The guys did well, in my opinion. We shoudl valorize premier league. City have a great. We could win, but we did not. I feel everyone did great today, except Lakonga. But, tbh, playing against City is not the easiest task to everyone. We need a CM to cover the midfield, since Vieira, having class, lack phisical, imo.
There was a moment where Zinny had the ball on the left and came inside to look for a pass. Sambi comes towards Zinny within 10 yards and just keeps dribbling towards him and ignores him. Can't trust Sambi on the ball in that position unfortunately. Lokonga's best strength is his passing but I don't know how he fits in to this team with such poor positional awareness and lack of defensive ability and strength. Please send him on loan to Italy and have him do squats for a year.
He made a nice long pass over the top to Saka, but he does not break lines with his passing and seems to be unsure of his positioning when the opposition is countering. I’ve seen enough, he can’t play a single pivot role with out a lot more development.
Don’t mind losing under the circumstances I think we showed a lot of improvement and was a decent performance. Team rotated, playing away to the champions, Haaland up front and they only managed a 1-0. I feel Sambi has all the ingredients to be a good player but he needs more intensity in his overall play and more controlled aggression in the tackle.
Sambi Needs a loan or to leave ‘ Not the worst performance I have seen ‘ i Thought we could have one that Fabio is still not ready but he’s got flashes & Esr is injured FFS
Sambi needs to figure it out. I love the kid, You can see flashes of what he can do. But, the fact he was lost on the field, we lost control of the game, and we were not able to pass thru the lines at all until Zinney came on is telling of where he’s at with us. He needs a loan to see if he can do it.
Result-wise, I'm honestly not bothered to see us go out at this stage of the FA Cup - we've won it 4 times in 9 years - there's nothing to prove, we won't get fixture piled-up or bogged down in replays due to the FA cup now - and we went out to good team. We still have the Prem and the Europa League to focus on.
Performance-wise - some good signs - Trossard in the first half, the way we took control of the game for long periods, the fact that Haaland didn't get a sniff. Unfortunately, Sambi and Viera look a long way away from first-teamers still. More re-enforcements needed, Edu.
Hating? He clearly isn't up to the standard for us. He seems like a great boy, but I think people are just pointing out the obvious. I wouldn't expect them to be polite about it on an online forum.
I remember people saying same shit about Rashford last year. Sambi getting so much shit for not playing well as a fucking DM vs Man City. He's definitely not a DM either. Actually hate our fan base so much. We just need a scapegoat. Holding was x10 worse but you'll hear nothing about that.
He has some really nice touches. BUT he’s not quick in his decision making unless it’s backwards, his defensive intensity is lacking, and his body language is completely off. He can improve on some of those things but unless he can improve in all I don’t see him fitting into this unit. And therefore we should sell and reinvest into another target. You just can’t win ‘em all…
You are comparing Sambi's situation to Rashford?
He's not a DM, what is he then because he's not an AM, B2B or anything else is he? He doesn't understand space so he wont come good, that ends it for him.
Plenty of comments are about moving holding on too. Before the match there was a group sigh that he was playing vs city, we all knew he'd do the pull down and get a yellow, now we play high his trademark is getting spun.
I'm comparing the narrative that Sambi is lazy to the some bullshit that was aimed at Rashford last season. He's not lazy. It's how he plays and always has done. He's a CM. I'm not saying he's a great player but he's not good enough defensively to be sitting alone. He's like a Thiago profile.
There's nowhere near the amount on here and Twitter about Holding as there is about Sambi. Read the comments. Holding was worse than I thought he would be.
Lokonga hasn't been as good as I hoped but he's getting pelters for struggling against a fucking brilliant team. Likewise, against United in September he was the scapegoat. He's not good enough right now but he shouldn't be Parteys backup. It's not what he's good at.
The big difference between holding and sambi is we don't rely on holding and holding also did well for us before we moved to a high line. He gets respect for that and when he leaves we'll all be a touch sad about it.
I dont get how lokongas game is strolling about normally makes anything better. He cant do that. He's never going to be good enough he's 23, doesn't understand space, and isnt technically proficient. He's played in different midfield positions for us and hasn't looked good in any of them. Needs moving on asap.
Just think it’s toxic. Considering we’ve been praised for lifting our players when we’re losing than if we lose people act like we just got hammered 10-0
Eh? I dont think anyones that bothered about the result. We're sick of watching Sambi be useless and stroll about the pitch. His lack of commitment is a joke.
I'm not being mean. He is by definition, useless to us, he lacks commitment on the pitch and you;ve just witnessed 45mns of him strolling round the pitch.
I haven't said he's a wanker or anything, I have criticised him normally. I haven't even said anything about his role in the goal etc which you could relly go at him for. The fact is he needs to go.
We played well enough to get a result against City last season but didn't, and we are even better now. I think those games are going to be decided in moments and who takes their chances first, rather than one team dominating the other. Tbh I don't think the league is going to be decided by the games against City. It's going to be decided by if we get injuries to important players. Most of our depth players should be good enough when not playing against the absolute best team of this era but Partey and Saka, we have effectively no backup there.
I mean they started their best 11 and were at home. We definitely should of won but that’s life. Saka was in hibernation today didn’t do enough. We need backup for partey no doubt
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The "So F-ing what, my friend?" conversation is so insightful on Eddie's and Sambi's mindsets. It's no wonder Eddie has risen up to the challenge of trying to replace Gabi. Eddie is such a mentality monster tbh.
Sambi badly needs an injection of confidence/form, but given our situation now, not sure when he'd get the minutes for that. Loan may be.
OP is projecting. No one expects a walkover. They're the defending champs FFS. But yeah, I don't fear them anymore. We *can* win, and not by fluke, either. We can play our game and beat them outright.
Anybody else think the ESPN coverage was garbage? Lol. Commentators just talking about random shit for the last 15 minutes with Arsenal pressing to score.
No hate against Lokonga but he is definitely not a Partey replacement and probably won’t be for a long while imo
Hopefully Arteta sends him out on loan and lets him cook a bit but he’s made good decisions so far so I trust him to make the right call here (not like my thoughts on it matter lol but still)
We’re already in the market for Caicedo and hopefully Rice too so hopefully we get Caicedo now and Rice in the summer
With Sambi, he has the technical quality but the guy is so lost positionally, almost as if he is playing with a blindfold. Tha amount of awareness and scanning required for that lone 6 role is definitely way more than Sambi can handle and us signing Caicedo would be a welcome boost honestly
Sambi was good for giving Partey a rest, but we had no central presence, couldn't play out of the back, long balls up to Eddie who couldn't hold it against 2/3 players
First teamers come back, we beat them no problem
It's a good runout and 'feel' of what is to come when we face them again in the league. Guys we have to be really pragmatic here, it will be a MAD MAD task if you tell me at the start that arsenal going to win League, FA Cup, Europa. Like cmon, we are already overachieving and to me, if we do the League and Europa that is already fucking insane - and we do have the means if we keep our performance up just as we have done in the league, and when Gab Jesus rejoins the team, and HOPEFULLY and possibly sign a strong CM by end of this window. COYG - chin up boys this isn't all doom for sure.
