We took a point against Liverpool at Anfield. I had been complaining in the past about our lack of goals from headers and set pieces but the team has turned it around lately. It was the 11th goal from set-pieces, not counting penalties. We were almost levelled in possession (49-51), had equal number of shots (13) and only one short of shots on targets compared to those scousers (2-3). It was an intense first 30 min and some very good football from both sides.
Not-so-much-positives – Zinchenko. I know Salah has cooked almost every left back in the league on multiple occasions but we knew from the beginning Zinni wouldn’t be able to cope up with Mo. It was a shame Tomiyasu is out injured or he would have started ahead of him. I’m pretty sure Mikel knows about this and that’s why we went and brought in Timber. We didn’t have options left, Kiwior starting against Pool at Anfield? No. I would have gone with Zinni too.
Playing a high line and aggressive football comes with a problem – you are open to counter attacks against a fast paced team. We saw in the 71th minute how within few seconds, Raya and Declan Rice were up against 4 of the Liverpool players, with Salah doing what he does best with the ball in his feet. We were lucky, Trent’s shot hit the bar. On any other day, it was a beautiful counter attacking goal.
Did you notice the pitch? They certainly had watered it down more to suit their long balls and slow down us. Martinelli slipped or that would have been a goal. Saka slipped and Tsimikas picked up an unfortunate broken collarbone injury (karma!). Liverpool direct style of play and long balls gives them an advantage in such cases. They had done it against Ream Madrid in UCL earlier, they did it against us.
Good. We need the teams fearing us.
Away from the Premier League football, the European court of justice has ruled in favor of Super League, not allowing the UEFA to maintain a monopoly on football. Every Premier League club has re-iterated their stance of not interested in joining them, but lets not forget the top 6 had it signed previously before the fans took over. Lets not forget football has become more of a business for the recent owners. If you haven’t noticed yet, Sportbible is already running stories about the new format suggested by A22 – the company behind the new Super League and how the format has changed based on merits now. Pretty soon, the internet will be filled with such articles and we would be made to believe that it is probably not a bad thing.
Global followings for every club has grown in recent years. With internet and cable, anyone sitting in America or India can watch a game live, order a tshirt from the official Arsenal store and receive it within a week. This extra revenue allows the club to spend more which in turn gets you trophies and more international followers. It’s a vicious cycle.
I have been there and lived the atmosphere for about 3 years. I understand the soul of football. However, ask any overseas fan and they would love a competition where Arsenal or Manchester United plays against Read Madrid or Bayern on weekly basis. There will be supporters of it, and sooner or later the British audience will have no other options than to participate.
That’s my prediction. Not today, but in 5 years things are going to change. Is it a good thing? No! Will it happen? Most likely.
Liverpool has overtaken us in the league but we are playing West Ham at home tomorrow and we are going to reclaim our top of the league position. I would love to hear what you have to say for our state of play, the pitch saga, and the Super League in the comments.
ghosts of Christmas past
I’ve always been a fan of Mavro’s, especially when he seemed like we might shift to a 3-back system…it will be interesting to see how we try and find our way back from a 2 goal deficit, especially with our goal-scoring issues(we’re the lowest scoring team in the top 5)
when it seemed
looks like Nelson and Eddie are readying themselves…does that mean Jesus and Marts or Marts and Tross are going off?
maybe a 3-5-2 or 3-1-4-2
Honestly couldn’t be bothered with going to such a late kick off with all the rail issues and piss poor weather so sold my ticket a couple of weeks ago. I’m not watching the match but I feel sorry for the poor fucker who paid bets part of £60 to turn up tonight.
At least I have the excuse of once you’ve got a season ticket you sort of have to go to most matches.
The excuses from the fan boys is going to hit hysterical turned up to 11 soon – City having an off season and no one else looking too great and still Arteta will fuck it up.
cheeky comment by the commentator after Jesus missed another high quality chance
“Toney’s transfer value is going up with each passing minute” I might be paraphrasing a tad
Marc-if we don’t do anything in the window, this could be the functional equivalent of the year when Wenger only brought in Cech and LC took home the silverware
if only the net were 8 feet wider and 6 feet taller we would be the champions of the footballing world, especially considering the amount of touches we get inside the opposition’s box on most mights
actually I take my previous post back, as we would likely still hit the Keeper square in the chest with 90% of our shots
TRVL
Bear in mind we had to loan Raya to keep within FFP rules so I’m not sure how we’ll have cash to spend in Jan – plenty of talk of course but we’ll see in a few weeks.
“if only the net were 8 feet wider and 6 feet taller”
If that were the case I could have gone pro!
that would be a weak-ass penalty call, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be given
I think the right call was made, but between that and the earlier call, which lead to the first goal, will be brain candy for the aluminum hill gang
Marc-it was more of a commentary on the fact that we have by far the most touches inside the box, yet we have the least amount of goals when it comes to the top 5 teams…Cheers
TRVL
Mate I was arseing about – no criticism of your comment.
