A not so happy Friday for most of us, the loss last night was hard to stomach. Olympiacos were not elite opposition and we’d already done the hard job in Greece, we really should have been able to drive that victory home and keep our Champions League hopes alive.
So where do we start on this one? For me, the key issue was fatigue. The players looked leggy and tired and that filtered into the stands. That was our 4th game in 11 days, which is a lot, but it’s something we knew about and unfortunately, we didn’t seem prepared for the realities of it.
The starting 11 should have been rotated. I understand that Arteta would have been critiqued whatever happened if a loss came out the back end, but I think he pushed the starting 11 too far in this one and the output was inviting for the Greeks.
That said, I don’t this was an effort issue. We weren’t witnessing players not giving a fuck, they just weren’t at the races physically. They still fought until the 2 minute of added-on time in extra time. The cost of fatigued players came in the form of a key injury to the freshly rejuvenated Mustafi. It’ll also now have a knock-on effect mentally. Tired legs after a soul-destroying loss will feel heavier.
The second criticism would have to centre around the subs. Ceballos for Torreira didn’t really do much for our attacking threat, LT just isn’t very good at penetrating the lines and when he’s pushing forward it takes him longer to get back. Joe Willock proved ineffectual when he joined the program, he’s just not there yet, he must be doing something incredible in training because we’re not really getting enough from him on the pitch.
The big one that we waited and waited for was the introduction of Gabriel through the middle. I really like Lacazette, he’s a good guy, offers great vibes in training, but he really, really struggles against powerhouse centre backs. Last night he was in the main totally neutralised by the Greeks hulking centre back pairing. I thought he’d turned the corner, that wasn’t clear last night. I thought the moment that summed up his season was a delicious fake from Ozil that fell to him in space, his shot blazed out of the stadium. 2 years ago he’s finding the net.
Arteta didn’t sub him until the second half of injury time. Now, I can see the idea here, the Greeks were fading badly, Gabriel is a hand-grenade on the pitch, and sure enough, he was, his nodded head in the box setup the Auba scissor kick. The game stays the same and it’s a celebrated substitute timed really well.
Football is a beast though, a Bernd Leno mistake started a domino effect of fuck ups that let them back in. Then, last gasp, Auba puts wide a chance he’d score 9 times out of 10.
Overall, we lost because of a lack of quality in the final third combined with customary defensive errors we’ve been making for 10 years (so, errr, everything). The attacking issues are of more concern. We had 19 shots and only found the target 4 times. This wasn’t a case of ‘well, we were reduced to poor quality chances’, this was bad misses (xG 1.5 (Ars) – 1 (Oly)).
two-legged xG map for Arsenal – Olympiakos
football is a good sport that people like for good reasons pic.twitter.com/3IFUHKqvUC
— Caley Graphics (@Caley_graphics) February 28, 2020
The Greeks gave us possession and we didn’t know how to use it. We really struggled with the deep block and we didn’t have the confidence to invite them on. We chased the second goal because we knew that’s what we had to do. Imagine if that game was reversed, do you think the Greeks would have played like? Doubtful. They’d have sat back, invited us to attack, then spring a counter-attack.
… but we have to move on.
The ghouls will be out for the new manager, that’s just par the course these days. If you only come out of your box for the losses, you have to ask yourself some serious questions. The path to a brighter future was never going to be perfect, the damage to this season was set in motion 18 months ago. You don’t undo the problems in two months. Also, find me a single manager in the world of football that would pick up this group of players in this moment and breeze the season. You wouldn’t. All managers make mistakes, it’s how you find out what your squad is made of, it’s how you learn where the limits are. We are barely 2.5 months into this new chapter.
What did we really learn from last night? There is still a lot of work to do on the defence. We are terrible from setpieces. There are still a lot of individual errors that you can’t afford at the highest level. There are some players that don’t look capable physically at this current moment. Bukayo Saka still looks the business, but even he had his bad moments last night as the panic set in. Next season, it’ll be a different mix. Saliba will join, we’ll probably buy a player like Upemacano, and if Mari is any good, he might be a fixture. We’ll also be looking at right back.
