The referees should really crack down on keepers holding the ball for more than the permitted 6 seconds. The penalty is an indirect free kick where the keeper is standing. A few yellow or red cards shown would soon keep the game flowing. I think Foster did it at least 6 times in the game
[QUOTE="D.G.C] What's there about which to be positive?[/QUOTE] 40 goals so far this year for Harry Kane
Poor application...Poch needs to come up with something different. Personally I think he needs to bring the likes of Alli and Son off the bench against these teams. If they can only play in bursts then they should only get the last 30 or so. Plus at least we have some real quality coming off the bench. I’m thinking like what Conte did against us when he brought on Costa and Hazard in the cup semi last week. They exposed the weary minds and gazumped us. Alli isn’t giving us 90 minutes nor is Eriksen.
We shouldn’t be relying on the ref to help us against this shower of ****. I can see why we are a different team in the CL...you get teams that play football in that comp and that allows us to play our natural game. No excuses though...we should be beating these teams. Poch needs to come up with something interesting
We need players prepared to take on defenders, only Sonny, Dembele and to some extent Kane tried it today.
Don't underestimate the effect of the CL game this week. We're well into the cycle of two games per week. Add to that the travelling etc and it's bound to have some effect on performance. Utd suffered today too. The players might be professional athletes but they suffer fatigue, aches and pains etc like everybody else. Even if it just takes 5% away from their ability to perform at the level required, it can make the difference in the PL against a team who have had a week's rest.
People were robbed of their entrance fee for 60 mins of this game. Who selected this starting line-up., was it the Sun Newspaper or was it the Arsenal Weekly. We will not win many games this season with Winks started and it is abundantly crystal to me that Poch is bowing to media pressure to play the lad. I am sick to the back teeth watch this lad continually give short passes to the nearest player behind him... or for that matter, who-ever is standing 2yrds next to him. We are missing Wanyama and Toby to an extent and Rose to a greater extent. 2 points gifted to all the other teams in the top four. What a f**k up today has been. Where's the Rum...
For me, part of the problem is we're lacking some grit in midfield with Wanyama out and Dier drafted into defence with Toby out. The issue is there isn't a solution to this which doesn't involve throwing somebody in at the deep end, either Foyth at the back or really taking a risk with one of Oakley-Booth, Duncan or Roles in midfield - and as we know all too well from Janssen or Kaboul's first stint, throwing people in at the deep end can create additional problems.
I am am fan of Winks, however, I'd be first to admit he didn't cover himself with glory today. Having said that if we come up against a team like PSG, he must start. Keep giving away the ball to them and we will get slaughtered. Today we came up against a team who tried, and for the most part stopped us playing. To beat such teams we need players who will take on defenders. So Dembele, Rose, Sonny and when available Lamela should start. Furthermore, we should bid for Doucoure in January.
I agree...as good as Winks has been, he’s not playmaking enough to be a starter for a team aiming for the top. This is what I respect about Mourinho. Rashford is a media darling and the next big thing but he’s not affective enough for the 90 so he is rotated with Martial, in game. Ultimately our squad is not good enough
It is alarming to think that by the end of the weekend we could be as low as 6th in the table and just 3 points above Watford in 8th. Alli and Eriksen have been disappointing for a while now. Other than the Real game I can't recall another time in the past 2 months that either of them took the game by the scruff of the neck. We are urgently missing Wanyama's strength and drive in the middle of the park. Dainty feet doesn't do it against the cave-men of West brom. Those having a go at Winks need to remember that he is in his first full season playing in a depleted and severely underperforming midfield. Cut the lad some slack. Trippier is firmly back on my scapegoat list. His ineffectiveness is shocking. There seems to be no ambition or daring until things get desperate. Lamela's return cannot come soon enough, if only to remind Alli and Eriksen that they are not invincible. Barkley in January and I seriously think we need to think about ditching the colossal waste of time that is GKN and bringing in a proper pacy trickster who Poch will actually use. This bus-parking problem isn't remotely unique to Wembley. We have faced it in increasing intensity over the past 2 seasons and only overcame it last season with strength in the middle and pace down the flanks. We currently lack both. I expect us to beat Leicester not because they are worse than WBA but because Rose, Aurier and potentially Dembele will be starting.
Both. It is littered with players who are simply never going to be more than stocking fillers. The bigger and simpler problem is that 2 of our best players throughout last season have long-term injuries and most teams would struggle in that position.
So why didn’t we? Who can we throw on to have an impact? Whoever comes on for us has to be in the mood or we can forget it. I know we are missing Lamela to provide real competition for the attacking 3 behind Kane but what of the others that are on the bench? What do they bring?
I’ll cut Winks some slack but he isn’t affective at all...neat, yes but not affective and maybe should be coming off the bench. A few injuries and we are scraping the barrel for inspiration
