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Mesut Ozil calls second half capitulation against Watford annoying

Mesut Ozil has called the Arsenal second-half capitulation against Watford annoying and one has to consider that a magnificent understatement.

First and foremost have a quick read of what Ozil wrote on twitter and then let’s see if the second half really was just annoying.

Now, OPTA did a series of tweets with some statistics which included Arsenal facing 31 shots from Watford, that is literally the highest ever that Arsenal have had against them, well since OPTA started collecting data.

Another appalling stat is that since the start of last season Arsenal is joint top with Brighton in conceding the most penalties, ten.

But hold up, it gets worse, since the start of last season there have been 14 errors directly leading to goals by Arsenal players, that is two more than any other Premier League club.

Now, if that is just annoying I would hate to think what Ozil considers a disastrous second-half performance. Remember, the penalty, the errors were all in the second half which makes those statistics so pertinent.

I am not digging out Ozil but I am highlighting the attitude that he is displaying, to me it is just not acknowledging how calamitous that second half was, it was literally one of the worse performances I have seen from Arsenal in a second half.

There have been some terrible second halves from Arsenal in the past but they have generally been against a top-six side, not a team that is rock bottom and 2-0 down.

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49 Comments

  1. 3 questions.

    1. Is playing out from the back a strict instruction from Emery?

    2. Can the players overrule the tactic when knowing the danger from the opposition?

    3. Do our players even have the slightest football brain? (Eg. Guendouzi. He lost the ball in dangerous areas twice and all while playing out from the back. Did the back players not see the danger?)

    1. 1. Yes, absolutely.
      2. Yes, after the first goal Leno kicked the ball long, but the players sat deep so it’s like giving the ball to the opponents, like a Christmas present. Lack of instruction / plan B from Emery.
      3. I’ve identified three players without brain: Xhaka, Luiz, Mustafi.
      Sokratis is very close to joining them.

      1. Exactly what I have been saying @350oz! Thank you so much for mentioning this! I noticed as well, after playing out the back 2 or 3 times, everyone is overloaded outside our box. Trying to string even three passes becomes downright impossible, needlessly risky. Hoofing it foward is a 100% guaranteed to end up with the opposition since no one is there to contest the ball! So why couldn’t our defenders push foward, and force half the Watford team offside?! Why for heaven’s sake do 2 defenders stand along side the damned goalkeeper himself? What kind of idiocy is this? The goalkeeper passing sideways 5 feet from his own goal post? Of what benefit is it for a defender to stand shoulder to shoulder with the goalkeeper? Is it to ensure everyone is onside? Heck, why not even stand behind the goalkeeper then!

        1. Lol you’re welcome QD XD
          Your observation is spot on, the 2 center backs was too deep and too narrow, I don’t know if too deep is the correct words since they literally stand on the line. They look like gatekeepers ?

    2. We absolutely look clueless as a team. The players look lost and confused. No cohesion. No set style of football.
      Emery himself does not seem to know what he is doing. He looks as confused and lost as the team.

      I am giving him a few more games and that is it. If this nonsense continues i am becoming one of the “EMERY OUTs”

  2. We are not making top four, sorry.
    This is exactly the kind of performance and results that made us loose out last season – drawing games we should have won, and losing the ones we could have drawn. Nothing is better unfortunately.

    1. @CorporateMan.
      No need to be sorry.
      We don’t want 4th any way.
      We are third and have a slew of easy games coming up 🙂

      1. Easy games? Watford had 1 point, last in the table, new coach, you had 2 nil lead at the first half, there is no easier games in PL.
        I hope Emery wakes up or gets sacked before things get worse. We do not need to be patient with him, he is not Wenger and not a new coach.

        1. I greatly believe that Unai is not going to bring any progress to this team. Does he expect Torreira to hit form from the bench. Which team can we easily break down with our slow passing tempo? Our problem is the coach.

  3. The board of directors of Arsenal are the most sluggish in the premier league, they find it so difficult to make a decision and act on it. The only fast decision they seem to make is selling out players that shouldn’t be sold. Iwobi should never have left because of Nelson. And the board should have fired Emery by now he’s just not the man for the job.

