Comments on: Arsenal mid-term report card (Part 2)

By: Third-Gen Arsenal-Blog of the Week is: ArsenalFCBlog « third-gen

Third-Gen Arsenal-Blog of the Week is: ArsenalFCBlog « third-gen — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:07:23 +0000

[...] was a quiet news week was Spanish Fry’s ArsenalFCBlog. This week he made himself busy with mid-term reports, match previews, criticism on the ‘Premiership Abroad’ and a dive into what was behind [...]

By: TayGoon

TayGoon — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:23:55 +0000

SF: About Diara, this is what I would say. “Normal intelligence is my God given right, my stupidity is my own creation”

He is forgotten.

By: darragh

darragh — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:46:31 +0000

Hey SF – I agree with nearly all your reviews of the midfield/attacking players, except for rating Rosicky and Diaby a B. I would say that Rosicky edges out Diaby by at least half a grade, given that he has contributed more to goals, and more assists, than Diaby. I would give him a B+, and Diaby a B, maybe B-.

Otherwise, great article as usual.

By: Five reasons why Arsenal are leading the Premiership

Five reasons why Arsenal are leading the Premiership — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:54:51 +0000

[...] far. Over the past couple of days I focused on the individual performances of the Arsenal players, grading their efforts and providing some comments for where they have done well and where they can [...]

By: Spanish Fry

Spanish Fry — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:12:46 +0000

No problem, TayGoon. Long comments = lots of things to discuss = fun! I've a couple of general comments to make:

(1) Flamini has been outstanding all season. Every game he has played he has played well and in my opinion is the only player worthy of an A+, both in his performances and his improvement.

(2) Walcott v Eboue - they have the same mark, perhaps one is a little harsh on Eboue and one is a little generous on Walcott. But Eboue's histronics and lack of a goal peg him down a mark (it is part of his performance) and Walcott's limited opportunities and youth push him up a mark. Both will hope for better for the rest of the season.

(3) I think a lot of people seem to think any sort of 'B' is a poor mark. It's not, it's a great mark! Guys like Bendtner, Rosicky and Diaby have done really well in my eyes and I don't want their grades to come off like they haven't. They just have more room for improvement than others.

(4) Noone has said anything about Diarra which is surprising considering how much of annoying little idiot he is.

Any further comments?

By: TayGoon

TayGoon — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:21:28 +0000

I agree with vlcgooner on points he made. Many players who have barely played at some point will be harshly judged since it may not be their faults if not given a chance, or played out of position. I will specifically name Rosicky, Diaby, Eduardo and Bendtner as the main victims this season. As we know Hleb even when played at RM plays best when he moves into the middle. Being right-footed, he has had more time playing on the right and Center of midfield than Rosicky, another right-footed CM, had.

Stats time: Rosicky Vs Hleb

EPL

Rosicky: 3r Top Scorer[6 Goals 2 Assists]; Appearances; 18 [15 starts, 3 Subs];

Hleb: 8th Top Scorer[2 Goals 5 Assists]; Appearances; 21 [20 starts, 1 Sub];

ALL COMPETITIONS:

Rosicky: 4th Top Scorer[7 Goals 2 Assists]; Appearances; 24 [19 starts, 5 Subs]; 1611 Minutes on pitch

Hleb: 6th Top Scorer[5 Goals 7 Assists]; Appearances; 27 [225 starts, 2 Subs]; 2072 Minutes

As for Eboue; A defender just turning into a Midfielder and doing well, I will give him an A-(I don’t include theatrics).

Diaby: He deserves more kudos for playing out of position and I think his dribling/ball retention when in tight spots is the best in the team(he seems to have the ball screwed on to his boots somehow)

Eduardo: Simply not playing his preferred position/role as the main striker and almost never finishes the game upfront without being shoved to the left.(he is learning a new position)

Bendtner: Not enough chances.

Theo: The time he exuded confidence nothing worked for him. He has taken a hit a little bit and we need not to scrutinize him too much. He has definitely developed, just can’t express on the pitch well enough. Now the weight of expectation is diminishing. Give him the rest of the season to “Marinade”

Denilson: As I said in December after the Blackburn game, I like his progress. He is in the process of integrating “steel” into his game. The end product appears “regressed” but I believe it not to be the case. More physical exertions leaves you drained a bit and it interferes with your silkiness. Fabregass and Flamini got the integration done during pre-season. They came into the season ready for physical exertions. Denilson’s timing is a bit off. I believe he has been asked to do it NOW in mid season and the effects is what we see.

Sorry again for a long one.

By: casicky

casicky — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:53:26 +0000

knightman why dont you get your man to stop Van P from getting injured haha

SpanishFry absolutely great post it jus helps at times like these when there no games to even concentrate on.I absolutly agree that Denii has been the most dissapointin this season starting to feel that maybe he was way ahead of his average las season.

all the improvements im this team are jus pointing us to getting sumn this season

We Gunner Gunn Em…

By: knightman

knightman — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:14:12 +0000

good grading SF though i’d give Ebuoe a B coz eventhough he ain’t smelling like a mid fielder yet, he adds an important defensive element to th midfield having been a defender for quite sometime.
can’t wait for RVP to come back to th squad n if wenger is reading this…i know an african witchdoctor who can cast a spell on anyone who injures RVP again!:d

By: vlcgooner

vlcgooner — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:48:11 +0000

Having taught, I know that grading is tough work. Do you weigh improvement or just average up individual performances? On improvement Eduardo gets an A or A-, overall, less of course since he barely played during the first part of the season. One thing that your grades show and that has become evident is the gap that has opened between our first and second squads. Lots of As and Cs in there.

I do have comments on two players. First, the C grade Eboue is way off. He is a jerk, no doubt, but he is miles better than Theo on the wing, both offensively and defensively. Although he hasn’t scored goals does it matter if the team is winning? He is excellent at unlocking defenses and when he is playing out best attacks often come down the right side. I am going to guess that he might just start scoring soon. Remember, he has only been a winger for four months. Finally, he should get bonus points for breaking J Terry´s foot .

As for Denilson, I agree that he has regressed somewhat since last season. Either that or our expectations have risen very quickly. However, I suspect it is because he is being asked to do more. If you have ever learned a language you will be familiar with the experience of actually regressing during the learning process as your brain reorganizes all of the information it is receiving. Likewise, if Wenger is giving Denilson new things to think about his intuitive way of playing the game might suffer for a time.

By: djp

djp — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:50:51 +0000

the van persie situation is a worry, he’s 24 still only young but footballing terms approaching his best years, i hope he gets to fulfill his vast potential, make no mistake about it he has it all, he could reach superstar status if only he could stay fit we’ve seen with players like gascoigne (although acting a fool dont help)and most recently louis saha
(who if he stayed fit is more potent than rooney)how injuries
can diminish your career no matter how talented you are.

i watched him in the games this season when he had been brought down by a tackle it took him ages to get himself up always very slowly (you see this in gilberto too) not a good
sign to me looks very fragile.

but like everybody else im looking forward to seeing him back,as i said earlier a fit van persie is a potential superstar.