2013-14 EPL Season

[Gatehawk]

This season is gonna be great. No team is safe, there are no easy matches. Villa are apparently not as good as we thought, and it doesn't appear - at least at this point - that Chelsea are just gonna walk away with the league.

wait...who thought villa was good?

The same people who thought that crap 3-1 win over Arsenal was the beginning of the end for the Gunners.

 

[Uncle Si]

Still might be Gate... Not that convincing with Sunderland. Jozy got robbed. Game changes quite a bit there. That back line is not going to get Arsenal top 4.

3 is 3 though. I'll take 3 tomorrow

 

[Gatehawk]

The only way that win over Sunderland could've been better was if that penalty didn't happen. About that penalty, I'm not gonna go on a 'BS trip' about how it wasn't a penalty, it is what it is. That being said, I don't know why, but every time I see the replay of it, the more I'm convinced that it's not as clear cut as it appeared at first.

As for why everyone was interested in this match, Mesut Ozil's debut, I liked how he performed(especially after it emerged that Cazorla's gonna miss the next couple games, we'll need that). I was smiling from ear to ear after 11 minutes, cause that's all it took for him to start paying back that 42.5 million pounds Arsenal spent on him. That pass was so good, I've kept saying it was orgasmic(sorry if that's crossing the line, but that's the first word that I thought of to describe it). Giroud getting his 4th in 4 games(1st EPL goal scored outside of London) off of Ozil's pass just added to the joy, he's proving that Arsenal can trust him. You could probably tell that when he went down towards the end of the game, a ton of air was sucked out of Gooners everywhere, luckily, he's stated that he's okay. As for the other goal scorer, Aaron Ramsey, I think everyone has said it best, this game was all about Ozil's debut, but Ramsey stole the show, and it's not surprising considering how amazing Rambo's been this year so far.

Also there's just something about hunches and Wenger that seems to pay off. For example, back in the 2002-03 season, Wenger stated that he felt his team could go unbeaten for a whole season, the next season, the Invincibles emerged. Last year, Wenger said that once Ramsey starts scoring, he won't stop, this season so far, Aaron is joint top scorer with Giroud.

One more thing, Arsenal's top of the table(at least until Liverpool play) after 4 games, and that's pretty amazing considering 3 games ago everyone were screaming for Wenger's head after an embarrassing 3-1 loss to Aston Villa to start the season.

 

[Gatehawk]

Still might be Gate... Not that convincing with Sunderland. Jozy got robbed. Game changes quite a bit there. That back line is not going to get Arsenal top 4.

3 is 3 though. I'll take 3 tomorrow

I don't know man, I think Wenger might be right, that foul could've easily been called against Altidore as it was against Sagna. I actually thought it was against Jozy cause the ref blew the whistle so early. He should've gave advantage at least since it was against Arsenal(no guarantee that Jozy would've scored if he had cause a number of Arsenal players looked to just stop at the whistle(Koscielny hesitated but then ran after the ball and was just a split second late to it).

Aside from that, Sunderland shouldn't have gave up, I feel that moment broke their spirit and they just let go and that's when Ramsey went in with the kill shot.

Yes, Arsenal have conceded 5 goals, only Palace, Villa and Sunderland have conceded more. But you look at it, 3 of those 5 are from the spot and only 3 were against Villa. In the last 3 games Arsenal have outscored their opposition 7-2. You also have to remember, that backline was stretched thin. Vermaelen just returned from injury on Saturday, Monreal returned a game or two earlier, Koscielny was suspended for the Fulham match, Sagna has had to play at CB multiple times. I've said it countless times, Arsenal have a bend but don't break defense, their main problem is tiny mistakes that result in poorly conceded goals, which tends to cause the criticisms towards Szczesny, who could do better at times himself, but at least he's not at the point Joe Hart is at where people are starting to question his position on the national team.

 

[Uncle Si]

christ on a bike Gate...

honestly just take the 3 points. when you try and justify it you just ruin it. Kocielny never even touched the ball, still hasnt. Altidore's goal should have counted. if not a red card for Sagna, its either or. Arsenal's backline is a detriment (which we all said during the window and couldnt understand why Wenger was so hell bent on an attacker) and they were lucky not to concede 3-4 goals.

You got 3 points, Ozil looks class, Giroud is the business... leave it at that. hell you should be doing backflips on Ozil's performance. its fairly disinteresting to read the same drivel on Arsenal every flipping week.

