Cruising Gunners Almost Holed Below The Waterline
Sep 15th, 2019 by 'holic
I got ten of the starting eleven right. Never did I expect Dani Ceballos and Mesut Ozil to be starting together. A penny for Reiss Nelson’s thoughts.
After a disjointed start the first attempt on goal arrived in the sixth minute and Bernd Leno comfortably saved from Deulofeu. We had a chance when Holebas cleaned out Nicolas Pepe, but Ozil’s free-kick was headed to safety by Dawson.
Cleverley’s attempt, similar to that of Deulofeu, curled into the safe hands of Leno. Watford were perhaps enjoying more possession than they may have expected. Holebas fired high and wide from the edge of the box after Deulofeu again tortured Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
In the twentieth minute we enjoyed a rare break when Matteo Guendouzi sent Pepe clear on the left. He cut in and saw his left foot effort deflected wide of the mark. A minute later we were ahead with another stunning break. Sead Kolasinac powered forward and fed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who swivelled and slotted home in one classy movement.
Watford 0-1 The Arsenal
Now the Gunners were waking up. Ozil’s deflected cross was a whisker away from Aubameyang. We were taking control of the midfield for the first time in the match. Aubameyang doubled up when Ozil freed Maitland-Niles on the right and his cross provided the sharer of last season’s golden boot with a tap in. Well played Mesut.
Watford 0-2 The Arsenal
We had a let-off when Guendouzi was caught when attempting to deal with a short Leno pass. We need to learn when and when not to play this tippy tappy stuff from the box. Encouraged, Watford gained a second wind and looked to end the half strongly. Kolasinac was yellow carded for a rash challenge on Hughes a couple of minutes before half-time.
Handbags ended the half when Holebas clashed with Pepe and the Gunners, most notably Guendouzi, poured in to support their man. The Watford man and the young Frenchman saw yellow. It was like days past. All for one etc.. Strangely for a side with such an advantage we were probably happier to hear the half-time whistle.
In the opening minute of the second-half Leno was called on to make the first save when dropping on to a cross from the right. Would this half match that which preceded it? Ozil had other ideas. A wonderful piece of skill and strength saw him tee up Granit Xhaka for something of a wild effort from 25 yards out.
Our absolute inability to play out from the back cost us dear eight minutes in. A clown shoes ball from Sokratis Papastathopoulos was deflected to Cleverley who accepted the gift with glee and fired Watford back into the contest.
Watford 1-2 The Arsenal
Kiko saw yellow for pulling the shirt of Ozil as we sought an immediate response. Those who had doubted the German’s inclusion, me included, were being proven wrong. It was so good to see. Deulofeu and Kiko both fired efforts off target as Watford sought an equaliser.
Unai Emery opted to withdraw Ceballos for Joe Willock on the hour much to the chagrin of the travelling faithful. Ceballo is a firm favourite already, but in truth was having little influence on this match. Fitting him and Ozil in the same eleven will be a puzzle for Emery to solve if we are to clinch the top four berth we desire.
Deulofeu fed Sarr who fired narrowly wide of the target. The bottom club were causing us far too many problems and we (and the ‘holic pound!) required us to get a third. Again the travelling faithful were far from happy when Lucas Torreira was sent on for Guendouzi. Immediately Deulofeu fired another effort just wide. What a game he was enjoying.
Again Emery surprised when sending Nelson on for Ozil on 70 minutes. He probably felt he had to do something, anything, to turn the tide, and Nelson immediately tested Foster with a rare Gunners strike in the second-half. Not surprisingly Deulofeu tested Leno at the other end. Leno was then booked for time-wasting. Why do opposing goalkeepers never get booked against us until injury time?
Janmaat was sent on for the excitable Holebas by Watford, which was probably a smart move. Torreira was the unlikely provider of a an excellent strike on goal, but Foster was equal to it. A minute later the hapless David Luiz blundered into another stupid challenge in the box on Pereyra who slotted home the leveller from the spot himself.
Watford 2-2 The Arsenal
We looked down and out when Doucoure played a one two with Sarr and Leno produced a wonderful save to deny what had looked inevitable. The final whistle was a merciful release. We need better in the coming weeks Unai.
118 Responses to “Cruising Gunners Almost Holed Below The Waterline”
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Not so much a taxi as a minibus required for this shower.
We fucked ourselves. We need to get Luiz off our books. The Chelsea agent is doing a great job for them.
I was surprised that we were outplayed and they appeared to have more in the tank as the second half progressed. Unai took off all our creative players and that probably had an impact on the way we couldn’t create anything late on in the game. They had 31 attempts on our goal against 10 from us. Emery needs to wake up and rouse his troops. Our away form continues to cause deep concern.
Pepe hasn’t done anything to inspire belief in him. He appears to be physically swamped by the rough and tumble of the EPL. To get him scoring is another task for the manager.
