Arsenal head into the Palace game under pressure.
Is that a new thing?
No.
This is how it goes if you want to move back to the elite of European football.
Wolves was pressure, Villa was pressure, Leicester was pressure. Every game until the end of the season has a pressure tag attached or a narrative.
Palace is Patrick Vieira and the City draw he pulled off.
Here the thing, this side doesn’t seem to have too much banter about it. They have had their moments, but generally, we’ve been focused, turned up with energy, and done the job.
Have other teams?
No.
United blew their lines, again.
Chelsea were destroyed by Brentford at home, totally humiliating.
Spurs apparently have momentum now despite losing 40% of their last 10 games. We’ve lost 2 in 13 against the best two teams in the world.
We need stop worrying about who is behind us and start looking at who is ahead of Arsenal.
Chelsea.
7 points from the next 3 games will put us in a great position. 9 would be utterly immense.
The job is clear, get the 3 points. I don’t care if the performance is drossy, I don’t care if our keeper has to make 5 world class saves, we just need those 3 points against a very impressive Crystal Palace side.
Bernd Leno is probably going to start, it sounds like Ramsdale will pressure the club to take a chance on him, but I’m hoping we prioritise the 9 games after, versus taking a gamble on a really important player.
Same goes for Tomiyasu. We have managed his fitness badly, Cedric has done a really excellent job, let’s make sure if we’re bringing the Japanese powerhouse back when it’s right.
There are also a few other interesting considerations:
- Nico putting in a top performance against the best national team in the world
- Martinelli playing his first games for the national team + a long haul flight
- Bukayo Saka getting leg rest, but also suffering from a bout of covid
We need big performances, all of those players can deliver them, let’s see what happens.
Short post today, see you in the comments, PODCAST TOMORROW x
Bankz is here for the tr4phy again.
Let’s do this!
No Dm?
No groovey?
Where is the fucking competition?
((((BOOOOOM)))))
Too easy.
I’m like Pep Guardiola cruising away with the premier league title season in, season out.
Aye aye
I don’t see us taking unnecessary risks with Ramsdale or Tomiyasu.
…………..…Leno
………White Gabriel
Cedric……………Tierney
………Partey Xhaka
Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe
…………Lacazette
Bench?
Three points game after game. That’s all we can do.
Spurs will choke. They are the world champions at this, let them have their brief moment of glory. It is pointless; they won’t be there at the end of the season.
Keep your cool everyone!
Come on Arsenal.
3-0 to the Arsenal.
One match at a time. I know that’s an old cliché, however that’s what we need to focus on. Depending on how things play out, Chelsea could end up dropping to 5th by season’s end. Wouldn’t that be something for the pundits to swallow on? Still a long way to go. Big 3 points at Selhurst Park would do nicely.
Imagine Chelsea drops to 5th but wins the CL. Whoever got top4 would be fucked….
Still don’t trust Cedric against Zaha. Very afraid with Zaha’s dribbling and pace.
Arsenal have to be careful of the mo. An os can be ruled os especially if AP were to score.
Zaha needs to bewatched 90 +aet and the defenders must not awol
Continue with my last post, imagine also if WestHam wins the Europa Cup… and we got 3rd and the Spuds got 4th.
Pedro, a while ago you had your doubts as to whether this Arsenal side would make top 4 given that they were so inexperienced. I was dismissive of that analysis, but now, the cup final nature of each Arsenal fixture is unsettling me. This time last year you were pointing out that Arsenal’s form from the game against Chelsea at Christmas was top 4 form. And there’s a whole lotta data to prove that it was. Now, a calendar year on, and the form is still top 4. It’s probably higher since the winter break, but the top 4 finish… Read more »
https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1509546309170180099?t=oku4rUFk8eytmvv7QKtdEA&s=19
that would be lucky…
Nelson-A max of 5 teams from a country can qualify for the Champions League. If Chelsea and West Ham finished outside of the Top 4, yet won the Champions League and Europa League respectively, then the team that finished 4th would be the ones to miss out. The team in 3rd would make it. Like it’s been mentioned many times before, Spurs are a really weird team. After beating Man City they proceeded to lose to Burnley. They thrashed both Everton and Newcastle, however they got dumped out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough. They still have trips to Villa,… Read more »
Just watched the MOTD2 highlights of Everton v West ham and those here looking for getting a striker from either team, just forget it, they are fair to midland. Looks like a real daunting task to find a competitive and elite striker in the summer TW.
