Sitting here watching this game and reflecting on roster and injuries this season makes me realize just how much we need to overhaul between now and next summer..... GK - should be fine but need to figure out a body for #2. Would also be nice to get a younger guy some games with first team FB - we are in good shape as far as quality (White, Timber & Cala) but have had issues with injuries. Think White & Timber should be ok (injury wise) moving forward but Cala starting to feel like another Tomi/OZ. Badly need a younger LB to compete and allow us to not push Cala back into the lineup too quickly. CB - Kiwior has been a solid backup but I have suspected for awhile that he will look to move on for starting minutes. If we add a LB, Cala could be a good option both LCB & LB (if he can stay healthy) allowing for us to gamble on a younger replacement. CM - we have 2 30+ yo's with expiring contracts in the depth chart. Think Merino & Nwaneri can step up and offer more minutes but we will still need 2 younger replacements with atleast one being a significant contributor if not a starter. In an ideal world, I would also like to see atleast one being taller corner/FK threat like Merino. W - Trossard is a solid off the bench option but we rely too much on him for rotation. We need a better option with more speed. As much as I like Little Gabi, I wouldn't be upset adding a starting LW and shifting him to the rotational option. ST - Havertz has been a solid option up top but we have nothing behind him. Jesus does not have the mental strength to be the "off the bench" guy and isn't good enough to be #1. We need a strong option that can push Havertz and give us the option of a legit 4-4-2 lineup at times.
It was clear and obvious he was offside and the AR missed it. This isn't a VAR issue, it's a Martinelli awareness issue.
This shit is so easy to defend against, look at the option of Tierney to overlap in a 2v1? Why not release Timber to do it? We were so effective last season with Ben White joining the attack. Any low block will body this Arsenal attack for the rest of the season. Shocking tactics moving the ball sideways and backwards for the whole match, no variety at all
Isaak and a LW and a L8 because Martinellis severe drop off has coincided with no left footed L8 to make passes for him to run in behind. Martinelli is currently playing like Saka and it doesn't work. His best season had Xhaka turning out of the midfield onto his left and threading it in behind the defence for Martinelli to run onto. Pace to get into space to make the right decisions is when he is at his best. When he is closely marked he struggles. One good cross today that was offside doesn't change the multiple bad crosses and passes he made. Anyway, while a point at Fulham is better than we managed last season, if Liverpool win their game in hand they go back out to a 9 point gap and short of a monumental collapse thats our season done. And if Spurs bottle it we end today in clear 3rd and only 2 points ahead of a City team who have completely collapsed this season. Probably time to focus on the CL because I don't think we are getting the league this year. Don't think theres anyone we can get in Jan to help us, but we seriously need to sell off our constantly injured LBs and bring in someone who can stay healthy, and we need to bring in a better LW because every week our first halves seem to consist of either Martinelli starting and being shit, and Trossard coming off the bench and contributing, or Trossard starting and providing very very little and Martinelli coming on in the second half and disappointing. And as everyone else already mention, Jesus out and an actual striker in. Havertz is great but we needed someone clinical today and while he gets the assist for the Saliba goal I am pretty sure he was making an attempt on goal not a pass...
This is why I said I wished we brought Tierney back into the team. The right is the "baller" side. Its looked its best this year with Saka/Ode/Timber who are all very smart off the ball runners and utilise either Odes passing, Sakas cut in crosses/shots and Timber who does a bit of it all to a slightly lower level. Meanwhile on the other wing we see Martinelli constantly get the ball, stop and have to try and take 1v1 or 2v1 to low/medium levels of success with no support. No L8 to work off, no LB to overlap because lately its been Zinny who sits deeper. Tonight was a fail because Timber was making runs from LB that don't suit Martinellis game, and Partey at RB was in MF being an inverted fullback. Not sure why you would break up the dynamic especially when we were in control for this game. Play Timber at RB and continue the great work Saka/Ode/Timber were doing recently, use Partey at LB into MF because thats what Martinelli is used to even if it doesn't help his game. Mikels needs to have so many positionally fluent players hurts us badly sometimes because this is just another example of how Partey at RB doesn't improve the team and more often than not takes something away.
