The dust has settled on matchweek 23, so what can we take from the proceedings?
……. Unai Emery took a close look at the way Chelsea play and came up with an excellent way of nullifying their threat. Was this completely by design? Answers on a postcard.
……. The loss of Hector just as he was getting back to full match fitness is a blow. We have other options at right back and between them they will have to take up the slack.
……. The Arsenal players knew the significance of the Chelsea game and you could see they were right up for it. This doesn’t explain how they could have been so unaware of the importance of the game the week before in Stratford. Every single game is worth 3 points, lads. Teams that are going somewhere always realise this week in, week out.
Stuart MacFarlane
…… The Liverpool and Man City juggernauts roll on and it looks a two way fight for top spot. I presume we’d all prefer City to win it just because we’ve got used to them buying the title, so another Champs trophy barely makes any difference. The Mickey Mousers on the other hand…..
…… The spuds spawned yet another injury time win. They’ve had no draws so far, even though they’ve probably deserved at least half a dozen. It appears Rodent-in-Chief, Dele Alli, joined Mr Kane in the sick bay with a hamstring (expect him back in 2 rather than an Arsenal 6 weeks). Their luck must run out sometime as their pool of attacking players dwindles. (Mind you, Llorente did get on the scoresheet)
…… Cardiff, our next League opponents, lost heavily at fellow strugglers Newcastle. Colin W*nker said that losing was not the end of the world. They lack quality up front – the opposite to us.
…… After Man City away, our following fixture is on February 9th at Huddersfield. Let’s hope their new manager is installed well before then so we aren’t on the receiving end of a ‘bounce effect’. Sky Sports thought they’d spotted their new chap in the crowd but it turned out his name was John not Jan.
……. The red mancs gained their 7th straight win since OGS took over. The run has to end sometime!
chas
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Fine summation of the weekends events.
Really felt for Ranieri as Fulham were the better side.
Chambers looks well worth the money we paid and will make a tidy profit, unless he returns to AFC. Is he good enough to get into our midfield? Who knows until he is given a chance.
It is snowing here. My big question for the day is whether I make Shepherds or Cottage pie for the family dinner.
The blood red super wolf moon (lunar eclipse) was meant to be spectacular this morning, but alas, was not visible in Notts due to heavy cloud cover.
Think I’m cooking an egg-less Spanish omelette for tonight’s tea. (using gram flour instead of eggs)
Who said you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs?
It still baffles me how we played against west ham and then watched how we played against Chelsea. What is the problem really? Are we picking the matches we play with our lives?
ebere
Me, too.
Looks like me on the bicycle
Chas. just looked at the non-egg recipe. Look forward to hearing if it tastes as good as it looks
Fab stuff, Chas and all agreed. I thought we had a strong spine with Koz/Sok – Xhaka (Torreira) – Ramsey and Laca out-spine-ing the Chavs. But the big difference was the energy levels Arsenal had throughout the game, and we even could afford to give the Apprentice a ninety minutes run around. We just wanted it more and gave the Chavs no time to get into their game. Against the Hammers we were low on energy and desire, and we do not have enough class to play like that and get away with it.
For me the absolute highlights were Laca’s Bergkampesque control of the ball in the box and the cheeky, ferocious finish, and Koz and Sok working together like a unit throughout the game. There was real leadership from them and what a desire to keep a clean sheet and not give the lead away.
“You filler up my senses, like……a night in a curry house…”
Cheers Chas.
Given energy and commitment to the cause, what can we expect on Friday. Hope he picks the same team (although afraid still anti the current centre holding MF). Disgusted additionally at airbrains who continue to criticise Ouzi’s selection. A young, inexperienced man with the heart and soul of a lion, will learn and will get better. Give him a chance ( or piss off and support another team).
Despite agreeing with most on A M-N’s defensive contribution on Saturday, we felt his starting position when we lost the ball was a little too narrow. On Friday he must not allow wide players to attack him down to the by line, or ( my pet hate) allow the cross.
Have a happy week AAers.
