Arsenal v PSG

[William Treseder]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

I also watched Barnsley v Cardiff. It wasn’t to watch Barnsley.

Did you look away everytime Barnsley had the ball ?😁

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

Arteta would probably employ the same style and tactics if he was at an EFL team with ordinary players, i'm pretty sure of that. Isn't he one of the 'Guru' managers, even though his football (apparently) is shit?

I’m not sure he would - that’s what he’s got a bunch of talented footballers who will nearly all be representing their countries in the coming World Cup to play like, I dread to think what he’d be like if he was in charge of, say, a Charlton Athletic.

I’ve been somewhat taken apack by the amount of anti Arsenal feeling on social media since Saturday, but I shouldn’t be really. Speaking as someone who has liked watching the admittedly unsuccessful Arsenal sides of the last twenty odd years because they tended to play attacking football, I get no pleasure out of watching the current team. For years, the charge against Arsenal was that their defending let them down in big games - Arteta has cured them of that, but it’s been at the cost of individual flair and creativity. No one summed this up more than Saka who was praised by commentator and pundits alike for his defensive responsibility and team ethic on Saturday, but, like so often this season, was some way below his potential going forward.

Saying that though, it’s not their negativity that I most dislike about Arteta’s Arsenal, it’s that I’m not sure I’ve seen another team which employs the “dark arts” and gamesmanship as much as Arsenal do since the Leeds side I grew to hate as a kid. A lot was made of the ref blowing for half time before Arsenal could take a corner and I recall that nearly fifty years ago it was widely believed that Welshman Clive Thomas lost the chance to ref a World Cup Final because he disallowed what would have been a winning Brazil goal from a corner in a match with Sweden because he blew for full time as the cross was coming in.

Therefore, it could be seen as a brave call by Saturday’s ref to deny Arsenal the chance to take their corner, but I was all for his decision because they were taking so long to take it and you know full well that there would have been multiple fouls committed by red shirted players when the corner was finally taken that Arsenal, like they have done all season, we’re gambling on officials letting them get away with things that would be penalised in any other area of the pitch.

It’s not just Arsenal who cheat at dead ball situations, put on pitch officials and those in charge of VAR under huge pressure and take gamesmanship to unacceptable levels, but they’ve come to epitomise it this season as they largely benefited from tight calls for the last few months to gain what I’d call maybe the most unimpressive Premier League title wins of recent years. The irony being that, like that Leeds team from all of those years ago, they could have done equally well, or even better, if their manager had been prepared to realease the hand brake a bit.

[KingOfSiamIAm]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

If our beloved team had just won the Premier League and got to the final of the most prestigious club competition in the world do you honestly think any of our fans would be complaining about our style of play, especially when you consider how outstanding Arsenal were in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

To jump on the bandwagon now that they lost the final by a single penalty seems rather churlish. Arteta employed tactics that came within a hair's breadth of beating the finest team in the world. If Arsenal had played expansive football, in all likelihood PSG would have wiped the floor with them. And no, PSG were not poor, Arsenal just stopped them playing and for the most part it worked. Raya barely had a save to make, which tells you all you need to know about how well structured Arsenal's defence was.
Indeed, the best move of the match came from Arsenal and perhaps Havertz should have scored his second.

I'm certainly not a closet Arsenal fan but you have to admire the spirit of a team that came so tantalisingly close to winning the Champions League.

I wouldnÂ’t be disappointed in the style if it were City in the final vs PSG, but as evidenced by the way we kept to our style last season, no matter who we played, I am inclined to think that BBM would have still played it his way.

However, Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in Europe (value wise), so to have gone with the tactic of a lower league team v a big teamÂ… I think I would have been disappointed if I were an Arsenal fan.

Once again, I can only comment based on the BBC live text and match stats as it happened.

[Wales-Bales]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

I’m not sure he would - that’s what he’s got a bunch of talented footballers who will nearly all be representing their countries in the coming World Cup to play like, I dread to think what he’d be like if he was in charge of, say, a Charlton Athletic.

I’ve been somewhat taken apack by the amount of anti Arsenal feeling on social media since Saturday, but I shouldn’t be really. Speaking as someone who has liked watching the admittedly unsuccessful Arsenal sides of the last twenty odd years because they tended to play attacking football, I get no pleasure out of watching the current team. For years, the charge against Arsenal was that their defending let them down in big games - Arteta has cured them of that, but it’s been at the cost of individual flair and creativity. No one summed this up more than Saka who was praised by commentator and pundits alike for his defensive responsibility and team ethic on Saturday, but, like so often this season, was some way below his potential going forward.