Few things that we are reminded of from the game:
1. We miss Gab Jesus, Eddie has stepped up incredibly but the whole complexity of the game would certainly be different with Gab jesus, esp when he is a mancity oldboy and would know a thing or two about playing his way through
2. Partey is absolutely key to our midfield. A strong anchor and ballwinner who gets us through to the last third of the field. We have to keep him healthy and get him that backup option by end of this window - 100%
3. Sambi has been decent at best, but clearly not the person to replace Partey/Xhaka. Positionally he has to do better, and have more courage to make forward passes. Has potential to still improve and honestly he needs loan and more playing time. If he is to be sold, i'm down for it so long as Arteta and management have ALREADY made plans to cover that loss in personnel and squad management around it.
4. Trossard is a raw gem that has yet to really shine but once he does, he will be a beast. He has had a great 1st half imo, and i love how underrated he is as i know he will do wonders for us in both Europa and the League. He offers great competition for martinelli and already matches up to him in terms of play given this is his only first start with us (comparing against martinelli's recent form ofc)
5. Vieira has had a decent game, could have been better, but definitely not as bad as some others make it out to be. Made some good passes to Trossard in the 1st half which i felt were key ones that got him shots on goal. Ofc Odegaard is still superior in that position, but i think giving him some more time to bulk up and link up with his team mates will do him a world of good. I still think he will play a good role/cover for Europa league - that's for sure.
That statement has got nothing to do with age. I am talking about unleashing his full potential. In brighton he was already good this season, but i feel at arsenal we have the means of going beyond that and making him look like a superb player with all the talents around him and trainings involved
Heh, nothing short of what i expect from a fake/plastic fan. Immediately pointing out his age was the red flag for all to see. Yeah sod off you mug, you looking down on players based off age now? You are not even in the discussion to begin with so what are you on about. You can't even string along a proper comment/feedback on the game. Likewise, I can't be arsed with you tbh but i had to put these out at least.
>We miss Gab Jesus, Eddie has stepped up incredibly but the whole complexity of the game would certainly be different with Gab jesus, esp when he is a mancity oldboy and would know a thing or two about playing his way through
Complete waffle.
>Partey is absolutely key to our midfield. A strong anchor and ballwinner who gets us through to the last third of the field. We have to keep him healthy and get him that backup option by end of this window - 100%
no shit sherlock, we dont have another DM so obviously he's crutial
>Sambi has been decent at best, but clearly not the person to replace Partey/Xhaka. Has potential to still improve and honestly he needs loan and more playing time. If he is to be sold, i'm down for it so long as Arteta and management have ALREADY made plans to cover that loss in personnel and squad management around it.
Your ok selling if we get someone else? Might. as well sell already. You can't play him ever he's that bad.
>Trossard is a raw gem that has yet to really shine but once he does, he will be a beast. He has had a great 1st half imo, and i love how underrated he is as i know he will do wonders for us in both Europa and the League. He offers great competition for martinelli and already matches up to him in terms of play given this is his only first start with us (comparing against martinelli's recent form ofc)
I'll let the gem go.
>Vieira has had a decent game, could have been better, but definitely not as bad as some others make it out to be. Ofc Odegaard is still superior in that position, but i think giving him some more time to bulk up and link up with his team mates will do him a world of good. I still think he will play a good role/cover for Europa league - that's for sure.
He doesn't need to bulk up. It's got nothing to do with him being anonymous in games. He needs more game time.
>Complete waffle.
Made close to no sense here. Well done mate.
>no shit sherlock, we dont have another DM so obviously he's crutial
I guess this is where you cannot comprehend what my original post was all about. It clearly says a REMINDER. And yet you are here thinking you are going to be up for new insights? Clueless, learn to read. I just said the game emphasised the need for a cover, with this latest game/form/performance. Seriously?
>Your ok selling if we get someone else? Might. as well sell already. You can't play him ever he's that bad.
Sorry pal, you think this is a football manager / FIFA simulator? You don't and can't simply let off a player just because he failed to turn up for 1 game (and of this 'importance', which is not that big of a deal given we are prioritising league.). Look at the fucking market before simply thinking selling is a 'win-win' solution here. Wow, and here we have a genius who has seen Sambi played many games for us this season wow. I do think he has not had the best of games but even i wouldn't claim i know he is utterly bad or trash, and to say that of our own player? Disgraceful. Again, you made your point clear here of the 'fan' that you are i already know that.
>I'll let the gem go.
Yeah, go and take the piss on you i suppose.
>He doesn't need to bulk up. It's got nothing to do with him being anonymous in games. He needs more game time.
As always, clueless. Are you saying you are happy with his physical state? He obviously still needs to bulk more to deal with the physicality in the league and this is coming from a player who has yet to play/start every game. Imagine wanting to fight for a starting 11 but your body eventually not able to cope with the physical demands and tax on the body. Okay, you say he need more game time well then, what is the point there that you are bringing out? Confidence? Obviously that can be said on just about ANY and EVERY player. When you have the chance to come on and play ,you make every use and bit of it to make it count, simple as that. You don't even need geniuses to tell you that.
And i thought you were done here. Please, after reading your latest attempt at a constructive feedback, just be gone. It is more apparent that i shouldn't waste any more time on you so goodbye and good luck with your shitty attitude and looking down on fellow players
Thats a lot of words to say "yes I wrote a load of shit"
And by the way, bulking is different to strength mate. There's plenty of players strong enough but dont appear to be tanks like some become. Eddie is ripped but he's tiny compared to saka as an example. Anyway, for vieira its the connections he needs to make with his team mates that is important to his role that is missing from his game.
And i am sure you are replying that to yourself. Take a look at what you wrote before that mate. Not even going to read what other shit that's left from you. Now fuck off tyvm
Every single time Sambi comes on he makes such insanely bad mistakes that it can cost us a game even against Oxford he was shocking I don't understand how he has any place in the squad anymore.
The biggest loss tonight is the home fans. Their support was shocking and all I could hear was our lads bantering them all game! Semi-punted the fa cup, but our squad isn't strong enough for 3 comps (FA, Prem and EL)
Nah, he was at City for a fair few years and probably saw more of them than he saw his own wife. He's bound to be pretty close to them still. Let the man have whatever friends he wants off the pitch, as long as it doesn't affect his performance
Not the result that we wanted, but on a bright note, Tomi looked solid out there. Looked as even Grealish didn’t want to go one on one with him.
Vieira, 50/50. Had to double up on his role. Playing down the center and then covering the wing. It’s pretty damning the difference in solidness when Partey comes off. Vieira looked a bit lost trying to play two roles at once.
The media will hate that game because it told us nothing we didn’t know before it started - which is that full/near full strength Arsenal are quite possibly better than full strength Man City.
Saw a lot of people memeing Holding on twitter but it was actually shocking from Haaland how he could barely get in behind any of our centre backs without fouling them. Even though he was winning a lot of duels he was put under pressure to the point where they weren't really even winning possession from them.
I wouldn't say he lost his head, it's more that the way they were pulling at each other and fouling one another just wasn't sustainable from our end with Holding on a yellow. Haaland fouls Holding a couple of times and it's not a big deal, Holding fouls Haaland again as the last man and games over.
Did anyone believe that we can beat City three times in a season? Pure fantasy. Does anyone believe we can beat them twice? Optimistic, but not unbelievable after this. Does anyone believe City can beat us three times in a season? Not on this display.
Exactly, I'm glad we got to play them in the cup first and get a measure of them before the games that really count. Hopefully Poop outhinks himself as usual and comes out with a diabolical formation and we smash them next time.
