I love when people recall past matches, which have none of the same players, managers, and even in many cases the same supporters, as some kind of yardstick with which to measure an approaching match. “Arsenal haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since October 2011!” they will burble, or “Chelsea have only won one of their last eight matches with Arsenal” they will guffaw. And none of those records will matter a jot because almost none of those players in those matches and none of the managers faced each other.
The last time Arsenal won at Stamford Bridge, in the Premier League, Arsenal were managed by Arsene Wenger, Chelsea were managed by Andre Villas-Boas, Robin van Persie scored a hat trick, Theo Walcott and Andre Santos scored goals, John Terry was facing a charge that he racially abused Anton Ferdinand, and Petr Cech was in goal for Chelsea. That was the past, a nice night, John Terry ate grass, and ultimately meaningless for both teams on Saturday.
Arsenal’s new boss Unai Emery has made it clear that he’s changing Arsenal’s playing style and that they are sticking with that game plan. Despite the protestations of deeply disturbed folks, like me, he does have a point. Arsenal have to persist with the new method until they at least get it right and play the way that the manager wants them to. If he gave it up now he would be betraying all the work they did this summer and Unai is smart enough (and strong enough) to see this through. For now.
Managers, the new fangled ones that aren’t named Sam “tall cans” Allardyce, have a plan for the whole season. They want to get their team playing football a certain way and one loss to Guardiola’s team shouldn’t be enough to put the man off his game plan for the season.
Like that cookbook that came out a few years ago – where they had cross-sections of food, and taught people to use sodium citrate* to make macaroni and cheese – called Modernist Cuisine, Unai wants to play out from the back, he wants to introduce young new players, and he wants to press to win the ball back. He wants to get Arsenal playing Modernist Football.
Modernist Cuisine as a home cookbook is impractical. None of you need to use spherification to make grandma a bubble that *smells* like borscht. But then again, maybe Arsenal aren’t grandma’s kitchen. Maybe we as a team, as a club, are striving to get that Michelin Star and so we need to learn a little sous vide and gastronomic chemistry. Fans pay enough that they could be eating at a Michelin Star restaurant so why not try to serve up a delicious and surprising meal.
What I don’t think any of us want is fish and chips. Hey, look, I made fish tonight. It was breaded, pan-fried cod with simple seasonings and even my daughter who hates fish liked it. I think fish and chips are delicious. (We ate salad, no chips). But if I am going to pay $300, I want some damn good fish.
One more thing and I think this metaphor will be exhausted. You never complain about a restaurant during its first few weeks in business because they are still working out the kinks. Sure, try it, but if you want to see them at the best they are going to be, come back a few months, even six months, after they open.
That last bit isn’t for you, it’s for me. I have to remember to wait until Unai has all his chefs cooking at their peak. Then we can see if they deserve a Star.
*An emulsifier that you can use instead of a bechamel sauce to melt cheese into a velveeta like consistency. I’ll teach you how some day.
The use of the Michelin star made me think of something that has bothered me for a while. Why don’t English clubs have a formal ‘star’ system for the club badges? Italy grants you the use of a star above your club badge for every 10 titles won. Or clubs use the CL wins as stars. I don’t know if anywhere else is formalised. But it seems like it would be cool to have a standard system like that. The NBA’s gold stripe for any NBA champion is a bit much. At least make it 3 titles or something.
On the philosophy, I agree completely. Give it time. Besides, the match against ManCity, though I was initially worried and wanting to go defensive, was a good opportunity to see early, how far we still have to go. Would have been good for the players and considering we didn’t get emulsified, should reinforce their belief. Now is not the time to abandon the ideas. 6 months before writing a harsh yelp review sounds about right.
The Premier League winner always gets a special champions gold badge on the sleeve of their jersey the following season. Not quite what you have in mind but it’s something.