Saying that though, it’s not their negativity that I most dislike about Arteta’s Arsenal, it’s that I’m not sure I’ve seen another team which employs the “dark arts” and gamesmanship as much as Arsenal do since the Leeds side I grew to hate as a kid. A lot was made of the ref blowing for half time before Arsenal could take a corner and I recall that nearly fifty years ago it was widely believed that Welshman Clive Thomas lost the chance to ref a World Cup Final because he disallowed what would have been a winning Brazil goal from a corner in a match with Sweden because he blew for full time as the cross was coming in.

Therefore, it could be seen as a brave call by Saturday’s ref to deny Arsenal the chance to take their corner, but I was all for his decision because they were taking so long to take it and you know full well that there would have been multiple fouls committed by red shirted players when the corner was finally taken that Arsenal, like they have done all season, we’re gambling on officials letting them get away with things that would be penalised in any other area of the pitch.

It’s not just Arsenal who cheat at dead ball situations, put on pitch officials and those in charge of VAR under huge pressure and take gamesmanship to unacceptable levels, but they’ve come to epitomise it this season as they largely benefited from tight calls for the last few months to gain what I’d call maybe the most unimpressive Premier League title wins of recent years. The irony being that, like that Leeds team from all of those years ago, they could have done equally well, or even better, if their manager had been prepared to realease the hand brake a bit.

Good post

[Wales-Bales]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

After the deciding penalty miss ...

[BLUETIT]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

After the deciding penalty miss ...

£100K a week (maybe more), and can’t hit a 24ft x 8ft target .

That’s equivalent to a brickie building wavy walls

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

I’m not sure he would - that’s what he’s got a bunch of talented footballers who will nearly all be representing their countries in the coming World Cup to play like, I dread to think what he’d be like if he was in charge of, say, a Charlton Athletic.

I’ve been somewhat taken apack by the amount of anti Arsenal feeling on social media since Saturday, but I shouldn’t be really. Speaking as someone who has liked watching the admittedly unsuccessful Arsenal sides of the last twenty odd years because they tended to play attacking football, I get no pleasure out of watching the current team. For years, the charge against Arsenal was that their defending let them down in big games - Arteta has cured them of that, but it’s been at the cost of individual flair and creativity. No one summed this up more than Saka who was praised by commentator and pundits alike for his defensive responsibility and team ethic on Saturday, but, like so often this season, was some way below his potential going forward.

Saying that though, it’s not their negativity that I most dislike about Arteta’s Arsenal, it’s that I’m not sure I’ve seen another team which employs the “dark arts” and gamesmanship as much as Arsenal do since the Leeds side I grew to hate as a kid. A lot was made of the ref blowing for half time before Arsenal could take a corner and I recall that nearly fifty years ago it was widely believed that Welshman Clive Thomas lost the chance to ref a World Cup Final because he disallowed what would have been a winning Brazil goal from a corner in a match with Sweden because he blew for full time as the cross was coming in.

Therefore, it could be seen as a brave call by Saturday’s ref to deny Arsenal the chance to take their corner, but I was all for his decision because they were taking so long to take it and you know full well that there would have been multiple fouls committed by red shirted players when the corner was finally taken that Arsenal, like they have done all season, we’re gambling on officials letting them get away with things that would be penalised in any other area of the pitch.

It’s not just Arsenal who cheat at dead ball situations, put on pitch officials and those in charge of VAR under huge pressure and take gamesmanship to unacceptable levels, but they’ve come to epitomise it this season as they largely benefited from tight calls for the last few months to gain what I’d call maybe the most unimpressive Premier League title wins of recent years. The irony being that, like that Leeds team from all of those years ago, they could have done equally well, or even better, if their manager had been prepared to realease the hand brake a bit.

Glad Stockport lost and stayed down too, unlucky Brad Hills

[Crisp White Lines]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

After the deciding penalty miss ...

Nah. That picture was when a corner kick was being taken.

[Moodybluebird]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

I wouldnÂ’t be disappointed in the style if it were City in the final vs PSG, but as evidenced by the way we kept to our style last season, no matter who we played, I am inclined to think that BBM would have still played it his way.

However, Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in Europe (value wise), so to have gone with the tactic of a lower league team v a big teamÂ… I think I would have been disappointed if I were an Arsenal fan.

