Good morning Positivistas from a dark Norfolk at a little after 6 this morning.
An early start to Wednesday and just the vaguest lightening in eastern sky as I ponder last night’s events and how to describe and interpret them.
A howl of frustration and a shriek of disappointment would be appropriate to clear the system. With that important emotional ablution performed so to the game.
After the sumptuous enjoyment of the Leicester game I quipped that last night was all about the result and sod the quality of the football. And so the evening turned out. 94 minutes in which for long periods Arsenal dominated possession at above 70%, played attractive football, 654 passes, and had 18 shots, 13 on target. For long periods of the second half the visitors were penned up in the final third of the pitch and with all eleven men behind the ball. And yet the evening ended in defeat for us and triumph for the men in blue.
The events of the game I am reasonably sure are vivid in all our minds hence to repeat the sequence of events again does not seem sensible. A couple of the incidents will linger longer in the mind than I might wish.
Let me attempt to say what went right last night.
Alexis ran his arse off and was a constant threat to the Greeks every time he was on the ball. His second headed goal in a week, this time from a lovely chip from Theo was of the best quality. Theo finished his chance well and looked full of confidence in the first half. In the second, as space reduced and the Greeks were packed back around their box he was less able to contribute. Another useful learning night, and a goal to show for it. The introduction of Ramsey appeared to have been the key to breaking Olympiakos’s resolute defence and he was superb for the 30 minutes he was on. Ox’s performance came in for some ‘stick’ last night and I thought that was unfair. Being blamed for the own goal was ludicrous as the shot hitting the outside of his boot was unavoidable. He worked hard, won the ball and like Sanchez was a persistent thorn. Our attacking play and two goals were enough to have won that game.
What went less well was the defence. Clearly the finger of doom must point at our Colombian stopper for a moment of pure madness but from the outset the back five looked nervy, as though they had never come across opposition who wanted to take them on. Most uncharacteristic of Kosc and, from the times I have seen him, Gabriel. Kieran was uncomfortable all evening. Very little was smooth at the back, players showed almost no composure and that edginess encouraged the Greeks.
And to concede a soft third when we had battled so hard to score our equalizer ……….
That is one of the incidents that will stick in my mind, for all the wrong reasons.
There are lessons to be learned from last night, and mainly I think they are lessons about the players’ approach to the game. It may be that like me the players were too focussed on the ‘result’, not concentrating on their own football. I have in mind also preparing insufficiently for opponents they do not know well. And concentration – ah yes concentration – for every single one of those 94 minutes.
And our opponents ?
A really competent display from every man in blue. They came with a reputation for solid defending but having seen Olympiakos before I took that with a pinch of salt but that proved foolish on my part; Siovas and Costa were rock like, the clever Elabdeloui a top quality full back. At times they were severely stretched and twice broken open by Arsenal goals. They regrouped and stuck to their plan though. Their coach Marco Silva must be delighted.
So what next?
As with our previous recent defeats we have the benefit of no time to dwell on our disappointment with the red Mancs due on Sunday. Indeed the table-topping Mancs due, and the proverbial “six pointer” for both clubs’ PL hopes. No time for regrets or for hiding. We have hills to climb together on Sunday. Bavaria can wait, for now.
And as I draw this epistle to an end the sun is up, the day is begun, enjoy yourselves!
Positively Arsenal 
Well done Andrew, you managed the impossible….I feel a little better than before I read your post. Oh well at least Piers Morgan is in distress, at least I hope so….
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A very fair and even write- up, Andrew. Hugely frustrating night but no-one can under-estimate our opponents commitment to their cause, I’d say they deserved to win despite leaving this year’s CL campaign somewhat shredded.
Team selection was fascinating. We looked set up to win on Saturday against Leicester – can’t recall too many (any?) being rested for the CL. If anything, Arsene looked again to be resting players last night (Aaron, Cech) ahead of Sunday’s Mancunian encounter. He may have simply under-estimated the Greeks, given their past form. Or he may genuinely be prioritising the EPL.
