I don't think the stadium has anything to do with it, and that's just lazy journalism. At this point having Trippier and Davies instead of Rose and Aurier (please be done and true!) is far more of an impact.
Both Wenger and Klopp with some headscratchers today. Wenger has Ox instead of Kolasinac as left wing-back and Welbeck instead of Lacazette or Giroux up front, Klopp has Karius in goal and Gomez/Moreno as full-backs. Weird stuff.
Also, Alexis Sanchez is back for Arsenal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anduril
Zero attempts on goal. Terrible day to be an Arsenal fan while Liverpool just continue to put on a show.
Wowwww. What a match.
I wont lie, I had a lump in my throat when I saw Klopp's lineup, for a team that hemhorrages chances going with Karius in goal, and Gomez/Moreno at the back? But then they just proceeded to destroy Arsenal.
And the score flattered Arsenal! They cleared a couple off the line and Cech made some great saves.
I dont think I've seen a 70 yard breakaway scored from defending a corner since the 90s. Salah has wheels!
I love that midfield setup, with Can and Henderson in there doing more of the heavy lifting and allowing Salah and Mane more freedom, now we just need Coutinho to knock off this Barca nonsense and get back into the team.
And I selfishly love seeing Sturridge score off the bench, I'm a fan of his, I dont know what Faustian bargain he made in exchange for being injured all the time but if Holger Badstuber can overcome it so can he.
On another note though, it has to be said this Arsenal team was woeful.
Shearer on the commentary even said it looked like 11 random guys showed up and pulled on Arsenal kit to take the field for a Sunday morning kickabout.
The thing that I find really telling is the 'Zero Shots on Target.'
This is Liverpool, we have an acknowledged issue with giving up offensive opportunities, we had two of our lesser players in the wingback position and ultimately Karius was playing the ball like it was a hand-grenade all game long, I think I saw him wave in apology to the players at least 3 times.
If I'm kicking the ball around with my buddies and see a goalkeeper that shaky I am shooting on him from everywhere.
And yet not one shot on target.
His clean sheet reminds me of a comment Dominic Hasek once made years ago when he got a shutout but only made like 11 or 12 saves, he was asked about it and just shrugged and said something about not really earning it.
But its not like Arsenal had no talent on the field. Welbeck, Sanchez, Ozil, Lacazette, Giroud....theres a lot of offensive skill and talent there.
I know Wenger is more of a soft-spoken manager but I'd be taking the paint off Anfield's Visitor Dressing Room after that one.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Was Liverpool that good or was Arsenal that bad? I think both. Klopp struggles against smaller sides, but he's just fantastic when it comes to dissecting teams which rely on possession and offense. Arsenal was just woeful from start to finish. Personally I think their midfield is the root of the problem ... Xhaka, Elneny and Coquelin are simply not good enough and Ramsey can't run things on his own. The whole setup was weird, too. Welbeck has never taken the next step in his development because of injuries, and him starting instead of Lacazette or Giroud is a joke. Ox as a LWB when Kolasinac has been very good so far? Headscratcher. And I still don't get what Wenger sees in Holding. He struggles almost every time I watch him ... this is simply not his level, period.
Frustrating for Arsenal fans I'm sure. Also frustrating for Alexis, who is wasting his prime years.
Was Liverpool that good or was Arsenal that bad? I think both. Klopp struggles against smaller sides, but he's just fantastic when it comes to dissecting teams which rely on possession and offense. Arsenal was just woeful from start to finish. Personally I think their midfield is the root of the problem ... Xhaka, Elneny and Coquelin are simply not good enough and Ramsey can't run things on his own. The whole setup was weird, too. Welbeck has never taken the next step in his development because of injuries, and him starting instead of Lacazette or Giroud is a joke. Ox as a LWB when Kolasinac has been very good so far? Headscratcher. And I still don't get what Wenger sees in Holding. He struggles almost every time I watch him ... this is simply not his level, period.
Frustrating for Arsenal fans I'm sure. Also frustrating for Alexis, who is wasting his prime years.
