Mikel Arteta has players rocking in stunning victory

by .

Mikel Arteta and his players launched 2020 by rocking The Emirates to its foundations with a brilliant evening of intense football. Arsenal kept a clean sheet, locked United out of the game for 90 minutes, and scored two brilliant goals to gift us a vitally important 3 points.

The game was so good, I don’t actually know where to start, but the line-up would be handy. We really weren’t in good shape with our starting 11. Kola had to be drafted back lacking fitness, we started Pepe who has been under a lot of criticism, and we had to roll with a group of players that have slugged it out hard over the past 3 games. One thing was for sure, there wasn’t much conservatism, Arteta went for it.

It didn’t make a difference, most considered the Chelsea game a great performance with a poor result. The football was at the right level of intensity, and so it continued. The main difference in this game was United didn’t have the same quality in midfield, so it was a little easier for Arsenal to control the game. I was interested to see how Kola would operate, we know he often leaves the defence exposed with his runs, last night, Granit Xhaka would regularly drop into the left-back role to cover him defensively, or to drop him to give him freedom offensively / allow him time to pick out passes.

Our first goal came from his run. He had a one-two with Auba, pushed into the box, his low cross squirmed out of a melee of 6 United players falling to Pepe who swept home. The lid blew off the stadium, everyone in the ground is so desperate for Pepe to be a thing, that was a great start to the night for him.

The half was dominated by great Arsenal chances. Pepe found Auba at the back post, his bicycle kick was skewed over. Torreira danced through the United defence to squeeze a shot just wide. Lacazette outmuscled Maguire and uncharacteristically pushed his shot wide from 6 yards. The closest came after we’d forced De Gea into an error, Pepe picked up the loose ball on the edge of the area and rattled the post.

We did make the pressure count. Pepe rattled a corner at the front post, Lacazette wasn’t tracked, he nodded the ball on, Sokratis bullied his way to the ball and roofed it.

The pace in the game did start to dip a fraction on 40 minutes again, but I still felt we were in control. My worry was that United had planned for us to start strong and fade, with the hope of picking us off in the second half. We did drop physically in the second half, but it felt like we had more of a plan to absorb the pressure. We sat a little more deep, forcing United to try and play football, and we attempted to pick them off on the counter.

What I loved to see was the compactness of the defence. We were nice and narrow, there was aways two midfielders protecting the back four, and we were aggressive. The players wanted the result, and they wanted the clean sheet.

We had some chances in the second half, Mesut Ozil played a defence-splitting pass that was stunning over to Auba who couldn’t link up well enough with Lacazette. We closed the game out well, limiting United to long shots and diving for penalties. Saka, Nelson and MG gave us some more energy late on to see the game out.

It ended 2-0. The fans stayed behind the congratulate the players who’d gathered in the centre spot with the manager. A brilliant show of unity. The last 18 months have been forgotten, a new decade, a new coach, and a new benchmark for how we play the beautiful game.

So what did we learn?

Coaching

Arteta has lived up to the coaching hype even after 2 weeks. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he was more than the cone boy at Manchester City now. He’s taken players that most fans had totally written off and turned them into beasts. The squad is a long way from Liverpool’s, no doubt, but too many people let Emery off the hook by stating the players we have at the club couldn’t be moved forward.

David Luiz was an absolute monster, he looked a £50m centre back out there last night. He was everywhere, strong in the challenge, he was coaching the kids, he was actually celebrating good passes between players during the game with fist bumps. He was immense versus Chelsea, even better last night.

Granit Xhaka was right up there with man of the match plaudits. His game was impeccable. He was measured, thoughtful, and disciplined all night. For a man that had one foot out the exit door, he sure didn’t play like it, a total professional.

Mesut Ozil has rightly rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way, but here we are, game 3, and he’s still putting in a dirty shift at the office. He worked like a dog, he ran further than any Arsenal player, and he made a huge difference. He made a 10 ball recoveries, which shows he’s paying attention and engaged. That’s all we ask for, it’s great to see him back enjoying a type of football many said he couldn’t play.

Lacazette didn’t land a goal, but he put in a workman like shift upfront. Auba, considering he’s looking to move, looked very much into the game. Nicolas Pepe showed us a glimpse of his talent. He had an incredibly productive day and banged out a shift. It was a pleasure to watch him.

