Arsene Wenger has refused to blame Olivier Giroud for Arsenal’s failings against Monaco on Wednesday night, but admits his compatriot is disappointed with his performance.
The French striker failed to find the target with any of his six attempts on goal before he was hauled off on 60 minutes to save him from further humiliation and the baying Emirates crowd.
Reflecting on the defeat, Wenger told his pre-Everton press conference that he expects Giroud to recover from his frustration.
“Olivier is like everybody else – disappointed. There’s nobody to blame individually. Who is a striker who didn’t miss a chance?
“He had his chances and he missed. For us on the night, everything went against us. The fact that we missed some chances was only one of the characteristics of the night.
“Olivier’s a strong character. Personally I don’t blame him at all. We lost as a team, we fight for each other as a team and he worked hard for the team even on the night. He didn’t miss the chances on purpose. He wanted to score the goals but that can happen.”
Arsenal have, unsurprisingly, hogged the sports headlines since the 3-1 loss with critics rounding on the team’s tactics and individual players.
Aware that the magnitude of the club’s reputation goes hand in hand with intense media scrutiny, Wenger admitted that the defeat hurts, but stressed that his side are determined to bounce back on Sunday.
“For us what is important is to respond well,” he continued. “We are on a strong run in the Premier League and we have to respond to that disappointment in a strong way on Sunday afternoon – that’s all we can do.
“We are back in the top three in the Premier League, we have an opportunity to stabilise this position and we want to take it.
“What is frustrating is that we’ve gone out in the last 16 [of the Champions League] in the last four years but twice against the future winner of the competition. This time we are still not out. We are still in the competition – we have a difficult task but it’s still feasible.
“We are a big club – that means we are a club who interest many people and that gives us a stronger responsibility. Of course when you come out from a disappointing game like Wednesday night, you don’t expect people to applaud. It’s absolutely normal that we get criticised.
“What is hurting is the defeat more than the criticism. I do not say I’m immune to it. I love to win and when I don’t win, I’m hurt of course.”
Giroud knows well that he should’ve scored. Let’s move on, and fokus on the next match. COYG
And I’m norwegian, and i meant focus. Fucking autocorrect.
Fokusera norrbagge!
autocorrect drips me wilf all the timid
He isn’t the most clinical of finishers but he is a lot better than that performance demonstrated. Giroud has been exceptional for us in recent games. The indifferent reception he got was disgusting when being taken off. The overall support from the fans at the Emirates was equally disgusting. Nobody turned up for the game. Everyone just expected to cruise to victory.
Harsh lessons “learnt” eh…
I was saying that to my mates, the stadium fans for the most part are embarrassingly quiet, only ever cheers when things are going well, no support when the team needs a lift. Just silence that reeks of anticipation.
Well that is what we get when the tickets prices are so high. The is a reason why Dortmund got some of the best fans in the world. It’s affordable to go and watch a game there. Back to the point in this article. The hole team played like they had no passion, also I wish that Wenger would be more on the sideline shouting to players and give them instruction, he is like a stone on that bench when things are not going our way. All in all I just really miss passions from players and the maneger, at… Read more »
Who needs gaffer tape and tie wraps when you’ve got an Arsenal addiction ?? 50 shades of Red
That’s where we could learn a thing or two from the crowds at dortmun, celtic, Annfield… They add a extra player on the pitch
Well I certainly agree about the Dortmund (ticket prices, you have a point) & Palace (grateful to be there) fans are better than ours
Sorry, allow me to interrupt this “festival of forgiveness”. Giroud’s performance on Wednesday was nowhere near good enough, just as his performances against top opposition – those we consider our ‘peers’ – is never good enough. In the short term, he should be benched for that performance on Weds, and Danny Welbeck be given a clear run. I think Welbeck is far the better player. Giroud is playing in a team whose expectations – and those of its fanbase – are well ahead his capacity to deliver. He is not going to get any better than goals against lower tier… Read more »
“He is not going to get any better than goals against lower tier opposition” I didn’t realise Man United, Man City and Liverpool were lower tier opposition.
