By Walter Broeckx
In trying to ignore the Atkinson antics people said it didn’t matter because we were played off the pitch. Now I must say that I had the impression that it was a more balanced match. But hey, what do I know I could be wrong.
I thought it started as a more or less open match with both teams taking turn in trying to attack the other team till the opening goal. That changed the match completely. That this goal should have been disallowed and that a red card should have been given (yes in some countries they said this) shows how important that wrong non-decision was.
From then on we first had a period in which Chelsea was on top. Arsenal had to find a new balance and with Gabriel being attacking less strong than Bellerin we struggled for a while. But the longer the first half carried on the more we adapted. But then we had to face the blue wall. A wall with 2 expert defensive midfielders and some expert counter attack strikers.
But let us look at the stats of Arsenal being played off the field. And I used the stats of livescore.com:
Numbers given Chelsea/Arsenal
Shots on target : 6/5
Shots off target : 5/3
Total shots: 11/8
Possession: 42/58
Corners: 10/13
So Chelsea had more shots than us. Not rare to see this from the home team and certainly not when that team is the league leader with a big points gap with the rest.
But Arsenal had more possession and had more corners than Chelsea had at their home ground. So this clearly indicates that what I thought to have seen was correct. We attacked as much as they did. We attacked even more. I do agree that they were being better in scoring goals (legal and illegal ones) than us.
Now of course statistics can be wrong and they could as the BBC numbers that I checked are slightly different. They have Chelsea with 41% possession and Arsenal with 59%.
But there again it showed that we had most of the ball but couldn’t break down the blue wall. A blue wall that can counter you to dead and Hazard did this.
Now of course a counter attack is always looking dangerous and so it gives the impression that they were more dangerous than us. In fact it is a fact that a counter attack is more dangerous than trying to penetrate a 11 man blue wall. Of course it is their right to pull everybody back around their penalty area and then counter attack. They were given the lead by the ref and as Conte himself said the laws of the game are different in England than in the rest of the world. Something that is not allowed but somehow the PGMO gets away with it.
What seems pretty sure to me is that with losing Bellerin we not only got behind but we lost our attacking force for a big deal. Bellerin is the defender in the PL who makes most touches in the oppositions penalty area. And if you want to break down Chelsea you need a defender like him that can help the attack and force openings.
So the opening goal was not just a mental blow but also a blow for the tactics we wanted to use. Gabriel is a good backup but I think only Debuchy can offer an attacking threat on our right flank. And then Debuchy is only half of the attacking force that Bellerin is. Us not being dangerous enough is a fair point but losing Bellerin helped to that in a bad way.
In fact the Chelsea match was a bit of a blue print from what has been happening since…money poured in at Stamford Bridge. The last time we saw a match over there that didn’t have any refereeing controverse in it was when we won 3-5. I can be proven wrong but in that match there were no strange decisions to be seen.
But over the last seasons… it has ever been like that. Özil getting kicked off the pitch 3 seasons ago and getting a knee injury that kept him out for weeks. Atkinson two seasons ago with allowing Cahill to kick the shit out of Alexis in a tackle if done by Xhaka the refs would be lining up to give red cards for. Last season we had the Dean farce with sending off Gabriel while Costa stayed on the pitch. A decision overturned by the FA later on but we still lost the match playing with 10 and later on with 9. When Dean performed his anti-Arsenal tricks the score was still 0-0. If he had done the right thing (send off Costa) the match could have gone in a completely different direction. But even then some of our fans found that Wenger was to blame for the Dean antics….
And this time once again Chelsea getting the early referee calls and being able to score a goal that would have been chalked off in any other country but England (Conte’s words) and losing the best attacking right back in the league at the same time.
In a way I agree with the board that someone lifted near the end of the match : Enough is enough. Yes I have had enough of tilted matches. I have enough of rubbish refereeing with an interpretation of the laws of the game that is against all that I have and am being told. And as long that this is happening and keeps happening I cannot and will not blame the manager. Not one of the Chelsea wins in the last 3 seasons (and two of them under Atkinson and one under Dean – enough said) wasn’t free of referee controversy. And by a big coincidence all the controversy went against Arsenal…. coincidence you say…. It looks more like a pattern to me…. But no sign of evening out.
PS: with Tony standing upside down a bit regular publishing is somewhat different from usual.
Great post Walter.
Even the stats show we played well on foreign soil.The media is hypocrite as it is proved again.If Arsenal were poor how we had a greater pocession and almost equal striking stats.
Hearing a lot about infighting within our fans.
Thanks , Walter . Up to the point that they scored their oh , so second goal , we were still in it . Not able to break through that blue wall and a few of our regulars being off form was heartbreaking .
Chelsea were compact , disciplined and very fast in closing us, by fair or foul means .
Hear hear Walter.
Walter – the facts are that goals win games.
Chelsea scored 3, we scored a late consolation.
The facts are that Chelsea have now averaged 3 goals against us in their last 5 matches they have played us at home.
You are embarrassing yourself if you keep defending this.
Fully agree, Walter. Watching Match of the Day heard the commentator say Arsenal were run ragged, then saw the stats. Didn’t bear this out. Of course, if one team is doing most of the attacking and the other is doing most of the defending the first team is doing more running, but that is not the same as being ‘run ragged’.
Interesting that Conte said that about things being different in England. I noticed in Arsene Wenger’s post match interview, as well as saying the attack on Bellerin was a foul, he said something about other recent decisions. Very true – as usual.
You are great at making a weak display look royal! Are you practicing the art of “Alternative Facts”?! LOL.