Identity

There was so much debate about how long it’d take a good coach to give a club an identity when Emery was here, but look where we are now, 3 games in and we’re an aggressive possession-based football team that loves to attack. It’s not perfect, but we’re well on our way to unlocking a lethal front line of talented players. The Arsenal way we thought we lost is here, and we didn’t need to spend £400m to get there.

Defence

Defence is always about the collective. For too long we’ve focused on it being about individual greatness because there’s never been a collective system. That’s all changed now. Arteta looks to have focused on creating a solid foundation more than anything. Everyone had clear roles and responsibilities, the positioning is absolutely clear, and the whole team works to get the ball back.

The pressing is unbelievable. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Everyone aggressively hunting the ball down in packs. Lucas Torriera was a machine last night, the guy was literally everywhere. Why? Because he has a system that allows him to be that player.

The Stadium

I’ve not been as much as I used to over the past few years, but I’ve been to big games and felt the misery. That atmosphere last night was something else. The players created a reason for the fans to care. They were brutal, intense and they wanted to win. We reacted to it. We sang all game, stayed until the end, and made The Emirates the sort of place you’d want to sit in on a cold night in January. We finally have something to believe in, and it’s exciting.

Moving forward

I didn’t expect a win, so we’re ahead of schedule in my head. Now we have a bit of breathing space. Unfit players can get some energy back in their legs, injured players can return to stock the bench, and Arteta and his coaching staff can continue to develop their ideas. The next two months are about laying the foundations for an attack on the Europa League, but interestingly, if we can find some form in the Premier League, we might be able to have a crack at the top 4. We’re 9 points off Chelsea who are desperately inconsistent, we’re within 4 points of United, and 3 points of Spurs. I’d rather not be in Europa, but Champions League would give us a tremendous financial opportunity this summer. All very exciting.

The road ahead will be bumpy, there is lots to do, but we can rest assured the club has made a stunning decision to hire Mikel Arteta. Next season is going to be special, but first, let’s see where this one takes us.

 

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Useroz

The buzz isn’t waning anytime soon. First win of the decade and ditched the Manure in the manner we did … memorable! Though fans and supporters shouldn’t need to worry about the finance but we just do… knowing new money won’t be there. This single win would have added 10% to valuation of the players overall. Showcase to potential suitors what they can do when we no doubt need to raise fund in this TW. There’s an abundance of accolades around for the last 20 +hours. But the following aspects remain vivid : Hungry and ruthless Hunt in packs Left… Read more »

Romford Pele

“What we need to focus on is the performance and the effort of the players and the strategic decisions of the manager. In each respect, things are moving in the right direction. Contrast this with Emery’s first season where we got the results but with a chain of hideous performances.” This is it for me. Our results might be up and down between now and the end of the season but the process is positive and we can see what the coach is trying to do. It won’t come to fruition straight away but wee’re on the right track. It’s… Read more »

Cesc Appeal

RP

I’ve been impressed with AMN since Arteta took over.

Perhaps having this role that allows him to feel he’s at least partially playing in the position he favours is improving his performances?

Romford Pele

Dissenter – yes you’re right still early days and there’s loads more to see and decipher from what Arteta wants but we’ve already had clues. I think we’ve tried to get Saliba back early but the conditions of us signing him were that he’d spend the season back there. Under Emery it was the right decision too but under Arteta it’d be good to have him now!

azed

ArtetaBall is essentially a structure where there should always be a spare man to receive. That will help to create numerical advantages all over the pitch and aid fluidity. Will take a while to perfect but he’s already shown me many good signs

Romford

It’s why I am looking forward to the Liverpool game.
Liverpool push both full backs forward so will Arteta adjust and keep AMN wide or will Arteta play Pepe to keep Robertson honest and stop him from attacking…

Moray

“No one is saying Holding won’t get chances, but Arsenal have to stop this whole ‘hold on guys, let’s put this year on hold so we can give this person a chance’ instead of capitalizing and pushing for success.” CA, spot on. We romanticise the injured and mythologise the abilities of others who leave. I remember many arguments about Willshire and Diaby, how they are Arsenal people and we should stick with them. Even more, that we should be offering Diaby a new contract when his expired since he was an Arsenal player when he broke his leg. We need… Read more »

azed

“That’s the sort of thing you work on in pre-season ideally but i even remember Klopp’s start at Liverpool where his teams gassed out around the 60/70min mark.”

Romford

Are you sure it wasn’t Rodgers that was under training the players?

