Match Thread Arsenal v West Brom 26/12/16 1-0 home win

[Power n Glory]

I would argue though that being lucky not to go one goal down was more down to an individual error rather than the whole set up of the team

Not that i'm saying the set up or game plan was correct. But i also think we would have had difficulty anyway simply because of the amount of west brom players sitting in front of us, we were actually putting low crosses in and trying to go in behind them at times (of course that would help more if we weren't playing Giroud because of his immobility) but they were always able to cut it out because of simple number of players they had in the box.

I don't think we were brilliant, but neither were we terrible....this is not a side that is going to be torn to pieces by sides playing away from home....Liverpool, Bournemouth, Chelsea and us have beaten them as the home side and all by only a one goal margin.

Palace are much more porous and i don't think Fat boy is going to have been there long enough to address that (plus he has a dreadful managerial record at the Emirates...think he's come away with a draw once in a cup tie) so i expect a few more goals against Palace on Sunday.

All goals conceded are down to individual errors. Especially for us when we concede from corners and set pieces. The tactical set up plays it part because we played a system that makes it difficult to break teams down that sit deep. You can't play it through the middle with Giroud. The longer we go without scoring a goal, the more vulnerable we are to being sucker punched because tiredness and lapses in concentration.

Pulis will always set up a stubborn team but our best result against his side came at the end of the 2014/15 season where Theo scored a hat trick. They sat deep and in numbers but worm to bits and we won 4-1. City beating them 4-0 recently is another example of what happens with a quick nimble striker can do to them. It makes no sense playing that way with Giroud against teams that park the bus.

Need to rewatch that Liverpool game but they scored two goals in the first half and conceded late on towards the end of the game. That suggests a different sort of game compared to ours.

[Niall_Quinn]

All goals conceded are down to individual errors. Especially for us when we concede from corners and set pieces. The tactical set up plays it part because we played a system that makes it difficult to break teams down that sit deep. You can't play it through the middle with Giroud. The longer we go without scoring a goal, the more vulnerable we are to being sucker punched because tiredness and lapses in concentration.

Pulis will always set up a stubborn team but our best result against his side came at the end of the 2014/15 season where Theo scored a hat trick. They sat deep and in numbers but worm to bits and we won 4-1. City beating them 4-0 recently is another example of what happens with a quick nimble striker can do to them. It makes no sense playing that way with Giroud against teams that park the bus.

Need to rewatch that Liverpool game but they scored two goals in the first half and conceded late on towards the end of the game. That suggests a different sort of game compared to ours.

That's true, but only if you include the manager in the calculation. The stupid way in which we are set up to allow space on the flanks begs for pressure to be put on defenders and that extra pressure can contribute to individual mistakes. If a player just can't get to the ball quickly enough because the distance is ridiculous then perhaps it is the player's fault for being too slow but certainly it is the manager's fault for setting up the system to allow such space and then buying and selecting players that have insufficient pace to play such a cavalier and, frankly, lunatic defensive system. Wenger really is a fucking idiot. It's not just big-mouthed fans making armchair assumptions (which is normally the case when fans spout off). We have the genuine article here. A bone-fide idiot in charge of a football club. I know some fans still find that impossible to believe, but look at the evidence. The evidence is screaming in your face.

[Globalgunner]

The other thing i notice about us is that our defending has always been suspect. Ever since the halcyon days of Dojorou and Senderos. 2 defenders that had the fingerprint of Wenger all over them. If you notice these 2 twerps in action, they are always panicky in the box. Most of their interceptions are haphazard, heading the ball to the opposition or putting teammates under pressure. They are of the mind that once they have made an intervention, they have absolved themselves of culpability, not minding that their very actions have only increased the pressure not diminished or erased it. The last good pairing we had was Sol and Toure. Defenders from other teams are taught to clear the ball either to a teammate of as far outside the box as possible.
I really do not understand what we train at as we rarely look assured in defence. Gabriel has definitely gone backward since joining us and we have absolutely destroyed Chambers. I hope he stays away for at least 2 seasons to get proper instruction in defending away from Le Clown. Holding seems to have a lot going for him but Wenger has erased greater talent than his before. Kos our best defender by far. It would be a shame if 2 FA cups are all he gets from a decent career. As far as our full backs are concerned, I think we need 3 new ones to add to Bellerin. The others are either, poor injured or getting way past it.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

All goals conceded are down to individual errors. Especially for us when we concede from corners and set pieces. The tactical set up plays it part because we played a system that makes it difficult to break teams down that sit deep. You can't play it through the middle with Giroud. The longer we go without scoring a goal, the more vulnerable we are to being sucker punched because tiredness and lapses in concentration.

