I Am Just So Disappointed… (w/ Player Ratings)

Chelsea (2) – (0) Arsenal
Stamford Bridge, London

I am so disappointed with the Chelsea match this afternoon.

Not with the players, not with the performance, not with the line-up or even the manager.

I am just so disappointed with the result.

Arsenal were just fantastic this afternoon and deserved so much more from the game.

As soon as the game kicked off, Arsenal went for it. Chamakh had a headed chance go just wide after 30 seconds and a few minutes later Arshavin cut inside and had a shot saved by Cech.

Then Koscielny had a golden chance to score with a header which he somehow placed over the bar from only a couple of yards.

Arsenal were dominating possession and the game and Cech was by far the busiest goalkeeper in the first hour of the game.

Arshavin had another goal-bound shot well saved by the Chelsea goalkeeper and Arsenal were playing well. We moved the ball around confidently, our movement was excellent and the only thing missing was the cutting edge.

I was shocked at how much Arsenal dominated the game. Arsenal were excellent all over the pitch – Sagna was up and down like a man possessed and made some really vital interceptions in defence. Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci were solid at the back, keeping Drogba, Anelka and Malouda all relatively quiet.

In midfield, Wilshire was sublime. He moves the ball so well and his touch and vision are impeccable. He was spraying the ball wide with ease and really got into the heart of the Chelsea defence. Nasri was full of running and ideas and Song was confident at bringing the ball out of midfield and rarely lost the ball.

Abou Diaby was also impressive, playing just off Chamakh but Arshavin was hit and miss. The shots he had showed what the guy is capable of but he did lose the ball at times and things were just not coming off for him.

But for all that possession and play, Chelsea were just impossible to break down and were more clinical. That’s the bottom line.

Drogba’s goal had more than a touch of fortune, when his flick went in off the inside of the post.

Asshole was played in by Ramires and his cross was fizzed into Drogba, who intelligently improvised and Fabianski had no chance with that goal.

Arsenal still played with their free flowing football and Chelsea were happy to play on the break. Arsenal dominated possession and despite Chelsea’s solid defence and 2 holding midfielders Arsenal did make opportunities.

The only thing you could criticise about Arsenal’s performance was that they weren’t clinical enough.

Chamakh had 3 decent headed chances to score, and you just feel that if this game was in January then he would have buried them. He still has to get used to the team and there were a couple of times when he was played in but he just couldn’t read the pass, but that will come in time.

Games like this are decided on key moments and on Chelsea’s first goal, Arsene was particularly upset with the foul on Song (by Ramires) leading up to the goal. For me, I thought it was 50:50 but if Arsenal fan Jamie Redknapp is saying it’s a foul then maybe it was.

Then for me, the foul on Chamakh in the area when Cech needlessly came out was a penalty. The fact of the matter was Chamakh got to the ball first and Cech made contact, and was nowhere near winning the ball. So at 1-0 that’s a big moment in the match.

When Rosicky came, we at least had someone who was willing to shoot and with Arsenal having 13 attempts and only 3 on target (Arshavin twice and Rosicky) then you have to say Arsenal aren’t clinical enough. We made some real opportunities against Chelsea and the best fell to Marouane Chamakh, but it’s hard to be critical of him.

Arsenal were without Van Persie, Fabregas and even Bendtner, so you can excuse today and I’m certain with at least Fabregas or Van Persie, we would have scored this afternoon.

After the disappointing game against West Bromich Albion, all you can ask for is a performance and we got that today.

Player Ratings:

Lukasz Fabianski: 8/10
The spotlight was on Fabianski but had a decent game. Made a decent stop from Drogba in the first half, and had no chance with the first goal. Unlucky on the freekick as the wall literally crumbled in front of him. Although Anelka should have scored, Fabianski did well to force him wide and make his chance to score harder.

