Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
+16
SUPERCARTTS
silver
VendettaRed07
evian
SamuelJayC
furiouswindbottom
urbaNRoots
Rev
TalkingReckless
Sina
bloodless
Eman
Wilson37
Raptorgunner
RealGunner
Jay29
20 posters
Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
First Half
There was nothing of tactical interest to comment on in the first half. Stoke set-up how we all expected them to; one bank of four, one bank of five and Crouch several yards in front of them. The ownness was totally on Arsenal to break them down.
Our passing and build-up wasn't particular quick or incisive. Stoke were solid and made absolutely no attempt to counter, so it was always going to be hard to play our through. Arsenal played a lot of passes in front of them and only got in behind when Walcott used his skill to get past Wilkinson down the right hand side; unfortunately, his crossing from that side wasn't particularly great.
Notably, Arsenal didn't make much use of Giroud as a spring board. Although he made himself available often, Arsenal were reluctant to try and thread a ball through to his feet, were reluctant to play a quick, direct ball up to him and didn't try to make runs beyond him; Diaby made run beyond him, Wilshere didn't make any.
So it clearly wasn't working in open play. There is, of course, another route to goal called set-pieces, and surprisingly Arsenal created three great opportunities from corners. A corner from the left fell to Chamberlain, but his finish was poor from six yards out. A corner from the right found Giroud unmarked but he, strangely, opted to try and set someone up instead of scoring. Another corner from that side, cleared but played back in by Walcott, found Koscielny, but he couldn't direct the header either side of Begovic.
We should have been ahead going into half-time.
Second Half
Despite usually improving in the second half of games, it was more of the same. Stoke continued to keep their shape and Arsenal continued to play the same way. We created a couple of chances down the left when Monreal got forward, but some good defending and wayward finishing meant we couldn't find that goal.
Even the introduction of Cazorla and Podolski did little to change the pattern of the game. Stoke were practically playing 6-3-1. They had no intention of trying to win the game, so it was understandably difficult to find ways to goal.
Sometimes in these situations, you just have to be content with scoring via a set-piece or scrappy goal. Podolski's deflected free-kick finally put us ahead, although the linesman did his best to rule out a perfectly good goal.
Stoke made three subs at once in an attempt to salvage something from the game, but we were having none of it. We defended well in the closing stages and got a deserved win.
Good three points
I'm sure some will be annoyed we struggled to break down a bus yet again, but generally we played well. There are some games where the other team just doesn't want to play and you have to win in a scrappy way. Realistically, we needed to score early in order to make the game more comfortable.
But I'm not going to complain about three points and a rare clean sheet. Chelsea lost and Everton drew, so we gained ground of them, and we're now only a point off the top four, albeit Spurs have yet to play. We're unbeaten in four games in all competitions now and have winnable games against Sunderland and Blackburn coming up. With any luck, we can get a decent run of form together.
Let's pray that everyone stays fit in this mid-week international break.
There was nothing of tactical interest to comment on in the first half. Stoke set-up how we all expected them to; one bank of four, one bank of five and Crouch several yards in front of them. The ownness was totally on Arsenal to break them down.
Our passing and build-up wasn't particular quick or incisive. Stoke were solid and made absolutely no attempt to counter, so it was always going to be hard to play our through. Arsenal played a lot of passes in front of them and only got in behind when Walcott used his skill to get past Wilkinson down the right hand side; unfortunately, his crossing from that side wasn't particularly great.
Notably, Arsenal didn't make much use of Giroud as a spring board. Although he made himself available often, Arsenal were reluctant to try and thread a ball through to his feet, were reluctant to play a quick, direct ball up to him and didn't try to make runs beyond him; Diaby made run beyond him, Wilshere didn't make any.
So it clearly wasn't working in open play. There is, of course, another route to goal called set-pieces, and surprisingly Arsenal created three great opportunities from corners. A corner from the left fell to Chamberlain, but his finish was poor from six yards out. A corner from the right found Giroud unmarked but he, strangely, opted to try and set someone up instead of scoring. Another corner from that side, cleared but played back in by Walcott, found Koscielny, but he couldn't direct the header either side of Begovic.
We should have been ahead going into half-time.
Second Half
Despite usually improving in the second half of games, it was more of the same. Stoke continued to keep their shape and Arsenal continued to play the same way. We created a couple of chances down the left when Monreal got forward, but some good defending and wayward finishing meant we couldn't find that goal.
