Hesitant Gunners Eventually Glide Past Defiant Swans
Oct 29th, 2017 by 'holic
Football can be a funny old experience at times. The visit of Swansea (it could have been anyone) was a case in point. The pre-match half pint was livened by the presence of a number of Arsebloggers who have not been together for a long time. Hence the mood as we headed to the Grove was extremely good.
What unfolded over the opening 45 minutes was anything but. Slow, prone to basic passing errors, the Arsenal eleven of choice right now were misfiring on all cylinders. Swansea offered little too, but midway through the half, on the first occasion they got into the box, they took the lead through Clucas who nutmegged a hesitant Cech from Abraham’s pass.
That didn’t seem to provoke any more urgency from the hosts although in the closing moments of the half there were chances for both teams. Alexis finally escaped the shackles the Swansea defence had employed to nullify him only for our old friend Fabianski to deny him with an excellent one-handed parry. We owed much to the current Arsenal ‘keeper when Cech thwarted Ayew in a one on one.
Granit Xhaka post-match revealed the basis of Arsene Wenger’s half-time message. It was a sentiment shared by a packed Grove. It wasn’t exactly rocket science.
“The manager told us at half-time that we had to give more, that we had to be more aggressive and play quicker.”
To be fair to the team that is exactly what they did, and the difference was noticeable. Sead Kolasinac is starting to look like the bargain of the summer transfer window. He has formed wonderful partnerships with Nacho Monreal and Alexis and on this day he proved to be the difference between the sides.
It was he who put us level after some intricate approach play in the box between Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil. The ball broke to the left side of the box and the unmarked Bosnian blasted it into the far corner. Level at last the Gunners were finally making their superiority evident.
Twelve minutes into the half we were ahead when Xhaka’s raking pass picked out Kolasinac once more. The left wing-back cut the ball back into the path of Aaron Ramsey who steered home his fiftieth goal for the Arsenal. 2-1, but there was a long time left. The ‘cashout’ button was readied, just in case. Thankfully it wasn’t needed.
We came closest to adding to the goal tally when Lacazette narrowly failed to connect with a diving header from a fierce Hector Bellerin cross, and Bellerin himself saw an effort bounce off the crossbar. The last meaningful effort came from substitute Olivier Giroud. His fierce drive from twenty yards rippled the side netting and the game petered out.
So we go into key Premier League meetings at the Emptihad, and at home to Tottenham, having built something of a head of steam. The visit of Red Star on Thursday will provide an opportunity for the cup team to impress in the meantime.
After another swift half reunited friends retired to the Indian Ocean for a very tasty celebratory curry. If you ever go there try the Laal murchi murgh. Utterly delicious, and paid for (and then some) by a leading High Street bookie. Lovely!
80 Responses to “Hesitant Gunners Eventually Glide Past Defiant Swans”
Six of one, half a dozen of the other
An empty bar, that Sunday morning smell of stale lager and crisps and the rattle of bottles as the pot man takes away the empties to crate them up.
Everton want to sign Sanchez, apparently. And I want to dance on the moon. Both equally possible.
Cheers H and Jackster! Superb day out!
Top four – no longer to be taken for granted !
Congratulations Holic !
Strange that professional footballers at Arsenal FC nees to be told at half time to give more and play quicker when playing slower is clearly not working.
Oh well ……
And cba,
Top o’ the milk to you sir !
Sounds like you’re still doing ok ….
Thanks J, Cynic, Esso, and Trev.
What a thoroughly enjoyable day out that was.
For my 50p bet I would have cashed out at £1
Nice stuff H. Sounds a top day out. Glad it was such fun.
Not seen any of the game yet so difficult to comment.
So, the burning question. Cash out or not cash out on the Holic pound???
Sounds like you had a great day Holic and a very fair report. I had a cultural evening meeting Mrs TTG for a trip to Carmine Burana at the Albert Hall. Much more sedate crowd at the Emirates!
Very right to point out what a nice understanding is developing between Sead and Alexis. It was noticeable how well they worked the left flank. For Chris
This team is helped by the excellent movement of Lacazette. He showed one delicious piece of control yesterday when he took a ball in mid- air and full stride on his instep and almost turned it into the path of an Arsenal player in space in the penalty area. He has scored five goals in ten games and has actually played a total of eight games. Five in eight getting used to a new league and team is excellent.
When Giroud came on we were wondering if us mid sixty year olds might challenge him to a race for charity! Is he the slowest forward we’ve ever seen. A huge weapon when a team drop deep and you resort to putting in crosses . It would be interesting to see how he played with Laca but the end of the Leicester game was the only time it happened. The team got two goals in twenty minutes then. If you want to unhinge back fours with clever movement Sanchez and Laca are your men. If you want to play like Stoke then it’s Giroud.