Bacary Sagna: 8/10
Fantastic energy and as usual was up and down the touchline throughout the 90 minutes. Made some really vital tackles and interceptions, particularly in the first half but was badly exposed for the first goal. Crossing wasn’t great once again.

Laurent Koscielny: 7/10
Cope with Drogba well for the most part but really should have given Arsenal the lead.

Sebastien Squillaci: 7/10
Played well alongside Koscielny but did make a complete howler to leave Fabianski exposed and give Anelka have a chance to score a killer goal.

Gael Clichy: 8/10
Like Sagna, was up and down the flank but his crossing was poor. Supported Arshavin well and had a couple of speculative shots from distance. Usually finds space to have a pop shot or two, maybe shooting is something he should practice?

Alexander Song: 8/10
Was up against a tough midfield of Mikel, Essien and Ramires but did well. Won the ball and distributed it well for most of the game and rarely lost possession.

Jack Wilshire: 9/10
Simply outstanding. For a man of his age, played with so much composure it was frightening. Never shirked a challenge and knocked the ball around with aplomb, and in the final third his deft touch and quick incisive passing was a joy to watch.

Abou Diaby: 7/10
Put in a performance when most didn’t think it was in him and looked much more comfortable further up the pitch. Linked play well and was unlucky with a deflected shot that could have gone anywhere.

Samir Nasri: 7/10
Tried to make things happen but the majority of his corners and set-pieces were poor. Linked up well with Diaby, Wilshire and Arshavin at times but found it difficult to really penetrate Chelsea.

Andrei Arshavin: 6/10
Glimpses of what he can do with two shots in the first half but lost the ball needlessly at times and was less influential as the game wore on.

Marouane Chamakh: 7/10
Had a tough job up against Alex and Terry and did well for the most part. Even though he failed to score, he managed to win quite a few headers against two of the strongest defenders in the air.

 

50 thoughts on “I Am Just So Disappointed… (w/ Player Ratings)

  1. Not sure which game you watched. The game I saw was the same formular I have seen over and over. Chelsea soak it up and then hit us with the sucker punch. They know exactly how to beat us. Aside from the first 2 minutes before the game had really settled we never threatened in the final third. We will now win the next 6 on the bounce and everyone will be happy and then we’ll lose another big game, slowly watching as our chances of a trophy slip away.

     
  2. with ratings like that you think we won the game, come on. we barely created any clean chances and the scrappy ones we had were not even close. defence looks pretty shambolic through the centre, given how little chelsea attacked yet how many chances they had straight down the middle

     
  3. Wenger should look more thoughtfully why Chelsea always seems to get the better of the gunners.I agree that Chelsea were more clinical. The gunners took a longer time perhaps one/two/three seconds to shoot.There in lies the reason.
    For a change why can’t Wenger park the bus/56 million pounds and let teams attack and hit on the counter.?The problem is he is too wedded to his attacking philosophy and would hurt his eg if he were to change.
    Change he must if he doesn’t want the gunners to play catch up. Basesd on the stats,
    Arsenal deserved at least a point but football aint like taht Ask the red faced cunt.He was within one minute of being buried by BM.But he was very ,very x times that day.

     
  4. With those ratings did we win the game , o no same old same old loads of passing no fucking shooting although i thought 56 million in the bank had a good game !!!!!!!!!

     
  5. i agree with your article pretty much, we played well but it judt didn’t work out. Happy with team performance only problem i had was with centre halves, think we really missed Vermaelan and possibly Djourou deserves a chance. But overall although no points lots of positives. PS Jack is a superstar and great to see JT nearly ready

     
  6. although some of ur ratings are a bit high (squillaci and song werent that great) i do agree that the result doesnt reflect the game…all the nay sayers and negative pricks will come out of the woodwork and give u shit for this but the fact is that we played well and got undone by a bit of fortune from Drogba and a free kick that nobody in the world could have stopped.

    if we perform like this week in week out and we get vermaelen and cesc back then the season will definitely be there for us…

     
  7. until this coach leaves, we will not compete. he is interested in making money. defence is crap. why didn’t he get chris samba, surely he better then the crap we have.

