The Spanish league table is interesting. What I consider the big three in Spain are at the top, with the smallest or less big of the three (by a comfortable distance) in first place.

Atletico Madrid are top with 44 points from 17 games; Real Madrid are second with 37 points from 18 games; and Barcelona are third with 34 points from 18 games. So Atletico have a 7 point lead over Real with a game in hand, and a 10 point lead over Barcelona with a game in hand.

Am I missing something or does this suggest Atletico aren’t missing Partey all that much? Torreira has only started two league games for Atletico this season, so it presumably can’t have anything to do with him replacing Partey adequately.

No worries there, just silly guessing on my part. Be it Özil or Luiz or maybe the previous Mascot, no prizes for getting it right

Uninteresting, but true fact. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned elsewhere, but Mat Ryan and Mustafi played together at Valencia.

https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/n ... popup=true

What Arteta fails to appreciate is that you can't please everyone. Just produce results and others will follow. Young players can't be bothered with all this they just want a chance - give it to them. He does himself no favours with his obsession to prove Willian a good buy. Obvious he was the person who wanted Willian - it had been reported in the newspapers. Put him in the cup teams and Europe and hope he regains form & actually puts in an effort - otherwise he is on the outer.

I have serious reservations about Arteta as a manager. His coaching ability leaves a lot to be desired and his man management and failure to recognise talent, until it is shoved down his throat is a worry.

Everyone has an opinion on Özil
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... senal.html

We didn’t even have a game yesterday

“ I know we didn’t have a game today but that doesn’t mean Arteta can escape from criticism”

What a plonker

1Leno
2Bellerín
16Holding
6Gabriel
17Cédric Soares
25Elneny
34Xhaka
19Pépé
12Willian
35Martinelli
30Nketiah

Substitutes
7Saka
9Lacazette
13Rúnarsson
15Maitland-Niles
18Partey
21Chambers
23David Luiz
28Willock
33Ryan

Too many changes for my liking.

Come on you Gunners

Have we got two sub goalies or am I losing it?

Elneny rightfully scolded by Bellerin for losing the ball, leading to the goal.

And outfought in midfield.

We are looking very shaky at the back.

Are the two mutually exclusive? ;)

Heading out of the cup with barely a whimper at the moment. Only consolation is we’re only one down.

Dreadful stuff so far.

Martinelli not great this half but his energy and movement is very good, we just don't have players who can find him.

He had that one through ball to Nketiah but if Willian ever does beat a man he just turns backwards. In terms of the players were looking to to make us tick it’s useless.

Shocking defending from the centre halves there. Lucky.

Odd that, via selection, we seem to have prioritised the league over this game. We must have a better chance of winning the cup than getting a top 4/6 place.

Some fairly aimless passes into the box. Some players don't look interested.

Saka and Partey on. Disappointed to see Martinelli off.

You and me too.

Agreed. One of Pépé or Willian would have made more sense.

Another foul throw!!!

Unbelievable. We have had so many foul throws this season.

£5,000 fine for a foul throw. That would sort it out

Better. Unlucky Eddie.

Punched out by Walker-Peters. Shouldn't that have been a pen?

Can’t work it out. People were calling our last League game a must win game. Our only must win games from now this season are today (plus the following rounds if we somehow get through) and the Europa League games. I just don’t see us qualifying for Europe next season via a league placing.

Interesting substitution and switch of positions. Going for it I hope.

15 minutes to go. It's taken us far too long to get going. Let's hope it's not too late.

Doh. Pépé free kick. Hopeless.

Ffs Pépé

Very disappointing performance. Oh well.

Hopefully we’ll turn up on Tuesday.

I absolutely get your reasoning Bernard, but I’d rather win the next league game against Southampton than this FA cup tie. In a crazy league year if we get some more wins on the bounce I can see us pushing into 7th to qualify for the Europa. Bearing in mind Someone in that top 7 will probably win that cup it extends European places to 8th does it not?

Just felt like one of those games where we would huff and puff and never bloody score.
Kinda get the feeling in these type of games if we fall behind there is no way back for us.
Just dont feel confident and it felt like that today.
Will be equally hard on Tuesday.
They were full strength but we weren't.
Still should have done better.
Quite clear how important Tierney and Smith Rowe are to Arteta. Not even in the squad.
We did win it last year so not end of the world.

Sad performance and a pathetic way for a club with such a proud tradition in the competition to go out.

I keep saying this but serious decisions have to be made on players........

Nketiah needs a loan, his all round game needs proper development and he can't do that at Arsenal.

Pépé is so consistently inconsistent. I'd get rid if we could afford to take the hit on his transfer fee, which we obviously can't. Who would pay more than about £25m for him now?

I doubted the wisdom of signing Ødegaard from Madrid with only 3 months left in the season and no buy option but boy do we need some creativity from somewhere.

Common theme when we pick the second choice players, we all knew what performance we’d get. We can’t play the same 12 or so players all season so whilst this was a route in to europe it was still a very long shot with all the big teams still left in.
So many players need to leave. Can’t see many teams coming in for them though sadly.
Nketiah needs to be sold and Balogun getting his minutes.

Hopefully saka, Tierney, Partey, smith-Rowe, Aubameyang and lacazette are all fit to play against Southampton on Tuesday. Of the two games that’s the one I want to win. Southampton went full strength today so it will be interesting what team they put out on Tuesday. If they go with the same team as today there is no excuse for us not matching and bettering their workrate and energy

As I’ve said before this is the most average squad we have had since 93 with few decent players in it.

6 of those players that started should be cast out.

Arteta has no choice but to play these turds as they are all he has.

Finances aside Couldn’t care less about not qualifying for Europe. I think playing a bunch of farmers every Thursday is actually part of the problem