I do agree that we are better for sure with Gabriel and Saliba as a CB pairing - that really is obvious... but I think there are other factors that have influenced our slip defensively also.
Match Day Thread Aston Villa vs Arsenal - Matchday Thread
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I do agree that we are better for sure with Gabriel and Saliba as a CB pairing - that really is obvious... but I think there are other factors that have influenced our slip defensively also.
Sure - we've not been playing well generally since the Bayern game honestly.
But I think with Gabby and Saliba we wouldn't have concede half of the goals we have since.
I don't think we've actually played well all that much at all this season, it just got swept under the carpet a bit when we won a load of matches.
Man Utd - meh
Leeds - fine but they're rubbish
Liverpool - meh
Newcastle - q good
Port vale - meh
City - meh
Bilbao - q good
Forest - good
Brighton - meh
Palace - meh
Atletico - good
Fulham - meh
West ham - q good
Olympiakos - meh
Slavia - meh
Sunderland - meh
Burnley - q good
Spurs - good
Bayern - good
Chelsea - poor
Brentford - meh
Villa - meh
It doens't seem to matter who we play, we often play to their level but slightly above it. Very rarely put teams to the sword unless they're really gash. Atletico and Bayern are the only good team who have been soundly beaten.
This, we downgraded the upgrade !
But seriously, Emery has Arteta's number tactically.
Well this is what happens when you bring on a CF and then don't play to his strengths AT ALL !
This, I agree, we have probably really played well in about 5 games, we look clunky and devoid of ideas most of the time and we are certainly not playing to the strengths of quite a few of the players which to me is the obvious issue.
And can someone tell me why Arteta started the game with Eze wide left - a position he has been dogshit in for us - when he had Trossard and Martinelli available to play there ! Its stupid decisions like this that will cost us the title, bloody idiot.
The decision to play Eze wide left was baffling, especially as both Trossard and Martinelli were on the bench.
It's clear Eze is a central player. He is not even close to the ability of Martinelli in a wide position - or Trossard - for different reasons. Trossard gets into central positions from out wide much better and has chances to score and Martinelli is excellent in his defensive duties.
That decision alone cost us the game.
I can't blame Eze for sleeping on the goal we conceded - it's not easy to play the wide position in our team where tracking back and covering roaming FBs is a vital requirement.