  4. Look at things from the obverse.
    Watford put up 31 shots and failed to score 29 times.
    Deplorable. Coach Flores should be sacked immediately.
    Arsenal took 31 hits but only conceded twice.
    A phenomenal performance of skill, grit and determination.
    Coach Emery must take all the credit.
    Give Unai a 5 year extension on Monday 🙂

    1. To be honest, a lot of noise is being made about the 31 attempts, problem is 90% of those were low flying aircraft from Doucoure and Deoulofeu. Nothing to be worried about. I’ve said it before I want Doucoure to replace Xhaka but after what I saw yesterday, we really don’t need Doucoure..he’s just about Watford quality.

  5. You have to drag Ozil even though he doesn’t do anything wrong smh.
    Of course he should be careful on what he writes publicly, check out Auba’s comment as well. They have to face their team mates, unlike us who sit behind the screen typing anonymously.
    If anything, it’s Emery’s job to speak harshly or criticize his players, so far he’s been weak. Compare his press conference to Klopp’s.

  6. I definitely hate reading his press conferences cuz he always talks about game plans and he doesn’t really have any plans.. He should just resign and leave us alone

  7. Well,Unai never disappoints me, I was expecting a shock loss,we got a draw due to his “play from the back” nonsense and persisting with Xhaka and Luiz. I always say that with this starting line up we are 0-2 before kick off and we need to score 3 minimum to win.And we were saved a point by Aubas brilliance.I reiterate that if you remove Laca, Auba, Torrera we are relegation material and its true we would have lost to Watford had it not been for Auba’s goals.And Unai proves me right each game.In my opinion #Unaiout #8-1/2 months for Unai to go

      1. Auba and Laca have kept Emery as Arsenal manager.
        We play so poorly as a team and only Auba and Laca that come up with snap goals out of the blue.
        And Ceballos is trying his best in his first season here. The rest I don’t know.

  8. Unai’s stupidity makes the team play this way. Every games plan using this play from the back will expect same unnecessary pressure against the defence. Overalll his plan just slows down the attack.

  10. Playing from the back without the talent to do so, and without the money to buy the talent is foolish.

    Use the attacking players around Ozil to keep the ball in the opponents half.

    Use Ozil each game, and work him to come up with better game plans.

  11. Well, 2 penalties in 4 games for Luiz! Even Mustafi was not this bad! Time to swing the axe Emery! Bench BOTH Luiz and Sokratis. As for AMN, give him away to Shrewsbury Town in exchange for a net of balls. As for Nelson, just take him behind the back at the Emirates and shoot him. I can help hide the body!

  12. Sorry to say Emery is bout the man to take us forward. His style and strategy just keep putting us under pressure and we can’t even control the games.

  14. A month ago I said niles and Nelson were championship level and Willock should be on season loan at brentford … Roundly criticized so let me try again … I would follow QD and give the first two as an Xmas gift to shrewsbury and see how Willock would do at Lincoln … Remove Luiz xhaka Socrates as beyond football redemption … Yet at one point yday that was two thirds of our team no blaming wenger for that down totally to a clueless manager who has no footballing philosophy and an inept support staff … We have become the Milan of EPL very sad to watch the last decade of decay at our once great club

    1. Willock and Nelson looked like little boys that had won a competition to come to Arsenal, meet their idols and play a testimonial game with them.
      The boys looked their age, weak, easily pushed off the ball, didn’t know what to do with the ball once they got it.
      I could just imagine what they were thinking every time they got the ball, panic “Omg Omg, I have got the ball, i have got the fcking ball. What the hell am I supposed to do with it right now? Oh sh!!t, Oh sh!t,”.

  15. It is embarrassing!!! Even the team at the foot of the table & the promoted teams play much better football than we do!
    We’re a mess & a joke and I’m sick of it

  16. Watford attempted 31 shots in this match, the highest tally Arsenal have faced in a Premier League fixture since Opta began collecting such data in the division in 2003/04.

    Arsenal have conceded more Premier League goals from errors during Unai Emery’s time in charge – since the start of 2018-19 season – than any other top-flight side

    Arsenal have already suffered 20 away Premier League defeats in just over two seasons.
    Arsenal have faced 96 shots this season, more than any other side in the PL, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 & the Bundesliga. Some effort that.

    Only Ben Foster, Craig Dawson and Etienne Capoue failed to have a shot for Watford today.

    Five players had an effort on target.

    1. It’s sad,
      We have been breaking records since the CESC era came to an end in 2010.
      8-2 at United.
      6-3 at City.
      6-1 at Chelsea
      5 goal humiliations at Liverpool nearly each season.
      Bayern smashing 10 goals in 2 Legs in the CL.
      Now conceding 31 shots against a relegation team that has not won a single game since the season started.
      Etc..

