Arsenal failed to win yet another Premier League game as they drew with Southampton today.
The Gunners have been on a poor run of form and they lost three of their previous league games.
They needed to beat this high-flying Southampton side, unfortunately, it was not to be.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally scored another league goal from open play and Bukayo Saka was in fine form. Here is the Arsenal player ratings.
Bernd Leno – 6
Nothing spectacular from him. Saved some stinging shots well and picked the ball out of the net.
Rob Holding – 5
Struggled with the change from a back four to a back three while defending. But he almost scored the winner for Arsenal, the post stood in the way.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 3
An unnecessary red card to spoil Arsenal’s game plan. Undid all the good things he may have done.
Kieran Tierney – 4
Made it easy for Walcott to score and just kept crossing the ball when there was no one to score.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 5
He let down the fans that wanted to see him play. Did ok defensively, but he didn’t look too comfortable when in possession.
Dani Ceballos – 6
He looked like he could have made things happen, but then he had to do too much defensive work and that limited his creative role.
Mohamed Elneny – 5
Was his usual busy self, but this game needed a midfielder that could offer more than short passes here and there.
Bukayo Saka – 8
He is Arsenal’s best player at the moment, his moment of brilliance gliding through three players set up Arsenal’s goal.
Nicolas Pepe – 6
Had a good first half, but he was affected by the red card and was anonymous after the break.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 7
Finally got a goal from open play, not much more we can ask for.
Eddie Nketiah – 6
Set up Aubameyang for the goal, subbed off after the red card. But he did well and will get more chances.
Subs
David Luiz – 6
Brought on after the red card and he helped Arsenal see out the game without conceding another goal.
Joe Willock – 5
Helped Arsenal defend the draw, maybe he should have helped with creating the winner instead.
Cedric Soares – N/A
Arsenal players ratings by Ime
Pepe 6???
Agreed – Saka MOTM 👌 Bless him 😊
Really chuffed for Auba, the relief was etched on his face!
Saka gets 10. Who cares about the rest.
Nice one, Icw! He really is becoming Mr Reliable…
Sue: Totally agree. He is the total package and will get better next year. That’s a player to build around.
Absolutely 👍
Needs some referee protection though. He gets kicked from start to finish and must be Arsenals most fouled player.
OT.. What a goal, Haller!!
It was even better than the beauty by Weed Walcott hehe.
😂😂 brilliant!!
I hope this is the game where we have finally turned the corner. Everton is where our season starts. So pleased for Arteta the team held on for the draw. He has worked so hard he does not deserve all these red cards by his players. Then beat Man Sheiky in the Carabao and we can have a happy Chistmas. COYG ☺.
It is a start, and a very welcome one for all of us and all of them
Auba did nothing except the goal he scored.
Well that is his job to score and he did, what more do you want him to do, hug the ref? When the magician vanishes in thin air, it is not his job to score, not his job to track back and defend, not his job to tackle or dribble, so why two standards? Just because he releases political statements and puts the club to shame? Auba was, is and will remain class, and will come out of this form. Maybe captaincy is a bit too much for him.
100% agreed that we should not have 2 standards. By the same logic, if Auba can focus on scoring, Ozil can focus on creating chances, Leno can focus on stopping shots …
It is fine by me, and this is why we need a team of different players, and a team of coaches specializing in different aspects like goal keeping and defense.
Just that some pro and amateur pundits switch to 2 standards or even 3 standards at their convenience, and still pretend to be morally correct. This hypocrisy is too much.
👍👍 Auba scored the goal, which secured the point… but he didn’t do a lot 🙄🙄🙄 sheesh!!
If Leno had saved that shot, we would have won. Yet many self proclaimed pundits and gurus of football on this site blame Arteta. If Ozil sneezes than blame Arteta too. C’mon folks we need to support the manager as he has to build a title challenge with a bunch of rags and misfits.
