LCFC 1-3 Arsenal - Post Match Thread

[BigGibbo]

12 minutes ago, Vestan Pance said:

I think the training ground may be a sign that our main source of players will now be through development. Some seem to have the idea that the training ground itself will attract world class quality signings, even if that were true sadly we don't have the money required to sign them.

Yea, I'd even be happy with signing a bunch of young players from around europe to have Rodgers develop, but we haven't even been doing that. There's been a dearth of talent coming through the championship alone that we haven't tapped into since Maddison and Barnes' successful loan spell. You'd think we'd have been hot on it seeing as our best players have all come through the championship 🤷‍♂️

[Kopfkino]

5 minutes ago, Matt said:

Well we've not really done much about that in terms of strength in depth for the past few summers have we now, we probably have the most depth we've ever had but it's still far from enough and always has been, i've said it every summer for quite a while now.

 

As for the second point, atleast we don't have that excuse going forward, god knows what the excuses for not landing a glove in the two legs were though.

 

You find me another club anywhere in Europe with our relative resources that could assemble a squad to sustain the injuries we have had, the extra games we’ve had to play and still be fighting right at the top of the league. We can all sit on here pretending our opinion is important completely removed from the day to day task of managing a football club at both board level and coaching level and pretend the players are robots that don’t suffer from fatigue 
 

Im sure everyone on here knows the areas we need to improve on, I’m sure everyone at the club does too. What in an ideal world we’d have. And there’s definitely some criticism of the club for failing to help the team out in January in the last two seasons. I just guess some of us prefer not to label any reason we don’t like an ‘excuse’ and shit on the club at every opportunity.

 

You’re right, the excuse does diminish moving forward. We play once a week for most of the season now and will hopefully have injured players returning soonish, the rest will get the chance to have a rest and we can get on the training field a bit more. 

 

[Sunbury Fox]

Not at all surprised by the outcome, given the circumstances.

 

There were several key factors:

 

Arsenal have a fully fit squad apart from their third choice keeper being out, so were able to rotate heavily, unlike us. As a result, they simply had a lot more energy all over the pitch. 

 

Our 3rd/4th choice left back, who was playing his third game in 7 days, was badly exposed by a winger who cost £75m.

 

Our defending off set pieces is quite simply league 2 level. The Luiz goal today, when one of their few decent headers of the ball was left unmarked to head in a simple ball with no real pace or swerve began the rot. 

 

The lack of options to change the game off the bench meant that once we went behind there was no way back.

 

Can't believe that I feel so low when we are 3rd in the league and in the FA Cup quarter final. But you can just see what is coming, given the injuries. I'm just praying we can hold on to top 6 somehow. Really can't see us making top 4 now.

[sishades]

On a brighter note, Spuds are already 3 up against Burnley.

[CosbehFox]

Just now, BigGibbo said:

Yea, I'd even be happy with signing a bunch of young players from around europe to have Rodgers develop, but we haven't even been doing that. There's been a dearth of talent coming through the championship alone that we haven't tapped into since Maddison and Barnes' successful loan spell. You'd think we'd have been hot on it seeing as our best players have all come through the championship 🤷‍♂️

But a domino effect in January. Whoever you sign from has to find their own replacement player. So on and on. The difficultly being PL clubs might have that money to just let go. That’s not the same further down where the disappearance of gate receipts means that a transfer fee pays the wages currently rather than funds the next signing. 
 

Also any Championship club within a shout of the top six are going to avoid selling in the hope of promotion 

[Pliskin]

At least it isn’t devastating news for Barnes! He should be back by April perhaps?

[RowlattsFox]

There is definitely an element of being victims of our own success. Cast our minds back to the start of the season and lots were worried about whether we could compete in the top half, let alone the top 4. There is a good chance we overachieve again but unable to sustain. Injuries certainly won't help.

[BigGibbo]

3 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

But a domino effect in January. Whoever you sign from has to find their own replacement player. So on and on. The difficultly being PL clubs might have that money to just let go. That’s not the same further down where the disappearance of gate receipts means that a transfer fee pays the wages currently rather than funds the next signing. 
 

