Arsenal’s title hopes suffered a major blow this evening after two late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins gave Aston Villa a 2-0 win.
The Gunners had first half chances, but didn’t make the most of them, but were outplayed by Unai Emery’s side in the second period, and on the basis of that performance, didn’t deserve to take anything from the game.
In the context of Liverpool’s earlier defeat to Crystal Palace, it’s an even more disappointing and frustrating result.
Read the Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa match report and see the goals here
Here’s how the players rated today.
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You left zinchenko out. If only Arteta had done that.
Hope they revert to Havertz up front, Trossard coming off the bench, Zinchenko benched and a tough left back, Jorginho starting. That is, our winning formula.
Sky had a stat up, when Havertz plays up front we convert 86% percent of our chances. When Jesus does we convert 60%. The Club has this information too, so why on earth he changed that system I’ll never know. There is even an argument for Jesus out wide he is a great player unlike Zinchenko who has no place in the side now we’ve outgrown him.
Love Arteta – always have and defended him fiercely on here during those first iffy seasons. However, he really got it wrong today… He knows Gabi J is carrying an injury… he knows our attacking/goal/win stats are markedly better with Kai up-front… he’s seen how many clean sheets we’ve kept with Zinch allowed nowhere near the LB position…. And yet he ignore ALL of the above today, in a compounded tactical cock-up. How – after Zinch’s first AWOL screw-up (where Trosser had to race back to play left-back while Z was god only know where!) – he didn’t twig that… Read more »
Since the turn of the year, we have been successful in the prem in large part due to the absence of Jesus.He is a decent “impact sub” but nothing more. The amount of times that he is caught offside is ridiculous, and he is constantly diving for penalties, with the result, that, even when it is a penalty (Villa away), (Southampton away last year), his reputation precedes him, It looks like when the heat is on our players are folding, and it is painful to see. We had no one that stepped up to the plate, apart from maybe Oodegaard… Read more »
I love Ziiny but he has the turning circle of an oil tanker.
Was it not a win percentage, rather than shot conversion? Gabi J certainly didn’t do enough today, but Havertz still had a couple of decent chances.
I I think the stat was win % not conversion. Either way though…
I can understand Mikel for mixing things up, but I kinda felt he made the wrong changes to start the game.Merse made a really good point in the post match, which is something I felt before kick off, that if things were looking a bit dogged and Villa were causing us provlems, we didnt have the right blend on the bench to change the dynamics of the game. Always easier said in hindsight I know, but I definitely did feel it was a realistic potentiality. Villa were always going to be a fucking difficult side to play against, as coming… Read more »
Interesting that you blame Havertz for their first – when Zinch was standing at our RH post instead of where he should be at the left one. Bailey was completely unmarked as a result, never mind the fact that Raya should snuffed out that cross instead of flapping at it like an injured seagull. And for their second, Jorgi is liable for trying to force a pass – but at that stage we need something, god knows! – the real culprit (again) is our absent left-back who didn’t even try to get back, leaving ESR to chase Watkins, exactly as… Read more »
You have summed it up well, Goonshow, but the lack of effort to block the cross by Havertz, for the first goal, is pretty abysmal.
Like you I am also unsure of why people rave about Zinny. He did have some decent games last year (offensively), but that was when the often underated, Xhaka, was playing.. Our whole left side needs dramatically improving if we are to be a top team.
If you look at the replay of the first goal, Zinchenko is on the right side of the box in a crowd of other Arsenal players. The left side is wide open and I think Rice was there to cover. I am assuming that when Zinchenko goes and inverts or whatever it is he does when he is absent from the left side of the field that someone else covers that spot, but I do notice a hole their that we have been fortunate not to have been caught out as often as it has been wide open.
He defends the front post at corners, so he’s not out of position, per se. There were other issues with his performance, that’s not one of them.
Fair enough – then whoever was supposed to be on the left stick needs a clip round the ear’ole!
