Arsenal v Monaco Player Ratings – NO MOTM!

Arsenal 1 -3 Monaco Player Ratings by KJ

Ospina – 4
Shocking keeping tonight. Spilled numerous catches and conceded goals that should’ve been saved in my opinion, especially the first one.

Bellerin – 4
Completely out of his depth which is worrying. Hasn’t really kicked on at all after his good game against City. Seems to be too inexperienced and gets caught too central when defending.

Mertesacker – 2
Diabolical display. He was at fault for two of the goals and didn’t do anything captain-like. He definitely pulled off his Vincent Kompany impression (I assume that was what he was going for).

Koscielny – 4
Didn’t do anything to prevent Berbatov from dictating the tempo of the game, especially in the second half.

Gibbs – 3
Horrible night for him. Messed up so many offensive chances and was caught out numerous times. His inclusion over Monreal was a joke. Nacho would’ve provided much more offensive pressure which would’ve prevented Monaco from working their way out of their half so easily.

Coquelin – 4
Left us open quite a bit and didn’t stop Joao Moutinho at all which would’ve been his job. He was frankly schooled by the Portuguese international.

Cazorla – 4
Didn’t work at all as a box to box today. Didn’t make any penetrating runs after the first 5 mins of the game and was caught out with some suspect passing.

Welbeck – 4
Poor and came in far too much to collect the ball which meant we were always a man light when passed to the forward
players.

Özil – 4
He started well but faded quickly with the team and just couldn’t get any passes together with team mates.

Alexis – 4
He took far too many touches in simple positions which killed our ability to catch Monaco out of shape. Very poor display by the Chilean.

Giroud – 2
As bad as Mertesacker today. Missed an open goal and just was poor in general throughout the game. Subbed off after an hour because of that display.

Subs:
Walcott – 4
He came on and had chances to score but didn’t really take them at all.

Rosicky – 3
He came on and had very little effect.

Chamberlain – 2
He scored a great goal but was then at fault for the goal we conceded after that. If anything, his actions made the tie even more unfavourable for us.

59 Comments

    1. this result has finally woken me up.
      20 years since we have won ANYTHING in europe.
      we need the europa league
      we need 5th/6th
      as long as wenger is in charge i want europa league, think about this.

      when u look back at this era, do u wanna say…we always got to last 16 or do you wanna say- we won europa league trophy 3 times etc

      were meant to win trophies not 4th place and round of 16 every year

      1. What makes you think Europa league will be a walk in the park for us? You arrogant delusional Gooners. LOOL!!

        1. at least we will have a shot at winning.
          which is more then i can say about champions league.

          you dont think we can win europa league?
          in 16 years of qualifying for cl- we couldnt have brought home a europa league?
          you pessimistic delusional gooners loool

          1. Yeah in the last 10 years , we had 10 shots at the FA cup and league cup each. Please tell me how many we won ?

          1. i agree, we were playing a team that was considered weakest left in the competition an they were missing 5 key players.

            no one expected this. its not arrogance.
            yesterday was abysmal

      2. I am sad to say it because for all the respect for wenger for putting arsenal in the eltie map, he hasnt been able to capitalise that fact,
        I think that with the players we have, a game vs monaco was THE chance to shine.
        instead i think he couldnt get the motivational speech right and all was messed up.
        His time is up. Move ustairs, be the consigliere of the board , but let someone who can give players the right Word be in charge of games.

    2. The very worst players were, giroud, welbeck, gibbs and mertsaxker it seemed they had never played b4 but i majorly blame wenger for the team selection and poor tactics all the time

    3. The entire team sucked…Monaco are 5th in the French league, IMO they were a bit lucky if giroud had converted two of his chances it would have been a different story.if that shot was not deflected by per we might have never conceded a goal, we were all over the place after that lucky goal.we sucked as a team and let’s not point fingers, only one middle finger to point and that would be to per.

