Morning,
Well it was a win and we played pretty well didn’t we….. Movement was good if not a little slow sometimes which did allow Stoke to get plenty players behind the ball but in spells we played with tempo and width and created so many chances it had the makings of “one of those days”. Butland was playing a blinder yes but we also helped the cause by missing so very very easy chances. The woodwork was their 12th man in the first half but Theo missed a dead cert goal with a header that all i can think of is he closed his eyes..! He really should of done better with the chance that came back off the post from Alexis’s header and a wicked shot from Alexis that also hit a post and all in the first ten mins…..!
Theo did make up for his earlier misses with a very well taken goal from a peach of a pass from Ozil…. One nil up and ok lets try put this game to bed by half time. It wasn’t to be, we created lots more chances we had tons of possession and corner after corner but a second goal didn’t happen.
I must admit it’s games like this when I see us batter teams and lets be honest it’s happened so many times and in the back of your mind you are thinking “this lot will go up the other end and score in a minute”….! I know we have said it many times but we are not clinical in front of goal and no that’s not me picking up on our lack of transfers at all it’s been a criticism of us for many years, even when we go one up or ever two up we seem to then take out foot off the accelerator and that allows teams back into the game. We sit deeper we slow the game down and we stop creating. I think we made plenty chances yesterday but there were passages of play where we did lack the urgency to finish the game off.
It’s a point that is debatable between are we being patient looking for opening or are we going through the motions of think that the game is won even only being one up? The back four were hardly troubled yesterday and played very well but again it only take one dodgy offside goal against us or a dodgy penalty against us and teams like stoke grab an equalizer out of nothing. When we are playing better sides we are really going to have to be more clinical and not as wasteful with the chances we create. The midfield is working well together and creating for the forwards and the midfield runners but again the same old question of why don’t we shoot more…….. What a screamer it would have been if Kosceilny’s 30yrd effort had of gone in…. Stoke backed off and he had a pop and we definitely don’t do enough of that so we.
It was good to see Giroud come on and score, we won’t mention the absolute sitter he missed before scoring but the fact he and Theo got on the score sheet should help the confidence. The question has been asked can they both play together, the question is rather would Arsene change the formation to allow that to happen and for me he won’t.
A busy few weeks coming up and a lot of games where chances will be at a premium so we need to make sure we make the most of those chances and start banging in the goals when it’s really going to matter in tighter games. The basis is there to kick on for sure, Arsene must be pro-active in rotating players and lets use what we have to make sure no one set of players are run off their feet.
Have a good sunday.
Morning, Afternoon or evening depending or where you are…!
Kev, your voice ok this morning….?
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.
A good match report Wathy mate.
332 minutes is the amount that Cech has not been beaten. The last goal conceded was by Palace. That amount is good for the defence’ confidence. It is also good in the clean sheets stakes. That is 3 out of 5 games for Cech so far. And if that ratio is kept throughout the season we can be sure of around 21/22 clean sheets this season.
We will concede I am sure. But I am sure it will be less than usual.
This year AW has listened to the spirit of Herbert Chapman, the memory of Bertie Mee and the example of GG…..all three said that a for a successful team, a manager must build from the back.
For the first time we have a world class keeper, two (Per included as well) solid no nonsense CBs, two reliable and solid FBs and a hard man in front of them. Those six are providing a strong foundation for the rest of the team to build on.
All we need is to start scoring.
I would hate to be the manager of the team against whom our team will click. That day it will be a thrashing.
Good afternoon,
Wath, I totally agree with your article today.
We managed to win after an international break we are quite happy with that.
Let’s just hope the guys become more efficient and turn the chances into goal.
Have a lovely day
Morning Dev, Yep I agree someone will indeed get a tonking but think it’s important we get to 2/3 goals from games when we are so far on top not just about one team getting hammered 6 or 7 nil…! The problem is for me the fact we so wasteful is when the games are tight and we only going to get 4/5 chances can we take one when it’s highly needed and ultra important..?
Morning Wath and all. We played well yesterday and apart from much gnashing of teeth, over our awful transfer window, before the game, the crowd got behind the team and it was a good win.
Shame about all the missed chances though.
Bonjour Adam. Yesterday we had 28 shots, 13 of which were on target and that is not counting the posts. Hitting the post is considered as off target.
Morning guys and girls….and Wath 🙂 🙂
I was away fishing so missed the game, and am still to see highlights, let alone a replay,
Seems we did well and from what I hear, Stokes keeper and cross bar were their best players.
A wins a win, whatever the truth and a win next week will have us on a roll.
Good post Wath. Very eloquently written.
Yep we have a few games on the horizon which will need rotation of players by Le Prof. Let’s hope he manages to do this. Good to see Ian Wright on MOTD showing support for Coquelin.
I also agree with your opinion that we need sometimes to shoot from outside the box. Teams are aware that we like to make 1,000 passes before passing into the goal from inside the box.
What’s happening with Chelsea? Couldn’t happen to a more arrogant, obnoxious little man…
Eloquent and me in the same sentence Marinello, are you quite sure about that lol
Thanks….. Yep teams sit off us and give us space 25yrs from goal knowing the chances of us having a pop are very remote..! If we start to shoot more teams will try close us down further out which should creates spaces in behind should it not…?
I am saying nothing about that small team from Fulham until after next weekend.
Adam, Did you hear Kev singing the whole game….? He assures me he was a one man choir all through the 90mins…!
