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PL: Liverpool vs Arsenal | December 29th | KO: 17:30 | BT Sport

Match Prediction


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Furious

Emery Gone, Telly Back On
He didn't have his back to Firmino once. He saw all the run with his own eyes.

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Full highlights with this play:
http://yfl.matchat.online/player/html/q82t60JwAW?popup=yes&autoplay=1

Didn't find where to download it, I wanted to upload this play to streamable.

It was 2 vs 2, later it was 3 vs 3. Do you honestly can't see poor defending in this play from Mustafi ? He went to the ground to early, misjudge the distance between him and Firmino. Firmino didn't even need to make a dummy to sell one move or another and fool the defender. Mustafi fooled himself.

After Torreira he made the biggest mistake. Maybe you have a low standards, or you think Firmino is Messi, and usually you can't stop him 1 vs 1.

Mustafi is running back in all those pics except when he has to make the decision and try to stop him. Bearing in mind that all of that happened in a split second there's not much all he could've done. Firmino is no Messi but he's a good dribbler and in a situation like that he won't let you go unpunished.

City just conceded a similar goal, bet you they won't blame Kompany and Laporte but the guy who was dispossessed easily, just like Torreira. But I get it, the usual nonces on here will only blame guys like Mustafi and won't touch favourites like Torreira.
 

Preacher

Always Crying
Mustafi is running back in all those pics except when he has to make the decision and try to stop him. Bearing in mind that all of that happened in a split second there's not much all he could've done. Firmino is no Messi but he's a good dribbler and in a situation like that he won't let you go unpunished.

City just conceded a similar goal, bet you they won't blame Kompany and Laporte but the guy who was dispossessed easily, just like Torreira. But I get it, the usual nonces on here will only blame guys like Mustafi and won't touch favourites like Torreira.
I would blame them if they would be repeat offenders. Nobody is mistakes free, you can do it once or twice over the years.
All over these few years I saw many many similar mistakes from Mustafi. Like I said the man just can't stay on his feet. The ball to him is like red apron to the bull.
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
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Player:Saliba
Long analysis:

I agree with the moaning on here about the referee during the game. I think both penalties were soft. Someone said we would want the first one, that’s true, but I don’t think it’s one I would moan about after the game. I don’t think I’ve seen a penalty give on the goal line since Eduardo, and especially with the way Salah went down. Being handed a penalty like that with the score as it is and on the stroke of half time the confidence in the team will dip. And I am amazed Mane wasn’t sent off.

However, minus those two penalties, the problems are still there for everyone to see.

As I have said many times, and others, not playing two of our three best players hinders us massively. Maybe Özil is injured, but it’s such a bizarre situation. But if Ramsey is playing alongside Auba, why not Laca? That makes no sense. Ramsey looked best when he worked backward and harried their midfield - not picking it up in pockets of space in the midfield and final third. But that’s exactly what Özil and Laca are good at.

Saying that, I thought we started really well - the first 15 minutes - before the goals. Liverpool were pressed high and gave the ball several times, one of which we scored from, and a couple more where if the players just thought a bit quicker we could have had a decent chance from.

It looked like we were trying to match Liverpool’s formation, switching between a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 when pressing. Iwobi and AMN would alternate in the midfield to keep a wide defensive shape while also alternating on the press. It worked really well.

But as we have seen this season, for some reason, that what is going well is quite quickly changed. It’s difficult to tell whether it was their first goal that made us more defensive or whether it was because we scored. Either way, as there was 75 minutes to play after their 1st it makes no sense to try and shut them out for the game. There was no need for that anyway because their back 6, inc Fabinho, bar maybe Robertson, looks shaky under pressure.

Our mistakes were unforgivable, though. I think you can forgive Mustafi to some extent because he’s been out for a few weeks and came back into one of the fastest games. But Lichsteiner has been an awful signing. He seems more interested in leaving one on the opposition than he does of actually defending. That’s not the Arsenal way. And when it comes to his actual job, he isn’t very good. You could see from the beginning of this match he was out of place - he was slow in possession, making runs, and getting out of defence. At fault for 1st goal and 3rd goal. In all honesty, I wouldn’t mind seeing Jenks in there for the next couple of games.

