Morning all.
What a nasty lot Watford are. There’s playing tough and playing dirty and Watford leaned heavily towards the latter. Nineteen fouls committed compared to Arsenal’s six and a referee who did very little to curb their style of play. Because of their constant fouls, the game was bitty but even so, Arsenal were the better of the two sides throughout.
The only change to the team which beat Leicester City was Ainsley Maitland-Niles replacing Thomas Partey who has a muscle injury. Mikel Arteta is unsure as to whether he’ll go off on international duty but Kieran Tierney, who was on the bench yesterday, will.
Bukayo Saka had the ball in the net early in the game but VAR poked their nose into things and decided to rule it out for offside. Danny Rose hacked down Alexander Lacazette in the box and Kevin Friend didn’t hesitate to award us a penalty. Up stepped captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, to miss. Well, hit it so that Ben Foster could save it.
Just before the hour mark, we finally took the lead through the brilliant Emile Smith Rowe. Claudio Ranieri wasn’t happy because Arsenal didn’t give the ball back after his side had kicked the ball out so Ozan Tufan could receive some treatment. If every player decided to plonk himself on the ground every time the opposition went on the attack, which led to the ball being put out of play and returned to them, all teams would start doing it. No foul, no head injury, no need to clear the ball out. Unless one wants to gain an advantage of course. Was there a foul by AMN in the build up too? Perhaps but what goes around comes around I say.
Was it a misunderstanding…
I don’t know – I focus on the performance and what we want. I want to talk about what we did and why we deserved completely to win the game. – Mikel Arteta.
Martin Odegaard, on in place of Lacazette, would have made an instant difference to the scoreline had Aubameyang, who was offside, not got a touch on his shot. Replays showed the ball was on course to nestle into the back of the net. Mikel Arteta made two further changes with Mo Elneny replacing Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli replacing Bukayo Saka. Elneny did alright I thought but Martinelli didn’t have enough time to get going. There was a bit of a scare towards the end when Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White cocked up a clearance giving Josh King possession but instead of cutting the ball back, he fired his shot into the side-netting. Ha! Double ha when Juraj Kucka was shown a second yellow card for upending Nuno Tavares just before the game went into the six minutes of added time.
Anyway, 1-0 was how it ended and Arsenal moved up to fifth in the table. Six points off top spot, three off second. Excellent.
Negatives – we were wasteful in front of goal. The penalty miss, the two offsides. Could, should have made them count.
Positives – we didn’t allow Watford to bully us regardless of how hard they tried. Plus, even though things were going against us, like the missed opportunities to score and the penalty save, we kept at it for the entire game. AMN earned the POTM award and deservedly so. I thought he was solid in midfield.
Another positive, West Ham beat Liverpool in the later game which means our invincible achievement cannot be matched this season. West Ham were very very good I thought and proved that Liverpool can be vulnerable if a team work really hard to put pressure on their keeper and defence. Arsenal shouldn’t fear going to Anfield immediately after the international break.
See you in the comments.
Kevin Friend’s final tally , Arsenal 6 fouls four yellows , Watford 19 fouls four yellows making a last minute red and how Rose got away without a caution should be the subject of a national inquiry .
Watford can bitch as much as they like but getting called for a foul every 4 and 3/4 minutes , coupled with the ones they got away with , the feigned injuries designed to break up any rhythm that we achieved just summed up a team that I hope find their way back to the championship poste haste.
Still :- 1 nil 3 points ,
I hope we gave them a few take away pizzas and a bowl of sour grapes for their trip round the M25 just to save Claudio a few bob and make him feel a bit better.
We’ve been seen as a soft touch for too long, opposition teams told to get stuck in and disrupt our play, I cheered AMN for his attitude, not to be bullied.
Watford, I thought we were playing Stoke.
Watford think they are playing the later days Wenger’s Arsenal who would be bullied at will? For the first time in a long time, I am happy that we are winning “ugly”, because in years gone by, Arsenal would be bullied to the core!
I too liked the fact that we stood up to Watford. Without overstepping the mark too. Thank goodness Xhaka wasn’t playing. Lol
Hi Rico
Spot on again.
Rose, who was awful all game, knew he was being closed down, spotted the man down and took the easy way out, then waved for the man to stay down. Disgraceful.
AMN had an excellent game, and did probably foull his man, but it was no more than they were doing to us.
I’ve only seen the highlights so far, I’ll watch the whole game on the Arsenal app this afternoon.
Brian
Forget Ranieri, forget Watford and forget Kevin Friend, nothing is going to change in the short term but football is a village and word is getting around that Arsenal can’t be intimidated anymore.
Great performance by our back four in fact Kieran Tierney shouldn’t walk back into the team after the International break, Tavares has done enough to keep his place.
Give the penalty job to A. Lacazette or B. Niles.
More online chit-chat revolving around Vlahovic, who it seems doesn’t fancy a January move to Arsenal. Ok chum, suit yourself.
I wonder if any of our famous four who’re off to the ACoN will find, post a January Window, their places in the team not as certain as they were when they left?
This squad is really developing now, the changes are accelerating and the future is looking so positive that it’s getting me out of my armchair.
Good morning all, apologies Rico for going briefly off subject.
Arsene Wenger has finally admitted that he hung around far too long at Arsenal. In a new book entitled, modestly, “Arsene Wenger: Invincible” he says he should have left at the same time as David Dein. I’ll say no more but a documentary based on the book can be seen in cinemas on Thursday; and on DVD digital download from November 22. Enjoy! 😉
Cicero, wasn’t it David Dein who persuaded him to stay?
