06 Apr 2018 00:59:57
Great game but concerned about the fact that every time moscow went forward they created chances. Afraid this could become an issue when we face stronger teams like lazio and atletico. Think midfield lacks balance.
06 Apr 2018 09:03:44
Ever since the days of Vieira, Petit and Gilberto the midfield has lacked balance, as we have no true defensive midfield players that can protect the back four. We also need a RB that can tackle. Last night two creative attacking midfield players, Ozil and Mkhitaryan worked, but against tougher opposition the imbalance is clear.
06 Apr 2018 22:16:09
Teams creating good chances against us in virtually every attack has been a huge problem for the last two seasons or to put it another way ever since Mustafi and Xhaka became regulars.
At the start of last season when things were going quite well in the league and champions league I was shocked at how many chances we were conceding against everyone we played home and away and it was merely the oppositions poor finishing that saved us, like Cavani for PSG in the champions league, incredibly the sitters he missed in both games to enable us to get two draws.
Because results were going our way no one wanted to hear about how easily we were getting exposed by anyone and everyone until our luck ran out at Everton who finally took their chances others followed suit and we've continued to be exposed easily by all ever since.
Xhaka for Le Coq was huge mistakes we were much tougher to get by before Xhaka arrived and Mustafi for Gabriel wasn't a great move either, if Mustafi player the whistle rather than stopping and putting his hand in the air it would improve him overnight.
07 Apr 2018 12:11:17
RG61 and Gunner62,i agree that bellerin and mustafi are our weakest link in defence. Xhaka as a defensive midfielder is a joke too. Can't tackle and is slow. It is either we go back to three at the back or play Elneny alonside xhaka and bench wilshere. As much as i like him, we will get exposed against the likes of Atletico if we play him. If we just improve our defending we stand a big chance of winning the europa league.
07 Apr 2018 16:56:56
How to improve the defence with what we have available though Punani mate? Chambers Holding Mustafi and the sadly fast ageing Kos.
What can we do to improve on Mustafi Kos who to me seem the best of our very poor option we have.
A central midfield that protects the defence? Where to begin with who we have to chose from.
07 Apr 2018 23:53:29
As controversial as it may sound, ill play with three at the back with mustafi monreal and koscienly and kolasinac and maitland niles as wing backs and xhaka and ramsey as the two holding midfielders with mkhi, lacazette and ozil upfront or alternatively play four at the back but replace wilshere with elneny. I think that would be solid. So long as we play with a solid defensive structure, i don't think we will be hurt. I am more afraid of lazio than atletico actually.
The way they just attack down the left side of the pitch is amazing and we have ozil there who doesn't know how to defend. I have watched many of their games this season, they are relentless in attack think they are the highest scoring team in serie A this season. They are a team to be watched out for and they have a very tactically sound young coach.
08 Apr 2018 09:21:16
That's the thing though Punani mate our players just aren't disciplined or organised enough to be a solid unit defensively.
Ramsey won't hold, he will join the attack and Xhaka just isn't a DM.
Mustafi doesn't play the whistle he wants the officials to save him chasing back Kos is everywhere and nowhere more often than not this season and poor old Elneny he gives his best but in the absence of having a good solid DM partner he looks like a player doing his best but playing in a league above himself most of the time.
There just isn't the work ethic or discipline within our current squad to hold there shape and work as a solid unit defensively.
08 Apr 2018 12:53:49
Then we are doomed. If we don't win the Europa, we won't be in the champions league which will have a lot of financial implications i guess. We will be sinking further into the abyss. This will make it order for us to get out of the rut.
08 Apr 2018 19:26:03
Until we change the man motivating and organising the team we are going to always be on the outside looking in Punani mate, as we have been for more than a decade now.
We've been on the outside looking in with the title race for 13 years and now we are on the outside of top 4 contention look looking in.
This won't change until we change until we change.
08 Apr 2018 22:17:08
Gunner mate i am not sure there are really any good coaches available. The coach who is tailor made for arsenal who will transform us is sitting in the man city dugout. The next one who i thought would really revolutionize us has gone to PSG ( i mean Tuchel) . The names of all the coaches mentioned are decent but not really super great ones. I feel like our best chance is with a young coach someone like Nagelsmann or tedesco but will the board be brave enough to make that choice? If we go for Allegri or someone like ancelotti, i doubt that he will win the league but we will at least get into the top four.
But with this young, tactically obsessive coaches like nagelsmann. The way he does training is impressive. He has cameras fitted everywhere on the training ground and he uses the footage to analyse players tell them what they are doing wrong what to improve etc. His training is far ahead of wengers that i can tell you but he is rumuored to be heading to bayern but he would massively improve arsenal in a way even the likes of allegri won't. Take that from me. He is that good.
09 Apr 2018 10:02:20
Punani mate its not a case of no replacement being available that's preventing change its a case of no one wanting to make the decision to allow change to happen that's the issue.
The club should take control but they won't, Arsene should fall on his sword but he won't so we are at a complete in pass until something or someone somewhere gives.
09 Apr 2018 11:48:29
Heard guardiola wanted to coach Arsenal before he went to bayern but wenger blocked the move. Not sure if there is any truth to those rumuours maybe the Ed can confirm. Wenger is so stubborn. He doesn’t want to walk away so we keep on missing out on good coaches. If we wins the Europa league though, he can stay for at least one more season for me so long as he promises he will leave at the end of the season. But if we don’t win the europa and he chooses to stay, then he is selfish and does not care about the club and he deserves to be hounded out.
{Ed001's Note - I have never heard that particular story. He was undecided as far as I know when he left Barca, just wanted a break and was just waiting to see what offers came. Never heard of him looking for any particular role, though he was always keen on testing himself in English footie.}
09 Apr 2018 16:01:28
If you look at the big jobs that are or possibly going to be available in the premier league this summer you have Everton Chelsea and possibly Arsenal.
If we dither and Everton were to surprise everyone by attracting a highly respected coach who bought into Everton being a big club with huge potential it could have a two fold negative effect on us.
1 we would have missed out on yet another possibile quality replacement by dithering
2 Everton could quite easily leap frog us very quickly threatening any kind of European football at all being played at the Emirates for a while.
We've let Liverpool and Spurs do it to us while we dithered on what to do about Arsene and sure as eggs is eggs Everton or Newcastle or someone somewhere will get the right people in and it will happen again at some point if we just keep doing nothing but waiting.
09 Apr 2018 16:58:00
Exactly gunner. Everton are spending a lot if they sign someone like fonesca, the shaktar manager and they spend like they will surely do in the summer, then they will seriously challenge for the top 4.
Our best case scenario is if we win the europa league and wenger walks away. Our second best scenrio will be if we win the europa league and wenger stays for one more season but says he will walk away at the end of the following season. Our second worst scenario will be if we don't win the europa and wenger walks away. The worst case scenario will be if we don't win europa and wenger still doesn't walk away and sadly that is the most possible scenario i am afraid.
09 Apr 2018 17:42:01
Newcastle are a good owner away from joining the europa league place race and Everton a good manager way too.
One of Chelsea Utd City Liverpool Spurs has to finish out of the champions league places this season and next season too as 5 into 4 won't go.
That leaves us and the top 4 drop out team plus any new comers fighting for 1 to 3 europa places depending who wins each cup each season.
If Arsene stays then a repeat of this season is the best we can hope for league wise, which isn't exactly exciting is it :-)