Arsenal

[KRP]

Sells him with the eyes.

[hercules]

Actually agree with this. Seen a few nice flashes from Özil and he's so good at retaining the ball in tight spaces, but he's wasted and fairly ineffective in this system. I don't understand it.

Guess the problem is Wilshere has been better than Ramsey in almost every match this season, but it's hard to sub Ramsey because he's always got a goal in him.

Ramsey is off the pace, should be subbed really. Good goal by wilshere

[Silent Runner]

Quality finish.

[The Fox]

Ramsey is off the pace, should be subbed really. Good goal by wilshere

But then he sets up the goal with a lovely pass. That's his problem at the mo, general play isn't good but his end product in numbers always seems to be there.

Özil is legit in danger of becoming Kagawa MkII though in this system.

[JDubYes]

Jesus, do BT Sport hate us?* Why else would they trot out Michael Owen and Paul Scholes? Was Robbie Savage busy?! What a pair of complete tools they are. I always really liked Scholes as a player, but I think that must've been because he never really said anything in the media when he played. How have we arrived at a time where I like Gary Neville more than Paul Scholes?!

Owen: "That's the question, isn't it, when he's fit?"

Me: "NO! THAT'S NOT A QUESTION! SHUT UP!"

I thinik I'd prefer it if he just shouted 'PACE, PACE, PACE PACE PACE, PACE PACE PACY PACY PACE PACE' over and over and over again to the tune of 'Witch Doctor' for the rest of the game. That'd actually be an improvement...

* I don't mean Arsenal, or Arsenal fans, I mean humans in general.

[Mars]

[hercules]

I agree, it's hard to call but it feels like Ramsey and wilshere gets in eachothers way. Also wilshere is playing better

[KRP]

Shirts off

Shirts off

[The Fox]

Debuchy looks like he's done his ankle ligaments there, and maybe worse. Went right over on it.

[Silent Runner]

This is bad, the oxygen is out. Fuck it anyway.

[BlinkyBear]

Shirts off

Shirts off

Taps aff.

[Mars]

Fuckitfuckitfuckit

[KRP]

So shit at defending corners

[The Fox]

We're not allowed nice things.

[KRP]

Feels like a loss tbh

[hercules]

So frustrating! Really need to change things going forward. Ozil out wide is pointless. Why buy him and not play him in his position? Also our defence has been suspect this season, though I think a lot of that has to do with our team lacking confidence and sharpness. We seem to try and force the issue too much.

[pinholestar]

Can't help but feel disappointed that we didn't win that from a good position. Two excellently taken goals though & Wilshere had a good game but I'm in agreement about Özil being wasted in this system we're playing. I thought it was a temporary measure as we guided players into fitness at the start of the season but it seems as if Wenger sees it as our shape this year & I'm not convinced by it so far. Debuchy's injury looks nasty also & that leaves us one more injury away from a crisis at the back. Ehh.

[Silent Runner]

Lucky enough to get a point, I thought. Criminal defending for their 2nd goal and they hit the post twice after it. If that Nasri goal had stood I'd have but my boot through my television.

Wilshire and Alexis were excellent, not just their goals but pretty much everything they did. Ramsey and Ozil quite poor. Szczesny made some decent saves but maybe should have done better for their second. Welbeck was unlucky not to score but looked knackered by the end and the Debuchy injury was a real sickener. Feels like points dropped though.

[Jonathan_Kerr]

Debuchy looks like he's done his ankle ligaments there, and maybe worse. Went right over on it.

My missus (14 years physio experience) reckons a fractured tibia or something. But as another poster noticed, when the gas mask came out she said 'Sweetie, he's fucked.'

'How fucked?'

'Proper fucked. 3 months.' Let's hope she's wrong.

Pretty exciting game. Özil looked good when he got to be behind the striker. Not so much out wide. Liked what I saw of Welbeck, always seemed to threaten. Feels shit to concede that header and now we're down to five defenders, but I kinda felt it was a good result against City who battered us last year. We could've easily lost the match and they seem to threaten more in the last 15 than we did, so I'll take the result.

Also - Remember a 3 or 4 years ago, Chelsea or City (or some rich club) lost a bunch of players in one position (maybe a keeper?) but were allowed to buy another player outside the window. Is this a possibility for us? We have 5 defenders + Flamini. My memory is a bit shonky, but I remember thinking "how can this rich team be short of players and be allowed to buy another player?' Or am I just making shit up?

[Gabe]

Also - Remember a 3 or 4 years ago, Chelsea or City (or some rich club) lost a bunch of players in one position (maybe a keeper?) but were allowed to buy another player outside the window. Is this a possibility for us? We have 5 defenders + Flamini. My memory is a bit shonky, but I remember thinking "how can this rich team be short of players and be allowed to buy another player?' Or am I just making shit up?

That does only apply to 'keepers, not any other position.

[CrispyPhallus]

Owen after seeing Debuchy clearly holding his ankle, "It looks like a lower-leg injury for me".

[The Fox]

My missus (14 years physio experience) reckons a fractured tibia or something. But as another poster noticed, when the gas mask came out she said 'Sweetie, he's fucked.'

'How fucked?'

'Proper fucked. 3 months.' Let's hope she's wrong.

Can distinctly remember Yoan Gouffran going off like that for Newcastle, stretcher, oxygen mask, full works, and it turned out he'd bruised his shin. Fingers crossed Debuchy is just a massive pussy like him but it didn't look good.

[The Fox]

Initial twitter gossip is a bad sprain for Debuchy, hopefully that's right.

[davidcotton]

That does only apply to 'keepers, not any other position.

That was probably the case after Petr Chech and cudicinni got taken out in the same game (and I know I haven't spelled those two names right).

[Gabe]

That was probably the case after Petr Chech and cudicinni got taken out in the same game (and I know I haven't spelled those two names right).

Quite possibly, I don't recall the incident itself but it's happened for other clubs too I believe (Watford at some point?) But yeah, you can get special dispensation to sign a 'keeper I think on the grounds that it is a very specialised position.

[CrispyPhallus]

Initial twitter gossip is a bad sprain for Debuchy, hopefully that's right.

You can still be out for a long time with a bad sprain, though. Time to remove he from any dream teams.

[Rev]

That kind of injury usually results in a goal, so I guess it was just good we were 2-1 up at the time. 2-2 is a fine result, although City didn't look great at all so it could easily have been a win. Lots of good things about the performance, so if Debuchy is reasonably OK I think it's a decent day at the office.

[hauk]

Really think Flamini was poor today, every time Man City turned the ball over he was not around to stop the counter. Having said that not a bad result, but really should have won after going 2-1 up. Ozil looks good when he gets the ball, just confused as to where he is playing right now.

[g wings]

Waste of time and money if we keep playing Ozil out wide. I get that we are trying to force all our best players on the pitch but it isn't working.

[The Fox]

Really think Flamini was poor today, every time Man City turned the ball over he was not around to stop the counter. Having said that not a bad result, but really should have won after going 2-1 up. Ozil looks good when he gets the ball, just confused as to where he is playing right now.

Flamini was culpable for the goal by initially putting in a tame tackle, then ball watching as Agüero strolled past him. That said, the new system leaves him/Arteta hopelessly isolated at times.