EPL: Arsenal FC vs Man. City FC - Mon. Dec. 21st, 8:00pm - SS1

[General]

I doubt Wenger will do business in January. We've been here before and lack of depth coupled with underestimating the injury situation cost us the league in 07/08. Wenger must learn his lessons if he seriously wants to win the league. Also Kos and Mert regularly have to come out and defend from the half way line because of the lack of press and we are getting exposed. Would be nice to get a midfielder and striker and send Chambers out on loan. Ox also needs to get his act together.

 

[celestis]

Good win for you last night. Pellegrini proving, yet again, why he has to be moved on in the summer. We had 8 days to prepare for that game and came up with that!

Mangala has to be blamed, if he isn't a ***** and clears the ball properly in the last minute of added time we probably get a result there.

I can still see us winning the league but my god we're making hard work of it!

Welcome mate .

 

[fabo]

Yeah I was more comfortable seeing Koscielny step out on the ball than our midfield at times, which is worrying.

 

[RandyMarsh]

Yeah I was more comfortable seeing Koscielny step out on the ball than our midfield at times, which is worrying.

Yeah he's turning into a really important instigator of attacks. He reminds me of Rosicky with the way he's like "f*ck this i'm driving us forward and injecting some pace into the game"

It's so useful to have a CB with that sort of skillset in his locker.

 

[skip spence]

anyone noticed the Ox, he didn't manage to weight a single pass yesterday,
what's wrong with him ?

Mm that one time when he made a great run into the centre and had a perfect opp to play in whoever it was, absolutely shocking weight on that pass! I play some amateur football and have always been amazed at the way some players, otherwise decent, will over-hit passes. But Chambo isn't some half-decent amateur. He's a ****ing England international!

 

[TorontoGooner76]

re-watched the highlight,
City dived atleast 3 times,

Saw this as well. Ref instructed Sterling to get up when he fell over in the box...but Yaya's was just plain embarrassing. Replay showed he was not even close to being touched, but tumbled over in the box.

Their tactic of kicking us early to literally stop any attack really annoyed me. Not tactically, but it was so clear that they absolutely knew what they were doing. Should yellows not be shown a lot earlier for this garbage? The only intent was to stop the match and make sure we wouldn't get on the break. Not just an accidental foul imo.

I feel Otamendi's elbow on Giroud could have been a straight red as well.

But thrilled by the victory, a happy Christmas for everyone! ☺

 

[HollandGooner]

Credits to the team, I suppose finally we know how to play against a big opponent and we have a plan for it, I like the way we seem to win these games without less possession but finally are getting the points which are needed.

What was worrying was the time the midfielders of City were getting in the final third between the half line because our midfielders Flamini or Ramsey were far to high up the pitch. (Second half this problem was solved because we were defending deeper).


BTW amen to Koscielny.

Happy christmas to everybody on here

 

[celestis]

Yeah I was more comfortable seeing Koscielny step out on the ball than our midfield at times, which is worrying.

That ball he gave for the Walcott goal was one a good DLP would supply .

 

[MaraDon]

we need to start protest the yellow cards for diving and for cutting transitions, i know we are not like that, but city interrupted tones of transitions, specially in first half, with brutal faults and they should have at least 2 more yellow cards.

 

[Jasard]

Yaya absolutely should have been booked for his dive, really shameful.

 

[fabo]

Ref bottled it. Either he sees it as a foul and a pen or he books the man for simulation.

Sterling the same.

 

[General]

Yeah he's turning into a really important instigator of attacks. He reminds me of Rosicky with the way he's like "f*ck this i'm driving us forward and injecting some pace into the game"

It's so useful to have a CB with that sort of skillset in his locker.

I don't think the point was not about instigating attacks but the fact that when the opposition launch attacks Kos and to a certain extent Mert turn into midfielders and have to come out to press from the half way line leaving them caught ahead of the ball and the team woefully exposed at the back. They are doing the job that our midfielders should be doing and that's the worry. Have a look at the De Bruyne chance when Kos went to press Aguero and he simply helped the ball on.

 

[CurryFlavoured]

Yaya's was a clear dive and he should've been booked, he has a habit of diving. Sterling's less clear but still a dive, barely any contact. Who was the ****** complaining under Girouds tackle too? Clearly won it fairly.

 

[SuperGoon]

New phone background for Christmas!

 

[General]

Despite everything I thought the ref was decent and that's the least you expect from a big game. No real controversial moments, noting that other refs could've easily bought the penalty. Let the football do the talking.

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Fernandinho should've been booked in the first half for a foul on Campbell. Killed out counter dead. Instead, he let the game go on and booked Silva for something minor, trying to make amends.

Getting that yellow was about the only thing Silva did. Also, Yaya only came to life when Özil went off. Özil ran the show last night, what a player.

 

[Gooner Zig]

Did Kolarov end up getting a booking? Guy fouled our players at least 4 times.

 

[RandyMarsh]

That ball he gave for the Walcott goal was one a good DLP would supply .

Coquelin is pretty good at threading vertical passes through the lines actually. Not quite on Koscielny's level, but not many DLP's are

 

[redanddread]

anyone noticed the Ox, he didn't manage to weight a single pass yesterday,
what's wrong with him ?

He laid off a very nice pass for Ramsey late on that we should have scored from.

 

[RandyMarsh]

Personally think there should be retrospective action taken against divers much like there is against people who throw an unseen elbow, dodgy tackle etc. They're as bad as each other. Diving especially when it takes place in the penalty box as the player is cheating to get the most important thing in a football game - a goal.

Being aggressive off the ball should obviously be punishable but more often than not that won't involve someone cheating to get a goal, just trying to give a player a bloody nose.

As far as i'm aware there's only retrospective action for players who feign injury and end up getting the 'tackler' sent off. That's not enough in my eyes.