Arsenal (H) | PL | Post-match Thread

My only real criticism of Pep from the match is that he should not have left Dias as functionally our playmaker for 30 minutes. Stones would have been a better fit in that role with Dias playing just inside the box to provide screens and layoffs. Dias is not decisive enough on the ball (that has never been his gift, nor is he a good shooter or passer), so that continued to hamstring our build up as the game went on.

Otherwise, Pep did what he could against some truly disgraceful tactics employed by his former number two.

It really is a wonder Arteta was with us as long as he was given how much of a **** it turns out he is.
 
Jonas.shaffer said:
I can’t fault the players’ effort today. Still, Pep and his staff’s team selection and in-game adjustments were... not good.

Starting Walker when he’s been a genuine liability since last year and somehow even more shambolic in the games he’s played thus far this season is inexcusable for me. Lewis has defended against better and quicker wingers all season while being ten times the player as Walker on the ball. Even then, admit the mistake and bring on Lewis at halftime. Especially when you know they’re going to put all ten behind the ball. To that point, why not also bring on goal-scorers/players who are better on the ball? Foden should have come on far sooner, and players like McAtee and Nunes with strong shots should have been considered as well. Why Gundo and Bernardo stayed on is beyond me. We had Kovacic, Akanji, Walker and Dias all around the penalty box until the 70th minute. Why would that worry Arsenal? Just go for it, Pep. Nonetheless, happy to grab a point from that, obviously.

Also, did we prepare for their corner-kick routines? Surely, the plan to counter them wasn’t just to allow three players to surround Ederson unimpeded. However, I do think the FA has to crack down on these things.

The biggest concern is obviously Rodri. That did not look good, and if he’s out long-term, it would be a hammer blow to the season.
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There was a warning the minute before they went ahead. We adjusted by putting Walker on Gabriel, which was the right thing to do (Walker's uselessness is another matter) but we did nothing about the blocking.

VAR did nothing about that, and the referee didn't either. (He must have seen at least one of them). So this MUST be a legitimate tactic this season. Fine, let's see all teams turn this to their own advantage for the rest of the season, with goalkeeper obstruction becoming something worked on in training.

If it's ok for two players to deliberately block the goalkeeper's ability to cover half his goal, then it's ok for three or four people to stand in his way. The season will be very interesting as we see this being developed, and I hope Arsenal are the ones to be caught out by it the most. Along with United of course.
 
Anyone else see the supporter outside the East Stand, got punched, hit his head in the road, eyes vacant, unconscious and then blood pouring from his skull, looked really bad.
 
Ethan23 said:
Not read the comments but what I’ve taken away from today.

1. That point is massive. Losing that would have completely have changed the narrative.

2. Walker is finished.

3. Without kdb we look devoid of creativity.

4. We looked ridiculous predictable.

5. We really need a Musiala / witz to unlock doors when you’ve got 10 men behind the ball.
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1. It was a huge point.

2. Walker is not finished.

3. We can still create without KDB, but there isn't an awful lot you can do to creatively to break down a well parked bus. You just have to keep plugging away and hope you get an opportunity.

4. See point 3.

5. New players aren't the answer.
 
paulchapo said:
Rodri's injury, that's why we went to jelly for 10 minutes.

Madrid last season we fucking battered them. They rode their luck and won on the lottery of penalties. Inter in the final......erm we won the trophy, did you miss that? Four premier league titles in a row, a treble recently, a domestic quad not long ago.....yes he's really fucking it up that bald fraud bloke lol.
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Yep
This is getting missed and not talked about and it killed us. Lost our heads and let them get out and it all went Pete Tong, The Referee was a joke all game and Walker was right in he did not let the TEAM get set
 
IronsideKozuch said:
Very good performance. We had basically total domination for first 40 min and understantably whole second half. We had 33 shots, Arsenal had 4, just has parked the bus with some best defenders in the world. There is nothing harder than to break 11 defenders around penalty box.

Shame with Rodri, its undeniable what he is for the team, he organises us like nobody else. We obviously were better as a football unit before injury.

But this is still begining of the season. Some people with their slander against club, players and Pep should be banned, but mods apparently care more about crowded match thread, than what their job should be.
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Walker could make a parson swear, sometimes
 
Spitty mentioned something about it kicking off between the benches when Stones scored. Anyone see it?
 
I'm so worried about Rodri's injury. We don't have any DM. Kovacic is decent but he's not Rodri. We fucked up in the summer by not getting a Bruno Guimaraes or some other quality DM. I think we need to play Kovacic + Gundogan double pivot every game until Rodri gets better.
 
We almost had ultimate shithousery win the game today and the Tarquins have the audacity to call us cheats. They need to have a sit down in a room of mirrors the cunts. Fucking classless display from Arseholes. That bald **** Voldermort and his cronies on AFTV will be spitting tacks after that late equaliser but will say nothing about the shithouse tactics his club clearly played from the first minute till the last.

If they are happy with that performance then there's no fucking levels of shithousery they will turn to to get a result. The FA and Premier League need to look at the blatant time wasting and gamesmanship employed by Arteta and his players and bring them to account or this will become part of every teams plans to stop us. The rest are strugging to stop us fairly so they resort to underhand tactics on and off the pitch. This is what we are up against now.
 
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