Even the introduction of Cazorla and Podolski did little to change the pattern of the game. Stoke were practically playing 6-3-1. They had no intention of trying to win the game, so it was understandably difficult to find ways to goal.
Sometimes in these situations, you just have to be content with scoring via a set-piece or scrappy goal. Podolski's deflected free-kick finally put us ahead, although the linesman did his best to rule out a perfectly good goal.
Stoke made three subs at once in an attempt to salvage something from the game, but we were having none of it. We defended well in the closing stages and got a deserved win.
Good three points
I'm sure some will be annoyed we struggled to break down a bus yet again, but generally we played well. There are some games where the other team just doesn't want to play and you have to win in a scrappy way. Realistically, we needed to score early in order to make the game more comfortable.
But I'm not going to complain about three points and a rare clean sheet. Chelsea lost and Everton drew, so we gained ground of them, and we're now only a point off the top four, albeit Spurs have yet to play. We're unbeaten in four games in all competitions now and have winnable games against Sunderland and Blackburn coming up. With any luck, we can get a decent run of form together.
Let's pray that everyone stays fit in this mid-week international break.
Last edited by GoonerJay29 on Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
Jay29- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 19996
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 30
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
lmfao at the title
absolute hate that scummy rugby team. Disgrace to football.
We won
3 points, clean sheet and everton n chelsea dropped points.
absolute hate that scummy rugby team. Disgrace to football.
We won
3 points, clean sheet and everton n chelsea dropped points.
Last edited by RealGunner on Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
RealGunner- Admin
- Club Supported :
Posts : 89513
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
The blind linesman.
Great win, but we should have done better.
Stoke are shit and I hope they get relegated.
Great win, but we should have done better.
Stoke are shit and I hope they get relegated.
Raptorgunner- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 18057
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
happy that we got the deserved win..
Chelsea losing to Nouveauchateau..
But Everton scores in the last min to gain a point leaving us sixth..
Chelsea losing to Nouveauchateau..
But Everton scores in the last min to gain a point leaving us sixth..
Wilson37- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 2576
Join date : 2011-06-06
Age : 35
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Dat title
We got a...clean sheet??
We got a...clean sheet??
Eman- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 3029
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 31
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Raptorgunner wrote:The blind linesman.
Great win, but we should have done better.
Stoke are shit and I hope they get relegated.
stoke are shit but we are only 11 points ahead of em after 25 games lol...says alot about us too
Absolutely deserved win, sometimes you just gotta win how you gotta win! giroud's movements towards goal just has to improve! can't wait for diaby to be fit again man, his legwork.... :O
bloodless- Starlet
- Club Supported :
Posts : 592
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Gervias coming back soon?
Raptorgunner- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 18057
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
two back to back clean sheets vs stoke
Sina- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 9671
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 33
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Diaby was beasting in the middle today, now if only he could improve his decision in the final 3rd.
and Nacho had a solid debut, and showed flashes of whats to come.
Arteta and Jack started off badly by losing the ball and slipping a lot but improved in the 2nd half
and Nacho had a solid debut, and showed flashes of whats to come.
Arteta and Jack started off badly by losing the ball and slipping a lot but improved in the 2nd half
TalkingReckless- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 4200
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 32
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Another win against Sunderland next week would do us a world of good ahead of the Bayern match.
Our back four of Sagna-Merte-Kos-Monreal shouldn't be changed.
Cazorla as a sub wasn't as effective, but he needed some rest.
Our midfield suddenly has options with Diaby returning and Ramsey picking up some kind of form.
Our back four of Sagna-Merte-Kos-Monreal shouldn't be changed.
Cazorla as a sub wasn't as effective, but he needed some rest.
Our midfield suddenly has options with Diaby returning and Ramsey picking up some kind of form.
Rev- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 1708
Join date : 2012-08-01
Age : 28
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Really hate Stoke with a passion.
I'm so happy for this win, it feels like a trophy
I'm so happy for this win, it feels like a trophy
urbaNRoots- First of his name
- Club Supported :
Posts : 17215
Join date : 2011-08-11
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Solid debut by Monreal. Kept it simple and always acted like a 2nd winger in the end.
MOTM probably Wilshere/Podolski
MOTM probably Wilshere/Podolski
RealGunner- Admin
- Club Supported :
Posts : 89513
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Arsenal's formation? 4-2-3-1.
