Celebrating 45 Years At The Bridge, Or Slinking Out Dejected?
Oct 4th, 2014 by 'holic
My Hornbyesque upbringing in the Thames Valley means Chelsea versus Arsenal was always a much-anticipated fixture. Cheap train travel and cheap admission on the day meant schoolboys could afford the day on pocket money, and join in the great adventures that an ‘away’ game provided. My first was in 1969. Tomorrow’s combined match ticket and coach/train travel far exceed what would be considered pocket money today.
So many have advised I am in for a bad day, and there is no denying that Chelsea have made a very fast start to their Premiership campaign. Only Manchester City, at home, have taken a point against them. On the road Chelsea have beaten Burnley and Everton, whilst at this weekend’s venue they have seen off Leicester (2-0), Swansea (4-2), and Aston Villa (3-0). They have strengthened shrewdly, including Cesc Fabregas of course, but most significant would appear to be the purchase of Diego Costa who already has eight goals to his credit.
You cannot escape mention of last season’s horror story for us, a six goal drubbing on what should have been a happier day for the boss, celebrating a thousand matches in charge of the Arsenal. Our performances away from home against our main rivals have for too long now been a cause for concern. This is an opportunity to show that we have addressed that. Once a fixture we approached with relish, we have now won just twice at the Bridge in the last decade. I get it. We are underdogs.
I also get we were underdogs the last time we won there on a day when the lasting image will be of John Terry chewing the cud as we clinched a remarkable 3-5 triumph three years ago. The team news remains a worry. Only Nacho Monreal is likely to return to the squad that saw off Galatasaray in midweek. Should there be any change to the eleven that started that fixture? Having Santi Cazorla in a deeper central role seemed to work on Tuesday and the attacking trio of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil, and Alexis Sanchez provided the bullets for Danny Welbeck to fire.
Obviously Chelsea on their own patch are far more formidable than the Turks, and we will have to be far more alert defensively to the sort of counter-attacking game that the loathesome Mourinho so likes to play against us. Having the Ox and Alexis on the flanks provides hard-working cover to full backs who will be sorely tested. If they can do that well, and we can fashion opportunities for Danny at the other end then that is the recipe for pulling off the unexpected, or at least securing the point that will keep the gap between us and the leaders to six points.
As for the ‘holic pound, I was hoping for better than 9/2 for an away win. That looks a little short to me. I’m going instead for what does look super value. Two bookies offer Laurent Koscielny to score anytime at 20/1. I’m on the big man to strike from a set piece.
Engineering works make for an awful journey by taxi, replacement bus, train, and tube. I’m hoping against hope, it would seem, that all will be worthwhile when we depart West London with something from the match. Let’s hope it isn’t just a hangover.
400 Responses to “Celebrating 45 Years At The Bridge, Or Slinking Out Dejected?”
Ripe
I AM a contender!
*mumbles inarticulately….*
Hope you and all the travelling Gooners have a great day.
The usual watering hole before the game H?
Snir
Cheers ‘H, great preview. Hope the boys find the bullets to give you a great day out.
I’d go with the XI that played so well in the week, but fancy that AW will bring back Jack at the expense of one of the wide men.
Best historically with our backs to the wall. Reckon we’ll surprise everybody and win 2-1.
Heh at the nutty fruit above.
Hi H
I’d go with the same team, but would be happy enough if we had LJW replacing Santi in the same position. A little more bite, perhaps.
Travel well
Hey Tabs!
Waves and giggles worryingly…
Enjoy the day Holic and all Gooners going to the match. My young grandsons recently visited Stamford Bridge with their junior football team ( five and six year- olds). When I asked for their opinion the six year old said ‘ Grandad the home dressing room smelt of poo- honestly!’
I have no doubt he was right and am encouraged by his perception. I’m not remotely optimistic about this one but what do I know?Probably less than the grandsons.
A different one tomorrow, Melon…
Hello Doc! 🙂
Great preview, Holic.
Have a good day. Hard to know what expect result wise. We’re capable, but it will need a huge effort.
Danny Boy, at least, to score for me – JT won’t know what’s hit him.
A very perceptive nose that young lad of yours ttg.
Not relegated am I?
Indeed Tabs! Considering his father is from the dark side we may still save him.
Not surprising that theoaner’s haunts smell like poo. No excuse for the moaning though. Arsenal pace to trump Chelsea’s power. Glad to know Kos will be scoring too. C O Y R R G
Cheers H.
Generally low expectations (especially outside of this bar) and we are against the league’s form side managed by a guy AW has never beaten.
I expect a win, then.
Be safe and as noisy as usual all going to the game. Let’s behave with a bit of class towards Cesc . And play him off the bloody park.
Nice one Holic.
About time we beat that mob.
Beer and screaming out loud beckons.
UTA.
Nice preview ‘h!
At least a point and I’ll be content with that but I’ve a sneaky feeling we’ll grab all three by a single goal with the pace and movement of the front 4 targeting that cunTerry and shutting-up that even bigger cunt, Maureen, right and proper!
Another interlull on its way so no need to hold back for a mid-weeker.
A must not lose match even at this early stage of the season.
Defensive discipline and full concentration at all times are a must. We only truly lose goals to the the financially doped Chavs when we make simple errors in our own possession. The same old tactics of Maureen will be employed; deny passes from the two Arsenal central defenders (who aren’t in any way exceptional in their distribution) and the deeper CM, and pressure them till an error occurs then pounce as the fullbacks leave their position to provide outlets.
If we score first, we win. If we don’t, the cunts will just sit back and wait for yet another error to counter and take further advantage! We must score first.
Incidentally, Jack to be all over Fabregas but must keep his head with controlled aggression. Up the Arse! COYBG!
theoaner’s = the moaner’s
Far past time to shut him the f*ck up.
Great post Holic!
Have a fucking blast tomorrow mate.
Four and a half sheets to one for a win? I’m fucking on it. We are The Arsenal, not some bunch of workshy chancers.
Nice one ‘Holic!
Intrigued by how Wenger approaches team selection tomorrow. We’re all assuming Wilshere will return to the starting XI after the game v. Galatasaray, but it will be slightly harsh on whoever is dropped/rested!
Cazorla is more secure with the ball than Wilshere, and unlike Wilshere, won’t find himself flat on his back, out of the game, having ceded possession to Matic too often. The Ox provides us with an out-ball, the ability to stretch the game and a player to link up with Welbeck. And Alexis is Alexis – big games require ‘big’ players, and he’s the sort of guy in our team who can make something happen out of nothing i.e. beat a couple of players on the edge of the box, or ping one into the net from 25 yds out. My head tells me that Wenger may consider Ox next in line for ‘rotation’, and he’ll push Ozil a bit further out to the right, and have Wilshere form a central midfield axis with Santi ahead of Flamini.
Anyway, enough analysis – the truth will out tomorrow, and I think all 3 results are genuinely possible, and even if we are beaten (as long as the performance shows promise and is not a diabolical drubbing), I won’t be too downhearted, as it’s a long, long season, and we’ve got by far the easiest run of fixtures of the “Big 7” over the next 4-5 games….
BT8
Great to see you still here!
Personally, I’m looking forward to Kos taking free kicks… 😉
Catalan,
Good to see you more often again !
Agreed. Good to see lots of familiar faces return.
How’s the new Knee, Trev? I hope it is bionically enhanced! 8)
The chickens will come home to roost, no physical presence in midfield, little practice on set pieces. No surprise if Mikel and Matic start, dominate the central area and score the first from a corner. We go to the Bridge hoping for a respectable defeat, that’s where we’re at. Wenger never beats Mourinho.
Fine preview, Guvna.
Have a blast tomorrow.
I hope you are skipping along the Kings Road with delight after the game.
Dig deep Arsenal and turn over those odds.
COYGs.
Hey Bill! Stop licking your own bollox mate. That’s what dogs do.
Bill. Lighten up. A defeatist attitude helps no one. Moaning that we are not good enough before kickoff and can only hope for a “respectable defeat” and that AW never beats Maureen before we even kick a ball is just beating a drum to make noise. Support the team and maybe you might be surprised.
That’s my plan.
Well said Esso.
Though he needs to grow a pair before he can lick ’em, mate.
Thanks Holic.
If it was me, I would play Chambers at DCM along with Flamini in a double pivot with Ozil at 10, Le Coq at Right Back, and Oxlade / Alexis / Danny upfront. Keep it tight at the back and counter attack at pace. I think thats our only chance of getting a result.
But I agree with Tabs – I think that Jack will start tomorrow. I hope he’ll play as a double pivot with Flamini with Chambers at Right Back. My fear is that Wenger will play him more forward and Flamini will be exposed.
I really would prefer to be meeting this mob about 3 months later. This team hasn’t gelled yet. But as it is, I’d very happily take a draw.
Bill, darling.
Are you an Arsenal Spy? Privy to such info as to how much we practice defending set pieces.
Gosh. You must be important! Can I call you James?
Yours spookily…
M B
Someone please keep the razor blades away from Bill @27…
I ain’t afraid of no ghosts…
Or chavs as it were.
COYRs
Or melons either.
I quite like melons actually. I tried to take Norcal to go see some, but he was much too disciplined for those shenanigans.
Of course AW could go leave out Flam altogether and pair Jack and Santi at DM, relying on their greater speed in defence as well as attack. In fact speed could be our best chance to surprise the chavs. With Ox, Danny and Alexi up front we have a lot of it, and if Özilla can orchestrate things in the middle and deliver the kind of slide-rule passes we know he’s capable of one of them could well get in behind the bus.
The thing that worries me most is the sheer size of the chavs which will pose enormous problems in set pieces, including our own corners where we have been caught with counter attacks several times this season. Need to watch that.
Okay, I know I’ve expressed gloom about this one in earlier rounds, but I was genuinely encouraged by the Gala game, even if they were poor in the first half and this is a major step up. So I’m not ruling out a shock result … perhaps a draw? Or is it asking too much for JT to fall over again and allow us a sneaky late winner??
Öskar
TTG, your grandson’s nose knows. Most likely the Hijo de Puta himself must have been in the changing room that day.
And “have a great day” out wishes to ‘holic and all of the Gooner supporters at the bridge. Here’s hoping to hear many choruses of “Hijo de Puta” in an otherwise quiet at the bus stop by match end.
Gosh Holic, Has it really been 3 three years … where did it go. Sighs.
If only we could shrug off our fears and just enjoy this game. Alexis and Diego, Mesut and Cesc, you don’t see matchups like this everyday. xx
Dr. C, You have been missing from this place like a sore thumb and it’s great to see you back. I hope the Catalan family are doing fine and managing to put up with you. 🙂
Lonestar. I hear the honeydews are fine in Texas. Never seen myself, mind you. 🙂
Mourinho’s doing?
