Arsenal frittered away another 3 points against a top 6 side when they were downed by two late Chelsea goals. The result is very disappointing, the way it went down was very us, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many fans in that ground that weren’t happy with the way things are moving.
When it came down to it, there were some very fair mitigating circumstances the new manager was dealing with. We were missing Granit Xhaka, say what you will about him, he starts in this midfield. We were missing 3 full backs, plus Holding, Ceballos and Gabriel. That’s 7 players, which is a crisis. Then when we lost Cal Chambers, who was having a great game, and had to replace him with the absolutely dreadful Mustafi, well, you’re always going to struggle.
Both goals we conceded were very poor. I think the context, outside our limited set of players, was the amount of effort we were putting in. The players simply haven’t worked at that sort of level for a very long time, after 45 minutes, the energy levels noticeably dropped. In the second half that meant the players started to defend a lot deeper, which gave space for Chelsea to roam. We gave up our first goal from a hideous Bernd Leno error, he came racing out of his goal for a one-handed swipe at a cross, he missed, Jorginho was in at the back post for a finish he didn’t know much about. He’s been our best player this season, you just don’t expect that.
I don’t like to complain about reffing standards, but there’s no way Jorginho should have been on the pitch. In general, the tactical fouling on the halfway line was ignored by the ref for most of the day… arguably, if we’d been street smart enough, we’d have engaged in some of it for the second goal. Matteo G went for a header he was never going to win, he should have been sitting far deeper in my opinion, which is something I have no doubt will be fixed. Chelsea were allowed to run at us, Luiz and Mustafi dropped, and dropped, and dropped, the ball switched wide, Abrahams didn’t have Mustafi tight, he turned and put it past Leno. A shoddy piece of defending, but look, we’re not going to shake that in 2 weeks.
If there was a criticism to be had, I think it was about making aggressive subs a little earlier. Lacazette and Nelson weren’t offering much, I think there was a limited case to made that we could have brought on Pepe or John-Jules to bring more energy to the frontline. That said, when Pepe did come on, to watch and £80m winger spurn a chance because he couldn’t shift it onto his correct foot was quite depressing. Jules, well, an unknown quantity for a big game.
If we go to the first half, there was a lot more to be happy about. Firstly, the atmosphere is directly linked to what the fans are seeing on the pitch. We are energised by the efforts of the players, it’s fair to say the fans were buzzing for a large part of the game. Even after the game, there weren’t any boos, everyone respected the fight on show.
Arsenal were very compact. It was very refreshing to see our defenders a lot further up the pitch, people knew their positions, everyone was putting in a shift. I thought this new attitude was typified by the selfless performance of Auba. He held a very wide position all game and he actually tracked runners. A lot of people constantly rattle off the ‘not that sort of player’ line… well, Mesut Ozil and our best fox in the box are doing yards and making tackles now.
There wasn’t a whole lot of creation in the first half, but I think the purpose was more about containing Chelsea and nicking a goal where possible. Building from a solid foundation is what we’ve asked for over the years, we know we don’t need a lot of chances because we have elite finishers, so it was an interesting game from that purview.
I also thought we were very good in possession, again, it didn’t lead to much, but the passing in general was unrecognizable at times. We were seeing a different team that could move the ball out of the back fluidly, and shift the ball between the lines with relative ease. Chelsea were mostly chasing shadows for that opening 45, but what I loved is that were starting to reap the rewards of good off the ball positioning… Chelsea players were ratttled into making unforced errors just by where our players were positioned. Not perfect by any means, but you could see that we were difficult to attack.
Our goal came from a George Graham inspired setpiece. Cal Chambers, who is a beast in the air, nodded on for Auba at who was hunting in the box. It really was a shame he limped off with what looked like a serious injury.
A lot of people lay the genius of Chelsea at Frank Lampard’s feet when he switched Chelsea to a back 4 and brought on Jorginho. I’m not sure that was the difference-maker, I think Arsenal running out of steam was. When you’re tired, your body defaults… as a team, we defaulted to habits that Arteta hasn’t fully dealt with yet.
