Our improbable run in this cup ended ignominiously as we were humiliated by a far superior team. I told my family that it we were going down 4-0 before the game, but I told them the same thing before the FA Cup final last May. You never know. But today, we were beaten all over the pitch. Bravo was never worried; not even he could screw up badly enough to gift us a goal, though he tried. It was Mustafi who was in a generous mood, failing to do a damned thing to hinder Aguero as he collected a goal kick and dinked over a helpless Ospina. He looked offside, but they had VAR and I assume Chambers or Kos kept him on when Mustafi decided to stay wrong side of Aguero.
The other two goals showcased City's other talents, and our lack of organization. Suffice it to say that the scoreline flattered Arsenal, who may have gotten a shot or two on goal all game, and not many shots at all. There's no point running down the whole roster; as a unit we stank. Seriously, City would have had a harder time with almost any team in the league--all four divisions. It was that easy for them. Our guys knew it too. They looked frustrated and dejected long before the final whistle. And they knew we had to face the same juggernaut four days from today in front of the restive home fans.
I swear that were I in Kroenke's place, I'd fire Wenger tomorrow. It's that desperate a situation, not just for this season but for this group of players. When I have the energy, I may opine on what needs to happen for this club to reach the level it achieved in the early Wenger era. But not today.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Arsenal 4 - 2 Ostersunds (aggregate)
I'll give Wenger credit for starting Ozil in the first leg; that may have kept us in Europa League. Because almost everything else he and the team did was poor. We weren't 3-0 better than the Swedes in the first game, but we were half as good as them in the second. We played down to their level and then some. Manchester City will be thinking they can count on the Carabao Cup, even after their exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Wigan (again). Arsenal were booed off the field today, and why not? We were awful. In no particular order:
Ospina was fine, although he seemed a trifle casual playing the ball with his feet. His penalty save in the first game was first rate, and he made some nice saves here too.
Now I see why Maitland-Niles isn't being played at DM. He stinks there. He kept giving the ball away and he couldn't pick out a pass to save his life. Both he and Elneny played too far up the field on several occasions, but then so did Holding.
This was a game that Jack should have dominated. But he seemed very ordinary. Disappointing. Iwobi has lots of talent, but that final ball is elusive. Welbeck was almost entirely useless. Mkhitaryan passed poorly and looked like someone that Man U is well rid of.
Bellerin was one of our better players, which is not saying much. Kolasinac grew into the game, but had a horror first half. Chambers and Holding were not "better than Cannavaro." Not even both of them. Just awful.
So...this is who we are. Missing Aubameyang, Ozil, Ramsey, and Lacazette, and not playing Kos, Monreal, and Mustafi, we struggled to win a two-legged tie against a very ordinary (if inspired) Swedish team starting a former York City player. Our opponent in the next round should be favored, no matter who it is.
Ospina was fine, although he seemed a trifle casual playing the ball with his feet. His penalty save in the first game was first rate, and he made some nice saves here too.
Now I see why Maitland-Niles isn't being played at DM. He stinks there. He kept giving the ball away and he couldn't pick out a pass to save his life. Both he and Elneny played too far up the field on several occasions, but then so did Holding.
This was a game that Jack should have dominated. But he seemed very ordinary. Disappointing. Iwobi has lots of talent, but that final ball is elusive. Welbeck was almost entirely useless. Mkhitaryan passed poorly and looked like someone that Man U is well rid of.
Bellerin was one of our better players, which is not saying much. Kolasinac grew into the game, but had a horror first half. Chambers and Holding were not "better than Cannavaro." Not even both of them. Just awful.
So...this is who we are. Missing Aubameyang, Ozil, Ramsey, and Lacazette, and not playing Kos, Monreal, and Mustafi, we struggled to win a two-legged tie against a very ordinary (if inspired) Swedish team starting a former York City player. Our opponent in the next round should be favored, no matter who it is.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
What Top Four Prospects? Tottenham 1 - 0 Arsenal
No complaints here. On the day, Spurs were better, and not by a little bit either. They had 57% possession, ten corners (to our 2), and outshot us 16-4, 8-1 on target. Their offside trap worked perfectly; ours, not so much. Despite the golden opportunities for a late equalizer, my view is that only some poor finishing by Spurs kept them from being out of sight by then. We won't finish top four because we aren't a top four team. Spurs may be, but we are not, this week. And we've run out of weeks to haul in the teams ahead of us.
