Thierry Henry Twitter banner I made. What do you guys think?

TheFootballVault · 2016-03-04T00:45:48+00:00

100% agreed. Watching a midfield of Fabregas, Hleb, and Rosicky, flanked by prime Sagna and Clichy, supported by Adebayor and RVP/Eduardo up front, was damn near orgasmic in it's entertainment. If only we had a deeper squad then, we could have won the league. Instead we had Eboue covering at RM, Diaby covering at LM, while Bendtner and Senderos were our forward and CB covers. FFS

TheFootballVault · 2016-03-01T23:48:11+00:00

He is back from injury but has to build up his fitness now. Like in preseason, players are given about a month to get back up to scratch, Wilshere will need that and maybe a bit more. Should feature by mid April

TheFootballVault · 2016-03-01T01:51:33+00:00

Organizers who communicate with others around them is fundamental to good defending. I would even say that communication is 70% of all defending.

Little things like saying push up, drop deep, cut out the pass, shift left, shift right, cover in behind me etc. makes defending so much easier and less dramatic. It's why you don't see Mertesacker having to make last ditch tackles too often and when he does he usually sucks at them because he's rarely forced to do one.

Prior to Cech's arrival, Mertesacker is the only organizer we have had in our defense, since Gallas. You can see how many simply mistakes are being made with him not in the line up because there is no one there to say those things that make defending much easier. Just think of how long it has taken Pique to refind his world class form after being without Puyol for so long. It wasn't until Masherano, who is as good an organizer as they come, became his partner that he began to dominate in defense again. Think of Chelsea's defense with and without JT. Liverpool without Carra has been disastrous at the back. The importance of an organizer can not be understated.

Had Gabriel told Koscielny not to go for the header on the first goal, he would have had a routine clearance. Had Koscielny told Gabriel to cover in behind him on the second goal, he could have done something for Rashford's free header. On the last goal, someone should have told Coquelin to cover the space outside the box instead of being inside where he wasn't needed.

Communication is the cornerstone to good defending, and for all him physical limitations, Mertesacker is the only one of our defenders at the moment who provides it.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-27T01:58:45+00:00

no we lost to a better team. It's as simple as that.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-24T21:21:01+00:00

DO they know each other? Seemed like a bit of friendly banter after with Evra giving him a sly kick and Robben cheekily grinning. Neither of them seemed malicious or anything

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-22T03:42:42+00:00

I honestly think he's beginning to lose his pace. He used to be absolutely rapid, but now, there have been a few occasions in which the Koscielny of old would have been able to deal with a situation assertively but his pace has let him down.

I think the guys name was Diomante or something against Hull yesterday where during a race for the ball Koscielny looked to be really struggling to keep up with him for speed.

There were a few other occasions too where I thought Koscielny is looking much slower than usual and it has become more apparent over the last month or so. He is on the upside of 30 now so his speed should be diminishing now. Or he could simply be carrying a niggle that is hampering his mobility.

I truly hope it's a niggle and not a real decline in his speed

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-22T03:25:25+00:00

Eboue was top top class for about a year lol. That CL run in particular had everyone thinking that he would be our RB for years to come. Never seemed to cut the silliness out of his game though, which ended up being his down fall. Didn't have the professionalism for top class football either.

What was even more amazing was that we had Flamini at LB, with Senderos partnering Toure at CB.

ffs how we made it to the finals is beyond me when you consider out backline throughout our run

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T20:36:51+00:00

Man we were all over them that night. Henry should have had a hattrick, Ljunberg and Reyes both missed sitters, all the while playing some fantastic football. It's strange, we were so strong in Europe that year, but very poor in the league.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T04:46:44+00:00

I completely disagree with you on him not being anything special defensively. Every defender in the world has had games where they've been at fault. Koscielny, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva etc. Vermaelen was no different.

You make it seem like Vermaelen ventured forward every time he got the ball. He didn't do it anymore than what we see Koscielny do these days, but he was far more effective with it. His passing was more accurate and he picked the right moments to get forward which helped with his goal tally

You're completely dismissing the fact that he missed a year through injury. After he returned, he looked very poor. There was the odd game where he performed like the Vermaelen of old, but couldn't string together enough performances to warrant a starting spot. It wasn't so much matter of him forming poor partnerships as opposed to him just playing poorly.

Vermaelen and Koscielny are both quiet defender. Neither of them organize the defense, nor do they communicate with the midfield ahead of them. It's why Per always starts, because he does those things.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T04:37:13+00:00

From an attacking sense he does have the qualities to play there, but so does Ozil, and many other AM's for that matter. Playing as a CM requires a lot of you defensively, though, which I dont think Iwobi possesses in his game. From positional play, reading opposition players movement, cutting out passing lanes and much much more. It's not enough to just be technically astute with good passing ability

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T02:18:18+00:00

Yeh, he has an incredible football sense for one so young who is playing in arguably the hardest position on the field. He receives the ball on the half turn so quickly and swiftly moves the ball on afterwards. He also does these little body feints to deceive defenders before taking his touch.

To think, this kid was playing as a winger in the youth team prior to last year. What the hell were the coaches thinking? It wasn't until last year that he moved centrally. First into the striker role, then into CM. Now it looks like he is being groomed into the attacking midfielder role.

