Arsenal 2013-2014: Insufferable & Unsuccessful -- And Worse than Chelsea
- Thread starter sachmoney
- Start date
- Status
I'm not particularly perturbed by the draw, but I really wanted to get the clean sheet and the win after the Özil goal.
Five points clear. A chance to knock back the top contender next week? It's not at all a bad place to be.
That Tottenham FA Cup draw is delicious.
Five points clear. A chance to knock back the top contender next week? It's not at all a bad place to be.
That Tottenham FA Cup draw is delicious.
I would have came in my pants if that last second strike from Giroud went in.
Really wanted the win today.
Really wanted the win today.
A point isn't a terrible result. I'm a little concerned that this team is getting worn down at the worst possible time. The triple substitution may have been about saving some legs for Napoli but it also might just be indicative of tired legs among our midfield core in general.
Woj has been huge this season and the equalizing strike was a laser but I thought he should have parried it. He had to move his hands like a foot to reach the ball.
Woj has been huge this season and the equalizing strike was a laser but I thought he should have parried it. He had to move his hands like a foot to reach the ball.
Thought Gibbs might have screened him on it. He wasn't close enough to Delofeu (however you spell that Barca c*nt's name), might have been too close to Woj for him to really see the angle of the ball til it was too late.Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
Yeah, after seeing the replay a couple times I think you're right that he was screened. Really just a big fuck up by Gibbs letting Delafeu get that shot off that easily on his dominant foot, especially given that Rosicky was helping on the inside.mikeford said:
Barcelona, Bayern, Atletico, Madrid, or PSG. Yikes. We have a decent shot against anybody but Bayern but I'm not sure we'd be favorites in any of these matchups. Late March now looks pretty insane in terms of fixtures as already have @Spurs, @Chelsea, City on three straight weekends and now will have the second leg of the champions league tie in there somewhere as well.
On the bright side, we either get a thrilling win against one of the best sides in all of Europe or we get to focus on winning domestic hardware.
On the bright side, we either get a thrilling win against one of the best sides in all of Europe or we get to focus on winning domestic hardware.
That was a horrible evening. If Arsenal had needed to draw to go through, I reckon they probably would have managed it, but Wenger went conservative and clung to his security blanket of needing to not lose by three. Which means that Arsenal will play one of...
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
PSG
Bayern Munich
...instead of one of...
Bayer Leverkusen
Schalke
Galatasaray
Olympiakos
Zenit St. Petersburg
Milan
...in the round of 16. Sometimes you end up with the better teams on paper finishing second, but that hasn't happened this year - and I don't fancy playing any of those five teams Arsenal are now stuck with (particularly with Arteta missing the first leg). I guess I'd take Atletico or PSG over the other three, but it's going to be tough regardless. Which might be good news in terms of the Premier League, but we'll see; in any event, I think Wenger should have played to win or draw and not worry about the three-goal loss, but he's not that kind of manager.
No complaints about the Arteta red card, by the way - when you're on a yellow, you can't go through the back of a player like that.
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
PSG
Bayern Munich
...instead of one of...
Bayer Leverkusen
Schalke
Galatasaray
Olympiakos
Zenit St. Petersburg
Milan
...in the round of 16. Sometimes you end up with the better teams on paper finishing second, but that hasn't happened this year - and I don't fancy playing any of those five teams Arsenal are now stuck with (particularly with Arteta missing the first leg). I guess I'd take Atletico or PSG over the other three, but it's going to be tough regardless. Which might be good news in terms of the Premier League, but we'll see; in any event, I think Wenger should have played to win or draw and not worry about the three-goal loss, but he's not that kind of manager.
No complaints about the Arteta red card, by the way - when you're on a yellow, you can't go through the back of a player like that.
Arsenal is better when Arteta doesnt play anyway. Flamini is better than him in his role and we're better with Wilshere or Ramsey on the pitch than Arteta on the pitch when both are playing.
We'll draw Barca, we always do. Fuck Barca.
We'll draw Barca, we always do. Fuck Barca.
Arteta's lack of pace is quite often very painful to watch.
As for the Champions League, I don't really care. Or better put, I care more about the league, since I am actually able to watch those games. Give me Bayern, Barca, or Real. Let's knock out one of the best or go down swinging.
(I'm not serious about the Bayern/Barca/Real thing, but I'm not going to fret if we get em)
As for the Champions League, I don't really care. Or better put, I care more about the league, since I am actually able to watch those games. Give me Bayern, Barca, or Real. Let's knock out one of the best or go down swinging.
