The International break is upon us and as usual, the concern is whether or not any of our players will pick up injuries. We’ve seen it before with Walcott and Wilshere.
We know Arsene is honourable and our players never develop a dose of ‘Giggsitis’ that keeps them out of action just long enough to return to league duty as soon as the interlull is over.
So today’s poll is a simple question: are international friendlies a necessary evil or would you choose club over country?
Rasp
81 Comments | 
Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, English Premier League, International Friendlies | 
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Posted by Rasp
Goodson Park, not the best place to go given our form and the coming International break. In the unlikely event of a loss for the Arsenal the fans will have at least a week to ferment (or should that be foment?).
Have we reason to hope for victory? I would say that there are the green shoots of a return to The Arsenal that we know and love. On the other hand, we have won once in our last 8 games and that to Hull reserves.
Supporting Arsenal is not for the soft-hearted, it requires fortitude and an ability to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (see Rasp – even Shakespeare believed in luck đ ). This season has tested us to the full, however a win today would be a major fillip.
Lukaku: We should have shouldn’t we? He appears to be an expensive bargain but before berating the  Arsenal Purchasing Dept. I would also have had a punt on Benteke! Chelsea Directors must be shaking their heads at how The Unemployed One could have chosen to sell Lukaku yet keep Costa, Remy, and Falcao. I would break the bank to sign him.
Barry and Mirallas are missing – is that a positive?
Everton are having a strange season, beating Chelsea with a superb performance last week yet throwing away a 2 goal advantage at home to West Ham the week before. If they are on form we will struggle.
Martinez is a man I thought could succeed Mr Wenger. I no longer believe he has the necessary vision. That said he has made some fine signings – Lukaku, Delafeu, etc
Enough of Everton. We need BFG to marshall what has become a leaky defence. Gone are the days of 1-0 TTA which given the quality of the individual defenders it is perplexing but that is also true of the other end of the pitch. We have to score more goals.
Is Welbeck strong enough to start twice in 5 days? I doubt Mr Wenger will start him.
My Team:
Ospina
Bellerin  BFG   Koscielny   Monreal
Elneny   Coquelin   Sanchez
Campbell   Giroud   Ozil
We will have a strong bench despite the succession of injuries to midfielders.
Does anyone know when we can celebrate the return of Wilshire? Mr Wenger has told Roy Hodgson to keep a place for Jack so it must be soon.
As always we must hope for a decent performance from the officials because Everton have a slew of divers and enforcers. Mark Clattenburg referees fresh from his CL trip to Madrid – could be worse.
I like Everton, like Arsenal they have history; when they play Liverpool I am a Toffee (why isn’t it a mint). This afternoon I hope Everton are three down at halftime.
COYRRG
222 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: ArsĂšne Wenger, Arsenal, English Premier League, Everton FC, Goodison Park, Lukaku, Roberto Martinez | Permalink
Posted by Erik the Red
We have been underperforming as a team for some time. Few if any of our players could be described as being in top form. The signs against Barcelona were encouraging and we certainly didnât disgrace ourselves â but two of the best performers (Elneny and Iwobi) werenât what you might consider to be first team regulars yet.
Is the problem more to do with the team than the individuals, or is it that the players aren’t taking enough individual responsibility? A player can only be his best when others around him are also on top of their game, so clearly the two are interdependent. A team that is performing well can carry a couple of players who are below par, but a single player cannot carry a whole team unless he is a truly exceptional leader – and I don’t think we have anyone of that character in the squad. The team ethic is paramount.
One mark of a good side is actually knowing what your strongest eleven is and getting the best blend of players to gel into an effective team.
So I got to wondering how many of the currently available players would be categorised as âfirst names on the team sheetâ.
Not enough is my answer!
These are the outfield players I would categorise as âmust playâ in the important game ahead against Everton – there are only 6!
Koscielny, Bellerin, Elneny, Monreal, Ozil and Welbeck
That leaves 4 positions where I canât see a clear first choice â and apart from the one CB, they are all in midfield/attacking midfield. The emergence of Iwobi as a ‘proper Arsenal player’ is one of the highlights of the season and I’d also play him on Saturday although he features just below my ‘must play’ rating.
