Arsenal 2 - 2 Liverpool: So very Arsenal

"I think we probably didn't keep it at 2-0 for long enough. I was trying to get Jose Enrique on down the left because Luis had ran out of steam a little bit.

"He has a great capacity to work but that was his first time playing in that role. But Jose couldn't get his boots on and all that sort of stuff, and within five minutes it was two each."

Enrique not finding his boots cost us 2 points

Wenger has to take majority of the blame regarding the defence for this game. (Lets only talk about this game)

We know Liverpool dont really have a big forward ala Carroll or Higuian or RVP who preferably stay up front near the defence and lay off for their team mates, Liverpool have more agile forwards who are on their toes, buzzing around the whole pitch, never in one place.

So why in the world, in the freaking world, would you put Mert in? He is not agile, he is not quick, yes he is a good reader of the game, but what his brain does quickly, his body still seems to be in slumber mode. He should have put Kos and Verm for this match, no ifs and buts about it. The Stoke game he should have been brought in to team up with Verm. It was so noticeable that he was finding the pace and quickness of Sturridge, Suarez and Henderson to be unsettling for him, point proven for his meek challenge on Henderson leading to the second goal.

Second, as someone said, Santos doesnt look interested, not one bit. Why not bring on Kos and let Verm move left? Would that shore up the defence and make it a little more .... firm?

Third, even though Ramsey and Wilshere did extremely well (where are the naysayers for Ramsey now that he is playing in his position or area?), what we lacked was Diaby. He should have been given 45 minutes for the Brighton game and then brought on for 45 minutes for the Liverpool game. We were getting overrun in midfield at times and while Wilshere was making those amazing runs, Diaby by his side would have taken pressure off Wilshere and let him rest a bit, letting Diaby go on one of his mazy runs. It would have messed the opposition up like crazy that at one point there is this quick, technically gifted guy skipping past them, then suddenly it is this huge lanky fellow bulldozing his way through the defence. It would have made the Liverpool defence work extra hard and would have tired them out more.

Like seriously. How can Wenger not see this or think this? What does his coaching and scouting staff do when they have meetings?

Oh and on a side note.

Jay.

Your post match write up on the Liverpool game was your best to date (The Arshavin analogy was pure brilliance). Not taking away anything or degrading the quality of write ups the other Arsenal posters and posters in general on this forum have put (which is amazing at times), but both yours and Sam's write ups (his blog) are top notch quality journalism level and that isnt even exaggeration. They are ten times better than the stuff I read on newspapers and websites and keeps me captivated, entertained, informed and thinking about whatever topic you take up. Basically, whatever you seem to write, turns to gold.

So, in short. Thank you.

AnJl wrote:Oh and on a side note.

Jay.

Your post match write up on the Liverpool game was your best to date (The Arshavin analogy was pure brilliance). Not taking away anything or degrading the quality of write ups the other Arsenal posters and posters in general on this forum have put (which is amazing at times), but both yours and Sam's write ups (his blog) are top notch quality journalism level and that isnt even exaggeration. They are ten times better than the stuff I read on newspapers and websites and keeps me captivated, entertained, informed and thinking about whatever topic you take up. Basically, whatever you seem to write, turns to gold.

So, in short. Thank you.

+1

watched the highlights.

I'm wondering do we actually have a defense, really awfull. And our goalie is making such strange calls.
We made henderson look like messi on that goal btw.

Well glad we had atleast one point, should be more.

We really need to get some points.

AnJl wrote:Oh and on a side note.

Jay.

Your post match write up on the Liverpool game was your best to date (The Arshavin analogy was pure brilliance). Not taking away anything or degrading the quality of write ups the other Arsenal posters and posters in general on this forum have put (which is amazing at times), but both yours and Sam's write ups (his blog) are top notch quality journalism level and that isnt even exaggeration. They are ten times better than the stuff I read on newspapers and websites and keeps me captivated, entertained, informed and thinking about whatever topic you take up. Basically, whatever you seem to write, turns to gold.

So, in short. Thank you.

