Here’s the xG graphic for yesterday’s game. Arsenal’s ratio was 1.40 and Tottenham’s was 0.40. This came as a result of sitting back off them, and essentially treating them as we did Manchester City.
If we take a look at the timeline of the goal expectancy, Tottenham were never really in it. The longer the game went on, the less of a true threat we became. Sure, there was a visible lift with 20-minutes to go, but producing a few opportunities with a 0.5% threat is pretty lame.
Worse yet, when we look at Spurs’ pressing, the good news is that there was plenty of it, but the bad news is that Arsenal wasn’t troubled by it, beyond the freakish if wonderful Lamela shot. Which was symptomatic of our inability to string even a modest number of passes together.
Mourinho’s belief that we recovered control in the second half (he told the BBC ) “In the second half we recovered control of the game. In our good moments we made changes to try to win the game” looks erroneous to me. Tottenham, across numerous disciplines, went missing.
Our passing accuracy went down the pan, and bar a few blips, it never matched the peak of the half-our mark.
In broad terms, after the Lamela goal, it was Arsenal that fought hardest for every ball.
Yes, there was a lack of intensity, but I’d be more concerned about the mental frailty of this squad.
Winning the league is lost… But not top four.
With all clubs mixed form anything can happen… 3 points is nothing.. Some fans are crying like we’re in a relegation scrap…… The ropey has looked the easier route for a while, but top four has always been there with all clubs losing games.
Of course key decisions matter. They influence results. When wrong its injustice… Kane didn’t look unfit to me. He was unlucky not to score a couple… Arsenal were not awful either, they played well… That madrid midfielder they got is world class he ran the show…. Alot of our guys didn’t have their best games, this is football mate. Even superhumans like Ronaldo and Messi have off days… If we got smashed 5 – 0 then I’d be agreeing with you.
Because it was never a penalty.
The ball was wide and gone. Not still in play. Noone was playing that ball after. Only the ball boy. You’re right in the fact the rules haven’t changed. Tell me where the ball was in play. Lloris, Lacazette, Sanchez, noone was playing the ball it went off the pitch.
You’re wrong guys.. The shot had already been taken. The ball can’t be in play if its in the stands. Lloris wasn’t making a save, there was no rebound… Like Maureen said post match ‘anyone who thinks thats a penalty must be an Arsenal fan’……. I have been refused many penalties and free kicks for exactly this reason…. Sanchez could still get a yellow card because there was contact… But no way was it a penalty..
Why??
At the time of the challenge the ball was still in play. It’s a penalty all day long. Doesn’t matter if Lacazette got his shot off, Sanchez fouled him after the shot and that’s it. There’s no other way to say it.
^^
This……
I think the league is lost, too many other teams have to keep underperforming.
All about the cup final and Europa, I’d take a win in either over top 4 this season so hoping Jose works it out in those fixtures.
Probably nobody ready for the optimist yet, but look at that table, lets say West Ham, Everton and us all win our game in hand on Chelsea, then there’s only 3 points in it.
We have a lot of winnable games left. Including a massive one against Everton.
Mental frailty is the key. Whenever we get close to being a top side, we **** our pants!
Penalty or no penalty doesn’t matter. We weren’t good enough. How we can put out such an attacking team and create next to nothing is incredible.
On paper and based on form, we should have been comfortable in that game from minute 1. I think there were too many players out there on the day that just didn’t want it enough. Sanchez, Lucas and Lamela the only bright spots. Please don’t talk nonsense about Lamela always being a risk – he’s been sent off twice in a career of 353 games, the first being 9 years ago for Roma and gets a yellow once every 6 games on average. I’ll take his passion and intensity any day of the week.
Kane didn’t look fit, I thought he had gotten over this whole “i’ll play every game even if I’m carrying a knock” thing.
The biggest frustration for me is that Arsenal were awful, they just wanted it more. On our day we would have brushed them aside, I cannot get my head around how we were so poor.
Sorry guys – but blaming a penalty when we were dreadful for the whole game is a joke. We didnt turn up, I am not sure i have seen a worse NLD ever. Arsenal are not a good team. They simply are not. We didnt even make them look good, we played so badly, that despite them playing badly they still won. I am not going to say it was the manager, or the players. This was so bad no-one can escape the fact they did badly. Only thing I can think of is the focus is on Zagreb, and I really cant work out why. That game is all but buried now. we seem to approach the league with a very different attuitude than teh Europa. As i said a few times before, you cant even blame the “squad depth” as at the start of the season (or in December) not one of us would have swapped our squad for that of Leicester, West Ham, villa, Everton…
If that penalty had been given for us I would have laughed and thought it was ridiculous.
The ball was still in play and clattering some one after they have played the ball is deemed a late tackle and thus a foul. The rules haven’t changed.
They haven’t changed the rules either.. For a penalty or free kick to be awarded then the foul has to take place while the ball is in play… The ball was gone.
It was never a penalty. The ball was gone… He’d had his shot.. The ball was off into the stands… Maureen knew and said so….. Losing to the better team then ok.. But losing to a penalty that should never have been given is shocking.. Injustice.