Here’s the simplest of statistics of the game against Southampton. We had a 60% possession. We went 1-0 up, thanks to a Xhaka boom. Our second half performance fell off the cliff, and our subs, brought in to make difference, was too late and too little.
We were not clinical enough in front of the goal. Our intensity in second half was poor and Southampton were clearly the better side in that second half.
We have seen this pattern earlier in Arteta’s reign. Remember Lacazette, not able to run after 60min? It was Jesus this time. Remember the anxiety you have had each time we scored, because we weren’t able to maintain the lead? Yes, I do.
Why?
We are over playing. We were fatigued, both physically and mentally. I am all for 70 games a season, but if it is affecting your performance, it’s not a good tactic innit? We are fighting on two fronts, but I don’t think it’s sustainable with a thin squad like we have. Curse Wenger as much as you want, but he did know how to use the Europa / FA Cup games to blood youngsters and not burn out your playing XI.
We do not have enough quality on the bench. An injury to ESR hasn’t helped, but there is a massive drop in performance when Eddie replaces Jesus/Martinelli and Vieira comes on for Odegaard. Sambi is no match for Partey and we don’t have a rotation option for Saka at all. However, Arteta’s 82nd minutes subs haven’t helped much in giving game times to any of the bench players.
When Eddie had a run of games in last season, he was prolific. Strikers feed on confidence (remember Lukaku?), giving them 10 min towards the end won’t help. Arteta needs to fix his rotational tactics, not because we don’t want to see the same playing XI for 70 games a season, but because when it’s not possible due to injuries or for any goddamn reason, the replacements are confident enough to keep up the team performance.
We need a Partey’s back-up. Sambi is not the answer, not with the game he shows these days. Do we need a Neves? Yes. An injury to Partey at any stage in the season would mean an end to it, how come we were so naïve to recognise that? Or did we recognise it but decided to ignore it? I don’t know.
Saka needs to be rested. Nelson was starting games under Emery, he can’t be so sh*t to not cover Martinelli when we are 2-0 up. We also had decided to keep Marquinhos, can he not cover Saka against Bodo/Glimt – because if he can’t, why the f*ck we didn’t loan him out to grow?
Before you decide to remind me that it was only the second game where we have dropped points, I must say we have seen these patterns earlier and it hadn’t ended well. Also, I have a very high expectation from a manager leading the best club in the world, who was appointed in December 2019, and haven’t made it to top 4 yet.
A season where Liverpool is sitting in 8th, every top 6 teams are dropping points except City; there is an opportunity to grab. Win the ones you are expected to, and mix it with a bit of hope and you never know. I’m a realist but it’s a two horse race till now and it always looks impossible until it’s done.
On a positive note, we are still top of the league, 2 points ahead of a team Pep built over years. Drink some hopium, and believe we will keep it like that till end of the season.
TRVL excellently put, gave me many chuckles. Then the sadness creeps in because we know with Arteta small miracles are needed to get maximum points from Forest & Chelsea when we hit the wall inside 20 minutes. Arteta’s ’70-game’ target must be really in their heads as they look for stamina they have already burnt off.
Herb, not sure how we can apply ‘prolific’ to an Arsenal blog of chain gangers from LG. We’re all the same or I hope we are where we all contribute at a good level that makes interesting reading. You are certainly a valued contributor at doing just that.
Can’t see any other line up than the usual subjects, which we can only hope they can maintain a decent level/hold on the game to get the 3 points that we generally get at home games now.
I’m not a fan of Graeme Souness as a pundit or a player unless he had played for The Arsenal then I would have loved his iron man midfielder that Keane probably based much of his game on. However, I’ve though for a while now L’pool have lost their intensity and Souness is saying it now, too.
Long may that reign and maybe time’s up for Klopp as it was for Wenger after his first decade. A rebuild will keep the Bin Dippers busy for a while.
Anyone fancy Klopp if he was free?
Arsenal 1-0 up. Only Martinelli and Jesus are acrobaticlike that
Test again
With Saka out injured, another solutt of Marquinhos falls into Arteta ken… hopefully
Sorry Deus Nelson
Game has list steam Arsenal side. Gained momentum Forest way., and Artera looking perplexed
Apologies for no game day blog this week. It’s a big festive week us which ends tomorrow morning.
Good to see 1-0, Martinelli is our own CR7 in making.
Columbia vs Spain U-17 women Final is more interesting
lol Hoopah.
Last 2 2nd halves have been poor low energy output, Hoping this trend does not continue in the 2nd half.
Nelson scores, beautiful from Xhaka and him
Nelson with his 2nd.
I think you should be back here, Hoopah !
What a f’ing awesome goal from Partey now. Nelson records an assist.
Message to Arteta – trust others and rotate more.
what a managerial masterclass…only MA could have instructed Saka to feign an injury in order to get Nelson into the lineup so that we could wake up from our recent goalscoring malaise…Nelson’s effort suggests that all we need to score more goals is back-to-back sitters at point-blank range (lol)…good on the kid for taking advantage of his rare opportunities…brilliant strike, once again, by the magnificant, albeit oft-injured, Partey….that’s two now for him from distance, in more recent times, after a considerable period where it seemed as if he might never score from outside the box ever again…my advice for MA, is the same in which I gave to my last “masseuse”, rotation matters
Yeah
Am back.
Those U-17 noticed strike the ball very precisely. Noticed that in most of the teams. Very deceptive dipping balls.
For once Odegard, drop his cojones inti the sacs and fired in for our 5th goal, This sort of score was expected against Forest
in the past we’ve failed to take advantage of these types of affairs…when a team is captiulating, like Forest today, we simply must push for 6 or 7, from a goal differential perspective
Partey with his rocket landing on Moon 😉
Jesus is having a hard luck today, could have scored a hattrick
I was there in our 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in Carabao Cup in 2019. My the then Manager is a hardcore Forest fan, was in the away end video calling me to say they gonna beat us at home.
It was sweet seeing him leave in 80th minute. He did warn me next morning that I will be fired if I talk about it.
Man, I miss watching at Emirates.
if Jesus continues to struggle for goals we will have no choice but to properly address our Striker depth in the winter window, as Eddie is what I said he was, a second-rate poacher who can’t lead the line against anyone of consequence
The Real Vieira Lynn
Yes, we need someone to convert half chances, let alone miss these easy ones. In tough games, you can’t afford to miss on the couple of chances you create. No offence to Jesus, he is unselfish but at the end, we need someone in the mould of peak Auba and not Lacazette.
I still believe in Eddie though, he has been subbed on in every PL game. There’s not much you can do coming from bench in 80th minute.
Ambarish, obviously you haven’t watched his Europa League starts, when he played 90 in our last 3 matches and offered up considerably little…his first touch is sketchy at best and his accuracy from range is rather woeful…fact remains, we don’t commit enough men into the box, on a regular basis, for him to be a truly effective Striker…remember some of his earlier success actually came from his late-game minutes, as we were invariably searching for goals, which allowed him to find space in a more congested box, as defenders never saw him as someone they needed to key on