Come on people. Lets call a spade a spade.

[Lazie]

Arsenal's problem isn't Adebayor nor the lack of a 20 million striker as per Xcuse. I recall watching an EPL game with Arsenal and the commentator said, "The death of a 1000 passes!" Long story short, the game ended in a tie.

After the game I got curious and went searching. Adebayor has the most offsides in the EPL and the Champions League.

Karl criticize Adebayor for it ... but be real. The "death of 1000 passes" is pleasing to the eye ... but goals win matches. Many a times Emanu makes a break and instead of making the killer pass, Arsenal passes elsewhere ... just to look pretty. Even in the first leg against Liverpool Wenger was upset because of instead of booting the ball to catch Liverpool on the break ... Gallas pass to Toure, pass to Flamini pass to Fabregas .. by then Liverpool defense is all organized.

The other day I looked at the stats and the 4 of the top 5 passers in the EPL are Arsenal players.

Hey .. mi might say it now and unuh tun round do it against the Empire on Sunday ... but Lazie keep it real.

Watch how the Empire work it. They do play a passing game, but they pass with a purpose. Thats why Carrick is having such a good season, if Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney, Nani or anyone break a quick break, the pass is being made. Many times its perfect or next to perfect, other times the opponent gets it and its a goal (e.g. Boro's first goal last Sunday).

Arsenal needs to add that to their game ... suh Karl .. hop offa Adebayor ... where would Arsenal be without him?

[Mosiah]

I fail to see what Karl is griping about. I thought Adebayor had a good game, if not a very good game. I would gladly take him if Arsenal agrees with Karl.

[Sir X]

Silly season, Arsenal had just as much chances to win the game than liverpool , its not by coincidence they have a mathematical chance of winning the EPL and are one round away from the C.L playoff.

They were just injury prone at the forward line , I do believe that wegnger erred in not having more faith in walcott.he proved he deserved to start in every game.

[Lazie]

Passers Team Passes Accuracy
Fabregas-Arsenal-2075-80%
Flamini-Arsenal-1710-87%
Clichy-Arsenal-1670-83%
Gerrard-Liverpool-1499-77%
Hleb-Arsenal-1454-82%

[Mexxx]

Whatever u say Lazie, BoyU is where you are because of 1

Arsenal's problem isn't Adebayor nor the lack of a 20 million striker as per Xcuse. I recall watching an EPL game with Arsenal and the commentator said, "The death of a 1000 passes!" Long story short, the game ended in a tie.

After the game I got curious and went searching. Adebayor has the most offsides in the EPL and the Champions League.

Karl criticize Adebayor for it ... but be real. The "death of 1000 passes" is pleasing to the eye ... but goals win matches. Many a times Emanu makes a break and instead of making the killer pass, Arsenal passes elsewhere ... just to look pretty. Even in the first leg against Liverpool Wenger was upset because of instead of booting the ball to catch Liverpool on the break ... Gallas pass to Toure, pass to Flamini pass to Fabregas .. by then Liverpool defense is all organized.

The other day I looked at the stats and the 4 of the top 5 passers in the EPL are Arsenal players.

Hey .. mi might say it now and unuh tun round do it against the Empire on Sunday ... but Lazie keep it real.

Watch how the Empire work it. They do play a passing game, but they pass with a purpose. Thats why Carrick is having such a good season, if Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney, Nani or anyone break a quick break, the pass is being made. Many times its perfect or next to perfect, other times the opponent gets it and its a goal (e.g. Boro's first goal last Sunday).

Arsenal needs to add that to their game ... suh Karl .. hop offa Adebayor ... where would Arsenal be without him?

PLAYER, the THIRTY GOAL A SEASON Magnanimous player Ronaldo. Him one save BoyU on plenty plenty occassions. Our problem was the loss of a goal finisher in Eduardo and Van Persie. Let me stop though as I dont want to hear I am making excuses.
Should Big SidEEE!!! ship off Senderos now? we need 2 excellent center halves so we should look to Italy and Germany.

[Mexxx]

We would not be talking about "1000 passes"

if Arsenal were in the semi final.

a suh it guh still

clawt house

[Mosiah]

The two styles were stark!

Arsenal displayed their absolutely amazing one touch short passes, and not all of them were useless. On another day, Adebayor would have been sent clear on goal on at least 2 occasions.

Liverpool's passing range was much longer, a good 30/40 yards on many of them, also a joy to watch.

I couldn't undertand how Arsenal just totally lost their passing in the second half. Yes, Flamini wasn't there but if one player is going to make the whole team lose it, tings bad!

I would never mock Arsenal's style, but I just think sometimes they get drunk off the "1,000 passes" and forget what they're there to do.

