Arsenal Post Match Thread.

[growl]

I'm not a Fernando hater. I just don't think he is good enough.
Good stopper though he is, yesterday was the FIRST game in ALL HIS TIME WITH US that he has actually REGULARLY passed the ball FORWARD, QUICKLY (i.e.with zero, one or two touches)or Advanced into the space in front of him when Arsenal players fell back in front of him .
GREAT TO SEE AND LONG MAY IT CONTINUE.

Passing with zero touches may be asking a bit much.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Passing with zero touches may be asking a bit much.

I meant touches before the pass.

 

[super_city_si]

Wenger is such a moaning prick. He managed to see Sanes toenail ahead of Monreal from the toughline but ask him if he saw his player elbow another player right in front of him? "I didnt see it"
Should be a scouser as its never his fault.

 

[citizen_maine]

The rest of us call that one touch football :-)

 

[City Raider]

The second half and Barca game prove that when we're really at it, we're difficult to handle - almost impossible.

That is Pep's biggest test, not formations or tactics, but how to get us playing with that level of commitment more regularly.

 

[Adlab123]

Yeah but why would they write that though,I was genuinely disappointed with arsenal I thought they would have been better than that .
Did they actually dominate and chuck it away ?

The media have massive Arsenal support even though they sham objectivity

 

[Vienna_70]

We also got into some great positions early on but didn't deliver the killer pass.

We perhaps should have scored right before Arsenal's goal.

Sterling just couldn't get his foot around the cross that came in.

 

[Adlab123]

The press are peddling the line that Arsenal were firmly in control in the first half but wilted in the face of City's second half onslaught, when Gusrdiola realised pretty-pretty football had to give way to good old English physicality to overcome Arsenal's foreign softies. There followed analysis after analysis of how Arsenal were sabotaged by the ref as they threw the game away. This is not the game any of us watched.

Guardiola teams have never simply played pretty-pretty football and City don't. They didn't convert to physicality during halftime either. City play high energy, intense, possession-based pressing football. For 45 minutes yesterday the high energy, the intensity and the pressing were missing. Arsenal's goal was the best example- a full back allowed to run 60 yards, two other players move the ball into our area and Walcott puts it in without a City player getting within 5 yards of any of them! Bravo did what he always seems to do in a one-on-one - go down to his left far too early. It was the missing ingredients which had destroyed United, which had not given Messi & co a sniff for over an hour and which had tortured Chelsea for an hour which came back in the second half.

But Arsenal were beaten tactically as well. The MEN has failed to grasp this by asking what Pep has got against Iheanacho. The answer is - nothing at all. But in Barcelona he left Sergio out for greater solidity in midfield, and yesterday he left out Iheanacho to pack the midfield. I think the explanation is quite simple. Arsenal - like Barcelona- pass the ball well and play through midfield. Pep wanted numerical superiority there to deny Arsenal the ball and marginalise Sanchez and Walcott. Now, this clearly won't work without the intense press. In the second half City pressed in packs, isolated the Arsenal lad with the ball and the Gooners didn't launch an attack of note. But City also had two wide men of frightening pace, who, much of the time, did keep the chalk on their boots. This stretched Arsenal's back line across the pitch but also forced Arsenal to try and counter their pace by dropping ever deeper. Two lines of four in a decent defensive formation gave way to isolated front men unable to link with midfielders unable to keep the ball or shield a beleaguered back four. City's back four, so vulnerable early on, we're given excellent protection because Arsenal were denied time and good ball in midfield and couldn't move it forward, and so our lads could move forward to make interceptions or tackles. We were never turned and no-one was allowed to run at us with the ball.

I think the comeback was a triumph for Silva, KdB, Sané, Sterling and YaYa but most of all for Pep. He drew up the blue print for success but for 45 minutes the lads only put half of it into practice. In the second half we got nearly the whole package and it was impressive. That is Pep's mission - to get us playing Guardiola football for 90 minutes a game, 65 games a season.

I agree the two wide men with pace makes such a difference.

 

[Peggy's a blue]

Otomendi and kolorov in Garth Crooks team of the week must have done something right :-)

 

[FantasyIreland]

Otomendi and kolorov in Garth Crooks team of the week must have done something right :-)

And yet no sign of our best performers,he really is a KFA wanker.

 

[BluessinceHydeRoad]

Wenger is such a moaning prick. He managed to see Sanes toenail ahead of Monreal from the toughline but ask him if he saw his player elbow another player right in front of him? "I didnt see it"
Should be a scouser as its never his fault.

This is what makes Arsenal so brittle. Rather than ask awkward questions of their own performance they retreat into their own highly developed excuse culture. I haven't read one ex-referee or even one pundit in our London-cenric media who sees anything wrong - certainly close though in the case of the first goal - with the decisions of the officials in awarding both goals. But the "we was robbed" seems to satisfy the club and the fans rather than seeking to ask why their title challenge always withers after seemingly promising so much.

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

The media have massive Arsenal support even though they sham objectivity

Not going into agendas etc.but I don't understand why every paper is saying arsenal were so dominant first half.
I know football is about opinions but how have they all got it wrong.
It wouldn't bother me if arsenal had been brilliant ,but why write it when they weren't ?

 

[Cellarite]

Where are all the fernando haters now? Bullyed arsenal on his own his best performance for us. Silva as per usual ran the gamehe really is the best ever city player!!!

You've contradicted yourself there. Yes it probably was his best performance for us, which means that he's never been that good before. No one would doubt him if he played like that regularly.

Top performance yesterday. For me, Otamendi, Kolarov, Fernando and Navas all proved that they do indeed have it in them. We just need to see it more.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Well I have seen the highlights and I don't think we forced Cech to make a save in the 1st half. I think Toure had a header late on from a corner which Cech handled comfortably

2nd half it all changed. The goal gave us belief. No question city were the better team. 2nd half was a humiliation for Arsenal. Normally they dominate possession, but for about 20 minutes they barely got out of their half

So you are basing your assumption on us being poor on bloody highlights.
FFS give it a rest.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

The second half and Barca game prove that when we're really at it, we're difficult to handle - almost impossible.

That is Pep's biggest test, not formations or tactics, but how to get us playing with that level of commitment more regularly.

Absolutely. Mindset is our biggest issue that needs fixing. Has been for years and will be this year, we need to shake off a few negatives from the Pelllers era

 

[kaz7]

So you are basing your assumption on us being poor on bloody highlights.
FFS give it a rest.

I was biting my tongue lol

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

I was biting my tongue lol

Went straight through mine and thought, fuck it.

 

[SilverFox2]

Surely we all must allow Mr Wenger his traditional excuse ? The papers have to sell and he always provides them with a story.

Nothing new in City not being given the credit is it so lets just take the 3 points and not turn this into another whinging thread about the bias against City.

Stats wise we managed 14 shots of which 5 were on target giving us 2 goals so not too bad and definitely an improvement on the pre Watford stats..
Defensively we restricted them to 6 shots of which only 1 was on target which they scored from.

Perhaps those Arsenal stats are a better reflection of the game than any media viewpoint ?

 

[cleavers]

Otomendi and kolorov in Garth Crooks team of the week must have done something right :-)

...but not Sterling, so I wouldn't give it that much credence, and his comments about them first half suggest he watched another game altogether.

 

[Pam]

Gooners kicking off hilariously on Talk Shite.