… and we’re back

by .

Here we are, back together, ready to indulge in some peak-Barclays viewing today.

So what can we expect away at Manchester City?

A tough game. Sorry to be very obvious here, but Manchester City are hurting at the moment and they really need to impose themselves back on the league.

First game back can go either way. It’s an advantage in one sense, because teams have only had a couple of training sessions to crack the code. The fact that they don’t have KDB and a striker of note is also a big win for us.

Arteta has his side on better paper form, but really, we haven’t blown a game out the park so far this season. This would be a nice one to execute a sound plan really well.

Again, I wouldn’t be expecting us to express ourselves. We’re going to take our chances on the break, we’ll test their centre backs, and we’ll try and play very patiently.

The key is always defence. If David Luiz starts, you’ll know within 6 minutes which one showed up. We can’t have it be the Luiz who came on last time and had one of the worst performances of the season. We need the towering leader of a defender that took us to an FA Cup final win.

It’ll also be interesting to see how tempted the manager is to use Thomas Partey. Suspicion says it’s too early and he’ll go with Xhaka and Ceballos. Hopefully, he’ll see some minutes off the bench.

Nicolas Pepe, on form, could be interesting today. He lit up the last game with his energy and quick passing. Question is, does the manager really trust him? If we’re to have any sort of free-flowing football this year, it’ll likely have to include him. We know he has it in him to be world-class, we just don’t see it often enough.

I don’t have lot to offer today, but we’ll be back with a podcast and a match report tomorrow.

ENJOY THE GAME HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW! x

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Apart from conceding less goals I still think we’re as bland as we were under Emery

Kaz

@Buzzy

😂😂

So true.

Our players are so scared to progress forwards now, that’s the coaching. That’s Arteta.

Useroz

The longer we don’t try reinforcement the leas chance we’d win as time is running out. At best a draw. This isn’t progressive thinking.

Kaz

This Emeryball with defending.

Guns of SF

One sub against City,

Arteta never fucking learns.

This is on him…… Even Eddie, or someone else could have done something…. Auba is like having a man down on the field.

Not sure having Willian as a CF was anything but stupid today

Leedsgunner

We’re so poor in keeping the ball!

Marko

Everytime Auba is central something happens. Which begs the question why LW?!?!

Guns of SF

PARTEY!

karim

At fucking last

Bamford10

This approach of Arteta’s is certainly making us more difficult to beat, and it may allow us to get points from matches we might otherwise not have gotten points from, but for Christ’s sake is it boring.

Arsenal are easily the most boring team to watch in the PL. Easily. This is some of the most boring football I’ve ever watched.

andy1886

Partey time!!

Moray

Here we go…Partey on. 10-1 to the Arsenal.

Useroz

We are indeed as bland. Mo kidding.

Finally the Partey. Too late i reckon. Never know but…

Eddie also on.

Xhaka and pepe pff

I know, 80 secs to go before end of the game, I’ll put Partey on. Arteta out already

Guns of SF

2 bullet headers come on Partey!

Ashburton

This is absolutely shite… Can’t get over the half way line against city’s 2nd team…. I’ve to watch spuds play son kane and Bale tomorrow, they’d destroy this city side… Disgusting

Luteo Guenreira

SF really raging today. Settle yourself.

Bamford10

VVD out for 8 months. ACL. Unconfirmed reports.

Leedsgunner

Too little too late?

raptora

If VvD is out for the season it’s gg Liverpool. Open race for the title.

Guns of SF

Luteo I have not started drinking yet

Kaz

Arteta please! We don’t want to turn on you. This was a cowardly game plan and had some real stupid decisions..

Useroz

Laca’s passing is still shit.

Frankly wot’s the point putting 2 on at 83”?? It wasn’t as if we were getting closer to an equaliser since the 46”. They aren’t miracle workers

Luteo Guenreira

Ruben Dias hasn’t been anything special today. It’s been a low intensity game though.

Valentin

Even as an arsenal supporter, the premiership will find it very difficult to justify the £15.00 per game.

Useroz

Subs too late. City in control and in time wasting mode.

Bielsa takes championship players and turns them into a class attractive team to watch. Arteta takes supposedly WC players and has them playing like a team in the championship

Batistuta

no style, no patterns just defend deep and hope for moments of individual brilliance. Poor from Arteta

Havyn

Laca can’t pass to save his life
Poor poor

Luteo Guenreira

Pickford might be hailed a hero on the blue side of Merseyside if he’s knocked out VVD for the year. Hate to hear of any serious player injury, good luck in his recovery if true.

