Mails: Wenger is a domestic cat among tigers…

Mails: Wenger is a domestic cat among tigers…

You know what to do: Watch some football on Wednesday night and send mails to theeditor@football365.com

There’s always Thomas…
Arsenal are the Ringo Starr of the title race every year. Always on the same stage as the big players but ultimately no-one is ever really looking at them.
A

A sobering thought
Like Harry Kane, there is no such thing as peak Arsenal.

We will never reach Peak Arsenal.

Ever.
Dave, BAC

Arsenal need a tiger
A great philosopher* once said that nothing is truly lost until you stop looking for it. Is this where Arsenal are currently?

There seems to have been several instances over the 13 years since the last title where they have genuinely been one or two players away from the title. It was proven goal scorer at one point and at another it was a defensive midfielder. I may be imagining it but there was a season about six/ seven years ago when they just seemed to be a keeper away from the title and were linked with Mark Schwarzer but Wenger wouldn’t pay the fee. Schwarzer now has two Premier League winners medals.

Wenger is a brilliant manager, there can be no doubt of that. To be in charge of a massive club for more than 20 years is outstanding. To qualify year, after year, after year for the knock-outs of the Champions League is unprecedented, even by Fergie. However, the difference between Fergie (and others) and Wenger is the killer instinct. Other managers look at their squad, identify the weaknesses and seek to resolve, either internally or externally. To me, Wenger has lost sight of the title, lost sight of winning the Champions League. He is happy to be there or there abouts. He is happy to live a lifetime as a domestic cat rather than an hour as tiger.
Micki (*ok, it was Kate out of CBEEBIES programme ‘Kate and Mim-Mim’… I have young kids alright) Attridge

We need a new Arsenal
Get Diego Simeone as manager. Get that annoying guy Godin at the back. Get someone who just scores goals. Get midfielders from a destitute village, where they send the children off to the sulphur mines. Play at a high tempo, with results over flair being a priority. Kick people, shove them, dive, shout at the ref. Be really horrible, play ugly but win. If you’re going to get a red card, make sure you drag off two of their players in a headlock as you leave the pitch.

I’m just so tired of Arsenal. They actually have turned me off from being a ‘football purist’. I can’t take it anymore. I want teams to brick it playing Arsenal, not treat it like a Sunday tea party at their Nan’s house.

RIP Old Arsenal.
Kireca

In/out shake it all about
Poor Wenger, it’s February and like clockwork Arsenal’s injury list starts to pile up, miserable performances and the call for the boot from the volatile section of Gooners.

One mail this morning proclaimed that they want their club back. This shows the fickle outlook in football. Wenger has transformed Arsenal from head to toe, from defensive 1-0 bore to technical attacking, mega rich European club.

In truth, that alone shouldn’t save him. Being joint second in a very competitive league (top six have a lot more points that previous years), still in the FA cup and CL should.

Then again it’s ‘Arsenal week’ and a hammering from Chelsea will see Wenger leave not with the dignity he deserves but to the chorus of boos.
George CFC

Wenger hasn’t fallen far enough
Feeling a bit for Wenger this morning, naturally he deserves a bit of a bashing but the real issue is, he just hasn’t ever fall as far as the others.

Liverpool have finished eighth, United seventh, Chelsea tenth etc. their falls were so far drastic change was called for. Those did change and improved off the back of it (well, Chelsea did).

Wenger can always maintain he’s kept them in the top four just hovering below the champions and hovering above the rest. His consistency is no longer getting praise because it’s all too familiar and too comfortable. The issue of course is, while Arsenal can be devastating, like they were at home against Chelsea, there’ll always be those games like last night and Watford away that remind us of their fragilities.

For Wenger to go, they have to finish fifth or lower, It’s as simple as that, but it’s Arsenal, and it’s Wenger so they’ll be third or fourth, above Spurs and claiming next year’ll be different.

Rinse, Repeat.
Jeremy, THFC. Dublin

I just want a title challenge
I’ve had many attempts at writing this e-mail as I feel there are a large number of Arsenal fans out there like me. I like Wenger, he’s an Arsenal legend. I don’t want to see the man fired but do feel he should go at the end of the season. If he won’t leave by his own accord than I think not offering the man a new contract is the most respectful way end to his tenure.

