Morning all.
Midweek saw a young Arsenal side play in a way which we’ve been crying out for, for what seem like years. Similar could be said about the Notts Forest game too. Energy, movement, pace, excellent crossing from both sides, especially from Tierney and a bit of organisation at the back too.
It’s a sad fact but I’ve enjoyed watching our Cup matches far more than I have watching the first team. It’s not just because those matches have be won either so it’s not just me being fickle, the football has been entertaining. Martinelli with his movement, footwork and sheer desire to get any part of his body onto the end of a cross refreshing. The pace of both Bellerin and Tierney and the trickery of Ceballos, excellent. I mention those four but in fairness, they all played well and they all played their part in what was a really good night for Arsenal in the Europa Cup.
In an ideal world, I’d love to see that starting eleven up against Bournemouth today but it’s not going to happen. That’s not to say our first team can’t learn from what the witnesses on Thursday evening. The pace is certainly there in Pepe and Aubameyang. Chambers is no slouch if he starts ahead of AMN at right back and Saka, who I suspect will start on the left, has energy and speed to burn too. So there’s no excuse really.
Although perhaps there is. Xhaka can play an excellent long ball but he’s slow, the rest of his game is slow too. Ozil, who considering we’re at home and Ceballos having played on Thursday, will possibly start but he too is slow as he takes forever to get the ball onto his preferred left foot. Don’t get me wrong, on his day he can be awesome, as long as we’re controlling the game and he’s in the mood. He might still be sulking of course after being snubbed in the week. I’d imagine Leno, Sokratis and Luiz will return to the defence with Kolasinac at left back. I make that ten so Guendouzi completes our starting eleven.
I’m guessing of course and Unai Emery might spring a few surprises but somehow I doubt it.
Bournemouth might though if we’re not on our game. We know Callum Wilson is a good striker who likes to score against us and their midfield is quite strong too both defensively and with creativity. Fraser, if declared fit to play can be a tricky and dangerous player too.
We don’t often lose this fixture, not at The Emirates but with this current Arsenal first team, goodness only knows what we can expect in a few hours.
Something like we saw on Thursday would be ideal…
See you in the comments guys..
Good morning Rico, I suspect we will see Pepe on from the start, Emery has more or less said that he needs game time in order to acclimatize himself to Premiership football and he won’t do that on the bench.
With the Spuds losing yesterday and Man U facing a tricky afternoon at Newcastle we need to take advantage by getting all three points.
Sadly, I expect Emery to revert to type and go with Leno, Chambers, Luiz, Sokratis and Kolasinac in defence. I’d like to see AMN, Guendouzi and Torreira in midfield with Saka, Aubameyang and Martinelli up front, but as I mentioned earlier I think Emery will start with Pepe.
Thanks for the post Rico, yesterday was almost Interlullesque, such was my lack of interest in all tings footie and so it was a bit of a surprise to look at the table this morning:
Liverpool, yep.
Man City, yep.
Leicester, eh?
C Palace, do what?
Burnley, your having a larf….
The table is not what we’d expect after two months.
No Chelsea, no Tottenham, no Man Utd and no Arsenal.
It’s been a very odd season so far, very difficult to get into with all those bloody boring and crappy international breaks, so that national FA’s, UEFA and FIFA can rob the fans a bit more than usual…
Morning Cicero, Kev, all.
I’m bored with football, certainly our first team. I don’t mean the results either but the 90 minutes of play. That’s why the ‘second string’ are a breath of fresh air.
I don’t know what the weather is like in Highbury but here, 166 miles north east, it’s persisting down. 😉
I wonder how much the dominance of Man City and Liverpool have affected things Rico?
Are we bored because we know we can’t compete and won’t be able to do so for the foreseeable future?
Is it just the tactics Rico or has wall to wall football stifled our enthusiasm?
Yes the tactics don’t help, but something had to be done to stem our decline, but it’s a hard watch and I struggle to watch it.
BT have added nothing to the football experience, only more cost to the consumer.
More matches moved to a Monday night, it’s all over the place.
The fixtures being published used to be a big deal, you planned things around certain fixtures, now it’s just a joke, TV calls the tune and football sits on its hind legs so TV can pat it on the head.
International football is a load of shit, it’s been shit for years it’s just we’ve got more of it now.
International football is the most boring football you will ever see.
It matters to the players and officials but not many fans care anymore.
Those with their snouts in the trough only want to give us more of it.
It really is turgid…
Then we have people like Ozil, players that couldn’t care less yet have a fan club – who he probably wouldn’t give the time of day to.
For Ozil it’s just about him. Not the club. Not the team.
Certainly not the manager and not the fans either, he couldn’t give a fcuk.
