It is here, another FA Cup final for the mighty Arsenal. We’re going for number 14. Mikel Arteta is going for his first as a coach. The young players are going for their first-ever trophy. We have Europe on the line.
It’s different this year and it’s a shame. I’ve never missed an Arsenal FA Cup final. I usually go with my football family, we meet up, get drunk, celebrate or commiserate together, and then it’s a beautiful memory forever locked (even the losses can be fun after).
My Uncle, who is a Leeds fan said to me a few years ago that trophies were about parties. If you’re having a lot of parties, life is good, but if you’re not, then what’s the point?
Arsenal fans might not have had a lot of major-trophy parties of late, but we’re certainly advanced in FA Cup shindigs. This is our trophy, no one has won it as often as us. You feel something in the air whenever we head to Wembley. Wenger took these games very seriously, he loved the FA Cup, and I expect some of that has rubbed off on Arteta, who played as his captain in a winning side. Let’s hope Mikel has a similar relationship with the trophy.
Today is going to be tough, we’re not favourites which is unusual, and the squad of players we have available can be a little bit like that box of chocolates Forest Gump always bangs on about. You don’t know what you’re going to get. However, after thinking about it, under Mikel Arteta, it is more likely than ever that we’ll be picking out a chocolate that doesn’t have a sour liqueur hiding inside.
We’ve beaten United, Liverpool, and City this season. Both our Chelsea games, whilst not optimal, saw solid performances. We’ve had some very good away wins in 2020 as well. Arteta tailors a game plan to the match, the players understand it, and if there are no mistakes, we usually have a pretty good chance of making it very difficult for the other side.
I think we’ll see more of that today. There are rumours that Kieran Tierney is being considered as a centre back today, Ainsley is apparently getting the nod, then it’s with the gods how we set the team up from there.
This isn’t the same game as City or Liverpool. Chelsea has a pretty exciting collection of players that can move the ball through midfield. They play very attractive football at their peak, they are quick on the counter, and they can also pick apart a deep block. They have Olivier Giroud, say what you will about him, but he’ll be motivated, he’s a brilliant link-up striker, and he can score outrageous goals. Willian is in blistering form and along with Kante, is in the squad today.
Their weak spot is in defence. Frank Lampard teams often have a soft underbelly through the middle of the park, and this particular team has struggled with the goalkeeping position. Chelsea actually conceded more goals in the league than Arsenal this season, clocking in at a whopping 54. That is a massive opportunity if you can deal with them going forward. Tough to see how we bring exciting football to unlock their defence after bumming around without a #10 for so long, but we have seen glimpses of good play, particularly the first half against Leicester.
Our challenge is defence, individual errors, and in-game management. We don’t have Mustafi and in this squad, that’s a problem. He’s been huge for us under Mikel, bar a couple of games I think he was fatigued in. There aren’t many good options for us, but nor was there in 2017 when Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding put in a BEASTLY performance for us. The individual errors issue always lurks, our xG has been shocking this season in part because of that, the players know this, and they have to be at their best today to avoid being ‘that guy’ in a final. I also think Lampard has been adept at times at changing things up during the game. Arteta needs to make good decisions when that happens today because Chelsea has more from the bench than we do.
In Arteta’s first run out in the league, a game I attended, we were really unlucky. Callum Chambers picked up a nasty injury, then Frank made some smart changes from the bench and got quite lucky with Jorginho staying on the pitch. The second game we managed to rescue the game with Xhaka and Mustafi sitting on the bench. This is our third crack at Chelsea, arguably the most important on, we have to deliver. Lampard will come with something interesting tactically and we have to counter it, and then move fast to deal with whatever he does in the second phase of the game.
Moments like today define managers and projects. A trophy in your first season, whatever it is, can be absolutely huge. It builds trust from the players, it bonds squads, it builds rapport with the fans, creates forward momentum, and it’s just a beautiful feeling to know you’re on the right path.
This is massive.