Just occurred to me that we don’t do that right post/LB thing when Kiwior or Tomi are at LB. Does that mean Mikel simply doesn’t trust Zinch to defend high balls at the far post??
Not a great look, either way.
Because Havertz is literally there doing the defending, its his job to stop the cross, its basic stuff. Deep block defending, no shots and no crosses. But he just hangs a lazy leg out, this is a title fucking run man. You’ve got to be throwing everything at it. And I have seen the clip you are referring to, and Zinchenko isnt miles offside by the time the ball goes out wide to Digne, at that point the backline is basically level with him.
Zinchenko kicking the ball out really annoyed me as well. It was for two of their own players colliding ffs. Play to the whistle.
We were on the attack and it was a weak decision that didn’t take this game seriously. This is not how we have been showing a winning mentality this season.
And pulling out of tackles, which a few of our players were guilty of today.
He’s down the very bottom
In more ways than one
How very apt.
Yeh, where else would he be…
He’s in the naughty corner again 😂. Fkng keep him there!
Left him out cause even Blogs knows we start with 10 men when Zinchenko is in the line up
His decline is alarming.
Painful. Should have kept World Cup winner Martinez.
Or at least not got Raya. He made literally zero saves today. And instead of stopping the Digne cross, waved his arms like a matador while the ball went through his legs. What does he do positively for the team?
Not going to be critical of Raya for today’s performance, but can hardly remember world class saves from him this season, that’s primarily what the keeper is there for.
It’s not. Look how many goals we have conceded compared to the rest of the league. Will tell you all you need to know about what a goalkeeper is there for
A lot of thumbs down for you, which feels unfair. Raya – with the honourable exception of the Porto shootout for which full kudos – never saves the day. He’s a solid 6/10 most days, with excellent distribution of course…..but…..would any top team in Europe ever try to prise him out of the Club? I doubt it very much.
We didn’t have to wait as long for the bull as he did.
Martinez is right in the sweet spot of being high profile and good enough to be recognised when things go well, but having no expectations on his team and nobody watching his games most weeks to notice when things go wrong. He let in 3 vs Brentford and 4 vs Spurs in recent weeks – he’s clearly a good goalkeeper but he’s not perfect by any means.
I have to agree with you…Raya very ineffective when the defence is off…atleast Ramsdale was there to produce those magical saves…miss him so much in goal…
Don’t miss all the goals he let in
Are you Raya’s mummy? 😀
Raya had Rice and the fully Fit saliba and a more defensive structure this season infront of him.
It’s not his spectacular saves that kept the clean sheets.
That’s the team’s effort dude.
Jeez guess we are clutching at straws here. Raya has had a good season off an unwelcome atmosphere, Martinez has his moments but also fails at times. Just a poor all round second half performance.
I am not sure why you got so many downvotes. Surely no one on this chat thinks Raya makes more big saves than Martinez, or Ramsdale for that matter. His distribution is so so. He is in the team purely because he is able to play from a high starting position.
I am sure there is a stat that shows Raya is a better all round keeper, than either Martinez or Ramsdale, it is just that actually saving shots, is not one of his main attributes.
I think plenty of people in this chat disagree with your take.
May be you are right, Greg, may be I am old fashioned to expect our keeper to occasionally have a match winning performance, to make a big save.
One also must consider that Raya has the priviledge of playing behind one of the meanest defences in Prem. Jury is most defs still out on him in my book – he has not yet played that game… where we all say ‘Thank God we had Raya on’ – not by a long chalk. And, by contrast, there have been plenty of iffy moments at the other end of the spectrum!
I thought we had evolved past Havertz in midfield
Yep. Feel like this was a game for Partey.
Too many changes, backfired.
I’m disappointed with Arteta in this one with the changes and especially Zinchenko. He’s not only not best XI, he holds the ball too long, floats too much, and compromises our platform. He gives us one too many guys who want to be center of attention. That goal where he was over by the right post leaving Rice to somehow account for the far post…that goal just doesn’t happen with Kiwior or Tomiyasu in there.
