A draw against Chelsea isn’t really a bad result, but it does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity. Here’s how the players rated.
Wojciech Szczesny: 6/10 – Didn’t have a great deal to do, made routine saves well.
Bacary Sagna: 6/10 – An average performance in an average game. Had no real troubles with the tricky Hazard.
Per Mertesacker: 7/10 – Dealt with Torres without any trouble.
Thomas Vermaelen: 6/10 – Solid return for the skipper, a couple of late moments aside.
Kieran Gibbs: 6/10 – Looked our biggest threat down the left hand side.
Mikel Arteta: 6.5/10 – Had his shin studded by Mikel and his ankle nearly taken off by Ramires. Battled hard in the midfield.
Aaron Ramsey: 5/10 – Looked off the pace, careless with the ball, but showed why the manager kept him on with the beautiful pass that Giroud should have scored from.
Tomas Rosicky: 6/10 – Ran around with great energy as always, some of his combo plays almost came off, but found no way through.
Theo Walcott: 6/10 – Didn’t do very much, his game really isn’t suited to teams that sit so deep and deny us space. However, he should have had a penalty but for, you know, Mike Dean.
Mesut Ozil: 5/10 – Another game in which he struggled to impose himself and have any kind of real impact, but he’ll come good again. We’re somewhat baffled by the murmurings of discontent with him overall. Yes, he can play better, but he’s hardly a flop.
Olivier Giroud: 4/10 – We love the HFB around these parts, nobody does the agonised roar of despair more handsomely, but he should have buried the chance Ramsey set up for him late in the second half. While you can’t lay all the issues with our performance at his door, that’s the difference between one point and three tonight.
Subs
None, for the first time in a long time under Arsene Wenger. Perhaps ensuring that he didn’t disrupt the rhythm of a team which was not under any real pressure from Chelsea. After the 6-3, perhaps it was safety first.
Bonus rating
Mike Dean: Go f*ck yourself/10
Feel free to debate and discuss in the comments, but please read the comment policy first and don’t get angry with each other, or me, about imaginary points.
And watch out for something new and exciting coming to our player ratings in the next few weeks!
Think you’re being generous to Mike Dean
I know its against policy, but the Dean rating is way too fucking high.
Alternatively: Just as everyone fucking expected/10
I’m kind of glad we didn’t lose. The should been given Walcott penalty and the Mikel red card were blatant as hell. Walcott got yellow for the most innocuous challenge in the world yet Ivanovic escaped for a fucking high boot. Mike Dean is the worst referee in premier league football. That’s twice in a row we’ve had shit biased referees and the sooner we get a fair one the better.
Everyone around us was calling what Dean would do next. 90% success rate. The man is so predictable it’s beyond a joke.
The thing is, he is a really good referee, because he couldn’t do the things he does unless he saw.
He just happens to also be an utter shitbag who skews games against Arsenal for some reason
I was most shocked by the Ivanovic tackle on Ozil tbh. Studs showing with foot at head height, just inches from Ozils face. The entire stadium could see that tackle but Mike Dean was completely oblivious. Complete joke of a referee, along with our favourite Martin Atkinson. Bring in some form of video refereeing and stop this bullshit once and for all.
Create a committee of 5,000 fans who rate each referee’s performance out of 10. The poor refs get warned/booted out at the end of the season.
I for one thought his score should be
awful horrific cuntbutler/what a knob
F*ck Mike Dean!
Despicable man. He has this smug arrogance almost and overall cuntishness about him like he’s in control of the match when in truth he hasn’t got a clue…..
I think a draw wasn’t a bad result, we are now joint top plus 1st vs 3rd will play on thursday while we take on westham so I guess it won’t take that long for us to return to the sumit. And giroud? I said if we don’t sign a mobile backup/first choice CF in january I wouldn’ bother watching our games with the big guns if giroud was leading the line because I hate being frustrated, and what did i get? Lots and lots of thumbs down. With a suarez,lewandowski,diego,cavani,falcao or martinez today we would have snatched a victory… Read more »
Every striker you mention is not available for buy except maybe costa, but martinez really you put martinez in that list of strikers get real.
