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PL: Everton vs Arsenal | April 7, 2019 | 14:05 BST | Sky Sports

Result

  • Everton win

    Votes: 7 14.9%
  • Draw

    Votes: 8 17.0%
  • Arsenal win

    Votes: 32 68.1%

  • Total voters
    47
Status
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Vinci

The Sultan of Unai

Country: Netherlands
With Xhaka, Torreira and Ramsey all playing from the start no way we would have lost.

Lot of bad luck, don't think we've seen the strongest available team yet this season due to injuries.
 

andeoch1

Active Member

Country: USA
With Xhaka, Torreira and Ramsey all playing from the start no way we would have lost.

Lot of bad luck, don't think we've seen the strongest available team yet this season due to injuries.

True that, we were missing 5 definite starters, that’s half our bloody team, ffs. With Bellerin, Kos, Holding, Xaha, Torreira we would have wiped them. It’s so frustrating all these injuries!
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
Lot of bad luck, don't think we've seen the strongest available team yet this season due to injuries.
With Bellerin, Kos, Holding, Xaha, Torreira we would have wiped them.

Sort of true. But I also believe that with a 5 men midfield we would've won. It was too easy for Everton to shut down the centre and the flanks with their pressing. We should've gone with wingers in front of fullbacks to create numerical superiority on the sides and bypass their press. They could easily target either wingback or the central midfielder on the ball. By having one less defender but a winger on each side to create 3s or even 4s with a fullback, a central mid, a winger and possibly the 10 getting close to create passing options, we coul've bypassed their press, I think. It would've also stretched out their backline making it harder for them to consistently put pressure on our attacker with 2 or even 3 men, And going for a back four from the start would've definitely been an option despite injuries. It was just Monreal or Mustafi out for Iwobi, even maintaining the option to later bring on Aubameyang and Ramsey.
 

OSBK

Established Member
This was a hard one to take. Reminds me a lot of wenger when he tried that formation and it worked for a bit until we got found out. If we don’t have our strongest 11 then that formation doesn’t work for us. Everton’s midfield won the game, Gomes was easily Motm and on that form walks into most if not all epl midfields. In comparison to xhaka the physical attributes are pretty even but his technique and quality on the ball is far beyond a level that xhaka reaches.

System, Everton done a number on us. Without the ball played 442 and the 2 forwards marked out 2 midfielders and forced us to play long to Lacazette/Özil/mhky. On the wings they waited till kola and amn ran forward and Bernard and Richardson murderd the space they left. Fair play to them and 1-0 really flattered us. Having said that if xhaka/Torreira/kos/bellerin/Ramsey/Auba start then it’s a different result. Also it was a pen against laca but until var those will never be given.

Leno- the guy saved us from getting embarrassed, does look better every game.
Amn- so poor after a good run, dwelled on the ball and tried tricks when a simple ball was all that was needed. Playing next to sok is key as mustafi doesn’t manage his positioning.
Mustafi- I cant point a finger at him. Everything he did was reckless but it all came off, on another day he sees several red cards.
Sok- 1st half the whole team went to Everton’s box bar sok/mustafi and neny, neny did a stupid pass and the counter was on with Lewis running through with mustafi so sok took one for the team. Had sok not done that then Lewis beats mustafi or mustafi brings him down. Was left completely exposed and gave his all.
Monreal- same as the Rennes game, Sarr had him and Richarlson had him and he gave up. So poor and the attitude was terrible.
Kola- tactically niave. Should’ve stuck with monreal and sorted that wing out but instead left monreal exposed time after time. Such a poor attitude from a man who was very vocal about arsenal and the top 4.
Doozi- outclassed by Gomes, and couldn’t shake the Everton press. The early booking had a big impact on his performance.
Neny- no excuse, cannot say lack of football when Everton play a 36yr old cb that’s had 2 appearances all season and bosses it. Game for you all, how far down the league do you have to go before you find a team that neny starts for?
Mhky- no impact, worked hard but It didn’t work.
Özil- wide,central,deep and he got no success. I blame emery here as Özil cannot affect those games where we lose the midfield battle, should not have started.
Laca- Felt bad for him as no service and got clattered 3-4 times with no support from the ref. I think with var zouma sees red, the first challenge was pretty bad.
Subs
Auba- clearly didn’t fancy it
Iwobi- looked dangerous and took the position Auba was poor at.
Ramsey- gave us legs, should’ve started.
 

squallman

Still Pining for Wenger
But that's not down to just some players not being good enough, and I sincerely don't believe this team needs a super massive overhaul, but also down to the manager.

