Match reaction: PSG 1-1 Arsenal

[Power n Glory]

While I agree the set up around him is poor, he hunts down the ball at any given opportunity and that often means running back into midfield doing their jobs for them. It's just the kind of player he is, he's too far gone to be coached. He's our best attacker and we shouldn't be doing anything to jeopardise his effectiveness.

I say give Perez a go because by all accounts he's more of a natural striker and might be able to work his way into scoring positions with patience and intelligence.

Problem is, Perez isn't a natural striker either. He looked just as lost up front when he played for us. He's a winger and only spent one season up front out of his entire career. I'd definitely give Perez a run up front over Sanchez but I worry we'll see similar performances unless we change the supporting players. We can't have games where we're struggling to get the ball forward otherwise we'll keep seeing the striker being drawn further back from their goal, ball hunting and playing deep. Ozil also needs to pull his weight also. It's bad enough playing inexperienced wide players or Walcott, players who can't really do the whole link up play stuff, but Ozil is the key to releasing all of them and he's totally off.

I'm tempted to see Giroud being played with Sanchez or Perez behind him. It's something different and we could do with someone with explosive energy working around the box and closer to Giroud.

[Özim]

A car crash start to the season somehow looks reasonable thanks to some fortune, Wenger is a whole lot luckier than Rogers that's for sure, should have lost comfortably today and yet ended up with a draw, only helps to mask the glaring defficiencies in his management.

When's the last time we actually put in a decent performance? Who could have predicted not signing an out and out striker would be a problem this season?

[Power n Glory]

He was pushed into Veratti by Marquinhos though... unless you mean before that video clip?

Yeah, you didn't see it. Giroud stamped on the guys ankle. It nearly snapped. Then headbutted the guy. There was blood everywhere. This was all off camera. He's a dirty player.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yeah, you didn't see it. Giroud stamped on the guys ankle. It nearly snapped. Then headbutted the guy. There was blood everywhere. This was all off camera. He's a dirty player.

Eh? I didn't see that.

[Marc Overmars]

Problem is, Perez isn't a natural striker either. He looked just as lost up front when he played for us. He's a winger and only spent one season up front out of his entire career. I'd definitely give Perez a run up front over Sanchez but I worry we'll see similar performances unless we change the supporting players. We can't have games where we're struggling to get the ball forward otherwise we'll keep seeing the striker being drawn further back from their goal, ball hunting and playing deep. Ozil also needs to pull his weight also. It's bad enough playing inexperienced wide players or Walcott, players who can't really do the whole link up play stuff, but Ozil is the key to releasing all of them and he's totally off.

I'm tempted to see Giroud being played with Sanchez or Perez behind him. It's something different and we could do with someone with explosive energy working around the box and closer to Giroud.

To be honest, I expect Giroud to find his way back into the line up soon enough and we'll continue on down that tried and failed path. I think we're set up to cater for a striker like Giroud and that's why a more mobile striker will struggle unless we find a different way of playing.

[Alpha]

I think Alexis could actually do well up front if the rest of the team weren't spastics. It's the tactics. Nobody getting closer to him to support him, no one making runs beyond him, no one making use of the wings. They were hitting long balls to him and standing off him as if it was Giroud up front.

I think we'll have the same problem even if Perez is up front. The same thing happened against Southampton a few days ago. It's because Wenger doesn't give them clear instructions and leaves it to the players to all work it out themselves.

How can you be sure Wenger does not give them clear instructions ? Are you always there when he gives them instructions or the players told you so ?

[Niall_Quinn]

How can you be sure Wenger does not give them clear instructions ? Are you always there when he gives them instructions or the players told you so ?

Plenty of players have spoken up about Wenger's lack of input.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Player Ratings

Ospina - 7 - Still looks every sense a liability, clearance in the second half put PSG in but did what he needed to do when Cavani or Aurier carved us open

Monreal - 4 - Was made to look every inch the slow, second rate full back he is by Di Maria and Aurier

Bellerin - 7 - Made some vital interceptions at times, PSG looked far less threatening on their left hand side because of him

Koscielny - 5 - Poor night for him, outmuscled too easily by Cavani and Matuidi

Mustafi - 6 - Poor marking of Cavani led to their opening goal but became more solid as the game went on and was agressive from attacking set pieces

Coquelin - 5 - Totally inept, allowed himself to be bossed by Matuidi and Verrati. The only reason he gets a 5 is because he seemed to be the only midfielder prepared to get forward or run with the ball.

Cazorla - 5 - Pressed out of the game by Krychowiak, Rabiot, Veratti etc lots of sideways passing

Ozil - 5 - Largely peripheral to proceedings, never did enough either good or bad to influence the game

Ox - 4 - Totally pathetic, the only reason not a lot lower was because it wasn't due to lack of effort on his part, he was prepared to put himself about. Just all his energy went in the wrong places

Iwobi - 6 - Got better in an attacking sense as game went on, looked out of his depth first half and left the terrible Monreal badly exposed on our left.

Sanchez - 7 - Totally anonymous until Giroud came on where he was able to drop deeper and wider for us and it actually be effective.


Subs

Giroud - 6 - Totally ineffective in any attacking sense but put himself about physically and was actually one of the few players prepared to do so for us last night

Xhaka - 7 - The point at which we started to actually look competent in posession

Elneny - 6 - Offered decent protection to the back four

[pakgunner]

At the moment we need him, simply because we don't have many natural wide players....so we don't even have the option of sending him out on loan somewhere.

I think injury and not being able to consistently get a run in the side has brought this. It annoys me, unlike Walcott Ox is an incredibly talented player he has great technical ability....which makes the runny watery poo he has produced of late all the more galling.

And if anyone suggests playing Ramsey on the right slowing us down even further in the words of Liam Neeson "I will find you and I will kill you".

It's a bit like the horrible you don't have to be crazy to work here but it helps, we don't have to have Ramsey in the team to be shit, slow and totally blunt, but it helps.

I'm beginning to think that a Draxler style player is what we desperately need, footballi IQ is way above The Ox and Walcott and technically better. I hope we go in for him in the next transfer window. During our most successful times our wide players had the brains and ability atm we are so deprived of that.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I'm beginning to think that a Draxler style player is what we desperately need, footballi IQ is way above The Ox and Walcott and technically better. I hope we go in for him in the next transfer window. During our most successful times our wide players had the brains and ability atm we are so deprived of that.

If we were going to sign Draxler we'd have done it by now