 

[Gatehawk]

christ on a bike Gate...

honestly just take the 3 points. when you try and justify it you just ruin it. Kocielny never even touched the ball, still hasnt. Altidore's goal should have counted. if not a red card for Sagna, its either or. Arsenal's backline is a detriment (which we all said during the window and couldnt understand why Wenger was so hell bent on an attacker) and they were lucky not to concede 3-4 goals.

You got 3 points, Ozil looks class, Giroud is the business... leave it at that. hell you should be doing backflips on Ozil's performance. its fairly disinteresting to read the same drivel on Arsenal every flipping week.

What the hell is it gonna take to convince you that I'm not this "gullible blind supporter" you think I am? Do I have to just say every god damned word that you type is the God given truth and that you are always right?

I never said the Kos penalty wasn't one, it's obvious to even a blind man that Kos didn't get the ball, all I said is that it's not as clear cut after seeing it 10-20 times. And all I said was I thought when Atkinson blew the whistle that it was on Altidore, because it was so quick. I also said that there's no guarantee that had Atkinson actually gave advantage, like he should have, Altidore would have scored, cause it looked like most of the Gunners around the box slowed up at the whistle.

I'm taking the 3 point, I'm happy we got them. But I don't need you criticizing me and acting like I'm complaining about things we have no control over, especially now.

 

[Uncle Si]

even defending yourself from being a "gullible blind supporter" you do the same thing... i like how you swear to make yourself more convincing though. its like having the 9er fans in the soccer thread. (whoa! what?!)

alas gate you are our source of Arsenal on this board. it would be refreshing if you were just a bit more objective. but yeah, it doesnt matter f--- all what i think about it.

Victor Moses showing Liverpool how useful a true winger is in a 4-3-3...

well that was ragged. Very fortunate to get a draw. this team will need to sort itself out for the 2nd half of games or we will start succombing to these challenges.

An away draw is a good point though. Now have to win at home v Southampton

 

[InSuarezWeTrust]

A win vs Southampton will wash the bland taste of Swansea away.

 

[Uncle Si]

A win vs Southampton will wash the bland taste of Swansea away.

what an absolute sh-- show for Shelvey by the way. The goal he scored was nothing short of comical (including beating a man by swinging and whiffing at a volley that had the whole defense turned, then gets his shot blocked but it pops back up to him...). he then passes to the wrong team twice (TWICE) for goals. but his headed back pass to Michu was pure class.

Either way, Wisdoms out of position there. and Henderson did little convincingly when he attempted to head the ball out of the box in the first minute.

However, outside of the first 30 minutes, we looked ragged. again we failed to get a grip on the game in the second half, and this time it cost us 2 points. the inclusion of Suarez will help quite a bit in that regard (as he relieves so much pressure). Coutinho hasnt clicked yet this season... again, hopefully Suarez manic presence will give him more time on the ball.

Southampton is a must win now. thats the expectations I have for this team at this point. they are a dangerous bunch and represent where we can be decisive, but also struggle... basically going against teams who possess and transition (see the pressure Villa put on us, and now Swansea). Lucas and Henderson will need to do a better job of slowing that counter down

 

[Gatehawk]

even defending yourself from being a "gullible blind supporter" you do the same thing... i like how you swear to make yourself more convincing though. its like having the 9er fans in the soccer thread. (whoa! what?!)

alas gate you are our source of Arsenal on this board. it would be refreshing if you were just a bit more objective. but yeah, it doesnt matter f--- all what i think about it.

I'm a positive guy. I'm not gonna be absurdly critical about things.

 

[InSuarezWeTrust]

Coutinho out 6 weeks. Id like to see Alberto step right into the vacant spot on the team sheet.

 

[Uncle Si]

Coutinho out 6 weeks. Id like to see Alberto step right into the vacant spot on the team sheet.

Coutinho's been out wide of late. Suarez will step in there( yep...we still have Suarez, one of the top 5 players in the world). . They will play that hyrbid 4-2-3-1 with Suarez out left of Sturridge, Moses on the other side. Henderson, Gerrard and Lucas in the mid.

i think Sterling and Ibe will be the ones who will need to make more of an impact. I love Alberto (hatty for the 21s last night) but hes a CM. Coutinho's injury impacts the attack a bit more at the present.

I still see Coutinho as a CAM, but not until we get more attacking talent (in the Jan winter hopefully)

 

[Gatehawk]

Coutinho out 6 weeks. Id like to see Alberto step right into the vacant spot on the team sheet.

