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Sunderland v Arsenal review – Goal shy Gunners settle for draw

It was a slightly strange first half, with both sides needing to win you might have expected an open game but even though the home side’s need was greater they seemed content to soak up pressure. Maybe it was the nerves though, as after a totally dominant opening 10 minutes from Arsenal they did start to come forward a bit more.

We had chances to score the early goal to settle us down, with Iwobi shooting just wide and Mertesacker heading straight at Mannone with a free header from a corner. The next 20 minutes were more even and the Black Cats had chances of their own, the best being when they hit the woodwork from a free kick.

And either side could have been ahead at the break and both could have had penalties for handball but Mike Dean gave neither. Alexis Sanchez had a great free kick saved and our former keeper was quick and alert to stop Iwobi scoring the rebound. Giroud also saw a powerful header blocked on the line and after a scramble in the box the ball was hoofed clear.

The second half started with the same sort of intensity but now it was Sunderland that looked the most likely and they had three good shotsd on target withing the first 10 minutes, but Petr Cech was alert to stop them. The home crowd was energised though and their tails were up but we really should have silenced them when Giroud did very well to set up Iwobi who made a terrible hash of his shot.

That seemed to be the order of the day from Arsenal and thankfully the same was true of Defoe after he skinned Mertesacker. Walcott and Welbeck came on with 20 minutes left and then we saw the first appearance of Jack Wilshere around 10 minutes later.

Mannone had got away with a mistake which could have seen Kaboul red carded for a push on Welbeck and he made a good late save to stop a well struck Alexis shot with just minutes to play. There was also some late pressure from a desperate home team but the game ended without a goal and our chances of a top three spot took another hit.

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108 Comments

      1. sorry for joel he should go if wenger will our coach next season.WENGER is stubborn that’s for sure

        1. just dont see the point of wenger being our coach next year
          if its his last year he wont suddenly throw away the script spend an bring in second coach to help an spend big

          an analogue manager in a digital world

              1. 3 seasons and our scouting department hasn’t served up a better solution than Giroud. Quite incredible negligence.

              2. Arsenal 0 – 1 Swansea
                Leicester 4 – 0 Swansea

                What champions are made of.

                Just a thought:
                Arsenal chanel stadiums to make team better…Hasn’t happened.
                We’ve changed majority shareholder…Hasn’t happened
                We’ve changed players…Hasn’t happened
                Could we consider changing Manager? Just wondering.

          2. Congrats Arsene! Welcome to the Mugabe-Museveni long-stay club. Too bad the FIFA position is gone, you could have replaced Sepp Blatter and stayed for the next 25 years.

        1. this hurts to say…

          spuds have very young exciting team
          they deserve that title
          stats for them are hugely impressive

          do i want them to have it…..NO

          1. yes every arsenal fan do not want that they win the title
            but they are working very hard to achieve it and we play pass pass for 90 min that is the difference between arsenal and spurs

          2. I remember posting a comparison between Spurs and Arsenal after the first meeting @ the Emirates and being bombarded with ridicule and contempt after contending that Spuds had the better and more exciting starting 11. To revisit that now, who of the most deluded and visually impaired Gunners left would disagree?

            Sanchez and maybe Ozil are the only two starters for the Gunners that would walk into the Tottenham starting 11

            Think about that for a minute

            F Off Arsene

            1. Kane>OG/Welbeck
              Vertonghen>BFG
              Rose>Nacho
              Walker>Bellerin(close)
              Toby A>Boss(this year)
              Ali> Iwobi

              Lloris=Cech
              Dier=Coquelins
              Dembele=Ramsey/El Neny
              Ozil=Erikson

              Sanchez>Lamella and whoever else

              Sometimes the truth hurts

      1. LOL…I know what he’ll say.
        We possessed mental strength and team spirit. A clean sheet is added bonus. Wilshere is a new signing.
        Top 4 is nearly close.

        Utter crap.

        1. in fairness i was mightily impressed with jack..

          he walked off the pitch …wasnt carried off…WALKED .

          progress

      2. Budd and his gang are hiding, waiting till we narrowly win any match and they’ll be back writing paragraphs explaining why Wenger isn’t the problem, but kroenke is.

      1. its settled now whatever happens v will b a 4th place team…its like someone has cursed us…
        and why not poor campbell coming in as a sub thn idiot walcott
        its like manager doesn’t care
        gutted totally

      2. Tell you what…i get the feeling Arsenal will lose out on the fourth place to Manchester United…wide awakening for Mr. Wenger, on how his team has slumped and he is responsible!!!