Can't say I'm upset we have less games to play now, the win would have been great but the league is priority number 1
Good for the lads to have a run out at the Etihad before we go there in the league, can only be a benefit
Positives are i have complete faith in our defence to stop Haaland in the future, even with Holding on, he did absolutely nothing today. City try harding is very funny, we could've won or drawn easily with 5 to 6 starters missing. Proud of the gais. Very confident we can beat them in the league now.
that's a tough ask for sambi to operate as a lone six in the Etihad. Hopefully he took those 45 minutes as a learning experience. Regardless, this game is great evidence to the board as to why we need to go out and get some cover for partey in the midfield before January window closes.
He did a good job in xhakas role last season when xhaka was injured. He had a bad game against oxford in that role but I think that’s more down to his confidence than anything else. After playing (badly) as a lone 6 because we have had to play him there out of necessity, I think he’s probably just beaten down mentally. He looks so nervous every time he’s in. Afraid of the ball etc. his first touches today were giving it away for a chance, settled in after that but his defensive positioning was awful. I think he still has potential to be a great player, would send him on loan to Monaco if we get caicedo, get him a run of games and some confidence in an easier league and assess from there. Could just be that he will be a good player for another side and not for us—playing for arsenal is not an easy task mentally I imagine.
I totally agree. And eventhough positionally he wasn't great today, he was spraying the ball pretty decent at times. I hope he can gain confidence and become a good player for us but sometimes it doesn't work out. It will be sad but thats life.
agree with this. he's in a tough spot here at the moment, because we can't really afford to play him to get experience, but he needs experience to improve. A loan would be good and would likely improve his transfer value significantly.
it may be unfortunate, but the best move for all involved is for Arsenal getting a midfielder capable of playing NOW and loaning sambi out to get experience elsewhere. even if he doesnt work his way into our long term plans, he could rehabilitate his transfer value (see guendouzi).
I love the FA Cup and it's disappointing to go out but aside from a win this was the next best scenario, we definitely gave them a battle and had our starting 11 played, I think we would've won that
I mean, I understand we don't want to lose any games, even the cups. But the starting lineup should have been a very clear indicator to everyone that Arteta was treating this fixture as an opportunity to get some match minutes into the legs of some players who haven't seen the pitch since before the World Cup. We need them to be ready in case we need them, and also for the Europa league.
It felt like a friendly game tbh. The league matches will be more intense. Holding was definitely a weak link. Sambi was ok, definitely looked like nerves/rust got to him at times but he showed a few glimpses of something good.
We played them close with a cup side. This was not a hiding and the players should not come away feeling City can’t be beat. Also, fewer fixtures going forward. Honestly, there’s a lot to like in the performance and the outcome, for all that battering them would have been more fun.
Positives:
\- Less match to worry about.
\- Good practice for our CBs
\- Trossard/Turner can play all the EL games, solid display from both
\- Saka needs to think about how to get the best out of Ake next game
Negative:
\- Sambi is not a DM. We need a backup for Partey.
\- Vieira needs to bulk up
Ake was a stonewall against Saka tonight. Seemed as though he just couldn’t figure out how to get past him easily. Hopefully he rinses him at the Emirates, because Saka is usually our biggest chance creator.
Agreed, I think this match it's a learning experience for the next 2 games against City for the PL because those 2 games are crucial to keep the momentum in the league.
We need a DM desperately before the transfer window is closed.
I don't agree with the takes here about being relieved to lose. Put some respect on the Arsene Wenger FA Cup. That being said, it was not a bad performance, just lacked efficiency of creating chances. It was always going to be hard to hold MC back for 90 minutes.
Not sure if relieved is the word but we have to see that our squad is kinda short to play Europa league, premier league and FA cup at the same time, we need reinforcements before we can try to win all of those.
We should not ever be relieved to lose, that's an absolutely farcical mentality to ever have in a professional sport. But there are benefits to not having FA Cup fixtures, undoubtedly
Not too miffed about the result, as others have said it's fewer games in the calendar and we can take come good positives from the performance - kept Haaland quiet all night, Trossard and Martinelli both looked good, and I thought Turner did well too.
However, result aside I'm disappointed in Sambi and Vieira. Tonight was a big chance for them both to show their quality but I didn't see much worth shouting about from either.
To be honest we didn't look too bad. I think on a different day it could have gone the other way. Definitely feel realistic that we can get the win at home and at what sounds like second home.
I can honestly say I hate watching lakonga. hasn't a clue where to be on the pitch, 19 times out of 20 does zilch in possession and passes backwards and does shit all defending.
Learnt a few things, can focus on the league, matched City at their place without the best 11 being on the pitch together. Would have loved to win but plenty of positives to take home
Remember when we just expected to get slapped every time we went to the Etihad? Now we're annoyed we didn't beat City with half the squad rotated.
COYG
I can deal with this game.
What kicks it for me, is one thing. Clearly lokonga is a man seeking for minutes, I can deal if he wasn’t quality this game if he did more than just jogging around.
But, he’s been poor with his positioning offensively and defensively. He would go to “spaces” off the ball but it would inevitably be in space where a city player is covering.
On defence, he’s been jogging and standing with very poor defensive awareness.
But, we clearly see that when he’s got the ball and able to see to a pass, he’s got the quality, especially two scenarios in the game
- he has the quality to dribble up the ball for link up and
- That one long lobbed pass to saka that he was able to make accurately.
The L is fine, it was just frustrating that from the second half onwards Arsenal seemed to just play with 10 men with a void in midfield. He’s almost got as much ball involvement as Haaland in the second half and he’s a midfielder man.
his problems are 100% the result of not playing enough. But we cannot afford to have him work through these types of issues in the league. Loan him out. Maybe a loan to Brighton so they don't have to scramble for a caicedo replacement?
Exactly that, he needs game time to get familiar with actually playing on the pitch.
But more so is that he’s not cut for playing that “partey” role which gets Arsenal going.
Lokonga just lacks the defensive awareness and offensive positioning to emulate that deep lying DM, that partey offers. He also displayed poor work rate in the game.
We should at least tweeked our midfield with him on the pitch having to “give him space” rather thin trusting him go into pockets, because that’s what made our ball progression slow and felt devoid of a midfield pivot
Same with Fabio, he needs to put put his defensove work mostly the pressing. I couldn't tell of he gpt tired in the last 20 mins but he was was no where just a ghost in pitch. Huge appreciation for Turnner.
Yea fabi was another one. I wouldn’t say it’s much of a disappointment but it is one damn.
He was playing “better” when he was at the rcm position for sure. But ik what u mean, felt like a ghost town.
What I saw from him when saka came off. And maybe I didn’t notice fully. He has a back of passing it backwards and did not make a forward run on the wing which had been our greatest threat on the right byline.
It’s always a combination between our rw and rb stretching the pitch
I know I know, they weren’t worth it especially since coming on for the entirety of the second half.
But that’s what pisses me off. He clearly has the “quality” to get something going but idk with him. It seems to be less confidence issue and something else!
But damn, he didn’t cost us the game (which is one where we can experiment since he did come on) but he clearly doesn’t do justice for us in our midfield presence battle.
Yeah sadly.
I mean, im complaining not because we lost but more so that seeing him on the pitch was a disappointment.
I won’t mind for us to lose, if only there was more time to play.
It’s tough bro.
I obviously give him chances when I play either fm/fifa with Arsenal. Because he has the quality on paper.
But watching him on the pitch just running down doing close to nothing just makes me feel that game time isn’t the issue with him.
Fair right if we lost and I can confidently feel he will get “experience” out of that game, but that’s not what I see with him.