Kaz

STOP STARTING CEBELLOS AND XHAKA

andy1886

Some similarities with latter day Wenger football, too slow to move the ball forward and too many pointless nothing passes.

Useroz

Still doing side and back passes happily??!

James wood.

Sadly lacking any composure in any position.

Ashburton

We look an team that finished 8th last season.. This manager won’t last long..

underrated Coq

Don’t want to hear anything about improved performances against big sides. Out without a whimper at both Anfield and Ethihad

Useroz

Drive the ball forward and run at City to draw fouls.

Mr Serge

Let’s get s point at least

SpanishDave

Poor game all on Arteta ,timid football , endless back passing.
He will say we were unlucky.
No we weren’t

G8

90 mins we played 85 of them in our own half ..
Fucking rediculous

karim

Useless ref, that was a corner kick

Mr Serge

This was the time to take them on with no KDB

Useroz

A corner stolen.!

andy1886

Pedro could claim that this is an improvement from 3-0 in the same fixture previously. Clutching at straws though, we’ve never look dangerous.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Burn the fa corrupt cunts

Guns of SF

No KDB and also no striker for the last 20 mins …. pathetic

Samesong

Rubbish.

Mr Serge

Oh well that’s me annoyed till spurs lose

andy1886

That was crap…

Luteo Guenreira

Well. Down a goal at the 90th minute, you get half a chance for a counter with numbers from midfield and you hold the ball then pass it backwards. All that needs to be said about this game.

Nice of Partey to pick up a yellow and put his mark on this game before it ended.

Kaz

If he says at the end of the game he’s pleased with the performance. He’s actually Emery with English..

Leftside

Toothless and meek as per against a big side away from home.

Ashburton

Our shocking record against the top sides continues.. Beaten their b teams in cuos doesn’t count

Buzzy

Ruined my cigar..ruined my single malt..fuck Arteta…booooooooooo!!

Tom

the most infuriating thing about this game for me is how meek Arsenal players were today.

Venga, Dani

Well what a shit game that was

Danny

Fuckin’ rubbish.

Havyn

Partey should’ve started the game
Too bad

Vickingz

Partey with a yellow card already? We are in for it

Uwot?

F**** no oilers! & wanker ref books Partey for f** k all.surprise surprise the c*** ts a manc.

Samesong

Auba disappoints against city.

rollen

flacid

Batistuta

Yea he can talk a good game all he wants but he needs to find a way to the team creating chances. Its all too rigid and ultra conscious and absolutely boring to watch

WengerEagle

Not much positive to take from that.

karim

Disappointing second half
Late subs
Arteta needs to be bolder, paid them too much respect.

Sid

Then partey grts a pointless yellow

izzo

Arteta doing his buddy Pep a favor. Nonce!

Ishola70

Arteta has to be more progressive than this.

And no keeping the score down at Man City is not notable at all considering the way things have gone this season with lesser teams really having a go at the better clubs.

Nelson

Our team is just not very good. And we played boring football. Not many fans want to pay money to watch this type of football.

Radio Raheem

Two defeats

Imran Qureshi

Since we seem to still have a spot for passengers tell me again why Xhaka and Willian are preferred to Ozil? At least the guy was watchable when in the ball. Did Willian play a single ball forward in that game?

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

We couldn’t put teeth marks in ice cream
Fucking useless cunts

Buzzy

dont blame the players here..the manager got the sysyem completely wrong…who the fuck would play Willian in the centre and sacrifice your top striker..astonishing!!

Useroz

Done and dusted.

Only ourselves to blame.

City played well but we let them to play too.

Didn’t wake up until conceded

Subs came too late. Way too late especially with 2 at 83”. Poor decisions.

Forget about the ref and VAR. Never were friends.

Football as bland as Emery as one here put it. Not far off .

Dissenter

-Arteta respects his mentor too much with the way we set up.
-Auba is having a tough start timth4 season.
-Willian needs to be dropped as a starter, he’s not justifying his oace and he’s not an AM.

That said, it wasn’t a particularly bad game but just leaves ‘that question of what we had gone for it. Leicester did beat them at the Etihad.

