Following defeat at Newcastle at the weekend, Arsenal were on the wrong end of another 1-0 scoreline against Serie A champions Inter in Milan on Wednesday night.
Hakan Calhanoglu scored the game’s only goal from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after Mikel Merino was judged to have handled the ball in the Arsenal penalty area. The Gunners dominated possession after the break and came closest to an equaliser when Denzel Dumfries cleared a Gabriel header off the line. A first Champions League defeat of the season leaves Arsenal 12th at the halfway stage of the 36-team league phase.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos had to say after the game …
Mikel Arteta on decisive penalty shouts …
We were very harshly done by in the sense that is obvious. Both penalties. If you are going to give a penalty, the other one has to be because he punches him in the head. There is no deflection, nothing you can do in the box, so can he get away from it. If he is going to give that the other has to be 100% a penalty.
Source: TNT Sports (per BBC Sport)
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Martin Keown on the penalty awarded to Inter …
It was a controversial moment. Fine margins. I don’t believe it was a penalty and I feel it was really harsh. Where are you supposed put your arm in that position? Who’s made these rules? Have they played the game?
Mikel Merino is so close to Mehdi Taremi and the arm has come up to go into a challenge – it is really harsh. Merino is preparing to go with his first action and then the ball deflects.
Source: TNT Sports (per BBC Sport)
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20 – Arsenal attempted 20 shots in this match, their most without scoring in a single UEFA Champions League fixture since November 2006 against CSKA Moscow (23). Frustration. pic.twitter.com/NSHrfrbxTR
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 6, 2024
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Simone Inzaghi on beating Arsenal …
I think Arsenal are one of the best teams we have faced in our European path in recent years. It’s right to enjoy a victory like this as much as we can, but let’s not stop. I’m happy with the solidity of the team. It was a very important, desired and hard-fought victory against a top level team.
Source: UEFA.com
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Mikel Arteta on the positives …
We should have scored a couple at least but the way the team played, that was us at least. Every decision in the box makes a difference. The way we played tonight, the team can go to Chelsea and win.
Source: TNT Sports (per BBC Sport)
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Make that 8 clean sheets in 11 Champions League matches for Yann Sommer at Inter. 😮💨#UCL https://t.co/LHH84VQ06s
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 6, 2024
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Mikel Arteta on injury concerns …
Kai Havertz had a big cut and hopefully he will be OK for the weekend. [Mikel Merino] was not concussed, yesterday he was not feeling great and I decided to take him off as I needed him 100%.
Source: BBC Sport
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Thierry Henry on Arsenal’s title hopes …
Inter are comfortable to give you the ball. Were (Arsenal) brave or did Inter give them the ball? Let’s see against Chelsea at the weekend.
I don’t know what we’re going to do, I’ll be honest. I know today we were 1-0 down and had to attack and Inter gave them the ball. Right now they aren’t challenging for league, obviously as you can see, they are not good enough to be able to be at the top. There’s still a long way to go.
Source: CBS Sports
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Arsenal’s stats tonight:
■ 46 crosses
■ 13 corners
■ 20 shotsAnd they still couldn’t find a way through Inter’s defence 🧱 pic.twitter.com/g9aR2NoCF3
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 6, 2024
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Marcus Thuram on whether Inter let Arsenal have the ball …
Sometimes by default, sometimes by design. Sometimes we like to bring the team a bit closer to our goal to counter attack them and sometimes the other team takes control of the game, emotions — you know how they are — they try to score, we try not to concede, and the game changes and shifts a bit.
Source: CBS Sports
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Matthew Upson on Inter …
A defensive masterclass. Inter were not giving the home fans something to get off their seat. But the way they defended the box, it was top, top stuff from the three centre-backs.
Source: BBC Sport
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Eddie Nketiah was the last player to score an away European goal for Arsenal. Less than a year ago but feels so much longer somehow
— Tom Ede (@TomEde1) November 6, 2024
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Rio Ferdinand on what Arsenal need more of …
They are getting into good areas, Arsenal, around the box, but then it is about the overlaps, underlaps and creating two v ones – I don’t think they are doing that enough.
Source: TNT Sports
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Martin Keown on the current run of form …
I don’t think there is a massive crisis for Arsenal. I don’t think they are far away from getting it right, yes they’re not scoring goals, but Ethan Nwaneri coming on, he should have been on a bit earlier.
