Morning all.
Craig Pawson. A game to big for him imo. He and his assistants got so many things wrong…
So where the heck has that kind of performance been all season eh?
Defending in numbers, tough tackling and smart defending, certainly from Gabriel Paulista. Perhaps his best game in an Arsenal shirt, he was really impressive. As was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who grew and grew as the game progressed.
The first half wasn’t that good really. City piled the pressure on but as wave after wave of attack came our way, we somehow managed to keep them out. Three at the back looked nearly as dodgy as Giroud did playing up front alone. How we made it to halftime without going behind I just don’t know.
Surely Arsene Wenger would revert to four at the back after the break I thought but no, he stuck by the three and we carried on.
But we didn’t just carry on, we improved, we really did and whatever Arsene Wenger said to the players at halftime, it clearly did some good. So when Kun Aguero gave City the lead, it was a real bummer. We’d been on the attack when Ramsey had the ball nicked off him by Toure on the edge of the City box and defence turned into attack in a flash. Monreal desperately tried to catch the little striker but he was too quick. A deft flick over Petr Cech and we were one down.
So often before we’ve seen the players trudge back to the halfway line with their chins on their chests as if to accept defeat. Not yesterday. We carried on in search of an equaliser and eventually it came and from a very unlikely source. Oxlade-Chamberlain, who looks quite comfortable playing in his new role was enjoying himself on the right, fired in a long a high ball towards the far post and there was Nacho Monreal to fire home with his weaker right foot. A great volley to draw us level.
We rode our luck a bit after that when the linesman wrongly adjudged a cross to have gone out of play before City scored again, then the woodwork spared us too and it was then I thought maybe it was our day. A bit like back in 2005.
We had chances, City had chances but after ninety minutes, the score remained level and into extra time we went.
Alexis Sanchez, who’d had a relatively quiet day by his standards had one great chance. He took it. 2-1 to The Arsenal.
2-1 should have been 3-1 but Danny Welbeck made the wrong decision. As did Mesut Ozil, a few times before the final whistle blew.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, man of the match for the game said the fans deserved the win and the performance and he was right. Perhaps for once, so did many of the players.
But let’s not get too excited eh and without sounding negative, this was just a one off. An isolated performance which despite pleasing on the day, could soon vanish as quick as it arrived. Because that’s this Arsenal team under Arsene Wenger and even if by some miracle we see the boys play the same until the end of the season and the results go our way, nothing will convince me that anything has changed as far as the manager and his coaching team goes.
The players, well many of them, have shown what they can do when they want to but I’m sure a different manager would get them doing it far more frequently.
Sorry to take the gloss of what was a totally unexpected victory and one which I thoroughly enjoyed watching..
Talking after the game, Arsene Wenger said:
“Alexis Sanchez was like the team. He had problems to start and became stronger and stronger.
“He is an animal, always ready to kill the opponent. He will never give up. He will be here next year because he has a contract and hopefully we will manage to extend.”
I reckon that means the manager is staying too!
Have a good Monday guys, Leicester up next on Wednesday evening. They are a team in good form so let’s see what happens next eh.
Great post Rico! I can’t help but wonder could we turn Hector into a Kante type DM!
Any thoughts?
Gotta go back to work…catch you all later!
Great post rico, sums up everything about what we’ve become recently (well for the past 5-7 years now). Since periods like this have become scarce, I’m enjoying this moment and reliving this experience till Wednesday.
Thanks Guys…
Yep, enjoy the moment because it could be short lived….
Kos needs to jump higher, beaten in the air again yesterday… Nearly cost us too…
I don’t understand the David and Goliath image. Yesterday the goliath club (Arsenal) slew plucky little David!!!!!!!
Man City are one of the very very very very few clubs who have more money than Ar$enal fc, but in every other way they are an infinitely smaller club than Arsenal. Using a David slaying Goliath motif for yesterday would be like using it if Bayern Munich beat moneybags PSG….I hardly think it would even enter your head in that scenario. So why belittle your own club? A small point perhaps but I honestly it is part of the defeatist rhetoric that has destroyed this club since Dein and his tanks on the lawn cowardice., and which the manager uses to cover over failures.
hector is more interested in his new hairstyle these days
Sleepinggiant.
I’m not in any way belittling our club. In case you didn’t realise, we were 100% the underdogs, the mighty Pep v’s the old has been Arsene Wenger. The rich kids v’s Arsenal who seldom spend. That’s why the logo is in the post because against all odds, we won.
Or maybe Pep’s impressive trophy tally compared against Wenger’s???
Yes, that as well Lee..
Thanks Rico.
