Happy Humpday people. Hope it zips by and you can get home in time for the other Copa America semifinal between Larissa Riquelme and Venezuela.
I have a soft spot for Paraguay and NO it doesn’t have anything to do with a certainly popular woman. I am a UMAM Pumas supporter, as many of you already know, so I’ll be rooting on our very own, Dario Veron who, curiously enough plays at RB for Paraguay as opposed to his usual CB role. I’m also a fan of Lucas Barrios and Christian Riveros. Venezuela has had some great performances in the tournament. Most notably the 0-0 draw with Brazil. This match has pelanties written all over it so expect the unexpected. But if you expect the unexpected doesn’t that leave you expecting something you already expected to happen? I don’t know but Uruguay will probably beat both of them.
Yesterday I was chatting with a few friends and per @OhioGooner’s suggestion I’ve decided to address an issue that was brought up many times last season and deserves our attention again. Will we be able to pass our way around teams in the Premier League this year? Does our style suit the league itself?
Did anyone count how many passes that was?
I’ll start by saying we are probably the only team in the PL that forces other teams to change the way they play when they play against us. It’s something most opposing managers are not scared to admit and adjust their tactics accordingly. Why? Because they know Arsene doesn’t compromise his style for winning. It’s a fact we’ve had trouble dealing with for the last few season because of the results it has rendered.
When we get comfortable, we can break down any team in the league. Did it to Chelsea, did it to United, did it to Tottenham, did it to just about everyone we faced last season. Don’t be an idiot. Don’t bring up the fact United beat us 1-0 at Old Tacos, Chelsea did us 2-0 at their place and Spuds, well you get it. For the sake of this argument, keep an open mind. Did we lose those games because we passed the ball too much? Or was is a matter of not defending well enough at critical times?
We had the highest amount of completed passes in the league so yes, we do pass the ball more than any other team in the league. We also have one of the highest shots on goal per game ratio in the league. So its clear the objective of our game is to create chances, chances=goals. Well, most of the time anyway.
Many have said we would rip up the French, German, or Spanish league and I would agree. Those mentioned, La Liga in particular, is not full of teams that are happy to play us on the counter as opposed to going toe-to-toe with us. Why? Because in English football is about winning. Not about style or substance. When coaches are getting fired left and right despite having favorable records (Chris Hughton comes to mind) most bosses are willing to throw formations and first team selections out the window and play their more ”defensive” line-ups. Why should they care how they score, as long as they get one over on those Arsenal boys, right? Those southern boys that only care about scoring beautiful goals and bringing up youth players. But we can’t exactly ask for a transfer of leagues can we? And complaining about other teams tactics is useless as well. We, as a team, have to be more , yes more, creative in breaking down teams who park it in front of goal and attempt to kick us off the field.
Our style is uncompromising. Just like our manager. It is our identity. If he’s stubborn it’s because he doesn’t believe we should change who we are because other teams can’t cope with it. Our team’s youth, inexperience, ill-timed injury to key players, and defensive frailty, which is my opinion is due to a lack of consistency in a centre-half/GK partnership, lead to our downfall this season. Not our passing game. If anything, it was what got us such great results at times.
I, like you, find myself at times screaming at the top of my lungs “FFS SHOOT THE BALL!” but if you have actually played the game of football at any level, you will know that you can’t just walk onto the field and start firing away when you first touch the ball. TV angles don’t always show the best perspective of what goes on in the pitch. Shooting the ball when there’s a player blocking your angle, it’s just as pointless to shoot as it would be to leave the ball where it is and letting a defender clear it.
Our style requires patience, precision, focus, drive, and a killer instinct. Why do you think players like Bergkamp, Henry, and now RVP have been so great for us? It is built for players like that. Guys that link up with others, pass with precision, finish clinically and create chances for others. It’s not basic by any means. Which brings us back to other teams in the PL.
The PL is pretty basic, from a tactical point of view. Ferguson has dominated it for the better part of 20 years with a simple 4-4-2. Defend feverishly, attack with speed and precision. Play the ball wide from defense and move the lines forward. Things you learn in youth soccer. It has worked because he has made average players super-stars and medal winners.
Our style requires wingers that can play as forwards, wing-backs that can attack and bomb forward, players skilled enough to string multiple passes together, and forwards who have to score from impossible angles. The previously mentioned 4-4-2 can work with almost any group of players and our 4-3-3 requires a player who is gonna run his ass off for 90+ and has to be supremely skilled in just about every department.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We will not know what the league will be like if other teams in the league put more emphasis on passing the ball better and making the game enjoyable because quite simply because teams in England will always be focused on results. Not that we shouldn’t be, but we know we aren’t gonna change for anyone. Like I said, we leave our identity on the pitch and as Arsene says “our football is the expression of who we are as professionals.”
I don’t know if I answered any of the questions I originally intended to but I do know I am proud of the way we play. We are flying the flag of beautiful, flowing football and are uncompromising in our resolve. It is what originally attracted me to the club. Wining trophies is fun. But it’s not why I love this game or this team.
Enjoy the rest of your week people
Chilangoonerblog 
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