Wenger shuffles the pack, transfer rumours..
Gael Clichy will be out for up to 4 months. He requires surgery on his foot. Clichy has the same injury as Ashley Cole, who is 5 weeks away from full fitness.
Arsenal have a crucial period of fixtures, which is likely to determine the expectations for the rest of the season and be key in any potential push for success.
We will also be without natural cover for left back, until March or April. This is bad news for everyone involved, it stunts Clichy's development and takes away a valuable run in the side for him. It put extra pressure on Cole when he comes back and it is essential we do not rush him back. It also means other players will have to play out of position.
However, I like to think you can take a positive out of everything! At least the timing of it will mean that Wenger can assess the strength of the squad over a testing period and be able to make any decision based on this opposed to being rushed into one. Personally I don't think he will feel we are short in that position, but at least he can properly evaluate the situation before the January transfer window.
I would like to see Eboue come straight in at left back. I think he has shown potential in his few substitute appearances so far this term. He is developing at a steady rate after an initial adaptation period and I think it would be wise to keep as much stability in the defence as possible.
Wigan will be a tough test. It will be tight, physical, passionate and important encounter. Predicting the result is a tough call.. But 1-0 to the Arsenal sounds good to me.
Reyes should be fresh, as should Pires, Bergkamp, Campbell and Lauren, Ljungberg back from injury, the signs are positive. It is time for these players to help the youngster. This is the type of game to do it. It is time to stand up and be counted.
Various transfer rumours.. Lauren off to Milan? I wouldn't have thought so.. Yes he is cynical enough for the Italian league, but he is important to Wenger. A key player in our success and a Wenger type of player.
Now Henry to Barcelona is a more contentious rumour. I don't think he will go. The lure of the new stadium and potential signings (The Torres and Vela rumours are the only one's with any credibility) will hopefully be too great.
posted by JoeBoni @ 1:07 PM
23 comments
23 Comments:
I personally think lauren's a liability, and we would do well to be rid of him. One thing you may be certain of him is that he will give the ball away on the edge of his own box at least once a game. Defensively he gets caught out against the best left wingers in the world, and all in all, i think eboue and hoyte are showing more promise int hat position.
Disagree bout Lauren his only major flaw is he doesnt track back quick enough after he's gone sprinting up the wing. Other than that he's hardworking and a talented defender
What absolute tripe. Lauren has been one of our most consistent performers over the last few seasons. Anyone who says otherwise is a cretin that knows nothing about football.
Have you seen the statistics for Lauren during his career at Arsenal lately ? He's one of, if not THE, most consistent player, he's one of those players that Wenger will always choose if he's available. Lauren is the "unsung" hero, he's a great player and he's made the right back position his own.
This is not the first time I have heard this about Lauren but am still amazed every time I do. I think it started with a few journalist mentioning it after a bad game (one of very few) and people have jumped on the bandwagon. I find it odd that Lauren has no more bad games than Ashly Cole but Cole is considered world class and Lauren a liability......Very Odd
Lets be honest, Lauren does have a couple of flaws but then so does Thierry, Dennis, Cesc, etc, etc. He has been in the Premier League team of the season 3 times now and his contribution cannot be overlooked. Generally I agree that journalists are total cunts and are just out to get at the easiest target. Lauren being a quiet but fucking hard player is easy to pick on because he never does anything about it. Still, he could probably kill a man from 20 paces with his stare alone - Scary!
Totally agree, Lauren is highly consistent, if he is as much of a liablility as certain people say, why is he a crucial member of the Arsenal first team, has won so much & why does Wenger rely on him? I can't think of too many others I would rather have in that position. Plus as was said in the last post, he's a competitor, an excellent athlete, a good footballer and he looks coked up to the eye balls and is without doubt.. Fucking scary!
Got to say it pisses me off with the Lauren comments yep he's no Stuart Pearce, but then again who is theses days the games changed & we expect out fullbacks to create along with the rest of the team. So it's sometimes V/difficult to defend when you are in the opposition 18 yard box.
So give the guy a break he's a midfielder turned right back. & he's twice the defender he was a few years ago!!!
P.S. I suppose you have all got on the good news coming out of Old Trafford this morning?
I can now finally reply to the many text's in the summer that I got @ the time asking me where's your Captain gone!!!
Lee.
Lauren is a rock. The only complaint you could have about him is that he lacks pace. He's not slow, but not the fastest by any stretch. Against the likes of C. Ronaldo or Duff that can be tricky, but Lauren's football brain and positioning usually negates any pace difference.
Hi, Boni.. I love your post today.. it's like we're in the same wavelength with regards to the leftback. Please check out my arsenal blog at http://shaffarullah.blogspot.com I've just added your site to my arsenal links. Cheers.
