Morning all.
The talk this morning will again be about the referee. When Mike Jones dished out an early yellow card, something unusual in the game these days, I thought he was going to have a good game. However, he had a stinker. He missed the foul on Ozil in the move which resulted in Bournemouth being awarded a very soft penalty. He missed the free-kick which should have been awarded after Alexis was caught just outside the penalty area. And for Bournemouth, perhaps they could have had two further penalties themselves when Mustafi clearly pushed over one of their players in the box and when Nacho Monreal ‘handled’ the ball, also in the box, I feared the worst.
Arter got away without a booking for a late tackle in the first half and had he been shown one, the booking he did receive for complaining after Monreal’s ‘handball’ went unpunished could so easily have seen him off for an early bath. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was penalised for a strong shoulder to shoulder challenge which was wrong imo but the yellow card on Alexis was right, some might go as far to say he could so easily have been sent off. I’m sure there were other incidents missed but you get my drift.
Alexis again stole the show. His work-rate was impressive, his desire to get the ball is incredible and it paid off handsomely for his opening goal. A cock-up at the back by the visitors allowed the Chilean to win the ball and fire home.
Debuchy, making his first appearance in goodness knows how long seemed to be up for this match. He started well imo but sadly for him and his team-mates, it wasn’t long before he trudged off the pitch having tweaked his hamstring. No Jenks on the bench so on came Gabriel. Oh dear! But after a dodgy start, he improved, a bit anyway.
As already said, Ozil was fouled in the build up to the visitors penalty but Jones was having none of it. A tussle between Monreal and Wilson resulted in Jones pointing to the spot. 1-1 it was. Soft penalty to say the least and one which we’d never have been given had it been up the other end.
Arsenal were all over the place after Debuchy went off and it was Bournemouth who looked the better side and had they been able to finish, we’d have gone into half-time with a hill to climb. Saying that, Alexis crashed a shot against the bar just before the idiot in black blew his whistle.
Into the second half and before ten minutes had passed, Theo Walcott made it 2-1. He’ll never get a more simple header to bury thanks to the inch perfect ball provided by Monreal. Que ‘Rock the baby’ celebrations.. That was for Arlo, he and Mel’s newborn.
Bournemouth pressed hard for an equaliser and had Jones awarded a penalty for the handball by Monreal, or ball to arm as it was seen, they’d have probably got one. Cech did well to prevent Afobe from scoring against his old club too. I don’t know about any of you, but I was far from convinced we were going to seal all three points. Giroud came very close to settling my nerves but his close range volley went just wide and then Alexis made sure there was to be no drawing this one as he nabbed his second of the afternoon. Giroud was the provider for this one after a move, which looked like it was going to fail, proved to be far too good.
No shock that Alexis earned the man of the match award and as he said after the game, he was going home happy to his dogs…. .
It was scrappy at times, dirty at times too but having drawn a few of late, any kind win in November was going to equal a good result. Credit to Bournemouth though, they made it tough and it’s easy to see why Eddie Howe is a hot topic of Arsenal conversation….
Next up, Southampton in the EFL Cup, a game which could see the return of Lucas Perez and thankfully, the end of November..
Monreal is worrying me nowadays.
Thanks Rico
An impressive result from an unimpressive performance if I go by the highlights !
Looked like Bournemouth deserved a point and two penalties although the penalty they got was harsh on two accounts, the decission and like you say the foul on Ozil in the leading up to it !
You have to love Alexis and his first goal was as you say a defender blip, but it was a blip because of Alexis`s pressing, how many times have we seen him press a defender into a mistake !…..if only everyone else pressed like him !…………..hate to say it but he would be a reveltion in a pressing Bindipper team !
We really do need to tie him down and it needs to be done without any monetary restraint otherwise we will be fiscal fcuked !…………………..my favourite player in a long time !……………could you imagine having ten outfield players like him in your face for 90 mins ?
Me too Marshall, he’s got quite clumsy…
I’d love ten like Alexis Lc…
Actually, Rico, we would probably need more like 15 of him as you know what out injuries are like ! 🙂
🙂 Lc. I dread him getting injured..
I read that Giroud has a dodgy hamstring…
Morning All
Morning Rico, good post…
Yeah, I was very impressed by Bournemouth, a team that doesn’t contain any high-profile stars or internationals, but they played an impressive brand of football, spent long periods pinning us back in our box, I think they were unlucky not to take a point.