How many and who would be your âmust startâ players against Everton?
You can choose up to 10 (goalkeepers are not included) in the poll below and then review the results later in the day to see whether others agree.
Rasp
125 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: ArsĂšne Wenger, Arsenal, Danny Welbeck, English Premier League, Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil, Mohamed Elneny | Permalink
Posted by Rasp
Last night The Arsenal took on Barcelona, while in Germany, Munich took on Juve.
In so many ways, both on and off the pitch, football mirrors society, and what resonated so loudly last night, was how the worldâs top players are all crammed into four or five sides. Rather like the wealth gap in society widening by the minute, so the footballing giants are setting themselves so far apart from the also rans.
When I say also rans, Iâm still talking about massive clubs, but nevertheless, the gulf in footballing class was so evident last night in Spain.
Barcelona simply didnât need possession, space or time. They had the absolute world classiness of Messi, Neymar and Suarez, who they can be devastating either in space, or tightly packed penalty areas. Makes no difference, the smallest of opportunities and they devour them.
Make no mistake, Iâm delighted we were playing at this highest of tables, and Iâm equally delighted we fielded our strongest side. You have to measure yourself against the best to determine exactly where you fall short.
The Arsenal played hard, and certainly created goalscoring opportunities, but it would have taken a freak outcome (or a âLeicesterâ as I shall call it) for all the cards to fall into our laps in order to beat a Barcelona.
Freak results or outcomes prove nothing. The only common denominator amongst those with successful outcomes, is work rate and desire.
Last night proved only that class counts. A Barca front line with a market value of around ÂŁ200M will always require a Black Swan scale event to be beaten by a front line valued in the region of ÂŁ70M.
If the same Arsenal side took to the field against Everton, while putting in the same effort, Iâd expect them to win.
MickyDidIt89
112 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, Bayern, FC Barcelona, Juventus | Permalink
Posted by Rasp
Time to play with The Big Boys. Finish Top 4 and this is the reward. No-one expects us to win the CL, only one club can do so and, let’s be honest, it is not going to be Arsenal in the near future, but what Top 4 offers is the chance to play in the Camp Nou or the Allianz Arena or the Bernabeu.
In other words glory.
Can you remember when Thierry waltzed through the Real Madrid defence to score an unlikely winner? Or wee Arshavin slotting home to beat Barca? Or Ramsey scoring against all the odds at Dortmund? Â Why do you remember those particular goals? Â It is because we played and beat the very best and we have the opportunity to do so tonight.
Can Arsenal win? Why not? We have beaten Barca before and they have already declared that a couple of their first team will be rested (well, Pique at least). Barca will expect to win at a canter and there is no pressure on an Arsenal team who have been written off by both the media and their own fans.
We were a Bendtner kick and a bent referee away from beating them over two legs in 2011. Given that Welbeck is even better than The Greatest Striker Who ever Lived, we must have a fighting chance, though  it must be admitted that MSN are slightly better than VMP (Villa, Messi, Pedrito).
Our Team: Should Mr Wenger prioritise the weekend game with Everton or go with a full first choice team tonight ? Montreal and Bellerin were benched on Sunday and will surely start. Welbeck played just 15 minutes but what an impact he had! Will he start ahead of Giroud who took a battering from the Watford CB’s? In my opinion, Welbeck  – if fit – should be our first choice central striker until season’s end.
Campbell on the right or Theo? Was Theo rested or or dropped on Sunday?
Midfield must be Elneny and Coquelin, we have little choice.
And what of Ozil? He went missing in the home leg and has been peripheral in recent weeks. He tried to grab the game on Sunday and almost effected an unexpected comeback but where was he in the first 75 minutes? People question whether Ozil wants to stay at Arsenal; perhaps they should think about who would sign him to a winning team. Leave Arsenal and Ozil is unlikely to find a club playing to his unique talents nor will he find a place with the Big Boys. Sanchez is in the same situation.
