![Image for Player Ratings [The Pomp & Circumstance Edition]](https://cdn.thehotspurway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/snack-logo.jpg?width=800&aspect_ratio=16:10){kind=logo}
Good morning.
We wake to a new dawn. The mighty Arsenal vanquished by a new…
Look let’s get a few things straight. I have a sore throat from screaming yesterday. I got so wrapped up in proceedings I didn’t even get around to drinking the house dry. But we just beat one of the worst Arsenal teams to play us in maybe over a decade.
Yes I am delighted, but we need to look at what happened yesterday. Enjoy some pomp, but not entirely forget the circumstance.
The team sheet managed to pit Modders and PNB against four and occasionally five of their lot in midfield. I would suggest that Arry actually fielded a side that would appeal to a Lane baying for a wrought rather than one that would be more suited to doing the job. He needed Sandro on from the start and he bottled it.
His line up’s success hinged upon ‘things going our way’ and with some particularly crap passing and a good few insane hoofs at Adebayor that didn’t transpire.
6 An illegal card game was broken up in the Park Lane and it was discovered that Friedel was the dealer. ‘Just wanted some action, man’ the big man told stewards.
8 His goal was ‘spiffing.’ Not my words, but those of What Goal? Magazine. A good shift all around. Brain working much much faster than ever before. More please.
8 Bar that Vin Repast moment he as predicted his teaming up with Ledley King made him a solid as you could want. That’s what she said.
8 I shudder to imagine what we would be like without him after games like that. I guess the real question is who is lined up to replace him? He’s tip top.
6 Mmn. Needs to rapidly turn around recent form. He’s going backwards and Assured and Elegant has become plain old A&E again. Whassssup geeze?
7 Played out of position. So what is he supposed to do, write to his MP? Great finish but we could have had more had he been – played in position. Geddit?
6 Outnumbered and having an off day. What a cracking combination.
9 MOTM faced with a huge burden he got stuck in. Really impressed with his commitment and his seamless transition into the squad. Top charlie banana.
6 Some good runs but fluffed numerous chances this combined with being a defensive passenger made for a pretty lame performance. Must do better.
6 An A for effort but as low as a C+ for achievement. He needs more space and time than Doctor Who. That said a goal, and we’d be all over him, eh?
6 Not at the races. Not at all. Spent all of last week apologizing to Arsenal fans and should spend all of this week apologizing to Tottenham fans.
Oh and Rose to start – remind A&E that he has a challenger
Sandro must surely start as well, he is a beast and breaks up everything as well as covers for the CB’s when they are pulled out of position. With Parker along side him…….
The fact is we did beat a poor Arse team and at times they dominated possession. However apart from their goal the only time they really threatened was Gervinho’s miss in the 1st half. Everytime we came forward we looked like making a goal scoring chance and if you hadn’t seen the game live and watched MOTD highlights you would of thought we were all over them. That in itself showed we had the majority of decent chances. We don’t look right playing 442 with VDV on the right – as soon as Sandro came on we looked immediately more solid and took over the midfield. Arry has a few connundrums to sort out and as others have mentioned the 4231 needs to be unleashed. However with a few tweaks we could soon own that 4th position and maybe just maybe a little higher. COYS!
ratings…BAE much better than ratings offered suggest; he covers very well at at the back and actually tries to play football (not insanely hoofing it up the field); Modric worked hard but outnumbered (think everyone knows that); thought Bale did ok (again bit harsh there); Kaboul for me is a bit of a loose cannon (shown by Van P slipping him very easily on the by-line) though he is good in the air :0) and maybe Defoe’s A for effort may have been rewarded if there was less insane hoofing??? (he has definitely improved greatly this season imho)
As far as I can recall, van Persie beat Kaboul twice during the whole afternoon. I don’t remember van Persie being in the game much, which would seem to suggest that, on the whole Kaboul played him pretty well.
Sod possession, lets look at genuine chances. Their goal was crap defending by us and they had the Gervinho chance. Apart from that I can’t really remember any others? We scored two goals, Parker had a 1 on 1, ade a 1 on 1, Bale dragged wide and Defoe has a good shot well saved. On another day (when we’re not playing in the NLD) those chances go in and we’re all on here like Wacko jacko on speed because we won 5 or 6-1!!
They packed out their midfield to try and stop a hiding in terms of scoreline and I guess it worked, just about!! To me Parker and Sandro in the middle is for tougher away games. I would have been dissappointed to see them both start in the middle of a 4-4-2 formation at home to be honest.
All in all yes it was tough to watch in places, but then it’s the North London Derby, never really an easy game and all that matters is that we’ve beat the Goons and got another 3 points on the board.
Onwards and upwards!! (Unlike the Goons!!)
I agree with your assessment, HH.
It is not being defeatist, or disloyal, to evaluate a team’s performance, player by player, provided it’s balanced and in context. Every good manager does so, every game, win or lose. Plus every good manager starts with the assumption that perfection is a chimera (had to use this word just once before I’m snuffed out. Sorry!) but that learning how to improve is fundamental to a top four team.
Part of the context yesterday was the heat, the special tension generated by this particular local derby, and the earliness of the season. Another part of the context is that we won.