‘NO Moura, less than two points’
Legend of Le Grove’s 1st comment… DM… had a first of his own yesterday as he welcomed a new baby girl into the world. Everyone raise a FIRST to him in the comments today to celebrate. Congrats, Thierryrina is a beaut of a name!
ONTO SERIOUS FOOTBALL STUFF 👇👇👇
How many articles did you read yesterday about the erosion of civil society because two dickheads ran onto football pitches? Our press LIVE for a moment in which they can condemn every living/breathing person and wrap it in a football narrative. Idiots are always a byproduct of something they don’t like. Social media, Brexit, porn, cats…
Dickheads have always been a part of modern culture and they always will be. Don’t try and make sense of it. Just let it be and make sure that if the person sitting next to you suggests running on the pitch, you demand they get naked or sit the fuck down. Do the same if the person next to you at work asks if you want a tea, see how that works out.
UNITED COLD TURKEY
As the joy subsides post-United, the stinging slap of reality has set in for some.
We’re back in prison, we’ve been locked in a cage with 3 other big boys, we’re now fighting it out in the #TopDog race, with a whole bunch of nasty weirdos looking to shank us along the way.
What I’m trying to say is this… let’s not get carried away thinking this race is done. Things have fallen into place very nicely over the past month. Spurs, Chelsea and United have all slipped in and out of ecstasy. Now we’re on high #Top4Life, but things could get testy very quickly.
I liken this moment to the Champions League semi-final when the club first gave us flags, we started waving them like lunatics, then CR7 stepped up and spoiled the party. Away form is our CR7 brooding over a free kick.
When you look at our easy run, you realise it’s actually not easy. It’s really hard. Our struggles have generally come on the road this season, and against the unsexy teams.
Everton, Watford, Leicester and Wolves are the big worry for us. They are Xherdan-Shaqiri-in-a-Borat-one-piece levels of sexy. They are tough, gritty, tiring games to play. This is where the weakness of our season has generally sat. BATE, Brighton, West Ham, Rennes are the games we should have won but didn’t
Is it a talent thing? No. I think it’s a focus thing.
Unai Emery has to take the same sort of attention to detail he had for Spurs/United and channel it into the games that aren’t as interesting. He has to keep the players interested. He has to make sure they feel the fire of importance. He has to make the end goal feel important to the players.
That could be super basic. Maybe a little reminder there’s serious money in it if we make top 4. It could be flashing the excitement of elite football next season. It could be the threat of getting booted out if the socks are not pulled up hard enough. Or it could just be the hit of adrenaline from United that carries us through.
Each game is now a Cup Final… but, before we turn the league into a cup, we have to deal with Rennes on Thursday.
We are more than capable of taking them down by two goals. The challenge is they are protecting a lead and as a counter-attacking team, what better position to be in than waiting for Arsenal to overextend themselves?
I’ve read some people say we should throw the game. I think that’s silly. Emery could really do with a cup win to bolster his rep going into the summer. It’d also be smart to keep both routes to the Champions League firmly open. I’d also personally like to see Emery give it some back to Ben Arfa for his premature gloating the other day.
The real work starts now. We have momentum with us. We have two routes to the promised land of Champions League football. We look like we’re firing on all cylinders.
Let’s make the run in something special!
Back again
hey there
Tro4hy
Tr4phy 😉
Trofee
Well done DM and congrats with your wife
DM, good one mate.
Y’all didn’t expect that, eh?
On a serious note, would like to thank everyone for their kind words and good wishes yesterday. I was expecting one or two responses, was quite blown away by all the well wishes! Nice to see this site is still about community. Big love all x
Wow. Just read the post (been up since 4 so cut me some slack! lol), totally chuffed to get my own paragraph at the top! Pedro mate, thank you!
Congratz with the baby girl DM, fun and different times ahead 🙂
DM
Late to party but congrats on your girl!
She is going to wake you up for the next few months; so gird yourself ready man.
