“Even if Yella, makes it a-capella
I still express, yo, I don’t smoke weed or sess
Cause it’s known to give a brother brain damage
And brain damage on the mic don’t manage, nothing
But making a sucker and you equal
Don’t be another sequel (Express yourself!)”
Dr. Dre, NWA, Express Yourself
Here’s a thing that’s become vogue in the last few years: fans tweeting about other fans and how stupid they are (for their opinions), how wrong they are, how they don’t support the team the right way, so on. It’s become so prevalent that when anything happens on the pitch people use it as an excuse to win points over the fans that they don’t like. A lot like the current political debates, if you ask me.
It’s pretty much the only comment rule that we have here at 7amkickoff, you can argue with each other all day over various points but we don’t delve into the cesspool of calling each other names or talking about how someone isn’t a “real” supporter because they don’t act the way that you want them to act or think what you think. You have to debate the idea, not the person.
And for yesterday’s match there are a lot of opinions out there, all of them are wrong (mine included). For example, some folks are suggesting that the team showed great spirit and fought for the coach. I thought the team actually said “to heck with you” and started playing their own way. Who is right? Neither of us because they are both just subjective opinions.
But I’m going to persist with my opinion – despite being wrong – until I see something that changes my mind! Because that’s how I am.
I also have a friend who texted me last night saying that he thought it was a great game. NO IT WASN’T. And yet again, I am wrong. Ten men Arsenal just overcame a 2-0 deficit, threw off the shackles of their manager, and willed themselves to win. Isn’t that a great game, TIM???
Maybe the game was a microcosm of a story that we have been living with Arsenal for a few years. The story that, for example, Maitland-Niles may have been unlucky to have been sent off, probably should have been sent off (he was studs up knee high and even the Arsenal dot com commentators thought it was a bad tackle!), getting sent off was a relief because he was having a nightmare (failed to close down for the first goal), and also it’s unfair to criticize him because he’s deputizing in a position that he’s not very familiar with and which he doesn’t see himself playing long-term.
Or how about the story that yet again a midfielder didn’t track track his man for the first Villa goal? But also that same midfielder (Guendouzi) drove forward in the second half and won the penalty which equalized the game!
Maybe the team played better once Xhaka was taken off? It did.
Maybe the game was played for large sections with Arsenal having zero link between defense, midfield, and offense? It did. And it wasn’t some tactical masterclass which changed that, it was individual players who just took it upon themselves to take over the game. Guendouzi in particular just decided to start attacking them. How long will Emery let that last? We don’t know. He has been saying for years that we are a defensive team, yesterday he said we are an offensive team, and that we need to work on our.. tactics.
Virtually every aspect of Emeryball was on display here last night. The wildly unorganized defending, the lack of transition between defense and offense, the stagnant midfield play, players making rash errors, weird substitutions (Saka was our best player and he was subbed off for Chambers), and yet individual moments of brilliance saving it all in spite of the manager’s best laid plans.
This is probably the most controversial opinion I will have this month but I have it and here I’ll share it with you (for free!): there have been moments over the last month when I thought the players have given up on Emery. Against Watford, against Frankfurt, and even yesterday, Aubameyang (for example) looked disconsolate at being shuttled out wide for most of the game. And yet, they beat Frankfurt and they beat Villa. And they looked like they were having fun in the end. How do we square these things?
Maybe they are frustrated with Emery? Maybe they also like him? Maybe it was a terrible first half against bottom of the table Aston Villa? Maybe it was a terrible second half against bottom of the table Watford? Maybe some of the players aren’t that good? Maybe we really need Bellerin and Tierney in there to see just how good the football can be this season? And maybe we just need the players to go off on their own and just do what they want? Go out there and express themselves?
Like they seemed to do yesterday.
I saw the game the same way as you did. The players decided to take things into their own hands and that’s what led to the win.
I get the feeling they have no personal problem with Emery, but there is a huge professional disconnect.