Bob, Good to hear your son is getting the help he needs. Hope he’s free of what is tormenting him. All good here thanks I’ve been busy doing research into changing my front 3 speakers to Line Source. Excellent tech that’s finding its place in the elite Audiophile world. The ones I’m looking at should cure my upgraiitis for my lifetime. The next cup final day where Junior and I feel we should win this 2:1 or by the odd goal. Junior and I have watched a lot of the Palace games because of Paddy and enjoying what he’s doing… Read more »
upgradiitis*
In my opinion, we should go for an experienced striker in the summer. Someone 25-28 years old. This is because we will lose the experience of laca up front and we will have to replace that and because We already have a very young squad with not much experience. Adding more inexperience may not be the best ingredient to take this team to the next level. But whether we get top 4 or not this season, arteta has definitely earned the opportunity to show us where he can take the team next season when there will be more games and… Read more »
Spudnik, when is anything certain in football? Who is certain to finish 1st? Who is certain to finish 3rd? Who is certain to win the Champions League?
We are in great form, but it only means anything if the next 10 games go well.
The opportunity is immense , Grab 3rd from Chelsea and we wont have to worry about who is winning Europa/CL. I think Chelsea players are massively distracted , and they might care more about winning the CL again then the league position
think palace is still missing more than a few starters, they’re looking more uphill at this than we’ll be.
lets hope macarthur gets a retrospective red real fast. still wondering how he got away battery and assault last time around.
heres hoping a free kick dislodges one of his testicles, the punk ass BITCH
I would not introduce Tomiyasu in the Crystal Palace game. It would be better to bring him back for our home game against Brighton.
I would also play Pepe tonight particularly if Saka is not 100% match fit factoring in the Covid.
Pepe played last season in the away game against Crystal Palace and scored 2 goals.
Big game tonight. Especially after spurs obliterated Newcastle. We need to have that points edge over them. We also need to make Chelsea doubt about their supposedly sure 3rd position. Win tonight and we will have the edge over the next few weeks till will play Chelsea and United. I fully believe we are capable of winning at least 8 of the 10 matches. We just don’t need to lose to Chelsea, United and Tottenham.
Happy to take a draw from tonight.
, need to keep the momentum going. Paddy’s doing s great job.it will be a tough game.
Alright Tony, any sort of win would do. Arteta is very consistent in his team selections so imagine he’ll stick with same team and bring Martinelli on as first change. I would also like to see some part of the match where we try ESR in place of Xhaka or Laca but I doubt it’ll happen tonight unless we’re chasing the game. Palace are no mugs and the crowd get behind them. We’ve started games well recently so hope that nullifies their support. Always a question mark over cohesion after a break but our form has been excellent so I’ll… Read more »
If I was a Chelsea supporter I would be looking at the fixture list, the club’s ownership situation and the table and be getting a little twitchy! Unless Kane or Son are unavailable their remaining fixtures look the easiest of the three, Chelsea with two RM matches are going to be up against in the PL. Just hope new owners don’t get sorted too soon and that this lifts them in some way.
We conceded to Palace in the league last time around because of stupid mistakes by our midfield.
Our midfield is stronger, our defence is settled, our attack is scoring regularly.
Palace are playing a very different Arsenal side tonight.
Plus, home or away we have made winning a habit. Palace is not a better side than Villa, Leicester or Wolves.
If we can defeat them we can defeat Palace.
