Samir Nasri is now 100% a Gooner. Official!!!

[Coach]

Let us agree on the agreeable here, Eboue was no Ray Parlour at right-wing! Gypsy Ray bossed that flank, had decent delivery, and once in a while chipped in with an important goal. First season out of his niche though it may be, Emmanuel was often caught out of position, squandered possession far to easily, and was far from a defensive stalwart on the right-hand side.

...In his defence, it can be said, he's learning the trade, but when we're not getting the goals of a Pires or Ljunberg from our wings, can we afford such patience?

...This guy, in my eyes, was outstanding at fullback. Sagna has done well in that position, and one cannot see him being espoused for anybody. The question being asked here, is can we afford such leniency towards Eboue's development. Yes, we may well have scored almost as many as United, and conceded almost as few as United, but at the end of the day, they won the crown and are in the champions league final. Like Brandy said, "Almost doesnt count".

[Waffiman]

I suspect it's why L'Voyeur placed Eboue in that position this season (even though that experiment failed miserably).

Eboue had his chance at right-wing and failed miserably. He did not provide the steel and stamina that Parlour offered, ask Toure, nor did he offer the cut and thrust of Overmars or Pires, or Walcott for that matter. This guy is a rightback, and a good one at that.

I dont think you guys get it at all - it is not an "experiment" - Eboue is not going back to defense. Not after Wenegr paid £7.5MM for Sagna and still kept Eboue!! That means Wenger sees Eboue there long term.

Secondly Eboue didnt fail. He didnt make anybody]s team of the year, but he did okay defensively and you coudl see he was slowly learning offensively. He did have some highlights combinign with Sagna offensively over there.

More important............last I checked Hleb did not exactly pull up trees in his first year in that same position either. However the same Hleb seems to be on everybody's shopping list today. And when Wenger moved Lauren to RB, everybody was saying he sucked. Two years later he was a PFA first choice...

Hmmm.....maybe Wenger knows more than you guys ever will - ya think?

So maybe you guys can get a clue before writing off Eboue at rigth wing. It aint an Experiment and it aint a failure. The guy is learning the position - and he has ALL the tools it takes to be a star there in the long run. More chance than at RB in fact.

ZT, please tell them, maybe they will finally get it.

[Waffiman]

Let us agree on the agreeable here, Eboue was no Ray Parlour at right-wing! Gypsy Ray bossed that flank, had decent delivery, and once in a while chipped in with an important goal. First season out of his niche though it may be, Emmanuel was often caught out of position, squandered possession far to easily, and was far from a defensive stalwart on the right-hand side.

...In his defence, it can be said, he's learning the trade, but when we're not getting the goals of a Pires or Ljunberg from our wings, can we afford such patience?

...This guy, in my eyes, was outstanding at fullback. Sagna has done well in that position, and one cannot see him being espoused for anybody. The question being asked here, is can we afford such leniency towards Eboue's development. Yes, we may well have scored almost as many as United, and conceded almost as few as United, but at the end of the day, they won the crown and are in the champions league final. Like Brandy said, "Almost doesnt count".

Nobody has said Eboue is Ray Parlour, not even Wenger. But Wenger is saying they are performing the same roles in the team. I watched Ray Parlour from his first game at Arsenal till his last game, he struggled under various Managers until Wenger came along, just when we thought he was done at Arsenal, he really flourished under Wenger who found the perfect role for him in the team.

Parlour was always more defensive than attacking, his huge stamina and power meant he gave the midfield added steel and he dovetailed very well with Dixon and Lauren. Parlour like I have posted on this forum for years was actually part of the Vieira, Petit steel in the midfield for the first double. He went on to do the same job when Petit left and continued till he left the club.

Eboue has only just started in this role and he has done well for one who is just doing the job for his first season, he already has a very good partnership with Sagna and can only get better. Ray was not very good when he started and some fans got on his back but Wenger held firm and he was proven right. The same will happen with Eboue.

