Frustrating is the word I'd use to describe yesterdays performance. It is more than understandable that Arteta has identified the defensive side of the game as the area to improve, but it has come at a huge cost to the attacking side.
You have to wonder if he is trying to be too clever for his, and the players, own good.
A big concern this season has been the form of captain and star man, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. 1 goal and 1 assist, both coming in the first two games. Unlike others, I can understand him starting on the left - it has never harmed his ability to score, and possibily increased his chances. However, at the moment he looks unsure of what his role is.
Combined with that is the roles of Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka. Tierney is playing as a mixture of a LCB, LB and LWB and Saka is a CM, LWB and winger. The idea of fluidity in a team is nothing new, but to me it seems as if these 3 are expected to do too much and often end up being less effective in all areas.
Currently Saka is our most creative player, for me I would love him to have less defensive duties and have the freedom to really express himself.
The Willian role yesterday was unfathomable. I guess the plan was for him to drop deep and pick up the ball while Pepe and Auba ran ahead of him. Didn't work. Willian has been crap all season (including his alleged 3 assist debut).
Pepe was crap also. Impact sub role for him.
We have a bit of a defensive crisis ahead of the start of the Europa campaign. Rob Holding assumingly has joined Mustafi, Mari and Chambers on the sideline. Saliba hasn't been registered for Europa - nor Sokratis - and the likes of Ballard and McGuiness have been loaned out. That means the workload of Gabriel and Luiz could become an issue. Luckily neither went on international duty, so the rest will hopefully help us out.
Arteta too experimental?
posted on 18/10/20
Partey will help going forward
posted on 18/10/20
comment by WB2 (Emery'll Get Me Killed) (U8276)
posted 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
The setup is the very reason we're not playing attacking football, it forces everyone to play defensively. Not at all interested in being more defensively sound, if it means we can't create enough chances to get goals at the other end. That's just trading one points dropping issue for another. And it still amounts to the same result. No CL football next season either because this stupid formation isn't going to work long term with this set of players.
Arteta needs to stop trying to turn us into a poor version of Man City. We're Arsenal and he needs to start coaching the team in that vein. We play exciting, fast paced football and pass/move the opposition off the pitch after pressing the ball with precision and WINNING IT. Or at least that's the brand everyone came to know and love until the team imploded thanks to Ozil murdering the teams ability to press.
Despite defensive struggles, it was still very much the brand when Arteta played here. And that's what he needs to get everyone back to asap. Because this City clone mission he's on is desperately boring to watch, as well as being guaranteed to cause us to fall short. We'll get far too many draws if we keep this up.
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You got it wrong here. Arteta isnt trying to turn us into a version of City or you assuming that City is a defensive team.
What he is trying to do is to stabilise our defense and our approach. He has already done that.
What we are missing is the transition from defense to our strikers. There is no one that can bring Auba into a run. No one seems to know when to keep the ball and when is the time to release it more quicker.
Your reference to Özil on every occasion really bores me off to be honest.
posted on 19/10/20
comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted 10 hours, 21 minutes ago
In my view we made progress. We are more difficult to beat. We are more compact in our defensive. Absolute no doubt about that. Think Arteta gave City too much respect and we played with a handbrake going forward.
10 min before HT we showed that we are able to give them problems and we wasted chances you cant waste because against these kind of opponents you dont get them often.
Our set up in midfield isnt good. We lack creativity. This is not a problem we face under Arteta, we had them under Emery and under Wenger. We struggle to create against opponents that are stable at the back.
Why some of you found some excuses for Auba and not for Pepe who also struggle because he hardly getting balls from somewhere isnt understandable for me.
I also think that some of our players like Willian shouldnt be an automatic starter. We played 5 games now and he had 1 game where he made an impact.
Arteta in my view doing himself no favour to made out of a dissappointing game a good game. We all saw that there was more in it.
