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Hatem Ben Arfa

Rich

by Rich
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ponsaelius

ponsaelius

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Posted

:thup: Says alot that the only way Spurs could stop him, was constantly tripping him up.

 

Pity MOTD didn't show him getting both their central midfielders booked in the space of 3 minutes.

 

That was great. Shame it took till the second half before we started seeing the benefit of it. Always good to have both opposing centre mids playing with a bit of restraint.

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Penn

Penn

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Needs to make sure he is up for the game too from what we have heard  :undecided:

 

Brilliant when he wants to be though (like today).

 

And what have we heard?

 

Not being "up for it" is not something I've associated with him at all.

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alpal78

alpal78

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I really don't get why some of us need to focus on the negatives even when our players do well. When Ba scored, some are focussing on how he apparently stropped off after HBA took the penalty as is therefore not a team player. When HBA scored (and played well), apparently he's only up for some games. Can't we just enjoy the victory and keep the pessimism away for one day.

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Guest Spiria

Guest Spiria

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Article on ESPN :

 

"Andre Villas-Boas is fascinated by tactics. Hatem Ben Arfa seems to ignore them. Newcastle's win against Tottenham can seem a triumph of free spirit against control freak, but it gave an inkling of how the Portuguese's Spurs will set up and the Frenchman's impact - positive and negative - on United's shape.

 

Demba Ba, who had sacrificed himself on the left wing when they played 4-3-3, was back in his favoured role as a striker in 4-4-2. The man to suffer initially was Ben Arfa, pushed out to the right wing, though he is far from a conventional winger. When he first made an impact, it was by moving into his preferred territory of the centre of the pitch. It had the extra advantage of adding unpredictability; Sandro was promptly cautioned for halting one slaloming solo run illegally. Another resulted in Ba shooting just wide. Take a freeze frame of Newcastle's positions at that point and, with Papiss Demba Cisse in the middle, their shape resembled 4-3-3.

 

Perhaps it influenced what happened next because Alan Pardew formalised a change back to 4-3-3. Thereafter, all three goals could be attributed to Ben Arfa's roaming. In the first half, he made Newcastle asymmetrical. Jonas Gutierrez, who provides much more tactical discipline, played as an orthodox left winger, directly in front of Davide Santon. In both halves, right-back Danny Simpson had to provide width in attack on his flank.

 

When Newcastle led, it was Simpson who advanced into the area Ben Arfa - whether in a four-man midfield or three-man forward line - chose not to occupy often and crossed and, after Kyle Walker failed to clear, Ba scored. That showed the merit of isolating a larger centre forward against a full-back at the far post and, while he endured a goal drought in that role last season, of using Ba in a wider role, though more inside-left than outside-left.

 

Yet Ben Arfa's reluctance to defend meant Simpson had to deal with Gareth Bale or, after a change of wings, Aaron Lennon on his own. When Spurs levelled, Jermain Defoe scoring at the second attempt from Lennon's cross, it was after the England international jinked away from a static Ben Arfa, who did not attempt a challenge. The better part of his game came when, materialising on the left wing, he induced a foul from Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart and converted the resulting penalty. Everything revolved around him and it illustrated that Pardew's challenge is to find a shape where Ben Arfa's talent enables him to win matches and his wanderlust does not result in Newcastle losing them."

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Cajun

Cajun

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Needs to make sure he is up for the game too from what we have heard  :undecided:

 

Brilliant when he wants to be though (like today).

 

And what have we heard?

 

Not being "up for it" is not something I've associated with him at all.

 

Just what Pardew said about him either being really happy or not happy at all and there is nothing they can do to change it :dontknow: just concerns me.

 

I have said numerous times that despite being exceptional in attack that he is also amazing in defence as he gets back and takes the ball of players with ease so I am definitely not having a dig at his work rate. What I said above did come across a lot harsher than I meant it though, just have this worry one of our more exceptional players could self destruct. Sure I am not the only one slightly concerned but I love him all the same (which is why I don't want it to go wrong).

 

:thup: Says alot that the only way Spurs could stop him, was constantly tripping him up.

 

BBC news before MOTD the presenter said something like 'in a week of soft penalties' then showed the HBA pen, yeah getting hacked by TWO players inside the box is pretty weak tbh, he did't break a bone or anything the pansy!

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Darth Crooks

Darth Crooks

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Needs to make sure he is up for the game too from what we have heard  :undecided:

 

Brilliant when he wants to be though (like today).

 

And what have we heard?

 

Not being "up for it" is not something I've associated with him at all.

 

Just what Pardew said about him either being really happy or not happy at all and there is nothing they can do to change it :dontknow: just concerns me.

 

I have said numerous times that despite being exceptional in attack that he is also amazing in defence as he gets back and takes the ball of players with ease so I am definitely not having a dig at his work rate. What I said above did come across a lot harsher than I meant it though, just have this worry one of our more exceptional players could self destruct. Sure I am not the only one slightly concerned but I love him all the same (which is why I don't want it to go wrong).

 

:thup: Says alot that the only way Spurs could stop him, was constantly tripping him up.

 

BBC news before MOTD the presenter said something like 'in a week of soft penalties' then showed the HBA pen, yeah getting hacked by TWO players inside the box is pretty weak tbh, he did't break a bone or anything the pansy!

 

Aye puzzled me that...the geet tit.

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Stottie

Stottie

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As a follow-on from last season, another key moment with him out left.

 

If we have to play 4-4-2, it might be nice to see him left, and maybe Marv right. Playing him right in a 4-4-2 encourages him to cut in and shoot, which isn't what you always want when you're playing two strikers.

 

I would still prefer a free role in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 though.

