Another thing. A team of professional footballers allowed the emotion of the game to affect the way they played. Bendtner, Clichy, Van Persie were all guilty of throwing themselves into tackles they ought not, in pursuing whatever private vendettas with whomever the opposition player (Adebayor in particular). For me that is unacceptable. We have to get on with the important business of winning games. We have the talent but my concern is that we [perhaps??] do not have the brains.

It’s time Arsene stops commenting the French Team’s games, he’s taking too many cues from Domenech… What was he thinking when he substituted Denilson for Rosicki? That Song alone was going to hold the entire midfield while everyone else was only concerned with attacking? And even worse Eudardo for Song? Did he really think that the back four could contain Adebayor and Bellamy on their own?
I don’t mind following Barca’s 4-3-3 tactics but at Barca the 3 midfielders defend and that’s the only way it can work. If Arsene wants to play midfielders who don’t defend, it’s either 4-3-3 when both Song and Denilson are playing or 4-4-2, otherwise we’ll get trashed again, and by minnows this time.

It’s not the end of the world but Arsenal cannot afford too many tactical errors this year.