Not making an excuse for Martinelli. Or saying VAR was wrong. I'm saying VAR doesn't need to rule out goals for violations that had zero impact on the goal being scored. But that would require a reinterpretation of how VAR is applied.
That's common sense thinking. But That concept (impact) was once touted for the handball law, but ultimately they threw that idea out. Too subjective I suppose.
Today, we allowed our opponent just 2 shots, and they scored on one. Except for some distinct lapses on that goal (including GK IMO) our defense limited them effectively. On the other end we had 67% of the ball, produced many good chances and only scored on one (VAR allowed). While the game-winner right at the death was VAR disallowed. In the end, for me, VAR goal rulings cancel themselves out. We just needed to be more creative AND clinical. That was the difference today.
Little Gabi isn't perfect but this is an excellent explanation of his dropoff. We are trying to force him to do things he can't or isn't comfortable with rather than surrounding him with complementary pieces like we have with Saka. Think we need to add a W no matter what but I would still be ok with Marti as our starting LW if we brought in a new LB & L8 (can Nwaneri be that guy?) that were better complimentary players for him.
There is subjectivity in anything (yellow for FK interfering) but I think @CarlosKaiser suggestion would be less subjective than the handball law. Using Marti's play as an example, the fact that he drifted offsides had zero impact as he came back to receive the pass. It didn't provide him with any advantage at all. Now had he gone offsides and had a through ball played to him before crossing.... offsides.
Here’s the xG (via Understat). We dominated this one and created plenty of chances against a good team committed to put all 11 behind the ball. Must do better converting our chances, which our opponents somehow are far better than we are able to do.
My take: Football is a funny game, in a dominating defensive performance, Arsenal were six inches from losing 1-0 and six inches from winning 2-1.
I don’t actually blame Martinelli on this one, his head was onside, so he’s probably looking across the line thinking he was fine. I also think Upson was right, there was no advantage in his foot being 6 inches beyond the deepest defenders foot. He didn’t run in behind. I always liked Wenger’s daylight rule.
I'm not too disappointed at us blowing it in the league. Time to sharpen Mikel's thrust for cups. It's been way long overdue.
Yup. Which is why I said those VAR decisions cancel themselves out. And the main difference maker is our lack of conversion. I now see that our xG was ~2.5... further evidence that we should've scored 2, 3 or even more goals. That's it.
Not a great performance but ffs stop weakening three positions because of left back injury. Would rather see the kid in at lb.
Im more annoyed with the fact that City finally have a drop off, and we haven't capitalised. The signs were there in preseason where we still hadn't replaced Xhaka at L8 or bring in a more lethal striker and instead we get Calafiori and Sterling (I don't include Merino because I think he will come good for us). Instead our inaction has effectively handed Pool a title. Even a young striker who is more direct would offer more than the nothing Jesus is doing.
So much is dependent on the magic of MO and Saka IMO They remind me of what Mueller, Ozil and Klose used to be able to do around 2013
My issue with him is the profile, he's the same player as Rice only like 20% worse at everything and at 28 he's not going to get much better. When he was bought all we heard about were his duels but I question how much of that was because he was facing a bunch of 5'-8" midfielders in LaLiga. I would have liked to see a more attacking 8/10 as an ESR/Vieira replacement that could offer some threat against a low block like Fulham.
I still think the midfield is missing part of the Xhaka skillset and Partey / Jorgie are on the way out. So either you need a classy 6 and Rice is the all action 8, or you play double pivot where rice is the more defensive player and the other guy has the disty skills - but who actually sits is situational Rice has many of the skills of both roles, I just think his passing and midfield general game isn't Xhaka level
Yup. Xhaka struggled thru most of his first 5-6 seasons at Arsenal because Wenger/Emery couldn't build a midfield around him that took advantage of his skillset. Now we are seeing the same thing with Rice since they can't unload Partey's contract.