I do feel we have as good a chance as anybody for this year’s title, no-one will run away with it, this side of Xmas, anyway. I felt a profound sense of sadness at the news of the breakup of the Wengers’ marriage and as his 20th anniversary at Arsenal hoves into view one wonders how Arsene will be viewing his next five years.
Hopefully he stays and continues to build the squad into something more than capable of blowing away the likes of Barca et al.
But the de facto collapse of the Financial Fair Play framework means that a club like Arsenal (re-)founded on the soundest of financial principles and without the funds pumped out of seemingly bottomless oil wells or Glazer-style economics to float it, will prove insufficiently ‘bouyant’ to truly compete with those clubs that have been artificially leveraged to footballing greatness.
If Arsene were to make this his final season in England, it might come as no great surprise. Winning the league in such circumstances could ultimately feel a bitter-sweet experience, but for me at least, no less of a surprise.
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morning all. good job andrew.
i am a proud gooner, but not too proud of our performance last night. anyway, shit happens.
i have to say i had great expectation for ox this season just because of the form he showed before injuries last season. and the fact that he said he was learning a lot from alexis. but this season i realise he must have been learning more from valencia than sanchez. always runingto the byline to cross the ball not minding if there is anyone in the box or even if that is what the player wants. those idiots who always question the reason for playing ramsey ahead of him are what they are. idiots.
he switches off too many times in games that you wonder if he even want to be in the squad. he has so much potential and talent than many but he needs to start delivering.
gibbs was good yesterday but you cant but admit that monreal would have done better on the third goal. sanchez played his best game yet this season. walcott was great as well. per was not fit,i suppose. ospina is a good shot stopper but his weakness is crosses. but i dont agree with wenger on the decision to rest cech and ramsey.
that said, i still dont agree the second was a goal. the whole ball didnt cross the line. i think the reason noone is talking about the goal is because we lost to a club we should beat easily. the ball must cross the goal line 100%.
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Well done Anicoll – not sure I would have felt much like writing anything in the gloom of a Norfolk pre dawn and under the shroud of defeat.
My thoughts? Well, shit happens, really. The defence were nowhere near as bad as you seem to think and we dominated the game. Sometimes two pieces of bad luck (not madness) can entirely change a game of football. That’s all that happened last night. Nothing to get too upset about because that kind of crazy bad luck won’t occur with any sort of frequency.
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After all the elation and promise Saturday gave us.. To loose like this is numbing. I’d like to highlight a few things abt wat I’ve noticed 4 a while on days when we play teams dt defend in numbers and give away little space.
1. I think it’d help if Sanchez tries to make off the ball runs instead of coming to receive the ball to dribble inside or looking for a pass when he is our most dangerous attacker. He needs to be in the box when we are faced with dis kind of challenge.
2. Ozil can do better than he does. As our playmaker, I feel he has to take more responsibility in d sense that he can’t just keep doing the simple thing he does all the time like the one touch passes n coming to the left wing to look for a cross when d tallest person in our d box is Theo. Perhaps it would be better to try and playmake 4rm the right which I think will help him to penetrate better and have the option of a defense splitting pass of which Theo, Alexis, and bellerin can benefit from.
3. Gibbs’ is a long way off of challenging Monreal for that leftback spot. Just like The Ox, He seems not to av conviction in both his attacking n defending. Both the Ox and Gibbs look way too predictable and soft mentally.
4. They must cut out the habit of feeling sorry for themselves, embarrassed and downtrodden when it’s not going according to plan. That’s not wat men do. They need to look hard at themselves in situations like this, talk to themselves, readjust and step up their game instead of just trying to rush the ball inside the net. It seems we forget our game plan once we r in an awkward situation even with much time . It hasn’t bn a successful approach as far as I can tell. A game is not over until after 90 mins.
5. I believe the boss has to be frank with the team. They put him in an uncomfortable position more often than not with their shallow performance and that’s considering the faith he has put in them. I hope they can respond and kick on from here.