Again & again; wrong 11 on pitch causes this same no or wrong game plan for poor result. Lucky not losing it, but 1 point every 3 games won’t get us anywhere but between 15th and 19th we will spend Holliday’s on with board talking about stability we will get by trusting we are doing well , just be patient and trust their plan!. Support it and manager they picked ..
Luiz was a welcome return. Did the job of marshalling the team.
Certainly no complaints about the Auba’s goal, but the post match interview was not that of captain material.
What did he say?
If you are going to make a comment at least make sense
So, w h a t d i d h e s a y?
He spoke in a manner that more than suggested he was not able to fulfill his role as a captain. He had no grrrrr about him , no fire that the team could recover
Sorry but I thought you were being cheeky
He just came across in a totally non captain like manner. He hasn’t got the right attitude to be a leader and it would be e best if a Luiz or Tierney type character did it
We are celebrating a home draw vs Southampton. We are still on thin ice. Loss vs Everton and Arteta must walk. 1 point out of 9 vs Burnley, Everton, Shampton is unacceptable.
👍👍
👍…same I don’t understand now the level of our club we celebrate 1-0 losses against big 6 and also 1-1 draws against small teams. How the mighty have fallen. It’s injuries if not then it’s red cars…how many reasons n excuses. Simple Arteta should have been given marching order way before this game. He would not have servived in any big European club but then I guess neither our results n neither our mentality are that of big club.
And the Southampton fans are disappointed at not coming away with all 3 points!!
Yeah big change Sue, did you see Walcott’s interview. He said few times they were disappointed with not getting all 3 points but he also mentioned now they play with a bit of arrogance that is Southampton he is talking about…I never thought I would such comments from an opponent that too from a such a small club as compared to us. Normally I see or hear ex players who come back playing for smaller teams praising Arsenal and saying it’s a big result for them to get draw, they keep talking about quality of Arsenal team n feel so proud but nothing like that I could see from his interview. It was like he has gone to a bigger club then Arsenal …a step up. This what our level is now…. absolutely pathetic at the moment every team in country want to play us bec they form fear us anymore and know playing us means point on the board for them. You know I am a Madrid fan as well n the difference in attitude n mind set of madrid official n fans to Arsenal board n fans is just amazing. You try and defend manager who performs like Arteta there n you will get slaughtered by 99% of fans but here at Arsenal I see fans are still divided n they are still defending Arteta with their life. A lot of Madrid fans used to respect Arsenal bec of the way Arsenal played football, the players they had and specially manager Wenger.
Southampton bossed the game from start to finish except for about 8 minutes, they played like a team, we played like 11 individuals. Our team dynamic is awful and we actually started this game sitting back and trying to catch Southampton on the break. Their players looked sharp, we didn’t, they will be bitterly disappointed that they didn’t beat us.
Their manager has worked wonders.. I mean look at their team, no what I call ‘big names’ in the squad, but look how they play – as a team! I thought maybe they’d suffer after losing Cedric/Hojbjerg but no, they’ve bought well and are flying!! And good on them!!
I’ll defend and give credit where it’s due, Mohsan and tbh I expected a draw.. and after the garbage we’ve seen previously, I was bloody relieved!! 😂 But let’s see how we perform against the toffees, because if we lose that and it’s embarrassing, then we really should look at bringing Big Sam in… oh wait……😄 It’s scary to think how far we’ve fallen – especially with this season being our worst EVER and it should’ve been the start of our ascent!! Worrying times…
Benzema’s on 🔥 though!!
Spot on, Reggie 👍
It’s half we were lucky not to be down 2/3 things did in prove in the 2nd period with a good goal out of the persistence of Saka. The sending off was avoidable and I hope Gabriel receives a heavy fine for his stupidity.
I thought it was a nervous performance, lack of pace with no direction or forward vision. Still a hell of a lot to do!!!
So frustrating how it takes until the 2nd half for us to wake up!
