Morning all.
Arsenal v Leeds Utd. A potentially tasty affair tonight. ‘Dirty Leeds’ as they were labelled many years ago, back in the day when a good old fashioned ‘take the ball and man’ tackle was permitted. Not now though as any kind of follow through after a tackle is usually deemed to be a foul. I think there’s nothing better than a well timed strong tackle, something which Mustafi does so well, when he gets it right. Kolasinac is another and Sokratis but just a fraction of a second out and the officials are on them in a flash. Quicker than if our players are on the receiving end of one that’s for sure.
Leeds Utd are in a good place right now and are on course for a return to the Premier League. Often the club cited for reckless spending when they were relegated a few years back – ‘we don’t want to do a Leeds’ when money was discussed along with transfers but of course that’s all changed now with the introduction of FFP. Earning promotion would be massive for Leeds Utd both financially and for their fans who not too many years ago were used to top flight football.
Their manager, Marcelo Bielsa is “the best coach in the world” according to Pep Guardiola which is high praise indeed. A view shared by Mikel Arteta too.
“I follow [Leeds] coach [Marcelo Bielsa] for a long time and I know how tough it will be to play against them. He makes them fight and challenge and run and compete, and never give up in any game or any circumstances.” BBC Football.
I wonder if Arsenal have deployed security guards around London Colney, just in case Bielsa is lurking. He’s certainly an obsessive coach who lives and breathes the game. Like Unai Emery, studying the opposition is crucial to his plans, although Leeds league position would suggest he’s better at it.
Arsenal’s record against Leeds is pretty good in the FA Cup barring 1972 but we’ll forget that FA Final at Wembley. Apparently this will be the 17th time the two clubs have met in this competition, the last being in 2012 when Thierry Henry, who was by then drawing his footballing pension, came off the bench to score our winning goal.
Back to tonight though. As said, Leeds are on track to gain promotion to the Premier League which bearing in mind their collapse last season betminded.com is the place to go if you think they’ll do so again this time around, with a nine point gap between themselves and third place. They’re joint top with West Brom but have hit a bit of a dip over the last couple of weeks, losing to Fulham away and drawing their last two home matches. Marcelo Bielsa, like Mikel Arteta, will have to decide which is more important, a potential FA Cup run, or focusing on the League. I think we can take it for granted that Mikel Arteta will rest some of our first team players because the festive period has been tough on their bodies. It’s been tough on every club I know but with so many injuries, certainly in defence, rotation for this match is crucial I think.
Leeds will be a tough opponent of that we can be sure but if our younger players are deemed too good to go out on loan to a Championship Club to gain experience, then they should be good enough to face one in the FA Cup. Plus we have Martinez, Guendouzi, Mavropanos – perhaps Holding, Ceballos, Martinelli and Bellerin too who are coming back from injury and need minutes on the pitch.
Finally, here’s the best and worst of Leeds Utd in one fixture which took place just a few days ago.
See you in the comments guys….
take the ball and man’ tackle was permitted.
Don’t think that Hunter , Reaney , Bremner and Collins were that bothered by the ball bit , Just ask George Eastham whose career was wrecked by them.
You spotted my irony then Potter… lol
Morning guys.
I can’t wait for the game!!!!
The buzz is well and truly back.
Me too Scott, very much looking forward to the game..
The best thing is, it’s a 7am kick off for me Rico 🙂
Nice to know Rico is an admirer of a hard tackle!…………………..to this day it is my middle name!………………..and I haven`t played for a couple of years! 😆
A team top of the Championship is as good as half the teams in the PL, so now different as if we were to play most in this league, tough game against one of my first “hate” teams and why?…………..my first two attended finals were lost against the dirty bastards!!!
Wish it was here Scott..
I think so too Lc, Leeds won’t be a walk over that’s for sure. What team is anymore..
Also, if I`m correct, Leeds will 15% of the crowd capacity compared to the normal 5% allocation of tickets , so they will have some loud support!
If I was a superstitious person…..which I am…………….what would I make of tonights game being kicked off at 19:56……………………my year of birth 1956………………………it`s a sign!
😆
Afternoon all,
Looking forward to the match, it will be fascinating to see the team tonight, especially in the light of the press conference comments about the importance of a winning mentality, and this competition.
Being realistic Arteta isn’t going to come out and say he wants to lose. He will want the momentum to carry on from Man Utd though, imagine the media reaction if we were to lose – same old Arsenal.