6. To positivistas, we cannot allow ourselves to be sucked into the negativity n irritating emotional rambling. The storm will pass. For me, I’ve av decided to ignore all the other social media outlets… Can’t live with the meltdown. There is already much to deal with in my life than letting myself made uncomfortable by some madmen’s incessant grumbling. There was a lot to learn about football yesterday and if we cannot see this even when we loose, y do we watch football games.
Like George said, Nothing left but to keep the faith. Onwards and upwards people, onwards and upwards.
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Thank fuck for Andy, a true hero of the day.
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I know I don’t comment here very often, but it’s at times like this that PA is the place I visit. A haven of calm and tranquility where I can clear my head of negativity and relax, away from the carnage that is currently being spouted on other blogs. Thank you Andy nic…..
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One of the truly bright spots of our season so far is Theo getting back close to his very best form and Alexis’ return to firing on all four cylinders.
A couple of attacks last night were truly breathtaking and as Bellerin, Theo and Sanchez are as fast as anything else in the league, supply from Ozil and Aaron look set to make this the PL’s most potent attacking combination, assuming continued good fortune with injuries and similar development over the coming games.
I’ve no doubt the defence will settle down, and the number of own goals and red cards are a statistical anomoly unlikely to continue indefinitely. If we are to be free of CL (or even Europa League) after Xmas, and given the EPL is wide open, it might be no bad thing in the overall scheme of things.
To challenge for the CL as champions of England next season would be something really special.
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Thanks Andrew, not an easy task after a frustrating evening, with poor home support,the dawn must a have been magical to look at.
NB69 is right, PA is a haven of tranquility, those poor WOB, hurting themselves as they rant on and on about how they could do better,(Käpitain Morgan esp.) funny how they come schnuffling out of the undergrowth when we lose.Nothing to give the rest of the time.
UA ran an article today where TA was relating a story about some twat who shouted out “TW you are useless”.If I would have been there I would have shouted back” you facking go down there an do better ya c*nt” and probably got a kicking or a nasty telling awf like matron used to give at the ponce prep school.How simply spiffing!
“Nothing terrible has ever happened except in our thinking”.
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Phew… there is always hope that comes with a new day… well done for the write up…
does Ox need a break for mentality… he did well in joining the defense several times yesterday and i was happy until that deflected goal again! Somehow glad it was not given as an own goal against him… although it was…
maybe he needs a few matches off or like riding a bike he needs to learn to concentrate and to do so in real life situations! Glad its not me taking these decisions…
we are fully capable of wining our remaining 4 games…on our day… we just need to cut out these lapses. the team put out yesterday was fully capable of winning that game!
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anicol
Phew. Excellent. Thanks.
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Andrew, you are a giant of a man beside me. I have shut down since yesterday. Mind you I watched only the first half and tracked the results afterwards. Being pragmatic doesn’t mean I am not disappointed when we lose.
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Cor this blogging lark is good for the ego – I am a giant – a hero !!
Pity the poor sod sitting behind me on Sunday
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Just a bad day. We do seem to have them in Europe these days, like other English clubs. Are there coaches out there on less resources that have to be imaginative and clever? Are there players of these opponents on less wages with more hunger? Or was it just a bad day. But, we really do have to sort out the defensive side in these games, we seem more solid at the back in the EPL, but not so, especially at home in Europe. There seems a pattern, we make a howler at the back, or even have a bit of bad luck, , then, on going behind, the players take it upon themselves to rectify via attacking, at times leaving themselves open to the sucker punch.
The headlines reflect Wengers selection, but you cannot account for an error like that from an experienced international keeper.
Still, we move onto the next game and hope for better things, just a shame greater Manchester resident…and clear appreciator of all things Arsenal, Anthony Taylor happens to be the ref.
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Our two recent bad days in Europe have started exactly the same Mandy, with a deflected shot taking the ball into the net and a goal for the visitors at a time when we were in control of the game. And they say lightning never strikes twice eh ?
Regarding Stew’s point about the defence being a little more robust than my opening piece suggests he may well have a point and I am over-analysing the events of last night to make sense of them, when no sense is actually available to explain what happened. Hmmmmm – I shall think about it.
