The last pre-season friendly this evening should hopefully prove a tough test for what I would expect to virtually be the starting line-up for the Fulham game. Having struggled in recent seasons to break down Dutch sides, it will be an interesting exercise in how the tactics have progressed. Actually, it may not be the Fulham line-up because it would appear that this is set for a 4-5-1 with Hleb or RvP supporting Eduardo in attack. The flexibility of Arsenal’s play though often renders the straitjacket of formal tactics irrelevant with the interchanging of positions.
As far as the team goes, I would expect to see:
Lehmann; Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy; Eboue, Fabregas, Diaby, Hleb (or Rosicky); RvP; Eduardo
Denilson may pop onto the left and Walcott the right at some point but AW needs to get the spine of the team on the pitch for a workout. Two objectives tonight though; firstly, get understandings, particularly in the centre of defence working. Secondly, no injuries. You take it as read that the team will want to win but that is not the most important thing today.
On the subject of injuries, Emmanuel Adebayor will miss the opening fixture against Fulham. According to Le Boss he is scheduled to start training again in the middle of next week which I would have thought would put an appearance in Prague in doubt as well given that he hass missed a fortnight of pre-season training. It is important to put some perspective in this with regards to the coming season. There are, at the moment, four forwards and a notional fifth in Walcott. That is an adequate number for covering injuries unless we have a repeat of last season where the two top scorers are out for months at a time. It seems to me that any more will result in people sitting around, kicking their heels for a large portion of the season, not conducive to a good career move.
The Champions League has thrown up what could be termed a fairly decent draw. There is no reason for Arsenal to fear Sparta Prague where a professional performance ought to secure an away win; when I saw the draw my first thought turned to Silvinho’s twisting goal several seasons back to secure a one goal victory. It could have been worse though, Celtic have the ‘plum’ draw of a trip to Moscow and their plastic pitch.
’til Tomorrow.
to many cooks spoil the broth…..i think that is wengers motto and it’s true another striker will be one to much…you cant just buy players in preperation for injuries..i am getting opptimistic about this season because we now have a “plan b” in reguards to scoring ugly goals…..bendtner n dudu will be trouble in the air so we can now do some airiel bombardment of our own against them northern bastads when the sexy stuff dont work!!!
By: duke goonem on August 4, 2007
at 10:10 am
I dont know about your starting 11. both fab and edu played a lot of the game the other night. I was thinking
Lehmann
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Eboue Diaby Denilson Rosicky/Hleb
Hleb/Dudu
RVP
I dont think this will be the team that starts against Fulham though. I am wondering whether wenger can see that Fabregas is not yet fully fit and maybe wont use him for Fulham?
By: gazzap on August 4, 2007
at 10:13 am
I don’t think anyone who played a full 90 minutes against Lazio will start against Ajax. My guess is Eduardo will be on the bench and Hleb will play in a 5 man midfield behind RvP with Eboue, Cesc, Diaby/Denilson & Rosicky. If it does well then I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same line up starting against Fulham.
By: Amos on August 4, 2007
at 10:35 am
Personally I think if Wenger does infact go with his nearest starting 11 then a win is much more important than you suggest. We are playing an Ajax team which is very much looking on the up, with a young squad of their own, we are playing in their backyard & judging by their performance the other night they are already upto match fitness/standard. This is the exact type of situation we are going to be facing in the premiership against very sound defensive teams & also in europe, so a win tonight would show not just the fans but the players aswell that we can defeat this type of opposition. A lose or a draw with basically our first team playing would not bode well for the coming season if we really want to achieve things!!
By: Ashburton Gooner on August 4, 2007
at 10:39 am
Good Pre season game how we can come back to new era
I prefer 4-5-1 with helb beyond RVP
By: adane on August 4, 2007
at 10:41 am
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE
LEHMAN,
CLICHY,GALLAS,TOURE,SAGNA,
FAGREGAS,DIABY,HLEB,ROSICKY,
VAN PERSIE AND EDUARDO
By: ABBEY on August 4, 2007
at 10:50 am
My favoured team would be:
Lehman, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy
Hleb, Diaby, Denilson, Rosicky
Eduardo, vPersie
Diaby and Denilson would make an excellent midfield pairing with guile, aggression and a bit of pace.
By: paulette on August 4, 2007
at 11:06 am
WOULD LIKE TO SEE
LEHMAN,
CLICHY,GALLAS,TOURE,HOYTE,
FAGREGAS,DIABY,HLEB,ROSICKY,
VAN PERSIE,BENTNER
By: GORDON ODHIS on August 4, 2007
at 11:49 am
I would basically agree with Ashburton G but we do have to take into account that this is still a friendly & you don’t go that “extra mile” unless the game really matters.