    5. yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
      4th now i am very happy
      wenger== haters this called consistency

    6. I hadnt watched Arsenal in a while – thank fully. Holly crap – what is this football we are playing. The team is horrible, there is no push, no probiing runs, no tactics to break down a staunh defense. We dont even deserve 4th in my opinion. I am happy to finish out of european places if Wenger leaves and we can rebuild this mess he is leaving behind.
      Every single player in this team was bought and trained and coached and inspired by Wenger. This is completely, and utterly his fault and he no longer has the footballing mind to fix it.

    7. I didn’t feel anything………Anger nor Happiness

      Feel sorry for all the travelling fans …going all the way to the stadium of Light….wasting ur fares, resources and time to cheer for mediocrity….instead of being home with ur families boycotting these few games

      Hope that sets u right!

      *No hard feelings folks*

      1. I don’t feel sorry for the travelling fans. They are fcuking stupid for still purchasing season tickets for the last 5 years. I am glad they waste their money up and down the country. As far as im concerned they are just as bad as Wenger for still allowing this $hit

        1. Pissing in the wind mentality for most Arsenal fans, sorry no compassion from me either.

          Hope the Wenger and Kroenke banners are out in full force next weekend @ the Emirates, a capitulation against Norwich and predictable beat down @ the Etiahd to come WOULD be the end of any chronically underachieving coach sans Wenger.

          No Europe and empty seats are the only means to remove Silent Stan and his merry band of misfits from our beloved club

    8. Leicester only need a point to confirm St Wenger’s day.
      St Wenger’s day is when AFC mathematically can’t win the PL

    10. Specialist in predictable, Specialist in bias, Specialist in greedy, Specialist in no ambition,
      Specialist in joke, Specialist in playing Europa league next season.

    11. For a reason or two, haven’t heard from the Likes of NY gunner, budd , midkemma nor Trevor

      someone should be standing up for mediocrity right now

      L()L

    12. I seen many Arsenal fan enjoying our last match at emerites ..if they love Arsenal please do not go last 2-3 matches. we do not want excuses from Wenger anymore # please do not go for Arsenal matches

      we can’t do anything from Asia, please London boycott matches.

      1. cos he used to laugh with his teamates about arsenal an there top 4 quest.
        hes now in the joke.
        poor bugger haha

  4. Wenger will bemoan the opposition tactics again. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG etc. face the same thing every single game – teams sitting deep and defending. They don’t have an issue dealing with it.. Why? Their tactics are good enough, and they teams are good enough. Ours are not.

    1. Go on YouTube and see how Bayern players romance the ball in training. They caress the ball and make love to it.
      The gulf in class is just too wide.
      Many of our players cannot even do the basics

  5. Our clueless Manager and Squad…..

    For Arsene lovers, don’t worry, we will start strong again next season.

    1. my dad had the nerve to kick with me cos i said im not renewing my season ticket next year, like im somehow disloyal

      the oldman doesnt get it. it isnt thru thick and thin we must remain, we were lied to , deception is not what this club was built on, the ideals of this club have become corporate

  8. Toothless display, we need at least 2 new world class strikers and a CB. Spurs being above us is hard enough, now United might leap frog us. Fans in England – now is the time to show your discontent as much as possible.

  9. Wenger OUT TONIGHT… Stan, Ivan, Ramsey, Per & Giroud can go with you! 4th is the initial target under Arsene & Stan. Change is needed make it happen Arsenal Fans in London get the banners, protests and boycotting going properly. Nothing to player for now no better time

    1. Yap
      Crab passing
      Remove ozil,Cazorla and sanchez from that team and we are at the same level as Sunderland,Bournemouth, crystal palace, Southampton,Watford Newcastle and Norwich.
      Pathetic.

      1. crab passing is the worse bro

        when you take the effort to go into the sea pull out sebastian the crab an pass him to your fellow crab chaser..it sucks bro…

        i feel your pain

  11. I don’t know about anybody else but that was one of the most boring matches I have ever seen.

    I was shouting change something at the telly at about 50 mins in. But Arsene makes his change in the 70th minute when the game is essentially one-sided by then. I could see another manager swapping Iwobi for Campbell and Welbeck for Ramsey, putting two up front. There is no tactical nouse at all at Arsenal.

    Put it this way, we were against a bottom three team away where we are best statistically and we still can not win. We are supposed to be Top 3 challengers challenging for the title.

