Afternoon guys.
A win tonight and we could be through to the knockout stage if PSV lose their fixture against Lens. Great if it happens but there’s still plenty to play for as finishing top of the group should in theory, se3 us drawn against a less strong club in the next round. I say that but I don’t think any knockout fixture will be easy, it just means we’d avoid the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona who currently sit top of their own respective group. Borussia Dortmund, PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle, all in Group F, remain in with a chance of progressing but out of the four, Dortmund and PSG seem the most likely. Regardless, I’d say there’s not a so called weaker club in that group. (Not including Newcastle as we can’t face a fellow English club) Galatasaray, Inter, Napoli, Lazio, Feyenoord, RP Leipzig, Porto or Shakhtar Donetsk look like the other potential opponents IF we top our group. The good thing though is it’s in our own hands and two of the remaining three fixtures are at The Emirates Stadium.
Still, we can’t count our chickens just yet as Lens are hot on our heels.
The moment you have a chance in football to put it to bed, do it. We have to do a lot of things right tomorrow to earn the right to win it against a really good team with enormous experience in this competition. We have to prove tomorrow in front of our people how excited we are to play that game and what it means for us. – Mikel Arteta.
We’ve already beaten tonight’s opposition of course thanks to a piece of magic from Gabriel Jesus before he played a lovely ball for Gabriel Martinelli to run on and score our opening goal and then later, Jesus himself got on the scoreboard with a lovely finish of his own. Within five minutes, Sevilla had pulled a goal back from a set-piece. We held on for three huge points.
Tonight we’ll be without Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard is a doubt too. No Thomas Partey or Emile Smith Rowe of course but as for the rest, Mikel Arteta gave little away in his pre match press conference. Unsurprisingly really as most of the questions put to him were about the Newcastle game and what# happened since.
Sevilla are missing a few players too. Sergio Ramos, Orjan Nyland, Marcos Acuna Marcao and Alfonso Pastor are ruled out but Fernando, who missed the first match, returns.
The last week ha# been pretty tough for Mikel Arteta and his players. The shambles of a performance against West Ham which saw us knocked out of the League Cup and then the fiasco at St James Park which saw us lose our unbeaten run when quite frankly, we shouldn’t have.. To a much lesser degree of course but it was a bit like our 50th game, we were robbed up north.
No English officials tonight thank goodness but that’s not to say they’ll be any better mind you but I very much doubt they will be. VAR in Europe seems to be far more reliable, in fact it seems reliable everywhere other than in England.
Let’s hope it’s Arsenal we’re talking about after the game, a strong performance and three more big points in the bag.
Catch up in the comments.
Raya,White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Rice, Havertz, Jorginho, Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Nice preview Rico.
Time for Havertz to step up. Bench looks a little short.I feel sorry for Ramsdale,his performances went a long way to qualifying,now he doesn’t get a look in.
Oh to have Partey in there instead of Jorginho
Thanks Limey. Ditto re Ramsdale. That entire situation baffles me.
This is from the BBC, when have they ever written something similar about a PL fixture?
“Arsenal 0-0 Sevilla
Bukayo Saka is fouled AGAIN. Kike Salas gives a free-kick away on the edge of the box.
It’s a good position for Arsenal but when are these fouls going to start getting punished with a yellow card?”
Evening rico, House. Great half from Martinelli. Couldn’t believe that chap not booked after 3rd late tackle.
Evening Andrew. Not watching but it sounds like it’s all Arsenal and Havertz missed a sitter..
Good result.
Night guys..
Great result. Man United losing after being 2 – 0 up is hilarious.
Two goals, a clean sheet three points, top of the group. Just another day at the office. 🔔🔔
Rico, it was Jorginho’s pass that put Saka away to lay the ball into the path of Trossard for the first goal.
A lovely passage of football a la Arsenal.
A peach of a pass from our Partey substitute!
Sounds like a good match, unfortunately for me to watch it I would have to buy several different subscriptions, 1 x premier league, 1 x mickey mouse cup and 1 x European cup ect.
So, the FA have sent a please explain to Arteta and one to the club, simple answer send them videos of VAR mistakes and ask them to please explain why their refs in VAR keep stuffing up and not getting fined or suspended. and then also ask them about refs being paid by Saudi clubs that have links to premier league clubs.
I hold my hands up guys, I feel ashamed…. 😀
I’m sure the Arsenal lawyers will already have a thick file full of evidence to give the FA.
Seems Ten Hag has heavily criticised the officials after last night’s match. I haven’t seen to decisions made against them but if they’re bad, good on him for speaking out.
Good morning Rico, strange that you should mention ten Hag’s unhappiness with Var. In this case it’s about Rashford getting a red card for stamping on an opponent’s ankle. In view of the fact that Scholes, Hargreaves and Carragher all say that “not in a million years was it sending off offence” I can only assume that Var got 100% right.