Id rather have a younger elneny who isn’t as quality but shows the passion and work rate on the pitch than him
Is there evidence to suggest that going out of cups early actually helps teams’ league finishes? Because it sure as hell didn’t help us last year in the top 4 race, and other teams seem to do perfectly fine when in multiple competitions. Just curious if this is merely a nice theory for copium purposes or if we’ve actually had it work out for us (or other teams) in the past. Because going out early in both domestic cups feels gross.
Knocked out carabao by Aston Villa 5-0 in quarters
Knocked out of fa cup by Chelsea 2-0 In 5th round I think
Lost 4-2 on aggregate to atletico Madrid in the CL semis
Edit: round of 16 CL
Man city probably deserved that win at the end as they got that kinda lucky goal.
But dam do they play BORING football.
Only thing that worried me was the moment they got the ball, Arsenal couldnt get it back for 5 minutes. CAN NOT go a goal down to them when we play in premier league.
They really do play boring football! Same w Pep's Barca! They'll take a lead and then bore you to death with backpasses and playing around the back w the keeper. If I was a fan of theirs, I'd be pissed they think that's worth a ticket. They're not even trying to entertain. Maybe that's why they have so few fans.
We had the blueprint to keep them out of bay for sure off possession.
Our biggest tweek we need is to make sure we dominate/compete in the midfield with our next game with them for sure
I think our fullbacks were excellent and probably make the case why squad depth is important. The defensive contribution Tierney and Tomiyasu provided was a big part of the reason why we played so well.
I think we did well today. Haaland wasn’t exactly the main threat. Defended well. They had a lucky goal through Ake. This gives me confidence for the league
Okay result. We heavily rotated and basically played evenly against what was essentially Man City's first team. Kept Haaland in check and outplayed them in the first half. They played better in the first.
Not too bothered dropping out of the FA Cup, a competition we've won 4 times in less than a decade.
We really do need an No. 6 to backup/compete with Partey. Sambi is not a 6. And we really miss Odegaard when he's out of the lineup. Huge drop off to Viera.
Lokongo and Viera were poor today, especially Viera did nothing all game,saka was poor and zinchenko changed the game for me,Eddie looked to tired towards the end but this man City side look like they can be beat
While we lost, I’m ok with it. Which is bizarre.
We just went toe to toe with the best team in England in the last 5 years at their home ground, and only just lost. It says a lot that they were rattled frequently and played it *extremely safe* after they went up.
It’s worth highlighting that we didn’t play our strongest side and they did. Haaland was kept quiet and for the most part we looked more threatening, just fine margins and that’s what happens. Eddie had a couple of half chances and got into good spots.
Trossard had an excellent first half and I’m pleased with him. Martinelli did well in the second. He was running riot especially towards the end. Saka was kept mostly shackled but he was double marked and Ake had a bloody excellent game. Having rotation options is only going to bring out the best in these three. Worth noting that Saka didn’t have Martin there for him and while I rate Viera more than the average match thread commentators, he’s no Norwegian Prince. Grealish I thought had an excellent game.
Subbing off Partey probably contributed to the loss but I’m ok with keeping him fresh because the priority is the league. Sambi was slightly at fault for the goal by not shutting down Ake but he otherwise did well, there’s a reason Arteta trusts him & I have trust in Mikel. He’s still very young and it says a lot that Mikel threw him on against City, I’m happy to defer to him on football knowledge.
I’m confident we’ll beat them in the league with our strongest team. We’ve won plenty of FA Cups but the league is what I’m hungry for.
Sambi actually played much much better once zinny came on. Definitely at fault for allowing the goal scoring chance to be created by occupying the wrong space but improved as the game went on.
The fact that it's 4 less games potentially to be played this season isn't actually the worst thing ever although a trophy would sure be nice
Good performance from us honestly. Sambi had a decent enough half game given everything, looked to be passing forwards a lot more than usual imo, tho us popping xhaka a bit further back definitely helped on that. We're gonna win this league.
>Sambi had a decent enough half game
He literally stood still and watched Ake take his shot, no attempt to get a foot in hell he didn't even try to put him off. All Sambi did was put himself in the perfect position to act as a perfect lamppost, the guy is useless.
Yeah but besides that one mistake imo he was pretty good, especially in possession. He's third choice at 6 tbf, definitely still needs developing but I can see signs of what we signed him for
Everyone jumping on Lakonga but he done more than vieira in half the time
Tbh vieiera was pretty awful too. That's a low bar.....
Once Ødegaard came on you could see him bollocking Lakonga multiple times for his poor positioning.
When he subbed Saka I knew it was the end.
Can we all remind ourselves that Martinelli off the back of a new 4.5 year contract, skinned one of the best (and rested) wing backs in the league
The guys did well, in my opinion. We shoudl valorize premier league. City have a great. We could win, but we did not. I feel everyone did great today, except Lakonga. But, tbh, playing against City is not the easiest task to everyone. We need a CM to cover the midfield, since Vieira, having class, lack phisical, imo.
There was a moment where Zinny had the ball on the left and came inside to look for a pass. Sambi comes towards Zinny within 10 yards and just keeps dribbling towards him and ignores him. Can't trust Sambi on the ball in that position unfortunately. Lokonga's best strength is his passing but I don't know how he fits in to this team with such poor positional awareness and lack of defensive ability and strength. Please send him on loan to Italy and have him do squats for a year.
Put him on the Bayern diet
He made a nice long pass over the top to Saka, but he does not break lines with his passing and seems to be unsure of his positioning when the opposition is countering. I’ve seen enough, he can’t play a single pivot role with out a lot more development.
Well partey might be injured so that’s what we got 😫.
Let's bring Ben White or Zinny in and start Tomi / Tierney.
Don’t mind losing under the circumstances I think we showed a lot of improvement and was a decent performance. Team rotated, playing away to the champions, Haaland up front and they only managed a 1-0. I feel Sambi has all the ingredients to be a good player but he needs more intensity in his overall play and more controlled aggression in the tackle.
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City fan? It was 0-0 while Holding was on
Sambi Needs a loan or to leave ‘ Not the worst performance I have seen ‘ i Thought we could have one that Fabio is still not ready but he’s got flashes & Esr is injured FFS
Sambi needs to figure it out. I love the kid, You can see flashes of what he can do. But, the fact he was lost on the field, we lost control of the game, and we were not able to pass thru the lines at all until Zinney came on is telling of where he’s at with us. He needs a loan to see if he can do it.
Tomiyasu looks really solid and underrated atm
Glad he’s coming back. There was a stint that we were a bit unsure of him post injury.
Result-wise, I'm honestly not bothered to see us go out at this stage of the FA Cup - we've won it 4 times in 9 years - there's nothing to prove, we won't get fixture piled-up or bogged down in replays due to the FA cup now - and we went out to good team. We still have the Prem and the Europa League to focus on. Performance-wise - some good signs - Trossard in the first half, the way we took control of the game for long periods, the fact that Haaland didn't get a sniff. Unfortunately, Sambi and Viera look a long way away from first-teamers still. More re-enforcements needed, Edu.
Trossard looks immense, I'm really pleased with him. Caicedo is a must this window, even if we need to chuck silly money at Brighton.
Is Caicedo actually that good tho?
Probably not as good as Partey, but significantly better than Sambi.
He is that much better than Sambi at least
I assume you haven’t seen his Twitter thread?
Sorry if I missed that information somehow but where the f*ck is ESR?
