EPL: Everton v Arsenal | Sun 14 nov - 14.00 | SS1

[USgoonergirl]

Great win, defense was solid for the most part, Cesc is slowly getting back to his best, and Nasri was great again when he got the ball. All in all good result.

 

[McIntyre]

snip

Bit simplistic to think that brining on van Persie or Walcott would have suddenly got us passing it around well. It would have still been 1 of us against 3 or 4 of their defenders chasing a ball hoofed up the pitch. And it would have still come back.

That's the point though, mate. We were passing the ball like sh*te. Bringing on Walcott or van Persie wouldn't have changed that but it would've given us a more viable outlet than Chamakh and Nasri were providing at that time.

Of course, like redanddread says, it's up to the players on the field to show the composure to soak up the pressure and maintain possession but they weren't doing so, so why persist with the possession based midfielders for so long?

Get Walcott on to put the Everton defence on the backfoot and provide an outlet when we just need to hack it into space.

Or get van Persie on to try and hold up the ball and win us a few free-kicks in their half in the manner Chamakh was struggling to do at that time.

The point is for ten minutes we were struggling to hold onto the ball and as a result were enduring wave after wave of attacks. As manager Arsène can't just hope that his players regain their composure, he's got to make a change to try and help us over the finish line.

 

[brady_style]

If Walcott had come on Baines( the everton LB) would instantly have stopped bombing forward.

I though Arshavin played a very intelligent central role in the first half. He drifted infield and played off one of their CB's and we looked very potent.

A very very good win.

Although we did look very shaky at the back for periods of the second half.

 

[mo50]

If Walcott had come on Baines( the everton LB) would instantly have stopped bombing forward.

I though Arshavin played a very intelligent central role in the first half. He drifted infield and played off one of their CB's and we looked very potent.

A very very good win.

Although we did look very shaky at the back for periods of the second half.

I thought we looked very comfortable, especially with Everton's aerial bombardment. That was in large part due to Djourou's heading ability and overall beastiness at the back. The rarely troubled us with corners till the end.

We did struggle in the last 10 or so minutes, but that was because they overloaded the box and had 4 centreforwards on the pitch.

 

[otfgoon]

That's the point though, mate. We were passing the ball like sh*te. Bringing on Walcott or van Persie wouldn't have changed that but it would've given us a more viable outlet than Chamakh and Nasri were providing at that time.

Of course, like redanddread says, it's up to the players on the field to show the composure to soak up the pressure and maintain possession but they weren't doing so, so why persist with the possession based midfielders for so long?

Get Walcott on to put the Everton defence on the backfoot and provide an outlet when we just need to hack it into space.

Or get van Persie on to try and hold up the ball and win us a few free-kicks in their half in the manner Chamakh was struggling to do at that time.

The point is for ten minutes we were struggling to hold onto the ball and as a result were enduring wave after wave of attacks. As manager Arsène can't just hope that his players regain their composure, he's got to make a change to try and help us over the finish line.

Fair enough. I certainly would have preffered he brought on one of those two than Eboue anyway.

 

[Big Poppa]

I see the point McIntyre is making. From about 65 mins onwards, it was literally our back five and Song against Everton. Nobody and I mean nobody else in midfield and attack seemed capable of retaining the ball or providing an outlet and it was very annoying to see our defenders putting their bodies on the line only for the guys ahead of them to pass the ball straight back to an Everton player. That was the negative.

The positive is that our defence was once again excellent, as was Fabianski. Djourou for me has come on leaps and bounds, and looks like he has a great understanding with Squillaci. It bodes well for our options when Koscielny and Vermaelen return.

As for Arsène, I applaud him massively for making the rare move of a half time tactical substitution because even though we were winning, Wilshere was clearly struggling in midfield. His emergence in that role has been a pleasant surprise but he's only 18 and is not ready to play from the start in this league every 3 days.

We had some excellent opportunities to score a third and kill them off, but to be honest, the 2nd goal was perfectly timed so I can't complain. Everton is a hard place to go and win, yet we've done it two years in a row. It's annoying to think that we would be sitting top of the league right now if it wasn't for that massive **** up against Newcastle.

 

[brady_style]

I Djourou was good. However, Beckford ran through to latch on to a through ball and the ball hit off his arse and then he swivelled and Fabianki produced a great save.

Djourou had gotten dragged infield and left Squillaci one on one with Beckford.

There was also a chance for Rodwell. He blazed it over when he should have at least tested Fabianski.

This chance came about because of Clichy. Although both Squillaci and Djourou looked very dodgy once they had to turn around and run towards their own goal.

I think Djourou was good in the air but he wasn't rock solid in other aspects of his game.

Still, I'm very happy with his development. He played well for a lad of his experience.

 

[redanddread]

Great weekend for the GUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all our immediate rivals dropping points!!

 

[morpho]

What a great weekend! Thank you steve bruce

 

[morpho]

What a great weekend! Thank you steve bruce

 

[yakso]

Perfect weekend. I was hoping we would overtake Manu but didn't expect us to close the gap against Chelsea to only 2 points.

 

[GunneDown]

Perfect weekend. I was hoping we would overtake Manu but didn't expect us to close the gap against Chelsea to only 2 points.

yeh right, chelsea was a BIG bonus..

Lets hope Terry and Essian are out for a while!

