Morning all.
It’s here then, North London Derby Day, the fixture both sets of fans probably look up first when the FA announce the schedule for a new season. The fixture neither team want to lose.
Arsenal have had the upper hand over the increasingly noisy neighbours for years but recently, they’re started getting a little too big for their boots. Lots of talk about them and how good they’ve been for the past few seasons under Poch but for all that talk, they’ve not added any silverware to their dusty old trophy cabinet.
Achieving a top four place, which was deemed not enough for Arsene Wenger and his team during the difficult time when we moved stadiums, has suddenly become a big achievement for a club which has had no financial noose around it’s neck. Oh how fickle eh. Right now though, the knot has been tied and the loop is beginning to tighten as the debt increases while their new stadium struggles to be completed. Oh my heart bleeds for them. Not!
For Arsenal though, things are improving. We’ve entered a brand new era after twenty two years of Arsene Wenger and my goodness didn’t the Frenchman enjoy a vast number of victories over our bitter rivals. So many to look back on with a smile, in fact back to George Graham’s days too, when more often than not, we had the upper hand. Even last season, when we were possibly at our lowest ebb under Arsene Wenger, we won this fixture with ease. Power shift my a**e!
The last two/three seasons have been a blip and this Arsenal team is not the soft side it once was as the neighbours should find out later today. Unai Emery has instilled mental toughness, he’s brought in some steely players like Sokratis and Torrieira and as much as we’re far from being the finished article, if there is such a thing, we’re digging in from start to finish. We’re producing some moments of magic along the way too and I’m sure as time goes by, those moments will become more frequent. As Kev touched on yesterday, individuals who once looked like they’d have to find a career elsewhere, are improving with Bellerin and Holding being the standouts for me. As a team/squad, there’s a smile back, a bounce in their step as training has become beneficial rather than a chore.
Each match, like this derby, is different. We want to create a new history – it’s a different moment for Tottenham and for us. Emery told Sky Sports.
They are going to play for the first time [against] players with us – the coach and all the staff. We want to start playing one derby like that, with a good experience. But above all, in the 90 minutes, we [want to] show everybody a good performance and energy.
I know from living in Spain and France, different matches like this, and I want to feel this match here with our supporters at the Emirates.
I know it’s going to have a very big atmosphere for us, and we want to win, first as it’s a derby, but also for the three points because in the table we need to continue in our process.
This is a Unai Emery’s first North London Derby, the first of two in quick succession. He’ll be nervous no doubt because he knows what this fixture means to the fans, what it should mean to the players. He’s going to experience The Emirates at its best, at its loudest and at its most hostile. Nothing compares to days like these.
Player v Player, the media suggest Totts have the better ones which I think is going overboard. Yes, they have a very good striker in Kane but it’s Aubameyang who wins the head to head for goals scored this season so far and without two penalties beefing up his tally. Do they have a better midfielder than Torrieira? No. Is Lloris better than Leno? I don’t think so. If Ozil wakes up in the right mood, he could be one of the most dangerous and clinical players on the pitch but that ‘if’ is a big one. Lacazette. What’s to be said really. He has an edge, he’s clinical and he’s become a big player for us. Iwobi, well my opinion on him changes from one match to the next but if he’s at his best then he’ll cause the Totts defence problems. If he starts mind you because on a day like today, there’s no room in the team for Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Iwobi, not in my opinion anyway. Emery appears to have faith in Xhaka and Torrieira as his midfield pairing and I’m looking forward to watching the battle those two have with Alli, Eriksen, Dier or which other overrated player who plays alongside him. Stop the ball to getting to Kane, or just stop Kane!
I hope we can get down their right, our left because if Aurier starts at right back, he’s a yellow or red card in the waiting. Bellerin should get the better of Davies down our right too. Neither Alderweireld or Vertonghen are spring chickens so get at them and force the mistakes. Same with Lloris who can be brilliant, but also a liability.
Lastly. Don’t give Mike Dean a decision to make, because we all know he’ll make it if it favours that lot down the road. We’re on a great run and his appointment might just be about Riley trying to end that run.
We need to be smart, we need to win.
Let’s keep North London 🔴🔴
Good morning Rico and everyone, can’t wait.. no comments, just watch the game and hope we come out with the 3points, thats the most important thing for now ..
Morning Mexy, all.
Really looking forward to this one too. It’s a big game for many reasons and hope we see a performance similar to the one v Liverpool but with better finishing.
Yeah Rico, I would appreciate a Liverpool like performance but I would take our ruthless Everton game today..m 3points is gold..
But I just have a feeling we will play beautifully today…
Good morning Rico, I sincerely hope that the two reds at the end of your post do not represent two Mike Dean specials. 😉
Any style of good game from us with three points will do me Mexy
Morning Cicero, I don’t mind it they’re two reds for the Totts.. lol
The NLD has always been a standout fixture in my family’s history. My mother, the eldest of six sisters and one brother, was an Arsenal fan from the time she first met my father in the early 1930s. Her sister, the next in age met and married a Spurs fan, the rest of the sisters followed my mother into the ranks of the Arsenal faithful, while her misguided brother crossed London from east to west and became a Chelsea supporter.
