Result: Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Competition: Premier League
Date: 6 December 2021
Venue: Goodison Park
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Lacazette
Subs: Okonkwo, Holding, Cedric, Tavares, Sambi, Elneny, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang
Demarai Gray’s stoppage-time rocket condemned Arsenal to a third consecutive away defeat as the Gunners gave up a first half lead to lose 2-1 to Everton at Goodison Park.
Despite Martin Odegaard’s well-taken goal putting us in a strong position, Mikel Arteta’s men were twice thankful for VAR interventions before Richarlison, the man denied on each occasion, finally found an equaliser on 79 minutes.
Eddie Nketiah and Odegaard had opportunities to snatch a win against the run of play but after allowing Gray to cut onto his right foot there was something inevitable about him finding the net.
Pre-game
Mikel Arteta made four changes to the side that started Thursday’s defeat to Manchester United. The most eye-catching was the selection of Granit Xhaka. Out since September, the Switzerland international, returning a month ahead of schedule, took up a place in midfield alongside Thomas Partey. Mo Elneny dropped to the bench. Elsewhere, Kieran Tierney replaced Nuno Tavares, Saka came in for Smith Rowe, who limped off at Old Trafford, and Alex Lacazette started ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
First half
Having gone eight games without a win, the home side were obviously keen to get the disgruntled home support onside with an early show of blood and thunder. Godfrey cleared out Tomiyasu as the pair challenged for a fifty-fifty and Gray raised pulses with a burst forward that ended with a shot flying over Ramsdale’s bar.
The Gunners, perhaps focused on keeping things tight, were very conservative for the opening 15 minutes. At times, it felt like we were playing with a striker as Lacazette dropped deep to get involved. It left us looking short in attack, best highlighted when a promising break by Tierney ended with some tepid sideways passing on the edge of the Everton box before found row Z of the Gwladys Street End with a trademark wild effort.
While Ramsdale wasn’t tested, Abdoulaye Doucare’s snatched effort, following a bad pass out from the back by Gabriel, and a fierce cross by Gray did have us on the back foot. Either side, Godfrey floored Saka with a clattering of knees and then put a boot into the face of Tomiyasu. VAR checked the latter incident but Mike Dean was unmoved.
If that was annoying, at least the lads in Stockley Park did us a favour just before the break by ruling out Richarlison’s header after the Brazilian had won a free-kick that Townsend tossed into the mixer. As Everton celebrated, the lines were drawn and the striker was deemed offside by an inch.
It served as a timely kick up the arse. Just as Arteta was preparing a half-time rocket, his players produced a moment of real quality to snatch the lead out of nothing.
Gabriel, Xhaka and Lacazette were involved in releasing Tierney down the left and the Scot picked out Odegaard who guided the ball home on the volley from eight yards. It was the Norwegian’s third goal of the season and his second in four days. It was also our first effort of the evening on target. (1-0)
Second half
Arsenal have been rightly criticised for sitting back when in the lead this season but after an opening half when we’d barely gone forward, it was hard for us to get any worse. To be fair, we tried our best.
Aside from Ramsdale being forced to tip over an up and under by Gordon, we were relatively controlled and probably should have doubled our lead when an Odegaard free-kick picked out Gabriel at the back post. The centre-back could have found a teammate as he tried to head back across goal but was left with his head in his hands when Pickford claimed.
The home side came within a toe of making us pay. For the second time in the evening, Richarlison put the ball in the back of the net, this time finishing off a decent move that saw Doucoure unpick our defence. Again VAR ruled in our favour, deciding the striker was marginally offside. Had it gone the other way, you wouldn’t have argued.
In the pouring rain, the game grew stretched and then scrappy. There was a glimmer of a second when Martinelli went round Pickford but he couldn’t keep his effort on target. The winger was replaced by Nketiah with 20 minutes remaining after going down with cramp. By that point, Tavares had also replaced Tierney and Xhaka had joined Godfrey, finally booked for a foul on Saka, in the book.
