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How to beat Arsenal
Norman Hubbard Tuesday, March 2, 2004
They can't go through the season unbeaten, can they?
After 27 Premiership games, Arsenal are showing no signs of relenting. They
have already been to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool and emerged
undefeated.
Away games at Tottenham and Newcastle and the visits of Liverpool and
Manchester United to Highbury look the main obstacles to a unique achievement.
So, how to stop them? That they have reached March without losing indicates
it is not easy, but here are a few suggestions. Although, as the other 19
Premiership teams will testify, there's no guarantee they will succeed.
1: Defend tight and narrow
The pace of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp's eye for the final pass make
pushing up a dangerous tactic.
The offside trap George Graham used so successfully with a previous Arsenal
team probably would not stop their successors. If the centre backs are nearer
their own penalty area than the halfway line, Henry has less room to accelerate
away from them.
As Arsenal's wide midfielders Robert Pires and Fredrik Ljungberg are hardly
orthodox wingers, defending the width of the penalty box should be the priority
for the full backs.
Arsenal often favour the left wing, but don't over-compensate and neglect the
right: Charlton's left back Hermann Hreidarsson was left isolated at times on
Saturday and Arsenal's first goal came from a right-wing cross.
2: Pick a quick right back
Or how to stop Thierry Henry, which is rather easier said than done. Henry is
rarely man-marked (who is quick enough?) but, given his tendency to drift out
to Arsenal's left wing, pace is as important for the right back as the central
defenders.
Against Southampton, Manchester City and Middlesbrough, Henry's surges down
the left wing have led to Arsenal goals. Even when they don't, if he outpaces
the right back, another defender is dragged out of position.
3: Play an anchor midfielder
Phil Neville: To beat the Gunners you need an enforcer like him. (RossKinnaird/
GettyImages)
Besides the left wing, Arsenal's chances often come from the no man's land
between the opposition's defence and midfield. Bergkamp, dropping deep into
this position, provided the passes for Patrick Vieira and Jose Antonio Reyes
to score against Chelsea.
Centre-backs are understandably reluctant to follow him, especially as Pires
and Ljungberg tend to break from this area into the penalty box. A deep-lying
midfielder should at least mark the midfield runners or track Bergkamp.
Crowding the area around the edge of the penalty box should restrict long-range
shots, too, though Reyes' first goal against a Chelsea team with a defensive
midfielder (Claude Makelele) came from 25 yards.
4: Get your tactics right
Conventional wisdom is that matching your opponents' tactics is an effective
way of stopping them. Not for Arsenal, however; most other Premiership teams
play 4-4-2 and have failed to beat them. Whatever their starting positions,
Arsenal usually have a third player - whether, Pires, Ljungberg or Bergkamp
- in the centre of midfield.
And unless the anchor midfielder is supported by two team-mates, Vieira is
more likely to dominate the game.
So 4-5-1 it is, the system used by Bolton and Fulham, who have drawn with
Arsenal this season.
One alternative, though rarely used in the Premiership, is to play with three
centre backs to help deal with the threat of Pires and Ljungberg joining the
strikers.
5: Start well
No other team has the ability to kill a game off in the first 20 minutes. Even
though Charlton almost got a point on Saturday, Arsenal had effectively won at
five past three.
Manchester City and Middlesbrough seem particularly prone to terrible starts
against Arsenal. Defence should be the only objective from the first whistle.
Get into the game and then opponents can think about scoring.
6: Frustrate Arsenal
Not, as has been the interpretation at Old Trafford, rattle Arsenal. In their
last four games away to Manchester United, Arsene Wenger's team have won twice
and drawn once. On each occasion, they were subjected to some overzealous
tackles.
But Manchester United's one win in that time, in December 2002, owed much to
the harrying of Phil Neville. Given Arsenal's experience and expertise in
playing with 10 men, getting their players sent off frequently serves little
purpose anyway. Instead, close them down in midfield as much as possible.
7: Set-piece expertise
Arsenal are one of the taller teams in the Premiership but, Vieira and Sol
Campbell excepted, that isn't reflected in their aerial ability. Though
Kolo Toure competes, Henry, Bergkamp, Pires and Kanu, all over six foot tall,
don't win as many defensive headers as they should.
Celta Vigo scored twice from set-pieces last week and the aerial threat of
James Scowcroft created Leicester an equaliser in a game when Wenger admitted
corner and free kicks troubled his side.
His decision to bring on Pascal Cygan in Arsenal's last two games indicated a
weakness against crosses. Set pieces should offer the best opportunity to
exploit that - especially if their target is not being marked by Vieira or
Campbell.
8: Get behind the full backs
Much of Arsenal's width comes from their attack-minded full backs Lauren and
Ashley Cole. But, though the centre backs are invariably well shielded by two
defensive midfielders, quick counter attacks can catch Lauren and Cole upfield.
Chelsea scored in their last league meeting when Geremi exploited Lauren's
absence and a poor piece of control from Vieira to set up Eidur Gudjohnsen.
And, for all they offer going forward, Pires and Ljungberg do not always cover
(though, when they play wide, Edu and Ray Parlour will more often). Even when
they have time to get back the Arsenal full backs can be left with two opponents
to deal with.
9: Hope Edu isn't playing
As they often prove in the FA Cup, Arsenal can win without Thierry Henry. They
won 5-1 away against Inter Milan when Patrick Vieira was injured. Sol Campbell
is perhaps hardest to replace, but Edu's presence seems to coincide with
Arsenal wins.
Quite apart from his increasingly strong challenge to replace Gilberto Silva
as first choice alongside Vieira, the less heralded Brazilian has a habit of
scoring important goals.
Of his seven this season, five have come against Chelsea, Celta Vigo or Inter
Milan. He also scored last year against Manchester United and has only figured
in one of their last three Champions League defeats.
10: Be lucky
Arguably the most important of all, given the quality of Arsenal's players and
their consistency this season.
Their last Premiership defeat - against Leeds last season - came courtesy of a
Mark Viduka goal which looked suspiciously offside. Two of their losses this
year have involved costly individual errors (Jens Lehmann against Dynamo Kiev
and Martin Keown away at Middlesbrough).
Mistakes were more prevalent in the collapse of their title challenge last year
, especially Toure's own goal at Aston Villa. There have been far fewer this
year, but one could cost them their unbeaten record.
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我們比其他隊伍更需要研讀.演練
復仇之戰就在歐洲冠軍杯
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