Wobbly whips Watford – Deeney dismal

September 30, 2018

Well that was a really rip-roaring christening for my first game ever in the lower tier at the Emirates. Watching the game from lower down and closer to the pitch makes the whole experience more visceral. Yes, you don’t see the patterns of play in quite the same way, but footballers don’t either. Gaps and angles, space and geometry are all in a flat plane for the boys with the boots on. I enjoyed it.

First Half

Chances at both ends, the best for Arsenal was Laca’s one on one with the keeper. Robbing the hesitant lump in the Watford defence, dinking the ball beautifully over the keeper but just failing to keep the ball between the posts. Watford also had some decent efforts but were either wide or came up against the helmet.

Anthony Taylor failed to give a clear penalty when Lacazette was fouled. No wonder players go down easily when it’s the falling over that refs give decisions for rather than the actual foul itself. Poor from Mr Shiny Head.

Second Half

End to end and excitement throughout. Again Laca with several chances but none that easy. Watford not requiring large dollops of possession to create danger on the counter. You could see why they’ve been effective. Leno came on when the helmet’s hamstring pinged taking a goal kick. He proceeded to make a fine reaction save from Deeney diverting a dead ball, blocking a one on one and catching or punching everything that was launched at him.

Iwobi coming on for the ineffectual Ramsey turned the game on its head. Suddenly there was drive, pace and power down Arsenal’s right. Alex’s cross was diverted beyond Foster by Cathcart in the 81st minute and then Welbz on for Auba won the ball in midfield, Laca and Wobbly combined beautifully to slide the ball across for a perfect pink-booted Mesut sidefoot. What a wonderful couple on minutes it was!

What a fine view I had!

Summary

A clean sheet – shared by both keepers, each contributed equally. Was it the Torreira effect?  Are we looking more like the new incarnation of an Arsenal side capable of grinding out results by going up a gear or two? Or is it still much too early to tell? Either way it’s fun at the moment.

Ratings

Cech/ Leno – good stuff again from the helmet matched by his German replacement….7/8

Bellerin – better defensively to go along with always being dangerous going forward….7

Mustafi – a little bit Keystone Coppish again….5

Holding – looked the senior partner, visibly gaining confidence with each minute on the pitch….8

Monreal – as effective as ever, such a shame he couldn’t quite reach Xhaka’s brilliant diagonal pass in the second half….7

Torreira – still settling in and becoming accustomed to the type of bruising Premiership encounters teams like Watford are capable of dishing out….7

Xhaka – Love watching his glorious left foot. As TA said, him and the Terrier are a match made in heaven in midfield….7

Ramsey – Slime has got into his head and he doesn’t seem to know what he’s meant to be doing in Emery’s new team….5

Ozil – Came to life in that last segment of the game, with Iwobi on the pitch he had someone to pass to all of a sudden, an extra mark for his perfectly executed goal….7

Aubameyang – wasted on the left again, we’re going to have to move to 3-5-2 to get him involved at the sharp end….6

Lacazette – full effort and commitment. Not sure why he couldn’t celebrate the own goal – we’d finally scored, Alexandre, be happy. Excellent contribution to superb second goal….7

Subs

Iwobi – Wobbly made all the difference – thrust, power and penetration – well played young man….8

Welbeck – a significant part to play in that clinching second goal….6

chas

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Lucky 7?

September 29, 2018

Prior to reading GN5’s history lesson, I thought we always thrashed the Bees. Apparently not. Strange how personal perceptions can deceive. I recall that thug Deeney “bullying (read fouling) his way to a victory and a long ago victory at Highbury but other than that …  well, you get my drift.

We are on a fine run, lots of goals, an improving defence, signs of midfield cohesion and early evidence of the Emery revolution. Some of that is true! This enthusiasm must be tempered by a look at our recent opposition, until we play a top 4 team we cannot really judge.

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Watford sit above us in the table which is either a measure of their quality or the quality of their opponents – they beat Spurs and pushed MU, so perhaps they will prove to be difficult to beat.

Watford have conceded just 6 goals in the PL, they have a strong CB pairing and our forwards will have to be efficient with their finishing.

