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Gary Neville and his fellow Arsenal sceptics can do the old ‘I told you so’ routine but that was close and Manchester City know it is far from over just yet.
Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.
Early thoughts
Arsenal playing pretty well, Haaland really does screw City’s system up. Singularly the most dangerous foul in the game has to be the ‘Harry Kane back into the jumping player’ that Martinelli just did on Walker. One day someone is going to break their neck. Should be a straight red.
Tom (He’ll score a hatRick now!)
Half-time thoughts
I’m writing this at half time in the Arsenal-City game. Regardless of the final score I’d love for the post-match interviewer to ask Mikel Arteta if, when:
i) Eddie Nketiah used his shoulder instead of his head to miss that great chance right in front of goal just before City scored, or
i) Tomiyasu played a blind back pass leading to De Bruyne’s goal,
they were guilty of “human error”, or they just did not “understand their job”.
Cheers
Paul, Cambridge (stop f**king slating officials – you cannot get enough refs in grass roots football)
Full-time thoughts
Naturally a disappointing result but plenty of positives still. The main difference between the sides was the ruthlessness in front of goal. Twas a game of very fine margins and alas we came up short……again.
No matter how much we try and pretend Nketiah just isn’t up to being first choice for a sustained period of time at this level, his inability to even hit the target from 3 very presentable chances is inexcusable as were the two wayward passes by Tomi and Gabriel, ridiculous shit that was all but gone from our game this season (real pig of a game for them to rear their ugly heads too.
Martinelli really misses Jesus, his movement on and off the ball unlocks so much space for Martinelli and Nketiah just doesn’t operate in the same way which is not a slight, just a difference that needs to be addressed. Feel he’s suffered more than the team has with Jesus’ absence. Odegaard seems to be struggling to find form too, really in and out of this one with some sublime passes and some real duds too.
There were positives though we created a decent amount of chances, controlled the game and possession at times well, Jorginho fitted in nicely (until he ran out of steam in the second half) and forced Citeh to change their style of play which doesn’t happen often. Feels like the game deserved a draw but as mentioned city are on for 3 in a row for a multitude of reasons but one of them is they take their chances. Quite odd I really didn’t have the fear of Citeh in this game and didn’t think they did anything particularly dangerous in possession, unfortunately by the end of the game the fear was real when we were in possession at the back.
I’m sure there’s lots of fans of opposing clubs lolling away at our supposed collapse but we’re 22 games in and 2nd by GD with a game in hand, it could be worse, it should be worse, everyone thought it would be worse, everyone predicted it would be worse and it was unattainable and borderline stupid to think we could continue our form from the first half of the season, we know the limitations of our squad! Everybody is dropping points this season (that’s why 18 teams are currently below Arsenal……a lot more games remember) so it seems mad to think Arsenal wouldn’t (L3 D3 is not bad!) especially when we’re barely past halfway but i guess rival fans need something to crow about but until your team is above ours I’d be careful about throwing stones in glass houses. The real test is now getting out of this funk but the way we played gives me hope it’s sooner rather than later. Maybe. Hopefully.
Lee. Bristol. AFC.
Firepower
I’ll admit that the game isn’t finished yet so this might turn out to be wildly inaccurate, but Arsenal simply do not have enough firepower. I’ve written previously saying that Eddie is not the man we need at centre forward. He is simply not good enough for this level. I know he scored a couple against Man U, but a broken clock is right twice a day. He is neither strong enough or physical enough. Oh, and he’s not that good a finisher.
Not ideal for a centre forward.
Martinelli isn’t as good as his initial promise suggested. Too little end product and far too few goals. Saka is great though and I wouldn’t change him for almost anyone.
When Jesus comes back I think he will link play better than Eddie, but he’s still not a prolific goalscorer.
We simply don’t have enough regular goalscorers in the team. Sharing them out is great and all that, but when the team needs someone to put away a half-chance, who do we have? Don’t say Eddie, he’s the broken clock.
This isn’t sour grapes because up until the last 3 games, we’ve been superb. Far better than any Arsenal fan would have hoped for. I think we’ll qualify for the CL but City have proved that we’re still a little way off from being able to win the league. Yes, I know we have to play them again, but we’ll lose that. By then, the game in hand may be irrelevant. We’ll also be behind on goal difference.
Fantastic start to the season but starting to come undone by a squad that lacks quality in depth (especially as Saka & Saliba must surely need a rest soon?) and a regular goalscorer.
Still, it’s certainly looking like a year-on-year improvement and assuming we make the CL, we should be able to bring in one or two improvements to really kick on.
Stu (A slightly disappointed tonight but overall encouraged by the progress we’ve made, Gooner in France).