How refreshing it is to struggle against weak teams rather than fall apart against the bigger teams
Congrats DM 👏🎉🎉
its all about being focused and keeping hope until the last game of the season
I am sure arsenal would love to win the Europa league, give a statement out to Europe and say we not messing around
we trying to win the champions league according to KSE but if we cant win the Europa league whats the point. why not have a European pedigree
Pedro As I wrote in the aftermath of our victory against Man Utd the club is now in the driving seat to finish in top 4. The other three vying for Champions League Qualification must play at least two games against top six rivals. However, as a word of caution I pointed out two major qualifications that needed to be considered. The first is our away form since November not just in EPL but also in the Europa Cup. We have lost games or dropped points against relatively weak opposition. Also our suicidal approach to games culminating in three red… Read more »
The sentence that foolish man got for attacking Grealish was as pathetic as him running up from behind and still being able to connect with a proper shot. You get 14 weeks if you’ve been a naughty boy and have previous from drink driving.
He should be behind bars for at least 3 years. Picture being so riled up over a game of football to do such nonsense.
Emirates,
I’ve mentioned on here a few times that I think 76 points should be enough. We have three home games that we need to take maximum points from. We then need to win at least two of those other away games and no less than a point in one.
I calculated on the basis of us dropping points against Spurs and United but we picked up 4 points from those games (which should have been six) which is good.
“How refreshing it is to struggle against weak teams rather than fall apart against the bigger teams”
I don’t think refreshing is the word to use Red
Congrats on the birth of your princess DM
You really do have to ask if going out of the EL would be a good thing. We have a 2 week gap before our next game, and if we win our next 2 games (Newcastle home, Everton away) we will almost certainly be 3rd. At the very least, if we do get through against Rennes, and we win those 2 PL games, I would like to see us seriously consider playing a weaker team in the next round (especially if we draw an average team) Our PL run in is tough. Not on paper tough, but tough considering our… Read more »
Yo! Congratulations DM!
gambon
How about congratulating Emery on a hard fought win over Man Utd
Leftsideansch
My calculation that 75 points are needed is based on two factors.
1. The other three clubs in equation have at least two games against opponents
in top 4. Both Chelsea and Spurs have difficult away games, which I think that
they will lose.
2. In last 4 years the fourth placed team has managed 76 points only once.
2014/5 62 points
2015/6 66 points
2016/7 76 points
2017/8 75 points
Congrats DM!
Took my little girl to her first game at the age of 4. It was only the Emirates cup, but she got right into it, screaming at the top of her little lungs. Bless her 🙂
It’s very reassuring to note that the ex players we all like to call ours aren’t exactly cheer leading for us
Martin Keown thinks Spurs and United will finish third and fourth
Patrick Viera the other day saying he wants Rennes to knock us out as it helps french football or something
Go figure
“Mohamed Salah says he is ready to sacrifice his own Champions League dream to help Liverpool win their first Premier League title.”
Very smart from Salah.
He puts off the pressure on his teammates before the game vs Bayern.
gambon
I think that the Europa Cup is a distraction.
We might win it, but then again if Spurs or Man Utd were to win Champions League and finish 5th or 6th in EPL we would not qualify for Champions League next season if we finish outside top 4. Only one European Cup Winner would qualify.
I think that Arsenal’s resources are already stretched to limit with long term injuries and red cards.
However, I suspect that Emery and the club will want to win on Thursday and
progress if possible.
Arsenal will win on Thursday and it will be by more than two goals.
Saw enough in the first 30 mins last week to convince me that Rennes can be dismantled. Their counter attacking game will be a threat but I still feel we’ll breach their defence with regularity.
We’ll concede but will score more than three.
Got to be positive.
I’ll go 4-1 or 5-2 win.
Why not?
“I’ve read some people say we should throw the game.”
Let me guess… Guns of Hackney ?? lol
I do think we have a squad to compete on EL and PL
we just need to keep our suspensions in check
but I remember last season where LACA was off form and Auba gave him a penalty to score to give his confidence a rise even when he was on a hatrick
I remember this was before the Ateltico semi final
Wasn’t it Gambon that said we had no chance of top four and that we would lose to Spurs and United?
I’m guessing there wasn’t enough substance or defining style of play to warrant congratulatory praise.
gambon
You need to apologise to Emery for foolishly underestimating the great changes Emery has made.
“Aaron Ramsey believes Arsenal still have work to do under Unai Emery even after his side beat Manchester United 2-0 to move back into the top four. ”
Aaron has the same view than Pedro over the top 4 race.
(Thanks again to Arsene for having constrain us to keep Ozil instead of Rambo.)
Spurs will be lucky to secure 1 point from their two away games against Man
City and Liverpool.