Some examples: https://bit.ly/2L0JyLy
That’s “….something that has bothered” you? Seriously? Dude… 😀
On the second part. If Lacazette curls that in with his instep rather than hit it with the outside of his boot and makes the game 1-1, any outcome was possible, notwithstanding City’s personnel and territorial superiority. The beauty of football is that you can be manifestly second best and get something from a game. And you give yourself a better chance of doing that, as Emery did, if you switch up in the 54th minute rather than in the 71st. I liked that he didnt faff about, and he didnt hesitate to yank a Big Time Charlie.*
I dont get all the praise for Lacazette. While he improved our attacking play, I thought he was wasteful, and made bad decisions in the final third. You’ve got to at least hit the target with chances like the one he got. There was also that farcical pas de deux between him, Ozil and Ederson.
* copyright Alex Ferguson
Can you please describe what you mean by wasteful? I literally not only didn’t see that (with my eyes) but also the stats don’t bear that observation out. He had just 1 turnover (Ramsey had 0) and was 6/7 passing (Ramsey was 8/12). I’m not seeing really anything that suggests Lacazette was wasteful. He’s one of the most tidy attackers in the League.
Youre right, wasteful is overstating it.
But he messed up a decent chance on goal, and he wasn’t aware enough when Ederson lost the ball, and it rebounded off Ozil. City arent going to give you the space that Arsenal did on both goals. If youre an A grade attacker, youve got to take those opportunities which are presented to you. Not that the Ederson mess up constituted a chance as such, but it presented an opportunity to build attack.
Yes, his passing was tidy and as I said, he improved our cut and thrust when he came on. All the same, I think that he fluffed two of our best lines. Id rather he was wayward with his passing and buried a chance.
Cech made one glaring error but a few excellent saves – gets pilloried.
Lacazette comes on and makes a few good defensive motions and makes us look better for 5 or 10 minutes, but has at least one big moment where he lets the ball roll by him and into the keeper’s hands instead of taking it, turning, and putting it into an empty net. Gets praised.
Neither player should be overly praised or criticized. It was a tough game, they both did okay overall.
Exactly.
The La Liga kicks off today, and the only way for me to watch it is on Facebook. They’ve got the LA Liga rights for the next 3 years for South Asia. Modern football. (It’s free at the moment)
I enjoyed that game in 2011, but I am with you when you say that we should persist. I am curious though about the mentality in England when it comes to football philosophies. After a single game against a team which is three years in and has just walked the title, the reaction has been bigger than I ever thought.Its funny how there is no patience or willingness to incorporate a style of football that has won two world cups and two euros in the past ten years. It seems as if they purposely hold themselves back when they have all the tools to be a leading force in football.
Is it a cultural thing?
I’m also surprised at the reaction. I wrote us off as losing 2-0 and that being fine. Yet everyone else wanted to see A NEW ERA right off the bat. Very strange.
He should défi stick with his plan, and the fans and the club with him.
We wanted change, the club wanted change, Unai is change.
But the results won’t come overnight: as well as coaching new tricks and ways to the new players, he’ll need a window or three to get the players he knows can deliver it.I’m a Mhiki fan but will he ever be a defensively hard working counter attacking winger? Will Mesut?
I’m sure we’ll have games where it’ll look like the new way is working and wonderful but it’s as unlikely to be in our second game as it was in the first. This is going to be a transition season, so keep the faith and enjoy the (bumpy) ride. Everyone wanted this new direction and Unai is well qualified to deliver it.
(Having said that, I’d wished we’d had an easier start. I’m reading J Barton’s ‘No Nonsense’, which is surprisingly what it says on the tin but also particularly interesting about the delicate equilibrium of any club, with its dépendance on the fragile interrelationship of fans, media, board and dressing room and how tensions in any one tensions can spill over into disunity and unrest).
Neither Rome, nor Man City with Guardiola or Pool with Klopp were built in a season.
Sticking with the gastronomy motif, Unai Emery is at the dawn of his nouvelle cuisine with Arsenal.
According to AFTV, Arsenal played a behind closed doors match with Crystal Palace on 8/13 to further work on Emery’s principles. If you want the score, check out AFTV.
I’d rather dunk my junk in a tank full of hungry piranhas.
I’d rather buttress my junk with a hungry piranha.
Emery is a massive fraud and I want my old Arsenal back, preferably the one from 1999-2006.
If Trump could solve problems like Obama Care in his first day in office while giving everyone better and cheaper medical coverage, not to mention the whole array of other things he solved on day one, making America the greatest country that ever existed, then I dont understand why Emery couldn’t transform Arsenal into a well oiled winning machine in his first two months.
