Didn't read anything, just my couple of cents before I hit the sack.
We were unlucky in some way; the first goal was pretty much out of the blue and that gave Arsenal a huge boost of confidence just when they were starting to get frustrated - because we played really well in the first 15 minutes. Once again, both of our first-choice full-backs got injured or sick (BTW, what kind of illness does Johnson have? Commentators said he was in the hospital…). That's also unlucky for us, especially since in 3-5-2 wing-backs play such crucial role. Cissokho lost his battle with Sagna and Flanagan actually did as well as we could possibly hope he would, but we still missed Johnson.
Games against top quality opponents (and, though I hate to admit it, Arsenal ARE a top quality team at the moment) reveal flaws that can be hidden in games such as the one vs West Brom. I am worried about Gerrard. I don't know if it's a psychological issue; maybe seeing the slick interplay between the likes of Cazorla, Ozil and Rosicky Gerrard feels inferior in some way, feeling his age and thinking of the days when he could roam freely with enough pace, power and energy to easily cut through the little hibbit-like midfields such as this one. Now all he can do is hold position and watch the ball zip-zapping around him like a lion helplessly looks at crowds of tasty fat tourists walking past his cage.
Whatever it is, it's not working. And as we saw before; late in games our central midfield becomes an attacking non-entity. Last week Ryan asked if we really need to be a great team. Can't we just rely on Sturridge and Suarez to always score our goals? This game kind of answers that question. Yes, we need a better left-back, we need a much more energetic central midfield and we need Countinho to rediscover last season's form, because se far he looks like a different player and not in a good way.
Quick ratings:
Mignolet 6. Not at fault for any of the goals. Typical performance - nervous passes early in the game and then a couple of decent saves near the end.
Flanagan 6.5. Apart from one nice flash of skill, a quiet and solid performance. Justified his inclusion at the expense of Kelly (who was poor when he came on as sub in the last game).
Toure 7. The "gift" to Giroud shouldn't mar the overall performance, which was otherwise excellent. Kolo's experience and calmness is invaluable to this team.
Skrtel 7.5 MOM. I see nothing wrong with giving high scores to players who deserve it even in losing games. Skrtel was 100% focused, precise, clinical, mistake-free.
Sakho 7. One or two mistakes, but also a few strong and decisive interventions. No reason for him to lose his place either.
Cissokho 5.5. I don't want to be too harsh. He was not terrible. But he lost the wing to Sagna and didn't do anything in attack. Enrique can't come back soon enough.
Lucas 6. Either him or Gerrard are at fault for the first goal - Cazorla was completely alone in the penalty area and it was their job to track his run. A "trademark" silly foul and a really bad turnover that led to a counterattack are compensated by some excellent forward passes and typically busy defensive work. Still, not his best game.
Gerrard 5.5. He was a passenger.
Henderson 6.5. I really liked his overall play today. But for the love of God, learn to keep your shots on target!
Sturridge 6. Came deep in search of the ball and usually with good effect. Not enough service to do more.
Suarez 6. Pulled his muscle and couldn't run at pace for the rest of the game. Still kept trying, but a frustrating game overall.
Subs:
Coutinho 5.5. I think not a single of his forward passes reached the intended target. His timing is off this season. His dribbling was much better than his passing today.
Moses n/a