Ramsdale was not impressed by what was playing out in front of him and handed out rollickings to Tavares for a wayward pass across his box and to pretty much everybody else in a red shirt who came within five yards of him.
It was to no avail. We couldn’t shake the jitters and with 11 minutes remaining, Everton grabbed a deserved equaliser. After Gray had hit the bar with a curler, Richarlison was well placed to head the ball back over Ramsdale. (1-1)
The roar from the Goodison faithful was a clear sign they fancied another and yet it was Arsenal who had three great chances to sneak a second. Nketiah headed a Saka cross against the post from point-blank range – a terrible miss by the substitute – and Odegaard had two shots blocked at close quarters.
In the second of six minutes of stoppage time, Arsenal again allowed Gray to cut onto his right foot and this time, the winger delivered a killer blow, finding the net off the post with a rasping drive. He ripped off his shirt and went straight into the crowd. (2-1)
While defeat might have been avoided at the death had substitute Aubameyang converted a simple chance, there’s no doubting we got what we deserved on a night of bad performances across the board.
Defeat, coupled with the weekend’s results, means we’re down in seventh in the table. Our promising form of September and October is starting to feel like a distant memory. We need to arrest this decline quickly.
guess we’re back to being a mess
Wow. Bl**dy Everton who’s lingering in the relegation zones and we lost a comfortable lead. None of the substitutions made sense – we lost the first goal thru the left hand side after Tavares came on, Nketiah missed a sitter when we have Auba and Pepe on the bench.
Last week some of you were had the cheek to say “but we’re still fifth.” In less than a week we’re now 7th behind both Spurs and United, who actually made strides in appointing competent managers, and we’re still stuck with this muppet.
Auba is on the bench because he’s been shit. Hindsight is nice but don’t turn up acting like you would have had faith that Auba would have scored the chance Eddie fucked. If anything Auba is showing the forwards the art of missing open goals
Auba aside we still have Pepè you complete plonk. The point is there’s absolutely no logic bringing on Nketiah who’s publicly denied a contract extension. There’s plenty of youth players who can even make up that spot on the bench.
But he is a a fan’s favourite in Liverpool!
No point. After we beat some fodder the same guys will come out and say see see, where are the Arteta outs now…Failing ot realise when it actually matters were just as shite as ever, Why does the team still look so lost, disjointed and like strangers despite being together for 3 or 4 years now, while watching other teams improve almost instantly with other competent managers. Man utd and Spurs have been diabolical this season yet which teams are now above us. We probably just kick started Evertons season our rivals for 8th.
“Comfortable”?
Yes, and what now?
Arteta froze.
Xhaka played
And we’ve ALWAYS been a mess under Arteta. Even when we strung a series of wins you can clearly see our forwards are struggling, we don’t have a clear identity nor do we create many chances per game. He’s been here a couple of years and yet some people still defend him. Look at both Vieira and Gerrard, they’re young coaches as well but you can see a clear pattern of what they’re trying to do. Yet with Arteta it’s excuses after excuses, to the point people forget he’s the highest spending manager the last couple seasons. Joke.
2020 lineup, 2020 performance
Its a process….That takes years and millions when others can do it quicker and for less.
Who has done it quicker and for less? You’re not seriously judging Gerrard’s performance at Villa after three matches? How do you compare Palace–Patrick is doing pretty well with a much smaller budget, but they haven’t won many matches.
I said before game and over last few weeks as we have been creating so little that the jury was still out for on Arteta. It ain’t no more. He don’t have I’m afraid. Nketia gets rewarded for not signing a new contract by coming on instead of our captain and record buy. We are 15 in league in big chances created. That’s all on Arteta. They won’t sack him but it’s gonna get painful. Some wonderful young players to build around as well. Guys me to watch the team I love play like Bolton and west Brom .