      It’s all sobering.

  17. Us fans are now being foolish to constantly blaming players every single season.

    The truth of the matter is that Emery’s tactics, game plan and strategies are poor.

    He still hasn’t improved the defence, we still don’t have an identity, we still don’t know our best 11, we still don’t know what formation we play.

    It’s been a full season and Emery still has grasped or slightly improved his team yet.

    You can blame players, but that just creates an endless cycle of players coming and going, because the coaching isnt good enough.

    Look at how well Mkhiktaryan played for Roma, much beter than 90% of his performances for us.

    Emery is a one trick pony type of coach, hes trying to fit a puzzle with pieces that don’t fit his puzzle. Good coaches would realize this and mitigate their approach.

    We need to start looking at Allegri, there will be no improvement from Emery if he can’t decide on a starting 11 himself

    1. Mkhitaryan performing for Roma, can’t blame Emery for that. Mkhi didn’t perform for United either, so we can safely say he just wasn’t cut for PL. Hope he continues performing so we can sell him on for big bucks!

      I agree on your other points though.

  18. I know everybody’s mad at Sokratis for the 1st goal but honestly, I’m not.

    I’ve hated playing from the back ever since it got introduced, WE JUST CAN’T PLAY IT. Why? Because we are notorious for crumbling under pressure so mistake like that was bound to happen, and yet Emery insists on playing it!!

    Typical playing at the back scenario:

    1. Pass it on to the defender
    2. Defender passes it onto the next defender
    3. Pressure has already mounted and the defender splashes it away, and we lose possession

    Can someone tell me how this differs from losing possession from long goal kicks?

    1. How never seem a top team playing out from the back so amateur like Arsenal even in our Sunday footballs we don’t play out as trash as Arsenal having your 2 cbs at the corner line behind the goal keeper what type of football is that? It’s obvious the old men can’t learn but even at that they should know that the only reason they are on the pitch was because of there experience which is also a huge let down.

      Watching Arsenal is like watching a pro-team trying to play football

  20. Words fail me, On Friday afternoon I posted that we had more than enough to swat away Watford and by half time I was even more sure.By the 50th minute we were looking like we were going to crumble again and when Celallos (one of the two best players in this match for us was substituted)i GOT VERY WORRIED,We looked knackered, I have not seen an Arsenal side look so tired so early in a game as yesterday,I will give Guendouzi the benefit of doubt this time, but you wouldn’t want too many more performances like that from him,Auba was outstanding and Ceballos tireless and still trying when he got pulled, these two and Leno are the only players that can hold their heads up today,the rest were shocking,particularly the four defenders they were nothing short of awful,Emery will not escape criticism either, the substitutions were a joke and his continued tinkering is getting very annoying,I have said all I am going to say about his choice of captain and his rubbish performances,but Xhaka has now started coming out with equally rubbish comments “WE WERE SCARED” what sort of a comment is that,even if you are scared you wouldn’t admit it. Emery need s to start playing his best team available and get rid of these prima donna’s before it is too late, I want to see BELLERIN CHAMBERS HOLDING AND TIERNEY all in the side as soon as they are ready.

    1. I think Aubameyang will want to go with Ceballos when he returns to RM!!
      I wasn’t so confident we’d beat them.. even at 2-0.. i was just waiting for the brain fart.. seems like Xhaka, Luiz & Sokratis all take turns in doing it..
      I bet Chelsea & their fans are loving what they’ve seen from Luiz!!
      We’ve gifted 4 goals in 2 games – Unbelievable!!

  23. Emery out, Xhaka out. I do not blame the players one iota. To play out from a goal kick whilst being pressed is the Managers instruction. To have Socratis and Luiz within feet of Leno at a goal kick is football insanity. Real football insanity. It is disrespectful to our players who can play football further up the pitch. I do not blame Ozil one iota. These were the worst tactics in the history of Arsenal Football Club. SACK Emery right now. Get Jose for the rest of the season. Emery is Arsenal’s problem.

  24. Just get off ozils back. Our midfield collapse when he was subbed. Dude was able to hold the ball. He was the only arsenal player who never lost the ball. Go check the stats. He said it was an annoying draw, what synonyms do you want him to use that will satisfy you. Annoying its his choice of word. get off his back

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