Very fair report Guvna.
What we need is a better coach who employs a consistent logic and with the two fastest strikers in the PL upfront encourages his side not to fartarse about from goal-kicks . Everybody think Luiz was such a good signing now?
AMN a disaster at left back, Sokratis in the clouds with his pass, Gendouzi another one, Xhaka does well then picks the most difficult pass and gives it away. Luiz is brainless as he was at Chelski.
Why on earth do we always buy rejects?
This is happening time and time again nothing is improving and never will. We need a coach with a different approach.
The arrogance of the manager to continue to play three in midfield and play out of the back is fucking astonishing.
Thanks for another fine report.
Ozil and Auba had great games and the rest played below par. The defense was terrible in the second half. No team can win when such individual errors are made nor can a manager do anything if players keep repeating their mistakes.
In three of the first four matches we looked good but today I thought we were not good enough and getting into top four at the end of the season now appears to be really in doubt.
The Watford manager is being interviewed and he can’t seem to stop laughing. He has enjoyed putting one over Emery.
Everybody think Luiz was such a good signing now?
With the right partner he could have been a good buy.
Six or seven years ago.
This is the first game where I’m having serious doubts about the manager. Everybody knows playing from the back doesn’t work for us, yet still we do it.
I do think the players have to take some responsibility though. If I’m giving the ball to my full back and he loses it every time, or gets swamped and we’re immediately under pressure, I’m hoofing it long. At some point the guys on the pitch have to make their own decisions.
The team selection was bonkers though and the subs were poor.
I think Luiz may be getting a tough rub of the green. He is screaming and pointing for Kola to peel of and cover the runner. Kola ignores him, delays and delays and when he finally moves across Luiz is out of position to cover the inside run his man makes. And despite that I’m not sure he makes much, if any contact. One camera angle looks bad and I get why it was given. But the other angle shows him withdraw his foot and the attacker dive over it.
Found on Twitter:
“Arsenal have faced 96 shots this season, more than any other side in the PL, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 & the Bundesliga. Some effort that.” (oilysailor)
Cynic @ 7.
I think Luiz may still prove to be okay. Especially compared to the other players we could have bought. But I agree with all the rest of that. Well said.
Another stat time…
Watford shots – 31
Arsenal – 7
This is a joke right?
If your current defence is not good enough to play out from the back then stop asking them to do it !!!! Cech got wise to that quickly last season and reverted to big kicks; really hoping Leno comes to the same conclusion. And pronto.
Cynic,
Believe me plenty of people will be joining you in having doubts about this manager. I really struggle to watch games like today. This defence terrifies me , the midfield gets overrun by teams that shouldn’t outplay and outfight us and the initial selections, the substitutions and the game philosophy leave seasoned observers mystified and frustrated .
Xhaka will lead the team out next week and he shouldn’t be near this team . Ozil helps to control the game and he takes him off but leaves Xhaka on. Hopefully Rob Holding will be back very soon because Sideshow Bob is looking a nightmare
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh here, however Emery has been with us for over a year now and our players still don’t know what style of football we should play.
Lampard has already done more at Chelski…Just an observation…
The real Unai Emery discusses his squad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L5LNIi5bAs
Holic.
For once I saw some things differently. Ozil did play well but he had plenty of occasions when he could have got up off the floor quicker, or closed down a man with some intensity and he just did not do it. Since the recent advent of high press football his unwillingness to put a shift in makes him much less useful, despite being technically superior to every other player in most games he plays.
I thought Ceballos was our best player in the first half. On your assertion that he was having little influence I can only look at our other midfielders and as the influence that they were having was a series of misplaced passes in either dangerous or promising positions I’m glad he was not having a game like them.
Kola is a huge liability and the axis between him at left back and Xhaka as a left footed quarterback is truly awful. AMN is a good player, but no left back. And he is far too casual at times. He needs to tighten up.
Pepe had a poor game. I’m not worried about him in the long run, the kid is class, but he was not at the races today.
Emery made poor subs today. He needed to change things and did not manage that at all. And we need another striking option off the bench.
ATG @ 11
I was just about to mention that stat. Shocking, isn’t it? Need to get Chambers and Holding in asap.
Obviously Auba was Auba.
GSD
You are always sensible and constructive and I absolutely agree with your points. We will regret letting Nketiah go out on loan
On the bright side, we won the golf and the test match and I can stop pretending to be European until the Mosconi Cup in December 🙂
Shocking ineptitude. Emery out. Nuff said.
This second string back four will be improved substantially by the arrival of the first. Bellerin, Holding, Luiz and Tierney. Other than the soft penalty, Luiz played well today.
In the interim, the coach should stop trying to impose a tactic of doubtful merit on players who don’t have the capacity to handle it. Kolsainac should simultaneously return to his role behind the bar at the Faltering Fullback – although even there he has a tendency to spill Guinness on Bath’s blue suede shoes which does nothing to improve the temperament of my friend from the north.
