Amazing Ozil Hauls Gunners To The Summit
Dec 28th, 2015 by 'holic
Arsene Wenger opted to ring the changes for the visit of Bournemouth, bringing in Gabriel, Kieran Gibbs, Calum Chambers, and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain for Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Mathieu Flamini, and Joel Campbell. Nacho could be seen shaking hands and encouraging the starters as they set off through the tunnel.
The visitors made a couple of changes too, bringing in Pugh and King, for the experienced Murray and Stanislaus.
After a moments applause to celebrate the life of Arsenal legend Don Howe the contest got underway. In all honesty it was a scrappy start with neither side cherishing possession. The first effort of note was by King who curled an effort towards the far post but at a comfortable height for Cech to clutch comfortably.
Arsenal took until the tenth minute to fashion a counter on the break but when Aaron Ramsey freed his left-back Gibbs cross found only the head of Daniels. Three minutes later the Gunners survived a near post scramble. Bournemouth were showing no fear, and Chambers had to be on his toes to block an effort by Arter shortly after that.
Chambers burst down the right hand side on a rare Gunners foray but his driven cross reached the box before any of his team-mates could get there. Shortly afterwards Mesut Ozil delivered a superb ball through to an unmarked Walcott who somewhat rushed his effort and the chance was gone.
It was a different story as the clock clicked round to 27 minutes. A delicious Ozil corner proved an irresistable invitation for Gabriel to gallop into the centre of the area to power a header into the top right corner of the net. It was his first goal for the Arsenal, and one that transformed the half.
Arsenal 1-0 Bournemouth
The king of assists saw action as an emergency right back as Bournemouth sought a response five minutes later, then found Walcott at the near post with another delicious ball which resulted in a corner. From another sublime Ozil corner Gabriel headed against the post and the rebound came too quickly to Per Mertesacker. Seconds later Ozil put Walcott in yet again and Boruc scrambled the ball away for yet another flag kick.
Next to almost benefit from the German magician’s vision was Aaron Ramsey. Again Bournemouth survived the incursion but all of a sudden one man had taken complete control of the match. Ozil was just head and shoulders above anything else on display.
Another corner from Mesut reached Ramsey at the far post via Gabriel, but the angle proved too acute for the Welshman. The last action of the half saw Ozil chip the ball into Olivier Giroud who appeared to be dragged to the floor by Francis. Nothing wrong there according to the referee, Mr. East.
The half-time whistle must have been greeted with relief by the visitors who had been through nineteen minutes of torture at the hands of Mr “How may I assist you?” But would the Gunners regret not having added the second goal that incredible virtuoso display demanded?
The Cherries likeable manager, Eddie Howe, acted during the interval, and Stanislaus started the second-half in place of the unfortunate Pugh. Again Bournemouth caused the first problem of the half when King sprinted free and he was only denied by a superb recovery block at pace by the impressive Gabriel.
Cech was forced into the action eight minutes after the break when he smartly smothered a dangerous cross from the overlapping Smith. He was on his way to a new Premier League record for clean sheets (170!). What an excellent signing he has proved, silencing the doubters of whom I was one.
The opening phase of the second-half was a replica of the first, with the visitors regaining the initiative, and Chambers found himself the recipient of a yellow card for a late challenge on Arter. Howe sent on O’Kane for Gosling, and that prompted a change he hadn’t foreseen.
Just past the hour Ozil, who else, broke at pace and exchanged passes with Rambo and Giroud before calmly sliding the ball beyond Boruc. Breathtaking stuff from a player taking a position in my estimation reserved for the truly special. (It may help that he had just secured another ‘holic pound!)
Arsenal 2-0 Bournemouth
Minutes later Bellerin freed Walcott on the right hand side but Theo’s effort drifted wide of the far post that Ramsey had worked so hard to reach. Then Ramsey and Giroud almost opened up the Bournemouth rearguard but were thwarted.
With twenty minutes left Giroud fashioned an opening for a drive which Boruc could not hold onto, and an offside Theo slid the rebound wide. Back came Bournemouth but Bellerin was too quick for Stanislaus. Relaxed, the North Bank and the Clock End serenaded one another.
In an attempt to return the compliment Ozil fed Giroud in on the one-two, but the striker’s effort skewed wide of the target. He was withdrawn to make way for Joel Campbell, and Nacho Monreal came on for a limping Gibbs. Bournemouth used up their substitutions by introducing Murray for King.
Another quick break saw Walcott set up the Ox for an effort that was deflected onto the post. The match was drifting towards an inevitable conclusion. Cech had one more late save to make to deny Murray in the three added minutes, and Boruc had to be similarly alert to deny Walcott.
Alex Iwobi came on in the last of the added minutes and received warm applause from those privileged to have witnessed a quality performance from another.
Mesut Ozil almost single-handedly lifted Arsenal to the top of the Premier League. I compared him on Twitter to Dennis Bergkamp and Liam Brady. It was suggested he might need to lift a League title to sit in that exalted company, and he will surely never have a better opportunity, but lest we forget, Liam never achieved that with us.
This was a better day!
128 Responses to “Amazing Ozil Hauls Gunners To The Summit”
Bang
Fine report, Guv’nor. Almost as if had had been there.
Pleased to see the hat-tip to Petr.
COYG
A better day indeed. Congrats to you on the Holic pound and to Calum Chambers for his first full, very effective game as DM.
And to my old mate Sweeper, I like that new colour you’ve been painting with recently. Off-white black isn’t it?
Nice report, Holic.
Ozil created 9 chances….clearly we need to finish better!
Alexis….we need him!
Big kudos to Petr Cech! Not only the record for most clean sheets, but the accomplishment of a clean sheet percentage of nearly 50% in the Premier League, is staggering.
And today shows how that’s done. With a comfortable 2-0 lead in the 89th minute, it’s all too easy to switch off, but on that Murray shot, full concentration to turn it away says it all.
Pugh King? I bet they were…
Just on my way back from the game now. A win is a win and 3 points is 3 points. I think you are dead right to wax lyrical about the performance of Mesut Ozil today. He was simply two classes above anyone else that was on the pitch today. The game was quite dour and lacking in any real quality until Mesut decided it was all beneath his immense talent. The fact that it took 30 minutes for the first replay on the big screen tells you all you need to know.
