Arsenal secured a creditable point at Stamford Bridge as they played out a 0-0 draw against Chelsea.
The Gunners, disciplined in defence throughout the game, showed flashes of their usual attacking verve and might have won the game had Shkodran Mustafi’s second half header not been ruled out for offside.
David Luiz received his marching orders for a bad challenge on Kolasinac but there wasn’t enough time left on the clock for Arsene Wenger’s men to capitalise as they did in recent FA Cup and Community Shield showdowns.
First half
Chelsea were certainly the faster out of the blocks, two or three times stealing the ball in midfield and springing quick breaks against the exposed Arsenal defence.
A clash of knees between Lacazette and Moses left both players sprawled on the turf and deadened the initial pace of the game. That seemed to suit Arsenal who were content to knock the ball around at the back without pushing forward.
On 15 minutes we stepped things up courtesy of Bellerin’s marauding runs down the right. Twice the Spaniard picked out Arsenal strikers, first Welbeck flashed a header wide and not long after Lacazette tested Courtois down low. A Kolasinac effort from outside the box further forced the Belgian into action.
To dampen the confidence a simple ball over the top by Fabregas freed Pedro one-on-one with Cech. Koscielny managed to get back and slow the Spaniard who could only shoot straight at the keeper. A let off for the Gunners for sure.
That scare aside, Arsenal, to their credit, were disciplined in their defending. We tried to win the ball high up the pitch by closing down Kante and the Chelsea defenders, headers were attacked, second balls were won and for the final 15 minutes of the half Fabregas and Willian were nullified. The work rate of Iwobi, Lacazette and Welbeck was particularly notable.
As Chelsea grew frustrated Arsenal started to swagger and we really should have head into the break with the lead. Aaron Ramsey, mixing tight control with bumbling legs, somehow made his way straight through the Chelsea defence before poking a shot that bounced back off the post. Lacazette was on hand for the rebound but instead of tapping home he volleyed over from three yards. He won’t want to watch the replay.
Second half
Arsenal continued to look bright in the final third although clear cut chances were few and far between. Welbeck nearly found Ramsey, Kolasinac nearly had a chance to get a shot off.
At the other end Willian had a shot blocked by Cech and Koscielny took a boot to the face as Luiz attempted an overhead kick. The Frenchman required treatment but was fine to continue. His presence was needed given the physical battle playing out between Mustafi and Morata.
By the 65 minute mark, Arsene Wenger decided it was time for Alexis. Lacazette made way meaning the Chile international. In response, Conte sent on Hazard for Willian. A further change was enforced on the Gunners when Welbeck appeared to tweak his groin. Olivier Giroud took the central striker role as Alexis went left.
Mustafi thought he’d broken the deadlock on 75 minutes as he headed home a Xhaka free-kick. The German ran off to celebrate in front of the visiting fans before he spotted the linesman’s offside flag.
The game was tight, tetchy and frantic. Hazard, always full of energy, weaved to the edge of the box and stung Cech’s palms. Fabregas fired wide, Moses had a shot blocked. Arsenal stood firm.
A physical game finally reached boiling point with three minutes to go. On the touchline Luiz flew over the ball and connected with Kolasinac’s ankle leaving the Bosnian in a crumpled heap. Referee Michael Oliver went straight to his pocket to flash a red card. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s left-back required treatment. Amazingly, he was able to carry on and subsequently picked up a booking.
Monreal’s late shot was heading in but a block at close quarters meant both sides settled for a point.
__
Starting XI Cech, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Bellerin, Xhaka, Ramsey, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Welbeck, Lacazette.
Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Alexis, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Walcott, Giroud
So when lots of people say that Wenger can’t manage, he’s past it and we need someone like Conte or Klopp, when do they moderate their views? Or can any of them say that they thought we were the better side at the Bridge and Arsene had a say in that?
Proud of the display we put up. Lets keep it going.
I love the cynical fouls when they were on the counter. Ramsey was brilliant, but MOTM is definitely Monreal!
