[Tennie]

SENDEROS: COMUNICATO UFFICIALE A.C.MILAN
27/08/2008
L'A.C.Milan comunica di aver raggiunto un accordo con l'Arsenal F.C. per l'acquisizione a titolo temporaneo delle prestazioni sportive del giocatore Philippe Senderos.

[AC Milan announces having reached agreement with Arsenal FC for the loan of the player Philippe Senderos.]

[acid911]

Wopdidu! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Best of luck to our new signings, and here's hoping he proves us all wrong. As long as he's strong in the air, he will help us with stopping attacks.

[kurtsimonw]

It seems Darth Vader and I agree on this signing..

[han2503]

An interesting view from an Arsenal blog

http://gunnerblog.com/?p=1069

Philippe Senderos will today sign for AC Milan on a season-long loan deal with a view to a permanent move. Whilst I’ll be interested to see if Arsenal.com mention the possibility of a permanent move, it’s clear this isn’t a Havard Nordveit-style loan move for development’s sake - Philippe is being allowed to move on because Arsene considers him dispensible.

That in itself is somewhat of a watershed. Senderos is rare in that he’s one of the first of Wenger’s ‘projects’ to be abandoned. After years of investing time and money in the Swiss defender’s potential, he has now decided to let him go, seemingly preferring to rely on new signing Mikael Silvestre. For the first time in years, Arsene has chosen a veteran over a youngster. And that might not be such a bad thing. Firstly because it might suggest he recognises that his youth experiment has its limits, but secondly because Senderos could never have become the player we needed him to be at a club as lacking in experienced defensive experts as Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger is many things, but he is not a defensive coach. His interest is primarily in attacking or creative players. The great centre-backs he’s had (Adams, Keown, Campbell) have all been either bought or inherited. Kolo Toure is an astonishing athlete and outstanding footballer, but not a born defender. Senderos is. Like John Terry or Nemanja Vidic, it’s inconcievable that Senderos could play in any other position on the field. Wenger does not understand these creatures. They are foreign to him and to his way of thinking. And one has the impression that most of the coaching staff feel the same.

Defending is seen as a secondary art at Arsenal. Arsene was lucky to inherit the world’s best back four, and then to have a defensive phenomenon like Sol Campbell to carry him through the early part of the decade. But since Sol’s departure, the deficiencies in our coaching have become clear - we don’t have a cohesive defensive unit, and are clueless when it comes to set pieces.

For a time, it seemed like Senderos would be the solution to that problem. When Campbell was out injured in both 2005 and 2006, he came in and was outstanding, particularly in our record-breaking run to the Champions League final. Toure and Senderos was a defensive partnership that had a towering stopper and a quick recovering defender - it is the formula that made Adams/Keown and Campbell/Toure such successful pairings. What’s more, the proof was there - it worked, keeping out the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid.

But then Arsene bought William Gallas. And more than the arrival of Silvestre, more than the Champions League exit at Anfield, more than his travails against Didier Drogba, that is what did for Senderos’ Arsenal career. It tells you something about the esteem in which he was held at that point that many assumed Gallas had been bought to play at left-back and replace Ashley Cole.

Gallas is a good defender, and one can understand why Arsene wanted to bring in what he considered proven quality, but he’s hardly been an unequivocal success, has he? One can’t help but wonder what might have happened if Arsene had stuck with Senderos and Toure - not only might we have had a central defensive pairing that functioned, but we might have had a leader and organiser to boot. As it was, Senderos’ confidence was shattered by Wenger’s continually wavering faith, and he became the nervous wreck fans grew to doubt.

But I can’t help but feel that Senderos did not fail us. We failed him, by failing to have a structure in place that was able to his exploit his undoubted potential - just think back to his remarkable European debut at home to Bayern Munich. He is right to move. I now firmly believe he’ll go on to have a good career, starting with an immediate improvement in the slower-paced, defensively astute Italian league. We at Arsenal won’t benefit from that - if he does well, he’ll be staying there permanently, and if he doesn’t then we’ll get back a faltering player who knows the manager no longer values him. Senderos’ Arsenal career is over, whatever the nature of today’s transfer.

This post has been edited by han2503: Aug 27 2008, 09:38 PM

[Giancarlo]

That's very balanced... similar to what I heard from another Gooner fan. One that was actually upset they were letting go Senderos. The problem is Arsene simply isn't signing any other players...

[acid911]

Very nice read, han. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Agree with almost everything it says. Besides, standing behind our new signing is the least us fans can do, unless he messes it up big time. When Galliani is negotiating, it's another thing. But now he's as red&black as any of us.