For me the jury is out re Jesus but IMo we have clearly evolved past Zinchenko.
Shitly Morning!!
Same comment I did on the city post last season. Every year, same result. Getting sick of it now I give up
It’s that time of the season where Zinchenko starts doing all his BS media interviews and Jesus comes back from injury – so we change everything that’s made us successful to accommodate him. Yay! 🙄
Spot on – I cannot stomach Zinch’s empty figthing words, when his on-field antics just show either disinterest, wilful abandoning of his position at LB, or utter clueslessness as a defender.
Or all of the above – either way, the bloke is a complete liability who has repeatedly cost us goals, some in matches we’ve been able to salvage. But today the pigeons came back to roost.
It’s so frustrating. It must be so much worse for the players who’ve worked so hard until now too.
Everton better start preparing themselves for the annual 5-0 defeat at the Emirates on the final day of the season when the pressure’s off because we’ve thrown it all away and have nothing to play for.
Le sigh 😔
Hehehe
Been saying for a while that I don’t want Zinchenko to start… and it’s only partly because of his defending. Idk why it never gets mentioned but he always – always – has 2 or 3 brain farts per game, usually where he is caught in possession. That’s what has always scared me most. Tomi needs to start there now.
Plenty of gameweeks left tho, and a champions league quarter 2nd leg. COYG
Adding to his defending woes, his attacking play has been far from great too
He’s a FAVE of Arteta – nuff said…
And yet we still have a bunch of fanboys on here who STILL defend him to the hilt. He’s been a defensive liability all season. Teams pummel our left flank every time he plays ffs. So frustrating.
I suspect the land of his birth has a lot to do with those extending such largesse frankly…
Yep – see my posts above… One wonders how many points/titles we need to miss out on before they see the light!
Zinchenko out. ASAP.
Wrong selection by Arteta. Blogs, you should include him in the ratings
Devastated by the loss. Mixed feelings seeing Emi post match taking about how he still loves the club.
Emi Martinez is just a shit stirrer and says whatever he thinks will cause the most division. He’s spent the last three years insulting us so he can just fuck off as far as I’m concerned.
He was on our books for ten years and we didn’t give him a chance. 2 years later and he’s the “best keeper in the world” with a World Cup… and we’ve thrown 65-70 million at a problem we didn’t need to have at the back.
Martinez got his chance when Leno was injured (by Maupay?) and took it with both hands. He and Auba bought Arteta some credibility with the FA Cup. Arteta knew that Martinez was a very good keeper (though not the best in the world) but I’m guessing it was the “intangibles” that worked against him. Arteta does not want his keepers clowning around and winding up the opposition, for one thing. Emi and Ramsdale just can’t help themselves. Maybe Arteta should have accepted some deviations from his edicts, but he didn’t. No use bemoaning it now.
Keeping Martinez over Leno/Ramsdale is like selling your house to buy bitcoin 10 years ago – it might work out well but you’d question the sanity of anybody who did it.
He had a year left on his contract and wouldn’t sign a new one unless he, a 27 year old who had played 3 months of his whole career in the Premier League, was guaranteed first choice. Taking £15m for a guy who was deadwood 6 months ago is the decision every club, including well run ones, would have done.
Then ask yourself just one question:
Would you – honestly – prefer Raya to start over Martinez, assuming those were our two keepers?
We may not like it, but we all know the answer to that one.
Would prefer Raya
Would prefer ‘Teflon’ Almunia rather than someone whose been ‘interfered with’ by King Midas
Sure – two shots he had to save yesterday… ONLY the two.
Remind us how many Villa scored?
Yup. He’s far from the best keeper in the world but he makes big saves, has a big personality and I would far far rather he was our keeper than Raya…..who is a nice bloke, but too small and too weak to be a top keeper
Our goals conceded would suggest otherwise
You can thank Gabriel and Saliba for that!
