Arsenal Banter Archive November 10 2013

10 Nov 2013 23:25:39
Boys,
what's your "half term" report on Mesut Ozil?

Mesut is one of these annoying kids that can ace everything without really trying. He has done very well so far but will need to try a bit harder to become the best in the league. This may be to do with adjustment though. Overall, still can't quite believe how lucky we are to have him.

Ozil looks a tad tired but we haven't had a chance to rest him IMO

Yep I have to agree with you both. Just his on-field presence has given the other players a boost but he does look a little tired. World class talent who should get better. 7/10 so far

Unbelievable chewing gum tekkers.
He reminds me of the alien figure that Montgomery Burns is mistaken for in episode 10 season 8 of the Simpsons, the Springfield Files it's called.
Fantastic edition to the squad, has looked a little jaded the last couple games but will get better as he adjusts.

I think people don't realise the quality things he does on the pitch, simply because he makes it look effortless.
I watched a few games of the season over again over the last couple of days and watched ozil and some of the turns, touches and passes he does are real quality.
I also think people judge him as he was our record signing and cost 42mil, but he's still adapting to the league, and the fact he's played so many games without much of a rest is getting to him.
what I've really been impressed with is the lift he has given to all the other players. big improvement all round, and a quality signing.

Frustrating at the moment, but I do think he's tired. Wonderful quality, if only he can master the art of finishing a run once he's actually gotten to the ball.
Flybo

Fantastic signing and the reason we are top of the Premier and in a commanding position in our CL group.

Great player but nowhere near his best in my opinion.

10 Nov 2013 23:24:23
Dear monsieur Wenger,

Please stop playing Aaron Ramsey out wide, he is only effective in the middle.

yours,
dagenham gunner

DG what other choice did Wenger have with regards Ramsey?

Sagna? with Jenkinson at RB, leaving Arteta out?

Ozil wide with Ramsey in the middle would have been better IMO

I know Banbury it was a tough call.
I think maybe he should have kept Flamflam on the bench, kept Arteta in front of back 4 and Rambo in the middle with Cazorla and ozil out wide, with perhaps gnabry replacing the vacant role left by rosicky.

He only played him there once this season, and that was today. think you being unfair.

Nope Waq1 he played him out wide against somebody else, can't rtemember who, and he was very ineffective. not his fault.
Also, commenting on a player is not being unfair, its being honest.

Ramsey has been played wide before . wasn't it in the first half against Liverpool? But it certainly wasn't a first at OT but it should be the last, it is such a waste having him there, I for one think that was the biggest single cause of us losing, Ramsey has become so dangerous making late runs from deep in central positions.no fault of Wenger though, his were tied yesterday, so many many key players missing, said before we are probably the only side in the prem that hasn't been able to have its strongest XI on the pitch at any point during a game

Ummmmmmmmmmm GNABRY!

Totally agree Banbury

10 Nov 2013 23:15:05
really don't understand the many negative comments. we weren't even that bad.
the fact that Man United with a full strength team only beat us by a lucky goal tells me Man United got a bit of catching up to do.
for those who said we haven't got a plan B. why else have we been praising giroud for his hold up play? its very hard to get onto knock ons when the opposition has 11 players behind the ball.
the only thing we lacked today was width and abit of conviction, but you could understand why they would back out after the incidents involving vidic and schezny.
I don't think we deserved to win nor lose, I don't think Man United were the better team.
its one of those games where everything was restricted, laboured and to be fair dull.
the international break has come at a good time I believe. hopefully most of them get rested as they are friendlies and we get our players back.
we are still the best in the country.

