Match Day Thread Arsenal vs Southampton - Matchday Thread

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Venue: Emirates Stadium
KO time: 14:05
Date: Sunday 24th February​

Sorry guys, I don't have time to make this look all fancy and nice!

I'll post updates on team news, though.

TEAM NEWS:

Arsenal hope captain Laurent Koscielny will be fit despite him limping off in Thursday's Europa League win.

Alexandre Lacazette is available after being suspended for that match but Ainsley Maitland-Niles is struggling with illness.

Southampton forward Michael Obafemi could feature for the first time since mid-December after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Stuart Armstrong, who has had a minor calf problem, is also fit again.

Unai Emery:

"Like all the teams in the Premier League, Southampton are difficult and they will be preparing for this match with big players and also with time and for us it is difficult. We have respect [for them] but we need to impose our gameplan and quality and intensity. It is very important to get the three points."

Ralph Hasenhuttl:

"It was an intensive time but I think we needed it. I think we have a long way to go until the end. We will need 40 points maybe to stay in the league, I think. It was important to get a reminder and to speak about things that can be better in the future for all the different challenges we are facing in the next few weeks. It was easier for me to be critical at times, and maybe this will help us in the last 12 games."

 

I've got Auba captain in my FF team so I need him to deliver the goods...come on PEA! My opponent has Laca captain so I sort of want arsenal to win 17-0 win him doing nothing. Actually maybe he could score an own goal and make it 17-1?

 

Auba and Ozil on the bench.

 

Looking pretty decent soo far.

Good to have Sokratis back.

 

Thank you

 

Good first half IMO.

Southampton have given us too much space but still I think we've controlled the game very well.

 

From Discover on Google https://www.express.co.uk/sport/foo...rick-Aubameyang-Southampton-fans-reaction/amp

This is crazy.. I really hoped that arsenal would all get behind the manager and give him time. Font want to be a club that sack the manager every five minutes.

 

2-0. FT.

Good win, thought it was going to be more of a struggle than it was, so delighted to have done the job fairly comfortably and professionally.

The game could have turned on its head after Leno made that superb save from Redmond, following Mustafi stepping up to play a high line without looking what was around him (which solidifies my view why he is a liability), but we countered with pace, quick movementand clinical precision; something we haven't seen from Arsenal too much recently.

I was a bit frustrated we didn't control the flow of the game more in the second half and kept gifting possession away back to Southampton's players, but I think we did counter attack very well and Lacazette was good in winning fouls to relieve pressure off the defence. We also had the much better chances in the second half, despite Southampton having more of the ball.

Ozil coming on was a good substitution, as he helped us retain possession and move further up the pitch. He played some cutting edge passes, too.

Whilst I was a tad disappointed we didn't add to the two-goal cushion, I was happy to see us creating some very good chances. That was one of my big concerns today because, as I alluded to earlier, we've not created an awful lot recently even when we've won. Thankfully the players stepped up today.

Overall, a good win against a side who habitually cause us lots of problems and a clean sheet.

 

Yeah thought It was a pretty professional solid performance.

Lacazette should have scored another from 7 yards out and we were unlucky not to have scored again the final few minutes.

Thought Sokratis and Kolasinac played well.

 

When Mustafi moved to right back we had problems passing the ball out of defense. Kos and Socratis couldn't even get the ball to Xhaka.

First half was really a triumph for Emery's tactics. We didn't need any creativity or to be able to create chances from possession. Two goals from transition with no creativity needed.

When Ozil came on, pretty much every time we got him the ball, we created a chance. The problem for Emery is how to blend the two together. Create chances and create turnovers and still have enough to move the ball forward and create chances from possession.

The win today was somewhat irrelevant in that we were by far the better side. We really didn't solve anything though, because you have to think how it will play out when the other side play better. However, in the first half I felt we were more likely to score when they were in possession than when we were. We must have some other plan than if we win the ball, we should give them the ball back and hope they lose it in a more dangerous place. Xhaka was the only one who seemed to be able to hit a pass to get the defense scrambling.

I really don't know what the answer is. It seems we just don't have the players to put out a side that can do it all, at the same time, and that makes things very tricky.

