Ex-Gunner Ray Parlour has pointed the finger of blame solely on Arsenal’s defence for their bad form and start this season:
Parlour told talkSPORT:
‘I’m the first one to praise Arsenal but it’s been a tough start for Arsene Wenger and his players, They’ve got to defend as a team a lot better.’
In my view, Parlour has hit the nail on the head. As a team we need to defend and attack, not just push forward and leave our back-line exposed. Some players are needlessly giving the ball away, which puts the team under a lot of undue pressure. The Blackburn game was a prime example of what I’m talking about. Players need to realise that it’s not just about them as an individual, but a part of a team. Gervinho needs to realise that no matter how big a goal bonus he maybe on, that a pass in order to benefit the team is always better.
Our defence consists of two new players, so you could argue that they need time to gel. However, you then question why these players weren’t brought in earlier to give them time to adapt. So far, this season has been a complete mess, the only shining spots have been our win against Udinese and the 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund last week.
I have seen many Arsenal fans commenting about the Carling Cup squad that should face Shrewsbury tomorrow and, to be honest, I think we should put out our first-team, purely because they need time to gel as a team.
Parlour also commented about Arsenal’s attack:
‘They looked great going forward and attacking, but it is when you lose the ball or you don’t get that chance and it breaks down.
How do you respond to that? [The Arsenal players] need to get back into their positions as soon as they can. Too many players walk back or don’t get into a position where they can defend it.’
In closing, I agree with Ray Parlour on his views.
Our defence is our Achilles heel at the moment and there are certain individuals that make mistakes week after week that are causing us so many problems – just take a look at who has been responsible for our errors that have lead to goals conceded. I think we all know who the problem is.
Article courtesy of the excellent Gunnersphere.com
