Gunners Storm The Palace
Aug 16th, 2015 by 'holic
Yes, that predictable! The Arsenal hit the ground running at Selhurst Park and a combination of wonderful attacking football in the first-half, a degree of grit in the second, and yes, a bit of good fortune at important moments enabled them to win 1-2. The first three points will hopefully lift everybody ahead of next Monday night’s match against Liverpool.
Arsene recalled Hector Bellerin at right-back, possibly with one eye on the sprint squad send out by Alan Pardew. Predictably Alexis also got his first start of the season, although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could not be blamed for feeling a little surprised.
From the off though there was a much better balance to the Arsenal side. Santi Cazorla was back in the box to box role, and Aaron Ramsey went right, but his desire to cut inside from there was probably a deciding factor in the selection of Bellerin, ever keen to lend a hand in attack.
Palace were supposed to be the counter-attacking team, but it was the Gunners who first broke with astonishing pace and the imperious Ozil freed Alexis. Still shaking off the rust, the Chilean was denied twice, but his moment would come.
With ten minutes gone he had been denied again, as had Giroud and Ramsey. At the other end Cabaye had seen a couple of snapshots dealt with comfortably by Petr Cech. Fifteen minutes in Palace were unlocked by Ozil’s cross and a wonderful volley from Giroud, contorting to hook home. Alexis saw an effort from an oblique angle comfortably saved, and then headed over.
We were penalised for not having added a second goal while clearly on top when Palace got an unlikely equaliser from an even more unlikely source. Ward, teed up by McArthur, took advantage of a poor effort to block from Laurent Koscielny to rifle one just inside the far post from Twenty yards. I’ve seen criticism of Cech for not saving it. He would have needed to be eight feet tall to get anywhere near it.
Not surprisingly, and obviously not for the first time Lee Mason was confounding both sets of supporters with yet another display of utter incompetence. We were the beneficiaries of that when Francis Coquelin, already booked, survived further censure for three fouls either side of half-time having been booked five minutes before the break.
Early in the second-half we could conceivably have been behind. Defensively we were all at sea when Zaha picked out Wickham on the six yard line and the Palace striker hit his effort against the post. Souare somehow avoided a card when Mesut Ozil turned him inside out on our right flank. It was the trigger to another spell of Arsenal dominance.
Aaron Ramsey had an effort blocked and Alexis headed just wide as we cranked up the pressure again. Alexis finally had his moment five minutes short of the hour, showing enormous desire to win a venomous far post header that Delaney could only divert into his own net. The time had come to dig in, and dig in Arsenal most certainly did.
Cech was more than equal to a tame Puncheon shot from close range, and then the last of Coquelin’s indiscretions brought about his long overdue substitution, the Ox getting half an hour on the right wing with Rambo dropping in alongside the impressive Cazorla. The Ox traded chances with Wickham but Arsenal were increasingly forced to rely on pressure relieving counter-attacks. From one Rambo was just off target after being put through by Ozil.
Alexis was sacrificed to allow Mikel Arteta to come on and add to our solidity in front of the back four, and shortly afterwards Ozil was withdrawn to a standing ovation from the traveling faithful. Mutch headed over and Ward headed straight at Cech as Arsenal saw out the tense closing minutes, with Wickham avoiding censure for a blatant foul on Per Mertesacker.
The man of the match award went the way of Santi Cazorla. No arguments from me other than I wonder how you could differentiate between he and Ozil today as the Arsenal midfield once again rediscovered shape and confidence. Asked for his opinion on the win Arsene said afterwards,
“We have shown our strong response and we have shown different aspects in our game that are vital in the Premier League. We had a good, fluent game in the first half and when they came back to 1-1 it was a mental test to see how we could respond. We managed to find a second goal and after that in the second half of the game we just had to dig in, fight, and we did it as well.”
So, job done, with the added bonus of the ‘holic pound secured. A healthy early season profit is much appreciated.
134 Responses to “Gunners Storm The Palace”
GET IN!!
😀
First ever ‘holic pound win on a 2-1 punt? ?
Excellent report, ‘Holic. A fine result for the Arseal and a bonus result for the ‘holic pound.
108 more points to play for.
COYG
..and i other news.. Chavs lose 3-0!
Looks like their tea lady’s getting the sack this time..!
😀 😀 😀
Excellent report!
Thought Coquelin was not as indisciplined as the sequence of events may have made him look out to be. The first yellow was a bit soft. The one he got away with would have definitely seen a yellow if he were not already on one. So yes a bit lucky in that respect. But in the second half the Palace players of course targeted him to be sent off and none of the challenges deserved a second yellow. In between he played well enough even though not his best game, with some neat wins, clearances and eye-catching long-range passes.
Arteta looked impressively sharp and aggressive when he came on. Hope he stays fit all throughout the season and prove all of us doubters wrong.
Lot of good performances, but I thought Monreal may also stake a claim for MOTM. Excellent defensively and going forward. A very accomplished display.
Kos typically starts his seasons slowly, so will get better. The crosses and corners demonstrated that him, Per and Cech are still building an understanding and hopefully this win will give them a bit more of the confidence in each other.
BB @ 4: That is five goals conceded in two matches by the meanest defense in PL! This is going to be a season tighter and many unexpected results and I doubt unlike Chelsea last season anyone will be able to hold that much of a control of the #1 position by December.
We beat Liverpool next Monday and the team will get back the confidence from the second half of last season.
Moaninho called the 3-0 result as FAKE… hahahahahhaahh!
The times they are a-changin..!
😀
Also, despite this being not his best position quite liked Rambo down the right with Bellerin behind him who is becoming really very good at the overlapping outside runs and crosses. Rambo worked in between the lines very well and his starting position being relatively so high it also allows him to play to one of his main strengths of being the third runner in the box and getting into really great goalscoring positions. He should start to enjoy this more and not worry about playing centrally too much.
