how so? Martinez is much better in the air and at kicking and made as good reflex saves Leno is t great
Emi's handling is abysmal. Don't think his decision-making in terms of when to close down/come out is anywhere near as good either. There are a lot of reasons he didn't manage to get a run as a starter until he was 27, and it's not because the guys in front of him were superstars. Perfectly adequate backup or starter in the lower half of the league, and he seems like a great guy, but he's not close to Leno in overall quality.
I wish covid would do one, I hate the lack of crowds on TV and I especially hate that I can't attend an Arsenal match right now
Is it my imagination or has Auba been crap since he announced he had signed a new contract earning him millions?
Come on Arsenal, make something happen. This game really is dull. Still, take a point and I'd be happy.
Let's be honest here, City haven't moved out of first gear. We have done very little to threaten them.
FT: 1-0 Seems harsh that Citeh should get all 3 pts. but can't dispute that Arsenal were pretty tame. Overall passing was poor and their team movement and positioning was average at best.
Citeh with about 200 more passes than Arsenal, and it was only that close as Arsenal pressed late to tie. I think that defines the day because their ability to hold possession meant they also had enough extra opportunities for that moment of creativity to get a goal. Didn't see enough to judge Partey today.
Gabriel was clear standout to me. a dominating and stabilizing presence on the pitch. For just a few matches at the club, he seems to have settled in nicely and is clear first choice over any other CBs on our roster (and we have a LOT of them...and I realize a lot of them aren’t very good, but still... ) I also liked what Pepe brought today. He was more dangerous than Willian and Auba, imo. Several really good headers, which I didn’t think was in his repertoire. He also tracked back and marked on defense really well.
Our current style seems so fruitless at times. Will the players get tired of this? Auba has to be frustrated on days like today
It’s all down to the center of the midfield, City had a man advantage in the center of the midfield and it showed in the touches and passing numbers. City’s midfield three had more than twice as many touches and more than twice as many passes as Arsenal’s midfield two and it seemed like most of Xhaka’s passes and a lot of Ceballos’ passes were backwards or square in an attempt to break the press. Arsenal were forced outside, where the sidelines act as another defender. Saka and Bellerin both had more touches than Xhaka and Saka had more touches than Ceballos. Maybe Partey can make the difference in a center midfield pairing, but I think Arteta probably needs to go back to three in the center of the midfield when facing teams that press well.
Missed it live and watched on DVR. What a lackluster performance. I don't know what Arteta wanted Willian to do but he wasn't doing it well. If Arsenal wanted a washed up, 30-something attacking midfielder, they could have just played the guy who is already earning 350k a week and at least then maybe the Ozil fanboys would stop whining about him not playing. Over and over trying to build through the left with Gabriel, Tierney and Saka, yet Auba was barely involved. So predictable, Pep knew it was coming and shut it down. Saka is great but needs more freedom and not to be pinned in by the touchline. Need more build up on the right to give Pepe more chances. Hopefully Partey changes that.
Willian looked great in the first game, but it was Fulham, and since then he’s been average, which isn’t good enough. He may find himself in Ozil’s position in year three. I wonder he has a loyalty bonus in his contract?
It seems like Arteta has done a good job of solidifying us defensively. We don't seem to bleed shots like we did under Emery. But the attack definitely needs work. Willian is looking his age.
Anyone thinking this was going to be a quick fix is going to be disappointed (not saying you). So many wrinkles to iron out.