HAPPY NEW YEAR! HOW ARE YOU FEELING? Ok, ok, I’ll stop the shouting, but I will maintain a quiet energy with the prose because I need you up for the BIG game today.
It’s a huge one, Arsenal takes on Manchester United at home for Arteta’s 3rd game.
I think it’s a stretch to think we’re going to take points from them today. A draw would be excellent work, 3 points would have us all buzzing, but when you look at how their squad is fitness-wise and look at ours, it makes for grim reading.
We are missing a lot of defenders, which is difficult to deal with because even when we’re fully fit, we’re not exactly 90s Milan at the back. There might be some good news with regards to Bellerin who is close to returning, but knowing how fragile he’s been, you’d be hard-pressed to imagine he’ll start.
The manager was keen to impress that the defensive failures at Chelsea; with a very weak backline, were not structural.
“It wasn’t a transition where we had a bad structure or a bad organisation, when we are defending big spaces on equal numbers or are outnumbered – it wasn’t the case at all,”
“We made one half-bad decision [to back off] and these teams, when in space, they punish you, for sure. But the other option is to defend all the time and be there [in defensive areas] and we don’t want that.”
So at the very least, we’ll be prepared to deal with United. They have extremely fast forwards, they’ll probe for counter-attacks and they’ll look to stretch us using width. Arteta only recently tasted a loss against them when he was at City, it was quite a lucky United performance, but OGS had his team of workhorses make last years Champions look very old.
Going forward is where we’ll have to provide something more interesting. Containing their threat won’t be enough, we need to create chances. The good news here is Gabriel might be back in contention, his aggression in the press and all-round threat could be highly valuable to us. I’d also imagine we’ll be seeing a start from Pepe, there has to be some rotation today and that seems like the most obvious place to start. It’s hard to work out what the issue is with the Ivorian because no one will say explicitly, but it reads a blend of work rate and general fitness levels. 3 managers in a row can’t be wrong.
Ceballos is also back in contention, people forget he’s a young player, under a coach that helps him, he might be U21 Championship Dani, so it’s a new start for him.
Xhaka is also fit. Again, not my favourite player, but he’d start in our midfield at the moment. If he doesn’t play, we’ll know he’s off to Berlin. Worry with him is he mails it in as a final fuck you to the fans that booed him.
I mused before the manager started that he’d look for a turnaround project, and it seems he has one, he’s going all out to make Mesut Ozil the star of the show again. Makes sense, he’s used to having lots of #10 like talents to work with at City and on his day, no one can touch Ozil. Additionally, we have no one that gets close to him on the creativity front. We are a more intelligent team with him at his best. The German looks happy on the pitch, he’s put in two dirty shifts, he’ll have another chance to find his level again today and hopefully offer something more decisive.
“Mesut is putting in everything he has and his numbers, physically, have improved so much,”
“On his own he can’t do it. He needs the collective structure, organisation and his teammates. He needs the team to play in a certain way to facilitate his strengths more and more in the game. That’s what we’re trying to do.
“I put him in the team if I see every day that his attitude, desire and understanding of what we’re trying to do is there. The moment that this changes, then he won’t play.”
At the end of the day, he loves living in London, he loves his contract, and he’s a human… he’ll want to be impressing the fans, no one wants to be hated. He might also have the afterlife on his mind, if he tanks another manager, no one will risk giving him the big bucks in 18 months. Wenger didn’t have a machine that worked for him towards the end, Emery couldn’t see past running him into the ground in a shit system… it seems like Arteta has a more thoughtful approach to extracting creativity from him, whilst pushing him to support the system. It’ll be very interesting to see what the physical output looks like today, because he has done a lot of work in a short space of time. Some will say we’ve seen this film before, but maybe with a more elevated thinker in the dugout, it could be a different ending this time.
The main worry I have about today is how another loss will affect morale. Bournemouth was just an unlucky day at the shooting range, the Chelsea game was bad luck with fitness and Mustafi… we really need a result to prove out the hard work and progress. The fans will be buzzing for the game this evening, a classic win would be a great way to start the year, let’s see where we land.
Right, that’s me done, see you in the comments x
“Is there gonna be light at the end of the tunnel tonight?
Hope so.”
Yeah. The freight train coming from the other end!
Anyone with a free streaming link?
Kolasinac is back!
Top 4 ambition seems to be beyond this club now. Too many good clubs in front of us.
Newcastle, CP, Soton, Sheffield, Everton, Brighton after tonight…. Indeed.
Ozil s got his taxi ready for the 60mins, poor love he looks tired
Auba looks focused for once in the tunnel. None of this smiling bs.
Un Na
They’re way better without Lukaku, and Pepe has yet to show that he improves us. Anyone who has been watching United regularly knows they’re better in attack this season than they were last.
I don’t want to get bogged down in another one of these United discussions. Let’s watch the game and see what we see.
Luiz acts like the captain. He is doing the pregame talk.
This had better work.
This is really throwing the kitchen sink at the problem. Three players [Ozil, Auba and Pepe] aren’t known for their defensive willingness.
