This season has seen some significant changes in personnel and style of football signalling that we really are starting to see Martin Jol's team. One of the most interesting changes has been that this current Fulham side has become a lot more balanced when it comes to attacking. Last season attacks were split like so:
Left 27%
Middle 38%
Right 35%
This shows the influence of Dempsey's consistent cutting in and the impact of Dembele, Ruiz, Diarra, Murphy and Duff who attacked through the middle or on the right.
This season has seen some significant changes in personnel and style of football signalling that we really are starting to see Martin Jol's team. One of the most interesting changes has been that this current Fulham side has become a lot more balanced when it comes to attacking. Last season attacks were split like so:
Left 27%
Middle 38%
Right 35%
This shows the influence of Dempsey's consistent cutting in and the impact of Dembele, Ruiz, Diarra, Murphy and Duff who attacked through the middle or on the right.
Bould but Necessary Risks This is a Guest Post by Nilo from A Gentlemen's Arsenal
Having watched the Munich and Swansea matches I realised that the Arsenal team was playing a very conservative game, keeping a compact formation throughout both matches. These performance reminded me of our first 3 draws this season, in the first 3 matches.
The notion that Wenger doesn't use tactics is ridiculous by KJ
Arsenal has struggled this season and many will deem this season as a failure or, at best, somewhat average. This has brought about criticism of Arsene Wenger and his methods (rightfully in my opinion). Wenger made comments recently that he didn't have any specific plans for flavour of the month winger, Gareth Bale.
Arsene Wenger has not really experimented with his tactics or the formation of the Arsenal team this season, although the system and the players give a great deal of fluidity and options. I would not expect him to surprise us tomorrow either, but the game is not likely to be decided by the tactics.
They say that "insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting the same results." When Sunderland plundered in their 48th cross without scoring in their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, Martin O'Neill conceded that his side were unlucky and he didn't understand how they "didn't score." Certainly, Sunderland deserve a lot of praise for putting Arsenal under disconcerting pressure with their crosses in the second-half, but crossing as a main strategy can be as inefficient as serving dinner plates with one finger.
Arsenal Scout Danny Karbassiyoon takes an in-depth look at the anatomy of Arsenal's goal away at Sunderland the tactical aspects, the technical aspects, and everything else in between.
This week I'm going to be taking a look at Santi Cazorla's strike at the Stadium of Light from this past Saturday.
You're all probably as disappointed as I am. Yes, the ref made two bad decisions which gifted Chelsea two goals, Arsenal played well in the second half, Jack Wilshere is a great player, etc, etc.
Wenger was forced to put Santi Cazorla on the left wing because we don't have any decent left wingers available.
Now, firstly I just want to point out I am not a Wenger supporter, I am an Arsenal supporter and shall support whoever plays for or manages the club. When the time gets tough for a club, the manager is often criticized and he is seen to be the blame for the failure of a team, when it is in fact all down to the players and how they perform.
If there is one problem the current Arsenal team have it is an inability to score goals. Consistently. Personally, I feel that one of the reasons for this is our imbalanced midfield. Earlier in the season, as Wilshere made his recovery from injury, Arsenal fans drooled at the prospects of seeing Arteta, Cazorla and Wilshere in the same midfield.
Wenger's insistence on playing Ramsey as a winger in a 4-3-3 along with Giroud and Walcott up front has angered a lot of Arsenal fans, especially when he leaves out the likes of Podolski, Gervinho or the Ox and has resulted in Ramsey being harshly criticised (sometimes fairly, other times not, but I don't want to get into that debate now).
This week in "Back to the Drillboard", we take a look at Arsenal's third goal against Fulham at the Emirates from Saturday's fixture. After a great run, Giroud finds himself on the end of a Santi Cazorla pass. He hits the post before finishing off an excellent cross from Theo Walcott who salvaged the play.
I dont want to question the legacy of Arsene Wenger. He is an Arsenal legend. Under him, we have won everything except the champions league (which we came so close). By taking into account our recent results, is it time for the legend to step down.
Currently in football there is a trend towards the narrow style of Barcelona, where the vast majority of attacks are passing moves, executed through the centre of the opposition's defence. Therefore one could be forgiven for suggesting that the winger is as outdated as the traditional tall centre forward.
It's possible to look at Arsenal's team sheet as essentially a list of heroes and villains in the play that's about to unfold. There's Jack Wilshere, returning to the fold after a long absence like a war hero; Bacary Sagna, Arsenal's Mr. Dependable and Mikel Arteta, the man who everyone feels should be leader.
A year ago to the month, Arsene Wenger's Boys, and I can't really call them men as the average age of the Arsenal Elite that took to the ‘theatre of so-called dreams' on that dreadful day was just a mere 21-years-old, were humbled by the brilliance of Sir Alex Ferguson and his wise acquisitions.
One would hope defeat to Norwich Cityis a wake-up call for Arsenal even if it is an unwanted one. But we've been in this position before; Arsène Wenger warning his team pre-match of complacency and his side falling to just that. One must praise Norwich City however; this one of the best defensive displays you will see this season, as they remained fantastically disciplined and moved up and down as a unit.
One would hope defeat to Norwich Cityis a wake-up call for Arsenal even if it is an unwanted one. But we've been in this position before; Arsène Wenger warning his team pre-match of complacency and his side falling to just that. One must praise Norwich City however; this one of the best defensive displays you will see this season, as they remained fantastically disciplined and moved up and down as a unit.
It's easy to describe what makes Santi Cazorla so good; he possesses two great feet (to the point which it is almost indistinguishable which one is stronger), is a deadly great long-range shooter and is blessed with superb vision and passing. But what's more difficult to describe perhaps, is the role Cazorla is playing.
