Morning all.
I know it’s a bit of a cliche but sometimes winning really is more important than the performance. Right now is one of those times. We’re not playing extremely well but we’re winning, and I darn sure it’s better to be winning whilst Unai Emery is implementing his changes than to be losing. Or drawing. Can you imagine what it would be like for Emery, the players and all of us fans otherwise? Players confidence would hit rock bottom, the pressure on the Spaniard would increase match by match and before we know it, the suggestion another managerial change would soon be hitting the headlines. None of us want that. This is still a group of players trying to eradicate the last few years of mediocrity from their game. Most of them anyway. The more they win, the easier that will become. That’s my thought anyway.
We started the same as we did in the last match. With a cockup from Cech. He really hasn’t grasped this playing out from the back stuff has he? Not that Mustafi helped his cause much. Shortly after it was the latter of the two who nearly gifted Newcastle the opening goal. A slip by the German followed by a burst of pace and a well timed foot in from Sokratis spared our blushes. Is it just me or is the Greek international starting to find his feet in the new league? I’ve seen other arsenal defenders just going barging in in a similar situation he was in yesterday and we know how that’s often ended up. Smart play from him I thought.
Cech made a decent save or two to keep the scores level and that’s how it stayed until the break. Guendouzi was replaced at halftime by our little midfield terrier. Coincidence or not, I don’t know but the second half performance was certainly better than the first. That’s not a slur against Guendouzi, just a suggestion that Torreria makes a difference.
Soon after the break the deadlock was broken thanks to Xhaka and his wonderful left boot. Phil Thompson on Sky Sports said the Newcastle keeper should have done better yet having seen the free kick, I beg to differ. Inch perfect, curling all the way into the top corner. Great for him, great for Arsenal. Great for Ozil and Arsenal too when after a long and patient buildup, the German slotted home with accuracy rather than pace. Yes, the keeper could have done better with that one but he didn’t and who cares?
Two players who have been on the end of some criticism have just earned us three valuable points. It’s such a great shame though that we couldn’t keep a clean sheet. Mustafi lost his man and Cech couldn’t stop the header from hitting the back of the net. The German should have done better but then if worked harder on cutting out the crosses in the first place…
Back to back away victories in the league is something we haven’t done since 2017 so perhaps thats a sign of improvement. Emery certainly thought so:
“We are improving. We need to continue working individually and collectively to improve more things. In the first half we didn’t control like we wanted but the second half we were better and the victory is just.
”We need to improve and score more individually. We need to work, every player – not only the attacking players but the midfielders and centre-backs from set-pieces.”
Tweleve shots on goal with just two on target isn’t brilliant so yes, we need to be doing a lot better with the chances that come our way, but also, the defence and midfield need to work better together. It’ll come I’m sure but as I and others have said, it took Klopp four or five transfer windows to sort his defence out, Guardiola needed three I think so expecting miracles from Emery and his team after just one summer and a few months would be foolish in my opinion.
It’s all change now as the next fixture is the opening one of our European campaign. Emery has pretty much confirmed that Bernd Leno will start and I for one am looking forward to seeing him make his debut. The rest of the team is likely to be different to the one we saw yesterday too.
No surprise really though as now we have four fixtures to get through in just nine days but at least they’re all at The Emirates Stadium. Poor souls…
Morning, agree rico, Result is everything at the moment. In fact in todays game, it is most of the time.
I wonder if Leno was told that he will start as NO 2, and bed himself in ready for next year? He’s very patient otherwise. Same with Lichteiner, was he informed he will not be a ready starter, and saw this as a good way to ease down, or is he again pretty patient? Amazed the regular starter is ‘our one for the future’! Torreira must now start, maybe they know something on fitness we cant see?
Morning Andrew. It sure is.
It’s a difficult one re Leno/Cech as I suspect Emery wanted a bit of stability the back so opted for Cech. If Leno does well in the cups, I doubt it’ll be long before he replaces Cech. Unless Cech masters the playing out from the back.
Same with Lichtsteiner imo.
My own thought is Emery is working out who to keep and who to replace.
Morning all and a fine post Rico, I completely agree with the first paragraph.
As for the new BFG……………Big Fcuking Greek………………I did put up a stat link a few weeks ago that said Sok was the third quickest in the sprint tests behind Auba and Bellerin, so no surprise that he has pace and think he is beginning to charm us fans with his happy go lucky smiley face ! 🙂
Morning all.
Sokratis definitely has pace, but his timing of challenges was impressive as well.
All in all, he did well.
Mustafi is a real concern, I reckon.
3 wins on the trot is a decent run of results for Emery and the boys.
