- Jul 22, 2008
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What encouraged you about that performance ? Genuine question.
First, the result. Arsenal are regular top four finishers, so getting at least a point at their ground in a highly charged atmosphere is always a good thing.
Second, their lack of clear-cut chances. I've seen us bombarded under AVB and Sherwood at Old Trafford, and against Liverpool when we were 2-1 up, and this certainly wasn't on a par with those games. I'm aware that we actually won all those matches, but in all those games we sat back and suffered wave upon wave of opportunities. Generally we kept out shape better and I was hardly biting my nails in the final 10 minutes.
Third, I was pleased at the way we got back on the front foot in the first half.
Fourth, I was pleased with Pochettino's courage in playing Mason, and his application of common sense in dropping Chiriches.
Like I said, it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. Ultimately it's encouraging because I'm hopeful that the longer Pochettino has to work with these players, the more efficient we'll become. As you may be aware, I was not exactly enthusiastic about Pochettino taking over, but at this stage we're still a work in progress, and as someone who thought we'd get tanked, I was encouraged.