The game finished, but there were no boos. That was a heartening performance from a depleted team that’s about 2 weeks into a journey. We felt robbed, a bad feeling, but I didn’t expect to feel like that considering the circumstances. That’s a good sign.
I’m positive, I know most will expect me to be, but I think I’ve seen enough to know we’re heading in the right direction.
Arteta has taken over Arsenal in a chaotic fixture pile-up, with a broken squad, and very little confidence.
We’re seeing a huge amount of effort already. I read some people pondering whether Arsenal are capable of playing with intensity… absolutely. We’ve been playing with the handbrake on for well over a year, Arteta isn’t pushing Arsenal players to unachievable levels of effort, he’s bringing them up to a normal standard. It’s going to take time. We have a World Cup winning S&C coach who will be frontline shaping our intensity, we will be fine. Key thing for me, I was unsure if Arteta would be able to motivate players to push themselves to breaking point, he can, that’s good news.
The players are responding well. I thought Luiz had an immense game, Torreira is playing like a proper DM, and Mesut Ozil has turned up for the second game in a row, Auba is defending, and AMN is looking very solid.
David Luiz had this to say.
“For me he will be one of the best coaches in the world,” Luiz said.
“I am lucky to have have had many good coaches in my career, he is intelligent, he is clever and I think he will be one of the best.
Sure, I can take that with a pinch of salt, but no one was saying this about Emery. My point here again is that the players are showing you they believe in Arteta with the effort, but they are saying they believe in his ideas, which is even more important. It takes time to learn a new way of playing. It took Klopp and Pep a while to bed in the way they wanted to play, it’ll take Mikel a while, but you’re seeing good signs.
I’m also positive that the manager can raise the level of the squad. We have good players, saying we don’t is lazy, it’s also usually peddled by people that liked Emery. We matched Chelsea fairly comfortably with 7 players missing, with a brand new manager… they’re 5 months into their project with a fully fit squad. We haven’t had proper fullbacks for two games, even the addition of Kola will help. Holding is going to be immensely welcome when he joins, a ball-playing centre back with athleticism. I’m sure Arteta will draw more from Ceballos and I’m pretty sure Martinelli is exactly the mould of player he wants in his side.
The second part of having fit players is being able to select from a bench. A lot of criticism was levelled for his subs yesterday, but really, how many game-changing options did he have? Pepe can’t get a start ahead of Nelson, we can keep hoping he’s the real deal, but all logical indicators point to him not being that player right now.
We’ve also lost our ‘ex-captain’ to Hertha Berlin. 1) This is his level 2) We will have to replace him. Hopefully we find someone with the power and pace he lacked. They also need to be able to pass. That signing needs to be a game-changer, there has to be a good plan there.
Results have to come, they will come, but there need to be a level of realism. We’re in the most intense part of the season with a new manager who is having to communicate most of his ideas in meetings and one on ones. Still, we’re seeing the beginnings of an identity, which is what we all wanted. The players are fighting for the club, something we’ve not seen for years. Fans in the stadium are backing the approach, lots of positive sentiment during and after the game. Good things will come, the next 6 weeks will be rough, but we are moving towards something very exciting.
Right, see you all in the comments. x
From the article David Luiz had this to say. “For me he will be one of the best coaches in the world,” Luiz said. “I am lucky to have have had many good coaches in my career, he is intelligent, he is clever and I think he will be one of the best. Sure, I can take that with a pinch of salt, but no one was saying this about Emery. Pedro, is it a lack of research or your rose tinted glasses or do you think no one but you has access to google? Here is what Bellerin had… Read more »
CA I can see it happening. 18 months left, rumours of them having a replacement lined up and Konate and Orban back after the winter break. Also he missed the beginning of the season and no injury was cited so it would seem that perhaps he wasn’t happy that he didn’t get his move to Arsenal late last window.
I personally would love him. Very assured very intelligent defender with excellent ball skills. Great prospect.
Bamford must have hurt PhD bad, he can’t seem to let go.
The absolute explosion when you are obsessed with a crazy fella like the Bam.
Marko
Yeah.
£40 Million isn’t that bad at all in this market either.