BB: Diego Costa, a bit overrated, no? Not in the company of Aguero or Lewandowski or even Benz…
Not really better than Giroud, IMHO. Snarlier (and slimier) and more aggressive I suppose, but not a better footballer.
Hope this nice run of conceding goals continue for Moaninho’s team…
@DocFaust
I’ll wager the Moaning One ups the ante and spends heavily before the end of the transfer window. Not that it’ll help..! Most anyone of repute is probably playing for a good club already, he’ll have to gamble and pay above the odds.
Clearly their players are suffering from fatigue and lack of confidence.. if not old age (..and probably rigor mortis in JTerry) and if they want to mount a serious challenge they can’t afford another slip up so soon. Not to mention the bad business with their medic… all in all fomenting a toxic environment, it’s certainly shaping up to be a great year! 😀
We, on the other hand, are only going to gain momentum once Alexis gets fully match fit and Cech works out an understanding with the defence. Wilshere will be back soon too…!
😀
Diego Costa is a brawler… right league but wrong decade! Would have loved to see him up against vinnie jones… : http://www.footandball.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/paul-gascoigne-and-vinnie-jones-7329679761.jpg
..and no would not take him over Giroud!
We just need a few more games to get up to speed… time to go on a good winning run!
😀
BB @ 10: Do you think we will get a new signing? With Wilshere, Welbeck and TR7 all out injured (and Danny’s mysterious injury particularly looks like one of those that would sideline him for longer than expected) our margins on fitness in attack is very thin indeed and even if not a “world class” striker we may need an attack-minded player who can offer variations as well as support for the main cast and is capable of scoring a few goals.
Arteta looked like he has been working very hard on his fitness, and if he keeps it up he will prove all of us doubters wrong and we would not need that DM alternative.
Ozil’s touches today, including that receive and turn on the line…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-J_3Gvmj04
Very fair report Maestro.
The Holic Pound ruled as I suspected it would. My only quibble was that with his arms at full stretch Cech should span about eight feet! But I’m not going to get on Cech’s case. He was very good otherwise and is still adjusting to new defenders.
I thought Monreal and Bellerin were excellent today. Santi was good for the whole ninety minutes. Ozil was excellent in the first half but I thought he faded just before he was substituted. What was a cause of rejoicing was how well Arteta did when he came on. He did exactly the job you would want an old, experienced hand to do. I also thought Giroud had an admirable game. He was fouled incessantly by Delaney and Dann and caused them no end of problems and his finish for the goal was sublime.
On the way home we had a chat among several Gooners. One insisted that he knew that Augyemang ( or whatever) was the real target and would sign but most agreed that if Coquelin has to make as many tackles as he did today we must have cover for him as he will be suspended regularly. That said I think Arteta can do a very serviceable job in his role but I appear to be alone. Just as my belief that if we can’t sign Benzema or a top European we should take a punt on Charlie Austin. But I was alone among my colleagues on the 3.41 from Selhurst?
@DocFaust
I do not think we will get anyone else, but if we do it would have to be Benzema or any striker of quality which would most likely start in place of Giroud.
So no i do not think we will get more players, I agree about our injury issues but Wilshere is probably back in a fortnight and i do not see the need for another attacking minded midfielder unless he’s an automatic starter what with the wealth of talent we have there already.
As for the DM position, I don’t think we’ll find anyone in this market that will replace COQ, on the plus side though.. Arteta looked sharp and I expect that he’ll get a few games and may even start some!
😀
http://i.imgur.com/kVl8l1i.jpg
What a glorious weekend!
😀
Actually we were not THAT good. Nervous all the way, up and down + we were extremely lucky because Palace was shite.
With defense like ours was today, any decent side will put couple of ugly ones behind that chelsea legend.
I’m sorry but I’m not blind.
@7 it WAS a fake result, to be fair. City should have won 6-0.
@17 – Far from convincing but a win should get things moving. I still think we’re a better side with less tippy tap and more pace, but it looks like we’re going to carry on fitting players into the XI rather than picking the best team.
So long as it works….
I used to live within walking distance of Selhurst Park but have seldom visited in recent years. Going back it was like slipping back through a time warp They still enter the fray to ‘ Glad all Over’ which is as crap a piece of music as has ever been composed ( played as it was by a group of Spuds) they still gave a group of cheerleaders akin to those featured by Sky in the 1990s and the old ground really needs a revamp. Going back to places like Upton Park, the Swamp , Stamford Bridge and Upton Park foes make you realise how advanced a stadium ours is. The fabled atmosphere didn’t impress me very much and I thought the away fans were just as noisy and the most enjoyable pre- match feature was the Eagle who swooped around the pitch oblivious to the noise and the worst efforts of the Dave Clark Five. I wonder what Yohann Cabaye really thinks after his home debut. ?
SSY@17: “…we were extremely lucky because Palace was shite”.
Really? I know they’re not T*ttenh*m, but surely that’s something we can take to the bank.
COYG
Palace will probably finish about 10th but they are much better away from home because they can use their counter- attacking pace more. Bolasie and Zaha are a real handful but they will struggle to get goals. But SSY your definition of shite might need some refinement ( if you can refine shite) . This was a tough, very physically demanding game against an awkward team who have managed to beat almost everyone except us in recent years at a hostile ground ( although not as hostile as I had been led to believe) . It was also tough after last week’s reverse. We will improve rapidly after this.
The BtM crystal ball is predicting that the Holic pound will be on 2-1 against the Mickeys 🙂
@9 Dr F, Snarlier, slimier, knees closer together and big toes further apart than Giroud. The latter the MUCH better player and human being.
Please don’t make me explain myself or I would be the enemy.
Everybody hates me as it is.
3 points are in the bag and I am happy.
Offensively, Palace WAS shite.
Even some of the London gooners who were watching the game with us today said so.
Although one of them should be happy to go home with solid bones.
He was not disrespectful, just stupid.