It will be interesting to see whether UE picks Ramsey this afternoon, I wouldn’t. I would have him riding the pine and play Mhiki instead. Mhiki’s part in the excellent second goal vs Brentford was special, and I think he is the better player defensively. Also, I think that Iwobi will become a pivotal player at Arsenal, he is still young and learning, we need patience. However, if AFC want to keep the Welshman, they have to give him game time.

Terrier or Curly or both? Can we drop Xhaka? Not in my opinion. I like the format of giving each of them 45 minutes, it is working.

My Team:

Helmet

Fashion Icon   AWTH   GB    Nacho

Curly   Xhaka    Rambo

Mesut

Laca   PEA

Once again, this set up relies upon the FB’s for width and I am not sure how effective this tactic is. It works at home when teams tend to PTB but away we need more defensive security.

Football is a game of confidence, confidence develops from winning consistently, we are on a fine run. Seven is my lucky number.

COYRRG

 

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal FC – Our record against the Hornets

September 28, 2018

Aside from the following FA Cup wins, our league record against Watford (founded as Watford Rovers in 1881) only begins as recently as 1982. This is because they were in the Southern League up until 1920 and then finally reached the First Division with promotion from the second division in the 1981/2 season.

03 Feb 1906 Woolwich Arsenal v Watford W 3-0 FA Cup
15 Jan 1910 Woolwich Arsenal v Watford W 3-0 FA Cup
08 Mar 1980 Watford v Arsenal W 1-2 FA Cup

Elton John and his appointment of Graham Taylor in 1977 saw the club’s rise from the Fourth Division right up to the top flight in only 5 seasons.

These were the days of John Barnes and Luther Blissett. Blissett still holds Watford’s records for overall appearances 503 (league 415) and overall goals 186 (league goals 148). Luther Blissett was also famous for being signed by AC Milan “by mistake”. Rumours still abound in Italy that it was John Barnes who was being scouted but it was big Luther who was signed in error. Sounds a bit racist to me. He returned to Watford after one season.

The current incarnation of Watford FC has been in the Premier League since 2015 and they have consolidated well with a string of decent Spanish, Italian and Portuguese managers. The loathsome Troy Deeney is the current club captain, though some find his aggression and honesty refreshing.

Credit: Craig Prentis /Allsport

GunnerN5

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Danny quells the swarm – Brentford Ratings

September 27, 2018

First Half

Two goals from Danny in the first half had Arsenal cruising as the interval approached. His first came from a Matteo Guendouzi pinpoint cross after a short corner. The many Arsenal runs in the box confused Brentford who forgot to mark the only player who stood still; but what a fine header it was from Welbz.

The second goal was warmly applauded by Mr Emery as it probably encapsulated all he wants from his players on the break. Brentford were pressing high, eventually the ball came to Lichtsteiner in a 50:50 challenge – no contest, Micki slipped the ball inside his marker freeing Iwobi on the burst. The Nigerian cockney used his mirrors to perfectly judge the run of Monreal steaming up behind him. A perfect perpendicular pass to the waiting Mancunian and it was two nil.

Second half

Arsenal quickly lulled themselves into a false sense of security in the opening few minutes of the second period. Emile Smith Rowe had a couple of decent positions which came to nothing; his usual youthful confidence giving way to indecision or a bad choice. Brentford fought for their hive like workers not drones and started to create some chances.

Their free kick to pull the game back to 2-1 was excellent but resulted from Guendouzi giving away a nonsensical free kick in a dangerous position. Suddenly the commentator was interested – he started to think he might see what he was hoping for after all.

Lacazette came on for ESR and proceeded to stink the place out with a complacent attitude and poor use of the ball. His touch was off even when slipped through by Guendouzi in prime real estate territory. Another sub was required.

Enter Lucas Torreira, avenger of evil and possessor of large hairy feet capable of mopping up in front of the back four. Things started to settle and the final quarter of the game left the commentator a little bereft of excitement and lacking in hope that all his dreams of a Brentford comeback would still come true.

Lacazette finally showed some class as he stroked home the third in the dying moments and it was through to the next round we go.

Summary

Unai Emery’s first League Cup team was a strong one and in the final reckoning, it needed to be.

