Morning all.
England won the final test to draw the 2019 Ashes series, Europe won the Solheim Cup but Arsenal, well they did what they’ve done before and are likely to do again until the art of defending becomes an important part of an Arsenal managers game plan.
For years, certainly the second ten years of Arsene Wenger’s reign, our defence/midfield was a mess. Players were being being shifted from pillar to post just to fill in the gaps. Sometimes because of injury, others just because the Frenchman failed to sign the players we needed. He was often a master at trying to fit square pegs into round holes but seldom a master at making it work.
When Arsene Wenger left and Unai Emery came in, I truly believed the way we defended as a team would improve. Not immediately of course because personnel play their part too but even now, with Mustafi banished to the sidelines, Koscielny gone and the addition of Sokratis and Luiz, both experienced international players, we’re poor. Torreira, Guendouzi and Ceballos have been added to our midfield, as has Willock after stepping up from the U23’s. Again, all really good players, yet still we are disorganised and disjointed as a defensive unit.
Kolasinac isn’t a bad left back, Leno is a very good keeper and up front, we have pace, experience and quality which many clubs would give their right arm to have. After them, there are lots more players. Either experienced or younger but extremely talented nevertheless. Yet still… you get it by now..
In fact I’d go as far to say we have the best looking squad we’ve had for quite a few years. Not literally of course. But some of the football we’re playing is as bad, if not worse than it was during the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign as manager. No, that doesn’t mean for one minute that I’d want to see him back in the dugout, far from it but I don’t think Unai Emery is right for Arsenal either.
The spirit is there, or rather it has been in certain matches where we’ve fought back to draw or win a game after going behind but yesterday, pretty much everything went to rats. Watford were all over us from the off but somehow, we rode the storm and went 2-0 up. Credit where it’s due but then the self destruct button went off. What followed was awful but I’m not going over it again.
Playing out from the back might be the in thing, the way forward, the super new tactic etc, but it’s not working for us. Unai Emery’s persistence to play this way is costing us. It did yesterday and it will again. Common sense says ditch it. Take away the pressure the players are putting on themselves because of it.
I think we’d all agree that our midfield isn’t right and we need a player in there who is strong, physical and intelligent. That player isn’t Granit Xhaka. Raul and co need to address this in January in my opinion but just because we don’t have that kind of player now, it doesn’t mean Xhaka has to play. Emery wasn’t shy when it came to leaving both Ramsey and Ozil out of the team last season, so do the same now with Xhaka. If playing him isn’t bad enough, handing the captains armband to him is an insult to the great players who have been awarded it before.
Willock, Chambers, Guendouzi, Ceballos, Torreira, Luiz are all better options in my opinion, especially Chambers who has more discipline in his little finger than Xhaka probably has in his entire body. Or move Luiz out of defence where he’s less likely to concede another penalty and bring Chambers back into our defence. I know it seems like I’m playing football manager but isn’t it better to try and change something which isn’t working than to carry on making the same mistakes?
Wenger was heavily criticised for burying his head in the sand and ignoring the bleeding obvious and rightly so but isn’t Unai Emery guilty of doing the same right now? In my opinion, yes. Ok, he doesn’t have control over the players we sign, not in a way Wenger did, or at least that’s how it seems from the outside but he’s the one picking the team, coaching the players and deciding on how we’ll approach each game. He had two weeks to prepare for Watford and that’s the best he could come up with. Doesn’t fill me with confidence at all.
From 2-0 up against a club firmly rooted to the bottom of the table to end up clinging on to a point by the end was nothing short of embarrassing. Watford should be admired for their fight back, of course they should and perhaps they’ll be regretting not winning the game but as good as their determination, dedication and fight was, ours was the opposite. We surrendered with ease, we had no discipline, no direction, no leadership and no bloody idea!
I really wanted Unai Emery to succeed at Arsenal, I still do but sadly, I don’t think he’s going to and if I was sat in Raul Sanllehi’s seat, I’d be thinking long and hard about what to do next. Stick for a few more weeks/months and hope things improve, or bite the bullet before it’s too late?