I am incredibly frustrated by how Arsenal and Emery have been treating Ozil. He doesn’t deserve any special treatment, but this is verging on vendetta, and sending a message. Apart from what it means for him, it reflects poorly on us, and doesn’t help the way we play football. I bet Aubameyang would be happier if Ozil were playing with him.
I’m of the opinion that nothing will dislodge Emery from his post before the season’s end, and also that he absolutely should not be Arsenal coach any more. He’s doing more harm than anything. Hopefully the players will resort to resisting through playing expressive football. Those that he’ll allow on to the field of course.
I don’t think AMN should have recived a yellow for that tackle. He gets the ball cleanly. His foot went up only to protect himself, and no contact was made with his studs.
It can be construed as reckless but I’m not sure the other guy who wasn’t going to make it to the ball wasn’t more so.
I thought the “he got the ball first” argument has been dealt with sufficiently since the rules change.
It might’ve been harsh on AMN but from ref’s position( some 20 yards away) it looked like AMN went straight through Villa player.
Playing on a yellow should automatically reset your defensive goals for the rest of the game and no sliding tackles should be one of them.
You don’t actually need to make contact to get a card and it doesn’t matter if you win the ball. You are also not allowed to “protect yourself” when you are flying in recklessly to make a challenge. A follow-through like that with studs up, knee high is always a yellow card and sometimes a straight red. I thought it should have been a straight red even on slow mo.
I’m not outraged by the call. I just don’t think that’s how they’re usually called.
But you’ve convinced me that it was the right decision. (Now we can argue about it being a straight red 🙂 )
Yellow for dangerous play.
Red for stupidity.
The players rose to the occasion. We needed that win for some bragging rights…our main rivals all lost…The players too have pride I think its about time the coach play his best players according to their strength. No reason Ozil shouldnt be making the team. Reasons like those get coaches fired.
I didn’t watch the game butI had a feeling that we were going to win, only just the Arsenal way.
I think Emery is horrible for Arsenal. The fact he can’t make use of Ozil depicts the quality of his tactics. Sometimes when Ozil plays, I can sense that Ozil is not happy the way the team is set up because it makes it difficult for him to be creative.
I can’t really sense the role of players in the Arsenal’s midfield three. How Guendozi starts alongside with Xhaka in almost every match makes no sense. They are clearly same kinda players. How Torreira hasn’t been in our starting 11 this season is amazing… Its clear to see that he is our only ball winner and box to box player. If you doubt this, check most of his goals and shots, you find it always from inside the box. Dani Ceballos is clearly an 8 just like Modric, why advance him when Ozil the advance attacker we got is available. But he instead choose to play Guendozi and Xhaka in the same game. Without telling me that midfield will struggle like hell. That got good quality passes for sure but neither has got Ozil’s vision, Torreira ball winning ability, or the ghost runs of Ramsey and its not like they are very good tacklers.
This aside Arsenal is a very ugly side to watch. That’s my problem with them. Team chemistry is at its lowest. When that is lost in a team, football becomes less entertaining.
I don’t think Emery is for us. There are teams you watch you can clearly see what the coach is trying to do and understand that one or two players are not just good enough for such tactics.
But in our case all our players aside Auba, looks out of place even with an excellent transfer window. This can’t be our players, this is Emery.
The players won despite the best efforts of the manager who appears to be very much out of his depth. It is painful to watch this team play right now. As has been pointed out many times on this blog this squad of players under direction of this manager is completely incapable of controlling any facet of a match. Both of AMN cards come from not controlling space and the same can be said for the goal. That he’s left to fend for himself out on the right with zero structural support continues to amaze me.
