Arsenal (H) - Post Game Thread

[blueparrot]

We’ve been shit for most of the season and don’t really deserve the title.

Just a shame the murderers are going to win it. Wouldn’t really bother me if Arsenal won the league.

Nonsense, we are 3 points behind because we deserve to be just 3 points behind, unbeaten for over 20 games . We may or may not win it.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Nonsebnse, we are 3 points behind because we deserve to be just 3 points behind, unbeaten for over 20 games . We may or may not win it.

The drop off this season is alarming, so it’s not “nonsense” is it.

 

[blueparrot]

The drop off this season is alarming, so it’s not “nonsense” is it.

Yes, there is a vast difference between a slight drop off and still in contention for 3 trophies and being shit for most of the season,and waving te white flag. So yes nonsense, and that's being generous.

 

[ysmsa]

Our patchy form suggests we won’t win 9 games on the bounce from here. We are actually on track for around 83 points.

Interesting point.

I hear what you say but a quick reckon up of our last 12 League game shows 9 wins, 3 draws

Draws against Arse, Dips and Chelsea.

3 above are all big games currently no matter how shit Chelsea are against everyone else.

Not forgetting we stuffed the Rags in that run.

Arse and Dips have more tough games than us in the run in
Rags, Spuds, Everton, Chelsea can all cause problems for our 2 title rivals.

A lot can happen in this run in

 

[ancoats]

Bernardo said something along the lines a few months back - we get paid very well but have to play every 3 days. Basically unsustainable and energy/ performance levels will drop. He is right. MOM for me though yesterday - be a massive loss this summer obvs.

The Bigger picture is when you add up all the games over 3 seasons plus international games World Cup and qualifiers, Uefa qualifiers, Uefa National League and friendly games, Manchester City players have put some miles on the clock. Bernardo must be using Duracell batteries because he just keeps going and going.

 

[Norman kneejerk]

Tight game, i thought Taylor hampered us as per everytime we made a break a city player was hauled back, the move killed, any bits of skill simply negated with a rugby tackle. Liverpool were the same against Brighton.
Imo it's against the spirit of the game and should be a mandatory booking to grab hold of someone to stop them. No point in having skilful players otherwise.

 

[spiny]

Our record v top 5 this season is really poor. We have been underwhelming with hardly any shots on goal this season way too much also. So only being 3 points behind with 9 to go is some achievement in squeezing the shite out of games which we have done alot.

Only Erling and Phil as goal scorers is way off the mark compared to scouse knutz who have a handful of goal scorers in their squad. Goals win matches and as Keane said yesterday Erling looked like a div 2 striker yesterday with no service.

We replaced proven goalscorers, Gundo, Mahrez and Cole with Doku, Nunez and Kovacic who barely share a goal between them. Add that Oscar Bobb is more likely to score than Jack Grealish it puts a greater onus on Erling, Phil, Julian, Kev and Bernardo.

Teams like Arsenal have wised up and focus more attention on the players who actually present a goal threat in their tactics against City. Teams were not able to do this other seasons because of the number of our forward players capable of scoring and contributing around double figures goals a season.

 

[shevtheblue]

I find it really strange how the media today are going on about how Arsenal have managed to get over some big hurdle. The big hurdle is going out there and trying to beat the current champions at their own place, ripping the title from their hands and then making it so it's just you and Liverpool in the race. Even though we've not won in ages (in a proper season) at Anfield, i can't remember us ever going there for a draw. IMO that's the difference, Liverpool always come to Etihad to try and win, there were times last night that Arsenal had 10 men behind the ball and it wasn't just because of a huge amount of pressure from City.

I think KDB has been struggling for a few games, you can see he has unfortunately lost half a yard and it will take him some time to adjust to that. So it was strange that Pep decided to take off Foden instead, surely the right thing would have been to put Foden in the 10? I know a lot of people have been going hard on Haaland, personally i didn't think he was that bad. They doubled up on him, when he came deep he didn't really have anything close to him to bounce off and there wasn't much space for him to run in behind either. I thought Grealish looked good when he came on, i also thought Rico was very composed and didn't look out of place at all. But we keep waiting for City to move up a gear and unfortunately it just hasn't happened this season although there's still time.

 

[OB1]

We replaced proven goalscorers, Gundo, Mahrez and Cole with Doku, Nunez and Kovacic who barely share a goal between them. Add that Oscar Bobb is more likely to score than Jack Grealish it puts a greater onus on Erling, Phil, Julian, Kev and Bernardo.

Teams like Arsenal have wised up and focus more attention on the players who actually present a goal threat in their tactics against City. Teams were not able to do this other seasons because of the number of our forward players capable of scoring and contributing around double figures goals a season.

How many league goals did Palmer score for City?

 

[youngbob]

We replaced proven goalscorers, Gundo, Mahrez and Cole with Doku, Nunez and Kovacic who barely share a goal between them. Add that Oscar Bobb is more likely to score than Jack Grealish it puts a greater onus on Erling, Phil, Julian, Kev and Bernardo.

Teams like Arsenal have wised up and focus more attention on the players who actually present a goal threat in their tactics against City. Teams were not able to do this other seasons because of the number of our forward players capable of scoring and contributing around double figures goals a season.

Cole Palmer wasn't a proven goalscorer when we sold him - 0 Prem goals in 20 apps - and if Chelsea had literally anyone else on penalties he wouldn't be considered as one right now.

 

[Gray]

We are no where near as good as last season, but:

• 3rd in the Premier League
• In the FA Cup semi-final
• In the last 16 of the Chumps

So hardly a failure.

We just seem to have lost the art of scoring goals against packed defences and injuries/loss of form have badly effected us.

 

[ysmsa]

The drop off this season is alarming, so it’s not “nonsense” is it.

And there you have it.

This so called drop of hasn't allowed Dips or Arse to have a commanding lead, they aren't all that.

We've a 100% record in CL and FA cup, what's that another 12 wins or something we've had this season.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

We are no where near as good as last season, but:

• 3rd in the Premier League
• In the FA Cup semi-final
• In the last 16 of the Chumps

So hardly a failure.

We just seem to have lost the art of scoring goals against packed defences and injuries/loss of form have badly effected us.

True but dips and arse aren’t brilliant. At our peak we’d be wiping the floor with the league this season.

 

[Semper aggressus]

The drop off this season is alarming, so it’s not “nonsense” is it.

I agree, I think we’ve been disappointing by our recent standards this season. Injuries and a poor transfer window probably just too much to overcome after the efforts of winning everything last season. If we’d managed to sign Bellingham or Rice I think we’d be three or four points clear at the top now, but that’s just conjecture.

However, we are still in with a shout, just, if we don’t drop any more points, and if a couple of teams can do us the favour of actually taking points of the scouse twats.

Plenty of points to play for, but someone has to beat the scouse rats.

 

[South Stand Balti]

I'm also surprised at the media reaction, and the Arsenal reaction, to this massive point they gained yesterday. I'd prefer them to win it than the dippers, but all I watched yesterday was a team who showed why they have no chance of winning the league.....Arsenal are gutless.

 

[blue whippet]

Yeah. If we can't do it then Arsenal all the BLEEDING WAY

Yes, for me too. I have no love or arsenal at all, I don't like the antics off Arteta, I don't like their players as as they are constantly, constantly throwing their arms up appealing, endless moaning and I don't like their self righteous club. The thought of them winning anything is not appealing but it is infinitely preferable to liverpool winning anything.

 

[Semper aggressus]

Fucking Shearer did my head in last night describing Arsenals tactics and defending as brilliant.
Erm any fucker who parks the bus and constantly has eleven men behind the ball can thwart even the best of teams.
However he did say that he still believes that City will go on and win the PL.

Why do so few teams thwart Liverpool with that tactic? We seem easier to stop for some reason.

 

[blueparrot]

And there you have it.

This so called drop of hasn't allowed Dips or Arse to have a commanding lead, they aren't all that.

We've a 100% record in CL and FA cup, what's that another 12 wins or something we've had this season.

I don't think the drop off is as great as that, liverpool and especially arsenal are 2 very good teams that have improved from last season, even though a lot on here are reluctant to give other teams credit were it's due.
If I was to put i crudely we may have dropped off 5-10%, they have improved 5-10%, yet are still matching them and my win more than both of them. If we don't then we don't.

 

[KS55]

We are no where near as good as last season, but:

• 3rd in the Premier League
• In the FA Cup semi-final
• In the last 16 of the Chumps

So hardly a failure.

We just seem to have lost the art of scoring goals against packed defences and injuries/loss of form have badly effected us.

Yes. Perspective is always needed. Unfortunately the Arse are still in the CL, otherwise we would walk it.
We were always going to suffer Gundog’s loss and we have not really adequately replaced him and the others that left. They will try to put that right in the summer. I would like to see a winger with the pace and the courage to attack down the line and cross to Haaland. Judging by Pep’s gestures to Jack at the end, maybe those were the instructions. I have always felt that you must try to outflank a packed defence, thus turning them.

 

[OB1]

The way people overreact to any difficulties City have is painful to behold.

However, no one can deny that the team is not achieving the levels of last season or that the club did not help themselves with the transfer window last summer. This is a constant frustration for me in that we have frequently failed to go out after a successful season and have a transfer window that puts us even further ahead of the oppostion.

We’ve made some great buys in recent years, Grealish and Haaland being prime examples but neither resulted in major leaps forward. Mind you, bettering what we had last year is very difficult.

We lost some very good older players (Gundo / Riyad) in the summer and brought in some players of great potential (Gvardiol / Doku) but those younger players need time.

Last season’s exertions have I am sure taken a lot out of the players and injuries have made things harder. From here to the end of the season, it will very much about how much the players have left in the tank in the face of a daunting schedule. We could pay a price for chasing the three big ones into the business end of the season and trying to achieve the impossible.