Mee

Arteta is a cup manager… If he ever wins a league in his career I’ll be surprised.

China1

Buzzy it’s 2:30am out here. I regret staying up for it

Oh and why is it the one time my prediction is correct is when I predict we will lose for once?

SP

Pepe and Willian both are garbage.

We have blown away 72m on Pepe. Need to sell him next season.

Batistuta

Yes he has done well so far but he needs to not always set up so ultra defensive. City were there for the taking and we just played with so much fear

GunnerDNA

I’m honestly still trying to figure out why Arteta is so highly rated by most. Third PL game of the day and Arsenal looked the worse team and to be honest it’s been like this all season. Another terrible boring performance. The team is all over the place 🚮

Uwot?

How the f** k they get away with serial fouling to break up play every 60 seconds.with impunity.A joke.

Radio Raheem

We still need something different upfront. Willian looks a waste of money, Pepe not quite cutting either although he is improving.

azed

Only Arteta know why he played Williams through the middle.

The work of your striker is to score goals, defending is secondary.

Dissenter

Leno is a good keeper and he saves out bacon a lot but he will never be considered more than just a good keeper.
That goal we conceded is due to his lack of spatial awareness.
Why does he keep pushing the back into dangerous areas?

Gazzap

Not happy with our approach to the game. The whole Willian experiment was so weird. Away at city and arteta tried that?? So similar to Liverpool game. Just too negative and damage limitation style set up.

China1

The two big positives have to be saka and Gabriel. Both quality players who we will need to help us get to the next level

Venga, Dani

Shocking transfer Pepe is. To think we’re still paying Lille some 10 odd million euros a year for th remainder of his contract…shocking.

Useroz


dont blame the players here..the manager got the sysyem completely wrong…who the fuck would play Willian in the centre and sacrifice your top striker..astonishing!!“

Agree. That’s also a key issue.

Kaz

And Auoar doesn’t fix this team.

The manager needs to fix his eyes

Sid

It going to get real ugly when we play 2wice a week

Marko

Dunno how to feel about that one today. On the one hand I like how competitive we finally are against the big sides and certainly good showings and not getting embarrassed in our away defeats at Liverpool and now City is a decent enough showing but I genuinely worry about Mikel and some of his decisions offensively. Everyone and their dog could see the few times that Auba drifted in centrally we looked better and yet he started with Willian CF and we even saw Pepe CF and it’s honestly mind boggling. But look City and Liverpool away are done… Read more »

TR7

You can’t get champagne football with Xhaka and Ceballos as midfield pivot. Not one class between the lines pass from them. Play very deep too. Vardy got to run at City defenders and scored a hattrick. How many times did we get Auba on the ball running at City defenders ?

MidwestGun

Well that was disappointing as fuck.. Reminds me of when Serena plays her sister Venus in tennis.. Neither side looked bothered to show up. And really not interested in playing each other.

Calypso

Anyone thinking losing narrowly is an improvement is not of sound mind

TheLegendaryDB10

This was awfully drab. Passing backwards way to often.

Can’t wait for Partey to push things forward.

Auba was completely wasted on the left.

Arteta needs to learn how to change things up in game. He is far too rigid.

Champagne charlie

Tactical battle and a half, nullified a lot of attacking opportunities and reduced the game to very little penalty box action.

Don’t agree at all with the short sighted comments from some, going away to top 6 sides and being competitive and defensively competent is a fucking colossal improvement to the last half decade.

Being sound defensively is something I’ve wanted for some time, and I’m thrilled we’re finally being serious about it. Will be the foundation for future success, of that I have no doubt.

China1

I don’t mind Pepe or Willian having a bad game here and there. It’s fine. But why is saka consistently good and sometimes awesome yet those two are not? We can talk all we like about settling in etc etc, but saka didn’t need to settle last season? He came in as a teenager in a shitshow squad having a horror season and was quality even when played out of position. He’s been shunted around all over the shop and is never bad but is sometimes great Like I said I don’t expect perfect consistency from any player, but saka… Read more »

Luteo Guenreira

Arteta respect for Pep wasn’t an issue when we beat them on the way to winning the FA Cup. Silly angle to take.

Kaz

Poor City defence, and no KDB makes this City team toothless.

This performance was shambolic, they were there for the taking as we did absolutely nothing. Nothing!

Atrocious attitude and mentality to the game.

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