Here’s what we made of the individual performances from today’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates today.
PLEASE NOTE: We’ve changed the system slightly, you rate each player then click the ‘Cast Vote’ button down at the bottom, rather than voting for each player individually.
Is your rating for Szcz blaming him for men not on post, I don’t understand. He doesn’t decide that, AW decides that and it is a piss poor decision
What I don’t understand why the hell was Wilshere marking Hangleand?!! He pushed him away and Kos should have been aware he was creeping behind him
Its moments like these where we miss our vice-captain Per to really shout and organize the team. This is my reason why I think he should be captain not Arteta.
Alexis was marking Hangeland. Not Wilshere.
Change Wilshere to Alexis and the same question stands. Why?!
Kos and Szcz should be directing that.
Must say, tough to mark a quick crossing run through traffic arriving at just the right time though.
Many teams put their big guys in zonal position and use their smaller guys to “disturb” the other teams best headers. That is probably why Alexis was marking Hangeland. The problem was not only the marking of Hangeland, but also the fact that we did`nt have a player in the right position to attack the ball.
On the other hand you have to give Palace credit for delivering an excellent corner and Hangeland for a very good header.
because we use the zonal system…
Maybe next time we should just use the force.
What does Arteta’s captaincy do with Per wasn’t on the pitch yesterday?
I feel like I at least deserved a 2!
I agree. Still thinks he deserves a low grade though. He’s a liability, which he showed right before the corner by kicking the ball straight to the opposition creating a dangerous chance for them, that eventuellt led to the corner in which they scored.
Criticise Wojiech for his terrible clearance to Chamakh the rat.
He loses his mind sometimes when he sweeps Sir Chezney.
Ah, I missed that feeling of absolute dread. But great to see the boys stay positive, keep working, and figure out a way. Fantastic team effort for the winner.
New boys all had nice debuts. Like everyone else, Alexis’s passing was off, but he had a few great touches and runs.
0/10 – Chamakh managing to stay on the pitch with about 15 fouls and a handball in the box.
20/10 – that chest control.
What a day in the premier league.young gets bird shite in his mouth. cazorla gets vanishing spray in his eyes yet surprisingly they didnt vanish and arsenal win their first game of the season after a world cup with a partially make-shift squad made of 3new comers.#Wenger out
Have to agree on Chamakh. Now just wait till one of the idiot pundits make a reference to Chamakh and moan about our lack of midfield “destroyers”. I agree with a need for a CDM but pundits bigging up players like Cattermole et al is just doing my head in.
Chambers is top quality! Imagine him in 5 years.
And imagine that the player you imagined him to be in 5 years, is only 24! Imagine…
He’s good alright but I don’t understand how Kos gets half a point less than him. Also, Chambers hit many passes on the ground where the weight of the pass was a tad high, needing lots of caution by the receiving midfielder. I know its his first PL game as CB and in front of a huge crowd, and that he did remarkably well. I still feel it should be 8 for both of them.
Might be because Kos was at fault for their goal. His job was to cover that zone and he failed to do it.
Have you seen pictures of Kos with Mertesacker? Hangeland is as tall as mertesacker and arguably bulkier. He made a great run, reaching the right space just in the nick of time. Dont see what Kos did wrong or could have done better.
Chamakh should’ve get -99999/10 only because his hair.
What boggles the imagination is that he pays someone for that haircut.
I’m just amazed he can pay for all the hair gel it’s like a tub of it per half
I think Chamakh is a dead ringer for that blue-skinned alien from Avatar. All he needs is the elf ears.
Man of the match for me is Koscieny. Scored the equalizing goal, and played a part in the winning goal. Additionally, he played good defense considering he was charged with doing orientation for Chambers at the same time. Honourable mention to Ramsey.
Chambers was class big future ahead at Arsenal!
I thought the difference physically between the two teams was very telling, they seemed on the whole a bit stronger and quicker to the ball. But that sharpness and match fitness will come the more we play, just need to keep winning and get some early momentum.
Also, I think Chamakh ran more miles in that one match than he did throughout his entire Arsenal career. Should have got Flamini to say hi to him at half time.
I STILL BELIEVE IN SANOGO!
So do I. He worked very hard and tired the opposite team defence. He still need to improve though
But he needs a spell on loan.