    Arsene Wenger has lost it. I don’t care if he brings in Aubameyang. He still would not be able to tactically outclass Sam Allardyce.

    1. Absolutely right, for a so say must win game, how can that team selection be justified? Would any other person on the face of the planet who knows anything about football, not use Campbell in place of Ramsey?

  12. That’s my third game in a row not watching the Arsenal, and I’m definitely better for it. I will watch Leicester today though, need some decent football to watch!

    1. I will join you. I am not watching another game whilst Arsene is in charge. Something has to change.

  15. I knew it was gonna be a tough game..

    1. Sunderland are fighting relegation so they will put up a good fight against us and we know how to give this ‘teams’ fighting for relegation points.

    2. Mike Dean (I don’t like him) but he was fair today anyway. On another day, Mertsacker hand ball would have been given.

    3. Giroud…. I don’t usually throw the towel on Him but he is now on the low. Low confidence, poor touch, always falls on defenders….

    Disappointing second half….Sunderland missed more chances than us.

    Disappointing Season. 4th place all over again.

  16. My fellow fans, dont get mad, bec such outcomes are not coming to our surprise. The diff is only that some of us get it early on, like 6 years before, and some are just realising lately in what kind of situation we are finding our selfs. The others who know but ignore everything are no true football fans. they are shameless.

    Wenger once said that he would rerign if he sees that he cant take arsenal into another lvl. Now, not only does he cant bring us a step further, but we are becoming weaker and weaker, match by match.

    Pathetic fanbase, dont know any other club in the world who tolerated this.

    1. come to n7 an call us a pathetic fanbase k – we will rob you for your warrior keyboard an have you licking London toenail

      as the great arsene used to say..

      i didnt choose thuglife….thuglife chose me

      *grabs mobb deep cd

    2. I SAID IT.PROPHECIED…..AND URGED YOU ALL TO QUOTE ME,IS THIS THE PART I SAY I TOLD YOU SO????spurs are above us and we might finish 5th.problem is player and team motivation.if wenger stays i gurantee a worse season to come.manage evpectations like i did and you will avoid stress related illnesses.
      fact;if wenger was a manager in any other country hed have been replaced for his own safety.maybe the fans are part of the problem too,
      the journalsts seem to be under his spell too comparinf the level of hostility jose and lvg have endured.well thats the curious story of wenger and the brits who couldnt do s**** about him.i bet after a loss he reminds himself ‘i am arsenal nobody can do s**** about me,its never that serious!!’ how sadly pathetic are we as fans!!?no voice no bite…?those in the uk pointing out that placards arent allowed into the stadium,how about the training grounds?or outside the stadium so the board can read our plea!wenger out!! DIEGO IN!

  17. 1. No field players added in the summer
    2. A first place thrown away in Jan
    3. Fourth place finally achieved
    4. Cech beaten where he wasn’t before

    All this has one name written all over and it’s Arsene. He denies and clearly doesn’t have the thing to boost a team up to a league let alone a ucl.

    Sadly…Thx for the memories but he has to go.

  18. I’m not disappointed
    That train passed a long time ago
    This season as a whole was probably the biggest disappointment of my life.
    The Title was ours for the taking but we let Leicester or Spurs take it
    No outfielders last summer – @bsolutely unforgivable and horrible decision
    Drawing today is nothing

  21. I wonder how players like Campbell feel inside watching Walcott get on the pitch game after game and does the things he does. What was that jumping over the ball and not even making Kaboul work for that 50/50 with Mannone way out of his goal? Borrowed time my a**, he needs to be kicked out of this club and at this point I don’t care if a rival gets him. Come on Liverpool and West Ham, throw your offers on the table…

    1. Did you see the 140k player run at the ball after Mannone comes out of goal onlyt to then just pulls out. All Kaboul was doing there to put him off was stand there.

      The golden five of Wengers team – Walcott, Ox, Wilshere, Ramsey, Giroud.

      Remind me how, Ramsey got back into the team again?

      Someone should grill Wenger in press conference on why he dislikes Joel Campbell.

      1. Yep sure did, that’s the play I’m talking about. Walcott is now guaranteed to do something spectacular in every game he now features. I still remember him sitting on his a** after dribbling into 2 players like they were invisible then throwing his arms in the air. I’m sooooo over this guy I would go as far a stripping him of the #14 and giving him his old #32 back for the remainder of the season then send him packing on day 1 of the transfer window. I also think we would actually be doing England a favor by benching him so Roy doesn’t pick him to destroy that team as well.

