Morning all.
Arsenal ended a run of five straight defeats at Stamford Bridge on Sunday by battling to the sort of 0-0 draw that could give fans cause for optimism. So often the Gunners have been bullied when playing their top six rivals away from home, most recently evidenced in a 4-0 loss at Anfield. But at the weekend they discovered a strength that had previously been lacking and could deem themselves unfortunate not to emerge with all three points.
A draw away at the champions, who were on a four-match winning streak, is still extremely creditable though. Aaron Ramsey came the closest to breaking the deadlock as his shot struck the post after a mazy run, while Shkodran Mustafi thought he had nodded in the winner, only to be denied by the linesman’s flag. Arsenal enjoyed plenty of possession and passed the ball well. Probably the most pleasing feature for fans, however, was the defensive strength the Gunners showed.
They limited Chelsea to very few clear-cut chances. Hearts were in mouths when Cesc Fabregas produced a typical quarterback-style through ball to send Pedro clear, but Petr Cech stood tall to deny the Spaniard. In the second half the Czech stopper made a tricky save from Eden Hazard look easy, and that was about all the Blues offered. They came into this game having scored 14 goals in their five games, but Arsenal kept a solid clean sheet against them. It was the third time in a row that the Gunners were the better team against the Premiership champions, having beaten them in the FA Cup final and the Community Shield. Everyone thought Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka would be annihilated by the drive and energy of N’Golo Kante, but they held their own, while the Mustafi – often a bit of a liability – kept Alvaro Morata quiet.
A 0-0 draw is not exactly the sort of result to set the pulses racing, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. I think we needed that, after Liverpool,” said Ramsey. “We showed we wanted a result here today and we’ve got one. We have come here and struggled in recent years but we showed what we’re capable of, competing against the best. We showed solidarity, that we can create chances against them – and on another day we might have nicked it.”
The Gunners now have a relatively kind schedule to look forwards to. League games against West Brom, Brighton, Watford, Everton and Swansea are interspersed with an EFL match against Doncaster Rovers and Europa League ties against middling opposition like BATE Borisov. Arsene Wenger’s men have a great opportunity to go on a run and instil some confidence among everyone associated with the club. Wenger has a big squad at his disposal and if he uses it correctly he should be able to juggle the impending fixture list well and secure some strong results.
Arsenal’s next big away game is at the Etihad on November 5, when they face Premiership favourites Man City in what will be a ferociously challenging encounter. That could prove the real acid test of how far they have come, but first they need to put a few wins together and the signs look encouraging, with Alexis Sanchez returning to his best and a stronger spine emerging. Tottenham and Liverpool both looked like they struggled with a European hangover on Saturday as they dropped points, and if Arsenal do not take the Europa League as seriously they can break back into the top four. Earning Champions League football once more would be huge at this stage, as they need money to reinvest in a squad that will be depleted next summer. They are as long as 5/2 with some bookmakers to do it and that looks an interesting bet as confidence starts to return. This review of Bookmaker shows it to be a strong and competitive site, so make sure you get the best odds if you agree and it could prove profitable. Arsenal are edging back into the picture and the odds may drop further if they beat West Brom and Brighton, so now is probably the time to back them.
A preview of tonight’s match will be up a bit later..
I’ll have a monkey on 5-0 to the Gunners tonight…
I`ll have a Giraffe on Donny winning tonight !………….
I see that conspiracy theory on Untold, Potter, it seems to make sense, but then again all conspiracy theories do to paranoids !…………..hahaha
My own conspiracy theory is Maureen waltzing in and taking both Ozil and Alexis for nothing in the Summer just to piss Arsene off after Arsene made them the players they are ! 🙂
Ok, the post on tonight is up now..
Now I liked the Ox, but, he left us so is now the enemy and hopefully he keeps up his impressive start………………………..
https://twitter.com/elliottsimmonds/status/910244103572611076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.givemesport.com%2F1150643-video-of-alex-oxladechamberlains-individual-highlights-v-leicester-is-too-funny
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Just see a new post on newsnow, does that mean another one tonight, like 3 in one day ?………………ther`s no stopping you !
🙂
I`m getting confused now and dont know what post I`m on !….hahaha