Morning all.
The sun was shining, The Emirates Stadium filling steadily as kick off approached. David Luiz issued a final few words of wisdom as the players huddled together before Craig Pawson blew his whistle.
Mikel Arteta took to his seat in the dugout for the first time at The Emirates. As head coach I mean, although I did expect his welcome to be warmer than it was. Perhaps it was but the microphones didn’t pick it up.
Granit Xhaka wasn’t in the squad. Illness the reason offered although the cynics amongst us might be tempted to believe there’s more to it. Like a swift departure on the 1st January as long as Hertha Berlin agree the right fee for him.
As expected, those who were listed as being doubtful for this match were absent, leaving AMN and Saka playing at right back and left back respectively. Guendouzi replaced Xhaka and Chambers returned in place of Sokratis. The rest of the team was the same as the one which drew against Bournemouth.
Arsenal started well, in fact the best seen by this team in months, maybe even a year or more. We were first to the ball, pressed and harried the Chelsea players and we looked good. Totally in control too. Arsenal looked nothing like the group of players they were just a couple of months ago which suggests that whatever Mikel Arteta is saying or doing, they are with him all the way. Early days I know but unlike the unbeaten run under Unai Emery whilst the team remained all at sea, at least now we look like a team who are not only working hard but are more organised, together and disciplined. Ozil, Auba, AMN, Nelson and Luiz in particular, look more interested.
We deserved our lead. An Ozil corner, a flicked head on by Chambers followed by the kind of finish seldom seen from our captain. A headed goal, one he had to be on his toes to take and he did.
Frank Lampard didn’t hesitate to make a change after watching his side struggle to get involved in the game with Jorginho coming on. They improved but still, we had chances to extend our lead. We didn’t take them which in the end, cost us the victory.
Their late goals were of our own making. Leno had a mad few minutes, Jorginho shoved Torreira to the ground before scoring their equaliser and then Mustafi gave Abraham too much space to turn and shoot. Rotten fortune and undeserved but them I’m biased. Being overly critical, at 1-1 we should perhaps tried to defend the point instead of going in search of a winner before getting hit on the break, but I get it, this team needs a win. It’ll come, perhaps when Mesut Ozil’s fitness levels improve, perhaps when Ceballos is fit and able to replace him because there’s no denying the German had one of his best games since Alexis left.
I can’t recall the last time we played so well for such a long period of time. We were organised, compact, disciplined and if anyone wants to believe Chelsea were simply poor, fine but I think the way we were playing left them void of ideas. Lampard made an early change with Jorginho replacing Emerson but even though that seemed to cause us a few problems, we dealt with them comfortably and it was us who had the better opportunities to score.
Aubameyang’s goal was excellent. The knock on from Chambers, the headed finish by our captain which in itself was a rarity. Again though, not taking the chances we created during our good spell turned our to be our downfall.
To lose Chambers to injury was a real setback for the team, and especially for the player but even so, for the majority of the game, we defended well as a unit. Our two fill in full backs did really well I thought and watching Aubameyang cover nearly every blade of grass was excellent. Not just because he was tracking back, but because he was winning the ball back too. He certainly helped his young teammate behind him.
As for Craig Pawson, he was a disgrace. Failing to book Jorginho a second time after he pulled Guendouzi back, stopping our attacking move in the process, was a really poor error of judgement. Instead he preferred to book Torreira for protesting too much. Then just minutes later when AMN pulled a Chelsea player back in almost identical fashion and Pawson swiftly produced a yellow card. No one expects any favours from the officials, just fairness and consistency.
The sucker punch of course being the fact Jorginho was the player to score their equaliser. Lampard went for the win, we went to pieces. I’m sure Mikel Arteta will not only have something to say to the players about that, but do something about it too.
Losing the game was and still is hard to take but the performance was one of the best from an Arsenal team in over a year I’d say. Individuals are giving a lot more, they’re working much harder and as a group we look far more organised. All without Holding, Tierney, Bellerin, Kolasinac, Martinelli, Ceballos, Sokratis, Xhaka and Chambers.
