Match Reaction vs Man Utd (home).

[Niall_Quinn]

On Alexis:

Wenger said: "He has a little groin problem.

"Unfortunately he goes to Chile. You cannot stop him from going to Chile and he loves so much to play for his country and he will play against Brazil [on Friday] and Peru [next] Tuesday so the game at home against Brazil he will not want to miss.

"Hopefully he will come back in good shape."

Looked like he had a massive groin and a bumper set on Sunday, ripped that Darmian bloke a couple of new ones.

But hopefully the Chile staff are a bit sensible. That's the trouble with these stupid internationals, they can use up the player and send him back clapped out without any consequences their end. Can't afford to lose this guy for any amount of time, he's the battery for the rest of the team.

[Globalgunner]

What this game has shown is that we certainly have the talent. So what has been missing?. I really feel we need a mentality change. The confidence in their own abilities and more importantly the ability to fight back against adversity. My greatest fear yesterday is that Utd would score before HT. If that had happened our all too familiar fragility would have reared its ugly head.

Now lets smash Bayern.

[Maestro]

What this game has shown is that we certainly have the talent. So what has been missing?. I really feel we need a mentality change. The confidence in their own abilities and more importantly the ability to fight back against adversity. My greatest fear yesterday is that Utd would score before HT. If that had happened our all too familiar fragility would have reared its ugly head.

Now lets smash Bayern.

What has been missing is competent and informed management. Wenget to his credit, delivered that in spades yesterday. He;

1. appeared to have motivated and focussed the team. they worked their socks off for 90 minutes ...all of them to a man, something that is usually missing from this team.
2. set the team up correctly, and they were tactically drilled especially the positioning and balance between attacking and defending
3. cajoled nd marshalled his troops from the touchline, ensuring they don't drop their levels, keep the opposition at bay and keep their shape
4. made coherent substitutions, and tactical adjustments to suit, showing bravery rather than going defensive ..as well as attentive in game management

...of course the team also played a big role, individually and as a group but i couldn't help noticing wenger doing all the things we are constantly crying out for him to do. last game we did this was when we beat city last season. united were beaten, tactically, technically, physically, mentally from the get go. it was a truly beautiful win, especially given our recent record against them. as mentioned by everyone we all hope this really is a turning point rather than the flash in the pan twice a season performance we have become used to.

not getting to excited as there is so many tough games to come, not least the double header with bayern ...and you also get the feeling city will have something to say about the title, we'll probably need to beat them and handle united again to have a real chance of challenging.

Wenger, that's all we've ever been asking for ....everyone needs to give absolutely everything.

[Injury Time]

What has been missing is competent and informed management. Wenget to his credit, delivered that in spades yesterday. He;

1. appeared to have motivated and focussed the team. they worked their socks off for 90 minutes ...all of them to a man, something that is usually missing from this team.
2. set the team up correctly, and they were tactically drilled especially the positioning and balance between attacking and defending
3. cajoled nd marshalled his troops from the touchline, ensuring they don't drop their levels, keep the opposition at bay and keep their shape
4. made coherent substitutions, and tactical adjustments to suit, showing bravery rather than going defensive ..as well as attentive in game management

...of course the team also played a big role, individually and as a group but i couldn't help noticing wenger doing all the things we are constantly crying out for him to do. last game we did this was when we beat city last season. united were beaten, tactically, technically, physically, mentally from the get go. it was a truly beautiful win, especially given our recent record against them. as mentioned by everyone we all hope this really is a turning point rather than the flash in the pan twice a season performance we have become used to.

not getting to excited as there is so many tough games to come, not least the double header with bayern ...and you also get the feeling city will have something to say about the title, we'll probably need to beat them and handle united again to have a real chance of challenging.

Wenger, that's all we've ever been asking for ....everyone needs to give absolutely everything.

This 100%. How many expect "lacked little sharpness" post international after Watford?

[IBK]

What has been missing is competent and informed management. Wenget to his credit, delivered that in spades yesterday. He;

1. appeared to have motivated and focussed the team. they worked their socks off for 90 minutes ...all of them to a man, something that is usually missing from this team.
2. set the team up correctly, and they were tactically drilled especially the positioning and balance between attacking and defending
3. cajoled nd marshalled his troops from the touchline, ensuring they don't drop their levels, keep the opposition at bay and keep their shape
4. made coherent substitutions, and tactical adjustments to suit, showing bravery rather than going defensive ..as well as attentive in game management

...of course the team also played a big role, individually and as a group but i couldn't help noticing wenger doing all the things we are constantly crying out for him to do. last game we did this was when we beat city last season. united were beaten, tactically, technically, physically, mentally from the get go. it was a truly beautiful win, especially given our recent record against them. as mentioned by everyone we all hope this really is a turning point rather than the flash in the pan twice a season performance we have become used to.

not getting to excited as there is so many tough games to come, not least the double header with bayern ...and you also get the feeling city will have something to say about the title, we'll probably need to beat them and handle united again to have a real chance of challenging.

Wenger, that's all we've ever been asking for ....everyone needs to give absolutely everything.

Good analysis. Problem is that we are used to seeing one standout performance like this from us every season. Reprising my other thread, is the problem not that Wenger cannot do it, but that after so much time he can't raise himself, and therefore the team other than on an ad hoc basis?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Still

I really hope we look within and understand that if you give it the effort, both before and during the game, you get the results.

We should be blitzing teams like that all of the time, not just in some games. If you want to win the league, then 75-80% of your matches have to be played like that. You will always get off days and bad patches, but they should be the exception, not the norm.

I'd like to see the effort applied to each game, but I can't help but feel this sort of game can only play out as such with a team ridiculous enough to believe they are better than us like Manure. A lot of the time our undoing is a dull, drab stalemate where we just can't score and the opposition are quite happy to sit back. When that happens, our ability to find the solution or to coin a Wengerism 'get them out of position' will be key.

I think that sort of game is more likely to be our undoing and though I still don't think we will win the league, I look forward and hope towards not thinking each big game is a foregone conclusion before we even play it.

LOL!!!!

[Coney]

https://www.facebook.com/Troll.Footb...type=3&theater

[LDG]

https://www.facebook.com/Troll.Footb...type=3&theater

It's funny because they called Smalling, Small.

[I am invisible]

So much to be happy about with Sunday's performance...

Alexis confirming that he's back...

Özil ramming a performance down his critics' throats...

The way the front 3/4 are really starting to 'click' - everyone creating for each other and getting goals...

The way the back 4 and the keeper are starting to 'click'...

The way the midfield 2/3 is managing to contribute to both ends and link everything together...

The manager getting the team pumped and his decisions spot-on...

...this is all fantatsic stuff to watch as a gooner!

Fair play to Theo again - he's really owning that CF role at the moment, and it's great to see him focussing on performance first, rather than waiting around anonymously for goals. This was pretty much exactly what I was saying that I wanted to see from him: apply that devastating pace of his to the defensive side of his game, add some of that lovely, Sanchezesque work-rate, and use it to hassle and press along the front line. If he continues to do that, then he's going to be a nightmare for defenders and holding midfielders, and will go from being a pushover to a bit of a bully - who'd have ever thought that?! That's the sort of shit that will win you the psychological battle against your markers every time, and really mess with their composure. Keep doing it, and the goals will follow - if not always for him, then at least for his team mates.

[GP]

It's funny