Arsenal (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

blue ranger said:
Biggest frustration is again this stupid high line. Why are we trying a stupid offside trap in the last few minutes when we have 5 defenders on the pitch.
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Couldn't agree more, it was madness ...... we didn't even have any forwards on, so why push forwards with only a few minutes left on the clock???

We should have just pulled everybody back and repeatedly hoofed the fkn ball into the stands until the final whistle went!
 
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TonyBookEnd said:
But did we play really well? Really?
Did we defend fantastically or did we just defend deep and with numbers?
Listen if you're happy with that, then I respect that. I just believe that we should be better than that. I'm just asking myself, would Real Madrid or Barcelona or Liverpool do that?

It just seems odd to me that Pep would pick this moment to dramatically change his philosophy. For someone who believes, to his very core, that to cede possession so easily is almost a sin. Why now? Why not last year when it probably warranted it more.
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Real Madrid did exactly that the year before last at our home ground. They played for a draw as they didn’t believe they could go toe to toe with us. They won the penalty shootout…
Your point seems to have failed. Good managers do what’s needed.
 
TheBlueCat said:
Real Madrid did exactly that the year before last at our home ground. They played for a draw as they didn’t believe they could go toe to toe with us. They won the penalty shootout…
Your point seems to have failed. Good managers do what’s needed.
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Different ways to win games.
Teams worked us out.
Need a new style
 
Utter bobbins said:
If we adopt these tactics every week teams won’t have a fucking clue how to play against us
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That Pep is actually open to making change is a positive. We have a decent spell of games ahead- players coming back to fitness and some coming off the injury list. We will only strengthen as this and more chemistry gels in the side.

This point rattled Arsenal and will at least give us some confidence.

It's a long season we have to take each game as it comes and set up accordingly.
 
We still need a shit hot central midfielder to accompany Rodri, and that will give us a phenomenal core, terrify the opposition to constantly go wide.

Will it be Reijnders? I hope so.
 
foggy1974 said:
Had we held on for 4 minutes longer then everyone who is slagging Pep off for playing that way would be salivating a Pep master class.

The amount of times last season we'd capitulate after conceding Pep has had to tweak his philosophy.

Haaland just before he was substituted looked knacked and Doku passed the ball into the box, Erling didn't react & Marmoush being injured, would have been the ideal substitute.
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I'm sure haaland was already off by then, infact he went off on 76 mins and doku was 82 mins for the run
 
citymad said:
Love Pep's little dig at the question on parking the bus "1 time in 10 years is not bad right?
That twat Sutton kept going on about it on 606 as if we're doing it every week.
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Is that Chris "I once kept Lincoln City in League Two so I know everything" Sutton?
Another clueless fuckwit stealing a living talking absolute bollocks.
 
ChicagoBlue said:
For all their quality on paper, Liverpool have lived a charmed life this season so far. If they get a few key injuries or have a bad couple of games in a row (2 draws is worse than a win and a loss), that’s a 4 point swing at a minimum, so it’s far too early yet.

For those feeling desperation, you should review City’s start to last season and where we ended up after Rodri’s injury and others.

The reason we play the game is because almost every pre-season opinion committed to paper is wrong!
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Agree, if it's a key defender who is injured.
Think they've got enough cover in midfield & attacking positions.
We need their captain to miss games, for them to be seriously weakened.
How does he never get booked for his aggressive attitude to referees ?
Craig Bellamy was not so lucky...
 
TheBlueCat said:
Top post - spot on!
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Near enough everyone, including many City fans expected an ArseAnal win, or at best, City to scrape a draw.

As it turned out, the Tarquins threw the kitchen sink at us, & we were relatively comfortable all match & were 3 minutes away from sealing victory.

We're rebuilding from the low point of last season. We've started from the basics of a solid defence & being hard to beat. I'm even more gutted now that we didn't complete our defensive rebuilding process by buying a proper RB, as this would give us even more confidence of a strong recovery this term.

The season will be long, & we're gonna suffer injuries, suspensions, fatigue & loss of form, so crucial reinforcements especially in that position would have been great, but it is what it is.

The critical thing that most missed is our response after the Tarquins drew level. The old Manchester City emerged, with that familiar stainless steely will to win.

ArseAnal shit themselves! They threw on a defender & went with their backs to their goal, instead of going for the win like prime City would have. This could prove the crucial difference between the two sides this season.

