Arsenal - Newcastle, today at 20:00 UK Time, for some reason.: Page 13 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Arsenal - Newcastle, today at 20:00 UK Time, for some reason.

daredevil

I was dreading the game pre-match, but I felt overwhelming reassured when I saw Rice, Saliba and Gabriel in the tunnel. Felt like the defensive version of Henry, Bergkamp and Pires.

I thought we lost the title last season because of a porous defence, and I didn't think we would win it any time soon up until some point this season when I saw how miserly our defence has become.

I would be surprised if this trio doesn't deliver a title within the next few years.

daredevil

Claudius

Don't forget we did City too earlier in the season, where they didn't register a shot on target or something until after the midway point.

Claudius

daredevil
Yeah. What we had in the first half of the season was a strong defensive foundation. Easily the best team defensively in the league before Christmas. And now we’ve taken that platform and started adding flair to the attack. But we needed the structure in place first.

Panda

Another great win! I was at the theatre for this but delighted with the result! We are on a roll. 12 games to go. Let's see if we can keep it going then we will have a chance 😃

Shout-out to the set piece coaches and Saka as well he is in superb form.

Don Pacifico

Panda Another great win! I was at the theatre for this

Initially when I read this, thought you were using 'the theatre' as your nickname for the Emirates. 😂

Qwiss

Panda Shout-out to the set piece coaches

Was just thinking during the game, how long until some other club comes in and throws huge money at Jover?

Sicario2 - Tier 1

Qwiss

It’s not Jover until it’s Jover

Big Willie

Qwiss Was just thinking during the game, how long until some other club comes in and throws huge money at Jover?

Could happen but like others have said, we've already been coached on these aspects well enough to not forget if th coaches leave, similar to how the back 5 AW inherited served him so well despite not being drilled to an inch like they used to under GG.

Plus, it's great having +6 foot beasts in the air like Saliba, White, and Gabriel. Especially Gabriel who is absolutely on another level when it comes to attacking the ball on set plays, it's like he has a sixth sense where it'll end up. Who knows, maybe he's orchestrating the whole thing during his chats with the set piece takers just prior to racing off back into position.

flobaba

Eh probably another season or two, but it wouldn't matter. We already have the basics of his ideas incorporated in our delivery/executions, and if we don't have a succession plan we aren't a very smart club.

Claudius

I just love how serious we are as a club now. I used to hate how laissez-faire everything was. Our players who moved to City mentioned the same. Now we think deeply about how our goalie and forwards work together, every throw in, every set piece. Our pressing tactics are novel, I’ve never seen another team press with so much risk - and it pays off. Arteta is extracting advantage in everything he can. I’m sure even Doris the tea lady’s been whipped into shape

Claudius

It really stood out for me towards the end of the cup final yesterday. The ball went towards the Liverpool keeper, and two Chelsea players ran at full speed towards the keeper to press him. They left two defenders wide, and it was easy for the keeper to move the ball out, taking two Chelsea players out of the game immediately. You’d never see such wanton idiocy from Arsenal players pressing today.

Sicario2 - Tier 1

Big Willie

This is not popular opinion but Gabriel has lowkey been better than Saliba this season imo.

Big Willie

Sicario2 - Tier 1 This is not popular opinion but Gabriel has lowkey been better than Saliba this season imo.

Not sure if it's all that unpopular anymore. Hes finally won over most of the fanbase. Couldn't understand the people who'd doubted him last season and were wanting him replaced by Kiwior or sold because he wasn't technical enough or was liability. I'd even argue he was our best defender last season considering the amount of ground he had to cover with Zinchenko ahead of him whereas Saliba always had White nearby to support.

I myself was at first sceptical of the signing at first because he seemed to go to ground too easily and seemed like a red card waiting to happen going by his time in the French league but he won me over pretty quickly by how good a defender he was and how he'd bully attackers without recklessly lunging in because he didn't anticipate the movement.

We're blessed to have him, Saliba and White back there. Can't remember a better set of defenders since that Nesta, Staam, Maldini, and Cafu backline Milan had.

Don Pacifico

Big Willie Couldn't understand the people who'd doubted him last season and were wanting him replaced by Kiwior or sold because he wasn't technical enough or was liability.

You mean Dules... 😉

flobaba

"We're blessed to have him, Saliba and White back there. Can't remember a better set of defenders since that Nesta, Staam, Maldini, and Cafu backline Milan had."

Was nodding along as I read your post , and then Ben White became Cafu... Smh.

Big Willie

flobaba Was nodding along as I read your post , and then Ben White became Cafu... Smh.

I didn't say they were as good as them. Gabriel and Saliba certainly aren't Maldini or Nesta levels yet.

I just said as a set they have been the the best defensive unit since thay Milan defence. Meaning ours are better than the defensive units that came after but not necessarily better than the Milan group. They have to prove it over a longer period to reach those levels.

Look, I know you have your issues with White, but he's a very good player.

Clrnc

Big Willie tbh the milan defence looks amazing on paper individually but in reality statistically they weren't all that.

The best defensive unit ever collectively was probably Ferreira Carvalho Terry Gallas

Big Willie

Clrnc tbh the milan defence looks amazing on paper individually but in reality statistically they weren't all that.

I was exaggerating to make a point that our defenders are just so, so good. But you're right. I mean thet Milan team did ship 4 in the final of the CL after going 3 up. I was originally gonna say since our GG back 5 but wanted to make the point to those who may have been too young to watch us under GG, myself included.

Difference between Milan and those Chelsea/Arsenal teams were that Milan were a pretty attacking side who happened to have having those guys at the back. Those Chelsea/Arsenal sides were built on giving nothing away and attack was somewhat of an afterthought.

daredevil

Clrnc

I think it was more the central core of Cech, Carvalho, Terry and Makelele that made them impenetrable. Even though Ferreira and Gallas were solid.

We are close to that with our trio, but Raya stands out like a sore thumb. It's partly why I've developed an issue with him.

FEBravo

Nah, probably Flamini Senderos Toure and Eboue in the CL

RocktheCasbah

Big Willie Not that I disagree with your general point Willie, but Arsenal won the Division 1 title in 1989, having scored more goals than Liverpool and also scored 74 goals when winning the title in 1991. In doing so, they scored 3 less Liverpool, but conceded only 18 goals.

The year following, helped by the kind of berzerker end of season form the team are now showing, they scored a division high 81 but also conceded 47 - which was the third highest tally in the top 6.

And the end of that season, George's 6th in charge is where things really turned - definitively. Out went Rocky and, to all intents and purposes, Limpar. In came John Jensen and then began the overreliance on keeping it tight and Ian Wright - and a de facto transformation from title winners to cup team.

In 1992-93, we scored 40 goals in the Premier League, conceding 38 - can you imagine?

The famous back four through all of that, the goalscoring madnesses turned to famine - of course with Seaman added in 1990 and Keown in 1993.

Big Willie

RocktheCasbah I did say I was too young to really see them and all I had to go on was the old boring boring Arsenal labels from the time.

But thanks for the correction. Interesting to get insight into periods before your time from people beyond key moments and stats like that Liverpool game and its circumstances, the the 91 win with the lowest number of goals conceded, the double in 71 etc.

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