Third PL clean sheet in a row :bow:.
Lacashitezette :bow:.
Kolasinac :bow:.
Monreal :bow:.
Wenger :bow:.
Pulis :haha:.
Madley :wacko:.
Printable View
Third PL clean sheet in a row :bow:.
Lacashitezette :bow:.
Kolasinac :bow:.
Monreal :bow:.
Wenger :bow:.
Pulis :haha:.
Madley :wacko:.
Monreal and Koscielny are class.
Pulis. :lol:
He has tumbled.
Calling for Alexis to be booked for diving. :unsure:
Pulls is upset.
3 clean sheets in a row :lol:
How the feck have we managed that :lol:
Dodgy refereeing and shite finishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vieira
:ladynana:
Didn’t see it. Sounds like I missed another classic...
We’re on a roll, superb wins over Bournemouth, Chelsea and West Brom. It’s on!
Elneny, Monreal, Kola, and Lacazette had good games. Alexis needs to cut out the over dribbling. Ramsey was decent.
Xhaka just looks lost out there, he always seems to be a step behind. Whenever the tempo of the game picks up. He just gets looks off the pace.
A dodgy performance and probably should have been two goals in the first half with a penalty awarded to them. We looked so stretched in the first half. The defenders were playing so wide apart with Kos and Monreal practically taking up wingback positions. Our CM's weren't much better. Elneny pushing up field too early and Xhaka not being able to find the right pass or space. We were lucky not to concede early because we were reckless in possession. With Elneny pushing so far forward early, my guess is that he's been instructed to play that in order to give Xhaka more space. Elneny never usually plays that way so it was unusual to see. But whatever the case, Xhaka can't control the midfield. Seen plenty online say we're playing him wrong and he needs to be able to sit deep and spread play but he's been given that freedom a day still looks shocking. We looks worse in fact. His passing percentages are worse this season.
Overall, not a great performance but much better in the second half. We had more control of the game and got much tighter. Good to Lacazette on the score sheet. Besides the goals, he's showing his quality. Work rate and some nice touches, flicks and a cheeky nutmeg. Need to get him involved more. Totally different performance to Chelsea and it seems like we can't defend well and attack. It's like we have two modes when approaching games. The organisation went right out of the window last night.
Wenger :bow:Quote:
Originally Posted by Vieira
I just realised that I had no idea how we got on last night and had forgotten we were playing.
Looked up the score.
Yay.
Yep this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur
I thought we were horrible first half, a better side would have really punished us. Central Midfield is a real concern for me, with Elneny & Xhaka in there neither of them excel in anything or offer us that extra bit of quality offensively or defensively. I also thought we looked really disorganised in Central Defence in the first half, Mustafi had an absolute stinker, honestly I don't really rate him, he's way too rash. We definitely improved second half and took control of the game as we functioned better as a unit. Despite that I look at this team and think Meh, for all the money we have spent I don't actually think we have improved at all in like 3 seasons!
Once again we show we just cannot handle the high press, and our victory last night is largely attributable to West Brom running out of steam.
We all know they had a stonewall penalty, I respect the honesty of Jay Rodriguez to get up and take his chance but surely once the advantage has been played the referee has the option to bring it back for the spot kick? (That's a genuine question)
Mustafi what was he playing at?
Elneny seemed to want to be occupying the same part of the pitch as Ramsey
We tended only to look dangerous when Kolasinac bombed forward (high press don't bother him)
Kolasinac is a magnificent player.
Such a shame that he was free and therefore doesn't count.
Free players :lol:
Awlful signings.
All joking aside he is a decent enough player but just one of a collection of decent enough players in a directionless team.Quote:
Originally Posted by GP
That's not true <_<
Our direction is round and round in circles.
Don't worry, things will change this season. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
I'll judge that at the end of the season :sulk:
I enjoyed watching our games when we had Cesc, Rosicky, Hleb, RVP and Ade. We're not entertaining to watch anymore. The midfield is a serious problem and have no idea why Wenger has filled it with the wrong sort of players despite seeing how well Rosicky and then Cazorla when paired with a tackler.Quote:
Originally Posted by selassie
I think honestly even with those players who were largely the core of the team during what was for me a very turgid 06/07 season there were plenty of games. Where we lost 1-0 where we created nothing and then went to sleep at set pieces
The point is taken in that a season later we improved immeasurably and in my view should have won the title. Fabregas used to irritate me at times as much as Ozil did, he forever would look for a pass when there wasn't one on.
The last time for me we played consistently good football was 2015 when Ozil returned from injury, Ramsey was playing well, so was Giroud, so was Sanchez. Games like the 4-1 trouncing of Liverpool at the Emirates and the FA cup win over Aston Villa are honestly for me the best we'd played in years.
I don't get why we're still persisting with this formation. Wenger changed to 3 at the back to make us more solid defensively but it's not doing that. We're as vulnerable as ever. Wingers keep finding space behind our wing backs which pulls one of the CBs out of position and leaves far too much space in our box. Our CMs are too slow to drop back and help out too which is why teams keep getting chances by crossing to the free man.Quote:
Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur
The formation itself isn't the problem, it's that we're playing it wrong. Wenger just picks the players and waits for them to figure out how to play it themselves. It's not working. Why don't we just go back to the 4-3-3 that we already know inside out?
I enjoyed that team too, don't get me wrong the mentality issues were definitely there, but if we had kept that team together I think we could have gone on to win a title, the 07/08 team especially was extremely balanced.Quote:
Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur
Wenger has royally f*cked up Central Midfield, it's basically full of filler/squad level type players and I include Xhaka in that list.
Like you say, why he hasn't tried to replace Santi/Rosicky like for like is beyond me.