I don't think it was a matter of our system or of our personnel. It came down to execution. Spurs had an eleven out there who knew each other. We had our regular back four, the usual mix-and-match midfield, and an attacking four who barely were acquainted on the playing field. Those guys might tear up Everton on talent alone, but today they did not have the time and space to work things out with their new mates. By April, they may be a well-öiled machine, but then we'll be at least six points off fourth place and maybe that many back of fifth too, barring a collapse by Chelsea.
I don't know if Ramsey would have changed anything. I didn't mind seeing Elneny in front of a back four, but he does not contribute much offensively. Xhaka was more disciplined than usual, or maybe it was that he had Elneny cleaning up behind him. Tottenham did their damage from the flanks, with better crossing than we are capable of. Ozil and Mkhitaryan could have covered better, but I'm not going to assign blame for the goal (or their other chances). Tottenham's speed of thought was quicker on both sides of the ball. Our guys did well individually; but their team played better.
The most disappointing player was of course Mikhi. His final ball was way off and he wasn't combining well. Auba got very little service. (By the way, the linesman made the right but very tight call on his first half chance to go one on one with Lloris. I'd happily trade the one they gave Auba against Everton for this one, but it does not work that way.) Ozil was not bad, but I would have hoped for more defensive work in the derby. Jack did his usual thing but the defense dealt with it. I'm getting seriously annoyed with Bellerin: he gets by far the most chances to cross the ball into the box but the quality is dreadful. He does everything else well; shouldn't this be an area he can work on? Spurs had more of the ball, and a lot more in dangerous areas, so they had more crossing opportunities. Some of them were outstanding, including the one Kane got up high (with a little assist) to head so perfectly for the goal. (I would not have blown for a foul there.) The subs were a mixed bag. I thought Lacazette gave them real problems (and should have equalized late), but Iwobi seemed easy to defend, coughing up the ball repeatedly. Welbeck just did not look the part when he had a chance to influence the game.
The future seems a bit clearer now. Lacazette needs to get his goals in the Europa League (Aubameyang is cup-tied) and Wenger really has to concentrate on that contest. Ostersund should not be an obstacle if we take the game seriously, and by the next round we'll have played the Carabao Cup final (which is obviously a big priority). No way can Leicester overtake us for sixth, and it's highly unlikely we can climb into fourth now. The tables I look at show fifth spot as the last Europa League place, but doesn't the League Cup winner get a slot? If we win, we're in; if City win, sixth place should go to Europe, right? And then there are the FA Cup finalists, who probably will include at least one top five team, meaning sixth is still a Europa League place. Next year it seems certain we're going to Europe one way or another, but it would be fantastic to go to Champions' League as the Europa winners.
I have to believe Conte would get more out of Arsenal next season than Wenger. It seems that someone has gotten to Kroenke and convinced him to spend more money and let people other than Wenger make the personnel decisions. That tells me that they're planning for a future post-Wenger in a way I have not seen before. Is Conte the man? I like him, but he is more in the Mourinho mold. He won't be at the Emirates long, assuming he even wants the job. He could decide to do the Italy job again and say goodbye to club football if Chelsea fire him. But there are few if any better gigs than Arsenal in 2018-19. They're going for a top GK, CB, and DM. Mert is all but gone, Kos is aging, and Monreal is also in decline (but they're both still excellent). Mustafi is a starter but he'll need a partner better than he is. Chambers and Holding are fine but not quite top four quality. The great thing about the Gunners is that we have all the firepower any club could need. Once they start clicking--and they will--the goals will be there. Tighten things up through the center and Arsenal is a top four team, maybe a title contender. Easier said than done, but I expect a resurgence next season. If we can manage a cup win this year, that'll be three years running (and four out of five) with silverware. That's not shabby. This is not Burnley; we're not even Tottenham when it comes right down to it. They're playing better than we are today; they ARE better than we are today. But I think our past, including our recent past, is superior in terms of achievement, and I like our chances next year better than our North London rivals. Kane may be sold; Dele Alli will still be a wanker. Stadium debt will tempt them to continue their golden habit of selling their best players for ridiculous amounts of money. No amount of Lamelas would replace Prince Harry.
