Morning all.
So, Gabriel Martinelli has his mojo back after being dropped according to a headline on NewsNow. The term dropped is harsh I think and seldom does it actually mean what it says because dropped suggests something quite different to being rested. Aubameyang, Ozil, Kolasinac, Mustafi, Pepe etc we’re dropped in my opinion but Martinelli? No. If Bukayo Saka isn’t selected tomorrow would anyone suggest he was being dropped? Of course not, he’d simply be having a rest. Perhaps I’m simply reading too much into the way other people sell their story.
Anyway, there’s a lot going on in the world of football. Speculation is that Antonio Conte is set to leave Totts in the summer, Barcelona are facing a transfer ban this summer as they need to sell £178 million worth of players just to break even financially and Erling Haaland dreams of playing for Real Madrid. There’s more… Tottenham are being ridiculed after their FA Cup defeat to Sheffield Utd which means it’s now fifteen years and seven different managers, since they last won a piece of silverware and lastly, ‘the fabric of success’ left Chelsea left the club when Roman Abramovich sold up. Apparently, the ownership of Newcastle Utd is under scrutiny too. All of the above is written in just one newspaper yesterday morning. Guess which one? Lol
Meanwhile, back at Arsenal, we’re ticking along nicely. One day at at time, one game at a time and one good performance at a time. Hopefully anyway, including one today.
Thomas Partey could start his first game for a few weeks today, Eddie Nketiah is a doubt though and both Mo Elneny and Gabriel Jesus remain out.
Bournemouth are missing Illia Zabarnyi, Marcus Tavernier, David Brooks and Lloyd Kelly.
I think todays opposition are another one of those teams which are probably better than than their position in the league table suggests. They’ve recently held Newcastle Utd to a draw, beaten Wolves away from home, lost 1-0 at Brighton but then last weekend, they were beaten 4-1 at home by Man City.
I watched the games they played against Brighton, Wolves, Newcastle and Man City. I’m really impressed by what they are doing. They are really aggressive, they haven’t conceded many in those games and they could have had different results in two of those four games. Against Man City, [City] showed some quality when they opened up, when finishing the actions to make the score really big, but it was a really competitive match again. Mikel Arteta
Ghana international Antoine Semenyo, Ivory Coast international Hamed Traore along with Dango Ouattara are quick attacking players. Dominic Solanke is no footballing fool either. Pre World Cup, Bournemouth we’re pretty steady after appointing new manager Gary O’Neil but it’s been pretty much downhill for them since Boxing Day. But, as Mikel Arteta pointed out, they don’t concede many goals.
As much as I’m quite fond of Bournemouth, probably because Dorset is my favourite place in England, I’m hoping this will be another clinical performance from Mikel Arteta’s team and another three points on the board. Whilst Mikel Arteta was pleased after Wednesday’s defeat of Everton, he wants more from his players:
There’s much more to come. We can do things much better in many aspects of the game, and we still have players with immense growth potential individually and collectively, and as a club as well there are a lot of things we can do much better. That’s the aim – we have to be really seeking that excellence and professionalism and trying to recruit the best people and all the time have the right mindset to achieve that level.
That’s the thing with a young team, there is always more to learn and higher levels to aim for. Our players are very very good but they can get better. Mikel Arteta can improve too, he said not long ago that he’d learned from the defeat at Old Trafford and I like that about him. When he says things can improve, he includes everyone at the club and not just the players. It’s easy after a defeat to lay the blame at someone else’s door but Arsenal are in this as a club, not as a group of individuals. I think that’s the reason you and I believe we as a club are heading in the right direction.
Remember this half-time team talk at Stamford Bridge, shown in All Or Nothing?
Whatever happens I don’t want one f*****g player complaining, one f*****g player walking.
We went on to win the game I believe.
The days of approaching a match against a club in a similar position to Bournemouth with complacency seem long gone. The message from Mikel Arteta is that no one fixture is more important than another and he’s right. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing Man City, West Ham or Bournemouth, the planning and commitment has to be right. Mistakes can and will no doubt happen but there’s no room for complacency. No room for laziness.
Catch up in the comments..
Good morning Rico, there’s no room for complacency in Arteta’s squad. Every player knows there is a competitor in the group for his position. They all know that giving less than 100% is just not acceptable. Having said that, there must come a time when a player needs a rest which is where rotation comes in. So far only slight tweaks have been necessary and “rested” players have quickly been restored to the start in eleven.