Very likely 3 CBs are sold as well in January/summer with a new CB recruit in January and then Saliba arriving in the summer.
Likely Mavropanos, Mustafi and Sokratis who will be sold.
If we can get £10-15 Million for the lot of them than Upamecano’s fee looks even better with long term vision at £25-30 Million net for the CB position.
‘Pedro, is it a lack of research or your rose tinted glasses or do you think no one but you has access to google?’
When it comes to Arteta, you can’t save Pedro from excessive illusions. Pedro has been ultimately enrolled…….there is no helping him.
Upamecano and Can and then as others have said, picking up Deulofeu in the summer if we can get a good price if indeed Watford go down would be a good move. Allows us to focus our summer money on a CAM and RB if the signings have worked out. I think if we land those two in January then Arteta has enough to play with especially when players return from injury to climb the table a little and restore confidence to then have a real go at the Europa League. As shit as this season has been even if… Read more »
CC, Yes I have read some of Sarri’s comment. Looking at French and English translation of the same interview is funny because the mental aspect is not presented the same way. Having to learn the language, a completely different culture and environment and living for the first time away from his family may have been a shock for Rabiot. More than an introvert, in France journalist presents him as a loner who like to be with his family. Despite spending nearly all his career at PSG, he was never close to people there, so expecting him to be immediately open… Read more »
Valentine
Thanks for clearing that up
Maybe a little more detail next time lol
Hillwood,
I will try to be more longer next time.
😉
Marc,
Watching BBC press review, your blood will boil as newspaper have a big article on Greta. According to her father activism helped her coping with her diagnostic of Asperger’s syndrom. Working on saving the planet helps save her.
”I will try to be more longer next time.”
That’s what Val says to all the ladies 😀
Banford I’d stick to lecturing 10 year olds on poetry, your football patter has long caused raucous laughter on both here and Twitter. – 10th best squad in the league – Emery overachieved and not at fault – Calvert-Lewin/Richarlison better than Auba/Laca – OGS and United excellent – Lacazette wouldn’t start for a top 10 PL club All this spanning just the past few weeks….minutes in some cases. You’ve a cheek to comment on Phd too btw, you never have any answers to me when you’re questioned or engaged on a particular topic – but here you waltz in to… Read more »
Valentin
That’s a bit of a questionable character trait possibly then. He’s gifted AF, but you do wonder what’s held him back quite so much.
Jamie,
I would say that like HillWood they used to complain that I was too long…
Jaime with impeccable sources has to be said.
Rabiot is 24 with over 20 appearences for PSG. He’s a cocky shit who doesn’t get along with Deschamps otherwise he’d have more caps for France
*200
“Yeah, this guy is seriously bizarre. If I thought he lived anywhere near me, I’d look into filing a restraining order of some kind.”
You never change, do you Bamford. You really are a seriously disturbed individual, not altogether there is putting it mildly. Why Pedro allowed you back on can only be attributed to seasonal goodwill, but you’ll manage to wear out that courtesy as well.
Here’s the difference – If you lived anywhere near me, I’d ignore you.
Not sold on Rabiot, used to be, but he has failed to progress and does not show the fight to compete in a league like EPL. I think he would find the attentions of some defenders on a cold night ‘up North’ too much to handle! We are crying out for players with physical and mental strength, energy (who will not run out of steam after 30 minutes!) and skill. Not a lot to ask for I know but other clubs seem to unearth gems from all over the place – why can’t we? It is no use waiting until… Read more »
Re those crazy saka comments about learning basics, you have to remember most of these young players will have been raised under wenger years preparing them for a career under him
Which means you’d expect the extent of the tactical and strategic education our kids got was ‘express yourself’ and given a formation in which to do it
I really doubt when the first team barely had a plan that the kids were being taught much
Dayot & Partey as many have said here will make a huge difference to the rest of our season:
This from the DM the morning.