The reason I want him to go is quite rational and simple. I think Arsenal’s ambition should be to challenge for the title (my definition being that you are still in the title race in the last 2/3 weeks of the season). It’s not a ‘right’ for our club as some would have you believe but it should definitely be the ambition. Wenger has not fulfilled this criteria for over ten years now so should go. Any new manager is given 2/3 years to achieve this and is moved on/has his contract extended depending on performances. No bed wetting hystertia just a thanks for you time/it didn’t work out/we’re going in a different direction respectful parting of the ways.

If it goes badly and we turn into a top seven team instead of top four one then lower the ambition to top four for a few years then back to challenging for the league. Ultimate goal is always to win the league though, I can’t understand why the ambition would be to do anything else.

This isn’t a particularly enlighting mail or one to provoke a landslide of retorts but I do believe this is the feeling of a sizeable number (dare I say majority?) of Arsenal fans who just want the club to come out of its current stasis and excite the fans once more.
Kev (rational Arsenal fan, well, I think so anyway)

On Watford, Ramsey and Liverpool
First of all, what a win for Watford! Most fans were looking only for damage control before the game. “If we only concede three we’ll have done alright”. That kind of thing.

I had a glimmer of hope when I saw the line-ups though. For a start, a midfield pair of Ramsey and Coquelin is about as weak as Arsenal could put out. You’ve always got a chance when Ramsey is in central midfield. And Gabriel at right-back gave me hope that at least Niang wouldn’t have to worry too much about his defensive work and so could push closer to Deeney.

From Watford’s own point of view, the line-up was closer to what fans have been asking for recently. A switch to a back four (even if it was a Pulis-style set up with four centre-backs) has been needed for a while. Even considering all of that, though, to be 2-0 up after less than 15 minutes was a massive shock. I still expected a collapse. Hopefully this will now trigger an upturn in form and we’ll push back into the top half.

Going back to Ramsey for a second, there’s a point to be made which your excellent Early Loser piece didn’t specifically mention (although it was implied): Arsenal conceded twice in the 19 minutes Ramsey was on the pitch, and not at all in the subsequent 71 minutes. Coincidence?

One point on the Liverpool-Chelsea game too: Everyone seems to have been lambasting Mignolet for not being ready for Luiz’s free kick, but what difference did it make? The ball went in off the post on the side the wall should have been covering. Mignolet never would have saved it anyway. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t ready either. Why is no one mentioning the fact that the ball went straight over Jordan Henderson’s head and he didn’t jump to try and block it. He was clearly looking directly at Luiz as he ran up to the ball. He knew it was coming. For me, he and the rest of the wall were more at fault than Mignolet.
Jimbles, WFC

Chelsea are weak in the air
Reckon Stevie G is right about Chelsea struggling with crosses. Cahill is the only ‘imposing’ defender we have and while Luiz can do a job, Dave is often badly exposed.

Since switching to a back three, Chelsea have been solid defensively (understatement I know) yet height has always remained an issue. Crouch wreaked havoc for Stoke. Alli tormented Dave. And it genuinely seems to be a weakness. Unfortunately tall and pacy defenders (with the poise of Dave) are a rarity…

Nobody is perfect then?
Sood CFC (Van Dijk perhaps?)

…I had to develop all my inner strengths to agree with Steven Gerrard on his observation about Chelsea’s vulnerability on dealing with crosses. I have been noticing it for some time now and I always get surprised why other managers and teams do not notice this if I, a normal fan, can.

The problem starts with our wing backs not attempting to block the crossing attempts. Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso are good at shepherding the wingers but they don’t seem to at least try to block the crosses. It mostly comes from the right wingers of the opposition where Alonso just stands there watching the ball goes expecting the centre backs to deal with it. And they mostly target Azpilicueta who has this tendency to miss his jump. This is the one deficiency I always find in Cesar. Gary Cahill and to a lesser extent David Luiz are also culpable due to their positioning. It is mainly due to the high defensive line and the quick forward players always take this advantage and Cahill is too slow to react to that. I always feel tensed when players start to cross against Chelsea. Spurs did it to deadly perfection a few days back, Liverpool did it in the game at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool almost changed to such tactics in the second half yesterday and Chelsea looked much more vulnerable and at last Liverpool scored from such a situation.

Ivanovic and Terry were perfect in dealing with crosses. We let one go and our captain is on the bench. Conte should address this issue much faster as people have finally started to notice this and you can expect a crossing bombardment from teams now starting from Arsenal (haha).
Sreekanth, Germany

Klopp = ‘Arry
I know it is the DNA of United fans to dislike anything and everything to do with Liverpool (Uncle Roy being an honourable exception), but this Klopp bloke really is an odious specimen, isn’t he?