Also they have difficult games against London Opponents. We know that such
games can be a lottery.
Chelsea have got also difficult away games against Liverpool and Man Utd, although otherwise their fixtures are fairly easy. However, they have difficult
schedule of cup games.
It makes no sense to throw the game on Thursday, as we have a 2 week break after.
My point was more what do we do if we’re in the QF
Not being in Europe would be a huge advantage against UTD and Spurs in what is going to be a very tight run in.
Would be a shame to throw away the small advantage we do have
Especially when a lot of our games are tough away games that we have struggled in.
gambon went further than just writing us off, he said we would shit ourselves against Spurs and Man Utd…lol
Emirates,
Interesting, didn’t realise that the 4th point tally was as ‘low” as that. It was why I was saying that the United game was a must win/not lose for confidence, In terms of the result, we could afford a loss or two and still reach 75/76 points and that is still the case.
Gambon why win the game on Thursday if we are then going to “throw” the ties that follow as you are suggesting we do?
What’s wrong with just playing every game as it comes along and seeing what we end up with??
the SPUDs
have 5 home games, that is a advantage but if its in the new stadium do you think the pressure will get to them
we all know moving into a new stadium and atmosphere can be different
RedTruth
Who is your player of the year so far ?? just curious mate.
Arsenal’s best player so far I meant.
if we had to sell one of Auba or Laca
which player do we need the most??
I know who is Pierre’s player of the year so far!!
(a clue : he’s got very strange eyes)
@gunnershabz : we need to keep the both.
Emirates
‘We might win it, but then again if Spurs or Man Utd were to win Champions League and finish 5th or 6th in EPL we would not qualify for Champions League next season if we finish outside top 4. Only one European Cup Winner would qualify’
This is just wrong
The winners of the Europa league qualify for the group stages regardless of any other permutation from domestic league competition.
highbury legend
according to reports I think auba will have 2 years left in summer and arsenal don’t want contracts running down anymore but he is 29 years old
I am sure ozil is in the same situation
HighburyLegend
Predictable as ever .
“What’s wrong with just playing every game as it comes along and seeing what we end up with??”
We’re 1 point off 3rd,, 2 pts ahead of 5th, 3 pts ahead of 6th who have a game in hand.
I would say theres a big difference between whether we play another 8 games, or another 14 games in the next 8 weeks.
Its almost twice as many games.
Its more after the Newcastle & Everton games that you have to think about this.
The league may well look like this:
Arsenal 66
Spurs 64
UTD 64
Chelsea 64
If Liverpool and city win their CL games this week [which is likely], every team competing for the top-6 places will still be in Europe [assuming we beat Rennes]
Everyone will have European commitments. Playing in Europe didn’t stop us from showing up against United because they were just as tired.
If we get through against Rennes. we could have 8 games between 11th April and 9th May, 28 days.
Imagine the difference between 7 days recovery between games, and 3-4 days recovery.
Also, imagine going away to Burnley last game, having played an EL Semi Final 3 days before.
At the very least Emery needs to be very careful about how he uses the squad.
Freezing out players like Elneny, Jenkinson makes no sense.
Dissenter
You clearly havent ever heard of the word ‘advantage’
If youre running a marathon and the guy next to you cuts his foot off, you dont cut yours off and say “oh well, we both have the same disadvantage”
“I would say theres a big difference between whether we play another 8 games, or another 14 games in the next 8 weeks. Its almost twice as many games.” Same applies to everyone around us and no one has thrown Europe yet so why should we? Would be a different issue if throwing the Europa league somehow guarantees we will play like professionals against Watford, Wolves and Leicester away from home but it doesn’t. So i still say throwing any competition is not on the cards, yes lets see where we are after Rennes, Newcastle and Everton, but even if… Read more »
Definitely do not throw the Rennes game. Nor that competition at all. Its the only thing we have left that we can win – aside from Top 4 Trophy. Whist i can see the benefit in the extra recovery time, i can see a bigger benefit in momentum and a winning streak, with the chance of a pot at the end of it all.
Freezing out players like Elneny, Jenkinson makes no sense.
Yes the treatment of Elneny is strange, i notice no one is crying for him because he doesn’t do flicks but i think he has had a very raw deal under Emery.
As for Jenkinson i dare say he has played more than i thought he would so freezing is a strong word to use.