Eboue was not an outstanding RB, he was a monumental liability. Eboue defended well on a man marking situation but when it came to zonal defending and diagonal balls, Eboue was completely hopeless. I remember him been caught out of position time and time again costing us points. Wenger at the end of the season said we conceeded over 90% of our goals that season from the right side in which Eboue and Hleb played. He said he had to address the problem. He did, he went and got Sagna and we can all see the difference.

[Ziontrain]

First season out of his niche though it may be, Emmanuel was often caught out of position, squandered possession far to easily, and was far from a defensive stalwart on the right-hand side. .

Cleary you dont remember a thing about Pires first half a year on the wing, or Hleb or even Ljunberg.

...This guy, in my eyes, was outstanding at fullback. Sagna has done well in that position, and one cannot see him being espoused for anybody. The question being asked here, is can we afford such leniency towards Eboue's development.

No offense but you gotta clean out your eyes. Eboue was "outstanding" at full back only when he had to do a pure man marking job - and at that in a 4-5-1. However when asked to play in a zonal 4-4-2 his lack of concentration was exposed and he often was caught out by diagonal balls played wrong side - this we saw over and over and over again.

What he DID do well at full backwas to pose a threat offensively and create danger from a standing start (ie cause breakdowns in a set defense), something which very few in football can do actually.

BUT…his defense was so-so when it comes to fundamentals.
So for a wide midfielder, Eboue’s defense is fine, because he will always have help and he isn’t the last line. And there you can find a way to use his stamina, speed and offensive potential. (yes it is there to see - for those who are not blinded by formulaic thinking and conservatism)
The next step is integrating that offensive individual skill into a team offensive system. Something that even Van Persie struggled with when he joined Arsenal. So I don’t know why Eboue cannot be allowed some time to do the same. Is it because he is a black guy from Cote D’Ivoire and not a mystical white guy from Holland?
There is no free lunch in life.

Wenger is investing in this guy at wide midfield because he has huge potential out there. It will take time but he will come good. Eboue is a star in the making. If you are too impatient, well it is too bad, because the Boss knows exactly what he is doing here and I can see why he did it: he has put Eboue in a position that will maximise his upside and minimise his downside.

It is just a matter of time for the guy to learn.
In the meantime I will take great pleasure in laughing at all you self proclaimed “experts” who thought that Wenger was nuts to make Lauren a full back, who claimed that Flamini was a donkey and who were naysaysers when Wenger decided to make a right-footed DM his left back!!

[PapaK]

Let us agree on the agreeable here, Eboue was no Ray Parlour at right-wing! Gypsy Ray bossed that flank, had decent delivery, and once in a while chipped in with an important goal. First season out of his niche though it may be, Emmanuel was often caught out of position, squandered possession far to easily, and was far from a defensive stalwart on the right-hand side.

...In his defence, it can be said, he's learning the trade, but when we're not getting the goals of a Pires or Ljunberg from our wings, can we afford such patience?

...This guy, in my eyes, was outstanding at fullback. Sagna has done well in that position, and one cannot see him being espoused for anybody. The question being asked here, is can we afford such leniency towards Eboue's development. Yes, we may well have scored almost as many as United, and conceded almost as few as United, but at the end of the day, they won the crown and are in the champions league final. Like Brandy said, "Almost doesnt count".

Nobody has said Eboue is Ray Parlour, not even Wenger. But Wenger is saying they are performing the same roles in the team. I watched Ray Parlour from his first game at Arsenal till his last game, he struggled under various Managers until Wenger came along, just when we thought he was done at Arsenal, he really flourished under Wenger who found the perfect role for him in the team.

Parlour was always more defensive than attacking, his huge stamina and power meant he gave the midfield added steel and he dovetailed very well with Dixon and Lauren. Parlour like I have posted on this forum for years was actually part of the Vieira, Petit steel in the midfield for the first double. He went on to do the same job when Petit left and continued till he left the club.