While the competition was always fierce, the entire family would meet up on a Saturday night after an NLD and enjoy an evening of friendly rivalry at a pub in Hoxton market, regardless of the result.
All but one of that generation have now gone and it is with them in mind that I’ll sit-down to watch today’s game.
Happy memories Cicero…
Good morning rico
Confident?
I only want the victory!
0,5 – 0 it’s enought if at the end, we have got 3 points in the pocket.
Morning Jm, we all do today, three points is all that matters. If we can beat them with a great performance then all the better.
Big game for Xhaka and Torreira, win that midfield battle and we’ll have a great chance. Hope to see Ozil at his best today too, if he starts that is.
Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Holding, Kolascinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Aubameyang. No Ozil, even on the bench.
Ozil injured maybe.l
Bad back apparently Rico.
If he’s not injured it’s a strange decision to leave him out of the match day squad.
Arsenal Women one nil down away to Man City after fifty minutes. We’ve hit the woodwork and have had a few good scoring chances.
Live on BBC 1 Red Button.
Goodness knows why Adam, seldom does he carry the team…
A back ache, it’s official. He should stop putting his wallet in his back pocket.
Vertonghan must hold his hand up there, Oh, he already has. 😁😁😁
Look at our guys on the bench, up, out and behind their teammates. Never used to be like that. Love it..
Never a free kick for their first.
Not even convinced it was a penalty for their second.
That’s Dean for you!
Isn’t it just.
Disappointed Leno didn’t do better with their free kick..
I guess no body’s perfect Rico.
‘ere we go!
‘ERE WE GOOOO!
Common Gunners….north London is RED
How sweet was that? Not just a win, but moving into third place ahead of the homeless football club. 🔔🔔🔔
He made up for it the rest of the game Cicero..
Superb performance, superb management too.
Great win. Really proud of the team and Unai. Superb.
Hi there!
Great win !
Ozil was injury during the heating.
Who miss him?
Totts: first was offside ?; second – not penalty.
Wise and lucky subs
Normal order restored 🙂
And it indeed was a beautiful game
Now beat them in the league cup…
A few things.
A-I genuinely can not see how that was a penalty-Song seemed to just lose his footing, but I can see why it was given as it was a tough one.
B-Ramsey again involved in a superb Goal, and I hope that from the messy situation, something can be resolved if it’s not too late.
Couldn’t post this afternoon on iPad, site kept going off to an advert, anyone else had this?
Proud of every Arsenal player. Lovely flick in the nick of time from Ramsey for our Equaliser. He showed he still cares when involved off the subs bench after Die r got everyone going.
Great finishes from Auba and Torreira, just need to stop Mustafi and Bellerin being co!our blind in a few passes. What a performance. Emery knows what a North London derby is about now!
Yes Andrew, I had that last night and today on both my iPad and iPhone.
That why I haven’t posted today.
I’ve had it too guys. I’m trying to find out what is causing it. It’s darn annoying..
Thanks Kev, thought virus were rare on ios, but this was very strange, kept covering page so couldn’t read, then when you pressed to clear, were taken to a game!still
Best opening to a game all season, twenty minutes of pressing and class.
But just read, we be 19th in league, if games stopped half time…..
Mind you, my Amazon Prime tablet has a mind of its own and won’t let you correct spaces in words after daft autocorrect!
Damn, Andrew, surely that means we’d be first if they started at half time hahahaha
That’s a funny stat, though, even knowing we’ve been slow starters, didn’t realise we were THAT slow lol
Still, while it needs improving, it shows we are playing out the 90 very strongly.
Kev, you should have emailed me that comment… 😜😜
Andrew, I kept getting an ad that told me I had won a prize, but I didn’t click anything I just came off, I also got it on Untold, so it’s out there still…
As for the prize? Well I reckon a virus was the prize, so I’m happy to let it pass.
Use it tomorrow Rico if you like, I’d have done a better one if I’d known 🙂
Ha ha Kev, I like the original…
Anyone still regretting Wenger’s departure?
Who Cicero?
Kev, we’ve all won a prize today. Proof that Emery is well ahead of anything we could have imagined when he was appointed. We expected 3 to 4 windows to see an Emery team. Today we saw it start to finish. Ramsey, new contract please, even if only as a sub. Two good assists.
Scott, I’ll still be relieved when we take a half time lead, then hold on to it!
Honestly, Cicero, no.
I still regret the fact people keep rubbing his nose in it, though.
He’s gone.
Leave the man be.
Andrew, that’d be nice hahahaha
Morning guys.
New post up now.
Scott, I don’t think anyone is rubbing Wenger’s nose in it but you’ve can’t forget the ‘be careful what you wish for’ comments etc. We’ve moved on as a club but 22 years of Wenger wont be forgotten, for good or bad.
We still talk about George Graham too…