After watching us crumble at St. James's Park against Newcastle having taken a 4-0 lead at half time, YES A 4 NIL LEAD, you've got to wonder what the hell happened in the second half. Having silenced the home fans by utterly humiliating the opposition, we suffered a nightmare second half to eventually draw the game 4-4. Embarrassing, truly embarrassing.
Yes, there were other factors that contributed to the second half chaos: THAT DUMB ASS REFEREE, Diaby's red card, playacting and thugging Joey Barton, Djourou's substitution and real lack of defensive awareness(or a bit of negativity in our play). But that is a topic I will discuss in detail sometime in the future. I might even write a separate piece on the refereeing standards(or double standards) that have threatened and changed the course and outcome of our games very recently. Boy, this match surely has opened a can of worms!
But no matter what, you don't just blow a 4-0 lead away. A big part of the blame goes to the manager and the players for total lack of composure and calmness in the second half. And this could have been avoided had the half time team talk had been right. So, how does this half time talk influence the players?
I've listed a few possible scenarios below and the appropriate words to be spoken at the half time break:
Scenario 1: Arsenal 0, Opponents 1 or more(we have created very few chances)
What to say: We've got to be sharper. Players need to make more forward runs and diagonal runs(from the wingers). If the situation doesn't improve till say, the 70-75th minute, bring on a target man and try to mix up things by getting crosses in the box. Tell substitutes to warm up.
In case we have created many chances in the first half, tell the players to have a bit more composure when they are taking the shot. Urge them to keep up their level of play. Tell substitutes to warm up.
In both cases, players should be told not to lose the ball cheaply and not to go attacking overboard lest we concede on the counter attack. We should throw the kitchen sink only in the final 10 minutes.
Scenario2: Arsenal 1, Opponents 1(we have created lots of chances)
What to say: Be more clinical, don't rush into shots. But keep up the pressure and make more wise decisions in the final third.
In case we have created very less chances, tell the players to pass the ball better and improve their level of play. Tell substitutes to warm up.
Scenario 3: Arsenal lead the Opponents by 1 goal(we have totally dominated the first half)
What to say: Tell the players we need to keep up the focus and be alert. Keep plugging and don't lose possession cheaply. We should not overreact if we concede an early equalizer.
In case we have taken a lead by a scrappy goal, or our performance hasn't been good, tell the players to raise the game. Tell substitutes to warm up.
In both cases, tell the players to expect more tackles and challenges from the opposition. Don't give away silly free kicks.
Scenario 4: Arsenal lead the Opponents by 2 or more goals
What to say: Keep the ball. Play simple passes and don't give away cheap free kicks. Expect tackles and challenges from the opposition. Don't become complacent. Control the tempo of the game, in other words, slow down the game if the opponents try to catch up with our score.
Scenario 5: Arsenal 0, Opponents 0
What to say: If we have created good chances, see Scenario 1. In case we haven't see Scenario 2.
In addition to this, the players need to be told to hold the game tight when defending a lead. Look at World Champions Spain. They gave so few opportunities to the opponents once they took the lead. Our players are similarly technically proficient and a little bit of tiki-taka when we are leading will go a long way if we want to win trophies. Yesterday, I was a bit disappointed we didn't keep control of the ball better in the second half.
For example, as pointed out to me by a friend of mine, when Sagna got the ball, often he just tried to maraud up the right side without much support and all on his own, taking on two Newcastle defenders. This resulted in our team losing possession and enabling Newcastle to launch their attacks. But the problem does not lie solely on Sagna(he's a fantastic defender by the way and I rate him very highly in my book). It is rather a collective problem and we should really sort it out because we may face similar situations in the big games to come.
Similarly, the goalkeeper can also be instructed to slow the game down, not by time wasting(though this can be applied if we are desperate), but by giving simple passes to the defenders instead of launching the ball up field everytime. For example, in yesterday's match, Wojciech kicked out the ball straightaway whenever we got a goal kick in the second half. Since we: (i) were reduced in numbers, (ii) didn't have any tall players(Diaby and Djourou off, Bendtner on the bench) and thereby we couldn't hold up the ball, this resulted in the ball coming back time and again and the defence was really stretched. Maybe it was the inexperience from Szczesny, but he will do well to learn from this match.
Well, that's it for this time. Hope we pick ourselves up and get going again.
One rant over, more to come in the near future!
COME ON ARSENAL!
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