Well, I felt pretty terrible about life waking up yesterday morning, but then the mighty Spurs brightened up my day when they gave up a 3-0 lead inside 18 minutes after the second coming of Gareth Bale.
Beautiful stuff. That killed off ‘THEY’RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE’ talk pretty fast. Spurs will be up there this season, but contending the title? Have my doubts people.
Even better than that, Emi Martinez kept another clean sheet and Ross Barkley fired the impressive Aston Villa to another win against Leicester.
So, the weekend shook out quite nicely. We’re 5th, level points with Leicester. United, City, Wolves, and Chelsea are all behind us in the table.
Suddenly, losing 0-1 to Manchester City in a very tight game doesn’t look so bad. I mean, not great, but I’ll be the perspective police here and say it could have been worse. City are a very good team, we had good enough chances, we forced them into a cagey response. Games like that should be close and live on a knife-edge… I suspect if we add a little more flair to our attack in those sorts of games, we’ll not have that top 6 away record hanging around our neck much longer.
Additional good news: We currently have the second-best defensive record in the Premier League. Arteta is building from the back, if he maintains this sort of record all season, we’ll be in contention for the top 4.
A lot of fans are throwing around our dismal attacking numbers, and rightly so… but that will develop and if we’re honest, we’ll probably have to buy to really solve those challenges. We don’t have an Aouar or a Grealish in our squad and it is very unlikely anyone is going to develop into the role. The gamble for this season is that if we have a strong foundation, we can live off less chances because we have Auba. A lot of eggs in that basket though. We really need to up our creativity and share around the responsibility for scoring.
We do have a chance to experiment. This Thursday is sandbox time. We’re playing Rapid Wien, currently 2nd in the Austrian Bundesliga. This game is important as it sets the tone for the competition. Arteta will want to win, but he’ll be all too aware that we do not have the depth of quality in our squad to deal with an injury crisis this season. I expect some experience, but I also hope we see a lot of young players. Joe Willock and ESR are the best candidates for more attacking flair in our play… hopefully, they deliver a good performance. This is our back-up for top 4 this season, but we should really be walking the groups with our reserves.
We also have a really big game on Sunday. Brendan Rodgers, top 4 contenders, needs to make amends for the Villa loss. Arteta, will be desperate not to lose ground at the top of the table. It’s a huge game, how will the team react? We shall see.
Short one today, see you in the comments. x
Pedro, If Arteta’s Arsenal win the league I will personally build him a statue and fly it first class to London. Although with my artistic skills it might make the infamous Ronaldo bust look like Michelangelo’s David.
Fuck Fox news, Trump, F Corona…. all hail foooooooooooootie and this deep lil cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aBl3bnRv3g
“Andy was Ozil playing? asking for a friend.”
Got it in one!!
Wenger was mugged by Garry Monk, lol.
Tom, that’s the sort of commitment the world needs more of
Rich, you were being a snowflake about hard it is being right-wing in a country that has had a right-wing government since 2010. We don’t need to be reading that on a football blog when Mikel Arteta needs defending.
Rich
Andrew Neil – didn’t know he was involved.
Finally a news channel I can watch for more than 3 minutes without throwing stuff at the TV.
“Rich, you were being a snowflake”
And let’s face it if anyone can spot a snowflake it’s Pedro – usually it’s in the mirror though!
The only right wing I want to hear about is the Ian Wright wing.
Marc, that did make me laugh.
Pedro
Cameron + Osborne are metro liberals, hardly Conservatives, and were being propped up by Liberal Democrats.
I have no idea what Theresa May is, other than incompetent and the most clueless negotiator in the history of the planet.
Only since December have we had Conservatives/classicalliberals/neoliberals in power.
Sorry for the snowflakery xxx
Pedro
Always banter
Rich, you got your boy in the end… let’s see how it goes with his negotiating.
A snowflake burn must sting.
Pedro, Two points: 1) The demographic of people supporting Arsenal and attending games at the Emirate are completely different from the one one of the George Graham era. I used to go to Highbury, there is a lot more of urban middle class people than it used. I remember that as black foreigner well educated guy, I used to stick like a sore eyes, not the case anymore. 2) even if the demographics had not change, after 20 years of Wenger the expectation of the public has changed. Most under 35 years arsenal supporters have been raised on a diet… Read more »
Peter is getting bantzed on his own blog.