We are massive underdogs for a reason , primarily thanks to Coquelin’s stupid foul for the penalty and BFG’s momentary lapse of reason, should they make similar mistakes we could be on the end of a hammering BUT Mr Wenger cannot PTB at Camp Nou – we have to score. Get one early and Barca could wobble. Get two and we will win.
Unlikely but possible, and whilst the possibility exists let’s believe it can happen
COYRRG
178 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Aaron Ramsey, ArsĂšne Wenger, Arsenal, Camp Nou, Champions League, Thierry Henry | Permalink
Posted by Erik the Red
Are you fed up with life as an Arsenal fan?
Has the Wenger in/out debate left you feeling frustrated with your fellow supporters?
Are you spending your days thinking of ways to kill Piers Morgan without getting caught?
If the answer is yes, then don’t fret. All you have to do is follow these 10 simple steps and you will soon be a happy Gooner once again.
STEP 1: Stop reading negative online articles about Arsenal, taking great care to avoid anything with the words ‘protest’, ‘lack’ or ‘out’ in the title.
STEP 2: Delete Twitter. As an alternative why not use Instagram instead and upload all those nutscaping photos you took when you last visited the Emirates.
STEP 3: Lower your expectations. If you go in with the mindset of ‘we are going to lose 10-0’ then suddenly a 2-1 home defeat against Watford becomes a good result.
STEP 4: Start your own silverware collection and buy more every time Arsenal get knocked out of a competition. Maybe keep it in a nice cabinet so visitors can see, or under the bed in a nice box*.
STEP 5: Learn to use the mute button on your remote. Anyone with BT Sport will have already mastered this but for the rest of you, take time out of your day to get this right.
STEP 6: Avoid watching Arsenal games live. I find recording the game and only watching if I know it’s a good result is a great way to follow my team. It also means i can fast forward through the Graeme Souness bits.
STEP 7: Agree with every blogger and avoid terms like ‘I think’, ‘in my opinion’ and ‘Kelsey, you are wrong’. You will save yourself a lot of time and grief, and who knows, you may even make some friends.
STEP 8: If you insist on attending the matches, why not try sitting in the away end? The fans there tend to be much more pleasant towards the Arsenal and the atmosphere more singy and drinky.
STEP 9: Be more supporter and less board member. Nobody wants to hear about how the wage bill is structured, or what the owners business portfolio contains, or wether or not we have ÂŁ130m in the bank. Why not try discussing more pleasant things like the new flavour of pie at the next home game, or the ÂŁ3m French youngster we’ve just signed, or sliding cats?
STEP 10: Why not persuade your mum to use her spare time and her spare bed sheets to make you a banner? Something like ‘YOU ONLY SING WHEN YOUR WINNING’ would be perfect to whip out when we salvage a last minute point after inevitably going a goal behind.
STEP 11: Respect the Arsenal family. If you have an issue with the manager or board then that’s ok, but don’t let it become more than your love for Arsenal Football Club. There are enough people out there waiting to drag our club through the dirt without us doing it ourselves. Stay positive and be a happy Gooner.
* speak to Eddie for all your box needs.
Written by fgg
69 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: ArsĂšne Wenger, Arsenal, English Premier League, Football | Permalink
Posted by peachesgĂĂner
An interesting question yesterday, as to if not Arsene, what is happening in the last 10 weeks.
Now itâs all tended to blur as one bad run (which it is) so I went back and looked at our games since the new year and just my impression of them.
Newcastle (H) Unmemorable except I think a defender scored.
Sunderland (FA Cup) Again, I canât remember. Routine victory.
Liverpool (A) Frustrating to concede late. Felt at the time that might be huge
Stoke (A) Refereed in a manner that was harmful to us (not big decisions, just how it was refereed)
Chelsea (H) Not a very good performance, but the red card changed everything . A handball penalty appeal from us prior to that was not shown on replay on TV.
Burnley(FA Cup) Chambers goal is what I remember.
Southampton (H) Once again, I have to bring up the referee. Lee Mason as I recall. It was at this point that I believed we wouldnât win the league. The other takeaway from this game was that we didnât take our numerous chances. Which isnât new.
Bournemouth (A) A decent performance and good win.