Dissenter

Cesc
I get your point about athleticism but there are slower central defenders who excel by positional know like Diego Godin and Maldini.
Holding looked promising last season, hopefully Arteta can relaunch him again
The Upemecano rumors have been boiling for a year now so there’s probably substance to that transfer.

Romford Pele

CA, yeah me too. Along with Torreira, he’s been the main beneficiary of Arteta coming in. Athletically he’s just as good as Bellerin (probably better now after Bellerin’s ACL injury) but technically he’s far ahead and because he acts like a midfielder in build up, he’s probably happy being more involved and having more touches of the ball. My criticism of him was always related to his mentality and lack of focus. He always looked like he didn’t care enough but hopefully Arteta can get into him. If he’s serious he’ll take this RB position seriously because he won’t get… Read more »

Nelson

Yesterday’s game is a good advertisement for the Arteta Arsenal. There will be some good prospects interested in joining this Arteta revolution.

Bamford10

Great effort from the players last night, and a smart game-plan from Arteta, but I do think some people are getting a little carried away in terms of what it means. We still have the same less-than-optimal midfield and defensive players we have had all season, and this is still the same team that drew with a weak Bournemouth team 1-1 a week ago. It is one thing to get up for and play well in a single match against a single opponent who offers a single set of challenges, it is quite another thing to get up for and… Read more »

Habesha Gooner

Pedro’s arteta hype and initial excitement is now justified. I feel he like we made this appointment at the right time now. If we had Hired him two years ago he would have been too green. Heck I even thought he was green when we hired him two weeks ago. Anyway I think he is going to workout good for us. And In unrelated topic I don’t think we should spend any money on a forward if nobody is leaving. I think It would be a waste of resources considering we have Auba, Laca, Pepe, Martinelli, Saka and Nelson as… Read more »

Bamford10

Reports say that Leipzig have told Arsenal that Upamecano would cost £80m. So that may be off.

Romford Pele

Azed, I always remember Liverpool being quite intense under Rodgers? I may be wrong though. Essentially high-intensity pressing is very taxing on the body and takes a while to adjust. Players probably suffer more muscular injuries initially due to the demands placed on the body but adapt over time.

RE Liverpool – when do we play them? Will be interesting to see how Arteta matches up against Klopp but i’m sure we’ll know even more by then.

Luisjo

Great post mate! I’m over the moon! I wanted Arteta 2 years ago so I’m happy now. I bought his shirt, the 2nd time I’ve ever done that after José Reyes!! You didn’t mention Ainsley , he was immense defensively and also in assisting attack. I’d sell Bellerin and I prefer Saka to Kolasinac but Kolasinac put in an immense shift! I didn’t know he had pace

RodneyKing

Romford Pele January 2, 2020 11:37:14 “Why are they poor? Because we won? United have been in great form and hadn’t lost to a single top 6 side yet this season. Bar Liverpool, they have the quickest front three in the league. The reason they looked ‘poor’ was because of how we beat them into submission.” Then you haven’t been watching them. Man Utd have only one strategy which is to counter. When that fails, they have no plan B. And having lost to the likes of Bournemouth and Watford and beaten Spurs, City and Chelsea, and struggled against Villa… Read more »

Romford Pele

Un na naii, we have a lot of CBs but not a lot of quality. Arteta’s system is helping to hide their weaknesses but as we get better, the margin for error will be smaller. That’s when you realise who’s top and who’s not. And that’s why there is the clamour for Upamecano and Saliba because of the potential to do everything, which our current CBs do not. Of course it’ll be tough to address all our needs. We’ve spent a lot of money poorly in the last three/four years and have limited revenue due to our lack of CL… Read more »

China1

Yeah Sanmi I noticed against Bournemouth and Chelsea we go through large periods where the players are clearly trying to limit themselves to two touches whenever reasonably possible

The result is even if they make the same pass they’d have made under emery, twill he played 1-2 seconds earlier, meaning the opposition can’t permanently drift into position to close out every gap

It’s schoolboy stuff but we haven’t seen it for ages so it’s a pleasure to see

Romford Pele

RodneyKing, Nobody is denying that United are a flawed side, all the sides are bar the top two and even City aren’t perfect. But United, with the way they like to attack, were set up to beat us in this game. Why didn’t they? Because they didn’t match our energy levels and weren’t able to circulate the balll through midfield to create chances like we did. Once we got the two goal cushion it became much easier to sit on as United struggle to fashion chances when the onus is on them to create the chances. But let’s also not… Read more »

