By Walter Broeckx
Arsenal : Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Mertesacker, Monreal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Xhaka, Bramall, Ozil, Iwobi, Lacazette
Arsenal substitutes: Martinez, Bielik, Koscielny, Kolasinac, Coquelin, Elneny, Nelson, Malen, Nketiah, Giroud, Welbeck
Chelsea with a long ball and as Maitland-Niles is beaten Per has to stretch out one of his long legs to prevent further danger. Chelsea with the best start and Mozes just shut down by Arsenal defenders. Willian the next to get away after Maitland-Niles made a sloppy pass but his shot went wide. The pitch looking not really in the best condition as the ball bounces around a lot. Difficult to play the passing game and Chelsea more playing with the long ball. Arsenal not really creating anything dangerous in the opening 15 minutes.
Monreal suddenly limping when running back I think he just twisted his ankle a bit. Özil getting the ball on the right flank and a ball to Ramsey who came sliding in but he couldn’t make a good contact and the ball went wide. Ospina then first on a long ball just on the edge of the penalty area and colliding with Pedro. The ref gave a foul for a push from Pedro on Maitland-Niles. Pedro surely feeling the impact and having to come off. Lots of industry but not much good football from both teams at the half hour drank pause.
Chelsea almost capitalise on an error but Ospina with a good double save. The short corner comes back to Fabregas who is giving offside by the assistant so the goal from Batshuayi was ruled out. If it was offside it was close but it wasn’t really visible on the stream. But after 40 minutes Willian got away with the ball and curled it in from the post. I really cannot say it was not deserved. 0-1 for Chelsea.
Bramall then losing the ball and Batshuayi curles it in at the far post. 0-2 after 42 minutes. And Arsenal again lose the ball around their own penalty area but Xhaka can block this time. In extra time a good pass from The Ox finds Ramsey but the ball bounced too high and so Courtois could save the goal bound effort. A poor first half from Arsenal. I’m sorry to say but I fear some youngster will not make it. He can prove me wrong but I fear that Bramall is not really Arsenal quality. Not for opponents like Chelsea anyway.
Elneny, Coquelin, Welbeck, Giroud, Kolasinac and Koscielny coming on at the start of the second half. Giroud not being allowed on first as he was not on the teamsheet it seems. Chinese officials putting the dots on every i it seems. Only when Conte gives his approval Giroud can come on… Giroud just can’t get on the end of a cross from Ramsey.
That is a bit better from Arsenal at the start of the second half.
But then Alonso goes away on the left flank, The Ox slips and Alonso can go further and passes it to Batshuayi who scores from the edge of the penalty area. 0-3 for Chelsea after 49 minutes. Welbeck being fouled just outside the area. The wall stops but ball bouncing around in the Chelsea penalty area and Coquelin shoots just over the crossbar. Giroud then has a shot but straight at the keeper. Arsenal playing a bit better now but still too many bad passes and Chelsea stronger in the duels. The Chelsea players looking quicker on the day.
Willock and Nelson enter the field after some 70 minutes. Ospina has to make a good save when Chelsea again use the ball over the top. Kolasinac gets a deserved yellow card to stop another Chelsea counter. Martinez and Malen come on with some 15 minutes to go. I might have missed a few to be honest. We didn’t really make the Chelsea keepers work. Nelson on a nice run who is tripped but the ball goes to Malen who shoots against the post. And then Arsenal get another chance but Giroud can’t finish the pass from Koscielny. Koscielny making a stupid and unfamiliar mistake at the end of the match. Martinez with a nice save for the free kick.
Arsenal played with a more experimental team than Chelsea did from the start and we paid for it. We never found the cohesion in the team on the field. Chelsea didn’t really treated it as a friendly from the start till after some 70 minutes. We made a lot of bad errors deep in our own half during the whole match. That is something we must make sure we improve on against the start of the season. Chelsea took advantage on those errors by punishing us in 9 minutes with 3 goals.
Final conclusion: still some work to do for the boys and for Wenger.
I saw the game on the Astro Channel. Its the sos same old story .The gunners overpass and overplay .
