I watched some of the Palace game, not all of it because it was unwatchable.
The players on the flanks advance down the pitch when we have possession and then make themselves available by turning their back to goal and offering the easy lay-off. As soon as they get the ball they do one of two things. If they have a bot of space they fuck about, tipping it this way then that. Then they play it back to the original passer or they lay it off with a square pass to the middle. If they don't have space they instantly go sideways or backwards.
The players in the middle get the ball, advance up the field, turn around so their back is to goal, and play it out to the flank (where the recipient is waiting, back to goal), or all the way back to the defensive middle where the same depressing sequence begins again.
When players get the ball in an advanced position (very rare) they either pick the easy option, square pass across the box, or the easier option, tap in back to the middle. At that point, maybe 50% of the time, the player in the middle will opt to tap in back into defence.
When the option arises to take a player on, especially on the flanks, the carrier will stop, turn his back to goal and then proceed as described above.
Throw-ins are aimlessly tossed into traffic or directly safely backwards.
Corners are a joke, as has been the case for years.
When a shooting opportunity arises it will inevitably be a wild strike off target, especially when there are better options available. I think everyone on the team knows those "better" options will result in a pointless back pass so they give it a lash and hope for the best.
This represents 90-95% of the play with the odd few instances that allow the players to remember they can actually play the game. The whole industry is now built on those few seconds where competitive football penetrates the Barcelona-lite bullshit that has served football so poorly for over a decade.
Tip, tap, tip, tap. Every season. Doesn't matter who the manager is. Doesn't matter who wears the shirts. Tip, tap. Tip, tap. Pointless, boring, soul crushing garbage that has become the playbook not just for Arsenal but most teams in most leagues.
All you have to do is watch any football match prior to around the turn of the new century to see the stark difference. Everyone knows how far the quality has dropped, but they make excuses by saying the modern game requires more energy - even though it chugs along at snail pace.
Arsenal FC has been the undisputed master of this dire parody of football for so long now, with not even a glimmer of a hint of and end in sight.
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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