Once again, I can only comment based on the BBC live text and match stats as it happened.

If you had been an Arsenal fan and your team had won the penalty shoot-out, the previous 120 minutes would have counted for nothing. Playing as they did gave them the best chance possible of defeating PSG. Arteta got his tactics spot on.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

If you had been an Arsenal fan and your team had won the penalty shoot-out, the previous 120 minutes would have counted for nothing. Playing as they did gave them the best chance possible of defeating PSG. Arteta got his tactics spot on.

Disagree with you there about Arteta getting his tactics spot on. I don’t like the way Arteta sets out his team to play, but trying to leave that aside for now, i couldn’t understand why they played so many long balls, why Raya knocked it long almost every time he had possession and why they had the keeper taking free kicks about fifty yards from their own goal. Arsenal don’t usually play like that and, from what I could see, PSG weren’t inconvenienced by it in the slightest as the ball just kept on coming back at Arsenal - it was as if they did not want the ball. That’s understandable i suppose for many teams that play PSG, but I think Arsenal have enough good players to have got their possession figures up around the 40/45 per cent mark which would have alleviated some of the pressure they were under.

[Tuerto]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

IÂ’m not sure he would - thatÂ’s what heÂ’s got a bunch of talented footballers who will nearly all be representing their countries in the coming World Cup to play like, I dread to think what heÂ’d be like if he was in charge of, say, a Charlton Athletic.

IÂ’ve been somewhat taken apack by the amount of anti Arsenal feeling on social media since Saturday, but I shouldnÂ’t be really. Speaking as someone who has liked watching the admittedly unsuccessful Arsenal sides of the last twenty odd years because they tended to play attacking football, I get no pleasure out of watching the current team. For years, the charge against Arsenal was that their defending let them down in big games - Arteta has cured them of that, but itÂ’s been at the cost of individual flair and creativity. No one summed this up more than Saka who was praised by commentator and pundits alike for his defensive responsibility and team ethic on Saturday, but, like so often this season, was some way below his potential going forward.

Saying that though, it’s not their negativity that I most dislike about Arteta’s Arsenal, it’s that I’m not sure I’ve seen another team which employs the “dark arts” and gamesmanship as much as Arsenal do since the Leeds side I grew to hate as a kid. A lot was made of the ref blowing for half time before Arsenal could take a corner and I recall that nearly fifty years ago it was widely believed that Welshman Clive Thomas lost the chance to ref a World Cup Final because he disallowed what would have been a winning Brazil goal from a corner in a match with Sweden because he blew for full time as the cross was coming in.

Therefore, it could be seen as a brave call by SaturdayÂ’s ref to deny Arsenal the chance to take their corner, but I was all for his decision because they were taking so long to take it and you know full well that there would have been multiple fouls committed by red shirted players when the corner was finally taken that Arsenal, like they have done all season, weÂ’re gambling on officials letting them get away with things that would be penalised in any other area of the pitch.

ItÂ’s not just Arsenal who cheat at dead ball situations, put on pitch officials and those in charge of VAR under huge pressure and take gamesmanship to unacceptable levels, but theyÂ’ve come to epitomise it this season as they largely benefited from tight calls for the last few months to gain what IÂ’d call maybe the most unimpressive Premier League title wins of recent years. The irony being that, like that Leeds team from all of those years ago, they could have done equally well, or even better, if their manager had been prepared to realease the hand brake a bit.

Fair enough Bob, i'm in no position to argue against what you're saying, as i only saw about 10 minuted of Arsenal when they played Aston Villa ( i think Arsenal lost) so i'm not in a position to debate what you and others have said. e

What i can do though is ask questions to you and others on how Arsenal play. Correct me if i'm wrong, but you seem convinced that Arteta and his tactics would regress even further with lesser players. Are you hinting at Warnock ball, the stuff of 11 men behind the ball,22% possession, players hacking the ball anywhere, an isolated striker visibly looking like the life is draining away from him after having to chase the ball while coming up against a bank of defenders? Because you're not particularly specific about it, and i'm quite interested to know what you and others think. Are we talking Mad Mick, Pullis, or something in between?

This isn't meant in a sarcastic way at all, but you probably understand why i ask these questions because without checking, haven't Arsenal finished runner up twice and champions of the premier league one,won the champions league , league table thingy, got incredibly close to winning the thing, and i'm sure they've won a league cup or FA cup in that time as well.