But I think this really exposed what we do need. Yes there are issues defensively - a top quality CB is a must. But it highlighted how much we miss Bellerin getting up and down that right side. And it’s not just his pace but his awareness around him. He isn’t caught out like Lich is.

Also, we desperately need better quality in attacking positions. At RW was a player that has played the majority of his games at senior level at DM and FB. And Iwobi also looked lost. Ramsey gave very little, god knows why he was captain. I don’t need to go into too much detail about how bad those three were when Auba had 7 touches in play.

There is only 1 player left from the season Klopp took over who was a starter then and is now - Ferminho. And only three players who regularly feature - Lovren, Milner and Henderson. There’s another handful that are still there who have either faded away and Gomez who has developed.

@MikeVinna may be right. There are too few players who will still be here if the investment is there in three years. And our best three will all be into their 30s and start being replaced then.
Top post.
 

Makingtrax

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Mustafi is running back in all those pics except when he has to make the decision and try to stop him. Bearing in mind that all of that happened in a split second there's not much all he could've done. Firmino is no Messi but he's a good dribbler and in a situation like that he won't let you go unpunished.

City just conceded a similar goal, bet you they won't blame Kompany and Laporte but the guy who was dispossessed easily, just like Torreira. But I get it, the usual nonces on here will only blame guys like Mustafi and won't touch favourites like Torreira.
Torreira makes a big mistake by giving the ball away needlessly, then Mustafi had no need to throw himself to the ground like that, bro.

We gifted that goal to Fermino. He didn’t even need to be Bendtner, let alone Messi.
 
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Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
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Oil Price Bates posted this, showing where Liverpool were after Klopp had been in the job for 15 months. Gives some perspective to the mess that Emery is in right now.

They were sitting in 4th and actually finished 4th and got into the CL that season, though - while Arsenal managed to drop from 2nd to 5th place in the same time frame.

Like them, we're on a bad run of form, but already 5th with one of the worst defenses in the whole league. Not too comparable.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
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They were sitting in 4th and actually finished 4th and got into the CL that season, though - while Arsenal managed to drop from 2nd to 5th place in the same time frame.

Like them, we're on a bad run of form, but already 5th with one of the worst defenses in the whole league. Not too comparable.
People are angry at Emery for not changing everything overnight, but even a top manager like Klopp was having a tough time 15 months into the job.

And although they did finish 4th that season, they only clinched that position on the final day of the season. They've struggled against the lesser sides in the league under Klopp plenty until this season.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
People are angry at Emery for not changing everything overnight, but even a top manager like Klopp was having a tough time 15 months into the job.

And although they did finish 4th that season, they only clinched that position on the final day of the season. They've struggled against the lesser sides in the league under Klopp plenty until this season.

It's not about having a hard time. It's about bizarre decisions, an even worse defence than during Arsène's last seasons, being jumpy and indecisive and not showing a clear idea of what is to happen here. And yes, they clinched it on the last day of that season, but at least they did. Right now nothing looks like Arsenal is clinching anything but 5th or even 6th if Man Utd go on a run. And our squad 18/19 is closer to Liverpool's 16/17 than their 15/16 one in which they finished 8th.

Having a stuttering motor, some problems here and there, a bit of a lack of quality to cruise into the Top 4, some bad runs some good runs, some football magic and some **** performances, and then finally delivering that Top 4 at the tailgate of the season. That's Liverpool 16/17. As of now that doesn't sound very close to Arsenal 18/19 if you actually look at the performances and by now also at the table.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
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It's not about having a hard time. It's about bizarre decisions, an even worse defence than during Arséne's last seasons, being jumpy and indecisive and not showing a clear idea of what is to happen here. And yes, they clinched it on the last day of that season, but at least they did. Right now nothing looks like Arsenal is clinching anything but 5th or even 6th if Man Utd go on a run..
It doesn't matter what it looks like at the beginning of January, all that matters is what Emery delivers (or doesn't) in May. Things change quickly in football. 4 weeks ago the majority of Emery's critics didn't bother posting on A-M, City were going to win the league unbeaten, Sp**s were 5th etc.
And our squad 18/19 is closer to Liverpool's 16/17 than their 15/16 one in which they finished 8th.
Liverpool added Mane, Wijnaldum and Matip in 2016. Not like their squad was dramatically different from October 2015 when he started to May 2017 when they got CL football. Besides, a Liverpool were known for their pressing under Rodgers so it wasn't a huge adjustment for their players to transition to Klopp.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
Liverpool added Mane, Wijnaldum and Matip in 2016. Not like their squad was dramatically different from October 2015 when he started to May 2017 when they got CL football. Besides, a Liverpool were known for their pressing under Rodgers so it wasn't a huge adjustment for their players to transition to Klopp.