Thanks for the review chas. I don’t need a postcard to say that in my opinion UE’s strategy to win was 100% by design. If you read about the interview he had for the job and his methodology, you see that he is meticulous in his preparation. We should not forget that he is new to the EPL and for the first half of the season had no experience of playing the other teams. Maybe he is using what he learnt in the first game to prepare for the return fixture.
Like all of you I have no idea why the players couldn’t get close to the energy levels we had v the chavs. It may be down to the time we have to prepare. I’m sensing a correlation between the interval between games and our organisation on the pitch. It must be true that if the players go out with confidence of having a set plan they are likely to be more motivated.
The big plus for me was the shape and organisation of the defence … kozzer was immense … but so was Socratis … few of us will miss Mustafi.
I think we are about to see the spuds melt down … but I don’t think pool will collapse. The reason they will win the league is that they play every game with the energy we mustered on Saturday. Leicester were the same ….. no one wants to win the league more than Klopp and pool.
Good points, Rasp, however we’d already played West Ham at home before that return game in Stratford and we’d had a full week’s prep following the Blackpool game (in which a few youngsters played).
So, plenty of time and the opposition were a known quantity.
Maybe, your other point about having a set plan was relevant against West Ham, as there seemed to be no discernible plan at all.
“Disgusted additionally at airbrains who continue to criticise Ouzi’s selection. A young, inexperienced man with the heart and soul of a lion, will learn and will get better. Give him a chance ( or piss off and support another team).”
LBG, that is a great approach to blogging. This will be my last comment in response to you.
great post – thanks.
For me, the learning point was:
1. Lacazette and Auba must start together. The third one up front should be Ramsey for the time being.
2. Torreira is a machine and Guendouzi can cover so much ground!
3. Xhaka can only play with Torreira and Guendouzi next to him to cover up his slack.
4. Kola is becoming better defensively
5. Sok-Kos may be our best partnership until the end of the season
6. At Right-back, we have Lichten, AMN and…Mustafi
7. AMN has been quite lively so it is nice to count on him
8. We have done well vs Tottenham and Chelsea and we must keep the same spirit against all teams but if you look at our squad yesterday, we had fighters:
– Bellerin, Sok, Kos, Kola – Torreira, Xhaka, Guen – Ram, Laca – Auba
The only questionable spirits would eb Bellerin and Ram but when surrounded by the rest, they get up to speed.
So the 4-3-2-1 (Emery’s preferred style with the 4-2-3-1) worked again. As the summer comes, we will need so strengthen up front for width and in the middfle for penetration and width and at the back for solidity SO that is 3 major purchases:
– 1 CB:?
– 1 DM/CM: Ndombele, Gueye, Allan, Doucoure
– 1 Winger/FW: Douglas Costa, Insigne (?)
Leno – Bellerin, ?, Holding, Kola – Torreira, ALLAN, Guendouzi – D. COSTA, Laca – Auba
RC
You forgot Corporal Jenkinson. 🙂
Thanks chas … yes, I thought that too …. my only conclusion was the same as yours … Wham don’t really have a defined style and therefore defusing them was not so easy as you never know what you’ll get … clutching at straws?
I don’t think we will finish Top 4 so I wuold be very happy to win the UEFA Cup
Beating Chelsea is one thing. The next thing is to challenge for cl placing.
According to Forbes,Mu without cl soccer had revenue of 850 gbp.
Arsenal had only gbp580.
The gap will get wider until and unless the gunners can compete at the top level.Winning is important because sponsors want to be
associated with success. The problem is Arsenal cant compete or aint willing to pay big money for top players.
Its very good to be a self sustaining model without financial doping.
Fans don’t care about this and want a successful team.
In this respect Arsenal have fallen off the high pedestal and soon will be only one epl team not in the elite class.
The onus is on the owner whether he wants to be a top team or just
a team to suck more money from the fans
Thanks Chas
I hope this helps, the bookies have Wagner odds-on for the Huddersfield job
Also, I’m beginning to think Emery is quite good at tactics as I’d have thought he’s set up as he did against Spuds. He didn’t at all, and of course, we won both
What is the latest news on Hector Bellerin?