Cynical fouls are my favorite type of fouls! Well done Bellerin and Kolasinac!
Speaking of cynical fouls, Chelsea look to have a real discipline problem on their hands this season…
Speaking again of fouls, wtf was Conte complaining about after that horror tackle from Luiz. If Sead wasn’t built like tank, I doubt he would have got away unscathed. And fuck Luiz for walking straight down the tunnel without even apologizing to Sead. What a classless twat !
David Luiz has always been a classless dipshit. Can’t stand the fucker, just looking at him …he makes me want to smash his face in.
This season????
And Diego Costa didn’t even play!
Good shout on the cynical fouls that are actively used against us..Particulalrly enjoyed Bellerin and Kolasinac stopping counters being booked late on for it.
Honestly came on to say this also. The commentators pissed me off when Bellerin got his yellow. If he doesn’t do that and they counter, we are “naive” or “too nice”. That was the smartest foul all game. Nothing we do is ever right to these hating fucks though. We do one thing, they say should’ve done the other. Bore off.
Good point away from home at a place we’ve struggled at in the past.
I’d argue Elneny dropping Hazard was the smartest foul of the game. Kept Hazard from starting a long run.
I thought Elneny got the ball?
You guys should switch from the English commentary.
Nah, Ramsey
Wenger’s past it, can’t manage and we need someone like Conte.
That being said, good performance today. However, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Ex: why was lacazette replaced by Sanchez and not Iwobi?
Baby steps I guess.
Iwobi was already on the pitch.
He meant why wasn’t Iwobi taken off rater than Lacca…
Lol jks, obvs.
Because iwobis technicality helps keep possession over players who don’t get as involved in buildup play, like lacazette and Sanchez. Baby steps…?
Seriously??!! Alexis for Iwobi, when we are supposed to be disciplined on the ball?? Alexis would have lost the ball in dangerous areas, making the backline nervous and we would have lost the game at the last few mins! Wenger was right, took the right choice to not lose the game!
Lacazette was pretty anonymous second half while Iwobi was still working really hard and playing well. I also assumed he or Welbz wud be the guy subbed off but I think Arsene made the right call
Agreed. It would have worked, I think, had Welbeck not gotten injured and forced Alexis to take up a spot out wide.
Lacazette proved the wrong player to make headway against Chelsea’s very disciplined back 3. Alexis is a bit more havok up front, and it was great insight to bring him in–though he didn’t end up finding the net, you could see Chelsea’s shape and discipline fall apart as a result.
What says you to Lacazette on the left, Giroud in the center, and Sanchez in the 10 role (until Ozil returns)? Throw Walcott on the right wing and see how they mesh and whether he’s up to be a part of the first team going forward.
Against Leicester when we switched from three at the back Lacazette was crossing some pretty balls into the box for Giroud from the left wing.
I think we played a lot better, we are unlucky not to have won. We make them upset to lose 2 points at home. Good momentum for us and please keep it going. A bit disappointed with Lacazette though…
Yeah, Lacazette was a bit disappointing. Should have scored and his link-up play was poor at times. But still early days for him, so I’m not that concerned.
Conte won the title last season.
We haven’t even contested it since 2007/08
Rich, Arsenal may not have won the game today but this was a display of discipline, pride, and playing with an attitue of urgency and winning mentality. If they play every game like this for the rest of the season, it’s progress! Only a matter of time until we lift the trophy again. COYG!!!
Problem is that the mentality isn’t there against the lesser clubs. They feel the lesser clubs should be a walk over & don’t have the same discipline. I wanna see this in every game.
Rayafc, I don’t know about you, but I liked how the team performed against Köln and Bornemouth. Nothing like the 3-3 last season.
If they play every game like this for the rest of the season, it’s progress! Only a matter of time until we lift the trophy again.
but the problem is we wont. we see this pattern every season, dont we. flashes of brilliance followed by appaling performances and decisions . for every such performace there will 2 other poor games . it might be wengers fault , might be players fault , but its clear that without a change we wont challenge for the title ever again .