It is also very clear that our midfield needs work. We need better athletes. I think this has been an agenda item for years. We need to look towards power and pace. Players like Denis Zakaria and Wilfred Ndidi never seem to find their way towards Arsenal. Even Bruno Guimarães, a huge fave in the comments here, looked brilliant in the Champions League in the week. Arsenal need to go young and really make sure our midfield represents what the league looks like in 2020.
On the positives, the squad is still working for the cause. You couldn’t put that game down to a lack of effort. The players powered through the redzone in a game they were clearly finding very tough. I’m not here feeling disgusted, I’m just burned by the way things went down. The Auba chance at the end said it all about the new mindset, even if it didn’t come off.
Success is very rarely a straight line, if that’s what you were expecting from the new regime picking up this bag of shit season, then you were setting yourself up for a failure. This was always going to be a long preseason. There is plenty to do right now and there will be big changes in the summer as the squad is reshaped in the vision of someone that actually has a vision. The manager has found out that he pushed his squad too far last night, now he has to deal with the mess. In his press conference after he was very focused on the idea that he has to lift the players for Monday’s game against Brighton. That was our first loss of 2020, the next test is the character of the squad and the power of the managers leadership to get them back winning and making themselves a nuisance in the race for top 5.
A huge challenge, so let’s see where he goes. Onwards people, onwards. Podcast below and the prezzer from Arteta.
Its not an act A grown up should conduct himself accordingly even in an anonymous blog. Weren’t you the fellow Pedro pulled up just a days ago on some particularly tasteless posts you made. Maybe you should be a bit more self conscious how you come across. @Bob Maybe because I am joyless in this instance, I don’t revel in envy pure and simple. If I attain a particular level in life I don’t keep wishing others fail so my achievement remains intact. Liverpool have been great this season, determined and focused, and they are going to win the league.… Read more »
The arsenal and it’s footballing history and what it means is lost on Receding Baldy and Bamford F-.
And don’t even get them started in the banter that comes with football.
Couple of cunts that have never sat in the boozer with their mates chatting shit and taking the piss watching the match.
MA keeps saying. We have to improve. We have to improve alot. Er.. or what? What exactly is going to happen if we don’t. This is what he and any new manager of THIS Arsenal team doesn’t understand. These players are not good enough and they have already peaked Under Wenger and Emery. There’s nothing more they can give, more than they have already. You have to sell them MA. You have to be ruthless MA. Smh.
Robert Pires is happy, so I am happy, but I agree with Receding that too many Arsenal fans live too much in the past. It’s nice to have been great a long time ago, but it’s better to be great in the present. Present greatness is what fans and supporters should be focused on building, IMO. I get why people are happy, though.
Robert Pires & 49
https://twitter.com/arseblog/status/1233875224556380167
Receding you just don’t get it.
If you’re a fan of a football club but avoid tribalism, banter, pettiness, and mockery of your rivals then what the fuck are you in it for?
I’m serious. When we win the titles what the actual fuck are you doing with that info, silently nodding to yourself and muttering “good game my team, glass of Vino for me”?
A massive chunk of football is representing your chosen team. Genuinely no idea what you get a semi for otherwise, be as well latching onto the best side of the moment to appreciate peng football if that’s the extent of it.
Goonies you get it. Now stop addressing me
You do it the George Graham way and move on to the next game and not dwell on past glories…
RH
Haha what I said was harmless and lots worse have been said around these parts; you know that’s true. It wouldn’t have even registered if Hamford wasn’t such a whiny pussy.
You think being an adult means you have to shit on every bit of positivity that you don’t deem to be appropriate? Act or not that’s a shite mentality to have.
Charlie
People are free to be fans of their team however they like. If a man likes having a glass of win by himself to enjoy his team’s victory, so be it. Just because you view being a fan a particular way doesn’t mean that everyone else has to view things the same way. You like and believe in the tribalism of football. Good for you. But that doesn’t mean that everyone else has to as well. To each his own. Stop trying to impose your views and your ways on others.