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20140922-green-snot-takes-over-worlds-rivers
Borussia Dortmund are down to 13th in the Bundesliga table with a -3 goal differential after losing at home to Hamburg. Maybe some of this poor form will carry over into the Champions League?
Can’t help but feel we’re due a really good game and a touch of luck….plus a giant possum just wandered across our back garden which must be a sign of some sort.
Should we play different ly by letting then have the possession and kill then on counter attack? When we have the ball, please don’t ask our fb go too far up the pitch. The traditional one nil to arsenal is enough.
I will watch this match tonight with a heart half sunken. I am from Hong Kong and our young students are now out on the streets fighting for our democracy. Hope they and arsenal will emerge the eventual winners.
abc11633, I’m with you all the way.
Don’t give a fuck who plays where, just want to see us play the first half like we’re sat on a one goal lead. Nothing silly, sit deep and keep compact. Silence the crowd. Then push on and grab a second half winner.
By my count, we’re missing 4-5 first team players. They’re missing no one, are at home and have an extra day’s rest. They have to be the favourites here, but equally fuck them right in their racist, oily, no-history-having, classless, inbred, John Terry-loving ears.
COYG
U p t h e A r s e n a l
Says it all. Good luck to the team and all going to the game.
Bus stop in Fulham,
You’re just a…
abc11633, my best wishes in your fight for democracy.
Our thoughts and hopes are with you abc11633 as well as with the Arsenal.
Hello Joe, huge game to pitch Chambers into an unknown DM role, however big his potential for the position is. Would be a huge call, and I can’t see AW going for it.
Agree with you completely that if Jack plays, he’s got to sit deep, and use our pace further forward.
I’m not convinced we have either the personnel or the team shape to ‘kill’ the game. We are more than likely going to give up chances however we set up. Key for me will be to enjoy an unfamiliar slice of luck whereby the oppo don’t take the first (or indeed the second or third) opportunity that comes their way, and in the event that they do, not to embark on a headless charge for immediate equality. Keep our shape, keep playing and stay in the game.
Sticking to a smash and grab 2-1.
Oskar – Not too much to ask JT to fall over again at all Sir. I would prefer it to be as a result of a fatal blow to the back of the head though. That might be asking too much though. 😉
Melon – Laughed out loud at “Can I call you James?” 🙂
The bet that had some appeal was Koscielny to score at 20/1 but you can get 50/1 on his goal being the first or last with Skybet, should you so wish.
Thanks for the preview guv’, have a great day out.
Glad to see that the mood has been lifted around here, all that doomer shit before a ball was even kicked was doing my head in. I don’t live in cloud cuckoo land, so i know that this is an extreamly tough test, but there’s nothing wrong with a healthy dose of good old fashioned blind optimism.
The whole world has us pegged for defeat, so really the pressure is all on them.
All I really want is that the lads give a good account of themselves, and if we are to go down, then we go down fighting, because after all’s said and done and the dust settles we will still be the Arsenal and they will still be a blood money funded collection of mercenairies with a more then dubious owner.
Up The Arse.
From previous;
Cheers Esso.
The feeling was mutual mate.
Hi Tabs,
I agree with all you say in relation to Chambers. I just think the lad is wasted at RB and has serious potential at DCM. Of course, your right, this is not the game to blood him in that role. What I would like and what I think will happen are two different things.
Neither am I sure if this game is for Jack. I think Jack is a much better player on the front foot and I would prefer Rambo’s tenacity for a defensive game like this. If Jack does play, as I suspect he will, it’ll be interesting to see who he chooses from Oxlade / Alexis and Caz. For the NLD I thought the decision to leave Alexis on the bench was utterly daft.
Like Arseblogger this am, I’d take your hand off for a point. Eitherway, it’ll be very interesting to see how we approach this. I hope we keep it tight and try to hit them on the break because we have the players to hurt them if we run at them. I just hope we’re a little more pragmatic and a little less idealistic in our approach.
Joe.
I agree that in time Chambers could very well fill that role.
For today’s game I hope we go with the same line up as against Gala, but have the feeling that Jack will start, unfortunatly meaning Ox, Santi or (please no) Alexis will miss out.
It’s Ox that misses out.
Woj, Chambers, BFG, Kos, Gibbs, LJW, Flam.Ozil. Alexis, Santi, Welbz
Subs.
Martinez, Nacho, Coq, TR7, Ox, Campbell, Poldi.
Chelsea team.
10 cunts and a reject with confused DNA
subs.
More cunts
Many good drinks on this bar. Too many to mention.
I am hoping for an error-free performance from the Arsenal ensuring that we make no gifts. I hope that if that shower are going to score they are going to have to produce something truly spectacular.
Meanwhile I hope that Danny, Alexis and Ox capitalise on the string-pulling of Mesut and the chances we are sure to create with our pace up front.
I agree that Arsene is likely to select Jack to start though like H2H, I would rather start with our team from Wednesday. If Jack does start, it seems to me the best option is for him to build on his ‘deep England role’ by replacing Santi. That allows Santi to come on and scurry them ragged late in the game.
COYGs
Make us proud.
Heh @ H2H’s team lists.
Go Gerrem Arsenal!
Very tense now. But I believe.
COYRRG
Confident that we are going to get something here.
Off the pub now to grab a Guinness
COYG !
Joe, agree with all you say there. I too found the decision to bench Alexis for the derby baffling.
Hasn’t made the same mistake today with Ox making way. Thought that would be the case. Let’s hope we get the breaks.
Right, I’m orf. UTA!
What H2H said @53 !
Come on you Reeddsss ! 😉
hey holics, nervous as hell, come on you gunners, lets beat those cunts.
Stupid flare carrying bastards. Anyone with a flare should get a life ban from football.
Kick off delayed by 15 minutes?
Did Per just give the finger? 🙂
And as for those troublemakers in wheelchairs…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzLuiHbIcAAEsIo.jpg
Doh
Well, that shakes things up a bit. Looks like we’re ready to go now.
Come on lads. Give em he’ll.
COYG
COME ON YOU REDZZZZZZ
Hello everyone, how lovely you look today 😉
abc11633, will be praying for your countrymen, may freedom prevail. xx
And may our lads show the world, how special they are ♥
Come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Feeling excited now! Get stuck in Arsenal!
Courtouis got knocked the fuck out.
Petr Cech… waiting eagerly.. 😀
We’re not sitting back.. winning the midfield.. so far so good!
No Ospina? Injury?
Hazard you diver!
We’re on it, look very organized in the back.
Dirty b!#@$@#! Trying to take Alexis out!
Arsene just shoved the midget!
Have at it Arsene, WAY to Go!
Chambers suspended for next game.. courtouis looks out of it!
Red card all day. How is not?
Chambers gotta be careful now
Yellow card because we try to play us through dangerous situations. Just blast the damn ball away when they press like that!
Lucky Kos wasn’t sent off… 🙁
Here we go again. Fucking idiot plays again trying to play the ball fast when we got it from the offside, lost the ball and boom.
KUNTZ
And it’s over…
Time for Alexis to step up …Come oN!!!
Gave the ball away with a ridiculous free kick and never got it back.
Ruined a lot of good work.
Ref of course completely missed Ivanovic body checking Ozil while Cahill clattered Sanchez.
Here we go again. Damn damn damn
Ivanovic should be booked for throwing the ball away now.
That nasty bastard gets away with far far too much.
Wilshere?
We’re getting through, Jack just needs to settle down and look around!
How the fuck is it over?
Behave yourself.
Long way to go. We look a threat.
Wenger just had to move Ozil back to the wings, because of Wilshere. COYG
How’s that not a booking? Gerrrrrr..Ref get on it!
@101 I thought I’d leave that one to you H2H.
Bless Kos, trying so damm hard … what a true Gooner!
Third lost ball in the middle, how on earth he deserves to start over and over again?
Kos, please don’t get injured. Fuck
Oscar flying in looking the other way.
Come on Kos – top man.
They’re trying to wrestle us now… damn we need to channel Petit and Viera!
COME ON !!!!
Flamini having a good game
Coq for Chambers before the lad gets sent off ?
Santi playing well too.
Jack going after Terry now.. save that for later… Get it together now!
112 yes please
4 min extra!
Chambers is not going to finish this game. I see red for him soon
Coq could come in at RB
They took Welbeck out now… grrr!
Fucking cunt ref
Cheat Atkinson. That’s a card.
FFFFFF the REF! No booking for OSCAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF!
How does Oscar not get yellow?
They were not the better side this half. Play like this and we have a chance.
Ref. behave yourself.
I see bring in Coq. We can’t afford to go 10 men. We have really been good. Good ball movement and quick. Am really impressed, so far so good. We should get at least a draw from this game.
We can do this lot for pace up front. Just got to stop losing the ball in midfield and get it through the back line quickly.
We only need to do it twice ….. !
We’re still in it!
Ox to come on sometime later.
Methinks they’ll tire sometime in the 2nd half and that’ll be our chance, and we’ll probably see a red card too .. not sure for which side though.
Jacky doesn’t roll around for 5 minutes so Atkinson doesn’t care. Until refs start basing their punishments on the severity of the offence rather than the theatricality of the response then it is profitable to attempt to deceive them.
That is just how it is. But they have no right to start ‘respect’ campaigns or whinge about players making their jobs harder. They do it to themselves… And WE suffer.
Bunch of cretins.
Chelsea set tone with Cahill legbreaker that wasn’t given deserved red. Even the pundits agree, surprisingly.
Lack of DM the difference. No other way to say it. Hazard went by Santi like he wasn’t there.
Ref is a total cuntbucket.
Our lads doing us proud, anyone saying otherwise should leave his/her Gooner pass by the door/
Maureen shit his knickers when mad Arsene confronted him.
Oh yeah, and….. the ref is a cunt.
BB, this came is SCREAMING for the OX!!!!
Trev, H2H and company, we are IN THIS GAME, how right you are! We’re the ones setting up plays, they just catch us on the break.
So proud of Arsene, he did what EVERY manager in the PL (and La Liga) has always wanted to do!!!
We just need to get more physical against sides like chelski. It’s tough though cause we don’t have the players..!
Looking at the replay for Cahill’s challenge on Alexis.. could have broken his foot…! Alexis is one tough chap..!
Alexi must be strong as hell. In a week, that leg could have been snapped bad. Thank God that wasn’t any other player. And Cahill should have been sent off, ridiculous decision by the referee.
Cahill should have walked for that tackle on Alexis, lunge, over the ball, took the man out. We are not worse but we need to cut out the mistakes we do with our possession. Oh and refree is a cunt.
Got to take Ozil off.
Yes!! OX warming up! Happy dance! 🙂
That’s the second time Alexis has been targeted over two matches. Liked the little moronho being pushed. ha ha. didn’t seem like they were controlling, guess we can come back, just need to put our heads down and get to work. Would be great to kick their blue asses and come with a resounding win. coyr.