For the right price you can get anyone, but you’re right, the only feasible striker for us right now is Costa (unless we send a very generous wage package Lewandowski’s way).
“suarez,lewandowski,diego,cavani,falcao or martinez”
Shame you’re not in charge of team. We’d really benefit from signing those players. Why don’t they play for us? I’m really baffled. There’s also some other good footballers that don’t play for Arsenal. What’s going on? Why doesn’t our manager choose to own all the best players? I’m confused.
Hey, at least Suarez isn’t cup-tied in the CL 🙂
You lost me at “I wouldn’t bother watching our games”
Once again we showed litte bottle,the chance to go top thwarted by players not doing. their bit. In noticed once again Ramsey very poor,i felt this season the defence would let us down,but that has not been the case which makes it even more frustrating,Must buy in Jan or prizes this year are gone..
Special score – Mike Dean – £100 under the table from Jose
Only £100 ?
We’re not exactly strapped for cash these days, I am sure we could have matched that, conversely I am sure Red Rom would have offered plenty more than that, don’t tell me he is averse to a little bit of the old brown envolope and ‘ The daffodils come up early in Moscow this year da, comrade ?
I don’t think Mike Dean needs any bribes to be a bit dubious, he does it for the love of it !
Not a bribe, just a thank you for being anti arsenal during that and every other game
Mike Dean is a shit ref & it has nothing to do with being anti arsenal.
Can’t blame Dean for tonight it was all to do with Wengers inability to break down a team that had obviously set out their stall for a draw.
That inability being highlighted by the way Walcott wasn’t in the 18 yard box, wasn’t pushing the ball inside to move on goal, when he wasn’t clipped by Willian, and wasn’t denied a penalty
we probably offered 101pounds and Mike Dean got insulted… what a troll
100.0001
Just to maintain the scale.
5/10 for Walcott
7/10 for Gibbs
5/10 for Giroud who was playing well 2nd half up until the missed chance. Shocking miss.
That aside, all good.
Nope, Rozza was our best offensive player but as usual some of our other players were not on the same wavelength. Both Giroud chances were started by him playing in Gibbs and Rambo respectiveliy. Tireless running and some good strong challenges too with great tracking back. Deserves a 7.5
Mike Dean had a terrible game, Chelsea should have been playing over half the game with 10 men, might have had a different result
Should hve been playing most of the match with nine and down 1-0 to a penalty.
blinkered
Completely agree.
If you cannot see that Walcott was fouled in the box
Mikel Didn’t committed a studs-up sliding foul that deserved a red,
and that this: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BcMzjCKCAAA3RGt.jpg was not a foul and probably a red as well
Then you clearly are blinkered.
Mike Dean IS a terrible game
A striker is much needed
As it was in the summer and we failed. To expect one in January is optimistic in the extreme. We have needed another quality striker for a few years .if we get one we can still win the league if we don’t we will struggle to make fourth.
We need a striker in January, but I have a feeling Wenger won’t oblige. It IS the missing link in our side. However, we’ll be top of the table come 2014 as Liverpool will drop points against Chelsea and Man City, as long as we do our job against West Ham and Newcastle. So chin up Gunners, and Merry Christmas!!
Thought Verm was brilliant.
He was fantastic today and I am glad people noticed. I was at Blind Pig with the NYC gooners and his performance was spoken of with high regards by most, except for the two Chelsea supporters who should have known better than to be there.
Can’t arsenal vote against him refereeing our matches. 7% win rate with him. Ridiculous and not suprising at all!
Would be interesting to see a list of our win rates under the different refs
Could anyone oblige?
There’s a bit of it here: http://www.premierpunditry.com/blog-the-third-yellow/
Alternatively check out Untold Arsenal. The farce which is premiership refereeing is exposed there very clearly.
Where was Vermaelen for that crossbar rattling shot by Lampard?
doing your mum
She’s in hospital, moron.