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Sensible thoughts
posted on 19/10/20
Arteta's substitutions are not the best either, waiting way too long, often you could argue a player should be subbed at halftime (like Willian yesterday) why didn't he give Partey 45 minutes and take Willian off who was useless again.
posted on 19/10/20
(take him off earlier I mean - at least give Partey 30 minutes on his debut)
posted on 19/10/20
comment by Lexington one-two-five-point-two (U8879)
posted 19 hours, 59 minutes ago
comment by No Thomas No Partey (U18355)
posted 34 minutes ago
Wilner is awful
Needs to be benched
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When we signed him I kinda tried my best to justify it by thinking he’d potentially be a good option off the bench, and could step in to the starting XI as and when necessary.
I can’t believe he’s starting as much as he is - especially given the level of performance he’s giving us.
Time for Reiss Nelson, please Mikel.
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Was not happy the day we were linked with Wilner but even I didn’t expect him to be this bad. And we have him for 3 years 🤦♂️
posted on 19/10/20
You got it wrong here. Arteta isnt trying to turn us into a version of City or you assuming that City is a defensive team.
What he is trying to do is to stabilise our defense and our approach. He has already done that.
What we are missing is the transition from defense to our strikers. There is no one that can bring Auba into a run. No one seems to know when to keep the ball and when is the time to release it more quicker.
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City ARE essentially a defensive team, Liverpool too believe it or not. You're the one assuming. That a "defensive," team, can't score an abundance of goals. They can, it's called counter attacking football. You score a crap tonne of goals with it, when you actually DO have the talent across the whole team to do it properly. Enabling you to almost always rapidly and effectively make the transition you're talking about. We, DON'T have the players, not yet anyway. Hence so few chances.
We do however (or did til he sold Emi) have the players to play the same way with a view to essentially sacrificing the attack, in favour of stabilising the back. Just to steady the team and get some decent results as a starting point. That is what he done, fully aware it'd minimise chances generated in attack. But likely not too worried given we have arguably two of the world's best strikers both (in form) capable of only needing one or two to score.
It was fine to see out last season/first couple games of this one but it has to be a temporary stopgap measure. God forbid he plans to plough on with it and gradually buy the player/s we need to make it work properly, back to front.
posted on 19/10/20
As for the Ozil comment. I actually only mention him when it is relevant to what I'm saying. In that case, the early unbeaten run in Emery's first year WAS a direct result of him being dropped. The team suddenly returning to life, instantly becoming committed and together in the goal of winning. Just the utter crap first half of the season was also a direct result of said commitment and togetherness shredded when he was returned to the team 3rd game in.
I can't help the fact that's how it happend. Nor is my fault he fecked up the team spo badly, cost so much and is such an utter that he is sadly, quite relevant to most discussions when discussing anything negative regarding the current state of Arsenal FC. Or that you're more obsessed with me mentioning Ozil than I am with slating him. That's ya own man-crush problem to deal with.
posted on 19/10/20
'..the early unbeaten run in Emery's first year WAS a direct result of him being dropped. The team suddenly returning to life, instantly becoming committed and together in the goal of winning.'
Completely forgetting (ignoring) the fact that Emery had dropped both Ozil and Ramsey, only including them again when results, and performances turned to shiiite. Why else would Emery have done such an about turn, knowing it would be likely to undermine his credibility with the rest of the squad - which is exactly what happened?
That isn't even some random, obscure theory I'm stating here. It's something widely cited as being the key moment that Emery lost control of the dressing room, and was effectively the beginning of the end for him at Arsenal.
Look, we all know it's impossible for you to be in the slightest bit objective when it comes to Ozil. That's up to you. Just at least try to stop allowing the guy to make a complete of you here every single day.
He'll be gone soon enough - effectively by tomorrow, most likely - and he really isn't worth it anymore.
posted on 19/10/20
the early unbeaten run in Emery's first year WAS a direct result of him being dropped.
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Ozil played in 10 of them and even captained Arsenal in 4 of the games.