Also any Championship club within a shout of the top six are going to avoid selling in the hope of promotion 

Maybe to an extent in January but everyone still has their price and I'm talking about the last few seasons in general. 

[Glorious Leicester Fan]

1 minute ago, Babylon said:

I'm sure 8th placed Tottenham and 10th place Arsenal managers are thrilled with their squad. 6th placed Liverpool have coped well with their injuries of late. 

 

We aren't "big six" they are big six because of money and not what they do on the pitch. But we are and have been a top 6 team for some time. 

I’m not saying we haven’t got better players. But like it or not, we are over dependent on certain players. Consequently, it’s not a surprise when they get injured. Other clubs may get away with one or two (Kayne), but they have genuine replacements. And if not, you end up in Liverpool’s position. 

[winteriscoming]

Any news on Evans? 

[Guest StevieLynex]

54 minutes ago, tyfox said:

I think the faster we get fans back into the ground the better. The lads need us more than ever now with all the injuries

Can we play with 32,000 players?

Edited 28 February 2021 by StevieLynex

[Guest Fktf]

Played out the same way that a few of us feared about the villa match during that game - just this time we were up against a better attack that was able to pick through us when we sat in. We need to get back to attacking the game.

 

We'll look better if we play Ricky and Timmy at full back, and get albrighton back in the 11. We need energy on the wings, because that's how we advance it the pitch.

[Guest Fktf]

8 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

At least it isn’t devastating news for Barnes! He should be back by April perhaps?

What's been said?

[rb,lcfc]

all we do is faf around in our 18 yard box let the opposition sort out there defence pass back to goalkeeper who kicks it out for throw in !! great tactics,

[Vestan Pance]

6 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

There is definitely an element of being victims of our own success. Cast our minds back to the start of the season and lots were worried about whether we could compete in the top half, let alone the top 4. There is a good chance we overachieve again but unable to sustain. Injuries certainly won't help.

Definitely, this is part of the problem chasing a top 4 place, you could inadvertently end up in the Europa League🥴 with extra games and no significant extra income to invest in players.

[Bamboo]

If anybody has a logical answer as to why after scoring we completely sacked that game off, I would love to know? 

 

I haven't seen such a poor Arsenal side in my lifetime, albeit relatively short.

 

Yes the disappointment from Thursday, yes the seemingly ever-growing injury list, yes the fatigue of a congested fixture scheduling, yet after 6 minutes we put ourselves in such a positive position, it almost seemed inevitable we'd still find a way to 'give' them an opportunity. Despite how good we've done up to this point in the season the lingering air of complacency always seemed to be in the air, I never felt comfortable in that game and Arsenal didn't even get out of second gear. 

 

 

Edited 28 February 2021 by Bamboo
Felt not fault.

[Ricey]

One thing is for sure, we’ve handled the extra games and congested schedule terribly this season. Both from a medical perspective, but also from a transfer perspective.

 

It was a huge risk to go into this season with such a shallow squad, especially from an attacking perspective. 

 

The restart last season felt tough with the injuries we had, but that was only really Ricardo plus Maddison and Chilwell for the final few games. We now face a lengthy run of matches without Barnes, Maddison, Praet, Justin, Perez, Fofana and Evans, plus Vardy still struggling and a number of players having just returned from injury.

 

I’ve no idea how we approach the next few weeks. I’d sacrifice the FA Cup for starters if we are still in the CL hunt by then.

 

Just got to hope we can scrape some points against Burnley, Brighton and Sheff Utd. Man City is a bonus game and then hope by the time West Ham comes around on the 10th April that the injury situation looks better.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

the main thing is I Hope Barnes is ok

otherwise this looks familiar like last seasons dip in form etc 

 

[Ricey]

3 minutes ago, Bamboo said:

If anybody has a logical answer as to why after scoring we completely sacked that game off, I would love to know? 

 

I haven't seen such a poor Arsenal side in my lifetime, albeit relatively short.

 

Yes the disappointment from Thursday, yes the seemingly ever-growing injury list, yes the fatigue of a congested fixture scheduling, yet after 6 minutes we put ourselves in such a positive position, it almost seemed inevitable we'd still find a way to 'give' them an opportunity. Despite how good we've done up to this point in the season the lingering air of complacency always seemed to be in the air, I never fault comfortable in that game and Arsenal didn't even get out of second gear. 

