Match reaction vs Everton

[Niall_Quinn]

Tippy tappy kills football. Playing a game that relies on 90%+ passing accuracy and dominant possession doesn't frighten English teams who know it is much easier to disrupt intricate football than play it. We call it the Arsenal Way, but we haven't actually been playing it successfully for years. Instead we have been losing the ball in critical areas, slowing the game down and making it much easier and more predictable for our opponents. By the numbers we've been able to grab a CL spot every season, without ever really challenging for more than that.

Everton moved the ball quickly into space yesterday and swept from one end to the other in seconds, where it might take us minutes of tapping backwards, forwards, backwards and forwards again to cover the same ground. When we eventually reach the opposition box we then have to go through the whole 20 flicks and tricks routine before losing the ball when the odds of impossible pass #24 goes against us. We have the players to play a much more expansive and direct game. But they are being wasted as things stand.

Ox got criticised for having 5 shots off target. He shouldn't be praised for being off target, but he should get some credit for shooting at all. Similarly Alexis shuffled left and right trying to put pressure on their back line and disrupt their flow at source. No fucker helped him. Anyone can play that role, just running around until you run out of steam. Why spend £30mill on a player to do that? It's a waste. How many times did Ramsey look up to find that nobody could be arsed to move and stretch the opposition? 5 yards tight passing, tip, tap. Little triangles on the edge of the box with a needle fine option for the pass, that then requires instant control and instant layoff to the next guy in the 5 yard pattern. Or blast it over to the other flank and start the tip tapping again.

It's irritating football. Statistical football. GPS vest football. Energy threshold football (which probably explains many of the weird substitutions). And it's boring football.

I remain okay with losing and being entertaining, rather than (almost) winning and being boring. Always have. Thing is, if we changed or game I don't think we'd lose. I think we have the players to win.

Barca of a few years ago were the best and most boring team I have ever seen. Arsenal of a few years back were almost the best but definitely the most entertaining I have ever seen. Someone was saying the great team from a decade back didn't win as much as it should have. Maybe that was the costof being so damn entertaining and I;d rather have the memories than the extra trophies.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Giroud is a weird one

Plays absolutely toilet sometimes (i.e. Besiktas) and you think we need to bench this guy and put Sanchez up top

We bench him but when he comes on he changes the game (i.e. Everton). Then you think 'we need a target man, maybe Giroud should start'

[Marc Overmars]

He's the best option for us because he's the only one comfortable playing with his back to goal, no point asking Sanchez/Theo to do the same when that's not what they're about. We need to play one of them off Giroud so we essentially have 2 up front.

[Munchies]

A 2 striker system would've been great for Podolski, but the thing is, we'd need a top CDM to play it.

And for the last 9 seasons, we haven't had that.

Sanchez - Ramsey - Pogba - Ox

Giroud - Feo

Something like that

[Dein-machine]

Giroud is a weird one

Plays absolutely toilet sometimes (i.e. Besiktas) and you think we need to bench this guy and put Sanchez up top

We bench him but when he comes on he changes the game (i.e. Everton). Then you think 'we need a target man, maybe Giroud should start'

We wouldn't have scored the equaliser without Giroud on the pitch but lets not get too carried away - He was hardly Messi. 70% of the time we get the Besiktas Giroud which is shit - a non-league player would give you more. Then in other games he has his moments & some of us on here think "there you go", we told you he was good. He looked good on Saturday because of what we compare him to. If that was most other average strikers it would have been a normal game where he missed 2 good chances by not hitting the target & then scored with one.

[Transplanted Gooner]

I can't really disagree (how disappointing), so I'll just add to this...

Tippy tappy kills football. Playing a game that relies on 90%+ passing accuracy and dominant possession doesn't frighten English teams who know it is much easier to disrupt intricate football than play it. We call it the Arsenal Way, but we haven't actually been playing it successfully for years. Instead we have been losing the ball in critical areas, slowing the game down and making it much easier and more predictable for our opponents. By the numbers we've been able to grab a CL spot every season, without ever really challenging for more than that.

We haven't been the team the media portray us as since 2007, since we went Cesc-centric. All the commentary about our lightning quick counter-attacks was just lazy and not based in reality.

Everton moved the ball quickly into space yesterday and swept from one end to the other in seconds, where it might take us minutes of tapping backwards, forwards, backwards and forwards again to cover the same ground. When we eventually reach the opposition box we then have to go through the whole 20 flicks and tricks routine before losing the ball when the odds of impossible pass #24 goes against us. We have the players to play a much more expansive and direct game. But they are being wasted as things stand.

I can't tell you the amount of times where we've come forward with equal or more players than the opposition only for a lack of drive to occur within 5 yards of a defender, and then the square/back pass. Opportunity wasted.

Ox got criticised for having 5 shots off target. He shouldn't be praised for being off target, but he should get some credit for shooting at all. Similarly Alexis shuffled left and right trying to put pressure on their back line and disrupt their flow at source. No fucker helped him. Anyone can play that role, just running around until you run out of steam. Why spend £30mill on a player to do that? It's a waste. How many times did Ramsey look up to find that nobody could be arsed to move and stretch the opposition? 5 yards tight passing, tip, tap. Little triangles on the edge of the box with a needle fine option for the pass, that then requires instant control and instant layoff to the next guy in the 5 yard pattern. Or blast it over to the other flank and start the tip tapping again.

(underline mine)This is what kills me; seeing nobody making runs. Even decoy runs. Just anything to keep the defence honest. Instead, let's go around the left, around the right. dink-dink... interception/overhit ball to the goalline.