Thomas Frank is one of the finest managers in the Premier League and the Brentford gaffer has inspired his team to earn some very good results this season.
They have beaten Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City, which shows they are not a team to underrate.
The Bees just held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw and credit must go to their manager for how he trained and set up his players in the fixture.
After the game, James Benge explained how the Dane was able to curtail Arsenal and get something from the match.
“Frank makes the point about the importance of doubling up on wingers as being key to playing against Arsenal. It’s clearly something Arteta is going to have to react to.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Brentford is a well-drilled side and they showed that in the draw against Arsenal.
Frank has led them to promotion to the Premier League and could also make them one of the competition’s European campaigners soon.
However, Arsenal is having a brilliant season and we are levels above them, which clearly means we did not play well in this fixture, as simple as that.
Hopefully, we can find a way to break down clubs who believe they now know how we play and set up to frustrate us.
A keep saying the off side rules need to change as even with VAR the incompetent officials are going to continue to struggle.
The rules should be changed to allow once any part of opposing players are in line the game is onside.
It would allow more goals to score and less technical for officiating, The legendary
Frenchman (Wenger) did proposed this idea many years ago.
Var has been blundering this week
If Var continues to make blunders in Arsenal matches and apologise,give the title toNU.
These error prone var officials shd be sacked immediately bf more damage is done.
Football matches must be decided by players and not a bunch of anonymous var men blundering their way to match after match
VAR had zero to do with this draw. We have been found out. Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch showed every other team how to play us…
NY Gunner
Unfortunately for us we haven’t yet been able to overcome opponents double teaming Martinelli and Saka on the wings.
I think Jesus return will help, and his interchanging with Martinelli.
Xhaka isn’t making the runs in the middle like we saw in the 1st half of the season, and Zinchenko as inverted LB has seen us struggle the last 2 games.
Would like to see Tierney get a start and his play with Martinelli, our current tactics with Zinchenko have become predictable.
Don’t think that is quite true.
Several teams have tried double teaming on our wings, but earlier we have been able to move the ball much quicker from side to side. In the last couple of games, we have been playing too slow. Especially Zinchenko and Partey take too many touches and too much time, IMO
I agree with u anders, doubling on our wingers didn’t start now, it started way b4 world Cup, and yes I also notice our midfielders that’s supposed to move d forward take too many touches there by slowing d game.
A ridiculous and dishonest comment. Typical of those with an agenda and an axe to grind.
The VAR decision making for Brentford’s goal was highly questionable. If the officials had applied the rules as has been the norm for this season the goal would not have stood.
Mbuemo put the ball in the net earlier on, but we got out of jail because of a foul called against saliba that looked like nothing more than a slip. We can’t say we were unlucky in this game.
We couldn’t deal with their physical presence up front and overall the draw was a fair reflection of the game.
The officials are not being consistent and some of their decisions have been particularly poor.
The goal scored by Brentford was offside.
Is your point then that because the referee may have given a soft decision earlier in the game it was appropriate for the officials to make an even more egregious error later on to “even” things up?
Also, the free kick before the goal was questionable. Was this also a case of the defender not being able to deal with their physical presence?
My only point is that we can’t use decisions as an excuse for not winning the game – I agree there were some poor decisions, but it did swing both ways, and the outcome was about right on balance of play.
To say that it “swung” both ways is not a fair representation of what happened in the game. VAR is supposed to eliminate errors of ‘fact’ in certain circumstances rather than opinion. Whatever the “balance of play” Arsenal have clearly been wronged and the decision had a material effect on the outcome of the game.
We needed a striker with a deferent profile to that of Jesus and Edie to come on in such moments. I mean a tall, physical and experienced but not expensive eg Welberk, Cavani, Weghost even Ings but our officials could not see it. We completely luck plan B when we are chasing games.
Real fans of Arsenal will not stop watching and commenting on our performance in the PL. Before the Brentford match, at home, I stated that Nketiah, Saka, Odegaard and Trossard were likely to score goals; thanks Trossaard goal few minutes into cameo was from Saka assist. I also said our undoing would be letting Brentford into the game by not stopping the opposition at mid field and failing to be clinical. Again my disappointment came from my hitherto most trusted Ramsdale, after the Everton episode. Ramsdale is no longer as smart as he was when he displaced Leno to become our No. 1 goalkeeper. He has started gambling passes within the 18-yard space, sits back at goal line without
early attempts to punch away set-pieces, using the advantages of height,hand and trajectory of the ball to the post. I remain his fan for his enthusiasm to cheer players on but he has to wake, Turner was perfect against Man City in our FA outing. He would have kept a clean sheet if not Lokonga lackadaical and motionless block of the goalkeeper from Ake’s curvy kick. Ramsdale should watch agility of Martinez or Pickford in goalkeeping. I see Kane and Haaland in Trossaard. Trossaard should be considered for more game time. Also Thieney and Tomyasu deserve more time; White has impressed no doubt but he delays intensity and is shy of attempt at goal though a left full back. Xhaka and Party should be encouraged to ‘score’ from a 24-yard space. All said, we are not shy of the title this time only we must believe in ourselves as part of the Arteta Project!!