Tony Adams and fat Sam had it right in their critique of Emery after the City fiasco and as a matter of fact, I’m making my “Emery out “ banner right now and looking for someone to fly it over the Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
I don’t want to spend a lot of money though and hiring a plane sounds expensive, so maybe I’ll just fly a “ Emery out” kite instead.
I hope it’s windy.
Make Arsenal Great Again…
It’s catchy, no?
Yeah it’s a disaster and look… Joel Campbell just left while he could.
Inspired, Tom.
And I do like the new twist on MAGA from Lonestar.
Nothing connects Stan to his working class fanbase who spend one-thirtieth of their annual income on season tickets, like support for Trump and big game hunting.
Hey, donations to DJT are preferable to wasteful expenses like a goalscoring winger, no?
Is a goal scoring winger gonna give you hundred millions of dollars in tax breaks over the next four years?
Of course he should stick to the recipe. What other choice is there? We’re just a bit bland at the moment but we all know there is a lot of room for improvement with these same ingredients. Perhaps just a matter of finding the right amount of seasoning.
It’s natural to have an emotional response, especially when you’re hungry and the waiter has presented you with a dish that, upon the removal of the silver cover, turns out to be a cold cheese sandwich. Then, upon reflection, you realize that the chef only had bread and cheese and 5 minutes to work with, so you tuck in and enjoy the simple fare while hoping that next week you at least get a Welsh Rarebit…
Enough gastronomic metaphor. I think we all want Emery to succeed and are willing to give him time. And we also saw him stick with a system that wasn’t working very well on the day, and while his adjustments in the second half helped, I’m not sure they qualify as a plan B (a criticism oft aimed at M. Wenger). Yes, the new system needs work, but these aren’t practice games. At some point you have to change it up and try to scrounge a point (or three). I don’t necessarily mean this as criticism of Emery or the team, but I think the futility of our effort on Sunday is at least part of the reason for many fans’ hair-trigger frustration.
We tried the best we could and we might as well realize there were nervy moments for the players especially Ozil because it was the first match. Maitland Niles’ injury was a reduction in the number of chances to influence the game.
The introduction of Lacazette and Torreira changed the dynamic, Iwobi or Welbeck might have been effective coming on, alas there wasn’t room for the 3rd sub.
So, in all honesty, we have a tactician and he can change things as required but sometimes things happen to put games beyond our reach due to injuries or red cards.
I was happy because we tried attacking, and we had a plan. Today’s game will be interesting.
Giving Emery time is a nice idea, and I support that. But he doesn’t have that. His mandate from the Arsenal executive, rightly or wrongly, is top 4. His only saving grace would be delivering Champions League football by winning Europa. They did not hire the former coach of Mbappe and Neymar, and Europa winning manager, to finish sixth.
A lot, too much in my opinion, is being made of his decision to play Cech. Places are a meritocracy, not a procession. Leno will have to earn it. Cech clearly came prepared to fight for his place, and put in the time and work. Reminds me a bit of the Almunia and Lehmann situation. Jens didn’t enjoy it one bit. Very different circumstances,but we,very been here before. Better will win in the end. The season is long.
But it’s an interesting dynamic. Perhaps Emery is making it plain that he doesn’t like some of the ingredients that Sven bought, and he’s under no obligations to add them to his stew. Or it could simply be acclimatisation. Either way, Arsene is right. If the coach isn’t involved in the purchasing decision, but bears the responsibility for results based on the team he picks, you have a disconnect. Hey, could be too that I’m reading too much into that.
Agree about Cech and Leno. Especially the folks (some of them very thoughtful fans and bloggers) suggesting Emery staying with Cech shows that either Leno must be no good or Emery must not fancy him. Nonsense. None of us have any idea whether Emery likes Leno or not, or how he’s done in preseason training. Presumably they didn’t go through with the signing without Emery being cool with it, and he’s looked pretty decent in the warmup matches, at least. But Cech is a hugely respected figure in the game and in our dressing room, and he had a very good preseason. I’ve thought his kicking has been subpar for a few seasons now, but it’s hardly been disastrous in preseason or, despite what some have suggested, in the City game. We’re only at the second game of the season, and the season is a long one, as you say. I predict either Cech will have an absolutely storming season, or (more likely) Leno will be the number 1 for the PL games by Christmas. People need to get a grip.