So you're actually reinforcing my argument that Liverpool's squad in 16/17 wasn't so overwhelmingly strong that them fighting for 4th over the course of the season was catastrophic for them...just as it shouldn't be catastrophic for us now, as our squad has a Top 4 finish in it. Slowly loosing touch with the Top 4 and regressing on field performances are troubling signs, though. For us now, that is.

It doesn't matter what it looks like at the beginning of January, all that matters is what Emery delivers (or doesn't) in May. Things change quickly in football. 4 weeks ago the majority of Emery's critics didn't bother posting on A-M, City were going to win the league unbeaten, Sp**s were 5th etc.

You're right, of course. The final table in May counts. I'm just pessimistic. And in my opinion rightly so, as I have not been one of those critics that was silent 4 weeks ago but already saw some of those problems surfacing now and raised concern. And for now it just looks to get worse instead of better so I'm not expecting a massive turnaround. I was also pretty sure City weren't going to go unbeaten, there's a post somwhere, - win the league, probably, but not unbeaten. What comes quite unexpectedly to me is Liverpool's unbeaten run and City's recent little slump.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
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So you're actually reinforcing my argument that Liverpool's squad in 16/17 wasn't so overwhelmingly strong that them fighting for 4th over the course of the season was catastrophic for them...just as it shouldn't be catastrophic for us now, as our squad has a Top 4 finish in it. Slowly loosing touch with the Top 4 and regressing on field performances are troubling signs, though. For us now, that is.
I've always expected top 4 from this season. The squad is flawed but there's definitely enough talent to get into the CL through the league or EL. I do back Emery but as I've said, that doesn't mean he gets a free pass for the season.
You're right, of course. The final table in May counts. I'm just pessimistic. And in my opinion rightly so, as I have not been one of those critics that was silent 4 weeks ago but already saw some of those problems surfacing now and raised concern. And for now it just looks to get worse instead of better so I'm not expecting a massive turnaround. I was also pretty sure City weren't going to go unbeaten, there's a post somwhere, - win the league, probably, but not unbeaten. What comes quite unexpectedly to me is Liverpool's unbeaten run and City's recent little slump.
Those were just general statements about the perceptions people had about certain teams a few weeks ago. Arsenal and City dropping off to this extent in recent weeks wasn't forseen by many, IMO things can change just as quickly in the other direction if Emery starts better utilising the talent at his disposal and 1 or 2 signings in January.
 

GeorgiaGunner

#FreeClaude

Tactical analysis. Liverpool exploited all our weaknesses.

All season we have a problem defending against transitional play, especially in the middle of the pitch. This should be number 1 on Emery's to do list called "problems to fix in the new year".
Nice breakdown. Think 5-1 flattered us in some regards (especially re: weakness to press and defensive fragility), penalties notwithstanding.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator

Tactical analysis. Liverpool exploited all our weaknesses.

All season we have a problem defending against transitional play, especially in the middle of the pitch. This should be number 1 on Emery's to do list called "problems to fix in the new year".

What that video shows to me is that

a) when a team defends so narrow and high you also have to be more aggressive towards the ball like Simeone teams, cause leaving acres of space to the opposition while also giving them time on the ball is bad - you have to disturb their play, not just follow the ball

or b) get the team to shift more quickly and more decisively to have the opportunity to use the offside trap for players coming from deep. We sat comfortably in the centre of the pitch (vertically) but didn't force Liverpool to pass the ball back decidedly enough and then shift higher starting with the first line. You either force back their fullbacks freed up by our horizontal shifting or you are high enough to try and use offside

c) Assignments to players/zones and when to take over players is completely off. There's an early scene in the vid in which Kolasinac gets dragged from his leftback position across the central defence by Salah which opens up space for Shaqiri. The left CB has to take over the forward making the central diagonal run so Kola can keep the left tight while the whole team shifts slightly deeper and left.