Did you catch anything Scott or the fishing excuse just one of those lines for a jolly boys piss up..?
Well I knew you would like my comment Wath. Your writing just flows like a meandering river…
The Chelsea game will be interesting. Maureen will surely have his players fired up for this match. Chap I work with goes to most of the Chelsea home games and he cannot believe how badly the team are playing. No excuses, there is a lack of cohesion and players do not appear to be enjoying playing… So a good time for the Arse to meet them…. Hopefully.
I also hear that Spurs have released Adebyore. He still had a year to run on his £90k a week contract. An expensive mistake to sign him methinks….
Just watch Wenger go for him on a free.
Potter, I thought that the very second I heard he’d been released…. It’s beyond the realms of possibility surely………….. Or is it…………..????
I would love to beat the chavs next week Marinello, they look to be very unbalanced and not playing as a unit at all but they will most definitely be up for our game and we all know that obnoxious thing will get his players at it for us as well. We need a decent ref and we need to get into and at them as they are there to be beaten.
But, the poisonous pixie has lost his mantra of never losing to a Wenger team! The gods are with us!
Prediction, we will beat the chavs at slumland bridge 1-2 to the Arsenal.
And their bad run is set to continue. The bus will be out on tour with a load of red coated pensioners! Whilst we have a field day!
Wavy, I sooooooooooooo want to believe the obnoxious one has lost the dressing room and that we can go there and win… I’d love a clean sheet as well just so Cech ca come off smiling even more….! A good old one-nil to The Arsenal would do me and to hear the dwarf go into meltdown about how they were the better team bla bla bla………..
Afternoon All
Very good post Wath
Wath you should have been in the Rocket before the game mate, it was rocking.
The combination of beer, Chelsea losing and the match on a massive screen made it a very pleasurable experience…
The roar when Naysmith got his hat trick, lifted the roof off the place… 😀
So, despite the TW fiasco, the Chavs losing and the look on Mourinho’s boat-race put everyone in a party mood and I think actually helped the atmosphere at the Grove.
The Arsenal fans were all in the party mood as the game kick-off and the majority of the crowd got behind the team and drove them on despite some early disappointments, Theo’s header and hitting the post twice…
I never felt, during the game, that Arsenal weren’t gonna score or win…
So my voice is just dandy… 😉
Coach/Tai, I’m really looking forward to the next few games, as one of you said, Gabriel and Cech have certainly tightened up our defence.
As much as I like BFG, I think he might have a job getting his place back.
Ospina, Debuchy, BFG, Chambers and Gibbs looks a decent defence, to take to the Slum for the League Cup.
Arteta, Flamini, Campbell, Bielik, Adelaide, Rosicky possibly.
I agree Kev with the fact that BFG may struggle to get back. Gabriel is very mobile and turns very quickly, and digs in. He just needs a run of games now.
Marinello, I’ve liked Gabriel from the first time I saw him last season. He’s a no nonsense, gets stuck in, gets rid of the ball, no fancy stuff, a proper defender. Not sure if it’s that South American thing, they just seem tough and almost old fashioned in the the way they play, a bit like our defenders used to be under George Graham…
Kev……….what do you think of my line up for Dinamo Zagreb???
Ospina
Debuchy, Per, Gabriel, Gibbs
Arteta, Cazorla
OX, Ramsey, Campbell
Giroud
that lot can play again vs the spuddies after a week.
Wath does not seem to think so.
too much games for Cazorla and Ramsey
Coach, not sure that Arsene will make too many changes for the first game in the Group…
But that line-up is certainly strong enough to do the job in Croatia…
Same old story been the same for years, not clinical in front of goal. Do they actually practice their technique, we know Ramsey won’t get anywhere near the target. Also corner kicks, complete waste of time no variation, rarely score, do they practice any routines, watch Barca, short corners all the time
Morning you lot….
As I said Dev, it’s not that I don’t think that side you picked can’t do a job but there is not a chance in hell Wenger would make so many changes for the first game in the CL group stage…!
We need to win we need to put down a marker so can’t see him messing with the team very much.
Morning Wath and all
Ts, i was waiting for you to comment on my copy n paste Sat…. 😉
lol Wath…
I never read your dribble… 😉
I try not to either mate…………..
😀 wath…
Morning all,
I hope Wenger has figured out what causes us to be so lathargic for lunch time games and pick the team accordingly.
I’d wake them all up at 4am Brad so they think it’s a 3pm kick off
Morning All…
Yes, some team is going to get a right old thrashing from this Arsenal team once everything clicks into place…
That’s now a perfectly good Ramsey goal disallowed and two blatant penalties we’ve not been rightfully awarded – Ramsey and Giroud…
So we’re definitely due a game where we get some luck and maybe the correct decisions going our way…
Stamford Bridge perhaps?
Don’t hold your breath . Just wait and see who is appointed for the match. Atkinson again ?
lol Potter.
Kev- Jose will field a team of 13 players if he could so he does not lose to AW again…
Potter, if it’s Atkinson I am not even going to bother watching…..
I reckon whoever is going to play striker Saturday needs to play Zagreb as here’s a chance to hone the shooting and gain confidence.
I would love to see Sanchez get at Ivanovic so I’d like him to be rested and Campbell given some game time.
Ozil looked tired on Saturday so Ramsey could fill in with Ox on the right allowing both a chance to get form and playing time in the ox’s case.
New post up for you lot not to read as it’s rubbish in any case…! 😉