What can you say about yesterday? It really was a shambles.
The team selection was all wrong, the performance was pitiful and majority of the players just weren’t interested.
You had Andre Santos getting Robin van Persie’s shirt at half time. Seriously, what the f*ck?
That was just one example of how footballers live in a different world to everyone else. Not content enough with showing a lack of ability and effort when wearing an Arsenal shirt, Santos is a waste of space. When he’s not speeding like a raving lunatic he’s p*ssing off his own fans by swapping shirts with the one man Arsenal supporters can’t stand right now.
Unbelievable.
And Arsene needs to take some responsibility for the terrible team selection, and the current state of our squad.
Wenger has shown us that he’s not adverse to playing a right-footed player at left back, so why on earth would you start chubbs at left back when you have Jenkinson (who has been outstanding this season) and Sagna both fully fit? That made no sense whatsoever, considering most of United’s threat comes from the wings (did Arsene not see United at Stamford Bridge only a week ago?).
Then you have our captain. As Arseblog has already pointed out, he is and has been playing poorly for weeks now. Mertesacker is now our best central defender and we’ve got Koscielny and Djourou available so why not drop Vermaelen for a game? He makes too many mistakes and has now cost us dearly against Chelsea and Manchester United. I’m not saying our other defenders are completely blameless this season but our captain is struggling badly for form right now.
And then we have the squad. What is going on?
On paper, we really do have one of the best squads in the league. But in reality, the whole squad is disjointed and has no togetherness.
We have attacking players like Walcott and Arshavin who are still quality and yet are nowhere near the first team. Arshavin has showed in glimpses how good he is and how much he can add to the team. His influence against Reading was exceptional, and of course it was weaker opposition but he still showed the class he had. And yesterday he assisted Cazorla for our goal.
It’s obvious Podolski and Cazorla need a break because their early season form has dipped. And how can Arsenal hope to progress if they have players in the wings such as Walcott and Arshavin performing when they get the chance but also knowing they can’t even break into the starting eleven? The same goes for Carl Jenkinson, these players know where they are in the pecking order, irrespective of how they perform.
Arsene had a chance to mix it up against United and inject some pace into the team with Arshavin and Walcott, and their inclusion couldn’t have made us perform worse than we did yesterday. People will say they were too tired after midweek but these people are professional footballers. And they could have been replaced after an hour if it was that bad.
I tweeted yesterday that United wouldn’t have an easier game this season and it’s true. They were in cruise control from the first whistle and you could tell how annoyed Fergie was that they didn’t score more. Perversely though, for our shockingly bad performance we could have inconceivably and undeservedly nicked a point if Giroud took his chances. It would have been the most undeserved point in Premier League history, but it could have happened.
The problem yesterday was that no-one believed. Wilshere was let down badly because he was coming back in a game where the whole team didn’t care. He tried his best and was one of a very few that could come out of the game with any kind of respect yesterday. Arteta was another that tried his best but beyond that, it was extremely poor.
Was it just another bad day at the office? It seems like we’re having quite a few of those at the moment…
we cant cut arsenal anymore slack, we have become the laughing stock in the premier league. we are all getting mugged in silence and as long as we keep silent it will never end. all these players leave over the years,arsenal buy the bear minium. just look at our bench on saturday, pathetic.
its unbelievable that so many Gooners fail to lay the blame for this mess at the door of the manager, who bought these players, who plays these players out of position, who selects these players no matter how they play(ramsey and vermaelen) or how their understudy plays(jenkinson), who is refusing to play our top scorer – Walcott – for what seems non football reasons, who decides on the tactics,( big CF but low crosses and no one there for any knock downs that occur) who decides on the formation, (again big CF but no one to feed off him), who has included players in his 25 that he wanted rid of in the summer – Squillaci, Djourou, Mannone, Chamakh and Arshavin, some of whom he does not trust even enough to start in COC, let alone the FAPL, possible signings were halted cos these players failed to leave, and the man in charge is so loyal to his players he would not exclude them from the 25,
so I ask again, why do so many Gooners ignore the fact that Wenger is the one fecking things up, regardless of the cost of the squad, surely its remiss of Wenger to not be able to get more out of these players, is it not his job to find a formation and tactics that best suit the players he signed, and why does he keep putting players in wrong positions, why are his subs like clockwork, and as Bould admitted last week, the subs were already decided before the game,
there are many things wrong with how the board run things off the pitch, but please Gooners, don’t be silly and ignore who is fecking things up on the playing side, Wenger needs to be replaced as manager of Arsenal
Its really simple as things stand its a completely new team things take time combinations we have never experience this before there was alway someone to take the lead this season we are relying on the new signings that’s unfair let’s keep the faith it will change after the new year
I saw my first match at Highbury in 1969 and this is the most spineless Arsenal team I’ve ever seen. We’ve had worst teams, but they still had pride and commitment.