The first thing Arsenal did right today was going back to last season’s tried and tested formula of Bellerin at RB, Coquelin and Cazorla in CM, and a bit more solidity and industry from Ramsey at RM, leaving the Ox to come off the bench when the game opened up in the last quarter. I am puzzled why people are still surprised when Bellerin is selected ahead of Debuchy – to me, he’s the substantially better player, and I’m certain he’ll go on to establish himself as one of Europe’s finest right backs over the coming years (no doubt Barca will try and poach him back when Dani Alves moves on).
I also thought Coquelin had an excellent game before his substitution. Just what we want from that position, he was by the far sharpest presser on the pitch in the first half, and the hullabaloo was only really the vociferous Palace fans sensing an opportunity to pressure the ref and get him sent off after he was booked (I wasn’t aware fouls in themselves constituted yellow cards, and 2 or 3 hardly equates to ‘persistent fouling’). I was covertly sat in the Palace end, and the 2 Eagles fans sat either side of me didn’t think the Coq should have gone either….
Other than that – nice solid performance. Their flair players (Bolasie, Zaha, Puncheon) were neutralised, and although he still looked a tad rusty, we just look such a more dynamic and threatening attacking unit with Alexis in it.
You make a good point Gregoire. I had a great view of the tackle that Coquelin got booked for and in real time he looked to win the ball first. A Palace fan behind me commented as much in trying to emphasise what a tool Mason was . I thought that Mason called Mertesacker to him and might have indicated that one more foul would have seen Coquelin sent off . He was then subbed.Was that spotted on TV? There was definitely a conversation between them immediately before Coq left the field.
A great and gritty performance, and Ozil was outstanding. I’ve seen one report saying that he completed 97% of his passes, I wasn’t counting but he was dynamic and I only hope that he can maintain that form in future games – I have always been an Ozil fan.
Cech still looked hesitant, maybe unsure of his defence in tight situations, and despite his amazing goal Giroud did not have a good game in my book. Still ambles around when he should be hassling their defence, and today his passing was definitely off.
And at times our ‘oh so clever’ passing was totally frustrating…forget the clever bits, be more direct when we have the opposition on the back foot. Hit ’em hard, don’t give them time to reorganise.
But overall….a wonderful game to watch, with the right outcome.
Nice report ‘h’ and nice 3 points!
Up the Arse! COYBG!
Fine report Guvna. Glad you pocketed some ‘change’.
I agree with Dr Faustus @5 on Coquelin and Arteta.
Le Coq would have been unlucky to get a second yellow though I’ve seen them given for such relatively minor offences. On the other hand I have more frequently seen our players violently mauled throughout games by opposition bruisers who fail to be given a single yellow. I thought Mason showed strength to resist the Palace players’ and fans’ pressure and Pardew’s half-time venom.
Arteta made numerous key interceptions when he came on and looks to be building up his strength and confidence. He will once again be a key player for us this season albeit in more of a cameo role rather than a sure-fire starter.
I also agree with Dr F @9 and BtM @23 on the relative merits of HFB and Costa. Wouldn’t trade them.
Spot on Gregoire @25. Le Coq had a great game before his substitution. Much better than last week as were all. However the media who until recently were flaying us for our ‘soft centre’ have a new tub to thump. Prepare for Coquelin the thug as their new agenda, especially as ‘Lazy Ozil’ is clearly being recognised as inappropriate even by the less gifted observers.
3 points.
Happy.
Build. 😎
‘Imperious’ was a good word to describe Özilla today – in the first half anyway, it was the best I’ve ever seen him play. But then he left it in the sheds and ‘Imperceptible’ pretty much described his second half.
Mikel was a pleasant surprise. I thought his cameo was excellent – especially his tackle back to deny Puncheon(?) a shot from six yards. He looked so sharp in that moment that the commentator called him as Belle.
Great to see Alexis injecting such energy. Not a lot resulted from it, but it clearly inspired others.
Well hooked in Ollie, lovely bit of class.
Otherwise there seemed to be a lot of nerves and if their effort which hit the post had gone in anything could have happened.
As it is we’re two points ahead of the Moaning one, so can’t grumble. Although just one OG goal and one OG gift in two games doesn’t say a lot for our striking power. Should we be buying? Or should we be looking at the bench??
Öskar
It certainly appeared on TV that Coq was warned he would be off if he fouled again, Ttg, and I think Merts was included in the conversation. That a Palace player was almost immediately booked after a similar foul caused a ruckus, but I’m pretty sure he was booked for dissent, NOT the foul
Mason may not be the best ref going round but he’s no enemy of Arsenal. We seemed to edge the luck with him today, and historically we often have in recent times. So I for one am not going to bag him, and others should beware what they wish for.
Öskar
Morning,
I see normal service has resumed across the London, in terms of the premier league.
😆
Selhurst Park is a hostile little place.
It’s South London at it’s finest. They put a lot of pressure on the refs so anything which takes place on the pitch is amplified. Afterall, they single handedly ousted Speroni, although that new kid they have seems pretty good.
Other than that, a partially fit Sanchez made the difference. An alert Cech made threatening shots look nullified, although after a year bench warming, he still needs a few more games behind him.
Bring on the Job seekers.
Let’s not forget, this is a team who have lost their best player for the last two seasons. Tactically Wenger is far more superior. Technically, we have the edge and overall we have better quality in numbers. You could go as far as to say, in every department.
However, this season is going to be one where hard graft and work will produce results. Points make prizes when you’re chasing the title, so every game is going to be hard work.
Yesterday we saw a glimpse of what hard work can produce. Depth is going to be ever so important this season, as the level of quality has to be continuos. Even when we’re having a hard time, we need to have that drive and energy to turn things around, as we did yesterday.
There’s three points to be had next week and chance to recreate that atmosphere, which made coming to the Ems, a daunting task for teams in the league.
