What's Missing?

Fantastic win today, no doubt about it. If nothing else, the best bit was that we won three much-needed points, and rebounded a bit from the home loss to Bayern Munich midweek. Still though, despite the win, there's still something missing. Something fundamental. The tactical difference between this season and seasons past. What is it? It's something we've lost, something we we've long been renowned for.

It's our passing style of play,

Watching Arsenal play as of late, it's clear we've been very good the second half of games, when three points are on the line, when it's important. The second half of games we've been increasing the tempo, accuracy, and quality of our passing. Then we score a goal. Then confidence returns. We pass even faster, more accurately, with more flair. We score more goals.

Arsenal under Arsene Wenger are a passing side. We've been known as a club who play some of the most beautiful football in Europe. But when our passing fails, everything else follows suit.

Confidence is what enables the team to play at its best, and right now confidence is low. What effect has this lack of confidence had on the team? What has it done to our playing style to make it less effective?

The major difference is in our passing. Right now, our passing is frustratingly slow. I've noticed this more and more in the last few months, and it only seems to be getting worse. It's especially slow at the start of games: the reason we haven't been starting games well. The quality of our passing is low, passes aren't accurate, what passing happens ends up being sideways or backwards, and there's a lack of creativity.

Is the lack of creativity and speed of passing because of individual player skill? No. It's because of a lack of movement and understanding among players. Have you watched this Arsenal team at the start of matches. The stroll up and down the pitch, nobody moves, nobody seems to want to make a run into space to be open for a pass. They simply stand their waiting for the ball to come to them. Then when they get the ball and everyone else is doing the same thing, there are no passing options. This leads to errant passes as the players try speculative or unlikely passes, forced by the lack of movement.

When we're confident, the running off the ball is there, and the players are able to use their inherent creativity to find team-mates. Only a few seasons ago we did this very well. See this video below for an example. It's from a 2007 game against Tottenham. The passing isn't awe-inspiring or unordinary, and it doesn't lead to a goal. But it's fascinating to see the style and quality of our passing, especially compared to how we play now. Watch the movement off the ball, the quickness of the passing, and the confidence we exhibited.

Notice the difference between then and now? Look at the overlapping runs, the constant movement off the ball, and the accuracy of the passing. We're just not doing that anymore. We have the players to pull it off. Rosicky's still here, Santi Cazorla can do that, Diaby knows how, it'd be easy for Wilshere, and even Podolski, Giroud, and Walcott could pull it off. When we're confident, we can do it (look at the Cazorla goal against West Ham, which featured a wonderful passing buildup.) When we're not, we don't.

Confidence is key. Arsene Wenger knows it, and he's been trying to get it from the players. They're simply not responding as well as they could. What to do then? New players tend to help, winning important matches helps, but there's one way that we as supporters can contribute.

Support the players. Don't jeer or boo them off the pitch. Be vocal in our support, sing the players' names, be the twelfth man. Lift the side rather than bemoan the fact the players don't have that confidence already. We can do that, can't we?

I'm just as unhappy as the next supporter about our current run of form and the way the season has gone. And we have every right to be unhappy. But if we just throw our support behind the team, let them we know we have confidence in them, it just might make the difference.

Confidence will return. And results will follow.