Eboue has only just started in this role and he has done well for one who is just doing the job for his first season, he already has a very good partnership with Sagna and can only get better. Ray was not very good when he started and some fans got on his back but Wenger held firm and he was proven right. The same will happen with Eboue.

oh no! cant you guys just let me forget this season in peace? This is why I no longer spend much time on this forum. The manner in which we lost out on everything this season was too painful.
Since, you brought me into it, why did Eboue crosses go from bad to worse and then non-existent this season? Assuming he couldnt score like Ronaldo, couldnt he just work on improving his crosses? Maybe he provided defensive cover, but the fact that we leaked enough goals to knock us out of the championship and EPL, mean that we had a net loss on him by not fielding a better attacking threat in his position. One could argue that had Walcott got consistent playing time at that position, we might have 3 out of the numerous games we drew and the result of the season could have been much different.

[Ziontrain]

One could even argue that by playing 11 strikers at once we would have a "net gain" in goals. But "one" would be wrong to put out such vapid and value-free "analysis".

The league table shows that we were 2nd only to Man U in goals scored, so that wasnt the problem.

As for the defense it wasnt even total goals let in, because we actually lost FEWER games than the champions.

We didnt win the league because we failed to make clean sheets in a small handfull of league games, namely vs Liverpool, Man U away, Villa and Birmingham at home. For which nobody credible can say it was Eboue who lost us these four games.

How you gonna then pin the whole season on Eboue is beyond me really.

[Waffiman]

Let us agree on the agreeable here, Eboue was no Ray Parlour at right-wing! Gypsy Ray bossed that flank, had decent delivery, and once in a while chipped in with an important goal. First season out of his niche though it may be, Emmanuel was often caught out of position, squandered possession far to easily, and was far from a defensive stalwart on the right-hand side.

...In his defence, it can be said, he's learning the trade, but when we're not getting the goals of a Pires or Ljunberg from our wings, can we afford such patience?

...This guy, in my eyes, was outstanding at fullback. Sagna has done well in that position, and one cannot see him being espoused for anybody. The question being asked here, is can we afford such leniency towards Eboue's development. Yes, we may well have scored almost as many as United, and conceded almost as few as United, but at the end of the day, they won the crown and are in the champions league final. Like Brandy said, "Almost doesnt count".

Nobody has said Eboue is Ray Parlour, not even Wenger. But Wenger is saying they are performing the same roles in the team. I watched Ray Parlour from his first game at Arsenal till his last game, he struggled under various Managers until Wenger came along, just when we thought he was done at Arsenal, he really flourished under Wenger who found the perfect role for him in the team.

Parlour was always more defensive than attacking, his huge stamina and power meant he gave the midfield added steel and he dovetailed very well with Dixon and Lauren. Parlour like I have posted on this forum for years was actually part of the Vieira, Petit steel in the midfield for the first double. He went on to do the same job when Petit left and continued till he left the club.

Eboue has only just started in this role and he has done well for one who is just doing the job for his first season, he already has a very good partnership with Sagna and can only get better. Ray was not very good when he started and some fans got on his back but Wenger held firm and he was proven right. The same will happen with Eboue.

oh no! cant you guys just let me forget this season in peace? This is why I no longer spend much time on this forum. The manner in which we lost out on everything this season was too painful.
Since, you brought me into it, why did Eboue crosses go from bad to worse and then non-existent this season? Assuming he couldnt score like Ronaldo, couldnt he just work on improving his crosses? Maybe he provided defensive cover, but the fact that we leaked enough goals to knock us out of the championship and EPL, mean that we had a net loss on him by not fielding a better attacking threat in his position. One could argue that had Walcott got consistent playing time at that position, we might have 3 out of the numerous games we drew and the result of the season could have been much different.

But Walcott was inconsistent all season, it was only towards the end of the season, he found his form. Eboue is work in progress and he did not do as badly as people like to make things out. I remember when we played Manure at Old Toilet, Ronaldo did not get a sniff untill Walcott came on. Prior to that, Eboue had shackled him and marked him out of the game.

[PapaK]

One could even argue that by playing 11 strikers at once we would have a "net gain" in goals. But "one" would be wrong to put out such vapid and value-free "analysis".

The league table shows that we were 2nd only to Man U in goals scored, so that wasnt the problem.

As for the defense it wasnt even total goals let in, because we actually lost FEWER games than the champions.

We didnt win the league because we failed to make clean sheets in a small handfull of league games, namely vs Liverpool, Man U away, Villa and Birmingham at home. For which nobody credible can say it was Eboue who lost us these four games.

