And a good Tuesday morning to the Positive Arsenal fans,
Interesting game last night. A change of “formation” but not really much difference in the set up the side as we had the ball or when we defended as far as I could see. Defenders defended, midfield players did their box to box running, tackling and passing thing, wingers ‘winged’, mostly. Not quite sure about the striker but I will come back to that.
I thought, as I see many others did, the Ox was our stand-out player on Teesside. A genuinely dynamic influence in quickly pushing forward, ball at his feet and taking the Boro full back on, even getting his crosses in from the bye line (!). When young Alex was called on to defend while he was not elegant he was always where he should be, with his head, foot or other body part thwarting the home side’s efforts. I am sure we all shed a tear when Ox’s entirely accidental damaging of Fabio in the 17th minute saw the Brazilian limp off. So unlucky, yet so unusual it is one of theirs rather than one of ours. AOC is just 23 years old but the post match speech he delivered was the footballing equivalent of the Gettysburg Address compared to the vast majority of claptrap spouted by footballers. This young man has a future far beyond the green square.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtCRIbWT7bU
Other good performances from Mesut, from Granit and from the current boo boys target Alexis.
Remarkable that some sad anorak wearing tosser spends their time counting the number of misplaced or intercepted passes that our players manage, then posts it on the internet for the mob to beat the worst “culprit” with. Hang, him. Sell him. He’s shit. Blah blah blah. I remember when the PA ethos was to support every player, through thick and thin. Aye happy days they were.
Rob Holding was rather good too. Not an easy task fitting into a new formation, on a wet and windy Monday night but the youngster performed more smoothly than a badger’s codpiece. Never jumped in, never flustered.
The one puzzle last night, and it has been a puzzle for the past few weeks was Giroud, and if not Olivier, Danny. We just do not seem to have strikers who are involved in the game. Are they not getting the ball ? Are they not getting the support ? Or are they getting enough ball and support but just not using it properly ? Earlier in the season OG was terrifying defences, physically dominating them, shooting, hitting the target with his head. Recently not. Arsene has some serious thinking to do before Sunday.
Our opponents ? Not very good although I thought their goal was class. Perfect cross, poacher’s finish. They need a lot more of that, and probably a bit less reliance on the ‘set-piece’ wrestling match to clamber out of the bottom three. Traore is still a handful though – In the Boro relegation clear-out I would take him to the Ems.
So three points safely gathered in. Not a convincing but enough quality shown by us, wrapped in a little steel, to take the season forward again. Clearly Wembley will be a very different stage, but some of the good qualities the players – and the fans – demonstrated last night will ensure we set out with confidence on Sunday.
Enjoy your Tuesday.
*nice picture at the top from the Telegraph of a football team enjoying a goal.
Positively Arsenal 
From HenryB
April 18, 2017 at 9:57 am Edit
Morning, Anicoll,
Idly sitting here slurping a coffee, I was doing the ‘morning after the night before’ thing, and reviewing the overall performance [and in this instance I am strictly referring to the football] {lol} — and my enjoyment of the way the team were pulling together, and the goals from Alexis and Mesut, which lead to a very welcome win and three points, is still coursing through my veins.
That said, I made the comment after the game that, despite our overwhelming possession, I felt we were not in as much control as perhaps we should have been given all the above, and I am trying to put a finger on the ‘why’.
Looking at the broad picture, I thought the attacking players were fine – they got the goals and the points – [I appreciate Giro was away with the Fairies, but limited game time does that to you].
So too the midfield, with Xhaka showing off his passing skill.
I am really chuffed with Monreal who put in a lot of hard graft, and Oxo was close to being superb, and probably MoTM for me — how can anyone criticise him?
Cech had little to do, but managed comfortably, even with hairy moments requiring clearing up central defensive errors.
And there it is. That is why I felt we were not always in control.The central defense.
Gabriel, Kozzer and Holding all played well dealing with the Boro forwards — until that is, the crosses came in.
The missed headers, the confusion as to who was ‘taking’ specific forwards and uncertain marking caused ripples of unease thru the team.
Why should simple crosses always appear to be our Achilles heel? To be fair these problems with crosses last night may have been partly because of unfamiliarity with the new set up, comprising 3 centre backs for the first time in 20 years. I understand that.
