20 touches in the box and 0 shots on target. Newcastle have had 7 touches in the box and are winning the game...
What is Havertz's role today? He's not running the channels, he's not creating chances, he's not pinning centre halves, he's not occupying defenders. I don't understand what the plan is meant to be.
This really is not good at all. Need to make changes because the league is slipping away here and we're then in a top 4 fight.
HT. 1-0. Considering what the stakes are the permutations for our season, this has been a poor showing. It looks like our plan is just to pass it to Saka and hope he can do something. We're too passive and laborious in midfield, no-one providing any spark, no-one trying to break them down and no-one creating space/dragging players out of position. Trossard has probably been our worst player this season, yet he keeps starting him, and starting him in a position where he's not even good. Seriously, by the time Arteta realises the issue, we are going to be out of the title race. The set-up is not helping us. Arteta better find a way to sort this out otherwise we're in a CL battle, not a title battle. Really, really not good enough.
First time I have seen this in a while, but there is a total lack of belief recently. Runs not being made, safe passes being taken, mis-controls, over hit passes. Big half time talk coming up and a huge half for our season
If we don't win this game, with Inter away and Chelsea away round the corner, Arteta is going to be under severe pressure. Our league season is in serious jeopardy and it's hanging on by a thread currently. This shouldn't be the case given how much time and money he's had.
Nwaneri on for Trossard White on for Rice Move Partey to 6 Rice needs to be benched for a while - he is having a poor season. Trossard has been terrible.
Agree with this except I'd take Merino off and move Partey into midfield. Partey, Rice and Nwaneri gives us better balance IMO. I don't think Arteta will do it, though. Or he'll do it when we're running out of time and he does it out of desperation.
To be a little fair - our schedule has been horrendous. Never seen such a quantity of really tough games condensed into the start of the season like this. Not an excuse, but we were always going to be behind in the league after 10 or so games. The football has fallen off a cliff though - we don;t seem to have the same fight. We could even be demoralised after having at least 5 points taken off us by the PGMOL. Who knows, but something is very wrong right now.
45 seconds into the half and Willock was almost through on goal 1v1. I genuinely can't believe he's watched that half and thought we don't need any changes.
Saka having to do so much work because he's being doubled/tripled up on, yet he's being given no support.
They're bringing Tonali on to give them more impetus in the middle and Arteta is still twiddling his thumbs, not making any changes from an already dysfunctional set-up.
Now we are starting to play a bit better, but again, this has come too late. Why have we only given ourselves a half an hour window to do something? We've just wasted 60 minutes having no impact, this should have happened so much earlier.
Can't come back from the performances we've put in over the last month. Looks to me like the players have given up.
He's only just come on. Don;t think we can level anything at him. TBH Nwaneri , Zinny, Jesus have also been utterly useless.