I mentioned some time ago when Ozil was coming in for a lot of criticism that he needs targets to aim for. If you look at what he had at Madrid to aim for then it’s no wonder he was so highly thought of. If we could only add that kind of quality to the squad then I really dread to think what carnage he would weave. His run down the left and fantastic cross to Theo in the closing minutes explains that better than I ever will.
Gabriel was impressive. Chambers did well at first but faded as the game went on. Still a good performance as a holding player.
The secret of a successful side is to win when you don’t play well. We have not played well today. Against better sides we would have struggled to come away with anything playing like that. But it was Bournemouth, it was a win and three points that puts us top. For now, that will do. Get the business right in January and who know?
Many congrats to Cech. Another Arsenal record breaker.
Nice report H.
Up the Gunners
great game to watch, fine play by the boys. cheers for the report, Holic.
I like this ozil fella.
kudos to chambers for a largely capable game, too. seems to have a bit of arteta, a bit of flams, and just a taste of headless chicken…
BB@4. Two excellent points. We miss Alexis buzzing around up front. At times we were very static.
Brilliant holic. Looks like you enjoyed Mr. Assist’s Show. I did as well. What a brilliant and yet modest player. Was also glad to see Chambers play a whole game in that defensive midfield position. He looked shaky here and there but that is normal I assume. After all, it wasn’t a friendly but a proper Premier League tie.
Time for a glas of Vino tinto for me 🙂 Have a nice evening
Evening H
Workmanlike would be the most apt word to describe our performance.
Bournemouth tried hard but were clearly classes below us,and as others have pointed out,we could and should have scored 6.
Comparing Mesut in the same class as DB and LB,i would venture that they both,but particularly Dennis,had far better all round quality players to work with.
Apart from Alexis,Mesut is working with a squad, technically a clear level or 2 below that.
He clearly has the hardest task of the 3.
Just pray he doesn’t get injured.!!
Evening BTM.
Trust you had a good Christmas,
Off White/Black indeed around the perimeter,but with a large swathe of Red at it’s heart. !!
I agree on Callum,very tidy first game in DM slot,
got tired towards the end,but to be expected,as he hasn’t played a full 90 for some time.
Fully expect him to reprise the effort against Newcastle on Saturday.
Top 2 turning into the New Year.
What’s not to like. ?
Nice one, ‘Holic. A workman-like three points was just what was needed. Ozil’s goal was 100% pure Arsenal. AW was smiling like the cat that got the cream after it went in.
Great point about what Mesut has to work with at the moment, Clive.
Eevning Ned
Habit’s then ??
Just listened to Callum’s interview after the game.
When asked about his first game at DM,he said he had been training every day for the past 2 weeks in that position.
So doubt we will see any Swiss Gnomes arriving at the Ems anytime soon.
Evening, Clive. Habits indeed. Few of them good.
Cheers H
Trifle all gone now. ??
Any Christmas pud left. ??
I firmly believe we have got 3 out of the 4 cogs in the supply chain sorted.
World class keeper at the back,World Class provider in midfield,a World class mercurial action man roaming free,now what could possibly be the missing final link in the chain. ?
Oh yes,one of those. !!
What a difference a year makes. After 18 games last season, Leicester had won only two games, had ten points and were five points adrift at the bottom of the table; this year they have only lost two games, have 38 points and are a point off top. Hoping for a draw with City tomorrow, though. That would still keep us top on goal difference and City three points behind us, not the one that they would be if they win.
Arsene just compared Mesut to Dennis. Proof positive he reads the blog before the presser! 🙂
You haven’t closed off the last drinks, ‘holic, Fooled me into posting tne following there…
At least six of those chances fell to Theo, BB. He seems to have lost his touch lately. Very disappointing, although not one was really gold plated.
But a win and topping the table makes me feel a lot better today. Plus Leicester and City playing each other means dropped points by one or both of them. I think a small HP18 is in order.
Spuds in third? And with a better GD? They need putting in their place…
Oskar
Lovely report Holic which captured the essence of the game beautifully. I have just returned home and spent most of the journey trying to find appropriate comparisons with Ozil. He was absolutely superb tonight. His vision and insight is fantastic. His work rate,,the weight of his pass his weighing of options and always choosing the best if least obvious . The problem is that unless we can provide the right level of recipient for playmaking of his quality he may eventually feel he could be better served by moving elsewhere.
Good housekeeping is all very well but our two real splurges have ignited the club and could bring us the title. Sanchez and Ozil have bought into this club big time but we really need to make the incremental change that franks their purchase. Giroud has many qualities but he was poor tonight and frankly he has produced several displays like this. We should have won this game by four or five and would have done with a better striker.
But there were many positives. I thought Chambers did excellently in the DM role. He has a touch of class which will aid his development in this role. I don’t see him as a CB or full back but I can certainly see him as a DM.
I thought Gabriel played extremely well. I rated him before but this was the best game I had seen from him. I also thought Ox had a very productive second half and looked in better touch and Ramsey worked hard in central midfield. And of course Petr Cech richly deserved his record. One point not often made about him,is how much better his distribution is than Ches. one driven ball down the left wing in the second half could not be bettered by Ozil himself- yes it was that good.
But the stage belonged to Ozil. I doubt anyone in the league is playing better and I doubt anyone in Europe is either. We are privileged to be watching a true genius at our club.Truly a worthy successor to the rich traditions of James, Brady and Bergkamp.
The point made by Clive about the quality Ozil has to play with is linked with mine above about what he had at his disposal at Madrid. Both points are part of the reason that I get so frustrated with how we are run. If we had addressed the issues that needed addressing back in the summer then there would be a distinct amount of daylight between us and second. It drives me mad. Perhaps if we had the squad that we should have had then all of the injuries that people are happy to constantly blame may become a tad more insignificant? If Ozil has created 9 chances today then surely we need to be more clinical?
Clive
I think you will find the Elneny deal is done and dusted . I think he may be as much cover for Ramsey as Coquelin but I would be surprised if he was not announced. He does need a work permit but it should be a formality given his international record.
Oskar, I did! Check again 🙂
Question for all. I have got into the habit of writing matches that I am not at live, as they happen. It enables me to hit the publish button after the final whistle and enjoy the rest of the day.
On the downside I am aware from comments above that I can make performances like today’s more exciting than they were. If nothing happens for ten minutes I don’t write about it!
