Posted on Saturday, 3rd November 2012 by Tony Merakli
Really, really disappointed by today’s result, but here are my Arsenal player ratings from today’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United (feel free to argue or agree with me).
Vito Mannone – Despite conceding two goals on the day, the young Italian was possibly our Man of the Match – which says a lot about our outfield players. Kept Arsenal in the game for as long as he could, producing some fine saves throughtout the 90. 6.5/10
Bacary Sagna – It wasn’t exactly a stellar performance from our ‘Mr. Consistent’. Still lacking match fitness. 5/10
Per Mertesacker – The tall German was the best of our back four today. Positioning was very good and he pretty much won everything in the air. Didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. 6/10
Thomas Vermaelen – Gifted United their first goal in the third minute or so and never really recovered from it. A really bad performance from the captain. 4/10
Andre Santos – Was always going to be our weak link in the side. Positioning was abysmal, leaving gaps for United to exploit, and his eagerness to get back at times was so frustrating to watch. Can’t cross to save his life. Worst player on the pitch by a furlong. 2/10
Mikel Arteta – Had a quiet game. Never really stamped his authority in midfield and failed to dictate play with his passing attributes. Booked. 4.5/10
Jack Wilshere – The only player on the pitch who looked like he really wanted it today. Looked sharp and always wanted the ball. Received his marching orders after a ‘dubious’ second yellow in the 69th minute. 5/10
Santi Cazorla – Not a good day at the office from Santi. Made a few decent passes here and there and drove the team forward at times, but not enough. Scored a consolation in what proved to be the last kick of the game. 5.5/10
Aaron Ramsey – Only managed 51 minutes after another disappointing display on the wing. Always looked to drift inside, which left Sagna defending against two men at times, and never offered The Gunners anything moving forward. 3/10
Lukas Podolski – Was nowhere to be seen today. A really poor performance from the German. His passing was way off the mark and failed to create or have any chances on goal. Needs to improve in the upcoming matches. 3.5/10
Olivier Giroud – Had about two decent efforts throughout the game, one from a tight angle which hit the post and the other prior to Cazorla scoring. Never got the service and was very much an isolated figure up front. 4/10
SUBS
Theo Walcott – Came on for Ramsey in the 51st minute. Had one effort which was blasted into Row Z. Never really got involved in the game. 3/10
Andrey Arshavin – Replaced Podolski in the 81st minute and got booked in the 82nd. Produced a few decent passes in the time he was given. (N/A)
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Tags: Aaron Ramsey, Andre Santos, Andrey Arshavin, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, Lukas Podolski, Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott, Thomas Vermaelen, Vito Mannone
Posted in View From The Sphere | Comments (30)
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:20 pm
ramsey and podolski on the right and left are slow, error prone, offer no defensive support and dont understand the position. giroud up top on his own is slow and a player who is meant to hold up the ball he is shit at it. walcot and arshavin should have started today and ramsey is SHIT SHIT SHIT.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Ramsey does not claim to know how to play right wing ! It is another example of Wenger sticking to a one only formation and players have to fit in whether thay are out of position or not.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Sitting at home with only radio commentary which wasn’t very good to listen to. We need a run of 5 or 6 wins on the bounce and then a few cheques written in January. That’s January 2013 not 2014.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:29 pm
We suck…. Not proud to be a arsenal fan… We suck in attack… And let’s not talk Abt defence…. What has winger done to this team.. Time to go wen get please leave this club… U don’t deserve that hefty salary.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Ramilson always command a place in the 11… no matter how shitty he is. When he plays, we r already 10 vs 11. He is non exist.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Look, this was painful for any Gunners fan !
Truth however, will always set us free … and that truth is that we need major changes still. Santos is not a left back – left midfield maybe, but never any good in the defensive role.
Second, and most will hate me saying this, but boy Ramsey is just not good enough on the right flank. He lacks the critical pace that is a must out there, although he has fairly good skill on the ball to be fair to the young lad.
In this game there isn’t much to talk about apart from saying we were ‘woeful’ literally all over the pitch in almost every position and for the entire game almost !
Wenger’s judgement is seriously coming under the microscope for me ? Why oh why did he allow jack to stay on when it was clear to everyone in the stadium that it was only a matter of time before he was sent off ? Fergie didn’t make that same mistakle with Cleverley, did he ? he knew that he was a liablity after the yellow and a further bad tackle that should of seen him sent off … So, what did he do, he hauled him off and kept a full strength side on the field.
There are so many things wrong at Arsenal at the moment, it’s hard to see how some of the big changes required are ever going to come about with the same blinkered board and frugal-faced manager pushing us further down into mediocrity unchallenged ?? We must wake up and seiously stick to the board en masse !!