China1

I’m not sure what to make of our CBs right now because chambers and Luiz and Sokratis (especially Luiz) have looked vastly better

Not sure if that’s just good form or if there’s some career resurgence going on

Same for ozil

We’ll find out over the next couple of months if it’s more than just good form

Moray

We have to get out of the habit now of giving judgement on the manager after every match (beyond the decisions he made and how he affected the game at least). We are in a rebuilding phase and it doesn’t make sense to be holding up green and red flags every Monday. The guy is on a 3+ year contract for a reason. We are in a shitty place and it will take a good manager, good coaching and good player purchasing (and selling) to get us back to where we thing we should be. Also, we can be excited… Read more »

Romford Pele

“Reports say that Leipzig have told Arsenal that Upamecano would cost £80m. So that may be off.”

His contract expires in 2021 and he’s not signing a new one. They’re posturing. Max he goes for is £60m imo and even then it might not be that.

Champagne charlie

United fan wriggled his way onto the blog again..

Romford Pele

China – the good form and improved performance is linked to the system which focuses on accentuating their strengths and hiding weaknesses. Eventually they’ll hit a ceiling as some of these guys aren’t good enough. Some may well swim. That’s part of the process of the project. In 6 months we’ll be more informed of everyone which should then influence our summer activity.

bennydevito

Afternoon Grovers, Good post Pedro, Early days but it’s a joy to be an Arsenal fan again. The last 6 months were as depressing as the last few years of Wenger, but under Arteta the vision and direction of the team is fresh and clear. I think this January we should focus on keeping the group together and only sign Upamecano. In the summer we may have to decide on the futures of Aubameyang, Lacazette, Ozil and whether we make permanent the Ceballos deal. I think Ozil being on the wrong side of 30 and his wages mean we should… Read more »

Champagne charlie

“We won one match — at home and against a United team that never really looked up for it.“

Was under the impression United hadn’t lost all season to a side in the top 6, was also under the impression OGS and their squad was excellent.

So sounds a lot like belittling our own performance, what a turn of events…

China1

Yeah for sure simply having a solid system can make a bad player look ok, an ok look good and a good look great

Speaking of which, seems like xhaka have arteta he will stay and arteta spoke extremely highly of him

As others have mentioned I suspect he sees a bit of himself of xhaka in terms of build, position, passing and being a bit of a teacher’s pet

If arteta can coach an extra 15% out of him then I won’t complain. Would still prefer a beast Cm tho

Bamford10

Champagne

I never said United’s squad was excellent; I simply said that it’s better than ours. And I continue to think Solskjaer is excellent. You are free to think otherwise.

Marc

ManU have been an incredibly inconsistent team under OGS – one week looking fantastic the next a shambles. In the performances I’ve seen a lot of the time when they get a bad result it’s because they were bad rather than the opposition being good.

Last night we beat because we were good and they struggled to get chances.

That’s a good sign for us and we shouldn’t write off the performance as if we’d just beaten the Watford of a couple of months ago.

Left testicle

I think some people need to calm down. The signs look good but lets not get carried away.

Marc

Bamford

What makes OGS excellent?

His results have been all over the place since he joined.

Marko

Arsène Wenger: “In time, the danger, for me, is that football develops into a sport where players run like crazy people to win the ball back as quickly as possible, but who don’t know what to do when they actually have it in their possession.”

Arsene Wenger not a fan of winning the ball back. Explains so much about him really.

“Boss what do we do when we don’t have the ball?

Arsene Wenger: “you wait”

“Eh? Shouldn’t we try to win it back?”

Arsene Wenger: “no”

Bamford10

Champagne

Please stop with that “United fan” bullshit. I’ve been posting on Le Grove a lot longer than you have, and I’ve been accused of being a City fan, among other things, in the past. A person can rate an opposing team’s manager, or players, or style of play, without being a fan of that team and without betraying or abandoning his team. So please stop with that stupid bullshit.

Graham

Andy1886 at 1220 no of course I wasn’t being serious. The useless Emery with his appalling coaching and clueless tactics beat Bournemouth away, beat Chelsea at home and pulled off a 2-0 home defeat of a hugely motivated and in-form ManUtd team that were undefeated under OGS (who at the time the more impressionable Utd bloggers were hailing as the second coming of Fergie). Emery clearly had to go and I am very hopeful for Arteta based on what we have all seen, but some perspective is needed at this early stage. I hope we put out a strong team… Read more »

Habesha Gooner

Oh my God Bamford. Just admit that You said OGS and his man United team were excellent Impulsively when they were having their purple patch before he was hired. Sticking to your impulsive opinions loses you credibility more than admitting you were wrong. And another thing don’t ever big up another team even if they are amazing while we are winning let alone a poor United team. It makes you look like you aren’t really a fan of arsenal.

