₦airaland Forum

All Guendouzi haters...

BlueRayDick:
Torreira starts. No ceballos in the starting line up

Guendouzi benches Ceballos, lol

A typical 4-3-3

How many of us want Ozil on the bench today?

sod09:
aurier
poch can't risk peters against auba

Peters is injured. So Aurier starts.

Fkhalifa:
It's 50-50, they only edge us in that they have been together for like 2/3 seasons and have established system, the only addition is Ndombele..

We on the other hand
, have our entire backline and goalkeeper new to one another, our front4 of CLAP have also not yet clicked like thiers.

These are matches won strictly based on tactics, discipline and hunger.

BlueRayDick:
Substitute Trippier for Kyle Walker-Peters

Thanks man

ndidibabe:
Kola is not a defender.

I hope you eat your words...

NLD
Who has the better eleven?

Arsenal:
Leno;
AMN, Socratis, Luiz, Kola;
Xhaka, Ceballos, Torriera;
Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Spurs:
Lloris;
Trippier, Aldeweireld, Sanchez, Rose;
Sissoko, Winks, Ndombele;
Son, Kane, Eriksen.

Fkhalifa:
Iwobi and Monreal's departure is a huge blow to that Left wing. We need Tierney to be fit quick and get Soares Everton in Jan.

Going forward, now that we have only Kola left, let's see how he copes with the challenge. He is in the make or break period of his career.

LostMyZeal:
It can never get to that point...not in our lifetime

Lifetime FC

diji04:
I don wash hand for man United Mata dis season na sit down look I dey

E no get wer we dey go dis season

abeg Ole should step up and take de bold step by dropping those Deadwoods or na he head e go take carry am.

But the greatest problem still remain our board, when the head is bad the other part of the body suffers

We need total overhauling at United

Yes, Overhaul United FC

Lana1:
1. You wan compare that Chelsea team to ours? Their Midfield is heads and shoulders above ours and their attack is slightly better.

2. You guys overrate this Chelsea team. They are just as bad as we are. Nothing special.
Shey Lampard is performing wonders abi? They have just thrown away a 2 goal lead to a relegated side. If that was United, all hell would have been let loose.

You know what?

ChristineC:
Let's keep playing Rashbeck as CF. I dare say if Mason Greenwood started the game in place of Rashbeck, Man United would have taken the points.
Play Mason, Gomez and Chong in place of Rashbeck, Mata/Lingard and Pereira. Let them lose games and get better for it. Two midfield additions is a must in January.
I pity OGS. When facts like 3 wins in 16 begin making the rounds, he should know his sack date is cooking.

This Anty is pained...

Lana1:
We had 8 shots on target today. Which is much better than what we've played so far this season. But as usual, poor quality killed us because we have a striker whose prick only gets hard when he sees a top 6 team.
We have two number 10s that cant score, assist or create chances.
We lack a natural RW.
Our central midfielders only had 2 passes between them all game.

Ole has his problems no doubt but these players will be the end of all of us this season.

Cry cry baby...

Fkhalifa:
Hello bro, your moniker looks like you used to frequent here, it'll be nice to read your opinions again, so I can see what you looked like

He looks like sod09
Lol

Order of preference
1. Europa league
2. Top 4
3. FA cup
4. Carabao

sod09:
laca in the middle...I'm not sure ceballos can excel in 10, we should just partner him and torreira and ozil to play 10

My idea of a front three is for constant switching. So Lacazette in the middle.

My Team This Weekend

In the game against Liverpool, I correctly predicted the formation Emery would employ, if only he had stuck to the personel, who knows... :8

Here is my team for the NLD

..................... Leno.....................
AMN.. Socratis.. Luiz.. Monreal
....... Torriera ......... Xhaka.........
.................. Ceballos..................
Pepe.... Aubameyang..... Laca


3-1

kokaneprodigy:
Spy360 can u invoke amadioha on this guy.

His case is a minor case of madness. Okongor should be OK for him.

sod09:
That's another problem, has Emery learnt his lesson or another wengay in the making sticking to mediocre players and leaving the good ones on bench.

We just dey use one eye dey look Emery and all his 'I too know' tactics. It's when he fails to beat Spurs that haven't seen their periods for weeks now, that's when he will know how impatient Arsenal fans can be.

Fkhalifa:
I'm thinking Emery has issues with Laca, he subs him out quick, brings him late, when he's clearly been delivering in most of our big games..