Sure don’t underestimate them but don’t inflate them either!
3-0
… to the Arsenal
Arsenal had a good run at the tail end of last season including a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace.
As I pointed out Pepe scored two goals in that game and it should also be pointed out that Pepe was the outstanding player in most of our games at end of last season.
Saka and Martinelli are both in excellent form this season, but I would also like to see Pepe used more, because of his unpredictability.
Kanamara festival!
Sid loving his long stuff!
“level.But whether we get top 4 or not this season, arteta has definitely earned the opportunity to show us where he can take the team next season when there will be more games and a tight schedule that may expose his lack of in game management and squad rotation.” At the beginning of the season and especially after the first 3 games many people would have been content with getting 6th atleast and not many gave a chance for 4th even though many believed that we had the squad to compete for 4th (looking at opposition) and that if we… Read more »
3-0 I wish! think it will be a lot closer than that though. They kept city quiet remember 0-0
Mysticleaves I don’t buy the idea we can’t progress next season if we’re in the Europa League. I agree that It’ll make it more difficult to secure a higher caliber of player, but providing we can secure our talent, much of our improvement should be internal, and not external. This is the team that lost the Europa League final to Chelsea in 2018/19: ……………………….Cech .Sokratis Koscielny Monreal Niles Torreira Xhaka Kolasinac ……..Ozil………………….Aubameyang ……………….Lacazette That was a mature team, only 2 players under 25, if they weren’t quite good enough for 4th that season, we were unlikely to see much improvement… Read more »
Morning. Some stats: Bukayo Saka (20) and Emile Smith Rowe (21) are Arsenal’s leading Premier League scorers this season with nine goals each. Only twice has a club had two players reach double figures while aged 21 or younger in a single PL campaign: Leeds United in 1999/00 (Harry Kewell and Michael Bridges), and Manchester United in 2006/07 (Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo). Compare the 9 goals each has to the Liverpool three: Salah (20), Jota (14) & Mane (12). At Spuds, Son (14), Kane (12). However, Chelseas top scorer will surprise most people; Mason Mount (8) Lukaku has just… Read more »
Totally looking forward to the game, with a slight sense of nervousness but quite confident at the same time, as long as we show Palace the respect they deserve, it will be a tough one but I see a win for us by the odd goal.
I think seeing Spurs win yesterday will further increase the determination within our lads to get jump ahead of them.
It will just be great again to be playing meaningful league football in April/May again, with a huge prize on offer which could be transformative to the clubs short to mid term future.
I would love to see us somehow nab Conor Gallagher, such an all action player with a great engine (just how I used to play Sunday league).
Not much chance though I guess as he belongs to Chelsea, Palace would do brilliantly to keep hold of him too.
Rich Centre Forward is today the only position where we may find it difficult to buy a top class player if we fail to qualify for Champions League. Clearly there is a shortage of top class players in that position. However, the three or four world class players in that position such as Kane, Haaland and Mbappe would not be coming to us even if we did qualify for Champions League. Below that level we are discussing the like of Martinez, Nunez, David and Calvert-Lewin. Frankly I don’t think that any of these players apart from perhaps Martinez would not… Read more »
Emirates
“world class players in that position such as Kane, Haaland and Mbappe would not be coming
to us even if we did qualify for Champions League”
Come on Kane would love to join Arsenal. Joining a club our size with the history of success we have had over the years would be a huge step-up for him. He only needs to have a word with former Spud captain Sol Campbell and he’ll be in his trainers outside the Emirates stadium in a time Usain Bolt would be proud of.
Typical. The Spurs loving mainstream media is off the scale today about how they have apparently now “clicked”. Yeah, sure they have. Until they lose again. Tottenham is bar none the most inconsistent side in the EPL. I’m not saying we should take them for granted but I’m amused that so many of our own fans are in such a state that Spurs got a big win at Newcastle. Personally, I’m like… so? That is their trophy. It’s only three points not thirty. Palace will be distracted with the FA Cup too, so I say if we play our game… Read more »
*don’t lose our heads we’ll be fine.
