Last night's performance for me was unacceptable, it was good that we were able to get something out of the game but we should not in any circumstances be going 2-0 down to liverpool at home. Maybe it's my personal dislike towards liverpool (although if brendan rodgers is given time there then i think they'll do well) but it's hard to believe just how bad our defending is at times. I know we are never going to be the best defensively because of the way we play but we are making unforgivable mistakes and our whole backline and the keeper really need to have a look at themselves. I was surprised that mertesacker started ahead of kos as i feel that kos would have been better equipped to deal with liverpool's pace on the break. But the first goal is a joke, an absolute joke and it pains me to say it but it could only happen to arsenal, and scezney's attempt at a cruyff turn certainly didn't help. And liverpool could have been 2 or 3 up at half-time, and then the fact that jordan henderson scored against is the possibly the most humiliating fact of the night, and that goal aswel is an absolute joke. Our attacking play was good though, especially in the second half, alot of credit was given to the way liverpool set out and to be honest i've seen teams come to the emirates and set up alot better defensively, the one thing that rodgers did do well was to play suarez on the left because it stopped sagna from getting forward and we produced very little from that side until suarez was put in the middle. Walcott really should have scored in the first half, and even though he did play well in the second for me it takes him too long to get into the game, ramsey did not too badly however when you have his physique for a midfielder then one of the main reasons you should be playing in the middle is for you passing ability and being able to switch the play or split open a defense with your vision etc, and he just doesn't have that meaning that he is very passive and on the whole ineffective in the middle. And then once we do get back in the game, giroud has pretty much an open goal and cant connect with the ball, i know he's scored 5 goals this week but that's unacceptable, we would have definately won if he'd scored that chance. Podolski and wilshere were different class though their link up play with giroud and cazorla at times was top class and wilshere's ability to drive with the ball through midfield really does make a huge difference to how the team play, and podolski for me doesn't get enough credit, it was very sceptical about him at the start but in the past couple of months i can now see why wenger likes him in that left wing position.
It's painful that we have so few truly great players nowadays. There aren't too many bad players (OK, Santos aside)... just too many 7/10 players. Add it all up and it makes a top 6 team.
Pod was good, Wilshere was good, Giroud I think lacks a little pace but played well - a goal and an assist you can't really complain at. Ramsey I think plays decent as a defensive midfielder. He doesn't need the vision to play there, and his engine and willingness to track back stand him in good stead to play there. I've been impressed with him of late. Liverpool were set up well, but Arsenals defending was, once again, their undoing. They haven't scored the first goal in a game this year yet. No amount of signings are going to help the defensive problems that the team has. They need more defensive coaching.
Giroud has had a great week and his stats from last night are good but he shouldn't be missing that chance especially not with the form he's been in and we were on top of liverpool at that point. And ramsey doesn't have the physique of the tackling ability to play in the holding role, his natural thought is to go forward and in all honesty he will get bullied in that holding position. Xabi alonso is the only top class holding player i can think of that isn't physically dominant but he is possibly the best passer in the world atm maybe just behind xavi.
Liverpool definitely should have won the game, you lot were pathetic and i'm surprised some are not even happy with a point. Try going 2-0 up.
