Europa League exit not the end of the world!
Well where do I start about last night’s game?
Am I surprised? No.
Do I blame Mikel Arteta? No.
Do I blame Gabriel Martinelli? No.
Who do I point the finger at? Aaron Ramsdale!
Firstly as nice as it would have been to win last night and be on the fight for two trophies, it might do us good to have come out but only time will tell..
And technically we didn’t lose because the tie that ended in normal time ended in a draw!! And because I hate penalty shootouts I am not counting it as a loss 😜
So here I begin my reasoning as to why I blame Ramsdale for the loss.
Normally I don’t like to point fingers too much when Arsenal lose or draw a game, but too many times this season I have sat there and watched Ramsdale idiotically stand outside of his box further up the pitch, thinking he is invincible and won’t ever be beaten.
Just as I slate him for his positioning I also slate the team when they try to play out from the back! It doesn’t need to happen and it should stop!
And I’ve always said to myself; one of these days he is going to get caught out when he constantly positions himself as an outfield player.
And low and behold in a knockout game, that we won’t ever truly know if Arteta and the boys were fussed about winning or not, he gets caught out.
Now take nothing away from the goal because it was a beauty I must admit but Ramsdale cannot be standing that far up the pitch and has to take part blame for the goal conceded!
Arteta changed Matt Turner and put in Ramsdale in the hope we didn’t concede after Turner’s shaky game last week, and what does Ramsdale do? Concede a goal that Sporting should never have been allowed to score!
Against your City’s and your Liverpools with the strike force they have, had they been there last night we would have been battered with Ramsdale’s play! Yes he made a few good saves, but he still let one in that was never meant to be conceded! And don’t get me started on his lack of penalty saves despite coming close, but close is not good enough!
The team as a whole were not great, being sloppy in possession and just not clicking for some reason at times, but having taken the lead through Granit Xhaka’s goal you sensed it was a game we could have seen out as 1-0 winners, yet Ramsdale’s stupidity put us in a position we could have done without being in!
And I do not blame Gabriel Martinelli one bit for his penalty loss because had we kept that initial clean sheet we would not have gone as far as penalties, but if you look at it deeply and I’m sure many Arsenal fans would agree, if you couldn’t have both, and if you were to choose between winning the Europa League or the Premier League, I know which one I would choose.
It’s just a shame we had to play nearly two hours and then get knocked out, rather than losing in normal time! Especially after we then have to play another game in less than 72 hours.
But we have managed to play Thursday, Sunday before and the boys know what they need to do, win one more game before the international break, have a break, and come back even more fired up ready to do the business in the remaining games of our season!!
But last night’s loss is not the end of the world and I guess it’s good we play in a few days as I believe we can pick ourselves up as quickly as possible!
Here’s hoping hey Gooners!
Shenel Osman
@sh3n3l_
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Football is a team game..
You can’t point out single player fault when your whole team including Arteta was poor in his decision making…
Why Arteta didn’t not bring Odegaard in 60th minute when we saw how Viera was struggling and had terrible game…
So you can blame Arteta also along with Ramsdale…
You can blame Xhaka also because he tried to play too smart there and miscalculated his pass which led to goal..
You can also blame Trossard because he missed one glorious chance in extra time to score….
So you cannot blame Ramsdale only when entire group was poor…
Either blame all of them or just simply move on…
I agree with you on most of your points. Especially about the sloppy miscalculated pass that gave away the ball and brought the equalizer. Just unprofessional!
Bit harsh. I’ve seen a few goals like that over the years and that one was the best. It was absolutely perfect. But yeah, maybe still some lessons in there for the future.
I don’t like to say it but this is a terrible article. Blaming one player for the loss is downright idiotic.
“I also slate the team when they try to play out from the back! It doesn’t need to happen and it should stop!”
Tell me you don’t know how we play without telling me. Playing from the back, baiting the opposition to press us is an essential part of our gameplan.