Yes we may be the bigger club historically, by fan base and trophies of past, but lets get away from the rose tinted glasses and emotional ties………………Mansour City are fcuking rich beyond our wildest dreams and WILL be as big as Arsenal as have Chavs become because it`s all about the money !……they will never become average clubs of their past, we have to accept and live with the fact that they are here for long run and stay !
Take away the sentiment, Sleepinggiant, compared to Mansour City`s riches and the money they have spent and Rico is right that it is a David Vs Goliath scenario, their money has changed the face of our game and will buy them history and it already has, pull your head out from the sand as it will be happening again from the likes of our dark neighbours and others if they spend spend spend.
As long as we run self-sustaining, we will always be playing catch up !
New Manager In !
Kroenke Out !
Glad some people can see the point Lc…
nice post Rico…
We was the underdogs and we did ride our luck. For around 70 minutes of the game we were playing with 9 men, as Ramsey was bottling challenges and Giroud not willing or able to create space stretch or test their crap defence.
Once we equalized we really did grab them by the cohonas and we looked like Arsenal of old.
Holding was very impressive, as was the OX and Monreal on the flanks.
The game changer was the introduction of Welbeck and the withdrawal of Aguero.
Sane didnt have a sniff all game and was firmly in Paulistas back pocket.
Referee was pony, but i guess everyone makes mistakes. I dont think he will get a high profile game for a while.
Leicester will tell us if we have turned a page. The extra time was the best 30 minutes of football i have seen us play in months. Chelsea is a different beast altogether but they are beatable.
Interesting Rico you mention kroenke out, Wrighty in the interview on BT Sport said the same..
Thanks George.
Think it was Lc who said Kroenke out, not e but yes, I heard Wrighty say that too. He wants big changes on the board doesn’t he?
Holding doesn’t look like he was playing in the Championship last season, nor like he’s barely played all year. Very impressed so far.
Holding nutmegging Aguero was great to see Rico
Spurs’ seventh straight FA Cup semi-final defeat set a new record for futility – surpassing the team that defeated them
Tottenham’s dream of an FA Cup trophy came to an end Saturday as London rivals Chelsea defeated them 4-2 in the semi-final.
Goals from Harry Kane and Dele Alli were not enough for Spurs as a brace from Willian along with goals from Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic sent the Blues through to the final, where they will face either Arsenal or Manchester City.
While Tottenham has won the FA Cup eight times in their history, they have not hoisted the trophy since the 1990-91 season. Following that last triumph, they have not even returned to the final, with the semi-final round the furthest the club has managed.
Saturday’s loss was Spurs’ seventh consecutive defeat when reaching the semi-final – which sets a new FA Cup record for futility.
As for the club they surpassed? That would be Chelsea, which lost six FA Cup semi-finals without a victory between 1920 and 1966.
The defeat was also Tottenham’s seventh at Wembley Stadium, the most of any team in England.
Hello Rico !
I would be equally happy even if we loose yesterday.
Good fighting spirit from the team.Why is not always ? Refer Le Prof i guess.
Good to sub Wellbeck for Giroud.
Still i dont understand why is not playing Holding .The kid is fantastic i rate him ahead of Gab and Kosch from what i ve seen so far.
Twice Aguero touch the ball heavly before scoring and Check failed to read the game and come out.
He should go in my opinion .Me still irking the goal he gave cheaply to Cesc.
It was George…
🙂 Kev.
Hi Alex.
Re @ 11:28 if you watched Holding at Bolton it’s not that surprising, the kid is a stud, miles ahead of Stones. His concentration and awareness for a young defender is superb. The Championship has tons of talent, players like Chris Wood, McCormack, Judge etc..can play in the EPL with ease.
I think some of the criticism of Cech is a bit unfair, he made one brilliant save when he deflected a shot onto the post, we could have crumbled at that stage.
Ok, it wasn’t an unblemished performance by our team, but in terms of spirit, effort and fight it was 100% better than of late.
You’re not going to dominate a team like Man City, who have a whole clutch of top top players, we were always going to endure dodgy periods, but it’s how you react to those periods and we did well overall. We could have folded after Agueros goal, but we fought back, rode our luck and profited from it.
Rather that than dominate possession and lose to a couple of high balls into the box, I know what I prefer.
BT, you would have loved it mate, it was as if after weeks and months of purgatory that the Arsenal fans came together and found a united voice. The players’ efforts made a difference of course and as they fed off of the fans the fans in return fed off of them, so whilst it wasn’t a faultless performance you couldn’t fault the teams spirit.
