Awful performance shows games can’t be underestimated by Konstantin Mitov
Well lovely Arsenal, this was probably the worst performance of the season. We looked like we woke up on the wrong side of the bed, didn’t brush our teeth and had to go to the game before we drank our morning coffee.
I was fully expecting a relegation team with Sean Dyche to show more fight, but our slow start and sloppy passing gave them confidence. We often underhit passes, sometimes 5 yard ones and that made us anxious and them confident. We failed to deal with their corners and we had multiple warnings, even just before half time, when they almost scored and they should’ve been in front anyway.
Then in the second half we immediately made a mistake that gave them an early chance, and the second half rolled on just like the first. Then once Partey went off, they immediately scored. Odegaard was hugging the Everton player all the time, yet still let him have a free header and once we went 1-0 down it was over.
At no point in the game did I feel like a goals is coming. We were anonymous in midfield and our wingers were often doubled and trippled on and we were nullified. Because we gave them confidence they got more physical and bullied us. The ref was a joke and allowed too much to go their way, but we should’ve expected that.
I think Arteta made a lot of mistakes in this game. Our subs were left too late again. Ben White should’ve been subbed at half-time. Tommy was good against City, but unfortunately Arteta wants to win the league with 11 players and that’s impossible. You can say all you want about the performances of the subs, but a player like Vieira who rarely plays with the first can’t do miracles coming on for 10 minutes in games when we are desperate.
We need to manage the squad players better, but Arteta is too stubborn with his style sometimes. For example we should’ve subbed Zinchenko for Tierney and try to be more direct, give some help with overlapping to Martinelli, so that he can be 1:1 with a defender, but we didn’t.
Joeginho came on and unfortunately gave all the people who were massively disappointed with his signing a lot of reason to be even more vocal. It’s in no way his fault alone that we lost, but one moment in the end of the game was really telling.
We’re 1:0 down desperately needing to do something, we have a free kick in our half and some Everton guy throws a second ball on the pitch to waste time and Jorginho hit it so lackluster it didn’t even go out and Rasdale had to go and get rid of it, wasting precious time on laziness.
Honestly this summed up our whole performance. Sometimes those players get away with it too easily. I think the hairdryer should’ve come up at half time to wake them up and some changes too.
There are hardly any positives to take away from this game, but if there is one, it’s a reminder that we’ve won nothing yet. And relying on Tottenham against City is something we shouldn’t be doing, regardless of what the situation is.
They had a 2-0 gifted lead at the Etihad and still blew it and I fully expect City to win an easy 3 points on their ground and our lead will be down to 2.
We will likely go to the game against City in touching distance and they will be licking their lips at the prospect.
The truth is, we have to do the job ourselves and now the next 2 games become must-win. I don’t care that it’s Brentford and City. Last season we had 4 points lead with 3 games left and choked it. The league is brutal, the competition fierce and we can’t waste games like that. I am so gutted. The only hope is that so far, once we’ve dropped points, we’ve responded.
I expect a massive change of attitude against Brentford.
Konstantin
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Wow, a lot of whinging and moaning there about us and yes we didn’t play well but Everton and Dyche deserve a lot of credit for how they played yesterday. They are certainly not pretty to watch and once Everton escape relegation as they likely will, their fans will be shouting for Dyche’s head, but credit where it’s due. You mainly seem to turn up on here when we’ve played badly, like yesterday, and luckily we haven’t had to see much of you this season!
Are u serious? He’s had very many positive articles for so long now! He’s certainly way more positive than Dan is…
Very fair comment! Konstantin is usually a positive antidote to DANS constant negativity and I thought THIS article very realistic and about right!
I mostly agree with GB. Konstantin is positive when we are winning; but he writes sparingly. He is pretty quick out of the gates when we have setbacks.
see how many comments I got though lol
apart from the article i wrote about JOREGINHIO being a smart piece of business and article about how great it is Martinelli signed a new contract
But yes peeps ……we lose to one of the worst teams in the division and I was negative about it ……strange that isn’t it ?
I’d say you’re great fun at parties…..
I think the lineup should be shaken up against Brentford where possible.
The lack of energy and intensity was obvious, and we had plenty of rest between games.
Against Brentford I’d drop both White and Zinchenko, White has had a bit of drop in performance last couple games.
Tierney would start also, letting him overlap the LW and set up more 1-v-1
Neither Saka nor Martinelli were impressive this match or against City, so worth considering Trossard to start against Brentford.
I understand not tinkering with Arteta’s 1st choice 11, but we need a spark after 2 lesser showings in a row.
Drop 1 or 2 players for a match to send a message, hairdryer treatment at halftime, something to rekindle that fire we are obviously lacking at the moment.
It was a shame to lose, but I had a bad feeling about that game from the start. It’s near impossible to go all season unbeaten in the EPL. That’s why the invincibles achievement was so amazing. We’re still 5 points clear of City, who seem to be having serious issues of their own. I read today that Haaland isn’t getting on well with Guardiola, and there are problems with other players too. So if we can rely on City to continue being less than their usual fearsome selves, Man Utd are the other big title challenger at the moment. And they are not exactly the finished product either, despite their good form of late. So things still look great, and there’s no need to everyone to wet their pants because we lost to Everton.
I think most times our boys are too nice on the pitch, sometimes we have to give it hot to teams that bully us.
We can not just play cool at all times and expect to win. We can not allow the media play on us and make us look like chickens while other teams bully us
Easy to see the effects of an unfit Partey and no true back-up. Lets prioritise signing another forward.
I thought we actually started brightly as we were camped round their box, unable to break through.
There was an early pass that was intercepted that gave Everton a breakaway and from then on they were up for it, as were the crowd. Arsenal withered
It’s possible to over think a bad result. It’s up to Arteta to come up with the answer for our next game. If that’s a poor display then I’ll start to worry
I agree.
Good points.
We need to get back on track in our next game.
We were bullied off the pitch. We need to prepare better for such play in the future, and if our wingers are both double marked we need a plan B
Yes we had an off game and i’ll treat it as a blip. My only problem is that Martinelli was clearly being double teamed but mikel didnt do anything to course-correct. Gabi was taken out of the game by very old school rudimental tactics that he(mikel) has been dealing with easily e.g vs spurs, brentford and villa. why xhaka and ode didnt exploit those pockets is still beyond me. Teams are likely to adopt Dyche’s tactics but I have faith in us taking advantage of that.
Part of the issue is that players like Xhaka/Ode and I’d add Zinchenko were not at their best either in that area so we didn’t exploit those spaces. Few too many missed passes or made passes that were still over or under hit killing momentum. People not seeing runs, people not moving into space created. It was all a little disjointed, Everton get credit for making it a battle but feel this Arsenal team would of won that same exact game most other weeks this season regardless of the home sides performance.
Until they scored from the corner you felt the game was there to be won because Everton were not unplayable but turned out to just be a bad day at the office.
I well understand a manager not changing a winning side
That’s top of the table also the fan’s start seeing players through rose coloured glasses. But for me an Arsenal fan
Since 1958 I see a number of weakness that have to be
Addressed . The first should have been sorted out at half
Time or the latest on 60mins it was so bloody clear Ben white
Wasn’t going to cope with Everton knocking ball’s in the box
He’s the most overrated player at the club. We had our Japanese friend Tommy sat on the bench, brought on at 84mins . He’s not only better in the air but his all round game
Is just different class and I so hope you’ll all get to see that
Very soon. There are two or three others I’m shure Arteta will
Sort out by next season. Yes a great first half of the season
The second half will prove much harder, will we win the league
Not sure we will, let’s make shure of finishing in the top three
Then strengthen again in the summer window. Then I might
Just live long enough to see us win another Title.
Whenever a non-footballer rants and started to label a football manager of a league topping club as stubborn and the players lazy, that’s when toxicity starts and AFTV back in control. Bad performance nevertheless but I’m sure the boys will be back in control.