 

 

Hoping Arsenal came at us so we could hit them on the counter. Not a bad plan, but we just looked shot to bits and couldn’t string any counter attacking moves together.

[The Guvnor]

21 minutes ago, foxfan92 said:

Its not physical tireness so much as muscle tiredness. 

 

They are professional athletes. Of course they have stamina to run for 90 minutes twice a week.

 

But like you saw with Harvey today and so many other of our players this season, if you're not giving the body time to heal you're going to get injuries.

 

If you cant rotate due to the large injury list, players have to find a way of protecting themselves against injury by sometimes taking the foot off the gas. 

 

As a supporter its very frustrating to watch, especially when we know how good we can be, but when you consider the personal we've already got injured and the congested fixture list, something has to give or that injury list will just keep growing.

Sorry still not buying into that, if I recall the season we won the PL we had virtually no injuries and our starting eleven were virtually the same week in week out.

 

[Babylon]

19 minutes ago, Glorious Leicester Fan said:

I’m not saying we haven’t got better players. But like it or not, we are over dependent on certain players. Consequently, it’s not a surprise when they get injured. Other clubs may get away with one or two (Kayne), but they have genuine replacements. And if not, you end up in Liverpool’s position. 

Every club is dependant on certain players.

 

Take Rashford and Bruno out of Man U and they’d be mid table.

[cruzFOX]

Scanning through all the pages one word comes to the top can you guess what it is?

INJURIES!

Why has it happened to us so much?

Do we play with too much intensity or are we not as well conditioned or are we not getting enough rest are we mentally fatigued?

 

Why does it continue to happen?

I think more than anything mental fatigue has been creeping in. Yes of course add a big dollop of bad luck too.

There was an earlier post that kinda nailed it. We've seen in too many games now players that don't have their heads in the game.

Doesn't help that Rogers is not setting them up well. There's a point at which the pendulum swings and it becomes contagious

with too many players being off form. Seeing Barnes get injured like that was sickening. He's over extended his knee for the ball probably trying

too hard to get us back into a game we are chasing when we should be leading. N'didi doesn't make many cockups but today he was

having a real poopy performance so that hand ball just sealed his fate. Ricardo wasn't even attacking going forward like he can instead

opting to pass back. He even played an awful long hospital ball that nearly gave the arses a free hit. Even Nachos who no longer has any

grace saving moments left in him spoons the ball into the stand when 10 yards in front of goal at the end. Icing on the turd cake that was!

 

It's mind blowing we don't have the mental resilience to toughen up and be brave and fight for the points. 

A bad week followed up by a game whose highlights read like a B-movie horror flick.

Forget about anything else now our season rests on how the players pick themselves up from this?

Are they gonna throw in the towel or freakin fight back like real foxes when cornered?

I know what we fans want but we can't be in the stands to do it for them so the players have to step up.

Rogers you have a lot of work to do and some explaining as your not blameless in this mess we're in 

 

[UpTheLeagueFox]

31 minutes ago, Kopfkino said:

You find me another club anywhere in Europe with our relative resources that could assemble a squad to sustain the injuries we have had, the extra games we’ve had to play and still be fighting right at the top of the league.

 

26 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

Cast our minds back to the start of the season and lots were worried about whether we could compete in the top half, let alone the top 4. 

Nice to see the thread have some common sense posts 

[OhYesNdidi]

Such a shame. Without a global pandemic that happens once every 100 years & 10 seasons worth of injuries put into 2 seasons, we’d be about to be playing back to back champions league campaigns. 
 

I can’t see us finishing in the European places this season, I think we’ll finish 8th or 9th. On the plus side, it would give us a great chance to get into the top 4 next season with less games. 

[Glorious Leicester Fan]

4 minutes ago, Babylon said:

Every club is dependant on certain players.

 

Take Rashford and Bruno out of Man U and they’d be mid table.

Maybe, but I would be happy if we could call on Mata, Pogba, James, Cavani, Van De Beck and Greenwood.  Crikey, I’ll be happy if Ole was on our bench.