Terrific result,
the finish by Saka was pure class, the other goal was a lovely move,started by a great pass by Jorginho to be fair.
Was anyone surprised Kai Havertz fluffed his chances ? I wonder what Reiss Nelson makes of this, you just know Fabio Vista is next in line anyhow.
I mean Viera !
If Havertz had converted fifty percent of the chances he has squandered this season we would be top of the league by now.
Agree re Havertz, his air header was awful, I kind of feel sorry for him as not a lot of luck is on his side. I think he just needs one to go in.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel have ruled that Var was correct in not ruling out the Newcastle goal on Saturday, to me that’s unsurprising as had they not done so it could have lead to demands to replay the game, a can of worms both the Premiership and the F A do not want to open.
They also ruled that Havertz should have been sent off for the tackle on Longstaffe and that Guimares should also have been dismissed for hitting Jorginho.
Perhaps these faceless people should be outed , I have read any number of reports of this decision but nowhere have the people been named. In fact if you go on to the F.A websites to find out who might have been on it as you trytob open them you get “”Hmm. We’re having trouble finding that site.
we can’t connect to the server at http://www.thefa.com.””
The five-person panel, which includes three former players and/or coaches, decided there was insufficient evidence to overrule the on-field decision to award Anthony Gordon’s goal.
However, the panel ruled 5-0 that Arsenal’s Kai Havertz should have been sent off for his tackle on Sean Longstaff, while Bruno Guimaraes should also have been shown a red card for hitting Jorginho. 3-2
The panel, which also includes one representative each from the Premier League and PGMOL, reviews major incidents to assess whether the eventual rulings, including video assistant referee checks, were correct.
Three areas around Gordon’s goal were checked by the VAR to see if the ball went out of play in the build-up, if there was a foul by Joelinton on Gabriel, and if there was an offside – with all coming back in Newcastle’s favour.
The panel decided by a majority of 4-1 that it was right the Newcastle goal stood because there was not enough evidence to overrule the on-pitch decisions over the ball being in play and an offside call.
The panel also noted Gabriel had gone to play the ball before Joelinton touched him, therefore no foul was committed.
Just a face saving exercise.
I would like to know how the panel is made up, are the same people used for all key incident reviews? Or are they appointed on an ad hoc basis with different participants and how is the neutrality of those participants guaranteed.
I would also like to know if all participants are completely conversant with the laws of the game and the protocols which govern the use of Var.
IT seems the FA admit to miner mistakes but when it comes to major mistakes, they sweep it under the carpet.
I can understand refs making mistakes because the game can move fast, but there is no excuse for VAR
By not naming the panel that investigated the Arsenal vs Newcastle match, it makes it look like they have something to hide.
Let’s just mention the Saudi Public Investment Fund. They own Newcastle United. The pay certain PGMOL employees to referee matches in The Saudi League. Should this be a concern where impartiality is vital?
In the summer one of the clubs owned by the PIF bought a midfielder from a Premiership club, there is speculation that the same player may move on loan to Newcastle United, in January, as a replacement for their player who is suspended for gambling irregularities.
Quite right Cicero , there is a can of worms waiting to be opened , the reason why the F.A and PGMOL want it kept closed is because as far as they are concerned it’s akin to Pandora’s box.
Nobody will have the balls to write about what ‘might’ be going on in football and the officiating. How long did Riley get away with it?
What’s sad though is the same people who could investigate this are probably the same people who were quick to film Big Sam doing naughty things when England manager.
👏👏
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/match-day/article-12735483/GRAEME-SOUNESS-Mikel-Arteta-Anthony-Gordon-Arsenal-Newcastle-VAR.html
I’ve nothing to argue with in those comments by Graham Souness. Perhaps the answer is to use ex-players as referees, but by the time top players retire most of them have too much money and a too higher opinion of themselves to turn out every week for the, by comparison, pittance that referees are paid. Earlier retirees through injury perhaps? Still young enough to learn the Laws of the game?
Certainly the present bunch struggle to show that they fully know the Laws and how to apply them. 😕
It’s not so much that they don’t know the laws it’s more that they have never had the experience of having used them.
I wonder what would happen if the clubs used a professional mouthpiece to speak to the media after the match to save managers from upsetting the poor sooks at the FA.
It sounds like the FA and PGMOL know refs are free lancing in Saudi League but don’t care, but I wonder what would happen if a club said enough is enough and take legal action over a clear VAR mistake.
Cicero, there are plenty of footballers at every level who understand the game better than VAR seem to. Sunday League players would do a better job as at least they understand what it’s like to play.
We live in a world which women officials are still scoffed at, womens football is still ridiculed too because sadly, we’re yet to totally move away from the old boys network. A sweeping statement I know but imo, it’s true.
New post up.