Marc-I know, I was just using it as an excuse to reiterate my displeasure with our manager not adding any goals while spending over 200M…have a good one
keep in mind that the Hammers last two away matches saw them lose 5-0 and 5-1
TRVL
A billion pound squad that’s gone negative – it’d be funny if it weren’t us.
So City who were in a slump are 3 points behind us with a game in hand, Villa who have the manager we fired because he didn’t have sauce who’s been in the job 5 minutes and spent less than a round costs in the Tolly is a points behind us, the Spud’s who’s new manager bounce was over and had gone full Spursy are 4 points behind us.
Great days to be a Gooner.
Good on you Marc not going.
I won’t set foot in that place again, until the fraud is gone.
Cunt being mugged off by David Moyes
Liverpool and Fulham smashed five past West Ham in this month alone.
Great match comments lads. I was asleep and couldn’t find a repeat this morning so just saw the score and happy I didn’t witness the bad and ugly the stats are showing.
The stat that matters is the shots on goal – us 8 & Hammers 3 with 2 conversions. The next 2 that deserve mentioning are we had 74% possession and put 25 crosses in to nobody in particular and aerially challenged in the bargain.
I literally just watched the match in those stats. I don’t need to see the predictability that was the game.
The unpredictability of Arteta is his predictability with tactics and line ups.
I’m not one to blow my own trumpet or “I told you so’s” but I said we would be fucked on the left at the beginning of the season. I can’t claim to be a football equivalent of a rocket scientist, I give that honor to our TRVL whose thoughts on the nuances of tactical selections and line ups is cool info to read and oft learn from – we never stop learning unless you are Mikel Arteta, of course.
We can’t win without Havertz? Is that the call now? MA is a genius in the TW?
Marc, really enjoy your posts, especially your dry sardonic where with all, and the part of could have gone pro. As a RCD I wanted the nets half as wide, but no one listened.
You’re all right we’ve flattered to deceive because of Arteta. Does anyone here have confidence in Arteta for the jan TW?
Is that a 92,000 unison shake of the heads? If anyone nodded, please see a Dr. You’ll never get through the season otherwise. The PTSD on third fucked up run in in a row is going to be mind bending.
Personally, I think we will all need Temple balls from the high fields where a visit to Nepal for us LIRs should be discussed? Taken a vote on?
I digress.
I’d say we are around where I would have thought we’d be for end of 2023. Fulham away an already difficult derby is now a must win at all costs.
A blind man and his dog with only commentary and braille knows we need a quality LB and CF at least 6’3″ who can dribble and can soar like CR10 (aim high always) or the ‘Giroud’ aerial ability type forward, but with great pace.
Too much to ask for Edu and Mikel to work out? Probably. Another Chavs reject perhaps now we can’t win without Havertz. (sorry it deserved a second mention). I would not be in the lest bit the slightest.
I’ve seen little of Toney, but he looks better than Eddie N and is 185cm with a bullyboy attitude aerially.
Havertz looks like a toddler trying to jump for the ball where his chicken legs barely get off the ground, and then he does – by inches, where the look of his surprise is magical to witness until he misses the ball in the air by a country mile. Havertz is proof enough that what men can’t jump. No, I’m not racist. It’s a fact made popular by a movie. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105812/
Eddie at 180CM is too busy trying to perfect his dark arts first, in his typical nasty fashion when he is too well marshaled.
Swap Eddie for Toney with no money changing hands I’d be ok about.
There are some good LBs out there. KT, bless him is hamstrung out of the game at any decent level.
Zinchenko was best described by Marc recently: a complete waste of money. Zinchenko’s and Havertz’s combined deals financials were a waste considering what we needed.
Had we bought the Ajax LB instead of Havertz and a 20 goal a season CF instead of Zinchenko, and we’d be top now but maybe 4/5 points and 28GD as an estimate.
KP I can understand the thinking with TP coming back, but for how long? 3 maybe even 5 games and he’ll break in the PL or on international duty. The unbreakable in Spain is easy-break here along with too many others.
Rice has been Arteta’s savior as we’d be around Manure’s position by now. Another seemingly unbreakable player I hope gets through the season unscathed.
We have no football identity other than speedily getting out from the back, but then we turn into little ticky-tacky triangles once in their final third. Chief cock up merchant is Zinchecko who generally gets in the way and Gabby”s game goes to shit on the wing, as well as Zinchenko losing possession and needing Rice to cover, which is what broke Partey in the first place. Partey was a highly effective #6 until Arteta saw the all out action man in Party and grace him the whole midfield to Marshall.
Before it was Xhaka and now it’s Zinchenko/Havertz.
KP, I wish I could be more positive because I am a proactive nut by nature that doesn’t allow for negativity to be successful.
Arteta and crew are reactive, especially during games.
Ambarish, I’m rooting for you to get your first PL & our first CL trophy but I’m afraid reality dents that positivity when Arteta and Edu keep fucking up in the TWs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvZVtrEXXwc
Arteta’s song.
Have a good one lads and LIR family.
gave*