EPL: Manchester United vs Arsenal- 19th November. 12:30 SS1

[TriniGunner]

I am surprised at this forum..really, I am. How can you be an Arsenal supporter and debate this simple fact? Bellerin is a massive part of how Wenger sets up this current team to attack. The way we attack down the left vs the way we attack down the right are vastly different simply because of Bellerin. Most teams already know that the way to keep us from playing our free flowing attacking football is to keep Bellerin defending.

Look at the Middlesbrough game and you'd see it's what they did and why we had so much problems scoring.

 

[celestis]

This x 100000000000000000000000000000000

I am surprised at this forum..really, I am. How can you be an Arsenal supporter and debate this simple fact? Bellerin is a massive part of how Wenger sets up this current team to attack. The way we attack down the left vs the way we attack down the right are vastly different simply because of Bellerin. Most teams already know that the way to keep us from playing our free flowing attacking football is to keep Bellerin defending.

Look at the Middlesbrough game and you'd see it's what they did and why we had so much problems scoring.

Yup which is why Wenger chucked the Ox in at RB at the end .

 

[Jury]

They are our two most important players at the moment. I've always wondered why we haven't spent money on backup player for Cazorla.

We... kind of did. He cost £35m and the boss hasn't a clue what to do with him.

 

[NotAUserName]

Come on dude. If you're debating that then you have absolutely no idea how we play. Bellerin is used during most of our attacks. He's used to drag players out of position and he's used to run at full backs who themselves have been caught out. We use him like that cause of his pace and his ability to recover. Our right and left sided attacking play are different simply because of him. Without him Wenger chooses to play safe. We have problems creating space on the right and we usually go narrow from the time we're into the final third simply because our right side is our best attacking side. Bellerin is a huge part of that.

True, however there is nothing special about what Bellerin does. He is simply a more attacking fullback than Monreal. Gibbs also plays the same way and he's been even more productive than Bellerin this season.

 

[Gooner_Delhi]

Couldn't see the match .. reading the posts here, i guess 1-1 was as good as a win yesterday. Cheers!

 

[carlito'sway]

True, however there is nothing special about what Bellerin does. He is simply a more attacking fullback than Monreal. Gibbs also plays the same way and he's been even more productive than Bellerin this season.

Dude, you can't be serious. Gibbs being more productive than Bellerin? Nothing special about what Bellerin does?

 

[NotAUserName]

Dude, you can't be serious. Gibbs being more productive than Bellerin? Nothing special about what Bellerin does?

Well Gibbs has created more chances than Bellerin this season on average and they have the same number of assists.

As for Bellerin, I'm not denying that he's good, it's just that offensive fullbacks are not really special nowadays. In fact, most clubs use two of them.

 

[SA Gunner]

I came to post this tripe as well.

Rugby tackle They're having a ****ing laugh, or are deluded beyond repair.

I cant wait for these fools to come to the Emirates, they deserve a proper hiding.

 

[silent_shadow]

lol Phil Neville called it a rugby tackle too. Wish someone could do a side by side comparison on those bozos.

The only way I was ever going to be happy with a draw yesterday was exactly the way it turned out. Don't feel great about it but every disappointed Mourinho and manc pic I see makes it a little bit better

 

[Sykes]

Isn't he playing more as a winger these days?

CM actually. But he's a great LB and always wanted him over Ricardo Rodriguez

 

[NotAUserName]

For all of Wenger's faults regarding his team selection, you also have to question the attitude of the players on the pitch. I remember when all the hoopla was being made about his 20th anniversary and we were due to play Chelsea. The players were so up for it, harassing the opponent, winning every second ball etc. The same thing also in our following match against Basel. I thought we had actually turned a corner and we would approach our matches this way. Now they couldn't even be bothered to put in a decent performance against a Mourinho-led United or in a derby. I mean, we even went 2 goals down against Ludogorets. I expect us to be on the receiving end of a spanking very soon.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

We... kind of did. He cost £35m and the boss hasn't a clue what to do with him.

He is not exactly a Cazorla replacement. More of a Coquelin upgrade but the thing is Wenger needs to play him in the role he is good at-deep lying midfield director. There are players in a team who you just don't move from their best position. There is no reason for Wenger to think of him as box to box and move him further forward.

 

[Makingtrax]

Well Gibbs has created more chances than Bellerin this season on average and they have the same number of assists.

As for Bellerin, I'm not denying that he's good, it's just that offensive fullbacks are not really special nowadays. In fact, most clubs use two of them.

Bellerin is one of the best, if not the best attacking full back in the EPL and was a big miss.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

Bellerin is one of the best, if not the best attacking full back in the EPL and was a big miss.

One of the best in the world imo.

 

[NotAUserName]

Bellerin is one of the best, if not the best attacking full back in the EPL and was a big miss.

He has the potential to be the one of the best in the world but for now I'd take both Sp**s' and Liverpool's fullbacks. Shaw too is right up there and well, Valencia.

My point is though he is important because of the attacking support he provides and not just because he's Bellerin.

 

[Makingtrax]

Just watched the game again, so here is my take on this match:


1. Our defense actually played very well, particularly Kozstafi. Jenks didn't do too badly considering & Nacho wasn't on toast as a few had said but still was at fault for the goal imo - he let Herrera run off him too easily. A shiny new LB wouldn't go amiss next season though.

