Morning all.
The form of both clubs going into this first north London Derby of the season couldn’t be more different. For Arsenal it’s been a terrible start to the 2020/21 season, the worst since 1981-82. 13 points from the opening 10 games is relegation form. 14th place, which Mikel Arteta and his team currently occupy looks bad, probably because it is. A change in attitude, performance and results though and we’ll soon climb the table as the margin between ourselves and fourth place is just six points. Utd were below us just a couple of weeks ago but now they’re 4th. That’s how quickly things can change.
Toots though are on a bit of a good run having not lost since the opening day of the season which is why they’re around the top of the League. Newcastle and West Ham have taken a point from their matches at Toots home ground.
Erik Lamela is ruled out and Toby Alderweireld, Sergio Reguilon and Carlos Vinicius are facing late fitness tests, however, the prematch talk has been about Harry Kane and Thomas Partey. Will they or won’t they be fit. Hugo Lloris is a doubt too although I’m sure that little gem is Mourinho playing his silly mind games. I’m sure Mikel Arteta will have prepared believing both are fit.
Based on what the first team have dished up so far this season, I don’t fancy our chances but I’m a firm believer that it’s not always good things which come to an end. Bad things do and in the League, Arsenal have been bad. Not because we have a terrible squad, but because the so called big players haven’t turned up. Aubameyang, Lacazette, Willian, Pepe and at times, Ceballos. The defence have been working their socks off most of the time, but the attacking unit and the link between defence and attack, has been terrible. When the opportunities to score goals has come along, the standard of finishing has been worse than my local pub team.
A massive boost would be Thomas Partey being fit but unless the club photographer was told to omit him from all the training photos, he’s not been part of the group preparing for this match. The rest of the squad are fit though, even if Martinelli is not quite ready for a return. Pepe serves the last of his three match ban.
There’s nothing like a trip across London though to raise a few spirits. Aubameyang’s talk will just be more cheap words if he doesn’t back it up with the kind of performance which saw us win the FA Cup and earn three points at Old Trafford. He really needs to up his energy levels and put pressure on the Toots defence.
We need the pressing game to return. Hassle them from front to back. Force errors and take advantage. Even if Mikel Arteta opts for a defensive approach, when we counter attack, do hard and fast. With purpose and not all this tippy tappy million passes which get us nowhere.
Go there, play well, get the win and restore some pride into the red and white side of north London.
COYG’S
Good morning Rico, this could prove to be the dullest NLD in history. Mourinho will play his “pragmatic” style, defend deep and rely on the counterattack, Arteta will have the team set up to bore the pants off everybody playing, watching live or on the sofa, with endless pointless passing.
One guarantee Aubameyang, if he plays, will waste two good scoring opportunities.
I’ll take that boring 0-0
Pragmatic as ever Kev. 😉
Morning Cicero, Kev and all.
I’d take any result with us keeping a clean sheet.
I don’t care if we stink the place out, just don’t lose to that lot. I’m assuming Arteta will go with 3 centre backs.
COYG
As long as one of them isn’t Luiz Limey…
You’ve got me worried now 😁
To be fair he’s had good games for Arsenal.
An accident waiting to happen though, we don’t need that stress today.
You are right there Cicero, realistic as well, because if we concede first, we lose, simple as that.
I think we’ll lose anyway – sometimes you just have to put the rose tinted specs away and today is one of those. 🙂
That doesn’t mean that I’m not hoping for a miracle, because I’m a football fan, I’m daft as a brush, I think we’re gonna win the lot every summer and then the cold hand of reality puts its icy grip on my shoulder and whispers in my ear ‘get a grip’…
Arsenal are a cup team, that’s my one big hope because when we’re the underdog we sometimes pull off an amazing result, even with our squad of dorks.
So I’m hoping today will be one of those, but only if we’re pragmatic…
Time for popping my head above the parapet, here’s my starting eleven:-
Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, AMN, Elneny, Lacazette (in his withdrawn position a la last Thursday), Saka, Nelson and Nketiah.
Can’t see Arteta dropping Auba Cicero.
His lack of pace v Son and Kane could be his downfall Limey.
Partey starts, there’s a surprise, a pleasant one too.
Partey returns to the first team. Big big boost.
Team News: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka, Saka; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Substitutes
R. Rúnarsson
Mustaf
Maitland-Niles
Elneny
Ceballos
Willock
Nketiah
Afternoon, optimism from me, wonder for how long! Goals from Laca and Auba. Assists from Willian and Partey.
No midfield again
When will Bellerin learn to take a throw in? And his crosses….
Shi@@ Son & Kane. And Partey injured. Last time I’m ever optimistic with this Arsenal team.
Hate to say it but Son is worth 3 times Laca, Auba or Pepe. Looks a proper forward with intent.
Was Partey fit? That looked like a recurrence of the thigh injury. We won’t see him again until mid January. By which time we will be deep in the relegation zone.
The second half will be embarrassing.
That’s the first clear chance wasted by Aubameyang.
What an awful game of football.
tummary: Totts were in a cave and went out 2x to hunt.
