Match Reaction v Citeh (home).

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Another defeat to them.

And the 11th defeat in the league this season.

Only a +2 GD For Citeh in the two games though. Progress. :bow:

[Letters]

Tbf they’re beating everyone now and they’be given up conceding goals for Lent.
Bit disappointed we didn’t make them work harder for it though.

[Ollie the Optimist]

Tbf they’re beating everyone now and they’be given up conceding goals for Lent.
Bit disappointed we didn’t make them work harder for it though.

It was the same at the Ethiad when we lost 1-0. We barely attacked at all, almost like we would rather lose 1-0 then go for it & risk losing by more.

It’s still a loss so why not give it a go? What else are we playing for this season? It’s pathetic again from Arteta

[hobson's choice]

If Lacazette starts we atleast get a point. I'm getting so sick off him prioritizing certain players over the betterment off this team.

Auba has been a downright liability when he doesn't score this season. And wait till the 70th minute to make a sub when you chasing the game. I can't anymore with Arteta. Dude is Assistant coach, thats his level.

[Xhaka Can’t]

A loss by a score that isn't humiliating in these fixtures without providing even a glimmer of hope of an upset for five minutes, is a good result for Arsenal these days.

Yay.

[Marc Overmars]

A waste of everyone’s time, as it so often is. We could play another 90 mins and not be any closer to scoring.

11 defeats. Just 2 short now of Wenger’s final season.

[Marc Overmars]

We’re so irrelevant now when pundits speak about us there isn’t any disdain or frustration. It’s like we’re one of those plucky sides at the bottom of the table who do well not to get hammered. Same old buzzwords like transition and rebuilding. Words we’ll be hearing again next season I’m sure.

[Gooner23]

Not too down on the result but thought we should have either rotated more heavily or really given it a go, and we ended up doing neither.

Pep seems comfortable not to humiliate his mate which is flattering our recent scorelines against them.

Benfica was always the bigger game this week, just hoping we can find some extra energy as have looked leggy the last couple of games.

[Mac76]

If Lacazette starts we atleast get a point. I'm getting so sick off him prioritizing certain players over the betterment off this team.

Auba has been a downright liability when he doesn't score this season. And wait till the 70th minute to make a sub when you chasing the game. I can't anymore with Arteta. Dude is Assistant coach, thats his level.

Completely agree - just add up the bad decisions:

Saka and Pepe on the wrong sides of the pitch (and Saka playing every minute of every game)

Playing Auba three times in a week and correspondingly not playing Laca as you say

Playing a clearly not-fit Tierney

Playing Xhaka instead of Ceballos

Not playing Martinelli

Playing Bellerin ahead of Cedric

The only thing you can say is he didn't bring Willian on but that's only because he realises the fans are at boiling point over it

Citeh just had to show up today to get the win

[LDG]

Auba is pointless in a game like that unless you’re getting it to his feet in the box. He cannot for the life of him hold the ball, dribble the ball or pass it. A wasted player out there today. Lacazette can at least get the ball to stick.

Bellers is awful and has been for some time. Whatever he used to bring is long gone, and his reading of the game is bang average. He’s no better than Eboue was.

And the middle is so slow. The transition From midfield into the front is so fucking pedestrian. Mari and holding were better at steering the ball into the channels quickly.

I like Mari by the way, and Holding (whilst sometimes out of position is decent too.

Have no idea why Martellini is getting snubbed

[Xhaka Can’t]

We’re so irrelevant now when pundits speak about us there isn’t any disdain or frustration. It’s like we’re one of those plucky sides at the bottom of the table who do well not to get hammered. Same old buzzwords like transition and rebuilding. Words we’ll be hearing again next season I’m sure.

For years we were participants in the Champions League. Just making up the numbers.

Now we’re just participants in our domestic league. Just making up the numbers.

[WGC Goon]

"He’s no better than Eboue was."

OUCH!!!

Aubameyang = You're now the captain so Jesus Christ play like one! His attitude is unacceptable with the way he saunters around the place, when Stones shouldered him off the pitch near the end of the game it summed up his performance - weak!
Elneny = Solid but too safe, doesn't want to play an attacking pass where others would, pick him or Xhaka but not both together.
Bellerin = As I've said in a previous post he's good average or average good, his knee injury took away his most coveted ability - pace.
Arteta = I like the man but this off season will make or break him, unfortunately he needs to spend some serious money on the squad which he certainly won't get from spendthrift Stan Kroenke.

[Letters]

Auba shouldn't be captain but I don't think you can blame him for being made captain, that's on Arteta.

[Marc Overmars]

We all know the captaincy hasn’t meant anything for years because of how many soft personalities have come through the doors at this club. Auba is just another one of them.

Anyway, it is acceptable for this team to lose matches narrowly against teams who are better than them. There isn’t any drive to be better or maybe even try to compete with them, that’s just the way it is. Mid table mentality fully activated now. I’m sure it will be ok if/when we don’t win at Leicester this weekend too.

[Mac76]

We all know the captaincy hasn’t meant anything for years because of how many soft personalities have come through the doors at this club. Auba is just another one of them.

Anyway, it is acceptable for this team to lose matches narrowly against teams who are better than them. There isn’t any drive to be better or maybe even try to compete with them, that’s just the way it is. Mid table mentality fully activated now. I’m sure it will be ok if/when we don’t win at Leicester this weekend too.

we don't stand a chance in that game - a team with the absolutely right starting 11 plus the absolutely right tactics might but you won't get that from Arteta - every time we think he's cracked it, he just shows that he can't see what's in front of him and changes it again

[IBK]

Not too down on the result but thought we should have either rotated more heavily or really given it a go, and we ended up doing neither.