2. Whilst I thought that Arsène got his team selection wrong, the double pivot of Le Coq & Elneny did a decent job in terms of the defensive side of things & that was their main priority.

UTD. never really threatened our goal that much even during that 20 min spell after the break - credit to the back 6 who really kept them at arms length.

However:

3. WTF does Ramsey bring to this team apart from another body? Wenger bottled it by putting him wide left - he was useless & hopefully we won't see him out there again. He was slightly better in the middle but that doesn't say much. He did track back more than maybe Iwobi would have but offered ZERO threat going forward.

4. Wenger chose the wrong front 4 - Theo & Rambo are not the most technically gifted players and they were the real reason we had little in attack. Theo's improved this season but he's still not the type of elite wide man we need - he's so limited when he's on the ball that it's a joke, furthermore, Jenks ain't no Messi on the ball and as a result there was ZERO threat from the RHS, normally our stronger attacking side.

5. Özil & Sanchez did what they could do and whilst not having great games offered the only real glimpses of any quality in our front 4 until Giroud & the Ox nicked the point at the death. Sanchez did drop too deep in the 1st half for my liking but he just wants to be involved.

6. Good to see two much maligned players in the Ox & Ollie G combine to score the goal. PSG aside that was the biggest goal we've scored this season imo - the narrative had we lost would have been unthinkable & unbearable.

7. Xhaka must wonder WTF he has to do to get into the team.

8. If you'd given Wenger a point before the game he would have bitten your hand off for it and run back to London.

9. Whilst it was an insipid attacking effort, defensively we were very good I thought - trouble is, if you offer nothing going forward then your opponent become emboldened in their own attacking play.

10. We need better attacking players, players who are good enough to be brave in a technical sense when coming to hostile grounds like OT. Real quality to compliment Alexis & Özil.

In summation, whilst the performance didn't inspire, credit should definitely be given to the team for coming back at the death and this will give them a LOTS of confidence going forward.

Yeah, watched the game again this morning and I'd pretty much agree with that.

So the bottom line is:

• we missed Bellerin, and Jenko is nowhere near match sharp having been out for so long, whatever his final level is
• we missed Santi
• Xhaka and Iwobi are work in progress and weren't trusted in a huge cauldron game yet
• Ramsey was nowhere match sharp after his time out, whatever people think of him
• we missed options up front with Welbeck and Perez out.

On the positives, Giroud is a super sub and the defence held out superbly.

 

[Makingtrax]

Wenger is still working on Xhaka's temperament and his substitution of Ox at left back was brilliant and saved the day.

It still shows how when injuries strike our squad depth is not up to the level of the really rich clubs.

Jenko, Coq, Elneny cost peanuts and they were up against Pogba (£90m), Martial (£40m), Mata (£37m), Herrera (£30m).

Anybody expecting them to go out and thrash United is living in cloud cuckoo land. 1-1 was a good result, away.

 

[bingobob]

Well Gibbs has created more chances than Bellerin this season on average and they have the same number of assists.

As for Bellerin, I'm not denying that he's good, it's just that offensive fullbacks are not really special nowadays. In fact, most clubs use two of them.

Oh my. I wanted to come on and write about the match but your comments have hit a nerve.

For most teams using two attacking full backs they still come nowhere near close to Bellerin.

Bellerin has had more touches in the opposition box than any other defender in the league, he has had more than double that of any other full back. Infact the list is Bellerin followed by big bruising centre halves up for corners. There is nobody as dynamic or as threatening in the league as Bellerin is as an offensive full back. His runs, his positioning, the width and the outball he provides is unmatched by anyone domestically and few if any abroad. And he is a very good and still improving defender.

The closest player to him was an at his peak Dani Alves in terms of offensive threat and defensive coverage. And he was pivotal to the way Barcelona played for a several years.

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ortance-to-arsenal-makes-injury-a-major-worry

 

[razörist]

Wenger is still working on Xhaka's temperament and his substitution of Ox at left back was brilliant and saved the day.

It still shows how when injuries strike our squad depth is not up to the level of the really rich clubs.

Jenko, Coq, Elneny cost peanuts and they were up against Pogba (£90m), Martial (£40m), Mata (£37m), Herrera (£30m).

Anybody expecting them to go out and thrash United is living in cloud cuckoo land. 1-1 was a good result, away.

They paid so much for them sure, doesn't directly translate in their actual worth. We have expensive players that look cheap compared to theirs, but are much better business from Arsène!

1-1 was a good result, but I wouldn't put it on injuries just yet.

 

[razörist]

Oh my. I wanted to come on and write about the match but your comments have hit a nerve.

For most teams using two attacking full backs they still come nowhere near close to Bellerin.

Bellerin has had more touches in the opposition box than any other defender in the league, he has had more than double that of any other full back. Infact the list is Bellerin followed by big bruising centre halves up for corners. There is nobody as dynamic or as threatening in the league as Bellerin is as an offensive full back. His runs, his positioning, the width and the outball he provides is unmatched by anyone domestically and few if any abroad. And he is a very good and still improving defender.

The closest player to him was an at his peak Dani Alves in terms of offensive threat and defensive coverage. And he was pivotal to the way Barcelona played for a several years.

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ortance-to-arsenal-makes-injury-a-major-worry

When he learns how to put a cross in like Ox did, he will be the complete and ultimate modern fullback.