Arsenal were held to their fourth successive Premier League draw by a dogged Burnley side at Turf Moor.
The Gunners missed good chances through Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the home side threatened throughout too. Jay Rodriguez ought to have won it for the Clarets, but his close range shot bounced off the bar and onto the line when it looked easier to score.
It was a performance that will give Mikel Arteta plenty to think about, including his own selection decisions and leaving a clearly injured player on without substituting him until the break.
Read the Burnley 0-0 Arsenal report
Here’s how the players rated this evening.
Ratings
The ratings are now hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Bernd Leno. Also, please give the ratings a few seconds to load.
Like the Burnley fans rating. What a miserable, laughable bunch they are. And living in a hole like Burnley really isn’t sufficient excuse.
Was I the only one who found the “anti football” chant pretty amusing? David Luiz said that almost a year ago. Got to give them credit for reminding him of those words while they were outplaying us.
They are the new Stoke.
They are Stoke City 2.0
And yet, if we are excoriatingly honest, they outplayed us for large parts of the game.
I think the word honest is the only needed word there.
Oh whoops. Did I use the wrong word? You get the drift anyway.
Any player with the temerity to be injured by an agricultural Burnley tackle/shoulder charge/push as they jumped in the air was relentlessly “booed”. Their fans seemed to spend more time booing than they did supporting their team!
Tarkowski was my least favorite of the bunch. Just a bloke that knows he lacks the natural ability of all the talented arsenal youngsters, so chooses to bully and foul all game in order to compensate.
i wonder why two good first halves make some arsenal fans forget a whole season of matches like this from ozil. heck, 250 appearances and he probably just played 25 of them. it’s time for everybody to move on and leave the spot to someone different. coyg
Standard for Ozil performances:
Good = People noticed he was on the field
Average = He was completely invisible
Bad = Got bullied and misplaced passes
He wasn’t the only player to play poorly but… when was the last time he was our MOTM?
Was Ozil really the main culprit today, or did Aubameyang and Lacazette really let the team and the fans down? I don’t see the need to berate the players today, but if we’re going to be honest about who didn’t play to their potential today, it was those two — they both had chances, really good chances, that they should have put away as strikers. We could have had 3 by the end of the first half, and had our tails up a bit. Every Arsenal player was below expectations today, and these games happen. With a new structure and… Read more »
Ozil is part of the attack so yes he is partly responsible for today. Did he have shots on target? Did he create many clear cut chances? No he didn’t so while the strikers were bad, so was he. Just because people now expect Ozil to never score doesn’t mean an attacking midfielder is only supposed to find space and pass sideways. Attacking mid is supposed to assist and score, take on players with dribbles, and in the best case also be a deadly set piece taker. Ozil is not the main problem but you can’t say he isn’t a… Read more »
I didn’t say he wasn’t a problem – I said that no one was good enough today, but if we really want to lay blame we should do so at the feet and head of our strikers, who did not put away some excellent chances. Had they done so, we might be looking at a very different result. I personally do not feel the need to lay any blame; these games happen, and strikers will miss chances. We kept a clean sheet away from home, something this team has found nearly impossible for 2 seasons now, so Arteta is, in… Read more »
Does a different result from our strikers taking those chances mean that Ozil would have had a good game? He made those chances did he? Come on mate.
Not necessarily, but had we started playing with our tails up with a 2-goal lead as Burnley opened up their game, there is a good chance our offensive players would have come out of match with much better play ratings. I don’t know see why that is so hard to believe.
Ozil with two key passes and one shot today (blocked). 87% pass percentage.
Impressive. Double his wages immediately.
I agree, I can let Auba off a little, but I’m Starting to worry about laca
This team needs completely gutted, that should start with Ozil being moved on, that money should be invested elsewhere. God know this teams needs some investment and we waste £18million a year on his lame arse performances.
Let’s hope a trip to Dubai and some intense coaching sessions can spark some life into this squad. We have seen glimpses of what Arteta’s Arsenal can do and we need to just support the journey we are on. Yes the team selection was a little off and tactically maybe he didn’t get it right today. But also there were some big chances missed for us that could have sealed the points. Let’s not turn toxic again. Let’s stick behind the club.