But it's about us, not them. There's glory, and silverware, on offer this season; and the prospects are bright for next season too. It was a bad day today, but I'm expecting many better days in the months and years to come.
I don't think it was a matter of our system or of our personnel. It came down to execution. Spurs had an eleven out there who knew each other. We had our regular back four, the usual mix-and-match midfield, and an attacking four who barely were acquainted on the playing field. Those guys might tear up Everton on talent alone, but today they did not have the time and space to work things out with their new mates. By April, they may be a well-öiled machine, but then we'll be at least six points off fourth place and maybe that many back of fifth too, barring a collapse by Chelsea.
I don't know if Ramsey would have changed anything. I didn't mind seeing Elneny in front of a back four, but he does not contribute much offensively. Xhaka was more disciplined than usual, or maybe it was that he had Elneny cleaning up behind him. Tottenham did their damage from the flanks, with better crossing than we are capable of. Ozil and Mkhitaryan could have covered better, but I'm not going to assign blame for the goal (or their other chances). Tottenham's speed of thought was quicker on both sides of the ball. Our guys did well individually; but their team played better.
The most disappointing player was of course Mikhi. His final ball was way off and he wasn't combining well. Auba got very little service. (By the way, the linesman made the right but very tight call on his first half chance to go one on one with Lloris. I'd happily trade the one they gave Auba against Everton for this one, but it does not work that way.) Ozil was not bad, but I would have hoped for more defensive work in the derby. Jack did his usual thing but the defense dealt with it. I'm getting seriously annoyed with Bellerin: he gets by far the most chances to cross the ball into the box but the quality is dreadful. He does everything else well; shouldn't this be an area he can work on? Spurs had more of the ball, and a lot more in dangerous areas, so they had more crossing opportunities. Some of them were outstanding, including the one Kane got up high (with a little assist) to head so perfectly for the goal. (I would not have blown for a foul there.) The subs were a mixed bag. I thought Lacazette gave them real problems (and should have equalized late), but Iwobi seemed easy to defend, coughing up the ball repeatedly. Welbeck just did not look the part when he had a chance to influence the game.
The future seems a bit clearer now. Lacazette needs to get his goals in the Europa League (Aubameyang is cup-tied) and Wenger really has to concentrate on that contest. Ostersund should not be an obstacle if we take the game seriously, and by the next round we'll have played the Carabao Cup final (which is obviously a big priority). No way can Leicester overtake us for sixth, and it's highly unlikely we can climb into fourth now. The tables I look at show fifth spot as the last Europa League place, but doesn't the League Cup winner get a slot? If we win, we're in; if City win, sixth place should go to Europe, right? And then there are the FA Cup finalists, who probably will include at least one top five team, meaning sixth is still a Europa League place. Next year it seems certain we're going to Europe one way or another, but it would be fantastic to go to Champions' League as the Europa winners.
I have to believe Conte would get more out of Arsenal next season than Wenger. It seems that someone has gotten to Kroenke and convinced him to spend more money and let people other than Wenger make the personnel decisions. That tells me that they're planning for a future post-Wenger in a way I have not seen before. Is Conte the man? I like him, but he is more in the Mourinho mold. He won't be at the Emirates long, assuming he even wants the job. He could decide to do the Italy job again and say goodbye to club football if Chelsea fire him. But there are few if any better gigs than Arsenal in 2018-19. They're going for a top GK, CB, and DM. Mert is all but gone, Kos is aging, and Monreal is also in decline (but they're both still excellent). Mustafi is a starter but he'll need a partner better than he is. Chambers and Holding are fine but not quite top four quality. The great thing about the Gunners is that we have all the firepower any club could need. Once they start clicking--and they will--the goals will be there. Tighten things up through the center and Arsenal is a top four team, maybe a title contender. Easier said than done, but I expect a resurgence next season. If we can manage a cup win this year, that'll be three years running (and four out of five) with silverware. That's not shabby. This is not Burnley; we're not even Tottenham when it comes right down to it. They're playing better than we are today; they ARE better than we are today. But I think our past, including our recent past, is superior in terms of achievement, and I like our chances next year better than our North London rivals. Kane may be sold; Dele Alli will still be a wanker. Stadium debt will tempt them to continue their golden habit of selling their best players for ridiculous amounts of money. No amount of Lamelas would replace Prince Harry.
