Arsenal put in another ‘mostly’ professional performance as they picked apart Watford on a pretty breezy afternoon. The two whinges you could have were familiar:
- We don’t take enough of our chances
- Xhaka is going to Xhaka
Let’s be clear here, the only way we’ll get over those two issues is through a recruitment drive we know is coming this summer. There’s no point in dwelling on it. We have to make it work for 15 more games. Arsenal can do that.
What we should instead talk about is how this team of young players is now dropping scintillating passages of football and matching them with spectacular goals.
Each one of our offerings today was special. They all involved intricate passing patterns, they all involved big finishes, and each of them came from the generation of players that IS taking Arsenal to the Promised Land.
Odegaard started off the run of goals with a beautiful flick that played in Saka, his finish from his left slipped was a touch-BANG goal that was really impressive.
The second goal came from Saka winning the ball back in midfield, Lacazette rolling a backheel into his path, and a ruthless left foot into the top corner. It was world-class and speaks to our new system of creating chances by winning the ball back in dangerous areas.
The third goal was courtesy of my poor intent. I was about the Tweet, ‘GET MARTINELLI OFF’, it was stupid, I’m sorry for my thought crime. Arteta set us up for a quick throw. Cedric made the run, clipped an awkward ball into Odegaard, the Norwegian flicked the ball onto Lacazette who teed up Martinelli for the SCREAMER of a shot into the top corner.
Yes, yes, I will talk about their goals. One was a Trevor Sinclair screamer, congrats, it happens. The other was courtesy of Granit Xhaka trying a ridiculous pass considering the moment in the game. The second one was more annoying because you can’t point to it being an experience thing, it’s just part of the price of Xhaka. How do you stop a player in their late twenties doing dumb things? You sign someone above them like Tielemans.
Arsenal had some moments defensively. Aaron Ramsdale went into that mode when he starts trying to force things and his passing gets a bit wild. He needs to control his emotions in moments like that, because against a better team, he’d have been found out. That was a warning shot for Leicester. Also, there were just some brain dead moments in general from our defence. They were all at it. Let’s put it down to one of those days… a day we got away with.
But how about the positives? Scintillating football with an unpredictable edge. We really are the real deal. Top 4 is in our hands because we deserve it. It’ll still be tough, Spurs and United will still win games, but we’re starting to look like the team with the momentum. Really, injuries are the only impediment to our success.
The table looks good. Really, Spurs are the biggest impediment to our success. But… it’s in our hands. We play West Ham, Spurs, and United. If we deal with them, we are in the Champions League, if we don’t, it’s on us. Momentum is with Arsenal, we have to keep it going.
This group of players IS special. What we’re seeing speaks to elite coaching, top-level scouting, a proper culture, and a group of players that believe they can be the best in the world. This is the sauce I promised 2 years ago. Arsenal are moving to the next level, can we sustain it? Who knows. Today all that matters is this: 3 points.
Now listen to our podcast. I know I say it every week, but THANK YOU for watching and listening. You make the show great. It’s so fun to have you all on during the live session. Next season, we’ll kick it up a gear again IF you keep tuning in. Is that a threat? Yes. LISTEN OR FACE CONSEQUENCES. Love you. Have a banger of a day because YOU deserve it. x
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Graham what happened to your constant attacks of Eddie? You said he was too laid back, you didn’t like his body language, didn’t have the hunger and would never make it at the arsenal?
Did it coincide about the time when we didn’t tie him down to a contract extension so it was another stick to beat the club and manager with?
It was.
If you say so englandsbest, some would say ‘boasting’ about your righteousness and calling others names because they didn’t have the same opinion is more recognisable as somebody being smug or other adjectives that come to mind!
Who is Jhilmar Lora? 👀
I’m not against us buying a striker but they cost a fortune and often don’t cut it. Morata and Lukaku are good examples ( I know Lukaku was a hit in Italy ). Maybe we will have a massive budget but if not there is am argument for sticking with Martinelli and spending a fortune on a world class midfielder.
Imagine if we had David n balogun up front playing a 4 4 2
.
Yee ha.
Graham n Pierre
There is a good goalscorer in Eddie..
What is it he wants ? More money or is it more football?
Why don’t we sign on an extension of 18 months… Still young enough If it don’t work out… Think it will.
All about confidence … If he starts scoring with games he won’t stop
Bob N16
My post was a response to a comment in which the biblical word ‘amen’ was used, hence the word ‘righteous’, another term oft found there
‘Self-righteous’ is smug, ‘righteous’ is not.
