Manuel Almunia

[Tapapa]

I dag syns jeg han gjorde en god kamp. Virket tryggere og mer bestemt enn på lenge. En gang klarte han å skumpe bort i egen spiller når han skulle plukke ballen, og da gikk det dårlig. Mer enn godkjent fra Almunia i kveld.

 

Der ser du Kim, han får ros når han fortjener det

[Umlaut]

Det er klart det er galskap å slå lange baller opp mot Arshavin og Eduardo, men nå som vi får Bendtner på banen så blir det litt mer mening i å pole den frammover. Men når det gjelder utspill med luft som ikke er millimeterspresise, så er det midtbanen sin jobb å bevege seg etter ballen når den er i luften. Det blir bare idiotisk å mene at utspillene er for dårlige siden de ikke treffer spillerne hele tiden, for hvem av Fabregas, Nasri, Arshavin, Eduardo, Denilson osv skal vinne en hodeduell der de er stillestående?

 

Men ja, Almunia har mange meningsløse utspill, som kan forklares med spillertypene. Han kan heller ikke chippe ballen slik at Vermaelen, Song eller Gallas skal vinne hodeduellene.

[refser]

I dag syns jeg han gjorde en god kamp. Virket tryggere og mer bestemt enn på lenge. En gang klarte han å skumpe bort i egen spiller når han skulle plukke ballen, og da gikk det dårlig. Mer enn godkjent fra Almunia i kveld.

 

Der ser du Kim, han får ros når han fortjener det

 

la spesielt merke til en corner i 1. omg. almunia begynner å slite i denilson i det corneren skal slå. ikke rart han er utrygg i feltet, om han tror alle er mot han...

[Ben Elfen]

du er ein misforstått type BE, ikkje av meg, men diverre av majoriteten av forumet.

Eg er heller ikkje sikker på om Fabianski er svaret (akkurat nå, men kanskje om nokre år 3-4 år kanskje) men din kritikk til Almunia er heilt på sin plass, og det samme er din beskrivelse av ein keepertype vi treng i laget.

 

Takk, til deg og Refser for litt skryt. Det varmer det i en tid jeg stort sett bare blir kalt patetisk :-)

 

Ang. Almunia. Jeg så kun 2. omgang og høydepunktene fra første.

Redningen i 1. omgang var bra, utover det så så så jeg ikke mye som imponerte meg. Han er fortsatt en katastrofe i feltet, og i 2. omgang så så jeg to tilfeller av kommunikasjonssvikt mellom Almunia og forsvaret. Ved ett tilfelle ville Gallas skjerme ballen inn til Almunia men almunia ville ikke ut, og det samme skjedde med Clichy.

Uansett, hyggelig at vi holdt nullen.

 

BE

[ArsGun]

Bare så det er sagt BE; jeg kaller ikke deg patetisk. Det er behandlingen du gjør av Almunia jeg kaller patetisk. Vi er enige begge to i at Almunia ikke holder det nivået som kreves av en Arsenal keeper.

 

Det jeg ikke er enig i er at Fabianski er et bedre valg pr dags dato, og jeg er heller ikke enig i den ensidige fokuseringen på offensive tankegang på en keeper. Videre syntes jeg heller ikke noe om "heksejakt" på spillere. Det er greit å være negativ til spillere, men når man ikke evner å se når de presterer bra bare fordi man ikke liker spilleren, da blir det feil.

 

Akkurat det siste føler jeg du har gjort over lang tid mot Almunia, og noen ganger har det vært helt korrekt, mens andre ganger nesten totalt skivebom. Og når så din "yndling" gjør seg totalt bort, så blir det unnskyldt med bortforklaringer som "han prøvde ihvertfall".

 

Det er viktig at vi har "Arsenal" brillene på når vi ser på vårt lag, og ikke "'Spiller-briller" som enkelte har innimellom.