Perhaps the return of Bellerin and Holding will improve us, as might the addition of Tierney together with a few positional changes their return will allow but if Unai Emery doesn’t change things, that optional third year looks a long way off…
Mind you, so does 2020…
Catch up in the comments guys…
Frankly I see no reason to expect anything different to what we have seen for the past few years. We are stuck with the fag end of last year’s defence. We are without a recognised right back, our left back was back up to the ageing
and departed, Monreal and we have swapped a chronically injured centre back for an accident prone one. On top of that defensive coaching is either non-existent or totally worthless.
Even with Bellerin back will our rightside be less porous? Tierney is a novice as far as the Premiership goes so we have no idea what he will bring to the table.
Swapping our four centre backs around and mixer mg them in with the midfield will only create more confusion, not just for our opponents.
If Emery hasn’t got this situation sorted by January he has to go.
Morning Rico and all. I am sure there was a collective scream when Sokratis did what Sokratis does and that people found themselves stalking around the house or the garden in a mixture of anger and frustration after our collective and pathetic capitulation yesterday.
Going through the team individually and awarding points or a thumbs up or down seems pointless to me. What happened yesterday has been going on for a long time now but it has been tempered by our desire and a genuine hope for Emery to be the modern manager that we have been screaming out for since the sad last years of Wenger.
Where is the plan? What are we trying to do out there? Will the team ever learn from their mistakes? I really have no idea and it seems, neither do the players. As Kev said to me before the game, Emery has had 2 weeks to think about this game and contemplate how he would both motivate and deploy the team.
If there is any development then it has eluded me. Can the club move forward under Unai? If so, where is the proof? We should be beating teams like Watford surely, but they really should have beaten us yesterday.
Where is the much touted pressing game from Emery? I remember glimmers of it after he first arrived but it has vanished in a puff of smoke to be replaced by a turgid mix of lazy, uninspired plodding while making opponents look as if they have at least one more player on the pitch than us most of the time.
We can moan about the selection and the tactics and the players all we like, but what happened yesterday and what currently looks like happening for the rest of the season, is down to Unai who is looking more like a bang-average manager with every passing game.
Raul and Edu must surely be casting their gaze toward Italy and a manager currently on a sabbatical.
I forgot to say, good morning all and thank you for the post Rico.
I can’t entirely agree Cicero. We should be much better this season because Emery has had time to work out his players and play in a way to compensate for any inadequacies. If a defence is frail, which ours is, pack the midfield away from home but no, he plays two number tens and then when he made his changes, the only one of the two prepared to work hard was taken off.
No disrespect to Nelson but talk about throwing him into an already blazing fire pit to get roasted.
We are where we are because of bad management and poor coaching imo.
Morning Adam, I think you and I are on a similar page.
Repost from the cross over of posts.
Taking off Cebollas and Ozil was entirely down to Emery and any hope we had of getting a third goal went with them. Playing out from the back gave Watford a tactic which they exploited . That’s down to Emery as well.
Obviously Leno got fed up with it but unfortunately too late , he started playing long kicks which Emery was quite right we lost possesion 95% of the time but at least it was 60 yards from our goal not in the penalty area.
Without Lacazette we have no-one capable of fighting for an aerial ball , yesterday Giroud was the answer but he is no more . Nelson was proved to be too lightweight , he was eased off the ball too easily and the last twenty minutes became one way traffic ( if we are using driving analogies ).
We are not ready yet to go on the big stage , our position is scrapping for best of the rest.
Frankfurt are as bad as us , played 4 won 2 lost 2 scored 5 given away 5 . We could win but quite easily might not , Villa are close to where Watford were , it’s not a given . If we are to play this style of football then we have to up our scoring because we surely are going to let goals in . We have no player to organise on the pitch , as it went wrong they looked like lost rabbits in headlamps ,no leader. We need a captain on the pitch and Xhaka is not that man.
After the substitutions the midfield 4 had an average age of 21 and that’s with Xhaka at 26 . We have a young midfield that will make mistakes , it needs a vocal ringmaster to keep it on course just as Mertesacker did with Holding in that cup final.
