Match Day Thread Arsenal vs Brentford - Matchday Thread

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Venue: Emirates Stadium
KO time: 15:00 GMT
Date: Saturday 19th February 2022

Overall Record

Wins: 4
Losses: 6
Draws: 4

Last six meetings

Brentford 2-0 Arsenal
Arsenal 3-1 Brentford
Brentford 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-2 Brentford
Arsenal 2-0 Brentford
Brentford 1-0 Arsenal

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That opening day defeat still counts as one of our worst performances this season, and despite a fairly bright start to the season from Brentford, they have fallen off a cliff recently and look like they are going to get sucked into that relegation dog fight.

It all amounts to being a game that we absolutely should be winning.

I thought we were defensively brilliant against Wolves and the team spirit is top notch. My only concern is our toothless attack. In that Wolves game, Gabriel scored the winner, he has the same number of goals this season as Lacazette (3) So that says it all really. We're also going to be missing Martinelli through suspension, so that adds to our attacking woes.

Surely Pepe comes into the team on Saturday ?

 

We need revenge - I hope we spank them.

 

God I hope not - Smith Rowe deserves the start.

 

I'm not usually one to make excuses, but that was an all round terrible day. We had 8 first team players out with Covid/injury, hadn't signed anyone apart from Odegaard or Tavares I believe, and then we had **** officials. Brentford's second goal against us, which effectively killed the game off, shouldn't have stood.

Now, obviously we should still have been able to field a team good enough to beat a newly-promoted side, but I'd like to think now we are in a much better position compared to then.

I think with Martinelli out, ESR will come in to take his place.

The team I expect would be:

Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney, Xhaka, Partey, Saka, Odegaard, Smith-Rowe, Lacazette

 

0-0. HT.

Complete dominance but we find ourselves going into HT level. We need to stop crossing the ball in because Brentford’s CBs are too dominant in the air.

We have been a bit wasteful in the final third, but we also should have had two penalties. The Wissa handball especially. How that wasn’t given is a mystery.

Let’s hope these missed chances and useless officiating doesn’t come back to bite us in the second half. We need to win.

 

Smith-Rowe! 1-0! Lovely lay off by Lacazette and brilliant driving run/finish from ESR. That’s 10 goals this season now for him.

Fantastic to get an early goal in the second half, settles the nerves down.

 

2-0. Saka. Great counter-attack and lovely finish considering there was minimal backlift on the ball.

Pontus Jansson moaning about Lacazette fouling him in the build-up to the goal. No chance. And rightly yellow carded for remonstrating with the official for too long.

 

FT. 2-1. Brentford get a goal in the 93rd minute. Annoying, as the defence had done well and Ramsdale had nothing to do.

It may have looked like a close game on paper, but it wasn't in reality. We had a nervous 15 minute period in the second half where we were sloppy and gave away too much territory to Brentford. But that aside, we were dominant, counter-pressing, winning the ball back in good areas, winning most of the midfield battles and progressing into advanced areas frequently.

The obvious issue is our deliveries and final-balls aren't to the right standard. We also have no clinical players. 16 shots and 2 on target in the first half isn't good enough. This improved in the second-half, but 2 goals from 24 shots (8 on target) overall isn't great.

Nevertheless, it was a huge win. We are currently 6th on GD, but we are level on points with 5th-placed West Ham and have 3 games on them.

 

Missed the game as I’ve been on the road all day. Decent win by the sounds of it. And another 3points

top 4 is defo on if we keep this up

 

Big three points again. 15 games to make the Top 4 - gonna be tight but I think we will scrape it.

 

gonna be a scrap with Utd, West Ham, the spuds and poss Wolves too