Tighten Up? Gunners Return To Scene Of February Rout
Dec 20th, 2014 by 'holic
“Every defeat is a scar on your heart. They started off the blocks well and we were too late to get into the game.”
Last season’s 5-1 drubbing at Anfield remains strong in the memory. That we recovered to beat the same opponents in the FA Cup a week later hasn’t completely eased the pain of that day for Arsene Wenger, or indeed a number of supporters of the club. It was the day the title dream, fuelled by our form in the calendar year of 2013, died.
This is the latest opportunity for Arsenal to visit the home of a rival and come away with points, although the task does not look quite so daunting this season as Liverpool have struggled to cope with the departure of Suarez to Barcelona. That and the loss of Sturridge to injury has severely hampered them in the goalscoring department. They are heavily reliant on Sterling to step up to the mark. Lest we forget the England winger scored twice in the aforementioned 5-1. The free-scoring scousers of last season have, however, notched just nineteen goals in sixteen Premiership starts this term.
Liverpool start the match five points and four places behind the Gunners, but once again we are down to the bare bones it seems. Calum Chambers returns after suspension, but there were late tests planned for Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Nacho Monreal. Still we are without Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, and Laurent Koscielny.
Le Boss faces an interesting selection to partner Per Mertesacker at the back. Three full-backs are in the frame, with Monreal likeliest to get the nod if he is passed fit. Only really ‘beasted’ against Swansea he is growing into the role this season. Mathieu Debuchy looked comfortable there last week but frankly I think I could have played centre-half against Newcastle that day. Calum Chambers is the third option, but perhaps too prone to make ‘cardable’ challenges. Should Monreal fail his test then Debuchy alongside the BFG and Chambers at right-back is likeliest.
Mahieu Flamini is a shoe-in to start at the base of the midfield, but if the Ox fails his fitness test it is hard to imagine who will partner the French international. The likeliest option could be the recalled Francis Coquelin. What a story that would be. Santi Cazorla must surely be given the opportunity to demonstrate his excellent current form behind Olivier Giroud.
The wide attacking roles provide another interesting poser for the manager. Presumably Lukas Podolski would slip further down the pecking order were Theo to be fit again. Alexis Sanchez must surely start in a fixture of this magnitude, so it will be Theo or Danny Welbeck for the other flank.
One has to hope that forewarned by Liverpool’s storming start last season we will have been prepared to hit the ground running in this one. A more cautious and disciplined start could establish a platform we can build on later in the match. We have match winners in the side, but we will need to defend from the front in the early phases of play in order to give them the opportunity to demonstrate their class.
The ‘holic pound is wagered on a punt I normally steer clear of. The bookies love first goalscorer bets, but I do think the 13/2 being offered by Paddy Power for Oliver Giroud to draw first blood represents decent value, so I’m on it.
To those making the trip I wish you a great day out. Christmas shopping complete I will be in the warm with some tasty London Pride to take it all in. Let’s hope we all have a good one, ‘holics.
Le Professeur competition
There is still time to win a copy of Tom Oldfield’s biography of Arsene Wenger.
To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is to answer this question. Against whom was Arsene Wenger’s third Premiership title confirmed? Was it…
a: Manchester United
b: Tottenham
c: Everton
Please send all responses to competition@goonerholic.com along with your Twitter and/or Facebook handle (if available, otherwise your email address will be fine) by midnight on Monday 22nd December, UK time.
Thank you.
198 Responses to “Tighten Up? Gunners Return To Scene Of February Rout”
Get in.
Holic at Centre Half! I’d buy it.
Nice preview H. Three points tomorrow anyway, anyhow will be a great Christmas present, a mark of progress and a fillip for the rest of this season. Go get ’em, Gunners.
Evening both. Fursty Ferret the anaesthetic of choice tonight. Pre-Talisker, obviously 😉
‘holic. Glad to hear your mobility is on the up. 🙂 Come on you rip roaring and bring home the goods!!
