The first part of this post is concerned only with the game between Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League last night, and more specifically the job done by the referee and his assistants. Arsene Wenger, while accepting that Arsenal were not at our best, also claimed that the officials and their poor decisions were a major factor in the result.
I am reluctant to bang on about refs too much because it looks like sour grapes and I accept that I can see things with an Arsenal bias, but has the Frenchman got a point? I would have to say yes. Giroud was at fault for his petulance in getting the first yellow but he was also right to tell the ref that his decision was wrong and it was clearly Arsenal that should have had a free kick.
The second yellow can be supported by the law books but it was also an accident. Those saying that Giroud was daft to make the challenge when on a booking are missing the point, like the ref, that he was going for the ball and did not know the Zagreb player would get in the way, so I have to say the red card was really harsh.
Wenger also suggested that he was much more lenient on the home team and once again I have to agree. Now some will say that this happens and that Arsenal will get our fair share of decisions. Really? I can´t remember too many, instead I think back to the harsh red card on Szczesny when he fouled Robben for a penalty but the Dutch forward was heading away from goal. No way was that a goal scoring opportunity.
What about Ramsey´s two yellows away to Besiktas last season, with both bookings being harsh and worse challenges going unpunished throughout the game? So a home ref then, but then the same thing happened at the Emirates in the second leg to Debuchy and the evidence that Arsenal do not get a fair deal from Eyropean refs starts to grow.
Then you look at the harsh decisions recently suffered by other English sides and I for one begin to wonder if UEFA does not have it in for us. Not only did the leg breaking tackle on Man United´s Shaw in the penalty earn neither a penalty or a card, but a UEFA panel gave the player who made it the Man of the Match award. Is that not taking the mickey?
Man City have had some shocking decisions go against them in recent years as well and what about that ridiculous red card for Nani against Real Madrid? Do you think that Arsenal and the other Premier League clubs are getting a raw deal in Europe?
Im getting tired of this blame game thing! What benefit is it doing us?
I get what your saying wenger does do this sometimes but honestly I thought the ref was atrocious he looked out of his depth or something. I’m really surprised more people aren’t talking about it
No, Absolutely not a raw deal. The Ref was not biased. Please stop excuses and research on what went wrong. In the final third of the pitch, the forward movements are slow as if players fear to receive a pass. Too many sideways and back passes.
Arsenal need to sack this manager now and sign a coach to motivate the players it’s not rocket sience we need new manager not arrogant demigod perioud
Break in News: This Saturday new cartoon series starting where the hero is Walcott and the Baddies are Cahill and Zouma…
We’ll probably lose tomorrow then Walcott and Ramsey will come out with their usual BS stating “we can bounce back and challenge the teams for top4”. That word should be considered blasphemy, anyone using it should be sent to Tottenham or Southampton because top teams shouldn’t be settling for mediocrity, they shouldn’t stop giving up on ambitions instead of switching from “we can win the league” to “we can make top 4”
If we want to beat chelsea, we have to change our tactics…
Mourinho will be parking the bus and playing physical…..
Will Wenger change?
Ugh what?
Nope, he will probably play Arteta and Ramsey as a “f**k you” to his doubters and put Ozil on the wing, and then it will backfire and he will blame his failure on bad luck.
Wenger was more to blame than the ref, but yes it was a questionable decision to send Giroud off. But don’t let that distract from Wenger’s failure to put out a strong enough team to win the game regardless of what the ref did.
Why the f*ck do people keep saying that, did he not start the Ox who many fans have been saying should start over Ramsey, did he not start alexis and ozil in there strongest position? Did he not start our french international ST flanked by 2 pacy players? Did he not start gabriel and koscielny along with our RB who can walk into most teams who also did not play as bad as people say? Did he not start our #2 goalkeeper who is easily one of the top back ups?
The thing I question the most is pairing arteta with cazorla, both don’t have the legs to man the middle, cazorla should’ve been rested and coq and arteta should’ve played as the 2 DM’s
Ox shouldn’t even be a starter, I stated this many times. His mistakes keep leading to a goal hence why he shouldn’t be first choice for CL games. And which manager in their right mind would consider Arteta as being reliable ?? Tell me, would Simeone, Guardiola, Mourinho replace Coquelin with a player that can’t make it into West Ham’s first XI ? NO. They would have made sure that LeCoq would have a back-up that is just as good, heck Shquirie was miles ahead of Ox yet he got sold because he wasn’t good enough. That’s the sort of ambition we need to win the CL, not some crappy belief in cohesion.
blame the ref
blame the pitch
bad day at the office….
Fans just love these excuses every season
We lost mid week in the Champions League, away to a team that hasn’t lost in 40+ games and we were resting a few first teamers for the game against Chelsea this Saturday. I’m not too worried, I just hope we smash through the big leaky blue bus this weekend, with a clean sheet for big Petr and see the reaction from Wenger and Mourinho.
You should be worried. Do you thin Madrid fans or Barca fans would have been happy with the result ? Giroud shouldn’t touch a ball until the end of the season because it’s the second time he single handedly ruins our CL plans. Sanchez and Walcott should be our strikers
Of course the referee should take some share of blame for the loss. However, 80% of the share was Wenger’s tactical fault. To me, Wenger has no strength and ambition to win the champions league. His main target in this competition is to get money as much as possible not to win it. As the fans, we are faded up for that matter.
Arteta killed the game slow n sluggish with the ball
Wenger and Arsenal are becoming masters of buck passing….didn’t Wenger said recently that the good condition of pitches nowadays is why there is a “dearth” of strikers and why we did not sign any last transfer window?…i guess Manduzik, Jackson Martinez, Benteke, Bacca were all from Saturn……tired of bs excuses for inept and gutless displays, both by players and boards and especially manager….Wenger need to wake up and smell the coffee, he is fast becoming an anachronism and he is taking the club down a path of disgrace
complaining of the ref when ospina cld easily have been sent off??? how about the two tackles made by cambell which went unpunished??? Get a life man!!!
No, ref’s not to blame totally . If we had a strong team out on d pitch, we would have scored two to three goals b4 the red card.
Wenger is Our Problem. Remove Arsene Wenger, and every player becomes serious to make d team list and fights for a place in a new manager’s team. Wenger CANNOT motivate this team anymore to a major trophy.
Wenger Out!
Wenger Out!!
Wenger Out!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH….
me wagner-bean out.
me out.
me out.