Stoke? 10-0-0
What a joke! That was not parking the bus. This was Stoke's defence.
Stoke? 10-0-0
What a joke! That was not parking the bus. This was Stoke's defence.
furiouswindbottom- Hot Prospect
- Club Supported :
Posts : 446
Join date : 2012-08-24
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Done with the write-up. Not a lot to say today since Stoke had no interest in playing a game of football.
Jay29- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 19996
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 30
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Went to the game, will post some pics and thoughts later.
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
start pondering if Gibbs or Monreal could play RB...?
it would b great if we can play with such two offensive wing backs.
it would b great if we can play with such two offensive wing backs.
evian- Prospect
- Club Supported :
Posts : 24
Join date : 2012-09-26
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Bad pics I know lol, but my iphone batter was basically empty.
RealGunner- Admin
- Club Supported :
Posts : 89513
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
We pretty much need a defensive fullback to counteract the offensive one. We concede enough goals as it is! Jenkinson and Bac still do enough offensively.evian wrote:start pondering if Gibbs or Monreal could play RB...?
it would b great if we can play with such two offensive wing backs.
Eman- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 3029
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 31
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Difference between this and Koscielny v City (red card)?
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
refs are always more lenient with fouls happening with aerial balls. Anything short of shoving the guy over to the ground while in the air seems like its almost never really given.Samuelj29060 wrote:
Difference between this and Koscielny v City (red card)?
The Dzeko ball was dropping right inbetween his feet
Its not really fair but thats how it seems to me
VendettaRed07- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 3447
Join date : 2012-08-09
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
I thought Diaby was rubbish. He was doing his best Denilson impression - sideways passing. Wasn't ambition with his running and getting into the box when Stoke clearly werent going to threaten in attack. His height, with Giroud would have presented the wingers with something to cross to.
Ox wasn't great either. I think he plays better on the right. A couple of times he got to the byline, but had to cut back in because he's not confident on his left foot.
Podolski and Carzola really added to the team. Carzola in particular was ambition with his running and passing. I thought Podolski should have come on earlier and played more centrally to take advantage of his long shot. Trying to pass our way into the goal clearly wasnt working. But we got the win in the end.
Ox wasn't great either. I think he plays better on the right. A couple of times he got to the byline, but had to cut back in because he's not confident on his left foot.
Podolski and Carzola really added to the team. Carzola in particular was ambition with his running and passing. I thought Podolski should have come on earlier and played more centrally to take advantage of his long shot. Trying to pass our way into the goal clearly wasnt working. But we got the win in the end.
silver- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 1305
Join date : 2011-07-20
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Such a drab game: sooo boring and lacked any real spark, The crowd seemed asleep too. Anything less than a win would've been another disaster. We won, so it's on to the next one.
SUPERCARTTS- Starlet
- Posts : 915
Join date : 2011-06-06
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
This has meme potential. If only we had a member of this section that specializes in memesSamuelj29060 wrote:
Eman- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 3029
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 31
Re: Arsenal 1 - 0 Stoke City: Men vs Orcs, Siege of the Black Gate
Eman wrote:This has meme potential. If only we had a member of this section that specializes in memesSamuelj29060 wrote:
In some countries that is consider rape.
Raptorgunner- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 18057
Join date : 2011-06-05
Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Page 1 of 2
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Today at 8:06 pm by El Gunner
» The Official Real Madrid 23 - 24 Matchday Thread
Today at 4:14 pm by The Madrid One
» The Lionel Messi Appreciation Thread & Fan Club IV
Today at 12:34 pm by Myesyats
» Kobbie Mainoo Watch
Today at 12:07 pm by Glory
» GL NBA fantasy 23-24
Today at 7:02 am by El Gunner
» Transfer Rumours V6
Today at 3:59 am by Myesyats
» The Official Final Fantasy thread
Yesterday at 8:41 pm by BarrileteCosmico
» The Official PlayStation 1 Gaming Threads
Yesterday at 7:34 pm by Vibe
» La Liga 2023/24
Yesterday at 6:34 pm by Nivash
» Lamine Yamal Hype thread
Yesterday at 12:02 pm by El Gunner
» General Games Discussion
Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:36 pm by Myesyats
» De Rossi
Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:02 pm by rincon
» The Official Dwayne Wade <<<<<< you thread
Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:40 am by Vibe