10 Nov 2013 21:25:07
don't be disheartened my fellow gooners.
ok we let 3 points slip we should have at least got a draw against a physical mediocre utd team, apart from rooney they wasn't nothing special. we paid with one bad mistake and let the dutch judas get a goal.
we missed mertis calmness and height today, verm didn't have a bad game it was just poor attacking play today. we should have put gnabry on earlier and used the width as soon as ramsey and jack went into the middle and ozil playing free we looked a total different team the only downside was bendtner coming on (that must have really s*it the utd players), we looked jaded and the arteta flamini combination was tested against a hard physical utd midfield. giroud had no proper service till the last 20 minutes. we looked solid enough though utd could not break us down in open play
the one thing that does worry me is wenger not using width and using central midfielders wide to accommodate all his play makers, ramsey is not a wide player and gnabry showed how much better we are when we have a pacy winger. also arteta is too slow to play the defensive mid, he gives away silly fouls when he loses possession, he gets found out against quality opposition,
there is nothing too much to worry about we are still top the red tops will have a field day tomorrow they are probably salivating already to write arsenal off, we need to put our heads down and iron out a few problems. we got a hard game against an in form saints after the international break, so its best to keep the chin up and let our injured stars come back.

ratings
szecs - played well had no chance for goal
sagna - actually put in some good crosses defended well
gibbs - was at fault for goal but overall his running up and down the left side is tops well played
kosci - the boss kept rooney and judas at bay for 99% of the game
verm - did quite well but the kosci and merti partnership is our best
flamini - easily a best defensive mid, shouts and barks orders gives 110% he should be our holding mid
arteta - is not a holding mid, plays great against mediocre teams but gets found out against quality teams.
ramsey - was out of position but when he went in the middle looked a different player, needs a rest imo
ozil - looked tired had a few wayward passes needs a rest imo
cazorla - same as ramsey and ozil
giroud - works tirelessly for team but was off sorts today with passing.

subs
jack - made an impact as soon as he came on, was direct and had the fire in his belly
gnabry - same as jack was direct and enthusiastic should have come on earlier rather than bendtner
bendtner - not much to say can't wait till January

team for saints (flamini suspended)

. szecs
sagna kosci merti gibbs
. ramsey jack
. Walcott ozil monreal
.giroud

subs
fabianski verm rosicky arteta cazorla gnabry podolski (hopefully) sonogo (hopefully)

Think you are being harsh on wenger for not using wingers. they all injured so not much choice, and gnabry has also just come back from injury so no way would he have been fit enough to play much longer.
theres not much you can do if the other teams park the bus, add to that when they get a goal from a header which was actually off the shoulder and looped right into the corner.
one thing for sure is we need ox and theo back. we will be deadly then.

I notice a few posts saying Wenger isn't using width. we have two real wide players Walcott and Rosicky, and Rosicky you wouldn't call quick, No Rosicky No Mertesacker No Walcott, No Podolski, No Ox again 5 players not available some impact players when they come on some match winners from the off. Wenger played the best side available to him, we have done very very well to maintain top spot with so many injuries from the start of the season

Disagree on Arteta. Unless you count Liverpool and Dortmund as "mediocre teams." We still have a far better defensive record with him than with Flamini, and it would be a big mistake to drop him next match. If it's between the two I would say Flamini edges it when fully fit, but Arteta is still a very strong guard for the back 4. We will need him against Southampton.

Otherwise I agree. Would be a different team with Walcott and Podolski back, could definitely see us winning. Here's hoping!

10 Nov 2013 20:22:58
Thought the team arsene played was very negative today. There was no need to play Flamini and Arteta and Ramsey on the wing is really square peg/round hole territory.
Ramseys done his best work from deep - he makes up ground, he's the boss in midfield - that position is his and he should not be shifted wife right just because Rosicky is ill.
Gnabry has looked very assured in every game he's played and he should have started with Rambo alongside Arteta.
As for Nik B coming on, well I just coulnt believe that. Especially after the comments this week.

Oh well, grand scheme of things were still top, and although we didn't win I hope it's alesson learnt.

We built up a lead so wecould afford a loss or 2, hopefully the team can pick itself up and face the next test

10 Nov 2013 19:56:06
Just got back from the match and I can't say that I was that impressed by the team Arsene put out today. Why was Rosicky missing, cause we definitely mised him today? The passing through the midfield was far too slow until Jack and Gnabry came on.

Anyroad, strong rumours amongst many fans and pundits today, that Arsenal will put in a bid for both Benzema and Nani in January. Apparently, talks are ongoing with Nani and his reps.