We just have to wait for nature to take its course. Either it all clicks soon and we magically start creating chances or hopefully the penny drops that a few results against the bottom teams was simply flattering to deceive and the club moves on. Watching this team play whatever it is Arteta is trying to get them to do can be likened to going to the dentist on a weekly basis. This team continues to perform at a level less than the sum of its parts.
Pathetic tactics, pathetic selections, pathetic substitutions two games in a row.
We knicked a goal against the run of play, luckily avoided two close offsides. We were a seive against the counters again. Our tempo was back to a snails pace most of the game. We take two steps forward and then we literally turn and run away…
That’s two games in a row that fall squarely on the manager – right when we had a chance to make a statement and show we are real top 4 contenders – instead we look like top 4 pretenders.
I thought the process trusters said our defence was sorted? At this rate we’re on target to concede 57 goals compared to 39 last season. It seems like Arteta has just reverted to type, especially with today’s selections. With Spurs and United getting themselves proper managers and West Ham suggesting last season was no accident, we’re in a fight with Villa etc for 7th. We managed a run of decent results but can we really say that corresponded with an uplift in quality of performances? I don’t think so.
Anyone who said we would be “real top 4 contenders” at the beginning of this season would have been laughed at. Are you really blaming Arteta for dashing that hope?
It’s no coincidence that we play as poor as we have all season, when Xhaka returns.
For somebody considered by so many of you as a great passer, he offers nothing apart from the sideways pass to Tierney.
73rd min when he cocked up that easy pass to Nketiah (less said about him the better) and put it out for a throw, I knew we lost.
Oh don’t forget about Xhaka’s stupid yellow card that meant he couldn’t bring Gomes down before the winning goal.
You guys got your great Xhaka back, enjoy us slipping down the table.
Such a ridiculous bear tackle for that card. Again. And it wasn’t anything close to worth it – we had players aplenty covering back – stopping him from committing to a tackle later as you said.
Only positive was seeing KT being back to his normal KT self. And that ball Saka floated over for Eddie at the back post was sublime. But not what happened after. Want to erase that from my memory.
That tackle showed two things:
(a) Xhaka will NEVER learn;
(b) he has a selfish ego (the armband fiasco) that always comes before club and team – that yellow is his typically petulant response to being skinned by players who know how slow and one-sided he is.
We are bad with or without Xhaxa…Just as we were shite with Auba on the Bench and Have been shite with him starting. At least Auba has service for the club. Xhaxa put the nail in Wengers coffin and killed Emery. I hope Arteta keeps playing him because he will die on that hill too.
You know last night after about an hour, I had had enough of Xhaka and wanted us to lose because of it.
If Arteta wants to put his eggs in Xhaka’s basket, he will regret it
It was a 3 am game here so I missed it. How did Xhaka perform? Did we see anything new from him? Dominated the game with his experience and range of passing? I saw the lineup before I slept and all I can think about is the horseshoe pattern with Xhaka in the team, and Laca dropping deep with no support up front.
Xhaka was Xhaka, can’t really say anymore than that
Pretty much exactly what you pictured. Slowed down our build-up play, often chose horseshoe options. Laca dropped deep just as you envisaged. Got carded for a completely unnecessary tackle. Marginally faster than his slowest at releasing the ball as he tends to be when he’s just come back. We missed Sambi.
Playing like the Emery team. My eyes hurt.
My heart hurts
Total embarrassment. Don’t even know where to start. We have now been beaten by 2 teams out of form by playing the most amateurish football. Arteta has to carry the can for his tactics but the sooner Nketiah and Aubamayeng leave the better. At this level you should not miss those chances but Aubamayeng does it over and over again. Our defending throughout was poor and descended into shambolic towards the end. We allow teams to bully us every week although they should have been down to 10 or even 9 men. Dean is and has always been a dreadful… Read more »
Laca needs to go also..Our strikers are all finished for different reasons.
