Morning all.
I think this weeks European matches have highlighted just how poorly VAR has been used. It started on Tuesday when PSG played Bayern Munich when a Ousmane Dembélé’ cross struck the arm of Alphonso Davies, who had previously had his hands behind his back. Kompany didn’t like the decision but thems the rules. On Wednesday, the ball pinged up and hit Ben White’s arm which in the Premier League, any penalty claim would be waved away. Perhaps the worst decision of the week though came last night when Elliot Anderson crunched into the ankle of Ollie Watkins with his studs up. I didn’t watch the game but have seen the incident this morning and I really don’t know how Watkins played on. As for Anderson, well, he’ll be available for the second leg but he really shouldn’t be.
The result of the night came in Ukraine where Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1. Whilst they won’t be taking a place in the final for granted, barring a major cockup up at Selhurst Park next week, they should be there on the 27th May, just three days after playing Arsenal on the 24th. Should Arsenal reach the Champions League final, players will have six days to recover.
Yes, I hope they batter Shakhtar next week because it’s highly unlikely that any of their players will want to miss the final. Oliver Glasner might not even want to risk a few of his key players for that game which, should the Premier League title race go down to the final day, might help us. I know Palace have to go to The Etihad on the 13th but the final would still be two weeks away.
I know there’s a lot of “if’s” in there but we have to keep hoping things can go our way.
Arsenal’s job is to just make sure this league fight continues to the final day. Starting with a win against Fulham this evening. Right now, I really don’t care how we get a win as long as we get it because another slip up and the Premier League might as well hand City the trophy. City go to Everton on Monday night. Hopefully, six points behind us.
The battle between these two clubs back in October last year ended 1-0 to the Arsenal courtesy of a Leandro Trossard goal. Riccardo Calafiori had seen a stunning strike rifled into the net disallowed for an offside call and by the end of the game, a number of chances, good chances, had been spurned. Fulham too had their chances too but thankfully, their finishing was as ropey as ours.
Early in the second half, Bukayo Saka was brought down just inside the area by Kevin and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot. VAR intervened and Taylor trotted off to the pitch side monitor and after watching a number of replays, decided that Kevin had got a toe to the ball before bringing down our player.
The game was as close as the scoreline suggests and I strongly suspect it will be a tough battle again tonight.
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme:
Silva’s stock formation is a 4-2-3-1, so we are unlikely to see any major surprises there. Fulham are happy to have the ball so while playing short passes through the lines is their preferred method, centre-back Joachim Andersen has made the second-highest number of long passes among all Premier League defenders.
The Cottagers are more patient in possession than most top-flight teams, ranking fifth for 10+ pass sequences. Last weekend against Aston Villa, they pressed extremely well, especially through the industry of Emile Smith Rowe, but they actually have the fewest shot-ending high turnovers and rank last for pressing sequences, too.
They are strong down the flanks, using their wingers and a pair of attack-minded full-backs to create 2v1s at opportune moments. Right-winger Harry Wilson is enjoying a fabulous campaign, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists, and three of the Welshman’s goals have been blockbusters from outside the box.
Only us and the two Manchester sides have faced fewer shots on target than the west Londoners, but playing out from the back is a possible weakness. Only Burnley and Tottenham have conceded more high turnovers, so pressing with conviction could be a sound tactical ploy.
Mikel Arteta confirmed yesterday that both Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz will miss this one but he didn’t rule out Martin Odegaard.
He also spoke about carrying the ball forward:
Penetration is one of the words we use the most, and taking players’ initiative and making things happen. Through the passes, obviously, it’s extremely difficult against a team that is so organised, so we need to find other ways and that’s the kind of thing we’re looking forward to.
Taking players’ initiative or does he really mean players taking initiative I wonder? If it’s the latter, there’s much room for improvement.
Perhaps that’s why I like Ebe Eze because as much as he can sometimes drift or not put in a big defensive shift, when the ball is at his feet he looks to do something special. Whether that’s by scoring or playing the ball forwards, it’s certainly better than his first thought to be looking for a safe pass. Of course it’s not always easy, especially against a strong defensive setup but that’s where moving the ball forward with more purpose can help.