In another vein I continue to be baffled as to what our attacking strategy is….during the build up everything is so slow and ponderous it makes dropping in and defending a cake walk. Wengerball had it’s ‘triggers’ where players were drilled on these passing movements in different phases of the game. It has been two full preseasons and a full competitive season and there still appears to be no base formation. No base attacking plan. Everything is so reactive. The team is currently being completely bailed out by moments of brilliance and it is not sustainable. When you talk of a good/great manager they are able to create more from the sum of the parts than the individuals…a decent/ok one can get the team to function and might more rely on these moments of brilliance, but can at least work the team tactically to make the most of these players/moments…but a bad manager not only doesn’t play to their strengths, but magnifies and exacerbates their weaknesses and I think we very much have a bad manager at the moment.
I probably shouldn’t say this but at 2-1 down I hoped we’d lose as it might force a change of manager. But when I saw we won I can’t be upset about that. We all live to fight another day I guess.
Still I wish we would have a change. With the talent we have, even Freddie could ensure that we will not get relegated, and as long as Emery is there, making top 4 is always dependent on others screwing up bigger than us.
You couldn’t have said it better. Call me a shit fan but i prayed we would lose the game just so Emery can get the stick. Short twrm pain for long term gain. Another fool season of Emery will be disastrous and will also damage ozil irreparably.
Just an fyi: the spam filter just trashes any adult language and I have to go back an manually approve.
“… and yet individual moments of brilliance saving it all in spite of the manager’s best plaid pants.”
Having about the same effect on the match.
I kind of find the praise for Guendouzi’s performance puzzling… he was ball watching and his mark slipped in behind him for the second goal.
The defense are all guilty of ball-watching. If you’re even a half-clever attacker all you need to do is get some separation, keep moving and you’ll find space and time to have a chance on net against Arsenal.
Is it a money thing with Ozil? There must be some clause that limits payouts to him based on the number of starts. At home against Villa with Lacazette out I would have figured him for a lock to start in behind Auba and Pepe.
Emery does not want to play Ozil because he does not contribute to defense. Well… without him, we lose on intelligent ball retention/movement and our defense still sucks anyway. If Ozil was an Ibra personality, Emery would be toast now.
It has to also be a money thing. No way is Emery allowed to get away with this purely from a financial perspective if Raul and co weren’t eager to scrimp on Ozil’s wages and force him to leave.
Emery has chosen to try and humiliate Ozil time and again. It’s disgusting behaviour from him and the club.
Talk is Ozil to DC in January (replacing Rooney, off to Derby County as player/mgr).
January is a long way off– not to get any value from Mesut.
Jack – Yes, Guen lost his marker and it cost us. But we walk away with 0 points if he isn’t on the pitch. His energy, passing and the stress he puts on the defense make him a force. For a long time, we bemoaned the fact that we lacked someone with fire and swagger to bring passion to the side. Now we have him, and he’s dominating. Watch the last 20 minutes again. It will change your mind.
In agreement on Matteo. Don’t limit him.
Find the right compliment to him. Two if need be.
Slot him in behind PAL and in front of Torreira and Willock (or AMN, or Chambers, or Luiz).
Guendouzi in the last 20? Breath of fresh air in an already stagnant season.
Yes, Guendo made a mistake. I noted it above. I’m not sure why we have so many players who switch off. David Luiz laid into him about it though and I expect there were more things said at half-time. I hope it gets addressed.
I have some hope that Emery might finally decide to play a midfield without Xhaka next week. At one point, we were on a break and Xhaka got a pass in the middle of the pitch with Villa backpedaling, and we had players forward. And he was so slow settling the ball, moving it to his left foot and turning, that he ending up passing backwards to a CB. That, plus being reliably out of position and slow to recover frequently. How is it not possible for Emery to see it?
You’re right, Tim. It was entertaining football. It was sideshow football. But it’s gut-wrenching when it’s your team.
Finally, I hope Guen silenced the critics this week. How many 20 year olds put a team on their back and just carry them to victory? He’s not perfect – he still makes defensive errors and loses possession in bad positions occasionally – but his fire and confidence and willingness to take chances in big moments are staggering. If Guen is Emery’s legacy at Arsenal, we may have at least one thing to appreciate about the man.