It’s no coincidence that we play as poor as we have all season, when Xhaka returns. For somebody considered by so many of you as a great passer, he offers nothing apart from the sideways pass to Tierney. 73rd min when he cocked up that easy pass to Nketiah (less said about him the better) and put it out for a throw, I knew we lost. Oh don’t forget about Xhaka’s stupid yellow card that meant he couldn’t bring Gomes down before the winning goal. You guys got your great Xhaka back, enjoy us slipping down the table. Sorry if… Read more »
Yeah like what are we doing here?? Arteta has just lost back to back games against one team who were 9th in the league without a proper manager in charge, and to a team who were what, 16th? and who hadn’t won a game since October. For me — The owners have a choice to make right now. They have an opportunity to save the season, because by sheer luck, we have found ourselves in touching distance of Europe, in particular the Champions League. So they can either, end this complete charade now and go and get a proper manager… Read more »
The best signing we can make is a new manager.
One thing is clear: we are a badly coached side! Even at 0 — 1 up, I said the same thing. What a shit performance. We are one of the lowest scoring sides in the league away from home and even in general. Our attack looks toothless. No coordination, no style. We are fucking dreadful. Xhaka looked tired, but instead of taking him off, he went to take off Tierney. What for?! And what’s this sudden obsession with Nketiah. I am sorry, but with Arteta it’s become 2 steps forward and 5 backwards. He shouldn’t have this much time to… Read more »
Plus: since the injury of Xhaka we defeted only once when Lokonga was playing (against Liverpool… at Anfield)
Xhaka was fine for me. Partey did nothing. The big question is why the hell is Nketiah being played? Useless player who also refused to sign a contract. Madness. Arsenal are a mess.
‘Xhaka was fine’… WTF game were you watching!!!
He remains pathetically one-footed; achingly slow and a clumsy yellow-card oaf. Even his ‘famed’ passing was absent last night.
The team were generally shite… Xhaka was extraordinarily shite.
Lokonga plays one bad game which he follows up with a motm performance but is mysteriously dropped. Maitland niles has a very good game not seen again…The inconsistency in how certain players are treated compared to others also shows Artetas managerial weaknesses.
And Pepe forever benched, to the point Arteta plays f*cking Nketiah over him. Arteta’s got an ego too big for his head, this isn’t the first time this falling out with players has happened; Ozil, Guendouzi, Saliba, Willock, AMN at one point, Reiss Nelson, now Pepè. You can try and say these players have issues, but if you alienate almost a quarter of your playing squad, that could actually mean you’re the problem. Not them.
The way we sat back and invited them onto us after scoring was flat out embarrassing. What’s all this Arteta keep saying about “killing games”? It looked like we were playing 2011 Barcelona at Camp Nou defending with our lives.
Completely agree about the KT substitution. That changed the game imo. Nuno was absolutely dreadful and lacked composure and in an atmosphere like this we absolutely needed to stay composed. Arteta hamstrung himself by not taking out an obviously very tired Xhaka first. Just a bad bad decision.
Dreadful substitutions have been a constant theme of Arteta’s reign.
Nuno was assaulted by an Everton player and could hardly walk. Everton should’ve been down to nine men by then but Mike Dean cheating again.
Even the Blogs’ dog could see that once Andre Gomes came on, Everton won control of the midfield it is beyond me how Arteta could not see that the midfield needed some fresh legs, same thing with the United Game.
Woof
How can an Ex midfielder be so blind to what is needed…..in midfield.
Arteta is done. It’s just a matter of time but we won’t get anyone good in now. The best are taken so we have to play this out until the end of the season, finish 8 and then get a new manager.
My heart hurts.
Zidane is der
Xhaka is immobile at the best of times. Tired Xhaka was a walking disaster out there. Watching him on the 2nd offside was plain embarrassing and his role in the winner was abysmal. I had enough of watching Xhaka play 2 years ago. At this point I think Arteta is just trolling us.