  22. The team selection today was unforgivable and unfathomable for a must win game. I could’ve chosen a team out of what we have more likely to win. Good job we didn’t buy Suarez, he’d would’ve been on the bench, and Walcott on the field.

  23. Iwobi is a good player but still not the level he is expected to be. Bad passing and poor play. I guess specialist in failure knows how to screw up games and btw Wenger “FRANCE AREN’T GONNA WIN THE EUROS SO STOP PLAYING LAMPOST AND GIVE WELBECK THE START”

  26. Boooooooooo!!!
    Utd will finish 4th!!
    They will be 2 points behind us when they win their game in hand and leapfrog us when we lose at Man City.

    I think that Wenger enjoyed playing on a Thursday night!
    But will You?

    1. hell yes thursdays in albania …fc pigeon poop- im down like charlie brown bro!!

      already got my europa league mug an changed my ringtone .

      fc gooly goo goo HERE WE COMEEEEEEEEEEE

  27. Goal shy Gunners lol. Na, Toothless Gunners more like.
    Why are we starting Giroud, when he is in a bad run of form?
    Apart from the Alexis freekick. Every shot we had was either straight at Manonne or just very weak. Once again players looked scared to shoot. Why?? Just tippy tapppy football, lose the ball and repeat. Roll on next season for more A.F.C Arsenal Football Comedy. FML

  28. The “failure one” has succumbed all we were favourites for the league 6 or 7 weeks ago, now look what Mr failure has done. Dove us into the ground. Getting a draw with 3rd from the bottom woopeee

  29. Last week Spurs were singing “Are you watching Arsenal” now this week Leciester are singing “Are you watching Tottenham”. LOL, come on Leciester the world needs a new story.

  32. What excuse has the Consultant of Failure got now? Sure the excuse must be worth more than £8M as he’s now running out of options. Bye bye Wenger! Go Wenger go before we ask you be pushed.

    1. Same old Excuse’s 3 matches in 6 day’s, it was raining down our end, the bigger boy’s would not give us the ball. Sick to death with Wenger and his excuses what we need is something different any thing instead of the same old same old pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass
      lose the ball and get sucker punched. £8M a year nice money for doing nothing.

  33. Didn’t Fabianski say he was going to help Spurs to the title today? Hmmmm, I hope they destroy his goal today!

  34. Wow! And after yet another typically titillating footballing masterclass by the brilliant Invincibles, Arsenal are headed for yet another…oh, who am I kidding? Another season passes us by, thanks to the usual suspects – the London Mafia, and their goons in the stands, whose closed mouths and open purses have just about ensured that Kroenke, Wenger et AL will live long – and that the good old Arsenal FOOTBALL Club will die young, to be replaced by a profit making museum of mere relics and worn out videotapes of “Once upon a Time…”

  35. Leicester 2 – swansea 0 .. that’s the way you do it.. HUNGER, GUTS, DESIRE..THE ENTIRE TEAM COST LESS THAN THE T14, OX, RAMSEY , MER, AND SO ON WAGES..CHEERING FOR THEM..WHAT A FAIRY TALE..MADE REALITY BECAUSE THE MASTER OF FAILURE THROW THE EPL WHEN WAS OUR CHANCE…OUT..OUT..OUT. with dignity. that’s FOR THE PAST GLORIES ( 12 years and counting ). Come out the PRO WENGER GANG now and justify this abysmal season.

    2. They are now 3-0, without their talisman, we have all our strikers and can’t score against bottom 3 team? Swansea always fingers us front and back, and now they are being punished really well, something we will never ever do under the deluded f**l

  37. Leiceste, Spurs and City all have strikers who got them crucial points. We have Giroud.
    I feel embarrassed every time he touches the ball all falls down.

    How can Wenger not know the importance of a top quality striker? How can he not see Giroud is not quality?

    Look at what RVP did for us in his last season for us, or his first season for Man U. Look at what Henry did for us!!! Look who won City the title in the last game of the season a few years back. Look which two strikers lead the league in scoring and where their teams are. Look at the money we had in the bank last summer.

    This is just unreal and undefensible.

  39. Arsenal can make you second guess yourself and leaves you unsure. Terrible trait to have as it leads to insecurity. BE CAREFUL!!!

  40. My eyes are now truly opened. Wenger cannot do anything more for this club. In all my years watching and supporting Arsenal, I never dreamt of a time like this when fans protest going to new heights, ex-players are angry for a managerial and player change, pundits who used to look forward working our games have now considered us as the appetizer to the main course Leciester, rival managers who used to spark battle between Wenger now feels sorry for him and so on. What have we become?