Saka once again, that poor sod will have a bad back before long, with all the carrying 😄
Yes, agreed and hope there is a hefty fine… I bet Xhaka’s relieved, thinking at least it should take the heat off of him!! Uh no….
Mr points rater. You are obviously not a member of the Tierney is a saviour fan club, however your ratings of him are One eyed. I mean ,six for Pepe, five for Eleny? Interesting.
Agree Tierney is head and shoulders above those 2 for effort and guile alone.
I think AMN was a bit better than HB, considering his performance, defensively, today.
Hector didn’t play
I thought AMN was one of the best players on the pitch ,maybe I watched a different game .
Let down again by another pointless red card when we was on top .
Agreed Dan. Thought he was class today. Lost concentration a couple of times (his biggest weakness imo) but he has great feet and is so composed.
No we all watched the same game, and the great thing is we all have our own opinions – funny how we see things differently.
I though Ainsley was average.
As the game wore on he began to give the ball away too easily , and once again, those lapses in concentration were evident when caught ball watching more than once as they began to get in behind too easily.
The above is why Cedric was sent on at right back and AMN moved in front of him, to double up on on the wide player they had sent on to have a go at Ainsley. The fella looked dangerous and was getting behind AMN.
By the way, I was interested to see Edu shaking his head , and raising his arms in the stand.
Auba 7? Other than the goal he did nothing
Ex players love scoring against arsenal so i knew Walcott would score…. Holding almost got a late win but a draw was just fair as Southampton were the better side in the first half. Saka run was immense for the goal.
I cant help thinking that Auba really could do without the captaincy atm.
He looks so down and lost in his post match and that is after scoring again.
Hes carrying the weight of the club on his shoulders as captain and scorer.
Martinelli and Partey cant come back quick enough.
At least Martonelli Saka Laca and Auba will link up well.
We didn’t lose and managed a point, I’ll take it to stop the skid. Our midfield is so dire it makes the attack and defense tepid. Partey was a start, but we desperately need another top midfielder.
A healthy Partey with a top partner will make a big difference with this team. Not only quickly transitioning to attack, but managing a match and protecting the defenders.
Until our midfield can grab control of a match, we’ll continue to struggle and be hit or miss. We also desperately need a true captain; a leader to ruffle feathers and get more from the players.
Just seen the ratings Ime! I take it you didn’t watch the game because your scores are ridiculous.
Dan Smith… Are you really sure the predictions won’t count for this week?! 🙏😂
On no Sue, did you score big ?
I’m on 7 so far… which is good for me 😂
Yes, I guess the best Arsenal can hope for at Goodison is to hold on and hopefully get a point. We don’t have enough to cause them too many problems but as others have said,a fully fit Partey with a top draw addition ,along with the Erikson for Xhaka swap deal could see a much better run of results in the post January run in.
A draw against a team currently flying high and with 10 men.
That should be a confidence booster.
Everton then Chelsea next. This league is the best in the world because there is no let up…
I think we can all see that all the players are really trying, even aubamayang worked so hard today and I don’t agree with Niles and Tierney ratings that’s too low. We have just really been unlucky with this red cards. We should be able to beat everton and we will go from their.
Auba is turning into Ozil, invisible, hiding, idle, not caring!
I really don’t care as long as he keep scoring goals, I’m very sure if not for the red card he would have score 2 goals.
Next game : Everton… Next Red card: David Luiz… M tired of these silly red cards 😭
Good to see we’ve stopped the losing run. Next target – finish with eleven men on the pitch!
😆
Gabriel is not comfortable playing in the centre of a back three, and the sooner Arteta reverts to a flat back four the better .KT will never be a CB and Holding is far better in the centre of defence.If an old man can see these flaws in our defensive make up, why can’t our Manager.Saka was our only quality player on the night which is a sad reflection on our performance I’m afraid.Sorry to be so despondent , but at least we are reasonably proficient in playing with ten men.Practise makes perfect?
