Morning all.
I was listening to Sky Sports on Monday morning, The Football Show with Stephen Warnock, Sue Smith and host, Rob Wooton. Whilst Sue Smith was very honest about Arsenal, recognising the improvement under Mikel Arteta and believing that this group of players will only get better and better, Wooton and Warnock almost laughed off any suggestion that Arsenal can do well tonight. If Liverpool turn Arsenal over, Arsenal will fall apart for the remainder of the season. Just like last season (or something similar) said Warnock. The fixture he’s referring too was on the 3rd April 2021 when we lost 3-0. Had Warnock done his homework before going on the programme, he’d have realised we didn’t implode after losing to Liverpool. The damage to that season was done in 2020.
Arsenal struggle against the big teams, he suggested which has been the case for a few years now, but I think he’s forgotten how good we were against Man City, despite being reduced to ten men. We still lost I know, but 11 v 11, we were just as good as them. If not better.
Not for one minute do I expect Arsenal to beat Liverpool tonight, after all, Jurgen Klopp has had double the amount of time to assemble and work with his team than Mikel Arteta, but I won’t be at all surprised if we do. I’d take a point right now, but I think Mikel Arteta will go for all three. Obvious I know but what I mean is, I think we’ll approach the game like we did Man City, rather than sit back and try and catch them on the break.
Against City, we took the lead, but after Gabriel got sent off, City’s extra man, a Silva dive in the box which looked more suited to a swimming pool than a football pitch, and a referee wearing light blue shorts and t-shirt under his kit, got the better of us.
At 1-0, Odegaard was denied a penalty and a pitch side second look. Martinelli came very close to increasing our lead twice, once after having studs raked down the back of his leg along the way. The officials let Arsenal down that day, not Arsenal.
Also talked about on the show was Arsenal’s opening three fixtures and how poor we were. However, not once did any of them take into consideration that our club was the first to be hit by Covid this season, nor was there mention of our injuries or the fact that a number of our players had only been at the club a few days/weeks. No Tomiyasu, Partey, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Saka (sub) Gabriel or Odegaard. That’s seven first team players missing and I doubt there are many team managers who could cope with that.
Admittedly, Arsenal were terrible at the start of the season, but a bit of perspective eh. Especially now, looking back and knowing what followed as other clubs were hit by Covid. The opening three defeats weren’t the issue for me, but the manner in which we were beaten was. Just as it was at Everton and Man Utd.
For the last two and half months though, things have improved enormously. The lazy lacklustre performances have gone and in their place has come hard work, good results and a lot of nice football to go with it. Moments of lapse in concentration still rear their ugly head, our chances created aren’t producing enough goals etc etc, but even so, I think we’re in a place now where we’re less likely to get brushed aside easily by any opposition. At least that’s the expectation I have now.
We hear and read all the old cliches about how the world will see if this Arsenal is real, or, judge Arsenal tonight when they face one of the big clubs etc etc, no doubt in anticipation of a hefty victory for Liverpool, and such talk will continue until we do beat Liverpool, Chelsea and/or Man City but it bores me to tears. Arsenal are building, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City are built, although one is starting to fall down a bit.
In case you’re wondering, Andre Marriner is the referee for this one, with John Brooks and Marc Perry on VAR but I hope we’re not talking about the game tomorrow and not them. Oh, and about how “Arsenal finally beat a big club.”
See you in the comments.
We’re probably playing the form team in Europe tonight. We’ll need to be at the top of our game to get anything out of it…but we are at home, and Liverpool have been a touch fortunate with their past few results.
Stephen Warnock has started to wear a pair of glasses recently…that’s where his intelligence begins and ends.
Morning all
It doesn’t matter how you try to spin it , tonight is a yard stick on our progress. It is though, just another one on the way that we have passed as the season has progressed .We get past this one and the next one comes along behind it.
We are up for testing for the next twelve games , only then will the critics be silenced and it’s up to us to silence them.
Morning Rico and all.
As for todays match I am expecting us to loose 2 -1, but hoping for a draw and praying for a win.
The only way I can see us crumble for the rest of the season would be a 6 nil lose and even then our players know there is a big difference between the 2 teams
As for Liverpool they have shown in the past that they are not unbeatable and watching Palace beat Man city the pressure will be on them to not drop points against us and from what I can record we were giving them a run for there money until we received red card.
Morning Geoff, all.
I agree in that it’s a measure of how far we’ve come tonight but whilst Warnock and co ridicule Arsenal and the ‘false hope’ line, they fail to see the bigger picture imo. The refs, the opposition and how much money they’ve spent etc etc. And the other 14 clubs in the league.
Pete, I hope he kept the receipt..
Good day Rico and all.
Regardless of the result tonight we need to put some security around our young players. Klopp has been saying how much he admires Martinelli and,, at the end of the last Liverpool game he put his arm around Saka’s shoulders and whispered sweet nothing’s in his ear. Tapping up? Grooming? Distasteful to say the least.
Morning Cicero, I can’t see any of our young guys jumping ship just now. Klopp can take a long run off a short pier.
Anyone here since lunch time? btw we playing Liverpool now 😀
good evening Rico and all
Most in form team in Europe top leagues in the last ten games…..
Arsenal 25 points
Barcelona 24 points
Manchester City 23 points
Liverpool 23 pooints
Bayern 23 points
So far so good. We are not suffering although Liverpool are slightly better than us. Salah on the bench but they are attacking more than us
I’ve been here Andrew, just didn’t fancy talking to myself.
Evening to you and Devil.
Think we all scared to post.
Martinelli quicker than TTA😀
Martinelli is like a Duracell bunny.
TAA doesn’t fancy a race with him Rico.
Excellent 45, still on a knife edge, Partey has been immense and Martinelli is amazing, if only he could score goals on a regular basis, everything else about his game is tip top.
That was quite a spirited first half performance. I hope the players keep on believing and get a result. We aren’t far away from them.
He sure doesn’t Adam.
This where we bring on our star striker. Ooh wait
Saka naive it was a throw
A top notch striker and I think we’d be winning this game.
The goalkeeper was wrong in both goals.
Saka with responsibilities on the 2nd goal as well.
In 4 games this season, we haven’t scored a goal against Liverpool. Today we were 11 v. 11. There were chances but I think the goal could have been tried more often.
The Odegard-Saka duo did not work today on the merits of Liverpool.
Hopefully this defeat will not affect future performance.
Before the game I said foremost I wanted a good performance. Then a draw and most unlikely a win.
I got 50 odd minutes of the first one. After their first goal we were never in it .
But we lost it on our own mistakes first Ramsdale and then Saka overly ambitious where a throw was safest however once behind we didn’t have the forward power to get back.
It seems as if we have said all this before ,a midfielder and a goal scorer and we could be In with a shout.
Better than I expected, I thought we not only competed with Liverpool but probably looked the better side up to half time.
Odegaard, Partey and Martinelli were buzzing, just a pity we have no greater presence in the box.
Second half they pressed more, Tierney was forced back so Martinelli had no support but still managed our best scoring chance, unfortunately pushing the ball just wide of the far post.
A slip by Ramsdale and an error by Saka let them in for two goals.
MotM for me was Martinelli.
Good night Gooners…everywhere. 😴
Yeah, we need a quality striker and an upgrade on Xhaka, now reset and go again at Villa Park.
I was pretty happy with our performance but again no true striker was our down full which makes me wonder even more why we never brought one in January
Morning all.
New post up now