That last one is the most glaring one. The assignments and when to take over players is horrible. It isn't working at all. The players are getting lured out and destroy shape all the time.
 

Big Poppa

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4/6 of the defensive players that started yesterday was bought this summer to fix our defensive issues too in what a lot of people were saying was amazing recruitment. That does not fill me with confidence. I’ll be honest, I only rate Torreira out of all our new signings. Getting seriously linked to the likes of Cahill and Banega now too smh, hopefully this is not the type of signings we can expect. We need to go after younger players in their early 20’s.

As a club we need to move away from this mentality of individuals fixing our defensive issues. They will certainly help and we need reinforcement but we have a problem with our defensive infrastructure and culture and that is the biggest issue.

Otherwise it's like buying a better boiler and putting it in a house with poor insulation and single glazed windows then being shocked that your house freezes over when that boiler breaks down. A lot gets made of van Dyke's impact to Liverpool since he signed, but people forget that they basically replaced Coutinho with an extra CM to provide more doggedness in front of that defence.

Coutinho is a great player, but Liverpool have improved markedly since because the balance of the team is much more important than the skill of an individual. It's why I don't get the whingeing over the absence of Özil, who in my opinion is vastly inferior to Coutinho.

We struggle to move the ball quickly up the pitch and our lack of directness means we need a lot more of the ball to create chances. It also means that we have to be further up the pitch (on average) to be dangerous. The problem with that is that good teams will pick you off, Like Liverpool did. It's all inherent risk, bubbling under the surface.

We don't transition quickly enough between attacking and defensive phases of play. Our players take too many touches and we rely on the efficiency of our strikers to mask it. These are problems that Emery understands but take time to fix.

You aren't going to find a silver bullet for this problem - it took Klopp 3 years.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
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https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/30/liverpool-jurgen-klopp-arsenal-manchester-city

@celestis think you made the point about Liverpool not being that good? Interesting reading.
Great article. I was honestly more impressed by Liverpool in the 5-1 in 2014 or the 4-0 last year. In this game we saw things like Lichsteiner kicking the ball straight at Mustafi with his left foot, when he could've easily cleared it with his right. Also a series of uncharacteristic mistakes from Torreira that led to goals, you just can't plan for that as a manager.

Reminded me of a 2-0 loss at Chelsea, Wenger set the team up in a 4-1-4-1 he hadn't used before with that particular lineup of players and it worked perfectly until he was undone by individual errors: Koscielny taking Hazard out in the area to concede a penalty and then the CB's misjudging a simple long ball down the middle that allowed Costa to score. The narrative after the game was that Wenger failed again even though he clearly learned from the 6-0 at the Bridge months earlier.
 

BobP

Memri Fan
Great article. I was honestly more impressed by Liverpool in the 5-1 in 2014 or the 4-0 last year. In this game we saw things like Lichsteiner kicking the ball straight at Mustafi with his left foot, when he could've easily cleared it with his right. Also a series of uncharacteristic mistakes from Torreira that led to goals, you just can't plan for that as a manager.

Reminded me of a 2-0 loss at Chelsea, Wenger set the team up in a 4-1-4-1 he hadn't used before with that particular lineup of players and it worked perfectly until he was undone by individual errors: Koscielny taking Hazard out in the area to concede a penalty and then the CB's misjudging a simple long ball down the middle that allowed Costa to score. The narrative after the game was that Wenger failed again even though he clearly learned from the 6-0 at the Bridge months earlier.

I agree.

Like it's obviously a disappointing result but it's best to look at games like these in isolation.

Liverpool's first goal was the kicker for me. The sort of goal which would prompt one to rage quit on FIFA. The fact that we conceded almost immediately after scoring ourselves, and the nature of the goal we conceded, sort of galvanised Liverpool.

Then you concede another and all of a sudden you're chasing the game which forces you to open up.
 
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