Arsenal

[SeanR]

[Silent Runner]

Debuchy on his Facebook page: I have to pass a medical exam on Monday. No fracture. Hope to be back asap!

Sound promising.

[Dude Ranch]

Studying to be a doctor, impressive.

[Rev]

Chambers doing social media, Debuchy as physio.

(Gunnersaurus in training to be right back.)

[Liamness]

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.

Koscielny should've also been faster to get out to Navas and close him down, he had no pressure on him as he delivered the ball. It was amusing seeing Shearer trot out old 'you can't send both fullbacks forward', when so many sides do this to great effect, and without compromising their cover at the back. You either need one fullback to remain as cover, or a central midfielder to cover so the centrebacks can spread. The problem is although Flamini did go to cover, he didn't do a very good job, and the player he was filling in for took too long to leave his position.

I thought Welbeck did okay, he looked a bit tentative and nervous for the most part (understandable given it was his debut), but two of his shots came very close indeed. It looked like you were still set up to play with a relatively static striker, with the goal threat coming from runners from deep, rather than balls in behind. I would've liked to see Arsenal mix up the short play with a few long balls to release him on the break, he can offer you variety in that sense.

[Rev]

Debuchy: 2 months, apparently.

http://news.arseblog.com/2014/09/report-debuchy-out-for-two-months/

Ie. He'll be getting back for the Christmas rush that injures all our other players.

[gizmo1990]

Does anyone agree with the handball incident? I thought Pellegrini was talking bollocks tbh. How that could have been called handball even if the ref could actually see it is crazy. I'm much more inclined to think ol Pellegrini is a bit rattled and took to simply blaming the ref.

Regarding Debuchy that really sucks. However, I think we've got a gem in Bellerín and he's ready to step up.

[g wings]

Real shame if the two month rumours are true. I thought he's been excellent since we signed him and will be sorely missed

[Gabe]

Does anyone agree with the handball incident? I thought Pellegrini was talking bollocks tbh. How that could have been called handball even if the ref could actually see it is crazy. I'm much more inclined to think ol Pellegrini is a bit rattled and took to simply blaming the ref.

Regarding Debuchy that really sucks. However, I think we've got a gem in Bellerín and he's ready to step up.

The BT guys all thought it was a penalty, I wasn't sure even on the replays. Wilshere did move his head in a kind of 'Ok, I got away with that' as he was still running (which amused me), and he did move his body to make his arm point towards the ball, but I don't think the ref would have had anywhere near a clear enough view to call it.

I do think the Welbeck nudge on Kompany was a foul though, he made no attempt to get the ball and caught him just as he was about to jump, irrelevant of the fact he got a header away. The first goal was one of those types of moments where you think - when it goes against you - "How is that a foul?" so no problem with that.

[The Fox]

Yeah Kompany was fouled I think. Pretty funny that the lack of FK incensed Agüero so much that he had to be subbed though, stupid little dick.

Kompany was really good yesterday. I have a pop at him frequently and he did still do some daft shit yesterday, but it's only fair to give him props when he's good I suppose. Still think he's just a decent defender dining out off one great season though.

[wev]

Welbecks movement pleased me yesterday, he always seemed to be in the box at the right time, often causing trouble. His finishing could with being improved upon but Id wager hat some of yesterdays missed shots were down to being in a new team

[The Fox]

Quite interesting bit of analysis from @arsereview

http://arsereview.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/six-thoughts-on-arsenal-2-man-city-2.html?m=1

I don't necessarily agree that Özil was "very good" yesterday, but it's an interesting point about tangible end product and the effect it can have on perception of a performance. It's true that Özil chooses the right option nine times out of ten, he seems to always know when and where to release the ball which is something you see our other top players like Ramsey and especially Wilshere struggle with time and time again. And it's right that Alexis did make some very daft and annoying choices in the attacking third which squandered good chances; mistakes you'd almost never see Özil make.

There's also a work rate aspect to the perception too I guess: Alexis works his socks off all the time whereas while Özil is not necessarily lazy, he still works hard in a way and covers a lot of ground, but he can be defensively negligent, and it never looks great when he doesn't bother tracking a runner. You can argue he shouldn't have to do it, but it is what it is and he needs to do better.

[Dude Ranch]

You know how I feel about him. I find him incredibly disappointing. Maybe he's simply not what I thought he'd be and he is playing out of position (although I think that's a weak excuse) but I've never seen him own a game. For £42m I want him to influence every match and boss things but he looks to me like he's quite happy not to be involved most of the time. Perhaps I've not got a cultured eye and I expect too much. He's utter class, his timing is borderline perfect, his touch is incredible but he's a passenger at times. We've discussed the virtues of huff and puff in the modern game and things have shifted a bit in that respect but in the Prem you do have to dig in and he's not interested. The other thing is that Fabregas is proving to be a horrendous mistake in my opinion. I'm actually quite upset about it. If we could have bought him (you'd really have to think we were his first choice) and Arsene turned him down because of Ozil who has A. been a let down and B. is being played out of position then it's the single biggest mistake of Wenger's Arsenal career. I'd swap Ozil for Fabregas in heartbeat, there's absolutely no contest. Fabregas would have come in and improved us immediately. My personal opinion is that Wenger feels let down that his Captain left and simply couldn't stomach asking him to come back, he wanted Ozil to be the new favourite and wipe Cesc from the memory. That ain't gonna happen and now Fabregas is at the worst possible Club under the worst possible manager. Forget about positions, tactics and formations, Fabregas should have been brought back and probably made Captain again.