Yeah, drop Verm, and drop Ramsey too.
Does anyone think Ramsey can get into MU, City or Chelsea team sheet?
Ok Wengers not filling many of us with joy but who replaces him ? The fact is the powers above won’t change the spending pattern nor strategy… What Wenger has done is no short of a miracle, Yes he’s made a lot of mistakes, brought in players who aren’t right, and over played those who need a rest but despite this hes got more out of the squad then anyone can … Pep and Muareen will need the Promise of huge cash injection before they accept the role so forget about that, we have to accept our reality now and see everything as a bonus.
I agree, we need rid of wenger and the yank ASAP. Wengers tactics no longer surprise me, I new he would play Ramsey out wide and santos at left bc. Is he blind to how bad santos realy is. Did he not see how he got slaughtered against qpr. My guess is, the more you tell wenger he’s making wrong the calls and making tactical mistakes the more he will proceed with the same tactics because as far as he’s concerned, we’re all just mere mortals that know fuck all about the game. The guy is the most arrogant dishonest manager I’ve ever come across. He’s being spoofing his way through the last 7-8 years. Wenger out, your time will come
I’m a rugby player and therefore is limited to what I see on TV. I do love to watch Arsenal pay, but the currant Arsenal side are a shadow of the Awesome sides of 10 years ago.
Having watched the United v Arsenal match yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice that United marked the Arsenal players very closely and gave them no room to move, pass, or recieve passes. United on the other hand had acres of space to run freely, pass freely, and recieve passes freely.
Is there a problem with the tactics of the manager or are the currant Arsenal players just lazy and not too bright. There are exceptions of course. Carzola is world class. Why cant Arsenal buy a few more of these footballing gems.
A big clear out is needed and re-think in tactics. Why not play Walcott in the middle with Geroud? More bodies in the box to latch on to loose balls. United seemed to have huge numbers in the Arsenal box.
As I said, I am just a rugby player and what do I know.
Get rid of Wenger and the Yanks ???? Ok … So how do we do that ? We have a plan and strategy in place and you think we can just change that just like that? Make sensible comments not irrational ones. Get with it even of we got rid of Wenger we wont be able to compete with Citeh, Chavs or Manure ….
Podolski was a disgrace, totally uninterested and useless. Giroud’s legs seem to move even slower than Mertesackers. What worries me about this season is that after our shocking start last season Wenger went out and brought a whole lot of decent players that shored things up a lot, but here we are past the transfer window and after 10 games we are in a worse position than last season with no opportunity to shore things up to the January transfer window. But, amazingly, we are only 2 points off 4th spot, so there’s no need to panic, if you are content, as Wenger apparently is, to just get 4th each year until fair play comes in. Just goes to show how weak the English premiership is outside the top 3 teams that we can stutter along misfiring like this and be a breath away from the top four.
Yesterday was embarrassingly poor performance. The one person to blame must be AW. It was not rocket science to know that starting Santos was going to be a disaster! This tired soul was expected to face the best right side in the PL, in Valencia and young Rafael! Did AW not know that? since Santos started this season, he has shown his very poor technique, poor positional awareness and striking lack of fitness! The entire world can see that but AW!!!
Ramsey is not a winger, he has no pace whatsoever, concede possession time and time, yet AW insist on starting him and drop one of the few players who are in great form, theo Walcott.
We should have have given the two best players of the reading game, Walcott and Arshavin, a chance. They would have made life difficult for Man U defence instead of the humiliating performance of Podolsky and Ramsey.
Going back to left back, I would have played Vermalen as left back and brought in Koscienly to partner Mertasaker.
Yesterday was a sad day in Arsenal history as it was one of the flattest performances I have ever seen
I have been an Arsenal supporter for 45 years and I can’t remember being so frustrated by the team! There have been worse Arsenal sides over the years but the rut and staleness of the club at the moment, is quite alarming. Whilst Wenger the Economist keeps the club in profit every year, he will remain at the helm. We the fans have been taken for a right royal ride. The overhaul from top to bottom is a huge project and I don’t know how or where it should start. One thing is for sure, if the current malaise continues, something will have to give!! I’m nervous about the short term future!!!!