What a weekend of football just gone. The results have really done Arsenal a huge favour by opening the door to European football.
Bournemouth drew with Chelsea, Everton drew with Man Utd, Toots were beaten at home by Wolves and the finally, the big one. Watford spanked Liverpool 3-0 and with it, made sure our invincible season cannot be equalled. The funniest thing about that was I didn’t know the score when my brother in law, a huge Liverpool fan, gave me a lift home late on Saturday evening. I thought he was teasing as he’s a funny guy but he wasn’t. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t surprised, in fact he said his team have been rather fortunate over the last couple of weeks, lucky even but as I said to him, sometimes one builds their own luck. Arsenal certainly had their fair share during the 2003/04 season. The Rude van Nistelrooy penalty miss which was hilarious and the penalty given against Portsmouth when Bobby Pires was ‘tripped’ in the box are the two which instantly spring to mind. I wonder sometimes if Mike Riley is still paying us back for that Pompey one.
The not so great result though came in the women’s game where Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea in the Continental Cup Final. I didn’t watch the match but apparently we didn’t deserve to lose, heard that before haven’t we, and it took a last minute goal from Chelsea to win the match. First minute, last minute, it makes no difference really as a game lasts 90 minutes plus added time and they all count. Hopefully Arsenal will bounce back in their next fixture which in against Toots in the FA Cup.
I hope the men can bounce back too from their last cup defeat. Last minute sloppiness both in defence and up front was a reflection of the entire performance really. Lethargic, static, slow and pretty poor all round. Apart from our goal from Auba which had class written all over it.
Tonight we face Portsmouth of course and away from home too. It won’t be easy, especially if we play anything like we did against Olympiacos. What can we expect from Portsmouth? Here’s their last FA Cup performance, or at least some highlights.
The League One side are having a good season. They sit just three points off of automatic promotion with a game in hand over Rotherham and just five points off of top spot. I’d imagine promotion to the Championship is top of their agenda but every club likes a Cup upset. As do the media.
Mikel Arteta has hinted towards a few changes for tonight’s fixture with Pablo Mari expected to make his debut. Reiss Nelson, AMN and Rob Holding could start too. Kieran Tierney is fit and back in full training and now it’s just a case of when Arteta is ready to play him. A place on the bench tonight perhaps.
Arsenal are hurting badly right now but they need to drag their chins off the floor and move on. If they go into this match feeling sorry for themselves, Portsmouth will capitalise on our frailties. Playing any team after a big loss is difficult but it’s also a time to show that this group of players are made of sterner stuff. To show that Arsenal are capable of playing better football than they did on Thursday and for what it’s worth, I think they can. Much better. I also have faith in Mikel Arteta’s ability to shake them up a bit and get a much better performance out of them not only tonight but the rest of the season too.
As said earlier, the Champions League places in the Premiership are very much up for grabs, but for now, so is the FA Cup.
See you in the comments guys.
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Hi Vcc, yes, I’m sure it was Dean.
Morning Adam, all.
New post up now
I seem to recall Fergie complained about a referee and asked not to have him officiate any ManUre games many moons ago??????.
Surely Mr Dean needs investigating. EVERY time he refs our games he does his utmost to assist the opposition. He is a complete knob.
And yet the media never pick up on it.
Even Jermain Jenas ( ex Spurs) said he was a joke!!!!!!!!!
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I
So we’ll never be rid of him, Cicero ☹
He’s fifty-one Sue, he must retire soon and the sooner the better. Unfortunately there is a place waiting for him in the ref’s retirement home at Stockley Park.
He was booked for the way he placed the ball for a free kick – ridiculous!! And to be fair, I’d struggle keeping my cool round Mike Dean, what a complete prat that bloke is!
started to get worried when i sore the ref but only started to relax when we got the second goal fingers crossed for Torreira, getting worried about Guendouzi starting to mouth off a bit to much to the wrong Refs
Mari looked pretty damn good first up.
Composure won’t be an issue with him.
Wada? was a!!!
Entirely forgettable first half apart from the goal from Sokratis. Much improved second half made easier by Nketiah’s strike. Clean sheet and a win despite Mike Bloody Dean’s best efforts to hand every possible advantage to Pompey.
Although Luiz got MotM I thought he should share it with Nelson who makes Pepe look slow and cumbersome by comparison.
A good steady start by Mari Wada a bonus.
I hope Torreira isn’t too badly injured, we need him in the side to replace Guendouzi.
Sorted! The draw is on Wednesday, after Sheff Wed v City… please be kind 😃
You didn’t miss much Kev.
But we won, so all good.
Torreira sounds ok, but I thought he would be!
Job done, forget tonight, move on, pleased to see Eddie score again, Martinelli sounded good again from what I heard on the radio, good to see (or hear) that Nelson, Saka and Mari did ok.
