Liverpool v. Arsenal [R] - Post Match Comments

[yossarian]

Carry on.

[Skizz]

My post match comment - WHAT A MATCH!! Outplayed them for all but 5 minutes in the whole match, should have won, but for the result it's the happiest I've been with a 1-1 draw. Yes we missed open goals. Yes we hit the post, yes we cleared one of theirs off the line, but we were excellent, stepped up, and and I am very pleased. Roll on United.

Having read the other thread I'm disappointed in some people's comments. People keep saying that Ade repeatedly lost the ball but there were many times when he was chasing the ball alone and having to hold it up surrounded by three Pool defenders. He was the lone striker, he did the best he could, and I can't fault his performance. Dropping him for the Man U game (as some have suggested) and replacing him with a kid with no experience...what are people thinking?

WTF is everyone saying Flamini should be replaced by Gilberto for the next game? What, Flamini is being credited by everyone for his performances and because he moves out of a wall now all of a sudden he needs to be dropped? What the hell is that? Lehmann took two games to get dropped and Flamini has been excellent this season. He also did a lot of good work in midfield and the only reason Gilberto got on was so the team could switch to a 3-5-2 with 2 DM's so as to throw people forward but not compromise the back line, explaining why Liverpool got a lot of success on the counter after we scored.

And why the f*ck is everyone moaning? Look at it objectively. We got a point at Anfield and should have won. We outplayed the (apparently) third best team in England for long, long periods and shut out Gerrard following that FK. The wall is something that needs to be sorted but that's something Almunia and the players in the wall will deal with. But in reality we played well, sent the Pool fans home early and are top of the league. You can't win them all, but we would have lost that game last year going behind so early.

[impalemeplz]

i love how liverpood fans ignore the fact that gerrard's completed passes could be counted on 2 hands yet say he played almost as good as mascherano.

i can say right now that cesc had a below par game and no clever finish or post struck is going to change that.


He was the lone striker, he did the best he could, and I can't fault his performance. Dropping him for the Man U game (as some have suggested) and replacing him with a kid with no experience...what are people thinking?



i think alot of posters touched on the point about this being RVP's kind of game. we definately missed his silky touch, decisiveness(?) and long range shooting. i personally called ade the cygan of the match but i did also added that he has to start against rio so i am not calling for the danish prodigy, yet.

[Skizz]

Well he can't play that well consistently for 50 games a year. He scored, be happy. He's still doing what the midfield need to do without playing well. That's the sign of a good player.

Wenger's take:

“Everyone said this would be our first big test and of course it was — but I felt we played without any handbrake, without any restrictions.

“Our combinations were excellent and we were faithful to the way we want to play, based on our movement, our technical qualities, and the high-risk game we like to play.

“I thought during the game that I couldn’t be sure whether we would win or lose — but either way I still couldn’t find fault with the team performance.

“It was such a fantastic game and we handled it very well. We showed great character after going a goal down so early against a side who are very good on set-pieces and at counter-attacking, and who have the benefit of such great support here.

“I was very pleased with the attitude of the players after their goal. We hit the post twice and missed some chances, so it could have been better.

“Of course the players are disappointed at not getting all three points but, being realistic, I know that sometimes you can lose a game even if you are collectively the better side.”

Wenger also mentioned how Liverpool scoring actually helped the team settle:

“We started off a bit nervous because we were conscious that everyone was watching us today, and we kept getting caught on the ball.

“They did that to us to earn their goal. But after it went in we started to play really well and it became a different picture.

"The result and the performance were very good for our confidence and our belief — and maybe we have convinced a few more people about our quality.

“Trying to determine what has changed since last season is not easy but of course the players are growing in maturity because they are still a very young team.

“The confidence is much higher because we have made such a good start to the season.

"Last season we were swimming against the stream because we were in a new stadium and after the first three games we had dropped seven points.

“But you could see the quality of the team because we always did well in the bigger games.”

[impalemeplz]

iha with wenger. we backed up our conviction and imposed our style after the goal. he wasnt as bullish in this post match tho.

regarding my previous post- i was only making the points; that a goal shouldnt really gloss over much, for an individual performance, unless you are a box striker ala trez/inzaghi.

