GWT: EPL - Matchweek 26 (ft. MW 29)

[Savant]

Yes, depth players will have flaws.

Sure, but they also had all of January to do something about this and did nothing. And it’s not they they had guys coming our of their ears like Arsenal and can eat an injury

 

[luiginb]

Gomez isn't even a starter in your best XI, be serious. Missing your back up CB is nowhere near as impactful as losing the second best RW in the world.

Third

 

[bluesfan94]

Third

Listen, you and I are borderline agreeing right now, let's not let semantics get in the way

 

[robertmac43]

Saka being out has had no negative effect whatsoever. Arsenal does not need Saka to score, assist or defend to succeed, and they’ve largely been fine with out him. Also they have players that can step in.

Come on now, what are we doing here?

Yes. This is ridiculous. That being said Arsenal have way more depth than LFC especially defensively, LFC are bare bone after the first eleven.

Maybe we have more depth but the attack is brutal right now. Arsenal has a front three that is going to heavily feature an ageing Sterling, a 17 year old, and Trossard playing down the middle out of position.

Havertz = out
Martinelli = out
Saka = out
Jesus = out

The attack is in desperate need of reinforcements

 

[Savant]

Gomez isn't even a starter in your best XI, be serious. Missing your back up CB is nowhere near as impactful as losing the second best RW in the world.

Arsenal have not missed Saka. At all. Gomez going down is a domino injury. Leads to rushing Konate back who is playing on pain killers. Leads to rushing Bradley back who is now hurt again. Leads to more Quansah minutes, etc. there’s nothing else back there

 

[bluesfan94]

And it’s not they they had guys coming our of their ears like Arsenal and can eat an injury

Yeah, Arsenal has guys coming out of their ears and yet don't have three senior attackers to start.

 

[Savant]

Come on now, what are we doing here?

Maybe we have more depth but the attack is brutal right now. Arsenal has a front three that is going to heavily feature an ageing Sterling, a 17 year old, and Trossard playing down the middle out of position.

Havertz = out
Martinelli = out
Saka = out
Jesus = out

The attack is in desperate need of reinforcements

Arsenal has dropped points in two(!) league games since Saka got hurt. The Arsenal attack injuries do not matter because they are sustainable set piece scoring and a dozen defenders and defense midfielders

Yeah, Arsenal has guys coming out of their ears and yet don't have three senior attackers to start.

And they’ve only dropped points in two league games since Saka got hurt. And don’t give me this nonsense about three senior attackers when Nwaneri is doing work. Arsenal do not need Saka as long as their set pieces are working. And if Arsenal lose a CB then have like a half dozen other ones

 

[bluesfan94]

Come on now, what are we doing here?

Maybe we have more depth but the attack is brutal right now. Arsenal has a front three that is going to heavily feature an ageing Sterling, a 17 year old, and Trossard playing down the middle out of position.

Havertz = out
Martinelli = out
Saka = out
Jesus = out

The attack is in desperate need of reinforcements

And the defense was like that earlier when Calafiori, Tierney, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Saliba, White, MLS and Timber have all missed time.

Arsenal doesn't even lead the league in set piece goals. Arsenal scored a lot of set piece goals early on but a large part of that was because Saka had incredible set piece deliveries, particularly from corners

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

life is so silly isn't it

 

[bluesfan94]

Arsenal have not missed Saka. At all. Gomez going down is a domino injury. Leads to rushing Konate back who is playing on pain killers. Leads to rushing Bradley back who is now hurt again. Leads to more Quansah minutes, etc. there’s nothing else back there

Good thing Saka's injury hasn't led to anyone else getting hurt. In fact, since Saka got hurt, no other Arsenal attacker has gotten injured and there are no players who have gotten more minutes than desired. What are we doing here?

 

[Savant]

Arsenal have neither lost, nor been shut out of any league game since Saka has been injured.

Is there a lie in this statement?

Good thing Saka's injury hasn't led to anyone else getting hurt. In fact, since Saka got hurt, no other Arsenal attacker has gotten injured and there are no players who have gotten more minutes than desired. What are we doing here?

Stop. Arsenal was over using these guys before the Saka injury, and none of them were regularly playing RW.

 

[robertmac43]

Arsenal has dropped points in two(!) league games since Saka got hurt. The Arsenal attack injuries do not matter because they are sustainable set piece scoring and a dozen defenders and defense midfielders

The trends in our set piece goals say otherwise.

