Morning all.
Today’s game is massive. It’s a game very few other than Arsenal fans think we can win. Actually, scrap that as I don’t think many Arsenal fans think we can win later, I know I don’t. No, that’s not me being negative it’s me not having had my head in the sand for the last few months because our football has mostly be pretty drab. However, if more drab football secures at least a point at The Etihad Stadium later today then I’ll take it.
Arsenal and City have played each other enough times to know what each is about. City will knock the ball around like a training session before trying to find that one killer pass into the box. They might lump the ball over our midfield to Haaland, hoping his power and pace will outdo William Saliba or Gabriel. Their wingers will be busy, as will the ghastly little player Silva.
Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke:
Guardiola’s decision to switch from 4-1-3-2 to 4-2-3-1 in the Carabao Cup final was a smart call that unlocked City’s attacking excellence. Deploying Jeremy Doku wide on the left, with Antoine Semenyo hugging the opposite touchline, there has been greater width to their play, freeing up central pockets of space for No.10 Rayan Cherki and allowing full-backs Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes to underlap.
Cherki is the man in form, and given freedom to roam, the France international is almost impossible to man-mark, so we must close down his space as a collective. If you give Cherki space to look up and play a pass, he will hurt you, while he has also made six assists from ball carries.
Guardiola’s four-man defensive screen when we tried to play out from the back at Wembley was a ploy we never really got to grips with, so faster restarts, playing through the first line of defence, or clipping passes over them could be fruitful. Passes over the top and counters tend to be the most effective ways to open City up, who squeeze up and commit bodies forward, so we need to be fast and efficient on transitions.
We cannot go gung-ho, but sharp, progressive passes will cause them issues. Out of possession, we must track runners with the utmost concentration, and where possible, disrupt City’s flow by getting tight to them inside our half.
At Wembley, we started well but sadly, fizzled away rather rapidly. The second half was awful. Toothless, unimaginative and quite frankly, underwhelming. Pretty much sums up the second half of our season really, domestically anyway.
As Clarke said, we never got to grips with Guardiola’s change of approach. I wonder if today it’ll be Mikel Arteta who tries something different, something which will bamboozle City in similar fashion. I’m not holding my breath.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Christian Norgaard start today with his role being to just sit in front of the back four, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi ahead of him with Ebe Eze and two of Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres or Noni Madueke either side of him. Oh, or Gabriel Jesus. Yes, similar to what City did at Wembley against us.
Press from the front every time and they will pass their way through and round us, quickly too so our players could get caught out so why not drop off of them for a change. Let them try and find a way through a front bank of four.
But of course, it’s easy to make suggestions from the comfort of my settee, it’s what Arteta does which matters and he said we’re going for the win… As if he’d say anything else.
Whatever his approach, I hope it works.
Equally as important as Arteta’s tactics is the attitude of the players. I want to see all of them, not just a select few, fight for every ball, be clinical with the passing, no faffing around at the back and if chances come, be ruthless.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico.
Ninety odd minutes between two quite evenly matched sides means a game that could go either way. The old cliche “the team that want it most will be the deciding factor” should be utterly meaningless, what side wouldn’t give everything for the win in such a vital game.
Hand brake off and go for it? Why not?
Morning Cicero, all.
I’m not sure we know how to “go for it” these days. I think we need to be pragmatic, and try and hit them on the break.
Without sounding pedantic, I don’t think the two sides are equally matched either, not while we have Timber, Odegaard, Saka and Merino out. We miss Merino and is it a coincidence that since his injury, we’ve had struggles?
Great preview, Rico.
“Underwhelming” is the adjective that sums up best, not our results, but our displays this season, and on this site at least everyone knows your use of it comes from a place of love, not from some uncurable negativity-bitterness.
I agree with your suggestion of adding one more body (Nørgaard’s or … Myles’s!) in midfield in particular. There, opponents have been outnumbering Zubi and Declan for quite some time, both lads have had too much to think about defensively to bring as much quality as they could/should whenever we gain possession … not to mention the toll it’s taken on their fitness, as the season went by …
Anyway, this won’t happen; Mick will pick a very Artetesque XI, with two guys on either wing (even though Tross has been given more freedom to wander in some kind of N°10 position lately, or so it has seemed to me anyway).
Well, back to trying to calm down now; c’mon you Red Machine!
Thanks Lg. Myles is probably in better shape as he’s played more but I wouldn’t mind seeing either. If we can nullify their creative players, we might have a chance. Their wingers too.
But yep, you’re probably right, we’ll see same old, same old, hoping things will improve. Isn’t that one of the first signs of madness? 😜
The last time we played Man City we had an in form Eze injured, Calafiori, Madueke, Martinelli, Dowman Raya, Mosquera and Jesus was on the bench, a half-fit Havertz started in midfield and a quarter-fit Saka started on the right flank. We had Kepa in goal, we had an off-form White at right-back, we had a half-fit Trossard on the left-flank and Hincapie got booked early that reduced his effectiveness.
