
We had the chances, we had a lot of shots in and around the penalty area but everything we attempted was poor. Welbeck, Ramsey, Alexis either shooting at de Gea from close range or dribbling shots into the grateful arms of the Spanish keeper. It reminded me of some of the Arsenal teams of old. Cesc, Nasri and Rosicky. Wonderful technical players who when found themselves in scoring positions found the keeper rather than the corners of the goal. Maybe I am being hard on those times because I focus on Arsenal far more than other teams but I can't shake the feeling that we often battered teams for 90 minutes always playing against keepers who are having 'one of those days'
Welcome to the first Arsenal Vision Podcast, unfortunately it happened to coincide with arguably our lowest point this season, which is typical of my luck. It's an idea I have been toying with for a while now. There are plenty of Arsenal Podcasts out there but nothing directly after the game when emotions are usually running high. As it was a first go I came across quite a few teething problems. Mainly because my computer needs to be put down and quickly. I also noticed that I have cut off a second or two at the end, not sure how that happened but there we are.

Today it was finishing. It seemed like our best scoring chances were all aimed at DeGea's silhouette, and you can't expect to score that way against a top Premier League keeper. Based upon everything else about those chances, Jack's shot (which should have been chipped), Alexis' header, and Santi's volley should rightfully all have been goals but weren't simply because of where they were aimed

As mentioned this morning, Arsenal have reverted back to a 4-1-4-1 system. Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey are likely to play just ahead of Mikel Arteta unless Arsene goes with the 4-2-3-1 which is probably unlikely. It is a shame to move Alexis away from the central position he played so well in but against a side of the quality of Manchester United the idea was always going to be to try and wrestle control of the game.

Not really. We could well go into the game with a defence of Valencia, Smalling, McNair and Blackett (and you thought Monreal at centre back was bad) so it could get very messy indeed and, if that is the lineup, I would be surprised if Arsenal don't score at least a couple. Hopefully De Gea has one of those games that Brad bloody Friedel used to have against us every season. Of course there is a chance that our attack has one of those golden days but the game plan that has served us so well against Arsenal since 2007 or so is no longer feasible, as we simply aren't solid enough

Oliver Giroud returns to the bench for the first time since he was injured by a ball at Everton while Theo Walcott apparently misses out with a 'little tight groin' as Arsène said. Interestingly though, Theo Walcott was spotted in the training pictures

That kid watching from the colonies is now 55, with three grown-up daughters, three grand-daughters, and a grandson due in November.
Despite my age, I still sulk for two days if the Gunners lose a big match and my wife and kids can instantly tell the result by the shouting and banging coming from the downstairs TV room.
I blame Charlie G and his ’71 team-mates for all this as, 43 years later, I’m splashing down the road on a wet Bank Holiday Monday towards the Emirates Stadium at 9am, ready for a Legends Tour with George as tour leader

Unless we have a team of goldfish, I wonder what the players feel about being caught out twice in the same manner in a matter of days. At a goal up I'd imagine that keeping our shape, making us hard to break down and then using the pace we had in Alexis, Chamberlain and Welbeck. That's even before Theo Walcott comes onto the pitch. Why are we risking being caught after we have fought so hard to get ahead in the first place? Arsène Wenger said in his recent interview that he would have been slaughtered for sitting off at 3-0 and getting punished and yes he has a point but surely it is more difficult to concede when you attempt to protect a lead rather than invite the opposition who are desperately looking for a goal, to exploit huge spaces that you have charitably left behind.

I’ve defended Aaron Ramsey against so much vitriol the last few years, and I was so happy that he had the season he did last year, but he’s making things complicated for himself. In the lead up to Gibbs conceding the foul for the equaliser, Ramsey lost the ball high up the pitch. He seems to have become obsessed with scoring as many as he did last year, and this lack of discipline is costing us dear. As for Flamini, well the less said about his (lack of) positioning, the better - we can’t hope to challenge for the league with a player as indisciplined as him