Monday, August 9

Are We Good enough to play possession football v the top teams

Comments in the yesterdays blog mentioned that
our training is primary based on passing.
I reckon Wenger thinks that possession football is the best form of defense and attack.

This seems to work for lesser teams last season

Stats v          win% draw% lose%

 Top 4             30      30        40

Top half          51      33        15
non big4

Bottom           69      21        10      Stats from bettor Logic Player Pro
Half

But is playing with constant ball possession an inefficient strategy
(you score little compared to what you create for your efforts)
that can lead you to victory only if you are clearly superior to your opponent.
As proved when we played UTD, Chels.
Although these teams didn't try to out football us
just waited for us to over commit
and then sucker punched us.
But barca completely out played us.

If wenger does leave next year
which is pretty doubtful his recent comments seem to say he's staying
"That's a decision I have to make. But basically, I have no desire to change from here. I have one more year, and we are maybe thinking about extending it."
With inter winning the champions league
will it result in a more negative football across europe
Will our constant possession game take us far enough against negative football?

Spain/barca just won the world cup
but where beaten by inter in champions league final
with constant possession football.
Does this mean that inter actually are world champs?

If we think back to our last trophy
is the only time that wenger has given up on his mantra of
"playing without the handbrake"
Could a more negative style of play help in our pursuit of silverware?

Anyway have asked enough questions for today.

Check the amazon link below for great books and arsenal DVD's i like.

Also yesterdays goals from europe are on the goal highlight page
Russian french and dutch league are back now

Go on click an AD. you know you want to.

RSD Out

3 comments:

Ibrahim said...

Very good point. I was always thinking about that too. We try to pass out every team we play. With the big teams when you miss the normal chances to score, then we will be in a big danger of conceding easy counter goals. That happend against MU and Chelsea last year. I think Wenger think (may be right), if we score first, then we will be the side who will get the easy chances. That was not the case last season.

Barca is the only team who outplayed us, and they can do that to evey other team. I think if they play Inter 10 times they will win at least 7 times. Look at their record against Real last years.

Sometimes I feel we must adapt another style against bigger teams.

This is only what I sometimes think, I love Arsenal and I like AW and I can not wait to see Arsenal playing.

Anonymous said...

Not sure your stats prove anything other than we didn't play well enough against MANU & Chelsea. Also please remember that both encounters agaisnt Chelsea and the 2nd against MANu were without RVP & Bendter starting(correct me if I am wrong here-Bendter came on as a sub @ Stamford Bridge). Thus we had no real target men up front thus affecting how effeciently and swiftly we could move the ball from back to front.

We actually created several chances in the games against MANU & Chelsea but didn't take (m)any of them.

Barcelona are the best at possession football and we got a lesson in how it is done-particulalry how to win back possession.

"But is playing with constant ball possession an inefficient strategy
(you score little compared to what you create for your efforts)"

-Ever since Wenger arrived we have played a more possession style of play. However, one needs to be clinical up front and maybe we have not converted enough of our chances, although I think we improved in that area last year (check the stats)

Inter were a well drilled, experinced team with the right cogs - A typical Mourinhio team. Effecient. I think Barca lost to them through complacency-they should have beaten them but Mourinhio's team know how to defend!

I agree that we should look at being slighty more defensive in our set up/play or certainly more astute in our defending. We need a better defensive coach full stop........I am disappointed in the manner in which we have defended in recent seasons to say the least.

Onto Anfield and a nice 3 pts to start would be nice.

Real Social Dad said...

stats never prove anything just good tool to illustrate a point.

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