That, last night, was a disgrace.
Everything was wrong about yesterday. The mangers decision to play Ospina, the lethargy in the team performance, the slow build up, all of it was appalling and I hope the players are having a serious word with themselves today.
Before a goal was even scored, my colleagues for the evening were recounting how we were yet to put in a good performance – I mean really good performance – at home.
Well, looks like we’ve got some more waiting to do, because that Arsenal team stunk the entire joint out.
Olympiakos are a bang average team. Zagreb are a bang average team. Yet we’re effectively out of the Champions League. We will lose home and away to Bayern and the final two games will be dead rubbers. Defeatist talk? Perhaps I should go and spend some time with the first team, because they clearly don’t believe in themselves, either.
We’re not even in November and I am already able to count the number of poor performances on two hands. It really is outrageous. And the goals we conceded were outrageous too.
Who’s closing down the player on the edge of the box for the first goal? What is Ospina playing at for the second goal? Where frigging heck is Gibbs to cut out the ball across goal for number three?
It’s an utter disgrace.
And who’s leading this circus of ineptitude? Arsène Wenger. Ringmaster in chief. He has to fall on his sword today, because the decision to give Ospina the start was so tragic it could have been written by Willy S from Stratford himself. We seem a parody of an Arsenal team at times, capable of implosions that simply don’t happen to other top teams.
We weren’t playing a top team tonight. We were playing a team who “don’t travel well”. There’s a reason for that: they are pretty toilet. But when in Rome, or some sort of metaphor that I can be arsed to elaborate because I’m too bitter at the lack of effort from the players last night, because we looked like we were just waiting for Olympiakos to roll over and have their tummies tickled.
Here’s a f*cking newsflash for you Arsenal: Champions League teams don’t do that, so you need to show them respect. Arsenal showed no such thing against Olympiakos and granted, they had a slice of fortune with some of their goals, but they got what their effort deserved and we got ours.
We’re back to square one again. For the fourth time this season already. It’s pathetic from players who should know better. Our European campaign is in tatters, a crumpled heap upon the floor that needs to be swept aside and binned. That’s how I feel today.
All the good work of some of the squad players was eradicated yesterday. Ospina should be sent to Colney detention facilities and left there for a few weeks after his howler. Gibbs’ lack of concentration for goal number three will hardly have Monreal running for Bilbao anytime soon and the Ox? What is going on? Why isn’t he taking people on? Why isn’t he growing into the star we all thought? Is it a crisis of confidence? Whatever it is, he doesn’t look like he’s anywhere near ready enough to nail down a first team slot. I’ve been talking about Ramsey as a square peg in a round hole for some time now, but the Ox looks like a round peg that’s about five sizes too big for the whole. That’s not a size thing by the way, just another attempt at a metaphorical analysis that he essentially isn’t working as a wide forward.
We’re in trouble folks. Not just in the Champions League, but the season as a whole, because if we’re relying on teams to play open and aggressively against us like Leicester did, each week, we’re going to have a tough season. It won’t happen. Teams will not play us at our own game. They will sit deep and catch us on the counter. They know that Arsenal will give them at least one comical chance every game. It really is shambolic to the ‘nth’ degree.
Who turned up for yesterday’s game? Alexis? Yep. Gabriel? Probably, yep. Koscienly? Yep, but he’s injured and will be out of the side for a while now, no doubt. The rest of the team played the game of waiting for opponents to press a self destruct button, whilst leaving ours proudly on display.
What has happened to The Ox? There was no taking on of his man yesterday and he looked like he was terrified of being direct, which is the best part of his game, so he was effectively rendered useless.
Where was Özil? Anonymous for large swathes and never even remotely took the game by the scruff of the neck.
How about Walcott? Well, had his ‘goal’ not have been entirely of the Olympiakos ‘keepers making, we’d be talking about another ineffective night for our lone front man.
I don’t even know what else to say. Arsène has had the temerity to suggest that there was ‘bad luck’ that affected tonight’s outcome. I’m sorry Arsène, but all three goals were preventable and so you simply cannot use luck as an excuse. There are no excuses and unfortunately I fear these types of results will continue to happen this season, because this team like previous incarnations, have a fragile mindset at times. We’re the 6ft 7ins boxer with a glass jaw. We’re the modern day Achilles of the football world; 95% of the time we look ok, but we’ll always get results like this.
I’m getting bored of it. I’m bored of repeating the same mistakes year after year and I’m bored of the same excuses.
Please Arsène, for everyone’s sanity, sort it out.
Over expectation is the root of all disappointment, Players make mistakes,managers make mistakes, even blog writers are wrong sometimes !!!
You could be playing Thursday night like Liverpool and Tottenham
Sacking the players board & manager, wont make disappointing events go away,not expecting to win everything will…
Look at yourself ….
That is very true, Philbert, I’m not suggesting anybody is sacked, I just want more from players who should know better. There was plenty about yesterday nights game that was preventable.
Aren’t you all tired of trying to find excuses and figuring out what the problem is, knowing at the same time that the source of all problems is Wenger? It is not flattering for Arsenal’s fans that if Wenger happened to be in any other team in any part of the earth would had been sacked 10 years ago. What is happening with Arsenal is really outrageous, without any logic.
I don’t advocate sacking managers left, right and centre, but I do think he should be made more accountable for his actions by the board. They continue with unequivocal support and perhaps it is warranted, perhaps it isn’t.
A really interesting read mate. I agree with a lot of what you’ve said but perhaps not the idea that a lack of effort was at the core of that performance. I have to wonder whether it’s got more to do with organisation, motivation and planning/game management (or a lack of I suppose).
Sometimes I feel like it’s too easy to condemn the players for a lack of effort. There were long chunks of that game where we looked really good, particularly as individuals. We just don’t look much like a team – neither in the way we play or the way we play for each other.
Bit harsh on Theo, he also set up our second goal and Ozil constantly demanded the ball for the last 30 mins, plus taking on the free kick – which is a huge responsibility given the scoreline. I’m also in the minority who feel a bit for Ospina, it’s the first real clanger he’s dropped (literally) and to be fair, Cech had a nightmare on his first home game (and what’s up with that by the way? What is going on at home? the atmosphere isn’t as insipid as it was a few seasons back, people on the most part are singing, why are we so much worse at the Emirates?).
I don’t know about you mate but the craziest thing about all of this is the feeling in the stadium after we lose now, everyone’s almost resigned to it. It doesn’t feel unthinkable anymore. Walked back to Finsbury Park yesterday, none of my lot could be bothered to grab a drink to commiserate (drown our sorrows). There was just a collective sense of dejavu – only this is a new low to be fair. Sigh.
Anyway, long time reader, first time poster (on any blog). Thanks for sharing your thoughts with all of us.
Certainly game management was off. Intertwine point about being good individuals and not as a team. Agree on the home form too. Baffling, but sad that people are resigned to it. Thanks for reading.