PDA

View Full Version : No Pace in todays starting XI



texasgooner
02-08-2014, 10:43 PM
Just watched the match again(recorded earlier) usually not a masochist, but thought I would try to see where it all went wrong today. What became readily apparent was there was No and I mean NO pace in the team selection.

The back four might as well have been standing in mud. I never realized Monreal was soooooooo slow,( I actually am starting to believe Per would beat him in a 20 yard dash. Total mis match against the speedy Liverpool wingers. Wilshire was also made to look like a plodder.You would think Ox might have offered a little bit but he really never got close to the ball due to Arteta forgetting what color jersey he was wearing. I think he had more completed passes to Liverpool players than passes forward or to Arsenal Players. And Ozil, what the hell was he doing, For some reason he seems to be acting like a pouty little girl( for about the last month.) not really bothered. CHez should have just gone route 1 and forgot about trying to play out from the back. At least the forward players may have had a chance to actually touch the ball. (Giroud and Carzola might as well not even been on the pitch, (Arteta was being pressed really hard and had no clue how to handle it.)

The team selection was really crap against a speedy Liverpool, Gibbs and Rosicky should have both started. Rosicky is no speed demon but is Carl Lewis compared to Wilshire. What was Arsene thinking?? It was like watching a race between a pack of Hares run to the ball ahead of a bunch of crawling turtles.

I think for this match the old adage "Speed Kills" definitely applied.

Exiled Gunner
02-09-2014, 01:40 AM
After sleeping on it (it's morning here in Hong Kong now as I write this), I blame the manager most. He made no effort to change things until the 60th minute -- forget after they scored the 2nd goal in the 10th minute. You KNOW other managers (like *cough* Mourinho) would have.

We clearly needed some more tacklers in there. Rosicky clearly was our best option among the midfielders -- and should have started. And Gibbs could have been put up in left wing instead of Monreal to deal with the threat of Suarez on the right wing (kudos to Rodgers for that tactic).

And god, I have to admit I didn't want bitey Suarez at Arsenal but he sure showed what a world class striker looks like...