I agree, its so true. He's always brilliant

Im going to school for journalism and I'd love to be one someday. But I haven't been watching football nearly long enough to be able to analyze, understand and write about the game nearly on the same level as jay. But I'm trying to someday get there

I fvcking can´t wait for the french fvck to leave this team

if after my past threads i made it damn obvious arsenals mistakes
1. late *bleep* start

2. shit defense start

3. looking confused fist 5 minutes

well it came back to bite us, what helped us is that brendan is another clueless idiot, a good manager would have skinned us alive

its just get annoying, the dictator needs to be kicked out

That first goal was comedy gold. Worst defending I've seen in my life.

aleumdance wrote:I fvcking can´t wait for the french fvck to leave this team

if after my past threads i made it damn obvious arsenals mistakes
1. late *bleep* start

2. shit defense start

3. looking confused fist 5 minutes

well it came back to bite us, what helped us is that brendan is another clueless idiot, a good manager would have skinned us alive

its just get annoying, the dictator needs to be kicked out

Watch what you are saying, that's borderline racism. If you nothing constructive to add, then stay out of here.

Great piece by wearethenorthbank

There are many trendy Arsenal frustrations at the moment and for most it is our reluctance to strengthen the squad during the current transfer window. The silence from our American owner, perceived as him not giving a shit about the fans and rinsing the club for a return on his investment, is also a frustration to Gooners. As is now the fitness of Keiran Gibbs. Or that our Arsenal has disappeared and we want it back (what does that even mean in today’s climate?). Or zonal marking. Or Gervinho. Or Aaron Ramsey. Or Arsene Wenger. But there’s something that irks me about the current Arsenal more than anything: the inability to compete to their utmost from the first whistle is frustrating beyond belief.

That lackadaisical start to a match where it looks as though we feel we’re Garry Kasporov and it’s only a matter of time before we pass through the opposition and win the game. Then it all becomes one-paced, and we play with fear (Wenger’s code word for ‘fear’ is ‘handbrake’ ), mistakes – often rudimentary ones – happen and we concede. The pressure mounts. And so one, like a repetitive nightmare – we’ve seen it all before.

Occasionally we roll our sleeves up and actually play to our strengths: quicker movement, incisive passing, confident finishing, closing down quickly and in packs. It happened in the second halves against City, Chelsea (by that time it was all too late), West Ham and it happened having gone two down last night.

We and – more importantly – the players know they can do it (we’ve seen them do it, albeit sporadically and inconsistently), but the fear…Sorry, handbrake, comes on and inhibits their instincts. Wenger may not be the most astute tactical coach, but one of his strengths is instilling belief into players by uninhibiting them.

Essentially, football can be viewed as a game of mistakes, and the team that make the less mistakes invariably win. The problem is that fear – built up by the pressure of seven trophyless seasons and being constantly compared to the Invincibles – sets in and mistakes happen more frequently and at more crucial points in a game – see Koscielny and Szczesny’s Laurel and Hardy act in the dying minutes of the Carling Cup final.

It also helps nobody when frustration is shown by us Gooners during the game. Football is emotive and we have all done our nut at a player during a game, but it doesn’t help anyone. It really doesn’t. Least of all the team. Protests against the Board are absolutely fine by me, as long as they’re done outside the ground and away from the focus of the players.

Can any Gooner tell me they didn’t enjoy that spell where we equalised last night? Or that 10 minute goal flurry against West Ham? Or against Newcastle? Or Reading away? Or 5pur2? We want more of that. The team needs to be more consistent, but they can’t find consistency when playing with fear… I mean the handbrake on.

Post-match, Wenger answered why his defenders are nervous with: ‘Because they want to do well and they want to win games’, which may be a bizarre thing to say, but it is a true assessment. Often when you want something so much you don’t perform at your best and that *bleep* handbrake is pulled up. This isn’t an excuse, it’s an assessment from Wenger. How can he – or us as paying fans with a huge emotional investment in the club – legislate for rudimentary individual errors? That isn’t a coaching flaw, it’s individual flaws that I believe stem from fear. Is Vermalen now all of a sudden not a good defender? Or Sagna? Or our best defender last season, Koscielny, or the holder of 85 Germany caps and veteran of four major international tournaments, Mertesacker?

One player that I would say is just about the bravest player in our squad (along with Jack) is Aaron Ramsey, who was impressive again last night, and that is testament to his temperament. He has become the latest boo boy target of late, but credit to him: a young lad still learning the game having come back from a career threatening injury. And signs of Santi and Jack starting to click together were also promising.

Last word on a subject that the ‘if me auntie had bollocks she’d be me uncle’ types continue to go on about is ‘replacing’ RVP. How exactly do you do that? And don’t say ‘sign Falcao’ as this isn’t Football Manager, this is the real world. Podolski and Giroud now have 25 goals and 20 assists between them; impressive return in my opinion for their first half a season in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.