I wish people would stop bringing these up! City fine, but we drew and lost the other games where Giroud was a peripheral figure at best. He’s been here 3 years now and hasn’t scored or performed up to scratch in big games more than he has by a large margin.
So shall we stop bringing those goals up simply because they’re an inconvenient fact? You must also consider that frequently when a striker is a peripheral figure frequently the rest of the team is also playing like shit and not getting forward enough to bring them into play. For strikers on the lower level sides the commentators say ‘he’s cutting a lone figure up there today because the team can’t seem to get forward’. Hard for him to affect play when midfielders are repeatedly turning it over in dangerous positions or running headlong into dead end dribbles. This particular match… Read more »
thanks for that Mark!!! All Giroud has done is get better EVERY single season he has been with us. I think our D is more at fault for that game than the misfiring strikers anyway. 0-0 in the first leg at home would have been a fine result.
Also, Szcz must have won his job back by now!
Did he get a hat trick against the worst united team of the last 20 yrs? or did he help ua beat united or liverpool?
He has scored against Liverpool and Man C away (and in the community shield) Also scored against Man U at home. So what on earth are you on about? I agree that we probably could do better than Giroud, I mean he is no Henry, but then again nobody is (except for Henry off course). I don’t think Welbz will ever be the answer even though I like him. So Giroud will do for me, even though he had a rather unfortunate game the other night!
I was listening till you suggested Welbeck is far the better player.
Welbeck sucks: at wing play (although not at defending from the wing, when he can be focused to stay on the wing; last night he was too narrow), and at scoring. He is absolutely awful as a striker, please take a look at some of his misses. He is good at the “ooooooh, that was so close” look after he misses though. Did you see what he did in the first couple of minutes? He gets totally incoherent once he beats his man, if he does.
We’ve seen this before, with Ramsey nonetheless.
Form will come – Giroud is improving, and so is Welbeck. I don’t underrate either of the players – are they Ronaldo/Messi? Obviously not, but they are, in my opinion, the top end of the spectrum. Especially it’s about that time for Welbeck to really solidify his position and start banging a few in. It’ll come, given the way his movement is so effective.
Why would you want to interrupt a festival? Especially one that you themed ‘forgiveness’.
Others have responded well to your ridiculous “two man non-festival of total bullshit” (the other man being QueGolazo), so no need for me to point out how daft your opinion is.
Agreed mate. Im from Aus and the first thing i noticed while getting up at 5am to watch the game was that even the crowd thought we were going to roll them over easily from the start. Certainly didnt sound like a last 16 big european night at the emirates.
As frustrating as it is, I’m with you. Never seen fans us divided like this before. I see both sides but when I’m in the Emirates stadium it still hurts to know 38,000 at Highbury had more noise than 60,000!
The players have fucked up real bad that i often feel like running onto the pitch but we still need to play our part and get behind them and let them know WE ARE ARSENAL!!!
Forever COYG!!!
We moved to a massive stadium so we could buy players like Ozil and Sanchez. I agree it can be frustrating at the Emirates and remember how wonderful Highbury was, but it’s the same at any big stadium. My brother’s a United fan and always bemoans the lack of atmosphere there. Let’s just accept this as a small sacrifice to compete financially and aesthetically with the big boys.
Hay gays, anybody else notice that Sanchez has been playing as well since Girous has come back.
Giroud oops
No …gays… oops!
Gays, ooops
Tom Robinson Band, fans of the Arse; ”SING IF YOU’RE GLAD TO BE GAY”.
Make some fucking noise at the stadium v Everton and lift the team or watch them get shafted. Your choice.
Totally awful and undefendable performance!!
well, thank heavens we are not hearing none of that “the team was playing with the handbrake on” nonsense!
if i hear that from him one more time, i swear ill smash something!!…….handbrake on my ass!!……more like brainbrake permanently on to me!!…. and thats for the whole lot, coaching and management staff included!!
