Morning all.
It’s game day. Brighton v Arsenal at 5-30pm.
Pre match chat from the manager:
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Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is fit and could feature tonight having returned to training, Arteta confirmed: “He is getting closer and closer so he’s available.”
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Midfielder Emile Smith Rowe is not quite ready for action, but has made “big steps”, Arteta explained. “He took part in some training sessions and looked good. We’re hoping to have him back soon.”
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No comment when it came to talking about the club’s interest in Mykhaylo Mudryk as Mikel Arteta said he wouldn’t talk about players at other clubs.
Brighton. I’ve no idea what to expect from them as I’m a bit like Ben White as in I don’t watch football these days unless it’s Arsenal. They must be doing well because they’re sitting just a few points off of the top four. They held Newcastle Utd to a draw earlier in the season, beat Man Utd, thrashed Chelsea and drew with Liverpool, but, Man City, Brentford, Aston Villa and Tottenham have beaten Brighton.
Having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup earlier in the season, Charlton put an end to their run by them dumping them out of the competition on penalties last week. Since though, they beat Southampton 3-1 on the road.
Brighton are without five players for today’s fixture. Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Jakub Moder, Danny Welbeck and Adam Webster. Gosh, that is a missing list to not envy. Arsenal are of course without Gabriel Jesus and ESR.
Roberto De Zerbi on Arsenal:
I am not surprised [by Arsenal’s season], because I know Arteta, I know the Arsenal players, they play fantastic football. But I have to only think about my team. I must admit that in the Carabao Cup that we were lucky to win because Arsenal played well but we are improving and we have to stay focused on this improvement. The style of play of Arsenal is fantastic, no? The players know very well what they have to do on the pitch. And they think only one way – with the ball and without the ball. And they have very, very good players.
Having read what Mikel Arteta had to say about Brighton, I think it’s fair to say that both managers know this is going to be a tough fixture for their respective teams. Our record against Brighton hasn’t been that good of late but that was when Graham Potter was at the club. De Zerbi though seems to have kept calm and carry on in the same way as his predecessor did and in the main, it’s working.
A very different starting eleven to the one De Zerbi and his players defeated in the League Cup will turn out at the Amex Stadium later today. As said, barring Gabriel Jesus and ESR, Mikel Arteta has a full squad to select from.
I’m looking forward to this one because of recent history. A bit like last season when we lost a few fixtures we shouldn’t have, this is one of them. We’ve already overcome Crystal Palace and Brentford, now we have the opportunity to add Brighton to the list. I still can’t believe they took four points off of us last season.
2022 comes to an end today, another year of talking about Arsenal gone by and it’s been mixed. The first half of the year was rather disappointing but the second has been superb. From the transfer window to performances on the pitch, it’s been positive. Arsenal fans are positive, The Emirates Stadium is rocking and 2023 looks like it could be a good one for Mikel Arteta and his players.
I hope 2023 is a good year for all who read/comment each day and thank you for keeping Highbury House ticking over. A big thank you to Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board for the changes at the club and giving fans a reason to believe again.
Enjoy the game guys, let’s hope Arsenal end the year on a high.
Congrats to the girls but as a comparison it took 12 years for Geoff Hurst to get his MBE and 22 for his knighthood.
I suppose this is a sign of how the immediacy of the media works nowadays..
Away to Brighton tonight , one game at a time is the mantra , every point is a point closer to 4th place and that has to be the target , anything better is a bonus.
I see that having been used as a stalking horse by Shakhtar Mudryk is now on offer to all and sundry and Chelsea have stepped up with more cash. Maybe we will get Sterling as a consolation prize . I hope not.
Other than that it’s windy and very damp here today , but I suppose they didn’t put windmills where the wind don’t blow.
Anyway Happy new year everyone , lets hope that we can celebrate at the end of the season.
Good day to you Rico. Proper football back at last, along with our old Nemesis Diego Costa now playing for Wolves.
A near full squad for Arteta to choose from but I suggest the starting line-up is pretty much set in stone :- Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka, Martinelli, Nketiah, Saka.
The only likely variation is Tierney for Zinchenko. Either way I don’t expect either to play the full ninety minutes.
An indication of the lunacy level of middle eastern expenditure is the ridiculous signing of Ronaldo on a two and a half year contract at £165 million a year.
Is today New Years Eve or Old Years Night?
Hi Potter, Cicero. HNY to all again.
I’d forgotten all about Costa, is he not banned?
I actually don’t agree with the womens New Year honours. It’s either all or none imo, not just a select few.
He played 45 minutes Rico then subbed.
The delightful Anthony Taylor is our referee this evening. As fair minded as he is fair of face. Surely he could have been the model for Michelangelo’s statue of David. His notable intellect and his ability to write romantic poetry make him a giant among referees.
