Morning all.
Dean Smith brings his Aston Villa team to The Emirates tonight. Like Arsenal, their season so far has been mixed. They’ve beaten Man Utd, Everton and Newcastle but lost to Chelsea, Toots, Watford and Wolves. A draw with Brentford their other result. Jack Grealish departed in the summer but Villa spent the money well on Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Axel Tuanzebe, the latter being on loan from Man Utd. With Grealish and his antics gone, they signed Ashley Young.
Having been 2-0 up with ten minutes left on the clock in their last game, they lost it 3-2 so tonight they’ll either be deflated still or out to make amends. I suspect it’ll be the latter.
It was Aston Villa Arsenal played after the 1-0 victory at Old Trafford last season. The performance was horrid that day as we were battered good and proper. We lost 3-0 but it could have been worse. Arsenal managed just two shots on target all game.
Fast forward twelve months and we still not as clinical in front of goal as we could be and nor are we creating enough opportunities to score. Not when one considers the attacking players Mikel Arteta has at his disposal. In fact, considering the entire group of players Mikel Arteta has to select from, we’re not very good full stop.
Having boasted having one of the most meanest defences during the second half of last season, this season it’s been quite different. 2 conceded against Brentford, 2 against Chelsea, 5 against Man City and 2 against Crystal Palace. 1 against Toots too. Our goal tally on the table reads -5. Chelsea and Man City have scored 16 goals so far, Utd too whereas Liverpool lead the way with 22! Arsenal have managed just 7. Ouch!
Aston Villa have scored 12 and conceded 12 too.
Despite the above dreary factoids, Mikel Arteta remains upbeat:
We play at home. We know the type of game we need to play to beat them, and our focus is only that. If we play 4-3-3 the way we played the first 20 minutes [against Crystal Palace], we win the games, but if we start to play the way we played the following 20 minutes, it doesn’t work, because again, that is a transition game and we don’t have the players to do that when we play in that formation.
We’ve seen Arsenal in full swing and the football was good – for 45 minutes – but as Arteta says, when the team drop deeper and deeper, it’s awful. I’m not sure what he means by “not having the players to play a transition game”. Is he simply suggesting that the players he has can’t defend very well, can’t put up a good battle when the opposition work hard off the ball, or something else? Perhaps you can tell me because by the sounds of it, his Arsenal team can only play good football when they’re given time and space to move the ball around but that’s not going to happen very often in this League.
Whatever happened on Monday night can’t be repeated if Arteta wants to get back to winning ways by playing well. If Arsenal let Aston Villa get their feet under the table there’s only one way the game will go in my opinion.
Mikel Arteta has said that one or two players had issues after the Palace game and have had to be checked. Who they are or what the outcome was he didn’t reveal but we know one is Bukayo Saka who is yet to train after he was kicked by McArthur. Whether he starts later or Alex Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli did enough on Monday to convince Arteta to select them for this game remains to be seen.
Mikel Arteta said he’s knows how to beat Aston Villa. Knowing how to is very different from doing so.
COYG’S
See you in the comments.
Morning rico, house, fine post. Just like the last few seasons, maybe even more, we just don’t know what we are going to be served up. Strange isn’t it? If Laca and Martinelli, whose drive and life saved us a point last game, don’t feature tonight, my support and patience for Arteta will start to evaporate. Surely Arteta is not blind to the reaction Laca got from geeing up the crowd? Which only highlighted the absence of any players doing that before he came on.
In fact if I was manager, I would make Lacazette captain tonight, he makes others play better in the final third with precise quicker passing and seems respected by all. And then we would have a Captain that looks like he is concerned when we are losing. It’s easy to smile when we are winning, but a shrug of the shoulders when we are down is just not good enough. Failing that Tierney who always gives 100%. Auba has had a better individual attitude recently, chasing balls he should, but to me, never in a million years a Captain.
Morning Andrew, thanks. It’s frustrating isn’t it? MA has morphed into Arsene re Lacazette. He’s still hungry, trains well etc etc and he might yet stay but it’s obvious he’s out of favour. Same with Martinelli.
The only way Arteta will change the captain though is if Aubameyang is out and there’s as much chance of that happening as me flying to the moon. Lol
The problem is when Arteta arrived he and Edu were gun happy and used any excuse to sack everyone this way Edu and Arteta only answer to Josh. Well now Arteta has run out of excuses because this is his team, his coaches and has been given enough money to start off with. He keeps talking about how he knows how to beat other sides but doesn’t know how to execute it,
Arteta says, “” when the team drop deeper and deeper, it’s awful. “”
And here we go again talking tactics ,
If the team has dropped too deep , where is the dominate figure pushing them out ?, and when they do drop away as I said yesterday , when our forward players tend to play high up the pitch ,gaps in the midfield arrive , and then Partey gets caught and there is no-one near him to help .