The present might be frustrating, but I think our future looks a lot less bleak than it has done for years.
That’s it for 2019 as far as fixtures go. 2020 kicks off with another home fixture against Manchester Utd on New Year’s Day at 8pm. A win against them would be the ideal start to a new decade.
See you in the comments guys.
Hi All Rico I am glad you mentioned about the players all getting in a huddle and listening to David luiz yes he is ex Chelsea but I thought that was the captain job or does luiz know some thing we don’t
No idea Geoff.
Hi Rico, thanks for the post…
Really enjoyed the 1st half although I thought we got away with one when Guendouzi fouled Abrahams in the box. That could and probably should have been a pen and a red card.
I’m fast losing faith in Guendouzi, he needs to keep his fecking hands to himself.
Yeah, Pawson bottled it with Jeorginho, but where was VAR for his goal after his foul on Torrieira in the build up. Two chances to send him off ignored by Riley’s cheats.
I saw most of the Liverpool vs Wolves game later and have to say that I’m beginning to feel that there’s some moody stuff going on with our officials.
Nobody talks about it…
Nobody is allowed to question the honesty of the Premier League?
But I think it’s bent…
We were screwed over by piss poor officials but hey, let’s blame Arteta lol
Geoff, if you saw our players give up, I suggest you didn’t even watch the game!!!!
Ffs stop being negative for the sake of it.
We are playing much better football in 1 week he’s been in charge and all we need is some confidence, and a few fair calls by officials!!!
Kev, when there is a 100% one hand ball and possibly a second in the lead up to a Liverpool goal, then the FA should be lined up and shot for corruption!
For whatever reason, the Scouser scum are being helped in nearly every game yet they don’t need it lol
Hi Kev, I think Sky Sports, Souness perhaps who has spoken out about VAR, but you’re right, it’s needs more criticism because they way it’s being used is shocking.
We too could have had a penalty I think when a Lacazette was bundled over.
Guendouzi. If a big offer comes in, I hope the club takes it. Like you, I’m fed up with the silliness attached to his game. I doubt he’d have started had Xhaka been ‘fit.’
Also, there was that big meeting which Arsene Wenger attended. Var was a big topic I think and changes in the PL are expected in the summer. Certainly the use of the side pitch monitor. That’ll really put the referee on the spot and if it were me, I wouldn’t want to get it wrong.
Scott, you can’t change people’s negativity, no point in trying I find.
Good day to you all.
Thanks, Rico, for the post.
In the first half that looked an entirely different Arsenal to the one we’ve been seeing for the last few seasons. Energetic, prepared to fight for the ball and all, yes even Ozil, tracking back to help out in defence.
Our goal came about after possibly our best attacking move of the game resulted in a corner. A sweet delivery by Ozil, a nice glancing header by Chambers and a very good finish by Aubameyang. It looked as though our season was finally up and running.
Sadly it then started to fall apart. Lampard made changes, Chambers got injured and had to be replaced by Mustafi, an accident waiting to happen, still we got to half time with the lead.
Lampard changed his formation and we started to tire. They gradually pushed us farther and farther back where we struggled to get enough ball possession and finally fell for the old sucker punch of the quick break. Both Mustafi and Luiz backed off, AMN was nowhere and the goal came. The Arsenal heads dropped as fatigue and disappointment set in. Four minutes later Chelsea got the winner and our dreams turned to dust.
I hope Arteta can pick the boys up for the next game, they showed enough grit and determination to have earned something from their efforts and they need to replicate the first half for the whole game on Thursday.
As far as VAR goes, whatever happened to “clear and obvious error”? Most VAR decisions take an unwarranted length of time to determine the outcome. If it isn’t clear on the Stockley Park monitors, it couldn’t be a “clear and obvious” error by the on-field officials so VAR should keep it’s nose out.
