Morning all.
Have a spring in your step this morning do you? I sure do. Seldom do I watch much football these days, other than Arsenal or a potentially cracking match and last night was one of the latter. Desperate to see City topple the new media favourites of course and they did just that. No Invincible season for them eh, or any other team for that matter. Yes I know it was nearly fifteen years since we achieved that feat but so what? If the Totts and Liverpool aren’t given much stick about not winning the league for yonks, then surely we can reflect on a great season a while ago. I jest somewhat, I just didn’t want Liverpool to replicate what we achieved.
As expected though, the match last night was pretty good. It was fast, furious and ended with the right result. Not sure how either Lovren or Kompany got away with just a booking for their two horror tackles though. In fact I sat wondering if Granit Xhaka would have be penalised the same way had he done what they did. Straight red card I’m sure.
As said, the match was played at a high tempo, the kind of football we might get to see once or twice during one of our games if we’re lucky. If our 5-1 defeat at Anfield didn’t highlight how far behind the top two clubs in the league we are, last nights match did. For me anyway. Unai Emery has a long way to go but hopefully he’ll get there in time, or somewhere very near. Better still, he’ll surpass what Klopp and Guardiola are doing. Hmm, not convinced just yet but I’m not giving up on him yet either.
His press conference:
Mesut Ozil didn’t train but then I doubt he’d entertain playing in this one anyway. Smith Rowe and Mavropanos trained though so they’ll soon be back in the squad. Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal and Shkodran Mustafi all face late tests but I can’t see any of the three being risked. We need them for more important fixtures coming up. Not that this one doesn’t matter, of course it does because who wouldn’t want Arsenal to win a 14th FA Cup?
We’re up in Blackpool tomorrow for our first fixture in the FA Cup and I think we can expect to see some rotation:
We trained this morning and tomorrow we are going to do the last training before this match. Tomorrow we will know how we can be with the players [and who could feature] but [we’ll play] with respect for this competition. I want to take a team with the players being competitive. The team for Saturday is the same, maybe we can share with some players who are playing less, or some young players, but thinking above all of finding a big performance there with our players. This is our idea at the beginning.
We’ve already played Blackpool this season in the League Cup. Emile Smith Rowe scored his first senior goal, Lichtsteiner grabbed his first for the club and Matteo Guendouzi received his first red card since joining last summer which left us playing with ten men for thirty odd minutes. Blackpool also had a player sent off late on.
We made hard work of the game at The Emirates so it could be tougher away from home.
At least after this one they’ll all have a week off from competitive football.
Have a good Friday guys…
Hahahaha! Think you meant 5-1 defeat!
Someone can’t accept the facts….
Oops Dan.
Morning Gooners
Morning Rico, yes Blackpool were big, physical and didn’t let up until the final whistle so we cannot afford to take them lightly – although I imagine that most Arsenal fans will…
We won’t be able to play Welbeck or Smith Rowe or Mkhitarayan and Pleguezuelo hasn’t featured since the League Cup, Mavropanos is probably a couple of weeks away still, but with a clear week until our next game after Blackpool I expect Emery will pick quite a strong starting XI, Saka could start and maybe Medley, but the rest will probably be seniors.
Morning Kev, go there unfocused at our peril I say. They’ve problems off the pitch which my focus them on it.
I would like to see UE select Medley in the starting eleven.
I see that they are staging a stay away protest against Oyston. They have , the supporters that is , asked Arsenal fans not to take up the spares in support of their cause . Will be interesting to see if they do.
Oyston has a chequered past to say the least , a convicted rapist and accused of asset stripping Blackpool ,he is not popular and the fans want him gone . They are trying to hit him in the pocket by staying away and not buying merchandise so it’s not in their interest for away supporters to take up the slack.
I reckon tomorrow we will see a mixture team and a bench with enough strength to see us through . The conditions might not be too good as that part of the country is due wintry weather apparently. So winter drawers on .
I didn’t know all that Potter. No wonder the fans are unhappy..
Shame we didn’t agree a loan deal for Clyne. Could have done with him….
Me too Vcc. This is the kind of game for him to show himself.
