REPORT: Mixed performance as Arsenal XI draw 4-4 against Leyton Orient

In what was a thrilling encounter, an Arsenal XI side fought from behind to secure a draw in the last minute against League One outfit Leyton Orient.

There are both negatives and positives to be taken from this game. Let's start with the latter. Firstly, 16 year old right back Taf Moore had an excellent game. Playing against men twice his size, the athletic full back showed composure when in possession and proved hard to beat in defensive situations, using his pace and tenacity to great effect. In the first half particularly, Moore was very impressive and in my opinion the best player in red and white.

Moreover, Wellington Silva put in his best performance wearing an Arsenal shirt, scoring two goals and at times terrorising the Orient defence with his pace and trickery. What he lacked against Sutton United two weeks ago was an end product, so tonight's performance shows a significant improvement in that regard. Unfortunately the Brazilian is yet to receive a work permit and thus is confined to friendly matches only. Another loan move beckons.

This brings me to Chuks Aneke, whose return to Crewe on loan seems to be edging closer. Although often lethargic in possession, in a way reminiscent to Abou Diaby, he was at the heart of most attacking moves and demonstrated his skill and vision on a number of occasions. Having said that, as disappointing as it is to say, I think he may have found his level playing against League One sides.

Chuba Akpom continued the goalscoring form he showed with the first team in Asia with a well taken goal to grab Arsenal's third of the evening. A clever diagonal run in behind the Orient defence was found expertly by Aneke, whose through ball fell perfectly for Akpom to tuck away underneath the goalkeeper. The striker will be disappointed not to have scored earlier, however, failing to convert two or three excellent chances. He was replaced after 74 minutes by Lipman, after picking up a slight twist in his leg.

Finally, goalkeeper Dejan Iliev made several excellent stops and was responsible for preventing an embarrassing scoreline, with the defensive unit ahead of him failing to offer sufficient protection. He also showed a good reading of the game, acting as a 'sweeper keeper' on a number of times.

Now onto the negatives. While it must be noted Leyton Orient are a much stronger opponent than Sutton and Borehamwood, Arsenal's defence, with Leander Siemann at left back and a centre half pairing of Isaac Hayden and Daniel Boateng, was less than convincing. Orient's almost identical opening two goals both came from unmarked headers from a corner, while a plethora of unforced errors were made throughout the game. It does seem somewhat pointless playing the likes of Boateng, a player whose Arsenal career is clearly at an end, when youngsters such as Stefan O'Connor and Elliot Wright are chomping at the bit to experience some more game time at this level.

Nico Yennaris, Kris Olsson and Thomas Eisfeld were largely average in midfield, although the latter was involved in some good attacking moves and was unlucky to hit the post from a free kick in the second half. It was a shame Danny Crowley wasn't called upon from the bench, although he may well feature in the U18 friendly against Leicester tomorrow. Next up for Arsenal XI is Luton on Saturday, where Steve Gatting will be hoping for a more solid team performance.

Thanks for reading and follow me on twitter. UTA

REPORT: Crowley steals the show as Arsenal XI defeat Sutton United 4-3; plus thoughts from captain Isaac Hayden

Dan Crowley runs at the Sutton defence

First of all, I'm back! Exams and other commitments forced me into a temporary blogging halt, but I can safely say that these are now over. Anyway, onto the game...

After around two months of no Arsenal, football junkies of the red and white variety were eagerly anticipating this fixture, desperate for our Arsenal fix.

The first of our pre-season campaign will be remembered for Daniel Crowley's debut performance at the club. The new acquisition from Aston Villa started the game in the number 10 role, operating behind industrious striker Austin Lipman.

Arsenal took the lead inside ten minutes, after a superb curling pass by skipper Isaac Hayden - unlucky not to be included in the first team's tour of Asia - found Lipman, who outpaced the Sutton defence before driving into the box and finding Anthony Jeffrey to tap in.

It was soon 2-0 after Crowley, having just nut-megged a Sutton player, was brought down. Jebb, who has a penchant for scoring spectacular free kicks, stepped up from 25 yards and nonchalantly curled the ball into the top corner. A superb goal by the young midfielder, who will hope to establish himself as a regular in the U21 set-up after being confined to U18 football last season.

Sutton almost scored when Arsenal centre back Tom Dallison, making his debut for the reserves, sliced a clearance onto his crossbar, before Dejan Iliev spread himself and blocked the rebound. A fine piece of goalkeeping.

It was 3-0 after 20 minutes when the impressive Hayden waltzed into the box, took his time and struck home with a left footed effort, after some abject defending.

Gooners behind the goal were singing, "we can't afford Asia, so we've come here instead!"

Despite being substituted at half time, along with 8 teammates, Crowley mesmerised the opposition with his close control and elusive dribbling skills. Within just 5 minutes, the diminutive midfielder wet the mouths of the onlooking Arsenal fans with a magnificent run, where he showed tight control inside the box, turned sharply (leaving the Sutton defender on his arse in the process), before dinking in an inviting cross. Certainly an impressive way for a 15 year old to introduce himself.

Although at times caught in possession, either by being brushed off the ball or by trying to be a little too intricate, Crowley was the star of the show. You can just tell, he has *it*; that something you can't describe, but know when you see.

His part in Jack Jebb's second goal of the game, to make it 4-1 before the break, was particularly impressive. In a seemingly tight area on the far right of midfield, Crowley and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the highly rated winger who featured in last season's commendable NextGen campaign, eluded the surrounding defenders with a passage of pass and move football that would have greatly pleased the onlooking coaches Terry Burton and Steve Gatting. After taking three defenders out of the game with his shrewd movement, Crowley ran towards the byline, showed his composure and cut it back to Jebb, who coolly slotted the ball away with a first time finish on his weaker foot. 4-1 to The Arsenal in what had been a really fluid attacking performance.

