"The journey continues" - Mikel signs extension until 2025: Page 80 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

"The journey continues" - Mikel signs extension until 2025

Clrnc

Claudius If we are looking at peak performance ignoring other variables, Auba definitely gets in. Madrid's Ozil too.

Come to think of it, AMN should have been perfect for an inverted role.

Tam

Based on their Arsenal careers, I don't think I'd take anyone bar Saka from that line up.

Putting aside their issues with professionalism and form, and recognising their undoubted quality, I just don't think Ozil and Aubameyang fit this team and how we play now compared to their competition.

goon

Auba could probably play left wing, I think he worked hard enough in that phase. Not sure how much fun he would have had in our deep blocks though.

But yeah, I’m not really taking any of them.

Attitude issues aside, AMN is a pretty basic footballer.

Claudius

goon I’m with you. Not taking a single one of these guys. Martinelli can do more than Auba in this system. I respect Auba as a finisher, but Martinelli contributes a lot.

As for AMN, few players have enjoyed more unearned reputation than this fellow.

Daz

I'd almost forgotten Saka was a left back

lorddulaarsenal

Xhaka could probs still do a good job for us

Mirth

Leno's probably a better traditional GK than Ramsdale and Raya

RowJimmy

Things we don't want: traditional goal-keepers, old-fashioned target men up front, overlapping fullbacks.

flobaba

Think it’s worrying that over 200 and some change minutes we had no real answers for Porto, and presented them little challenge offensively. Coaches all over the league/ Europe would have noted how much we struggled to break down their low block and begin to mimic how they executed compressing the field and denying us space between the lines. Very disciplined performance on their part. We have to be better against sides like this. Our display in these games have revealed some of Arteta’s tactical shortcomings. Needs to learn from this and adapt quickly.

Sicario2 - Tier 1

flobaba

Not every team has a 41 year old multiple CL winner playing in the back line or a team that is synonymous with the CL.

Teams have been playing low blocks for years against us, what Porto did was nothing special but it’s how they executed it was impressive. As I said, not many teams like Porto esp in our league.

Also, you have to take into account it was many of these players first CL KO game and were rightfully nervy. More games like this we play, the less nervy we will be and less the low block will be an issue.

Bring on a free flowing football team like Real and we will look a lot better and dangerous.

Don Pacifico

flobaba I do agree that Arteta has to take some responsibility for how we approached this tie. Certainly, I think we were too conservative in our team selection for the 2nd leg and arguably we got outsmarted tactically in both legs.

That being said, I do agree with Sicario2 - Tier 1 that you have to take the experience of the squad into account. Hopefully, winning such a nervy tie will give them a mental boost but we played scared in Portugal and a couple of our key youngsters disappointed last night.

Onwards and upwards. Suspect we'll face a slightly less cagey approach from the opposition remaining in the competition so hopefully that makes it slightly easier but we need to learn how to deal with ties like Porto.

Burnwinter

It's an interesting one. Seems unclear from these matches how effective such tactics can be against us in general.

We're not especially vulnerable to counterattacking football so inviting pressure from us isn't going to be a masterstroke.

Seems likely we may be man-marked and roughed up more in the league from here, particularly by any clubs fighting relegation.

Claudius

I don’t think it’s just about experience. Other teams do tactics too. And of the teams we’ve played this year, Porto appeared the best coached. They knew how to stop us from creating shots, how to play around us and find outlets. But what they figured out better than everyone is that we create chances through flow and movement, and the my took every opportunity to disrupt that. That combination just nullified us

The only other team I’ve seen with the same combination (but different weightings) of possession, pressing, cynicism is City. We won’t really see another tie like this

goon

I felt the same watching them, even the way they played out the back seemed like it was extensively drilled to beat our press.

But I do think we often opted for a safer pass. You saw notably fewer passes through the lines than you usually do.

Qwiss

The only reason Porto were able to disrupt is so much is because the ref let them. In most games they'd have gotten a few booking and had to stop the niggly fouls and time wasting.

Watching both legs of this really makes you appreciate the PL changes to added time and time wasting.

Claudius

Qwiss thought the referee was good first half, but the bastards eventually wore him out.
They have the lowest in play time in Europe (about 45 minutes). We’ve seen our referees struggle with Newcastle and Man City. They’d have no clue what to do with Porto. They kicked each other at some point and played dead. As a rule, players who lie down for an extended period should be taken off field

jones

Qwiss to be fair they were much better with the ball than most of our domestic opposition as well. Right bastards without the ball but the pace with which they circulated the ball in both legs was serious

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Let's not forget that we were without the pace over distance Martinelli provides, and that Saka and White were both unusually crap at the same time.

The whole team in general wasn't quite on it though. We need more elite talent in the squad, e.g. a new killer wide man so we don't have to start Trossard on the wing (yes I know he scored a lovely goal!).

Clrnc

The referee let a lot of things go. He didn't blow for foul excessively I thought

Coombs

Clrnc no but he let them stay on the pitch when they went down, and added no extra time at all. Played right into their strategy.

Clrnc

Coombs Oh yes definitely, he strictly blew to the whistle after 3 minutes, and 3minutes itself was already very little. Thought that was weird as well

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Clrnc officials are easily buyable in the CL, as we discovered in 2011.

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