I'm sure he'll learn, he isn't as stubborn as Pa Wenger.

I do not wish to conclude. Laca was our best player last season. His problem is his speed on the ball, and the fact that he enjoys playing with back to goal; unlike Auba who works the space and depends on speed. Most people prefer the speedsters, but it has always been the slow ones that end up with better effectiveness and even stats.

Fkhalifa:
For me, it served, only that we didn't bury our chances,
Previous results of us attacking them has been 4-0 and5-1, its only wise he tries new thing..

Truly, the game wasn't lost on formation, goals from corners, penalty give away and wasting chances are beyond the manager's Can.
Though he really f.up by leaving it too late to introduce Torreira and Laca.

Why Torriera didn't start at all is mind boggling. Introducing the duo at 60mins surely could have driven the game to an edge. Anyways, we have Tottenham next, hope Emery has learnt his lesson.

sod09:
That tactics was never okay, arsenal defence will surely crack and not equipped for packing bus style of play.
We play high line, Liverpool didn't have offside that day because we choked the box18 that's very unarsenal to say the truth, I was happy they scored in the first half because if not second half would be deadly.
They had free access from their own defence to our own without any disturbance our attackers were feeding on scrap.
It's better to look like a hero than to be a coward and still lose

Obviously it wasn't OK, but it served the while. Though it allowed their fullbacks free way into our defence but it also exposed their CBs. They were forced to depend on crosses into our box. Even the goal they scored was from set piece, which is not a function of the formation. We also had clear chances to score, several times we caught them 2vs2 but failed to bury the opportunity.

solomonbrown64:
.... Bro, the outcome of that Liverpool game pained so many fans but it was the tactics used by the coach that made it seem like we could actually beat Liverpool. We might have superior technical players in midfield compared to Fabinho and co but ours couldn't match their fitness. On another day, the match could have ended in a draw and we would all hail Emery but that didn't happen.

.... Klopp already predicted that Xhaka would start and if Torreira was fit, I think he would have started too. So he could guess with a great degree of accuracy how we were going to set up against his team and according to Arnold, his prediction was correct. I think we pushed for the equaliser early the second half and we got punished as a result. Monreal who doesn't have the legs to run anymore was caught high up the pitch and since Luiz was already on a yellow, Salah was allowed to do his thing. Playing against Liverpool is difficult especially because of their front three and our ineffective fullbacks. Emery's plan was good and would have been the best way to beat Liverpool or perhaps get a draw but little mistakes ruined everything. He didn't want to change tactics quickly in the game since we were already trailing as that could back fire and the match could end in a cricket score and he also didn't want to ruin a working plan at 1 - 0, after all Liverpool had scored from a corner not open play. It's easy for fans to say he could have done this and that, but it's not easy in reality as Klopp is a very smart man in his own right.

... Regrets sure, but it wasn't as bad as it has been portrayed by some of the fans.

I never really expected much from the game. A point at Anfield is approx. 6points total.
My interest was to assess how much we have improved as a team. And I am quite impressed, especially with the development of youngsters like Willock and Guendouzi. They are not there yet, but the potentials are there.

A fit Torriera could have started though, he offers much in terms of intensity, drive and stamina. In all, I always leave a coach to his decisions. There are other reasons for selection which we can never tell; such as psychology, motivation and drive.

Roland17:
Nwanne, I was beyond shocked. We stood a very good chance if he played to his strength with tactical substitutions.

For me the formation at 0-0 was OK. We had probably clearer chances at goal but couldn't take advantage. At the start of second half at 1-0, introducing Lacazette would have given us more bite and urgency, forcing Liverpool to retreat, and check their advancing fullbacks. It would have allowed us to attack more especially from the wings where I think Liverpool are weakest defensively.

The goal was a little relief.

The game against Spurs will be another tactical battle, we hope Emery comes out tops this time around.

Roland17, Solomonbrown64

Good points you guys have noted. We need more quality discuss here bordered on facts and opinions rather than emotions and sentiments.

Better use of English too.

It is a thing of joy to have the headache of selection for any manager. It allows for more tactical fluency and exchange.

Torriera, Xhaka, Willock, Guendouzi and Ceballos are our main midfielders this season (at least so far) and to be honest I am quite impressed of the performances and development. Any three could start a game depending on the tactics and give us quality results. Though they all have their strengths and weaknesses, yet I think they compliment each other well.