Also the balance can be difficult to achieve as the match ebbs and flows. Anyway, what I’m really asking is do you want the more considered but often hackneyed piece later on/tomorrow, or does this chronological account style work for you.
Be honest, I don’t want to lose readers because of it.
Nice one H – both report and bet.
A very competent performance today after a settling in period at the beginning of each half that was enlivened by some spells of brilliance and the genius of Mesut Ozil. I fully concur that he is in the rarefied class occupied by Dennis and Liam.
I was worried when I heard that Chambers was going to anchor the midfield. However barring a single mistake late on when he gave the ball away in our own half, it was a very competent debut at DMF with good interceptions and excellent pass success rate including several sweeping the ball briskly to the wing. He patrolled his area well and looked comfortable. I’d keep him there for the Barcode game.
AOC looks to be on the way back, regained his confidence and style as the game progressed and was unlucky to have his fine late shot deflected onto the post.
How good is Gabriel? Deserved his goal for an all-round competent display. He will keep Per and Kos on their toes for sure.
The others all worked their socks off. Nothing came off up front for HFB and Feo despite the string pulling of the maestro but they both kept at it and both, especially young Feo put in an excellent defensive shift as well.
Nice to change the Christmas mood.
I like it as it is H. It feels more honest this way, not that you were a big fibber or anything doing it the other way, but the immediacy is what makes it work.
For me.
And congratulations to Peter. He really has made a difference to the team. Good call by TTG about his distribution. He made several fantastically accurate long passes to players on the wings.
As Steve T and others observe, we really do need to add a couple more top quality pieces to the jigsaw.
I do like the live action reports H.
Dear Bath
I would like to point out that i have the world wide rights to use the word ‘ Sweeper ‘ or variations thereof,such as ‘Sweeping ‘. ‘ Swept ‘ etc.
Please desist from such mentions,unless prepared to pay Royalties for the privilege.
Holic,
You want honesty. ?
You can have both barrels.
Much prefer your original,considered and insightful post match blogs,to the ones you are currently knocking out.
You sound too much like a harried match reporter scribbling frantically to meet a deadline.!!
Either match report is fine by me. It’s nice to get a mixture of the as it happens and the delayed nursing a hangover report. Both have their merits and variety is the spice of life.
One other point were mentioning. At the halfway stage we are 19 points above CSKA Fulham. It’s just a real shame that they sacked Maureen.
🙂
I’ve never had reason to compare your match reports, ‘holic, they all seem to catch the right note perfectly. Far more so than some of the posts which follow them, mine included I’m sure.
Please carry on in whatever way suits you best and fits with having a life outside this blog. Although a few more chevrons when closing a drinks round might help us with lesser attention spans… 😉
Oskar
I stand corrected Clive. Swept aside.
Good point ST@29. Damn shame.
“Nursing a hangover’ reports will follow the games I am at, Steve, being poisoned with alcohol from you lot! 🙂
I like both types of report. The more measured style is better when we need to be reflective after a bashing like Saturday but this report tonight captures the immediate joy and excitement of a good win.
We got a fair shake on MOTD tonight largely because Wrighty was on it.!
I will make sure you are placed on a strict limit H in the future.
Believe it or not but Ozil looked even better on MOTD.
I’m with SteveT and TTG, ‘Holic.
It’s good to have a mixture of the “considered and/or hungover” from matches that you go to, and the more involved style that you’ve been producing recently on matches that you don’t attend. Of course, this requires that you resume putting in the hard miles once the Great Western re-opens.
Cheers H, good report on a good result.
Some pluses in individual performances – Gabriel, The Ox and CC at DM all warranted their selection. If only Mesut Ozil had turned up we might have scored more goals 😉
We may have only signed one player in the summer but what a purchase
Petr Cech has been. In both high skill and his professionalism, he is absolutely Arsene’s idea player. Probably the bargain buy of the summer. Many congratulations to him now having the most clean sheets of all time premiership goalkeepers. This is nothing to do with Mrs Cech’s laundry skills 😉
Guvna, personally I thoroughly enjoy your reports whether instantaneous or post hang over, carry on as you please ( but please carry on).
Just a thought for our friend Lonestar who is in Dallas – hope he is not affected by the recent devastating tornados that have wrecked havoc in parts of his city.
DMNBD
Nice one, Holic – congrats on the pound.
Haven’t had a chance to read all the drinks yet but there does look to be a fair bit about comparisons of Mesut with Dennis and Liam.
In my opinion he is different to both but possesses some of the qualities of each.
He is more of a constant runner than I remember Brady to be but he does have that knack of always finding himself in space in which to work. He also has that ability to pass the ball right out of his stride and continue moving for the return. He can absolutely dictate the game from midfield. As others have said, with better options in front of him, it is frightening to think what his assist count would be.
Neither is he as regular a scorer as Dennis, who could magic brilliant goals from anywhere. Mesut’s vision does, however match Dennis’, which is borne out with his 16 assists ( and 3 goals ) in 18 games this season. Özil doesn’t have that nasty streak that Bergkamp was capable of, and possibly lacks some of Bergkamp’s steel, but he does have an amazing ability to ride challenges and hold onto possession.
It’s quite difficult for me to imagine anyone matching the talent of Bergkamp or Brady but I think Özil does. And I think the way the latter manages games for the team, makes him just as important.
Yep, stay safe, Linestar.
Or even, Lonestar.
Thanks ‘holic for the report. As for the style I like both kinds but sometimes have missed the old style. I was reminded by your excellent personalized report from the Black Country a few days ago. The more mentions of ‘holicdad the more smiles you will get from me. 😉
Holic,
Think I prefer the instant, more emotional, reaction reports to the delayed, possibly more deliberately balanced ones.
Thought you were generous too, in not calling out Giroud today, who seemed to be after usurping George Graham’s nickname of Stroller – and not in a good way ! I guess he redeemed himself, in part, with the clever assist for Özil, but I’ve seldom seen a lazier performance from an Arsenal player.
I didn’t see any of the Southampton game, so I will assume he got battered and was still knackered today, or I’ll have Clive after me. ?
Chambers, on the other hand, had a very tidy game for a first effort at DM. It certainly seems to suit him better than CB or full back.
The Ox worked hard and was very positive too.it would be good to see him back with full confidence.