*wine
The Scousers may have won more titles and European trophies but they can’t emulate us in the Invincible sense. Raining outside the house but not inside. Just cracked open a good bottle of Malt on that basis.
REceding Baldy and Bamford F- give genuinely passionate foreign supporters a bad name.
Well said Bamford, & a BIG thankyou Watford, you have guaranteed that at least a part of my old Arsenal shall remain.
’49…49 undefeated, playing football The Arsenal Way!!!!
If one can’t exact total joy from Liverpool loosing any game let alone this particular game, on a potential record breaking day, the back end of road leading to an unbeaten season needs to go and have a word with themselves.
Then blast back in time to 2004 as you clearly weren’t there on the first go around.
Spurs Lineker can go and get properly fucked, hes biased.
Bamford, everybody has the right to celebrate/ react in the way they want tonight, of course. That being said, if on a night when most Arsenal fans can derive pleasure in a result which is fairly easy to understand, if you then question the Arsenal supporter’s joy it’s no doubt best to avoid commenting unless you want to be a target of disdain.
Freedom of speech and all, but don’t be outraged by the inevitable stick your position is bound to generate.
Banford Tribalism is quite literally a fabric of football, it’s not a belief of mine I’m imposing you wet wipe. Laughably rich of you telling me not to impose my views on others, self awareness absent as ever. Earlier you were delivering a sermon on ‘realism’ , including what will forever be known as “the story of the poor old timer”, and now ignoring past glories is your version of fandom. It’s precisely why your rhetoric is predominantly vapid, because you don’t fully grasp the cultural significance of football. You get that from terraces, shared experience, and passionate conversation with… Read more »
If you’re a fan of a football club but avoid tribalism, banter, pettiness, and mockery of your rivals then what the fuck are you in it for?
Yeah again that’s all well and good but right now we are literally the butt end of every football joke.
RH – you’re so up your own arse it’s untrue.
Stop pissing on everyone’s celebration
I bet you’ve never had a joyful day in your life.
It’s entirely possible to accept Liverpool have a very good team, whilst simultaneously bantering with Liverpool supporters and getting great enjoyment over seeing them blow up and not reach our record . You don’t need to live your life in a narrow restrictive bore fest , so stop imposing it on others
No Marko, we retain the English record for unbeaten run and having an unbeaten season- ‘ butt of all jokes’ bshit, this evening it’s the chance for everybody to be reminded that Arsenal holds these records.
Get a grip!
“Yeah again that’s all well and good but right now we are literally the butt end of every football joke.“
I’m aware, it a 2-way street and that’s half the fun.
Marko
-Yeah again that’s all well and good but right now we are literally the butt end of every football joke.
Well why don’t you toughen up soft cock and work on your come backs?
You’d think we followed Accrington Stanley the way some of these cunts go on and were the only club to experience difficult times.
Pathetic and entitled.
I came in late on the thread, one of the pleasures of supporting my team(s) is knowing how much it really hurts opposition fans when my Club(s) win. I like to drive the dagger in hard to the miserable FLICKERS who gave me hell, but I agree with Bamford, I will support my team(s) my way.
Imagine being in a bar and having some United fans take the piss out of Arsenal while you’re getting the drinks in.
Majority here would return the favour no problem, meanwhile there’s a handful you know fine well would join them and pile on like it makes them some evolved specimen observing football.
Leave the drinks and get in the bin lol
Talking about record, our team may beat the # of draw record this season.
Again for the mob mentality thing that goes on here I get it be thankful for Liverpool not breaking our record it’s fantastic but some of you dipshits are pretending like we won a game today or like we’re anything but a club currently struggling. Re-lax it’s painfully pathetic to get this excited about a team 42 points ahead of us losing a game. Let’s hold off the celebrations for I dunno us beating Portsmouth on Monday or say beating West Ham next week and getting closer to the Champions League places. The fact that I’m getting shit for telling… Read more »
Red Truth
“16 years Arsenal have failed to compete for a title while Liverpool haven’t competed 3 times and are now about to be crowned Champions..”
Lets just hope it doesn’t take Arsenal another 14 years to find that title.
