Disappointing and frustrating are how Mathieu Flamini and Per Mertesacker assessed Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with FA Cup fifth round opponents Hull City
Despite having 24 shots on goal, including 11 on target, the Gunners failed to find the net for the fourth time in their last seven games – a worrying trend given all Arsene Wenger’s attacking options are now available for selection.
Lamenting a result that forces the Gunners to replay the Tigers at the KC Stadium in March, Flamini told Arsenal Player: “It was a very, very frustrating game. We had the opportunity a few times to close the game and win it.
“Unfortunately we didn’t, so I think frustration is the main word of the game today.
“We were a bit lucky last weekend to score in the last second of the game against Leicester City, but it didn’t happen today.
“We had many opportunities and chances and this is not the first game that has been like that. Even against Southampton and Leicester it was like that and today we had plenty of opportunities.
“If you don’t finish it, it is not enough. Now we have to play away and win that game.”
Per Mertesacker was similarly exasperated by the lack of composure in and around the penalty box.
“We had a couple of good chances and we couldn’t keep the pressure as high as we wanted, especially in the second half,” the German told Arsenal Player.
“We had enough chances to win, but we were unlucky at times. Overall it was disappointing, especially our finishing.
“We allowed [Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic] to make some decent saves because we were not that decisive.
“It is down to us, we produced a good defensive performance but overall in the final third, that little final pass at the end, we always rushed ourselves at times to finish so we need to learn from that.
“Overall, we missed a bit of something today and we have to come back quickly in three days time. We have a very important game, the first leg against Barcelona, and we will see the fans again, it will be another buzzing night but it is up to us how we perform.”
The draw for the quarter-final of the FA Cup will take place on Sunday at 6.15pm (UK time).
Ox should have won it after Girouds cushioned knockdown but he is all brawn before brain so he smashed horribly wide. So frustrating.
Alexis is too much of an energizer bunny. needs to stop running at some point and play a pass like Mesut.
He too should have won it but he went past the keeper then the goal aswell
Per “we will see the fans again” is he commenting on how quiet it was yesterday hoping for more noise on Tuesday?
After the game someone called me numpty for saying our fans were too old hense so quiet n yawning… he said old fans were there supporting before i was born. Well, Call me numpty but is that suppose to matter when it comes to having a atmosphere to support a team? Thats like playing Lauren n Overmars to their 50s just ’cause theyve been there before Bellerins n Ozils. If you cant shout stay at home n enjoy watching while younger fans scream their hearts out. Somehow its exactly as important as Hectors spirints. Thats mostly the reason ppl get… Read more »
I’ve been to 3 games this year:
2-3 v Olympiakos
0-0 v Southampton
0-0 v Hull
I think I’ll stay away for the rest of the season?
Same! (+ 1-0 Newcastle)
Fear in jinxing it….
Shane my friend, that will be very good idea
?
Shane, Don’t!!!! Please… Let us win the title and then you can jinx as many games as you want…
I assume mathieu expressed his displeasure with the aid of excessive pointing
Did anyone think starting with two holding mids in Flam and Ele was a bit conservative against a second string Hulll side playing at home?
Okay realise that that half the time Flam somehow ended up in the box but he’s still a DM and not someone you want to be in there.
Flam is ‘not someone you want to be in there’, but you enjoyed his double against Sp*rs in the League Cup earlier in the season.
Part of the problem has been (a) the absence of Alexis for two months and (b) the absence of the old Alexis since his return. Not his fault, obviously, as he’s trying his damnedest, but he’s just not back to his best yet.
Tired of reading Sanchez “tries”! F*** He is 26, he is an international player, he had two months rest, he is hugely paid and MUST do better than weekly TRYING!
So it’s inconceivable that a spell out through injury could affect his form? Don’t be so fickle
I agree since he is more or less the clubs talisman. I hate that he is looking more of a headless chicken now, running into blind alleys and tackles. Needs to be more swift than fast
Alexis will play a star role in our march to the title. “Form is temporary”, they say, ‘but class is permanent.’ I have a feeling this man will sink United a week today and kick on from there.
Tell that to Torres, Falcao etc.
That phrase is bollocks to be fair, class is nothing without form.
Yeah, perhaps if he stopped trying everything would be ok
@ Alex, stick to your computer games! Silly little boy.
I agree since he is more or less the clubs talisman. I hate that he is looking more of a headless chicken now, running into blind alleys and tackles. Needs to be more swift than fast
“New York, New York”…
I am taking a positive view of the replay. We will no doubt field our second string so it is a useful run out for them. We need everyone to be focuses for the run in.
*focused
I thought our biggest problem was our pace of play especially in our buildup. We need to attack with more pace and directness at times. Think about how fast Leicester can whip a ball up to the front and get a quick chance out of it. I’m not saying we play Big Sam footie, but when there was only a couple of minutes in yesterday’s game we were still walking the ball up and letting them get 10 players behind it. Against Barca, I think we might need to play deeper and try to hit them on the counter (the… Read more »
Yes we did ‘break’ slowly most of the time but on the few occasions we moved the ball quickly, Hull use the old ‘professional foul’ to give them time. Unfortunately Mike Dean thinks this is OK (against us) so he did little to stop it.
That’s very Rich from two of our least decisive players of the day! What I have noticed more in the last two years is that on winning possession our mid-fielders typically pass the ball bask to the centre backs to consolidate possession rather than transition that possession to attack. We then waste time passing the ball across the defence until we are ready to build the attack. All strickers thrive on speed and space as well as an unsettled defence in front of them. Our super cautious mid fielders passing back to Per or Laurent allows the opposition defence to… Read more »
Striker.
Wilshere.
Elneny.
Exactly. Cazorla’s absence means we struggle having a fluid attacking tempo.
I agree in part with your comments, but we had 24 shots, 11 on target, and some that should have gone in. Their gk made some great saves and there were a couple deflections that could have gone either way. We created easily enough chances to win the game and had we scored a couple, you wouldn’t have made your comments. And when players like Ramsey and Ox turn into pressure in our end to look for the quick counter, they would get crucified if/when they turn the ball over. So quick counters when you can, but that is not… Read more »
U still like our chances to score a couple against barca. Their defence is average and the high line should suit us on the counter – when we coincidentally play best
Against barca I prefer holding up play in offence and throw-ins. We need to do more technical dribbling and push their full backs to their backline. Man to man our players are much stronger than their players. We can bully our way through this match while playing the Arsenal way. I badly want welbeck to start in the wings as he rarely mis places a pass unlike sanchez and Walcott.
I’m not sure why Flam and Per are getting so much stick, they’re basically saying what we’re saying all these while, this team hasn’t played anything even resembling good football except for a very few games this season, Leicester away and at home after having a man advantage, United and City at home, Bayern at home. Can’t really recall any other game when we looked solid going forward. And it’s pretty bloody worrying thinking about considering the list of games we have in the league beginning next week.
I agree with David comments and I suggest that senior players should have been played in the first half and if scoring possible after wards they might been replaced by substituents. Other wise they played on tension and frustration on the last minutes.