 

LOL you are hilarious. I know you love being the contrarian on here but Mustafi is going to be remembered much in the same way as Pascal Cygan. The guy is about as popular with out home crowd as Silvestre was.














He's a ****ing liability.

 

Just goes to show how well the top 6 sides are doing considering we are just about in 4th with 53 points when, in previous seasons gone by, we'd comfortably be in the top 4 at this stage.

 

Of course, you are all smarter than Emery and Wenger. Why don't you put in for a premiership manager's job, you are very confident. If he is so terrible, why is it every time we leave him out we mostly play like ****?

We left him out for the loss against Huddersfield and the draw with Brighton. If he is such a joke why do we play so badly when he isn't playing? It is the other guy you have an issue with, Xhaka. We leave him out and we mostly play like **** too.

But that doesn't even give you pause for thought I'm sure. All those tweets show is the power of groupthink and conformity. It is just people jumping on the bandwagon.

People are so eager to trash him to fit in, even when we keep a clean sheet, they are on his case. Try thinking for yourself instead of being so pathetic. You never actually manage to say why you think he is so bad. And if you try, you lie. I've pushed you before.

All we get is a new load of insults as if it somehow builds you up.

 

I've spoken at length about exactly what I think the issue is with Mustafi.
Wenger has long favoured ball rentention over athletiscm/leadership qualities - this is typified by Mustafi IMO. His best position is probably in a back three because he's too lightweight and not disciplined enough to be a top centreback but not mobile enough for the fullback role.

Personally felt that Sokratis and Holding have been our best partnership this term but with the constant rotation and injuries we have not settled on a stable back four as of yet.

Why do you keep claiming I have an issue with Xhaka? I dont at all. Just read my posts.

 

I may be mixing you up with BrunelGunner, he is another one I have had it out with over Mustafi.

The "problem" with Mustafi that everyone sees is that he is the one that carries the load bringing the ball out of defence. All the other defenders side-foot the ball to him. So if anyone is going to misplay a pass or get caught in possession it is him. He is also the one who will get caught out of position because he is usually the one trying to get open to get the ball.

Problem is, if he doesn't play, we just get pinned back, never get the ball out and the ball goes sideways or just gets booted into touch. Holding is better at getting the ball out, and Chambers is really good. And for all Mustafi's" mistakes, they rarely lead to a goal. Because they most often occur when he is the most forward of the backs, bringing the ball out, there is usually someone behind him.

I just think it Is weird that you complain about Ozil not defending as a #10 or a second striker, but you don't have the same problem with a defensive midfielder or a defender who can't control a ball or play a forward pass. These days with everyone pressing, if you can't control the ball and retain possession, it really doesn't matter what else you can do.

 

I trained Judo/BJJ for most my adult life and have worked in strength and conditioning for a long time. One of the things that worries me with Mustafi is that he struggles when forwards get physical. He gets pushed off the ball easily. He often reminds me of Wilshere in that he tends to fall over and feign injury when he looses out. This is particularly worrying for a centre-back. (the most combative position in the game).His recovery work is fine and for a short defender he is actually reasonable in the air.

You want your CB's to be strong, you want them to be intimidating. You want the opposition to feel uncomfortable in the tunnel lining up against you.These are the intangibles in football that are hard to measure.

I wont disagree with you that we need to be better in possession but you just have to look at the classic Italian Club sides, Diego Simeone's Athletico or even Grahams Arsenal to realise defending WITHOUT the ball is also a skill that will win you games.

 

I just wish you would be a bit more consistent with that point of view though. Mustafi occasionally gets pushed of the ball; Torreira gets pushed of the ball constantly. I don't get how he gets a pass on that from you guys. I get that Mustafi could be better defensively, but for me, given the state of our defense, he is the first name on the team sheet right now. We are a long way from being able to play without him. And if you are being outshot by Huddersfield and Brighton, and you expect to finish in the top 4, you have to figure something is wrong that needs correcting, you can't just ignore it.

And quite frankly Italy is not the same as England. They might as well be playing a different game. The intensity just isn't the same. You don't have to watch an Italian game for long to see that.