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.
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
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Hornets, not Bees, you sleepy hippy 🙂
Thanks Erik
7 is a weird lucky number. I’m a 5 or 8 sort
I think we’ll thrash them, and I also think Mkhi should start
Now, back to mowing
1st 45, take the sting out of the hornets
Half time bollocking
2nd 45, bring on Torreira and score four
Happy Day ahead
Hollocks. The Bees are Barnet, just a few miles South 😱
Agree about the logic to play Mykhit. But as you also say, UE won’t. The main problem is that the team won’t be set up as you have above.
Özil will be out on the right and Ramsey will be where you have Özil. All meaning that we will get less from Özil than we should.
Oh, and my punt is the team above but with the Terrier starting instead of Curly.
Micky
UE’s head round the door makes a lot of sense. The Basque must be able to see that the team is lopsided and things could be better.
Always nice to read the intrinsic enthusiasm in your match previews, Big R, and I hope life is treating you well. 🙂
You may well be spot on with that starting 11, but it would leave us exposed in midfield. Could it be that Emery is letting Rambo go because he believes Guendouzi is ready to replace him? As such, will we see Xhaka and Torreira at the base of midfield with Guendouzi doing the running up and down and connecting with ‘winger’ Ozil a lot more naturally than the Welsh-German connection? This may be wishful thinking, but Guen has no defensive awareness (as yet) and Xhaka-Torreira are a marriage made in football-heaven. Of course, Iwobi and R-S and Mkhi can also play in the hole (and Ozil is still my favourite there) but I somehow feel that Emery is going to push Curly into this team by hook or by crook.
The bees are in Cuffley
…..and Brentford
TA. Hope all is good with you. Intrinsic enthusiasm is my by-word!
IMO had UE assembled this squad neither Ramsey nor Ozil would be in it.
Upon reflection, I expect Terrier to start head of Curly as The French lad started midweek.
Interesting point Total, obvious now but I had missed it. UE almost certainly sees Curly as the person to step into Ramsey’s shoes.
I also agree that he won’t be starting today; he has no defensive nous as of yet. Should be interesting to see if he comes on later for Torreira or Xhaka.
Thanks, BR.
Our record against them in the First Division in the 80s, especially away from home, was shocking.
Thankfully it’s a little better in the Prem.
I’m not sure Guendouzi is much like Rambo at all.
Arsene tried to turn Ramsey into a box to boxer but ultimately failed. Ramsey wants to play in the hole or wherever he effin likes on the edge of the oppo ‘s box.
BR, all is good thanks. Interesting observation that Emery may not have chosen Mesut either. You could well be right, even though even Mourinho appreciated Ozil back at RM. I still feel a quality manager will always appreciate the talent, ability and (intrinsic) desire of Mesut.
Hi LB,
I am really hoping we have seen the end of the Xhaka-Guendouzi combo for a while.
Chas, I reckon Guendouzi is more of a natural box to boxer, filling the gap in front of the deeper laying mids with relative ease. He carries the ball well and has a great engine and passing ability.
Eddie has not mentioned Troy Deeney yet?
Deeney
Possibly worth remembering that Guendouzi is an attacker turned midfielder rather than a defender turned midfielder.
Bollocks
Pop in for a sarni to find M Utd losing
giggle
i was at the Ems last season when we played Watford, it was a good game. I don’t know why you are all slaughtering Deeney, he is a good footballer. I like gangsters, it’s true, but he is a reformed character and a good skipper for the Bees ( 🙂 ).
Now to hornets – they are a real threat to our bees. Especially the Asian Hornet makes some beekeepers lose sleep. What those bastards do is circle around a hive and make so much noise that the bees are shit scared to leave the hive and can die of starvation.
Let’s hope that Javi Garcia (who?) won’t employ such tactics, it would make for a rubbish spectacle.
Thank you Raddy for the PM, you is a star
Isn’t it the fact that Guendouzi is nothing like Ramsey the reason why UE would be attracted to the idea that the Frenchman would be his successor on the starting line up.
Thanks Raddy … a real test ahead today …. currently enjoying beers with the Vines’ ….. the football is incidental 🙂
What crap English.
Not your English Rasp 🙂
Arsenal team to play Watford: Cech, Bellerin, Holding, Mustafi, Monreal, Torreira, Xhaka, Aubameyang, Ozil, Ramsey, Lacazette.