My local Sainsbury’s reduced the derv by 2p.
And, Good Morning Gooners
It’s interesting isn’t it, everyone and their dog say that Arsenal are under pressure, well hello, every leading team in the Premier League are under pressure! Aren’t Tottenham under pressure, aren’t WestHam and Forest…
Man City are also under pressure although you’d hardly think it, they have to win, we don’t….
It’s equally interesting how our ever biased and quite appalling media have taken so many sly digs at Arsenal for reaching the CL semi-final but have seemingly ignored the fact that Liverpool lost 4-0 on aggregate, that Man City also lost, 5-1 on aggregate and that the rest of the Premier League’s finest were booted out of the CL.
Doesn’t quite fit the narrative does it?
I wonder if La Liga will cancel both Atletico’s matches before one or both legs vs Arsenal?
The Premier League won’t do this as the Premier League fixtures are too important, but this isn’t the case in the Ligue Un and La Liga which kinda points towards those two competitions as being less important these days – and far less competitive.
Bayern virtually rested an entire team in their Bundesliga games prior to the CL quarter finals – and still won. It’s the kind of tactic many English clubs do before a League Cup tie!
So, does that mean that the League Cup is on a par with the Bundesliga when it comes to importance?
Good points made Kev about who was involved in the last game at Wembley..
I’ve tried the positive approach recently so today I’m expecting little whilst hoping for a great performance.. 😂
Don’t forget Chelsea Kev, they’ll soon need another manager as I very much doubt they will finish top five.
Talking of managers, I reckon Iraola is going to Utd.
Sainsbury’s in Longwater Norwich is 191.9 but thier other branch 5 miles away is 189.9 10 miles for tuppence a litre , doesn’t make sense.
155.9 for unleaded.
Now for football whatever that is . From scanning around what’s app with other north bankers there is an air of doom and despondency over the airways . With many others I am treating today’s effort with trepidation . I think this is the last throw of the dice , we are on a hiding to nothing .
We blew the league a few weeks ago, the confidence went when we lost to Man Utd in January and followed up with draws against Brentford and Wolves . Since then we withdrew into our shells and haven’t had anything else on display apart from “”not losing””.
That attitude today will not be enough against the pressure that we face today , they say a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots but I think Arteta lost his back then .
We have about 5 1/2 hours to find them again but I fear that should they score the heads will go down again.
I am sorry but I have lost faith , we have seen it too many times , freezing in cup finals , semi finals and league chases.
We kick off at 4.30 , I think I may start drinking at about 3.00 hopefully it will soften the blow.
PSG are the pride of Ligue Un, they are the flag wavers for French domestic football, but whilst PSG fly the flag for belle France the rest of that once exciting and competitive league is declining at an alarming rate into a league less competitive that the English Championship, maybe worse.
Marseille, St Etienne, Monaco, Bordeaux, Sochaux, RC Lens, Strasbourg, Metz, Auxerre, Rouen, all these clubs were at a high level and produced some amazing players in a competitive league but now they’re like a supporting cast for one club that has a team that only fully extends itself in the CL thanks to the assistance of the league d’France. A team that was found out during the World Club Cup when they lost 4-0 to Chelsea, yes useless Chelsea!
Keep the faith Rico, even if you keep it inside. 😉
I hope that Chelsea make the CL, then Rosenior will keep his job Rico. 😎
Iraola back to Spain I hope Rico? 🙏
Spanish papers reckon he will be at Real Betis , do a Homer :- Manchester / Seville , Manchester ?
Longwater must be very posh, hence the price hike, my Sainsbury’s is in Basildon and there’s more competition, you’ve gotta love competition…
Kev Longwater is a tarted-up Industrial estate surrounded by new build housing and is right alongside the A 47 route out of Norfolk.
Overmars. Wiltord. Tonight it’s Kai’s turn in Manchester.
I’m off for a few hours of kip before the battle.
Yeh, that role fitted her like the proverbial glove, LG.
For me, “My fathers glory” ,”My mothers castle” and “Amelie” are the sacred trinity of French theatre.
No gunner I know is looking forward to the game. Lose this and City become favourites. I keep hearing people say we should go for it,take the handbrake off. I don’t care how we play if we somehow get a result,a draw would be a great result,a win,dreamland.
We seem to have been stuck on 70 points for ages,it’s 5 weeks since our last league win,OK we’ve only played 1 league game in that time,scheduling is crazy though,Leeds have just played 2 games in 5 days.