I agree Rico. The coach that Unai actually is has been on the pitch for more than 50 games now. To come up with yesterday is appalling. Ceballos comes from the same town as Reyes in southern Spain. He is more used to the heat than just about anyone. I thought he was one of our best players yesterday. Yet he takes him off and perseveres with Ozil who hasn’t played for ages and cites the heat as the reason?
WTF?
Well said Potter. I’m all for playing the younger players but a manager like Emery should know that throwing them on yesterday did more harm than good. Ridiculous really.
Adam, why start a Ozil in the first place? Away from home, against Watford who we know are a strong side, a seriously poor decision I think.
The comment about the heat was as embarrassing as our capitulation was. Right up there with some of Wenger’s classics.
Torreira must be pretty cheesed off…
Again, I agree Rico. When Torreira does come on it always seemed like a desperate act where he plays as a spare striker. Why not get him established in a properly thought-out midfield where he can do what we think he does best?
I don’t get it at all Adam, I really don’t. If there really is a problem between him and Emery, Edu or Raul need to step in because it needs resolving.
Torreira is more important to Arsenal than Emery imo.
I agree Rico that this is all down to bad coaching and tactics. I also wanted Emery to be the one but there is too much evidence in his time with us and before he came to us to suggest he is not a top manager.
I think we start talking in desperation about needing player x or player y to come in or back from injury and that what we have is not good enough, but most of the players that are supposedly not good enough have proven themselves internationally or at other clubs. It seems only when they come to Arsenal do they suddenly become sub standard.
Similarly other teams blend and develop young players in effectively and still operate at the highest level but our youngsters are suddenly too lightweight or inexperienced after performances like this. We didnt have the right man in Wenger in his latter years and we dont have the right one now.
He has the same habit of AW on the later years of picking strange line ups with players out of position and using the same players in roles that we are repeatedly weak in. Then the substitutions just seem all wrong and don’t change anything.
We set up in a 4-2-2-2, so very narrow and congested against a physical team rather than looking to use pace and width and stretch them. We scored 1 and 2 against the run of play because we have one of the worlds best CF’s and players capable of genius moments but in overall play we were battered.
Think on that we were battered by a team who are bottom of the league. Not only that but if you looked at every player starting and compared each of their individual players to ours there is probably not one you would say is better than ours individually, maybe dacouri for Xhaka aside. If that doesnt point the finger at the manager for getting tactics and formation wrong then what does?
The fans still need to be behind the team and Emery publicly, as we dont want another poisonous atmosphere, but quietly I hope the movers and shakers behind the scenes are planning for his succession in the summer, but possibly as early as January if it all goes to shit.
This one is unbelievable, especially from your captain. According to Xhaka, the reason they surrendered a two goal lead was because they were “scared”. He should never play again much less wear the captain’s armband. Imagine Viera, Lauren, Per or Gilberto saying something like that, never! It is just a game, it’s not as if your life depends on it.
Gb. Easier said than done re supporting Emery publicly. The fans who’ve paid big money for their seat have been patient through years of watch mediocrity only to see it be replayed all over again but under a different manager and imo, better players.
I’d still like to see Emery try different things which may or may not improve us but I think long term, Emery is not the answer if we’re to be challenging Liverpool and City.
Hi Rico, spot on.
The ‘playing out’ thing is very easy, most teams have got it sorted except us. It’s the preferred option, unless the opposition are committing players to a hard press, when a simple forward pass to a midfield player who by definition must be left free by the press, is the way to go. All the other teams do this, even City, but because we don’t we get pressed all the time.
I think Thursday’s game may have the reason for Ozil playing, but it was still a mistake to start him.
Brian
Morning all.
Everything that has been said above and yesterday I’m largely in agreement.
Emery set the side up all wrong and with the wrong mix of personnel. Tactically during the game I think he and the team were inert.
What really seems to be lacking is the player – coach on the field a la TA or FM et al, even Vic Groves for those who remember him! They were all very vocal and mostly quite scary. I’m sure even I would have obeyed their every instruction.
Xhaka has a lot of mouth but mostly it is directed at referees and their decisions not at the players! He is no organiser and neither are any of the rest of them. Surprisingly Mustafi was quite good at bossing people/teammates around, sadly he was unable to carry out his own instructions!!! So no good then.
