English League Football [30th Jan - 3rd Feb 2010] **spoilers**
- Thread starter red11
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Ahem
But then again as we proved today Arsenal really aren't a decent side
I think us and Chelsea have really proved this season if it was ever in doubt that it's us and them........ then Arsenal quite a way behind....... then the rest
The only irritating thing about today was the goal we conceded and not scoring the 5 & 6 our play deserved. Ah well a wins a win
So Nani's brilliance didn't deserve a goal at the end of it?
We scored the best counter attacking goal of the season and didn't deserve that either?
If all that is true then Liverpool's play yesterday didn't deserve their two goals either
Very true, conceded very similar goals as well
Man of Honour
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Horrible sense of deja vu. No real complaints.
At the beginning of the season I'd have bitten off hands for fourth place. I'm not sure what is worse, sort of getting up there and then falling away or scraping into a Champion's League spot.
At the beginning of the season I'd have bitten off hands for fourth place. I'm not sure what is worse, sort of getting up there and then falling away or scraping into a Champion's League spot.
Maybe Pigeon's gone ott but Arsenal defending played just a big a part in your win as your attacking did.
It was a nice bit of play by Nani but better defending to begin with or better goalkeeping and it wouldn't have been a goal.
Arsenal's defending for your 3rd goal was truly embarassing; not only did their defence all get drawn to the ball leaving them with Clichy up against 3 Utd players but then Clichy's more concerned with blocking a possible pass to Nani that he ends up letting Park having a clear on goal.
Caporegime
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Nope, 4th was a weak target for this year, I still believe we easily have the squad to be properly competing for the title, but we're pathetic, our tactics, formation and team selection lose us games.
Yet again Arsenal fans get all up themselves by beating lots of crap teams, get spanked, say the world is over, beat another run of lower teams, convince themselves we're really in with a shout, then lose our first really tough game, badly, again.
Song, crap, denilson, crap, Theo, makes the previous two look good by comparison, Arshavin completely isolated, considering he's spent huge parts of the past 10-15 games on his own with no support, its not surprising he plays like he doesn't know anyone else has bothered to get forward to support him. Nasri and Rosicky were, fairly weak but in a poor team performance its hard to judge.
Its a joke that yet again when things get desparate and 4-3-3 AGAIN doesn't work, we resort to 4-4-2, and we need to use CB's as back up strikers because Wenger's just a flat out moron.
Seeing as Theo's had 2 flukely good games, in the past 2-3 years including that Croatia game, seeing him as the first sub trying to change the game is depressing to say the least.
Oh well, after we get spanked by Chelsea and maybe drop points to Liverpool we can go on another run of 10 games against crap teams and people can convince themselves Arsenal will win the title again.
Denilson and Walcott I agree with. Terrible game for both of them. Song, again, put in a very solid performance. Rosicky had a good game as well. The problem was Arsenal lacked the killer instinct in the final third. Arshavin had 3 good opportunities that he ballsed up and with a decent striker in there it would have been a different game.
You could say that about every goal ever scored.
No you can't
Sometimes there's nothing you can do. A lot of the time you can have small complaints about defending, like your 2nd goal today; Denilson didn't track Rooney's run. I think the 'Nani goal' was worse than that; both Clichy and Nasri (more so Nasri) just stepped out of Nani's way and it was real weak goalkeeping from Almunia.
edit: I'm not saying Utd didn't play well btw, just that Arsenal were shockingly bad at the back. Could have been 4 or 5-1 on another day.
No you can't
Sometimes there's nothing you can do. A lot of the time you can have small complaints about defending, like your 2nd goal today; Denilson didn't track Rooney's run. I think the 'Nani goal' was worse than that; both Clichy and Nasri (more so Nasri) just stepped out of Nani's way and it was real weak goalkeeping from Almunia.
No Baz, going by your previous comment there is always something you can do, ie, a keeper gets chipped, he should have been on the line, etc etc.
Are you telling me Torres' lovely goal against Blackburn last season shouldn't have happened if the defender got between Torres and the ball? Or was it just a moment of brilliance like Nani's today?
Think Rooney deserved a 2nd and I have to admit I was dreading the game especially after hearing Park was starting, but everyone played well in the away team
Sounded like Arsenal's goal was VERY lucky with the ricochet off Evans' knee, but it also sounds like they couldnt score for toffee given the other chances they had
Im really hoping they can get at least a draw against Chelsea next weekend but on that display Im not sure how (unless Chelsea play REALLY badly, but I just cant see that happening at the moment)
Sounded like Arsenal's goal was VERY lucky with the ricochet off Evans' knee, but it also sounds like they couldnt score for toffee given the other chances they had
Im really hoping they can get at least a draw against Chelsea next weekend but on that display Im not sure how (unless Chelsea play REALLY badly, but I just cant see that happening at the moment)
Typical implosion by Arsenal today
...always implode against Man Utd and next Chelski...at least we got a goal back but still we got our backsides handed to us plain and simple and proves without a doubt that Arsenal need a striker, an out and out striker...
