Morning all.
Having been beaten by Wolves, I thought Arteta and his players would be up for yesterday’s game. I expected a big response, but was left disappointed. Our football in the first half was pretty poor, not helped by the rotational fouling committed by Villa but let’s not hide behind that because fouling is within the rules. Mind you, when a player has been booked and then commits another bad one by going through the back of an opponent, I always thought a red card should follow a second booking.
Cedric cocked up and Villa made us pay for it.
We enjoyed plenty of possession but the only real shots on goal came from Xhaka’s free kick which Martinez saved well and Ødegaard who did everything right but hit the target.
Mikel Arteta’s subs proved to negative other than Ødegaard. Willian was exceptionally poor, Aubameyang equally so. If that’s the best our captain can give his team then sell him. Willian has done nothing other than prove he should never have become an Arsenal player in the first place. With Martinelli on the bench and the team needing a goal, I really don’t know what Mikel Arteta was thinking when he opted for the older of the two Brazilian’s. One offers pace, forward passes and directness, the other, backwards and sideways passes. Honestly, I don’t know what Arteta sees in him.
On Boxing Day, however the introduction of ESR came about, his inclusion brought more energy to the football Arsenal played and perhaps it’s time he went one step further. Balogun and Nelson could do no worse right now than Aubameyang and Willian.
Our left hand side looked the more likely to bear fruit with Saka and Pepe yet that went because when Willian replaced Partey it was Pepe who got shunted to the right.
Credit to Aston Villa as they defended really well but I thought we made it easy for them. Pass, pass and another pass. Possession stats look great but we didn’t shoot enough, we weren’t direct enough and as Rio Ferdinand said, we really were “powder puff” in our performance.
Chris Kavanagh and VAR had another stinker as they missed a stonewall penalty when Martinez tugged at Lacazette’s shirt as the ball was crossed into the box and as said, Konsa should have been booked a second time after going straight through the back of Lacazette. Big decisions went against us again in the West Midlands and of course they can make a difference to the end result but Arsenal should be turning up and putting in a much stronger performance to win the game without having to look back at missed decisions to find an excuse. It was the same at Wolves, terrible decisions yes, but by the time Luiz was sent off, the game should have been out of reach for Wolves.
The last two fixtures have damaged our chances of securing European football. Not just because of the points, we’ve dropped too many already but the performance level dropped yesterday again just as we’re heading into a run of a hefty and difficult fixture period.
Leeds, Man City, Leicester City, Benfica, Burnley, Toots, West Ham and Liverpool.
Arteta said:
(It was a) really strong performance. We completely dominated the game, we dominated every department, and we should have won. But in the Premier League when you give a goal to the opponent – and we gave them another three opportunities to be fair, just giving them to them – and then you are not ruthless in the opponent’s box, you don’t win games.
Well, he picks the team, he goes through the tactics and he makes the changes.
Players like Willian, and Aubameyang in the form he’s been all season, aren’t going to win Arsenal football matches. Aubameyang, if he isn’t scoring goals, brings little to the team and so far this season, he’s been as bad as Ozil, the Ozil which was dropped from all squads. All Willian does is look for a safe pass and that isn’t going to make our attacking play more direct or penetrative. There’s a difference in bringing on both players when we’re winning and bringing them on when we’re chasing a game. Substitutes need to be guys who make a positive impact, not drag us backwards. Forget how Willian played for Chelsea and forget how Aubameyang played last season as it’s the here and now which counts.
Lastly, I thought Mat Ryan played well. Thank goodness.
Theres my penny’s worth. See you in the comments.
This loss can really hurt us with the 3 teams below us only one or two points behind us and they still 1 or 2 game’s up there sleeve wee could be as low as 13 on the ladder which is not good enough
I can’t help but think that despite all the circumstances around our poor finishing, team selection, tactics etc, that the major influencer in both games were the officials. Their decisions cost us 6 points and I include the tossers at Stockley Park. VAR is fine, the people operating it are not and that’s the the crux of the problem…
Quite right Geoff but we are too far ahead of the bottom 3 who are 16 points behind us . So I raise the question is it time to give the future the chance to show their worth ?