But there is, perhaps, a much more prosaic aspect to this, [which at 6′ 7″ myself, I may have a personal axe to grind here], but compared with the majority of the CBs in the Premier League, our guys are bordering on being short-asses, with heights ranging from 6′ for Kozzer, to 6′ 2′ for the other two.
Not small, but lacking in vertical amplitude when compared to the average 6′ 4″ to 6′ 7″ of other CBs and many centre forwards available to the other clubs.
The solution to the problem, if indeed there is a problem, [I guess not all will agree with me] is for the acquisition of a younger Per Mertesacker/Tony Adams/Andy Linighan/Stevie Bould, all tall defenders around the 6′ 5″ or 6′ 6″ mark — a simple defensive tweak that might make all the difference to our concerns originating from crossed balls.
Nothing so painful as having to cope with crossed balls in a game, I think you will agree. lol
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Morning H,
you and I seem to be on the same page again
Regarding the height/size of centre backs I am not so sure – It is not the height that is out weakness, it is reluctance/lack of organisation to attack the ball and to control the six yard box.
Short arsed defenders can be very good in the air, subject to them timing their interception, whereas even the biggest defender can find themselves flat footed if they are not switched on to the arial threat coming over. There is also far too little use of the black-arts in defending our six yard box at corners and for flank free kicks, of blocking off runs, of impeding centre back runs etc.
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Apologies for late publication this morning – a 40 minute Sierra update when I switched on
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Thanks Andrew.
To be a fair to our in house critics PA is the one place where there has been some discussion since Sanchez’s arrival of his impact on the fluency of AFCs pass and move game and in the dressing room. Not many places can hold up a candle to PAs rigorous consistency.
Did I ever mention that Sanchez was my fantasy signing since before we saw my favourite WOB meltdown (Venga on da beach!)? Great player…
Sure maybe Sanchez should’ve been dropped or rested at times for a look at the combo with Iwobi on the left Welbeck at cf which has worked so well previously, but maybe Danny isn’t quite back to full fitness just yet? Maybe the partnership with Alexis and Welbeck would’ve worked better with Chamberlain and not another forward on the right, we don’t really know.
As I previously mentioned it’s been the BFG’s leadership, organisation and zen like calm that his been missed more then his height IMO. At the same time as losing Arteta when it was obviously planned to be a staggered transition, that’s been a blow.
The direct long passes that have caused so much agony of late haven’t been crosses, one or two maybe but none as painful as those direct passes over the missing CMs – as always for me CM is the Key in any game of football, unless it’s PGMOB hoofball (we don’t watch football on mud pitches these days…).
Peak Mertesacker as witnessed against Munich last season, he’s not just clearing the ball with his head but it’s his remarkable telepathic ability to travel a few seconds into the future and be in the right place at the right time so often whilst in addition having he ability to scare opponents off dribbling against him because he was simply always too good in the tackle, just a class defender all round except maybe in the pace department but unlike say Terry he didn’t need charitable officials to compensate during his league career, which is why he played in finals of tournaments and eventually won a WC and Terry’s greatest highlight in the shirt was that 1-4 humiliation against the BFG’s Germany
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Did I ever mention I much I love watching the Ox play football. Great player….
One has to ask, what kind of LSD do these earnest bloggers and gallant podcastataeers who were heavily questioning the value of this footballer to the AFC squad take? Is it synthetic? Natural? Why do they it? For clicks? Because they are bored and need something to hallucinate and talk about? I really hope it’s nothing to do with the players’ agent! Same agent as Sterling. Now that’s a consideration that scares me…not finishing fifth in the league.
As I’ve said since the start of the season since those bloggers targeted the player, as the gaffer also recently said, holding on to Chamberlain is very very important for AFC…
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The old fart’s thoughts:
An away win! And two goals. Admittedly not without a few upheavals to the brain-box still working out whether or not it approved of this virtually unknown team structure. A completely changed back 5…oops 4, had a few scares, but Petr saved the really difficult one (he had no chance with the other) and Rob Holding gave yet another reason for the old man to purr loudly.