Batistuta

Weird that even United fans don’t think Ole is all that but an Arsenal fan goes on and on about him

TR7

By which yardstick is OGS an excellent manager ?

Bamford10

Un Na

Let’s just agree to disagree, and let’s see where things stand at season end. The table doesn’t lie after all.

(If our squad is just as good as theirs, though, I look forward to us beating City, beating Tottenham and scaring the shit out of Liverpool.)

Romford Pele

Wait, Bamford said what? Ole is garbage man. Hence why most United fans want him gone.

They don’t attack well unless it’s on the counter. Too reliant on individual moments rather than being an actual team.

Pierre

Marko
“Arsène Wenger: “In time, the danger, for me, is that football develops into a sport where players run like crazy people to win the ball back as quickly as possible, but who don’t know what to do when they actually have it in their possession.””

Do you think he is referring to the last 18 months at Arsenal.

Jim Lahey

@Bamford – “but I do think some people are getting a little carried away in terms of what it means” Meaning no offense but come on… We can all see the immense improvement throughout the entire team over the last three games. The passing is faster and more direct, some of the one touch football we have been playing is the best we have seen in years. You can see players creating space to recieve a pass, always looking to get on the ball. Without the ball we are much better, its day and night stuff. The giant gap between… Read more »

Jim Lahey

@Bamford –

Also, out of interest. Could you select a combined first 11 using both Arsenal and United’s squad?

Romford Pele

Who is getting carried away and how are they getting carried away? Are we not allowed to praise good performances now or should we only be critical when the team doesn’t play well.

Also the praise is less about the result, it’s more about the process. You’re seeing an identity take shape. And while it’s not perfect and won’t be for a while, you’re already seeing green shoots of recovery. We can see the team we’re trying to be. Had no idea what that was supposed to be under Emery.

Champagne charlie

Banford

What would you posting on here longer than anyone mean? It’s completely unrelated to the fact you’re a United fanboy.

Yea you continue to think OGS is excellent, and that their squad is superior, only you’ve little-to-no evidence or reasoning that supports either statement.

Marko

Good to see all the optimism and positive vibes back at the club it’s been a long long time. My only concern is that one positive result might get the club into thinking that we don’t need any signings this month and that’s a mistake. Another concern is that it looks like yet another coach will be aligning themselves up yet again with a player who’s constantly let us down the last 3+ years and someone who really shouldn’t still be at the club.

Chris

With the momentum we are building if also like to see a strong line up vs Leeds but with some tweaks.

Arteta knows from the Chelsea and Man Utd games how the players who played in those matches are reacting to his coaching. The weekend may be a good opportunity to see how the likes of Ceballos (if fit to play) can thrive under his management.

I’d like to see Ceballos, Holding, Saka and Willock start against Leeds. Keep Pepe in to maintain his newly gained momentum.

Bamford10

Habesha

What is it that you think I’m wrong about?
That Solskjaer is excellent? Sorry, but everything I’ve seen from him supports this view and I am not budging from that opinion one inch. That United are better overall than we are at present? Yeah, I’m still of that opinion as well.

You tell me what I’ve gotten wrong, and I’ll gladly admit to it.

Better, though, why do you guys care so much about what one (often contrarian) poster has to say on this or that point? Are there not other topics to discuss?

Bamford10

Un Na

That never happened. You have been saying that for years, but it never happened. You are either confusing me with someone else or you have made it up whole cloth. Please stop repeating falsehoods.

Edu me a favour

“” Better, though, why do you guys care so much about what one (often contrarian) poster has to say on this or that point? Are there not other topics to discuss?””

LOL

you post things that will obviously stir the pot then post this corker 😂

DUIFG

A lot of talk around granite leaving, I’m.not really bothered if he does.for me a bigger issue is guendouzi. How he responds to arteta is very important for him to have a career. I think a lot of people have pushed praise on him way too far. Since he has come into the side we ha e progressively got increasingly out of shape. This was not purely guens problem but he is like a moth to a flame around the ball which for a centre mid is an issue. And I haven’t seen enough talent to offset this characteristic. Tbh… Read more »

Jamie

It takes a special kind of asshole to come in here the day after a desperately-needed and hard-fought victory under a new manager and try to temper the expectations of the supporters by downplaying the quality of one of our fiercest rivals.

