Chelsea’s run came crashing to an end at Wembley as a rampant Spurs picked them apart and showed that if you stop Jorginho, you stop all the good things Sarri has to offer.
That puts today’s game in an exciting light. Win, and we’ll close the gap on 4th to one point. Lose, and we’ll bring Bournemouth to within a point of our Europa League 5th place. A lot rides on this result, the most important item being confidence heading into a really tough period.
We’ve had one win in five, which isn’t ideal. Our last league win was October 22nd. This becomes a minor blip in the season, or it becomes a very big problem if the game goes badly today.
I’ll be looking for a few things today, knowing Emery has likely been holed up in a video room for 2 weeks working out a plan of action for phase four of the season.
Balance:
He’s going to have to work out how he can find more balance in the team. Our midfield base of Xhaka and Torriera isn’t offering enough protection for the back 4 and going forward, our Ozil experiment isn’t returning a bundle of assists. The coach is going to have to make a decision. He doesn’t get enough from Ozil defensively to keep rolling with what he’s doing.
Does he switch things up and try Mikhi in a more modern #10 role? Arguably his best season in a Dortmund shirt came under Thomas Tuchel who played him centrally or on the left. He’s naturally a #10 by trade. I remember being told years ago that the thing Arsenal like most about his game was how industrious he was. A relentless attacking talent that could open up matches like a chess player. Is he as good as Mesut Ozil at threading passes? No. But could he give us more balance in midfield if he could do 100% more than Mesut defending, and 70% of what he can moving forward? Is that a sacrifice that could help us find more rhythm moving forward?
We’re running extremely low on options…
Starting 11:
We’ve been appalling in nearly every opening 45 this season. That has to stop. We aren’t going to be able to chase game forever. We need to play more cautiously in the opening 20 minutes, or we need to find our game quicker. Bournemouth are likely going to explode at us this morning, if we haven’t picked the right starting 11, we’re going to pay a painful price. I don’t know the answer to finding focus early on, but we all know it’s an issue, hopefully, the coach has a plan.
Strikers:
Auba and Lacazette both have exceptional individual talents, but playing one of them out of position isn’t really working. Do we lean in hard at working out a two-striker system? Or do we search for a better way to achieve width? We have a bit of a nightmare with the two of them. One can’t hold up the play and is best as a fox in box or over the top. The other is great at holding up the ball and bringing people into the game, he’s just a bit lightweight and easily anonymised against big teams. If the club is going to be ruthless this summer, you’d imagine one of the two will be on their way. We need to find a balance of skill sets, and unfortunately, we need to lean into someone who is a Giroud+++.
Plenty of excitement to look forward to this morning, let’s hope this is the start of a beautiful run that sees us take phase 4 by storm!
x
football ..Let’s hope Emery can find the magic formula to make us more pleasing on the eye.”
LMAO
What a cuck.
More attractive football is code for 40 points behind? Lol
Have a word with your soul in private…
I think that anyone who watched today’s performance and is being honest knows that Arsenal are not a great team and we are at the moment miles behind Man City in performance and squad talent. However, a team, which has gone now 18 games without defeat after some very difficult games is clearly resilient and difficult to beat as we demonstrated in the game against Liverpool. I am not sure that I would have picked the formation we put out today. It looked brittle in the first half. However, at the end of the day we won. What is clear… Read more »
Marko I’m not feeling sorry for myself like Banford but good effort. You’re clearly bored and intent on providing a running commentary god knows why. I’m pointing out the double standard from Receding, who has went from staunch defence of Emery (where one wasn’t called for), to having a pop at me calling his arrogant assertion foolish. Receding Moving onto a concept that i call people names for disagreeing with me? Lol brilliant, yes, that’s the one. More mudslinging because you have a strange propensity to defend Emery. Pedro gets it whenever he coins a concern in an article, rather… Read more »
What I truly don’t understand and probably never will, is why, after so many years of mismanagement and a blindness to act by our previous manager, some fans feel the need to criticize Emery, after such a short period in charge?“
Because the AKBs supported a man, not the club. Now that man is gone(thank you Jesus) .
That’s it.
Some people just love to romanticize the last few years. We haven’t played proper attractive football since Cesc left. By and large
More mudslinging because you have a strange propensity to defend Emery.
Oh the irony.
Let me borrow a phrase that absolutely cracked me up tonight
Charlie.. Have a word with your soul in private
Good night
Logic tells you that support for a trashed out manager on his last dithering legs for 5 years at least and sacked compared with a manager picking up the remnants of a shaky squad and then achieving a 17 match unbeaten run, is one of blind loyalty….a cult type of madness. It makes no logical sense….the desperation of the argument that we played attractive football under Wenger really is pathetic. Was 8_2, 6-0 etc attractive? No it was feeble tippy tally with the odd twice a season great team goal. Oh and we have already scored 2 of those great… Read more »
Against the like for like fixtures of last season switching Swansea for Cardiff, Fulham for West Brom and Wolves for Stoke we’re 6 points better off than last season.