I think its crazy we are even having this conversation - Saka is so important to this team, he stirs the pot in attack, brings the best out of Odegaard, has an engine & great defensive work rate, plus is a huge part in set piece delivery.

 

[Savant]

The trends in our set piece goals say otherwise.

I think its crazy we are even having this conversation - Saka is so important to this team, he stirs the pot in attack, brings the best out of Odegaard, has an engine & great defensive work rate, plus is a huge part in set piece delivery.

What’s is Arsenal’s PL PPG this season without Saka compared to their PL PPG with Saka? That’s all I’m saying.

Meanwhile we see LFC’s defense get worse (and more injured) every week because they are rushing guys back and overplaying guys.

Where are the lies here?

I am not saying Gomez is better than Saka. I am saying the numbers speak for themselves

 

[maclean]

Sure, but they also had all of January to do something about this and did nothing. And it’s not they they had guys coming our of their ears like Arsenal and can eat an injury

Wasn't that long ago you were busting a nut over the youth Liverpool had coming through.

But I'll admit, I now see the wisdom in your claim that injury time shouldn't be used to offset injuries. You set the ridiculousness bar so high, that claiming Arsenal haven't missed Saka seems a tame statement by comparison

 

[robertmac43]

What’s is Arsenal’s PL PPG this season without Saka compared to their PL PPG with Saka? That’s all I’m saying.

Meanwhile we see LFC’s defense get worse (and more injured) every week because they are rushing guys back and overplaying guys.

Where are the lies here?

I am not saying Gomez is better than Saka. I am saying the numbers speak for themselves

It's easy enough to cherry pick stats. Look below - Liverpool has a better record against Villa when Gomez is out of the lineup when you look at his career as a whole, the club should actually feel great that he missed today.

I'm saying this tongue in cheek obviosuly. When Saka was in the lineup earlier we were missing other key pieces that also help Arsenal win.

It should go without saying that Arsenal is a better team when Saka is in the lineup.

 

[bluesfan94]

Generational levels of headloss here from a draw at Villa Park

 

[Savant]

Wasn't that long ago you were busting a nut over the youth Liverpool had coming through.

Not on defense

But I'll admit, I now see the wisdom in your claim that injury time shouldn't be used to offset injuries. You set the ridiculousness bar so high, that claiming Arsenal haven't missed Saka seems a tame statement by comparison

Arsenals record since the Saka injury speaks for itself

It's easy enough to cherry pick stats. Look below - Liverpool has a better record against Villa when Gomez is out of the lineup when you look at his career as a whole, the club should actually feel great that he missed today.

I'm saying this tongue in cheek obviosuly. When Saka was in the lineup earlier we were missing other key pieces that also help Arsenal win.

It should go without saying that Arsenal is a better team when Saka is in the lineup.

View attachment 979303

It’s not about Gomez in isolation. Gomez vs Villa isn’t the point. It’s about the defense getting overplayed because Gomez is covering at least three positions. Look at LFC’s defensive record this season since the Gomez injuries. It’s speaks for itself. Just like Arsenal’s record this season without Saka. It’s not better or worse, it’s a domino effect.

I am not saying Saka is bad. I am saying LFC’s defense is cratering because they can’t rotate. And they can’t rotate for two reasons - they haven’t bought a defender since 2021, and because Their solution to this was always just throw Gomez in. Thats all.

Saka is great. Him being out injured has not negatively affected Arsenal in the PL Table. At all.

 

[Savant]

Generational levels of headloss here from a draw at Villa Park

Call it what you want, but I’m just saying we aren’t going to do the fake surprised thing when this craters for the exact reasons that we said this was going to crater in December. It’ll be self inflicted. It’ll be a choke, but I’m not doing the “OH MY GOD I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING” and no one else should either. It won’t stop people from doing it, but none of this is a surprise

 

[maclean]

Arsenals record since the Saka injury speaks for itself

You mean compared to before, when Odegaard was out? It absolutely doesn't and I'm not going to bother

 

[Savant]

You mean compared to before, when Odegaard was out? It absolutely doesn't and I'm not going to bother

So Odegaard is more important than Saka? Is that the point here? Arsenal have neither lost, nor been shut out, in the league since Saka has been out injured. Thats all I’m saying. Is that incorrect?

