I don’t think it is an understatement to say that this is one of the most important games of the last 5 years.
This is bigger than a Europa League final. This is more important than an FA Cup. This game represents bragging rights for the next year and it is probably the most consequential game we’ll have from a future-facing perspective in a long time.
For Spurs, this game is mission-critical. If they lose, things might unravel fast. Antonio Conte could exit, a new manager will need funds to rebuild, that will likely mean major sales and a lot of short-term pain.
For Arsenal, we’re in good shape however the season ends, but really, you want Arsenal to be kicking on with 3 games to go. The upside is tremendous. The confidence of taking something from a beastly away game will be immeasurable, and our extremely young squad will be able to fast-track the learning experience in the toughest competition in the world next season.
Let’s be real though, this game won’t be easy, we could be sending out a starting 11 that is missing 4 key player in Ben White, Bukayo Saka, and Kieran Tierney. That is some serious spine missing from our squad and the fact no one is really talking about how damaging that could be shows you how far we’ve come. I’m expecting us to be very competitive tonight with Tomi at left back, Big Mo in midfield, Eddie up front, and The Smith, Odegaard, and Martinelli supporting.
The psychology of the game is tantalizing.
Every Arsenal fan I speak to is predicting doom.
Every Spurs fan that contacts me is predicting doom.
We are all a bag is nerves and fear.
We are a joke.
I have no predictions.
My strategy would be to sit deep, counter the Harry Kane midfield problem, make them come at us.
The worst thing that can happen is an early goal for them.
The longer the game goes, the more openings we’ll get, this is a test of patience… and nerves. Spurs has more experience than us.
So we’ll see where we go!
IT IS WITH THE GODS NOW!
ENJOY.
ON THE WHISTLE AFTER x
I think that last night was the perfect example why tomiyasu and white were bought in. at the emirates they kept kane and son really quiet. we won. at the lane son and kane pushed bobs and cedrics faces to the mud and we lost. anyone who said that those signing didnt move the needle were utterly fools and shows that the rebuild must continue in the summer regardless of whether we finish 4th or 5th. as for people talking about saka and odegaard being anonymous.. i can only say – go ahead and try to be an influential midfielder… Read more »
I cannot believe the NOUS of posters on here who thought
BOX HEADS challenge on Son was legit.
Holding letting the side down in such an important game is unforgivable.
The squad has not been strong enough and not bringing players
In was a massive mistake by everyone involved.
The whole set up at the club is floored and has been for a long time.
One can only hope we turn up against NEW/ EVE -but Spurs last two fixtures look easier than ours.
We effectively had 3 of our back 4 out yesterday as too y had to play left back and our best cm out Cedric is shit holding is decent against weaker opposition we are still 3 players short plus we have 4 out
You have to take these circumstances into consideration
Would we have lost with Tommy white Gabriel KT and partey playing ?
We effectively had 3 of our back 4 out yesterday as too y had to play left back and our best cm out Cedric is shit holding is decent against weaker opposition we are still 3 players short plus we have 4 out
You have to take these circumstances into consideration
Would we have lost with Tommy white Gabriel KT and partey playing ?
I am not so sure
Sorry for double post whoops
Mr Serge
What is the point of that observation. White, Tierney and Partey didn’t play and we lost. Every team could ask a similar question after every loss.
Serge
My question to you? Do we have the discpline to get through these next two games?
“Tierney has attempted the same thing on us. I’d love to hear what he said to Son, when Son was complaining.. Words of sympathy no doubt . Don’t worry lad etc etc”
————————————————————————————————————-
I remember Son smiled after listening to what Tierney told him. I had a bad feeling. And Arteta still asked Holding to follow Son closely. The RED card was unavoidable.
ES
My memory is correct
Here’s what you said in January 17th
EmiratesstrollerJanuary 17, 2022 11:01:49
Looking at our fixture schedule beyond this week it is hardly demanding for
.Apart from recruiting perhaps on loan a central midfield replacement for AMN I don’t see
the necessity of recruiting this month additional players UNLESS it is someone who is
likely to be a starting X1 player for next season.Once this week’s fixtures have been completed our fixture list should be manageable with
our current squad resources once AFCON players return and others out with Covid and
injury return.