Ooh Grandad and I was looking at the positives☹️
Grandad I’m sorry but I disagree with your analysis, what i see tonight from the players especially in the second half is that they are ready to fight for the club, they gave there all tonight. I keep reading some saying we didn’t fight or play with passion but I really don’t get what they are saying. What I want people to understand is that when you keep losing, your confidence drop you need some good results to build it back up. Today we had like 6 shots on target, which means we are getting there and don’t forget that Southampton are in a good form right now and to hold them for 24minutes with a red card is not that easy and we could have won it In the end with a bit of luck. All in all this to me is a good performance.
Yes, it did boost confidence
Can you imagine if we’d lost?
A lot of the people who post on here have gone pretty quiet because we didn’t lose
quiet. the way we are playing is bottom 6 we will end up. goals win matches and not pretty football or passing stats. teams use to fear arsenal now we are mediocre team that they love to play against. no other top club would tolerate not winning 5 on the spin at home. only arsenal. we need ballers and managers not with talent only but the mental fortitude to play for arsenal.
Well I didn’t say everyone but there are far fewer calls for Arteta to go tonight
Not saying it’s a pretty picture but it’s better than a lot were predicting earlier
Thanks@Granddad..👍👍Have been saying this for some time.Holding, Gabriel n co never likes this 3@the back defensive formation@all.
It will drag Arsenal to the Championship!!
What’s wrong with Arteta?? You say 3 central defenders today then 2 tomorrow.This creates a confused mindset on the players..Clearly Kierian Tierney forgot his position and thought he was playing as a left back..How come MA doesn’t see this??
Then on AMN ratings, can’t we see he played higher@RB?? Maintland Niles is a midfielder like Wijnaldum of Liverpool..Creative, energetic n very focused on the pitch.
Suspect Arsenal management is afraid he will bench their ‘darling’ Xhaka forever if he is started consistently..
Such terrible bias and foolish favouritism@this club..You will be surprised that Arteta will not give Wonder-kid Martinelli much playing time when he’s fit..😒😒
Great result but very poor 1 point return. Saka played well and deserved MOM but Gabriel poor lad struggled all game and looked very nervous. Everton on Saturday must be a win or Arteta must go, today was another game that had all the traits of this season however we dress it up. Players are battling but look like 11 individuals and not a team. Tactics are just not working, Southampton bossed the game from the start, we got a goal from a great start by us but a slow start from Southampton. There is something radically wrong with the way we set up, the way we play and the results that we are getting. Todays battling draw will only be the start if we beat Everton, if we dont its business as usual im afraid. Arteta and the team just about bought some time today, it definitely wasnt a change in the wind.
It’d be nice to turn up in both halves, not just the 2nd! We’ll have to be on it from the off in the Arteta derby on Saturday!
Agree Sue, i think we are getting close to just starting games and not really believing we can win and that is very debilitating to players. A loss against Everton would be catastrophic, a win afterthe draw has to kick us on or else.
👍👍 a must win game – how many times have we said that this season?!!
Jeez…
Sue, every result is a nail in the coffin at the moment. Thats a fact! How big is the coffin and how many nails?
I’ve lost count 😄
A Great Result?
I’ve been watching Arsenal as a supporter for 62 years. That was not even football. The owners, the board, the management, Arteta and the team should be ashamed of themselves. The owners are not fit to own this club and Arteta is out of his depth….the players!!!!!!!…..should be prosecuted for fraud and fined their wages to give to charity….. for pretending to impersonate footballers.
Sean, I’ve supported them for 50 years. We have had some poor teams and grim years over that time, but this is the worst I can remember – owner, players, attitude, league position, reputation, lack of funds and (although I hope I am proved wrong) manager, are currently attrocious. That’s a worrying list of things to put right. Worse that we cant even GIVE the real dross away because they are on ridiculous wages. Some fans must have been watching another game, because tonight was again not good. The best I can say is that most of them ran aroung a lot, but like headless chickens. We weren’t better 2nd half – Saints fell apart and let us back in. Auba was awful, and finishing Saka’s great work does not change that. Poor control, passing and finishing, lazy, uncommitted, uninterested. a terrible choice of captain. The only guy with any leadership skills in the squad is Luiz, but his age and liability to self destruct make captaincy a bad idea. And week by week Gabriel is getting dragged down by the mediocrity around him. Maradona used to carry Argentina, but unfortunately Saka is not (yet) Maradona. I can dream though…!
