Match Reaction v Man Utd (home)

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Originally Posted by IBK

Youre kidding, right? Rashford had 3 touches in the final 30 mins of this game...Tomi a big part of that, and he settled well after a rusty 5/10 mins....

As for RB issues? Nah mate. Benny Blanco had an off day...but he has been one of our best players all season, and proven it against big teams along the way. Don't think we have much to worry about here. Not many LW's as mustard as Rashford ATM.

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No, not kidding...if I recall correctly Tomi only came out successful against Rashford once and though that's not a crime due to the Rashford's amazing form ATM, he added little to nothing to our attack...in general I don't think he gels that well with Saka, compared to a White ( when he's on form though).

I doubt there's anyone on here who is a bigger cheerleader to White than me, but he was so poor yesterday that it almost felt like a betrayal of some sort...forget that Rashford was on form but Ben was also poor going forward to and just didn't look like he wanted to be on the pitch.

With Southgate in the stands I couldn't help but think about whatever he did that got him sent home from the WC... he still is my favourite defender at the club but honestly his mentality worries me a bit.

Anyway Arteta saw what most of us saw and gave him a deserved break, lets see how other big games go though.

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Originally Posted by mandela8

White is fuckin shite.

Not strong enough for CB and lacks the technical ability to play RB.

Another one of these players who seem to get a pass for being poor. Actually mental to see people credit him with being good all season. Just a complete lack of insight.

One interesting aspect was how much better Saka was in the second half and I don't think it's a coincidence that his improvement coincided with having an actual RB behind him, getting into the positions a RB should to create space, another option or occupy a defender.

White wasn't just poor yesterday, he was genuinely disgraceful.

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I’m not entirely convinced you don’t just dislike English players….though that said not seen you slag off Ramsdale too much

I’m not convinced White is a right back but from a defensive point of view he’s been outstanding, the amount of interceptions and clearances he’s made…and he’s started to contribute more going forward. I mean anyone who clearly hasn’t seen the improvement from last season to this one, is clearly the type of person who hangs around outside primary schools ready to expose themselves to kids

He was poor yesterday and absolutely spot on that Arteta replaced him, he was a second yellow card waiting to happen. But to suggest that yesterday sums up his entire season, is the kind of thing that only someone who refused to bin their old Jim’ll Fix it annuals would do.

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

I’m not entirely convinced you don’t just dislike English players….though that said not seen you slag off Ramsdale too much

I’m not convinced White is a right back but from a defensive point of view he’s been outstanding, the amount of interceptions and clearances he’s made…and he’s started to contribute more going forward. I mean anyone who clearly hasn’t seen the improvement from last season to this one, is clearly the type of person who hangs around outside primary schools ready to expose themselves to kids

He was poor yesterday and absolutely spot on that Arteta replaced him, he was a second yellow card waiting to happen. But to suggest that yesterday sums up his entire season, is the kind of thing that only someone who refused to bin their old Jim’ll Fix it annuals would do.

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You can't help yourself can you :haha:

It’s funny because regardless of what we think about certain players, tactics, ability etc. This team has blown everyone’s expectations out of the water. Whatever it is, it’s working.

One thing I like about Areteta is that in almost every interview he keeps insisting the team is a work in progress and are constantly working to improve.

Is this my dream Arsenal team? No. And I mean if I look at all the players, only Saka would make my dream 11 for this club going into the future (and maybe Partey at his best).

But do they play with the commitment and drive I'd want my dream Arsenal team to play with...well clearly they do and its really really lovely to watch. I mean look at Eddies first goal for evidence of that team ethic.

So in summary, we might not have the final product or the best players in most positions, but as a team, these guys are playing their socks off and it is a joy to behold.

You've got to give the Rookie his props for making this magic happen and hopefully he'll perfect the rest (with our criticisms helping though :lol: )

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

You can't help yourself can you :haha:

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The Guy is a piece of shit what can I say

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

One thing I like about Areteta is that in almost every interview he keeps insisting the team is a work in progress and are constantly working to improve.

Is this my dream Arsenal team? No. And I mean if I look at all the players, only Saka would make my dream 11 for this club going into the future (and maybe Partey at his best).

But do they play with the commitment and drive I'd want my dream Arsenal team to play with...well clearly they do and its really really lovely to watch. I mean look at Eddies first goal for evidence of that team ethic.

So in summary, we might not have the final product or the best players in most positions, but as a team, these guys are playing their socks off and it is a joy to behold.

You've got to give the Rookie his props for making this magic happen and hopefully he'll perfect the rest (with our criticisms helping though :lol: )

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I won’t lie I haven’t listened to Arteta do a pre or post match interview in ages, not interested in hearing what he has to say.

I've always liked Arteta, but he always felt like a punt. He had no real experience at this level.
I thought he came across pretty well in All or Nothing, his team talks were bizarre but seemed to be effective for the team, which is the main thing.
There has been progress under him but the rate of it has been frustratingly slow. Then this season happened.
I did get the sense from All or Nothing that there was a strategy and they were trying to build something, I don't think any of us expected us to step up so much this season - my guess is Arteta secretly didn't expect it either.

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Originally Posted by mandela8

Zinchenko isn't a great defender but he's adequate. He's not there for his defensive capabilities anyway. If you can't see how he enables the entire system Arteta wants to play them I'm naw even sure what the fuck to say.

Baffling.

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if you're talking to me then all i can say is read my comments again - i said clearly he brings good things to the team but just slightly surprised everyone's ignoring his many fuckups - that's all

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Originally Posted by mandela8

The other point that seems to be neglected on here is just how fuckin atrocious Xhaka is being exposed as, with the fluidity, composure, cuteness and progressive play of Zinchenko, Partey and Odegaard on display next to him. To see how much slower, limited and how poor his decisions are compared to them is unbelievable. He's such an clear and obvious area of improvement that it's actually really encouraging that arsenal are where they are with him in the team. The number of moves that break down or aren't optimized due to him is insane.

Simply not good enough but also seems to get a pass because he isn't gifting goals or getting sent off...while people criticise Zinchenko and Partey giving the ball away :haha:

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It's well known I'm no fan of Xhaka and would happily see him sold for better, but yesterday he provided a spot-on cross for Eddie's header when that seemed to be beyond the rest of our team, plus one or two very good attacking cross-field passes from him too and tbh i didn't see him do much wrong

For the moment at least he also seems to be avoiding the yellows and red-mist moments (though why more teams don't try to provoke him a bit more is beyond me, I'd have everyone constantly at his heels until he blew up :lol:)