The Arsenal v West Ham, 8.15pm Thurs 28 December 2023

[Mac76]

I doubt we'll keep a clean sheet in this one, as both Kudus and Bowen are on form but I think we should win it

No Havertz, but it's not a huge loss and Trossard can do a job, hopefully Nelson might get sime minutes

Still, 0-3 Bowen hatter

[Marc Overmars]

Think this will be a tight one and our defence will have to be on it because their danger players are very good.

2-1.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Trossard in for Havertz, otherwise it's the same.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Odegaard, Trossard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Cedric, Kiwior, Jorginho, Elneny, Nwaneri, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Nketiah.

West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Emerson, Alvarez, Soucek, Paqueta, Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Bowen.
Subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Fornals, Cornet, Ings, Benrahma, Mubama, Kehrer.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Come on Agent Mavropanos. :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Paqueta might be injured in the warm-up.

[Marc Overmars]

Paqueta might be injured in the warm-up.

Good news that.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Come on Arsenal. :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Paqueta is still there but he doesn't exactly look happy.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka shot, easy save.

Odegaard. :bow:

[Marc Overmars]

0-1 Soucek :lol:

Undone by that ball in.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-1 Soucek. well that was chaos

[Marc Overmars]

No idea if the ball was out or not.

[Marc Overmars]

Goal given.

All these cameras and not one can show anything conclusive about where the ball was.

[Letters]

Goal given.

All these cameras and not one can show anything conclusive about where the ball was.

To be fair, how could it? The player was in the way.
From the other angle the posts would be in the way.

Utter balls up in defence either way.

[Letters]

We’ve been utterly dominant, but haven’t put the ball in the net.
First time West Ham get a sniff and we concede.
I suspect we will turn it around but holy shit we make things difficult for ourselves

[Marc Overmars]

Too ponderous as usual when we get to the final third.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Save to deny Saka.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Now Paqueta is injured.

[Letters]

Holy shit we are so poor in front of goal.
How many players refused to shoot before we finally blazed it wide anyway.

[Letters]

Just starting to be a bit more incisive.

[Marc Overmars]

Saka hits the post and Trossard couldn’t do anything with the rebound.

Better.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka hits the post!

[Letters]

I’d actually back us to turn this around, if we carry this momentum in to the second half.
But we are wasteful in front of goal and in terms of the title you surely can’t keep getting away with that

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-1 HT.

[Marc Overmars]

HT 0-1

Not exactly been a bad performance but once again the lack of incisiveness up front has turned this into a slog.

Too many touches and too many passes trying to work the perfect opening.

[Letters]

HT 0-1

Not exactly been a bad performance but once again the lack of incisiveness up front has turned this into a slog.

Too many touches and too many passes trying to work the perfect opening.

Correct.

But a few signs we are turning the screw a bit. Need a fast start to the second half.

[Marc Overmars]

Martinelli has been the biggest downgrade of our season too.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Having Trossard and Martinelli there I think is overkill.

One of them will need to come off really.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Come on Arsenal. :bow:

[Marc Overmars]

This team needs Partey.

[Marc Overmars]

Game a little bit stretched now which should help as long as we’re alert at the back.

[Marc Overmars]

0-2 Mavrapanos :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-2 Mavropanos, fucking hell.

[Letters]

:haha:

:doh:

[Letters]

Game a little bit stretched now which should help as long as we’re alert at the back.

:lol:

Nice work, Jinxy McJinxface

[Marc Overmars]

Well this is what can happen when you’re useless up front. The opponent scores from their only chances and the game is gone.

[Marc Overmars]

Please get Martinelli and/or Trossard off.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Have to say if this stays the same we deserve it, atrociously poor.

[Letters]

Great ball by Saka. Jesus straight at the ‘keeper

[Letters]

Oh fucking hell, Jesus! :doh:

[Marc Overmars]

This is the worst we’ve looked all season I would say. Unbelievably poor in the final third.

[Letters]

Nelson :lol:

We are so shit.

[Marc Overmars]

Bit more energy since the changes but still trying to be very intricate.

[Letters]

We just move the ball forward so slowly.
Makes it so easy to defend.
They are defending well but we are making it easy for them.

[Marc Overmars]

We just move the ball forward so slowly.
Makes it so easy to defend.
They are defending well but we are making it easy for them.

Doesn’t help when Odegaard takes about 10 touches and spins around on the spot before deciding to pass.

[Letters]

Just.
Deliver.
A fucking.
Ball!
:doh:

Honestly, the way we fanny around the box is ridiculous

[Letters]

Saka tries to play a ball in, apparently forgetting that the West Ham players have legs.

[Marc Overmars]

Been a long time since I’ve been as dismayed with a performance as this one.

[Marc Overmars]

West Ham penalty

Agent Rice fuck up

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pelanty to West Ham.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Raya saves it at least.

[Marc Overmars]

Raya saves

[Letters]

Agent Rice concedes a pel :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-2 FT.

Losing to Moyes at home. Fucking hell.

[Marc Overmars]

FT 0-2

Absolutely dreadful.

Big response needed at Fulham because this is a performance and result that’s probably been coming and should set alarm bells ringing. Our forwards are not at the races and it’s now costing us.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Hopefully, Arteta learns from this and goes out to get us a real boy, sorry, striker..

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Also, we probably need to give Martinelli an extended rest...maybe two weeks off in Brazil will unbreak him.

5 yellow cards for his compatriot, so at least we'll be spared seeing him missing sitters against Fulham.

[Mac76]

Utterly appalling performance, sell them all :fury:

[LDG]

Martinelli has been the biggest downgrade of our season too.

This.

He is too scared to scare them. Run at them, take snapshots, but ruthless.

He’s beem coached to pass, not to use his instinct.

[LDG]

Classic Wenger tonight

[Marc Overmars]

This.

He is too scared to scare them. Run at them, take snapshots, but ruthless.

He’s beem coached to pass, not to use his instinct.

Read a blog recently that suggested the entire team has been overcoached. With the amount of touches, passes and time we’re looking for to find an opening, I’d suggest there’s probably something in that.

Hardly anything instinctive happens now when you compare to how exciting things were last season. I get that it’s not easy to play against a low block but that’s just something every decent team needs to find a way around so I don’t have any sympathy.

No Partey in the middle anymore is also a big factor in not being able to transition play effectively.

[Letters]

Classic Wenger tonight

:lol: :gp:

It was like that. Wengerball at its worst.
Pass, pass, pass, pass, back, side, pass, pass, pass, pass.
Rinse and repeat. There were a few moments where we looked a bit more incisive but overall we never seriously threatened them. Their ‘keeper made a few saves but all pretty easy.
Just so blunt in attack, we can’t win the title if we don’t address that in January.
Which we won’t.

[Mac76]

Read a blog recently that suggested the entire team has been overcoached. With the amount of touches, passes and time we’re looking for to find an opening, I’d suggest there’s probably something in that.

Hardly anything instinctive happens now when you compare to how exciting things were last season. I get that it’s not easy to play against a low block but that’s just something every decent team needs to find a way around so I don’t have any sympathy.

No Partey in the middle anymore is also a big factor in not being able to transition play effectively.

Totally