I believe in him honest! Hope he fucks off on loan for five years! 😉
Sanogo trying Ibra moves was almost funny
I’m not a fan of Chamakh’s hair
I think Arteta was really good today. For me he was the best in our midfield. He made some good tackles and he was also more aggressive than we are used to. He just need more rest than last year. If we don’t get another DMF, Wenger should much more rotate between Flamini and Arteta. Just don’t start him every game and he could be one of ours most important player this year. And Also Giroud must start games like this in which your opponent play defensive. Why? Quick players and their runs behind the defence won’t make any difference… Read more »
We conceded the least amount of set piece goals in the league last season. Zonal marking v. Man marking is really a matter of preference. One is no better than the other it really depends on the players doing the job. Either system would have suffered with our two best corner defenders, Giroud and Mertesacker, not in the starting XI today.
I agree Arteta deserves more credit for his play today. Ramsey, Cazorla, Alexis, Wilshere were all caught with loose passing or on the ball too much but Mikel handles it well.
By the way, why can’t we vote in half stars any more? When I try to click to get a have star, it rounds up. If I type in a half point, will that work?
He score important Goals,
he score imortant goals…
Laurent koscielny,
he score important goals.
10 for this https://vine.co/v/M3KTpPbibZO
Impressed with Alexis’ doggedness, heart and fighting spirit.
Pansy he is not.
Hustler and fighter. Barracuda scrapper!
Yes, even if he had some off passes, he actually tried and succeed to recover a ball, run a lot and created a couple of chances, whilst taking the football of 3 defenders with tekkers.
We were woeful today, completely out of sync with one another but we got the three points and that’s literally all that matters. We actually played better last year against Villa on opening day so it’s funny how things work out.
sanogo will improve. considering talents who we as fans rated higher are either sent out on loan or sold….suggests there might be something about him Wenger sees.
he’ll come good.
I didn’t think it was possible, but Chambers outbossed Kos the BOSS himself today. Amazing!
What would happen if we played him next to the BFG though. Would he manage to outsize him and even outgerman him? I for one would love it.
Woah! Nobody outbosses Kos. Perhaps some of his boss rubbed off on his younger team mate. There is after all an abundance of boss on the Kos.
Thought they were both excellent today.
thought: could a combination of bruce springsteen, le fonz (kos), the mountain and de mighty boosh be the back line? i know bruce is like 60, but he is the fucking boss of all bosses (concerts still exceed 4 hours of maximum overdriven, levi jeaned, super thrustered, rolled up shirtsleeved american existentialist celebration). gibbs would be ok with that, right? That would leave us with 3 bosses – Le Boss, The Boss and The Koz (Le Fonz).
Duvel, damn thee…
Kos is our best cb and his nack for getting crucial goals is remarkable. Chambers is looks like he could dislodge mertesacker at cb against teams with pact strikers let’s see how this plays out but if chambers keeps showing his quality with his pace and reading of the game it might be tough for per to get back into this team. And I’m a huge fan of the German! Monreal deserves to be recognized for an outstanding display he was outstanding last year too but not many gave him credit. When it gets to a point that we don’t… Read more »
Don’t worry bout Alexis. He’s just warming up
Bad judgement not to let Källström get at least 15 mins!!
yeah mate, we get it, you can type his name correctly.
During the Summer, I made a comment about how I did really rate Carzorla because he had more off days that good days. And I got a huge amount of abuse. Im just flagging it now, this is the season where everyone will notice
…and you just contradicted yourself. Just flagging that!
Nothing wrong with having a hunch or two.
stupid typo
Thought palace were ‘puncheon’ above their weight! Get it? Get it!!!!??
I’ll get my coat…
YaYa Sanogo played? I thought we were playing with 10 men as he hardly touched the ball. He can contribute in certain types of matches, but today really showed that against the bottom half when they pack it deep we need another option to Giroud up top and it is not Sanogo. Great game by Chambers, hard to believe he is 19, in a new position and playing with a new team. Sanchez was lively and had some great moments, but certainly will take some time to adapt to the league and to his teammates. Certainly see the game breaking… Read more »
Dude, check the game again regarding Sanago, he had 5 players caging him in. If you hadn’t noticed, Chamak was playing as a DM, that’s how deep they were parking the bus.