Emery does see Leno in practice daily and if he hasn’t seen enough from him to immediately displace Cech who, despite his age and obvious regression, is still a pretty good goalie, then I trust his judgement. The case for Leno, however, is a long-term one. If this is going to be a season of transitions, then we might as well see what we’ve got and no better way to see that other than throwing him in with the wolves. Emery was not afraid to put in Guendouzi and Torreira but not Leno. We could read into it and conclude that perhaps he is not convinced by Leno or it could just be he sees Cech as one of the leaders of our defense and with all the changes we have had, this is one area he wants to keep unchanged until the new defenders and midfielders have learned to play together.
One anecdote I heard on the Totally Football podcast was that when he was at Almeria he selected his team with a roll of the dice, in front of the players, to show them that the players were not as important as the system and that they needed to trust the system. I’m not suggesting that’s what’s going on but rather that Unai does believe heavily in the system.
He might have done that at Almeria because their player are sh*t but no way would he do that at a top club. He is way too methodical and pays too much attention to details to leave his team selection up to chance.
Agree. I doubt he used to do that regularly at Almeria either. These things are meant to make a psychological point rather than a genuine coaching philosophy. Probably did it a few times, if it got players to buy in and the results were good.
Also agree with Tim that the system is paramount to him. The way we played even against Lazio, the patterns are very similar to a video from last season at PSG that someone posted on twitter. It’s going to be an interesting season. So much new information to process even for us fans.
Players vs. system. A manager can prioritize the players by tailoring the system so that it fits the players that he has, or prioritize the system by fitting the players in what he thinks is the best system. I believe smart and pragmatic managers usually go for the first option.
In Mourinho’s first season everyone gleefully mocked his boring Utd side. I kept telling my Utd-supporting brother when he’d complain after a 0-0 draw that Mourinho might be a total fucknugget but he knows how to drill a football team. In the 2nd half of his first season they had a 10-15 game unbeaten run playing rigid, uninspiring football.
Then last year they finished 2nd with ease.
We scored more goals than them. Liverpool played the best football in the league. Spurs had their greatest season of all time (and won JACK). But leave out financially-doped City and fucking Mourinho would’ve been a Premier League Champion.
I despise Mourinho. He must never ever be allowed to win a Premier League title. But we can’t stop teams like his until we learn methodical, positional, tactically-flexible football. While Unai’s chefs are perfecting the recipe, we need to take our bitter medicine.
I think it’s fairly simple.Cech is the captain. Behind Kos but ahead of the others. It doesn’t mean he can’t be dropped, but it does mean he gets first go. He did ok. Not great with his feet and almost scored an own goal. And yet the whole team needs to do better with that while he made some good saves.
Jens Lehmann also seems to think Cech will be the first choice GK this season. And he’s worked with Cech.
I think we’ll see Leno used in much the same way Szczesny was used by Juventus behind Buffon last season.
Speaking of which, Juve just signed Mavididi from us. This is an interesting new trend where English youngsters are choosing to go out to other leagues. Can only be a good thing for England. But maybe difficult for clubs like us to balance between buying players and keeping young players happy. Has Nelson signed a new contract yet?
The “five captains” decision would seem to cater specifically for the eventuality that Cech could be displaced. And for that matter, the possibility of Ramsey hoofing it next year. Cech is first choice for first XI atm, but by no means an undroppable in the way that Ozil, Aubameyang, Nacho and Ramsey are. He’s not playing because he’s skipper (even with your caveat noted), he’s skipper because he’s playing.
Disagree. In the Perarnau interview, Emery seemed to show a keen awareness about the dynamics of a club, dressing room and at executive level, and how a manager has to adapt to that.
I think he feels Cech has respect within the squad, and dropping him without giving him a chance would go against him (Emery) and his efforts.
Not saying Leno would play otherwise but without a huge gap in ability, Cech has his captaincy in his favour.
