Arsenal 0 - 2 Chelsea: Meh

by Jay29 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:01 am

My feeling before the game was meh, during the game it was meh and after the game... it's still meh. I'm not taking any conclusions from this game and, to be frank, neither should anyone. Certain circumstances made this game more of an inconvenience than an genuine opportunity to progress in a cup and win some silverware. If our next three games were Sunderland, Norwich and some European scrub team then maybe this would have been a disappointment, but when you've got Liverpool, Dortmund and United coming up, you've got to prioritise.

People are lamenting the missed opportunity for silverware already and I don't see why. It'd be nice to win the Capital One Cup, but it will always be second to the league and Champions League, regardless of our chances of winning those competitions. A win on Saturday and this will be forgotten.

Really, the only lesson learned tonight is that if you make mistakes in a big game, you'll get punished. It happened against Dortmund, as well. We've huffed and puffed in both these games but both times are having to chase the game because mistakes have put us into that position. As Wenger said, we have to make sure we don't lose the game before we try and win it.

I suppose it's worth mentioning the reasons behind our stupid amount of injuries that have forced us to field the likes of an out of form Miyaichi and an uncaring Bendtner, but we've had this discussion before. Needless to say, it doesn't help.

So yeah, I'm keen to move on from this and look forward to the week coming up.

by RealGunner Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:05 am

Was a terrible performance. Don't think Cech made a single save. At home that's embarrassing.

by Wilson37 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:07 am

played almost our first team against Chelseas second team and got beaten comprehensively..

really sounds bitter.. tbh, game was decent although we lacked clear cut chance creation.. Chelsea too diid little to threaten us despite a moment of brilliance from Mata... worrying to see our hyped midfield failing to create anything against good defence teams.. Chelsea played with 2 DM, the old out of touch duo of Essien-Mikel which was enough to shut down us.. and they were comfortable staying back and defending once we gifted them their first goal..

moral - we keep conceding silly goals due to defensive and unforced errors.. may get away with weak smaller teams.. bu never against good teams like Dortmund, Chelsea, etc..

Fabianski - 5 did nothing to note.. arguably could have avoided the first goal with better communication
Jenko - 3 did the same in pre season too.. clueless when he gets a high ball near the box.. was all over the place and failure in attack too
Kos - 6 good match
Verm - 6 decent
Monreal - 5.5 had a good mactch.. contributed to the attack on the left side..
Wilshere - 6
Ramsey - 6
Rosicky - 6 best of our midfield players.. good interlink play and energy but could not produce enough quality..
Cazorla - 5 he is a great player.. but most of his work is too individual.. his link up play, movement, understanding and passing with the team is average for such a good player.. takes too many extra touches and tends to get away from good positions.. i may be too critical.. not only this match, but he has always been like that.. gets nullified under pressure and good defensive teams..
Ryo - 6 good match.. we tried to use his pace today which was good.. he needs to build his strength to play in the PL..
Bendtner - 4 never really stepped up.. should have shown more heart than jogging around..
Ozil & Giroud - 5 nothing significant..

so it is really a bad day and the spirit of the team has taken a hit with near first team going down without a fight against Chelseas team.. and with players like Ramsey, Wilshere, Kos, Cazorla spent, we are in for trouble in the coming fixtures...
good night..

by Eman Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:12 am

RealGunner wrote:Was a terrible performance. Don't think Cech made a single save. At home that's embarrassing.

I think the fact that you think Cech played perfectly illustrates how toothless our attack was today. Not that Chelsea's attack was much better, but they were a lot more efficient and professional than we were, and that was really the difference during the parts of the game that I saw.

by Jay29 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:14 am

Football is a weakest link game. Regardless of how many first team players you have out there, if one of your weaker players doesn't perform well, it drags everybody down.

We had three weak links tonight: Jenkinson, Miyaichi and Bendtner. By the time Ozil and Giroud come on, the damage has already been done.

Comparatively, Chlesea didn't have a single player who performed badly. Guys like Schwarzer and Bertrand, who were probably the weakest players in the side in terms of quality, didn't put a foot wrong.

by urbaNRoots Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:17 am

Absolutely, as long as we keep performing and getting results in other competitions...

One thing though, will be interesting to see how Ramsey's body will respond after playing every 2-3 days since the start of the season and having no rest at all. Sure he has a great engine but he's no robot, sooner or later he'll either get injured or lose form... I hope not but he must be in the red zone as Wenger would say. I really thought he would finally get a proper rest...

Liverpool, Dortmund, United upcoming and far more important games, 3 points minimum required imo.

by RealGunner Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:17 am

It was Schwarzer and not Cech :facepalm:

I didn't even notice in the game :facepalm:

by Chumlum Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:19 am

Wilson37 wrote: played almost our first team against Chelseas second team and got beaten comprehensively..

