Arsenal v Reading

This what we'd like to see more of by ox, the player he needs to develop into consistently.

Michael Foster wrote:bam!!!!....4!!!.....we want more!!!

7 would be nice, would make 7 in all our games against Reading this season.

Jason Morrison wrote:This what we'd like to see more of by ox, the player he needs to develop into consistently.

indeed...just needs a run of games..bit part player so far...

Need a huge favour from Swansea right about now!

Fucking hell that would have been such a rucking awesome goal had Rosicky volleyed that in!

o man rosicky!

Meshaal wrote:Need a huge favour from Swansea right about now!

they are working on it.....lol

Michael Foster wrote:

Meshaal wrote:Need a huge favour from Swansea right about now!

they are working on it.....lol

Southampton too

swansea almost got a goal...

4-1 FT great win......

5 mins for swansea to net....

Great win, chelsea about to lose/draw so we've made up some ground this weekend, we really should'nt lwt our game in hand over spuds go to waste, must push on, 3rd place is within our reach once more!

FT in the other games spurs win chelsea lose

Not a fan of managers getting the sack but Southampton seemed to have made the right move with Pochettino's appointment.

Meshaal wrote:Not a fan of managers getting the sack but Southampton seemed to have made the right move with Pochettino's appointment.

12 points from 9 games (not too special) but wins against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea at home.

Meshaal wrote:

Meshaal wrote:Not a fan of managers getting the sack but Southampton seemed to have made the right move with Pochettino's appointment.

12 points from 9 games (not too special) but wins against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea at home.

Wrong forum - but a few decent managers in the EPL (other than the usual suspects) : Andre Villas-Boas, Michael Laudrup, Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and adding Mauricio Pochettino to the list as well.

Arsenal hit four past Reading this weekend, and though the other goals were all special for their own reasons (Cazorla’s curler, wow!), I quite enjoyed our third goal of the match. We turned defense into attack incredibly quickly and defined efficiency in the break. No team is safe at 2-0, and Giroud’s goal helped calm the nerves that much more as we closed out a match that ended relatively comfortable for us.

Scouts Eye KarbassiyoonMy analysis actually starts in our end of the pitch, and the first image helps show that no matter how brilliant some of the individual performances were throughout the match, winning is indeed a team effort. Nine Arsenal (field) players can be seen thirty yards and in as Reading prepare to put a ball into the box. Gervinho, out of the screen, provides an outlet in case of a turnover and gives Reading’s defense something to think about despite their possession.

Scouts Eye KarbassiyoonWhen Reading do get their cross into the box, it is blocked well by the Arsenal defense and then given away by Reading. Keep in mind here that Olivier Giroud is the goalscorer in this sequence. He is actually in line if not slightly behind Sagna when Arsenal win possession.

Scouts Eye KarbassiyoonAs soon as it’s obvious that Reading have turned the ball over, Gervinho takes off into space. Sagna’s first touch is a pass that sends the speedy winger into space to kick-start the attack. The Frenchman’s decision making here is excellent because he immediately cuts out the three players around him – the three players that had a chance of winning the ball back straight away for Reading. His pas is through the line, which eliminates the pressure in front of him. Some players in this situation would pass side to side and give the opposition a chance to recover the ball and continue their attack.

Gervinho is then off to the races with two defenders to deal with. A third defender trails but must keep tabs on Giroud who has started his 90 yard sprint up the pitch. Accepting the fact that getting past two defenders from a wide position won’t be the easiest task in the world, Gervinho slows the play down and waits for Giroud to join him.

Karbassiyoon Scouts EyeThere is a moment in the sequence where I thought perhaps the Ivorian had waited too long to get his pass off – a well timed and weighted pass through the makeshift Reading backline could have eliminated pressure and put Giroud clear in. Instead, Gervinho waits, waits, waits then cuts inside perfectly to eliminate pressure on the dribble rather than a pass.

Giroud would’ve been disappointed not to receive the first ball into space when the opportunity was on – as any striker would – but he stays concentrated and keeps himself in the play, something that has made watching the Frenchman incredibly entertaining this year. His work rate and desire to score are clearly apparent here, and by sticking with the play, he finds himself in another great scoring position.

Karbassiyoon Scouts EyeBoth Reading defenders marking Gervinho attempt to show him outside, but when he cuts back in, their body position makes it too difficult to recover. Gervinho plays a well-weighted and angled ball across the box to Giroud who has stayed wide enough to make things tricky for his defender. Giroud isn’t closed down quick enough because of his positioning on the pitch and is able to create a great shooting angle for himself by letting the ball run across his body to his gifted and favored left foot.

Karbassiyoon Scouts EyeAs a former left-footed striker (turned midfielder, turned left back – last stop was goalkeeper I think, but injury prevented that!), I have massive appreciation towards Giroud’s strike. The timing, technique, power, and placement all combine to devastating effect for Stuart Taylor and Reading. There have been certain instances throughout this season where our lovable French striker has made excellent contact with the ball only to see it sail just inches wide of the post. He’s scored a host of goals in the meantime, but I was personally happy to see him score a goal the way he did on Saturday, especially after running the length of the pitch. A strike like that will only help build a striker’s confidence, and I’m not sure there could be a better time for our strikers to be filled with confidence than now.
Coaching Points

So as a coach, what can you do with your teams and players to help improve efficiency and speed of play when breaking? It is important to note that every player must be on the same page and aware of the opportunity when defense turns into attack. Gervinho’s run dictates Sagna’s pass. Sagna was aware of the fact that his pass could completely cut out 90% of Reading’s team and start a counter.

By playing through the defense instead of side to side, he was able to achieve this. As a coach you should always encourage your players to look past that first line of defense and into the space behind them. Players without the ball should be looking to position themselves in those areas. Dennis Bergkamp was excellent at floating in those little areas and gave defenders nightmares by constantly working in the space behind the midfield and in front of the back four.

The quality of the pass must be stressed when breaking as well. Sagna puts Gervinho in who in turn puts Giroud in. Two passes from one end to the other took no more than 15 seconds from possession changing hands to Reading digging the ball out of the net.

Finally, you just have to take note of the finish. Giroud’s technique here isn’t an easy one at all. Letting the ball run across your body requires great timing and coordination and Giroud makes it look far too easy. Next time you work on shooting with your team, work on having the ball roll across their bodies instead of shooting straight on. Giving a player the confidence to shoot without taking a touch in a situation like this will only make him more dynamic and difficult to deal with in front of goal.

http://soccerwithoutlimits.com/arsenal-karbassiyoon-giroud-goal/22696/

Analysis of Giroud's goal by former player Danny Karbassiyoon. Images on the link.