Arsenal

[Sideliner]

Jona you might see it as bitching but i see it as facts - this even out story is a rumour

[Avinalaff]

We were better than United, and better than Arsenal. We can take confidence from this. It's a long season.

[marcus jones]

Jona you might see it as bitching but i see it as facts - this even out story is a rumour

Ha ha, you maybe right sir!

[Pearso]

My bad. Oviedo to left back for City to cover for Baines, and Mirallas (hopefully) back onto the right wing?

[Oztoffee]

We were better than United, and better than Arsenal. We can take confidence from this. It's a long season.

I watched this on TV and watched some of the Utd v W Ham game at HT and at the end of the Everton game.

What a shipload of crap it was! The way we played against the Arse we would have crushed Utd today.

Yes we were unlucky with refereeing decisions (again) but we should be patient.....and that really goes against the grain for me. (I'm into instant gratification).

The signs are there...we're playing with skill and effort...maybe too much of the latter. Pienaar was trying REALLY hard and tried to do too much when the easy options were perhaps better. The difference is we're NOT LOSING too many games and that I believe is really important right now. This time last season we were languishing without hope in the 'also rans' section and our points tally at the moment would have seemed totally out of reach.

We have a springboard now to build on as recent history has proven, in the second half of the season.

CL? Maybe, but I think that a Euro spot at least is more than just a possibility.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Oztoffee

[Romey 1878]

If not for us messing up our previous few games this would have been an excellent point, so I'm trying not to get too downbeat about the result. However, I think even if we'd not had so many draws lately I'd still feel a bit disappointed with the result as, despite conceding early and having the stuffing knocked out of us and it taking us until about the 15th minute to actually get going, I thought we were the more dangerous team in terms of openings created. After we got going I was feeling extremely confident that we'd score (which worried me a lot!). But, we created the openings but I didn't think we created enough actual chances, i.e. our actual attempts at goal. Like, we'd get the opening through good work (usually through Pienaar and Baines) but we'd try to walk the ball into the back of the net and the move would break down, or someone would play the wrong final ball. I haven't looked at the attempts at goal so I could just be remembering wrongly though! In the second half I barely remember them threatening Tim Howard at all tbh.

 

I did feel like we allowed Arsenal too much time and space on the ball though. Although, this may have been part of the game plan - let them have the ball infront of us and then when they get close snuff out the attack. Because that's exactly what happened; for the majority of the game we seemed happy to let them have it and then just stopped them in their tracks if they got to close to our goal. But, I don't think it's a coincidence that our best, and most threatening, spells in the game came when we pressed them and I'd have liked to have seen a bit more of that.

 

My major concern with us after this game was that I didn't think we got enough people in the box. There were a few times when we had the opportunity to put the ball in the box but there was no one there, or there was only one of our players in there and they were surrounded by Arsenal defenders. It doesn't help that we seem to be asking Jelavic to do most of his work outside of the box where he's not so effective. Get him playing facing the goal again, not winning headers, holding the ball up and chasing balls down the wing, and he'll be firing again in no time. Play to his strengths for gods sake.

 

 

Howard - Wasn't called in to action too many times but when he was he dealt with things well.

 

 

Baines - I don't know where we'd be without his energy. Once again he ran himself into the ground last night getting up and down the wing. And finally he seems to have clicked back into gear with Pienaar, maybe not fully but they seemed on the same sort of wavelength at last. The pair of them absolutely schooled Sagna. He also put in a very good defensive performance as well, which isn't something he always does.

 

Distin and Jagielka - Other than Jagielka losing his head and charging out of the line to win the ball and getting done a couple of times I thought these two were a very solid partnership. They shackled Giroud pretty much every time.

 

Hibbert - I thought he maybe allowed the Arsenal wide player too much space which meant they could get too many crosses in, but he made some cracking tackles at times and it was a pretty good showing from a player who has been out for so long.

 

 

Pienaar - A massive improvement on the Pienaar we've seen the past few weeks. He's still not quite there but hopefully that will come soon. He looked at his best when he was keeping it simple but still at times tried to do too much. Often there'd be an opportunity to put an early ball in but he'd slow it down and try to do something clever when it just wasn't necessary.

 

Osman - I thought he struggled to make an impact on the game tbh and I didn't notice him all that much.

