CL| Napoli v Arsenal, 11/12, 7.45pm, SS1

[coopsollini]

We haven't got a forward that's capable of making the difference. We've got one who's primary job is to bring midfielders into play. What is this bollocks?

..or other strikers, hence the need for either Podolski or Walcott to be on the pitch at the same time. Simply too many midfielders in the team.

 

[Jury]

Too much reliance on them, for sure!

 

[jones]

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/arsenal/id/2926?cc=5901" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good article on the game and our qualifying group in general. Apparently Arteta got sent off for his only two fouls of the whole game! WTF is that nonsense?

No, Arteta had definitely more than two fouls, wanted him to come off for that reason during the match. Behrami got away with murder, no question about that.

If my maths is worth anything chances are that we will draw Bayern. Don't mind it, they can be got as we've shown last and City have shown this season. There aren't too many things I'd love more than us throwing the ****ing ****s out of the competition.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/arsenal/id/2926?cc=5901" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good article on the game and our qualifying group in general. Apparently Arteta got sent off for his only two fouls of the whole game! WTF is that nonsense?

No, Arteta had definitely more than two fouls, wanted him to come off for that reason during the match. Behrami got away with murder, no question about that.

If my maths is worth anything chances are that we will draw Bayern. Don't mind it, they can be got as we've shown last and City have shown this season. There aren't too many things I'd love more than us throwing the ******* ***** out of the competition.

This also says he only had two fouls

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/776563/LiveStatistics/Europe-UEFA-Champions-League-2013-2014-Napoli-Arsenal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/776563 ... li-Arsenal</a>

 

[Lakersgooner24]

No, Arteta had definitely more than two fouls, wanted him to come off for that reason during the match. Behrami got away with murder, no question about that.

If my maths is worth anything chances are that we will draw Bayern. Don't mind it, they can be got as we've shown last and City have shown this season. There aren't too many things I'd love more than us throwing the ******* ***** out of the competition.

Bayern would be the last team I'd want to draw. Both the Arsenal and City games they lost we're pretty much dead rubbers, and they will probably have learned their lesson from playing so lax last year. I know you have a lot of hatred for them and confidence in Arsenal, but Robben/Ribery+Alaba going at our flanks is not a pretty sight.

 

[mo50]

I'd quite like it if we played Barcelona without their human cheat code Messi. Hopefully we'll draw them and he'll have a few setbacks in his recovery.

 

[jones]

The match will be in more than two months from now; hopefully by then we'll have a fully fit Sagna and a match sharp Monreal integrated in our back line. Hope flying to Morocco in a week from now for the CWC and playing two or three matches on **** pitches takes a few more of their players out long term.

 

[onetowatch]

Really don't know what happen to our players at 2nd half after good solid defending at first half and Theo not getting minutes its really pissed me off why Arsène?

Wenger hates Theo. Even last season, he hesitated to bring him on due to the contract situation. He ended the season our top scorer. Theo should've started. Away game, one we can draw. Classic game to play Theo.

Do you see the stupidity in stating that the boss hates Theo after offering him a long term contract?

Long term contract? 1.5 yr extension to what he already had? Fact is, we had to give Theo what he wanted to hold off the natives in light of RvP to manure. Theo played a blinder and this time next yr it'll be dejavu. He's only 24/25.

 

[jones]

It was a three year extension, no need to make **** up now. Seriously, if Wenger 'hated' Walcott (what a silly concept, do you think Wenger is a 14yo schoolboy?) he would have either let his contract run down or ditched his ass last summer.

 

[onetowatch]

I'm not going to slate our performance because I think Wenger was only concerned with qualifying and he selected a team to do that and had one eye on the City game. Having Arteta sent off made it harder but we qualified and will now face a group winner, that's fine, I accept it.

The next part is hard for me to admit because I love Giroud but he did show on several occasions that he lacks the speed we need up front. He just doesn't have the speed to beat a player to a through ball or to go around a player. If Wenger insists on 1 CF and no wingers, then that CF has to be lightening fast, and Giroud is not that player.

Could not agree more. Thought this on several occasions today, particularly the first half and before we were heading out. Also against Everton.

Giroud has done well this season but we're kidding ourselves if we think he is the answer. We could well still win the title with him leading the line. We did with Alan Smith whose of a similar level. But we really need to go into next season, if not the new year, with not just a new striker but an UPGRADE if we are to be a consistent force going forwards. Giroud should be a back up striker for a club like ours. He has no pace and no real skill. Some good link up play and a bit of physicality does not cut it. We deserve to have a player of the ilk of Suarez or Aguero leading our line.

 

[onetowatch]

It was a three year extension, no need to make **** up now. Seriously, if Wenger 'hated' Walcott (what a silly concept, do you think Wenger is a 14yo schoolboy?) he would have either let his contract run down or ditched his ass last summer.

