Morning all.
Bieber is in town! Apparently he’s a Gooner, he’s looking for a house not far from The Emirates and Mesut Ozil, together with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took him for a look around the best stadium in London a few nights ago after watching him perform at his ‘Purpose’ tour.
Oh to be a multi millionaire pop star eh… Or a professional footballer on mega money each month. Perhaps we could all own a Mercedes 4×4 like Mesut if we were…..
Things have started reasonably well for Arsenal in this seasons Champions League campaign. A point against PSG, although I’ve no idea how, was followed by three points at home against Basel. Tonight we face a club who in all honesty, most would expect Arsenal to beat.
However, didn’t we all think the same last season when we faced Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos? Losing away to Zagreb was terrible, Giroud being shown his marching orders before halftime didn’t help, but we were poor.
Then, 2-0 up and cruising against Olympiacos at home only to lose 3-2 was even worse. Both results contributed to us failing to top our group and as we know, if a club doesn’t finish first, the next round can leave a steep mountain to climb. This group is there to be won this time around, regardless of PSG being in it.
I’m sure Arsene Wenger will be tempted to rotate one or two. He can now as he has a stronger and deeper squad. Perhaps Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Elneny, Coquelin and Rob Holding all have a chance to start tonight, then again, maybe Arsene will stick with a first eleven which in the main, is clicking well. Certainly going forward.
Ludogorets Razgrad are clearly the underdogs going into tonight’s match, but that won’t stop them going all out to cause an upset and they know we have a weak spot according to Svetoslav Dyakov:
Teams like Arsenal have very few weak spots, our coach has given us the information and I can’t disclose it. If we have some luck and play well, we can expect something from the game.
Can’t think what he means, can you?
Have a good Wednesday guys, 3 points to the team in red!
Depends on the height of their forwards , if they are all 6 foot plus we could be in trouble , couple that with Ospina replacing Cech and that trouble could be deeper. We need to think going back as much as forward 1 – 0 is still good enough for 3 points although a few more is always more comfortable but keeping a clean sheet should get us the points.
A quick look at their squad on Wiki suggests that they are not tall and that they have a few Cazorla sized Brazillians.
Next theory !
No idea re their forwards but you are right, tall strong strikers could cause a problem. Still don’t understand why Ospina starts in the CL…
Hope our left side is stronger than it was on Saturday…
Discipline….
Always the same question with us
Look at saturdays 2-0 up then 3-1 up
whatever said before a game and at half-time
always leaves me baffled.
It’s sometimes like watching two different teams.
Complacency – it’s a big thing imo..
Evening all,
Antarctic conditions outside here, Spring my arse(nal)
Taking Ludogorets lightly would be ludicrous. I hope Le Prof is prepared.
He’s always prepared George… 😉
Ospina starts because he needed guaranteed games in order to stay. As the best 2nd keeper in the PL, personally I think it’s a price worth paying.
Morning Rico and all.
George. Where are you based? Is it in Scott’s neck of the woods?
Morning Adam..
It is Adam, re George..
Hiya Rico. I thought so. 🙂
Welcome Mike. I hope he doesn’t have any howlers like last season…
Thanks Rico.
The Thracians are 2nd in their table………………2 points behind with a game in hand……………… they have played 9, won 7, drawn and lost one, average two and a half goals per game scored and one goal per game conceded and are on a 5 game winning streak !.
Sounds tough !……………but this is a league that is more SKY BET League Two when you consider that they have a team in the league called………….Neftochimic Burgas !…..yes !……….sounds like some dodgy stomach bacteria outbreak at McDonalds !.
I can only see one outcome……………….The Thracians will be thrashed !………or the Emirates will be quarentined by 22:00 hours !.
Do you think Wenger was a scout de garçon in his youth? If he was he may well ‘be prepared’!
A game we should win easily – so we will almost certainly struggle!
Spent a fruitless morning on the phone to Sky trying to resolve my Sky go app. Apparently I shall get a phone call on Saturday which may resolve the problems! Fat lot of good for tonight’s game then, or is it on BT? If so I shall ‘go’ to the Emirates!
Morning all
It`s on BT, Wavy, as are the U18`s @ 1pm
They are on a good run like us Lc… lol
Rico
Afraid of the height of Lud. ……well
BRING ON SANOGO
And
The rest is history.
Adam
I think so. I’m not sure.
Hi All:
No need to worry we have this. Btw Mike @ 11:37, good point and is not like Ospina is a bum the dude is Columbia #1, and not to start anything but Cech has been showing “some” sign of decline. I don’t remember him getting beat so easily on low balls at Chelsea.
Maybe the referees are our weaknesses 🙂 .
Ospina will/should start. Holding and Mustafi pair CB. Coq and Elneny in CM… That’d leave Santi and Kos rested. Maybe Gibbs to come in too for Monreal. My opinion ofcourse.
Can always rely on you for a laugh Alex. I wouldn’t bring Sanogo on with the drinks….
Hopefully not too many changes Marshall, don’t want to lose this one…
Was it on here that I read Sky Sports have lost 19% of their customers in a year.Well it appears to be true. The cost overall and then add BT Sports is a lot of money per month for many people.
If we can’t beat this lot we might as well struggle for second and then get knocked out by bayern but who knows which Arsenal will turn up.
Yep Kelsey, Adam posted that yesterday – I read it too in the papers.
I’d love to see those figures rise big time….
Xaxa maust play. He will have been off for 3 games in the League
Evening Rico and the House.
I hope to nights game is better then he one I watched this afternoon
Ludogorets were very poor and it was one way traffic from start to finish
Should have been much more
Latter
Evening Rick. Did the kids win?
Yes 3-0
The Ox and Walcott start
Arsenal XI: Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs, Cazorla, Coquelin, Walcott, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez.
Subs: Cech, Gabriel, Monreal, Xhaka, Elneny, Iwobi, Perez.
Good to hear Rick…
Not many changes then….
Evening all.
A good line up. But I would have preferred to rest Cazorla.
And the fact Gibbs plays makes me glad as well
No sign of Ollie though
writing on the wall????
that was a great goal from Alexis.
Funny, but ludogretz do not attack the flanks but the centre.
If lovelies and hunkies was a swear word or a low level piece of language then I would agree.
It was a bit of harmless fun and a personalised greeting which was mine.
I accept, but don’t agree with it.
Cheers.
It just got boring devil, that’s all…
No offence meant…
Feeeeooooo
Walcott – 8 goals in 10 games from a new player called T.Walcott.
However defensively we still look very vunerable.A better side might find us out.
He misses two sitters though the first was nott a great ball by the Ox and then scores a beauty.
Ospina still can’t catch a ball cleanly. Otherwise no complaints.
Two super goals.. And Ospina has been very very good…. Cech must be worried….
Who missed two sitters? My link is poop….
Theo, Rico, who else.
Really? I didn’t see that Kelsey…
The cross from Ox was nowhere near Theo..
He needs longer legs 😉 No it was a poor cross.
very poor cross…
3-0, great start to the second half
Time for a couple of subs?
Ozil, Alexis and Walcott off – come on Arsene…
Night guys…
6-0 sets your day up nicely 🙂
Morning all,
Ludowhatever were half decent going forward, and their defence wasntatrocious, but they had absolutely no midfield whatsoever…..it was like playing Arsenal when at our worse over the last few years.
Job done and we scored some cracking goals, without stretching ourselves too much.
Morning Scott and all.
Great goals…
New post up now.
Spectacular goals, Rico…
Great to see us go on with the job, as well.