Another Painful Defeat For Dejected Gunners
Mar 4th, 2017 by 'holic
Arsene Wenger had clearly decided to shake things up for a very important fixture. The back five were as expected but ahead of them there were no starting places for Mesut Ozil (ill?), Alexis, or Theo Walcott. Ahead of Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka were Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck, and Olivier Giroud. Arsene explained pre-match his reason for leaving out his leading goalscorer and provider,
“Decided to play with Giroud and Welbeck up front because we need to be a bit more direct maybe.”
Would we really go 4-4-2? The answer would be revealed after kick-off. Giroud was very much a lone striker as Liverpool dominated the early possession. The Ox started on the right and Danny on the left leaving Iwobi to be the playmaker in what looked a very familiar 4-2-3-1. A rapid counter attack in the fourth minute ended with Giroud being denied from a Bellerin cross at the expense of a corner.
Coquelin was fortunate to avoid a yellow card for a high boot that caught Coutinho a glancing blow. It was a genuine attempt to play the ball but dangerous nonetheless. That paled into insignificance three minutes later when the Arsenal themselves were caught on the break. Monreal was not at home and, with the freedom of the flank, Mane crossed over the exposed back three for Firmino to drill a deflected effort into the roof of the net.
Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal
With not much of a response forthcoming the first chants of “Alexis Sanchez baby” were heard coming from the away end in little over a quarter of an hour. We finally produced an attack when Oxlade-Chamberlain showed no little skill to create space for a far post cross that Mignolet tipped away from the head of Giroud. Encouraged Arsenal earned another couple of corners which failed to clear the first man.
The sight of Alexis warming up induced another rendition of his song. Watching Liverpool’s rearguard having time and space to play was a reminder that the always industrious Chilean was absent. Arsenal had Petr Cech to thank for a wonderful save from Coutinho’s thumping drive. Giroud, seemingly with a muscular problem, appeared to take an anti-inflammatory pill around the half hour mark.
Coutinho tumbled dramatically under challenge from Coquelin and Shkodran Mustafi. The referee, Bobby Madley, wasn’t fooled but Coquelin’s inevitable booking arrived when he tugged Lallana’s shirt right under the referee’s nose. Arsenal’s defence was opened up again in the fortieth minute when Mane found himself in acres of space on the right hand side of the box to smash a drive beyond Cech. The Gunners defensive naivety was painful to watch.
Liverpool 2-0 Arsenal
Two could have been three when Coutinho killed a Lallana chip beautifully before firing straight at Cech. The half-time whistle couldn’t come soon enough for these brittle Gunners. Coutinho tried his luck again only to see his effort blocked for a corner. If we had been sent out to be more direct then Wenger’s team had clearly disobeyed instructions.
At the start of the second-half the immediate introduction of Alexis for Coquelin appeared a visible admission by the Arsenal manager that he had got his team selection wrong. The Ox dropped in alongside Xhaka and Alexis took up position on the left flank. He immediately brought a desperate save out of Mignolet with a teasing cross. When he repeated the move Giroud’s goal bound header was again parried by Mignolet.
At the other end Firmino’s clever turn set up a shot that Monreal did well to block and Cech gratefully gathered the ball. When Coutinho tumbled theatrically once more Liverpool had a free-kick in a dangerous position but the wall held firm and Cech saved the second ball in comfortably
Alexis and Danny Welbeck combined on the break and the latter got us back in the contest with a superb chipped finish from a tight angle. The Arsenal were a completely different side from the one that had stunk out the place in the opening half.
Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
Mustafi did well to deal with Coutinho’s ball into the box when Mane put the Liverpool midfielder through. We reacted with a dangerous Hector Bellerin cross that Clyne managed to deflect out of the path of the late arriving Alexis. Can’s pointless trip of Alexis was far worse than the one that earned Granit Xhaka a red card against Swansea. The yellow was probably the correct decision but again demonstrated the inconsistency between officials at the highest level.
The sight of Mustafi galloping clear down Arsenal’s right flank to cross in the direction of Giroud was uplifting to those around him and the travelling faithful. In the 74th Minute Wenger sent on Theo Walcott and the underused Lucas for Giroud and goalscorer Welbeck. That drew audible boos from the away end who launched into a chorus of the Danny Welbeck song.
Cech had to be alert to the danger when Matip got his head on a free-kick. The goalkeeper had to go full stretch to save to his right. When Can, already booked, scythed down Walcott the referee bottled the obvious second yellow, and added insult to injury by booking Xhaka, a marked man it would appear, for protesting his lack of action. Bobby Madley was not the only referee today to bottle the clear red card award.
With little more than eight minutes left Origi’s glancing header struck Cech’s far post and was scrambled to safety. Could we make the most of the let off? Lallana got back to put Lucas off as the substitute got into a dangerous position at the near post.
We have a habit of conceding late goals at Anfield in recent years and it happened again when Matip blocked a goal bound Alexis strike and Lallans and Origi combined to set up a simple tap-in for Wijnaldum. It was cruel on the Arsenal for their second-half performance but we cannot ignore that Liverpool were more clinical throughout.
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal
There will be much discussion of the decision to start Alexis on the bench, but if we are totally honest this team has had dreadful first-half performances a lot of late, even with Alexis starting. Arsene Wenger will face growing calls for his head in the coming days, and now has to try and put out a team against Bayern Munich that will play for the badge on the shirt, if not him. He was defiant during the week but looked more than just disappointed after the match.
“We had problems to get in the rhythm of the first-half… We conceded some cheap goals… There’s possibility to be in it (the top four) as well so let’s focus on that”
Can he yet go out under better circumstances than this. Let’s hope so.
128 Responses to “Another Painful Defeat For Dejected Gunners”
I’m not holding my breath for him to be gone, as he’s signing his contract. In fact it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’d already signed it.
Empty glass please barman
IF
I posted this at 100 as Imma glory seeker but repost here
I feel your pain and so for most of this Bar. Emotions are heightened at times like these and it needs more rational analysis but at the moment there aren’t many players I think I’d build a new team around.
Those who I believe are good enough to play fir Arsenal when challenging for the title
Cech
Bellerin
Koscielny
Sanchez
Ozil ( sometimes)
Cazorla ( how we miss him)
Holding
Welbeck
I’d give the benefit of the doubt to Ox and Nacho is a decent left back but a declining force
That leaves an awful lot of deadwood that will never take Arsenal back to the top ,in England , let alone Europe.