My bad, 2.5 years (it was extended in January). Of which a year is gone now. So he has 1.5 yrs left. Which means come the summer, there'll be another "will he, won't he" saga. Wenger could not have let Theo go last summer given the backdrop of high profile departures in recent seasons. Theo and his agent knew this and used it as leverage to get the best possible contract.

"Hate" was a lazy choice of word but I'm adamant Arsène is not keen on Theo. It took him ages to bring him into the team last season (contract saga may have played a part) - he went on to be our top scorer despite missing so many games til Nov/Dec - and IMO it's mind boggling how he has not got serious game time despite being fit for what is it now, 4 games? Everton had full backs that love to bomb forward. Napoli had to win by 3 goals to be sure of qualification. Both situations were crying out for a Theo cameo if not a start. He's had barely any minutes going into City and Chelsea.

 

[onetowatch]

Take a look through the posts. It went way beyond deserved criticism. And there is no way anyone can know for sure what will happen to our CL campaign going forward. If so then there would be no point in even playing the games.

I'm not saying any more about it, I'm done.

IMO it didn't go beyond anything but deserved criticism. For me and a lot of other Arsenal fans, tonight was about getting a draw and ensuring top place. It's about time we had another CL QF/SF at least. It's been 5 ****ing years since Utd humiliated us in the semis. Since then, Barca, Barca, Milan and Bayern. Another tough draw this time. Pure negligence.

We weren't at 100% intensity in the Everton game, with one eye on this game.
We weren't at 100% intensity tonight, with one eye on the City game.

It doesn't make sense to me. Try and win every game as every game is important at this stage of the season.

We can be sure well get a tough draw in the next round. That's enough.

 

[USArsenal]

you do know he started all our games before he got hurt, right? maybe he's just being cautious with Theo since he has a tendency to get re-injured..

 

[kofigunner]

I'm just watching the game and I have to say that Wenger's tactics don't fill me with much joy. When you're playing Arteta and Flamini together and you have a misfiring Santi and Rosicky who doesn't score many goals, you're asking for trouble. We're really sitting too deep not to concede. That's not our strength. Tsk tsk tsk. Really frustrating to watch.

 

[onetowatch]

He started all our games before he got injured (which is not not many) because he was one of our top performers last season.

We've missed pace on the flanks at certain points this season. Gnabry did well vs Swansea, not so much vs West Brom.

The five man midfield has done well but we've been struggling to create for a good few weeks now, let's be honest. There was no excuse for Theo not to get proper minutes in our last two games IMO.

It's my personal opinion that Wenger doesn't truly rate Theo and is reluctant to start / use him. IMO he prefers the technical players. Sometimes it works. Today it didn't.

Theo has been fit for a fair while now, let's not kid ourselves.

 

[Jury]

We're really sitting too deep not to concede. That's not our strength. Tsk tsk tsk. Really frustrating to watch.

The sad thing is, that defending deep is supposed to be our strength. Because holding a high line sure isn't. We got undone by two good goals from two sharp players. We were never impenetrable, and have never looked that way. As good as our defence has been, and IS, we've got away with a fair bit too.

 

[kofigunner]

He started all our games before he got injured (which is not not many) because he was one of our top performers last season.

We've missed pace on the flanks at certain points this season. Gnabry did well vs Swansea, not so much vs West Brom.

The five man midfield has done well but we've been struggling to create for a good few weeks now, let's be honest. There was no excuse for Theo not to get proper minutes in our last two games IMO.

That's why I'm frustrated watching the game. You're playing a team that needs to win and are sitting deep soaking up the pressure. It stands to reason that we needed pace to catch them on the break. We had some good breaking opportunities but zero pace to utilize them. I would pick a player with pace especially when they Napoli brought in Insigne. The only way we're going to win a trophy is to play to our strengths.

 

[Jury]

It's my personal opinion that Wenger doesn't truly rate Theo and is reluctant to start / use him. IMO he prefers the technical players. Sometimes it works. Today it didn't.

I think that's how it is too...right now. He likes ball retention and I don't think he has faith in Theo to hold his own amongst our technical players. I think he attributes our recent solidity to Theo's absence. He might even be right.... We need to find a balance.

 

[kofigunner]

We're really sitting too deep not to concede. That's not our strength. Tsk tsk tsk. Really frustrating to watch.

The sad thing is, that defending deep is supposed to be our strength. Because holding a high line sure isn't. We got undone by two good goals from two sharp players. We were never impenetrable, and have never looked that way. As good as our defence has been, and IS, we've got away with a fair bit too.

Granted, our defence is much improved but when an opponent with as much attacking talent as Napoli is throwing everything at you, you have to make a counter move and we made ours too late in Ramsey. It's going to be a similar thing at Man City. They have too much attacking talent for us to be passive on the ball without much of an attacking threat.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

We definitely need some countering speed vs City, it just has to happen. We'll just get overwhelmed otherwise.