Pre-Season Musings Part III
Posted by Young'un in Arsenal | 8 August 2010
So, following on from the Barnet review and the analysis of Arsenal's current crop of defenders, here is part three of my pre-season thoughts; this time regarding the midfield and forward players.
Emmanuel Frimpong
The Ghanaian born midfielder was terrific for the first few games, drawing comparisons from many people, myself included, to Michael Essien; and not just because of their African roots. Frimpong appears to contain the attributes that have become synonymous with the highly-rated Chelsea powerhouse, in terms of his aggression, athleticism and confidence. He showed maturity beyond his tender years in the Milan game by showing up experienced, quality players such as Mathieu Flamini and Clarence Seedorf. The first dip in Frimpong's pre-season form came the next day against Celtic, when, while still showing his determination when closing down players and making crunching tackles, he appeared to lose the ball too often, even simple 5 yard passes were going astray. I think, and hope, this was down to fatigue having featured in every pre-season fixture while having to endure the taxing Austrian training camp for the first time. There are aspects in which he needs to improve but Frimpong has shown great promise and I hope he can feature in the Carling Cup this year and then start forcing his way into the first team picture.
Pre-Season Rating: 7.5/10
Jack Wilshere
The local lad has been called up to the England squad, which alone demonstrates how highly regarded the kid is. Jack has been very impressive in pre-season, while not quite scaling the astronomic heights he reached last year when he was named man-of-the-match in both Emirates Cup games. This time he has been asked to play a more central role, perhaps a little deeper than we'd like to see him, with Arsenal appearing to set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, a variation of the more attacking 4-3-3 that is often used these days. In this set up, we have seen Wilshere sit alongside Frimpong who is there to anchor the midfield. Wilshere's role is to harry other players slightly further up the pitch, while also playing as a 'quaterback' ie spraying passes to either flank from a withdrawn position, much like Xabi Alonso and Paul Scholes do to perfection. In time, when Fabregas inevitably leaves, I feel Wilshere will move further up the field in the Spaniard's current role, as the main playmaker behind the striker, but there is no need for that now, especially with the level of performance he has given in pre-season. His personal highlight was probably the exquisite first time volley that rattled the bar against Celtic. With terrific control, a fantastic range of passing and a sprinkle of aggression to ensure he is not bullied off the park because of his slight frame, as we have seen happen to the likes of Jose Antonio Reyes in the past, Wilshere has everything required to be a quality midfielder. If he can keep improving, the world is his oyster, and there is no reason why he cannot make it at the very top level.
Pre-Season Rating: 7.5/10
Tomas Rosicky
The Czech playmaker is something of an enigma. He's clearly got the talent, in flashes he has shown terrific ball control, brilliant passing ability and a goal threat from distance, which is rare in this Arsenal side. However, so far, he hasn't recovered from his lengthy absence. We occasionally see a trick from Rosicky or a clever pass but not nearly enough. When at the top of his game, he could contribute at least 10 goals and 10 assists a season but you wonder with his fluctuating form how much time he will get on the pitch with the likes of Andrey Arshavin, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and the emerging Jack Wilshere all playing similar roles. To ensure he has a future at Arsenal, Rosicky needs to demonstrate some sort of consistency, and I hope he does because I'd hate to see such a talented player go to waste.
Pre-Season Rating: 6/10
Samir Nasri
As we suspected, beign omitted from the World Cup squad has proved to be a blessing in disguise for Nasri, as not only did he have to face the humiliation his fellow Frenchmen suffered in South Africa, but we are seeing his very best form at the moment. With Fabregas' absence, it has been Nasri who has occupied his role as the primary playmaker, playing in a more advanced, centeral position where he has flourished far more than he has when playing on the wings. Without doubt he has been the player of pre-season, contributing five goals and numerous assists. There seems to be a freedom about his game, he is free to dribble and feed the strikers with clever reverse passes, something he is seldom able to produce out wide. He seems to be more penetrative and the defenders seem scared whenever he picks up the ball; confused as to whether he is going to turn them inside out, sprint away from them with a burst of speed or unleash a rocket from distance. He has scored two freekicks, demonstrating some work done on the training ground and he has also spent some time in the gym by all accounts. In a nutshell, Nasri looks like a changed player and this could be a massive season for him. The only negative is that when Fabregas does return to the fold, be it on Sunday against Liverpool or later, he'll be pushed onto the flanks, or worse, onto the bench. Wenger has got some thinking to do about how to fit everyone in. But I'm sure he'd rather have several quality players than none at all.
