Stoke 3 - 2 Arsenal: Another terrible trip to Mordor

Well, what can you say? More often than not, I'm writing with considerably more questions than answers regarding the state of Arsenal. I really don't want to repeat anything I've already said this season but, unfortunately, a lot of what applied to our other defeats this year apply to this one as well. Just copy and paste.

This team is bipolar, seemingly switching between a competent, promising side to a collection of morons by the week. We're not strangers to going away from home and losing the game in the opening exchanges but to do it against a Stoke team with hardly any form was a new low. 19 seconds in, the first cross they put in, results in a goal and that set the tone for a half where only one side bothered to show up. Stoke ran riot, outplaying us at everything without even stepping over the line. Arsenal were weak, showing barely a fraction of Stoke's desire, and squandering whatever opportunities they made. If there was one moment that encapsulated the difference in attitude in the first half, it was Giroud, possibly our strongest player, falling to the floor like a sack of spuds expecting a free-kick when faced with just a little physicality, then having a moan when he didn't get the free-kick.

It's things like that that gets us labelled as soft and it's hard to dispute. We weren't up for it at all in that first half and the game was lost. Each goal conceded was horrible defending, a far cry from the defensive solidity shown in the last three wins. Perhaps this suggests that the true leader of the defence is not Mertesacker, but Koscielny. And no doubt Wenger will comment on the inexperience of the defence, but who was it that didn't buy an experienced defender to replace Vermaelen and left us in a situation where two 19 year olds are our backup?

I don't know what was said at half-time, but we went out in the second half and actually played. We got some luck with the refereeing decisions and got two quick-isk goals to get back into the game, but the we lost momentum and had Chambers sent off for a couple of soft challenges. It's fantastic that Arsenal finally show some battling qualities when they're 3-0 down in a game. I really have to question why they can never show this attitude from the start; why we always seems to start games with little to no intensity. Be it home or away, it'll always take us a while to really get going, and that's been the case for so long now.

It's so frustrating because it's not like Arsenal are incapable of battling and being gritty in these tough away games. They did it plenty of times last season and the year before. But it's almost like Arsenal will only show them when they want to, or when things are really desperate, and that's not right at all. That attitude to games is just completely wrong.

So, where does that leave us now? We can't seem to put a good run together. Earlier in the season we won a couple of games back-to-back, but then threw away a three goal lead against Anderlecht, lost to Swansea and then United. We just beat Dortmund, West Brom and Southampton with three clean sheets, but have just got thumped at Stoke. Galatasaray, Newcastle and Liverpool to come - are things really going to get better? Are we ever going to turn a corner this season?

See, more questions than answers. I don't see many signs that the penny will finally drop and we'll find consistency again. I see a talented but highly inconsistent group of players, blighted by injuries, as per usual, lead by a manager that's lost a lot of his mojo but every now and then finds it again to fool the fans into thinking everything will be okay, at least for a couple of weeks.

Naturally, I hope things improve. I hope that we can win five or six on the bounce, and that this season becomes fun. But the way we're going, we'll end up 7th or 8th. The rest of the league will really have to be shit for us to finish in the top four.

when you think things cant get worse, Arsenal turns up with new ways to frustrate the fans..
we cant complain much today.. lost the game in the first half itself.. 3-0 against Stoke..?!! it has been years and still our defenders dont know how to keep out a cross.. and hatsoff to Wenger who dreams that he can challenge for the title with this defence.. this was evident in the initial few months when Monreal-Metskr pair was struggling.. just hope that more teams wont spot this weakness and target it..
first half we had a single shot on target with Giroud going back to his usual himself.. no movement, missing free headrs, losing balls and crying to the referee.. and amazing that Craporla is starting every match for Arsenal.. we looked better in second half with Welbeck moving and trying to take the ball forward.. gave a fight and came back to 3-2.. but the retarded referee killed the game.. still Chambers is picking up too man cards for shirt pulling and pushing, and he cant do that atleast when he is on a yellow..
Gibbs final balls and crosses are terrible.. 0 improvement over the last many years.. and no idea what Flamini was doing at RB.. should have thrown him out when we were 3 down itself.. Sanchez looking tired but still had his moments of brilliance and ended looking a frustrated figure.. even his penalty stolen by Cazorla.. and credits to the referee who gave cards for all the small fouls by Arsenal but couldnt see the same way when it was by Stoke players..
overall the signs are really bad.. and i would only fancy us winning our 4th place trophy, that too just because Spuds, Liverpool and Everton have been equally crap..

