Rival Watch / Other Teams
- Thread starter PINKIE
- Start date
-
Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
-
Liverpool don't change though do they?
Always turn up for the big games against Top 4 sides, yet then drop points to relegation candidates.
That's always been their problem, which is the exact opposite to Arsenal's problems of recent years where you always hammer the bottom ten teams but fail to measure up in the head to heads amongst the teams around you.
Liverpool have beaten Chelsea, City and Arsenal this season,
Yet you look at where most of their points have been dropped, and its against teams in midtable or lower.
Sunderland, Burnley, Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton
They never seem to be able to get themselves gee'd up against smaller opposition.
Yet you look at where most of their points have been dropped, and its against teams in midtable or lower.
Sunderland, Burnley, Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton
They never seem to be able to get themselves gee'd up against smaller opposition.
Spurs have been mighty impressive in this game, such a powerful team, they have just shut Chelsea down.
Credit where it's due. They've been really good.
Yep, but I am pretty confident that we will somehow find a way to finish in the top four. Groundhog Day **** and all that.
I think well finish above spurs. United, Liverpool, Chelsea and City all look better than us though. United I thought would be the other team to miss out but they've started scoring more and winning now which is worrying.
At the moment I would predict..
6.United have a too offensive squad for Mourinho to really get the best out of.
5.Liverpool are too inconsistent and will drop points against the 'smaller' sides.
4. Arsenal have a good squad but Wenger is too stubborn to change anything so you can expect the standard late Feb/Early March meltdown.
3. I'm not sure about Spurs but I see them going on a good run.
2. City have an awful defence. Yaya and Silva are pasts their best but Guardiola knows how to win.
1.Chelsea still look like clear favourites for the title, would be interesting to see how they handle a couple of big injuries though.
It pains me to say, but Spurs' first XI are a lot better to watch than we are. And if we're going to be honest with ourselves, it's been like this since the start of last season.
They have such a good balance in their team. Water-tight at the back, strength & creativity in midfield, a prolific finisher in Kane. I'd say their main weakness is probably a lack of depth in a couple of positions and there are still question marks on the mental aspect of their game, but nonetheless, they are a very strong outfit.
I really hope this trend changes soon because there isn't a huge disparity in quality between the two sides any longer. We need to improve. Fast.
They have such a good balance in their team. Water-tight at the back, strength & creativity in midfield, a prolific finisher in Kane. I'd say their main weakness is probably a lack of depth in a couple of positions and there are still question marks on the mental aspect of their game, but nonetheless, they are a very strong outfit.
I really hope this trend changes soon because there isn't a huge disparity in quality between the two sides any longer. We need to improve. Fast.
Yes and No. They are more solid than us - I still think at our best we are the better attacking side. As you say we also have better depth in squad.
Arsenal have more X factor than spurs. What Spurs are really good at is that they are very solid and well drilled in dominating matches and the ball because they are so powerful.
Some interesting posts above and a real compliment to hear praise from Arsenal and Chelsea fans 
I don't say this out of wishful arrogance, but I honestly believe that the difference between Arsenal and Spurs over the last few seasons can be summed up in 2 words: Alexis Sanchez.
I look at your team and honestly wouldn't take anyone else other than him. Our defensive 5 is probably the best in the league (statistically is too after last night's game), Wanyama and Dembele's physical prowess and ability to carry the ball forward under pressure (Wanyama has proven surprisingly good at this), and the threat of Eriksen/Alli/Lamela/Kane makes us an exceptionally tough team to play against. What we currently lack is a player who is truly world class (although Alli and Kane have all the attributes to develop into this category of player). Since Bale left, we haven't really had someone who operates on a different wavelength to everything around him, and can turn the tide of a game with one moment of outrageous brilliance. Sanchez is a wonderful player to watch and possibly the best all-round attacking player in the league right now. I'd say that Aguero and Hazard can match him on their day, but besides for them who else is there?
Last season surely had you guys worrying that St Totteringham's Day would never come? I cannot tell you how pissed off I was when it did, but I took comfort from the fact that we lost fewer games than you, scored more, conceded less and had our players bothered turning up for the last 2 games of the season, could well have finished 5 points clear of you despite ultimately missing out on the title.
I don't say this out of wishful arrogance, but I honestly believe that the difference between Arsenal and Spurs over the last few seasons can be summed up in 2 words: Alexis Sanchez.
I look at your team and honestly wouldn't take anyone else other than him. Our defensive 5 is probably the best in the league (statistically is too after last night's game), Wanyama and Dembele's physical prowess and ability to carry the ball forward under pressure (Wanyama has proven surprisingly good at this), and the threat of Eriksen/Alli/Lamela/Kane makes us an exceptionally tough team to play against. What we currently lack is a player who is truly world class (although Alli and Kane have all the attributes to develop into this category of player). Since Bale left, we haven't really had someone who operates on a different wavelength to everything around him, and can turn the tide of a game with one moment of outrageous brilliance. Sanchez is a wonderful player to watch and possibly the best all-round attacking player in the league right now. I'd say that Aguero and Hazard can match him on their day, but besides for them who else is there?
Last season surely had you guys worrying that St Totteringham's Day would never come? I cannot tell you how pissed off I was when it did, but I took comfort from the fact that we lost fewer games than you, scored more, conceded less and had our players bothered turning up for the last 2 games of the season, could well have finished 5 points clear of you despite ultimately missing out on the title.
Disagree, most times I've seen Spurs play this season they've been **** and boring to watch regardless of the result. Didn't find them good to watch yesterday either. It was a really boring first half of football in particular.
They've got positives to the team but being really good to watch I don't think is one of them this season. They are solid and physical with a few players who can get a goal.
But on a consistent basis, how often have we been at our best this season? We've rarely shown it and any Arsenal fan who's been happy with the majority of our performances has to have some low expectations because we're not performing as well as we're capable of.
I agree about squad depth and that could be their downfall later on in the season, but based on first XI's, for me, theirs has been playing better football overall than ours.
Fair enough.
As I've said before, I guess we all see the game differently.
For me - and this is in the Premier League at least because I've not really watched their European games - I've been more impressed with their performances than ours for most of the season. Maybe it's because I myself enjoy observing the powerful, high-intensity, hard-running pressing style generally that I feel like they've been playing better than us, as well as how well they maintain their discipline. Because although they show a lot of attacking intent, they rarely look like conceding on the break/when they're not in possession in a lot of their games. And a solid defensive performance does impress me as much as a lethal attacking display. It's important to mix it up.
We didn't really show much of anything you've described up until a month or so ago - specifically following a limp defeat at Old Trafford. What kept us in the hunt is what others have mentioned - Poch has us extremely well drilled and every player seems to know his role inside out back to front. The improvement seen in Rose and Walker since he took over has been meteoric. They used to be our worst culprits in terms of wandering out of position, suicidal back passes and switching off, but are now probably the best FB pairing in the country. We had it tough early on in the season with multiple key players out injured but now that (almost) everyone is back and fully fit, we are finally starting to get out of 2nd gear.