Arsenal 3-1 West Ham Utd (25/08/18)

Relive every moment of every first team game since the beginning of the 2005/06 season. Our archive of matchday threads originally posted in the General Discussion Forum.

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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by Knighter10WHU »

Gutted not to get anything out of that, thought we deserved the draw at minimum if not the win.

Very decent going forwards but how poor was that finishing, rusty at best. Even Arnie’s goal wasn’t great and Cech should have saved it.

My big worry is centre back. I can’t pick out 1 CB in our squad right now that gets on the team sheet automatically. We will concede a lot of goals this season if we keep going how we are.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by bubbles1966 »

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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by Doc H Ball »

Arthur our MOTM? Wilshere a better game than Sanchez?

Anderson was comfortably our best player. The best thing to come out of yesterday was his performance.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by smuts »

Doc H Ball wrote:Arthur our MOTM? Wilshere a better game than Sanchez?

Anderson was comfortably our best player. The best thing to come out of yesterday was his performance.
Wilshire deserves a point deducted for not chasing down Bellerin for their first and just pointing at someone else to do it while he just jogged back.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by bubbles1966 »

Masuaku - 16 tackles, interceptions, headers, clearances.blocks - staggeringly high numbers.

Wilshere - 90% pass accuracy, 5 successful dribbles (a very high number), 100% long ball pass accuracy, 4 tackles and interceptions...

The only player on our side who had a poor game was Diop.

Anderson has a high number but 66% pass accuracy probably weighs him down a little.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by Knighter10WHU »

Masuaku had a quiet game offensively yesterday but that’s one of his best defensive displays I’ve seen - stats seems to back that up.

Thought Wilshere was non existent most of the game to be honest.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by uptonparkhurst »

Fredericks is what we've been crying out for, for years - I thought he was our best player.

Anderson's weight of pass is sublime, but I can't see many other teams giving him that much space.
Of course, if the ref does his job and books players for professional fouls then that will help us -
but yesterday the ref was applying the usual "big team" bias: Bellerin and Xhaka should both have been carded (though not for fouls on Anderson)

Diop is a nervous wreck (at the moment, but will hopefully gain in confidence cf Winston Reid)

Without Arnie our forward options seem a bit underwhelming - it will be interesting to see if we are
gung-ho against Wolves or revert to a more cautious approach.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by the pink palermo »

Arthur had a good game yesterday as did Anderson , although against a team that doesn't cut up rough.

Lets see how Anderson does at AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday in the same position.

The introduction of Sanchez was a good call, but for my money Wilshere wasn't all that good yesterday, he went missing for huge parts of the game.

Fabianski was excellent.

What was noticeable was how we weakened once our power players, Arnie and Antonio, went off .

Diop did ok on debut - made a few errors and his distribution was lacking, but it's a massive step up in that position.

Fredericks looked good going forward, but he was and will be targeted defensively.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by fmgod »

The other big things that changed the game was Lacazette coming on, he was superb, two footed, intelligent, strength and them taking that awful Guendoz off who is about two years off from playing.
Last edited by fmgod on Sun Aug 26, 2018 11:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by prophet:marginal »

With that barnet, more like Gwen Guthrie*


*for the more seasoned supporter amongst us
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by Dicks' Thunderbolt »

Knighter10WHU wrote:Masuaku had a quiet game offensively yesterday but that’s one of his best defensive displays I’ve seen - stats seems to back that up.

Thought Wilshere was non existent most of the game to be honest.

Arsenal scored two goals yesterday that came from the left hand side, one assist through Arthur's legs. He is good going forward but defensively he goes to sleep. I would play him as an option on the left wing but keep him away from the goal.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by fmgod »

I'm not Arthur's biggest fan but don't think he was bad yesterday, he is baffling to watch up close, his technique and skills are unreal but then his final ball and decision making are baffling.

