Been working on this new diet called ‘gym and starve yourself’… you know what, very effective at dropping weight, but you actually can’t control where the weight comes off. That’s the next phase, then I’m bringing it to market. I’ll call it G&SY, remember the brand.
BIG GAME tonight. We have the chance to make up some of that lost ground on Liverpool after they dropped points to United yesterday. We also have the chance to move further ahead of the disaster down the road. They really did make Watford look good at times.
The big question on everyone’s lips tonight is: What is Emery going to do with Mesut Ozil?
It wouldn’t be a question if the manager hadn’t opened the door to the return of his precious creator, but he did, so maybe we’ll see the German in a tough game up north on a cold Monday night.
After two of the longest weeks I’ve had this year, I think we’ve all forgotten what’s going on at Arsenal.
A reminder:
- We are 8 unbeaten.
- We’ve scored 20 goals
- We’re 5th in the league.
A win tonight and we power up to third in the league, a mere point behind FRAUDIOLA and ARTETno.
The hype about the paper numbers has been driven by the folk that seem to have collective amnesia about the similar pattern from last year, but look, if Emery can iron out the kinks, and we can add performances to points, we’ll all happily jump in and state that we are title challengers.
It’s a big game. Sheffield United don’t have a lot of wild individual talent to brag of, however, they do have quite a lot of pace on the wings. They have Luke ‘gone too soon’ Freeman who might come off the bench at some point. Overall, we should be taking the points.
It’ll be interesting to see what the manager does. Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney, the lastest missing pieces in the Emery masterplan, will likely start. Genuinely can’t wait to see the Scotsman play, he’s electric and a real piece of work. His delivery will have Bellerin staying late after training… terribly sorry Hector, St Martins will have move your classes to after hours.
The manager is pumped for the evening and pleased with what he’s seeing.
“I am speaking every day with Raul, Edu, with the players,” he told football.london. “And really we have our way going right and working. Our work is more important than our [words].
“And really now I am very happy the club. I am really happy with the players. The last two, three, four weeks, every player – and Mesut Ozil – are working very well.
“I finished very happy with our work and really this is the way we can be positive and we can think we are going to do something important this year. This is the way I want and I was speaking with Raul, this is the same idea when he is speaking with me.”
He was keen to impress that the kids will get better.
“We can be better in the table, we are third at the moment,” Emery insisted. “We can play better each match. It’s one process.
“Little by little we’re using the young players to achieve the performance, giving them confidence and experience in the matches. Sometimes we need one process. For example Bukayo Saka is improving, helping us and taking a good performance. I know he needs to break more steps ahead in his improvement.
The interesting thing about the kids is they’re the players keeping us going, I’m looking forward to the big names settling, I have very little concern with players like Matteo and Saka. Land me a performance from David Luiz or Nicolas Pepe.
We need an impactful performance this evening, 80% of our goals have come from one man away from home this season. I’m not sure that’s a problem, but it shows h0w dependent we are on his incredible finishing, and it also shows that others aren’t stepping up to the plate.
This evening is a big chance for the front three to shine, I hope he sticks with Saka and I hope Pepe lands a hattrick. Huge game, should be fun, it’s good to be back! x
truly awful, lack-lustre boring performance, that I didn’t see out after 67 minutes.
Emery may not be able to motivate this team. The p[layers haven’t got the fight, and away nights up north against battling opposition on a Monday (why always worse on a Monday???) is the customary yardstick for assessing “bottle”.
I hate this soft underbelly and lack of true leadership. It pains me to be an arsenal supporter. I don’t identify with this softness, having been brought up with peter storey, eddioe Kelly, Charlie and co right through to tony adams..
We need change…and quickly.
Why does Emery keep on playing Xhaka?
Don’t ask Emery, he doesn’t even know.
Pepe?
ok you said we need to give him time?
When is this transformation happening?
nice little dummies, feints and flicks…yes that’s very neat to watch….I used to juggle a ball over a thousand times…its easy…but so what???
Oh and I could kick well with either foot…you have to at any level.
Thios guy really is the ultimate French league ballet-dancing lightweight.
I’m not impressed.
Pepe was actually one of our better players last night, first half especially! Looked like he wasn’t happy at half time!
This is all on emery…
Played 9- goals for 13- goals against 12 piss fucking poor.
Will Emery play Ozil on Thursday night, in the knowledge that Ozil could totally embarrass the manager. I’m not sure that Emery can risk being made to look foolish on the pitch so he will prefer to look foolish off the pitch by giving confusing reasons as to why he isn’t even making the squad. What is starting to happen now is Ceballos is getting criticism ( unfair) as a knock on effect from the mismanagement of Ozil. Fans are expecting Ceballos to be more creative than Ozil , that’s not going to happen as he is a different type… Read more »
arsenal have many more problems than the ozil-emery topic.
