EPL I Man City vs Arsenal I Sunday 18th December 16.00 SS1

[Mrs Bergkamp]

The formation needs to change. Coq lost the ball but Xhaka didn't offer any options. Elneny moves so well for all the criticism he gets. I would go 4312 to even up our numbers in MF as no two man MF works. Kos should also have pushed us up the pitch to compress play. Mert wasn't playing so there was no need to sit deep. Santi's ability on the ball was a massive loss and I don't think Wilshere would have helped yesterday. Good goal by Theo but in his position you need to be able to dribble. We had no outlet and not every through ball will reach him. Thereafter he failed to hit the target twice. It was poor all round tbh. We need to buy in January or stich AMN in MF and go from there. There's a lot we can do but Wenger needs to have the courage and spend again.

 

[reed]

Goodbye Alexis and Mesut.

Alexis will be a big loss, but I won't miss Özil tbh. It's not the end of the world, there are many great players out there, and I hope we buy proper replacements.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

My point being Sanchez having more deficiencies to his game than Özil.and him screwing up more than Özil

That's bullsh!t!! Özil is a very limited player. Alexis is versatile with many attributes to his game.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

The formation needs to change. Coq lost the ball but Xhaka didn't offer any options. Elneny moves so well for all the criticism he gets. I would go 4312 to even up our numbers in MF as no two man MF works. Kos should also have pushed us up the pitch to compress play. Mert wasn't playing so there was no need to sit deep. Santi's ability on the ball was a massive loss and I don't think Wilshere would have helped yesterday. Good goal by Theo but in his position you need to be able to dribble. We had no outlet and not every through ball will reach him. Thereafter he failed to hit the target twice. It was poor all round tbh. We need to buy in January or stich AMN in MF and go from there. There's a lot we can do but Wenger needs to have the courage and spend again.

Agree with this. Your tactical analysis is top stuff.

Elneny absolutely has to be playing more than he has. I really think Xhaka and Elneny could be real solid. Its great that we have so much depth but we have to utilize it too.

 

[krackpot]

The formation needs to change. Coq lost the ball but Xhaka didn't offer any options. Elneny moves so well for all the criticism he gets. I would go 4312 to even up our numbers in MF as no two man MF works. Kos should also have pushed us up the pitch to compress play. Mert wasn't playing so there was no need to sit deep. Santi's ability on the ball was a massive loss and I don't think Wilshere would have helped yesterday. Good goal by Theo but in his position you need to be able to dribble. We had no outlet and not every through ball will reach him. Thereafter he failed to hit the target twice. It was poor all round tbh. We need to buy in January or stich AMN in MF and go from there. There's a lot we can do but Wenger needs to have the courage and spend again.

I love this post. Would have liked it twice if I could.

Instead of bleating, we should be trying to analyse.

My two pences:

1. Our tactics were spot on, but just a shade too defensive.

2. We needed to try the Özil as a goal scorer in pre-season, and not in a league games. He will adjust to the change, but it will take him time.

3. we lost energy n the second half. dunno why. if we could have got to maybe 60 minutes, we would have got through.

4. Two offside decisions were our undoing. can't get my head arund our disallowed goal and their allowed goal.

All in all, thoroughly disappointing, but not embarrassing.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

I love this post. Would have liked it twice if I could.

Instead of bleating, we should be trying to analyse.

My two pences:

1. Our tactics were spot on, but just a shade too defensive.

2. We needed to try the Özil as a goal scorer in pre-season, and not in a league games. He will adjust to the change, but it will take him time.

3. we lost energy n the second half. dunno why. if we could have got to maybe 60 minutes, we would have got through.

4. Two offside decisions were our undoing. can't get my head arund our disallowed goal and their allowed goal.

All in all, thoroughly disappointing, but not embarrassing.

Totally agree. Point one is key. If Theo could dribble that turns us offensive. Alexis was waving team mates towards him at 1 minute 3seconds lol. Özil can dribble. He has to demand the ball,get on it and keep it. The loss of energy is baffling-we used to be the fittest team around. The first offside was marginal. The second was just plain weird and Cech might have done better.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

We should hold our hopes of tactical changes till next season if Wenger stops though tbh. Last night something broke for me and I'm all in Wenger out.

 

[Hunter Zolomon]

it seems people in this forum do more tactical analysis than wenger

 

[Mark Tobias]

Very difficult to defend the players or the manager after last night. I just don't get why we are a team who is so difficult to motivate. Is it the type of people Wenger is signing? Is it the manager himself? We've now had several squads under this man but for the past 8 years we have been guaranteed at least 5/6 games a season where there is absolutely no will to be there from 90% of the team. It's making me lose interest in the sport.

 

[Jasard]

If we had a real 'grab players by the scruff of the neck' leader we would be top of the table.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Very true, a fraction before, but was it offside?