[Karl]

Arsenal's problem isn't Adebayor nor the lack of a 20 million striker as per Xcuse. I recall watching an EPL game with Arsenal and the commentator said, "The death of a 1000 passes!" Long story short, the game ended in a tie.

After the game I got curious and went searching. Adebayor has the most offsides in the EPL and the Champions League.

Karl criticize Adebayor for it ... but be real. The "death of 1000 passes" is pleasing to the eye ... but goals win matches. Many a times Emanu makes a break and instead of making the killer pass, Arsenal passes elsewhere ... just to look pretty. Even in the first leg against Liverpool Wenger was upset because of instead of booting the ball to catch Liverpool on the break ... Gallas pass to Toure, pass to Flamini pass to Fabregas .. by then Liverpool defense is all organized.

The other day I looked at the stats and the 4 of the top 5 passers in the EPL are Arsenal players.

Hey .. mi might say it now and unuh tun round do it against the Empire on Sunday ... but Lazie keep it real.

Watch how the Empire work it. They do play a passing game, but they pass with a purpose. Thats why Carrick is having such a good season, if Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney, Nani or anyone break a quick break, the pass is being made. Many times its perfect or next to perfect, other times the opponent gets it and its a goal (e.g. Boro's first goal last Sunday).

Arsenal needs to add that to their game ... suh Karl .. hop offa Adebayor ... where would Arsenal be without him?

Let me just as brutually direct with you as you were in a previous post: You do not spend any appreciable time watching the GUNNERS games or you just cannot appreciate what you are seeing.

Let's take this last game -
a) Have you watched and re-watched any part of yesterday' game?
b) Have you re-watched the game in its entirety?

Let us speak about Adebayor.
I never said he was not a very valuable player. Forget the nonsense others put out claiming and or suggesting I do not value him highly.

I said in yesterday's game he should ahve been subsitituted after 20 minutes. Why did I say that...on watching the game I noticed that too often he was gifting the ball to Liverpool.

In those 1st 20 minutes the GUNNERs we constantly probing and pushing Liverpool back. Too often our attacks were derailed by Adebayor. He ran ofside. He tried to do too much with the ball and lost it.

What occurred when he did those things?

Liverpool had time to catch it's breath. Our attacks stalled. We now had to win the ball and relaunch attacks.

...then there is the matter of Liverpool having good players (smart/intelligent players)...so I am thinking they are on these breaks observing where our players are...and the spaces behind them. That would help if under attack to make blind passes (so called desperate kicks) as passes to our 'holes'...i.e. empty spaces/weak areas to launch counter-attacks. Besides constantly giving Liverpool a 'new re-start'...builds her confidence...

...constantly launching attacks and having them destroyed by your own player constantly - breaks TEAM spirit...tires the other TEAMmates - mentally and physically! It makes for having to do more work...not as a result of the opponent's efforts...but your own (supposedly) TEAMmate.

What else was Adebayor doing? - He was not meeting the ball. Giving away the ball by that action. The easiest way I can explain this is the way I physically taught this on the Phy. Ed. field when I taught at Mico - Imagine standing with another person beside you. Have a third person roll a ball gently towards you both. One student walks towards the ball...the other runs to meet the ball...

The walker by not running to the ball gives away the ball.

...now put the walker nearer to the thrower of the ball. Again gently roll the ball towards both. The walker walks towards the ball the runner goes by and gets to the ball.

Again the walker has given away the ball.

*Now toss the ball gently in the air towards both and have the walker
a) not move while the runner meets the ball...and b) the walker walkers towards the gently lob and the runner races to meet the ball...

...in all cases the walker has allowed the runner (see - opponent) to receive/get the ball i.e. the walker has given away the ball.

Adebayor gave away the ball much too often by not meeting the ball...it was if he was on Liverpool's team.

When your player's effort starts falling like that in a fast paced match - it is two or more heavy weights you are asking your other players to carry. Physical pressure and mental presure!

Wenger had high quality players on his bench who as practise - never pull 'an Adebayor'....i.e. give away the ball so consistently in the manner Adebayor was doing yesterday.

We were not playing Fulham who would obligingly give the ball back promptly. We were playing one of the TOP TEAMs! We could not afford that effort.

*It was mainly balls coming towards him in the air...that he most often never met or at times DUCKED away from.

General comment: It was not that Arsenal were bad (at times we were brilliant)...it was that we were coming off a trying...physically trying set of matches...our players were furiously working...and did not need the extra work Adebayor was piling on.