COYG
Cicero, it sounds divine…
My cousin many years ago, maybe 30 plus or more, moved from the delights of Dartford in Kent to Haughley Green in Suffolk so as to experience the fresh air and countryside of East Angleland. During the time she’s lived in her 600 year old cottage the surrounding fields have gradually filled up, much to her chagrin, with ‘new builds’… I’ve been to Srowmarket and Ipswich and it’s like visiting Basildon.
Kev look at a map of England, if ever it was necessary to give out country an enema, Ipswich is where it should be inserted. 😉
Our, not out.
That’s the story of East Anglia KEV , I moved here in 1984 since then the little market villages have turned into towns and the planners seem hell bent on building more houses. No body doubts any more that brown envelopes are the norm in the planning office .
Near me some 4 miles was the little village of Martham that had approximately 800 homes now it’s close to 2000 with a further 400 in the offing.
None of these properties go to locals though they are all 4 and 5 bedroom and go to the highest bidder who effectively was not born in the North Norfolk area. Still the farming jobs are no longer needed as crops don’t grow through concrete.
rico: because Merino defends much better than all the others (who lack defensive awareness), he appears as a “false” striker and shoots with his feet and head.
Raya, Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Odegaard, Rice, Zubimendi, Madueke, Havertz, Eze.
A full range of subs, excepting Saka, and Merino.
Afternoon all, so last day of our break in Camp de Mar, and we agreed to not dampen holiday as it always seems Arsenal playing on our last night. And a 10 mile bus journey from our sleepy cove to Santa Ponca where plentiful British, well Irish!, and Sports screens.
Guess what, having travelled Weds for Sporting game and definitely not coming again. We are back to suffer! Bl@@dy Arsenal.
– Dr. Freud, please … Under the present circumstances, what’s your take on such fans’ small talk about the price of oil?
– You don’t wanna know, man … Trust me on this.
😉
Lucky Liverpool nick a winner at Everton in the 11th minute of added time. 🙄
Some things never change Rico.
Ero Rico, Nice preview. I must say that this Isa game we shouldn’t loss, I want to see some fight (no red card) and zeal from the players. How much do they want it really?? Bring it ON even though I’m having butterflies in the stomach. 0-1 to the Arsenal will settle the nerves early on
“ I am sorry but I have lost faith , we have seen it too many times , freezing in cup finals , semi finals and league chases.”
Ditto…
Jm, agreed..
Kev, I am keeping my emotions inside, my real thoughts are best kept there….
With Liverpool, little will ever change. Poor hard done by club..
Honours even at half time.
Keep the pressure on their ‘ keeper, he’s got another cock-up in him.
“Spirit of ’89”
I think it’s fair to say the boys have it in ’em today.
The longest 45+ mins of their careers it’s gonna be from now on, though.
Mosquera’s been outstanding, but I don’t think it’d be sensible not to sub him off; Marti for Noni I’d have nothing against, either …
C’mon lads, you’ve made them doubt, finish ’em off now.
Eze ball watching defensively leaving Cherke too much room
Sucker punch!
We need to regain a bit of control, otherwise it’ll end badly.
How does Havertz lose a physical battle with Silva? Lol
Kai, oh Kai … smash that ball down, ffs. That’s CF kindergarten level, really, not even academy.
Now, subbing off Eze at 1-2 is one of the most bonkers decisions I’ve seen an Arsenal manager make … and I’m 67-y-o.
Well, it’s not over ’til it’s over, is it? COYG
It is now! City’s to lose. Let’s hope Burnley can stuff them midweek.
Martinelli should have been told to always worry about O Really defending. He didn’t, and the second goal was a disaster… In summary: I think we weren’t bad, but I still say that Saka is sorely missed and the attacking players are not aggressive enough. It’s worrying not to have won a domestic game in a month. And now there’s no margin for error… besides having two Champions League games left.
Putting the ball in the net let us down again as it’s done all this season, this title will be decided on goals scored and if we score more goals than them in the final games we will finish top but I can’t see who in this Arsenal team is going to score them?
Went as I thought , a reasonable performance and a narrow defeat. They showed a bit of fight that’s been missing but of the chances missed by both sides Havertz header at the end was the most criminal . It was the perfect center and for a tall man not being able to get over it is just plainly poor.
Havertz is and never was a true center forward , we had one but he did not appear until the game was lost. The physical battle between Gabriel and Haaland could have been duplicated at the other end but with so many of our midfield just showing up in spasms surely Gyokeres should have come on 30 minutes earlier when we went behind.
Back to my wine bottle
Couldn’t put it better myself Lg/potter
Me neither Kev.
We had more than enough chances to take a point if not three today.
Arsenal has tough games against difficult teams that are still fighting for something (e.g., West Ham). City is in high spirits and has games against teams that have already done what they needed to do. Where are they going to drop points?
Against Villa hopefully as Emery is chasing CL football.
Plus they have to go to Bournemouth and Everton.
I think my last comment sounds a tad desperate 😜
Not really , It’s the hope that kills you.
