Match reaction v the orcs

[milla]

Anyway, as far is match reaction to the game, I'm delighted!

Chensey has been solid for a while now. Caught absolutely everything cleanly and was decisive which is all you can ask for.

Back 4 were solid. Captain Mert in particular stood out. I'm happy with him being our first team captain. He should get the job permanently.

Flamini and Ramsey have formed a great partnership. Regarding the whole Arteta returning situation, I'd say if it aint broke - don't fix it. Those two work great together, and it's nice to have options. Glad Arteta is back though as they could certainly do with a break.

Ozil was pretty anonymous yet got 3 assists, as ridiculous as that sounds!

We didn't miss Theo much. Don't think this was the sort of game he'd thrive in, and Gnarby was good at showing for the ball and retaining it.

Jack had an up and down performance. Many are slating him for it but I think he put in a good display and it's something to build on. I must say I do worry for him though. For such a small guy he doesn't know how to protect himself. He loves going for those balls even when there's a guarantee he'll get crunched hard after. I know he's brave and that's great, but he's no use to us injured. He needs to protect himself a bit better.

Giroud I think again is getting unfairly slated. He just went up against one of the most imposing, nasty and aggressive CB pairings in the league, and left with a lot of credit. He held the ball up well on occasions, never hid, and actually won the majority of the arial battles. A very impressive display despite lacking that final bit of quality needed for him to score. Impressive performance from him for me.

We're certainly a team on form. Loving this! The games can't come soon enough!

Dr Singh

[Power n Glory]

There was me thinking Arteta and Ramsey playing together was the reason we got blitzed at home to Bayern Munich, no protection in front of the back four and no cohesiveness in midfield....playing them together for me was a disaster....because even when we had a winning run with them in midfield towards the back end of last season the performances were dreadful...struggling to beat QPR, Fulham etc
Then again if Ramsey wasn't scoring goals i'd be happy for neither of them to play, and have a three man midfield consisting of three of the four of Ozil, Wilshere, Cazorla and Flamini.

Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere have struggled in the midfield and I'm really not of fan of that combo. You're right about the lack of cohesion and protection to the back four. I think Ramsey and Wilshere hold on to the ball for too long, play too many high risk passes and also wonder all over the pitch too much. Arteta lacks mobility and can't cover that much ground.

When we have more players back it will be interesting to see what happens. I don't think Ramsey and Wilshere work well together at all. It's one or the other. We have plenty of options to play with once we have more players back.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Why do you think the Flamini and Ramsey combo isn't working? It's not as if Flamini ventures that far up field and then when you look at the goals Ramsey is scoring.....he's moving further up field even more. Towards the end of last season he started getting games down the centre again but when we were desperate for points. He was more defensive minded then or that was the call of the day because had to tighten up at the back. Also worth pointing out that we had Rosicky. He doesn't float about from flank to flank as much as Ozil does or Jack for that matter.

I didn't say it isn't working as such but I think Arteta will work better and give the midfield a better shape. You are right about Ramsey's role being different which is why I should have cited Arteta's individual qualities.

[GP]

Nah man, Arteta is pointless, remember?



He's vital and we've missed him.

[Power n Glory]

I didn't say it isn't working as such but I think Arteta will work better and give the midfield a better shape. You are right about Ramsey's role being different which is why I should have cited Arteta's individual qualities.

But why would he give us better shape? What would he do that Flamini isn't already doing or what would he do better?

[Dr Singh]

I think it just depends on a game to game basis.

It's nice to know our squad has about 18 players who can slot in and out, with no great reduction in quality. We have the strongest squad we've had in nearly a decade.

[Munchies]

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

those ratings and observations are off the mark. Giroud had a stinker in the second half - fucked up so many counter opportunities when Stoke held a higher line. Defence was dodgy all the way through. Wilshere was decent, creating a few opportunities, particularly in playing Giroud through and Ozil in the second. Also made some good runs - one in particular that Giroud could've easily played him through on goal in the second half but messed up the header. Flamini was ok but they were allowed too much space in the centre. We definitely missed Theo but Gnabry had a good half until he was subbed. Hope he's ok to return next week.

Wasn't a good performance. Everyone was quite sloppy again. Some players definitely need a game off to recover. Quite clear to see our midfield apart from Ramsey are not fit enough atm to handle 2 games a week for 6-7 weeks in a row.

How was Flamini only 'okay' yet he was given MOTM?





^That performance is as good as you'll see from an Arsenal player this season.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

But why would he give us better shape? What would he do that Flamini isn't already doing or what would he do better?

Exactly.

All the video clips of Flamini so far this season have shown him being very effective.

In today's game the defence passed him the ball a number of times and the opposition put him under pressure straight away, yet he was able to stay composed and distribute the ball forwards. Arteta doesn't do that. The fact Flamini is calm under pressure is important for any DM as it helps link up play easily.

On top of that, he gets stuck in and throws himself about, something Arteta doesn't do once again.

Instant upgrade imo. Top player.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Has the site been hacked again?