I wouldn’t have picked both Ozil and Ceballos. I would have started Torreira, Guendouzi, Willock and Ceballos. Having said that, I thought that Xhaka had one of his better games and Torreira’s impact as a sub was small.
Pepe has a hill to climb to establish himself as a potent threat. Reiss Nelson is a real prospect but is some way from being the finished article as a regular PL starter (same is true for Nketiah).
We’ll miss Laca until he returns ‘in October’. Stay fit Auba. Please.
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Emery will be under massive pressure now. I think he over complicates things he doesn’t need to. Tactics change to much, formation changes to much, starting 11 changes to much and his substitutions have been questionable this season. Last season he was doing this but I thought it was because he was trying to get an idea of what he wanted from the summer transfer window for example, getting players in and out of the club to suit a system that he can implement. We have no system and his constant change of tactics is showing on the players now, the players look confused and bewildered. This has been the way since the back end of last season. If his time at Arsenal is to be a success he needs to implement a style of play and 2 formations to go with it. I like the guy and I think he has a good personality and the charisma that suits this club but he needs to settle the players down into a regular playing pattern before time runs out for him.
BTM and Luke. Top posts.
Cheers TTG. Nketiah is making the most of the playing time. But even Leeds are not starting him yet. Hopefully they will do soon.
Apparently in the dressing room at half time they spoke about a two goal lead not being enough. I understand that we have to be realistic and accept our defence is not brilliant and it is a good idea to play to our attacking strengths.
But Good God do I long for the days when we would score one after 5 mins and then defend for 85 plus injury time because we knew that one was enough.
Thanks Guvnor, a fair report
and conclusion.
We’d done well to nick a
2-0 lead first half on the
back of the predatory Auba
and assists from both FBs.
An aggressive team selection
had planned out ok with the
sacrifice of some midfield
control and ball-winning
ability to allow for more
threat on the counter.
With the benefit of hindsight
we needed a third to kill it
off after the 2nd goal when
Watford were wobbling.
Enough has already been
said about the 2nd half –
about 60 posts as opposed
to the 3 posts as we took
a 2-0 lead!! – and I can only
agree that we shot ourselves
in the foot with stupid
mistakes again.
8 points after 5 games, level
with all our top 4 rivals is
disappointing but not the
end of the world as we can
get better from here.
we can get better from here.
Hope so, or we are fucked.
How many shots did Watford have today?
If that doesn’t tell him he picked the wrong team, nothing will.
Ozil OR Ceballos, not AND.
Lots of good observations above and I’m most in agreement with Cynic.
This ridiculous playing out short from the back every time regardless of circumstances will continue to cost us games when executed so brainlessly.
Not sure there’s much point in singling out individuals for criticism today, although there were a few deserving candidates. Our defence is still a shapeless shambles after a year and a bit of Emery instruction.
It’s also ridiculous that a club of Arsenal’s stature doesn’t have one fit proper fullback. Kolasinac is very much an attacking wing back and Maitland-Niles is deteriorating rapidly trying to fill in, out of position, on the other side. We are left hoping that Bellerin, Holding and Tierney will not suffer recurrences of ling term injuries when we finally see them again because there is seemingly no backup.
Today the team was unbalanced by wrong selections, tactics were stupid at times, substitutions were a mystery and some performances were plain awful.
Add to that our continuing habit of totally collapsing at the first sign of adversity, and we managed to turn a two goal lead against the division’s bottom side into a draw we were desperately hanging on for.
Individual errors are just that but things are not improving under this manager. Our defence is even worse than it was, our midfield is a ball of confusion and our two goal striker, Aubameyang, looked mightily pissed off as he left the pitch at the end of today’s game.
The whole team looks as confused as I am every time I try to listen to one of Mr Emery’s interviews.
Lot of stick for Luiz but I
agree with GSD @8.
Personally I didn’t want him
but he’s been as I expected
and not that bad.
Calum should get a chance
next game though, he played
well first game and was
unlucky to be dropped. We’ve
shipped 7 goals in 3 games
and some action is needed.
Unless we go to 3CBs for the
next few games and wait for
Bellerin and Tierney to get
match fit.
Lot of stick for UE too. Personally
I didn’t want him either but he’s
been about as I expected as well.
Not so bad.
I hope he sticks to his guns for
the next game, better to be
hung for a wolf than a cow ?
Just go for it UE. Against Villa
I’d like to see
Leno
AMN, Calum, Luiz, Kola
Guen, Ceballos
Pepe, Ozil, Nelson
Auba
Trev,
Couldn’t agree more re UE’s interviews. He doesn’t really answer questions asked in my view then i have to workout what he means.
