Morning all.
The Premier League have moved a few of our fixtures. The new dates are as follows:
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
Sunday, December 6th. Kick off: 4.30pm. TV: Sky Sports.
Arsenal v Burnley
Sunday, December 13th. Kick off: 7.15pm. TV: Sky Sports.
Arsenal v Southampton
Wednesday, December 16th. Kick off: 6pm. TV: Amazon Prime.
Everton v Arsenal
Saturday, December 19th. Kick off: 5.30pm. TV: Sky Sports.
Arsenal v Chelsea
Saturday, December 26th. Kick off: 5.30pm. TV: Sky Sports.
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal
Tuesday, December 29th. Kick off: 6pm. TV: Amazon Prime.
Do you challenge Jeff each week on Sky Sports? Yes, me too but I never win. Results are unpredictable but even so, it doesn’t stop me from trying and over at super6.bet, there are more options for you and I to predict the correct scores. A big win just before Christmas would certainly go down well.
Then it’s a New Year, hopefully a better year for everyone and certainly for Arsenal. Early into January Arsenal begin their defence of the FA Cup with a home tie against Newcastle. Usually a home tie would give me a bit more confidence of progressing but The Emirates isn’t our friend right now. Losing away to Man City and Liverpool, whilst frustrating, is kind of understandable but losing at home against the likes of Aston Villa, Leicester and Wolves in the fashion we did, is hard to accept. Probably because it is unacceptable.
Mikel:
We have to put the ball in the net. We create the chances, but in the end it’s putting the ball in the net. In the first half they have two shots on target and score two goals. When we had the chances, we didn’t. The goals will come, we have to insist, and we have to keep pushing the players and believe in them. It was a really bad result, the performance in the first half, we had our moments, they had two shots on target and scored twice.
We had a great reaction in the second half, we went all for it, I think the team showed their desire, how much they wanted to win the game. We created the opportunities, the chances, and the goal didn’t arrive. I’m disappointed because I think we merited more from the game.
The second half was definitely improved but that wasn’t difficult really. I don’t agree with the manager about the chances we created though. We’re not creating enough, not by a long shot. It’s easy to say the midfield are not creating enough opportunities but our strikers aren’t getting in the right places either. I can’t recall who whipped a great ball across the box but instead of going to meet the ball, Aubameyang just stood still, behind a defender, hoping the guy would miss it. That’s not good enough.
Liverpool and City aside, the results have been better on the road. I know Leeds peppered our goal with over twenty shots, hitting the woodwork a few times too, but we were down to ten men and denied a penalty. At Old Trafford we stifled Utd and sneaked it 1-0 thanks to a rare penalty awarded to an away team. I guess what I’m hoping for is a few good performances away from home to lift the players, starting this Sunday against Toots. I’d take a draw right now if it was offered but better still would be to shut Mourinho up by getting a win. A big ask yes, but why not? It’s a NLD. It’s a day when the players should be thinking of the red and white of Arsenal, the history, and the fans. All three need putting ahead of their own egos. It’s frustrating that well go there without Thomas Partey. We finally sign a top notch central midfielder and now it seems he’ll miss a few matches.
It’s fair to say that Lady Luck is not riding with Arsenal right now but it feels like it’s been that way for a good few years now. We’d have a month or two where injuries would hit us hard or performances would be shocking. One player shouldn’t make a huge difference but for Arsenal it does and it has because after Partey, the options are pretty mixed. Ceballos, Elneny and Xhaka. Elneny has been the only consistent performer of the three. A different option might be to throw AMN into the mix against the Toots. He’s an Arsenal boy and he’ll know what Sunday means to the fans.
But of course, before then the team have a Europa League to focus on. The opportunity to secure top spot in our group comes with it. We’re at home which is good. The second string don’t seem to be having the same problems as the first team at The Emirates having already scored four goals against Molde and three against Dundalk. I’m looking forward to it.
See you in the comments guys.
Good morning Rico and thanks for the post.
Too many of the balls played into the box come from too far back, This allows the defenders to face away from their own goal and makes it easier to clear the ball. If the ball was played in from closer to the by-line the defenders would have to face their goal and thus find it harder to clear the ball.
Saka, Tierney and Nelson all try to get to the by-line and play low hard passes into the box, this results in the defenders panicking and can lead to own goals. Pepe, Willian and Bellerin all turn inside and so their crosses are less threatening.