Guy
It’s clear we are of the same mind. My own problem is I find it unacceptable how we have fallen.
even wenger’s team that received a hiding of 8-2 from man utd I believe would wipe the floor with this team. that’s how bad I believe it is.
They gave the ball away a lot tonight – started some good link ups but the key passes got away from them. We were pretty sloppy in our own final third – giving the ball away in dangerous positions too often, trying to force passes when the ball should have been moved.
Fantastic for the goal by Auba but he didn’t do much else. Front end got the goal but they were sloppy. Saka definitely the man of the match.
Gabriel has been spending too much time with the wrestler in practice it would seem. He was really handsy tonight.
Hey it is a point and there was a bit of good, but still a lot of bad.
if this is where Auba gets his mojo back it will turn out to be a really good game.
the result was partly on me, couldn’t find my practice jersey so went with toque and scarf. Will be properly attired for Everton so I am fairly optimistic 🙂
😄
one good thing, I know what to wear if we need a tie.
🙂👍
Come on guys how can you be so positive n upbeat after this match it was Southampton at home….if we are praising players n manager for a draw against such a team then we have no hope at all. We should be running over these teams at home specially with so called Great world class manager. If you expect so little from your team then why would they keep high standards n deliver on them when the club knows fans are happy with below avg performances. It does not matter if you play with 10men or have an injury crisis what matter are the points on board. Do you think if we get relegated we can give League official reasons like oh we had player sent off aost every game and injury crisis they will promote us back. If you have world class players, no injuries, no suspension and everything is hunky dory then what do you need manager for anyone can make that team win games. The true test of a manager is how he gets the best of the team in tough situations when everything seems to be going against u even then you produce results…points on board that is true world class great manager. This is what Pep, klopp, Allegri and Zizu can do, this is what makes them great.
Pls how many team get redcarded and win?, this season we have played up to 4games with redcard, if you think that is no then, I have not else to say.
on current for Soton is the better team, 3rd on the log, Gabriel got sent off at 62min, we played 30min with a man down against current 3rd best team in the league, we had more shot on target and drew. if that isn’t applaudable by your ‘standard’, am sorry your expectations are too high to be real
A lot of team do amange to draw with red cards don’t they? We got red card in 3 matches what happened before then? We played with 11 players. We have lost 7 games out of 12 even if you set the standard low to expect a loss in games we got red card it still is amazingly poor perforce to loose 4 games with 11 players in the field. How do you explain that.
I’m not so worried that Aubameyang is not scoring goals but rather the total lack of energy in his game. At the moment he’s playing like someone in their twilight years and is giving very little,no hustle or bustle or creating headaches for their defenders. I could see this coming,so wasn’t too panicked if he had decided not to sign again. He’d be much better off in a slower league like Spain or Italy. Barcelona would probably have been a great move for him feeding off Messi’s runs
As for Arsenal we need to think ahead. The next group of players to join Arsenal should be between 27 – 28 yrs. old with something to prove and offer long term dividends,rather than promising young pups like William.
Sorry I meant 23 -28 years of age and please please! No more stopgaps Arteta whatever you do forget Isco. I’d rather Ale if he is unsettled st the Spuds.
I thought Holding was very good 👍
Is it me or are our fan base harsh on him ?
If he had done what Gabriel had done why do I sense a more unforgiving reaction ?
yeah holding earned us that draw after the red IMO and nearly won it for us
till give AUBA 6, Saka 7,Pepe 6, Nketia 6, CEBALLOS 6, Mo 4, KT 5,AMN 5, Holding 6, Gabi 2, Leno 6.
