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FA Cup 4th Round: Southampton v Arsenal | Saturday, January 23 | KO: 12:15 UTC | BT Sport

Who Goes Thru To Face Wolves In The 5th Round?


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OSBK

Established Member
The mentality and character of the team had clearly improved. Before, during the days of Fabregas, Van Persie etc I've heard there were different cliques in the changing room and players weren't completely united.

The team of 2012 finished third and Wilshere was injured throughout. Just what are you talking about?

I am just bemused how much of an effect you think arteta had. We finished top 4 without arteta, we finished top 4 with arteta. Signing arteta in 2012 didnt make us a super team, it didnt even improve the team that much. Jack also played 25 league games that season.

I think we can honestly say the last "united squad" we had was the last title winning team. There will always be groups within groups in squads. Not everyone gets on, watch some of the interviews with the invincbles they didnt always get along.

Arteta was a average player and a medicore manager. He was lucky we didnt have chelsea cash or he would never have played for us.
 

GoonerJay24

Well-Known Member
I am just bemused how much of an effect you think arteta had. We finished top 4 without arteta, we finished top 4 with arteta. Signing arteta in 2012 didnt make us a super team, it didnt even improve the team that much. Jack also played 25 league games that season.

I think we can honestly say the last "united squad" we had was the last title winning team. There will always be groups within groups in squads. Not everyone gets on, watch some of the interviews with the invincbles they didnt always get along.

Arteta was a average player and a medicore manager. He was lucky we didnt have chelsea cash or he would never have played for us.

Actually Arteta was signed in 2011. We never transformed into a super team but had better leadership and character, however there was probably a slight drop off in quality compared to the original Emirates teams.

Wilshere was injured throughout 2011-12 unless you mean the following season where he was just average and the team actually performed much better without him.

I disagree with everything else you say regarding Arteta as a player and there being no squad unity since 2004. That's your opinion.
 

Melquiades

Active Member
With the respective lineups chosen, we were longshots from the opening kick. The team has clearly chosen not to prioritize this competition and instead thinks they can get a top-6 from the league. Have a feeling this might look pretty foolish in a few months.

As soon as you go back to Willian/Elneny/Bellerin/Pepe/Xhaka/Nketiah as the core of a squad you're right back to the same team that was absolutely sucking ass through November and early December. And not surprisingly, exactly the same results here.

Pepe saw a lot more of the ball in the 2nd half once Saka/Partey came on and you could tell he was really trying to make something happen ... but my god the quality is just all over the place.

Willian is just garbage.

Nketiah should be sold if there is interest. Just too small and weak, and his first touch simply isn't good enough. Maybe he'll turn into something if he goes to Norwich or Brighton for a couple years but Arsenal are just wasting minutes on him.

Gabriel was horrible in the first half but looked better late. Probably shouldn't be too harsh after a long layoff but at the same time, Pablo Mari looks a better option right now.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
With the respective lineups chosen, we were longshots from the opening kick. The team has clearly chosen not to prioritize this competition and instead thinks they can get a top-6 from the league. Have a feeling this might look pretty foolish in a few months.

As soon as you go back to Willian/Elneny/Bellerin/Pepe/Xhaka/Nketiah as the core of a squad you're right back to the same team that was absolutely sucking ass through November and early December. And not surprisingly, exactly the same results here.

We had to rotate. ESR, Tierney for sure with their injury record. Saka too. This kind of thing is a situation where you want to give other players a chance to impress. Well they didn't, but this was what a sensible manager would do in this kind of season.

Laca also needed some rest. Auba was gone for other reasons, and also needed a rest. Partey also needed a rest, coming from an injury.

This cup is exactly the cup we could let go of. We won it last year. Next opponent would have been Wolves I think. It's not easy match either. Now we can rest and train.

Top 6 is not far away, especially if we get Ødegaard and Partey stays fit now. And Europa League is much more important - it can give us UCL.

Anyway, no one else is pissed off about the refs than me and @Riou ?

Wasn't that Walker-Peters handball in the box very clear (69 minutes in the clock if someone wants to check)? Why no VAR? There was even free Cedric behind Pepe, who the ball was going to. The whole arm was in an unnatural position, and the ball hit the fist with a clear bump.

What can be the reason for not reviewing it, or not giving a penalty? It's ridiculous, and not the first time this season either.

Anyway, Southampton in the next league match should be ripe for picking with our normal starting squad.
 
Last edited:

Multipass

Active Member
I’ll start by saying I wasn’t fussed about the result. I think we should prioritise EPL and Europa and our FA Cup fixtures was making it more effort than we currently can exert.

But I still thought that lineup of essentially 8 to 9 out of form players would do better on the back of the first team performances. I was wrong.

In fact a few took steps in the opposite direction.

Cedric was woeful at left back after a good performance on the right, and Bellerin has got to be the worst crosser of the ball from a wing back position in the league. Gabrielle and Holding were both horrible on the ball too giving it away throughout.

I assume he’ll go back to the Newcastle team lineup although I don’t think there’s a good solution at right back right now.
 

bergholt

Well-Known Member

Country: Australia
With the respective lineups chosen, we were longshots from the opening kick. The team has clearly chosen not to prioritize this competition and instead thinks they can get a top-6 from the league. Have a feeling this might look pretty foolish in a few months.