Not sure about "almost our first team." No Mert, Szczesny, Sagna, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini, Walcott - all either rested or injured. Özil and Giroud only as second half subs. Really we played first choice CBs and midfield (albeit without either of our deeper players), but we had back-up goalkeeper, fullbacks, and attack essentially.

(Also Cazorla 5 but Ryo 6? Wilson u wot m8!!! Laughing

)

My thoughts; The result is frustrating, of course it's never good to lose. But in perspective it's not the worst thing in the world.

What I find worrying, as I said in the live thread, is that whenever Wenger substantially rotates, more often than not the results are just ugly on the pitch. Again, I'm not really blaming for rotating as he did. I'd be doing the same thing in his situation. But it's just unfortunate how much we can expect most of these players to be rusty and put in subpar performances. Maybe it's just a matter of my biases coloring perception, but I feel like other big teams, when they rotate, nevertheless produce players who look hungry and aren't as disjointed as our back-up squads are by comparison. I mean, a number of these Chelsea guys haven't gotten a ton of match time yet this season, but a lot of them looked all right. They looked like they had a plan and were professional enough to execute.

(Although Essien against Cazorla, numerous times - hilarious.)

There are exceptions btw. I think Monreal tends to come in and pretty much always do a professional, reliable job even when he goes for long stretches on the bench. Hats off to Nacho for that. Also I thought that Vermaelen put in a decent performance given that he hasn't been on the pitch much yet either.

Also, re: what Jay just said about weakest links: :bow:

by Benry Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:19 am

Man Jenkinson is shit, I've tried to see anything decent in his game. Contrary to many I think his crossing is poor, I think Sagna's is better in fact. He cannot defend at all, god knows what the scouts were thinking.

Worst thing about his performance was his cowardice, pretty much hid from the ball, and his work rate was appalling. For someone with a supposed engine he leaves a lot in the tank, when Özil tracked back and he just coasted back. For an Arsenal fan I'd expect him to work harder and improve, but he's really poor.

Him and Miyaichi on the right hand side was tragic, attack was so blunt. Tonight showed that those two are not good enough for Arsenal.

Thought Vermaelen was decent.

by Twoism Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:21 am

RealGunner wrote:It was Schwarzer and not Cech

I didn't even notice in the game

lol bad stream ?

by RealGunner Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:23 am

No watched it on TV Laughing

by Twoism Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:24 am

can't blame you, we didn't do shit all the whole game.

by RealGunner Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:28 am

Benry wrote:Man Jenkinson is shit, I've tried to see anything decent in his game. Contrary to many I think his crossing is poor, I think Sagna's is better in fact. He cannot defend at all, god knows what the scouts were thinking.

Worst thing about his performance was his cowardice, pretty much hid from the ball, and his work rate was appalling. For someone with a supposed engine he leaves a lot in the tank, when Özil tracked back and he just coasted back. For an Arsenal fan I'd expect him to work harder and improve, but he's really poor.

Him and Miyaichi on the right hand side was tragic, attack was so blunt. Tonight showed that those two are not good enough for Arsenal.

Thought Vermaelen was decent.

Fans loved/still love Jenkinson for his passion. And the fact he is a boyhood Arsenal fan. Think that's over now. I am not suggesting we start or anyone should start a witch hunt against him or anything but i am not confident with Jenkinson being a backup, specially as Sagna gets injured a lot these days. Bellerin will surpass Jenkinson very soon and reports suggest we are scouting for right backs.

Attack was blunt till ozil and giroud came on. We had no goal threat before that.

by Wilson37 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:30 am

Twoism wrote:
RealGunner wrote:It was Schwarzer and not Cech

I didn't even notice in the game

lol bad stream ?

by Chumlum Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am

Benry, Jenks had a really rough game, no doubt about it, but I wouldn't give up on him yet. He's had patches of impressive form before. He's still young and he's a gooner. There have been games where he has indeed shown a lot of heart and an "engine." (Gary Neville wouldn't have praised him to the skies as a prospect if that wasn't so.) I'm still optimistic for him long-term.

At this point I am more worried about Ryo ... the guy looks like he might be injury prone and he's not really been able to produce much over the past three seasons, despite incredible pace and little flashes of brilliant play. I'm not one to write off young players really quickly or harshly. I'm not giving up on him as long as he's still an Arsenal player. But every time I see him play I get less convinced he'll ever be long-term at Arsenal. Whereas, say, with Gnabry you can even see how he's improving over a span of matches.

Maybe Ryo will prove me wrong. I'd be happy to see it. But he's the Arsenal youngster on the fringe of the first team I've become most pessimistic about.

by Wilson37 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:35 am

RealGunner wrote:
Benry wrote:Man Jenkinson is shit, I've tried to see anything decent in his game. Contrary to many I think his crossing is poor, I think Sagna's is better in fact. He cannot defend at all, god knows what the scouts were thinking.

Worst thing about his performance was his cowardice, pretty much hid from the ball, and his work rate was appalling. For someone with a supposed engine he leaves a lot in the tank, when Özil tracked back and he just coasted back. For an Arsenal fan I'd expect him to work harder and improve, but he's really poor.