Enjoy the game, have fun with your friends and families, let’s make some memories of a different kind today.
Big love from everyone at Le Grove, COME ON YOU GUNNERS xx
Nice… AMN.. looked very good along the sideline.
Fucking zhaka
We can’t be intimated by the rough and tough Chelski
Good work AMN. Get. Physical
Their goalie isn’t exactly wC
Xhaka is so bad!!!
Need to stoop the shots.
Xhaka should have made that pass very early
Xhaka is a moron.
And if Arteta can’t see it and persists with him next season then he’s a moron too.
And then… Martinez saved needed at the other end.
FFS Xhaka!!!!!!!
Goodness me maaaan
Xhaka destroyed early in midfield
Just imagine
Dear oh dear.
Bollocks, Pulisic of course.
Could be a long afternoon.
Chelsea are in a completely different class technically.
Where’s the midfield? Walked straight through.
Half asleep pathetic
We didn’t stop their MF
Ffs. Just thought it’s dangerous and got done. And down.
Rubbish Ceballos. Let them run through MF.
D midfield is just too open, way way open
We get our first shot, we fluffed.
They get theirs, right through our central defence, 1-0.
Fuck
Way too easy…
Bollocks to that. We are fucking round at the back instead of clearing the ball.
Wank
Mount just waltz through the midfield there
What was ceba doing? Way too space between him and zhaka
Oops. Foreboding. They cut through us like buttaaaaa then. This could be as bad as Baku unless we get our shit together.
lol. usa! usa!
Fuck it.
Yeaaaaah
I can’t watch a baku 2.0
That was too easy. We just got over run over in midfield..
Fucksake
Fucking Xhaka just watched Pulisic waltz past him there.
Real problems in midfield here.
Chelsea strolling through our midfield
Xhaka and Ceballos are completely dominated here, need to tweak this or it’s a riot. It’s like 5 on 2 in midfield.
Anyone still wants Ceballos?? Jogged his way back and ball watching. 10s later we are 1 down.
Reference also shit. Luiz and Tierney too tentative. Kick the hell outta ‘em. If it’s. pen it’s. Pen.
need to break their high press….
At least I can’t see it
Wtf is this
Fuck off Holding. He was guilty before Luiz.
We are looking nervous and uncertain, doesnt bode well
Terrible to concede so early
Tactically, Arteta just gave them the midfield and we got punished at the second attempt. We have two CM against 3.
Ceballos and Xhaka are going to be robbed by Mount on a regular basis. Also if nobody tracks him that could be a long afternoon.
Bellerin is nowhere to be found during that attack.
Giroud with that famous link up play for the goal.
Jorginho had time and space to bring a bouncing ball down and make a simple pass through CM, rubbish start.
If we go two down I might well turn off. I know it’s an FAC final but I can’t watch us get shivved by Chavski again
Pulisic looking like Hazard right now.
Replay showed that Bellerin lost his man. That guy passed to Pulisic.
Winger Eagle
I remember chatting with you about pulisic you said he was overhyped/rated I said he was the business.
Guys a legit baller
Our players are weak.
We have no dribblers like Pulsic. Laca is shit.
Take a shot ffs. Stop that extra pass. It’s a final.
Getting bullied so far really
AMN doing well.
Mount and Pulisic are simply better more well-rounded footballers than Auba and Pepe, so simply by virtue of that they will outnumber us centrally because they are comfortable interchanging.
Goes to show you how bad we need a dribbler in the middle… Hazard, pulisic…
Good to see that AMN is remembering his time as a rampaging winger inU23.
Formation sucks and invites Chelsea to pick us apart and plays into Giroud with his flick ons. Should’ve played 4 -3-3 and attack them. We can’t defend and that middle is weak and a gaping hole and they will keep going through that middle all day.
Even worse than being 1-0 down in the UK is that we have to listen to Danny fucking Murphy on the BBC.
also Lampard thinks mount is chelseas best player
Pulisic is several levels above
Alex cutter celebrating like he is a Chelsea fan go fuck yourself you prick
Come on Arsenal, make our chances count!
They’re tearing us to pieces in the midfield
How come he saucy tactical genius Arteta is getting this all wrong? One to ponder …
Looking really heavy footed..all of them
Who didn’t understand what warriors mean watch these Chelsea players. Warriors vs babies. At least they are in this 15 min or so. Not dirty. But warriors. We are short in many areas esp. the entire MF and both CBs
Xhara did NOTHING wrong. Ffs.
Danny Murphy the bald deformed headed twat.
Taylor not paid off it seems.
VAR. That should be a yellow.
If there is one thing Arteta’s team has shown since he has taken over is stickability when the going is against us.
Going to need lots of that today because Chelsea are clearly the superior side here
think this is a 3-1 or 3-0 loss
Never thought we’d win this chelsea are just much better outfit also a better run club with a footballing focus ethos better academy and better operations across the board.
We are a powder puff fake football outfit run by nonces with a weak spined fan base
Our midfield is just too easy to pass around.
Way too early to pronounce doom and defeat just yet! Come on you Gunners!!!
Need to go after Kovacic
dude is reckless
Bellerin is not a footballer the sooner he leaves the club the better. Just go be a fashion model or whatever the fuck.
Sorry. Willock is shit in such situation
Laca has to sit deeper and hassle Jorginho, he doesn’t do that and we have two CM players surrounded by 3 players with a free Jorginho head up and passing.
Not good, have to sort it.
Correct decision.
Kovacic overstretching in the tackle
un na
Willock is shit. If we are relying on him to save the day we are fucked.
“Alex cutter celebrating like he is a Chelsea fan go fuck yourself you prick”
Eat a dick.
Matt, I held off the baldie reference in respect of WEagle, but you’re right.
2017 we had #8 Ramsey, Özil and Alexis in the pockets creating stuff. Now we have #8 Ceballos, Aubameyang and Pépé. Dani doesn’t get forward and the other two are not traditional on the ball players.
Poor FK. No chance even if on target. No angles
Santi would have put that free kick in
no way we win this not in a million years.
Chelsea have a better team and manager
Potential sending off for Kovacic at some point in the match for second yellow.
That would be handy
“ We are a powder puff fake football outfit run by nonces with a weak spined fan base”
Yar I can’t disagree with that.
Come on Kovacic.
Dive in again soon.
Saka for Héctor needed at halftime. Need Saka and AMN on the pitch. Our most likely source of creativity.
London
I changed my opinion of Pulisic mid season, guy has surprised me by how good he’s been. Was out of sorts at Dortmund towards the end and put in some tepid performances but just needed a change of scenery from the evidence.
We would have lost against Man U as well. Whole club has an inferiority complex against United, we play like little girls whatever team they put out. We rarely turn up so it is what it is.
Dream10 – Welbeck was a monster number nine as well. Pressed Chelsea like crazy all day.
AMN needs to get in the box
get fouled…. we are seeing more attacks down that right side… need to get in the box
Pepe needs to get the fuck on with it when he loses the ball.
Ceballos wasting time. Acre of space and not taking the ball forward.
Want to see some anger. When we conceded, players were void of emotion. No yelling. No nothing. Where’s the fire??
So lack of quality when properly pressed.
Anti-zionist ≠ anti-semetic
I predicted Pulisic would tear arsenal an asshole so large that even you would be jealous.
Don’t be butt-hurt. It’s just banter, right mate?
Our right is totally impotent and AMN can’t cross from the left.
AMN needs to go RB with Saka coming on for Bellerin.
Auba doesn’t look up for this at all so far.
Bellerin gets ball passes back, all the time he should feed Pepe
Why Bellerin still there ?
For back pass ?
We’re so pedestrian in CM, not one player capable of breaking through the lines and putting Chelsea on the backfoot.