Match Reaction Chelsea Away PL 2016-17 season

[Niall_Quinn]

It's not even like Hazard had to use his undoubted ability. A shit player like Capoue did exactly the same on Tuesday.

Coincidence. Nothing in it. Can safely be ignored.

[Maestro]

Come on then, it's time for the Wenger Excuses Sweepstake.

I'm going with, "The first goal was vital, it is a foul. After that we were chasing the game and got caught on the break. But we showed great spirit and were unlucky."

That right there should be a thread on its own. For today's sweepstake I'll go with your prediction above.

[Power n Glory]

We need to have a serious look at our midfield in the close season.

Coquelin should only ever have been a stopgap solution, not a permanent fixture in the engine room.

Not convinced by the alternatives either.

Elneny, xhaka, Ramsey, iwobi - none of them are ever going to dominate against the big boys. Flat track bullies all of them.

It doesn't really matter who we buy. The manager is clueless. I seriously doubt we studied how Chelsea play before the game and the players looked clueless.

[Power n Glory]

I don't think we will miss Ozil as much as people think. He's a passenger in too many games.

Alexis would be a massive loss and I think more likely to leave.

Ozil has been riding as passenger for a long time now.

[Maestro]

Ozil has been riding as passenger for a long time now.

He's been shit in my opinion since before his mid season winter break. Played for a couple of months and that was it, should have been dropped a long time ago.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I think the foul on Bellerin set the tone for the rest of the game

And that's not to excuse us in fact the opposite, it was a clear foul and the goal shouldn't have stood. But you accept it and move on, we know that the Arsenal players don't do that they buy into the grievance and it plays on their mind and it's like they give up and think well it doesn't matter because we can't catch a break.

That's how Wenger will look at it, the first goal was illegitimate so nothing that happened after that matters.

[Niall_Quinn]

He's mentally left the club, all that remains is his physical departure which will come in the summer. Shame, because we have some very good players here and a half competent manager could really do something with this bunch. One by one though these players drift into one of two camps - that guys who have found a comfy seat and are prepared to take the money and settle for the same crap every year, and the players who are seeing out a contract with a view to moving on. I don't think we have any real Arsenal men here any more.

[Master Splinter]

Ozil has been riding as passenger for a long time now.

Mesut Fraudzil.

Fraudzut Ozil.

The guy has had half the season off in bed too.

Flog him to China.

Cech, Ozil and Giroud are huge detriments to this team. Ramsey as well, but he's often injured and is only first choice because the rest of our midfield is dead.

As ever, the only hope for another good but futile winning run is for the right players to be out and for Wenger to stumble upon a functioning XI.

[RomfordPele]

I think the foul on Bellerin set the tone for the rest of the game

And that's not to excuse us in fact the opposite, it was a clear foul and the goal shouldn't have stood. But you accept it and move on, we know that the Arsenal players don't do that they buy into the grievance and it plays on their mind and it's like they give up and think well it doesn't matter because we can't catch a break.

That's how Wenger will look at it, the first goal was illegitimate so nothing that happened after that matters.

I agree, but I don't get how sky can show slow-mo pictures of bellerin getting knocked out by alonso's forearm and still not even remotely concede that it might have been a foul. The idea that bellerin "wasn't strong enough" when he's been physically rendered UNCONSCIOUS by an opponent's arm doesn't strike them as inconsistent reporting?

Totally agree that our response wasn't good enough, but the bias and post rationalisation of the media really rankles - far more than the decision itself actually.

[LDG]

Genuinely shocked that our season is over in the same way we have seen year after year.

Couldn't have seen it coming. Not like us at all.