Its always some of both, and its always hard to tell because by nature if one team is that utterly dominant, especially against a team like Arsenal who are used to being the dominant team and dont really know how to play without significant possession, then the other team is not going to look good.
This game I think was a bit more telling because of the 'No Shots on Target' stat.
When was the last time Arsenal played 90 minutes and didnt even sting the keeper's hands?
So yes, Liverpool put on a great display today, but also yes, Arsenal look like they've quit on Wenger.
I'll reference Shearer again when he said something along the lines and I'm loosely quoting him here:
"You have 11 players, they're not all going to show up every week, sometimes 2 or 3 are going to have poor performances from time to time for various reasons. If that number is 6 or 7 thats a serious problem and today that number looked like 10."
I believe #11 in his mind was Cech, who I thought was excellent all throughout and kept the score from being doubled, but thats just, like, my opinion man.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Watching most games this weekend I really enjoyed Huddersfield - Southampton, despite the 0 - 0 score. Thought they deserved the 3 points. Huddersfield might just stay up this year if they keep playing like that.
I don't think the stadium has anything to do with it, and that's just lazy journalism. At this point having Trippier and Davies instead of Rose and Aurier (please be done and true!) is far more of an impact.
its not, its the same as the Bale thing where they couldn't win with him, correlation is not causation
they played well enough to win today just like last week, Kane has taken 42 total shots in August as a PL player with 0 goals, his regular goal % on shots is around 25% I think
even just look today at expected goals, game wasn't close
you have 2 players who want to leave, Ox and Sanchez, 2 others who people think want to leave, Ozil and Bellerin
what does he expect?
next week is super interesting for him, I can't see how they keep Ox and Sanchez and give up the 70m or whatever they would lose by them leaving on a free next year
Mustafi is rumored to be going to Italy they talked about after the game today
you have 2 players who want to leave, Ox and Sanchez, 2 others who people think want to leave, Ozil and Bellerin
what does he expect?
next week is super interesting for him, I can't see how they keep Ox and Sanchez and give up the 70m or whatever they would lose by them leaving on a free next year
Mustafi is rumored to be going to Italy they talked about after the game today
who is going to be there?
It really does look like keeping Wenger was a very expensive decision.
No Sanchez, Ozil, Bellerin, Ox, etc and very little time or opportunity to replace them regardless of money.
And quite frankly it seems to me that its all up to management. The players seem done with Wenger.
I dont know why, he seems okay for the most part, but it is what it is, you either can him and move along or back him and proceed with wholesale changes.
The problem is that the time for deciding on backing the manager and proceeding with wholesale changes has passed so they've effectively landed in the middle and backed the manager while hog-tying him and the team with no replacements.
Its like they're operating without a plan.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
And just think how dire the talk would be if they didn't pull that game out of the fire on opening night. Arsenal are definitely in the worst shape of any of the top six simply because of Kroenke being one of the worst owners in sports. I suspect they're trapped in purgatory until he sells.
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
Poch said today after the game that there will be a minimum of three signings this week
Aurier and foyth are two
I hope if it's 3 alone the third isn't Barkley
Need another attacking option off the bench, can't wait on or even bank on Lamela in November finally being available. He's been hugely missed his workrate and passing have been missed for a year but even if he's back in November I wouldn't expect much contribution from him until Christmas at best
I think he's decent actually. Two seasons ago he played a fair amount due to injuries. He just isn't as good as what we have at this point though, and with the arrival of Sanchez he isn't going to play here. I thought he might get some time last season but he played in the NLD and scored an own goal. Obviously that one goal wasn't the reason, but that was basically his last action (maybe a cup appearance somewhere after or something).
I think its a good signing for Stoke though. Probably works out really well for both parties.
The Following User Says Thank You to Slava For This Useful Post:
Liverpool are signing Naby Keita from RB Leipzig. He'll join them in the summer of 2018.
Hats off to Pool, that's a fantastic signing. And a surprising one too because Keita would have had a free choice between top clubs next summer (thanks to a relatively low buyout clause). Getting that done early is an awesome piece of business by Klopp.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to devo22 For This Useful Post:
