EPL: Arsenal vs Chelsea - Sun. Jan 24th, 4:00pm

[Diogenes]

Trying to find a silver lining, I've seized upon the reality that this was not the top of the table 6 pointer it felt like. It was a bad night against our mid-table bogey team.

I was enraged that Sanchez and Elnelny didn't start, and spent much of the match cursing Wengers apparent sentimentality throwing away our title chances.

But I guess that's not really the case. We need to be perfectly functioning when the matches against our rivals come round. Though Chelsea feel like they are, this season they really aren't.

 

[kopzilla]

Just watched the red card. Two awful things that were immediately obvious - Mertesacker bizarrely turned to look goal side before sliding in. Had he focused in the situation, he probably would've realised that it was wise to let Costa go. It was school boy defending and its very worst and equally matched by Flamini yielding territory and failing to stop Willian making the through ball to Costa. If there was ever a situation this season where our lack of protection in midfield was woefully exposed, this was it. Fabregas was given too much room and they showed a player tracker which proved how bad Ramsey and Flamini were in the initial stage of the game and were busy ball watching. I was even surprised Chelsea didn't go on to knock a few goals past us like Southampton.

Yes, we can't blame Per alone for the woeful defending.....had he left Costa alone he would have been blamed for not making a challenge ...to begin with our passing has been dire..we lose possession far too many times in key areas....even Alexis passed the ball out of play couple of times...we are all pace and no substance except for some good play by Özil and some good runs by Ramsey in to the box.

We just have hit a bad run of form..and all players were poor except for Monreal, Cech and Alexis.

 

[SuperGoon]

What about the 8-2, the 2011 Carling Cup final or the 07-08 quarter final? Those were easily worse losses.

And why was this our biggest game of the season!? What's the difference between Chelsea this year and a team that's usually where they are like Norwich or West Brom? Not like they're going to catch us...

Typical overreacting bollocks, the biggest games of our season were against Leicester, Utd and City all of which we won. Have a fu*king word.

Not worse losses. They were different times. Sure, we're not losing by a 6 goal margin anymore (Thank you, Coquelin) but a loss against this, against the current champions when everyone else is beating them? We're supposed to be title contenders, and arguably the most declining side in England just did the double on us. And both times it was our own fault.

Sure, we can blame Mike Dean, but we should ****ing know by now that the odious **** will do anything to give red cards. Then our own captain who is supposed to be settling an example throws himself into a challenge into a person who he knows will make more of it than it was.


There's problems in this side mental state. The performance against Chelsea will only further enhance that. Look at Liverpool, last minute conceding. Toothless against Stoke. With Sp**s away, United Away, City Away, Everton Away-- do you really think we can get 12 points from all those games given recent performances?

I don't.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

It was a big game due to the history between the clubs, but it wasn't the biggest. Despite what many would have us believe, there is no singular biggest game in a league season unless you're in position to win or lose the title or a CL spot in the last couple of weeks and can clinch in a single game. All the games are worth either 3 points or arguably 6 if you're playing a team directly around you in the standings. This was only 3 since Chelsea are way back of us.

This wasn't a cup final or even a knockout game. There is still nearly half the league season to go and we're 3 points off the top.

 

[Gentleman's Vegetables]

I don't share your opinion. Considering we played a good performance 10vs11 only makes me look at the positives and what's to come. I see it is a confidence boost.

We have been taking the positives from games for a decade and longer now, and look where that has got us, nowhere. This season I am only interested in the results as I'm fed up of us being valiant losers who flatter to deceive and let us down annually.

We have our best chance in a decade to win the league, playing a totally awful Chelsea whom many of consider more hated rivals than Sp**s. Chelsea are a side who annually take the piss out of us, and last night we had an amazing chance to hammer them and we blew it.

Was encouraged by the results with Stoke and Pool, decent points, and thought we might finally start to turn a corner with a mentality shift, but last night completely dispelled that myth.

Also I only go to 10-12 games a season, and this is the worst I have gone to in a long time. As a Uni student, Spending 70 odd quid a ticket makes it harder to take.

We could definitely still do it, but results like these start to test our belief in the team big time.

 

[GDeep™]

Nothing positive to take from yesterday.

Wenger not signing in the summer keeps coming to haunt us.

 

[PJ99]

What worries me the most about this performance and indeed several others is our fragile mentality. I can live with the Mert sending off because that is what can happen when you come up against top players. Yes, he made a mistake, but he had a split second to think and his instinct was to protect our goal. It was a foul, a clear scoring opportunity an therefore a red. No qualms about that. These things can happen.

