daredevil pretty much!

HomeSteak it's that (not) bloody kit.

This feels like Arteta’s first real crisis. A genuine crisis in which his approach, tactics and strategy is under the microscope. Which admittedly does feel ridiculous considering we are second, but I think all the stats that have been trotted out this season to support our position just do not stack up to the eye test in what we’re seeing week in week out of Arteta and the team.

Not many manager’s survive that sort of crisis but Arteta has quite a lot of clout in the bank with the fanbase and is obviously well tight with the board, so we’re nowhere near his job being in question. But what a job he’s given himself.

A few concerns of mine from the game:

• Partey should have been in CM so he could shoot from the 18. We were regularly creating that opportunity but wasting it on Jorginho, Timber and Odegaard.
• Surely we can find use in a quick and offensively inclined player like Tierney vs a ten man team. He came on way too late, and quickly highlighted how regimented we are as others couldn’t build on his strengths.
• We need to move Rice back to 6 or alongside someone in a two man CM. We’re at risk of wasting a record fee and a huge talent by shoe horning him into a position he’s not fit for.

RocktheCasbah hate that thing

MistaT I think he saved Partey for the next two games. Villa and spurs. lol

RocktheCasbah Put it this way, with him out there we'd have won today. And not just cause he would have taken and scored the penalty. He'd have scored a goal from open play too. Man U are diabolical.

MistaT Partey should have been in CM so he could shoot from the 18. We were regularly creating that opportunity but wasting it on Jorginho, Timber and Odegaard.

The last person on this team I want having a shot from the 18 yard line is Thomas ‘Row Z’ Partey.

No need to worry guys, we won the xG battle again!

FEBravo and here I was getting all worried. Phew!

Qwiss it was basically throwing in the towel, like Kroenke told Edu to make some headroom on PSR and tread water for a year, maybe more.

Coombs I'm convinced the Kroenkes justed us to be solidly a CL team and don't really care beyond that. They want us to maintain our profile for their next attempt at a super league

Claudius — I’m ok with him not starting. Just think Arteta should be able to figure out a solution of how not to play him at RB…..

Tam — really?

The guy who crushed 20 yard shots vs Tottenham, Forest, and another team or two?

Who else in our team has scored more than one goal from 20 yards?

Qwiss

It's starting to look like that. I wonder what the benefit is to win the title relative to the cost of funding the attacking pieces to win the title.

I've also wondered why the funding at Liverpool also dried up after 2019.

MistaT I think more than anything, Arteta has to protect Timber. He’s one of our best players. And we aren’t overflowing with options who can slot in at right back.

This is a new low. We generate more than 3 xG per game but can’t score, it’s absolutely pathetic at this level. And what was Raya doing for those penalties? He was on the floor a full two seconds before a ManUtd player touched the ball. Might be the worst goalkeeping performance I’ve ever seen in a shootout.

Gurgen We generate more than 3 xG per game

Which in itself is pretty baffling as we look so disjointed and one dimensional.

Tam I don’t think it’s per game. It’s in this game and the previous game. We’ve been creating chances last few games.

I don’t think we are disjointed necessarily. Go watch other teams. We were all over United today. We just lacked presence in the box. We just needed someone to cut in like Saka or Henry a couple of times and bury it