Interesting stats, we have created 25% less chances under Arteta than Emry. We have definitely improved defensively but our final third performance has to improve. Since Arteta, 68 shots only Shef utd and CP has fewer.
Most new managers sacrifice the good aspects for a bit in order to sort out the glaring issues like the defence. As that improves so will the attack.
Because under Emery our only play was through the wings and now we play a little more through the middle and we aren’t good enough to do it. This is the result of selling Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Alexis, Giroud and not replacing them properly. I know most people will disagree with me but all of our forward are technically not good enough with the ball. Most attacks stops with them because the either with the bad first touch, bad pass or they just run into the defense. If we also keep in mind that we don’t have any… Read more »
We have one of the worst Centre mids in the league. No athleticism pace or power. No goals from midfield either.m
Midfielders can’t do a lot if you have 3 forward who are not good at playing with the ball. How many times it happens that someone pass it to Laca and he has the bad first touch, Auba and Pepe constantly running into the players and loosing the ball, Martinelli also not the best link up player – I doubt that his passing accuracy is much higher than 60%. How many players are capable of playing one-twos? As I said, individually they are all good players but as a team they don’t function.
I agree with you. This was a seriously under appreciated aspect of Giroud’s game.
It was seriously under appreciated and imo Arsenal game was actually built around his link up and hold up play at that time being. But that was not my point actually. I more meant that we had players who were complementing eachother. Now we have too many one-dimensional players with the same weaknesses. Apart from Xhaka-Torreira you can’t say that anyone else makes someone better. We don’t have the players who would connect everything together. One by one we were selling those kind of players and not replacing them. Iwobi was the last of the ones we had. He was… Read more »
I agree with you to an extent. But our midfielders are incapable of linking up or going past are forward players. How many times does anyone in midfield actually break forward past our attackers. Go look at some of the goals wilshere, Diaby , Rosicky scored. I’m telling you it’s the middle 3 that is limiting us. None of them are bad players but they all have too many individual weaknesses in their game. Mostly centred around speed and athleticism .
This is the smartest post I’ve read on these comment pages full of FIFA wannabes and whingers in a VERY long time.
Well done, sir. Well done indeed.
They all tried their best but against Burnly we can do better…
This is not the same team that played against Chelsea…
Arteta needs to fix this team in the summer. I pray the board should back him appropriately.
Nothing to write home about in the league this season…
We need the EL and FA to savage this season for us
Seriously we just haven’t worked out or remembered how to win? Great that we didn’t lose or concede but as soon as we lost Saka (excellent) we lost all creativity!
I don’t understand the low Saka rating despite the injury. He was pretty much the only out ball in attack and whipped in about 3 great crosses in the first 15 mins and won a free kick in a decent area.
The match changed once he got injured
Hey look, that wasps nest is full of Ozil fans.
Andrew… what are you doing with that stick?
Ozil fans easily have to be the most delusional and annoying fans in football today.
I think they feel the need to protect him because he seems so fragile and sensitive.
Bashing a faithful player to the team does not seem enough that some here are now rejecting others who have the wrong to appreciate Özil… do you wish to reach Burnley fan’s low level ? Seems so. You are on the right way of football fandom
Faithful? On £350k a week, living in London and bugger all serious offers for him.
Social media posts aren’t loyalty they are for attention.
I appreciate Thierry Henry… doesn’t mean I think he should be the star player for Arsenal in 2020.
You say the sky is green, I say the sky is blue. We are not going to agree and I won’t waste time arguing.
I am normally happy about any faithful player, problem is that the club doesn’t want him to be faithful. They wanted him to f**k off with his 350 k wages for the last 2 windows at least. I am just backing the club line on that. Özil just does what his contract allows him to do. Contribute little and earn alot. Well within his right. Would I do the same? You can bet on that. Maybe I would try to contribute a little bit more, but that’s just me, you know. Not everyone is the same. But I would not… Read more »
Maybe – just a suggestion – try to avoid dividing fans with your comments? You’re not doing anyone a service with this tripe.
