Daily Bits and Bobs

A draw on the cards?

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Happy birthday to Arsene Wenger who is 67 today. Most of us would be considering retirement at such an age and maybe he is but in the meantime, all we can hope is that his newly found mojo remains for the rest of the season. But we are heading towards a month which so often in the past, has really mucked up our league challenge. November! That’s the first hiccup, the second then arrives around March/April if not before.

Right now though, Arsenal appear to be in good form, winning nine and drawing two of our last eleven matches. The last seven fixtures have seen us secure maximum points. Good, but this bunch of players can’t sit back and think all is rosy, neither can the manager as there’s always something which can be improved on and in our case, it’s we are conceding goals too easily.

Middlesbrough however have not won since the second match of the season and their manager will be keen to stop such a rotten run of form. Funny enough though, they have a decent record against Arsenal having lost only one of the last six league matches against us, although four of those matches ended in a draw.

The last time we played Boro was back in the 2014/15 season in a FA Cup fifth round match. Olivier Giroud scored twice that day sending us through to what would be an FA Cup winning season but the one we’ll all remember best though is January 2006 when Arsenal were simply too good on the day. 7-0 was the final result.

History and form:

  • The Gunners have scored 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 goals in Premier League matches against Middlesbrough – one of four clubs to do so against another in Premier League history (also Chelsea vs Sunderland, Everton vs Sunderland and Man City vs Norwich).
  •  Mesut Ozil has been directly involved in 51 goals in 90 league games for Arsenal (18 goals, 33 assists), the same total he had after 90 La Liga games for Real Madrid (14 goals, 37 assists).
  •  Boro have kept just one clean sheet in their last 19 away Premier League fixtures, away at West Brom.

Granit Xhaka is suspended for this match and the next two. Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck miss out through injury, as do Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud Chuba Akpom. Grant Leadbitter is injured for ‘Boro and both James Husband and Fabio will undergo late fitness tests. The visitors will also be without Calum Chambers.

Boro don’t park the bus apparently so this could be a very open and entertaining game, one which you’d put your last 5op on us to win. Perhaps..

Have a great day guys.

rico

105 thoughts on “A draw on the cards?”

  1. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    We really ought to be winning this one.
    If the lads show up, it should be comfortable.
    We are on a roll, so let’s hope the intensity is there and we put them away.

  13. kelsey says:

    Morning Rico and all.

    We should win this comfortably butunder 3 days rest since our CL game but we didn’t go full throttle in that one.

    For those who have never been there Middlesborough is yet another shite hole of northern England 😉

  15. Bob John says:

    Hi all
    Good stat about the goals against Boro. Thought we may have done the same against Everton but can’t remember a 5 against them. Definitely a 6 and 7 and several 4s

  17. Obi says:

    Easy 4-0 victory. Btw my boy Perez post CL interview said he expects to do “big things” at Arsenal and it’s just a matter of time. Maybe the rumours about OG being on his way out is true.

    On previous post, Rico, Scott, and Adam good points on Pep and managers adjusting tactics. Pep did adjust his tactics against Barce and they still got punished because his holding midfieder cant hold on to the ball and pressing after the ball is in play didn’t work. EPL may not be the most attractive league, but it’s the most demanding. Pep is finding that out, he’s no longer playing possibly 3 difficult league games and then concentrate on CL. Before CL game City played Everton, Barce played Deportivo, big difference. It’s hard to argue that he doesn’t have his players yet, when he spent over 100m on 4 players.

  19. Joaquim Moreira says:

    line-up:

    Arsenal XI: Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi, Alexis

    •Arsenal substitutes: Ospina, Gabriel, Gibbs, Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lucas

  20. Tsgh says:

    9 minutes gone but AW needs a player in January to compliment Santi.imho
    Ozil and Santi are dropping deeper by the minute.
    Afternoon all btw

  23. Tsgh says:

    Cech struggling with long range as usual…
    Element is doing well in the deeper role but him using higher passes

  28. BT62 Gooner says:

    Not bad Ts…how about yourself?

    Trylng to keep up with Chinese commentary… Lol

    Bloody great picture though..

