Arsenal FC a very promising story

[acegooner]

Mustafi is a huge miss.

That's just an excuse. Where was Theo when Everton put their cross in for their equaliser. 10 years and we have only seen flickers of what he could be. For Arsenal that is not good enough.

When Alexis Sanchez is urging the front line to press higher, why do Theo and the Ox totally disregard what he says (I have seen this at home too). No wonder Sanchez is wasted at the end of each game, he is the only player putting in a proper shift. 

[Karabiner]

Mustafi is a huge miss.

I tend to agree with this having not conceded a headed goal before yesterday(2) as the boy is a dominant beast in the air.

I think Gabriel having a couple of runs at full-back should have helped but Hector still looks a little bit rusty and chopping/changing that settled back line is never good.

Let's hope we get it sorted by Sunday.

[acegooner]

Mustafi is a huge miss.

I tend to agree with this having not conceded a headed goal before yesterday(2) as the boy is a dominant beast in the air.

I think Gabriel having a couple of runs at full-back should have helped but Hector still looks a little bit rusty and chopping/changing that settled back line is never good.

Let's hope we get it sorted by Sunday.

It's not Mustafi, it was Walcott that was responsible for the easy cross for the Everton goal. More importantly it's down to mental strength and desire across the team (or lack of it).

As soon as Everton realised that sitting deep wasn't going to work, they pressed us across the pitch with some juicy tackles flying in. Arsenal 1998-2004 would have knuckled down and given as good as they got.
You have to fight in the premier league before you can impose your football away from home.

Until someone at Arsenal gives Wally and the Ox a good kick up the backside, we will continue to see flickers of brilliance but nothing on a consistent basis.


 

 

[Karabiner]

More thought-provoking tactical insight from the excellent Tim Stillman:


http://arseblog.com/2016/12/leftwingreform/

[muckthenuts]

I have a question for people who support other Prem teams, mainly the top 5:

When you play us and see Sanchez on the opposition team sheet you understandably feel a little shiver in your spine.

How do you feel when you see Ozil's name there?

[Marky147]

Wonder if he'll fancy it today.

[TightEnd]

I have a question for people who support other Prem teams, mainly the top 5:

When you play us and see Sanchez on the opposition team sheet you understandably feel a little shiver in your spine.

How do you feel when you see Ozil's name there?

don't support a top 5 team but will answer

like watching him when he is "on" but nowhere near the "you must account for him" threat that Alexis is, whether Sanchez plays up top, in behind out wide, desn't matter, he is a match winner.

i watched the match yesterday, where Ozil was "missing". City were there for the taking for 45 minutes and Arsenal faded badly in the second half. is that a fitness/conditioning issue, perhaps? if not, what is it?

Ralph bit my head off when i mentioned this last time but its a fascinating stat: Since Aug 2012, Arsenal have been 4/6 or bigger for 54 P.Lge matches. If you were on each one at 7/2 (to level stakes), you'd still be down.

[arbboy]

Good luck getting the £400k a week you think you are worth is the first thing that springs to mind every time i see him play.  I think he is overpaid on his current Arsenal deal.

[nirvana]

Arsenal had 2 crap halves in a week and that's about it for the season. Pfft..Wenger out.

Pretty silly questioning Ozil's ability or application. Has the odd quiet game but he's super duper super talented.

[acegooner]

Arsenal had 2 crap halves in a week and that's about it for the season. Pfft..Wenger out.

Pretty silly questioning Ozil's ability or application. Has the odd quiet game but he's super duper super talented.

It's natural to question individuals after a bad performance. Most Arsenal fans, however,  question more than individual performances after what has happened over the last week. It's more than ability more like desire, and having the mental strength to want it at the top level. The team again for the umpteenth time over the last decade have shown to be a soft touch away from home.

Man City where missing a world class centre back and the best striker in the prem over the last 5 years, yet they still managed to turn us over.

The two players that want 400k a week should be ashamed of themselves. Not because of their financial demands but the insistence that they will only stay if Wenger remains at the club. It's quite cushy being a player at Arsenal these days, no Tony Adams or Martin Keown to make you realise what it means to play for "the Arsenal".