Enjoy the win, negative Nancy.

Champagne charlie

“Let’s just agree to disagree, and let’s see where things stand at season end. The table doesn’t lie after all.” Table lied last year according to you, 10th best squad in the league you claimed and Emery overachieved. So which is it? “(If our squad is just as good as theirs, though, I look forward to us beating City, beating Tottenham and scaring the shit out of Liverpoo“ Ahhh is this the apparent yardstick for measuring a sides quality? Replicating 3 results. Is it just the three results you personally select? Like, if Arsenal lose to Watford, Bournemouth, and Newcastle… Read more »

Jim Lahey

“That Solskjaer is excellent? Sorry, but everything I’ve seen from him supports this view and I am not budging from that opinion one inch. That United are better overall than we are at present? Yeah, I’m still of that opinion as well.”

This is such an odd hill to die on!

InsideRight

I asked a rhetorical question a couple of weeks ago about whether Kola would make a better left sided midfielder than a defender. Seems Arteta thought the same thing. Not a full on midfielder but a player freed to do what I think he does best, attack. It was a pleasure to watch last night. With improvements to the current players and new blood being drip fed into the squad, this is a side that feels like it can go places. I’m a very content Gooner today and proud with it.

Habesha Gooner

Bamford I have a friend who supports United and he says everyone is just waiting for the club to fire OGS and hire pochettino. He has lost as many games as moyes but he has played around 11 games less. They have no creativity and are going to be around 6th for the remainder of his contract if they keep him. And I think they are going to fire him. before this season ends. If not the next. So if that is your definition of excellent I will stop debating this point.

PhD2020

Bamford10January 2, 2020 14:02:42
Are there not other topics to discuss?
——–
Yeah,sure is..Like having a wager,on when you are likely to be sin- binned again?

Alright lads,I say Perez Hilton lasts till Feb before het gets shit-canned..I’ll stake a few mars bars on it… 🙂

Bamford10

Un Na

“ if the table doesn’t lie then if Leicester finish higher than city, spurs, united and Chelsea does that mean they have a better squad?”

No, because squad quality is only one of four key factors that determine the season a team has. The other three are (i) how well the team is managed, (ii) what the mentality/attitude/spirit in the team is, and (iii) what injuries the team deals with.

The table tells you something about squad quality, of course, but it reflects other factors as well.

Dissenter

Mourhino has not changed. I wonder if Daniel Levy is regretting his decision already.
What was the need to call the Southampton goalkeeping coach and idiot before an international audience. He admitted he was wrong so why didn’t he let go.
Now he has to deal with Kane’s injury and Eriksen will probably announce that he’s signed a contract with a foreign club pretty soon.

Marko

I’ve been accused of being a City fan, among other things, in the past.

You’ve been accused of not being an Arsenal fan before? Well I for one am shocked. To my core sir

Edu me a favour

To every poster that’s told us to calm down

If you were in the ground last night would you Start going round the stands or wait for fans after the match and tell them to calm down to their faces or is it just an online thing ?

If you had the chance Would you have gone to the centre circle with the team and arteta and told them to calm down also ? Because they looked really Happy with the result ..

Bamford10

Habesha

I am well aware of the criticisms of Solskjaer. I think they are misplaced. I don’t know that we need to spend a whole day talking about this, though.

Jim Lahey

@Bamford –

Can you put together your first 11 (and subs) using both Arsenal and United’s squads.

Batistuta

Biggest improvement for me was how the players managed themselves better in the second half unlike against Chelsea… They obviously had watched that game and saw that they had to conserve their energy more and that was a very big improvement… Defensively since the Everton game, there’s been improvements and less shots at out goal and that’s very great to see, clearly they are more confident… Just like i kept alluding to last year, the Europa league is our best route back to the champions league and we have to prioritize that competition, very important and there isn’t a team… Read more »

Champagne charlie

“No, because squad quality is only one of four key factors that determine the season a team has. The other three are (i) how well the team is managed, (ii) what the mentality/attitude/spirit in the team is, and (iii) what injuries the team deals with.“

So by that logic your wager with Weagle and TR7 is dead in the water following the Emery implosion and change of manager, you couldn’t sensibly hold up our finishing position when you consider your own claims….