So for that reason, I’d expect a strongish team tonight.
Eddie to start perhaps..
COYG
Hopefully they will be marching sadly all together to Kings Cross to get the last train to Leeds at 11.30 , go to the pub and miss it and the next one is at 6 am .
This will be no push over , Bielsa is a good coach and will have done his homework . Then again so will Arteta.
Unsual that the draw for the 4th round will take place before our game starts !………………….so could add extra spice on knowing who our next opponents could/might be!
Leeds … I’m always watching Alan Clarke head the F.A Cup 1972 goal. Brrrrrr ….
We have to win today. Come on Arsenal!
Thanks for the post Rico, my first game of the season this evening and I’m really looking forward to it.
We have plenty of recovery time before our next game so I expect Arteta to pick a strong team, sprinkled with a bit of yoot…
Interesting to see that Guendouzi has dropped down the pecking order since Arteta took over, maybe he’s struggling with a more structured approach where he can’t wander all over the pitch?
He has a lot to learn yet Kev and if he is prepared to listen he has a good teacher.
I think it’s a case of Guendouzi or Xhaka and Arteta feels he needs the experience first
I read Guendouzi has a bit of an attitude Kev, certainly in training.
Tonights Team
Martinez
Socratis Luizs Holding
Nelson Guendozi Xhaka Kolasinac
Ozil Lacca, Pepe
https://twitter.com/i/events/1213193164883783681
Subs Leno Mavrepanis Cabeela Willock Saka Martinellie John bJules
Just read that you are going Kev
I hope they puy on a good show for you
Enjoy it mate
Strong team out..
It’s all Leeds…
Living dangerously!!
Shockingly rubbish!…………………….then again Leeds are playing superb, doing everything we should be doing.
Possession Arsenal 37% Leeds 73%
Attempts Arsenal 3 Leeds 15
On target Arsenal 1 Leeds 5
Fouls Arsenal 5 Leeds 7
Nelson. Lacazette,Ozil and Pepe are peripheral getting nothing from midfield.Xhaka giving it away for fun.
It`s like Leeds are man to man marking every where on the pitch…………..I`m surprised their goalie isn`t marking Martinez!
No coach sees the obvious: Ozil can only play with Torreira because he is defending what he should defend. Not being Torreira, we played with 10 and there is a highway to our goal.
Poor first half. Terrible passing and too much falling over by Guendouzi, Pepe, Lacazette and Xhaka.
Leeds are playing very well.
We certainly miss Torreira Jm.
Bielsa has hada few years of drilling this pressing game into Leeds, lets hope Arteta is given time to do the same. It has to be run through the club at every level. That`s why Liverpools youth beat Everton, the philosophy of Klopp has a years to go thriugh their system and means that any young player who comes in knows his job.
Painful to watch,shows how important Torreria is.
Half time rocket??
Somethings changed 🙂
Morning all.
Don’t panic lads, Arteta’s had a word!
But we’ve got Nelson. 1 – 0
How is Xhaka still on the pitch.. Lucky lucky guy.
Lots of Leeds fouls unpunished rico, so Xhaka thought might as well keep fouling till he gets booked! Thought he just had, but Kolasanic!
Just makes a change Andrew, he could have been sent off twice. Lol
Rico, you’re starting to sound like the Muppet commentating. Xhaka hasn’t even been booked. 😉
And Lacazette.. 😮
By luck Cicero. Surprised considering it’s Taylor.
Will someone please tell Holding to pass only to players in red shirts.
It’s Xhaka’s version of rotational fouling, once on every player. He doesn’t quite understand the tactic!
I can only agree with Cicero……………………Holding`s passing is atroceous (spelling)
Was worried seeing Laca replay on VAR. know a few refs who would have him off for that.
Sokratis useful at right back, tough!
Lacazette got the man of the match but I think Emi Martinez should have got it. He pulled off a string of saves and kept us in the game almost single handed. Here’s his trophy. 🏆
I reckon we could have seen 8 yellow cards and 3 or 4 reds lol
Taylor let plenty go so both sides copped the same treatment.
Leeds were very impressive in the first half, we clearly were better in the second.
Holding is Jeckel and Hyde good in fact very good defensively but going forward so lackadaisical, under hitting passes and giving me nightmares. Arteta has a job to do as Holding gets his mojo back .
