Match Day Thread Arsenal vs Liverpool - Matchday Thread

Apologies for not creating one much earlier or for not making it look fancy. I've just been super busy this past week.

Anyway, here are the teams:

Leno, Bellerin, Müstafi, Holding, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette

Liverpool:

Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane

 

Very hesitant about Mustafi starting, but it doesn't seem like we have any other option. If he plays like how he did against Palace, we are in for a rough evening. This is a game where we need him to fix up and perform like we know he can.

Very surprised to see Mkhitaryan starting, particularly considering how ineffective he's been for most of the season, as well as his tendency to drift in field and leaving our flanks exposed. Risky decision IMO.

I'm personally not confident about this game, I think this Liverpool team is the worst team we can face right now because of their high energy, intense pressing game. Not only are they lethal in attack, they have only conceded 4 goals in the league all season, which is a huge contrast to us.

Unfortunately think we'll lose this. Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool is my prediction. Let's hope they prove me wrong though.

 

Also surprised re Miki! he needs a big match!

 

0-0. HT.

Felt we've played better football than them, but they've had the better quality of chances. Although we've had some great opportunities too, Lacazette and Aubameyang missing a few which on another day they would have rifled into the net.

We've been very organised defensively actually. Salah and Firmino haven't had too much joy. Mane's been their main threat, but aside from the disallowed goal, hasn't been as influential as he has in other games.

Our whole back four has done well against them, I hope we keep it up in the second half. We need to be more clinical with our chances though.

What I will say is Leno was completely brainless to come out from the deep free-kick on the stroke of half time, there was no point taking a risk in that situation. Especially as he got nowhere close to the ball. Thankfully we didn't get punished.

Let's hope we can go on to win this

 

Also, I'm not sure what this ex-ref is on about. Mane's goal was rightfully disallowed. He was actively in an offside position. The goal should not have stood and it didn't.

No doubt Liverpool fans are going to claim they were robbed when they weren't...

 

FFS. So undeserved. Stupid error from Leno . Got away with one in the first half, but didn't get away with one that time.
So frustrating.

 

LACAZETTEEEEE WHAT A FINISH

 

Good performance and possibly deserved more.

Emery has good game management which we haven’t seen for a long time - that and tactics !

 

FT. 1-1.

I thought we actually played very well and, on another day, perhaps could have won.

I didn't think we were going to play that well. And when you have the likes of Merson saying we were going to get smashed by '3 or 4', then it didn't help ease my fears.

It was a sucker punch when Liverpool scored when they did, as I felt we were in the ascendancy and had the momentum going for us. We controlled large parts of the game, but Liverpool looked menacing when they attacked.

Fabinho was getting caught out in midfield, Wijnaldum was non-existent. Milner put in a workman like performance as he usually does, but didn't really contribute much in an attacking sense up until he scored. Poor goalkeeping from Leno that went straight into Milner's pass.

Then they started to take it up a notch and we had to weather the storm for about 5-6 minutes, but we did. Had we gone 1 down in that fashion against them last season, I am convinced we wouldn't have had the mental fortitude to get back into it, especially as van Dijk kept snuffing out the danger.

Iwobi changed the game. He showed a lot more purpose and directness when he came, and actually tried to take on their defence. Completely opposite to Micky.

Ozil worked hard and tried to make things happen, but van Dijk and Gomez kept intercepting/reading his passes. Aubameyang also tried, but again, isn't playing in a position where he's most effective.

Thought the whole back line and Xhaka/Torreira were absolutely outstanding. All 6 of them were brilliant.

Lacazette was well-marshalled for most of the game, but my word, what a stunning finish that was. To control the ball played into his feet at pace, with his back to goal, and to then take a few touches to swivel round and crisply finish it into the corner....amazing bit of skill and technique!

On the whole, a fair result. I'm more impressed with our performance than the result itself mind.

14 unbeaten On we go!

 

Actually, I want to give a special shoutout to our back 4 in a separate post. We managed to keep Salah, Firmino and Mane relatively quiet. Not many teams have been able to perform as well as we did defensively tonight. And were it not for a weak parry by Leno, we could have potentially kept a clean sheet against one of the most fiercesome frontlines in Europe.

Bellerin, Müstafi, Holding, Kolasinac - all of you deserve a round of applause great shift tonight.

