I knew it! I knew Bendtner looks like that rapper Eminem or Chester
from Linkin Park. Mind you, thinking that look-a-like is the only thing
that keeps me not to fall asleep in the first half, as we and Arsenal
play so cautious we forgot that football is not only about passing the
ball. (Hey I did wake up at 2 am, wait for a friend to pick me up, and
went to a cafe to see this match. I was bound to be sleepy).
To be fair, it was expected. Arsenal, having conceded 5 goals in their last two match from counter attack, definitely didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. So they tone down the tempo. Passing the ball sideway, forward, and back to Almunia. Passing the ball here, there, and everywhere, I thought they want to bore us to death.
Liverpool in the other hand didn’t help them self either. No matter in what game, this season we always always play in the same manner as our opponent. It’s like we're a sponge, absorbing the level of football that surround us (does this line even make sense?)
What I mean is, if our opponent up for a good game with pace, we served them with the same pace. If we meet one whose play didn’t have a purposed then to defend and nick something, we stoop down to their level (Portsmouth and Blackburn springs to mind). It’s like we’ve lost any sense of urgency to set our own play.
To be fair, it was expected. Arsenal, having conceded 5 goals in their last two match from counter attack, definitely didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. So they tone down the tempo. Passing the ball sideway, forward, and back to Almunia. Passing the ball here, there, and everywhere, I thought they want to bore us to death.
Liverpool in the other hand didn’t help them self either. No matter in what game, this season we always always play in the same manner as our opponent. It’s like we're a sponge, absorbing the level of football that surround us (does this line even make sense?)
What I mean is, if our opponent up for a good game with pace, we served them with the same pace. If we meet one whose play didn’t have a purposed then to defend and nick something, we stoop down to their level (Portsmouth and Blackburn springs to mind). It’s like we’ve lost any sense of urgency to set our own play.
Last night, when arsenal was there for the taking
in the first half, we didn’t even try to create something. No threat.
No intention. No raising up the tempo. No bullying. No showing up in
their face. None. Nada. Zilch.
And you can’t just expect Arsenal to repeat the same shite game in second half. At Anfield, Wenger called his player “not fit enough to wear the badge” to up their game. And he succeed. I don’t know what line he used last night, but Arsenal did raised the tempo in the second half and try to break down our defenses.
Diaby scored as a result. From the cheapest header I ever seen in this season.
Now, as always, we really love to put our self in this underdog, we-can-do-it, impossible is nothing, situation. We know the stakes are high, so we put more effort in. Babel replaced Lucas, and Gerrard played deeper, providing us with that long-ranged passing that we miss so much. Finally, somebody was pulling the string from midfield. Finally, someone was setting up our winger/wingback/wide-man free with a perfect - timing pass. (Mind you it only happen for a couple of occasions, but it show us glimpses of hope that we are capable of repeating the same playing-pattern as last season).
Long story short, we can’t nick the point we needed. I don’t even want to talk about Howard Webb and his baffling decision to ignore Fabregas handball (oh yes, I bet Webb seen the accident). We created 3 chances that should’ve been converted (from Lucas, Ngog, and Babel), but we failed to. One might say that we didn’t deserved to lose, but I totally disagree with that notion. If you score more than your opponent, than you deserves to win. That’s the rule. It always been, and it always will be.
Some talking points:
And you can’t just expect Arsenal to repeat the same shite game in second half. At Anfield, Wenger called his player “not fit enough to wear the badge” to up their game. And he succeed. I don’t know what line he used last night, but Arsenal did raised the tempo in the second half and try to break down our defenses.
Diaby scored as a result. From the cheapest header I ever seen in this season.
Now, as always, we really love to put our self in this underdog, we-can-do-it, impossible is nothing, situation. We know the stakes are high, so we put more effort in. Babel replaced Lucas, and Gerrard played deeper, providing us with that long-ranged passing that we miss so much. Finally, somebody was pulling the string from midfield. Finally, someone was setting up our winger/wingback/wide-man free with a perfect - timing pass. (Mind you it only happen for a couple of occasions, but it show us glimpses of hope that we are capable of repeating the same playing-pattern as last season).
Long story short, we can’t nick the point we needed. I don’t even want to talk about Howard Webb and his baffling decision to ignore Fabregas handball (oh yes, I bet Webb seen the accident). We created 3 chances that should’ve been converted (from Lucas, Ngog, and Babel), but we failed to. One might say that we didn’t deserved to lose, but I totally disagree with that notion. If you score more than your opponent, than you deserves to win. That’s the rule. It always been, and it always will be.
Some talking points:
Lucas and Mascherano: I still think this combination doesn’t work. If it’s meant to protect the defense, than yeah..Lucas and Mascherano provide that necessary cover in midfield. But in result we sacrificed something else: balance. Nobody carries the playmaker role anymore. No one sets up the tempo. Nobody do the ‘thinking football’. If Aqulani supposed to take that role than I really want him to be played as often as it could be. Take it as a long off-season preparation.
Insua: I really like him. He thinks like an Italian defender, meaning when he took a clearance, he didn’t just kick the ball onto oblivion. He knows that a bad clearance won’t give the team any advantage. You need to be able to build from a clearance. His decision to drible the ball in the box (when he challenges Fabregas) needs "balls" and a good technical ability. The kid got it.
Movement: Oh well, what can I say. It drives me crazy that lots of our player was often caught ball-watching. Move your arse, please. Anticipate your friend movement. Don’t just expect the ball to come to your feet. I know we’re not the fastest team, but can we at least think faster?!
Rafa: I know Scum and Chelsea lay down the blue print for exposing Arsenal’s defensive weakness. But without Torres, Johnson, Yossi and Babel we really didn’t have the tools to have a quick counter attack. Sit deeper and hoping to nick something isn’t wrong. But sit deeper and hoping to nick something with the wrong players is. I know that pressing forward means we’ll take the risk of being exposed defensively, but I think it’s worth the shot. It’s not like we were playing without any defensive midfielder. And hey ho…after Arsenal scored, and we pressed them forward, turns out we can handle them defensively. With only 1 DM! And it’s not like we ever win in Emirates by sitting deeper too.
And 4-2-3-1? Man..Ngog is a talented player, but he is not on a stage where we can expect him to lead the line all by himself. Our 4-2-3-1 is overly reliant on a quality striker.
Fabregas: What a snide little twat he is. Every time we got a free kick, he tried to move the ball further than it supposed to be. Really, he had all the ingredients’ to be a great midfielder one day. The need to resort to that kind of act amazed me.
Posting Komentar