Source: BBC Sport
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Arsenal in away matches in the Champions League in 2024:
Porto 1-0 Arsenal ❌
Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal ❌
Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal 🤝
Inter Milan 1-0 Arsenal ❌ pic.twitter.com/mNb2PJAm1B— afcstuff (@afcstuff) November 6, 2024
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Ally McCoist on Arsenal’s final third struggles …
They just didn’t look like scoring, Arsenal. I don’t think it was an entertaining or great game but, for example, I’m looking at Inter and they’ve got three forwards on the park — three proper forwards — [Mehdi] Tahremi, [Lautaro] Martinez, and they brought [Marcus] Thuram on. Arsenal didn’t really have any forwards in that ilk.
Source: TNT Sports
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Mikel Arteta on heading to Stamford Bridge …
If we play the way we play, we‘ll have a big chance to win against Chelsea. That‘s the way we have to go. I told them that I’m proud of them. I haven‘t seen them play in Europe in the manner that we have today. We are disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted out of the game, that’s for sure.
Source: Arsenal.com
Are we overcoached? I’m finding it really frustrating that players are playing just because we can only play 1 system. I’d be a bit more content losing and having tried a new formation we different players. Would Nwaneri or Jesus be any worse than Trossard? Would Sterling on the left be worse than Gabi? Is Merino of the requisite quality to be starting for us? Was he the right kind of player we needed after getting shot of 2 creators? A lot of questions, as bad as the decision was – we need more of a plan B than cross… Read more »
I’m with you on a lot of this; Arteta has been stubborn about some of his questionable personnel choices in the past, and persists with Merino too much now, doesn’t rotate as much as he perhaps could. It took him a while to figure out Havertz as well. I do think we found something in this game structure wise that has been lacking, namely the overly fluid buildup was ditched in favor of the classic 3-2-5 structure we’ve used for years before this season. The newly introduced fluidity was supposed to unlock more in an attacking sense but our players… Read more »
We just look like we lack freedom, that midfield is quite depressing when you look at it. The talks around giving Partey a new contract make the Merino signing even weirder.
We knew we needed cover if Odegaard got injured and we didn’t do anything about it, we actually did the opposite and made the situation worse.
Now we’re suffering.
(FWIW I don’t think Viera was the answer).
Some players are impossible to replace; being the keystone of the press, the buildup maestro and the final third skeleton key, that’s some list of responsibilities. What we could have done is invest in a profile that can grease the buildup and playmaker from deeper areas, but in a way we did that with Calafiori. Also we have one answer right there in the squad: Jorginho.
Selling ESR was a mistake. He should have been kept and given better opportunities than the trash minutes he got due to game state. Does anyone else remember how well Saka and ESR played together on the right side in their early days breaking into the first team. Arteta makes some decisions that are perplexing to us supporters. Getting rid of ESR if you knew Ethan wasn’t going to get meaningful minutes has left us short, if you weren’t going to play either of them, then go buy a player instead of buying 4 goalies. Not our best transfer season… Read more »
The problem with this argument is that ESR and Odegaard have virtually nothing in common. One is a left footer who likes to play from the right, is primarily a passer, a high touch small space operator who is the keystone for the off ball structure due to his concentration and anticipation. The other is a right footer who likes to play from the left, is primarily a ball carrier, and is a low touch, big space player (i.e. runner) whose off ball concentration can be a little suspect. Not saying he wouldn’t have been useful here and there, but… Read more »
That’s a big question for me – why not more of Jorgi w/ MO out? Have to assume he’s not truly match fit or something at the moment – would have expected him to fill the organizer role more often. The White / Cali injuries just compounded the whole thing “they need more overlap in the box” – well sorry – they’re all in the med tent.
Timber could overlap a lot more. Feels like he is instructed not to, but I have no way of knowning.
Wow do I detect a hint of Arteta critique doc? Why, only 3 days ago he was “the best manager in the world”…
Also please explain an overly fluid buildup? Is there a cream for that?
He still is one of the best and the best for Arsenal. Doesn’t mean he’s perfect.
Btw your trolling won’t make me shut up if that’s your hope
“…persist with Merino too much…”, what a load of bollocks. Rice out, Jorghino too slow, and Odegaard is barely back from injury. We are not fluid in build-up cause the key player who makes us all better is not in, and that is Odegaard. Rice is a workaholic, but he’s no Partey, with injuries Partey has ably filled in at RB but central midfield suffers without him. Trossard hasn’t been doing well enough as a false 9 or as a 3rd in that midfield. Surely all these are factors to consider. Merino hasn’t hit the ground running but what wrong… Read more »
The Merino squad fit is one a few potentially modifiable issues that I tried to highlight.