Former referee Keith Hackett is advocating a rule change to the off-side law which should stipulate that there must be clear daylight between the attacker and the defender before an off-side decision is made. Tis would rule out the ludicrous situation where a tiny portion of a player’s anatomy over an arbitrary drawn line can rule out a goal.
Rico, I agree with your 12.02
No more to say.
It’s very clear that the players are already buying in to the Arteta ideals so we fans just need to get behind them all.
It seems we will never get the best of the officials decisions, so we just need to move on.
Yes, it’s hard to take.
I think Hackett is right Cicero, seems to me that VAR look a lot longer and harder at the offside decisions when in suits their agenda. Wolves should feel very aggrieved after yesterday.
But as Kev pointed out Scott, we got lucky with Guendouzi, not to mention Luiz with his really dangerous clearance.
It hurts us because the bloke who shouldn’t have been on the pitch scored the equaliser to give them momentum.
But, if fitness is an issue which I think it was at Bournemouth and yesterday, that’ll improve over the following weeks.
Rico, no question that we will improve as players fitness gets up to scratch, and you know I’ll not defend diving bastards, even if they’re wearing our badge!!!
Scott, according to some commentators, Gary Neville for one, diving is not cheating it’s merely “buying a foul” which in his world is something to be lauded not penalised.
In Rugby Union high tackles were becoming more and more dangerous and prevalent. Refs were instructed to sin bin any offender and award a penalty kick. Deliberate high tackles have all but been eradicated from the game in a matter of a couple of months.
If in football diving was treated in a similar way i.e. a yellow card and a free kick we would soon see a drop in the number of instances of cheating.
I’ve never been a major advocate of the sin bin in football, but maybe the adoption of it into our game at the top level is becoming a real possibility with so much TV influence on refereeing these days, eg Guendouzi and Jorginho in sin bin yesterday, allowing more latitude for the referee to take stronger action without sending off anyone.
Interesting to see John Jules on the bench yesterday.
I reckon we might see him in the FACup vs Leeds?
Hi everyone, thanks Rico.
I’m absolutely gutted that we lost that game, but I can’t blame the players or manager because I think they gave everything. I haven’t seen that for ages and we honestly deserved to win for a change.
We’ve had a spell of real rotten luck with injuries and decisions against us, and by the law of averages we are due a break.
I agree re Guendouzi, I have never been a great lover of his but his falling on the floor, petulance and bad defending is really bugging me now.
Nice one Rico.
This is what Joe Willock had to say about Arteta…………………….
“We all believe in him, we all listen and we all try to put the tactics he does in training on to the pitch,”
“It’s evident we tried to do it in the first half, but it’s a long journey.
“We’ve only had a week with him and we’re all looking forward to working with him.”
“[Arteta’s] installed energy, he’s installed being there for each other and different tactics,”
“We just need to keep positive, we all believe in each other and we know that we’re halfway through the season and we need to push on,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to the next game and hopefully we can show the energy for a full 90 minutes.”
The main point there is Arteta has only had a week with them, yet a team ravaged by injuries still put up a fight!…………………………………touch wood we stay up, imo Arteta with a fully fit squad and who knows maybe a few additions in defence will have us competing back for top 4 next season……………..and I`m confident Aussie Geoff with be wearing Mikel Arteta Budgie Smugglers!………………….they are available from Scott Direct.Com
😆
I`d put the shite Reffs in the sin bin !
Ozil chases back and is knackered after an hour, Chambers was the turning point not that Mustafi did much wrong but Nelson who was roasting Tommori ( I think ) had to drop back to give cover and our shape changed, Lampard supported his midfield and slowly but surely they took over.
I vented my spleen about Pawson yesterday ,You mentioned Amn getting booked but I thought that Guendouzi ‘s card was almost identical to the one Chelsea got away with . I see that more voices are coming out for the referee using the monitors this the only way that keeps the referees authority.Without it football is finished.