No Premier League player has been shown a yellow card more times than Calum Chambers this season.

too many average players in this side:

wilshere
ramsey
flamini
arteta
gibbs
giroud
welbeck
cazorla
chambers.

some of the players listed have potential to be top class players but that is just potential, as it stands RIGHT NOW, they are all average. especially the 4 highlighted in bold, these four cant be the hub of a midfield looking to win major honours, the likes of ramsey and wilshere should be sporadic squad players not starters. until we get a new manager, things wont change, not getting cesc was CRIMINAL.

how on earth is Ramsey average after having seen what he can do last season..?
i agree that Cazorla and Giroud were always average players..

Wilson37 wrote:how on earth is Ramsey average after having seen what he can do last season..?
i agree that Cazorla and Giroud were always average players..

Can't you make that exact same argument for Cazorla?

REWB wrote:too many average players in this side:

wilshere
ramsey
flamini
arteta
gibbs
giroud
welbeck
cazorla
chambers.

some of the players listed have potential to be top class players but that is just potential, as it stands RIGHT NOW, they are all average. especially the 4 highlighted in bold, these four cant be the hub of a midfield looking to win major honours, the likes of ramsey and wilshere should be sporadic squad players not starters. until we get a new manager, things wont change, not getting cesc was CRIMINAL.

Saying that Ramsey is average

Flamini isn't suitable, but at least Arteta has class, only that he's gotten old. Wilshere is good, but doesn't always know what to do.

Gibbs, Giroud, Welbeck, Cazorla and Chambers aren't average.

Raptorgunner wrote:

"Look, for them [Stoke], it is the game of the year..."

Banter.

It's true. Stoke fans look forward to games against us more than any other team. Still no excuse not to match their intensity or, failing that, find a way to cope with it without caving in after 19 seconds.

It's been the same way every time we've gone their since Stoke came up in 2009. We have a single win there. By now, you'd think Wenger would know what to expect and have a way of dealing with that...

But as we all know, that's just not something Wenger does.

Art Morte wrote:

REWB wrote:too many average players in this side:

wilshere
ramsey
flamini
arteta
gibbs
giroud
welbeck
cazorla
chambers.

some of the players listed have potential to be top class players but that is just potential, as it stands RIGHT NOW, they are all average. especially the 4 highlighted in bold, these four cant be the hub of a midfield looking to win major honours, the likes of ramsey and wilshere should be sporadic squad players not starters. until we get a new manager, things wont change, not getting cesc was CRIMINAL.

Saying that Ramsey is average

Flamini isn't suitable, but at least Arteta has class, only that he's gotten old. Wilshere is good, but doesn't always know what to do.

Gibbs, Giroud, Welbeck, Cazorla and Chambers aren't average.

i dont care about how many goals he scored last season, i care about his general play week in week out. even last season he was average at everything bar scoring goals, and now this season he cant even score anymore. he might start scoring again but overrall i dont care. he doesnt know how to dominate a midfield and his passing is average.

those players are either average or slightly above average, makes no difference, still not good enough.

i mean seriously what the hell is your definition of average? if a player like chambers isnt average in his current level wtf is average to you? dont get me wrong the guy has a good future if he continues to develop, but atm he is average, same as the rest in red. however, not everyone highlighted has the potential to be better like him, so they need to be replaced.

REWB wrote:i dont care about how many goals he scored last season, i care about his general play week in week out. even last season he was average at everything bar scoring goals, and now this season he cant even score anymore. he might start scoring again but overrall i dont care. he doesnt know how to dominate a midfield and his passing is average.