The referee obviously didn’t help our cause and the nervousness from team to spectators and back to the team kept us all on edge, maybe if we’d got the penalty that Alexis on another day would have got and taken a 2-0 lead, we would have seen the team relax and play with more fluency…?
Very impressed with Mustafi, I really like his energy, aggression and influence from the back, definite captain armband material…
I was a bit nonplussed when Gabriel came on and not Coquelin to replace the unlucky Debuchy, but after a shaky start I thought he actually did ok and got in a few meaty tackles.
Monreal continue to worry me, but I don’t blame him for Bournemouths penalty as it wasn’t a spot kick, I think everyone was amazed when Jones pointed to the spot.
Nacho still did a lot of good stuff and just because his form has dipped, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s finished and must be replaced it just means that his form has, er, dipped. It happens ?
Loved the Alexis/Walcott interview after the game, there is certainly a great spirit among this group of players, no Nasri or Adebayor or Bendtner to poison the vibe…
Rico, I saw Giroud holding the back of his leg almost from the time he came on and certainly after defending a corner, but it didn’t seem too impair his performance too much, so a weeks rest and he should be ok for West Ham – from the bench…
Hi all. Was impressed by Bournemouth energy and style but also thought they were the dirtiest side we’ve played this season. The penalty was a joke on two levels, not least the judo throw on Ozil out on the wing. As for the handball by Nacho. His arm was already out and he had no chance of avoiding the ball from that range. If he had stuck his arm out as the ball was kicked that would be different. Yes Mustafi was lucky to get away with a push in the area but so was Ake who was pulling Girouds shirt as he tried to get to a cross.
Thought the ref was poor both ways. The result was flattering but when a team comes to chase the game they can always get caught towards the end.
Bob. You’re right there. They did put plenty of stick about, which surprised me. The wrestling foul just prior to the penalty was just below me and the linesman did nothing about it, as did the idiot in black. The penalty was really soft and having seen it again it looked more like a foul on Nacho if anything. Definitely no penalty. The push by Mustafi could have been a penalty but the ‘handball’ by Monreal was not a penalty but the ‘curse’ of the slow-mo replay is deceptive.
I reckon someone had a word with the ref at half time because he backed off in the second 45 and the lineman started to flag for fouls near the touch line. Bournemouth did little to impress me. Lots of long balls and a lot of spite. A good team would have beaten Arsenal yesterday as they are still very, very flakey for me.
Afternoon all, good report Rico and exactly how I saw it.
I thought Alexis was superb and Elneny was also fantastic ,full of energy and movements.
Theo did OK I thought and took his chance. He still need to improve his decision making.
I was disappointed with ozil and the ox .
I thought ozil got pushed away very easily and he didn’t press from the front as his team mates did.
I don’t like his sulking and give up attitude when a move don’t come up well. He put a downer on everyone including the crowd I think.
He is very important to the team and I guess arsenal has to find a way to deal with his physical weakness, as at times we look as we are playing with 10 men ,especially against young energetic sides like Bournemouth.
I didn’t notice Xaka that much. .I don’t know if that good or bad.
The day got better after that moron got sent to the stands and his side dropped 2 points at home.
Good afternoon !
The men in black had a really really poor day.Be it for us or the opponent.There is no bias IMO just below par standard.
The Ozil foul is mentioned here i disagree because Ozil just throw himself in the floor easily .Not the ref but someone has to pull his ear and remind him it is a man game and has to stand and show his man.I will not be surprised if somedays some players would confess being gay and Ozil might be one of them.
Lol
Alex. Were you sitting close to the Ozil ‘foul’ to make such a comment?
Who cares if he is or isn’t gay? It has nothing to do with him being a ‘man’ as you so charmingly put it.
@Adam
No i was not sitting near the foul area.I believe in my eyes not statistics .
Me to i dont care if is gay or not .My point is :
Against Manu was completely lost .Herrera specially was running at him just to foul him and i do not see a response from Ozil.
Against the Spuds same tactics applied by Pocchetino and again no reponse.
Eddie is a good manager to and you can see when same pressure/foul is applied works for them.
Hence my comment not homophobic type.
Afternoon Kev and all.. Thanks Kev, Kk..
Alex, what a rather silly comment to make, especially after a game on a day when players and the club were in 100% support of the LBGT!