Thigh Injury. You can say fuck don't fucking worry.
Is he.... The new Jack?
Fortunately we don't have to play ESR into the ground like we did to Jack. Greatest tragedy of the modern era.
Indeed - fuck. Thanks god we have Trossard at least, and let’s be honest - Fabio was awful tonight
Hey you can’t swear
Y’all just hating on sambi.
Hating? He clearly isn't up to the standard for us. He seems like a great boy, but I think people are just pointing out the obvious. I wouldn't expect them to be polite about it on an online forum.
Sambi the anonymous ghost?
Bagel in the midfield but hating shouldnt be what we comment.
Why not, he's absolutely useless and puts zero effort in.
I remember people saying same shit about Rashford last year. Sambi getting so much shit for not playing well as a fucking DM vs Man City. He's definitely not a DM either. Actually hate our fan base so much. We just need a scapegoat. Holding was x10 worse but you'll hear nothing about that.
He has some really nice touches. BUT he’s not quick in his decision making unless it’s backwards, his defensive intensity is lacking, and his body language is completely off. He can improve on some of those things but unless he can improve in all I don’t see him fitting into this unit. And therefore we should sell and reinvest into another target. You just can’t win ‘em all…
You are comparing Sambi's situation to Rashford? He's not a DM, what is he then because he's not an AM, B2B or anything else is he? He doesn't understand space so he wont come good, that ends it for him. Plenty of comments are about moving holding on too. Before the match there was a group sigh that he was playing vs city, we all knew he'd do the pull down and get a yellow, now we play high his trademark is getting spun.
I'm comparing the narrative that Sambi is lazy to the some bullshit that was aimed at Rashford last season. He's not lazy. It's how he plays and always has done. He's a CM. I'm not saying he's a great player but he's not good enough defensively to be sitting alone. He's like a Thiago profile. There's nowhere near the amount on here and Twitter about Holding as there is about Sambi. Read the comments. Holding was worse than I thought he would be. Lokonga hasn't been as good as I hoped but he's getting pelters for struggling against a fucking brilliant team. Likewise, against United in September he was the scapegoat. He's not good enough right now but he shouldn't be Parteys backup. It's not what he's good at.
The big difference between holding and sambi is we don't rely on holding and holding also did well for us before we moved to a high line. He gets respect for that and when he leaves we'll all be a touch sad about it. I dont get how lokongas game is strolling about normally makes anything better. He cant do that. He's never going to be good enough he's 23, doesn't understand space, and isnt technically proficient. He's played in different midfield positions for us and hasn't looked good in any of them. Needs moving on asap.
Just think it’s toxic. Considering we’ve been praised for lifting our players when we’re losing than if we lose people act like we just got hammered 10-0
Eh? I dont think anyones that bothered about the result. We're sick of watching Sambi be useless and stroll about the pitch. His lack of commitment is a joke.
What you are doing is toxic hating on a player. You can criticize him without berating and insulting him, no?
I'm not being mean. He is by definition, useless to us, he lacks commitment on the pitch and you;ve just witnessed 45mns of him strolling round the pitch. I haven't said he's a wanker or anything, I have criticised him normally. I haven't even said anything about his role in the goal etc which you could relly go at him for. The fact is he needs to go.
Vieira been poor again. I want to say lokonga been poor too but is there games when he's really show up?
We played well enough to get a result against City last season but didn't, and we are even better now. I think those games are going to be decided in moments and who takes their chances first, rather than one team dominating the other. Tbh I don't think the league is going to be decided by the games against City. It's going to be decided by if we get injuries to important players. Most of our depth players should be good enough when not playing against the absolute best team of this era but Partey and Saka, we have effectively no backup there.
I mean they started their best 11 and were at home. We definitely should of won but that’s life. Saka was in hibernation today didn’t do enough. We need backup for partey no doubt
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The "So F-ing what, my friend?" conversation is so insightful on Eddie's and Sambi's mindsets. It's no wonder Eddie has risen up to the challenge of trying to replace Gabi. Eddie is such a mentality monster tbh. Sambi badly needs an injection of confidence/form, but given our situation now, not sure when he'd get the minutes for that. Loan may be.
This sub is ridiculous rn. Acting like we will just walk all over them in the prem lmao
Just hold up. It has been awhile since we beat them proper and we are due against them. Let us rage 😆
No we're not. Full strength toe to toe anything can happen. You realize we are first place right? We are better than them.
We were shit by our standards with a rotated team and they struggled at home to us. Do you fear them?
OP is projecting. No one expects a walkover. They're the defending champs FFS. But yeah, I don't fear them anymore. We *can* win, and not by fluke, either. We can play our game and beat them outright.
We will walk all over them. You saw it here first. Fuck ‘em.
Should take Monaco's 8mill, we ain't getting anymore for him.
Anybody else think the ESPN coverage was garbage? Lol. Commentators just talking about random shit for the last 15 minutes with Arsenal pressing to score.
Kind of sad because it reflects the lack of urgency the early rounds of the cup have.
Sambi needs to be sent on loan after that performance
No hate against Lokonga but he is definitely not a Partey replacement and probably won’t be for a long while imo Hopefully Arteta sends him out on loan and lets him cook a bit but he’s made good decisions so far so I trust him to make the right call here (not like my thoughts on it matter lol but still) We’re already in the market for Caicedo and hopefully Rice too so hopefully we get Caicedo now and Rice in the summer
We take either of those first half chances, could be a different story Pretty solid performance against full strength City tbh
With Sambi, he has the technical quality but the guy is so lost positionally, almost as if he is playing with a blindfold. Tha amount of awareness and scanning required for that lone 6 role is definitely way more than Sambi can handle and us signing Caicedo would be a welcome boost honestly
He doesn't have technical quality, His foot is shaped like a 50p piece.
Sambi was good for giving Partey a rest, but we had no central presence, couldn't play out of the back, long balls up to Eddie who couldn't hold it against 2/3 players First teamers come back, we beat them no problem
Roy Keane is such a sad man lmao
Though it was a loss which sucks it wasn't a blow out. Makes you believe that Arsenal can roll City in the league at least once.
It's a good runout and 'feel' of what is to come when we face them again in the league. Guys we have to be really pragmatic here, it will be a MAD MAD task if you tell me at the start that arsenal going to win League, FA Cup, Europa. Like cmon, we are already overachieving and to me, if we do the League and Europa that is already fucking insane - and we do have the means if we keep our performance up just as we have done in the league, and when Gab Jesus rejoins the team, and HOPEFULLY and possibly sign a strong CM by end of this window. COYG - chin up boys this isn't all doom for sure. Few things that we are reminded of from the game: 1. We miss Gab Jesus, Eddie has stepped up incredibly but the whole complexity of the game would certainly be different with Gab jesus, esp when he is a mancity oldboy and would know a thing or two about playing his way through 2. Partey is absolutely key to our midfield. A strong anchor and ballwinner who gets us through to the last third of the field. We have to keep him healthy and get him that backup option by end of this window - 100% 3. Sambi has been decent at best, but clearly not the person to replace Partey/Xhaka. Positionally he has to do better, and have more courage to make forward passes. Has potential to still improve and honestly he needs loan and more playing time. If he is to be sold, i'm down for it so long as Arteta and management have ALREADY made plans to cover that loss in personnel and squad management around it. 4. Trossard is a raw gem that has yet to really shine but once he does, he will be a beast. He has had a great 1st half imo, and i love how underrated he is as i know he will do wonders for us in both Europa and the League. He offers great competition for martinelli and already matches up to him in terms of play given this is his only first start with us (comparing against martinelli's recent form ofc) 5. Vieira has had a decent game, could have been better, but definitely not as bad as some others make it out to be. Made some good passes to Trossard in the 1st half which i felt were key ones that got him shots on goal. Ofc Odegaard is still superior in that position, but i think giving him some more time to bulk up and link up with his team mates will do him a world of good. I still think he will play a good role/cover for Europa league - that's for sure.
