EPL: WBA vs Arsenal - SAT 21st NOV - 15:00

[Kroket]

Some losses are worse then others. This is one of the bad ones. WBA are **** beyond belief. I could moan but can't be arsed. So boring talking about the same old ****. Injury situation is ridiculous and embarrassing.

Same here, only three months into the season and I feel completely jaded already. Apart from a couple of games the football's been dire, our finishing ability has evaporated again, injuries piling up as usual etc. etc.

Season feels like a massive grind so far and we're not even into the hectic part of the year yet.

 

[Bananacoffee]

Didn't get my hopes up this season, this is just what is to be expected of a squad that's running on fumes already because the gaffer is too stubborn to deal with the obvious problems in front of him.

You go into the season with only 1 good DM and short in other places too, you get punished. We saw that today. How we can lose to a WBA side this poor is beyond me, I guess that's what you get from playing a LB at LW and conference players at RW and DM for a half.

 

[GabeGooner]

Unsurprisingly, the events of today were foreseeable back on the final day of the transfer window when we failed to sign a striker capable of winning us these kinds of games.

The same can be said of the inevitable injury to Francis Coquelin and our failure to sign a proper defensive midfielder to cover for him. The same can be said about the situation we find ourselves in with Joel Campbell being the only option on the right wing.

The disgusting thing is, there's no good reason for this situation to have ever become reality. And the worst thing is, we haven't even suffered the true consequences of the injury to Coquelin (or Arteta, for that matter).

It's a sad thing to say, but in the last couple of seasons I've become more and more convinced that we need a change in manager. Whenever we do a post-mortem on days like these, it's Wenger's decision-making that appears to be the root cause of our woes.

I am at the point now where, as often as I have said "He has no money, just wait until he has the funds to build a team" in the past, I find myself saying "He has the money, but he still will not use the funds to build a capable team". As much as I respect what he's done – and I don't think he has always been the problem (far from it) – we cannot allow his decision-making in the transfer window to supersede what we can clearly define as weakness in our squad any longer, and if that means Wenger has to go – so be it.

 

[Gooner Zig]

@GabeGooner pretty much just summed it all up with that last post.

 

[Bananacoffee]

Amen to that @GabeGooner.

Wenger's way is what kept us afloat while everyone outspent us - ironically it is that very same management style that is holding us back now that we actually have money to spend.

 

[Gooner Zig]

Giroud was dreadful, don't care about the goal - it was effectively a tap in the delivery from Özil was THAT good.

The guy's movement has gone to the dogs - does he EVER make runs behind the defence? I don't give a **** if he isn't that quick but even the slowest of players can make clever runs in behind the defence. I've had a gut full of him trying to hold of CBs while receiving the ball to feet. It's stagnant and just completely ****s with our play. Sooner Walcott returns up top the better.

 

[GabeGooner]

Giroud was dreadful, don't care about the goal - it was effectively a tap in the delivery from Özil was THAT good.

The guy's movement has gone to the dogs - does he EVER make runs behind the defence? I don't give a **** if he isn't that quick but even the slowest of players can make clever runs in behind the defence. I've had a gut full of him trying to hold of CBs while receiving the ball to feet. It's stagnant and just completely ****s with our play. Sooner Walcott returns up top the better.

The thing about Giroud is, he's simply not suited to our fluid style of play. Giroud needs a structured team around him; he needs wingers, he needs crosses, he needs it on a plate – and he always will, because he's a target man, a static player, a focal point.

We all know Giroud will never make the kinds of runs Özil needs his forward to make – which brings us to the real issue: Why does Wenger insist on playing Giroud with players around him who don't provide the kind of service he needs? Why does Wenger insist on playing Giroud in front of a midfield that needs a mobile forward?

It makes no sense. It's almost as if Wenger has absolutely no clue how to utilise any of his players, has no concept of tactical combinations and simply just picks players based on form and fitness.

 

[GabeGooner]

Amen to that @GabeGooner.

Wenger's way is what kept us afloat while everyone outspent us - ironically it is that very same management style that is holding us back now that we actually have money to spend.

I've said the exact same thing before. It's not only true, it's tragic. Wenger's given us so much that we are indebted to him indefinitely, but he's holding us back to the point where we'd have to disregard all of that – and almost betray him – to progress to the level he's worked so hard to get us at.

 

[Gooner Zig]

Tbf @GabeGooner I don't think Wenger would be playing Giroud if Theo is fit. I honestly would rather Welbeck than Giroud now.

Also - what the hell has happened to BFG? He's weaker than a kitten.

 

[GabeGooner]

Tbf @GabeGooner I don't think Wenger would be playing Giroud if Theo is fit. I honestly would rather Welbeck than Giroud now.

Also - what the hell has happened to BFG? He's weaker than a kitten.

That's the problem, though. There's no concept of adaptability (tactically). It was working relatively well when Walcott was fit, but now that he's unavailable, we're back to square pegs in round holes – and it's not just because we have injuries or piss-poor planning, it's because we have a manager who doesn't look beyond the superficial (tactically).

With regard to Welbeck… it's almost inevitable that he will be used like Walcott was; shunted out of position on to the flank because he's fast.

The thing is – and it really pisses me off thinking about how wasted he has been, and how wasted a number of our players will be – Walcott should always have been on the LW. Walcott was always the same type of player Sánchez is (sans the flair and work-rate, obviously). Sánchez, like Walcott, can play on the right or up front, but clearly, he's best on the left cutting inside. It was always the same with Walcott, but for whatever reason Wenger didn't want to use him there.