As Adam says, who really gives a hoot whether Ozil or anyone in football is gay?? Maybe it’s views such as your which prevent them from ‘coming out’ – not that I think they need too, it’s their life, do as they wish…
Kev, not good about Giroud then, just hope he gets over it in a week, we need him at Upton Park, sorry, the Olympic theatre… 😉
Alex. Monreal tried to “man up” against the challenge nd look what happened.
He was strong against the challenge from Wilson nd a penalty was awarded.
The level of referees is going down by the game. Their job is difficult nd some mistakes are bound to happen. But to make so many in almost every game is too much.
Also if u want to see what throwing on the floor without pressure looks like, watch Pogba’s dive against west Ham. The reason why Mourinho was sent to stands…
I think when most people watch the games they miss partnerships between/ among players. For an example Santi compensates for everything Coq lacks and Coq covers Santi’s lack of range and work rate. The same with Elneny and Xhaka, they cover each other deficiencies that’s the point of a midfield pairing. In time we might be looking at something special with Xhaka and Elneny
The game was 94 mins B’mouth had roughly 20 mins of good football but to have people tell it Arsenal was crap. Is not like they are not professional also.
Alex @ 1:47, btw do you know that there are many boxers who are gay.. do you think they are not tough? lol.
Good afternoon Rico
What is wrong with my comment ?
I just said he has to stand up and not roll like a baby every time is pushed.Oppositions they are annihilating from the game and ref dont give hoot .
First season ge had this problem .Wgen cam back after injury he kind of sort it out. This season has started to roll back to his early days.
That is my observation nothing to like or dislike about gays or anything else.
Where is my Sanogo anyway ?
I too like the pairing Obi, but I think you know that… 😉
@Obi
Yes i heard !
Heard as well some of them are like man some of them are like woman.So dont lump them into one category.
Hi Alex, criticise Ozil for being weak all you like, but as soon as you throw in the suggestion he might be gay, it’s not very good at all. And you know that a comment like yours suggests you believe Ozil is gay, just because he’s not a brute…
Agree IG, never a penalty in a million years….
Indiagooner
Lol that Pogba one is another level loooool
I am so thrilled that moron has been shown his marching order for a blaten dive that he thought it was a foul.Immagine what is going to say this morning when he see the replay.
All of you seriously you been taking by a side issue in regard my gay comment.
But still no one is telling here how come the Manure Spuds and now the Bourne managed to quite Ozil.
Lets talk about this not side issues.
I do respect Gays Lesbians as long they are not from the two scams around us ……..lol
Hi Rico
I.pose the same question to you
Why agaist the manure and spuds and again yesterday was quitened by the oppopsite teams …coincidence ??
Nothing wrong in being gay !………I actually encourage it !…………..In fact, I`m going to be the first HHer to come out of the closet !………………………my nephew is gay !..there, I said it !.
He looks like a young Martin Kemp and you should see the women who hang around him tryiing to change his mind !
I actually went out with him once and pretended I was gay and blatantly put myself about his girlfriends saying I had never kissed a girl and wondered what it was like !……….the night finished with me saying to them……………” Thanks for trying to convert me to a virile hetrosexual, but next time …… less of the false beards trying to make me feel at home and was there any need for the strap-ons ?”
When asked about the Chilean international’s contract situation, the manager (Wenger) had this to say:
“It is important. How important it is, I don’t know – we will not sort it tonight. We have some time in front of us.”
Now see, me, I would hope that someone was working their arse off as we speak and if not………………..now where did I put that strap-on ?
Ozil is easily knocked off but us being physical doesn’t go well. We all saw Ox 50/50 charge against a player who was running at him, yet it was regarded as a foul against us. Monreal situation too, that was a strong challenge, not a foul warranting a penalty.
I recall last season Leicester scoring against us after Morgan putting Ozil in gridlock, he seems an easy target and problem with Ozil is he makes it easy for them to.
Sorry Alex, I had to suddenly nip out. Not sure singling Ozil out in certain matches is truly fair as in those matches you mention, he wasn’t the only one having a bad day…..
Evening guys.
Let’s not forget either, Wenger doesn’t like ‘physical’ – he’s coached it out of Gabriel and imo, Xhaka, although Gabriel showed signs yesterday that he hasn’t entirely listened… lol
Afternoon/Early Evening All…
What’s all this casual homophobia, who cares if Ozil is a Nancy Boy, or a shirtlifter, it shouldn’t matter, it doesn’t matter to me, I was never confused…. ???