     
  8. Ha ha. Funniest reading I have ad for years. Your two centre backs were “solid”??? Don’t make me laugh. They were terrible, and petrified of Drogba. They won no ball, allowed our front three to take it down on regular occasions, and even tried to set Anelka up through on goal. You really need to look at games slightly more objectively before you write an article.

    Strange no mention made of how we created chance after chance on the break (pretty much everytime we could be bothered to attack).

     
  9. You had more of the possession because we allowed you too, it’s called tactics. We knew you would struggle to break us down and we could catch you on the break, our tactics where better than yours. With all your little passing and possession we still had a perfectly good goal allowed, plus your linesmen blew for offside every single time even when we were clearly onside, anelka missed an open goal and essien missed a one on one, plus we had plenty more decent chances when all you could muster was a few half attempts on goal. We played superbly and our tactics were spot on, just like last season.

     
  10. Are you out of your mind? Are you sure you are not drunk/

    Song 8/10 … He was the worst player on the pitch by a mile and was owned by the Chelsea midfield.

    What you guys have to understand is that keeping possesion of the ball emans nothing if you can’t convert your chances. All teams let Arsenal hold on to the ball and wait to pounce and counterattack. Second half Chelsea sat back and waited for us to make mistakes, this game could have ended 3 or 4-0. We are naiv and extremely easy to read as a team.

    i can’t wait for Gibbs to come back and take clichy’s spot, his time is over and we need new blood on the left wing.

    I know you guys will hate what i am writing but i think it is time for Wenger to get rid of RVP. We need a striker to play for us week in and week out, we cannot expect Chamakh to come in his first season and play 90min alone upfront. I truly hope that Wellington Silva is the real deal when he arrives in january. I am sorry but Carlos Vela cannot play at this level, he brings nothing to the table!

    thoughts?

     
  11. We played well,but as usual Chelsea won by leaving us do the play and our tormentor in chief there to finish us off.My worry is that the season is going to look the same as before,we are in free fall,injuries,a gang of inexperienced blokes,our season usually over by December,and as Xavi said,we are simply not competitive.We have high points though,we smile to the bank.We are a business concern

     
  12. Our team was really great, but its obvious that at our best we can’t beat Chelsea at their best. However Wilshere was really good today, I even forget he was only 18. Would of been better that we tied or won, but the manner in how we were defeated doesn’t paint a dark picture for the future.

     
  13. 2-0 away to chelsea! nothing to be ashamed of lads, epecially the way we played, yeah im pissed of like everyone else because it could have been so different if this happened or that happened but it didnt did it…. accept the result and move on!!

    dont forget that we outplayed chelsea all over the pitch for most of the game without van persie fabregas and vermalen, thats the spine of our team missing and i for one am proud to be a gooner.

     
  14. Can’t believe these ratings especially the one about song, rarely gave the ball away???? He did nothing else, 4 god sake use the eyeballs in ya head man… Thought diaby played well though and was unlucky 2 be subbed

     
  15. I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with this report.

    Arsenal did play some excellent football in their approaches, and I disagree with the Chelsea poster who is implying that this was a tactical decision. Nonsense. Arsenal had opportunities to score and severely stretched the Chelsea defense on several occasions. However, and as per usual, Arsenal lacked the killer instinct against a team that has its number. Nothing new there.

    The defense was POOR. Song seems to have regressed badly, and looks NOTHING like the promising player he was last season. Squillaci and Kos both had poor games. I’m sorry, but playing well for 80% of a game does not count. Both could have been punished for school boy errors and a disturbing level of nervousness.

    Same old Arsenal I’m afraid. Let the excuses begin again. Not good enough.

     
  16. It was a good game today.

    The team did well, but as the blog says, we are not as clinical as Chelsea.