It was a physical game and as much as the commentary concentrated on Sokratis,Xhaka and Guendouzi they were no angels for once I thought Taylor got it about right
Danny Murphy was on a one man mission to get Xhaka sent off,he might as well have started an online petition.
To be fair Xhaka is terrible at it,a walking card.But I don’t need to hear it from a Scouse nomark !
It’s funny how we see things differently. I thought we were the more ‘dirty’ than Leeds. Guendouzi and Xhaka committed a few too many fouls. Guendouzi continues to fall over far too easily and then grab the ball. One day he’ll be penalised for doing that.
Fully expected Lacazette to get sent off for kicking out regardless of how soft it looked.
Loved the little battle with Sokratis at the end, and his celebrity clearance too.
Martinez man of the match for me too.
Rico, I too thought Laca was in trouble, but then, at the end when Sokratis was on the ground, he copped a little nudge to the face with a knee.
We always ask for consistency from officials, and they were extremely lenient, but also consistent I reckon.
Guendouzi is doing my head in looking for fouls!!
I’m starting to turn right off him
Once I hear a commentator speak with a scouse accent I lower the volume and take little or no notice of what he says. But Danny Murphy is just a prize p***k and should be dumped in the Mersey where he belongs. Another one I can’t stand is Steve Mcmanaman. Oh and Michael Owen. I’m sure there are others too but it’s time for be, good night Gooners…..everywhere. 😴
Sokratis dished out his fair share then I think Scott. I got the impression he knew exactly what he was doing.. lol
Ditto re Guendouzi. I can see why his playing time is now limited.
Night guys…
Really enjoyed the game Rick, classic game of two halves, fortunately Leeds don’t have a quality finisher or else we might have been losing at half time.
Leeds were a really good side, pressing us all over the place and forcing our players to rush and make mistakes. The referee let a lot of Leeds fouls go, so I think we decided to put our foot in, Pepe was constantly being held and pulled by his marker but got nothing, I saw Leeds players clearly pushing and shirt pulling but nothing from the ref. So frankly I couldn’t give a monkeys that we gave a bit back, I actually thought that Xhaka had a good game and Sokratis at right-back was really good. Holding was rusty and gave away a few loose passes but for me he’s a top defender and once he gets a run in the side he’ll be ok, I’d rather see him at the heart of our defence that Boateng that’s for sure…
Lacazette was given a right ‘going over’ by the Leeds centre backs but he battled away and gave us an out ball, I thought he did well.
Tbh I can’t really fault any of our players overall, that’s two clean sheets and two wins on the bounce, the crowd seemed a bit nervous in the 1st 45, a hangover over almost three years of a porous defence, but really got behind the players generally, there’s a much better vibe in the ground now.
As for the pundits, whoever they are, who gives a fcuk what they think?
Yes Potter, I agree with you re: Guendouzi, but we forget how young he still is, but he does indeed have a long way to go before he can fulfil everything what Arteta wants and needs.
Rico, if he has got an attitude then I doubt that he’ll be at Arsenal for the long term.
I was pleased for Nelson because he never stopped working, so glad he got a goal.
And Martinelli, what a gem that kid is…
Hi All mist the match but sounds like we were lucky to win. how ever there seems to be a few positive that come out of the match. I was happy to read that some of the players admitted that they did not believe Arteta that Leeds are going to be hard to beat and the players thought it was going to be a push over until half time when Arteta let rip at them them and tell them to unleash the animal in side sound like they responded with a nice hard thought win. and best of all a clean sheet who do thing was man of the match
Hi Geoff,
I’m not sure we were lucky to win as Leeds had their chances-we had our share as well and managed to take one.
Hard to say….a draw MIGHT have been fair.
They dominated the first half, we the second.
Anyway, they were very, very good and will do well next season!!!
Hi Scott at least it sounds like we never gave up which is a great sign and from what I read sound like our keeper was man of the match is that correct
Guendouzi is only doing what all players do these days, looking to buy a foul and attempting to snatch the ball for a quick free kick.
Poor old Xhaka just can’t win, if he doesn’t “compete” he gets slated, if he does get stuck in he’s accused of going over the top. It’s worth noting that last night most of his challenges were much higher up the pitch than before less likely, therefore, to draw a yellow card. It’s also worth remembering that not every foul is a bookable offence.
I’m quite relaxed about our players dishing it out a bit, we’ve been a soft touch for years and it’s good to see we are not prepared to be bullied any longer.
Time for another couple of hours shut eye.
Laters.
Morning all.
New post up now