Match Day Thread Club Brugge vs Arsenal - Matchday Thread (Champions League)

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Nwaneri denied his goal right at the death with an excellent save from the goalkeeper.

FT. 0-3.

Great result. Clean sheet. Away win. 6 wins out of 6. Brugge can be an awkward away ground to go to and we've navigated it pretty well.

I don't think the game was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, but it's weird because, whilst they had some good chances, we also had good chances and could have scored more.

Felt there were times we lacked control and didn't defend the spaces as well as we usually do. But in the end, it didn't matter because we won pretty tidily and now guaranteed a top-8 finish, which is lovely.

Thankfully, looks like there's no major injuries and the good thing about going 3-0 up after 60 minutes is that we could afford to drop the intensity a bit.

Good stuff.

Now back to Premier League business for the weekend...
 
Good result.

Madueke and Martinelli the stand out players.
White did well I thought. He always looks so comfortable on the ball. He's not quite at Timbers level defensively, but he may well be his equal or better going forward.
Really enjoyed seeing Jesus back - he's a brilliant player. We immediately looked better up front when he was on and he's only just getting fit. Should have scored, but just lacking that sharpness.

I am still worried about how easily our midfield is being carved through, though. Better teams would have punished us.
 
Thought Ben White was exceptional again. Madueke was good in the first half then faded and Martinelli was poor 1st half then played well (no running down blind alleys). Frustrated with Odegaard again, why does he need so many touches to make a simple pass and the ball always seems to go back to him even though forward players have made good runs. In the brief time he was on the pitch, Jesus hit the bar and had 2 shots on target. I think Gyokeres just had a tame looping header on target. Jesus was more dynamic and linked so well with the other players, while Gyokeres looked weak and slow. Everyone else seems to win headers in the box except for him. I think Jesus, in this team, could be the game changer we need. But he needs to take his chances too
 
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skip09 said:
Thought Ben White was exceptional again. Madueke was good in the first half then faded and Martinelli was poor 1st half then played well (no running down blind alleys). Frustrated with Odegaard again, why does he need so many touches to make a simple pass and the ball always seems to go back to him even though forward players have made good runs. In the brief time he was on the pitch, Jesus hit the bar and had 2 shots on target. I think Gyokeres just had a tame looping header on target. Jesus was more dynamic and linked so well with the other players, while Gyokeres looked weak and slow. Everyone else seems to win headers in the box except for him. I think Jesus, in this team, could be the game changer we need. But he needs to take his chances too
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The more I see of Gyokeres the more worried I am that my initial concerns about his reputation being built in a piss poor league, which is non transferable to the PL, are showing to be valid concerns.

Agree on White - he's an exceptional player and we're going to find it hard to keep him.
 
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With Gyokeres he definitely needs a few goals for his confidence. Im hoping he can score against Wolves.

Gonna be interesting to see who starts when (and if) we have Gyokeres, Havertz ands Jesus all fit at the same time.
 
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TheBear said:
With Gyokeres he definitely needs a few goals for his confidence. Im hoping he can score against Wolves.

Gonna be interesting to see who starts when (and if) we have Gyokeres, Havertz ands Jesus all fit at the same time.
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If GJ could finish well he'd be a shoe in - if he could also stay fit of course!
Thats the big problem...what's the point of benching Gyokeres now and hitting his confidence further if Jesus is just going to pull up injured and be out for 6 months again after playing just a couple of games.
 
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cini65 said:
Without a standout left-winger, Jesus could make that his own.
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What are you on about.
Martinelli is having an excellent season so far and we also have Trossard, another having an excellent season.
Our flanks are well stocked with top talent - and Saka, Martinelli and Madueke are all young.

But for Jesus's issue with injuries, I'd start him in the 9.
His style suits our play - a traditional 9 like Gyokeres doesn't seem to at all. That's where we have problems.
 
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I'm not worried about Gyokeres, while we don't play to his strengths at all I think its totally unfair that he should be criticised. Plus its his first season playing in the Prem. Seen enough from him to know once we see his runs and actually play the bloody pass, he will start motoring.
 
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theHotHeaded One said:
I'm not worried about Gyokeres, while we don't play to his strengths at all I think its totally unfair that he should be criticised. Plus its his first season playing in the Prem. Seen enough from him to know once we see his runs and actually play the bloody pass, he will start motoring.
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We simply don't play in a way that suits him, that's true.
But that does not mean we should change.
I said it at the time the fan base was screaming for a traditional striker. We don't need one unless we are going to alter our system the same way City did for Haaland. Frankly, that has not helped them. They were better before when the entire front 3 and midfield were pitching in with goals. They scored more and won more points.
It's incumbent on Gyokeres to change - not the other way round. He needs to do much better. He could start by using his strength and staying on his feet more (pissed off with the way he so easily goes to ground and can't hold the ball up) and he should be much more alert in the box. He's on his heels when the ball is coming in.
Havertz slotted in to that 9 role beautifully when he moved there. Gyokeres needs to show he can do the same.
If he doesn't then the best he can be is a plan B striker when things are not going well in any match.
 
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Jayramfootball said:
If GJ could finish well he'd be a shoe in - if he could also stay fit of course!
Thats the big problem...what's the point of benching Gyokeres now and hitting his confidence further if Jesus is just going to pull up injured and be out for 6 months again after playing just a couple of games.
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Can't be playing players just for their confidence. If GJ is showing up in training then start him. Injuries are always a risk we take with any player, just look at our injury list. For a player to be out for the guts of a year, I thought he looked sharp last night and with more games behind him he might just come back better than last year.
 
skip09 said:
Can't be playing players just for their confidence. If GJ is showing up in training then start him. Injuries are always a risk we take with any player, just look at our injury list. For a player to be out for the guts of a year, I thought he looked sharp last night and with more games behind him he might just come back better than last year.
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I rate him as one of the best players in the PL.
I saw what he did for us when he first came in - he was inspirational in taking us to a new level.
I believe we'd have won the league had he not been injured at the world cup in his 1st season with us.
If he stays fit, IMO, he starts.
But, it's natural to be cautious with him. We've seen this before many times - it's rare for a player to come back from these types of persistent injuries,
 
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Jesus is a really good player - but has never shown the level of finishing required. Technically though I've always felt he's a player capable of 25+ goals a Season.

Gyokeres I feel will be the option against low blocks - as he's a battering ram & will stretch defences. He needs to improve though.

Havertz is probably the best all-rounder in the squad.
 
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TheBear said:
Jesus is a really good player - but has never shown the level of finishing required. Technically though I've always felt he's a player capable of 25+ goals a Season.

Gyokeres I feel will be the option against low blocks - as he's a battering ram & will stretch defences. He needs to improve though.

Havertz is probably the best all-rounder in the squad.
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Agree on all fronts.
The thing is with Gabriel Jesus, you'd think the finishing would be something he is practicing day in day out. I don't get when players seem to scuff or hit weak shots so often even with a lot of time... it's one of the easiest things to improve. It's not like he doesn't have a really top forwards movement and skill , or even an eye for the goal in situations or composure (which are harder to train), it's simply that the final execution is often poor.

If he was ever to even become an average finisher he really would score 25 goals a season at least across comps.
 
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