Ratings

Leno – not ready to displace the helmet as yet but steady and secure after an early blip….6

Lichtsteiner – struggled just a touch with the pace of his youthful winger but used his enormous experience to redress the balance….6

Mustafi – only one really comical moment giving the ball away and then falling over. Just the one hair-raising moment is quite good for him….6

Holding – don’t remember much that he did good or bad. Is that good or bad?….6

Monreal – Nacho is a real 100 percenter and was justly rewarded with an excellent slide rule assist. It’s a good job the Beast is back to share some of his workload….7

Elneny – he stood out for me simply because he did almost nothing of note apart from run around like a headless chicken. A DM he is not….5

Guendouzi – the odd sloppy pass but 95% of his work was rapid, incisive and clever. Was fouled quite nastily by Yennaris which Dean overlooked completely….8

Mkhitaryan – Henrikh played very well when we were on top but sometimes appears to lack the cojones for a scrap. Excellent use of the ball in the build up to the second goal….7

Iwobi – Another fine performance from Alex….7

Smith Rowe – Playing a little further forward seemed detrimental to Emile’s play though he showed some bright moments in the first period. He seems better coming from deep to me….6

Welbeck – two great goals which effectively won the game – is Brentford his level? – I sincerely hope not….8

Subs

Lacazette – one awful moment after another until his opportunist’s goal late on….5

Torreira – steadied the ship according to LB….7

Ramsey – didn’t really add much more than the player he replaced, Elneny….6

Mike Dean – just as bad as we all know he can be – fat, old and incompetent….3

chas

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Another London Derby

September 26, 2018

Carabao Cup. Usually a good night of soccer and we get to see Mr Emery’s first experiment of mixing yoof with experience. We reached the final last season before getting thumped by City and it would be great if we could win it this time. Why not? It’s silverware, isn’t it?

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Youth: We have not been too successful in recent years of developing world class kids; Bellerin and Iwobi are the only ones who have been through the academy (though M-N may  become a regular starter in time). I guess the bar is set so high that the days of local lads becoming top players are over, nowadays we sign youngsters at 19 from other clubs( Douzi, Holding, YGB (Young Greek Bloke) ).

An example of how difficult it is to become a PL star is Brentford’s own Josh McEachran, who was once touted as Chelsea’s next superstar. Tonight he will want to show he still has the talent to become a PL player. He is a fine example to Smith-Rowe (and a similar type of player). Having rave reviews is not enough, good luck with injuries, hard work and dedication are required to become a first team PL starter.

Brentford: Without GN5’s excellent synopsis of our opponents I know little about them. We last played them in May, 1947!! They are 7th in the Championship. So, no walkovers.

Who will play? And will there be anyone at The Emirates to watch them?

The crowd at the last Europa game was very disappointing and I expect the same tonight. We will see whether reduced prices can attract fans though I suspect not.

My Team:

Leno

Swiss Chap     Holding    ??    Kolasinac (if fit)

Curly      Egyptian Dreadlocks       Nigerian Dreadlocks

Smith Rowe (Lab)      Welbz

Nketiah

Given both Greek blokes have knee knack or something similar plus Kos is out, and Accident Waiting to Happen cannot play every game, we have a problem at CB. Do you remember when we always had a problem at CB? How UE solves this will be interesting Kolasinac could well be fit for tonight otherwise we are could play Willock.

I think tonight will be a struggle but a winnable one.

COYRRG

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

Watching The Arsenal around the World

September 25, 2018

LB was asking if Arsenal’s Caribou Cup game against Brentford is being shown on TV on Wednesday. Obviously on holiday in Spain, he knew that he could always join the Costa Blanca Arsenal Supporters Club as they’d usually have it on.

Anyway I had a quick look and the Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club have a website that, although not updated too regularly, does have the next Arsenal fixture and contact details. 🙂

And here they are pictured in full regalia…………….

This reminded me of when I was lucky enough to be in Kerala, India in February 2002 sat down having a meal in a bar/restaurant, when a cheer went up from the other side of the room. A TV was playing behind the bar and glancing over my shoulder, I could see some glorious red and white shirts on the distant screen. Moving swiftly over, I was just in time to see a replay of a rather spectacular Bobby Pires goal. This was soon followed by another beautifully constructed goal scored by Thierry Henry. I ended up staying for the whole game and being rewarded with a sublime Dennis chip near the end (though we threw away the clean sheet in typical Arsenal fashion a couple of minutes later – gnash, gnash, gnarl, effin typical 🙂 ).