For all of the Emery haters please tell me why things are worse than last season?
For all of the Emery haters please tell me why things are worse than last season?
Cause we’re having poor first halfs I guess. Even though it’s worth noting that under Arsene we were notoriously bad starters as well.
Hey everyone, let’s keep it to the football.
If you can’t tolerate constructive critique of anything Arsenal, this is the wrong blog for you. You’ve become exactly what this blog was set out to counter… a ‘knows best’ type.
No manager, player, coach, or detail of the club is beyond discussion.
The only thing that I won’t abide by, is disagreeing with me.
Marko I can’t get the issue with some on here. So far we’ve seen some improvement, it’s not perfect and we need to be better but it isn’t that last season was bad under Wenger it’s it was getting worse and worse. As we speak (so to say) I’m actually watching a series on the Kim regime on Nat Geo and the personality cult that they created. The Kim’s created a cult by fear and executions I can’t get why Wenger follower’s can’t accept that great became poor, that poor became desperate, that desperate became delusional with no threat. It… Read more »
Interesting that we had 20 attempts on goal today.
4 on target
1 goal.
Does that keep our clinical edge stats high? 25% of shots on target go in (OG)?
Or is the stat combined from all shots?
xG today was Arsenal 1.6 Bournemouth 0.65
“The only thing that I won’t abide by, is disagreeing with me.”
Sorry Pedro but I think you are wrong and you’ve got a silly haircut.
No ban me I dare you!
*MARC BANNED*
Pedro
I’ve been reading the blog and commenting for years and that’s the first time I felt like I really belong!
Have a good one everyone.
Night Marc!
Pedro
I don’t think it is a ‘knows best’ type it is a ‘you’ve changed your tune on what being a fan means suddenly after 7 years of obstinate denial and I can smell your agenda from a mile off like a gigantic heap of disingenuous, hypocritical shit’ type.
There are some people here, only a few, deliberately on a wind up. Even if you won’t see it.
That is what is annoying a lot of posters.
Elneny being linked with Leicester in a £15m move for January, please let it be true.
‘Elneny being linked with Leicester in a £15m move for January, please let it be true’
If we sold Elneny for £15 Million and bought Fornals for £18 Million I would feel like it was some sort of hidden camera show.
I can’t get the issue with some on here. So far we’ve seen some improvement, it’s not perfect and we need to be better but it isn’t that last season was bad under Wenger it’s it was getting worse and worse
According to Pierre recently the last 5 years were reasonably successful. That’s what you’re dealing with. The recent years were in fact successful and Emery is trash really
Cesc
Whereas naturally the focus in a transfer window turns to who we BRING IN actually our club has been awful in selling our players. Ideally, I would be delighted if we sold Ramsey for £20m, Elneny for £15m, Jenkinson for £2m, Ospina for £3m, Kolasinac for £10m and then we brought in a decent winger and a LB with the proceeds it would be a great window for us in my opinion.
Leeds
Agreed.
Part of it was we bought so badly and the players all regressed.
I think it might actually be given the way we play a LB if a position we either spend a fair amount on or it is a really great scout by Mislintat. Because Emery relies on his RB and LB for a lot of our threat.
Someone like Telles for example at LB, £30-40 Million but is a bit of an assist machine.
Also has a very high work rate and gets back and defends well.
Would like to see what Chilwell could do at LB.
Home grown, could give us 12 years, quick and gets forward well.
A top CB, as well as:
Chilwell
Martial
Sancho
Could see us make huge improvements. All have high ceilings and are way off their peaks.
CA, that sort of carry-on isn’t just here either… amazing how many pro-Wenger places have suddenly found a critical voice. A lot of folk seem a little too keen to make up for years of refusing an opinion. Very transparent.
Elneney for £15m would be great business.
Wonder if China will come in for any of our big white whales this summer?
Chilwell just signed a new 6 year deal though recently. Grimaldo is the dream but to be honest Tagliafico and Firpo seem like really good links recently
I can’t see Leicester letting Chilwell go for less than £40m. Quality homegrown left backs are in short supply and in their minds they will want Maguire type of money for him… unless they were open to a straight swap for Ramsey. Considering that we need to make our money go further I would look at someone like Tierney, 20, with plenty of experience at Celtic. Unless AMN was drafted in as a lb/lwb… so could focus our attention on a winger and a cb. I believe Man United has an option to extend Martial’s contract by a year. If… Read more »
You guys watch a lot of football, so I can take credit for your scouting.
For that, I thank you.