This is what Unai Emery told the media about the Spanish right back, after he sustained a knee injury in 69th minute of our 2-0 win against Chelsea:
on Bellerin’s injury…
We are going to wait until tomorrow. It is his knee and the first prediction maybe can be an important injury. Tomorrow we will speak with the doctor. I hope not, but it is not very positive, our first impression.
on if the injury affects thinking in the transfer window…
We have Ainsley. He is playing with good pieces, today also he played well I think. He can help us by playing like a right back or a right winger. And also, Lichtsteiner is another player for playing there and I think we have players. I don’t forget Jenkinson because he is with us, he played some matches and if we need [him], he is okay to help us.
Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
TotalArsenal
Sorry if you have taken offence at my fairly blunt comment. Was not referring to anyone on AA myself. Have read many negatives elsewhere ( mainly blaming Ouzi being picked for Mesut not playing). As if the poor bugger is in anyway to blame.
Mea cupa!
LBG
What do I do if I don’t think Ouzi should start in a game?
ie could I come back and support Arsenal when I’ve changed my mind?
ps did you wake up with an angry head from over indulging? 🙂
shit LBG, didn’t see your comment to Total
Malaysian. You make a valid point
LBG/TA. I think this will be a fine subject for a post.
Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat will leave his position on February 8, the Premier League club have confirmed.
Mislintat rose to prominence as highly regarded talent spotter at Borussia Dortmund and was appointed by Arsenal midway through last season.
He appeared set to be a key pillar of Arsenal’s behind-the-scenes operation in the post-Arsene Wenger era but has been heavily linked with a role at Bayern Munich over recent weeks.
A statement released by the Gunners read: “Sven has been with us since December 1, 2017 and has done a truly outstanding job in helping us recruit players who are making a big impact now and will do so even more in the future.
“We wish him every success for the future and thank him for his extremely hard work on behalf of Arsenal.”
Arsenal FC
✔
@Arsenal
Sven Mislintat will be leaving us on February 8, 2019
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Club Statement: Sven Mislintat
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Mislintat said: “It’s been an amazing experience to work at a great club like Arsenal in what has been a big time of change. I am excited about what the future holds for the club and am looking forward to new challenges for myself.”
Of the Arsenal XI that beat Chelsea 2-0 on Saturday, five players – Bernd Leno, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – were signed on Mislintat’s watch over the past two transfer windows.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for Denis Suarez this month, the Barcelona midfielder who played under head coach Unai Emery during his time at Sevilla.
Chambers reminded me of holding so hopefully that would be our CB in a few years to come
BR what the difference between shepherd and cottage,
All I know is macaroni
Jenkinson over Lichtsteiner any day
And FA Cup
Fred
A different animal dies so you can make it.
Haha.
Ooooh good points this morning.
The juicy one first, Ramsey had very little defensive duty on Saturday and wait for it — Ozil could easily play the same role.
There seems to be confusion over the Chelsea game and the West ham game some suggesting that WH were less predictable and therefore harder to deal with.
I don’t see it that way; Emery played what he thought was the right team for the day with the right tactics — he got it wrong, what I am so impressed by how he took the error on board and reacted decisively to combat Chelsea perfectly.
Great tactics, superbly executed, well done that man.
Lol
I hope we sell Ozil now and make some good money on him. I think we can get him to Bayern Munich for 30 Mln…I wouldn’t mind even a swap with Renato Sanches…The long he stays without playing, the lower his value is going to be. Otherwise, get him to Inter Milan and use him to lower the transfer fee for Perisic.
Never would have had Wrighty down as a Nirvana man 😀
RC.
Perhaps if AFC supplement his wage and are willing to swap him for a cassette of the Thompson Twins there is a chance.
I would much prefer Ozil stays at AFC and shows the world what a wonderful player he is.
What exactly emery wants from ozil, cause even if you play hard he still threats u like shit aka ramsey
I bought a deodorant stick today. The instructions says “remove cap and push up bottom”.
Can hardly walk at the moment but when I f**t, the room smells great!
12 years ago yesterday.
Morning All,
Fine work this morning Chas.
Horrible news about Bellerin.
Okay cheers LBG.
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