Match reaction v Norwich (away)

[Özim]

Arsenal: Leno, Chambers, Mustafi, David Luiz, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Willock, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Tierney, Torreira, Pepe, Saka, Martinelli.

This was our starting squad yesterday. Im pretty sure 95% of us would have made a better starting 11 than the ones Freddie chose. The real test is if he stick with the same squad for the next game. Sokratis/Mustafi is a choice between bad and awful. Maybe it will make both up their game a bit. But truth is we need to ship both out. Their reading of the game is atrocious. If we are serious we need at least 1 CB in January. Either of the Norwich defenders would be better than what we have but I would really love us to go for Tyrone Mings at Villa. Really great up coming defender.

My biggest gripe with this team is our uncoordinated play. the way we seem to be totally open at times. Norwich would look like 15 years olds against any top CL team and they made us sweat bullets yesterday.

Not much reason to be cheerful yet, but im so glad Emery is gone. the man has ruined his reputation completely with the last 18 months.

Can I also addf that Guendouzi needs a spot on the sidelines. He needs to maybe see the game from the outside looking in.

Totally agree, almost anyone would have picked a better team, pretty shocked at how amateurish that lineup was, it's like he's been brainwashed into the Arsenal way of the last decade, playing sub standard players. Worried me when Josh Kroenke talked about Ljungberg and Arsenal DNA, for a start Kroenke knows nothing about but also Arsenal DNA seems to have become lack of effort and hunger and bottling every opportunity for success, we need to bring someone to change this now.

[Özim]

I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt first game in, but if Freddie goes with the same team against Brighton then we’re in big trouble if he thinks those players are going to deliver results.

At least 3 or 4 of the bench yesterday should have been starting.

I'm not willing to to be honest, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to be able to pick the best team and know who to leave out, there was no excuse for yesterday, it seems to me the guy is either too friendly with some of thes guys or he's been following Wenger and Emery too closely and neither is good.

The fans seem to know better than the actual people in charge when it comes to picking the best players.

[AFC Leveller]

Pepe is a weird one because the coaches obviously don’t fancy him. Saka over him is a joke and just tells you how bad he’s been in training.

[Özim]

Pepe is a weird one because the coaches obviously don’t fancy him. Saka over him is a joke and just tells you how bad he’s been in training.

Does it tell you about training though, frankly the personnel at the club over the years don't seem to know what they're doing, from Wenger, Emery to Bould who has made no difference to our defence.

Besides training is pretty irrelevant, it's how you perform in a match that matters, training is a walk in the park because it's not competitive, players in the 1st team get shown up time and time again and that's what we should be paying attention to.

The coaching at this club has been terrible over the years, I just want a totally new manager with a new approach who maybe has a clean sweep of all the coaches because we need some better ones.

Saka has been pretty average.

[I am invisible]

Increasingly coming round to the idea that we should cash in on Lacazette while his stock remains good. I actually think he’s been a downgrade on Giroud. Just putting it out there...

His form is almost irrelevant at this point - the squad clearly needs investment and he’s one of the few assets we have who could generate enough funds to do something meaningful. In fact, barring one or two of the better younger players, I’m not sure I’d say anyone in the squad is unsellable at the moment...

[I am invisible]

I’ve calmed down a little bit since yesterday, and I’ve decided to give Freddie the benefit of the doubt for now. He’s only been in charge for a couple of training sessions, and it sounds like he didn’t have too many options with where the defence was concerned.

Unfortunately, we’re really not in a place where we can afford to alienate any of the players right now - as Emery found out, you’re still going to have to turn to all of these guys at some point throughout thee we’d year, so it probably wouldn’t be the smartest move to piss off 80% of your senior players with your first team selection. I just hope / pray this turns out to be a case of giving certain players enough rope to hang themselves before he starts wielding the axe...

[Marc Overmars]

Pepe is a weird one because the coaches obviously don’t fancy him. Saka over him is a joke and just tells you how bad he’s been in training.

He’s looking like a bust but there must be something there that made him highly valued? If he’s warming the bench though then it’s better to just cut our losses and loan him back or something.

[Özim]

I’ve calmed down a little bit since yesterday, and I’ve decided to give Freddie the benefit of the doubt for now. He’s only been in charge for a couple of training sessions, and it sounds like he didn’t have too many options with where the defence was concerned.

Unfortunately, we’re really not in a place where we can afford to alienate any of the players right now - as Emery found out, you’re still going to have to turn to all of these guys at some point throughout thee we’d year, so it probably wouldn’t be the smartest move to piss off 80% of your senior players with your first team selection. I just hope / pray this turns out to be a case of giving certain players enough rope to hang themselves before he starts wielding the axe...

He's been around the club, he should know the players inside out, no excuse for the lineup IMO.

Don't agree, we're not a charity, if you're not good enough you don't play, we need to be more ruthless we've been too soft fo years. We don't need to turn to these players to be honest, we have enough that we don't if we play them in their right positions.

[I am invisible]

I feel for Pepe a little bit - he’s new to the club (and league and the country), he’s walked into an absolute shit-show, he didn’t get much of a preseason with us and he’s got all the pressure of that price tag to justify. I’d be feeling a little tense if I were him.

Of course then I remember he’s a multi-millionaire who only works a couple of hours a week, so my sympathy only goes so far...

[Letters]

Increasingly coming round to the idea that we should cash in on Lacazette while his stock remains good. I actually think he’s been a downgrade on Giroud. Just putting it out there...

Interesting. I don't think he's a downgrade but Giroud was massively under-rated by Arsenal fans, if he is an upgrade then it's not much of one.
I don't think we should sell him though, I still think he's one of our better players.