Leicester (H) Poor refereeing first half. Crowd up for it. Referee decided to play fair second half, we get a stoppage time winner.
Hull (Fa Cup) Decent performance, but not enough attacking efficiency. Again.
Barcelona (H) Great job sticking to the script for 70 minutes. Before then getting overambitious and lazy, and then further throwing it away with Per and Flaminiâs cockup.
ManU (A) A totally insipid performance, except weirdly, the first 10 minutes or so.
Swansea (H) A goal up. A referee decision allows a breakaway which we concede from (poor defending) and the crowd turn on the players, moaning and grumbling every pass backwards, players went into their shell, and gave up the game. Poor second half performance.
Tottenham (A) Just the game to get some fire going. Did well to soak up 30 mins of pressure. Then opened them up to score. Could have had another. Coqâs stupid slide tackle gave them the initiative. Then panic and two silly goals conceded. Then a fightback, looking the better team for the last 20 minutes. Ref affected the match with no red card for a Spurs player. Still had a chance to win at the end.
Hull (FA Cup replay) 4-0 Ok performance, some good goals.
Watford (FA Cup) Poor defending on both goals, poor finishing, and a marginal offside call. Deserved loss though. Despite the (too) late fightback.
So, I think in the early part of the year we were just about at the end of having to deal with so many injuries. Remember Coquelin, Cazorla, Alexis, and Welbeck were all out. Weâd coped for a long period, but it was starting to tell. Weâve also had a fair few games where referees have negatively impacted us. This is also a narrative of our season that needs to be considered.
For the rest, it has been low confidence, some terrible defending, especially recently, and mostly, a lack of finishing that is the problem.
To me, the defending on transitions is now a worry. I have considered it after some other blogs brought it up as a managerial weakness and it seems that is a legitimate concern (though everyone is vulnerable to the counter to some extent) But in terms of attacking (the tradeoff with the defense I suppose), the managerâs setup is doing its job. Creating chances.
Weâre I think still the best at that, and it isnât all because of Ozil either. Weâre just not scoring them. In that, I find it hard to blame the manager. Except of course, he (and I) was wrong in that Alexis, Walcott and the Ox were going to add enough goals to us. In fact theyâve all regressed this season. Is that on the manager? Only in a notional sense for me. Itâs on the individual players there.
The other thing is, I think the loss of Santi (and an absence of Wilshere and Rosicky) makes it harder for us to control games now. We rarely keep control of the game with our possession and passing. We need better ball players in the middle because we arenât efficient in either our defending or our scoring to play a great counter attacking game. We need better ball players, and Elneny seems like a step in the right direction.
So, things that are on the manager. Not buying a striker. Poor defending.
Things that are not in the managers control. Referees. Injuries (I know the argument exists that itâs because of him, but he and the club have done everything to get it to change)
Things that the manager is doing well. Having a system that despite the injuries is helping us create chances.
I think our weaknesses and failings are highlighted more than our achievements which gives the impression that weâre always on the edge of crisis. Is this a crisis?
Not really, no. But itâs just that we now expect to rise up further, and since all the other big clubs have fallen off (Why?) this is seen like a chance that weâre blowing it.
Plus weâre dealing with a history of a negative media campaign going back to 2007 when the words trophy drought were first coined.
Lastly, the season still isnât over. 9 league games is a lot of games. Weâll see how it goes.
By Shard
63 Comments | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by ChĂ€rybdĂĂ1966
FA Cup quarterfinals, at home in front of our 12th man, a relatively fit squad and against a team we have already beaten 3-0 away this season; surely an Arsenal win – if only it were so simple!
The draw at SHL and away hammering of Hull could and should give rise to optimism with the expectation of a successful run in both the League and FA Cup, The team must be buoyed by the prospect of the Hatrick of FAC’s.
What of Watford? Nice family club đ
Strong in defence and midfield, stuttering upfront after initially looking potent. It is only a couple of moths since the media (bizarrely)  linked us with Troy Deeney and  were raving about his strike partner (whose name I can’t be bothered to Google).
