⚽️ Liverpool vs Arsenal | Sun, 16:30: Page 36 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

⚽️ Liverpool vs Arsenal | Sun, 16:30

RowJimmy

Burnwinter However, I was pretty surprised by our total inability to control the match after the half. I wanted and expected us to slow things down, recycle the ball, use possession defensively, kill the mood, and I was very surprised we couldn't do it. In particular, we simply couldn't play out from the back—we were short on ideas and very error prone for a full 20–25 minutes after half time. That shouldn't be.

This is where City are still distinctly better than us.

Big Willie

Don Pacifico We've had a bit of luck to our way a few times this season so as much as we should have beaten the Bees, we arguably jammied at least three wins of our own this season.

Luck in winning games through deflections, last gasp winners or whatever else does not even out dropping points due to referees being incompetent/corrupt. If we'd have been given a goal that was clearly offside that was the difference between a win and a draw then I can agree with your point. Otherwise there is no comparison.

Claudius

Kel Varnsen you have to de-average their performances. This is the same team that went deep in all competitions last year bar Mané. Statistically they are basically the most variable team in the league. They have incredible attacking ability, but they aren’t scoring as much as they should, and then their back door is open and costing them tons of games. What it means is any given day you could face a top 4 side or a mid table team depending on what mood they’re in. Check out their numbers, they’re all over the place.

Claudius

Also a reminder of why consistency is key. We typically just go out with the same team over and over and dominate opponents.

Getting control of a game like this one, I think Saliba would’ve helped immensely. Tomi too. With Saliba you have the ability to absorb pressure and then bypass the opposition with line breaking passes through to Partey and Odegaard. Key here is that Saliba is happy inviting pressure, and then releasing the ball. We needed more recovery and more movement through them to neutralise their press and force them back a bit. I would’ve also compressed Xhaka to give us more ability to play around them with ease.

awooga83

Clrnc this is one of Martinelli issue he's very one dimensional. When he is in his stride it's fine but when he gets sussed out he often runs in to dead ends, he needs to improve on that to be a truly elite player

yuppa

awooga83 true on Martinelli but sometimes I think it’s him trying to get us going when we’ve gone flat for periods.

He needs outlets close to him for those times he’s down an alley - Jesus return has resurrected him and a Tierney overlap yesterday would have helped him a bunch in the second half.

Gotta admit I got a massive soft spot for him though.

awooga83

Clrnc Zinchenko ia not a great defender and when we encounter a different type of game why it doesn't work always. It's why I'm disappointed that we can't find a way to include Tierney in the team. He'd mainly a classic left back but I think there is a role for that

Arteta still seems to be not great at proactively managing a game and using a variety of players. How in game management seems a pretty big weakness at the moment.

lorddulaarsenal

The atmosphere and pressure Liverpool put us under was intense. Tougher fixture than City away in my opinion

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

lorddulaarsenal easily. With City I fear them the same whether home or away.

Their stadium has no bearing.

lorddulaarsenal

Haaland aside, I feel we have the upper hand physically against City too

FEBravo

Wonder if Jorginho would have helped in a game like this. Able to slow things down, with experience and well versed in the dark arts. Maybe for Ode, and of course Tierney for Zinchenko as many have said.

Arteta clearly has his “best 11” and also does not show much flexibility in match. It’s not the same to bring Holding on with Gabi and Saliba then bringing on Kiwior with Holding already on.

yuppa

FEBravo Exactly the changes I was pondering. Still gobsmacked by the Kiwior decision. Experience, cool heads and solidity was desperately needed.

Arteta left the changes too long, then tried to be too smart by half. Think the occasion got to many, us and the officials.

Amazing drama though.

QuincyAbeyie

FEBravo Or even Tierney for Ødegaard instead, and then bring Zinchenko into midfield.

Burnwinter

FEBravo It’s not the same to bring Holding on with Gabi and Saliba then bringing on Kiwior with Holding already on.

Yeah this felt like one of two things: clutching at a straw he hadn't thought about (would be bad), or conducting an experiment he hadn't trained (almost as bad).

Given Kiwior is not established in the league—I won't slander a young player by saying he's "out of his depth", he's not match sharp and has yet to have his chance—it was very risky. Something like Øde off for Jorginho, with the latter moving to Partey's right ... that could've worked perhaps.

Lukazan

Jorginho on would have been the move for me definitely. Xhaka is getting the brunt of my annoyance but Arteta needs to take responsibility with his subs, too. Poor.

Gurgen

What was really weird about the second half is that for the first 5 minutes we were really good and then collapsed completely after their first attack

Qwiss

Arteta has that move of throwing on the centre half for the last 10 minutes and TBF its worked almost everytime until this week. Part of that is Kiwior not having the experience but part of it is that we've gotten lucky other times when he's done it. I always prefer to try and cut off a team at the supply in that scenario I feel like Jorginho would have helped clog up the midfield a bit and definitely help us hold onto the ball. I know he's hopeless once you're beyond him but just let Partey mop up. Then again we don't know what Kiwior is like in training or if this experience will stand to him.

kamikaze

For me, if City were 2-0 up at Anfield, they shut up shop and just pass it around midfield for the rest of the game. We decided to do the opposite, except we couldnt hold the ball long enough after a turnover to get Gabi or Saka behind their fullbacks (they were defending too deep and were knackered, anyway).

Arteta basically bottled it. I sort of see what he was thinking - Liverpool had a big aerial advantage with Nunez, VVD, and Konate, and Kiwior was supposed to address that. But he's a kid who's barely played. And Arteta has a sort of inferiority complex when it comes to Liverpool which showed in the 2nd half and maybe got transmitted to the players.

Liverpool's midfield is nothing special, and I would've kept Jesus on for his holdup play. I don't know about Jorginho. We needed an experienced head to help keep the ball, but if it didnt work, we all know his legs are gone. Risky.

Clrnc

kamikaze I feel Arteta have an inferiority complex at Anfield. He always loses with Everton there, then get walloped a few times with us there and also as a manager. He respects them too much.

I know it's Anfield but how many big teams have managed to have a 2 goal lead at Anfield and blew it?

daredevil

kamikaze

Unless Arteta instructed the team to disregard all their training, play long and forgo building out the back, I'd say our back 6 bottled it.

I maybe incorrect, but I think it was the first time this season in the league where the opposition had more possession than us. We played with more courage at Old Trafford than we did at Anfield. Ramsdale went long more often than not, we didn't build out the back like we normally do and the players were scared to get on the ball and pass it around.

Liverpool 59% - 41% Arsenal in possession. We were out possessed for what I suspect is the first time this season, and it was largely due to how insecure our players were on the ball.

Burnwinter

Clrnc I feel Arteta have an inferiority complex at Anfield

Felt like a training and preparation issue to me. And after that, a half time communication issue. And after that, it would've been good to stage another time out style team chat. Because it remains unclear to me why their press was so effective until about 70 minutes—they're nowhere as good as we made them look with poor tactics, decisions and execution during that time.

Meatwad

liverpool is the only big team i can recall doing that. but hey at least we didn't lose 5-2.

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