Now there is another example of how to do business by Liverpool, selling a young striker whose actually done pretty much bugger all in Dominic Solanki for £19m!
Evening all and thanks Rico.
Last night became Happy Invincible Day and tomorrow the official greatest FA Cup team go for it again after last seasons humiliation…………………yes, I still haven`t forgiven Wenger for taking it lightly !………………..love the FA Cup, best cup comp` ever, fcuk the CL and EL………………..the original knock out competition is simply the best and we are the best at it !……………………lets celebrate something we top everyone else at !
If Dick wants to get in my good books then he has to take it seriously !
One of my favourite things over the years has been to constantly report of Kroenke`s investment in the team/club of £0 ! 😀
Now a table of owners who have invested more than Kroenke…………………basically nearly everyone !……………….
https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/arsenal-fans-fume-at-stan-kroenke-after-figures-emerge-over-owner-financing/
Hi LC,
Emery takes every competition seriously, so complacency won’t be a problem, on his behalf at least 🙂
Aahhh Stan.
He’s running out of chances to prove us wrong.
Let’s hope he does because I’d happily eat crow on this one.
We have to comply with FFP, it might be unfair when we see how Man City manipulate it, but it is what it is. So even if Kroenke wanted to spend £500m, he can’t….
Arsenal also have limited space in the squad for foreign signings, I think how it stands in our squad, remembering that you’re only allowed 17 foreign players, that Arsenal can only sign one or possibly two foreign players. Unless we sell in January (Elneny for example) we’re limited to what we can do.
That’s why I kinda see some mileage in the Reece Oxford rumour, being that he’s English and about 20, AND on a free in the summer!
Also, we have foreign players who are currently U21, who don’t count among the 17 foreign players at this time but who, like Mavropanos, will be over 21 next season and therefore, unless we loan or sell him, must be named among our 17 foreigners next season.
Not forgetting that we also have players like Saka, Nelson, Smith Rowe and Nketiah, who have to be encouraged and given hope, if the manager thinks they are good enough and I trust Emery to make the right calls on that.
I’d rather see what our youngsters can do before we go out and splash another fortune on some overpaid, undermotivated wunderkind.
Totally with you re your last comment Kev. What’s the point of having an academy if we don’t see what there are made of before casting them aside? We have quite a large number of players just waiting for their chance.
Other clubs are giving 17/18/19 year olds a chance so surely we can/should too. Some of us have been waiting a while now to see a number of our players get to this stage of their careers, and I hate to see them doing really well at a different club.
Kev,
Trust me, I don’t want us to become a Citeh or Chelski, just give us a crack at being more competitive.
On that note, massive, massive rumours as we speak that Denise Suarez is joining us.
That’d be a great buy!!
Are fans patient enough to allow the club to blood youngsters?
Seems we don’t respond well to losses so it could be asking for trouble.
Fwiw, I’d love to see them give all the youngsters a crack.
Write the season off as such, let the big guns try and win in Europe and let’s see what the kids are made of.
I don’t think we should do that Scott but bring them through in a controlled way. Like Saka against Fulham but for more than just three mins when a game looks won.
Look how Saka reacted after the game, he was buzzing in his interview. It gives them hope, confidence and belief that their chance is coming.
Throwing them in together would do more harm than good, or certainly could. Also, Emery is already under pressure because there are fans who want big names through the door and lots of them.
I certainly believe are younger players, if they work hard and show real promise in training, will be given more chances than Wenger gave to some of those he had…
Yeah fair call, Rico.
Still, there is room for signings and to give the youngsters a chance if things are done correctly.
Honestly, I’d be happy to se dour defenders sorted ASAP and everything I’d happily wait for 🙂
Agree re the defending Scott. As a unit we’re pretty average.
Yeah Wenger wa sunder too much pressure to experiment.
Hanging on to his job rather than just doing it, imo.
Anyway, the talent is there, No question and he did play his part in that.
He played his part, that’s for sure. Not always in a positive way though imo.
You overestimate us, Rico 🙂
You know me Scott, I like to be polite…..
Catch up later Scott..
Hahahaha
We will get there:
It’ll just take time.
Shall do.
New post up now.