I said in a post last month that Cech would be my choice if he was playing regularly, which I doubted he could based on his last season form. I laid out the very points in favour that you just have. He’s massively respected, a good choice for all the reasons you state, and I’d add that he’s painfully honest and doesn’t hide, even from self-criticism. No one is arguing his suitability for the role. We have agreement on that.
Where I disagree with you is about him being made the captain because’s he’s an untouchable. You must have missed all of last season, or the Leno purchase 🙂
Cech is captain because he’s playing, not the other way round. It may sound like picking nits and a bit Clintonian (Bill), but it’s an important distinction. Here’s why. I wasnt convinced by the 5 captains thing initially, but I can see the logic. We had a habit of benching players who were captain, but no longer good enough — Vermaelen, Arteta and Mertesacker most notably. Emery has given himself more flexibility on this score. The season is long. Leno’s time will come. But he’s got to earn it.
Claude. ‘Bothered’ was definitely not the right word. I did think of changing it to been at the back of my mind or something, and honestly, I left it in because I knew you’d bite 😄
You’re getting quite predictable.
So, Guendouzi starts again. I’m ok with that. He made some errors against City, but he was still one of our better performers on the day. Have to say, though, I’m not thrilled with Iwobi’s selection. He’s the new Alex Hleb. Lot’s of dribbly mcdribbly, but nothing to show for it. As for Xhaka. Ugh. Just. Ugh.
What a terrible start. I could see us losing by three or four today if we continue like this.
We have a serious problem on our right side. Mkhitaryan is plain useless, and Bellerin is playing as…what?…a striker? Frustrating. No defense to speak of.
Mkhitaryan has to go off. Has to. Unbelievably bad.
Well, they’re all bad, to be fair. This half is the worst I’ve seen Arsenal play in a while.
Chelsea first blood, 9th minute.
Where oh where is our right back? Horror show from Bellerin and Mhiki for the goal. Based on the first game, my XI wouldnt have had either man in it.
The defense has been woeful as usual, but we would be drawing 2-2 at the moment if Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan were professional footballers.
It’s the counters, stupid (im not calling you that obviously)
Crazy high line.
We look such a sucker-punchable team.
2-1, though
2-2. Mkhitaryan with a goal and an assist shortly after playing what must have been the worst 30 minutes of his professional career. Oh well. It does make those missed sitters seem extra regrettable, though, doesn’t it? We should be winning.
we should be half 5 -2 at the half. we really need to practice our shooting. especially on those cut backs. they have been our bread and butter in the first half.
Theyre getting murdered with cutbacks from out wide. Look for Sarri to plug that second half.
The game is about, has always been about taking your chances. If we take ours, we are a match for most. Laca last week had a chance to bring the game back to 1-1 before Bernardo killed it off.
How are we not ahead at half time I’ll never know
The burning question of the first half is this… Why is Sarri wearing hospital scrubs? Looks like someone from the cast of Gray’s.
McScruffy?
Showing off his pecs and guns 🙂
F***in BS! I knew this was gonna happen. We missed three chances like that in the first half.
It’s going to be a very, very long season, folks.
Seriously guys, we’re going to be SO MUCH better against the weaker PL teams than we were last year. We’ve got problems but organizationally we already look much better than under Wenger. If we can win our next game, the confidence will return, and if we can then go on a good run in the next easier group of games, we’ll be back in the top 4 race in no time.
I’m not usually Mr. Optimism, but I really think we need to withhold judgment until we play some weaker teams. Yeah, Chelsea have a new manager too, but this is most of the same squad that won the league in hugely impressive fashion two seasons ago, and the business they did late in the window means their squad is pretty stacked (Jorginho and Kovacic in midfield is serious quality). If Sarri can get his ideas across quickly, I’d put them as dark horses (third favorites, ahead of Spurs and United) for the title. And we were playing them in their stadium on their undersized pitch.
Cech for MOTM?
Definitely. 4 top class saves in the 2nd half. Shame he got nutmegged on the goal tho
Bellerin was left on an island by Mikhi in the first half but Emery is gonna need hammer him with some serious video sessions. He needs to more aware of his surroundings.