Whether this came from Wenger or they sorted it themselves I don’t know, but it could be the comments recently of Oxlade-Chamberlain showed that maybe the players had taken it on themselves to sort it?!
Obi, you could well be describing a future Arsenal and England captain, not like Tony Adams but quiet and assured with a natural authority.
We’ve missed having a few Northeners in our teams since Dixon, Winterburn, Seaman and Bould left. The best teams have a balance from everywhere…
Afternoon Rico and ALL
Have to admit.The last two games
I thought we would get turned over.
After watching the warm up sunday
it was as clear as day that The Quiff
had an injury.
Also Sanchez looked like he couldn’t
give a monkeys…..
We had a bit of luck,Pep first replacing
Silva and then Aquero injuries.
We had a Bosseyed lino to thank as well.
Not to mention The Refffffffffff.
But….It reminded me of the old days a little…
you know when we don’t look like winning
and we win.
When the players realised we can win this
the fans joined in.
Our fullbacks have never heard of Row Z.
The old saying:
If can’t find two good centrebacks..
Play three then…………….It worked.
I did think a north london team would be in the final.
So was right all along……..Simple Really.
Sanchez staying is essential Rico, Has to be the single most important transfer business we do this summer, is sort out his contract. Maybe A.W has been told “we,re paying what Sanchez is asking for whether you sanction it or not”, be nice to think that matters of such importance, are once and for all being taking out of his hands, still, maybe not
I think theo is still on the naughty step after his silly comments, I don,t think A.W took to kindly to those comments at all. Anyway fantastic result yesterday lucky at times, but finally got going to grind out a hard fought much needed victory, against a top side, we,ll most probably be brought back down to earth Wednesday, but what a good day yesterday was.
On current form it was to be a Spud/Mansour final, but we all know what form means in the FA Cup…….fcuk all !………………..and on form the Chavs will be expected to beat us, but !………….there will be as many Chavs as Gooners who will be bricking it at the thought of us in the final !.
Like the idea of some northern bastards in the team, Kev !……………….there`s me in Tropical Cornwall sunbathing in the hazy fantazy warmth and up norf they have snow, but will still BBQ in their Budgie Smugglers tonight just to prove how tough they are !…..got to love them ! hahaha
Obi, I think it’s always surprising to see a player adapt so easily when moving up a league. Regardless of how good they may have been for their previous club…
Kev. Agree re Cech, he was good yesterday I thought. It wasn’t his fault, or Nacho’s that Ramsey got robbed by Toure…
But one thing I would ask is I wonder why so many keepers go to ground so early. I remember thinking that when Giggs scored ‘that’ goal in the FA Cup all those years ago. Had Seaman stood his ground, he may not have scored…
Mind you, he wouldn’t have if one of our outfield players had taken a booking for the team either…
Afternoon Fred, did you think it would be the one that is? lol
Something was clearly wrong with Giroud, his movement was zero really. Alexis and he were having a lot of verbals during the game.
Agree Dublin. Sanchez has to stay and it sounds like the club are prepared to take a loss. Maybe there is going to be a few big arrivals in the summer, ones who might just convince him we are competitive.
“Ya Gunners ya”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTPk-lflFrx/?tagged=wearethearsenal
Well, I didn’t see that coming! As well as I’ve seen the Arsenal play since Chelsea at home earlier this season. Got to say I was impressed. I’m easily impressed! Have to say my chin hit my chest when Agiero scored and the language that emerged from my mouth condemning Cech to a blazing eternal inferno was colourful, to say the least. But what I didn’t expect, after a really pedestrian first half was the response in the second and the quality of play we produced. It was a nod to the past, let’s hope it’s a picture of the future.
Didn’t hear Wrighty’s references to Kronke but he’s right. The man seems to be a bit of a manipulative, greedy monster. PHW was right, with hindsight, we didn’t need his ‘type’ at our club! We’ve got him! How do we get rid of him???
I was also intrigued by Wenger’s promise to tell all, at a later date, of what had caused the decline in form, effort, application and results. He seemed to link it to stuff that was occurring off the field rather than on it! The Board again? The Owner? The CEO? I wonder what that was/is about? Without question whatever was going on had massive impact on the players and results.
If I were a betting man I’d put money on laying the blame at the owners door because he has/was insisting that Sanchez and Ozil should be sold, for big money, his money! Rather than renew their respective contracts at great expense the Kronke balance sheet, thus slowing down of his attempt to buy the rest of the USA!
Just saying. It might go some way of explaining some of Wenger’s somewhat bizarre behaviour over the last few months. He was just unhappy at work! And how many times has he said ‘I will always do my best for this club and, no one can ever question my loyalty to Arsenal football club.’ He is obviously sending a not unconcealed message to someone, somewhere. Imo.