With a red card we have always played OK, against Leeds, today, we were unlucky against Burnley , that’s one major credit to this team. However, I think we still have a long way to go, MA needs to stop been too cautious and allow the players some freedom for dynamism, been too predIctable is why we are in this mess,
What happened to our tactic of marking from opposition half, why do we allow opponents space in their halve but running back to Leno each time?
We have enough men for the job but the approach is wrong, an AUBA make run to intercept pass and others watch without marking their man until the ball is pass
Just heard Craig Burley on EPSN giving his opinions on Arsenal. If that ain’t “Telling it like it is” I don’t know what! Forget the optimism of a battling draw. Forget Edus bullshit. He should be invited into the Arsenal dressing room as a guest speaker.
Considering the pressure on both manager and players to begin with – the red card – the current form of the opponents – playing 35 minutes with ten men… then I actually applaud the final result.
What MA said after the game was a fair reflection of what I saw and the players were committed in this game.
My only suggestions are that Aubameyang hands the captains arm band back, concentrates on his game and MA asks Tierney if he would like the honour.
I agree Ken Auba should not be the captain but I don’t think Tierney should be as well, one for future sure but not at the moment. He is young and new to the league still trying to find his on feet. His performances have been ok not outstanding, he has actually struggled a bit this season. With his own game to improve and grow I think it will too much for his young shoulders and we can hamper his development. Give arm band to Luiz, he can be error prone but one thing is for sure dude is a leader with experience. One we are out of this mess and players are starting to enjoy their foot ball again in year or two then make Tierney the captain.
The root cause of the problem. IMO that it is Arteta as a coach and manager. He cannot use and apply a proper tactic and he cannot lift mentality and how the players should be.
It is too risk to let him in charge until the end of the season – it would be better if replace him as soon as possible because it is so so bad now, I can’t believe how the players play. Few players play good, but it is a team work.
Eddie was maybe a 4.5 after my rewatch. too many bad passes and not interested in pressing.
I thought I was the only one who noticed Nketiah non pressing. It was the only thing he was good at, and he couldn’t even offer it in that match. Pathetic to watch. Southampton defenders had all the time and space in the world to pick their passes while Ings and Che Adams pressured our goalkeeper and defenders into forced wrong passes or direction lacking up and hoof balls.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The only good thing he did was the one touch football between him and Saka to set Auba up for the goal. Lacazette wouldn’t have had the nous to play the one touch to Auba. He would have trapped the ball and started wrestling with defenders, and then lose possession, with Auba run wasted .
It’s a terribly sad day when we’ve lowered our standards to such a level that we are willing to applaud this effort…this organization clearly feels the discontent of the fanbase, which is why we saw several lineup changes(obviously not including the one’s that were required due to the suspensions of Xhaka and Bellerin)…the absence of Laca and Willian were undoubtedly brought about as a result of the seemingly incessant clamoring for their removal from the starting eleven so that some of our more youthful players might provide a much-needed spark…this is usually a sign of utter desperation, especially if you don’t likewise make the necessary tactical changes…that said, the one thing I did like seeing today was the attempt, at times, to play more direct football…if Arteta is going to prove that he’s the answer to the myriad of questions that have plagued our club for more than a decade, he needs to start by being more transparent, even when it’s not in his best interests…when things really began to implode for Wenger he refused to engage the fans in a respectful and honest fashion…instead, each week he would offer up the same blather seemingly without any concern for the facts…Arteta doesn’t have the required “street cred” or history with the club to adapt a similar disposition…some of you might say he has been frank in many of his pre and post-game interviews, but usually only when he’s trying to appease…he still hasn’t been total forthcoming about Ozil’s omission, Guendo’s ousting, the Pepe signing, anything pertaining to Saliba, promises made to Willian, the obvious different rules that apply to Xhaka, the real reasoning behind choosing Leno over Martinez, his long-term plan regarding tactics/personnel requirements etc…instead of making the same mistake as his predecessors, maybe he should actually try to harness the power of the incredibly loyal fanbase, openly or otherwise, so that we could help facilitate this massive undertaking(i.e. getting rid of our absentee landlord)…what does he have to lose? his job? he probably will anyways
👍…agree and its actual more sad when you see ppl telling you that your expectatios are too high. This for me says it all what sort of level the club is at.