 

Gibson - Caught in possession a couple of times due to obvious lack of match practice but I thought he put in a good shift and was a big factor in stopping the Arsenal attacks when they got too close. We'd obviously missed his passing range in the middle of the park too, it was nice seeing him get it and spray it about effortlessly.

 

Naismith - I don't know if he just doesn't have a quick mind (like Ossie does, for example) or whether it's just a lack of sharpness after his major injury, but he always seemed a step too slow at reacting to things. Like, the ball would be there for him to win and he'd be caught on his heels and the Arsenal man would get there first. Or, a ball would be played to him and he'd wait for it to come to him instead of going towards it and an Arsenal player would nip in and take it from him. But, once again, he showed good movement and could have got himself another goal.

 

 

Fellaini - It was so good to see the ball be played upfront and it actually stick 9 times out of 10, and he is the major reason for this. I lost count of the amount of times he just brought the ball down from up high. It's got to the point where I'm disappointed if he even loses out once. He also put in some driving runs forward after winning the ball which is something I feel he needs to do more of. And his finish for his goal was so cool and full of quality, he didn't blast it but placed into the back of the net. My MOTM.

 

 

Jelavic - He was infinitely better than anything he's shown over the past few weeks and I hope this is a sign that he'll be back to his best soon. Where his work ethic has been called into question lately last night he worked his socks off. He won more headers than he has in god knows how long, he didn't go down so easily and managed to hold the ball up well, he chased defenders down. And he showed the quality he possesses with the chance he created for himself in the first half. It's just a shame that his finish didn't match the skill shown to make the chance.

[marcopaulo]

to be fair the jelavic people moaning about him not getting out of the way of baines i'm not sure baines would've got to the ball anyways..there was a lot of pace on it

[CMorley91]

Not a bad game last night.

Thought our defense was the most solid I've seen it in a long while, bar the first minute. Although they were helped by Giroud being very poor last night.

Midfield controlled the tempo fairly well, especially considering its an area Arsenal are used to bossing. I find its much more calm and controlled when Gibson is in the side.

Naismith wasn't at his best but I thought the rest of our attackers had a good game.

Pienaar, while maybe not his devastating best, was much improved. Jelavic was brighter than in recent weeks but also not quite at his best.

And theres nothing that can be said about Fellaini that hasnt been already. Never seen someone of his physique glide around a pitch like that. Form player in the league imo

Overall, happy enough. Add Mirallas back in and I will be expecting a point at least off a misfiring City

[Avinalaff]

It's good that we're pissed off that we aren't beating teams. It wasn't long ago Arsenal were wooping us by 6 goals, and now we expect to beat them, rather than hope. We're no fluke either, so this should be a good season. Our battle isn't for 1st place, but to get a seat at the table where the fat guts dine.

[MikeO]

It's good that we're pissed off that we aren't beating teams. It wasn't long ago Arsenal were wooping us by 6 goals, and now we expect to beat them, rather than hope.

 

Had the same thought myself earlier....not long ago we were Arsenal 3rd XI's whipping boys, never mind their first team.

[Pearso]

to be fair the jelavic people moaning about him not getting out of the way of baines i'm not sure baines would've got to the ball anyways..there was a lot of pace on it

 

That was the impression I had when watching it live. I thought the keeper would have booted it.

[JoeQuince]

 

 

 

 

 

Arteta said: “Spurs are challenging now, West Brom have lost but have been doing really well and I think Everton have got a good chance if they keep everyone fit.

 

“The first 11-12 is really strong and they have started the season well, which I know from my time here is not normal! In the long run they will be there.

 

“I always want Everton to do the best they can. I love the players and the club and they are a big part of my life.

 

“That is not going to change because I play for a different club now.”

 

Still have love for this guy.

[MikeO]

Still have love for this guy.

 

He loves us so much he tried to give us the win by dragging Pienaar down....if only the ref had been paying attention .

[Bailey]

Thought we played pretty well tbh and showed that we are a better team than them. Which we are and for some reason even fellow blues dont believe.

 

We should have won the game and should have had a penalty. Every single Everton player was better than their Arsenal countrpart if you ask me, bar Naismith. He was very disappointing and he is half a yard off the pace of the PL. He does good things and he is a good squad player but no more.

 

Good to see Hibbo and Gibson back who did well considering and Pienaar returned to form.