I know it’s a busy time of year for people but I would have liked to have seen more of the fans stay behind and try to help the team, I was quite disappointed at how many empty seats there were at the end part of the game.
I worry that the clubs greed has lost it so many of its core fans, fans who won’t go back on a regular basis and they’ve been replaced with thousands of less passionate and loyal fans, who give up too quickly.
Bukayo Saka has explained in detail how Mikel Arteta has already taught him when to pass the ball
The Spaniard has clarified what the England youth star has to do when he has possession and isn’t being pressed by an opponent.
Mikel Arteta has spelled out to Saka exactly what he wants .
“He’s someone who understands the players, understands the club and all the ideas that he’s bringing in,” Saka told Arsenal. “He has a clear strategy of how he wants us to play and we’re just really excited to work with him.
“He’s teaching us little things that we didn’t know before and just bringing in his own strategies, his own ways of playing. We can see that it’s going to work, we’re just looking forward to doing it.
“Maybe one thing that I’ve picked up straight away is that when nobody’s pressing you, you don’t need to pass the ball. What you can do is just get the ball, drive the ball forward a bit and wait for someone to come to you, commit a player, then pass it.
“Then that man will be free or that man will have less pressure on him. It’s just attracting players before you pass the ball off, which will help our team-mates a lot on the pitch.
“He has his own way, his own philosophy and he’s even talked about bringing his own philosophy to the club, to try to bring the club back to the direction we need to be in.
“We need to win games and win trophies, so I feel like he has that vision and that strategy. He knows how he wants us to get there. If we can be on board and do what he wants us to, we’ll do well.”
Afternoon all, good write up rico. Leaving early Kev, I know it seems daft, but I sometimes used to go 3 minutes before end to avoid tube crush with two young kids and a 2 hour, often evening, journey home. But it was different in GGs days, one nil up and everyone knew we were safe!
I wished I agreed with those who said result wasn’t too important. In the bigger picture yes, but I was seething for an hour afterwards, in the end went out for a long walk to calm down.
Reality is, I think we would have won that game 8 times out of 10, even tiring from the work we had put in. We looked like a team, and that’s down to Arteta, someone finally getting through to the players. I nearly posted during game after one flowing move, crikey, we look like Man City. Glad I didn’t in end!
Talking to my son yesterday and he said “ did I realise that we have not been to a match for over two years “
This followed a period of not missing a home match since the Pat Jennings testimonial. He even drove back from Arnhem for a North London derby watched the match and drove back again afterward .
Where did the enthusiasm go ?
Kev, Cicero…..Re the Rugby Union style penalties and yellow cards for diving, that would make things interesting ! Maybe your own players would get the hump with you if you’re sent off for diving or off the field for 15 minutes.
I just read ex ref Mark Halsey said he was amazed that Jorginho was still on the pitch yesterday. Shame he’s not in charge of VAR then!!!
I think that there is so much at stake now in the prem, that maybe refs should be paid a bit more and forced to do an interview at the end of the match. Maybe the Ref and the VAR ref , nothing hostile, but asked eg how did you come to that decision. Make them watch it back and apologize if they did get it wrong. (How they get it wrong with VAR God only knows)
Yeah, I totally understand Andrew, I was just disappointed on this occasion as I felt that the team had given everything in that game and needed the fans, with 7 minutes added time who knows?
Willock actually should have won us that game, if he’d made it 2-0 I think we’d have been safe.
Yeah Andrew, although I was babysitting I still saw most of the game and thought that so many aspects of our team looked more joined up and all that in just a week.
Now if Raul had been more proactive and got rid of Emery during the International break instead of wasting games that Arteta may have won by hanging onto Unai too long, we might be looking at top six now instead of the bottom?
Mike, we have foreign players and managers (and owners and CEO’s and Directors of Football) but we don’t have foreign referees, which is odd given how cosmopolitan the rest of the EPL is?
The FA or the EPL need to abolish the PGMOL, refereeing standards have not improved one iota under its control, in fact they’re worse than ever.