Only if you I’d have already chosen not to give Raya any credit
Work it out fella – Raya had ONLY TWO shots at him yesterday. In contrast to the battering Martinez got in the first half.
Perhaps you could remind us all what the score was… from the ONLY TWO shots Raya had to worry about?
So true.
Hated it because I want to hate him! He’s killing me with kindness
0 outta 10 for my weekend
With a bonus rating of -1,000,00 / 10 for going next to work and sitting next to a Manc fan tomorrow.
Tell them they’re fucking cheats 🥰
Wait…you know a Man City fan? I’ve been alive 39 years and I’ve genuinely never met one. I was beginning to think they weren’t real.
I think they are all local people.
Bigfoot is a City fan (they say)
Tactics, selections & subs wrong today unfortunately. No excuses, better team won. Absolutely devastated.
Looked really flat 2nd half. Zinchenko is starting to give me blood pressure. Losing possession countless times and was nowhere near bailey for that opening. Real poor. As for the team, Hope the lads recharge for wedn. let’s fight till the end. Cogy!
We need to throw this 2nd half performance somewhere in the ocean, or else Bayern will put 5 past against us again!
Paid the price for some schoolboy moments: Trossard and Jesus hopeless efforts, Rice ball watching for the first goal and no defensive cover for the second. Very, very depressing.
Ya but why the fuck was zinck over at rb , if rice wasn’t as diligent as he is he wouldn’t even have been in that possession, the fooking LB needs to play LB
Exactly! Bailey was left wide open… Zinch just wanders around the fucking pitch doing as he pleases – I cannot believe that those are Arteta’s instructions to him.
It’s a bloody joke.
Easy, lads.
As Blogs pointed out in the comments above, Zinc covers front post at corners, so that’s why he’s at rb when the cross comes in.
So why not deploy him at the left post for corners thus making it easier to revert to his purported left back position thereafter?
Clearly because they don’t trust him to defend as last man behind Raya? Or don’t trust him on the long high floaters that get past Raya?
Either way – we don’t put our LB on the right stick when Kiwior or Tomi is there… makes ya think, dunnit?
You can’t blame Rice for NOT being a left back
Yep – blame our LB for not being a LB… which is, no doubt, why they put on the front stick, because he can’t be trusted as last man behind the keeper!
‘put him on the front stick’…
With Jorginho and Partey available today, made no sense put Kai in the middle.
Maybe it’s a Pep syndrome of overthinking in crucial moments.
It’ll be hard overtake City (again), but I hope the team sustain a good final run to end the season on a high.
The focus may shift to Champions’ League now. We better improve fast.
When was the last time anybody remembers watching a game and thinking Saka was at his best for the full 90 minutes? Foden, who is the only comparable English talent, looks electric right now and if you look at there stats there’s an obvious reason why – he’s played 1000 fewer minutes than Saka this season, having played 1500 fewer last season (according to Who Scored). I don’t care if it’s Vieira, Nelson, Jesus or Ethan Nwanweri somebody should have been getting subbed on at 60 minutes every game we were 2 goals up this season and if this continues… Read more »
This is the key difference between us and Man Chitty. They have real depth on the bench and rotate to keep players fresh. Having squillions of dollars (and 115 financial fair play charges) helps in this department. Will they be charged before the end of the season, or does the FA only do this to relegation bound teams…
They only do this to clubs who can’t afford the very finest lawyers on the planet
Foden was invisible against us. He was awful and I did t even realize he was on the pitch before being subbed off. We took him out of the game. Saka is constantly getting kicked and he’s 22 ffs
Don’t want to jump on the bandwagon after a bad loss. However Zinchenko today is a perfect example of a nearly player . We was vital in us taking the step up from challenging for Europe to being a competitive European team and I’ll forever be grateful, but to compete at the top top level where margins are so fine, he lacks that final dash of quality and game management. I think it’s telling that Guardiola let him leave for us (could say the same about Jesus too) considering we are a rival. I couldn’t imagine him being a rotational… Read more »
They’re both the kind of player our team was stacked full of in Emirates-era Wenger. We have money now so there’s no need to still be starting each season hoping Rosicky, Diaby and Wilshere can play 35 games, Walcott finally turns into a world class #9 and Song learns how to defend.
