Morning all.
Well that was much better wasn’t it? About time too I’d say, although a big part of me believes it won’t be long before we revert to type. That’s not me being negative, it’s just being a realist. We’ve seen the odd smart performance play out before but seldom can this Arsenal side repeat such good things on a regular basis.
As it turned out, Chelsea were there for the taking and I bet there’s a few players who believe we should have come away with all three points for the first time in a long while and they’d be right.
Ramsey hit the post, Lacazette couldn’t get a good connection to the rebound, Welbeck headed one wide and Xhaka hit one wide too from distance. Mustafi did find a way past Thibaut Courtois with a smart header but his celebration was short lived as an offside flag was raised. Up the other end, the best chance Chelsea had was when Pedro was through with just Petr Cech to beat. Our big keeper stood tall, he wasn’t conceding anything yesterday.
Anyway, 0-0 it ended and yet again, Chelsea finished the game with ten men. David Luiz, a player who always lives close to the edge on a football pitch, went through Sead Kolasinac with his studs. I think what saved our man from a serious injury was right at the last second, he withdrew his leg so the impact was softened. Not much I hasten to add but he’s a lucky man. Lucky not to have been facing the next 6-8 months out of the game. Luiz can say all he likes about having no intent etc etc, but the tackle was horrid and there’s no place in the game for it. Michael Oliver certainly thought so as well. I was surprised Luiz didn’t get sent off earlier in the game when his overhead kick found the face of Laurent Koscielny, after all, it was very similar to the one Sadio Mane was sent off for. Then again, these Premier League referees are so inconsistent with their decision making.
I was surprised to see Alexis Sanchez on the bench. Whether he’s 100% fit or not I don’t know but I thought Arsene Wenger took a huge risk leaving him out. Just as he did by starting Alex Iwobi and that’s not me knocking the Nigerian but on a day like yesterday, we needed experienced and strong players. Wenger made his decision and for once, it didn’t backfire. Not really anyway as at least we didn’t lose.
Chelsea started the match well and looked the better side but just after the quarter of an hour mark, we had a chance to go one up. Welbeck couldn’t keep his header down and over the bar it went. Lacazette had a chance soon after but the big Chelsea keeper blocked it. Our summer signing didn’t have the best of games but he will, give him time to adapt to the English game. Perhaps we’ll see the best of him once he and Alexis link up together. Next for us I think was the Ramsey chance. After some fancy footwork to pass a couple of Chelsea players, it was cruel on him to see his shot hit the post. He deserved a goal but it wasn’t to be.
Before the game finished, Danny Welbeck picked up an injury after overstretching himself, Mustafi’s header from a Xhaka free kick was correctly ruled out for offside and Cech saved one from Hazard. Alexis, Ollie and Elneny were the subs used in place of Lacazette, Iwobi and Welbeck. Oh, and that dirty git Luiz was sent off!
All in all a very good performance from us so a big well done to the manager and the players. But one good performance doesn’t mean all is rosy. An improvement yes, but one point earned at Stamford Bridge doesn’t make amends for a 4-0 loss at Anfield or a 1-0 defeat at Stoke. Nor does it erase the batterings we’ve taken so many times before. What it does do though is set the benchmark. They’ve shown what they can do, they’ve showed they can work hard for the team so now that’s the kind of performance they need to put in each and every game. And Wenger has shown he’s capable of dumping our £42 million man, something he should have done long before now when we need grit in the side. I hope he doesn’t feature in any of our tough away fixtures. Or the home ones… ?
Yes, sometimes we might face a side better on the day but if Wenger and his players give their all, we can’t ask for much more….
Martin Keown has been quoted as saying that yesterday proved there’s life without Alexis and Ozil. So there might be but I’d rather see an Arsenal team with Alexis in it than without and who knows, had he started the match, he might just have taken one of the chances we created…
I guess that’s something we’ll never know, just like we don’t know what the next game will dish up…
Morning all and thank`s El Rico………
Imo Side Show Bob`s attempted over head kick would/should never be a Red card, how can you stop players attempting to score in the box………………..the challenge on Kolasinac was a straight Red and luckily as others have said, Kola rode it and is not in hospital today !
Media make it out as though Lacazette missed an open goal when Rambo hit the post, no way, that would have been unbelievable finishing had he scored, very hard chance and odds against him scoring.
Bit of a mystery who to praise for that performance as we know Wenger doesn`t set out to defend !…………………..although AKB`s will be offering sacrifices to to Lord Zipper for the miracle.