  1. I was furious about the monaco game, but i dont care anymore. we would been beaten in the next round anyways, no matter who we got they would have knocked us out. lets face it while wenger is here, we cant go even to the top8 in the CL. wenger just doesnt have a clue about the Cl knockout stages. and manu will kick us out from FAcup i’ll guarantee, because every time we face them, they win. just like chelsea, and just like anyone in the CL knockout stages. wenger and the team are DESERVED it, and they should be worry about it, not us. but im just f..in pissed off right now. p.s when we fall out from FAcup all the motivation and confidence will gone… and it might effect our PL run badly.. and if we also fail to get the 4th place… cant imagine what will happen..we have star players now, and it might be the worst season under wenger.. only good thin if that happens, he surely must go

    1. i disagree, we have a squad capable of beating any team in the right circumstances, incouding a bit of luck which had been granted with the draw.
      My pinion now os that Wenger simply cant get the best out of the players.
      Henry was a class aide, he didnt need no coach to shine.
      But all are not Henry nor Zidane etc,
      and we have ssen in the past that UCL can be won with an average team well managed and with lucky chances taken 100% (Chelsea ahem, Inter ahem)

  2. The team that every body wanted.We were made to look extremely bad.O.K it’s not over yet but don’t get ya hopes up

    1. its over dude.
      If I was wenger i would be man enough to accept defeat and move on, no 4th place but hiher and retaining fa cup. I would send a B team to Monaco so they gain experience or go for ride in yacht
      and if he cant do it, then out.
      simple.
      enough.

    1. Agreed and Ospina wasn’t at fault for the 1st goal, Mert deflected a full power strike at 45 degrees away from Ospina who was ready to dive to where the ball was originally going.
      100% Mertesaker’s fault.

      1. How come Mert got two points, was it because he was wearing both shin pads. What a loser, for the first goal he was not attempting to block the shot he was trying to get out of the way. This man is and always has been a liability. Wenger surely has nothing left to give. He sat on the bench pulling faces, arms folded, rocking back and forward. He is totally burnt out. He should leave now and save both the club and himself. I don’t ever want to watch anything like that again. We could have picked out eleven guys from the crowd and got a better result..

    2. Why would you give Ox 2? If we had a better defender in the middle after Ox lost that ball we wouldn’t have conceded a 3rd goal Mert is so slow it’s not even funny anymore. I am sure Sczny’s dad was saying “I told you so” he is the only happy gooner at the moment.

  3. Is Bould responsible for yesterday defensive show,I remember some articles here pointed out why he has improved our defence and so all credits should go to him.
    I must say am not too much shock unlike most fans bcos we have been winning on scrapy performances recently exactly like man u,I remember somone mentioning this some weeks back but got bullied by most.
    Check AW post match conference in the last 4game “we switch off in the second half,our mentality drop in the 2nd half…so on
    The team has been sited on keg of gunpowder for a while it was an awaitin disaster,just like man u got blew away by swan

  4. So Giroud – 2 but Ozil – 4 !!!
    Ospina couldnt do anything to these goals. The first one was deflected.
    Kosc had a good game with Gibbs

    1. If it was De Gea, he would have saved all goals. The 1st goal’s deflection ddnt change much, it passed just few mm above his head. The second Berbatov wasnt central , so Ospina could have narrowed the gap and make a save, same applies to the 3rd one he just needed a stronger hand.

      1. Bullshit, the first goal was deflected in the opposite direction; the shot was initially going to his left but ended up past him high on his right. The second goal Berbatov had all the time in the world, was central, and was one on one with Ospina. The last goal was very poor.

    2. if you think Gibbs had a good game you have no idea about football. He was beyond terrible and is the most overrated left back i have ever seen. he should be nowhere near an arsenal team

  5. Not quite my friend. Yesterdays showing illustrates WE NEED STRIKERS and ATTACKING MIDEFILEDERS WHO CAN WORK HARD AROUND THE OPPONENTS BOX.

    – Wellbeck has his good moments but I AM GENUINELY BEGINNING TO FEEL HE WONT CUT IT AS A FINISHER. Unfortunately, this will be his last chance at a big club to prove himself
    – Ozil: WE NEED TO CUT OUR LOSSES HERE AND SELL HIM OR BENCH HIM
    – Giroud has his moments but WILL NEVER EVER RELY ON HIM FOR CONSISTENCY.

    Still have not gotten over the wreckage ate the Emirates. UNFORTUNATELY THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST OF SUCH PERFORMANCES FROM THIS TEAM, TRUST ME.

    As for WENGER HE NEEDS TO SIT DOWN AND DECIDE WHETHER TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO THE TEAM OR CONTINUE TO FACE SUCH HUMILIATION.

    FRANKLY I WILL NOT BE SURPRISED IF WE DROP OUT OF TOP 4 THIS SEASON DESPITE THE CURRENT POSITION THEY OCCUPY

    1. I said Ozil is a bad buy and some clueless fans thumbed down. I insist, we were playing better before Ozil returned from his recent injury. The guy unbalances the team, simple. Seriously are we saying Ozil’s performance since joining us is worth 42m pounds?!. Remove the name Ozil from him and tell me what makes him different from any regular midfielder. Some fans claim the guy needs fast attackers to flourish. He had fast attackers in Madrid and yet he was sold. Some even claim his job is not to defend; then he should be creating loads of assists and goals per match if those are his only responsibilities on the pitch. It is not too late, let us cut our loses on him now.

