Well, here we are, the chance to go into 9th position in the league with a win against Crystal Palace.
This is the sort of high pressure / low expectations game we’ve usually not done well in under Arteta. This was the sort of game we lost last season at this stage. That needs to change tonight.
We’ll have a home crowd.
We are in decent form.
There will have been plenty of work delivered over the break.
We basically have a fully fit team to choose from bar Granit Xhaka. Yes, ever Gabriel Martinelli is back in the mixer.
The key things we’re going to be dealing with:
Wilfried Zaha is a menace and has caused is no end of problems over the years. Tomiyasu needs to be at his best this evening because if you keep Zaha quiet, you keep Palace quiet.
Their press. No doubt they are going to give it a go. Slightly harder for them to do away from home. But you know the routine. They’ll target our midfield like Brighton did. They’ll have a crack at our centre backs with some roughhousing. They will make it difficult. If we roll over and let them do it, it’ll be a tough night. But if we play through them early, then we have a good chances of making something happen. Part of doing well against the Palace press is to stop Villa doing the same on Friday.
The first game after the international break is usually a slow mover, but we can’t have that tonight. The fast starts we’ve had in most games needs to happen this evening. The fans need to be on side, the atmosphere needs to be intense, and that is partly powered by the sort of Arsenal that shows up.
Over in France, Matteo G dropped a beastly performance chalking up 2 goals and an assist. If he wasn’t such a whopper, you’d expect Arsenal to cut short his loan move this January so he could come back and support a midfield that will probably still be lacking a Granit Xhaka who is expected back into full training around then.
Finally, the return of Patrick Vieira happens tonight. Truly, one of the greatest captains that ever wore the armband. I had the luck to go from Tony Adams to Vieira. The French midfielder was something else. An absolute hero. A gladiator of the midfield. People say his technical ability wasn’t rated at the time, but that is utter nonsense. We all thought of him as far more than a bruiser. His rangy legs, tight controls, and the way he bring a ball down and beat a press was magical to watch.
Now he’s a manager. He’s finally made it to the Premier League. I hope it’s not a pleasant return outside the plaudits he’ll get from the home fans who miss his on-pitch leadership.
Right, On The Whistle Podcast will be recorded after, have a great day!
Like it or not this is the real Arsenal this season. There will be moments that will get us excited (Spurs) but the reality is we are not a top 6 side yet. There is potential if we can unlock it and plug the current gaps.
However can the Tomiyasu love in stop already?
How much did we spend in the summer?
Obviously not enough for Diet Pep.
A lot of tippy tappy no end result we just don’t score.
I ain’t sure on either loko or TP in the middle
TP should stick to the basics
Our team are not fit.. we play at a decent intensity/tempo for 20-30 mins and then gas!
How are Palace tonight and our opponents generally able to do this to us most weeks?
But very poor tonight, wtf has happened to KT? Tomi very poor, Odegaard non-existent, Partey showing his horrible side AGAIN.. I do wonder sometimes where the problems lie. Arteta clearly sent them out to play a brand which we could in the opening 20.. I can’t imagine he told everyone to start booting it aimlessly up the field
Tierney’s only job seems to be to pass backwards when in a promising position
I watched Xavi’s Alsaad. He actually looks like he learned under Guardiola. This guy though is a sales guy whose product is a joke.
And btw I’m not a huge fan of Arteta but nights like these you have to look at the players
He does like his shots from range now doesn’t he Partey.
tbf they have been decent efforts tonight his long rangers.
No cigar for him as yet though.
Josip Skoblar
Me too.
That’s what getting experience does to a manager.
so poor
Second game in a row being outplayed by a side missing their best player and the atmosphere in here is terrible tonight.
The crowed went quiet because we’re shot under this Con Artist.
I think the players are playing with fear from Arteta’s over management
Fucking pathetic
Bright start then just dropping back and withdrawing.
Palace now the better team.
At 1 0 we should be going for the kill.
Hate this cautious mindset of Arteta.
TP needs a proper partner.
Tierney has regressed immensely, would rather play Tavares ahead of him.
So here we are being dominated at home to Palace. We look terrible, and have done ever since Arteta took over. Yet you will see Pedro on here later serving you up some nonsense about how Palace are a quality team.
The fact is Pedro would prefer to watch this team fail with Arteta than succeed without him.
Miles behind the top teams, this is some boring crap
Pepe still want n lol.
Laca. Get in there.
Viera has spent more time in Crystal Palace than arteta, hence why Crystal Palace is playing us off the park in Emirate
Very meh performance from Odegaard.
Jim
‘The fact is Pedro would prefer to watch this team fail with Arteta than succeed without him.’
It certainly seems that way!
Yea..didn’t take long for Viera to impose an identity on Palace
He didn’t need 250 million to do that
Our passes are just terrible.. I think we really need a new manager to shake things up
Laca waking up the bored supporters
Madrid robbed us for Odegard, now we see why they never played him
Lacazette at least is getting them pumped up.. they were sleep walking.
All the Palace bloggers I read were confident they will get something out of this game. They came to the Emirates with no fear.
Lacazette trying to raly the troops
Nothing will change until arteta is gone. We played absolutely shite against Burnley. Managed to nick a lucky win and yet he picks the exact same 11 tonight. Literally no learning has taken place. Awful manager that is sometimes bailed out but a bit of individual quality. But it won’t save him in the long run.