And there he is, at the apex of our wage structure, earning approx £1.4m a month, just seeing out his time before he goes to the MLS and yet some fans laud him, fawn all over him. Why? What has he done to elicit such affection and respect? I really can’t see it and I never will…
I don’t think City or Liverpool have much to do with my own boredom Kev. Arsenal are the reason for my boredom with Arsenal. Honestly, it’s nothing to do with competing either, not really, it’s just the style of football we play and the attitude of some of our players.
The fact that the likes of Xhaka, Sokratis, Luiz etc can’t cut out sloppy mistakes, the attitude of Ozil, so many things about our first team cheese me off.
Ozil doesn’t even make the bench.
Team news.
Team in full: Leno; Chambers, David Luiz, Sokratis, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ceballos; Saka, Aubameyang, Pepe
Subs: Martinez, Tierney, Holding, Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Willock, Martinelli
Granny Xhagger plays again !
I don’t think that Ozil would be frozen out like this without the approval of Raul, Edu and maybe even the Kroenkes…
It’s a policy decision not just the manager…
Luiz puts us one up with a header.
Blimey, we scored from a corner…
A decent cross from the corner and poor marking allows Luiz to lose his marker and guide a soft header past the goalkeeper. Have they been practicing?
Hmm, I thought the Bournemouth defender slightly moved his leg into Pepe as he toe poked the ball, but Pepe didn’t have a Liverpool shirt on so no penalty…
Almost by Pepe as he turned inside and curled a shot that dipped just wide, he’s just a touch away from scoring a goal that should have him off and running.
Stupid foul by Xhaka as the game drifts towards half time.
He really doesn’t help himself.
Chelsea are doing well, that’s a worrying development, you don’t get an easy ride at Southampton, so a 3-1 is impressive….
Here comes Martinelli, probably for Saka who seems to have a quiet game…
Hmm, Pepe, a bit of a surprise, Saka to switch over to the right?
Bi Polar Arsenal, you never know what team is going to turn up, even during 90 minutes!
Willock for Ceballos, he can nick a goal.
Would have been nice to see Tierney get a few minutes at the end, but Torrieira is coming on it seems?
Saka off, 4 4 2..?
Not a game that will live long in the memory. We started ok then gradually got worse. Shocking amount of turnovers and everyone seemed knackered by 65 minutes. Still, 3 points.
Twelve shots on goal only two on target, double the number of fouls committed, I don’t think I’ll spend to much time watching the highlights. Clean sheet and three points though.
The second half was worse then the first.
I think the midfield broke in the second half, partly because Ghandouzhi has often run after the ball on “beaches” other than his own and is later reflected in the midfield cohesion in the second half. Pepa has a preference for playing on the right? Play with the left foot. Normally I would play on the left unless I often play inwards, in progression or at speed, which seems not to be the case. The only game they played this way was against Liverpool and they were not 0-2 in the 15th minute due to Arsenal’s bad luck.
Sounds like I didn’t miss much….
Up to third though.. yee haaaa. Lol
It wasn’t great Rico. 😃
I gathered Adam. Some things don’t change eh. 😆
One point behind Man City as we move into October, I didn’t see that back in August…
Looks like it’s going to be a one club procession to the title next year.
Those Scousers, the professional scousers in the media and the many plastic Scousers are going to be unbearable next May.
I think I’ll leave the country next Easter and come back next July.
Barcodes 1 – 0 Man U.
That makes our result even better.
I’m dreading it already Kev…
What a weird weekend of results…
I don’t know Rico but the only odd result was Wolves beating Man City. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal were fairly predictable, whilst both Spurs and Man U are in disarray.
As are we Cicero. But I expected Utd, Toots and City to win. Still, we need all the help we can get.
It really is a weird season Rico expanding on your point about the weekend.
I mean, if back in August, before the season had started and on the back of a pretty encouraging pre-season, if someone had said to you that after 8 EPL games, would you be happy to be only 1 point behind champions Man City having lost only 1 League and Cup game and with Tottenham and Man Utd in turmoil and with Chelsea just getting by, do you think you would have said “Thanks, I’ll take that”…?
Because I would have taken that for sure…
So why do we all feel underwhelmed, as if we’re expecting Arsenal to implode again?
There’s so much to be optimistic about, the form and goals of Aubameyang, the huge promise of Guendouzi gradually coming to fruition, Holding coming back, Bellerin coming back, Tierney looking to have solved a troublesome position, the potential of Willock and Saka, the emergence of Martinelli, Cabellos, Torrieira, Chambers, Martinez, Leno, Lacazette, Luiz even, its pretty good, even Mustafi has found some form, but the football is so so dull…..
Very weird season Kev….
We’ve certainly got a lot of quality in the squad, we’re just lacking something else.. 😆
New post up now
You make no mention of Pepe our record signing Kev. Surely he is better than we have seen so far.