Welbeck will suffer the same, predictable fate; he'll either be barely rotated with Sánchez or he'll be thrown on the right. None of which I'd mind, but it's not like that'll happen because we have a world-class forward up front and want to give the player game-time, it'll happen because it's the stupid thing to do and that's how we to do things.

 

[Lilwizzle]

Tbf @GabeGooner I don't think Wenger would be playing Giroud if Theo is fit. I honestly would rather Welbeck than Giroud now.

Also - what the hell has happened to BFG? He's weaker than a kitten.

Oli has 9 goals in 11 games. Welbeck had never scored more than 9 goals in a whole season.

Unlucky for Cazorla & Arteta tbh. Slips happen to the best of people, and it was never a freekick.

 

[sharongur]

@GabeGooner I've been saying those things for a while now but i usually get ignored or slated by david smith...

 

[AVENTUS]

Purposely waited to watch all the football on motd tonight and after watching Liverpool crush City..

I'M BEYOND ANGRY.

We bottled it against a ****ty team like West Brom who are fit for relegation beat with only 1 shot on target. Pathetic.

Winning the league... Don't make me laugh

 

[Lilwizzle]

Purposely waited to watch all the football on motd tonight and after watching Liverpool crush City..

I'M BEYOND ANGRY.

We bottled it against a ****ty team like West Brom who are fit for relegation beat with only 1 shot on target. Pathetic.

Winning the league... Don't make me laugh

We're one point behind any realistic rival, I doubt Leicester will be up there on May. The performance wasn't all that bad, we let one shot on target which was mainly because of Mertersacker. Anyone can win this league atm.

 

[sharongur]

Oli has 9 goals in 11 games. Welbeck had never scored more than 9 goals in a whole season.

Unlucky for Cazorla & Arteta tbh. Slips happen to the best of people, and it was never a freekick.

I've said it once. ill say it again.
Giroud has 9 goals in 11 games because our midfield IS INSANE, best in the league IMO.

When did welbeck had 11 games running? or walcott ? and the last 2 are what i consider average strikers.
Why didnt we buy a striker? maybe our world class midfield makes up for it, and for some reason AW thinks injuries will never happen after 7 years of them consistently ruining our campaigns.

But remaining with an ageing arteta and falmini as covers for coq? this thing has absolutely no excuse, just no excuse what so ever.

That thing around the 30-40th minute today, ruined our season.

we cannot survive without coq. flams is decent, definitely the better option out of him or arteta, but he is not coq, not a midfield general. we all know we wont be saved in Jan.
I guess thats another season to start saying " maybe next season" unless a 2014\2015 miracle like Coq will happen again in the form of new Jan transfer bargain hit or maybe even Bielik?

 

[sharongur]

We're one point behind any realistic rival, I doubt Leicester will be up there on May. The performance wasn't all that bad, we let one shot on target which was mainly because of Mertersacker. Anyone can win this league atm.

I think you misjudge the crucial rule Coq had in our team.
I agree with you that right now it seems like you said.

But can you imagine us without Coq?
I really hope ramsey can resist the erge to burst forward and maybe fill his place. we need that protector infornt of our back four

 

[AVENTUS]

We're one point behind any realistic rival, I doubt Leicester will be up there on May. The performance wasn't all that bad, we let one shot on target which was mainly because of Mertersacker. Anyone can win this league atm.

Matey look at the Sp**s game too. We knew City had dropped points and had a chance to go 1st and didn't bother showing up. It's happened again today.

We're just Lucky Liverpool spanked City otherwise we'd be off the pace by 3 points and a big gap in goal difference.

Same **** different season mediocre players like Campbell who can't score 3 yards out 2-1 down..

 

[Lilwizzle]

I've said it once. ill say it again.
Giroud has 9 goals in 11 games because our midfield IS INSANE, best in the league IMO.

When did welbeck had 11 games running? or walcott ? and the last 2 are what i consider average strikers.
Why didnt we buy a striker? maybe our world class midfield makes up for it, and for some reason AW thinks injuries will never happen after 7 years of them consistently ruining our campaigns.

But remaining with an ageing arteta and falmini as covers for coq? this thing has absolutely no excuse, just no excuse what so ever.

That thing around the 30-40th minute today, ruined our season.

we cannot survive without coq. flams is decent, definitely the better option out of him or arteta, but he is not coq, not a midfield general. we all know we wont be saved in Jan.
I guess thats another season to start saying " maybe next season" unless a 2014\2015 miracle like Coq will happen again in the form of new Jan transfer bargain hit or maybe even Bielik?

I'm sure Wele started atleast 10 games last season, infront of Özil, Sanchez and Cazorla.

I'd say Flamini's still worse. It was actually a brilliant tackle if you watch it again. Then again I didn't watch the match so I can't really say how he played, but looking at our next 3 pl games I'm sure(not really) that it will(hopefully) just be a blip.

 

[Lilwizzle]

I think you misjudge the crucial rule Coq had in our team.
I agree with you that right now it seems like you said.

But can you imagine us without Coq?
I really hope ramsey can resist the erge to burst forward and maybe fill his place. we need that protector infornt of our back four

We are seriously ****ed if he's out for the season, but I think we'll be alright in the short run. Even looking at the last few City games, 0-0 with United and Villa and that spanking today, I'd fancy getting points there with Flamini/Arteta.

 

[AVENTUS]

So what's the story on Coq. How long is he out.?