Fluidity the way I’m using the term doesn’t mean champagne football. It means the extent to which player interchange their roles and positions. A highly fluid system has a lot of this, and vice versa. Johan Cruyff’s famous “total voetball” was a 100% fluid system, but it worked because they had insane talent that just needed opportunity to express itself. We don’t have such insane talent, beyond Bukayo. My point is that we had become a little too fluid in this sense; too many interchanges, too much complexity, not enough reward for it. Made sense to go back to a… Read more »
We are not in crisis, but Arteta’s stubbornness really has become a bit much. I didn’t take any great issue with the summer moves at the time, but you can’t keep a 17 year old as your backup if you aren’t prepared to let him be the backup. I hope this bias towards defense and set pieces is something the manager is uncomfortable with. I don’t want the beautiful failures of late-Wenger back, but I have never wanted to win that way.
Funnily enough, just had a thought about this:
Is it any worse for Ethan to start and have a so/so game than it is to bring him on 1-0 down and expect him to get us back into the game? I cannot imagine how the latter is better for his development.
Yeah, I agree. There are serious “Just before ESR saved Arteta’s job” vibes at the moment – makes me curious how Arteta reflects back on that time.
Well, maybe that’s what EW could have done if given the chance.
His reticence to try something different is so frustrating. I’m not Arteta out too, but his lack of tactical fluidity and his rewarding of terrible performances make you wonder.
ESR kickstarted us against chelski, now it’s time for Nwaneri to do the same! As much as need this creative injection I have a feeling arteta will persist with a dysfunctional midfield, or rush odegaard back putting him at risk and continue playing trossard who clearly needs some time out the team to refocus. With Rice a doubt too it’s going to be a hard game decided by fine margins we just aren’t getting atm. It really feels like a must win territory now 🤞🏽
the only reason you know about nwaneri is because of arteta. if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t even know his name. he’s coached him for the last two years and the club has decided a certain path for his career that has led him to be in this position. so instead of criticizing him for not playing him, maybe think that it’s that method of slowly introducing him to the first team which is making ethan perform in a way that you want to see more of him. you’re like the people that were raging about how the saliba… Read more »
I agree with you but I still feel what we have seen from him indicates he should be given more time on the pitch. I’m not saying he should start away at Inter or Chelsea (or maybe even at all, yet) but I’d like to see him brought on earlier. He seems to have exactly what we are missing right now. My fear is that Arteta is not brave enough to give him that chance but then again what do I know, we all have far less insight into what these players can do than he does. The Saliba point… Read more »
Well put. Fan base needs to chill out. Arteta best thing that possibly could have happened to us and they can’t see a good thing if it smacks them in the face. I agree that the season hasn’t gone to plan as yet, and Arteta does make mistakes but there’s a lot of games to play and a lot to win. Madrid & Citeh – 2 best teams in Europe both loosing atm. Its the best time to be out of form. Time to start finding it again though, starting with Chelsea at the w/e. COYG!!!!!!!
I have no issue with how Arteta wants to introduce Nwaneri to first team football but if he knew that this was the process when he sanctioned the sale of ESR, then that’s a poor decision by the manager/club because we are now short a creative player who has had success in the PL unlike Viera. We are short 3 forwards who can impact games and 2 creative midfield squad players. Arteta is not a perfect manager by any means, but he has lifted us up and made us competitive again at the top of the table, but he needs… Read more »
In normal circumstances the handling of Nwaneri would have been great. With Odegaard out it became a no brainer that he should play at least 45 minutes each game. That Arteta would rather jettison the balance of the team, in the process robbing us of potency from the left of attack that the combination of Martineli and Trossard bring in various degrees while at the same time raising anger of the fan base against Trossard ineffectiveness in the 8 position is worrisome. I think Arteta stubbornness may be his greatest weakness yet and it has cost the team this past… Read more »
The idea that Nwaneri is Martin Ødegaard’s backup is fan-generated. from the blogosphere. It hasn’t come from the club. It’s not hard to understand why; it’s a reductive and silly way of looking at the composition of the squad (even though I agree that the squad in general is looking a bit unbalanced at the moment).
