Morning all.
Another interesting weekend of football fixtures are just a day away.
- Can newly form finding Newcastle Utd spring a surprise at the London Stadium?
- Will the attacking football of Leeds Utd be too much for under fire Maguire to cope with?
- Is there a chance of Brendan Rogers waking his players up in time for kickoff at Wolves?
- Will Patrick Vieira and his Crystal Palace team get something against a wobbling Chelsea team?
- How many goals will Manchester City put past a Totts team who’re getting used to losing again?
- Can Arsenal beat Brentford with a fully fit and healthy squad, unlike on the opening day of the season when injuries and Covid hit the club?
Even though Arsenal dominated the possession statistics and shot numbers during that Friday night fixture, the actual performance was awful. Brentford were excited to be in the Premier League and it showed. At the final whistle their fans were loud and proud, pundits were mixed in their views. Brentford were brilliant, Arsenal were dire.
Look at where both clubs are today though and look at the team Mikel Arteta fielded that night.
Compare that to the starting eleven which fought hard to beat Wolves despite going down to ten men with twenty minutes of the game left to play.
Seven changes and against Wolves Arsenal were without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe, who in my opinion, make Arsenal a stronger team.
I’m not trying to defend Arsenal’s performance against Brentford because it really was awful. Toothless, sloppy, disorganised and if anyone was watching a game of football for the first time, I’m sure they’d have thought it was Arsenal who’d just been promoted. Actually, scrap that, that kind of performance wouldn’t survive in the Championship for long.
Two more fixtures came along with two more limp performances. Three games played and not a point on the board. Not a goal scored either but nine conceded. Ouch!
Then along game Norwich City. Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu teamed up together for the first time in defence with Aaron Ramsdale making his debut. Thomas Partey was on the bench too which was a real boost.
Things were looking up as far as injuries go and Arsenal slowly but surely climbed the League table. As said yesterday, consistency has been lacking but even so, we are where we are today. Who’d have thought that after losing to Chelsea at The Emirates six months ago? Not me that’s for sure.
There’s three months of football left to go this and a lot of hard work to be done and just as Arsenal climbed the table, they can drop too if performances and results dip. Mikel Arteta cannot afford to let that happen and nor can the players.
See you in the comments.
New post up now
Good idea Cicero.
Geoff, is there anything about the club you actually like?
Morning all
Maybe our next stadium should have a fully closeable roof then in winter we can keep the players and fans dry.
Then we can make money by renting it to other clubs who had there match against us cancelled due to bad weather
Good evening all, windy here but no damage so far power, went off just after nine this morning back on half an hour ago. Luckily we have a gas hob so were able to have hot drinks and a romantic, candle lit dinner, fried rump steak mushrooms and tomatoes, no chips though (electric oven) no heating and no WiFi.
The club should rebuild the stadium roof and fit it with solar panels to supply the power for the under-soil heating.
We’ll need a goal or two from midfield or our defenders tomorrow, and we need to dribble with the ball into the Brentford penalty box to draw fouls. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy game, but it is winnable.
And what about the NLD, when will they squeeze that in?
Didn’t I say the PL would stitch us up with the rearranged fixtures?
Oh no Potter, that’s grim. You and Wavy will be busy tomorrow.
Oh well that’s the electric back on 6 1/2hours . 4 fence panels down , the felt off the garage roof great start to the weekend.
Things to do tomorrow.
Six #PL matches that were postponed earlier in the season have been rescheduled for March, while three others have moved
13/3 – Leicester (H)
16/3 – Liverpool (H)
19/3 – Aston Villa (A)
Arsenal will now play 3 times in 6 days due to this rescheduling.
How is this possible?
Ha ha, Evening Sue, we’ve been battered too but as yet, no damage. I know what you mean about Everton, I too think there’s always one looming, or another game where we can’t hit the target.
Lord help us if we get another red.. and Moss!
Evening Lady Penelope, oops I meant Rico 😂
We’ve taken a battering from eunice!! How’s it been where you are? Glad I’m not going to the match tomorrow – the wind, sitting under that leaky roof – it doesn’t appeal 😄
I always feel an ‘Everton performance’ is never too far away, however I don’t think that’ll be the case tomorrow. Tomi should be back, I’m going for 2-0 to the good guys and a red card in the 63rd minute hahaha!