Arsenal’s problems: a) it has no depth in the central zone. We play on both sides with intensity and there is a lack of players in the central zone. There are up to 2 players together on the sideline, one of whom will be missing on either side. In other words: there is no 10 on the field and without a true n.10, no goals are scored.
b) In the sequence of the previous one, Auba and Laca, (best player today, manages to understand and read the game and comes looking for a game behind) are like in a “cage”.
c) To cross constantly without any reference in the central zone is to deliver the opposing game. as I already posted, if there were Giroud or Bendtner it was a possible solution, but not with those forwards.
d) Arsenal has always been uncomfortable when he lost possession of the ball. The team is alwaysnot positioned and very exposed, It has cost us over the years (and this year too) games and the League.
totts is the opposite: they don’t mind losing the ball because they know their defensive organization is well positioned. It is one of the reasons why they do not concede goals.
Is there to on the manager when young guys play fast, attacking football and score goals yet the superstars play slow, tedious football and don’t look threatening at all?
Are they being coached differently?
No, of course not.
Clearly we have a group who want to play, and a group who want to get paid.
If Arteta plays the kids, supporters will stand behind him and the team.
That’s the direction I hope he takes.
I suppose the question is, is it the style of football Mikel Arteta is trying to play, the players, or both?
I really don’t understand what he thinks Willian and Xhaka bring to the team. Especially as he seems to want us to press.
AW dominated the games because we controlled the central area of the field, with fast and moving ball changes. We only played through one wing, not both. The central area was never decompensated and there was a number 10: Cazorla, Fabregas, etc.
At this moment there is no number 10, the game opens wide by playing on both sides, the ball never reaches one or both strikers, it does not shoot. And even so, you lost with Mourinho because we lost the ball and weu got decomposed.
The defense has improved, but we have conceded goals in every game and we have not scored in any game (except against Dundalk, etc., with respect, but they are from another league).
Jm, our midfield is poor in general I think. Plus I don’t think Partey was fully fit. In hindsight, he shouldn’t have started.
Let’s face it, we are all very frustrated, but would anyone suggest we are even close to having the quality throughout the squad to really compete?????
We are miles away, and we shouldn’t forget that.
It is my belief that several players aren’t buying in to the Arteta style, but as he’s come from a hugely successful club (in recent years), and we’ve been hovering around top 4 for so long, I dare say he has the better idea as to what is required.
These players remain in a comfort zone and seem to resent the work that’s required to succeed.
Bench them.
Play the kids.
Can they be any worse?
I don’t believe so, but blooding them now sets things up for the future.
Best group of young talent we’ve had in a long time so let’s make the most of them.
Starting with a clearly unfit Partey shows the desperate state we are in.
Aubameyang was absolutely useless, the only thing he did was to waste, as I predicted, two good scoring chances.
Give credit to Mourinho, he’s changed a good footballing team , of serial losers, into the most boring side to head the Premiership.
What a lousy game,loads of possession,yet the opposition have more shots on target, sounds familiar. I’ve just read the match report and comments over on Arseblog news,loads of Arteta must go comments,get Viera in ASAP,it’s insane.
I agree with Scott though,we may as well give youngster’s a go.
I’m going to watch we love Dad’s Army at 9.00, try and forget about football !
Bellerin, Xhaka, Willian, Lacazette and Aubameyang are not worth a toss. Drop them all, and as Scott suggests, play the kids and Cedric.
Boy O Boy…how easy is it to play against a side managed by Arteta. The game panned out exactly how an imbecile would have predicted, and everyone in my circle had anticipated.
Words escape me.
Starting Partey was a bad gamble and an admission that the midfield is not good enough without him .
Going forward I agree with JM that we need to drop a winger and improve through the middle. Here is the rub :- Aubameyang needs to be wide left to get the best of him. It was said today that of his 75 goals 3 were with his head so crossing as we did today was meat and drink to Dier who just had to keep heading it clear it was easy for him.
Down the right Bellerin is wasteful,Xhaka is slow in pace and thought and Pepe largely ineffective stuck wide and crossing to no one
To get us going forward with purpose we are going to have to reverse a bit and sacrifice the defensive stability and go 3 at the back , pack the midfield and put Auba back on the left . If Partey and Elneny hold then AMN. ,Saka, Pepe , Lacazette can shuffle the pack going across the line. We need to score from open play for our mental stability before we get to feel that we can’t.
Hi Rico and all I missed the game but from I have read not a good match I still feel we need to drop Auba to the starting bench, this is what I have been saying for a while no goals from Auba no good enough
VCC, it’s easy to play against any side who has players not putting in a shit!!!
We have a golden Boot winner who has scored 1 goal this season.
Has Arteta somehow ruined Aubas finishing ability?
Pfft:
Rubbish:
250k a week is the problem.
Hi Geoff, drop Auba for who though?
Scott, who gave Auba the new contract?
Reality is, Mikel Arteta took the ‘managers’ job which makes him far more accountable. Each day I’m finding it more and more difficult to see where our senior team is going. Perhaps the big egos are too much for him.
Morning all.
Rico, clearly it wasn’t Arteta as at the time, he was merely the coach.
He wasn’t made manager until a few months back.
Facts are facts………..
The funny thing is this.
I wasn’t even blaming the person who gave him the new contract.
I’m blaming the man who accepted it and took an early retirement.
But then, let’s not compare him to Ozil lol
But Mikel wanted him to stay Scott and to do so, the club should have to give him a new contract which to be fair, most Arsenal fans wanted too.
I agree with VCC, the football we’re playing doesn’t suit Aubameyang at all. I know you are a big fan of Mikel but you’ve got to admit that his style of football isn’t bringing the best out of the team. His team selection is all wrong imo.
New post up now