UEL: Dundalk v Arsenal | Thursday, December 10 | KO: 17:55 GMT | BT Sport

[gunner4lyfe]

This was like 12 years ago bro.

And it has happened with other players since

 

[Aussie_gunner123]

This one certainly wasn't our best UEL performance we've had but either way does Arteta allow us to play a bit more free roaming & creative in the UEL games we've had compared to the PL games? Been rather interesting watching us in the UEL games compared to our PL games this year.

On the other hand maybe it's because we've played more of our youth & they want to show a bit more enthusiasm to compete for a spot in the PL side aswell.

 

[The_Playmaker]

This game was literally a dead rubber. No meaning at all.

Why couldn't Balogun have started? What did we learn about Nketiah that we didn't already know.

Why take Saka?

Why not start Cotterel?

Why play Elneny or Ceballos?

Why couldn't Azeez start?

It's just stupid management.

 

[bergholt]

This game was literally a dead rubber. No meaning at all.

Why couldn't Balogun have started? What did we learn about Nketiah that we didn't already know.

Why take Saka?

Why not start Cotterel?

Why play Elneny or Ceballos?

Why couldn't Azeez start?

It's just stupid management.

The guy wants to keep his job, getting thumped in the EL playing the kids wouldn’t help that.

 

[The_Playmaker]

The guy wants to keep his job, getting thumped in the EL playing the kids wouldn’t help that.

Nobody would care if he started 11 kids and we lost. It was a nothing game.

Esr--Balogun-Pepe
-AMN--Azeez--Willock
Cotterel----------Cedric
---Mustafi---Chambers
--------Runnarson

That team would have won the game.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

And it has happened with other players since

Not with me though.

 

[bergholt]

Nobody would care if he started 11 kids and we lost. It was a nothing game.

Esr--Balogun-Pepe
-AMN--Azeez--Willock
Cotterel----------Cedric
---Mustafi---Chambers
--------Runnarson

That team would have won the game.

Probably, but increased chance of a loss, and then more ammo for “crisis at Arsenal”. I’m not surprised he’s playing it a little safe.

 

[Big Poppa]

Probably, but increased chance of a loss, and then more ammo for “crisis at Arsenal”. I’m not surprised he’s playing it a little safe.

I very much doubt that team would’ve lost. Most of those players have played together throughout the youth setup and understand each other’s game perfectly.

It also overlooks the point that in the context of a game where the result has no bearing on points or progress, experience for untested players is far more valuable than the outcome.

He needs to start getting results in the league.

 

[bingobob]

This game was literally a dead rubber. No meaning at all.

Why couldn't Balogun have started? What did we learn about Nketiah that we didn't already know.

Why take Saka?

Why not start Cotterel?

Why play Elneny or Ceballos?

Why couldn't Azeez start?

It's just stupid management.

How's life in black and white?

 

[HairSprayGooners]

Cedric excellent again, excellent final ball on him. Shock @GDeep™

 

[The_Playmaker]

How's life in black and white?

It is black and white. Even if we lost we win the group. Nobody cares about the result. Literally. The football world would not call it a crisis if we lost the game with kids.

 

[bingobob]

It is black and white. Even if we lost we win the group. Nobody cares about the result. Literally. The football world would not call it a crisis if we lost the game with kids.

Glad to hear it.

 

[SA Gunner]

The reason Arteta is taking every game so seriously is because he is trying to build up credit, and drive home a positive impression again.

We will continue to see this nonsense football, until he feels he has license to experiment and have it all go wrong.

It will either work for him or he will lose his job trying.

 

[tap-in]

I know it's is an unpopular view here, but in my view he does better coming in from the left.

I'd be curious to see how he would work with Balogun, who seems adept at holding up the ball.

I was one of those always shouting for him to play CF but it hasnt worked. As I said, Auba on the wing at least gives us a creator of chances in the middle. From the wing he scores and assists. I dont mind if its Balogun or Nketiah at CF. The latter hasnt really been given a PL chance but the former certainly looks the part and has the physical advantage that can help a CF in the PL.

 

[Big Poppa]

The reason Arteta is taking every game so seriously is because he is trying to build up credit, and drive home a positive impression again.

We will continue to see this nonsense football, until he feels he has license to experiment and have it all go wrong.

It will either work for him or he will lose his job trying.

Have you ever lived with someone who takes ages trying to perfect a recipe every time they cook even when you're just hungry and need to eat?

That's how Arteta's approach has a lot of Arsenal fans feeling.

We don't need goals from cutbacks. We just need goals. We need players feeling comfortable in their own skin so they can play with freedom.

Systems should be used for support not for direction.

 

[Big Poppa]

I was one of those always shouting for him to play CF but it hasnt worked. As I said, Auba on the wing at least gives us a creator of chances in the middle. From the wing he scores and assists. I dont mind if its Balogun or Nketiah at CF. The latter hasnt really been given a PL chance but the former certainly looks the part and has the physical advantage that can help a CF in the PL.

He did nothing on the wing and he's doing nothing up front.

Our front 3 are redundant in this system and that includes Saka. There's a fundamental disconnect between midfield and attack. Xhaka made 18 passes to Gabriel against Sp**s. 18. The highest combination on the pitch.

Address that, and we'd score goals with Franny Jeffers at CF.

 

[Aussie_gunner123]

Don't be afraid in the PL to start taking shots from outside the box. Look at 2 of our goals last 2 weeks in the UEL, good long range shots from outside the box. El Neny & Lacazette.

 

[tap-in]

He did nothing on the wing and he's doing nothing up front.

Our front 3 are redundant in this system and that includes Saka. There's a fundamental disconnect between midfield and attack. Xhaka made 18 passes to Gabriel against Sp**s. 18. The highest combination on the pitch.

Address that, and we'd score goals with Franny Jeffers at CF.

22 goals from the wing last season, its hardly nothing! I do agree that Xhaka shouldn't be on the pitch.

 

[Big Poppa]

22 goals from the wing last season, its hardly nothing! I do agree that Xhaka shouldn't be on the pitch.

He was only on the wing after Emery was sacked and Ljungberg reinstated Laca. He scored about 50% of his goals last season from the wing and 50% from the middle. The prior season and at Dortmund he was almost exclusively a CF or in a pair.

The underlying stats show that he scored with fewer chances and a higher conversion rate from the wing towards the latter part of last season. It's deceptive. It was never sustainable, and masked deeper problem of fewer and fewer attempts at goal as he got deeper and deeper.

There were legitimate reasons to move him back to CF but that belies the fact that we were playing 4231 with 3 playmakers (Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Özil) making chances behind him during the best run of his time at this club.

Sticking him up front with a static midfield 50 yards away and wing backs spamming crosses is utterly pointless.

 

[ntipping]

Decent game last time, a chance to see some of the youngsters play. Always refreshing !