If the 5th place team on the premier league wins the CL, [like United], then 4th place will not be enough to qualify for the CL….IF Chelsea wins the Europa league.
The idea that we throw a game is laughable because we have only two European trophies in our cabinet
All sorts of extraneous uncontrollable events will affect the run-in – such as injuries, bad ref decisions. What we can examine with near certainty are the two main factors: the team personnel and the management. On the first issue, personnel, Arsenal are the worst of the 4 contenders for 3rd and 4th spots. Some will dispute that, of course, but on the basis of which have players who can actually win a game, we have perhaps, Ramsay, whereas the others have clear matchwinners in Hazard, Kane, Ericson, Pogba, Lukaku, etc. On the other issue, management, IMO Arsenal head the queue.… Read more »
Dissenter
Actually you are wrong.
If a team finishing outside the top 4 wins the Champions League then they take precedence over Europa Cup Winner.
The maximum number of teams from any league who can compete in Champions League is Five.
Top 4 over trophies is the old Arsenal under Wenger.
gambon really needs to let go of the old Arsenal.
gambon
Momentum is everything now
Breaking it is with an embarrassing loss to Rennes will have you lot coming of of the woodwork again, …morale wil sag and we are right back in crises
This newly found reluctant praise of Emery won’t last for long, it’s tenuous and people are chomping at the bots to return back to their baseline.
We have to win … and keep winning.
Emirates
I checked the UEFA site
The winner of the Europa league qualifies directly regardless of whatever permutation.
If united win the CL and come 5th and a 6th place Chelsea wins the EL…4th place won’t qualify.
Go check it…I just did
4th place is not a trophy.
Does the punishment fit the crime for these “dickheads”? In my opinion, definitely no. Pedro Modern western society tolerates “dickheads” to the extent that the majority are often tarnished with the same brush. We Brits are dispised abroad because of such people. Imagine if these tossers had run on the field of play in Singapore or Indonesia. What would their punishment have been?……………EXACTLY! Anti-social behaviour is around us all 24/7 (just walk down your local high street on a Saturday afternoon). Eradicate it by dishing out punishments that would scare all potential “dickheads” shitless. Thanks to the PC brigade and… Read more »
*them
Honestly 4th place on March 12th means shouldn’t give any consolation
What matters is being in the mix with a good shout of winning key games to get back to the CL
Like folks have said, too many uncontrollable circumstances will cause all four teams to ebb and flow till the.ast game.
We do need to be ahead by that last game – Bunrley wil love nothing better that to batter us.
*both
lol
We’ve already overcome two hurdles which gambon thought were impossible to climb, now he’s seeing more difficulties which don’t exist……lol have a word with yourself.
@Dissenter : agree with you, like TH14 once said, “celebrate” the 4th place is ridiculous.
But being back in the CL is vital.
Whaoh! I’m late to the DM party but what have you been up to bruv? 🙂 Well we don’t need all the details!!!
The few occasions a couple of pretenders (including my humble self) nicked your Tr4phy, now we can probably, maybe, perhaps hazard a guess why we were so lucky!
Welcome to our world you beautiful baby Gunner!!!
Graham
You don’t think 14 weeks in the slammer is enough to help that idiot get reformed back into the society?
He’s publicly shamed himself and won’t ever get a serious job for a long time. That video is on the internet and every prospective employer will review it. He’s even banned from football for life.
14 weeks is a good deterrent. Let’s not get overboard. It’s an assault charge that didn’t result in injury and he plead guilty saving your CPS an expensive trial.
Why is 3 years a magical number?
Redtruth
You literally did a predictions post 2 weeks ago, saying we would beat both Spurs and Rennes.
You have absolutely zero credibility here.
Go back to wanking over your Jeremy Corbyn posters.
We beat Spurs, it was YOUR player that messed up.
Rennes will be beaten so i am beyond reproach…..
Beyond help.
Congrats DM! Fatherhood and Arsenal…two things that will make you want to pull your hair out one minute, and provide you with great joy the next!
The two big beasts of Arsenal pessimism on Le Grove, gambon and Redtruth telling each other off… on who was in reality, more pessimistic about Arsenal.
Something deeply satirical about it all 😉
gambon’s predictions are impotent and have no value
@Leeds : what about Guns of Hackney ?? lol
A lot of posters have been slagging off Emery all season, now their words are coming back to haunt them.
