Arsenal FA Cup SF Post-Match Thread

[oldhamblue]

It wasn't as bad as I thought, we did get one shot on target.

The Bouremouth last hour was a prelude to this performance rather than the calm before the storm.

The insupidness of the majority of the Bournemouth display made me wonder whether the players had been told after the CAS ruling that Pep was leaving after this season. Yesterday's performance did nothing to assuage those fears

 

[mcfcdjr]

Don’t agree. Arsenal played a simple but effective strategy to beat us (like others this season) and executed it perfectly. You have to give them credit. The strategy? Defend very compact when we have the ball, give us the wide spaces but close the channels so Dave, Raz and Kev have zero space (that’s what creates the constant recycling along the line). Encourage us to cross because our front men are small and relatively easily outjumped. Make us go high rather than low by good defensive placement on near post. When ball is retrieved move it fast and long into space and have multiple runners who can carry at pace. It only needs to work a couple of times and you have a good chance of scoring.
That we don’t have the guile to counter that is a bit worrying. Interesting to see what our ex goal stat was yesterday, I doubt it’s more than 1. As someone already posted we have problems all over the pitch, not just in defence.

What don’t you agree with mate? Arsenal,as I said,knew how they were going to play and did it perfectly as far as they are concerned - credit to them. I don’t feel like we were dominated though we were just out thought.

 

[herrock]

I keep hearing different names of centre halves that we are in for, i don't know much about any of them, but whoever we buy needs to be lightening quick. Every team will set up like this against us next season apart from liverpool. Garcia looks a technically great player, but could get exposed by fast breaking teams. And can we sign a forward with some height please!

 

[Ancient Citizen]

I got sick and fucking tired of high crosses going in that were picked off
with ease by Arsenals defenders, if your front line is 2 foot smaller than the defence
it's facing, all you rely on is luck. They set up well, Arteta had it right, they deserved it.

 

[BigJoe#1]

Have to say having cancelled Sky and BT Sport I managed to busy myself and avoid the score so I could watch the highlights on MOTD.

On that basis I don't feel qualified to comment on the overal performance, however I do think I can say what a fantastic first goal the arse scored.

It was vey Guardiola like, the way they played about 8 or 10 passes in their own big, then worked the ball forward fish a brilliant finish was excellent, the kind of thing we gave been able to enjoy at City over the last four years.

Credit to them and Arteta, well done Arsenal.

Though I was passed off with that filthy challenge on Merlin!

 

[Marvin]

Arsenal scored a top goal which they are capable of but the truth is that first half was horrific. Without the ball that 11 can not defend. Terrible team selection by Pep. OK play David Silva but if you do that play some legs alongside him and not the Gundog. It's one or the other for me and many have said the same all throughout this season.

 

[Marvin]

I got sick and fucking tired of high crosses going in that were picked off
with ease by Arsenals defenders, if your front line is 2 foot smaller than the defence
it's facing, all you rely on is luck. They set up well, Arteta had it right, they deserved it.

Mahrez and KDB got past them a few times on the right but the pull backs always got just out at the near post. I could see us getting one goal but not two. And the game was over offensively when Mahrez came off. That was stupid by Pep. Foden should have gone central and Mahrez should have stayed on.

 

[Sky Blue]

Mahrez and KDB got past them a few times on the right but the pull backs always got just out at the near post. I could see us getting one goal but not two. And the game was over offensively when Mahrez came off. That was stupid by Pep. Foden should have gone central and Mahrez should have stayed on.

Yep, daft from Pep to take Mahrez off. Strange decision.

 

[trumpton]

Within the first 10 minutes you could see the pattern of play yet we continued to bang our head against the wall.

The shortcomings in this game for me sum up our season.

1. Left footer on the right wing and right footer on the left wing, not for me. I don't mind switching to that to try something different but this is the approach 90% of the time.
2. Despite his legendary status and what he might have done in the last couple of games Silva is one season too many this year.
3. Gundo and Mendy, simply not good enough. Arsenal, like several other sides, worked out they can effectively leave Mendy out wide as all he does is smash crosses into, and mainly over, the penalty area. Teams double up on us on the right side as our attack has more finesse on that side. I think we see it as having more space on the left so target more of our attacks down that route. Gundo lacks any pace and his positional sense is baffling which are two problems you can't afford with our style of play.
4. Rhodri, jury still out on that one. Same with Cancello - not sure why we signed him. Plenty of talk on here initially that he could play either side but have we tried him on the left.
5. Foden needs a run in the team in one position rather than throwing him on to cover whoever has been taken off.
6. The centre half problem, I'll leave it at that.
7. What's gone wrong with Bernardo?
8. I understand rotation but for me it's too many too often.

This may sound like a knee jerk reaction to a couple of bad games but it sums the season up. As has been said many times on here you strengthen when at the top as it's a lot harder to do when the problems start arising.

 

[Harvster]

Soundly beaten by the better team. Other than maybe Ederson & Walker, cannot think of anybody better than 5/10