Morning all.
Could last night’s fixture between Totts and Chelsea gone much better for Arsenal fans? Actually, it could as I’d have loved the result even more had it been Totts v Luton. Two red cards for the home team, a number of injuries and a defeat. Injuries are cruel and there’s nothing be be pleased about when any player suffers them but the defeat and red cards, you bet I’m thrilled about that. The thought of Totts going the season unbeaten was already a concern. I jest of course.
Ange Postecoglou:
Decisions are decisions: you either accept it or you don’t. If we are going to go out and complain about bad decisions every week what will happen is what happened today: a forensic study of every decision. That’s the way the game is going. I don’t like it. At some point, we have to accept the referee’s decision. This constant erosion of referees’ authority, this is what the game is going to get: they will not have any authority, it is going to get diminished and we are going to be in the control of someone a few miles away watching a TV screen.
Bless him, barely four months into life in the Premier League. Wait until his four years in, if he lasts that long, and whichever club he’s managed has suffered bad decision after bad against his team, lost or drawn a league or cup match which would have been won but for incompetent officials, then let’s see how he feels. Wait until his key players become a target of physical challenges for ninety minutes each game, week after week after week.
The bitching and moaning from pundits and ex players after Mikel Arteta’s post Newcastle Utd match interview has been ridiculous in my opinion. Don’t they want fairness and consistency in the Premier League? Perhaps not, not where Arsenal are concerned.
This coming weekends game against Burnley will be officiated by:
Referee: Michael Oliver. Assistants: Stuart Burt, Dan Cook. Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin.
No surprise that the Webb has called on Michael Oliver, after all, isn’t he supposed to be the PL’s best? We’ll see come the weekend. By then I fully expect the PL to have thrown the book at both Arsenal as a club and Mikel Arteta. A three match touch line ban at least I think.
Regardless of what went on with the officiating, Mikel Arteta needs to find a way to improve the team’s performances if he hopes to be in the title race come May. Defensively, we’re good I think, very good but as said about the Newcastle game, when in comes to our attacking play, we’re lacking something. Other managers know if they stop Saka and Martinelli, by fair or foul means by the way, we struggle to create much. Odegaard being out makes things worse. I don’t want to knock our players but we have a few who just aren’t at the races when the so called ‘big games’ come around. Partey is another player we miss badly because he’s just so so good when fit and healthy. But, one would have to have been living on Mars not to have known that at some stage during the season, Partey being injured and out for an extended period of time was coming. For as good as Jorginho might have once been, he’s no Partey.
Sevilla tomorrow, let’s see if we can get back to winning ways and playing well too.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico,
I posted earlier this morning re the Arteta post match rant, I was using an article in today’s Telegraph for reference. In recent times the FA have been very quick to announce punishments for recalcitrant managers and players, there has been ample time for them to do so in this case. So far it seems “no news is good news”. So far that is.
I’d be happy if you could add my earlier comment to this post.
Quite simply the decision to allow the goal on Saturday was a howler. Not the first we have had this season.
Arteta is entitled to have his opinion and the Club entitled to back him. The media will go after him as it creates outrage. Let’s have a siege mentality like GG in the 90s. All great pantomime.
The current VAR set up is ‘jobs for the boys’. Referees running a system designed by nerds. It’s akin to giving your grandad a Playstation. He will need to be shown what to do and won’t ever be as good as his grandson. Let the nerds and tech bods do the VAR stuff.
Why wasn’t the auto-offside tech used? More jobs for the boys to spend 5 minutes drawing their lines.
I think Oliver is one of the better refs, but even he can make some odd decisions.
Morning Cicero, Pete.
I think the PL are just taking their time. I’d be amazed if they don’t dish out some kind of punishment.
Spot on Pete. I’ve always said the technology isn’t the problem, it’s the operators of it who’re useless.
Arteta: I had to defend my club on Saturday
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta:
“It’s my duty to stand in front of you, the cameras, and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happens in the game. That’s what I did.
“I reflected very openly how I felt the team played, and how the game was conditioned by the decisions which were made.
“It’s my duty to defend my players, support my players, defend my club, support my club, in the best possible way. It’s what I’m going to do time after time.
“I do it not the way I feel, but with the evidence I’m being as clear as possible.
“I always do it – when we have lost, I take my responsibility to do it. It’s the way I am, and I have to defend my club.”
👏
Morning Rico and all,
Rico from what I recall of Ange when he was in Oz, he kept a lot comments behind closed doors.
Hopefully Arteta can lift the players and they can lift for him.
Hi Geoff, there’s the problem though. By saying nothing, the constant errors just get brushed under the carpet. Keep calm and carry on kind of attitude but unless managers and clubs are more open and honest, little will ever change let alone improve.
Crikey, it’s been busy on here overnight. 😀😀
I totally agree with you Rico, but it also needs sports reports to come out and back the managers, and if the PGMOL don’t start listening I can see some clubs starting to revisit the super league talks again.
I certainly don’t think the super league has gone away Geoff
Looking forward to tonight’s game,Sevilla will be tough opponents regardless of domestic struggles.
Arsenal have lost the last two so I’m surprised our media aren’t talking about a crisis.
One game was a much changed line up, the other was daylight robbery ( well Twilight)
I’m not so bothered about the Elbow in the face or the two handed push,both were fouls all day long but we see those ignored all the time and to be fair Havertz should have had a red card.
The ball being over the line was much worse, and Arteta was right to call it out.
COYG
The push on Gabriel and the ball going out cheesed me off as both were obvious. Roles reversed I’d expect both to have been spotted and the goal disallowed.
New post up.