Thoughts on the players

I’VE a horrible habit of getting Arsenaled out come the end of the season and never getting round to posting my concluding thoughts. I’m going to try to be different this year.

Today, it is a quick look through the individual players. I am actually someone who believes that our problems won’t simply be solved by selling and buying certain players. For me we have a fairly decent bunch and the problem is more psychological and probably a fair bit to do with the management. That said, there surely will be and certainly should be changes among the playing staff. If nothing else, we don’t get rid of enough players for the crime of simply not being good enough. It sends a bad message to the rest of the squad.

So below I give you my take on the players. I don’t think I’ve left anyone (significant) out.

Szczesny – Should be the number one. Not because he is young. But because he is very good right now. Needs to improve kicking and to have an alarm fitted that stops him in his tracks every time he thinks he spots a quick, clever way of getting rid of the ball.

Fabianski – Should play second fiddle to Szczesny. Greatly improved before he got injured but was not in the side long enough for conclusions to be drawn.

Almunia – For everybody’s sake, he should go.

Mannone – Not seen enough of him at Hull to comment. Never convinced me in an Arsenal shirt.

Sagna – Top player. Great attitude. Has improved his crossing and is the least of our problems.

Clichy – I’d keep him. Yes, he makes mistakes and yes, he can’t cross. But he’s experienced and when we need to press the play in the second half, nobody does it better than him.

Vermaelen – A big miss, though I think our problems go deeper than missing just one central defender. If Cesc leaves, he should be captain.

Djourou – Done OK but I don’t quite share in the general love-in around him. Can do a good job on a dangerous front man but for me is not proactive enough in getting to the ball first, particularly in the air. Should stay.

Koscielny – Certainly got a few rough edges, but puts his foot and head in where it is needed and in a generally better organised defence I think he could do well. A little bit of the Adams in him.

Squillaci – Hasn’t greatly impressed but equally makes a very easy scapegoat when looking for an easy answer to our defensive problems.

Gibbs – Hasn’t really moved forward this season. Should be the natural successor to Clichy and is undoubtedly a better player going forward but defensively still struggles and needs fitness.

Eboue – Every great side needs squad players who don’t expect to play every game but when called up on at crucial moments will always come in and do a job. Emmanuel Eboue is not one of those players. Those players are guys of sometimes limited ability who make the very most of what they have. Eboue is a guy of significant ability who has never made the most of what he has. When you need a fighter, he is not your man. Was playing for us in January 2005 and is now almost 28 and no nearer a starting berth. Should be sold.

Cesc – Wonderful player and a good servant to the club. But his league starts for the past three seasons read 22 – 26 – 22. Add in the not significant number of games where he appears either in need of a lay off or rusty following a lay off and you have a diminished contribution. I think it fair to say that most fans don’t dread him leaving now in the way we have other players in the past. Personally, I’d like him to stay. You want to keep your best players. But I think it fair to say things look different.

Song – I don’t think he’s the second coming but equally he’s not worth replacing unless you spot someone outstanding who you can bring in to replace him. Was being sent too far up the pitch earlier in the season.

Wilshere – Obviously an unbelievable talent and a massive player going forward. But there appears to be a significant job to be done with him to make sure he stays on the right track. The warning signs are there.

Ramsey – Little to judge him on since his return from injury. But I’ve always liked him. Quite an unArsenal like player. Technique wise he is perhaps a bit below our norm but he brings a sparkiness and ability to force the play that we generally lack in the squad.

Denilson – Your time is up Sir. You want your players to have a niche. Denilson, sadly, is in almost every attribute simply a lesser form of what we already have. He should want to leave and we should want to be moving on players such as him.

Abou Diaby – Hard to see him ever bedding down as part of the team. Infuriatingly inconsistent and another one under who I think a line should be drawn. Unfortunate in that injury courtesy of a poor tackle has likely been a significant factor.

Rosicky – Impressed at the very start of the season but in 19 starts since I can’t remember him having a decent game. Age 30, he should be the kind of player we want in the squad, but it is hard to see where he fits in. In a funny sense while you can get away with having the odd attacker in your starting 11 who doesn’t score a lot of goals, they are actually far less use on the bench. When you’re chasing a game, you want goalscorers on the pitch. You have to think his time is up.

Theo Walcott – Has undoubtedly improved in front of goal this season but equally he is still ineffective in too many games. Needs greater consistency – and to work out how to get change out of top class full-backs. Keep.

Samir Nasri – Excellent in the first half of the season, whether it be injury or general malaise, he was more like the Nasri of previous seasons in the latter half of the year. We should keep him and he should want to stay. He still has work to do at Arsenal.

Andrei Arshavin – Hard to know what to think. Capable of glorious moments still but also capable of utter ineptitude. In a sense Arsene’s failure to tame the Arsh is symptomatic of our recent malaise. The footballistic contrast with say, Giggs, is not a good one.

Carlos Vela – Not a player to be relied upon next season.

RVP – Strikers playing on their own up front usually enjoy impressive scoring tallies. But it would be wrong to suggest that a great many of his goals have been the type that inevitably get snapped up by the furthest forward player. A fair few have been moments of genuine individual inspiration and he can hold his head high over this season’s contribution.

Chamakh – Adapted very, very well to the Premier League initially before falling away quite markedly. As to why, one can only guess. But he deserves to be kept.

Bendtner – Gets a lot of undeserved stick for having a less than perfect touch. I think that is ridiculous given that even when stuck out on the wing, he makes things happen. But there is a major but. And that is that he doesn’t run enough. Compared to the obviously more talented Barca forwards, he looks just lazy and it is an attitude we can ill afford. Wouldn’t object to seeing him go.

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