New Pair Up Front?

I believe Wiltord and Henry paired up front togather some last season. Could be wrong though. Arsenal has the problem that they have some many combinations for forwards and midfield it isn't even funny. However as the season is winding down, that is a good problem to have with Vieira out at the moment.

 

The Wiltord/Henry pairing has been used fairly extensively in the past, not so much this season with Wiltord playing so often wide right.

You'll get a number of people convinced that they can't play together, for whatever reasons, and you'll get a few who say leave Dennis in reserve as a super-sub. You'll get those folks who think Dennis and Thierry is the way to go, and even those who say play Bergkamp and Jeffers up front.

As far as Sylvain this season, I'm the Official Sylvain Wiltord apologist, but I don't know that he's scored a ton of big goals, although there's no doubt he's been our most important goal scorer behind Henry. And I'm not so sure he's a defensive liability in midfield - he's no worse than Ljungberg or Pires. I actually like him on the right because he has the attacking instinct and often functions as a third striker. And, since Dennis's ego is as fragile as Ashley Cole's body, there's an element of stroking Dennis that makes it necessary to keep him in the starting lineup most of the time.

 

Whenever I've seen the two up front together, Henry has planted himself on the left touchline and Wiltord done the same on the right. They cross into the box, no one's there, and every Arsenal fan on the planet screams about needing a fox in the box/true striker/poacher, etc.

Is Franny that guy? Well, none of us really know. Too many injuries. In the future, I'd like to see a true striker brought in, although I have a hunch Aliadiere could be that guy. Yes, remember him? If he spends the summer recovering and developing, I think he's got the size and strength to hold his own in the box.

Wiltord did a better job of playing as the target man today. He didn't drift back and get snared in too many midfield battles. More importantly, he gave Henry room to roam. It all comes back to Henry.

 

I think Jeffers would work well as a goal poacher. I don't like him too much with the ball at his feet, but he always seems to put himself in good position to score. I suppose he needs to. I've never seen him take a really hard shot, let alone score with one.

 

You'll all not be surprised when I say that I think it should be Henry and Bergkamp up front. My reasons:

Henry - pace, power, control, passing, he can do it all. Has a tendency to be a bit lazy, I'd like him to annoy central defenders more and his finishing isn't quite that of Van Nistelrooy or Owen, but as he's a converted winger, it's to be expected.

Begkamp - passing, vision, the creative ability to do the unexpected. For me, he makes the rest of them play. When he drops off and gets the ball to feet, he more often than not picks out the runs of Henry, Pires and Ljungberg, I think we have a more all-round goal threat when he plays.

Wiltord - Hard working, instinctive, he seems to be better in front of goal when he doesn't have time to think! This showed against Middlesbrough, a good first time strike when controlling the ball meant he would have been under pressure. Shortly after when put clean through on the keeper he couldn't make up his mind whether to shoot or cross and consequently did neither. He has a bad touch and loses the ball too often.

Jeffers - Good worker, good movement, goal poacher. The only real poacher we have. His movement off the ball is great and would therefore be a great foil for Bergkamp, but he has surprised me by the amount of chances he has missed since he's come to Highbury. His injuries have done him no favours. Does the simple centre forward job OK, maybe his time will come as he's only young.

Kanu - No redeeming features. should be sold, released on a free, anything just to get rid of him.

Aliadiere - Has impressed the few times I've seen him, seems good on the ball, confident and willing to get into the box more than Henry, Bergkamp or Wiltord as well as have a pop from 20-25 yard range. I get the feeling he will move quickly up the pecking order next season with a reasonable run of reserve games under his belt.

So for me, Henry as an out-and-out threat and Bergkamp who can bring the most out of the players around him (as well as popping up with one or two himself) is the way to go.

 

Depends on the game

I agree with those who would like to see Henry and Dennis up front but only in certain situations. DB10 was the wrong guy to play in the ManU game - with so little time on the ball there was no time for his mercurial talents to manifest themselves. I think Jeffers or Wiltord would have been better up front with Henry on the day. However, against Middelsbrough (sp?) where the game was played at a far more leisurely pace, DB10 would have been his masterful self, picking out runs by Henry, Freddie, and Sylvia. Though we came out of the match 2 nil to the good, it was frustrating at times to see Henry or Wiltord on solo runs up the flank with no one to cross to or other options open to them. With DB10, who plays a more central role, Arsenal can take a more direct approach through the center of the pitch which would have yielded some more openings. Just my opinion. I do have to admit though that my spirits always sag a bit when the teamsheet does not include DB10 in a starting role.

 

Could not agree more, although I do fear that this may be Bergkamp's last season as a credible threat to start regularly.

The one thing that Wiltord brings over Bergkamp is pace.

Otherwise, it takes too many chances for Wiltord to convert. He had at least two really good scoring opportunities in the first half--not least of which was the Henry backheel that put him on alone on goal. He failed to even minimally threaten the goal.

Yes, he's scored a couple of "big" goals in the FA Cup run this year, but that's as much lineup change, IMO.

