With a touch more luck, better finishing from the Arsenal forwards or a keeper that was not in such fine form as Fraser Forster, Arsenal would have gained a valuable three points and some revenge over Southampton last night. We didn’t of course, but that was no fault of Mesut Ozil as the German created a massive 10 chances and had two good attempts himself saved, so Ozil is my pick for our Man of the Match.
Cech 7 – Wasn’t as busy as Forster but still had to be on form to earn us at least a point.
Bellerin 6 – Some sloppy passing and some good attacking work.
Gabriel 5.5 – Some early nerves and booked for a rash tackle.
Koscielny 5.5 – Defended okay but missed a golden chance to head in the winner.
Monreal 6 – Solid game from the Spaniard but not spectacular.
Flamini 5.5 – Struggled with the pace of the Saints at times.
Ramsey 6 – Gave everything but was largely frustrated.
Campbell 5 – Nothing worked for the Costa Rican. Bad day at the office all round.
Ozil 7.5 – Sharp and lively and should have won us the match.
Alexis 7 – Always looked a danger but made some bad decisions and fluffed a good headed chance.
Giroud 7 – Great shot saved, worked hard and kept defenders busy.
subs:
Walcott 6 – Played okay but should have given Forster no chance.
Coquelin 5 – Booked stright away, not sure what he was supposed to have done with a few minutes as Arsenal needed a goal.
Reality is, goals win games. If your team isn’t scoring goals, then your team isn’t going to win games. We went on a run to the top of the table when Giroud was scoring goals. He was scoring goals because he felt pressure from Theo for his spot in the XI. Now that it appears that Theo would struggle to walk and chew gum, OG has slipped off the boil.
2nd concern – we miss Santi’s class so much. Alexis and Mesut were different class for us yesterday, and I felt the only person close to matching their level on our team on consistent evidence would’ve been Santi. We need more true technical class to be more dangerous.
Final observation – shut up and play. Stop all this “we had a bad february and we must bounce back” or “we’ve got strong chemistry/belief” talk. I know when interviewed and asked a question you have to answer, but dang, just say something like “we just have to play better and get results” and say that to every question asked until the just stop asking, then put your head down, walk out, and get to work. Show up when the lights come on and the whistle blows, and stop all this unnecessary talking.
Hate it whenever they talk, especially Mertesacker and Walcott. “We can win this game, we just have to be confident” – Next game comes, Mertesacker bottles, Walcott goes missing.
Santi is a big miss. He sets the tempo for our team. Unfortunately, I felt before his injury that he had gone off the boil. He became increasingly suspect when put under pressure. I think we need to move Santi further forward. This might be the way forward, with Sanchez, Ozil and Cazorla frequently switching positions.
__________________Giroud/Walcott
___________Sanchez Ozil/Cazorla Cazorla/Welbeck/Ozil
_____________Coquelin Ramsey/El-Nenny/Chambers
Walcott is a league 1 player. Have been saying this for the past 10 years. He still cant dribble. Miyachi was better. Many ppl might think he was injury prone blah blah…. Walcott has more injuries than him. Just because Deluted Wenger prefers him only. If miyachi plays as much as walcott, He’d be a good player by now . Then again, who isnt an injury prone player at Arsenal ? Same old, same old for 10 years.
danny welbeck will be back in time for the barcelona showdown!
messi neymar suarez vs welbeck giroud and walcott
COME ON YOU EFFING GOONERSSSSSSSSSSSS
I smell sarcasm there, but it’s ok. What more can we do????
What about Alexis?
Messi, Neymar Suarez vs Alexis, (Welbeck, Campbell, Ox or Walcott), Giroud
COQUELIN:not sure what he was supposed to have done with a few minutes as Arsenal needed a goal. I LIKE THIS
Thanks for reminding me: Hey, guys!!! WTF was Le Cock supposed to do when he was brought on by Arsene???? We needed a goal and he brings Coquelin?
As License for Rambo to bomb forward and look for goal I think. JUST SAYING.
we are defensively too weak IMO for Ramsey to bomb forward, especially if the only other protection for the back 4 is Flamini.
…and that’s why Coquelin was brought on. The very comment you replied to just explained that.
i swear yesterday there was two occasions where alexis looked over at mesut after we had ruined another attack.. an stared at him…
telepathy?
what message was he sending him?
Let’s leave ?
Lol I know its not funny, but did you see Mesut shaking hus head after that excellent cut back?
Wont be long before he decides to move, really he could have 30 assists if it were not our useless forwards.
Meh, life is just unfair. How much does WalkcoTt earn??? Lazy ducks.
Useless forwards or not, as a number 10, shouldn’t Ozil have converted at least one of those chances he got? You can’t win the league on creating chances alone, you have to take them yourself. Ozil and Sanchez are part of the team that failed to beat Southampton yesterday and are as much to blame as anyone else 😉
Yap. People keep saying giroud this walcolt that. Are they the only forwards that supposed to score? Look at Tottenham. It’s not only Kane goals that carry them. Alli ? Ericsson? Look at Leicester. Even their defenders scored goals to save. Man City. It’s hasn’t always been Aguero. Yaya, Fernandino Debrune and Sterling. Everybody must take responsibility and overly depend on Giroud and walcolt.
Let’s hit greener pastures my brother…….. L()L
How does Theo get rated higher than Campbell.
Is it because he is English and English players are over hyped?
Campbell easily worth 6.5 or 7 but Walcott was straight up 3, no excuses.
Have to defend Theo a little bit. I think when he is on form he is good. The problem is IMO that Wenger doesn’t know what he wants with him. At one point he got a run of games as central striker and did OK IMO if you include the additional dimension his speed gave Ozil and Sanchez. But then he gets injured and is not played again in the middle.
