Arsenal 2-2 Fulham Player ratings and Match reaction

[Letters]

Mind when I came back here I said the team was improving despite Arteta and would've progressed further with a proper manager???

No.
But I’m interested what events lead you to declare yourself very very right.

[HCZ_Reborn]

No.
But I’m interested what events lead you to declare yourself very very right.

First three games of this season?

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

The original mistake was obviously Saka's but I do think Ramsdale was in a bad position and allowed himself to be wrong-footed

Obviously Saka's misplaced pass was the cause, but with the way we play those passes happen often. We had Havertz, Saliba and even Trossard who made those same silly passes later on in the game, luckily he was on his line at those moments. The point is, like you have already said, he had no business being that far off his line at that point and made it so easy for the goal. I'm not saying they shouldn't have scored I'm just saying they shouldn't have scored that way.

Just think of how many times we robbed Fulham defenders of the ball, did we even get a chance to see Leno doing unnatural backwards runs? It was ridiculous that happening so early on and his game is replete with errors like that.

[Letters]

First three games of this season?

So 3 games out of a 50 game season?
After the first one or two he was saying that early season it’s all about the result and we needed to give it a bit of time. The first dropped points of the season and it’s this?

[HCZ_Reborn]

So 3 games out of a 50 game season?
After the first one or two he was saying that early season it’s all about the result and we needed to give it a bit of time. The first dropped points of the season and it’s this?

Well you obviously pay more attention to what he says than I do, I was only going by the single post

Whilst I’ve been consistently wrong in picking results (be positive that I think we will lose to United next week) I’ve also been consistently downbeat about this season.

[Letters]

Well you obviously pay more attention to what he says than I do, I was only going by the single post

Whilst I’ve been consistently wrong in picking results (be positive that I think we will lose to United next week) I’ve also been consistently downbeat about this season.

You are nothing if not consistent.
I’m generally a glass half full kind of guy but I’m pissed off about yesterday. It’s a bit early to be writing the whole season off but the lack of a really clinical striker is a concern

[HCZ_Reborn]

You are nothing if not consistent.
I’m generally a glass half full kind of guy but I’m pissed off about yesterday. It’s a bit early to be writing the whole season off but the lack of a really clinical striker is a concern

The lack of a clinical striker is a concern in terms of a sustained title challenge

The big concern is how we have an expensive and competent squad that is being played out of position, not being utilised to the best of its abilities and in many cases not being played at all

Even though his finishing is wayward I tend to agree with some people here that Edward has been one of the few positives this season because of his work rate and the way he makes himself available, he could possibly benefit from having a second striker to play with, but I think that second striker would be Kai Havertz who plays in the hole and changes position.

I’m not happy with the summer transfers, I’m not happy that we’ve left ourselves without proper fullbacks despite buying so many bloody defenders but I do think there’s a way to properly utilise every player in this squad if Captain Black wasn’t so bloody stubborn

[Chippy]

First three games of this season?

I have to agree. We pubbed two wins against two pub teams and a draw with a semi-pub team (maybe a cheap bistro). Arteta seems to be hell bent on playing players out of position.

[Letters]

I don’t really care about pubbing wins. No team cruises through every game. City got a scare today before the grim inevitability of their winner. But I do agree with the concerns about playing players out of position. It seems like Artera is trying a new system this season and it’s not working right now. Maybe it will click, maybe not. But I would note that feelings change quickly in football. Was it 2 years ago we were rock bottom after 3 games, a start which spawned a thousand memes. Especially as Spurs started with 3 wins to go top. 3 games later we won the NLD to go above them.
I’m not quite as willing to concede that this season is going to be a disaster yet, it’s too early.

[selassie]

I have kept quiet up until now but can anyone explain to me what Arteta is trying to do with this team? We look way flatter than last season and are playing as if we are getting to know each other again, I don't see the cohesion in the team that I saw last season.

I get that it takes time to bed new players in (Rice & Havertz), but what I don't get and don't like is the mass changes in positions to accomodate them. It has weakened the team. I know it's early days and these things take time, but if I was Arteta I would go back to basics and bed in some of the new players (Havertz) over time. All these mass changes to the team seem way too drastic to me and whilst we have played some nice stuff in short phases in all of the games so far, in the main we are struggling to control games and impose our style in games or at least our style of last season. This new approach seems like a 1 step forward with the signings and then 2 steps back with the team and tactics.