This happy-clappy shtick really gets up my nose, especially when he uses it to get around his ranting and raging at anyone and anything in his vicinity. Can anyone imagine the uproar if Mourinho or Wenger gave the fourth official the full hairdryer treatment as he did at last night’s Chelsea game?

Klopp might profess that he isn’t Diego’s friend, but I’m pretty sure given the choice, most of us would do anything to avoid being lumbered next to ‘Mr Life and Soul’ Klopp in the pub.

Anyway, I’m sure Klopp wouldn’t want to stand next to me either, so to my point … looks to me that Jurgen’s tactical nous is right out of ‘Arry’s big book of management: ‘Just f*****g run around a bit’. With the only refinement being ‘and keep doing it until your legs are gone’.

My prediction is that both Klopp and Trump are gone by Christmas.
E.T. King (MUFC)

Feeling positive about Palace
This is the most positive I’ve felt about Palace for a long time and I actually wanted to watch Match of the Day last night. A clean sheet away from home for the first time since December 2015 and players really working hard to get the result. Just after half time and in the last few minutes of the game have been when we have conceded a lot of goals and lost points, so it is nice for it to be the other way round for a change and shows our fitness is improving.

We all felt like the summer transfer window was a good one so there is some nervousness before we declare this one a success. But we’ve plugged some of the gaps we needed to. We now have an actual left back and an actual defensive midfielder. Sakho seems slightly error prone but is a quality player, when added to our current formation of three at the back and once Mandanda gets back on the pitch I’m hopeful that we see the best of him.

Of course, being Palace, I’m expecting us to get turned over at home to Sunderland at the weekend but for now I’m going to enjoy what it feels like to win a game of football, having three French internationals in the squad, a striker who is scoring goals at nearly a rate of 1 in 2, signing a well-regarded international midfielder from a Champions League team and hopefully, a mail from Ed that doesn’t say we’re f***ed. I won’t hold my breath on the last one though…
Ant, CPFC

Heeeeeeeere’s Ed
* I didn’t see that coming. An away win AND a clean sheet in a Crystal Palace game that wasn’t played at Selhurst Park? It’s been a while. This was a game that Crystal Palace desperately needed something from, and were good value for their win.

* The Eagles lined up in a 3-5-2, but it was more fluid in attack than this suggests. Wilfried Zaha was nominally up front alongside Christian Benteke, but drifted out to the right, while Patrick van Aanholt and Jason Puncheon provided width on the other side.

* While I don’t want to get carried away, because a) we’re still in the relegation zone and b) still likely to make a pig’s ear of it against Sunderland at the weekend, there were some encouraging signs from our trip to the Vitality Stadium, most of all the timings of the goals. I can’t remember the exact statistic but I think Palace have dropped about 10 points from goals scored in or after the 87th minute. We’ve also conceded a few goals straight after half-time; putting the shoe on the other foot for these two stats has to be a step in the right direction.

* Transfer window traditions, part 427: having not spent much money or brought in a first-team ready player, the Arsenal are forced into an early substitution when a player gets injured.

* Transfer window traditions, part 428: a player rumoured to be leaving a club amazingly and coincidentally plays far better than he has in several (many) previous games. Looking at you, Andros.

* Shouldn’t have laughed, but did: Matt Le Tissier on Sky Sports News was asked about new Crystal Palace signing Luka Milivojevic, and conceded he didn’t know a lot about him, but was looking forward to Paul Merson attempting to pronounce it.

While the arrival of Mamadou Sakho looks straightforward, Milivojevic does present a more complex issue with team selection. He is presumably competing for a place in a midfield three with Yohan Cabaye, Jason Puncheon and James McArthur. McArthur has been one of our best players this season (second only to Zaha), so leaving him out would be harsh, while a combative midfielder in place of Cabaye or Puncheon will restrict the team’s creativity.

* “Nobody can beat us” is the 2017 version of “Off! Off! Off! It’s an early bath for you!”

* While Palace are still in the relegation zone, because Swansea City beat Southampton, their win was still important. City have drawn level with both Middlesbrough and Leicester City. This weekend sees Palace host Sunderland, Boro travel to Tottenham, Swansea City play Manchester City and the Leicester City host Manchester United. A win for the Eagles would leapfrog them over all their rivals and into 15th.