Cheers H! Either style of reportage quite OK with me. I don’t think its unreasonable that you should try and fit the blog in with all the rest of the stuff that goes into making up day-to-day lives these days. Would be a shame if you lost readers over it, however I think that’s unlikely.
Couple of points. Not sure if the King of Highbury had much to work with when he first appeared on the scene, however take the point that we had stitched a (at least in the cups) reasonable side together by 77 – 80, which was when he was pretty much at his best. However his appearance and immediate impact in a very average side in the mid 70’s, will always leave him at the pinnacle for me.
Trev – Giroud got ‘bullied’ at Southampton, from what I read elsewhere. But then the whole team did quite frankly.
Considering it’s the last game of a gruesome run, on the trot of a defeat, with 3 of our top 5 players injured and 4 team players slotting in and the consensus being that many more goals could/should have been scored it was a job well done and the players fully deserve their top spot.
@11/Sweeper: DB and TH were battering teams of local plodders, most of the league back then bar a handful of team (if that) would struggle in today’s championship. Not only is Mesut and his team mates’ athleticism far superior to the invincibles but the rest of league has progressed even further comparatively. As for being complete players, Giroud does more defensive work in one season that Henry, Bergkamp and Pires in their combined careers. Just to give you an idea in the 6 years between 2006/07 and 2012/13, in one average game:
– players cover 30% more ground
– while playing 40% more passes
– whose completion rate increased from from 76% to 84%
Meanwhile the percentage of players with a passing success rate of less than 70 per cent also decreased from 26 per cent in 2006/07 to 9 per cent in 2012/13.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140811124626.htm
And that’s only 6 years. I tried to show the last 20 minutes of the 89 Liverpool game to my kid and I couldn’t get his attention, he felt like watching a game in slow motion. Not going that far the reels of the 99/2000 season show utterly static defenses that could never contain current premiership forwards.
And just mentioning in passing that DB and TH never faced players who’d been thoroughly briefed using state of the art analytics to make sure they knew every detail of what needed to be done to neutralize the opposition players.
Today’s players are more rounded, more athletic and more prepared so if there was a time machine this Arsenal team would hammer the invincibles.
As for Mesut he is head and shoulder above Bergkamp and this Arsenal’s first XI are all better players than their counterparts from 2000.
Maybe if our past idols had benefited from the same training and preparation they would still reach the same stardom today but certainly not at their level from back then.
Holic,
If you write it, I will read it. Whatever’s most convenient and least stressful for you.
Matt,
You make some very interesting points but the inherent genius of people like Bergkamp and Brady suggests to me that they would have adapted to today’s game without too much problem.
I still think we were privileged to see the Invincibles and although I take your point about the defensive commitment of Giroud but to suggest his contribution dwarfs that of Henry is to suggest that Boy George could play chords much quicker than Mozart .
The overall point which makes comparison invidious is that players can only be judged in the era they played. Yesteryear’s players would have the benefit of modern conditioning, perfect pitches, ultra light balls and boots and referred who give them huge protection from foul or over physical play, if they played today.
Given a list of strikers inherently better than Giroud I came up with ( in my watching lifetime) – David Herd, Joe Baker, John Radford, Ray Kennedy, Malcolm McDonald , Frank Stapleton, Tony Woodcock, Charlie Nicholas, Alan Smith, Ian Wright, Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Robin Van Persie, Yaya Sanogo?( not really)
I added Alex James to the list of greats yesterday. My Dad said he was the greatest player of his generation and could adapt to any era . I would suggest that is true of most top, top players but the huge demands on players in terms of physicality is a point you make well
Bergkamp is the King for me. Admittedly he had more around him, but he made it all click. The only problem I have with Brady is that he buggered off just when we were looking like getting somewhere, and it all fell in a heap.
well
thank the good lord for that
not exactly a supermodel of a game
but i’m looking at the table
so smilin’ away to meself
all the same
.
as to report styles ‘holic
both sit well with me
and who’s to say both can’t co-exist happily
though
i would hope that feeding our greedy chops
doesn’t either eat too much into yer enjoyment of the telly games
or the quiet near-death hangover time every man needs
so
with that in mind
whatever way it comes
is fine by me
anyhoo
more power to yer elbow ‘holic
and
UP THE ARSENAL
yours ,
cba.
(long time reader , bullshite contributor)
R.I.P. Lemmy
sad news
We should not compare anyone with anyone, least of all Mesut with God. Dennis was for me personally, Arsenal’s greatest ever player, so i will always be biased. Mesut is a magician, you see him, you see him not, you see his pass, no you do not.
3 points, Elneny supposedly having his medical today in Paris before sorting out the work permits, well augurs well for everyone.
500 million combine spent and not a goal in sight at old toilet. Money and philosophy will always not win you football games i tell you.
Cheers H.
Both reporting styles have different strong points. Both are good. I like the mix and you judge it well. Frankly, I’m with Potsticker anyway- just write what you want and I’ll be in here drinking.
Nobody is ‘head and shoulder(s) above Bergkamp’. With the possible exception of Peter Crouch. And maybe Joe Hart.
If Mesut scored more regularly from his improving runs into the box then he would be an even more effective player. It is rare with a player as good as he is that it is easy to see which area of his game he could improve to go up another level. So keep working, Mesut, and soon there will be no more levels up. He is taking this league by the scruff of its neck and dragging it all the way to the Home Of Football.
“As for Mesut he is head and shoulder above Bergkamp and this Arsenal’s first XI are all better players than their counterparts from 2000.”
Opinions are like arseholes, right enough.
Holic your hungover prose is head and shoulders above your on-the-spot what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach, but I’ll read whichever way you want to deliver…..
Hammer the Invincibles?I’ll have whatever Xmas tipple you’re on please.That fantastic side scored more goals,conceded less,had pace,power,directness,instilled fear in every team they faced,were never bullied,had a proper ‘fuck you’ attitude which meant a lot of games were won in the tunnel before a ball was kicked.I love this current team but don’t believe our opponents look at it and feel too scared.We can be got at too easily & can’t cope with physical sides the way the Invincibles could.No matter what style they were faced with they had the answers.You can only beat what’s in front of you & they could beat everyone-this side doesn’t have that.Yet.
In this age of everything ‘instant’, in my opinion, your match reports too should be just that. It would be great if you continue your present practice of getting your report out immediately after the match. However, it does not matter when you write, there are so many of us eagerly awaiting to read. Thanks for the great bar Holic, long may it continue.