Deep in the thick of the international break and with no top flight club football on this weekend, a look back at Arsenal's 3-1 victory over West Ham last weekend seems to be the only logical thing to discuss. In a new sub-section called Technically Talking, we'll look to dissect goals from both a technical and tactical angle.
There have been two stand-out players for Arsenal this season and bar 9 minutes against Stoke City in which Santi Cazorla was withdrawn; Arsène Wenger sees them as undroppable. Certainly when Cazorla delivered the definitive kick of the game for Arsenal's third, West Ham'sfailure to get something out of the game may have stemmed from their inability to stop Arsenal's two most influential figures.
Neither camp will phrase it in quite the same way but when Arsenal face Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the Champions League, they'll be facing a side who are arguably a superior version of them.
When FC Bayern conceded the Bundesliga title to Borussia Dortmund for the second year running, and also lost the Champions League final at their own ground, it prompted a reshuffle at the top.
Neither camp will phrase it in quite the same way but when Arsenal face Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the Champions League, they'll be facing a side who are arguably a superior version of them.
When FC Bayern conceded the Bundesliga title to Borussia Dortmund for the second year running, and also lost the Champions League final at their own ground, it prompted a reshuffle at the top.
After the final whistle on Sunday, Jack Wilshere slumped to the ground; his back turned away from the customary congratulations and commiserations from losers and victors alike, and stared motionless into the various colours of the crowd. The moment was captured brilliantly by Daily Mail's chief photographer, Andy Hooper.
At the end of Arsenal's 7-3 win, it didn't feel like a 7-3 win. It was exhilarating yes, for the sheer surprise, and goals that were delivered in fast-food fashion. But chaotic? End-to-end? Not even close. If anything, the real anomaly was that Arsenal didn't dominate Newcastle United accrued 56% of the possession and as such, that probably was a factor in reaching such an outlying result.
Steve Clarke's post-game comments suggest there's still much more for Arsenal to do to rebuild their formidable reputation even after their comfortable 2-0 win on Saturday. "We knew the longer the game went, the more pressure would come on Arsenal and then we would have a chance to play," said Clarke, adamant that his side could have done what Swansea did if the score had remained goalless.
It's difficult to make sense of the decision to substitute Olivier Giroud when Arsenal needed a win for the defensive midfielder, Francis Coquelin, but it certainly didn't warrant the chants aimed at Arsène Wenger. When Wenger did remove Giroud, however, on the 86th minute, it was ten minutes after they had attempted what would be their last shot of the match – by Aaron Ramsey.
It was Didier Deschamps, in a conversation with Jean-Claude Suaudeau, who said that in today's game, there are "two zones of truth...if you've got a great keeper and a great striker, you're not that far from victory." Naturally, Suaudeau, a former coach of Nantes and someone who is from the same philosophical bloodline as Arsene Wenger, disagreed.
Brian McDermott has a selection dilemma for the home match with Chelsea: he's started the last two matches with a 4-5-1 formation. However, in both matches he's changed to a 4-4-2 formation midway through the second half, with fantastic results. First, Reading won 3-2 at home to West Brom, having trailed 2-0, and then they came back from 1-0 down at Newcastle, to record a 2-1 victory.
Nicks' Note:A behemoth Liverpool post coming your way. Arunkumar Sekhar, who has already penned something for BigFourZa before, is quite effusive with his pen here, as he writes about the first six months of the Rodgers regime. Take it away!
"Judge me after 10 games"
Those were Brendan Rodgers' famous quotes when he became the manager of Liverpool F.
The holding midfielder, or defensive midfielder, or number 6 as we can also call it, is a thankless task that often gets overlooked in today's football of marauding fullbacks, twinkle-toed playmakers and dead-eye strikers. However what is most underappreciated about the number6 (as we will refer to it from henceforth) are its complexities that most fail to recognize.
In conversation after conversation, the same themes emerged:
— Klinsmann and chief assistant Martin Vasquez either lack the tactical acumen and game-day chops to successfully lead the team or fail to communicate their wishes effectively.
— Too much time and too many resources are spent on initiatives that don't translate to the field.
It's long been expected that John Terry would begin a managerial career after his playing days with Chelsea are finished. Now, there here are suggestions that this could happen sooner rather than later. The notion that John Terry could be appointed Player/Manager for Chelsea for the rest of the season is being thrown around.
Color me both uninspired and unsurprised by the Ruiz acquisition.
I grew up in the same neck of the woods as Ben Olsen, and though I'm a touch older than he is, I know (and am related to) folks who have shared a field with him. They're all pretty consistent in both (a) detesting Ben as an opponent and (b) being ready with an anecdote about how he bent or plain broke the rules in pursuit of winning, even when the game was meaningless.
It was better than what I was expecting, is how to sum that match up. Given recent form, I wasn't the only worried gooner expecting to leave without a point, but the Arsenal team delivered a performance that was closer to what we expected.
After initially coming out and blaming himself for Manchester Citys defeat against Ajax mid-week, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has now gone on the offensive by warning his players that "If [they] don't get [his tactics and...
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Inside the mind of Jose Mourinho Tactics and Coaching part III is a post from: Just Football
In Part III of our detailed insight into the tactics and coaching methods of Jose Mourinho, a look at Mourinho's staff, philosophies and methods. Follow the relevant links for Part I the secrets of Mourinho's success and Part II Mourinho's Real Madrid training sessions, tactics and patterns of play:
One of the many nice surprises on the "NSCAA Jose Mourinho Tactical Thinking Course"was the fact he brought his entire staff along with him for the presentation.
The signing of Robin van Persie cast doubt over Sir Alex Ferguson's ability to fit all his players into a working system. The presence of Shinji Kagawa, who is at his best in a central playmaking role, accentuated his problems, and while no manager would ever turn down such attacking riches, it poses difficult selection dilemmas.
