Daily Bits and Bobs

Emery v’s Klopp, take two. Eight missing for Arsenal?

Posted on by rico
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Morning all.

I’m still unsure whether I’m looking forward to tonight’s match or dreading it. I guess it’ll tell us whether or not we’ve improved at all since our opening two fixtures as Liverpool are probably the third best team in the league right now behind Manchester City and Chelsea, as far as the football they play.

They are without both Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita, we however have a long list of potential absentees. Nacho Monreal, Sead Kolasinac, Hector Bellerín and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are all being assessed ahead of the game. Mo Elneny remains out injured as do both Laurent Koscielny and Dinos Mavropanovs. Matteo Guendouzi is suspended after his sending off in midweek. It’s fair to say that if none of the players being assessed today get the thumbs up, we’re pretty much in the mire.

Yesterday during his press conference, Unai Emery talked about our recent poor results against tonight’s opposition but he remained positive:

”We want to write a new history… I believe in my players and this project. The result is very important but first I want to show them, to show you and to show everybody our best mentality in the game.

“If we have a very big mentality in the game and a very big performance individually and collectively – and also we need some luck – then I think we can win.”

I think we’ll need a lot of luck, especially if we are to get the victory we’re long overdue. If all those being assessed pass their fitness test, we’ll certainly have the best chance we’ve had for a while. But our defensive unit will need to be smart, sharp and committed from start to finish. We certainly can’t afford to give them much time and space on the ball. Emery loves a pressing game, well we need to see it.

From the front to the back, we’ll need to defend. Be aware of their pace too as they can break and be in our box in a flash. But then so can we. We too have the pace and quality to hurt the best of sides when they all click together.

If Lichtsteiner and Xhaka fill the two fullback spots, they’ll need help. Push up too far and the wings will Liverpool’s all match long. If Ozil starts, we can’t afford to play Mkhitaryan in my opinion. In fact Welbeck would be my choice as he’s a grafter. He’s got height on his side too for any set pieces, both ends of the pitch and we’ll need it against van Dyke.

Mané, Firmino, Salah and Sturridge are in great goal scoring form. Emery has to have conjured up a plan to stop their supply. They’ve got Fabinho too in the heart of their midfield but then we’ve got a Jack Russell Terrier in ours.

As said, their attacking force in general is full of pace and after a couple of years of being pretty average in defence, they’ve tightened up at the back, conceding just four goals in the league so far this campaign. They have a fine goalkeeper too, although he took time to find. Liverpool are unbeaten so far this season, so let’s end that run for them, here, today, this evening!

Jurgen Klopp has taken three years to build a side which only now looks pretty strong so let’s not forget that whatever the outcome later.

Unai Emery and Arsenal are around four, maybe five transfer windows behind Klopp. Three behind Pep Guardiola and before anyone says ‘what about Sarri?’ Compare the two squads.

There is a positive to take into the game though and that’s the head to head results between the two managers. Only once have they come up against each other before and that was the 2016 Europa League final, in which Emery’s Sevilla beat Liverpool 3-1.

After being 1-0 down at halftime.

Behind a NLD, this is the one I want us to win the most. Although right now, considering where we are in our progress under Emery, I’d take a draw. Especially if we put in a rock solid performance.

COYRRG’s!

rico

73 thoughts on “Emery v’s Klopp, take two. Eight missing for Arsenal?”

  1. Cicero says:

    Happy 47th birthday Unai. Foreezajollygoodfeller, Foreezajollygoodfeller, Foreezajollygoodfeller, Foreezajollygoodfeller, and so say all of us!!!

    Good morning Rico, I’m looking forward to the game this evening, it’s the ideal opportunity to put a spanner in the works of the Bindippers. Every journo and his dog have written us off this match, It will be one in the eye for all of them when we take all three points. It will be even sweeter as we will do it with a weakened side.

    This afternoon I’ll be cheering on the other underdogs, England, in their match against the Springboks.