And what the hell was Laca thinking with that backpass? Straight to Hazard smh. Torreira for all his great work in the 2nd half let Alonso drift away from him for the goal. Both midfields doing their CB’s & goalies no favours with so many cutbacks.
Not only the back pass but also what he did after that.
Pathetic piece of defending by Laca.
Dude, he’s a striker and he was defending against Eden frickin Hazard (after Messi probably the best one-on-one dribbler in world football).
Let me call bs on that straight away.
It’s not that he allowed Hazard to go by him but rather the manner in which he did it.
Sticking lazily out your leg ain’t gonna cut it dude,
Show some mothereffing balls and put a hand , arm on him and maybe foul him if you need to.
This isn’t just Laca btw.
“Sticking lazily out your leg ain’t gonna cut it dude, Show some mothereffing balls and put a hand , arm on him and maybe foul him if you need to. This isn’t just Laca btw.”
👆🏽Preach it. My pettest peeve, that.
What part of my statement was BS? Is Laca not a CF, and was he not facing one of the best 2 or 3 dribblers on planet earth?
I’m not defending him from your criticism, I’m just providing a little perspective.
PFO
Context my friend.
I didn’t necessarily call your post bs but rather the totality of Laca’s conduct on that play.
Ok, so we can all agree it’s not the easiest thing to come off the bench in a hard fixture for the last 15 minutes and be at your best, but when you put your team under pressure with a crazy back pass like that , then you better do your utmost to try to atone for your mistake.
What he did wasn’t even close to being that.
This is how players can get their manager fired.
It happened last season with Frank de Boer at Crystal Palace who created lots of goals scoring chances which they failed to convert and take any points from their opening fixtures.
Ozil needs to rediscover some semblance of form or risk getting dropped, regardless his wages.
Let’s all calm down folks. We had two of our very hardest games all season in our first two matches. I thought there was quite a lot to like today. Though obviously defensively we’re not great, offensively we’ve had much, much worse performances at Stamford Bridge in recent seasons. We could’ve scored about 6, and our finishing won’t be that bad for that long.
Our passing out of the back will get better (I thought one of the main reasons for ceding so much possession in the second half is that we struggled to break their press when we won it back, but we’ll improve in that facet of our game), Torreira will get better and give us what we need in there, Gundouzi already looks like he’s better than Xhaka, and our attack will click even more once they get confident, and they’ll get confident once we win a few games against weaker opposition.
We’re going to have to be (to borrow a term from the great game of cricket) flat track bullies. Go for maximum against the sides we’ll face over the next 5 fixtures. It was a really big ask for Emery to do his early learning on the job against City and Chelsea.
All that said, we should have won this game. Auba was terrible, not just on the miss. From my couch, I called the Ozil and Iwobi subs. Ozil had drifted completely out of the game after a chance inside 5 minutes (be interesting to see how many touches he had), and Iwobi had run out of puff by the hour, after an excellent first half.
Surprised that Xhaka started, but it’s clear that Torreira — while obviously a good, intelligent player who reads the game well — isn’t yet up to speed with the league. Still, I prefer an unacclimatised Torreira to Xhaka. Cech and the CBs were VERY noticeably ignoring him for out outlet pass, even when he was free, while playing it out from the back.
When Bellerin learns to defend like he attacks, he’ll be a hell of a player. What’s it with him and cutsbacks from wide left while defending an attack. Dangling a leg daintily never won a tackle. Mkhi a goal, an assist, and half an hour of utter dross preceding it. His combination play with Bellerin to end the first half was scintillating.
For the second game running, I don’t know where Laca’s head is. That back pass. And the casual tracking back.
Had no issues with Ramsey on the bench. He hasnt committed to the club, and the manager owes it himself to prepare for life without him. That said, there’s no reason to suggest that it wasn’t purely tactical, and that he was simply dropped.
Just rewatched their third goal (I’m a glutton for punishment) and while Laca’s defending was very poor (though he is a CF, to be fair) more alarming was Hector’s non effort to cut out, or at least make Hazard rush, the cut back. I know Hazard’s incredibly slippery so you don’t want to dive in, but he never gets tight enough to him. This is a theme with Hector: not getting tight enough to stop the cross. It’s a bad habit he’s picked up under Wenger and he certainly has the ability to change it.