[svein.wilberg@gmail.com]

Vet ikke helt hva jeg skal si om Almunia i dag men noen matchvinner var han ikke. Nå er vi kun ett tap mot Chelsea unna å være ute av gullkampen, så da kan det kanskje være lov å håpe på Fabianski/Mannone?

[Rosicky07]

Er så utrolig glad for at vi har en så god sisteskanse som Almunia er Alle poengene han har reddet for oss denne sesonge vitner om ekstreme ferdigheter., Men synes likevell Wenger kun hentet inn en solid backup for denne fantastike keeperen! Kansje Neuer, Lloris, Adler...

Men Skjønner jo at Wenger ikke forsterker i et ledd vi er så sterke i

Å til alle dere som kritiserer han , no må dere gi dere Han gjør jo så godt han kan ...

[Tusmo]

Verdens beste keeper!

[Ben Elfen]

Verdens beste keeper!

Ben Elfen liker dette

[hermz]

Er så utrolig glad for at vi har en så god sisteskanse som Almunia er Alle poengene han har reddet for oss denne sesonge vitner om ekstreme ferdigheter., Men synes likevell Wenger kun hentet inn en solid backup for denne fantastike keeperen! Kansje Neuer, Lloris, Adler...

Men Skjønner jo at Wenger ikke forsterker i et ledd vi er så sterke i

Å til alle dere som kritiserer han , no må dere gi dere Han gjør jo så godt han kan ...

Morsomt.

[Tapapa]

Morsomt.

 

Nei, dette er ikke morsomt i det hele tatt, at vi har Almunia som førstekeeper

[Sir John]

Han må da ha hoppet minst 5 cm i dag?

[Ben Elfen]

Han må da ha hoppet minst 5 cm i dag?

Her tror jeg faktisk du tar feil.

 

BE

[Luke]

Buffon flørter med Premier League. Angrip!

[Ravenghost]

Almunia, Nasri og Clichy er skyld i første målet, midtstopperne det andre, og Clichy det tredje.

 

Hva har skjedd med Clichy??? Og ikke si at han nettopp har kommt igjen fra skade!

 

Hvis ikke Wenger kjøper to spillere (Keeper og spiss) før vinduet stenger så VET faktisk ikke Wenger lenger...

[Fabulous]

Jeg må si det er utrolig deilig å se en spiller som til enhver tid gjør så godt han kan, Almunia er en helt!

 

Wenger, nå har det snart gått for langt!

[Ben Elfen]

I tillegg til tabben på første mål synes jeg også han gjør en slett figur på 3. målet.

 

Park kommer inn litt fra siden, løper rett frem og skyter rett frem, likevel triller ballen inn i keeperhjørnet, og dey på tross av at clichy dekker bortre stolpe.

 

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/4620536/

 

Jeg synes det kommer klart fram av reprisene som vises fra bak mål.

 

BE

[hermz]

Nei, dette er ikke morsomt i det hele tatt, at vi har Almunia som førstekeeper

Har jeg aldri sagt heller. Måtte bare kommentere det ekstremt ironiske innlegget til mr. Rosicky.

[Kris-A]

Almunia, Nasri og Clichy er skyld i første målet, midtstopperne det andre, og Clichy det tredje.

 

Hva har skjedd med Clichy??? Og ikke si at han nettopp har kommt igjen fra skade!

 

Han har nettopp kommet igjen fra skade

[Chaz]

usikker på om Fabianski er svaret, men vi trenger definitivt en Lehmann-type i buret!

 

Mulig det, men kunne vi fått en Seaman kloning så hadde jeg vært mer enn happy.

[Sir John]

Mulig det, men kunne vi fått en Seaman kloning så hadde jeg vært mer enn happy.