It ain’t over yet
Bring on all the haters, the doubters – everyone whose confirmation bias manifested tonight. The simple fact of the matter is we haven’t played well in weeks. I’d rather it happen now than later in the season. We’ve been due a wobble and we still have 16 matches to right the ship. Question is if/how the youngest team in the league will recover from this setback.
I’m honestly not convinced by City taking advantage of a really poor Arsenal display. We didn’t look scared tonight at all – on the other hand we were weirdly too nonchalant on the ball. Completely different from past capitulations. Arsenal in a past life completely folds after the initial Tomiyasu mistake. We still control the race if we can find our groove again. And the Etihad is no fortress. Everyone – including Gary Neville – can say I told you so if they want and the knee-jerk reactions will be aplenty. Mark my words – this isn’t close to being over.
MAW, LA Gooner (COYG)
P.S. The reaction is key. Arsenal dropping points against Emery might be a death knell.
Knee-jerkery
City fan here. Some random points and in no particular order.
· I really hope there will be minimal or zero knee-jerkery in Thursday morning’s mailbox. (Unlike the usual media suspects where it will be practically guaranteed). Arsenal have been top of the league for so long for a very simple reason. Because they’ve been outstanding. And, of course, City have won nothing so far and there are plenty of games (and therefore surprises) left yet.
· I was surprised at how bad-tempered the game was, especially in the first half, despite the close connections between managers, coaches and players. An example, I suppose, of when top-flight sportsmen leave sentiment behind when they walk onto the pitch.
· I’m not sure that that scoreline would’ve applied had Partey been playing. Jorginho is excellent in possession but not so great when not. Also, cliché though it is, had the Gooners taken their chances in the first half then likewise, different result perhaps.
Great result for us and I’m sure all Arsenal supporters will be feeling crap (who doesn’t when you lose) but I don’t see any great crisis at the Emirates nor any open top buses being prepared in Manchester.
Mark (But the Mediawatch team are going to have to work their arses off tomorrow aren’t they?) MCFC.
🗣️| Arteta on title race: “There’s still a huge marathon to go for every single team. We have a huge battle now on Saturday again to keep going but the team continues to perform & play this way. We need to improve the efficiency in the box. We want to get more points.” [@arsenal] pic.twitter.com/p1uHARVVEU
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) February 16, 2023
Respect to Arsenal
Big compliment to Arsenal that the team with the best manager, most expensive players and best sponsorship deals needed to rely on time wasting throughout the 1st half of the match. Shows how good you guys are – respect. Not sure about the insistence on playing out from the back in every circumstance mind. Question for city fans too while I’m here – do you prefer all the money and all the trophies in place of any semblance of personality and authenticity? Genuinely interested
Duck
Go fourth and prosper
All fart and no sh*t. I guess Stewie was right after all
After the gross negligence that was the January transfer window, Arteta & Edu effectively locked us in to finish fourth.
Hope killers!!
Kenneth
Before you publish Stewie…
Shut up.
The team you spout on about is the only team making an attempt at beating City. Stop being a prat.
Cowlick
Predictable
Oh dear. Still remember: “good business” eh!
Stewie Griffin (every season, since 2005/6, Gooners fall for it. The big book of Excuses and “bar lowering” will get an outing!)
The real reason Arsenal lost
Before anyone starts to speculate as to why Arsenal lost (Arsenal’s form dip, City’s bottomless pockets and creative accountants amassing a super squad plus Pep, that Norwegian machine, … or any other illogical nonsense you can think of), here’s the real reason.
The way last season ended left me thoroughly disappointed and sad to the level that my 8-year old daughter decided to cheer me up by making me an “Arsenal bracelet” from her red and white plastic beads on a rubber cord. She said it would bring luck. And so the new season began and the results proved her right. Sadly, the rubber started to loose elasticity and the bracelet got a little too big. So, in a moment of madness, I decided to cut some of the excess cord away. This was right before the Everton game. You have all seen what followed.
So forget Lee Mason, the real reason for the Arsenal downfall is a silly dad and a pair of scissors in Northern Sweden, there is irrefutable proof. Therefore, I would like to hereby apologise to all my fellow Gooners.
(Incidentally, there is also a strong correlation between the number of movies Nicholas Cage stars in and the number of deaths by drowning in a pool. I know that’s irrelevant, just wanted to warn you all that when his next movie comes out, you should avoid pools)
András, Sweden
Lights, camera, distraction
Has there ever been a top flight match, particularly at this stage of the season, where both teams’ focus is squarely on their next game as much as Newcastle v Liverpool on Saturday?
I guess Liverpool think the Champions League is their big hope and all eggs are in that basket, whereas for Newcastle, the team with all the 2000+ minute players is showing some serious signs of fatigue.