But regrettably the most important change needs to be with the manager. I really can’t see a future for us with Arsene in charge and I hate to see him destroy his legacy like this. I disapprove of early resignations leaving the lame duck manager who sees his authority drifting away as the team know he is off but I’d like Arsene to announce he’s off at the end of the season and hope that the players he has so massively supported do their best to give him a proper send- off. It would also leave the club with certainty so that they could plan for the future around a new manager . This ‘ will he, won’t he’ does no one any good and will build resentment towards Wenger throughout the supporters . Please Arsene make the decision soon and spare everyone most of all yourself this agony.
Thanks, ‘holic as ever for an excellent match report.
Re: IF in the last drinks. Cold turkey, I wish. 🙁
That was the game I saw too, Holic. Woeful first half. Disappointing day out.
Largely agree with your list, TTG. I’d probably give Ox the benefit of the doubt though. I think it’s already time to start the Holding, Koscielny CB pairing.
The elephant in the room.
4-2-3-1 was established for Ozil. Why did we play it when he wasn’t available?
It’s a sad script that has been repeating itself year after year I truly love the bloke without a single doubt however he is destroying his own legacy in a very masochistic way. He only had to play his strongest eleven he didn’t do that. The slow 1st half performances are a continuous and he hasn’t found a solution yet.
I honesty think he has lost the dressing room ages ago his tactics are outplayed by other managers. I’m sad for him but at the same time I want a change in direction as this one has been nothing but a round trip on a never ending roundabout.
Tactically inept manager, H?
Also playing direct and “fighting in the air” is balls as well. If you’re going to play direct you play your most direct players. Which just happened to be the two sitting on the bench who just happen to be our two top goal scorers.
Someone I know who is a medical type, with experience of such things, reckons Wenger is displaying the physical signs of a certain illness. Retirement on medical grounds would be one way out I suppose.
I can only assume AW was dreaming of miracles against Bayern midweek and rested his major players for this one. I mean, Danny for Mesut? Iwobi and Ox the wingers? A clearly unfit OG up front? The red card most-likelies Coq AND Xhaka together?
Result as expected after staring with that lot.
*staring = starting (not starring)
Impressive Failage (last drinks) … My favouring of Theo is not because he’s a great player, but because he’s the best RW we have. I’d swap him tomorrow for the likes of Griezmann, Moura and others. But until we secure one of them he should always start ahead of Ox, Iwobi or whoever. He’s our second-highest goal scorer this season – only 4 less than Alexis in 7 less starts, and far more likely to score than anyone bar the Chilean.
And … if you’re going to reference my dead dog Oskar, please at least spell his name correctly. Thank you.
‘holic @5,
Exactly!
Cynic @7,
Exactly!
For his own mental and physical well-being, he must be put out of his misery at the end of this season no matter what happens! This is just too cruel, inhuman and wrong to continue to watch. He has not, and will continue to, attain any “insight” of what’s now happening. The decision for him to step down must be made for him. This is now getting very very disturbing; seriously. We should all be very worried for Arsene. ?
Oh, and for those who keep going on and on about “we need to buy this and that player and all will be ok”; please do now stop that. It’s quite trite and an insult to what we are now all witnessing transpire right in front of our very own eyes. Delve into your emotional and social intelligence reserves to give you grounded perspective. This is now a 67 year old man that we’re talking about, and within a “game” where multi-millionaire teenagers, 20 and 30 year old blokes have all of the power as to whether you stay in a job or you do not.
AFCOF.
I think Alexis is very unpopular in the dressing room and today’s axing was to see if the team would react better without him. Well we know the answer now!
I think we can take the departure of Alexis as a certainty but it’s cutting off our nose to spite our face leaving him out. He look very relaxed and jovial on the bench. An odd reaction to seeing your team get stuffed but he is very much an individual . I also think we have to reconcile ourselves to playing on Thursday nights next season and to the absence of a St. Totteringham’s Day this year. I think sixth is the very highest this mob can reach. They are in poor form with low confidence and Arsene has lost his mojo.Only three months to endure. ?
Dapper Dan @12
I agree with you. This man is suffering and I’d like to see the burden removed from him
TTG,
If Arsene goes, Alexis will stay. I’ll bet good money on that. He and his family enjoy living in London. Alexis also knows that there is more than an adequate squad of talented players around him to compete for the “big stuff”, if they are properly coached and deployed.
@TTG … if he is really suffering why not just resign. He can’t do it anymore, not with Arsenal anyways. He is gradually becoming a Dictator. He knows the board won’t fire him. He needs to come out and say he will be done at the end of the season. I don’t feel sorry for him. He was a great coach ten years ago, time to call it quit. If he leaves maybe Alexi stays. He can take ozil with him too.
Great article Gooner H and good follows ups above by all…
And so it comes to this …we are witnessing something that is very very painful and sad, the man is destroying his own legacy, I wish Someone could say to him now is the time to come out and confirm your exit Wenger…to save anything that’s left and go for one last push! IF you love Arsenal.
But I think more than that he loves his routine and finds it difficult to detach from it or else he will have nothing left todo!
As a fan how long can we bear this? Why wasn’t anything done before? There are people up there being paid big big wages to ensure this didn’t happen and they need to go too!
People were complaining about Leicester firing Ranieri, well they have won two games by a score of 3-1 since. Changes is needed. I wish we could fire all the fucking board members too. Sorry ass excuse for a management team.
Thanks for the report Guvna but it was as painful to read as it was to watch. I bet it was even worse to write.
It’s all getting a bit messy.
I agree, TTG, it looks certain Alexis is leaving in the summer, and quite likely Mesut as well. Which is why I said in a previous round that we should play both in every game till season’s end whether he wants to play or not (Ozil) or is fit enough or not (Sanchez).
The following need to go: Cech (washed-up), Walcott (we got as much as we could out of him), Coquelin (his moment is well over), Gabriel (stinks), Alexis (doesn’t seem to give a damn about Arsenal), Debuchy (stinks and doesn’t seem to give a damn about Arsenal).
We need to sign a goalie who’s as good as we were told Cech was (he never really was), bring back Szczesny, get new fullbacks (I’d keep either Monreal or Gibbs, but not both), get a new centreback (unless Holding or Bielik develops REAL fast), and get an attacker who has Alexis ability but not his unacceptable attitude.
