Morning all.
Considering the way things have gone over the last ten days or so, I thought we did ok last night. An awful opening fifteen to twenty minutes though which no doubt was because of recent results/performances. Going 1-0 down during that opening period just about summed this Arsenal team up. It’s where we are. For now.
Leaving Torriera on the bench, opting for Guendouzi instead seemed odd and looking back, it was perhaps the wrong decision so it was no surprise when the first change Emery made was to swap the two around. Koscielny and Ozil were the other changes made on the night with Mkhitaryan and Monreal replacing them.
Valencia could have gone further ahead, especially during those opening minutes, Sokratis could have been booked for what looked like a nasty tackle too and had the referee produced a red card, I wouldn’t have been shocked either. But nothing, he, we got lucky.
Anyway, we fought back. Ozil to Lacazette, a lovely spin off his player followed by a pass to Aubameyang who tried hard to lose possession just inside the box on the left. He didn’t, instead he played the ball into the middle of the box and there was Lacazette to fire home with his left foot. Phew. But one became two when the same player headed home his second of the night. We should have extended our lead, Lacazette should have had his hat trick but his first was somehow blocked by the keeper and then Gabriel, his second, a header totally misjudged.
If by chance you’d forgotten what happened around this time last season, Drake and Savage made sure we remembered by continually telling us how many chances we missed against Atletico Madrid. Idiots!
We had one more goal in us and it came from Aubameyang who to his credit, had one of his better games. He did well to score from a tight angle and on the volley too. Not sure it was as clean a strike he’ll ever make but I doubt he cares. I know I don’t. 3-1, game over and we head to Valencia in a weeks time with a toe into the Europa Cup Final.
I thought Mkhitaryan looked lively when he came on and he caused Valencia a few problems. Torreira made a big difference. Those little legs of his were everywhere, certainly in defence. Nacho was just Nacho, reliable.
We did ok I thought. Nothing brilliant, a few nice moves in there but it was clear the players are going through tough times. Perhaps this victory will bring back a little bit of confidence, I don’t know but I hope so with a minimum of three fixtures to go. Win all three and they’ll be Cup Final to end the season with.
Whether a two goal advantage is enough to get past Valencia is debatable and conceding the away goal makes things more tricky for us but as much as Valencia has goals in their side, so do we. Get an early one next week and suddenly we’re very much in the driving seat.
Before then though, Brighton come to The Emirates on Sunday for our last home game of the season. Only a win will keep our top four hopes alive. Chelsea are at home to Watford in the earlier match and Utd are away to Huddersfield. I can see points being dropped in both.
Mind you, I can in ours too…
Have a good Friday guys…
Good morning Rico, I’m quietly confident about the second leg a three one lead is not to be sniffed at.
I’m a little surprised that you failed to mention Mustafi’s contribution, I thought he had quite a good game….by his usual standards.. 😉
Morning Cicero.
Must have been the shock… lol
Morning Rico. A balanced report.
Unless Torriera is carrying a slight injury the team selection was odd. Guendouzi is young and perhaps I’ll leave it there. Anyway, more shocking defending tested the team but the quick goals turned it round and when Torreira came on I thought we looked a lot more solid through the middle. He was excellent. How do you figure Laca for missing what should have been goals 3 and 4?
The late goal could prove vital, especially if we get the balance right away and can get another one. Overall I thought that the commentators over-hyped Valencia. To me they looked fairly ordinary last night, but may come alive at home.
After our recent nonsense though, we needed that.
Morning Adam.
I’d credit their keeper for the first Lacazette miss but the second, the header, was really odd. I too thought Torreira was superb, made a big difference the way he swept everything up at the back.
Personally, I wouldn’t extend Kos’s contract, I think he’s broken…
He is better at right back than in the middle , his propensity to dive in is less dangerous out wide and in fact sometimes is good closing down .
We started as usual , disorganised at the back , they scored from a free header at the back post one man marking two or in fact not marking at all . We go to Valencia next week and they will target set pieces and will move up every 6 foot plusser they can . We need to score to calm things down and take the wind out of their sales , if we start like last night there had better be room behind our sofas because it will be a very long couple of hours.
