Morning all.
This was a game made for the neutral. It was full of thrills, mistakes, spills and terrible defending, really terrible defending, but it was also a game so so typical of this current Arsenal team. An Arsenal team which during this pandemic of a season, has taken on the guise of a split personality – you never know what Arsenal team will turn up?
I mean how can this team be so dominant over, and destroy a dangerous Tottenham side managed by a coach whose whole being seems to be designed around giving Arsenal pain and then play the first 30 minutes at the Olympic Stadium as if they’re Fred Karnos Army or the Marx Brothers? The Arsenal defending was, let’s say, madcap!
It was like the infamous 0-4, 4-4 at St James’ Park, only in reverse as this time it was Arsenal who got the madcap defending out of the way early.
Our old mate Jesse Lindgard started the ball rolling with a sharp shot from the edge of the box, the ball faded away from Leno’s outstretched hand but I couldn’t help thinking that he could have reached it. Maybe I’m being harsh but if we really want this club to go somewhere close to where it used to be then I think our goalkeeper has to get to that shot.
The second goal came from a free kick which Antonio bought. I don’t think that it was a foul but hey, everyone dives these days don’t they? 4 or 5 Arsenal players turned their back on the ball and walked away to prepare for the free kick, but Jon Moss allowed the kick to be taken quickly, which I actually don’t mind, and with our players switched off, the kick was taken the ball was soon in our net. Again Leno was suspect but then so was the Arsenal team in general.
It was the type of defending you see, or used to see Pub teams doing on a Sunday morning, but for a team pushing for a European place it was unacceptable. The third came through even more poor defending, this time from a cross and there we were, 3-0 behind with Harpo playing Good Old Arsenal.
At that stage I was thinking to myself, is this going to equal Arsenal’s worst result against West Ham, 6-0 I think in 1946 but then came the fight back.
Chambers started getting forward, Odegaard begun to pull the strings and Lacazette pulled one back. It was later given as an own goal but it was a nice finish regardless. West Ham seemed to collectively shiver and Arsenal gave them a right going over in the last 15 minutes of the first half.
Saka was put through and really should have scored as a succession of near misses fizzed around the Hammers box. We didn’t want the half to end but fortunately the Gunners came out in the same vein for the second half. After some intense pressure Odegaard played the ball out to Chambers who was free down our right hand side and his whipped crossed was fired home for another own goal. Now the joint was jumping.
Backwards and forwards went the attacks. Antonio hit the post and Lacazette had had an earlier effort hooked off of the line. It was crazy and then at last Pepe crossed with his right foot – yeah that’s right his right foot, and Lacazette finally got the goal he deserved with a thumping header.
Still the chances came, it could have been anything, 5-5 or 6-6 it was like a Subbuteto game, you score one and then I’ll score one or you score three, then I’ll score three…
At the end I felt a mixture of disappointment and relief. Disappointment because we could have actually given this West Ham team a good hiding if we’d been switched on and relief because we could have lost, a point therefore is good given how we started.
Arteta looked a bit shell shocked at the end and the players, well, who knows with this madcap Arsenal..?
By AllezKev.
I honestly think that Auba and Laca can play together but it often depends on the opposition, also some of our best results under Arteta have come with Lacazette and Aubameyang playing together, but that doesn’t mean that if the opportunity arises that we shouldn’t sell one or both of them this summer. There is so much work for Edu and Arteta to do this summer and probably next and if they do what is needed 75% of the current 1st team squad could be different by the time we kick off the season in 2022/23.
Morning all.
Kev, I don’t see much point in playing Auba atm.
Forget what he’s capable of, what’s he actually offering us?
Stuff all, imo.
Very disappointing.
Lots of work to be done, but Arteta and Edu are up to it.
Morning Kev, all.
Good post and thank you.
I too thought we were going to take a hammering, no pun intended. Pleased with the point but by the end, we could so easily have won it.
I think we’re in for a summer of more outs than ins. Including those on loan that is. I can’t any of Torreira, Kolasinac and Guendouzi being part of the squad next season.
Then we have the likes of Willock, AMN, Eddie etc etc. The only one who I think has a chance of staying is AMN and that’s purely because of his ability to play in different positions.
If we finish outside of the European places, we won’t need a huge squad either.
Nice one, Kev..
Jekyll and Hyde FC! What is it with these sluggish starts? So frustrating..
I’m still trying to work out how I should be feeling about the result.. ecstatic or enraged?! God only knows!!