I agree, Eze should have stayed on the pitch, but our boys were terrific. Inside of the post close to getting a point. Kai was excellent, keeping in mind his long lay off, he ran for everything, his first touch, his hold up play, his goal, deserves our praise, That header at the end was a heartbreaker but despite the pain we are still three points ahead, we have our captain back, we have a run in to keep us on the edge of our seats… it’s saddening, it’s maddening, but it’s still winnable.
Isn’t it just. Darn hope…
But we lost… might as well hit the corner flag as hit the post. As good as Havertz was, he missed a chance to get us a point. A pretty easy one really.
That header was pivotal , the difference between 3 points and 6 . Having our captain back ? I am not sure that that’s such a good thing . I don’t think that he’s a bad player but he hasn’t been the player of the past and this run in is too short to give him the time he needs .
We should have played Eze in the middle with Havertz and Gyokeres in tandem up front. That would have pressured their back line and dragged Silva , Cherki and Rodri back to cover and given Rice and Zubimendi more time and space to control the ball and the midfield which they dominated .
I don’t envy any right back playing behind Madueke , he goes on mazy runs and if they try to support him chances are that he runs out of space and loses the ball and they are out of position . I am not convinced that he was a good buy and I know that some Chelsea supporters could not believe their luck that we were paying what we did for him , especially after taking some of their other players in the past.
It was refreshing in a way that following the third minute cock up Gabriel told Raya to cut out the short stuff and strange that they got caught in the same manner.
I suppose Havertz’ goal counts as one of the 3 shots on target in the 100 minutes play . That in itself is not good enough but it’s been pretty much par for the course this season as we know out of 66 league goals 23 have come from set pieces and of course the spare striker Owen goals got a few too.
I know that I am venting my frustration but when I read this back in the morning ,I don’t think my thoughts will have changed very much.
I still believe that had we had Norgaard or MLS sat in front of our defence, we’d have had more of a chance to take something from the game because Rice would have more freedom.
As for Madueke, waste of money and there’s a part of me which still believes the same about Havertz. I still can’t believe he was outfought by Silva when he should have been through on goal.
A lack of shots on target was evident last season too. Adding players in the summer hasn’t changed much… not domestically anyway..
We needed a fully fit Saka.
Neither Madueke or Eze are game changers, neither are worth the money we spent on them.
Adding players in the summer hasn’t changed much… not domestically anyway..
That comes from the midfield , I believe that we are light there and we have missed Merino more than Odegaard
As for Madueke, waste of money and there’s a part of me which still believes the same about Havertz.
Is there an echo ? My son and I have been saying the same for months.
Good night Gooners, everywhere.
You can only play with whats available but the two ex chavs are on my list for summer departures along with Jesus ,Trossard, Nelson , Kiwior , Vieira and possibly White , although when Saka plays he is a better player and doesn’t get caught upfield because unlike Madueke Saka holds the ball and doesn’t lose it so often.
Today playing Havertz was a good call but not playing Gyokeres wasn’t , together they could be similar in style to Bergkamp and Wright but they would not have Vieira and Petit to give them protection and Overmars and Platt to supply.
This of course would mean that Odegaard would be looking for a shirt and Arteta would never do that willingly.
Any way it’s good night from me and good night to our chances.
Said the same about Merino earlier, or it even have been yesterday. The team misses him, Zubimendi misses him.
I’ve never really warmed to Havertz. Has his moments but they are few and far between and now his injury record, like Odegaard, is a worry.
Anyway, to be continued tomorrow no doubt..
Night guys.
Good points, the goals issue has really worried me all season as we really don’t score enough or from the chances we create, it’s part of the reason that Arteta doesn’t rotate more, it’s too risky when we’re only a goal up, even two goals. Even so it’s mind numbing to think Arsenal paid £10m for Norgaard and he never plays, I mean didn’t Arteta really want him?
Hincapie is going to cost around £45m, less the loan fee, next summer, so that a big chunk gone there of the budget. After last summer I can’t see KSE blowing another major amount on new signings, not unless the recruitment team can earn a sizeable amount in sales. I can’t see Noni or Kai being sold, the problem as I see it is our left wing, a third quality midfielder to rotate with Declan and Zubi and I mean someone who Arteta will actually play, we should sell Norgaard. Finally we need another goalscorer, a proper goal poacher like a young Ollie Watkins. Sell Kepa, get our money back and save on his wages and promote Setford.
Sales is anybody’s guess, Fabio Vieira we need to move him on, get some dough for Kabia, Kiwior and maybe one of our young English stars because of PSR.
Finally I do worry that fans might start to turn on some of our less productive players, fans’ patience isn’t endless and we only need to struggle to score in our next couple of games for the atmosphere at the Emirates to suddenly become septic.
Morning Rico and all, not the result we needed,
Morning Geoff, all.
New post up.