23 Sep 2019 21:10:06
I've finally watched the highlights of the villa match. It's hard to take the crowd on here very seriously honestly. Only Steve has attempted to be pleased about winning, and what's more, making a comeback with 10 men.
Definitely not perfect at the club currently, but the populism of looking for all the negatives is crazy. A few things that come to mind, out of many. Firstly talk of how PEA's reaction after the winner showed he's had enough, and the players are losing faith. I just watched it, and only the desperate would see anything other than adrenaline and celebration. I'm definitely missing something otherwise. Papering over cracks, after our win in frankfurt, is another partisan nonsense sentiment. A great result means nothing, because it could have been different? Our defence is, to put it mildly, a work in progress, but every team has cracks. Tell me about one that doesn't? Papering over them is sometimes the point, not the criticism. Certainly confidence plays a part in a team covering its weaknesses. We've three returning defenders who we are yet to see if they make a difference too.
So what it comes down too normally is that either I'm an idiot for not seeing what you lot see, or I'm some kind of fervent Emery enthusiast. If Emery gets some traction with our defence, then that's perfect, and I don't particularly see its impossible. After that, if we have a good season, despite a bad defence, I'm a happy fan as well. If we have a crappy season, then Emery goes at the end of his contract, and we start making a sensible decision on the next manager ready for the summer. It's certainly not a disaster. It's just football!
Very much looking forward to being ignored, yelled at, or even discussed with. We're 6 games in, you don't know what the league holds till December. I'm enjoying this season, and happy to say so.
23 Sep 2019 21:50:28
Couldn't agree more. Read this page often, but to be fair its becoming arduous task with all the negativity from what can only be described as keyboard warriors.
23 Sep 2019 23:52:07
Ned, people all see it differently or how they want to see it, i do and i have been accused i do by people, who think they dont, when really they do. It really in truth can go both ways at the moment, a couple of defeats and Emerys head is on the block, a couple of wins and we could be in a quite healthy position.
Some people at the moment are seeing the nedatives and just raming them home. There have neen and are a lot of negatives at the moment and that's as you say just football. I thought the comeback after the dire situation has just been lost by a few. Last week, i thought the second half was one of the worst ever but i have to say this weeks second half in the circumstances, was up there with one of the best.
Im not enjoying the open way we play, the persistence in xhaka and the usual mistakes but at the moment we are in an ok position in the league. When that changes, i will change also because there are problems that need addressing and if they aren't we won't carry on challenging for 3rd and 4th. People on here won't like this but Sunday proved the players are still fighting for the cause.
The youth that Emery is introducing are playing for him, its just the older ones that need to step up and start using their heads a bit more. If they don't both they and Emery will be gone. If they do we may have a good season. However we have done it we have had one defeat so far, matched or bettered only by 4 other teams. When or if that changes, then things will be horrible.
Until then i enjoyed the comeback on Sunday. Its the situation for the people who didn't for them to deal with how they feel. I repeat, i don't like the way we defend, if it isn't addressed heads will roll but i won't go mardy because we got a win, just yet.
24 Sep 2019 06:14:22
Steve, you raise a lot of good points but I have to say the youth really seem to credit Freddie. Freddie’s done an awesome job with them and has to take a huge slice of credit. Emery was gifted the attack and only had to sort out the defence, tactics and midfield. He’s the coach and strutting like a peacock.
24 Sep 2019 08:37:33
If people are happy to sneak a draw at Watford despite being totally outplayed and also happy to sneak a home win against Vila then who am I to tell them they are not allowed to be happy with it.
Fo me it's exactly like it was under Arsene and I never understood then how people could be happy watching the team get exposed week after week in exactly the same way because Arsene simply refused to change his methods or leave out his favored players, I wasn't happy with Arsene making us a laughing stock so I obviously not happy with Emery doing exactly the same but just a little worse.
To each their own I totally respect that, I personally hoped for a huge improvement defensively when Arsene was replaced so obviously I'm absolutely gutted with what Emery serves up each and every week, but then again if I didn't enjoy Arsene doing it I'm hardly likely to enjoy Emery doing a poor imitation of Arsenes last 10 years am I?
24 Sep 2019 09:38:47
This 'Emery is the same as Wenger' argument is something you've created G62, I simply don't buy it.
24 Sep 2019 10:08:00
Cool Ned it's a free market and purchase isn't compulsory mate :-)
Please enlighten me where they are different? Rather with 5 3 than 1 0, incapable of sorting out or building a defence worthy of the name, play Xhaka regardless of anything he does or fails to do over and over again.