Alexis will get it together eventually but 6 is a tad high in my opinion. His passes were often errant and he tried to dribble his way out of trouble when the pass was there (often losing the ball). Clearly like blogs suggested he needs more work with the squad to develop that rapport.
We need Manolas and then I think we’re sorted. I think we should play with a different team for cup games because the next 5 premierleague games are tough. I never thought our attack would be so toothless. We’ll see how our second game goes.
Cazorla was pretty doggone awful today, but he’s so rarely pretty doggone awful that it stuck out like a sore thumb. Aside from that it seemed like a typical opening game–a bit disjointed, with everyone not quite in synch. But a win is a win is a win.
And when we get the German contingent back (Ozil, Poldi, BFG, Reus, Khedeira, heh heh heh) the side will become the implacable steamroller we all expect.
Alexis gets 10/10 because fuck everyone
Hello!
I think Wilshere had a good game and Ramsey dissapointed before scoring the goal. He failed a lot of passes while Wilshere tried hard making his moves forward. Alexis started bad but was starting showing what he brings to the club. Chamberlain is always dangerous and Wenger should consider him more often. Chambers and Koscielny were really impressive. Chambers has a huge future. What a game. Feel bad for thinking that he or Mertesacker may go to the bench
I think Wilshere was awful. I don’t understand why he insists on taking extra touches, dribbling until he maybe draws a foul, instead of making simple passes. This is his chance, with Ozil out, to show he should be considered for a starting place. He didn’t do that today.
Alexis looked like he had a grand plan every time he got the ball. Mark my words, when he can finally communicate better with his team mates, Messi will be forgotten.
Debuchy goes unnoticed but i think he is currently one of the best Right Backs out there. There’s a reason Blanc and Deschamps preferred him over Réveillère in Euro 2012 and over Sagna in the recent WC. He’s So tenacious though still careful and reserved in the box. Reads the game well. Beast in the air, and also combines well with his teammates when going forward. If in the past he was known for being reckless sometimes then he has vastly improved in that aspect. Since his last season with Newcastle and with France in the WC he has been… Read more »
Yes, I think Debuchy was one of the best players out there today, and a little underrated here. Arteta and Giroud, too.
For truly informed ratings go to sun dream team. Chambers 5
Maybe there is something to that vanishing spray, Santi gets hit with it and he simply vanished for the rest of the game.
Seventy five percent possession and little to show for it, we just broke down in the final third. Our attack needs to be more coordinated and that means we need a roving striker (false no.9 if you like), may I suggest Ramsey flanked by Alexis and Walcott with Ozil in the hole. It was and interesting and entertaining game to watch although I wouldn`t be saying that had we lost. Palace did awfully well considering their problems, they`d do well to stick with this coach.
The team struggled to create chances. Some players looked rusty. Given it was the first game of the season, it is understandable. Most important thing is that we got 3 points even though the lads didn’t play that well.
Your comment gets a 10/10 from me.
It’s the first game of a new season and that’s usually the main ingredient for some sloppy, disjointed play. Today didn’t disappoint in that regard.
Kos is the MAN!
.
Kos the Boss!
Good show from the team today. Its obvious the belief is still there. For the first time in a loooooong time a man can watch The Arsenal play without wondering what kind of soccer suicide they would commit next.
I could really get used to it. Next up: Besiktas!!
Even though he’s out of sync in the final third, Alexis is fantastic at tracking back and helping in our own half–every time he disrupts something on d, I think about all the “poldi/Walcott/etc don’t get paid to play defense” comments on this site when they’re abject about tracking back and think “don’t tell Alexis that!”
Ahuehuehue that was a right muggin’ weren’t it lads? A good ol’ fashioned British smash an’ grab. Fook me wha’ a start lads. That handsome one in the middle aint’ half bad inhe? My, I heard he’s a fookin’ Welshy though. Boys were hittin’ it hard down the Horse an’ Trap after. Fookin’ pints on me lads. ENGERLAND
That came off as overly harsh on poldi & theo–I’m just fucking pumped that Alexis plays the way he plays.
Im just still amazed how much Chamakh ran…think he should be converted to a DM.
He’s of no use up front anyway.