Or play him in the fucking middle, Cynic. Wilshere off for me, the Ox at the flank, while it is not to late.
ABB, agree.. we’re in this and if we keep up the pressure we might just nick it!
Arsene just scared Mour shiteless with the shove.. should keep him quiet awhile! Recall the time when even Fergie declined a confrontation with Wenger.. lol!
COme On!!!!!! Let’s show ’em what we’re made of!
Lots of good stuff there. Wilshere with a few loose passes or wrong options at important moments but the kid doesn’t let his head drop. Ozil quiet (wish I could say the same for Souness- you just can’t get to the mute button quick enough).
Santi excellent- even challenging the racist for headers! Flamini good. Mixed bag from Alexis but loads of work as usual.
Wellbeck okay but we need to get that final ball to him.
CBs fine. Chambers good but inexperienced. Gibbs with a few stray passes and an awful Free kick that led to their goal.
Schez has lumped a few instead of passing us into trouble so good stuff there.
Just make that final ball and we are in business.
COYG
Cahil should of went.
The Chav players getting warnings while ours get cards.
Atcuntson.
Sanchez assaulted twice in one week ,both Melo & Cahill should have been red carded. Thought we stood up pretty well, concerned Maureen will play on Chambers, can’t see this game with full complement of players at full time!
We are not out of it yet!
Competitive. Feisty. Let’s keep it up.
Get, agree with all that. Gibbs not having a comfortable game at all.
SHOUT, SHOUT, LET IT ALL OUT!
C’mon THE ARSENAL!
Come on!
Swap Alexis on the other flank, play him against Azpi. Ox on the other wing.
I take it back we do have the players.. Flamini welcomes Costa with his elbow!
😀
We are doing everything OK, just missing that final pass.
Santi close
Threatening, we are getting closer, OH YES WE ARE!
OOoooooo Santi
Finallay a yellow for ivanansicccccc!!
Woj ffs
What a strike from Flamini and what a save from Woj!!
😀
Flamster to the rescue!
now lets keep the ball, bulldozer over that FUGLY BUS!
Handball Cesc.. anywhich way you look at it.. hands came up!
So is Atkinson bent or incompetent.
Or both.
how clear the handball has tobe?
Why stop play there ? No head injury. ….?
OX on!
Someone better be monitoring Atcuntson’s bank accunt tomorrow.
Not Cazorlaaaaaaa
Cazorla?!
Makes sense though, Ozil to the middle and Ox on the flank.
Love Alexis, the man works his socks off everytime he steps on the field. btw, has anyone else given away more pens than kos? Thats always the worrying part about him.
Could that Chav doctor please treat Hazard’s inner ear infection …..
Chez kicking so bad!
Bus parkers …grrr~!
Fancy flicks are costing us. Keep it simple and direct!
Well, game over
That’s it then.
Fabregas wonderful.
Ah…
well.. it’s a bit tough now.
Come on Wellbeck. Second hat-trick this week…
Poldi to score.. he’s still got the best damn left foot strike in my opinion!
The game is over around the 90 minute mark.
Wankers.
Played well. But same old result against Mourinho, Wenger just can’t beat him.
Have there be any shots on goal yet?
COME ON! Get one here!
Cunt
Why play Ozil on the wings again?
Lets not start bashing ozil now.
85 min, first yellow, Oskar, bravo ref
Width, Width! Please!
Keep going lads.
Just a couple of points.
1 – Without joining in the wankfest over Fabregas, you cannot turn down the chance to sign him “because we have Ozil” if all you do is play Ozil wide and not central.
2 – Our two best performances of the season have been with Ozil playing in the middle.
3 – Ozil wide is about as much use as tits on a nun.
I feel sorry for a couple of players today. Chambers, because he’s been left pretty stranded for most of the game and Sanchez because he’s put in a hell of a shift and got nothing.
And once again, bloody awful subs.
Naughty Danny.
Welbeck lucky.
And stupid.
Welbz lucky with a yellow.
Hard to disagree, Cynic.
@189 and very frustrated
Cynic@187, that’s Wenger been stubborn. How do you keep playing your most expensive player on the wings, because you want to accommodate Wilshere. All the games we played well and won, ozil has been in the middle. Wilshere from the bench, oh well.
Undone by two pieces of brilliant skill, other hand we have been very much on par with them, not going to blame refree here but some of the decisions were questionable at best. Anyways, media lockdown for me to avoid collective wankfest
Fair effort from the lads.
We have four of our first XI out. Chelsea seem able to play the same XI week in, week out. This was always a tall order.
Those who like a moan, knock yourselves out. The fixtures ease up after this, players will start to return and we can build momentum and cohesion.
COYG
No final product. No real threat.
Good movement. Good attacking. But ultimately weak and pointless.
Seems – fabregas and hazard – world class was the difference.
We worked hard. Should have played over an hour against ten men and had a penalty.
Hazard had a great moment and then Fabregas/Costa did the same. We had chances to play a final ball and did not manage to take any of them.
A close game where we played well and stood up to them. Matches like that are decided by fine lines. So it proved.
The season is long. And we are The Arsenal.
GSD, frustrated, yes, but we could have lost him for the next three.
Goooooooooaaaaaaaaallllllllll!!!!
Good show by the boss tho!
I think arsenal played well. Very close.
Just missing the final ball. And the casualness the players had at times was troubling. What lead to both goals.
Looking up tho.
Shoots
Not one single shot on target. Better than last year’s performance though. So predictable. We spend a fortune on Alexis & Ozil. They spend a fortune on Cesc and Costa. I know who I’d want in our team.
We need a DM and a better organized defence. Preferably one with a physical player as well, or at least someone who can mix it up.
Can’t really fault our effort, we gave it a shot but not good enough. Feel we’ll somehow always come short against orcs, especially those that can play a bit too.
We really missed Giroud here, he’s a fighter and tough. And Alexis… what a player, just superb!
Sure Trev. Not a pretty tackle. In fact, bloody reckless. But many of us do stupid things when we are upset.
Also, when we complain about Ivanovich the scum fans will point to it.
Heh @ the bloke who doesn’t want Alexis
From what o saw arsenal gave as good as they got.
The “we need a strong DM” was irrelevant today.
No final ball and nonexistent first touch was arsenals problem.
Flamini played well. As did wilshire and santi.
It’s still a very long march, and no need to get unduly concerned. Would very much like to see some early shot taking, to draw the defenses to the ball, so the intricate movement can have a better chance to develop into scores.
BJ – wouldn’t have helped- when we did shoot early Cesc just did his ‘rush goalie’ thing. Wink
Arsenal looked solid against both city and chelsea. If the team can continue to gel and improve the results should start to go the right way.
Poldi looked lively too i might add.
Really Disappointing. But that scoreline flatters chelski.
Its a long season. But it looks like were in a fight for 4th. Again.
No disgrace.
Worked hard.
Kept shape.
Just short when it came to creating.
Need to win at our place though.
Injured players will be back and new boys will have bedded in.
COYGs.
Defeats bring out the best and worst in people on this board. We’ve lost 2-0 to the strongest team in the country and were well in it most of the time. Some players( I thought Chambers, Gibbs, Wilshere , Cazorla and Sanchez ) played very well and the main issue was that Ozil is ineffective in a wide position after playing really well centrally. But then everyone on this board knows that . Sadly the manager persists with it.
N7 has exactly the right attitude. This was not a disaster and we have a run of games we should do better in. It was not the craven capitulation of March and there is much to build on. But the League looks beyond us this season.
@Homer
Good DM would presumably allow us to be better organized and also mix it up physically. So would disagree, they controlled the game although we had a few shots.
If we want to win the league, we need a rock solid defence. Just my two cents.
😀
Surely there is only one Cent.
This game had a draw written all over it. Wish we were able to score, I still don think Wilshere and ozil can be effective together. Wenger should just accept the fact that playing ozil on the wings is like playing with 10 guys.
Bloody hell, just how many shots did Chelsea have on target ?!
Save their PK …
Agree our lads tried hard. But always driving down the middle, with a defense like them, is going to lead to uber frustration.
No longer comment on poor decisions by the ref, meh. 🙁
Suppose Arsene will be relegated to the stands, next game. But I’m so proud he showed the Odious One no respect.
Arsene Wenger has just been asked what he thought about his earlier touchline spat with Jose Mourinho. His reply: “I say absolutely nothing.”
————————–
Hahahah. A picture is a thousand words : http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article4384179.ece/alternates/s458/PAY-Arsene-Wenger.jpg
No shots on target for the first time in a premiership game in 11 seasons. Can someone please explain why that’s seen as moving forward against the big boys in the EPL?
Ozil was awful and should’ve been subbed instead of Santi; we were all baffled at the move in the away end?! As usual, substitutions without real thought or tactical reasoning. Ox and Tomas came on too late. Alexis tried his best but became frustrated with lack of attacking support. Too much lethargy and not enough energy or intensity. Chelsea seemed to be in fourth gear of six when attacming otherwise were very comfortable. Very very disappointed by the attacking performance and not the result.
Interesting, tactical game…fine margins – but Chelsea just about deserved the win (though 1-0 might have been a fairer reflection). I felt we were right in at 0-0, but sadly the first bit of decisive attacking class from either side pretty much decided the game when Hazard slalomed his way through. After that, Chelsea are such a tough team to play at 1-0 down, their tails are up, they’re extremely disciplined and well-drilled about getting men behind the ball (especially when Arsenal’s build-up play is a touch too deliberate) and they’re quite simply a very physical and determined team – they didn’t give us an inch all afternoon.
I’m going to take the positives from it – here seemed a greater sense of belief and purpose about us (especially at 0-0), and I felt throughout the game we conceded very few chances to Chelsea. It really was one piece of magic from Hazard, and a worldy first touch from Costa while we were chasing the game, that was the difference. A lot of 7/10 performances for us really, no one better sadly….I’m a big fan of Ozil’s, but particularly as an attacking midfield player coming in from the right side on his left foot, I wish he were quite simply a better striker of the ball! At a top club, you need your attacking midfielders to get you nigh on 10+ goals a season, but you never feel Ozil will score a goal out of nothing in an important game (I know that’s not his style), but he’s more likely to get on the end of passing moves in games we’re dominating. Still, that aside I’m confident of achieveing a 3rd place minimum this season, and I think by the November interlull we’ll probably have established ourselves more in that position when the fixture list evens itself out a bit….
