AFC.com
Morning all.
West Ham, Totts and Wolves all won their fixtures this weekend but Man Utd dropped two points at home and Chelsea, the shock of the weekend, dropped all three at Stamford Bridge. I watched some of the Totts v Newcastle and I thought Eddie Howe’s team were pretty poor. I expect every Arsenal fan hoped Newcastle Utd, having spent a lot in January, would get something from the game but all they got is what their performance deserved imo.
Immediately after the game, the pundits were going on about how the 5-1 victory puts pressure on Arsenal ahead of tonight’s game. What rubbish! I’m sure it wouldn’t take Totts to win at home for Mikel Arteta to know what he and his players need to do today, the rest of the season and those to come.
Arsenal play Crystal Palace tonight at Selhurst Park. Patrick Vieira and Mikel Arteta went head to head back in October of last year when Alex Lacazette came off the bench to snatch a draw very late in the game.
Having gone 1-0 up thanks to an early goal from Aubameyang, our own mistakes allowed Palace into the game. First it was Thomas Partey who lost the ball in midfield and then Sambi Lokonga. Arsenal weren’t very good really. I mentioned this fixture the other day as it’s the one when James McArthur swung his boot into the back of Bukayo Saka’s legs, knocking him off balance. McArthur received a booking, Saka didn’t return after the break. There was no Granit Xhaka, Alex Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli were on the bench but Pepe was in the starting eleven, as was Aubameyang.
I’ve not seen any update from Arsenal re Takehiro Tomiyasu but Aaron Ramsdale was all smiles in the training photos so he might be ready to return to action.
Crystal Palace haven’t won at home in the League since the 28th December 2021 when they defeated Norwich 3-0. But, they held Man City to a goalless draw in their last game before the international break. How I don’t know because Guardiola’s team had 74% possession and 19 shots on goal. Patrick Vieira has clearly made his team a tough nut to crack and if City, with all their quality can’t score, Arsenal might need Lady Luck on their side.
Patrick Vieira talking about his old club:
I’m not surprised about the way they are playing and progressing. I believe they have a good squad and good manager. Now they have a really clear understanding about how they want to play, are playing better football and have confidence. It’s going to be challenging for us but we’re in a really good period as well.
They certainly are as Palace haven’t lost a game since the middle of February and that was a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Apart from the defeat to Liverpool, Arsenal have been on a good run too, beating a few tricky opponents along the way. I know it’s been said before but no team in this league is easy to beat and wouldn’t English football be boring if every club bar two or three were? A hard fought win is better than a 5-0 walkover surely? Easy victories can sometimes lead to complacency.
Going to Selhurst Park knowing that only 100% attitude, focus and commitment will get something from the game is certainly better than thinking the game will be easy because in my opinion it’ll be anything but easy for Mikel Arteta’s team to get something from the game.
See you in the comments.
Morning Rico, personally I’d take the Gunners dishing out a 5-0 walkover this evening, not least as our goal difference needs a boost. But then I’m just pedantic. 😉
Morning Kev, as would I but I’m sure you get my drift. 😜
Good morning Rico, your double act with Kev is coming along nicely…if you get my drift. 😉
The “news” on the Arsenal website, about Ramsdale is not clear cut, but leads me to believe Leno will be in goal tonight.
Tomiyasu is still not fit enough for full training, which is a worry. Will we see Ben White at right back ,where he played in two games for England, with Rob Holding alongside Gabriel?
Definitely a must win game tonight if we are to qualify for the CL.
Morning Cicero. We try. 😆
I think Ramsdale will start, unless his smiles and photos are mind games. Tomi is a worry, we’re certainly stronger with him in the team but Cedric and not White at right back I reckon.
Lets hope we can win and win well today so I can enjoy watching the replay as the live match starts at 5AM in Australia,
Cicero agree about Tommy he seems to be taking a long time to heal.
Good Afternoon Rico and all
on my part I would love us to win EVERYGAME 5-0. however, as you rightly said, winning all the time might make the team complacent. on the other hand winning every game 1-0 would be good as well…..it keeps everyone on their toes.
i have always like Anthony Elanga ever since I saw him play….but last saturday my admiration for him has gone up a couple of notches…..the way he tackled Rashford was second to none, especially as it seemed that Rashfiord was about to score.
I still expect Leno to begin tonight. Arteta will give Ramsdale the benefit of resting his leg for a couple of days more…..and even Cedric will begin tonight. Tomi will be among the subs and maybe if we are winning handsomely he will be given minutes to get him back to match fitness.
in a way I am glad that atm nothing is clear cut with regards the 3rd/4th place. this is helping the players’ enormously with regards mental toughness…..because I feel that with the right acquisitions and the right tweaks Arteta’s team will challenge for the league…..so in a way the present situation is helping the team prepare for the coming seasons’ challenges. I feel that unlike the AW teams between 2007-2012 we will not bottle up in the final stretch.
Definetely, we must win today.
come on Arsenal!
Afternoon Devil.
Much depends on what the aim of Arsenal is I guess. A CL place, just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it’s probable imo. Looking at the fixtures, I think 4th place is Totts to lose.
RIP Dot Cotton. (June Brown)
Afternoon all.