What worries me more though is that while it was 11-v-11 we looked visibly nervous and unsure. We also looked shell-shocked for a few mins after the red and weren't closing down their players. Imagine if this game really had been for the title, three points and we'd be champions- imagine the pressure then, do you really think this team could handle it? I'm not so sure they could. For me, there seems to be worrying pattern emerging that whenever we either have a chance to go top or stretch our lead at the top, we can't quite manage it. West Brom, Norwich, Southampton, Liverpool, Stoke, Chelsea. Not easy games mind, but surely we could have picked up some more points somewhere along the line. I know there'll be those who'll say City are doing no better and the injuries are a big factor. And I really hope that's true. Maybe Sanchez will come back and blow a few sides away. But I can't help but feel that despite all our of merits, we'll end up short because we're just don't have the mental strength to hold it together when it really counts.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

I think most of us would have taken this position at this stage after we got hit with injuries to Alexis, Coquelin and Santi all at once, and with Theo and Ox not making the impact we wanted when they came back from their injuries.

It's just frustrating because, despite all the injuries, we've done well enough that we've had the chances to be top and clear of the other teams and haven't been able to take them.

 

[Jury]

And why was this our biggest game of the season!? What's the difference between Chelsea this year and a team that's usually where they are like Norwich or West Brom? Not like they're going to catch us...

Typical overreacting bollocks, the biggest games of our season were against Leicester, Utd and City all of which we won. Have a fu*king word.

Edit: and actually what about win or bust games against Olympiakos and Bayern f*cking Munich? Weren't they kind of important? But no that doesn't fit with the bottler narrative everyone's running with.

FFS, talk about completely and conveniently ignoring the context.

It has nothing at all to do with Chelsea's proximity. Why should it have anything to do with where they are?

1. This is our best chance of winning a major title.
2. This game was against a team we have a sh!t record against, are our huge rivals and have beat us already this season. It was Chelsea ffs!
3. This game came after we've seen us drop points in two games we should have won, losing the lead at the top in the process.
4. Leicester (a team you obviously see as some behemoth!) and Sp**s (huge rivals and on our tails) both won.

To have won here would have been a massive shot in the arm. The biggest we've had all season.

The further you go in the season, the bigger the games get, so there will be bigger...

This was undoubtedly our biggest league game of the season so far, and arguably our biggest game so far, period. Why would anyone want to deny that? Whatever makes you sleep better, I suppose.

It's also got nothing to do with this 'bottler narrative' either. Not on my half anyway.

 

[Tourbillion]

You guys are going overboard. It was a horrible loss and I was extremely pissed after the game. But its only one game and if we go on to win the title no one will even remember this. Its what we do from here on that counts.

Worst loss since the CL final? You guys must be having a laugh. I wouldn't even say its the worst defeat of the season. At least we had the excuse of being down to 10 men against the champions. The loss at Southampton was way worse.

No, THIS is worse, because it's Chelsea, as always.

They must crap themselves from laughter before and after every game against us.

 

[Jury]

We dominated possession. Enough to justify a good performance in 10vs11.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

I thought it was a decent effort at 10 men, but you can't say it was a good performance overall when you get a stupid red card and then can't bury the chances given to you to equalize.

 

[SuperGoon]

The thing is, it shouldn't take a red card for us to get some fight.

 

[GDeep™]

When you go down to 10, you hope you can keep things tight and someone can produce magic.

Problem with Arsenal, we have no magic anymore, I knew it was game over.

Plodders like Theo and Joel weren't going to produce anything.

Out attack is really poor, even Sanchez isn't that great.

 

[Jury]

The thing is, it shouldn't take a red card for us to get some fight.

It's such an old, tired and comforting thing to rest on. Chelsea still made the better chances and should have crushed us 4-0 if we're being honest.

 

[Jury]

It was a big game due to the history between the clubs, but it wasn't the biggest. Despite what many would have us believe, there is no singular biggest game in a league season unless you're in position to win or lose the title or a CL spot in the last couple of weeks and can clinch in a single game. All the games are worth either 3 points or arguably 6 if you're playing a team directly around you in the standings. This was only 3 since Chelsea are way back of us.

This wasn't a cup final or even a knockout game. There is still nearly half the league season to go and we're 3 points off the top.

It was the biggest so far. How can it not be?

 

[blaze_of_glory]

It was the biggest so far. How can it not be?

Because its worth the same points as any other game, and was against a team like 15 points back of us. I think the Man City game was bigger since they are right around us, as was Utd since they were in first when we played them.

 

[Jury]

Because its worth the same points as any other game, and was against a team like 15 points back of us. I think the Man City game was bigger since they are right around us, as was Utd since they were in first when we played them.

Those games are history. We wont win the league by winning a game that took place 4 months ago. Not 4 months ago V Norwich or Sunderland either!

 

[fabo]

It was a huge game and we bottled it.

Chelsea are having a bad 6 months but let's be honest, they've been better than us for a good decade and despite horrid form, we still lost twice to them this season. Embarassing.

Wenger is not cut out to win league titles anymore. This season will ultimately prove that.

 

[RandyMarsh]

When you go down to 10, you hope you can keep things tight and someone can produce magic.

Problem with Arsenal, we have no magic anymore, I knew it was game over.

Plodders like Theo and Joel weren't going to produce anything.

Out attack is really poor, even Sanchez isn't that great.