Lauren - cameroonian mentalist street boxer. will die for the team and love him to bits. However on a defensive side of things, he gets caught out too much, and in the split second before someone is going to score he pussyfoots around, trys to put in a midfielder challenge rather than a spread-eagled anything to block the ball sol campbell style defenders' challenge. examples -: Man utd (last season), chelsea (community sheild), S. Prague (got ripped apart - toure ended up monkey dancing at him). He will always be a midfielder, and could do well in the centre, him and gilberts when cesc gets tired. I say get a proper defender at right back eboue/hoyte - excellent prospects.
The rumours are that Kolo Toure or Pascal Cygan will play at Left back. Eboue has a minor injury and so has been ruled out. Therefore it look as if the back four will be Lauren, Campbell, Toure and Cygan. I suspect Cygan will play at left back as Wigan's main strength up front is pace, which Cygan is sorely lacking in!
Oh please tell me "NO" not Cygan.
He can just about get away with CH with his lake of pace.
How long must we endure this bloke @ our club, I’m now convinced that my long standing joke with my pal’s that Wanger gets 1/2 his match fee must now be true!!!
Lee.
Sorry that should read Lack of pace.
Because he dose not have oceans of it.
Haha indeed. He is not generally at-tributary-ed with a lot of pace. Sorry, couldn't resist!
To all those who think that Lauren is a liability.....the stark reality is that he plays right back for AFC and you simply have to watch him.
We absolutely need Lauren. He toughens up the team. Now that we are lacking a real phsyical presence in the middle (Viera), we cannot do without Lauren. And if you notice, he doesnt let anyone dish out the crap to Freddie or Cesc. AND he doesnt bitch about anything.
I don't rate Lauren.
He is a rubbish one on one defender and it is clear that he doesn't bust a gut to run back, he tries to be cool but is just casual. He ball watches and is slow with no recovery speed. Remember the way Ronanaldo ran straight past him to score at Highbury last season.
He was completely twisted up by Ajax winger Babbel in a pre-season frendly, however when Eboue came he handled him because he is just better.
Worst of all he is a cheap shot artist (I hate admitting that about any Arsenal playersu but you know it's true).
anon above me, that was one match. Ronaldo simply had a great match. Otherwise since his own goal, can't recall a bad defensive display. Cheap shot artist? Would you call Parlour, Vieira cheap shot artists as well? He's our hardest player left, and I appreciate that. Tell me, Lauren haters, can you name RBs who are better who are available to replace him with?
Better options than Lauren within the club are
Toure, (play Senderos and Campbell at CB)
Eboue.
Lauren is not in the same class as these fullbacks and some of these guys will be availiable soon:
Cafu
Cicinho
Miguel
Oojer
Salgado
Seteridis
Trabelsi
Zanetti
Zambrota
It is much harder to name LB's that are better than Ashley Cole. In addition there are not many CB partnerships better than Campbell & Toure. The point is, Lauren is the weak link in the starting back four. Incidently if he is our hardest player then we are in big trouble
hes a nut case, arsenals major lack is of physical presence alogn the midfield line, flamini, cesc and bobby are precious little ballet dancers, or compared to the likes theyll be facing v bolton they are.
that said francesc is the greatets talent ive seen at arsenal since thierry came, he has it all and all teams can accomodate for class despite physical shortcomings. Otherwise you'd see the likes of bolton winning the league. However bobby i feel has been and gone come the end of this season, and we need someone to replace paddy. Laurens been consistent, but has the tendancy to be overawed by a pacy winger, but who isnt, thats what wingers are there for and 95% of the time i watch lauren he always gets the uperhand, as does the superb ashley cole who for me is irreplaceable no matter how well gael iscoming along, a natrual born gooner whos increasingly raised the benchmark of his standard of play.
The beast would of been perfect. Physically and tactically as the guy can use his head and would maybe encourage as to get behoind the fullbacks and trying something new then setting our stalls infornt of the defence and tryig nto find the killer ball. Against the lesser teams this is fine and magical, agaiunst a well roganised and disciplined defence this can be found to be futile, thats were flinging the ball in the box, or darting behind the full backs cud be the key (see arsenal v dynamo kiev last year COOOOOOOOOOLE !)
all the best
si
Cafu - Ancient, purely stop-gap
Cicinho - Going to Real; besides if you worry about Lauren being too offensive-minded, you'll have nightmares with this guy
Miguel - Don't know about him
Oojier - Decent, won't provide the link-up play Lauren does, injured too often
Salgado - See Cicinho
Seteridis - Don't know about him
Trabelsi - Good choice
Zanetti - No indication he'd leave inter.
Zambrotta - Be realistic. He hasn't made any indication he wants to leave, and Juve will not let him go.
Lauren is our hardest player (well perhaps along with Sol), and it is a problem. The midfield is too soft and is a much bigger concern than RB.
As i said on friday:
"Oh please tell me "NO" not Cygan".
Lee.
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