There have been a good few posts on JusArsenal covering the upcoming Liverpool v Arsenal clash on Saturday evening with many comments giving every possible viewpoint and one such opinion does frustrate me a little I will admit.
I struggle to get on board with the attitude that a defeat is ok as long as we try.
Of course, if the lads try their hearts out and lose then there is no room for harsh criticism, I mean, we are playing a team that lost just once in the Premier League last season, that has been thrashing us and who are European Champions.
But a loss is still a loss and no matter who the opponents are and no matter the context of the game we are still Arsenal and should not be accepting any loss, even if that loss is an improvement.
Our minimum expectations must be to get something from the game and nothing less.
If we were West Ham or Newcastle then fair enough, a credible loss is acceptable but not for a team like Arsenal.
Take Tottenham, they got absolutely battered by Man City and got very lucky with the penalty that never was but none of that matters, what matters is that they came away with a draw and one point and yet they were by far the inferior team.
Top-six teams have that about them, they can be very poor and still get something from the game, that is what makes a top-six team.
It is all about heart, attitude, commitment and so on and all that starts before the game.
The absolute minimum we should be expecting is a draw and it matters not that Arsenal is away playing a superior team.
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Agreed. I read everywhere that ”1 point would be great”. Loser mentality. Remember Newcastle won against City last season, do you think the players went into that game with a losing mentality?
Spot on, we should initiate the attack
Losing will not be a problem. At least we try to attack and not being defensive as what we did in the previous meetings
Newcastle winning city is not about winner mentality if they have such winner mentality they should be fighting for the league. There are many factors that can make a team win or loss which attitude/mentality is one of.
Most of us know that football can be cruel not giving you what you deserve at times, but based on performances so far we are right to say not to highly confident on getting a point at anfield but that doesn’t mean if we put on a heck of a performance that we can’t come out with something it’s all about been honest to one’s self.
So we play Liverpool, followed by the spuds, then it’s a bloody international break!! Already!! Waited so long for the league to start & 4 games in, there’s a break! Does my bloody head in!
Just bought tickets for the Villa game though, so that has perked me up a little ?
This article and it’s theme perfectly encapsulates the ongoing dilemma that most fans everywhere have most of the time- the only time when they DON’T, being when they are supremely good, like Man city are right now. We and the players HAVE to believe in our team, which is normal and natural but it is also at times being dishonest with ourselves. Much of the debates I have had with fellow fans on here is entirely because I do not ever kid myself in my heart that we are better than we are. We all close ranks in public, as do all clubs fans, against rival fans who we do not allow to speak the truth about our players which we so often choose to deny ourselves. There then is that DILEMMA, writ large. It is the nature of fanhood but as long as we all recognise that inherent self dishonesty, which we nearly all indulge in, me included, (though, IMO, less often than many others) then that fascinating self battle between being a true fan – on the one hand- and being totally honest with ourselves – on the other hand- will not harm us greatly. However, if we do not even recognise in ourselves that natural self deceit, then we have perception problems, which may well be harmful to us in our non football lives too.
To sum up, we are all( humans everywhere and not just football fans) hypocrites but recognising and admitting that fact disarms the harm it does us personally.
A bit of a contradictionary post IMO.
You don’t accept that some fans will accept a loss, and yet you label Liverpool a “superior team”.
Personally, I accept Liverpool were miles ahead of us last season and I accept we probably can’t catch up with them already.
But I don’t accept, we can’t catch up with them longer term. I hope for the best this season, but realistically, I think we will be behind Liverpool, but closer than last year, and then maybe we can overtake them.
I will be happy with a draw. I am realistic. I hope we win. I would be ecstatic if we won but a draw away to Liverpool will make me happy. All we can do is try our best. Liverpool have superior quality players and they are at home. That’s extremely tough conditions
They have a few better players, but Aubameyang, Pepe, Willock, Ceballos and Leno are better than some of their current players
We’ve rolled over and have been completely mauled by this lot time & time again at Anfield. This is a place where they came back from 4-0 down against Barca. Yes Barca, not Birmingham.