Oddly enough, your terms ‘name-calling’ and ‘boasting’ fit the description ‘self-righteous’ very well.
Kronekweasle I think it would be better served for everyone if you rammed your wife’s dildo down your neck to shut you the fuck up and save everyone from your pomposity.
Can’t keep away and just had to come back to defend the honour of Emery.
Kroenke, ‘Thanks EB. And Bravo!’ Made me laugh!
Smug people are very rarely uncertain! I’m happy to admit I’ve been uncertain about Arteta but on the evidence of the team’s trajectory this season, I’m certainly being won over.
I can be righteous, these days less often. Self righteous – grown out of it! Smug on occasion!
Rambinho, why so unpleasant? He was indirectly defending my ‘honour’.
You’re a big boy Bob, I’m sure you’ll be fine. He previously offered me his wife’s dildo but I’m just suggesting a far better use for it.
With the emerging talent we have emerging from Hale End, I just hope we get much better at nurturing those top players. Once they’ve excelled at u23 level then for me it should be a year training with the first team and still playing in a number of u23 matches and then, on the assumption they haven’t yet grabbed a first-team place, at least 2 years on loan with 2 different clubs.
Players like Hein, Okonkwo, Graczyk,Hutchinson, Flores, Salah-Eddine, Azeez, Patino , Taylor-Hart, Norton-Cuffy, Balogun, Rekik, Ballard, Edwards to name but a few are all potential first teams and we need therefore to make sure we don’t do an Eddie with any of them.
Blog of Lube
Kroenkephobe
I overcame my impulse to ignore someone who indulges in infantile insults, in case you are indeed young and in need of straightening out.
Take the words ‘cautious’ and ‘circumspect’ – in this case ‘not risk being proven wrong’. The smugness (i.e, complacency) of fence-sitting comes from knowing that you can never be proven wrong.
Samesong, ‘blog of lube’’ apt post.
Kroenke – being frustrated has caused all sorts of problems throughout human history and so it goes on!
englandsbest – never be proven right as well…..
englandbest I assume base 2 is your favourite number system.
Bob N16
I got great news for you, you are no longer a fence-sitter.
Be honest, I bet it feels great. A load off your shoulder. Don’t waver.
You seem well versed on the back passage. Seems you and your wife are very familiar with unsatisfactory.
Can’t keep away from the blog yet made grand proclamations that you were finished. What a sad little man. Haven’t even the courage of your convictions.
You backed the wrong horse and you’re embarrassed I understand.
Yes kroenkweasel that’s for you.
An unnamed part of me is still on the fence. I prefer not to idolise managers.
Are you suggesting EnglandB that I’ve only got one shoulder? How rude!
Bob N16
Absolutely, I can’t abide uncertainty. But, like most sports fans, I’m a glutton for punishment. And pro football is the most unpredictable of all.
EnglandB ‘I can’t abide uncertainty’ – life must be a minefield at times!
“I have to say I have not been a lego head fan but his post Watford interview was very impressive and genuinely humble and mirrored exactly what I was thinking and then some. ”
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Arteta has won me over when he admitted that he has made a lot of mistakes. He has improved quite a bit this season.
Bob N16
You are right, most idols have feet of clay. Even so – and despite his misbehaviour – GG is still up there on the shelf with the rest of my heroes, from William Shakespeare to Winston Churchill. And there is space enough for another.
Life is a minefield for all of us – the only certainties are Death and Taxes. But imagine the alternative, where everything is certain and arranged. I don’t believe many of us would care for that.
New post
I’m not shocked to read Kroenkephobe, the wokest of virtue signallers, engaging in homophobic tropes against posters again.
I warned you about that last week, it’s unacceptable. You can take a TO.
Tony is absolutely delusional trying to say he called us having a top 4 squad at the beginning of the season.
Nobody here is stupid enough to believe that.
Then nasty comments about Pedro and the blog declining…. yet you still come here to make a fool of yourself regularly.
Nigel, Tony was telling me that he was sitting in a Thai bar with his son and they were all laughing at Arsenal.
Wonder how they feel now? Muppets.
Where Ishola these days?
Northbanker
If there is one lesson I have learned about Arsenal it is that very few of our Academy make the transition to playing in the First Team.
Most of those you have listed will not make the grade. They will go mostly elsewhere more
often than not at Championship or lower league levels.
I would point out that our U23s were thumped this season by Liverpool.Our Under 18s were
also beaten early in FA Youth Cup by a lower league team.