Welbeck and Giroud as our only strikers aren’t enough. Wenger needs to buy another one in the summer and I’m sure he will. Champions league is a whole different league. Wednesday proved their level and when both weren’t workin, we had no one to replace them with so we need to address that in the summer. Both hard working players but if we wanna really challenge for the champions league then we need that level striker too
Bayern won the Champions League in 2012/13 with Mandzukic, Gomez and Pizarro as their strikers, and none of those are clearly better than Giroud, at least not at the time.
Mandzukic was the top scorer in the league with 35 goals that season. It’s not even a fair comparison cos bayern got lahm, muller, robben, ribery, schweinsteiger and even kross at the time. I don’t know why people don’t wanna accept that he isn’t the level of a striker that Arsenal have had or need to get us the big prizes. Gettin a brace against boro and a brace in a champions league last 16 round is a different story.
Mandzukic scored 15 goals in the league in 2012/13.
Er, that’s exactly my point. You don’t need a ‘top class’ striker to win trophies, because there are other players in the team that can score goals.
I would like anyone to come forward and say that when Bayern won the Champions League that people thought at the time that he was a ‘top class’ or ‘world class’ striker. Please step forward. You may want to ask Bayern fans what they thought of Mandzukic at the time.
Just to clarify, in the 2012/13 season when Bayern won the Champions League, Mandzukic had 22 goals and 4 assists in 40 appearances, a goal/assist every 109 minutes. This season Giroud has a goal/assist every 100 minutes (excluding Chapions League qualifiers and the Community Shield, which would actually improve his stats to once every 88 minutes). My point was that you don’t need a ‘top class’ or ‘world class’ or whatever striker to win trophies. Nobody can argue that Mandzukic was ‘world class’ when he helped Bayern to the Champions League trophy, or that he has ever been significantly better… Read more »
Most of their support was happy for him to leave as they thought he wasn’t a real team player and didn’t score as many as he should have.
Considering the progress Giroud has had as a player since joining us I would put it the other way around. At the time Giroud was far off champions league last 16 club level, while as today he is probably more on the same level as Mandzukic.
Mandzukic scored 15 goals in 24 games 2012-2013.
Giroud scored 11 goals in 34 games the same season.
Mandzukic was also just an allround better player back then.
Ask Bayern fans why they got rid of Mandzukic. In his last season at Bayern he was not a better striker than Giroud is today.
I’d say a big difference is that Bayern had about have the German national team that just won the World Cup. They could have put a fence post as striker and still have a shot at winning the CL. I think Arsenal have a great squad and consider Giroud a good striker, but having someone like Aguero up front could make the difference of putting Arsenal at the top of the league or a real competitor for the CL.
Half not”have”
Mandzukic is a better striker than Giroud. Scored 18 in 25in his last season at bayern and yet some felt he wasn’t good good enough.
Giroud scored 16 last season and everybody goes on about him being “underrated” and better than Benz.
Giroud is decent at best…i’ve yet to see him have a man of the match performance for us.
Its simple…in other to be genuine title contenders, we need a better striker than giroud till he proves otherwise.
Gomez in his last 3 seasons scored at bayer scored: 39,41, 19(was injured and had to rotate with mandzukic).
Mandzukic scored 22 and 26 in his seasons at bayern
I find it laughable that People on here called Mandzukic “an inferior version of giroud” despite him having better stats and is even faster than giroud.
I follow Bayern (lived there for a couple of years).
Gomez was a striker that scored and added a little to the team.
Mandzukic was a striker that scored a lot less than Gomez and added almost nothing else to the team. We (most Bayern fans) were please to see him move on.