 

Just read manager interview, love the fact he is only 50% happy with the performance and saying he wanted the win. I feel the old guard would have taken the draw as a win and be content.

 

Good attitude from Emery. Most Arsenal fans are pretty pleased with that result as it shows we've progressed and shown so much more fight that the last 5 years. But it's right that the manger wants more

 

Was at the game today.

Very happy with the level of performance. We were the better side for much of the game against an inform Klopp side. Emery was great on the sidelines intercating with the crowd, showing real emotion.

Lucas Torreira was phenomenal again and Xhaka was also excellent. I have never seen him make soo many interceptions in an Arsenal shirt before. Also Bellerin had an excellent match.

Leno had his first poor performance for Arsenal (was'nt that bad just made a few errors - one of which led to their goal)

14 games unbeaten though and we look to be getting better.

 

Really liked what I saw yesterday. Everybody was saying we'd get battered when we came up against decent opposition, and we were actually a bit unlucky not to get all 3 pts.

 

Was a good game of footie last night. Thoughts.

You outpressed and out played liverpool live night although i feel liverpool had the better chances whereas you had the better of the game. ****tyryan had so many good opportunities and positions but ended up doing nothing really.

He missed a header of a sitter and should have done more from allisons parry.

Iwobi is looking dangerous for you boys and needs to play more.

Torreira and xhaka dominated that midfield. Was really surprised about that but torreira looks brilliant.

Surprised you guys outpressed pool with ozil and xhaka in the side.

Vvd really should have had 3 goals alone. One 1 on 1, 1 leno brain fart so he had an open goal and 1 free header from 6 yards out.

Ozil found spaces but again in a big match failed to impress.

Really like the chemistry between lacazette and aubamayang

Thought a draw was a fair result especially since manes goal was legit.

Lastly you guys looked fine playing it out from the back! Leno definitely has to be in goal if you do that as cech cant pass

 

Was good to hear Paul Merson eating his words yesterday.

 

When you look at yesterdays game Van Dijk and Torreira were probably the two standouts.

Such a shame we never managed to sign Van Dijk. I feel like if we could add at least on World Class centre back this side would be in much better shape to challenge. Hopefelly Koscielny can recreate his best form again but I really feel this is the areas we need TOP class recruitments in.

 

As happy as I am with the team's performance and Emery's tactics, I am going to be slightly critical of Emery for a couple of things...

Iwobi should have come on much earlier. Mkhitaryan has been in poor form for a while now and his decision-making yesterday was absolutely diabolical for a professional footballer at this level. It was clear that Micky's low on confidence, so starting him in a game like this/keeping him on for that long made no sense.

I'd go as far as saying Iwobi should have started in place of Micky, but someone said that due to Iwobi's poor display against Palace where he kept losing possession in dangerous areas of the pitch, Liverpool would have countered us if he was that wasteful with the ball. So Emery decided to go with Micky for his experience and ball retention as it was less risky. And although I understand the logic, I don't think it was the right choice to start a player, who has been struggling all season, against a tight-knit defence.

Aubameyang being subbed off for a player who has no future at this club and hasn't played well for us this season (Ramsey) was mind-boggling. Ramsey, unsurprisingly, offered nothing when he came on. To be fair, Aubameyang was lively in the first 30 minutes, but was quiet afterwards. However, he is still the most lethal finisher we have in the team. With Lacazette, Welbeck and Aubameyang on the pitch, Liverpool would have had a lot more to think about and more space would have opened up for us to exploit, as all three are quick and know how to pull defenders out of position.

These are the only decisions I was a bit disappointed with, but obviously the overriding feeling is joy for the team putting in a great shift.

 

Hmm.. I think Mkhitarian is getting too much critiscm at the moment. He's missing some chances but he's creating them himself (except for the headers obvs). Now we know Mkhitarian at his best can get goals and assists in big numbers and I think he needs to find his form. If he can recreate his old Dortmund form he can be massive player for us.

Iwobi looks like a completely new player under Emery right now. Hopefully this will be his breakthrough Season.

I also didnt like the Aubemayang sub - as he had some quality moments in the first half (and the guy already has 9 goals this Season) . but.. ultimately you have to say Emerys subs worked. We found the equaliser and very nearly won the game after that.

 

Koulibaly please.