Alexis’ free kick an absolute dream and the Ox putting in a really classy performance were the highlights of the first 45 minutes and 1-0 up to the good guys a welcome change.
Despite the equaliser, we retained a good shape and at last a second goal from Oz. It was enough for happy dreaming. Not much improvement needed for A cup final appearance so guys and girls, keep the faith.
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Andrew: Lovely job as usual. You are absolutely right to emphasize unity and solidarity especially as the team tries to recover from this terrible slump in form. But it is difficult to ignore the almost psycophancy towards Alexis in the media and among the blogging-podcasting community. He scores great goals (that free kick last night was a classic example) but it is verging on insanity to ignore how much he coughs up the ball and puts the team under enormous pressure. I saw a figure he had a passing accuracy of 60%. The irony is he demands the ball, just as he did in the 2nd half last night while flapping his arms indicating the team calm down, and then promptly turns it over provoking a dangerous breakaway. How can Arsenal prosper when its best player is guilty of such profligacy?
We need Alexis goals and I will always encourage him to have a go at defenders in the final-third. But to be honest anywhere else on the field and I am nervous as a kitten. Arsene can never speak forthrightly on this subject but I will. The mainstream media and our usually feckless bloggers and podcasters can big up Alexis as much as they like and ignore his slack passing so long as it adds some zeros to Alexis market value.
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Alexis is a fucking nuisance with the ball anywhere away from the box. 53% passing 53 fucking %. £300k pw wanted for that. Well sorry. I can’t have that at all. I’d sell him to anyone. When the ball is lost we are vulnerable and the Boss and all the player take the stick. And its a stick that Alexis hands out more than any Arsenal player I can remember playing.
Oops.sorry. did I say that out loud?
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I know it’s much more likely for a creative player to lose the ball in the final third whilst trying to make something happen, but 53% passing accuracy? Come on.
I love our little chile pepper, I really do, he’s a class act but it’s a team sport.
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Anywa
Thanks Andrew.
More positives than negatives overall from last night’s game.
Another toxic ref overcome.
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George tends to be more outspoken than I am.
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< re:CMs
Do you all recall Arteta and even Flamini often offering great cover to goal kicks and long direct passes down the field in the air. If I remember correctly (I have been wrong!) Flamini even set up a CL goal for Welbeck winning a header from an opposition goal kick, In my limited and probably useless understanding this is the kind of thing that Xhaka will be adding to his game as the season progress'.
it's also been the new big money CBs first season as a starting CB? If not then his first in this league?
Ignoring the need to bring through players to replace Cazorla and Arteta in CM, at CB where we've lost the BFG and eventually Kosciely I think the stable looks good. Gabriel and Mustafi have shown they can play, it's the consistency they'd like to show, and both younger CBs have also impressed. Chambers was doing well for 'Boro and I can't help but notice that their form as a defensive set up or team did superficially appear to tank after Chambers picked up his injury.
To conclude: it seems obvious to state that the Expert football blogging community out there completely underestimated the challenge of replacing these three great players who led AFC to back to back fa cup victories, given that they could never acknowledge the signings of these players as good signings in the first place (pain buys!!!! A hundred cap German CB zen master is a panic buy: you've heard it all now…), they're trapped in a bullshit narrative written by their own hands. Never mind the effing Fooball!!!!!
Which is just one reason why we are grateful to those who run and keep this blog going.
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And how could we prosper without someone scoring goals Shotta ?
Are you seriously telling me that last night anyone else looked like scoring a goal who was not either a) Chilean or b) relied on a peach of a ball chipped cross delivered exactly by a Chilean.
The one pass that mattered was spot on.
Percentage of successful passes is a strange statistic to begin with. The great majority of our so called “successful’ passed are across the back four and in our own half. According to the statistics Gabriel played 73 passes last night – 84% “successful”. “Successful” in doing what exactly ?
I am sure some anorak can confirm that Theo’s stats show he has an 87% passing success rate or some such statistical tosh. Problem is 87% of bugger all is still bugger all.
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I was never this mean to our cherubic and chubby election fixing Russian Genius.
