On balance, a point from a tough away game is a positive. But I can't help feeling disappointed - I really think we could have won this.
A number of us had pointed out in the pre-match thread that Arsenal can be taken if you're aggressive. They're brilliant when they get going - but are really soft, brittle pansies under pressure. I really think we had them on the ropes by the end of the first half - no idea why we decided to take our foot off the pedal in the second.
A few more points:
1. I'm not really sure there's been a huge tactical improvement - we're solid defensively now mostly thanks to the individual abilities of Clyne, Gomez and Milner - who've added pace, energy and discipline - a huge improvement on Johnson, Moreno and Gerrard. Skrtel and Lovren are more less the same defenders from the end of last season - prone to the odd brain fart, but looking much improved thanks to the better players around them.
2. Rodgers' selection of formation is still leaving me bewildered. He picked a defensive 4-2-3-1 against two smaller teams, and a 4-3-3 away to Arsenal. Except the 4-3-3 didn't translate into a pressing game at all. The instructions seemed to be to sit back - which is really perplexing. The 4-3-3 isn't a good formation for sitting back at all - there's only a single midfielder sitting back, and the wing-forwards are narrow - so can't really help the full-backs out. This is what happened time and again - Clyne and Gomez got no protection. If the gameplan was to sit back and defend, why not just go for a 4-2-3-1 where you could have had two midfielders sitting and have the wingers help out the full-backs more effectively?
3. I think we were quite lucky to have come out with a point given our gameplan. Arsenal opened us up thrice - first with the Ramsey goal, second with the Sanchez shot off the post, and the third with the Giroud chance. I don't think it was a shutout defensive performance (in the Chelsea mould) at all - we were lucky not to have conceded. This comes back to the formation part - if we wanted to shut them out, a 4-2-3-1 would have been much better.
4. Given that we did play a 4-3-3, I don't know why we didn't press at all. The game was split into three periods -
First 25 minutes - I was sure we would concede (we did in fact). There was no pressing at all from Can, Coutino or Firmino. Milner tried in isolation, but there's no point in one played doing it. Cazorla and Coquelin were getting all the time in the world to pick their passes.
Second 25 minutes - Calum Chambers time. The man single-handedly brought us back into the game, and as is typically Arsenal, they shit themselves under pressure.
Second half - This is what frustrates me. Arsenal were reeling under pressure by then - their CB partnership was looking dodgy, and their attacking 4, just like the soft cunts they are, had switched off. We should have fucking battered them in the first 25 mins of that second half. The game was there to be won.
Anyway, 7 points from 3 games is a great start, and the individual defending seems to have improved.
But Rodgers really needs to figure out what formation he wants us to play. Because right now, I think he's just experimenting. Worryingly, there's no fluidity to our attacking game at all right now - it's just give the ball to Coutinho.
A number of us had pointed out in the pre-match thread that Arsenal can be taken if you're aggressive. They're brilliant when they get going - but are really soft, brittle pansies under pressure. I really think we had them on the ropes by the end of the first half - no idea why we decided to take our foot off the pedal in the second.
A few more points:
1. I'm not really sure there's been a huge tactical improvement - we're solid defensively now mostly thanks to the individual abilities of Clyne, Gomez and Milner - who've added pace, energy and discipline - a huge improvement on Johnson, Moreno and Gerrard. Skrtel and Lovren are more less the same defenders from the end of last season - prone to the odd brain fart, but looking much improved thanks to the better players around them.
2. Rodgers' selection of formation is still leaving me bewildered. He picked a defensive 4-2-3-1 against two smaller teams, and a 4-3-3 away to Arsenal. Except the 4-3-3 didn't translate into a pressing game at all. The instructions seemed to be to sit back - which is really perplexing. The 4-3-3 isn't a good formation for sitting back at all - there's only a single midfielder sitting back, and the wing-forwards are narrow - so can't really help the full-backs out. This is what happened time and again - Clyne and Gomez got no protection. If the gameplan was to sit back and defend, why not just go for a 4-2-3-1 where you could have had two midfielders sitting and have the wingers help out the full-backs more effectively?
3. I think we were quite lucky to have come out with a point given our gameplan. Arsenal opened us up thrice - first with the Ramsey goal, second with the Sanchez shot off the post, and the third with the Giroud chance. I don't think it was a shutout defensive performance (in the Chelsea mould) at all - we were lucky not to have conceded. This comes back to the formation part - if we wanted to shut them out, a 4-2-3-1 would have been much better.
4. Given that we did play a 4-3-3, I don't know why we didn't press at all. The game was split into three periods -
First 25 minutes - I was sure we would concede (we did in fact). There was no pressing at all from Can, Coutino or Firmino. Milner tried in isolation, but there's no point in one played doing it. Cazorla and Coquelin were getting all the time in the world to pick their passes.
Second 25 minutes - Calum Chambers time. The man single-handedly brought us back into the game, and as is typically Arsenal, they shit themselves under pressure.
Second half - This is what frustrates me. Arsenal were reeling under pressure by then - their CB partnership was looking dodgy, and their attacking 4, just like the soft cunts they are, had switched off. We should have fucking battered them in the first 25 mins of that second half. The game was there to be won.
Anyway, 7 points from 3 games is a great start, and the individual defending seems to have improved.
But Rodgers really needs to figure out what formation he wants us to play. Because right now, I think he's just experimenting. Worryingly, there's no fluidity to our attacking game at all right now - it's just give the ball to Coutinho.