Wavy/Kev – I’ll try and remove it. Give me a few weeks. Lol
I am and have done for a couple of weeks. Really annoying.
ESR, Saka, moving to Dipperland? I doubt it. I think London has far more attractions than scouse! Or pies, or even the Liver building. But, we’ll see, Thomas, Strong and Kennedy went there and sadly thrived.
Martinelli could go anywhere, if he were to leave another Prem club or one of the “big” European sides. Alternatively they could all stay until retirement😇
Should put the wind up Brentford. Should wind comfortably, but I had the same thought at the beginning of the season! 2-0 at a bare minimum.
A bit wild here, to say the least. Have only lost two fence panels so far. Three is the norm, every year! Professional fencers too, not a home done botch!!
I’m not getting it Kev.
Not me Parker..
Must be Sue. 😆
There’s an irritating pop-up on here today.
“Home M’Lady?”
the way things are today it might blow off alltogether.
That’s it our stadium roof leaks, we will have to call the match of due to safety concerns, it will take 2 weeks for the glue to dry that should give us a chance to get our players fit, Just kidding
So who is Lady Penelope ?
I just realised who it is Sadiq Khan reminds me of, Parker from Thunderbirds. 😝
I was optimistic until I read your comment Potter.. lol
I don’t believe any of the rumours, most are probably the media just trying to stir things up because perhaps they see a too happy camp.
That’s good then Kev.
Real Madrid are after Tierney, Marseilles are interested in Saliba, Liverpool want our three musketeers, it’s like the good old days when Vieira was leaving every summer, that’s not been the case for a long long time, Fabregas was probably the last one being tapped up via the media, I guess that’s gotta be progress that other teams want our players.
Apparently Arsenal have got to pay for a new roof as the stadium is getting tatty and the roof leaks. . So that’s one player gone .
Still the rumours are circulating that Liverpool have made a bid for Smith- Rowe , So is this Klopp playing for the three card trick having praised Saka and Martinelli or is he after Arteta’s job.?
Brentford will not be easy , the weather may well have an effect on the game and all is not rosy with our squad . Martinelli suspended , Smith-Rowe carrying a hip injury , Tomiyasu just coming back and maybe not ready yet and is Odegaard 100% ?
If all of them are doubtful it leaves a very bare squad with a couple of kids on the bench .
I am not convinced that the points are in the bag by any means.
Morning Geoff, yes, time will tell.
Having seen Brentford play in the Championship, they were always going to cause a few team’s problems, especially a depleted Arsenal one.
Odegaard? Ok Rico, I saw him in the last training vid. Well that would mean Pepe into the team then I suppose
Morning Rico and all
It feels like old times nobody agreed with me but only time will tell.
Looking forwarded to to this weekend match, Last time we played Brentford they were on a high after making it into the premier league and no one really new how the played, this time around we are more settled and know who to watch out for so hopefully we can take revenge for the lose last time but it’s not going to be easy as they will feel that they have beaten us once they can do it again.
He’s been training on his own Kev, with the coaches. That was Wednesday I think so fingers crossed.
Someone has to come in for Martinelli and Odegaard if the latter is injured.
I just hope that Tomiyasu is fit to start tomorrow, I didn’t see him in the last training video put up on YouTube but that could have been on purpose?
I can’t see any experimental line ups being utilised in this game it’s far too important, play the obvious XI, get the job done, move on…
Morning Kev, they probably will. In fact they’ll probably overtake the rest too barring City.
Anon, that’s the team which beat Wolves 😂
Morning Rico and crew, it seems that Newcastle are being touted as the next mob to overtake Arsenal if those cretins in the media are anything to go on…
No doubt they’ll splash the cash next summer, they may even take a player or two who we’re interested in, therefore it’ll be interesting to see how KSE react, because unlike when Chelsea and Man City won the lottery nobody at Board level can use the stadium as an excuse this time!
Nice line-up for the Brentford match. Martenelli is suspended. Maybe Smith-Rowe will play on the left, with the rest unchanged. Should have enough to beat a Brentford team low in confidence.
COYG
Morning Andrew, all.
Me too, just not tomorrow 😅
Pepe on the left or through the middle perhaps.
Morning rico, good report. I think at some stage we will see Martinelli up front. If it comes off, we could be in business. If it doesn’t we will be short as we suspect.