Certainly looks like Emery is more interested in managing his career and the payroll than his team.
Does anyone understand Emery? I can’t so how can he manage a dressing room?
Torreira, Guendouzi and Ceballos\Ozil should be our default midfield. I don’t get Emery’s obsession with playing Xhaka. I get the impression this team has overconfidence in their ability and think they’re automatically better than their opponents. I know that sounds weird, but how do you explain the lackluster halfs? They don’t seem to put in 100% until they get pegged back!
Luiz and Sokratis? Wow. Emery seems to believe totally in seniority, only way I can explain his omission of Chambers. Interesting to see what happens now that Holding is fit. Could the return of Bellerin and Tierney “fix” Arsenal in the sense that the intense fullback play could stretch teams, then our defence will be under less *constant* pressure?
Agree with Tim and LAGunner… two competing ideas can both be right. Guendouzi lost his runner, but was instrumental in driving us to 3 points. He shows, at 20, that he’s one of the leaders of the team, raised our level, and played very very good attacking football. But at the same time he picked up his second dumb yellow for getting involved in a quarrel when he doesn’t have to, this time mouthing off at the ref. Football isn’t linear. All the same I think he’s on his way to becoming a 100m player, even if one doesn’t adjust for football’s mad inflation.
Some thoughts on the game, having watched it back in full last night, many hours after.
Aubameyang
Embodies the spirit of this club, and the captaincy seemed to fit him. I had previously called for Laca to wear the armband, but both are natural leaders on the pitch, and I’d be happy with either. Letting Pepe take the pen seemed to lift a weight from the Ivorian’s shoulders. I saw a stat in which Auba’s strikes were responsible for all 11 points that we have. He is, as things stand, the league’s MVP.
Xhaka
Also showed that the game isn’t linear. Some of his first half passing, particularly to the FBs and wide players on the wing, were very good. But he picked up his trademark yellow card for a lazy tug on on Grealish. Xhaka looks a physical specimen, all V torso and rippling leg muscles… maybe he impresses Emery in the gym. But he’s ponderous as hell ona football field. He is also too one-footed. Pepe set him up on the edge of the box, but he stumbled over the ball trying to transfer it from right (with which he should have hit it) to his left. He’s the most chocolate legged player in our squad.
Pepe
Speaking of which, the Ivorian is going to have to leave to us his left more. And learn how to track back. His defending is listless, and some of AMN’s defensive troubles is down to his getting little help from Pepe. For Villa’s first goal, both of them stood off while the wide attacker calmly transferred the ball from his left foot to his right. I like Pepe a lot… he’s a baller with tricks needed to unlocked packed defences and an intelligent player, but he has to work on his defending.
Ceballos
Lucky to have him. His workrate is something else, and he puts his body about. I’d start him every game — him, Guendouzi and Torreira in a 433.
Saka
Has what Kolasinac lacks down the left… patience and craft on the ball. Sees a pass, sees a run, not easy to dispossess. You’d think he’s young guy, so he likes bombing forward… no, he goes through the gears very smartly, and knows when to sprint and when to hold. The upside of Iwobi departing, is that a player with better potential is getting a chance. Would have stayed on but for AMN’s red card. Deserves to start next game.
Chambers
So, Leno, Sokratis and Luiz did that ridiculous goalkeeper/sentries routine. Luiz booted it out wide to Chambers, and it rebounded off him as if it hit a concrete wall. Villa won it, and within 3 seconds of it leaving Luiz’ boot, it was coming back at us down our right and their left. Xhaka did that thing Denilson used to do — trot alongside the player without challenging or tackling — Sokratis was unsure when to take up the responsibility, the player slipped the ball to Wesley, and Wesley slipped it in. About 10 seconds after Chambers miscontrolled. Yet Chambers had the alertness and presence of mind to get first to rebound in the box and stab in the equaliser. The advantage he has over AMN is that he is a proper defender, albeit less able at attacking. We’d honestly look more solid if he played at RB instead.