Btw – crpl jenks looks pretty good for whu.
quite a few with rose-colored glasses on here. 7th place and level with liverpool, and while we did better than last year and played well for stretches were honestly never really likely to get anything from the game. not. one. shot. on. goal.
mourinho has got to be laughing hysterically. just dusted off the game plan from last season, phoned it in to the staff, and showed up on game day to have them see it through.
to be fair, cahill should have been sent off, no question, before anything else material really happened. and honestly, to play against that kind of referee bias and cynical fouling all over the pitch, you need to have someone who the other side is scared of. best we have in that department is probably flamini.
for me, DM would have probably stopped the first hazard run, and someone quicker than a bucket of tar at center back would have stopped the second. the reason kos has so many red cards is that he’s having to always cover for mertesacker.
ozil didn’t have a great game, but didn’t have much to work with either. jack wasn’t very effective, and that heavy touch he had to put him in on goal speaks volumes about the gap in quality between us and them. you simply must put chances away, or at least fashion them in the first place. welbeck didn’t really do much either as expected. this was not galatasaray, and he was never going to get a one on one with the keeper.
we might put a run of games together, but best we can do is scrap for fourth it looks like.
Agree with all that ttg. Fine margins today. Tomorrow we’re still the Arsenal , and they are still a Club that is rotten from the top all the way down to their cunty ball boy.
Personally, I’d give up trophies for the next 3 years to have sern Arsrne lamp, and lay out that orrible oily cunt. Gratified that he didn’t take a backward step however, and made Maureen look every inch the playground bully/coward that he is. Kudos to Danny too. Bit harder and higher next time Daniel.
Jack clear MoM.
TTG@ 211,
The league should NOT BE beyond us this season! The only reason some continue to think and say that is because we continue to accept the glaring problems which are very fixable.
Indeed, the Corporal is looking very strong; could be one of AW’s beloved LANS next season.
And by the way, I thought Fab4 overall looked ordinary; that goal was really more of a Costa master class than anything else.
Rose Colored glasses. Hmm.
We’ve got some delicious players coming back in the next couple of months, down right mouthwatering. Bite that apple 😉
I’ll put my hand up and say I don’t give a fuck how many shots we had on goal.
Last season we were far too open. This time we all called for cagey. This is how cagey looks. I hope we do the same at City too and look to nick a win.
First league defeat since March, folks. In a game that not a one of us thought we’d win this morning. With both central midfielders and our entire right flank missing.
We are very unlikely to win the league this season, but we can still progress. Gelling the team and picking up a run of wins from here would be a great way to do that.
Mean time, I’m not gonna lose my shit – at least I got to witness Arsene bullying Mourinho on the touchline.
COYG
Congratulations Matt, for one of the most contradictory posts I’ve ever seen.
One very encouraging aspect of the match was how much it all still really does matter to Arsene by stepping up to that midgety, sarccy cunt! A result against that disrespectful fecker will be the best ever! The boys on the field have to show the same desire and controlled aggression too!
Its so disappointing…Its same old…Chelsea knows better than most how to defend this kind of play….they compact the game and doesn’t give space….why we didn’t have width was down to being scared of chelsea counterattack..We just never had the team to beat a mourinho team for last 10 seasons…Mourinho gets beaten by sheer pace or sheer physicality. Wenger should have made his players watch athletic madrid…see their closing down and physicality…see their movement off the ball….I just don’t see Wenger taking arsenal too much forward…we will always be a top 4 team…nothing more than that…his comments today about the financial muscle seem absurd now…we have spent good money and i don’t think anyone was stopping us from buying fabregas or costa this season…
Well played H2H, for calling out the lemons … again.
and oh….the sooner we introduce video referrals the better for the same…how Cahill didn’t see Red or how the penalty was not given for us..only FA can answer
@Abb
Giroud, Debuchy and Walcott.. can’t wait for them to be back.
Now if only Diaby was avalable ad when is Campbell going to get a chance to play?!
😀
Guys, it’s not even 10 games in yet we can’t just give up and say fourth place is the best we can get. I think we played real good today, Wenger needs to get the right balance and I don’t think he did, with team selection today. Carzola should have remained, and ozil should play in his rightful position. I don’t understand this love feast for Wilshere, why can’t he start from the bench? 9pts is a lot, but still a long way to go. You pay 45million for ozil, and you stick him out wide really? am happy he stood up to stupid fuck Mourinho.
Optimistic (yeah right)
“We spent good money this year”
Indeed we did.
Imagine what we would have if we were able to do that with money that we hadn’t earned for almost a decade.
Oh..
On his touchline clash with Jose Mourinho: “I went out of my technical area because I wasn’t happy with the challenge and I wanted to see what happened. Someone stood in front of me and that was it. I say absolutely nothing else on that.
“Jose says we should have finished with eight men and I return that compliment. I don’t know how Gary Cahill finished the game. I don’t know how Branislav Ivanovic finished the game. I don’t know how Oscar finished the game.
“It is a concern to be nine points behind Chelsea, with the quality of the teams ahead of us, but we will keep on fighting and go on to the next game.”
—————
We won that exchange for sure 🙂
H2H, lets not hide behind the fact that we had all the financial muscle this year…and we didn’t lose this game because of Chelsea’s financial muscle..They bought players we could have won….money was not the reason we couldn’t buy a DM or good defenders at the middle…Playing high line with Mertascker…when will we learn…
@N7, winning the match was certainly very possible from my point of view this morning. I couldn’t see any reason why not and I still don’t as I travel back from the bus stop?! Cagey does not mean “no shots on goal” or “no attacking intent or strategy”.
BB, I so enjoy and share your optimism! Loads to look forward to. We played the strongest team in the league, and thwarted them MOST of the time!
Theo will be OURS again, let that sink in. My God, the possibilities that brings!
Sorry Optimistic, but one or two good transfer windows (with FFP in mind) can never equate to almost a decade of freeflow spending of money that you never really had.
Barca plays with 3 fearless and zippy forwards but they have 3 midfielders who hardly give the ball away…can we play Alexis, Wellbeck and Theo will Ozil behind and have Arteta/Flamini with Wilshire ?
Against small teams it may work but against big teams I have doubts…Wenger’s biggest problem is he doesn’t know his best XI yet…Ozil on the wings….enough said..
The identity of Arsene’s teams have always been “offensive”. That’s why Alexis was getting frustrated with the lack of forward movement or penetration from Ozil. Hopefully MOTD will highlight the verbals he was giving. He’s a leader for sure from what I saw today in a top flight game!
I hope we are done with draw games. We should be able to take all 12points in our upcoming fixtures. We are still in this guys,have faith. Players coming back, and Wenger not been too stubborn to admit he was wrong not getting what was needed and just get a DM/CB in January.
H2H, maybe we can agree to disagree but today’s defeat is not because of financial muscle…It was about wrong tactics and lack of strand DM/Defender that could have been bought…but Oh…Maybe Costa would have stopped Giroud’s growth or maybe Fabregas would have stopped Ozil’s growth…I am optimistic for a 4th place this year again…lets fight for 4th…and be prepared to walk empty handed out of Anfield, OT and City
Abbs@237, calculated optimism is the buzz phrase. This squad is very close but just needs to define what personality it wants to have against the big boys. You can’t turn up and bully them “footballing wise” like the lesser teams. That’s the frustration and problem.
Tabs
I agree we have seen many worse times than this. We now must learn from this setback and put a strong run together. My great concern is that Chelsea lose at least once this season . Preferably at our place!
Also maybe I will be battered but can anyone tell me why Wenger didn’t go for Song who was available on a loan…Is Song a really bad DM and wouldn’t we be a better squad with him in ?
@Abb
And Ramsey.. how could i forget him! We’ll get them chavs the next time they come around with our full squad. And who knows maybe Diaby would be back too in the DM role. We’ll have pace up front and strength to boot!
Many good things to look forward to!
Up The Arse!
😀
Agree regarding Fabregas; didn’t really do much but that was his brief. Be the pivot with Oscar and Matic and let the legs of Schurrle and Hazard support Costa. Conservative but effective. Had we scored first, our “cageyness” would’ve borne fruit.
@DapperDan
Fair enough – I thought a win was possible, but unlikely. Was looking for a bit more tactical nous and a little less naivety. Got both, so as happy as I can be with a defeat (particularly a defeat to that band of utter cunts).
The “shots” stat is just a stat. If someone had drilled a soft one at the keeper from 20 yards it would have bumped that stat without improving the performance a single iota.
I think we were in a very tough spot once behind: this lot live to take teams apart on the counter, so we weren’t in a position to throw men forward. I think it was an unusual game in which Wenger curbed his usual philosophy, for the better, and while there were things I thought we did badly, there were also things we did well.
In terms of what we’re missing: a defensive midfielder, and whatever it will take to improve our injuries. Chelsea have a team who have played together for two months now, game in, game out, with barely a scratch. Imagine what we’d look like in their shoes: theo and Debuchy on the right, Arteta and Ramsey in midfield. Instead of the endless cycle of watching players find their way into form, get crocked, miss two months and start again.
Want to win the league? Sort the injuries. We will not win the title until we do, and today didn’t change that either way.
Anyway, onwards and upwards.
Hi Dapper Danc! We showed them what we are capable of. They did less in front of our goal, as far as creating chances. Our final touch needs tweaking, that’s all. Very optimistic over all. Theo arrives with a big RED and WHITE BOW. Can’t wait to unwrap him! Cheers, lad 🙂
Incidentally, I know the media will spin the Cesc narrative against us, as he came out on the winning side and had a hand in the 2nd goal, but I saw nothing particularly from him today that makes me desperately curse not signing him in the summer (not that we necessarily had the chance anyway….) I’m still happy enough with our stock of Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil & Cazorla – and think our only necessary additions at the moment are at CB and DM. If Ozil and/or Wilshere had swapped sides with Cesc, Chelsea would still have won – it’s the fine margins that were the difference (Hazard being brave enough to break the ‘lines’ and status quo to commit defenders at pace – oh for when Walcott returns, and Costa’s first touch was bang-on for the second goal, while Wilshere fluffed just as good an opportunity just before half-time). Onwards – 10 points from the next 12 a necessity now!
Two key differences: a. a moment of genuine world class individual brilliance from Hazard that any of our attacking players could personally replicate and b. when there was a need to defend a flair player like Oscar, slight in stature and all, acted as a third DM. Should have seen a yellow or so much earlier, but cannot question the discipline and the desire to defensively contribute. For Hazard’s run Santi should have probably sensed the danger early and concede a foul.
Otherwise good game from us. We did try to attack down the left flank to provide width but they defended well, funneling it towards the center and narrowing the pitch and given our natural tendency to play narrow we lost the drive to continue to attempt to stretch. There still were a couple of fine balls from the left, Jack should have scored the chance he wasted with a heavy touch, one of Santi’s shots were blocked by Cesc’s outstretched hands.
Keeping ball players on the right wing — Santi and Ozil rotating — did actually help us from defensive purposes as Hazard was not given too many chance to break down the flank and cut inside, but had to move inside. Was a pity that we couldn’t stop him down the middle for that run.
