Frustrating half and an injury. Not good. Welbeck out for several months on the back of that, I think...
Been the dominant side in the first half. Shame about the Wellbeck injury. Guendouzi been our most creative player.
Can anyone please tell me what Mkhitaryan offers us? Really losing patience with him... He never looks up when he dribbles with the ball. He just runs in a straight line without looking at what options he has/what passes he can make. So frustrating.
Haven't been impressed with Mkhitaryan since he joined. Offers little going forward and his passing is predictable.
Shame only one team showed up to win tonight. At least we are through. A point in either of our next two games and we finish top.
Annoying result. I know we've already qualified, but I really hate teams that just set out to defend and waste time from the moment they set foot onto the pitch. That's what they did. They set out to get a point and they got it. Utterly dull. Sporting showed absolutely no ambition at all in that game. No intent to get forward, no intent to have a go. I really hoped we'd get a late goal just to make them squirm in their final few games, but unfortunately, that point will probably be enough to see them qualify along with us. They had 2 shots in the entire game and I don't even remember when they were. That's what pisses me off more than anything. A Pulis and Allardyce masterclass if I've ever seen one. That being said, the decision-making from our players in the final third tonight was honestly shocking. Mkhitaryan made one good cross in the entire game, which Aubameyang should have scored from as it was laid on a plate for him. The rest of the time, he was taking too long to decide what to do. Ramsey too showing yet again why we are not willing to give him a new contract. Pirouetting with the ball, trying lots of cutbacks and back heels, but did absolutely NOTHING of substance. Created absolutely nada and, similarly to Micky, wanted too much time on the ball. As impressive as Iwobi's been this season, his final ball was very bad tonight. Expected much better from him, but at least with him I'm willing to cut him some slack because he's made clear improvements from last season. Micky and Ramsey, I wouldn't bat an eyelid if I never saw them in an Arsenal shirt again.
Joe Cole: If I was Auba I would wanna score goals like Aguero and Kane. In premier league: Auba 7 goals Aguero 7 goals Kane 6 goals
We werent good enough, 2 shots on target with 71% possession. Yes Sporting did a Stoke on us but we really didnt have any cutting edge about us tonight, we looked more like the Wenger team of old. Missed Ozil, Lacazette and Torreria tonight.
Also, it's amazing that, despite being 31 years of age and not being a Man United player anymore, Nani is still a massive **** . The guy was feigning injury, rolling around, pretending he had cramp & moaning at the officials. He spent more time arguing and rolling over than doing anything with the ball at his feet. If we meet Sporting again in this competition at a later time, I hope we smash them to pieces. So many ****ers in their team. Coates, Cunha, Nani, that Luis fella. All of them are absolute ****ers.
Poor in the final 3rd tonight. Mhkitaryan really needs to step up his game, otherwise Riess Nelson will take his place and Micky will be a washed up 30 year old being shipped out of the club in the not distant future. Ramsey is toast. I was disappointed when the club withdrew the contract offer, but now I can see why they have. He has patches of good form but overall he's been a pretty average player for us. Tonight he just reminded me of those years where he was getting dogs abuse for trying silly little flicks and tricks when a simple ball will do. Poor night tonight, although we have qualified. Worrying injuries to Welbeck and perhaps more importantly to Lichsteiner.
They are the filthiest side I have seen in a long time. Genuinely hope they get destroyed by whoever they face in the 2nd round (if its a CL team)
I agree we majorly lacked creativity, but to be honest, Sporting aren't a good side. They're actually a very poor outfit. We played second string sides against them in both games and outplayed them in both games. Our attacking players didn't turn up unfortunately, which made their task of parking the bus a whole lot easier. I don't think we needed any of Ozil, Lacazette or Torreira to put them away. The players on the pitch are good enough, they just weren't at the races tonight. It happens.
