THE BIG DAY IS HERE.
Arsenal go to war with Tottenham at The Emirates.
The first MEGA game since fans have been allowed back in the ground.
The first game of this season that truly, truly counts.
This is a cup final, there is no doubt about it, the boys have to show up.
On paper, it’s quite simple for me. Arsenal have a better team, Spurs have better individual talent.
Moura, Alli, Kane and Son are going to be problematic. Kane can kill you from anywhere, he lacks pace, but he’s one of the sharpest strikers in the game. Son is lethal on the counter, we know what a Kane ball over the top can do to Arsenal. All of those players love playing against Arsenal. You can know about their qualities and still not be able to do anything about it.
Spurs have been dreadful this season. They are still a low margins operation in big games. They had 2 shots on target against Chelsea last week despite a good run in the first half. They totally collapsed in the second half, Chelsea created 14 shots, 10 on target. They were awful against Palace, managing just 2 attempts all game. I thought they were second best against Wolves and City.
… but you know how it goes. Form doesn’t count, it’s about who shows up on the day. Today, it simply has to be us.
There are some things we’re looking for.
Granit Xhaka is weirdly splitting fans down the middle. For me, he’s out the side currently because he did two stupid things concurrently. Since he’s been absent, we’ve won all our games. I’d prefer to have Sambi starting out there. He moves the ball faster, he’s more aggressive with his passing, and he’s more mobile.
I don’t think there’s really a debate on which keeper we want out there. But this is a big one. Doing bits against Burnley was huge for him, but that’s bread and butter. What we want to know is how does he do under the bright lights of a derby game? More shots to deal with, more pressure, better oppo. This game is massive for his season.
It’s also a big game for Ben White. The ‘he gets bullied’ narrative was binned against Burnley, and made to look a little laughable as Ivan Toney dominated against Liverpool’s defenders yesterday… but he needs a complete game. We want to see elite passing, we don’t want him putting others under pressure, and we’d like to see some leadership. On the Brentford story, are we at the point now where we can say they are a bit good? Liverpool’s best team conceded 3. We lost with 9 players on the outpatient list. You always want to win, but it’s pretty clear they are no whipping boys this season.
Outside that, we have to look to our big names to bring home the bacon. Auba needs to keep running, because the goals will come. Odegaard, who is one of the best pressers in the league currently, needs to lead and show us the special sauce he has. Finally, we need our wide players to show up with shots on target today. ESR, Pepe, and Saka need to bring the levels up.
This is also a special one for the fans, who have been excellent all season. We need to tear the roof down for this one. Encourage the players, make them feel special, and make loads of noise all game. We’ll be doing out bit on the site. I honestly can’t believe I have to say it, but if you are in the comments here sniping at Arsenal on a NLD day, you’ll go in the bin. No one wants to read it. This is an Arsenal blog, if you behave like a rival fan, you’ll be moved on.
Back to some more context. If we win today, we’d be 5 points off top of the table Liverpool. United lost to Villa, Liverpool dropped points to Burnley. The MIGHTY Leicester, the team with the biggest fan club going because they make Champ Man signings… drew to Burnley. The Premier League is outrageously strong this season, it’ll be close between the teams below City and Liverpool. Let’s hope we can keep pressure on the chasing pack.
Ok, that’s me done for now. Tune in for an OTW podcast right after the game.
SEE YOU IN THE COMMENTS x
NBC can fuck off showing the Xhaka tackle over and over and asking for VAR every 10 secs. The ref ddnt call it so fuck off …
Hahaha Kane Go Saka!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!
This might be the best I’ve seen Arsenal play in the PL under Arteta. Really nice to see some quick decisive movement and good finishing for a change.
Let’s have this be the norm from now on.
Spurs are shite! What a game
Massacre!
This is simply a fantastic day !!!!!!!!
Smash these fuckers !!!!
Ozy
https://redi1.soccerstreams.net/event/arsenal-tottenham-hotspur-live-stream/700936
5-0, I WANT 5 FUCKING NIL BOYS.
Wow again
Kane gets an assist !! Lol
🎶 Are you Tottenham, are you Tottenham, are you Tottenham in disguise?
Assist frome Kane for Saka. Brilliant!
Tottenham getting destroyed
First Saka goal for EPL 20 games?
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Electric football.
This is the game we have been waiting for.
Smashing a side with goals.
Arteta looks like he has finally come across a suitable attacking policy.
And it doesn’t entail Pepe.
Saka should always be on on the right.. owning it today.