Democracy does not exist!
Finish them! Finish them!
Valentin, If we’re competitive and we get the Champions League, no one will complain. It is absolutely clear that we are playing this way because we don’t have the players to operate like City. Arteta is on record stating his LT vision of where he wants the football to go. Instead of complaining, we should be embracing a manager that is using his head to be effective… versus worrying about an extremely questionable hypothetical. We should also stop saying this is how Tony Pulis plays football, because it’s not true. Fans want a competitive team. They stop going to the… Read more »
A snowflake burn must sting.
_________
Not as bad as a snowflake combover burn but I won’t even go there, today.
#Blog of Love
#In sauce we trust
Valentin
” I remember that as black foreigner well educated guy, I used to stick like a sore eyes, not the case anymore.”
Well perhaps drop the black bit.
Portsmouth hooligan recalling a friendly played against Arsenal pre-season first season of Charlie Nicholas George Graham days.
He recalls walking around a corner at Fratton Park and bumping into an Arsenal “firm”. What the fuck is this he says to himself. A pure black “firm” all dressed in dungarees. We had never seen anything like it before he says at Fratton Park. And he wasn’t just refering to the uniform dungarees.
The average age of a premier league fan is 43!
Holy moly. Mind you, a 40 something is probably the age where one could actually afford to attend a game.
I guess the 18-35’s are sniffing glue or reading Razzle magazine.
Note: if you know Razzle, you will be in your 40’s or older.
Val
Did you find that source that stated Torreira was MOTM just gone there? You went awfully quiet when asked, don’t want it to appear like you were dodging it.
Rich,
The study was independent and questions asked were the type was Obama US born or a Kenyan Muslim, did the stock market go up or down during Obama years etc….;;;
Hardly gotcha questions by leftists to make Fox News viewers look bad.
“Not as bad as a snowflake combover burn but I won’t even go there, today.L
Whoomp, there it is!
CC
One ratings site had LT at 7.5 along with two other AM players with Oblak MoM at 9.
They gave Torreira favorable reviews.
Evening,
Guns, you couldn’t beat a good razzle back in the day.
I of course just read it for the articles 🙂
Up 4
Ha…I knew you would know!
Kids these days have no idea the lengths we went to, to source a mag. Handed down through the school and found in a bush mostly.
Hackney If you break down the cost of going to a match it’s pretty horrific – one of the reasons I like paying for my ST in a lump sum up front once you paid it you forget about it. My match day cost is circa The actual ticket cost – let’s say £45 Travel £12 – £15 Chuck in a few pre match beers, a bite to east, a couple of drinks in the stadium (water Pierre water) then a quick post match beer to let any queues at Finsbury Park die down and you’ve easily done £80 –… Read more »
Its was The Face or bust for me but my older brother had a stack of Razzles.
I have no problem playing a defensive game away from home at anfield, old toilet, the etihad.
But games again the bottom ten and around them are games you need to win.
Back in the day, when you went away not to lose, you played 451
And hit on the break.
I’m not saying go gung ho, but ten minutes to go if your losing go all out worse case you concede again and lose 2-0 or you do a west ham and watch your opponent go all spursey!
U4GN
Difficult to read the articles when you’ve gone blind.
Guns, found in a Bush next to some white dog shit!
What happened to that? was dogs eating chalk in the eighties?
Marc
Must be why I wear glasses and bump into a lot of things.
Marc Exactly. It’s so outrageous but football is a drug to some and they are happy to bankrupt their family or hook their missus for a game. The irony, and it’s the one thing I couldn’t abide, or understand was people turning up late to the game, spending 15 mins shaking hands, spending the next 10 on the phone and leaving 5 mins early at HT for a piss. Repeat the second half. I remember ticket on the door matches and the stadium would be pretty packed and buzzing at 13.00 for a 15.00 KO. Sometimes earlier. Everyone was drunk… Read more »
Sal you couldn’t beat a razzle or if you were posh, a penthouse!