We saw Joe Willock score for Newcastle yesterday he’s been there 19 minutes and follows up the attack from midfield and gets a goal from the edge of the area. Would that have happened here or either would he have blazed it over the bar or be encouraged to find another pass ?
In the main young players are still playing with a degree of fun in it , they play with freedom I wonder if Arteta’s caution is stifling this
Yesterday I thought both Smith-Rowe and Saka over played although it didn’t help that Saka was dumped and kicked every time he touched the ball in the opening half hour. but they seemed to play with less flair.
We missed Tierney’s running on the left and now with Bellerin seemingly following the Willian technique of turning backwards or passing inside and not going for a return ball we became less effective in going forward
In his post match comments Arteta seems to be caught up on the idea that possession wins games , it doesn’t it’s what you do with it that does.
Every match we make about 3 chances and sometimes take 1 or not one at all , maybe if we made 10 we would get 3 , passing for the sake of it is pointless and so far this season in 50% of our games that’s where we have finished.
We need to get the players that slow progress , Xhaka , Bellerin , Willian , Ceballos off of the pitch , we have seen that when we play with pace and purpose Lacazette comes alive , It remains to be seen whether Aubameyang gets the same effect , if he doesn’t then maybe it’s time to cut our losses there as well.
Gee, a game where we were well and truly ripped off, followed by a game where we gifted the opposition a goal and dominated the other 88 minutes yet suddenly Arteta doesn’t know what’s he’s doing, according to fans all over the net?
Hilarious.
Kev , I agree with your premise about the officials , VAR hasn’t changed much for us all it’s done is give another level to influence and impede our progress .
I can’t actually remember a time where I watched football withoiut thinking that the referee is a W…ker, the only difference now is that there is a whole group of them .
It was said before that VAR in itself is not the problem it’s the way it’s implemented . Perhaps we need to shake the tree and take it away from the PGMOL and form a group of independent ex officials from Serie A ,La LIga , and the Bundesliga and let them operate it .
That way accusations of bias should be taken away as there seems that we see less of the contentious incidents in the European competitions plus the fact that Riley would run a mile faced with Collina
That’s true Scott, but when you’re chasing a game and looking for an equaliser who would you bring on, Willian or Martinelli?
Sometimes it’s about helping yourself Digger and Mikel needs to think about that instead of trying to prove a point…
Potter I was not expecting to much this year but we do need to finish in the top 10 taking away the crap refereeing Arteta has made some bad selection but the players have also let him down, I just hope the players are starting this crap of not playing so we sack another coach just to suit them. If these players really do like Arteta then they need to harden up we look to soft
Maybe the panel that considers appeals Potter, I’m thinking of Luiz here, should be taken away from the PGMOL and run independently with ex footballers, ex referees and ex managers deciding on these scenarios.
Kev, Martinelli needs to be brought along slowly, imo.
To insist with Auba in the middle is to renew the error of the past.
He can only be productive playing as he played 10 years ago at Saint’Ettiene, where he was much faster and played on the left; William, I’ve posted several times.
I only saw little Balogun play, but I think it would be much more productive; Martinelli, he likes to fall to the left more. But it would have been, in my opinion, a better alternative.
I read here yesterday that whoever scored the goal was an Arsenal fan. That young man should have changed his shirt because it was the most perfect solution: run, fight, defend, face defenders and are not afraid to shoot.
VAR, I always said the way the VAR should be run by ref’s from other country’s for ex sample Ref’s from say Italia check England matches, England ref’s do the Spain league and Spain do the French league etc this way the ref’s do not care who win’s and looses as the will not be refereeing any of the teams.
Hope fully this would make the VAR fair for all teams.
They would not want English referees , even FIFA gave up on them at the last world cup.