Without a doubt Mike! I bet he’s gutted now it’s 2-0….
Nice goal. Maybe out of Dean’s reach now.
And it’s suddenly 2.
Could end up 4-5 here.
Mike, it’s rubbish, but they’re making it scrappy, Dean is doing his bit and we aren’t really handling it well, but that was a fantastic goal.
Sue, Dean is an arse! If he can give Portsmouth a chance he will.
Hi Kev, yeah let’s just get this game won please! And no smug Twitter posts after a game we should walk.
This is absolute pony so far.
Again.
Mmmm I think it was more luck than judgement Scott! Didn’t deserve it but thank goodness for that.
Hey Mike, I’ve been told by someone who was at the game and was sitting in line with the Linesman that Aubameyang was offside the other night, so the fact he missed wouldn’t have mattered anyway because the linesman put his flag up…
Anyway winning 1-0, let’s just win the bloody game and get out of that dump.
I will amazed if we don’t see red and Portsmouth aren’t given a penalty! Mike Dean makes me sick!
Portsmouth are doing exactly what we thought, and doing it well but the quality came through.
What a superb finish!!
Thank you.
Ps what a cheat as usual.
Goendouzi booked for sarcasm to Dean. Torreira off on stretcher with oxygen. Arsenal playing backwards. Pompey had twice the amount of efforts. Yet another enjoyable night watching Arsenal! Step it for Christ sake.
Can someone tell Arsenal this isn’t a walking football match!
We look like a pub side.
Sorry folks my point was , Footballers are paid to play football……..A lot of money …..If they cock up, they should be told.not felt sorry for!
Got caught up in my rant there..
Well said Kev ! I’m getting a bit sick of players posting on WHEREVER when nothing is won , achieved or whatever. Are we supposed to feel sorry for poor old Aubameyang because he missed a sitter and is a bit depressed that we are out of Europe. Christ ! how do us fans feel !
If I don’t connect something up correctly, panels don’t work, drill through a pipe etc, etc (cock up at work) I get an absolute Bollockin’ or maybe the sack.
Footballers are such a bunch of self important pansies these days it makes me sick.
Ok my rant over too.
Cicero…..get a grip young man. Your obviously far too excited. 😉
Good to see Holding back in contention, I’ve been looking forward to seeing Mari in action too.
Dinner on the table shortly, I’ll watch the recording a bit later.
C’mon The Gunners!!
Bloody “n” too close to the “b” on my Kindle. 😕
Suns, Leno, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Pepe, Ceballos, Holding, Lacazette.
Martinez, Sokratis, Luiz, Mari, Saka, Guendouzi, Torreira, Willock, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah.
Mari starts.
Ha, it does me too Kev!!
Not a very confident lot are we 🙂 🙂
Now, I remember when I was, and George Graham was manager. Defence meant defence.
But the West Ham game worries me Sue 😄
It’s going to be tough tonight Sue, for sure, but losing tonight isn’t acceptable in my book, we have a squad of players who need to man up and stop going on Snapchat and Twitter and focus on their jobs.
If it means going into extra time etc then so be it, get on with it and get the job done…
Rant over…. 😃
That was my point, Rico, it sounds better to be League One than Division 3, but they are still way below us!…………………it will be a thrashing, bring on the next victims! hahaha
https://mobile.twitter.com/FootyHumour/status/1233869026549551104
😂 love this!
That’s all bit too far in the future Hobart, let’s just concentrate on winning tonight. 😉
Am I right in thinking that UEFA cup qualification has become a much easier task.
With Man Cities Euro ban it looks like the top 5 will qualify for the Champions league. Which means 6th becomes a UEFA cup spot.
Add in Cities Carabou cup place and top 7 becomes a UEFA cup slot.
So if we win the FA cup we get a UEFA cup slot, but if Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, Man City, Leicester, or Man Utd win the FA Cup then 8th becomes a UEFA cup slot.
We’re only 3 points off that……
Good post thanks Rico, afternoon fellow sufferers!
I bet Portsmouth are licking their lips at the prospect of facing Arsenal tonight.
As Kev pointed out , they will be banging in loads of crosses and trying to get as many corners as possible. We must sort our defending for corners out, it’s a joke when you see 5ft players trying to defend against 6ft 5 giants !
At the other end, we might as well just give the ball back when we get a corner. We don’t seem to be able to take a decent one.
We’ve been here before where in one week we get knocked out of everything. I’m hoping Mikel has toughened us up a bit and we can put Portsmouth to the sword like we should be able to.
Thanks Rico/afternoon all
The team will be interesting tonight,who will play Left Back ? Surely Saka will be rested,I see Kolasinac has been ruled out for a few weeks,AMN ?