Agree Lc, that rebound was far from a sitter. Good old media numpties eh. Had Mane not been sent off against City, I doubt there’d be a debate over the high kick. But I think Souness is right, if a player is in the box, he knows others will be around him..
I thought the Yellow for Luiz was fair.
The red-definitely appropriate.
Conte was moaning that there was a foul on side show Bob leading up to the challenge on Kolasinac. I thought it was just a tussle with him and Sanchez…
Both the Manchester clubs look like they’ll be fighting it out for the PL. The two remaining spots will be between scum,dippers and hopefully us! Deep joy!!
You wait until we rock up at the two Manchester stadiums Lee, our newly found spirit and desire will nullify the likes of Lukaku, Aguero, Jesus etc etc… 😉
Yeah Rico I’m not being suckered in by one draw at Chelsea….as I said before we’ve been here so many times under Wenger!
We’ll return to type soon….
Ditto Lee….
Dont get Conte trying to shift the blame, even if SSB had been failed by Alexis just before, does that give him the right to try and break Kolas leg?
Personally I would say that Luiz should have seen red for the high kick, as did Mane. It’s nothing to do with intent to hurt an opposition player but about having a duty of care where you don’t play in a way that is ‘liable’ to injure. A swinging football boot at head height comes under this heading I would say.
Another thing !……………………….all on the web yesterday that Alexis was laughing at Lacazette`s miss !………..bollox, he was laughing apollogetically for wacking Ospinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa on the back !……………………honestly, the way they twist thong`s !
Thong`s !!! hahaha…………………..the “o” is next to the “i”………………………..
All managers do that though Lc. Not often do they put their hands up and admit one of theirs made a bad tackle..
With you there Adam…
Think the refs had a memo after the Mane sending off and were told to cool it, it’s not a sending off just a yellow. Yes it’s a foul if you kick someone in the head even with an overhead kick, but it’s not the same level of assault as witnessed later by Luiz. I do think Oliver got it right, in both cases, re Luiz.
What’s the betting Gibbs scores against us next week? Not that I’m a betting man.
Morning all. Sunny but distinctly cold outside. Winter’s nearly here!
Conte will raise a persecution complex to try to pressure referees to be more lenient. Classic Mourinho tactics.
True Wavy ,winter draws on ,which should dampen L C’s ardour.
It’s been a referees instruction for years. Nothing new at all. I remember Van Persie getting sent off in Europe for a far less dangerous raised boot, just trying to control a ball and not strike it goalwards. Red card for me.
Afternoon Rico and All
What’s harder to coach attacking/defending.
Easy to work out strikers are priceless.
No goals away yet…
but he still takes off Hackneygazette.
Like Kev said earlier Man city game was
I thought the change.
One thing stood out..You can’t play
Ozil and Awayday in the same team
against top side’s.
Lets call it an Orange card then !…………………..Wasn`t that supposed to been in the pipeline, an Orange card ?
I cant afford a dampened ardour, Potter !………………………with the cold whether I still have to go down the gym and still workout and for El Rico`s benefit hahaha, today was leg work !…………..Bugarian Split Squat !……….it would turn off Kolasinac !…………………..not that I`m a body builder cos` i dont like all that muscle bound stuff, but a lot of them dont like leg workouts and thats why you see a lot of them with big upper bodies and skinny legs !………may be they watch cartoons and think that is the norm ! ahahaha
Rico are you baking some cakes down the gym ? 🙂
Morning all, nice opener Rico. Nail on head.
I bet the lads have a few bruises this morning, Chelski girls are certainly a bit dirty;-)
I imagine the inquest there is full on, we have now beaten them twice and now drawn in the last three games with them.
No inquest required with our lot, they all played well. The only negative, is that I’m not sure they will do it week in week out, but as long as Le prof recognises this starting eleven did a good job, he may leave out the fancy dans more often. Would we have got a result with Ozil and Theo? I doubt it, but no one really knows.
Let’s hope they can keep the momentum going.
Is jack injured again? Strange he wasn’t even on the bench, as he done well last week.
Hey ho, we didn’t need him, but on another note, if le prof is blamed for losses, he must take some credit for draws and wins when he leaves out those that he doesn’t feel are commited to the club.
