PL: Crystal Palace v Arsenal | Sat 21st Feb | 15:00

[redwhiteAustrian]

It was a typical Arsenal 2015 away performance, if you ask me. Southampton away was the last time we tried our usual approach away from home against a "smaller" side, and we failed badly.

People should get used to lower possession rates, next to no control of the game and a more reactive approach. On the other hand, early goals, clinical finishing and stubborn resilience coupled with the odd moment of fortune and three points, is what we're getting at the moment.

 

[infineon]

Rope'a'dope tactics are fine and something we should have added years ago. However, it shouldn't be at the entire expense of the more controlled approach we have developed over the years. It will take time, but manager and team need to be able to adopt both approaches and to be able to change efficiently between these from game to game.

 

[celestis]

It was a typical Arsenal 2015 away performance, if you ask me. Southampton away was the last time we tried our usual approach away from home against a "smaller" side, and we failed badly.

People should get used to lower possession rates, next to no control of the game and a more reactive approach. On the other hand, early goals, clinical finishing and stubborn resilience coupled with the odd moment of fortune and three points, is what we're getting at the moment.

Oh yeah , expecting lower possession rates but I think we are still working on taking the sting out of the opposition when we do have the ball . Process of putting it all together does result in yo yo performances but I do think we should stick with it .

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

I agree, it will take time until that approach brings the best out of the players as well. The more games we win the more confident the team gets, and with an eye on the overall season so far (injury problems, post-WC issues, three new players brought in) I'm glad Wenger saw the needs here quickly enough, not like in 2012 or 2013 when it was almost too late.

 

[SA Gunner]

I would not put it to the "new" Arsenal approach but rather the adjusted approach which we see when when we need to secure our base goals.

I suspect we are on our mission for 4th(3rd) and we will resume our flair game in the new season. This talk of the players suggesting change is encouraging but I dont really buy that.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

We've tried the "flair" approach time and time again against the big sides and more often than not, failed. There's no reason to bin that approach for next season, if we continue to get the results away from home and/or against the top teams.

It remains to be seen whether Wenger is flexible enough to change our approach on a game to game basis, which should be the case if we want both flair and results against the big sides.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Got to say i've not seen much praise for how clinical we've been early on, we've had ourselves in comfortable positions by half time in a lot of our more recent games. We've done a lot to correct how we'd look half asleep and only switch on a goal down and into the second half.

For years we've played silky football and not been rewarded for it, i'd take us being direct and taking our chances over that.

Agreed with this, had Alexis scored that chance we'd have been 3-0 up away from home against a tough side, would have been brilliant stuff and that was before Palace even created any real chances.

I thought it was an excellent away performance yesterday and our plan worked well apart from a few sloppy moments. Encouraging signs.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Yes, it was a decent performance, but we were once again just one inch away from throwing it. I nearly got a heart attack at the end.

 

[SA Gunner]

We've tried the "flair" approach time and time again against the big sides and more often than not, failed. There's no reason to bin that approach for next season, if we continue to get the results away from home and/or against the top teams.

It remains to be seen whether Wenger is flexible enough to change our approach on a game to game basis, which should be the case if we want both flair and results against the big sides.

Its ultimately what we want, what we have been calling out for, for years. Tactical flexibility based on the opposition.

Whereas the changes this year have been encouraging, I wonder if it is as a result of a new dawn or merely preventative measures to the humiliations we suffered last year.

I would lean towards the later. Why? Because Wenger will always be a football purist and will want to play his way I believe. These adjustments come across as means to an immediate end as opposed to a philosophical watershed moment for the boss.

I could be very well off the mark here, and Id love to be. I just feel its not that simple Im afraid.

 

[bingobob]

I think if we are looking at deeper issues then the starting point has to be the team itself and what is our best starting XI with everyone fit and roaring to go. At the start of the season Gibbs was first choice left back now it's Monreal we have changed formation again and keepers. Some have been forced upon us some haven't but the inability to give a consistent team in a consistent set up cannot be helping. Injuries or not what is our best XI?