As I mentioned yesterday I shall be at the Junior Gunners Christmas party. I’m looking forward to introducing my two grandsons to the Home of Football but it will be a much nicer introduction if we can win the match at Anfield. I suspect a 1-1 draw is the best we can manage but that will put us above the Spuds going into Christmas. I expect us to get better as the holiday goes on and to win at West Ham- and no liquor has passed my lips …yet ! this evening
An excellent choice of refreshment Holic.
It most definitely is bath. 🙂
Cheers bt8b.
Ttg, have a great day with the grandsons. Hope the dark sheep is mesmerised by THE stadium in North London 😉
Top 10.
Let’s take off the handbrakes,
Step on the gas,
Ruffle their ‘joints’,
Stuff ’em,
Send Rodgers ‘Miller’ to India to manage Mumbai Mugsmashers.
So you feel it too, Holic. Apprehension. Sterling is impressive. So is their goalie (on occasion). It’s no reflection on our players. Just the wisp of a memory that has resurfaced. 1-2 would be lovely 🙂
Hate it when we’re playing catch-up in the Premiership, and here we go again with all the contenders around us winning today. I know the worst we can do is lose one place this week (to the LWCS!) but any dropped points will be v irritating.
COYR!!!!!!
Öskar
Psychology works in strange ways Oskar and this season it might work in strange ways against Chelsea. Trying to last the whole season on top of 19 other squads builds immense pressure as much from without the club as within. The media will not relent until everything about the club is tested before crowning a club as champions, and that includes its psychology as much as anything else. Are they strong enough to withstand the psychological pressures even in the face of injuries, bad referee decisions and all the other things that are bound to go against a club sooner or later during the long season? It is easier to fly below the radar and let someone else set the pace, as Arsenal found out last season. But one of the ways clubs are tested when they are not in the lead position is withstanding the frustration of not being able to make up ground when the leaders play first and win their games, and that is our test this week.
Even if Chelsea do play after us, which somewhat destroys the point of my last sentence.
‘Hols (from previous drinks), that’s what SHE said… heh 😉
Not worried about tomorrey. We’ll stuff the Mickeys. Hope everyone is well. Happy Holidays.
BMBD
Our recent good perfomances have all been based on doing the small things very well:
Pressing hard as a team unit
Taking our chances
Smart defensive play when needed
Team discipline
The test from here on is to see if the squad truly have learnt from their previous errors in discipline..
This Arsenal squad have shown they can execute the basics very well, even when ravaged by injuries.
They now need to keep digging deep over a busy football period..
COYR
What a difference two years makes. Actually it seems about double that time. Podolski shining bright and Diaby at his best too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huRbczyZGio
SuarezPool without Suarez just aren’t quite the same animal. Brenda followed the Comedy Spuds route in blowing a fortune. Here’s to a heart warming festive 3 points.
London Pride and a touch of Ferret??? An excellent selection if I may say so.
I never touched a ferret in me life officer!
Kind of dreading today but having dreadful manflu hasn’t helped. Maybe Pardieu vs Poyet will cheer me up. Two massive bellends on the touchline and hopefully a ruined Christmas for one of them
Humbug!
Great to see you here Martin.
bath @ 3
i had to look up fillip
.
he wasn’t best pleased
.
sorry
long night
Thanks for your good wishes Holic. Today is a big brainwashing exercise! I must save that boy’s soul!
Cheers H.
I’m a bit hungover to do my own thinking so i am going with Lonestar’s “don’t worry-we’ll stuff ’em” approach for this one. I have no idea who will play but they’ll do fine. Just fine. Until they are withdrawn due to injury, of course.
Good luck ttg.
Happy Sunday All.
Talk about disaster for Mourinho? How about retrospective bans for being a c*nt then?
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30567552
8ball,
Who’d be left?
Nice one, ‘Holic. Hope we are all basking after the game in the warm glow of three away points.