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mike Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:07 pm
We have no power. The board is in love with Wenger. They do not believe in change.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:52 pm
The Board would not know what to do in Wenger’s absence.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:57 pm
The solution is sacking wenger. He has no idea what goes on on the pitch. Not any more. We are spending money on the worse coach ot the moment.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:57 pm
We are mid table quality wise and turned up like a team expecting to lose. There as no belief, passion or fight, to coin a well oiled phrase, it was men against boys and that is simply not acceptable. The club does lack true ambition from the top and that is reflected in our performances. Against any decent opposition thus far this season we have looked ordinary and failed to get a result. Our captain needs to look at himself in the mirror, he’s been poor all season, Giroud doessn’t look prem quality but I’ll reserve total judgement, Podolski hasn’t looked interested, santos was only interested in getting RVP’s shirt. Walcott needs to sign up or ship out NOW. He isn’t as good as he clearly thinks he is, doing something against top quality opposition Theo and I might believe the hype.
A sorry day (again) to be a , big changes are needed at my club…
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mike Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:09 pm
The best thing that can happen to this team is to miss out on Champions League for a season and then maybe they will change.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Vermaelen is shit,cost us today,cost us in d chelsea game,and against qpr was bombing forward in a game where we scored in d 84th minute and needed to protect our goal,he is shit.since d mancity game when ramsey got into d starting line up,we lost d fluidity with wich we started d season,i hate to admit it bt i think wenger has lost it,he cannot read a game anymore and make match changing substitutions any more,readin shot themselves in d foot by fielding d team dat started on sunday against fulham against a very fresh Arsenal side.i dont kno d reason why wenger wuld watch ramsey play 4 us game afta game and gives d ball away cheaply,and always d worst player on d pitch,bt he is d first to be selected evry match,walcot on d bench and ramsey starting,no coach wuld do dat,none,except wenger.my biggest fear this season is everton,chelsea nd d 2 manchester clubs wil definetly finish ahead of us,i dont think we wil finish ahead of everton this season.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:01 pm
wenger need to stop being scared of other top teams.
when ever we play one of the big teams he put ramsey on the left to priity much defend.
no one can expect ramsey to be a winger run up and down and score that aint where he players.
this team that we have misses alot of things
it looks more and more like we starting to play and be the next liverpool.
that was priity much our first eleven.
and man united was way way better then us.
something aint right in that team .
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Ramsey is pretty bad. Mertesacker slows the game down when our game is to speed it up. Midfield is very much under manned right now, left back is a concern. GK is very weak and amateurish. Passing is the worst I have seen it in the past few years. At least if nothing we use to be a good passing team in the past. Defense is still weak. Vermalen has really deteriorated, and may being captain is too much pressure for him.
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Gunner Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 5:32 pm
How the hell can you criticize mert he’s the only 1 that done his job all season
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:03 pm
and i feel bad for us fans.
every game we go home or away our fans are singing us on even when we lose like today.
its just sad that a great club like us can just be happy being in the top 4.
no ambition at all.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:12 pm
The writer shld always include wenger in your rating,i believe this is the time 4wenger 2go he has noting 2 offer he’s out of ideas.he’s the problem of arsenal, now dictator.y starting santos what was ramsey doing on pitch?tatically wenger is dead.this season if we finish 5th thank God.useless manager,mediocre players and visionless fans
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I think it is generally assumed Wenger gets 0.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:18 pm
I can’t a single player as the whole team lacks ambition, we don’t defend as a team and we don’t attack as a team. Everyone jst passes the ball casually with no urgency. Carzola is the only player who can move forward and create chances and arteta is the only player fighting for almost every ball, giroud gets no delivery and we just look like a mid table team. Looking at other teams like chelsea you can see the appetite and determination to win games, they chased every single ball last weekend even after going down to 9men
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:22 pm
This 4-3-3 is a failed formation if you don’t buy the players to play it. Wenger has to revert to 4-4-2 with the players he has with Poldi playing more central as he’s not a wide player and 4-4-2 could accommodate Theo playing off Giroud if it calls for it but as it stand 4-3-3 cannot be played effectively with a tall target man – it relies on front players being able to interchange.
We need a goal scorer and we need to buy one in January.
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WoodyD Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Or 4-1-2-1-2 w/ a solid DM. Regardless, the squad doesn’t match the system Arsene has in place.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Giroud is being wasted. Much like RVP, the squad doesn’t provide delivery and nobody seems willing/able to play off him. Arsenal finally have a target man but provide woeful crosses.
Always liked Podolski but he’s not the player we need on the wing. He and Giroud should be competing for the striker’s role. Thought Cazorla looked his best today floating to the wing once Podolski was pulled.