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Having a go at Ox is only ludicrous if you saw a passive, unlucky deflection. If, like me, you saw an active flick of the heel (watch it again), then it’s not so ludicrous. Not the first time either – something he has to learn to get out of his system in his own box.
Otherwise, we saw the same game, Andy.
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very true, we have been pretty unlucky all season with these deflections/own goals.
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The old fart’s thoughts.
After last week, what an absolutely ‘orrible comedown.
More than a few changes, presumably with an eye to MFU on Sunday, but surely that could not be the reason for our starting so slowly? Half the pace that we saw against Leicester and little in the way of chances for the first 20 minutes. Calamity followed with Ox getting his second own goal in our second game.
But we equalized quickly with Theo running on to Alexis’s perfect pass and just managing to beat their keeper. Had it been our keeper, there would have been nasty words expressed. But not to be outdone Ooos gave us all the chance to express those nasty words when he dropped a corner into his own net to restore Olympic’s lead. Two own goals in less than twenty minutes is not a recipe for success but one had the feeling that things could only get better. After all, Olympic’s record away is a thing of beauty for the home side in CL games…not so?
But then Kos gets injured, looked like a hamstring went which is bad, bad news if so, and Per came on. With Gabriel having his worst game since he joined us and Le Coq looking a bit rusty, our defence was weak but who cared, Rambo came on for Le Coq and we started playing at last. Amazing defending by the Greeks kept shots from Per and Santi out but shortly after Theo and Alexis combined to get our equalizer. The old primary school joke of “What did the earwig say as it fell over the cliff?” came to mind. “ ‘Ere we go, ‘ere we go.” That surely was the fore-runner of several more to come, albeit that it was only Theo, Hector, Rambo and Alexis shining? But it was to be a case of “where they went” as Ox, Oz and Santi were off the pace and were mere onlookers less than a minute later when the worst defensive play of our season allowed the Greeks to grab another. 3 goals equaled their total aggregate over 12 successive losses. What are we doing to ourselves at home? Definitely not a night to remember.
Just pray that Sunday sees things going right for a change.
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I have to disagree with you Anicoll about Ox being a thorn in their side all game, and its got nothing to do with the own goal, I will have to have a look at that again to see if dkg is correct that Ox should be blamed for it, I put more blame on others for that, than him, Ox once again last night flattered to deceive, many accuse Theo of being a blind alley runner, but that phrase actually sums up Ox, he beats two, three or four men with great footwork, speed, power, then by and large nothing, I really can’t recall him setting up a single chance last night, despite his many good runs, he is our version of Andros Townsend.
As for the 3 goals we let in
1. until I check out the fault dkg seen from Ox on it, I will firstly only blame those that failed to pick up the guy who had the shot, as I don’t know who was detailed to cover that I can not name names, but what I can say it that once he was not marked up, then blame falls on Ozil’s awful effort to block the shot, to me it looked like Mesut actually got out of the way of it, which just is not good enough.
2. well what can you say, pathetic from Ospina, 3 mistakes from him on that goal, got his position wrong, then made the wrong decision in trying to catch it and not either tip it over the bar or punch it clear, and finally after deciding to catch it he then mishandles it,
would also say to those who have doubt if it crossed the line or not, for me the telling factor was that Gibbs tried to punch the ball away
3. a calamity of defending errors, Bellerin and I think the Ox let the wide player between them without a challenge, the rest of the defenders all covered the same area, leaving massive space on edge of the area, where the fuck was the midfielders, Ramsey and Cazorla not to be seen, then a brain fart from the defenders all rushing out, and then gibbs does not do well enough to stop the cross, compounded by Per doing nothing to actually stop the shot, and I’m not sure if Ospina was in right position either.
seemingly there was only 15 seconds of play between us making it 2-2 and them scoring their 3rd, crazy stuff, that could be excused if it was rare, but sadly it was not, despite all the articles from one player or another on Arsenal.com about “learning from our mistakes and putting it right”, there is no sign that any of them have learned a thing, not from the Anderlecht game, not from the Monaco game, not from the Zagreb game, and that is just the CL games, I could add several BPL games from the last year too.
