Per Mertesacker says that last night’s game against Man Utd was made more difficult by what happened at Anfield last Saturday.
Shipping 5 goals in a single game was a hurdle the players had to come over, and the BFg says their focus was on ensuring they reverted to the defensively solid team we’ve seen most of the season.
“was a difficult game tonight because of the defeat to Liverpool on Saturday,” he told arsenal.com. “It was the same as when we lost to Manchester City, the next game we drew 0-0.
“Maybe it says that our focus was there to put everything into a defensive level. It is hard to keep them quiet over 90 minutes but we only gave them two chances and defensively that was great.
“We gave absolutely everything. It was not good enough against Liverpool but here we came back and we are looking forward to facing Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday now.”
With Thomas Vermaelen set to return at the weekend, the manager may make some changes to his defensive unit for the Liverpool game, but with the FA Cup looking as if its importance is growing, it remains to be seen how much rotation we’ll see.
Not everything. Not yet.
Because he’s the hero Arsenal deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian. A watchful protector. An Ozil Knight
A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.
Vic Akers is Kitman!
We need this superhero, to cut out all the bullshit.
http://goo.gl/YliKqK
You know you are in trouble when you “give everything” and still can’t beat the worst united side in quite some time.
There were times in my life when I gave everything I had but I still got beaten. There’s no shame in trying and people’s limits are different
Haha “no shame in trying” you make it sound like manu are from another planet when they aren’t. You give them too much credit. its not there players ride unicorn to trainning and eat fairy meat. ffs
I am SO frustrated at that performance. 0-0! We should have won that 2-0, 3-0 even! We looked completely static, like it was a game of table football. I don’t know how many times I shouted at the screen last night for SOMEONE to get forward. Every player was just standing there time after time when we got the ball in their half. No one was willing to get in the box. We need to show more adventure. Giroud is never going to be our goalscorer, so the midfield have to be our goalscorer. Cazorla, OX, Arteta all need to… Read more »
You could tell the boys were a bit edgy in the game and in context of what happened against Liverpool a draw was a good result, especially when the Dutch Skunk should of finished us off with his chances!
I know we are playing against a very strong attack when we play Liverpool at the weekend.
But the BFG needs a rest ahead of the Bayern game, so i have no problem with Vermaelen starting against Liverpool on Sunday. Flamini’s return should also improve our defensive discipline.
This is the team i would play against Liverpool
Fab
Sagna Verm Kos Gibbs
Flam Wilshere
Gnabry Ozil Santi(Rosicky)
Poldi
Considering Wilshere doesn’t seem to tackle or intercept right now, I may even be tempted to play Ox in his place in CM. He’s had too few games there to say definitively if he’s better defensively, but it may be worth a change. Although FlamOx may be too unfamiliar to play against Pool.
Am I the only one who thinks maybe Koscielny could use the rest? I just feel like with the way he plays, he could be more likely to pull something. Although I suppose there’s a whole team of people who’s job is to asses just that, so I’ll leave it to them…
Maybe even Lord Bendtner. We should rotate as much as we can, I think, recognising that “as much as we can” is not very much.
if we’d play a line up like that, arsene would be slagged of for playing a weak side in a cup we have a good chance to win…. can’t risk to rest players although some of them looked absolutely knackered after 90min…
A Good response from the defence.
But, surely wenger must regret not buying a striker now.
Why he didn’t bring on podolski is beyond me.
Every third post on here seems to be about how much the boss must regret not buying a striker. I just wish we could lay this idiocy to rest once and for all. We know he’s tried to buy strikers, apparently pretty good ones too (as last weekend showed us). He didn’t because strangely in football, you can’t always get what you want. This illusion that he didn’t because he somehow couldn’t be bothered, or is stupid enough to not see a blatant weakness in a squad he knows more about than any of us ever will, is laughable. Wenger… Read more »
Well said. I still think we need a new striker ;0)
I think we need another centre back.
I think…fuck it! What do I know!
I Agree, but we might have got Higuain though. 32.5mill i think Napoli paid. Which in fairness is to be expected for a proven world class striker. But we opted to hold on to Bendtner instead. Clearly this was a money issue, since we openly tried to sign him. Now, i love money as much as anyone, but as a Arsenal Fan i love trophies more, and i want go all teary eyed with joy because our stockholders got the payday of a Century because Wenger is so economically brilliant in how he is running the club. Do we have… Read more »
I think we’re in for a good run of points.