Anyway, one game at a time especially whilst we are still in a position to take advantage of one game a week.
I thought Mason was great yesterday. Proper old school refereeing where he thought offences were so minor, they were not worthy of a dismissal.
Zaha didn’t get booked but committed a few fouls that were silly and of a similar nature to some of Coquelin’s. A little shove in the back here or a trip there..
If City did troll Chelsea with that Dr Who theme yesterday, and I like to think they did rather than it being a regular tune they play, this is the version they used 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSpc7VV4PuU
Happy with the win and some decent performances as noted above.
With the benefit of replay, Coq’s yellow was deserved. He missed the ball and collected the man who was getting away from him. I have no problem with him picking up a card in that type of situation.
Where I do have a problem, bearing in mind he’s on a yellow, is the sheer stupidity of his subsequent fouls. A little trip here, a pull of the arm there. If he has to make a decisive challenge and take one for the team, so be it, but to pick up a second yellow for silly challenges that do not significantly change the course of the game achieves nothing other than pissing off the referee, the crowd and, more importantly, me.
Mason, hopeless for both sides as usual, did us a favour and Mert was clearly seen gesturing to the bench after Mason’s chat to replace Coq. Other refs would not have been so lenient / useless and I hope that Coq learns a big lesson from this.
Forty minutes with ten men delivers a different game and probably a different result.
Onward to the hub cap poachers.
UTA.
Thanks Cynic for the heads-up regarding the Dr. Who theme yesterday. An absolute beauty! Heh!
what LTHG said
🙂
That Coquelin is a terrible monster and should be stoned for the awful tackles he committed on those nice boys from Saarff Lundin.
As for that referee, Lee Mason, he was awful because he didn’t do what nice Mr Pardieu told him he had to do in the second half if that monster Coq made one further challenge.
I mean he’s not named Pardieu for nothing and his God-like omniscience should be obeyed by lesser mortals like Lee Mason.
It’s the biggest crime in the history of mankind that Le Coq wasn’t given a yellow card because he at least deserved to be horsewhipped for adding steel to the Arsenal soft centre.
Nice weekend
Good three points
Entertaining finish watching the gradual implosion of the reptilian one.
Totts dropping a two-goal lead and two points in five minutes v Stoke.
Three points for the Arsenal at a tricky away ground.
The meltdown at Chelsea continues.
That’s a good weekend in my book.
3 massive points. We had to do it and we did.
We got off the mark and that is what matters. Selhurst park is a tough place to go for any team and early in the season with a loss behind us, this win will be far more valuable than just the 3 points.
Ozil brilliant, he just does everything so beautifully that it feels he is painting his own picture on a canvas. It is often misunderstood but then it is not his fault, it is more so the perspective of the viewer.
Sanchez brings in that raw energy and zeal that no one else does so in the team and just his mere presence on the pitch inspires confidence.
The goal did have its flaws. Was kos to be blamed for not closing down or was cech unsighted? The defense still is a work in progress and pool will offer a sterner test come next monday.
Overall a satisfying day, an excellent end to end football game wherein we were sublime at times.
Oh wait how can i end without a mention of the special skunk, he is comedy gold, the team that won the first half won the game he said, you idiot your team should have lost by a tennis scoreline but for begovic. The best moment of the day was when their make shift medics came on to the pitch but more so the man who was dressed was a doc behind jose, hilarious.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/17/00/2B6BFEB400000578-3200379-image-a-19_1439768601285.jpg
😀
The manager who apparently doesn’t do tactics
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150817/ramsey-i-got-into-dangerous-positions
[“It was the manager’s decision and he tweaked things around,” he told Arsenal Player. “He told me to try and get in between the lines, not stay outside, to come inside and I thought I did that by getting into some dangerous positions. Some of the combination play was really good and on another day we could’ve scored more.]
With a marauding maverick like Alexis on the left I think Arsene finds a better balance with someone like Rambo down the right. Not that Alexis-Giroud/Theo-Theo/Ox won’t work — especially against teams playing high defensive line on good days that would be a sensational formation — but we would probably see a lot more of yesterday’s starting eleven at least for this season in PL.
Rambo is likelier to get back his box-to-box role if Arteta starts as DM. He has been having good/very good seasons punctuated by some poor run of forms (and loss of focus/discipline) in between and the odd injuries. We are yet to the see the full flourishing of someone who IMHO has all the ingredients and desire to become a player of the year across Europe.
Back to type for the boys – very good in parts, un-convincing in others but they ground out a very good result when needed.
Good weekend all in all, the Spuds dropping 2 points to Stoke and as for the Fakir Of Chelsea – what a cunt – perhaps the emporer is starting to lose his clothes. Ha Ha Ha Ha -:)
bath@29: Thanks.
BtM@23: 🙂 Never rated him highly, even when he had that noteworthy season under another snarly foul-master for Atletico…
Quite surprising how very few top quality strikers we have in the world now. As Arsene said recently, all over Europe it is primarily top quality midfielders that are nowadays nurtured, not many great defenders or strikers.
Did you know:
Mesut Ozil V Crystal Palace
Passes: 55
Pass % accuracy 98%
Chances created: 5
Assists: 1
Did you also know:
Arsenal have won more points (45) during 2015, than any other club in the Premier League!
Bath@29: Agree that Le Coq would have been hard done by if he had got sent off for what would have been two soft yellows, and especially when Souaré went through the back of Ozil without even trying to play the ball and didn’t get so much as a talking to from Mason.
What is impressive about Ozil’s passing-accuracy stats, King GT, is that so many of his passes are one-touch.
Indeed Ned. He has vision, unappreciated by some.
Nice one, Holic,
If a touch harsh on the referee who was at least a bit kinder to us than he has been in the past. I didn’t find him that bad yesterday although he did miss a couple of Palace bookings, I thought, that have been completely glossed over by the meedja – as ever.
Gregoire – excellent @25, spot on I thought.