Well I am about to change my mind on Arteta because of this game 😂😂😂😂
Come on you gooners.
Great assist from Kane BTW.. Not often that I am a fan of his work
wow fuckin wow!!!!
that’s what I’m talking about
Kane the basketball head lol
And not just smashing any side.
Smashing Spurs.
It’s Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal now
Hope we blow them out 7-0
When are they going to start leaving
Spuds, the victims of artetaball.
Nunos getting sacked. New manager bounce is over.
Kane lmao
Get in! They have torn the Spuds a new one. Again, more direct and Saka running at the back 4 instead of Pepe cocking things up and he makes things happen and takes his chance.
3-0
What a fantastic pass from Øde to Saka.
And what a great goal by Saka!!!!
Hope you’re ok Ozy
This Is Artetas Arsenal. You better get used to this.
NBC should show that Kane slip like every 10 secs so I can laugh at it. hahaha
FUcking hell lads, this is a bit more like it!
Tets really loving it on the sideline today.
Gabriel is a monster defender
3-nil is the most dangerous lead
Hope you are good Ozy? Do take care ..
He has his starting back line now.
They look together on the field
COYG Getting better as the Beatles once sang
It’s about time the fans started singing Blue Moon to Kane….
For me Xhaka is still a liability. Odegaard doing lots of running and closing down, but he’s getting shoved off the ball to easily. Need to think about replacing him in the second half.
Damn straight Peds…. not gonna lie.. Im a greedy bastard… 2 or 3 more wouldn’t hurt. hahaha
Middy, I’d be happy to get to half time at this score. JAC has it right, this is the most dangerous score.
MENTAL GAME!!! Esr and Saka fired up for this. Game is clearly over. Great win. Hope Nuno relegates Spurs.
Maybe we can make up our goal differential all in one game.
Good clearance from Gabriel.
Love seeing the backs of the sad Spurs fans as they leave the ground early.
“ 3-nil is the most dangerous lead”
Is that a joke
Is 3-0 more dangerous than 1-0?
The best part is that we are beating them in all aspects of the game
Fucking superb. These youngsters showing so much desire, the movement with & without the ball so refreshing. Third time they’ve played together which says plenty.
Just Another Customer
“3-nil is the most dangerous lead”
Yeah, 1-0 can be pretty dodgy too.
What a performance so far. The auba goal was something else as well
Top quality all round so far. Even the football is pretty for once. I literally forgot what it feels like to see a beautiful team goal. We used to score those all the other time but it’s been so long.
Really really nice
More goals please their defense is there for the taking. We need to right our goal difference!!!
The worst thing Arteta can do is try to sit on this lead in the second half and invite pressure.
Needs to carry on with more of the same.
Now we know what artetaball looks like
A goal every 15
Diss, I agree there… switch off score. NLD always has a story lurking.
Reguillon is having a horrible game
He just ran into Tomi’s path, can’t even run property
All club alert.
“HARRY’S READY TO SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE .”
Seriously impressive stuff here. A team full of kids dominating dissenters second team(just kidding of course) tgings you love to see. Well done arsenal well done mikel well done hale end. Did you guys notice Christian better than white romero on the bench and our Ben balling hard? Lesson to be learnt dissenter
Abu touch poor
What a fucking ball that was
Midwest
“Maybe we can make up our goal differential all in one game”
Don’t get too carried away Mid….!!!
Seriously, we need to control this game now and not get too carried away. Spuds will have to go for it as the game gets older which will open the pitch up. We look sharp in transition.
Wow.. what a pass by Partey.. didnt lead to anything but damn.
All over them like flies to shit
Oh Auba.
That’s your bread and butter. That’s what you thrive on. Early release.
But fucks it up this time miscontrolling the ball.
Raul, I”m sure Diss will eat humble pie this sweet.
When the goals start coming CG posts dries up as usual.
Said it… Smith and saka
AFC_
Yep I know.. I am excited for once. Thank God. Whatever we need to do at halftime.. put the boys on oxygen .. give them some redbull.. But more of the same energy the second half and we can see this one out.
They will try come at us in the 2nd half. Need to keep the focus.
The club needed this
The performance is better than the scoreline
Could easily have been 5 or 6
Need to focus in second half don’t want to give them a fucking sniff
Pedro I’m sure he’s waiting on our next lose to pin it all on Ben white
If this is a dream don’t dare wake me up!
Ødegaard’s lost the ball at least 4 times, needs to wake the fuck up.
Can’t see any way back for Spurs.