12:21 pm missed the word ” not” should read I hope these players are not starting this crap of playing bad just to get another coach sacked.
I agree that there is far, far too much favouritism by referees. It’s been happening for years but it seems that some of the decisions recently have been so outrageous that perhaps Sky and BT Sport are sensing a ratings boost by highlighting them. Mike Dean has been sickening for years to all Arsenal supporters and now Pawson and that twerp yesterday have picked up on it. The root cause and the driving force behind it must be Riley. The control he exercises over the game in this country simply must be broken. As ex-players seem to stand up every day and point out how really stupid the decision-making process has become and how results are being manipulated by Riley and his enabler’s bizarre use of VAR.
As for Arsenal, I think the last week has shown us where we are. We failed to finish Wolves off when we should have and then paid the price via the referee and yesterday we were weak and feeble plus we had another abject performance from the officials.. I really hope that Mikel acts as decisively as he did when getting rid of Ozil, Kola, Mustafi etc and that he can see what an absolute disaster Willian has been. None of us know what is going on in Auba’s life but what we can see is that he is a pale shadow of the player he was. If Mikel doesn’t act and the results go back to where they were, then I wonder if he can survive.
Scott I agree martinelli needs to be brought along slowly.
So why put him on the bench if your not going to use him, I can understand if your 3/4 goals to the good bringing on someone like William to see the game out and replace 1 of the younger players.
But I assume martinelli was match fit or he wouldn’t have been on the bench.
So if your chasing a game who’s the best player to bring on for 20 minutes William or martinelli.
20 minutes against tired defence is the perfect opportunity to be brought on slowly i’d of thought.
Afternoon all.
I’m also of the agreement that if a player is on the bench, then he’s fit. If no, keep him out the squad entirely. Willian should be left out fit or not, he’s been a major o disaster of a signing.
But, I still think Arsenal are a work in progress as far as the squad goes. Another busy transfer window looms I think .
Yep, none of us know what is going on in PEA’s life, but whatever it is it’s affecting his focus and performances, so what to do?
Do you continue to play a guy who clearly has his mind elsewhere, a guy who should be an absolute baller off of the bench but who is clearly ineffective? A player who adds pretty much zero to the cause and who makes you, as the manager, look devoid of ideas and alternatives.
Injuries and suspensions forced Arteta to give Smith Rowe his head and now he is crucial to the way we play. I’m not saying that Arteta wouldn’t have used ESR during this period but maybe Mikel would have given more minutes to Willian or Ceballos and we would see ESR in much the same way that we see Willock and Nelson?
What are Arteta’s options, stick with PEA and watch him mooch through games or be radical and go with the youth again, go with players with something to prove?
I mean, if instead of PEA we had Balogun on the bench would he have done any worse, would he have been at all any less effective? He would have certainly run around a darn sight more and made a nuisance of himself, maybe unsettle the Villa defenders and got into the box where he would have been able to retain possession when he received the ball under pressure as he’s already shown, something Auba clearly cannot do.
Imagine if instead of Willian and Aubameyang strolling around as we were chasing the game that we had Balogun and Martinelli, two quick, sharp incisive young energetic forwards bombing at a tiring Villa defence ? Is that too unimaginable?
I think a lot of us are singing from the same hymn sheet . We badly need an injection of something which incidentally the wife and I are off for ours in the snow storm .
Surely it is better to play the younger, keener, players whilst they still have the desire and enthusiasm rather than the aging plodders.
Most of us are behind Arteta but he’s not perfect nor should he be beyond criticism. The Willian introduction was a case in point. An almost totally negative performance from him and when you consider that Aubameyang did no better it’s very hard to see the logic in Arteta’s thinking.
We are more than likely to see Balogun leave in the summer, he can’t even get on the bench let alone the pitch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Martinelli looking to follow him out the door if he doesn’t get to play more often.
Potter good luck with the vaccine, as for the Beast from the Baltic apart from a couple of very light and brief flurries we’ve seen virtually no snow at all.
