🏆 Porto vs Arsenal, Estadio do Dragão Wednesday 21 February, 20:00 GMT: Page 12 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

🏆 Porto vs Arsenal, Estadio do Dragão Wednesday 21 February, 20:00 GMT

daredevil

That's a good approach playing away from home in Europe. Going on the offensive is what we usually saw under Wenger and that hardly yielded better results. Our best ever European campaign came when when we kept it tight in midfield and played conservatively. The key was Henry of course and injecting pace in the attack at the right moments. We missed Jesus today who has been our best goal threat in this year's campaign. Having a guy in goal who diminishes our defensive strength also doesn't help.

Qwiss

daredevil

That's a good approach playing away from home in Europe.

Not really.

QuincyAbeyie

daredevil That's a good approach playing away from home in Europe.

I don't quite get all this. It was a good approach by us, Porto didn't deserve the win at home with their tactics, yet if Porto use the same tactics again you still don't think we'll be able to win?

QuincyAbeyie

DiabyKungFu the double chance alone was 0,99 xG.

goon

Clrnc

I reckon that’s the story of us in Europe. We can’t cope with the lack of space and attention from a very determined opposition.

I said to a colleague pre game that in some ways these knock out games where we are favourites can be tricky because the opposition give absolutely everything.

It forces us into safety mode when we should be trying to exploit the space left behind.

Qwiss

goon we also don't have our set piece get out of jail mode ve because the refs act like we're playing netball.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

goon first and last paragraphs contradictory?

daredevil

QuincyAbeyie

Playing to avoid defeat away from home in Europe in a knockout game is a good approach. The game should have been a tie, but Raya's short stature in end meant he was lobbed by a side footer. Regardless, I think we would struggle against their tactics both home and away, but I would give us the edge to score decisively at home. Now that we're a goal down, we need to score 2 more goals which makes it much more difficult. Either way, as long we turn up at home we should go through, but recent history is pitted against us.

awooga83

RocktheCasbah this seems to be a continuing problem. It seemed like he'd adjusted but then seems to revert to bad habits again and you wonder if he really has taken that lesson on board.

goon

Qwiss

It was crazy how those guys were just falling down 😆

One aspect of Europe I haven’t missed I must say. Flashbacks of playing Barcelona.

awooga83

Clrnc yeah slight worry for as well as we've done and they were great results we've played really poor defensive teams. I still worry that we struggle against more determined defensive opposition

Don Pacifico

awooga83 don't think today had anything to do with Porto's defending. We didn't use the ball properly today so gave them very little work to do.

Gazza M

I wasn't expecting us to shit the bed. this kind of sudden drop off hints at poor preparation in Europe again. lots of players didn't look themselves

have to go handbrake off in the 2nd leg.

GooneriC

We could easily get knocked out by Porto , the whole approach to this game was wrong . Just hope this isn't the start of some blip again.

awooga83

Don Pacifico fair enough didn't see the game just read into it with the 0 shots on target and the mood from here. I still have my own question marks about the team in some situations.i think Arteta can go too negative at times it's like his instinctive comfort tactic. I also worry that inspite of the great results recently that might not be an actual true reflection of where we are at. But we have to prove that those doubts aren't founded but doing what we have previously failed.

goon

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

If you’re lacking space it means there’s space elsewhere to be exploited. You just have to be braver, quicker and technically on point.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Tonight reminded me a little of those games against the likes of Depor and Valencia of 20+ years ago.

Physical, wily, tactically switched on opposition against whom we had no answer.

Gurgen

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert Spot on. It's a very upsetting result for me because it shows how immature we are. Very little street smarts in this team. All game we have no shots and no-one on the pitch stands up and says let's change some things. No, we just keep barging into the keeper on set pieces like in England. This team also feel very overcoached, cannot think on its feet.

RocktheCasbah

I suppose a silver lining to tonight might be that we're now fully prepared for the visit of the Porto of the North East on Saturday evening...

Meatwad

when all the players turn in performances like they did, the coach is preparing them wrong ... they were all mentally fucked. they must have been practicing to the portuguese you'll never walk alone or something. they were bricking it out there.

Segway

Meatwad Pretty incredible how nervous they all were considering the run they were on. They were fucking up the simplest of things.

When all is said and done however, we should have scored at least one. Saliba and Kai had very good chances with headers from corners, Trossard's volley where he was totally clear and Gabriel had a very good chance in the 89th minute from a Rice freekick. Symptomatic of the whole performance really.

swider

I really dislike this super safe control over creating goal scoring chances approach. Yet again it backfired, just like in multiple games at the beginning of this season and in many cup games under Arteta.

naz

What bothers me is that we'll start this same team on the weekend against Newcastle and wonder why they're tired and can't create chances. No subs, no resting and nothing to show for it. We better come out fighting

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