On EuroFootball.com portal - the section "Supporters' Thoughts"! Before the most important, interesting, and highly publicized matches, we speak to fans who are not indifferent to the clubs entering the battle.
As the postponed match of the 28th round of the English Premier League approaches, where in the North London derby they will face off against footballers, a fan supporting the 'Gunners' on the forum, weirdas, shared his thoughts.
Main Troubles
The season is nearing its end, so I will express my opinion about our main troubles, in my opinion.
The year has been poor. At one point, we were fighting for four titles, and now it seems likely that we will be left, as usual, without them and saying - next year will surely be our year, the young players will mature, there will be fewer injured players, and so on. Nonsense. In such a time, not only can you mature, but you can also reach retirement age, and as for injuries, for example, last season they were more frequent, but the result, as we see, is more or less the same. So what are the troubles? I would consider them to be the stubbornness of our beloved coach and the lack of experience among the players. It is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And we likely all know our weak links. Blind trust from Mr. Arsene Wenger in some players sometimes drives us crazy. Yes, following such a system we see who has evolved, like Alex Song (about whom I will say a few words separately) or Fabregas, but I completely do not understand what a certain French pillar or Brazilian, who knows if he can do anything right on the field, are still doing in the team. Eboue... I won't even start on him. I was also caught off guard by some of Wenger's tactical decisions, such as Bendtner as a winger - absurd. Perhaps it's time for retirement?
I also mentioned the lack of experience among the players. It shows, and is especially visible in crucial moments of matches and games against high-level teams. The winner's mentality, which, for example, players of "Man Utd" have developed, is not found in us.
The Extravagant African
As I mentioned, I would like to say a few words separately about Alex Song. A player who probably many cursed against about three years ago and did not expect anything good from. We were wrong, and thank God for that. This player, in my opinion, is no less important to the team than Fabregas or van Persie. This season, his role in the playing field has changed slightly. Now he doesn't play strictly as a defensive midfielder; often he helps the team in attacks and scored more goals in this season alone than in his entire career at Arsenal - five, and made just as many assists, so by these indicators, this season is undoubtedly his best of all. Together with young Jack Wilshere, he supports Fabregas well by taking some of the burden off his shoulders and offering attacking options. Of course, how can we not mention his extravagant appearance. He probably took an example from his uncle, also a well-known footballer Rigoberto Song.
Goalkeeper Crisis?
Yes, Almunia and Fabianski do not meet the team's level, and I will not deny this fact. Personally, the most difficult question for me is whether the young Szczesney is ready to be the main goalkeeper already? He quickly outperformed the aforementioned and played quite confidently, the defense looked very solid with him in goal. But there were matches against "Birmingham" where his hands shook at a crucial moment (I disagree with others in blaming Koscielny entirely) and raised even more questions. I think he might be like Wilshere - a player with a lot of potential who has integrated well into the team and will play better with each performance. But at the same time, I'm afraid because all elite teams have very experienced goalkeepers who have seen everything ("Man Utd" - van der Sar, "Chelsea" - Cech, etc.), and in important matches, this is often one of the deciding factors. So, I don't have a strong opinion on this issue, but I would predict, knowing Wenger, that next year Szczesney will be our main goalkeeper.
North London Derby
In recent years, the neighbors started making noise. A long, it seems, seven or eight-year period where "Tottenham" couldn't do anything against our team and rejoiced if they managed to secure a draw, was interrupted quite painfully - 5-1 three years ago at "White Hart Lane," in the League Cup semi-final. Last season, this phenomenon repeated, only this time in league matches, and this season "Spurs" didn't hold back at all and celebrated victory over the 'Gunners' at our stadium, grinding out a two-goal lead in the first half. They also played in the Champions League, where they performed much better than us, and everything is crowned with the fact that we did not hold the title longer than those 'bloody guys.' The only consolation is the fact that "St Tottenringham's Day" (the day when "Spurs" no longer have any theoretical chances to overtake us in the league) has been celebrated for fifteen years in a row, but still later and later. Scary. And any result other than a victory today would disappoint me.
Specifically about today's match, I believe we are capable of taking a victory from WHL. After so many poor matches, a great game tonight would inspire the players to finish the season on a high note. After all, the match with the 'Red Devils' is coming soon. We won't keep the 'Dry' gates, so I predict a 3-2 victory. Enjoy the North London Derby!
"Tottenham" - "Arsenal": supporters' thoughts (Part I)
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