GSD. Fair point. 🙂
Certainly not Mourinho though, not to mention his evil minions.
Cheers for the preview guv’.
Liverpool’s performances this year, especially in their self proclaimed “easy CL group”, have put the Meh back into Merseyside. I’m not sure why, but the free scoring forward line of last year seems to have lost a lot of it’s bite. Bring in a total nutter off the field to replace one on it may not of been the best transfer policy. (All you championing us signing that fool in the summer hang your heads please.)
Their midfield hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders either, Steven Gerrard looking more Holly Hobbie then Hollywood and Jordan Henderson is looking like, well, Jordan Henderson.
Brenton, manager of the year for (a deluded) many last season is finding out that it’s not so easy balancing the PL with other stuff like pesky midweek cup games. His excuses are as flimsy as his defence, who in fairness are about on par as where they were last year. He has had enough of Mignolet though, dropping him from the team, probably because the keeper was doing the same with almost every cross that came into his box.
Nevertheless, they’ll bound to be pumped up against us, so we’ll have to be at our best. Start we did the way against the Toon and we’ll be ok. Start the way e did against the Orcs……. well that just doresn’t bare contemplating.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS.
Good preview, H,
and H2H.
I find away performances and team personnel impossible to guess at anymore, so just waiting with everything crossed that is capable of being crossed.
Snowy is sure to be going and, I think, Tabs as well.
Have safe trips and, Tabs, make sure you don’t finish up in the Daily Mail standing behind that stupid f**king banner. 😉
Team: Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers, Gibbs, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Alexis, Giroud, Welbeck
Subs: Martinez, Monreal, Coquelin, Maitland-Niles, Campbell, Walcott, Podolski
Not too bad considering.
Would be happier with Monreal next to BFG. Bit foul prone is our Calum.
Agree with you there Trev.
Monreal has been superb this season.
Just watching Sunderland steal the tyneside derby.
That lad Sissoko in midfield has been by far the best player on view. What an addition he’d be. I think Auclair was saying some weeks back on the arsecast that our interest in him is real.
That sounds like a team that might be able to string one or two passes together.
Come on you Gunnazzzzzzzz!!!
COYR
Just win
Great preview Holic!
Running like a headless chicken today! Just got back home!
Can wait for this one!
Come on Arsenal!
COME ON!
time to win, boys!
thanks for the preview, holic. enjoy the London Pride watching the pride of london.
WE won’t walk alone either! Love you Arsenal xx
Think Monreal may have missed out as one more booking gets him a ban.
Waves at the lovely abb o/ 🙂
not smart, matty.
Looking a bit ominous, this.
Passing very laxed, need to get a grip of the MF asap.
Hey Holic! 🙂
Cmon arsenal
Hold the ball for a bit
oliver poor.
Come on lads!
Rope-a-dope, or not at the races?
Too soft we are allowing them too much space and we are looking a bit confused!
Another mess the PIG got us out of. We can only get better!
as badly as we have played in a few games.
Chambers has been the major disappointment so far this half. Didn’t put a foot right.
Shambolic.
Should switch Chambers and Debuchy and make a change in midfield, as Ox and Cazorla is not working at all.
I agree Chambers is the bad link today he cant cope!
They’re not up for this at all.
Chambers and flamini still in the horse float, but in their way
The ox not far behind him hoping to arrive for the second half
Danny and Og are enjoying the races, just not running today
This game was crying for Bellerin at right back, bit the yoing spaniard is not even on the bench.
And it would be wise to sub Flamini as early as at half time, because we might stay with 10 players soon.
Lucky Flamini
FUCK!
sigh.
One down. Fully deserved.
It was coming it has to be said!
Absolutely shambolic display.
Yes!
we have been poor so far, midfield is not really working and allowing too much space for them.
DEBUCHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
smiling. debuuuuchy!
Lurky, bellerin has been added to the injury list based on AW pre match interview
Fuck yes. Debuchy
Lucky bleeders.