I don’t want to hear or see once single interview from an Arsenal player telling us that they will learn from the Olympiacos mistakes, and that we must “comeback” from it, what I want is for them to actually show some sign that the do “learn from their mistakes” and then maybe they will stop putting themselves in the position of having to make all these “comebacks”,
There is something not right with Arsenal, I have no idea what it is, but no team/squad as good as Arsenal’s with the talent within it, should be shooting itself in the foot so often,(its just happens far too often) and the fact that they have shown that the know how to win trophies, makes it all the more galling, as it suggests its application or lack of professionalism on the part of the players. But what ever the reason, its just not acceptable from Arsenal FC.
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thats it eddy – get it all out mate
I suspect if the Ox’s first chance had slotted into the top corner or Roberto’s net rather than the top corner of the side netting we might be having a rather different blog today. C’est la vie.
As for the Ox own goal please feel free to look at it again Dk – where do you say or what do you say he should have ‘done’ with his right foot – where or how should he have positioned the guilty limb, in that split second, to ensure that no own goal came about ??
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x384knb
I don’t say it is not possible that had Ox’s right foot been in a different position the ball might have flown past the post, over the bar, into Ospina’s arms, even through Ospina’s arms (!)… clearly if he had not been there the ball would have headed straight toward the goal with whatever consequence – but saying he was responsible for the goal is stretching matters a bit.
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theo walcott has won Arsenal player of the month.
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anicoll we have Per joining a long list of our players coming out after a defeat in the last year and saying it was unacceptable, and suggesting that players just did not do their jobs and lacked “concentration”, how many more times will one player or another have to say the same thing after an “unacceptable” defeat, before they do something about it, as its getting to the point where our whole team of players will have at one point or another admitted that the performance was “unacceptable”, lacking “focus”, too many players “not doing their jobs”.
Per, Arteta, Ramsey, Theo, Cazorla, Giroud, Coquelin, Koscielny, Szczesny, and Monreal have all given virtually the same damning interview on the subject, in the last year, I’m sure there have been others too, aren’t they all admitting something is wrong with the team and its performance, so at what point can we expect it to become more than just words from them. And lest not forget Wenger has done the same interview about it many times too. We will not win the CL or BPL until the players put it right.
Per’s interview
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150930/per-we-know-that-wasn-t-acceptable
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I say he should not have flicked at the ball with his right heel – very clear to me from the angle behind the player who shot. I know it’s kind of instinctive for him but it’s an instinct he needs drummed out of him because when he does it in his own box it can be (in this case, was) fatal. There’s a big difference between trying to get a firm block in and flicking at the ball as it goes past. If he had been trying to do the former, I would have no gripe.
If you can’t see what I said about the difference between passive and active in this case, then there is no discussion.
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What do you imagine a player is going to say eddy ?
I could not give a fuck about the result, so get that camera out of my face !
I seem ti hear the say old toffee from managers and players of every club when they lose, and they all lose, oh yes, part of football is losing.
I think your approach is however is as innovative as it is commendable.
No more interviews, ever. NO MORE EXCUSES.
Instead that the players should “do” something, that the manager should “do” something, and if they “did” something then we would win the PL and CL. Bingo, full house, job done.
Just for my sake though, and perhaps even a couple of others here, explain just what you would “do” to ensure we never have to hear another dreadful interview like Per’s last night from any Arsenal players, manager, coach etc.
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Well said, eddy @ 1.01 pm.
If I remember rightly, we started a CL match against Napoli at the Emirates with a full-blooded, committed display of attacking footbal. We tore them to pieces – only 2 goals but could have been several more.
Yesterday evening was nowhere near that level of commitment and passion (with the exception of Alexis who only knows one way to play), until Olympiakos scored and then we stepped up a gear. As I said last night, I was almost hoping our opponents would score to wake the idle buggers up.
Sorry this isn’t a positive post but that’s what I saw. Thereafter I have no complaints about commitment, although concentration levels at times were poor.
Have to say too that I didn’t see Gabriel having “his worst game since he joined us.” I was generally very happy with his display.