At the same time I believe we’re missing Aaron desperately; more than Walcott and more than a striker (though OG12 needs a rest!).
Aaron’s belief, energy, tenacity and COURAGE. That’s what shaped Arsenal’s 1st Half of the season. We still have some of those things but significantly less, IMO, w/o AR16.
COYG!
Agree 1000% about missing Ramsey. We will be in for a big jump in form if he can come back strong.
Good points @ Puma, but his inactivity is only compounded by knowingly buying a crock, in a position full of crocks, who isn’t even a goalscoring MF
I suggest you read this… http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsene-wenger-contract-arsenal-boss-3141264 with quotes such as, “Wengers indecision and dithering is legendary” furthermore pointing out that if it is so hard to buy in January, it should have been done this summer. That we will need ~6 players this summer, do you any faith in Wenger and his transfer team to get the deals done? Are transfers so hard, or just so hard for Wenger? It’s not like his record is outstanding and the whole stadium thing is a bit of a myth, Arsenal have always had the money in the bank, read the swiss ramble… Read more »
And i suggest you stay clear of John Cross and The Mirror – doing that has generally been observed to have a favourable effect on the brain.
Even if we win the treble I’ll b very dissatisfied. We had to had to. Had to beat. Manure
Did you read your comment back to yourself before you posted it?
He had to had to. Had to have read it back to himself
With the transfer window closed, I can’t imagine a more effective means of galvanising a team at this crucial period in the season than the sudden (but firm) sacking and subsequent replacement of the clueless manager currently in charge.
Remove ya!
The same manager that has us second, one point behind and, for now, two points in front of teams that have spent close to, if not more than, a £billion in the space of a couple of years?
He must be talking about David Moyes !
That must be the only explanation as to why he got 20 thumbs up… hard to detect sarcasm on the internet, but surely it must be so.
I am vehemently against sacking Wenger, but please do not use the money that other teams spent as an excuse for our position relative to them. We are playing in the same league, so we have to overcome that to win anything.
Is this idiot only pretending to be an idiot or is he just an idiot who is clueless about his idiocy??? Beats me but….. You sir, are a compound idiot of the lowest stripe. And that, is an understatement.
I get a sudden sacking, but what is a firm sacking. Can there be a non-firm sacking. Erm, we think you might just be sacked, but we are not really firm on it.
I thought we were solid, well earned point.
Now to smash some mugs!
Horrible to say as it is sometimes giving everything is not good enough. We really need a top quality striker who can score goals. Ask anyone what do they prefer – a striker who “holds the ball up and works really hard” or a striker who “scores 30 goals a season and wins you the league” Giroud and Arsenal were poor last night.
Actually – Giroud was poor last night
“We really need a top quality striker who can score goals” I think Francis Jeffers is available for a free transfer if you want to get a striker right now, outside of the transfer window, where we can’t buy anyone, at all, until the summer…
We’ve got to play more direct players at the weekend. Lets face it, the mugsmasher’s defence is their main weakness and we need to exploit kolo toure’s and skrtel’s (for revenge fantasy purposes mainly) weaknesses. I’d line up something like: Fab Sagna, Mert, Verm, Monreal, Flamini, Ox, Ozil, Podolski, Bendtner/Sanogo, Gnabry Subs: Viviano, Gibbs, Kos, Cazorla, Rosicky, Giroud, Wilshere Bit of a risk to start bendtner/sanogo but giroud has to have a rest before bayern and I much prefer podolski on the left. Bringing on any of the midfielders in the second half would surely quicken the pace of the… Read more »
I feel Wenger doesn’t rotate the players well. While Ramsey was fit, he said it is difficult to sub him and give rest because the team needs him, but now that he is injured the team is managing without him, aren’t we? Same thing goes with other players as well. He prefers to play the same team week in and out. We are playing Ozil and Santi and Giroud in every game even though we do have players who can be used in the team once in a while (at least for a few minutes).
Are we managing without Ramsey? We might be getting by but not so well.
yes… but we would be doing better had he been given the deserved rest once in a while. It would have been better to manage it for a few minutes in a game rather than doing it now every game for 2 months.
Stop moaning about buying a striker. You cant buy a striker if the club that owns that striker dont want to sell. Costa- A. Madrid top of La Liga for the first time jn 16 years. Arent going to sell top striker and sacrifice a title which they can win. Martinez- Porto challenging for title. Wont sell. Name any other striker worth buying and I would say 99% are jn involved in a title push with team. Them teams would have the same difficulty buying a replacement. Fact is we should of payed the going rate for Suarez or Higuain.… Read more »
Fresh & rejuvenated Flamini is what we need! Can’t wait. I miss the Flame.