      1. thing is: wenger still thinks about when he bouht Juventus reject Henry and turned him into agreat.
        Fact is, Juve were stupid not to value Henry and that was a once in a lifetime thing.
        Wenger thinks buying rejects from bug clubs is HIS way. Happened once. Wont happen again.

  6. Why are all our results against tough opponents and decisive matches always similar. Red cards, penalties, and loads of goals against us. Something fundamental is really wrong

  7. Why is Wenger so persistent in his stubbornness?! The guy is so determined not to get beyond the 16th round. Check out these stats and you will be convinced:
    2014/15: Round of 16?
    2013/14: Round of 16
    2012/13: Round of 16
    2011/12: Round of 16
    2010/11: Round of 16
    This is beyond coincidence

    1. Top 16? I read your comment and it didn’t take me time to understand where you coming from. there is nothing like top. you either win it or not. We are deep rooted in top 4 in the EPL, now it is top 16 in Europe! and you accept that as your standard?

  8. I’ve read so many comments here blaming Wenger for the defeat. Everyone is entitled to his opinion, but sometimes we need to be realistic and objective. Were we not all buzzing about how quite easy it would be to put Monaco out? I do not fault us for being optimistic. In fact, we were right to be very optimistic about our chances of winning, but things do not always go as planned and I WILL NOT blame Wenger as much as I’d ordinarily have loved to, not totally.

    Let me just hit the nail on the head: primarily, the one person I will chiefly blame for yesterdays defeat is Mertesecker. His general performance was terrible. The next person is Ozil; he was just like a movie in slow motion—a huge setback to the tempo of our game. And the third person is Giroud. Yes, Giroud. He really IS (not was) very wasteful and cannot dribble or outrun a defender.

    The team Wenger picked yesterday was just about the best he or anyone else would pick. Though I did say prior to the game that it would be nice to have Gabriel paired with Koscielny at the back, considering he’s faster and more aggressive than Per, and that it would afford Koscielny to play with no restrictions. But I guess one major factor why that was not going to happen is because he’s very new around and is yet to acquaint himself with the big scene.

    At some point in the game, it is collosally obvious that either Ozil or Giroud, or both had to make way. I was very impressed with Wenger for courageously taking off Giroud, by why leave Ozil? He should have equally taken of Ozil too and probably brought on Rosicky in his place. Cazorla was just left to do everything in the midfield. At some point in time, Sanchez had to step in just to try make something positive happen.

    I have so much to say, but I wouldn’t want to bore you. But let me just say this: It’s time Wenger dropped Mertesacker. Did you see the goal he deflected into the net??? Why did he try to dodge the ball? Every good defender is expected to use his body to prevent a goal bound ball. It’s not even like that ball was taken at a very close range that if it struck him it would hurt badly. As a defender, when a ball like that is coming so directly to the goal and you are in its way, you do not duck or dodge, because there is absolutely not guarantee the keeper would keep it out. What you should do, at best, is use your hands to protect your private part if you are unsure which part of your body it will hit, but you must never flinch, duck, dodge or do anything whatsoever to get off the path of the ball!!!

    No player should be made to feel indispensable, NOT EVEN THE CAPTAIN. Welbeck may be finding it hard to find the back of the net, but I swear he’s more active in a game than Giroud. For every goal Giroud scores, any world-class striker in our team would score three or more.

    1. We will play the most motivated players on the 2nd leg. Mark my words. I am not saying we will turn the result but at least give it a go, why not. No game looks like the other, that much we learnt the hard way. And yes, Mertesacker will be dropped. The man already reached his peak when he won the World Cup. He’s too old and achieved all the fame, no motivation. Is hard to motivate these players anymore. Giroud was totally out of sync yesterday but I would not write him off yet, remember the best chances were when we were 1-0 down so the haste had played a role (and luck if you think about Welbeck-Walcott incident). One more thing, I would still keep Ospina for a while just to show Szceszny he’s not the king of the hill just yet. Personally I don’t find any difference between the two just yet. However, this is what I’d play in Monaco:
      Szceszny-Bellerin,Gabriel,Koscielny,Monreal-Chamberlain,Coquelin,Cazorla,Sanchez-Welbeck,Giroud
      For me it is absolutely obvious that Ozil and Sanchez step on each other foot. We need to come with two/three systems accomodating both or only one. I am an optimist, can’t help it. Sorry.