  42. 3-0 GO Leicester GO..we Lost at home with this average team..IT TELLS YOU HOW LOVE ARSENAL HAS BECOME…LAME EXCUSES..LOOK OUT..NO MONEY, TOTAL REJECTED PLAYERS AND SOME FROM LOWER LEAGUES SOMEWHERE ELSE AND ON THE TOP OF THE WORLD…AS SOME OF THEIR FANS SAID EARLIER..NO MATTER IF THEY FAIL IN GROUP STAGES IN UCL OR DO NOT RETAIN ( for sure ) THE EPL TITLE..TO WIN IT IS HISTORY AND WILL REMAIN THEIR PRIDE FOREVER…SOMETHING TO ADMIRE AND REMEMBER BY. AS FOR US, JUDGEMENT DAY WAS THE DEFEAT TO MAN UTD…NAIL IN THE COFFIN SWANSEA DEFEAT..WISH I WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE..OH ARSENE RESIGN..YES I’M AWAKE NOW.

  44. Leicester need a striker to stand in, they bring on Ulloa and he scores two,. We bring on Theo and he jumps over the ball

  45. When we beat Leicester the players celebrated as they won the league, we then collapsed against Swansea. Look at Leicester now and look how pitiful Arsenal are now. Shame on you wenger.

  48. PLEASE COME OUT TO JUSTIFY OUR POOR SEASON WENGER GANG..RANIERI FLOP IN GREECE..KINDA IN CHELSKI..BUT NEVER UNDERMINE HIS MOTIVATION AND ENTHUSIASM..HATS OFF THIS MAN, CONSIDERED A FAILURE WHEN ARRIVE AND MAKING A TEAM WHICH FOUGHT RELEGATION A YEAR AGO INTO ( IF A MIRACLE HAPPENS ) WORTHY EPL CHAMPIONS…EMIRATES MOVE EXCUSES FOR YEARS..THEN INJURIES..THEN 200 MILLIONS IIN THE BANK..SAME LAME EXCUSES..NO MORE THAN THIS. REBUILD IS NEEDED FROM TOP TO BOTTOM..WE CAN GO FEW YEARS BUT IT IS A MUST. SURE WILL NOT BE ANOTHER 12 YEARS, TRUST IN CHANGE.

  49. Tottenham are leading the race to sign Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette in a £23.5 million deal that will see Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton miss out on the 24-year-old hitman

    Tottenham are targeting a move for Lyon defender Samuel Umtiti this summer while they are also interested in his team-mate Alexandre Lacazette and Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi.

    THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING TO GET STRONGER..WE? PISS ME OFF THE PRIMARK TRANSFER BUSINESS AND SCOUTING CRAP WE GOT…OH FORGET, WE GOT JACK BACK IT IS NEW SIGNING AND SANTI SOON SO NO NEED TO ADD AS THE TEAM IS GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN EPL 2016-2017.. LEAVE IT TO YOU ALL TO DIGEST.

  50. Ohh….My Wenger….. Ohh my Darling Wenger…….How much I Love Ya…..
    Gooners just Close ya Eyes and picture THE ARSENAL…not participating in Champions League…Next Season…. How Horrible…

  51. Used to be a huge Wenger fan, still believed in him even in difficult moments in the last 2 years…it is getting more difficult each passing game
    He is even beating that this season (and not in a good way)! That has to be our worse year in a long time for 3 reasons:
    1) On paper we were the most equipped (when looking at the challengers in front)
    2) Again injuries came swinging at the worse time (when is that going to change)
    3) The league was there for the taking
    So how did he messed it up is mind blowing…and allowed to make the same mistakes & doesn’t seem to be held accountable:
    1) Not spending smart on the right players (Striker anyone?)
    2) Not prioritizing the league as if we were ever goign to win the UCL
    3) Does he even take time to look at who we’re going to play & preparing accodingly
    He’s run out of excuses: sometimes the referee, other times the schedule (and he was saying that Leicester might not be sharp enough because of lack of schedule now looks like a fool). Other times the mental make up, other times our lack of whatever defending/goals (blaming the players), other times the conditions (pitch,…)!!
    I mean when is it your fault as a coach for not setting up the team properly, training them properly, having a proper medical team making sure injuries (and bad ones at that) to key players are minimized!! And also having a clear plan of what your fighting for & prioritize the right thing when looking at the squad because clearly we were all over the place & ended up losing everything!

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