And what can you say about Jose Mourinho ….. ?
At Wembley he was reduced to congratulating and embracing OUR players in a rather pathetic attempt to associate himself with success.
Last week the doctor carried the can for his team’s failure to beat a very decent Swansea.
This week, I’m not sure who is supposed to take the blame but it was a FAKE RESULT that did for his charges at Man City as “Chelsea were the better team for the who,e second half”.
Right.
Utter tosser.
And what can you say about Jose Mourinho ….. ?
Little that bears repeating, Trev.
Normalcy was restored yesterday and it certainly felt good. The best thing about the performance yesterday was the ‘intensity’. I also loved how we came flying off the blocks and had an hyper aggressive start. Apart from the languid genius Ozil, Rambo was really fun to watch. He always seems dangerous in the advanced areas of the pitch… I expect us to hit top gear next week and I think Liverpool can be beaten comprehensively again just like the last time at the grove.
As an aside I read someone on social media yesterday describe the game between Man City and Chelsea as ‘El Plastico’….appropriate and chuckleworthy
It’s better than ‘El Cashico’ which I saw on the BBC website.
Shocking refereeing at Anfield. Linesman clearly doesn’t know the offside law and the ref doesn’t know what is a foul.
North Korea has a rival in the propaganda wars. Note this excerpt from the Zchejaea website’s report of yesterday’s ‘ fake’ result at The Etihad!
https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/match-1.png
Sorry it’s the Chelsea website!
El Plastico gaining traction in alternative media outlets. 😉
Congratulations to Athletic Bilbao for “destroying” Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. Basqueing in glory?
Begovic showed good strength and accuracy with that right cross to Cahill’s nose, which was none too attractive afterward. 🙂
If you haven’t yet seen Zelalem’s goal for the U-21 against Fulham, worth a watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtvenoGVl64
He seems to be getting better at holding off challenges.
I know we are only 2 games into the season. I however wonder how we will line-up vs Chelsea whenever we play them after seeing how Ivanovic has struggled defending speed in the last 2 games. Does the manager deploy speed & width against them? I wonder out loudly.
Probably depends on whether Chelsea buy any of the full backs they are after before the window closes, Tapera.
Also, as you say, it is two games into the season. Far too early to write off any team.
…apart from T*ottrnh*m, surely Ned.
Ned
I agree, especially as they have now signed Rahman and Azpilicueta can switch to the right.
Dr. F
Speaking to someone coming back from Palace who was at the u21 game he said it was like watching the first team play- ‘ all intricate passing but no one to score!’ But the Zelalem goal was excellent. Interesting he has not gone out on loan.
Hasn’t anyone at the Metro got any self- consciousness. Their transfer scoops are ridiculous, contradictory and totally inaccurate!
Great Report Holic. Thanks as ever.
In fairness to Wenger – I just think he rates Rambo so highly because of his overall workrate that he’s even prepared to play him on the right wing. Cazorla and Coquelin are just undroppable at the moment so it seems thats the way its going to remain.
Oxlade will be peeved considering what good form he’s in. We seem to forget too early the belter he scored against the Chavs. And Jack will probably be back after the interlull so that will pose more selection headaches.
Its a good problem to have even if I can’t help feeling that its going to be tough to keep everyone on side especially if, dare I say it, they all stay fit.
And what an utterly marvellous player Santiago Cazorla really is. I thought he was sublime at the weekend and it just highlights how important it is to keep him in the centre. We have no one else in the team as technically accomplished as he is in his ball retention and distribution.
Morning, morning,
So the Scousers managed to get themselves an off-side goal out of Benteke last night! Well even Villa was able to do that and look where they are!
I am still not convinced by this set up. There is something telling about this team. Something abit Brenden-ish about this side. I don’t know if they have not been able to get into their stride as of yet, or whether it’s because they are still inferior to us, but I will not be able to accept defeat from these jokers. Even a draw would be a crime this season.
Don’t get me wrong, they looked determined yesterday to impress in-front of a patient down-trodden home base last night, but if we were to hit them with a counter like our first goal against the beagles last Sunday, I believe it could be their undoing!
Counter-attack and do not concede. That should do it!
COYA!
Joe: I just think he rates Rambo so highly because of his overall workrate that he’s even prepared to play him on the right wing.
Then again, when we have Bellerin in the team, Ramsey is only a winger on paper. Bellerin offers so much going forward that Ramsey can afford to drift inside which teams have found very difficult to deal with as he doesn’t really have a set position. Villa had no idea what to do in the cup final, and Palace never really knew either on Sunday and on another day Aaron would have scored twice (the back-heel flick which their keeper made a great save from and the left-footed shot which fizzed just a few inches over the bar). Adrian Clarke has illustrated this a few times in his excellent Breakdown videos, and while I do agree that the Ox could do the attacking bit that Aaron does I do feel that Aaron is still much better defensively. This is where the Ox needs to improve to be a nailed-on starter, I believe.
And what an utterly marvellous player Santiago Cazorla really is. I thought he was sublime at the weekend and it just highlights how important it is to keep him in the centre. We have no one else in the team as technically accomplished as he is in his ball retention and distribution.
Amen to that, brother. I don’t know if you saw this, but after the game on Sunday Arsene said something which basically amounted to “Santi is no longer a winger” so I think he has now made that central position his.
I don’t normally agree with retiring shirt numbers, but those of you who care to read the following link may like to sign and share.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/petition-against-the-southern-leagues-decision
Some of you may remember the circumstances of the death of Dale Roberts, if not Google is your friend.
Afternoon all. I’ve not managed to see any of the game so far, not even the goals due to travelling here there and everywhere. I have read several reports though. The majority of independent opinion would suggest the Le Coq got away with it on Sunday. So much so that Mason has been relegated to 4th official duties this week, principally for not sending him off according to today’s press.
