Match Day Thread Liverpool vs Arsenal - Matchday Thread

Watched it on mute at a bbq with brother in law on skygo without any bbc feed or social media either. Just silent game. We both thought both teams were poor and boring. Baffling comments coming out now saying Arsenal played not to lose and ‘football won’ with Liverpool scoring and winning. Both teams were as mediocre as the other.

and Havertz was absolutely ****e for us for months when he first joined, what are you on about? Rice also took a month or two before he really started playing well.

Zubi will be fine and is one of the best in the world. Madueke looks very good.

odd that Dowman came on ahead of Nwaneri.

Eze surely has to be starting on the left from now on.

Sell Martinelli to Saudi now to get some cashola.

 

Yeah you made the CL semi final and finished 2nd but never really looked like winning either.

I actually think your best chance of winning the league was the first year you challenged and had a big league but you dropped points to us (who finished bottom) to West Ham in the space of a week or so. Had you won both those games then you could have afforded to lose at City and likely wouldn't have collapsed like you did.

Even the season after a win at home to Villa near the end of the season would have won you it so I don't think it's as simple as City were too good.

I think your style to watch since last season is one of the worst in the country at the minute and pretty embarrassing considering how much money you've spent. More dull than any 'top' side I can remember in the last 20 years.

 

Disagree on Havertz - he was very active in his first few months winning the ball in midfield. He helped the team and made us play better. He just didn't score.
I'll never buy into the ridiculous Havertz hate of the time - so we can leave the debate there and agree to disagree.

Whatever the story on Havertz, we broke our single season scoring record with him in the team.
Gyokeres may need more time, but what he is showing is worrying if we are expecting him to be the guy who makes the difference - and that is what he will be judged on because that has been the cry from the fans. Sign a 'proper' striker and we win the league.
I am not offering him any excuses because other players have not got the same.

We must break through the 90 goal mark as a team (at least) and win the league for the signing to have been worthwhile.
Right now I think we have made a big mistake and am hoping I can change that view in the weeks and months to come.

 

Agree. We were boring and over cautious today.

We need to start taking some chances and liven things up a bit. We might still lose but at least we’ll give it a go

today was so flat and placid. We’ve got players who can open things up and Arteta just wanted to sit back and play it safe today

 

I think it's harsh, We play different ways in different games.

 

A bit of perspective, If Liverpool were missing...

Salah
Szobozlai
Van Dijk
Gakpo

would they have beaten us today?

Surely that's the Equivalent to..Saliba, Saka, Odegaard and Havertz being missing for us?

 

2 of them played

PS what does Arteta do to your players in training as they keep getting injured ?

 

What? Saliba didn't play.. He was off after 4 mins.

and Odegaard wasn't fit - played 20 mins.

But yeah I do think there's an overtraining / coaching issue at the moment.

 

so they did play
thanks for confirming .

 

Sure, but doesn’t excuse our approach today or the lack of quality in midfield and attack.
The backwards and sideways passing has to stop. We waste 2/3rds of our possession doing nothing. Too often we refuse shots and forward passes into threatening areas - playing it safe instead. We’re ripe for goal like today costing us the match.

 

My silence has been due to me being on a family holiday, this bloody result made my already foul mood (mosquitoes and general hatred of package holidays) way worse !! I cannot believe what I saw, from the cowardly starting lineup to the game. What the **** is Arteta doing ?!!!

This is 100% down to a stupid system, I agree totally with TheBear on that ! He is not playing to anyone's strengths, Martinelli looks clueless, we have zero creativity, you bring in a prolific striker then don't play to his strengths, incredible cowardice and stupidity from Arteta

 

Jay, I like Havertz but don't go over the top ! The way we play suits Havertz, that doesn't make him better than anyone though, he is just as likely to miss the target than hit it when through on goal. Gyokeres is a miles better finisher and goal scorer than Havertz. If Arteta doesn't play to his strengths he won't look good, nobody will. Do you really believe Zubimendi who starts for Spain isn't good enough ?? Do you think Rice is a plodding midfielder ? Nobody looks good in Arteta's system apart from Havertz and Saka, everyone else is marginalised.

 

I just can't see through that starting midfield ! Zubimendi, Merino, Rice. If you had Merino and Rice anchoring and giving Zubimendi creative licence, fine. Could've had Rice and Zubimendi in a double pivot to ensure the midfield doesn't get overrun then have either Eze or Nwaneri as the CAM lynchpin, nothing wrong with that. To start the way we did provided zero creativity. Arteta is anti football.