Lush Vlad

Arsenal have been pretty comfortable. Suddenly they’re on the ropes.

Martinelli has been really good on the right. Usually flatters to deceive on the left. Rice also playing well. As is Partey, unfortunately. Rogers is a whingebag, aint he?!

It is a real shame that Willock has been so out of sorts and Miley had so long out and away from the first team. As in games like today. We could do with a different option in midfield.

I thought he was bad overall on Wednesday, despite his goal and some lovely moments of skill. Similar today. I know teams give him more respect, sit off and double up on him. Plus it is the team’s fault for not making space for him and being a goal behind most the game. But he was at his best last season when he just made his mind up and committed. He always looks unsure of what he wants to do and I think he lacks technical quality (hell of a volley, mind) on the ball when the game is tight like that. He seems to slow the play down to survey the field. Then doesn’t really create the opening. Bruno gets stick for having too many touches. But Gordon is just as bad.

Either him or Miley, possibly Longstaff, although I doubt it. Are going to get a couple of games to impress soon. As Joelinton is a walking yellow and he’s already on 8. Might even get sent off and give them 3 games the way he’s carrying on

Yeah. Getting into half time level would have felt like a robbery. But something to build on. As the captain and one of our best players. It was braindead from him. I still think we could have played longer at times though. Constantly playing ourselves into trouble from the back and could have just missed Bruno out altogether in that passage of play.

Yep. I know that has been a tactic of ours a lot of the time. But you would have thought we might have made a slight change during the game to help him. Gordon used to be renowned for his defensive work and the shifts he’d put in. I’d argue Gordon was our worst player today overall.

They looked good at Old Trafford for 60-70 mins. But they have had some heavy old home defeats in the last month or so. 1-5 against Chelsea, 0-5 v Spurs and 0-5 v Brentford. Sounds mental. But maybe coming away from SJP won’t be a bad thing off the back of that mauling. We’ve had some pretty professional performances on the road of late and all. I’d suggest the odd change. But other than Schar for Botman/Burn. I’m not sure what changes you could make that wouldn’t weaken us? Joelinton is going to be banned for two games soon. So maybe try and get Willock into some kind of form before then? Game might suit him in transition, anyway. Miley?!

Revelling in the sea of misery and negativity, no doubt.

Honestly mate. Coming off there was a great decision for me. I mean, I’m still a miserable cunt But I’m not as bad. Every account became like those engagement, rage bait type personalities or just Talksport’esque provocative shite. At least on here there is some fair and balanced stuff. Sometimes. Maybe.

I think the biggest benefit he has brought since coming back in. Is his ability to bypass the first wave of the press with those 30-40 yard chips and diagonals. We barely went back to him today and when we did. It was just to move it onto the other CB most the while or the occasional long ball. I’m not saying it would have been perfect or come without problems. But thought we might have tried to work that a bit more and give the likes of Joelinton to contest balls if we didn’t have an open man. Especially as every single one of our defenders couldn’t live with their press and were making unforced errors to boot. Probably seeing ghosts after getting hounded every time they got the ball.

Not particularly interested in watching any other games after our shitshow. But what an uninspiring set of matches and scores at the half.

True. But if teams decide to get a bit braver and try to do that to us at SJP. We need an alternative other than slowly pass it about at the back until we lose it

This is what gives me confidence. I started doubting his ability to turn it around after Brentford. Then we hit a 9 game winning streak after making a fair few tweaks. He will be fuming about how bad we looked and how we seemed incapable of beating their press or having any meaningful possession leading to chances.

Yeah. May have meant we were overrun at times. But when he was making those runs beyond and in the channels. He was actually causing a few problems. By problems. I mean the odd positive pass received and finding space. We didn’t really create anything of note from open play all game.

Might be well off. But his awkward way of kicking a ball always seems like an early, crisp pass is never really his game. Like he needs those few touches to work the angle he wants. Then he shifts it. Not even a major issue. As he is great at it. But in games like today. He properly got found out. They were too athletic for him and he couldn’t usually play round them with the extra touches to create space. When he could, they fouled him

Yeah. His legs have fully gone and it is noticeable. The set pieces were crap across the board. But he also just comes on and immediately starts taking corners and free kicks and they’re rarely any good.

I know you need the other team to set up in a way that suits it. But I was really surprised we rarely tried contested balls into Joelinton or Isak, with players around them. We did it against someone like Villa away from memory and someone else who I forget. Of course against Spurs, it is more the ball in behind as they play so stupidly high. Every time we tried to get round their press. You could see another chance for them coming. Like watching a car crash in slow motion.

I do find the fatigue argument hard to buy. Considering they are going through a similar injury crisis to us last season. They’ve played the same group of players for quite a while now, as well. Plus they also have a high energy style like us. Although we didn’t see that from ourselves today

They’re not mutually exclusive, though. Their gameplan was perfect. How we set up and how we continued to try and combat it was confusing to say the least. It just made them better and played into their hands with attempting to beat their press all the while. I do think Howe was out thought on the day. Plus certain players were miles off individually on top of that. Unforced errors under minimal or no pressure.

Deserved fuck all. Got fuck all. You can go on about how good their gameplan was all you want and it was. Iraola schooled Howe today. Some of the unforced errors have been embarrassing. Reality check for the CL push. Few poorer bits of play creeping in the last few weeks. But not this bad. Played a decent team and been played off the park today.

Their midfield has been like kryptonite to him. Much sharper and quicker than him. Shithouse fouls when he does get by them. Then quite a few borderline ones where the ref doesn’t buy his dive. Not at the races today despite his goal. But then again, not many have been.

I love your optimism. But we’ve barely created anything. Hopefully they start gassing. As that might be our only hope.

Great save before their ‘third’ goal. Not having that backheel one at all. He’d be getting loads of stick if that went in.

They deserve this. But their gameplan has been helped by the ref. Constant niggly fouls. Some a bit more than that. Never any danger of a yellow until you’ve done 3-4 of them.