“Arsenal lining up Dayot Upamecano as Mikel Arteta’s first signing to shore up leaky defence – and RB Leipzig could be persuaded by £40m January bid
New Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hunting a new centre-back in January
Red Bull Leipzig youngster Dayot Upamecano is high on Arteta’s wish list
Calum Chambers’ knee injury has accelerated the need for a new defender
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is stalling on a contract extension at the Emirates ”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7838343/Mikel-Arteta-money-spend-January-Arsenal-manager-pursuing-Dayot-Upamecano.html
Rocky Roe
Here is what I will say about Emery.
His reactive, no discernible personality style of football is totally unsuited to the mercurial attacking talents within this football club.
He might be indeed the world’s greatest coach but setting up a squad and having a vision of it are different skill sets from pure coaching.
Reported that Auba wants CL football next season so maybe his stand out performance against Chelsea was nothing more than Auba putting himself in the shop window for January.
China1
I think Wenger’s emphasis is on technique first over tactics and formation. Which is why guys like AMN, Saka, Willock can play multiple positions.
But you bring up an interesting and relevant point. Should Big Per raise these kids to play football with Arteta’s vision in mind? Or create generic units of footballers who can then be fitted slotted into the first team, in case we have a managerial turnover?
I watched Atletico’s match against Arsenal in Singapore where they played the youths. Atletico’s youths know Simeone’s football inside out. The entire team seem to move together as 1.
Dark hei yeah I agree fully And I think it’s best if we have a bit of diversity in our youth If the manager or direction changes you don’t want all your eggs in one basket. Power, stamina, technique are eternally useful Tho I think at least core tactical and strategic awareness is a must. For example the kids should quite literally be taking classes on the strategies of not only the senior team but also other opposition teams too. The kids should be able to discuss at length what Chelsea just did against us both before and after Jorginho… Read more »
Dayot and partey would be really exciting
With those two I think all talk of squad poverty would have to evaporate. We’d have more than enough to salvage our season and make a push up the table to at least EL places. And we’d be one of the favorites for the EL which would take on extra priority
We’ll probably just get a couple of suarezes on loan tho lol
Maybe we can go in for a late loan for kallstrom if he hasn’t yet retired!
Wonder what people think here about this VAR solution?
“MARK CLATTENBURG: My five-point plan to improve VAR – remove offsides from the process, define what’s ‘clear and obvious’, allow captains two challenges a match, make must use pitchside monitors and let us ALL hear what they say
VAR was the major talking point after a number of incidents over the weekend
Premier League games were overshadowed by marginal offside decisions
The use of video technology has divided supporters up and down the country
Sportsmail’s refereeing expert Mark Clattenburg would make five changes… ”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7837957/MARK-CLATTENBURG-5-point-plan-improve-VAR.html
Dark Hei then maybe this football club should move away from mercurial talents to more dependable players. We can’t keep indulging them because as history has shown they will always come up short.
Rocky roe had a point, whatever our players say about the coach now is irrelevant, we just need them to start winning games.
That Morelos fella seems like a lovely chap though. Well done to the posters wanting us to buy him… “Another Glasgow Derby has come and gone. Alfredo Morelos has still not scored against Celtic. Instead he found another way to cause controversy, first by being sent off for diving in the 96th minute of the game and then making a slit-throat gesture towards the Celtic fans, to be watched by millions of viewers around the world. And now the Colombian is expected to be hit with further punishment by the disciplinary committee. So much for his ‘improved discipline’ as he… Read more »
The Upamecano rumours keep coming, it really is a no brainer, our CB pairing would be set for a decade with him and Saliba. No point waiting for the summer if we can pull it off now. Does anyone seriously think Arteta is sitting there in his office, helmet hair off, thinking he needs another 6 months to evaluate if Mustafi, Luiz and Sokratis is the future of our defense? Same with midfield, players like Guimaraes, Sangare, Szoboszlai all either openly on the market or playing for smaller clubs that we can bully into selling, all in the 20-30m bracket… Read more »
Rabiot is a primadona, mummy’s boy, no thank you, after enduring ozil,
No one in their right mind will buy mustafi and Miki. Elneny at most would be 5m
Get one of those midfielders with a longstuff he can smack sissy players in the changing room with it Viera style.
Im telling you this for free!
Sid
Elneny is rumoured to move for 12m, Mikhi has done reasonably well in Italy which is more his level so should be able to get a fee for him, maybe.
