Arsenal (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

Rodri was carrying the team last season. Most important City player in PL history.

It's obvious we are lucking physicality. Arsenal and Liverpool are currently far superior in that respect.

The game was relatively even before their 2nd goal. Gifting them that goal ruined our spirit, which normally shouldn't happen.

Foden is a second striker. It seems that he won't be a proper midfielder. Has tools to be brilliant in midfield, but something is missing. Hopefully that changes next season. As things stand we are too open with 4 attacking players in Haaland, Marmoush, Foden and Savinho. KDB is not the solution for that. We need a proper midfielder vs Real.
 
Strange game.

I thought we were the better team until Foden gifted them the lead again. After that, our players’ heads went and everyone had seemingly given up.

Ortega, Akanji, Stones and Foden were particularly bad.
 
Got to take this on the chin. As for the giddy gooners it is a similar result to what their North London rivals got earlier on and it won't do them any good in the long term.
 
im really gutted about today, we were building confidence back up after a relatively good January, but the last 30 mins was horrific. the players hid; they retreated and were so passive

Carragher nailed it - when the game gets intense we cannot cope.

I dont know how this leaves us for next season; clearly we will get beat by Madrid but looking forward it isnt just a case of Rodri comes back and we get back into gear; a new team needs to be built and its asking a lot to get the same leadership qualities and team spirit embedded before August 2025.
 
Ok, I just want to make this comment.

We keep conceding goals and it's natural to say our defense is shit, I've said it plenty of times too. Now our defense hasn't been great but it isn't the main issue.

ALL of our defenders are bought with the thought in mind that our midfield will truly control possession ( I don't mean percentage possession, I mean CONTROLLING the ball, not constantly giving it away).

Our midfield is currently not functioning that way. We are CONSTANTLY losing the ball, often deep, often in dangerous areas.

I'm going to single out Kovacic here as a major culprit, not because I don't think he is a decent player, he is, but he is being asked to play a role that isn't the right role for him. He is a dribbler and a ball carrier who advances the ball in that way. He isn't the best passer in the world and he certainly isn't the safest pair of feet in the world. He should NEVER be a teams deepest midfielder, he loses the ball too much for that.

But then, what's the alternative with Rodri out? A 34 year old Gundogan who doesn't have the legs? A fresh academy graduate O'Reilly? We don't have one... So he gets stuck with the role.

Currently, ALL our midfielders are playing like they can't be depended upon to make a successful pass and our entire defensive structure is built around the assumption that all of our midfielders CAN do that consistently.

Until we sort out the mess we have in midfield, things aren't going to change. Which makes it even more bizarre that we splashed so much money on a Striker / Winger and TWO central defenders but no midfielders.

If we don't sign a new midfielder with quality passing and some legs / energy I fear for our ability to finish in the top 4.

Bright side? We aren't the Scum.
 
Expected. Surprised it got to 5-1 in the end but was honestly more surprised we got a goal in the first place. Thought we actually played quite well until we scored - we should be good enough to sneak 5th place this season.

But simply put, the lads are knackered. They gave it absolutely everything to win the league last season. Now we're watching what happens when a team that's won four titles on the trot experiences tiredness and burnout.

There are, sadly, lots of players in this team (mostly in midfield and at the back) who are either over the hill, playing through injury, or just can't find that second wind anymore. And of course we're missing Rodri on top of that.

We'll rebuild in the summer and start again. There's lots to be excited about with Dias, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Foden, Marmoush, Bobb, Savinho, and Haaland leading us forward over the next 3-5 years.

But first we've got to say a big thank you and goodbye to about half a dozen lads - maybe more - who've served us well down the years but just aren't at the levels required anymore. It happens, we'll be back.
 
bluegaz13 said:
Apart from playing one of the new defenders and shifting Akanji to right back ( which is really his only position) I’m not sure what combination Pep could have picked with the current players available.

The transfer policy for the last 12 months (pep is culpable for that) and loyalty to the old guard is what has cost us……added to diabolical fitness which is evident in any game against decent opponents.
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We must have a better option for RB than Nunes.Also it is Peps responsibility for the backroom staff and we seem to be happy with the worst set piece coach in football (watch in the next month or so marmoosh will be coached out of his good corners), a medical and conditioning team who cannot keep a player available for selection or up to fitness of any other PL teams and god knows what our defensive coaches do as we are a shower of shit at the back every week.
We were in that awful run of 1 win in 13 well before the window opened and we have spent money on 2 young unproven defenders, and not addressed the midfield issues, that's on the club.
We now have 2 top quality front players yet lack the tactics or personal capable of playing to their strengh and not being capable also of spotting their runs.
Soon we will be out of the CL and then perhaps with 1 game a week we can get that 5th place spot which may give us CL football but there is no fight, desire, energy left in most of our starting 11 and it needs a huge clear out in the summer
 
Pubteam Lomas said:
I' agree to a point. We need players who are first team ready. Lack of pace in midfield is killing us.
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We had a similar discussion last year and I think you mentioned 3 or maybe 4 would be adequate. It was obvious then and is crystal now. Very big rebuild on the way.
 
Put it in the match thread but we don’t recover from mistakes at all, we worked our way through it in the first half and by the equaliser we were the better team.

That Foden pass was suicidal by any standard and from there the entire arse went out the team. We got what we deserved.

Hardly a great scalp for them, we’ve been on the end of these all season, architects of our own down fall and the worst thing is, I think we all knew this was coming today, was just a case of how many.

The people with more intellect than I that run the club need to work this out because as a simple supporter of the club, it seems like at best, the players we want to fill the void aren’t available or at worst, we’ve been complacent and taken our position for granted and not succession planned at all.

There are going to be many more days like this for the rest of the season.
 
One to forget & move on. Shit happens & we were unlikely to beat Arsenal this time. They’re not second for nothing.

The squad will get better; the players will gel & need to put this behind them.

Just think of Instanbul; the treble & 4in a row. Forget today

We’re aiming for top 4; CL & FA cup
 
Micky Blue said:
It cost us that goal and was a fucking dreadful pass.
We will never know but I think we lose anyway.
The season we’ve had, the number of times we’ve capitulated in the second half of games.

I dont think it cost us the game. But certainly didn’t help.
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Killed the team’s confidence after getting back into it
 
It seemed better than 5-1 but how are we folding at every attack and wtf is Ortega doing. Ortega and Akanji (specially him) should be shown the door. I had just buy any DM at this rate tomorrow and a RB please. Dias and Ake need to be back asap, they are the only reliable defenders we have (maybe Stones but well today...)
 
ID70 said:
Another embarrassing team performance to add to the many this season. The team is weak and is bullied far too easily, as the players are all too nice and offer no physicality.
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Get Sean Dyche and Neil Warnick in as tactical coaches. Nothing to lose. Seriously needs some new ideas and going back to basics.

I know injuries don't help but Arteta got his defence right 2 years ago and built from there. The fact they bottled and were too emotional gave us the 23 league, but his defence is paying dividends.
 
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