That actually hurt.
Guardiola also let Cancelo go, and I think that tells more about Guardiola than the player. I do agree with you that Zinchenko is not it though.
Emery won the tactical battle in the second half.
I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with Paul Merson but he was spot on today, Arteta had the wool pulled over his eyes by a 25 min cameo in Europe. Why change a winning formula? why change a winning backline? I was disappointed last season like everyone but I understood what we lost to and the context of it. This season I’m livid because we literally shot ourselves in the foot and I’m gutted, I cannot understand what Zinchenko brings to this team, his passing isn’t even good anymore, he was out at RB for the first goal, left his… Read more »
I think he’s still on City’s payroll sometimes.
Cost us at anfield this season as well
Yes, he’s been found wanting for a long while now but there’s a danger Zinchenko is becoming the scapegoat for all our failings and that is simply not true i.e. he can’t be blamed for us not having a natural finisher or for a manager playing people where they’re demonstrably ineffective (e.g Havertz in midfield) or for running the likes of Saka and Rice, both also England internationals, into the ground
Why is Arteta so gun shy on Tomi starting?
He definitely needs to start vs Bayern, he is our best two way option at left back.
Our best left back is currently at Real Sociedad (but no-one can keep him fit)
Kiwior has been fine in the league so we should have played Tomiyasu at right back (subbed off for Benjamin after an hour or so if possible) to give the latter a rest before Bayern and give Tomi some minutes before facing Sane – he’s not played a full half of football since 2023!
Very true. Partey should also have started today to knock more rust off and get him ready for Bayern…
Or ESR?
Is Arteta the new tinkerman?
He doesn’t wear finger-less gloves so no.
Everyone said we needed a squad to win a league and today we didn’t rotate enough and had a very tired second half. It’s unfortunate that our injured players aren’t firing, but still you have to trust them. 66 minutes for first sub was very late.
Villa fully deserved it, zinchenko has been a liability for ages, everyone can see that. Leo is so good as an impact sub but so poor when he starts. Jesus is one of the worst headerers of the ball that has played for us. Odegard our man of the match by miles, in the first half he was sublime but tired in the second. We have got to at least take this to the final game, or it is another damp squib of an end to a season
I’ve been calling this Zinch-disaster since last season and had his fan-boys telling me I know nothing about football, he’s vital to the team, cannot underestimate ‘what he brings’… even Blogs took me to task over one comment! Sadly, the pigeons flew home today. One cannot underestimate the effect of his fuck-ups today… When we’ve finally built decent goal diff… When we’re on a serious roll and have pushed the pressure back onto Citeh… When we’re facing our most NB European game in a dozen seasons and need every ounce of positive energy… I am utterly livid with that sad… Read more »
And when the bloody Scouse slipped up at Palace to open the door for us!!!
Aaaaaargh!
You and me both brother. 👍
Have to agree, up till now we’ve been the pigeons, but today we were the statues (and we got pelted….)
And still the Z fanboys down-vote any criticism of him… you wonder how many titles we need to miss before they see the light?
Uni is a great manager. He and the team were up for it, and had plenty to play for in their own right. Arsenal were a little flat and will need to respond, but will City get all points between now and the end? I doubt it. Let’s keep our heads up!
He is a great manager in Europa league finals for all teams apart from Arsenal
You don’t blame the composer when the pianist hits a bum note
Ironically – he now has a better win ratio at the Emirates than BOTH Arsene and Mikel!
We need to go full scale physical v Bayern, partey at 6, Rice and ode at 8, kai 9, saka and Jesus on wings.