In all honesty, we will struggle to get results v Citeh, Utd, Spuds and Liverpool away, we are a chance at home but if we can win the games v clubs we should (on paper) be beating, and this is something we’ve not done well in recent seasons, we could easily flop across the line in 4th spot and I’m sure we’d all take that.
Winning games when not playing well is a good sign.
Thanks Lc, there had to be a good defender somewhere in Sokratis because why else would Emery have bought him. We just hadn’t seen it and while one good game doesn’t mean much on its own, it’s possible that like so many footballers, getting used to a different league takes time. I’m hoping he’s going to push on from yesterday.
Mustafi’s positional sense is really poor Scott. I can see him being at another club next season unless he wakes up sharpish.
Rico, his judgement of the ball in flight seems non existent.
It’s a worry.
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Good morning Rico et al.
From what I’ve seen on the highlights programme we were poor in the first half and made worse by the Cech and Mustafi impressions of the Key Stone Cops.
It’s often been said of Mustafi that he’s an accident waiting to happen, not any more though, the accidents are happening with monotonous regularity.
How much longer can Emery afford to continue with his “playing out from the back” tactic with which both Mustafi and Cech are so uncomfortable. he must either drop the tactic or the two players who can’t handle it. I know which option I would take, Leno and either Holding or Mavropanos must come in.
I read during the week that Emery was not in favour of making wholesale changes, to his preferred starting eleven, for the Europa League games so I hope that he will at least give Leno a game and perhaps Lichtsteiner too against FC Vorskla on Thursday evening.
It is Scott.
Bellerin too at times.
Morning Cicero. I read somewhere yesterday which quoted Emery as saying he will make changes on Thursday because of the fixture schedule and one of those will be Leno.
As suggested in the post, Leno needs to take his chance and make it impossible for Emery not to pick him. I’d imagine when Kos comes back, he’ll replace Mustafi and then in January, add a CB of quality.
We look better when Torreira comes on . This is because of his positional sense. He drops back to receive the second pass and 9 times out of ten plays it forward whereas Xhaka and Guedouzi tend to put it back to the back four and that’s when the trouble starts.
I hope on thursday we see Guendouzi and Torreira together it could cast a light on Xhaka’s or Ramsey’s long term future and I agree that our two centre backs need playing time too.
Hopefully we have seen Vorskla in action , their last game was a 1 – 0 away with their goal coming in injury time. They are midtable in Ukraine 4 th out of twelve having scored 7 goals in 8 games and let in 10. Incidently bottom of their league is intriguinly Arsenal Kiev.
Mustafi was well placed; He covered the area, but he took the man’s eyes away, because he stood behind his back. A defender should always have one eye on the man and another on the cover of his zone.
Bellerin is off the set. You can not get the same number of defenses for the same number of defenders. The defensive midfielder was late or was not there.
Agree with the goalkeeper
In my opinion, the best player came back to be Lacazzete.
Ramsey is powerless.
Torreira forces the team to play more ahead and to have more pressure and intensity on the ball.
I hope they change the team a bit for the 5th game.
Wolwes is playing with a lot of impetuosity.
Busy old morning on here… 😜😜
Morning…
Gazidis is off according to the headlines..
Haven’t read them , but too busy at present to spend time on it. However if he goes / so be it. He probably knows now that the Kroenke grip is going to get stronger and that Josh will soon be the power broker and he could get sidelined.
I shan’t worry about it too much , I don’t think that he has the hold over the players that David Dein had.
Morning all.
Well, the lad is on his way to your Hemisphere-flew out half an hour ago.
I hope the weather is kind Atm.
I don’t believe we are losing much at all in Ivan, to be honest.
Same here Potter. A bit like Ramsey really, couldn’t care less if he goes..
If Gazidis is responsible for the car crash contract situations which he must be, then farewell. They’ll love you in Italy Ivan.
Morning Rico and all.
Is that ‘your boy’ Scott..?
Surely Wenger had last dibs on contracts Adam?
If Josh gets the gig, then we’ll possibly have an absent CEO to go with our absent owner…
Arsenal aren’t some basketball franchise, they’re a mega concern and if Josh is the new man, then he needs to be over here at least half of the year…
Hi Kev. The CEO would surely have to sign off on them I would have thought. Looks like we’re ringing the changes. No bad thing perhaps and Gazidis always was a bit of a lame duck with Wenger around.
Damn, I missed the voting on Bristol Street Motors again….
True Adam, but I’d have thought that Wenger did some of the negotiating as he had the last say on who was retained or not – frankly it’s all guess work mate.
I wonder if the Arteta scenario had an effect on Ivan and how he saw his position?
Despite what Ivan said in the pre Emery presser, was Unai really his No.1 choice or did he get outvoted for Arteta?
Morning Adam. Agree totally.