He is not a top player but when his confidence is managed and high he is better IMO the Campbell.
Wenger just doesn’t know how to work with a top striker and prefers projects as strikers.
Henry was a project, albeit successful, RVP was (both players started on the wing) and now all Wenger tries to do is try to convert players to become strikers. He simply refuses to buy ready made strikers despite having more than enough cash to do so.
Agreed, but the problem is Walcott is not consistent enough, he doesn’t have the desire of Henry or RVP, I think he’s too nice imo. Top strikers should be ruthless and demanding, look at RVP, whenever our midfielders failed to provide chances he got annoyed and hassled them to do better. Unfortunately Walcott doesn’t have that mentality that separates top strikers from good ones no matter how good he is on form :/
English players are all overhyped. All of them! Fact!! Does england have any world class player right now? NO! So much media hype during qualifiers but when the main test comes NOTHING. Its the “me” attitude they have, no unity just like in London . +)
Who’s thumbing you down ? It’s a fact they have no world class players.
Arsenal away PL games:
Bournemouth
Man United
Tottenham
Everton
West Ham
Sunderland
Man City
still fancy us for the title…?
I don’t know about the title, but I can feel an unbeaten run coming for us in the league, I’m already feeling sorry for Bournemouth ? ? ?
This years title will be won on the last day of the season and probably on Goal difference, We will start boosting ours against Bournemouth ?
I just hope that wenger stops the pairing of Flamini and Ramsey and starts using Coquelin and Elneny!
Put Ramsey back on the wing, he was doing better there, before his injury and Giroud needs to be benched to rediscover his scoring boots!
We’re already on an unbeaten run Fat boy. 3 games and still counting 😉
Hahahaha………*Ramsey on the wings*
does he really have a place in this team?
@muff,
We will definitely win at Etihad, our 4th place trophy might depend on it!!!
buy a world class striker winger cm and cd
simples simples simples
sucker of the match wenger and the idiot who keep on hailing him as a top manager
They always say “next season” is our season. We are watching…
They say English core. Walcott n Ox are just a joke. They deserve to be in a team like Newcastle, stoke city ( can they even make it there?) . Wat a waste. Barca will definitely put us to bed.
I feel sorry for Bournemouth ???
They are going to get such an ARSEnal F@#@ing on Sunday, That People are going to mistake them for the Channel Tunnel ( Afterwards) ??????
you know what funny with arsenal. we never learn from our mistakes. i have never seen such a bunch of idiots in one place
count the days when arsenal fans start to say things like.
give him another season and let him prove himself.
there is no better manager then him.
name me one manager who could make 17 years of cl football.
we owe wenger support bec there is no arsenal without him. we never had a better manager then him, and probably will never have a better one.
sick and tired and very sad with arsenal. instead of being proud to be fans, we need to hide in shame. f… angry.
Whoever wins champions league with arsenal in less than 19 is our best manager
Good defending, extraordinary saves from keeper, bad referring, bad weather……excuses after excuses, that is the staple of Wenger and AFC.after yet another choker….if you are really good enough to win the title and have players really up for it and a manager who knows how to bring out the best in them then YOU FIND A WAY to score the goals needed to get at least 6 points from 12…bottom line is this…AFC under Wenger has a loser mentality, SIMPLE..the club cannot perform under pressure, no character, no spine,no backbone…
When do we say enough is enough with Wenger ? How many more years must we endure this.
Heard Özil is holding off on a new contract and Pep is a big admirer of Alexis. Pep was the guy that brought him from Udinese to Barca and he just might do it again for City. If any of these players leave I just hope they don’t get abused by the fans because the really deserve better and they’re not getting any younger…
3 points from possible 12 (4 matches) is dreadful, unacceptable
Last 4 matches
Leicester 10 points and zero loss
Man City 8 points and zero loss
Spurs 9 points and 1 loss
United 5 points and 1 loss
ARSENAL 3 points and 1 loss
Beightside
On the weekend:
Man City v Leicester
Spurs v Watford
We MUST win. We may be able to get back in it
We didn’t win but that’s definitely not cos we played badly. Forster was in fine form or our players didn’t pick the correct spots. The referee didn’t help with the rugby style sotton brought. But all in all, we still have that slight hope that should be ignited from our next match. I don’t want to give up yet but we need a morale boosting win. Come on you Gunners. #GoonersFamily
Funny how folks use to slate Özil not too long ago, yet the guy has been on top form this season. The guys talents are going to waste being surrounded by so much joke of players. Amazing what truly world class players can do and bring to a team but we seem to only average 1 every summer. Not enough in my eyes especially when we have the money. Do you notice the look Özil and Alexis give each other when a move is broken down by a teammate? I can just imagine how the feel and probably what they say to each other. Besides our ONLY true world class players in Alexis, Özil and Cech yesterday, Monreal was the only 1 that was holding his own. Everyone else was just ok or alarmingly below that. Seems everyone is already predicting Pep to run away with the league once he arrives at City but I think this summer is when we need to change our approach and get at least 2 – 3 world class players and pray that the ones we have don’t say deuces, regardless of who our manager is or will be.
have been saying this for the past 10 years, walcott is a league 1 player not epl , maybe if he was pl player not for big four clubs . has any other club ever wanted to sign him during transfer season ? He was looking good during his early career at arsenal but after 2 season or 3 rd season he wasnt. Only deluted fans MOSTLY ENGLISH still thinks he is a good player, which he never was and will never be, getting older too. (a decent player aat most) . You guys want him to be a good player for England .” He is the player Arsenal deserve, but not the one we need” . And for 10 years ive been saying if wenger is manager we wont win the Epl . Pls prove me wrong . Thanking you ^.^ Cheers