Harry Enfield settled the ‘were the players of old better’ question:
https://youtu.be/Nc2To-pKMSg
@NBN
Hilarious!
Thanks for that!
😀
Sometimes…wish we employed some of them orcs….
Just had a quick back drink and came across this –
“Today’s players are more rounded, more athletic and more prepared so if there was a time machine this Arsenal team would hammer the invincibles.
As for Mesut he is head and shoulder above Bergkamp and this Arsenal’s first XI are all better players than their counterparts from 2000.
Maybe if our past idols had benefited from the same training and preparation they would ………..”
Fill in your own ending ….. Mine might be something like, ” all be in the treatment room too “.
The author of the above presumably either never actually saw The Invincibles, or has a bad case of amnesia and has forgotten about Henry, Pires, Vieira, Gilberto Silva, (Bergkamp himself), …. etc. etc
Ned @56 – brilliant. ???
Another town I’ve left behind
Another drink completely blind
Another hotel I can’t find…
Ned @ 56 absolutely brilliantly funny 🙂
SSY – I was always rather fond of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91QIMu9CVrI
Pavel Srníček RIP. 🙁
47 years young, very sad.
What zico said @65 and TTG @46.
Far too young. Apparently a very kind and popular man.
For those who loved the Harlem Globetrotters another sad loss.
Meadowlark Lemon 🙁
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/29/meadowlark-lemon?CMP=share_btn_tw
Unfortunately I do remember them, albeit vaguely.
Meadowlark Lemon is the reason I remember them – weren’t they on TV each year – maybe around now ?
He had a bald team mate called Goose, if I recall correctly.
This is generally not a great time of year for health issues, is it ?
Not a great day at all really. Pavel Srnicek was no age at 47. Very sad.
Meadowlark Lemon was just pure genius. An incredible talent.
Moterhead have never been my thing and never will be. But Lemmy was a one off. It was reported that he would drink 2 bottles of JD with Coke a day. Then he switched to vodka and orange because he had diabetes. Anyone that switches to drinking 2 bottles of vodka a day for health reasons gets my vote.
Then I heard the news of the sad passing of The Specials drummer, John Bradbury. Another big loss.
RIP to each and everyone of them.
As fantastic as Ozil is I would love to have players of the calibre of Vieira, Silva, Keown, Adams, Bergkamp, Henry, Pires, Freddie etc
Still, as Zico says above. Each to their own.
Meadowlark Lemon. A great.
Charles Charlie Charles.
World class talent. What a player.
Excellent interview in The Guardian by David Hytner,with our shiny new Goalkeeper.
Loved the bit at the end.
Also some great tributes to him by some world class talent,re his breaking the clean sheet record on the Arsenal website.
On another note,
Having watched our ‘Take no shit,but give plenty ‘ back up central defender very closely in the PL games he has played so far,he really does remind me of the old style Adams/Bould/Keown type of defender.
For me,he should already be on the teamsheet for the vital back to back games at Liverpool/Stoke and against Chelsea in January.
Much as i love Per,he is too nice,
Gabriel with his pace and tough no nonsense style of play,will be ideally suited for those 3 very tough games.
Liverpool with Benteke/Sturridge,Stoke with their very physical approach when they play us,and dare i say it,a rejuvenated Costa at Chelsea,are going to be very attritional games,and i know who i would want at the heart of my defence if we are going to get through them intact.
It’s hard watching a game where you want it to be a draw! That’s definitely the best result of Leicester v Citeh. Leicester are coming on strong.
Very morbid and sad day of deaths. Saw Srnicek and Lemon perform didn’t see the others but every death diminishes us all. RIP gentlemen.
And a Test victory tomorrow?
ToP we are!
😀
Phew! The result we wanted. Neither side is as good as us at our best as results this season have shown. Oddly I think it might be a North London tear up for the title this season but Viteh can…and may bring in huge signings in the window . Actually so could we!
top of the league, we stay top of the league!
meadowlark lemon was a great performer and person. I got to see the HG in the early 70s at a school function, and he was class in all aspects.
I’ve got to agree with all who are defending the legacy of the Invincibles here. As much as I like today’s squad, the Invincibles probably features 7 or 8 footballers who are in the top 30 Arsenal players of all time, so for the time being there’s no comparison. And I’m sure if they’d have had the technology and analysis available to today’s players, they’d have improved commensurate to that – you can only be as good as the era you’re in….
Also, congrats to the boys for being top of the league at the halfway point! I know in itself it counts for nothing, but considering all the negativity that’s come our way this season from the press, and considering we’ve spent a lot less money than City, United, Chelsea, Liverpool et al, we’re in the best place to be. Some might say it’s the weakest Premier League for a while, I’d just say it’s a much more even league, so there’s no shame in being top of it. Let’s just hope we’re still there in 5 months time!
Fine job, Leicester City. So good you even made it to second place. I wonder which club is above them though. 😉
GS54. Gabriel is gonna be a good one. 😀
@Trev and all: Well I do remember the invincibles thank you very much.
Now I’ve been binging on Arsenal past glory videos with my 10 year old, we watched something like 6 hours of youtube and DVDs during the holidays, including this one on DB’s 120 goals for Arsenal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aWDJdlaIVk
So while I kept marvelling at the beautiful skills on display it’s a few remarks my kid made that opened my eyes: why are opposition players always standing still 2-3 yards away from the player with the ball? And that could not be unseen, those delightful attacking prowess videos were also defending comedy gold:
– static individual marking
– barely any pressing
– no tracking back beyond 5 yards
– players allowed plenty of time on the wall
– defensive shape lost more often than not
– wingers and strikers not tasked to defend (here’s Bobby’s take on the ONLY tackle of his career: http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2012/05/arsenal-hero-robert-pires-relives-crunching-tackle-on-patrick-vieira/ )
– poor preparation (same tricks or combinations resulting in goals reoccurring many times not only over one season but across multiple seasons)
Try it for yourself: watch a few great Arsenal moments of the era, enjoy the memories and then watch again focusing on the opposition. The level of defending is utterly atrocious by today’s standards.
Another remark from my kid while watching longer game highlights: they’re walking all the time. And yes indeed there was a lot of walking on the pitch back in the day, there’s considerably more running (and at high speed) in today’s games. The title-winning Arsene teams were the first ones to systematically improve their physical condition and it shows in all the highlights because the opponents were still pub-era teams with drinking binges in between training sessions.
