Morning all.
Or will it be afternoon by the time you lift your aching heads off the pillow?
What a joke. Unai Emery gets fined £8,000 for kicking an empty water bottle while Sadio Mane gets away with wrapping his hands around the neck of Stephan Lichtsteiner. Why do the FA bother making the rules when they really can be arsed bothered to enforce them. Idiots!
It’s fair to say we had a stinker on Saturday. Not one player had a really good game. Iwobi and AMN’s were involved in our best move of the game. The last few days should have been about working on how to eradicate the school boy errors from our game. Playing out from the back is all well and good but sometimes, a hoof up the pitch is what’s called for. Same goes for in and around the box. Get rid and clear the danger, not gift it to an opposing player who can’t wait to take advantage.
But that game and performance has gone now. Learn from it. Be better, more organised, and certainly stronger because of it.
Today we’re up against another club in the bottom three and we need a much improved performance. A more organised and disciplined one too.
There’s a slight chance Bellerin, Monreal and Mavropanos could be in the squad today as all three are reported to be real close to a return. Bellerin was certainly training with the squad yesterday. Ozil too could return as long as the ingrowing hair on his knee has been successfully removed. Mustafi faces a late test.. If it’s a toss up between him or Koscileny then I’d probably opt for the German. Ideally, it would be neither because a better, much better option would be available. Maybe next weekend eh…
Unai Emery:
“We need to keep the balance in the middle, be serious and continue on Tuesday with a big match at the Emirates. We need to show our supporters there we are standing up after the result [against Liverpool].
He’s right of course, this Arsenal team do need to respond and respond well. If the can’t in front of their own fans against a side which has scored from open play away from home in yonks, they/we really are in trouble. We need to see so much more from certain individuals and as a team. We’re too pedestrian, defensive and lacklustre which is a huge surprise considering Emery said he’d rather win 5-4 than 1-0. This team needs some fire in their bellies, a desire to get the ball from our own box to theirs quickly with short, sharp accurate passes. KISS is the way forward and if we do that, we’ll seldom go wrong. All this holding on to the ball is so darn frustrating because invariably we lose it because a player tries to be too clever. Play the simple ball, move and create an outlet, not pass, stay where they are and close an option.
Anyway, let’s hope we start the New Year off on a positive note with a much improved performance and of course, three points.
Happy New Year guys…
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!
No major hangover this morning (odd that?) and what made me laugh Rico, was your humorous comment about Özil – now THAT, made my morning, thanks.
My hope this year is that our scouts will find a true leader for the team, a captain that bears a strong physical resemblance to Tony Adams and the tactical skills to keep the defence in check.
Also,that the team can get their act together today and make OUR afternoon one to savour.
A very happy new year to all and Arsenal !
Ramsey to Juventus. Deal close
Thought I’d drop that one in Andorra- glad it made you smile… lol
Shame it won’t be until the summer Jm. We could do with selling him this month..
Morning all.
Stupidity to allow Ramsey to stay til seasons end, absolutely crazy.
Get something for him now, for goodness sake.
Nasri to West Ham. Deal done.
Ramsey holds the cards though Scott. More money on a free transfer..
The stupidity was allowing him to get into his final year of contract. Thanks Wenger and Gazidis!
You are right Rico :- If he don’t want to go , he won’t. He can see out his contract and cash in somewhere else.
Rico, still, he wanted to stay, the club agreed then changed their mind.
That’s not on Wenger and Gazidis.
You’re right, thought, it should never have got this far.
This is why liverpool have spent so much in recent years-they’ve for value for their sales and we haven’t.
Terrible situation Potter.
Scott, but was it as simple as that? Emery said he wanted him to stay when he first arrived but it seems his agent and he got greedy. If he really wanted to stay, he’d have signed long before now.
I suspect a lot of the Ramsey contract problems started once those idiots stuck Ozil on such a big salary. Ridiculous imo.
Cengiz Ünder Is being linked to us..
21 year old Turkish winger.
Have we signed anyone yet? More to the point have we sold anyone? 😉
As always though, we will never know the nitty gritty.
We could write a book on our transfer dealings this past 5-10 years.
….and an awful lot of it would be pure speculation Scott.
Maybe later Cicero… 😝
Cicero, yep.
They keep everything close to their chests, and that causes frustration.
Scott, I can’t blame Arsenal for attempting to keep their business dealings out of the public domain, with myriad numbers of journos, agents and other assorted hangers on prepared to go to any lengths to attain their own ends, too much, in some cases any, publicity can seriously affect the out-come of sensitive negotiations.