I’m hoping for a win tonight, a narrow win perhaps, but a win. 1-0 or 2-1 will do nicely. Palace have been a bit of a bogey team for us recently, it’s high time we took them to task!
As with the ladies a few weeks ago, the order of the final table lies totally in our own hands, or feet etc, the ladies had a bit of a blip and now have to rely on the chavettes slipping up whilst having to win all their remaining games. Similarly if we win all our games it doesn’t matter what the rest do, we’re uncatchable. We are allowed one draw and still be in control.
Here’s hoping
That loss against Birmingham did for the women Wavy, goodness knows what they were doing that day.
Marcelo Flores is in the squad tonight apparently.
Doubt that he will get on unless there’s a major catastrophe or we are so far ahead that Arteta can risk it .All points matter and we need at least seven from Palace , Brighton and Southampton before we face Chelsea , Man U and West ham who along with the Spurs match will define the finish.
Nice for him to be in the squad though. like you, I can’t see him getting on the pitch.
Afternoon all. I did read Flores may just be travelling in case of an injury pre match. Either way, he will enjoy being involved. Fingers crossed for tonight, again, don’t know what to expect.
Evening Rico…
May fixture changes confirmed for Arsenal: Arsenal v Leeds, 8th May at 2pm Tottenham v Arsenal, 12th May at 7.45pm Newcastle v Arsenal, 16th May at 8pm
Me neither Andrew, Palace have some quality in the team.
Hi Sue, that’s nice of the PL to give us another run of a game every few days..
Ramsdale back in goal.
Nuno Tavares starts too.
Michael Olise Out but Zaha starts.
Even with Tavares playing there will still be a Tierney on the pitch, referee Paul Tierney.
Kouyate is a big old boy…
Tierney out and Saha in . There may be trouble ahead
We look a bit out of sorts so far.
As I was saying……
Hit him on the head a fluke centre but they are all over us and concentrating on Tavares but it’s uphill all the way now.
Might help if we could keep the ball or find a team mate with a pass.
Comparing Gallagher to Xhaka. One is all action and the other isn’t .
Not pleasant watching. They want it more than us.
It’s grim. Very reminiscent of pre Christmas.
Xhaka making Tavares look bad
We so don’t want to play down the left. Soares wide open but we go for the stupid pass on the left where the man is marked
The right
Bring holding on go to three at the back take off Tavares bring on Martinelli and try to pass to each other.
Having said that it’s not just Tavares, I feel for him . He’s been hung. Out to dry
Agree re Tavares. Easy target I think.
Why do we keep lifting the ball. A lot of promising attacks turn sour on high balls and the usual lame crossing.
Lacazette has many qualities, but headed attempts are not one of them.
The improvement in the second half is related to Xhaka going LB as he was difficult to be found as an AM he inexplicably played recent games.
Beaten by the better team . Played us off the pitch.
Thursday night football on the cards at best.
The difference in physical condition was huge. Arsenal’s players were tired, almost “paralyzed”.
Palace taught a lesson in defending well. They were always on top of the ball and the ball, in the 1st half, was always released from the central zone. There were players in the arsenal that were downright bad. It seems to me that it is also worth noting that Ramadan has begun. There are players without strength and without muscular agility.
Smith Rowe should have scored to make it 2-1, Odegaard should have equalised and then it’s game on, but we didn’t take our chances, at 2-2 we go on to win the game so all the sackcloth and ashes now wouldn’t apply.
For all the issues we can point at with this team our inability to finish off opportunities with any kind of efficiency or incisiveness is the only issue.
Tottenham are shit but they have in Son and Kane what we so really lack and that’s gonna kill us this season.
It’s why Arteta and Edu moved heaven and earth to bring in Vlahovic
Yes Kev, you are quite right.
What a disappointing 55 minutes. Played well thereafter but that was after the game was gone
Not at all happy with that. 5th or 6th, you choose, 4th is just a flattering pipe dream.
Sweet dreams???
Didn’t see the match but the result is shocking. sounds like we really mist a striker.
Good Morning Rico and all
A disastrous result yesterday. We were not even at the races. Granted, as Kev pointed out, had ESR and Odegaard scored it would have been 2-2 and game on as it could have gone either way. But for that 1st hour we were terrible.
JM, with regards Ramadan, from the whole team which began yesterday’s game, only Thomas Partey is a Muslim, and he has converted to Islam recently. So its not a case of a good amount of them having to fast.
Neither the international break is to blame…..since both Arsenal and Palace played on Monday so had ample time to rest and recover.
Imo the mistake happened with regards the formation….when I saw the line up and discovered that Tierney is not playing I found it weird that Arteta did not begin with a back three of Holding, White and Gabriel. I would still have played Tavares on the left but as a wingback…because such a position diminishes his inexperience and short comings. Personally I would have rested Saka as well and played in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Odegaard and ESR behind Lacazette while Xhaka and Partey would play as DM. However, Arteta knows better than me and he went with the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Just watched a 20 minute highlights and some soul searching needed by both Arteta and players before the next match.
It’s because of matches like this, that I find it hard to fully back Arteta
New post up.
Morning Devil.