Morning all.
Starting to get nervous yet, or kind of excited? The current League Champions Liverpool are our next challenge. Our opening game was a bit of an odd one as Mikel Arteta’s team made Man Utd look like league contenders. Last weekends performance was better but it still took a bit of time for Arsenal to get going. Against Liverpool, being switched on from the off is crucial because we can’t give that lucky lot an inch.
By all accounts, Liverpool’s defending has been a bit up and down in the opening three games which has led to them conceding goals. Against Palace, Bournemouth and Newcastle, they conceded two goals in each game which is unlike the Liverpool of last season. Last game against Newcastle, they were 2-0 up, playing against ten men only to concede twice. Ok, they won in the end but not until the 100th minute of the match and pretty much the final kick of the game. 32 fouls were committed in that game, 17 by Newcastle, 15 by Liverpool.
Talking after the game, Slot said:
I think I heard you correctly. You were saying football match. I’m not sure if I saw a football match today. It was set-piece after set-piece, long throws – it didn’t have a lot to do with tactics as I said before the game. But I liked a lot how we stood strong. Very difficult first half hour, 45 minutes. But, we didn’t collapse at all. We stood strong and because of that we went 1-0 up.
My point, their defence is there to be got at and Arsenal, even without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, have the players to get at them. Unsettle them, force them to make errors and to commit fouls in dangerous areas of the pitch.
As far as injuries go, Frimpong is ruled out but Mac Allister and Bradley are likely to return for the home team.
Arsenal – Jesus, Havertz and Saka are ruled out but White, Norgaard and Odegaard could be in the squad. Much depends on whether or not they trained yesterday.
Mikel Arteta was asked if Martinelli could leave before deadline day?
No, I think Gabi has been a super important player for us and he’s going to remain very, very, very important. The fact that we have options with different qualities, that’s going to fulfil what we want, because every opponent is going to require different things and then the state, the moment, the way that those players are impacting the game – that competition is needed. We have him in many other areas on the pitch and he’s needed, especially in the front line, to start the game and to finish the game. So, I’m very happy with what we have.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Martinelli on the left, Madueke on the right and Gyokeres in the middle. Nor would I be surprised to see Eze thrown in for his debut, especially if Odegaard hasn’t fully recovered. Rice and Zubimendi are certain to start, as are Raya, Gabriel and Saliba. Timber and Calafiori at full-back.
Honestly, I think we can get a win at Anfield today as long as the game remains 11 v 11 from start to finish. Not 11 v 12, or 13 including VAR. Sian Massey-Ellis is operating VAR today which I think is a first for Arsenal. Chris Kavanagh is the referee. The guy who sent off Declan Rice against Brighton last season.
But, as I always say, if the players don’t give the officials a decision to make, they cannot make it so Arsenal need to be smart. Ekitike is lightening quick so he’s the one to stop, along with Salah of course who can hurt the best of teams but if we can win the midfield battle and keep the ball away from them, then our chance of winning will be greater. As said at the start, Liverpool are conceding goals so they can be beaten.
A focussed and disciplined performance from Mikel Arteta’s men can bring three points back to north London.
Catch up in the comments.
From afc.com
Chris Kavanagh’s appointment could be a good option for us seeing as we’ve not lost any of the last 11 of our games he’s been handed, stretching back to February 2021. That run includes a 1-1 draw at Anfield in December 2023, while our last two matches brought wins against Chelsea and Ipswich Town, but he did dismiss Declan Rice in controversial circumstances against Brighton 12 months ago.
The Manchester official has already refereed the Reds this season in their Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace, while they also lost on their last league outing with Kavanagh in charge – a 3-2 defeat at Fulham in April. He has awarded penalties in all three of his domestic matches this term already, including one against Liverpool at Wembley.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Dan Cook, Wade Smith
Fourth official: Sam Barrott
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
Afternoon all,
Interesting points Rico,I too am a big fan of Martinelli so good news that he is staying ( although if a big bid came in I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go) He gets through a lot of defensive work and that will be needed today.
For me the big question today is does Eze start or come off the bench?
Depends if Odegaard is available I suppose,today’s game will be very different from the Leeds one.
In answer to your opening paragraph,a mix of nerves and excitement.
No Saka is a big blow and these games are horrible just before the international break – great if you win. Our squad is stronger than ever and I’m more confident than for a long time. COYG
John Brooks has replaced Michael Salisbury as VAR today, as a result of Salisbury intervening & wrongly disallowing Fulham’s goal against Chelsea while on VAR yesterday
Call me pessimistic but I don’t see us getting any 50-50 decisions going our way at Anfield. The decks are loaded in Liverpools favour with the officials in my opinion.
Having said that I feel nervously confident we’ll leave with at least a point and possibly all 3!