I think both Zaha and Olise are touch and go for Palace tonight. Fingers crossed they miss out!
There are still some grounds in England where the home crowd can create an atmosphere that’s more partisan and intimidating than the average ground. Anfield,goodison and selhurst are places where the fans generate incredible atmospheres. Night games( more alcohol? Less family friendly?) seem to make these grounds even more challenging. That’s my biggest fear tonight,the raucous atmosphere. Throw in the London derby element and it could be one of those games where you switch on the telly and get a bad feeling. We’ll be tested tonight for sure. We surrendered that type of advantage when we moved, so did the… Read more »
Am I the only one who doesn’t view Kane as world class?
The spurs team is built around him and he still manages to crack when the pressure is on. It was built around him when they have Erickson too.
Even for the national team, he scores only against weaker teams. I was screaming at Southgate to try DCL in the second half when Kane was offering nothing, but stayed on for a full 90th in the semis and third place play off. Lost both.
Mysticleaves I tend to agree with you. We took a gamble on not signing anyone in the window. If we don’t make 4th that will look like a very bad decision. I’ve posted before it will make signing top players that much more difficult.
ES Agree there’s a shortage of top class centre forwards, the club were prepared to part with £60 million for Vlahovic in January, so KSE are willing to sign off on the financial side of things, and we’ll definitely need a striker. It’s then down to our ability to identify and attract the level of talent needed, in order to take us up a level. Liverpool have shown with Jota, that you don’t necessarily need to spend really big in order to secure top talent. Can’t remember who it was, but a few have mentioned Nkunku, I really like Joao… Read more »
“The core of our squad now has a completely different age dynamic, there’s a massive difference between coming up slightly short with largely a mature team, and coming up slightly short, with by far the youngest team in the league.” Rich I think that in truth we are saying the same thing. I highlighted that part of your post cos I think that’s only place we sharply differ. Firstly the age thing is noted but we surged ahead to where we are right now with the same players. It’s not like our average age is 19 too it’s 24. Chelsea… Read more »
Almunia
I think the return of safe standing will bring back trouble both inside and outside the stadium.
The more aggressive/vibrant the atmosphere, the higher the testosterone levels will spike.
Stick a big group of young men together, which will be easy to do without allocated seating, then throw in a cocktail of drugs + alcohol, then put the standing areas next to a rival set of supporters who are also standing, drunk, drugged out if their eyeballs, and being egged on by their mates…
That’s a cocktail for violence
Rich, That’s the great fear alright. The bottle and coin throwing at the old firm yesterday was a real throwback to the dark days. Football does that though, creates atmospheres that are passionate ,electric, but one small step away from becoming violent clashes. It’s a strange one. You can’t say it’s an English problem as it happens in football stadia worldwide and there are plenty of sports in England that are always safe to attend. Over here we are mad into our GAA but there is never anything other than verbal banter. After the spike during the 80’s you probably… Read more »
The bard. We tried but zlahovic was having none of that.
I think it will be criminal acquiring DCL who is same level as Eddie Nketiah. What with Emirates putting him on a level below world class???
Mysticleaves
The average age of teams that win titles are usually between 27-28
We need to get the balance between youth + experience right, but I love the idea of growing a group of players together, continuity + cohesion are such underrated aspects of building success
We’ve got a structure now, we’re beginning to look like a cohesive unit, there’s plenty of room for internal growth.
If we get our next 4-5 signings right over the next 18 months, I’m convinced we’ll be a threat at the very top of the game.
The much lauded ‘longer term project’ only has relevance if we make top 4 this season. We can then build. If I were one of the younger players I wouldn’t sign a new contract until I knew whether we’d have CL next season or not. If not I’d be considering other options. Much as fans love the club for the modern players its strictly business.
Kane gets a free pass from a lot of people because he’s England captain. He’s a fair footballer but that’s about it… in my opinion.
