Match Reaction v Borussia Dortmund

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I believe it, if he were foreign he wouldnt be rated anywhere near as high

fair play

[IBK]

I disagree re Arteta. For me he has been instrumental in allowing us to keep our shape - not to mention allowing Song to use his physical presence to get up the field. Unspectacular (which IMO is why he's being singled out), but effective in doing the simple things correctly. He lacks pace - which is why he was exposed by the most explosive team we've played this season in the first half (and yes I incude Manure here - whose score against us was flattering and mostly down to us being in turmoil and badly unbalanced). But generally I think he's been good news and would prefer a balanced blend in MF (which we have) rather than a team built around a want-away player.

[hymppi]

good win.
please, play youngsters in the next cl match. good experience for them and it doesn't matter what the outcome is.

[Kaiser]

I think the idea that Arteta lacks pace is a little misleading. He's probably not as quick as he was pre-injury, but he's certainly just as fast as Fabregas was if not more. I remember several instances of pace + good positioning which lead to him slowing down / breaking up Dortmund's attacks. He has forged a fine balance and understanding with Songenbauer.

[Master Splinter]

If you want the cavalier, free-flowing, non-stop-attacking Arsenal of the past, then Arteta is probably a bit of an annoyance.

But if you want an Arsenal team who'll do the basics right, put in the required graft and be more efficient, then Arteta is a vital component.

Myles Palmer is an idiot, but I saw this article earlier, in which one of his readers makes some good points: http://www.arsenalnewsreview.co.uk/i...proved-Arsenal.

[IBK]

I think the idea that Arteta lacks pace is a little misleading. He's probably not as quick as he was pre-injury, but he's certainly just as fast as Fabregas was if not more. I remember several instances of pace + good positioning which lead to him slowing down / breaking up Dortmund's attacks. He has forged a fine balance and understanding with Songenbauer.

Point taken - perhaps I am skewed by the obsession with speed in the EPL these days.

[Master Splinter]

An article praising our defence:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/b...?newsfeed=true



Good to see there's at least one writer out there who bases his pieces on what actually happens on the pitch rather than pre-conceived cliches and headline-grabbing misinformation.

[Xhaka Can’t]

An article praising our defence:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/b...?newsfeed=true



Good to see there's at least one writer out there who bases his pieces on what actually happens on the pitch rather than pre-conceived cliches and headline-grabbing misinformation.

We don't like it up us.

[GP]

We don't like it up us.

I do.

[Power n Glory]

If you want the cavalier, free-flowing, non-stop-attacking Arsenal of the past, then Arteta is probably a bit of an annoyance.

But if you want an Arsenal team who'll do the basics right, put in the required graft and be more efficient, then Arteta is a vital component.

Myles Palmer is an idiot, but I saw this article earlier, in which one of his readers makes some good points: http://www.arsenalnewsreview.co.uk/i...proved-Arsenal.

Wilshere provides the graft and work rate that Arteta does plus the quality in distribution and switching play from attack to defence. In a couple of months it won't be either or. He works hard but who doesn't?