Our last two matches has seen improvement but one we lost, the other drew. More of the same today and perhaps it’ll be just like our short corner routine against Newcastle, third time lucky.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico, another fine and warm Norfolk day….so far.
Before this evening’s game against Fulham there is the little matter of a second leg Women’s Champions League semi-final tie for Arsenal against OL Lyonesse. Currently balanced slightly in our favour 2 – 1. Live on B B C 2 from 1.30, kick off 2 pm.
As to the Fulham game we need a 100% effort, if ever there was a must win game this is it…as are all the rest of our matches this season for both the men’s and women’s teams.
Here’s a thought, our top striker, Havertz, has missed 37 games in all competitions so far this season,City’s top striker, Haaland, has missed just one.
It appears that we have bought in a new chief physiotherapist to oversee our injury problems .Unsurprisingly he is Spanish, , albeit not from the Basque country but from Cadiz however he is said to be a good friend of Arteta so that alone demonstrates our Managers frustration at the number of selections he has to make without half the names in the hat.
None of that of course explains why players like Norgaard and MLS have spent so much time getting splinters whilst Rice and Zubimendi have been run into the ground.. Despite my caution that he should be protected I would give Dowman a run today with MLS in the middle and go forward against Fulham who themselves always play well against us .
Just give them something different to think about.
BTW :- Nice photo of John Radford and Geordie Armstrong they were a great combination , Armstrong could cross a ball and Radford could jump and head it . Perhaps it’s lesson that instead of the pass on the floor that 9 times out of 10 gets cut out by the first defender,
Morning Cicero, I thought that was tomorrow. Best I get my chores done in time. Lol
I thought you’d like it. The good old days when football was football, when goals mattered more than possession stats, xg etc etc.
I share your view on MLS and Norgaard. There can be no complaints about fatigue surely, certainly not from Arteta, after all, it’s he who overlooks options each match day in preference to his “favs”.
Re Havertz, I’d sell him this summer if he’s fit.
You mean when players didn’t fall over at a powder puff touch, Rico.😉
Just double checked Rico, definitely today. Feed the chickens but leave the mucking out of the horses ’til tomorrow. 😉
I would not have bought him in the first place , but that’s me. Despite the famous stats dna especially when buying from other clubs in the Premier league perhaps the buyers should read fan’s forums . Despite not having years of experience of managing in football , fans have been watching it long enough to evaluate a player .
Havertz has never been a prolific goalscorer, at Chelsea he scored just 19 goals in 91 games ,
Madueke is a fireball with little end product 1 goal in 5 games on average at Palace and Chelsea.
On both occasions as the transfers were being made the supporters comments were telling. People that have been watching the other clubs as long as some of us have been watching The Arsenal wanted them gone and could not believe their luck when we parted with copious amounts of cash for them.
Maybe Arteta’s vanity made him think that he could change the pattern and that he could get them to do things that no-one else could.
I would not have taken the risk.
Then we come to the big money deal for Gyokeres , his record in Portugal was sensational but on closer examination before he signed those of us that study noticed that his goals did not come against Portugal’s top teams but against the lower clubs. If you equate those lower clubs with English football they are probably on a level with teams in the middle of the Championship. I would think that JM could tell us more.
To get the best out of him , we would have to change our pattern of play , he is not going to score without the ball and the way we set up , he is feeding on scraps.
Yes Rico, a great picture, 1967/68 I reckon given the blue n white hooped socks. I used to love Big Raddy he was an absolute gem of a centre forward and Geordie Armstrong was an amazingly consistent wing forward, both could fit seamlessly into todays team given their skill sets. Apparently Big Raddy is sadly suffering some age related mental issues according to what Charlie George told me last year.
That’s sad Kev..
😜 it can all wait Cicero..
Shame , it’s always sad to hear that your heroes are now suffering. It was 1967 against Fulham at Highbury didn’t recognise the one jumping with him but the one running across is George Cohen of 1966 fame. I only know that because it says so on the picture.