Pulis will always set up a stubborn team but our best result against his side came at the end of the 2014/15 season where Theo scored a hat trick. They sat deep and in numbers but worm to bits and we won 4-1. City beating them 4-0 recently is another example of what happens with a quick nimble striker can do to them. It makes no sense playing that way with Giroud against teams that park the bus.

Need to rewatch that Liverpool game but they scored two goals in the first half and conceded late on towards the end of the game. That suggests a different sort of game compared to ours.

Not necessarily true, you could argue that Arsenal might concede more from corners because of our insistence on zonal marking, and we are more vulnerable to the counter attack because of how we push up within a certain system.

[Power n Glory]

Not necessarily true, you could argue that Arsenal might concede more from corners because of our insistence on zonal marking, and we are more vulnerable to the counter attack because of how we push up within a certain system.

It still boils down to individual errors no matter how you slice it. But as said, the tactics and instructions also play a part in the mistakes made.

There have been games where we've been able to defend high up the pitch because everyone is on their A game. It's when someone is caught napping or misses a challenge that we find oursleves in trouble. Still an individual mistake.

[Power n Glory]

That's true, but only if you include the manager in the calculation. The stupid way in which we are set up to allow space on the flanks begs for pressure to be put on defenders and that extra pressure can contribute to individual mistakes. If a player just can't get to the ball quickly enough because the distance is ridiculous then perhaps it is the player's fault for being too slow but certainly it is the manager's fault for setting up the system to allow such space and then buying and selecting players that have insufficient pace to play such a cavalier and, frankly, lunatic defensive system. Wenger really is a fucking idiot. It's not just big-mouthed fans making armchair assumptions (which is normally the case when fans spout off). We have the genuine article here. A bone-fide idiot in charge of a football club. I know some fans still find that impossible to believe, but look at the evidence. The evidence is screaming in your face.

As just saying to Herb, they all play a part. Some stuff is just trial and error and weighing up the strengths and weakness of individual players. The problem with our manager is that even after trying a system and seeing it fail with certain individuals on numerous occasions, he'll still keep trying it and won't correct it.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

It still boils down to individual errors no matter how you slice it. But as said, the tactics and instructions also play a part in the mistakes made.

There have been games where we've been able to defend high up the pitch because everyone is on their A game. It's when someone is caught napping or misses a challenge that we find oursleves in trouble. Still an individual mistake.

No it can leave you susceptible to individual errors, what happened with Cech is not something you can account for

If you push high up the pitch for instance you are running the risk of a player mistiming a challenge or being too tired to close down/track back quick enough.

In this case it was a regulation corner which the keeper spilled, so our setup would have had no bearing on it whatsoever where as in numerous other examples it can and does.

[Power n Glory]

No it can leave you susceptible to individual errors, what happened with Cech is not something you can account for

If you push high up the pitch for instance you are running the risk of a player mistiming a challenge or being too tired to close down/track back quick enough.

In this case it was a regulation corner which the keeper spilled, so our setup would have had no bearing on it whatsoever where as in numerous other examples it can and does.

You're still describing individual error, Herb. If you read closely you'll see I'm not dismissing how tactics play a part either.

[Niall_Quinn]

You're still describing individual error, Herb. If you read closely you'll see I'm not dismissing how tactics play a part either.

No, I don't think you are dismissing the tactics. Just wanted to make sure that the person who makes the most individual errors and also the most serious ones gets due credit -- Wenger.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

You're still describing individual error, Herb. If you read closely you'll see I'm not dismissing how tactics play a part either.

Sigh that was my point, my point was that there are individual errors caused by tactical shortcomings

And then there was Cech which was just a total balls up on his part and no tactical refinery would have prevented it