2013-14 EPL Season

[Uncle Si]

Gate... Thoughts on Arsenal lineup tomorrow. Bayern on Wednesday obviously can impact the decision of whom to start. But Wenger must need a win?

Also... "Specialist at failure?"

Not much you can change, Cazorla might be missing due to illness, Flamini returns from suspension, nothing else changes. It'll probably show where Wenger's priorities are in how he sets the squad up for the game.

Also, I find it funny how Mourinho reacts to a vague comment from Wenger(that wasn't directed at any single person in particular), calls Wenger that, and then the next day, Chelsea lose to City. Also, I think it's insane to label the manager behind the Invincibles and 49 unbeaten matches and multiple successes prior to the past 8 years, not just at Arsenal also, as a "Specialist at failure".

I think its a fair question to ask if Wenger has been successful over the past 8 years. All top 4 yes, but would any manager survive as long with the same record?

Mourinho on the other hand is simply ridiculous. He can't help himself and the rest of the league (outside Liverpool as he favors Rodgers) will have to endure him until Chelsea move on again

Be interesting to see the lineups today. No Giroud? What happened?

 

[Uncle Si]

Howard Webb just ruins football matches. Fact.

Maybe a pen?

Sterling looks the business today..but dear Sturridge. Should gave two..

Oh well... Can't finish. Can't defend

 

[Uncle Si]

Sturridge what are you doing?!?!?! That was a gift!

That should've been a pen on ox chamber.. This is getting ridiculous

 

[Hawkspur]

Howard Webb just ruins football matches. Fact.

I have to agree. My issue is that he is so inconsistent. Sometimes he'll try to keep all of the players on the field when someone clearly shouldn't be (Nigel de Jong kicking Spaniard in the chest with his studs @ World Cup final, Balotelli stamping on Scott Parker's head fot City v Spurs being 2 examples. Then in other games he'll hand out yellow cards for the tiniest indiscretion.

 

[SeatownJay]

I'm sure Gate will be along to tell you all that you're overreacting to the officiating and it was all completely fair & balanced.

 

[Uncle Si]

We didn't lose because of Howard Webb. We lost because Suarez kept shooting right at their keeper, and Sturridge inexplicably forgot how to score.

But Webb is the worst ref in football. Fact.

Good effort and Webb was certainly a roadblock.bummer for Brendon really...

Oh well..give Arsenal the game. We still looked a high amount better than them.

On to the Swans

 

[Gatehawk]

REDEMPTION!!!!!!!!!! So relieved that Arsenal won. I was sweating bullets for the last 10 minutes begging the Gunners to keep Liverpool at bay. Honestly, the Liverpool fans saying Webb cost them, are sounding like babies, he didn't have a great game, the penalty he didn't give was likely more of one than the one he did give. But if there was ever a chance for Arsenal to get a massive boost in confidence, it was this result right here heading into Wednesday's game vs Bayern.

 

[Gatehawk]

About Giroud, there's been reports that he was captured on camera having an affair and he's also taken to Twitter to apologize so I assume that means the reports are true.

 

[Gatehawk]

Arsenal will now face the other half of Merseyside at home in the next round of the FA Cup, but that match is overshadowed by a rematch between the finalists from last year. Another intriguing match is the potential Steel City Derby. Here's the draw:

Arsenal vs Everton
Man City vs Wigan
Brighton/Hull v Sunderland
Sheff Utd v Sheff Wed/Charlton

 

[Uncle Si]

That was a confidence booster? Getting thoroughly outplayed at home and having your backup keeper, the ref and some inexplicable misses from two world class players save you blushes will get you ready for the best team in the world midweek?

Wow.. Well its a pretty picture at least.

Biggest improvement I saw from Arsenal today was the tracking back. Still far too much room for the Liverpool 5 to run around but at least they made life a little more difficult.

Still... Suarez/Sturridge should have done better to score. Webb bottled that second pen...just should have been called. Oh well, far more impressed with Liverpool than Arsenal (outside Ox-cham who was great)

 

[Gatehawk]

That was a confidence booster? Getting thoroughly outplayed at home and having your backup keeper, the ref and some inexplicable misses from two world class players save you blushes will get you ready for the best team in the world midweek?

Wow.. Well its a pretty picture at least.

Biggest improvement I saw from Arsenal today was the tracking back. Still far too much room for the Liverpool 5 to run around but at least they made life a little more difficult.

Still... Suarez/Sturridge should have done better to score. Webb bottled that second pen...just should have been called. Oh well, far more impressed with Liverpool than Arsenal (outside Ox-cham who was great)

I said it was a confidence boost because of the result, not necessarily how the 90 minutes played out. Seeing as you only think Ox was good, even though Fabianski put on a MOTM style performance in goal, what did you think of Sanogo's first Arsenal start?