You are right. I will do my best not to upset the Ozil fans because I know how sensitive they can be.
My mistake for being rational.
This comment is utter rubbish.
Really, Arsenal “supporters” like you are are a real asset. Really Smart, you lot.
Congrats.
Just came too see the Ozil army defending another piss poor performance.
Can’t remember his last good game for AFC.
United at home this season. Not long ago…
Please. Just stop.
What kind of talisman cannot be objectively trusted to have an impact away from his home stadium and, even then, needs everything to be “just right” in order to do so?
He’s finished. The midfield will be remodelled and he will have no part to play when that happens.
It will be a shame too. After the World Cup we all wanted him to prove the German media wrong, but he’s done in this league and, quite likely, also at the top level.
Why “stop ? Is it a way to “talk” with fellow fans on a forum? I do not claim Özil is Arsenal’s future, I say he deserves respect just like the fans who appreciate him and who, contrary to you, reject no one of different opinion.
Ozil vs Manure: 84% pass acc, 1 key pass, 0 shots, 58 touches (5th best for Arsenal) in 90′ (whoscored stats).
If it’s a good game, I’d imagine a shitty one.
I could have mentioned Arsenal – Chelsea where we were leading 1-0 with Özil before MA put him out with a midfield unable to keep the ball. MA then kept him to the end of the game against United where Özil kept the ball and gained an important throw in the last seconds. Of course you will not see this in the stats, but me I watch the games.
When he kept the ball, can you pls provide more statistics ? How many big chances created? How many assists? How many goals? He one of the highest paid player with one of the least output. I think we both watches diff games. If he is so effective, why he is the one who always gets sub? I know you love Ozil but most of us know, he has to move on. It is better for both parties. Even Xhaka has got fans confidence now. I love this club more than any individual and we shud sell few senior palyers… Read more »
Right, listen to yourself. Xhaka and Mustafi were utterly destroyed on these pages week after week, for a very long time now. Both are playing much better under Arteta, and will, fingers crossed, continue to improve as the team does. There is a good chance the same will happen for Ozil as the team’s offensive output begins to improve. We’ll get there soon,and the MOTM performances will, hopefully, follow.
Every 10 year old kid watching that United match is going to remember that magical Ozil moment where he “kept the ball and won a throw in”. Its unforgettable is what it is.
Oh Mr. I watch the games, a 350k/week player whose major input in that game was “gain an important throw in the last seconds”?
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
Ozil’s army are going to far.
You’re neglecting to mention he also ran more than anyone and had more ball recoveries.
People go on about “fanboys” but the converse is also true.
He was shit that day too. Wake up.
Good game? Because of few good passes? He is the worst player in premier league by far , wake up
LOL what an idiotic thing to say.
Honestly, just have a think about that comment, Von.
Well, he is certainly not the worst player in the Premier League. Regarding potential he is in the top 3 %, regarding actual output in the lowest 15 percent and regarding salary in the top 0.5 percent.
Özil on 350 k with 10 goals and 25 assists a season would be worth any single penny and Özil on a Jenkinson salary would also be a good squad player.
Worst player in the Prem you say? According to what metric – word of mouth by random fans? Your imagination? You aren’t paying his wages, so what? And for a club with turnover in excess of 435M in 2018, Ozil’s wages are about 4%. That’s peanuts. Not to mention shirt sales and associated deals and connections because he is an Arsenal player. Really, fools complaining about Ozil’s wage packet (which he had little to do with negotiating, btw), need to get a clue. Sure, he’s underperforming now. But in a new regime, with a new manager, and new playing philosophy… Read more »
Arteta has given everyone the opportunity to stake a place. Well done Luiz,Mustafi
in particular and thumbs down to Ozil and Lacazette in particular.
Time to start making tough decisions after the break.
Laca has been atrocious for about ten games now and I was honestly expecting him to sit for Auba today.
I think we might have to accept that some of our players just aren’t as good as we’d like them to be.
