- Oct 19, 2004
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Nope, still don't get how this conclusion has been reached.
I watched the game.
Nope, still don't get how this conclusion has been reached.
So did I. Although I don't have extremely high expectation levels.I watched the game.
Our implementation of it was piss poor.
@Mr Pink While I agree with this whole heartedly, the point I was trying to make is for the other half of the equation, the counter play. I agree that it gave us 3 or 4 clear cut chances but, with a bit more pressing on the break it could have been 6 or 7 therefore increasing our odds of scoring one more goal ie the winner. Not saying that we had to be gungho, but after watching the game again, I realise although we could have done better, we did not do badly at all.Excellent post Blake.
And that's the whole point in terms of our game plan yesterday. It was never to swarm all over Arsenal pressing aggressively from the front.
In order to keep a shape you have to stay compact so although it invites the opposition on to you, because you're not actively pressing to win it back constantly, you're set up in a way that makes it very difficult for them to play through you - which is what they love to do and what they're best at.
So yes, the game plan was first to negate their main strength, but also to expose what they've shown to be vulnerable with time and time again - the counter attack.
So many recent example of this but the best counter attacking goal I saw at the Emirates was a United one. In fact there were two great ones in the same game. A couple of season's back when Park was playing for United - he scored one of them. The other Rooney scored, and it just ripped Arsenal apart - it was great counter attacking football, think he combined with Nani, and it just ripped Arsenal to shreds.
One thing I agree with BC on here is that Wenger is tactically poor, or stubborn might be a better word. That's why they won't win the League anytime soon though - he simply won't entertain any other way.
They had no real answer to what we're doing last night and there goal was fortunate the way it broke in the box for them. Some might say deserved given their domination of the ball, I wouldn't really. But the point is we wern't lucky to get a point like BC alludes to. Our game plan was spot on. We had the better attacking situations and we really should of won the game - that's the only disappointment I have.
I was proud of the performance, particularly when you consider the pressure we were under to see a real improvement.
That's as dangerous as we've looked at the Emirates in a long time IMO and I don't know why some are so disappointed.
Yes work towards a blueprint but what's wrong with having different blueprints in your locker for different opposition and styles.
I'd like to see a repeat of such tactics the next time we play them.
@Spurs_Bear and the hypocrisy police will be all over this any minute now. Last year at the Emirates when some of us pointed out that our approach play was often decent and the only reason we didn't create better/more chances with it was for the self same reason of poor decision/execution it was called - with you as one of the cheerleaders - pointless possession.
So presumably you will be calling yesterday pointless no possession ?
in what way? we limited arsenal to few chances, their goal came directly from a mistake of our own and but for a rubbish final ball on multiple occasions we could've come away with far more than just the one goal. we drew the game. we couldn't have implemented it too badly. you're basically getting all pissy because all you want to see is pressing and possession, a gameplan we [rightly] decided was wrong for this particular game.
@Mr Pink While I agree with this whole heartedly, the point I was trying to make is for the other half of the equation, the counter play. I agree that it gave us 3 or 4 clear cut chances but, with a bit more pressing on the break it could have been 6 o 7 there by increasing our odds of scoring one more goal ie the winner. Not saying that we had to be gungho, but after watching the game again, I realise although we could have done better, we did not do badly at all.
I've just re-watched all of it, the whole 90 minutes as I sky plussed it.
We should of been 2-0 up at half time. Very frustrating we couldn't make more of our counter attacks.
Still have exactly the same impression. We defended well and had the better attacking situations. That's the long and short of it.
in what way? we limited arsenal to few chances, their goal came directly from a mistake of our own and but for a rubbish final ball on multiple occasions we could've come away with far more than just the one goal. we drew the game. we couldn't have implemented it too badly. you're basically getting all pissy because all you want to see is pressing and possession, a gameplan we [rightly] decided was wrong for this particular game.
I've just re-watched all of it, the whole 90 minutes as I sky plussed it.
We should of been 2-0 up at half time. Very frustrating we couldn't make more of our counter attacks.
Still have exactly the same impression. We defended well and had the better attacking situations. That's the long and short of it.
Surely that is the point. I didn't change my opinion of the performance because we lost.
I guess 80% comprehension isn't bad.