You would expect to see the likely starting 11 for Fulham, for at least some period of the game, although not necessarily at the start.
I would think that Eboue at RM is a certainty for Fulham.
By: Flint McCullough on August 4, 2007
at 12:02 pm
What a great problem to have ^_^
usually a 1st team XI would pick itself, but this season i do believe we have pure compition for places. something we missed last season… badly… we have the setup to accomodate 3/4 formations easily and we have a great spirit.
full 1st XI (no injuries)
——Lehman——–
Sagna–Toure–Gallas–Clichey
Eboue-Fabergas-Berty-Rosisky
—–RvP—-Ade/DuDu—-
and i think he will use that line up for the major top 4 [ie. not spuds] games
personally as a huge believer in Hleb and seriously impressed by his work ethic [And Goal O_O off his own deflected shot O_O] my personal favourite team i would play is
——Lehman——–
Sagna–Toure–Senderos–Clichey
Eboue–Fabergas–Diaby–Rosisky
———-Hleb——————-
——————RvP———–
and i think this is the style of play he will adopt for tonight… Although he will no doubt have gallas toure partnership
i just think that pairing suffers from airial susceptabillity(?). with sagna the only defender that can head imo. i also think tht 451 hleb no.10 and dudu as lone striker would yield us the most goals… that boy looks hungry, and with delivery hes gonna score shitloads
By: Dylan on August 4, 2007
at 12:02 pm
I don’t agree that it is important that we win against Ajax. It is much more important that we put in a decent performance and even more important that we don’t come away with any injuries. Of course a victory would be good for morale but a draw or even a defeat by the odd goal will not be significant. If we really got turned over then maybe it could have an impact but let’s not attach more importance to this than it really warrants.
By: Amos on August 4, 2007
at 12:06 pm
————Mad Jens————
Sagna – Touré – Gallas – Clichy
Eboué – Cesc – Diaby – Rosicky
——————Hleb————
————-RVP——————
This would be my team for today, as Eduardo played full 90 minutes on thursday. He should be fine coming in in the second half for 30 or 45 minutes of action. Also, I’d like to see a full match or at least 60-70 minutes of Fab and Diaby.
Denilson should also get some minutes in the second half, and maybe Walcott too, but not many more changes.
For the Fulham match, we could use this same 4-5-1 with full backs constantly overlapping and midfielders getting into good attacking positions as much as possible… or maybe revert to 4-4-2, but I don’t know who to take out of the team for that. (Eboué? Rosicky? Hleb? Not convinced…)
By: Non Edible Nacho on August 4, 2007
at 1:58 pm
i think that the defence i.e. Sagna, toure, Gallas and Clichy, should definately continue to play in this game so as to get more acustomed to each other than the rest of the squad. the rest of the team though especially those who played in the lazio game should be more interchangeble. e.g give some a little run around or give some a full rest. Rosicky and Hleb are flexible
By: marlid on August 4, 2007
at 4:16 pm
Ajax has had manager problems for the past 5 years with no less than 4 managers in that time .. its hard to call any tactics they might use in this game as Henk’s squad is full of talent and he’s very accomplished at a lower level , but how many of his stars will play, that will sway the outcome .
Nicolae Mitea, Jaap Stam,Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Edgar Davids. just a few names.. should be a tough game if we see those faces .. i quite like Wesley Sneijder . hes the type of player arsene should consider on the left !!! he can play central midfeild also .. but if yogi was still looking for a left winger , he could fill the role ..
well we missed out on babel from ajax. so i think youll see sneijder play more minutes trying to impress…not a bad future prospect at 23.
hes the type of player that arsene would sign , he’s on the edge of something great career wise. a national player too !
HUNTELAAR WOULD BE NICE TOO !
BUT IT SEEMS IF WE GET A’ REYES REPLACEMENT’
WE’LL BE LUCKY..
