There was nothing positive about the game last night. We were outplayed by Crystal Palace and out muscled. Our in-form players didn’t show up and the striker position is becoming a nightmare. We were not able to work even 3 passes in a row, our defensive structure was awful allowing Palace to create a run between full backs and CB, for the first two goals. Partey went back to his 4/10 rating he game himself couple of months back, Odegaard went missing and I hate to say it, even Smith Rowe dropped a stinker.
Scoresheet did show 3-0 but for the Crystal Palace and not Arsenal. I should get an Oscar for being so wrong lol.
However, I can’t have it both ways. I have been an advocate of playing youth and even in the worse phase of Wenger, the only thing I liked about him was his willingness to prefer young players over has-beens. Now that it’s happening under Mikel, I don’t get to criticize it (I will though, for Willian Era at Arsenal).
We have a young team. They have been playing well in last few games. We lost last night, outplayed by PV4 and CP. Lets hope we will be back on track this season!
This loss meant we missed a chance to go above Spu*s with a game in hand, but it’s not the end of world. Kroenkephobe rightly pointed out last night, at some point of time it was bound to happen with a young team- lets hope players show up for the rest of 9 games this season.
Tierney has an ankle injury and is out for the rest of season. Partey was subbed off due to a hamstring injury, lets hope it’s not to big to worry – we need him in his best capacity if we want to qualify for the Champions League.
I’m getting a bit frustrated with the CF thing. Laca should be nowhere near the starting XI. We have seen the mediocrity from him and Auba from so long that a 6/10 from him seems special on days. Do we have an option? Yes, I don’t see Eddie playing any worse if given a run of games. Putting Martinelli up top will solve two problems, he looks hungry and has a great movement around the box and it allows Arteta to keep both ESR and Martinelli in playing XI – two of our best players this season.
It would be interesting to see how Mikel handles Tierney’s absence, Partey’s injury and the drop in from at Arsenal. He has to outscore teams in order to win, with a striker who do not score.
Short one today, I’m as frustrated as you. We are playing Brighton on Saturday and hopefully it will bring back the joy. For now, hopefully City vs Atletico keeps you entertained.
Cheers to all my readers, for taking time to share your thoughts about the game.
This is where Arteta’s mettle is going to be tested to the full. Palace and Brighton are both athletic, high-energy teams. Potter is a clever manager and will have done his homework before this weekend’s game. Arteta needs to come up with something different. Bring on Martinelli as CF. It simply has to happen. Odegaard and ESR feeling balls beyong their huge but not terribly mobile back line. I’d go for a 3-5-2 with Eddie doing the donkey work for Martinelli. Snuff them out in midfield and keep them wide. Bring Holding back in to play between Gabriel and White. Or if TT available, put White in the middle and Gabriel on the left. Drop Laca to the bench and my dear friend Xhaka. Start like a fucking train and give the seagulls no space for their impotent attack. Need to get things back on the right path. Spurs will fuck things up for themselves this weekend.
Feeling balls? Should have read feeding balls but that doesn’t sound too sensible either!
I guess we will have to shift to a back 3 with Gabriel, White and Holding/Tomi. It’s too risky to ask Xhaka to cover LB and Saka is brilliant at RW that you would be literally wasting him at LB.
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Arteta and Edu has been running away from setting any sort of target, but sitting in 4th position with 2 games in hand (before CP) means anything less is a failure.
The fact that we are competing with Spurs makes it even more important.
I think by the end of the weekend, it’ll all be peace and light again in N5. We’ll beat Brighton in an Arse-clinching ly tight game that had no right to be, and the cockerel jockeys will collapse like a house of cards at Villa Park. But we’ll know for sure by 3.05pm on Saturday – you get a really early vibe these days from the players as to how the game will actually pan out. City and the Bin Dippers notwithstanding, we can defeat most teams at home this season. Just an instinct – we have to score first though.
*from last post*
Hiya kp,
Yeah, I was expecting a tough match but I still thought we’d get a result. The injuries are as damaging (if not more so) to our season’s objectives than the dropped points.