Ill say this again. I have to say the over-reaction to defeats and victories has become very frustrating for me. Forget the performance, good or bad. Why the over-reaction? Giroud had a stinker. That’s not surprising, he’s a good player capable of good games and bad games. We bought him for 10M. Not 35M, or 75M, 10Million. That’s what you get. Balotelli has been crap, as has ADM. Why the lack of criticism for them? For all of Arseblog’s usually excellent work and analysis, usually measured, even he was very critical of the coach. But I have to ask –… Read more »
“I have to say the over-reaction to defeats and victories has become very frustrating for me”
For most of us, it’s the defeats which are frustrating, not the comments.
Amen brother
However, I think for most ‘the frustration’ is defeats rather than the ensuing comments.
A question of priorities – results or remarks.
Well said vat, those were my exact thoughts. I am neither a WKB or WOB, criticisms and credit should be given when and whom it is due – the performance of the 11 players we have on the field was just awfully disappointing. Have a read on this “http://angryofislington.com/2012/03/04/akb-wob-wtf/”, which was written 3 years ago and obviously hasnt lost any of its contemporary usage. What irritates me the most are fans on the extreme ends of the argument, TY on arsenal fan tv and Piers Morgan for example. In other matters, I’m hoping Everton got more fatigue than confidence from… Read more »
“We bought him for 10M. Not 35M, or 75M, 10Million. That’s what you get.”
So what about a certain German we got for £42.5 Million? All we got was a lazy piece of crap who turns on the style against lowly opposition. Time to cut our losses and move on. We don’t need Fabregas, my arse.
Say what you will, but it’s obvious this man bleeds for the Club.
nobody questions his commitment. That has never been in doubt
Right, and it’s nice Wenger isn’t placing the blame on him. But I reject his suggestion that no individual is to blame. What about the individual in charge? When the opposition manager prepares his kids brilliantly, studying Arsenal’s continuing weaknesses, nullifying their strengths and generally out-thinking Wenger in practically every respect, then the buck has to stop with Wenger himself. I’d be more reassured if he showed some evidence that he’s becoming just a little bit aware of this fact. Until I hear him acknowledging the obvious truth that someone must be responsible for the fact that our expensive and… Read more »
I’m sorry, did we both watch the same game? You are not seriously suggesting that Monaco totally outsmarted us, “nullifying” our strenghts and studying our weaknesses? LOL. Every team has weaknesses but I don’t think Monaco were that “brillliant”. Sure, they countered us and used their chances, but please write such nonsense when we actually get trashed by a far superious team-performance. They did not snuff us out. IMO the first goal was a lucker and a Ospina mistake, and some other players not closing down. It was all our making, almmost every single soft goal. Apart from that Monaco… Read more »
I’m sure he’s trying his hardest. I’m not sure I care though. Its his ability in front of goal that’s the problem.
If he had scored any of those chances on Weds., I doubt their goals 2 & 3 would have been scored. It was our increasing desperation to get back in the tie that left us so open at the back.
We’ll respond well by fighting tooth and nail to scrape 4th to be part of the wonderful, prestigious European competition next year… just so we can go and cock it up in the last 16. Again. BUT Arsenal fans, don’t fret! We’ll win the battle for 4th that year too! Let the cycle continue. At least we’re consistent in one regard. I just can’t get my head around it. It’s the competition we fight so hard to be in year after year, to only under perform and play like absolute clowns when it really matters. This was our chance to… Read more »
How could you (N5)not get turns up for this piece that touched every aspect of my mind+thoughts!
Ha! Your point on the Wenger landmark matches going rotten is a good one. I thought the same about the 1000th. Too sour to have put it together on this one.
Perhaps he’s spreading infectious nervous energy. I do wonder that sometimes seeing his expressions during the matches. Perhaps HE needs the sports psych as much as the players.
Henry said you don’t want to ‘scare your players’ with screaming and shouting, but I suspect worried fear of implosion is 10x more of a problem.
It sucked on Wednesday night.But life goes on so keep your heads up lads and let’s smash Everton and shut up these irrelevant critics. COYG.
I am a Arsenal fan since 1970. I live in Ireland and go to see them play as often as I can. I will be at the Emirates on Sunday. What happened on Wednesday was something that can happen to any team. We should move on and get behind the Arsenal on Sunday. They have given us more good times than bad. It’s only a game. Looking forward to Sunday. Arsenal for ever.