If Xhaka was Immobile I’d be a lot happier
He’s not very good either though.
Yes, it’s time for change. I’m lost, I don’t even know how we repair. The entire squad are Arteta’s men selected for whatever he thinks his system is (because only Arteta knows, not even the players do). So if we bring in a new manager, there won’t even be a bounce because the squad is an Arteta design and there will be a long adjustment period – again! What I do know, is that Wenger and Emery were let go for much less. I really like Arteta, but this just cannot continue. It is starting to look like Partey was… Read more »
Maybe we could if we subbed off the walking pilon that we had in midfield for the whole 2nd half. Everton sit deep, draw us on, an ineffectual slow attack get’s turned over and we’re exposed on the counter. Rinse and repeat. Story of the game. The last two games have been 2020/21 Arsenal. Slow, ponderous, leaky, directionless – and a manager thinking he’s being clever when his decision are appalling.
Which walking pilon in midfield?
And there’s Lokonga, a young player, a leader and someone who has contributed to recent success just sitting on the bench. Instead on comes Nketiah. It’s madness!
I agree wholeheartedly but the sad part is some muppets still think Arteta is the right man for the job. According to them we just have to be patient and thru some miracle Arteta will deliver us the EPL title. F*cking joke, when none of the facts point towards that happening.
Sadly, I think Tierney is on his way out. He’s clearly lost favour for whatever reason.
Really glad we are helping opposition teams turn around their runs of bad form. ‘Tis the season for giving after all.
Well, it is the season of giving… Just never thought it would be the whole season.
No better team to play than arsenal to end a bad run..we are just so soft .painfull to watch us crumble yet again
We’ve been exactly the club you want to play when your season is going to shit for the ten years. Southampton will be rubbing their hands together for Saturday.
Man U, no goal at home in 4.. there you go lads 3 points.
Everton no win at home since SEPTEMBER.. there you go, 2 goals and could have been 4
From Goal droughts to Goals conceded, whatever negative stat your club needs to break just play Arsenal.
I do not know if it is a directive from the manager but this believe that we can score one goal and grind out a win is ludacris. Second game in a row that we are losing because we do not go for the kill after the first goal. Smh
We seemingly only rediscover that we can actually play football after we concede.
Maybe we could if we subbed off the walking pilon that we had in midfield for the whole 2nd half. Everton sit deep, draw us on, an ineffectual slow attack get’s turned over and we’re exposed on the counter. Rinse and repeat. Story of the game. The last two games have been 2020/21 Arsenal. Slow, ponderous, leaky, directionless – and a manager thinking he’s being clever when his decision are appalling.
Absolutely ludicrous!!! Each time we score a goal, we tend to sit back. What for??? Then with Xhaka on a yellow the coach left him on knowing he can’t make no more tackles??? Our coach needs a coach at this rate
I’d rather have Ludacris in midfield than Xhaka
He would move bitches out of the way at least.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
We are just MR Hyde sadly
Managerial genius by Arteta bringing on the pacey winger Nketiah as a like for like swap for Martinelli, while Auba and Pepe sat on the bench. Apparently all you have to do to get game time nowadays is refuse to sign a new deal
That particularly decision gave me a heavy migraine, no jokes. Because of how worked up I was to see him come on.
When Saka picked up a knock earlier in the game and I saw Nketiah warming up,I concluded our gaffer is clueless.
Or flirt with another team all summer, sign a new deal and you’ll play ever minute of every game when your fit.
It might make some sort of sense if it were a player who could actually contribute or showed some amazing potential. But doing it for Nketiah is madness and it’s hard to support Arteta when he shoots himself in the foot like that!
I think Pepe called Arteta a shit manager to his face.