The last few weeks there's been a number of incidents where the ball has crossed the line and Hawkeye has given the goals. In seasons gone by they may not have counted.

One day when robots referee matches there will be justice, until then Arsenal lost a game they technically should have won, even though morally they should have lost, playing like that.

Come on @Makingtrax, we're both old gooners, I'm not content waiting for the day a glorified dishwasher calls correct decisions to see us lift another title, we need action now!!

 

[Sapient Hawk]

If we had a real 'grab players by the scruff of the neck' leader we would be top of the table.

At this stage, we need half a dozen to deliver a significant boost. Far too many of the current squad capitulate at the slightest wobble.

 

[Hunta]

if we had over committed you would have called us naive.

You don't have to overcommit to not play like dickheads. 60-70 minutes of parking the bus.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

If we had a real 'grab players by the scruff of the neck' leader we would be top of the table.

Bring back RVP!

 

[razörist]

We folded against both everton and City. But both games could have had a different result if the refs did their job. Alexis should have won a pen against Everton and the offside calls against City. If we lose fair, so be it, but this is painful.

 

[Makingtrax]

We folded against both everton and City. But both games could have had a different result if the refs did their job. Alexis should have won a pen against Everton and the offside calls against City. If we lose fair, so be it, but this is painful.

Pretty much sums it up. Nothing more to say.

 

[GunnerInPluto]

We folded against both everton and City. But both games could have had a different result if the refs did their job. Alexis should have won a pen against Everton and the offside calls against City. If we lose fair, so be it, but this is painful.

Problem is that the standard for Arsenal is higher than any other club in the premier league. There is this 'man up' call for every bad decision Arsenal gets. You will struggle to find so called pundits actually acknowledge incorrect decisions against Arsenal.
1. The red card for Xhaka. Arsenal is the only team to have a player sent off (straight red) for stopping an attack. I see the same tackle week in week out, and it is a standard yellow. Suffice to say all pundits thought it was a justified decision.
2. Penalties against Arsenal.. Monreal penalty, Xhaka 'elbow', and all the other flimsy penalties given against Arsenal. The foul against Everton was also swiftly waved away. If that was Xhaka on Lukaku, be sure its a penalty and yellow card for Xhaka.
3. Yesterday's goals... That even pundits are affirming that Sane's goal was onside is baffling. That failure called Neville couldnt see an offside in that, even with a still photograph. If that was against Man Utd, the whole country will discuss it for weeks unending, with pundits calling refs out for a bad job.
The good thing about Wenger speaking out on these issues is that perhaps, decisions against Arsenal now start to get in focus. While it is always good to blow teams away and win big, sometimes we need help. We might just need refs to do their jobs and leave motherluck to decide the winner. Yesterday would have been different if Sane's goal was disallowed.

 

[turkish gooner]

Wenger is a big disappointment, frustration..

solution is #wengerout

 

[Makingtrax]

Come on @Makingtrax, we're both old gooners, I'm not content waiting for the day a glorified dishwasher calls correct decisions to see us lift another title, we need action now!!

Mate if a dishwasher had been in charge we'd have won 1-0 and the headlines today would have been 'tired gooners know how to win ugly, sign of a title winning team'.

Chance is deciding these games where they're tight. Today's game is too quick for human officials. Hawkeye's done a great job on goal line tech, let's move on.

Having said that, with human decisions you get a pantomime, which is great for Christmas! Sadly, Arsenal seem to get more than their fair share of bad decisions, even if we were **** in the second half.

 

[Makingtrax]

Problem is that the standard for Arsenal is higher than any other club in the premier league. There is this 'man up' call for every bad decision Arsenal gets. You will struggle to find so called pundits actually acknowledge incorrect decisions against Arsenal.
1. The red card for Xhaka. Arsenal is the only team to have a player sent off (straight red) for stopping an attack. I see the same tackle week in week out, and it is a standard yellow. Suffice to say all pundits thought it was a justified decision.
2. Penalties against Arsenal.. Monreal penalty, Xhaka 'elbow', and all the other flimsy penalties given against Arsenal. The foul against Everton was also swiftly waved away. If that was Xhaka on Lukaku, be sure its a penalty and yellow card for Xhaka.
3. Yesterday's goals... That even pundits are affirming that Sane's goal was onside is baffling. That failure called Neville couldnt see an offside in that, even with a still photograph. If that was against Man Utd, the whole country will discuss it for weeks unending, with pundits calling refs out for a bad job.
The good thing about Wenger speaking out on these issues is that perhaps, decisions against Arsenal now start to get in focus. While it is always good to blow teams away and win big, sometimes we need help. We might just need refs to do their jobs and leave motherluck to decide the winner. Yesterday would have been different if Sane's goal was disallowed.

Best post after a lousy match.