A bit of flattery can’t do any harm. 😉
Is that it in total Cicero? Excellent signing then, perhaps he’ll finally get sent off against us later.. He’s had more than one free pass.l
He’s going to terrify defenders when he’s fully fit again, just has he did in the past.
You think? He’ll struggle to get past them with his zimmer… lol
He won’t try to go round them, he’ll go through or over them Rico.
Ha ha Cicero..
HNY in advance rico, all. Say it now as it might not seem so jolly come 8pm! Off on a few buses soon to son’s house at Shoeburyness, don’t like driving on NYE. Match will be on so it will either lift the evening or otherwise!
In hairdressers yesterday while waiting and cutter and chap having hair done were obviously West Ham fans meaning about last match.
‘Anybody but Arsenal, settle for Man City or Newcastle as long as bl@@dy Arsenal don’t win league’. I tried to keep silent but in end I couldn’t. Exactly what is so bad with the youngest team, trying to play good football, breaking up the oil sponsored teams future monopoly of our league I asked? No answer, just seems jealousy as they replied we couldn’t win it.
They then said Arteta will never be a number 1, ok as a number 2. So I said well, he served his apprenticeship, and isn’t doing too bad at moment, how can a number 2 become a number 1 better?
Then I just realised, shut up, this was a conversation I couldn’t win. And I didn’t want a cut throat razor in my neck.
As far as the Honours are concerned, comparisons with 1966 are largely irrelevant. The change in society in the last forty odd years has been unbelievable to people of my generation. The worldwide tv audience for the 1966 World Cup was 32 million. The tv audience for this year’s World Cup was 1.5 billion. The pressure to acknowledge the importance to the general public of such sporting events is impossible for the authorities to ignore.
It was said that during WW1 the medals came up to the front with the rations and were handed out by lottery. Nowadays honours are distributed in much the same way but at the behest of the users of social media and populist politicians.
HNY to you too Andrew.
Best find a new barber. Lol
Arsenal starting XI: Ramsdale, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Zinchenko, Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Turner, Tierney, Holding, Soares, Tomiyasu, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Marquinhos.
Brighton starting XI: Sanchez, Estupinan, Colwill, Dunk, Lamptey, Gilmour, Gross, March, Lallana, Mitoma, Trossard.
Substitutes: Steele, Samiento, Enciso, Ferguson, van Hecke, Veltman, Turns, Moran, Hinshelwood.
Obviously Arteta visited The House earlier and took heed of my advice concerning his starting eleven. 😉
Both City and the Barcodes drop two points. Arsenal have a great chance to consolidate their lead at the top of the table.
C’mon you Gunners!!
Evening Rico and all. Thought I’d just pop in to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.
I have a really awful cold or something similar so I doubt I’ll make it to midnight.
Take care out there.
I thought he’d keep him back for Newcastle.
Evening Adam, Happy New Year to you both too and get well soon…
Looks a bit breezy on the south coast..
What a start..
If I had missed the first seventy seconds, I would be a bit worried. Brighton are causing is problems but not really threatening to score.
Odegaard with a lovely half volley makes it two nil.
Agreed Cicero. Poor old Martinelli, he seems to have shot when a pass would have been better and passed when he could have shot.
We deserve to be two up. At least..
Built in unpredictability? Rico.
Martin Odegaard removed his Captains arm band has he went off at half-time, has he picked up an injury?
No he’s back out for the second half.
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. 3 – 0.
Maybe Cicero.
Time to take Saka off he now on four yellow cards. The same applies to Saliba. Sub them both.
Nice goal by Brighton..
Phew, we were looking a bit vulnerable for for a while.
What a ball from Odegaard. 👏
A lovely one by Martinelli..
All of our front three have scored in successive games.
Saliba having a bit of an off day though.
Squeaky bum time….
Phew!
Nervy end to that. Three points the most important though.
Yep, and at a very difficult ground. We played them at the right time with all their injuries.
Three points despite the ghastly Anthony Taylor.
Wasn’t he poor…
Taylor was just Taylor , Brighton caused problems for all of our fullbacks by running inside and out . Martinelli was cutting inside everytime in the first half . Seco nd half he wwnt the other aay and N ketiah scored.
3 points top of the league , Happy new year carry on refardless .
I think we’ll be saying something similar about the rest of the officials as the season goes on. They all seem to be as poor as each other.
I just despair at the chance of Bakayo Saka getting a free kick from the majority of our appalling referees and Andrew Taylor didn’t disappoint, he also gave Saka a yellow card for feck all whilst ignoring a string of fouls on our England man, Bakayo certainly doesn’t enjoy the preferential treatment that his international captain enjoys that for sure…
Still we won despite the referee and thanks to VAR for a change – becaus3 as we know there’s no guarantee that that is going to work fairly.
Happy New Year to all on HH
Just watched the replay, we started off well but let them back in, we made a shocking mistake that led to their second goal. On the whole a nice win away from home.
New post up now