I was talking about Mustafi but the way posts have come on the attention has switched to Kos who is on my not fussed list of keep or go depending on new recruits or Holding’s fitness.
I reckon you’re right Potter. Our lack of height or ability to challenge in the air is clear to see and an easy option for them at home. I guess the key will be to not give away set pieces in dangerous areas but we do seem to do that all too often…
From the look of Koscielny as he went off, he’s hardly likely to recover by next Thursday. Our final home game of the season is the ideal opportunity to give either Mavropanos or one of the youngsters a chance in the back 3/4.
Last night’s commentary by that pair of buffoons was dreadful, I always thought that commentators were supposed to be impartial but nowadays they are allowed to make the most insulting remarks about players and coaches that their tiny brains can come up with.
In the press, Liverpool get more praise for being hammered 3 – 0 than than Arsenal get for winning 3 – 1.
Oh and just to lighten our day, we hear that Scouse supporters have started an on-line petition to have Messi banned for allegedly punching on of their players. What a bunch of w*****s.
Might have no choice, but there’s a good chance the Burnley match will need to be a win if results go in our favour this weekend..
So rest Koscielny until then and hope he goes out in a blaze of glory against Burnley.
And play who in Spain though?
So Rico wants Kozzer gone, Ozil is a long time hit list candidate and Rambo has left!
Leave me Ballard ffs 🙂 🙂
He’s my new lad!
Arsenal Captain in the making.
Morning all.
It’s not a case of want Scott, it’s a case of looking after him. He’s broken, the PL is perhaps to hard for him now. Let the bloke go back to France and possibly prolong his career in a less physical league.
As long as we replace him, no dramas, else he can still play a role.
Would you keep him, or Mustafi?
I’d keep Koscielny but only in the ‘veteran’ position and not to be played as first choice. Only for one season though.
Ozil I’m not fussed over either. He’s quality but he’s also a luxury and with our current squad I’m not sure we’ve got room for luxury players. I’ve also come to the conclusion that we can only really play 2 of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ozil.
Neither Scott. We moan about the quality of players, about a too higher wage bill etc etc so why pay Koscielny £100k a week only for him to play once maybe twice a month? Mustafi would benefit from going back abroad, the PL is too quick for him and he lacks a footballing brain imo.
On a pay as you play Hobart? We can’t afford to be sentimental imo. We’ve wasted so much money on keeping playing, it’s time to be ruthless imo and put the squad needs ahead of anything else.
And look at Santi now, he wouldn’t be playing as much as he is had he stayed in England I’m sure..
Doubt that he would sign up to that Rico but then if he goes we have to replace and there will be no cash raised on his departure .
The squad overhaul is going to be a long painful process
Shooting out Ozil , MIki, Ramsey,Ospina and Cech would save 50 million a year add to that Mustafi , Elneny , Lichstiener and Welbeck and it’s 85 million with the reported 42 million is that enough to do a good job of a few purchases wages and kids to fill the void.
I doubt it too Potter although we might get a few pounds for him. Look in the championship perhaps, low fees, low wages and less risk. At least they’ll know English football and slot in well. We still have Holding, Sokratis, Mavropanos and Medley, Ballard coming through.
All the club need to do is tell us what their plan is and we’ll know what to expect.
I spent a fair bit of time behind the sofa Potter! Valencia should have had a second goal. Fortunately, their finishing was as poor as the goal we gave away.
I cannot remember the last time I saw a bunch of professional players on big wages, so out of tune with their straightforward duties to the team.
What a superb pass from Laca to Auba and then collecting the return after a sprint down the pitch. HE, is someone we need to keep.
Auba (how many does he miss?) had so much time to kill the ball and choose his spot, misconnected and the ball bounced over the bar. Poor technique through trying a flashy shot.
We won. Whew! Not holding my breath for next week though.
IF WE WIN this competition, then I will finally believe in miracles.
Afternoon all and, good post as usual Rico. Thanks.
Thanks Andorra- both our strikers missed too many chances, they often do. At least we came back though… Just hope three are enough…
Rico @ 10.46, whoever plays against Brighton, if he makes a decent showing, I can’t see Koscielny making it to Spain anyway.