I’m getting a bit fed-up with them having to “put it right in the next game”. Put it right and keep it right. Come out fully focused and fully committed every game. Starting Sunday.
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You are damned if you interview, you are damned if you dont ?
There is nothing wrong with the team Arsene can’t fix.
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I think I’ve offered an answer to your question to eddy, Andrew. “Come out fully focused and committed every game.” If I see that and we lose, I’d be disappointed but that’s life. It’s when I see a display that patently lacks the level required that I and others gripe and Per and others have to trot out the formulaic response. Per said what he said because he, hopefully all of them, know that what we saw last night wasn’t good enough from the start which encouraged our opponents – gave them room to believe. Most of the time in the first half hour we were far too slow in the build up and in closing our opponents down, especially up front.
They should watch the Napoli video and be reminded of what is required.
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anicoll you miss the point I’m making, its simply that they all say its “unacceptable”, we lacked “focus”, we “switched off”, and that we “must learn from this”, and of course like Per last night, he blames others for a lot of this, like the midfield did not defend enough, the point is nearly all our main players have said the same thing, and what they are saying seems to be correct, so they know what is being done wrong, so why is it still happening, why are they not “focused”, why do they “switch off”, and when are they going to “learn from the mistakes”, we are not talking about inexperienced kids here, we are talking about seasoned internationals, some of whom have won the biggest prizes, play for the successful nations, at the big tournaments, Per is a world cup winner, Ospina has played over 300 games, is an international for 7 years, if they can’t have focus and not switch off, then what the fuck.
We seem to have a team full of optimists, who play, far too often, as if they believe they don’t have to bother, as it will all turn out right in the end, TH14 admitted the other day that he often made the mistake when defending of “switching off”, thinking “it will be ok” and instead of doing his job defending at a set piece he would be “strolling out” leaving the man he was meant to mark, cos he was thinking it will be ok as someone else will win the ball and if I go out I can get going on a breakaway, and he said he can see that with several of the Arsenal team now,. So is this the “switching off”, and lack of “focus” so many of the players speak about after defeats. Is all that is needed from them a change of attitude, if so then it can be easily put right if they really want to, but do they want to.
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george I don’t think anyone on here is saying the team has a problem that can’t be fixed, just asking the question why its not been fixed already, and when will it be fixed and pointing out that a lot of the players through their interviews seem to know the problem, so why have they not fixed it.
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Isn’t “Come out fully focused and committed every game” a formulaic response or much different from the tired cliches “unacceptable” etc. that eddy identifies and complains about Dk ?
I am still trying to get at what the correct form of words is when, as player or manager, you have lost and you are interviewed.
All I appear to be getting back is “well they would/should not lose” and if they wanted to win, or were “focussed and committed, they would not lose.
And it was a great first half against Napoli, well worth a review, just the same as it was against Anderlecht.
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Well firstly I want to say thanks to Anicoll5 for his commendable effort. Don’t agree with most of it but thank you nevertheless.
This post wont make me any friends here but I simply do not care. That was a pathetic performance from a team of our caliber. Cant find any other words to describe losing to a side that had been beaten their last 12 times on English soil while scoring a total of 3 goals.
Started off arrogant and uninterested in my eyes. Ox’s choosing to hit a difficult shot into the side netting instead of squaring to an open and active Walcott early on gave me a really bad feeling. We are a passing team first and foremost and that crap is just not good enough we have been far too wasteful with our chances. Walcott chose to one up Ox shortly after by choosing to hit a rather tame effort into the ground from a stupid angle instead of laying off to Alexis who was waving his arms in despair right in the center of the box.
Immediately after that a sinking feeling hit me and still remains as I write this post. The lads are either not taking this competition seriously and have one eye on the League or they are just simply not good enough or both. Or maybe they just know they have their places cemented and have become complacent.
Wenger’s decision to not bring in a body or two is really starting to look foolish. No second option off the bench to spell Theo after the game had tightened up is just outright negligent. For a team so well off it is nothing short of frustrating in my eyes.