That’s a real manager talking, no blames. We all including the player, recover from the loss to Monaco,…. I would love it if our efforts are repaid by thrashing Everton a high 5 score. Giroud continue improving on the finishing.
Giroud had a poor game and his last miss was especially unforgivable, but even if he had bagged a couple, would 3-3 have been an acceptable result for supporters before the game? Guardiola’s teams are so special because they master the high press and the pure intensity of their game is near impossible to deal with, on top of the quality they then exert when in possession. They are coached too hunt in packs. If Arsenal close down it always looks disjointed and individual with no sign of us working as a team to dispossess the opposition. Our only defensive… Read more »
If we had scored 1st or even scored the 2nd and 3rd (to make it 2-1) then monaco wouldn’t have got 3 goals.
Our desperation at being behind created the space that allowed them to score their 2nd and 3rd.
So our progress in these matches depends on whether or not we score first because we inevitably lose the plot if we concede first? Does that not strike you as ridiculous? And why does it keep happening?
Gentlemen may I refer you to the final of the FA Cup last season where we came back from two goals down to win.
I was thinking of top drawer opponents in the CL, not so much Hull City.
Still the final of a major competition. Ask Man $ity what their opinion of this is.
It’s not really relevant that it was an FA Cup final. We’re talking about how after conceding in big matches we often panic, abandon defence, and get picked off on the counter. The better teams will pick us off with ease as we pour forward, Hull are not one of those teams.
A game does revolve around ‘pivots’ to a large degree and the 1st goal is one of them. The response to the 1st goal in this game was really poor by us but some other games we’ve ‘moved up a gear’ and won. But their 2nd and especially their 3rd were because we stopped defending in desperation of trying to score.
A game revolves around pivots, but the mindset the players have going onto the pitch goes a long way to determining what those pivots will be. Which goes to the essence of what’s up for debate here. Are our players being prepared enough before matches? Was the lack of prep a key factor for us going behind? Even well-drilled teams can suffer setbacks though in which case the reaction is critical. Against Monaco, and not for the first time, our players threw caution to the wind despite having plenty of time left to change the course of the match. Again,… Read more »
Really?….you mean like we didnt go forward against Anderlech, after leading 3-0.
If this man does not get 2 solid DMs in the mould of Vierra or Yaya or Matic Gooners will always suffer this. Flaminni oe Couqulin or no one is good enough at the moment, every one can see the usefulness of Yaya or Matic when they dont play, until Wenger sorts this out we shall be in this 4th place / no quarter finals in CL.
Enough now. Giroud didn’t miss on purpose and Wenger didn’t tell the team to lose their heads. Players and management have made mistakes but let’s not write them off. They want Arsenal to do well, we want Arsenal to do well, let’s get behind the team and ignore the cunts in the hack press and mailboxes of formerly good websites.
He just had a bad night on front of goal, happens to all strikers
One man to blame, Wenger.
Until he drills the team defending day in and day out, we will remain in groundhog day.
If anyone is to blame it is Mertesacker and Ozil. Per was clumsy, slow and lazy and Ozil lost the ball more than he kept it. Wednesday night was an embarrassment to a team who obviously want to do well but they were naive and foolish from the outset. I hope they feel disappointed with themselves. Losses happen but this one was very hard to take.
Players miss chances and as aw said he didn’t do it on purpose
Our major problem is the non existent leader at the back. The sooner per is replaced the better
Still can’t fathom how everyone is turning a blind eye on the fact that our big-money striker has gone missing for weeks on end (Alexis). Giroud is the convenient scapegoat, smh.
-Fuck Europe, hope we can recover in time for Everton.
Of course he’s ‘gone missing’. He’s run himself into the ground by giving so much early in the season with only a couple of weeks off after the World Cup. He tries to do everything and that’s part of the problem. He was carrying the team early on but he doesn’t now have the same energy or the judgement that he showed then. If he’s not to get disheartened he needs more help.
