Arsenal Thread | 2024/25

[youngbob]

They were seriously rattled after 15 mins and had Rodri not got injured we'd have gone in 2-0 up for sure. BUT they reacted to the Rodri injury well and scored two really good goals. BUT then Trossard got himself sent off and they had to park the bus. Fair enough, 2-1 up away at the Etihad, you've got to dig in and set up camp.

But oh my fucking god, the time-wasting, the feigning injuries, the mass outbreak of "cramp" that seemed to strike them on fucking 60 minutes, the constant diving and rolling around, Arteta deciding that FIVE pitch-side teamtalks wasn't enough, and then sending 17-year-old subs round to the back of the goal to tell Raya to sit down.

I really don't like to accuse teams of this because everyone's got to rely on the dark arts sometimes - it's football - but that was blatant pre-meditated cheating. They clearly set out to play the second half that way. It was so blatant that Michael Oliver didn't even let their physio come on because he knew what they were doing.

I didn't get the memo that deliberately blocking the keeper was now legal either.

Parking the bus is fair enough. Even if they have spent £500m on that team. You're 2-1 up at the home of the champions and a man down, you came and got a point with a 0-0 last season, fair enough. Maybe delay a few goal kicks or what have you. But they took it to an extreme today that I've literally never seen before in all my years.

And all it did in the end was add on the seven minutes we needed to get the goal. I think they're that bit better than they were last season - even if they did need Rodri, Foden, and De Bruyne to all be absent for them to get ahead of us in a game at the Etihad - but whether it's enough to get over the 90 point mark remains to be seen.

 

[jrb]

We’ve all seen away teams and City teams down to 10 men at Maine Road and at the Etihad still try and score and win a game.

Arteta and his coward team parked the bus again, just like last season, for 45 minutes and didn’t try to get a 3rd decisive winning goal.

 

[Stoned Rose]

Well I'm going to stay away from the post match thread as it will be 'warm'. Overall 1st Arsenal goal was poor reffing, Gabriel's goal was fine, Trossard is an idiot but I thought the 2nd yellow should have been for the barge on Silva (either way was a red), we defended brilliantly with 10 men, City dug in and maintained their unbeaten home record, I'd have taken a draw at the start, I think this fixture will be a bad blood fixture moving forward. And breathe.

I’m disappointed in you.

You’ve not told us what a great point at the Etihad that was.

 

[Pingu the Penguin]

Well I'm going to stay away from the post match thread as it will be 'warm'. Overall 1st Arsenal goal was poor reffing, Gabriel's goal was fine, Trossard is an idiot but I thought the 2nd yellow should have been for the barge on Silva (either way was a red), we defended brilliantly with 10 men, City dug in and maintained their unbeaten home record, I'd have taken a draw at the start, I think this fixture will be a bad blood fixture moving forward. And breathe.

Saliba kept his bunny Haaland quiet didn’t he mate?

 

[deano ou812]

They were seriously rattled after 15 mins and had Rodri not got injured we'd have gone in 2-0 up for sure. BUT they reacted to the Rodri injury well and scored two really good goals. BUT then Trossard got himself sent off and they had to park the bus. Fair enough, 2-1 up away at the Etihad, you've got to dig in and set up camp.

But oh my fucking god, the time-wasting, the feigning injuries, the mass outbreak of "cramp" that seemed to strike them on fucking 60 minutes, the constant diving and rolling around, Arteta deciding that FIVE pitch-side teamtalks wasn't enough, and then sending 17-year-old subs round to the back of the goal to tell Raya to sit down.

I really don't like to accuse teams of this because everyone's got to rely on the dark arts sometimes - it's football - but that was blatant pre-meditated cheating. They clearly set out to play the second half that way. It was so blatant that Michael Oliver didn't even let their physio come on because he knew what they were doing.

I didn't get the memo that deliberately blocking the keeper was now legal either.

Parking the bus is fair enough. Even if they have spent £500m on that team. You're 2-1 up at the home of the champions and a man down, you came and got a point with a 0-0 last season, fair enough. Maybe delay a few goal kicks or what have you. But they took it to an extreme today that I've literally never seen before in all my years.

And all it did in the end was add on the seven minutes we needed to get the goal. I think they're that bit better than they were last season - even if they did need Rodri, Foden, and De Bruyne to all be absent for them to get ahead of us in a game at the Etihad - but whether it's enough to get over the 90 point mark remains to be seen.

Keane was scathing of Arsenal today and the way they played second half and especially the keeper who he said maybe Arsenal need to get him checked out as he went down a few times with injuries but miraculously recovered with a dab of the sponge..

 

[jrb]

Not sure which Arsenal player is was. He feigned injury, Arsenal lost the ball, City attacked, he got up straightaway, ran, and tried to defend. He got absolute dogs abuse from the whole of the Etihad.

 

[deano ou812]

Not sure which Arsenal player is was. He feigned injury, Arsenal lost the ball, City attacked, he got up straightaway, ran, and tried to defend. He got absolute dogs abuse from the whole of the Etihad.

Yeah remember that just can’t think who it was probably martinelli or havertz

 

[bridgeno1]

Not sure which Arsenal player is was. He feigned injury, Arsenal lost the ball, City attacked, he got up straightaway, ran, and tried to defend. He got absolute dogs abuse from the whole of the Etihad.

It was Martinelli. He did go off with cramp shortly afterwards but yes it was embarrassing. As was the incident where Raya tried to kick it out of play for an injury, failed to make touch so it stayed in play, City got the ball and played forward and then Oliver stopped it anyway.

 

[youngbob]

Yeah remember that just can’t think who it was probably martinelli or havertz

@jrb Yeah Martinelli.

 

[bridgeno1]

Saliba kept his bunny Haaland quiet didn’t he mate?

Actually I thought the defence did very well vs Haaland. He scored his goal, after Gabriel left a big gap and Savinho made a nice pass (superb clinical finish from Haaland btw), and he had a header saved but was largely pocketed in the 2nd half despite playing vs a 10 man team that had flown back from Italy on thursday night and had 2 of the starting back 4 subbed off with cramp for a Polish reserve team player and a 17 year old making his debut.

Haaland's scored a billion goals this season already and when Trossard was sent off surely the feeling was the game was made for Haaland but they largely frustrated him to the extent that he had a go at the aforementioned 17 year old making his debut, and then threw the ball at Gabriel's head after Stones got the equaliser (apparently this is all cool with VAR lol). He then tried to bulldoze Partey. He basically lost control.

I'll let you be the judge if you think that's classy or not, suffice to say the Arsenal defence will remember his actions and he can expect a warm reunion with them at the Emirates next year. Havertz has apparently already said that the foul on Rodri in the first seconds was to remind him of what he said about Arsenal's mentality in an interview at the end of last season, I'd expect Haaland has talked himself into getting smashed at some point in the game at the Emirates. All very unseemly and nothing I'd condone but there are signs he's getting carried away - you'd never see Mbappe do that for example.