**** OMT Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur ****

[paxtonwolf]

Leicester kept getting luck their way and eventually fluked a title. I'm getting the same vibes off this lot - everything falling their way.

Thank GHod for Erling Haaland.

Credit where its due. They are playing well, but I only see them getting 2nd at best. People may laugh, but I have a feeling United could pip Arsenal to 2nd though. I think we are looking at 4th place, tops, lucky for us Chelsea and Liverpool look as poor as we do

 

[StephenH]

Its not the defeat, its the manner of it that rankles.

Yes!
No surprises there in the least.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Credit where its due. They are playing well, but I only see them getting 2nd at best. People may laugh, but I have a feeling United could pip Arsenal to 2nd though. I think we are looking at 4th place, tops, lucky for us Chelsea and Liverpool look as poor as we do

We will get above arsenal IMO
This game changed nothing IMO
They are playing well
They have key players who are currently fit
Their squad is still IMO weak and it will come down to that over the season

 

[metalgear]

No, it is the real issue. If we get those breaks right then we go in at half time a couple of goals up

The real issue is that Kane is better at passing forward to Son, but we are not doing it.

Just like how Kane has to take free kicks, when it isn't working.

 

[metalgear]

We will get above arsenal IMO
This game changed nothing IMO
They are playing well
They have key players who are currently fit
Their squad is still IMO weak and it will come down to that over the season

Don't discount the fact that their players aren't stupid enough to get injured in pointless internationals and there is a high chance of them getting reinforcements in December.

We still have a problem of selling before buying.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Don't discount the fact that their players aren't stupid enough to get injured in pointless internationals and there is a high chance of them getting reinforcements in December.

We still have a problem of selling before buying.

We do
But I think we will loan in Gil jan and get in someone in, IMO

 

[Bedfordspurs]

The ref gave 1 yellow for Saliba's dissent I think. And 1 red. No other bookings.

He should have bookend Jesus for repeat fouling
Romero for one in first half
Odegard for his pill back on son
And I think the other was Gabriel I though should have got a yellow
That was never a red IMO but stupid as he gave him the option

 

[DubSpur]

The real issue is that Kane is better at passing forward to Son, but we are not doing it.

Just like how Kane has to take free kicks, when it isn't working.

Seriously, what do you be looking at? Kane passed forward plenty but it's not going to be every forward pass coming from one player. Son has to contribute too and messed it up every time today.

 

[seaside spur]

Both Sessegnon and Perisic can start.
Perisic at RWB , Sess to stop Saka.

If we had done this for the reasons I said before the game , then no Royal to get sent off and end the game for us.
Probably no free shot for Saka which cost us the second goal as Sess is actually very good one on one as he has shown in the past and today when he came on.
I would have gone 3 in the midfield today , at least start the the game with that and make changes later if necessary rather than having nowhere to go if we went behind which is what happened.
I probably would have left Son on the bench yet again and come on later when there was more space.
I wasn't going to post that before the game and get pelters after his hat trick but I just didn't feel this was the right game to bring him back in although with a 3-5-2 formation it would have left him with less defensive responsibility but not with a 3-4-3 away to the league leaders.
Lessons learnt :
1. Tough away games Sess should start on the left.
2. Royal isn't good enough in Contes system.
3. Hojbjerg isn't good enough. He's not the worst but he's average all round , very slow across the ground and slow with the ball at his feet , needing three or four touches to get the ball out from his feet. A good squad player for a top team , nothing more.
4. Lloris needs better cover / competition
( Unless Forster is better than I think ).

Just to add , I've never ever liked a back 3/5 , I think it makes it even harder to be "brave" on the ball when the spare man is nearly always behind you. Arteta said they were brave on the ball but that's not difficult when it's just as easy to pass forward around your opponents box than it is for your opponent to pass along their own backline.
There is more pressure on our backline when in possession on and around our area than when arsenal's midfielders/ attackers had the ball just outside our penalty area. That's just not right.
The argument that the game is won in both penalty areas and not in midfield wouldn't have stood up well today as their extra man in midfield when played right gave them the overload and goals for Partey and Xacha. They won the midfield , they had the extra man and that won them the game.

 

[Finney Is Back]

The red card skewed it, but we ended up comfortably behind on xG, I think. 2.32 to 0.62 (without the pen).

Hard to argue they didn't outplay us, and their philosophy blew Conte's out of the water.

It's true the system generally plays out the way you outline - loads of low-quality chances conceded, few high quality chances created. But what works in 90% of the games will not work against Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea away, because our players are mentally stunted and wither at these venues.

It's why I dearly wanted us to switch it up to a 3-5-2.

So 2.3 to 1.5 then? Probably closer to that at the point Royals got sent off as well?

 

[Finney Is Back]

Conte and dier both talking about bad passes in transition.

This…. We should’ve had 4 or 5 one on one chances today.

 

[seaside spur]

The real issue is that Kane is better at passing forward to Son, but we are not doing it.

Just like how Kane has to take free kicks, when it isn't working.

See my other post.
I think we need a 3-5-2 for that to happen with Son playing high up.
Or scrap 5 at the back.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Was one of our best players today and all season

All of the back 3 were fine…. But that’s kind of the point, it is easy for a CB to look good defending in a 3… The downside of course is that you then lose the midfield and have to play counter attack. We’re forced into playing with a 3 as we don’t have a single outstanding defender who can allow us to play with 2.

 

[Pirate55]

But Son can't pass or defend.
Of course if Son was on the end of the passes then that's a totally different matter.
Son was far too deep today trying to do something he can't.

Same all season. He is being miss used in my opinion.

 

[metalgear]

All of the back 3 were fine…. But that’s kind of the point, it is easy for a CB to look good defending in a 3… The downside of course is that you then lose the midfield and have to play counter attack. We’re forced into playing with a 3 as we don’t have a single outstanding defender who can allow us to play with 2.

only Romero is doing his part as part of the back 3. playing DM, supporting or even joining in the attack at times.
you can't say that a CB in a back 2 has the same responsibilites as those in the back 3, unlesss you have 7 outfield players who can play like 8.

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

only Romero is doing his part as part of the back 3. playing DM, supporting or even joining in the attack at times.
you can't say that a CB in a back 2 has the same responsibilites as those in the back 3, unlesss you have 7 outfield players who can play like 8.

That’s when we miss Moussa Dembele, worth 2 CM’s on his own.

 

[balesleftboot]

Not sure I agree with the opinion if us looking poor this season. Don't get me wrong , this is not my favourite brand of football at all but it is what it is, pragmatic and it gets results. It's not that we are playing 'poorly' in these games, we set up to counter.

 

[lurker of old]

Stayed well clear of the game as I felt we would lose, so just seen the red card tackle. Why is that a red? The gooner milked it for all he was worth but it seemed to me like a yellow all day. It is a professional foul but it's on the right wing, I don't get it.

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

Stayed well clear of the game as I felt we would lose, so just seen the red card tackle. Why is that a red? The gooner milked it for all he was worth but it seemed to me like a yellow all day. It is a professional foul but it's on the right wing, I don't get it.

It’s soft, if it was given a yellow then VAR wouldn’t have changed it, but similarly given as a red VAR couldn’t overturn it.

 

[El Guepardo]

Stayed well clear of the game as I felt we would lose, so just seen the red card tackle. Why is that a red? The gooner milked it for all he was worth but it seemed to me like a yellow all day. It is a professional foul but it's on the right wing, I don't get it.

Was barely a shock to see the gooner clam holding his leg, acting hurt. Spurs red card. And he’s immediately ok.