Here’s a German clip of that game (ooops, it’s probably Dutch). The first goal is just amazing. That Vieira tackle would probably get a yellow card these days for him not being in full control (the opposition player would now leap in the air as if a scythe had chopped him off at the ankles while letting out a scream, even though he wasn’t even touched). Titi’s full circle run around Bobby to create space is amazing too.

The second goal is like poetry in motion – Pires plays a wonderful ball out of defence, the exchange between Dennis and Paddy in midfield just gorgeous, before the lay off to Wiltord and his cross to Henry in full flow.

The final goal – well just take a look – it’ll come eventually.

How lucky was I to catch such a great game while abroad!

Still furious about losing that clean sheet, mind. 🙂

chas

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Hardly convincing but we’ll take it – Everton ratings

September 24, 2018

Injury doubt, Lucas Torreira, was declared fit to make his first Prem start replacing Matteo Guendouzi but apart from that, an unchanged Arsenal were set to face their next challenge in the rebuilding process.

First Half

Again it was a case of not much happening at all. Everton harried and chased with extreme vigour and application, though without really troubling the helmeted one, partly due to their own jitters in front of goaL At the sharp end Arsenal were blunt, with even the Terrier struggling to make much of an impact. Nacho Monreal had the only effort on target for the Gunners in the first period but could only place the ball well within Pickford’s reach.

Greek philosopher, Sokratis, left the arena after half an hour  having damaged his hip mopping up after his prone centre back partner.  Rob Holding looked reasonably assured and confident entering the fray which was a great relief.  Mustafi grabbed the senior partner role with both hands and made no further obvious blunders.

Everton produced a few worrying moments for the Arsenal defence but Petr Cech stood firm.

Second Half

The first goal when it arrived was of such quality that it shone like a sparkling, golden nugget sifted from the silty detritus of the river bed. Ramsey’s first significant contribution to the whole game was to find Laca inside the box. The Frenchman produced a curling finish of stunning execution quite unlike anything up to that point. A real beauty.

A few minutes later and we were two up as PEA finished off a 3 on 1 break. Did we care that he appeared a yard offside when Ramsey flicked the ball forward to him?….did we heck as like.

The Toffees huffed and puffed but our Czech in goal made sure his performance put him strongly in the running for MOTM.

Theo got a bang on the eye and was replaced after looking one of Everton’s least effective players. The defence held firm with Torreira marshalling the area in front of the back four in a fashion quite unlike we’ve seen for many a year. A clean sheet against all the odds. Wonders never cease.

Summary

After some nervous moments in the first half for those of us with dodgy tickers, the team consolidated in the second with two well taken goals and a clean sheet. Job done.

Ratings (LB)

Cech – Outstanding, MOTM by a country mile, and noticeably so much more commanding with his feet….10

Bellerin – so much better both attacking and defending. It was possibly the Terrier who made this all work….8

Nacho – workman like performance, no frills, no spills….7

Mustafi – bizarrely got better when Holding came on. Absolute pants before that….5

Sokratis –  I thought we were doomed when he went off. Interesting to watch him starting to tell Mustafi off, much improved….7

Terrier – hard to really believe that he is still only 22. If that is what he can do in his first start we have good things in store….7

Xhaka – nightmare start with school boy errors at every turn. But, he is a very experienced player and he started to find his range as the game went on….6

Ramsey – looked lost in the first half but after the half time magic orange juice, started to look the player we are trying to persuade to stay at the club….6

Özil – I have said so many times that there are 2 Ozils, the one you see on telly and the one you see live, I was not at the game and he looked under the weather….6

Aubameyang – always happy when he scores, he plays so much like TH14 down the left, I keep on expecting him to accelerate past the defender and am confused when he doesn’t….7

Lacazette – picked himself up from his horizontal protest in the week and found the net with a very important breakthrough goal. Crap celebration but will gladly suffer it as much as he wants to do it….7

Subs

Holding – Thursday obviously gave him some confidence and he was an able deputy….7

Iwobi – added fresh legs, he looks a big old unit these days….6

Welbeck….6

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Let’s get stuck into the Toffees

September 23, 2018

First off a tribute to Everton’s Dixie Dean the holder of the all time English top flight scoring record.