    Anyone criticising the defence must realise that drogba is virtually unplayable.

    I think we have finally managed to overcome our problems from crosses and we do look far more potent in offensive positions in the air. the team is improving and I think we’ll take 2nd this year.

    Only downside is Arshavin, who is not doing it at the moment. He is also a liability in defence and continues to lose the ball.

    Jack was a giant today and hope he continues as he has started. Good to see JET make a debut. I agree that vela will not make it.

     
  17. Funny that this blog is generally on the negative side and gets criticised for it, and yet when it has a positive slant on things then the same thing happens. You can’t win either way.

    It’s a cliché but there are a lot of positive to take from this performance. We won’t play a side as good as Chelsea every week (and they are a fantastic side, the best in the league in my opinion) and if we played like that against Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs (who aren’t a defensively solid in my opinion) then we will get a result, of that I am sure.

    The only concern is the performance levels against lower sides like West Brom, but that’s a debate for another day.

     
  18. Not only did Song give the ball away but by turning when the free kick was taken he created the space that allowed Chelsea to score the 2nd goal that killed the game for Arsenal.

     
  19. AFC is all pretty, no substance; the exact image of AW.
    AFC is looking like a mid table club this season. Unless we find practical solutions to our present predicament, putting our hands on a silver ware is not an achievable objective. Procrastination is said to be the thief of time. Having said this, if making money is the ultimate aim of AFC then we’re on the right track; we’re doing a brilliant job with the ‘miracle worker’ as the head coach.Genius!!!

     
  20. Hmm can’t agree with those ratings a few way over the top. Also Songs distribution was dire all game, he was bossed aroundin midfield. I can’t understand what’s happened to him this season clichy and sagna 8/10 sorry but never in my eyes Gibbs get fit and make that left back spot yours.

     
  21. Decent enough performance, but there is still something missing.
    Every game we gift 2 or 3 good chances to the opposition, by crap backpasses, falling over, misjudging the flight of the ball etc, thats before the full backs are caught out of position upfield. Until we can become more solid and draw teams like chelsea out we will always struggle in the big fixtures. They defend and defend knowing we will give them an easy out at some stage. And Song was overpowered by a bloke who has the physique of a 14 year old…not good.

     
  22. Bit generous there, pal.

    “The Prof” you are a moron, go and ‘support’ a football team in your own country, or show some respect to the legendary Wenger. If you listen to anything he says about the finances, you can tell he has his hands tied. If he’d spunked £20m on Chamakh you would be creaming yourself. Go and support City or Chelsea if you want a few years of ludicrous spending.

     
  23. Another predictable season hopefully 4th place. Batter some poor teams at home , lose the important games , no trophies again , lets hope next year will be better , getting tedious

     
  24. Spot on article, I thought we played well and in comparison to the performance we put up against Chelsea last year – I’m much prouder to be an Arsenal fan today! They had very little chances – Drogba’s one I’m not convinced was entirely intentional and Alex’s freekick I’m disappointed Song moved out the way for… Without the spine of our side (RVP, Cesc, Vermaelen) we were always going to struggle, any team would without their 3 best players… Only disappointment today was another off colour performance from Arshavin…

     
  25. delusional report! we were tactically shite from defensive midfield, downward into defence….if people like you continue to praise this? we’ll never get to where we want to be. I think it’s time to analyse yourself now

     
  26. After reading the ratings I had to check the score again b/c it sounds like we won 4-0.

    We played better than previous matches with chelsea but were still weak in the final third and also in defense at times. Players need to show desire to win balls back after they lose it rather than just stand there.

    I do like how we pressed up the field and kept pressure on chelsea players when they had the ball but we need to bring this effort to smaller teams.