Haven’t posted in a while….
I think we need at least two.
I’d take Toney as the lesser one.
He’ll bag 15+ prem goals this season for Brentford. Yes some are pens but he’s won the pen in the first place.
Him with Nunez or Felix gives us depth.
The Bard You’re always predicting Armageddon, people spend most of their lives worrying about things that never happen. The consequences of having better players, is that they’ll have plenty of interest from other clubs, which is preferable to having players none of the top clubs want… The consequence of improvements this season, to over the last 2 seasons, is we’ll have more games with a lot riding on them, but surely this is a much better place to be? because last season we were 10th at this stage of the season, with nothing to play for.. You can drive yourself… Read more »
If we don’t make top 4 this in no way would signal the end of our current trajectory.
It could have an effect on contract extensions and whether we can attract our top targets this TW. It would certainly put the pressure on to get CL next season as if we don’t some of our best talent may lose confidence.
Lol. If Kane is fair then Lacazette is a fairy.
Kane didn’t think he needed to score yesterday so he relaxed and went into Thierry mood. Making plays like he was a midfielder. I’d love to have him on my team any day.
i expect us to take them down somewhere after the 60th min.2-0, 3-0.
i expect some harsh decisions against us in the first half and more even keel reffing in the 2nd
i expect anyone still doubting arteta and our team’s mentality to be proven wrong again and again and again
If we can’t have a safe standing area due to the high probability of fisticuffs lol perhaps Arsenal should consider ( if possible) bringing the seating much closer to the pitch.Add a few rows.So we’re much more up close & personal & in their faces so to speak.
Rich careful with your language mate
No mention of Armaggedon from me.
Been watching Arsenal for too long to get sucked into fantasy futures. All that matters is the now. We’ve created an opportunity for 4th and we have to take it. But unless you’ve been in a coma for the last decade you will have noticed it gets more and more difficult to break into the top4. We’re lucky because Utd are currently a basket case. But they might not be next year.
Exactly Bard. United will spend money and find a coach (a good one if we are unfortunate). They could be a serious team next season. If Spuds pip us to top 4 this season (God forbid, unacceptable) Conte will spend money and no doubt improve their fortunes more. Liverpool and city are untouchable still. Chelsea have a good team already and a settled coach. Enough time between now and next season to sort the ownership stuff. That’s 6 teams and only 4 can make it. I don’t think people grasp how important it is that we don’t let this opportunity… Read more »
The Bard No bad language from me, just an analogy, if you’re offended by that analogy, then that’s your problem, not mine…. Armageddon = Our best player will leave if we don’t get top 4…. This is an exciting project, there’s nothing to say we can’t secure our talent, and still improve our squad outside of Europe’s top tier, granted it’ll be more difficult, but not impossible This summer we improved our squad significantly with Ramsdale, White, Tomiyasu + Odegaard, and we did so without European competition. We secured the future of Smith Rowe + Tierney, we convinced Saka +… Read more »
Nah… Mystic… Your take on Arteta is passive/ aggressive…at best and makes no logical. sense. So we have achieved a strong position late in the season with Arteta which nobody thought we would achieve at this point before the season but we should hold him seriously accountable to a position that nobody thought we would achieve in the first place through his efforts so far. . That circular chain of reasoning makes no sense. He is going to get another season regardless and most likely a contract extension you are just going to have to accept it, barring an epic… Read more »
No intention of spamming, but if anyone’s interested in my match day opinion – feel free to drop by..
https://londonisred.com/crystal-palace-vs-arsenal/
Are with you Rich, too much time is spent worrying about what other teams may or may not do.
Our competitors have had the benefit of not being up a strong Arsenal side for too many years to mention.
Our potential is there for all to see and our owners appear to be willing to financially support our return to full competitiveness. Whether we make CL this year doesn’t change the truth of my last sentence.
Am with
New post.. man this day is dragging on .. come on game time.