Read Zola’s comments after that shameful performance against Liverpool:
"I don't think it was our best performance. I think we started well and were comfortable on the pitch but the first goal changed things completely. I think we felt we couldn't come back from it. We are all disappointed but it is not a moment to think too much about that. We made mistakes today. They were very costly and we didn't play very well. But we need to react straight away because on Saturday we have a very important game."
This is what he should have said:
“That performance was a disgrace and I apologise to the wonderful fans who showed more passion over that 90 minutes than my players have managed to muster over the whole season. We were embarrassing today, that is the only word for it. We made Liverpool look like Barcelona and I could not see any urgency or fight in my team. I apologise.”
Zola says we need to react straight away ahead of “a very important game”. I have a suggestion, send the team on holiday for 3 days! It worked last time! Probably because minimising Zola’s involvement with the team is crucial for us to get a result!
no player cares! If we go down which is looking the case the players will go and find a fat contract else where. Zola couldn't fight his way out of a cardboard box.
ReplyDeleteReading through this morning's threads and indeed the performance was absolutely dire. Totally inept in all areas, I recognise that the defence was woeful but up front we had nothing. Carlton Cole is like the Kings New Clothes. Everybody says how good he is but I've always considere him a useless big lump. World Cup place you're 'aving a laugh.
ReplyDeleteSaw the first half via live streaming on my pc, but like the West Ham performance it went all gooey half way through. So switched to Radio 5 Live and got the commentry from that scottish p*ick and the nonentity that is Mark Lawrenson, who called us 'championship'. One thing shone through was the performance of those Hammers fans who made the long trip up north. They out sang the famous kop and were singing 'Bubbles' even at 0-3. even heard them sing 'we're gonna win 4-3' ...brilliant support. If some of overpaid prima donnas in the team put in half that kind of effort then we wouldn't be in mire we're in now.
If I was Zola I would make the team watch the Wigan Arsenal Game for24 hours none stop, and say 'now learn how to fight your way out of relagation'
ReplyDeleteYou are being unfair again HF.
ReplyDeleteKovac played one completed forward pass in 90 minutes?... the ball was returned to him and he promptly lost it and Liverpool went on the attack. Zola’s fault
Did any of Stanislas, Noble, Kovac or Behrami once get into the Liverpool box? Zola’s fault
Can you remember one occasion when a midfield player broke beyond Cole? Zola’s fault
Can you remember Ilan getting into the box even? Zola’s fault
Can you remember one cross into the box that wasn't a pass to Reina? How many attempted crosses were simply thudded into a Liverpool defender standing five yards away? Zola’s fault
Did you see that Stanislas corner?(Our only corner?). Not only didn't it clear the first defender, it barely reached him! Zola’s fault
Upson was at fault for all three Liverpool goals - he was truly dire! Zola’s fault
The reason I asked you to have a look at Wenger’s performance in the Wigan game the other day was because here is one of the best coaches in the world and his team lost a 2 goal lead within 10 minutes to a team who had never beaten them in a league game. Swap Wenger for Zola and you would have heaped all the blame on Zola. But you wouldn’t do this to Wenger because he is a distinguished coach, but he stood there helpless as Arsenal collapsed. My point was that a manager can only do so much, after which the players must take responsibility. In your constant criticism of Zola, you have neglected in recognising this fact.
Why do you insist on heaping blame on the manager for responsibilities the players should be showing? You said that our better players would “walk in to” most of the teams in the bottom half of the table. Still think Stanislas is a right winger? Still think Green, Upson, Parker, Cole, Behrami, Ilunga and Diamanti would walk into the Birmingham, Wolves, Sunderland, Stoke or Blackburn teams?
Yesterday would have shown you that you are wrong mate. So you can criticise Zola more than he deserves, but welcome to the realisation of what he has to work with.
OK Stani, great read mate but let me counter.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I do blame Wenger for what happened at Wigan and said as much in my post on the game. I don't blame Wenger for Fabianski's mistake, but I do blame Wenger for leaving himself with the option of Almunia and Fabianski. I don't blame Wenger for Campbell and Silvestre being knackered and well past their prime. But I do blame Wenger for leaving himself with the option of two knackered carthorses for the centre back berths. I don't blame Wenger for the failure to track a midfield runner into the box for the equaliser, but I do blame Wenger for not buying a midfield enforcer to protect his back four.
You are right, Wenger is a great coach who brings the best out of players but he is obstinate and has, what I term in the post, blind spots. I said this was Arsenal's big opportunity to win the Prem and said Wenger had blown it because he failed to heed criticism and bolster the team in areas identified as weak. We could add the failure to sign another forward but I'm not sure that is fair. I think that Bendtner is better than many realise and that Eduardo and Vela, along with Arseshavings and Walcott, should be good enough to cover for Van Persie. I also said his decision to risk Fabregas against Barcelona was foolish, in exactly the same way I criticised Zola for risking Parker at Spurs. You don't ask a player if he is ok to play when he is carrying an injury, you tell him he only plays if fit. God knows what damage we are doing to Cole at the moment because he is NOT fit!
So, I am consistent actually.
Now to Zola. Yes, all those things you cite ARE Zola's fault - or his and Clarke's fault. Why? Because they picked the shape and composition of the team and inside 10 minutes it was patently obvious that Liverpool were over running us in midfield - without even breaking into a sweat! I am not a great fan of 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 as you know, but if any game cried out for 4-5-1, this was it. We had to be compact, we had to get bodies between Liverpool and our goal, we had to have some creative spark and the ability to spring into attack when we won possession in the middle third of the pitch. But Zola picked Stanislas despite an abysmal showing against Sunderland and, otherwise, had a midfield who were there ONLY to protect each other and the back four. With Stanislas patently out of his depth and Ilan too lightweight to act as a link between midfield and Cole, we were reduced to thumping long balls up to Cole.
Why was our delivery so rank? Because we could only attack down one flank, the right. Behrami offers nothing going forward anyway, and cannot cross off his left foot, and nor can Spector. Same old problem of two right players on the wrong flank - Zola has just replaced Stanislas with Behrami to protect Spector! So, Liverpool knew where the ball would be played - long to Cole or out to the right flank. As soon as it went left, Behrami was funneled inside, as soon as it went right, Stanislas and Faubert were closed by three Liverpool players. With the extra man in midfield, this was so easy for them. Dear God, we saw how Wolves took us apart and nullified us on the same basis!
Where is Diamanti? Why has he persisted with Spector? I still haven't seen Daprela have a bad game! The tactics were wrong and the personnel were wrong too and, when it was obvious we couldn't get the ball in midfield, Zola compounded the problem by taking off Stanislas and sending on Franco, moving Ilan wide again! Absurd!
Did that team look motivated to you? No. Should Zola have allowed a situation where he has to play Spector at left back? No. Should we have parted with Collins? No. Have we got any creative flair in the side if Diamanti isn't included? No. I could go on.
ReplyDeleteZola clearly cannot organise or motivate this team to perform to the best of their abilities. Yes I do believe Green, Upson, Parker, Cole, Behrami, Diamanti and Ilunga would walk into most teams in the bottom half of the table. West Ham's team performances are less than the sum of the parts. That is down to poor management.
Stani you are right the players mentioned would get into other premiership teams, but the managers of those teams whould motivate them as others have with ex West Ham players. If the players we have got aren't trying its down the manager and coaching staff to motivate them. Yeah Arsenal did slip up and the players did look a bit lethargic but Wenger makes sure it doesn't happen match after match
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