I was there last night – totally devastated
We lined up at the start as if fielding a 2-3-5 formation. Why? Why did we need to go for the win and lose our discipline
Especially with our defence looking vulnerable in loss of key players
A result like that really is a bitter pill to swallow. For the first 10 minutes we were the better team, and I was impressed with the manor in which we started. Arteta in my opinion is a defensive manager so I like most expected more or less a back 5, so for him to play such an attacking line up may seem wrong to some but I actually like the bravery in the mistake, if that makes any sense at all. Maybe Tomi on the right and Tavares on the left but again when a guy like Tavares gives… Read more »
Left side
Fair enough re the challenge that Newcastle will present but they really are mor3 of a threat and sorry but WHU we’re weakened by more than just missing Dawson. They had Noble in their starting lineup as opposed to Soucek and also missing was Antonio.
Newcastle will have the likes of St Maximum, Wood, Wilson and Tierney who are all big threats
we havent won a single Monday night game this season…
Terraloon
Yes I justified the departure of Aubameyang and Kolasinac who were no longer playing in
the first team.
However, my post on 17th was before we offloaded 6 players [I forgot Balogun].
I did not expect us to offload both Chambers and Mari as well.
Since the beginning of March I have expressed concern about the lightness of our squad.
I think that we will be hard pressed to have 13 fit players turning out for Monday’s game against Newcastle.
I don’t rate Newcastle, they are a team of individuals who against a good team will struggle. Chris Wood is slow and cumbersome as is joelinton , maximum is all tricks but little end product , their only decent players are guimares and willock and the team rarely pass to willock , selvey never passes to him, murphy or Almiron have pace but little football intelligence, so for me all we have to do is control the game , play with intelligence and our quality should win us the game. People are talking as though tottenham beating Burnley is a… Read more »
Pierre
The crowd, The pressure, the referee.
Chris Wood is slow and cumbersome dangerous on set pieces though.
Pierre
Joel Linton has been a revelation since moving into midfield, Wood is very decent in the air, St Maximum is areal handball when running at a defence, Wilson is a decent finisher and now fit, Tierney is now fit
Look I am not saying that a win isn’t likely for Arsenal but they at this point in time present a formidable opponent in a “ must win “ game.
.
Terra, Noble came in but wasn’t too bad, and whilst Soucek and Antonio didn’t start the game they still ended the match with more than enough time to affect the game. Newcastle have some handy players, no doubt about it but we also have handy players that they need to worry about. You know my main worry is the fact that Spurs play Burnley on the Sunday and if they win – the pressure could really be on by the time we kick off on Monday night, and as Black Snake adds – we haven’t won on Monday night all… Read more »
Burnley will go and do to Spurs what we should have done, be compact, defend well and see if Spurs can break them down, that is typically when Spurs huff and puff and that is Burnley’s only chance of frustrating them in my opinion, and then hopefully nicking something at the other end.
The penalty was incredibly soft. The referee couldn’t give it quick enough. However I believe the Holding second yellow was correct. He clearly steps into Son and tries to leave a bit on him. Incredibly stupid from a player who’s just not at the level required. He also has a big hand in the penalty by losing Son and letting the ball go over his head. I’ll be surprised if he’s at the club next season
The soft pen ruined everything. If that wasn’t awarded the Holding incident wouldn’t have happened. The players were clearly frustrated. I’m not a fan of Arteta by any means but this game is all on the ref.
Its the morning after and it still hurts real bad. That was a game we could have won looking at how we played the early minutes. Marginal decisions went against us and we lost. Its quite sad to read some on here saying ‘we didn’t put up a fight’. Really? Even with 10 men, we tried to play some football, so much so that there we several moments after the sending off when Spurs had everyone behind the ball deep in their own half, including Kane and Son! We have 2 games to play, and if we play the way… Read more »
It’s a shame Nkeitiah wasn’t standing at the post for Kane’s goal. Not only would he have been in the right place to stop the goal, but he might have been able to kick Harry Kane in the face into the bargain. Damn shame.
Left side
The mentality side of thing is a major issue going into the last two games it’s where experience is such a big factor
Burnley as so many quite rightly point out aren’t mugs but that mentality and confidence will be a major positive for Spurs but I personally would much rather be playing them as opposed to Newcastle away.