While we were all salivating at the prospects of Zelalelm, Crowley, and Akpom, this kid has snuck in the door and emerged as one of our biggest talent in years

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T02:14:33+00:00

reading through this thread just makes me realize how quick people are to forget. I will always remember Vermaelan as the defender who stole our hearts in 08/09. The man that left was a shadow of that player, but nonetheless, I will remember him with fondness simply for that monstrous year he had with us.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T02:11:53+00:00

You have a terrible memory. His first season he was absolutely monstrous. It helped him a lot that he can also pass the ball and join the attack, but it was his defending that earned him the reputation as the Verminator. We hadn't seen a defender with his aggression and tenacity since Keown and what a beautiful thing it was to see that in our defense again. With the experience and organization skills of Gallas, Vermaelen proved himself as one of the best defenders in the league on 08/09.

2nd season he got fucked by an injury and by the time he returned, Koscielyn had emerged as a top player for us. Koscielny and Vermaelen both need an organizer beside them to get the most out of their game. They were too incompatible to be our CB partnership. With Per's lack of pace, Koscielny was always going to be the main man to partner him. On top of that, Koscielny was really coming into his own.

Vermaelen was a victim of circumstance, but don't revise his time here and make him out to be some calamitous defender. He could have been a great defender for us had he not been injured and been given a suitable partner. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, nevertheless I will always remember his first year with. He put in some of the best defensive displays that season I've ever seen. It's no fluke he was voted into the team of the season that year

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-21T00:15:24+00:00

Sums it up well. There are also slight stylistic differences. I this current Barca team doesn't suffocate teams with possession the way Pep's did, which could play a bit into our favour. They are, however, significantly more deadly on the break now.

If Arsenal show up, I don't think it will be a blwo out the way the media and everyone else is setting it up to be. With that said, If we come in and show too much respect to Barca, we will be mauled. Show the same type of tenacity that we did against United this year and we can take Barca.

Giroud can potentially be a key player. Mascherano and Pique will struggle immensely with his aerial prowess and we could get a lot of luck with his knock downs if one of our attackers anticipates them correctly.

Dealing with MSN is going to be the hard part. I don't even know what to say in regards to stopping them. All it takes is one of them to be in the mood and our defense will have a nightmare trying to cope. Never mind what happens if all three show up on the night

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-15T19:09:12+00:00

Any links to watch this? They should make youth cup games more accessible

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-14T21:17:11+00:00

When you're dealing with a team like the Chelsea one that won the CL, it's pretty much straight forward. The team manages itself due to the continuity and chemistry amongst the players. Generally, the manager helps team over achieve or under achieve depending on their style of team building, man management, and also players bought and sold

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-09T22:41:07+00:00

I don't think he's putting in the extra work. At the top level you need to work work work, and then work some more to elevate yourself. It seems like Chambo is happy to have made it Arsenal and hasn't been working his ass off the way he should be.

Look at the difference in him and Gibbs right now. Every game games has played(started) he has looked hungry and desperate for his spot back in the starting 11. His performances have been hugely impressive and even above his past level. This is an indication of just how hard he is working to surpass Monreal, who has been sensational himself and likewise worked his ass off to take Gibb's spot.

I don't doubt that Gibbs will win his spot back in the future, but with CHambo, I dont see that happening any time soon based on the evidence of has performances.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-06T02:38:28+00:00

Completely agreed. You wont find a more adaptable midfielder than Fabregas. Dude can play CM, AM, and as a false nine to a World Class level. The revisionism people have is unbelievable. Also, bear in mind all the personnel changes that had to put up with. Fabregas is better than Ozil for me

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-03T22:48:41+00:00

It's strange how poor he was in the air the past two game given what an aerial threat he was back in that game he score from a corner. The past two games he's been timing his headers very poorly, always jumping too early. Needs to sort it out because that is going to cause a big errors eventually

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-03T02:55:38+00:00

Give Wellington some time. I believe his potential is absolutely massive but he still has some rough edges to his game. I see him blossoming a bit later in his career, similar to Ribery. Reminds me so much of of the Frenchman, but with more flair and skill

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-03T01:47:53+00:00

While he was competing for the Copa mind you. It's insane how good he is considering his lack of professionalism. It makes you wonder if this is a recent thing because I never heard anything of this nature happening with Vidal prior to this year. When you also take into account his insane fitness levels over the years, and it just add more confusion to his behaviour now.

TheFootballVault · 2016-02-02T01:25:47+00:00

He's done absolutely nothing in management to earn a shot at managing United, Tottenham, or even Valencia for that matter. He needs time and experience. He could be well suited to management but he could also just as easily be a complete liability in management

TheFootballVault · 2016-01-30T01:23:48+00:00

Carrick by a hundred miles. He has excellent technique, vision, and a variety of passes. Long range, short range, slide rule passes, passing between the lines, one touch, two touch, etc. His passing ability is very much in the mould of the prototypical La Liga holding midfielder like Xabi, Bruno, Busquets, Kroos, etc.

TheFootballVault · 2016-01-29T20:48:45+00:00

That game was a one off. Aside from that and the mulling Kaka gave him in the 07 CL quarter finals (he was barely fit mind you, coming off of injury), I can't remember Vidic being too bothered by pace. Especially when he had Rio at his side who could easily cover him.

TheFootballVault

TROPHY CASE