Dixie Dean’s Record 60 League Goals in 1927/28

When George Camsell scored 59 Football League goals for Middlesbrough in 1926/27 he must have believed that his record would last for years. It lasted just one season being bettered by William Ralph Dean – Dixie Dean. Not that it was easy, with two matches remaining he needed seven goals to beat the record. Four of them came against Burnley in the penultimate match and on Saturday 5th May 1927, 48,715 Everton fans were at Goodison to welcome the newly-crowned League champions and to see Dean get a hat-trick to take the record from Camsell. Arsenal opened the scoring after two minutes – Dean equalised a minute later. In the 6th minute Dean was fouled in the box and converted the penalty. The record equalled and plenty of time to beat it but it wasn’t until 8 minutes from the end when Alec Troup sent in a corner for Dean to head home the record-breaking 60th goal. (It should be noted that this was achieved in a 42 game season)

Dixie Dean remained at Goodison until the 1937/38 season having scored an amazing 349 goals in 399 League appearances. He died on 1st March 1980 at Goodison while attending Everton’s match against Liverpool.

Here are some more memorable moments in our games against Everton.

Everton 2-1 Arsenal – 19th October 2002

Rooney’s first league goal was certainly one to remember. The spectacular long-range strike ended Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten run in the league and confirmed the 16-year-old was one for the future.

Arsenal 4-0 Everton – 3rd May 1998

The Gunners picked up their first Premier League trophy after demolishing Everton with two games to spare. A Slaven Bilic own goal got the ball rolling for Arsenal, and after a Marc Overmars double, captain Adams smashed home the fourth in emphatic style. The game and league title was already secured when Adams raced forward in the 89th minute, but it was a seminal moment for the club captain in front of the Highbury faithful.

Arsenal 1-2 Everton – 20th Jan 1996

Everton’s first and only Premier League win at Arsenal came more than 22 years ago. Ian Wright had set the Gunners on their way to victory, but Graham Stuart levelled matters before Andrei Kanchelskis netted an 83rd-minute winner.

Arsenal 7-0 Everton – 11th May 2005

Dennis Bergkamp put on a magical display as the Gunners demolished Everton. The Dutchman assisted the first two for Robert Pires and Robin van Persie, while he got on the scoresheet himself with Arsenal’s sixth. It remains their biggest Premier League victory to date, having matched that scoreline one year later against Middlesbrough.

Arsenal 1-0 Everton – 10th December 2011

Van Persie is no stranger to scoring spectacular volleys. Efforts against Charlton Athletic, Liverpool and Aston Villa (the latter for Man Utd) come to mind, while this first-time strike against the Toffees sealed all three points for the Gunners following Alex Song’s delightful ball over the top.

Arsenal 4-1 – 21st April 2001

One of the more bizarre moments in the Premier League’s history occurred when an angry Everton fan ran onto the Highbury pitch and offered his shirt in exchange for Alex Nyarko’s royal blue jersey. Nyarko asked to be substituted immediately and went on to quit football, though the midfielder reversed his decision a few days later and joined Monaco on loan.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Everton are one of only 6 clubs who have remained in the Premier League since its inception in 1992/93 – the others being Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham.

After losing our opening 2 games of the season we have now won 4 on the trot, 3 EPL and 1 Europa League. Overall we scored an average of 2.33 goals per game, however our defence still leaves a lot to be desired as we have not kept a clean sheet this season and our goals against average is a poor 1.83.

Our EPL home record against Everton is very positive; in fact (without checking) it may be our best against any EPL club. Only staunch Everton supporters would put money on Arsenal getting anything other than 3 points on Sunday.

Team News

It would appear that Lucas Torreira and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are both doubts for the match.

Possible team

Written by GunnerN5

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Cesc: “Only Arsenal for me”

September 22, 2018

Just as Aaron Ramsey’s contract runs out at the end of this season, Cesc Fabregas’ contract at Chelsea does, too. Now aged 31, would you take Cesc back at The Home of Football? Some have even suggested recently that they might prefer Cesc to Aaron.