The second half was poor, with Hayden and left back Arinse Uade the only players not to be subbed at half time. This led to a very disjointed performance with no real moments of quality to note. Debutant and recent Swedish acquisition Jamal Raage looked lively on the right wing, and almost scored with a low, hard shot after cutting inside onto his powerful left foot. Wellington Silva was on the left wing and showed his quick feet but lacked an end product. All conceded goals came from crosses into unmarked players in the box. Same old Arsenal, I guess.

I asked Arsenal's U21 captain Isaac Hayden some questions after the game:

Thoughts on today? 

IH: It was a good performance in the first half. All the goals were of high quality. The second half was a little difficult because of the changes (9 substitutions), but a lot of the younger players today showed they can cope!

What are your first impressions of Danny Crowley? 

IH: One word: class.

Some praise from your captain after just 45 minutes game time - shows just how good he was and the impact he's had in training! 

What are your hopes for this season?

IH: Just work hard and perform to the best of my ability consistently and see where it gets me; that's all I can do!

Thanks for reading and follow me on twitter. UTA

Pat Holland departs from his role as Arsenal U18 manager

Just seven games into his tenure as manager of Arsenal U18s, Pat Holland has left his role at the club due to "personal reasons", according to the official website.

However one must presume the management of the academy were not satisfied with the way the season was progressing for Holland's side, and thought the players were not fulfilling their potential.

At U18 level the results are not the be all and end all - it is more about developing the youngsters by providing them with experience and quality training. Liam Brady, the director of Arsenal's academy, may have been unconvinced by Holland's methods at London Colney, or thought his management skills were outdated.

Holland's style on the touchline was criticised for being unconstructive, shouting traditional cliches like 'cross it in' and 'get tight' (via @deanafc1989). Some of the players at Arsenal's disposal may not respond to such instructions and this could perhaps be seen in the side's poor form and failure to improve it with any consistency.

Holland began his season with the U18s with a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Bolton, and ended it with a 3-0 home defeat to Reading. The results in between were more encouraging, however, with two convincing 3-0 wins over Norwich and West Ham, and also a 2-1 dispatch of Everton. These wins were sandwiched by draws to Blackburn and West Brom, so it was certainly a mixed bag for Holland.

In truth one would only be speculating to explain his departure at this moment in time. One thing is for certain though: his replacement will be former U16 manager Steve Gatting, who has been working as the U18 assistant manager this year. He has coached at Arsenal for five years and played for the Gunners 76 times in the late 1970s, so has a wealth of experience with the club.

In other news, Sanchez Watt scored the winner last weekend for Colchester with a well taken strike, while Chuks Aneke played the full 90 minutes for Crewe and by all accounts was one of their most influential players, despite losing.

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Arsenal's new coaching additions | EPPP info

Arsenal have confirmed that Pat Holland has replaced Steve Bould as manager of the U18 side. He is joined by former U16 manager Steve Gatting, who has been promoted to assistant professional development coach (essentially Holland's right hand man). 

Holland, a West Ham legend, has previous coaching experience with the youth teams of Tottenham (over 20 years ago) and also Leyton Orient. It was the latter who handed him his first managerial job in 1995, although it proved to be unsuccessful and he was sacked the following year. In recent times he has been employed as Chief Scout at Millwall and Milton Keynes Dons.

Former Arsenal player Kwame Ampadu was also introduced, being handed the role of youth development coach. Like Holland, Ampadu has a connection with Leyton Orient, having played for them between 1998-2000. His most recent job was U18 coach at Exeter City.

Arsenal's recent coaching additions are a consequence of the Premier League's new Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which ensures youth players receive the necessary time with coaches to maximise their potential in a footballing and academic sense. 

The FA realised too few clubs placed the appropriate emphasis on education for their youngsters, and have sought to rectify this (surprisingly proactive by their standards). Manchester City and indeed Arsenal were two of the best in this regard, but many other clubs were not of the same standard.

Not only does the EPPP aim to increase the number of homegrown players appearing for their side's first team, but also aid those who fail to make the grade.

"The Elite Player Performance Plan is a long-term strategy designed to take Premier League youth development to the next level", says Ged Roddy, Director of Youth at the Premier League.

"Widespread consultation has taken place across the game to address how a modernised youth system can be sustained which will provide the best platform to support the aspirations of our Home Grown Players to succeed in the biggest leagues", 

"The new system will create greater access to players so that they can receive more time to train and prepare effectively for a career in the Premier League". 

 

The old reserve league format has been completely revamped into a new U21 system, as many will know by now. Clubs are split into categories 1 to 4, with 1 hosting the elite. This is where Arsenal sit, in the same group as Bolton, Blackburn, Everton, West Brom, Reading, West Ham, and Norwich.

Three over-age players are allowed in each side, plus one over-age goalkeeper. This means first team players on their way back from injury can still gain match fitness in the second string, and also provides fringe players with an opportunity to impress.

So far, though, Terry Burton has opted to ignore this concession, leaving out players such as Sanchez Watt and Craig Eastmond for the likes of Serge Gnabry (17) and Chuba Akpom (16). Burton's faith in his younger players has been vindicated, with the latter pair shining despite still being eligible for Holland's U18 side.

"The new U21 Premier League addresses one of the most critical points - the transition from Academy football to the highest standards in the first team" 

- Richard Scudamore, Premier League Chief Executive 

It is difficult to judge how successful the change will be at this moment in time, but as the season progresses, assessments can start to be made.

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'Till next time