Subs: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck
W’ham 3-1 ROLF
No offence taken LB … 2 pints and chilled 🙂
Maybe, just maybe, it’s Ozil central and Ramsey on the right which would be so much better
MU imploding 😀 😀
Charybdis will be delighted
Mmmm, I want the death to be slow and painful. Lose like this and Maureen will be gone too soon
Like the team. Still worried about the lack of width and have never been impressed with Ramsey as a flank player – he just doesn’t have the pace or trickery.
I’ve only ever heard of two of the Watforders
So I’m going 5-0
superbly open fast football
Another awful refereeing performance. AFC getting kicked all over the pitch but only Deeny gets a yellow. Hughes should have had two.
Bad news about Cech.
Bellerin playing very well,but our forwards are struggling. Is Ramsey playing?
Well, Erik, I’ve sort of promised myself I won’t mention Ramsey again, so here goes….he’s not providing the right sided width. Drifting central. Get Danny, or Mkhi or Iwobi on instead
Won’t mention him again 🙂
maurinho 🙂
good game, cech will be missed
What did everyone expect? The Arsenal in current form are not going to walk over Watford at their house. Should be 1-0 to the Arsenal the Laca missed his chip.
The game is a tough one and fouls are everywhere so it is difficult to find and kind of rhythm in the passing game. Heard one of the English announcers criticize the Arsenal for not just crossing it in earlier, obviously he does not understand that part of the game today is to run the other team ragged so they are a half step slower.
Props to Cech he was having a good game except for some of his passing!
Enjoy seeing Torierra (aka “the Pitbull” snap into tackles and snuff out counters)
Emery will make some changes again at half time and the Arsenal should get their goal.
aaron – whose house? it’s our yard
a friend from poland has just called me and told me there was a brown bear in his apiary 🙂 glad there are no bears in cuffley, just hornets
Too early here; geez I am sleepy, been trying to find game for over 20 minutes…grrr.
Thanks for waking me up.lol
Seeing the same free kick for Watfore like 3 times on the left…
Arsenal need to stretch them a bit wider…..
superb
i like the fact that Em is not afraid of making substitutions. Ramsey ain’t a happy bunny he was under AW’s protective wings
Lovely goal from Ozil.
Iwobi has made the difference by bringing some proper width 😀
Great goal and love to see the Danny win-back again that set the move off
Well that be that!
Sweet second goal:-)
for once i agree with the commentators – we are not as good as top 4 + totts, but we are getting better. Work in progress. yep. exciting times to come our way
It’s been an entertaining game, and Watford were good
I think we’re getting closer to knowing our First XI 🙂
Have to say that there was an element of luck in the win but I predicted that in my headline 😀 😀
Eddie
I agree we’re a work in progress, but it’s great we keep winning while we work it out
Today we saw Unai juggle the front, with Auba moving right at half time to address that particular imbalance, then of course, the substitutions
Happy
How could we not be happy? We just beat a Top 5 team, went 5 points ahead of MU and will narrow the gap to Chavs or Pool.
We have a Europa game next, so a rest for much of the squad after 4 wins in 9 days
Watford did seem to make it look too easy getting through our midfield to assault our defence and yes I have a plan 🙂
“lovely jubbly Wobbley”
Iwobi super sub made the difference
Deeney Deeney what’s the score?
Is it a cunning plan Micky?
Eddie, you agree with the commentators? Are you sure?
Ant – no.
why is you plural? are you propagating?
“Ants” is Micky’s pet name for me so I kept it. But propagation is a damn good idea..
Have you got any spare honey, honey? 🐝
tonnes of honey sweetie
come on you reds!! i want pool to win for my postman Frank. He is a scoucer, top bloke, suffered horrid accident lately.
one for frank 🙂
There are special moments reserved for the chosen few and this feels like one of them, oh how sweet it is to be an Arsenal supporter.
Sad to see Cech go off, that will probably be his last game for us in the EPL.
Thank you Petr.
Thought exactly the same LB regarding Cech. Although Leno gave me kittens at times, I’m still trying to understand why a keeper would leave his sticks to the left, when ball on right and asking for pass across goal!!
Enjoyed the game with the little man 2 wins out of 2 for hiI’m, made even more special today as we met up with my M&D although that meant we missed the pub withsome of you lovely people.
Was only recently that I was questioning wether Özil would sink or swim under Emery, and saying Ramsey was key to the side. Shows how much I know about football!!!
7 straight wins will do nicely. We haven’t really played anyone of note, but who cares. We need to build confidence and victories do that. I still suspect that when we come up against a decent side we will struggle, but that will take time and quality player recruitment to change.
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