Thing is arsenal midfiekd and forwards are all midgets so no point kicking long as just giving the ball away 99% of the time. It’s a calculated risk. Yes, sometimes means will get caught, especially against better teams but much like us playing the high line, it’s going to work and have more positives than negatives. Thankfully when we got the high line wrong we had Ali to save us most of the time. Arsenal are doing it closer to their goal so the risk is slightly higher but obviously it’s the way arteta sees best to get them up the pitch. They’re also still a youngish team and learning so there’s going to be mistakes, but that’s the only way they learn. I think arteta has done a good job there. Got them playing nice football and is a clear identity that the fans and players can see
yeah but look at the system employed by city 3241 or whatever. there's space in the full back channel to run in and never have to compete. Arsenal made it too easy for city to push right up and cover the short ball that was coming 100% of the time. They never changed it up and made city think twice. IMO Guardiola spotted this and made changes (his first line up was just about disastrous with saka having silva for breakfast) both goals second half were won off LB slot by players pushing right onto zinchenko/ gabriel/ xhaka axis. arsenal are trying it on in the 6 yard area. along their goal line. its ridiculously deep. but the issue is they are not even trying to get turned to see the press coming or pick the next pass. especially later in games. If you watch us under a press matip might start "ok" but second half he'll get lazier and lazier in getting into the wide CB slot faced the right way to recieve the ball from alisson. He then has to turn to do anything so if he's pressed that ball is headed straight back to the keeper and we are into risk and clearance. All cos one man has shorted his team by not getting himself into the receiving spot later in the game. same goes for trent. he doesn't want to open his body at all sometimes. he will shut himself off form the forward pass to avoid any risk and the ball is headed right back to matip. same for salah. as a left footer he cannot take it in on the half turn on the right wing. He takes it in square if under and pressure so its always going straight back where it came from. Its a bug bear of mine as all thats needed to speed up play is just that tiny little extra effort to be in the right place in the right shape to move the ball on.
I think personally the bigger issue for them is europa and its always going to be a challenge to utd but arsenal have a new bonus this seaosn. Group winners get a bye to last 16. That gives arsenal a little time now to work on things for the next games but then they will be loaded up in the last 16.
a lot of sides seem to be paying the price of the world cup now. bournemouth have 6 Cheslea 6 Brighton 5 leeds 9 man utd 7 forest 10 newcastle 9 (marginal ones in there) west ham 7 wolves 6 It seems to me that the world cup effect has been: a) short preseason b) busy first session c) 6 weeks off for hlaf the players and the other half doing whatever if they were at world cup d) really busy festive session packed in dec/January. We just seem to have had them "early" as injuries and are recovering.
They're not finished signing players yet. They're only half way through their splurge. Squad still far too small.
BTW nketiah missed 3 sitters last night. 2 headers is put wide and one cross he went at with right foot rather than left and he missed. any contact is a goal. when your main striker is as bad as Darwin nunez you will lose
question: would you support Nottingham forest in getting a player no longer registered with Premier league 25man squad put back on due to injuries. they reportedly have 10 injuries in a 25 man squad and this would not include available u21s.
Just read up on it. It's because they only have 2 available CB's. I think they should just have to get on with it like all other clubs do.
varane just man handled lewandowski in the box. no pen. what kind of bribery does that take at the nou camp as well
I think it's cheeky as sin to ask and they should be made an example of. Just a public rebuke that everyone is crystal clear it ain't happening and worse if you can't field a side out of 25 plus kids it's no problem, walkover will be awarded What's to stop Chelsea asking to swap some of their 400 player in just cos they can in future?
