Morning all.
Last night’s 1-0 defeat of Shakhtar could have been more convincing had scoring opportunities not been spurned. Three corners in the opening minutes of the game, the best opportunity to convert one of them fell to Riccardo Calafiori but he got his shot wrong. Leandro Trossard was the next to spurn not one but two chances to put Arsenal ahead.
Then came our Gabriel Martinelli’s goal which took a slight deflection on the way through before hitting the post and rebounding in off the Shakhtar goalkeeper. I couldn’t care less about how the goal was scored because ultimately, the Brazilian did all the work to create his shot so if a bit of good fortune dropped his way, he deserved it. I thought he looked somewhere near his old self last night.
Kai Havertz had a half chance but boy, what determination did he show to beat his man? Brave I’d say. Before the break, Jesus had a shot saved,
The second half was again about Arsenal spurning goal scoring opportunities, including Trossard’s penalty miss which just about sums up the rough patch he’s going through. Then towards the end, David Raya made an excellent save to ensure three points were Arsenal’s.
Mikel Arteta:
We started the game really well; I think in the first half we were really dominant; we created various chances – four I recall – big chances that we had to put the ball in the back of the net, we didn’t and that gave them a bit of hope. In the second half, we started pretty well and then we started to give a little bit back. I think physically and mentally what we went through two-and-a-half days ago paid but it was important and then we didn’t have that clarity, that purpose, we gave some balls away and we didn’t have the same rhythm as we did in the first half.
We were hit with another injury last night as Calafiori had to go off. Not convinced he’ll be ready for the Liverpool game but what was interesting is Myles Lewis-Skelly replacing him instead of Jakub Kiwior or Oleksandr Zinchenko. Ben White was taken off at half-time which in my opinion, was a smart move as he’d been booked.
Anyway, having suggested his players are a bit leggy after the international break, he said they’ll be more than ready for the visit of Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Catch up in the comments.
I think you are being far too generous Rico.We were awful in every department,got a freak goal then after VAR got a penalty which for some reason Trossard not Havertz took and missed and what a poor pen and then we lucky to hold on with Raya making an excellent save .
Arteta wasn’t sure who to sub and something is wrong as we were worse than at Bournemouth . A really poor performance is the reality and now we face Liverpool.
White had to be taken off after his second needless booking in two consecutive matches and to say i am disappointed with the performance is an understatement but not entirely surprised .It shows how reliant we are on Saka and Sterling has shown absolutely nothing since we got him on loan. Jesus needs to go in January. Sorry,that’s how I feel.
The game was drab Kelsey, the performance very mixed but I personally see little point in putting the boot in when we have so many injuries.
My only gripe really is not signing a striker in the summer.
I dread the Liverpool game…
I can’t say I blame Arteta and Edu for not bringing in a striker in the summer as I’m sure they tried, but if clubs won’t sell we can’t buy. Obviously, the Sterling deal was an attempt to ameliorate the damage done by the failure to get a striker deal over the line. Hopefully we’ll be more successful in January and Sterling can go back to Chelsea’s scrap heap.
Playing penalties down the middle is classic sign that the taker doesn’t have the confidence to hit the corners and it reduces the chances of scoring. The only way is if the taker waits until the keeper moves but then you have to have the ability to change your mind in mid flight and if your confidence is low , you cock it up.
They probably gave it to him to give him a kind of Havertz confidence boost but it misfired.
It comes back time after time that we lack a clinical striker and it’s all well and good for our midfield to chime in with 8 or 9 each but last night we hit them early and could have put it to bed but we didn’t they grew into it and a better team would have got the same draw that has cost us the points already this year.
Good, upbeat post Rico, they’re always the most difficult, to find something positive from a game that left you a big flat…
Arsenal have 7 points from 3 games and haven’t conceded a goal.
The stats boys (and gals) reckon that 15 or 16 points should be enough for top 8.
Our next game is at the San Siro and that will be tough.
I didn’t see the game so I’m not going to criticise but I saw brief highlights and saw us miss quite a lot of good opportunities. Havertz was unlucky with a header that the defender made a desperate and successful clearance, but wasn’t his foot dangerously high?
The goal was a mirror of the game, but it’s astonishing how the team’s composure in front of goal has ebbed away so quickly, we look a shadow of the team which was scoring for fun last season.
I fear the worst on Sunday. We have no cohesion, no fluidity and no confidence. The injuries aside, we haven’t been ourselves of late. I’m petrified at the prospect of who is going to play at left back against Salah, should Califiori be out. Certainly not Zinchenko! I’d take a chance with the youngster, Lewis Skelly?
But why not just keep Biereth for another season? £4m is hardly an amount the club needed surely?
The bare minimum more like Kev. 😜
Seriously though, in Europe it’s about winning any which way we can. Who we draw should we qualify is a lottery.