 

[bluesfan94]

My favorite thing about the Arsenal has only dropped points in two matches is that it ignores getting kicked out of both cups.

Anyway, Arsenal was averaging 2.29 GPG with Saka and 1.60 without, as well as 0.79 GA with Saka and 0.93 without. So both the offense and defense have both declined. Mind you, this is across all competitions, so the numbers are bolstered by us having a frontloaded UCL schedule. And frankly, had we not put 5 past City, the difference would be all the more stark. Overall Arsenal's GD/match has dropped from 1.5 to 0.67, a drop of 0.83.

For Gomez, Liverpool's GF went from 2.42 to 2.30 and the GA went from 0.83 to 0.96. The GD/match went from 1.58 to 1.33, a drop of 0.25.

So, ultimately, Arsenal's attack got worse by 0.69 GPG compared to Liverpool's dropping by 0.12 GPG. Arsenal's defense got worse by 0.14 GPG compared to Liverpool's 0.13 GPG. In other words, compared to Gomez, Saka's injury was significantly more impactful on the offensive side of the ball, by over a goal every other game, while the impact on defense was comparable, although slightly more impactful on Arsenal than Liverpool.

The numbers don't lie. God I hate that M&A activity is slow in February. Why can't the outlandish shit be said in November and December when I have significantly less free time at work?

So Odegaard is more important than Saka? Is that the point here? Arsenal have neither lost, nor been shut out, in the league since Saka has been out injured. Thats all I’m saying. Is that incorrect?

This is a specious argument because Gomez's injury hasn't led to any league losses for Liverpool.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

You guys are too funny man.

 

[koyvoo]

You guys are too funny man.

That’s one word for it

 

[Epictetus]

Slot's gotta expand the squad. Injuries are happening and it looks he like trusts only a few select players.

 

[Savant]

My favorite thing about the Arsenal has only dropped points in two matches is that it ignores getting kicked out of both cups.

I didn't talk about about the Cups for two reasons. 1. They only come up as a negative when it fits an agenda to come up as a negative; the venn diagram of "Carabao Cup doesn't matter" and "We would have stayed in the Cup if he was healthy" is a flat circle. 2. If he was going to get some rest it likely would have been in a cup game. Also I am talking about league form, so I don't think its particularly relevant to add more variables.

Anyway, Arsenal was averaging 2.29 GPG with Saka and 1.60 without, as well as 0.79 GA with Saka and 0.93 without. So both the offense and defense have both declined. Mind you, this is across all competitions, so the numbers are bolstered by us having a frontloaded UCL schedule. And frankly, had we not put 5 past City, the difference would be all the more stark. Overall Arsenal's GD/match has dropped from 1.5 to 0.67, a drop of 0.83.

For Gomez, Liverpool's GF went from 2.42 to 2.30 and the GA went from 0.83 to 0.96. The GD/match went from 1.58 to 1.33, a drop of 0.25.

So, ultimately, Arsenal's attack got worse by 0.69 GPG compared to Liverpool's dropping by 0.12 GPG. Arsenal's defense got worse by 0.14 GPG compared to Liverpool's 0.13 GPG. In other words, compared to Gomez, Saka's injury was significantly more impactful on the offensive side of the ball, by over a goal every other game, while the impact on defense was comparable, although slightly more impactful on Arsenal than Liverpool.

Yeah I mean these numbers exist, but I am strictly looking at the table. If you want to throw some extra FUD in there be my guest. If you want to find a statistic to fit an agenda go ahead. I am just looking at scorelines and team points totals. That's it.

The numbers don't lie. God I hate that M&A activity is slow in February. Why can't the outlandish shit be said in November and December when I have significantly less free time at work

If it makes you feel better my Q2 is always slow too.

This is a specious argument because Gomez's injury hasn't led to any league losses for Liverpool.

Again its a domino injury. Its cracks in the foundation. They aren't keeping clean sheets anymore. They are giving up dumb late goals (when Gomez is/was regularly a late game see the game out sub as well too). I am just saying; which is completely LFC's fault, Gomez is an important player that they should not have replied on to stay healthy. They had the chance to remedy this and choose not to. This is a fatal mistake. This team has not bought a defender since 2021.

Slot's gotta expand the squad. Injuries are happening and it looks he like trusts only a few select players.

We botched January and now we are self-immolating. What a bummer.