Absolutely agree Kev and what about Azeez too, these should be our future so why not give them minutes. Balogun against Mings is a very different proposition to a toothless Aubameyang.
To lose such a talent for free is football madness Cicero.
Good Afternoon everyone.
Is it tactics, lack of creativity or lack of running off the ball? Or lack of willing attitude from the players.
Speed of thought plays a part. Wavelengths do so as well. Call it telepathy, call it intuition, call it foretelling the future, call it what you may ever want. Whatever it is it seemed lacking again for the second game in a row and for the NTH time this season. Like the sequel being the re run of the original. Except it has been played already many times this season.
Did the front players want it? I mean, what difference does a couple of weeks have on Lacazette? Around a fortnight ago Lacazette was being hailed as a very good CF who it seemed was finding a new lease of life being around the young and fluffy wide eyed teens who were impressing everyone with their attitude. Last two games he tried hard but how much? Did he make space for himself or else be available for the others?? Or his lack of movement stemmed from the fact that those behind him were not creating.
Seems that Pepe was finding his feet and upping his game. And if he was getting rave reviews on the left why is he the first to make way or be shunted to the right and be expected to retain the same standard? Wasn’t he creating more on the left than on the right?? Granted, Saka had to go to left back but why was he put on the opposite wing so that Willian can go on the left? Even when Martinelli was there it seemed that Pepe had to go to the right.
ESR, a great little player. He is still doing his running in with the first team, but against Villa he seemed to begin running in blind alleys. First signs of a burn out?? Maybe yes maybe no. He needs a rest. ASAP. A couple of games out and his mind is refreshed. And his body regenerates.
What has turned Willian into a spent force?? I dont think he has changed over the summer simply by moving from the blue side to the red. He is over 30 yes, but Ibrahimovic is 39. Ronaldo is 36. And they are setting the Serie A alight. Just keep in mind that tactics in Italy focus a lot on defence and gamesmanship. And defences are tighter than in the EPL. So to think that Willian is not up to it is simply not on. Willian knows how to play a direct ball. He knows how to make runs. He knows how to open spaces. A skill never leaves you. Because a skill once it becomes intrinsic will never leave you. Maybe his attitude?? Yes it may be that. But I believe that he uses the safe sideways and backwards options because of lack of movement from those around him.
Speaking of attitude and hunger…..is Aubameyang lacking in both? Or has he been reading HH and maybe read my comments that I feel he does not contribute to the team and infact unbalances it? Has he taken offence to my comments? I hope not. As much as I hope that its not his contract which is weighing him down. If its none of the above than its tactics, or him being considered as a square peg in a round hole. Or is it a round peg in a square hole?? But then he is a professional and a baller not a player. And ballers can play anywhere unlike players who can only play in a set position.
Saka is a baller. But he is still young. No experience and while youthful zest can carry you a lot sometimes you need to slow down and think of what you have been through. He needs to sit back, observe and learn. He needs to listen rather than hear. And he needs to think rather than let his feet do the talking instinctively. He is a good player, verging on becoming one of the brightest stars. But he is not Pires or Freddie who could play the flanks blindfolded and still leave the opposition dizzy.
I feel its a lack of movement. Too much tippy tappy tiki taka passes. Too much time playing the ball instead of going for the jugular and be direct. Arsene, dear old Arsene said that the club has a duty to entertain its supporters by playing beautiful football. Ah yes, sexy football. Whatever that is. But he may have forgotten one thing. That supporters never get tired of seeing goals. From all angles. From all players. All types and variety of goals. Not walking the ball in the net all the time. Yes we lauded Jack Wilshere on his goal against Norwich but that only comes once in a while. No use trying to emulate it every game.
Who is the happier supporter?? One who sees his team play tippy tappy tiki taka passes and win 3-1 or 3-2 or the supporters of a team who play direct football and in a matter of a few years score 7-9 goals when they sense it?? I prefer to see goals. Humiliate a club??? Why not? When Man Utd had the chance they did . We were carved open, hanged, drawn, quartered and taken to the cleaners.