My joy from the Liverpool loss is mutually exclusive from my considerations of what Arsenal have accomplished (or failed to accomplish) today or this season. Why does everything exist on the same plane for some of you
“Losing to Olympiacos was very painful & my job is to lift the players before we play at Portsmouth. I have to get back the belief & convince them that there is still a lot to play for.” – Mikel Arteta
Anyone have thoughts on what kind of XI we should expect to see on Monday evening? Thoughts on who will be in the XI, who will not and why?
“Anyone have thoughts on what kind of XI we should expect to see on Monday evening? Thoughts on who will be in the XI, who will not and why?”
😂 whenever Bamford ask questions like this it sounds like an essay prompt designed for 15 year olds.
I would hope there’s some rotation and finally some game time for Mari. Would not be surprised if Arteta persisted with the same 11 though, he hasn’t shown a desire to rotate so far. Would be a big mistake in my opinion if so.
Pierre
“Cheers Gobby, I call it as I see it, I’ll leave it to you and the other entitled ones to make their snide comments”
You call it as you see it. With Wenger tinted glasses and the ambition of the kroenkes.
Good for you.
I am fucking ecstatic Liverpool lost. Yes arsenal sucks now but that is a piece of our history and identity…
I hope we beat them as that would be a measure of our improvements….
I hate Liverpool and plan on having some cocktails tonight.. bc if that and also bc it’s Saturday !!!!
Get happy people!!
Whoever coined that “beautiful game” metaphor should get laid tonight.
Had a good chuckle over this.
Watford have now become my third favourite team (for a couple of weeks anyway)…The Mighty O’s being second.
Find it odd that any Gooner cannot take pleasure in the scousers losing at any time, let alone tonight.
Is it watford
Mooses ?
I see the moose antlers
Martinez, Mari, AMN, Sok, Holding, Willock, Guendouzi, Torreira, Nelson/Pepe, Martinelli, Nketiah/Laca
Should be good enough for us to get a result at Portsmouth.
Don’t know if someone mentioned it earlier but Watford obviously have the best squad in the league now.
The Pool lost their cojones for a day.
“Stop trying to impose your views and your ways on others.”
Spoken like a true hypocrite, Bamford. Snake in the grass is the perfect analogy to describe you.
Today has been a better than fine day. Great satisfaction in watching Liverpool get soundly beaten by a team that they clearly did not take seriously. The Invincibles live on for years to come!
And for the record, Virgil saying that going unbeaten was something that the media kept pushing because the players never did. Bullshit!
Well done Watford! They’ve done the impossible; now it’s time for Arsenal to do the same and push for big cup qualification.
Liverpool has been winning ugly /getting out of jams for a while. Var has also been the 12th man for them. Watford fully deserved the victory.
One loss can derail a season and athletico might just pile on the misery. If they lose to Chelsea too, it will definitely put a lot of pressure, whether they acknowledge it or not.
I hope this derails them more
Next season no chance they get back to this winning streak
Down year for many teams . They had their shot and didn’t work. Always knew that a mid table or lesser team would surprise them
Thank you Watford!
And we’ll be getting that 5th, I just know it.
Chelsea are crumbling, Spurs will implode sooner or later, United will be hampered by the Europa as will (especially) Wolves who don’t have the squad to rotate.
Come the end of May we will be glad about the Europa exit.
Can’t believe watford and west ham won. I thought they were going down for sure, now the relegation battle is really heating up. The top 4 battle and the relegation battle is one of the reasons why the PL is so exciting. I hope we go for a heavily rotated side in the FA cup. I have enjoyed watching matinez get minutes under his belt. Hes a good back up to have but he needs game time to improve. Hoping to see Mari and some other fresh faces. We have a talented squad so I don’t know why arteta is… Read more »
Dacoure and Sarr wouldnt make any difference in this arsenal team, what we need is a minimum of 2 creative players, like we had Nasri&fab, Rosicky&fab, carzola&(alexis/ozil). Thats the winning formula
Im telling you this for free!
What we need more urgently are two CB’s who can defend dead balls.