I was fortunate enough to sit behind the Arsenal dugout this afternoon. I didn't hear it myself, but when Tommy V stepped up to take the direct free kick, either Bould or Wenger said something about moving the bus in the car park or words to that effect. Cue fits of laughter in the dugout and from us sitting behind. They obviously didn't have any faith in Tommy, and that was proved with a shocker of a free kick.

Another thing that was mentioned amongst the Arsenal and Man U fans, is the form of Otzil. £42 million has been a complete waste of money for me so far, and loads were saying the same thing. Got to give the lad a chance mind and I guess he is still settling in and playing out of position, but the lad is bone idle. He may well have had a goal in the 2nd half if he'd had gambled a bit. Jury is still out on him i'm afraid.

Sagna though, was outstanding. Two wicked crosses that no-one threw themselves at. It'll be a different result at the Emirates, cause I don't think Man U were that good TBH, it was just we were so poor.

"anyroad"
"give the lad a chance, mind"
"bone idle"

Are you from emmerdale farm?

That comment about TV is pretty slanderous and has annoyed me a lot. If bould or wenger thought he was that bad, I doubt they would have made him captain with arteta on the field. Stop talking nonsensical ****. United scored off one chance, it was a game which they were likely to win. We dealt with them for most of the game but lacked sharpness. Move on, thinks are looking positive.

And that comment about Ozil. It's a free country, but to turn on someone this quick is a piss take.

Let him have his day Bggins mate, some one on the Liverpool page posted about Giroud getting lost in the tunnel in response to one of our posts about their sas last week.
What goes around comes around, its his TODAY!

If you re-read my post, it says nothing about TV being a crap player. From what I heard, they just didn't have any faith in him hitting the target. Quite how or why that is slanderous, only you know!

As for Otzil, I suggest you re-read that part aswell. I haven't turned on him at all. He has showed quality. the Napoli game springs to mind. But he his played out of position, and i've no doubt once he plays off Giroud, then we'll see just how good he is. Remember when Ramsey was out wide last season, half the fans thought he was rubbish and now look at home. Wenger seems to be adapt at playing quality players out of position. I know we have an abundance of midfielders at the moment and you obviously can't play them all at once, but please play them in their proper position or bench them. Square pegs etc doesn't win you the big matches, which was out downfall today.

10 Nov 2013 19:09:33
we looked pretty tired today, ozil, ramsey and carzola all mssing passes they would usually nail. likewise missed per at the corner. United also made it quite physical: the sort of game that the ox & podolski would be perfect for.

The team is very tired, and it was noticeable in the last 5 matches. The players aren't moving and we cannot create space. Too many incomplete passes we don't look that good. Players desperately need some rest.

10 Nov 2013 18:43:35
I am disappointed to death! Its like we played the reserve team. I don't know why we always try to pass the ball in the opposition box. Why do we not shoot? Santi was famous for shooting in Spain, Ozil the same. I just don't know. Are we ready to be champions yet? Time will tell. because now I am very afraid of Citeh and Chelsea

Tomas Rosicky was missed today. Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!

When Arsene says we were nervous I think he is referring to us going back to our old ways of trying to walk then all in, and he's right.
Its what we all do when we are not sure of our self's we revert to type.
Lesson learned and if we got another 9 games before we have to learn the next hey ho roll on game 21 and 31 the fantastic highs in between will do for me

Giroud didn't have anyone to lay off the ball to. if there were another cf or striker to lay if off to we might have had a better result. seems old Trafford just seems to be a monkey on our back

Sorry to fellow fans for letting the frustration get the better of me. I was just really disappointed to lose to a substandard Man U team. Still top of the log and hopefully we can rebuild a cushion of sorts in the next 5 matches.

(Sometimes) It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward (Rocky Balboa). International break should do u some good, barring any injuries, reset, re-vitalize and re-terrorize!

