Swansea v. Arsenal match thread

We won and deserved to win and at the end of the day that's all that matters...3pts in the bag...

 

And finally for those that have doubts, I have kept the best comment until last! enjoy......................

 

Today's result was the our best game - our first complete game in all respects - of the season. We played for a full 90 minutes. We kept shape very well. We didn't lose our discipline or drop our head after going a goal down. We dealt with an attack that has some very potent players - Sanchez, Welbeck, Ox-Ch, Walcott, Ramsey et al. And, we scored two terrific goals. We played vintage Swansalona football and didn't slump into moments of long balls to nowhere, or sloppily giving possession away.

I don't know what Monk will do in two weeks for a line-up, but starting with this XI against City wouldn't do any harm. You could even say they deserve a vote of confidence for a job well done.

 

I see you're a Guardian reader then

 

The Arsenal fans are very poor losers,judging by that video. One defeat and they want the manager out. I'm sure they'll be near the top come the end of the season,but it seems this is not good enough for the fickle Arsenal fans. They've just won the FA Cup this year and are consistently near the top of the league and in Europe,what more do they want?

 

OK i admit i was a bit tight there but i have very high standards mun . I will go to 89.9% but any higher and i get dizzy cos we be in FA cup final or champions league territory then ! I hope to get dizzy next year though

 

Notice that one of our displays of the season coincides with Shelvey being out of the team!? We would have lost possession much more with Shelvey, and been spraying more long balls which most likely would have been punished.

 

...we were also without Routledge and Dyer as well.

 

Have to say, I agree. Really like Shelvey and hadn't been overly-impressed with Carroll thus far, but he looked very assured and Ki was masterful yet again. We looked better balanced in the middle, so it seems a midfield 3 or Siggy, Ki & Carroll/Leon may be the way forward...?

 

Yes! Sounds like Leon, Ki, Sigurdsson is the ideal midfield. And Carroll came of age yesterday - very assured performance indeed.

Also Montero has the wide-right berth for sure, so the team is really beginning to take shape.

What a wonderful performance by the team, from back to front they were immense.

 

And we were without Bony also....so you cant blame shelvey can you. He is a very talented player who is admired from what i read and good enough for an england call up...

 

Without Bony?

Watched the wrong game .... Again!

 

See that Shelvey will be playing for the U21s against Brentford tonight.

Seems he will play for our U21s but not England's

 

Did you only catch the last few minutes???

 

he was taken off gave the goal away...

 

"the fickle Arsenal fans".

It's no different here. People change their minds/opinions,and stances depending on results,style of play,lack of goals,etc.,etc.,etc.

Comical to see how some change from week to week,even post to post.

 

You seem to have it in for TYLOR Yankee.

The evidence over the season so far shows he's improving game by game and today was his best game so far.

You can't seriously be blaming Taylor for their goal can you?

Yes, he didn't get back because he was in an attack which broke down due to Bony's imprecision, then Carroll gave the ball to Ox-Chamberlain then he missed a chop tackle to stop the attack, Ki didn't track Sanchez, Bartley and Williams didn't look for midfield runners into the box, Fabianski made a poor effort to save Sanchez shot and who knows where Rangel was.

Take your pick Yankee, it was poor, panicky defending all-round and your wrong to just blame Taylor.

Remembering how he was when we began the season it has to be said that Taylor is probably the most improved player in the starting eleven imo but you and others continue to incorrectly focus on him.

The main problem in our defence imo, will be on the other side, Rangel. He has looked ponderous recently and is getting no better. He rarely runs over half way these days because he knows he doesn't have the pace, stamina, to get back if needed. Currently he is playing OK, barely, but unless we address this issue I fear that soon a quick winger is going to do a Monterro on him to our cost.

 

Best till last? I preferred this one:

"Well done, Swansea. You magnificent bastards!"

 

No he didn't , yes his touch was poor but there were plenty of opportunities to close down their breakaway or do you choose to ignore that

 

He did not "give" the goal away. How can a pass 80 yards from our goal, with several Swans between the ball and the goal result in "giving" away a goal. The fact that he was sub'd after having worked hard all game be a detriment ... what about Carrol - were we without him also - he was sub'd as was Emnes.

For Arsenal to score after Bony's pass was intercepted 70 yards from our goal ....
a) Taylor missed a tackle about 65 yards from goal
b) Taylor then turned and went from being level with the ball at about 55 yards out to 20 to 25 yards behind the ball when it was crossed into our box. Yielding a 4v3 in favor of Arsenal. So instead of busting a gut to get back he preferred to become a f**ing spectator.
c) Taylor arriving in the position he should have been in after the ball had hit the back of the net and Sanchez was wheeling away in celebration. Instead of being bent over gasping for air, he just stood there with an "oh s**t" look on his face.

This is not the first time this season that Taylor has been slow to recover. This time the break away by Arsenal left him not only flat footed by visibly lacking the desire to get back and involved. If we had a LB on the bench that would have been my signal to make an immediate sub.