Match reaction v Leeds home

[Chippy]

Good result. Well done Eddie.
Why do we have to make it difficult for ourselves and make it bloody stressful.
Can't see us getting anything against Spurs but it will still be in our own hands thereafter.
Can we get fourth? Hmmm... Hope so.

[Marc Overmars]

Massive win but frustrating as well. Easy to see why we still have many doubters because we always make it seem more perilous than it should be!

Hopefully we play for the win on Thursday, can’t go into it thinking a point will be enough. Spurs will be going for the kill because they have to, hopefully we can counter attack effectively.

[Mac76]

Massive win but frustrating as well. Easy to see why we still have many doubters because we always make it seem more perilous than it should be!

Hopefully we play for the win on Thursday, can’t go into it thinking a point will be enough. Spurs will be going for the kill because they have to, hopefully we can counter attack effectively.

That's right, although obvs a draw would be good, we can't play for one

[dazthegooner]

Nervy result hopefully saving ourselves for Thursday and if we go to the Spuds looking for a draw we will lose so we will have to go for the win but with caution as they are good on the counter attack.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Glad we got the 3 points but fuck me, what the hell happened after 30 mins???

We made that tough on ourselves.

We still lack a killer instinct when it is necessary, which is disappointing. Same old attacking issues for the second half too.

Oh yeh, and remember the days when we could counter attack.....

[IBK]

Glad we got the 3 points but fuck me, what the hell happened after 30 mins???

We made that tough on ourselves.

We still lack a killer instinct when it is necessary, which is disappointing. Same old attacking issues for the second half too.

Oh yeh, and remember the days when we could counter attack.....

For me, yesterday's match was a classic example of what happens when a team loses focus on the job in hand and starts thinking of the bigger picture. If we as fans are stressed out by being so close to securing top 4, then there will inevitably be an element of this amonghst our young players also. It was too easy for us in the first half. 2 goals up and Leeds a man down and looking like a shambles, with no attacking threat whatsoever...our players 'knew' that this match was done. How many times have we seen in these circumsntances a team lose that fraction of a percent that at this level makes all the difference? How many times have we seen a team regain focus and purpose having lost a player? In the second half, Leeds had absolutely nothing to lose and played with the freedom that that brings. Their goal stemmed from perhaps the lack of focus and organisation that can happen when a team has had nothing to do defensively and played the whole game in the oppositions half. After that it was impossible for the players not to play with the dread that a single mistake could cost us a CL place and it looked like it.

I suppose that the difference on Thursday will be that Spurs will be in the same boat, and it will come down to who handles the pressure best. I hope that we change our game plan to try to be the counter attacking side rather than playing to Spurs' strengths, remembering that they have to win while technically we don't. We are a young team and I am nervous about how well we will cope but Arteta has to go for control rather than chaos.

[KSE Comedy Club]

For me, yesterday's match was a classic example of what happens when a team loses focus on the job in hand and starts thinking of the bigger picture. If we as fans are stressed out by being so close to securing top 4, then there will inevitably be an element of this amonghst our young players also. It was too easy for us in the first half. 2 goals up and Leeds a man down and looking like a shambles, with no attacking threat whatsoever...our players 'knew' that this match was done. How many times have we seen in these circumsntances a team lose that fraction of a percent that at this level makes all the difference? How many times have we seen a team regain focus and purpose having lost a player? In the second half, Leeds had absolutely nothing to lose and played with the freedom that that brings. Their goal stemmed from perhaps the lack of focus and organisation that can happen when a team has had nothing to do defensively and played the whole game in the oppositions half. After that it was impossible for the players not to play with the dread that a single mistake could cost us a CL place and it looked like it.

I suppose that the difference on Thursday will be that Spurs will be in the same boat, and it will come down to who handles the pressure best. I hope that we change our game plan to try to be the counter attacking side rather than playing to Spurs' strengths, remembering that they have to win while technically we don't. We are a young team and I am nervous about how well we will cope but Arteta has to go for control rather than chaos.

Absolutely agree with this :gp:

For me though, this is a key area that we need to improve on. The last few seasons have been the same in some games, we score a couple of goals searly on and the team seem to think 'job done' - which can often be disastrous.

I really hope Arteta can coach that out of them and teach them to keep the pressure on - if it is easy to score two goals, then score two more. Maybe then you can ease up a little, but a game is still 90 mins regardless if you score in the first two mins or the last two.