We have a good run of games that we can reasonably expect to earn points from so long as we properly prepare and not underestimate the opposition. Perhaps it is falling into the same old trap, but the performance today renews my excitement for this season.
I’m interested to see how Chelsea match up against the Manchester squads, Liverpool, and Stoke. Losing to Burnley may not just be a fluke. I have a feeling they’re underestimating many squads in the league this year as evidenced by them goofing off during their training before Arsenal. I do agree with you on the attitude of Arsenal’s players today. It’s exactly what I wanted to see from them to have pride in the performance win, lose, or draw. Kolasinac’s yellow card issued a warning to other teams that we’re not going to be pushovers so long as he’s prowling… Read more »
So your answer to the OP is: no, I cannot moderate my views. But I can point out the obvious BS regardless of a good performance on our part.
You sound like Conte’s attorney.
Cant believe there is down votes for this fact
Ice is cold.
2015/16. Second to Leicester. Stick to the facts.
did we miss ozil?
I would say Lacazette did. He doesn’t seem to have the same understanding with the others yet.
Yes we certainly missed his incising passes which could have made a difference.
We would not have kept a clean sheet if Ozil was on. Rambo looked great in mid and Iwobi was tidy. Alexis from the start would have been better. That was an amazing team performance today, such a vital away point.
It’s Ramsey who was ahead of Lacazette for Stoke goal… not Özil.
Yes but Iwobi wud probably have filled in better for him than Ozil
Hey, please see the rules about use of proper English. Thanks.
Wit I mene, propur English? ;-P
Decent performance. Think Ramsey tends to play a lot better when ozil isn’t playing. Hard working committed performance, which after the debacle at a field I’m chuffed with.
i have a similar feeling . today all of our midfield players worked hard to track back and defend . so our midfield was always protected and chelsea couldnt play through the middle . if we would have played ozil i doubt it would have been a similar situation , as he is not a keen defender.
Iwobi did not track back today consistently. He is worse then Ozil defensively. I think he is a nice player who did a nice job today moving the ball forward and keeping possession. He wasn’t good with the passes though. Ozil would have been a difference maker today IMO lol Obviously who knows right lol
so which one of Ozil or Sanchez gives the ball away all the time, putting our defence under pressure?! Sick of the Ozil bashing. We missed his invention. Having said that, we set out for 0-0 and got it, which is very welcome.
You honestly think if Ozil was in for Iwobi in this game that the team couldn’t have played as well or better? Everyone was playing well today in the starting XI.
I don’t think Alexis played well today when he came on. I thought he wasn’t as sharp as he was against FC Koln.
Yes we did. I did anyways.
Regarding how much space we had in their final third in the first half, then yes, absolutely. Not so much in the second half though, when we were more concentrated on defending.
No. When he’s playing, it’s like playing with 10 men.
We didn’t miss Ozil. Not for this game. It’s a 25-man squad and we make some tactical adjustments depending on the opposition. Nobody has a divine right to start. That doesn’t take anything away from the fact that Ozil is a super star of this team and our real No.10.
If you continue to insist on looking at facts and analysing what actually happens instead of a preconceived narrative, you may never be hired as a pundit.
You think it was a tactical decision? He would have started if he wasn’t injured.
No, but he was immense in the 3-0 win and the cup final.
I won´t moderate my opinion of Wenger based on one game. Of course he should be able to manage the team but why does he refuse to do it on other occasions? That´s the big question.
You guys can never enjoy a good performance..can you all?
I loved that performance.
But one result and the AW apologists are out in force.
And we didn’t even win, we just showed commitment and organisation with the odd moment of real quality in the first half.
Surely that’s the minimum requirement? And not a reason to push AW managerial credentials?
I love Arsene but the truth is we haven’t put up a title challenge for 9 straight seasons.
For the last 4 seasons he’s not had a good excuse and we do keep showing the same failings.
Hopefully today’s the start of a bit more pragmatism
Not going to argue.. but instead I am going to be happy about what I saw today and I am going to be supporting the boys in red.