Eze with the winner anyone?
COYG
Even if it’s Saliba with a headed winner it’s great. Just 1-0 with a clean sheet is all I care about.
I enjoyed reading the post Rico. Fingers crossed I will enjoy it thrice as much reading your match report
Only 36 hours to see if that bid comes in Limey, fingers crossed it doesn’t. Not for Martinelli anyway.
John Brooks is one of the marginally better officials isn’t he?
As you say Rico, we have to be smart, don’t get involved in ‘stuff’ don’t give the officials a decision to make.
I’d take a boring 0-0 as it stands because the media are setting us up for a fall today, you know they’re desperate to have that narrative to write and pontificate about.
COYG
Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Merino, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Harriman-Annous, Odegaard, Trossard, Eze, Nwaneri.
Very strong looking bench for us.
Yes Kev I agree with you as well….I would take 0-0 as well. Besides leaving our defense intact we would spoil them their narrative.
Mind you they would still write how great wer they at stopping us, neglecting the fact that the game is at Anfield
I think and feel that the scene is set for Dowman to come on and grab the winner with Messi like proportions
Zubimendi and Merino back together again…
Ditto Kev, I’d take a 0-0 although I can’t see neither side scoring..
Harriman-Annous on the bench is good to see.
Afternoon, nerves kicking in. Who is on right of midfield, Rice and Merino usually on left DM or as 8s, and Zubi usually central?
Merino I guess Andrew..
Got the speakers turned up loud today.
Now Saliba injured. Cant make this stuff up really..
Mosquera on.
As Rico said…can’t make this stuff up
Looks a bad one too…
We are keeping the pitch big….Martinelli and Madueke are not cutting inside but keeping as much wide as possible. And we’re making use of both wings. Quite different than usual when it seems we use only the right
Martinelli is having a stinker so far going forwards.
Not sure Gyokeres has had a touch has he?
We need some creativity. Eze or Nwaneri is needed badly.
Eze for Merino might come sooner rather than later…
Viktor Gyokeres has been quiet.
Gyokeres is keeping Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate on their toes.
Even though Gyokeres has not had efforts on goal his work-rate is still very good.
Settle for another boring half like that, and get Liv away out of the way, unbeaten.
It’s up for grabs now…
I think that Merino has been very good, getting around doing the Odegaard job.
Madueke looks very dangerous and Calafiori has been superb
I do like watching Noni…
Here comes Eze..
Bollox!
Didn’t come alive until we went behind , suddenly we found energy. Haven’t worked out how to use Gyokeres yet.
Arteta had a good game plan. And it showed in the fact that it had to take something special as that free kick to win it for Liverpool. Our defence was good and our attack, although they still have to gel together, have to learn how to use Gyokeres as Potter rightly pointed out. I think that if Havertz was not injured he would have began the match today considering the opposition.
The team layout was good. Yes we lost but mark my words, it will take something special like today to get past our defence. Three games in, we have played in two difficult stadiums and only conceded one goal.
A bit disappointed we lost but not as down as much as when we lost to Brentford. Its one thing to lose against the Dippers who won with a great goal and another to lose against a midland hotdog team.
One moment of magic in whole game, they got it. Matched them otherwise. Only looked in danger from Raya passing out from the back. So well done Mosquera. But if they add Isak, can’t see anyone catching them.
Sure hope they don’t get Isak but fear they will..
Agree re Gyokeres, he’s not getting much service yet.
Arteta had a good game plan….not to concede. And in a way he succeeded because the team onceded only a worldy. So he went for a draw at the minimum and managed to stifle their attack. Maybe his plan was to arrive to the 85th minute and then open them up. The injury to Saliba scuppered things up a bit, but Mosquera came out with flying colours. Howeve, that meant we played in reverse for 80 mins. Conceding that worldy, the team then decided you can actually pass the ball forwards for fifteen mins. But I have a question which happens in many games….why do we have to wait for something to happen rather than effecting the game positively ourselves? Why dont we go for the jugular immediately? The AW team of the first ten years used to murder teams in the first half an hour and then play about like a cat with a mouse. I remember we used to race up to 3 or 4 goal lead (leading us to think we were on course to break the 12-0 record, only for the team to keep passing the ball without exerting themselves.
We kept the pitch wide open with Martinelli and Noni never cutting inside but keeping to the flanks so we had the dippers running around in search for the ball. But as Rico pointed out earlier….we were not making any inroads on their goal.
We need to impose ourselves, throw some heavy punches in the first 30 mins and then sit back to defend a 3 or 4 goal lead.
Mikel Arteta on William Saliba: “He twisted his ankle during the warm up. He came in and said he believed he could carry on and play but you could see after the first two actions and you could see he couldn’t cope and we had to get him out.”
