UCL – Schalke vs Arsenal – 7:45pm – 6/11/12 | SS2

[Tourbillion]

Yeah. To be fair the referee had a good game overall.

And yes, Bacary was absolutely immense other than that incident. Disappointing.

 

[Invincible]

The frightening thing is that the self-harmer thought we played 'very well' in his post-match interview.

OK, I know we've had our differences, mostly sorted I think, so I'm going to ask, just ask, this nicely: can we see an end to this particular (and idiosyncratic) epithet? Please. Anyone would think you're afraid of naming the devil.

I reckon this one describes his actions perfectly.

Could've been worse, I could've called him the arm-flapping buffoon.

 

[evoh_1]

I think Wenger just doesn't want to manage anymore, look at this:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2229010/Arsène-Wenger-says-referee-cost-Arsenal-win-Schalke.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... um=twitter</a>

"There was a foul on Walcott and he gave a foul against Walcott. It is a foul from Afellay on Walcott, 100 per cent. There was another decision that was amazing, the first time I've seen anything like that, to stop the game when a player has rolled over on his ankle. I never seen that when you have a goal chance"


Again after being banned for talking about UEFA refs Wenger in his first game back, blames the ref?!!!

This is mind boggling, if he gets another ban then its time to fine the old **** how can he not just keep his misgivings to himself after a match.

Yes that decision to stop play and the walcott foul that before half time were dodgy but its the defending that conceded to goals not the situation that created the **** defending. The man is insane.

 

[Jury]

He's just letting off steam...again. I don't believe even he can ignore the lamentable defensive display from Per and TV (albeit at LB).

The new Bould defense, eh?

 

[Rain Dance]

A bit like Bac: The second goal, ahh... but apart from that, I thought he was our best player.

watching the GIF, I don't think Bac the main culprit here. Vermaelen getting suck in and forgetting he plays LB is the main cause

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gif-schalke-equalise-jefferson-farfan-v-arsenal/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gi ... v-arsenal/</a>

And why did no one said anything about Kos playing Huuntelar on-side for the first goal?

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gif-klaas-jan-huntelaar-scores-v-arsenal/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gi ... v-arsenal/</a>

 

[Coypus]

Given the circumstances pre game I think it was a excellent point. Was happy that Santos was benched and Verm was put out left where his mistakes would not be critical. Little did I know! The midfield was visibly flagging and we did not Sub. WTF! We did work harder which was refrshing but our ball retention was nowhere near good enough against European opposition.

 

[DontPushMe]

Defence was atrocious. We have such a shaky defence i am stunned that we somehow have the best defencive record on the BPL.

Still, that call stopping the game when we had a clear shot on goal and if i remember correctly 4v2 in the box was horrible.

However, we lost because our defence was shakey and Walcott blew a 1 on 1 at the end.

 

[dreamLord]

What was the need for Vermaelen to go in and try to head the ball, and miss it completely ? We had 3 CBs and Arteta in the box.

****ing school boys.

 

[dreamLord]

Also, what the **** was Sagna doing for the first? Standing and watching the ball.

 

[kooldawg]

He's just letting off steam...again. I don't believe even he can ignore the lamentable defensive display from Per and TV (albeit at LB).

The new Bould defense, eh?

People here were seriously deluded if they thought that Bould was going to fix things with our defence. The guy was already part of the establishment, being promoted was not going to change anything...

 

[mavelous]

****ing santos...

 

[fabo]

Vermaelen wasn't good but didn't make 10 errors so automatically performed better than Santos. Sagna was good, as was Mannone, Wilshere. Lot of mediocre performers and we still can't defend.

Worrying for me is that this is close to our best eleven. Add Gibbs and Szczesny which is not exactly gonna push us onto another level - the senior players need to do that, Cazorla and others.

 

[The_Playmaker]

He's just letting off steam...again. I don't believe even he can ignore the lamentable defensive display from Per and TV (albeit at LB).

The new Bould defense, eh?

People here were seriously deluded if they thought that Bould was going to fix things with our defence. The guy was already part of the establishment, being promoted was not going to change anything...