What position would you envisage Nwaneri settling in? As far as I can tell he has operated as a 10 when he has come on / started – as part of the central midfield setup and not on the wing. So in terms of what position Nwaneri may get game time in – it appears exclusively to be where MO operates at present… So it is quite a natural assumption that he is MO’s backup as things stand..
The talk was that ESR and Nelson had to ho that we could use Nwaneri
Serious question. If the keeper punches the player from the other team in the head and misses the ball, is that not a penalty? Someone please explain the rules.
I had the same thought as Mikel stated here during the game: we finally look like ourselves here tonight. I don’t care what people say about our forwards, if we play like this we will win, and we will win a lot. I don’t know where this was in recent games, oddly enough Liverpool aside where I thought we were also very good in the first half. We have to be able to put this type of showing together over 90 minutes though, not just one half. Some under the hood stuff I noticed: — Merino’s fit in the group… Read more »
That’s a pretty damning review of how you see Merino’s profile, considering we chased him (and splashed out) all summer.
So let’s say Jorginho (or future, younger Jorginho) is the answer at (presumably) #6 position.
What does that mean for Rice and Merino positionwise?
I see Rice as our main 6 but needs a playmaker next to him for some games. I originally saw Merino as more of a squad player but with the possibility to be a starter at LCM so Rice can drop back to his best role. The jury is still out because it’s still early and I want to see how it looks next to Odegaard.
Hold on doc, only 4 days ago you thought:
“…it’s early doors for Merino still, both for being back in this league and with his new teammates, and with Arteta’s systems. It’ll improve.”
Now you want to dump him? Bit knee jerk no? Lol
Merino is and always has been an combative squad player. He isn’t special.
It’s not incompatible to say it’s not looking good right now, and give reasons why, and to also say it’s early and it can improve.
Mikel (Arteta) says that Mikel (Merino) wasn’t feeling well, but he still had to play because with Rice out who else is there? That left side is still unsettled, and I don’t believe Gabi Martinelli is sitting out on the touchline all the time by choice.He’s on record as saying how much he enjoyed the Brazil national team because he was allowed to play more freely and centrally there. Mikel seems to get more rigid when he’s under pressure, exactly when the opposite is probably needed. I’d like to see Nwaneri given more minutes and I agree that Jorginho can… Read more »
Arteta is stubborn like Wenger and also shit in Europe…..like Wenger. But there again we are a shit European team and always have been. Just hope we can turn our season around and quickly
that’s a very stupid point of view. we’ve seen arteta try to dominate possession. and we’ve also seen him purposefully concede it a lot this year. we’ve played with 4 strikers at times, we’ve played with 5 defenders at times. we’ve tried over passing the ball, playing to the counter attack, and yesterday even crossing it a million times. he’s played players that didn’t work until they worked and he’s stopped playing players even if they worked. so say whatever you want about him and im sure you’ll find many valid points, but he is definitely not stubborn
Ally McCoist says Inter have three proper forwards while Arsenal do not. Reading that you’d think we got beat by three to four goals and not by a penalty that shouldn’t have been.
Pundits and their ways though.
What is Ally talking about? 3 proper forwards for Inter that did absolutely nothing all game.
Not saying we weren’t creative but don’t see why their forwards are getting plaudits.
McCoist was a prolific old fashioned CF himself, so it’s no surprise he gravitates to that. They pay him to speak on television because he scored a lot of goals for Rangers in the 80s and 90s. That’s about what he’s got in his bag.
I hope Kai is all right, and Merino.
I’m starting to wonder if Arteta actually wanted Stirling. I know he doesn’t track back as well as Martinelli, but not even 20 mins when we desperately need cutting edge. It had to be worth a try.
He publicly said he didn’t want him. The only reason he’s at our club is Chelsea are paying the lions share of his £350k a week. I don’t expect to see him on the pitch unless Mikel has no other choice.
I think he wanted Williams, but did Arteta say he didn’t want Stirling?
Started at Bournemouth, did Ok. Not seen since. A bit odd.
Show me where he said that? I recall the opposite.
I thought we were better and got done by the refs. Let Inter have their moment and we can focus on Chelsea. The situation in the CL is recuperable.
Somehow we got slower over the summer. Players look tired and out of ideas. Heck, sit back and play on the counter. Possession isn’t working. Then again, we are slower this season. Havertz and trossard need a break.
The Euros