Certain Arsenal fans here abused people that could see that Arteta is an unsustainable “manager”, playing unsustainable football. ALL the metrics show that Arsenal are incredibly LUCKY to not be hovering around the relegation zone. £250m spent 7 wins in 15 PL games -3 GD 7th place You think this is all part of a process? There is no process. We’re a laughing stock. We give managers that have never managed a game before full reigns of a football club. We abuse legends like Thierry Henry when they say hard hitting truths about an average ex-Arsenal player in Arteta. Get… Read more »
The cheek of some of them. The abuse The King received after what he said about Arteta and the team before the Man utd Game only to be proven absolutely correct.
12 abusers downvoted your comment.
At three different times with Arteta, I have lost all hope for Arsenal and this can’t keep going on. I know it’s not some freaking sacrifice but every week I stay up till 3:30 at night to watch Arsenal and whenever we win, we win in the 10 minutes we play well in. Any time the other team has half decent players, we’re bitchslapped. It’s unbelievable how the voices at Arsenal and Arsenal online space keep asking me to believe in Arteta. Are they all out of their minds? What progress do you talk about? It’s progress half the season… Read more »
Goal difference of -4, pardon me
At least it’s still less than the number of times I’ve lost hope with Xhaka…
Trust the fucking process… it’s not getting better with Arteta and I hate the way we play. Absolutely hate it.
Even when we win, I’m shitting my pants expecting the opposition to score. It’s not fun.
Horshoe one goal margin football.
Stunning mismanagement from Mikel Arteta tonight in the football match
Everybody knew Everton would win this match. Having not won since September, Arsenal were the perfect “reset” opponent for them. It’s not surprising that Arsenal drop points so regularly. They literally don’t create any chances. Apart from the goal, I can’t remember a single chance and I’m fucking sick of it. I
Nketiah hitting the post, and Auba somehow missing with the last kick of the game? 2 blocked shots from Odegard?
Oh wow, amazing, we were so unlucky.
I posted a similar comment in an earlier article and got thumbed down to oblivion. I’m not surprised at the loss, of course I wish we won but I’m not deluded to the point I believe he has the skills to guide us anywhere near the top 6. As Arseblog said on Twitter he thinks he’s smarter than he is and this desire to prove himself as disciplinarian at the expense of the team (see Pepe) is gross misconduct. Where do we go from here? Who knows? We will osciliate between good moments and bad but when it’s all said… Read more »
1. I hate myself for loving a sport that stepping AWAY from a ball is deemed bigger offense than stepping ON someone’s head
2. please inform arteta that 1 nil is not 5 nil.
3. I can’t wait for Walcott to come out and explain how we ll learn from our mistakes.
Amazing that the nasty foul on Tavares not even a yellow. Either way, we have a shitty weak mentality. I’m going to make the kids dinner. My 6 year old might be mentally tougher than some of our players…..
I cant wait for Walcott to suddenly look like a player only because its against us,
The sad thing is Everton deserved to win that game.
make no mistake, young exciting team aside, we’ve played about 60 minutes total of truly nice football this whole season. our whole “5th place 1 point of the top 4” was always volatile. we were so poor today man, felt like so many of our other games. when are we actually gonna play well?!
Nketiah – why? AMN, Lokonga, Pepe – where? Xhaka just makes me laugh. Highlights include a standard Bambi-on-ice guaranteed-yellow tackle, and a lovely little matador non-tackle in the leadup to their second. His commitment to passing wide is a what-not-to-do education for young midfielders. Never an Arsenal player. Partey and Auba need to be bringing much more. Manager can’t seem to learn from mistakes (or even past limited successes). Probably stuck with him for the season, but he must be out for anything below 4th. Succession planning better start now – between this and the United game, there are enough… Read more »
how many more times will we sing this sinister chant “one nil to the Arsenal”
this 1-0 advantage is nothing given our current state
We play, for the most part, once a week which should mean more time on the training ground and yet we look ridiculously directionless. That’s inexcusable.
Arteta has no excuses….Yet thats all i hear people coming up with.
Honestly we did not deserve to win. On other day, it would have been 4-1 or 5-1.
We lost to a team who had not won in last 8 matches.