Being grumpy forever is actually a bad thing you know.
Well said. Positivity! Let’s enjoy the quality showing the boys put on today at the cuntish oil baron’s place and hope this level of quality an so team work continues in the next game. Very happy for us to have a strong 11 that doesn’t need Mesut and Alexis in it. Puts the team future in a different light.
That’s what I thought after the 2-0 santi inspired win over city. We can but hope
You could apply your comment to he first comment from Paul too. Unable to simply enjoy the performance without getting a dig in ar thise who disagree with him.
Doesn’t look like a dig, just asking people if they can moderate (ie not change) their opinions ie think what happened and see what you think of a match when Arsenal were better than Chelsea at their home.
The post is clearly saying that those who think Arsene Wenger isn’t good at tactics, etc. should use this match as an example to prove them wrong. The point is that it isn’t about one match, but 38 over the course of a season. It wasn’t even a win, either!
‘Moderate their views’ ie think about it.
Not change them.
No! If we don’t moan, we all die.
when you get trashed every season away at chelsea, spuds, utd, liverpool it does will like a win today most importantly the performance the players showed that they can do it with hard team work we almost won, i loved mustafi today was a beast he didn’t let morata to breath won every duel in the air and on the floor.
For the first time in god knows how many season we are going home with great performance and result which could be catalyst to our form from now on and big confidence boost.
Ramsey MOTM.
Well obviously when the team plays shit we will rightly criticise to kick them up the arse and praise them with good performances such as today… We haven’t won the league so lets not get over our heads with a draw just yet, still a long way to go.
If we keep playing like that we have a chance
Pretty certain Paul you’ve slated people on here before for ‘over reacting to one game. Only applies one way eh?
I’m not that Paul.
You can’t prove that…
Lol…
I am the one that has been on here for years and likes Kieran Gibbs…does that help?
The new Rule 1) Do not play Walcott or Ozil in any matches like this. They all grafted and got a result.
Stupid rule, iwobi didnt do anything in the attack and also defending he was same as ozil he tracked back with whole team he didnt do anything special at defending.
Surely ozil instead of him would create more chances for us and maybe a goal especialy he missed the one time we really turn up and play very good he would have loved to play today with that kind of performance.
When it’s done consistently.decent performance all round but to start calling out critics of Wenger is way way to early.
Much more to prove yet
100% Voldermort. Let’s enjoy today but comments that suggest Arsene has proved people wrong based on today are just childish in the extreme. Let’s build on today & see where we go.
I am glad I agree with that Paul! 🙂
I agree too!
Well you would wouldn’t you??
I will moderate my opinion when Arsenal do have this kind of game against the big games frequently,and the mistakes we’ve seen time after time again stop happening.Today was good,credit to Wenger,but he needs to make a season or two good in order to really sway my thinking.
The answer to ‘when will people start moderating their opinion of Wenger’ should be “when we have a proper title challenge”. That shouldn’t be controversial.
That being said, Wenger gets huge credit for how he used Sanchez this week. He knows Alexis’ game is a bit loose when he’s out of form so he played him on Thursday knowing he’d be on the bench today. And his subs always had Conte on the back foot.
It was a defenders game and I loved Nacho Monreal’s display. He’s not a big man, but he’s a beast of a defender.
Arsenal playing dirty football! Oh my oh my! Im not ashamed to admit that I did shed a lil tear ?
Now that’s how you play away against the big teams! Earning a point hasn’t felt this good in a long long time. Ramsey and Monreal were immense but overall a Great team performance. Now let the unbeaten run begin, COYG!
I felt we won the midfield and flanks especially in the first half because of the challenges from Xhaka, Ramsey, Iwobi, welbeck and the harrying from Lacazette.
We weren’t really able to do it so well after Bakayoko came on.
I felt that Ozil’s absence was telling in how our midfield looked more physical.
Iwobi’s quick interpassing was nice to see.
As well as Cech calmly cheating down the shot/back pass from Monreal. GOLD!