Mustafi, well.
Either way, that was my point, of the 30 players in around our first team squad 18 months ago only 4 or 5 would bring a decent fee, the rest we would struggle giving away. That’s a big problem when you have to do a complete rebuild. But apparently it was Emery who broke the whole club/squad/universe in 18 months.
It’s mind boggling how the ref doesn’t use the pitch side monitor when play is under VAR review. I like the idea of both pitch side referee and video referee discussing the incident together whilst watching the same feed and coming to the logical decision together. Also not against the idea of ‘coaches challenge’ as in NFL, but would take some working out so it isn’t abused (in NFL a team loses a timeout of challenge is unsuccessful) I think the key thing is fixing these ridiculous offside calls. Define clear and obvious and improve the speed of the process.… Read more »
Points now a priority, nothing else. Just looked at our haul from last 12 matches-9 from 36 or .75 a game bang on relegation form, 1 league win in 12.
During that run we haven’t played Liverpool, United or spurs. Carry on at that rate and Auba fucks off (aside from the palace and soton draws he’s scored in every game we got points in that 12 game run)we are in deep shit. So come on big mik we need a sauce bounce now.
SAW THIS ON TWITTER.
WE’VE EITHER BOUGHT THE LOVECHILD OF NESTA AND MALDINI, OR AN INCREDIBLY LUCKY GUY.
Saint Etienne in Ligue 1 during 2019…
With Saliba :
15 matches
12 W / 1 D / 2 L
11 clean sheets
6 goals conceded
Without Saliba :
24 matches
6 W/ 6 D / 12 L
1 clean sheet
42 goals conceded
THOSE THAT HAVE WATCHED SALIBA, HOW GOOD REALLY IS HE?
The players are so bad at arsenal we are expecting them to run around like burnley for 90 mins.
Arsenal should work smart, working hard has no sauce
Freddie
“But apparently it was Emery who broke the whole club/squad/universe in 18 months.”
Ok, lets get Emery back. It is clearly not his fault.
Its Wenger’s FAULT! Wenger OUUUTTT!!!
Freddie
Emery’s incompetence is highlighted by how well Torreira is playing now he is back in his best position.
Already we have seen players like AMN, Luiz, Ozil , Torreira and Nelson play at a higher level than previously.
Emery was a disaster for the club , it will take more than a couple of games to right his wrongs.
At least the players are not in regression anymore , the results will come as the performances improve.
Dark hei Who said anyone wants Emery back? Just a bit rich to absolve the state of the squad from Wenger when he was 100% responsible for the state we were in 18 months ago. Almost all his players needed replacing, but because of poor recruiting/contract management we have to replace every experienced player we let go of with 1 proper buy and 2 youngsters just to make ends meet, of course that’s going to impact us on the pitch in the short term, it’s mental to think otherwise. Emery also takes his fair share of blame but he didn’t… Read more »
Pierre “Already we have seen players like AMN, Luiz, Ozil , Torreira and Nelson play at a higher level than previously” That’s great and all but how many of those, even playing at their best, are good enough going forward if we don’t want to be a mid table team? Torreira and possibly Nelson if he takes another couple of steps in his development, same with AMN as a backup if he can cut out all the mistakes. I’m all for Arteta, the signs are promising, we just lack quality in some very important positions, our whole spine is rotten.… Read more »
What about Upamecano teammate – Konate at CB? I learned he was the main man when Upamecano was injured.