How you gonna then pin the whole season on Eboue is beyond me really.

you are an expert at reading twisted meanings into people's comments! How did I pin the whole season on Eboue? What I said was that he was fielded to give us defensive cover in the midfield, but we still conceeded stupid goals to draw some games we should have won easily. My point was that the defensive cover he provided was inadequate. Arsenal is an attacking team and will probably not have the best defensive records in the league. I have said many times on this forum that we lost the league because we didnt win the games we could have won by at least 3 goals margin. we lost the league against Newcastle away, Birmingham over 2 legs, Portsmouth away, Aston Villa at home, Middleborough at home, Liverpool over 2 legs. These were games that should have been over in the first half, but 1 guy lost easy chances and ran offside on too many occassions. Eboue was only 1% of our problem, but he was still a problem nonetheless.

[Skylolo]

It gets on my nerves when people find a easy target in Eboue to vent their frustration, its his first season in that position and he will get better there with time...Yes he was not fantastic this year, but he is playing a role for the team and he has come out to say he knows he has to improve.

Anybody who has analysed Eboue's game knows he is better going forward than he is defending, he is one of the very best dribblers in the EPL and once he gets his final ball toghether and a few goals he will be some player in that position.

[PapaK]

But Walcott was inconsistent all season, it was only towards the end of the season, he found his form. Eboue is work in progress and he did not do as badly as people like to make things out. I remember when we played Manure at Old Toilet, Ronaldo did not get a sniff untill Walcott came on. Prior to that, Eboue had shackled him and marked him out of the game.

I actually recognize Eboue's attacking abilities. I just thought that he would have been much more dangerous if he spent extra time training on crosses. There were moments when he got himself into useful position, but his final balls were very poor and chances were lost.

[quickie]

If Eboue/Hleb play RM this season and we continue with patch patch of diaby/Rosicky etc on the left again this season, we'll get exactly what we deserve again. ZILCH!

We say we're a big team, we're having 4 players in starting line up playing out of position in do-or-die games, it really is laughable if one isn't a gooner.
CB playing RB, RB playing RM, CM playing LM, RM playing support striker etc

We need to get some affordable experienced specialists and give these guys a bit of a helping hand or we're asking for too much considering what we're up against.


Q

[Waffiman]

If Eboue/Hleb play RM this season and we continue with patch patch of diaby/Rosicky etc on the left again this season, we'll get exactly what we deserve again. ZILCH!

We say we're a big team, we're having 4 players in starting line up playing out of position in do-or-die games, it really is laughable if one isn't a gooner.
CB playing RB, RB playing RM, CM playing LM, RM playing support striker etc

We need to get some affordable experienced specialists and give these guys a bit of a helping hand or we're asking for too much considering what we're up against.


Q

No worries, we will get them starting with Nasri. Then you owe me the shakis as promised.

[Ziontrain]

you are an expert at reading twisted meanings into people's comments!.........How did I pin the whole season on Eboue? .....Eboue was only 1% of our problem, but he was still a problem nonetheless.

"Reading twisted meanings"? Really? Hmmm.....

When you claim the guy is 1% of a problem and then say he lost of the season, I think you need to face up to your own hypocrisy - 1% of a problem (as you described him yourself) is not a meaningful factor. Go discuss the 99% and then get back to us.

Eboue is here to stay. Any of you who dont like him can come back in a year when he is PFA choice and suck on as many lemons as you like.

[Cally]

My suggestion is this: During pre-season, Wenger should make Eboue, Hleb (if he stays), Clichy, and even Ade kick the ball consistently into the net from all over the pitch. Sometimes, these guys miss scoring so much that you wonder whether they even know where the net is...

[Skylolo]

Back to the point..

The reliable French newspaper L'equipe reporting Nasri is likely to sign his Arsenal contract tomorrow before joining his Le Blues team mates for Euro 2008...

See here - http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/20080521 ... e_Dev.html

[REDSPYDA]

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx ... oId=704301

[ohenhen1]

I wonder how Nasri will fit with Gunners, I would prefered Hatem Ben Arfa, the bobo can play on the left of midfield.