Not sure what to expect from the Spuds game tbh. It'll be a real nail biter to some extent - a massive result if we win, and I don't know if the team can handle it just yet.
Counter attacking is a weak area for us also, so I am not expecting to see much in the way of it. For some reason we always seem to get to the final third and stop running, then look to pass the ball off across the midfield again.

So frustrating to watch

[Mac76]

good posts above, agree with all that

i'm just so glad that the Spuds game can e lost and we can still finish top 4 - though am a bit worried about Newcastle away, given their home form and that's why i'd love us to get a point on Thursday

what Arteta really needs to do is tell Xhaka to take Son out for the rest of the season and then it's job done :)

[I am invisible]

Everyone's feeling it right now, not just us - Chelsea are wobbling, United have completely gone to shit, spurs are up one week, down the next... even Liverpool had a wobble on Saturday! This is just how it goes at this stage of the season - there's no time left for clever plans and no time to recover from defeats. Teams that should be a pushover are now just swinging wildly, scrapping for every point, and no one is doing what you expect them to. Our relative inexperience shows at time, but all in all we're probably handling the pressure as well as anyone at the moment, and better than most.

[IBK]

Absolutely agree with this :gp:

For me though, this is a key area that we need to improve on. The last few seasons have been the same in some games, we score a couple of goals searly on and the team seem to think 'job done' - which can often be disastrous.

I really hope Arteta can coach that out of them and teach them to keep the pressure on - if it is easy to score two goals, then score two more. Maybe then you can ease up a little, but a game is still 90 mins regardless if you score in the first two mins or the last two.

Not sure what to expect from the Spuds game tbh. It'll be a real nail biter to some extent - a massive result if we win, and I don't know if the team can handle it just yet.
Counter attacking is a weak area for us also, so I am not expecting to see much in the way of it. For some reason we always seem to get to the final third and stop running, then look to pass the ball off across the midfield again.

So frustrating to watch

I think the improvement will come organically to this team. We have to remember that we are the youngest team, with the youngest manager in the EPL. Our players have never been in this situation before, and do not have the maturity and experience to manage game states when the pressure is on. As IAI says - everyone's feeling the pressure now, and for a shocking example of how a team full of experienced and proven winners can 'do an Arsenal' we only need to look at Citeh last week against RM :doh:

This is why getting 4th and surviving this squeaky bum time pressure would be so good for us...the confidence and composure that this will generate is not to be under estimated!

[IBK]

Everyone's feeling it right now, not just us - Chelsea are wobbling, United have completely gone to shit, spurs are up one week, down the next... even Liverpool had a wobble on Saturday! This is just how it goes at this stage of the season - there's no time left for clever plans and no time to recover from defeats. Teams that should be a pushover are now just swinging wildly, scrapping for every point, and no one is doing what you expect them to. Our relative inexperience shows at time, but all in all we're probably handling the pressure as well as anyone at the moment, and better than most.

Agree with most of that, but I do think we need to box clever with Spurs. Going gung ho or trying to control the game high up the pitch will completely play into Conte's hands. Liverpool decided to play their normal game and got stung. If Spurs' defence can soak up the best attack in the league and hit them on the counter they can frustrate us - particularly with our jittery defence. We need to contain Kane and Son first and foremost, and see if we can nick one. A draw would ultimately be fine and leave us only having to win one of our remaining 2 games to take the title whatever they do.

[Letters]

It’s frustrating how hard work we make of games.
I was out yesterday at a family do (BBQs :bow: Sausages :bow:).
Kept an eye on the score, imagine my surprise when I saw us 2-0 up so quickly. Then when Leeds had a player sent off it seemed pretty much unfuckupable.
And get at the end we are hanging on for dear life. It’s ridiculous really
But we do look solid and the back and we have developed a commendable habit of being able to see these games out, even if it is more stressful than it should be.

We can’t be gung ho on Thursday. They counter attack too well and will pick us off. We shouldn’t park the bus either but we need to be a bit sensible. I think we are capable of a point and I’d be very happy with that.