#artetaout
ESR have more time than he thought
can’t be blaming players again fella’s
SWG
We have changed almost the entire lineup the last 2 to 3 seasons. A team with decent players with a good coach is better than a team with a poor coach and great players. And we don’t even have great players yet. They are just good players. And they need a good coach. We aren’t a team and it shows. And that’s down to the poor coach.
Laca trying to wake up the team.
That’s Arteta’s job…. goes to show how Arteta lacks any personality.
This is an important trait for a manager. Players must want to fight for you.
Under Diet Pep, we cannot manage a lead. We invite pressure for no reason and give the opposition the initiative. What is the point of playing 4/5 attackers to be so passive? He completely misuses the quality available to him. Diabolical.
paddy’s also rebuilding
lot of kids in his side
Laughable to see Arsenal deploy long balls to bypass an average Palace midfield …at home
Got robbed again in a dangerous position just like how their goal occured.
Tomiyasu this time.
Palace are thinking this out.
TT will learn you arent gonna get call.. from Dean… can’t dwell on the ball.
Fkin hell
Sorry, but what the fuck is going on with Martinelli?
One of the best young prospects in the league just throw to the waste pile by Arteta.
Problems
MMmmm nice try Laca.
How many more times heh Pedro?
LOL
I’m done
Great!
Can’t say it wernt coming
shit
Tbf is you’re going to play Laca and Auba together then you play in a 4-4-2 like this.
Joke of a cunt
Fuck sake. that was sad.
Arteta fanboys are the biggest cunts!
The CP keeper had to save that Laca shot….. Aaargh!!!
ConArtesta at his best!
Fucking joke this is!
Sack him now!
Arteta FUCK OFF
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Thst fucking goal.
We are so poor.
Lost out in a challenge again.
Palace robbing us off the ball again 1-2.
And just before that we had a decent combo between Laca and Auba
Leno would save that
Tomyasu, Tierney, white .. all average players !
Auba only player who is worth anything !
Get Arteta out please ASAP .. wasted $150M !!
White just let him shoot
Fuck Arteta
Fucking hell.
Said it earlier PV4 force us to make mistakes and they will capitalise.
Palace deserve to be ahead
Arsenal wont be whole until we stop this managerial project
Abuse the people who have seen through this Arteta balderdash for all you want, won’t make a difference.
9 points from the next 12 is the new 10 points from the next 12
I’m back to wanting palace to score.
I’m done, have been for a while.
Same old shit, we are going nowhere. Truly there has been no progress in 2 years . Offensively we look appalling still.
We have been outpassed by palace at home. Shocking
There is no style or purpose to our play.
No fluidity
Top 4 my fucking arse
The season starts next match.
Ben White retreating retreating … retreating,… you have to step in at some point.
Xhaka gets better every time he doesn’t play , no strength or guile in MF today
Very naive formation.
Palace dominated, shocking performance!
Let’s see if Martin can put this away
I’m done until Arteta is sacked.
Vieira has Arteta in the dirt
CP playing one touch
arsenal at least three to four touches
playing to instruction
cognitive footy
Tomiyasu plays so deep it’s insane. I know he is told to but fuck sake arteta don’t make it hard.
Have a right back that plays like a right back.
You are not pep , just and angry Spanish man
There you go.
Arteta needs to go. Whatever the excuse it is always the same shit football. Even when we win, we aren’t happy with the performance. I don’t want to hear about all the process and him needing time. He deserves to be sacked. We will have to do it sooner or later because he won’t improve.
Vieira looks a much better coach than this fraud right now.
where are the fan boys btw??
Modern day keystone cops football
Step in and you concede with Mike Dean
We are getting nearer the after Christmas table,
Pedro’s phase two:
We still 8 points of fourth.
We’re 3rd best defence last season
We’re aiming at 7th and EL
I can’t see what you can’t
Youngest team
Generational talent
Bla Bla Bla
Hire in a manager that actually bothered to get experience and has a plan and see what happens. Arteta is a used car salesman and the majority of us aren’t buying his trash.
Martinelli on the bench. Still.
We get worked out after 15 mins that we are actually very easy to play through and can be pressurised if we press.
We will get mauled by very average small teams.
We are a low to mid table team.
Sly
They will be on soon enough accusing people of enjoying the fact that we lost etc…
Different season same shit
Even if we dig out a win here nothing will really change until arteta is gone.
Diss
Abuse the people who have seen through this Arteta balderdash for all you want, won’t make a difference.
Yep, Pedro really needs to stop that marketing charlatanism that he decided to unleash on us.
Why on Earth he still supports that big fat 0 of a manager is a total mystery to me.
The superfans don’t understand football, only good at abusing fellow posters and driving them off of the blog.
I’m sorry but Pepe is absolutely tripe…
We would have been better buying Kenny Everett old mate Pepe he would be better than this version
Habesha
can’t say vieira looks a better coach, he absolutely is miles ahead
he’s transformed this team post hodgson in a few games
they don’t have points to correlate with their XG but have been delivering cohesive performances under Paddy all season
Under Arteta, teams come here and can get a result. What is the point of him.
I now don’t want to score as it just peelings this shit.
That thinking is so bad, 2 years of shite does it to you
The problem is the fans. So much arteta support all over my timeline before kick off.
*prolongs
You can’t combine project youth part II with project train-a-manager
Dortmund don’t mess around with inexperienced managers to support their youth projects.
They didn’t promote Favre’s assistant who won them a domestic trophy last season.