Him and Miyaichi on the right hand side was tragic, attack was so blunt. Tonight showed that those two are not good enough for Arsenal.

Thought Vermaelen was decent.
Fans loved/still love Jenkinson for his passion. And the fact he is a boyhood Arsenal fan. Think that's over now. I am not suggesting we start or anyone should start a witch hunt against him or anything but i am not confident with Jenkinson being a backup, specially as Sagna gets injured a lot these days. Bellerin will surpass Jenkinson very soon and reports suggest we are scouting for right backs.

Attack was blunt till ozil and giroud came on. We had no goal threat before that.

i agree that he doesnt have great techique or talent.. but he was very good when played continuously for a few matches.. and struggles whenever he comes off the bench after some rest...
before he was ball shy and didnt advance match, just stayed back and defended.. now he has started going forward trying to join attack, and is all over the place with no orientation and understanding where his team mates are.. too many mispassing when it is between him and other players.. and he almost always runs into a block or crosses into a block..

by Lex Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:38 am

I'm starting to think Bendtner plays shit intentionally for us and turns it on for the NT and loan clubs

by Jay29 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:40 am

We were never going to be a goal threat against this Chelsea side with Miyaichi and Bendtner in the side. One has been very out of form since he came back from injury, the other is just coasting along until he leaves the club. Bendtner barely moved tonight and he played so sloppily that even his own team mates were getting annoyed at him.

As for Miyaichi: I watched him when he was on loan at Feyenoord and he was fully deserving of the hype he was getting during that time. Unfortunately, he's been unable to get a consistent run of games together since then due to picking up a couple of long term injuries and that'll probably mean his future will not be at Arsenal. Right now, he's clearly lacking in form and confidence and isn't in a position where he can offer much to the first team.

by Wilson37 Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:42 am

i think Ryo did well today.. movement and passing was ok..
feel that his problem is more mental.. something which Rosicky and Ramsey faced.. lost your courage and confidence after injuries.. despite having the pace and trickery he is hesitant to take on opponents.. he has just returned from long injury, i think he can get back that by playing more.. but one thing is he surely needs to get stronger if he has to make it in PL...

by SamuelJayC Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:44 am

Typical Mourinho; Sit back, defend in numbers, counter. Works every time v Arsenal. P9 W5 D4 L0 v Wenger.

Really think Wenger needs to be smarter in the tactical game v Mourinho. It's quite embarrassing.

Team display was extremely average. Ryo and Bendtner invisible. Jenkinson the same as 2 years ago at times, needs a PL loan.

Annyoing we lost with Wilshere, Rosicky, Cazorla, Ramsey - even Ozil came on. And we didn't even score.

Vital we win one of the next 3 games at least. Huge 10+ days or so.

Mad

by RealGunner Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:46 am

It seems like Ryo has lost his dribbling abilities for some reason

by Benry Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:59 am

Dutch League is a doddle compared to PL, he doesn't have the aggression needed for this league. He got outmuscled comfortably by Mata for crying out loud.

Re: Jenkinson

I'm not sold at all, his technique has yet to improve he's played in a nearly 50 games for Arsenal, but the same flaws keep appearing. I mean look at his body position when defending he never gets it right so he can make a tackle and keep hold of the ball. He rarely if ever intercepts like our other defenders, he doesn't look comfortable in this Arsenal team.

He just looks lost, he could have had a real go and shown some character but he bottled it. I thought the City game at Eastlands may have been the turning point, but the games he's played this year has been a regression on that performance. It's telling that England had no RB for Poland and they played Smalling, Neville clocked him after that City game but after that he's not done much else.

His lack of dexterity shows no improvement, in regards to passion and fight I've seen plenty more from Giroud.

by Lex Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:00 am

Jenks was at his best when he had a consecutive run of games after Sagna was injured

by urbaNRoots Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:12 am

Really harsh how people are dismissing Jenkinson already.

Sure he's had a poor start of a season but he's a youngster like all the others, it's his time to show inexperience which will make him work harder and make him better in the future.

He has some flaws in his game like his positioning in defence when he stays too far from the attacker and too close to the CB's most of the time, the way he rarely defends aggresively when he has to, or his technical level but he's a hard worker in training from what I can see and he'll improve in those things and more, just give him time.

Him and Bellerin are our future in the RB position and I'm confident both will make it. That's why I don't think we need a RB at all unless Sagna leaves in the summer and even in that case we should sign an experienced RB rather than a younger one.

by EL Patron Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:14 am

Ryo could do with a proper bollocking from the coaching staff, he barely showed any bite or aggression. He just let Bertrand bully him all game, I can't even remember him winning any 50-50. People are being a bit harsh on Jenkinson, give him a bit of time. Sure He had a bad game but its not easy to be chucked in and out of the team then be expected to perform especially when you are young.

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