Lol because Ozil doesn’t do quick 1-2 when attacking? Iwobi is a nice young player but he doesn’t add no more physical play then Ozil. They are both finesse. Going forward Iwobi is good keeping possession but his creating chances weren’t that good.
You forgot Liverpool already!! Wenger is past it cos he doesn’t do this on a consistent basis. Had Wenger’s record been good away in the past seasons then someone like you would not be using a draw (a mere draw, not even a win), as some kind of an overwhelming achievement and a justification of Wenger’s abilities. What is it now, 14 straight away games against City, United, Chelsea, Sp*rs and Liverpool without a win. That being said the performance was very pleasing indeed, even though the result didn’t come. If the team shows this kind of fight going forward… Read more »
Maybe you’re too drunk to understand the significance of this kind of a performance. It may just be a draw but the confidence it can bring to the team should not be underestimated. Furthermore, neither did I go as far as suggesting it is an overwhelming achievement nor did I use the performance to justify Wenger’s abilities. Next time read things carefully before replying, stop moaning and enjoy a good performance for once !
Wasn’t replying to you dingleberry. Before you lash out atleast bother to follow the thread properly.
People base their assessment of Wenger as a has been manager on 38 games in the league season rather than a game or two
It’s based on our performances in the past decade and the last being our shameful performance 2 weeks ago. If we played like this in every game nobody would complain… Great desire and credit where it’s due to Wenger and the players.
Yeah, the better side today, but no wins or goals away from home yet. Not a time to get carried away.
Let’s make sure we build on this performance.
Conte won the league…a one off game means fuck all, especially if you’re going to lose at stoke a week or so before.
Playing Iwobi over Sanchez shows he’s lost it.
Iwobi was no good today.
A good performance yes and we’re all happy. We’ve seen this before though haven’t we? A good run only for our usual meltdown to arrive. We still need a new younger manager.
First
Don’t bother, makes you look like a tool.
youre a clown
There waiting for you over at Le Cunt Andre
It does say on the site “be the first to comment” that should be removed imo.
I think Andre Santos should be removed instead
But it doesn’t say comment “first” like some 10 year old on youtube…..
Correct it doesn’t say that. What it says is “be the first to comment”. I thought we covered this??
Yeah, you did. I just thought I’d try to make it relevant to the discussion, but never mind :-p
1st to say ‘lame’ to u
not even that
grow up
Tough game, taking away a point at Stamford is always a great result.
Not sure I see the logic behind benching Alexis and taking off Lacazette to bring him on. Xhaka+Rambo mid field looks brittle and the three at the back formation is exposing it way too much, dunno why Wenger is hell bent on sticking with it. Mustafi and Xhaka looked a bit shaky.
Monreal was the MOM for me, Koscielny played well too. David luiz just signed his own death warrant. The tank is gonna crush him in the reverse fixture.
#COYG
You’re looking for reasons to be unhappy. Totally agree regarding Kolasinac though xD
Reading the comments, seems there are many candidates for MOTM. People mentioned also Ramsey, Xhaka..
For me personally, this was the strongest game of Mustafi that I have ever seen.
Did you really watch the match. Xhaka and particularly Ramsey were brilliant. Ramsey even unlucky not to win the match. Pity Lacazette had an off day
I hate that I have to agree with your comment ?
Ramsey indeed was and Xhaka’s overall performance was decent but he’s misplacing a lot of passes and he still has that tenacity to panic and slide into a tackle when he is dispossessed. And I stand by my assertion that the midfield is brittle with Xhaka+Ramsey combo. Our front three had to play way too deep and our defense was pushing too high too (which resulted in a few scary moments). We need a holding midfielder and a playmaker which we can accommodate only if we play a back four. We played as a team today and hence withstood Chelsea’s… Read more »
I thought Xhaka started the game poor with his passing, but after the first 20/25 mins he seemed to calm down a lot and looked like the Xhaka of the end of last season.
I’ve been a bit critical of Lacazette, but I don’t see why he had a bad game today (the missed chance off the Ramsey shot notwithstanding). I thought his movement was decent and his hassling of defenders was really useful (even against 10 men, we looked less threatening without Giroud able to do the same (no offence to him – that’s not his game)).