As for the last game again Norwich is an easier proposition on paper compared to a n Everton team who almost certainly will still be looking over their shoulders
I think we should delete all the rage and leave up Ben D’s post. That’s all that needs to be said really.
It’s daft raging on the manager, the January recruitment…if you concede a soft early pen and then lose a man, you’ve been completely hamstrung and your game’s ruined. In many ways we did well to not concede any more goals – the pundits were salivating at the possibility of an absolute tonking. Didn’t happen.
Bad ref decisions aside, the odds are we would have lost the game anyway. The moment I saw Cedric in the team, it was pretty much all over. Conte, a shrewd operator, knew he was no match for Son. The guy ran rings round him. And Holding’s uncustomary behaviour was down to his efforts to help, to protect, Cedric. A different story if it had been Tierney. Or Ben White in a back 3 if he had been fit enough. Arteta’s choice of personnel for the last two games is severely limited. It will be a hard task to win… Read more »
I think we did all we could yesterday given the way Arteta set us up and the way we conceded the penalty and second yellow (correct decisions imo). It was always going to be difficult at the toilet but a little pragmatism would have made life more difficult for spurs. When they have to control the game they are clueless. Arteta should have known this and should have adapted to the opposition. I still think we can finish the job at Newcastle and Everton (or just maybe desperately want us to) and get UCL. The players should take this on… Read more »
“””””Anybody laughing now that they signed Emerson Royal””””
Yes because he’s fucking shit
Honestly
And Son would give a game to any RB in the EPL. He has 20 goals anyways, all non penalty goals. He’s as good as he’s cony. Cedric had come into the team and held his own for a long time so the trashing he’s getting now after one game where he was out thought by a better player is unwarranted to be honest
I would say this the youngsters haven’t let us down all season. It’s the experience ones that have on occasion.
We go again.
If we miss out it will be through lack of vital players. But, for me, in any case, the Europa is a better option, we’ll go further, do better, may even win the competition.
Let’s not throw in the towel already CL will more money and attract better players.
We need experienced players at an elite physical, skill and intelligence level. No compromise on the fundamentals.
‘’ Lolz. Looks a bit silly now doesn’t it…awarding a contract to the manager.‘’
Er no is the answer to that
Mystic
Yes, I am with you.
You can’t expect the back up to be as good as the first choice given that we don’t even have Europa League this season.
It is quite the BS.
When son and holding on the floor Son clearly elbows holding.. not sure if this was even mentioned after the game..
Up until the penalty we were under no pressure at all
englandsbestMay 13, 2022 10:17:46
But, for me, in any case, the Europa is a better option, we’ll go further, do better, may even win the competition.
Please explain how’s Tottenham in CL better option for us.
just looking again, Holding was very naïve, as was Arteta if Holding was under orders. Tottenham are a team vastly favoured by the media and establishment, referees will be aware of that , you pay, perhaps disproportionately if you do that sort of thing at their place as would be the case at the likes of Anfield in a way an opponent might not if he clattered Saka at the Emirates or elsewhere as we are now aware. But the penalty is beyond me, Son was off balance before ours went near him. A series in the dodgy pens they… Read more »
Very poor result but not a suprising one. All the ref blaming also a bit stale, seems to be the go to every time.
Reckon if we can pick ourselves up at Newcastle then we’ve secured 4th.
One can also see why we need shot of quite a lot of the average players we’ve managed to stockpile
What annoyed me most about last night is that Arteta seemingly learned nothing from the way Brighton and Brentford set up and approached their games against Spuds. In the 180 minutes of those two games, Spuds were reduced to 14 shots with 0 on target. Pedro was even on here mocking and baiting those who said Conte was a decent manager. Yet, apart from the first 7 minutes, Arsenal didn’t even turn up last night. Why the fuck can Thomas Frank and Graham Potter out-think and outplay Spuds, but Arteta gets handed his arse in humiliating fashion? How long can… Read more »
This was very much like Man City away game this season, we looked ok for an opening few minutes, then we crumbled, and Holding and Cedric had a shockers.
Europa is better than CL for us?
More games. Less money. Less prestige. Cannot be used as well to attract elite talent. No guarantees of winning it.
Beyond that it’s much better for us than the CL I suppose!
Odegaard was invisible last night as he has been in other big games this season!