Was it Ramsey in the crowded Chelsea box who attempted to pass and need less to say it was intercepted.
I don’t know but if Wengers style is pass all day instead of getting someone like OX to run at defences ,then you can forget about the gunners challenging for the epl.
The disallowed goal was a good one, there was no offside.
We should not read too much into friendly games, especially given the conditions we were playing in. For instance, Bayern lost 4:0 against Milan just before our game.
Today’s defence will never play together again save for a serious injury crisis. AMN and Bramall didn’t look well at all.
Can’t wait to see boys playing in friendly conditions of Emirates.
Josif,
Bramall looked very nervous A full U-23 season will do him good.
AMN has played 6 different positions already in 4 games, so can’t blame him. Looks like AW really trusts his ability to adapt.
Arsenal flew from summer England to winter Australia, play two match, then flew to heated Shanghai, played against Bayern Munich, then fly to Beijing to play against Chelsea, then fly back to England to play the Emirates Cup. It’s ridiculous the amount of travel the team is doing. The positive is that the youngsters gets to play against quality teams.
It’s always difficult to make sense of pre-season games s it involves fitness levels, show-boating for foreign fans and the desire to win to boost the confidence of the players looking to the upcoming season.
All that said, today’s game against Chelsea, in China, was a huge disappointment.
Well, I was disappointed anyway – if others disagree, please cheer me up. 🙂
Pre-season with a lot of youngsters, so don’t care too much. The regulars who played looked tired.
Malaysian Gunner – are you still on this nonsense? Tiresome and the season hasn’t started.
If we are not to mince our words, we need answers from Le Prof as to, why have Arsenal who had period to their playing Chelsea today in China had played 2 winner games against two Australian club sides and also another one winner game against the high profile Bayern Munich team. But lost 0-3 today to the Chelsea team who had played only one closed stadium friendly match against Fulham?
As if to add salt to injury, Olivier Giroud’s name was omitted in the Arsenal team squad sheet for today’s match against Chelsea by the Arsenal kit man, Mr Vickers. Isn’t that unpardonable?
Furthermore, I think Le Prof should go back to the drawing board to redraw the plan again. Because the one he has drawn has looked will not stand the purity test in a big away Premier League game next season taking into account the humiliating 0-3 beating they received today at the hands of Chelsea.
Okay, it has continuously been reported for the past days in the big media websites of, Sky Sports, Espnfc and Goal.com that the Barcelona’s forward Neymar Jr, is a transfer case 90% sure to join the ambitious money bag PSG club side who want to reclaim the Lig 1 title they lost to Monaco last season and also win the Champions League next season at all cost. While no one can voice his voice against PSG who have their money to sign any player they want to sign provided they go about doing that lawfully. PSG who lost their identity player in Ibrahimovic on the free to Man Utd last summer, thus leaving them with Edison Cavani who is their only identity player left now want to increase the number of players who will increase the club’s identity to three in numbers by signing Neymar Jr from Barcelona FC this summer at a reported €225m activating transfer fee clause. And also sign our own Alexis Sanchez this summer also at a reported £70m transfer fee if Arsenal agree to sell.
At the end of the day, what of if Sanchez forced Arsenal hand to sell him to PSG this summer after all attempts by Arsenal to keep at Arsenal has failed? Who will Arsenal sign to replace his loss after he has gone to PSG? Have they identify that forward they could sign to replace him with if he’s gone? let Le Prof be proactive in this case and takes proactive action should in case of the unwanted happen. I am sure Barcelona must have taken a proactive action should in case they lose Neymar to PSG. So that they won’t be caught pants down. I will not be surprised if they sign the alienated Chelsea striker, Diego Costa.
Its always disappointing to lose. However, if we had won, the “experts” would be dismissing the result as having little significance, so the same principle should apply.
It was certainly an experimental line-up and I am sure that the learning exercise was as important as the result.
Also, I felt that the whole team were lacking their customary sharpness, perhaps as a result of the reported sickness in the camp,
Reflecting on the tour as a whole, it has been good to see a number of young players emerging. The two boys whose errors led to Chelsea goals will learn the lessons from this experience. Better as well to make the mistakes in pre-season than in competition.
