What is the difference between Arsenal and Liverpool? « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. 800,000 visits last month
By Tony Attwood
The difference between the two clubs that strikes me this morning is that in Liverpool Fenway Sports Group decide who to buy and how much. They agreed to the manager”s wish to take Dempsey, but would not go beyond the £4m. I think Fulham wanted £5m. So no deal, and following other arrangements, no Carroll.
Perhaps Rodgers, the Liverpool manager in title, but perhaps not in fact, is regretting that he made it plain earlier that he didn’t rate Carroll. But he said he was confident a replacement would be found. None came at a price the owners would pay.
Compare and contrast with Arsenal where Mr Wenger decides who to buy and if he wants to, and a deal is set on the price, and the club buys on his say-so. Many AAA fans are critical of this, saying that the owner should attend more matches and put more money in. But this is what you can get with a hands-on owner. Some penny pinching.
I’ll wait for Walter’s ref report of course, but I thought for once at Liverpool the ref gave us the run of the green. Maybe the owners at Liverpool have not paid their subs to the Ref Slush Fund this year, maybe Webb is one of the refs who is not for turning, maybe (and I hope not) Arsenal are buying into the ref system we have so clearly highlighted on Untold.
To be fair, Fenway have spent £100m clearing up the mess of the last American owners who adopted a very hands on approach. But then that is another thing you can get if you are not careful who your owners are.
This is the first time we have started a campaign without letting in a goal in 3 games since… blimey, even I don’t know and I’m chair of the Arsenal History Society. I do hope the answer is not 1925, because that would be a very bad omen. That season we started 2-0, 1-0, 2-0 and drew the fourth game. We only won 11 more all season, got involved in a drugs scandal and finally the manager was sacked. We then brought in some new guy: Herbert Chapman. That season also included six straight defeats through January and February in which we scored two and let in 14.
But back to today, and let us talk about Abou Diaby, Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla; suddenly a midfield to dominate. Of course it was a rather poor Liverpool team (in my opinion) but even so. And let us not forget that Liverpool had Nuri Sahin who for reasons that have something to do with being in the crowd when Liverpool won the Champs League on a penalty shoot out, went to Liverpool rather than us. Perhaps he looked at Diaby, Artete, Cazorla and then saw Wilshere at the training ground and gulped. On yesterday’s performance I am not sure what all the fuss was about.
But the most talk really should be about Abou Diaby. I mentioned him a few times pre-season and for my pains got mountains of abuse, mostly along the lines of “if you think Diaby will play more than 10 minutes you are… Well, no need to repeat the rest.
Diaby, who the French manager held his Euro squad selection back for, in the hope that he might be fit. Diaby who has been with us for six years. Diaby who played yesterday like Vieira in his early games. Diaby who won the ball, ran with it, and moved it on at speed. Diaby who looked like he had been playing alongside Arteta all his life. More of that I think, in games to come.
But if I talk about Diaby, I have to talk about Santi Cazorla; what a stunning buy, and a prime example of why one should be wary of overseas owners who take the club to unprecedented heights. If it were not to Malaga’s owner just getting a bit excited and then a bit bored with football, we wouldn’t have him. The Guardian called Cazorla a cross between Liam Brady and Cesc Fábregas, and since I was there for the rise and departure overseas of both, I feel able to pass a judgement, and say “oh yes”, I’ll have some of that.
Here’s another thought: when we lose possession we pull back, waiting for a sloppy pass or an interception. No rash tackles, no getting caught out up field. It is a different approach, a different style. We didn’t even bother to have most of the possession. It didn’t matter.
Anyway, this is the season when we will hit mid-table and be a nonentity. I know that because I read it in comments on Untold this summer. Oh, and the summer. And now I come to think of it, the summer before.
It is almost possible to think about who is out injured without worrying too much (at least for the moment.) Yes I would prefer Sagna at full back, and Jack in midfield, and Frimpong on the bench, Scz in goal, and maybe in the long term Koscielny back in defence, but yesterday these seemed like details.
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We have Cazorla, as I said, because of the insanity of Billionaire clubs. We lost Nasri because of the same insanity. Maybe things are starting to balance out a bit.
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