Rico, relieved that we passed through the chelsea test unscathed. Greedy, though, I thought we could have nicked the whole three points. Well, I am afraid we have been here many times before – when we totally destroyed ManU 3-0, or the 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool, or even last season when we whipped same chelsea 3-0 in that unforgettable, but satisfying afternoon. The point is, can we be consistent? Can Arsene see his folly in not buying another quality midfielder that can push ozil to perform? Are we going to have a recorse to the same pedestrian football against west brom? Arsene can see that all fans yearn for is team performance and he swims or sinks with a good show or lack of it. And for a very long time, the fans have longed for a response of this kind. Not only against Bournemouth, or cologne, but against the best in the premiership.
We must not relent in pilling up the pressure because this team needs it and pray that this rather huge gap of six points deficit from only five (?) Matches can be overcome. For now, no respite for Wenger and his team.
Seems we are all in agreement that our performance is what should be expected as the norm`when playing not just our rivals, but any team, they all should be shown respect…………..TH14 is saying the same on the net.
If you watched MotD last night there was a great graphic that showed all Arsenal`s players average position in the game and it was as near perfect as posible when looking at their 3-4-3 line up, especially Ramsey and Xhaka being close together where it mattered !.
A bookmaker has given odds on a dead footballer replacing sacked Birmingham City manager Harry Redknapp.
Paddy Power offered 66/1 on ex-Aston Villa and England defender Ugo Ehiogu taking over – a move punters have blasted as “sick”.
The player died in April at the age of 44 following a cardiac arrest.
Paddy Power – which also offered odds of 2,500/1 on Brummie rocker Ozzy Osbourne replacing Redknapp – has apologised for a “genuine error”.
Right I`m off to Paddy Power to see what odds I can get on Herbert Chapman replacing Wenger and if they offer odds on Billy Wright they can fcuk off as no way do I want him back !………………..although I think the odds will be about the same I think Herb is the better bet as it`s easier to do a WM formation on a Ouija Board !
Afternoon Fred, all.
Thanks Meerkat..
Daniel, me too re all three points. We certainly had the better chances..
Rico my thoughts exactly, re post, a good performance, but a missed opportunity, a bit gutted really we didn,t take the 3 points.
I wrote this team off after 3 games, didn,t think they had the hunger for the fight, just stopped playing for the manager, they didn,t care, so why the hell should we. However it does appear that they have some heart for a fight. performances with commitment and maintaining a level of desire and consistency all season long, would go some way to getting the fans back on board, will it last, probably not, but yesterday was certainly better,
Dg, long way to go before I’ll be convinced they want to play for Wenger. I’m always open to be surprised though… lol
Be definitely asking too much of them to show that level of performance on a weekly basis.
Interesting to think, if he had signed all those “I could have/nearly signed him” players, whom would they have replaced and improved upon from yesterday’s team?
Lemar? Mbappe? the two most recent ‘nearly’s’ where would they have played yesterday? If Lemar had been signed and Sanchez allowed to go, would he have replaced him on the bench? I doubt it.
There are so many ‘what only’s and what if’s, but we have to work with what we currently have, and they all proved yesterday that they can rise to the occasion, so no more lame excuses.
Any news about Wheelchair? Absent yesterday, even from the bench and stands. In the treatment room with Santi?
Just against the top six then Dg…
Jack will probably play on Wednesday Meerkat..
Cant wait for Wednesday with hopefully youngsters playing so I have no stress ! 🙂
EL and League Cup = relaxed mind and body . 🙂
Storms here in west Berkshire, so I’ll bid you all a goodnight before I lose the internet…
Catch up tomorrow guys..l.
I’m in London and it’s been tipping it down for over an hour.
Good for the garden though.
With Welbeck unavailable, Wenger has an interesting selection choice for Doncaster, as far as the forwards go. He surely can’t risk Giroud or Alexis or Lacazette in a League Cup tie, can he?
Walcott up front then?
Nketiah, Kev.
Worth a try?
Morning rico1 & all,
Still too many passes in the midfield just for the sake of it, which leaves the team open to being picked off. I really don’t think Xhaka likes being in possession of the ball coz some of his passes are just not need, but he is a solidly built chap & the Club should get a Paddy V type roll model in to shape him.
Anyway, next up for me is WBA @ home. I love the Town?
Morning Rico and all.
GG. I’m glad your having a good time in London.
Morning Gg, Adam and all.
Good to hear you’re enjoying the city Gg, are you not going tomorrow night?
Morning all.
Soak it all up GG!!!
Enjoy every minute.
Glad you’re enjoy the Smoke GG…
Try to get a ticket for the Doncaster game, I’m sure that there’s plenty going and they’re at a reduced price as it’s the League Cup.
Morning All
Morning Rico.
Morning Kev. Are you going tomorrow?
New post up.