Finally the defence. Yes we are the third best defence at the moment. But its not enough. We need more drills. Tony Adams once claimed that in his first years Graham’s training sessions were tactics, rehearsing the tactics, doing them again until the players were vomiting defensive shut downs. And he won the league twice and was just one half time from giving Arsenal an unbeaten season in 1990-91. Only the head of Kerry Dixon ruined that.
I don’t think defending is the issue Devil and only Cedric knows why he cocked up so badly. Imo, the problem we have is trying to walk the ball into the net. Also, when we break, we are too slow and allow defences to regroup hence the tippy tippy stuff which follows.
We all know Martinez is a good keeper, but we barely tested him.
that is exactly the point I wanted to make Rico. Only in part though. As I still feel the defence needs to improve. But we are on the right track.
Yes we barely tested Martinez. How many shots did we take from outside the box?? From all angles? How many crosses found their way to the heads of our forwards??
As you and I pointed out…….the problem we have is trying to walk the ball into the net. And since we are slow in our buildup that allows their defenders to regroup.
Another thing. Is it Arteta’s tactics?? Is it the players’ mindset? Is it that the players are not used to his tactics and cannot up their level to his?? Or is it a lack of good communication from his part?? Of what he wants from them.
Are the players good enough?? Of course they are. We are talking about top athletes here. Top professionals who should know football inside out. Players dont become bad overnight. But sometimes it seems that they are like the rabbit in the headlights. And very often, instead of running away, they freeze. And if they run away they go to the nearest option which might not always be the best one. And end up from the frying pan into the fire. And chose the wrong option.
Arteta prefers the 4-3-3 not the 4-2-3-1. However the players we have now are suited to that. So he has to go to that formation. Arteta needs three players like Partey in midfield. Three players who can run up and down supporting attack and defence. He needs three players in attack who can interchange at will. He has got the defence right, but in midfield Xhaka, although intelligent, is too slow for the 4-3-3 needed by Arteta. And Only Partey can go up and down. Elneny has no brains for it and is only the water carrier. He is good when he cleans up and gives the ball to other players and then retreats in front of the defence.
ESR is only shining because Arteta is playing the 4-2-3-1. But put him in a classic 4-3-3 and see for yourself if he would thrive. Unless he plays on the left or the right. Saka and Pepe are good for the 4-3-3, for the 4-2-3-1, for the 4-4-2 or whatever game plan which has wingers. Would TH14 have been good with the 4-3-3 desired by Arteta? Of course he would as he would have often floated to the right or left.
We are still a work in progress. Whatever level is that in remains to be seen. What is sure is that we need more players to come in and others to go out before we are playing the way Arteta wants.
That’s the point I was making in the post Devil.
OMG how Salah went down for that penalty – the man deserves an oscar!!
Hi Rico, interested in your thoughts on this one. Just read a message about how Arteta approached the ref at the final whistle to obviously discuss some refereeing points during the game. The ref (Kavanagh) just waved him away after Arteta said I’m talking to you with respect, the referee lacking any kind of respect towards Arteta the manager of Arsenal. What I find intolerable is that the referees jobs are safe as houses, a couple of bad games a few bad decisions will just get swept under the carpet. However, the manager carries with him the pressure and weight of expectation for the whole football club and global fan base, also not forgetting his job which is always under intense scrutiny from the media. If a manager approached a ref to discuss the game and certain decisions I think the least a referee can do is give each manager the time to consider and respond to questions regarding the game, especially if the manager has indicated he is approaching with respect, not shouting and gesticulating or being outwardly aggressive. Arteta was absolutely raging inside with the reaction of the referee Kavanagh.
