EPL: Arsenal vs Aston Villa, 15/5/2011 16:00 SS1

[redwhiteAustrian]

plan B is a flexible formation and tailoring your team to your opposition. Why we persist with 4-3-3 then when we need a goal switch to two upfront is baffling, we play two holding midfielders against the top sides and bottom sides. If you can call Song a holding midfielder

Ok, fair enough.
I do think though, that we can beat the bottom sides as well with that setup, as we've shown this season, but it's turned out that this very gameplan/formation only works against a certain percentage of teams in this League, and therefore, adjustments are indeed needed.
Whether a change to a 4-4-2 or so would ensure that, is a question mark.

Regarding Song:
I thought, he was playing far deeper against top opposition this season, and more advanced against weaker sides, so at least there's some kind of adjustment to different circumstances.

RedWhite. The invincible team never played with the same lack of urgency as this team has over the last few seasons.

That's another point though, but I was mainly hinting at the way the Invincibles executed their gameplan. The gameplan itself wasn't the all perfect one either, but it was good enough for 90% of our opposition back then, now it's quite different.
The current team is always lacking that bit of urgency, especially if we've reached the 30th minute mark, and it's still 0-0.

 

[Accomplished]

Fairly big chants of 6% you're 'avin a laugh yesterday, and when I say big, I mean it was probably one of the biggest chants of the match (that being said, the atmosphere was, as usual, terrible). I think the frustration grew around the crowd and when they read out the attendance, and the total attendance for the season, people were quite rightly pissed. Another joke of an attendance figure (could see thousands of empty seats) and another terrible performance, so the 6% chant was inevitable.

Disappointed with this team, disappointed with a lot of our "fans" (bunch of people shouting abuse during the lap), and disappointed with the club. Not much more I can say.

Bring on next season.

 

[stuart]

Think Stuart must mean Ooh to be a Gooner. I actually expected a much bigger turn out than that. Surely at least 90% of the fans agree with the same ideas.

Yea it was the Ooh to be a Gooner one...worked it out from this one;

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRjfh8t-AAU&feature=player_embedded" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRjfh8t- ... r_embedded</a>

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Hi guys,

you know me, I'm not one to gloat so I won't say much about the game. I didn't see it as I was in Manchester (for non-footballing reasons I assure you!), but from what i've heard we were pretty lucky to come away with 3 points.
Despite 2 good goals from Bent, most villa fans I've spoken too said Friedel kept us in the game and the ref was more than a little generous to us.

Anyway, obviously I was pleased with the win, but it left a bitter taste because I know those 'orrible bastards from manchester can now catch you, which is certainly not what I want!

Hope you hold them off, and hope you make the signings you need in the summer to keep you challenging for the title.

Hope none of that sounded patronising, I genuinely didn't mean it to. As I said, you know my attitude toward Arsenal.

Spot on. Although that is what a poacher like Bent brings you - goals, so well done to him for two clinical finishes.

 

[Stevo the Villan]

Cheers for the replies guys. I've seen the highlights and whilst it does look like we played better than I'd first heard, it did still look like we were a little lucky. But I was just going on what I'd heard from a couple of (probably over negative) Villa fans.
But Chamakh's goal should have stood and you should have had a penalty.

Although in fairness on the penalty, I can see why the ref didn't give it. i thoguht it was a good tackle when i first saw it. Wrong decision, no doubt, but I have some sympathy for the ref for that particular decision.

On Bent. He's class. I feel genuinely lucky that we've got him, and scared at the same time that someone bigger is going to snap him up in the Summer even though he only joined in January.

Since he's come into the team we've averaged 1.53 points per game, which is, averaged over a season, 58 points, which isn't bad at all.

Anyway, that's off topic. Comiserations for yesterday, hope you guys win the last game and hold off the Mancs.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

I have to say that I have a couple of Villa fan friends and they always seem very level headed and fair about their teams performances and football in general. I couldn't imagine a Villa fan watching his team break Ramsey's leg and then give Ramsey the finger like, say, Stoke City fans.

There should be more Villa fans!

 

[MAK 14]

Yesterday was bloody awful. Before the game there were a lot of unhappy fans, some were reasonable and some weren't. I saw the protest posted on the previous page and I didn't mind that, but I also saw people severely insulting Wenger and I don't think that was on.

We just didn't turn up yesterday, certainly not for the first 20 minutes. The players just seemed to be drained of confidence. After a good half an hour or so we started to come into the game, but by then we were 2-0 down and it was far too late. We were unlucky with some of the decisions but we didn't play well enough to win.

The lap of honour at the end was cringeworthy. I stayed for it, but frankly, I don't know why. The only players who, for me, looked like they were genuinely sorry and cared were Cesc, Wilshere and van Persie. The rest of them were smiling and didn't seem too bothered. I'm probably being unreasonable, as I know they all care, but it really didn't look like it yesterday.

 

[bojed]

Yesterday was bloody awful. Before the game there were a lot of unhappy fans, some were reasonable and some weren't. I saw the protest posted on the previous page and I didn't mind that, but I also saw people severely insulting Wenger and I don't think that was on.

We just didn't turn up yesterday, certainly not for the first 20 minutes. The players just seemed to be drained of confidence. After a good half an hour or so we started to come into the game, but by then we were 2-0 down and it was far too late. We were unlucky with some of the decisions but we didn't play well enough to win.

The lap of honour at the end was cringeworthy. I stayed for it, but frankly, I don't know why. The only players who, for me, looked like they were genuinely sorry and cared were Cesc, Wilshere and van Persie. The rest of them were smiling and didn't seem too bothered. I'm probably being unreasonable, as I know they all care, but it really didn't look like it yesterday.

+1.

I stayed too but left as soon as they went to the other side.

 

[tactica442]

The only players who, for me, looked like they were genuinely sorry and cared were Cesc, Wilshere and van Persie.

Something got my eyes when reading this. Ah my mood swings.

As for those smiling happily-empty-nipty-numpty squad players, they probably thinking about their summer rest in some Carribean islands. Well I hope they can stay there for all of their fcking lives.


For me, the only positive thing is Robin's display yesterday. He played like a man with an armband. Should the worst happened (Cesc leaves), I am sure Robin will be a great captain, provided that he stays fit for most part of athe season and surrounded by quality and hard-working teammates.

I rate Scenszey above Fabianski, but frankly he is not quite there yet. The two conceded goals yesterday showed why he's short to be a No. 1 keeper, especially for a team targeted to win the league. But I guess Wenger can't see that and will take the convenient route again.

 

[AnthonyG]

I rate Scenszey above Fabianski, but frankly he is not quite there yet. The two conceded goals yesterday showed why he's short to be a No. 1 keeper, especially for a team targeted to win the league. But I guess Wenger can't see that and will take the convenient route again.

You don't mean actual height, right? I agree he's a little raw in some areas, but he's tall enough for sure.

 

[Bossa]

Remember in 08/09 when we played 451 in some games and we absolutely hated it because it almost never worked and we always struggled to score. At least in the beginning we were playing 433 in the right way using wingers instead of tucked in midfielders.

I think that we should go back to 442 next season. Play Walcott and RVP up top and sign a new winger. We should only switch back to this 451 formation if we play teams like Chelsea and United. Against Barca it worked really well because we were set up very good defensively and we could counter attack.

Walcott could become fearsome striker.