank with Walcott and provide a multi-prong attacks resulting in Walcott and Van Persie scoring regularly. Gervinho’s dazzling foot-work and dribbling ability is creating havoc in our opponents’ box, and with Walcott and Van Persie playing in a more central location, our goal-scoring threats is lethal. And with Ramsey, Benayoun and/or Arteta coming in deep, we have regained our midfield goal-scoring threats like the French Spine.

 In Gervinho, we have a replacement for an inconsistent and terribly off-form Arshavin and a delicate and non-committal Nasri who will go MIA after one or two hefty and hard tackles. A pleasant bonus is that an energetic Gervinho will track-back down the left flank.

Arteta? Benayoun?

Arteta is that missing “holding and attacking” midfielder that is so lacking since a committed Fabregas last played for Arsenal during 2009/10 season. Wilshere still needs one or two more seasons of development before he can fill Fabregas’ shoe in central midfield. The purchase of Arteta is just that – to provide Ramsey and Wilshere that vital 2 more years of development before they are established as the future of Arsenal Central Midfield. The presence of Arteta (and Benayoun) will enable us to play Fluid Football with pace, movement and interchangeability such that it is not 4-2-3-1, not 4-3-3, not 4-3-3, but a team with telepathic understanding among themselves, moving in position one or two steps ahead of opponents, knowing the pass will arrive, knowing the preferences of their team-mates. That is what Arteta and Benayoun will bring to the team – the catalyst with their experience to knit this team into an integral whole on the pitch.

 Wilshere?

Well, I consider him as good as out for the whole season and his return in 2012 is just a bonus to strengthen our squad.

 Andres Santos?

He will solve our LB problem with his attacking and goal-scoring ability as did  Cashley Cole. Arsene’s attacking football needs attacking full backs to provide width to stretch the opponents, as well as to provide goal-scoring threat like Lauren, Eboue and Cole. Curious enough, the defensive quality of Lauren, Eboue and Clichy are not that great either but dependable on the integration of Back-4 with a midfield that provides solidity in defence.

“Left Flank” Defence is very much dependent upon Gervinho’s tracking back as “first line of defence”, 2^nd line is for Song (or Frimpong, or Arteta) to break-up play and the  last line is for Vermaelen to cover for Santos (and Gibbs) when caught high up on the pitch (unfortunately written before Vermaelen injury became public knowledge).

I believe that for our next three League games, we may very well see our strongest team and perhaps a change of tactics to address all our deficiencies exposed during 2010/11 season. Against Swansea, perhaps we will see a full-flow attacking sides bend on annihilating the weakest team in the League and to find out how well will Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Arteta and Benayoun slotting into existing setup. Perhaps Park C Y will come in during 2^nd half to replace Walcott.

…………………………………Szczesney

….Sagna…………..Mertesacker…….Vermaelen…….Santos

……………………Frimpong……………….Rosicky

………………………………….Arteta

…..Walcott…………………..Van Persie…………Benayoun

And our strongest team for 2011/12 season maybe:

…………………………………Szczesney

 .Sagna…………..Mertesacker…….Vermaelen…….Santos

……………………..Song……………….Wilshere

………………………………….Arteta

…..Walcott…………………..Van Persie…………Gervinho

 That is with Arteta, and Wilshere, both playing as holding and creative midfielders, with both of them driving forward as needed and sitting back as defensive midfielder as needed, that is, Jack Wilshere should develop into a complete MIDFIELD GENERAL within 2 years.

 Even with a “Midfield of Dwarves” there is sufficient height in Mertesacker (and Djourou, Miquel, Bartley and Cahill if we buy him) to marshal our defence.

 This Team can be Wenger’s Greatest Arsenal Team

Arsene Wenger is rebuilding his 4^th Arsenal team which can be his greatest and it fulfills his Dream of emulating Rinus Michels “Ajax Model fo Team Building”, that is, graduates from Hale End Academy and his 16 to 18 year old youngsters will form the core of his 4^th Team, a group of youngsters that grow-up together, play together and develop friendships off and on the pitch.

The nucleus that has a distinct “English Spine” in Ramsey, Conor Henderson, Walcott, Wilshere, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Oxalde-Chamberlain, Bartley, Frimpong, Lansbury, Freeman, Aneke, Benik Afobe, Boateng and perhaps Gary Cahill as well if he joins us next year.

And the nucleus will also include Szczesny, Vermaelen, Song, Miquel, Ryo Miyachi, Ebecilio, Galindo, Botelho, Wellington, Joel Campbell, Jon Toral, Bellerin, Gnarby and other new buys every year.

If all those much vaunted youngsters developed as rapidly as Fabregas and Wilshere, then by 2013/14 season, we will have a title-winning Wenger Wunderkind with strengthen in depth at every position:

GK – Szczesny, Fabianski, Mannone, Martinez, McDermott

LB – Santos, Gibbs, Botelho

CB – Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Djourou, Miquel, Bartley, Boateng, Cahill???

RB – Sagna, Jenkinson

DCM – Song, Frimpong, Coquelin, Toral, new buy in M’vila?

ACM – Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Aneke, Lansbury, Henderson, Galindo, Ebecilio, new buy in Gourcuff?, Hazard?, etc.

Forwards – Walcott, Van Persie, Gervinho, Benik, Ryo, Wellington, Freeman, Joel Campbell, plus new buys??

Regardless, I believe this 2011/12 season will be a successful season and Arsene Wenger will tie down those crucial senior players to at least 2 or 3 years contract extension, which will provide that firm foundation and stability for Arsene Wenger to fully concentrate to build this 4^th team with committed and hungry players, players with a fierce determination to succeed, and to win titles and trophies, and with full confidence and trust in Arsene Wenger to strengthen the squad as necessary with new buys.

 The spine of the 4^th team is there for all of us to see, and to believe in them, and to trust in Arsene Wenger to develop them into a title-winning team. That this summer signaled that Arsene Wenger had slayed many a sacred cows in a reversal of his past policies; and also signal a pragmatic approach that will meld experience into his “Youth Policy”. And he still has the “reserve transfer funds” to buy again during January Transfer Window.

 The success of this 4^th Team is boiled down to two words “Special Togetherness” with players fully committed for the long haul and no more “Summer of Discontents” , and with players fully committed to Arsenal FC like between 1998 to 2004.

 It is time to heal all wounds among Management, players and fans; to gather all “fragments” together as a whole.  That people is what we should all do as it is all within ourselves to stand four square behind this team, find “such joy, such glory, even sorrow and dejections” in our team, rather then turned away from Arsenal now and missing all that is what made us Arsenal fans in joy and sorrows as we are all “a piece of” Arsenal FC, none better put in words by John Donne:

 No man is an Island, entire of itself;

every man is a piece of the continent,

a part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

as well as if a promontory were,

as well as if a manor of thy friend's

or of thine own were:

any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in Mankind,

and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee. 

JOHN DONNE “DEVOTIONS UPON EMERGENT OCCASIONS”

XVII. NUNC LENTO SONITU DICUNT, MORIERIS.

Now, this bell tolling softly far another, says to me: Thou must die.

http://www.anglicanlibrary.org/donne/devotions/devotions17.htm

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