Morning all.
British summertime ended yesterday with the clocks going back an hour. Arsenal played like the clocks had gone back twelve months or more. I find it concerning that the team are so toothless in attack.
All the time the score remained 0-0, the Brendan Rogers script was playing out nicely and as his number 9 warmed up in the second half, the inevitable was, well, inevitable.
Arsenal appeared to have started in perfect style when Lacazette flicked a Dani Ceballos corner in off the post with less than five minutes on the clock. However, the offside flag was raised as Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were deemed offside despite making no contact with the ball. Wrong in my opinion.
Further opportunities came and went as the game played out with Lacazette, Aubameyang and later in the game, Bellerin, spurning chances to score. On came Vardy, our defence got caught out and we lost.
Mikel Arteta:
I’m really disappointed, obviously. In the first half, we had the game in our hands, we created enough chances to go in front. We scored a goal that I don’t know how it was disallowed and in the second half it was about being patient and waiting for the right moment against a team that wanted to defend really deep.
They didn’t have any shots on target and they were just waiting for a mistake to go on the break and the moment we had a minimal mistake with no pressure on the ball, trying to step in, the caught us with the space at our back and we lost the game.
It is very difficult to create chances against 10 men behind the ball with no spaces, we saw that they did that against Manchester City, and I was expecting them to do it. But we had an open situation where we should have finished the game better. Then it comes to two or three chances that you’re going to have with set-pieces and when you have those moments, you have to make [something] of it and not make any mistakes at the back.
I don’t think anyone can moan about the tactics Brendan Rogers deployed because only a fool would go gung ho away from home. It was obvious that Leicester City would defend deep and try to hit us on the break because that’s the way they play. Mikel Arteta expected it, his players expected it and had the chances we created been taken, no one would give a toot about how the opposition lined up. It’s up to the manager to work out a way to overcome such style of play.
Similarly, Jamie Vardy hasn’t just turned up in England. Everyone knows he’s a goal threat but he was given all the time and space in the world to head past Leno. Xhaka and Mustafi. I’ll say no more.
Arsenal simply aren’t playing well, individually or as a team. There’s no bite, pace, urgency and do I dare say, passion. Aubameyang seems half the player he was last season, Ceballos looks more like the player who arrived on loan than the one who performed after the Covid break and Lacazette is simply Lacazette. As a group of players, something is lacking. I hope Mikel Arteta can fix whatever the problem is and fast because right now, we’re not looking like a team on the rise.
Three points dropped at home against Leicester City is a bad afternoon.
See you in the comments.
I will refer you to my post this morning on yesterdays thread . I believe it to be relevant .
Lets bring up the elephant in the room and ask whether the Ozil situation has soured the spirit within the team .
Watching Mustafi ambling about when he came on didn’t show someone who was particularly bothered . How many yards away from Vardy was he when Gabriel went to cover the hapless Xhaka who was he not so slow week in week out would make me consider that he has downed tools on Arteta as well.
It’s tipping point for Arteta , he has had in the beginning the support of the silent majority and is probably gaining from the fact that there is no-one in the stadium to voice their displeasure but I am coming to the opinion that whilst Ozil is around sniping in the media and most probably the dressing room his mates in the squad are downing tools as well.
There is no coincidence in my mind that the way our selection of so called stars i.e. Lacazette , Aubameyang , Pepe , seem to have gone backwards since this thing has blown up and until it’s sorted the manager is going to have a hard time remotivating his squad.
I think the squad might have been tired from their trip last week. They looked flat. I think it is way too early to suggest they downed tools IMO.
What I did find strange is Auba on the right and Pepe on the left. I also think Arteta could have changed Laca much sooner in the second half. There was apoint in the game I thought Laca was flirting with being send of.
It is hard to wonder what would have happened had Luiz stayed fit. Mustafi looked poor on the goal.
The pressure is on Arteta since he can’t afford to lose his next PL game with all the potential negative press that would create.
I believe Arteta is the right man and we need to give him time to trun the ship around and we need to allow him to make some mistakes in the process.
Morning Rico.
There are a lot of things wrong at Arsenal and too much doesn’t make sense. I’d say that the players have made their minds up.
Good morning all.
Potter I don’t think we can blame the Pepe situation on Ozil, he hasn’t done anything to impress me since he arrived, and as to calling him one of our “stars” the only stellar thing about him is his transfer fee.
I think we were wrong to award Aubameyang more than a one-year contract extension that, allied to his wage increase, has put him in the mood to relax and take things easy. The next “Ozil”?