Very good post Rue

10 Nov 2013 18:33:00
Was it frustrating to loose yes, do I hate Van Persie with every fiber of my body yes, is it the end of the world no. Coming into three games against Liverpool, Dortmund and United, 6 points isn't a bad result. We played some good football today, and deserved more from the game, what we need to do now is go away, regroup over the internationals, hope everyone stays fit and when we return we welcome more players back to the squad e.g. Walcott.

We are still top of the table, remember United lost to Liverpool, who we beat, we as fans and the players can't let this game effect us to much we've got to move past it and get three points against Southampton.

What does concern me after this game and this season is how short we are upfront. The difference between us and United Van Persie gets one chance talks it Giroud doesn't. Don't get me wrong Giroud has been great this season, but more as a target man and bringing people into play or the little ball around the corner, still in front of goal against big teams I feel he is really lacking. Against Liverpool he could of had a hat trick today he didn't look like scoring and wasted some good positions. In January we really need to get and get another forward, Benzema is who we are linked with, but I don't know about him good player yes but a bit hit and miss at Madrid maybe Wenger can get the best out of him. Love to see us try for Lewandowski, who I know is highly unlikely, Ibrahimovic in my wildest dreams or Reus who can play as a left winger, supporting role or as a striker like he did and Gladbach, could see him being the next Henry cutting in from the wing and he has the pace and the ability to beat players Giroud lacks, would also compliment Giroud and give us two very useful options. I know all three are unlikely but love us to spend another 30 million get a top quality striker.

Also feel the arrival of Flamini has shown how important getting a CDM was, love to see us get someone younger who can build a lasting relationship with our current squad and be here for years. Lars Bender the obvious target just signed new deal, so that will make him harder to sign, Pogba being hurried to do the same and would cost a fortune and Gonalons being chased by Napoli, Matudi also only has 6 months left on his contract so could be a possibility.

Overall, let's not get ahead of ourselves, this is just one game, we are still top of the league, we need to make sure we move past it and keep this surge for the title going it's only November after all long long way to go. But a striker in January and good luck in the injury department, I feel we have what it takes, then in the summer build on what we have. And am I the only one who hopes Sagna signs a new contract?

10 Nov 2013 18:25:34
Gutted, obviously. We didn't look like scoring at any point, and conceded a fairly soft goal. But it won't dent my belief in this team and hopefully, like the Dortmund loss, we will learn from it and improve. I think the loss came down to 2 factors:

1. Defending set pieces. This is still a problem for us and we can look very disorganised in dead ball situations. Some people might say that Mertesacker would have won it, Ramsey got caught in no man's land, or Giroud didn't get above the ball. But I think the zonal system is the real problem - we just don't do it right sometimes. No one took responsibility for the ball at any point. The same thing happened near the end and Smalling nearly scored. Other than that, we were not too bad defensively and I was actually fairly impressed with Vermaelen. It is just those moments that we need to watch out for better.

2. Lack of attacking penetration and conviction. We have great attacking players but none of them were really on form today, and they all looked a bit tired. And whenever we created good attacking chances, they nearly always dithered or made wrong decisions. I was frustrated with Ozil and think Wenger should have a talk about asserting himself more in big games, but it really comes down to this injuries/squad depth issue. We clearly need more quality for squad rotation/strong bench, if Wenger knows that we will always suffer from injuries then he needs to make better provisions. We can only see if they do re-invest in January, it looks like we certainly look to, particularly in terms of a striker. But really, Bendtner should not be coming on in a game like this.

Other than that I think we have to be a bit humble in defeat - David Moyes did a very good job today. I am glad people are immediately writing us off - we thrive when they doubt us. We can still do very well this season and possibly win the title, just need to learn from these games.

Arsenal til we die!

10 Nov 2013 18:13:49
Well 1-0 Loss, never really looked like scoring. Man did not play great but just did enough to win Rooney was their star man.

There was a lack of runners in behind off Giroud, who just lacked support. We really missed some real pace up top not having Walcott. There always seems to be a bit of a mental block when we play at OT and we seem to play within ourselves, when on current form we shoudl have been more confident to have more of a go.

We may have a very creative midfeild but it means nothing if we often lack that punch up front in the big games.