We are the underdogs here, we’re facing the European champions (?) but in a game of football, anything is possible.. yes I want us to win, as always, but you can’t blame me for saying that right now I’d take a draw.. Firmino, Salah & Mane ALWAYS score against us, with Bobby usually opening the scoring for them..
But our attack equals theirs.. it really should be a belter.. I just hope the 4-0’s and 5-1’s and scoring 12 seconds after our corner are a thing of the past!! Come on Arsenal ?
Sue, you are right to feel that way base on the past results but imo players for playing Liverpool is not better than us. Where I see the superiority is the coach football philosophy which will determine who will win and lose on Sunday. I watched Soton and Liverpool match last week and I believe they are beatable but are we going to be up for it.
Hi Sue, the last time we played in Anfield we were mauled 1-5, so it will be interesting to see who were on the pitch for us when we played 4-2-3-1.
Aubameyang
Iwobi. Ramsey. Maitland-Niles
Xhaka. Torreira
Kolasinac. Sokratis. Mustafi. Lichsteiner.
Leno.
We need to look at the folly of putting AMN in the right wing, and Iwobi on the left and expecting Ramsey to create the moves. Hope Emery will use all the weapons he has at his disposal and put the best players on the pitch. At Anfield last season, we had 40 more passes and higher passing accuracy, but had only 5 shots on target, while they scored 5 from the 10 they had.
The takeaway from that mauling should be to have a team that had attacking mentality and Lacazette is vital to this, so also is a creative genius which should be Ozil, or in his absence Ceballos, but I believe Ceba and Ozil can work magic together.
All things considered, my formation will be 4-2-1-3.
Auba. Laca. Pepe
Ozil
Ceba. Torreira or Guendozi.
Montreal. Sokratis. Luis. AMN.
Let’s win this game already ?
Hi Viju… that line up from last time.. it’s no wonder we were thrashed!! Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Iwobi!!!
Loving your line up for tomorrow, hope we see it!
COYG ?
Hi Sue, joining you in waiting for the tie today and see our boys play well, preceded by our badger putting the best team on the pitch.
In Arsenal we trust.
With this post comes the feeling that this game is soooo important. Maybe moreso than the remaining 35 after this one. Helloooo! It’s only one game…!!! Let’s get real and stop all these trips of hysteria.
Win, lose or draw, it’s not more than a game. A stern test of our claim to improvement over the last season. Certainly. Three points at stake. Yes. It’s Liverpool and they are the European Champions. Yep. Unbeatable? No. Almost held to a draw by mere Southampton Last week? Yes, certainly.
Does anyone remembers that teams peak, plateau and and then struggle to hold on to the heights the once called their own? Perpetual victory is a beast none has tamed perpetually.
We are moving in the right direction and it is a certainty that the coming back of our injured players will have a knock-on effect on our form at some point. Let’s hope that is going to happen sooner rather than later.
All this hysteria about Saturday is childish at best. Saturday will certainly come. So let’s all chill and expect a good game from our boys. Much of the talk stems from fear and we are helping these guys up North making ourselves lame ducks before a ball is kicked.
Enough of the nail biting. It’s still a few days away and the ref is yet to dress up for the match…
Hi Gunnerphilic. Liked the general tone of your post but this bit is a bit worrying:
‘it is a certainty that the coming back of our injured players will have a knock-on effect on our form at some point. Let’s hope that is going to happen sooner rather than later.’
I know you meant that returnees should improve us but if Ozil is not ‘sick’ and Xhaka is pronounced fit then I’m not too sure. UE may well play them and, in my opinion, they are neither fast enough nor hard working enough to compete with the ‘pool midfield.
we have better players than liverpool but they have a better team based on understanding since they have played together longer than ours….. So the likes of ray parlour should shut up with statements like which arsenal players can walk straight into the liverpool side.
u guys should judge for yourself. The players on capital letters are better. ALISSON- leno, alexander arnold – BELLERIN, ROBERTSON – tierney, FABINHO – Xhaka, henderson – CEBALLOS, wjandum – OZIL, SALAH – pepe, firminho – LACAZETTE, mane- AUBAMEYANG…… Arsenal wins 6:5. I only gave robertson ahead of teirny based on experience if not iy would be 7:4
sorry i didnt add the center halfs….. SOKRATIS – matip , david luiz – VAN DYK
A couple of reasons we can win this.