If Ivan goes, my money is on Josh taking over. The Kroenke empire will be complete once Stan gets all the shares. Good or bad? No idea…
Hi Kev, I’ll try and get rid of the Bristol Street thing. It’s clearly annoying…
Hiya Kev,
Sean’s headed to The Netherlands as we speak.
On Josh-it could really go pear shaped for the club if he takes over.
That position must be filled by someone who knows Football, and English foorball at that.
Scott, but then look at who the club have employed recently, all football men who Josh would have around him. Especially the guy who came from Barca.
It’s written in the stars :- Josh comes over for 3 weeks and Wenger announces that he’s off. Can’t believe that the report going back to Colorado was that things were going well. Stan then Buys out Usmanov and the circle is completed once they have shifted the CEO. It all points to The Arsenal being KSE’s English franchise . Josh will call the shots and Stan will count the money.
Hi Rico, it doesn’t matter really (ads) it’s how it is, almost every site has ads now, it’s our brave new online world… 🙂
Good luck to Sean, my eldest went on a football tour to Germany when he was a young teenager, he had a fantastic time, the facilities were amazing.
Certainly not the Cattle Sheds of my day…
Or it could all work out well. Kroenke might be many things but he’s no fool. If things go wrong, it’ll be his head only on the block. If fans turn on him, being the sole owner of Arsenal will not be a good thing.
Rico, if Josh does take over, let’s hope he kills it.
I’m fully behind the lot of them until they prove I shouldn’t be.
Even Stan 🙂 🙂
Kev, it’s exciting for the kid.
They are training at, and playing against Utrecht, PSV and Ajax, watching the Ajax v PSV game, and copping a Bundelskiga game and the big one-visiting a Clog factory so he can buy his mum a pair lol
She’s a tosser hahahahah
Morning all.
I`m worried by this latest information !…………………..no, not Greaszidis, but Scott`s Sean !………………….Holland the worlds capital of drugs and porn !……………………..Scott needs to get hold of Goonster to keep an eye on Sean !
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Just been to the quacks about a flu jab and my Carpal Tunnel Syndrome…………………..not old enough for a free flu jab so will have to pay for it, it will be worth it hopefully as last winter I nearly died of Man Flu……..4 weeks nearly of nightmare aches and pains !
Had a CTS injection in the wrists over a year ago and it worked a treat, but it`s back again, so another injection next Monday, then after that if it returns(probably) will be a small op`!
Read a few other posts on Gazidis from newsnow and not one of them is complimentry about the spiv !……………..we all seem to not give a fcuk !……………………………like to hear Meerkats view on it as I think she secretly had the hots for him ! 😆
Lol LC.
The boy will be fine 🙂
Maybe best I didn’t go, though hahahaha
Seriously though Scott, you must be so proud of him and great to read stuff like it from one of our own .
I am proud LC, but more because he’s a good kid with a heart of gold than anything else.
He’s determined to make it, that’s for sure, and there is only one club he wants to
play for lol
Anyway, I’m off so have a great day, everyone.
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G’day all, it was good to see that the Telegraph named as man of the match…Granit Xhaka, and Sokratis was named in their team of the week
Did anyone notice that our starting line-up contained not a single England qualified player.
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Le Coq, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Hmm, W****r’s Cramp more likely. 😀
Hahaha Cicero, I had this bet with myself to who would say that first, I had you, Wavy and Kev as favourites……………..and I have it in both wrists aswell ! 😯
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Le Coq, my next door neighbour has the same problem in both wrists he was a carpenter and was forced to retire , but it hasn’t stopped him hammering, sawing, planning, sanding and drilling in his workshop/shed the other side of the hedge by our patio. you get used to the row eventually.
Nice work if you can get it !……………………and nice to see them not getting their monies worth ……
🙂
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/alexis-sanchez-expense-how-much-13261209
Obscene isn`t it !
Le ‘cock’ both wrists? That’s real talent, you must have been working up to it for many years! It’s a form of repetitive strain injury! Still, no gain without pain😊
On a slightly different tack. Has anybody heard from AGAG recently? Shocking weather in the Phillipines. Hopefully all is well in her world.
As for the soccer ball. Apart from the boy
Josh, who else can cheapskate Stan get who will work for nothing?? Keep it in the family, eh?!!
Been a lovely sunny day here today…..Indian summer, perhaps?
Has he gone yet? 😉
Has he gone yet?Did you copy and paste that from a few weeks ago ?
I did… lol
0-0 at Blackburn for the U23`s with 10 men from 2nd half.
Noticed no ESR or Eddie, so I expect them in EL squad and maybe a wild card in Amaechi as he wasn`t in game tonight……………he`s like a Nelson MK2 !
Poor old Jack has just had some ankle surgery again !
New post up.