Should been way we went today without Luiz they were there for taking and so weak in midfield, anyways I don’t think it was tinkering or Arteta imploding, sinck let him down simple , chasing a win , Jesus and marti blunt, ode wrecked tired , he tried something it didn’t get chance to come off as we gave ball away by jorgi of all people and then zincky went full-scale eboue or stephanovs
Eboue was eccentric yes, but he did play in a CL final….wait up, so did Zinchenko
Smith-Rowe did nothing in his 20+ minutes, and worse yet he *tried* nothing. Just shoveled it onwards to the next guy every time he got the ball. When you’re subbed on to replace the heartbeat of the team in Odegaard in a must-win title chasing game at home, that’s unforgivable.
Newsflash…if you take off the rose tinted academy goggles, he’s not that good. Sorry.
That’s one of the unpalatable aspects of a player being absent for so long i.e. his cachet grows exponentially compared to what he ever did when playing regularly e.g. Jack Wilshire and to a lesser extent Thomas Partey, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby and Thomas Rosicky.
It’s like the first week back at work after Christmas where you can barely remember what your job is, never mind how to do it. Apart from Trossard and Kiwior there is nobody on our bench who has had enough minutes since Christmas to be expect a good performance from. If Vieira or Nelson even remember which colour the home team are I’d be impressed given the complete lack of rotation this season.
He had about 15 minutes and was subbed into a team that were being pummelled. I think it’s a little unfair to criticise him too much based on this.
Rubbish – you didn’t see him as the only player sprinting back to do Zinch’s job for him, did you?
That was a good moment of effort. If that was his highlight when we were chasing the game in a title race…
I’m with Jeremy on ESR. He may have some skills but I don’t think the mentality is anywhere close to what he needs at our level. And frankly that’s on him. I hated when he took the 10 shirt.
I’m not a negative guy , in general , but we not gonna win the premier league this year
We are limited , we are not clinical enough, and that gonna cost us
By the way … Zinchenko … ffs 😩 ..
You are actually quite negative
He’s just being honest/objective. We’ve bottled the league two seasons in a row
Bottled? It’s 38 games. Whoever’s on top after 38 is the winner. If you went into the last two seasons thinking we were favourites to win the league, you need a reality check. It doesn’t matter if you drop points in game 2, game 16 or game 37. They’re all equally important. We didn’t “bottle” the league today. We’ve been excellent – and undefeated – for months. That would never last. We lost against Villa. We could have lost other games. We didn’t. Not going through a season with 38 wins is not “bottling” it. 19 other teams are trying… Read more »
I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you’ve been watching the club for more than one season but as much as we both might wish it, City are not going to throw away games and points like we did against Villa. City have a stronger mentality than the Arsenal squad (and let’s be honest for once, better players plus a deeper bench) It was in our hands last season and we bottled it. Yes, you can say we were a relatively young team in uncharted waters etc but 12 months on it was again ours to lose but… Read more »
That Zinchenko ain’t a left back?
Xhaka 11/10
Is it possible to rate Mikel Arteta this week, with a solid 2/10? Team selection was completely wrong; with the success we’ve had this calendar year with Havertz at centre forward, why change that? If it ain’t broke… I absolutely love my manager and all that’s he’s done for Arsenal – both on the pitch and off of it – but he’s still a young manager, and I have to say that I think he got this one completely wrong. The statistics and my own eyes tell me that we’re considerably less clinical when Jesus starts at centre forward. Incredibly… Read more »
I don’t think that Arteta was prioritising the Champions league, before todays game we had about a 50% chanco of winning the prem, and about a 10% chance of winning the UCL.
I just think that Arteta sees Jesus as his best option as centre forward. I am a little bit confused, because, as we all know, Havertz has the most goal involvements in the Prem, over the last 2 months, and Jesus is breathtakingly brainless as a footballer..