We can’t afford another Diaby fiasco, so It would make sense to release Koscielny, Lichtsteiner is out of contract in June so will be going. Ozil is making regular noises about staying and unless we find a very good (and cheap) replacement we have to keep him despite the wages.
I don’t envy the regime’s summer tasks, its not going to be easy to sort out the crap left behind by Wenger and Gazidis.
Didn’t Kosser rupture his achilles at the same stage in this competition last year, missed the world cup and the start of our season, his best position these days is probably on the physio’s couch.
Cicero, any idea what his injury is? Could be nothing too serious..
I think so Micko but that’s been fixed hasn’t it?
Afternoon Gooners
Afternoon Rico, good post as always, Koscielny, Monreal, Lichtsteiner even Sokratis, are well into their 30’s, that’s a lot of players we may need to replace. And let’s not forget that Emery/Mislintat tried to bring in another centre back last summer, the Croatian guy with a ponytail similar to the one Adam has…
Remember when Wenger arrived and the Arsenal coaching staff warned him against breaking up our aging defence, fortunately he didn’t and they all had several more successful years at the club, so I’d be a bit careful about getting rid of Koscielny and Monreal despite their salaries.
I guess it all depends on who you replace them with?
We have a small enough squad as it is, Emery is down to the bare bones and as much as I like Mavropanos and Medley, I don’t think they’re ready yet…
Of course it would be great if we went out and signed Harry McGuire or the lad at Ajax, but it’s not likely, so hopefully the club have a couple of young defenders lined up for next season, probably players we’ve not heard of, but in the meantime I’d hang onto Kozz and Nacho.
Afternoon Rico and all,great post
You can add Chambers to that list of centre halves,possibly Bielik too, not sure what their futures hold.
Lacazette was terrific last night,should had a hat trick.He works so hard,my player of the season for sure.To think we could have had him on several occasions,and cheaper too,but Arsene dithered…
We need to be up for it against Brighton too,it would be criminal if Chelsea slip up against Watford,and we fail to take advantage.
Afternoon Kev, thanks. We differ in our views for once. 😜
Afternoon Limey, thanks. I’m with you on Lacazette, he’s a real grafter but his finishing can sometimes be awful. It funny though as Aubameyang has scored more goals out of the two yet he always seems to be the more wasteful.
Talking of defenders over 30 Kev, I always thought James Milner was a good buy for Liverpool back in 2015. From what I’ve seen he’s more talented than either Mustafi and Socratis. Did we ever make a bid for him when he became available?
I’ve never been keen on Xhaka, Mustafi, or Socratis mainly because they’re too slow, aaprt from their other deficiences.
If they had good spatial awareness and positional sense which made up for their lack of speed then I’d be more forgiving. The second a forward goes past them they grab their shirt, chop them down or commit some other type of foul and it’s then a free kick, probably somewhere around the penalty area.
We all know what comes next.
nice post rico, cheers.
I’m with allezkev regards Koscielny and Monreal. With Krankys record of being a tight so and so I cannot see UE getting many dollars to spend this summer. Keep them to help nurture Holding, Mavro, Medley and Chambers through.
Did anyone notice how Xhaka got 1″ off the ground with the far post headed goal of Valencia? Him and Mustafi HAVE to go in the summer. Pleeeeeeaaaaase.
Rico any injury Koscielny suffers is a serious one. As you said earlier he is broken as, to a lesser extent, is Monreal neither is worth a contract extension.
Part of the problem with the defence is the constant chopping and changing largely through injuries (Koscielny and Monreal) suspensions (Sokratis) and sheer clumsiness (Mustafi). We need defenders who are fit enough and robust enough to play week in week out so that they become a defensive unit not a bunch of strangers.
We are not going to have the money to buy Maguire, or any other half decent central defender, so the only options are Holding, if he can be fit for pre-season, or one of the younger players. Sooner or later their time must come, the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned.
It’s all very well to be saying we should sell or release players, but with a squad that’s already thin, where do we expect the replacements to come from?
As a few have touched on, giving the kids a crack is one way to go, but will the club allow it?
We know we won’t buy costly replacements, so we will be keeping more than a few of the names being mentioned, imo.