I slept right after the match. But is there no match article?
Now coming to the ratings, I think the fullback ratings are a little low and Holding did pretty well including the chance which was unlucky not to go in. We played or seemed to play through the middle more and used less aimless long balls(before the red card). Thats a tiny positive. Only thing I find a little problematic, after the overall downturn in performance, is that whenever we play out from the back the standard pattern seems to be to play it to the fullback and then hoof it forward resulting in a turnover. We should work more on that aspect.
Philosophy must be clear, unless @m8arteta start playing fast football we will continue to slumber.He should teach these players fast football, only 2 touches per player. This is the best philosophy I can see us win games.There is no identity anymore & its easy for the opponents
Brett you are spot on. we move the ball too slow, which always give the opponent time to stay in shape.
Sorry to be negative.
The result was good under the circumstances.
BUT, I think we ooked like we did’nt care in most of the first half. No energy, no desire, with one or two exceptions, and I honestly thought Auba was a disgrace apart from the goal.
I am still very worried.
Very Well said andes ..just dont know why Mr rater is putting d goal on Tierney wen its Gabrielle,enleny n cebalos wu messd up
I feel a draw was a good result considering we stopped a losing run and also Southampton presently are in the top 4 and playing well. Had it not been for the red card, I think we might have won the game. Good to see Louis back and he marshalled our defence when we were down to 10 men. Saka was outstanding as ever. All in all atleast something to start off with. Looking forward to the Everton game.
Any Team that makes wallcot look half way decent is a team in serious trouble … And that was the case when we had 11 on the pitch … Ceballos and saka the only real positives from this game … Absurd assessment here with nketiah and Willock on same level as Ceballos .. No wonder an uninterested owner and delusional management have got away with a decade of steady decline .. Fans endlessly deluding themselves that a corner has finally been turned by hyping ephemeral talent especially if it is home grown and convincing themselves that blatantly clueless management knows best … Part of a wider British disease sadly
Nketiah was never in box for a cross or back pass, position was awful for someone that relies on being a poacher.
On press he was just hanging off n dropping back before we went to 10 men.
Our front 3 cost us this game without doubt
It is imply managers fault . Unable to coach attacking moments and purely focussed on defensive moments
a. Look at Everton, Ancelotti has acquired a much poor squad than us and see how they are playing and where they are
b. Out attacking moments are pass or cross and pray someone finds it. Look at how Southampton midfielders have dragged our defense apart and made space for their strikers. If Auba was playing for Southampton instead of Walcott ,we would be have been 5 down by half time
d. We create little space or opportunities for our attackers and Arteta expects Attackers should convert whatever bits and scraps they are fed in a tight situations
e. Our players are not moving around creating spaces for them, the only movement is in triangles. They need to move and drag players and make space to receive or create a pass opportunity for others .
I donno what tactics Arteta the tactical genius is teaching if he cannot get the basics right.
We look like players hounding for the ball without no fineness.
You think Ceballos /Eleny cannot be coached to drag players and create spaces for attackers?
Arteta should identify the problems , not on how the opposition plays , but needs to look inner and how we play .
Wenger was different , no matter the opposition , it’s the same tactics because he knew if the players get the basic movements right , they can create . He was handed a disastrous defense during his time .
Look at the younger players moulded in the way Wenger play, in all Europa games the pass and move play is very dynamic . Here our passs and move is limited to short triangles without stretching the opposition
How does PEA get a 7 for doing nothing all game and only getting a goal? The goal saved him from a 1 and maybe gives him a 4.