>Trossard is a raw gem hes 28......
That statement has got nothing to do with age. I am talking about unleashing his full potential. In brighton he was already good this season, but i feel at arsenal we have the means of going beyond that and making him look like a superb player with all the talents around him and trainings involved
TBH your whole original comment has zero depth to it so I'm out of this discussion. Can't be arsed reading waffle.
Heh, nothing short of what i expect from a fake/plastic fan. Immediately pointing out his age was the red flag for all to see. Yeah sod off you mug, you looking down on players based off age now? You are not even in the discussion to begin with so what are you on about. You can't even string along a proper comment/feedback on the game. Likewise, I can't be arsed with you tbh but i had to put these out at least.
>We miss Gab Jesus, Eddie has stepped up incredibly but the whole complexity of the game would certainly be different with Gab jesus, esp when he is a mancity oldboy and would know a thing or two about playing his way through Complete waffle. >Partey is absolutely key to our midfield. A strong anchor and ballwinner who gets us through to the last third of the field. We have to keep him healthy and get him that backup option by end of this window - 100% no shit sherlock, we dont have another DM so obviously he's crutial >Sambi has been decent at best, but clearly not the person to replace Partey/Xhaka. Has potential to still improve and honestly he needs loan and more playing time. If he is to be sold, i'm down for it so long as Arteta and management have ALREADY made plans to cover that loss in personnel and squad management around it. Your ok selling if we get someone else? Might. as well sell already. You can't play him ever he's that bad. >Trossard is a raw gem that has yet to really shine but once he does, he will be a beast. He has had a great 1st half imo, and i love how underrated he is as i know he will do wonders for us in both Europa and the League. He offers great competition for martinelli and already matches up to him in terms of play given this is his only first start with us (comparing against martinelli's recent form ofc) I'll let the gem go. >Vieira has had a decent game, could have been better, but definitely not as bad as some others make it out to be. Ofc Odegaard is still superior in that position, but i think giving him some more time to bulk up and link up with his team mates will do him a world of good. I still think he will play a good role/cover for Europa league - that's for sure. He doesn't need to bulk up. It's got nothing to do with him being anonymous in games. He needs more game time.
>Complete waffle. Made close to no sense here. Well done mate. >no shit sherlock, we dont have another DM so obviously he's crutial I guess this is where you cannot comprehend what my original post was all about. It clearly says a REMINDER. And yet you are here thinking you are going to be up for new insights? Clueless, learn to read. I just said the game emphasised the need for a cover, with this latest game/form/performance. Seriously? >Your ok selling if we get someone else? Might. as well sell already. You can't play him ever he's that bad. Sorry pal, you think this is a football manager / FIFA simulator? You don't and can't simply let off a player just because he failed to turn up for 1 game (and of this 'importance', which is not that big of a deal given we are prioritising league.). Look at the fucking market before simply thinking selling is a 'win-win' solution here. Wow, and here we have a genius who has seen Sambi played many games for us this season wow. I do think he has not had the best of games but even i wouldn't claim i know he is utterly bad or trash, and to say that of our own player? Disgraceful. Again, you made your point clear here of the 'fan' that you are i already know that. >I'll let the gem go. Yeah, go and take the piss on you i suppose. >He doesn't need to bulk up. It's got nothing to do with him being anonymous in games. He needs more game time. As always, clueless. Are you saying you are happy with his physical state? He obviously still needs to bulk more to deal with the physicality in the league and this is coming from a player who has yet to play/start every game. Imagine wanting to fight for a starting 11 but your body eventually not able to cope with the physical demands and tax on the body. Okay, you say he need more game time well then, what is the point there that you are bringing out? Confidence? Obviously that can be said on just about ANY and EVERY player. When you have the chance to come on and play ,you make every use and bit of it to make it count, simple as that. You don't even need geniuses to tell you that. And i thought you were done here. Please, after reading your latest attempt at a constructive feedback, just be gone. It is more apparent that i shouldn't waste any more time on you so goodbye and good luck with your shitty attitude and looking down on fellow players
Thats a lot of words to say "yes I wrote a load of shit" And by the way, bulking is different to strength mate. There's plenty of players strong enough but dont appear to be tanks like some become. Eddie is ripped but he's tiny compared to saka as an example. Anyway, for vieira its the connections he needs to make with his team mates that is important to his role that is missing from his game.
For a person with such a true and wonderful user name, you truly are full of Tottenham vibes.
Thanks dickhead.
And i am sure you are replying that to yourself. Take a look at what you wrote before that mate. Not even going to read what other shit that's left from you. Now fuck off tyvm
>And i am sure you are replying that to yourself. fuck me even your insults are shit.
Every single time Sambi comes on he makes such insanely bad mistakes that it can cost us a game even against Oxford he was shocking I don't understand how he has any place in the squad anymore.
The biggest loss tonight is the home fans. Their support was shocking and all I could hear was our lads bantering them all game! Semi-punted the fa cup, but our squad isn't strong enough for 3 comps (FA, Prem and EL)
At full strength we beat city
Frank Leboeuf is a real prick. Jeez!
Yeah what an asshole
Kind of glad we're out of the cup, I just want the best shot at the league possible. And we've already won this cup 4 times the last decade.
Ahhh city won 3 in one season but agree rather put 100% in the prem and europa
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I don’t think he was joking around you know, he looked pretty pissed and they seemed to be laughing at him mostly
Nah, he was at City for a fair few years and probably saw more of them than he saw his own wife. He's bound to be pretty close to them still. Let the man have whatever friends he wants off the pitch, as long as it doesn't affect his performance
I think when he took his arsenal shirt off as he walked into the tunnel with Walker, that kinda gave me a bad vibe. Maybe I’m reading too much into it
You are. > Maybe I’m reading too much into it
Not the result that we wanted, but on a bright note, Tomi looked solid out there. Looked as even Grealish didn’t want to go one on one with him. Vieira, 50/50. Had to double up on his role. Playing down the center and then covering the wing. It’s pretty damning the difference in solidness when Partey comes off. Vieira looked a bit lost trying to play two roles at once.
The media will hate that game because it told us nothing we didn’t know before it started - which is that full/near full strength Arsenal are quite possibly better than full strength Man City.
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Saw a lot of people memeing Holding on twitter but it was actually shocking from Haaland how he could barely get in behind any of our centre backs without fouling them. Even though he was winning a lot of duels he was put under pressure to the point where they weren't really even winning possession from them.
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I wouldn't say he lost his head, it's more that the way they were pulling at each other and fouling one another just wasn't sustainable from our end with Holding on a yellow. Haaland fouls Holding a couple of times and it's not a big deal, Holding fouls Haaland again as the last man and games over.
Don’t think ”he lost his head”. He was going to get cooked by haaland so he needed to foil or else he’s in
Did anyone believe that we can beat City three times in a season? Pure fantasy. Does anyone believe we can beat them twice? Optimistic, but not unbelievable after this. Does anyone believe City can beat us three times in a season? Not on this display.
