EPL | Chelsea vs Arsenal| 04/02/17 | 12:30 K/O (GMT)

[krackpot]

However, the title race is not over yet. But will need Chelsea to screw up and Arsenal will have to beat Chelsea next game. A draw is not enough. Does Wenger and Walcott have enough resolve to beat Chelsea? or will they aim for draw again?

Walcott almost pulled us out of the Watford shambles. That is the reason why I would ALWAYS keep Walcott in the team. He is decisive.

We need to have someone good in CM who can escape the press. Ox is the only one who has the quality. If he has a stormer, we have enough quality elsewhere to get through.

 

[Batman]

Realistically whether we win lose or draw this weekend the season's end and summer months will play out as follows:

• Chelsea will win the league.
• There will be a desperate last ditch effort by our pampered players to just pip Sp**s to the 4th spot since the fear of Wenger leaving and a manager with standards coming in and holding them accountable will be too real.
• Wenger and Özil will subsequently sign extensions and further our culture of failure that sometimes looks good.
• Alexis will take his dogs away from the flaming wreckage that is this club and immediately win trophies with his next side.
• He'll be replaced by Hazard (Thorgan) who will score twice in the Emirates Cup and then never again since an offer of 50 million will come in from China.
• The rest of the money from the sales of Alexis and Thorgan Hazard will go to pay the taxes on Kroenke's ranch and for Wenger's contract extension.
• Giroud will get divorced and become the first person in the UK to legally marry himself.
• Ramsey will change his name to David Beckham and take the vacant number 7 shirt.
• Xhaka will be arraigned on charges of racially abusing and 2 footing a corner flag and Jamie Vardy will appear in court as a character witness yelling that the "Jap had it coming."
• Gabriel will be suspended by the club for not completing the reading assignment administered to him by Walcott's children.

 

[krackpot]

 

[DanDare]

win lose or draw this it makes no difference

 

[Hunta]

Still not bothered about this game.

Bayern and Sutton are our only important games left.

 

[say yes]

Hope Giroud/Gabriel never start for the club again.

Not even Sutton.

 

[Jasard]

Still not bothered about this game.

Bayern and Sutton are our only important games left.

Don't think I'll even watch

 

[Silvinho's ball bag]

Did we not have Coquelin and Ox as our midfield back in the 2013 game? I think Ramires badly fouled Coq and then the ****s scored directly from that.

 

[Ewarwoowar]

So what to blame on?

1) Sloppy defend and midfield. Not enough pressing. Allowing free passes, free crosses, free headers for opponents. Watch Liverpool, Man City, Everton match to find out.
Does Wenger and Walcott have enough resolve to beat Chelsea? or will they aim for draw again?

1) That zonal marking we do is useless and relies on luck and who the opposition is,, factors,, basically pack the 18 yard box and make limp wristed attempts at jumps or stick your arse out(a la Ramsey) in order to head or block the ball, how many nervous deflections have we seen from this tactic which just invites more nerves and makes us look pony, or stick an arm or leg out and give soft penalties (******* humiliating), the whole world and their oyster knows the momentum is with the man running onto the ball, why not man mark their known set piece maestros and zone for the rest, at the least.
At least then you have momentum to challenge for the ball, knock them off balance or block their view of the ball. You can say what you want about Mertesacker but His height is a real advantage in a zonal marking system and He did that with aplomb most goals against with him on was him being caught isolated on the half way line when He has no pace.

The press- When we press higher up the pitch(as a team) means we are up for the task, feeling set for the challenge, we are on our game and this generally transmits to the other side putting them on their haunches a bit numbing their attack. If that then translates into the attacking side of the game with forward momentum(not dilly dally sideways passing) incisive, creative, explosive, We know sooner or later We are going to score. Why can't We keep that momentum every game and through out and not just in patches or not at all, how many times do you see Sanchez frustrated beckoning players or doing their job trying to press all of the opposition himself which steals His focus from the attacking side of His game.

Then there is the laying off of the press, backing off, over defensiveness, negative side of the play allowing the opponent to take free shots or crosses, it's back to that zonal marking again ffs. that's how it looks freeze frame, 'still image',, when that ball comes from a cross in "open play" ffs, if you were without reference to look at that image you would think Arsenal were defending a set piece, free kick or whatever and not an open play ffs, why wait for the ball to arrive in the box and chance a mistake goal, deflection or PK, (did I mention zonal marking in open play ffs)

Theo Walcott prime example vs Everton for the first goal from open play ffs has a * limp attempt at blocking the Baines cross, meanwhile in the box(zonal marking formation in open play ffs) no sense of urgency twiddling of the thumbs. picking of the nose, flicking it at Cech, easy pickings!

