In my opinion. Beaten for the header on the first, nowhere to be seen on the second. More culpable than Arshavin definitely.
It's not just the goal (Arshavin was culpable anyway) but the fact that the substitution took the wind out of our sails and gave the impetus to united
Yes, you win as a team and lose as a team, but that doesn't mean that individual errors don't cost. Vermaelen allowed Valencia in goal-side on the first goal, and was hopelessly out of position on the second. It's not hugely surprising as he's not played much this season, and was playing out of position, but in my opinion Arshavin wasn't to blame. The substitution may have cost the game from an attacking point of view, but Arshavin was trying his best and tracking back. From a defensive point of view, he did his very best. Vermaelen was at fault here.
The Nani injury took the impetus away. Arsenal were all over it before he was down for AGES and limped off. That completely destroyed the adrenaline.
I can accept Vermaelen's and Djourou's incompetence because they were playing out of position against very good opponents. The reason I criticise Arshavin is not because of their goal (which was rubbish play by him but should have been stopped by someone else) but because of how mind numbingly awful he has been for so long. Most of all though Wenger is to blame for persisting with him long after he should have left, just like he did with Denilson, Almunia, Diaby, Squillaci, Rosicky, Chamakh and perhaps Gibbs.
I think djourou was at fault for the first one. didn't get anywhere near the ball to stop the cross and was miles out of position.
That's more accurate. Valencia had the run on TV so it's not surprising he won the header. Cross should of been closed down.
Djourou is always miles away from who he should be marking. Sadly just not up to it. We might get away with it when he's a CB - but not at fullback.
Djourou was at fault more for the first goal i'd say. constantly standing in CB position just watching nani/giggs run down the wing!? TV could of done better but you can't expect him to win every single ball! First half united just lumped it to nani, he beat djourou with pace, or just walked around him, if he put in decent balls and united took the chances off them it could of easily been 8 Oxo and Yerennes? were good tho, very little came down the right come 2nd half! they just need to learn not to cross so much! with our players
To be fair I saw a marked improvement in Djourou's play yesterday. People are forgetting that Evra/Nani is a fantastic partnership and, with Giggs also making runs down that side, Djourou was struggling to cope but he wasn't completely overrun. All things considered we handled the game fairly well. We should have got more in attack, and Walcott on a better day (ie like the days v Milan, Barca, Chelsea) would have had a hatrick. Both Arsenal and United were defensively weak but offensively strong. It's a huge leap forward after the 8-2 and, if we had not lost to Fulham and Swansea, people would be praising a pretty decent showing against a side who have repeatedly walloped us in recent years.
Its not about who is to blame for THIS defeat - its who has been poor for ages. Answer - Djourou / Arshavin / Ramsey and Walcott..
Im sorry but how can some people blame arshavin? as least he tracked bk and tried to get in the way of Valencia unlike some of the others who just stood and watched. What was Song doing running away from Valencia? or what about TV wasnt he meant to be a LB?
I think that substitution set us up badly for the rest of the game. Our defence though is not water-tight but sadly Arsene knows nothing about defence nor will he get in anyone who does. Shame really since we have in our midst some of the very best from the past decade or two.
Maybe you forgot that TV isn't a natural left back, but a CB, so yes, Wenger get's the full blame for playing a CB out of position. Why hasn't Wenger brought in a new full back in all this time? It's truly amusing as to how much rubbish you can write to defend your hero Wenger, why not for ONCE, just come out and say Wenger fked up? He fked up with the sub, and he fked up by not getting any full backs, and he fked up by constantly playing out of position player in a full back position where they don't feel comfortable in the least (vermaelen, and djoure).
TV isn't a left back, Wenger plays him out of position, Wenger hasn't brought in any full backs when he's had 3 weeks to do, and when he's known we don't have a single natural full back at the club. Once again, blame lies squarely on Wenger's feet, in Wenger I certainly don't trust.
LOL, IF we did not lose, IF this, IF that, but we did lose, we have lost 3 in a row, and all things considered right now we sit at 5th place, tied on points with Newcastle, 18 points behind Mancity, 10 points behind Spurs, and 5 points behind 4th placed Chelsea. But very nice attempt at trying to put a positive spin on everything, aka the Wenger tactic, but I prefer to stay with the facts.
Wenger tends to play people out of position since he believes in developing a player's all round skill rather than promote that which is natural to the player. I don't think he has learned from the folly of this approach and is unlikely to do so after so many years. Frankly the time is up. Having him stay on won't improve our ability to succeed and certainly win big. The sooner we can get ' someone more likely ' to replace him ( other threads on this ), the better it will be for the club IMHO. For me it's so long Arsene, thanks for the memories.