I trust Arsene Wenger to find these men.
It was all going so well until that last line.
He’s not found much quality in 12 years, he signed all the players you’ve said aren’t good enough and yet you trust him to sign what we need?
Chris. Heres my bone of contention with you.
You say things like “Theo’s the best right winger we have” as if its a fact.
It”s not a fact!
It is merely your opinion.
They are not the same thing.
As an example, I happen to think that Lucas is a much better player than TW.
As far as your deceased dogs name goes, the shame of mis sspelling his name will haunt me forever.
Failage … When I say Theo is our best RW that is my OPINION ffs, and if it sounds ‘as if it’s a fact’ that is how you read it. As for opining Lucas is a much better player than TW you are welcome to believe that, but on what basis I can’t personally imagine. And I can say that to you without saying or implying that you are a twat … whatever I may be thinking.
Chris.
The feeling is mutual.
I read it as you write it.
You opinion re Theo is the minority view in this establishment.
Please visit me next time you are in Auckland.
Try calling me a twat to my face.
Anytime.
Chris and IF
Both of you need to take a chill pill! Calling each other names will not solve anything in fact it will make matters worse!
Grow up the pair of you!
Work commitments meant that I only managed to see the second half. The first was confined to radio commentary. Like many I guess, I could not Erik out why our top goal scorer, genuine world class talent and our best player by a country mile was left on the bench. Especially considering that we had not played for ages, have a dead rubber midweek and then more non league opposition at the weekend. The first half sounded dreadful.
Holic calls is spot with the introduction of Sanchez at half time. It clearly has been one major error.
I must say that I don’t quite get all of the Theo bashing. Theo’s big problem is that he’s never quite reached the heights that we all expected all of those years ago. But that is not his fault. This season he is our second highest top scorer and if fit, should be playing.
The old facts however remain. We are not good enough. It’s noticeable that all of those who had their heads buried in the sand having just alighted the happy train are either now starting to get it, or are conspicuous by their absence. The faith that has been put into average players, next best things or just bad buys has been misguided at best. It’s been going on for years now.
I know again he decides opinion but personally I would do everything it takes to try and keep Alexis. I don’t think we can afford to lose him.
I’m not at the Bayern game. A long standing theatre trip and evening of culture clashes with the fixture. I will however be in the Tollie bright and early on Saturday to enjoy some pre match egg chasing against the sweatys. I hope Bath, BTM, Zico etc will be able to enjoy a glass or two.
Have a nice Sunday you wonderful people.
Whose mother are you, ATG? The only reason IF comes on here is to have a go at me ffs. I put it down to inadequacy. I reckon Failage has gone to his head.
Frankly, Failage, I’d rather have a drink with you than fight, but I wouldn’t trust you not to lace it with Flunitrazepam.
As I said earlier, Steve, I believe AW has delusions of winning against Bayern, hence the resting of key players!
Thanks for the report, Holic.
I note that the first drink registered at 7.57pm. I have no idea how you managed to stay so restrained so soon after the final whistle.
Once again, in recent times, the team selection was mystifying. I don’t much care whether the players are good mates or not, they are paid huge amounts of money to do a professional job, not to form a dining club and go on long country walks together.
The job they did in the first half was embarrassing. It must have come as a massive shock to our fullbacks to discover, too late, that Liverpool were playing with forwards out quite wide on both sides of the pitch ! Their only possible excuse for failing to patrol these areas, could have been that they were too busy filling in for centre backs who were filling in for midfield players who had also decided not to bother with their own designated areas.
In 2006, Martin Keown coached our back four to a Champions League defensive record of, if memory serves, 11 1/2 hours of Champions League football without conceding a goal. The players who formed that awesome quartet were Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Phillipe Senderos and Mathieu Flamini, who took us to the Champions League Final.
Keown was denied the permanent position and accompanying authority he sought – and that was the end of that. How have we degenerated from the famous back four skippered by Tony Adams, and the quartet mentioned above, to the pathetic shambles on display against Liverpool today, and recently against Watford, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
In truth, we haven’t had a defence capable of standing up to strong opposition for ten years. We now look likely to concede every time the opposition attack – regardless of who they are.
I hate watching us play at the moment. We are disorganised, weak, naive, ill-disciplined, sloppy and unable to even keep the ball for a few seconds. Every first half is a torture, as an ever changing team tries to play together, as last game’s team mates are out due to injury, tiredness, illness, suspension, bitchiness or African Nations Cupiness.
I can hardly wait for Tuesday evening and the chance to take on the mighty Bayern Munich.
The £125 or so, has already been charged to my season ticket of course, and we only start
1 – 5 down !
Bring it on !
Chris,
Nobody’s mother just think this is no place for such name calling that is all.
My plan for Tuesday evening would be to make some changes to our midfield for starters – Ramsey, maybe, back as our defensive midfielder, bring Ozil back, reinstate Sanchez and change the focus of our attack, then sit back and wonder where the fluency has gone……. ?
And, of course, we always change goalkeeper for our biggest games.
(* Ospina is a great shot stopper but it’s not going to end well against the likes of Lewandowski and Mueller *)
Trev
Couldn’t agree more, you nailed it! As for Tuesday well if you believe in miracles anything can happen!
You’re being over sensitive, ATG. Neither of us called the other anything derogatory. It’s the continual snidery I find irritating. Everything IF posts seems to include a dig at me. It’s water off a duck’s back, but I feel bound to respond occasionally.
Chris
He must have it in for you then 🙂 Love and hate relationship I’d say, not over sensitive just think there are better ways of handling it. Ignorance is the best one of them all.
I’ll leave the ignorance to him, ATG, I prefer humour.
£125 to watch a football match, Trev? Of which there is one every week and quite often two? Some games may be cheaper but it’s still extortion. My main pleasure is theatre, maybe once a month. And I am assured the players will be performing an entertainment fine-tuned to excellence every time. And I will almost always go home happy. Perhaps the ultimate highs are higher on the football field, but they are comparatively occasional. And on balance over, say, my lifetime, I’ve had better value for money at the theatre than the football. While spending considerably less. 😀
Agree 100% with Trev’s description of our performance in the first half and think it is worth quoting him:
“The job they did in the first half was embarrassing. It must have come as a massive shock to our fullbacks to discover, too late, that Liverpool were playing with forwards out quite wide on both sides of the pitch ! Their only possible excuse for failing to patrol these areas, could have been that they were too busy filling in for centre backs who were filling in for midfield players who had also decided not to bother with their own designated areas.”