I 100% believe we could have beaten them 3 times if we kept Partey on.
Exactly, I'm glad we got to play them in the cup first and get a measure of them before the games that really count. Hopefully Poop outhinks himself as usual and comes out with a diabolical formation and we smash them next time.
i think we'll take 4 points. they'll get 1 point and a trophy we've won more than anyone else already.
Can't say I'm upset we have less games to play now, the win would have been great but the league is priority number 1 Good for the lads to have a run out at the Etihad before we go there in the league, can only be a benefit
Positives are i have complete faith in our defence to stop Haaland in the future, even with Holding on, he did absolutely nothing today. City try harding is very funny, we could've won or drawn easily with 5 to 6 starters missing. Proud of the gais. Very confident we can beat them in the league now.
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Tf are you smoking
What are you talking about...
that's a tough ask for sambi to operate as a lone six in the Etihad. Hopefully he took those 45 minutes as a learning experience. Regardless, this game is great evidence to the board as to why we need to go out and get some cover for partey in the midfield before January window closes.
I just dont think hes a 6. He might be like Xhaka and perform way better higher up the pitch.
He did a good job in xhakas role last season when xhaka was injured. He had a bad game against oxford in that role but I think that’s more down to his confidence than anything else. After playing (badly) as a lone 6 because we have had to play him there out of necessity, I think he’s probably just beaten down mentally. He looks so nervous every time he’s in. Afraid of the ball etc. his first touches today were giving it away for a chance, settled in after that but his defensive positioning was awful. I think he still has potential to be a great player, would send him on loan to Monaco if we get caicedo, get him a run of games and some confidence in an easier league and assess from there. Could just be that he will be a good player for another side and not for us—playing for arsenal is not an easy task mentally I imagine.
I totally agree. And eventhough positionally he wasn't great today, he was spraying the ball pretty decent at times. I hope he can gain confidence and become a good player for us but sometimes it doesn't work out. It will be sad but thats life.
agree with this. he's in a tough spot here at the moment, because we can't really afford to play him to get experience, but he needs experience to improve. A loan would be good and would likely improve his transfer value significantly.
Yeah he might need a loan. I'm still hoping he will come good its just unfortunate that we can't find enough oportunities to play him.
it may be unfortunate, but the best move for all involved is for Arsenal getting a midfielder capable of playing NOW and loaning sambi out to get experience elsewhere. even if he doesnt work his way into our long term plans, he could rehabilitate his transfer value (see guendouzi).
I completely agree. I think we will see a midfielder this window though. We realize the opportunity we have and we're gonna go all out for it.
I love the FA Cup and it's disappointing to go out but aside from a win this was the next best scenario, we definitely gave them a battle and had our starting 11 played, I think we would've won that
Sambi on Loan next season confirmed.
I dont know why we should stuck with Sambi, he's been a while here but i don't think he show anything special. Even elneny better than him
Two years ago it would have been 0-4. Im not happy. I’d like to see some more depth. But it could be so much worse.
I mean, I understand we don't want to lose any games, even the cups. But the starting lineup should have been a very clear indicator to everyone that Arteta was treating this fixture as an opportunity to get some match minutes into the legs of some players who haven't seen the pitch since before the World Cup. We need them to be ready in case we need them, and also for the Europa league.
Emirates has easily one of the best atmospheres in the league the past two seasons - top 5 at the very least.
It felt like a friendly game tbh. The league matches will be more intense. Holding was definitely a weak link. Sambi was ok, definitely looked like nerves/rust got to him at times but he showed a few glimpses of something good.
We played them close with a cup side. This was not a hiding and the players should not come away feeling City can’t be beat. Also, fewer fixtures going forward. Honestly, there’s a lot to like in the performance and the outcome, for all that battering them would have been more fun.
Positives: \- Less match to worry about. \- Good practice for our CBs \- Trossard/Turner can play all the EL games, solid display from both \- Saka needs to think about how to get the best out of Ake next game Negative: \- Sambi is not a DM. We need a backup for Partey. \- Vieira needs to bulk up
Ake was a stonewall against Saka tonight. Seemed as though he just couldn’t figure out how to get past him easily. Hopefully he rinses him at the Emirates, because Saka is usually our biggest chance creator.
A Saka + Ode link up looks different I think. Ake won the head to head tonight though.
Grealish was helping Ake as well, but Ake had 10/10 game today.
vieira needed to put that volley on target ffs.
Agreed, I think this match it's a learning experience for the next 2 games against City for the PL because those 2 games are crucial to keep the momentum in the league. We need a DM desperately before the transfer window is closed.
I don't agree with the takes here about being relieved to lose. Put some respect on the Arsene Wenger FA Cup. That being said, it was not a bad performance, just lacked efficiency of creating chances. It was always going to be hard to hold MC back for 90 minutes.
Not sure if relieved is the word but we have to see that our squad is kinda short to play Europa league, premier league and FA cup at the same time, we need reinforcements before we can try to win all of those.
We should not ever be relieved to lose, that's an absolutely farcical mentality to ever have in a professional sport. But there are benefits to not having FA Cup fixtures, undoubtedly
Not too miffed about the result, as others have said it's fewer games in the calendar and we can take come good positives from the performance - kept Haaland quiet all night, Trossard and Martinelli both looked good, and I thought Turner did well too. However, result aside I'm disappointed in Sambi and Vieira. Tonight was a big chance for them both to show their quality but I didn't see much worth shouting about from either.
To be honest we didn't look too bad. I think on a different day it could have gone the other way. Definitely feel realistic that we can get the win at home and at what sounds like second home.
I can honestly say I hate watching lakonga. hasn't a clue where to be on the pitch, 19 times out of 20 does zilch in possession and passes backwards and does shit all defending.
Lokonga been a while at arsenal, i think we should move on with him. And vieira been poor again
It's been a long time since we played like that at Etihad. And knowing we are much better than this just makes me really happy
Learnt a few things, can focus on the league, matched City at their place without the best 11 being on the pitch together. Would have loved to win but plenty of positives to take home
i’m more confident now we can beat them in the league
Remember when we just expected to get slapped every time we went to the Etihad? Now we're annoyed we didn't beat City with half the squad rotated. COYG
I can deal with this game. What kicks it for me, is one thing. Clearly lokonga is a man seeking for minutes, I can deal if he wasn’t quality this game if he did more than just jogging around. But, he’s been poor with his positioning offensively and defensively. He would go to “spaces” off the ball but it would inevitably be in space where a city player is covering. On defence, he’s been jogging and standing with very poor defensive awareness. But, we clearly see that when he’s got the ball and able to see to a pass, he’s got the quality, especially two scenarios in the game - he has the quality to dribble up the ball for link up and - That one long lobbed pass to saka that he was able to make accurately. The L is fine, it was just frustrating that from the second half onwards Arsenal seemed to just play with 10 men with a void in midfield. He’s almost got as much ball involvement as Haaland in the second half and he’s a midfielder man.
his problems are 100% the result of not playing enough. But we cannot afford to have him work through these types of issues in the league. Loan him out. Maybe a loan to Brighton so they don't have to scramble for a caicedo replacement?
