Match Day Thread Arsenal v Southampton Tuesday 2nd February 2016 KO 19:45

Anyone hear about the supposed 'bust up' in the tunnel between Koeman and Whinger...I might have misspelled his name.

 

Yes, from http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/sa...nnel_row_after_Southampton_draw_with_Arsenal/

"Wenger was attempting to confront referee Lee Mason to complain about what he saw as a host of bad decisions from the official.

The Gunners boss is reported to have told Mason: “It’s always the same with you.”

Koeman was also in the tunnel at the time and is said to have told Wenger: “It’s always the same with you.”

He is understood to have gone on to point out that Arsenal had a host of chances in the game, and that it was not Mason’s fault that they failed to take any of them as the game ended in a goalless draw."

Vin

 

No, I deed not see eet

 

Koeman would chew Wenger up and spit him out in a blink of an eye. Although next time, Ron, just deck Professor Yaffle.

'triffic backs the wall effort last night. I like an old school 0-0, I really do.

 

Funny and a testament to Koeman's character if true. Also I feel some of the posters on here are being disingenuous to Saints here.

Like it or not, Arsenal are a very good side and it was always likely that we would come under the cosh, when these games occur it is then that the good teams are sorted out from the bad teams, bad teams lose 3-0, good teams some how snatch a draw or even a win, often with luck or great defensive determination, and part of the defence is your goalkeeper, so if he makes six saves he's doing his defensive job.

It was only very recently that forum members were moaning that our goalkeeper never saved shots on target, now people are saying we're lucky because he's made too many saves

Anyone here remember the 'fantastic' Liverpool team of the 70s? Away from home they often used to snatch an early goal and then sit back and soak up the pressure and almost wait for Ray Clemence to make a three or four really good saves. They won the league like that and people say they were a brilliant team.

 

The only two things I can suggest (my opinion, no knowledge or interviews heard) are this:

1. Every one expected us to play the 5-3-2 mix - I expect Wenger did to.
2. We beat them 4-0 before we switched the recent formation, so I see the logic

I know you re only asking and not moaning Lff, but to those that don't understand or like why we changed a winning formation, please remember that it was only 3 weeks ago that Koeman was "stubborn" and wouldn't change.....

what last night told me, is that our manager has a plan A, a plan B, a plan C and quite possibly a plan D. I like that. If I had Slavan Bilic's number, I'd ask him if he had a clue what we'd be playing this Saturday.

Last night Arsenal fans complained that for the last zillion years, all Wenger does is play 4-5-1 and never changes.

 

Far too sensible Shepherd's. We should be winning every game 10-0. I am actually scared of the day we qualify for Champions League and play Barca.... I can hear it now... "we didn't get a bloody touch! What was the manager doing?"

 

Always helped having Hansen & Lawrenson fouling the hell out of every opposition player and always getting away with it. Anyone who went to our Semi Final at White Hart Lane will testify to that.

 

Agreed. Still can't believe Chicken George didn't take that chance! I think it was 0-0 in extra time.

 

I was there and fully agree. The two mentioned continuously took our forwards out on the half way line (George Lawrence in particular) - but the whole media were so in love with Liverpool that aspect of them never gets mentioned. That is why it makes me laugh how both have been lauded as pundits in the modern era when there stone age defending would have seen them both red carded within the first 15 minutes of a modern game.

 

A couple of times recently "Plan A" has been scuppered at the last minute (i.e. Berties illness and now the Austin knock) I suspect the last minute alterations have wrecked the plans worked on in training and improvisation has been the key, luckily we have players that have learned to adapt to change.

 

You're right. I'm not going to moan about a 0-0 draw against an Arse side with Ozel and Sanchez. Its a great result and so it is easy to say that Ron played it correctly. But, it still seems an odd decision to me.

Maybe we caught them unawares but the fact that they created so may chances suggested that we didn't.

Listening to a radio commentary is always stressful but if we are going to draw 0-0, I'd prefer it if the opposition only had one shot on target

 

Agreed - what's funny is if you look on the Arsenal board they were all saying "Koeman has got this tactically spot on" and "Southampton are set up very well" - strange, eh?

The only thing tactically that concerned me last night (though I totally understand why it happened) was that JWP was fairly clearly told to mark Ozil when they got the ball, which meant he was on occasion pulled infield which in turn left Bellerin/Monreal (I never know which is left and which is right - they phase into the same player for me) was left with a lot of space on the left hand side of the pitch to exploit vs Cedric. There were a couple of moments where you could see JWP looking across and thinking "should I go cover him, he's free, or should I stick with Ozil" and deciding (because he'd been told I'd imagine) to hold on with Ozil.

 

If you look at the game though, the spell of chances came in the second half. They had two only in the first half that suggests it took them a while to work us out. Credit needs to be given where due.

 

Got to love Fraser...no way was he going to praise himself. And when asked which was the best save...said Prowsie's. Incidentally, JWP said the same thing (tongue in cheek)....he said he told Fraser that he owed him. I still don't know how FF saved one of those goals....expect it to go in every time I see the replay.

I think Arsenal fans should be pleased....not many teams get that many chances against us. I think Koeman told our defence to make sure that Fraser got a work out as he had been out for so long and might be a tad stale.

 

I think we broke him.

 

Agree 100% with this assessment.

 

Second guy interviewed was clearly Les Reed.

 

According to the Mail, Koeman's words were: ‘You had 10 chances to score and didn’t take any of them, instead you take it out on them (the officials).’

Vin

 

The only other time Koeman had a set to with another manager (and refused to shake his hand) was also because of abuse of officials. He said he was being disrespectful....obviously something Ron feels strongly about.