I find it tough to believe that bloggers like Walter are still using shots and possession stats to prove anything. Did you not see how Leicester won the leagues a mere nine months ago? As usual, the amount is self delusion on this web site is quite staggering – though I find it tough to believe you are winning over too many new converts.
Sammy – I couldn’t agree more. A lot of fake news on this website.
For those who want deny the facts, have a look at some more on Vince’s post on Walter’s previous article – but you won’t of course. You’re not interested in the evidence that referees award fewer penalties to Arsenal, more against Arsenal, more yellow and red cards against Arsenal than against their main opponents.
For reasons of your own you would rather blame the team and the manager. Someone posting on the previous article even said the team were poorly prepared. It takes your breath away, really.
Sorry Pat -you are joking I assume. The team are not prepared at all – evidence the slow starts that have become endemic of late with the first half against Watford being the prime example.
As for the penalties and red cards – that is more to do with poor tackling and trying to play our way out defence rather than any other reason.
I’d just add that in the last five years we had three Atkinson’s performances at SB and each time he gave a hand to Chelsea starting with their first goal in our 2:1 defeat in 2012-13 when he ignored a foul on our player before Mata’s goal. Ramires fouled Coquelin and injured him. Sounds familiar?
Yes.
Well, five years from that defeat and we still haven’t seen a response from Kroenke and Gazidis. Where are Arsenal FC lawyers? Where are Arsenal FC accountants to give estimation of the merit money Arsenal FC have lost over the years due to pathetic refereeing?
I have been repeating that question for years and still no answer.
As long as that sound of silence scratches my ears, Arsene Wenger and players are victims of BOTH PGMO thugs and our Board.
Speaking of players, they have to step up and show there are winners hidden inside them. We have won just one match big match (Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Barcelona, PSG) since the beginning of 2016.
ONE out of 15. In six of those fourteen games we didn’t win, we had a lead at some point of the game. Lack of mental strength?
So, Mr Ozil, if you really think you deserve 200+k pounds per week, think twice. Mr Sanchez, ditto.
Spin, Dunkirk spirit, silk purses etc. All evident here today.
“that is more to do with poor tackling and trying to play our way out defence rather than any other reason”
So basically you are implying that the reason why Arsenal gets so few decisions their way, is that the players have lesser quality than those of the other teams.
Explain me something then :
– If our players are so bad, why Arsenal finish every single season inside the top 4?
– If the 75% difference (compared to City, Chelsea and United) in penalties conceded is due to poorer defenders, why doesn’t it translate in the same 75% (or close) difference in goals conceded. Arsenal conceded 311 goals in that period, the best defense (United) 277. That’s a 12% difference, not even close to 75% right? And keep in mind that United conceded 18 less penalties, so that is only a 16 non-penalty goal difference over nearly 300 matchs…
– Why in any category I presented, our stats are BY MILES worse than any other top6 teams, and often in the same range than Stoke/Sunderland
Hi Vince, could you please post a link to those stats. Not that I don’t trust you – but this website does rather go in for spin and exaduration to drive their agenda.
I watched the match live from the beginning to the end of it. But during the punditry by the three Sky Sports pundits at halftime that included Robert Pires, a former Gunner who optioned during the halftime punditry session that attacking and defending is always a fight between the attacker who wants to score and the defender who wants to stop him achieving his aims. During his comment on the incident, Pires did not say he sees Alonso fouling Bellerin, rather he saw the duo contesting for an aerial ball that was crossed into Arsenal box and Alonso out jumped Bellerin to head the ball in. But did Alonso pressed down Bellerin to stop him from jumping up or he couldn’t jump as high as Alonso did? And as Alonso was descending after his jumping up, did he part landed on Bellerin which had him crashed down to the ground heavily that resulted to the shoulder injury he had picked up? Well, I wouldn’t know because I didn’t see it. But after the match, I read it that Le Prof said Alonso has fouled Bellerin 100℅ and the match referee failed to give the foul.
To me, what I think was responsible for Arsenal not getting a result from that match is two things. Firstly, Le Prof’s starts he started for the match wasn’t the best starts he started for the match. While Sanchez was made to lead the line which was correct, but for his poor game for Arsenal generally, he should have been replaced with Giroud at the halfway mark of the match. Welbeck should have been started as the mid-left with Ozil in the mid-mid of course and Walcott as the mid-right. But Le Prof refused to start Welbeck but instead started Iwobi.
I think Maitland-Niles should have started the match alongside Chamberlain but Coquelin was started in place of Niles. For his pace Gibbs was supposed to have been started ahead of Monreal. And for his howler like keeping, Cech should have been dropped for Ospina to starts. I made my starts and bench known in my comments posting on this site before the match was played. It can be referred to for authenticity So, that’s how I would have like Le Prof’s starts for this match to be yesterday but I couldn’t have it my own way. Every match has it’s own complexion and the correct starts to go along with it. But did Le Prof start the correct texture of Gunners to go along with the complexion of this Chelsea game to match it? The Chelsea game plan as it’s unfounded during the few minutes of the match was based on counterattack tactics because they’ve known or suspected the Gunners can be caught out by a sustained hard pressing game on the counters.
Secondly, as the Gunners recovered from the shock they had in the game after the Chelsea opening goal and later took over the control of the game by dictating the pace of it and restricted Chelsea mostly to defending, but the Gunners couldn’t get the equalising goal before the halftime because of their inaccurate passing into the Chelsea area and box and couples with the failure of Walcott who failed to collect the ball when it was passed to him but he allowed the passing to stray away on some occasions, Arsenal might have equalised before halftime.
What came to me as a surprise at the beginning of the second half was how the Gunners dropped off from their pressing Chelsea high with which they ended the first half with. Thereby allowed Chelsea to seized the control of the game from them which led to Hazard scoring the second goal for Chelsea. I think Arsenal should stop being a one half team but a two halves team.