Performances in isolation don't concern me play well and losing is as bad as playing poorly and losing for me. As a football purist winning is the most important thing play well excellent it's a bonus play poorly and win excellent three points is all I crave. The thing with our performances is that they have been as inconsistent as our results. Brilliant performances followed up by poor performances which is fine it's when we start playing consistently poor then I'll be concerned. The issue with our performances is I feel down to the above not knowing our best Xi

 

[bingobob]

Also don't understand criticism of Welbeck he won the penalty and it was a good run for the second and his shot was rebounded into the net. Granted I haven't seen the whole match but he has in recent games been heavily involved in our goals. Not sure what else is expected of him other than him putting the ball into the net himself.

 

[Jury]

I would not put it to the "new" Arsenal approach but rather the adjusted approach which we see when when we need to secure our base goals.

I suspect we are on our mission for 4th(3rd) and we will resume our flair game in the new season. This talk of the players suggesting change is encouraging but I dont really buy that.

I don't buy it either. In fact, I think it's a convenient explanation at best, and absurd delusion at worst. Was that our plan at Sp**s? Leicester at home? Yesterday? Please.

Our aim is always to control games and have the lion share of possession. When we aren't able to, it's because we're a) being dictated to tactically b) our setup has no cohesion, or c) it just isn't working!

For 80 minutes yesterday, it looked like all three.

We wasn't, and haven't been 'tactically flexible' whenever we've hung on. We've simply had no other option but to defend. And we've looked headless doing it, having to rely on huge slices of luck whenever we have.

We're arguably at full strength now. There are no excuses for games panning out the way that one did yesterday. 'moan' over

 

[fabo]

Agreed. You don't plan to play terribly against Leicester, getting rinsed in midfield, gifting chances.........

 

[eye4goal]

Arsenal have been something of a highlights side over the past 18 months -- even when they've put together great passing moves, they've been flat for frustratingly long periods. The alternative way of looking at this, however, is that even when they're playing badly, they're capable of good interplay

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/the-matc...grind-out-win-over-crystal-palace-to-go-third

 

[celestis]

When you are getting used to a new style of playing you are going to have really good games and your going to get disasters . That's what posters are getting at . They've sat back to much at times and it's hard to get the passing rhythm back .

 

[Trilly]

A fit Ox will force one of Welbeck/Özil out of the side. Balance will be restored and we'll play well.

 

[Jury]

I don't think is is a 'new style' that we'e trying to get used to, Cel. I don't even know where this has emanated from. Are there any quotes from Wenger with regards to 'sitting back' etc?

All I've seen is a change in formation, involving cramming as many playmakers into the 11 as we can, resulting in poor team performances, where we're subsequently forced to defend and try and make counter attacks work, as our only form of getting out of our half, more than actually counter attacking, because our counter attacks are hopeless in all honesty. So what are we actually getting right at this stage of the season, as March approaches? We're as poor as we were in August, with no sign at all of any progress from back to front. That's the reality of it.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Wenger said after the City game that he changed our approach, based on the results against the big sides last season. You could see that in the games at Stamford Bridge and Anfield e.g.

 

[Jury]

Wenger said the players told him they wanted to try and play differently, if I remember... or something? After the City game.

Either way, this wasn't a 'big' team, and neither were Sp**s and Leicester. My point is any alleged 'new style' had nothing to do with yesterday or getting dominated by vastly inferior opposition.

We were good against City away. We looked organised, controlled and more than good value for the win, as we did in previous games.

Ospina
Bellerin
Mertesacker
Koscielny
Monreal
Coquelin
Ox
Ramsey
Cazorla
Sánchez
Giroud

That's what it took, and that's what we know it takes to look capable of controlling games without dominating possession. Why did we change? This team, and that way of playing was hailed as the holy grail after we beat City. That way was the 'new' way back then. Is what we're seeing now another 'new' way? How many new ways have we got?

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Yeah Wenger wasn't pleased by the second half performance so I doubt we set up to just sit back and let Palace attack us. In saying that we did play a few players with pace, though I think that was more us setting up to press higher up the pitch more than anything. And we did well in that regard in the first half. The second half was just a poor performance (the first half wasn't exceptional either but we scored 2 goals without reply in that half so can't complain).

I do believe at Anfield, Stamford Bridge and of course the game at the Etihad we setup differently to avoid trashings and for us to stay in the game, but we certainly haven't set up like that for all away games. Certainly not yesterday.

Then again, we often get criticised for not winning ugly, and any win breaths confidence and I don't think the players will be too disheartened by not playing exceptionally. They'll just need to realise that you can't switch off so easily.