Mike Riley is hanging on like a corrupt politician…
He needs to be removed asap…
Kev, good point, there was really about a 1% chance of Emery turning the team around. We and every team we played knew it! I wonder what the final straw was, it just dragged on endlessly. Anyway, we were all relieved when poor Emery was put out of his misery, I dare say he was too.
As I said yesterday, the game was gradually losing in the central midfield with the entrance of Jorginho. I am increasingly disliking Ghendouzi, especially in defense. In the last goal, injured Saka could no longer run and didn’t help Mustafi; Ghendouzi was always on pace for maintenance. I am convinced that Xhaxa gained confidence with Arteta and would make a good pair with Torreira.
New Year and I hope new times.
Kev, on the diving question would you prefer the sin bin to a yellow card? The sin bin provides an immediate advantage for the aggrieved side, while the yellow card places the offender in the dodgy situation of being liable for a red if he commits any other cardable offence. On top of that a player already with a yellow who dives will be off for the rest of the match and get a suspension too.
Thanks Andrew, must admit I was pretty cheesed off after the game but then as Kev pointed out, we got away with one too.
Evening guys..
Have we signed anyone yet?
I’m seeing that Saka as well as Chambers could be out for New Year’s day(not confirmed yet)
It’s a shame because Chambers/Luiz looks like a good partnership.
The media will crank up the pressure, the longer we go without a home win.Screw em,I thought we played really well yesterday – and against Bournemouth too
The injuries are really mounting up. ☹️
It seems as if the powers that be are listening,
From the BBC sport website “Football’s law-makers say the video assistant referee system should not be “too forensic” when it comes to offsides – and should only be used to reverse “clear and obvious” errors.
Five goals in the Premier League were ruled out at the weekend for marginal offsides, leading some managers and players to criticise VAR.
Lukas Brud, general secretary of the International Football Association Board, said: “With VAR we see some things that are going in a direction that we may need to re-adjust.”
He said the body would reissue guidance on VAR’s use after its annual general meeting in February.
“If you spend multiple minutes trying to identify whether it is offside or not, then it’s not clear and obvious and the original decision should stand,” he said.
He added: “What we really need to stress is that ‘clear and obvious’ applies to every single situation that is being reviewed by the VAR or the referee.
“In theory, 1mm offside is offside, but if a decision is taken that a player is not offside and the VAR is trying to identify through looking at five, six, seven, 10, 12 cameras whether or not it was offside, then the original decision should stand. “This is the problem. People are trying to be too forensic. We are not looking to make a better decision, we are trying to get rid of the clear and obvious mistakes.
“If video evidence shows that a player was in an offside position, he was offside full stop. If it’s not obvious, then the decision cannot be changed, you stay with the original decision.
“We will be communicating to all competitions that are using VAR some updates in the coming weeks, because we are observing some developments that are not particularly the way they should be.”
.
Thank goodness…
Same should be applied for all reviews imo, if it’s not clear and obvious, leave it be.
Evening Rico and All
One win in the last 14/15 games 3 new coaches lots of young lads getting a game and Var.
Yesterday was our best performance for some time,we ran out of gas,the goals the chavs got were down to an everyday take for a keeper and scored by a player who should have been in a hot bath,the other scored was from our cavery charge up the other end.
Arteta can work on that for mancs game,we all know about this little mob of players who just think turning up with The Arsenal shirt on will get them in the Champions league..Waky Waky.
Looking forward to the next game,should be telling.
Morning all.
Cicero, seems a hell of a lot of fans also now consider “winning fouls” to be part of the game.
For me, it’s just plain cheating and I’d love to see it eradicated from the game, same with systematic fouling.
I’d rather our lads stay on their feet and lose the game than win because of cheating.
The first goal yesterday has been explained enough and should never have happened, but the second-Mustafi is 5 yards from the player who received the ball on halfway yet backs straight off.
Why???
Who teaches players to defend like that?