?? Kev…
The London Stadium, Rico, still don’t know why West Ham changed it from the Olympic Stadium…
Yeah, I reckon that Giroud will be fine Rico…
Rico, ha ha ha… ?
Rico, I think the situation with Xhaka was his reputation, before he’d even played for us certain sections of the Madeira were banging on about his red cards…
I think that Wenger has held him back for his own good, to protect him, help him adapt and take all that red card guff out of the spotlight…
Agree re: Gabriel, although he put in a few tasty challenges yesterday.
Madeira ?
Media
Neither do I Kev, and it’s not doing them any favours lol
But take out his aggression you lose half the player Kev…
There was one tackle by Gabriel which was top notch, really hard but totally fair….
Exactly Rico, he just has to be intelligent in the way to uses his aggression, as I say, I think that Wenger has just taken him out of the spotlight whilst all the hysteria in the media or Madeira ? Calms down. I can see him getting a more regular game now…
Yeah, when Gabriel made that challenge I thought that’s just how he first began with us before Costa got him sent off…
Me too Kev, really like both Xhaka and Elneny. They suit each other imo.
If Gabriel keeps his timing right, even he’ll come good. Reckon he lost a lot of confidence after that Chav match….
Who was Nancy Boy? Where did the expression come from? Anybody know? I’ve often wondered.
Not happy with the reference to Ozil being gay. Mud sticks even when it starts as a tiny little pellet! No more please.
Speaking of which I see that the Crewe abuser has been hospitalised. Taken, unconscious to the infirmary in Stevenage. Suicide attempt? Or am I just jumping to conclusions?
I have pretty strong feelings about what he has been accused of and if he’s as guilty as it would seem, he must stand trial and suffer his punishment. You may disagree but death, self inflicted or not, is far too easy a way out. He should suffer unimaginable horrors,for every conscious breath he takes as should any others who are guilty of similar behaviour!
Mini rant over, for now!
Well said Wavy.
Nice to see the media have finally seen Mourinho for who he is…
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/jose-mourinho-kidding-himself-believes-9349200
Let’s blame Ozil for playing football rather than rugby… is not just Ozil that gets that treatment in EPL. All technically gifted players are targeted by goons: Wilshire, Silva, Tadic, Carzola, Snodgrass, Sirgudson, Mata, Oscar, Courthino, Rashford, Perez, etc.. the problem is some get protection from the refs and others don’t.
Gabriel and Xhaka are the “enforcers ” we been lacking for years. Gabriel got the B’mouth players attention when they started the rugby stuff. I particularly like how Gabriel ran over to the corner flag ….
Totally agree re the officials Obi, they are seriously not doing a good enough job these days. As said in the past, once jones issued and early card, I thought he’d manage the game well, but he was shocking. Just as so many are.
Referee dermot Gallagher said the other day that mike dean is the ref to have been consistent with the pushing in the box rule….
Rico. I had a good view of that challenge by Gabriel. He had been so nervy when he came on I thought every tackle was going to be either powerful or a red card. But he really nailed that one. 🙂
Like it Wavy !………. “He should suffer unimaginable horrors,for every conscious breath he takes”………………………….that will be a cell with portraits on the walls of the likes of………….. Steve Archibald ….Alan Gilzean….Ralph Coates…..Kyle Walker……Graham Roberts and Hoddle and Waddles mullets…..etc etc etc
Superb wasn’t it Adam.. will have done him the world of good…
Let’s hope so Rico.
Yes, let’s hope so Adam…
Night all..
Evening Rico and the House
The U23’s are at home tonight and at the moment are winning 1-0 with a goal
from Nekiter (thats 34 from 35 games)
Missing from the are the following
Macey Beilick Niles Mavididi Hines Fred
Are they in the squad for Soton
from the team
I had a shock the other day
My Aussie mate told me
his going back to Sydney.
H/T still 1-0
My 7.42 Should be Nketiah and Jeff not Fred.
M Bola also missing
Ben Sheaf is having a very good game at C/H
Now 3-0
Stunning Hat trick for Nketiah.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/803330288617193472
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/803337687243653122
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/803340537591922689
Thanks for those Cocker, three very different but impressive finishes.
Nketiah and Reiss Nelson could both break through next season.
If Arsenal can get work permits for Asano and Nwakali then that’s a couple more who could be on the cusp in 17/18…
As much as I don’t think we need too much with the squad we have, Arsene could still move for a player or two in January, a young left-back perhaps?
Morning all.
Thanks for the post inspiration Kev… lol
New post up now.