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Quite so Fins – It is the “Lazy Arshavin” theme with a Latin American twist
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couple of things on the ox,
1. his comments after the game, he is getting lorded for what he said, odd that, as Walcott got slated for saying basically the same thing after the crystal palace game, namely that the team in recent games had not been up enough for the fight, only difference is that ox said it after a win.
2. I see many say he was our man of the match last night, sorry can’t agree with that, he was solid enough in open play defensively, but was nowhere to be seen at the back post on their freekicks that caused us so much problems.
Also as exciting as several of his attacking runs where, as usual there was no end product, he is the nearly man of our attack, he nearly scored, he nearly had an assist, he nearly found a team mate. He has all the power and pace, and skill, but as of yet he is not putting it all together.
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Don’t you dare compare my little cherub to this wasteful primadonna.
I have your IP address. I’ll find you and kill you.
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Seriously. he fucks up play after play, It’s impossible to control the ball with his squandering possession all over the place. I really can’t be coping with it. It drive me bonkers.
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anicol what is ozil’s pass completion rate, his are exactly the sort of passes that alexis is attempting and failing at far too much. I have no problem with alexis’s failed passes that are difficult in nature, the eye of the needle stuff, but he constantly misplaces the simplist of passes, as I said last night, you would almost think he could not see the color red, as he so often passed it straight to a boro player.
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Andrew – As I emphasized I appreciate Alexis’ goals but his profligacy puts us under great pressure. It doesn’t compensate. Lets be fair, last night, if Boro’s attackers were any better than feeble, we should have been punished for those turnovers. We were for the 1st goal when Alexis pass was cut out. We should have been post the arm-flapping to supposedly calm down the team.
Alexis can work when you have a ball hog and technician like Santi behind him whose creative ability forces teams to hang back lest they be punished by a defence-splitting pass.
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94% for Ozil. playing the same position as Sanchez on the opposite side. It getting me mad just thinking about it.
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Biggest, irritating turd about the game, was two clear penalty calls in the first 18mins not being given.Rugby tackles in the penalty box are allowed if its against the Arsenal?
Lets have a fantasy and imagine (whoever) belted those penalties in. 2-0 up in the first 18? Boro would have already been finished. Pure speculation, but Id rather have the correct decisions go our way, as they are the rules.Arent they?
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on the change of formation
for me it did not seem to make us any more solid at the back, nor did it give us control of the game, maybe if we play it with mustafi and bellerin in the team we will see an improvement on that end.
now apart from their goal we dealt ok with them from open play, and it must be said that when we lost the ball in the build up to the goal both monreal and ox were well ahead of the ball, and our midfield two were up the field too.
The big problem last night was at freekicks, and I’m not sure how having 3 central defenders actually seemed to weaken us, not only had we the 3, but we had the sizeable giroud and xhaka for added height, and of course as it was freekicks, time to set up as we wanted, but as someone else pointed out, no amount of central defenders will solve the problem if they are not putting in the challenges for the high ball, or the tackles and when you keeper does not want to come off his line either.
Wenger said he played the 3 at the back cos he expected boro to go with 2 big men up front, does that mean we are likely to see us back to the 4 for man city on sunday, as city won’t be playing a target man at all. Or are we in for the 3 or 5 at the back for the rest of this season.
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Haha I understand Walcott’s not your favourite Andrew but he still produces more per ninety minutes then contemporary players who match his style (& physique) such as Navas or Pedro, doesn’t really matter how many times he infamously touches the football or ‘disappears’ whilst stretching the opponents shape (lots of hand waving against West Ham with lots of space to run into…), he does help in the scoring department.
However whilst Sanchez and Walcott have produced results and good form playing alongside each other my own instinct is that I don’t think having both Sanchez & Walcott either side of a CF is ideal, especially if that CF is rebuilding fitness and form like Welbeck. at the least it doesn’t match the two forwards alongside each other and an attacking midfielder mix in the front three that we’ve seen produce amazing football over the last decade.
Which is all a long winded manner of expressing delight with the progress seen in chamberlain this season. Fitness for those hamstrings as with Ramsey has been an issue and he has been nursed through the season, one reason both haven’t started as much of late as we’d have liked.