1) Their keeper made a cock-up last week, isn’t the world’s best anyway and could be feeling a bit nervous. This could transmit to their defence who weren’t exactly brilliant against Southampton.
2)The whole Liverpool team press high. A ball over the top to fast forwards is always a good move against this and we have them – Pepe, Laca and Auba being supplied by Luiz will do fine.
With Ceballos running the show just behind the front three and having a pretty quick, highly mobile and hard working midfield behind him we can do the ‘pool some damage – providing UE doesn’t chicken out and start such as the slow moving Mkhitaryan, Ozil and Xhaka to try to curtail their attacking threat. After all he did say he’d rather win 4-3 than 1-0, or words to that effect so let’s see if he meant it. I won’t be holding my breath.
In order to be shot down in flames by those who know far more about tactics than me I suppose I’d better give my own favoured starting lineup for this game so here it is:
Leno
AMN Sok Luiz Nacho
Torreira
Guendouzi Ceballos
Pepe Laca Auba
Subs – depending on who’s injured/knackered any 3 from:
Martinez, Chambers, Willock, Smith Rowe, Nelson
Result Liverpool 3-4 Arsenal.
On the other hand if UE does chicken out and tries to contain Liverpool then… ?
Over to you 🙂
Talking about ground specialist, the Anfield Stadium has not been a good hunting ground for Arsenal in the PL for quite sometimes now as the Gunners have mostly been losing to the Reds there. But come Saturday this weekend, this game losing run sequence will be broken by Arsenal but not just by playing to a draw game in the match away to Liverpool but beat them on their home ground to break the losing run sequence properly. And I think and believe that’s exactly what Arsenal will do to Liverpool on Saturday evening at Anfield in the PL. Haven of recent won both the Champions League and the Super Cup trophies, yes, Liverpool are the undisputed European Champions. But Arsenal are aware of their recent European success exploits and this could give them a psychological advantage in the match but on paper in the game against Arsenal. But in reality, the Gunners aren’t going to be afraid on the Anfield turf to play against the European Champions the Reds. The truth to the matter is Arsenal have all the necessary tools in Gunners they will need to use to play against the tools in Reds that Liverpool have and they’ll will not only be matched in the game, but surpassed in it by Arsenal with a win result over them their hosts Liverpool. ”Surpassed in it by Arsenal with a win result over them their hosts Liverpool” is the game application Key that the Gunners have in their possessions to unlock a win result for Arsenal in the match over Liverpool in the locked game application before it’ll be eventually unlocked by Arsenal on Saturday. It’s a 0-2 away game win result to Arsenal.
Seems we suddenly forgot how great we were away from home and how many away game we have won in last two seasons..
Maybe we have forgotten this is arsenal
I am not going to write like journalists who are more concerned about selling papers than stating things the way they are.
If any of you looked properly at both teams, you would discover how greatly reduced the gulf between both teams this season. Arsenal, by bringing in Ceballos, Luiz and Pepe, have closed up the formerly existing gap to a reasonable extent. Meanwhile, Liverpool on their own part for reasons best understood to them, decided against bringing in a first team player during the transfer window.logically they have stagnated, while we have taken a few steps forward. There are weak points in their team: the goalie is not used to playing out from the back, and that alone, if not properly managed can cause a whole lot of problems for them. Our front three are as good as theirs. With Ceballos, we have a midfield that is good as theirs. My concern is our fullbacks; with Hector and Keiran still out, we are very much undermanned there. Matip is not better than Papa , and while Vvd has a better defensive mindset, Luiz is a better passer of the ball. Take for yourself who the better goalie is between Leno and Adrian.
The area where we are most likely going to lose the game is mindset. If they they step onto the field of play thinking they have chance of winning, then they would be better off not going.
A true fan From Nigeria.
I meant to type if they step onto the pitch thinking they have no chance of winning, then they would be better off not going there at all
?
It seems I’m the only optimistic guy here I see us winning it will be a tough game though