Some people will never be positive about Arsenal (EVEN WHEN WE WIN???) because they only value status.
We are europa league top 4 challengers. This isn’t elite status. We are not Madrid, Barca, City or Juve so until we become elite again, some people will always moan and groan about Arsenal because we are not of an Elite status.
These people don’t really support Arsenal, they support high status, however, you can’t change your team.. so they’re fucked.
HL
Guns is a relative newcomer. 😉
To be fair, gambon, he was Wenger Out before anybody.
gambon is Emery out before anybody too.
Guns also says stuff for a few laughs so he shouldn’t be taking serious with anything he says.
I would definately not be throwing the EL game, I looked at that fixture list a couple of weeks ago and thought it almost inevitable that we will drop points in some of those away games.
We might not have to face any of the other top 5 teams unlike Chelsea, Spurs or MU but they have more home games than us and we haven’t exactly excelled away from home.
DM is a daddy!!
Awwwww!!!
guys don’t you think its ironic when everyone ripped wenger for the “top 4 trophy” and now spurs, man u and Chelsea are fighting it all out to be in top 4
#wengerknows
LOL
@Left : it’s true that he has a typical sense of humor.
Gambon makes an excellent point about recovery time between games.
Momentum is key in the run in, those legs will hurt a little more after a bad result if you have another game within 3 days.
“Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has called time on his football career.”
Too bad… I’m sure many of us would have loved to see him at Arsenal.
(lol)
Dissenter
Just saying that most of these morons are a scourge on society and are serial offenders.
Guaranteed he won’t do 3 months.
3 years is not enough as far as I’m concerned.
By the way, your perceptions of the “slammer” may be slightly different than mine. Here in the UK its not quite the same as in the US.
jasongmsMarch 12, 2019 08:32:55
Anyway, who still thinks Emery isn’t special sauce? haha fuck the akbs!
___
Based on what?
Still loads of deluded crazies on here I see.
Are people genuinely questioning why Elneny and Jenkinson are being left out in the cold?
Simple. They are beyond useless. Every time they play, a unicorn dies. That’s how bad they are.
Arsenal may as well hire those two pitch invaders and play them.
“Every time they play, a unicorn dies. ”
looooooooool
If a professional football player can’t play a couple of games with a three day gap…they shouldn’t be classed as professional or an athlete.
Better pitches.
Better nutrition.
Better understanding of conditioning.
Fucking footballers. They need some time on a rugby field in the middle of the pack.
Jerks.
Thomas what exactly is special sauce
Thomas what exactly is special sauce
Thomas Tuchel
RH
Special sauce is the x factor. Pizazz. Magic. Stardust.
Only Arteta has it.
Dunno, if it has been posted but In a list, Auba has missed the most big chances this season. 19 of them. But he’s also the 3rd deadliest striker in the prem with 22.5% conversion rate.
lacazettte on his own part is joint 6 on the list with 11 big chances missed. Arsenal are the only club that have 2 players in the top10
That’s a total of 30 big chances missed this season. #Unreal Emery out. He doesnt have sauce
3 months is not enough
SPUDS and Manure have CL games on April 9 and 16. They will have two weeks in hell. I really can’t see Manure nor SPUDS winning the CL. Chelsea would be more likely winning the EL. As dissenter said, it won’t affect the 4th place spot. Now if Chelsea occupies also one of the top4 spot, would the 5th place team allow to play the CL. If we advance to the next round of the EL, I would play some youngsters in the first game and go full force in the second leg. My major worry is injury to our… Read more »
Mystic
Mathematics are not my strong point but does that mean Auba is only converting 1/4 chances…roughly?
That’s terrible. We used to mock players like Andrew Cole for being a 1/3 man.
I think the point is, the best forwards in the league more than make up the percentages for the poorer ones.
Guns
i think over a season, a striker will miss way more than he will convert. Auba has not really been very clinical since he came to us but he has also scored loads. if he didn’t miss many, he would be a 1 in 3 striker at least which is par the better strikers in any division.
The number of big chances we miss is alarming though. i watch these days expecting Lacayang to miss atleast 1 big chance each
“That’s terrible. We used to mock players like Andrew Cole for being a 1/3 man. ”
The circus is back in town or at least it’s in Hackney.