Really starting to feel Wenger’s magic powers may be waning a bit. We used to get to finals and semis with far less talent. It is rather shocking that we have only gone backwards since our levels of investment have risen. Wenger has a huge job ahead that is for sure.
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Yikes second paragraph should have been broken up
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Allow me Loomer
I see you do not rate the Greeks’ performance very highly then ?
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They played decent but let’s not pretend we didn’t gift all three of those goals. You did notice they had never won on English soil going back 12 games correct? All while mustering 3 goals. They doubled their historical tally in one swoop. Shocking stuff. We were the architects of our own downfall. As Eddy pointed out this has been happening with alarming regularity too. Against teams we ought to be thrashing too. It’s just not adding up. Pretending it is just pushes this place into the cult realm.
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Im just tired of the excuses. I don’t come from much and was raised in a manner where we didn’t make excuses we just put our heads down and got on with it. We all understand the landscape is rigged but what do we do give up? Hell no you fight the cunts with every last drop of your being. Sickens me when it takes us 30 minutes and going a goal down before we start playing.
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It may do Loomer , it may do.
Regarding your accusation of “arrogant” among the Arsenal players, you don’t see your assumption that Arsenal should thrash the Greeks by a hatful as “arrogant” then ?
You do not accept that a team can actually go to a big club’s stadium and win on their own merits, without it merely indicating the home side are shite ?
As we did in the Bernabeu say or in Munich ?
Olympiakos were up for the game last night. Inconvenient I know but it happens.
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Loomer, I share your feeling of frustration at the performance and the need to get it out, but I think you’re being a bit harsh on Theo and Ox re. shooting vs. passing. What may be obvious to us from a distance is not necessarily so down there on the pitch in the heat of battle. For example, with the chance Ox hit into the side netting, he was under pressure from an opponent and, head down, focused on getting a shot off. That it didn’t go in is understandable in the circumstances but I don’t want to be saying he shouldn’t be trying. Maybe he didn’t even see Theo. There were a number of occasions when players shot when they could have passed (Alexis too) and others when they passed when they could have shot. Again, from a distance and with hindsight, these choices may be obvious but for the players they aren’t in the moment. It isn’t an exact science, you know.
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anicoll its got nothing to do with rating the greeks performance or not, Arsenal handed them one goal, and sloppy play massively aided their other two goals, so it clearly had more to do with our errors than any great play by them for their 3 goals, just like Anderlecht, just like two of the Monaco goals too, and yes many parts of our play in all 3 games was very good, even could be said to be great, but no matter how you want to ignore it, going 3 up v Anderlecth at home and failing to win is unacceptable, as is the mistakes in the other two games, and this is just CL games we are talking about, there are many similar BPL experiences that can be mentioned.
Its not really about the loss of the game, its about the stupid mistakes that are losing us the games, if a team are just too good for us and beat us, then so be it, if its bad reffing or a bit of bad luck then so be it, but when we regularly are the architects of our own downfall, then I don’t think its wrong for us to complain and ask why. I have no doubt that the 11 that started yesterdays game were good enough to win the game, the tactics used were good enough to win the game, but we hand them one goal and aided them on the other two. If this was a one off, or even few and far between it can be put down as one of those nights, but sadly its not, we have just seen this sort of self inflicted defeat too often, and for too many season.
We have seen enough of our players to know they have the ability, the skill, and we know they have it within them to win trophies, they have proved that in the last two years, so why do we still get these cock ups so often.
The players say its lack of focus, and players not doing their jobs, — if this is true then its just not acceptable.
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Good God, people, lighten up. I will not have it that the players don’t care. That is the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard. And Anicol is right – what the hell do you expect them to say?! Get that camera the fuck out of my face? You surely don’t think what’s being said in the press is the same as what’s being said in the dressing room?
As to the idea that it was a horrific ‘performance’, that’s bullshit too. Someone here said we didn’t have a good chance in the first 20 minutes. I have to ask if you watched the same game as me. We had two beautiful counters in the first 10 minutes. Should have scored from one of those, but hey, that’s the game and the way it’s played. You don’t score from every chance.