Pre-Season Rating: 9/10
Andrey Arshavin
While still chipping in with several goals and assists, Arshavin had something of a disappointing campaign last season. In his first few months he impressed so much that the bar of expectation was ridiculously high, and a decent last 12 months has been made to look poor. Arshavin appears to be working harder in pre-season, which has previously been a major flaw in his game. He still goes missing for long periods but that's who he is and what makes him so special because he can pop up and strike when you least expect it. See the Milan game, he did absolutely nothing for 35 minutes then turned away from Gattuso with a blistering turn of pace, and set up Chamakh with an exquisite slide rule pass. There's only room for one 'luxury player' in a side but he's so talented and so dangerous he cannot be left out. We'll be hoping for him to build on last season and I'm confident he will. At least 15 goals is expected from me personally should he stay fit. He's certainly capable, now it's time for him to show it on a more consistent basis.
Pre-Season Rating: 7/10
Theo Walcott
Such a frustrating player. Capable of sheer brilliance but equally capable of utter shite. There is no doubt he has pace, and occasionally he uses it to good effect, like against Barcelona, and against Liverpool in the Champions League a few years ago. But the main criticism thrown at Theo is that he has no end product. It's certainly fair. Against Celtic he was borderline shocking, yet still somehow ended up with 2 assists. That's how bizarre he is. Like Arshavin he can come up with a flash of brilliance instantly. But he doesn't seem to possess the mecurial Russian's natural ability, he sometimes seems to "lack a football brain" to coin an infamous accusation of him, which is why Arshavin is one of the first names on the teamsheet and Walcott is yet to nail down a place in the starting eleven. His crossing can be inviting or dreadful. Too often we saw them sail out for goal kicks last season. With the likes of Fabregas and Nasri feeding him with through balls, he certainly gets the chance to utilise his pace, but he doesn't scare defenders enough as he should. For me, this is his last chance. For a while now we have been saying "this is his season" but if he doesn't deliver consistently this year then I'm afraid I see no future for him at Arsenal. He can do it, I know he can, it's just a question of whether he can stay fit, confident and keep working hard. But it really is now or never.
Pre-Season Rating: 6.5/10
Carlos Vela
One of the bright sparks of pre-season. The Mexican appears to have gained some muscle and doesn't look like he's going to be knocked over by the wind. The early impressions are good; we have seen him score a goal with his right foot, which he would do anything not to use last year. Hopefully that'll convice him to have faith in his ability, to take the shot early rather than letting it roll onto his left and thus wasting precious time. He looks dangerous in the box and still possesses the pace and trickery that will come in handy out wide, where he is likely to be deployed, for now at least. Against Milan he twisted his way between two defenders before unleashing a curling right-footed effort that narrowly went wide. He looks confident and needs to take advantage of any chances he's given because he failed to do so in a very poor personal campaign last year. Like Walcott, it's a big year for him, but I'm confident he'll make the step up, and will be knocking on the door for a regular starting place.
Pre-Season Rating: 8/10
Marouane Chamakh
The new man looks to have settled perfectly already. He has three goals to his name in pre-season which is a respectable return given he's only been at the club a matter of weeks. As I said in the Barnet review, his link up play is excellent and I think Arshavin and Fabregas in particular will relish playing with him. Samir Nasri has certainly struck up an instant understanding with Chamakh, and they have both easily been our star players so far. Against Legia we got the first glimpse of his aerial ability as he bravely met the ball before the keeper to power home a header. This will certainly come in handy in the dying embers of matches when defences are hard to break down; we will have someone to toss those crosses into. His movement is sharp, his touch exquisite and has demonstrated some skill on a couple of occasions, too. It's early days yet but he looks like a real player, and, assuming we stick with the 4-3-3/4-2-31 formation, you have to wonder where van Persie will fit in, because Chamakh looks too good to be warming the bench.
Pre-Season Rating: 8.5/10
Comments
Pls mr.wenger we need 2 major new signings,so dat we have a big n a strong scuad.lets go 4 mexes n steklenburg dey cn mek da diff n dey suit well 2 our style of play.pls mek us proud.love u
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