Pep seems comfortable not to humiliate his mate which is flattering our recent scorelines against them.

Benfica was always the bigger game this week, just hoping we can find some extra energy as have looked leggy the last couple of games.

Best post on this thread. Always expecting a loss to Citeh - and let's face it they would beat any team in the league just now. What was frustrating I agree is that we were caught in two minds with how to approach this game, and the team set up was all wrong. Why put Pepe back on the right when he has been so good on the left and Saka has made the RW his own when we have played well? Why start with Auba when ESR was not on the pitch and therefore service to him was never going to be great (he is no hold up player). Why no Martinelli when he is such a good option to inject some pace and movement into what looked like a fairly pedestian starting 11?

Yesterday's team would have been a better bet against Benfica on Thursday (yes I know Tierney may not have been available), given that they wanted to play sloooow.

...and WTF is it with our slow switched off starts - although this is not helped by swithching central defenders in and out of games.

As so often - frustration rather than despondency is the post match feeling for me.

[Mac76]

Best post on this thread. Always expecting a loss to Citeh - and let's face it they would beat any team in the league just now. What was frustrating I agree is that we were caught in two minds with how to approach this game, and the team set up was all wrong. Why put Pepe back on the right when he has been so good on the left and Saka has made the RW his own when we have played well? Why start with Auba when ESR was not on the pitch and therefore service to him was never going to be great (he is no hold up player). Why no Martinelli when he is such a good option to inject some pace and movement into what looked like a fairly pedestian starting 11?

Yesterday's team would have been a better bet against Benfica on Thursday (yes I know Tierney may not have been available), given that they wanted to play sloooow.

...and WTF is it with our slow switched off starts - although this is not helped by swithching central defenders in and out of games.

As so often - frustration rather than despondency is the post match feeling for me.

i'm finding watching our games (Leeds excepted) quite broing at the moment

the optimism from bringing in ESR has now faded as Arteta is simply flogging him into the ground while insisting on playing Xhaka and Willian (apart from yesterday) in every game.

meanwhile Laca's really picked up form but is now left out in the cold because of one Auba hatter against one of the most porous sides in the PL

i'd rather Auba hadn't got those goals if it means he starts every time and Laca gets frozen out

[IBK]

i'm finding watching our games (Leeds excepted) quite broing at the moment

the optimism from bringing in ESR has now faded as Arteta is simply flogging him into the ground while insisting on playing Xhaka and Willian (apart from yesterday) in every game.

meanwhile Laca's really picked up form but is now left out in the cold because of one Auba hatter against one of the most porous sides in the PL

i'd rather Auba hadn't got those goals if it means he starts every time and Laca gets frozen out

It's quite a head-scratcher really. Our best performances this season have been when we play one-touch football and speed the game up - and we clearly have the players to do so, and oour worst ones are when the game slows to a pedestrian pace. I agree that ESR looks knackered, and Odegard and him should rotate in his position IMO, but yesterday Arteta screwed it up by playing Elneny with Xhaka and swapping out Saka and Pepe. The manager should be replacing individual moving parts rather than changing wholesale and expecting it to work, and yes its difficult to understand his apparent aversion to keeping some on form players while running others into the ground - I fear that we are on the verge of ruining Saka...

[Mac76]

yesterday Arteta screwed it up by playing Elneny with Xhaka and swapping out Saka and Pepe

i seem to recall the previous time we played Citeh he also played an unexpected side - it's like he's too busy trying to surprise Pep rather than focus on simply putting his best players in their best positions

[Marc Overmars]

My guess is that Arteta is probably going to give up on the league and go for the Europa. Which is fine if we win it but that’s a pretty risky game to be playing.

[Globalgunner]

We have absolutely zero chance of winning the Europa. A middle of the league team like us beating all the next level teams in Europe?. More chance of taking a jackpot in Vegas. have you seen who our manager is?. Who we have in midfield? Our non existent striking department?. Nyet, Zero, Nada. I know Emery and Villareal will be salivating at the chance of knocking us out.....if we get past Benfica.

This is not a response to any post above. Its just my feelings on our prospects. If Arteta really thinks he can win the Europa, then he is much dumber than he looks

[Letters]

have you seen who our manager is?
Isn't he the chap to beat City and then Chelsea to win the FA Cup last year? :unsure:

I mean, I don't think we'll win it either, but I wouldn't say we have no chance.

[Mac76]

Isn't he the chap to beat City and then Chelsea to win the FA Cup last year? :unsure:

I mean, I don't think we'll win it either, but I wouldn't say we have no chance.

i'm pretty pessimistic - yes the FA Cup was a good job but we can't get away with the underdog-hitting-on the break job anymore.

we've too many flaws and are far from a settled side and more established sides will have a better game plan and knock us out

[Chippy]

It was the same at the Ethiad when we lost 1-0. We barely attacked at all, almost like we would rather lose 1-0 then go for it & risk losing by more.

It’s still a loss so why not give it a go? What else are we playing for this season? It’s pathetic again from Arteta

What a shame we didn't go for Brendan Rodgers when Emery left.

He wouldn't touch us with a barge pole now :(

[IBK]

What a shame we didn't go for Brendan Rodgers when Emery left.

He wouldn't touch us with a barge pole now :(

Course he would.

[Mac76]

What a shame we didn't go for Brendan Rodgers when Emery left.

He wouldn't touch us with a barge pole now :(

i was dead against the idea at the time but you're right, he's put Leicester right back up there