At this point you can't argue away some positives of the season, as I did earlier, but at the same time I completely share your perception that this team isn't settled at all. It's like when I said the unbeaten run last autumn was plastering over tactical problems and it would come to haunt us - and it did. For all the better results and the openness of the fight for Top 4, this team isn't tactically settled at all and that's still down to the manager. You yourself mentioned tracking runners somewhere else, and e.g. that's still a big problem along e.g. when Arsenal players take over opposition players as to not get dragged out of position. The heavy reliance on wingbacks in a 5221/5212 while not fully implementing a system that gets the best out of them is quite worrying, too. If you want to see a working, offensive 5221/5212/532 go and have a look at Eintracht Frankfurt. Through involvement and lateral movement of their forwards as well as an aggressive and incisive midfield along a very structured and targeted team press they consistently create space for their wingbacks to run into and have a go at the opposition. They batter teams with their wingbacks running at the opposition. In contrast, Emery's wingback system still feels like makeshift piecemeal. In core probelmatic areas of the Wenger era like overall defensive behaviour and coherence, offensive movement, attacking patterns, the use of time and space as well as limiting these two factors for the opposition side - I think it was also you who said even when Arsenal is having a good day, it looks like the opposition could drive a bus through our midfield - I just don't see essential progress.

Much much better fitness, more grit in big games, a vastly superior goalkeeper to last season, two great strikers, more often than not an additional CB in a back three and finally often just the individually superior quality to smaller teams are what's given us more points this season than last. I also wouldn't completely exclude the implosion of Sp**s and Mourinho's shenanigans at United as factors that opened up the race for Top 4.

I agree 100%. I didn't expect us to batter teams when the season started but I at least expected us to LOOK different.

I really can't think why it has been the same old, same old. These aren't even Wenger's boys. Torreira and Guendouzi are new signings. Xhaka is 25 and was only coached by Wenger for two years, meaning all of his development as a midfielder was elsewhere. Elneny is in the same bracket as Xhaka and hardly plays.

The only Wenger boy in the midfield is Ramsey.

Why are we STILL so porous? It must be a coaching issue that has continued under the new manager. Just watch one other premiership game with teams from the top 10 and you would see how compact they are. People ask how City can get away with playing Silva and De Bruyne in midfield, forget how small they are and their attacking quality. Watch a Man City game and look at how little space they give the opposition.

Now watch us. Sometimes I watch games and wonder where our players are and what they are meant to be doing. It feels like our boys stand in areas of the pitch where they aren't contributing in defence or attack. It's what you used to do in school when you're a bit tired and don't want anyone to pass to you. I don't think they're doing that, it's just poor midfield play.

I don't like this wing back system. It's strange but I don't think an Arsenal team is built long term to play with 5 defenders. It's like trying to build a Chelsea team that focuses more on attack than defence. Attacking through wing backs isn't Arsenal.
 

MikeVinna

Established Member
Still infuriates me that Emery basically handed Everton the midfield and invited the press. If Ramsey wasn’t fit he should have played Denis. Why the hell did we get him if he’s not gonna use him when he needs to.
 

Tourbillion

Angry & Miserable
Still infuriates me that Emery basically handed Everton the midfield and invited the press. If Ramsey wasn’t fit he should have played Denis. Why the hell did we get him if he’s not gonna use him when he needs to.
The more I think about things like this the more pissed off I get.

Emery was a coward on Sunday.
 

Yousif Arsenal

On Vinai's payroll & misses 4th place trophy 🏆
Trusted ⭐
The more I think about things like this the more pissed off I get.

Emery was a coward on Sunday.
Emery isn't coward if he have players available he'd go with his usual 4231 formation but when kosh xhaka Torreira ramsey half fit. I'll blame players before emery they show no effort at all.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
Emery isn't coward if he have players available he'd go with his usual 4231 formation but when kosh xhaka Torreira ramsey half fit. I'll blame players before emery they show no effort at all.

Everton showed up with the right mentality and tactics and Emery failed to instill that in our team. It's really hard to push on and overcome being dominated when a game is so lopsided due to initial setup/tactics as that game was - if you played any team sports you know that. Not many teams I have faced in any sport have that ability - to just clean the slate or use their swagger and teamspirit to come back when you didn't have a sniff prior. And then of course just one different player on the pitch can create a serious problem for you. But it wasn't just that, the tactics were wron. He could've easily gone for a 4231 just fielding Iwobi instead of a CB. He could've even kept the option to bring on Ramsey and Aubameyang later. Denis Suarez would've been another wide option to play a 4231. It's not like his hand was forced. He chose the wrong tactic and changed it too late.
 
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