I think he can fix things. Keown, Winterburn and Dixon all offered to help Wenger with the defence, but he said that it wasn't the kind of help he needed. I think at the start of the season Bould had more control, our shape was better, but it meant that we committed less men forward.

Remember the manager determines the way he play not the coach. Wenger wants to play forward expansive football. The problem is that we don't have the players to do it. We have the players to play a more direct brand of football, but he wants us to pass our way through the middle and commit men forward.

I am pretty sure that most of our goals come through a cross from the wing, a Cazorla shot or a break away. I don't remember us breaking a team down with passing and movement. Currently I don't think we are capable of that. So we should be playing to our strengths.

I don't think Bould is being allowed to coach as much as he did at the start. There is no way he would play offside with no pressure on the ball.

 

[pikey2000]

I think its the same as last year, not a lot has changed.

Our defence were under a lot of pressure again last night as the rest of the side weren't keeping the ball. Giroud, Walcott and Podolski are not the best players at holding the ball.

The midfield and forwards have a responsibility to keep the ball better so that our defence isn't constantly under pressure as they were last night.

The other side know we aren't offering much offensively so feel they can flood forward with limited risk.

We need to start imposing an offensive threat again so that teams aren't as willing to come at us all guns blazing.

 

[infineon]

We kind of miss Song tbh. He had his flaws but he was bulky and he was disruptive and as someone who can play CB he also knows where to position himself in the box when defending. The second goal was poor, they had no business scoring when we completely outnumbered them.

 

[yuvken]

I don't know if from all the moaning about the defense and TV in particular comes the conclusion that choosing to play him instead of Santos was a bad call? I don't share it at all, if so. And for all of TV's getting sucked into the center (it was not only the goal, where it was actually debatable; it was throughout the game, when the ball wasn't coming through the left lane - he was "sucked", and when the ball was on the right you could many times see Farfan standing alone waiting for the ball), I thought this decision spared us from losing there. Though there were some combination played that got by TV and Poldi, in general TV was able to contain Farfan, and the D as a unit, though were under pressure for big parts of the game - left. right, center, running, passing short and crossing, and against good players in FF, AFF, Hntlr and Holtby - in general they did not collapse. Which means this was an improvement to what we've been served these last weeks.
If Santos did play, and if indeed such damage would have been the case, the psychological damage to the team, the defense (and the GK, who's quietly building confidence and actually starts looking like a GK) would have been immense. It also stopped the rot in Kos situation, and kept TV in play - both important.
Good call, bottom line.

 

[Glovegun]

Apparently Bould has been forced to take a back seat. Would make sense, because the defence we were watching at the start of the season sure as hell wasn't drilled by Wenger.

We're back to "Right lads, you're all quick, intelligent footballers. Just go out there and, er, defend I suppose."

There's no real cohesion, strategy or leadership and that's clearly because the manager doesn't give it to them.

 

[HollandGooner]

Apparently Bould has been forced to take a back seat. Would make sense, because the defence we were watching at the start of the season sure as hell wasn't drilled by Wenger.

We're back to "Right lads, you're all quick, intelligent footballers. Just go out there and, er, defend I suppose."

There's no real cohesion, strategy or leadership and that's clearly because the manager doesn't give it to them.

Why would that be the case with Bould? are that based on rumors?

 

[evoh_1]

2nd goal there are loads of **** ups but podolksi shouldn't be standing in by the D outside the area doing nothing he should bust a gut to get back just inside the area on teh left covering farfan if he gets free.

There are plenty mistakes but if podolski does this it stop farfan getting a free shot.

 

[eye4goal]

We should have made changes earlier. We parked the bus in the second half so why not put on Coquelin earlier and move a tired Cazorla wide(or rest him for Saturday). Also we could have moved Walcott upfront to give ourselves an outlet for counter-attacks. Schalke would have murdered us on the break if they were 2-0 up

Mertesacker had a poor game I thought. People say pace isn't important for a CB, but I think it is nowadays and it showed last night. I think his lack of pace is why he tries to play offside at every opportunity. He is still our best defender but maybe we need to do something about that