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ATB

ATB

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Glad to hear Pardew say he wasn't exactly comfortable with some of the things HBA does on the pitch but he won't try to change it, the lad needs freedom and he certainly utilised it yesterday.

 

:thup:

 

I don´t want him in a system. I just loved him yesterday when he just took control of the game, when no one else did it, and was just everywhere. Without him we wouldn´t have won.

 

Ben Arfa 1 - Spurs 0 :aww:

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NUFC_Chris

NUFC_Chris

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I've been watching the ESPN coverage again and Frank LeBoef was giving him a hard time saying he's a "street footballer", all skill but no work ethic, Keegan said he'd only be any good in home games.  Both comments are total bollocks in my opinion.  Hatem actually did a lot of tracking back and blocking runs yesterday, and last season some of our best moves away from home came through him: WBA, Swansea & Bolton away spring to mind.

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themanupstairs

themanupstairs

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I've been watching the ESPN coverage again and Frank LeBoef was giving him a hard time saying he's a "street footballer", all skill but no work ethic, Keegan said he'd only be any good in home games.  Both comments are total bollocks in my opinion.  Hatem actually did a lot of tracking back and blocking runs yesterday, and last season some of our best moves away from home came through him: WBA, Swansea & Bolton away spring to mind.

 

How dare you criticise comments from Keegan? He never talks bollocks. He's a club legend! Are you a mackem?

 

:-*

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Cajun

Cajun

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I've been watching the ESPN coverage again and Frank LeBoef was giving him a hard time saying he's a "street footballer", all skill but no work ethic, Keegan said he'd only be any good in home games.  Both comments are total bollocks in my opinion.  Hatem actually did a lot of tracking back and blocking runs yesterday, and last season some of our best moves away from home came through him: WBA, Swansea & Bolton away spring to mind.

 

You just have to watch one game with HBA to see he is often right back there making it difficult for the opposing attacker. It's lazy journalism at the very least.

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Beren

Beren

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Pundit is the most bullshit job in the world....even though I repected most of what KK had to say. They don't watch games man and then pass themselves off as experts. Waddle talked about Jonas having no pace yesterday.

 

I switch between finding their incompetence amusing and saddening.

 

So few decent ones.

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Guest Spiria

Guest Spiria

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For me, Hatem was the stand-out player today.

 

“He was taking people on in all areas of the pitch and even got two of the Spurs players booked early on.

 

“Hatem won and scored the penalty and you need players like this if you are going to do well.

 

“It was a little white lie by me (when he said Ben Arfa wouldn’t start). I don’t tell too many, but that was one.

 

“He looked sharp in training. The only thing we were worried about was that he hadn’t had a lot of game time. The more I looked at him, the more I thought he was ready.

 

“He really was terrific today.”

 

It's not nice to lie, Pardew.

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Tiresias

Tiresias

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For me, Hatem was the stand-out player today.

 

“He was taking people on in all areas of the pitch and even got two of the Spurs players booked early on.

 

“Hatem won and scored the penalty and you need players like this if you are going to do well.

 

“It was a little white lie by me (when he said Ben Arfa wouldn’t start). I don’t tell too many, but that was one.

 

“He looked sharp in training. The only thing we were worried about was that he hadn’t had a lot of game time. The more I looked at him, the more I thought he was ready.

 

“He really was terrific today.”

 

It's not nice to lie, Pardew.

pards loves to troll.  :lol:

 

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LoveItIfWeBeatU

LoveItIfWeBeatU

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http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2012/08/19/deliberate-ploy-to-trick-spurs-over-hatem-ben-arfa-79310-31652290/

 

Deliberate ploy to trick Spurs over Hatem Ben Arfa

 

Aug 19 2012 by Neil Cameron, Sunday Sun

 

ALAN PARDEW admitted being economical with the truth over the past week when he talked down the chances of Hatem Ben Arfa starting the new Premier League season.

 

Not only did the Frenchman begin yesterday’s win over Tottenham, he was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch and even scored the winner from the penalty spot.

 

Pardew was always going to play the 26-year-old who if anything looked even better than the player the Toon Army grew to love in the last campaign.

 

Ben Arfa had been given more time off to recover after Euro 2012, a tournament that proved a personal disaster for him as he fell out with head coach Laurent Blanc.

 

The Newcastle boss said: “For me, Hatem was the stand-out player today.

 

“He was taking people on in all areas of the pitch and even got two of the Spurs players booked early on.

 

“Hatem won and scored the penalty and you need players like this if you are going to do well.

 

“It was a little white lie by me (when he said Ben Arfa wouldn’t start). I don’t tell too many, but that was one.

 

“He looked sharp in training. The only thing we were worried about was that he hadn’t had a lot of game time. The more I looked at him, the more I thought he was ready.

 

“He really was terrific today.”

 

A 2-1 win over Tottenham is a fine result no matter what time of the season.

 

But given Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye had hardly figured in pre-season and that this eleven had not played together, it was an impressive victory.

 

Pardew said: “I thought we were really disciplined. We weren’t at our best, particularly in the first-half, and tactically it was a really tight game.

 

“We kept our two strikers on, which was important, because one of them, Demba Ba, has come up with a truly great goal.

 

“I don’t think you can under-estimate the importance of this win for us. It was a really tight game and sometimes your character and spirit can see you home, and I think we showed that.”

 

New £6.6million signing Vurnon Anita made his debut as a second-half substitute.

 

Pardew said: “The other players have been impressed by him in training. His first couple of touches were a little bit indifferent in the game. He was at Ajax for so many years and to come into this atmosphere was really difficult for him. But he grew into the match and did one great bit of skill down the wing.”

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