Herh, Arsenal are a joke. The football gods did not want arsenal to lose today. But arsenal DECIDED to lose. Serious!
I think we need a better manager, or mediation between him an Pepe.
Ah, it’s going to be sad seeing Spurs and United slowly draw away from us because they decided that having a competent manager might be the way to go. If only Arsenal had such foresight
That was so frustrating. Not just the result, but the way we played.
You can’t time waste on a 1-0 with over half an hour to go.
Admittedly, Everton should have been playing with 10 men, but with Mike Dean in the middle, they’d probably have to stamp on an Arsenal player’s face to see red
Even that is not enough! Godfreys stamp on Tomi went unpunished
That…. Was my point
In a season where we’ve already lost by 4 and 5 goals, this “performance” was as poor as any.
This team lacks character, stud on the face of a teammate, another one getting hit over the ankle, saka getting fouled .. no reaction .. it’s disgusting at times to see how passive we are
The most annoying part for me is my complete and utter lack of surprise.
The Arsenal make a wish foundation strikes again
Could’ve bet your house on it
Was watching Gray and Richarlinson, the urgency they were displaying upfront. You could only wish we had personnel like that
Well, Xhaka is back while Partey continues to play crab.
Arteta isn’t going to lead us to the promised land. I want him to but he wont. It’s his personality holding us back. Wenger would have conceded those goals but scored 4.
At 1-0 we didn’t know what to do.
Depressing as I believe it will take our board 18 months to come to this conclusion.
I wanted Arteta to work badly, but it’s not and it won’t. Cut him loose please. It was so inevitable that we’d lose the game, even at one nil. The only surprise is that Iwobi didn’t score the winner to complete the arsenal bingo.
https://arseblog.news/2021/11/i-see-things-differently-arteta-reflects-on-his-evolution-as-a-coach/#comment-1375572
Like clockwork, you’ve predictably changed your position at the drop of a hat again. You’re quite the paradox my friend.
Am I still amongst those idiot reactive fans for wanting Arteta replaced?
Wow that is well and truly checkmate 😂😂
Sambi passes quicker,shows for the ball and is so progressive, I’m also beginning to think Maitland Niles should have a run ahead of Thomas partey..he gives the ball away and hasn’t bossed it for us.. apparently we can’t play without Smith Rowe and a few key individuals.. this loss is all on Mikel… irresponsible selection…it’s time we promoted more hale enders since some of these boys just don’t want to play..this is our worst match since march day 3… reminiscent of last season…I never want to see xhaka play for us again…what’s with Odegaard? I’m so pissed I’ll start to… Read more »
Cue the annual December faceplant. I think we have seen this game before every year for the last 10 years.
mad that Gordon wasn’t sent off for that horrible tackle on Tavares. Really an awful tackle that could break a leg on another day. It won’t be talked about because we lost the run of ourselves the longer it went on but it would have been a different game vs 10
One sweet gorgeous point instead of 0
To quote the great Dennis Reynolds: ‘Terrible. Take a lap.’
this could have easily gone either way, with all those chances missed and their two offside goals.
the fact we lost does highlight how bad we are instead of papering over the cracks
not sure where this leads, but i guess that’s something arsenal and me have got in common
4 strikers at this club, 3 can’t score and one is a kid. I’d say that’s a big part of not being able to score. Also the absolute capitulation we display when someone is putting pressure on us is a painful regularity at this point. Disappointed, we had a great opportunity with the last few games to cement our position and now we’re right back in the mess.
It’s not our strikers though. We hardly ever look truly dangerous, and that’s not all Auba/Laca’s fault. Arteta wants us to be most dangerous in transition, fine. In those transitions though we never get men forward. The counter gets too far ahead of any players and it ends before it can start. There’s no cohesion to it. It’s only one of Saka, Tierney/Tavares making that run in behind…that’s it. And if they do by some miracle get into space they are completely stranded without support. Counter attacking is a risk unto itself, but we have to COMMIT to taking that… Read more »
Midfield is awful, slow and no goal threat, skill or trickery, with Now shite finished strikers ahead of it.
