Match Reaction - Arsenal 0-2 West Ham

[Özim]

We were comfortably the better side but I agree we were a bit toothless up front. But it was one of those days in the sense that West Ham had 2 shots on target, both went in. How often does that happen?!

Seems to happen quite often with us to be fair, as does the opposition keeper producing a world beating performance, must be something we're doing wrong if you ask me.

I don't think too many will agree we were the better side, the general consensus was that we were pretty poor in all departments.

[Static]

What are you basing that on? His scoring record has been awful the last three seasons, Giroud has outscored him in each.
(Goals to games ratio is marginally better for Giroud)

He has been playing either as a number 10 or midfield for the last 3 years though.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Letters, how were we comfortably the better side?...based on what? Possession?

By that rationale City were comfortably better than us when we beat them 2-0 in January.

[fakeyank]

I think that's doing West Ham a bit of a dis-service. Yeah, they may not have played fancy-pants football, but they defended better than us, won the midfield, and took both of their chances. They deserved the win.

We had quite a few half chances and blocked shots, but I don't think we were the better side, and certainly not comfortably better.

Letters, I think you were watching a re-run of an old game. Someone cheated you... you werent watching the live game. Its not necessarily a bad thing tbh..

[fakeyank]

What are people basing their renewed optimism with regards challenging for the title? An FA Cup win? Since last season very little has changed and we weren't good enough then, so why we suddenly become title chasers now when we've invested very little in the squad is a mystery to me, even more so when other clubs have invested more on trying to improve.

I think we'll find the season will pan out much like previous seasons, simply because we're only too happy to settle with what we have on the basis that they won a few games last season and had a decent run in some meaningless pre-season friendlies.

Unless we bring in a striker and perhaps a DM I think we'll fall short again, I've heard a lot about a new mentality, is this the mentality that has seen us capitulate in our first game of the season when expectations we're so high, if so it doesn't bode well.

I dont agree that buying will solve our issue. I have said this before and I'll say it again.. we can bring in Ronaldo and Messi, and we'd still fuck it up because Wenger will probably play them at CB. The squad as it is (minus long term injuries) is as good as any out there in England. The issue is our style of play, tactics and mentality. That needs to change before we can even think of winning the title. Unfortunately we will not win the PL with the dinosaur as manager. Top 4 it is..

[Power n Glory]

We were comfortably the better side but I agree we were a bit toothless up front. But it was one of those days in the sense that West Ham had 2 shots on target, both went in. How often does that happen?!



I was wondering about that - how often that happens. But I don't buy that the results of the first game are an indicator of anything. Clearly the side who wins the league hasn't lost many games so the chance of one of those being the first day is pretty low. I still don't buy it actually has any bearing on where the title ends up. If we're in the mix around Christmas and, better yet, around Easter, then I don't think the fact we lost the first game will be relevant. What we can't do is start like we did last year, 12 games in we were 15 points behind and had no chance. We have to pick up a few results and stay in touch from the start this year, then we have a chance.

First game results aren't indicators to how the season will play out but in terms of spotting the pattern with team selection, preparation and subs, it indicates we haven't learned much from last season. If Wenger goes into the next game with the same team selection or playing key players out of position again, regardless of the result, it shows he's not learning from his mistakes.

[fakeyank]

He has been doing the same shit for almost a decade now. He is not going to learn now.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

He has been doing the same shit for almost a decade now. He is not going to learn now.

Again I think our performances against the top sides in 2015 would suggest otherwise.

[Dein-machine]

Letters, I think you were watching a re-run of an old game. Someone cheated you... you werent watching the live game. Its not necessarily a bad thing tbh..

He hardly ever watches us - think he mainly sees us on match of the day. I watched that aswell, but we were still shit.

[fakeyank]

Again I think our performances against the top sides in 2015 would suggest otherwise.

You can cherry pick some results here and there, and then I will cherry pick some results from somewhere else, and we'll go round and round. Let's just look at it in simple terms... in the last decade, how would you rate Wengers tactics, substitutions, player purchases etc? How would you rate our football?

I look at all of the above and I see nothing that tells me he has learnt anything.. sure, there are glimpses of promise (every season) but you know that our manager will suck everything out of any momentum that we gain!