Maybe its just me and the fact that I've only seen three Arsenal games this year, but I think that Gilberto has had more of an impact on the games than Viera has. Not to say that Viera has not been effective because he has played well, but I think Gilberto really stands out when I watch the games. Any thoughts?
If I remember correctly, last season when Arsenal won the Premiership at Old Trafford, people were saying it was going to be an interesting match up between Roy Keane and Viera since both men seem to be the enforcer for their respected team.
It showed on Saturday when Vieira wasn't there. I think it's a mixture of the two rather than Silva being better than Vieira.
No way can Gilberto hold a candle to Viera right now, maybe in a few years but that's a big if. Viera is really the key that locks down the whole Wenger approach since he took over at Arsenal and the whole side now more than ever revolves outward from him.
We lost on the weekend because of the absence of DB10 and Pires (until it was too late), and a tired Henry, not the lack of Vieira. Give me a midfield of Freddie, SuperBob, Gilberto and Wiltord and we'll be just fine, thank you very much. Paddy is terrific, but I no longer belong to the cult of PV4. Did he and Petit make a great combo in '98? Yes. Did Paddy win us the double last year? No. I could name several players more instrumental than him. Yes, I realize that much of what he does "doesn't show up on the stat sheet" and that his work makes the exploits of Freddie, Pires, Henry, et al. possible, but I think Gilberto can accomplish that just as well. Two or three years ago Vieira was a real threat, now he's just a very solid player in a team of superstars. Discuss.
Its kind of an apples-oranges comparison. They don't play the same and seem to work very well together. Also, the team seems to miss Vieira more Silva when one of them is out.
I think we lost on the weekend because every Arsenal player that entered the box became instant crap. Some even maintained that form when they left it. A midfield of Freddie, Pires, Silva, and Wiltord would really scare me. I just cant help but imagine being caught in a quick counter attack because they would all be trying to push foward. Wasn't that why Yorke got the goal this weekend? I'd be more comfortable with a midfield of Freddie, Silva, Vieira, Pires. Wiltord can come on as a sub later in the game.
For someone who wasn't yet a Gooner in '98, I spent a lot of last year scratching my head over the the PV4 cult. I think he does show moments of absolute, unquestionable brilliance--last year's performance against ManU at Highbury comes to mind. He completely took Beckham out of the match, which is easier said than one. However, on the whole, I'm still left scratching my head occasionally. Mostly b/c his passing could be more accurate. I don't mean long, attacking passes, but basic passes around the midfield. How many times have we seen him go chasing after an opposing midfielder who's just intercepted his pass? I do think it's tough to single out central midfielders though...they work so closely together that the team wins/loses based on their partnership, not on the merits of one over another. I think Silva has made Vieria look much better this year than his revolving door of midfield partners did last year. On the whole, I think Vieria's playing better than he started off last year. So, while I'm not a card carrying member of the PV4 cult, I do think he's irreplacable.
Agreed Pires and Bergkamp should have started. Kanu! For Christ's sake! A midfield of Fred, Bob, Gilbert and Wiltord would get murdered in the Premiership. Especially as we don't have the rock solid back four we've been used to over the years. Wenger tried Pires in the centre of midfield at the start of last season and it didn't work. In this league, you need to fight for the right to play, then your more skilful players can come into it. Maybe a scenario for European games, but I'd have Pat instead of Gilbert in that case. The only way would be to have three solid midfielders with Pires just in front of them. But that would mean losing Fred, so it's not gonna happen. I'm still a believer in the PV4 cult. Half the opposing midfields we meet are beaten in the tunnel before the game just looking at him. It's not a coincidence that he gets constantly fouled by the opposition. They know how good he is and want to stop him getting into any kind of flow. When he is playing well and driving the team forward from midfield, there is no-one better, not Keane, not Gerrard, no-one.
Re: Re: Anyone else think Gilberto has been better than Viera? Can you expand on what you mean by driving the team forward? I hear this often and can't quite understand what people are saying.