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mark-halsey-sensationally-claims-referees-23769860?fbclid=IwAR3XMDUQD9thtARNZtCWkyT_qw18ag3X5aHKKe9u5vouxwDKRSFv6yGYRuc
The bit about no contact or after game assesment and being coached by non referees and the naming of people who Riley doesn’t like tells a tale .
Good Morning Rico and everyone
good post Kev.
But I am still not convinced about the Auba-Laca working together anymore. It worked for the first few months but now it seems not working at all. It seems that Laca has buckled down and is working for the team after getting a new lease of life…..while Auba has sulked and his form has gone downhill. Atm its not a question of a drought. Its more a question of attitude and will to buckle down. Whether or not that attitude is down to something else or not remains to be seen. But he should be told gently to get his life mind and brains together on the right path before he should be considered to play for the first team. We all saw how the team performed against the Toots when he did not play.
I ma not feeling happy about yesterday’s result. Not one reason at all. True we got back from the dead…from 3-0 down. and its true that yesterday’s game might be a turning point for the team. But honestly…..the way we answered from the 31st minute onwards do you honestly think WHU are a good team??? Practically we killed them, out thought them, outmuscled them, outshot them and gave them the runaround with regards possession and all other stats.
We made them look very average.
And that is so frustrating….like most games this season. We had to go 3-0 down to come to our senses. Currently we are on a 4 game unbeaten run in the league. And in the last two games we had to come from behind each game. So yes we have a good team. I still think that its us who are shooting ourselves in the foot not the other teams being better than us.
Yesterday we should have won. No other option exists. We have done it before. And the fact that we clawed a 0-3 deficit defends that thought.
Devil, we have the capacity to be brilliant.
What we lack is the consistency.
That will come, but it takes time.
Whilst my wife was watching a box set of something completely boring last night ,I took the time to look at the teams around us took the 7 that are in the mix for the last European places and their remaining fixtures . We have 3 games to come with these teams and above . West Ham have 3 , Leeds have 4 , Liverpool , Spurs and Everton have 5 and Villa 6.
There is a lot to play for and points will be won and lost within this group , Getting there is a possibility but it’s in our hands . We can’t afford the slipshod attitude that we tend to display .
When you look at these teams and see our recent results and the way we have played , when we are good we are very good but we are quite capable of being rubbish as well.
This is the job for the coaches and the manager to sort with the players . Unfortunately they in the main will be depleted as half of them are off to international duty.
Hi all I cant not wait until next season to see what this team do when the fans are back maybe that’s Auba problem he just can not play at empty stadiums and needs the fans to help him.
Good morning all.
“you never know what Arsenal team will turn up” You got that right Kev. Yet it’s not entirely down to the players, Arteta must accept a large proportion of critisim if only for his non-stop tinkering with the defence. An example is how Luiz changes sides as often as Covid gets mentioned in the news. If he plays alongside Mari he’s on the right, if it’s Holding he’s on the left and if it’s Gabriel he’s back to the left side. With two recognised right backs on the bench he chose to go with Chambers. Successful defending relies on team work. The players must be fully aware of their individual tasks and know what the players either side of them are likely to do and where they will be.
constantly swapping them around just causes confusion.
Incidently don’t think I’m knocking Chambers, I thought he did really well yesterday.
Cicero, atm I prefer and trust Chambers and Soares much more than Bellerin. I’m I would prefer Chambers and Soares to share the rest of the season between them. We have 14 more games in all competitions to go. 7 apiece would make me more confident.
Morning Devil.
Makes beating Everton and Liverpool more important Potter. Those two upcoming fixtures will be tough, even tougher if we start as we did yesterday.
Cicero, I wonder why Luiz is always in the team anyway. I know Arteta has to rotate but what’s wrong with Holding all of a sudden.
Scott…. consistency comes from the grey matter between the ears…..plus the attitude of the heart. We can’t afford to have and carry players who have a chip on their shoulders or are sulking.
Rico, I was thinking about Holding as well. He did not get a look in after the goal Sterling scored for City. Why?
Devil, I know, and those players are slowly but surely being removed from the club.
Just watched the match again – glutton for punishment!! So thankful Antonio hit the post!! Phew
I had a look on a West Ham blog earlier. Quite amusing seeing their take on us and the game.
No idea Devil, but I sure don’t understand it.
What are they saying Sue?
I am going to make a prediction….similar to AW did a couple of years before it happened…….
