Match Reaction vs Chelsea

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Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy

well what have you seen that chelsea and city have convinced you they are the best sides? poor away records? playing for draws in the big games? what? they have been poor this season, thats why we are above them.

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They aren't a great side, they have been poor this season and yet are what 2 points behind us when we've had a good season thus far, they're only going to improve in reality. They were away from home at the end of the day so a draw is a better result for them.

We've got another run like this in March April and I think we'll drop points left right and centre again tbh, haven't seen anything to make me think otherwise.

I feel deflated after that. Been a familiar feeling this past month.

Before this season we were perennial top 4 material. I'm sorry but I see no fundamental change in this team, or the manager's tactics. We have improved defensively, no doubt. But now Ramsey's hot streak has ended and Giroud's looking fairly ordinary again, we struggle to make goalscoring opportunities. We hold an almost suicidally high line - giving inevitable opportunities to the opposition - yet at times look so easy to defend against.

We've spent #42m on one player, yet as we have posted all the usual results/performances against the top teams over the past month, we have looked desperately short of a match winner.

We need a real step change if we are to win things, not gradual improvement, because I see all of the traditional top teams in this league being noteably stronger during the second half of this season, yet alone next season. I'm afraid we are not seeing a step change - and all those who questioned our credentials despite our good start are being proved right.

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Originally Posted by Penguin

It's funny how people think all of our problems would magically be solved if we sign a world class striker - they wont. Our problems run deeper than that.

I'm not overly concerned by today's result but the performance was uninspiring. We always struggle to break down organised teams because our passing is too slow and predictable. I'd be more worried if I was a Chelsea fan.

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Tonight was never going to be a goal-fest, we made few chances against a well organised Chelsea side.
Giroud had a good chance and put it wide. Someone like RvP, Aguero or Suarez is scoring that and that's the difference in games like that. I like Giroud but he's not at the level of a player who can lead the line in a title winning side.

I'm pretty fed up about tonight's result. If you'd given me joint top at Christmas at the start of the season I'd have bitten your arm off but from where we were a few games ago it seems disappointing. We have to win the next few games now to stay in the race.

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Originally Posted by Özim

If I'm honest I just don't believe in this side, I needed to see us produce something in the last few games, something that tells me we're capable of winning the league, I haven't seen that, we're not the best team and the best team usually wins the league. Until we can show we are capable of beating the top sides, I'm never going to truly believe and will continue to see us as 2nd tier. 2 points from 9 with 2 games at home is a poor return IMO.

A striker might help but I'm not sure Wenger will spend and don't know who is available, we need someone World class who can guarantee goals.

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Agreed.

Sorry for being pedantic.

If we are joint top, then Liverpool were joint champions.

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Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

That really should be looked into.

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in the current match fixing climate, i need a lot of convincing that he isn't a corrupt cunt

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Originally Posted by the ollie and the ivy

hmm with our midfield, our strikers shouldn't need to create chances, they should be finishing them.

however, all out bids for falcao, lewandoski and costa. one should be gettable. got to get one of those

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Sometimes Giroud is way too deep. When he gets the ball, he can't create his own chances. Someone pacey would turn and run at defenders, hence create his own chances. That's what I meant.

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Originally Posted by Steve French

Sorry for being pedantic.

If we are joint top, then Liverpool were joint champions.

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I can go along with that.

for the last 8 years we've all moaned about fighting for fourth every year, we get to one season where we sign a genuine world class player, get to christmas level on points with first place and still people moan? do you not enjoy football at all?

To look at the positive side tho, we have just had a horrible December. In other years that have meant that we have had to fight back from 7-8th spot, if we "fight back" this year it could mean that we end up as champions.