Arsenal v Chelsea Match Reaction

[Alpha]

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.

If you don't care about what Wenger sees in training how can you assess the situation and make a fair point ? For a player to be selected in the starting line-up , it depends on his physical and mental fitness and more importantly on his performances in training . A player who does not inspire his manage's confidence in training is more likely to warm the bench .

[Özim]

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.

Who is talking about Chelsea?

I'm just talking about our small time manager who everytime we get a poor results deflects the blame onto anything but his players or himself, he lives in a world where he and his players are always the victims.....BOOOOHOOOO poor old unlucky Wenger if only all decisions when for him and his team we wouldn't be 2% away from domination BOOOOHOOOO.

[Letters]

QED.

[Kano]

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.

What the ‘smaller’ teams have done is become better organised but what are seeing is West Ham and Leicester who are the ones who have the legs to last, as Palace and Watford have levelled off. I wouldn’t say the overall level of the players in the teams below have improved - their spending certainly hasn’t increased massively year on year – but how they play as a unit has definitely changed. Every team now defends together, you regularly see every team in the league bringing ten behind the ball, attackers, wingers have no room to be luxury add-ons, the demand now is you get back and pack out the midfield and hit on the counter. Leicester are doing this better than anyone because they have no pretensions about their ability.

Wenger is matched with league he is in, which is why our results are just as frustrating as everyone else’s. Let’s not forget we hammered the champions-elect Leicester 5-2 at their place, while were battered by Southampton and City thumped at Tottenham. The consistency is the inconsistency in the league, which comes down to teams effectively cancelling each other out. We’ve all talked about how the advantages Wenger once held with scouting/diet have disappeared because of the abundance of information discussed and passed within the game. It can only go so far. There are a finite amount of ways to prepare and play the game and hold real advantages now. Everyone has access to everything at the highest level. Money can only make so much of a difference anymore. The discrepancies between the teams now are near enough non-existent which is why these fucking clichés need to be buried once and for all. But of course they won’t be because that requires effort and thought. Too much to ask for I know.

[Power n Glory]

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.

Merts had a complete brain fart with that challenge but Kos should be switched on as well to track Costa if the ball is played behind. They used to be a real good understanding between the pair.

As for Gabriel, he got himself sent off in the first game. He shouldn't have lost his head and again, I wasn't impressed with Kos getting man handled and looking like a complete wimp.

I'd like to have a seen a bit more of this from our more experienced players. The lack of communication and being more authoritative just isn't in the spin of this team.


I don't think Gabriel would have been caught out in the same way Merts was but I don't have faith in that team in that combo either. We conceded with them both on the pitch and Kos was lucky not to give away a penalty as well. He should have been tight on Costa for that first goal. I think we'll need a couple more CB signings in a couple of seasons.

[Alpha]

5 is bad for a winger that creates next to nothing. Walcott has been really poor this season make no mistake about that. His poor performances have been ignored to an extent because we've been top or thereabouts pretty much all season, now the going is getting tough the likes of him, Ramsey & Oxlade are getting rightly called out for under performing, pretty much every game too.

The sooner the likes of Welbeck, Rosicky, Wilshere and Coquelin come back the better because right now Walcott, Ramsey & OX would be nowhere near my starting XI, we have a title to win, we haven't got time to babysit any of these guys back into form!

Joel Campbell has comfortably outperformed Walcott this season and me amongst many others were calling for him to be sold not so long ago.

I agree with you for Joe Campbell and Coquelin as top performers . Wilshere and Rosicky to an extent bar their injuries . But Welbeck is yet to convince me .

[selassie]

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 agree IBK, if Wenger wants to win this title then he's going to need to setup the team to be a little more pragmatic, we have no time for "developing" players by game time or "playing players through bad form", Wenger needs to become more ruthless and start addressing the issues in the team, he needs to start with Central Midfield, ditch Flamini, drop Walcott, drop Mertesacker, this team needs freshening up now.

Our returning players have come at a good time because I hope and expect to see changes.

Wenger also needs to manage games better and set up the team to negate the strengths of his opponents.

[Power n Glory]

Walcott, Merts, Flamini and Ramsey should all lose their places.

Sanchez, Gabriel, Coquelin (if fit), Elneny should replace them.

[Özim]

If you don't care about what Wenger sees in training how can you assess the situation and make a fair point ? For a player to be selected in the starting line-up , it depends on his physical and mental fitness and more importantly on his performances in training . A player who does not inspire his manage's confidence in training is more likely to warm the bench .

Frankly it's got little to do with what happens in training (a slow oaf in a match is also a slow oaf in training, moreover what you see in a match is far more important than some friendly knock around in the park with some friends) and a lot to do with Wenger's tendency for favouritism, he's always had certain players he'll play before anyone else, seems the German barge is one of those.

Gabriel may not be the answer but he's a better bet than the lanky German who is slow and ponderous and adds little to our team, I'd prefer to give a guy we signed a while ago a fair crack of the whip to see if he's up to the task and if he isn't then we can go out and find someone who is.

[Globalgunner]

Gabriel was a top flight defender before he came to us. It was his sterling performances for Villareal that made us buy him. The manager of Villareal lamented sadly when he left, apparently he was sold without his blessing. That is part of the Wenger problem. Buys a quality player and keeps him behind a poor player because of seniority. Players like Kane, Alli would never get a chance here as they would be stuck with the juniors or kept perpetually on the bench watching the big boys screw up year in year out. Seems to me the more mediocre you are the better your chances are of staying in the team. You would have to be a calamity of Eboue or Gervinho proportions to get hooked in this club. Even then the manager will blame the fans for breaking the players confidence.
He does it because he can get away with it. 4th place again this year will be spun as a mark of consistency. Not of blowing a gilt edged opportunity.