But you do… so what does that say about you…

Batistuta

Dissenter

Erkisen is operated, doubt they’d miss him much if he leaves, like Le Celso yesterday for them… Don’t think Levy is gonna panick, there must have been assurances that he’d get funds in the summer to get his own players so they’d just trudge along till then

Habesha Gooner

Alright Let’s leave this OGS crap behind. We have a new and improved arsenal to talk about. I still think we need a good Central defender Upamecano preferably. David Luiz and Sokratis have tanked for half the season and leaving ot to them on the basis of three good games scares me. We need to look forward not stay still.

Bamford10

Jim

No, because that sounds like a supreme waste of my time. If you would like to do that, though, please go ahead.

Habesha Gooner

It*

Romford Pele

Mourinho said he’s trying to reinvent himself for the modern game. Not sure what that means specifically but my Spurs mates haven’t been happy with him even though they’ve been picking up points.

Spanishdave

Big moral booster last night to give the team a pat on the back.
They have been miserable and so have we.
Confidence is a big factor in football it keeps them going.
Further good results in the next few games will help to build the momentum again.
We haven’t had much to cheer about this season.

China1

But bam if OGS is excellent and their squad is better than ours why are they only a handful of points above us during our worst league start for a few decades?

Something has to give surely

Just Another Customer

the attention whore needs to go back to tw@ter where the likes of him belong

rubbish opinions and rubbish uptake all day long

I can take it if he’s arguing for the team but most of the time it’s against the team

reading his drivel during the match some wonder why he’s so adamant about being right in spite of the team

Bamford10

Champagne

Yeah, once again you’ve misremembered or misunderstood something that has been said here. Our wager is not about squad quality, it’s about where the two teams finish in the table. I took United two months ago, when they were 8 points below us. If United finish above us, I win the bet; if we finish above United, they win the bet. That’s the wager.

Jim Lahey

@Bamford –

“No, because that sounds like a supreme waste of my time. If you would like to do that, though, please go ahead.”

I am not the one making claims that I can’t back up. Its simple, you have said that United have a better sqaud than Arsenal, therefore your first 11 + subs will be predominantly United. But… the thing is.. when you stop and think about it, you know you’re wrong, but you’re too deep into this now to admit it.

Champagne charlie

Romford

Mourinho seemed to have a grumble at N’dombele this past week, saying he seems to pick up injuries often but in a manner that suggests he’s one of these guys that bins it if he’s not 100%.

Mourinho loves a fissure in the squad, might be starting early there haha

Dissenter

Bamford
Surely you had to know that the reaction to those comments of yours would be fierce.
To your credit, you’ve been consistently very wrong about this OGS adoration. United have some promising young players, that’s about the only credit I can give them.

Emiratesstroller

Pedro After three games in charge Arteta has demonstrated that he is a competent coach. The team are now playing as a collective with a clear sense of purpose and a game plan. We are starting to defend as a collective with a “pack mentality” something noticeably absent over many years. The midfield and attack are also beginning to show some promise, balance and threat. Something which has not been apparent during the Emery era. You sense that the players “respect” the head coach and that is beginning to impact on their morale. In the 4 games since Arteta joined… Read more »

Ernest Reed

“What is it that you think I’m wrong about?
That Solskjaer is excellent? Sorry, but everything I’ve seen from him supports this view and I am not budging from that opinion one inch. That United are better overall than we are at present? Yeah, I’m still of that opinion as well.”

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Natural comedian you are, Bamford.

Bamford10

China

They started the year with an injury crisis. That’s why they were 8+ points below us in the first part of the year. It was not because we have more quality than they do. We don’t.

Jim Lahey

Also the excellent OGS just got walked over by a guy with 3 professional games as a manger under his belt and with an apparently inferior squad.

Marko

Who exactly said that we need to calm down after last night? Struggling for a while now haven’t seen the players smile or the fans this excited for a long time and some prick wants us to calm it? What’s the point in following sports if you can’t get any enjoyment out of it. Whoever this person is he needs a word with himself

Alex James

I have not been an Arteta fan but good fir him yesterday. There is no doubt that this is the worst Utd team I have seen for many years but we ourselves started from an even deeper hole. One thing that puzzles me. Why is it that we are not deemed fit enough to compete effectively over the whole game? With all the sports science at our disposal, this seems odd. Can anyone explain please?