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

very good weekend a deserved win from us well done black cats

you see chelsea when best players injuried what happend to you but oh wait you dont have wenger to fix the problem so i dont blame you lol

fabianski another world class performance today

the defense

very good game for them too Dj and squi work very good game sagna was very good and so nice goals the same with clichy but he make a few mistakes

the MF

well song he had bad first half alot of mistakes passes but he done very good 2nd half he stay back and he help the defense alot

fabregas wilshere denny all they had good game IMO

the attack

nasri unlucky he dont score he deserve a a goal today but he dont get it he done good game chamakh a really shocking miss open goal but good game too arsha as alwayes sleeping lazy

 

[Mbaki Mutahaba]

As much as Wilshere has stepped up this season I believe the Denilson/Song/Cesc combination has allowed the team to pass the ball better than the Wilshere/Song/Cesc. The few times Denilson has come in the movement in our midiield when we have the ball has been much better. He gets more players involved with this "side-way" passing..y'all jump on him for. He made a huge differnce until we froze and nobody could keep the ball...till the last minute. Good win and whats even better is I believe we can now utilize almost 17 players without any real drop in overall team quality. Great Win Today.

 

[Clrnc]

Classy performance from Fabianski. Some great saves all round. But I thought we should have wrapped up the game so much earlier rather than putting all the pressure to ourselves late on by conceding. We really need to put games to bed. The boys never learn. But I am pretty damn happy at the end result though it really made us had unneeded nervousness.

Thought Chamakh worked hard and did well. He always does those little things that contributes to our all round game. Very unsung hero. Song did well too with those crucial clearance. Sagna was an absolutely rock. Fantastic running throughout and great defensively.

 

[est]

We should defend like this more often. Especially away from home and in the lead.

Now that we have centre backs who can head the ball and a goalkeeper that saves 83% of the shots instead of conceding one from every 2 efforts, I think we're better equipped to soaking up pressure and playing the counter attacking game.

A flat 4-5-1 with midfield close to the defense. Invite the opposition to our half to create space and then counter attack with pace from flanks/a ball over the top for Chamakh/Theo to chase.

Simple, but effective. And it's physically less demanding than pressing the ball high up the pitch.

 

[russkiegooner]

Excellent pic, Est.

 

[russkiegooner]

Classy performance from Fabianski. Some great saves all round. But I thought we should have wrapped up the game so much earlier rather than putting all the pressure to ourselves late on by conceding. We really need to put games to bed. The boys never learn. But I am pretty damn happy at the end result though it really made us had unneeded nervousness.

Chamakh could have killed the game but made yet another shocking miss. His finishing (particularly with his feet) still leaves a lot to be desired for a forward.

And to be fair, Song seems to have been fouled when he lost the header just before Cahill reduced the score.

 

[marco]

what an odd season!!!
last saturday i wanted 7 points from the week...- but 6 is close enough especially given the fact we won the 2 aways which is always better than winning home games.
i thought the team played well, we make it hard for ourselves though by not finishing teams off!
djourou deserves to start in the north london derby, and denilson was very solid in the midfield when he came on..it could be touch and go who plays between him and wilshere at the weekend!!

i know i shouldnt moan but the way the arsenal fans were cheerign eboue yesterday really got on my tits, he is a clown, contributed nothing to our victory gave the ****ing ball away yet because he comes over and throws his shirt in the crowd we all chant his name!! he is getting way too big for his boots especially given the fact he has been very average when he has played for us

 

[outlaw_member]

As much as Wilshere has stepped up this season I believe the Denilson/Song/Cesc combination has allowed the team to pass the ball better than the Wilshere/Song/Cesc. The few times Denilson has come in the movement in our midiield when we have the ball has been much better. He gets more players involved with this "side-way" passing..y'all jump on him for. He made a huge differnce until we froze and nobody could keep the ball...till the last minute. Good win and whats even better is I believe we can now utilize almost 17 players without any real drop in overall team quality. Great Win Today.

Agreed. I think I jumped the gun with Wilshere. He started off decently and then managed to produce some excellent performances. However, his last few outings have displayed the inconsistencies and frailties that are to be expected from a young talent.

I also think that his and Fabregas's defensive weaknesses places an unreasonable amount of defensive work for Song to undertake. Fabregas nor Wilshere can defend in any sense of the word. They're good at hassling, and Wilshere has the added bonus of being tactically sound, but that's about all their defensive ability amounts to. Which is why I don't think we could successfully partner the duo, atleast until Wilshere develops physically and/or if the 3rd midfielder is a Vieira incarnate.

It is indeed true that Wilshere has been guilty of the same 'sideways' passing that Denilson is routinely criticised for. I don't think there is anything wrong with a short consistent passer within the team, but I believe that Denilson is better than Wilshere in that respect, although the latter has a greater range. The issue I have with Denilson, though, is his lack of intensity. He came on yesterday and immediately changed the game, but then become laboured as the game wore on. Although, he seems to be a better fit for when we need a more protective midfield, whilst, Wilshere is better suited against resolute sides. Nonetheless, I think Denilson is the only midfielder who passes at a quick tempo, which is important against packed defences.

Ultimately, I think our midfield setup is just not working. Wilshere for all his prodigious talent is not a deep lying playmaker, although he most probably could develop into one. His natural tendency to go forward only compounds our midfield's inability to defend, and as witnessed yesterday, Cesc was often the one defending as Wilshere and Song were caught upfield. I'm not sure what Wenger is thinking in allowing such freedom to our CM's. It's not only kamikaze, but utterly insane.