It’s no surprise to me that Santi plays his best football in the middle of the park. He always was a central midfield player, we bought him as that and then, like so many others we have asked them to play out wide. We are fortunate he is still here. He was up for sale before the start of last season. It was only the late return of Ozil that convinced AW to keep him.
3 points is 3 points. Palace will not be pushovers this season, especially at home. I saw some of the Liverpool game last night and saw nothing there that we should be afraid of. That said, I saw nothing in the West Ham side that I thought we should be too worried about either.
All the transfer talk seems to have gone a bit quiet surrounding us at the moment. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing? Who knows? Just wait and see I guess?
Lunchtime pint on the bar for anyone wanting to wash down their ploughmans. Enjoy.
Hi Lars,
Hope all is good with you mate.
I agree completely with the points you make on Bellerin overlapping down the wing and Rambo’s overall game being better defensively than Oxlades. I have always been a big fan of Bellerin having seen his impressive performances for the youth team which is why I think Wenger opted to give him a run in the first team ahead of Jenks. But I don’t think even Wenger would have ever thought that this kid would improve so much as to now be staking a very valid claim to being the 1st choice right back ahead of Debuchy. His rate of development has been amazing and he really has all the credentials to become a world class right back. How long I wonder before Catalans start looking for his DNA..?
Anyways only a couple of weeks left to see if we sign anyone else…
The way some people wax lyrical about Ozil, well I am not knocking the fish-man-god but that is the same way I feel about Santi Cazorla. Don’t take him for granted because we may not see the likes of him again. And, he has a heart the size of a bull-man-god.
Bt8, only my opinion, Santi is more important to this Arsenal team than Ozil is at the moment.
His clever positioning, intelligence, organization skills, technical ability, tactical awareness makes him the only undroppable player in the starting line up.
For example, if Ozil is not available, there are many players who can fill in nicely in the number 10 role. Santi is one of them.
But can Ozil play next to Coqelin? I think that he can’t because he lacks the tactical sence and positional awareness, something most of our players in this squad, including Jack and Ramsey, don’t have yet. Arteta is maybe the only one who can do the job, but he lacks Santi’s trickery and creativity.
Pangloss@66: I don’t count the neighbours as written on in the first place.
Joe@68: there is something about the chemistry of Santi and Le Coq playing the double pivot that it would be unwise, in my view, to start with any other pairing.
Lars@70: spot on about Ramsey cutting inside. Very much like David Silva in that respect.
SteveT@72: is there any evidence that Mason doing fourth official’s duties next weekend is ‘demotion’? Kevin Friend, Robert Madley and Anthony Tailor are also doing fourth-official in next weekend’s round of game after being the referee last weekend. Robert Madley handled the Spurs-Stoke game on Saturday and was fourth official at Selhurst Park the next day. And Craig Pawson who disallowed a good goal and allowed an offside one yesterday is ref-ing the Mancs-Newcastle game on Saturday. The Premier League refs rotate. Press beating up a story that isn’t there, again.
The Lee Mason headline is a bit dubious Ned – his alleged “demotion” seems at best debatable given that he is refereeing the Birmingham v Derby from St Andrews at 7.45 on Friday night, before taking on the 4th official role on the Saturday for Leicester v Spuds.
I cant recall any referee anywhere working two games in the middle within 24 hours – can anyone else ?
Funny sort of demotion
Agree, Anicoll5. Bit dubious? Completely bogus, more like.
@76 & 77
The media vermin are determined to peddle this story to justify their inappropriate interpretation of events at Selhurst Park on Sunday. There is NO evidence at all to substantiate this as a demotion. When previous refs have been censured they were taken off all duties for a week or two as punishment for poor performances. This is nonsense. As is the suggestion that Coq should have seen a second yellow for either the tackle before HT or the one which produced the message that he was on thin ice as a result of the totting up process.
The idea that ‘one more tackle and he’s off’ that Pardew peddled as the ‘agreement’ at HT is arrant nonsense like much of what that sleaze ball peddles. Blogs summed it up well: every tackle is not a yellow card and the hysteria around the Selhurst events is fabricated shite.
If Mason deserved a demotion for anything at Selhurst Park it was for doing nothing when Souaré went through the back of Ozil after the backheel near the corner flag.
ttg: looks as if Zelalem may go out on loan:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33981028
Interesting questions being posed as to what makes Santi& Le Coq work, as opposed to Le Coq & Rambo!
Rambos role was debated on MNF last night with Carragher suggesting that Rambo was fulling a ‘ Gerrard-esque’ role, insofar that he has a licence to roam from the right although his preferred position is in the middle. It was further suggested that he is performing a ‘role for the team’ chipping in with attacks, whereas he may not be able to do so as often if he was in the middle.
There was no discussion about Santi & Le Coq or maybe there was but I just could not understand Carra! 😆 (sorry couldn’t resist)
My own opinion re; Santi is that he seems more able to receive, keep possession and distribute quickly. In other words, he and Le Coq can stop attacks and get the team out of such situations, whilst turning the situation into attack, with the quickness. With Ozil and Rambo contributing to attacks the team have a good and quick transition from being attacked into carrying out the attacking!
This may work better in practice than with Rambo and Santi in opposite positions, but in no way does it mean that it cannot be done.
Just MO! 🙂
I am being polite about the demotion nonsense Ned 🙂
After all we have Arsene’s favourite, and indeed my favourite, man in black for the Scourers, that unrepentant gooner Mickey ‘the Whistle’ Oliver.
Yay
All good here, Joe! Any plans to visit London this season?
Anicoll5: referees would certainly not do two games in 24 hours. Like bath says @79, this is the media adding two and two and getting forty five.
Anicoll5.
Surely not the one who has been giving me nightmares all summer? Please say it ain’t so!
http://www.betjournal.ru/cache/blog/user832/54d9b468de87a_1423553640.jpg
The Guvnor who is a very fine judge was very critical of Mason on Sunday. I was less critical given I was in the ground and felt he showed some mettle in not giving way to the hysteria of the crowd. Premier League football is so fast and the margins for tackles are so narrow nowadays it is a really hard job refereeing it in front of a hostile and overexcited crowd.