I don’t know who they were, bt8, but in my opinion they were all too busy impersonating footballers.
Keown as quoted by the BBC:
“I’m struggling to remember a more tepid performance in the last 20 years under Wenger. There was a lack of spirit and fire in their bellies.”
Cheers H! Sad times at the moment really.
@SteveT See you Saturday to watch some sweatie bashing egg chasing.
I was gutted that I wouldn’t be able to watch the game live yesterday, but on hindsight and after a back drink – I guess I was fortunate that I didn’t. But I am masochistic enough to go through the highlights which I will do later in the day. Thick and thin and all that…
Against Bayern I would like to see us start with Welbeck upfront, Alexis on the left, Ramsey no 10 and Lucas on the right with the Central midfield manned by Xhaka-Ox. Alexis and Welbz can interchange and give Bayern a defensive nightmare. And when we are 3-0 up with 20 minutes to go, we should throw in Theo (hey Chris!) and Ozil to run them completely ragged and finish a memorable comeback from hell.
Well, a man can dream afterall…
I think it is telling that Wenger’s response to all the criticism of him as manager was to make a managerial statement that basically said, “I’m in charge, like it or not”. And it completely blew up in all our faces.
I would say he’s displaying all the signs of megalomania but for one thing. His view of himself as all powerful is not delusional in an Arsenal sense.
Someone really does need to get a grip of the situation and make the decision for him, and before the end of the current season.
The respect he earned in the first few years has been undone and he should now be treated like the employee he is, as he is clearly not going to go of his own free will.
The reason he won’t go of his own volition is that he has no other top club to go to, apart from possibly PSG.
IMO.
Excellent post, ‘Holic, on what must have been a difficult match to write-up.
There is no question that a team can’t win titles, or even games, if it shows up for just one of the two halves. How many times this season?
I could just about make sense of AW’s team selection given Klopp’s own two-track tactic — aggressive fast pressing in the first half, containment in the second — but it all fell apart with conceding two goals in the first half with poor defending.
We could have stolen a point or even three in the second half but that we didn’t says a lot about the attitude of the team. At this level there isn’t much between the skills of teams. The difference lies in the will to win.
Was out all yesterday evening and have just caught the highlights now. I have to say that first goal is one of the most embarrassing goals I’ve ever seen us concede (and that’s saying something!) How one goalie’s kick can essentially leave us with a 5 on 3 beggars belief and betrays the clear shoddiness of the way we’re set up. Wenger’s comment about not having played in 12 days as an excuse for not being ready is hugely self-incriminating. You’re telling me, as manager with a £7m pa salary, that you haven’t worked your nuts off in the last 2 weeks to come up with a plan to negate Liverpool’s fast starts and your team’s alleged rustiness? That excuse wouldn’t be acceptable from an office temp who gets off to a slow, lazy start with their admin duties on a Monday morning on their £7.50 ph pay rate – quite why an elite millionaire football manager can use it is staggering!
For all the talk about our shit defence, does anyone else not think that one area Wenger has never really addressed – and in fact has compounded in the last year – is that we’re such a small, weak, diminutive team. Even our centre-backs are barely 6 feet. Going up against a back 4 of Bellerin, Mustafi, Kos and Nacho must give opposition sides the belief that at the very least they can bully us a bit.
As for midfield – we are an utter shambles. Xhaka – lovely left foot though he has – completely lacks the dynamism and athleticism to be effective as CM in the Premier League (as well as being a minor liability with his discipline). As other ppl have mentioned, Wenger has completely ruined what little value Coquelin had as a screen for the back 4 by making him a box-to-box pressing player. I’d still sell Ozil in the summer (even if he wants to stay), shift Ramsey to his position, and look for one if not two proper players and – most importantly – physical athletes to bolster the deep-lying positions. Wenger saw the blueprint under his very watch with guys like Vieira, Parlour, Edu, Petit, Gilberto, so why is he never looking to acquire this type of player?
RE: Alexis – you quite simply cannot start without your best player. I don’t care if he’s unpopular with the squad. Maybe that’s because he’s a winner, a trier and is dissatisfied with the mediocrity and loser’s mentality of those around him? While you’re paying him a salary, you play him – simple.
And Theo has to start ahead of Iwobi and the Ox. Why? For one simple reason: he scores goals. Goals win games. Part of the reason we were so successful in 02-04 was because Pires and Ljungberg both wanted to score goals and could chip in with 10-15 goals a season. Iwobi may be an impressive specimen in training, but he rarely looks like scoring; and the Ox should have been moved on by now. He’s a player who flatters to deceive with good individual moments, but he will never have the consistency or end-product to be a top level CM or winger, and to properly impact upon games. Theo and Lucas are far more purposeful and dangerous than Iwobi and Ox, and should be way ahead in the pecking order. Start Alexis, Theo and Danny as your front 3, with Giroud and Lucas as your “Plan B”.
Evening all. I was out all afternoon so haven’t a clue when the server came back online. Recently it would appear. Thanks to those who shared kind words.
I understand totally how miserable we all must be, but let’s keep at least a veneer of respect in the discussions please. It’s a difficult time I know.
Thank you.
It’s actually not misery I feel, it’s apathy. Which is worse.
Angry during games, apathetic afterwards.
It’s going to take a change of manager to kick things back to life.
For me.
47
+1
I see all sorts of stuff about Sanchez tonight. I think I commented in the drinks after the Hull game a month ago that it seemed to this observer that he was less than popular with his teammates. If the reports are true (IF) and he has stormed out of training before the Liverpool game then fuck him. This is The Arsenal and I don’t care how good he is. Drop him and make him train with the kids.
Frank Mclintock would have sorted him out.
This what I wrote a month ago, after the home win against Hull.
“I was concerned about team spirit twice. ………The second was when Sanchez (just) slotted the penalty that won the game. The crowd celebrated wholeheartedly. But very few team mates (I counted three, maybe four) went to celebrate with Sanchez. I wonder if his very public bollockings of teammates mean he isn’t the most popular? “
Must really grind the gears of these serial losers to have someone in the team who is not prepared to just coast along and pick up his wages every month.
