Arsenal vs Manchester City | Premiership 5/1/11

[Reverend Gooner]

You're right on that front, I was really pleased with that performance and it was one of our better ones. We go through phases in the match though and when frustration sets in then that is a good point to pounce but you never did. Maybe we were just that good all the way through, either way it was weird to see City so subdued.

What would you say you learnt about your team from that match Yorkie, both good and/or bad?

[Yorkyblue]

And it has been said dozens of times already, but a side with title aspirations should be more positive even on the road. You don't see manure come in and play like that.

Mancini has said a long time ago we won't be challenging this year. It's people's opinions outside the club again that is getting mixed up with ours.

Not getting at you there mate as I hear it all the time and with how much things like that are said, you would think it was us who thought it!

[Yorkyblue]

You're right on that front, I was really pleased with that performance and it was one of our better ones. We go through phases in the match though and when frustration sets in then that is a good point to pounce but you never did. Maybe we were just that good all the way through, either way it was weird to see City so subdued.

What would you say you learnt about your team from that match Yorkie, both good and/or bad?

I'd say we deffo missed SIlva and it was like playing with 10 men and you 12 when Jo was on cos he kept passing it to you under no pressure! I feel if Silva was playing we would of had that bit more to make a go of it when you quietened down every so often as you say. I was saying to Fordy that when the frustration kicks in we do need to make a go for it but we never really did. I think Arsenal had an answer for everything at the back except for a couple of times we caught Sagna and Clichy out of position and could get down to the corners but to do nothing.

Defensively we were great again, as I said before, you never really had and proper shots on target except 2 despite the domination of the game. Another day you would of scored instead of hitting the post (why are people still counting Walcott's shot? Even the BBC lol) or a team wouldn't have a keeper capable of getting to RVP's shot.

All in all I was pleased cos I had a sneaky feeling we would go all out for it and had this game as a 3-1 defeat from doing that. Even though it wasn't attractive it's more than most City fans expected out of the game.

[starmandb]

According to SSN - The EXACT timing that *should have been* added at the end of the game, counting substitution(s) the red card(s) etc. Was EIGHT MINUTES, FIVE SECONDS.

Go figure.

It's fine arguing this today but you need to look into this every game. Have a look how many times this happens when Arsenal are leading for example. I only ever know people complain about his when they didn#t get the result they wanted.

At the same time, I feel that if City scored after 7-8mins after the 4 mins were shown, people would of gone mental on here saying it's not fair.

i would,nt mate. i pay to see 90 minutes of football and as desperate as i am to see us win i want to see the laws of the game upheld or we may as well all give up and have a free for all.
it is none of our business how you choose to play a game and i don,t believe in the term anti-football its our job to find a way around it but if the referee does,nt add time on for genuine stoppages[that did,nt even include time wasting] it validates the teams tactics of wasting it.
i,ve always said fergie time is generally right the problem is its not applied everywhere and it should be
everton [h] stoke[a] hull[a] barcelona[h] birmingham[a] wigan[a] liverpool [a] sunderland[a][where they played a 5th minute when it was hard to see where 4 excisted of injury time] west ham[h] spurs[h] are all games where results have
changed in the last 5mins and as you can see they have worked for and against us.
i would like to have been given the opportunity for the same to happen wednesday
tinpot refereeing stopped it

[starmandb]

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Knock us all you want but our Italian style is working!

'Style' is not really the appropriate word in this situation. You can have 'method' at best.

And I totally appreciate that your fans must be ecstatic to be this high up the table but I still say that you could be a lot higher if you didn't play 3 DMs in every game.
You would've won a lot of the games that you drew/lost this season by being a bit more offensive imo.

This is my point from the other thread.

Everyone from other clubs telling us what we should be doing at this end of the table. Practicly calling us a big club. We don't class ourselves there but still get called arrogant.

I think we have won 5 drawn 1 and lost 1 of our last 7 prem games. A defensive performance in one game doesn't concern me!

Yea I think most here are being a bit rough on City. We pressured you really well like we did against Chelsea, and you just couldn't get a rhythm going on offense. I don't blame Mancini for his tactics, he got the result he was looking for, and with our defense being shaky sometimes you could've easily nicked a win off of us.

It seems most people are annoyed we didn't play into Arsenal's game plan which would of ended up in defeat for us. They're just not realising that's the case at the minute.

No that is not a fair comment. We have lost 3 times at home this season including West Brom and Newcastle and we have struggled at other times like in the games against West Ham and Birmingham. We are very beatable at home.... FACT!

I am not that bothered about Mancini's tactics and it was a better result for you but you cannot brush over the fact that the Emirates is not a fortress. It was a kop out by Mancini and it is worthy of being a suprise talking point at the game. There is no way you can say you would have lost, you could very well have won but you were certainly the least ambitious team we have faced this season.