Completely spineless, regressing to the mean, Arteta ball sucks
I find the Arsenal and most Premiership football boring to watch these days. The result flattered us.
We’ve known for a year we can’t attack but it’s worrying we can’t even defend anymore.
There isn’t a better team in the world to play when you need a boost than Arsenal.
Also, not to take away from how terrible we were, but Mike Dean is a fucking joke. It doesn’t matter whether it was intentional, that’s a red every day of the week. There is a reason the rules of the game say that reckless as well as intentional conduct can result in a red card, and even if that wasn’t intentional, it was certainly reckless.
David moyes looking very appealing
Missed the first 75 minutes and my immediate thoughts were
– why is Granit Xhaka who has just come back from injury still on the pitch with no sign of Lokonga?
– why on earth is Eddie Nketiah on yet again and where is Nicolas Pepe?
It just shows we’re fragile when we don’t have exactly the right combination of players.
Agree! The (danish) speaker told the viewers that Pepe was coming on when Eddies face was closed up by the cameras as he was entering the field. He corrected himself five minutes later. Couldn’t believe it.
This group of coaches are either not ready for premier league or not good enough for it. We were lucky to lead, we were lucky to have the lead as long as we had and with all that luck we yet couldn’t capitalize on it. Honestly, we had six options left on the bench when Eddie came on and all of them would have been a better option. Cedric or Holding could have given us a 3-5-2. Pepe could have held on the ball. El Neny could have strengthen the midfield. But they went with Eddie, and hung him out… Read more »
Good point, tonight and against Utd Eddie looked furious. Maybe he was just fired up to play, but he was just barging into people and doing cynical fouls. I wonder if even he is like WTF am I doing out here?? Can’t I just get my move to Leeds or whatever and be done with this??
Death by a thousand square passes painfully slow build up lack of shots on goal time for a change appoint a serious manager before it’s to late
This team can’t compete when there is pressure, Arteta has been found out. Slow build up from the back…can’t seem to break the high press.
We still have a -3 goals and Auba can’t score to safe his life. Even at point blank. We are doomed
Arteta OUT, bringing on nketia for the last 2 games is unforgivable, not taking Xhaka off is unforgivable, letting Auba anywhere near the team is unforgivable. He is clueless. Even during our legendary 10 game unbeaten streak we fumbled our way through it. If any team is struggling just play us and we’ll help you with your form. Absolutely shocking. Bang average Everton scored 4 goals against us tonight. Why does he keep bringing nketia on? The bloke is terrible and he doesn’t even want to be there, Auba is passed it. I’m sick of this. Sorry for the rant….sort… Read more »
We are such a mid table team with illusions. Correct result as there was no ambition. Artetas fucked up experiment. Poor tactics when ahead and worse substitutions. When are we going to be a big club and sack this clueless prick? Arteta has to be sacked
A lot not to like – leaving aside the assaults on Arsenal players by Godfrey (who?). Xhaka xhaka-ing, Partey giving Everton a goal with sloppy play on the byline (Tavares contributing), Nketiah being sent on instead of Pepe (WTF).
Arteta has the look of a man who fears he isn’t going to finish above eighth again.
It’s the same issue as the Newcastle game even though we won that one – no good patterns in attack. If you have no consistent patterns in attack, then eventually the defence will spill. It’s the same issue for a very long time, regardless of the ups and downs of the results.
The problem is, if there’s an issue that’s persisted for so many months, is that a coaching issue?
Great zero points! At least we can finally see the effects of “The Process”.
COYG!
Aubameyang is finished!… Get a Top striker in ASAP…Lacazette doesn’t cut it as well
Note even Lewandowski would cut it under Arteta. Can you not see his tactics stifle instinctive players.