That is the mentality difference Bernardo spelled out. The fact that we switched from all out defending & counter attacking, to all out attack for the final 4 minutes showed the Tarquins & the rest of the PL that the Manchester City that gave them nightmares, are STILL within this team somewhere. It'll just take time until our new players have bedded in & our full confidence & all out desire to win return to the forefront of our performances.

HOWEVER, it's imperative that we get Gonzalez, Moose & Reijnders up to speed ASAP, because Rodri, Haaland & Bernardo cannot be expected to play three times every 8 days.

Getting Kovacic back will help lighten the load in midfield. Hopefully, Doku & Moose will continue to develop, as well as Bobb, Lewis, Khusanov, O’Reilly & Savinho. With Ait Nouri due to return before the next international break, we're beginning to develop nicely during this transitional season. This is without factoring in the returning maverick abilities of Rayan Cherki!

As I said previously, my target for City this season was significant performance progress & CL qualification. Anything in addition to this is a bonus for me. That's why I was heartened to hear Pep say fuck the results, it's about rediscovering who we were not so long ago.

The foundations that brought us that record-breaking run of success still remains. Our task is to now instill those values into the new squad members as part of our long overdue succession planning.

When added to our solid & comfortable defensive display against the Tarquins, many teams won't be too certain that the pushovers they all took advantage of last season, will remain the same pushovers this season. Certainly not on the showing of the last 8 days.
 
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bluegaz13 said:
I think it’s been well documented the mistakes that have been made in not replacing some of the treble winners a season earlier (even if that was coming off the back of 4 in a row)

At the moment we cannot go toe to toe with the likes of Arsenal or Liverpool, we found that out to our cost many times last season but the foundation has got to start with the defence to make us hard to beat and yesterday Pep got the tactics spot on.

The one mistake he made yesterday was leaving Rodri on, who was understandably really struggling with his fitness after about 65 minutes.

The really pleasing thing for me is the capitulations that kept happening last season are a thing of the past.

Doku was nearly unplayable at times yesterday and that has got to be his benchmark and hopefully with a fitter Rodri, an inform Foden and Haaland plus a returning Cherki, we will see more action at the other end of the pitch.
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I think the recent change to City"s tactics is needed.
The last 2 games have seen the opposition have a higher percentage of the ball.
This is very, very unusual - especially at home in the Derby.
The opposition will now be uncertain what team and tactics Pep will select.
Agree that the next 2 games will see City dominate the play in the usual manner.
But, say for Spurs, Chelsea or Newcastle away, the tactics will be difficult to predict.
Well done Pep on becoming so unpredictable...
 
Utter bobbins said:
If we adopt these tactics every week teams won’t have a fucking clue how to play against us
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We played an Arsenal team at their ground after them spending millions on adding to and improving their squad. While we are in transition have to replace someone who was arguably the best midfield in premier league history. The best left fullback. We’ve replaced so many fantastic player’s who won armful of medal and they drew the game by a momentary lapse in concentration.

Arsenal still won’t win the league this year

Fuck em.
 
Zabbasbeard said:
Having had a few hours to reflect on the goal that was conceded I have come to the following conclusions:

A) a free kick should have been awarded fir the foul on Gonzalez - symptomatic of the refereeing of Attwell

B) Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol were uncharacteristically slow to respond to Martinelli's run - forgivable mistakes

C) Josko should have pushed up in line with Nathan but again, forgivable

D) Savinho who had plenty of energy, however, had one job to do, but he didn't do it. He didn't make any effort to close Eze down. Given that he has done the sum of bugger all when called upon this season, and he spent the immediate aftermath moaning to his team mates on the pitch after the Derby thrashing says it all. He has a bad attitude. If he doesn't improve we should get rid. That's not knee jerk that's based on observations last season and this - he does it when he feels like it which won't do. I'm done with him.
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I didn't like how chatty he was with Gabriel after the final whistle. I know they're both Brazilian and I've seen many a player do it after a hard fought match, but something about that bothered me yesterday.
I would have to rewatch the end, but when Haaland goes to savinho at the end, I didn't like Gabriel's body language as he ignored Haaland, but could just be the cynic in me looking for something not there.
 

This is how AFTV react to an equaliser, at home in the 5th game of the season. Don't wanna go all celebration police, but shouldn't they leave something for a Treble, a four in a row, domestic quadruple. Embarrassing.
 
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