Completly agree
100% agreed you can’t blame one player
Shenel, don’t be so tough on Aaron, he must be feeling shite today, especially as he guessed correctly on all the penalties and even got his hands on one of them.
His coach would have told him of positioning, and playing out from the back is by order of Arteta, so blameless on those scores, and just really bad luck on that brilliant 45-yard lob. How often do those go in?
Abit harsh on Ramsdale ,those goals go in probably once out of a hundred ,he took his chance and hit it perfectly,good goalkeepers these days play as a sweeper keeper and that’s what he’s been playing like all season .
I will admit he was very weak in the penalty shootout though ,but again your facing a ball from 12 yards it’s not an easy task .
If Arteta was serious about winning it he should have played full strength from kick off ,he didn’t so now we concentrate on the league ,could be a good thing anyway IMO .
Having said that, if I were to blame someone it would be whoever selected that starting midfield. Sporting was just running through at will. Wait..it was Arteta… so the boss takes the blame (for me anyway).
Sorry Dan, I’ve accidentally attached to your comment. No way to delete it.
No I said along with a few others about that starting midfield before the match , so completely agree with you Jax
Clearly you have a VERY short term memory. Ramsdale has saved us MANY points on MANY occasions and he makes one error and you blame him….? Perhaps you should try to appreciate the work Ramsdale does and has done for us before making such sweeping statements.
In my humble opinion, you are completely wrong to blame Ramsdale. When the ball is in the oppositions half, no goalkeeper is supposed to stand on his own goal line. Nowadays, the sweeper-keeper concept is very popular. Perhaps if you think that had Ramsdale been rooted to his line, and theyd have put a ball through over the top of our defenders meaning one or more of their players had a clear run at goal, you wouldve been screaming at why Ramsdale hadnt started from a more offensive position to be able to run out and get the ball before the opposition.
It’s NO ONE’S FAULT. These results happen. It’s football. It’s life.
Now i suggest the best thing you and other negative Arsenal fans do, is to get behind the team and stop throwing sweeping accusations at the very players who have put us in touching distance of our first PL trophy in 19 years.
The fact is, we’ve lost 3 games out of 27 in the league so far. And we’ve lost 3 in the cups out of all the games we’ve played. That’s 6 losses in about 35-38 games in all comps. And you still moan??? Get real mate. This team is on the cusp of winning the PL and you’re still moaning??
In the great scheme of things blaming Ramsdale is a bit blinkered. It was far more than that, far more.
While I have never been wholly convinced by Ramsdale , to blame him for our defeat is harsh in the extreme as a number of our players were well below par last night and were outplayed by their direct opponents.
And the author, interestingly fails to mention the part Jorghino and Xhaka had in softly giving the ball away in midfield that led to the opportunity to score. Ramsdale would not have expected that poor play.
I think you are right on that Reggie. It was a glorious goal and one that could just as easily been a shocker
He shouldn’t have stayed that far from the goal post. I doubt if Sporting would have scored if not for his error
Penalties can be missed by anyone (except Ivan Toney) so I don’t hold it against Martinelli. He displayed the effort and intent throughout the match we want and expect from our players. But that goal. Ramsdale said he wanted to become an Arsenal legend, but I wrongly assumed it wasn’t by joining David Seaman in conceding a goal from the halfway line in a European knockout game.
Yes he made a mistake but he also stopped a couple more goals going in. Article is somewhat harsh imho.
Off topic, go on YouTube and take a look at Life on Loan /Folarin Balogun. It’s about his time at present on loan in France. What a level headed totally nice person he is, and it’s a good watch and he’s coming back to be a star at Arsenal!
Shenel
You normally write some really interesting pieces but unfortunately this has to be a heads gone moment.
Would you rather have Leno back between the sticks.
AR has made a few good saves…really
He has been part of a very good back 5 this season
Pulled off outstanding saves at key moments in a game
I am personally more then happy with him
I am sure he is kicking himself for letting it in but Still very young like most of the team. Still learning and will only get better which is great for us.
