Mikel Arteta has claimed that while his Arsenal side tried, it was Liverpool’s belief that made the difference.
Our team was second-best for much of the match, but the team was setup to allow our opponents to come at us while we looked to take advantage of mistakes, much like we have done in previous big games.
This setup is a clear inclination that our manager understands that our options are squad options are inferior to our rivals, and that midfield area is definitely one that needs addressing before the window closes next week.
While Arteta told his players to believe in what they were doing, it was the Liverpool players who had that belief, and the manager was full of praise for the victors.
“They were awesome [in the second half],” the manager said after the match (via Arsenal.com). “The effort they put in, the way they were pressing the front three, the way they went, the midfield players were tracking back every time. They hit the perfect ball, the second ball… We tried and they believed.
“That’s what I asked of them before the game, to believe. To play here with character and to play our way and now we just accept that they were better and that they are better at the moment and that we have to improve. This is the level that we have to reach. We will come back on Thursday and try to win again.”
The game showed a gulf in our sides, and hopefully the board will take note and step up their efforts to bring in the players we need.
Would both Aouar and Partey in our midfield have brought a whole different game to Liverpool? Would we still setup the same with those two additions?
Patrick
the “one difference” between the teams is that all of liverpool’s players are better than all of arsenal’s.
That is just not true, dws. We have lots of good players in most areas. You have to understand that Klopp was exactly the same as MA for the first season couple of seasons. It took time to get players to perform and to play his way as it will take MA the same. We have quality but just need to fix the main issue which is midfield. When it’s all working together, everyone will benefit as a player. We just need to be patient and support the team through thick and thin. Those players who MA sees fit to keep, he will. As for those who don’t fit? Eventually they will go. It’s not MA’s fault for some of the problems created before he arrived but he still has to manage them.
👍👍👍
I for one is getting nervous. It felt like Emery all over again. Arteta’s decision making was poor to say the least. Am not upset at Arteta’s team selection. Am upset at his response. He doesn’t seem to know how to turn a game around and why sign players if you won’t be playing them. I think he has an easier pass with fans not being in the stadium however I think he’s now putting himself under unnecessary pressure. Remember your words have to have meaning and he was the one who said players should play in their best position as it creates balance which he so craves. He Arteta allowed Tierney to be slaughtered by Salah last evening whilst Gabrielle a 27m $$$ signing warms the bench and Niles tries his luck at Tierney’s position. I am getting worried because am not seeing that little touch of magic big teams carry however the transfer market is still open and am still optimistic. The big problem though is that we still don’t know Arteta’s preferred formation so am keeping my fingers crossed.
###wishArtetaThebest
His team and his tactics were the same as the Community Shield win. Naively he thought that a pre season friendly where Liverpool were not wound up, would produce the same result. It was an out of balance team that lacked flair or stability in midfield. Naively he thought that the win at the end of the season against Liverpool after they had won the league was a guide to beat them. Hopefully he will learn from his naivety.
Reggie please tell me what way he could of set up the midfield to have both flair and stability with our current players?
Torreira and Ceballos, luiz and ceballos, amn and ceballos. It needed legs, we needed saka playing, we needed Gabriel, playing. We could have had a four man midfield of tierney, ceballos, Torreira and amn. We could have played 5 in midfield, we could have done lots different. The team was out of balance in defence, midfield and out wide. It was all based on the charity shield win, nearly to the minute detail.
Even Elnenny and ceballos would have given a better balance.
Weshall wait on Thursday
Tierney was not slaughtered by any means, but he is not a centre back and never will be.While I understand the point Arteta is trying to make, we will not make a real impression on the EPL by deploying a defensive 3-4-3 system.Leeds Utd showed how to hurt Liverpool , and now that we have spent around 50m on Saliba and Gabriel, there is no reason for us to delay switching to a flat back four set up with AMN and Tierney being used as conventional full backs. There is a lack of top quality in midfield, which Partey and Aouar would resolve to an extent, but if we continue with the current system, where exactly does Aouar fit in?
At Grandad
That’s all am trying to say Arteta is leaving us with more questions than answers I hope by the window close the fog would have gone and our system more clear.
The deferent is our goal keeper leno is not like Martinez. He block the Ball instead of claiming it. The second ball is Bernard Leno’s and arrests error.