Tiny Totts V Real Mad: Nice Fun And Some Noteworthy Points

Before I begin I just want to say a big Thank You to Arseblogger for linking to my last post and a sort of belated welcome to all the new readers who came from Arseblog. Getting a mention on the best and most popular football blog on the planet is for me something akin to what Connor Henderson might have felt while playing with the big guns in the first team. Thanks again.

Coming to the topic of the post, I had fun watching Spuds against Mourinho’s men. To be honest I felt some pity for ‘Arry and his boys because they fought valiantly even though they were clearly way out of their depth. It wasn’t an emotion I ever thought I’d feel for the Tinies but you have give credit where it’s due.

If it hadn’t been for a blatant dive by serial diver Bale in the opening minutes, the ref might have given one or two penalties to the home side. One can argue that it could have changed the game and made it competitive. It would certainly have woken Real up from their slumber and got the visitors out of second gear in which they were cruising. But then one can also say a yellow card to Bale, even before five minutes were up, would have affected the rest of the game.

In the end there was never any doubt about which team was superior and by quite a margin.

From an Arsenal point of view though, after watching this game I was a bit disappointed we didn’t draw Real in the second round. A team that came so close against Barca would have had more than a fighting chance against Madrid, Bayern, or Schalke. Anyway that’s all water under the bridge so I don’t want to dwell on it but I hope Gooners will appreciate the quality of Arsenal’s effort against Barca after seeing the 5-0 hammering received by the Spuds.

There were some observations from the game that I wanted to share.

First was the way Real moved the ball around without any attacking intent. I have talked about the importance of defensive possession in the past and the need for the Gunners to develop that art. We got a fantastic example of the value of that tactic in this game. There are many games where Arsenal can defend just by moving the ball around while forcing the opponents to chase the ball and commit fouls. For instance, the 4-4 draw against Newcastle would have been a very different game if Arsenal had played keep-ball for a while.

Somehow, the Gunners tend to lose patience in possession when there are no attacking opportunities. But when you are up by four goals, or even two goals for that matter, just passing the ball in the middle of the park can be a very good defensive approach, especially for a team that isn’t built to pile numbers at the back and park the bus. Of course, in order for this to succeed each player should know just what they are doing. It cannot be done by one or two players. The priority has to shift to sustaining possession. The off-the-ball movement has to be adapted in order to suit this change in approach. Hopefully, we will see more of this as the team continues to mature.

Second was the one dimensional approach by ‘Arry. All Spuds could do was knock the ball long and wide to their quick wingers. It led to plenty of crosses but not many genuine shots on goal. Again as I’ve discussed before, this kind of play is among the most inefficient ways of attacking. I don’t remember a single decent attack from the Tinies that came down the middle or which put a player through. Width is good as a plan B but if that’s the best you can do then you don’t belong at the highest level.

Another interesting point was that the Madrid full-backs struggled a bit in this game. As I have noted in the Arsenal context, when the full-backs don’t get enough support from the wide attackers and/or midfielders, it is not easy for them to defend against quick and tricky wingers. It just shows how good Clichy and Sagna actually are.

Mourinho had to ensure one of his midfielders joined Ramos and subsequently Arbeloa whenever Bale was running with the ball. Clichy has to do a lot of work on his own when Arshavin and Wilshere don’t provide this support on a consistent basis. Sagna does better because he often has Song on his side. I believe with more experience Wilshere will make our left side much stronger and that will help get the best out of Clichy once again.

I also noticed that Casillas was not too confident against the aerial balls. This is another point that I have covered in the past. Football teams look to have a solid defence when the defenders deal with most of the balls into the box and the Keeper doesn’t have to come out to punch or go chasing deep crosses. In that area Arsenal have made significant improvements this season. Fabianski and Szczesny didn’t have to come out that often and it made them look more than competent. Almunia probably lost his confidence and decision making after last season and the West Brom game this year. He made the mistake of coming out when not needed and that made him look like a clown. If this single issue of the Keeper holding his ground is sorted out, the goalkeepers at Arsenal, especially the Poles, can make a big name for themselves. All of them are certainly much better than a guy like Gomes.

Finally, I wanted to restate my amusement at the way pundits talk about the Tiny Totts. They lost 4-1 to a second string Arsenal side in the Carling Cup, got thumped 4-0 by Fulham in the FA Cup, got knocked out of the Champions League with a humiliating 5-0 score line, and are 9 points behind the Gunners in the league table.

Of course, it is clearly a case of balancing performances against expectations. Nobody expected anything from Spuds in the first place and so whatever little they do is a big achievement. The reverse is true for Arsenal.

However, it is important to note that many doom-mongers and pundits in the media have been constantly predicting that the Tinies will go past the Gunners. It’s been going on for years now as the Totts have spent considerable amounts (~300M in the last 8 years). But most of these are pre-season predictions based on the transfer activity and are forgotten by the time we get to the business end of the season where Arsenal are competing at the top end while Tottenham are busting their guts to finish fourth. I find it incredible that some fans want Arsenal to sacrifice the stability and consistency and go down the path that Spuds have taken.

Anyway, I don’t want to spoil the joy of this day by going into that tired discussion. Let’s move on and keep the focus on the remaining games. In that context, the Totts are lucky they have a long rest before the North London Derby. Hopefully it won’t matter. More on that when we get closer to the game.

RIP Danny Fiszman

Update: Just wanted to share this excellent article by Walter on Untold in case you haven’t been there yet.