I dread there could be on ongoing problem with Sanchez on a deeper level. Frankly, I am not sure he has been coached or managed to any degree since he arrived. He is more a force of nature unleashed with little or no direction other than his own. I think a lack of authority allowed him to force his come back from injury too early and he has suffered since with a loss in form and confidence. I thought he might play himself out of it, but it’s looking unlikely. The problem if you allow free rein with light guidance… Read more »
You are making a lot of assumptions there DFS. Although Sanchez ‘hit the ground running’ la Liga’is a very different league to the PL.
Most of our first team have returned from injury so there aren’t as many players playing out of position now, so in that respect he may not be so stand out, plus he must be feeling the strain of the Pl and its demands on his body without his usual winter break.
Even Alexis isn’t superman and goes missing and makes mistakes at times. Shit happens!
Time to move on…. COYG!!!!!!
Your amazing! Why aren’t you coaching, or are you? Or at least tell Wenger!!! You have to! Somebody’s gotta listen to you! Your the difference between us losing or wiining, I mean your insights….We NEED people like you on and off the pitch! Desperately! Immediately! Now!
Yes ! Sanchez is untouchable and Giroud is very convenient to play the scapegoat role. Same for Caz vs Özil. Santi didn’t endorse his role on wednesday and was too much upfront but nothing is said. And then Mesut is very practical to bear the hate.
Totally, utterly and plainly AGREE WITH YOU. It’s the same old story going on: heroes snd scapegoats of ever, doesn’t matter when and what.
I bet we can win at monaco with 3 goals.we as a fans need to buckle up & be the 12 players on the pitch.throw out your voice guys,give this lad our support!
It’s possible but unlikely as they are very good defensively.
It’s the strong point of their game which is why them scoring 3 was such a shock.
I’d be surprised if we don’t win over there but to win over the 2 legs ?????
The ox came on and scored
and then gave the ball away poorly for the 3rd.
Your point?
Love this.
‘Arry Redknap: “my missus Sandra could ‘ave scored that”
AW: “what striker hasn’t missed? I do not blame Olivier”
That’s why one is a failure, out of work, and the other is a class act who we’re lucky to have had as our manager.
I like Giroud – it’s clear he’s a great professional and desperately wants to do well for the club. But it’s also clear that he doesn’t have the quality required to win us the EPL and Champions League. We all have different potential in life – there’s no shame in that. We need to upgrade in the striker position to achieve our ambitions.
He’s a bit hit and miss on the goal numbers but we usually play much better as a team with him playing.
It’s difficult to know who would be a match for him as a team player and get the extra goals, many wouldn’t.
I really wish we had gotten Jackson Martinez, he’s such a great goal scorer. Our pace would be terrifying with him in the front three. Unfortunately he’s in the latter stages of his career also.
I do like him but I’m not sure he’d add much to the team except goals (which are important but….)
NB. If any one is to take the blame for that result, it should be Mert.
For once Wenger is right. It’s not fair to blame only Giroud on our failure: we were shit in just about every department.
Personally, I don’t care much for this inquest. Everybody knows whats wrong with our team. The ideal way to bounce back is to beat Man United in that FA Cup tie at Old Trafford – that should go some way to atoning for that pathetic performance on Wednesday.
But I don’t think we will. I expect another gutless, spineless performance – and amother cup exit.
I really enjoyed that Fats you are spot on – apart from we will beat Man U!
What I don’t understand is that how many people are saying how flat and uninspired we were but I thought we had quite a few chances against a team known for their defense. We just didn’t convert those chances. We didn’t play badly overall. I’m still trying to figure out why Ospina didn’t even move on that first goal even though it was deflected. He still had enough time to move something. I still believe Szczesny should be number 1. I don’t like Ospina’s lack of height. When you watch closely you can see where his height hurts.
