Match Reaction v Aston Villa

[LDG]

Although Vermaelen did sell him short Mertersacker should maybe have done better, maybe a better defender would have. Vermaelen has been great recently though as well definitely our best defender this season.

By your own admission, you haven't watched a lot of our games this season, so how you can pontificate that Verms has been our best defender is beyond belief.

Koscielny has been our stand out defender this year, assisted by some good performances (and some bad ones) from Verms and Merts. Verms has cost us two goals in the last three conceeded, one own goal, and a bad pass last night. Merts has had some wobblys, but has made us more assured from set-pieces. Kos has read the game better than any other, and has bailed us out of shit loads of trouble.

Problem is, if you only watch MOTD, you're only gonna see the goals, and not all the good stuff he does.

They've all fucked up in some way shape or form, but defenders are usually at fault for goals conceded. In any match, in most goals conceeded.

Point of fact is, we're not shipping many since our "rejuvination". And that is down to better defending all round. Which I'm sure we're all pleased with.

[server too busy!]

Reading that Zenit are willing to give us back the money we paid for Arshavin, snatch their hands off!

I can't wait for Wilshere to come back, Ramsey just isn't cutting it.

As others have said and even Verm himself, it was his fault for the goal. He also played back a couple awkward back passes to Szjcsdbnkfn.

I still think we look more comfortable with Kos on the right and Miguel on the left. Kos was doing fine on the right for a few games before, don't understand why change it.

[Marc Overmars]

Even if Zenit are willing to pay half of what we paid them, there's no doubt we should just cut our losses and flog him.

He is better than Theo and Gervinho on his day, but doesn't even have a quarter of their application.

[GP]

we should all chip in and get him a nice concrete overcoat for xmas haha lol jk

[Kaiser]

Btw, Per was already on a yellow he took for the team after Frimpong ballsed up a two yard pass. If he went diving in there vs. Albrighton, he'd be off and the result would've been different.

[LDG]

Btw, Per was already on a yellow he took for the team after Frimpong ballsed up a two yard pass. If he went diving in there vs. Albrighton, he'd be off and the result would've been different.

Good point. Well made.

Nice to have you back btw KK.

No homo.

[Kaiser]

[Flavs]

We won again!!


Yawn

[Japan Shaking All Over]

had to set my alarm clock for 4:30am to watch that game! yes, we didn't play well but we got a result in the kind of game (1 nil up, pegged back, under pressure) that would have seen us cave in in times gone by.

What I think is important is the boys showed some bottle and waited fro their chance, those that are saying that we can kiss 4th goodbye have a point because we do need to play better but we are not going to blow teams away every game. Gerv who I rate had a mare and deserved to be taken off, players get tired and we need to have the kind of squad that allows us to replace players without batting an eyelid, yesterday Rosicky and Beni played well but Arshavin's days are numbered, he played like he knows something we don't (January departure??)

However as much as I agree with those saying we need to play better, I don't think we are shit and I would say that 25 points out of 30 is not exactly bad form.......we have a run of games coming up that can not only allow us to get in the top 4 but cement a position at the top of the league.

Far from being nervous, I am very optimistic!

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Week on week it seems we keep saying the same thing, 'experience in our side is turning what would last season have been a draw/loss into a win'.

It's no co-incidence that we're actually winning these types of games now rather than falling apart like an embaressing pack of wolves. This is why we've said all along we needed experience and youth mixed together; there's some things youth do no understand about the game; certain positioning, certain ways of playing a pass, maturity about playing... all of these are accrued through experience.

Our squad is stronger than it has been over the past few years and there's an element of competition for places (Arshavin can't even get more than 15 minutes when last year he would start!).. it certainly helps in games; instead of Denilson and Bendtner coming on in the 80th minute to try and win a game, we have Benayoun coming on. Players who actually know how to make a difference. Had this been last year we would have seen Bendtner come on down the wing, lose the ball 100 times and attempt pathetic crosses that go straight into row Z.

Would Denilson have got on the end of that corner like Yossi did last night? Or even Clichy? Not a chance. These aren't players who stand up and are counted for during times of pressure.. they buckle. But experienced players like Mertesacker, Santos, Yossi etc don't buckle. It's no co-incidence we've bought decent experienced players and we are getting you exactly what we want... a WIN instead of draws/losses.

I just hope he strengthens in the january window and lets a few players like Arshavin go. If he doesn't this squad will deplete over the next few months, they're already knackered by all the hard work they've had to put in to save the season.