IF it is true he walked out of training, that’s out of order, but these players need someone who won’t just talk a good game.
Still he won’t be a problem for them in the summer, he’ll be off somewhere else and they can get back to the comfort zone.
I filmed the Hull penalty( extremely badly ) on my phone and was surprised on playing it back to see Sanchez running back on his own with teammates congratulating each other. It has been clear since the Bournemouth game away that Sanchez has become increasingly hysterical and while I think I might become hysterical if I had to play with the bunch of pillocks that turned out for us yesterday it’s a bad thing and corrodes team morale.
Trev summed it up very well and the sad thing is it’s so predictable. When H previewed the game on Friday I said I just didn’t fancy us and I really think this squad has the moral fibre of a jellyfish. They are pathetic defensively and seem to have no cohesion at all. Coquelin has reverted to the underwhelming player he was, Xhaka is far from the finished article and hasn’t adjusted to the pace of English football and Iwobi appears to get into the team irrespective of how he plays.
This team have killed my enthusiasm almost completely. I can’t get rid of my ticket on Wednesday and don’t blame anyone for not wanting to buy it.
The Sanchez/ Ozil thing reminds me of the end of the Billy Wright era when he transfer listed Baker and Eastham. It broke my teenage heart but he left at the end of the season and we recovered. Bertie Mee ditched McLintock for Blockley and ultimately left quietly but I understand Wenger intends to stay and that suits Kroenke fine. Two defeats this week aren’t out of the question but even if we won both games it won’t mean much.
Gazidis needs to assert some authority and rescue Arsene from himself.
Wonder why he didn’t stay at Barcelona ???
He has been poor (as I’ve said) for a good while now this season, at least by his high standards. He was at his best when Santi was playing. I’m thinking he was frustrated at his own performance and took it out on others. I stand very close to the pitch at games. The way Sanchez cunts off others but takes no responsibility when again he loses the ball is very apparent, probably not so much on TV.
Anyway, he’s off. Let’s move on. The only life long element at The Arsenal is us. The fans.
Good post TTG. I agree with all of it, although I’m such a masochist I’ll still be there Tuesday. The only thing keeping me going is the Cup. I do love a day out at Wembley!
I don’t think you’ll find any takers for a ticket on Wednesday as we’re not playing that night! 🙂
Countryman,
Hats off to that comment…………..
It’s not only Alexis who has let down the manager there are other players who did not perform as they should have….
I think Arsebog summed it down to the piece with his account on things.
Look at the first half and what happened on the pitch??
Who can we blame for that??? I think the manager I have never seen us so clueless…..hold on, the Watford game reminds me a little.
Quiet frankly we got away with murder it was slowly building up too…
One and only thing I feel so sorry for Wenger his legacy is truly in the dogs shit house, which pains me the most! you have to love the bloke and feel the worst on the touchline and some one else being there ?????????
Hello ???????????
It has to happen, I’m sorry Arsene!
Sanchez will stay if Wenger goes. Simple as!
There’s nothing at all wrong with wanting your team to be winners! Roy Keane had a very demanding and, at times, odious personality to most of his Man U teammates, and even to his Manager SAF, but still he was their longstanding club and team captain. Why do you think that was the case? Perhaps cause they all wanted to win too, and they were all “real men” playing within a man’s game?! Do we have a baking and knitting circle of the Women’s Institute going on at London Colney? Mediocrity gone mad! ?
I wonder why Sanchez is not popular with his team mates? I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that he is head and shoulders above them all ability wise, and still puts in twice as much effort as the vast majority of them? Just a thought.
My opinion is that he is just way ahead of the vast majority of our current squad.
The recent comments are interesting. If he was dropped for disciplinary reasons then why have him on the bench? If you’re disciplining him then don’t select him at all. Don’t punish him by putting him on the bench and then turn round when it has all hit the fan and ask him to work miracles?? That all looks rather silly to me.
On the other hand….
With CLASS Arsene has never slatted his players, even though they have let him down time and time again…
I only wish for these so called professionals to wake up because next season it will not be such a pretty picture!
Gregoire (#45) … Brilliant, I agree with every word.
AW may not care what anyone thinks but he is embarrassing himself and tarnishing his legacy. Very sad.
Countryman 100,
Sanchez left Barcelona cause he wanted to play football regularly; and still win stuff whilst doing so! Winning stuff without playing regularly just wasn’t enough for him; and that’s why he left the serial Spanish winners of the big trophies.
He could have gone anywhere by the way after Barca, but he was clearly smitten on London and our club; and he’s been quite patient one could equally argue, now in the face of those that want to hound out our one only true a World Class player that always delivers! Laughable! ?
@ ATG.. sorry to say but Wenger has been the one letting down his players. Am tired of blaming players all the time. We have had a lot of players the past 13 years, its time to stop blaming the players and face the reality. Wenger is the problem, time to go boss. Enough is enough, thanks for the memories… Ciao.. Arios Amigo.
That first half against Poo, you’d think they’d all dropped a bundle in a casino the night before and drunk till dawn to drown their sorrows. And if they are all so anti Alexis how come they reacted so pleased to see him in Part 2?
Maybe things aren’t as simple as you would believe?
I’m sure they’re not, ‘holic. I’ll be interested to read AW’s book when it arrives.
Sanchez should fuck off all the way back to Chile.
He has always been a solo player and that’s the major reason he got offloaded at Barca. At Udinese he was just a skillful Duracell bunny. He has been moulded into the player he is now(still leaves a lot to be desired but better than he was when he rocked up at the Ems) by Wenger.
Personally, I have never considered Sanchez to be World Class. He is good but not in the top bracket. Our ineptitude has made him really sparkle and he:s taken advantage. If he doesn’t play for Juventus or Chelsea next season he will end up with a club that is nowhere as prestigious as Arsenal. How many clubs out there would be willing to pay him 250k a week to do his one man act every match day? Very few.
Sanchez, from the bottom of my heart, please do one.
I have said on a number of occasions that he is a major problem. Can’t be arsed to delve into the archives but it’s there for all to see. I have also said that this squad needs more than a mere tweak.
Whoever’s coming in has a whale of a job just culling the fucking squad not to talk of all the other shit that he would need to sort out.
This is beginning to look like a long journey. Not for the impatient or fainthearted.