(I'm not serious about the Bayern/Barca/Real thing, but I'm not going to fret if we get em)
sachmoney said:
"In these early stages, my relationship with Arsenal was of an entirely personal nature: the team only existed when I was in the stadium (I can't remember feeling especially devastated by their poor results away from home). As far as I was concerned, if they won the games I saw 5-0, and lost the rest 10-0, that would have been a good season, probably to be commemorated by the team travelling down the M4 to see me on an open-topped bus."
--Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch
That's why I was mad when ESPN lost the Champions League. ESPN3 for midweek games in the office was awesome.sachmoney said:I can't schedule my life around midweek games anymore. That was the beauty of being a student.
On the bright side, you won't have to worry about that happening again for a while.blueline said:
That's rather harsh. This was a game I expected Arsenal would lose - they had one fewer day of rest than Man City and had further to travel - and you'd have to say that the refereeing decisions clearly favored Man City. I'm pleased at the level of fight they showed; disappointed at the loss, of course, but it happens.
Now, if Arsenal lose to Chelsea next week, that criticism will have more validity.
Now, if Arsenal lose to Chelsea next week, that criticism will have more validity.
1. Taking Flamini off exposed Vermaelen and the defense. Poor Szwhatever - he played a solid game and was betrayed by his back line and his manager.
2. Jack Wilshere narrowly edges out Samir Nasri for today's whiniest douche on the pitch award, which in this neutral's opinion is a major upset/accomplishment given the pre-game lead Nasri had in the category.
3. Aaron Ramsey is apparently the Welsh word for invisible.
4. Great game from Theo Walcott.
5. Bendtner's top knot is magically delicious.
6. Man City still isn't good on defense and will give up too many points on the road. Arsenal taking a whupping on the road is no big deal long term unless they tailspin. Neutral field, I take Arsenal,
2. Jack Wilshere narrowly edges out Samir Nasri for today's whiniest douche on the pitch award, which in this neutral's opinion is a major upset/accomplishment given the pre-game lead Nasri had in the category.
3. Aaron Ramsey is apparently the Welsh word for invisible.
4. Great game from Theo Walcott.
5. Bendtner's top knot is magically delicious.
6. Man City still isn't good on defense and will give up too many points on the road. Arsenal taking a whupping on the road is no big deal long term unless they tailspin. Neutral field, I take Arsenal,
ConigliarosPotential said:
I expected a loss, but the way Arsenal generally lose is pretty telling. Poor passing and failure to concentrate on defense. Every Arsenal goal today resulted in a defensive lapse leading to a City goal in about 5 minutes. It was an embarrassment.
This was the worst officiated game since Villa. And I still think City would have won.ConigliarosPotential said:
What the fuck are you talking about? Ramsey was everywhere. He wasn't necessarily good everywhere, but he put in the effort and won his share of balls, as usual. There are plenty of Arsenal players to shit on and you hit on one of them in Wilshere, but to shit on Ramsey? You're downright wrong. I'm surprised you didn't wait for a Brian Phillips article on this game to formulate your opinion.soxfan121 said:
This is it, really. You could point out mistake after mistake. Really, is there any goal you can blame on Szczesny? The penalty, I guess, but Milner was looking for his chance to go down. Woj was hung out to dry by his defense today.mikeford said:
City were downright ruthless(!!!!, I'm adding the exclamation marks because their ruthlessness was unbelievable) today, as they are at home. Toure was a powerhouse and was the difference IMO. Kompany also had a strong game. Everyone else was, at the very least, very good. Giroud played piss poor and a good performance from him may have made this game closer.
At the end of the day, this was the worst defensive display by Arsenal of the season and troubling to say the least. You hope they get these things straightened out for Chelsea.
Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Again.
Bugger.
Silver lining: we've played them before and know we can hang with them. But that's all I've got.
Bugger.
Silver lining: we've played them before and know we can hang with them. But that's all I've got.
Huge match today. Win and they come out of this brutal stretch still looking pretty good, two points clear with their closest chasers facing some tough tests before New Years. Lose and they fall to fourth in the table as the halfway point approaches. Its only one match, worth the same number of points as any other match, but it feels like it means a lot more.
No suggestion yet that the match is in any danger of being postponed but the weather here today is dreadful - very high winds (40-50mph+) and squally rain.
Missed the first half and now just catching up on replay. I think a penalty would have been unfortunate for Chelsea in that Walcott wasn't really in position to score, but it was the right decision there. Walcott moved the ball to his other foot, had possession, and Willian came by and clearly took out his left leg. How can that not be a foul? I think red would have been harsh on the Arteta tackle as both players were basically going in semi-studs up and Arteta just got there first by a millisecond.
Regardless of the eventual result tonight, this is not the sort of performance which makes me believe Arsenal really is a Premiership title contender.
- Status