I also agree with you regarding the choice of subs, how Willain is selected ahead of Martinelli is unbelievable. And I agree Auba has just not been there this season. In fairness to Auba and his recent absence visiting his poorly mother. He has a very close family, he’s always mentioning his dad and his influence on his life. So if his mum has been poorly then it might explain why Auba has been so off the mark this season. If true then let’s use Balogun
Cheers
Mig
Alisson howling!! Blue moon 😂😂😂
Back now just in time to see Salah manufacture a penalty. You could see an arm on his elbow but the leap to the floor should have been a booking for him but that’s the way the game is played these days and unfortunately refereed.
Now Allison has had 2 brain farts and City should be getting the points.I wonder if the keepers are more affected by the empty stadiums whether their concentration drops because goalkeeper errors seem more prevalent.
I also got to wondering if the empty grounds are affecting the Arsenal, games often look like training matches and often possession and passing is the training way . Maybe we should be concentrating on a more powerful attacking game .
We need to develop multiple ways of playing.
Currently if we play out from the back fast against another team that is attacking us we are good.
However if a team sits deep we struggle. If they send us down the wings we struggle. If we are too slow we struggle. In fact generally we struggle.
We have developed a structure and a formation. On occasion we have got good balance. Whether we stay with this structure I don’t know.
Now we need to complete the squad and start improving the quality.
That’s going to take a lot of movement in the transfer market. I don’t think that’s going to happen in one window.
There are questions over Runarsson, Ryan, Bellerin, Cedric, Chambers, Luiz, Saliba, Kolosinac, Mavropanos, Torriera, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Guendouzi, Ceballos, Odegaard, Elneny, Xhaka, Lacazette, Willian, Pepe, Aubameyang, Balogun, Nelson and Nketiah.
Hi Mig, well said re the refs. A bit of common decency goes a long way. If Kavanagh refused to speak to Arteta, that’s the sign of a man with something to hide imo.
Glad I didn’t watch the diving competition at Anfield..
Villa and Wolves hardly sat back and defended though Hobart.
I’ve said it for a while, and I still believe it’s the case.
A few steps forward, then a step backwards.
The manage dis learning his trade.
The players are learning a new style, they’re learning what our manager demands and they’re learning a new culture.
I don’t believe we can rightly expect consistency at this point in time.
On Martinelli, he’s coming off a major injury and is doubt we will see the best of him for several months yet.
Slowly, slowly.
No point criticising him or the manager for how he’s playing or being utilised as he will not be capable of showing his best yet.
An absolutely pathetic performance from officials followed by a horror show from Cedric, who’s been one of our better players this season, and we have 0 points from our past two games when it really should’ve been 4 or 6.
Small margins, and it’s the difference between “we are flying” to “we are terrible atm”.
I wonder if Arteta is worried about dropping Auba because of the Ozil situation as it would not look good if we have another player on big wages and not being picked
Morning everyone.
Scott, out of the amount of games we lost this season, the majority of them occurred because we shot ourselves in the foot or had one or more players experiencing brain farts. Not because the opposition were better than us. We feel irked by certain losses simply because we know our level. And the wages our players are getting are those expected at their level. I for one, criticize Auba, and did the same with Ozil because their wage reflected their talent. Now I cannot expect them to be at the top of their game and/or score/assist every minute, however I do expect them to try their damned hardest each and every second. the same goes with Willian. Yet, there are moments when those three appear disinterested and simply going through the motions. That shouldn’t be the case I feel. Its criminal. Take Tierney, take Saka, take Holding…..they work their ass off in each game and are not on the same wages.
I know that refs played a good part in many games this season and their control was atrocious. However, as in the Wolves game we should have had that game put to bed in the first 25 mins. The only major decision the ref managed to get correct was when Leno had a brain fart and made things easy for the ref. But at the end of the day we only got ourselves to blame for losing that game
Devil, I agree with what you say, but that’s not the fault of Arteta as many fans suggest.
I’m sure Arteta is filthy with the Willian situation, and I reckon he’d snap the hand off any club offering decent money for Auba right now.
Morning all
New post up now