Much more likely to get top 6 in the league than win the cup, because in the league you can get away with a few bad/unlucky performances, whereas in the cup one of those and you're done. With our squad and form, there are going to be plenty of those.
 

Big Poppa

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: USA

Player:Saliba
We had to rotate. ESR, Tierney for sure with their injury record. Saka too. This kind of thing is a situation where you want to give other players a chance to impress. Well they didn't, but this was what a sensible manager would do in this kind of season.

Laca also needed some rest. Auba was gone for other reasons, and also needed a rest. Partey also needed a rest, coming from an injury.

This cup is exactly the cup we could let go of. We won it last year. Next opponent would have been Wolves I think. It's not easy match either. Now we can rest and train.

Top 6 is not far away, especially if we get Ødegaard and Partey stays fit now. And Europa League is much more important - it can give us UCL.

Anyway, no one else is pissed off about the refs than me and @Riou ?

Wasn't that Walker-Peters handball in the box very clear (69 minutes in the clock if someone wants to check)? Why no VAR? There was even free Cedric behind Pepe, who the ball was going to. The whole arm was in an unnatural position, and the ball hit the fist with a clear bump.

What can be the reason for not reviewing it, or not giving a penalty? It's ridiculous, and not the first time this season either.

Anyway, Southampton in the next league match should be ripe for picking with our normal starting squad.

Rotation is fine but the he always uses the same system regardless of the circumstances and players.

Playing two passive defensive midfielders when you have service reliant players like Willian, Pepe and Nketiah in attack makes little sense to me.

You’re giving the onus for linking midfield and attack to the fullbacks, one of whom is Cedric playing at left back and the other is one of the worst passers of the ball in the team.

Would’ve liked to see him have a player with a different profile like Azeez on the bench (yes i know he played the day before for U23s) to bring some vision and guile to midfield, but alas, we have our hierarchy.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
Rotation is fine but the he always uses the same system regardless of the circumstances and players.

Playing two passive defensive midfielders when you have service reliant players like Willian, Pepe and Nketiah in attack makes little sense to me.

You’re giving the onus for linking midfield and attack to the fullbacks, one of whom is Cedric playing at left back and the other is one of the worst passers of the ball in the team.

Would’ve liked to see him have a player with a different profile like Azeez on the bench (yes i know he played the day before for U23s) to bring some vision and guile to midfield, but alas, we have our hierarchy.

Even MutableEarth has said that Azeez is not ready yet. Partey needed rest, so he doesn't get injured straight away, and Ceballos was injured.
 

Big Poppa

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: USA

Player:Saliba
Even MutableEarth has said that Azeez is not ready yet. Partey needed rest, so he doesn't get injured straight away, and Ceballos was injured.

Let’s think about this.

How is he going to get ready without any exposure to first team football? I’m just saying an option off the bench.

also, I have a hell of a lot of respect for @MutableEarth but this is not about what he thinks or otherwise.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
Let’s think about this.

How is he going to get ready without any exposure to first team football? I’m just saying an option off the bench.

also, I have a hell of a lot of respect for @MutableEarth but this is not about what he thinks or otherwise.

Well, I trust the Arsenal coaches and MutableEarth on this more than our speculation.

It's not good for a DMF/CMF to get thrown in the deep end straight when young. That can ruin confidence. The jump to men is big, especially in EPL.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Well, I trust the Arsenal coaches and MutableEarth on this more than our speculation.

It's not good for a DMF/CMF to get thrown in the deep end straight when young. That can ruin confidence. The jump to men is big, especially in EPL.
To be fair, my own take is speculation on my part.

That's just my opinion more than anything else. Physically and technically he could slot in quite easily, it is the intangibles that needs work the most - something he seems to be improving on rapidly as I've seen him this season.

Ultimately, we won't know if he's ready until he plays. It's just as possible that he makes his debut and immediately acclimatises to the challenge, such is his considerable talent. Personally, I think he'll just about be slightly behind the game if he starts now. But he's close.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
To be fair, my own take is speculation on my part.

That's just my opinion more than anything else. Physically and technically he could slot in quite easily, it is the intangibles that needs work the most - something he seems to be improving on rapidly as I've seen him this season.

Ultimately, we won't know if he's ready until he plays. It's just as possible that he makes his debut and immediately acclimatises to the challenge, such is his considerable talent. Personally, I think he'll just about be slightly behind the game if he starts now. But he's close.

Yeah. Personally I'd rather give such young players easier opponents and not so important matches to start adjusting to men's games.

Especially in midfield positions, wingers for example can get away with much more. Seems pretty normal way to do things in my opinion and I find it odd if Arteta gets slack for this.
 

Mrs Bergkamp

Double Dusted
Dusted 🔻
The result was disappointing but not surprising when you looked at the lineup. On a positive note, we looked much better second half and actually created some chances. We also showed some link up play and quicker passes and movements. Negative points are that some players are really done and can't help us even if they have a decent game. The drop off from the proper starting 11 is stark. Young and/or physically fragile players are needed to make us tick. It's another OG that's lost us a match. Nobody actually had a bad game except maybe Elneny. We just didn't click at all. Looking at the 5th round, we don't have the quality to compete unless we play our first 11. Winning on Tuesday will make up for yesterday.
 
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