I saw a captain with no interest in playing, no desire, no fight. He looked lost. Pepe was pretty much the same.
What I noticed is that our left and right side are very vulnerable as pepe and PEA do not assist in defence, their press is that of not interested.
Theo had a 2nd shot saved by leno coming onto right foot, where was pepe?
Since our attacks also go down the left and right and these players are not interested it is costing usnin attach as well.
I would drop at least 1 and play a hungry youngster that gets back in defence to help lb and rb.
Can KT for goal, but GM should not have pushed up and if he does he has to prevet the ball from bein played, this left KT and Saka out of position.
GM had a horrid game and his rating is too high.
I think Niles and Holding deserve a better score, they did decent considering Niles had no support from pepe and holding seemed to have been playing with GM that had 1 arm and 1 leg tied behind his back.
Cellebos i thought had his best game this season, thought he was a 7 at least.
Pepe a 6 is beyonf me, maybe a 3.
I think and i have always said AMN decision making lets him down.Hes got technique and potential but should get more minutes(a loan would be great for him)
And for holding, should work on the basics more
Him and gabriel lost the ball in crucial positions.
And as for MA atleast 6 points before new year to shut the critics. I am losing faith but will support him as long as hes in the club
And i think one of our main problem is the opponents have figured out how our attack works .Its not versatile as city or liverpool ,we need a midfielder who can play lime breaking passes or through balls and i think ceballos,willian,pepe or even ESR could do it if given the chance.
Flop of the match has to be Elneny. For the first goal Gabriel would have gotten that ball has elneny not slided which he totally missed. Tierny should also had read that through pass. I don’t know if I’m too upset with pepe, man can’t do anything. Time is running out for this guy in an Arsenal shirt. If only crystal palace would agree a swap deal with zaha. Say whatever you like about David Luiz, but believe me when I say he is a real leader. He was very vocal and was organizing. The sole reason why we drew along with holding. Give credit where it’s due. I thought holding played one of his best games in a long while. AMN is a good player but his passing is below 2. Man pass accuracy is that of an 80 yr old. Which is why we need a better player than him in the middle. I’m not gonna jump on the bandwagon that wants him to play in the middle. He is better of at rb/rwb. I feel the red card for Gabriel is a much needed breather for him. He needs it because for the past 2 to 3 games he has looked shaky. I would go as far as playing mari with holding if Luiz is not 💯 percent fit. And I loved a little cameo from willock. What’s up with Nelson?
Good to see Elneny playing and looking forward when he can link up with Partey again. Unfortunately another pointless display from Pepé on the right and Nelson needs a run on that side. Tierney had another good game and ran a close second to Saka in my opinion. We will be missing Gabriel for the Everton game and expect Luiz will fill in for him.
Gabriel had a bad game from the blast of the whistle. Escape a yellow two times in the first half. When he got the yellow, MA ought to have immediately replaced. He failed to read the danger ahead. I placed on the blame for the red on MA’s table. He did that to Bell on Sunday why didn’t he do same to Gabriel.
You don’t take your only decent centre back off for getting a yellow card Abul. You put faith in him to not do anything stupid. Gabriel failed the manager not the other way about.
As Holding improves, Gabriel regresses.They have to play as a pair in a back four , not out of position in a back three.Before he arrived at Arsenal, Tierney had never played left centre back for Celtic.Arteta needs to stop trying to get squares into round holes.Basically he is overcomplicating matters tactically, and someone, perhaps Edu, needs to tell him that.
Blaming KT for the goal is utterly out of order. But giving him a lower score than Holding & AMN is criminal behaviour. I don’t want to see Holding in an Arsenal shirt again, but i will because he’s better than the shit behind him. He is a decent Championship player at best. AMN couldn’t pass the ball to save himself last night, which isn’t like him.
I’d advice you to never do player ratings again.