Onwards and upwards
What a pathetic article, Ramsdale pulled off a great save minutes later, and the Sporting Keeper had a great game pulling off four excellent saves, the players were guilty of misplaced passes, and as Odegaard stated after the game we lose as a team and we win as a team, fans like you plying the blame on one person have no concept of being together as a team. Now we can concentrate on the PL and if Ramsdale keeps a further six or seven clean sheets, it may be the key to winning the PL. Trying taking deep breathes before you launch a tirade of pointless criticisms at our team and highlight individual players
No one will remember that great save minutes later. What fans will indeed remember is one of the most humiliating blunders by a premier league goalie – conceding a goal from a shot taken in the center circle. Pathetic goalkeeping!
It was mentioned in a previous post -possibly by Heir Drier, that Nayim did the same to one of our greatest goalies – David Seaman. It is life
Genuine fans will remember, not negative so-called fans like you, an expert on goalkeeping are we, pray tell about your experience as a keeper
Football is a funny beast.. Lets loan out Fabio and bring in
Patino, he can’t be worse !! Focus on Sunday is all that
matters now,,
Yeah, sporting deserved their goal. If we’d won it 1-0, it would have been fortunate, so it was a collective defeat that shouldn’t be boiled down to one moment. As others have said, it was a collection of errors from the midfielders as well as ramsdale (arguably), and the execution of the shot was perfect.
Bit harsh on Ramsdale . Don’t forget Goalkeepers have coaches and they play according to what their coaches advise them . the exit is good now the team can concentrate on the last dozen games and win the League .
Sorry Shenel, I disagree.
Ramsdale plays this way because of MA’s Instruction and to be honest the goal that was conceded last night is what I class as a ‘worldy’ I would lay my Ferrari on that if he attempted that another 9 times he would miss all 9.
This is off topic but is it me or am I noticing a pattern?
Now, I will admit that I was totally against the signing of Jorginho but this is by the by.
What I am concerned about is that when he has minutes we lose control the midfield, are reckless and cannot seem to string any progressive passes?
Also, when he is on the pitch Zinny moves more infield which leaves a gaping hole on the left. At one stage Martinelli was in a left back position, Zinny as a 6 whilst Jorginho was running out of position chasing the ball carriers. This isn’t the first time that he chased like a headless chicken in the red and white..
Now, I know he isn’t Partey, but I would have thought with his experience that he was more tactically aware to ensure that we stayed in position as we had always been before his arrival.
So far, it seems that the players around him get sucked in to covering his misdemeanours instead of focusing on their role.
I do not recollect a game where we was caught out due to someone being out of position this season before his arrival, but I could be wrong?
It’s not a personal thing, but if you have a chance to see any past games or any future games when he plays you will see how erratic our midfield becomes.
IJS
Anyway, all our eggs are in one basket now, so let’s just hope last night isn’t pivotal to the rest of the season.
So onwards and upwards
FFS. Ramsdale is a player i have never admired and he showed why. Jorginho careless in possession, fabio weak, nelson faster than his shadow, Holding match rusty etc. I hope this match doesn’t take a toll in the remainder of the season.
Terrible article, and factually wrong. Ramsdale made acrucial save in a one-on-one situation as well.
The goal itself was an inch perfect, wonder strike. Yes, Ramsdale was off his line, not by much, but he’s meant to be in that position. The manager asks him to play sweeper when we have a high line, and the ball was at the halfway line, so Ramsdale was in the correct position. NO keeper would be sat on his line considering where the ball was.
Does the writer even understand how we play?
Nope, nor do some so called supporters on this site
Obviously we didn’t lose because of Ramsdale although he could learn from Martinez in reacting to penalties. I genuinely think we lost this game because we weren’t sure whether we really wanted it. I’ve never seen Arteta look so unsure on the touch line and that uncertainty was reflected in the team selection, the subs, and it transmitted to the team most of whom looked so tentative. With defeat comes clarity so let’s hope that having one mission means we go for it and win it.