I know Vermaelen has a big member but to put you Mum in hospital……….bloody hell!!!
mike dean is true blue (`.´)t
With ozil rested for Westham i expect Cazorla to play in the no.10 role and then poldi should start on the left to help where giroud lacks. being clinical.
Liverpool should face a tough citeh side and if we do our job well vs WHU we should be back where we belong.
Mike Dean was dropped on his head atleast thrice taken up then dropped again just to be sure. cunt!
Poldi,Santi,??!! Wenger,you dont have now 6 subs on thursday ….
Adebayor in January pls…if we couldn’t find the product we want!!
I suspect this comment could get a record red thumbs
Wow, 6 thumbs down at 3 minutes, where is everyone?, lol
If we signed Adebayor, would Man City pay the wages and Arsenal receive half the transfer fee?
@arseblog..If we could forgive Bentiner,why not Adebayor?lol
Bendtner didn’t do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7657Hb27K4c
The only way either could be forgiven would be for them to travel back in time and kill Simon Cowell before he creates pop idol, the x factor and everything else associated – at that point they would be forgiven to the extent that they can serve Sagna cocktails 24-7 as part of his new contract……..
Or this (warning, turn the sound off MoTD alert) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xagzl2_adebayor-and-his-malicious-stamp-on_sport
Or does he get a retroactive pardon for that one 😛
I gave it green for comedy value. I know you guys will do the job with the red ones 😉
Well, it is Christ,as and it does has a carol-ish ring to it . . . ‘ O come O come Emanuel . . . ‘ We don’t want him back and I am sure he wouldn’t come even if we asked him to. I mean what kind of twunt would flit between Arsenal and Spurs more than once* . . . ? Blimey, that means if we offer enough, he’ll bite our hands off ! DISCLAIMER:- I have no idea if a beloved son of both clubs has ever played for either side twice in what might be termed… Read more »
Let me have a go! Pick me! I wanna play!
Adebayor and Ashley Cole in January pls…if we couldn’t find the product we want!!
You should start wearing socks.
220 and counting
Yikes, make that 435
Maybe a comment to bring back Nasrat would garner as many thumbs-down?
Even Adebayor himself would think that’s absolutely outrageous.
I’m not so sure, if the money is right !!!!
Baaaaahaaahaaahaaahaaa!. or even boohoo… I really don’t know whether to laugh or cry… Merry Christmas all you Gooners!
That was worse than poor and I have seen little from Ozil to make me think he is a replacement for Fabregas – very poor signing IMHO
This might run it close though
Lol i flushed some of what you wrote down the toilet today….
Wish you’d flushed all of it…
Is there a competition for troll post of the evening?
By the way, speaking of Özil, Ivanovic’s attempt to rearrange his features brought an interesting response.
Haha, are you trying to break the record?!
Giroud’s main job, as a striker, is to score. When he doesn’t score, we get mad at him, yeah? Well then, what exactly is Walcott’s job, as a winger?! He didn’t beat his man once, not one decent cross, nothing! Don’t try to pin this draw on a half-arsed chance Giroud maybe could’ve done better with for fucks sake, we were shut out and that’s it. They came here looking for a point, simple as that.
completely agree with you here on Walcott, he seems hesitant to use his pace to take men on. Granted he’s never been the type of winger that good’s enough to take men on but nevertheless its schoolboy stuff really: knock the ball past your opponent and run after it. I remember a moment late in the game when we had a chance to counter, i think from a corner, it came to him and he ran right into a Chelsea player. Its not even as if the player blocked him off, he literally ran right into him.
We need a gervinho, a gervinho minus all those gervinho moment though
Laughable tactics from Maureen with a squad that cost millions.
Mata must really be amused
Well considering Arsene’s plan right now is to constantly cross and try and head the ball, Giroud needs to be winning at least some headers. In all fairness Chelsea playing 9-0-1 today was not exactly helpful but I still feel Giroud needs to be more dominant in the air. Just saying.
