asajoseph
Established Member
Bolton was always going to a big test for us. We knew how they were going to play, we knew what sort of football they'd try against us. It was going to test not only our resolve, but whether or not we've actually learned anything at all from our weak start to the season.
And, if it was a test, Arsenal and Arsène Wenger recieved a resounding F today. We knew what they were going to do to us, and we were naive, stupid, and not prepared.
Jens Lehmann - Not a lot he could have done for either of the goals, and pulled off some very good saves to stop us being totally embarrassed by the scoreline as well as the performance. It's always a bad sign when it's your goalkeeper who shows the most drive and will in a game, but that's exactly what happened today 8
Lauren - Not directly at fault for either of the goals, but part of a weak defence. Not really able to attack greatly, and offered absolutely no protection by the hapless Freddie Ljungberg, but wasn't the worst player we had on display today by any stretch 6
Campbell - Our outfield player who showed the most urgency. Again, that's not great for a CB, but he at least looked interested in driving forward in the second half. Unfortunately, our midfield was shambolic, and didn't allow him any outlets whatsoever. Made some important tackles too 7
Toure - Got lost a little too often, but still made some good tackles. Again, tried to drive play forward, and could have done better with a hard chance near the end, but the game was already gone. 6
Cygan - We already knew he wasn't a left back. But after today's performance, you have to wonder why he's even a footballer. His tackling was so poorly timed it was embarrassing, just hacking away at people's shins. His passing too was poor. 3
Ljungberg - Very poor performance. Kept getting fouled, but never looked like doing anything dangerous, and seemed to resort for a 'kick and chase' philosophy down the right wing for the whole game. Never looked like doing anything threatening the Bolton goal. 4
Gilberto - Shocking error for Bolton's second, and as per usual his passing was appaling. He's become a little more silky on the ball in the last few months, but playing against Bolton today it was absolutely no use. 4
Fabregas - Starting with only one player in the midfield capable of making a pass in the final third was always going to put pressure on Cesc, but he wasn't all that bad. Could have done better with some of the chances that came his way, but was at least able to distribute reasonably, without ever putting any threatening balls in 6
Pires - An embarassment. He doesn't have the pace, the skill, or even the balls to play at the top level in the Premiership any more, and it's a mystery to me why he's still selected. His miss after Henry hit the post was a joke, his positional play was abysmal, and his passing was weak. All he did today was slow down all our attacks by taking too long on the ball, dribbling into the middle, and then passing it backwards. Contributed absolutely nothing, apart from a few shocking errors. 2
RvP - Strikers like van Persie, who like the ball at their feet, are always going to have games like today. He didn't get good service, and when he did he was closed down too quickly to really do anything with it. Shouldn't have been taken off (in my oppinion), as he at least has some spark, but he never got a chance to show it today. 5
Henry - Created two fantastic chances for himself and hit the post twice. Looked vaguely dangerous, although could hardly get himself into the game as our midfield was so poor. Still, he didn't look like he was 100% committed today, which is not something you want to see from your captain. 6
Substitutes:
Bergkamp - For all his running, he just couldn't find the space today, and made very little impact in the brief time he was on the field. 5
Reyes - Like Bergkamp, didn't get much opportunity to make any impact, and wasn't given any quality ball in the final third. Played one excellent pass for Henry, but that's about it. 5
Eboue - Gave the ball away easily twice early on, but he at least showed a bit of adventure, and a bit of desire in attack. Couldn't make much of an impact though. 6
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All in all, a pretty awful performance, highlighting the paucity of our midfield, the slide that our wingers have taken, our inability to play hard-nosed football. and our desparate need for some new wingers. We have the weakest left hand side we've EVER had under Wenger, and only half of that is enforced. It'll be hard for Wenger to convince anyone, least of all Henry, that the team we have at the moment really has the bollocks to win anything after a performance like today.
And, if it was a test, Arsenal and Arsène Wenger recieved a resounding F today. We knew what they were going to do to us, and we were naive, stupid, and not prepared.
Jens Lehmann - Not a lot he could have done for either of the goals, and pulled off some very good saves to stop us being totally embarrassed by the scoreline as well as the performance. It's always a bad sign when it's your goalkeeper who shows the most drive and will in a game, but that's exactly what happened today 8
Lauren - Not directly at fault for either of the goals, but part of a weak defence. Not really able to attack greatly, and offered absolutely no protection by the hapless Freddie Ljungberg, but wasn't the worst player we had on display today by any stretch 6
Campbell - Our outfield player who showed the most urgency. Again, that's not great for a CB, but he at least looked interested in driving forward in the second half. Unfortunately, our midfield was shambolic, and didn't allow him any outlets whatsoever. Made some important tackles too 7
Toure - Got lost a little too often, but still made some good tackles. Again, tried to drive play forward, and could have done better with a hard chance near the end, but the game was already gone. 6
Cygan - We already knew he wasn't a left back. But after today's performance, you have to wonder why he's even a footballer. His tackling was so poorly timed it was embarrassing, just hacking away at people's shins. His passing too was poor. 3
Ljungberg - Very poor performance. Kept getting fouled, but never looked like doing anything dangerous, and seemed to resort for a 'kick and chase' philosophy down the right wing for the whole game. Never looked like doing anything threatening the Bolton goal. 4
Gilberto - Shocking error for Bolton's second, and as per usual his passing was appaling. He's become a little more silky on the ball in the last few months, but playing against Bolton today it was absolutely no use. 4
Fabregas - Starting with only one player in the midfield capable of making a pass in the final third was always going to put pressure on Cesc, but he wasn't all that bad. Could have done better with some of the chances that came his way, but was at least able to distribute reasonably, without ever putting any threatening balls in 6
Pires - An embarassment. He doesn't have the pace, the skill, or even the balls to play at the top level in the Premiership any more, and it's a mystery to me why he's still selected. His miss after Henry hit the post was a joke, his positional play was abysmal, and his passing was weak. All he did today was slow down all our attacks by taking too long on the ball, dribbling into the middle, and then passing it backwards. Contributed absolutely nothing, apart from a few shocking errors. 2
RvP - Strikers like van Persie, who like the ball at their feet, are always going to have games like today. He didn't get good service, and when he did he was closed down too quickly to really do anything with it. Shouldn't have been taken off (in my oppinion), as he at least has some spark, but he never got a chance to show it today. 5
Henry - Created two fantastic chances for himself and hit the post twice. Looked vaguely dangerous, although could hardly get himself into the game as our midfield was so poor. Still, he didn't look like he was 100% committed today, which is not something you want to see from your captain. 6
Substitutes:
Bergkamp - For all his running, he just couldn't find the space today, and made very little impact in the brief time he was on the field. 5
Reyes - Like Bergkamp, didn't get much opportunity to make any impact, and wasn't given any quality ball in the final third. Played one excellent pass for Henry, but that's about it. 5
Eboue - Gave the ball away easily twice early on, but he at least showed a bit of adventure, and a bit of desire in attack. Couldn't make much of an impact though. 6
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All in all, a pretty awful performance, highlighting the paucity of our midfield, the slide that our wingers have taken, our inability to play hard-nosed football. and our desparate need for some new wingers. We have the weakest left hand side we've EVER had under Wenger, and only half of that is enforced. It'll be hard for Wenger to convince anyone, least of all Henry, that the team we have at the moment really has the bollocks to win anything after a performance like today.
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