I still find what constitutes two yellows in my mind differs enormously from what the instructions to referees are. In my value system Coquelin was unlucky with the booking, an honest attempt to play the ball with no malice whatsoever. I had a good view of it in real time. He was then very naive to push the Palace winger before half- time and his last foul was brinkmanship given the hysterical reaction from the crowd. But as someone who played the game for many years and has watched it for very many more I thought he was just the right side of the line to stay on.
The biggest mistake, which again I had a good view of was the Soare foul on Ozil. Here I think Ozil was so skilful that Soare was just made a fool of ( and he’s a decent player) and I think Mason cut him some slack accordingly because Ozil had been so deceptive and skilful. So I agree that the press has jumped to a conclusion on Mason that is just not borne out by the actuality. He’s been rotated along with other refs. I’ve seen Mason referee much more erratically most notably when he allowed that blatantly offside goal by Saha for Everton a few years ago at the Grove. In fact on Sunday he played a brilliant advantage for Palace lasting some time almost like a rugby advantage in the second half when no benefit accrued to them long after it would normally have been considered appropriate.
Don’t get me started on the media. In almost every respect reporting in the mainstream press and radio is inaccurate , biased and distorted and sensationalises everything. And although a number of Holics like to tweet I think Twitter is the invention of the Devil. Anything that gives the likes of Piers Morgan a constant and prominent voice just has to be bad. ???
Oliver has the quality to be an Arsenal referee as we saw at Trafford Park in March – these young lads need careful nurturing – I am looking for a big performance from him Monday though, show he can do it at the Ems as well as on the road.
You are very generous to Mason over Souaré, ttg. You’ll see straight reds given for less.
I don’t disagree at all Ned. I was trying to guess Mason’s thinking but the lack of any sort of card for a foul of that totality was ridiculous. I did begin my analysis by calling it his biggest mistake on Sunday and it was, and it was inconsistent to book Coquelin fir a mistimed challenge and let that go unpunished. It was such a clever bit of play by Ozil it exacerbated the effect of the foul and Ozil didn’t spend hours writhing on the floor albeit, it happened right in front of the Arsenal fans.
Attributing reasons to referees’ decisions is a thankless and very tricky business and quite often not worth starting on, especially as this current crop work to such ridiculous rules. The new interpretation of the offside law for example is a nonsense and will cause untold problems this season as we saw last night. In fact it’s not too strong to suggest that a better refereed game might have gone to the visitors 1-0. Certainly neither United or Liverpool have looked very impressive in their 1-0 victories although I would always take that result in Mordor!
Fair points all, ttg.
Would love to see United blow the qualifying round tonight . Brugge already have an away goal. And don’t look bad on the counter – attack. Fingers crossed . I’d love to see LVG’s press conference if they muck up the qualifying round. Which we never have☺️
Very diplomatic, Anicoll5. With the right sort of language we might yet pull Oliver back from the dark side. 😉
Ned@76. You may well be right. My information came from a very quick read of the Telegraph sport section. Personally I wish we would just let those in charge officiate to the best of their ability without all of the added pressure place on them. The fact we find it necessary to debate almost every performance seems bizarre to me. Cut out cheating players, cut out cheating managers, cut the officials a bit of slack and I think the game would be in far better shape. Why the media find it necessary to slaughter an official every time a player is 6 inches offside and the Lino made the wrong call is, and always has been beyond me. There’s only so many times you can blame the officials…
TTG – jinxed it a bit ..3-1 is quite a healthy lead from home tie :S but share the sentiments, would love to see them crash out to Europa League.
Eandy- Yes things seem to be going United’s way but they are a far from complete team although in the little I saw Depay looks a good player. 3-1 should be enough for them. I’d like them to have drawn Lazio.
So much nedia hysteria over why Coquelin was not sent off in the second half when on his “last chance”. Moreover, it was reported by the media as his “last chance” as agreed between Pardew and Mason at half time.
It was his “last chance” because Coq had been let off a “second offence”, in some opinions, just before half time.
What I have seen absolutely no reaction to is the fact that it is strictly against the rules for Pardew to have spoken to the referee at half time in the first place.
That, of course, is ignored because it would dilute the anti-Arsenal factor of the whole issue.
On a general level, I still can’t understand the whole anti-Arsenal thing. A massive issue fabricated out of a couple of debatable decisions – and that is all they were – which would have possibly defeated us had they gone the other way.
We are still the only top four club that hasn’t achieved it’s status through oil, political shenanigans or leveraged debt, we are the only club that provides the England side with any genuine modern technical quality, we still manage to provide constant support to a variety of local community projects, and still the various branches of the media cannot wait to bleat and see us fail.
Strange.
Evening Trev and Steve. Understand the Coq thing and I’ll never claim to be ‘right’. I would though say if a Palace player had not been sent off for that level of persistent fouling I would have been disappointed at the very least (as we won!), and probably fuming had we dropped points as a result.
Let me buy you both a beer. 🙂
Quite understand that, Holic.
What I don’t get is the press reaction and determination to create such a huge case against us, compared to “let-offs” of players from other clubs in similar circumstances.
Another old and well exercised case was Thierry Henry’s heinous handball against Ireland in ‘that’ World Cup qualifier. I had watched the first half of that game and saw John O’Shea kick Henry all over the pitch. By comparison with Coquelin’s misdemeanours, O’Shea should have had about eight yellow cards. Had Graham Poll been refereeing, he might well have got them too ! As it was, the constant fouling drew no comment.
Of course, Henry’s handball was cheating but, I would say, nothing that has not been tried more blatantly by many others. The media furore, for weeks, was quite incredible. Here was a crime committed by a player who had once, albeit a long time before, been an Arsenal player, which of course worsened the offence by orders of magnitude.