All in all, much to look forward to in the season ahead.
@HenryB,
I share your disappointment my friend, but Polo is quite right and no wonder Arsene Wenger would prefer to pre-season in Southern Germany.
We DO expect too much too soon and shouldn’t.
And anyway the Far East is no place to acclimatise quickly. 😉
I would have done some corrections on my last comment posting which I’ve seen after going through it after it has posted. But since it will occupy too much space again on the comments feed, I’ve decided against doing that.
We do seem to lose the ball quite regularly after long, tedious and aimless passing, whereas the opposition don’t waste anytime causing panic in our defence. Our youngsters are losing their unpredictability and are being confortably managed by the opposition.
I come back to my last post after the Bayern game, we need an offensive midfielder to put pressure on the opposition otherwise our defence is going to be called on to perform miracles game after game…whoever we play.
I know, I know it’s only a pre-season game…but really
The biggest disappointment for me coming out of todays game, where we fielded a hugely experimental eleven and played against a virtually full strength Chelsea, is having to put up with the inane comments of twits like Malaysian gunner.
Where’s Brickfields? 🙂
> As a Referee once, a few years ago, I remember having an Assistant Referee who had a terrible performance running the line during a Cup game. He was so depressed, that the other Assistant and me could do nothing to pacify him. At the end of the game, whilst we were getting changed, he pulled this hand gun from his kit bag and pointed it to his head. We begged him not to do anything stupid but he would not listen.
> “Shut up will you” he screamed at us in a terrible voice, “You’re both next.”
Courtesy of the Solomon Islands Referees Association. Lots more at:
http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=0-2630-0-0-0&sID=23565
Sam, always read before you post.
On the match, it’s a friendly though, I would like to win even its a training against Chelsea. But the football essence of matches like these, are for the manager and players to experiment on squad fitness and other related stuffs.
Had Arsenal won, the press won’t change, its just friendly they will say.
Asking for reasons they lost, remember the lads had food poisoning issues to deal with and most of them was not very fit for the game.
I hope we get one back on them by 6th of August…
We are the Arsenal. We are in this together. We are the Gunners! For life….
A friendly on arsenal side but for Chelsea a dress rehearsal for Community Shield cup.I hope we lineup properly for them and win.If Sanchez leaves he needs an immediate quality replacement replacement at all cost.
A friendly on arsenal side but for Chelsea a dress rehearsal for Community Shield cup.I hope we lineup properly for them and win.If Sanchez leaves he needs an immediate quality replacement at all cost.
@Usama
Yes, AMN has a lot of potential. Arsene obviously trusts him and wants to find the place where his qualities will be used at maximum. I reckon he wants him to do a Ramsey, to play out wide to get a new perspective when he eventually gets a chance through the middle. I could be wrong.
Bramall, on the other hand… I don’t know. The fact Arsene has given up on a long servant Gibbs suggests Cohen has a future at Arsenal but I struggle to see how he fits into Arsenal.
Josif,
Agree. With Gibbs being shipped out, Monreal entering his final years, I think we have room for some try-outs from the reserves for LB position. Arsene likes his fullbacks with high attributes in either pace or body strength, e.g Bellerin (v.high pace) or Lauren/Kolasinac (bulky and strong)
Even if Bramall doesn’t make it, the club certainly has ample resources and squad room for a new young LB/LWB.
All in all it was a bit a reverse of the FA cup final. In that match we came flying out of the blocks and didn’t give Chelsea a chance to come in to the match for a long time. They couldn’t really find an answer for 90 minutes. Now it was Chelsea who did this to us. Better to have it happened in this match then in a more important match.
From my perspective – Chelsea has some incredible long ball contra attack capability with good pace, physicality & control to create goals. It is a style that can destroy defences. There are a lot of quality players in Chelsea’s youth. We have not seen all of them yet. Arsenal were fortunate not to concede more goals against the pace & tactics that Chelsea employed.