The infamous “Under-Pressure Manager vs The Truly World Class Player” Stand-Off?! ?Hmmmm….
Seems quite simple enough to me to see how this one’s going to end up, this time around, with regards the fans! Not a broad church Van Persi-esque vilification outcome, I regret to say!
AFCOF!
i lied
agreeing
i’m not apathetic after
fuckin end of fuckin tether
what can ye do
it’s beyond disheartening
it’s fuckin hurtful
.
Give me Ozil all day every day ahead of the Chilean.
Who the fuck does he think he is?
Won’t even get into the top 20 Wenger signings not to talk of top 20 all time Arsenal greats.
Van Persie was a monumental shit, but he still had more respect for his teammates. We all know that Sanchez isn’t fit to lace RVP’s boots.
Rant officially over.
One more last time where is the Arse who showed Chelski who riles on London we did it, where the ell is that team who did it then??
riles??? rules of course ….
The shadow of the manager the shadow of the team
Shadows of the fan base…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aae_RHRptRg
I’ll be interested to read AW’s book when it arrives.
Do you think it will be truthful or a load of self serving bullshit?
Bit of both for me and I won’t be reading it.
As for choosing Ozil over Sanchez give me a break. I’d rather have a bolshy winner than someone who can’t be arsed 90% of the time. Someone whose idea of playing football for a living means turning up at a non league ground and not fucking off on a shopping trip with a supposed bad back and then missing a huge league game with “flu”.
Mind you, he’s so bloody awful in games that really matter that we hardly missed him.
If he left tomorrow I would throw a party.
Cynic
Where is that party?
I’d rather avoid the Europey league – how far down do we need to finish to have a year off from European football? It didn’t seem to hurt Chelski too much.
UTA.
–
“Arsenal Football Club would appreciate privacy at this sad time ”
–
–
@Solid gooner .. really you would take ozil over Alexi? Whoa! We are really in deep shit. Well I will take Alexi over both Wenger and ozil at this point in time.
Let’s get rid of a player that plays his heart out all the time and keep those that stroll around.. yea way to go.
A star team will beat a team of stars most days, SAG, especially a team of stars with only one real star anyway.
Solid Gooner @80
“Alexis has not directly contributed to Arsenal winning anything and only started pulling up trees this season when being played through the middle.” ?
Is this the famous “Fake News” mantra of President Donald Trump that you’re attempting to engage in here? ?
Since being with our Arsenal; Alexis Sanchez has directly contributed to our winning 1 FA Cup, finishing in the top 4 (a trophy in its self) and two Copa Americas with Chile, beating the likes of Argentina and Brazil on the way, no less, and collecting the top scorer accolade in the 2016 tournament ahead of Messi, Aguero, Higuain, Neymar, etc. Oh, and he’s got two Community Shields to go with the FA Cup medal too. Can’t forget those! ?
Regarding the “Barca couldn’t wait to get rid of him” narrative; I can’t really see why any world class player who loves playing football within a short sporting career, would want to stay at any club, even Barcelona, where he’s surplus to their requirements wrt their attacking ambitions, so that he just sits on their bench and collects winners medals without feeling that he’s actually contributed as much as he thinks he should have to winning them?! Isn’t that the same “professional pride” that has made him a big trophy winner and quite different from his other current teammates and compadres at London Colney? Isn’t this also why Pedro decided to leave Barcelona too to go to the Chavs? ? Hmmm….
One must repeat; “mediocrity gone mad”. Compelling!
Solid Gooner,
? No worries Fella! ?
The best of “hairy bollocks’ luck”with your continued obfuscation. One hopes that it bears the sowed fruits that you so desperately seek. ?
AFCOF!
At least some of that training ground story is bollocks anyway, can you imagine a single one of our players “having to be held back” from having a fight with Sanchez?
Total nonsense that.
Players These days are precious little petals that are far to easily over indulged, The likes Of Sanchez are very good players but not greats by any means and the club will go on without him and new overly indulged heroes will also come and go, but they also are not stupid they can see the issues at the club they train with their teammates every day they listen to their managers tactics they know exactly where a team is going and they no doubt weigh up the chances of winning things or moving on to win things.
Alexis has obviously decided like Others before him that his chances of winning the trophies that matter are far better served by leaving – And can anyone sadly say that’s not the case as we are a mess on and off the pitch.
It was so obvious how Liverpool would play with width and in the holes and we done absolutely nothing to counter it I said last week the likes of Mane would have a field day against us and so it transpired, Sad Sad times and Wenger really does not deserve to go out this way but every passing week and every more inept performance shows for this club to move forward we need a new direction with him not at the helm.
Things look very messy and can only get worse. Even I concede that AW must go and without anymore of this PR stuff coming from the Club. I wonder who leaked the training ground bust-up?
Morale is rock bottom through out the Arsenal family. I hate to think what the atmosphere will be like tomorrow night and question myself why I am prepared to go through another tortuous experience at the Ems. Perhaps Bayern will turn up with a second string eleven, perhaps we will put on a show the fans deserve, perhaps pigs might fly.
As for Sanchez he’s a prima donna in the Callas mould and there will be others to follow. We older folks have been here before and the Club will survive although it might be a while before we see real success in THE PL trophy.
Am anticipating arriving home from the game around 1.30am Weds morning, must be mad.
COYRs
DB30,
I Don’t envy you tomorrow or any others making the journey – Its going to be toxic, Not a nice way to spend an evening which should be about enjoyment.
As for the leaks the club have become quite apt at leaking storys when it comes to big players soon to be offloaded – They’ve had plenty of practice 🙂
How many oif our “problem” players have ended up going elsewhere and winning titles? All of them apart from TGSTEL?
Maybe the players aren’t the problem
Hardly a conclusion requiring a genius mind, but just putting that out there 😉
oif? Fuck.
Chelsea’s proposed new ground looks like a library
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/800/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2017/3/6/3e888b10-f0d8-4f06-b381-0aa04cfa90d9.jpg
Solid Gooner, I have agreed with most of your post but not in this case. If Alexis was like Arshavin on his last few months I would understand your comments but not in this scenario.
Like in any Job, If I am being asked to do most of the work and others cant be asked but are paly paly with the manager and we are gettting no where whose fault is that?