Also, you MUST listen to the Gladiator podcast on Aaron Hernandez. It is seriously fucked up what people will do to get an elite athlete on the field.
Leeds, I reckon United dropping Mourinho before Christmas might let Arsenal in. They’ll want to recoup some of that wastage as they prepare for life outside the CL next year.
Really hope Spurs fuck things up this year and United steal Poch away.
Did Mkhitaryan had another stinker? Shame really, because I thought the arrival of PEA would bring about the best in him. A shadow of his best that was at Dortmund.
Absolutely shocking performance.
He looks totally lost. He isn’t interested in working for the team. His passes were often underhit. He was just awful. Really had high hopes for him.
Leeds Fact is it’s going to cost a lot of money to sign the kind of players that can make a big difference. Look at the best AMs in the PL: DeBruyne £50m Hazard £32m 6 years ago Mane £34m Salah £37m with one year left Sterling £50m at 19 yo The club have to bite the bullet and invest in a raft of young and elite talent in the next few windows. Or else we are just hoping to get lucky, not a good plan. Signings like Torreira, Guendouzi, Sokratis are shrewd buys….but the next raft of signings need… Read more »
Pedro Pochettino will have an interesting choice to make if United and Real come calling. Unless Levy decides to throw a tonne of money I can’t see Pochettino staying at Spurs. I can’t see Levy doing that because they won’t have any money to spare with this new stadium. If Real throw £200m for Eriksen and Kane I can’t see them saying no, especially if Pochettino goes. As we know, a new stadium is nice to have but it has to be paid for. I personally don’t see Solari being a long term solution for Real especially if Pochettino gets… Read more »
gambon
I agree with you but with the club still publicly spouting the self sustaining mantra I can’t see them biting the bullet to spend that kind of money. I would love it if they did, but I don’t think they will.
Self sustaining doesn’t mean “only spend what’s in the bank”
Every company in the FTSE 100 has some level of gearing. Every single one.
Spending let’s say £200m, When we have projected 5 year revenues of £2.2bn is absolutely self sustaining.
Look at our business this summer. Spent £65m on 5 players that are probably now worth £120m.
If I was Stan I’d be urging Sven to go and spend as much as he can.
I don’t think anyone here is against emery being criticized. Most of us actively call out what we consider to be his mistakes on a game to game basis, I already did straight after the game
But yeah, lots of people take issue with people only using critical faculties the instant the old goat left the building. None of those guys can be taken remotely seriously. And that’s how it will remain.
“You didn’t have to look far to find a plank ….”
You probably don’t live too far from Graham on the south cost, so you’re right – easy for Graham to find a plank.
Londongunner
RE: CC
“A lot of your comments come across as measured and fair, but people don’t trust you. Because you were such an apologist for Wenger and seemed to have no sense of awareness or critical analysis when he was at the helm. In fact you were often doing mental gymnastics and bending backwards to defend wenger. I remember a specifically absurd and laughable statement when you declared Wenger could still win the Premier league.”
Perfect summation
I wrote yesterday that Mkhitaryan is a “powder puff”. There is nothing in his game, which suggests remotely that he should replace Ozil in the team.
His passing and skill set is not at the same level.
CC “it’s not the first time someone on here has tried to undermine my credibility” What credibility? That really made me laugh. Thanks for that Charlie. No one needs to do that Charlie boy, you are most capable of doing it to yourself. Like others before him Receding’s posts yesterday has ripped you a new one for all to see. You, Pierre and Vic would be perfectly at home in a Lampoon movie: Trolls Forever. I’m seriously bored with you three now, so I’ll take Cesc Appeal’s advice and ignore your future posts. My take is Emery is doing the… Read more »
Pierre
“As far as they are concerned we have the second coming of the messiah and they are blinded by their faith .”
So what you mean there is the second coming of Wenger.
Which is highly ironic coming from you as you are still blindly following a man who doesn’t even manage the team anymore.
I agree with cesc, RH and a few others that there is somewhat of an over-expectancy from some posters here as to what should be achieved this season. If we are going to look at it at face value, it’s a massive task for Emery to bring a 6th placed squad back into the top 4. Especially with our financial structure. This mess is on gazidis Wenger and Kroenke. But at least 2 of the more involved personnel are gone, and replaced by a structure I have tenfold more faith in that the last 10 years of Wenger and gazidis.… Read more »
Dkingz, call someone a coconut head again and you’ll be sin-binned.
This is the blog of love.
Impossible to disagree with this:
“Henrikh Mkhitaryan looked lost against Bournemouth… he has been nowhere near good enough to warrant a starting role at Arsenal”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6426873/Henrikh-Mkhitaryan-near-good-warrant-starting-role-Arsenal.html
Hahahahahahahahahaha Pedro, that coconut head comment cracked me up so hard :p
You couldn’t make it up.