A little bit more composure in the final third and a little bit more physicality in the center of the pitch — Flamini did his job commendably today, especially organizing with Kos the times of his surging runs all the more sadly identifying the value of a DM who can do exactly that — is all we need to beat teams like Chelsea away. And maybe the self-belief. If it were any other team — including City — we would have raised the tempo chasing the game in the final twenty minutes but we kind of gave up around the 80 minutes mark.
We weren’t outclassed in any way, we got the tactics spot on and apart from one brilliant individual effort Chelsea created the grand sum of fuck all until they got their second goal when we pushed on to get the equaliser. For all the moaning about shots on goals by us, it should be noted that Chelsea had a grand sum of three on goal, on of which was the penalty.
And I don’t care what others may say, but I lay a big portion of the blame for this loss right at the feet of Atkinson. He was atrocious, how Cahill stayed on the pitch I will never understand. Welbeck, you say? Well, had he showed red there then that would have been the last eveidence we needed that he was as bent as the corner of the street. And not only that, how the everloving fuck could Oskar escape a yellow until the 85th fucking minute??? Ivanovic threw the ball away when we wanted to take a quick throw – no yellow. We tried to take a free kick, Atkinson stopped to tell Oscar off (which was obviously only for show). Atkinson stopped play because his buddy Oscar WAS HOLDING HIS HAND!!! Oh, bless, poor little cheating scumbag, did you hurt your wittle fingew? Let Mr Atkinson blow on the injury and it will all feel better! We should possibly have had a penalty or at the very least a free kick and a yellow for the most obvious handball on DNA Boy (I thought it looked to be inside). And no, it should not have been a red for Kos, arguing that would be as wrong as saying it shouldn’t have been a penalty.
Still, you’ve got to give Atkinson credit for the way he performed that screening role in front of the Chelsea back four time and again and took out Özil and Santi a few times. Bit wierd though that he wasn’t wearing a blue shirt, but maybe his had just lost a bit of colour when being washed? After all, that can happen if you wash your shirt a bit too often with the wrong kind of detergent. Not very flattering for the Chelsea kit manager.
Could we have done better? Of course. Jack could have taken his chance better, for example. A few passes went needlessly astray. Et cetera. But we sure as fuck could have done with a better refereeing performance, Chelsea are difficult enough to beat as it is without them having 12 players on the pitch. We had the right attitude, we had the formation right and even though possibly we should have started the same team as v Besiktas we can’t say for sure that would have been better.
Chelsea, a brilliant team? Hell no. Stoke with more money, more like.
Played 7, won 2. And still incapable of beating the bigger sides.
I know it’s early days but it’s difficult to be hugely optimistic.
BB Slap me silly! How could I forget Aaron RAMBO Ramsey!!!!!!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Now in one corner of the ring you have Arsene Wenger, FA CUP winner 2014. IN the other corner, you have Jose Mourinho, winner of fuck all, 2014. Knockout punch delivered, Wenger still standing!!!! 😉
I refer all questions to the right honourable N7,
Who, in the venacular of the modern day internet poster, “knows”.
Agree about Cesc. Thought he was quiet and left them looking if anything a little less solid.
No tears from me. Signing Sanchez was entirely the right choice in the circumstances.
And what N7 said at 248.
Lots of cliches and recycling of the meeja bromides and generalizations.
Arsenal played a good match.
Two moments of sheer class from hazard and fabregas. Lets keep perspective here holics. Making generalizations about AW and everything under the sun is just silly.
Cheers all.
Win the next one.
Indeed ttg, indeed. Chelsea will lose, you don’t get away with it 38 times if the basic game plan is ‘not to lose’. They may well win it, but fuck ’em, they are utterly corrupt to their core.
Optimistic – Didn’t play a high line today. Bfg had a good game today as did thr rest of the defence. Did all that was asked of them, as did Flamini. Undone by a virtuoso piece of skill in each half. That’s football. We competed, we never looked like capitulating, and should habe been playing against 10 from the Cahill challenge on.
Damn, it felt good to vent my frustrations there@252… 🙂
tabs, good point about Flamini. I thought he had an excellent game overall. Don’t think there was much he could do about the Hazard run, that wasn’t in the area he was covering iirc.
Homer, well spoken@258.
Get your cunt meters out gents.
Actions vs words. Nasri “I was never a gooner’. YET begs AW to let him play, and played his ♥ out for us!
Cesc “I’ll always be a gooner”! YET, sits on the bench the last 6 months for us, feining this, that and the other!
Homer @ 258
Spot on
that’s a brilliant response.
we can say if, if, if all day, but it didn’t happen, and as a consequence we weren’t even close.
to see the ifs is a cultured view. to take them as reality is not.
genius.
@N7, Abbs, et al,
Certainly was a more disciplined team performance without the ball when possession was lost cheaply; that was encouraging. Now to reapply the attacking threat because “we are the Arsenal” for fecks sake! Up the Arse against the big boys! Come On You Beautiful Gunners!
Atkinson is a cunt to all clubs but he tends to gravitate towards supporting other cunts like Maureen! Wanker!
Matt, so if the ifs that did happened had been ifs that didn’t happen and thus become only ifs and the others ifs had not been simply ifs but instead facts, what would you have said then?
If you catch my drift?
@Lars
are you serious?
matt, if that is a question you have to ask then ask yourself if you shouldn’t be feeling a bit iffy.
To base your whole analysis on the scoreline, whilst always tempting is neither ‘brilliant’ ‘genius’ or even bog standard intelligent.
Gin and tonic for MF. No lemon required.
Lars is always serious.
Especially about ifs and buts.
BTW, Chambers again had a solid game. Neither Hazard not Schurrle got that much past him, and once Ox arrived his attacking game also opened up.
Cesc hardly stood out. He had one decisive pass in counter attack when we were going all out, and that goal was more to do with Costa’s fantastic form.
We simply need to go on a run of wins in a stretch of relatively easy schedule and come December the gap in points would be closer.
The PL is still not beyond us and if anything today’s performance showed that we will be much tougher in the big away games this time.
Not to mention butts, N7.
No, sorry – that’s Wolfie!
Lovely and realistic from you, Dapper DanC! You’d have to be blind not to see what we can bring to the table. Or seriously umm, cognitively challenged 😉
Didn’t see the gamet how did we pan out?
Also, we may be behind ManU in the table at the moment but fuck me, if they don’t improve their defending they are on a hiding to nothing when they finally start facing the better teams. They were saved by De Gea playing an absolute blinder today, Everton were shit but should still have scored at least three.
One dissapointment for me today (behalf from the scoreline) was the performance, or better said lack of, from Ozil. I’m not a fan of slating our own, nor blame pinning on one particular aspect or individual, but I thought he was well below par.
It may very well be due to the fact that he is shunted out of his natural position to accomadate Jack, but still, dissapointing non the less.
Without a doubt though, the worst performance was from the man with the whistle.
Why didn’t we bring Song back? Blimey that’s an easy one. Barely played for 2 years, can’t be arsed to turn up for training on time, and wears clothes that wouldn’t look out of place on a west side gangster. Fuck him.
Next.
If you looked at Manure’s first 5 games, 15 points would not of been an unrealistic target. This was the first time they were pitted against a top 6 team from last season. (we have played 4 out of 5 of them)
They started todays game okay, but looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights from the moment they went ahead. Everton really should have come away with at least a point, De Gea had the game of his life.
@252 Lars
It was amazing how often Atkinson stood in the space our midfield wanted to run into/pass through. I have NEVER seen a referee disrupt a game so much without blowing his whistle. I’m not quite sure how it happened. I’ve not seen him do it in other games. The other bad decisions are just that- and, frankly, they’re typical but the terrible positions he strayed into were inexplicable. I’m a bit miffed by the whole thing.
@269 heh. Said it all.
Samir, stop texting me. The results aren’t in yet. Really swell you still care what we think of you (chin up, lad 😉 )
Life is what we make of it. I like most holics, chose to be responsible for my happiness. It’s not wearing blinders. It’s a way of life. See you all later. 😉
H2H, I am always a bit loathe to make even reasonable criticisms of Ozil if he does have a bad day at the office as they unfortunately tend to feed the monster. However, I do agree with every word of your 276.
N7, Lars, Tabs and the other sunny siders, as usual, knows.
Atkinson is corrupt, bent, biased, inept. Fuck him.
Absolutely love how Arsene shoved the special cunt out of the way like the bag of shit he is.
@Abbs 🙂
Tabs@277,
Bullseye!
Seven games into the season we have played four out of five of the teams to finish in the top six together with us last season. Two of them away from home, and we have had a very disrupted pre-season plus a host of injuries. I had hoped for more points but I think we are gradually playing better and better and hopefully this will continue. Yes, we are behind Tottenham but they have yet to play anyone apart from Liverpool from last season’s top six. I don’t think we’re going to win the league, but I have to say that from what I’ve seen so far of this league I think third is the least we should be able to get.
One can’t condone mal-behaviour by another manager (as it’s not a good role model for kids, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a fine or touchline suspension hit Arsene now) but it was top to see someone have a “go” at the “special cunt”!
Conclusion from today’s game is that we are competitive but not superior. We weren’t outplayed or outthought, just beaten by a team that is not going to lose many games — and especially if referees continue to give them the choice of taking out either man or ball. The difference on the day was that they got one decisive move from their star signings. We didn’t from ours.
It looks like a battle royal is shaping up among the top five for the top four spots in the Premiership. Any of Chelsea, Man City, Man U, Liverpool and ourselves could end up finishing in any order.
Dapper Dan – I would maintain that being overly aggressive towards that miserable excuse for a human being is in every way being an excellent role model for young and old alike 😉
If I ever had the good fortune to.meet the corrupt fucktard I very much hope that I would have enough self-respect to gob on him, smugly hand him a tissue, and then chuck him under a bus whilst he”s busy wiping himself down.
So, in other words, you’d take it easy on him, tabs?
🙂 😉
I agree with Lars@284. I saw the, err, contribution above to the effect that we would be in a fight for fourth this season, and wondered. I’m pleased to see that I’m not the only one who has yet to see anything to suggest that we will finish below any teams without oil-enhanced finances.
COYG.
GSD.
I’m usually the first to defend, but today…….
@287
When we lost the Carling Cup Final to them I was able to gob on the Chelsea banner as it was brought out for them all to celebrate under. I have always consoled myself that the force of their sickening celebrations sprayed that effort (built on a day’s fags, Guinness and whiskey) down on all of them, him included.
I have yet to get close to seeing him under a bus. But the season is long…
@290- I know. I am a big fan too. Your post was a fair point, not overdressed.
@Tabs,
😀
https://vine.co/v/OKhFVvJ1UYW
Add to your favourites.
294. Sheer quality.
One Arsene Wenger.
NBN
I think that City and Chelsea will dispute the title. Chelsea are nine points ahead of us after seven games. Only those two will be able to sustain the level required. I think it will be Chelsea sadly.
