UCL - Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk - Tue 19th Oct 7:45pm| SS2

[Galahad]

Shakhtar will be a different outfit at home Im sure of it. We have only won this game so comfortably because Shakhtar were NEVER going for it. In the first half they were happy passing the ball backwards all the time and never wanted to attack. We pushed them a little bit to attack because we didnt let them pass it backwards without pressure and thats when they got a couple of corners. They got unlucky twice with Songs and Nasris goal and were still happy enough just passing the ball backwards all the time.
We won because Shakhtar didnt want a win. They just wanted a nice stroll and hope for a 0-0.

Difficult to take too much pleasure from it. 5 goals for us and one for Eduardo, thats great. But this was a nothing performance from both teams and this will see us lose against Man City! Im scared we might be complacent against them. Actually, against both Man City AND the away leg against Shakhtar. Hope Im wrong.

 

[qs]

Anzac, when was the last time you enjoyed a victory?

Forget the pseudo-analysis stuff and enjoy a comfortable bashing for once.

I think he's autistic.

 

[Gooner_Milton]

Gotta say though..the Shakhtar keeper made Almunia look like Buffon.

 

[Kroket]

Shakhtar will be a different outfit at home Im sure of it. We have only won this game so comfortably because Shakhtar were NEVER going for it. In the first half they were happy passing the ball backwards all the time and never wanted to attack. We pushed them a little bit to attack because we didnt let them pass it backwards without pressure and thats when they got a couple of corners. They got unlucky twice with Songs and Nasris goal and were still happy enough just passing the ball backwards all the time.
We won because Shakhtar didnt want a win. They just wanted a nice stroll and hope for a 0-0.

Difficult to take too much pleasure from it. 5 goals for us and one for Eduardo, thats great. But this was a nothing performance from both teams and this will see us lose against Man City! Im scared we might be complacent against them. Actually, against both Man City AND the away leg against Shakhtar. Hope Im wrong.

:shock:

If a 5-1 win can't satisfy people anymore I don't know what can. A few great goals, some terrific passing moves and no new injuries, what else could you wish for on a Champions League night?

City also have a game in the Europa League on Thursday, plenty of time before we play them.

 

[air]

I would be over the moon with a Premier League win like this but this is the CL group stage, we're used to it aren't we?

 

[KY]

In other news a sub who was stretching has just been sent off at the Ajax-Auxerre game

Please elaborate.

Some Ajax player was wasting time which the Auxerre sub was complaining about to the referee. Ref wasn't impressed and booked him. He had to ask the Auxerre player to take off his training shirt so he could write down the number on his back. Player refused to do so, instead he got angry and the ref decided to give him a second yellow. It was madness especially as Auxerre already had a player sent off for a Maradona 86-esque hand ball.

That has got to be the funniest thing I've read tonight... Reallys caps it off. LOL

 

[qs]

I would be over the moon with a Premier League win like this but this is the CL group stage, we're used to it aren't we?

Against a second seed its a great result.

 

[mo50]

Anzac, when was the last time you enjoyed a victory?

Forget the pseudo-analysis stuff and enjoy a comfortable bashing for once.

I think he's autistic.

 

[Bossa]

So far Nasri has scored 6 in 8! Great season so far.

 

[patrick42uk]

Eduardo is so sharp in the box. Defenders seem always seem to be playing in slow motion compared to him.

 

[Y va marquer]

How good was the Wilshere goal?
Superb.

Worth watching quite a few times.

The second half was great but overall I found this was a strange game to watch.

The commentator said it had the atmosphere of a pre season friendly – I think I agree.

Anyway it’s nice to head to Manchester having scored 5 goals.

 

[progman07]

Samir and Chamakh are racking up an admirable amount of goals this season. Arshavin also has 5 in 10 games.


On the game, Wilshere's goal was brilliant, we had a nice showing, overall it's a perfect day.

 

[Eirico]

We should put Eboue's and Clichy's goal efforts on DVD, for our striker's education how you should not shoot on goal.

