I know what you mean, we don't look great at the minute - though IMO that's more to do with fatigue than the lack of quality/form of players - so if we keep playing our 1st team out of fear that some of our reserves aren't good enough then our performances could get worse!
A relief that we're 1-0 up but we really need to maintain our level of performance in future. The team needs a bit of a bollocking in my opinion.
Lucky and undeserved, but at least we looked better after we scored. 3 Points and lets move on - hopefully strengthen this month and get some squad depth
1-0. FT. We were dominated for most of the game and got away with murder at times. There were so many things wrong with that performance, but fortunately for us, Newcastle didn't have the quality to punish us for our loose passes and erratic defending. Something simply needs to be done in midfield because Sissoko and Colback waltzed through it with ease. I'm not sure if Flamini and Ramsey are both tired or were carrying a knock, but Liverpool and Stoke will eat us alive if we continue playing those two in a midfield pivot. Wenger said he'd be busy in January (which I assume is related to the transfer market - he didn't actually specify ). I'd hope it's to bring in more players than we're letting go.
Some great play by Ramsey, Ozil and Campbell at the end there creating chances as the game opened up. Koscielny started the game poorly but by the end he was running the show, driving us forward, clearing up at the back and getting the goal, really stepped up and made the team step up I thought. This is the sort of game were the points won could be vital later on in the season. Really pleased the team dug deep and got the win. We look fatigued and need to rest some players in the cup game.
Actually was a good performance. Newcastle had their tactics spot on. Two midfielders sitting deep - hit us on the break. Exactly the same strategy Fergie used to adopt against us and the same Stoke used last week. We used to loose games like this. We didn't play that well but the team looked a lot more determined and focused. Cech saved us a couple of times with some top Class goalkeeping. Ozil and Ramsey were both unlucky not to score in the last few mins.
Flamini had been suffering from a minor ankle problem I believe which is why chambers got the nod in the last game so that may have something to do with it. Didn't have his usual level of energy today and that's his best attribute!
Also Campbell was considerably more useful than Oxo when he came on. The Ox looks like he doesn't give a **** this Season. Gets a chance in the team and is barely noticeable save for a couple of darting runs.
Campbell has been much better than oxo, but oxo looks very low on confidence while Campbell is flying high. Campbell enforces himself on a game, lets it be known he is on the field, oxo disappears. Campbell for me should be starting at the moment, he has done consistently well since getting his opportunity.
Well done on the three points lads. Winning games like today is what it's all about. Might have been a different story if we had a decent finisher - but we don't! At the end of the season all it will show is that you got three points and we got none (again). Good luck for the rest of the season
Nope. Tactically Newcastle were pretty much spot on. We didn't play that well but the commitment and workrate gave us the win. Over the last few years this is just the kind of game we normally lost points.
By the way, check out the Utd vs Swansea highlights, flappyanski almost gets an equalising goal with a header as the final act of the game. Would of been great if he buried it, thought he had when I first saw it!
I disagree with this strongly. Determined and focused? We were outplayed and conceded an abundance of chances against a team that were in the bottom 3. Flamini and Ramsey were giving too much space to their midfield and they provided very little stability. Who was meant to be protecting our back four? Why did we look so vulnerable on the counter? The only reason why we got away with it today was because of Cech's heroics and because Newcastle did not have the ability to finish off their chances. They got in behind our defence far too often for my liking and the amount of times they nicked the ball off our defender's feet was just crazy, for a side that is renowned for being comfortable in possession. In the last 10 minutes, the game opened up and we created more chances, but that's because Newcastle had to take more risks and go for it themselves. To say that it was a 'good performance' is ludicrous.