Yeah, I think you’re right! I guess I was just trying to make sense of why he would play Jesus there over Havertz, with all of the success that we’ve had with that this year. But I agree – despite all the evidence, he seems to think Jesus is our best option at centre forward and I just can’t understand it. I thought he’d finally seen the light with how many games Havertz has started this year, and it’s so frustrating to realise that he hasn’t. As much as I love Arteta – and he’s proven many people wrong about… Read more »
There is a vestige of truth in this but I don’t think Jesus can be blamed for our failure to get out of our own half for most of the 2nd half. If the opposition successfully restrict us to being 40 yards from our own goal, the chance for our strikers to do their work in the right places is very limited.
Ugh! Would far rather my repeated warnings had not come true but sadly, Zinch has finally cost us those key points that (a) lift the pressure we’ve finally managed to bring to bear on Citeh; (b) miss the golden opportunity handed us by the Scouse; and (c) put us on a downer before our most NB CL game in a dozen seasons! I am utterly livid with this failed excuse for a left-back. Not because of the errors – but because, for all his fiery talk off the field, he is vague bordering on disinterested on it! Consider the following… Read more »
Oh WELL SAID!
And I thought it was only ME who saw all that! Thank U
Let’s not forget that Villa also hit the woodwork 3 times. We need to dispense with the services of Zinchenko, Kiwior, Vieira, Nketiah, ESR, Jorginho, Soares, Elneny and Nelson.
Blaming Zichenko (who is not the solution at LB) is a joke. Our attackers with zero efficiency is to blame here. With so many mistakes a defender is a 3 or 4. I felt sorry for Odegaard after his mates wasting those exciting balls.
Two things can be true.
I mostly see frustration there.
Every single sub was terrible. The first team isn’t going to do it every time, sometimes you need someone from the bench. And we seem to have nobody (except Trossard, who was already starting).
You can see why city sold jesus and zinchenko. One doesn’t score enough, and the other can’t defend.
I’ve been banging on this drum for months.
Arteta had a bad game. Actually, he had a very very bad game. Trossard starting in the big games is not ideal, and Smith Row would have done better. Jesus is not good enough just as Zin is not good enough.
Havertz is not a finisher and we lack one so I would not ply him. We need to go defensive on Wednesday
Raya, White, Saliba, Magalhaes, Kiwior, Rice, Partey, Jorginho, Saka, Odegard, Martinelli. That team will win.
Some of the passing from Odegaard is sublime to say the least, Saka is a treat to any defense. Martinelli can get in behind what more do we need to get that goal to put us through. We don’t want to hammer them, we don’t need to put the game to bed, we need to defend what is ours and act like a real football team.
Jorginho is pants. Ditto Kiwior (he’s a decent DM or a good left sided Centre Half, not a left back, we all know this) Martinelli has stank the place out for several games now.
Kiwior is a shite-load better than the apathetic excuse of a LB that is currently Zinchenko.
I think the key decision was when we should have had a penalty for when Jesus was takled in 2nd half get that and we win this game but as a few times lately we dont get the decision.
As for team seletion Arteta got it wrong today and they looked tired and slow.
Jesus will never get a penalty. He play acts all the time and gets too theatrical so the referees don’t take him seriously. I’m sick of those stupid faces all the time, more focus and less fucking around would be good.
I think he carries crime scene chalk around with him just in case…
Over thought the lineup. When you haven’t lost in the prem in 2024, start the same team unless there are injuries or fatigue.
Desperately need someone to back up odegaard and rice so they don’t have to play every second.
What happened to partey? Is he already injured again?