Back to yesterday’s post, On Thursday Arteta should start with our three most ineffective players, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Willian. He should make it clear to them that until they can up their contribution they will play only in the Europa League and the cups.
I don’t think any of our players know how to cross a ball properly . Just like corners they are usually cut out before they actually get anywhere near their target. Gone are the days it seems when players were taught to look up before they crossed and pick out a players run . Now they just drive it into a space ( usually occupied ) and hope for the best.
Radford , Kennedy and MacDonald would have hung Pepe , Nelson and Bellerin from the clock with the crosses they put in .
Totally agree with Cicero
Morning Cicero, all.
Similar re corners and free kicks, they’re garbage.
potter is right. Our old brigade Radford and Kennedy would be blasting all our midfielders and wing backs for disgusting lack of quality on crosses and through balls. After 70 years as a Gunner I am ashamed to say that if our squad played for any other club they would be be at the top. That says that our coaching and man management is very bad and achieves nothing. For any of our really bad sides during the 18 years I suffered until 1970 had had so few shots at home against a good but not special side the supporters would have slaughtered them. The very fact that we cannot show our discontent due to this virus means the manager and crew and worse still the overpaid players are getting away with it. One last point, please explain why we never play the same team twice and the same system twice? Our injury list is always the longest in the EPL but we have the squad players to at least put up a fight. No guts any of them.
Afternoon Rico/everyone,
Totally agree about crosses,corners,free-kicks – I’d add throw ins to that,all utterly useless,don’t these guys ever practice ?
Afternoon rico, House. In fairness to Willian, I thought he put in a number of good crosses. Many times attackers didn’t bust a gut to get on the end.
21st century football is totally different from the days of John Radford, Malcom Mac, Ray Kennedy, Frank Stapleton, etc.
However, crossing for whom? Anyone who plays for the wings has to look and see someone in the area and not see. Auba is hidden, Saka ditto, etc. There is no more Giroud or Bendtner.
On the other hand, the striker himself must want and have the appetite to throw the ball in his head. Happens to Auba? Do not.
Afternoon all
As a further thought to Cicero’s early entry re Auba, Lacazette and Willian, has anyone come to the conclusion that the Europa eleven may just just be a better team than the EPL eleven?
The ‘b’ team seem to me to be more direct, quicker and generally more positive than the ‘stars’.
There are of course players who cross over Saka, Partey (when fit) Tierney, Gabriel. I would definitely play AMN, Willock and Nelson, Holding too. Plus two more and the keeper. Leno just doesn’t fill me with confidence any more than he does the back 3 or 4. He is definitely the wrong side of dodgy, imo. Two strikers required! Martinelli when fit should be a shoe in, plus a fully functioning Auba in the middle!
And then let the team settle, keep the chopping and changing to a minimum. Let’s have a settled side, one that can then gel and work together as a cohesive unit, instead of seeming to be relative strangers who turn out together from time to time!
Just at the moment we do seem to be in a really parlous state. Something has to change for the better and it has to happen now. This Sunday would be an excellent time to turn our results round.
Good post Rico. Got me thinking anyway (doesn’t happen often, thinking that is!)
I think we should go for broke on Sunday. Put Balogun up front in the centre. Playing at a virtually empty New Swamp should be no more intimidating than playing on the training ground. He’s nineteen not a kid and at five foot ten and well built could cause havoc in the penalty box.
Pete, agree on the chopping and changing, it can’t help one bit. Especially in defence and in the league.
Afternoon Limey, Wavy, Andrew. Thanks guys.
The b team might not beat the Toots, or a few of the PL sides but the one thing they are likely to do is try their absolute best to do so. Even if just the attacking unit was swapped I reckon we’d have a better chance.
It’s about timing runs across defenders . I remember seeing Martinelli do it but I can’t remember who against. Strangely Bendtner was good at it which is probably why Wenger played him on the wing .
Bendtner could have been a really good striker had he not been a winger. Lol
What a waste..
Rico, I do agree he was played out of position, but his ego kind of held him back, just a fraction hahahaha
Such a talent, but such a wanker lol
Morning all.
Absolutely Scott, he was a bit of a plonker but always scored goals for his country.
New post up now