Cesc has recently said this of the Emirates pitch: "At the beginning I found it big, but for the way we play it is better." (courtesy of Sky Sports, courtesy of...etc.) Do you folks agree? And why? is it that runners like Rosicky and Walcott have more space to exploit?
I agreed because the way we play is pass and move and there is more space to move, also we have got a VERY fast team so Henry & co can use it more & more.
I agree. I never really understood the reason that we won so consistently at Highbury except that it was our home pitch. It was too small for the style of play and it didn't take much for teams like Bolton to congest the midfield and disrupt our style of play. Going to a much larger pitch, such as The Grove, has given the team the room they need to move the ball around and create chances.
I think the reason why we were still good at Higbury is because yes the pitch was small but the passing was so good it really never mattered. Also thats probably why we were so good with Vieira in the middle.
After having read that and numrous other articles after he signed the eight year deal, he sounds like he will actually stick around for eight years and more (some people have been saying long term contracts don't mean anything but to him it actually does), lts hope he is at Arsenal for as long as possible.
At the tour before Watford, when we went down on the pitch the guy told us the that it was only 2 yards wider and 5 yards longer than the highbury pitch. Seemed odd, but he would know.
The old pitch was 101 x 67, while the new one is 105 x 68, which is the new UEFA standard. Bit of a shame, I would have liked a larger pitch. The Highbury pitch was widened in its last years - that's why they didn't play at Wembley any longer.
He will sign a new contract long before this one is up. But i agree with everyone else that i doubt Cesc will finish his career at Arsenal. It seems anyone who isnt English leaves the Prem to finish their career somewhere else. Plus it is so rare for anyone to stay at a club even 10 years and if Cesc was to finish his career at Arsenal that means he would have been here like 17 years.
I doubt Cesc will finish his career with Arsenal. It's just a question of whether Cesc is still an effective player for Arsenal when he leaves. Hopefully he doesn't go back to Barca and reach greater heights.
When the time comes for him to make that decision it might well be drawn out just like the Henry to Barca affair. Cesc WILL want to play in Spain and the Arse fans won't begrudge him that decision. It just needs to be seen how much love he would still feel for Arsenal to stick around his entire career. His peak, just like any players peak will be from 25-30. Hope he's still here.
"But you are professional and you are Arsenal, you have to go there and give everything." --That's a great quote...it's a superb example of what I love about this club: class!