My hope for Ozil is that the likes of di Maria, Sanchez, Costa and Falcao all going on to be successful might spur him on. At the moment I just can't see it happening and the stats and analysis and good will is just people kidding themselves. This is simply my opinion. I wish we'd never signed him but I genuinely hope he rams this back down my throat.

[toythatkills]

Wenger is playing the long game. Maybe in future, players will look at what happened to Fabregas and realise that maybe the grass isn't greener on the other side and there's no way back.

(That won't happen.)

[g wings]

But (if these first couple of weeks are anything to go by) the grass is about to get a lot greener for Cesc.

[The Fox]

Like that article alludes to, there is a stylistic issue too. Fabregas isn't much use if you want to transition very quickly from defence to attack, whereas that is something Özil does really well. I do think it's odd to pass on Fabregas if we're persisting with this 4-1-4-1, as he could have fitted in with Özil and Ramsey, but maybe Wenger thinks Cesc simply doesn't fit the way he wants to play now.

He's mostly played chumps with Chelsea so far and had positional issues against Swansea that top teams would really punish, and Mourinho was visibly pissed off with him at one point. Let's just see how he's doing in the spring, when traditionally he's cried off injured or just gone into hiding.

[Rev]

(I bloody love Mesut Ozil. I also bloody love Alexis Sanchez. If that helps.)

[Gabe]

It's a strange one, isn't it, because in spite of the teams Chelsea have played (though City aside, you've not had tougher games) and issues he may have had against Swansea (and in general), he's still got a crazy amount of assists already and at the end of the day you can't ignore that. And Ozil isn't great defensively and is currently being played out of position and doesn't have a crazy amount of assists so with the rather stuttering start you've had it's easy to at Fabregas and wonder.

It'll be interesting to see how Man U fit everybody in. Maybe van Gaal has the right idea, it's not about systems so much now, but the philosophy when you have quality players; maybe Wenger needs to freshen his thinking up?

[Gotters]

Ozil's performance against city was a disgrace. Once you tune into what he's doing you see how he 'games' the stats and gives people fodder to defend him (especially obvious when you are in the ground)

He's often quoted for high levels of final third pass completions, but many of these are safe, backward passes that slow down good passages of play. Distance covered is another stat that gets trotted out, but he was running up and down the line but never tried to do anything defensively, he literally just stood watching the play back in our half.

He seems a very sensitive soul and not a player you want when the team is having to scrap, he just goes into a shell, you can see it in his body language and demeanour. He perked up for 5 mins when we took the lead, and as soon as city equalised disappeared again.

On current form he needs dropping as Cazorla is a far better bet, can see the dilemma though for wenger as don't think he is the type to respond well and fight back for his place.

Massively impressed with Sanchez though, would love to get some of his spirit and drive into Ozil's game, also good to see Wilshere genuinely influence a game and effe t the outcome against a top opponent.

[The Fox]

It's a strange one, isn't it, because in spite of the teams Chelsea have played (though City aside, you've not had tougher games) and issues he may have had against Swansea (and in general), he's still got a crazy amount of assists already and at the end of the day you can't ignore that. And Ozil isn't great defensively and is currently being played out of position and doesn't have a crazy amount of assists so with the rather stuttering start you've had it's easy to at Fabregas and wonder.

Assists is a daft metric if you think about it, because you can lay ten brilliant opportunities on but if your CF is bollocks then you end up with no assists. If it's Diego Costa laced with Lance Armstrong quantities of PEDs then you end up with loads. Goalscoring opportunities is more valid, I suppose.

Agree with what Gotters says about Ozil seeming a bit mentally weak, but I can't say I agree with the backwards passing thing. That seems bizarre to me; he virtually always picks the right pass, at the right time. He retains possession in situations where every single other player in the squad would get turned over, and he does it over and over. For me, that's the main thing I'd point to when people are wondering what exactly it is that he offers. I didn't think he was good yesterday, he looks a bit short of confidence and was too peripheral for my liking, but I'm surprised anyone thought he was a "disgrace". It was certainly a better performance from him than the previous game vs Leicester. We should bear in mind that in this system he isn't the focal point anymore, so he's bound to seem a bit less involved than last year. Not saying he couldn't have done more, but there's no getting away from that.

I just hope he isn't turning into another Kagawa: a great player who just didn't fit at a club for whatever reason. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Fenton is back, because there's no system that fits in Ozil-Alexis-Ramsey-Wilshere-Walcott-Welbeck. One of them has to get benched. Will we drop a midfielder (on form you'd have to say Ozil or Ramsey) and go back to 4-2-3-1? Or will we stick with the 4-1-4-1, which as far as I can see doesn't suit Fenton or Ozil at all.