Amazing that international professional footballers need to be told to give more, be more aggressive and play quicker, when for 45 minutes they have been giving little, looking soft and passing slowly with the predictable result that they trail at home to relegation candidates.
Shouldn’t it be taken as read that giving 100%, playing with aggression and moving at pace are required from the first minute till the final whistle?
I love Arsene, but there are other managers who would simply not accept playing at 85% capacity for half the game. Players would be given a rocket in public and lose their starting place until it was understood that improvement was required. That’s why Arsenal don’t win titles any more.
i love cynic
i love trev
i love ‘holic
i love esso too
i put up with steve
.
.
.
fuck it
I LOVE STEVE T
No cashout here Steve, but the finger was hovering over the button for the last 35 minutes or so, just in case!
too
well now
proud o yerself are ye
.
INTERUPTERS !!!!!!!!
#12
minus ‘holic
.
.
billy big bollox
soz
.
.
got into a row with an arsehole
called me a big cunt
six 5 is not big
pfft
people
anyhoo
“Ooooooohaaaaaaahhhhh Arsenal”
“D’ye remember when”
#20 was for #wonderful
UTA AAATBG FTPOQ
butt knot
ASLE and/or F
more letters
Murchi murgh? Sounds like a famous comedy routine. 🙂
*resumes gall bladder extraction*
23 aloo gobi ?
i love 8ball
.
.
i don’t
i admire him as “restrictions permit”
.
.
s’like when i was told chris might’n’t like me singing outside his window
and
i fuckin needn’t a bothered meself buying new skirting boards for cynic’s back parlour !
DISGRACEFUL!
.
it’s like i am not wanted
oooooh
the three 10
?
Holic@16.
Bugger. That probably means that I owe Bath a pint.
Love you too CBA. In a big manly man hug kind of way.
Just watched the MOTD highlights. The Bosnian Bosman looks to have settled in very well.
Agree with a lot of what TTG has said above.
CHARLIE GEORGE
fuck
me meter nearly ran out
31
go on
ya big girl’s blouse
put some lippy on
join the party !
top tip
(the bright red one you said made your eyes POP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9d5csMFAfE
i can’t find any record of me loving ned
.
?
.
.
and I AM NOT CAPITAL LETTERS
.
.
(i know where you live)
.
.
.
i don’t
but that should not diminish the threat
.
.
.
.
I KNOW PEOPLE !
(see above)
.
.
.
i do know people
my big sister just thinks you guys are a RIOT
she says it a disappointing accent
my “in”
was
OUT
.
.
the big four TEN
GOONERHOLIC pays me £7.49 an hour for this
.
.
MUG !!!!!!
i’d a done it for 7
any you clowns at this ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTXmd1EfvRw
cab @25 – aloo gobi ?
is that a dessert – or a desert ?
i love terv
cab ?
i, of course, meant cba
that’s autocorrect for you 🙁
“taxi for terv”
I refer to my own @5
and would only say that on my pre-match digital emaily type newsletter, the manager warned that passing the ball quickly would be the key to success against Swansea !
What a pity he sent the email to me and not the players. Could have saved us all 45 minutes of heartache.
taxi ?
make it a cab – or a cba
as you please
*posh englishman attempts hole dig out *
Ooooooohaaaaaaahhhhh
THE HALF TON
let’s face it rtev
there is but one genius
WHO
could eat me for breakfast
here
.
.
the mighty takeabowson
the mighty cynic
the mighty zico
the mighty you
55 that’s the drink talkin
Evening cba, enjoy your Sunday evenin’ ?
i love here
*doffs cap*
Laal murchi murgh ?
Got all their albums.
TTG … As previously posted my front 3 would be Alexis, OG, L’Exocet. I haven’t suggested dropping the latter who is more than useful as you say, but OG would give us the aerial ability we are missing, plus additional defensive cover.
What has happened to takeabowson, has he bowed out?
Chris
Very happy to see Laca and Giroud together in the right circumst@nces
This depressing litany shows how poorly we are benefiting from sending players on loan
https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2017/10/29/loan-report-bramall-stuck-in-u23s-for-birmingham-asano-struggles/
I’d rather see Martinez instead of Ospina and Bramall freeing up AMN to play other than at wing back .
Lovely indeed, Guv’.
Be well, ‘Holics.
TTG,
Thanks for the link, although not
sure I can agree with your
conclusion there.
3 of them (Perez, Joel and Jenks)
would have been sold if we could
and it makes sense to let them
go as they would be “blockers”
in the B team if they stayed – i.e.
less game time for Ash M-N, Nelson
Akpom, Eddie. Their loans benefit
us from a development point of
view.
