Arsenal (H) - Sat 23rd Dec 2023 (5:30pm)

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

Very good performance from us for 70 minutes, after that we didnt have the energy to keep up the pressing.

 

We were up against a good opponent, and the ref again played a decisive role. 
 

Lots of good performances, both CBs very good and Trent, Endo, Jones and Tsimikas as long as it lastes also very good.

 

Salah scored a great goal, and apart from that was pretty poor. 
 

 The injury to Tsimikas is very bad news. Sort of thing that ruins a season, not this one in isolation of course, but the growing number of injuries to key players. And with Robertson still out for a while, he clearly was a key player now, his performances have been improving week by week.

[Tenfolder]

Just now, Anubis said:

And that’s why you have to put your chances away when they come.

 

Exactly this, Trent scores that near enough sitter and it's a different story.

Aside from that I'm fine with the result, that's an Arsenal team that is as near full strength as they'll get(only really missing Partey) who had no midweek commitments so had a weeks rest.

[Dave D]

They look better than us

[KevieG]

Stonewall pen. Don't know what Var are on. 

 

Forward play in general very poor. All that said we were the better team for most of that but couldn't covert our breaks into chances bar once. 

 

Endo motm. City will win it pulling up

[Tarwater]

We deserved the win, but bad luck and - shock- bad refereeing worked against us. Dom seemed shot the last 20 mins and Gravenberch was at best a comical relief. We were badly in need of another quality midfielder.

[chrisbonnie]

2 minutes ago, HolyHank said:

Time is running out for Darwin. 

I actually thought he looked a tad bit "uninterested" when he came. Seemed to lack his usual gusto. 

 

As for Gakpo..... I just don't think he's very good. 

[Street Preacher]

Draws are killing us this season. 

[luxury_scruff]

Konate MOM for me.

 

Endo was solid too.

[KevieG]

Gravenberch the worst cameo since that time Fabinho came on last year. 

 

[Bobby Hundreds]

At arsenal I'd rather we risked the loss going for a win than a draw. A draw is fucking worthless to us there unless some mad twist of events has us riding high in February. W ehave to shit them up at their place.

[BeefStroganoff]

Fucking frustrating that. Nothing on the bench, injuries piling up. We could win this league but as per usual squad shortages will do us in. I wish we would act like a big fucking club in the market.

[KMD7]

7 minutes ago, Megadrive Man said:

 

Looks really bad. Suspected broken collarbone.

Poor lad. 

[joe_fishfish]

Outside of the penalty shout for the handball against Odegaard I didn’t think the ref was that bad. 
 

Trent hitting the bar is going to haunt me for the rest of the season. I still can’t believe he missed that. Bit of a bobble on it but he still should have buried it.

[John102]

3 minutes ago, Dave D said:

They look better than us

Is that based on this game or generally? Don't see it myself. Fair result tonight but I think if you had to give 3 points out it would be to us

[Lee909]

Today's result frustrating and we should have win it. Trent wants to be a midfielder and he has to finish like one. 

 

But a point to say would be fine if we had turned up last week. 

 

Issue is we now have to find enough match fit players for Burnley and then a cynical, cheating,time wasting Newcastle team on News years day

 

The Xmas schedule is a fucking disgrace. They should get rid of the boxing day game and hold it in a midweek in August

[Anubis]

3 minutes ago, Dave D said:

They look better than us

For large parts of that game I don’t think they were.

[Dave D]

1 minute ago, John102 said:

Is that based on this game or generally? Don't see it myself. Fair result tonight but I think if you had to give 3 points out it would be to us

We looked a decent team playing at home/ they looked technically better than us on the ball all over the pitch 

[Captain Willard]

Gakpo was awful, Gravenberch possibly worse. Not good enough for this level. 

[redinblack]

6 minutes ago, Dave D said:

They look better than us

No they dont

[niallers]

Our attack has been abysmal the last few weeks. We butchered so many chances to create the chance and trent just had to fucking score. 4 points fucked away in a week at home. No real disgrace today but we should've won both.

We desperately need mac robbo and jota back.

We're just plugging gaps with our better players and manager at the moment.

We're still in it, but draws are starting to fucking kill us.

Biggest winners are City. Laughing their arses off they are.

Our last 3 games against these cunts we conceded in the first 2 mins. That needs to stop, and yet again, we concede first. It's still happening too often.

Huge chance missed.

[mike23]

A performance that was admirable and infuriating in equal measures. Some great pressing at the start of the second half to keep winning it back in dangerous positions but then we just screwed them up every single time through carelessness, picking the wrong option or just dreadful execution. How on earth we didn't score with that break when it was about 4 on 1 I'll never know. The subs didn't help and the final 20 minutes were pretty disappointing. Mo was infuriating in the second half but scored a great goal in the first half. At least he's still providing a regular goal threat. Unfortunately the same can't be said about any of the other forwards at the moment. 

 

I thought van Dijk and Konate were excellent. Defensively we were largely decent. just frustrating that for the third game in a row against Arsenal we've come out completely cold against them and had to chase the game right from the start.

 

I have no idea how that handball isn't given. Yet again the incompetence of the officials becomes the big talking point of the weekend. 

 

It's not a disastrous result but doesn't feel like an especially good one. It felt like we really needed all 3 points from this fixture after the disappointment of the United game. 

[Red Shift]

Arsenal bringing on Grav was the difference there. Really improved their possession. Szobo although tracking back and defending with effort, clearly had no gas left in the tank. Trent in hero mode was the key moment, and he blew it. Ref was biased - of course - but overall, really pleased we didn’t LOSE

[3 Stacks]

1 minute ago, Dave D said:

We looked a decent team playing at home/ they looked technically better than us on the ball all over the pitch 

Yeah, if people discount that they scored early and weren't going to subsequently take loads of risk, especially in an away game, then we looked the busier team, I guess.

 

We find ways to not win in these big games nowadays, though. Always unlucky, always ref this, ref that.

[ZonkoVille77]

Endo, Konate, Gomez = good.

Rest - gash. Especially Salah, even though he scored and Trent who just fuckin strolled about as arrogant as fuck. Needs a kick in the hole.

 

Salah can't even control the fucking ball anymore. Diaz getting injured might actually be a blessing in disguise - he shouldn't be near the first 11 in this form. 

 

Anyhow a point isn't the end of the world. Not ideal to be winning titles but I don't think winning the title was this seasons aim. Solidify a CL spot and then invest again. 

[Saintslfc13]

2 minutes ago, chrisbonnie said:

I actually thought he looked a tad bit "uninterested" when he came. Seemed to lack his usual gusto. 

 

As for Gakpo..... I just don't think he's very good. 

Agree about Nunez, almost seemed like he was scared to fuck up and be the reason Arsenal have a break.

 

Gakpo seems to be asked to play the Firmino-role which he's decent enough at, and he does seem to get himself into positions for a tap in or a rebound quite a bit but when the other two of the front three aren't having their best games (in this case Diaz and Salah) it makes him look completely useless. I think we're better off playing Nunez through the middle, especially in the more open games like this one but if we want to play Gakpo then I'd have Nunez left of him rather than Diaz because I expect Nunez to be more of a direct threat than the former.

I'm not quite sure what's going on with Diaz, emotional fatigue as some have stated seems like as good of a reason as any for his poor form but at the same time this might just be who he is right now. He's full of energy but often overplays the ball with is feet instead of making the decision to shoot or pass. Needs to sort that out if he wants to kick on and become a next level player.