Can’t understand why Arteta dropped Havertz back into midfield (unless just to remind us how many chances he misses) Partey would be rendered ‘doubtful’ by air density
I’m just going to put this out there and see how much negativity it produces… It’s all very well righting Arteta’s wrongs after the game, but as a fan base, should we perhaps check our own behaviour before correcting other people’s? The number of empty seats towards the end made my blood boil. We’re trying to do the impossible (beat City) and EVERYONE needs to pull together in order to do that. That means the manager, the players AND the fans. It struck me that we have a hell of a lot of fickle fans that were willing to throw… Read more »
You’re totally right. The fans at the Emirates have always been like that. Not so bad at the ends but the East Stand is the worst. Empties out fifteen minutes before half time so they can get another beer, spend all the second half up and down for a piss, leave fifteen minutes before the end to catch the bus. Absolutely useless. I can’t even get a ticket now, the ballot is a joke, nothing on the exchange, and when I look at that pathetic behaviour it makes me sad more than even angry.
If you’re paying travel and accommodation expenses, a ticket priced between $40 and $100 to watch the game (and you can add on the egregious piracy for something to eat and drink) you’re perfectly entitled to leave or arrive whenever you like. Give the fans a reason to stay rather than bottling the league two seasons running.
As much as I love Saka, he was dogshit today. I know he’s probably being instructed to cut in all the time rather than take on his man, but I just wish he would use his pace and take on the man outside every once in a while. It’s too predictable.
Knackered. Like most of the first team.
Ditto Martinelli who seems fearful he will fall off the edge of the world if he goes on the outside of an opponent.
Both of em should go to the byline occasionally, ping one into the six yard box can cause chaos😡
Anyone else getting frustrated with Jesus? He is constantly whining/looking dismayed. That isn’t the real problem. His output is horrible this year, 4 goals all year in all competitions. This is really (really) bad for a title contending team let alone a relegation fighting team.
This might be the first time I have seen Blogs really upset…
It was upsetting, the result. Even a draw would have taken us top.
And on my birthday, of all things…
Happy birthday mate – but the draw would still have left us a point behind Shitty.
I know there is more to goalkeeping nowadays, but Raya just isn’t great at shot stopping. I mean just look at Martinez…
Similar to Martinez, Raya will more than likely block anything hit straight at him by an attacker.
Unless it’s Sane or Watkins or Bailey or….
I just came here to give Zinchenko a 0.5. Couldn’t stand him last night. Villa’s 1st goal came after a passage of pressure from Arsenal, which ended as he stupidly tried to take down a lofted ball as if he’s Maradona’s secons coming instead of passing first time to open team mates. From there Villa got the ball back, forced an attack and eventually scored as the pressure told.
I have found no comment here or anywhere that mentions the high boot into Odegards chest, leaving him obviously badly injured. The ball was high in the air, so martin leaps to head it. The villa two footed lunge was dangerous and no where near any flight of the ball. At the very least I was expecting some plausible reason why that was not a straight red for dangerous play.
See Doku v MacAllister earlier this season for reference. Not many refs giving a red for what are chest high (albeit not head high) challenges.
I agree Zink has become a liability and Arteta is too stubborn at times to bench a player when others are screaming for it. The same applies to Raya he is an average PL keeper who has not made any game changing saves but Arteta determined to prove himself correct. If the margins are tiny and we need to be perfect we must understand our vulnerabilities like playing Jesus as center forward (he can’t finish from short range) or playing Zink where Tomi or Kiwior are much better options. In other words don’t rotate away from winning combinations with only… Read more »
Every game we struggled with this season we had Zinchenko at left back, Havertz in a midfield and Jesus up front. So, in the most important game of the season so far, Arteta chose to rotate those players to those positions. We talk about how detail orientated he is, but how often does he turn his critical eye on himself and his blind spots
There must be something fundamentally wrong with Arsenal that almost 20years after Henry, you can’t buy or produce a consistent 20+goals striker when small teams easily do so. Secondly many players bought who were doing well in their clubs are unable to integrate and become consistent performers. Some in fact deteriorate. Viera, Lukonga, Taveres? etc come to mind. Almost 3years at the club without any marks. Makes you have a very weak or no bench at all. Thirdly, as Bayern and Villa have shown,you need ball carriers who can protect, run with the ball and and give accurate passes. Otherwise… Read more »