I wouldn’t have signed either Chelsea player either. Overpriced, overpaid and certainly overrated. Both have or are proving to be a luxury, especially Havertz who as Cicero said earlier, is injured too much. Calafiori looks like the next forever injured.
i like Gyokeres but he’s a bit like Lacazette in many ways, works hard but as you say, feeding off scraps.
George Cohen was a great player, strange that none of the big clubs snapped him up?
Part of the reason, I reckon, we went for Havertz was that Arteta, who was the coach to Guardiola when Man City were in for him in 2020, was familiar with his skill set, but he choose Chelsea instead of Manchester.
His scoring rate is higher with Arsenal than it was at Chelsea and comparable to his strike rate at Leverkusen, but in a more difficult league!
Apparently Madueke has been carrying an injury, not that I’ve noticed, I just think he’s got his boots on back to front.
Kev, Arteta should have wondered why City didn’t end up signing him. 😂
Not a convincing start by Arsenal..
I love the old picture,before my time(just) true Arsenal greats.
Another big test,it will be hard not to have one eye on Tuesday. I was very impressed with Fulham against Villa last week,they played with great energy and deserved to win,and offload course they’ve had a full week to prepare.
With that in mind I’d like to see a couple of surprise starters,maybe Dowman and A.N.OTHER.
Marco Silva has a history of getting the better of Arsenal,mostly before Artetas time,going back to Olympiakos,Watford,Everton and also with Fulham.
Just win,I don’t care how and put pressure on the Mancs.
Just before mine too Limey, born but not old enough to appreciate it.
ditto, just win, regardless of how.
Good afternoon Rico and all
Lovely post Rico. Enjoyed reading it a lot
Just read on FB (so don’t know if its true or not) that Odegaard is not with the squad. If true then it seems his ‘injury’ has flared up again. Henry and Fabregas, in their last season with us before they left for Barca, seemed to be injured a lot as well. That is why I feel he is doing it on purpose. It all stemmed up from earlier in the 2nd half of the season when results and team performances dipped down. That is why we struggled and we lost points. The issue is internal and as I said back then is something to do with the players’ relationships themselves.. My guess is that he will be sold in summer.
Pepe score again
Ladies are losing 2-0. not good. still early though. if we get one before half time then we might nick it for sure
Coventry and Ipswich promoted.
I betting on southampton to get promoted.
Afternoon Devil, thanks.
I think Odegaard might go in the summer, not sure about the rift theory though.
Not really Rico, not if Chelsea offered more wages and a bigger fee with the advantage of living in and around London.
Things haven’t been quite the same since Odegaard became a father, maybe his wife has felt unsettled since becoming a mum? You know the saying ‘happy wife, happy life’
100% turnover for Atletico today; 7 of their Wednesday’s starting XI on the bench, Llorente – Diego Jr. – Alvarez out of the teamsheet altogether.
Thanks for the preview, Rico; love these “trip down memory lane“ photos …
Agreed, Limey. On a good day, they make me think of … Bournemouth (!) a lot. Let’s just not be as kind to these Cottagers as we were to the Cherries.
Don’t have a clue about our starting XI, but I’d love Myles to be in it – in midfield (I don’t give up easy, do I?)
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, M L S. Rice, Saka, Eze, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Confirmed Odegaard not in the squad.
knocked out by Lyon.
Odegard not in the line up
Good morning Rico and all. Yeh, great photo of big Raddie. Boy, that man had a leap on him. I think that’s Bobby Gould jumping with him?
Full moon outside is lighting up these early antipodean hours. Gunna get brighter when our boys run out in a few minutes time. COYG.
PS I love Kai.
Test, can’t post on iPad anymore?
Or anything further, tried dozen times!
Andrew, you used the wrong details..
For sure if that was the case Kev.
Hi Stuart, someone had to.. 😝
Only on about the 6th try. I select Post Comment, site shows a few marks top right and nothing happens.
Still can’t post longer than 2 lines
That’s odd, a new one too. I’ll try and see why..
Bottom left, there is a green circle, try that way Andrew.
Nope, same, nothing posts, not even longer reply here
When did it change?
Giving up on old posts.
SAKA TO GYOK
GYOK TO SAKA
Test at top agaon
2-0!
About a week ago Andrew, had a few teething problems but all had been running smoothly.
