Daniel1980

I thought he was quite good. He earned the crucial 2nd yellow for Delaney, made a few good passes, participated in the buildup for the 2nd goal. His general play was pretty good. Obviously since it was practically his first time playing with our starting midfielders, his chemistry with them wasn't as good as it could have been, but it will come. Tbh, I don't think Costa could have done much better in that game. That kind of game is difficult for strikers that like playing on the counter.

I thought he played quite well until the conceded goal. But it is rather understandable now why Jose doesn't normally play Luis in the PL games. He does appear a bit soft and lightweight for the PL. He needs to do better against United.

He also urged the referee to show a second yellow card to Delaney. Where there was a confrontation, there was Cesc. Both of our new Spanish lads are loud and hotheaded on the pitch, but I suspect Jose even likes it in a way. Balls and all.

Does anyone have a link to a full match?

It's so hard to be mad at Azpi.

Flawless FK and very good game overall. Once again, one of our best players on the pitch.

Unbelievable goal today. I wish Cesc went forward more. His linkup play is one of his best qualities (passing and vision aside).

I wouldn't call him fantastic. He was good most of the time, but it wasn't one of his best games. He had a few poor moments and missed a free header just before the break. If Fabregas didn't score, it could have cost us 2 points. I love Matic, but he was certainly no better today than Oscar and Fabregas--the players who decided the game--so why should he get more MOTM votes?

Oscar and Cesc both played important part in our win. Ended up voting for Cesc for creating the crucial second goal Barcelona-style and immediately running to the away fans to celebrate. The lad is blue already.

Yeah. But I doubt he's talking about 10 years in the future. Can see him playing for Real Madrid in a few year's time.

Hate the Spanish media. Unluckily for him, Diego makes a perfect scapegoat.

I only hope the criticism he gets for his lack of goals for Spain doesn't affect his confidence when he plays for us.

My point was that it wasn't just a couple of times it happened. Practically all of Cesc's assists from open play and clear-cut chances he created happened when Jose gave him a more free role than the pivot: either a true 4-3-3 or #10. That's impossible to ignore. The only exception is the Burnley game, but in that game Cesc went forward far more often than he does lately. Now he's more defence-minded when he plays in the pivot. If you look at Cesc's average position in matches lately, it's practically next to Matic in the center of the pitch, despite playing for about 20 minutes in a more advanced position. And in the last few games, I didn't see him and Oscar swapping positions much. Oscar played deep against Arsenal to help out the defence, but it's not the same thing as swapping positions or being a true third midfielder. It's undeniable that Cesc participates in attack more when Mikel or Ramires play in the midfield(Man City game being an exception for obvious reasons).

He missed after Cesc's pass just by a few inches. He also had a few good opportunities to score after corner kicks. He could have done better. Maybe he was just unlucky, but I think he also lacks confidence when he plays for Spain after all the criticism he got. And this game won't help his confidence either. But it's not even the chances wasted--he wasn't the only one who wasted chances. Costa is a poor fit for this Spain, IMO. If he plays great for Chelsea, it doesn't mean he'll play great for a possession-based slow build-up team. Tbh, they looked a lot smoother without Costa when he missed the game against Macedonia. Spain NT should either change the way they play (don't think Del Bosque has the guts to do it, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong) or don't play Costa at all.

I feel sorry for him, I really do. Though it doesn't really excuse that he was poor. He wasted a few good chances(even the one created by Cesc). Must be a confidence thing.

I agree. I worded it badly. I don't really mean that he's wasted in the pivot. He's obviously very useful there and distributes the ball better than anyone to the AMs. I mean that he's wasted only in the sense that he could have been even more productive if he actually was the one who receives the ball a bit higher up the pitch, not the other way around.

While it's undeniable that Cesc improved a lot defensively and tactically to play in the pivot, I still would like him to play higher, tbh. I think he's playing too deep most of the time. Most of his assists actually happened when he played a more advanced role in 4-3-3 or as #10. His Burnley assist to Schurrle: although Cesc technically played in the pivot, he went forward a lot in that game and made the assist to Andre from where one would expect a CAM play. His Swansea assist: played as the most advanced midfielder in 4-3-3 after Ramires came on, linked up brilliantly with Hazard, and Costa only had to tap in after Cesc's pass. His Everton assist: played #10 in the beginning and assisted Costa with a through-ball. Also played another through-ball to Costa that could been a goal. vs. Schalke: played the most advanced midfielder in 4-3-3, linked up well with Hazard, scored, played a great through-ball to Hazard. vs. Villa: played in the pivot and spent the majority of the game distributing the ball. Mikel was subbed in and Cesc moved higher. The ball to Costa followed--> Willian's goal. vs. Sporting: after Mikel came on, Cesc moved higher up the pitch and made through-balls to Costa and Salah(which they wasted, but that's another story). His Arsenal assist: played #10 after Mikel came on, which resulted in a FIFA-like though-ball to Costa. So the majority of great chances and assists he created actually happened when Cesc played higher. When he plays in the pivot, he spends most of the time defending and distributing the ball to the AMs, which is a shame. His talent is wasted in the pivot, IMO. He'll be even more productive if he plays a bit more advanced all the time.

Completely agree with this. He's one of the best dribblers out there, and it was frustrating to watch him use it mostly in non-dangerous areas. So far, I'm very pleased with his dribbling this season. Of course it does help that he gets a bit more space now that we have Costa and Fabregas, but still, watching him dribble more aggressively is very encouraging.

Actually, yeah. Not sure, but it looks like he put on some muscle. He doesn't really look lightweight.

It will be probably the yellow kit, but I really want to see the black and turquoise one.

Sad about Ozil's injury. Arsenal will be stronger without him. If his name wasn't Ozil, he would have been on the bench ages ago. Cazorla is much better than the current Ozil anyway. And without Ozil Wenger might actually play with two direct wide players.

That's a worrying trend. Especially considering that games after international breaks are not easy. Tbh, I'm more worried about this game than I was about Arsenal.

Where does it come from? I saw the original on Cope's site and there's nothing about Ballon d'Or. Though even if Cesc did say that, it's not like someone would disagree that if Eden starts scoring more goals, he'll be on the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Even if Cesc didn't say the ballon d'or part, it's still a great compliment, considering he is Messi's former teammate and close friend.

It always amuses me when Arsenal fans use that excuse. Ozil basically has a free role at Arsenal. He doesn't track back, can roam wherever he wants, and still does nothing of use. None of our creative midfielders have the freedom Ozil enjoys.