I don't buy the line that we need Theo to up the tempo of our game. Yes he's a speed merchant and yes, when holding a lead he gives you a very easy outlet but... my word we were laboured and slow last night. I honestly don't understand it because we've some very speedy players in the side without Walcott. Added to which the teams technical ability means that what some lack in pace (Ãzil/Cazorla etc) can be made up for in speed of thought and clever passing. After we went two up we were in a prime position to push on and get a few more, build a bit of confidence and help our goal difference. Instead we slowed down even more to a walking pace and tried pointless showboating tricks which we invariably fecked up! I honestly expected us to come out in the second half with fireworks lit up their arses after the last 5 minutes of the first but we continued in the same vein. Least said about the sloppiness of Santi's error the better too, a wholly avoidable error and the sort of thing we can ill afford. I appreciate we were the better side and deserved the win but we made hard work of it! I'm delighted with the win, delighted we're top of the league and delighted the HFG got a goal to boost his confidence (though some of his passing was truly shocking too). Hopefully we'll kick on and be a bit more professional against Fulham. They're about the slowest side in the league so if we try playing at that pace again then we'll be doing them a massive favour!
True, it's all about minimising these silly mistakes, as the league is looking very tight already, just imagine what it'll be like later on!
I think ruthless is the word which needs to be drilled into our attacking players especially. Ozil has been off the boil for a while now and he needs to take the game by the scruff of its neck a bit more. With oxo back and gnabry playing well that adds drive to our midfield but (just in general terms, not solely focussing on this match) when we are in and around the box there is always the temptation to play an extra pass. It gets to the stage when the opposing defence doesn't even make much of an attempt to close our players down when we are in shooting positions. Even though we were fantastic against spurs, we should have won that game by 4 or 5, instead of having to wait for one of their players to cock up in order to put us into a comfortable position. We got the 3 point which is obviously the most important thing but ozil in particular looks content at times to just keep possession rather than forcing the game and really testing the opposition defence. With the quality we have in the team we should be 4-0 up by the 75th minute mark, if we kept the tempo high then the game could have been beyond villa and then we could have rested some key players. 1 point separates us from the chasing pack and over february and march we pay liverpool man utd chelsea man city and spurs as well as the tie with bayern munich. Getting the 3 points is the most important thing but we won't be able to achieve that if we don't lift our performances in the coming weeks.
I don't know if I agree with you. Yes, things got a bit nervous against Aston Villa, but in years gone by, we pushed for more goals when we were 2 up and lost or drew games. Our ability away from home, to shut up shop when we are 1 or 2 up and grind out wins is what has made the difference. People have got to realize that Man City are not winning 7-0 away, they are losing. Suggesting we copy the worst aspect of Man City's game, doesn't seem to be sensible to me. It does make watching a little rough, but tactically I think it is the right thing to do.
In fairness City have drawn 1 and won 4 from their last 5 away EPL games. Frustratingly their away form is looking better with each match.
He did get a lucky bounce, but the touch to bring down Wilshere's pass was utter class from Giroud and was like Bergkamp at his best.
I agree that we need to be a bit more ruthless when the game is going our way, but the same thing was said about the double winning teams, that they should have scored more goals considering the chances they made. I think the thing to remember is that whilst we are creating the chances, we're always likely to score from some of them.
