We will never see Arsene Wenger manage Arsenal for a European game at the Emirates again.
:patrice:
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We will never see Arsene Wenger manage Arsenal for a European game at the Emirates again.
:patrice:
we played fairly decent I thought. we spread the ball well. we did try to move there defenders around but the only time we got to the byline to cross we scored. Bellerin never ran at the left back. We had a lot of the ball and yet Atletico had one attack and they scored because one defender cant clear it and another fell over comedy style.
Anyway we have won in 1-0 in Madrid before so who knows.
We didn’t spread the ball well. We never do. Because where there should be one pass to get the ball wide quickly, we take 10 touches. It’s awful to watch.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumble
Poo. Really needed to win this one and with them down to 10 men so early we had a great chance. Mistake by Kos spoiled what was otherwise a good performance which we should have got a win out of. I can see why their 'keeper is so highly rated. The away goal makes things tough. I think we can score out there. We will almost certainly concede too. Atletico are hot favourites but it's all on the night and if we play like that again we have a chance.
Come on Arsenal :scarf:
:upset:
Bellerin was man of the match. He was excellent and was a constant threat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumble
Our defending for their goal was comical. Why Koscielny tries looping the ball back over Griezmann instead of sliding and hitting it away towards the by line I'll never know. As for Mustafi slipping over, well there's not much to be said about that useless idiot.
Can't wait for a new manager to come in and sort this team out tactically. And for more atmospheres like last night :bow:
Kos kicked the ball onto his own head. The funny thing is that he's done the exact same thing before. :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
In some ways what we saw last night was a typical “Arsenal” performance under a modern day “Wenger”, close...but not quite there.
We have a big culture / mentality issue at this club and any new Manager coming in needs to stamp it out ASAP before anything else. Winning is EVERYTHING. We lack that ruthlessness and belief, playing fairly well for 80 minutes and not finishing your chances isn’t enough, we have seen this time and time again so it’s not like a one-off.
The contrast between us and them was evident last night, they did what they always do, concede possession and put their body on the line. It helps that they have a keeper who I rate behind De Gea as one of the best in the world.
What’s done is done.
Even if we had seen it out it would have been tinged with the disappointment of only scoring one goal after our dominance. Just woeful to miss out on an opportunity like that to grab the tie by the scruff of the neck.
Hopefully they can at least try to sort their lives out one last time but it's probably too much ask for such a frail team set in their ways.
Koscielny. :haha:
And you wonder why your son thinks you're shit?
I think he tries to go for the acrobatic interception to make himself look better because that was the harder of the options to execute :doh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Penguin
A positive was Santi training on the pitch before the game :bow:
I was thinking that. Legs tiring on their part, get on some fresh legs, but then you look at the bench and there was noone who could have come n a made a difference. Ger rid of two strikers in January, one we have got an injury and the one we bought can't play in the EL. I wonder what Theo could have done against ten men in that first half when they were still readjusting? Or what could Giroud have done coming on from the bench? The lack of quality on that bench for an EL semi final beggars belief!Quote:
Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...
At least next week the task doesn’t require much thought, we just have to put them under as much pressure as possible. I wouldn’t have trusted us to defend a lead anyway, so at least we can focus more on getting the goals.
Another 1-1 and a win on pels? :pray:
A comedy, tragic goal. I believe the ball then hit Ospina and bounced through his legs, luckily for Grizzy, it bounced to him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Penguin
We need a quick away goal to take away their advantage, then defend well and counter. Tough, but doable.
What are the chances of Mikhy being fit? What's wrong with him?
:haha:Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
Shut up. We did defend well against somebody recently, can't remember who though!Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
We defended well in 05/06 :unsure:
:lol: I think we can score out there, but we will concede. I don't think it's impossible we can go through, play like we did last night and we have a chance. Very much "second favourites" but I'm not without hope.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
All we can do is hope until all hope is lost, like them going to nil up or something!Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
If we'd lost 2-0 last night then sod it, I probably bother wouldn't watching the second leg. As it is...we're still in the tie.
It ain't over till it's over #Rocky
It's definitely doable.
Whether this team can overcome such a hurdle though? I know what my guess is but we'll see.
:lol: @ the Koscielny bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc Overmars
:blink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
:pal:
:getcoat:
The only thing I'd say is I'd much prefer us having to go out there needing to score because I don't have confidence in us sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. We're not good enough at that so there's that positive I suppose :unsure:
Aye I agree with this. If we would have won 2-0 last night...you know we would have gone there to try and hold the lead and probably fallen apart.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
At 1-1, we know we have to score and we also know we have to keep it tight at the back.....:haha:
We don't have anything to lose really as we are massive underdogs next week.
Personally, I would have taken Welshit off and put Kolasinac in his place - at least he is a threat.
Also would've chucked Nketiah on for 20 mins as well.
We are seeing this performance and result through Wenger lenses. Hardly a surprise given how long we've had to put up with the bloke and his pointless football (literally pointless on the road this year).
That was NOT a good performance lads. Sorry. But it just wasn't. It wasn't even a good enough performance to force a 10 man Madrid to commit Costa. Instead they emerge with an away goal and their main man waiting in the wings for the next match.
11 vs 10 for 83 mins and the Madrid players stroll off the pitch grinning, rather than crawl off it exhausted? That shows you exactly what sort of performance we put in. Another one paced, over passed, sideways, excessively complicated, inefficient farce. If lions or tigers hunted like we play they'd be extinct.