I’m not commenting on yesterday’s game as I didn’t watch it and have read only one newspaper report which was by no means complimentary towards Arsenal.
Just as we were beginning to think our defensive weaknesses were being successfully addressed, and a proper DM had arrived, the same old problems re-arise.
Unless Arteta can make some dramatic improvements, and quickly, his honeymoon period will be over.
Morning Adam, all.
I really hope it’s not as simple as players downing tools, otherwise we’ve had it. Or rather Mikel Arteta has as there’s no way back once a manager has lot his squad.
I too wonder about the Ozil situation, as he said in his statement, he has a lot of friends in the squad.
The Art of Arteta. Or Govinda or Jan as you’ve used here before. I don’t think tiredness can come into things so early in the season and in any case, the team have played this way since the season kicked off. Other than against Fulham we’ve really played bitty football.
Auba on the right hasn’t worked before so I’m surprised he tried it again, especially as we have a pretty good right winger in Nelson in the squad.
Perhaps if we could get a strong victory under the belt, things might turn around but I can’t see that happening soon.
‘When you rake your studs down a player’s Achilles, you’re always going to get sent off’ says Dermot Gallagher about the Digne sending off.
Well I be jiggered, didn’t the very same thing happen to Tierney last weekend which went unpunished?
Hi Rico… tbh I’m a little lost for words… we were at home.. Leicester hadn’t beaten us away in 47 years… we had our strongest line up out there.. and Vardy does what he always does…
Bloody hell, what’s wrong with them? How much longer will we go on firing blanks?
I’m so disappointed, I expected so much more from them all… and these ‘off nights’ for certain individuals are becoming a regular thing!! Oh and btw, check out our next 5 PL fixtures:
Mancs A
Villa H
Leeds A
Wolves H
Spuds A
Oh sweet jesus 🙈
Arteta mentioned fatigue….really??!!
the other players are watching how ozil is being treated. it is sending a very loud and worrisome message to all of them.
Morning all. Rico re Ozil you pose an interesting question. The attitude of his ‘former’ team mates is crucial to what occurs on the field of play. Imo.
I think we all know, back in the days when we played any competitive sport, who the best player(s) are. Who has the greatest and sometimes flabbergasting skills in his locker. Ozil falls into this category. He has been and still is, on his day, a fantastic footballer. However, he does not perform in the manner that his manager seems to demand, try though he may, so as no player can expect to be carried by the other ten he is seen as a luxury that has become expendable. A great shame. His erstwhile team mates must have feelings/views about his seeming demise. Some will feel that he has been very shabbily treated and have reacted somewhat negatively to Arteta’s attitude. Downing tools probably not but only giving 90% instead of 100%. I’d put Mustafi in that bracket as I think he’d made up his mind that he was on his way out of the club during the summer, but it just didn’t happen. Just now I think he’s going through motions. Similarly Xhaka, he’s been a starter and a non starter regularly this term and he’s been hooked more than a few times just lately. It doesn’t lead to two happy men, imo. Lacazette too, perhaps.
Just a few examples but there are plenty more who may be turning out with a not quite full heart. Besides, a feeling I would have, did have, when the best players were dropped deliberately and the team struggled in their absence, as a player you develop more than a little resentment for the man who has made the decisions. Whilst waiting for the same treatment being meted out when you have ‘bad ‘un’. Doesn’t really encourage a cohesive team spirit, does it?
As for yesterday’s game first half we were all over them second half, not. Poor display. However, we should have gone in at least 3-0 up at half time……game over! But it wasn’t and we didn’t. Poor finishing? Poor defending? Lazy/tired general performance or lack of concentration? Who can say. The only certainty is, we lost our 3rd game of the season 50% of the points we could have earned. Not satisfactory, not satisfactory at all.
Despite it being Partey time the celebrations have been a bit flat. We need a bit more sparkle and we are really missing Auba’s goals! In fact I’ve just sacked him as my fantasy football team’s captain. Unbelievable!
Happy days☹️
Afternoon Rico and All
Brenda started the game without a forward looking to keep it down to levels then bring on Vardi later we all knew that I thought the problem for Micky was having to bring on a player who looked like he was on holiday the young Brazilian strolled through the game up until then but he was all we had
We controlled the game for almost 90mins and got suckered
I’m not sure what the word in German is to get f..king back is but I never heard it and I don’t think musthave-craper did
Hi Sue, fatigue is a cop out in my opinion. I’d rather Arteta didn’t make excuses for the drab performances. Like you, I’m really disappointed.