Now he has to make some changes at half time.
Thank GOD for that equaliser!
wow, okay, we are still in this, we need to tighten up in midfield.
Well I never what a couple of minutes, lucky to go in level!
Arsene get this lot playing in the second half.
Didn’t know that Aussie. Big fan of him, such a shame.
Flamini adds nothing to our defensive cover for the back four except a lot of arm flappin….
Too much space just in front of our back four.
Terrible performance.
No composure – sloppy and panicky all at once.
Thank god for that equaliser but COME ON.
Per is just so uncomfy on the left. Come on guys, nick another one in the second half.
I’d take Giroud off, personally. He’s been asleep from the first minute.
Flamini is playing so poorly – time to get the Coq out, Arsene !
Think ox is injured …. clearly not at his powering best … missing his runs
Giroud has to play in the middle, Cynic, and Welbeck out wide if they are both on together.
Giroud looks totally out of it on the left wing.
1-1 is great after that performance.
All we need now is a good second half and the points are in the bag. Lovely.
Its all nice sitting deep and defending …. but ffs the idea behind the same should be to counter attack … shouldnt it
We’re still not picking up the runners anywhere in front of our back four. They just run into space at will.
Is arshavin available.
He knew how to beat this lot 🙂
Flamini out , Monreal in.
Put Chambers as a DM, Debuchy as a RB, Monreal at the left sided CB.
Cmon lads
Let’s do this
Home Skrtel is ok looks like a nasty gash!
Home=Home
Oh dear ….. Home = Hope
Too funny ATG
ATG@89
No flies on you.
Had about Enough of our near post free kicks and corners….
Let’s go back to old Skool and just lob it into the centre
ha ha trying to watch the game at the same time hard to keep my thoughts on one subject!
Another szcez Classic to add to his classic hits
Szczesny an idiot now! Sterling a cheat!
You fucking beautyyyyyuyyyy
Get in there Giroud!!!!!!
Get in! Giroud
Best move of the game, “Giroud”.
Keep it tight now lads!
Ox has had a complete shocker today
na na na na na na naa, Giroud…
Liverpool prove that possession based stats means nothing…
Schezzer … fffs slow it down a bit
Shud take flam off ….
Nail biting stuff might be 10 mins to add!
Debuchy is a beast
Ox clearly is carrying a niggle, nothing comes off for him and is always half a step away from doing correct decisions.
Maybe time for a sub or two arsene
OX and Danny come to mind
Both games to forget
Lucky liverpool are shite
A third would come the nerves down!
I will get that one for you ATG
“calm” the nerves @112
COME OX!
Chamberlain calling to the bench
fFS
Yes Aussie my keyboard is shyte today!
Ches to the rescue again, get the Ox off before we loose him for weeks!
9mins to suffer!
I’ve been expecting Kanye West to run onto the pitch for the last 20 minutes.
Cmon lads
Calm football now
Pleeaaaase
That Borini assault is a straight red all day long
Borini making this slightly less excruciating, but only slightly eh ‘holics ?
Fucking Skullfuck scores.
fuckity fuck
Why is Gibbs not on the fucking post?
For fucks sake
Bollocks!
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccckkkkkkkkkkk
Chance wasted
We paid the ultimate penalty for poor ball control all match and the immaturity as a team to simply close out a match.
2 points lost
Well we went wrong in the end we should have never defended!
we got lucky. could have been so much worse. chez great, except for the brain fart, Alexis looks like he needs a rest, ox hurting, santi very good, Giroud sublime. but poor overall.
Bollocks performance.
A thought.
How often do you see someone stitched and bandaged on the pitch? If they’d got the stretcher on, taken him off and done it in the dressing room, the stoppage time would have been far less than nine minutes.
Hard not to feel gutted by that result but at the same time it was a bit jammy.