 

Sukk

[Didrik]

Jeg er ikke uenig i at det leddet som trolig skiller oss mest fra våre rivaler er sisteskansen. Men, det er dessverre sånn at Wenger er fornøyd med alle 4(!) keeperne vi har, så det er svært lite sannsynlig at han så mye som kaster sideblikk på andre keepere. For under en uke siden skrøt han uhemmet av vår 4.-keeper som vår fremtidige No.1: Szczesny. Det jeg vil frem til er at vi lager bare vår egen skuffelse om vi går og venter på en ny keeper.

 

Når det er sagt så krediterer jeg Almunia to mål for United denne sesongen. "Straffen" han laget på Old Trafford, og Nanis lobb eller hvadetnåvar i går. Diaby får bare ett for United - og de to siste kom fra våre cornere. Jeg fritar jeg Almunia for alt på de tre sistnevnte, men vi gjør det jo for lett for dem

[ernsti14]

Almunia mener vi fortsatt er med i tittelracet:

 

 

"We are on schedule to do good things this season, we have only a little step to get back to the top of the league," said Almunia.

 

"When you think about where we were after the Chelsea game [in November], that is a great achievement.

 

"Sometimes it is better to come back from third or fourth to challenge than to be at the top all the time."

 

 

Må si meg enig i det han sier, speielt den siste setningen. De siste sesongene har det sett ut om om Arsenal har fått et litt for stort forventingspress når de ligger helt på topp (1-2 plass), det så vi også før Villa-kampen..

 

Får satse på enda et skikkelig comeback, men da er det nødt til å begynne nå mot Chelsea, og fortsette mot Liverpool.

[Tapapa]

Jeg limer inn en artikkel om Almunia fra The Guardian for at flest mulig skal lese den.

 

Manuel Almunia's nerves add extra edge to Arsenal's visit to Chelsea

 

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, fears for his goalkeeper against London rivals eager to exploit a lack of confidence

 

Right from the beginning of his Arsenal career, Arsène Wenger has been aware of the particular tension that gnaws at goalkeepers. One of his earliest signings was Alex Manninger, a young Austrian with a strapping physique, terrific reflexes, and bags of potential. What Manninger did not have, however, was big-match temperament. The slightest mistake would antagonise him, and his team-mates soon became used to the sight of him sitting in the dressing room with a towel on his head barking at himself in German.

 

Arsenal's current custodian shows his torment in a different way. Manuel Almunia is capable of looking so vexed, with the baggage under his eyes causing such strain, it seems he can not have slept for a week. Perhaps he has not. There has been plenty to toss and turn about in between a sobering and error-strewn defeat at home to Manchester United and a visit to a Chelsea team who have slammed seven goals past him in the past two meetings.

 

Visible nervousness is hardly a useful asset for a goalkeeper. Arsenal's season has been punctuated by individual errors at the back. Not all of them are Almunia's, but sometimes the defenders in front of him lapse in concentration because they appear to be worried about what the man behind them is – or is not – going to do. Will he clear the ball or shank it? Will he come for the cross or stay? Will he catch or flap?

 

Earlier this season, when Chelsea went through an uncharacteristically vulnerable spell and conceded virtually any time a high ball was hurled into their box, you could sense their defence was similarly uneasy about Petr Cech, whose form hit a rocky patch. Uncertainty is virulently contagious.

 

As the former double-winning captain Frank McLintock says: "The goalkeeper is absolutely vital. It all starts from there. If he's nice and calm and full of authority it sets everything up in front of him. Almunia has lost confidence in himself. When the ball is knocked back to him he swings at it, he panics."

 

Even Wenger admits Almunia worries too much. "I think he puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Too much," he mused at the training ground last week. "If you look well across Europe you see that goalkeeper is the most difficult job in the world today. And it is even harder in England. Everything is quick, people stand on your feet at crosses. It is a terrible job."

 

The Frenchman tries to be empathetic. "A goalkeeper is always in a negative publicity. If a striker misses two chances and scores two he is a hero. If a goalkeeper makes a fantastic game and makes one mistake he is a villain. They are under massive pressure because of that fear to make one mistake, knowing that it can kill the team and the game. It is may be the most pressurised job in football."