And secondly that liverpool fans need to take off the blinders and realise that gerrard only showed up for 5 minutes at the start, 1 freekick which alonso handballed and 1 blocked chance at the end. their fans wont, they will merely look at the goal and gloss over all these other facts as per usual when it comes to their "golden boy"(who handed in a xfer request not so long ago)

[Skizz]

Wenger's moroniho style fist-pump after we scored was jokes :p

[impalemeplz]

Wenger's moroniho style fist-pump after we scored was jokes :p

haha he held back. i still want to see him do a full knee slide:)

[GriffinGunner]

I said going in the most important thing was for the club to maintain their form and avoid injury. They succeeded on both counts. I can't say with certainty Arsenal deserved much better given the amount of solid chances Liverpool was able to create, especially *sigh* Peter the Crouch. But Arsenal did control the overall flow and most certainly didn't deserve to lose.

The offense was a bit disjointed in Van Persie's absence, and I think the resulting players used is testament to Wenger still searching for the ideal Plan B strike force. Nevertheless, the fluid passing did well in compensating and were it not for the extraordinary hustle by the Reds (which I didn't think they had in them) Arsenal would likely have added a few more.

My only concern heading into ManU is adjusting to the different style. The Devils will most certainly have a more aggressive and potent pairing up front, but their overall approach should do better in allowing the Gunners midfield move forward as a unit. I'm especially pleased they can look to this game with focus and confidence and not have anything to dwell on from yesterday.

Up the Gunners!

[Naushad78]

My post match comment - WHAT A MATCH!! Outplayed them for all but 5 minutes in the whole match, should have won, but for the result it's the happiest I've been with a 1-1 draw. Yes we missed open goals. Yes we hit the post, yes we cleared one of theirs off the line, but we were excellent, stepped up, and and I am very pleased. Roll on United.

Having read the other thread I'm disappointed in some people's comments. People keep saying that Ade repeatedly lost the ball but there were many times when he was chasing the ball alone and having to hold it up surrounded by three Pool defenders. He was the lone striker, he did the best he could, and I can't fault his performance. Dropping him for the Man U game (as some have suggested) and replacing him with a kid with no experience...what are people thinking?

WTF is everyone saying Flamini should be replaced by Gilberto for the next game? What, Flamini is being credited by everyone for his performances and because he moves out of a wall now all of a sudden he needs to be dropped? What the hell is that? Lehmann took two games to get dropped and Flamini has been excellent this season. He also did a lot of good work in midfield and the only reason Gilberto got on was so the team could switch to a 3-5-2 with 2 DM's so as to throw people forward but not compromise the back line, explaining why Liverpool got a lot of success on the counter after we scored.

And why the f*ck is everyone moaning? Look at it objectively. We got a point at Anfield and should have won. We outplayed the (apparently) third best team in England for long, long periods and shut out Gerrard following that FK. The wall is something that needs to be sorted but that's something Almunia and the players in the wall will deal with. But in reality we played well, sent the Pool fans home early and are top of the league. You can't win them all, but we would have lost that game last year going behind so early.

I wouldn't like Flamster permanently dropped but I think that the Mancs attack is very potent and Gilberto might do a better job cleaning up in front of our defenders. I thought he was simply superb against Prague and in particular when he came on last night. I think we should keep our options open but Flamster does look just a tad tired to me and a refreshed, experienced Berto might be the better option.

[KirbyNYC]

My 2 cents or pence: We played very well and looked the stronger for the majority of the game. The few times that Liverpool looked threatening (apart from the goal obviously) were when we had to send 2 defenders on Crouch to challenge for the ball in the air. That gave 'Pool's other attackers more space. But other than that, well done to the boys for the fight back.

Yes, we could've won it. Yes, we shouldn't be content with the point. But we didnt lose, nobody came away with injury, and we were always the more likely. I'll take it. ;)

[Cannon]