      1. @Budd____”I am an optimist, can’t help it…” LoL! Of course, you are an optimist, but being an optimist is quite different from being factually optimistic.

        I do agree with your team selection (just take of Wojciech).

        It’s football, amigo………

        Wyclef Jean on the stereo: Say what, say what….

  9. Time to bench Ozil. I don’t care what he used to be. What he is now is what matters. Seriously, If we bough a player from the french league and he played exactly the way Ozil has been playing, we all would’ve been calling for his head by now.
    Just imagine if Ozil started in the Man City game. Does anyone think we would’ve been able to put in the same performance?

  10. 1. Sale Ozil (he will never cut it at Arsenal, Madrid played a fast one on us) – go all out for Isco

    2. Let OG run down his contract (good enough for sub appearances or for “lesser” teams – buy WC striker

    3. Buy DM – Morgan

    4. Buy B2B – our current boys are following in Diaby’s footsteps

    5. Release Joel, Poldi, Sanogo, Flamini, Jenkison

    6. Drop Mert as VC and drop him from the starting line up

    7. Buy new defender – A finished product

    8. Buy new 1st choice golie – send Martinez on loan

    9. Bold should be given a new role and hire a new assistant

    10. Decide what to do with Jack, Theo, Welbz, Arteta, Gibbs, Wenger and Dick!

    NO mercy now. Our club is now been run like an NGO and players/coach’s are been treated as though there the only one’s out there. If we want to move forward and win things we need to clean up the whole system

    1. So just the 7 new first teamers. Could only possibly happen when Wenger goes so whilst I admire your ambition not really grounded in reality is it?

  11. Why are you all surprised? Palace nearly done us saterday,PALACE.
    Giroud should stop trying to be a matinee idol and start grafting like a centerforward should. He puts those chances away and we tackled like winning teams do, different ball game. Just another Arsenal blip.Beat Everton sunday all will be forgiven.

  12. People say about Jack’s attitude and smoking problem….
    He, Alexis are the only ones who will always give a fight…no matter what the score is…and people are happy that jack gets injured #fact…No one showed up yesterday for the big game…Literally no one…Wenger tried and selected the best possible team…The players seem to play only for the wages…ALMOST no one thinks of defending the Badge..

  13. Although I think these bleak player ratings are about right I would make a slight case for Bellerin – his rating is correct and he is a bit out of his depth – but through no fault of his own. I think his attitude to the game was better than many of his more experienced colleagues. And whilst I don’t like to condone so called professional fouls – his bringing down of the Monaco player in the second half at 0-2 at least shows some degree of awareness about doing the right thing at the right time for benefit of the team. His attacking instincts and crossing are usually good too

  14. Not sure how much to blame Ospina for the goals.

    For the first one he was going to his left when it took the deflection, he managed to check his dive but could do no more. It made him look rooted to the spot, if he had continued his dive to the left it would have looked better.

    For the second goal berbatov had the time and skill to pick his spot, I think he would have scored whoever was in goal.

    For the third goal Ospina could probably have done better, he got his hand to the ball but could not deflect it enough.

    There was one occasion where he spilled the ball but managed to recover it ok.

    Overall I don’t think Ospina had a good game, but compared to the rest of the team he was nowhere near the worst.

  15. I genuinely think that this comes down to Giroud, If he had taken his chances we wouldn’t have been so gun-ho. He could have given us the lead /equalised/equalised again/equalised again again/ and taken the lead with his chances. Sanchez and Wellbeck had not faith in him to finish so they kept coming into the middle.

    We know we don’t play well when we have to push up like that.

  16. If there`s an eighth wonder of the world it must be how Mertesacker got into the German international side. When he first played with Arsenal I nick named him `the log`. Every game I saw him play infuriated me. He had his own little patch and only left it for corner kicks. You could predict every move he made, and there weren`t many: pass to Kos. shuffle back two paces: pass to nearest midfielder, shuffle back two paces: pass to goalkeeper, shuffle back two paces. It was like the old time barn dance. As for Giroud, he reminds me (for those old enough to remember) of Errol Flynn, a swashbuckling hero that never quite made it as an actor or a footballer. The thing that saddens me most is watching a great player like Sanchez slowly deteriorating, he`s in a class of his own but he will lose his confidence under Wenger.

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