Arsenal v Chelsea Match Reaction

[IBK]

Yep, say what you like about Ranieri but he has a instilled a proper structure in the team at Leicester, good keeper, solid at the back, strong in Midfield and very good offensively, he's built a solid team there, heck their squad players are pretty decent too, they come in and do a job, they know their role. Money plays a part in building a successful team and the more resources you have the better team you can build providing you buy players in the RIGHT areas, it's not about buying Attacking midfielders and sticking them all over the pitch, or buying technical players and hoping they can fill roles they clearly aren't accustomed to.

Nothing will change at Arsenal, Wenger will never have an easier chance of winning PL, he's practically being handed it and we're still making the same mistakes and wobbling.

If he doesn't win it this season he'll never win it again, quote me on that.

Ranieri understands three basics about a successful team. 1) Make sure your players are motivated and have self belief. 2) Play to their strengths and have players play regularly in their best positions. 3) Team balance is vastly more important than individual technical ability.

The sending off was the most important factor in yesterday's defeat, and IMHO its pointless trying to blame Wenger for this by criticising his transfer policy. We all know that his gambles re player purchases have come back to bite him time and time again. But his failure to address the basics have affected us much more. It feels as though we are CONSTANTLY in the middle of an experiment in which our manager tinkers with our team and is more interested in 'developing' players than letting them play their best/natural game. This is what frustrates me - and why it feels so frustrating that we are not walking the worst EPL for years.

[Power n Glory]

Koscielny is having a bit of a mare at the moment, mistakes creeping up, was lucky not to concede a penalty and doesn't try make up for the defficiencies of his CB partner as well top CB's should, he's had it pretty good but I think he's overrated for sure, not saying he's not a good defender, he's just not the world beater some people claim he is.

He's not doing well. He was supposed to be marking Costa for that goal we conceded as well. He needs to sort it out. He's not switched on.

[Bumble]

we are obviously all very annoyed about this result. but we are still only 3 points off top. City are just cruising I just think they are really not that focused on the league this year, they have a good draw in the CL and that will be the main aim. Especially with a manager that wont be there next season. This is our season but I do think we will have to beat Leicester in a few games time.

we didn't look like scoring other than perhaps from a bit of pinball in the Chelsea box. The sending off was right, we were lucky not to give a penalty away but it was on Fabregas so fair enough.

Southampton are on a good run at the moment so we will see

[Letters]

He is small time let's be honest, just look at the way he deals with interviews after poor results.

Unlike Mourinho of course who was a model of professionalism while presiding over Chelsea's car crash of a start to the season, blaming everyone but himself.
Your double standards are ridiculous.

[Kano]

Ranieri understands three basics about a successful team. 1) Make sure your players are motivated and have self belief. 2) Play to their strengths and have players play regularly in their best positions. 3) Team balance is vastly more important than individual technical ability.

The sending off was the most important factor in yesterday's defeat, and IMHO its pointless trying to blame Wenger for this by criticising his transfer policy. We all know that his gambles re player purchases have come back to bite him time and time again. But his failure to address the basics have affected us much more. It feels as though we are CONSTANTLY in the middle of an experiment in which our manager tinkers with our team and is more interested in 'developing' players than letting them play their best/natural game. This is what frustrates me - and why it feels so frustrating that we are not walking the worst EPL for years.

I still don’t get this assumption that we should be ‘walking’ the league or that our performance levels are not relative to averageness that surrounds us in the league. The two things are not mutually exclusive. The league has been declining for years, while the similarity of styles and tactics by the teams are all pretty much the same. The old clichés of ‘well next year the big boys will be back’ are of course being rolled because it’s easier to say than admitting how poor the PL is nowadays. Fergie winning the league with such an average Utd team was the first real indicator but again, he was lauded for beating real quality, when in fact, everyone else behind them was just as poor. If the league around us is poor, then by association we are also going to be just as average, which is what we’re seeing. It doesn’t devalue winning the title at all because when everyone is on the same level, you still have to be the best at that level to win it.

[Power n Glory]

I still don’t get this assumption that we should be ‘walking’ the league or that our performance levels are not relative to averageness that surrounds us in the league. The two things are not mutually exclusive. The league has been declining for years, while the similarity of styles and tactics by the teams are all pretty much the same. The old clichés of ‘well next year the big boys will be back’ are of course being rolled because it’s easier to say than admitting how poor the PL is nowadays. Fergie winning the league with such an average Utd team was the first real indicator but again, he was lauded for beating real quality, when in fact, everyone else behind them was just as poor. If the league around us is poor, then by association we are also going to be just as average, which is what we’re seeing. It doesn’t devalue winning the title at all because when everyone is on the same level, you still have to be the best at that level to win it.

