ljkeane Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) Really good gameplan from Arsenal in this first half to be fair. They aren’t letting Liverpool get the ball into Alexander-Arnold or Mac Allister in their own third and funnelling the ball out to Quansah and Gomez on the left. As a result Liverpool really can’t get the ball forward. ETA: It’s far better in the second half moving Elliott back into midfield and Gakpo up front. Gakpo in midfield has never really worked. Edited January 7 by ljkeane Iskaral Pust 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse Named Stranger Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 Ah, the old story. If you don't take your chances, your opponent will. Thus Arsenal is now 0-1 down in a game they should've been up by 2-3 goals instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, ljkeane said: Gakpo in midfield has never really worked. I feel like if Klopp insists on making a wide forward into a central midfielder it should be Luis Diaz, but I only think that because his dribbling reminds me of Moussa Dembele. How highly rated would he be in this day and age btw. Spurs have never been the same since he left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Glad I don’t give a fuck anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Similar to the recent league game: Arsenal on top in the first half but Liverpool finish stronger (and Trent smashed the crossbar again). Agreed that Gakpo in MF hasn’t worked yet. It was a bad idea, especially with Elliot pushed forward instead. I like the show of resilience and the mentality boost from beating a rival, but the fatigue may ultimately cost us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 16 minutes ago, polishgenius said: How highly rated would he be in this day and age btw. Spurs have never been the same since he left. Massively. He was the most press resistant player in the league. Just about perfect at picking the ball up from deep and transitioning play. Surprised that he wasn't more highly rated at the time and bigger clubs weren't coming in for him - his injury record might have had something to do with that. Was surprised that he moved to Spurs because he was awesome at Fulham before that too and I expected all the big clubs in the league to be after him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Proper smash and grab. Loved it! Bradley had Martinelli in his pocket. Maybe he could teach TAA how to defend 1 on 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Arsenal’s last three games (xG) vs actual (excluding pen): Arsenal (6.5xg) 1-6 (2.5xg) Opponents Absolutely hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse Named Stranger Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 11 hours ago, Iskaral Pust said: Similar to the recent league game: Arsenal on top in the first half but Liverpool finish stronger (and Trent smashed the crossbar again). Agreed that Gakpo in MF hasn’t worked yet. It was a bad idea, especially with Elliot pushed forward instead. I like the show of resilience and the mentality boost from beating a rival, but the fatigue may ultimately cost us. Not quite. While I agree with the League being that way. This one was different. Arsenal blew Liverpool out of the proverbial water in the first half and they really could/should've been up by 3 goals (Havertz and Odegaard being the main culprits). Second half was a more open competition with both teams trading blows (chances). With Liverpool probably the better team then, but Arsenal still had 1-2 chances. But that first half... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 We thought Arsenal needed a finisher, but evidently they think improving the defensive midfield is a bigger priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse Named Stranger Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 Hey don't be jelly, just because Everton have a player named Onana who has reliably performed. baxus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I'm not jelly because of that, but I am well jelly because Onana would be like the perfect player for our midfield, to play alongside Mainoo or instead of him to give him a rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse Named Stranger Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 Well, Arsenal feel like DM needs bolstering, with a certain player, who sould've been dropped last season, apparently no longer able to keep up physically (injuries). If you follow that line of thinking they have Rice and ?. So with Onana that would boost their DM options, and they don't have to wait and see whether that other players' body is falling apartey or not. I can kinda see the logic behind that move. And if Arteta feels the goal scoring issue can be fixed on the training ground. Power to him. Apart from the finishing malaise the squad balance is quite good at Arsenal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse Named Stranger Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 In other news. RIP Franz Beckenbauer. BigFatCoward 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorshach Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, polishgenius said: We thought Arsenal needed a finisher, but evidently they think improving the defensive midfield is a bigger priority. Don't sell Onana short, he has scored for us! Twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 1 hour ago, polishgenius said: We thought Arsenal needed a finisher, but evidently they think improving the defensive midfield is a bigger priority. Tbf, they need both. Elneny's and Jorginho's contracts are up at the end of the season (haven't seen any reports talking about renewals) and they'll probably try to rid themselves of Partey (who's crocked anyway) too. ETA. it's also probably going to be much easier to bring in a midfielder of a good calibre in January than it would be to bring in a striker good enough to make a difference for Arsenal. Edited January 8 by Consigliere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 3 hours ago, A Horse Named Stranger said: In other news. RIP Franz Beckenbauer. There might be better players (hes either greatest or 2nd greatest defender -Maldini), but overall career, it's hard not to put him top of the all time greats of the game. Who else had success at so many roles over so long? I bet Deschamps is shitting himself though. Edited January 8 by BigFatCoward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) Spurs v City and Villa v Chelsea standout ties of 4th round. Edited January 8 by BigFatCoward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) We get the winner of Norwich/Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup next round. Nice! Edited January 8 by AncalagonTheBlack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 3 hours ago, Consigliere said: Tbf, they need both. Elneny's and Jorginho's contracts are up at the end of the season (haven't seen any reports talking about renewals) and they'll probably try to rid themselves of Partey (who's crocked anyway) too. ETA. it's also probably going to be much easier to bring in a midfielder of a good calibre in January than it would be to bring in a striker good enough to make a difference for Arsenal. Yea, there is definitely a need for a DM to come in but the profile we want is more likely to be found in the summer with someone like Zubimendi. Even if true, not sure how this goes through, we have no money for Onna or a striker in Jan. I just don't see it happening. Personally, I'd love a LB. Kiwior is not the answer there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.