Mings
We tend to look at games through our own narrow partisan prism, but I really liked the look of Tyrone Mings yesterday. Strong, good on the ball, not afraid to drive forward. He was at fault for Chambers’ goal, but if you look closely, his fellow defender gave him the eyes asking for that pass. Very good left sided CB. I’d take him over Sokratis, who has not been good of late. By contrast, Bjorn Engels was a foul machine for Villa. What a clod of a player.
Tactics
Clearly Villa’s plan was to attack straight after we scored. It worked once, and nearly worked again. We have to watch that… we slightly switched off after scoring.
CORRECTION: Pepe should use his RIGHT more.
We were linked heavily to Mings about 4 years ago. I have no idea why Wenger didn’t get that done. He is an excellent player.
He was. As I recall, he was spoken of as a potential LB. But he’s a bit big for a FB. He wouldn’t look out of place in a Top 5 team.
“Ceballos
Lucky to have him. His workrate is something else, and he puts his body about. I’d start him every game — him, Guendouzi and Torreira in a 433.”
Exactly this, Claude!
With Guen and LT, we have the mobility, skill and defense to get the job done in most situations. They need to play together to establish trust and communication. Willock should also see a lot of time in support. His burst when he subs in can really be devastating to tiring opponents.
I’ll have to disagree for a bit. Ceballos has great skills, attacking and defending – no arguments on this.
But he is simply not halfway ready – maybe because he’s had very little game time over the last 2 years.
I reckon he only has 45-50% in his tank to handle the pace and physicality of the EPL (it’ll be 70-75% in his tank for Europa games).
Currently he runs out of gas barely into the 2nd half – his effectiveness drops off markedly especially while defending and opponents go through him very easily.
I’d use him sparingly now – throw him into an EPL game with 30 mins to go and he’ll turn the game around. Start him and you’ll start to see a hole in the 65th minute onwards.
He’ll be ready after another few weeks of intense conditioning, no fear.
Your posts are deconstructing the season in a language and with an attitude to which I can relate.
I.e., WTF? Is going on? It’s chaos on the pitch and as you’ve said, it was poor defensively under Wenger but there was always the feeling that you knew what we were about.
Wenger’s suicidal high line, wing backs bombing up the pitch, caution to the winds, chasing games we knew were going to lose, attack, attack, attack. Did it make any more sense than what we’re seeing now? Hey, at least I understood it.
I’ve also been thinking that the team have been sullenly/ joyously playing against their manager whenever possible in the last few games: that sense of the tactics not working at some point so let’s go rogue. Also growing has been the sense that Emery is lost, doesn’t know what he’s doing. Often, whenever I express things like that they turn out to be incorrect (i.e. my predictions record ain’t great), so I hope that pattern continues! At the moment, though, I fear things will get worse before they get better.
Expressing myself through James McNicholas, The Athletic (sub req’d):
(from a piece about a week ago)
“His English (Emery’s) is markedly better now, but clarity is still an issue. You can follow the syntax but not necessarily the idea. Given the improvement in his grammar and vocabulary, you can’t help but wonder: was Emery’s English ever the problem? Or is he simply not a strong communicator?
Emery remains popular with the players, although there is some frustration with the repetitious nature of some of his training methods.
Last season, there was a brief period where Emery experimented with getting the first XI to train in a practice match against the under-23 side before a game. The academy side would line up exactly as the opposition were predicted to, with players detailed on who they were seeking to emulate. It was effectively a mock version of that weekend’s game, and the squad loved it.
After a few weeks, it disappeared from the training agenda, never to return. A look at Arsenal’s distressingly casual short goal-kicks in the Watford game shows how they might benefit from testing their strategies in a more competitive, match-like environment.