Midwest
“Andy was Ozil playing? asking for a friend. 😀”
Was playing .
Created 20 of the 28 shots on goal ..
Tom
Yea I saw a couple that stated similar, Oblak was given MOTM in each one I read but Val said Torreira was MOTM which proved just how easy it is to look the part as a DM for Atletico (little snipe at Thomas Partey who doesn’t do it for him).
Just curious where he read it is all.
Yeah guns, I remember the northbank used to permanently spell of piss at one stage!
Up 4
The white dog shit was for two reasons
1. Dog poo was everywhere. Now, people pick it up.
2. See above. It dried out and got white.
The North Bank was a swimming pool of tinkle. That’s why they actually had to rebuild. Urine had worn away the cement.
Cc, I have just chosen to deliberately ignore you. If you can’t use Google to find what you want, why should I do it for you. Remember last time you criticised my source about Partey wanting to join Arsenal under Emery? You were all so giddy, snide remark after snide remarks. The fact that it was the Athletic shut you down good. Instead of trying to come like a sheriff in town, getting into fight with everybody who dare disagree with your all knowing opinion, making a spectacle of yourself stay in your lane and let the grown up talk… Read more »
CC
Check out WhoScored.com. I remembered that LT was the best out fielder. Oblak has a higher score.
Ishola, I am not that old and was never not in UK in the 70s, 80s. In the 90s, The firms still existed but were becoming a marginal movement. The black firms at both Arsenal and WestHam were created as a response to being bullied by other clubs. The vast majority of people who uses to go to football games at the beginning of the 90’s were not middle and upper classes. I remember people at work looking at me sideways when they learned I was attending Arsenal football games. One former manager even took me apart and tell me… Read more »
A lot of people have found memory of Highbury because of who they saw play and who they attended games with, but let be frank toward the end it was becoming a piss smelling dump.
Most stadium were the same at the time.
I remember first time I went to Fratton Park. There were those old timers telling me how Fratton Park was a great historical stadium, it was a dump.
TomOctober 19, 2020 16:50:08
Maybe Sid was right all along
Thank you, thank you, thank you
You are far too kind
Hold your applause
Valentin
I love reading your comments but you got that Torriera MOTM comment wrong.
Jan Oblak was the MOTM against Celta Vigo. Torriera has a good game and earned the singular praise of his manager but was not the MOTM.
Burnley having 40% possession, a 100 passes fewer , and 66% pass accuracy rate against the Baggies.
We really missed out on Sean Dyche.
Where’s CG btw?
Valentin, you obviously didn’t spend a lot of time with Arsenal when GG was coach.
Pedro
GG did not have sauce
I’m telling you for free.
Val
I asked for YOUR source after you reported that Torreira was MoTM. Would’ve taken taken 6 seconds if you were honest, but with that verbose passage it seems more like a lie to bolster your own dismissive POV about Thomas Partey.
Good thing you don’t have a reputation for casual lying on here and providing fake info from your sources, you know, grown up things.
What was everybody worst away game experience and why? Mine was Fratton Park. Game was awful. Seats were bad, could not see anything. Weather was terrible. Local fans were abusive and drunk. Stewarts were hopeless. One the guys I went to the game with got attacked during the second half and got his jaws broken. Had to spend the night in the hospital waiting room. Following day, the usual British rail service was cancelled. In the end we pulled together and paid something like £130 each to get back to London in a cab driven by a Portmouth fan. I… Read more »
Sid, let that be a lesson to all the dogmatic kids out here……it’s ok to change your mind and admit to being wrong when more facts come to fore
Which I haven’t done just yet so hold on to your panties pal, but rest assured if this Arteta’s style don’t improve in a couple of months I will call you a visionary.
It’s only fair.
“I love reading your comments but you got that Torriera MOTM comment wrong. Jan Oblak was the MOTM against Celta Vigo. Torriera has a good game and earned the singular praise of his manager but was not the MOTM.”
False. There was a publication that stated Torreira as MOTM, because Val even had the figures to hand:
“Torreira had the best score from that game 7.9, Oblak was second.“
No idea why he’s keeping it a secret though, really basic ask on a blog to share a link.