3-0 brilliant from Tross and Gyokeres
Exactly Cicero.
The Arsenal of the Autumn! Loving that ninth minute, MLS a revelation in midfield (I know, not to you, LG), Gyo playing like an Arsenal number nine should, Bukuyu back in town… purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Great first half, more of the same in the second.
MLS looks right at home in midfield.
Was Saka limoing as he walked off . if so Madueke or Dowman
Evening all. Big game for MLS, big decision by Arteta playing him first time in midfield. In 2 hours time it will either be a masterstroke, or bad result. Please be a good one!
I just realised not had the email for a week, thought rico away!
and can’t post at top, or anywhere with iPad,, must be doing something wrong, need to login somewhere?
PS great first half, keep focussed!
Took smiley out and it posted, 20th attempt, lol
I think Saka always limps off !
The email is auto generated but it came from a different plugin. I’ll keep looking. 😂
Consummate – and extremely enjoyable – professionnalism this half was.
Bukayo back with a bang, and our near future looks “so bright we gotta wear shades“ (“Timbuk3“, ’86?)
Everything from the big guy – not only his goals, but also his runs, the way he held the ball up, kept his head up and his mind clear under pressure, bullied his CBs, etc. – came right out of the “top-level CF“ textbook; hats off to you, kiddo.
Very tempting to give some lads a lil’ rest before Tuesday. Curious to see what the actual changes will be; we might end up with:
Jesus
Trossard – Eze – Madueke
LewisSkelly – Nørgaard
Calafiori – Hincapié – Mosquera – White
Raya
????
COYG
Arsenal Women beaten by the better side. Outgunned, out fought and out classed. Lyon are a very physical side, their number three, Renard is about a foot taller than anyone else on the pitch and is built like the proverbial brick s**t-house. Our girls gave it their all and there is no disgrace in losing to such a formidable team.
Saka has not reappeared, precautionary I hope.
Saving him for mid-week perhaps Rico. Don’t want him injured.
Certainly makes sense Cicero.
Max Dowman on for Eze.
Three goals, clean sheet, three points. 🔔🔔🔔
He was in the seats behind the dug out I think
Very good from Arsenal. A few top notch performances out there today and definitely more purpose in our play.
Really enjoyed seeing Lewis Skelly carrying the ball from midfield and almost always looking for the vertical, Calafiori likewise, very dynamic and Saka gave us a glimpse of his old self for 45 minutes, none of the old sterile passing, Eze of course took some risks but was constantly breaking the Fulham lines and pushing them backwards.
Second half it was keep a clean sheet, retain possession, don’t take any risks and conserve as much energy as possible, bring on the Dark Arters!
Exactly my thoughts my friend. MLS and the game he has had today might force Arteta to rethink his midfield for next season. It means that Rice, Zubimendi, MLS will man the defensive department and Norgaard might leave. The advanced midfield will be Eze as focal point with Merino fluctuating between DM, AM and CF. Havertz will also play between AM and CF.
I guess that Odegaard will also leave. Seems to be injured a lot imo. Plus Jesus as well.
The team will be a lot different the coming season.
No way should we be thinking about selling MLS, or Nwaneri. Profit o4 no profit imo.
madueke out of the line up and a big difference,
Plus MLS gives more mobiliti to the midfield.
Viktor Gyökeres is one of only (3) Premier League players to hit 20+ goals (21) in all competitions this season, alongside Erling Haaland (35) and Igor Thiago (25).
He also becomes the first Arsenal player to score 20+ goals in all competitions in his debut season since Alexis Sánchez, who netted (25) in 2014/15.
Yes Coach, I think that Lewis Skelly has a lot still to offer and maybe even Ethan if he comes back with a different mindset and knuckles down?
For years we’ve been crying out for a twenty goal a season striker, well now we have one! We need to play to his strengths, it’s taken a while but at last we’re getting the idea how to do that.
For our remaining games I’d be content to see Saka and Madueke playing forty-five minutes each. It might also be a good idea to start Trossard and Martinelli in alternate games. Keep ’em all fresh and on their toes.