Playing Odegaard , Smith-Rowe , Saka , Pepe is too much of a good thing especially if you push the full backs forward ,maybe this is why Tierney has had his forward runs curtailed but leaving Partey alone is too unbalanced it leaves gaps .
In my opinion , and that’s all it is , one of the 4 aforementioned players has to drop out and a second anchor needs to play alongside Partey .
Unfortunately that player would normally be Xhaka but now with his absence until new year it has to be Elneny . but which of the four goes is Arteta’s decision .
Perhaps McArthur. handed him a get out of gaol free card.
Good morning Rico and all.
Mike Dean has been suspended from officiating EPL games thiS weekend due to the bad decision involving McArthur.
Dean has cost Arsenal so much points in his career
Made a big mistake . He did not realise that Saka is not just an Arsenal player but has been made a national treasure.
Thanks for the post Rico, as far as Dean is concerned, what I want to hear from the PGMOL/EPL is that Mike Dean will not be involved in anymore Arsenal games this season in any capacity.
Morning Devil.
Potter, one could also ask what could Arteta have done at halftime to get us back on the front foot. Other than the forced change, we carried on regardless. That’s what frustrates me.
I read that about Dean. Just a one match ban isn’t enough imo. I’m with you Kev, never want to see him officiate an Arsenal game again but the problem is, the rest aren’t much better.
Dean may have got 1 week but McArthur got away with it, Dean will be out for revenge.
Rico maybe Arteta needs a plan B or C in case plan a is not working, but he only seems to have a plan A
G’day all. Where did you you read about Dean, Rico? I can only find news about a ban from a couple of years back.
It’s really interesting to see the sea-change in opinion on line and in the Press regarding Alex Lacazette and his potential departure either in January or next summer.
Before his chest beating arrival on the pitch vs Crystal Palace and his equaliser, most Arsenal commentators seemed acceptive of the decision to see him leave as we (many of us) didn’t want the club saddled with another expensive player moving into his dotage on a ridiculous salary whose form fades faster than Fast Eddie Clarke (ask Adam).
I like Lacazette a lot, he lacks a bit of pace but he also has many other attributes which we lack up front such as a focal point who retains possession under pressure and brings our attacking midfielders more into the play, but the club tied itself, rightly or wrongly, to the Aubameyang wagon and given the finance involved it seemed Laca’s days at Arsenal were few.
Or are they?
If Alex scores the winner this evening and then score a few more what do Arsenal do if Inter or Roma or Newcastle come in with a bid in January of say of £15m or maybe even £20m in Newcastle’s case?
Stick or Twist?
Many thought the sale of Joe Willock was a mistake last summer, some think the sale of Guendouzi is a mistake, others think we should keep Mavropanos, ya pays ya money, ya takes ya choice.
As with Xhaka I’m not, or wasn’t, too fussed either way, if Laca stays then that’s good although I’m not sure that Foloran Balogun will be doing handstands and if he leaves then I hope we get some finance in for him and I’ll wish him well.
Arteta is talking up Laca as are a few other observers with pro-Arsenal connections so that’s good if the process is to sell him?
But what do all you miserable lot think?
Keep him or sell him – depending of course on the finance either way?
Agree Geoff.
I saw in the comments section elsewhere Cicero.
Kev, keep him unless a big offer comes in in January and Arsenal have someone else in the bag.
Laca’s showing on Monday moves him closer to the centre of the January shop window. “Look Amanda (Staveley) I can do a job for Newcastle”
Cicero you old cynic, or young cynic as the case might be…
But yeah, that’s how I see it…
Yes Rico, it all depends on the amount offered, it could be – don’t laugh – that Laca could be the difference between Arsenal finishing 6th or not?
You old cynic Cicero… 😆
I think you’re right Kev, but not all the time he’s on the bench. We need somebody with a bit of attitude out there on the pitch but to be honest, until Monday night, that person hasn’t very often been Lacazette.
That’s true Rico, it’s amazing how well players play when they’re playing for their next contract, Theo Walcott was world class… 😃
Wasn’t he just Kev, Ozil was another. So many really.
It seems to me that with so many young players we lack positional discipline and when Lacazette comes on he acts as a nucleus that ties things together.
I think that all the talk of his going is premature , if we offered him an extra year plus a review on a second with the caveat that injury allowing , he would get more playing time he might be inclined to stay which is something I believe that Arteta’s project needs.