It is true that there were individual errors that cost us, but I don’t think it matters who plays at the back, if firstly we can’t get hold of the ball in midfield and secondly keep hold of it. We conceded possession constantly in that half and allowed Watford to come at the defence the whole time. I thought we defended well from the many corners which we were forced into conceding. I don’t understand the idea behind a short two yard goal kick to Luiz which he then launches upfield for their centre backs to gobble up before starting another attack. We used to control games with possession football but now we seem incapable of putting more than three passes together. I’m afraid UE chose the wrong team again, not Ozil and Ceballos, and repeated the same dangerous and ineffectual tactics.
Worryingly also, our youngsters were often muscled off the ball quite comfortably.
I’m in agreement that Luiz didn’t have that bad a game and wasn’t aided with Kola’s inability to defend or track his man. Don’t play out from the back if the midfield is going to give the ball up cheaply. Launch it long and then press their defense and midfield with the pace we’ve got with player’s like Auba, Laca, Pepe, Willock, Nelson, AMN. Ozil and Ceballos need time on the ball. So you can’t play both of them. That’s a no brainer. The youngster’s could do with a little bulking up in the gym as it’s far too easy to out muscle them. Would love us to go get Abdoulaye Doucouré from Watford in the January window. He’s precisely what we need in midfield.
I just don’t understand unai’s tactics, he still plays to suit the opposition than our strength. Ceballos was our best player on the pitch and he gets taken off because of the heat???????? i mean is that a reason? Ozil had an excellent first half but i agree with his substitution if you are getting a defensive player and instead we get reiss nelson who had a shocker. Luiz and sokratis i mean i am not sure what to say except that not even kids do such harakiri but then why are we not surprised. Niles at right-back is hopeless and kolasinac is not a defender. We are riding our luck because of two wonderful strikers and it won’t last long for they will have a dip in form or injuries.
Unai for heaven sake don’t try what is not working else this is getting broke sooner or later.
Sorry guys.
All this discussion is simply re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Holding, as a result of his long spell out due to injury, like many before him, has become the greatest player we have ever had in his position. He’s better than Chambers and Mustafi but he’s not going to single-handedly turn that defence from Keystone Cops into Fort Knox. Bellerin and Tierney are clearly upgrades at FB on AMN (a box-to-box midfielder) and Kolasinac (a bouncer) but nor will they instill organisation into a defence that doesn’t know what they’re doing individually let alone what each other is doing.
The captain isn’t up to command of this size of ship. It’s pointless letting him continue his feckless meddling and useless strategies. He’s a numpty and needs to be thrown overboard as soon as possible. OK, he gave a good interview and did his homework on the squad but we’ve all seen candidates who talk a good interview but simply cannot do the job they are applying for.
It’s not an occasion for learning as UE claims, it’s an occasion for LEAVING.
That second half was, despite the new acquisitions, a rerun of the tail end of last season. Confused players caught like rabbits in headlights. NOTHING has changed.
End it.
Now.
I’d rather have Bruce Rioch.
Last season showed promise, despite the ending, so it’s too early to be changing managers. If we were watching any other big club’s fans crying for a manger’s head after a promising debut season and five matches into the new one, we’d be slating them. And rightly.
Of course there are concerns and some of what we’re doing is wrong headed, but just a few weeks ago we were all thinking we’d had a superb transfer window, although some players still on the books was a worry, and optimism abounded.
I still think we might have spunked ridiculous money on Pepe, who looks very ordinary so far, and I hate the way we play at times but we’re still in Wenger mode defensively.
We’ve changed coaches and manager, but not the players. Midfield as well as at the back, in the main. Is it any wonder we’re still incapable of defending?
Time for deep breaths all-round.
Bath is , sadly, spot on . This manager is nowhere near fit for purpose and giving him more time will only lead to bucketloads of frustration. Look at the coherence of Lampard’s management in comparison.
The Rioch analogy is interesting. We gave him only a season because he drove David Dein up the wall when it came to deciding transfers( there were lots of other issues as I found out when I nearly bought his old house). The point is we realised he wasn’t going to take us forward and we acted partly because we had a great option in Wenger available . Allegri is on a sabbatical and would really organise this awful defence which Emery has failed to do . On the playing side there was little progress last season. Emery has no discernible style because he changed the line up every week ( to no good effect) and we took one point from Palace and Brighton at home at the pointy end of the season .
The club is well run off the field and they surely won’t tolerate the numpty pratting around for much longer.
Trev also makes a key point . Flores is Spanish and it was clear what his view of the game was. I have never understood an interview that Emery has given. He has been in England for well over a year now and should be much more comprehensible than he is .
The likes of Bath and Trev are not hysterical fans calling for a manager’s head after one result . I’m not either ( it’s at least two) so when sensible and balanced fans are so frustrated this early it is time for action .
Arsene could come in as caretaker for the season ?
Cynic,
Good points in your comment, however we still have no footballing identity and it has been like this for over a year now. Constant formation and personel changes. We keep on playing it from the back which obviously is not working and the players simply can’t do it so why do we insist on using this strategy?