You need the maverick non playmaking forwards like Walcott or maniacs like Alexis despite their flaws to both contribute to scoring and creating (playmaking!) lots of goals over a season, but maybe in individual matches it’s not ideal to have two such players on the flanks at the same time? Just sharing my musings.
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Loved the post-match review, Anicoll, and largely agree with it. [Never seen a badger’s codpiece – let alone noticed whether or not it performed smoothly – but I see no reason to doubt your allegorical reference to young Holding-his-codpiece] lol
Blogging is all about opinions, and there is no point in me, or anyone else, trying to categorically claim they are right, or that ipso facto another person is wrong, so with that in mind, I have no problem accepting that others could have a different opinion to mine regarding the CBs height factor – indeed in the comment I forecast that might well be the case.
Indeed, looking at the lads on parade last night – I share your view about Holding, with or without his badger doings, and also believe he could really do well for us in the immediate future. Similarly, despite the injury Kozzer has been carrying for some months, he is still among the very best CBs in the premier League – and long may that continue. Gabriel has had something of a stop/start checkered career at the Arsenal, but I have liked him from the start, and still do – so where does that leave my ‘theory’?
There is a saying in my neck of the woods ‘everything in moderation’ or alternatively ‘too much of a good thing can spoil the broth’ – and so those thoughts coloured my thinking.
Individually, there is ‘nowt wrong’ with any of the CB incumbents playing last night, but they are physically a bit similar, and on the basis of everything in moderation I imagine a physically different player might be beneficial to the team options, rather than that being a criticism of the three I mentioned above, or ‘small’ CBs. There is room for all – but variety is the spice of life, and maybe the Arsenal need variety in the CBs too. lol
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yeah mills, it was clear from the minute that Taylor gave a free against Giroud for what was basically six of one and half a dozen of the other when he and the defender tussled, that we would be seeing another one eyed anti arsenal performance from the dishonest to his federation one, the non penalty for Giroud shortly after just confirmed what we were up against.
How Clayton did not get booked, or how De Roon, not only escaped a sending off for his several bad challenges, he in fact did not even get booked, and there was a bad one from leadbitter too that got no card but he did get one later. The softest of freekicks to boro happened all night.
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I think Ozil is a great passer – but as everyone agrees it is a team game. Last night a couple of decisive interventions from Alexis, the free kick and the chip into Ramsey, led to our two goals. Mesut’s 98% passing accuracy did not open up Boro once, as far as I remember (?). As I said Gabriel is, on paper, a much better passer than Alexis.
Therefore I am not going to complain if the Chilean has a 53% of a 23% passing accuracy. On Sunday it may be Mesut’s turn, or Aaron, or Granit or the Ox to apply the crucial contribution.
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< the front six that played so well against Munchen for fifty five minutes and no I won't remind you all of the strange tilting from the official when it he didn't need to humiliate himself so, was:
Xhaka Ramsey
Chamberlain
Walcott Giroud Sanchez
So perhaps my consideration above on forwards is gibberish?
Sanchez's biggest problem, just like Arshavin infamously against Sunderland with the same official (no need to check that reference!) is not being protected which means AFC played with ten for a large chunk of the West Brom match, which, you know, it makes a difference: That is the issue that can't be ignored, not even if you blink when you wince, I'm afraid.
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I see you guys were just waiting for me to talk about Ramsey. No one seems to have noticed that he played. And played solidly, I thought, while we’re talking about pass completion. It was good to see him still running hard in stoppage time. That’s a good sign for the rest of the season. And that assist…well, the grin on my face must have been something to see. We have really missed that Ramsey-Ozil ESP from a few seasons back. I hope they find it again.
Aaron did a pitchside interview for NBC, similar to the one Shard linked to with AW on the previous post. If I can fine a shareable link, I’ll do so. Calm, composed, and represented the club and his teammates like a boss, in the face of some really stupid questions. I’m so proud. (banned smiley).
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Ed, youre right, playing against 12 men is really a bore. The foul play soon gets swept under the carpet and forgotten.What a sham.
Thing is does the Ox watch AFTV and wanted to appease the wob mob? Only winning will keep them quiet.Can you imagine Norman Hunter making PR player/fan statements in the 70s. Things have changed!
