PL: Chelsea v Arsenal | August 18, 2018 17:30 BST | BT Sport

[Big Poppa]

I don't blame any manager with this defense

Defending rather than defence. There are players in this team who get away with murder.

 

[celestis]

I think maybe what I am seeing (or feeling) is that we have a great system with the wrong players. I'm not happy with our CBs. (Although I think Guendouzi is a beast)... Xhaka needs to piss off now.

I like that he's released Bellerin as an attacking force .

 

[Sniper Mik]

This team lacks fitness and physicality. While some of it will get better with more games, it is bound to hit a ceiling at some point. We might need to get pretty busy in January.

Gotta feel for Emery though. Toughest start in the league and then your star players end up missing sitters. Probably tearing his hair out in the dressing room.

 

[vijay]

anyway, dont get too disturbed. this is a league without VAR and with Mike Dean and lots of funny money. Just enjoy the good moments. The last 20 minutes of the first half today....woof !!!!

 

[Slartibartfast]

Xhaka, Torreira and Doozy midfield next game imo.

Personally, I'd rather not go back to a 3-man midfield, especially against weaker competition. Arsenal was much better in the flexible 4-2-3-1 today. On form, I'd go with Torreira and Guendouzi with 4 attackers in front of them.

 

[el_gibor]

They scored deservedly because we were rubbish at defending yet we didn't deserve our goals, despite creating much more, because they defended rubbish is what you're saying.

Aah, shut up.

No I’m saying we created chances mainly because Chelsea were all over the place defensively. We were **** in every department. Defensively and offensively.

It was ****ing shambolic.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Auba should had a hattrick today his finishing and runs were awful. Important Auba to start scoring Lacazzete too if we want finish top 4

 

[Mark Tobias]

I was thinking the same about Atkinson, but as soon as I had that thought he started calling fouls for looking at Hazard. Serves me right for thinking any ref can be good.

Why would you, knowing full well how fragile the girl is, look at hazard so menacingly?

 

[rich 1990]

Not arguing with El Gibor, you're going on my ignore list.

 

[TakeChillPill]

Should've won this 5-3 or even 4-3.

Negatives:

Too many basic and individual errors. Morata goal, laca's pass back.

Özil struggling with the intensity.

We don't press with aggression. If you're going to press, be 100% like Liverpool and city. None of this half hearted stuff.

Didn't put away our chances. Literally tap ins.

Positives:

We created lots of clear cut chances, to win the game easily. Haven't seen us do that away from home in a big game for a long time.

Douzi was excellent.

Iwobi finally seems to have been given some direction and guidance, always had the technical ability, his stenght is immense.

Sokartis looks solid and reliable

Xhaka actually had a decent game offensively- pinged some fantastic balls around the pitch.

Team is putting in the graft, despite looking a little disjointed.

Conclusion:

We have been very unfortunate to have two of the toughest fixtures for the opening games of the season. Really has been a baptism of fire for Emery.

Hopefully this will leave us in good stead for lesser teams. I expect this team to go on real run.

Despite the losses, I am filled with some confidence, I like our more direct approach when attacking. None of this tippy tappy nonsense that goes no where.

I expect us to score a lot of goals in the up coming games looking at our offensive performance today.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

No I’m saying we created chances mainly because Chelsea were all over the place defensively. We were **** in every department. Defensively and offensively.

It was ****ing shambolic.

We were smart creating the chances they were not tracking the runs from deep and we punish them there was a plan. Both teams got a lot of work defensively if they want to finish in top 4

 

[Mark Tobias]

I like that he's released Bellerin as an attacking force .

I'm going to state quickly that I was a bit knee-jerk in the HB thread... He does have attacking potential. It is his defending potential I worry about (once that pace is gone what has he got)

 

[celestis]

We play much better with him than without but people will continue to act as if he’s completely inept.

We do . Can we please stop with Ramsey as a no 10 ffs . Ramsey is a two way running machine which is what makes him lethal tackling and late runs all day but he can't play with his back to goal , control possession etc.

 

[MaraDon]

Hard to disagree with this. I think Emery set up to concede possession in the first half and as a result of equalizing in before half time continued with the same tactics in the second half. Probably could have done with a change but hard to put that on him considering the chances we were creating.

Plus, I think he knew Chelsea was going to drop physically after 30 minutes and that they were going to lose intensity so he went for giving a fight once they were jaded, Gambling on keeping a tight and well-shaped defense, one can say it did pay off in first half, and it was working on second half till hazard came in.


I also liked that now we are tactically cutting opposition dangerous transitions with a fault, Wenger was really against that (I guess it was an ethical thing) and we suffered tremendously because of it.

I’m not advocating to abuse of the resource like a Pocchetino team would do (it becomes disgusting at one point) but it is a tool that you need to use specially in modern football

 

[Slartibartfast]

All of the sides battling for top 4 will most likely be 6 points ahead of us. This start really ****ed our chances of top 4.

But at some point they'll play two of the other sides battling for the top 4 as well and Arsenal will be playing clubs like the ones they've beaten the first 2 weeks. Arsenal has a long run of quite winnable fixtures coming up. No away games against last year's top 5 until Dec. 4.

 

[BaZZe]

We allowed three goals and people are moaning about missed chances. And I have this strange feeling Emery will do exactly the same. Sad times ahead of us with the ever-neglected defensive unstability continuing.

I think you and Claude would find a lot in common.

 

[krengon]

Xhaka struggled when Chelsea were up our arses but once we scored our 1st then our 2nd, they retreated a little and he got a bit more time and space to play his game which allowed us to maintain a semblance of control over proceedings.

Xhaka used the ball a lot better than Torreira who seemed a bit overwhelmed to me in possession.

 

[Mo Britain]

I think it's far too soon to start damning Emery... or to praise him. The one thing which surprised me most today is that I expected him to make changes at half-time to try and win the game. Instead we settled into this really conservative vibe which almost got us a point but never looked like getting us three points.

Auba's finishing was poor but it was Laca's inexplicable pass-back that cost us the three points. What I really don't understand is why in the last minute of injury time we managed to pass the ball back to the keeper... TWICE!!!

 

[Batman]

JC, what did I just read. Two-face suck you off at a charity ball before kick-off?

Not my cup of tea I'm afraid. Zatanna is more my speed. But honestly there's no sense in getting upset this early in the season. It's not like we pulled this against Exeter and MK Dons. Hopefully with easier opponents we can refine our game and be in better shape against the bigger opponents when next we face them.

 

[emilursin]

Özil isnt playing well lately