[g wings]

But lots of good teams have too many players. We get just needs to work out how to rotate the squad and keep everyone happy! Let's face it, there is no storage of games to play in.

Anyway, we will need Ramsay to fill in at CB soon

[Gabe]

Assists is a daft metric if you think about it, because you can lay ten brilliant opportunities on but if your CF is bollocks then you end up with no assists. If it's Diego Costa laced with Lance Armstrong quantities of PEDs then you end up with loads. Goalscoring opportunities is more valid, I suppose.

Yeah, I don't actually disagree, but at the same time it is something players get perhaps over-emphasised credit for. On chances created last season, Ozil was the 6th highest, accordingly to some talksport stats page I just read, which is obviously good, but should it be better? Moussa Sissoko was above him, for example.

All the other favourable stats about him make it clear that he makes a difference, yet he does it in such an understated way it leads to the stuff often written about him appearing lazy and ineffective. It's hard to shake that, I think, and whilst it doesn't reflect his overall contribution, getting more assists would help reduce some of the noise around him.

[carlito]

I am genuinely beginning to think that playing Bellerin over Chambers at rightback while Debuchy is out to preserve the most fragile notion of cover in the heart of defence might be my preferred option.

I know there is a great deal to be said for playing your best 11, but it's just too much having to imagine Monreal defending corners and crosses in the centre.

[The Fox]

All the other favourable stats about him make it clear that he makes a difference, yet he does it in such an understated way it leads to the stuff often written about him appearing lazy and ineffective. It's hard to shake that, I think, and whilst it doesn't reflect his overall contribution, getting more assists would help reduce some of the noise around him.

This sums it up really. He could and should be doing more, he's not been good so far this season, but if we're saying this performance, which I think is an exhaustive compilation of all his moments on the ball...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZyH0ZveRTk

...is "a disgrace", then surely that's just holding him to ridiculously high standards?

Obviously Gotters is entitled to that opinion, but it seems OTT (and I have seen him live lots of times, so it's not just about TV/live perception differences). For me he was just fairly average against City with a couple of nice flashes, much like Ramsey. The main complaint I'd have is he wasn't involved enough, but I don't see how he did anything spectacularly shit. I honestly can't see how he didn't just play a 'meh' 6/10 game. Am I missing something here?

I am genuinely beginning to think that playing Bellerin over Chambers at rightback while Debuchy is out to preserve the most fragile notion of cover in the heart of defence might be my preferred option.

I know there is a great deal to be said for playing your best 11, but it's just too much having to imagine Monreal defending corners and crosses in the centre.

Reus isn't playing tomorrow so I'd certainly be inclined to play Bellerin. We loaned Jenkinson presumably because Bellerin was going to take his squad place. We can't be risking Chambers there when we have no other centre backs.

Ugh, what a ridiculous situation this is. So frustrating.

[dogsout]

I honestly can't see how he didn't just play a 'meh' 6/10 game. Am I missing something here?

I suppose it's a case of 'average' becoming 'shit' once the fee is factored in. I know it's daft but that's the way it is; the price tag is a burden. His average/poor games are never going to fly under the radar in the same way as they would for someone like Ramsey.

[carlito]

There better be some serious Rocky style training montages going down at the Academy with Adams, Keown and Parlour getting our gawky yoot centrebacks ready for the big league.

Or at least the big cup.

Well, the small cup, but you know what I mean.

[Rev]

I suppose it's a case of 'average' becoming 'shit' once the fee is factored in. I know it's daft but that's the way it is; the price tag is a burden. His average/poor games are never going to fly under the radar in the same way as they would for someone like Ramsey.

You're right, but that always annoys me. Especially in the "why don't we sign big players" Arsenal fan world.

[Dude Ranch]

Big wages tend to come with big transfer fees, and also big reputations. I don't think anyone hates Ozil the man but the money side needs justifying at some point. You can't possibly scrutinise Mesut Ozil and, say, Serge Gnabry in the same way. It's harder to cut someone some slack when they've won the World Cup, cost 42m and earn 150k per week. Football is a fickle business but the money comes from the fans ultimately.

The fee dictates the level of expectation, that's obvious and natural.

[The Fox]

Yeah of course, definitely get that but I think if we're saying his game yesterday was "shit" or "a disgrace" then it seems to me the standards expected might be unrealistic. Maybe it's cumulative frustration though? And maybe expecting a different sort of player to the one he is? I dunno.

lol I'm so bored of talking about this guy. I'll give it a rest I guess.

[Gotters]

I used the word disgrace purely in terms of the level of interest he showed in that game against City - wages never guarantee you quality, goals or that killer final ball every week, what they should get you though is somebody who appears to actually be trying and not simply going thru the motions.

Against City Ozil just called it in, that was a disinterested and poor performance and for a supposedly 'star man' that is never good enough.

I'm not one of these 'more pashun' idiots on talksport who just want a lad with a good engine to cover every blade, i do though like to see somebody at least put a smidge of effort in.

Lets see if he can be arsed against Dortmund,, you'd hope being back in germany should spur him on, even if a home game against last seasons champs couldnt.