With Arteta at the helm and with the right attitude from all the players on board I feel that Arsenal can go on to beat that 49 game unbeaten run. Think about it. Arteta has beaten City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Tottenham, Chavs etc. With the right attitude and commitment in all games we can do that again…..and reach 50 games.
Good luck with that Devil. Not a hope in heck imo.
Our old mate Jesse Lindgard ? not mine!
Auba-Laca does not work because they do not complement each other. as I have already posted several times: whoever has time, make a chart of all the games they played together, how many points and victories were obtained and you will be surprised by the negative result. There were coaches, such as Emery, who tested several hypotheses and always failed; the team is out of balance, does not reach the goal, does not shoot. It had everything to be a strong duo, but it is not. And I say why: a pair has to “get to know each other”, be together, complement each other. If one is good at aerial play, the other has to be expert with the ball on the grass; if one is fast, the other has to be more of a “visionary” player; if a good one-on-one the other has to be a quick and easy touch player, etc. Now Auba is not a player who feels comfortable playing in the middle, in the one-to-one duel or in the aerial game. he is a player to be launched from the left side, still taking advantage of his speed and facing the opponent or the goalkeeper in a race; Lacquer, is a player who plays with others, with his back to the goal, holds the ball, with a strong shot, which takes “dozens” of fouls per game, many of them not scored. You need to play with someone who faces opponents, who is fast, plays in front of the goal. This is not Auba but more Martinelli, (within what I know). Even Nketiah, although it is not your style.
Rico.. As you can imagine some aren’t best pleased with their ‘capitulation’ as they put it. Others say a point against us is always a great result… one even said we’re an average side!!
It was refreshing to see how other fans see things, as we’re often told we’re the worst fanbase out there for moaning, slating their players, moaning about the ref etc.. but all of the above was mentioned… Antonio was slated for hitting the post. Jon Moss surprisingly has no fans in East London and they even slated the spuds and Kane, so not all bad 😂😂
One even said their comeback against the spuds derailed spurs’ season and will our comeback derail theirs?
Oh to be a footy fan hey, Rico?!
Afternoon Rico and the House.
Thanks for the good post Kev
I watched 4games this w-end and I think same of the football
they produced was the best that all 4 teams have played this season.
The games against Everton and Liverpool will be six – pointers given how close we’re getting and with Aston Villa hitting the skids.
Grealish will probably be back when the EPL kicks off again so it’s gonna be nip and tuck all the way to the wire.
7 points covers covers 9th to 5th so it’s really up for grabs, but with Tottenham and Everton out of everything now and only Liverpool being in Europe with us the fixtures favour WestHam, Tottenham, Everton and Villa…
It’s simple Kev. We need to win all the remaining games 1-0.
Jm, I think Kev was being ironic..
A maximum of five Premier League teams are eligible for UEFA Champions League qualification.
In the event that a Premier League club win the UEFA Champions League and another win the UEFA Europa League and neither of these clubs finish in the top four of the Premier League, the club lying fourth in the table will drop into the UEFA Europa League group stage.
Spurs for 4th anyone ?
Thanks Sue, I must admit that if I was a West Ham I’d be pretty naffed off with Moss but for us, it was nice to see us get a bit of good fortune for a change although I still don’t think their free kick should have been allowed as Moss was talking to Saka as the took it.
Afternoon Rick.
Wouldn’t that be funny if it’s us who win the Europa League.
Ah DG, if only it was that simple…
Irony Rico, it just sails off into the heavens doesn’t it? 😉
Arsenal winning the Europa League wouldn’t be funny Rico it would be an absolute miracle given our record in Europe, but I’d be very happy with a miracle all the same…
Did any one read the story by RT Sports on Arsenal news now at 1:55 about Arsenal owner not paying to fire proof buildings owned by Arsenal FC parent company.
Have I miss understood the story or does that mean that if these buildings catch fire that Arsenal FC may have to pay for the damages or any compensation if these buildings catch fire.
What concerns me ( not counting peoples life ) if this does affect our club it could send us broke.
It’d certainly be a miracle Kev, I rate our chances of winning Europa as very slim to none.
Morning all.
Not read it Geoff.
Good morning everyone.
Frank Worthington has passed away……
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/23/frank-worthington-former-england-leicester-forward-dies-aged-72?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
New post up now
we need the link please boss
because its not showing.
managed to find it
https://highbury-house.com/2021/03/23/best-loan-this-century/
A bit late in the day but thanks to you guys for the positive responses to my scribble 👍🏻