Rocky wrote this in May 2013 amid speculation that Cesc might join the Moyes revolution at Old Trafford and it turned out to be the most, or one of the most, popular AA posts of all time. Easy to see why, cheers Rocky. 

We are used to reading rubbish in the silly season, but one story this summer really takes the biscuit.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to guffaw over my cornflakes when I read the “Fabregas to Manchester United” stories that are doing the rounds.

At this time of year most transfer-related stories smell of fabrication and are written purely to fill column inches or garner online hits. But even in such company, the Cesc-to-Manchester-United fantasy really does stink the place out.

Before I explain why, let’s just remind ourselves of this quote from Cesc himself, shortly after he departed for Barcelona: “Apart from Arsenal and Barcelona, I don’t see myself playing anywhere else. I will definitely be going back (to Arsenal) whenever I have time to watch games and to see the guys… and if there is one place to go back to (to play), it is Arsenal for sure.”

Cesc was abundantly clear then that he would only return to the Premier League if it was to play for Arsenal.

Of course you might say (and with some justification): “Why should we believe the words of footballers? They are always quick to spout loyalty to a club then equally quick to demonstrate loyalty only to their wallet.”

It was about 18 months ago when Cesc gave the interview from which I have quoted and yes, it’s possible he could have changed his mind since then.

But – unlike Brave Sir Robin and the Fat French Benchwarmer – he is not a player known to be driven by greed (he even took a pay cut to join Barcelona).

However, there are other good reasons why Cesc to ManUre will never happen:

Firstly, why would a world class player join a club that is quite clearly at the high point of its “arc of success” and is about to start slipping down the far side?

United have been good enough to run away with the English Premier League this year, but no-one believes they are a great team. Meanwhile, in Europe, they have fallen even further behind the Continent’s powerhouses than they were when humiliated by Barcelona in the CL final in 2011.

Most perceptive observers believe that United over-achieved in the season just past and were helped by mismanagement and upheaval at Manchester City and Chelsea.

Secondly, one of the reasons for a top player joining United has long been the draw of old Mr Scarlet Proboscis himself: Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (you didn’t know his parents gave him a middle name honouring a great Arsenal manager, did you?).

But Cyrano de Fergerac is no fool. He will always have wanted to bow out a champion and not a loser.

Having won the title this year, he undoubtedly surveyed the medium term prospects for his club and his playing staff and did not like what he saw.

He knows that, with their current squad, United will face a real struggle to hold on to their title next year and he also knows that without spending a hundred million pounds or more (which United cannot afford) they have no chance of competing with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Quite sensibly, he celebrated the title win and exited stage left.

So now any superstar thinking of joining the red half of Manchester has to consider the fact that they will be playing not for the most decorated and successful EPL manager of the last half century. Instead they will be lining up under some bloke from The Simpsons.

The idea of Cesc Fabregas agreeing to play under David Moyes is simply laughable.

Thirdly, if Cesc does want to return to the EPL and if, for some reason, he reneges on his assurance that he would return only to Arsenal, his destination is far more likely to be Manchester City than Manchester United.

The Northern Oilers are likely to be entering the new season under the stewardship of the highly respected Manuel Pellegrini – a much more attractive proposition for international stars than David Moyes. And, of course, for City money is not an issue.

Finally, it was widely reported that we have first option on Cesc if he wants to leave Barca. Do you really think we would not snap him up again given the chance?

So, having (I hope) properly put to bed all the nonsense about Cesc-to-United, there is one Huddlestone in the Room that needs addressing: would we – the supporters – want Cesc to return to The Home of Football and step out again in the colours of the mighty Arsenal?

I have seen comments in Arsenal Arsenal recently with differing views on the subject.

For me it’s a no-brainer. Cesc Fabregas is one of the greatest footballers ever to have played for us. If we can get him back he can only improve us. And his return at a time when we are leaving the period of austerity (during which, let’s remember, he was instrumental in helping keep us even vaguely competitive while the club spent NOTHING on net transfers) and about to enter a new era of competitiveness could be the spark that really pushes us to domestic and European glory.

Do you agree?

Written by RockyLives

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Arsenal’s new template taking shape – FC Vorskla ratings

September 21, 2018

So, exactly what did we expect from a game against Vorskla Poltava Who?