Pierre
“Emery and his clowns have spent all the money and Arteta is back to the Wenger days when he had years of trying to compete with a fraction of the funds that city , Chelsea and united had since the move to the Emirates.”
How revisionist of you.
Wenger spent hundreds of millions of pounds and got progressively worse.
This did not start with Emery.
Blaming everything on emery is more of an agenda than people not impressed with arteta.
Arteta seems to have picked up all the bad habits of Wenger. Late and meaningless subs, favourites over achievers. Looking clueless on the side lines.
Yes Pierre those terrible wenger austerity years when he had to make do with spending over 110m just on two strikers and hand over 70m contract to ozil. 3 players over 180m in change forked out under wengers watch. Let’s try to forget xhaka and mustafi costing a combined 70 odd million. All in the last few years. However did wenger get by with such limited funds???? You see Pierre when you lie to blatantly to try and rewrite history it really is laughable. You can admire wenger without needing to blatantly lie about him. You’re a grown ass man… Read more »
Ironically Pierre of the 250m wenger handed over for the 5 players I mention above, only Auba has delivered anything near value for money
Apparently wenger was awful at spending big money when he did
So an Invincible was actually behind preserving our record!
Graham Stack, Goalkeeper coach for Arsenal during the Invincible season,
could not resist a sly jibe, eluding to his Gunners past.
He tweeted: “A great performance, 3 points, a clean sheet and I’m still Invincible. Thanks lads! Never in doubt!!”
RH, On a LOGICAL level, I understand your position that Arsenal fans should be more concerned about getting back to the lofty heights of the Invincibles. However, football and fandom is not a logical plane. It is EMOTIONAL. You might have fallen in love with Arsenal because of Kanu (I did), but you never stopped loving them when he left, or when the team started declining and we were being battered in Europe or by 8-2 or 6-1 or 6-0. The logical thing would have been to choose to support another team (of course that makes you a glory hunter).… Read more »
CG – and each one of those managers had a number 2 that contributed to their success. They changed them when required and in Red Nose’s case successfully.
Wenger would not allow a good number 2 near him just in case they stole his thunder.
Find out why Cesc left when he did and for about half the true value – the real reason and not the garbage put out by the club. That will give you an insight to his regime.
Countryboy
Stick to milking cows…
Neeg “”Wenger would not allow a good number 2 near him just in case they stole his thunder.”””” That’s a very valid and accurate prognosis. Seems like MA is going the same way as AW with his Steve Round appointment. I never go to into the minutiae of Wengers reign like some-I just know he had 18 successive CL appearances. 7 FA Cups 7 Charity Shields 3 League Titles Always played sumptuous soccer on a Sat/Sun. ( never Thursday) And was uniquely Invincible. The rest is all basically irrelevant. If you are not sated on that lot- well that’s your… Read more »
Red
I usually milk cows one-handed while using the other to hold a book.
You should try it too.
Beats wanking
My son was feeling down after Thursday’s loss so Friday I found a DL for Fever Pitch and we watched it together with me explaining much about Arsenal at that time. The joy on my son’s face as he leapt into the air off the sofa when Mickey Thomas scores was priceless where it also brought back the emotions for me to savour once again. Needless to say he’s over the moon we haven’t lost our ‘Invincible’ claim to fame as much as I am. On reflection though the angry, dumb and petty side of Colin Firth’s character, Paul Ashworth,… Read more »
CG – not often I get called young man. I went to my first game at Highbury when I was thirteen – some 53years ago.
Of course I enjoyed the success but, apart from the 3 FA cup wins at the tail of his management career the in between years were spent as also rans to old red nose and then the two teams buying success. Wenger had the opportunity to compete but his stubbornness hindered progress.
I hope the players that go to Fratton park will be able to handle the atmosphere there. Their fans will defintely be the 12th man.
Tony,
Loved the image of your son leaping off the sofa. I was in Quito, Ecuador proudly wearing my Arsenal shirt on that special day in 1989!
