SomGooner
Prolific Liker
GDeep said:
Sp*ds and Pool aren't and they still get more love than we do! didn't think Hansen and Lineker had that much influence.
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EPL – Aston Villa vs Arsenal – 7:45pm - 21/12/11
- Thread starter ferrarif50hunt
- Start date
- Replies 773
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Sp*ds and Pool aren't and they still get more love than we do! didn't think Hansen and Lineker had that much influence.
Jury
A-M's drunk uncle
Jeez, disaster averted there!
Little Yossi changed the game in an instant for us. We were crying out for a creative spark and he stood up for us when we needed him.
Mertesacker, after his steady and quietly impressive syart for us, is finding it tough. He's a sitting duck in one on ones and generally plods about in defensive areas without really making use of his massive frame. He's a worry in the centre and the quicker we get Verms back in there alongside Kos, the better.
That Santos injury is proving huge.
Little Yossi changed the game in an instant for us. We were crying out for a creative spark and he stood up for us when we needed him.
Mertesacker, after his steady and quietly impressive syart for us, is finding it tough. He's a sitting duck in one on ones and generally plods about in defensive areas without really making use of his massive frame. He's a worry in the centre and the quicker we get Verms back in there alongside Kos, the better.
That Santos injury is proving huge.
phaedrus
Member
arsenallegends said:
Nobody said anything about an excuse. I was just pointing out one of the most impressive parts of the game to offset a lot of the criticism he was getting.
Also, one of those "shadows" he chases would have scored a tap in if he hadn't hauled his ass all the way back to our 6-yard box on a Villa counterattack... :|
DJ_Markstar
Based and Artetapilled
Player:Martinelli
The Jury said:
How so? We've pretty much won everything whether he's been in the team or now. Of course it's had an affect, but to say it's proving "huge" is a massive overstatement imo
Freagle
Well-Known Member
I think RVP knew that he would collide and hence jumped a bit early to minimize the after-affects. Watched it a couple of times on telly, he was going to collide 100% there is no change in that but maybe jumping a bit early interfered with the refs decision. Might be just me though.
Jury
A-M's drunk uncle
DJ_Markstar said:
Because to make the step up that we need, I feel Vermaelen has to be in the centre; we saw how shoddy per looks at times. We wont get out of jail like this every time. The absence of Santos without a fit LB is one thing, but not having Verm in the middle is another.
We've lost attcking threat down the left and the middle with the absence of Santos and the subsequent reshuffle.
AshburtonGhost
Well-Known Member
It's impacted us on both flanks -
-Walcott and Gervinho have had to play deeper to compensate, probably why we look more 4-5-1 than 4-3-3 atm.
-Opposing defences know they're only going to face Walcott and Gervinho, not Walcott/Sagna and Gervinho/Santos, thus making it easy to nullify them knowing they won't be overlapped.
-We've lost reliable outlets to play the ball to in attack, particularly in the case of Santos.
Definitely need some fullbacks healthy/signed ASAP.
-Walcott and Gervinho have had to play deeper to compensate, probably why we look more 4-5-1 than 4-3-3 atm.
-Opposing defences know they're only going to face Walcott and Gervinho, not Walcott/Sagna and Gervinho/Santos, thus making it easy to nullify them knowing they won't be overlapped.
-We've lost reliable outlets to play the ball to in attack, particularly in the case of Santos.
Definitely need some fullbacks healthy/signed ASAP.
mo50
Established Member
Did anyone see Koscielny absolutely clatter that Aston Villa player when they both jumped in the air? He's turned into an immense player, and had another excellent performance. Agbonlahor was winning nothing all night.
Mertesacker also had one of his best performances. I thought he could've done better on the goal, but he was otherwise superb. He was so good in the air A. Villa players didn't bother challenging him at one point
Also, I can swear Mertesacker was booked twice. Once for that brilliant tackle in the first half, which was never a yellow and another in the second. Was I just imagining things?
Mertesacker also had one of his best performances. I thought he could've done better on the goal, but he was otherwise superb. He was so good in the air A. Villa players didn't bother challenging him at one point
Also, I can swear Mertesacker was booked twice. Once for that brilliant tackle in the first half, which was never a yellow and another in the second. Was I just imagining things?
mistaT
Established Member
Gunner_JT said:
It's never objective with peno's....but I though RVP looked for the contact. So while I feel the yellow was harsh, I also on viewing it thought a penalty would have been harsh.