Laca is not good enough for the arsenal, he is bendtner levels, Giroud & Adeb are better than him, though the measure of an arsenal striker should be Eduardo, RVP, Henry,
The comment by Saka are not surprising because the academy has neglected basic tactical coaching for a very long time. If you are unmarked, you push forward until one opponent comes to close you down freeing one of your teammates whom you can then pass to. Of course that teammate also need to angle himself so you can pass to him. No point in hiding behind the player who come to block you. There is nothing magical or hidden in those statements, however because the academy put the emphasis on individual technical talent rater than overall team organisation, those kids… Read more »
Dark Hei “But you bring up an interesting and relevant point. Should Big Per raise these kids to play football with Arteta’s vision in mind” Of course he should, and that should have started from day one. It has gone unnoticed that at one point in the 2nd half of the Chelsea game we had 4 academy players (Nelson, AMN, Willock, Saka)on the pitch plus another 20 year old, Guendouzi. This is a good sign for the future and playing in these intense London derbies is good experience for these players. It gives Arteta a great chance to assess their… Read more »
Not fast enough, not strong t enough as a target man, not a great finisher, not great at bringing others into play
Thats Laca, he’s okay as a 2nd choice striker but we have martinelli now. If Auba leaves we shoul get a better striker instead. We got where we are because of lowering standards.
Im telling you this for free!
Pierre “”””It has gone unnoticed that at one point in the 2nd half of the Chelsea game we had 4 academy players (Nelson, AMN, Willock, Saka)on the pitch plus another 20 year old, Guendouzi.”””” What didn’t go unnoticed though. We didn’t have a shot on goal in the second half and lost another game. Also Chelsea have youngsters too…..did anyone notice that.? In fact every club in the land has youngsters…… Assuming they will turn out all to be Paul Scholes ‘s is another matter. When you have players like Saka publically coming out with embarrassing statements about when to… Read more »
If Hertha is willing to pay €30 millions for Xhaka , sell him in exchange for a free hand at Julian Draxler of PSG. If Draxler is available for the same price, Arsenal should jump at the chance to get a proper baller.
A cheeky loan bid for Giroud or Michy Batshuayi could also help our striking department.
Fuck no to Giroud and Batshuayi. I am sick and tired of being a retirement home for players our rivals deem not good enough.
we actually have to win our next game, if not then we might really be in the shitter irrespective of how talented arteta is as a head coach.
I would absolutely consider selling Lacatalent next window and Auba for 80M if he refuses a new contract and then go all out for Werner, Upamecano and Partey
Literally just build a new spine for the team.
The energy level of this squad right now is troubling, I mean the players literally were dead on their feet from the 60th minute onward against the chavs,it was shocking.
CG Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture instead of the here and now. 3 managers in a month and fans expect everything to fall into place immediately. That ain’t going to happen. As far as I’m concerned , if the weaknesses are addressed and the players show improvement game by game , then that’ll do for me at the moment. Our standard and quality of football has deteriorated to such a poor level in the past 6 months that it isn’t possible to correct in a couple of games with little to no time on the training… Read more »
Upamecano is looking like the main target of this window then.
Very quiet in terms of midfield which means even if Upamecano is brilliant when he arrives our defensive ability will only improve so much. Though Arteta does have Torreira playing much better (at least in his first two games in charge).
Could be a case of if Xhaka does go only then would be we see something…makes it worrying Arteta wants to hold onto him. No doubt in a slow paced league Xhaka’s attributes will shine. But he is not suited to the EPL.
Valentin
Seroiusly Giroud or Michy Batshuayi? Good one! You are kidding right?
If Arsenal get Giroud on loan this TW I will give up playing football and eat my boots – yes both of them! We need to be getting rid of dross not importing more – they are both players that are finished at the top EPL level – lets look forward not backwards!
Aussie,
We don’t have the finance to buy a new DCM, a CB, a left FB and reinforce the striking department.
I can’t see what is wrong with an emergency 6 month loan to help up finish the season.
I am not talking about buying them, just as a short stop gap. They would need nearly no time to adapt. Tall strong and in both case an upgrade on the currently out of form Lacazette.
If Arsenal are even considering bringing back Giroud the club is totally fucked
Happy New Year and good night
I find those advocating the sale of Aubameyang this January incomprehensible. Arsenal have score just 26 goals in EPL this season and Aubameyang has scored 13. Lacazette has managed 5 and the rest of the squad just 8 goals. Our midfield collectively has managed just one goal, which came early in the season from Torreira as substitute. Those stats tell you that without Aubameyang our goalscoring options this season are limited. Let’s be perfectly honest whoever comes in to buy any of Arsenal’s squad on current form will offer loans or low value deals and I include our strikers. I… Read more »