As a Newcastle fan, this is how I think a lot of supporters expected the season to go – the drop off from our starters to the bench is very much Champions League to Championship and so Eddie Howe hasn’t had the luxury of rotation, especially with some injuries to key players this season. We had 3 players off injured last weekend in a listless display and another ruled out just before it – and so my priority watching the game on Saturday is that everyone gets through it unscathed.
But suddenly the top 4 race is tightening up. Our obsession with drawing (partly because Jacob Murphy is our game-changing impact sub) means we risk the group behind closing in. While Spurs have helped us out, if we lose on Saturday, Liverpool will be 6 points behind with a game in hand. Our squad is running out of steam and it’s a massive shame, but it’s all part of the journey.
So we have a massive league game on Saturday where I think most fans will take any result just so we can focus on the cup final. Anyone remember any games where both teams were so distracted?
James, NUFC
Judging Neymar
I’ve just finished reading Ian King’s piece on PSG and the uncertainty there.
One thing that caught my eye was something I’ve noticed a lot recently. Neymar in it is spoken of in vastly different tones to Messi and Mbappe.
To quote: “Neymar, a player who isn’t quite at the level of being a ‘liability’ yet but who is increasingly looking like a luxury no team can afford.”
Now to clarify I’m not saying necessarily that statement is incorrect I’m just fascinated by the thinking behind it. What is it that makes Neymar a luxury and Messi/Mbappe worth excusing of any defensive duty.
I watched last night and you couldn’t with a straight face claim Messi was doing more work for the team.
To compare on raw stats alone PSG’s front 3 across all competitions:
Mbappe: 27 appearances – 25 goals – 6 assists
Messi: 26 appearances – 15 goals – 14 assists
Neymar: 28 appearances – 17 goals – 16 assists
(Put those stats together quite quickly, apologies if they aren’t spot on) So Neymar has the most goal involvement in a similar number of games but in essence Mbappe is the main goal threat then Messi and Neymar have similar levels of production.
Goal involvements aren’t everything, no question about tha,t but a comparison of who scored ratings (includes internationals so skews it a bit) has Messi at an insane 8.29, Mbappe 7.67 and Neymar at 7.60. So he’s the weakest of the 3 but he’s not a million miles behind Mbappe.
I don’t think Ian is alone in seeing Neymar as the one of the 3 PSG could most easily let go. I find commentary on him interesting as the default seems to be to discuss how he goes down too much and what you don’t want to see with him. I’ve seen almost every superstar do as much simulation as Neymar without the reputation sticking like it does with him. So what is it about him that makes everyone seem so willing to turn on him at the drop of a hat?
Is it the repeated PSG failures in the champs league? He’s been injured a lot when they needed hm and according to whoscored his rating does drop by about 0.2 in the champs league. But so do Messi’s and Mbappe’s. It’s just harder to dominate against elite opposition.
My theory is that it’s a combination of choosing to leave Barcelona. A cathedral of football for PSG who haven’t shaken off the stigma of being the first super rich team looking to buy a champions league. From there he seems to have been forever tarred with the brush of not putting football first. Him taking his sister’s birthday off every year probably doesn’t help. Of his 6 years in France this will only be the 3 in which he’ll play over 20 league games for Barcelona in 4 years the least he managed was 26.
Then the other thing is playing for Brazil. CR7 not winning a world cup doesn’t hurt his legacy because Portugal just don’t win world cups. Failing to win at Brazil is seen as failure. All the great Brazilians (seemingly) have at least one and I think the failures of this team really mar Neymar’s legacy.
Whatever it is Neymar, for me, is a real symbol of the modern game. People get so caught up in the circus around him that he’s somewhat disrespected as an actual footballer.
His stats stand up with anyones (those 2 aliens aside) but players like Sadio Mane (who is an excellent footballer) receive more favourable coverage than him.
It all feels very strange to me. He’s clearly a world class player yet that is seemingly only ever added as an afterthought. Usually prefaced by a commentator horrified by Neymar asking for a booking for that guy who just kicked him up in the air.
All that said he does support dictators so he probably deservers worse than he gets.
Adrian Fletcher, London
Trust the process
I’m sick to the back teeth of spurs fans slagging off Daniel Levy and ENIC. Without them we wouldn’t have the greatest stadium in England, and possibly Europe. Obviously we all want trophies and results on the pitch but knowing that our beloved spurs are financially solvent and will still be around in decades to come,
We are trying to succeed by doing it properly and I think it’s time for spurs fans to rally round and trust the process.
Neil Easton, Stevenage.
League of Ireland
Hello all.
I know there are a lot of emails to Football 365 from our green and pleasant land so I just thought I’d remind people that the 2023 League Of Ireland season kicks off this Friday night. Attendances shot up last season and most clubs have posted record season ticket sales for this season so there’s plenty to look forward to. I’ll be in Richmond Park, Inchicore, home of St Patrick’s Athletic should you need me.
Seán. Dublin.
