Match Reaction v Scrotes

[Letters]

Ive always said the attack was our biggest weakness

Then you've always been wrong.

[Letters]

Meh. A point away at Stoke is not a disaster. We need Podolski and Giroud to get going quickly though, it is worrying where the goals are going to come from.

[Cripps_orig]

Then you've always been wrong.

7 years of winning shit proves me right

Not winning the title in 07/08 cos of 4 0-0s in a row also does tbh

[Niall_Quinn]

If you've given up with football like you say, why are you still wasting your time posting this?

Good point, just like when somebody dies. Kick them in a hole and forget they ever lived. This is a forum to discuss football. It's not the actual match. Different things. Anyway, I'm going to watch Barca later. Hate them but at least they can play.

[Özim]

There are lots of cliches that can be thrown about at this moment: Could do better; it will take time; etc.

The reality is that this is a new team with a new attacking system and key player. It would have been fantastic if things had gone right from the beginning but they have not. Now we have to look towards next week and next weekend. I think that Arsnal need a couple of new players and they need a result from the Liverpool match. Personally, I would not be surprised to see an Arsenal win but it will be very difficult.

They shoed an interview with Geoff Cameron of Stoke, and it speaks volumes that Stoke wanted to stop Arsenal playing more than they wanted to play their game.

The reality is we've been waiting for 7 years, we're not gonna wait for another year or two. This is the final final final final chance, looks like he's blown it.

[gunnerrrrr]

Meh. A point away at Stoke is not a disaster. We need Podolski and Giroud to get going quickly though, it is worrying where the goals are going to come from.

This

[Ernesto]

Forgive me as I state the obvious, but a draw at the Britannia is clearly a damn sight better than a loss. By 3.30pm today, we could've found ourselves in exactly the same predicament as we did last season. 2 games, 1 point. We're a smidgen better this season, but we're hardly setting the world alight.

And this is what I'd like to focus on. Tactically, we're a mess. Our players aren't set up in the right positions from defence upwards and they are making limited positive movement in the final 3rd. For us to have 12 corners in a game and not even threaten the 'keeper once today shows that we're not learning from last season's mistakes. Either that, or we choose not to improve in an area in which we CAN score goals. Seeing as we always seem to be at sixes and sevens when defending corners, too (thank goodness Stoke didn't get one today!) is perhaps the proof in the pudding that we are deciding not to practise the art of taking and defending set-pieces in training.

It doesn't even appear to be a problem in attitude, either. The only player I saw causing a strop was Giroud, a player who didn't affect the game today and ought to have made way instead of Podolski. I'm hoping this is just a question of getting up to match fitness for most of our players. We used to have a ECL qualifier in the first midweek of the season, and while it's nice not to have such a stressful game on our heads this time around, it was probably still responsible for helping our players gel and push on in the league.

Ah, well. Bring on Liverpool. If the law of averages are anything to go by, they're due a win against us at Anfield, so I look foward to next week's game with baited breath.

[Cripps_orig]

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "It was a solid game and we showed a dominant spirit and there are a lot of positives. The negatives are we didn't score in our first two games but I think that will come because we have lot of new players."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "We have some work to do on [creating chances] front. Give credit to Stoke, they defended very well. They played a real committed game, and were well organised. You always felt that we were dangerous, but we couldn't finish it off and we have work to do in the final third. I don't want to take anything from Robin van Persie because he is an exceptional player, but I still don't worry that we will score goals with the players we have."

On transfer business: "I don't rule it out. We are active, we have eyes open and there could still be some action in the transfer market."

Full comments coming later

[Letters]

7 years of winning shit proves me right

That doesn't make sense. We've scored more than most teams over the last 7 years. That has never been an issue. Even last year we scored more than anyone outside the top 2.
Where we've fallen down repeatedly is conceding more goals than anyone in the top 4.

[Syn]

Thought the back four, esp. Jenkers and the overrated worse-than-shit Vermaelen were absolutely brilliant today.

Diaby was a let down but he is trying hard. Poor play from Giroud is the reason we don't have 6/6, IMO. Ah well, I don't mind a point from Stoke. They'll take points from other top teams too. It's the Sunderland draw that bothers 'me.