This team needs an enforcer at CDM allowing Arteta, Jack and Cazorla to play more in attack to support our target man up through the middle. Also would allow for a nice attacking rotation with Cazorla spending some time on the wing.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Even though Mertesacker was the best in the back four he didn’t play good enough. Evra’s goal is undoubtedly his fault and his offensive qualities, or lack of, were shown as he had the ball more often than anyone in the second half and still was unable to do anything more than pass it to Sagna and Mannone over and over again.
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AW Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:40 pm
a “6″ means he played ok, which he didn’t
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November 3rd, 2012 at 5:27 pm
As wenger grows old so his knwnledge of football fades.He has nothing to lose that’s why he think he can do anything he likes.Pls arsenal fans let’s stop watching Arsenal games so dt the stupid board will experience some losses and maybe they’ll hav a rethink.arsenal were a team that can pass ball around nw we can’t pass, defence,attack evrything abt dis current arsenal is Zero
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November 3rd, 2012 at 6:11 pm
With only 3 players sitting on the sidelines that would make fhis our first choice x1 things are looking grim. szcesney for mannone gibbs for santos and walcott for ramsey for me are the only changes you could make with the current staff to improve the x1. so something needs to be done with the formation till the end of the year and in january improvements need to be made. it is clear we dont actually have any players at the.club that can play on the wing. by that i dont mean a player that can play wide i mean a player that can beat a man get to the by line and put in a decent cross or switch to his other fpot and cut inside and beat the man that way. im afraid that ramsey podolski walcott gervinho arshavin and even gnabry are not capable of doing that consistently. neither are any of them cut out to get back and protect the full back. therefpre until we invest in some players that can do that we should not be.playing players out of position on the wing just to carry out the formation. likewise the zonal marking system is a complete failure the only defender intelligent enough to play it is mertesacker and he cannot hold a team together on his own certainly not in the way the.likes of adams bould keown and campbell could. unfortunately we have no choice other than to go back to basics with 2 banks of 4 and 2 up front. once we have stopped concedeing we can then be a bit more adventurous with a diamond midfield then hopefully adopt a 4132 when we have mastered the art of defending again. only in january if wenger signs a proper winger or two players that are and can play out wide should he then revert to his 4231 or 451 or 433 whatever he likes to call it. I would be inclined to have arteta sitting in front of the back 4 with a 3 man midfield in front of him. if all are fit that 3 would be cazorla and wilshire plus one of diaby rosicky coquelin or ramsey. i would have.giroud up front then play one of podolski walcott or gervinho just off him or even in times of desperation play chamakh alongside giroud for those occassions when lumping the ball into the box is the only answer. at the back our best 4 defenders are sagna mertesacker and then its a.close
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November 3rd, 2012 at 6:59 pm
We just have to face the truth that Arsenal is just shit and Wenger is an Ass. He is too stubborn….we will never win trophies until Wenger is fired….How can you be the highest paid manager and cannot win a trophy for eight years….ridiculous………The team lacks fighting spirit and character
I am ashamed to call myself an Arsenal fan
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November 3rd, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Mertesacker has been an absolute god sent gift. Without him our defense would have been horribly disorganized. As for giroud…there was a good 3 or 4 magnificent runs he made that santos failed to even look up before he crossed.
People need to relax a bit cause even though united fully deserved to win, they didn’t make much of the match.
On a side note, am i the only one who thought rvp deserved to get sent off?
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
How can you say Santos is the worst? Nobody could’ve been worse than Wenger. This season none of the top teams have feared Man Utd, but Wenger comes out with a negative tactic. How do you not start a guy who 4 days earlier scored a hat-trick? Also, how do you not start a guy who set up 4 goals in that game? We played against imo the worst Manchester defence I have ever seen, yet we didn’t try and test em at all. Few weeks back I saw Totenham come to Old Trafford and pack their forwards with pacy players (Lennon, Bale and Defoe), which made Ferdinand look like a 40+ year old defender. What does Wenger do? Oh yeah, Giroud, Ramsey and Podolski as our front 3???? Are you f…..iiiing kidding me, who is in charge over there? Is anyone questioning shit, seriously? I’m so embarassed to be a fan at the moment. I could understand the Chelsea and Norwich defeats. But the way we lost this game tells me that the game has passed wenger by. And don’t tell me we need to sign players and shit, we do not. To win this miserable league, a top manager with these players would do it.
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November 5th, 2012 at 4:24 am
Arsenal is a great team BUT I woun’t be surprised If in the next couple of months it lands to 15th position. They play like they don’t care, winning is not important anymore.
Arsene Wenger I think you have overstayed your welcome!!!!!!!!Let someone else do this job. We used to play to win and not play to defend.PLiz Arsenal give us results and not ball possession
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