 

After Wiltord scored the first goal, I think I selectively blocked out any memory of what he did beforehand. Seeing the replay, he mised a few times, and missed badly. He squibbed one wide of the near post by no less than four feet after having a clear look.

And then he scored the crucial goal. Go figure.

I think ultimately the way the attack is playing now is more attuned to Wiltord than Bergkamp. Dennis is the master at picking out guys darting into the box. No one would refute that. But even when he's been on the pitch recently, I haven't seen Freddie or Pires making those runs.

 

when i started the post of who to start upfront against manyoo.. i said henry and wiltord.. got absolutely blasted by some posts.. where are those thoughts now? when i saw the initial starting lineup, i was shocked to see the two frenchmen upfront.. that said.. not just wowed by the results.. wiltord and henry scored a couple crackers, but remember the days where we would actually score THREE goals in a match? seems to be a distant memory. .at least the defense was absolutely solid.. god im rambling.. thats it..
solid week of rest for the lads..

P

 

So what's Dennis done lately?

There's some good analysis in here, nice work by all involved.

And, on paper, I agree with those who say it should be Dennis and Henry up front. But, honestly, Dennis is having a really crappy season, and I can't justify starting him when he's struggling so badly.

All you Dennis fans, here's a question: name one - just one - big goal Dennis has scored this season. You've only got six to choose from, so it shouldn't be too hard. Hell, I'll make it even easier - one of his goals came against Farnborough Town in the FA Cup so let's disqualify that one, since it was one of five and, let's be honest, Kaba Diawara could have scored against them. So now you've only got five to choose from.

Look, I understand how you all feel about Bergkamp, because I feel the same way, too. At the two matches I was lucky enough to see in person this season, just seeing him make an appearance, whether it was warming up before the match or getting ready to come on as a sub, was enough to get my pulse racing a little bit. Dennis equals anticipation of something great to come. But it's been an eternity since he scored *that* goal against Newcastle, and even longer since he scored one of the greatest goals in World Cup history.

What's Dennis done for us lately? Not much, unfortunately.

 

Regarding Dennis "J.C." Bergkamp

I think Dan has got it right when analyzing Bergkamp.

It's no secret that I love the man (see the subject line of this post) but I love AFC as a whole even more and if it comes down to Bergkamp getting minutes but costing us points or Bergkamp sitting and us picking up points then there's no question I'll plump for the later.

Dennis has just had a nothing season, I'm being frank and earnest here. And he's had plenty of matches in which to perform he just hasn't done it, yes he's been a presence on the pitch many many times but its goalscoring that counts.

And as many have pointed out already the team just seems to be better without him recently. When he's on the field the attack is overly Bergkamp oriented, far too reliant on Dennis to make a killer pass or dazzling move and those have been few and far between this season.

When he's not on the field that others guys have to rely on themselves more and it's much more of a team performance. A real collective effort to score and create goals rather than a collective effort to give Bergy the ball and let him score or create a goal.

 

I hate that you guys are right but DB10 is not the starters answer. I love Bergie and dont want him to hang it up just yet but he's a sub right now and rightfully so.

 

It's heartwarming to see that people can't speak ill of Dennis without the thread becoming a group therapy session. The man is loved.

As a side note...

I'm a big believer that clubs the size of Arsenal--who have the pick of players from all over the globe--have to cultivate certain nationalities in their line-ups. Look at Liverpool, who haven't gelled, and they've got XI starters from almost as many countries. Non-Arsenal fans rib the club for so many French players, but it provides a core to the team.

That said, there are loads of talented youngsters coming out of Holland right now. The German paper, Kicker, the last paper that would want to admit such, recently published that the next wave of Dutch youth might be the most talented crop from any country (frightening when you consider the total population of Holland). Dennis is a legend, and could not only attract young Oranje to the club, but help them in adapting to the Premiership.

 

DB10 is not the problem. If he plays behind Henry he still has the touch and vision to cut defences to ribbons, as long as Pires and Ljungberg are making the runs to open up space.That hasn't happened this season (okay Jeffers sometimes, but his timing is not there yet).

For the 5 minutes Dennis and Henry were on the field in the FA Cup Semi we should have scored 3 times. For that brief spell we looked potent.

As for Wiltord, he broke my heart this year. Thought he'd really clicked early on, but it didn't last. Back to poor balance, weak in a challenge, poor position play, lousy passes, inconsistant tracking back and cavalier defending when he does. A few important goals yes, but, his misses and mistakes probably cost us more. He's got pace, but without the rest of the package he's more of a liability than an asset. Lets get rid and give Pennant or Aliadiere a proper chance.

Attackingwise, the Middlesboro game was woeful. Henry, Cole, Pires and Wiltord spent the match tripping over each other; a complete lack of understanding. Wiltord wandered like a lost soul, often on the left instead of on the right. I think DB10 would have provided better balance.

To be fair, there has been frequent left side congestion this season. Pires often running into space still occupied by Henry. I would like to see Pires making more Overmars style runs, cutting inside earlier.