Both have limited appeal…..the argument to playing ozil is an insignificant matter compared to a whole warehouse full of shite problems we have.
This is no easy fix….
THIS IS NO EMERY OUT AND PROBLEM SOLVED ANSWER.
in the short term, an old traditional head like tony adams in the managers chair would actually start the regeneration at the base level.
Obviously it would be questionable to believe he would take us into the next level, but he would in the shiort term instill some fight.
At the beginning of his tenure Emery’s willingness to change his starting line up was seen as an asset. However, the longer his tenure goes on, I’m just convinced he is just confused. Even after a year and a half, he doesn’t know the strongest eleven is! Just think about that.
Plz Emery sacked yet? Need a statement of intent from the board. He needs to go NOW! Pathetic football in play. Just can’t stand watching it. At least even if we ain’t fluid, we can be pragmatic with our play. ie. attack when necessary and defend when necessary.
Pedro, I know u gonna savage him today!
Some said CL qualification was meant to be a given. Ok we all know that Liverpool and City are streets ahead but many maintained that the challenge from Utd, Spurs and Chelsea should be overcome because of the supposed great summer transfer window and the mess that the other supposed top six were in. Quite rightly UE is getting pesters but some realism needs to kick in regarding the abilities of those at the club and also the readiness of many of the youngsters who clearly have skill but critically lack experience of playing against seasoned opposition players in a… Read more »
China1 I agree but what you can’t dispute is the number of foreign managers who come into the EPL who are bang average or poor. This has nothing to do with being nationalistic or promoting British first, this is all based on an assumption that every foreign coach who has a tantamount of success back home is considered the bee knees over here. Pep, Jose and Wenger(yes, even Wenger!) were the exceptions. Emery is not good enough, we all see that. It’s about time that clubs( Arsenal included) started to realise that just because these foreign coaches show promise or… Read more »
Why is Emery trying to play Willock and Ceballos in an Özil type role when you have the original willing to play?
Stubbornness and tunnel vision brought Wenger the sack. Why does Emery think he’s special not to deserve the same?
One more point about last nights game and it happened a couple of times after the 80th minute. Arsenal took around 90 seconds to get the ball from our GK up to, and beyond, the halfway line. This in itself is Footballing negligence and even though we can clearly see that we are crap at playing it out from the back, when you’re 1-0 down, away from home, infront of a packed and passionate stadium, get the ball forward quickly. Put your opponents under pressure, not yourselves. MC play 5 passes in 5 seconds. We play 5 passes in 30… Read more »
I don’t know what what Evra was doing punditry work last night. His “babies remark” was an insult, similar to a slur.
That has no place in punditry. The club should make an official statement about it.
I’m yet to read Evra say something so perjorative of United even though they have been just as shambolic as us.
*I don’t know what station
But Leeds in the EL he plays his reserves
If his grand master plan is the EL so he licks his reserves – who play better than his first team then this is some weird ass shit and I won’t claim to understand it
Dissenter I do agree that evra can think what he likes but as a professional pundit he needs to choose his language more respectfully
He could quite easily just say the team lacks maturity etc and it’s the same point but calling the team babies is not very diplomatic for a pro pundit
Graham but most managers full stop are not elite. It’s like saying most foreign players are average. Sure, average lies in the majority everywhere – that’s the nature of average
But apart from fergue we’ve produced a grand total of zero elite managers in world football across the British isles in the last 20 years. I’m not counting Gerrard or Lampard because they’re still learning the trade (good start tho!)
So the real question is which great british manager is going to come to arsenal and make us compete with Liverpool within 2-3 years? Answers on a postage stamp graham!
Graham at the end of the day who cares where the manager is from?
I just want a good manager and don’t care if he goes home and eats pie and mash or chopped squid doused in a soy sauce and wasabi dressing…
And graham moyes and Hughes were considered good up and coming british managers here who bombed at city and utd
Brenda did well for a season at pool tho still got fired not long after. He is the only British manager with any kind of pedigree in the PL tho I don’t think Leicester would give him up any time soon
Hodgson another bang average British manager who failed at pool. Dalglish failed last time at pool
When we analyse the performance of our midfield we have got two players in Guendouzi and Xhaka who are more or less guaranteed a starting place in team for EPL games. Xhaka is supposed to be a conventional defensive/holding midfielder whilst Guendouzi is playing a central midfield role without having any creative input or goalscoring potential. The third position in team is currently being selected from Ceballos, Willock and Torreira. Ozil is clearly no longer in frame. Only one of these players Ceballos has creative ability, but very limited goalscoring potential on basis of his record at both Real Madrid… Read more »
For not playing Torreira in his best position and accommodating Xhaka, Emery should be sacked, even before you consider other areas of weakness.