My post match comment - WHAT A MATCH!! Outplayed them for all but 5 minutes in the whole match, should have won, but for the result it's the happiest I've been with a 1-1 draw. Yes we missed open goals. Yes we hit the post, yes we cleared one of theirs off the line, but we were excellent, stepped up, and and I am very pleased. Roll on United.Sorry but that was 2 dropped points for me. Can't see how drawing this version of Pool at home is something to be very excited about. Hell, Spurs and Birmingham got the same result and a very average Marseille got a win there afew weeks ago. I think this title race might end up being very tight (maybe like in 98/99 or a repeat of 88/89 even) so silly dropped points like yesterday and against Blackburn could really bite us later.
Having read the other thread I'm disappointed in some people's comments. People keep saying that Ade repeatedly lost the ball but there were many times when he was chasing the ball alone and having to hold it up surrounded by three Pool defenders. He was the lone striker, he did the best he could, and I can't fault his performance. Dropping him for the Man U game (as some have suggested) and replacing him with a kid with no experience...what are people thinking?Agreed. I thought much of his problem was down to poor support and Wenger's pre-subs tactics. No way I'd drop him against ManU.
WTF is everyone saying Flamini should be replaced by Gilberto for the next game? What, Flamini is being credited by everyone for his performances and because he moves out of a wall now all of a sudden he needs to be dropped? What the hell is that? Lehmann took two games to get dropped and Flamini has been excellent this season.Flamini provided Liverpool with the goal almost by himself and his other screwups yesterday were just a great Almunia save from giving them a 2-0 lead. It isn't like this was his first poor game either. He was poor against Fulham, turned over the ball often against Sparta (remember the post they hit..guess whose mistake that was), and was all over the place against Sunderland which left huge gaps at the back. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we have Flamini still but I want him to see "squad player" minutes and not first XI especially when we have Gilberto plus other guys with potential like Diarra and Diaby. Drop him against ManU and we'll be much more secure at the back.

[phishy]

Flamini provided Liverpool with the goal almost by himself and his other screwups yesterday were just a great Almunia save from giving them a 2-0 lead. It isn't like this was his first poor game either. He was poor against Fulham, turned over the ball often against Sparta (remember the post they hit..guess whose mistake that was), and was all over the place against Sunderland which left huge gaps at the back. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we have Flamini still but I want him to see "squad player" minutes and not first XI especially when we have Gilberto plus other guys with potential like Diarra and Diaby. Drop him against ManU and we'll be much more secure at the back.


some dumb comments cannon... flamini provided liverpool with the goal? i'd say it was cesc giving up the freekick.
but i digress, since when is gilberto the best DM on the planet?
i can remember many, MANY mistakes by him, yet he gets a free pass.
he was absolutely awful against sperz (ya, as a CB)..
his cameo appearances for 5 minutes here and there have been okay, nothing more.

flamini is just fine.

[Cannon]

some dumb comments cannon... flamini provided liverpool with the goal? i'd say it was cesc giving up the freekick.:rolleyes:
...and who was it that lost the ball the forced us to give up that free kick...Flamini. He loses the ball like that much too often and usually in our own half.

How hard is it to stay in a damn wall and not jump to the side for no reason? My little neice and nephews know not to leave the wall like that. Why doesn't Flamini? Sorry but it is just a recent example of his headless chicken approach to the game. That is tolerable against poor teams when we dominate them and they can't threaten at all but it is a big problem when up against better clubs. Not to mention that he later gave up a needless corner and managed to sky the resulting clearance which fell to Gerrard whose shot Almunia barely managed to save. Those were just a few Flamini highlights from one game. He's been very overrated this season and has been lucky that most of his worst mistakes haven't been taken advantage of by some of the crap sides we've played. Do you think ManU will be as forgiving? I doubt it. I guess we'll get a chance to see in a week.

The shame of it is that when forced to play a pure defensive role Flamini hasn't done poorly but when allowed to roam a bit he just loses the plot.

[Miles Brasher]

Sorry but that was 2 dropped points for me. Can't see how drawing this version of Pool at home is something to be very excited about. Hell, Spurs and Birmingham got the same result and a very average Marseille got a win there afew weeks ago. I think this title race might end up being very tight (maybe like in 98/99 or a repeat of 88/89 even) so silly dropped points like yesterday and against Blackburn could really bite us later.
Agreed. I thought much of his problem was down to poor support and Wenger's pre-subs tactics.

But this wasn't the Liverpool of midweek was it ? This was the Liverpool that had had a wake up call and a big talking to from Rafa, Gerrard, and probably Mel Gibson in his Braveheart role too. The work rate was tremendous and at times they defended like their lives depended on it. Had they played with that much desire and effort against Spurs or Birmingham they'd have won, and rather than comparing us to them, why not compare us to us last season when we went to Anfield and didn't get a draw...

[kanonier]

Some good news: Scholes out for three months.