    I’m confident of two wins for the good guys.

  2. rico says:

    Morning Cicero.

    My thoughts keep switching from us winning to getting beaten. No Monreal, Kolasinac, Bellerín and Sokratis and I think well struggle.

    I our fullbacks are all fit, I think I’d play all four… lol

  6. bripriuk says:

    Hi Rico
    Fingers crossed tonight, I don’t think their defence is as good as people think.
    It’s great to see Santi Corzola playing again, he is one of my favourite Arsenal players, up there with Charlie George, Liam Brady and Merse. He hasn’t lost his touch, this is his latest goal, on Thursday

    https://youtu.be/XclkuXm5_7k

    Brian

  8. rico says:

    Hi Brian. I’m sure it has its weaknesses, we’ve just got to find them..

    Big game for Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette. Really hope Welbeck starts too.

  9. allezkev says:

    Afternoon Gooners
    Afternoon Rico, here we go again, the club I dislike more than any except for that homeless mob of gypsies in Middlesex, and as usual when we face them we have a raft on injuries, but I guess it’s where we’ll see how the work Emery has put in, will pay off or not…

    It’s strange, but almost every realistic Arsenal fan would, as it stands, take a draw, because we know what a good side the Micky Mousers are and how difficult it’ll be to stop them scoring..

    The man with the ‘million dollar teeth’ always seems to score against us, so stopping him would be a feather in the cap, but then how do you stop Salah and Mane, not least Sturridge who can’t stop scoring worldies?

    I guess we have to somehow stop the supply, easier said than done, but for that we need to control the midfield, so would Emery go 4 4 2, it’s the system we used when we recorded our best win of the season to date?

    Of course we aren’t facing Fulham so that complicates things.

    The Micky Mousers are lacking a couple of their better midfielders, so maybe we need to target that area, stop the supply, starve Colgate and Co whilst putting their defence under pressure.

    Welbeck is a good call, he had a great game against Fulham, maybe Welbeck and Lacazette up front against a defence that usually only has to deal with a lone striker?

    We’re going to need outlets to relieve the pressure from our defence because if we can’t stop the supply to their forwards then our defence is going to be under a lot of stress.

    Emery needs to come up with some kind of master plan, we might see more of the press from our players in this match?

    I hope that Emery has Xhaka in midfield, we need his range of passing to create possibilities for our forwards. I’d go with Ainsley Maitland Niles for left back if Kolasinac and Monreal fail fitness tests, AMN has pace to burn, he can also get forward to support the midfield and attack.

    I’m less concerned with the right back for as much as we’ll miss Bellerin I have no concerns about Lichtsteiner, in the middle it has to be Sokratis and Holding.

  10. rico says:

    Afternoon Kev.

    You and me both re Liverpool, I detest them with a passion.

    The only thing is pace imo re Lichtsteiner, but otherwise he’s a smart player.

  12. Rick says:

    Afternoon Rico and the House

    Rico there are 3 games today and the u18’s have given us a good start
    With 5 of the normal side in the u23 squad there were some schoolboys in the side.
    With goals by M. Smith(2) and Greenwood thy have won 3-1 away to Swansea.
    This puts them top of the league 1 point above the Spuds.
    I cannot remember the last time they were top

  15. allezkev says:

    It’s interesting that Arsenal are continually criticised for not sorting contracts but there’s a lot of players from Liverpool, Man Utd and Spuds available on frees this summer Rico, so that might be a prudent place for Arsenal to do some business…

  17. Cicero says:

    There’s a very good article in this morning’s Telegraph about Watford and Javi Gracia. At all matches Gracia has an analyst in the stands who watches for patterns of play and tactics used by their opponents. At half time, he reports his findings to the manager, before he does his team talk, so that he can then tell his players what to watch for and how to counter the moves.