About my sources
http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2016-2017/Stats/Penalties/
http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2016-2017/Stats/Discipline/
You can find detailed stats for every season
Vince
It’s really not that complicated or sinister. Arsenal s style of play where they commit so many players to advanced position leaves them wide open to the counter and retreating players tend to be a little reckless in their tackling. Yesterday for instance when you had corners your defensive cover was negligible your set up encourages the counter attack
As for not getting so many penalties you play the bulk of your possession in front of the opposition last defensive line and outside the penalty area .Again looking at yesterday Sanchez did not have one touch of the ball in Chelsea penalty area.Your whole style is designed to move the defenders around and then break through the space. It’s why you have so much possession but in truth the really top defenders don’t fall for all the step overs or indeed the false runs
I watched the match live from the beginning to the end of it. But during the punditry by the three Sky Sports pundits at halftime that included Robert Pires, a former Gunner who optioned during the halftime punditry session that attacking and defending is always a fight between the attacker who wants to score and the defender who wants to stop him achieving his aims. During his comment on the incident, Pires did not say he sees Alonso fouling Bellerin, rather he saw the duo contesting for an aerial ball that was crossed into Arsenal box and Alonso out jumped Bellerin to head the ball in. But did Alonso pressed down Bellerin to stop him from jumping up or he couldn’t jump as high as Alonso did? And as Alonso was descending after his jumping up, did he part landed on Bellerin which had him crashed down to the ground heavily that resulted to the shoulder injury he had picked up? Well, I wouldn’t know because I didn’t see it. But after the match, I read it that Le Prof said Alonso has fouled Bellerin 100℅ and the match referee failed to give the foul.
To me, what I think was responsible for Arsenal not getting a result from that match is two things. Firstly, Le Prof’s starts he started for the match wasn’t the best starts he started for the match. While Sanchez was made to lead the line which was correct, but for his poor game for Arsenal generally, he should have been replaced with Giroud at the halfway mark of the match. Welbeck should have been started as the mid-left with Ozil in the mid-mid of course and Walcott as the mid-right. But Le Prof refused to start Welbeck but instead started Iwobi.
I think Maitland-Niles should have started the match alongside Chamberlain but Coquelin was started in place of Niles. For his pace Gibbs was supposed to have been started ahead of Monreal. And for his howler like keeping, Cech should have been dropped for Ospina to starts. I made my start and bench known in my comments posting on this site before the match was played. It can be referred to for authentication So, that’s how I would have like Le Prof’s starts for this match to be yesterday but I couldn’t have it my own way. Every match has it’s own complexion and the correct starts to go along with it. But did Le Prof start the correct texture of Gunners to go along with the complexion of this Chelsea game to match it? The Chelsea game plan as it’s unfounded during the few minutes of the match was based on counterattack tactics because they’ve known or suspected the Gunners can be caught out by a sustained hard pressing game on the counters.
Secondly, as the Gunners recovered from the shock they had in the game after the Chelsea opening goal and later took over the control of the game by dictating the pace of it and restricted Chelsea mostly to defending, but the Gunners couldn’t get the equalising goal before the halftime because of their inaccurate passing into the Chelsea area and box and couples with the failure of Walcott who failed to collect the ball when it was passed to him but he allowed the passing to stray away on some occasions, Arsenal might have equalised before halftime.
What came to me as a surprise at the beginning of the second half was how the Gunners dropped off from their pressing Chelsea high with which they ended the first half with. Thereby allowed Chelsea to seized the control of the game from them which led to Hazard scoring the second goal for Chelsea. I think Arsenal should stop being a one half team but a two halves team.
@Mike T
When Willian fouled Walcott in the box at the Emirates in 2013-14 (referee: Mike Dean), why it wasn’t a penalty for Arsenal?
Or, when Fabregas handballed in the box at SB in 2014-15 (referee: Martin Atkinson), why it wasn’t a penalty for Arsenal?
” Arsenal s style of play where they commit so many players to advanced position leaves them wide open to the counter and retreating players tend to be a little reckless in their tackling”
Same remark than above, if that were is the reason, why does it translate only in term of penalties conceded, and not in term of goals conceded.
“As for not getting so many penalties you play the bulk of your possession in front of the opposition last defensive line and outside the penalty area”
Again an intriguing argument. I don’t have the exact stats, but I am pretty sure that Arsenal score very few goals from outside the box (actually when Xhaka scored two goals from long range shoot, it was considered a big change from Arsenal…). So they spent a lot of time and score a lot of goals from inside the box. Surely that should also translate in term of penalties awarded, not 60% less than Chelsea or City
Vince
Great response.
Kindly share the source for the data regarding penalties and cards.
Seems like my post where I gave my sources is still awaiting moderation. Anyway as I suppose I can’t give direct link, all my stats comes from the football-lineups website, where you can find detailed statistics for every season.
Vince
II don’t say that Arsenal score a lot of goals from outside the box. Arsenal play far more of their passes across the defensive line all the time looking to move defenders so that killer ball can be played through the opening that’s be created.
It’s not a criticism it’s the very style of play. Surely you have come across the comment that Arsenal look to score the perfect goal it’s also a factor why the-possession % and indeed the number of passes reflect so positively in Arsenals favour
The reality is that Arsenal have enjoyed some good fortune this season, their points total could easily have been at least five less putting them in sixth place, and with their remaining fixtures that may well be where they end up. The rest of February sees Hull at home, Bayern, Sutton United and Southampton away, before March gets going with Liverpool away before the return leg against Bayern. How many wins do you see out of those six fixtures?