How many times did that happened! It was a crazy thing to get rid off offensive players
They were dogshit. We should have won. We did n’t. Worrying. At best.
I’m sorry but we need be a killer
Once again unable to beat a big team in the league. Not good enough. Won’t be in a long long time. Wenger’s team, Wenger’s results…
Wow. Chambers. Time for you to start warming the bench my son. Nowhere near the PL quality at the moment.
Campbell sub was teh worst I have ever seen in my life?
Draw is not good enough it has to be said!
Tactics are crazy! I can understand Conq but why dont destroy them with our pace players on the bunch????
What has he been drinking?
Why wasn’t Gibbs on the post?
Winning matches like that used to be a habit. We need to get some momentum against the big teams but sometimes the first result or two that go your way come through good fortune rather than footballing excellence. When we need the rub of the green to get us over the line we invariably don’t get it.
I don’t care about the circumstances or how we play or anything else- for this team to kick on and get closer to its potential we need results against the bigger teams.
Chamberlain was terrible and remained on the pitch right until he finally succumbed to whatever injury he was obviously carrying….
Seems it was obvious to everyone except our medical team who truly must be the worst medical team in the history of football….
Our injury list is scandalous….
fuckinhoorbaggintitwankinsonofashitefuckingulpinthumpintwatshaggincuntblastintwatbeatinfuck
Crazy stuff!
And I disagree with tactics being deployed!
WTF is he thinking??
\Wenger deployed wrong tactics yet again!
This is a Polish coach saying in 1976 before I was even born!
Best defence is attack!
I can not understand Wenger for that matter!
I think Giroud is not fully fit and hence he has been subbed in the last two matches. He is actually our best offensive player while protecting a slender lead for two reasons: much better at hold up and excellent in defending corners and set pieces, often the first line of clearance.
Coquelin actually looked good, and against pact wingers Chambers is really not a good idea.
We should have tried to stitch together a few more counger-attacks while defending the lead instead of just absorbing pressure. Their defense wasn’t put under much pressure and stretching them from the wings would have led to a few goal scoring opportunities.
Alexis needs a bit of a vacation. Let us give him that and start with Poldi against QPR.
We could have won this by many goals yet again we are teh defending force where did this ever come from?
Under his previous years he never went this way!
write
that
vertically
.
how’s the sweeper ?
didn’t like me
to begin with
but was a champion about it
top fella
UP THE RAMBLERS !
ATG @ 144: I don’t think it was that bad a tactics per se. We won quite a few games last season by protecting the lead in this manner. I think defensively we are not familiar and consistent enough to pull it off but even then with Giroud in the defensive set-up I don’t think we concede that goal…other than Santi and Giroud offensively we were not playing well at all and it was good for him to recognize that and strategize around that limitation. Alexis, Welbeck, Ox all had a very poor game, as did Gibbo and Chambers going forward.
Why do we reserve putting Chambers at right back for tricky away fixtures against the speediest wingers in the league. Montero. Sterling.
Here’s a motto for that strategy: To dream the impossible dream.
TODAYS game I blame on Wenger!
Yet again in the first half we were shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We managed to get a goal back by pure magic!
Second half things have started to come into some sort of understanding!
Lapse in concentration and here we go again!
I just wish we would ever learn form those silly mistakes!
We got what we deserved, pity. Too many players off the pace, of all players to be left unmarked at a corner. He made us pay last year, we never learn.
See you all at the Ems on Friday.
Funny thing is B8 Bellerin is three times better!
Agreed about the Coq’s standout performance. The stiffening was plain to see. 🙂
ATG @ 146: “Under his previous years he never went this way.” Not exactly true, check out last season’s 1-0 away win at Spurs. Quite a few matches last season actually.
I don’t think in absence of Rambo & Ozil we are offensively that good a team. Especially in a day Ox was obviously not fit enough and Alexis was giving away possession time and again. We got a lead and we should have protected that but mixed with some counter-attack to keep their defense pushed. A tight balance really.