Some people may be getting too wound up by it but it isn't nothing, No top 7 team should be that let alone top 4. Even relegation teams are less timid than that. It is a suprise although it is not a disgrace like some suggest.

we are not having a very good home season so far but our record at the emirates is better than it was at highbury.
i would say as a fortress it is coming along nicely we had lost 3 times at highbury by this stage in 01/02.
largely forgotten because of a magnificent double

[Bristol_Gunner]

I do not think you can truly say man city were wrong to play such a defensive tactic. In fact I feel the first 10 minutes showed that if they had been very attacking they would have lost. The one thing i would say however is that near the end of the game they should have had more of a go to sneak the three points. Whether city like it or not they are being seen as in a title race and while Mancini has said he wanted to go mainly for the CL spots He could have sent out a great message if he had got a win the other night for the long term future of his team in their competition for the title in future years.

[mg86]

I do not think you can truly say man city were wrong to play such a defensive tactic. In fact I feel the first 10 minutes showed that if they had been very attacking they would have lost. The one thing i would say however is that near the end of the game they should have had more of a go to sneak the three points. Whether city like it or not they are being seen as in a title race and while Mancini has said he wanted to go mainly for the CL spots He could have sent out a great message if he had got a win the other night for the long term future of his team in their competition for the title in future years.

I think it shows he thinks we are superior to them, and he picked his lineup/formation accordingly.

[Est83]

Mancini said Citeh wont challenge.

Redknapp said Spuds can win the league.

Wenger said we're broke but we can compete financially with Chelski.

Conclusion... managers talk shit! Citeh are challenging!

To say "we're not expecting to challenge" when you're 2nd in the league is bullshit. If, with five games to go, you've secured a CL spot, do you suddenly start giving your reserves a run out because you've achieved your goal of CL qualification? Or, do you still fight for top spot?

Obvious really isn't it?

Either way, challening or just qualifying for CL football, Arsenal are still a major rival of Citeh's... they should have gone for the win.

[Inchpräctice]

I don't agree with the debate about the added time.
Yes it should've been 8 minutes but the way we were playing we wouldn't have scored if it had been 12 minutes so it's not worth arguing about really.
I agree with Perry Groves who said that we should've put Bendy and Chamakh up front together for the last ten minutes and bombarded their box with crosses in an attempt to score a scrappy goal from a header/knock down etc.
Could even have thrown DJ in there for good measure.

[StLGooner]

I don't agree with the debate about the added time.
Yes it should've been 8 minutes but the way we were playing we wouldn't have scored if it had been 12 minutes so it's not worth arguing about really.
I agree with Perry Groves who said that we should've put Bendy and Chamakh up front together for the last ten minutes and bombarded their box with crosses in an attempt to score a scrappy goal from a header/knock down etc.
Could even have thrown DJ in there for good measure.

I was begging for that to happen, but tactically inept Wenger put Nick on the wing.

[Inchpräctice]

I don't agree with the debate about the added time.
Yes it should've been 8 minutes but the way we were playing we wouldn't have scored if it had been 12 minutes so it's not worth arguing about really.
I agree with Perry Groves who said that we should've put Bendy and Chamakh up front together for the last ten minutes and bombarded their box with crosses in an attempt to score a scrappy goal from a header/knock down etc.
Could even have thrown DJ in there for good measure.

I was begging for that to happen, but tactically inept Wenger put Nick on the wing.

I think it was meant to be LWF where Arshavin plays but whatever it was, it didn't work.

[starmandb]

I don't agree with the debate about the added time.
Yes it should've been 8 minutes but the way we were playing we wouldn't have scored if it had been 12 minutes so it's not worth arguing about really.
I agree with Perry Groves who said that we should've put Bendy and Chamakh up front together for the last ten minutes and bombarded their box with crosses in an attempt to score a scrappy goal from a header/knock down etc.
Could even have thrown DJ in there for good measure.

like we was,nt gonna score against everton 4 chances all afternoon rosicky 90th minute equaliser
stoke away 12 chances all evening 90th min goals from fabregas and vermaelen
hull away 13 chances bendtner 90th min winner
birmingham away 11 chances 81st min nasri goal
barcelona 6 chances 85 min fabregas equaliser
spurs away 16 chances bendtner 85 min goal
liverpool away 90th min reina og
west brom home 19 chances nasri 90th min goal
west ham home 19 chances 88th min song winner
wolves away 11 chances chamakh sealing it 4 mins into injury time
in some games we have been profligate in others more clinical but in all games we have scored in the last 10 mins.
your opinion about the line up change is yours and therefore a valid 1 but i never buy this we could have played all day and not scored.its a cliche to say it only takes a second to score a goal but it does not make it any less true the only certainty is we will never score a goal in the 4 minutes lost in the dressing room

[Popey]

I don't agree with the debate about the added time.
Yes it should've been 8 minutes but the way we were playing we wouldn't have scored if it had been 12 minutes so it's not worth arguing about really.
I agree with Perry Groves who said that we should've put Bendy and Chamakh up front together for the last ten minutes and bombarded their box with crosses in an attempt to score a scrappy goal from a header/knock down etc.
Could even have thrown DJ in there for good measure.

I was begging for that to happen, but tactically inept Wenger put Nick on the wing.

that was so stupid from wenger. I thought the same. put nic and chamakh upfront and bombard the box with crosses. you don't need to be a genuis to have a idea like that.

[Yorkyblue]

Forgot to post earlier but Zabaleta's has won his appeal against the red card.