I know I'm a grumpy old bugger, but this sort of thing gives me the ***** about games like this. Yes we're winning comfortably but we haven't played well & IMO we should be looking to 'get it right' as opposed to playing so open & players doing their own thing.

On that last attack Song was in the CF position on the edge of the 6 yard area, and the closest player to him was another of our CMs, and our FBs think they can attack the area & shoot FFS. Reminds me of the old basketball cliche - 'Everyone wants to be like Mike'.

I would quit following Arsenal if I couldn't do anything but moaning during/after a 5-1 victory.

 

[Y va marquer]

Since when does scoring 5 goals represent not looking to 'get it right'?!

 

[Eirico]

Huh?

 

[ricky1985]

Enjoyable night. Atmosphere was a little flat, but Shaktar's performance didn't help. Not sure if they were overawed or just that poor, but we literally pissed all over them without even really turning up.

Wilshere was a joy to watch live - I could watch him all day. Just a little genius. Everything is done so quickly and efficiently - it's almost exactly like watching an 18 year old Fabregas. Great goal too, went mad when that one went in - he thoroughly deserved it.

Nasri was very, very good on the left, but still I have a gnawing feeling that he just doesn't offer enough off the ball, in terms of penetration. That said, he was class personified throughout the game, such great feet and control.

Chamakh was brilliant first half, completely dominated their centrebacks. It was a no contest. Some great link-play too, shame he didn't have forwards to link with.

Another positive I want to mention is Djourou. I kept a close eye on him throughout, and I was impressed. He was very physical all night, really early to the ball and in pressurising the striker. Eduardo gave him a different type of problem second half, with his ridiculously good movement, but he coped pretty well and mostly seemed to be aware of where he needed to be and where the danger was around him. He did switch off slightly a couple of times, and he needs to improve his defensive headers, occasionally he put them into really poor areas. Squillaci was also impressive, in an unfussy, quiet kind of way. Clichy was good throughout, but his final ball - or even his general play in the final third - is just not good.

Fabregas was well, well off the pace. He's going to struggle to be really ready for City on Sunday. Still had moments of class, but was a passenger really for most of his 62 minutes. Rosicky wasn't exactly poor, but he's just not suited to the role he's being asked to play. He doesn't have Nasri's dynamism or dribbling ability, and he spends far too much of the game playing backwards or sideways. Walcott also looked rusty, but still lively, when he came on.

Capi's right BTW, Arshavin weakens us significantly defensively. He roams around the pitch so much that he can't physically offer the kind of support to the fullback that is needed. It means everyone has to constantly adjust to cope. Clichy gets dragged wide, and it's then important that one of the midfielders covers and stops us from being outnumbered. The fault lies within Arshavin, but it's still the midfield's job to see the danger and adjust, and Song, in particular, is too slow in doing that far too often. If you watch their goal again you would see that exactly that happened. Clichy went forward to press the ball, where the left winger should have been, Song went across to fill the space Clichy had vacated, but then switched off and let Douglas Costa get in behind him. It was Arshavin's fault, but only to an extent, he has to exploit space and he won't always be there - Song should have dealt with the problem. He didn't. It's a problem that we have to solve, because Nasri offers better defensively stability, but doesn't exploit space and run beyond the ball in the same way Arshavin does. The answer is to improve the midfield.

Also great to sing Eduardo's name. The whole Clock End, where I was, clapped and sang his name following his goal - that must have been special for him. All in all a great night.

 

[Y va marquer]

Eirico

I was referring to anzac's post where he said we should be looking to 'get it right'....

 

[Eirico]

Well it's fair enough to want us to improve, but I'm just saying that if I couldn't enjoy a 5-1 smashing and was only looking at all the things that are wrong every time, I can't see what fun it would be to be a supporter. Maybe he's enjoying himself in real life, but it doesn't look that way when you're seeing what he writes on AM. I would quit following Arsenal if that day would come for me. But it wont.

 

[otfgoon]

Only 11 pages, that must be a record low?

Reading through it, I'm wishing it was less.

Only at Arsenal could a set of fans be so miserable in a 5-1 win.

 

[morpho]

hear hear