Neeg “””Wenger had the opportunity to compete but his stubbornness hindered progress”””” Since he departed-We have spent over £250 000 000 on players, on our 3rd Head Coach- and this current lot cant even beat Olympiakos despite going into the match with a 1 zero lead. (If Our Wenger took charge of that game Thursday. Arsenal would be playing Wolverhampton in the next round) Seems like Arsenal and not competing or making progress is contagious and not just a Wenger thing. A year before Wenger arrived Arsenal were midtable. A year after Wenger leaves Arsenal we are back in midtable.… Read more »
REDRUTH is in full flow.No Marches for the Police to control in London this Weekend.
Arseblog sums up why most of us were so pleased after yesterday’s result.
To anyone who thinks CL football is out of reach for us this season, I’d say is absolutely doable and just depends on us If we win our game in hand we’re only 5 points behind 4th, whilst only needing to come 5th if the man city ban is upheld. Chelsea’s next 3 league games are Everton villa and city. They’ll probably not get more than 4 points of a possible 9 from that. Meanwhile all our 3 league games over the same period we should be big favourites to win. I’m not saying we’ll do it and actually get… Read more »
Wenger being praised yet again on here. Stats peevishly brought out to support a vague comparison with recent and current manager. You can spin specific stats and attribute blame where you, personally want it to fall on a manager . Fact is Wenger was a fraud. He was no manager.. just a lucky economics graduate that was in the right place at the right time.. made a few lucky signings based on his nationality.(Henry, Vieira, anelka, wiltjord etc). You know the rest.. inherited quality players etc etc As time went by we saw the real Wenger.. exposed as an awful… Read more »
China 1, I think we are spending next season in the Europa league. Yes If we win we will be 5 points behind Chelsea but There are a lot of teams just like us looking to profit. We have 11 games left and I would say we need about 27 points from the rest of the games to get in to top 4. And I don’t think this team has quality enough to get 9 wins out of 11. We still have to play pool at home and city away. There are also teams worried about relegation that will fight… Read more »
Well done Watford. Great result. Not a massive shock for me, as they out muscled Liverpool at Anfield in December.
Liverpool are a fine team but have been a tad lucky in a few games this season.
We are the only invincibles and I’m very pleased this morning.
WW, It’s the science of comparisons. When Wenger was around, it was pointed out many times that George Graham had a better trophy rate than him and he also had European success – something Wenger never managed to do. And yet all the AKBs jumped down our throats for making such comparisons. But now, they are doing exactly the same thing with Arteta/Emery/Wenger because they want to maintain the narrative that Arteta was a good choice. It was not. It was a shit choice. Just like selling out to Kroenke was a shit choice. Just like keeping Wenger on long… Read more »
Unai,
Who are you?
Some blind tool that needs to be educated in reality?.
You must be one of those Wenger diehard cult followers. Why don’t you follow him.. in some office in some football quango… because he can’t get a real job in football as no one would touch him with a shitty barge pole.
Go and spill your seed over his picture you Wenger-lover.
Habesha I too expect we won’t make the cut but not because we can’t, I think it will be easier than most expect. But I suspect we will piss several games away the same as Olympiakos due to a combination of largely avoidable mistakes. But don’t forget that’s the bigger task getting top 4, but we probably only need 5th. I don’t foresee the small clubs like Sheffield utd staying within touching distance until the end unless the big teams all continue to piss points away for fun on a weekly basis, so I think we only need to focus… Read more »
Un nai you’re right Leno fucked up against Chelsea but we were absolutely robbed for disgraceful reffing in that game
There’s no way in hell that result can be taken seriously regardless of Leno’s bad mistake. Most games we drop points you can blame the team, players, manager but the Chelsea game was absolute banter officiating that killed us, so I won’t linger on Leno’s involvement
@jeff, I think you’ve extended my point of view into subsequent managers.
It’s reminded me exactly how brilliant George graham was in assembling that team. Component by component. Like a master builder with a great vision of the end product.