And when that killer ball, that Arsenal waited so long to create the perfect opportunity, is played, then most of time defenders would be caught out, and forced to try a desperate intervention, that often would translate into the foul and so a penalty…
Watching the ManC vs Swansea and at 59 minutes Llorente did a flying elbow on one of ManC defender I think Kolorov, the elbow didn’t hit the head it hit the shoulder, Mike Dean gave a foul and a yellow card to Llorente. The inconsistency is unbelievable.
And some people say Alonso challenge wasn’t a foul? F.king joke.
Swansea player Lorente just jumped to head the ball and his leading arm caught the Man City player in the face, no damage done though, fouled player gets straight back up. Mike Dean blows for the foul and gives a yellow card to Lorente. Commentator says ‘not sure what Arsene Wenger will think of that after yesterdays incident, but I know two things are never the same’.
‘Never the same’…. right there, yesterdays was far, far worse.
Pundits and PGMO slurpers..
Two identical things are never the same.
Not much wonder the world is fucked up!
Good analysis Walter.
It is disappointing that the apologist for a team with an obnoxious owner, a confirmed match fixer as a manager and a team of thugs desides that he should try to analyse our method of play – all to distract from the GBH on Bellerin?
Bjt
I just love it when you throw things like this up. It’s petulant, childish and yet again incorrect.
First when was Conte ever convicted of match fixing? He was found guilty of not reporting something that he claims he didn’t know but you need to be very careful when throwing out such things.
Second . There quite simply wasn’t GBH on Bellerin.The irony is that just about everyone who has commented in the written media, commented on TV be they pundits, ex players or indeed just supporters don’t see that challenge as a foul and that included those with defined affinity to Arsenal.
As for commenting on Arsenals style of play the result yesterday said far more than I could ever say.
Vince sorry as I am alone (Tony still trying to stand on his head) and was a out for a few hours I couldn’t clear the message earlier with the links. It is on line now so people can see it
We beat Chelsea 4-3 over the two league games…….TROPHY, also we beat the champions home and away last year….. Our trophy…. And the biggest trophy is ours for the taking, just you wait.
Our kit is the best in the league too. Alphabetically we are first, TROPHY.
Klis
Sorry to disappoint you but AFC Bournemouth anow top that league!
Mick surely no no no Shearer said it was allright so it should be like that. Let us not argue with the knowledge of the laws of the game from Shearer.
Ouch
Mike T
I am glad you have identified yourself.
I do believe a referee (obviously not Atkinson) did call the assault on Bellerin as a foul and a red card. As for the media punters – they have a patter from which they cannot deviate – a bit like the cyclic arguments you go into when you are put under some pressure or when you supercilious opinions are challenged.
Is anybody else as feed up as me, yesterday’s result was not a surprise, feeble excuses come pouring in… Elephant in the room… Neve r mentioned… Anyway I’m hanging up my boots (pen) until the club grows a pair and does what’s right for everybody.
Thanks Klis a wise thing to do I think
Polo
That elbow yellow from the City match was for accumulated fouls, Dean was very flamboyant in signalling it on his way over (as always). He held up three fingers, and then pointed to several spots on the pitch where fouls occurred. Without being able to read lips, I think it was fairly obvious that he was explaining the reasoning for the yellow, and that it wasn’t for that challenge alone.
Vince, are you me?
Or rather, your use and presentation of stats, and the comments you make with them are exactly in line with what I’ve aimed to do previously, but not done as successfully. Good stuff.
Mike T makes the alternative argument as well as anyone could, in my opinion (not starting with open mockery or abuse puts him instantly above about 98% of people, for a start).
However, I don’t think the argument of ‘it’s not that you’re bad at attacking or defending; it’s just that you don’t do the type of attacking which earns pens and you defend in a way that means you’ll concede lots of pens’ , is all that strong.
——————————
This is part of what I posted when someone from here,Mandy, posted your stats on another site.
‘But you can, if so minded, seek out these statistics, put them together and ask questions about whether they can possibly be regarded as normal, or if they make basic sense.
Those Mandy supplied from Vince are the best I have seen at illustrating, or suggesting, surely not.
We are incompetent attackers- in terms of having the skill to earn penalties or convert pressure into pens; incompetent defenders in terms of being tricked by skill or indulging in clumsy play, to concede pens; and we are also exceedingly incompetent foulers, earning cards for far fewer infringements than our rivals, and committing more serious fouls than them.
All while somehow making that top four every year, with an attack and defence good enough each time to do that; also while being weak and vulnerable to a good bit of above board, good, honest bullying. It’s a fucking mad picture which defies basic sense in many ways.’
Thanks for your posts, Vince.
Ha ha, Mike T: Always in the room to defend and justify “somethings”.
How are your mates from the Paris Metro.
How’s Souleymane?
@Vince,
Good links! It is interesting to note the penalties when you click under the penalties link:
Arsenal received 4 penalties in the first 4 WEEKS of the season (Aug 14 – Sep 17, 2016), and then have not received a penalty call in their favor for 4 MONTHS (22-Jan-17)! Very strange, but apparently normal to the FA, media, PGMO!
@Mike T,
You are correct when you say Conte was not convicted of match fixing, since he was acquitted in April. The prosecutor did file an appeal in July, but have not seen any news with updates on the appeal since. He did serve a 4 month ban for failing to report match fixing in one of his matches with Siena.
In regards to foul on Bellerin, you are allowed to have a different opinion (which is expected as a Chelsea fan).
But if you see a leading elbow going for a header given a foul and yellow card such as the one by Llorente today (link w/ image at minute 60 below), you can only expect a stricter disciplinary action for a more violent leading elbow such as the one Alonso used on Bellerin (a similar disciplinary action would be the bare minimum- foul + YC).
