gervinho doing nothing when he gets the ball. problem is, i don't think walcott would do any better. bring on the ox at 60 or earlier i say.
He's been poor, he keeps dawdling on the ball, and getting caught in possession, a bit like Ramsey does.
we need diaby to deal with the physical side of the midfield, as well as to help out with set-plays. can't afford to replace him.
Gerv is pointless , his dribbling ALWAYS comes to precisely nothing. Im getting fed up of him rapidly . At least theo would have a crack at it sometimes , Gerv seems to want to walk the ball over the line every feckin time.
The defence have done fine, Jenkinson and Mannone have admirably held their own at a tough place. I particularly like the tracking back by Podolski and the rest of the midfield. We just haven't crafted much from an attacking viewpoint, aside from a few long-shots.
Very very frustrating half. We haven't been terrible but I haven't seen anything to make me confident of a win. We've done just enough to contain Stoke but not enough to win. Bring on Walcott and Oxo for the second half please.
Diaby has been our weak link. if he offers a physical prescence, then he undoes it by being rubbish with the ball. He's not Patrick Vieira, the sooner Wenger sees that, the better. And stop stealing cym's insults, think of your own.
Defence has had a good half, Diaby and Arteta have been great in midfield, Cazorla's done well too. Our attack looks a bit clunky and clumsy at times, but they're probably still getting used to each other. Mannone's also been solid. I'm happy with that performance, but we really need to test the keeper a lot more. Should probably bring Walcott or Ox on to give us more pace to pull their defence apart more.
I'd like to see us play a bit more directly in the 2nd half. I think we'll get some reward from playing balls in behind for Gibbs / Gervinho and maybe Walcott / Oxo at some stage. Stoke are quite happy to keep us knocking the ball around outside their pen area. We need to get some balls in behind. I think the MF have played well and dictated the game to be honest. Diaby has had a decent half, those who are knocking him are talking BS in my opinion. Seems like some fans always need a scapegoat when we're not winning . . . and Ramsey isn't on the pitch
Totally agree. I'm one of the first to criticise Diaby if he's playing poorly, but he's been one of our best players today. Attacking Stoke's physical game and being fluid in attack and steady on the ball. Not much more you could ask for really.
Half Time Analysis Giroud doing a decent job in the air, but needs to be more decisive. When in forward positions he behaves like an attacking midfielder. Podolski with great runs. He's being direct, whereas Giroud is not. Cazorla dictating the play, looking for the ball. Perfect. Arteta seems to be doing Song's job better than Song ever did. Gervinho losing the ball, looks out of place. Needs to be subbed by Walcott/Oxo. Diaby doing just enough for me. He needs to break into the box more often though. Gibbs and Jenkinson both excellent. Gibbs left too much space on the wing around 40 mins, and Jenkinson misplaced one or two passes, but they've both dominated their positions. Vermaelen looked slightly dodgy once or twice, but Merte doing very well. Mannone, good enough for what he's needed to do. Stoke fans are classless. How were they booing Cazorla after that challenge on him? The Stoke player came in with high studs and could have been sent off for that. We deserved a penalty for that handball, but can't blame officials for not seeing it. Verdict: Sub Gervinho for Oxo/Walcott and tell Giroud to be more ambitious.