Watford have already had an excellent season having probably achieved their target of survival in the PL. They come to THOF in the midst of a poor run having won only 2 of their last 11 PL games.
I like their manager; Quique Sanchez  Flores, I would like both his job and his name.(useless fact – the legendary Alfredo di Stefano is his godfather)
One certainty this lunchtime is whomever is in goal for Watford will have a stormer. They always do. Both Gomes and Pantilliaman are excellent GK’s and I expect them to be busy, very busy.
Our Team: Ramsey is a major loss especially given the number of injuries in midfield. One more and Flamini returns! However, this gives Elneny a chance to cement his place in the team; a very impressive performance at Hull gives rise to the hope that Mr Wenger has discovered another gem. The El Nino/ Coq combo gives defensive solidity and also allows the attackers to concentrate more on attack. Walcott, in particular, could benefit .
Walcott or Campbell? Â Welbeck or Giroud? What do you think? I lean towards Campbell and Giroud.
I believe that happiness depends upon setting achievable goals; the CL is not achievable thanks to the quality of the top 3 clubs (4 with PSG and 5 with BD). Realistically we are highly unlikely to beat one of them let alone two, so we must look elsewhere to find our goals and they are the PL and the FA Cup. Arsenal have won one of the goals their past two seasons, we are in a strong position to continue this quest for happiness.
The Double is On.
COYRRG
208 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: ArsĂšne Wenger, Arsenal, F A Cup, Flores, The Double, Watford | Permalink
Posted by Erik the Red
Being Arsenal fans, we see absolutely everything through red and white glasses, and as such, there is always much fun to be had at the expense of others.
On Thursday, we had the Europa games, and we look for other teams to have confidence knocked, momentum lost, and legs to become weary. We get embroiled in other petty rivalries, and wonder what outcomes will best suit our own ends.
The main course this weekend will be served up lunchtime Sunday at The Emirates with our Cup game against Watford, but around us are sandwiched lesser gourmet delights, but entertainment nonetheless with much to appetise on the menu.
We have a smorgasboard of both League and Cup games, many of which impact The Arsenal. Can we progress tomorrow, while our League fortunes prosper without us kicking a League ball today? Will the other Cup ties produce favourable results for us?
There are times and places in life when itâs good to laugh at the misfortunes of others, and football is one of those. Where are we likely to see the best âmiseryâ this weekend?
Much to feast upon. Enjoy the football.
written by MickyDidIt
81 Comments | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Erik the Red
Letâs pretend that in the race for the League Title, all teams have played 29 games, and for that to be the case, City and Pool have played, and won, their game in hand.
Personally I cannot see Leicester losing three more games than us over the remaining 9 games, but hey, mathematically we can still win the thing. Another factor in overall positions could well be goal difference, and really only Totnum have a significant advantage over the other runners and riders, so that could effectively equate to an additional point in the final analysis.
Ok, todayâs post is a poll, and so you could push a button and push off, job done, however, you could lob in a comment with your hopes and aspirations. This could range from âdonât care, going to jump anywayâ, to âabove Totnum or Iâm moving to Grimsby, where I shall survive by selling my body to lonely fishermenâ.
Some may argue that Top Four doesnât matter too much (and whatâs the point of the CL, weâll never win it, and Iâm jumping anyway so donât care) outside of the cash consideration, as a period of consolidation and focus on the League, could be whatâs needed, which so nearly worked for Liverpool a few seasonâs ago.
We recently played Totnum, in what I think was our final opportunity for top spot, now Iâm looking below and seeing real threats from the likes of West Ham.
We could look in depth at the individual fixtures of all contenders, but Iâm not bothering, rather it will come down to desire and hunger during phases of certain games when things are not going our way. Of course, this applies to the teams around us, and other factors will come into play such as other Cup commitments. There is another factor. The Manager. How will City and possibly Utd, react knowing a different man will be at the helm next term.
If nothing else, it is going to be exciting, and that for me is brilliant.
Where do you think Arsenal will finish?
Written by mickydidit89
190 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: ArsĂšne Wenger, Arsenal, English Premier League, Football | Permalink
Posted by peachesgĂĂner
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