And still when I showed him the highlights of the CL final he could not believe Thierry Henry his idol spent the last 30 minutes of the game with hands on his side trying to catch his breath. Can you imagine Theo or Alexis out of breath 60 minutes into a game?
So yes the invincibles were mightily enjoyable, the same way it’s enjoyable for Barca fan to watch them tear apart the 12-15 shit teams in the spanish league. We were privileged to witness a great team remain undefeated for so long but it’ll never happen again in the modern era. The days opposition teams were utter shit are gone. This season there’s one Aston Villa, back in the invincible days there were 15. Today if we play at 90% we’re punished by 15 teams. That’s the difference, every team has a real chance in every game.
As for a direct comparison:
– how would Bould, Dixon, Adams, Winterburn cope with Sanchez and Walcott?
– Gilberto or Petit vs Coq?
– Bobby vs Bellerin?
– Bergkamp or Henry vs Kos?
and after 70 minutes of modern high intensity play?
And we’re well-deserved mid-season champions!
`Holic doesn’t that deserve a post-hangover post 😉
Matt. Your post is thoughtful and interesting. I understand what you are saying but I do think it’s difficult to make direct comparisons. The game evolves and the game changes. I do agree with Gregoire thought when he says that a large amount of the invincibles are in the top 30 of our all time greats. If both sets of players had been from the same era then I think that the invincibles would be head and shoulders of this current squad. The only players from the current squad that would make the starting 11 in my opinion would be Ozil and Alexis. Cech would rival Seaman but I think that would be it for me. I have had the honour and the privilege of watching both sides from the stands over the years. Our current squad is good but not a patch on the invincibles in my humble opinion.
Give me an Adams, a Vieira, a Pires, a Gilberto and a Bergkamp in their prime now and we would be favourites for the champions league, not just the premiership. All genuinely world class.
And Henry. Blimey. How could I forget TH14????
How would Adams, Bould etc deal with Walcott? Sadly rather easily. They faced Giggs, Zola, Asprilla, Cantona etc who are way better than Walcott. Sanchez might have caused them more of a problem.
Players are more athletic now but generally less skilful, certainly less two- footed and often with inferior ball control. I’ve watched football for nearly sixty years. Yes I agree the 1953 Cup Final looks like they pressed the SloMo button but in the same way that bowlers are faster now because they use better equipment and training facilities can you doubt that players like Bradman, Sobers, Botham etc would adjust with the same opportunities?
I agree with Steve T about the Invincibles. That team should have won the Champions League.
Which reminds me of the joke that I was shown at the ground last night.
Denis Law is asked how his United team would fare against LVG’s team .
‘ I think we’d win 1-0’ says Denis.
‘ Only 1-0 ? ‘ says the reporter
Denis replies
‘ Well you have to remember that most of us are well over 70 now ?’
My ticket collector on the way back last night mentioned it was Frank Mclintock’s birthday yesterday. The great man is 76. I think he might have handled Theo too.
Today’s Arsenal squad better than their 2004 counterparts?
And Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift the finest singers ever to warble no doubt. Not to mention Downton Abbey being way superior to anything Shakespeare wrote.
I wish I knew as much now in my 70s as I knew when I was a teenager… 🙁
Oskar
For the record Matt, take another look at the Invicibles videos and count how many passes actually find their man. Then compare with today’s players. Week after week I tear my hair out at the number of passes which go astray. It’s the major difference between the eras, imo. The 2004 team were technically better players.
Possession isn’t 9 tenths of the win, but it’s 10 tenths of every goal.
Oskar
I think if you put the 0304 squad in today’s league, with the same preparation and whatnot as our current squad, they’d be able to raise their physical game to match the all but villa teams. *and* they would have their technical skill (perhaps more finely honed). look at how the famed back four raised their game when arsène came along, and they shelved the pints and pies. i would guess the invincibles were at least as professional and competitive as those four, and we’d see a similar raising of their game to meet current athletic standard.
@Steve T: Yes, direct comparisons are not possible, the game has evolved a lot since the invincibles. They were the greatest team of their era in England which is not yet 😉 the case for the current crop.
We can speculate that they would have reached the same relative level of stardom had they been born 15 years later but that’s guessing and we could also make the case that the current crop would have been stars had they been born 15 years earlier. Again if the league was composed of 15 Villa clones as was the case back in 2000/2 our current team would look really really good too.
@TTG: Less skilful? I’d be curious to see what the players you mentioned would be able to do if they had a skilful opposition player in their face and legs less than a second after receiving the ball rather than a plodder giving them much more time on the ball. Not mentioning a defensive organization involving 11 players rather than the back 6.
Let’s play a game. Here’s the Arsenal video of God’s best 5 goals in an Arsenal shirt. How many of those would he score in the current league?
My take:
First goal: Unlikely. He would have been stopped before getting in the shooting position either regularly or by a foul. Even if he had resisted the 3 defenders would not have been staring 5 yards back.
Second goal: Likely. A perfect blend of opportunism and skill.
Third goal: Hard to say, a modern defender would have been well prepared and expecting it.
Fourth goal: So beautiful I’ll go for likely. Had the CB been speedy rabbit Kos then not so sure though.
Fifth goal: Unlikely. Bobby would never had all the time in the world to make that pass inch perfect to start with. Then no modern defender would be so abysmal.
What’s your take?
Ooops here’s the video “Dennis Bergkamp’s Top 5 Premier League goals”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw8RaB_ioRs
It’s funny you talk about modern defending as something to be afeared of but the art of defending has fallen off a cliff in the last five to ten years. How many top class centre backs or full backs currently ply their trade in the Premier League?
About none.
If you want to talk about an Arsenal side that might have dealt with The Invincibles, please don’t try to tell me that this team, who just got handed their arses on a plate by a very average Southampton side, would be the ones to do it.
Now if you want to really talk about organisation, defending and tactics, a George Graham side would stifle The Invincibles to death, but they would still probably have got undone by a bit of Henry or Bergkamp magic.
I do not see anyone in this side who is anywhere near Henry, Bergkamp, Pires and to compare Coquelin favourably to Petit (which is an error as he wasn’t an Invincible, but I guess you knew that comparing him to Vieira would invite ridicule) and Gilberto is slightly off really.