We’ll be lucky to get a point out of all those fixtures you’ve listed if something doesn’t change.
Just sent a post, has it gone into moderation or is it lost in the ether? A bit like yesterday’s game!
Exactly, Rico, 10 games in, in all competitions, and they’re knackered already? Nah….
Our upcoming fixtures are brutal 😂 I have to admit I’m not exactly looking forward to them….😂
Shkodran Mustafi rejected Arsenal’s offer of a contract extension in the summer & has informed the club he plans to leave at the end of the season…
With Sokratis and Mustafi certainly leaving in June and possibly Luiz too In Saliba and Mari must step up to the plate. Hopefully Chambers will be fully fit.
The thing is we will surely beat Dundalk Thursday, hopefully score a few,but will it just be back to the same old same old on Sunday.This playing Aubameyang out wide is looking stubborn.
Our biggest problem is our attacks are so slow, ponderous.Also everything goes down our left side,we must be so easy to defend against.
I agree with Potter that the Ozil situation is not good for team spirit.I saw the Aubameyang edition of MTV Footballer cribs on YouTube, that fella has an amazing bling bling gaff as you might expect.He said his big mates from Arsenal are Ozil and Kolasinac who come over to play computer games.
I also wonder if there is resentment about the paycuts.
We knew it wasn’t going to be a quick fix,let’s hope Arteta is successful.
Thank f..k Mustafi has rejected a contract extension.
Yes but had he said earlier we could have dropped him and kept Sokratis who wants to play .
My thoughts exactly Adam, who on earth thought that it a good idea to offer Mustafi a new contract, unless they thought that we could sell him at a later date?
I mean he’s been up for sale pretty much since Wenger left and as far as I know the club have never received a bid for him.
You know we have to let these players go, we have to move on, they have been the constant throughout all our trials and tribulations over the past 5 years.
Mari, Chambers, Holding, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney isn’t that enough?
Maybe Luiz will get another year? 🤔
Limey, back to a back three at Old Toilet, Maitland Niles needs to play.
I’m not confident, a draw would be good.
Hi Wavy, sorry about your comment. ☹️
Afternoon all.
Re Mustafi and new contracts, there aren’t many in our squad worthy of a new contract bar a handful.
The biggest frustration is that I don’t think the standard of football , defending especially , is particularly good at the moment and our style of slow attacking is not taking advantage . Our build up is so slow that players get sucked up the pitch and then along comes the quick break and we are. done for .
I wouldn’t play Mustafi again. Not now we have Chambers and Mari back, or at least I think they are. Saliba too.
Hi Fred.
Do you think he may be part of the Ozil conundrum?
3 defeats – 8 goals scored. I don’t remember having scored so few goals in 6 games.
At this moment, with 2 games every week until January, including national teams, it is not to expect great performances, but try to have a united team, focused on the result, confident and willing to win. I just saw the Totts and they are on this line. They won in a difficult field that will not play twice a week. They did not play a great game, quite the contrary, but they bring the 3 points which is what matters at the moment. In my opinion, we will have to play and balance the team with all available players. I suppose that a little-used player can offer a “physical and mental freshness” that a much-used player cannot. For example: I found Ceballos in the last game without conditions to play. In addition to never being able to play a game with the same intensity, I was without physical freshness and lack of rhythm. I think it is necessary to guarantee qualification for the next round of the Europa League quickly (2 more games in a row – then stop for selections and then the remaining 3 games). In the League, the players who offer better physical and therefore mental conditions. The teams are all very balanced and those who do not have European competitions are at an advantage in the physical aspect. Arsenal and the other teams involved in the European competitions, are paying the price of not having kept the 5 substitutions, which would allow them to face the internal competition in a different way, from the point of view of more alternatives to the course of the game itself.
So we could have and should have led 2 or 3-0 at half time but Arteta didn’t have the tactics right?
To add to that, our defenders seems to be copping the criticism.
Maybe at some stage fans will start having a go at our highly paid stars up front for their 3 errors rather then the defenders who make 1.
That’s the lot of a defender.
Always has been, always will be.
How many goals has Auba scored since the contract extension?
Asking for a friend 🙂
Exactly, Scott!! I was not expecting Auba to go on a drought… and with all that firepower up front, we shouldn’t be firing blanks and sitting on only 8 goals in the league…what’s the bloody matter with them all??!!
You must have missed the criticism of the teams attack of late Scott.
New post up now.
Morning all