I fail to see another leader amongst the eleven or even the 25 man squad. A lieutenant, on the field who can translate the coaches demands on the field during play and not one who suggests they were ‘scared’!
Often a team makes their best player captain because they can be relied on to put. In a good performance and so lead by example. Is Ozil our best player? If he is we’re well and truly stuffed, but talented, he is, very.
Lacazette is the next in line in terms of leading by example, but he’s not the most voluble. So he won’t do! Where are the big personalities? We don’t have any! Is that down to wingers smiley faces policy, of only buying ‘nice’ boys whom he could blind with his debonair ways! Perhaps that’s the price we have to pay for not having enough organised, determined and intelligent players who can change stuff when they see things going wrong. Imo, of course😊
Sun has just come out here but, it’s a bit chilly.
Wingers = Wenger’s
Hi Brian.
City don’t always get it right, neither do Toots as we saw when we played them and Liverpool make the odd few mistakes too. I think it’s overrated personally, especially against teams who press hard from the front.
Wavy, whilst I agree with what you’ve said, not many of our players are Wenger signings.
I’d give the armband to Lacazette personally…
Thanks Rico – afternoon all,
Our doubts about Emery were just confirmed yet again.I think the club will stick with him,at least while top 4 is possible.Emery will remain on the payroll until the end of the season effectively.Mind you Raul/Edu/Josh will have their patience tested.I can quite easily see a situation where Freddie is made interim manager.I hope it doesn’t come to that.
If we stick with Xhaka,that could happen though -we were scared -what a disgrace,fella should never play for Arsenal again after those comments.We all know he will though.His comments are on a par with Walcott’s – they wanted it more,after a Crystal Palace game a few years ago.
Moving forward I’d bring Callum Chambers in,he played well in the Newcastle game anyway.
Once Holding and the others are back, that should help.
It’s the hope that kills you..
Also I see Mikki scored on his Roma debut,Monreal too.
Hi Limey. That’s what I’m hoping re the injured returning but it feels rather like clutching at straws. Still, I guess that’s where we’re at…
Beginners luck for Mikki. 😝
Hi Rico. I agree it is hard for the fans to stay inside but I think we need to do this at the ground and not let negativity seep in. We have to put faith in those behind the scene quietly addressing the managerial position without anyone knowing.
Luiz should be moved into the holding midfield role and given the armband for me.
Gb, I’m not an ST holder so it doesn’t relate to me at all and I wouldn’t want to be the one telling those who are how to think etc. Good luck if you want to. 😂
I thought about Luiz too but he makes as many if not more mistakes than most. Lol
Fine post Rico.
Unless there is more than one page on this post then literally we are all on the same page…………..I notice things like that ! hahaha
The comment about it being too hot for Ceballos did make me chuckle, so maybe Dick`s spanish humour is lost on us, but hey it might be true, I mean I had an Eskimo friend visit me last week and he said it was too cold and I had to kill a seal pup which was conveniently handy to warm his hands up !
Now take note and listen carefully as I have something to say which seems very common sense to me…………………………………….in any position on the pitch whether in our opponents goal mouth, in midfield , in the final third or quarter etc etc etc we try to keep the ball and pass it between our players and it`s a fact we will lose possession at some point, now, why the fcuk do you play a goal kick to players in your own penalty area with the opposition presssing hard ?………………..this new fad is destined to fail if the players trying it are not comfortable with it, play to the current players strengths not weaknesses, Tony Adams would have been turning in his pint years ago and today would make him turn to drink if he was playing !
As much as I think it is Dick who is ultimately responsible for the tactics I think although it was Hercules who made the sloppy pass I have to blame Leno for his part.
What I`d like to see is Leno take some resonsibillity and think to himself………”I`ll pass it to one of our players in the penalty area………………hold on a sec` where`s Mesut ?…………….I can see Side How, Hercules and Granite worktop……………..fcuk it I`ll hit it long !”
And what must Fulham`s player of last season be thinking ?……………………..is he not an upgrade on the current CD incumbents ?………………cant be any worse………….
Thanks Lc.
Players won’t do that though will they, go against the managers instructions at their peril although I did see Luiz hoof it out of the area once or twice.