[I am invisible]

Agree with most of that, but I do think we need to box clever with Spurs. Going gung ho or trying to control the game high up the pitch will completely play into Conte's hands. Liverpool decided to play their normal game and got stung. If Spurs' defence can soak up the best attack in the league and hit them on the counter they can frustrate us - particularly with our jittery defence. We need to contain Kane and Son first and foremost, and see if we can nick one. A draw would ultimately be fine and leave us only having to win one of our remaining 2 games to take the title whatever they do.
Well we have a couple of advantages: we know exactly how Conte will play - he never plays any other way; and he can’t afford to sit back and wait for us to make the first move - we can.

That’s if he even cares, and isn’t too busy planning his move to Paris…

[Niall_Quinn]

Watched the second half casually, between chatter. Didn't see any football taking place. Not sure what they were all doing out there. Going through the motions for their unwarranted fees, I suppose.

[IBK]

Watched the second half casually, between chatter. Didn't see any football taking place. Not sure what they were all doing out there. Going through the motions for their unwarranted fees, I suppose.

Thing is though that this view - while it might have applied to our team 18 months ago - doesn't apply now. Call the second half on Sunday a bit of complacency; call it nerves, or trying to conserve energy for Thursday, but what our current crop of players cannot be accused of is going through the motions for the club - something exemplified by the committment of the likes of Nketiah; Holding and Elneny who have stepped up big time having been bench warmers for most of the season, or Xhaka - dropped as captain, written off by the fans yet showing huge character to fight for the cause. Arteta has managed to turn things around at Arsenal in that respect, which is why we are where we are now.

[Niall_Quinn]

Thing is though that this view - while it might have applied to our team 18 months ago - doesn't apply now. Call the second half on Sunday a bit of complacency; call it nerves, or trying to conserve energy for Thursday, but what our current crop of players cannot be accused of is going through the motions for the club - something exemplified by the committment of the likes of Nketiah; Holding and Elneny who have stepped up big time having been bench warmers for most of the season, or Xhaka - dropped as captain, written off by the fans yet showing huge character to fight for the cause. Arteta has managed to turn things around at Arsenal in that respect, which is why we are where we are now.

Then I guess if they were actually applying themselves, they must just be shit footballers? Basically that half of football was unwatchable for anyone who is aware of what football used to be like. But, if you are saying the clubs has gone from worse to bad then I suppose you are right. Do you remember watching Anelka? Eddie is no Anelka. Good luck to the lad for banging a few goals in, but we're not watching Wrighty or Henry or even Smudger here. The standard is LOW. Very, very low.

[IBK]

Then I guess if they were actually applying themselves, they must just be shit footballers? Basically that half of football was unwatchable for anyone who is aware of what football used to be like. But, if you are saying the clubs has gone from worse to bad then I suppose you are right. Do you remember watching Anelka? Eddie is no Anelka. Good luck to the lad for banging a few goals in, but we're not watching Wrighty or Henry or even Smudger here. The standard is LOW. Very, very low.

Not sure if the term 'shit footballers' can fairly be applied to a team lying 4th in what is regarded as the best league in the world, but each to his own...Real Madrid; Man City; Liverpool; Bayern have all had periods in games where their football is poor - by your analysis that makes their players shit footballers too.

[Chippy]

Then I guess if they were actually applying themselves, they must just be shit footballers? Basically that half of football was unwatchable for anyone who is aware of what football used to be like. But, if you are saying the clubs has gone from worse to bad then I suppose you are right. Do you remember watching Anelka? Eddie is no Anelka. Good luck to the lad for banging a few goals in, but we're not watching Wrighty or Henry or even Smudger here. The standard is LOW. Very, very low.

I am actually with NQ here.

We have certainly accepted second best here. In my mind, we are currently the best of a bad or average bunch.

I am never confident when this team take to the field because you never know who is going to turn up.

Are you confident with this lot for the Spuds game? I'm not.

Was I confident when Vieria, Bergkamp and Henry were out there? Hell yes!!

[IBK]

I am actually with NQ here.

We have certainly accepted second best here. In my mind, we are currently the best of a bad or average bunch.

I am never confident when this team take to the field because you never know who is going to turn up.

Are you confident with this lot for the Spuds game? I'm not.

Was I confident when Vieria, Bergkamp and Henry were out there? Hell yes!!

Its a fair point that you are not confident. Not so much that we have accepted second best - at least in the context of where the club finds itself.