What complete tosh.
We win and lose as a team.
My sincere apologies to Ramsdale, other Arsenal players and the coach. Despite providing plenty of highs in the season, some fans have the kind of opinion that this article exposes.
As for me, personally I stand by you no matter what the end of the season will bring. You have made us proud with your skills, ability and attitude. Being one of the youngest, you have the audacity to look the premium league in the eye. So proud of you.
I don’t understand how you are boldly defending aaron..I mean yes,arteta miscalculated abit.xhaka gave a bad pass,and yes,leo missed a golden chance..but none of us would be taking about that if our number 1 did his job and stayed in his box.we don’t blame our players when we loose but this L sits squarely on ramsdales shoulders..
we us arsenal fans and the players game is agame we lose together we win totether that,s how footble is we shuold not bleme gabrial martineli we all do mistake.
So one should consider one error by Ramsdale and discount the number of good saves he made during this game.
As CG stated above; Arsenal wins as a team and loses as a team. No individual should be singled out for condemnation.
We scored a brilliant goal playing out of the back last week.
The one point I agree with here, is the one about Ramsdale’s idiocy and carelessness in positioning himself. He’s amongst the worst showboaters, always trying to do more than expected. Pushing his luck to the limit, as though there’s points column for that. It’s a general disease amongst goal keepers: attempting to dribble, keeping the ball too long, venturing outfield in areas no one expects them to be. Someone needs to drive the point home that, being bold doesn’t mean you have to be stupid.
A fiasco of an article from a writer whose knowledge and understnding of football is extremely poor.
👏👏 perfect response and no one needs to add to it
Say you don’t know anything about football tactics/formations without saying you don’t know anything about football tactics/formations.
That is for all the people blaming Ramsdale.
It was a wonder strike, not predictable. We had further chances to win this match but could not cross the line. Take it on the chin man and grow a pair
Some minds can’t tell criticism of player’s howlers and their abilities. We won’t win anything by “taking it on the chin”. Just like we criticise mistakes by outfield players, Ramsdale is no exception. He’s not a holy cow in the team and that’s not taking away the fact he’s the best goalkeeper in the team. “He” not the fans, needs to grow aspects of his game to minimise mistakes. “He” and not the fans will keep that No:1 position for a long time to come. His couch-defenders will not help or have a say when his performances demote him to backup.
Ramsdale plays exactly how & where he’s instructed to by his coach & manager. He’s not a maverick, he does what he’s told & it cost us a goal, although perhaps you could say that he should be more alert to being lobbed from this distance. But I don’t hold him responsible at all.
In spite of Ramsdale reputation with the club and fans, he deserves to be criticised as much as other players. His bad habit of staying too far out of his goalposts is to blame for being beaten from a shot from mid pitch.
However other reasons including poor passong of the ball and too easy loss of possession were also causes of the merited defeat. I also think that Saka is often overrated tendong to fall to the ground on the not so rare times he looses the ball. Furthermore, Arteta’s rather arrogant underestimation of the opponents in his choice of players in spite of his well meaning intention to rest ‘established’ ones did not help either. Finally calling the defeat a blessing in disguise smells of sour grapes!
I firmly disagree with all those fans – who I REGARD AS NAIVELY WRONG- when they accuse AR of bad positioning for that goal.
AR is expected to be and IS in reality a sweeper keeper, which is one among other reasons, why we bought him to replace LENO, WHO WAS NO GOOD WITH HIS FEET AT ALL.
Keepers and defenders of top quality, as we have now are expected to lue opponents onto a high press and thus leaveosethe opponents too high up t thepitch and chasing helplessly when we break that press.
This is now common among many top teams and even the more ignorant fans we have, REALLY OUGHT to know this rather basic football fact.
The level of naive and ignorant drivel on this thread, concerning RAMSDALE , is deeply saddening to all we fabns who know our onions.
VERY MANY OF US DO, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A GREAT DEAL WHO ARE, ESSENTIALLY, THICK!