Where's the difference Ned mate?
{Ed047's Note - I thought it was the press and pundits highlighting that there has been no change defensively at Arsenal from the end of Wengers era to Emery’s reign, not your good self mate.
Pundits are actually openly laughing at our defending.
It’s like Sarri having Kante and not playing him in his best position, why?
We bring in Torreira but don’t utilise his best assets.
Emery is widely known for his inability to set out a decent defence so it will be interesting to see the difference Bellerin, Holding and Tierney have.
There was a lot of happy people when he hooked Xhaka against Villa too.
24 Sep 2019 10:55:17
It will be interesting to see what difference the 3 injured players returning makes Ed047 mate, for me there is absolutely no way we have the worst defensive player quality in the league but yet we continue to be a laughing stock that pundits journalists and rival fans love to to laugh at, if our players quality isn't the worst yet we perform the worst then who's responsibility is it if not Emerys? Mine, yours Arsenes or maybe Stans as he's of course.
Jurgen Klopp gets the plaudits because of what his team performs and Jose got the sack because of what his United team performed, why are Arsenal managers immune from the same yardstick all other managers are gauged by? It's always puzzled me that.
{Ed047's Note - I don’t want to beat down on Emery, I’d love him to be a success but 12 months in we look as woeful defensively as we’ve ever been.
You see Fernandinho, Fabinho and Kante play for their respective clubs and think we have Torriera, why on earth are we not making the best of his skill set.
I love Guendouzi, but appreciate he’s still young, but he and Torriera in front of our back 4 would make sense to me, to protect our back four and feed either Ceballos or Ozil who in turn supply Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette.
Liverpool play Salah, Mane and Firmino whilst City play Aguero, Sterling and Silva so it’s possible to have a great front 3 and still be organised.
Xhaka and Luiz are a nightmare, Xhaka can’t tackle and Luiz in our penalty is likely to do anything.
Bellerin, Holding, Sokratis and Tierney with Ceballos, Torreira and Guendouzi in front of them.
Then and this is where it’s down to Emery, drill them, train them whatever it takes get them organised. How they are not already is a mystery. In excess of 12 months for the players to know a system and shape you want to play, who needs to do what and cover who.
Why does that not appear to be happening.
Finally it was a great come back win against Villa with 10 men, it is great to have only lost one game and sit in the top four but it’s just not great to see us with this horrible soft underbelly.
24 Sep 2019 10:57:23
Pointing out that they play some of the same players, in defiance of your opinion, or that some results have been the same isn't particularly damming G62. They both coats when it's raining, but Emery is better at zipping them up, must mean Emery is different and better! Emery brings passion to his coaching that was depressingly lacking in Wenger's final years. He's removed the dull passing for its own sake that made us so stale, and we have a much more rounded and dynamic attack now. He's actually playing our promising youth to see if they can make it, rather than starving them till they stop progressing, or make a move to another club. Wenger insisted on dominating our transfer structure so that we had the yearly bemusement of bargain buys supporting another expensive midfielder, Emery at least doesn't do that, even if he has no proper say.
That's just off the top of my head. And Ed 47, who gives the opinion of the TV hacks and tabloid rats any opinion at all? As bad as the super agents for the game I think.
{Ed047's Note - Ned they are analysing our games on TV they are showing how woeful defensively we are mate, they are not making that up.
It’s a huge concern that we look worse at the back than ever.
That is pretty much the one MASSIVE thing we wanted to change, I love it that the young guns are getting their chance and the other positives you point out but that one negative is a biggy and frustrates the life out of me to be honest.
24 Sep 2019 12:04:58
Of course we all love the young players not only getting a chance but also taking those chances so brilliantly, as for Arsene playing with his coat, well that wasn't the reason people wanted him out it was his stubbornness and inability or unwillingness to build train organise a defence that didn't get totally exposed week in week out.
Of course all fans love a manager who is animated and passionate but in reality that's a bonus not a necessity as I don't remember anyone moaning about Arsenes lack of enthusiasm when we were at our breathtaking best during his first 8 seasons.
If our next manager brings up defensive stability from which we can build true success again I couldn't care less if he sits in the stands like a statue totally devoid of all emotion.
It's how the team performs on the pitch that matters and all else is pretty much by the by.
14 months playing months into Emery replacing Arsene and we somehow look even worse in midfield and defence and I genuinely thought that was impossible.
I personally find it difficult to watch us get totally exposed every week still as we have for years even if we do nick a result as with Watford and Vila.