Bergkamp and Henry would have a fine old time with Koscielny and the back four of Adams and co would have had Walcott and Sanchez on toast.
Sorry, but this side wouldn’t get anywhere near The Invincibles. Can you imagine Giroud up against Tony Adams and Sol Campbell? He can’t cope with some of the mediocre defenders we’ve got in our league now, let alone properly hard centre backs like them.
I’m not seeking to knock the current side, but it really would be men against boys and as for Ozil, he’s in a very rich vein of form the last couple of months, but he’s not anywhere near Bergkamp, who did it for us for years and put trophies on the table.
This current side is looking like making winning the weakest league we’ve had in years a difficult, perhaps ffuitless in the end, task. There’s no way they’d beat The Invincibles.
Can you imagine Giroud, Walcott and Sanchez up against Campbell, Lauren, Keown and Cole?
I can… it ain’t a pleasant thought though.
Wayward Pines?
I heard from lonestar. the real badness was about 18 miles from the lonestar castle, and he and his are well. he’ll no doubt stop by to check in soon, but life is rich and busy for him at the moment.
Cool, thanks for the update scruz.
@Cynic, you’re entitled to your opinion but the data I have cited above and other studies corroborate mine which is how I formed it. Today’s footballers are measurably much better athletes than 15 years ago, this is a proven fact.
30% more ground covered in 6 years Cynic, that’s a fact. Over 15 years? possibly 50% more ground. More sprinting, more high-intensity running, more speed, more stamina.
Telemetry and analytics all over, every single opponent’s strength weaknesses dissected and spoon-fed to the players before each game.
Entire team pressing and defending, no more Bobby, Thierry and Denis waiting for the ball to come back to them.
All this is straight cold facts. The reality if you will.
Now play my game and I dare you telling me with a straight face that Bergkamp would score a goal against any team this season like the first one in that video. All the “best of” videos of that era are littered with such examples.
In Texas when they say rich they normally have oil wells in mind. 😉
bam!
Impeccable timing once more, scruz. 😉
John Nicholson article interesting if for no other reason than his theory of high salaries demotivating players. Using this year’s Premier League as evidence it could be true but I don’t know how the evidence of almost every other year would fit the theory.
http://www.football365.com/news/football-is-on-the-verge-of-revolution-thank-fk
Of course I am not predicting that Manchester United will not spend another 250 million to little or no effect next summer. But I am hoping for it. 😀
Matt, my advise to you my friend, is you have made your point. Just let it go now, so long as you feel & know that your analytics are right on point.
Some people have said that data does not lie.
I think Bergkamp could score any goal he wanted to in any era.
The point about the invincibles and Southampton is more than valid. One of the major differences between the invincibles and today’s squad is that the invincibles were packed solid with leaders. I don’t see the invincibles letting a result like Southampton happening. Or several others this season.
Like many others, I don’t see today’s crop even getting close to the invincibles side. At times it would be like men against boys regardless of how far the stats show players run. As I said, I sat in the North Bank and watched before, during and after the invincibles. I sit and watch the current team week in, week out from block 4. From those vantage points for me it’s cut and dried.
I am in total agreement with Steve on the Bergkamp goals. To say he wouldn’t have had the time to score the first goal, well, how does any player ever score these days then if that’s the case??? And what defender would ever have anticipated the move he made for the goal against Tottenham? Et cetera.
THAT SAID… I do think – without even beginning to compare the current team to the Invincibles – that Matt has a point that the overall league quality is immensely better now than 10-12 years ago. I used to watch games back then and wonder how so many teams could be so tactically naïve. Sam Allardyce was the first one to introduce the parked bus concept on a regular basis, but it was hardly rocket science. Anyone watching our games could see that trying to go all out attack against us was suicide because that would just give us space to work in.
But would the Invincibles have adapted to that if they were around today? I have no doubt they would. Hell, a player like Freddie Ljungberg would probably have been more suited to the game as it is today, he would have been ideal in a high-pressing game. Vieira was never one who needed space, opponents mostly just bounced off him anyway. Henry? Don’t make me laugh, he’d still piss all over any player in the current Premier League. Et cetera.
The current team is the best we’ve had since the Invincibles, but it has some ways to go yet to reach their levels. But then again so does almost every team which has ever existed, regardless of which club we are talking about.
—–
Holic: my personal preference would be the measured after-the-fact reports where there is a bit more of your personal thoughts and not just what went on in the game.
I think that Steve T @104 and Lars @105 have distilled the essence of what Matt has been saying. The level of organisation and fitness of defenders today have raised the standard of many teams that would otherwise be mere victims for players of the standard we had in the Invincible era.
However I have no doubt whatsoever that the Invincibles would rise to the challenge and whilst they might not complete the season unbeaten, I do think that team would have dominated and won more games than we have done this season.
Our players now may be fitter than they were in terms of covering more ground but if I had to choose someone to add to the current side, I would add any of DB10, TH14, PV4 or SC23 over Mo Farah or Usain Bolt. 🙂
And what a privilege it was to watch our team of the Invincible era, as it was to watch the late 90s team that should have done the double in ’99.
Talking of distilling the essence, a glass of Dalmore 15yo on the bar for all Holics to toast those memories.
Poor old Matt we’ve given him a going ever which he has defenders robustlupyband without rancour in the spirit of this board and to echo Lars his point about the competitiveness and organisation of the clubs in this league is well made. I remember despairing when we were in competition with Man U in those far-off days that they were certain to win ( or at least not lose) against any team in the lower half of the league so if they got a lead it was almost impossible to catch them in the league.
The TV money is having an amazing impact on the current situation and next year it should be even more marked in that everyone is well organised, physically fit and competitive. We play Newcastle on Saturday who turned over Tottenham, the most in- form team in the league on their last visit to London. Only Villa are unable to join the party at the moment. On Tuesday until we scored Bournemouth were untroubled and the better side. Afterwards we blew them away but they are a newly promoted team with 12,000 gates that were nearly bankrupt a few seasons ago. They’ve just beaten Chelsea and United.
This coincides with a period where three of our rivals have managerial problems( I’m including Pellegrini because he should be able to do better given what he has spent ) Frankly for the neutral it makes for a fabulous league. Leicester have been a breath of fresh air as have Watford. But it makes it a hell of a league to win.