 

Almunia's mistakes have been worryingly numerous this season. His ranking, in terms of saves to shots ratio, charts him as 19th in the Premier League. Hardly the foundation required to win titles. Brian Clough used to say that Peter Shilton won him 15 points per season. At some point Wenger has to calculate how many points his keeper is costing him.

 

 

Although Arsenal's manager still pledges faith in the Spaniard, the view in the Emirates audience is an overwhelming lack of trust in the club's No1. It is the most hotly debated topic in N5. For how long can he keep his place?

 

But the trouble is, none of the three young understudies on the books looks ready yet to elbow him out of the way – Lukasz Fabianski has had his own hairy moments, Vito Mannone looked raw when he was promoted earlier this season, and although Wojciech Szczesny (probably the most gifted of the lot) is earning rave reviews on loan at Brentford he is 19 years old and rightly honing his skill.

 

If there was an argument for strengthening a position of weakness in the transfer window, Wenger didn't want to hear of it.

 

An eye for a goalkeeper has never been his greatest gift. David Seaman was the perfectly solid base at the club when the manager first arrived, but the selection recruited to emulate him include Manninger, Richard Wright, Rami Shaaban and Almunia, who have all struggled with varying degrees to prove they have nerves for the task. Jens Lehmann, who nobody would accuse of having a nervous disposition, was the exception to that rule, and he was a law unto himself.

 

Before joining Arsenal in 2004, Almunia had spent the majority of his career in the Spanish second division. Even he did not expect to become first choice for a member of the Champions League establishment. Five years into his time in north London, with nearly 150 Arsenal appearances under his belt, the 32-year-old is still heavily burdened with the pressure of his position.

 

Wenger has dealt with goalkeepers going through a rotten spell in hardline fashion before. Lehmann never forgave Almunia for stepping in when Wenger suddenly dropped the controversial German. The Arsenal manager is adamant he has no qualms about doing the same again.

 

"I am not afraid to make a tough decision," he says. "My only target is to make the right decision for the club. But after a game like Sunday we have to believe in our players rather than change half of the team. Almunia has done very well recently. People always look for a scapegoat when you lose a big game, you know."

 

He then added that Fabianski has "a little issue" with Chelsea after handing their London rivals a gift in the FA Cup semi-final last year, which suggests a change is not imminent. Even so, the Pole is not the only one who must wonder how many more flaps he must watch from a distance before he gets another chance.

[Tommy]

Jeg limer inn en artikkel om Almunia fra The Guardian for at flest mulig skal lese den.

 

Manuel Almunia's nerves add extra edge to Arsenal's visit to Chelsea

 

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, fears for his goalkeeper against London rivals eager to exploit a lack of confidence

 

Right from the beginning of his Arsenal career, Arsène Wenger has been aware of the particular tension that gnaws at goalkeepers. One of his earliest signings was Alex Manninger, a young Austrian with a strapping physique, terrific reflexes, and bags of potential. What Manninger did not have, however, was big-match temperament. The slightest mistake would antagonise him, and his team-mates soon became used to the sight of him sitting in the dressing room with a towel on his head barking at himself in German.

 

Arsenal's current custodian shows his torment in a different way. Manuel Almunia is capable of looking so vexed, with the baggage under his eyes causing such strain, it seems he can not have slept for a week. Perhaps he has not. There has been plenty to toss and turn about in between a sobering and error-strewn defeat at home to Manchester United and a visit to a Chelsea team who have slammed seven goals past him in the past two meetings.

 

Visible nervousness is hardly a useful asset for a goalkeeper. Arsenal's season has been punctuated by individual errors at the back. Not all of them are Almunia's, but sometimes the defenders in front of him lapse in concentration because they appear to be worried about what the man behind them is – or is not – going to do. Will he clear the ball or shank it? Will he come for the cross or stay? Will he catch or flap?