We didn't enjoy much possession because we were too scared when we had the ball-not because it was the game plan. It wasn't until 37 minutes in when Cabbage Head had that wonderful chance (but fucked it up with a poor touch) that we grew in confidence and put some sustained pressure on them in their final third.in what way? we limited arsenal to few chances, their goal came directly from a mistake of our own and but for a rubbish final ball on multiple occasions we could've come away with far more than just the one goal. we drew the game. we couldn't have implemented it too badly. you're basically getting all pissy because all you want to see is pressing and possession, a gameplan we [rightly] decided was wrong for this particular game.
I'm not sure I remember you buying into the but's and could've's so willingly last season. Do but's and could've's only work when we don't press and have the ball ?
We didn't enjoy much possession because we were too scared when we had the ball-not because it was the game plan. It wasn't until 37 minutes in when Cabbage Head had that wonderful chance (but fucked it up with a poor touch) that we grew in confidence and put some sustained pressure on them in their final third.
Capoue can be observed in the middle of the first half imploring our back line to push up.
Our last ditch defending was good but it has to be said that Arsenal didn't play with sufficient tempo in the first half and their use of the ball in the final third was not good enough.
Their goal came about because we were tired from not having the ball for most of the game and because we started to shit ourselves again after we had scored and sank back towards our 18 yard line.
I'm very happy with this, but I didn't think we looked like a top 4 team. But I am getting very close to feeling that we have an average squad for the most part.
- Excellent point
- Excellent strategy resulting in approximately 3-4 good chances each.(every team in the league would have taken that at the emirates)
- Bad that we stopped counter attacking After 1-0.
- Some medium/bad performances (ade, and most offensive players)
- Some very good: Kaboul, and the defence in general.
I'd like Kane to play as a striker. It's probably not any better, but at least he is lively and unpredictable.
Still think Lamela will be a star.
Eleven grannies could look threatening on the counter attack against Arsenal. I just can't put my finger on what is wrong with that side when they have so many good/outstanding individuals.When we're so short of quality up top, failure to take our counter attack opportunities will come back to haunt us.
in what sense? i found avb and his ideas equally admirable as i did frustrating. he had the way he wanted to play and he didn't want to budge from that, i think with the right players it could've worked ... but we didn't have the right players so he should've adapted, he didn't and lost his job because of it. i know what he was trying to achieve, primarily he wanted to suffocate the opposition through pressing whilst restricting the space and then grinding them down by dominating the ball. unfortunately any one could see the players at his disposal weren't suited to pulling that off, they needed space to do anything productive going forward(that's why were we far better away) but all of avb's tactics were designed to condense the pitch(high line, inverted wingers, pressing high up) we had technically lacking players expected to pick through a bank of 10 in a 30x30 yard square, this often resulted in painfully slow and frustrating side-to-side play ending with stupid attempts on goal from all distances. the pressing and the domination of possession was actually hurting us, those players needed space to work. you won't want to hear this but ceding possession and drawing the opposition out a little would've actually helped us.
so yeah, there were ifs, buts and could'ves under avb, if he was more flexible then he could've kept his job longer. you're also fooling no one with this mourinho stuff, we all know you're a pep disciple, another stubborn, unflexible manager who refuses to adapt to the opposition or his surroundings. he sees bayern decimate barca by playing direct transitional football and then the next season decides i know, i'm going to get bayern playing like barca because that's the only way i know how and promptly gets bayern'd by madrid. what a great moment that was.
We didn't enjoy much possession because we were too scared when we had the ball-not because it was the game plan. It wasn't until 37 minutes in when Cabbage Head had that wonderful chance (but fucked it up with a poor touch) that we grew in confidence and put some sustained pressure on them in their final third.
Capoue can be observed in the middle of the first half imploring our back line to push up.
Our last ditch defending was good but it has to be said that Arsenal didn't play with sufficient tempo in the first half and their use of the ball in the final third was not good enough.
Their goal came about because we were tired from not having the ball for most of the game and because we started to shit ourselves again after we had scored and sank back towards our 18 yard line.
EDIT: even though I wasn't satisfied with our pressing, it is incorrect to say that we did not press them at all; we made some sort of effort to press them in the first half but only really when they crossed the halfway line.
I don't disagree with a lot of that. But I don't necessarily think we would have fared any better overall by playing lottery football - with those same players (some poor defenders especially) - No team in my memory has ever achieved anything sustainable playing that way. Sherwood tried it and his PPG was barely an improvement. I think AVB's was better than Redknapp's wasn't it ?
Pep must be devastated. I guess he'll find some solace in his 4 league titles, 6 domestic cups, 2 champions leagues, 2 super cups, 2 world club cups in his 5 years as a manger eh ?