Arsene Wenger knows that Stoke will be a tough test for his Arsenal side. Traditionally we have found their tactic of lumping the ball under the crossbar, via free kick, long ball or long throw, combined with a physicality that few other teams possess, difficult to deal with.
However, with third place in Arsenal’s hands the manager knows that coping with Stoke’s industrial, but effective, method of playing is necessary in the race for Champions League football next season.
Speaking at his pre-game press conference, the boss said, “From our side we are in a position where we want to win our remaining games. That is the only chance to master our future. We have our future in our own hands but only if we win the three games.
“That starts with Stoke so we are completely focused on cancelling their strong points but as well we want to score goals because that is what you need to win the games.”
In Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny Arsenal have two centre-halves who, despite not being the tallest in the world, are especially combative and effective in the air, while behind them Wojciech Sczcesny exudes a confidence not present in any of his recent predecessors.
The big Pole has dealt with an astonishing 98.5% of all crosses he’s come for this season and Arsene Wenger is hoping this will provide part of the resistance to Stoke’s inevitable bombardment tomorrow.
“We encourage him to do that and that means he can come out for even more balls,” he said. “Because he is successful you want him to be audacious on that side of his game because he can be really good.
“The timing of his crosses is good and we will encourage him to do it. That will be needed at Stoke.”
Szcz would have to be at his best to be at his best to deal with Crouch who is really good in the air but he has dealt with 98.5% of crosses into his box this season so am confident he will do a good job
or to rephrase: Crouch who is really tall…
Just to note – that 98.5% is only out of the crosses Szcz moved off his line for. That’s pretty good given the way certain other Arsenal keepers tend to just flap aimlessly when coming out, but ideally that stat should be 100% – you don’t want your keeper coming off the line if he isn’t guaranteed to get his hands on the ball. So it’s really more important that Szcz makes good decisions about when to step out for the ball or not.
Well ideally I’d want every stat of every player to be 100%. To be at that level and still throw in a backhanded compliment says more about you than Szcz
I understand that it’s a great statistic, and Szczesny is already one of the best goalkeepers I’ve seen wear an Arsenal shirt – or any shirt for that matter. But I don’t think it’s too much to ask of a Premier League goalkeeper that he clear every cross he comes off the line for.
And, in this case, 98.5% _is_ essentially all of them. I’m not going to fault Szcz for missing one or two weird balls that took a deflection – that sort of stuff always happens. I’m just saying that it doesn’t make him god-like to be performing as reasonably expected in that department. I’d much rather talk about his save percentage in one-on-one situations, in which I’m sure he’s definitely one of the best in the Prem.
As a goalkeeper I can tell you, dealing with that high a percentage of crosses is amazing. Usually you are being challenged by at least one striker, and often have to wade your way through a crowded box. So please don’t talk about something you don’t know how to do
Are you mad?! Think of the number of times a ‘keeper comes off his line to claim a ball – be it through a swarm of players from a free-kick or corner to standard claiming of a floated ball. That stat there says that he basically gets every single one of them (more or less), irrespective of the difficulty. A ‘keeper than commands his area is worth his weight in gold. I’d go so far as to say that it is _the_ key attribute. Think of Almunia: a good shot-stopper/penalty-saver, but he couldn’t command his area to save his life.… Read more »
I’m on board with all of that – I’ve played in goal too; not regularly, but when my team needed me. It’s not easy, but at that level it’s what you should want. I think as Arsenal fans we’ve had our expectations lowered over the past few years. Again, I love Szczesny. I think he’s one in a million. Hell, I have a Szczesny jersey. Yes, a goalkeeper jersey.
I’m just saying not to get your panties up in a wad over one stat that isn’t actually beyond-the-pale amazing. That’s all.
wenger’s plan B-make our BFG stand behind the goal near SZCZ and ask him to constantly eyeball that cunt crouch.
on a side not i hope song handles that cunt palacios.he’s one fuckin wild bastard.hoping we’ll come out stronger and injury free.oops i jinxed.now someone reverse jinx me.
98.5 fucking percent?!