     
  27. Our defensive coaching is awful and has been for years. There should have been a man behind the chelsea player in our wall for the second goal so there wouldn’t have been a hole in the wall when the chelsea player moved to the side.
    Wenger needs to bring back Keown and others from the old back 4 to sort us out. Remember last time Keown was brought back to coach (temp for part of a season) we got to the final of the champs league with a bit part defense and set a defensive record (no goals allowed record i think).

     
  28. Did Arsene Wenger write this drivel? Chelsea did what they always do, let Arsenal have the ball as much as they want, then counter-attack when someone makes a bad pass. They really should have had 5!! Arsenal should have had 1 (Koscielny). Same old shit. Wenger is the worst tactician in World football. He is only good at one thing, attacking football, pass and move. But since George Graham’s back five retired and Campbell left, it’s all been downhill and he’ll never win anything again. This youth project is ridiculous, half these kids are total shite. Anelka, Fabregas and Wilshire are the only world class kids wenger has ever produced.

     
  29. James, I think you’re a true gooner!! Sadly, majority of the so-called gooners are brain-washed to the point of being delusional. AW is an account. AFC needs a coach, and unless we appreciate this fact we’ll never look for a coach focused enough(and not distracted by the pennies) to do the job he’s employed to do. Wake up gooners. It has been a long wait and still no light at the end of the tunnel.

     
  30. I’m sad to read this kind of positive views from Arsenal fans. The Arsenal team is a bit above average and that’s about it. We are not good enough to beat top teams. To think we will win anything, now and in the near future, is like living in a cuckoo’s land. The truth hurts but we have to live with it.

     
  31. from what I saw chelsea were all over us. they soaked the pressure, they laughed and hit us.
    our Cbs tonight were atrocious, tentative and nervy but also DAMN lucky.

    start watching matches without rosy glasses. we were terrible

     
  32. looking at the rating, u have to think that all chelsea players are at 10/10, including their waterboy. Arsenal is average at best ..

     
  33. I agree with “Eeerrrr, really?” Though we had all the possession we could not break them down. And the chances we did create, we could not put away. Chelsea picked their chances and waited for us to falter. (The Anelka chance is an example!)

    Our fullbacks had no protection and the goal came about the right side where Bac was out of position and the Midfielder/s who were supposed to be helping out were to busy thinking about the ball breaking to them for an attack.

    We are a lazy defensive team!

    We have all the energy in the world to get forward but none to back.

    I am tired of Wenger comments about this “good performance”. No disrespect to Fulham FC, but if they put a performance like that, then we would have all said well played. But this is Arsenal! And Wenger say’s we can win the Premier league. If you believe that, you will believe anything.

    Same problems as last year…. Just not good enough.
    PS. Are your player ratings through gooner googles!

     
  34. Your ratings are real justification of the match. Song, clichy, sagna and squllacci should all have lower ratings. No way in hell does clichy deserve an 8. Getting forward in space is not deserving of an 8 because he does nothing when he is there. He shoots when he shoudn’t and quite frankly all the praticing in the world would not help him with that. sam said for sagna. the crossing and shooting and decisive pass from these 2 is complete frace. I have never seen full backs who have the ball as much as these two but yet still cant help provide anything attacking wise. as for song he was poor yesturday. gave the ball away far too much. doen’t know if he wants to be a defensive or offensive player. we played well but not well enough. no killer touch and weak tackling. van p, fab, walcott and tommy v should help this. not all doom and gloom. I still think we can challenge for the league but issues have to be sorted soon.

     
  35. oi!dick!@7.27-fo to your chav sites(all two of them)if you’d been missing drogba,malouda,essien,pikey terry & cashley-equiv to the players we have out-you would have beeb stuffed-no question-have you no shame that you mugs have spent nearly half a billion & you still haven’t won old big ears-if wenger had spent that it would be sitting in our cabinet for the last 5years!!

     
  36. Pass forward, pass left, pass right, pass backward, pass left again, Oops.. Gave it away, where’s the track back? Outmuscled, keeper panics, goal down.
    Game resumes, back to top.
    We are no doubt the most entertaining team to watch.