And yes it was more violent and dangerous, since Alonso was coming in at full speed with his elbow out.
Llorente image at minute 60:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4191926/Man-City-v-Swansea-City-LIVE-score-Follow-EPL-action.html
Image of Alonso on Bellerin:
https://assets.today.ng/main/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Hector-Bellerin-and-Marcos-Alonso-690×450.jpg
It is pretty clear which one was more dangerous. Also confirmed by the fact, the player on the receiving end had a concussion for the contact. Since the official did not see offense, I hope the FA gives Alonso a retrospective ban, but I would not hold my breath for them to do the right thing.
@Rich,
Excellent post! In my post that awaiting moderation (sorry for the extra work Walter), I highlighted something similar in regards to penalties. It is amazing that in the first 4 weeks of the season (Aug 14- Sep 17, 2016), we received 4 penalties, yet somehow after, Arsenal went 4 MONTHS without a penalty (until 22-Jan-17). Not sure how that makes any sense.
Rantetta,
Forget Paris Metro, these lot are in numbers even outside the Bridge, just look at the footages recently.
I don’t like to be inaccurate in my comments – I have checked google & it looks as if Conte was indeed acquitted of match fixing charges – after a very prolonged investigation.
Man U get away with another terrible tackle (Mata on Vardy). Would have been a definite red if it had been an Arsenal player.
Mata assault on Vardy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyIi-IvmaFA
The board members that matter (those under 75), do understand why we’re angry. Because we’re right about Wenger. He’s dead as a coach and he once again demonstrated it on the biggest stage. Losing to Chelsea was expected. It was almost a given. The biggest shame though? That wasn’t today. It was earlier in the week against Watford in one of the worst Arsene performances of the last ten years.
Wenger does not know how to prepare. We don’t practice throw-ins, you’ll not be surprised to learn. We clearly had no clue how to counter Chelsea today. We didn’t know how to deal with the physicality of their play. We didn’t know how to cope under pressure. Our defensive transitions were woeful. Our attacking set up was pitiful. Watching Ozil try and pick out an uninterested Sanchez for 90mins was testing to say the least.
The manager doesn’t know how to win big. Our last 34 games against Spurs, CFC, Livepool, United and City have thrown up 6 wins, 15 draws and 13 losses. He is up against a master tactician with a drilled well-oiled machine and his player don’t now how to react. They are not coached properly. They’re not educated to the levels you need to be. They’re sent out there with their dicks in their hands, with signs around their necks saying ‘please be nice.’
So if anyone is in any doubt as to why we’re upset, replay the video of today and Tuesday. Ask yourself how Chelsea can go to Liverpool and come back looking twice as fresh and 10 times more motivated to succeed.
Some minor things we need to speak of. I think the chickens are coming home to roost with Mustafi. I really don’t think he’s good enough. His game is reckless, he spends too much time on his arse and his belief that he’s a visionary passer really doesn’t help anyone. His positional sense was poor today and he’s starting to get found out.
Petr Cech need to be moved on in the summer and we need to be searching the market for a keeper of stature who can pass with his feet. Not just that, we need someone who can pull out the worldy saves. He’s dipped into Almunia like form. He doesn’t win you points. He was weak for the Hazard second goal today. He was atrocious for the third. He is a man removed when it comes to having a spare player to move the ball around. It’s over. He’s a keeper of the past.
Our midfield needs a rethink. I know it might be unpopular to say, but I thought Chamberlain showed some promise in a broken system today. Stats wise, he had a very good day. 8 ball recoveries, 4 tackles, 93% pass completion as well as creating two good chances. Outside that, we were garbage. Coquelin stray passes led to two Chelsea goals, his overall game was ineffective and his ability on the ball is so unArsenal it’s frightening. Ozil was pedestrian, but he was kind of isolated in his role. That doesn’t make up for the half-arsed attitude to putting his foot in and generally pottering around like he doesn’t care. Still, at least he had a pop at the players who didn’t thank the away support.
Finally, we’ll end on a positive. Danny Welbeck needs to be starting all the games through the middle if he’s fit. His pace, aggression and ability to bring the best out of Ozil’s vision is greatly needed. He should have started and so should Perez.
Our season is over. The final humiliation will likely come at Bayern, though they are having troubles of their own. Regardless, Wenger has been at fault again. The man is part of an anti-sport regime that is built on self-preservation that flies in the face of all the norms of competition. Someone needs to interject and tell Wenger the two years that are on the table have been pulled, and the club will start the hunt for a replacement immediately. If that’s Max Allegri, let’s do it. But we should also be paying attention to Napoli’s Sarri, Jardim at Monaco, Bielsa, Tuchel and Sampiola. There are a bunch of great coaches out there, with real philosophies and the balls to make them work. Don’t let Arsene run the clock down as he assesses his feelings at the expense of the next man having a good run at reimagining the greatest club on the planet.
As for you, the fan? Make your voices heard. Wenger is listening apparently and there’s a slim chance he might pack it in if he’s not felt loved.
Don’t feel bad either. It’s for the good of the club. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The man needs to go, play your role.
P.S. Fuck Gary Neville and his hypocrisy yesterday. Hammers Wenger week in week out every season, spent 90mins rabbiting on about how Arsenal that performance was, then a banner goes up in the crowd and it’s disrespectful. Have some consistency, some of us don’t have 30mins every Monday to tell the world what we think of Wenger. I’m not a banner fan, but good for them for standing against mediocrity, shame on you and your journo colleagues for slating the fans as moaners when you do exactly the same.
Excellent analysis Aki – one of the best posts that I have ever seen on this site.
Nice to see someone deal with reality rather than tiresome conspiracy theories. Football is quite simple really – the better team usually wins.