Nice to see fins talking about Per, dang! I miss that guy, those long smart passes and his love for AFC–he must be so frustrated though with the season hes had. I like Holding, I hope he stays with us and develops into a rock solid defender.
Anyone been keeping an eye on Chambers?
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This Alexis debate is one where everyone has a valid opinion, even if mentioned as if they are diametrically opposites. In my opinion, they are not necessarily so.
There can be no argument that, perhaps out of frustration with his team mates, Alexis goes looking for the ball, and then embarks on snazzy dribbles that seem to end in him losing the ball, or passing poorly, and that in turn leads to counter-attacks for the opposition.
Equally, he is the only top notch goalscorer we have, and last night was no exception.
So what are the consequences of our Jack-in-the-box goal scoring genius, and also our very naughty, mazy dribbling, poor passer?
We should embrace his duality – love his goals, and hiss at his frequent misplaced passes – which is pretty much just what we are doing! lol
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Oh, and for the record, I’m Alexis In. But then, I’m Every Player In. I don’t ever want any of them to leave, and I want us to play them all. Good thing I’m not the manager.
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All joking aside I didn’t think Alexis had a good game, at one point I was screeming at the screen “for fucks sake take him off Arsene”
The one thing about players who score loads of goals it doesn’t mean the team wouldn’t score loads without him.
Ian Wright, our one time leading scorer, only won the league as a reserve once Arsene started spreading the goals around the team. Kevin Campell and several others said the team ended up just passing to Wright to the detrement of the rest of the side. When we’re at our best we score throughout the side and I think Alexis stops that.
He is a brilliant player but you can see why Barca got rid of him and the likes of Madrid and Bayern don’t want him.
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Mills
Not really but I noticed that Middlesboroughs form tanked in conjunction swith Chambers’ injury.
To have forced himself into the starting eleven of a squad that had to fight against relegation and not a calm mid table berthing was an achievement he can be proud of.
Hello bama I mentioned Aaron!!!! How we’d all liked to seen more of him but glad he’s back now.
Part of me wishes that he’d learn to calm it down and not sprint everywhere during the 90th minute, but that’s how he plays and its not for me to tell Aaron Ramsey how to play football anymore then it is for me to tell Sanchez to forget his over-dribbling South American bare footed street football roots. just like I wouldn’t tell the cage footballer that was plucked from the inner city German streets at an early age and honed by the world’s best coaching system into the playmaker that guided a German tank through the debris of Brazilian team built by the kind of dodgy football agents so beloved by the pgMOB to a WC victory, no I wouldn’t tell him to take more shots and show some “pashun”.
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I thought Aaron looked a bit hesitant first half but got into the game much more in the second half. His chest down for the goal was sweet. You need a lot of confidence not to mess that up.
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Cheers fins.I agree; probably also picked up a lot of experience in a relegation battling team…
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However I do believe the manager coaches and teammates have indeed been encouraging he German genius to shoot and score more goals. Indeed that must’ve been the part of the carrot dangled in front of the player when he was considering his post Madrid options.
only a liar could attempt to argue that Ozil and Sanchez have not improved since their arrival at AFC. Both won FA cups in their first seasons, both went on to hit the big time with their national teams, only lacking a league title (so far!) to complete the set.
Let’s be clear: Ozil and Sanchez have both improved (not counting bruises) during their time at AFC.
And that remains the most interesting consideration.
One day in the future someone will write a snazzy book to publish about these two players arriving at this strange time in social media madness and disingenuous and dysphoria, and winning the fa cup in their first seasons! Mel called it 2015 victory the Alexis final and I won’t disagree!
Hopefully it would be a more poetic book capturing the contrasting poetic styles of these two great footballers, and not just a well timed money grabbing effort from some transparent vampire hack dwarf, I can’t think of any such recent examples haha
Steww: No rush, take your time!
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What could work is a deep stake adjacent to one of the training pitches, with a sting bungee cord attached. Each time Sanchez wonders too close to the half way line it simply yanks him fifteen yards further up the pitch. He’d probably enjoy the extra training! A summer with that regime for pre-season and I couldn’t see any grumbles from anyone thereafter.
This football coaching/management malarkey is easy!