I really don't get what you're talking about. It's not making sense to me. I think teams like City, Chelsea and Utd have fallen off but the teams below have gotten better. Much better. I'd understand your point if you were saying the standards have gotten better below us so that's why we're not walking the league. But saying it's gotten worse, pointing to Fergie's league wins with an average team as indication of the league getting worse.....that doesn't make sense to me. This is the worst Chelsea have been in recent years but we still lost.

[Niall_Quinn]

I still don’t get this assumption that we should be ‘walking’ the league or that our performance levels are not relative to averageness that surrounds us in the league. The two things are not mutually exclusive. The league has been declining for years, while the similarity of styles and tactics by the teams are all pretty much the same. The old clichés of ‘well next year the big boys will be back’ are of course being rolled because it’s easier to say than admitting how poor the PL is nowadays. Fergie winning the league with such an average Utd team was the first real indicator but again, he was lauded for beating real quality, when in fact, everyone else behind them was just as poor. If the league around us is poor, then by association we are also going to be just as average, which is what we’re seeing. It doesn’t devalue winning the title at all because when everyone is on the same level, you still have to be the best at that level to win it.

It's true, the standard is low. Some managers have stepped up and taken advantage of this, at Leicester, West Ham, Watford, Palace, others have been badly exposed, Maureen, van Gaal, Pellegrini to be fair (although the gypos effectively sacking him without actually sacking him can't help) and of course Wenger which is no surprise at all because he'll always do the absolute minimum to achieve the averageness we have come to expect.

These highly paid managerial geniuses have been surfing on past financial discrepancies between the top clubs and the rest. Now that even more money has come into the game so that the little guys can afford a slightly better class of player we have seen the gap disappearing. Wenger moaned about the chavs and the gypos but studiously avoided the fact we had a huge advantage over the clubs below us, which is what kept us perpetually in the top 4. We've been playing mostly shit football for years now, but with a deeper squad we've managed to keep the likes of the spuds off our backs. And the spud and Liverpool transfer policies have been a joke that assisted us too.

If Wenger had anything about him at all he'd be able to create a solid team and squad and match his tactics to the league he's playing in - just as Ranieri and Billic have done. We should be in a great position right now. 10 years trying to find the right squad and balance, players like Alexis, Cech and Ozil coming in. But still we are pretty much where we have always been, in the top 4, playing frustratingly inconsistent football, making all the usual stupid mistakes. A couple of points thrown away against Liverpool here, a non-performance at Southampton, supreme negativity at Stoke, being totally unprepared on the opening day - offset against the rare decent performance and result, with just a little bit more we could be well established at the top now. But Wenger doesn't do a little bit more, he does average. Bang on average.

That said, it could be a lot worse. Cech has certainly saved us points over and above what we could have expected from the goons we've had in goal in recent years.

It really is a poor show from this manager. All his resources, the players at his disposal, the fact his main rivals are in turmoil. This guy Wenger isn't a top manager, he's not even a decent manager any more in football terms. Even the chavs, as shitty as they were, could press their advantage last season. And as you say, shit league or not, Ferguson did the business with a shower of shite. Wenger isn't at that level, or at least what happens on the pitch does not have his full focus.

It has all just got so tired.

[Niall_Quinn]

Unlike Mourinho of course who was a model of professionalism while presiding over Chelsea's car crash of a start to the season, blaming everyone but himself.
Your double standards are ridiculous.

What's Maureen got to do with it?

Do you get that we are talking about Arsenal?

[Alpha]

Having seem Ramsey and Flamini over the last three games I'd pick myself and you tbf. But that's not the point. As I have already said, it's Wenger's fault we are short there, we knew we had the gap and he ignored it. As usual. But if that's all you have left then you'd better get a performance out of that pair and that comes from having a plan on how to deal with the opposition. Mikel, Gash and Matic vs two disciplined midfielders and we have a prayer. The former three and a big hole and we have no chance. It's not just the selection it's how you then use those players. No way were those two so reckless without the blessing of Wenger.

You may be right to a certain extent but we are talking about responsible adults. Wenger made a big mistake by not thinking what he could do in case of injury to Coquelin . He put himself in a shit position on having just Ramsey and Flamini . But the pair are experienced enough to take their own responsibilities . Now that Arsene has bought Elneny and Coquelin is on his way back, let's see if he would continue to use the same rubbish.

[Niall_Quinn]

I may need to see the replays on that one again but why isn’t Kos the one tracking those runs? We all know Merts doesn’t have the pace and from that pic he’s probably looking for Kos. Shambolic defending all round.

Why are we even starting this guy? We have a perfectly good CB on the bench. For weeks I ave been saying this guy will cost us when it matters, not because I have a deep understanding of the game but because it's bloody obvious. If you were up against him, wouldn't you target him as the weak link? Kos hasn't been playing well but do we really expect him to play both CB spots?

Wenger really is insufferable. Gabriel could have an extra 20 games under his belt now and be well established in the back four. I don't care what Wenger sees in training, nothing could be as worrying as watching Mertesacker on the pitch.