I’d keep Kozzer on a reduced salary if he’d accept it-it was only a month or so back almost everyone was raving about his form.
Mustafi-well, the best review he’s had was after this game where people agree he was better than usual hahahahaha
On Auba….he misses sitters regularly, but his goal tally suggests that he must be getting into a hell of a lot of scoring positions, given his poor conversion rate.
Hopefully, he and Lacazette continue to build a combination because they are quality footballers who, again, aren’t easy or cheap to replace:
Arsenal say they “utterly condemn” the behaviour of a group of Valencia fans who appeared to make Nazi salutes and monkey gestures at Thursday’s Europa League semi-final at Emirates Stadium.
A video has emerged of the latest high profile incident of racism at domestic and international football this season.
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said “these blatant racist gestures are shocking and inexcusable”.
It’s not Koscielny’s form that is the worry Scott, it’s is chronic injury situation.
2.54cm European dimensions here, VCC…..Lol….seriously though, did he actually get off the ground?
Thanks Vcc.
My thought process is why pay a player £100k a week for missing half the season through injury?
True Cicero, but he might just have suffered cramp etc.
You’re ever the optimist Rico. 😉
Another thing worth considering perhaps is our defending, if these guys we currently have in the first team were ‘that’ good, wouldn’t they have been able to sort the way we defend among themselves?
Same with the midfield. I doubt Torreira needed to be told to race back and cover when our defenders were caught too far up the pitch but he did.
andorrabyte……… I can just see daylight between the bottom of his foot and the grass, so yes, he just about made the effort to hop 2.54cm.
Cicero….agreed, we are not going to get Maguire, or any other expensive CB. This is precisely the reason I would nurse Koscielny and Monreal through another season. With Holding coming back from injury and Socrates we can play the occasionally.
I am Cicero.. 😇
I am Spartacus
Evening all and thanks Rico.
Talking about our slow defenders remember in the early season speed tests the only player quicker than Sokratis and Mustafi was Bellerin !
This is the way I look at our return in Spain………………….Imagine the game kicks off straight away and we are winning 3-1 in the first few seconds !…………………..we`d be jumping for joy !…………………in the real world……………….we are winning 3-1 yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ! 🙂
I said a similar thing in the last round. 😉
Keep the Kozz, Reduce the wage.
Pay per play even.
Still, he’s offered us more then Alexis has given Utd at 5 times the price 🙂
How blown away would we all be if Stan opened the purse strings?
We can dream lol
LC, an aggregate 3-1 win after the game will do nicely 🙂
‘ morning all, an excellent article in the Telegraph this morning, The Year of The Ox. In depth report into the injuries that kept him off the pitch for a year, also an insight to the life of a professional footballer. Well worth a read.
Sunny here at the moment after a heavy hail storm.
Morning all.
On page 3 of the Tory graph there is another article about his desperate search for amCheshire mansion for himself and his ex Little Mix girl friend. Oh the pain it caused him. It would seem that the rental properties in the ‘golden triangle’ are few and far between. Such a shame! He was reduced to living in a hotel for at least a couple of months. Until of course the ‘right’ property with the ‘right’ address turned up.
Do you know, I nearly burst into tears after reading the pain he suffered!😥
Cold here, very cold.
Looking at the pictures on page three is all very well, but read the complete article in the sport section Adam, it will give you a different perspective.
Hi all.
Cicero, what’s the Ox been sidelined by??
It must be bloody frustrating for any athlete to sit in the stands for an extended amount of time.
Three injuries in one Scott. Ruptured anterior ligament, ruptured lateral collateral ligament and hamstring torn of of the head of the femur. All occurred simultaneously in one collision with an opposing player.
Bloody hell.
Always liked the guy but I don’t take much notice of other team news and never heard about that at all.
What’s the long term prognosis??
Morning all.
Feel sorry for the Ox? My heart bleeds…. lol
Scott, he played the final seventeen minutes of the game against Huddersfield a week ago yesterday. Two days short of a year since he was carried off against Roma.
No need to feel sorry for him Rico, but read the article.
Good footballer, good business to sell him for what we did.
I was being ironic Cicero… lol
New post up now