[REDSPYDA]

that is one player I wish rafa would have gotten

[slyk]

I wonder how Nasri will fit with Gunners, I would prefered Hatem Ben Arfa, the bobo can play on the left of midfield.

I see Samir mainly as a backup for Cesc because he is a very good playmaker. Arsenal is perhaps the only team in the league whose playing style is very dependent on one player. Arsenal do not play thesame type of fluid, controlled possession football when Cesc is not in the team and that is a problem Arsene must address.

This is the reason Cesc played so many games last term and with the acquisition of Samir or another player with Cesc's qualities Arsene will rest Cesc in more games.

[odi]

Anybody who has analysed Eboue's game knows he is better going forward than he is defending, he is one of the very best dribblers in the EPL

Skyloco don come again o! Eboue is one of the VERY BEST DRIBBLERS IN THE EPL.

It used to be Diaby the most skillful midfielder in the EPL. And now this? Lawd!

[Waffiman]

I wonder how Nasri will fit with Gunners, I would prefered Hatem Ben Arfa, the bobo can play on the left of midfield.

I see Samir mainly as a backup for Cesc because he is a very good playmaker. Arsenal is perhaps the only team in the league whose playing style is very dependent on one player. Arsenal do not play thesame type of fluid, controlled possession football when Cesc is not in the team and that is a problem Arsene must address.

This is the reason Cesc played so many games last term and with the acquisition of Samir or another player with Cesc's qualities Arsene will rest Cesc in more games.

Nope! Nasri is no backup for Cesc, if he is going to be a backup for any player it will be RvP in the 4-4-1-1 system. Nasri will play wide left midfield just like Pires use to do.

I am so excited about this because we have on our hands a very special player and he can play wide right too. He is extremely two footed, (but his natural foot is his right) and has very quick. Nasri is a player born to play in Wenger's system.

Aulas confirmed yesterday that Arsenal have made enquiries about Ben Arfa but he prefers him to go to a French team instead of a foreign one. He is waiting for the big bucks for Chelski, but like Nasri who refused to listen all suitors who offered far more money than Arsenal, insisting he will only join Arsenal, Ben Arfa is not in the same position. Although, Ben Arfa preferenced is Arsenal, Ben Arfa has stated he is happy to stay at Lyon but has refused to sign a new contract, he has just over 18 months of his contract with Lyon. What everybody is watching is if Ben Arfa refuses to join any club who has offered far money than Arsenal to Lyon. I say the Ben Arfa saga is one to watch and Arsenal are not out of it yet.

Finally, Clement Chantome of PSG and Francis Coquelin, who just 17 years old, will be joining Arsenal along with Nasri. Clement Chantome is Flamini's replacement.

[Coach]

A couple seasons back, this guy was the most improved player in the premiership, and had right-back on lock. Defensively shakey at times, one cant disagree, but on a man-to-man shift, or offensively, Emmanuel was a class act. Now, im not saying Bakari be mooshooed into a new position, as he too, has shown that spot to be his niche, but rather am pointing fingers at our strategy and tactics. We didnt get enough from either flank last term, and so, galvanising our defensive edge, only served as a disservice to our intentions.

...Questions which one would like discussions to encroach upon are:
Team tactics - can we move away from our unorthodox 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1? would a 4-3-3 serve us better (not as a backup plan, but as the first-choice formation).

Rosicky in centre-midfield?

Can Van Persie be deployed in a wide role?

Your views would be much appreciated.

[Ziontrain]

A couple seasons back, this guy was the most improved player in the premiership, and had right-back on lock. Defensively shakey at times, one cant disagree, but on a man-to-man shift, or offensively, Emmanuel was a class act. Now, im not saying Bakari be mooshooed into a new position, as he too, has shown that spot to be his niche, but rather am pointing fingers at our strategy and tactics. We didnt get enough from either flank last term, and so, galvanising our defensive edge, only served as a disservice to our intentions. .

So you are saying that taking a guy who was better at offense than defense and moving him closer to the danger zone, while putting a proper defender behind him.......is bad tactics. No sorry, I dont think so.