According to every single source, Oblak was MOTM.
Nothing like making an assertion then telling someone else to prove it.
Getting past Parma in 94 was saucy and F.
as F.
Azed,
I saw George Graham teams in the 90s. We were dreadful in the league, but the Cup games were entertaining.
Looking at the table of the first premiership season 1992-1993, we had a goal difference of +2 after 38 games. We scored only 40 goals (worse of the league) barely 1 per game. So no entertainers we were not!
I don’t think that I could subject myself to that brand of football again.
Flogging a dead horse there charlie, just accept that Torreira had a good game and stop being so desperate to defend every decision that Arteta makes..
I’m sure the other schoolboys will join you in the playground to help you try and belittle Valentin…..that’s how it normally works isn’t it.
Yep …jamies here to help charlie out ….easy to predict.
I predict Pierre will show up soon to talk about how Arteta isn’t perfect (because he dropped Ozil).
Yep, pierre’s here to take a shot at Arteta….easy to predict.
“just accept that Torreira had a good game and stop being so desperate to defend every decision that Arteta makes..“
Can you help me out there Pierre? How have you put Arteta into the discussion?
Val doesn’t rate Thomas Partey, and was using Torreira’s MoTM performance to “prove” it’s easy to look good as a DM for Atletico. Totally fine, but Torreira wasn’t MoTM anywhere I read and I asked where he’d seen it.
Still unanswered on that one. But you’re wanting to put Arteta in the mix? How’s that grudge going?
Azed, GG had sauce man…
Valentin, UNMASK YOUR SOURCE
“Was playing .
Created 20 of the 28 shots on goal ..”
Must have been very poor quality – not one shot on target in the whole match.
Guess that’s what happens when you pad ‘chance’ stats with six inch passes 35 yards out…..
Val
Highbury was amazing. Period.
If you think any modern stadia can match that…you either have bad memories or shit taste in architecture.
I don’t think the Emirates has ever really been home to Arsenal. JMO.
Andy
9 shots on target ..if we had won it would have put is in 2nd place in May …
@Val, you missed the real Graham years then. Team of local lads who played in a similar way to early Wenger sides with pace and power.
Smiffy won two golden boots to go with our two titles, in ’89 we won the league on goals scored, and in 1990/91 our GD was +56 (PLUS FIFTY-SIX!!). For context Liverpool’s GD last season was +52.
Torreira had the game for Arsenal. Head was the question mark, well reported not happy in England and wanted to move. TBF Simeone and Madrid likely a better fit. Some just can’t see the light.
Bet he fares well in La Liga.
Andy gets it.
“What was everybody worst away game experience and why?“
Valentin, Chelsea at the Bridge, Wenger’s 1000 game in charge.
Airfare, hotel and game tickets for two – $2700
Watching our left back play right wing just before the floodgates opened up- priceless!
Overanalyzing the 10 minute cameo of Partey away at Man City. I give you Arsenal fans. Unsurprising that it’s bamford, dissenter and Val with the commentary. They’d hardly be working an angle would they
Highbury was monumental, especially at night was like a beacon.
Really comparable to the new and old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, full of function in the new but lacks the heartbeat.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11699/12106551/nuno-espirito-santo-exclusive-wolves-boss-explains-plans-to-evolve-team “We are looking to evolve our game,” Nuno tells Sky Sports. “Some players went out, some players came in, and that changes the picture of the squad. By changing the picture of the squad, by changing some of the characteristics of our players, our options and our ideas are slightly different, and the game itself changes.” “But it is not about changing our fundamentals, the foundation that we have. It is not about changing our philosophy. It is about making us more versatile in some moments. It is about adding things that can make us, at the end of… Read more »
Charlie
Andy has just said that we had 23 shots at goal, none on target…he is wrong but i wont waste my time asking for evidence.
Valentin is probably wrong but should rectify his mistake by saying Torreira was the best outfield player.
You are using it as a stick to beat him with which is rather pointless in my opinion.
Good thing you don’t have a reputation for casual lying on here and providing fake info from your sources, you know, grown up things.
That’s what I say and I get called a bully by Pedro.