Getting rid of an old head just to get in another fresh face may not be the best idea and if he can see a future he may well be able to help Arteta through a difficult period.
With regard to Arteta going I would not be so disappointed but I would be sad that it hadn’t worked out but then it raises the question of exactly who can we get to replace him.
It’s a vicious circle with Lacazette imo, I think Arteta doesn’t play him because of his contract situation so unless he wants to stay, he’s hardly likely to extend his time with us if he’s not playing.
Mike Dean has not been stood down, will be the fourth official at the Leeds/Wolves game on Saturday.
Kev, always been a fan of Lacazette. He missed a few chances earlier this season but I’ve always felt he’s our most natural goal scorer. I think he has deserved the amount of games Auba has had. And Auba the amount of games Laca has had. But form doesn’t seem to come into it?
Ah, well he should have been. Sunday morning football would suit Dean.
Add Nketiah Andrew, repeating myself I know but he looked sharp in preseason. Now he doesn’t even make the bench.
Happened quite a few times rico. Player impresses then for no known reason to us, goes back to bench or reserves. Soares had a good game but back came Bellerin again. Ages before Soares came back and he didn’t have same form, or was played other side!
Can’t work it out really Andrew. Yet others who either don’t turn up or have a shocking few performances get continued playing time.
There appears to be no logic , still it’s not long before we find out this weeks solution.
Happy Days.
And here it is…
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, White, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Tavares, Partey, Sambi Lokonga, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Subs: Leno, Odegaard, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Soares, Pepe, Elneny, Kolasinac, Martinelli.
Kolasinac on the bench, why?
He’s the only fit left back, Tierney not in the bench.
But Cedric is on the bench too, he can play left back, Saka too if we get that many injuries.
Rico, easy, so he doesn’t have to pick Nketiah on the bench 😀😀😀
😀 Andrew, probably true though.
Better balance with Saka on left, Laca linking things. Need a goal with this start.
How has Mings not been booked yet?
Very bright start, and we’re on 21 minutes. 😆
Nuno Tavares is so busy..
Thomas Partey gets his first goal…
👏👏
Reckon Arteta read my post
Will Mings finish this match?
Brilliant move..
I detest Mings.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bJy8NEWzhjM
10 shots against 0, is this the Arsenal we know?
Only the one goal somehow. Two games on the trot we hit the bar.
I’d like to think it’s the Arsenal to come, however… lol
Blimey, VAR are awake tonight…
Very clever Lacazette. Now bury it Arsenal.
I felt it has to be Pen straight away!
Dreadful penalty but excellent follow up 😀
I never know with Lacazette, he’s a clever player although sometimes looks a bit of a wimp. 😆
Best half this season! So why am I still worried?😀😀
Laca been immense, in the battle from the start, plus many others.
Agree re Lacazette, he’s been superb. A shout out for Tavares and Lokonga too.
So, so much better. Laca gives the side bite.
This is why we get frustrated Adam, Arsenal’s squad is better than the performances and results we’ve been seeing.
That’s karma Mings! 😀
Well played Sambi….
Tavares could actually keep Tierney out if he kept up performances like tonight. Didn’t think I could say that!
Maybe Tierney isn’t really injured. 😜
That was an entirely satisfactory result. 🔔🔔🔔
ESR, MotM, just gets better and better. What a brilliant goal!
Tavares looks a ready made Tierney replacement….going forward, his defending needs a bit of work but that will come when he gets more minutes and builds himself into the back four.
Partey deserved his goal, he looks dangerous at corners but it was his slip up that gave Villa their scoring chance, otherwise he had a very good game.
All in all the whole team worked their socks off for each other.
Arteta got it right…….for once. 😉
Congratulations Senor Arteta , sometimes the right things come by accident and despite Smith Rowe getting m.o.m . it could have been very different if in the first half Lacazette hadn’t waged a one man war with Mings and a few others.
That’s the way to do it!
More of the same please, next time out.
Maybe that’s what was needed lol
Can’t complain when the club is struggling then complain when things change.
The process continues.
Martinez is officially no longer the man who should be our keeper 🙂
Fantastic performance all round.
Mikel needs to continue getting selections right depending on our opponent as everything is going well.
That’ll go a long way to seeing us around the right part of the table come next May.
Nice win we looked much more balanced as a whole team and more hungry for the ball, How ever the last ten minutes we seemed to switch off and letting them score once and just missing another 2 goals.
ESR has improved so much this season that I recon he has over taken Saka.
Geoff, I think Saka is knackered after the Euros. Physically and possibly emotionally too after what he endured.
New post up now