Arsenal (H) | PL | Post-match Thread

[danielwood5]

our set piece coach, wonder what is he doing in trainings. I think we are mediocre at defending corners ad even worse in attacking ones. delivery of our corners are like making sure it doesnt arrive to dangerous places. but for us to go up and score a header directly is so fucking rare. this stupid Gabriel did it Spurs away 2 weeks ago, did it yesterday too. cross comes in he arrives with momentum and strong header from close. having said that he would never score from our deliveries as we try to make sure ball avoids danger positions for some reason.

It helps if you're allowed to make sure the goalkeeper ends up on his arse rather than getting to the ball.
Arsenal's tactic of putting their big lads on the defenders and goalkeeper and making sure they can't move by any means necessary only works for them as they're a team made up of big burly cheats across the pitch. We can't set up to attack or defend corners the same way they do as we don't have the same numbers of personnel of the same stature as they do.
That's even before we get in to the conversation of whether we'd be able to get away with the same levels of obstruction and holding at corners as they do. As an example, if they tried that corner technique against Liverpool do we think that goal would have stood? We already know from experience that a brush against Alisson while going for the ball is reason enough to chalk off a goal.
I'm pretty sure we were the top team at defending corners last season though and I'm not really sure what more we can do in an attacking sense, especially when we're a generally smaller team than the majority of the opposition. That's the price you pay for having a team mostly made up of skillful, mobile players rather than big bruisers. There's always room for improvement though so we'll have to see what happens, personally, I think that Arsenal's cheating at corners will get clamped down on and they'll lose a big part of their attacking setup.

 

[mrbelfry]

Probably the best thing to happen to Arsenal was Trossard getting sent off. It gave them all the excuse they needed to play the way they did second half. And a sense of injustice that justified it.

At this point I think they are even daring the refs to book them so that they can feel aggrieved and discriminated against. You have a team that have had two players get a second yellow for kicking the ball away and then Jesus does the same thing at a corner later in the game. Then looks all aggrieved.

They must clearly know they are aggravating every one with players going down and the goalie dropping to the floor after every catch. I think at this point it can only be deliberately provocative designed for a response that will create a siege mentality in the players.

Hopefully it'll turn in on itself.

Supporting City when Liverpool were challenging was exhausting at times. It makes the stakes higher but I was hoping for a little break before having a new challenger that will aggravate and pose and chat rubbish

 

[Kippaxpete]

We fought back and got a point but with the loss of Rodri and scoring first it feels more like a very expensive lost opportunity.

Some are talking up Arsenal but I'm not so sure that they're going to make it all the way. They have too many draws in them and they aren't scoring like we are, nobody should write off Liverpool.

You may prove to be correct on your first point. However, Rodder's injury aside, I can't help feeling yesterday's outcome was a psychological blow in our favour. Imagine you're an Arsenal player who's participated in one of the most egregious displays of footballing shithousery ever witnessed at the home of your principal rival. You are literally seconds from victory when all that cheating - for that's what it was - proves to be for naught. I'm sure you must be thinking (albeit privately), we can't beat them by fair means and we can't beat them by foul. You'd be utterly crestfallen. As a City player, snatching a deserved draw from the jaws of defeat in such circumstances, will feel like a victory and simply reinforce the belief in our supremacy. Fuck Arsenal and all they stand for!

 

[stonerblue]

last man would be Dias then

No, as we have seen on many occasions when we are up the pitch for free kicks or corners Pep leaves one at the back and it was Rico in last few games.

 

[blue by birth]

It did

I know mate..

 

[Protein Junkie]

Cojones of Champions.
Missing the mercurial KDB and after the rinse and repeat Viking strike we lose our fulcrum Rodri.
Johny Boulders drives a stake through the heart of every rag,dipper and Tarquin in the land and beyond.
Respect to the volunteers who performed CPR on Raya.
Love this club.

 

[train man]

Can somebody explain to me why Trossard's second yellow card is in any way contentious? Could be booked for the foul itself, then boots the ball into orbit when clearly aware that Oliver has blown the whistle - how can it not be a yellow card?

Must admit I'd forgotten he was already on a yellow and thought he was booked for intentionally barging Bernie and again for immediately kicking the ball away, so three yellows would certainly make the red, perm any 2 from 3, no argument against his dismissal.
What a group of shithouses they are, how the fuck do they get play stopped just coz they feel like sitting down? Not quite sure how they repeatedly get away with the 'block the keeper' corner/set play routine, what's the answer? Do defending teams need to have 'guards' on their own keeper to move out to deflect gooner blockers? Certainly I was thinking Haaland should have been shadowing Gabriel after the earlier warning shot, something i think they suggested on motd?
But great point in the end, didn't look like it was coming and will be so damning for their mindset and hopefully positive for ours, still top.

 

[Platt Lane 59]

So leave Rico last man second half ?

In the second half, didn't City have 4 "last men" ?
Yes, Walker is probably the quickest defender, but Rico is far more adept with passing the ball quickly, which was needed.
Arsenal weren't interested in breaking quickly anyway.
Biggest mistakes in the second half were the delays in putting Phil & Jack on the pitch.
Arsenal defended stoutly, especially Raya.
But why did Pep continue with Diaz, Walker & Kovatic hogging the ball on the edge of the box ?
All 3 are great defenders, but City needed quicker, crisper passing.
Gundo and later Phil or Jack, needed to be on the edge of the box to direct the traffic...

 

[pride in battle]

I have to say, we played terribly in the second half. The defenders were just passing the ball left and right, there was absolutely no creativity. That's why I'm worried about what will happen after KDB, because without him we don't have a truly creative player who can conjure something out of nothing. Foden is simply not like David Silva or KDB. Savio played really well in the first half, but in the second half he didn't dare to take on anyone with the ball, even though it seems he can beat his man. Doku is the usual brainless player, unfortunately. I don't know what's up with KDB, but I hope neither he nor Rodri gets injured.

Any team playing against 10 defenders would no space whatsoever, Bernardo should have been replaced & Doku or Savinho kept on.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

our set piece coach, wonder what is he doing in trainings. I think we are mediocre at defending corners ad even worse in attacking ones. delivery of our corners are like making sure it doesnt arrive to dangerous places. but for us to go up and score a header directly is so fucking rare. this stupid Gabriel did it Spurs away 2 weeks ago, did it yesterday too. cross comes in he arrives with momentum and strong header from close. having said that he would never score from our deliveries as we try to make sure ball avoids danger positions for some reason.

Arsenal are brilliant at that specific type of goal and deliberately take 40+ seconds for every set piece, whilst opposing defenders are pulled out of position. Last season they tore West Ham and Spurs apart.
In contrast, as you say, we just seem to "float one over" and allow the goalkeeper plenty of space to claim the ball.

Weirdly, at the end of each season our goals total from set pieces always seems relatively high. For example didn't Stones score from a set piece against Arsenal in the 4-1?