Chavski home Sun 24th 4.00pm

[northbank123]

21% of their points this season have come against us.

Anyone looking forward to Barca?

[SteveO 35]

21% of their points this season have come against us.

Anyone looking forward to Barca?

About as much as a trip to the dentist ! There is a pre-pubescent stalker around here though who hasn't slept for weeks in anticipation of a 5 goal mauling in the Nou Camp and who thinks the FA Cup isn't worth the shit on his shoes

[robbo10]

21% of their points this season have come against us.

Anyone looking forward to Barca?

It's the sort of game we'll fluke a win in and Lord Wenger will tell anyone who want's to listen he's the new messiah,the Grove sheep will bleat his name and he'll sign his extended contract live on Arsenal TV,you couldn't make it up.

[QuartzGooner]

Walcott captaincy a gesture by Mertesacker, not a problem as we do not really have an outfield Skipper on the pitch anyway, not one of the stature of an Adams or a Vieira.

For me only Cech emerged from that with credit.
Team looked sluggish and devoid of creativity.

Why?

OK, Chelsea kept possession well and gave a good physical effort, but we played as if in a training game.

I know there are many stories of how training focusses on short passing triangles but it is time to get a more combative training ground routine with a view to a more uptempo game.
Both physically and mentally.
Or we will forever finish fourth.

[casgooner]

Walcott captaincy a gesture by Mertesacker, not a problem as we do not really have an outfield Skipper on the pitch anyway, not one of the stature of an Adams or a Vieira.

For me only Cech emerged from that with credit.
Team looked sluggish and devoid of creativity.

Why?

OK, Chelsea kept possession well and gave a good physical effort, but we played as if in a training game.

I know there are many stories of how training focusses on short passing triangles but it is time to get a more combative training ground routine with a view to a more uptempo game.
Both physically and mentally.
Or we will forever finish fourth.

For me its a big problem, he should have been focussing on how to beat Chelsea not dilly dallying with sentimental tosh.

[SteveO 35]

Walcott captaincy a gesture by Mertesacker, not a problem as we do not really have an outfield Skipper on the pitch anyway, not one of the stature of an Adams or a Vieira.

For me only Cech emerged from that with credit.
Team looked sluggish and devoid of creativity.

Why?

OK, Chelsea kept possession well and gave a good physical effort, but we played as if in a training game.

I know there are many stories of how training focusses on short passing triangles but it is time to get a more combative training ground routine with a view to a more uptempo game.
Both physically and mentally.
Or we will forever finish fourth.

Quartz, you can add Alexis to that list. I was screaming at the telly to bring him on and within seconds he turned the match on its head. He drew in challenges which resulted in numerous free kicks and the odd booking and never once hid or got outmuscled (here's looking at you Mesut, the latest Nasriesque flat track bully).

Alexis for captain !

[slevinlacey]

Flamini absolutely hurting us in the big games. When your DM is constantly getting ahead of the players who should be in front of him and then leaving us exposed. He shouldn't have even been in gbe position to miss that chance. He constantly hides behind players so never is available to pass to. How he got a whole 90 today was a joke.

[QuartzGooner]

Steve

I accept Alexis played well for the time he was on the pitch so I should give him credit too.
But he did not play anywhere near his usual standard.
I do not blame him for that at all, he did not look fit to me, looked about two weeks from being ready to return, should not have even been on the subs bench.

[MrT]

Walcott captaincy a gesture by Mertesacker, not a problem as we do not really have an outfield Skipper on the pitch anyway, not one of the stature of an Adams or a Vieira.

For me only Cech emerged from that with credit.
Team looked sluggish and devoid of creativity.

Why?

OK, Chelsea kept possession well and gave a good physical effort, but we played as if in a training game.

I know there are many stories of how training focusses on short passing triangles but it is time to get a more combative training ground routine with a view to a more uptempo game.
Both physically and mentally.
Or we will forever finish fourth.

Quartz, you can add Alexis to that list. I was screaming at the telly to bring him on and within seconds he turned the match on its head. He drew in challenges which resulted in numerous free kicks and the odd booking and never once hid or got outmuscled (here's looking at you Mesut, the latest Nasriesque flat track bully).

Alexis for captain !

Where's Robin L of the Mesut can do no wrong fanclub? Strangely quiet on his hero tonight.

These are the games you need Ozil to take charge and deliver. It's all well and good padding up assists against lower half shite but when it comes to these racist rentboy tossers it's go into hiding time. How many times does he get bundled over like you were taking sweets from a toddler, no strength at all. I thought Santi was bad at getting dispossessed but Mesut is a lot worse.

[SteveO 35]

Walcott captaincy a gesture by Mertesacker, not a problem as we do not really have an outfield Skipper on the pitch anyway, not one of the stature of an Adams or a Vieira.

For me only Cech emerged from that with credit.
Team looked sluggish and devoid of creativity.

Why?

OK, Chelsea kept possession well and gave a good physical effort, but we played as if in a training game.

I know there are many stories of how training focusses on short passing triangles but it is time to get a more combative training ground routine with a view to a more uptempo game.
Both physically and mentally.
Or we will forever finish fourth.