Agree with the above commenters (can’t reply directly when using a phone), I wont mind TV to start so our BFG could get some rest.
Arsenal did give everything, for 85 minutes then they packed up shop. Podolski didn’t have a chance to giving everything because Wenger never put him on the pitch. So I ask myself did the manager give everything?
Not to worry son, it’s been a good season, especially compared to others and there’s still a long way to go. It’s just frustrating seeing that useless Giroud sticking his tongue out after missing chance, after chance, after chance
So much riding on the FA cup match v Liverpool. Hopefully our attacking play can click into place because its been rather poor last two matches
Everything? I certainly hope that was not “absolutely everything”. I want to see “everything” on Sunday. To make up for the nothing from last Saturday.
we don’t need another striker, all we need is for giroud to stop leaning towards the defenders all the time and just drop deeper to make room to turn on the the defender for fuck’s sake ! what kind of striker can’t turn on a defender ? his influence on the game is so little, I think giroud can’t turn a defender to save his life. if he lacks the finishing touch it is acceptable, but couldn’t he work on his turn ? any other striker from the top 4 teams would’ve given vidic and Ferdinand a nightmare.. even ozil… Read more »
Does he need to turn left or right? I’m not sure you made the direction clear in your post… about turning
The main thing that needs to change against Liverpool from the car crash last Sunday is effort. I mean very very hard pressing, giving them absolutely no time on the ball. Hunting in packs. Strangely enough, this tactic has worker over the years any time we have played a big team. Any time we haven’t we’ve been beaten. We also HAVE to have a pAcey outlet so one of either gnabry or podolski must start. Im not happy about putting the CL ahead of the FA cup in priority if I’m honest. I want a 100% full strength team on… Read more »
Can the wailing and gnashing of teeth stop please? we’re in the best position we’ve been in for years and people are acting like we’re in the same boat we were last year. This is a new team, it still needs a couple of important additions and we’re in the mix. None of us expected to be, so why can’t we enjoy it?
I feel like I’m trapped in an animal shelter with a bunch of whiny PUSSY cats. Stand behind the players! Giroud was a world beater the first half, now everyone is willing to ship him out. Ramsey going down has affected the team. I would agree that squad rotation is suspect, but none of us are in training and see what happens. Podolski must not be showing his stuff in training or is still carrying a knock. Time to stand behind our boys to find form and prove their quality!
Totally agree. Its getting so I am very wary of coming on here after a game (Note: game…whether we win or lose)….. We seem to have some on here for whom beating up on our players is some kind of high… And they seem so moronic that they cant even recognize how dumb it looks. SO…. after last Saturday, we saw them spend the entire week talking about how Ozil “just isnt good enough for the price we paid”…. strangely silent after his display last night. A few weeks ago, it was Cazorla who was “not showing any effort and… Read more »
You are completely correct. And by the way, you have absolutely the best user name I’ve seen on here yet.
Completely agree…
I want to ask my beloved Gunners something. Try to be brutally honest. Is Giroud really good enough to lead our attack for Arsenal? Shooting accuracy of 32% from his 73 shots(23 on target) 10 goals from 24 games Conversion rate: 14 % 13 clear cut chances missed(not included ManUtd) No other striker in the Premier League has missed more ‘big chances’ than Giroud this season. Do you really believe Giroud can help us win a title or do Arsenal need another striker? In my opinion, Giroud does not suit the typical Arsenal striker. In the past Arsenal had more… Read more »
How dare you bring your facts and common sense here? He holds the ball well and that’s all anyone has ever asked from a centre forward!
That and he’s gorgeous.
I don’t think that the current formation is doing Giroud any favours. He’s a slow striker so he should play well with wingers, but we are playing (I think) a 4-5-1-ish formation right now which means he’s left alone up field with no passes to make and his dribbling is poor. Nonetheless his shots are very often off target and times when he should really be taking chances he tries to lay it off, usually unsuccessfully, to another player. Further his height and strength should mean that he’s a player to fear in the air, but as he has shown… Read more »
I think we suffer from some a lack of directness. Ox, Rambo, TR7 all have shown that directness. Giroud works when laying off to guys like that. We can show a lack of form coinciding with Ramsey’s injury. If the debate is our HFB and someone like Suarez, then yes he is not that level. Yes he has had the most clear cut chances but lets not pretend that all strikers don’t go through that. Suarez missed more than anyone last season. Giroud has been called on unfairly while carrying injuries. We do need a more clinical, pacey striker that… Read more »
Be careful, Gunneryellow, they’ll be calling you Fatgooner.