 

Earlier this season, when Chelsea went through an uncharacteristically vulnerable spell and conceded virtually any time a high ball was hurled into their box, you could sense their defence was similarly uneasy about Petr Cech, whose form hit a rocky patch. Uncertainty is virulently contagious.

 

As the former double-winning captain Frank McLintock says: "The goalkeeper is absolutely vital. It all starts from there. If he's nice and calm and full of authority it sets everything up in front of him. Almunia has lost confidence in himself. When the ball is knocked back to him he swings at it, he panics."

 

Even Wenger admits Almunia worries too much. "I think he puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Too much," he mused at the training ground last week. "If you look well across Europe you see that goalkeeper is the most difficult job in the world today. And it is even harder in England. Everything is quick, people stand on your feet at crosses. It is a terrible job."

 

The Frenchman tries to be empathetic. "A goalkeeper is always in a negative publicity. If a striker misses two chances and scores two he is a hero. If a goalkeeper makes a fantastic game and makes one mistake he is a villain. They are under massive pressure because of that fear to make one mistake, knowing that it can kill the team and the game. It is may be the most pressurised job in football."

 

Almunia's mistakes have been worryingly numerous this season. His ranking, in terms of saves to shots ratio, charts him as 19th in the Premier League. Hardly the foundation required to win titles. Brian Clough used to say that Peter Shilton won him 15 points per season. At some point Wenger has to calculate how many points his keeper is costing him.

Although Arsenal's manager still pledges faith in the Spaniard, the view in the Emirates audience is an overwhelming lack of trust in the club's No1. It is the most hotly debated topic in N5. For how long can he keep his place?

 

But the trouble is, none of the three young understudies on the books looks ready yet to elbow him out of the way – Lukasz Fabianski has had his own hairy moments, Vito Mannone looked raw when he was promoted earlier this season, and although Wojciech Szczesny (probably the most gifted of the lot) is earning rave reviews on loan at Brentford he is 19 years old and rightly honing his skill.

 

If there was an argument for strengthening a position of weakness in the transfer window, Wenger didn't want to hear of it.

 

An eye for a goalkeeper has never been his greatest gift. David Seaman was the perfectly solid base at the club when the manager first arrived, but the selection recruited to emulate him include Manninger, Richard Wright, Rami Shaaban and Almunia, who have all struggled with varying degrees to prove they have nerves for the task. Jens Lehmann, who nobody would accuse of having a nervous disposition, was the exception to that rule, and he was a law unto himself.

 

Before joining Arsenal in 2004, Almunia had spent the majority of his career in the Spanish second division. Even he did not expect to become first choice for a member of the Champions League establishment. Five years into his time in north London, with nearly 150 Arsenal appearances under his belt, the 32-year-old is still heavily burdened with the pressure of his position.

 

Wenger has dealt with goalkeepers going through a rotten spell in hardline fashion before. Lehmann never forgave Almunia for stepping in when Wenger suddenly dropped the controversial German. The Arsenal manager is adamant he has no qualms about doing the same again.

 

"I am not afraid to make a tough decision," he says. "My only target is to make the right decision for the club. But after a game like Sunday we have to believe in our players rather than change half of the team. Almunia has done very well recently. People always look for a scapegoat when you lose a big game, you know."

 

He then added that Fabianski has "a little issue" with Chelsea after handing their London rivals a gift in the FA Cup semi-final last year, which suggests a change is not imminent. Even so, the Pole is not the only one who must wonder how many more flaps he must watch from a distance before he gets another chance.

 

Amy Lawrence har rett i at Wenger ikke har peiling på keepere. Ingen av de han har kjøpt har vært i toppklasse, muligens med unntak av Lehmann, og ingen av de 3-4 vi har i stallen idag er gode nok. Det siste er egentlig en skandale, uansett hvor dårlig Almunia spiller så har vi ingen bedre å sette inn. Forstå det den som kan!