Battery getting low so I’ll wish you all a very good night. 😴
Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres form after reconnecting with his girlfriend:
“We analysed everything. Not just the player, but the person, the environment, the emotional state. We even looked at what Alex Ferguson did at United… how he connects with players beyond football, how he creates that trust.
Because performance is not only tactical, it’s emotional. With Viktor, we felt something was missing. He had disconnected from certain parts of his life when he came here, and sometimes that affects how free you are on the pitch.
So we worked on that balance. We helped him reconnect, especially with his partner, to feel comfortable again, to feel stable. And now you can see it…the confidence, the energy, the clarity in his decisions.
He’s playing with freedom again. For us, it’s simple. When Viktor is happy, he’s dangerous. And when he’s dangerous, he helps the team win.”
Ero Rico, Supa? I think it’s in our hands now and the whole world is behind Everton on Monday. Cheers y’all! We march On to Glory
Just on the wrong feet
2 replies I posted , not here , but others are . Strange
Interesting that the coach who replaced di Zerbi at Marseilles and was ever so critical of Ethan Nwaneri has presided over 4 defeats and only 1 win in the clubs last 6 games.
Very very interesting, now Viktor has someone to do his ironing again.
If you post a reply it appears under the comment you replied to. Potter.
I wrote this, in response to one of Limey’s comments of the 26th of April post:
“What a shame. A spell was put on the lad’s season.
First when it was put upon him that Madueke would be ahead of him in the pecking order – such nonsense that it even feels weird to have to write such a thing.
Then in Marseille, Beye, the new guy who took over from De Zerbi, has proven to be an incompetent f**k if ever there was one. He used to be the most full-of-himself “pundit on Canal“, and as all full-of-themselves, incompetent ignoramuses, he’s a coward, weak with the “strong“ (the overpaid vets – Pavard, Höjbjerg, Auba, etc. …) who make the team look like an overloaded freight train, and “strong“ with the “weak“ – our boy, who doesn’t speak the language, has been thrown headfirst into the loony bin that OM has become since they lost in Bruges in the CL, under De Zerbi, and doesn’t (can’t) have a clue about Beye’s clueless “tactics“ and (absence of) training “methods“… which, actually, proves how smart a lad he is.
Now it looks as though Ethan has gone into some kind of “resistance“, displaying some sort of “I just don’t give a farting f**k“/“See if I care“ attitude – and I admire him all the more for it …“
Having said that, and to be completely fair, the lad’s season was sabotaged the day he was written off the matchday’s teamsheet at the start of the season – don’t remember which game it was.
Ethan is a far better football player than Noni, period, and this should never have happened. Also I think our 16-y-o wonderkid could have done with many more U21, U19, U18 even games – captaining the teams, creating, inventing, scoring, dribbling, running for 90+ minutes, etc. I’d much rather Ethan had been available yesterday on the bench, in order for him to be brought on for Ebz for instance.
So that Mikel has a huge responsibility in the way the boy’s season has derailed imo. About our gaffer, and with regard to the Academy youngsters, it’s “all or nothing“, “my way or the highway“, really, and I still have serious difficulty warming up to that kind of youth management …
Anyway, it’s done now, no need to dwell on this, all the less so than our near future looks bright again; but I’m with Rico when she hopes both Ethan and Myles will be important members of our 26-27 squad.
Looks to me MLS did what was needed yesterday to make sure he, at least, would be, didn’t he?
Spot on Lg.
There has to be wriggle room with our younger players, especially in a team which senior players are making mistakes in. It’s about timing isn’t it, when to bring them into games. Ethan had already done enough imo to show he has the skills to play for the first team, same with Myles too but mentally, they are still growing and need supporting through difficult times rather than be pushed aside without thought.
The big hug between Myles and Mikel at the end of the game irked me somewhat because all I could think of is why haven’t you used him in midfield before. It’s been suggested on here all season and yet here we are, in May.
I do hope Ethan has adopted a couldn’t give a toss attitude in France because it’s worth him remembering he didn’t go there to play under their current manager and very soon he’ll be back home. The biggest problem with his loan deal imo was not inserting a recall option because we’ve needed him.
His future at Arsenal should be bright and I certainly hope it is.
New post is up by the way.