Also, Torreira pretty obviously had to get goalside of Alonso, and he failed to do so.
Spot on with Hector. Now, if you are REALLY a glutton for punishment, watch Mendy’s pass to Bernardo for the goal again. Spot any similarities? Hector, a superb attacking player, is way short of possessing sufficient defensive ability. Surprise surprise… Sarri watched a video of last week’s game.
Hear what you say with Laca, but can’t agree with the “but he’s a CF” argument. Closing down with commitment is a requirement for all players. He closed the goalkeeper down well, but asa sub, cant complain that he was too tired to make Hazard work harder in attack
Sure. The point of me providing the context is this:
–Any time we lose a game because our CF misses a tackle on one of the best dribblers in the world (and I’m not saying we actually lost solely because of his mistake, since clearly there’s more to it), if that single mistake is the thin margin between a draw and a defeat, I can’t find myself getting too upset about that, because very rarely is our result going to hinge on our CF having to bail us out defensively. Furthermore, he was probably going to get beaten by Hazard (short of fouling him, and that option carries with it its own dangers) regardless of whether he made a better effort at it or not, whereas there were at least 2 other straightforward mistakes by our defenders AFTER Laca let Hazard get by him that allowed for the goal.
So by all means: we can criticize him on here, and Emery can chew him out in the dressing room for his lack of effort. Even forwards have to put in a shift for the team, etc.
–I just think far more frustrating and worrying, is when, e.g., your starting CB let’s himself get beaten by Alvaro Morata on a long straight punt upfield, or when your starting RB *repeatedly* fails to cut out crosses from his side. These are their primary jobs, and they’re going to be called upon to do those jobs again and again within the course of 90 minutes, to say nothing of the whole season. So if they can’t do them consistently to a high standard, we’re going to be in trouble and drop points.
–It’s just the same at the other end of the pitch: if Laca and Auba repeatedly miss big chances the way Auba did today–and this doesn’t just happen in 1 or 2 games, which can happen to any striker, but over a long period of time–then we should be worried, whereas no one’s going to tear into Mustafi or Bellerin when they miss a guilt-edged chance to score when the ball breaks to them off a corner, e.g. Everyone just assumes they’re going to suck at finishing, and we’re thankful they’re not called upon to do it very often.
Let me clear on this, It’s not that I’m disappointed at the result.
I fully expected zero points from the first two games and I always knew Emery would need at least one half a season to stamp his authority on this late Wenger era marshmallow squad.
My disappointment with some of the players is from a different angle than just a win/ loss , or chances converted/ missed.
Let’s look at someone like Pedro for instance.
Clearly , even though he started the first two games under Sari, he feels his starting spot is not a given and when all Chelsea players are back to normal after the WC he might go back to being a bit part player.
Did you see him tearing up the grass closing people down in the dying minutes, or throwing his body around before that?
Laca is kinda in the same position and I would think more effort should be forthcoming ,that’s all.
Laca-dasical? 🙂
Exactly 🙂
I really felt sad after the match, but then I had a very strong feeling, better days are just ahead.. guendouzi is by far the steal of the summer.. at least we know xhaka won’t be starting the next game because of his horrendous performances lately.. I know for sure, once we win our first game, it’s going to be a totally different side.. COYG!!
Torreira and Laca must start from now on as well.
Going into the first two matches, I didn’t expect us to win, or even draw, necessarily, but I’m disappointed with the performance today, especially because it became clear that Chelsea were there for the taking. I found it incredible how many times we were faced with an open goal only for our players to knock it over the bar. I’ve grown accustomed to an insipid defensive system, but not forwards who routinely miss sitters.
While these two results mean nothing in the long term — I’ll reiterate that this season is a transitional one, and we should expect more sketchy performances as the team adapts — I do feel sorry for Emery and the players. It would have been heartening to get a draw today, just for some encouragement that what they’re doing has pay-off.
I can understand sketchy performances vs the top 5 teams but we should really show better form against the rest of the league especially away from home.
