Arsenal's Slow Starts

[Dave]

Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 Premier League games but their slow starts are a growing concern.

Arsenal are one of only two Premier League sides yet to lead a game at half-time this season. They did not have single shot on target in the first against Wolves and their first-half goal difference under is minus three. Scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes of their last eight games.

Why do you think Arsenal start games in such a poor way?

@SirBalon @Panna King @Gunnersauraus @6666 @Chaaay AFC @...Dan @shut up @Asura

[Dr. Gonzo]

I think Emery’s tactics involve feeling out the other side in the first half & seeing if there’s any apparent weakness to exploit in the second half.

[SirBalon]

We must remember that the team is very unbalanced and there are all sorts of issues regarding the confectioning of a proper team with Arsenal.  It's too much of a coincidence that we make a surge in the second halves of every game no matter who we play against.

[CaaC (John)+]

Arsenal were left in decline by Arsene Wenger and things had to change, says Unai Emery

tom dutton    1 day ago

Unai Emery says predecessor Arsene Wenger neglected the Arsenal defense, leaving the club "in decline" when he departed in May.

Wenger was in charge of the Gunners for 22 years from 1996, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, but failed to lead the club to another league crown following their Invincibles success during the 2003-04 campaign.

And Emery believes Wenger put too much emphasis on the attacking style of his teams during the final 14 years of his reign, a period in which Arsenal failed to win the Premier League crown.

“Before Wenger came, Arsenal celebrated 1-0 and were based on defensive solidity,” Emery told Marca.

“With Arsene, joy came from attacking, with players of good standing. And the perfect combination was the Invincibles [of 2003-04].

“But over time, only technical quality and offensive freedom were taken care of, losing the defensive structure.

“What I want is to unite both essences and be more competitive. Arsenal was in decline. We had to stop it and start climbing.”

And Emery has set about shifting the team's focus in the early months of his spell in the Emirates dugout, uniting the players with the fanbase once more with an undefeated run spanning 16 games and dating back to August.

He added: “I want to make a team that knows how to play with spaces, to be able to counter-attack, or without space, look for how to generate it.

“We are trying to create an idea, a style, be competitive. 

“We are coming from an Arsenal that did not win against the top six. Although this year we have not done it yet either, it was also difficult for us to win away from home and we have already improved there.”

Asked if he had sought advice from Wenger after accepting the Arsenal job, Emery said: “I respect him a lot, but no matter how much info he gave me, I had to change things.

“I told the players: ‘We are starting at zero’. Even now, four months later, I still say it: ‘We are in the beginning!’”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/premier-league/arsenal-were-left-in-decline-by-arsene-wenger-and-things-had-to-change-says-unai-emery/ar-BBPZ7Dh?ocid=chromentp

[Guest]

1 hour ago, CaaC - John said:

Arsenal were left in decline by Arsene Wenger and things had to change, says Unai Emery

tom dutton    1 day ago

Unai Emery says predecessor Arsene Wenger neglected the Arsenal defense, leaving the club "in decline" when he departed in May.

Wenger was in charge of the Gunners for 22 years from 1996, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, but failed to lead the club to another league crown following their Invincibles success during the 2003-04 campaign.

And Emery believes Wenger put too much emphasis on the attacking style of his teams during the final 14 years of his reign, a period in which Arsenal failed to win the Premier League crown.

“Before Wenger came, Arsenal celebrated 1-0 and were based on defensive solidity,” Emery told Marca.

“With Arsene, joy came from attacking, with players of good standing. And the perfect combination was the Invincibles [of 2003-04].

“But over time, only technical quality and offensive freedom were taken care of, losing the defensive structure.

“What I want is to unite both essences and be more competitive. Arsenal was in decline. We had to stop it and start climbing.”

And Emery has set about shifting the team's focus in the early months of his spell in the Emirates dugout, uniting the players with the fanbase once more with an undefeated run spanning 16 games and dating back to August.

He added: “I want to make a team that knows how to play with spaces, to be able to counter-attack, or without space, look for how to generate it.

“We are trying to create an idea, a style, be competitive. 

“We are coming from an Arsenal that did not win against the top six. Although this year we have not done it yet either, it was also difficult for us to win away from home and we have already improved there.”

Asked if he had sought advice from Wenger after accepting the Arsenal job, Emery said: “I respect him a lot, but no matter how much info he gave me, I had to change things.

“I told the players: ‘We are starting at zero’. Even now, four months later, I still say it: ‘We are in the beginning!’”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/premier-league/arsenal-were-left-in-decline-by-arsene-wenger-and-things-had-to-change-says-unai-emery/ar-BBPZ7Dh?ocid=chromentp

I know its true but personally I think Emery should just do his job and not talk about Wenger. Seems a bit disrespectful to me.

In regards to thepoint if we get results I'm not worried. There are good and bad points to any tactic. Starting of to fast can mean you don't have enough energy at the end if the game

[SirBalon]

There’s nothing disrespectful in covering one’s back considering the situation revolving the fans’ dissent in recent years with the possible escalation. 

Nothing he has said is incorrect or ethically wrong. It’s just being professional. 

