Deja Vu All Over Again

[1962er]

Well, its February and its all going balls up again!
I have been watching Arsenal for 52 years, and I believe that the performance against Liverpool was in the top 5 abject that I have ever seen.

I do believe that our best eleven, and in that I include Ramsey, Walcott and Flamini are (I exclude Wilshere and Arteta from this eleven) the third best eleven around, but only just. It is only just because I still think that our defence is just not good enough. I know this will sound daft to many fans who think that the defence has improved no end this season, but I do not believe this for a minute; and I think I am proved right by the results against Man City and Liverpool, and I dread to say it, but by performances we will see in the coming weeks.

I know that Mertesacker is given great credit for his organizational skills and positioning which I can accept, but he is still a totally liability against the top teams who have pace as was shown in our two biggest defeats this season, and will be shown again in the next few games. It was his mistake in the first minute which led to Liverpool's first goal, although it should have been disallowed for offside. I also think that our defence has been spared on many occasions this season by rank bad finishing by the opposing teams. Sagna was also caught out of position on many occasions against Liverpool. There really aren't that many good teams or forwards in the Premiership, the skill factor is quite low when compared to La Liga, but it is more exciting because there are so many mistakes.

Ozil has been a great disappointment. He has looked £4.2m rather than £42m, but we do not play to his strengths and he will continue to struggle unless we change our formation. I watch a great deal of La Liga, and there was no doubt of Ozil's world class ability at Real Madrid. However, whenever Ozil looked up to play a pass at Madrid, he had Ronaldo, Higuain, and at least one full back and midfielder bombing on in front of him so he was able to thread superb through balls for one of them to run on to. When he picks up the ball for Arsenal he looks up and sees Giroud only, and then with his back to goal. I am not disparaging Giroud here, I think he is a fine player, but he needs someone up front with him to work with and get a much better attacking prospective.

If we are not looking at our football through rose tinted spectacles, I am sure most of us would agree that our football has become a shadow of the attacking verve it once was under Wenger. We rarely break with any speed now, and the amount of time we just pass from side to side is quite appalling compared to the 1997-2008 period.

There was an article on the Daily Mail website last week which showed the top three teams fixtures until the end of the season and asked people to vote who would win the league. I had us losing 11 points until the end of the season, and, to my great horror saw Chelsea as winning the league as they have an unbelievably easy run in. I thought therefore that we would finish third. What I did not realize was how close Liverpool would be if they beat us, and I now think there is a chance of us finishing fourth. I sincerely hope I am wrong, but I even heard Harry Rednapp this morning stating the crap from North London will beat us into 4th place. It could not happen, could it?

[REB]

lose to manu,manc,chelsea,spu*s,everton could all happen I suppose, thing is no one expected our squad to be up so high in league and the fall when it comes will be hard to swallow , then again we win all the above games and we win the league ,

a man can dream cant he

[I Hate Hleb]

if not, he can at least take drugs and get more or less the same effect!!

[TurnipMasher]

Well, its February and its all going balls up again!
Ibut I even heard Harry Rednapp this morning stating the crap from North London will beat us into 4th place. It could not happen, could it?

Was he leaning out of a Range Rover? It's only true if he was leaning out of a Range Rover...

Melty cheese face is a knob. We won't win the league, but there is no frigging chance the scum will finish above us!

[hertsgunner]

Well, its February and its all going balls up again!
Ibut I even heard Harry Rednapp this morning stating the crap from North London will beat us into 4th place. It could not happen, could it?

Was he leaning out of a Range Rover? It's only true if he was leaning out of a Range Rover...

Melty cheese face is a knob. We won't win the league, but there is no frigging chance the scum will finish above us!

Attention seeking arry is at it again, Christ arry and his boy cannot get enough of slagging us off!

[QuartzGooner]

Good post 1962.
I had Chelsea as title winners in first week of September, and I continue to believe they will win it.
We will finish above Spurs though I believe, we do OK against the smaller teams.

[GoonerN5]

**** only 8 behind, weve got a shit run in, anything is possible