By: ethan_gooner on August 4, 2007
at 4:32 pm
AMOS –
do you really think that a win ISNT important?
morale wise its critical . this team runs on their form . likewise
can spiral downward if things arnt going well .
for me a win is a MUST !!! this early on !!!
this is the game the experts and the board will be gauging
this squads chances this season on… ( in europe ) all you guys are focusing on the EPL . we havnt got a hope of winning that this year … so why are you all dreaming ?? 2 more seasons with this team at least .. if they all stay together ! and thats if .. id like to see them stand up and blow everyone away, but watching all the previous matches to this , i havnt seen the growth required to compete against mancs – last season ,yet alone this one … ill be happy for a top 4 birth in the epl , but i do rate us in europe .. where the football is more fluent.plus i feel thats arsenes main target…
By: ethan_gooner on August 4, 2007
at 4:42 pm
A win would be good for morale as I said before… but critical? – not at all! It’s a pre season friendly just a training run out and certainly not worth picking up an injury for. A part of me even thinks that a narrow defeat would have the boys a little more focussed for the next game. Will the experts really be gauging us on this game anymore than Lazio or PSG or Inter? All of them were useful but ultimately of little meaning.
By: Amos on August 4, 2007
at 4:52 pm
well it proves to me in the final pre -season game that it will be followed by either great speculation , or optamisism in the comming days. which will occur on either result. the optamistic veiw would be favourable , especially now there arn’t any big stars to fall back on … no th14 to look for when the chips are down, its CRITICAL for morale we win every pre-season , rvp gets regular goals… im sure chelsea wouldnt be saying a win isnt important.. you only have to look at there pre season stats to work out how strong they are … even at half strength. they need to thump them tonight .. that will show everyone what they have ..
but knowing how theyve played just recently prehaps things are on the up .. but as far as big noticable changes.
overall if you take out th14 and add sanga-rvp its about the same.. or less…
and not enough to handle the experience of the EPL .
….europe on any given night i rate them .. but based over a whole season we just havnt got the depth of the other top teams ..
By: ethan_gooner on August 4, 2007
at 5:15 pm
The scoreline is of no major importance, but another thorough shakedown for the defence would be good, lets see if Arsene really thinks that kolo and willy are the best combination for the season ahead, not that I think so.
Amos is right when he says ‘defeat would have the boys a little more focussed for the next game.’ A little more pressure, a little bit more concentration, its no bad thing.
By: Grim on August 4, 2007
at 5:21 pm
ethan_gooner
You’re always doubtful of the team’s capability but they’ll indeed surprise you. I had my doubts too but have noticed they’ve bonded together. You talk about Chelsea being strong all the time however, Chelsea didn’t even score more than us last season they only had a better defence. Chelsea won’t win the league this season, I promise you that and mind you, Henry was virtually absent last season but still managed fourth. We missed RVP more than Henry in my opinion. Henry was already past it after 8 years of knock-abouts in the EPL taking its toll on his body. Besides, Arsene won’t bring in any big player ‘cos that’s not his style and we’ve won the league before without big-spending players and we’ll do it again. Trust Arsene.
By: Harlan on August 4, 2007
at 5:30 pm
“well it proves to me in the final pre -season game that it will be followed by either great speculation , or optamisism in the comming days”
If you mean over reaction, either extreme pessimism or extreme optimism I am sure you are right. Just look at the angst ridden hysteria from some after the defeat to Salzburg. If we do win tonight I am sure others will be claiming that we will win everything in sight. The truth is that our success in the coming season depends on our ability and talent plus many variables completely outside our control, injuries, decisions for and against us and the simple run of the ball. What most fans of any length of time should have learnt by now is that the rear view mirror is not a good perspective from which to see the future.
By: Amos on August 4, 2007
at 6:27 pm
Other than the defence I feel that what will ulimately cost us this season once again is youthfulness. players like walcott, Bendtner, Eboue (as a winger) and even Ade still are likely to be inconsistent. On their quiet days it could mean dropped points.
I think we are one year away from being where wenger wants the squad to be, but I do predict a vast improvement on the last two seasons, but unfortunately with the same sloppy defensive mistakes scattered liberally throughout the season.
tonights result is not that important. I would like to see more of certain pairings such as Diaby and Cesc and to see whether Hleb works with that pair in the number 10 role. some players like Rosickly (freudian slip) are still finding basic fitness levels.
By: gazzap on August 4, 2007
at 6:50 pm
Ethan man, U’ve got to be the most pessimistic-realist on this blog. I love your points but now know that not even WINNING EVERYTHING EVERY YEAR will make u happy! U need to learn to enjoy life, the ups and downs, the building & rebuilding, winning and losing. It’s so much healthier…..Ajax is unlike any team in the EPL. It’s more of a Champ League friendly so it should be fun & helpful in that regard, win or lose.
By: Aman on August 4, 2007
at 7:38 pm
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Very good!
