The talk of getting rid of Hleb is just silly and his display today shows it. I don't need to go further into the issue, because if you don't know the reasons then you suffer from memory loss or you only started supporting Arsenal in the last couple of months.
In a system of play like Arsenal's, everyone needs to be able to do everything (Total Voetbal anyone?). Hleb, an offensive player, can hardly shoot at all. That is a massive failing. He really needs to go. Toure and Gallas can both shoot signficantly better than the Belarusian. I realize they are particularly offensively gifted CBs, but still, that is a very bad sign. HeWhoMustNotBeNamed in for Hleb will be a huge boost to our side.
I think you're going a little far with this. He's a great player, but he doesn't work for the team. He kills attacks more often than he pushes them on.
Oh what a sigh of relief. Class finish from Ade, one of his best. Clichy had an amazing game. Hleb did very little imo to progress the offense today. Even the penalty was due to the fact that he held on to the ball to long, and we are lucky he got fouled.
So Hleb doesn't or hasn't in past experiences linked up our attacks and drawn play wide to create space? Yes, Hleb can't shoot but just because he has been poor the last few months doesn't mean that he is a player that must go...did any of you actually watch the CL run last season and the early months of this season? If your answer is yes, and you still can't see the value of Hleb in the squad, then I don't know what else to say. And another thing - just because you want another player in, does NOT mean you have to get rid of a player...why do you think we have such tyroubles when there is injuries in the team?
Hleb's dribbling created the penalty that sealed the game, but you give him no credit for it. A few minutes later he fed Adebayor the ball that almost gave us a fourth goal. What else is he supposed to do?
that pretty much sums up the frustration of the guy. IMO the problems with him are 1. He doesn't help his fullback enough, nor get stuck in in midfield 2. He can't shoot His passing is excellent - but IMO pts 1 & 2 mean overall his game is flawed. I am thinking particularly of the liverpool match. I don't think there is room for both him and Rosicky in the lineup.
Though I'm not sold on Hleb either way, at the moment, your point above may not be totally correct. Though factually we don't have to get rid of anybody to bring in another, and though we did suffer due to shallow bench fever this year, midfield may not be where the problem is. With Diaby, Denilson, Cesc, Rosicky, Hleb, Walcott, Reyes??? Flamini??? (both likely not here, I know), Song, Muamba, and sure I'm forgetting someone, it isn't numbers we're lacking in the middle--it's pure wingers and goalscoreres!
I give him no credit for it because i see the dribbling that caused the penalty as an error in judgement on his part. The fact that it lead to a penalty is inconsequential as it was intially a mistake.
guys that think that Hleb should score more should take a look at his stats from the Bundesliga....he was not a goal scorer there either and he played in central mid.......now he is playing on the wing. He does need to adapt his game more to the wing but when he is on his game, he is a really good provider of the ball.
surely all those trying to defend lehmann's case have to accept he is a liabillity, he could well of cost us 3 points, and had we of been fighting for something he could of cost us alot more. the ball that lehmann was trying to attack was stupid, im sure he just got bored of doing nothing and decided he wanted in on the act. top class GK's do no act as eratically as lehmann he will cost us alot of points next year, a club like arsenal should only settle for the best of the best, someone in the class of cech, given, gordon, etc.. p.s to those saying its our defending that leaks so many goals, care to have a rethink.
If you accept that our best midfield is going to include rosicky, Fab and gilberto, and that we are go to have henry up top/left, and RvP cutting in from the right, is there a need for Helb in that side? I think we need some legs.
The problem I have with Lehman is well documented but I don't think he has an air presence and he is always nervous in the air. How many times does he punch the ball away nervously? He is also very erratic and he looses his temper at crucial moments and that costs us dear. The best word to describe Lehman is volatile.
Good victory and a pity about the goal. What was Jens doing and why? While I don't want to analyze why he's started behaving like this again, I think next season he will be fine. He will want to play in Euro2008 and I feel his last year at Arsenal will be one where he excels. So no worries. Positives: Adebayor - drifting at times but more often stayed more or less central and had a delightful finish. He needs to polish his finishing boots this off-season so that we can start counting on him for goals. Good job. Clichy - getting better all the time. Negatives: Hleb, but not by much. While he did give the ball away a lot, he showed glimpses of the kind of effort required from him. However, so often during the game he was right beside Cesc in the middle of the pitch. Previously he'd be cutting in only in the final third of the park, now he starts off centrally. He won the penalty and all that's fine but it really was borne out of a reluctance to shoot. Something needs to be done about this guy in the off-season. Wonderful chap and all but he's proving more counter-productive than anything else. Baptista - pity but he needs to go. Diaby - not his fault but he can't do much stuck on the left. Of all the young players we've acquired, have we got a genuine winger? What use is it acquiring CM after CM when we have no one to play the flanks?
I can see why some people support Hleb and defend him but he has only scored 6 times in 2 seasons 4 us (84 apps) which really isn't good enough. At the start of the season, you would have expected Hleb 2 have scored more goals than Gilberto by this stage. Anyway - this should be in another thread. Like many have said tho: Clichy was quality 2day, as was Ade. Baptista should have had a hat-trick in the first 15 but was jus the let down he so often is. Diaby is not a wide man. Gilberto was pretty solid, Cesc ok but not as influential as usual (although pass 4 second goal was quality) Toure/Gallas fine. Eboue still can't defend and Lehmann?!? bet Arsene's glad he gave him that new contract!
freakin jens lehmann yet again.. what a liability he is.. i cant believe i have to fight thru another year with this guy!! he makes zero saves, and lets in goals that you see in sunday league play. fulham are a bad team you should beat 3-0 easily at home. i really was laughing out loud when lehmann let that goal in.. its a standard play from him really.
It's funny how everyone bitches about Hleb. "He doesn't get stuck in and he doesn't shoot" Well he's a playmaker and he never had a good scoring record. I wonder which player everyone is going to bitch at next year.