COYG
How right you are, Potter… Bradford, Birmingham are 2 of mine! I reckon we could have a whole post dedicated to this hahaha!!
Thanks Sue,
Hopefully she wins me enough cash to head back to North London soon 🙂
*Forest 😂😂😂
Sue the list of Arsenal cock ups is a long held tradition . Too many to list but Swindon and, Wrexham are top of my list..
Nice post btw, Rico! Are you buzzing as much as I am over Mr Deeney and co?!! That was just the job after Thursday… I’ve been smiling so much my face is aching!
Other results went our way too, as you say… if we can beat West Ham on Saturday and other results happen to go our way, things will be very interesting indeed!!
Kev.. wouldn’t it be typical if we go out, after loving – & laughing – at the results over the weekend!!
The more I read about them, their fans, their ‘fortress’ and for it to be so soon after the disappointment of Thursday, I am really nervous, and keep thinking about a certain Forset game!!
Looks like the amber nectars are on you then, Scott 👍😀 Nice one!!
Hahaha Potter, I’m sure there are still a few cheats around, but give your dog to the top trainers, and they’ll do the right thing.
Hi All Fingers crossed for tonight match lets hope the players go for the kill early and don’t think t’s going to be a walk in the park
https://www.facebook.com/100044602681677/posts/137735927723163/?d=n
Hopefully that works….
So no surreptitious bowls of water with a bit of porridge in it . Sounds much better than a seedy night in the rain.
As for Pompey we need to concentrate on preventing the crosses early and no stupid corners and free kicks , then just get on with playing our game and it should be fine .
Thanks Geoff.
She keeps surprising us hahaha
HI Scott good news about your dog
https://www.gunnerstown.com/arsenal/2020/03/02/heads-up-on-portsmouth-pompey-hoping-toxic-atmosphere-will-help-stop-gunners-from-firing/
I saw some very brief highlights of a recent Portsmouth game and they put in a string of crosses, Seddon looked dangerous.
Potter,
As I say, prizemoney is so good here that trainers don’t need to play games with dogs.
They’re almost always trying to win.
Our trainer is an all time great in the sport and we know enough about the form of dogs to know when we are a chance or not.
The industry is run so differently her to England, Ireland and the USA it’s not funny.
We’d have probably 10-12 races each year worth more than 100k to the winner including one worth a million.
Do you get inside info Scott like they used to at Walthamstow and catford when some of my mates had dogs.
Cicero, we can back our own dogs here in Oz, but the prizemoney is good so no real need to 🙂
I thinks she’s won around $17k in 6 starts so great start to her career but I know one or two guys who’ve won more than that backing her lol
Fantastic little dog, she is.
You must be making a fortune in prize money Scott, even if you can’t bet on your own dog. 😉
Thanks for the post Rico, and morning all…
I’m really not sure about tonight’s game because I’m not sure about the line up.
If Arteta makes too many changes we might come unstuck, but fresh minds and fresh legs are going to be needed against a Pompey team who’ll treat this as their cup final.
High balls into the box again I reckon, so if Mari plays it’ll be a tough baptism, but then top level Brazilian football is tough and he’s had to fight all the way to have a career in football.
We’re gonna need an XI who don’t shirk a physical challenge as there will be a lot of them and you can bet that Dean will let a lot go, the poisonous little dwarf…
Extra time and penalties?
Morning all.
Our dog just won again.
5 wins from 6 starts and I’m buzzing 🙂 🙂
Got word that our other dog, Rocastle, who is yet to start due to a lot of ongoing issues could be an absolute superstar and that’s no exaggeration but then, with that name 🙂 🙂
I hope Arteta takes Portsmouth seriously as an FA cup final win would be a hell of a great thing for us this season!!!
But the gap is still the same Lc, because we’d have been in the 1st division
The match tonight is not one to be taken lightly, Pompey’s record over recent times is formidable.
Fortress Fratton, as they are calling it, has been breached just once in League One since Jan 12 last year. It was Peterborough who did the job, with Toney scoring twice in a 3-2 win in April. In all the weeks and months since, no other team has left the south coast with three points.
More recently, no team has left Fratton Park with any points at all: Friday’s 3-0 victory over Rochdale was Portsmouth’s 10th consecutive home victory in all competitions, and they are the only side in the EFL to remain unbeaten at home this season.
Still we can look back fondly to 2004…when the home crowd took the remarkable, unlikely step of singing Thierry Henry’s name after the Frenchman had helped Arsenal to defeat Portsmouth 5-1 in the FA Cup.
Nice one Rico.
In old money Pompey are in the 3rd divsion of the league, this will be a comfortable walk in the park for the mighty Arse`!………………………….I wil still hide behind the sofa though! 😆