[Albion] Pressing vs Arsenal

[Mellotron]

Sorry to start a whole thread about one thing but, I'm pretty confident that's the best I've EVER seen us press a team.

Thought we'd have to ease off a lot in the second half and - whilst Arsenal came into it slightly more - for the most part we continued at the same intensity.

Never gave them more than 2 seconds on the ball and forced so many turnovers of possession. All without Bissouma as well! Lallana in particular really stepped up to the plate in this regard.

Very, very impressed. Feels like we've fully settled into being a proper Premier League team now. Proud.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Sorry to start a whole thread about one thing but, I'm pretty confident that's the best I've EVER seen us press a team.

Thought we'd have to ease off a lot in the second half and - whilst Arsenal came into it slightly more - for the most part we continued at the same intensity.

Never gave them more than 2 seconds on the ball and forced so many turnovers of possession. All without Bissouma as well! Lallana in particular really stepped up to the plate in this regard.

Very, very impressed. Feels like we've fully settled into being a proper Premier League team now. Proud.

Agree entirely and definitely worthy of a thread.

Ramsdale went long so many times and as a consequence lost possession.

Great demonstration

 

[Stat Brother]

Ha you've saved me from myself.

I'm trying to write a Potter v Arteta thread but I'm tired and can't get the words down.


Potter won the battle but 'lost' the war, mainly due to the intensity of the press, Artie had no answer for it.

I could kind of see some similarities in what they were doing, but Arteta so obviously has a lot more to learn and considerably less time to learn it in.

He had no answer other than 'quick counterattack', which is hardly advanced level management.

I have no idea what was going on with their goal kicks.
'they are pressing us'.
'Moder is marking Partey - that's not fair'.
'play it short anyway'.

Arteta got done today by The Potter Pressmatic 2000.
Unlike Arteta though I have confidence in the fact GPotts Albion will be able to change it around for the very different needs of playing Norwich and then City.

 

[Stat Brother]

Oh and just how shite must Spurs be?

 

[Weststander]

So good, I thought how can we keep that up in the second half. Then we did.

Arteta, Alan Smith and Wilshire all talked about it post match.

 

[studio150]

Really thought that after half time Arsenal would make changes to counter our press when their keeper had the ball, but they didn't seem to have a plan B.

Very brave of us, to effectively go 2 on 2 at the back by pushing Dunk forward to press Smith-Rowe to close down all options.

 

[Sheebo]

The amount of times we won possession back in their half was surely a record for us. Never seen it done quite as well as that from us. Really great tactics from Potter.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Sorry to start a whole thread about one thing but, I'm pretty confident that's the best I've EVER seen us press a team.

Thought we'd have to ease off a lot in the second half and - whilst Arsenal came into it slightly more - for the most part we continued at the same intensity.

Never gave them more than 2 seconds on the ball and forced so many turnovers of possession. All without Bissouma as well! Lallana in particular really stepped up to the plate in this regard.

Very, very impressed. Feels like we've fully settled into being a proper Premier League team now. Proud.

Agreed, great post.

We were brilliant at this from kick off. Especially impressive without Bissouma.

This is also where Maupay comes into his own, there are very few strikers in the league better at defending from the front as we saw again tonight.

And Cucurella is also a great addition to our press, he does not stop running all game.

 

[Clive Walker]

Totally worthy of its own thread.

Pressing maximus to the extreme. Beyond impressed both physically and mentally. Made the arse look clueless and gave the illusion of time wasting which it wasn’t. Just void of ideas.

 

[LamieRobertson]

So good, I thought how can we keep that up in the second half. Then we did.

Arteta, Alan Smith and Wilshire all talked about it post match.

The excuses Smith was making for Arsenal…embarrassing

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

The excuses Smith was making for Arsenal…embarrassing

Oi ! what happened to you at the end of the match

 

[Weststander]

The excuses Smith was making for Arsenal…embarrassing

The experiment with youth at just an average age of just 24.5 and Arteta’s only been there 5 minutes ….. seem to be the stock expressions on a clearly Gooners Sky TV.

He joined Arsenal 7 months after Potter and has had £100m’s of players bought for him.

 

[Sirnormangall]

I thought we showed more energy and desire than them and created many more chances - Arsenal supporters should be disappointed at their lack of effort

 

[stss30]

Cucurella's fitness levels are simply outstanding. Been said a thousand times but hoping to see him and Lamptey on the pitch together asap - hopefully the international break will give Tariq time to get fully up to speed and starting against Norwich.

 

[Codner's Wallop]

This latest performance by the Albion perfectly reflects how the team is progressing and becoming more adaptable under GP.

It proves you DON’T always need big signings but you certainly need to be fluid and play the tactics that match the opposition.

I have a feeling yesterday’s outcome would have been less favourable in the past as we may have chosen to take on Arsenal toe-to-toe rather than adopt our own style of ‘cancel culture’ and render them impotent….

Great performance.

 

[A1X]

Yesterday was the closest for me to how we used to have (better) teams playing against us in our early PL days, Arsenal were basically wholly reliant on long balls over the top hoping Saka or Smith-Rowe would run onto them (and Burn / Duffy both did brilliantly a couple of times to deny them in fairness)

 

[LamieRobertson]

Ramsdale complimented us on it during a post match interview….Arsenal TV just blamed the weather

 

[trueblue]

Sorry to start a whole thread about one thing but, I'm pretty confident that's the best I've EVER seen us press a team.

Thought we'd have to ease off a lot in the second half and - whilst Arsenal came into it slightly more - for the most part we continued at the same intensity.

Never gave them more than 2 seconds on the ball and forced so many turnovers of possession. All without Bissouma as well! Lallana in particular really stepped up to the plate in this regard.

Very, very impressed. Feels like we've fully settled into being a proper Premier League team now. Proud.

Agreed. Though if you read the papers - and a lot of the comments on their websites - Arsenal losing possession was all because of the terrible weather that stopped them playing their devastating attacking football. Strange how we seemed to be able to control the ball and pass it to each other, despite the rain. The Gunners' players must have their own unique micro-climate.

As for the bloke in the Independent, who described it as 'dull'...... you really have to wonder whether he's watched a full football match before. Maybe just goes by 3 minute clips on Youtube if he can't appreciate that there's more to some matches than the scoreline...

 

[fleet]

The press let us push forward so well. I even loved that we put in a few fouls to stop possible counter attacks - a bit nastier than we were last year.