DJ_Markstar
Based and Artetapilled
Player:Martinelli
mo50 said:
That Kos is so good in the air is a massive tactical advantage to have, considering he's not the "big guy" in any partnership. He's turning into a top, top defender.
redanddread
The stone that the builders refuse
DJ_Markstar said:
IMO it's huge alright:
1. We have no recognized 1st team full backs left
2. we have to play ALL our CB's in virtually every match, with two of them out of position each time - thus risking injury to them.
3. We have lost Santos' creative and attacking impetus down the left. When was the last time we saw a cross from the left hand side from our left back (didn't see most of the match today so correct me here)
4. His injury has meant that our back 4 is always changing to accommodate a new LB-something that cannot be good for our defensive stability.
5. Our wing play has suffered as Theo & Gervinho do not have the requisite support on either flank
That we have kept on winning , bar the city game, is a testament to the steeliness that the team has displayed in recent months games and the overall level of confidence that the team has developed on our current hot streak.
Make no mistake, it's huge blow and it's magnified by the continued absence of Gibbs. IMO, Santos is our No.1 LB and Gibbs is backup.
DJ_Markstar
Based and Artetapilled
Player:Martinelli
Don't misunderstand me. Of course it's had an affect on the team's balance, and could prove bad with burnout etc. later on in the season but to say it's "huge" when we've won 8 out of 10 EPL games, only losing to Man Sheikhty just seems a little melodramatic. If the results were poor, then you could describe it in such terms.
The loss of Santos is huge, and a huge loss shouldn't equate to us immediately losing numerous matches since his injury.
The fact is that our defense is stretched extremely thin since his injury and has forced our best defender to play out of position. And we don't need a defense this thin going into January.
Additionally, against Man City the goal they scored came immediately after we reshuffled our defense after the Djourou injury. If Santos wasn't injured Djourou most likely wouldn't have started. Obviously, I can't say how well we would have played against Man City with Santos in the team, but it is a fact that an injury to a player that most likely would not have played cost us a goal. That is a big 3 points to lose.
Now we have Santos and Djourou injured with Coquelin playing RB and Squillaci on the bench.
So yeah Santos' injury hasn't made us lose a bunch of matches, but it did directly contribute to the Man City defeat and now we have virtually no depth defensively going into the busiest month of the year. So it is a big deal.
The fact is that our defense is stretched extremely thin since his injury and has forced our best defender to play out of position. And we don't need a defense this thin going into January.
Additionally, against Man City the goal they scored came immediately after we reshuffled our defense after the Djourou injury. If Santos wasn't injured Djourou most likely wouldn't have started. Obviously, I can't say how well we would have played against Man City with Santos in the team, but it is a fact that an injury to a player that most likely would not have played cost us a goal. That is a big 3 points to lose.
Now we have Santos and Djourou injured with Coquelin playing RB and Squillaci on the bench.
So yeah Santos' injury hasn't made us lose a bunch of matches, but it did directly contribute to the Man City defeat and now we have virtually no depth defensively going into the busiest month of the year. So it is a big deal.
RUS arsenal
Established Member
Loss of all of our FBs of whom Santos was the last one is the reason we are currently struggling for goals, a problem that almost cost us against Everton, contributed to the Man City defeat and was 3 minutes away from costing us today. So in the context that Santos was our last healthy FB, yes it is a massive loss.
Just seen that on Facebook:
Thommybhoy
Established Member
Apart from last night when was the last time we got a penalty awarded? Was it Old Trafford? I don't count CC.
DJ_Markstar
Based and Artetapilled
Player:Martinelli
redwhiteAustrian said:
I keep on hearing about us being "saved" by a goal to win a game. That's not being saved, that's winning efficiently. Keep the one goal wins coming!
The Sleeper
Well-Known Member
Agree with switching Theo left and Gervs right. Makes perfect sense given that both prefer their right foot, Theo is the better finisher, and Gervs better at carving out opportunities for others.
Notice when Theo plays on the left, his mentality changes to that of a striker. He does things like a striker who has moved into the left channel, cutting in from there looking for the shot etc. Out on the right, he's often indecisive about whether to be a winger or striker, and that's when he has poor patches in games, when he has doubts about what to do/how to be.
When we have at least one very direct player looking for the shot, it attracts defenders to him, and opens up space for others.
Notice when Theo plays on the left, his mentality changes to that of a striker. He does things like a striker who has moved into the left channel, cutting in from there looking for the shot etc. Out on the right, he's often indecisive about whether to be a winger or striker, and that's when he has poor patches in games, when he has doubts about what to do/how to be.
When we have at least one very direct player looking for the shot, it attracts defenders to him, and opens up space for others.
