The problems at Arsenal were on full display against Wolves yesterday.
Arsenal’s draw against Wolves was yet another two points dropped in the race for a place in the Premier League top four. Arsenal continues to miss their chances to catch the leading teams and there was plenty to talk about from that game. Here are four talking points.
1 Ozil was not the great saviour
Both the club’s fans and neutral football fans were excited about the return of Mesut Ozil after he shone above all in the 5-5 draw against Liverpool.
The German started the game and was even one of the team’s best performers on the day, but his efforts weren’t enough and it turned out that he wasn’t quite the saviour we all hoped he would be.
We will require Ozil to help unlock the defence of Leicester City next weekend. Whether he would be the difference in that game is also up for debate.
2 Ceballos is not living up to the hype
Dani Ceballos made a bright start to his Arsenal career and for a moment made us all forget about Ozil. However, as time has gone on, the Spaniard is increasingly proving to be just another average acquisition for Arsenal.
After 11 league games for Arsenal, Ceballos has provided just two assists and has no league goals to his name.
You would have to go Gameweek two to find when Ceballos made an impact in an Arsenal shirt as he provided his only two assists in that game against Burnley. Not sure he has earned a permanent move.
3 Luiz and Sokratis does not work
The defence has been our Achilles heels this season, and it is easy to see that a good defence would have taken us further up the league table.
For most of this season, Luiz and Sokratis have been Arsenal’s first-choice centre back, yet the team has conceded 15 goals in 11 games with both of them as starting defenders, it seems it is time to break up that partnership.
4 The formation was a mystery to everyone
Arsenal has struggled to get wins throughout the season and it is understandable that Unai Emery would want to change things around. However, he still surprised everyone when he went with a diamond against Wolves.
The change in the formation caused a change in personnel, but no one expected Emery to keep Nicholas Pepe on the bench for the duration of the game.
The last thing we want now is for our manager to keep tinkering with his formation and any more could end in disaster against Leicester next weekend.
What a 💩 week it’s been…. really fed up!
OT.. Poor old Andre Gomes.. that was horrible.
Seeing Son cry brought real and actual tears to my eyes Sue😳😳.
I felt for him, the guilt and regret that would’ve haunted him when he saw he actually caused another payer’s broken leg while attempting an innocent tackle.
Hope Gomes gets well soon
It was grim viewing, Eddie. Everyone looked distraught.. I had a lump in my throat. Made me think back to all the times we’ve seen it before – not only our players – Horrible. Poor sod, I agree with you & hope he recovers well.
I’ve been saying it all the time, Ozil alone isn’t the solution to our creativity problem. Yes we need him cause half bread is better than none at all.
He’s better than having no creative player at all, but the truth is Ozil is not the problem at Arsenal right now so he’s not the solution.
It goes deep, down to the coach and tactics. Get De Bruyne into this team and he’ll struggle because Emery and fans like gotanidea will prefer he runs all over the pitch marking and chasing balls like a mad man.
Don’t blame me, Merson used the word.
Emery expects our players to be running around like mad men on the pitch and at the same time doing their job.
Somehow, no matter how Ozil perform, to some fans he’ll be no good and of no use just because he didn’t make one single successful tackle.
Yet I struggle to see the same hypocrites complaining or asking why players like Sokratis, Luiz, Torreria, etc don’t assists up front or create goalscoring chances.
It’s hypocritical isn’t it?
Expect Ozil to run back, tackling and breathing mad, and yet Sokratis and our defenders can’t run up front to go create assists?
I thought all players must work hard or contribute? Or is there any rule that states Pepe and Ozil, PEA must defend and tackle while our defenders can’t go attack, score and create chances?
All in all, we need a new coach. Someone who knows us, who knows what Arsenal stands for, what the fans want, Give us Freddie or Arteta and I swear I you’ll see over 80% of Arsenal fans happy and very supportive
Agreed. Cazola & Ozil make a lot of difference. One creative player is not enough. Ceballos is not the real thing.
Arsene’s Arsenal played attractive soccer, appealing to eyes but no more now. Getting disinterested.
