Loss Arsenal 1 - 2 Brighton and Hove Albion | Saturday 9th April | KO: 15:00 BST

Last night's game was arguably our worst game of the season. It was November-December 2020 bad. It brought out the worst in our team and exposed our weakness. We've been on a run of games where we've been playing teams that sit off us and allow us to have the ball which is usually our strength. Paddy identified this exploited it beautifully.
Collectively we were bad, individually were atrocious.

Brighton is another team that likes to have a go and not sit off teams. It will be interesting to see how Mikel adapts to this. Last night's game was a must win game simply because we have 3 difficult fixtures (Chelsea, united and Sp**s) that we most certainly will drop points in. We can't be dropping points to Palace when we still have to play those teams.

The real worry now is Partey not being injured. It seems as if he was playing with some discomfort throughout the second half.

Prediction
Arsenal 1-0 Brighton

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

pepe vibes without the flash

Don’t get me started on him. His cameo today was terrible. Even Nketiah showed more.

 

[Beany]

The pic two post above me says it’s offside. First quick reply I saw I knew it was offside

If you think that post shows it was clearly offside tbh you’re on crack…he’s dead level in line - there might be a few atoms in it for one millisecond but there’s no way some **** in a box twenty miles away could tell that - and that’s not why VAR was designed to decode anyway, plus it’s use is only consistent in its inconsistency. If it was that close and took that long to review, it should be attacking teams benefit - which I understood to be the case anyway.

Obviously a dire performance lacking energy until the 90th minute, for some reason I’ll never understand.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

He needs to realise sometimes the obvious option is the correct one. Doing a lot of over-dribbling recently.

He's still so raw, never knows what to do with the ball when it's time to make a decision.

 

[Gooner_girl14]

We had a goal questionably ruled out for offside by var, hit the bar twice in succession, Lokonga being a centimeter off from scoring a screamer in the top corner, Sanchez pulling off a great save to deny Nketiah's header. A draw would've been a fair result.

Bar the offside all those things happened in the last 5 minutes or so. Maybe a draw would have been fair, but I was hoping for more fight and grit from the team after Palace. We needed our best players to stand up. Instead we looked really soft and the lack in squad depth is really obvious. If Arteta can’t figure it out soon, we’re not getting that CL spot.

 

[BaZZe]

Bar the offside all those things happened in the last 5 minutes or so. Maybe a draw would have been fair, but I was hoping for more fight and grit from the team after Palace. We needed our best players to stand up. Instead we looked really soft and the lack in squad depth is really obvious. If Arteta can’t figure it out soon, we’re not getting that CL spot.

None of what you wrote has anything to do with the claim "Brighton deserved to win" which is what I'm disputing here.

 

[Xorspy]

Starting Xhaka at left back was dumb dumb daft from Arteta. He should have started a back 3. Things only got better when Xhaka moved to support Sambi in the second half.

 

[Gooner_girl14]

If you think that post shows it was clearly offside tbh you’re on crack…he’s dead level in line - there might be a few atoms in it for one millisecond but there’s no way some **** in a box twenty miles away could tell that - and that’s not why VAR was designed to decode anyway, plus it’s use is only consistent in its inconsistency. If it was that close and took that long to review, it should be attacking teams benefit - which I understood to be the case anyway.

Obviously a dire performance lacking energy until the 90th minute, for some reason I’ll never understand.

I’m not seeing the clear offside either. And taking 4mins to come to a decision shows that it’s too close to call. Cucarella’s hair does seem to indicate that he’s leaning to the left, so his feet could be playing Martinelli onside. Can’t see his feet because it’s blocked by GK. I always thought close calls were given to the attacking team too, but IMO VAR seems to want to rule close goals offside.

 

[carlito'sway]

In the second half Xhaka seemed to play closer to his midfield position and we controlled the game a bit better, though still didn’t do much in open play (until the last 5mins). Lakonga was ok but seemed out of his depth.

Out of his depth is the perfect summary. I was hoping Xhaka would have been moved back in CM at half time of even Elneny would have come in for Lokonga. I don't know what Mikel saw for him to keep Lokonga on the field for 90 min.

 

[Taneruit]

Starting Xhaka at left back was dumb dumb daft from Arteta. He should have started a back 3. Things only got better when Xhaka moved to support Sambi in the second half.

No joke, if Xhaka played in the middle with Sambi from the beginning this would have been a draw at worst.

 

[Penn_]

Binning Tavares a massive gamble. Home to Brighton was the easiest game we’ll have in a while.

Now we either have to return to a broken player or alter the team, again.

 

[Gooner_girl14]

None of what you wrote has anything to do with the claim "Brighton deserved to win" which is what I'm disputing here.

They “deserved” to win because they scored more. Even if we had more/better chances. They took theirs and we didn’t, that’s the bottom line.

 

[BaZZe]

They “deserved” to win because they scored more. Even if we had more/better chances. They took theirs and we didn’t, that’s the bottom line.

That's not what "deserved to win" mean. By that logic every team that wins deserved it regardless how the game itself played out.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

This week has killed me, the club is burning down...

...you are gonna have to carry me through this!

Lean on me mate! I'll bring my tiny piece of lemon along and we will make some lemonade!

We will get through this @Riou my lad!

 

[Pop Tart]

None of what you wrote has anything to do with the claim "Brighton deserved to win" which is what I'm disputing here.

We done nothing until we scored which was the last 5 mins. They scored two great goals. Ours was a deflection.

Everyone for them was in top form. Accept it

 

[yorch44]

What a manager, he bin Tavares for months at a very young age... And remember it's his first season from Portugal and suddenly he doesn't trust him because he is not Ashely Cole. What if he rotate the squad, maybe that could help to maintain more players in form.

He is that type of manager who needs 2 Billion pounds to make a team decent. Don't be surprised if he tries to sell Partey for a new players, get a new LB, CF, winger. He will always think players are the guilty for not playing his perfect FIFA football.

 

[Jose_Reyes_2005]

Bro atleast make some paragraphs.. No way anyone's reading this

If by anyone you mean yourself, then you'd be correct, 'bro'.

 

[Morning_woody]

Cmon guys. We were never meant to finish 4th ..we didn't invest in January .. seriously..if there was true belief that we could end up 4th , then these greedy yanks would have invested..you can't qualify to CL with Sambi in the middle and lacazette as your main striker. We would be laughing stock just like spuds..in fact...we are the new spuds..this crap about buying young players is just about making money..you can't get in champions League and do well only with players that are developing

 

[BaZZe]

We done nothing until we scored which was the last 5 mins. They scored two great goals. Ours was a deflection.

Everyone for them was in top form. Accept it

We did more than Brighton had done. They scored two great goals and did f*ck all the rest of the game.

I'm not even saying we deserved to win. I'm just saying that neither did Brighton.

 

[Gooner_girl14]

That's not what "deserved to win" mean. By that logic every team that wins deserved it regardless how the game itself played out.

I suppose we have different views on what it means to deserve to win. Coz IMO if you don’t take your chances you can’t expect anything out of the game. For example,I felt we were very wasteful in several good set piece opportunities, when set pieces looked like our best way of scoring. Can’t be doing training ground drills when you’re losing.

 

[Gooner_girl14]

We did more than Brighton had done. They scored two great goals and did f*ck all the rest of the game.

I'm not even saying we deserved to win. I'm just saying that neither did Brighton.

Yeh I agree, a draw would probably have been a fair result overall. But unfortunately football is not always fair.