Nelson

Since Eddie has already returned, it would be funny to play him against Leeds.

Champagne charlie

“Yeah, once again you’ve misremembered or misunderstood something that has been said here. Our wager is not about squad quality, it’s about where the two teams finish in the table“ The bet was made on the back of your supremely weird arrogance that the United squad was better than ours and that OGS was excellent so we’d finish behind them. You’re just now omitting that, but why else would a wager have been made you turnip? The grounds were that they were shit and we’d be above them. Just so happens your own foundational elements of what constitutes a season… Read more »

TR7

Is it me or ES changes his opinion on every thing football every week ? I am sure he has argued both for and against Arteta, Emery, Ozil, Xhaka, Chambers, Holding , Torreira, Kosscielney, Bellerin, Lacazzete etc.

Pierre

There was a spell in the 2nd half when we were under increasing pressure from united.
Torreira went down in agony with no one near him , had treatment for about 90 seconds and carried on .

Was this planned, if it was it had the desired effect as the balance of the game immediately changed back into our favour.

Game management is what they call it and it frustrates the hell out of the opposition and no one can do a thing about it.

Bamford10

Again, for people who put no stock in anything I say, you lot sure spend a lot of time reading and trying to rebut my commentary.

The irony of some of your criticism of me is that I don’t “crave attention” at all. You lot simply give me a ton of attention. That’s on you. I have a POV, and I like to be read and heard, but trust me, I don’t crave attention. Indeed, please go ahead and ignore me. That won’t bother me in the slightest.

Romford Pele

“What’s the point in following sports if you can’t get any enjoyment out of it”

This has always been my premise. If something makes you so miserable and you can’t derive any enjoyment what’s the point?

It’d be interesting to know why people became fans in the first place

Romford Pele

CC, Mourinho is so weird man. I don’t know why he always has to pick a fight with someone in the squad. Craziest thing is Ndombele is arguably the most talented player in that squad. If spurs are gonna ascend he’ll be at the heart of it. But this is the same manager who has a problem with Pogba. Fair to say he’s the issue

Jim Lahey

@Bamford –

Not looking to have a go at you. You like everyone else on here are perfectly entitled to hold any opinion you like.

Its just a very odd one.. and one that people here will ask you to justify. I mean, United fans, who watch their games every week want him gone. He has been there 18 months now(?). Spent close to £150m and are still stuggling. How is he an excellent manager??

Marko

Bacary Sagna
@Sagnaofficial
·
17m
@Arsenal is shinning again👏🏾👏🏾what did you make of that performance guys..

Love that guy

Dissenter

Guendouzi worries me though.
For all the industriousness and willingness to throw himself around, is there a footballing brain.
When he came on yesterday, he didn’t acquit himself well with some of the choices he made.

Jim Lahey

@TR7 –

“Is it me or ES changes his opinion on every thing football every week ?”

You’re allowed to change your views, its healthy.

azed

I’m with Un on Chambers.

At the beginning of the season, I wanted him sold but he’s played well since the beginning of the season and he would not be a bad option.

Definitely not a starter though. May be our very own John O’Shea

Bamford10

Un Na

Except that I haven’t said we won because we were “lucky”. This is one of the things that weakens your commentary here: your inability to deal with others arguments in a fair and honest fashion.

Marko

I like to be read and heard, but trust me, I don’t crave attention.

That’s the definition of craving attention you absolute pillock

Jim Lahey

@Bamford –

If you have an opinion you feel strongly about and believe to be correct then you shouldn’t have a hard time defending it. It should be simple. I just don’t see how you can justify United having a better sqaud than us at the moment.. I mean player for player I just can’t see it, sorry!

Edu me a favour

“” Bacary Sagna
@Sagnaofficial
·
17m
@Arsenal is shinning again👏🏾👏🏾what did you make of that performance guys..Love that guy””

Corrr calm down the pair of you will ya 😉 😜

Bamford10

Jim

Two smart managers met up last night. Arteta came out on top. Are you somehow of the view that Arteta isn’t capable of out-thinking another smart manager? If so, you have a lower opinion of Arteta than I do. I think he’s super smart.

Marko

It’d be interesting to know why people became fans in the first place

I liked their jersey in some FA Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday and was given a best of VHS when I was a kid and watched the absolute shit out of it. That’s my earliest memory. Anders Limpar and Ian Wright were my early favourites