The guy is an animal. That surely has to be the best in the league, or even the world..
If you ever needed a confidence boost going into a game vs Stoke, well there you have it.
From the link in the article:
“Wojciech Szczesny has dealt with 98.5 per cent of crosses he has come for this season according to Opta, a better rate than any other goalkeeper, and Wenger admits the Pole will have to be at his best on Saturday.”
Yeah, so our Shezza is best in this department 😀
Goonarmy we are all animals Szcz is a Beast!!!!
screw krul and joe hart. Sczzesny is the man to have between the sticks!
we’re going to need the Sczcesny who put in a shift at anfield tomorrow, i think
looking forward to another away day, the stoke fans are really friendly, almost as friendly as our lillywhite chums from shite hart lane…
Woj to polaxe all munsters who dare to challenge him.
This guy will reach heights no one could ever have imagined. He has team spirit, confidence ( the Manuel neuer type) and ability to organise his defense ( shouting at verminator and koss takes guts you know) , something almost every young custodian is normally afraid of. All in all, a top lad.
The very thought of shouting at The Verminator and/or Bosscielny makes my knees go weak – but this guy pulls it off effortlessly. Perhaps the definition of mental strength?
Agreed.
Well it’ll just have to be plan B for Stoke then which is…erm…drawing a blank. Funny how all those pundits who harp on about us and Barcelona not having a plan B never mention that Stoke don’t have one either.
Hopes SZCZ lunges into Shawcross with two feet breaking his entire body. The ref then claiming he saw it during the match so therefore requires no action to be taken against the pole. Then…..only then my friends will my day be made 🙂
essentially making us just like those stoke cunts?
i’d rather we fuck their happiness with an 0-7 win and our away fans shouting in unison that we just broke their entire team into two.
much more classy that way non?
Ryan Shawcross deserves no class at all, i wouldnt piss on his grave if it was on fire. But then thats just me a 7 niller would do fine also! COYG
This is a position which will stay stable for another 10 years atleast. Talk about sorted! Best GK since David Seaman. Lehmann was good but he didnt have world star quality in my eyes like Woj. Expecting a tight 1-0 to the arsenal COYG
Sure would be great to have a BFG to handle the cunts of Stoke
Yeah, it would be nice, but Kos & Verm are more than capable of dealing with the meatheads up north & their long ball playing style.
SZCZ has the potential to be Arsenal’s no.1 keeper for the next 15 years. Lets hope he continues to grow into one of the best keepers in the world! I love the way he’s an Arsenal fan and actually wants the club to do well, rather than that stone head looking Almunia who I would loved to have punched on quite a few occasions.
PS. All Stoke fans are inbred cunts
[…] 来源：[Arseblog News] BY ARSEBLOG […]
I don’t know why no teams have done this against Stoke, but i wish we would tomorrow…get ourselves 1-0 up, half hour to go and then take our time and ask for a towel to wipe the ball every time we get a throw in, even if by our corner flag. I bet Sagna & Santos would be up for that. Watching Pubis go mental at officials would be priceless…
Yeah Szczesny is the man, top lad, greatest keeper in the league and if you don’t agree with, go jump into some molten magma.
And I hope he knee some of pubic or pulis (or whatever his name is) tall cunts, in their jaw and remove all the front teeth. And voted MOTM!
For me, everytime SZCZ is beaten I catch myself being surprised. Everytime Flappy or Faulty made a save I had the same feeling… It sums it up really – the man instills confidence and I love him innapropriately.
This is one match where we could do with the BFG or for the people that say we dont need him – Vertonghen. i just think that for this match because of the way its played 2 tall centre backs and preferably tall full bacls are required. unless of course u had tall DM’s. i dont think any other team in the country play like stoke at home. i am not saying they are great just difficult to play against especially for a team like us. for me the best formation to play against them is the xmas tree and… Read more »
The BFG is actually pretty poor in the air. And why are you even considering putting Rosicky on the left flank?
[…] a great stat: Szczesny has dealt with 98.5% of all the crosses he’s come for this season and, ahead of today’s impending aerial bombardment, Arsene says this is something […]