Match Day Thread Arsenal v Liverpool (LC SF2)

Captain Black, after the game:

First off, he appears to have forgotten the FA Cup defeat by Forest.
Secondly, Partey went off in the 90th minute, so hardly a game-changer.
Thirdly, they played better against us with ten men.
And finally, whose fault is it you keep getting men sent off?
Apart from that, he was mostly right.

 

You not keen then?

 

Just got back from the match. No complaints from me. Outside the first 10 minutes, you totally outclassed us for the rest of the game. Kelleher had nothing to do for the entire match. Thoroughly deserved.

Fabinho is absolute mustard. Looked a cut above anything we had in the middle. One of the best defensive midfielders in the world. Possibly the best.
Curtis Jones played well, too. Top young talent.
Alexander-Arnold was also exceptional.
And can't forget the perennial thorn in our side Diogo Jota, who absolutely terrorised us yet again.

Unfortunately, we're just not a good enough side and our lack of quality in depth has exposed us yet again. Even without Salah, Mane and Keita, you've got a vastly superior team to us.

It sucks to get knocked out of a semi-final, but not much we can do when we're playing a top side with an elite manager.

Hopefully you smash Chelsea in the final. Really can't stand them. Good luck.

 

Think I saw arteta has had 14 players sent off in his time as arsenal coach. Only been there a few years.

 

He's top of the charts by some distance.

 

I think you guys are heading the right way to be fair but just not there yet and you still have a bit of dross in your team. Some good players in there, martinelli looks like could be a quality player in a year or two and even though I find Arteta smarmy and winging he’s at least trying to get you guys to play football.

build your team around Martinelli smith-Rowe and saka and will be alright.

Not sure how good your right back normally is but he was horrendous yesterday, and add in when ever I’ve seen the other left back play, he’s also looked awful (Tavares?).

 

Thanks mate. Very magnanimous

 

You'd have to have lived in a cave not to have noticed I've got it in for sports hacks, but I just can't help it because I do like good writing. This from some berk on the Beeb, about Jota:

The first goal was a complete mishit, Ramsdale could have stopped it with a harsh look if he wasn't wrong-footed.
And wtf has precocity got to do with anything? It means premature development ffs.

 

Honestly, that’s the worst I’ve seen Tomiyasu play in an Arsenal shirt. He had an appalling night.

He’s been one of our best players this season but yesterday, he had a mare.

He’s been injured for 2 weeks and Arteta said post-match he didn’t even train with the first-team, he went straight into the starting XI. You could tell how rusty he was.

However, I don’t want to make excuses. If our squad isn’t strong enough, that’s the club’s fault for leaving us short and having to rush certain players back from injury/illness. Smith-Rowe is another who has been excellent but had a shocking game. He didn’t look fit either.

I think we’re still a year or two away from being fully mature as a team. Only problem is I don’t know if fans will be that patient with Arteta or the club if we don’t see quicker improvements.

 

The co-commentator on that first Jota goal called it a 'fortunate finish', I totally disagree with that. True, Diogo didn't hit it as he would have liked
but it's all about the direction. Ramsdales weight was on his left expecting the classic curler. Jota put it where he wanted to, just not with the power
intended. I think Ramsdale was unsighted to a degree also.

 

What do you think of Xhaka? I honestly don't know how he gets into your team, but then I don't watch all your games and perhaps I'm missing something.

 

I agree it was exactly where he wanted it, but he'd scuffed it and it was weak. I did say Ramsdale was wrong-footed.

 

Lol. I've been his biggest critic since he came to the league in 2016. I'll be fair and say, first of all, he's put in some big performances for us -- the FA Cup finals of 2017 and 2020 he was excellent, was superb against Man City in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final, and he's had several good games against Man United, Spurs, Chelsea, Leicester etc. However, for every good performance, he has about 3 or 4 average ones.

His lack of mobility, discipline and power in such a critical position is why teams find it easy to overrun us in the middle. His slow feet/one-footedness often get him in trouble and it's why he gives away so many idiotic fouls.

Wenger, Emery, Ljunjberg and Arteta have made him a mainstay in the side for his leadership qualities and passing range/distribution from deep areas of the field. But for me, he doesn't offer enough as an overall player to get so many minutes.

I think it was a mistake to not let him go to Roma last Summer and I think it was an even bigger mistake to give him a new deal.

 

I got Switzerland in the sweep on here for the Euros so I watched them then. Tbf, he had a couple of good games, I thought - but whenever I see him play for you he's awful. He's just like a big lump with a decent shot on him - commits far too many fouls. Like you say, he seems painfully slow, maybe it's just that the PL is too fast for him.
I was gutted he was sent off in the first leg, I thought he was bound to hand us the game if he lasted the 90.
Him or Tavares, anyway.
Martinelli looks a good prospect though.

 

Another two assists for Trent ... one was from when he drifted centrally ...

 

You should start a stats thread.

 

I reckon his time at Everton ruined him. made him a yard dog.

 

in broken play, not when arsenal had a deep block of a set defence with 2 lines of 4.

If we lost the ball in either case (firmino back heel class but risky) then they are straight in on us and a goal scoring chance is given up.

there a world of difference here

A) breaking a high press by seeing the genius henderson run pull arsenal CM forward and opening the space for the genius bobby back heel so the algiht trent run and simple lay off goes to the geius jota who megs one, spints past and other and dribbes a terrible shot past an awful keeper.

and

B) standing in the middle v arsenal 10men with 4 lines of 4 and aimlessly playing cross balls form too deep and too centrally for them the head way.


It was hilarious that our second goal was a near carbon copy of the arsenal red card. Full back plays ball over top to jota who chests it down.

xhaka creams jota in match one. in match two jota held off white and finished. it was almost karma for that swiss twat

 

Klopp confirms Kelleher will start the league cup final.