Nuno (and Sambi) can be forgiven for being below-par; they simply haven’t been given enough minutes. Both KT and Partey are huge misses for the run-in.
This is what happens when you have a paper-thin squad. A win against Brighton or sadly top 4 is gone imo.
Paper thin squad was mostly a necessity, we have a lot of dross that needed clearance.
Not giving game time to players on bench when you are 2-0 up is on the manager though.
Hi Jamie
I was also pretty confident before the game that we’d not leave Selhurst pointless. I don’t know about you but it seems really easy these days to predict how games are going to end based on the first 5 minutes. Inability to keep the ball, pissing about at the back, ill timed/misdirected passes and a realisation that every second ball was going to a Palace player. That kid Gallagher is fucking terrific isn’t he? Him, Rice, Bellingham and our twosome may just tip the balance for ingerland in future. Not to mention, Mount and Foden.
I think you’re right: a Saturday seagull setback could be terminal for CL hopes. And it’d be hard in that case to see the season as anything other than a failure. But I think we’ll win.
Those Hibees are also proving to be anything but predictable. Hope all is well with you mate.
I know I should be thinking ‘so what’ but seeing Burnley take a 3-2 lead over the Toffees has lifted my post-Palace mood. The potential downside is that Burnley could stay up but seeing the Toffees go down would outweigh that in my view.
Cheer up Franky Lampard
Oh what can it mean?
To a.. Fat cockney bastard
And a shit scouser te-e-e-am!
I loved watching the Burnley Everton game,really don’t like the toffees,can’t quite explain it,was a fan of Kendalls 80’s team but since then….. maybe it’s because they gave the world Wayne Rooney. Seeing Chelsea lose is also enjoyable.
As for Arsenal,we couldn’t ask for an easier game than home to an impotent Brighton team,no excuses,get the job done and hope Villa do us a favour. After this weekend we really are entering the twilight zone,we could win or lose any match from then on.
Kroenkephobe,
I spent the last 2 days in hospital with the young lad,all good now but I never got the chance to reply to you about the snooker. I share your disdain for Higgins but Robertson is a beautiful striker of the ball,hairstyles aside, and is rightly favourite for the title. Best player by a mile this season. Genuinely feel this is Ronnie’s last realistic chance at it though I wouldn’t back him. Trump is amazing and could easily win it while Selby has had an awful season but comes alive in the crucible. Personally I’m going to take a punt on one of the Chinese players,have a feeling this is the year they make the breakthrough. There’s 5 of them though I think wenbo has been banned now. Might chance zhao xhington,butchered the spelling! Hope all well your end. Good to see Jamie here,always a reasoned,intelligent voice. Your advertising is working Mb!!
Surprise of the night was Emery beating Bayern at home 1-0 with only one shot of target in the game. Now that would be a miracle if he gets passed Bayern to Semi…
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Almunia – hope everything is fine and it was only a regular doctor visit.
Almunia
Hiya. I hope the little fella is on the mend. Nothing like the same magnitude by the sound of it but my daughter was in a & e this week after catching her fingers in a door at school of all places. Not too serious thankfully. And Ms K’phobe and I have been looking after her mother after she blacked out, fell over and spent 2 nights sat up in a wheelchair waiting for a doctor in Cardiff. I hope your health service is bearing up – ours, by contrast, is right on the edge of the precipice again. Not a good time to be ill in the UK right now. A friend said I’m a fully fledged member of what’s called the sandwich generation – providing care and support not only to kids but for elderly parents as well.
Maybe snooker needs a new direction. Ronnie said Xhao is shit-hot and I trust his judgment. Be great to hear your thoughts as the tournament progresses. I know they’re both long shots to win, but I enjoy seeing Mark Williams and Sean Murphy when they’re on form. I share all your sentiments about the footie this weekend – I’ll be very surprised if we lose ground to Spurs. The second half of that Burnley game was fucking bonkers last night.