Goals? Yes, sure, but there’s a bigger picture. We will try hard to win this Trophy for obvious reasons, and this journey will include a few more Who Teams before we get stuck into the tricky fixtures later on.

Historically, the early rounds of any tournament against Minnow Opposition are opportunities for yoof players to grab experience and shine, as well as the returning-from-injury sorts.

However, while all that was true for last night’s encounter, it was still very much in the context of a new Manager establishing his own footballing template.

Most obvious to me is the hugely positive impact the Club’s transfer policy has been over the last six odd months.

Mesut and Iwobi re-signed, Mhki and Auba brought in, and most recently the importing of Sokratis, Licht, Torreira and Guendouzi.

Last night we saw them all, and I believe the latter four will massively improve both our Europa campaign as well as in the league.

From the evidence of last night, I’m still not convinced Unai has got the balance quite right, although I do understand that when there are so many player changes, finding that fluent rhythm is not going to happen instantly.

While I wouldn’t describe either Elneny or Xhaka as offensive midfielders, neither are they true defensive midfielders in the sense of the DM sort. Both Torreira and Guendouzi are, but what I liked so much last night about their play was, having won the ball back, how quickly their heads are up and immediately looking to build/pass for forwards momentum.

When I mentioned balance earlier, I was referring to two things.  We were slightly lopsided in the first half towards the left, which, if exploiting a tactical weakness of the opposition’s right flank then fair enough, but I’m not convinced. The other concern if the balance between midfield and attack. Mhki was sent out as the link man last night, and I think given more games, it could work. He is strong and aggressive in possession and can drive forwards with the ball when the opportunity presents itself. He does also possess an intelligent final ball.

Way too early to judge, but young Smith Rowe does look to be capable of playing exactly this role in due course.  Another very exciting cameo from him.

I’m waffling, and I’m also out of time, so I’ll end with a comment and a question.

Laca looked pissed off. I would be too if I were him. Why? Because Auba looked far better central than out wide.

I’m still convinced 3-5-2 is the only way to optimise those two and Mesut. Unai doesn’t agree. What do you think about Auba being shunted back out left?

Written by mickydidit89

Ratings (chas)

Leno – did everything very well, tidy on the deck, looked to be heading for a clean sheet and then, bang, beaten by two beauties….6

Lichtsteiner – oozes experience and defensive know-how, though joined in the calamitous defending at the end….6

Holding – didn’t really do a huge amount of note but looked competent without being oustanding….6

Sokratis – growing in confidence by the day. Made some great tackles, my favourite being when he thumped the floor in celebration at a job well done – exactly what we want to see….8

Monreal – Arsenal’s left flank saw a lot of action last night and most of it was offensive. Nacho played his part as usual….7

Elneny – patrols the centre of the pitch effectively but sometimes lacks forward drive….6

Torreira – outstanding to begin with but then took a bit of a battering which lessened his impact. Let’s hope he is as indestructible as our last wee fellow, Arshavin….7

Mkhitaryan – took time for the motor to start purring but grew in confidence, contributing to most everything we did well going forward. Micky’s highlight was the commentator suggesting that in the build up to the first goal, Micki had called “my ball” in Ukrainian causing the Vorskla player to leave the ball as if dummying – as Micki played over a 100 games for Donetsk in the Ukraine, this is highly likely 🙂 ….7

Iwobi – sometimes his feet can’t keep pace with his brain but when he does get things in sync, he’s outstanding and a real attacking threat….8

Welbeck – scored with his first decent chance, looked a little confused as to where he was playing in the first half. He’s such an athlete, there seems to be a great striker in there somewhere….7

Aubameyang – two classy goals and one beauty curled against the foot of the post. The smile was back which was more than you could say for Laca on the bench….9

Subs

Guendouzi – gave Torreira a rest and proceeded to create with every touch, tackling, surging forward – the whole package….7

Ozil – bizarre substitution, didn’t need the game time but seemed to enjoy being on the pitch because he loves football so much. Enjoyed his improvised finish for the goal….6

Smith Rowe – first player born in the 21st century to make a full debut (well, I think that’s what they said). Surging runs, good on the ball, could be something extra special….7

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