‘constantly cross and try and head the ball’
This is a joke, isn’t it?
We’d probably have got a fairer game if there was no ref, expecting Dean to have a good game is about as likely as a church producing a porno to promote abstinence.
Well as soft as ir might’ve been we should’ve had a penalty. There was contact when Walcott was in possession. Will.i.am hooked his foot. No doubt about it. I was surprised Santi didn’t get a chance to take a few players out of the game with a dribble. I thought that was what we needed. Arteta was my man of the match. He defended well and tried to make things happen more than anyone. Walcott was baffling tonight. It just wasn’t his game. No chance to get in behind and had no ideas when he had a man in front… Read more »
Ox back possibly for FA Cup vs Sp*rs, 4th January
Giroud: Excellent holding and linking play, but somewhat limited as a finisher. Really need a team player like him in the squad, but we’re crying out for a poacher. Will Wenger buy in January?
Nope
Yep.
Maybe
Aha!
Can you repeat the question?
A poacher…. That’s a great idea if we can have 12 players on the pitch!
Otherwise it’s not so great as that doesn’t really work with the system we play.
I agree that HFB s finish is his weak point but I think he’s a confidence player on that side and (hopefully will come good soon.
I agree with the rating but that wasn’t an easy goal missed, however he really shouldn’t have missed the goal completely. If the goalie had saved it (as usually happens from that angle), it would have been bearable.
1 Point .. only visiting team should be happy with that , it was obviously what they came to get.
We were not good today.. Chelseas defensive setup and the weather most certainly helped. With a little better finishing we could easily have won.
Oh Well … Next game is when we start working on our goal difference I hope.
I don’t think many of us (none of the team) are happy with it, but not especially unhappy either.
The weather was horrible and really didn’t help decent football either.
Its games like this that i prefer Wilshere over Ramsey and Cazorla over Walcott. Chelsea weren’t going to get stretched by Walcott’s pace, they’re far too organized for that, rendering him virtually useless. We needed to break them down with quick combinations, which we did twice when Gibbs squared for Giroud and Ramsey played in Giroud. But we could have created more of those chances had we had the more quick footed Cazorla and Wilshere in the side.
Wilshere’s banned
Walcott actually has a very good scoring record versus the Chavs!
Proven striker in january,epl secured!
This team should play westham. Shezzy,sagna,mert,verm,gibbs,flame,ramsey,theo,cazorla,rosicky,poldi. I think that’s the reason cazorla was on the bench through out, so against westham(a club he had some good moments against last season home and away) he would get to play in his best position, and poldi too who had a nice game against westham last season should lead the line. I think flamini should come in for the newcastle game because i think the are more physical in the middle
A point gained, really. Jose really parked the bus wit 433. Floodgates to open at Upton Park on Boxing Day.
COYG
We looked really lopsided tonight which meant Gibbs was caught a couple of times too far forward. One time was particularly noticeable when both he and Sagna had committed forward and we were lucky not to get caught out. There was no other option on the left because Rosicky was hardly ever there. I just didn’t really understand the gameplan tonight. Still a draw against Chelsea isn’t really all that bad. Keeps them nicely behind us too.
Probably because TR7 was alternating as usual but mostly on the right!
Giroud missed one and chelsea missed three better opportunities.. I look at our midfield and see that we werent cohesive or swift enough from taking possession to using it.
We were lucky to get one point today if you discount the referees mistakes. We must improve creatively against the top sides and avoid passing along the half way line at all costs.
I would say 2 and 2 big opportunities that the teams didn’t take. The two Giroud misses, the Lampard crossbar shot and willian’s poor shot. Overall arsenal threatened more and were def better in midfield in the second half. Add the obvious penalty not given, red card on mikel, red card for ivanovic trying to kick ozils face off then starting a fight, and the many decisions that cunt of a ref didn’t give our way. I think chelsea were certainly the lucky ones with a point.
yeah but we gave them too much respect IMO, played very slowly and it could have done with a sub or two to add some speed and diversity to the attack
Once again TR7 was our only midfielder to inject any penetrative forward momentum, he instigated both of Giroud’s chances by setting Gibbs and Rambo free respectively.