We would all love it if we had maintained the level of the Invincibles, but the new stadium project; oligarch and petrodollar money, and the development of football and glut of money into the EPL changed the goalposts forever. Maybe under later years Wenger players and supporters alike became conditioned to top 4 being a trophy but our malaise since we fell out of top European competition happened, and we need to be realistic about where we are now. This is different to accepting second best. It is simply accepting that to get out of the mess we were in we had to completely establish a new platform, and Arteta finally sems to have got us somewhere near the solid foundation we need to push on.

I feel a bit sorry for you and NQ that you are unable to enjoy the journey we are on - and the genuine return of a good feeling to our club after so long - because you are lamenting past glories. Football is cyclical. Always has been. And we are at least on the upswing at present. We all want better, but realistic Gooners know that this can't happen overnight.

As for the best of a bad or average bunch. I get that compared to Liverpool and Citeh - who are pretty much at the levels the Invincibles were at - everyone else looks average. But when you see the level of players and coaches throughout the EPL (don't forget that EPL teams have been all over the later stages of the CL and the Europa League this season) it is pretty clear that the real story is that below these 2 generational teams the competition is super high, and winning games is tough. Not buying the 'shit player' analysis at all.

[Chippy]

Its a fair point that you are not confident. Not so much that we have accepted second best - at least in the context of where the club finds itself.

We would all love it if we had maintained the level of the Invincibles, but the new stadium project; oligarch and petrodollar money, and the development of football and glut of money into the EPL changed the goalposts forever. Maybe under later years Wenger players and supporters alike became conditioned to top 4 being a trophy but our malaise since we fell out of top European competition happened, and we need to be realistic about where we are now. This is different to accepting second best. It is simply accepting that to get out of the mess we were in we had to completely establish a new platform, and Arteta finally sems to have got us somewhere near the solid foundation we need to push on.

I feel a bit sorry for you and NQ that you are unable to enjoy the journey we are on - and the genuine return of a good feeling to our club after so long - because you are lamenting past glories. Football is cyclical. Always has been. And we are at least on the upswing at present. We all want better, but realistic Gooners know that this can't happen overnight.

As for the best of a bad or average bunch. I get that compared to Liverpool and Citeh - who are pretty much at the levels the Invincibles were at - everyone else looks average. But when you see the level of players and coaches throughout the EPL (don't forget that EPL teams have been all over the later stages of the CL and the Europa League this season) it is pretty clear that the real story is that below these 2 generational teams the competition is super high, and winning games is tough. Not buying the 'shit player' analysis at all.

Don't feel sorry for NQ and I, we enjoy being miserable :lol:
Shit player analysis is unfair.

[Niall_Quinn]

I am actually with NQ here.

We have certainly accepted second best here. In my mind, we are currently the best of a bad or average bunch.

I am never confident when this team take to the field because you never know who is going to turn up.

Are you confident with this lot for the Spuds game? I'm not.

Was I confident when Vieria, Bergkamp and Henry were out there? Hell yes!!

Even when we were 3 goals behind, on those rare occasions.

It's not possible to un-see the great football and try to replace it with the garbage (not just Arsenal, but all of them) that passes as football today.

Even so, some clubs are so far ahead of us it's beyond forgiveness, given the resources this club has extracted from the fans.

For some reason clouded by the past I still want Arsenal to beat the spuds on Thu. I'll even watch it and cheer them on. But I'm not really cheering for them, I'm cheering for a memory. I'd cheer on this Top 4 Trophy BS too if there was more than a zero chance of competing in that competition. But there isn't.

The club has literally turned qualifying for the CL into the finish line. Qualifying is the starting gate, not the bus top parade.

[Letters]

It's not possible to un-see the great football and try to replace it with the garbage (not just Arsenal, but all of them) that passes as football today.
I mean, you're right. But surely during the glory years you knew in the back of your mind that it wouldn't always be like that.
That side from 2002-4 was one of the best club sides I've seen, it was never going to be like that forever. It is admittedly depressing just how far we've fallen, but if that side is your benchmark then look forward to a lifetime of disappointment.


Even so, some clubs are so far ahead of us it's beyond forgiveness, given the resources this club has extracted from the fans.
Agree with this. It is hard to compete with the sides who have the infinite money cheat on and it's no co-incidence that they've hoovered up most of the trophies between them over the last 20 years. But with our resources we should be closer than we are.

I just want to see us heading in the right direction and for now I reckon we are. I'm not sure how far Arteta can take us but I think he's earning the right to try.