I really would much prefer Tomi at rb
He’s a quality RB. You need your best players in their best positions. The drop off from Tomi to Cedric is massive and always has been. Cedric is just a passable squad player for emergencies, not the guy you want marking Son.
Would’ve been much better to roll the dice on our LB than roll it on our RB.
Shoot me but i would of rather had Tavares on left then Tomi last night. He matches up physically with Kula.
I dont think Arteta trusted the players he has to play a deep block a la Brighton and co, that wasnt near our first choice defence.
Those teams specialise in defending, we do not, and havent for well over 2 decades.
“And all Tets had to do was play 3-4-2-1”
Really! Speaking from PL experience are you sunshine 🤨
The referee blaming is disappointing, but I expect no less from Pedro and some of the other posters.
I wasn’t expecting anything other than a loss last night because we labored very hard to beat a 10-man Leeds at hone. The writing was on the wall., I suppose
We can’t limp to the end of the season. We have to dig out something from inside and go to st James park pumped up. If we win on Monday then the capitulation if last night is forgiven.
EdTheREd
What an odd comment! My concern is Arsenal, not Spurs.
This summer, we have to seek real competition for some of the regular starters.
I’ve never rated Partey as much as many, we need someone who’s as good as he is to rotate with Partey.
Odegaard goes missing too often too
Saka is just tired, the lad doesn’t need to play as often as he does.
This summer should be about back-ups but same-caliber signings to rotate with starters.
Also this sour grapes and acceptance of mediocrity need to stop
How can the EL be better than the CL?
That’s plain rubbish loser talk
If we fail to qualify for the CL, after being r points ahead of spurs with 3 games left to play, then it will be a massive catastrophic wilting under pressure.
It will be in the same territory as the late collapse under Emery and be considered in the same breath as Brendan Rodgers collapse at Leicester.
Let’s no kid ourselves, the context of the collapse will define this season.
Cochrane stated it best on the podcast. Arsenal have to go to Newcastle and show from the off that the win is much more important to us than it is for them. Impose yourselves on them early. No cagey see how the game pans out stuff. If Arsenal impose on Newcastle early and show the real hunger then in most cases the team that doesn’t need the win as much wilts. Arteta is over-achieving this season with this squad and team in terms of league position and we all know this is as much to do with failures of others… Read more »
EdTheRed
I agree.
What exactly is our style of play?
No one seems to know.
I include our players and, yes, even Arteta in this.
What’s the stats in our big games?
Anyone?
The schedule FA ours spurs a lot. They got lucky – I don’t blame this on the PGMOL or anyone else.
They get to play ahead of us for the next round. They play Burnley at home on Sunday and we get to head up north on Monday night.
We have to face our demons on Monday; every stereotype that’s been cast for us will stare us in the face.
Let’s stop feeling sorry for ourselves and stop the finger pointing at refs
Fess us, face the music and let’s go.
We have to beat Newcastle, it’s that simple;
englandsbest
If you can’t see how Tottenham making CL this season would affect Arsenal, then there isn’t much more I can do to make the implications clearer to you, I’m afraid.
Dissenter
You are 100% correct.
4 points above Spuds with 3 games to go.
1 point ahead with 2 games left.
Newcastle will be our biggest game of the season.
Then, if we win that, Everton at home would be even bigger.
Digital Bob.. Spot on
Did they not mention Son Elbowing Holding when both on the ground, mate just sent me a clip..unbelievable.. I thought we would lose that before hand but the way we started it was so comfortable until the Pen.. I wouldn’t be harsh on the team, you need a bit of luck in 90 mins and we had None
Dissenter – I agree regular competition for key positions will hopefully be addressed this summer. We have the makings of a very good squad and while I’m not opposed to the likes of Holding, Elneny and Cedric continuing on beyond this season the hyperbole in recent weeks about them simply not fucking up has been too much. Its vital Saliba is brought back and reintegrated as not only will he play instead of Holding but will certainly keep Ben White and Gabriel on their toes. Elneny and Xhaka need to be rotation options next season, I’d hope the majority of… Read more »
G – Lets be honest some strikers are on Pepe’s(the Portuguese one!) level of skulduggery, Son and Sadio Mane being the two most obvious for me in the premier league. They consistently get away with elbows and little kicks and digs and then its “well he’s not that sort of player”. But away from home, hostile crowd and bias officiating, which was made clear after that penalty, senior players must keep their wits about them and composure. Bob Holding did not do this.