I'm ballsed off watching us plodding around the pitch expecting our opponents to respect We don't like getting our kit sweaty or dirty and the reaction of us when they do not respect our wishes is, "orh **** guys, they came to give us a game,wtf"!

2) Lack of clinical striker- This factor is muted if we implicated the initiatives in point 1 and stuck to them, where we have proven to have plenty of goals in us

Wenger is correct when He says mentality, but He needs to check himself too, this club is a bit too fatalistic, they leave too much to chance, they need to take more responsibility, take more chances, chance more grit, if they did this more and still missed out on top honours it would be less galling.

 

[Malky]

• Giroud will get divorced and become the first person in the UK to legally marry himself.
• Xhaka will be arraigned on charges of racially abusing and 2 footing a corner flag and Jamie Vardy will appear in court as a character witness yelling that the "Jap had it coming."
• Gabriel will be suspended by the club for not completing the reading assignment administered to him by Walcott's children.

 

[Ewarwoowar]

Realistically whether we win lose or draw this weekend the season's end and summer months will play out as follows:

• Chelsea will win the league.
• There will be a desperate last ditch effort by our pampered players to just pip Sp**s to the 4th spot since the fear of Wenger leaving and a manager with standards coming in and holding them accountable will be too real.
• Wenger and Özil will subsequently sign extensions and further our culture of failure that sometimes looks good.
• Alexis will take his dogs away from the flaming wreckage that is this club and immediately win trophies with his next side.
• He'll be replaced by Hazard (Thorgan) who will score twice in the Emirates Cup and then never again since an offer of 50 million will come in from China.
• The rest of the money from the sales of Alexis and Thorgan Hazard will go to pay the taxes on Kroenke's ranch and for Wenger's contract extension.
• Giroud will get divorced and become the first person in the UK to legally marry himself.
• Ramsey will change his name to David Beckham and take the vacant number 7 shirt.
• Xhaka will be arraigned on charges of racially abusing and 2 footing a corner flag and Jamie Vardy will appear in court as a character witness yelling that the "Jap had it coming."
• Gabriel will be suspended by the club for not completing the reading assignment administered to him by Walcott's children.

So funny, but true ffs!

 

[bingobob]

Hugely indifferent. What little enthusiasm I had left for football is dwindling away.

 

[razörist]

Drama queens. We lost one game, big deal. We have a higher win % than the invincibles ffs. Get over yourselves.

 

[A_G]

Did we not have Coquelin and Ox as our midfield back in the 2013 game? I think Ramires badly fouled Coq and then the ****s scored directly from that.

It was actually Coquelin and Diaby (!!) that game.

Ox started the 6-0 in CM...

 

[NotAUserName]

Drama queens. We lost one game, big deal. We have a higher win % than the invincibles ffs. Get over yourselves.

Actually, that loss against Watford means we now have the same win percentage.

 

[razörist]

Actually, that loss against Watford means we now have the same win percentage.

Brilliant.

We're just as good at winning games as the invincibles.

 

[fabo]

What a rubbish stat anyway.

 

[Trilly]

What a rubbish stat anyway.

Arsenal are the best at always matching some stat that other title winners have produced.

Never comes to anything though.

 

[Trilly]

Chelsea have a weakness on their inside right channel, Azpilicueta is a fullback playing in a back 3 and Moses is not a good defender. Sp**s exposed it twice and Liverpool did so too yesterday, that's where Wenger should be doing his homework and targeting it.

Wenger? Homework? HaHa.

Also the fact that Sanchez plays on the left means that Conte will definitely be looking to address that weakness.

 

[Ewarwoowar]

Drama queens. We lost one game, big deal. We have a higher win % than the invincibles ffs. Get over yourselves.

(insert calm, non dramatic demeanour with slight inquisitive intonation toward the end) We've been laboured and been lucky for the most part doing it, stats need context and what's wrong with voicing disapproval for pointing out We always seem to **** up in the same old ways at the same old times and no lesson learnt?