Sadly not just some of the players but a sizeable chunk of the First Team squad. A big clearout needed in the summer.
Some will go absolutely postal if you even as much criticise certain players in the smallest fashion.
I think we can all see that a complete rebuild is needed. The positives are they we have a few excellent young players and a top keeper. Some decent forwards too.
Agree with that mate, apart from one word. Replace some with most.
I think our midfield needs more work/additions than our defense. Lots of “good” players but week in week out they are been outplayed by the likes of Sheffield and Burnley. I believe Arteta’s next big signing will not be a defender but a midfielder…
Finally someone is preaching the word. For years now people have been saying it is our defense that has been the issue. Yes our defenders make poor decisions that cost us the game but when we would see time and time again our defense being overrun by forwards and defenders so much so they are outnumbered and not a midfielder in sight. Besides not protecting the defense they do not create anything for the forwards and are hardly at the end of any goals. And to imagine Cazorla and Coquelin would control a midfield on there own. Song, Diaby, Vieira,… Read more »
I hear there’s a decent bloke playing mid for Villareal atm, may be available cheap.
Santiiiiiiii
Great comment here.
What an absolutely awful game. Lacazette’s saving grace for so long has been his work rate and ability to link attack with the rest of the team in lieu of a prolific scoring record. Now even that has evaporated.
Mediocre team. Got lucky for the draw. Forced to play xhaka at left back because no AMN on the bench and the fact we bought an injured right back in January. Why guendouzi started is beyond me especially after toreirria and xhaka have played so well together.
The sorry state of our team is best revealed by the fact that our makeshift left back gets injured and our team falls apart
My guess was douzi was so impressive against Bournemouth the other night so the boss decided to keep him on. He is still young so he is bound to lack consistency. Not a good decision from the boss.
We are badly missing an imposing figure in midfield. No connection between defence and attack. We couldn’t hold the ball for more than two passes. Still a mountain to climb for Arteta
Fair enough ratings for all our forward players. The manager has a big decision to make re regarding our 9 and 10. They should be dropped out to give others a go.
I don’t think it’s really much of a decision. Özil is unpickable in away games at all, and in home games against a top half side, and Lacazette seems to have turned into Lee Chapman (let’s hope temporarily).
Can’t quite understand why Arteta didn’t continue with the Bellerin/Pepe and Saka/Martinelli partnerships on the wings; they were the highlight of the last two games at Chelsea at Bournemouth.
Not a good game. Despair to watch. Aubameyang and Lacazette are painful to watch. I really hope the winter break would bring positive energy to the team. It has been ages since we were in winning ways.
Auba needs to work through the middle. He’s a middling winger but a great striker. Wish we had sold Laca and used Eddie, Martinelli, and Pepe for striker depth.
another 9 draws and we stay up, also thought stoke we in the championship
Been listening to a lot of podcasts that mentioned G Graham coming into Arsenal and getting rid of the pampered, entitled players. Arteta may have to take some leaves out of that book
Not saying I disagree with you, but aside from the polarizing Ozil who are we talking about? We have players who aren’t good enough, but pampered and entitled? Who’s that anymore? Alexis and Theo are gone and those were the two I always put in that category. Honestly, I put Guendouzi in that box now but he’s young enough to correct.
I have to disagree politely with our defence ratings. The only reason we didnt concede was out of pure luck. Bellerin should also improve his crossing.
Plus the selection of Ceballos instead of AMN is puzzling since he is below Joe apparently and cannot cover RB and LB positions
Sterling has just produced a challenge exactly the same as Aubameyang & yet only received a yellow on VAR review.
This wasn’t supposed to go here ??♂️
VAR is only as good as the refs who use it. And prem refs are lousy.
I’ve given up on VAR to be honest. Livarpool were getting a game yesterday for about 50 minutes until the penalty that was obviously ignored (as the bin dippers went up the other end and scored). Had they gone 0-1 down to a penalty (as they should’ve) then Soton would’ve carried on playing on the counter. Once they went 1-0 down they were doomed as they had to come out and that played right into the bin dippers’ hands.