Arsenal have now not challenged for the title in over 12 years and that is totally unacceptable. 4th place is iirrelevant, a made up importance to con supporters into thinking that their team is successful.
Rantetta
Usually a sign that an arguement has been lost when personal insults are hurled. I have never defended such individuals and if you had bothered reading any comments, in full you would see that
Bjt but the point was he was cleared.
Top Guns
That ‘excellent post’ is plagiarized from Le Grove. Word for word.
AKi
CUT & PASTING AGAIN.
Arseblog this morning, LG this evening.
You should reference them if you’re going to copy their output.
Walter
I agree with you on many an example of referee bias but not from the last game.
How obvious was the Alonso foul on Bellerin? Four Arsenal players stood a few yards away from the play and not one asked for a foul.
Now I know footballers are undereducated and dim but they do have instincts like the rest of folk to guide them in life and surely at least one should’ve protested , perhaps mildly or politely since this is Arsenal we are talking here.
Also, since you choose a strict line of going by the letter of the law, then if you are to be consistent the best way for Atkinson to have avoided the Alonso dangerous play on Bellerin was to blow a penalty for a two handed push by Bellerin on Costa just seconds before. A push which by the letter of the law is a foul and as such should’ve resulted in a penalty for Chelsea.
Also on 73 minute Gabriel strikes Hazard in the face with his elbow which the replay shows as more intentional than what Alonso might’ve intended.
Your earlier explanation of that play was that it was Hazard fouling Gabriel from behind- perhaps you should have a look at the replay again.
And let’s not forget Ospina taking out Oscar in the penalty area a few seasons ago – something you described as a “coming together”, which it clearly wasn’t, and if it was , then every foul can be waved away simply by calling it a “coming together”
What’s my point in all this?
While I agree Arsenal find themselves on the short end of the ref decisions most times, often times your Arsenal colored glasses make it impossible for you to see things for what they are.
So why I agree Arsenal weren’t played off the park by Chelsea , as was suggested by some, Chelsea were better on the day and deserved the win.
Mike T
There’s some right shits on this blog who also comment on another Arsenal site where they’re politeness personified. They just seem to save up their unpleasantness for UA.
For the life of me I can’t think why.?
Tom
Its interesting in that I too commented on the two handed push by Bellerin prior to the goal but you are the only other poster to have seen it. It will be interesting to see if the infamous ref review even makes mention of what possibly was a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Leon
I think I know which blog you are referring to and I thought their take on the first goal was somewhat revealing.
Mike T
Personally, I didn’t think either was a foul by modern day footballing standards and the physical nature of the game, but If one needs to nitpick and apply laws of the game at its strictest, then both actions were fouls.
In the heat of the moment arguing for one but ignoring the other is ,I suppose ,a human nature , but to be doing this in a cold light of day ( next day) , shows bias.
I couldn’t care less where Aki got his post from – it is a lot of sense.’
The anti Arsenal views on here are becoming nauseating.
@Jerry
Maybe the answer lies in the day when Mr Wenger dismissed any chance to take over the English national team.
Arsenal had gone through 20+ games without a penalty at home in the league before Oliver awarded one for Moreno’s foul on Theo on the opening day of this season. Nothing new.
But the silence of the Board is still too damn loud.
apart from the fact we haven’t finished in fourth place since 2013/2014
Agree Josif on the silence of the board. My guess, Wenger has been told to keep quiet as well, tho it may go against his instincts.
Can only assume this passivity of the board is due to something that is hard for them to prove, or that they are walking some bottom line finance balance. I suspect the bottom line is far more important to our board with our business model than it may be to Chelsea, City or Utd.
I suspect if David Dein were still around the club, he would be a lot more vocal behind the scenes than Mr Gazidis.
Also, the Kroenke family don’t have a rep of really interfering too much in the machinations of their sports clubs…..unless they chose to move city of course! If someone wanted to stitch up a top club in this country, for whatever reason, suspect we would be by far the ripest for picking.
I wonder if even Wenger may be coming to the end of his patience…..not even referring so much to yesterday, but the sort of stuff data shows over the long term. When Wenger does leave, we may see his true thoughts in his book . His replacement. When the time he comes may get far better treatment from the PGMOL, especially if he is English, but will likely be a lesser manager unfortunately…but the passage of time will reveal all
Mike T
Perhaps you could share with us exactly what you mean by the term “infamous ref review”?
bjt
Suggest you work that out for yourself
Ref review by unqualified amateur witch doctor type personnel . But bloody funny anyway
Mike T
That’s not a problem.
But are you qualified to make what would appear to be an uncomplimentary remark about the very excellent ref reviews?
Very excellent Bollocks .
Yes
Lol that really did make me laugh out loud shoot
Mike T
Are you a referee? Or have you an equivalent qualification?
BJ Gooner more to to the point who is qualified on Untold , not you for sure
Usama No
Andy Crawshaw. No
Walter ?
Have been.
What about you?
Irrespective you don’t need to be qualified to know that there are so many flaws in the process, it’s numerical conclusions and indeed method as to make many of the statistical findings so flawed as to be meaningless. for instance the reported number of descions made in an average PL amount to in excess of 200 yet never do that number of descions get rated in the reviews.
Mike T
I take it from the “have been” that you feel that you were qualified as or equivalent to a referee. Perhaps you would like to share some details/dates with us?
I find this most interesting – if I remember correctly you told us previously that you were formerly a financial director (or was it company secretary) of a premier league club. What an interesting career.
Bjt
You really need to get your facts right. I have never claimed to have been involved with a premier league club, wish I had, what I was a company secretary and financial director of a football club.
