Skysports pundit Graeme Souness is not one to hold back his opinions and he certainly did not when he analysed Arsenal’s second-half collapse against Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday.
In a brutal assessment, he said that “That’s not how a PROPER team play football” he questioned the substitutions, the reaction from the more senior players and the persisting with playing out from the back.
It is very hard to argue with what Souness had to say, in fact, I make him 100% correct in everything he said and there is no point any Arsenal fans taking his criticism of the team personally, because there is nothing that he said that one can honestly disagree with.
This is not a case of a pundit having yet another predictable dig at Arsenal, this is a pundit giving an honest assessment that most of the users on this site that use the comment section have already said themselves.
Totally agree with him and in effect Emery has lost the plot.
Lose the next league game against Villa and the knives will be out.
Even a kid saw everything wrong with Arsenal yesterday it was terrible to watch. I said to myself I will not watch Arsenal away from home with emery still around. We thought the bottling went away with wenger but it’s now clear that Arsenal is a bottling company
Playing at the back is terrible. We are KNOWN to crumble under pressure so why would a manager insist on playing like that? Has he not seen us play before? I thought Emery was a video freak who studies hours of football play.
I can’t blame Sokratis. Emery insists on inviting pressure on already fractured defense.
But what was Leno thinking when he gave the ball to socratis it was clear that his cb’s were hiding from receiving the ball. How can a cb stay at the corner line behind his kp. What type of football is that?
They are probably afraid of Emery even though I believe the players himself don’t like playing at the back.
Please Nonny can you tell me one good thing Nelson and Niles did yesterday, I don’t care what anyone says iwobi is way better than Nelson.
NILES and Nelson is just another English over rated dudes give them time they will go down the drain the way of Gibbs and Walcott
It’s typical Arsenal really..
1. Insane mistakes leading to goals.
2. Same players who cannot manage the pace of the game.
3. Badly managed formation and substitutions.
4. A manager who has lost the plot.
Did I miss anything? Most likely because there is so much wrong at this club. Its a club full of amateurs and “pretenders”. I feel for Auba because he is doing everything he can to win!!!
My theory is that the players are being over trained on the on the training pitch.I lost count the times the players fell over just before being tackled and being edged of the ball when tackled.We looked knackered from the off while Watford ran around like spring chickens.Needs looking into.
I have always felt the way Souness feels in his assessment of our performances since the later Wenger years.
I always have the same thoughts but then our fans just go into snowflakes mode all because someone from outside our tribe dares to tells us the truth we don’t want to know.
This game brought back all the wenger later days for me.
Can’t believe it.
We have the worst midfield. I miss Cazorla, Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey at least those guys knew how to entertain.
And for all of you who thought Nelson was a better option than Iwobi, shame on you
mustafi makes fatal errors but in terms of ability skills and technique he is way better than both sokratis and luiz
emery is yet to know his best 11.
keeps on starting fringe players.
cant organise the squad.
has no plan or tactics.
player still have the same weak,lacklustre mentality from the wenger years
Why will a sane coach removed Ceballos and replaced him with wilock and Nelson, I thought Nelson was supposed to be iwobi replacement, at least iwobi can dribble past 2 to 3 players at once, we seems to have the worst set of youngsters out of the top6, Nelson is useless Niles will not even be on the bench here in Lyon, nobody should tell me that Niles is not a defender he can’t even pass the ball can’t run with the ball the boy is so so bad, in my opinion Xhaka had a good game yesterday and ozil was just being ozil, the coach is a clown, Emery won the match for us in the first half with his selection but also lost the match in the second half with his substitution.
Souness is 100% correct !
Still furious this morning.
Emery MUST SORT THIS OUT NOW !
Best players on the park, formation we are most effective with and playing in a way that the players are COMFORTABLE with allowing them to actually perform.
But please don’t think I’m absolving the players here, giving them excuses to hide behind… far from it !
Sometimes “on field” decisions are called for, and sort it later behind closed doors.
I am not an “Emery out” man, but seriously this needs addressing NOW !!!
Remember, 1 point short last year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mind you, Champions league ????????????????
P.S. I know taking Dani off was to get Torriera in front of the totally hapless ANM (again) ….. but Ceballos off ???
Man of the first half, along with Auba.
I know sometimes tactics dictate, but Ozil faded badly under the “Watford onslaught” (self induced). We needed Dani’s energy out there, as when he went we went deeper and deeper which triggered the likes of Luiz starting their party tricks !
Again – SORT IT NOW !
the management deliberately allowed Ramsey to go for who??? a player from loan though a good player but not in d class of Ramsey for heaven sake… iwobi for for kids… if Pepe is injured which winger do we have again???? emry is worse than a faded wenger .. d way we mark is the worst I have seen in Europe 4 top leagues
Is Ramsey not among the useless garbage Wenger left?
It is time for Emery to give other defenders a run, surely they can’t do any worse than Luiz and Co,what happened to competition?
Many things were wrong yesterday.
But, what probably worries me most, is Xhaka’s admission hat we were scared.
As Souness points out; how can they be scared????
Not only do we seem to have a tactically unbalanced team and a shaky defense. Apparently we have a huge mental problem, and that may be the biggest obstacle. Because it isn’t exactly a new thing, is it?
Miles. One assist
Yeah I have to agree with him we were weak and didn’t want to compete after Ceballos departed.
Shocking display, both by UE as well as the players. Cannot blame any single player. No composure, nobody available to steady the ship and keep possession for a while, no leadership on or off the field. Disaster looming! Bringing in Tierney and keeping Sokratis and Luiz in the middle will not solve anything.