So the story goes > I think most of us believe that he overstayed his welcome but we should not forget the magic years that he did bring us . I remember saying to my son that we were being blessed and to make the most of it because we were unlikely to see it again.
Then we left Highbury and that’s a different chapter.
An audience with Arsène Wenger and David Dein Live stream, tonight at 7.30pm (UK time)
Register here: https://arsn.al/UObKJwF
All profits and donations go to @ProjectTwinning
Hi Brian, thanks. Cheats seldom prosper eh..
Hindsight is a wonderful thing Cicero. I think where the club got it wrong was to prepare before removing Dein, not that he should have gone in the first place imo but then I don’t know the reasons why he went. Instead, Wenger virtually took over and it hurt the club badly in the long run.
Kev, Aubameyang will probably score his next though. AMN is a cool customer with penalties but perhaps too cool.
Morning Rico and all,
Feel good factor continues and no more than we deserve. The team is building developing on all aspects of the game. We saw our resilience on show something we haven’t really seen this season (don’t mention Brentford and the pinning of Leno on their long throw). It’s another side that shows the players are gelling and covering each I others backs the communication is good especially with Ramsdale who had very little to do, not his fault and yes one error nearly opened the door but you can’t fault he made the right call just didn’t carry it off.
It’s been mentioned but my god what I saw were deliberate tactics (some may say cheating I do) all game from Watford players going down like a sack of shit and staying down. It happened too many times for it not to have been a deliberate tactic and shows how poor there confidence must be right now. Raneiri just in must have come up with that one and it nearly worked. But the FA should take a look at it and step in otherwise this will continue and players will get hurt, it’s not football it’s dancing round handbags has no place in the PL.
What I also observed and I will give credit to Arteta and the coaching staff as they sussed this out and in the second half we were ready for it and they honestly got what they deserved when ESR threw the ball back in to our players and he scored that was earned and exactly what Watford deserved for their antics.
Onwards and upwards we are in the mix now and we are improving every game, long may it continue. I can see us having a real go at Liverpool although unlike West Ham we are at Anfield and you could see the crowed really helped WH to their victory it had that cup final feel to it. Makes me think our 3-3 result last season was a good one. We play them 15th Dec I can see that being an excellent game both contenders vying for top four finish and no more than deserved based on current performances. Well done to the Hammers and David Moyes he one of footballs nice people and I was chuffed for him he’s a good managers when given the time.
Rico, I’m not commenting on the Wenger story merely pointing it up so everyone can read / see it if they wish.
We won yesterday with a single goal there perhaps could have been, should have been more. But let’s at least acknowledge the excellence of Ben Foster the Watford goalkeeper.
That, incidentally, is the only positive thing I can think of about Watford and their manager.
Morning Mig. Can’t say I’m overly keen on Moyes.
Cicero, I realised, I was just chipping in with my thoughts. 😂
Foster often has a good game against us.
Agree re those great years of Arsene Wenger. I’ll certainly never forget them.
Morning rico, house. We so needed the 3 points before another boring break. Gives us all a smile when we see the league table. I thought AMN attitude and playing looked so much tougher from the start, as if he meant business and wasn’t taking any cra##. Good for him, long may it continue because we really need a midfield backup. Thought Ben White had a really good game, relieved the one mix up didn’t cost us. Still can’t comprehend Rose not getting two bookings.
Morning Andrew. Me neither re Rose. AMN seems to have settled and knuckles down to business with Arsenal. At last.
Afternoon Rico and All
Watford may have tried dirty tactics but what concerns me more is that the Referee did not do enough to stop it, he should have issued a red card earlier in the game.
AMN on Penalties .Yes Please….in a shootout . but Laca is 100% isn’t he. Always smashes them in the corner. I knew Auba was going to get saved again. Cost us 3 goals ,personally. Put a good shift in effort wise in the pressing, but plenty of his standard miscontrols too. He’s struggling .
So, to the post AFCON returns, seeing the way Saka, then Emile, and now Ainsley have stepped in and showed their readiness, I’m really hopeful Eddie will get his chance.And take it.
Afternoon Geoff, haven’t you got used to that by now? It’s not right but it’s the way the refs are these days.
I’m surprised Eddie isn’t getting more minutes than he is because of the ACON which suggests to me is he’s not going to be at the club next season. Or beyond January if an offer comes in for him.
That is likely true Rico, but Laca is in same boat, and is proving an asset. IMO Eddie is the most Ready to do the job up top for us, and ESR, Saka, and AMN all know his game very well too.
Auba is still my FFL captain , as I try to hold on to the belief that he’ll find his form, and I hate to give up on him, But I’m dropping him for Dippers, and on yesterday’s showing I think if we’re going to play fast through the Dippers press , and link a forward play into their box and snatch a goal or 2 , then Eddie is the better man for the job .
The second half of the season will be like a whole season with all these coaches / managers getting sacked. who will be next.
Ferk, agree but Eddie and Lacazette are very different. I’m all for Eddie coming on when Lacazette is changed otherwise we won’t really know what impact he can have on the team.
Ole I reckon Geoff.
Emile Smith Rowe called into Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Hopefully he is only going for the experience.
I wonder if spending £93m on three players in the summer contributed to Dean Smith getting the sack at Villa.
I think we did well in escaping Emi Buendia and keeping ESR.
Ditto, really hope he doesn’t start.
ESR was never going to join Villa imo. He’s an Arsenal boy through and through..
Gabriel called into Brazil squad
I’m not surprised Jm.