Quartz, you can add Alexis to that list. I was screaming at the telly to bring him on and within seconds he turned the match on its head. He drew in challenges which resulted in numerous free kicks and the odd booking and never once hid or got outmuscled (here's looking at you Mesut, the latest Nasriesque flat track bully).

Alexis for captain !

Where's Robin L of the Mesut can do no wrong fanclub? Strangely quiet on his hero tonight.

These are the games you need Ozil to take charge and deliver. It's all well and good padding up assists against lower half shite but when it comes to these racist rentboy tossers it's go into hiding time. How many times does he get bundled over like you were taking sweets from a toddler, no strength at all. I thought Santi was bad at getting dispossessed but Mesut is a lot worse.

I lost count of how many times Ramsey and Ozil dribbled their way into trouble or got shrugged aside and gave away cheap possession. Wanyama (not good enough for us according to Mr Know It All) will give another demonstration of how to knock these two makeweights aside in a week and a bit, as well even Pochettino's overrated Spuds who will use Dier to disrupt.

Ozil is the modern day Arsenal - afforded hero worship on the back of having delivered half a decent season (mostly against Joe Average teams). He was even worse than Walcott today - a boy in a man's game. That 92nd minute slump on the halfway while Alexis sprinted half of the length of the field to win the thing back summed it all up.

Of course the pea brains on here will interpret that as me wanting to sign Lee Cattermole, Vinny Jones and David Batty. Those with hair in funny places might recognise the difference however between a flat track bully and someone who applies himself in equal measure regardless of who we are playing

[northbank123]

Flamini absolutely hurting us in the big games. When your DM is constantly getting ahead of the players who should be in front of him and then leaving us exposed. He shouldn't have even been in gbe position to miss that chance. He constantly hides behind players so never is available to pass to. How he got a whole 90 today was a joke.

For the red card he was caught up the field and then dived in and let Willian ghost past him. Of course it didn't excuse our inexplicably high line or Mertesacker drifting even further forward, turning like an oil tanker and getting distracted looking st the linesman before lunging into a Challenge he had no chance of making. But still what the fuck was he doing committing forward so recklessly all game?

If ever there was a match where he needed to show his discipline and play the DM role it was today. Instead he was popping up everywhere except in front of our back 4. We needed to get in Fabregas' face but instead he had all the time on the ball he could ever want, largely because Flamini is too fucking thick to realise what his role is.

Can't see that El Ninny could possibly have fared any worse.

[SteveO 35]

Flamini absolutely hurting us in the big games. When your DM is constantly getting ahead of the players who should be in front of him and then leaving us exposed. He shouldn't have even been in gbe position to miss that chance. He constantly hides behind players so never is available to pass to. How he got a whole 90 today was a joke.

For the red card he was caught up the field and then dived in and let Willian ghost past him. Of course it didn't excuse our inexplicably high line or Mertesacker drifting even further forward, turning like an oil tanker and getting distracted looking st the linesman before lunging into a Challenge he had no chance of making. But still what the fuck was he doing committing forward so recklessly all game?

If ever there was a match where he needed to show his discipline and play the DM role it was today. Instead he was popping up everywhere except in front of our back 4. We needed to get in Fabregas' face but instead he had all the time on the ball he could ever want, largely because Flamini is too fucking thick to realise what his role is.

Can't see that El Ninny could possibly have fared any worse.

Indeed - isn't this the guy who apparently covered more ground than any other during the Boreathon Group stage? No place for him in a game where you've got 10 men and your Dad's Army CDM couldn't hold up a piece of paper let alone our back line?

Perhaps he's going to be our new Park - if we get Shrewsbury in the League Cup next season he'll be shit hot !

[officepest]

Flamini absolutely hurting us in the big games. When your DM is constantly getting ahead of the players who should be in front of him and then leaving us exposed. He shouldn't have even been in gbe position to miss that chance. He constantly hides behind players so never is available to pass to. How he got a whole 90 today was a joke.

100% agreement.

If his job is to shield the back four then why is he constantly breaking to the edge of the oppo box? I can only assume he's just another body on the pitch and Wenger in fact has no care what he does while on it.

[northbank123]

Also Koscielny is escaping a lot of criticism for me. Will never be a top defender whilst he has such poor concentration that costs goals.

Gabriel got stick today for the goal which was a bit unfair for me. A low ball in from the touch line should never ever have got into the six yard box. Koscielny and Flamini were both standing at the front marking nobody, and they let the ball come in instead of one of them cutting it out.

Could Gabriel have been quicker? Maybe. But if he pre-empted the front post ball then the risk is Costa peels off him and has a free header. Plus had Gabriel gone earlier then there would have been a gaping hole in the middle that a Chelsea player was waltzing into.

Koscielny and Flamini both went to sleep and it cost us. Just like when Flamini switched off to let Fabregas wander past him in the second half and then Koscielny did his best to give away the most brainless stonewall penalty.

[rodders999]

"bad decision from a guy who doesn't make them very often"

Arsehole-blogger has spoken on the non running German's red card. If it's possible to be more deluded than Turnip this guy gets my vote. Fucking arse kisser to the club and manager no matter what