It is not the end of the world though still clear at the top after Chelsea dropped 2 points Man City and Spurs lost.

Truesay Ryan. Yea Rooney was very good, can't help but admire the guy (as a footballer atleast!). It was a problem that we didn't have a player like Walcott or Ox for a different option, looks like Theo will be back shortly though. Anyway, down but definitely not out.

10 Nov 2013 17:10:54
Per would have stopped that RVP header

Not so sure Mert would have been picking up Vidic more than likely.

Probably, but we're not going to turn into excuse makers off the back of one defeat. Don't be that fan. Yeah we had players sick but so did Spurs when we pipped them to fourth a few years ago. More than anything it highlights a need for depth.

The game did highlight a few things for me:

Sagna was a constant threat, his delivery was excellent and he's back on form.

Ramsey/Ozil are wasted on the right. We need Walcott (apparently he's back for the Southampton game).

We need a striker as Bendtner is quite simply awful. First thing he did was give the ball away!

RVP scoring made me sick. Him celebrating like he did made me sick. Still, moving forward, we are still top. Other teams like Chelsea and Man City dropped points and we need to come back after the international break and beat the high flying Saints.

Bang on Greeny
No excuses no clutching at straws a bad day at the office, let's take it like men and kick the dog blame the wife and go to the pub and pick on some little bloke

Hehe I like that G62

10 Nov 2013 16:58:33
we don't look like scoring

Agree, it doesn't look good. if we get a point it will be like a win

10 Nov 2013 16:03:48
Who would have thought we would be this far infront of city, Chelsea and united.
There all dropping to many points, a win today will prove we are genuine contenders.

10 Nov 2013 15:48:17
As Per usual, the Koscienly and Vermaelen defensive partnership doesn't fill me with much confidence, Mertesacker complements one of them much better. However, it is a chance for Vermaelen to fight for his place in the starting XI so hopefully a great performance from him. Think we'll miss Rosicky as well, he provides a directness that Özil and Cazorla to an extend do not provide, and he is tireless in his closing down, despite his age of 33. However, should be a great game later #COYG

10 Nov 2013 15:27:30
Mert is sick so incomes Vermuallen! Time to show our strength at one of the toughest times.

Its what PL champions have to do I guess from time to time

10 Nov 2013 14:06:10
hi all:)
good luck for today!:) fingers and toes crossed!
oh dear, poor spudettes:):) oops oops. AVB, what are you doing matey?:):)
that hopefully gives us extra energy!:):)
well done toon army!:) 2 weeks on the bounce:)
ok, good luck our lads, concentrate:) shoot at the goal:) like last week:) watch out for the cheating and the diving and. knock them smug mancs off their high horse:)
COYG COYG!:) andi:)

10 Nov 2013 11:24:46
Liverpool fan here in peace

Just wanted to wish you guys well for todays game

Hope you batter the Mancs!

Hope Ozil has a particularly good game as he's in my fantasy team :)

Fingers crossed for a Liverpool/Arsenal top 2 finish. in that order ;)

Good luck!

Cheers m8- here's hoping!

Cheers Bennett Jnr

10 Nov 2013 10:35:38
And so it begins! The day that rooney and co are desperate to show the world that they are the real deal and we are just the early pace setters.

They will be up for this every bit as much as a cup final or a game against Barca or Real, because for them this is make or break to their season.

For us its just the next big game of a season that's going to be full of big games.

I think that's a fair summary of how things are as we stand?

Well there are reasons things are that way and it's those reasons we have to old Trafford and expect not hope for 3 points.

Its tough at the top for sure but it felt tougher hoping for 4 th funny enough

10 Nov 2013 03:31:30
Hey lads celtic fan here but been a massive arsenal fan since a kid. Just want to say absolutely buzzing for the game tomorrow. Can't remember the last time I was so confident going into a game against man u. Just wanna wish the players best of luck for the game its long overdue for arsenal to turn them over at ot and totally confident tomorrow is it. 2-1 arsenal for me. Mon the gunners

Yeah totally agree- the time is right for a victory at OT.