But after the event it would be nice to have a mole that told the truth. It would stop the speculation that feeds the media and sells their papers and gets all the clicks.
Without all the speculation and conspiracy theories we, the humble supporters, would have nothing to talk about, Potter.
What, you mean Ornstein doesn’t know everything there is to know about Arsenal’s transfer history? I’m shocked. Lol
Afternoon all and thanks Rico.
Lets keep this unbeaten run of 2019 going !……………………………………one year to go untill 2020 when I predict we will win the lot, call it my ……….2020 vision !
Never lost at home to Fulham in a competitive match for 114 years !……….should be a breeze !
The team to thump Fulham !
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1080101306751164416/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1080101306751164416&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fnew-year-wishes%2F
No Wizard of Ozil ! 🙁
Cicero, I don’t blame them either, during the period of scouting and negotiations.
Afterwards shouldn’t be an issue, really.
Ozil not in the match day squad at home to struggling Fulham, have we seen the last of our highest paid player?
Lucky….
We’re trying our best to give them a goal but they are refusing to score. Shameful really.
Xhakakakaka
I’m surprised you’re still awake Adam 😂
Aubameyang does miss a lot of relatively easy chances…
Rico. I am in the netherworld, neither asleep nor fully awake. 😎
I think I’m somewhere similar Adam 😉
Simple pass and move ends with a goal..,
Lacazettezettezette!!!!
Is that the genius of Emery, he changes from three at the back to a back four for the second half and we go two up, let’s wait and see if the change confuses our defenders.
What are we doing?
Well I guess the Kamara goal answered my own question! Emery must stop tinkering with the formation.
Ramsey nicks the third.
…..and Auba makes it four.
Good result, that’s all. Lol
Job done 4 – 1. 🔔🔔🔔
yes good result and nothing more.
A few questions too
The unbeaten run of 2019 continues ! 🙂
Blackpool next should extend it , Le Coq.
Nice Cicero, we`re fcuking flying, sweeping all beside us !……………………..dont you just love Dick, without Dick who knows where we would be !
🙂
The Netherworld, isn’t that on the A406 next to Ikea?
I remember, back in the day (everyone yawns) viewing a house in Aveley around 1981, when it was the old A13, got stuck in a snow drift during one harsh winter taking a passenger out that way, Rainham if I recall, in the early 1990’s, but I don’t really know Grays at all VCC.
I actually think that we need to sell Mo Elneny this month in order to free up some finance to do a signing or two, I reckon that two will probably be the maximum incoming.
I guess that Sven n Raul can use this month to put a few deals in place for next summer, but I don’t hold out much hope of any season defining transfer business if I’m honest – hope I’m wrong…
What does Emery do this weekend regarding rotation?
If past experience is anything to go on he’ll pick a strong team as he did in the League Cup and the UEFA Cup, but with the squad so stretched will he modify his selection policy at Blackpool and go with a few of the youngsters?
Bellerin, Monreal, Mavropanos, Ozil, Cech, will he bring them into the team with maybe a start for Nketiah, Willock and/or Saka?
Then there’s Smith Rowe if he’s fit enough, Gilmour and Zach Medley.
Kev, Emery will field a strong side, no question.
He does take all competitions pretty seriously.
Elneny-the lad told me today he’d read Elneny wants out due to lack of game time.
Any idea what he’d bring on the market?
According to Emery, Mustafi was subbed off at half time with a “small” hamstring injury. There’s no such thing as small hamstring injury they all take weeks to clear up. He was clearly brought back too early after his previous injury.
The club have decided not to recall Chambers from his loan at Fulham, as they would have to pay a fee to cut short his stay and wish to save the money to spend in the summer. They have not discussed the potential signing of a loan deal for Cahill either.
The club seem to be on the bread-line.
Kev the one area where we will see some youngsters, on Saturday, will be defence. Mustafi is out, see my previous comment, Koscielny is not fully recovered and Sokratis probably could do with a day off. The FA Cup is still an important competition but with games against West Ham and Chelsea on the horIzon we will have to rotate more than perhaps Emery would want to.
Kev, it would be crazy to bring Bellerin back for the Cup, give him another week, either Lichtsteiner or Maitland-Niles would be better options.
Morning all.
I read it’s Elnenys international manager who has suggested he should move for more playing time.
Surely he’ll rotate Kev, a similar team to the Europa fixtures perhaps.
New post up now..