It wasn’t Giroud for Laca. It was Alexis for Laca. AW was going to do the same thing but with fresher legs. Giroud, only came on and who knows if he would have played this game, for DW after he got hurt.
Decent performance. Should’ve won really.
Hard earned point away at the champions and it must be said we looked the better team. Very proud of our performance today!
They didn’t look that great to me. Morata looks better than I thought he was, though.
Title between the two Manchester teams, methinks.
Not sure why the down-votes. Is it because I don’t think we’ll win it, or because you think I’m trying to down-play our performance? I am not – if anything we should’ve won, as I thought we were easily the superior team. They just don’t seem like title material to me.
Good display by Ramsey and Xhaka. Well played and deserved a point. Could have won it.
That’ll do. Win would have been nice but as long as we fight.
and don’t go in there all suicidal and concede 4 …
Played well enough to have won it. Either way we should we have balls to get a clean sheet away.
*showed
A good outing to build on. Good for confidence and may this banish the poor-away-to-top-team-performance monkey off our back
should of won. Lacazette had a tough game, Ramsey was awesome. Weirdly feel really disappointed with just a point, we were pretty good!
well that was quite encouraging actually. Can we please give a Kola a decent number now so I can buy his shirt?
Eurghhh why can we never score?
A shame not to come away with three points, but a fair result and, more importantly, a creditable performance. Need to build on this and get a run going.
The best away game since the 2-0 against City. We should have won and I have to give a huge applaud to Mustafi who was MOM.
Fuck that fucking cunt Luiz. What a fucking retard that moron is.
you must be joking about Mustafi being MOTM. He made many comical decisions, none too serious in the end but he was far from being reassuring.
I’m not saying anything either way. Was it me though, or was he man-marking Morata? It seemed like he was following him across the pitch.
This could be a ‘catalyst for change’
That is the least you want from your team – the fight! Well done guys. We could have nicked that one on another day.
So proud of the boys today. Both sides had a handful of chances, but ours were the most promising. I will be praying for Danny though. Every time he seems to be turning into a massive weapon, he picks up an injury.
Interested to see how the papers treat our sans-Ozil performance. It is worth discussion…
I really liked how we worked without Alexis and Ozil! Obviously they are fantastic important players, but this felt like a gritty team performance in which everybody pulled their weight, which I don’t think I’ve seen for a while. Reminded me of Athletico Madrid in all honesty
The vacuum of joy that is The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg is already leading with the “poor game” narrative (you know, since whatever the result is, we can’t ever be seen in a good light by some people). If they’re all honest with themselves, they tuned in expecting us to get bummed as usual and we didn’t deliver. Tough for them.
More fool you (just a turn of phrase, nothing personal) for expecting intelligent analysis from the Guardian just because their journalists have wide vocabularies. I stopped listening to the Football Weekly podcast when it became apparent the people on it knew no more than that bloke down the pub – they just say the same things more eloquently.
We look like a better team now that we’re not trying to force the ox in. His decision to leave might turn out well for us as it’s forcing Wenger to play a more balanced side.
Before the match I would’ve taken a point but we could have taken all 3 points. Much more like it. Disciplined performance and Ramsey is much better when there’s no Özil. Kolasinac is a brute. Impressed that he was still in one piece after Luiz tried to chop his leg off.
Makes the Anfield team selection all the more baffling.
Lol thats like saying the team is better without Alexis and Ozil since they were sharper in the first half.
Watching the game yesterday, I kinda understood part of Wenger’s reasoning with the Anfield selections. Laca (meh game) and Kolasinac (took a while to get going) seemed to struggle a bit – maybe that was due to pressure from the away crowd, and I think Wenger was protecting them from the pressure that comes with playing in front of the Anfield crowd. Could have destroyed their confidence for a few games if they performed badly at Anfield and we lost 4-0. Just a thought
Fair play to Wenger – got his subs right this time! Monreal with another defending masterclass, a bit sad that he didn’t get MotM.