The other three sides will fight over the next two places and I think we have it in us to finish third if we can stop this perpetual run of injuries. Anything above that I believe is wishful thinking
hi guys,
well we’ve played 7 epl games, 4 against serious opposition (thats if you count spurs as serious opposition). our next 9 games i dare say are all winnable if we can keep everyone fit, with theo and rambo coming back;
Hull(H), Sunderland(A), Burnley(H), Swansea(A), Man U(H), West Brom(A), Southhampton(H), Stoke(A) & Newcastle(H)
thats before the trip to KOP
Although I agree based on what we have seen so far, the season is way too long to reach any concrete conclusions in the first week of October. Chelsea have come through the first seven games basically unscathed, add an injury to one or more of Costa, Cesc, Hazard etc and you’re talking about a completly different ball game. Take out Auguero, Silva or Kompany for Citeh and again the tide turns.
The Fat Lady is still at home pondering what dress to wear.
Brilliant Vine that H2H *applause*
I know the Press will play up the narrative of Wenger shoving Maureen and all that but if you watch it again you will see that Maureen goes out of his way to try and block Arsene who was just trying to get a closer look of an incident happening on the pitch and Arsene would have none of that shit and rightly shoves him back to the 18th century. Lovely.
I would have been disappointed if Arsene had chickened out; he can’t be telling our boys to stand up to those bullies and then back out of a fight with the head bully.
Wunnnnnn hundred (x3)
Plus one. Shit timing 🙁
Tabsed it Cynic, glory position. 😉
Well in Cent.
I see Jose is cleverly deflecting attention away from Cahill’s awful challenge by claiming we were lucky not to be down to eight players.
And by cleverly, I mean cuntishly.
https://vine.co/v/OKhYV3Hurdq
Here’s another one for you Snowy. …and the rest of y’all.
Ace dat too H2H 🙂
Mourinho is a whiney, myopic dirtbag. Eff him.
AWs response about players being off, was dead on.
But – How the hell are we sitting in 8th? Thats really poor. Frankly i get the sense that there is no chemistry at all on the field. Like no one knows what they are supposed to be doing still – or what everyone is supposed to be doing. Very disjointed and disorganized in general. Must be fixed asap or we will keep dropping points to lesser sides like leicester and that. And The bigger stronger clubs will continue to beat us.
Frustrating day. Make that – frustrating season.
AW needs to sort this out and fast.
@Ttg,
We will win the league this season! There, I’ve said it!
The current squad just needs to believe they can and step up. The purchases of Ozil and Sanchez in the past 2 years should be indicators of real intent yet again at long last. Come the feck on one and all; no more accepting the mediocre and “comfortable”! We are the bloody Arsenal!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lXAZJ28s1rU
There are 4 points separating 2nd place to 10th Homer – and 5 points from 2nd to 12th. Not exactly massive margins there just yet.
For anyone not following Stuary MacFarlane on Twitter amend that now!
He’s just posted an ace pic of Per’s pants. Some Chelsea players seeming very keen to get into them for some reason….
Stuary = Stuart – doh!
If anyone has a vine of that moment early in the second half where Mourinho slipped on an oil patch and plunged headlong into the pitchside shark tank while wearing a waistcoat made of pork chops then please do post it. I feel it was glossed over in the commentary.
Take the next 12pts and we should be okay. No more draws. Although we lost the game,I was really impressed with the effort. And Wenger thanks for pushing that piece of crap of a manager.
What’s wrong with this site for goodness sake.?
This talk of football is soooo depressing. Why can’t we get back to praising vegetables and ridiculing fruit?
Think we’re all vegging out Cubby. It’s been a long day 😉
@294 & 305.
On closer analysis it seems we had a pretty good haul today after all. 😀
Cheers, H2H.
Snowy.
Yes yes. Right you are. Indeed. Im shutting up now.
Have a Good rest of the weekend holics.
Roy has called up Callum now, due to a player’s injury.
Kieran, Jack, Alex, Danny and now Callum.
If Theo were match fit it would be six from our team and you all know it.
20 teams in the league, 20 to choose from.
Roy knows.
They had 5 shots at goal with 3 on target and 2 goals. We had 10 shots at goal and couldn’t get a single one on target. Says it all really.
They had Hazard and Costa, we had Özil and Welbeck. Also says it all.
Another motm performance from the ever willing Jack, lots of industry from Alexi, but otherwise little to enthuse about.
And everyone else who matter won, leaving us behind Manure and the spuds, and even the Hammers ffs!
Can’t wait for Rambo, Theo and Giroud to return and get us back on the front foot again. All three badly missed today.
Öskar
Fuck all that Oskar, tell us how you watched it. HD? SD? Live or time-shifted? Was it the plasma? Did you rewind much?
Don’t keep us in suspense.
I could play “Stairway to Heaven” when I was 12. Jimmy Page didn’t actually write it until he was 22. Says it all, really.
I love Stuary’s pics. 🙂
Report to follow tomorrow. It won’t be damning, I’ll say that now. 😉
Rewind, N7? I wish I could, and have it all come out differently! Perhaps next year…
Öskar
Oskar is an easy target these days, N7.
Can’t recall he offended anyone in the bar so far, just expressed his opinion on a certain Arsenal related matter. I didn’t agreed with his opinion at the time, so I told him that, instead of ridicule him constantly, as he is an Arsenal fan and is one of us, after all.
Different game today but the same opinion on the same matter expressed by some others here @276 and @281. I didn’t see you or anyone else having something to say about it, so far. Or maybe you agree with those comments?
After all Oskar didn’t mention Ozil nowhere in his report today, which I really appreciate, mainly because Ozil is the one who is the easy target today, isn’t he?
Actually Page wrote Stairway To Heaven music when he was 26, Vim, which says something about your accuracy at least. 😉
Öskar
@Lurky
I think I prefer Oskar’s response, which demonstrates that he can take a joke, to your po faced indignation.
As for the rest, no idea what you’re on about. Plus ca change.
OTD
Costa is by far the hottest striker in the EPL but Welbeck is an excellent buy and will score plenty for us. The difference in the sides today was Matic. We had nobody of his quality to stiffen the midfield. Ozil had a terrible game but was out of position…again.
5 shots at goal … blah blah blah … says the man who doesn’t like stats when they don’t suit. Says it all really.
‘They had Hazard and Costa, we had Ozil and Welbeck’. I’d love to swap our two for that pair of cunts. Says it all really.
‘Otherwise little to enthuse about’. You need a bigger telly but I’ve yet to receive an offer. Says it all really.
‘Can’t wait for Theo Giroud and Rambo to return’ … so I can slag them off as well. Says it all really.
I’m going to get really worked up cos we’re one point behind Man Utd and Tottenham after 7 games. Says it all really.
As I said, Ttg, “They had Hazard and Costa, we had Özil and Welbeck”. And I have absolutely no doubt which pair I would prefer – in the BIG matches at least. You could also sub Fabregas for Hazard and I’d still want the chavsters.
It’s an opinion I may have expressed previously.
Öskar
Hang on.
Give me a minute.
Just trying to fit this here square peg into that round hole…
UTA
Careful iLonestar, don’t injure yourself! 😀
eÖskar
1.Lurky thinks Oskar didn’t mention Ozil.
2. Lurky clearly either can’t read or reads what he wants to read.
3. Lurky should get back to bigging up Gervinho and slagging off Ramsey like he did for a year.
4. Lurky clearly isn’t a fruit. He’s a vegetable.
And somewhere in Scotland, a feisty ex manager is raising his glass to Arsene, muttering to himself “What took you so long, old friend”.
And somewhere in Germany, a Spanish manager is ever so happy his respected peer, Arsene finally gave that BULLY what he has deserved,
since time began.
Oskar, Costa didn’t do shit all match. He scored when we were pushing for goals. You can’t keep comparing costa and Welbeck every time. They didn’t create shit, just like us. If carzola was a real DM, he could have taken out hazard before he got into our box. Didn’t think we were outplayed at all. We lost, it’s not like Welbeck had opportunities to score and missed them. Ozil was played out of position as usual, so that Wilshere could be fit in and we lost. Wilshere cannot influence a game like ozil can, if played in the right position. Playing him on the wings is like playing with 10 men. Still have not given up on the season, as far as Wenger gets a physical DM in the midfield we should be good.
And Fabregas, please he didn’t do shit all match too apart from the pass. When we were searching for a goal.And I wouldn’t want him back, just my opinion.
The vegetable jokes are back, I’ve missed them. They are the funniest. Especially the ones giving vegetable names to the players and all other great jokes. They are all great. I love them. So funny.
Abb, knows.
Oskar, Ozil made more key passes and had more successful dribbles than Cesc today. But that’s none of our business, right?
All this endless whingeing about Özil being played out of position is getting tiresome. As his passing map shows … https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/518762095748579329/photo/1 … what little involvement he had today was right across the field, though rarely in defence and apparently not in the same game as Fabregas.
The nominal position he plays for us is roughly the same as he played for Germany in the WC, and that went quite well. But it’s only nominal and in reality he has more of a roving role.
I’m surprised so many here who laud AW as a genius think he hasn’t a clue when it comes to Özil. You can’t have it both ways. The guy you should be pointing the bone at is the player who would prefer to mope around than get stuck in.
Öskar
As you see, Cent #339, you are wrong by a country mile.
Öskar
Hey Cent, god love you! 🙂
I don’t know how to argue with fruits and veggies or TV’s 😉
Except to observe some might have passed their freshness date ;(
But if anyone picks on either Lurky or Oscar, well, you’ll have this feisty matron all over your creaky bones in a heartbeat! ☺
Love you all, now behave! 🙂
Nite Holic 😉
Nice of you to miss us Lurky.
We haven’t missed you one bit. Take a longer holiday next time.
Abb, you see our man Gervais with MOTM performance for Roma vs Juve today. They’ve lost the game, but were by far the better side, Roma. Some strange penalty decisions in Juve favours, but Gerv was magnificent once again.
@336 & 337,
All very well said mate! Couldn’t agree more. More courage in the final quarter of the match to take risks offensively and we could’ve got something out of the match. Nevertheless, away at the top side “on form at the moment in the league” and we were disciplined enough. Will be a different result at home. COYBG! Really liked Cazorla in the CM role trio!
Oskar, key passes, not total passes.
A much improved away performance against a big team today. Big both in terms of their financial doping and their physique.
I haven’t got any stats as to exactly what the difference was in terms of height and weight, but Chelsea seem to have a physicality that makes defeat to them almost inevitable.
Their main tactic was to foul us all over the pitch to stop us building any sort of momentum, despite our generally good possession. And aided and abetted by yet another one-eyed referee, they were easily able to carry out their plan.
Sanchez, Wilshere, Cazorla, Özil and even Flamini, who had a good game, had no chance of winning physical battles with the likes of Ivanovic, Cahill, Matic and Mikel when he came on.