Digital Bob
We now know fully well that Tierney and Partey are the new Diabys.
It will be shame on us, if we emerge from t=next transfer window, fully dependent on both those players. We have to get another start-able left back and a midfielder with the same stature as Partey.
Tavares isn’t good enough. If he can;t be trusted for a NLD, then time to stop extending a mistake signing.
There’s some erroneous rhinking here that if we miss out of 4th place now, we will be in line to get it next season just based on the natural progression of a young squad. The problem is that next season will assessed differently because of the changes in the other teams around us competing for 4th place I don’t think Chelsea have 3rd place locked up next season so the battle will be for 3rd and 4th -United are so shit now that the only way is to get better; new manager and lots of money -Tuchel is still at… Read more »
“The penalty was incredibly soft.”
———————————————
I watched the replay. That fucking Cedric wasn’t even looking at the ball. He was just too small to defend high ball. If you don’t play the ball and just play the man, that is a penalty.
Folks like to quote Klopp when he first came into Liverpool in comparison to Arteta and Arsenal. Well remember Klopp didn’t rest on his laurels when he got Liverpool to recover from when he first went there. He was very active in the transfer market even when his side was improving season to season from when he first came in there. Arsenal shouldn’t be feeling cosy just because they qualify for CL. They should be looking to improve on that itself just as Klopp continously looked to do so. And this means upgrades coming in rather than sitting on the… Read more »
I think some people need to prepare themselves for the very real possibility that if we miss out on the CL this season, it may be that we don’t make it at all during Arteta’s extended contract period.
Arsenal are in with a shout this season because we have overperformed and other sides have been more inconsistent than they should have been. With all the changes being made by clubs around us, next season is unlikely to see those clubs making as many mistakes as they did this season.
And hopefully we won’t hear this “youngest side” quote in the near future seasons because in reality it means basically fvck all.
One of the best sides in the land is a much better better place to be.
Too much black and white thinking on here today. Us (in particular certain players) having a bad game and the decisions going against us are not mutually exclusive. Yes Cedric is a poor player but it’s also true that nine time out of ten (if not more often) that would never be given as a penalty. You see defenders bumping opposition players in the box for a high ball at ever single corner. Penalties are almost never given,. On first view the Holding sending off look harsh but in slow motion you can see why it was given. You can… Read more »
andy1886 On first view the Holding sending off look harsh but in slow motion you can see why it was given. You can also see Son playing for it, and you can say that we’ve suffered worse and got absolutely nothing (stamp on Tomi, Martinelli assaulted in the box are two just off the top of my head). The reality was it could easily have been a red card offence, Holding got lucky because it was only a yellow. Far too many seem to think it was a straight red which with it would have come a 3 game ban… Read more »
I think there are a couple of points that need to be recognised about this Arsenal team. 1) We have won a good number of games but these have been predominantly by slender margins. Most have gone our way but in other seasons they may not. Therefore our position in the league is overstated compared to our baseline ability. 2) We rarely seem to be able to change the game state following the first goal. Now that’s great when we score first (we’ve won 20 out of 24 in which we’ve scored first) but dire when we don’t. Excluding the… Read more »
Time to forget the Spurs match.
It was a game to forget after they scored their second goal and Arsenal down to ten. After that the match was a non-event.
Holding couldn’t handle Son he being very good as well as knowing all the dark arts tricks.
People mentioning Maxim for Newcastle well he can blow hot or cold and is certainly not on the level of Son at Spurs. We hope it isn’t one of his hot days coming up.
Jaroda
I think most realise we are not a very good team. We are a competent side that has shown some good character and togetherness at this point with plenty of improvement needed to be seen to get where we are told what the long term plan is.
This is why we need to see upgrade for this team. That’s if we are serious.
I’m all for critiquing all that has gone wrong this season but top 4 is still very much on the table and there are two games left. Let’s just see how we do in these next 2 games and then we can dissect everything good and bad
I’m all for critiquing all that has gone wrong this season but top 4 is still very much on the table and there are two games left. Let’s just see how we do in these next 2 games and then we can dissect everything good and bad
*
The real fall out from yesterday is that top4 just got a whole lot more difficult and on yesterdays evidence the team dont yet have the cojones to tackle these games. Secondly it completely reshapes our transfer strategy.
