Match Day Thread Arsenal v Leeds United

Fair enough, but jeez, the people mentioning bringing Mes back in must be drinking meths. When was the last time we brought a really good keeper in?

 

Normally I wouldn't be so harsh but after enduring Meslier's mistakes I was hoping for somebody who could instal a bit of confidence. Didn't think we would get anything from The ARSE but 5 SOTs and 5 goals is awful but his half arsed attempts to get nowhere near the shots was a joke.

 

As I’ve said before I don’t really blame anyone for the recruitment. Only players we got were ones nobody was competing for. Grade b pl premier players if you like. We’re miles away from being an attractive prospect to top players and also miles from being able to afford them. We’re basically operating with two hands tied behind our back.

 

Ampadu gets injured so rather than chose someone like Stach to skipper he picked Struijk over Bijal, mistake 1. Mistake 2 was knowing we are not good against a press in the championship against average teams expect a pressing Arsenal to give us time. Mistake 3 was not picking his best 11 and knowing that Pirri isn’t great at tippy tappy at the back insist on playing tippy tappy at the back. We are not good enough and need to stop it. Would a back 3 have worked better for us yesterday I think so and can’t say it was a mistake not to but Man Utd used a back 3 last week and how they never won is beyond me, but they were a country mile better than Arsenal?

 

Ive given it 24 hours and things are calmer.

Yesterday's player ratings.

Perri - 2. Came and caught a couple early but did his best Meslier impression for most of the game. Poor distribution, poor shot stopping, poor positioning. Just piss poor all round. I just want a keeper who will save the odd shot. **** knows what they were looking at to think this lad was a good idea.

Bogle - 6. Unluckily booked early doors but was probably the pick of the bunch considering he spent most of the game on a caution.

Rodon - 3. Decent start to the game but things fell apart after the first goal which was partly his fault.

Struijk - 3. Not the greatest defender at this level. Too slow, non aggressive and stand offish. This is how I remember Premier League Struijk. Struggles if Leeds dont control possession.

Gudmundsson - 4. Tough task against Saka but held his own until it all fell apart in the 2nd half. Overly safe with his passing.

Gruev - 5. Best of the midfield bunch. Lacks the physicality and pace in the PL but there was plenty of fight in his game. Shame the more physical lads couldn't match his desire. Doesn't have the quality to compete at top 4 level.

Tanaka - 4. Tried to be slow and safe on the ball which isnt his game and was outmuscled too often. Bullied by the Arsenal midfield who were lucky to get away with alot of shirt/shoulder pulling off the ball.

Stach - 3. Was constantly fouled but the ref gave nothing. Instead of giving it back, he gave up. Head dropped early 2nd half. He needs to sort that out as soon as possible. He needs to carry others with him not the other way around. Low mark isnt necessarily his footballing performance but his mentality. Played too safe.

Gnonto - 4. Gave nothing much going forward but he battled well and worked hard defensively. Another who refused the pass forward when it was relatively easy.

James - 3. He was supposed to be the danger man for us with his pace on the counter. Lacked the confidence to take on his man 1 v 1. If he's not willing to do that then what's the point in his selection? Looks miles off his best form.

Piroe - 3. Not his game. Tried to drop deep and dictate but it was not the game to do it. Gave us no physical presence up top and never released the pressure. Not really his fault, its not his game. Poor selection.

Subs.

All subs get a 6 from me. Coming on at 4-0 down is very much "what the **** do you want me to do!" territory. Can't say they turned the tide but its not fair to give them poor marks as the damage was already done.

Farke - 2. Got alot wrong in this one. The zonal marking in your own 6 yard box is laughable against an Arsenal corner. Thats negligence imo. Got his selection all wrong in hindsight. Nmecha instead of Piroe, Longstaff instead of Tanaka and Bijol instead of Struijk looks the play.

The caveat to all this is (like everyone has alluded to) that its not really a fair playing field in this league. It wasn't really a sporting event as it wasn't competitive. We'd have probably lost if we played with an extra man.