For me, that's all that counts. Unless your first name is Christian. And last name is Brocchi. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) Then it's a different matter entirely, but let's not go there, shall we?

[han2503]

That's very balanced... similar to what I heard from another Gooner fan. One that was actually upset they were letting go Senderos. The problem is Arsene simply isn't signing any other players...

Some of them in fact are very angry at the fact that Wenger let him go especially since the other option is Silvetre (IMG:style_emoticons/default/puke.gif)

I've been lurking on an Arsenal forum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) and this is the general thought from the majority of the posters.

1. Most think he will hit it beig in Serie A because of the slower pace, they point out how he always did far better in the CL rather then in the league
2. They all point out that he was the only one who was really good in the air
3. His biggest flaw and why they think he's never made it is because of concentration lapses, and if he can get this under control he'll be top class
4. A lot pointet out that if he is being played as a second fiddle bench player who gets a couple of games here and there he will suffer and play badly, but if he's given a good run of games he will perform consistantly over that period
5. Some pointed out the fact that he forms a better partnership with Toure reather then Gallas and that it is no surprise that a run of clean sheets appeared when he and Gallas had a good run playing next to eachother in the center
6. A lot think that he'll perform far better in the defensively desceplined and tactical Serie A rather then in the gun-ho style of the EPL

All in all I think these are good indecators, but again, I will reserve my judgments for until after I've seen him play

[Giancarlo]

Some of them in fact are very angry at the fact that Wenger let him go especially since the other option is Silvetre (IMG:style_emoticons/default/puke.gif)

I've been lurking on an Arsenal forum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) and this is the general thought from the majority of the posters.

1. Most think he will hit it beig in Serie A because of the slower pace, they point out how he always did far better in the CL rather then in the league
2. They all point out that he was the only one who was really good in the air
3. His biggest flaw and why they think he's never made it is because of concentration lapses, and if he can get this under control he'll be top class
4. A lot pointet out that if he is being played as a second fiddle bench player who gets a couple of games here and there he will suffer and play badly, but if he's given a good run of games he will perform consistantly over that period
5. Some pointed out the fact that he forms a better partnership with Toure reather then Gallas and that it is no surprise that a run of clean sheets appeared when he and Gallas had a good run playing next to eachother in the center
6. A lot think that he'll perform far better in the defensively desceplined and tactical Serie A rather then in the gun-ho style of the EPL

All in all I think these are good indecators, but again, I will reserve my judgments for until after I've seen him play

That's exactly the problem... the bold part. With Milan he would get more playing time. No wonder why he was having lapses in concentration... not enough playing time meaning he was not up to his best.

And besides that look who we have in defense... he will play with. I can't really name any big leaders in Arsenal's back line... Gallas lol? I'm not sure about that one lol. We have legends playing in the defense that could help shape this guy..

For some reason I see someone like Jaap Stam here... a lot of people doubted Stam...

[kurtsimonw]

Senderos played 25 games last season..

[han2503]

Senderos played 25 games last season..

Don't know how much he played kurt, I'm personally not an avid watcher of Arsenal, I got this from what was being said on the Arsenal forum...

Was he a starter in all of those 25 appearences?

This post has been edited by han2503: Aug 27 2008, 10:41 PM

[dst]

Don't know how much he played kurt, I'm personally not an avid watcher of Arsenal, I got this from what was being said on the Arsenal forum...

Was he a starter in all of those 25 appearences?

He usually starts the games...

[Giancarlo]

Well lets hope for the best then... either way...

[han2503]

He usually starts the games...

hmm, don't know then, as I said, I got this from the Arsenal board... And to be fair in England 25 games is not even half the games, considering cup cometitions

[dst]

hmm, don't know then, as I said, I got this from the Arsenal board... And to be fair in England 25 games is not even half the games, considering cup cometitions

Well Kolo and Gallas, if I'm right, did not have any serious injuries last season and they played the vast majority of the games... Senderos is not a first XI player, he's a back-up...

I can give you a simple description for him... he's like Kaladze... only slower! Damn, that sounds sad...

[han2503]

Well Kolo and Gallas, if I'm right, did not have any serious injuries last season and they played the vast majority of the games... Senderos is not a first XI player, he's a back-up...

I can give you a simple description for him... he's like Kaladze... only slower! Damn, that sounds sad...

Well I do know he's error prone, I witnessed a couple of them myself. But he is younger then Kaladze so he has time to improve. Or maybe this is just me grasping anything I could because I know we're in dire need for another defender. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)