06 Jan 2020 23:55:11
Good end result after being totally outclassed in the first half. A stronger team would have been 2 or 3 up at halftime, so we were lucky. If you want to watch a video on how to pass and move then watch Leeds first half display, very impressive. We played far too many straight balls down the middle, which Leeds proved even at a championship level is very easy to defend against.
You have to spread the ball wide when teams press, and you have to have players willing to move to receive the ball, neither of which we had in the first half. Hopefully two other lessons Mikel has learnt is 3 at the back is a no, we just get overrun in midfield, and also Xhaka and Guendouzi is a midfield central pairing that will more likely get you relegated than crowned as champions.
Both struggle to win anything but the simplest of balls, and both hang onto it far too long. Mateo at least partially makes up for it with his youth and work rate, as evidenced in the 2nd half, but Xhaka needs to move on ASAP, he is pure and simply a liability.
07 Jan 2020 08:07:28
I thought Guendouzi was exceptional last night, with his non-stop work rate, break up of play and timely interceptions. It is interesting that fans continually criticise Xhaka, yet managers continue to back and select him. Last night he broke up play, committing tactical fouls when necessary which interrupted Leeds play. His work rate was excellent and his passing was impressive. I believe it’s time to stop getting at the players, back them. Arteta knows the poor players and will move them out in due course. There is criticism of Holding, who has recently returned from a serious injury after a long break. It takes time to build fitness, confidence, etc. Good to get a second win on the trot and a second clean sheet. I thought MartÃnez kept us in the game in the first half.
07 Jan 2020 10:51:03
Guendouzi was poor in the first half, not providing options to pass, not mobile enough at all. Second half he improved but don’t think he was exceptional by any means.
07 Jan 2020 11:05:36
Just to be clear on the Rob Holding thing, he had a particularly poor night last night but he is a lot better player than he looked last night but equally he is absolutely not and never has been yet a proven top premier league CB or anywhere near the player he was made out to be by some fans while he was out injured.
He's played a dozen games a season since he arrived some decent some ok and some pretty poor ones too.
As much as he has missed games each season through injury he has also been left out because of poor performances too, let's just be honest about the lad rather than pretend that before his injury he was on the verge of an England call up or top clubs across Europe were watching him.
The lad has been over hyped and set up to fail simply because he's not so far and has never yet been anywhere near the player some fans have made out he is.
He might one day be an England international we might one day be fighting off Real Liverpool and City for his signature but let's see the lad put together 10 15 20 good games together before stating how important he is to us and how he will improve us once fit, the lad is much like Maitland Niles and Cellabos had a few good games but a long way from premier league proven top quality.
{Ed047's Note - no argument from me
07 Jan 2020 12:00:36
Prior to Holding’s extremely serious injury Arsenal were unbeaten in league matches last season. He was playing superbly and looked set for an international call up. Last night just having recently returned from the long lay off, he was up against a very physical and tigerish Leeds team, which wasn’t easy. I am sure once he had regained match fitness after a few matches he will look a different player.
{Ed025's Note - last night he looked more like a cricket player than a footballer.. :)
07 Jan 2020 12:39:02
Holding looked good v Chelsea in the cup final and at the end of that season and he also looked good for a few games before his injury last season too, the common denominator during his 2 good spells was both Arsene and Emery were using a back 3 during Holdings best games, he has always struggled to win or keep a place in a CB pairing ever since he arrived at Arsenal.
Maybe Artetta can improve him as he seems to have both Papa and Luis very quickly but at the moment Rob Holding is about as close to an England cap as Maitland Niles Nelson Chambers and Wilock which is absolutely nowhere near anywhere close at all.
Unless Artetta and England start playing a back 3 Holding is still very much a player trying to find his premier league level or even he has it to find.
Hopefully one day all Arsenal's English players will be internationals but at the moment it's very much a case of getting on the training field with heads down, work very hard and improve an awful lot before they can think of England or even life as a premier league regular.
07 Jan 2020 13:37:10
Nice win good for the confidence and more respect and belief in the manager - it will take us places. COYG
Holding defended well last night given the time he's been out for and was looking confident. The issue I have with him is not playing the ball early enough. Thereby, allowing the spaces to be closed down leading to multiple errors. If you are not match fit that is more reason not to hold on to the ball more than what's necessary.
{Ed025's Note - a lot of pluses second half yard, but i have to say holding was awful mate i dont know what game you were watching?, and also sokratis for the size of the guy...what a big girls blouse, get shut of those two and PEA back and you could be going places mate..
07 Jan 2020 14:45:46
The thing that made me laugh was the commentators kept saying during the first half and the pundits at half time how our players were still tired from the United game :-)
We had 4 days recovery time in between games, whatever were Emery and Fredie training them on that made them so unfit before Arteta arrived! Sticky buns fizzy drinks and steak and kidney pudding :-)
07 Jan 2020 21:51:56
It’s funny, in that at times the premiership doesn’t always look to be as good as we all think, and yet it obviously is at an extremely high level, with players weaknesses quickly found out. This is evidenced by the number of players from all clubs who struggle to regain form after an injury layoff, or players who looked superb in another league but struggle in the premiership, like Pepe, or even players already in the premiership, who move club and then look a shadow of their former selves, like Mahrez at Man City. That’s why I am not concerned by Holdings performance last night. He was starting to look a good player last year, and his distribution was one of his strengths, so that is not a concern for me. The only issue is that as G62 has said, his best performances have always come as part of a back 3, which I don’t think suits us as a formation, certainly not with tweedledumn playing in front of them. He needs to show he can be a successful CB in a pair, which puts a lot more pressure on his physique and organisation skills, but I think he has the ability, he just needs to show the drive.
07 Jan 2020 22:26:46
Totally agree Epping, top athletes and top people from all professions are always telling kids " you can be anything you want to be, if you want it enough you will achieve it "
It's mentality determination and effort put in day after day that separates the best from the rest more than simply being born with more natural abilty.