So if you lay all that evidence down to a football fan who has never watched Arsenal over the past three or four seasons, then you can see why i'm asking people to elaborate on what they mean. Because from the outside looking in, i couldn't conceive why anyone would say that Arsenal are crap (although you haven't said that)

For Arsenal to have achieved what they have done. then they can't be this negative side that everyone talks of, it just can't be possible, right? and could you sort of understand why i would think that? There must be some beauty, excellence, brilliance,awareness, urgency, belief,ability, individualism in what they do, otherwise they're riding the longest ever football phoney train and the other teams just can'y work them out.

[Wales-Bales]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

Arsenal tactics for next season have been leaked!

[Tuerto]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

Arsenal tactics for next season have been leaked!

You're a proponent of the beautiful game, can you quantify how Arsenal have enjoyed such relative success at the highest level while playing the way they do?

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

Fair enough Bob, i'm in no position to argue against what you're saying, as i only saw about 10 minuted of Arsenal when they played Aston Villa ( i think Arsenal lost) so i'm not in a position to debate what you and others have said. e

What i can do though is ask questions to you and others on how Arsenal play. Correct me if i'm wrong, but you seem convinced that Arteta and his tactics would regress even further with lesser players. Are you hinting at Warnock ball, the stuff of 11 men behind the ball,22% possession, players hacking the ball anywhere, an isolated striker visibly looking like the life is draining away from him after having to chase the ball while coming up against a bank of defenders? Because you're not particularly specific about it, and i'm quite interested to know what you and others think. Are we talking Mad Mick, Pullis, or something in between?

This isn't meant in a sarcastic way at all, but you probably understand why i ask these questions because without checking, haven't Arsenal finished runner up twice and champions of the premier league one,won the champions league , league table thingy, got incredibly close to winning the thing, and i'm sure they've won a league cup or FA cup in that time as well.

So if you lay all that evidence down to a football fan who has never watched Arsenal over the past three or four seasons, then you can see why i'm asking people to elaborate on what they mean. Because from the outside looking in, i couldn't conceive why anyone would say that Arsenal are crap (although you haven't said that)

For Arsenal to have achieved what they have done. then they can't be this negative side that everyone talks of, it just can't be possible, right? and could you sort of understand why i would think that? There must be some beauty, excellence, brilliance,awareness, urgency, belief,ability, individualism in what they do, otherwise they're riding the longest ever football phoney train and the other teams just can'y work them out.

I saw little difference between Arsenal on Saturday and a Warnock side. As I’ve said, they don’t usually play like that - clearly they’re not in the habit of having 20 odd per cent possession and i don’t believe they’re a squad built to play that way. Maybe the plan was to have so little possession, after allLincoln won our division with the lowest possession percentage of any of the 24 sides’

Gaving spent all, of my life thinking teams go out hoping to have as much of the ball as possible,I finally have to accept that there are quite a few teams out there that don’t want to have the ball. How depressing is that? Anyway, I don’t believe Arsenal are built to play in such a way as they’ve too many talented individuals, most of them with a good team ethic, to sell themselves short like that.

[Tuerto]

Re: Arsenal v PSG

I saw little difference between Arsenal on Saturday and a Warnock side. As IÂ’ve said, they donÂ’t usually play like that - clearly theyÂ’re not in the habit of having 20 odd per cent possession and i donÂ’t believe theyÂ’re a squad built to play that way. Maybe the plan was to have so little possession, after allLincoln won our division with the lowest possession percentage of any of the 24 sidesÂ’

Gaving spent all, of my life thinking teams go out hoping to have as much of the ball as possible,I finally have to accept that there are quite a few teams out there that donÂ’t want to have the ball. How depressing is that? Anyway, I donÂ’t believe Arsenal are built to play in such a way as theyÂ’ve too many talented individuals, most of them with a good team ethic, to sell themselves short like that.

Cheers Bob, so you're alluding to the PSG game more than in the general sense of things? The comparison to a Warnock outfit threw me, but i will respect your opinion as i can't counter it in any way. How did you used to feel during and after a game under Warnock, when we would pinch a goal and then build a wall on the 18 yard line for however long was left in the game, sometimes most of it. I can remember being quite critical of some of our displays under Warnock during that promotion season. I think that i said that i thought it was desperate, short term football, and i would walk away from games like that mentally exhausted before i even considering elation.