  34. Joaquim Moreira says:

    brrrrrr..
    I’m watching on my Tv 🙂
    Ozil can’y play too games a week.
    TW also
    We were lucky not to be down
    and of course, we didn’t shoot

  43. Wavy says:

    Same old Arsenal! We had an opportunity to get a little daylight between us and the rest of the pack, at least until tomorrow! But what do we do? We fail to score and judging from the radio commentary we could and perhaps should have have conceded, several! Euro hangover? Perhaps, only positive, we didn’t lose and the defensive Arsenal players will have earned me a shed load of fantasy football points! Shame the forwards couldn’t oblige though.
    I thought that if we played in CL on a Wednesday we should be scheduled to play on the next Sunday. How come we didn’t? The extra day’s rest may well have made all the difference. Am I sniffing a conspiracy here? Didn’t Man shitty play on Tuesday? Mmm?

  44. Le Coq Monster says:

    Thanks Mystic Rico for the correct headline !. 🙂

    Like I always say, I`d rather have lost to the Bulgarians and beat `Boro !……………….although nice to watch a six niller, I would have rested players on Wednesday.

    He may be at retirement age our Arsene, but would you give up work on £8M per year just to get a state pension of £155.65 per week ?………….not sure what he would get in France, but I bet it involves onions and garlic rations !.

    Anyway !…………….who`s pissed off like me for dropping 2 points !…………………….to easy !……………….who`s not pissed off then ? 🙂

  45. kelsey says:

    Top of the league but today,Swansea and Burnley was not title winning form.Half the league will play like that against us.Why pump high balls into the area with Sanchez and Walcott the only ones to receive,

    Theo played well,Ozil hardly in the game and we are far to reliant on him and Sanchez that’s why we need at least two players of that quality to supplement the team.

    I seriously worry about our defene,huge gaps time and time again.

    A point gained or two dropped.At least we have two very good keepers.IMO Cech saved us roday.

  46. Obi says:

    It’s just this simple I said it before Santi is the most important player on this team because he allows Ozil to be Ozil and Sanchez to be Sanchez…. when ever he’s missing there is no movement or creative, that’s why AW don’t rest him.

  48. Le Coq Monster says:

    Wont be top of the league for long as Liverpool are showing what to do with over 70% possession !………………We had 75% and nothing to show for it !…………….we only had 43% vs the Bulgarians and scored 6 !…………..should have given `boro more of the ball !. hahaha

  49. Le Coq Monster says:

    You must remember that we had a lot of the ball, Adam. 🙂

    In days of old when I had 75% poossesion of a woman`s body on a date, I`m sure I scored !…………………………..Our motto is Victoria Concordia Crescit !………………should have been……………..et omnes foreplay nulla penetratio…………..all foreplay and no penetration. 🙂

  51. potter says:

    I suppose the Cazorla back up was meant to be Wilshere , we had no schemer today and with Elneny and Coquelin as two holding midfielders we were too slow in the build up and they were prepared to give them as much of the ball as they wanted. This meant that they could double up on Ozil , Sanchez and Walcott allowing them no space or time. It was clever tactics and we fell into the trap letting them set themselves and with Traore’s pace draw us forward and hit us on the break. Today was one of the days that Cech saved our bacon and the point.
    Incidentally was Ozil offside.

  53. Obi says:

    Ts @ 8:51, you have always said it though, that when Santi is not there the attack starts too deep. Btw Ts we couldve used Jody Classie today.

  68. Joaquim Moreira says:

    Coquelin and Elheny together do not work. . They are similar players. Remove role each other.
    Without Santi, the team does not work.
    As last year, Santi output was the beginning of the fall.
    I hope Giroud arrives fast.

  69. allezkev says:

    Depends on the opposition JM, if you are playing a team that has a 9 man defence then Coquelin and Elneny are probably not inventive enough…

    Against Man City at the Etihad maybe they’d be a better fit…?

  70. allezkev says:

    Sunderland playing Wednesday in the EFLCup, means they won’t get a whole week to work on a system to stop Arsenal, as we saw with Middlesbrough. That’ll hopefully help us at their place next weekend, at a venue which is not a lucky ground for Arsenal teams in recent years.