I wouldn’t mind but they don’t exactly need all this help they keep getting.
And maybe I’m misunderstanding the rules, but in LFC’s game against United, at the end, the play was whistled dead in the Liverpool box for offside (ref pointed to the linesman’s flag), yet Allison was allowed to kick the ball out of his hands up the pitch to Salah, who scored (game was over anyways, but …). No indication from anyone that the ball should have been played dead from the ground, something that’s been called on us several time when we play on quickly.
Like the year Leicester won the title, the officiating suits the narrative.
If the linesman indicated offside, but the referee never blew this whistle (because the keeper had the ball anyway), then it is just like any advantage, where the play continues.
On the other hand, there was a pretty clear back-pass early in the game, that the keeper picked up right at his left post, that was ignored.
It’s not Var, it’s the people behind it. How can the richest and most famous league use it this badly? Corruption my friend. How do you think this league is the richest?
Burnley fans are not as bad as Stoke fans. They’ll always be the worst. Such an ugly place, hope they never come back
Where are you Santi? You have been missed badly.
Sadly, I made a lot of the same ratings as Arseblog today, I particularly agree with the bonus rating, I’d add that Sean Dyche is an absolute cunt.
We have simply forgotten how to attack through the middle. Ozil crap again. We badly need a couple of experienced midfielders. Torreira can’t find a forward ball, Guendouzi just wanted to play safe side ways passes. No risk takers in the team. The only risk we’re taking is by playing out from the back. Ziyech would be the ideal replacement for Ozil. We need to scout smartly for another experienced CM that is physical, faster, can move the ball forward.
Jack Grealish would actually be an ideal replacement. Ziyech seems to be more of a winger, begs the question of why Pepe was bought for £72m when Ziyech was available for £25m & wanted to play for us.
You’re right, we could do with a PL-proven midfielder.
Both McNeil and Grealish would be better than almost all our current midfield.
Some persepective; our current ‘midfield’ play 3 out of 5 passes square or back. Santi played 1 in 10… if that!
We are always going to have bad games away to physical teams, our midfield lacks creativity, we really need to invest in that area and in defence getting a real box to box midfielder hopefully in the mould of a diaby and a creative player in the mould of carzola and cesc, even if that means getting rid of laca, auba and ozil, our strikers are always going to score, we have honestly performed better with worse strikers
Apparently Ozil earns more per week than the entire Sheffield United team!!
And Pepe costed more.
Pepe could be sold again. I suppose Özil won’t pay back part of his salary?
And he contributed the same. Zero goals, zero assists. 😉
Unsurprising. Thought we would line up like so which was the correct call but we were generally poor, undynamic, tentative and but for first 10 minutes lacked use of the wide areas. 1) Leno – OK but he needed to pump the ball up field in injury time, instead elected to play out from the back…no urgency. Also we are so SLOOOOW giving Leno someone to hit at following a recovery by him. 2) Bellerin – Not sure how he scores so high. Very poor today. Did not push up enough to support Martinelli or provide width, very tentative defending… Read more »
Emery regularly dropped Ozil and Lacazette away from home, and was castigated for it. Arteta plays Ozil and Lacazette away from home, and is beginning to be castigated for it. Emery dropped Ozil completely, and was castigated, and the narrative was Emery didn’t know how to use Ozil, hopefully that narrative has been put to bed, because using that logic, neither does Arteta….. Emery regularly started Guendouzi instead of Torreira, and was castigated for it. Today Arteta started Guendouzi ahead of Torreira, but it made no real difference to when Torreira started. Arteta started Mustafi today, Mustafi played well. Had… Read more »
Oh dear, still hurt over Emery’s dismissal … you might want to see someone about that.