The problem with this team is that we don’t have a typical winger..this increases the pressure on bellerin and makes him look stupid.. Chelsea and Manchester city figured this out and attacked sporadically.. I’d love to see a formation of 4-3-2-1 with Ramsey, torreira, and Guen in the middle, ozil and iwobi behind auba or laca. .I think that way, it’d be easier to soak up pressure and switch formations while on a counter.. I may not know much, but this is worth a shot.. ozil will always be a defensive liability..so it’s best to surround him with players that work tirelessly.. I think iwobi makes a great partner for him up front..
Hey BlackJew (BJ – can I call you that). I have to say that I agree with the Ramsey, Torreira Guen mid- field. This is kind of like the versatlity/athletic/rugged midfiled France used to win the World cup. I could neutralise attacks and flip rapidly on the offensive like you say. They were less about the press and more about using midfield to enforce/control the game. Obviously Ramsey is Pogba. Torreira/Guen are Kante and Matuidi. I will sound Tim out about this in his next post but will give you the credit for the idea though. Genius
Thanks faith..of course you can!! I had to watch details of the match to notice that..
I thought Manchester United were horrible today too which should show some fans that football is way more intricate than just 2 performances..
Arsenal defense getting carved up by Chelsea and conceding 3 goals – bad,
United defense getting carved up by Brighton and conceding 3 goals in the first half- way worse.
Ha! I enjoyed that.
Man U out of title race by November is my prediction, at which point Mourinho will throw everyone under the bus:
the Man U brass, players, the refs and the media.
Watching City and United play today against similar opposition was like watching two clubs at opposite end of financial spectrum.
The problem of United is simply mourn-rhino.. he has a well-stacked squad but a weak team..
Btw, why dint we go for Wilfred zaha? He’s kinda like dembele but with epl experience.. a presence like that in a game like our last would have made lots of difference.. the work of a skilful winger is simple; bring defenders out and create space for players like ozil to do damage..
some arsenal players simply aren’t built for the bpl. starting with ozil. when arsenal signed him, i was happy wenger seemed to be trying to do something but was still bummed that he had absolutely blown the chance to sign suarez. i love mesut ozil but wasn’t excited about him coming to arsenal at all.
when mkhi said he was leaving dortmund, many on this forum wanted him at arsenal and i said i didn’t think this league suited him. his fate at man united was so predictable. in fairness, it was such a dramatic departure from bvb, i was glad to see him go to man united and play for mourinho. once again, i was far from excited when arsenal signed him.
i wasn’t too excited to see lacazette sign as center forwards coming to england from france (not necessarily french center forwards) haven’t typically do well in recent years. despite his poor back-pass yesterday, i might have gotten this one wrong. the jury’s still out.
when torreira signed, it seemed to me that he was simply too small. not so much that size matters but for the way he likes to play, size does matter. sure, there have been many small players who’ve done well in england but they all had a certain guile that torreira seems to lack. my opinion is that he has to be at 100% just to keep up with his bpl contemporaries. on average, they’re too big, too strong, and too fast for him. we’ll see.
while i wasn’t excited to see sokratis in an arsenal kit, i understand why arsenal signed him. like all the aforementioned, he’s not a bad player but his style suggests he believes he’s faster than he actually is. i’m dreading a jamie vardy hat trick when arsenal play leicester city. we’ll see.
Torreira has had two cameos. Two. I don’t see how you can say, on that evidence, he lacks guile (you hid behind “we’ll see,” but you did claim he lacked guile). Over a decade ago, Makelele set the tone for the new era DM position, and yet people in 2018 continue to bang on about size. Bizarre. Modern football doesn’t register, then? Cool.
I also find it weird that you’ve been shouting “It’s Guendouzi stupid!” for two weeks, and yet you’ve not once mentioned his costly errors in the City game. Why is it, I wonder, that Guendouzi gets a free pass in your opinion, while Torreira gets judged adversely on 40-60 minutes of football in which he did nothing egregious.
You don’t like the signings. Ok… (your criticism belies the weak “we’ll see” hedge). We finished 6th last season, we’re in the Europa League, and we’re not a petrol club. Your disappointment in our players doesn’t seem to take context into account. Let’s ACTUALLY do a “we’ll see,” ok?