Against Spurs, I would like to see a Xhaka, Ceballos, Torriera combo, with Auba, Laca and Pepe ahead of them.

On the Liverpool game, If only Emery had introduced Laca earlier- with score still at 1-0, which would have allowed Auba and Pepe move to the wings, and our fullbacks to push up a little and keep those Liverpool's fullbacks on check, game probably would have taken a different turn. Regrets.

Roland17:
Now that the dust has settled, I am going to write my own thoughts about the loss to Liverpool.

First off, I think the formation was good, in fact, if the team went into half time tied, it would have buttressed this thought. The problem was the player selection by Emery to carry out that formation. Considering Liverpool are renowned for pressing, I expected to see Torreira start in the middle of the park. Torreira is one of the most technically gifted midfielders in our team and he plays with intensity and intelligence. Our problem in the midfield was a carryover from the Burnley game where we lacked players who could break the press and carry the ball into Liverpool's half. Consequently, we spent a lot of our possession on our half and that made the press even more difficult to manage. Ceballos could not do much because he was either isolated at the top or was drowned immediately he received the ball deep in our own half, leading to numerous errors on the ball. Ceballos needs to improve his sense of awareness to avoid dangerous turnovers, especially against a good press. Xhaka was one player whose performance was confusing to me because he started poorly but in the 2nd half, he looked really sharp and energetic. I am sorry but I have seen enough to reiterate that Guen shouldn't be a starter for this team especially when we play teams that press relentlessly and this is because they expose a lot of his weakness which is at the detriment of the team. There are critical aspects of the central midfield game that he desperately needs to learn and quick. Is he talented? Absolutely and I love his intensity and willingness to stay in the thick of the action. Willock needs to get better with his ball control and technique an he will become dominant. I would like to see a game where we have enough ball carriers with the skill to break any press and move the ball into our opponents half. We are creating a very bad weakness that other teams are now taking note of and that is to press Arsenal into self destruct.

I thought the back 4 did reasonably well considering the opponents and the fact that the midfield continued to burden the back 4 with the responsibilities of building our offense. They did this by constantly returning the ball to the defenders even when they could foray into Liverpool's half and this only invited more pressure. Someone mentioned Miki would have been good for this game and I have to agree especially in that diamond midfield. The first goal we conceded was quite debatable and I am shocked VAR did not seek to review that goal because there was a lot going on inside the box before Matip connected with that header. That being said, the back 4 still held their own in the first half. I think Emery agreed the formation was working but he failed by not making personnel changes very early and that cost us. Emery needs to understand that you don't have to build from the back every time. This is because it makes us quite predictable and invites unnecessary pressure especially when you consider that we still don't know the basics of playing from the back in his 2nd season now. There has to be a balance between building from the back and straight-up kicking the ball out. For those who heap a lot of blame on Niles, I would tell you that his major problem is lack of concentration but we are not doing him any favors by playing him as a RB and every time he comes up against wingers, he is decimated. I am excited and looking forward to the return of Bellerin and the slow integration of Teirney and Holding into the rotation.

Considering our formation, I thought Emery would have taken Auba off early in the 2nd half because the style did not suit him. The same formation with Lacazette and Pepe would have caused more damage in my opinion because Pepe can play off Laca who is great at holding the ball and linking the midfield. We looked dangerous every time we had an opportunity to counter Liverpool and a special mention to the individual brilliance of N. Pepe who had a great game and was our best player. He still has a lot to learn about making quick decisions and not being over-elaborate in a play. He is a touch of quality who is not afraid of attacking his opponents. Emery failed in the area that had been his strength and that is a tactical substitution. I was beyond petrified that he waited until the 80th minute to introduce Lacazette. We looked dangerous and had a healthy possession of the ball when we had Auba/ Laca/ Pepe all on the pitch and this means we should have switched to a 4-3-3 early enough before going down 2/3/

All in all, I hope we can dust off this performance and give Spuds a run for their money next week by getting all 3 points. Losing to Spuds is never acceptable and a bad performance will definitely pitch Emery against the fans.

#COYG

This was Emery's undoing. I was shocked too.

sod09:
you see your dad
Wengay 2.0

Another 20years of whining for you baby him be this so...

Thunder fire Emery. Sodiq fall on you...

#LivArs

Open the flood gates, let it rain...

solomonbrown64:
..... Lacazette for Ceballos

I'll remove Xhaka or Willock instead and move Ceballos deep.

Packing bus over. Formation has to change.