Chambers! Wow, first top flight match in this position, and he bossed it!
Chambers 93% pass completion, 100% tackles won and 2 interceptions. Have to believe when the BFG comes back Chambers will get a chance at DM in the 4-2-3-1
I thought Szczesny’s decision to come out in the passage of play that lead to their corner was very poor. If he’d left it I’m confident Koscielny would have been able to get across and concede a throw and they wouldn’t have scored. And a better player than Chamakh may have made him pay for the poor clearance straight away. I’d like to see less of that from him – it’s the one area of his game I don’t like at the moment. Anyway, like everyone else is saying, Chambers was a real positive. Still need to bring someone in… Read more »
A few thoughts on Alexis and his first Premier League game from me – obviously everyone talks about adapting, and for me, the thing about adapting to English football seems to be that defenders apply immense pressure which makes fast, decisive decision-making crucial on counterattacks and during fast-paced build-up play. In other nations, like Spain, defenders are far more willing to stand off the ball-carrier. I think it’s evident that Alexis will need to cut out the hesitation in his game sometimes, when he’s facing goal and moving forward. There were a few times that he just waited that fraction… Read more »
I respectfully disagree w/ you..while he did struggle at times (but honestly which offensive player didn’t), he did show to me some glimpses of the quick attacking player that he is
when he’s in top condition…which he and the rest of the players are not.
Let’s wait a month or two (at least!) before we all make our judgements on how a player will pan out. Sorry, don’t mean that all for you, but I’ve been reading soo many comments from people who think they’ve got everything and every player figured out after the first game of the friggin season!
I much prefer this than last season’s opening day match.
Obviously (AGAIN) we conceded from a set piece. 1) As ‘composed’ as Chamberlain is, we need a bit of experience at the back in the position. 2) We lack height in a team with Santi, Jack and Alexis. Again without Per, we could do with a tall option at the back. Manolas (rumoured) is 23 which is a good age between the emerging defenders and the stalwarts. Short of other options say Subotic, he is a good buy at 6’3. Chamberlain can cover Koscielny and also work into DM. on that note, don’t see any Schneiderlin or Carvalho. Rather looks… Read more »
We’re going to concede goals this season. We concede goals every season. Everybody concedes goals every season. There’s no getting away from it unless you use a cheat code. It’s only a problem if we concede more goals than we score on a regular basis. Last season we conceded a bucketful of goals in a few away matches, but even if we lost those matches by a single goal we’d still have ended up where we did. True, the fewer goals we concede the better our chances of getting points. But the pundit’s favourite (only) narratives of ‘zonal marking is… Read more »
I know I’m gonna get crucified for this, but we really need to fix the marking situation for set plays. Maybe a hybrid zonal/man marking. Over to you Arsene.
There’s been a lot of optimism for this season but people forget this team that shipped 6, 5 and 3 goals against big teams is unchanged in defence and defensive midfield other than Chambers and Debuchy so these sloppy goals conceded aren’t a massive surprise. For me it was Groundhog Day. After 10 minutes I have seen this game before. I said “they’ll score on 36 minutes with a shitty header” and they did exactly that on 34. That said, before you thumb me down, I think the stats speak for themselves and many would have struggled against Palace today.… Read more »
I thought Arteta played excellently. He was positionally aware and broke up the play more times than I can remember!
Also, Bossielny is the boss of ugly goals. He’s the Miroslav Klose of Arsenal!
No goal is ugly mate but every beautiful missed chance is!
I thought that run and glancing header was far from ugly!
Chambers give me confidence in defence as much as Kos & Per, and he only started with us. Where is he going to play when Per is back though? LB is Gibbs, RB when Debuchy is injured is injured or in the mythical DM position, position suited only for beast like creatures of the underworld like that powerful DM were linked every year?
Thought Alexis had a good match and showed some small flashes of what a brilliant player he will be for us. I don’t expect him to show much more than that during the first 5+ matches because it’s been a world cup year, and I think the team will need the same amount of matches to gel properly. I don’t count myself as an expert or anything but I felt we were only missing another 10% for this match to have been a comfortable first win. Also with our Germans coming back late I see our team hitting form at… Read more »
Fabianski 10/10
The Arsenal and Swansea results have made my weekend.