The others are mostly kids except
Asano who is playing regularly in
the Bundesliga. For the kids it’s
about forcing their way into the
first team wherever they are – if
they can’t then it’s unlikely they
will succeed at The Arsenal (not
impossible as in Hectors case).
Cohen is a nice story but a long
shot at this moment.
I take your point on Emi as I’d
have liked to see him this season
too, but realistically this is his
4th or 5th loan I think and he
hasn’t been able to hold a
starting spot at various
championship sides or Getafe.
He has potential but will he be
at the De Gea, Lloris, Courtois level
that we require – another long
shot.
Overall, I’d say the loan system is
working ok – clearing squad
space, giving young players a
chance, and letting the club find
out their actual level.
Thanks for the report, ‘Holic. Wasn’t able to see the game and only now catching up with the highlights. Seemed like the usual struggle to break through a parked bus, though three points secured so job done.
It has seemed the case for many seasons that our loanees have not got much playing time when they are with teams in the lower divisions, which seems self defeating if the idea is to give them minutes on the pitch that they can’t get at Arsenal. Is that just because if you are brought up playing quick-passing technical football you are ill-equipped for the rough-and-tumble of the Football League?
Ned,
Are the Championship, League 1 &2
so rough and tumble these days?
I have no idea as I haven’t watched
them for many years and my only
knowledge comes from the odd
Arsenal cup game.
They looked a bit less agricultural to
me in those games but it’s not much
of a sample.
Thanks for the report H. Glad your punt finally delivered. Didn’t see any more than the MOTD highlights myself so your report fleshed out the carcass. The right result but a disappointingly familiar script. We clearly do need to smarten up our act for the weekend’s challenge.
Well the first half was an encore of the first 90 minutes of Tuesday night, the boos rang around the Ems as the players left the park at half time. Huffing and puffing seems to be the norm these days.
We then put in a bit of an effort , scored 2 good goals and then went back to sleep for the rest of the game. Our goal difference needs improving, surely when you are on top, go for it and give the fans and the manager something to cheer about, OR are we so nervous of defeat these days that we need to be so cautious.
No one was a happy bunny on the 17.44 train home. We all expected more from a side that had had a whole week’s rest and had given us some hope following the Everton performance.
You may consider me mad, as my girl friends do but I’m going on Thursday night and to Citi on Sunday. Gooner Malcolm has acquired a ticket for me and the Norfolk Branch have a spare seat on their mini bus. I just couldn’t say no, should know better at my age.
COYR
I sincerely hope that you are appropriately rewarded for your effort on Sunday, Delia
OM@67: Perhaps not as agricultural as of yore, but still helter-skelter pace and not for the faint of heart.
Delia, like the gentleman that is Bath, I hope your journey on Sunday brings a pleasant surprise.
From the Guardian’s coverage of Burnley v. Newcastle: “I don’t think anyone has kicked the ball in the direction they were intending to kick it for at least two minutes.”
Almost makes me wish I were there. 😉
btb@73: Sounds a bit like the first Burnley v Newcastle game in 1895.
Incidentally, Bobby Crielly, a Scottish half back, was in the Newcastle United team that day. He had also played in Newcastle’s first Football League game — against Royal Arsenal in September 1893, a 2-2 draw since you ask with Walter Shaw scoring our first ever League goal.
Ned@71
I see, could be that our players struggle
with the more physical game then.
But if they can’t cope it tells us something.
Depends what you expect from the
current development and loan systems I
suppose.
Jack, Calum & Ash-N all may have
benefitted from a season away – time
will tell. Whatever happens they all
have a career in professional football,
which to me is the point.
OM@75: Fair points. And it may be that our loanees don’t have better or worse experiences in terms of playing time than those from other clubs; we just notice ours.
There are some interesting and seldom seen clubs near the bottom of Serie A this season, and one of them at least deserves recognition in this space before they are relegated. Crotone, who are known as the Pythagoreans (of fame in mathematics presumably), are
from the far southern province of Calabria, on the ball of the foot of Italy, geographically speaking. This is their first season in the top flight of Italian football despite the city having had a professional club for over 100 years, and they sit 15th in the table which is higher than Benevento, another obscure southern club from near Naples.
Ned,
Yes, there’s no final answer
unlike the bad tv show.
It’s quiet in the bar so I
noticed @72 seemed to
undergo a startling shift
into respectability 🙂
You can’t dish the Guv’nor, Osakamatt. Respectability is his middle name — or would be if he wasn’t mononymous. 🙂
News of 89 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>