The ‘offside goal’ was exactly that. There wasn’t the hunger in this game for Arsenals forwards. Perhaps it is the right approach to ensure fitness training. There are surprises to come but I have faith in Wenger’s approach. We don’t have long to wait before the Charity Shield.
I don’t know how old Nelson and Malen are for me to suggest that Le Prof should include them in his other 2nd list of, is it 6 academic players? To play for Arsenal in the Premier League and other competions in next season’s campaign.
Yes, catch them young if they are good. For the few minutes these 2 Arsenal youngsters appeared on the field for Arsenal in this game, they showed character and determination and also showed hunger to score for Arsenal. But for the goal post, Malen would have scored after a determined run by Nelson in the Chelsea box that saw the ball skid to him. For the little time they were on for Arsenal in this game, the determinations and the efforts exhibited on the field of play for Arsenal by these duo, is reminiscent of the players who will come good for their club if they are given the opportunity to do so. Therefore, starting with the 2 Emirates Cup games coming up as from Saturday next week, let Le Prof gives them more of these opportunities play for Arsenal in that Arsenal the 2 Ems Cup game to see if they can come good for Arsenal.
MickHazel @5:44pm – Toss Dom in with him. They’re probably scouring the football media right now for their (always original) reply. Cheers.
Annoying, but not significant, and mitigating viral circumstances.
We beat them when it mattered.
Still up upset over Chezzer
@ Gord and guys ,
We Malaysians are a funny lot. Wherether intended or otherwise !
Ever so often I have to re- post this piece on here so that the rest of you could understand us and our Manglish !
So here goes –
Who says our Malaysian English is teruk( terrible )? Just read below – Ours is simple, short, concise, straight-to-the-point, effective etc
British English vs. M’sian English
WHEN GIVING A CUSTOMER BAD NEWS
Britons : I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t seem to have the sweater you want in your size, but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.
M’sians : No stock.
RETURNING A CALL
Britons : Hello, this is John Smith. Did anyone call for me a few moments ago?
M’sians : Hello, who call?
ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE WAY
Britons : Excuse me, I would like to get by. Would you please make way?
M’sians : S-kew me.
WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO PAY
Britons : Hey! Put your wallet away, this drink is on me
M’sians : No need lah
WHEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Britons : Excuse me, but do you think it would be possible for me to enter through this door?
M’sians : (pointing at the door) Can ah?
WHEN ENTERTAINING
Britons : Please make yourself right at home
M’sians : No need shy shy one lah!
WHEN DOUBTING SOMEONE
Britons : I don’t recall you giving me the money
M’sians : Where got?
WHEN DECLINING AN OFFER
Britons : I would prefer not to do that, if you don’t mind
M’sians : Don’t want lah
IN DISAGREEING ON A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Britons : Err…Tom, I have to stop you there. I understand where you’re coming from, but I really have to disagree with what you said about the issue
M’sians : You mad ah?
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE TO LOWER THEIR VOICE
Britons : Excuse me, but could you please lower your voice? I’m trying to concentrate over here
M’sians : Shut up lah!
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF HE/SHE KNOWS YOU.
Britons : Excuse me, but I noticed you staring at me for sometime. Do I know you?
M’sians : See what, see what?
WHEN ASSESSING A TIGHT SITUATION
Britons : We seem to be in a bit of a predicament at the moment..
M’sians : Die lah!
WHEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
Britons : Will someone tell me what has just happened?
M’sians : What happened ah? Why like that one lah?
WHEN SOMEONE DID SOMETHING WRONG
Britons : This isn’t the way to do it. Here, let me show you
M’sians : Like that also don’t know how to do!
WHEN ONE IS ANGRY
Britons : Would you mind not disturbing me?
M’sians : Celaka lu! ( Roughly translated – ” Why you bloody….!”)
Send this to your M’sian friends & let them have a laugh too.
M’sians : Sent oredi mah!
While I do agree that my countrymen are often curt and tend nor be be verbose , yet they don’t use all that time saved to any good use . Like thinking !
Just read all about it on the internet – there is a ton of stuff on the funny things that Malaysians do and say .
Sigh !
