Match Reaction v Udinese

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

firstly, i found the BBC sport report of the match unnecessarily scathing of our defence which actually wasn't that terrible (with the exception of Armero being almost clean through) , and it dealt well when it was actually the midfield giving the ball away that put it under sustained pressure.
Secondly it's painfully obvious we are lacking in creativity and if Wenger ignores this than he is going to find goals and subsequently wins hard to come by, as the crowd in the north bank (still feel uncomfortable with the idea of that considering a bowl shaped stadium doesn't by definition have stands) rightfully said "spend some f**king money!"
Also was anyone else in the North Bank upper and witness a man get taken ill during the game, i was watching the st johns ambulance and the doctors attending to him instead of the game during a period of the second half, fortunately he seemed to be ok.....the stewards were bloody slow to react though.

[AKBapologist]

Don't by this lack of creativity stuff either.

Our play doesn't go through the center any more, if anything it's a change of the times. Given that's how united won the league last year I'm all for it too.

Strikers weren't good enough today, Theo the best, Gervinho positive, but there final ball is annoyingly bad given the positions they got into a number of times in the game. Same deal with vs Newcastle. Front 3 just weren't at the races.

[selassie]

First half OK, 2nd Half painful. Really not looking forward to this season given what I've seen so far.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Don't by this lack of creativity stuff either.
Our play doesn't go through the center any more, if anything it's a change of the times. Given that's how united won the league last year I'm all for it too.
Strikers weren't good enough today, Theo the best, Gervinho positive, but there final ball is annoyingly bad given the positions they got into a number of times in the game. Same deal with vs Newcastle. Front 3 just weren't at the races.

It's not only creativity but the ability to exert control through possession. Central midfield is absolutely key in this.

Don't forget that for many, Utd won the league by default last year as much through the failings of others as their own play.

At their best Utd played with 2 forwards, Rooney and Hernandez both of whom drop deep with the all front 4 able to interchange. Flexibility in attack (something we're often accused of lacking) is as much a factor as any system or style of play in deciding whether you score goals against the variety of opponents over a season.

[AKBapologist]

It's not only creativity but the ability to exert control through possession. Central midfield is absolutely key in this.

Don't forget that for many, Utd won the league by default last year as much through the failings of others as their own play.

At their best Utd played with 2 forwards, Rooney and Hernandez both of whom drop deep with the all front 4 able to interchange. Flexibility in attack (something we're often accused of lacking) is as much a factor as any system or style of play in deciding whether you score goals against the variety of opponents over a season.

Oh agree that we're missing center mid pass masters, but you don't need to dominate games to win them.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Chesney

That is all.

[Ernesto]

First of all, it's very nice to win. It's lifts the doom and gloom here, and at the Emirates at least temporarily.

In terms of football and the result itself, it's very worrying. Udinese showed us a thing or two when it comes to playing direct football with pace. It was like they were attacking us with 5xTheo Walcotts at times! This is probably what England felt like when Puskas and Co attacked them at Wembley in the '50s (although, thankfully, at least we still have the result to show for it)

The lack of pace in this side now is dreadful and, ironically, we sold the one player other than Walcott (who blows hot and cold himself) who can easily skin the opposition yesterday- namely, Eboue.

[Flavs]

I am a little mixed up by last night to be honest. I was happy with the win and happy with another clean sheet, happy Theo actually did something productive, happy SZAGXCTDEIEBEH was still shouting and organising and over the fecking moon that Rosicky seems to have turned back into the player he was 4 or 5 years ago. Also pleased that Jenko and the Pong got champs league debuts...but that leads to the down side. ..

We are supposed to be a big club, a title chasing, champs league top 4 side. Look at the players we had to bring on last night? Frimpong has less than 5 senior appearances and Jenkinson was playing in the conference 5 months ago. Even our “starting line up” isn’t anywhere near good enough at this level, while i think they could be solid as a rock with a better tactic and i appreciate we have loads missing to get to this stage of the season without replacing those who have left is a disgrace.

The bullshitometer has gone to 11 in pre-season and i think it will only get worse, we have 13 days to get rid of the she-male and buy in probably 2 midfielders, a striker, a left back and a centre half. Does anyone genuinely think we will do this? Or even if we do it would matter to the way we play? We are tactically inept, 5 times..5! we got into a shooting position last night and turned out wide and passed to the overlapping full back? Why??? It doesn’t make any sense as we don’t cross the ball and even if we did there is no one in the box to head the fecking thing anyway. There was a period last night between 60-75mins that was like watching schoolboy footie, everyone swarming around the ball, panicky at the back and nothing up front. If this tactic was developed for Cesc why are we still playing it?

I fear Ramsey will get knackered very quickly as everything seems to hinge on him, we need to play 2 up front simple as that, we have the personnel to do this, either RvP and Theo or Chamakh and Gervinho simple as that. I know 4-4-2 is dying out but a fluid version with a de3ep lying forward would make us so much more solid up front and in midfield. It won’t change of course as Arsene has completely lost it but there you go.

[Flavs]

Oh and FFS someone kick Chamakh up the arse. If you are going to play on your own up front one of your jobs is to occupy their back four and annoy the shit out of them, not just to wander round looking a little too much like a goose

[Flavs]

Secondly it's painfully obvious we are lacking in creativity and if Wenger ignores this than he is going to find goals and subsequently wins hard to come by

I am not sure thats true mate, i think we have more than enough ability in the team to make a goal, what we dont have is the supporting tactical nuance to give the creative players the license and the confidence in their team mates to just let it flow. RvP is the perfect example of this, a deep lying forward with the long shots, size, skill and creativity to score and make 30 goals a season, but we play him as a pinnacle striker

I genuinely think some of our players are scared to try siomething different because if they lose the ball the opposition can punch holes in our team like me in a virgin