China
If Arsenal win the next two matches then it is cause for celebration for the fans because qualifying for the CL at this stage is a very big achievement with this team and squad irrelevant of failures of others.
The hierarchy though shouldn’t celebrate too hard. They should be sitting down and looking at attempts to “cement” the position we could find ourselves in by the end of the season. Nothing is guaranteed of course even with obvious efforts made but sitting and being content is not an option for them.
The penalty call was incredibly soft for any game let alone a NLD, and you knew it right away too because even after the first replay the commentators didn’t know what it was given for. A bad decision for me but down a goal you’re still in the game against their shaky defense. The sending off killed the game for us for sure, but if you still thinking now that Holding’s second yellow was wrong, then perhaps ice hockey should be your sport where off the puck body checks are highly appreciated. Had Davies done that to Saka, I would’ve… Read more »
Sadly, we don’t have the squad to cope when losing key players. We stuttered after the losses of Partey & Tierney but then after work on the training ground picked up to win 4 on the spin including Manchester United and away at Chelsea and West Ham. So please don’t come on here with all your sly digs after your wrong takes. You know who you are, try to be a bit more mature and less self-obsessed after we lose a game. Losing White was a big loss. Anyone who knows anything about football is aware of the value of… Read more »
Tom
Had Davies done that to Saka, I would’ve wanted a straight red, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been alone in that.
Did you not see Son elbowing Holding ? Its not so hard to say the ref was fucking biased , no wonder UEFA/FIFA doesnt allow english ref in international comps.
EdTheREd
No, if Spurs finish 4th I can’t see any ‘implications’ for Arsenal. Perhaps you can tell us what they are.
DS , I did see it, just like I saw Holding kick through Son ‘a back while on the ground. Holding was the aggressor in all of his interactions with Son, and he was clearly executing Arteta’s plan to frustrate Son by any means necessary. I feel some Arsenal fans are still stuck in the late Wenger era years where our players acted as choir boys and were honest to the core. When Arteta talked about the culture change this was part of it as well. We now play as dirty and play act as any club out there. People… Read more »
Just to be clear, I’m not against Arsenal using dark arts to their advantage. But maybe lowering your shoulder into opponents face five yards from the ref , while on a yellow, isn’t the way to go.
Losing the 3 games to Palace Southampton and Brighton might come back to bite us !
This talk of ‘collapse’ if Arsenal don’t make it to CL is just another outburst of nonsense from the anti-arteta brigade. In fact, this has been a season of real progress, and bearing in mind the missing personnel and the youthfulness of the squad, 5th place is a remarkable achievement. What matters far more is that Arteta/Edu fill in the missing pieces this summer, in number and in quality. My expectation is that they will. Within reason, I don’t see money as a problem, nor CL non-qualification as an issue. Having come this far, it’s unlikely the owners will hold… Read more »
The referee spoke to Holding twice before his first yellow.
You can’t be fairer than that.?
Arteta wants to copy Man City way of playing.
Trouble is we don’t have the quality of players to do it.
Also when forced by other teams playing more directly Arteta does have any other plan, so the players go like rabbits in headlights.
Our managing and endless tippy tappy is not going to get us anywhere..
Our defense is crap
Tom
It does not matter who the agressor if you get physical or unless the ref is so biased that he sees one case as a clear yellow but not the other ? The fact that Holding didnt play act more when hit by Son’s elbow is the reason referee didnt give a card to Son , then you can see why the refs in UK are shit . Just like Spurs
This talk of ‘collapse’ if Arsenal don’t make it to CL is just another outburst of nonsense from the anti-arteta brigade.
Oh shut up you whiny fool. Just because in school you were the child that was told it’s the competing that counts. Doesn’t wash with everyone. We are in the driving seat now. So let’s go for it. Instead of having this 5th place is cool mentality. Assess after the season. We are in a good position. The CL is the goal until it’s out of our control.
Andy – also throw in our 2-3-5 formation – suicidal
At least at home you can switch the telly off
Being there meant no escape and I still feel shell shocked
But let’s pick ourselves up and get ready for Monday. That one will be the telly
AFC Forever.👆👆 top post 👆👆