Arsene gets blamed when he doesn’t set up his teams to protect leads, and he gets blamed when he does. 🙂
Where was Bellerin, as you say ATG????
BTW, how magical was Santi. He really makes the most of his box-to-box opportunities. Some fantastic tight-space trickery and ball retention and a brilliant assist.
What is the main problem with this Arsenal team? Injuries. Sort that out and everything else will fall in place.
DF
My bad observation! However Ox was definitely very OFF today! I have never seen him in that way! However he has already shown this in the first half hence my moaning!
Should have collected all three points tonight! All well maybe next year!
Dont quite know what to make of that one.
On the one hand a draw at Anfield could be seen as a decent result.
On the other 2-1 up against 10 men with 3 minutes to go should be a nailed on victory.
For what its worth (nothing),in my opinion we should have subbed Walcott or Podolski when Borini saw red and kept em busy down the other end.
Its 20/20 hindsight of course – Wenger would be slaughtered for not introducing defencive players to protect the lead – I get that.
Joel Campbell tho?
Surely if you decide on an attacking option Podolski or Walcott are the time proven options.
I love AW, but his substitutions baffle me on a regular basis.
Having said all of the above,it was a tired performance against a really quite poor Liverpool, and that was the disapointing thing about today.
Should we be happy with a draw after playing badly away from home?
As I said – I’m not sure what to make of it.
ATG/8ball: Bellerin was at home. Chambers had a very poor performance agains Sterling, but I don’t think this was Bellerin’s type of match either. He still needs constant defensive protection as he often finds himself stranded after losing possession in attack, and away at Liverpool at least some PL away experience counts.
We really didn’t play well, but played professionally — only three shots on target — enough to come out with three points.
I just don’t know what the Joel Campbell sub was all about!???
Does anyone have a clue?
IF @ 158: I think Campbell was a defensive substitution to give Chambers protection. He is rather good in tackles and staying disciplined. We didn’t have Bellerin or anyone else on the bench to bring in for that. It was either him or Maitland-Niles.
We took a lot of chance with Ox who was definitely carrying something, not many options though: maybe Santi centrally, Alexis #10 and Poldi on the left.
DF
You are a great Gooner! Nothing to add here, however I still think it was badly deployed tactics toward the end at least!
ATG@160: Yes, see @161. Look at the bench. Why Maitland-Niles and not Bellerin is a different question though … I guess the former is more ‘natural’ central MF player but we already have Coquelin, so why not carry another defender, unless there was an injury to Bellerin.
@ATG: Agreed. Balance was a bit off … especially after the red card should have pressed down the flanks a bit more and not let them play out so easily.
What hurts the most is the fact that we lost a goal with a man advantage!
Now is there any excuse for this?
ATG: You said that we could have won this by many goals, I disagree. Liverpool were dominating almost the whole game, they were more dangerous than us. And to be honest this game was not 2 points lost. Yes, we need to win against the big team but I’m sorry we were not that good today.
We put 2 defensive players to secure the game, but we failed to do that. Accept the fact that we didn’t defend that corner good but saying about Wenger did the tactic wrong is too much.
Keeping Alexis and Giroud won’t changed anything. If wenger didn’t do any substitution I bet people still want his head anyway.
Enjoy the ride!
Wenger starts Chambers and not bellerin – against a side with raheem sterling in it. Weak, disorganized defending.
And another poor result agaisnt a clearly weaker side.
Hardly surprising. This is The Arsenal 2014 vintage.
Very frustrating.
Never even heard of 9 minutes extra time…just sayin’
headline ‘holic
Tighten up
this evening’s aural lubrication
despite
scouse cunts making up most
of twats here
.
nice fellas though
.
misguided
but
.
Tighten up
.
fifty something skins
moonstompin
.
hey
fat man
leave my girl alone
.
if you don’t have a girl
go and get one of your o-own
🙂
@ 166Ambydex
Fair play they were the better team, however we were in the lead and with our tactics we have/should have done better!
