Match Reaction vs. Sunderland

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Well that's certainly the British way of looking at it. Which is why crud like Scott Parker gets named player of the year. The evidence is all there to show Arteta makes a shitload of tackles and interceptions and he was a major reason we had the second best defensive record in the league last year. As fans, it's nice to see someone charging around 100mph and fouling people, but ultimately we are interested in how easy it is for the opposition to get in behind the midfield and create a goalscoring chance. Last season we were as tight as we have been in the league for some time, and the stats show it. This season with Flamini playing a bigger part, we'll see.

Ideally, we want the pace/energy of Flamini with Arteta's brain, and I was hoping we would spend big money on a DM.

I just don't think Arteta in the DM position is the type of player to make us compete. I get the balance argument and appreciate it, but it's no coincidence that we haven't been competing since our last real DM, which was Flamini coincidentally, left.

[Xhaka Can’t]

What really pisses me off about MOTD is that they repeat and regurgitate the sort of garbage that floats around in the tabloids without analysing anything for themselves or opening up the debate. The crap about Theo lacking a footballing brain, Arsenal not liking it rough and needing more leaders…it’s soundbite jargon without any thought or analysis behind it half the time. They offer very little insight when discussing certain big issues. There is no point in listening to their analysis after a game.

This. MOTD as the most widely available and watched football program is in an ideal position to set the debate agenda. It does nothing of the sort. It is a tired and lazy programme with tired and lazy presenters who do nothing but regurgitate what is in the papers regardless of the material they have to work with.

[Özim]

Yep, and Chelsea should be top of the league but they aren't.

I'm not sure why they should be top of the league?


Anyway you said they didn't score from the goal, that's true of course but it wasn't due to good play from us, it was due to a bad decision from the referee.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Well that's certainly the British way of looking at it. Which is why crud like Scott Parker gets named player of the year. The evidence is all there to show Arteta makes a shitload of tackles and interceptions and he was a major reason we had the second best defensive record in the league last year. As fans, it's nice to see someone charging around 100mph and fouling people, but ultimately we are interested in how easy it is for the opposition to get in behind the midfield and create a goalscoring chance. Last season we were as tight as we have been in the league for some time, and the stats show it. This season with Flamini playing a bigger part, we'll see.

Ideally, we want the pace/energy of Flamini with Arteta's brain, and I was hoping we would spend big money on a DM.

Also, you're making Flamini sound like he's a brainless rottweiler. Many of us have already explained how his positioning in clip 2 prevented the opposition 'getting in behind the midfield and creating a goalscoring chance', which you highlight is important in your post.

Therefore he offers much more than the typical 'british' ideology of a DM. He has brains and made us 'tight' on saturday, whilst having the sort of aggression Arteta doesn't. Instant upgrade imo.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

I'm not sure why they should be top of the league?


Anyway you said they didn't score from the goal, that's true of course but it wasn't due to good play from us, it was due to a bad decision from the referee.

With Cripps out of the match thread the quality of discussion has really improved. We'll take one for the team and agree to disagree on this one, to ensure we don't Charlie this up for everyone with pitty patty one liners.

[Nayan]

arteta needs to grow a beard and put himself about more. job's a goodun

[Penguin]

There's noone in that gap, everyone else significantly in front of the other midfielders and thus they can track back if they see them moving forward, cutting out the pass to Altidore would be the logical thing to be doing rather than covering empty space where there's no danger.

Being a DM isn't just about sitting in a space waiting, it's anticipating danger as well.

Altidore was being marked by Sagna and was his responsibility. There's no reason for the DM to commit to either one of those players. Look at where Flamini was standing in the screenshot - he's covering the passing lines to the player at the top left and also protecting the area just in front of our CB line. By protecting that area it takes away the threat of a striker dropping into that area and pulling our CBs out of their defensive line and losing their shape.

Through luck, Altidore beat Sagna who is a lot smaller than him and put the ball in the net, the whistle went though (it shouldn't have) so Sagna should have then been red carded, we ended up with the best scenario though just a free kick.

That's just a mistake by Sagna and has nothing to do with Flamini. Sagna was marking Altidore and was goal-side of him. All he had to do was stay goal-side rather than trying to out muscle someone twice his size.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

arteta needs to grow a beard and put himself about more. job's a goodun

[Özil's Panoramic View]

That's just a mistake by Sagna and has nothing to do with Flamini. Sagna was marking Altidore and was goal-side of him. All he had to do was stay goal-side rather than trying to out muscle someone twice his size.

[Niall_Quinn]

This is all getting a bit technical isn't? Are we now saying we actually know something about football beyond cheering the good players and booing the bad ones?