AlanSkÃrare

He's not under any real pressure though. But our season is on the verge of turning sour, leading to an increased risk of us losing players in January. The derby is shaping up to be an increasingly dramatic defining moment of this season.

Reminded me a lot of our loss to Chelsea last season with the same scoreline. We miss Coloccini's orgainsation of the defence more than anything. Set plays is a part of that. Taylor's aerial presence and Krul's confidence/reassuring aura is also going to help the cause. Pardew has to realise that we simply cannot control games with 4-4-2. He's postponed the decision to bench Ba or Cissé or move them out wide for too long now and it's starting to cost us points. He always reverts to 4-3-3 when the 4-4-2 doesn't work. It's almost embarrassing to see how obvious the problem is and how easy he addresses it when needed. Long term, I think Anita sitting with Cabaye and Tioté will be the way forward. However, Jonas' leadership and fight is going to be very important in shaping our season in the forthcoming games. We need to win away from home and find our identity on the pitch, it's nowhere to be seen.

He was alright today. Always better when we play three men in the middle.

Those writing him off can fuck off. Not if this is your first season watching football, but that goes for very few of us. He'll grow in to it. I want him with Cabaye and Tioté in midfield 3.

Don't think we've been bad at all

Brilliant finish to the game from Arsenal, Cazorla has been immense

That's major fucking setbacks. We'll need big, big games from Perch and Williamson.

We controlled the game from start to finish. Your understanding of football on and off the pitch is apalling. Ok. Then I prefer us to control the game in another way if that was the case... So in other words you would have preferred it if we closed them down in their half and used all our energy to put pressure on them for 90 minutes rather than control the game with patient and clever passing while not emptying ourselves for Sunday? You reason as if the only acceptable approach is to push them into their own box while winning the ball at the half way line and constantly create chances for 90 minutes. Speaks volumes in terms of your understanding of the game, but I bet you've never played yourself which sort of explains it.

But he'd almost certainly die from the excitement? Not worth it imo.

We controlled the game from start to finish. Your understanding of football on and off the pitch is apalling.

If we get to a cup final, there's no other player I want to win it for us more than Shola.

The physique of Tioté, Cabaye up to speed and Jonas or Anita's workrate should see us dominate the central midfield, at least if we play with three there. Ben Arfa running at Evra is also good. However, we need Coloccini to marshall the defence against Rooney and Van Persie. They dealt with the former exceptionally well last season and Tioté got stuck in as well. Van Persie however cause all sorts of problems for Williamson. Colo needs to be in charge and organize things, that's my main worry. Score draw looking likely. I think Ba will have another stormer against them.

Any Coloccini news? He's key to this game.

I would very much like this stat as well.

The more he can learn the better really. I found it quite strange he didn't celebrate the first goal, but did for the 2nd (3rd also?). Maybe he had a strong word with the team on what he expected from the game. Really happy with him tonight though, team and tactics seems spot on He's talking about ATB.

He was boombastic yesterday. Love how he mixes his world class target play with that pass towards Obertan when we were 3 on 3 in the first half. Missed him by so long

We just can´t bossing games. Though that the first 20 was just what I wanted to see. Definitely the best 20 minutes for the season. Then suddenly we stopped playing and Bordeaux got invited to start creating chances while we just was defending - Why?! We were the much better team. Still we just can´t control a game at home. I just can´t get this, and never will. But maybe I just should be happy that we tried to play and that players like Cabaye really was up for it? Your lack of understanding never ceases to amaze.

One thing is puzzling me in particular. The source of our long ball in the Premier League has been Williamson's inability to pass it on the deck and the lack of movement from the central midfield. Yesterday, the latter part was obviously solved by the fact that we played with three central midfielders that moved around and picked up positions all over, providing defenders with alternatives to hoofing it towards Shola or Cissé. But Williamson had clearly been instructed to pass it sideways with patience. He even had a few forward passes on the deck that found a midfielder in space. I know Bordeaux didn't put us under a lot of pressure, but that instruction was the foundation of us keeping the ball yesterday. I wouldn't think Williamson has been instructed to keep the ball on the ground and just ignored it before.

Harper Simpson Coloccini Taylor Santon Anita Tioté Cabaye Ben Arfa Ferguson Ba

So direct and different from our other wide men, his left-foot is brilliant. Start him and Ben Arfa on either side of Ba.

Obertan had worked a lot tonight, learning from Jonas.

Papiss loves an offside

Asked the same thing in the match thread. It's retarded, he should focus on controlling the ball instead.

My god they've been shit

Fucking Gosling