Chambers was weak nothing was done! Whole defence was all over the shop mate it was just a matter of time! Yes they scored but prevailed! Scored at the whistle in the first half! Game on!
So what happened the was Scousers all over us? NO! We could have taken their scruff of their necks! We were on top! Yes we scored
however we deployed this shameful defending game yet agin and did it pay off my friend? No it didn’t!
Now we had Podolski on the bench and Walcott why not give them a run mate?
Wenger got this wrong end off! Wrong tactic and he seems to have a habit of doing the same old shyte against the better oppositions! Why??????????????????????????????????????????????????/
Dr F @154, spot on.
scousers are people too
apparently
5 sleeping in my house
this evening
.
Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
😉
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ujzKDY6JS0
Holic @ 172
I would agree otherwise but we were shit in the first half so why even try to search for Ozil and others in this scenario?
CBA @ 173!
Classic! Mate!
Homer — I think we need to step back a bit and see the match with a bit more perspective.
Bellerin looked electric against Gala and Newcastle going forward, but neither without any genuine wing-play threat. He is a great talent but defensively his positional sense is all off, and an away match against Liverpool without any real away PL experience it is probably asking too much. Chambers had a poor game, was given little protection by Welbeck or Alexis or Ox, but neither of the goals came from a cross or interchanges from his side. First goal was Flamini or Giroud’s mistake, second one was the cardinal flaw in zonal marking in absence of the first line of clearance (which is typically Giroud and in his absence Welbeck should really use his height in these situations).
We played poorly. Liverpool played actually well, as they did with ManU where they missed a whole lot of chances. And we were playing with our #1 CB (Kos), #1 DM (Arteta), #1 box-to-box (Rambo) and the #1 playmaker (Ozil). We almost managed to make our moment of brilliance count but it is not a win we “deserve”.
We defended rather well for the most part, Szczesny and Debuchy were terrific, and we made a lot of excellent clearances and blocks. The second goal was a killer but that is what happens when you have a defense that has never played together.
Can we not win a game when the other team is playing with ten players?
Really don’t think introducing Campbell had anything to do with us being unable to keep the lead against 10 man Liverpool.
We were totally dominated by a very poor Liverpool side that lost its Cl place to Basel and we were extremely lucky to be one goal upfront at the turn of the 90 minutes.
Complex of inferiority against top sides, lack of player intelligent enough to keep the ball , inability to control the tempo (we miss Arteta badly) and even to make a simple things like passing for the whole game along with some shocking displays from players like young Chambers mixed with the fact that Ox and Alexis were not at their best, to many factors were wrong for us to get the three points from this match.
Thanks ‘Holic. I think we all just wanted this win so much after what had happened last season the frustrations are deeper.
@177: I meant we are playing without our #1 options down the spine of the team.
This will be a 3-way contest between us, ManU and Pool (they are creating whole lot of chances in every match and sooner or later such a team goes on a run) for the #3 and #4 position. If we had majority of our players fit before Dec started I would have said #3 would be easy — ManU’s luck would end sooner or later, they had a few throughly undeserved win — but this now would be a hard fight.
Lurky @ 179: I think that with all the injuries and changes we are not a very good team offensively or consistent enough defensively. We have excellent days but we don’t have enough confidence in our abilities and enough composure to control and dictate. We will have to scrape and stumble through some points and put together a run at some stage to ensure the top 4 (or even top 3) as that is the best we can hope for this season.
With that injury list no team can win the league. If Arsenal doesn’t solve this perennial injury crisis we are NEVER going to win the league.
Holics
Two points lost!
End off!
I really interested to see what would the commenst would be if let say Wenger keep on attacking and Liverpool still score that last minute goal.
ATG @178: Mate, poo wan’t played with 10 men from min 1, you just sound exactly like the media.