We are still top of the joint league. I hope West Ham is ready for Santi
Mike Dean and Jose Mu are two men from the same academy
Prick School
I hope the three men panel of the FA looks into that unpunished tackle on Arteta.
Jose Mu players gets away with far too much.
Our record since start of 09/10 season with mike dean refereeing is W3 D6 L12.. hmm
which means we’ve been victorious 7 % of all the games with Dean refereeing. Just for good measure, let’s throw in some other team’s numbers: 63 % for Chelsea, 63 for Manchester City, 67 for Manchester United and 50 % for Sp*rs
A draw is an ok result! What a load if bollox!
A draw is an ok result! What a load of bollox!
Walcott above average. Really
I guess people will say Vermaelen did ok, just as against Man U. The trouble is it’s not like he lost form or anything, but rather that we have only become good in the last year through organisation, reliability and good decision making at the back. We’ve shifted the more cavalier Song and Vermaelen for the much more disciplined Arteta and Koscielny. Twice today Vermaelen tried to dribble past players and make runs forward when this hardly ever creates a chance, and if he loses the ball we’re left defending a counter attack with one centre back, massively increasing the… Read more »
I call this a stupid comment. Form is gained and lost. The BFG and Kos were both shit in their first seasons and the Verminator was our best defender. He had a few recurring injuries and lost form. When he came back, kos was playing better. Also, our whole team has improved so much compared to last season.
I don’t think it’s form at all. It’s playing style. Vermaelen is too proactive. In the last year we’ve become a relatively calm defence for the first time in many years and it’s brought a lot of stability. It’s different in style from our defensive approach over the last decade. Vermaelen is much more similar in style to Toure, Gallas, etc. I really like Mertesacker’s approach to defending and Koscielny complements him extremely well. I don’t think Vermaelen’s playing badly at all – it’s just that his playing style no longer suits our set up.
agreed with you matt. Kos and Per are a far better duo their qualities complement each other. the ying and the yang style. they remind me of the Dessailly -Blanc partnership or Baresi-Costacurta ( one very good reader of the game, and one who is hard and physical ) Verm can come back strong but he is careless at times. he got his scary moments yesterday.
I think everyone is being a tad harsh on Giroud. He had ZERO service today from the wings. Walcott is always coming in central and rozza isn’t exactly LW. Of the two chances he did have he had one saved off the line and one he should have buried, even he will admit it. But he was constantly forced to come deep and look for the ball and then hold up and distribute, which he did magnificently. Watch the game again and you’ll see what I mean. He absolutely bossed the defenders and held them off like they were school… Read more »
Theo Walcott thinks an awful lot of Theo Walcott sometimes. I think he needs to watch himself on TV when he is on the pitch. I think Theo wouldn’t be such a Theo fan after a few matches. That’s not to say he doesn’t have good games, I mean two goals at the Etihad is not to be sniffed at but I think he has the wrong kind of arrogance. I mean, when a pass was overhit to him in the first half and it went out, possibly due to the conditions, he didn’t applaud the idea of the pass… Read more »
Ozil…no show. Again.
Giroud isn’t quite good enough, is he?
Would take fourth now.
You should stick to being a hat.
2nd only by goal difference
a squad that did better after Christmas last year
players coming back from injury when other teams are losing theirs
and you want 4th?
There’s glass half empty, but Fuck Me!
We need a plan B , when plan A is not working,
But we dont have it nor do we have the striker/winger for it.
Hopefully we have both after Jan transfer window.
Ox will be the winger we get in January and Poldi the striker. I’m happy with the former, and still have to be persuaded that Poldi can cut it as a CF at Arsenal’s level. But I think the boss believes in him, so would be surprised to get more than a young talent for the academy and (hopefully) either a central defender or, if Sagna won’t sign, a right back. But I’d love to see di Maria rejoin Ozil. Didn’t like him for a few years but he’s become very good and can change the game. Far more consistent… Read more »
With that ref the only ‘plan B’ that would work is if they injured him.