Those that stood by AW for so many years, out of so called loyalty and respect, now criticize Emery after just a few months, because the Football doesn’t look good.
Those that criticized AW all those years, because it was shambolic and embarrassing, now stand by Emery because they know it’s not going to be easy and will take time.
Oh to be a gooner.
Wrong on both points.
The football.has been shit for years.
Nothing shambolic and embarrassing about Emery’s Arsenal.
yh i agree with many that say we have quite an incomplete team…many flawed players….some with weaknesses that you would worry about against the top teams.
But how do we keep on being unbeaten?
why didnt liverpool thrash us in the first 25 minutes?
simple! A manager that is very astute tactically and has the players confidence in everything he tells them.
Im very impressed with emery….we are to some degree punching above our weight.
The contrast to the mr magoo we had a year ago is stark.
I am finally coming round to the idea many have been putting forward on here, to really make that leap forward at some point we will have to pump in at least 150-200m a transfer window into this team. The players we have stockpiled over the years don’t seem to fit any particular system, its almost like they were brought in for non footballing reasons i.e their character and what not. You can see they are trying but their inherent flaws keep getting in the way. We have to bite the bullet and let some of them go on a… Read more »
‘ RECEDING…. yh agree… wenger kind of put together a frankenstien outfit….we need to shed those players you indicate.
Iwobi is different, i feel… ive seen magic in his boots….and i think we should wait a season or two to see if he develops further. He sometimes overdoes stuff and is rash at times…but hey his close control at speed is awesome at times.
Marko “According to Pierre recently the last 5 years were reasonably successful. That’s what you’re dealing with.”I I actually said history will say that this period was reasonably successful just as the period with brady,Stapleton etc is looked back on as a reasonably successful period even though we lost 3 cup finals and only on won one. 1953 -68. Nothing =unsuccessful 1968-72…1 league title ,1 fairs cup ,1 fa cup ..3 losing finals =successful 1972-78…….nothing = unsuccessful 1978-80.1 FA cup ….3 losing finals = reasonably successful 1980-87…..Nothing = unsuccessful 1987-94…..2 league titles..1 FA cup ..1 cup winners cup..2 ..league cups… Read more »
4 – Wins by Arsenal in 19 away matches 2017/18
4 – Wins by Arsenal in 6 away matches 2018/19
16 – Arsenal points in away matches 2017/18
13 – Arsenal points in away matches 2018/19 (so far)#UnaiEffect
Tony
I see you have moved on from talking about periods and bleeding every month ….
Graham62
I will forever be an AKB, nothing’s going to change that.
But please don’t assume anyone who still have some affection for Wenger is an Emery critic.
The football so far has yielded the results and Emery has beaten all odds against the xG; which is huge.
He can make our strikers score on low shots and create this wall that makes opposing players miss good chances. Whatever that is, more of it.
As an AKB, I hope Emery smash Mourinho a good one and boot him out of United. Please no post-match Wenger bashing and spoil my fun.
RH Mavrapanos was supposed to be back in training now in November so should hopefully be back soon, been very quiet about him. As long as we’re ruthless with shifting underperformers out in the summer, which I think Emery will be after a season of seeing the shitshow in place, we’re going to be alright. I don’t for a second believe the 30m budget claim when we have more than that just in increased sponsorships. Backline: Mustafi and Chambers out, should be able to get 30-35m for a young english cb and former german international. Let Monreal go and keep… Read more »
Apparently, all of the Arsenal players stopped to spend time with a young disabled Bournemouth fan at full time before heading to the dressing room.
Tremendous. What a club. Classenal
we have the driver(emery) , now we just need the components of a fast car and we will be hammering it!
at present the mechanics of emery have tweaked the engine etc and we are racing better and more reliably than last year…just need the boost of top tech quality components.
Pierre
You forgot our most successful.period..1930’s..numpty.
Ruth
I was just going from memory..
What is your memory of the 30’s ?
If Wenger was on 17 unbeaten he would have been given a 5 year extension. Pretty pointless arguing or allowing yourself to get wound up by what effectively are religious zealots.
I’ll take “ugly” unbeaten in 17 than “attractive” futility. Anyone longing for attractive football are the same ones popping champagne for beating Crystal Palace while our rivals were winning the league multiple times over the past decade and a half.
The worst part was that it was not attractive under Wenger, not since RVP, Cesc, Hleb, Songhino, Nasri and Co were playing like mustachioed musketeers. It was pretty but ultimately spineless and futile, but when it was good it was very good. the latter 5 years were boring backward/sideways passes with ne`er a shot on target.
RVP…what a lad. I miss those days when a twist of his hips would send defenders inside and out. Thanks for the memories….you twunt!