So i know, the title of the post is something of an oxymoron being disappointed in a win and all. But tell me that isn’t how most of you feel?
I was really angry about the Hull game and i couldn’t wait to see us against Anderlecht thinking to myself that we would definitely be better especially against a team that we really should be beating.
We won them eventually, but leaving the viewing center, i felt a little sick at the display i had just seen. I’m usually one of those fans that feels that every victory should be enjoyed regardless of how it was obtained and i’ve been critical of those who always seem disappointed even when we win, but there was just something about yesterday’s performance that was just really hard to take. We didn’t seem to be up for it at all.
I groaned as i saw moves breakdown time and time again, sometimes it felt like the players had all just met, like they were all on a plane a la Lost and the plane crashes on a deserted island and then that island’s indigents challenge them to a game of football. If they win they gain their freedom and the players who were really just businessmen, engineers, doctors, lawyers and who had all just met on the plane are forced to try and find some understanding and win the game as a matter of life and death…excuse my rant.
That’s how i felt at some points in the game.
It was a bad performance. See stats here
The midfield in particular were just…bleh! Ramsey returned into the starting lineup and at times i didn’t even feel he was on the pitch.
Wilshere was playing like a bi-polar patient sometimes really trying to make things work and doing okay, at other times just annoying and frustrating.
Santi was having a bad day.
Flamini was shaky and Welbeck worked hard but could have done better.
The only person that felt like they were trying was Alexis and you just sometimes feel sorry for him and you have to wonder if he isn’t feeling the same way, like he’s the only one trying to make things happen. I wouldn’t worry too much about it really mostly because he is the kind of player we’ve craved for for a while. Someone who would take the game by the scruff of the neck and try to force things to happen. I rather preferred having Alexis out there than otherwise.
I wondered why substitutions weren’t made earlier.
We didn’t make a change until after we conceded and it was annoying to see and i still do not like this 4-1-4-1 but the reality is it probably isn’t going anywhere unless we’re mauled 6-0 by some club, so i hope with everything in me that we turn a corner and suddenly we become world beaters or something (i’m not holding my breath)
Anyways, i think that’s enough negativity. I really began to understand why Arsene really isn’t liked in some quarters. Not saying he’s the worst thing ever, i still hold great admiration for the man, but it’s hard not to be disillusioned when you see things like this
I did say enough negativity no?
We won! We got 3 points! Smash and grab as it was, we did it and that does take a bit of “Mental strength” so the team ought to be commended.
I liked Gibbs, he was trying and he got a goal too.
Welbeck worked hard and the more he plays the better he’ll become and of course there’s Alexis. What more, we didn’t get any injuries from yesterday, so that’s a good thing. We also have Walcott coming back and while i don’t expect him to be a savior or anything (I think we already sorta have that with Alexis) he will certainly add another dimension to our attack.
Arsenal play Sunderland next i think and after their 8-0 pummeling at the hands of Southampton, they would be compact with the idea of not losing paramount to them. So we’ll have to be much better. In reality i still feel we can do a lot with this run of games. We’ve drawn already but it was one game, we can still build momentum and i guess we all just have to believe in this squad, there’s really not much else we can do.
That’s it for today, see you next time.