CC, Given that Nuno has a track record of putting Wolves in a position that their fans could only dream of when he was appointed I can see how the comparison is valid. They finished 15th in the Championship the season before he joined.
Pierre, Swansea did the double over us that season. How is that possible with the world’s greatest chance creator in our side?
*can’t see how the comparison is valid.
Sal,
I am not talking about the architecture, because the Emirates does not do it for me either.
I am talking about the facilities inside the stadium.
However there is no way, you could put 60,000 people in a stadium in the same architecture than Highbury.
For taking into account the size, the need for clear field of view the Emirates is pretty good.
Pedro
How do you know all this stuff on Arteta? Does he have an extensive cv that I don’t know about?
This season will be defined by playing adventurous football. The dynamics of football have never been like this and unless Arteta starts to realise this, and soon, we could find ourselves well behind the pack very quickly.
Teams that are being brave are being rewarded. Why do you think that is? No crowds, minimal pressure, teams are switching off, intensity levels waiver, players are making mistakes without being vilified by the crowd.
We need to unleash our weapons.
‘It is absolutely clear that we are playing this way because we don’t have the players to operate like City. Arteta is on record stating his LT vision of where he wants the football to go.’
This.
Andy
Giroud up front..
‘This season will be defined by playing adventurous football.’
This is absolutely incorrect.
Hackney
Has to slum it the odd time with a fiesta.
This season will be defined by clean sheets.
Andy,
I know I missed the great GG team.
But to be honest, I used to go to the games because the only people who I knew from outside of work were Arsenal fans.
It also reminded me of the atmosphere I used to have in France at Lens when I attended games with my great grandfather as a kid.
Graham
Optics over substance will define success this season? Are you sure?
Longer term I totally agree about the importance of building a brand of football Arsenal can be proud of, but we need to compete before we get there imo.
Graham doesn’t know what he wants. It’ll be different tomorrow if he remembers what he’s posted today.
Valentin
“Looking at the table of the first premiership season 1992-1993, we had a goal difference of +2 after 38 games. We scored only 40 goals (worse of the league) barely 1 per game. So no entertainers we were not!”
Isn’t that the season Arsenal did the Domestic Cup Double, the first team ever to achieve that feat.
SuperRob
Leeds have inferior players to Arsensl yet their manager manages to produce stylish football.
Nobody fucks with Graham when Red Calypso about.
You cannot build atmosphere in the Emirates.
You could at Highbury.
And no one can tell me any thing different.
Pedro
So you feel the pragmatic approach is the best way?
You do realise that the game is not as it was.
This is going to be a crazy season, if it wasn’t already.
We need to learn to take the handbrake off, or the players will be stuck in a one dimensional rut.
From a coaching perspective, Arteta has to realise this.
Proper gaffer Sean Dyche just secured Burnley’s first point of the campaign. Massive strides.
Tick tock.
Graham, his coaching won us an FA Cup and since he took over, he has the 4th most points.
Pragmatism is likely going to be the way until he buys players that give him better options.
He’ll address the attacking side of the game, but getting bummed out over losing to two better teams and drawing drastic conclusions doesn’t help.
Valentin,
Neither was I per se.
——
We are not going to ball out very adventurous footie with a mid consisting of Ceballos, Partey or Xhaka unless i’m missing something.
Arteta biggest task is to find the attacking link between, for me Willian behind PEA or Laca makes most sense also interested in seeing ESR in there if fitness can be found. Ceballos is a bit too crab like to really push into final third. And Ozil is on corporate retreat thru 2020, not a bad gig if anyone finds it let me know.
Average guys tend to be pragmatic
Sid, saw your dating profile on Pragmatism.com. Sad.
Newly promoted Leeds managed a draw against Man City so why couldn’t Arsenal especially as City had 4 key players missing from the team
Henderson, Georginho, milner, fabinho are not adventurous in any sense the difference is the managers
“Sid, saw your dating profile on Pragmatism.com. Sad.”
You are killing me supreme leader
Calippo
Beilsa has had 3 years with those players.
People going on about how city were under strength. They won the title without KDB hardly playing 2 year ago.