Eke Lots of very fair points. Well said.
I definitely think Tomi should be our regular and first choice right back personally, and Zinny is a mixed blessing as he does play infield but that makes us vulnerable to physically powerful, fast breakaway teams .
I do sometimes think MA is too slow to see necessary changes and our starting eleven does need more energy, dynamism and physical power then we have right now, IMO.
I also hope the not up to it Lokonga is sold this summer. I think him a failure, sad to say!
Good morning dear fellow gunners, we are all unhappy with this result. Have we asked ourselves why are we dropping points now. If anybody wants to know the reason, go back and watch the games we played at the beginning of the season. The problem is that we have dropped our intensity, the physicality, the hard work and our ability to cover a lot of ground during games,. Our massive attack and massive defending is no longer there. Our games now lacks of and on the ball movement. If you watch when trossad came in, there was a time he ran from left wing to right wing to receive a pass, I think that’s shows his eagerness to score. Please I want our London fans to tell Arteta to tell them to go back to the way they played at the beginning of the season. Our problem now is that this boys feel so relaxed now instead of upping their game. If we continue playing the way we are playing now, we might not even make the top four.
Ramsdale became flappyanzki for the goal, another goal
at the back post !!
The double teaming on Saka and Martinelli at the wings by the opposition team players, in the Epl in the last 2 Arsenal matches has so far worked for the opposition teams to the detriment of the Gunners.
But this stifling at the wings by the opposition team players on any Gunners in their game playing MUST be stopped by Arteta and the Gunners from continuing to work against Arsenal this season henceforth with.
I will suggest to Arteta to introduce some 4 changes in Tomiyasu, Tierney. Zinchenko for Xhaka to pair Partey in the midfield. And Trossard for Martinelli. All the 4 changes done to his team that he last started at home against Brentford. And start the freshed up starting XI team at home against Man City on Wednesday night.
For those talking about double-teaming our wingers, I’d like to refer you to our previous matches esp Spuds home and away, Forest, Fulham, and Westham (there’s more). In all these games our wingers were in 2v1 situations 80% of the time but easily beat the opposition. What we did differently was that our wingers esp Gabi had a partner in GJ or Xhaka with whom they could exchange passes. If Xhaka and Eddie stop overcomplicating things and go back to making those simple and straight infield pocket runs just next to Gabi, then we’re cooking. I don’t know why it’s taking Arteta this long to realize this.
The Brentford Manager deserves credit for his tactical nous and at some stage in his career, he is likely to take charge of a high status team.That said, having watched the match carefully, our failure to win can be attributed to our centre backs being unable to physically handle Toney and the underrated Mbeumo.Saliba, in particular has to learn that you cannot always win the first ball nor can you pussyfoot about in your own penalty area when surrounded by opposition players.He had a poor game imo but I suppose it’s part of a huge learning curve which will hopefully stand him in good stead for the battles ahead.It’s not as though Brentford had control not played scintillating football, but their direct style certainly caused our back four real trouble.
Very fair comments Grandad. I think some of our players are in danger of beginning to believe we are good enough already , when we are not. Right through the whole team we need to regain the intenity we had some while ago and ABOVE ALL, to regain the PACE in passing the ball quickly and urgently.
I have constantly banged on about passing pace BEING VITAL TO ALL SUCCESSFUL TEAMS. It is this slowing down of pasing pace where we have lost something precious and urgently must regain it. Or pay the price in the title race.
As others have said, teams have been doubling up on our wingers for a while, but we’ve found a way to play regardless. Recently, we have been sluggish in our general play and I think it comes from the midfield – xhaka, zinchenko and white in particular have dropped a bit, we’re taking too long to make decisions and are misplacing too many passes.
In this game Brentford had a weapon to use against us in their physicality up front. We’ve dealt with that better in the past, but i think the lack of midfield control put our defenders under pressure more often, which showed them up.