Still dont think they are leagues above us. May be a touch better with Aguero in it, but no way close to being considered way better than us.Originally Posted by Globalgunner
Just compare our relative front lines. If Aguero is fit. No contest. As it is what keeps us competitive in the league is that City can be vulberable against the stokes and W-Hams just like us
On another note. those extra linesmen. I used to think they were a waste. No more
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
No one is saying it doesn't happen, no one says we shouldn't ever lose games....of course defeats happen.
But it's a case of analysing why they happen and learning from it that helps, and as P'n'G rightly says more often than not results like last night prove to be false dawns, and in some ways it's better to appreciate them as one off results rather than encouraging trends.
I'd like to think now his margin for error has narrowed so he will be forced to assess what he did wrong in games we lose, and pressure will come on him to acheive more than just the bare minimum.
Two FA cup wins are good of course they are, but they have to be a springboard so want to see more performances where the manager puts his money where his mouth is and less statements where he claims to feel vindicated for not buying a striker because he shouldn't.
Unless Aguero is in his beast mode form (about a couple of months a year), there's nowt much in it between our respective first elevens tbh.
Where they may have an advantage over us is that they have a deeper squad, thanks to them being able to keep 140 k a week players on the bench, something with our financial situation compared to theirs, we can't do. *cough Sagna cough*
I also don't think Pellegrini's as good a manager as Wenger though and additionally, like us in the past, their mentality isn't as strong and resolute as could be and can be prone to collapse when things go wrong ..... it's probably more of an issue for them considering that a lot of their team are just mercenaries.
Fantastic result, I did'nt think it would happen.
We must be solid defensively far more often now in every match we play.
Hope Ramsey is ok and not out too long.
Well done Arsenal, keep it up.
I think we've won more big games in this calendar years to show we're getting better at them.
It's debatable at the moment whether it's a trend, I guess we'll see that as we go through the season but the Bayern game is hot on the heels of the Utd one so there are good signs.
See this is where we should be drumming it into our players every week. Convince them that it's not us that will collapse when things get tough, and that it's the other teams.
Confidence is not only about being cocksure when you win. It's also about believing you will pull yourself through when you're 1-0 down and everything is going against you. And if you do lose, that it's not through lack of effort or approach, but it was just not your day / the ref was a cunt etc.
It's all in the mentality (work), preparation (tactics) and on the pitch (quality/desire). The quality of the players isn't in doubt, and hasn't been on numerous occasions in the past (spending or not).
The one thing which may tip the balance is if we're running on empty at Christmas, with injuries, and Wenget decides not to strengthen.
It's in our hands (in the most part), fucking do it!
It's better to burn out, than to fade away.
Our under-19's also beat Bayern a few hours before at Borehamwood, 2-0. Iwobi scored a screamer apparently.
They are in a similar Euro competition and play the same games as the first team, so will be travelling out with them to play Bayern and co too.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/...andries-jonker
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
This is where the character of the team comes to the fore. Ballack was briefly talking about th Chelsea situation before the game, saying that they used to have 6/7 international captains in the dressing room, guys who could deal with the loudmouth cunt that is Mourinho, whereas now, they don't seem to have that backbone to fight back.
Those are the guys that will get you through the shit when it hits the fan. The literal and figurative giants we used to have in our team, scrapping out games when things aren't quite clicking together. They are the guys that inspire others around them and can keep confidence from hitting rock bottom. It's not something you can coach or instil, either you have it or you don't and it evolves organically. That's where buying in the right players comes into it and not just based on pure technical ability. Whether those personalities exist enough within this squad remains to be seen. Sometimes it isn't immediately apparent and this season will make or break this group of players I think.
Aguero, Sterling, Bony, DeBruyne, vs Sanchez, Giroud, Walcott, Welbeck. Hmmmm, which to choose?
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