Arshavin was useless...Fabregas wasnt himself and it was left to him to pick up the slack but hes not a one man team himself. Our defence sucked...Almunia should have never given that first goal so totally his fault but 2 more goals is diabolical.
Put it this way Arsenal played like rubbish and Man utd played like Arsenal today...they ripped us a new one just like Chelski did a few mths back.
We have to beat Chelski now simple as that...but i see another spanking on the horizon...2nd is going to be difficult but 3rd should be ours as long as we pick up pts...but honestly if we play like that against Chelski and Liverspuds we will get ripped.
...always implode against Man Utd and next Chelski...at least we got a goal back but still we got our backsides handed to us plain and simple and proves without a doubt that Arsenal need a striker, an out and out striker...Arshavin was useless...Fabregas wasnt himself and it was left to him to pick up the slack but hes not a one man team himself. Our defence sucked...Almunia should have never given that first goal so totally his fault but 2 more goals is diabolical.
Put it this way Arsenal played like rubbish and Man utd played like Arsenal today...they ripped us a new one just like Chelski did a few mths back.
We have to beat Chelski now simple as that...but i see another spanking on the horizon...2nd is going to be difficult but 3rd should be ours as long as we pick up pts...but honestly if we play like that against Chelski and Liverspuds we will get ripped.
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Caporegime
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Players miss chances, thats simply life, its the complete isolation of Arshavin that means the way he plays lately is always in a crowd, always under immense pressure, normally receiving the ball with back to goal with no support. Thats how he played today, someone with his head down focusing on the defenders and not his support. Thats happening because of our formation and the way we play football, NOT because Arshavin isn't good enough.
Considering you've picked the one player basically in history who managed to score 4 goals with 4 shots, well, Arshavin wasn't our problem, it was the fundamental issue of the way we play in that formation. 4-5-1/4-3-3 with two defensive midfielders will always leave us short.
There has been game, after game, after game, where we can't make a break through and it takes Gallas/Vermaelen to venture forwards as that extra midfield runner that Song/Denilson don't provide at all. Unfortunately, as today, that costs us, but I don't remotely blame Gallas, the covering when he went forward was pathetic, and if our midfield played the ball better, faster and supported better then he wouldn't have needed to get forwards. At least he showed some hunger and urgency.
As for Song having a good game, what he did against Rooney summed him up, when racing to get back, he slowed down before he got goal side of Rooney, he got lucky and nicked the ball off him, but then for no godly reason he turned into Rooney, towards our goal and that almost cost us a goal, that was also a piece of play that Utd got the ball because he tried a stupid slide rule pass he's simply not capable of, after he delayed the play, again, when he had quicker and simply options he ignored, again as he did all game.
The amount of times Denilson and Song didn't track midfield runners into the box was laughable, again Song got lucky when he intercepted the ball from Carrick in our 6 yard box, however if you watch the play Carrick just runs right past Song who doesn't react, he's just jogging back as usual ignoring everything around him. Only the fact that the play was slow and the ball across the box took time let Song get back, if it was an early ball it was a tap in for Carrick because Song didn't track the run, again.
He also got a stupid yellow early and repeatedly fouled people and could easily have gone for a 2nd yellow, though that would have been harsh in this game. But on a yellow he didn't stop the stupid shoves and trips from behind he does all game long.
EDIT:_ Clichy has been appaling in these two games, after the utter mauling by Young it was ridiculous to pick him again. Eboue got sent off in the ACN and so wasn't really tired at all, he's not played for a week or so and didn't last the full match
Considering he actually got two decent crosses in, out of 2, and blew past Evra with ease the first time he was given the ball he was better than Sagna or Clichy, no idea why he wouldn't start ahead of CLichy who is clearly not ready to be back yet.
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Just noticed that Denilson was involved in all Man Utds goals.
1st - Skinned easily by Nani in the box allowing him to get the shot/cross in.
2nd - Leaves Rooney to run into the space in front of him when he had a 5 yard head start.
3rd - Tries to pull the ball out of the air with poor skill, gives the ball away allowing the ball through for Park to break.
Shocking performance.
1st - Skinned easily by Nani in the box allowing him to get the shot/cross in.
2nd - Leaves Rooney to run into the space in front of him when he had a 5 yard head start.
3rd - Tries to pull the ball out of the air with poor skill, gives the ball away allowing the ball through for Park to break.
Shocking performance.