Yep I agree, it's frustrating as Hell. We did change our tactics for Chelsea yesterday and we did okay, so that's to be recognised. But again, the result was a loss and that's what counts. I really think we'll get a lot more joy out of being quicker and taking more risks in attack. We might shoot off target and some passes will go astray, but so what ? If we end up losing the ball anyway after endless passing, then we might as well be more direct from the start. If we set up against Utd like we did against Chelsea AND play more directly in attack then it could be the formula that we've been looking for.
We still strike me as a side searching for it's best formation. I can acknowledge that there has been definite work particularly on defense in big games which was something we were all crying out for last season. We just need a few tweaks (and maybe a signing or two in midfield and a proper striker) to make this team work. What frustrates me is that we are always just a few signings away from competing. I wish we would just get the players we need so that there could be no excuses. We're moving in a definite direction but still a work in progress.
Wenger and Maureen say its so , it must be so. They never bullshit do they. ? go screw yourself sideways you divot.
newsflash , major change of tactics makes us lose by only 2 goals and not 6. We can all sleep soundly now . #movingintherightdirection.
Wenger says before the game we are using different tactics for the game, mourinho comes out after the game and says it was difficult because arsenal changed from there usual tactics. I'd say that's pretty good support for my stance that we changed our tactics. That and the fact that we clearly did!
As difficult a win as can be winning 2-0 against a team having zero shots on target against you. I can't believe you're taking some Mourinho praise as evidence of something tactically positive to take from yesterday. I'm not here to doom and gloom... we played quite good football at times, we didn't capitulate... but the result was entirely predictable, Chelsea did not have to play out of their skins to beat us and we had no shots on target... so the spin to generate ANYthing positive from yesterday is just bizarre. I only wish I had standards as low so that I would be able to find so many things 'good' about something. It's the same with attraction really... I'm eternally jealous of men that seem to have no standards... after-all they find almost all women attractive and wouldn't you love to walk down the straight and think every single female was attractive? It's also like taking someone who repeatedly fails to revise for an exam effectively and then finding some way to praise them when they get an E instead of U. Anyway I'm rambling and finding as many obscure ways to highlight our 'quite goodness' as I can...
The reason I've made that comment is because others where complaining about how wenger doesn't ever change his tactics, it happened before and after the game. I was simply disproving the claim, not making it out to be some huge positive. By all means people can criticise wenger for his flaws but when they just get angry and use any old cliche that doesn't apply to the current situation it should be corrected. Responding to people who are saying wenger never changes, it's the same old same old, he didn't do anything differently, by pointing out that the managers of both teams and all the pundits disagree is hardly trying to put a positive spin on the situation.
Meh... the average positions don't look too different from the way we set up at home to Spurs (on the right) compared to away at Chelsea (on the left)... the only difference being Oxlade-Chamberlain being a bit wider. Small little differences here and there? Yep... probably... suggesting he can do things very subtly differently (albeit still to the same possession based unsuccessful style of football). Proof that he can use different and effective tactics to actually achieve anything meaningful on the pitch? Given the trend over the past 10 years... nah.
well my friend . Whoever is right . We lost last time we played them . We lost this time we played them . Aint much changed about that is there . Wenger has faced Mourinho 11 times - no wins.
I thought we were better than we were against Spurs, but still with the same toothless attack. But tactically we did approach the game differently yesterday. I honestly think we could have got the better of Chelsea if we'd been a bit braver and more incisive going forward, there were several times when we matched Chelsea for numbers pushing forward, but the man with the ball just didn't release the pass for the runner and it ended up being bunched up again outside the area. It's so frustrating seeing us do this, when with a bit more directness we'd create so many more chances.
The result was the same, and that hurts. But the point about tactics is, that despite you saying Wenger didn't change them, he did.
Without wanting to deflect from our shortcomings, you have to give credit to Chelsea yesterday for the way in which they handled us. We forced them to defend well, which is credit to our approach, but Chelsea are the masters of nullifying the threat and hitting teams hard when it matters. Their midfield of Fabregas (who sat deeper) alongside Matic was so strong and it hardly gave us any time on the ball and then when the ball was turned over it allowed them to pick out Hazard and Oscar. Also Ivanovic and Cahill doubled up on Sanchez, basically squashing any room he had, that brought Welbeck deeper to try and play the link man, but the whole back four stifled our front line really well. It hurts to say it, but Chelsea have set the standard now and we should be taking a leaf out of their book about how to approach these games.
I would have played: Ches, Chambers, Mert, Kos, Gibbs, Flam, Ros, Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck, Ox. I would have instructed Ozil to play a free role and find space, Welbeck to play on the shoulder of the defender to force them back and worry them, and Rosicky to sit with Flamini as a double pivot. Sit deeper than usual, no space in behind and hit them on the break with extreme pace and Ozil pulling the strings playing balls through.
The only thing with Rosicky is that he's not creating much at the moment, but he does defend well. On form I'd agree with this MF pairing but I think Wilshere offers more creatively. I do agree with you though that Ozil should have been given a free role so that no one player(or two like they did with Sanchez) could mark him. Having said that though, Cazorla did well in the middle yesterday and was unlucky (bad decision) to be subbed. I would also have started Ox on the right as he will run at defences both down the flank and cut inside and drag fullbacks with him.
[video=youtube;jMO_pgZxkXc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMO_pgZxkXc&index=1&list=UU4SUUloEcrgjsxbmy_rQQXA[/video]