You gotta think this is a massive loss for Liverpool as Coutinho has probably been one of the Reds most influential midfielders(maybe more so than Gerrard) since joining.

 

[Gatehawk]

See my post above. He's a big loss for one game. Then we get one of the top 5 players in the world back on a squad that's already playing very well. We should be fine.

That's debatable though, yes, getting Suarez back will be huge for a team that has 5 goals, 4 of which by the same player, but not having Coutinho is gonna make getting those chances tougher. Saying that the problem of losing a key midfielder will be solved by the return of a striker is kind of wishful thinking, but hey who knows, maybe it'll work out.

 

[Uncle Si]

Not sure youve seen much of liverpool this season. Coutinho hss been playing wide this season not cam. But yeah....

Coutinho has really struggled thus far. He has been involved in only one of the teams 5 league goals and that was letting the ball go by him to Sturridge.

Suarez return is a massive gain for a team already at the top of the table. His attacking presence will release the pressure on the midfield.

Can't wait

 

[Gatehawk]

Not sure youve seen much of liverpool this season. Coutinho hss been playing wide this season not cam. But yeah....

Coutinho has really struggled thus far. He has been involved in only one of the teams 5 league goals and that was letting the ball go by him to Sturridge.

Suarez return is a massive gain for a team already at the top of the table. His attacking presence will release the pressure on the midfield.

Can't wait

Well I said he's been one of their most influential player since joining in January. I haven't watched Liverpool much this season so far, so I can't really say much about players like Coutinho.

Maybe Suarez's impending return will ease the pressure, especially on Sturridge cause it took Liverpool 4 league games just for someone other than him to score, we'll see when it happens.

 

[Gatehawk]

I'll be utterly and completely shocked if someone says that Ramsey's start to this season isn't impressive. He's scored more goals in 7 appearances this season, 6, than he in the previous 91 appearances, 5. It's already a career high for him and he's practically ripped the spotlight from the man everyone's been talking about the past 2 weeks, Mesut Ozil. Rambo's already made picking a best midfield for Arsenal extremely stressful in my opinion, especially when Cazorla returns.

 

[Uncle Si]

*sigh*

Only 4 games into the season and you're already getting on my tits, Gate.

its not worth it, honestly. Its like watching those homeless guys talk about aliens to themselves under a bridge. It would be to easy to show how influential Coutinho became once Saurez was banned. too easy to point out Coutinho's lack of impact this season or that Sturridge doesnt lead the team in shots, just goals. He'll just keep talking about aliens (and Aaron Ramsey)

Moving on. Big game with Southampton, and big game for Jordan Henderson. Need to bridge that final gap before Suarez returns. Coutinho's loss puts some added pressure on our attacking players. I expect Aspas to step into Coutinho's role, with Moses on the other side. Imagine Ibe and Sterling are first off the bench, with Alberto (or maybe even Sahko) stepping into the CM role if a sub is needed. Is it wrong to wish Downing was still on this team, and Shelvey?

 

[Uncle Si]

Moses > Downing. Shelvey....yeah, maybe.

just for depth my man. No doubt that both Aspas and Moses are far better options than Downing. Coutinhos absence stretches us a bit thin on the wings. Time for Ibe and Sterling. Ibe has looked fantastic with the 21s. While Sterling's got the notice as a first teamer, I think Ibe will be the better player in the PL. He's as fast, but much stronger.

 

[Uncle Si]

Moses > Downing. Shelvey....yeah, maybe.

just for depth my man. No doubt that both Aspas and Moses are far better options than Downing. Coutinhos absence stretches us a bit thin on the wings. Time for Ibe and Sterling. Ibe has looked fantastic with the 21s. While Sterling's got the notice as a first teamer, I think Ibe will be the better player in the PL. He's as fast, but much stronger.

Agreed on all points. Still, should be able to beat So'ton at home this weekend, with or without Coutinho. Aspas has looked pish since the first match, in my opinion. I'd like to see Sterling get the nod out wide.

Not a bad shout. Aspas looked really good in preseason too (i mean real good), which makes his lack of form a bit frustrating. he's bellers (or Kuyt) without the goals. Sterling makes sense. So'ton plays a similar system to ours, which means defensively Sterling can cope and not have to worry about the Walters of the PL.

I'm worried about Wisdom out wide. Looked lost throughout the Swans match (especially so on the 2nd goal). Maybe Skrtel, Sahko with Toure out wide?