I remember Tony Adams famously being quoted after a home defeat against Blackburn in 1997 to our new signings, "when are you French lads going to start playing". The rest is as they say history.

[muckthenuts]

Arsenal had 2 crap halves in a week and that's about it for the season. Pfft..Wenger out.

Pretty silly questioning Ozil's ability or application. Has the odd quiet game but he's super duper super talented.

No question he's brilliant, but it just can't be a coincidence that Ozil always has these quiet games against teams who won't allow him the time and space he wants. Once he's lost these he effectively becomes useless. He's got no pace, no physical presence and evidence is mounting to suggest he has no fight either - https://streamable.com/z9jox

I mean is it good enough if he stands out against Bromley on the weekend but goes missing against City? When was the last time Ozil made the DIFFERENCE in a tough, crunch fixture? Times we've walked over United and Chelsea don't count. When you pay x millions for a player you want him to always be brilliant, not just when the conditions suit him.

Obv don't mean sell him, but he shouldn't just walk into the side anymore. We have plenty of CAM's who can do a much better job than he did yesterday. Kick up the backside might be good for him too.

[nirvana]

There's zillions of pounds of fan money floating round the top clubs. Probably reasonable to assume ticket prices aren't coming down soon and the cleaners won't get a massive pay hike. So, the money has to go somewhere -don't really understand any construct where player and fans all think £200k a week is fine but the player should feel ashamed and the fans get a bit pissed off at £400k.

[nirvana]

Arsenal had 2 crap halves in a week and that's about it for the season. Pfft..Wenger out.

Pretty silly questioning Ozil's ability or application. Has the odd quiet game but he's super duper super talented.

No question he's brilliant, but it just can't be a coincidence that Ozil always has these quiet games against teams who won't allow him the time and space he wants. Once he's lost these he effectively becomes useless. He's got no pace, no physical presence and evidence is mounting to suggest he has no fight either - https://streamable.com/z9jox

I mean is it good enough if he stands out against Bromley on the weekend but goes missing against City? When was the last time Ozil made the DIFFERENCE in a tough, crunch fixture? Times we've walked over United and Chelsea don't count. When you pay x millions for a player you want him to always be brilliant, not just when the conditions suit him.

Obv don't mean sell him, but he shouldn't just walk into the side anymore. We have plenty of CAM's who can do a much better job than he did yesterday. Kick up the backside might be good for him too.

I think that I disagree with the bolded bit. Unless Sanchez drops back or Ramsey returns to some sort of form in club football, I think we're very thin on quality for attacking central midfielders. Ozil more or less has to play every week. It's not ideal

[Marky147]

Arsenal had 2 crap halves in a week and that's about it for the season. Pfft..Wenger out.

Pretty silly questioning Ozil's ability or application. Has the odd quiet game but he's super duper super talented.

No question he's brilliant, but it just can't be a coincidence that Ozil always has these quiet games against teams who won't allow him the time and space he wants. Once he's lost these he effectively becomes useless. He's got no pace, no physical presence and evidence is mounting to suggest he has no fight either - https://streamable.com/z9jox

I mean is it good enough if he stands out against Bromley on the weekend but goes missing against City? When was the last time Ozil made the DIFFERENCE in a tough, crunch fixture? Times we've walked over United and Chelsea don't count. When you pay x millions for a player you want him to always be brilliant, not just when the conditions suit him.

Obv don't mean sell him, but he shouldn't just walk into the side anymore. We have plenty of CAM's who can do a much better job than he did yesterday. Kick up the backside might be good for him too.

I think that I disagree with the bolded bit. Unless Sanchez drops back or Ramsey returns to some sort of form in club football, I think we're very thin on quality for attacking central midfielders. Ozil more or less has to play every week. It's not ideal

Why he wants 400k, obv.

Can't be expected to lace up every week for a mere 200 large

[TightEnd]

With China being a major competitor for talent now (Oscar etc), looking to acquire "trophy assets" via marquee players at packages that on't make a great deal of sense from an economic perspective, is Arsenal more at risk than the other major UK clubs given the wage structures?