I just think it’s time we stop accommodating out of form players. Laca shouldn’t be starting matches. Put auba up front and martinelli on the left, with saka lb. that way our left hand side has ridiculous pace, energy, directness, goal threat, crossing etc and you have the best poacher in the league up top where he does the most damage We can’t guarantee they’ll all play well each game but at least put the dangerous players on the pitch and give opposition teams something to think about rather than the dreary laca experiment. Frankly if tierney comes back and… Read more »
WW “””Well done Watford. Great result. Not a massive shock for me, as they out muscled Liverpool at Anfield in December.”””” Well observed. Pearson v Klopp Liverpool 2 Watford 0 Watford 3 Liverpool 0 In both games Watford were the better team. Pearson- the only coach in Europe who has got the better of Klopp and his team. When Arsenal decide to come to their senses, And realise this current mishmash structure they have is clearly not working. And clearly doomed to continue to fail. Sean Dyche or Pearson should both be serious contenders for the Arsenal job. Experienced, battle… Read more »
Un yeah Leno has made a few clangers that have hurt us. I thought he was poor in the first Everton goal as well where they bundled it in right through his legs. Was a bit weak
But that Chelsea game is a really sore one for me as it just shouldn’t have counted. We’re it not for the officiating we’d have probably won the game, meaning we’d be only 2 points behind them right now
That’s all it would’ve taken for us to be blowing smoke up their arse
From MA interview looks like we may see AMN at left LB, Mari at left CB, Holding at right CB, Nelson at RW against Portsmouth.
Who was it who coined “Bouncebackability”? We are about to find out a lot about this teams new found strong mentality and confidence. Monday gives us a chance to hit back and go forward in a competition we all love and want to win. Pompey have been on a great run themselves recently, and they and their fans will be hugely up for it, time to pick ourselves up, roll the sleeves up and get back to winning ways. I want to see us finish the league campaign as strongly as possible obviously, and see where we end up. But… Read more »
I’m glad to have Nelson back
I still think he has something to contribute to the squad even if he’s not yet ready to be first choice
Agree with Arseblog comments about the Invincibles whole heartedly. There is also a nice article on The Athletic about them this morning by Amy Lawrence, if anyone else is a subscriber.
Chris
Social media was awash with Invincibles commentary and admiration. It’s why Watford’s result yesterday was a nice respite for Arsenal fans in this dull season and those trying to dismiss it were futile.
China1
This is our run of fixtures. Westham at home, Brighton Away, Soton Away, Norwich at home, Wolves Away, Leicester At home, Tottenham Away, Liverpool at home, Villa away, Watford at home, and Mancity has been rescheduled to I don’t know where. So Westham, Brighton, Norwich, Watford and Villa are all in a relegation battle. Wolves, Tottenham and Leicester are competing for top 4 spots and the other teams are Liverpool and City. I don’t think we are finishing in the top 4 to be honest. We need an insane run. We are probably finishing in Europa league positions.
Agree Unnaii, Lacazette and Ozil are not doing enough centrally. Arteta needs to come up with a combination that provides a better outlet and attacking threat or encourage Ozil to be more available centrally. Nketiah’s movement drags the CB s around much more as well as making himself available.
Once Tiernay is fit, Arteta needs to work out how best utilise Martinelli and Saka. Could one of those two operate effectively in the role Ozil is currently taking?
China, just read your post, we’re thinking very much along the same lines!
CC. exactly my feelings. So what if the Invincible season was 16 years ago, Liverpool’s loss suddenly has returned them into the limelight which ought to make every Arsenal fan proud by association.
My social media was buzzing last night and this morning as friends joyfully communicated their happiness and relief!
Fernandes is worrying me at utd. He looks like the kind of player who can put that team on his back on a weekly basis. They haven’t had a midfielder of that nature for ages imo
I hope his form drops off because he looks like a real catalyst for the team
I think we have to talk more about Arteta’s honesty. I mean he can’t admit his game management was wrong and we act like it’s nothing.
If you are going to take responsibility and not make excuses, I think that’s something beautiful; beautiful and fresh.
But he also has to stop making murky decisions. Henceforth Martinelli plays when fit, he’s our second best player in the final third, joint second with Saka. The numbers are there to prove that.
‘Fernandes is worrying me at utd. He looks like the kind of player who can put that team on his back on a weekly basis. They haven’t had a midfielder of that nature for ages imo’
Don’t worry dear brother, United would drain peak Messi under OGS. It’s a matter of time.