* The Eagles caught a break last night when Jack Rodwell escaped a sending-off. In 37 games for Sunderland, he has never been on the winning side. Still, records are made to be broken.
Ed Quoththeraven

What to shout at a fourth official
Yet more excellence from the ever adorable Klopp last night. Not so much for the actual football, although I’m sure a draw at home to Chelsea is perfectly acceptable, but for working out that as long as you shout essentially random words at the fourth official, you won’t yet in any trouble. Other managers will have taken note of this, so expect to see the following coming to a Premier League ground near you soon.

Sam Allardyce: “MY PAST DOES NOT DEFINE MY FUTURE!!!”
Arsene Wenger: “MY COAT IS NOT WHO I AM!!!”
Jose Mourinho: “DON’T HATE ME BECAUSE I AM BEAUTIFUL!!!”
Marco Silva: “I DON’T KNOW WHAT A PAUL MERSON IS!!!”
Paul Clement: “NO ONE COULD IMAGINE WHAT I’M SHOUTING RIGHT NOW!!!”
Mauricio Pochettino: “I’M ESSENTIALLY A GOOD PERSON AREN’T I? WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO ME???”
Pep Guardiola: “I’M SORRY JOE, I’M SO, SO SORRY!!!”
Sean Dyche: “NIGEL FARAGE IS A PATRIOT!!!”
David Moyes: “I DON’T KNOW WHY I DO THIS ANYMORE! I DON’T ENJOY IT NOW, AND HAVEN’T FOR A LONG TIME, BUT IT IS WHAT I DO AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO OR WHO ELSE TO BECOME, SO I KEEP DOING IT, INCREASINGLY LESS SUCCESSFULLY AS THE JOY AND THE PASSION SLOWLY EBB AWAY LEAVING ME A SHELL, AN EMPTY SHELL, GIVING THE HALF-TIME HAIRDRYER TREATMENT TO SEB, BUT NOT REALLY MEANING IT, OR EVEN KNOWING WHY!!!”

Feel free to make up your own at home. Or see how many forks you can stick in your leg before passing out. Whatever.
Jeremy Aves

Asmir Begvic and ‘The Big Move’
A thought always crosses my mind when I see that a talented player (good but not necessarily who you think of when you consider winning titles and Champions League participation) or a decent prospect make ‘The Big Move’ to a title contender. Normally for big money (prospect) or expressly as a squad player (talented) The thought is this; Do you really think you can break into that side and become a regular fixture and, if not, what are you going to do?

Man City will feature a lot in this mail, not to bash them, because there a few example of this at the club. Take Fabian Delph, Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair etc. All had potential. All got ‘The Big Move’. All, you would assume, believed that they could become first team fixtures. But it has not gone that well for them, Rodwell is definitely worse off then when he started (Sunderland have yet to win a game that he has started) Delph is struggling for minutes despite the shaky goings on at Man City and Scott Sinclair is the best jockey in an eternal one-horse race (although Dembele may have taken that mantle now) For all three, it became instantly obvious that thet were out of their depth. A significant improvement (not impossible) or a return to a more suitable level was needed.

I guess it is goal setting and this is where ‘What are you going to do’ bit that is the most interesting and most applicable to Begovic. Delph is in the middle of this part. He does not seem to the standard that City need and should be looking for a move. Rodwell hung around and ended up a bit of a joke at Sunderland. He never seemed to be in control of that move, it just happened to him. Sinclair did ok, got some loan moves to show his stuff. Celtic is not the worst place to be but can’t help but feel that he should be at a top half club (not top 4) in a top five league.

And so to Begovic, I feel that he has done this the right way. He signed for Chelsea as a back up keeper but believed he could be first choice. Understandable for any player who gets that opportunity. Got his chance last season, did well, but Courtois is firmly in the #1 spot. So he is looking to move on. He gave it a fair try, no one can begrudge him the initial move or a new opportunity.

I guess this all comes back to the dual position that is held against players in these situations. If they don’t go to the big club, they lack ambition. If they are not getting game time or a move, they lack passion/hunger/whatever you want to call it. Self-awareness is something that players need to learn, especially if it is tied to ambition. It is ok to back yourself. It is ok to know your level. It is ok to be happy with your lot. When the talk of big moves for these players comes up, ‘winning trophies’ is normally trotted out as a reason. Just once, I would a player to respond with ‘Yes, I want to win trophies, but I want to win with [current club]’ Because that is also ok, an acceptable risk for a player to take.
Kev (know thyself) Dublin