Very happy with that performance and tactics. The effort and discipline was spot on. Mustafi looked to be a weak link throughout though and was lucky to get away with a couple of bad mistakes. Ramsey MOTM.
I thought we were excellent today. Would have been lovely to take all three points but getting one there is a good result.
One of Mustafi’s best games for us, the way he battled Morata start to finish. Shame he was offside for the header, deserved to score the winner.
I think the ref deserves a mention as well.
The thing about Oliver is that, although he makes mistakes like all refs, his mistakes do not inevitably favor the home team. He is not afraid of the crowd, and is more suspicious of someone falling over too easily than most officials.
True. He did well to spot Morata shirt tugging on Mustafi. He made the right call on El Neny yellow and so on. I think he has a way of exerting his authority on the players without destabilizing the spirit of the game. From a neutral’s POV i would say he is a good ref.
I’m going to agree and push it out a bit. This was the most fairly refereed game Arsenal have been involved in for years against Chelsea or any of the physically rough teams. They have been the larger side for years yet have been able to push, pull, tug, hold, gouge and clout us with impunity. When we attempt to resist they fall over and complain. Oliver was having none of Morata’s antics today and we had an opportunity to be physical in return. In the past Sead might have been booked whilst getting kicked by Luiz. Tangentially, Conte’s claim… Read more »
Sorry that was long winded.Here’s the short version: Sometimes we decide not to be gritty because (your reason here). Sometimes we decide not to be gritty because we keep getting penalized. Today we were gritty. The ref let us be gritty.
i tuned in late and didn’t realise ozil and alexis weren’t playing until almost half time. couldn’t really think who i would have replaced to have them on instead – though late on i was hoping it was a mustafi for alexis switch. it’s about time we get alexis and lacazette together for a sustained spell.
We are still waiting to see that
I won’t deny Ozil’s ability against mid and lower team, but against top 6 maybe we should consider to do it more often because the guy seems lost against them.
Still waiting Lacazette and Sanchez on the same pitch, i was wondering what happens between those 2, looks like a dangerous duo to me but we never seen them playing together.
44% of Arsenal goals against the 6 best PL teams have been goaled or assisted by Özil.
If we focus on the away games, what is his contribution?
And what about focusing on football?
Yeah, you said…
Please, no facts.
So much wrong with this…..
“Goaled” first of all….I think you mean scored
And is this 44% of all the Arsenal goals ever scored against the 6 best PL teams? Or just since Ozil joined us?
And who are the 6 best PL teams? You automatically lose any credibility if you even think of mentioning sp*rs
Ozil is a talented player but he is a luxury that we can’t afford. The Everton match away last year showed what a fraud he is.
Glorious performance on the day. A totally disciplined and a spirited performance. Let’s keep this going now.
Now thats how you organise your team to play an away game against a quality opposition. Missed ozil though would have unlocked that chelsea defence.
Cech – 7
Kola – 8
Bellerin – 8
Monreal – 8
Kos – 8
Mustafi – 8
Ramsey – 9
Xhaka – 8
Welbeck – 7
Laca – 7
Iwobi – 6
Iwobi an 8 or 9 for me..thought he was really good. Maybe Xhaka 7 and Welbz 8
Massive shout out to Iwobi. Worked his socks off. Ramsey outstanding. Mustaffi held his nerve. So much better. Thank fuck.
Boy, Welbeck must be sucking Wenger’s dick. Can’t pass, can’t shoot, can’t dribble, can’t cross, can’t control but he stays on while Lacazette is taken off.
In cricketing terms Welbz is an “all-rounder” like Ian Botham. I like him and hope the injury isn’t serious.
By that, do you mean he likes Shredded Wheat?
Never felt so proud and giddy after a draw. Before the game would have taken anything as long as we showed fight and fight we showed. Ramsey and Xhaka were disciplined, defence were solid bar when Pedro was allowed in and to top it off we played like cynical pricks with our fouls. Bloody love it. More of this please boys!!!