They look completely beaten.
The good thing is that Arteta will have no qualms in benching Pepe permanently unlike the situation with Xhaka.
The attack as a whole is functioning better without Pepe.
And if this attack starts clicking then things get much, much brighter going forward even with Xhaka in there as an ever present.
This is just the type of performance/result which truly kicks our rebuild into gear.
We have shredded them going forward which has been an absolute joy to watch. I hope we keep the pressure up and add another goal or two, as this Tottenham team look bereft of confidence.
at this rate it will end 6-0
when was the last time you saw arseanl play like this? for me it has to be sometime ago when santi was in MF
Okay two more games like this and I will stop calling for Arteta’s head. We haven’t seen even a hint of what we saw to day throughout his tenure. Okay may be two or three games but no more than that. No we need consistency.
This is the stuff of dreams… Orgasmic at best. Enjoyed every bit. Have we got our Arsenal back
God knows my Man United supporting colleagues are gonna hear it from me after this weekends round of fixtures
Using a NLD to attack other gooners is as stupid as it comes
CG will enjoy it as much as anyone.
Focus on your own joy
I hope TP gets a goal. A game like this is his best chance…
🔪🐥
About as good a half as you can want. Auba goal, two goals from our academy stars and just an assured performance all around.
Exactly right Danny.
It’s great seeing Odegaard fully committed and closing down. But he can’t hold on to the ball and it’s coming back at us. He must have spent too much time around Xhaka.
Odegaard and Xhaka are the only changes we should consider making at things stand.
Spurs are woeful.
There are playing like Arsenal often have. More holes between their lines than a sieve.
I wonder if after seeing the team look so capable, dominant and fluid Arteta might want to rethink having such an overly restrained style moving forwards
To go from turgid turtle ball to wengerball in a couple of games should give him food for thought.
I was right tho yesterday when I said I don’t think Spurs are any good so as long as we play well we will win. And we’ve been excellent so it will be a big win if this continues
Reset and come out and get a couple more.
Just bury the sorry lot.
In the words of Mortal Kombat — finish him!
Even just before the game I felt a surge of excitement with the attacking three of Saka, ESR and Odegaard. All so young and so much room for growth. Two of them our own. Hugely exciting.
Need to win by 5 to go above them……
Raulishuss
.”Seriously impressive stuff here. A team full of kids dominating dissenters second team..””
That’s the Impressive part. The Spuds team has been together a while, our lads have barely had two games together.. It’s not a popular view but Artetas done a great job integrating them. Youngsters give you an energy & desire that we’ve often not had, they’ve run their socks off!!
Half time-my apologies to you Pedro,you have been warning of this all season-once all of the players are fit.
This is like the Arsenal of old,,against a supposed top team.
The most pleasing part is all of the new boys look really good,Ramsdale and Tomiyasu superb,Ben White assured.
Keep the focus boys with a few more goals and my phone will be silent tomorrow.
Harry Kane’s assist was sweet
The Spurs midfield has not creativity.
WOW JUST FUCKING WOW ,! The best Ive seen Arsenal play under Arteta . More of he same please lads ! Direct and deadly , made in HALE end.
Is this the best weekend in the history of the EPL?
Chelsea lose, Manure lose, we win the NLD (hopefully).
can’t get better than this. 3-0 IS a dangerous score as you’re sure it’s already won. But this Spurs team looks weak, tactically inflexible, and Kane is not at peak form.
Tomiyasu has made a lot of difference to Arsenal. Before he joined all of our attack used to be from the left side. With Tomiyasu joining others in attack on the right side, we look more dangerous.
All those goals were high quality too.. love the Auba TH14 throwback kneeslide celebration too.
Ode has lost the ball but he’s done a lot of good things too.. let’s just focus on his mistakes though
Really, really happy with our first half.
It was nice to see that we were keeping our shape and making it difficult for Spurs throughout.
It would be great if we scored a couple more and then shut up shop in the 2nd half.
This attacking policy we see today is done to suit Aubameyang.
Direct, early release, no dwelling on the ball.
That the other players in this system can also chip in with goals as well just makes it all the better.
Would love a 4 or 5 to nil but then again just a win will do
Diss!
agree. a game like this should be bringing everyone together!
i’d much rather see folks on here won over by results than to gloat and fight forever about the manager. thats a scenario more befitting west ham fans
Yeah I don’t wanna see a professional second half I want us to turn the screw. More of the same. Absolutely bury their miserable eternally trophyless little club
By the Way
AUBA REBORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!