 

[Gatehawk]

I literally said Webb wasn't the reason we lost. Do you even read other people's posts, Gate?

Did I ever directly say you peach? I've been seeing people, even DM, bemoan that missed penalty call, though lets completely ignore the missed opportunities at the beginning of the game and the one at the start of the 2nd half that was immediately punished by Podolski. Honestly, as far stronger Liverpool looked, they can't really only blame Webb for losing as you pointed out. They can say he made poor decisions, some definitely played a part in the game's outcome, though he also could've sent off Sterling for pushing him before the half and Gerrard for the reckless challenge while on a yellow.

 

[Uncle Si]

That was a confidence booster? Getting thoroughly outplayed at home and having your backup keeper, the ref and some inexplicable misses from two world class players save you blushes will get you ready for the best team in the world midweek?

Wow.. Well its a pretty picture at least.

Biggest improvement I saw from Arsenal today was the tracking back. Still far too much room for the Liverpool 5 to run around but at least they made life a little more difficult.

Still... Suarez/Sturridge should have done better to score. Webb bottled that second pen...just should have been called. Oh well, far more impressed with Liverpool than Arsenal (outside Ox-cham who was great)

I said it was a confidence boost because of the result, not necessarily how the 90 minutes played out. Seeing as you only think Ox was good, even though Fabianski put on a MOTM style performance in goal, what did you think of Sanogo's first Arsenal start?

I said earlier you were saved by fab, Webb and our lack of finishing. Fabs two stops on Sturridge saved the match for you. Gerrards potential 2nd yellow could have gone either way. His walk to the spot led me to believe he was getting some instruction. It was right in front of the sideline official. Had we scored a bit later that would have been more contentious.

Sanago was nothing special.. A little more athletic version of Peter Crouch will be his ceiling.

Interesting to see Arsenal sit in if sorts and play to the counter. Wonder if they adopt a similar approach to Bayern

 

[Gatehawk]

I said earlier you were saved by fab, Webb and our lack of finishing. Fabs two stops on Sturridge saved the match for you. Gerrards potential 2nd yellow could have gone either way. His walk to the spot led me to believe he was getting some instruction. It was right in front of the sideline official. Had we scored a bit later that would have been more contentious.

Sanago was nothing special.. A little more athletic version of Peter Crouch will be his ceiling.

Interesting to see Arsenal sit in if sorts and play to the counter. Wonder if they adopt a similar approach to Bayern

I feel like that game was Fabianski's best performance of his entire Arsenal career. I'm actually surprised that we can use Liverpool and lack of finishing in the same sentence after what they've done in the last month.

 

[InSuarezWeTrust]

Though I thought we were the better team, I'm not that bothered by the result. Sturridge is human, Howard Webb wears driving gloves and Bayern should smash Arsenal to pieces which pleases me.

 

[Uncle Si]

For sure Gate it was a bit surprising but soccer is funny that way. I think all being said it was a great day for us. We played very very good away from home...taking a top 4 side to task. And we now only have league to concern ourselves with while our top competitors still have other matches to drain them.


Question for you Gate... Ozil? He's gone missing as he did at Real. Questions to be asked yet or are Arsenal fans still happy with him?

 

[Gatehawk]

For sure Gate it was a bit surprising but soccer is funny that way. I think all being said it was a great day for us. We played very very good away from home...taking a top 4 side to task. And we now only have league to concern ourselves with while our top competitors still have other matches to drain them.


Question for you Gate... Ozil? He's gone missing as he did at Real. Questions to be asked yet or are Arsenal fans still happy with him?

It will hurt Liverpool's psyche for a shot bit though, as long as they don't let it get to them so much. I've seen a couple of pictures that show Sturridge possibly crying, so it's definitely tough for them to take.

And I have to disagree about Ozil as I feel he's responded very well from that horrid performance away vs Liverpool a week ago. The rigors and physicality of the Premier League has definitely caught up with him.

 

[Uncle Si]

He was a non factor today and vs United...


I wouldn't worry about Liverpool's psyche... They know they should have won.

 

[Gatehawk]

He was a non factor today and vs United...


I wouldn't worry about Liverpool's psyche... They know they should have won.

That's the major thing about that, they know they probably should've won, gotten a replay at the very least, and that's the thing they have to put to the back of their mind, cause if they keep thinking about it, they'll lose focus on the task at hand. Like I said, they might stumble a tiny bit, but it shouldn't be too bad for them.

 

[Gatehawk]

And about Ozil, you say he was a non factor today. Answer me this, who crossed that ball to Sanogo before the 1st goal? And who was involved in the one two that led to Ox getting away from Agger before Podolski's goal? That sounds like two very important moments that Ozil played a bit in.