Pedro is going to be ecstatic Tets has gone for the roll-neck tonight.
Good old Kola never lets you down
Pace of united could be a problem.
Arsenal wide open early
Our FB’s have to stay back.
Poor start
Kolasinic gonna get sent off
So Matic dont get a card? wtf?
AMN loves to do it
Decisions going united way…
Again..
An honest ref that’s all we want.
Get in!!!
coyg
ffs Maitland Niles
Poor
Gooal
Hope that’s the take off for Pepe
Yi pee kee pepe
Not even Pepe could miss that one.
Please let that be allowed.
He needs that.
Now, the team should calm down.
Yes!!!
Against the run of play.
Kolasinac is on!
Yes.
‘Ave it!!
We can’t take our foot off the pedal now. Have to won this to rest the whole environment
Good work from Ozil tracking back.
yeah suddenly Pepe soaring now should’ve volley that better Auba
clearly confidence based player
Maguire mistake kept the runner on. Pepe playing well so far.
Pepe up for it.
Great couple of minutes from Pepe
Kola easily got inside there on their left
Yeah Pepe up.for this.
Listen lads we need to get rid of this Gervinho wannabe
Keown is a shit analyst.
Don’t go fucking mental now and over attack.
Hold on AMN did a forward pass
Need a quality right back.
David Luiz is Mustafi Mark 2 loves to dos stupid fouls.
Team working hard. Good shape. Need better ideas about taking it forward other than passing back to Luiz to pass long.
After a good showing against Chelsea AMN has reverted to type.
The referee shouldn’t have booked Kolasinac in the 2nd minute. He’s set a precedent that he cannot keep up to. He’s letting fouls from United go unpunished.
Again….
An honest ref….
One day maybe…
One thing is that pass from defence to midfield just see Xhaka with a lazy ball and united broke.
Good point from commentators.
Arsenal seem to be having more of the ball here than against Chelsea.
Should help with fatigue.
The effort from the players is crazy, can they sustain this level of physical commitment?
Passing back too much…
this is literally Emery gameplan though with the Kolasinac cutback assist too
now just game management before quick transition
Love that!
Aubameyang sprinting back for a feisty tackle.
Un hate the cunt rashford…
Both Auba and Laca’s passes are not good.
AMN just cannot pass forward he looks all the time to pass back because that’s the cop out pass.
Laca been much better so far.
Maguire is having a shocker.
And we clearly intend to possession them to death. Which is smart given how our legs gave out against Chelsea.
Same
Let’s judge hi when he has a chance…
Arteta telling Pepe to press.
“” Listen lads we need to get rid of this Gervinho wannabe””
Who u on about
Proper borefest this is
Again
An honest ref just onc3 this season an we win
Love to give Lingard a slap, the arrogant fuck.
Dirty cunt rashford…
A fucking gain
How was that not a pen?
And Laca well disbelief
Lacazette.
So good and then…
Maguire continues to have a nightmare.
Proper borefest this is…. Well turn off and have a wank
Lacazette with a shot, out for a throw.
need to take the clear cut chances lest we rue them like last match
lovely seeing these Arshavin-esque turns from Lacazette and Torreira using their low centre gravity to their advantage
This ref …..
Torreira needs to sit deep and do nothing else the fucker
Hey guys, does anyone have a link please?
I will never feel sorry for any referee who’s fired.
‘They are all cnuts
Laca hold up play much better today. Shot was shit but he done all the good stuff.
N5 Ronaldo7.net the 5th link is working for me
Torr should have buried that. Willock missed a similar chance against Chelsea and it cost us in the end.
G
January 1, 2020 20:33:29
Proper borefest this is…. Well turn off and have a wank
…..
That’s why Redtruth has disappeared – cracking one off whilst thinking about Corbyn.
This good spell needs to translate into more goals because of our form.
This ref is out of his league.
Man U still have the Fergie factor as far as refs are concerned
What was that from Ozil the pussy.
Sorry Ronaldo7.live
I don’t know how he is doing it but we are defending mich better since arteta took over. sure there have been stupid moments like Leno and Mustafi against Chelsea but Overall we are doing the basics much better.
Torr should have buried that.
Weaker foot again great bit of play.
Cheers Marko I hadn’t noticed CR7 had changed its name. Thanks dude.
Unlucky in this
Thanks Un na, I’ll look into that mate.
Horrible manc cunts,,,,
now that’s just Pepe being greedy should’ve just slot Ozil in man
we really need to take our chances.
We’re set up well, but this is pretty much as poorly as United can play. I’d expect a lot more from them in the second half.
Great stuff but again only one goal to show for it.
Toor is holding up the mid,,,
Xhara,…. bah
Ozil … good
Arteta has done something too Ozil.
Watching on NBC
Commentator taking snide hits on Arteta at every chance
Put some of u guys hate to shame
Bamford you really need to stop with the United are better than us staff. They are a poor team. You are an arsenal fan remember.
Second goal please,
Thanks
Thank goodness
We needed that to break this horrible spell. May the Arteta era begin