That, I think, is the main reason we were not able to get shots on target. We were simply taken down every time we threatened to break on them. It has to be time now, with Arteta, Rosicky and Flamini all in the autumn of their careers, and Diaby so sadly unable to prove his fitness, to fortify our midfield with some genuine power and height.
I think we can deal with Liverpool and even Man Utd as we are, but Chelsea, Man City and the best teams in Europe will continue to dominate us in our current incarnation.
I love our football at it’s best, but sometimes we need someone who can win us the right to play it.
The occasional referee who is prepared to give us a fair crack of the whip wouldn’t go amiss either.
Holiday? Is that a joke? Hàaahahahaha. Great joke once again…. Oh Mr Fruit you are killing me, stop it please!!!
Night, Nursie.
No joke at all.
Gotta love those who call the contribution of a striker averaging better than a goal a game ‘shit’ cos he only scored one against us!
Öskar
Key passes, Cent? Like the one Costa scored from?
Anyway, it was Hazard I thought best of the chavs today. Fabregas had a very clever game in support. So clever that many didn’t even notice his contribution apparently.
Öskar
Oh, you are a sad fruit now, Mr. Fruit, sorry to hear that. Let me chear you up!
To be honest Mr.Fruit, I really, really, really missed Oskar mentioning Ozil. Oskar you are really bad boy mentioning Ozil again, shame on you. Had a brilliant performance today on the wing, Ozil.
My bad, I appologize, Mr.Fruit, you are so funny and you are always here to correct me and the others who dont agree with you, when we are wrong. And to put us where we belong, the scumbags, because we dont agree with you Mr Fruit. And we have our own opinions on Arsenal matters, how stupid from us. Never gonna happen again.
You are the savior of this bar, Mr Fruit. Are you happy fruit now, Mr. Fruit?
Good night Mr. Fruit. Save some jokes for tomorrow, they are so funny.
Haha, you really really don’t know when to shut up do you?
Are you 12?
Oskar, you can heap praises on Fabregas all you want, but he still didn’t do shit all game long in my eyes. Costa scored a goal that Welbeck could have scored if they were the one chasing the game. We lost and that’s it. I won’t swap ozil for Fabregas any day. We just need the right physicality in the middle of the park. When we win,you complain about ozil, when we lose it’s his fault too. Why didn’t Wilshere create the chances that was needed to score, he was playing the no 10 role right?
Well played, Lurky. Personally I decline responding to the ovaries of flowering plants who hide behind nom de plums. They give me the pip frankly. If they’re too thin-skinned to claim authorship of their twiticisms they don’t deserve our pithy insights.
Öskar
It’s not his fault that he has a coach that is in love with playing Jack in the no 10 role. How many matches have we won with Jack in that role?
Have you considered an ophthalmologist, SAG?
Jack was our motm, imo.
Öskar
I am in a bit of a pickle. I don’t think its time to go out of the trolley and call this season or these players done. We can compete with just about any other team in this league. Right now Chelsea are superior. They really should be, they have spent a Billion pounds. The rest of the teams we are either equal or superior to even with our injury problems. This season is far from done. I think we may just be able to get second if we get a few better bounces to go our way. Still lots of twists and turns. Being in 8th at this pint does not bother me, there are few points separating 12 teams. The next 6 games will go a lot further in giving us a clue as to what we will be fighting for.
Chill people
We don’t “just need the right physicality”, SAG, we need half a dozen players who are a level above half the team currently playing. We have two or three of that half dozen currently injured, but even with them fit we’d still be looking for a minimum of two or three more, and probably more than that to allow for more injuries.
Much as I love our club we will continue to struggle for the lower CL positions in the Prem with our current squad. This is no-one’s fault, just a fact which we have to deal with given we prefer being a real club rather than a rich man’s hobby. And praising certain players to the skies when they’re under-performing their OWN abilities isn’t going to change anything.
We are sloooowly moving in the right direction, but in my opinion Özil in particular continues to disappoint given the amount we invested in him. HE IS NOT A BAD PLAYER, just not the kind we need when funds are (relatively) limited compared to the clubs we want to compete with. Fabregas was a great player for us and I have no doubt he would have been great again if we’d signed him instead of that smug Maureen. But like many I was AGAINST signing him this year because other areas of our squad needed that kind of money more than midfield.
It just pees me off hugely to see he and Hazard (a player I wanted us to sign for years) performing today compared to the guys we invested so heavily in.
Calling players from other teams shit is very creative analysis, but some of them could make a shitload of difference to us if they changed their shirt colours. Just my opinion of course.
Öskar
Man of the match? not my match of the match. You could pick about 3-4 players that played great. I think carzola was good, don’t know why he got substituted.
Now hazard, you are talking. I wish he played for us too.
Hazard was one of the major differences I mentioned initially in #320, SAG, before Cesc came into the discussion.
I think a number of the keener judges here agree with me that Jack was our motm, but it’s all just opinion.
Öskar
Oskar @ SAG: Arsene was one of the first one to have predicted Hazard’s progress even when he was on Lille reserve squad I think, around the same time Enzo Scifo and others in Belgium were talking about him. He had desperately wanted to get Hazard but Lille knew that this kid would fetch them really big money when we couldn’t afford that, they held on to him for one more year even after he won the Ligue 1 player of the year and then sold him to the highest bidder who also pay Hazard a salary that I don’t think we even play anyone now.
However I think if he were playing for us a segment of the fan base would be on his case because of his lack of defensive support. He doesn’t do the dirty work that Oscar does, but offensively what he does in few key moments are decisive.
I’d bite your hand off if you offered me another FA Cup at the moment.
Very decent points Oskar. Not sure the way forward. Need some happy pills, Nursie?!!
We are the bloody Arsenal and the season’s still wide open!
Courage, positive mental attitude and application over the next 4 matches and we’ll be right back in the mix. Up the Arse! COYBG!
Osakr — Ozil had a particularly ineffective game today. It looked worse than it was because he was dispossessed in some key build ups, whereas Jack and Santi lost possession in the occasional missed pass. Jack showed some lovely turns and drives and of course his ever present willingness to fight was evident, but he too made some poor decisions and had poor touches in the final third. Santi looked tidy and Alexis looked capable of threatening, but both were very well marshaled by a deep defensive strategy and some really cynical fouls.
My Arsenal MOTM, and this probably an opinion not shared by many, was Flamini. He did his job very well, his communication with the back line and organization was effective, he made some good forward passes and realizing his limitations dropped back and encouraging Kos to go on some surging runs. Didn’t concede any card and didn’t give away poor fouls. It was one of his better performance since he rejoined us.
Lonestar @ 365: Chelsea is looking so good because they now have a striker who is having a phenomenal form whiling flirting with an injury and they have great defensive stability. There would be English winter and Stoke yet — and I do not mean this facetiously — and once Costa is unavailable for any stretch they will find it hard to score, and if a little reshuffle is needed in defense (even today a deserved early red on Cahill would have made this match entirely different) then they would not be able to so effectively park the bus against teams with great pace and creativity in the forward line.
I will contend that Man City is still the best team in a somewhat ordinary standard PL, and we are not that far behind them or Chelsea. Chelsea is not going to piss the league as some pundits may already be suggesting.
@368 : “…while flirting with an injury …”
I dunno Dr. F.
I prefer to marshall my thoughts from what I can see, not what is and maybes (and I agree with your Flaming assessment). I would just through out there that my Ozil-meter does recognize Oskar’s consistent luxury critique…especially in the big games.
I also notice that for all our stability, ‘pool and yanited are finding ways to close the gap.
My current assessment has the Blue Mancs and the Blue Ruskies deciding the league. CL is likely PSG’s or Madrid’s to lose. FA Cup anyone?
“What ifs”
A word on referees
I’ve seen Atkinson referee many games including many not featuring the Arse. I’ve seen him many times extravagantly “warn” a player that he’s on his final chance and then let him carry on with persistent fouling.
His performances are always predictably poor. Who on earth would stop a game when a team is in an attacking phase because somebody has hurt their hand!
I don’t think he is biased. Unfortunately, like too many referees in this league, he often seems incapable of making the right decisions and applying them consistently. Also, as someone pointed out earlier, his positioning is often poor. In summary, he is just not very good.
People often complain about the younger referees being given games beyond them but if new referees aren’t given the opportunities then we’ll be forever stuck with Atkinson, Dowd, Moss, Dean et al.
And there’s a horrible thought.
ttg@296: I have to agree that the title is Chelski’s to lose.
H@2H@298: Unfortunately, the Fat Lady only seems to know one song…
H2H@305: so much to choose from in that Vine: Jack giving JT an earful, Ozil giving himself a tweak and Sanchez oh so short left shorts leg.
Otd@331: Hazard is a class player. He’d walk into any Premiership side. Ours included.
Lonestar@332: careful, or you’ll be out for three months…
SAG@336. Spot on. We were neither outplayed nor outthought. We just got beaten.
Lonestar @ 370: Agreed on your assessment based on current performance.
I just think that we can only get better in this season, big players finding more confidence and be more bold — for instance, Alexis, Ozil and Santi should need no direction from the manager to switch positions to say pit Alexis against the oddly named Spanish left back and not the Serbian thug — in their own decision making and some key members returning from injury. Rambo, Giroud (who I think was going to surprise many by taking the next step and Welbeck for all his effervescence and abilities is not the most imposing on a tight defense ), Theo and particularly Debuchy who started to give attack some surprising thrust and venom from the right flank.
In case any one has forgotten, we had five starters missing from the line-up today, compared to Chelsea’s none. The Gala performance has made us forget that it still is an injury ravaged squad. 🙁
I realise, Dr F, that this is the moment for many to pick their motm as anyone so long as it isn’t Jack, but I love a trier and he tried all day, occasionally looking back to his very best. But he was also well contained much of the time by the kind of defensive patterns we could learn from. In truth we spent most of the match bashing our balls against a very resilient defence which no-one looked likely to break down, but I thought Jack came closest.
Öskar
Oskar @ 375: 🙂 That is a tad bit simplistic from you to imply that “some” may simply don’t want to give Jack a deserved MOTM recognition. At least give others the courtesy of the same objectivity that you profess to possess yourself. Fair, right? 🙂
I am a big fan of Jack, has always had great hopes for him and continue to have. He was my MOTM after the Man City game.
You see football from the perspective of honest effort, I see it from the perspective of efficiency. Both are valid, depends on how we grew up to appreciate the game in our formative years and how much we had allowed ourselves to change over the years. Jack is a great trier, and a great talent on the ball, but he remains problematically inefficient. He makes too many key mistakes. Today he was the runner from the center midfield for our best chance for the goal and he had an awful first touch, uncharacteristically so, with his right foot. On the training ground he would score that goal ten out of ten, and it was a sad mistake in a match like this where chances are known to be at a premium.