Being individual is not an issue as long as you are wining games. He wins us games. World class is a relative term but he would get into most teams in the world and you cant say about most of our players.
Infact he would improve ANY team and you cant say that about wenger!
How many great players are individuals? Many, Infact all the very best.
Ronaldo an individual, Messi an individual, Van Nistelroy same, Maradona, Gabriel Batistua, Costa. Cantona the same, infact these players are true leaders and inspire the teams. Their trophy records are an evidence of this. But This winning only happens if others want to win things? If the manager doesnt want to win things and is happy with good football they are not going to Click!
A great manager need to know how to handle these characters. Arsene cant be asked to do that!especially at this stage of his life. But he has never liked individuals!.
Alexis is the same he wants to win things but if no one else can be asked to chase down balls and or support him throughout 90 minutes of a Real Match?
He doesnt need to prove to anyone on the training ground.!
If the dressing room is split thats because everyone is nicey nice and paly paly to each other and no one is the leader.
There is no point telling him that its out of order that you have left the training early, the time to prove is on the day during the match and you cant ask for more.
Sanchez is our best attacking player by a country mile but if a manager who doesn’t like confrontation has taken the action he did it suggests all is not well off the field( or at least on the training field ) and I certainly think there is a strong diva- ish attitude developing with the Chilean .
The big problem is with no Champions League and no Sanchez will Kroenke wake up and smell the coffee with a ‘ full ‘ stadium every week or will he be happy to let Wenger continue to take flak on his behalf because he turns in a profit? Will Wenger be able to sign adequate replacements in the positions we need if we aren’t a CL club?
Unless you pay United- style silly money – no.
The Board need to act but they’re supine
We need a hard bastard, a tactically astute figure who will get respect from world- class players.
I really don’t get comments from Andrew M at Arseblog and the lot: implying Sanchez cant be bigger than the club.
Sanchez is the only player working hard to justify his wages NO ONE ELSE IS!
Infact by current pay rate, he is being underpaid by 50%!
If a player delivers on the pitch no one should care!.
Likewise if we moan that others are not performing, then they are the ones that need to be cleared out!
Also Wenger comments re:
“Watch the game again. I do not want to comment individually but we have lost as a team and Alexis is part of that.”
Well we watched the game and saw you ate a huge humble pie wenger. Our team is mediocre with the bar being raised by the spending of top 4 last year and we would have struggled to loose 5-0 without Sanchez!
So manage him and Ozil wenger, but if you cant then say so.
TTG, countryman, Chippy – agreed, good stuff.
I also get the Cynic, Steve T, Solid G view that there’s nothing wrong with having winners who will not settle for mediocrity.
At the moment, for me though, Sanchez’ in pitch behaviour is very reminiscent of Thierry Henry’s final season at The Emirates. All the shoulder shrugging, head shaking and squatting on haunches in the middle of the pitch, does not suggest someone who wants to fight with the rest of his team.
In Sanchez’ defence, the rest of his team are not fighting anyway.
Bit of a mess really, innit ?
Either way guys Wenger has now come out and said these are rumours
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says reports of a training ground row between Alexis Sanchez and his team-mates are “completely false”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRTCTsMD-d_/
Make of it what you will..!
Ozil still hiding behind his “illness” and won’t play tomorrow.
Personally if his “flu” lasted until May, I would be quite happy.
Dear Arsene Wenger
Arsenal Football Club existed for 110 years before you came along. You didn’t build it.
End of.
I see the losers mentality have started infecting the fan base too. People always want to say no player is bigger than the club, well Wenger is not bigger than the club neither. He is beginning to erode any respect he has left. Resign the fuck already. You are not God.
Just to glean a couple of the key concepts in your headline, ‘holic:
1. Pain
2. Dejection
We are on the edge of a third, I believe.
3. Desperation
sid
I appreciate that you agree with my random bumbling from time to time.
To be honest concerning Sanchez, I really liked the street mentality and South American tough guy attitude he portrayed even while at Udinese as a young lad.
The thing is, Udinese is a far cry from Arsenal and Barcelona.These are major clubs that have achieved and still do (in Barcelona’s case anyway).
No player should ever be allowed to think and/or behave like the bee’s knees to the detriment of the collective.
We all have different metrics for evaluating players but what’s most important at every given time is to gauge how a player relates, augments and improves his peers. Like it’s always been said, there’s no I in ‘TEAM’. A team should be a cohesive unit, greater than the sum of its parts.
Sanchez has thrown tantrums and generally depicted an attitude that should be found nowhere near the Arsenal.
That is my bone of contention.
He is a skilled and extremely hard-working player no doubt.
BUT, at a time when almost everything is falling to pieces around the club there should be a measure of decorum and class associated with everyone who pulls on the red and white. He has failed woefully on that front.
My position is very clear on the goings-on at our most beautiful club. Wenger, unfortunately, has to go. There are so many other peeps that have to follow him through the door. From Kroenke to the tea lady, something’s gotta give.
Players, managers. support staff, etc, all leave. The constant will always be people like us who love the club and The Arsenal itself.
As my sobriquet implies, I am a Gooner for life. Arsenal should always come first when it comes to football.
UTA.
Wenger and Kroenke seem to take most of peoples’ ire but what about Gazidis? What good has he done?
I can see that ‘H has done a bit of in house cleansing.
Please don’t get it wrong, I have never meant to offend with my utterances.
These are testing times and passions sometimes get the better of us.
Let me reiterate, I never intended to offend.
My apologies to all who may have been affronted by my views and delivery thereof.
‘H, sorry if I’ve over extended.
Cynic the Chelsea design would be more fitting for a prison.
Thank you SG.
Solid Gooner,
No worries Fella! We all pretty much want the same thing in the end; including Alexis Sanchez! Salut ?
Don’t know about the Sanchez part, but it’s all good.
Bang on at 99, SG.