Cold and wet here and the central heating boiler is playing up. Fitter coming Wedneday, Wednesday not very immediate, not very efficient! Not very happy at all!
No idea what Elneny is shouting that vid`, but he is Egyptian so probably some kind of ancieant hieroglyphics version of……fcuk off you sp*rs !………or……..”I want my mummy”!
Hahahaha
Cant seem to copy it, but if you put in …”fcuk of you spurs”….it will bring it up in hieroglyphics !
https://lingojam.com/HieroglyphicsTranslator
Hahaha……………………It even does Wenger Out !
This one`s more colourful !
http://quizland.com/hiero.mv
Arsene
I don’t know,” he would only say when asked if he will manage Arsenal in the Champions League again.
Has the 2 year contract gone to the bottom draw?
Has Theooooooooooooo been sent to Coventry?
Has Little Joshy Dipped his Toe in the Pond?
When Arsene decides to tell all…..
Will he be loyal to the fans He wants to send home Happy?
Or will he..Makes us dig deeper to Buy the Book?
A bit long winded, but an insight possibly to why Spuds are being succesfull in the league, it`s about fouling in the right areas` and sharing the load(fouls) around !…..the dark arts of which we used a bit more yesterday than usual !…………….makes sense to me anyway !. 🙂
By Daniel Storey of Football 365.
If this was season-saving Sunday for Manchester City and Arsenal, it is Pep Guardiola who will be counting the cost of failure. For all the hype over the arrival of the world’s best manager into English football, Guardiola has never had it so hard. A reported summer transfer budget of £200m has been mooted, and on this evidence every penny of it will be needed.
For Arsene Wenger, FA Cup salvation once more. This competition has been Arsenal’s face-saver before, and it may well be again. For those supporters of a pessimistic nature, Sunday evening may be the perfect time for Arsenal to announce the new contract that most suspect was signed and sealed weeks ago.
The biggest argument against Wenger’s new two-year contract is the suspicion that talk of change is far easier than making it reality. The leaks of transfer war chests are intended as a distraction from Arsenal’s slump from Premier League title challengers to also rans. Arsenal can promise change, but that requires Wenger to do the same. He is omnipotent and omniscient at this club.
At Wembley, we at least saw positive signs that a change can come. Wenger chose to stick with the three-man central defence that he trialled for the first time in 20 years at Middlesbrough last Monday. If it creaked at the Riverside, it mostly stayed firm against a far more proficient attack. If any formation can make Gabriel Paulista play as well as on Sunday, it is worth perseverance. Rob Holding also deserves huge credit for his role as the defensive aggressor, making two more clearances than any other player on the pitch.
The biggest beneficiary of this new shape is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the best player at Wembley in another new role. His stamina, pace and desire have never been in question, and playing at wing-back maximises each of those characteristics. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross for Nacho Monreal’s equaliser was sensational.
It was not just Arsenal’s three-man central defence that surprised at Wembley, but their appetite to snap into the tackle. During the first 45 minutes they conceded 12 fouls, just four fewer than they have committed in an entire Premier League match this season. That included causing injury to David Silva – who was substituted – and significant pain to Sergio Aguero. By full-time, the number had reached 20.
Crucially, Arsenal divided those crimes between them, rather than Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka hogging them and thus picking up bookings and risking red cards. Of those 12 first-half fouls, Nacho Monreal was the only outfield player without a mark next to his name. It was a strategy of tactical fouling we have never seen from Arsenal.
“It’s not especially any particular player but it looks to me that some players make repeated fouls and it doesn’t matter how many fouls they make but they get a card when it’s a spectacular foul,” Wenger said as far back as 2009.
“It’s the little fouls in the middle of the park. It breaks up the game from when you are attacking three against three, four against four and then you get a free kick and it’s ten against ten again. All the work you have done is nothing. We call it a tactical foul. I think I will try to talk to the FA about it. It’s the same for Manchester United, Liverpool and for everybody.”
Eight years after expressing his distaste for tactical fouls and his intention to tell the teacher, has Wenger embraced the game’s ‘dark arts’? His early Arsenal tenure was plagued by on-pitch ill-discipline, but back then it was the number of red cards that drew censure. For Arsenal, ‘clever’ has perennially referred to their aesthetically pleasing attacking rather than cynical breaking up of play.
What Wenger has never denied is how effective the tactic can be. In that 2009 interview he referred to the practice being commonly used at international level, but it is now a staple of many successful teams. Good guys don’t always finish first.