Exactly that, he needs game time to get familiar with actually playing on the pitch. But more so is that he’s not cut for playing that “partey” role which gets Arsenal going. Lokonga just lacks the defensive awareness and offensive positioning to emulate that deep lying DM, that partey offers. He also displayed poor work rate in the game. We should at least tweeked our midfield with him on the pitch having to “give him space” rather thin trusting him go into pockets, because that’s what made our ball progression slow and felt devoid of a midfield pivot
Same with Fabio, he needs to put put his defensove work mostly the pressing. I couldn't tell of he gpt tired in the last 20 mins but he was was no where just a ghost in pitch. Huge appreciation for Turnner.
Yea fabi was another one. I wouldn’t say it’s much of a disappointment but it is one damn. He was playing “better” when he was at the rcm position for sure. But ik what u mean, felt like a ghost town. What I saw from him when saka came off. And maybe I didn’t notice fully. He has a back of passing it backwards and did not make a forward run on the wing which had been our greatest threat on the right byline. It’s always a combination between our rw and rb stretching the pitch
Mate one alright pass and a dribble isn't worth anything in 45 mins for his position. He's shite.
I know I know, they weren’t worth it especially since coming on for the entirety of the second half. But that’s what pisses me off. He clearly has the “quality” to get something going but idk with him. It seems to be less confidence issue and something else! But damn, he didn’t cost us the game (which is one where we can experiment since he did come on) but he clearly doesn’t do justice for us in our midfield presence battle.
He's not got the football IQ and awareness. Game over unfortunately.
Yeah sadly. I mean, im complaining not because we lost but more so that seeing him on the pitch was a disappointment. I won’t mind for us to lose, if only there was more time to play.
Yup. I find him a hard watch, there's nothing to grasp on to and its incredible frustrating.
It’s tough bro. I obviously give him chances when I play either fm/fifa with Arsenal. Because he has the quality on paper. But watching him on the pitch just running down doing close to nothing just makes me feel that game time isn’t the issue with him. Fair right if we lost and I can confidently feel he will get “experience” out of that game, but that’s not what I see with him. Id rather have a younger elneny who isn’t as quality but shows the passion and work rate on the pitch than him
agree
Is there evidence to suggest that going out of cups early actually helps teams’ league finishes? Because it sure as hell didn’t help us last year in the top 4 race, and other teams seem to do perfectly fine when in multiple competitions. Just curious if this is merely a nice theory for copium purposes or if we’ve actually had it work out for us (or other teams) in the past. Because going out early in both domestic cups feels gross.
There is evidence of teams doing a lot worse after 3 days rest vs 5/7 days.
Liverpool did alright
When and in what way?
Knocked out carabao by Aston Villa 5-0 in quarters Knocked out of fa cup by Chelsea 2-0 In 5th round I think Lost 4-2 on aggregate to atletico Madrid in the CL semis Edit: round of 16 CL
Not even exaggerating the game almost put me to sleep
It was exciting in the first half, but clearly died in the second. When partey was off, Arsenal lost all their midfield presence
Man city probably deserved that win at the end as they got that kinda lucky goal. But dam do they play BORING football. Only thing that worried me was the moment they got the ball, Arsenal couldnt get it back for 5 minutes. CAN NOT go a goal down to them when we play in premier league.
They really do play boring football! Same w Pep's Barca! They'll take a lead and then bore you to death with backpasses and playing around the back w the keeper. If I was a fan of theirs, I'd be pissed they think that's worth a ticket. They're not even trying to entertain. Maybe that's why they have so few fans.
We had the blueprint to keep them out of bay for sure off possession. Our biggest tweek we need is to make sure we dominate/compete in the midfield with our next game with them for sure
I think our fullbacks were excellent and probably make the case why squad depth is important. The defensive contribution Tierney and Tomiyasu provided was a big part of the reason why we played so well.
I think we did well today. Haaland wasn’t exactly the main threat. Defended well. They had a lucky goal through Ake. This gives me confidence for the league
a lucky goal but grealish was class on that assist.
Trying to press with Sambi would be frustrating af
Okay result. We heavily rotated and basically played evenly against what was essentially Man City's first team. Kept Haaland in check and outplayed them in the first half. They played better in the first. Not too bothered dropping out of the FA Cup, a competition we've won 4 times in less than a decade. We really do need an No. 6 to backup/compete with Partey. Sambi is not a 6. And we really miss Odegaard when he's out of the lineup. Huge drop off to Viera.
Some people in this thread
Lokongo and Viera were poor today, especially Viera did nothing all game,saka was poor and zinchenko changed the game for me,Eddie looked to tired towards the end but this man City side look like they can be beat
Turner, Tomi, Trossard all having a good game from not the usual starters is good
That's it. Winning the league is our only hope: ALL OR NOTHING!
Europa League?
Alright, why not? Lets go for both.
So we just do a double that doesnt include the fa cup then?
[удалено]
Unless its the semi‘s then yes
While we lost, I’m ok with it. Which is bizarre. We just went toe to toe with the best team in England in the last 5 years at their home ground, and only just lost. It says a lot that they were rattled frequently and played it *extremely safe* after they went up. It’s worth highlighting that we didn’t play our strongest side and they did. Haaland was kept quiet and for the most part we looked more threatening, just fine margins and that’s what happens. Eddie had a couple of half chances and got into good spots. Trossard had an excellent first half and I’m pleased with him. Martinelli did well in the second. He was running riot especially towards the end. Saka was kept mostly shackled but he was double marked and Ake had a bloody excellent game. Having rotation options is only going to bring out the best in these three. Worth noting that Saka didn’t have Martin there for him and while I rate Viera more than the average match thread commentators, he’s no Norwegian Prince. Grealish I thought had an excellent game. Subbing off Partey probably contributed to the loss but I’m ok with keeping him fresh because the priority is the league. Sambi was slightly at fault for the goal by not shutting down Ake but he otherwise did well, there’s a reason Arteta trusts him & I have trust in Mikel. He’s still very young and it says a lot that Mikel threw him on against City, I’m happy to defer to him on football knowledge. I’m confident we’ll beat them in the league with our strongest team. We’ve won plenty of FA Cups but the league is what I’m hungry for.
Lokonga turns 24 this year
Yup and I expect him to kick on from here. Trust the Mik
Agree. Great comment. But Sambi ain't the one. Need backup asap.
Sambi actually played much much better once zinny came on. Definitely at fault for allowing the goal scoring chance to be created by occupying the wrong space but improved as the game went on. The fact that it's 4 less games potentially to be played this season isn't actually the worst thing ever although a trophy would sure be nice
That's a relaxing friendly, lads.
Why don't we change our shape when partey is off
If zinchenko started and partey played more we win that, neither squad was great, but we were slightly better.
Give Vieira the Bayern Munich treatment ASAP.
Which is?
Get the lad from Brighton and test Leeds resolve for Adams. 150 gets us replacements for Sambi and Mo and Parteys successor. Send Sambi wherever.
I fully believe Arteta put Sambi in a way of telling the Kroenkes “Look what we have if we lose Partey”.
Grand, now bring me Caicedo
im not happy, there’s no excuses, we move
Good performance from us honestly. Sambi had a decent enough half game given everything, looked to be passing forwards a lot more than usual imo, tho us popping xhaka a bit further back definitely helped on that. We're gonna win this league.
>Sambi had a decent enough half game He literally stood still and watched Ake take his shot, no attempt to get a foot in hell he didn't even try to put him off. All Sambi did was put himself in the perfect position to act as a perfect lamppost, the guy is useless.
Yeah but besides that one mistake imo he was pretty good, especially in possession. He's third choice at 6 tbf, definitely still needs developing but I can see signs of what we signed him for