In my opinion, I’m thinking a striker will be signed in the summer and Giroud will fill in the exiting TGSTEL role. Minus the unearned ego, thank god. Doesn’t do much for us right now, unfortunately.
It’s becoming evident that although we have a very experienced midfield we still lack players who can actually shoot or at least are not afraid to shoot. Quite simply more shots means more goals, rather than engineering perfect goals. Right now we’ve actually only got one player on the field who can shoot – Cazorla. Giroud’s attempts at goal have recently been nothing short of pitiful and Cazorla has had to step in in the absence of Ramsey and Walcott. In all honesty now is the time to start using players like Podolski and Gnabry who are at least willing… Read more »
Wenger’s refusal to sign a striker has cost us the title. 9th year without a trophy is now an increasing possibility. Wenger out.
Wait, what happened to the other 12 games?! Damn it, i must have missed them. What were the scores? I want to see how poor we must have been
It has been a disappointing few days but people shouldn’t go overboard with where we are. The simple fact is with 12 games to go, the title is within our own hands. Who’d not have taken that after the Villa(h) game? We are as defensively strong as Chelsea; Have the most creative midfield in the country; The best keeper in the league; Yaya Fucking Sanogo! Admitedly, we are missing pace up front. I love Giroud for all the qualities he brings to the team but he’ll never be one to ‘spin in behind defenders’. Wenger is gonna have to hope… Read more »
You did read the part that said “increasing possibility”, didn’t you? Mc smarty pants
You know, I’m not sure if anyone’s mentioned it before, I think Wenger should have brought a striker.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, FIFA 14.
That’s why i like playing a player career instead of manager career. You don’t have to think that much.
If Arsenal giving their everything results in a draw against that pony manure team then we really have no chance in the league – we should have beaten that mid table dross, end of!!!
Giroud is not a great goal scorer but a few months ago, we were all raving about how much his link up play helps our attacks. Lil flicks, back to goal, outlet for one twos…. That’s what made Ramsey and Özil tick. With Ramsey injured and no runners for Özil were doing the same things without the missing parts that were making it work. We cannot have the same approach with No incisive players. Podolski should start and Özil and Giroud would instantly look better
The defense may have given everything. However, the rest of the team sure did not!
Plus, why sub out Rosicky. Wilshere did absolutely nothing. Expect give the ball away and dive. Oh wait and complain.
Yo rabbit I totally agree and think Wilshire should have come off, along with giroud, and put on ox and pod or bendy!!! Reckon we would have won the game – arseblog even said giroud looked shot, so why not put on the fresh legs of bendy or pod? Come on Wenger get a grip!!!
I’m glad Flamini is going to be back from suspension now. We really could have done with him in the last two games. I think he gives the more attacking players confidence to take more risks because they know he will sweep up any mess. He also has a motivating attitude which rubs off on the rest of the team. His suspension was silly and so avoidable. At least it means he has had a rest and can come back raring to go, giving someone else a bit of a break too. I think we’ll see us picking up the… Read more »
Disagree we need to rest players on Sunday. After last weeks mauling the first team should be demanding retribution and action. The only exceptions being Girroud and Ozil. We should appreciate the physical demands of leading the front line alone and that this is an explanation to why his finishing has suffered and Ozil is still adapting to this physical league; so both need a breather. I would opt for: szczesny, sagna, gibbs, bfg, koscieny, Arteta, Flamini, Cazorla, Gnabry, Ox and TBSTEL
The time to judge Wenger will be at the end of the season. So far, it’s hard to work out whether this is just a blip or the beginning of a typical end-of-season collapse. Liverpool on Saturday was pathetic; yesterday was just disappointing. Let’s be honest: United came for a point and were terrified of losing. Breaking down a side with that mentality is very tough. It’s funny that I’ve been slagged off all season for stating the obvious fact that Giroud simply isn’t good enough, but now everybody seems to agree with me. I love the Frenchman’s attiude and… Read more »
So giving “everything” was not enough to beat at home the worst Man Utd team we’ve seen for a long time??