Some players have embraced Emery’s fixation with video analysis. Others tune out, willing him to fast-forward sessions that can take more than two hours.
The portrait that is painted at London Colney is that of a man who is competent, but not cherished. Such men are vulnerable in football.”
* * *
An individual learns by doing, seeing, and reading. So goes conventional wisdom. Levels of acumen more readily achieved when an individual can learn via 2 methods, even better using all three.
Likelihood is– there are segments within Arsenal’s squad that are ‘left behind’ at some point during preparation for each match. Intuitively, I’m finding it difficult to conceive of a ‘same page’ that all players see the way Emery envisions.
jw1
I believe AW primary concern was getting the team to play to its strengths and letting the opposition worry about what they were going to do about countering these strengths (I would suggest that Klopp sets up his teams the same way) – so match prep was probably 80% focused on our own strengths and 20% (or less) on preparation for the opposition.
I suspect with Emery this is the opposite way around with 80% of time spent preparing for the opposition. I think AW had it the right way around – footballers need to understand the core shape and strategy of the team and then over time you can add information to deal with the weaknesses of the formation or individuals.
I have the sense that managers who ‘tinker’ with formations and systems don’t do especially well in the EPL, possibly because (British) players are not brought up the tactical sophistication, and so it just needs 1-2 players out of 10 outfield footballers not to be on the same page and the system falls apart.
Not sure about the Ozil situation. Outside of some kind of pay for play clause in his contract, it’s pretty hard to explain. He didn’t play that poorly against Watford. But it is a bit damning of Emery.
As is the defense situation. I like Xhaka. Seems a nice guy, works hard, solid Arsenal player. But not suited for DM. Maybe he’d work further up the field, like where he plays for Switzerland, but we have multiple players more suited for that. Chambers and Torriera seem our best choices for DM. Hopefully tomorrow we see Holding and Mustafi in the center.
From Sid Lowe in the Guardian (on Barcelona) – can’t work with it is more reminiscent of AW’s last year o Emery this year:
The Camp Nou is one thing but Barcelona haven’t won away since April. “I am responsible,” Valverde said. He meant for Saturday night but there’s more. It is early, but it is their worst start in 25 years, and for all the coincidences – injuries, penalties, daft individual mistakes – it isn’t entirely coincidental. They’ve trailed in four of their five games and conceded in all of them. No one in La Liga has conceded more goals….And this is more than that old, facile line about how Barcelona can’t defend: they can’t attack either. At Granada, they had one shot on target. Sure, they have been without Messi, Suárez, Dembélé, Neymar too, but it’s not about that either; it’s about the most basic thing of all, the essence of Barcelona… Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president, backed Valverde and some players did too: they were comfortable. Too comfortable. Valverde stands accused of allowing it. The decline went largely unchallenged. It is not that Barcelona are bad so much as that they’re nothing in particular. De Jong came, someone to reinforce the model, but not always in his place: he has played too wide or not at all. The men alongside him have changed. There have been five different lineups in six weeks….etc etc
Thanks for the post Tim.
Emery needs to take responsibility for the poor defense. We are currently on pace to concede 63.3 goals in 38 games. That is inexcusable and if it does not improve by mid season then he should be fired.
I am not sure how Emery is doing anything wrong with regard to Mesut Ozil. I do not consider it disrespectful to leave a player on the bench when that player is no longer the teams best option. Anyone who has watched Ozil play for the last 2 years has to accept that he is no longer a player who will consistently have a positive influence on the game. His influence has been fading for several years for both Arsenal and Germany when he was still on their squad. He was always a flair player but at his best the ability to change the game on the attacking end outweighed the lack of defensive and other contributions. However, at this point Mesut’s positive contributions on the attacking end have mostly disappeared and the negative parts of his game outweigh the positive. I can’t imagine any fan would want the manager to use a player because of reputation and wage rather then making decisions based on productivity and performance.