We obviously spent money on the attacking personel and forgot to upgrade the back, okay we got Luiz but we should have spent a bit more for some quality there as well.
Making Xhaka a captain is a deluded idea, the guy lacks any leadership attributes and is error prone more than anything. We need someone who is physical, can run and doesn’t have brain farts every second game. If he says we were scared of Watford I honestly don’t know whats is going to be said when we play the top six this season.
I just feel that we have not improved under Emery one bit, in fact we have gone backwards.
Excellent analysis here. Individual errors by multiple defenders are NOT down to individuals.
http://7amkickoff.com/index.php/2019/09/15/unai-out/
Bath,
That piece is absolutely spot-on. I am certain that Sanllehi and Edu will be drawing similar conclusions. The team is in better hands at the top. If Emery stays in charge you can write this season off.
Thanks for the link Bath.
It was a good analysis
but Tim, as he was perfectly
up front about, hasn’t liked
UE from Day 0.
Anyway, we won’t fire UE
unless he has clearly lost the
dressing room. Personally I
think it’s too early, let’s see
how the season goes after
we get 2 full backs.
I quite agree with most of the above comments about Emery and his strange tactics and team selection. I actually think all our defenders are actually better players than they are being made to look by the daft tactics of the manager. If we constantly invite the other team to attack us by defending so deep, ceding possession and trying to play always on the counter attack, we are going to concede goals and some of them will look ridiculous. With the right managerial approach I think the same players could and should perform much better. To be honest, apart from Van Dyck, I would struggle to name a decent defender in any PL team or one I’d like to see playing for us.
I’m violently agreeing with most posters today and think Devon Stu’s point which picks up on Tim’s in the article that a lot of defensive errors are down to coaching is right. Interesting that you bring in a less gifted defender like Otamendi and Citeh concede a goal as stupid as ours yesterday .
There are a few defenders I would rate but not many. I’d like Laporte , Maguire , Rudiger and Aldeweireld in the centre of our back four but there aren’t many top-class defenders partly because the pressing is so good. Passing out from the back , particularly within the area at goal kicks is a licence to cock up. It’s a stupid trend and unless you are way superior to your opposition is very dangerous.
the mighty thunder T
fuckin love you
for an establishment cunt
yer brilliant
yer teeth are causin fights in ma gob
.
.
.
do posh people have small second hand teeth ?
I’ve thrown them out in the back field
so
the first beast arrives with a gavel
I’m a gonna let it sliiiiiide
booooooooooooommmmmmmm
i dunno
death brings me no joy
imagining Michelle Pfeiffer’s arse does though
or
in my soon to be met compatriots mind
Claudia Cardinale
fucker was right
.
.
.
(any messages)
anyone else miss Chris ?
i do
here is a strange place
I’m guessing the mighty ‘holic
didn’t envisage the cunts that would show
and indeed
up
.
here’s one for terry
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbfzBSe3zk
Terry was the first cunt to say
hold on stroll on here
.
junction road what a fuckin hoo hoo
fuckin t three dozen years more
holloway rd ?
terry wasn’t someone i talked to a lot
i don’t talk to most people
but me changing my name
to king tubby
got interest from a nignog to a paddybastard
fuckin attention seeking cunt ?
honestly !!!!
HONESTLY !!!!!!!!!
fuckin hate the paddys
ye come over here
build our roads
create havoc in previously content
middle english wives and mothers
lives !
Bye bye
can’t stand the cunts
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mw6NKf95VWA
lurkers say hello please
i’m on my own
anyone wanna talk shite
CBA,
Greetings from the British establishment .
My friend the Queen sends her regards.
‘ One is most kindly disposed to Mr. CBA ‘ she said ( honestly )
Then she said-‘ But one knows him as King Tubby’
The ladies win late at ManU .
Great stuff!
the mighty thunder T
god i love you fella
fuckin love ye
fuckin top man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aae_RHRptRg
yer fuckin teeth don’t fit
The feeling is mutual CBA.
Must go the Butler is serving my Ovaltine
the MIGHTY thunder T
God I love that man !
gnight fella
thunder T is brilliant
well
.
for an English bastard
G’night CBA
Sleep well and if you don’t get your butler to get the Horlicks on. Very useful are butlers .
?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YULwbhga18
do posh people have small second hand teeth ?
No, they just have very wide, cavernous, mouths.
I’d blame inbreeding, but the size of the choppers AND gobs on the Windsors would appear to kill that particular theory.
It’s something to think about though.
But not before bedtime. Thinking about inbred posh people is a bigger trigger for nightmares than a 2am cheese and onion and piccalilli roll. With gherkins.
Nighty night.