I’m all for a hoof upfield, especially when we have players with so much pace up front. Still, it’s always better to take the more difficult route. Difficult because our lot can’t seem to work it out..
One of the most damming things I’ve read,was someone said if you’re a supporter of one of Arsenal’s rivals, you want Emery to stay.
The only positive from yesterday is that we actually gained a point,we didn’t deserve even that.
I saw recently that only 4 players remain from our FA Cup winning squad, Xhaka Ozil Bellerin & Holding
A big turn around of players.I would have hoped by now Emery would have organised/coached our mostly new players even a little.In some ways we’re worse.
I had hopes when we appointed Emery, but they seem to have been blown away by poor tactics and crappy defensive coaching. He didn’t last long at PSG and if things don’t improve soon he won’t be around much longer.
Playing out from the back can work, but our centre backs need to start on the forward edge of the penalty area instead of on the by line where they have no room to manoeuvre.
It’s a simple game that’s made very bloody complicated at times, and I do believe Emery is complicating things.
Let defenders defend, let attackers attack.
Bugger asking defenders to set up play from our own 18 yard box.
A defenders priority must be to defend.
Safety first approach…….especially when 2 up ffs
Just why I’ve accepted things are bad Limey. It’s history repeating itself. Different players, same errors.
There`s playing out from the back and then there`s playing out from a goal kick in your own penalty area, had this new rule not been introduced we would not probably be having this discussion………….probably the most stupid tactic I`ve ever seen, I`m litterally dumbfounded by it, especially when Guendouzi nearly let it happen twice before it got punished, goalie giving the ball to defenders in the penalty area whilst half the watford team are on the edge of the penalty area, genius !…………………….if defenders were that brilliant on the ball they wouldn`t be defenders !…………………….obviously Beckenbaur, Moore excluded 🙂
I don’t think it’ll work Cicero regardless of where our players stand because opposition sides have got wise to this idea. Press from the front and all defences will panic in possession, not just us.
When it was new it worked but now, it’s old..
What was it Lichtsteiner said Scott? It’s all about knowing when to attack and when to defend and the defending comes first…
I know he wasn’t the quickest etc, but he had the brain…
Your last sentence could be said of our current defenders, Rico, but adding fart after brain …………
😉
Eddie has two goals playing for Leeds U23`s tonight !
Arsenal Women get late winner at ManU ! 🙂
You know, I just think there are some seriously thick players who simply lack the intelligence to think for themselves. It seems the first attempt (which I didn’t see) to play out short almost ended in disaster, so, if I was the player that caused it I would make sure that it didn’t happen again by making sure that whoever received it had time and space to send it on to the next team member.
I have always wondered about the substituting of players during a match. You see the assistant coach, usually, have a clipboard and then start showing it to the player about to join the match, explaining……..what?…and this is what eludes me, WHAT is being explained or illustrated? Can’t they think for themselves?
No wonder we have robots on the field and, it doesn’t help when defenders DO NOT MARK properly.
I was trying to get some screen shots of the match onto this reply to illustrate why we screw up so many times. Didn’t work – videos seem to but not screenshots of the action. I have a Mac – any clues?
There are some great comments above me here from you guys but it is what it is.
You’re right too, Xhaka should be reprimanded for his comments, and his captaincy rescinded.
Exactly, Rico, but I do wonder if that choice is being taken out of their hands.
It seems we play out no matter what the situation
Andorra, when the coach is insisting that you send a short pass to Guendouzi for example and he’s got three players closing him down, I think panic sets in and players then do stupid things in those stressful situations, like passing across the face of your goal or giving the ball directly to an opponent.
It’s all a result of the coaching and tactics employed.
Why else would Xhaka launch himself at an opponent in the box in the NLD and Luiz make two ridiculously reckless challenges in the box in our last two away games?
Xhaka stated that we were scared, which on the face is an awful thing for a player to admit, but to me it’s an indictment of the manager and the reason why I think that Emery is on borrowed time.
Kev, Emery seems to have no way forward.
No fan I know is able to identify what he’s trying to do with the side in the pitch so he’s really making his own life very difficult, I reckon.
Good comment Kev.
Well at least the Ladies showed the way forward…..
Morning all.
New post up now.