But it's about us, not them. There's glory, and silverware, on offer this season; and the prospects are bright for next season too. It was a bad day today, but I'm expecting many better days in the months and years to come.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Top Four Prospects
I definitely think we should be all in on the Europa League. It's a ticket to the Champions' League and a meaningful trophy in and of itself. But can we finish in a top four spot in the league? Last week I'd have said "No way". But this weekend's results saw us get three points closer to a troubled Chelsea and two points closer to Liverpool and Tottenham. Assuming the Manchester clubs are uncatchable, we'd need to finish above two of those three. Here's the table. We're five points and a bad goal differential from fourth place. Our recent form has been poor. We have not shored up the defense. But we have strengthened the attack. (I am not trying to say Mikhi is better than Alexis or Auba is better than Giroud; I am saying that we'll score more goals with the team going forward than we would have without the personnel changes, for a lot of reasons.) We've already played Chelsea twice and can do them no more damage. We play Spurs on Saturday. Chelsea play Spurs and Liverpool later in the season. If we do the business at Wembley vs Spurs, we need to do two points better than them in the other 11 games. It's doable. Chelsea has a brutal schedule and they are not looking good right now, so yeah, we can overhaul them. Liverpool has the easiest league schedule and I expect they'll finish in third, but they could crack. So, sure we have a chance. Much depends on Saturday's early game.
Giroud was brought on for a short-handed Chelsea shortly before they equalized today, but Watford closed out the game in style and left Conte looking haunted. I like him and think he'd be good at Arsenal, but I'm not sure he'd be good for Arsenal, if you take my meaning. He'd have to understand that he had to work with our board, and that most of our spending has already been done, so he wouldn't be getting a big war chest this summer. Wenger really seems to have lost the plot, but maybe he'll regain some of his mojo. It seems to me that his tactical flubs have cost us points this season.
Giroud was brought on for a short-handed Chelsea shortly before they equalized today, but Watford closed out the game in style and left Conte looking haunted. I like him and think he'd be good at Arsenal, but I'm not sure he'd be good for Arsenal, if you take my meaning. He'd have to understand that he had to work with our board, and that most of our spending has already been done, so he wouldn't be getting a big war chest this summer. Wenger really seems to have lost the plot, but maybe he'll regain some of his mojo. It seems to me that his tactical flubs have cost us points this season.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Arsenal 5 - 1 Everton
Why can't we play the Toffees every week? The Gunners were well rested, not having played any football since their League Cup semifinal second leg win over Chelsea. (I sure didn't see us play any football at Swansea.) And Everton were just the team to show us that as bad defensively as we have been, they were worse. The first minute featured Mustafi almost coughing up a breakaway, but it did not take long for Arsenal to cut Everton to ribbons. Three nice team goals in the first 19 minutes, and then a blatantly offside Obameyang dinks it over Pickford for 4-0. The second half was eerily like the Palace game, in which we sat on a 4-0 lead and managed to blow Cech's shot at his 200th clean sheet. The highlight was Ramsey completing his hat trick for 5-1.
What's wrong with Kolasinac? He was a beast early in the season. Now he's a liability. Mustafi seems to get worse every time I see him. And Xhaka still pisses me off, but I'll give him a pass this game for his winner against Chelsea.
Okay, NLD next weekend. I choose to be optimistic.
What's wrong with Kolasinac? He was a beast early in the season. Now he's a liability. Mustafi seems to get worse every time I see him. And Xhaka still pisses me off, but I'll give him a pass this game for his winner against Chelsea.
Okay, NLD next weekend. I choose to be optimistic.
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