Wish we had won but can’t fault the lads for not trying. It was exhilarating football. Kudos to Wenger for showing spine and not starting Sanchez- he needs to understand that Arsenal will fight regardless, and I’m sure Sanchez too liked the fight we put in today. Monreal was absolutely maddening. And I hope Welbeck gets up and running asap. Thoughts all over the place. Just like the emotions. COYG
Best game in an Arsenal shirt Mustafi.
A good point, but most importantly Arsenal didn’t play like chumps. Bravo boys.
Never knew we could FIGHT like that! More of such excellent display with goals, please. #COYRs
Loved that 1 point; so disciplined in their approach. Credit to midfield that did not over commit and was cautious throughout the game. A fully fit Alexis and Özil for Iwobi would be a handful for many premiere league defenses. With Liverpool’s form declining and a homeless Sp*rs, I think our chances of finishing in the top 4 looks better.
That was a great performance we had tactics we had concentration and we were not gun ho. Proud of the team today. Everyone worked there socks off and closed down…. we had a plan and stuck to it…. On another note Morata is a Whiney little bitch and spends most of his time crying like a scared little girl…. and side show bob is dirty filthy piece of fiecies…. He actually went out to hurt the tank….. lol he only hurt his self as the tank got up and played on as he went back to the changing rooms and… Read more »
we played so well I’m disappointed with a draw.
Luiz what a fucking cunt.
Personally I enjoyed that match. I thought the team played well and hopefully we can keep that type of performance up throughout the season. We’ll done lads!!
You can never say Wenger does not have balls..Or is it grand delusion.
That Iwobi call prior to the game was insane but in the end mostly vindicated.
About 4 players deserved the MOTM award..noticeable was Rambo,Monreal,Cech and Mustaphy I did take a wee after the match
Ha ha where?
At Luiz’s boots
Fantastic team performance. I was very critical of Bellerin’s tactical play last week but he look very mature and solid defensively and did his usual thing in offence. Thanks to Iwobi and his technical dribbling.
Also, Ozil haters should get off his back. He would have started if someone like Cazorla was on the pitch to keep possession. The team was set up to counter attack and we did that well by dropping Ozil for Iwobi.
He was injured lol
He’s also one of the best counter attacking players around.
Great team game, every one played their part, it’s so good to see this type of gritty stand up and be counted performance, now for once let’s see this for the whole season. I really hope Danny is OK he’s had his best start to a season ever. Can go to work tomorrow with my head up after a big game and that’s a nice feeling.
Well done, first half was full Arsenal, except the Pedro chance. Second half was more even. Mustafi is still unconvincing. Sanchez was piss poor when he came on. And Welbeck got injured again. I don’t rate the fella, but we need bodies for the Chinese Cup, and Europa.
A bit of a meh game for me. A point which will be swallowed up in an ” unexpected” defeat against one of the gimme fixtures coming up soon…..
Thought Mustafi had Morata in his pocket for the majority of the game. Once Morata spun away from him, but overall thought he was very good in the centre of the back 3.
We played well enough away at the champions for us to feel frustrated with a draw, that’s a step up for sure. Have to keep this going, very encouraging! Nice for Iwobi to start and play as long as he did, he worked hard and it’ll boost his confidence. His next target should be to get on the scoresheet. Our focus was on keeping the midfield + defence together and not crashing like we did at Anfield, which meant Lacazette suffered a bit. It was a bad miss, but as our game progresses so will his. Ramsey and the whole… Read more »
Better ball retention without Alexis and more defensive power without Ozil…and they both want to go. I know what I would do…COYG!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c75rB5eueM8
This ^^^
3 points off relegation, clearly it’s time for #WengerOut! I kid, I kid! Loving the egg on the face for all those Arsenal ‘fans’ who wrote the team off before kick off based on the starting lineup…
Not a bad performance, could’ve nicked it as well. Starting to get our season back on track.
Fair result in the end. Sanchez looks unfit. Looked mentally stronger and willing to make clever fouls!