Three in midfield is not going to cut it. Too much space for the opponents to operate in. Lee Dixon mentioned this in the first few minutes of the match and I obviously agree. Moreover, Xhaka, Matty and Ceballos are too slow to cover all of that area. I’m not saying they don’t have exceptional talent (Xhaka excluded) but they can’t do it and the result was 31 shots against. At 2-0, change the shape and bunker down dammit.
I don’t care who is playing at the back, leave the midfield open and you are asking for trouble. A lot of these managers have their perfect vision of how they’d like the team to look, please inject some reality into this before we all loose our minds.
Is this stat about allowing
96 shots true?
Unless it’s got the monkish
stamp of approval I can’t
fully believe it.
Also have they played 5
games in the other top
leagues?
Not saying our defence isn’t
a nightmare, just curious
about the facts.
This has been a fantastic round of drinks. So much sense from everyone. Cheers all.
The next game cannot come quickly enough (and really this means Villa, not the sodding Europa League). We need to get back on the horse and put in a good performance. And if we don’t beat Villa, by playing well, then we the manager will be under even more pressure, and rightly so.
We need to stop playing Kola and Xhaka. Put Torreira and Guendouzi behind Ceballos in midfield and put Willock in whenever one of them can’t play. Have Ozil play Europa league and come on as a sub for Ceballos when needed, and have a look at how his form is. Xhaka in Europa too.
When we have Tierney, Bellerin and Holding back we can see how it looks. If the problems persist then it’s on Unai. I am not already convinced nothing will change when we have these guys back, I think two top-quality fullbacks who don’t need to be told how to get in position would help a lot. But if it doesn’t then we know who we are looking at, Mr Emery.
Kola is a huge liability. If he does his job (either automatically or after Luiz repeatedly screams and points) then I don’t think Luiz concedes that penalty. Kola worries me more than Xhaka, which is saying something.
I’m still waiting for Sokratis to concede a penalty for his constant shirt-pulling. If I were Unai I’d be telling him that if he pulls any opponent’s shirt in the box, at any time and regardless of whether he gets away with it, then he will be dropped.
As the whole world knows, we should play out from the back sometimes but not all the time. There were so many times against Watford when they pushed up so far at our goalkicks that a simple clipped ball from Leno into midfield would have taken their front three out of the game. Isn’t that the whole point of playing out from the back? We don’t get style points for how we do it. And if we took a few long then when we did play out from the back we’d be under less pressure. I don’t think it is a revolutionary thought to suggest opponents will find it harder to negate us if they don’t know what we are going to do before we do it.
Has he left yet?
I think we have the third best squad in the league. These players have the ability to play much better than they are and to get much better results. I don’t think the manager is hapless, or inept. When Conte won the league he stumbled accidentally (twelve games in) on a formation that swept all before it that year. Maybe Unai might have a serendipitous moment too (not one that would see us win the league, but secure third or at least fourth). But we need to do things differently and Unai needs to lead that change.
I have got confidence for the first time in years that the board will sack the manager if they deem he is not performing. We are only five games in, so he still has some time, but if we are not noticeably improved by Christmas I think he’s gone.
GSD,
Great and very constructive posts.
It’s tempting to be knee-jerk in reaction to problems. You have offered solutions that make a lot of sense. I suspect you have a more methodical mind than Unai.
Some people are crucifying Pepe. Do people not remember the early travails of Bergkamp and Henry by common consent our finest players of modern times? Just as you couldn’t judge Emery after five games you can’t judge Pepe especially with such an erratic coach . Henry didn’t look like he could hit a barn door when he first came and Dennis took ages to score. Form is temporary, class is permanent and Pepe has abundant class. There have been people on here giving stick to Auba in the recent past . Where on earth would we be without him?
It’s ugly bastards like this
thwarted my modelling career
THWARTED
https://youtu.be/NqsADBpgVUY
I’d like to give all of you a big hug
unfortunately except cynic
can imagine he’d sit in the corner of the bar
nose in the racing post with a sparky behind it
denying all knowledge of the unfolding events
he’s clinically recording
the
fuckin genius
Unai will be given more time but I cannot imagine for a second Raul hasn’t tasked someone in his team to be providing him with three names as replacements to be acted upon when push comes to shove. Thank fuck the days of Gazidis are a distant nightmare.
for my Caledonian friends
I’ve created a few
relatives that is
not friends
been a while since I was in Glasgow
hide your teeth I was advised
the locals appear to have received that memo too
https://youtu.be/bzIjLizm-3I
of course that there Edinburgh
is nuthin bit a shitehole
I’m advised
also
too
as well
I’m not crucifying Pepe just saying he looks like a very average player and nowhere near worth the fee.
I hope he finally learns what to do with the ball when he gets in the final third some day*, but at the moment (and I stress at the moment) he looks out of his depth.
* And yeah, I know he was all goals and assists in France, but … lads … It’s France.