Long may it continue.
Morning Cicero, amen to that..
It’s amazing how a good motivation speech can lift people up. I can remember 2 different quotes by Ozzie rules coaches during a match. 1st = at half time, I don’t care what you do but do something 2nd = when a player told him to shut up the coach, he responded by saying I will shut up when you do something. both teams lifted and went on to win.
Rico in regard to yesterday, Arteta was not picking ESR before he got injured.
I’m sure he was Geoff. Those who come off the bench are just as important as those who start.
Fingers crossed Newcastle can hold Man City
1-0 City already
Afternoon all.
Come on Arsenal !
I’m following city-Newcastle in the meantime
We have to win now, city are now 2 goals up
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Vieira; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
Subs: Turner, Tierney, White, Smith Rowe, Kiwor, Holding, Jorginho, Nelson, Xhaka
Great start!
That’s a shit start
This game’s getting worse buy minute
Getting bored with Bournemouth time wasting
Need to be better in the final third.
What a crap first half, we are lucky not to be 3 goals behind.
We can’t afford another half like that one.
Oh dear…
Good night all, I seen enough of this shit, we don’t deserve to be in the top 4 playing like this
Come on Arsenal, two more…
One more mow!
🤞🤞
Wow! Just wow!
Yep, we got one more. Comfortable win😀😂
Geoff, you in bed, have faith in this team!
You should have stuck it out Geoff.
90 + 7 That’s when to score the winner, gives them no time for an equaliser. Obviously all part of Arteta’s plan. 😉
Character building and a contract for Nelson.
We had five VAR handball checks and none given. Shearer, think it was, thought we should have had at least two unless rules have changed. Thank goodness ball crossing line isn’t up to VAR panel!
Nelson wasn’t even a sub last week, so pleased for him. What a goal, so cleanly hit
Is there such a thing as “Arteta Time”? 😉
What’s the matter with Nketiah?
We suffered Fergie time so long, nice to be on the other foot.
I know not as important, but that’s the most dramatic ending to a game I’ve seen since Michael Thomas’s goal😃
Nice bookend. Nelson wins it 9.11 seconds before the final whistle😵💫
I too am chuffed to bits for Nelson.
He will be like a new signing rico😂
He will Andrew.. 😆
Nelson, 80 minutes on pitch this season, 3 goals, 2 assists. Not bad.
Was ESR injured?
Just in time for Europa League fixtures..
Rico your headline said “Arteta wants more”, well he got in goals and points today, could any other team could come back from two down to win the game in that fashion? And that late?
I doubt it Cicero. City perhaps..
Shame can’t post video’s here, my son and daughter-in-law had seats close to the goals and celebrations 2nd half, and have good footage of the mayhem after the late goal. Also singing in the pub hours later!
You could email it to me Andrew and I’ll use it tomorrow..
It was something special , the noise that is. If there wasn’t a net, Nelson’s shot would have taken my head off. As soon as he hit it I knew that the keeper wasn’t getting it as my line of sight was perfect.
And then the eruption , the crowd had been loud throughout the come back with Zinchenko winding the crowd up but when the third went in it was as crazy as I have ever witnessed and it went on outside the ground all the way to the Arsenal station and onto the train .
I have been going to The Arsenal since 1955 and I can’t remember an atmosphere like it.
Having said that they caught us cold at the start and then the time wasting and play acting began. At two nil down the crowd came alive Partey scored and the pressure on their players increased , White got the benefit of the bell in the ball as I doubt the ref and VAR having denied a few penalty shouts would have given it and we marched on for the last twenty minutes.
They used to say that the kop sucked the ball into the net ,I reckon something similar happened today on the North Bank . Nelson was fated to do something his movement was so much more positive than Vieira’s and quite deservedly struck the ball into the one place the keeper that had wasted so much time could not reach.
Justice was served and they reaped what they had sown and got their just desserts.
Now to watch match of the day and see if my perceptions are correct , if they cover the contentious bits that is.
Morning all,
Well, I didn’t see that come back coming, can I take the credit for that win by saying I changed our luck by turning it off.
Just think 4 years ago, the team would have just given up. How the culture has changed in this team.
Good job they don’t give up as easy as you Geoff. Lol
You picked a good game then Potter, must have been pretty special to witness that..
New post up now