@183: Wasn’t not wan’t
howdy Arthur
.
shite an tripe
happens
but
we will always be
THE ARSENAL
Ambydex @183
Glad you can read the like people, me included. Have not ever want my club to fail! Not sure your sort but please dont ever comment what I’m like and what Arsenal means to ME!
cba
Top man as always!
😀
Rebellious jukebox blastin’:
“No Xmas for Arsene Wenger! Two steps back!”
We need some underground medecin.
A fair result, but a game we should have won, though not deservedly. I reckon two mistakes cost us. 1) Wenger taking OG off when it was obvious we’d be defending for most of the remaining 8+ minutes, and he would have been marking Skrtel, and 2) Gibbs for not being on the post for the corner Skrtel scored from. There was a player on the other corner, where was Gibbs?
Getting more worried by Alexis with every game, this one being his worst of the season. Had no effect on the game whatsoever. Danny equally guilty, losing the ball at every opportunity. Flam and Ox looked a very dodgy centre pairing today. Sir Ches, Debby and Per all had fair games (with some desperate hacking by Per). Good to see Le Coq. Why was Campbell sent on? Ox isn’t injured I hope!
Santi and OG joint motm by a country mile.
Frustrating to lose the win so late … again. At least we climbed over spuds.
Now to back-read and see if anyone agrees with me!
Öskar
ssy
one time
sat beside Mark e
he did a thunderous
ankle shaker of a fart
.
I roared with laughter
my missus roared too
she unintentionally farted a small one
and
Mark e snorted with chuckling
hard to tell
cos
he’s got a face like a bag of assorted lard balls
Bunch of also rans…another dreary season,same as the last 9,no? Stupidity never changes
It’s injuries that never seem to change, Kenya, and if anything worse now than ever.
You can’t field a different XI each week made up of mostly second-string players and expect to challenge for titles.
Öskar
192
Ken Yangooner
youngest of the yangooners
how’s yer big brother ?
does he still crochet ?
howdy oskar
hope yer well
merry christmas to you all the way over there in nz
.
have a good one big man
Ambydex – I would have put Walcott on instead of Monreal. They were wide open down their right at the death and the threat of some attacking pace might, just might mind you, have made them a little more cautious.
But to be honest, I’ll take a point if we get three on Friday.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I watched the match on the big screen at the ground in the presence of Nutty Winterburn and hundreds of young Gooners. A good time was had by all ….until the game began.
I thought we were pathetic in the first half, as bad as I can remember so to take the lead through Giroud on 64 was a bonus we didn’t deserve ( just like United recently) . We had so many players below par it was very hard to see us hanging on and yet again we conceded from a corner just as we did against Citeh.
Interestingly Winterburn underlined the Wenger method of encouraging players to make their own decisions and to improve their own performance levels through taking responsibility on the pitch. Sadly I have to say while this works well with creative and attacking players I prefer my defenders to be drilled and do things like marking spare opponents in the penalty area. Nevertheless we had enough experience out there to see out that game against ten men and should have done better.
Nutty was asked at half- time if Wenger would change anything but said that he rarely makes tactical adjustments then. In fairness we didn’t and ostensibly didn’t need to , when I would have brought on Coquelin for Welbeck to play the double pivot in midfield with Flamini. Flamini was very poor today and Coquelin frankly can’t be much worse . I would also have subbed Ox for Campbell early in the second half as he was obviously carrying a knock.
Congrats though to Ches who did well, Debuchy who is a great warrior and Santi who is playing very well at present. Giroud is still not fully fit but is a dangerous player and will become even better as his fitness increases.
Young Chambers is an admirable lad but needs a rest, hence I don’t buy the sense in making him the deputy CB . It is too much pressure. Every time I see us struggle I try not to repeat that we need a good DM ( much better than the Flamster) and an experienced CB but today again it was self- evident.
I expected a point before the game and a point at Anfield especially after conceding first is never too bad but we could have had three points tonight