[foxflyer5]

Sorry but that was 2 dropped points for me. Can't see how drawing this version of Pool at home is something to be very excited about. .


i agree that it seems like two dropped points. but arsenal got exactly what they were aiming for. adebayor up front alone with hleb supposedly playing slightly in front of the midfield screams playing for a draw.

[Skizz]

Sorry but that was 2 dropped points for me. Can't see how drawing this version of Pool at home is something to be very excited about. Hell, Spurs and Birmingham got the same result and a very average Marseille got a win there afew weeks ago. I think this title race might end up being very tight (maybe like in 98/99 or a repeat of 88/89 even) so silly dropped points like yesterday and against Blackburn could really bite us later.

You said yourself we've lost our last three games at Anfield. A draw to stop that rot is a good result. Liverpool are notoriously difficult to beat at Anfield no matter what the form the team was in. In the programme for the match Gerrard said that they needed the win yesterday to kick-start their season. They will go away not happy with the point, but gutted that they started well but then pretty much defended for the rest of the match. The fact we've come out with all the plaudits will tell them they have a lot of work to do.

On top of that we ground out the draw. As I've said earlier we would have lost that last year but to see us grind out the result, sticking with our way of playing despite being behind, and also AW not being worried about making changes means that theres a lot of positives. Not least that we've played at Spurs away (it is a difficult game) and Liverpool away and we're still unbeaten is good. If we are unbeaten come this time next week it will be excellent.

Regardless of our dominant play we did not create a lot of clear chances, so therefore I view it as a point gained rather than a point lost. For those last 7 minutes that game could have gone either way. End to end stuff.

Agreed. I thought much of his problem was down to poor support and Wenger's pre-subs tactics. No way I'd drop him against ManU.
Flamini provided Liverpool with the goal almost by himself and his other screwups yesterday were just a great Almunia save from giving them a 2-0 lead. It isn't like this was his first poor game either. He was poor against Fulham, turned over the ball often against Sparta (remember the post they hit..guess whose mistake that was), and was all over the place against Sunderland which left huge gaps at the back. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we have Flamini still but I want him to see "squad player" minutes and not first XI especially when we have Gilberto plus other guys with potential like Diarra and Diaby. Drop him against ManU and we'll be much more secure at the back.

I'm sorry, I have to correct this. Regardless of him getting stuck in the corner by three people with no support, he turned over the ball yes. However, Cesc gave away the free kick. We had FIVE MEN in that wall before the kick was taken. Cesc ran off and left it. First mistake. That left Flamini with Kuyt, and two free Pool players to cover. Maybe he made the wrong choice to move and cover the other players but if Cesc (who had his worst game of the season IMO) had stayed where Almunia told him to (he repeatedly screamed "one more" about five times before he joined the wall and STILL ended up ignoring him), one of them would have cleared it and there would have been no goal to talk about.

[Skizz]

But this wasn't the Liverpool of midweek was it ? This was the Liverpool that had had a wake up call and a big talking to from Rafa, Gerrard, and probably Mel Gibson in his Braveheart role too. The work rate was tremendous and at times they defended like their lives depended on it. Had they played with that much desire and effort against Spurs or Birmingham they'd have won, and rather than comparing us to them, why not compare us to us last season when we went to Anfield and didn't get a draw...
Carragher was an absolute monster yesterday. He threw himself into absolutely everything, got kicked in the head by his own player and still played exceptionally. He was excellent.

[phishy]

. He's been very overrated this season and has been lucky that most of his worst mistakes haven't been taken advantage of by some of the crap sides we've played. Do you think ManU will be as forgiving? I doubt it. I guess we'll get a chance to see in a week.

The shame of it is that when forced to play a pure defensive role Flamini hasn't done poorly but when allowed to roam a bit he just loses the plot.


cannon, wenger doesnt overrate or underrate anyone.
he see's it like it is, and puts out his best player, period.

would i personally care if gilberto started against manyoo? nah, wouldnt bother be if gilberto played, flamini, or even diarra.. i just want to see a win.
I think we can all agree on that! big hug? :)

[InTheSun]

Got a chance to watch the match today without the emotion of watching live. I agree it was a good performance at a very difficult ground.

Here's a couple of quotes from Carragher:


"I think it is a point gained because they were the better side. "

"We tried to fight and to keep our level as high as we could but they were one of the best sides I have ever seen."