The Premier League’s most effective exponent are Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham. Spurs ranked fourth last season for fouls committed, but it was the strategy of spreading fouls – and yellow cards – around the team that was most obvious. Interesting too was where Tottenham committed those fouls. They ranked first in the league for free-kicks given away in the opposition half.
The theory is simple. Breaking up play as soon as you are dispossessed stops the opposition exploiting space on the counter attack and creating the overlaps that can be so effective in chance creation. Roughly speaking, the higher up the pitch a free-kick is conceded, the more likely a referee is to be lenient in awarding cards.
If Tottenham are the Premier League kings of cynicism, Arsenal are their antidote, or at least were until Sunday. This season, they have committed an average of 10.4 fouls per league games, more than only Hull City and Bournemouth. In 2015/16, only Roberto Martinez’s mild-mannered Everton committed fewer.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with that; there are plenty of ways to skin the footballing cat. Yet the accusation against Wenger’s Arsenal is that they too readily display a soft underbelly in the most high-profile matches, particularly away from home. On that charge, the proof is in the sour-tasting pudding.
Wenger still has much to do to convince his hoard of critics that he merits even more faith than he has enjoyed until now, and that includes an FA Cup final victory against the likely Premier League champions. Yet, for once, his Arsenal team displayed a big-game strategy to follow rather than avoid. Supporters can finally walk with their heads held high; those Fan TV cameras can stop their rolling footage.
Daniel Storey
If Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cements his place at right wing-back, then where does that leave Hector Bellerin?
I’m sure someone mentioned him switching to def/mid on here or somewhere I was reading recently. It’s a position I saw him fill with ease in a League Cup tie a few years ago, I think it was against West Brom?
He has pace to burn and could read situations much in the vein of the German team capt who plays both full-back and def/mid with equal alacrity.
What did you guys make of Wengers comments after the game, he ones about our bad run and one day he’ll tell us why it happened?
Odd I thought…
Kev, was that Silky, first comment of the day…?
I`d make Bellerin practice until the cows come home every day on his left foot, then stick him as left wing back !……….pace both sides then……..or alternatively……….make Ox practice until the cows come home everyday on his left foot, then stick him as left wing back !………..surely one of them can kick a ball with his left ?………………….I mean, Monreal scored with his right from the left ! hahaha
And I`m sure Bellerin would have caught Aguero for City`s goal !…………………talking of which, every time I see that goal, I just cant understand why Cech didn`t come quicker for the ball, he was favourite after Aguero`s heavy touch !………………….still, we won so it dont matter !
🙂
What about Gibbs?
Not sure Rico, he does like talking in riddles, but as someone mentioned on here recently, Theo has dropped out of the picture following his comment on a Palace being more ‘up’ for the game.
Maybe there’s been some aggro in the squad, and then there’s the stuff coming out from the Board. It seems that everyone is getting their excuses in, blaming each other and Wenger is joining in.
You have to admire Oxlade-Chamberlain for accepting the teams fallings of late, it’s about time somebody at the club held their hand up.
Silky was it Rico, yeah, it’s something I’ve thought about myself, but not really pushed the point, much as I don’t anymore with BFG… ?
Cocker we’ve had some great Northerners in our teams over the years, it really pisses me off that we don’t scout up there anymore, or don’t seem to.
I’d approach Dermot Drummy for the job of Academy Director.
He does Kev but like you, I certainly think there’s something had gone on behind the scenes. Perhaps now it’s been sorted…
Re Ox. I thought he spoke really well after the game. Thoughtful and had us fans in his mind. Really hope he stays put and doesn’t head off to the Dippers
I`ve never really rated Gibbs, Rico !…………………should have done what Liam Brady suggested to Wenger and bought the Arsenal supporting Bale instead of Theo !
WTF`s Drummy ? 🙂
Another little Wenger comment only this time about Sanchez. He was emphatic when he said “Alexis will be here next year, whether he signs a new contract or not”. Sort of suggests further that the has/may have been a bit of aggro between the employers and the employees! Am I repeating myself?
He’s a decent winger Lc… lol
Night guys…
Nite rico, “Abide with Me” it is then…..you sing it and I’ll hum it lol, gotta keep the faith matey !
Cocker, Dermot Drummy was a midfielder in the youth/reserves at Arsenal, who didn’t make it but became a top youth coach at Arsenal.
Chelsea poached him for double your money offer and he’s worked with their youths for about 10 years. Now he’s managing in the lower leagues, but I’m sure he’s still got to offer at youth level.
Fred probably knows him…
Marseille want Ollie for £20 million?? Deal I say…
Morning guys…
New post up.