     
  37. ARSENE i never knew you that you wrote on this blog get back to managing

    songs rating nearly made me break my laptop for the 2nd time this week, as the coffee i was drinking was nearly spat all over it

     
  38. It’s like we can’t shoot for goal outside the area it’s like we have to try and walk the ball into the net, where’s the skill in that why not try to shoot from outside nothing gained nothing lost if we try. Plus we should try and defend as a team and attack as a team whether your a defender or striker, having watched Chelsea yesterday it seemed they were of one mind to attack and defend as one, so why don’t we try to be a bit more innovative in our attitude towards certain teams.

     
  39. surely im not the only one who can see our problem. PACE! we attack so slowly against chelsea that they get back and we are stuck. against pants teams we break so fast they are out of position. and i tell you what, im sick of people raving about nasri, and even sicker with anyone who accepts arshavins poor poor performances. Nasri seems to keep getting the ball. standing up the player infront of him, jinking one way, jinking back. then playing a simple pass inside or down the line to someone who will do something. arshavin need a month in the reserves. doesnt chase, doesnt sprint forward. now he cant even play simple passes. how is he still getting game time.

     
  40. mate spot on about nasri

    im fed up with his style
    he has improved a touch of late with 2 pens and 2 goals against wba, but overall he is a huge disappointment

     
  41. Flappyanski – Not his worst game but still looks like on Prozac.
    Sagna – The least suicidal out of the back 4. Just don’t count on him when we’re attacking.
    Clichy – Loads of pace & grit, but too much adventurous defending & clueless forward runs. Still can’t cross for nuts.
    Kos – To be fair he tried, but huge dose of creatine is needed here.
    Squillaci – Not his best game. Careless at times.
    Song – Neither the brain nor the ability to cope with Chelsea’s midfield.
    Diaby – Frustrating to watch, all the attributes of a quality player with the football acumen of a pistachio.
    Nasri – Tried to make things happen, but perhaps struck by the curse of Hleb, more obsessed with dribbling past players than being productive.
    Wilshere – Only bright spark on the side, just needs to bulk up.
    Arshavin – bad passes, weak shots, lazy defending, what else can I say.
    Chamack – Has to contend with Alex & Terry thru out. Looks bad cos the midfielders are busy playing pinball among themselves.

     
  42. Arsenal at the moment are a little like bimbos nice to look at but with little end product when up against the best/better teams, however, from the outside they look close to being the finished article.
    What’s needed? Since Thierry Henry left there has been nobody to really take on his role and give a regular supply of goals.
    Defensively you need something in the middle ala Keown and Adams. for me all the rest is there. With a solid defensive middle pair all around would gain confidence and probably improve.
    Wiltshire looks as he is going to be immense.
    Good result for us but not good for my nerves!

     
  43. Arsenal did well, but it was the same old story…

    Throughout the game I was screaming “SHOOT!”.

    So many times Arsenal had the ball in decent areas and didn’t pull the trigger. It’s frustrating and only when Rosicky came on did we shoot early.

     
  44. If Arsenal loss in the big match ,Arsene Wenger should re-think again why and stop talked this team played well even if it loss because it’s not really truth. I think this team have a big future but the key is stable and flexibility that player should rise up themselves. Many year, they played in EPL games Chelsea ,Bolton ,Man U, Liverpool and so on always treats them in the same way,this knowhow should think how to play settle in hard tackle ,the pitch is very wide why they like to played in small space that easily to steal ,in this condition short and long pass is magnificent that is stable and flexible play that not change the philosophy of AW. In the big games,all players should play more smart to keep the ball ,pass the ball and give all massange thought the ball to teammates to make a beautiful goals and style and the important thing is “Don’t do mistake”. Arsenal squad try to prove the silly thing in the wrong way ( try to show their mature by the brave offensive play that is not the corrected way.)

     

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