There is an interesting article about Arsenal’s decline in today’s Sunday Telegraph. Much of what Sam Wallace writes is of course well known to most Arsenal supporters, but has been consolidated into a single article. BAYERN MUNICH MODEL Arsenal planned following construction of Emirates Stadium to adopt FFP model similar to Bayern. The difference was that Bayern had a monopoly in Germany and is a well run club with owners/management who understand football. Interestingly Liverpool have adopted that model and have learned from Arsenal’s mistakes. OWNERSHIP Arsenal have owners in the Kroenke family who have contributed nothing to the business… Read more »
ES, if Arsenal want to follow Liverpool, we might need new owners, but being realistic and failing that, ditching self interest execs like Raul would be a start, ( Ivan is also in that bracket, but thankfully gone) No more agents putting managers in at the last minute, no more trying to ease the likes Denis Suarez in as a replacement for top players who we would lose for nothing. No more dithering over the procrastination of a non entity like Ivan Gazidis. No more holding onto managers clearly not working. Some of the decisions made and paths followed under… Read more »
Habisha
A lot of course depends on things like City’s appeal and how the Wolves and Utd do in the Europa league who wins the LC and of course the FA cup but my take on it is as there is only one automatic EL allocated to the PL. I think it’s going to be incredibly challenging to get a EL berth for next season
Habesha “I think we are spending another season in the Europa league.” Maybe, but to qualify for the Europa League, we’re going to need to finish somewhere between 6th and 8th — or win the FA Cup — and I think this is going to prove harder than many of you think. To finish in one of those spots, we will need to outperform Wolves, Sheffield or Spurs, and while many of you believe we can do this, an objective assessment of how this team has performed to date in the PL suggests otherwise. The one place where I see… Read more »
I can envisage the Pompey manager watching plenty of Arsenal defensive/set piece error videos today.
Reports that we’ve told athletico we’re willing to meet partey’s release clause (43m)
It’s probably fake news but I’d be very pleased if true. Excellent CM and CB have to be priority this summer (not sure if saliba is the one, we can only hope)
If we aren’t in for a top CB and our hopes are pinned on saliba then we should be attacking a quality CM like partly + an AM to replace ozil.
Besides that any additional business would be a bonus but this is core surgery we need to prioritize
Bamford
Is Kane out till early May?
If that’s the case I wouldn’t be surprised to see him “rushed” back for out match on the 26th April. He could end up aggravating the injury and missing more matches.
Terraloon
I agree that qualifying for the EL is going to be harder than some think, but I think we can assume that the two cups (one that will be played today, btw) will be won by a top four team and that there will therefore likely be three spots available for the EL (6th, 7th and 8th, assuming City remains UEFA-disqualified). If City somehow delays their punishment, the three EL spots would be 5th, 6th and 7th.
China
As you say it’s most probably paper talk but with Torreira looking surplus to requirements his sale should cover most of that cost.
Marc
Yes, that’s what I’ve just read. See below.
https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/players/tottenham-injury-news-kane-wolves-17832630
Bamford
I’m not sure UEFA can delay the ban for City – they need to get any appeal sorted before next season starts.
Imagine Sheffield Utd finish 5th (just for the sake of the argument) thinking they’ve got CL football. They are then denied entry and the punishment ends up being upheld, Sheffield Utd will complain that chances are they’ll struggle to qualify again and UEFA have deprived them of £50 million of revenue etc.
I think it’s not a problem that pepe gets double marked. It’s an asset as it frees up space elsewhere if an extra man is tracking him. This is a key thing which all good teams abuse where the need to double mark one special player allows other players an easier time. Honestly I think the fact that pepe can be double marked and we don’t manage to exploit the additional space that leaves speaks quite poorly of our general offensive setup and approach. Between the AM and CF, these two should directly benefit from pepe getting double marked but… Read more »
BTW, I saw “Parasite” last night, and it was excellent, especially the first hour and ten minutes. Great movie.
Bamford
Thanks for the link – I thought he was due back earlier so good news.