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< strong bungee cord
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Sanchez’ goals are as welcome as any scored by Ian Wright or King Henry. However, as with both his predecessors, once the team has been cowed into seeking him out with every pass, the play becomes one-dimensional, predictable and easy to negate (as IanSpace2014 points out, above).
I would find it easier to stomach Alexis’ wayward passing if he wasn’t invariably the first player on the pitch to dig out his team mates when their play goes askew. The price the whole team pays when AS screws up can clearly be offset by his ‘goals scored’ record, and rightly so; as Andrew says, it’s hard to see the queue for strikers if Alexis is not at the head of it.
The problem with AS is that when play repeatedly breaks down (or, as Kelly might possibly describe it) ‘turns over’, the whole way the team is set up to attack rapidly breaks down as there is the inevitably panicky looking sprint back towards our own goal to cut out the unscripted attack.
And you could forgive all of this if this was his first or second season but last night his profligacy was as evident – possibly more so – than ever.
For the record I’m also Sanchez IN but not in his present guise of superstar saviour to the team, but rather as a genuine team player, playing to his strengths but more humbly working on improving his weaknesses.
The Messianic complex I can live without.
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Minus an Areta or BFG in the dressing room to damp down any soaring egos, or Cazorla on the pitch,they just need to use that bungee cord in training. Easy!
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I’m #SanchezOut, and proud. Give him to Spurs and let him fuck their game up.
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Great analysis of the game A5. We weren’t perfect but we were effective and played, or at least tried to as a team.
If I could just add re Alexis: the free kick from which he scored was something special and the pre assist too, I’m not gonna add the frustrating bits as most are aware of it.
That said, I find his change in attitude rather refreshing. Instead of pointing a finger after a misplaced pass he almost plead for mercy as he apologise, he’s clapping his team mates on, even waved to the crowd and shook Wenger’s hand as came off, he also acknowledged the away support.
I do believe he’s trying and that his high risk way of playing is just natural instinct getting the better of him when he do want to be the team player we want him to be. So for that I’ll give him a nod.
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George they don’t have a “game” as witnessed against the mighty Gent (Ghent?) unless being indulged to constantly dive and foul/clog whilst your opponent is relatively handicapped counts?
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Paying generous funds into the accounts of retired former AFC players such as Adebayor or Gallas never stopped the “great businessman” Daniel Levy from indulging in one boondangle or another, bless his dodgy mismatching socks.
yet given the history of Sanchez relative to other third party owned South American slaves such as Paulinhio (remember him!!! Ha ha ha!) Sanchez is simply far too honest a player and individual to play for Tottenham Hotspur’s FC.
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We should be able to find a player who can operate largely from the left and lose the ball a lot less than Sanchez does- problem is, will they contribute directly to about 40- odd goals a year, often through pure individual brilliance?
Or are we banking on about half coming from them, the other half from a smoother team performance overall?
Risky stuff. Sometimes his decision-making pains me considerably, but he gives us an enormous amount, and also happens to regularly provide the sort of magic few players can and which I love to see.
If we can persuade Messi, Neymar and Sanchez to join, though, I’d be ok with him leaving.
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I am teetering dangerously close to George. The main reason I am staying in the middle is to keep the unity until we get through the rest of this season. We need top-4 to better attract the players we really need.
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The truth is, as United and Liverpool have demonstrated, a demonstrably big club like Arsenal doesn’t desperately need top-4 to attract good players but we can’t pay the big-big wages like the 3 big spenders.
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Whilst you guys discuss Sanchez I’m just going to sit here in the corner and cluck and sweat over Chamberlian (did I ever tell you about his agent? Yikes! Let me know if such talk about agents and their blagging hangers on (English football is now saturated by this desperate “trickle down” effect) , I mention no names, starts to bore you all…as if on cue ‘Arry Redknapp had just been named manager of Birmingham.
Who can forget those Cardiff fans duped by the media into singing in praise for Mad Malky. He’s back in the job too i see…
As we can witness it’s not just the broadcasters with strong links to the betting industry who set the tone for the narrative regarding clubs and managers, but it’s the football agents too. In short: a complete shower.
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Thank the football gods for the Arsenal.
That’s all I can say.
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