If Arteta knew that WS had twisted his ankle why did he begin the game?? Why not put Mosquera in from the off and start with a game plan only to have to adapt after 5 mins??
Imo that was a mistake because that is substitution wasted.
As everyone knows I was against the signing of Noni, but after the first three games and especially today I love him. Fingers crossed this season we will see Noni, Eze, Saka behind VG14.
Probably because Saliba said he was ok Devil., perhaps he thought he could run it off…
yes Saliba said he was ok and could run it off, but imo Arteta is a professional and he should know more than anyone, seeing that he is a former player, that certain injuries you cannot run them off.
If WS has just rolled his ankle than its two weeks at max, if he has pulled ligaments that will be 6 weeks but if the ligaments are torn then its 12 weeks to three months
He seems to be ok. I think its just a slight roll of ankle. He was walking ok after the game
https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=2376376019422854
S**t! I’ve been out all day and careful not know the result just got home and ready to watch the recording and the the damn box didn’t record it.
Still as we lost the game and Saliba got injured perhaps I’m glad not to see it.
Gyokeres is not getting any service . The ball needs to come quicker for him . Our style was tailor made for them to Pick him up .
All of the midfield carry the ball rather than move it forward . Madueke looked effective when he received it quickly and I am sorry to say that Martinelli ran into blind alleys rather than look for the pass.
We played at a very conservative pace and seemed quite content to plat out the draw. In a way it’s a shame that they didn’t score earlier because after their goal the game opened up and we were at our most dangerous . Suddenly it became urgent.
Agree, I think we were a little too negative bar Noni. And their goal too, we woke up after that and they panicked a bit. I’d hoped we would come out in the second half and up our tempo.
We should have come out of the blocks early in the game. Go for the jugular and score first.
We seldom do. In fact take out Nuno and our attacking game was really average imo.
I see that Raya has come out and said that the new Puma ball is subject to excessive movement and is difficult to predict it’s direction because it changes it’s route in the air .
Perhaps we should shoot more often ourselves.
Isak to Liverpool for £125m
Don’t have nightmares…
So Newcastle blinked first.
Strange that we were talking of warm-ups recently, then Saliba rolls his ankle doing just that. A mistake to allow him to start the game, it may have made the injury worse. I trust he will be withdrawn from the French squad for the Interlull.
All the more important that we get the Hincapi deal over the line. The window closes at 5pm
That is another perspective Cicero…..the one you pointed out that Saliba will get two weeks rest having been withdrawn from the game after 5 mins. Fingers crossed the club puts its foot down and he gets to rest. I didn’t think of it before.
However, like you I think that it was a mistake to begin the game with him. Those 5 mins only made it worse.
Some bits from here and there……..
….Piero Hincapie is a new Arsenal player after completing his medical yesterday.
All documents have been signed. The player joins the Gunners on loan with an obligation to buy from Bayer Leverkusen.
The centre-back is expected to be the only incoming for Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
Jakub Kiwior will join Porto. While Reiss Nelson, Sambi Albert Lokonga, Fabio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all set to leave.
……James Ellis is the new technical director of Arsenal
…..Albert Sambi Lokonga appears set for a move to Hamburg, with the Bundesliga club close to agreeing a permanent transfer with Arsenal. Ryan Taylor reports for the Mirror that Hamburger SV are close to agreeing a permanent deal with Arsenal for Albert Sambi Lokonga.
…..West Ham have entered the race to sign Fabio Vieira from Arsenal, but Stuttgart and another top Bundesliga club are also interested in the 25-year-old Portuguese midfielder. (Sky Sports Germany)
…..Olympique Marseille are working on deal to sign Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ligue 1 club’s interest at present relates to a potential permanent transfer — but Zinchenko’s salary presents a significant issue that will need to be overcome if the situation is to advance
New post up guys.
Morning to you all.
I’m downhearted….
Arteta came to the club when it was in a shit state averaging just above mid table . Working with the owners many things have happened to reorganise the club on and off the pitch . Not only have the non working players gone but executives that oversaw much of workings away from football have been replaced and the club is on the surface ( 3 second places and Champions league ) in a better place .
Looking at the squad we are stronger than we have been for a long time so the question in my mind is not whether Arteta has done a good job but whether he has taken us as far as he can ?
As is often pointed out he was a complete novice in managing when he was appointed , he has surrounded himself with coaches and assistants that suit the style of play that he wants. If he goes , they go as well and probably a few of the players who will not necessarily be the ones that you or I would want to see go.
If he goes he will probably get another job and only then will we see if he was learning as he went along . Lets face it there are plenty of clubs that would like the improvements that we have seen . That’s why I don’t go into the insults that get thrown at him.