To me, this was a decent game, marred by two calamitous moments. Which cost us the win. No denying that. But if you’re going to jump flailing off a cliff because your team dared to disappoint you, I wish you’d go do it somewhere else. There are plenty of places that will indulge your anger and misery at your team having dared to lose.
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It is a thing that always intrigues me
When we score a goal it is always down to the excellence of our attacking movement, the sharpness of Alexis, the killer instinct of Theo etcetera.
When the opposition score a goal it is because we are rubbish, Player A should have been standing at X , Player B was too slow
Odd
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Andrew, yours @ 2.26pm. I guess I’m with you on the interviews. They should call it how they see it. If they think it was unacceptable, or unlucky or bad refereeing decisions, then they should say that.
It’s just that, like eddy, I get a bit weary at the frequency of the “not good enough”, and feel, “well do summat about it man”. I can understand off-days but too many of them gets really frustrating.
But from my point of view, i’ve said enough about last night – on to Sunday – another team, another competition.
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Very interesting. So you offer that we did enough in attack to win in your main post and now it was an inspired Olympiakos that came to turn history on its head. I’m sorry but it just does not add up our defending was atrocious and Im sorry but I just fail to see how that defeat wasn’t self inflicted.
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I wasn’t all self inflicted Loomer – the Greeks did well. Give then some credit ffs. You appear to be doing what you accuse Arsenal players of doing which is dismissing the chances of the Greeks before a ball had been kicked.
I knock out four paras above on the Arsenal defence and what went wrong, not atrocious but nervy and error strewn. On another night our two goals would have been more than sufficient as it was against Napoli. Not to be though.
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anicoll you say
“Olympiakos were up for the game last night. Inconvenient I know but it happens.”
are you suggesting that Arsenal were not
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I disagree DK the pass was the better option any way you slice it my friend. Even more so considering the pressure he was under I’d add. We seem to be caught between two minds quite often. We are undoubtedly a passing side but yelps from the crowd to shoot have clearly increased in recent times leading to a bit of indecision. I’ll be hated for this but Ramsey in the box vs Leicester is an example. He looks up looks down pretends to shoot looks again and by that time the defender has picked his pocket and went right up the other end made us pay. Our play at home can become jumbled and we really need our guys making the correct decisions. Finding surveying and executing the right choices are hallmarks of the best teams.
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Not in the least eddy – the assumption that Loomer appeared to work from that the downtrodden Greeks would roll over and die as usual proved off the mark ( for once)
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Alabama and I are very in tune politically and on most subjects but that’s a bit dramatic.
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If you think I’m jumping off a cliff for pointing out a shite performance well what can I say. Probably better to just keep ignoring right? Eddy raises some great points about our recent failures in the CL as well. It seems to be becoming a habit
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ok Anicoll, anyway I think enough of a post-mortem done, if we keep at it there will be tears, and fall outs, and its not worth that.
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loomer the selfish trait in the forwards has increased, unsurprisingly, since Alexis arrived and you see both Walcott and Chamberlain try to copy him at times, occasionly within a few minutes of each other. And I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Sometimes they could do more to copy his off the ball game (the good bits) too.
We are witnessing an effective partnership develp between alexis and wally since the west brom game. Last night in particular in difficult circumstances. I’ve been looking forward to such a partnership for years and I’m not going to ignore it now. Chambo has lost a bit of confidence with the own goals. he’ll play his way back into better form.
Gibbs made an error stepping out on the third but I won’t lose my grip over two deflections. I do think ospina struggles with the swirling ball ( i would too but i’m thinking about the last home game last season here) and with Schezzer most probably competing with Cech and two or three younger ‘keepers pushing on the door next season there’s no much need to go OTT on the result and the errors that led to it as I speculate that Ospina will pay a partial price and be moving on for various reasons possibly including last night at the end of the season. I could be wrong.
Was nice to see Coquelin speak to his ‘keeper immediately after that error. Nothing’s to be gained by glaring at curdled milk. And no one will have woken up with a worse feeling today then the ‘keeper.
There’s a big game coming up on Sunday.
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