“Hey …. HEY ”
“I’m dying here”
https://youtu.be/SGPV43ZdkZk
the only time
the word
ASCERTAIN
has been set to a funky beat
aaah
God bless their wee Scottish cotton socks
The Scottish people
well
those that have feet
my lot just slime around the place
on my handsome dollar
“I’m not crucifying Pepe just saying
he looks like a very average player
and nowhere near worth the fee”
Well, strictly speaking that’s not
crucifixion no.
On to Frankfurt. My only request to
UE is don’t play Auba.
My XI for the Ropey League is
Martinez, Chambers and
9 kids. Or 7 kids plus Papa
and Xhaka as I wouldn’t
play either at the weekend.
Maybe Ozil needs the game
time but I’d start him against
Villa so 20 minutes off the bench
is fine.
Japan smarty pants
was gonna say
you tweeting this from under
a big rain battered green leaf you call
the porch
but I resisted
that would be the extension
https://youtu.be/NW849RXclLY
Cheer up all.
It’s quite conceivable that some of the knumbskulls in our defence will be given some coaching this week, and may learn from their howlers.
A draw in Frankfurt followed by stuffing Villa (with a clean sheet), and all will look better.
On the other hand…..
Doesn’t Emery realise that playing this kind of kamikaze football will only get him the sack. Name me one away fixture where we could now be confident of taking all the points. Everyone knows that a few days practice will reap dividends against a defence without the basic skills and mindset to play the way the coach wants, and since everyone knows we will never vary the tactics we are easy to play against. Trying to hold on, gifting Watford the initiative, only served to make our play ever more disjointed, and I’m going to look up the odds on David Luiz getting into double figures for penalties conceded.
OM
I think Emery will go with a more experienced side
I think it will look like
Martinez
Mustafi Chambers Holding Kola
Torreira Willock
Martinelli Ozil Nelson
Auba
Big mistake to let Nketiah go on loan in my view
Evening all. One more point last season and we’re on tv now.
Hi all
Bit bemused tonight. Yes Sunday was horrible and brought back memories of last April and May. Yes Emery seems to be making odd selections and subs.
But Emery out in mid September all over this bar and social media? Really? Before we’ve even had the opportunity to pick three of our first choice back four? When we are level on points with our top four peers, two points behind City and only Liverpool going away at pace? Because he sounds a bit odd with his Spanish accent in press conferences (we need to see him eating a bacon sandwich)?
Get a grip chaps. Let’s see how the next 20 games go. If at Christmas we’re down in eighth and floundering in the Cups well fair enough. But this is boring and entitled right now. I am not defending him but this is ridiculous.
Oh and Emery out for Mourinho? Never ever ever. i’d rather have fat Sam.
So Chelsea lose to Valencia at home and Liverpool lose to Napoli away.
We beat both teams home and away last season.
Just saying…..
Van dyke makes mistake like Luiz or Socratis.
It happens.
Get a grip.
Grip.
Well in, Countryman.
I told a Chelsea friend today they would murder Valencia because we beat them easily last season .
C100
This is a sensible bar but I sense real disquiet with Emery. I really don’t have any faith in the guy. I don’t want Mourinho either but Allegri is our man . We’ve invested a lot of money forward in the hope we make the CL. Not with Emery in charge we won’t.
Did someone suggest Mou?
Or Fat Sam?
Dear Dennis no.
@96 TTG
Looks about the team UE will
pick. I hope he doesn’t.
I’d like to see at least one young
defender given a chance.
And ESR to be involved if he’s
fit again. Also Saka who I think
was on the bench for the Watford
game.
A green leaf extension cba?
Chance’d be a fine thing.
Sadly, Osaka is a fading industrial
shithole with nary a palm tree to
be seen
? ??
Since I still can’t bloody well get to sleep, I will simply say that I totally agree with the sentiments expressed above by Countryman100.
COYG
Donyell Malan – another that got away
http://dailycannon.com/2019/09/donyell-malen-scores-five-goals-in-one-game-for-psv/
Countryman speaks truth. Some of the criticism of Emery is bordering on having an agenda, and I don’t necessarily mean in the drinks.
Elsewhere I’m reading stuff about how we don’t have a plan and that’s the reason these players are “scared”. Nonsense. We have a plan, we simply don’t have players good enough to play it.
Take Sokratis’ error on Sunday. You don’t need a manager’s plan to make you see a player in space and give him the ball, rather than poking it straight to an opponent INSIDE YOUR OWN BOX.
If the manager’s plan is “Give it Guendouzi and play through him”, you have to have the brains (not to mention the eyesight) to see a Watford player between him and you and then switch it to AMN. IF you are any kind of a footballer and not just someone who’s an awful defender anyway.
As for the manager being responsible for them being scared, I could possibly give that a bit more credence if this team hadn’t been like frightened rabbits under pressure for years. It’s ingrained amongst the longer serving players in this group and infectious.