Scotch on the bar for you, Guv. Bit late for Guinness – don’t want you up in the night. 😉
I sense cba lurking ……….
No width but still puts it on a plate…..
*nods it home …. with his front bottom*
@Futbol_Bible: If I was on a desert island with Michael Owen and a tin of corned beef, I would eat Michael Owen and talk to the corned beef.
Cynic. I’d rather talk to a head of cabbage.
You’d have to be quick, Cynic, else Michael Owen would probavly eat himself.
Those still criticising Mason may be unaware that we now haven’t lost any of our last 14 games played under him. I’ll take that record from a ref any day.
Öskar
PS: Update on Öskar (the dog). He’s been in hospital since Saturday suffering from canine pancreatitis. Happily he started eating again today for the first time since last Thursday. I am expecting him home tomorrow … together with another bill running into the thousands.
O-Dog, glad to hear Oskar is feeling better. Hope he makes a full and rapid recovery.
Best wishes to Oskar, Otd.
Another forward out on loan; Wellington Silva to Bolton:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33979978
good to hear about oskar , oskar
best wishes indeed
and
keep his fluids up
.
yours too 😉
You to cba! Thanks ecg, Ned. Poor lad is only 11 and this is his third major problem in three years. I reckon dogs have a ridiculously short life-span, considering the place they assume in your family. Imagine if wives only lasted 12-15 years.
Now there’s a thought…
Öskar
Good luck to your canine friend OTD.
Pets assume huge proportions in our family lives.
The idea about wives sounds interesting.- Sale or return? ☺️
Last night Crowley had a marvellous game for Barnsley according to my Millwall supporting friend and Mick McCarthy is raving about Maitland – Niles saying he will become a top player. Riches pouring through with Akpom on fire, Reine Adelaide at the Club and Zelalem just about to experience the competitive fury of the SPL.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Oskar THE Dog, OtD.
You shouldn’t be sharing so much HP 18yo with him. Drink it all yourself.
It’s distressing when your most faithful companion isn’t 100%. Sounds as if he’s on the mend now though.
Go Schnauzers!
Good morning Lars,
I fully intend on travelling over to see a few games this year, hopefully one or two before Xmas. There’s a little light flickering somewhere within that hopes we might sign another world class player before the month end and obviously if we do, then it would be even better to see him play in the flesh! As such, I’ve made no arrangements yet. When I do though, the priority will be to dovetail with others so that I get an opportunity to share a few beers with the usual suspects and maybe even put a few more faces to the names on here. That, to me, is even more important truth be told. How about you mate?
Otd@108: Average length of a marriage in UK is 11.3 years, according to Office of National Statistics stats. ?
All the best to Oskar, Oskar.
It’s an amazing and curious thing just how close the relationship between dog and person becomes. Hope he recovers well.
Joe: I will be over for the Stoke game in September, and then the plans aren’t 100% clear yet. Will do at least one more before Xmas, but when that will be depends partly on the CL draw so can’t really make any more plans yet.
Oskar, all the best for the dog.
Good morning,
Extremely quiet on the transfer front today. It’s like trying to get blood out of a stone at the minute.
With just one more week to go, the time is fast approaching to finding out, who’s bluffing, who’s full of stuffing and who really knows nuffing!
😆
I still need to place my bet with the Venezuelan TV presenter!
😆
UTA!
All the best to Oskar the dog (the dog). 🙂
King GT. All is not quiet on the transfer front. Adebayor is reported not to be on his way to West Ham or Aston Villa. Braking news!!
🙂
8 Ball-There’s no chance of getting Manny to take a pay cut!
😆
Speaking of transfers,
just a food for thought, as we are rather hilariously linked with Zlatan.
Would you actually want him in this Arsenal squad? He is still a top striker, but his character seems to be very much the opposite to the trend of “cohesion” and “everyone fighting for same cause” which seems to be around this group of players right now. But what if he banged in 30 goals and won us a title?
I personally am inclining towards no..since he is just egoistic cunt..albeit being brilliant footballer.
Chelsea seemed to have stitched up the Mancs by signing Pedro from Barca.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33989090
But guess that is another forward we can strike off our shopping list.
Interesting twist to Zelalem loan deal with Rangers is that it apparently lasts only until January, not season-long like most of the others.
@ 19
I personally am inclined towards no …since he is just an egotistic cunt…albeit being brilliant footballer
Oops!
119 rather
Holicpound? Pah! 😉
http://i.imgbox.com/xiO8Bb8I.jpg
I just wish I’d had more than 10p each way on it 😉
Moaninho stealing from Van Balls… hhhahahhaha!
Desperate times calls for desperate measures..
😀
As in Soldado’s case as in so many others, it ends not with a bang but with a whimper.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33978699
The only notable thing about Soldado’s case of course is his entire time at Tottenham H*tspur was nothing more than a whimper.
Yeah, best wishes to The Oskar the dog.
I applaud the Neighbours’ acumen over the Soldado transfer. If they can manage to do as well with the other six players they bought to replace the Winged Welsh Wonder, they will succeed in pissing only £70-odd million away for two seasons’ worth of c*ck-all.
COYG
I tell my friends what to back before the event, Cynic 😉
Best wishes to the four-legged Oskar.
Good point, but you don’t pick your selections with a dart with your eyes closed, minutes before the off 🙂
129
Pangloss makes a very good point re Soldado but the amazing thing is they have also got reasonable deals on Capoue, Paulinho, Chiriches and are about to cart off Fazio who they bought last year. They can’t unload Lamela though who was the biggest waste of all. I hear Baldini is leaving at the end of the transfer window. Has anyone worked out the real problem there is Levy? If they were a big club they would get enormous stick but they have been cut a lot of slack by the media.
Just saw a terrible error by the Wolves goalie tonight. Then I realised it was Martinez!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>