Our great virtue is stability and for once it is Tottenham’s too. Wenger has given us enormous stability, a side that seems to gel personally and collectively and a new tactical flexibility which serves us well. Clubs change managers far too often when in reality they should change their boards!
The upshot is we go into 2016 with a terrific opportunity to win the title and maybe do the double?
The one big hope I have is that if the chance to buy real quality comes up , we take it. Wenger’s overall judgement of players is fantastic but he is notoriously conservative and has built our financial reserves. But in 2004 the last time we won the league we used the January window to inject fresh quality into that brilliant squad. Reyes was not an unqualified success but if you could do it then, when in straitened circumstances, we could certainly do it now. It might make the vital difference.
And as if to order….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/12074126/Arsenals-Class-of-2015-v-Invincibles-who-comes-out-on-top.html
Does Jeremy Wilson read the Drinks?
The invincibles can only be compared to the 98 team and that team was magnificent as well, heck they very well could and should have been the first invincibles. The 04 batch under achieved for their profound talent. They should have won a couple of league titles more and definitely the champions league, wayne bridge of all people ruining it, blimey.
The league is far to open for us to be considered as favourites. Media and the so called pundits are doing their bit of installing us as favourites with the hope that we fail, i am sure thats the intention.
10 home games, 9 away, if we win 9 home games that is 27 points, 5 away games, 15, so we have 42 points plus 39, total of 81, if we add in a couple of draws, we may end up about 83-84 points which i think will be enough to win the league. Now can we win all those home games??? Therein lies the key.
Vinay,
The first potential Invincibles could have been the 1991 team. Only Bould’s injury at Chelsea cost us an unbeaten season as Tony Adams remarked the other day.
Ironic that one of the reasons we didn’t was his incarceration over Christmas and the early New Year! They were Graham’s best team and strolled the League
If the argument is basically that defending and organisation these days is better and a team with four or five truly world class players in it would struggle to beat the current Arsenal team that is not exactly striding clear of the pack in the sea of mediocrity that is the Premier League 2015/16 I cannot agree.
But never mind. 🙂
The quality of today’s footballer has improved so fast, last year’s Chelsea team would have no chance against this year’s version.
(tongue slightly in cheek) 😉
TTG @108 –
Shades of Stanley Unwin –
“he has defenders robustlupyband ….. ”
?
“this Arsenal’s first XI are all better than their 2000 counterparts” is what was claimed.
And yet I see Per Mertesacker amongst them….. 🙄
Talking of Per, i hope Gabriel’s performance against Bournemouth should ensure per does not start in any more premier league games. I know it was not a big test for Gabriel and yes he is prone to the odd oh no moment but i rather have him get a string of games, establish himself as first choice and have him partnering Kos in many more seasons to come. Per is a spent force and i say this with utmost respect to the man.
Elneny done is what most papers indicate but then that may not be the only business we may do is also what they say. If that is the case, can we get a striker on loan( chicharito).
Trev
Very robustlypand he was and much swiftlyrunning forwards with no errormessages or mistakitudes and always fullyabled to score
In a computer simulation the 2015 the Dog and Duck team from the Frensham Combination have been adjudged better than the Brazil 1970 team.
Defending this claim, Professor Arnold Waddington made it clear that they were three inches a man taller , could do forty press ups each and had boots forged by the latest technology. ‘ Sadly I’m not sure if they can play football though’ . ?
Zico, you are talking about our captain and defence organiser.
Wash yer mooth oot, pal.
@Steve T: The invincibles dominated that league like no other team which was a once in a lifetime privilege for us to witness. I hear you, I was of the same mindset before the arsenal binge with my kid who was looking at that era the same way we look at sepia videos.
@TTG: Thanks for the kind comment. I’ts OK, I have a thick skin and I knew I’d be castigated as an heretic 😉 I’ve been a thorn in `Holic’s pristine comment section for close to 10 years so by now some have reached this period in life where everything was better when they were younger :p Just kidding of course.
And I’m totally with you this is the best league season for me too. Every week-end I can’t wait to watch as many games as possible and am treated with sumptuous goals and hard fought high-intensity games that go to the wire. Most teams are the best they’ve ever been or close to, and each with a few excellent players in them. Hell even Stokelona counts 5 CL winners!!! I love it. Watching the Invincible was a long bliss and this season is a blast.
@bt8: Finally money has levelled the league up and I’m thankful for that. Now I’m dubious about the claim that too much money demotivates players. The lesson I take from Chelsea last year or Leicester is that motivation is more important than it ever was, 100% is what is needed to win a game these days, 90% won’t do it anymore.
That said I agree that Manchester United will finish out of the top 4 and will have to spend again insane amounts of money without being able to get the world-class players they crave 😀
And to close that debate here’s Arsene take about Mesut and Dennis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_54zb2Vweu0
He continued: “I have not seen many of that quality but I was quite lucky in my career. For me I don’t like to compare players and he [Mesut] is an exceptional player. I think you have to give me credit that I defended that point of view even when you were sceptical about it.
“What is very important is that he comes as good as he can be and he is on his way. Is there a lot left? I don’t know, but what he is doing at the moment is fantastic.
“Bergkamp was more of a goalscorer and Mesut was more of an assist [player] but now he becomes more of a goalscorer. They are really comparable.”
Elneny has failed his application for a visa and it goes to appeal. The criteria have changed and it would see to me Arsenal will have to duck and dive to get it through. Egypt are ranked outside the top nations and his international record is not relevant.
This may explain Wenger’s comments this morning which were guarded.
Gotta admire a guy who speaks Unwinese, Trev (#114). Or Basic Engly Twenty Fido as we aficionados know it.
Oskar
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Never mind Invincibles vs Ozillians I’m not sure any of them, or any of today’s players (bar Messi perhaps), would get in an all-time world XI, except as bench starters.
Which of my world select would you replace with God, TH14 or Ozilla (or any current player in the world)? Or any other player from any era, if you wish to suggest your own all-time best.
Yashin
Santos (Djalma) Beckenbauer Moore Maldini
Garrincha Maradona Cruyff Best
Pele van Basten
Oskar
A bit egocentric there Oskar, playing at the front of a Christmas tree formation with Pelevan Basten (Marco’s younger and better brother) in the hole. 😀
Not bad team there though, otherwise.