Plan A would have worked if the ref had been even-handed.
After losing the last three big games, tonight was about stemming the tide and not losing.
Mission accomplished, onwards and upwards.
And to the idiot sitting behind me tonight who wanted Bendtner on for Giroud, fuck right off.
I thought Sagna and Vermalen both deserved 7s, they were very good. Ramsey only a 4. Perhaps it’s time to rest Aaron for a game or two, because he has certainly lost his early season mojo. Ozil seems a bit jaded, too. For West Ham:
Szczesny
Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscienly/Vermaelen, Gibbs
Flamini, Arteta
Walcott, Cazorla, Podolski
Giroud
Ozil and Wilshere back in for Newcastle and maybe rest Walcott then. And we can play Jenkinson and Monreal against Cardiff to make sure Sagna and Gibbs are well rested for the Scum.
Oh, and PS – if Mike Dean is ever let near one of our matches again there should be an investigation into match fixing. With the FA as the main suspect.
Best thing tonight was seeing the breaking news that Sherwood has got the job at Spurs. He’s actually bragged his way in, that’s going to be yet another colossal fuck-up by the spuds. They really are the gift that keeps giving.
Playing Arteta and Flamini doesn’t work and where is TR7 who is currently our most creative and hardest working midfielder?
That face Mike Dean made towards Rosicky, as if to say “Oh, come on, don’t lose control, calm down”, was the most patronising, punch-inviting expression I’ve ever seen a human produce. Not to mention the fact that: (a) It wasn’t a foul; (b) the game WAS out of control but ONLY because Dean had failed to discipline Mikel and Ivanovic for deliberately thuggish behaviour; (c) Dean is a cunt for so many independent reasons.
Has mike dean refed all the games agaonst the big sides? Im sure were runnimg a similiar set of stats. Not a single chance created in first half. This tippy tappy football without messi aint gonna see us win shit
I think Mike Dean read the our comments about him and is making these Stupid Ass comments.
Surely poldi should have been on in that last 25 mins – is he actually healed? Wenger seems very reluctant to play him for some reason
We aren’t joint top, we’re second.
We’re joint top. We have the same points as Liverpool and my glass is half full.
Liverpool are joint second.
In 3 days we can drop the joint
OK that came out wrongly in so many stupid ways
Which was worse?
The ref or the weather…
This is way beyond a coincidence.
Wanker jasper carrot wannabe can’t.
Not only is Mike Dean a terrible referee, but his arrogant ways of talking to the players and his bitchy gestures makes me think he’s probably a pretty terrible human being too. And Özil, he leads the entire league in assists, and he’s a flop? Come on guys, give the man some time, he was great his first couple of matches, it’s only natural to hit a rough patch. He’s showed lot’s of times what he’s truly capable of. The only really negative side about his game I can see is that he’s so bad on defense that it’s like… Read more »
Everyone is looking for a striker who gets dropped ? Giroud brings in the midfield.
Would ramsey have as many goals if he played for liverpool? Or would he have numbers like Henderson?
I think ozil needs to perform like a 40 mil player
No prob with chez today clean sheet well done chez!
maybe the boss thinking ahead of west ham game to rest rhe players. While the mugmashers going to the slaughterhouse,we might get back up.just maybe. And if boots to ozil is not even a foul. A kick to mike dean balls should just be a yellow card i guess..
Wenger continues to baffle me. The Greatest Striker in the World reduced to the bench and Chu Young Park not even meriting a start in the U11s. Disgrace, what a joke our club has become #wengerout #avbin
what kinda crap are u on ?!!!
i dont even know myself ol’ partner
Upvoted just in the hope it is hyprerbole rather than idiocy
Mike dean can suck it, xpac style
OMG the positions NEMO gets into!!! if we can get him shooting more, he’ll be unstoppable!!!!!