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I think given the kind of team Newcastle are and the form they’re in this is going to be a very difficult tie to get through. Feel like we need to win this tonight because I doubt we will be winning at St James’ Park.
Nwaneri is out.
Stodgeball incoming. :bow:
1-0
I’ve come back yesterday to a mountain of work due to lazy coworkers which means I’ll be working into this evening to try and catch up, plus honestly? I don’t give a shit about this game so probably will make no effort to watch. I hope we win because it’s Arsenal but I see tonight’s match and the game on Sunday as unnecessary distractions and an opportunity to exacerbate our injury list further
0-3 Isak hatter
Am not at this game and not that sorry, as I think the combination of Newcastle on their current form, plus the leniency they get from refs, is not a promising formula when put together with our injury list.
In a way, while not a good thing on one level, a resounding defeat should cause Arteta not to bother too much in the return leg (why TF is this still a two-leg semi anyway - effing ridiculous)
Been thinking about 'stodgeball'. We can be as frustrated as we like both watching it, and with the reasons why we have to rely on it. But given where we are now, the unfortunate reality is that we have no other realistic option. FWIW in the circumstances of Saturday's game Arteta was probably right to lean into our control/defence based game an try to nick a 0-1 win. The huge frustration of the penalty is that this nullified our team's greatest strength - defensive solidity and squeezing the life out of the opposition. I have resigned myself to the fact that we are not winning the league. The harsh reality of where we are is that we will have to rely on stodgeball if we are going to finish second or third in the league. The other point is that ironically, stodgeball is more likely to see us through cup games than it is to win us the league (it won't).Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc Overmars
On the pelanty, I get people say it's not normally given but when I watch it again I don't see it as a 50-50
I've got to say I still think the power Saliba puts into that defensive.header, which is clearly going to result in him striking Pedro if he misses the ball, and where he's further from the ball from Pedro, means I can't get so worked up about that pel tbh - if a defender goes for the ball with his feet and gets the player instead, however accidental, it's a pel
But I guess I must be wrong because no-one else thinks it should be given :)
It comes back to the inconsistency, if another incident like that had been given as a penalty….ok harsh but maybe fair. But given that a) the “they got the ball” defence was used to justify the non award of a penalty to us in the game at Villa Park last season and the Liverpool game this season b) no such penalty has been given against a side before, not one of the Brighton players expected it to be given and almost certainly it will never be given again. It’s another example of where we are officiated differently from every other team.
I can accept the odd bad decision going against us even with VAR, it should all even up. But the sheer volume of questionable decisions that have gone against us, us penalised harshly…opposition not penalised at all. This adds to the resentment. Because I’m not someone who thinks in a binary way, I think two things can both be true.
I think the very best thing you can say about the penalty award is that it’s generous, and I think it shouldn’t have mattered as Brighton hadn’t won in the league since late November and were there for the taking. All we had to do was get an unassailable lead and then rest the attacking players and stodge up the game
But equally I don’t think Brighton would have got back into the game without that penalty award
For me - yes there are arguments both ways - but the general consensus amongst non PGMOL apologists is that it was very harsh - and I am yet to see someone point to any similar circumstances in which a pel has been given. Its more the cursory and IMO incorrect VAR check that I take issue with. An extremely harsh decision is bad luck...and we are getting more than our fair share of this this season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac76
@HCZ and @IBK - yes agree with all that
I do also still think that if Saliba had thought to go down clutching his head, we wouldn't be having this discussion - so much for us being good at the 'dark arts' ... :lol:
Arsenal: Raya, Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber, Partey, Rice, Trossard, Odegaard, Martinelli, Havertz.
Subs: Porter, Tierney, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Calafiori, Jorginho, Merino, Sterling, Jesus.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Hall, Burn, Botman, Livramento, Joelinton, Tonali, Willock, Gordon, Murphy, Isak.
Subs: Vlachodimos, Trippier, Kelly, Almiron, Targett, Longstaff, Miley, Barnes, Osula.
Sky build-up is mainly that Arsenal are relegation fodder and Newcastle are way above our level.
Please blam them like in the league game last season.