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debtor.
By: acordabrasil on August 4, 2007
at 8:14 pm
Random thoughts after first half:
1) I kind of like Gallas beeing captain. I think he’s got what it takes. He is a natural leader, he dictates, he is a vetaran and he has a certain sense of arrogance that I think all great captains should have. So what if he said some things during the summer, he never said he would leave, he just made clear what he expects of the team and the board. Thats what captains are for (ok, maybe do it within the team next time, and not in the press, but anyway..).
2) Bakary Sagna looks good, well his skills looks good, his hair is nasty. I remember seeing Cesc for the first time in the CS game against MU way back, and his hair was nasty too, so lets hope Cesc can gice Bakary some directions to a hairdresser in London before the season starts.
3) Clichy is in the prosess of becomming the best LB in the world. Is it just me, or does he look like he has gained like 5 kilos of muscles during the summer? Its just perfect. His speed looks intact and his stamina and he’s gotten stronger.
4) Van Persie is still a bit hotheaded and I really wish he could do something with that. I don’t think we will do good playing with ten men.
5) I like the new shirts. The black and red looks ten times better then the white ones.
6) Serious point : This team will never score. WHERE ARE THE GOALS GOING TO COME FROM? We have not one natural goalscorer out there. We have great footballers, but nobody to finish it off. We really need a goalscoring winger or two ( now thats a new thought, I know.). And I like Hleb in the DB role, but it really just gives room for one striker and that just isnt gonna make us dangerous in front of the goal.
Sorry for the spelling errors, Im Norwegian and I’m drinking.
By: aintnobodyworryin on August 4, 2007
at 9:04 pm
That wasn’t a v friendly friendly was it?
Heitinga, Colin, Vermaelen, Maduro & Donald would surely been off in a competitive match. RVP & Eboue too.
The tackles, if you call them that, on Denilson, Clichy & RVP were an absolute disgrace.
They were allowed to break it up with persistent foul play that would have earned yellows, so a bit of character was needed to win the game.
I would say Ajax would be 5th – 10th in the PL so that was a good one to get under the belt.
Much better defending tonight.
By: Flint McCullough on August 4, 2007
at 11:29 pm
What are you drinking aintnobodyworryin?
Can you send some to Ethan?
By: Flint McCullough on August 4, 2007
at 11:30 pm
Omit Donald from previous post. I have been drinking too.
By: Flint McCullough on August 4, 2007
at 11:36 pm
If we have come out of it without any damage then great but I can’t help wondering whether a pre season game played in that spirit is worth the risk. Even in the supposedly physical premiership I would be disappointed if we had to suffer the kicking we got tonight. We defended well enough and Sagna adds a little more assurance down the right hand side I feel. 4-5-1 has its limitations though and we looked a little more threatening with Eduardo alongside RvP.
By: Amos on August 4, 2007
at 11:38 pm
You wouldn’t want to watch Ajax every week would you Amos?
I doubt we will go back there for a friendly because they just took advantage of the fact that it has to be a 3 x as bad as usual to give a yellow. Ref just let them break up play illegally. He should have told their manager to take the main miscreants off before they were sent off.
Let’s hope that there is no lasting damage.
By: Flint McCullough on August 4, 2007
at 11:50 pm
Considering the treatment we’ll get outside the top 4/5 in the premiership, tonight was a good test. I just hope we got out of it without any injuries.
I like that we kept our focus to the end and took our chance when it came. It would be good to see more of that this season. Gallas/Toure looked pretty solid at the back too.
By: Passenal on August 4, 2007
at 11:52 pm
Ajax boss Ten Cate was unrepentant. He said: “Why should I say sorry? Arsenal have this stuff in the Premiership every week. Do they think it is easy when they come here? I actually think football in England is rougher and tougher. I have no problems with the way my players behaved”.
It seems they have dinosaurs in Holland too.
By: Flint McCullough on August 4, 2007
at 11:56 pm
[...] Ajax, Adebayor And A Favourable CL Draw The last pre-season friendly this evening should hopefully prove a tough test for what I would expect to virtually be […] [...]
By: Top Posts « WordPress.com on August 5, 2007
at 12:58 am
Gin and tonic, the only way to roll in Norway.
Lets hope RvP isnt injured………..
By: aintnobodyworryin on August 5, 2007
at 2:48 am
“You’re so wise. You’re like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair.” – Anchorman
http://www.coaks.wordpress.com
By: coaks on August 5, 2007
at 4:08 am