What part did it all play in our running out of gas? What part did it play in Liverpool's seeing more of the ball and thus getting more comfortable on the ball? What part did it play in Liverpool's maintained resolve...ability to suck up the work we gave them and still be full of running?

After all you could see the pain on, for example, Gerrard's face. Yet Gerrard was able to endure...giving maximum output. You could see it on other Liverpool players...but they stayed strong.

Adebayor, in my estimation, should have been subbed!

85 minutes? We had our place booked in the next round. ..but 8 of our players were dead-beat! Minds...dulled!






...for all that...still that PENALTY never helped!

Ooooh we never played badly! ...except, I think, we were outcoached/out managed.

[Mexxx]

I can tell you how Arsenal always seem to lose

The two styles were stark!

Arsenal displayed their absolutely amazing one touch short passes, and not all of them were useless. On another day, Adebayor would have been sent clear on goal on at least 2 occasions.

Liverpool's passing range was much longer, a good 30/40 yards on many of them, also a joy to watch.

I couldn't undertand how Arsenal just totally lost their passing in the second half. Yes, Flamini wasn't there but if one player is going to make the whole team lose it, tings bad!

I would never mock Arsenal's style, but I just think sometimes they get drunk off the "1,000 passes" and forget what they're there to do.

and that is with the DIRECT LONG BALL ROUTE ONE

otherwise known as ANTI-FOOTBALL

The EXPERTS at this particular style of play is Chelsea and Liverpool.

The 2nd goal last night was a 120 yard pass to Crouch who knods it to Torres with the slow Tanker trying to recover, all that was said was NET!!

Then against Chelsea a 89 yard pass to Nikolas Anelka who knods it to Drogba who twist an awkward shimmy shot for goal and 2-1.

always always the long ball that kills Big SidEEE!!!, we need a strong mobile 6-2 defender to snuff dat out.
I wonder if Lucio is available?

[Lazie]

PLAYER, the THIRTY GOAL A SEASON Magnanimous player Ronaldo. Him one save BoyU on plenty plenty occassions. Our problem was the loss of a goal finisher in Eduardo and Van Persie. Let me stop though as I dont want to hear I am making excuses.
Should Big SidEEE!!! ship off Senderos now? we need 2 excellent center halves so we should look to Italy and Germany.

When TH14 did it time and again for Arsenal you didn't complain did you? If him in a goal scoring position what should others do? Ignore him and mek another 1000 passes?

[Karl]

I fail to see what Karl is griping about. I thought Adebayor had a good game, if not a very good game. I would gladly take him if Arsenal agrees with Karl.

Yuh jine dem a try gi di hi-de-ah dat mi seh im nuh good?
Gwaan, man!

Let me repeat - He gave away the ball too often yesterday! He should have been subbed! ..obviously I am saying the GUNNERS would have been better for it!

[Mosiah]

The long ball I am talking about is not the outtamilife long ball of the 70s. Liverpool does that every once in a while, as does Brasil! But Liverpool also sends some grounders 30 yards long which are a joy to watch. Nothing anti-football about that, especially if it gives you 5 Euro crowns!!!!!

"always always the long ball that kills Big SidEEE!!!, we need a strong mobile 6-2 defender to snuff dat out." - Maybe Arsenal can get Darren Moore. He is 6'-2", 215lbs!

[Karl]

The long ball I am talking about is not the outtamilife long ball of the 70s. Liverpool does that every once in a while, as does Brasil! But Liverpool also sends some grounders 30 yards long which are a joy to watch. Nothing anti-football about that, especially if it gives you 5 Euro crowns!!!!!

"always always the long ball that kills Big SidEEE!!!, we need a strong mobile 6-2 defender to snuff dat out." - Maybe Arsenal can get Darren Moore. He is 6'-2", 215lbs!

Man di way Torres tun Senderos iffen im did a play fi di GUNNERS and Senderos dida play fi 'pool mi wudda

----

btw - Who is now reconsidering man marking at corners and set pieces?

If Sendoros was doing zonal marking...pressure/coverage would have been (on Hyypia) in that area 'pool got their 1st goal.

[Gamma]

TH14...the difference maker.

[Sensi]

Adebayor played a damn good game yesterday. sometimes I get emotional and cuss him still but I must admit that he is the single reason that we did so well this season. To be honest, it was always going to be an uphill task with eduardo out and no one to play as Ade's deputy. The second point is, if Ade hits a dry spell then someone needs to pick up the slack and nobody did. Things became even more complicated when Fabregas also stopped scoring. Just take a look back at Arsenal's previous successful seasons, although Henry was consistently scoring goals, so was Pires and Ljunberg...plain and simple one man cyaan do dis! And check dis wi defense need fi come betta than that and learn fi close out games.