I’d have to agree that it was a lack of finishing and defensive mistakes that cost us the game. On another night we may have scored those chances and had a comfortable win. I’m also not convinced about Ospina, but don’t blame him for the goals. On the first he was moving in the direction of the shot and once his weight was shifted there was no way he was going to recover for the deflection. Kinda like Giroud being a good striker, I consider both our keepers good. But it is a position we should upgrade if we get… Read more »
Hey Gang,
I don’t mean to brag, but in my co-ed five-on-five turf rec-league match last night, we got outplayed pretty badly and walked out with a 4-nil win. After getting hammered with shots, I was pretty proud to keep a clean sheet. If someone is willing to put in a few bucks for the flight from London to London, I could give it a go between the sticks on Sunday.
Dude, your like so bragging like
Giroud cost 10 million quid and is 28 years old. You get what you pay for. He’s well worth 10 million but don’t expect him to be able to do what a £30 million pound player could do.
If we are honest Wellbeck is also a £10 million player but because he’s younger and English we paid more for him.
We don’t have a £30 million pound striker on the books. If we did we wouldn’t be in this situation time and time and time and time again.
Not necessarily – Ozil cost £42m and has done absolutely nothing.
Same old story: when you lack of an intelligent reply, push the button: “blame scapegoat Ozil”. You could put on some effort and try and play another song, couldn’t you? Just for once?! It’s pretty easy…
He’s onto something but the reason ozil has been under performing is because the attacking football we play is very different than madrid/germany nat. team where they have pacy players running in behind on counter attacks…whereas we like to build up our play from the base of midfield and ozil is not that kind of player that’s why you see santi and players like fabregas looking more impressive under wenger’s system…we simply don’t play enough space and counter attack football to fully utilize ozil
I think that’s harsh. I grant you he hasn’t done enough
So in other words he’s just a DECENT striker. Why is this so hard to accept??
Let’s move on to Sundays game shall we? How about benching BFG and pairing Gabriel with the Kos, because Everton are on fire at the moment and I can’t see BFG keeping up with the pace at the back.
I have a feeling that this time arsenal will win the away leg 3-0
How good would that be!
Well if we’re a big club, we must score 3 against Monaco. This is what champions are made of. Are we there yet?
http://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck#c1i3hi:seC
Ollie dedicated the goal he scored against Palace to the family of a little girl called Johanna who had recently died. He said that he had visited her in hospital and he was very upset when he heard the news, so he dedicated the goal as homage to her. The interview is on the Arsenal Player. We don’t know who that little girl was, maybe a family member, maybe somebody he met doing charitable work that made an impression on him. Perhaps he was a bit upset on Wednesday night, we don’t know what goes on. Our players are people… Read more »
Monaco is the french man shity. They’ve been spending like mad over the last two years. Mind you, this is the team that loaned Falcao! We just in justifiably put our expectations too high and disappointed by the result. Our record shows that we play better away in Europe than at home. Nothing lost yet. All this moaning will stop when we beat the tofies pn Sunday. This is football these things happen, let’s stay behind the team and get over it
We gave up 3 goals to Monaco at home and but for a post and 3 inches would have drawn with Palace.
Defense is what we need to address not our marvelously coifed striker.
I know I may be harping on the subject but getting back to Ospina and his lack of height. That doesn’t only effect his movement for balls high on the net but it also effects his coverage left and right. There have been times when he dove left or right and barely got his hands on the ball deflecting it and leaving a bad rebound. Szczesny would have been able to hold onto them. I think the height of Courtois on Chelsea helps him and his team. That first goal Monaco got where Ospina seemed to have suffered a fit… Read more »
Re: the atmosphere… yea it is shit most of the time.
I don’t know why the didn’t make it 80 – 90,000 capacity with lower ticket prices from the start.
Giroud at very least tries. he knows he isn’t the world’s best striker by a country mile but he isn’t a poor striker either.
The team as a whole had a bad showing
Where was Coquelin’s protection of Metersecker? Had it been Flamini, there would be complains.