Conveniently leaked story. It’s funny, players get berated for not showing passion, not caring and for showing no personality or leadership on the pitch. Somebody shows all these qualities and they are cast as a villain and the club does nothing to protect that individual. I daresay the collective did gang up on him and the manager moved swiftly as he has always done with strong characters. It’s actually pathetic, really sad and wheeling out our fit-again non-playing captain, chuffed with his new non playing contract, made me feel like throwing up earlier today. Just do what you’re told and, hell, you don’t even have to play any football in the jersey. The manager’s stuff about maybe clinching 4th or top 4 again (I believe it will be 6th btw) then made me furious rather than sick. Maybe he’ll resign on Wednesday morning and we will have watched a fatal rather than dead rubber although of course I want the win tomorrow. Oh no, I forgot, he has the FA Cup to thrill us all with. Get. Off. The. Stage. Asomebody reminded us above, he did not build this club. He built us a stadium we are in no way worthy of. COYG
We’re not unworthy of THAT stadium but would have disgraced our real home IMO, and yes before anybody jumps down my throat, I am well aware of the bad old days and lived through some of them so I don’t need a history lesson.
Those players in teams that struggled weren’t paid fortunes and would never have dared to stroll about on a pitch or act as if they were the second coming of Pele.
Un verdadero guerrero no lucha por odio a los que tiene enfrente. Si no por AMOR a los que tiene detrás ⚪️? let ‘s go Gunners . “el único fracaso es no intentarlo. ” ⚽️ The true warrior fights not because he hates the ones in front of him, but because he loves those behind him. ?⚪️ Let ‘ go Gunners. ” The only failure is not trying.” ??
??????
Cynic @86 – you mention about our ‘problem’ players winning titles elsewhere. Let me just count those players – RVP, Nasri, Cesc (if you consider DNA to be a problem), Adebayor… I hope I am not missing out on any more. Now please tell me before each of these players came to Arsenal – were they even half the players they became here? And all of them bar Cesc had probably one decent season (RVP had his best unfortunately) after leaving us and even Cesc has gone rapidly downhill and his career has not lived up to the expectations he raised when he was an Arsenal player. And all of them went to clubs who could pay far more wages than us at that point in time.
I know your pathological hatred for Wenger, but it doesn’t take a genius either to figure out that he is the best manager to develop young players.
You can’t compare current teams against historic teams for any club, let alone Arsenal. Things have changed, radically. You’re comparing peas with apples, and the results are bananas.
Nelson! *stands on one leg*
Hehe, nice one Esso.
it doesn’t take a genius either to figure out that he is the best manager to develop young players.
Name one player we’ve had since before the age of 16, 17 or 18 under Arsene Wenger that has made it at the top level of the game.
In other words, name one player we have actually developed ourselves and brought through to be successful players who have gone on to win things either here or elsewhere.
Regarding Alexis, whilst there is absolutely no doubt that he has been one of our top two players this season – to say that he is above the team is completely laughable. Did he score all those goals alone? The team was involved in him scoring them as much as he would like to believe otherwise. He is also not without his faults and loses possession quite frequently. But his fervour to win it back is what makes it pardonable most of the times.
Also someone mentioned in the drinks about great players being individualistic ala Messi and Ronaldo. The difference between someone like a Messi and Sanchez is the humility that Messi carries himself with, and as good a player Sanchez is – he is nowhere near Messi’s genius. There were signs of his attitude problems earlier in the season in the game against Swansea when Wenger took him off with about 8 minutes to go with us leading 4-0. The guy threw an almighty tantrum when the manager had done the most sensible thing.
Also arguments about him leaving Barcelona because of lack of game time and him being an absolute fighter are contradictory. If he is such a fighter, he should have fought off competition from Pedro to become an automatic starter at Barca instead of wanting an automatic position at lesser club than Barcelona. Maybe he just likes to be revered as the best player which he was at udinese & arsenal whereas at Barca he was a peripheral figure.
And I don’t think he is the best player in the team. Koscielny is. And I don’t ever see him gesticulating and showing down his team mates. And he signed a contract nice and early when clearly far bigger clubs would have wanted him and paid him better than us.
designer gooner@115: Nowadays I don’t post here — or in any football blog –as I don’t find the time but thought should say bravo for a very insightful post. Especially where you identified Koscielny as our best player. That’s exactly how I see it. Thank you. 🙂
Cynic @114, how do players under the age of 15, 16 or 17 matter? Wenger is not the manager of the academy. He manages those teenagers after picking them from the academy teams. And since you are asking to name one player – I guess Ashley Cole. It’s remarkable how you’re shifting the goal post from ‘problem’ players to academy players now since that argument didn’t hold much water.
Anyway if you want to say that Wenger has not been good at developing young players then it jus just shows that you want to discredit him of every good thing he has achieved here. I wouldn’t be surprised if you found a problem with the invincibles in your next post.
Thanks Doctor Faustus… 🙂
@Cynic
Ashley Cole
is a fucking arsehole
No, you shifted the goal posts to start going on about how great he is at bringing youth players along and when asked to name one, you come up with Cole who was already here and whose development was done.
The reason I put that age on these amazing youth players we’ve developed (numbering zero) is that a youth coach will say, and plenty have, that you have to get them young and that the important work is done up to the age of about 14. Once you get to a certain age, how you take that forward is largely down to you.
So… if Alex Iwobi makes something of his career, you could justifiably say that we’ve developed him and he is ours, as we’ve had him since he was about eight.
Wenger deserves credit for giving young players a chance, but to say he’s a great coach for youth is wrong. Just an opinion, based on fact.
I’m not even going to blame him for the huge number of youth players we have who haven’t made it, either ones we “stole” from other clubs or ones we’ve had ourselves, but there have been so many. If he was a great coach for youth, wouldn’t more of those players have kicked on?
Theo Walcott largely has himself and injuries to blame for not developing as a player, but he hasn’t improved much in ten years. Great coaching?
Esso – He is, but he’s an Invincible so I cut him a bit of slack.
One other thing I forgot to say is that if you look at our record at bringing young players on since 1997, I would argue that we were far more successful under the previous managements.
Even allowing for the odd Hillier. 🙂
Anyway, sod it. Matters not really, it’s all fucked.
So fucked I’m actually looking forward to watching West Ham surprise Chelsea.
Bob Hope of that.
Getting a shot on target would count as a surprise though.
Got a quid on Andy Carroll to score first and Chelsea to win 3-1 at 125/1
/mug punter
Get up Carroll you jessie, it’s only a gash in the bugle.
Dreamer! Well what did you expect? 🙂 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Bet dies. 🙁
It looks like most of us here cannot decide what we really expect from the team. 1 minute we are content with where we are and what we have and then the next minute we are dissatisfied. Make up your mind people. Stop wavering.
SanAntonioGUnner @ 97: I am with you dude.