This match highlighted that massive drop off in quality when our first team isn’t playing. Bellerin was terrible, Saka was very inconsistent for the majority of the game, Ceballos bar the assist and one late block was terrible, Willian had a meh performance, and honestly even Leno was dodgy. Gabriel putting in overtime to cover for Kolasinac who probably had one of his worst performances in an arsenal shirt.
This is concerning because like @GC-Maniac said this was a lucky 3 points not one we grinded out, (which we shouldn’t have to do against West Ham at home anyway). Winning ugly was the Liverpool game were we Had an organised low block, were nice and compact and forced the best attacking three in the country to take pot shots Because they couldn’t get a sniff of our goal. In this game we were all over the gaff, missing places most of our passes, scrambling to get balls away, losing 50/50 challenges and were lucky, really lucky that West Ham are garbage otherwise we could of been humiliated at home.
He also wasn’t tracking back like he Should of, wasn’t cutting in to provide an extra man in midfield and our overlapping as much as he could of. Honestly he looked a little confused and out of his depth. I love Saka and I’m not singling him out but that performance goes into my book as a bad one.
We didn’t last season tho and it’s why we were miles off top 4 in the end. Got the 3 points today but if we continue to allow so many shots and guilt edge chances we aren’t going to be anywhere near top 4.
I dont understand why ppl give Arteta a pass tho. Our team is much better than West Ham all over the pitch and yet we allowed more shots on goal and the same amount of shots overall (actually they doubled our total shots )we consistently can’t control the midfield and today was worse because Bellerin as has been pointed out was getting cooked. Arteta is his own worst enemy because he’s persisting with the same players we know are not up to snuff. He got points from doing the bare minimum and keeping us competitive with the squad we have, but he should be doing a whole hell of a lot better.
If I was looking at it very simply, we can set up to defend and counter-attack against attacking teams but we cannot take the game to teams who have set up to defend.
In that respect (the latter) we haven’t improved after Emery
All this game proved, is what we already know, that we are desperate for some genuine quality in midfield.
Considering the mess that West Ham are in and the fact they don’t have any players in their team that would get in ours, they were better than us.
We are totally lacking any creativity and urgency and, if we don’t get at least one decent signing in this window, then we aren’t going to be anywhere near the top four places.
Terrible, terrible reading… and never caught in stats… that sort of in and out of possession positioning that is so crucial in those roles… he is slow and lacks composure, so he tries to give himself more time by backing up, giving the opponents more time and space in front to run at him, then he runs back, not really marking anyone the entire f*ing time, making his defenders commit without clarity… just compounds his weaknesses…
What is strange is that WHU seemed happy to give our midfielders ages on the ball, backing off of them too, which did give Xhaka his trademark 1 or 2 nice long passes (to go along with his 6+ terrible passes).
This. He never EVER marks anyone just lets them come to the edge of the box with his hands behind his back and allows the opponent to pick a pass or take a shot at goal. Such a nothing player.
Except on the ball it was Xhaka’s passing down the channels that started the momentum in getting us in behind West Ham. If you’re gonna harp on the negatives don’t ignore the positives to suit an agenda.
Partey, Torreira or Guendouzi would have been better for that type of game because of their pressing from midfield but Xhaka did help us win the game despite the backing off.
)we consistently can’t control the midfield and today was worse because Bellerin as has been pointed out was getting cooked. Arteta is his own worst enemy because he’s persisting with the same players we know are not up to snuff. He got points from doing the bare minimum and keeping us competitive with the squad we have, but he should be doing a whole hell of a lot better.
