Arsenal must overcome their mental fragility

[canadagooner]

According to to Rob Smyth when the going gets tough the Arsenal get confused

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1305842,00.html

[Azabache]

So, going into San Siro three goals down and scoring 5 is a sign of fragility?
Going undefeated for 38 games is a sign of weakness? Playing an FA Cup tournement against all Premiership opponents and getting all the way to the semifinals while having to play four games in a week is a sign of fragility?
Child please.

[mixmastermatt]

was this written by;

a) man utd fan
b) chelsea fan
c) spurs fan

time for you to decide

[astabooty]

i completely agree. outside of the EPL they are average.
great article.

[astabooty]

was this written by;

a) man utd fan
b) chelsea fan
c) spurs fan

time for you to decide


the quote above was written by:

a) someone biased
b) someone who ignores arsenal's underachievements

[ibreak4coffee]

According to to Rob Smyth when the going gets tough the Arsenal get confused

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1305842,00.html

Wow.. you must have a lot of time on your hands.

[astabooty]

Wow.. you must have a lot of time on your hands.

do you not realize it is an article?

[ibreak4coffee]

do you not realize it is an article?

Mistake noted (now exiting thread in shame...) :o

[Val1]

I agree, Reyes is the key. I like the characterization, the boy in the bubble...

[yossarian]

the quote above was written by:

a) someone biased
b) someone who ignores arsenal's underachievements

....and of course you're totally unbiased when it comes to Arsenal. :rolleyes:

[astabooty]

....and of course you're totally unbiased when it comes to Arsenal. :rolleyes:


hey ill admit i'm biased, i really dislike arsenal.

but you know what? i think arsenal is one hell of a team, has great players, and when they are on, they are a sight to be seen.

having said that, i think they are crap (compared to their best) in europe, especially henry.

[astabooty]

Mistake noted (now exiting thread in shame...) :o


hahaha, dont worry, no one can be mad at you with your avatar.

worst.
mistake.
ever.
;)

[Coach_McGuirk]

Guys, I don't know how many times we need to say this: when you want others to read an article and comment on it, post a link to the article! DO NOT reprint it in it's entirety.

I'll go ahead and edit this, but it's imortant so that the original source is properly credited.

Thanks,

Coach

[canadagooner]

:o Sorry Coach I thought mentioning the writers name was crediting it.

[Coach_McGuirk]

:o Sorry Coach I thought mentioning the writers name was crediting it.
Don't sweat it, Bob. If anything I'm too touchy today. Something about idiots continually trying to tell me that Howard is better than Lehmann all morning.

[Val1]

Guys, I don't know how many times we need to say this: when you want others to read an article and comment on it, post a link to the article! DO NOT reprint it in it's entirety.

I'll go ahead and edit this, but it's imortant so that the original source is properly credited.

Thanks,

Coach
Of course, the entire exchange between Ibrake4coffee and Astabo0t now makes no sense. LOL

[otterulz]

I do think the article has some truth to it. When it comes to Europe, Arsenal always seem to flounder. Yes, the 5 goal game at the San Siro was exciting and showed Arsenal at its best. But I don't think we've seen enough of it. Look at the game against PSV a few days ago. The team didn't click and didn't look like the 5-0-0 side in the Premiership. I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting that Arsenal might be mentally fragile. Is this true? I don't know. But whenever it comes to Europe, it's the only thing I can think of for their failure on the biggest stage. If we have a weakness, this could be it. Think about it before you jump all over the guy who wrote the article.

[Jasonisimo]

...and as soon as they came up against a half-decent side in Europe, they laboured.

This is petty criticism.

A recap of Arsenal's recent Champion's League labors, most recent first:

Win 1-0 PSV Eindhoven (h)
Lose 1-2 Chelsea (h)
Draw 1-1 Chelsea (a)
W 2-0 Celta Vigo (h)
W 3-2 Celta Vigo (a)
W 2-0 Lokomotiv Moskow (h)
W 5-1 Internationale (a)
W 1-0 Dinamo Kyiv (h)*

O my god, Arsenal have only won 6 of their last 8 games in Europe! Against Arsenal, half-decent teams concentrate on defense first, hoping to nip a point. Against these tactics, any team will have a hard time playing free-flowing actractive football. When faced with these overwhelmingly pessimistic teams, criticize a classy side for losing a tricky game, sure. But for winning them? Give it a rest!

And lo, these results are not unlike those of AC Milan or FC Porto, the most recent victors in UEFA who themselves never played like Arsenal. I feel Arsenal has a great shot at getting the monkey off their backs this season, given this comparison.

The remainder of the article is so one-sided and biased, it's not worth considering.

*Thank you, Ashley Cole.

[ibreak4coffee]

I do think the article has some truth to it. When it comes to Europe, Arsenal always seem to flounder. Yes, the 5 goal game at the San Siro was exciting and showed Arsenal at its best. But I don't think we've seen enough of it. Look at the game against PSV a few days ago. The team didn't click and didn't look like the 5-0-0 side in the Premiership. I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting that Arsenal might be mentally fragile. Is this true? I don't know. But whenever it comes to Europe, it's the only thing I can think of for their failure on the biggest stage. If we have a weakness, this could be it. Think about it before you jump all over the guy who wrote the article.

Here's another argument that is not new but still valid: could it simply be that Arsenal's game is built for the premiership and that this doesnt translate well to the continental European game?

Football as it is played in the premiership gives flee flowing teams like Arsenal ridiculous amounts of space with which to work. Sometimes when watching the premiership I feel like I'm watching an indoor soccer match or a match played between amateur teams where defense is optional.

On the other hand, in Europe Arsenal is forced to play against well coached, highly organized opposition that play defense that 3/4 of all premiership clubs would die to play. The game is tighter, and there is less space to work with. Look at Thierry Henry for example. When he puts the French national jersey on, he cant run around the pitch at will like in the premiership... accordingly his production drops off.

This does not mean, however, that the team is mentally fragile. It is stocked full of guys who have won at all levels of football, both at the club level and internationally. Rather, its a tough adjustment to make, and one that Arsenal simply doesnt make as well as other European teams.

That said, Arsenal has a great shot this year, as they've proven they can beat teams that try and shut down games.

[billyho96]

I thought the article did have some merit. Arsenal do seem to really tighten up in these games. You can feel it just watching. Admittedly though, there has been tremendous improvement in these areas, and they look to kill off games better than they did a couple of years ago. Some of the players do look a bit scared in the big moment. In the first leg of the Chelsea games last year, they seemed to be looking for a scoring draw, instead of going out a team they had beaten, what 14 or 15 in a row.

The ManU analogy is fair. They took some time in Europe before they got their confidence up. And they really hit their stride in the later part of the 90s and continue to get results. Vieira is a better midfield than Keane, but we do seem to lack that type of leader when someone needs to "grab it by the scruff of the neck." Remember the San Siro game last year was huge, but because we got the result not because it was 5-1. The last 3 goals in the game were jokes, Inter had quit on the game, especially the last two.

p.s. anyone remember when coach was just a poster, who didn't edit every thread, and bark orders like he refereeing an intermural flag football fame? :D

(Mod Note: Don't think I'm not taking notes, billy. ;) )