As for my qualifications as a ref it followed a one day course and bang I was qualified to referee.
Mike T
I must have been mixing you up with one of the disengenuous characters that choose to inflict themselves on this site.
So, after a one day course you were qualified to referee? Wow!!
And that same one day course gives you the qualification to justify using the the term “infamous ref review” – in an unnecessary sarky an insulting way? Perhaps you should answer that question.
I don’t mind you trying to insult me – I quite enjoy a good exchange of comments – but I do take exception to you trying to belittle Walter and Usama (both true gentlemen) and the excellent work that they do!!
Looks to me that your veil slipped today and we had a glimse of the real Mike T.
bjt
Hey I was only answering your questions! The basic ref course is or shall I say was no more than a few sessions and then a short written paper and a short practical and then we were handed certificates and qualified at a very low level. Your qualifications to comment on these reviews are?
It’s no veil I have never rated the reviews as you well know. I don’t for one second doubt the sincerity of either Walter or indeed Usama I find the reviews flawed. You clearly don’t so as usual am afraid we are going to have to agree to disagree
See what I mean about “shits on this blog”!
Aki posts
”They’re sent out there with their dicks in their hands, with signs around their necks saying ‘please be nice.’
You got out the 4th form yet?
Leon
Yes indeed.
Mike T posts
”what I was a company secretary and financial director of a football club”
A jumped up clerk with a swivel seat, then a one-day course as a ref. Thanks for your input.
For those who don’t agree with the ref reviews I challenge you to do them yourselves.
I notice Le Grove has send out its sons again…. LOL
Mike T
You were not responding to my question when you made the disparaging comment – you were responding to Tom.
Hence, your unnecessary and sarcastic comment “infamous ref review”, was made without you being able to use my questions as an excuse.
But, I will admit that you answered my questions (some of them) with fewer cyclic deviations than customary – progress? 🙂
Zedsaunt
Maybe was only a one day course so I guess far more equipped to comment than some others.as for the swivel chair I guess that was correct but at least it was a seat at the table!
bJT
Perhaps I am learning!
Tom posts
”How obvious was the Alonso foul on Bellerin? Four Arsenal players stood a few yards away from the play and not one asked for a foul.
Now I know footballers are undereducated and dim but they do have instincts like the rest of folk to guide them in life and surely at least one should’ve protested , perhaps mildly or politely since this is Arsenal we are talking here.”
Why? I watched on a decent TV, no sound whatsoever, and Alonso came in and leapt into Bellerin. Bellerin goes down and it looks awful. The only question was – how badly was he injured?
again.
A goal scored, so what? Diaby, Eduardo, Ramsey now a blatant assault again.
Apologies repeat, with the edit –
Tom posts
”How obvious was the Alonso foul on Bellerin? Four Arsenal players stood a few yards away from the play and not one asked for a foul.
Now I know footballers are undereducated and dim but they do have instincts like the rest of folk to guide them in life and surely at least one should’ve protested , perhaps mildly or politely since this is Arsenal we are talking here.”
Why? I watched on a decent TV, no sound whatsoever, and Alonso came in and leapt into Bellerin. Bellerin goes down and it looks awful. The only question was – how badly was he injured?
A goal scored, so what? Diaby, Eduardo, Ramsey now a blatant assault again.
“Why? I watched on a decent TV, no sound whatsoever, and Alonso came in and leapt into Bellerin. Bellerin goes down and it looks awful. The only question was – how badly was he injured?”
It looks as though you’re suggesting that Alonso had no intention of attacking the ball, but was more intent on attacking Bellerin.
I was watching this on my neighbours 55″ TV in Super HD from a distance of about six feet and it looked to me as though they both went for the same ball without being much aware of where the other actually was until they were both in the air.
Sure Bellerin was poleaxed but it did just seem like a collision caused by their mutual competitiveness.
To all those arguing there was no foul: What happened first on the play?
A. An elbow to the players face
B. Header towards goal
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXRB9hEGNW4
If after watching the video, you think it’s B and not a foul there’s no point in arguing since you do not believe your own eyes.
Alonso flying in like that with his elbow is similar to what one would have seen in old WWF matches with the Macho Man Randy Savage.
That video confirms my opinion that neither of them were really aware of where the other was, but were both more concerned with attacking the ball. Alonso had the advantage after coming in from a running jump, so was able to get well above Hector who was caught by his arm. Not deliberate, but still a foul.
There comes a time when beating the same drum gets monotonous, and counterproductive.
The person least appropriate to analyse referring decisions involving arsenal is an arsenal supporter.
You Walter, unless you’re a spin doctor for the club, ardently and passionately believe there is a refereeing conspiracy against arsenal. As the saying goes, you see it when you believe it. If you believe blonde’s are dumb, immigrants are parasites, and referees are bent, then you will continually see evidence to reinforce this POV. That’s the way you’re, and everyone else’s perception works.
Maybe you are right that there is a refereeing conspiracy against arsenal. But unfortunately you need to avoid confusing ‘evidence’ with ‘proof’.
Supporting the club, the team and the manager is not necessarily best served by seeing everything through a single lens.
Thank you Lisa
Keep doing the ref reviews, but hire neutrals. Stop letting Arsenal fans do them, because you end up with just as much bias as you accuse the refs of.
”Maybe you are right that there is a refereeing conspiracy against arsenal. But unfortunately you need to avoid confusing ‘evidence’ with ‘proof”
There’s no-one here who can prove anything. There’s no court, no hearing, no cross-examination of witnesses, no examination of the evidence.
No documents from inside the PGMOB. No videos from inside the PGMOB.
The PGMOB themselves do not conduct their business in the open. Why was Atkinson chosen? Nobody knows.