Flamini, IMHO, did a very efficient job in his role. Given that no one really distinguished himself that clearly I thought my MOTM should go to someone who actually did his part pretty damn well and more or less without any flaws.
If Jack had scored that goal he would definitely be my MOTM as well.
In case you genuinely wanted to know my reasoning… 🙂
Chavs v Arse (before Sunday):
Arse v other best 5 away last 5 yrs
20 matches (4 x 5)
W 1
D 3
L 16
No W in past 6 matches
Only 4 W in last 24 matches (decade)
Wenger has never beaten Mourinho (period)
Last season: Chavs 6 Arse Farce 0
Combined Chavs & Arse Best XI:
————– Courtois —————–
Ivanovic Cahill Terry Azpilicueta
———- Matic —- Cesc ————-
—————– Ozil ——————-
Alexis —— Diego Costa —- Hazard
Only 2/11 Arse players in best combined XI (worrying)
Everyone should have ran to their bookie taking the Chavs on this one (trying not to turn their ankles)
Chavs 2/3
Arse 9/2
Draw 13/5
I meant just to prove me wrong, Dr F, but let it pass.
Öskar
“What is to regret after that? I wanted to go from A to B and somebody confronted me without any sign of welcome,” Wenger said.
“B was get to Sanchez to see if he was injured. Was it a push? A little one. You can see when I really try to push.”
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29500091
Arsenal defender Calum Chambers has replaced the injured John Stones in England’s squad to face San Marino and Estonia in Euro 2016 qualification.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29497934
—————
Hope no injuries to our players!
GHFT@377: I’d have Mertesacker and Koscielny over Terry and Cahill in the center of the defence and Ramsey for Cesc, which would make it a 5/6 split, which is about right.
Oskar @ 378: Thanks. Just to clarify: I have no agenda about proving anyone wrong or proving me right. I don’t even think there are so clear-cut rights or wrongs anyway, and seen over a period of time our opinions tend to be much less consistent than we are willing to accept and our insights are found to be riddled with paradoxes. All the better for it, otherwise we will always be the same person. Tragically. And comically.
In any case, in my academic, professional and personal lives I have always had most fun with and learnt most from people I had vehemently disagreed with. 🙂
Anyone have any thoughts on Woj with Costa’s goal? Unlike the penalty he gave away against Galatasary in a not dissimilar situation, he held off and let Costa get the shot in. Should he have gone for the ball, and risked a penalty and a card? Or did he make the right choice in standing off, even though Costa scored as a result?
BB @ 379: Those were in the transcribed snippets of Arsene’s interview in the Arsenal web-site as well. As those tend to be edited would it be too much to read into and assume that Arsene approves his own aggression? 🙂
NBN @ 382: I was thinking the same thing. Tough decision and Wednesday’s red card did most likely play on his mind. Could he have been that little bit quicker as a sweeper? Is this something that he should work on — Neuer-esque aspirations — to complement our attacking style better?
@NBN
I think that Woj did in fact try to come out and close, but Costa was just too quick. Not faulting Woj in any way(even when he seems to bump into players ..not good!), he should always go for the ball, the alternative is almost always a goal.
@DocFaust
Not sure if Arsene approves of his own aggression but I am sure many others do…. 🙂
The look of surprise on Mour…: http://i.imgur.com/4NlVYcw.jpg
My kind of establishment : http://i.imgur.com/kVl8l1i.jpg
😀
I liked our aggressiveness in the 1st half. Thought it took its toll and we faded in the second.
Only plus points were that there wasn’t much between the teams. But as chavs have the cutting edge they can afford to play this way. Their 2nd was a Moreno special. Scoring with just 1 player in the opposition half.
We just don’t have that in our team.
Oh well never mind. Time will mend this heartbreak as well.
At the end of the day, if we are going to be losing to big teams away, then we need to be beating them at home. No lame draws against them at home, if we can’t beat them or tie them away. We really don’t have any more excuses left, our next four games should be straight 12 pts. No ifs, buts, should haves, just do it. And Oskar, I agree with you about the easiness in which ozil was been knocked off the ball, that definitely needs to change.
Debate with respect, please. Thank you.
If you don’t agree, goodbye.
Oskar – very much minded to agree with you @375. I did initially wonder whether it was right to start Jack, but his attitude and energy were spot on yesterday.
MOTD2 last night was interesting in that they pulled together a montage of how smartly Chelsea were able to continually disrupt with constant little fouls and I have to say it’s really rather depressing seeing it all compressed into a few seconds like that. Mourinho really is just Pulis with money.
It could be noted that City lost at Anfield, lost at Stamford Bridge, lost at home to Chelsea and got one point against us at the Emirates last season and still won the league. In total, they won 7 out of a possible 18 points from those matches whereas Chelsea beat us at home, drew away and beat Liverpool and City home and away (i.e. 16/18 points) and still finished only third.
We were beaten by a better team. While the scoreboard will reflect a 2 goal win, there is a gulf between the two teams. Of course, they’ve had a considerable head start and have a complete panel. While we’ve bridged the gap somewhat, we’re still a few players short.
Two moments of brilliance in either half decided the game. Then enter Obi Mikel & co to shut the game down following the typical Jose strategy and template.
I remember seeing some comments at the bar following the Gala game that we didn’t need a player of Cavani’s level now as Welbz had arrived and scored a hat-trick. Big players decide big games. We still need a striker at that level and that’s not in any way being disrespectful to either Welbz or Giroud. There is a considerable difference between Welbeck and Costa in terms of quality.
We were poor up front yesterday – the final pass didn’t get through and we failed to make the most of our possession playing tippy tap triangles in midfield and outside their box. No real penetration. And even more worrying than that – there is no real leadership in this side. Neither Jack nor Ozil have stepped up and lead the charge in games of this magnitude when it really matters. Any example being set up front has almost exclusively come from Alexis. That lad never hides.
That said, I was encouraged by a lot of what I saw. I thought we got our set up and tactics right apart from playing Ozil wide. We just failed to create or make the most of some of the opportunities that came our way. Jack’s touch to let the ball get away from him in the first half comes to mind and would have resulted in a goal I think. You just can’t miss those chances at this level. And we fudged and fumbled our possession when we needed to be incisive and direct.
Chelsea are a serious side. I feel the side who finishes above them will win the PL and they will be serious contenders for the CL too.
They’re a seasoned, tough, physical, streetwise side and are extremely efficient in doing just enough to win big games. We can complain all we want about the referee but he could easily have sent off Kos. But we need to stand up for ourselves and be a little more streetwise in these games. I hate Mourinho as much as the rest of you and in much the same way I hated Fergie – but he’s a seriously good manager and its no fluke that Wenger has yet to get the better of him. And it’s not just about money I’m afraid. Their organisation, structure, strategy and the pragmatic execution of the game plan are generally superior to most especially for big games. Its a sign of how well he prepares and not just how much money he spends. That’s why they’re a much tougher side to meet than Citeh.
We forget at times that we’ve brought in 4 new players into the first team. These changes combined with our injuries will mean it’ll take a little time for us to find our mojo. I felt sorry for Oxlade who I believe deserved much more after his performances so far this season rather than being benched. I was one of the few who also thought Ozil was very poor and was frankly amazed that he stayed on the field. He needs to play at 10 and we need to set the team up around him. Otherwise what’s the point in spending 42m for a 10 we play on the wing? Is it just to accommodate others? And if that’s the case – then what does that say? He’s a wonderful talent but he must be given the lead role and he must then take responsibility.
And as for Cesc, well you all know where I stand on Cesc. He’s letting his football do all the talking: 7 games and 7 assists, 9 points ahead of us.
@393 Joe
Excellent summation if ever there was one!
If I may venture a point or two with regards to Ozil and Cesc, Ozil for one actually moves around the field quite a bit while not actually playing in the center as most everyone alludes to.
And as for Cesc, yes he gets the results when you have the team that they have, if you don’t have Matic and later Mikel to back you up, I suspect he would be caught out defensively.
Having said that, I thought that Flamini was immense on the day, covering and organizing, but for him I suspect there would be more goals conceded.
Going forward, I feel that, to truly challenge in all competitions, we would need to keep our players injury free for extended periods of time and to add a defensive midfielder or two as the pair of Arteta and Flamini are not getting any younger. When we have the players then maybe we could stick Ozil in the center but not currently. As for the other positions as far as I am concerned, we are equipped with well and capable personnel.(When we have a full team available of course!)
😀
Morning all.
Not very dejected about that result.
Joe got it right – better team (probably champions) won 2-0 at home. We did our best. Move on
Ozil not at all great (in this game) in my opinion.
Mourinho shat himself.. hilarious!
I do enjoy a feisty nurse….. gets my blood racing 🙂
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Before i comment on the game i would just like to point out one thing the commentator on sky told during the city game on saturday- David Silva has had a brilliant game in the free role he is allowed to roam about because the rest of his team mates make sure he can have that freedom.
Now that put in context to ozil should answer the question of his performance. Yes he was not great, to be honest he ha never reached the levels of his Madrid days here at all but then he has been asked to do the kind of role he has never been used to and will never probably.
Arsenal showed they have the ability to toe the physical line with chelsea but still dont have the answer to break them.
The game felt all to similar. We had lots of possession but never looked like scoring, they had 2 chances and they scored both.
Even if the ref was a stupid crackpot, fact remains we do not seem to know what to do when facing upto such tactics. Matic was brilliant in what he did yday and was the clear player of the match yday. He does the dirty work but does it unnoticed.
10 points out of 21, a sense of acceptance already that we wont win anything, is this what we have been reduced to?. Why is there a sense of sad resignation and acknowledgement, we are the mighty Arsenal right, whatever happened to that?.
In a nut shell i think the game can be best described as one wherein no one was truly bad yet no one was really good and that wont win us games.
Fine posts there Snowy @391, Lars @ 392, Joe @ 393 and BB @ 394. I agree with every word.
We clearly still fall short of what is required to beat that lot and also to be confident that we shall lift the Premiership again this season.
Albeit we have key personnel missing who would have added to our threat, there are still a couple of key players missing from our team to turn this group into a dominant squad again.
No disgrace yesterday. We fought. We lost.
We lick our wounds.
Onwards.
Guys, still don’t understand the whole crowning of Chelsea as champions in October. Yes they are presently the best team. But we are just 7 games in. Let hazard, costa or Fabregas get injured or lose form and we will see how good they really are. Common some of you guys talk like this is your first season watching the PL,and I don’t mean that to be disrespectful. Yes they have a better striker than us. But what happens when,and if they lose him to injury,and hazard will not keep that form all season. We lost and yea we are 9 pts back. But damn it’s just October, if this was January then that’s a whole different story. We need our players back and stay injury free ( don’t know if that’s possible) and hopefully get in a player. Am not saying we will the title, but am not going to write off the season and hand the trophy to Chelsea in October.