Another thing about last night

[sean]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

[Billy Dane]

They all seemed very confident on the ball, unlike our lot who couldn't get shut of it quick enough.

 

Watched the recording of the sky commentary this morning, when we got it back to 3-5 it was good to hear the chuckles from Tyler and Gray dry up as they entertained the thought we might actually get another 2 goals back. You could hear a sigh of relief from Gray when Arsenal got the sixth.

[DanielS]

They were impressive athletes and technically all gifted, but as a team I wasn't impressed. That's what makes last night's result so weird - they didn't play like a team capable of putting 6 goals past a Liverpool side.

[Stevie H]

They were impressive athletes and technically all gifted, but as a team I wasn't impressed. That's what makes last night's result so weird - they didn't play like a team capable of putting 6 goals past a Liverpool side.

i thought they looked like scoring every time they attacked.

[jimmylibel]

i thought they looked like scoring every time they attacked.

 

That's cos they did.

 

Arsenal's problem all season has come from a failure to convert clear cut chances. In the last two matches they've scored practically everytime they attacked.

Edited January 10, 2007 by jimmylibel

[beejay]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

 

Well, OK but our load of sh*te put 3 past them, hit the underside of the bar, had 1 offside and 2 defo penalties refused. Our dodgy keeper also gifted them goals while theirs had a blinder.

 

Oh and by the way, who won the Youth Cup last season with a record number of goals scored on the way?

 

We made them look immense through our deficiencies in defence with a £15m striker taking full advantage.

[Gomez]

Arsenal's multi-million pound youth team has been praised and praised for the last 3 years. Funnily enough, their first team has deteriorated since then.

[Andy @ Allerton]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

 

Yep - the thing that came across to me the most was they completely showed us up for pace throughout

[DanielS]

i thought they looked like scoring every time they attacked.

 

2 of their goals were from hoofs (oh the irony) downfield that their best player on the night turned into tap ins for Baptiste. The first one was as a result of poor marking on a direct long ball from their own half. Their second was a goalkeeping error. Four goals out of the six involved 3 or less players - where was the build up and team play to say they ripped us to shreds? They didn't really. We helped them crucify us...

[Magic8Ball]

in many ways what Arsene's doing is the ultimate evolution of the Houllier philosophy ... sits back and waits for the accusations

[Poolfrog]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

Let's keep a sense of perspective shall we?

[ricflairandy]

Let's keep a sense of perspective shall we?

 

Exactly. IMO we have been beaten twice in 4 days by 2 very poor arsenal sides. Which is backed up by the league table.And the fact that they play the best football in the universe is the exact reason why they created a total of 11 shots in 2 games.

 

Unfortunatly Man Utd are currently playing the best football in the premier league, by a long long way.

[hideNseek]

i don't think Arsenal are poor, just nowhere near as good as some are suggesting.

 

And while I'm at it, in those 2 games Dudek gifted them at least 4 goals. Now if goalies had gifted us 4 goals how different some of our results would be.

 

That's not to say all is rosey in our camp as it's not.

[smicer07]

Id say Dudek actually "gifted" them one goal. The Song goal from the corner. Some of the others he "might" have saved, but they were hardly massive errors. Although goalkeeper bashing is prevalent at our club it seems and has been for a while now.

[Molby]

also, while they scored every time they shot, I doubt if there is a team that misses as many chances as we do, and this has been going on since the GH days

[Guest RedLegend]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

 

Didn't help them against the cloggers of Sheffield United though.

[RP]

Dudek has been f***ing rubbish in both games. It was difficult for him as he has obviously had very little match-practice, but he looked sh*te on both occasions.

 

Interesting to think how many would Pepe have let in. Jerzy conceded 9 in 2 games - fantastic penalty save apart, Pepe could not have possibly let any more in and I suspect he would have prevented perhaps 3 of last nights goals and maybe 2 of Saturdays, definitely 1. Pointless exercise, but I've just been wondering about it this afternoon.

[Guest RedLegend]

Dudek has been f***ing rubbish in both games. It was difficult for him as he has obviously had very little match-practice, but he looked sh*te on both occasions.

 

Interesting to think how many would Pepe have let in. Jerzy conceded 9 in 2 games - fantastic penalty save apart, Pepe could not have possibly let any more in and I suspect he would have prevented perhaps 3 of last nights goals and maybe 2 of Saturdays, definitely 1. Pointless exercise, but I've just been wondering about it this afternoon.

 

Yeah I said to a mate of mine this morning that I reckon Reina would have saved 5 of the 9 goals we conceded over the two games.

[ricflairandy]

not to forget that 1 of the goals they scored was clearly offisde, another was a clear handball, and the freekick was never a freekick.

[stoger]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

I watched Arsenal's "first string" recently against Sheff Utd.. you know what ? They were cr*p..

[Guz]

I watched Arsenal's "first string" recently against Sheff Utd.. you know what ? They were cr*p..

 

They certainly lacked the creative spark that night (bar a 15mins spell in the first half) that we do on occasions. I think we're both very capable of excellent performances and long unbeaten runs to put us 3rd/4th but also susceptible to collapse and put in poor displays on occasion which is stopping us going 1st/2nd.

[stoger]

They certainly lacked the creative spark that night (bar a 15mins spell in the first half) that we do on occasions. I think we're both very capable of excellent performances and long unbeaten runs to put us 3rd/4th but also susceptible to collapse and put in poor displays on occasion which is stopping us going 1st/2nd.

I feel the problem is with us..the AFC fans I work with need to remember this.. I swear they will not get the opportunities thay have had against us in the last 2 games for the rest of the season.

 

The only thing I can home in on with LFC, the whole thing is puzzling and not one issue like playing Dudek, is that we are constantly caught out by the offside trap, even in Houllier days.. I mean when do we ever see Neville at Manc scum running frantically back towards goal.. I cannot remember..defender gets between goalie and ball ..simple , eh !! So why are we going so wrong... Also set pieces - remember 3-0 down to Man u afew seasons ago - headers from corners every time, pallister, 3-0 by half-time... it just seems to go on and on.. does Rafa follow up what he sees on videos of games ? no good just watching them..

 

I feel sick today..

[stoger]

I have never seen a greater collection of athletes than the side Arsenal put out last night. I'd imagine this side would compete as well, if not better than Arsenal's first string. They're immense. Strong, quick, fit, confident, technical, basically the lot.

Yeah, great Arsenal side, you know, the ones BELOW Liverpool in the league......

[Cobs]

Yeah, great Arsenal side, you know, the ones BELOW Liverpool in the league......

exactly

 

we dominated the first 30 minutes last night and played the better football.

 

Then they thump a long ball up the middle and our inexperienced right back plays the offside but our experienced two defenders (Hyypia and Warnock) are 3 yards further back playing him on. He should have been tracked - it's a defensive error and we're 1-0 down.

 

For the next 5 minutes Arsenal suddenly looked threatening and then we score an equaliser.

 

Baptista (that product of the Arsenal youth and some-time Brazlian International) makes a meal out of a nothing challenge and wins a free-kick. Hits a top strike, flat, curling away from the keeper and it's 2-1. Hard to see when Dudek saw it exactly but i felt he should have dived anyway - not sure he'd have got there.

 

A corner - Dudek flaps at it - some say he was impeded - not so sure about that myself and the goal-line clearance cannons into the arm of the Arsenal player and it's 3-1. Arguable foul, Arguable handball, Definitely lucky/unlucky.

 

4-1 - it was offside, plain, simple, offside. That lino on seeing the replay at half-time should have been marched out into the centre circle and kicked squarely up the a.rse. Shocking decision.

 

HT

 

4-1 down we're chasing the game - break away goals are the risk you run. Arsenal scored 2 fine ones though both could have easily been prevented with a bit more cynical defending.

 

 

In the meantime we kept attacking, played some good stuff at times, scored two fine goals, had one rightly chalked off for offside (so that lino pr1ck DOES know the rules) and we also hit the bar.

 

 

It was a bizarre match and a bizarre result, it can happen in a one off game. People are getting wayyyyyyyyy too carried away with that both sides performance last night.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Cobs

[hideNseek]

Id say Dudek actually "gifted" them one goal. The Song goal from the corner. Some of the others he "might" have saved, but they were hardly massive errors. Although goalkeeper bashing is prevalent at our club it seems and has been for a while now.

 

Jesus a blind man holding a turd could've saved half those goals he let in. The Dude screwed up, whichever way you look at it, as did Rafa for playing him.