The running of the referee’s organisation for a business with a turnover worth billions is completely invisible to the public, and you turn and upbraid Walter!!!!
You, me, Walter, every football fan in the country, know absolutely nothing about the PGMOB.
The focus has to be on the referees because of three factors –
the referee decides the outcome.
the industry is worth billions.
nothing is known how the PGMOB operates.
What we do know on Untold, and you won’t get it anywhere else, is the track record of each referee who referees Arsenal.
Because we know the track record, on a sporting contest which should be 50:50 on the referees, we can predict that a referee will act with a bias.
As someone wrote in the Guardian on Friday about Atkinson –
”Much will depend on Atkinson as the ref. Why he could be the centre of it, the paramount figure on the pitch, as opposed to being the facilitator to bring out the best between two footballing teams, the football played the paramount decider of the game, cannot be explained.”
With so many giving their opinions and on the spot , ‘as I saw it ‘medical opinions on whether it was an assault / an alleged foul/ a collusion or an accidental colliding of two bodies in motion , here is a reminder that its always better to leave it to a well informed and proper and qualified expert .
One day, a little old lady went to see the doctor.
The kindly medical professional asked her, “What seems to be the problem, dear?”
She said, “Doctor, I have this problem with gas, but it really doesn’t bother me too much. “My farts never smell, and are always silent.
“As a matter of fact, I’ve farted at least 20 times since I’ve been here in your office. You didn’t know I was farting because they don’t smell and are silent.”
The doctor said, “I see. Take these pills and come back to see me next week.”
The next week, the little old lady returned for her follow-up appointment.
“Doctor,” she said, “I don’t know what you gave me, but now my farts, although still silent, stink terribly…”
The doctor said: “Good! Now that we’ve cleared up your sinuses, let’s work on your hearing.”
Turning it around !
A young girl about to go on a 1st date with her boyfriend was been tutored by her grandma.
“He will try to kiss you, allow him.” “He will try to cuddle you, allow him.”
“He will try to lay you down and get on top of you, don’t allow him”.
The girl asked :” Grandma, why? ”
Grandma said : “Because if you do that, you have allowed him to disgrace you and all your family.”
Girl said : “Okay .” , and she left on her date.
Several hours later she returned and grandma asked “How did it go?”
Girl : “Exactly as you said except when he laid me down and tried to disgrace our family, I turned him over, got on top of him and disgraced his family !”
Poor old grandma fainted…..!!
hahahhhahahahaha,
What on earth?
People who were not expecting us to win anyway, are making all the noise after the defeat!!….
@Lisa,
Apparently you missed the season, when officials supporting various clubs did a similar analysis a couple years ago on I believe it was called Referee Decisions or something like that and had similar findings to Walter and the Untold team. Actually, they I think they found more bias.
You can continue to make new requirements, but you can’t keep your head in the sand forever.
It was Debatable Decisions who were ridiculed for basing their referee reviews on MOTD and other Hi-Light programmes.
Now where have we heard that before…….
I think Walter & Usama do a worthy job on their reviews but at the end of the day there’s only going to one outcome……..Arsenal were fucked over again.
Maybe one day we won’t be fucked over by referees and then the need for the work put in by Walter and the team will be no more.
And it is a need.
Who said
” I’m not happy with our performance “. Arsene Wenger
Probably sums it all up
Our team is not good enough consistently to get anywhere, but i think this is more in confidence than skill. Their minds seem to get distracted easily from the goal of the game.
How come no one talks about Cech’s part in 2 of the goals? 1st he surely could have saved and the 3rd he just gifted it them. Very suspect me thinks. Look at the replays someone please!!!
If that foul on Hector was no red card i really dont know what is.
People jump with arms close to body rather than a full arm stretch, and i do think we see this deliberate act week in week out. One day someone will die from a blow to the head by an out flung arm or elbow.
Any contact with another player with arms/elbows/two feet and single feet should all be a foul regardless of if intentional or got the ball or not, this way tackles will end up being cleaner and players will have to devise new skills to be better.
We just published a new article about the Bellerin incident with a link to some video clip that show him after being hit…
@para,
Actually Bellerin also jumps with his arms outstretched…
Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News; Supporting the club, the players and the manager.
Which part of this do you dickheads not understand? My patience as a peace corps worker educating the ignorant is wearing thin.
Fuck me we now have how to jump and how not to jump . What next which foot we need to plant down first when starting a run
@ vince, top guns et al
You should let Gazidis know you’re available, I’m sure that he’ll beat a path to your door when the managers post becomes vacant. It’s just amazing how the club ever won anything without one of you at the helm……..
Ozil trotting back and being overtaken by a half hearted Monreal as a smallish Hazard flicks le Coq like a irritating insect kind of explains why Bellerin ends up crumpled on the groud. Arsenal get so many injuries because they are afraid to compete physically. A younger coach ( the Hull guy?) would sort that out. Am writing this because this site is a joke but a most amusing one for reall gooners who like to do more than write sad little ref reports that no one gives a fuck about. Walter is just seeking attention but is not really what you would call North Bank material.
@ossasa,
Here’s a crazy thought, have you ever considered that the players are afraid to compete physically because they feel the ref is consistently more strict/bias against them than their opponents?
For example, no EPL team has scored more goals than Arsenal (52 tied w/ Liverpool), and only 5 teams have conceded less goals than Arsenal.
Yet, Arsenal went 4 months without receiving a penalty, and only 1 team (Hull) has had more penalties called against them!
The sad joke is that you and your like call yourselves “reall” gooners, yet deny what you see happen on a weekly basis right in front of your eyes. I think a more appropriate label for your group to adapt is possibly “the blind leading the blind”