Did anyone listen to Ramsey's interview last night? It was embarrassing, though I don't think the player realised.
He said we got stuffed by Liverpool because we left huge gaps for them to exploit. He said we tightened all that up against the chavs and worked as a team.
Fair enough. But can't that be translated as, Wenger fucked up against Liverpool by committing schoolyard mistakes that inevitably led to a hammering, and he did nothing to correct those mistakes? Then he twigged for the chav match and did the obvious things that any fool manager should be doing as a bare minimum.
But here's the thing. Last night we went back to leaving the huge gaps in the middle. So what the fuck? Where's the consistency and progress? Wenger got lucky last night because his shitty tactics could have easily led us to going a goal down and then, who knows?
Is Ramsey saying, yes, this manager can learn lessons but then he forgets about them and the whole thing resets? Besides, haven't we been hammered by our supposed rivals on so many occasions now that it makes it a virtual crime to go out against Liverpool set up like that - again?
I'm sure Ramsey didn't know it, but he issued a major indictment of Wenger last night. Or maybe he did know it.
Very little changes tons of possession but little end result. Goals from free kick and penalty. Lack of action in the box meant that this game could have easily been lost like so many others despite being dominant in terms of possession.
I switched off in the 62nd minute. I just could watch the match any longer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur
Our football is so dull the only moments of excitement come from when we have midfield and defensive brain farts inviting pressure on ourselves.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...6377173535.jpgQuote:
'Sanchez dived for the first free-kick (when Craig Dawson appeared to bring him down) — and that is cheating,' Pulis said. 'We don't get any reward for being honest. It could have been the player [Mustafi] sent off as well.
'Everybody has seen what's happened. I think if you want to make an example of something I think Sanchez, the first free-kick he gives on the edge of the box Sanchez actually dives and he should be booked for diving in my opinion.
'I think the decisions that were made tonight it's lovely the viewers can watch them. Sanchez should get booked in the first couple of minutes for diving on the edge of the box. There's no-one near him and the referee gives a free kick.
Pulis has a point. Here you can see Alexis pushing his body into Dawson who has to put his hands up to defend himself. Then Alexis shoves himself off Dawson's hands and dives onto the ground. Correct decision would have been to send Alexis off for being foreign and award a pen to West Brom for all the honesty they showed with their non-stop fouling.
It's a major indictment of themselves. We know full well that matches like city and Chelsea the other week aren't a result of tactical planning by the manager but when they club together and do it themselves. If they can only be bothered to do it occasionally it just doesn't speak highly of them as professionalsQuote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
On one hand what's the point of a manager who doesn't give the team a tactical game plan. On the other hand if you know that's the case if you had anything about you wouldn't you just formulate a plan between yourselves week in, week out
A little trick you can try. Pretend the goals are swapped and we're attacking the other end. Soon you will find you are watching progressive football that is always looking to go forward. Plus we win more of the big games, sometimes by handsome scorelines.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall Quinn
Yep, nail on head. The first half yesterday was an abomination of a performance, we basically reverted to type.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
It was bad enough that we left gaping holes, we looked seriously disjointed going forward too.
Wenger and the team are going to need to resolve this ASAP because if we are going to get anything out of this season then the bare minimum must be the structure and tactics we implemented in the Chelsea game.
The difference is West Brom pressed us higher up the pitch more than Chelsea did
You only have to do that and be a decent footballing side and you are guaranteed a result against us
West Brom got it half right.
And that leads us to a cruel and persistent joke. We're supposed to be a technical team and a passing team. So why don't we have the technique and composure to deal with pressure when we have the ball? The number of forced mistakes is outrageous. We're a technical, passing team when the opponent allows us the time and space to show off. Then we develop a swagger to go with our sideways passing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie
That's the difference between Ozil, Fabregas and Alexis. When we have zero movement and no creativity, the latter two would go for broke and try something different. Telegraph a pass just to let the receiver know the runs he should make and what sort of passes they're capable of. Ozil plays it too safe and it's ball to feet all day. That pass Sanchez played through the middle that played Ramsey through, I hardly see Ozil play that sort of pass. Over the last 2 or 3 games, Sanchez has played the sort of passes that has me applauding. I need to see more of that from Ozil. Not just accurate ball to feet passes. Play it into space that puts a defender in trouble scurrying back to defend.Quote:
Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie
I'd take Ozil passing to feet over Ramsey passing to opponents.Quote:
Originally Posted by Delusions of Grandeur
It doesn't help that we have slugs in Central Midfield, they are slow at everything, passing, moving, closing down space, beating the press...you name it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie
Wenger has had a lot of time to figure out how to combat or at least beat the press, he should be a master at it, he's been in the Prem for god knows how long.
Cazorla used to sort it out for him. Santi's a master at getting the ball under pressure and finding a way to get it forward and behind the rush. Or he was until he died. Santi compensated for all of Wenger's Crayola planning. Now we have Coquelin, Elneny and Xhaka who, as well, can also play there. And we have Ramsey who is told to play there but plays elsewhere. And we have Jack who, if he wasn't a brain donor, might be the one player who could genuinely attempt to fill the role.Quote:
Originally Posted by selassie
I hear ya. He's found a way to play a 3-4-3 like a 4-3-3. They said this on the Arsenal Vision Podcast and it's a good point. Wenger has lost it. He doesn't know the strengths of his players or how to work a formation. He's the problem and will forever be the problem no matter what we try because he can't adapt or think on his toes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Penguin
He has no idea what he's doing. Even once stumbling on a winning formula he doesn't see the qualities needed in his players to try and replicate that once someone is injured or moves on from the club. Constantly chasing our tail.Quote:
Originally Posted by selassie
:gp: Exactly what I thought. That Chav game was a one off. The old man has dementia. The only explanation for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn