From Simon : Frantic helter-skelter mayhem at Anfield
Hi Myles,
When you predicted Arsenal to win 2-0, I must admit to a sharp intake of breath…
That game was ridiculous.
All Arsenal needed to do was control possession when they went ahead.
It was a game conspicuous by its mistakes. If I had any hair I would’ve torn it out. So, so, so frustrating. But oh so predictable.
Arsenal just suck me in, chew me up and spit me out. Fair dues to the Foxes. Fantastic result at the Lane. My limited hopes of success this year have been eliminated with that shambles of a display…
I cede my faith as much as Arsenal cede possession.
I’m coming up to my 40th birthday and I can’t believe Wenger has been at Arsenal for half my lifetime. Mind boggling.
Thanks for all the blogging.
From Martin: Great spectacle, but…
Good Morning Myles,
Pulsating game as the expression goes, end to end, lots of endeavour and a really great advert for the Premier League being the most entertaining league in the world.
But, my feeling as at 3-2 would have been the same at 3-3 in that Arsenal were incredibly sloppy in the center of the midfield and gave a Liverpool team that were suspect at the back every opportunity to exert pressure.
If we had anyone who could have kept their head in the center midfield we would likely have won at a canter.
Flamini disrupted and stemmed attacks but never retained ball, so the respite was brief.
Ramsey was doing what he does best and looking to support the attack, and was a threat always but rarely had any control of the ball.
Our center midfield possession was woeful.
Ozil tried to give an element of control but had little around him doing the same, Walcott was a threat with his runs but his possession and use of the ball was abysmal.
Campbell was the only one who managed to keep some possession, remain a threat and provider and work hard.
Man of the Match was Monreal,who was not only best defender on the pitch but the best at keeping composure and possession further up the pitch.
We missed Cazorla terribly last night as he is only one who can keep possession in tight areas and without him the whole effort was fragmented, with burst of good attacking play mixed with moments of real sloppiness and missed opportunity.
Think that what take from this game is that this was a missed opportunity to really make a statement and most of that was self inflicted.
From Xavier:
Sick and tired of players scoring fantastic goals against Arsenal. I believe that it’s because our defending gives them a glimpse of having a pop, they do and wonder goal.
Also sick and tired of Wenger making those ‘defensive’ substitutions everytime we have something to protect. All it does is invite pressure and our best defence is attack, we cannot do the Chelsea/Athletico thing.
Sick and tired of Oxlade losing the ball and next thing, goal for the opposition.
Arteta is finished, it was obvious to all and sundry last season.Bet he’s still here next season.
Should have won that game, two points dropped. Sure, we fought back well but we put ourselves in a position to win it and failed. We will surely rue those two points, I’m certain about that.
Every time we have a chance to pull away at the top, we fail.
So much for mental strength. I suspect we’ll still be on the same points after the next two games.
From Singapore Dave: Theo the Pretender
Hi Myles,
Reading your blog for maybe the past 5 years has been part of my almost daily routine.
I would first like to say thank you for keeping the blog going for so long. I think it was a great call to start sharing different comments from your readers some years ago – it’s given your blog an added dimension.
The reason I write (for the first time!) today is because I have something bothering me – Is Theo a Pretender?
I just feel like he’s too caught up with the way he looks when he plays that he’s just not quite up for it. His marking when tracking back looks intense but he doesn’t do the job. The same thing when chasing down a loose ball or closing down on defenders. It’s like he can’t be Arsed. Or does he have a low football IQ? To the layman that I am, he just looks clueless on the pitch.
Keep up the good work, and thanks to all your readers for their contributions as well.
Myles says:
Cazorla’s value, his USP, is his two-footed craft in ball-keeping and ball-carrying.
Arsenal missed his talents hugely in a whirlwind game like Liverpool, who are collectively more energetic than Stoke will be today.