These are not kids who need a coach to go onto the pitch and literally move them around by their shoulders to get them into the right place either.
Arsene Wenger was not the greatest coach in the world and relied on his players to manage the games for him. He said so himself. The big difference between his successful teams and the last ten years of his reign is that the players he brought in couldn’t think for themselves and weren’t good enough ayway. Some of those players are still in this team and we’ve bought more in the same mould.
Maybe it’s the modern way. Players are so helpless they need to be told every single thing to cope…
Anyway, just a thought. Carry on.
And before anyone says anything about agendas, I did appear to have one with Wenger, but that was after years of the same old same old and with a club going nowhere under a man who had stayed far too long. Stagnation had set in and it needed freshening up.
The irony is that some of those who were perfectly willing to keep on giving him new deals are now agitating for a new bloke after one season and five games. Maybe not openly and angrily but it’s fairly obvious.
Strange days.
I rarely disagree with Countryman100, but I do on this occasion. I’m not saying he should go now but I’m pretty certain it won’t work out with him. It’s not just about what happened on Sunday either. Apart from the weekly baffling team selection, I just don’t get his tactics or style of play. We don’t seem to want possession, we rarely press the other team ( about 10 seconds during the second half on Sunday ), are we a counter attacking team? Well sometimes. What I do know is I don’t enjoy watching the team play as much as I used to, partly because I think we are more negative, but also because of the way we invite other teams to attack us.
We had a good long run for some of last of last season which put UE in good stead, but actually in several of those we were second best and got lucky with the result. I agree, give him until Christmas, though it may well be too late for this season. I’m not sure who should replace him, maybe Allegri, but someone who doesn’t tinker the whole time and wants to entertain.
I do not always agree with Cynic but everything he has written for a week or so now has been top class. A drink on the bar for you sir.
I gave Emery a fairly free hit last season. This season I want to see more from him. He should get at least until Christmas, and I do actually rate him, but right now I don’t think we are showing on the pitch anything like the combined quality of our coaching and playing staff. That needs to change. For now, everyone at the club, including the manager, has my fullest support. But there are some difficult questions floating around that we will need answers to if we are to perform to par this season, and for me that means at least fourth. Improvement is a must.
This disarray in the teams performances hasn’t just started , we had to get 10 points from 7 games to get 4th place last season along with a thrashing in the EL cup final , it’s been going on for a while , even with different personnel
As I have said before I would not play Xhaka. But the idea of him as captain is mind-boggling. He said that we were scared against Watford. What did he do as captain to deal with this issue, that he could see so clearly, apart from complain about it afterwards in a manner that many have taken to be a shifting of the blame onto the tactics?
Where was his voice? His support? Did he gee up the team? Did he lead by example? Did he do one single thing that a captain should or could do in such a situation?
I don’t even get what ‘technical security’ he offers the team. (I have heard this phrase from various people to explain his usefulness). He is slow, hugely one-footed, his positioning is erratic, as is his passing. He has little intensity apart from when he commits to a challenge from five feet away that we can all see coming and that always ends in a foul. He picks up plenty of cards.
He does not attack aerial balls from corners in either box (sidenote- does anyone else miss when we would score a bunch of goals a season off a header from a direct corner?)
He gets sucked into left footed debacles with Kola that simply play to both of their weaknesses and put the whole team under pressure.
I actually think he would excel in Serie A. He’s not a bad player and has some good qualities. He is just not a Premier League player. No shame in that. But picking him screws the balance of our midfield. I disagree with Gedo that there is an inherent problem with a 3 man midfield (especially in light of the fact that putting an extra man in there means we cannot play PAL, which will grow into an attacking force to scare anyone) but if we want one of the midfield three to be stationed further up the pitch to link the play (which we obviously do) then the two guys in a more holding role have to share a defensive responsibility. (Xhaka is more sieve than plug.) Guen and Torreira can do this. Willock has the attributes although he may need more discipline and he has driving qualities which mean he will not always be used in this position. Both AMN and Chamber are worth a look in there (remember when Coquelin burst onto the scene?) We need two players who can hold position and cover when we have Hector and Kieran bombing on. Getting the fullbacks into advanced positions is one of the few discernable Emeryball traits and we need a setup to make this a strength, not a way to shoot ourselves in the foot.
Xhaka is simply a player who does not fit into our team. And he’s not a leader.
Aaaargh! I am so frustrated!
I too agree rarely with Cynic, indeed I would go so far as to say I rarely if ever agree with him. Apologies, sir, I shall try to read your contributions with a more open mind in future.
There’s another behind the bar for you when you finish the drink from GSD.
COYG
Drinks returned chaps. This could get bloody expensive so…
We should sell Ozil for dog food the ratbag. 😉
He is “in need of rest” supposedly and not in the Europa League squad. Madness.
Short preview. I’m not at my best tonight, sorry. >>>>>>>>>>
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