    This may be what Unai Emery is doing, which could go some way to explaining the effectiveness of his half-time team talks

  19. Cicero says:

    Rico, Martial? Yes. De Gea, we couldn’t afford his wages, unless we can get Ozil to take a pay cut. Mata? Two or three seasons ago maybe, but not now unless we can swap him for Ramsey….but even then….

  24. rico says:

    Jammy Utd yet again!

    Martial for me too Cicero but I think Utd have a one year extension option so now he’s getting goals, they might try and keep him.

    If they want Ramsey though…..

  33. Le Coq Monster says:

    Also funny enough, on paper a strong bench !…………………………….want to see Nelson`s goal ?…………..Ok……………………………

    https://twitter.com/iGunner4ever/status/1058735827881263104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1058735827881263104&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.caughtoffside.com%2F2018%2F11%2F03%2Fvideo-arsenal-loanee-reiss-nelson-scores-absolute-wonder-goal-to-continue-fine-start-to-life-at-hoffenheim%2F

  34. Le Coq Monster says:

    You all must of heard of Houdini`s attempt to escape from a water prison, well I`m going one better !……………………..the wife is going to put the three seater, two seater settees and arm chair over me and I will attempt to take over two hours to escape whilst the game is on !……………………watching Arsenal against a team I cant see us beating is a more terrifying ordeal !……….hahahahaha…………….I`m so fcuking nuts !…………hahahaha

  35. Le Coq Monster says:

    OK…………………be back later to give my expert opinion on a game I`m not watching ……
    😆

  42. andrewh1313 says:

    Sounded exiting game on radio? Given up on streams. Thank goodness not 0-3 against top six teams. Kolacinac do ok?, pleased he’s back, need left back cover.

  44. Joaquim Moreira says:

    Extraordinary game!
    Torreira and Mustafi were great.
    Ramsey was lost in the game.
    Unfortunately we did not create many opportunities and shot at the goal.
    In the second part we were superior.
    Another Lacazette winning goal.

  46. rico says:

    I thought we were superb. Torreira – what a find.

    Xhaka and Mustafi were excellent I thought and Bellerin must be absolutely knackered….

  54. potter says:

    A point ,I would have ttaken that at the start and coming from behind again.Unlucky tto go behind the deflection put it straight to Milner but laca’s goal was class.

  56. Adam says:

    Probably right Rico. There was an edge about us today that had become sorely missing for the past few seasons. With Unai charging around gesticulating too, we look to have more belief and energy

  60. Le Coq Monster says:

    Going by all the reactions I have read over the net, Rico.

    I dont normally watch us when we lose or draw, but will watch tonight on MotD as this sounds like a step up from past performances and may well turn out to be a turning point at the club.
    We can tell by body language from training ground vids that something has changed………..for the good.

    Shame the scummy ones are currently winning though ! 👿

  62. ScottfromOz says:

    Morning all.
    I was away so isn’t catch the game, but 1-1 goes nicely, I reckon.
    Emery has brought one thing majorly lacking the past few seasons-energy, both on and off the pitch.
    It’s telling, and it’s amazing what enthusiasm can bring.

  63. Le Coq Monster says:

    Yours is one of the opinions amongst many that I have read, can you all be wrong ?…………………….I will watch later and who knows I might change my mind and disagree with nearly every comment I have read !…………………..It`s like saying you shouldn`t buy a newspaper and read a match report………………..strange as my odd comment .

  64. Le Coq Monster says:

    Also………………for someone who is considered odd, my odd comments should not come as a surprise !……………odd is good in my book !
    😉

  68. Le Coq Monster says:

    I may emigrate and squat in your house, Scott, Loft or Cellar, I`m not bothered, both are creepy and change my name to ……OddfromOz ! hahahaha

  72. allezkev says:

    14 games unbeaten, fcuk the the pundits, we know that things are different, there’s a definite improvement.
    We are barely 5/6 months into the Emery project.
    Let’s see what the next two windows bring?
    COYG

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