As Potter said after the weekend, Liverpool and Chelsea are beatable but the way our players are getting injured, goodness knows what team Arteta will field.
No Saliba, Saka or Odegaard.. ouch..
I didn’t and still don’t agree with the narrative that Edu failed in bringing in the clinical striker everyone is clamouring for, yeah we’d all like a Haaland and of course there are Haaland’s everywhere. But the truth is they aren’t!
Arteta had worked extensively with Sterling in the past and was credited with developing him at City so it was a no brainer in bringing him in as back-up not least with Chelsea paying 60% of his wages. He’s not exactly played a lot of minutes and being substituted at Bournemouth was typical of how his season has gone up till now.
This time a year ago Havertz was struggling to convince people, not least in some parts of our wonderful social media but by May he’d become our new Alan Smith. Kai needed minutes and eventually they paid off, Sterling doesn’t get that time on the pitch!
I’ve been actually underwhelmed by Merino, but it takes time to fit in and all our injuries have banjaxed any chance of a steady adaption period.
We miss Odegaard massively, not only for his football but also for his personality and leadership.
We miss Saka enormously, because he’s our best player, he’ll always find a way but without him we’re struggling to break teams down.
It’s not great atm but this team is too good to fail, they will turn it around.
Tbh Rico I can’t see a situation where Arteta would pick Biereth in front of Jesus or Sterling.
How is Mika doing anyway, has he scored many goals for Sturm?
Agree Kev re this team, we just need our injured back in the mix.
I know Sterling, Zinchenko and Jesus are not popular with the fans but whilst they’re ours, I really hope they can find some form and fast.
We went into this season Rico with the likes of Havertz, Martinelli, Saka, Jesus, Trossard and Sterling as our main goal scorers and on paper that looks pretty good. I’m sure if Edu could have got the deal over the line that we’d have had Sesko instead of Sterling as well.
I think we’ll see a lot invested in the attacking dept this summer, maybe even January. Trust the process 😄
That’s an interesting point Rico and maybe tells us where we are as a fan base, our expectations have gone up enormously and players such as Sterling or Zinchenko or Jesus who we would have lionised back in the days of Lacazette, Kolasinac and Torrieira are now seen as not good enough. I guess that tells us where we’ve come from and where we now are!
Kev, how long ago was it that Arteta worked with Sterling? Since then he flopped out of City, he’s not wanted at Chelsea or by England, so he was a cheap late snatch that hasn’t produced much of anything since he arrived. He’s over the hill!
Just reaping what I said earlier, I wonder if Arteta is looking at treating Nwaneri a bit like he did with Saliba, also he may have concern about burning him out, like Saka has.
I still feel that Sterling will come good.
on the positive side with all our red cards and injuries we have only lost 1 game so not quite panic stations yet, and let’s see where we are in late December.
We certainly need to Kev although Nwaneri is likely to come into the mix more next season when he’s 18. Yes, he’s still just 17 years old which perhaps is sometimes forgotten.
Isn’t the Aston Villa striker looking for a way out? Or was that Odyssey… lol
Re Biereth Kev, I believe he has. Perhaps not re Sterling and Jesus but I bet he’d score more goals in a season than both the other two put together..
8 goals in 10 games for Biereth by the way….
So much for hoping for a goal fest. That was a bit flat (again ) I suppose if the keeper had dived either side Trossard would have got his goal,and the game would have been different.
To me it was bit strange to pick Partey with Liverpool coming up,I thought Jorginho or Merino would have played. Maybe Arteta has them in mind for Sunday.
Being cynical it’s amazing how Partey is fit every week now his contract is running out…
Looking ahead to Sunday I would take a draw right now. I hope Leipzig give them a hard time tonight
At least our lot get an extra day to recover.
Cicero, I don’t know why Stirling left City, they had a bit of a clear out that summer to make room for Haarland, when they also sold us Zinchenko and Jesus? Guardiola likes to refresh his squad on a regular basis, I’m sure we’ll see a few well-known faces leaving City next summer as well?
Chelsea is a lunatic asylum, you can’t really blame him for not performing at the Bridge – but fair comments.
8 goals is a pretty good return Rico although I don’t think he’s scored in the CL yet?
I don’t think there was ever a chance of Biereth playing for the 1st team Rico, maybe he was one of those fringe players who suffered from Arsenal continually getting a succession of really bad League Cup draws…
Limey, I can’t escape from the fact you so rightly make about Partey and his transformation into Mr Available.
You can see it now can’t you?
If Partey leaves on a free in the summer he’ll go somewhere and never miss another game leaving all the maniacs on X to criticise the club for letting him go.