That's not true - last season Ramsey's stats for tackling & assists were also very good ... i.e., statistically, numerically, demonstrably above the average. He was on fire as an all-rounder last year. He was good at almost everything. He worked hard defensively, he was all over the pitch, he dribbled well ...

While it's true Ramsey this season has been a shadow of last season's player, it's pure revisionism to suggest that in 13/14 he was just an average midfielder whose only standout feature was goals.

Wenger keeps talking on how our defenders played shit but he never does enough to change the situation. Still cant understand why didnt buy another defender when he sold Vermaelen.

djoe26 wrote:Wenger keeps talking on how our defenders played shit but he never does enough to change the situation. Still cant understand why didnt buy another defender when he sold Vermaelen.

wenger had the summer to buy defensive reinforcements and did  nothing. Gambled on our season once again to prove a point. We start the game with 9.5 man, Falmini is useless and Mert is waste.

Was anyone surprised that Santi played as CB today.

Anyone else getting sick of football?

RealGunner wrote:Anyone else getting sick of football?

Nah. I am kept alive by the pipe dream that we might just drop 350m this summer on Pogba, Javi Martinez, Hummels, Balanta, Reus, Cavani, Yoann Gourcuff, Mbaye Niang, Hatem ben Arfa, and Yann M'Vila so that we finally have a squad that will win the sextuple.



Seriously though, I know the feeling, it's awful for something that's supposed to be an entertaining pastime rip your guts out in the same dull way on a regular basis.

There's a reason I follow two teams now.

Yeap me here RG, I actually playing Far Cry 4 after we got hammered 1st half, those 3 wins were paper over crack and of course like countless times before, put our hope up just to crushed it like that.

few years ago i would feel more depressed after such defeats
now i don't know if just used to it or just age factor. whatever

crazy thing is in offensive sense it wasn't typical stoke away fixture with absolute No space and 10 opp players behind the ball
for large part we were afforded lots of space and just Not efficient sigh

better not comment about defending

GoonerJay29 wrote:There's a reason I follow two teams now.

Maybe I should develop my long dormant interest in Eintracht Frankfurt (the first professional club I ever saw play, over two decades ago) ... and also pay a little more attention to my local MLS team next season ...

We have gone through worse times. That season where 8-2 happened and we struggled till the last 15 odd games. That was probably the worst season I can remember.

But now it often feels like a chore at times. I agree with Sina that I don't feel as depressed as I used to. Most likely it's the same with many of you.

Maybe we are getting more de-synthesised with defeats. Maybe it's the same old shit season in season out that it doesn't affect us anymore. Don't get me wrong, winning the FA Cup was the best thing ever. But that seems long forgotten.

Maybe it's because of that I really don't feel like watching any games. Not seen La liga properly in ages.

Ah well. Could just be an age thing. More important things in life.

At least in that 11/12 season we had a rubbish squad as an excuse for the crap start. This season we don't even have that excuse. That makes it worse, imo.

The big thing for me is that it's all becoming monotonous. Year on year things don't get better or worse in the end; we just move sideways all the time. I mean, we could have a really good second half of the season, but that'd make this season no different to 11/12 or 12/13. Then in the transfer window we'll buy players but won't address our most pressing needs. Then we'll hope for good season and that'll hope will disappear before too long and we're left discussing Wenger's future.

All the while we play this passing game that has a reputation for being so great but only lives up to that reputation a couple of times per season while every other game just bores me.

My number one reason for wanting a new manager now is actually so we have someone different, whatever that manager brings to the table.

Yep agreed.

I don't think we will ever win away to stoke under Arsene. I don't think we will beat a big team under Arsene. Or United. Some of these things, you just know will never happen anymore. Arsene is still a top manager. But it's all rinse and repeat with him. Like you, I want to see how a different manager will bring changes.

Of course it can go bad like it happened with United and Liverpool. But it can also turn good. But above all, it will bring difference. We haven't played fluid football consistently in ages. At times we play great. but that only lasts for about 30 odd minutes. Next match we are as lethargic as ever.

We have said this for the last 3-4 years now. I can't wait for this season to end. And we are in december...