More Malaysian humour –
11 sex tips for happy sex life
—————————
1. Air-Condition your room
2. Spray romantic perfume
3. Avoid noises
4. Use quality condoms.( All men wouldn’t want )
5. Start slowly with gentle kisses
6. Always prefer wet sex to reduce pain
7. Have sex for at least two times
8. Fresh up your mouth before lip kissing
9. Switch on some romantic music
10. Have sex regularly for healthy living
And
11. Then return home on time.
( Don’t know if its possible or not )
Otherwise your wife will kill you.
Morning all
What was abundantly clear is that the miles travelled by Arsenal over the last week or so added to the hostile environment and with that reported food poising effects clearly took a massive toll on your squad
Mertesaker was clearly in a great deal of discomfort
There is huge financial pressure for PL clubs to undertake theses tours and I am not knocking Arsenal for taking advantage of the commercial opportunities this tour will no doubt have offered up but it seems to me that playing this game on top of the 3 other games you had already played was one game too many .
I certainly don’t take much from the game I may watch the odd pre season game on telly but won’t pay good money to go and watch what is no more than a training session.
The CS in a weeek or so will give a better indication of where the squads are but even then I suspect neither of the two clubs will be either up to full strength nor indeed anywhere near match fit.
Alcohol testing formula-
Drink 1st peg and check the photo of your wife in ypur wallet.
Drink 2nd peg and do the same thing.
Drink 3rd peg and recheck.
Drink 4th peg and recheck.
If your wife starts looking beautiful, innocent and attractive, stop it then and there itself. These are indications that you have consumed more alchohol than your normal capacity and its time to go home.
??
Statutory warning.
If your wife starts looking beautiful and innocent from the 1st peg itself, than you are probably checking some one else’s wallet.
*The ignorant are fanatically religious.*
*The intelligent are fashionably atheist.*
*The wise are quietly spiritual !!*?
? Cheers!
HIC !
Arsene Wenger said the team looked ‘a bit jaded’. He said the young players will learn that in games like this you have to be 100 per cent all of the time, not 95 per cent.
Arsene Wenger has used this tour to give some of his young players useful experience. Conte has used it to show off his expensive first team. I know which I prefer.
On to the Emirates Cup.
Mandy, think about what happened to Woyciech like this – he has had two successful seasons in Italy, and he is going on to be the successor to Bouffon. Arsenal made him the player he is today, as he said himself. The refs, the press and the usual suspects among the fans treated him badly in England. For his own sake, is this not probably the best thing?
I think the future for any goaltender is a much different path than that for an outfield player. While it is possible for a goaltender to be skillful enough and of a mindset to play at the top level consistently at say age 21, it is much less likely than for an outfield player to be in that position at say age 19-21.
Any youth program has to have good goaltenders. But because they take longer to develop, you will always end up with more quality goaltenders in the system, than there is room.
I do think the regulations are partially to blame. You can have U21 players in the system, and they are counted differently. I think that for players who are goaltenders, their age should be allowed to become as large as say U25 before they have to be removed from the “youth” list.
I wish the best for Szczesny at Juventus. If nothing else, it has to be a fantastic thing to get to train with Buffon. And maybe in a few years, he could come back?
—
Thanks Brickfields. 🙂
That was an embarrassing performance.
Why are Chel$ having secret games in pre-season? Is it so people cant see their “tactics”?
Anyway hope AW has analysed the “new” Chel$ (and others too)ready for the CS and PL and do not turn up “unprepared” for any of them.
I always thought that Arsenal were so carefull of the “intake” of it’s players? Foreign food is always a problem to many people until they can adapt to it.
Maybe it’s just that “food” is becoming increasingly “toxic” and unhealthy worldwide to allow for the sale of plenty drugs(medical, which is one of the biggest cash incomes)?
@ Thomas – The only thing embarrassing about that performance, was the way in which certain “fans” reacted to it. It is because of them (and judging by your comment, you included), that our fan-base is a laughing stock.
A friendly but nevertheless a bit worrying. Arsenal crying out for a creative midfielder who could dictate the game, or at least run the show as did Santi at his peak. I’m a big fan of Ramsey but not sure he’s that guy.