Alternatively
If Partey is offered and signs a contract extension he’ll immediately break down with a thigh strain and miss most of next season leaving all the maniacs on X to criticise the club for keeping him…
I love football 😄
Cicero, don’t forget we get an extra hour in bed Saturday night and that’ll make us even more motivated to give Liverpool a good thrashing this Sunday. I can’t wait 😄
Small margins Kev, small margins! 😉
You’re more cynical than me Limey.. lol
He’s not alone there Kev. 😜
Dropped out of the champions league top 8 tonight . We are level on points with 3rd but we have not got the goals. It shows that in this competition it’s not just about winning it’s the way you do it.
In a season that we are hoping to compete with City for the title, it’s interesting how we are making excuses about injuries when City has also been without Rodri and De Bruyne, but keeps winning. The difference is Arteta has chosen to be more defensive and have had some questionable team management.
Partey’s injuries are not regulate by him. It is determined by the team doctors. What is interesting is that Partey has not participated in the last 2 international breaks, so the team is managing him better.
Maybe Arsenal should find a way to ban all their players from representing their country in the next round on the ground of player fatigue and injuries. After all the club pays their wages and the club must come first.
Surely being without Rodri and de Bruyne is very different to being without Timber, White, Tomiyasu, Odegaard, Saka and Zinchenko. Plus, I think overall, City’s squad has more depth in strength.
I don’t think injuries are an excuse, just a reality. We’ve lost just one game in the PL despite injuries. As have Liverpool by the way.
Were lacking a cutting edge up front and without Saka and Odegaard, creativity too.
Morning all.
No doubt with a top rate first team squad we are missing too many players to keep the momentum going .We just can’t score and there isn’t one player who hits the net regularly though Havertz was on a good run.
The loss of Saka and Odegaard has been devastating and i know we won on Tuesday (just) butthat performance and the one at Bournemouth was not one of a top 4 team and i don’t think Arteta has a plan B.
This season will be far more competive though City seem to march on regardless.
We need to play 100% better against Liverpool and i can’t see that happening but hope to be proved wrong .
Morning Rico, going into Sundays game with such low expectations might actually work in our favour with most of the media predicting a win for Liverpool…
That’s ok, Arsenal are often at their best when written off…
Allexkev,good morning .How can it work in our favour with such a depleted team and a poor attacking force .?
That sounds more of hope than expectation.
Until we get our players back all we can do is hang on and hope for a great run after Christmas. We need to temper our expectations and aim for the cups and qualification of next years money fest in Europe’
Not to mention getting something better at scoring goals in January.
Morning Kev, I guess much depends on who is fit.
I don’t fancy our chances if Calafiori is added to our already long injury list.
Calafiori didn’t train yesterday so we are down to the bare bones .Strange that Partey has upped his game this season but the full backs concern me.
No idea who will start and with Saliba also missing it looks like a daunting task .
Will Trossard start as at least he is direct but often used as a sub .
Jesus wouldn’t get in my time.25 consecutive games without a goal.
Sterling will probably start so hoping we see an improved performance .
Kelsey:
Raya, White, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Rice, Havertz, Martinelli, Trossard, Jesus, Merino, Jorginho, Sterling, Kiwior, Nwaneri, MLS are all fit, maybe it’s time for you Plan B?
A lot can happen in 5 days from Tuesday to Sunday, maybe Timber and Saka will recover?
Odd isn’t it? Everyone was complaining about Arteta/Edu bringing in defenders and no forwards (or the right forwards) and here we are, defensively down to the bare bones…
We needed both Kev. 😝
Good AFternoon Rico and all
Drab game and performance. but 3 points. it would have been better if we won 2-0 but 3 points is 3 points and we cant argue with that.
Arsene Wenger when asked if he would rather have Harry Kane or Kai Havertz in his team: ‘That depends on the way you want to defend or the way you want to play.
‘Havertz is more of a contributor to the all around game, defensively he works very hard, offensively he scores less goals than Kane and will never score the number of goals Kane scores. He’s more of a 10-and-a-half or a nine-and-a-half.
‘Kane is the centre forward. Harry Kane played for a long time in a team that didn’t win but they have not won since he has left.’
Afternoon Devil, painful is how I’d describe watching that match…lol
yes it was painful. but we won. even the game against Bournemouth which we lost. if this our usual dip and we still get results then its ok. like Kev said this team will turn it around.
Its still too early in the season. Although I would have loved the 2-0 loss to be against Shaktar and we won against Bournemouth.
Calafiori is out for a few weeks. Twisted medial ligaments.
That’s rotten news re Calafiori.
I guess the Lady Luck of injuries isn’t with us this season..
Nothing confirmed from Arsenal though, just reports from Italy..
Devil, you are so right. 3 points is 3 points. I don’t care if we win ugly or win beautifully, all I care about is 3 points.
Rico @8:40, to be honest, except for Saka, Odegaard and Timber, the other injured players are not front line players.
White Obi? Merino might have been too. It’s still taken away squad depth.
New post up.