Last night was a BETTER performance BY OUR STANDARDS. Which isn't saying much I'm afraid. Yes, we had all the possession and 27 shots. One goal. Familiar story, isn't it? The lack of ruthlessness in front of goal. It doesn't matter who's up there, Theo, Bif, RvP, Ade, Arshavin, Alexis, Laca, we've got used to shouting, "Ooooh, unlucky!", every 5 minutes. We haven't been ruthless, like we used to be all those years ago, for over a decade.
It should be speed, pass, speed, pass, bang, GOAL. Like that Salah bloke we were cooing over, or that Griezemann bloke when Madrid lumped it (so vulgar but effective) and he did what he had to do to force the fucker into the net. People are saying he was lucky. Bullshit. He had to control the ball, he had to grab it again when Kos did his comedy routine (again), he had to recover it one more time when Ospina tried to outdo Kos and finally he had to hit the target while the Keystone Mustafi was sliding around as he usually does. Perseverance, getting the job done when the chance came along.
It took us 27 chances to get the job done. A hallmark of Wenger's Arsenal. We play at Wenger's tempo so we always give the opponent a chance and we always invite the opposition defenders to be comfortable. On the break, we'll stop and play it sideways and the move dies right there as the opposition get back into shape. We do it all the time. Our generosity knows no bounds. Defenders must love playing against us. There's always that stupid extra touch or that ridiculous desire to run into the congested area of the pitch. We have become masters at it.
For every pass Madrid played last night, we played 5. Tip, tap. Tip, tap. Almost all of it was played in front of their comfortable ranks of defenders who let us have the flanks, because Simeone did his homework (many managers do that) and knows that even if we get a cross in we won't have anyone in the box to meet it. The one time we broke that rule, we scored. Other than that, Madrid's wall shuffled left, shuffled right, defended the centre at a nice, leisurely stroll and watched our little triangles. Easy. Their ten could have played another 90 minutes at that pace.
In the second half Madrid had no midfield at all. Just their defensive wall and their one outlet striker stuck miles away up top. Of course we had a lot of the ball. Of course we had a lot of attempts. That's how Madrid played it. Our pea shooter and an endless supply of peas against their brick wall. I wonder will it be the same in Madrid? I'm thinking yes.
Or look at it another way. If it had been the other Madrid, or Barca, or PSG, or Bayern, or Liverpool or even the spuds, up against Atleti's 10 for 80 mins last night, would that game have ended 1-1? Honest answers only please.
It wasn't a good performance. It was Wengerball and that's the main problem the new manager faces when he comes in. How to disinfect the squad after years of exposure. Anyone who thinks that was a good performance is looking at this in a Wenger tinged light. Normal teams, normal fans wouldn't be walking away from that talking about great performances, or being unlucky. They'd be calling it like it is. We fucked up. Big time.
If Wenger decides to change EVERYTHING next week we have a chance, because we have some decent players. But he won't do that, will he? He'll do the same thing again and therefore so will Madrid. Maybe we'll get Oooooh, so close, or be really unlucky, or almost do it. But we've been there before, haven't we?
The new guy has a hell of a job on his hands.
Some People were singing and dancing when we sent Theo and a Giroud on their way.....but we could have used both of them last night. I find the lack of squad planning so infuriating at times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
I agree, a lot of people are saying we played well, we didn't. We played most of the game against ten men and we were in their penalty area for most of the first half, but couldn't score. We had to score when we were on top like that. We weren't ruthless with our chances and we were worried that that would come back to bite us and it did. Now we'll see if this team has mental strength or not.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
Can't see what Theo would have added. We had enough half talent/ half fluke players out there last night, Welbeck for example.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blink 1nce Quince 2wice
But I agree on Bif. IF he'd have got into the box and put some pressure on and IF we didn't do what Wenger normally did when Bif was playing - have him with his back to goal tapping it backwards.
Bif in the box last night could have unsettled Madrid. We don't have that type of player now. This is the thing with Wenger. He uses a utility player like Bif as the #1 striker when plainly he's not up to it. And then, when he eventually twigs Bif is a useful player in certain situations, he won't set up the team to take advantage.
Or let's say a normal manager could have used Bif effectively last night.
I can save you the trouble of waiting. It doesn't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
and bring in Kolasinac too - i was really hopinng he'd get brought on for Welbeck last night but Wenger didn't even do his 70-miinute-sub routine - he has gone beyond 'lost it' now...Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
What a mess - a pity about Kos but you play fools like Welbeck and Mustafi in a game like this and that is what happensQuote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
Welbeck is absolute sh*t, he has no footballing brain whatsoever, and is contstanly making the wrong decisions - that's when he even manages to control the ball in the first place...
I couldn’t believe he didn’t bring a sub on. I mean the bench was pretty uninspiring but you’ve got to at least throw on some fresh legs on if you’re chasing it against 10 men defending for their lives. Kolasinac or even Iwobi would have added something given how the game panned out.
I think Theo might have been effective in the first half when they were a bit more open and there was some space for him to run.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
Nobody sang his name at all last night - he really is driving in his reputation below ground level in these last few weeksQuote:
Originally Posted by Marc Overmars
Spot onQuote:
Originally Posted by Aubameyang's Wang
Welbeck was one of the standout players, according to many. I suppose it's because he runs around a lot and looks busy. We aren't used to that so we mistake it for good football. Coquelin was praised for that too. Neither player would be starting for any other top European club.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac76
Running around a lot and being busy is the bare minimum requirement. Once that's done you look for the player's additional attributes. Welbeck has none. But he brings plenty of liabilities.
Also, let’s sign Oblak. Perfect long term replacement for Cech.