I already said Ozil can not help emery. The coach is clueless, he doesn’t know what to do. We have wealth of talents, but we play like children, Leicester 11 goals non conceded, if we don’t conced we didn’t lose.
I keep saying the coach is clueless but I am not trying to rub Emery’s achievements as a football coach in the mould, and am sure he will like to do better and have greater results as Arsene’s coach, but he is just incapable of improving his coaching performances. If he does he would have helped us more, he would want to keep the job or even get a better job. Premier league is difficult and it takes a lot of experience and a coach who is willing to adapt to the challenges of other top teams pushing you week in week out. Emery hasn’t got that improvement or he isn’t showing it. The whole team seems to be moving backwards or Emery has lost the dressing room.
Pat.. Spot on as always, you just say it how it is 👍👍
Thank you sweetheart sue, love you always. I took pat out so we missed everything that happened at the spurs game.
🥰😁 awww sweet of you! That was good, missing all that 😖
1. Agreed no one player is the answer and it was nice to see Ozil contributing in all phases of play even if he did still struggle to create anything against wolves defence.
2. Ceballos may not have many assists but he has been played in a more defensive role more often than not.
Against wolves he made 4 tackles, 1 interception, took 1 shot (blocked) and made 1 key pass – he also made 4th highest passes with 92% accuracy – not like he isn’t contributing 🤷♂️
3. Who else do we have? Chambers has been covering for Bellerin, Holding isn’t back to full form, Mustafi is slowly improving but I don’t think he should partner Sokratis or Luiz right now and Mavropanos is still regaining full fitness I presume or isn’t rated by Emery 🤷♂️
4. We set up to play a 4312 counter attack, but then started to get more of the ball which pulled us into the diamond shape. Emery notices this and makes the change to a 4231 – the game was more open and its a better suited formation for the amount of possession we had – I’m sorry but where is he actually at fault here?
His personnel choices are a bit strange granted – Saka instead of Pepe I don’t understand unless Pepe was not 100% and the only reason I can think for Kola was maybe KT tiring and Emery wanted his muscle to keep Traore out for final few minutes 🤷♂️
You forget that Ceballos has now made more crucial defensive mistakes per game than Xhaka at his worst. Not by much, but still – Xhaka at his WORST.
Luckily the opposition have not scored more than 3 times from those mistakes, but that’s hardly auspicious for the future. Unless he markedly improves in the next 10 games, he should return to Real.
Bayern only 4 points off the top of the league, there manager won 3 trophies in 18 months and still got the sack, we could do with that sort of no nonsense ruthlessness right about now 🤞🤞
I am not an Ozil fan but sometimes he gets unnecessary criticism. Ozil has been misused after Sanchez left. Ozil has never failed to deliver the final ball and that’s his best quality. Ozil performs very well if he has a skillful Winger. Look his partnership with Christiano and Sanchez. in a 4-4-2 who would you expect to pass the ball to? he was used as a winger not in his favorite position as number 10 (behind the striker).
In brief, use Ozil in his favorite position, surround him with skillful wingers and a striker and you will see how creative he can be.
Forget Ceballos, this guy will not deliver in premiership. our midfield should be Torreira, Guendouzi and Ozi. Let Torreira protect the back four, allow Guendouzi to move the ball from box to box and let Ozil deliver that final ball.
we just have to accept that our darling team is arsenal is no more a big team Bayern just fired their coach now because of the insult they they got yesterday by losing 5-1. And here we are still talking and debate on what the entire world know can not work. Give Emery these eleven players he can’t do anything with it the record speaks for itself at PSG.
Allison
Marcelo VVD coulibaly Robinson
Debrune Fernandinho Stirling
Messi Lewandowski Ronaldo
Emery will still not make top four. so what the board is waiting for I don’t understand
@AO
Hes the boards boy. They hired him. They would expose themselves as the muppets they are if they fire him…
UE has lost it at Arsenal. time to walk honourably before the hammer comes
Saka’s needs to go on loan in january otherwise he is gonna go down as another talent wasted….Unai should jus resign….surely substituting your best DM for a winger and then replacing ur LB when the team needed a goal leaving 72million warming the bench..Nonsense
Completely clueless manager, fire him NOW!