Odd thing is Bellerin got two assists, yet looked nervous on the ball every time, was constantly getting a coating from his team mates too
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by bubbles1966 »

Dicks' Thunderbolt wrote:Arsenal scored two goals yesterday that came from the left hand side, one assist through Arthur's legs. He is good going forward but defensively he goes to sleep. I would play him as an option on the left wing but keep him away from the goal.
That ball should have been a bread and butter clearance for the left sided centre back on the six yard line - watch what he does - once you find him.....
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by hammer1975 »

Whilst i’m a big fan of looking at the stats I can’t help but feel that whoscored consistently overstates Masuaku’s contribution as it can’t measure or count stats for positioning.

Diop usually plays right side centre back. Fredericks was a lot tighter to Balbuena than Masuaku was to Diop for most of the game. I wouldn’t say the goals were particularly down to Masuaku but I think his positioning contributed a lot to Diop’s increasing nervousness as the game went on. And that nervousness did contribute to the decisive 2nd goal.

Masuaku is a potentially top class wingback. He’s just not tight enough and is still prone to switching off as a full back in my view.

When contrasting Masuaku and Fredericks it is worth flagging the different defensive contributions of Antonio and Snodgrass though.

I’m still a little baffled by how little Yarmolenko is being used - he can’t still be unfit surely....?

Lots of talk about the game being over once Arnautovic went off. I think that’s as much to do with Hernandez’s play as missing Arnie. I can’t recall him doing anything once he came on. Good player, wrong team.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by peter49uk »

Smutts...........re for their first and just pointing at someone else to do it while he just jogged back. There seems to a bit of this going on, another thing for MP to sort out, imo.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by student_hammer »

IronworksDave wrote:That was a piss poor performance by Arsenal and yet they beat us 3-1 .... don't kid yourselves we won't face a worse defence or more insipid midfield than that many times this season .... all those saying we played well? why? ... we allowed them 60% of the ball, we allowed them 10 shots on target, we managed just 75% pass completion ... that means we gave the ball away 1 in 4 touches ... that's a disgrace ...

Play like this every week at we'll be lucky to get 30 points ... if we can't even do the basics we're ****ed ....
With supporters like you ‘we’re ****ed’ get a grip
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by bristolhammerfc »

bubbles1966 wrote:Masuaku - 16 tackles, interceptions, headers, clearances.blocks - staggeringly high numbers..
I think though you have to remember that he was targeted in every attack so will have a lot higher stats in a 3-1 loss.

I don't think he is a bad player, but he is a winger. A far more capable one than Antonio and better at covering left back. Cresswell is a better left back, but terrible in the air which leaves us exposed at the cross ball and here in lies the dilemma.

We were left woefully short in defence in the transfer market and we have too many attacking players not pulling their weight in tracking back. We needed a keeper, centre back and left back and went instead for Yarmolenko and Perez because we have an obsession with attackers.

We now have a disinterested Chico, a fragile Carroll, Perez, Arnie, Yarmolenko, an on loan Hughill all sucking a huge amount of wages and with the exception of Arnie, little sell on value
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by bubbles1966 »

hammer1975 wrote:Whilst i’m a big fan of looking at the stats I can’t help but feel that whoscored consistently overstates Masuaku’s contribution as it can’t measure or count stats for positioning.
You'll have seen Arsenal's record last year at home against the 7-20 teams - P14, W14, F46, A9. They are always likely to score goals.

The first is an overload, but it's the second that is the real 'mare. Until Diop launches his up and under for the second goal, we are the better team, making the better chances.

It just gets a little bit ragged after that. Fabianski really didn't have that much to do up to that point.

The balance in the team often looks like we are one defensive player short, and that's probably a genuine top drawer all round midfielder to work alongside Sanchez/Obiang, so as not to diminish the attack.

That isn't solvable with the current squad.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by EastleighHammer16 »

Masuaku isn’t a winger and he never will be a winger. Can we stop with this theory please.
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Re: Arsenal v West Ham Utd: match thread (25/8)

Post by bristolhammerfc »

EastleighHammer16 wrote:Masuaku isn’t a winger and he never will be a winger. Can we stop with this theory please.
Based on what exactly? You seem pretty sure of yourself?
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