Still under the illusion things have improved? That Emery was the problem? That our problems are coaching ones? That it was Emery who didn’t know how to use Ozil? Futsboller, it’s not me who’s got my head buried in the sand. I’m just pointing out the inconsistencies, Arteta is getting away with much of what Emery didn’t, and he’s making many of the same decisions. Over the next 18 months, I’ll be the one standing up for Arteta, in the same way I did for Emery, because I think we need time to bring a new project to fruition, and… Read more »
First and foremost, we needed to improve our defence: we have done that. We are more solid and we didn’t concede today — the numbers are there to support that. It is frustrating that we are creating so little, but this was brutally true under Emery, so one thing at a time. We’ll get there. Some fans might turn on Arteta, but the majority will not as the majority are perceptive enough to see the positives, the clearer messages and the improvements in performance. Everyone will remain worried about how we’re run, but we’ve got the right coach and he… Read more »
Emery is the reason the players had absolutely no confidence and didn’t know what they were supposed to be doing. He was a cowardly manager who used players like props to put in his stupid tactical decisions, with no idea how to play to their strengths. He didn’t care about the players welfare and drove Kos out of the club by making him do things he physically couldn’t do.He blamed everyone but himself for the shit shows he was passing off as football and now blames the fans for driving him out of the club. If Emery had been fired… Read more »
Great blog vonnie.Rich wanted Emery to be given more time.He must be joking.He was lucky he got out in one piece after his 18 months of BS.
I thought that Guendouzi was very poort today. Holding onto the ball too long and passing it left and slightly backwards slowing down our counter attacks. He really lacked incisive forward passing.
Credit where it’s due, Mustafi was MOTM and that includes the Burnley players too.
Won every header and tackle pretty much. Got rid of it instead of trying to be clever. The way forward for Mustafi has been discovered by Arteta. Keep it simple and win your duels. Then hoof it out of play or up the pitch. Not pretty, but it’s what will work for him imo.
Just a broken lineup, with a void in MF. Once Burnley adjusted to take away the space Ozil had, the game completely flipped. Things that don’t work: Auba out wide. He is a fox in the box, but wasted 30 yards wide of goal. Laca. Completely lost at the mo. Every coach seems to want him and Auba in the side together, despite overwhelming evidence it doesn’t work (except perhaps in a 442) Ozil. He’s old, tired, has too little impact on the game. He can’t/won’t carry the ball and can’t/won’t shoot on goal, and has no speed. He just… Read more »
“Once Burnley adjusted to take away the space Ozil had, the game completely flipped.”
You just answered what is the biggest problem and why it doesn’t work. Our performances depends only on one player. Cut Ozil from the game and we are done. Ball carrying midfielder and a wide playmaker should be priority who will help our No. 10 (Ozil or anybody else).
I agree. Once our opposition adjusts to try to mark Ozil out of the game, what is our plan B? We have to assume that teams are going to do this. We are too used to having a team with immense technical talent, especially for incisive passing, and that was a big part of what made us so dynamic, so fun to watch, and so hard to stop. When our striker is slumping hard, one winger is 18 (lots of hustle, but still quite raw), and the other is a very proficient goalscorer (but not such a great passer), who… Read more »
Ozil has to do a job of a 2 or 3 players these days. Fans expect him to build up, assist and score. If we look our last 10 goals he was involved in the half goals. Sheffield and Palace goals comes to my mind. This is the reality. There is no “bridge” in our team. If we just compare our lineup from 2017-18 – Atletico Madrid 1:1. In the same team we had Xhaka, Ramsey, Wilshere and Ozil with Welbeck and Lacazette. When it comes to creating chances 2017/18 was not the problem (finishing them was). Welbeck, whatever people… Read more »
Is he trying to play Laca out of bad form or something? I can understand starting him but
89 minutes seems a bit over the top. Looks like they could all use a solid two weeks off to work on some passing and finishing drills.
It’s the old theory of letting a player ‘play his way back into form’. I totally get that, but I too think there comes a time where you need to bench the player and let him play his way back into form as a substitute.
Hope we sell both Ozil and Lacazette in the summer. Both of them literally end our attacks all the time.(Ironic because the opposite is what their fans will tell you)
2/10 for Arteta for leaving Saka on even when injured. It beggared belief.
It was a poor performance, but at least we got a clean sheet on the road (even if a bit of luck was involved). Those have been very rare. Would have sold a kidney for a late winner, just to piss off Dyche. He’s the worst!
He sounds like something out of WWE.
Bad luck with Saka, but no replacement fb on the bench? Putting Xhaka in the back four totally changed the game. Guendouzi, Lucas, and Ozil were not going to control the midfield, and that was the end of any real possession nor creativity as Ozil was not into the game. One has to wonder about Ceballos being so down in the pecking order as it is assumed he is more creative than Willock?
Exactly.
Lacazette and Ozil are not justifying their places in the team right now.
Lacazette has been underperforming for way too long now.
Auba on top
Martinelli and Saka on the left as they have proved an understanding there. It was a mistake to mix Martinelli with Bellering on the right, and Saka with Auba.
And then Torreira for Guendouzi
… and why not ceballos for Øzil?
Imitation is the highest form of flattery! I will sign a #27 shirt for you some day my friend!
“Won’t the real slim shady please stand up?”
Well done Shodran……..u show em’
Drop Ozil and laca. They don’t offer enough.
Unpopular opinion, but I don’t think Ozil had a TERRIBLE game. In the first 25 minutes he was fantastic. This was largely due to Saka pulling Burnley out wide and him finding acres of space in the middle of the park and putting the ball into dangerous areas. Exactly what you would want/expect from him. Saka going off unfortunately changed EVERYTHING. I don’t know if that is down to Arteta for not finding a solution, but I don’t like that Ozil is becoming the scapegoat for this away draw.
I also wouldn’t want to single out Özil in this particular game, because he was not worse than a few other senior players. However, the other senior players don’t seem to have an army of diehard defenders who claim that he showed a great performance in this game. I think that 4 out of 10 from Blogs for Özil, Laca and Auba are all deserved, but I don’t see people on here, claiming that Laca and Auba had a good game or trying to defend their performance.
Andrew, I think you need to have a rating for the Manager as well
Arteta – 3/10
Poor team selection and even more awful in-game management.
I understand he’s inexperienced,but there were sooo many inexplicable decisions today.
If this were Emery,we’d be savaging him.I really hope Arteta learns quickly,otherwise things could get ugly again next season,when results will be expected of him.
Agree that Ozil and Laca were poor, but I like that they started. It reminds me of arteta comments around the chelsea red card, where he wants the team to show who they are and figure it out on their own. He isn’t going to save them. He is looking to his senior players and forcing them to step up…. he wont let them hide. I’m sure Ozil would have loved to sit this one out
Burnley will never be Stoke.
It seems that the honeymoon period for MA is now officially over. I’m still backing him 100% though. I think once he’s had two or three transfer windows we’ll see massive improvements
Still, we need results now. That’s a given nowadays and the name of the game.
Guendouzi’s strength also seems to be his weakness. Strong headed with youthful energy, he needs a bit more nous but a quality player is in there. By the time he makes up his mind the other side have regained a position to defend or swamp the ball or cut off runs for the forwards. Ozil, well…. Lacazette, I love him, he clearly loves Arsenal but Arteta may have to sell some to reinvest, much as Klopp had to. Right now what Laca is worth in the transfer market may outweigh what he brings to the team over a season as… Read more »
Flopazette at it again. It being a massive black hole at the head of our attack. People keep feeling sorry for him and excusing his wasted minutes on a steak. Give Eddie a turn up front. Maybe he could at least trap the ball, dribble a little or complete a pass. For all the Ozil hate and rightfully so, should be as much Flopazette disgust as well.
Agree with you Blogs on Guendouzi today. Concern with him is that his main
attribute, and at times only attribute, is “busyness”. But that doesn’t seem to mix
with Torreira, or anyone else on the team. Don’t see exactly how he would fit in
consistently as a main cog in an efficient team structure. Good as an impact sub but
not as a regular.
Toothless is the only word that springs to mind.
Lacazete should just rest to clear his mind ,,,
Did Mustafi just get highest rating?
Ozil is probably not worth the salary, but I wouldn’t blame him for this performance. There were plenty enough chances to win and our strikers just don’t seem to be on form.