    Actually (a) to Sunderland is never a positive for us…
    Past visits to Roker Park and the Stadium of Light remain among my least favourite memories of Arsenal away days….

  71. Obi says:

    I guess Pep and AW share the same philosophy….I just heard Pep say he will play all midfielders if he was able to…. That is very strange consider he has one of the best strikers in the world in Aguero. I guess the striker position is a dying breed for those two.

  75. Marshall says:

    Hi all, seems everyone at the top of the table is dropping points. Pep is coming to terms with how strong this league is…

    Yesterday’s game I feel we were lucky not to lose- pretty much thanks to Cech. Rotation will be key cause playing on Wednesday and Saturday is taking a toll. Even Bellerin seemed slower!

    We are still within touching distance…I wonder what excuse they’ll come up for Pogba this time.

  76. Obi says:

    Marshall, maybe they will finally realized he’s overrated and overhype. Anyone looks good going forwrd with Vidal, Asamoah, Priolo, Issla and Marchisio around. 90m, really? Talk about corruption in football.

  79. allezkev says:

    Adam ?

    I’ll go if you wanna come along mate…
    I’m sure you’d enjoy a nice relaxing trip up the M1 with me at the wheel… ?

  80. Le Coq Monster says:

    Agree there Rico !………………..as good as it is Mansour City, Spuds and Manshafter dropping points ( would have preferred Manshafter/Chav draw ), I`m still pissed off at us not being able to beat Middlesomething !………….yeah, it will be nice to beat Reading on Tuesday, but I`d rather lose if it meant beating Sunderland away on Saturday !……………the league( if we`re in the running) will always come before anything else !……………fcuking Middlesomething bastards ruining my weekend and it looked so promising at 2:45pm on Saturday when I was sexually aroused by the Spuds dropping 2 points !……………….It`s been a limp weekend since our game ended ! hahaha

  81. Le Coq Monster says:

    Mmmmmm……………….One point between the top 5 !………… but just noticed the Spuds have dropped down to 5th………not so limp after all !. hahaha

  86. Obi says:

    Tough day for Jose, he can only blame himself, “almost the same team he underachieved with just dismantled the team he is underachieving with” – Robbie Mustoe. Classic.

  87. Wavy says:

    LC, what you need for your affliction of a ‘limp w’end, is a lump of Vi gara! It comes blue(navy) and white! Ha ha!
    Pep’s experiment, presently continues to fail……what a shame. Sometimes being in ‘total control’ is not the best way forward.
    As for the dwarf, he’s getting his, I think. Only hope is that we do for him and his too! Arsenal rolling manure in the sh1t would give me and so many others sooooooo much pleasure.

    Night all, sweet dreams.

  92. tsgh says:

    Hmm, does a wannabe grime artist who seconds as an over rated player £80 million player stop a 4-0 thrashing? 😛

    Maybe Jose could do with another Fernando Santos or Ranieri or, del Bosque or even a Pelligrini to build a top team for him so he can take credit for being the best manager since Arrigo Sacchi. After taking swipes at Cruyff and AW and not giving much respect to Sir Bobby I would love Jose to be barnished to manage a team in Kazasthan..

  93. scottfromoz says:

    Joe Say is a legend…..in his own mind lol.
    He leads with his chin so gets tapped on it every time people get the chance.
    Truly a scumbag of a man.
    Morning all.

  98. tsgh says:

    Scott- a cyber fiver from me on your bet… lol; my only disclaimer is he will start his second season but he will not finish it.
    Hoe- say’s henchman Jorge Mendes can’t save him when yanited start plotting

  99. Le Coq Monster says:

    Morning all……………………………..I`ll bet my LEGO house that Wenger still doesn`t beat Jose !.

  103. Le Coq Monster says:

    You`re right Scott !…………………we need some “hard” Bruce`s !…………a few naked photo`s of Skippy should do the job ! 😆

  105. tsgh says:

    Le Coq- so true but you know that is an aside. 😛
    You know Jose would rather beat AW 10 times than say ‘Hail Mary’s’ 🙂

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