Liverpool 3-3 Wengers Minions

[A Gunner]

I was thinking when we were leading yesterday that had we won it would have massively increased belief (I certainly would have been more convinced about our chances), we would have opened a nice gap over Man City and actually won one of those harder games that can really give a team belief (just like the vistories against Man U in the past).

As far as I'm concerned all this will do is put doubts in the players minds, just as a victory would have done the opposite, leading 3-2 until the end and dropping points will feel like a loss the substitutions during the match by Wenger were shockers, I wasn't surprised to see us concede, we've got a history of doing this and yet he brings off our best players who could help finish the match off or at least keep the pressure on Liverpool.

Big games like this at this stage of the season make all the difference in terms of belief IMO, as has been proved in the past.

Maybe not winning it will drive us on!

[Letters]

Very disappointing to drop points right at the death, esp when you look at the chances we effed up when clean through. The title is anyone's this season and everyone keeps dropping points but i just dont think we wil win it mainly because our defending (not defenders as i think we have very good defenders) is poor. We have already conceded 21 goals this season.

As have City
Who knows this year. It's such a strange season.

[Power n Glory]

I really don't think it was down to the subs that we lost. We had been struggling to clear the ball and keep hold of it for the previous twenty minutes and had gone the entire game without a central midfield. God knows where Flamini was for most of it. Campbell was absolutely shot and Walcott had been useless for the whole game so I get those subs. Arteta coming on for Ozil was a last roll to try and get some ball retention back. Ozil had effectively been out of the game for the previous 15. The momentum had mostly been with Liverpool throughout the game - as seen in their posseession and amount of shots on our goal and as the home side I expected them to be pushing as they did for the last quarter. If we actually had a midfield pair then I'm sure we wouldn't have been put under so much pressure last night. I don't think the subs had a things to do with that.

We weren’t good in possession all game but our counter attacks kept us dangerous. Liverpool lost their way a little when Benteke came on but we played right into their hands by sitting deep and offering no attacking threat going forward. I think there was one moment where Ozil controlled the ball beautifully late in the game and whipped in a splendid cross for Ramsey which almost resulted in a goal. It looked like we still had a goal in us but he killed that threat with the subs and went defensive.

[Globalgunner]

The subs had everything to do with it because football is as much about mentality as it is tactics and physicality. Ozil is a ball retention master, even when you think he is tired his mastery of the ball makes him the person you want in the other teams half to receive a long punt from the defence. He was not tired yesterday and the look on his face at being subbed tells everything.
If you are under pressure the last think to do is to cram into your own half and hope for the best. If you are going to defend for the last 10 mins, then you better be dammed good at it. We are patently not and our defensive performance all game had been ropey talk less of in the last 10 mins facing a barrage of attcks.
Pool were losing and the sight of our best player coming off only served to galvanise them back into action. You defend best with tactics not bodies. What did Arteta do for the 10 mins or so he was on except back us into our own box.
I have always wondered why managers order teams back into the box when they lose a player to a red card. What I would do is keep my fastest player on the half way line and tell my players to punt the ball up to him each opportunity they get. What this does is force the other team to keep at least 2 players in their own half instead of cramming the entire play into our own half. Basically this eves up the game as they need 2 players to take care of 1.
Wenger thinks he knows tactics, he patently doesn't because his 1 trick keeps getting rolled over almost every time he deploys it. He was happy at getting the point yesterday because basically he had prepared to get beat.

[Özim]

The subs had everything to do with it because football is as much about mentality as it is tactics and physicality. Ozil is a ball retention master, even when you think he is tired his mastery of the ball makes him the person you want in the other teams half to receive a long punt from the defence. He was not tired yesterday and the look on his face at being subbed tells everything.
If you are under pressure the last think to do is to cram into your own half and hope for the best. If you are going to defend for the last 10 mins, then you better be dammed good at it. We are patently not and our defensive performance all game had been ropey talk less of in the last 10 mins facing a barrage of attcks.
Pool were losing and the sight of our best player coming off only served to galvanise them back into action. You defend best with tactics not bodies. What did Arteta do for the 10 mins or so he was on except back us into our own box.
I have always wondered why managers order teams back into the box when they lose a player to a red card. What I would do is keep my fastest player on the half way line and tell my players to punt the ball up to him each opportunity they get. What this does is force the other team to keep at least 2 players in their own half instead of cramming the entire play into our own half. Basically this eves up the game as they need 2 players to take care of 1.
Wenger thinks he knows tactics, he patently doesn't because his 1 trick keeps getting rolled over almost every time he deploys it. He was happy at getting the point yesterday because basically he had prepared to get beat.

I remember Mexico having a player sent off in the World Cup once, the manager then brought on a striker and gave the opposition all sorts of problems and the effect of the extra man was greatly reduced.

[selassie]

I was thinking when we were leading yesterday that had we won it would have massively increased belief (I certainly would have been more convinced about our chances), we would have opened a nice gap over Man City and actually won one of those harder games that can really give a team belief (just like the vistories against Man U in the past).

As far as I'm concerned all this will do is put doubts in the players minds, just as a victory would have done the opposite, leading 3-2 until the end and dropping points will feel like a loss the substitutions during the match by Wenger were shockers, I wasn't surprised to see us concede, we've got a history of doing this and yet he brings off our best players who could help finish the match off or at least keep the pressure on Liverpool.

Big games like this at this stage of the season make all the difference in terms of belief IMO, as has been proved in the past.

Yeah winning yesterday would have been a huge statement of intent. It's typical of us to concede a last minute equaliser and I did see it coming, we were on the back foot for the last 20 minutes.

I agree regarding the substitutions, I think Wenger panicked.

We have another big one coming up on Sunday, not looking forward to that after watching us last night.

[Power n Glory]

He doesn't learn. I remember how NQ was pissed about the way the City game ended because we went defensive in a similar fashion. It would be ok with shut up shop and teams know they'll have a torrid time breaking us down but that's never the case. We've had this happen to us so many times but will Wenger learn from it or put it down to bad luck?

[Power n Glory]

Yes and Ozil looked disappointed at being subbed. We should have let him play on.

Southampton, Bournemouth, Newcastle Ozil plays 90+ minutes. But he gets subbed against City and Liverpool? It really makes no sense.

[Letters]

It's typical of us to concede a last minute equaliser.

Hasn't been this season, tbf.

[Letters]

He doesn't learn. I remember how NQ was pissed about the way the City game ended because we went defensive in a similar fashion. It would be ok with shut up shop and teams know they'll have a torrid time breaking us down but that's never the case. We've had this happen to us so many times but will Wenger learn from it or put it down to bad luck?

How many times has it cost us this season?