Is there any logic behind it that I’m missing because I cants we the benefit in inciting a player with the ball to carry it 30 yards up the pitch untouched.
Mustafi isn’t our only player that does this, by the way.
On VAR, I guess issue now becomes “what is an obvious and clear error”?
Technically, 1mm offside is offside.
Is 10cm’s clear and obvious, is it 20,30 or 50 cm’s?
They’re playing with fire imo.
I’d prefer them to use the feet as the determining factor for offside.
Scott, I like Hackett’s idea that if there is not clear daylight between the attacker and the defender, it is not offside. The benefit of the doubt should be on the side of the attacker. Fans don’t spend their hard earned to watch goals being ruled out over minute margins. It’s goals that are the life blood of the game, the more the better.
Cicero, not a bad idea.
When Willian broke forward from the halfway line he was chased by Saka who looked to me that he pulled a hamstring . He finished the run holding his leg stiff with his hand behind his thigh .
Could be why the space was so large approaching Mustafi who should have realised and moved forward.
If you believed in the ancient gods they certainly were not with us as more injuries pile up . We may well be struggling to field a defence against United.
Potter, I was joking to my son this morning that he may need to fly over and slip in at LB lol
Incredible stuff!!!
I’m not really sure how a sin bin could be implemented tbh Cicero, I mean, could you be sin binned twice in a game, would being sin binned mean you get points that would add up to a suspension, what comes first, a card or the sin bin or would you leave that to the referees discretion, a big risk with the mob we’ve currently got?
I think it would be worth a trial all the same.
Some of the decisions with VAR is like Riley and his minions exercising their authority over the game not for the good of the game but for their own egos.
I’m seriously pissed off with that wanker and how he’s run the referees in this country since he took over and what fecking tool put him in charge anyway..?
Anyone who remembers him as a referee could have told you that he was probably the last person you’d put in charge of the PGMOL.
It’s no coincidence that our referees are so pedantic over the smallest of incidents’ whilst meanwhile lacking the courage to take those difficult decisions concerning the most influential clubs, just like him personally when he was in Alex Fergusons pocket, Riley the skinny rat!
Kev, so you don’t like Riley then Hahahah
Somehow, the human element must be taken out of VAR to make it work properly, imo.
Thats very perceptive of you Scott… 😉
I’m on the ball mate lol
How does he continue to hold his position??
Hi Scott I did watch the Match that’s why I left a comment at half time but I guess we just see the match differently The problem with all ways looking for the positive is you forget about the negative play that will keep creeping into the side I just feel the more we make excuses for the players the more they will get away with it. These players need tough love not cotton wool
Hi Geoff,
We know there are plenty of negatives but we can’t let them cloud over the good work we’ve already seen since Arteta arrived.
That’s all I’m saying.
Are you safe from the fires, Geoff?
One has just kicked off a few kilometres from my joint, but luckily it can’t get to us.
This is 5 times worse than I’ve ever seen things here in Oz, and I’m not exaggerating.
Fires out of control everywhere around the country.
Nearly all are being proven to be lit by arsonist scum!!!
This is the one near me, kicked off barely two hours ago.
https://www.facebook.com/110032161104/posts/10156703017751105/?vh=e&d=n
kev 1:04
Riley was the cheating imbecile in charge at Old Toilet when he allowed the United players to systematically kick Reyes off the park.
Ferguson had the weed safely in his pocket.
Hi Scott the major fires at the moment are over the other side of the state if you hear about the you yangs or wombat state forest then they are close. I can not remember when it was this dry 2 days ago 42 degrees or 107.3 Fahrenheit in the shade at 10pm I guess your very simular temp
Hi All Back to Arsenal I am starting to get a bit worried about Guendouzi I like his ambition but he keeps grabbing player arms in the goal area some one needs to speak to him before it cost us a goal
Stay safe mate.
It’s an absolute nightmare!!
Morning all.
I can’t begin to imagine how awful it is for you guys in Oz. All those poor animals.. 😢
New post up now.