[Asura]

match ends at full time, not half time. So as long as they are doing fine in overall 90 minutes I dont think this should be a problem. 

Coming to the question why is that happening. I have no clue but I would think its a strategy Emery is following to start slow, conserve energy despite the pressing and end with a bang... 

[Guest]

On 23/11/2018 at 20:17, SirBalon said:

There’s nothing disrespectful in covering one’s back considering the situation revolving the fans’ dissent in recent years with the possible escalation. 

Nothing he has said is incorrect or ethically wrong. It’s just being professional. 

I don't know the context of the comment. If he was under pressure from fans and being criticized and he was defending himself fair enough. However I don't think he under pressure from fans or the media so if he just randomly said it that would be a bit disrespectful for me.

[SirBalon]

2 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I don't know the context of the comment. If he was under pressure from fans and being criticized and he was defending himself fair enough. However I don't think he under pressure from fans or the media so if he just randomly said it that would be a bit disrespectful for me.

He wasn't under pressure from the fans personally because there's no material past or present to go against Emery.  What Unai Emery did have was knowledge of what the situation at the club was before he arrived and he will certainly have been studying everything when he was contacted for the possible appointment as coach.  So when asked about the past considering the options for the present and any possible pragmatism in the football being played, then you get answers like that.

[6666]

The way the press frame comments from players or managers, about people that were at the club before or clubs they were at before, will always makes things come across as more disrespectful than intended. It's a no win situation for players and managers. The journalists basically know the type of answer they're going to get already but need the quotes to support the narrative that they already decided they were going to go with by putting emphasis on the parts that most support their lazy article.

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, 6666 said:

The way the press frame comments from players or managers, about people that were at the club before or clubs they were at before, will always makes things come across as more disrespectful than intended. It's a no win situation for players and managers. The journalists basically know the type of answer they're going to get already but need the quotes to support the narrative that they already decided they were going to go with by putting emphasis on the parts that most support their lazy article.

I think if he was asked it was s bit of an awkward situation for him. However I think it is important to be respectful as possible to previous managers

[SirBalon]

2 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I think if he was asked it was s bit of an awkward situation for him. However I think it is important to be respectful as possible to previous managers

But he wasn't disrespectful... He answered in the only manner available to him on the spot. The only option would've been to offer a "no comment".  But when this occurs, then most of the sensationalist press jump on the bandwagon by offering the same question in different ways.  You should know this if you've ever observed post match interviews where only ONE journalist with a microphone is asking the questions.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, SirBalon said:

But he wasn't disrespectful... He answered in the only manner available to him on the spot. The only option would've been to offer a "no comment".  But when this occurs, then most of the sensationalist press jump on the bandwagon by offering the same question in different ways.  You should know this if you've ever observed post match interviews where only ONE journalist with a microphone is asking the questions.

I didn't say he was in that context. I was just saying that I think it is better to respect previous managers as much as possible.

[SirBalon]

51 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I didn't say he was in that context. I was just saying that I think it is better to respect previous managers as much as possible.

I don't understand how the level of respect you are demanding is manifested to be honest.  Does this mean public reverence everytime a past manager is mentioned and where you're asked a question?

Mate... Arsène Wenger isn't god you know.  Blame the journalists searching for material to create a headline, which sells newspapers and doesn't force them to simply write and print opinion next day.  They can base a whole page on one sentence of an interview.

[Dr. Gonzo]

19 minutes ago, shut up said:

didn't his Sevilla side start slow against Liverpool in the final? Maybe it's the same evrywhere he goes

Yeah I think you’re right. If it works, I don’t think there’s a problem with slow starts.

[SirBalon]

20 minutes ago, shut up said:

didn't his Sevilla side start slow against Liverpool in the final? Maybe it's the same evrywhere he goes

Not really... He has a particular brand of football which is actually dominating and based on a Klopp style game full of dynamism and pressing from the front.  At Valencia even while losing major names every transfer window he dominated games and went out on the front foot.

Our problem at Arsenal isn't the fact we haven't got talented individuals...  It's the fact the squad is unbalanced to confection a team, a team based on an ideal.  The biggest mistakes made by many Premier League clubs has been just going out and signing the dish of the day without giving an ounce of thought if that's the player that fits the system or befits the club's resources in the longterm.

This without going into our mental wage structure where everyone's on premium wages.

What Emery is doing is almost miraculous where REAL football is concerned.

[Stan]

35 minutes ago, shut up said:

didn't his Sevilla side start slow against Liverpool in the final? Maybe it's the same evrywhere he goes

it goes to show that he can properly suss out a game and base any half-time team talks around that, or make necessary tactical changes. 

[Smiley Culture]

It really goes to show that in 2018, where we have stats and data analysis coming out of our ears, that stats can be presented in different ways to suit agendas, arguments etc. 

 

[SirBalon]

The simple stat that we have dodgy first halves has been an ongoing debate amongst Arsenal fans for a couple of months now although most are in agreement or accept that this is a coaching issue with some (like myself) feeling that the coach does it because of the unbalance within the team.  Whatever the reasons, it's definitely a coaching directive.

[LFCMadLad]

Why isn't this topic in the Arsenal thread? No need for a seperate thread!