Toon Provide The Next Test For Gunners
Dec 12th, 2014 by 'holic
It’s an interesting match-up at the Grove for Saturday’s teatime fixture. Newcastle, manager under fire in the early stages of the season, are the visitors as we look to build on the win in Istanbul on Tuesday. Arsenal being Arsenal there was of course fresh injury news, Aaron Ramsey the latest to be gone in the fetlock and shipped from fitness coach to club doctor.
That likely means a back four of Hector Bellerin, Mathieu Debuchy (out of position against his former club), Per Mertesacker and Kieran Gibbs in front of Wojciech Szczesny. Ramsey’s midfield berth alongside Mathieu Flamini will probably be given to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, so impressive at Galatasaray. Santi Cazorla should get the creative nod. Alexis Sanchez will surely return on the right flank providing support and ammunition for Olivier Giroud. That will leave a left sided role to be decided between Lukas Podolski, scorer of a brace on Tuesday, and Danny Welbeck.
How would they have fared, do you think, against this eleven. Ospina; Chambers, Koscielny, Diaby, Monreal; Arteta, Ramsey; Wilshere, Rosicky, Ozil; Walcott. I give you the walking (or not) wounded, or in Chambers case, suspended.
The contrasting fortunes of the two men in charge of their clubs makes for an interesting sub-plot, and Arsene responded to some positive comments from his opposite number in similar fashion.
“Pardew has done a great job this season. You want respect in society and that should apply to everybody. At the moment, there is permanent tribunal from everybody. I have sympathy for every manager who suffers. At one point we had a problem but we sorted it out. He had problems and got through them with dignity and he’s doing well.”
The visitors also are hit by injuries and suspension. First choice ‘keepers Krul and Elliott are ruled out so Alnwick, so impressive as a substitute when the Geordies beat Chelsea last week should get another outing. Ryan Taylor, Santon, Obertan, Guitierrez and de Jong are unavailable. Steven Taylor and Sissoko serve a one match suspension. Coloccini and Aarons are also doubts. The players lounge could be pretty crowded post match.
That having been said last week’s defeat of the league leaders was their seventh win in nine starts. However their only defeat in that run came on their last visit to the capital, at West Ham a fortnight ago. As if to balance that statistic they have already won up the other end of Seven Sisters Road this season.
The ‘holic pound is having a terrible time of things at the moment, but seeks the kiss of life in a bit of an end to end encounter. Both sides have the capacity to break with speed and so I am chasing the value with a 3-2 prediction, available from Paddy Power at 22/1.
Don’t Forget It’s Arsenal’s Charity Day
The Arsenal ladies and Arsenal first team players have been taking selfies wearing the official Arsenal Christmas jumper and encouraging supporters to do the same via Facebook and Twitter ahead of and during Saturday’s game using the #afcfoundation. All those who get involved with the campaign will be entered into a competition to win Arsenal’s matchday ball used in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory against Southampton on Wednesday 3 December which is signed by the goalscorer, Alexis Sanchez. The winner will be announced on Saturday 13 December.
To those with tickets I hope to see a fair few of you there. As ever, going or watching in the warm, have a good one ‘holics.
98 Responses to “Toon Provide The Next Test For Gunners”
Toon ’em.
A sterling preview of a game that in the circumstances is almost impossible to predict. I ( and many others on here) suggested we sent a team of boys to Istanbul but we took Flamini and Ramsey and both got injured . Just as Aaron is finding form he is back to square one .
Both sides have injury issues and particularly considering it was in the Metro, which prints transfer garbage every day, Wenger is alleged to gave said that we don’t need to buy in January if all our players are fit( haha). Actually even if they were , we still need to buy Arsene and surely even Arsene at his most obstinate sill not want go run the gauntlet by failing to strengthen where we are wafer thin.
Before that we need three points against a useful outfit and it will take dome going. If Isaac Hayden plays he can confirm the positive impression he created in the Capital One Cup.
If Debuchy plays he will certainly not let us down but it’s his second game in three months and he will be out of position. Pleased to see Coquelin back and good that we could recall him. Happy to take any sort of win but referring back to previous notes about prices we shouldn’t be down to the bare bones given the amount we are asked to shell out to watch this team.
still shaking my head about btm’s treatment at the grove, holic. really shameful, and saddening.
on to toon. we should just set up a foosball tourney amongst the wounded and nonplaying players in the lounge, ply them with beer, and the winning team takes the three points on the field. that way the prawn-sandwich eaters and china users won’t have to worry about having their elbows jostled by, you know, an actual game. of course, it would suck for the rest of those who go, who want to sing and stand and make noise to support (and in some misarsenalistic cases, not support) the club.
i want to see a clean sheet. and a rookie center back. let debuchy, gibbs, and per play their normal roles, and bring in semi…
That is one scary back four.
And remember 4 nil up against this team is not always enough…. 😯
Just win, Arsenal.
TA Number 6 – Oh for old faithful at a time like this.
an interesting take on what happens to a club when you move from a beloved (if insufficient) old stadium to a new one:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2014/12/06/levis-stadium-dead-red/ and
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2014/12/12/levis-part-2/
a very familiar story. but what can be *done* to change the process?
Fine preview maestro. Here’s hoping Debuchy can morph into a stolid CB and last the pace. TTG@2 check out Arseblog News which puts Arsene’s comments in context – a response to a hack’s question which was then attenuated to rattle the cages of the hurried, the naive and the vindictive. (I have you down as ‘hurried’).
Bless you, Holic. 🙂
Good preview H
Injuries have destroyed any continuity this team could have imagined. This run of musical chairs in our lineup is worse than ever.
We need a win and I really hope those involved play well enough to get it.
As for any quotes from AW in any press conference, well he has only so many answers he can give to the same tedious questions.
Thanks Bath
I’m hurried— and relieved!
Cheers, Holic,
Looking forward to tomorrow – haven’t been to a reserve fixture for a while. Is it reduced ticket prices for reserve games ? 😉
I don’t even want to go to the details in fact my 24 hours was some what different!
Xmas part dint work out – Young Gunner is bed now tucked away but hit body temp makes me wonder!
Cut the story short no Xmas party form me, oh well welcome to the world of parenting!
But that is not my only worry for tomorrow…
Fucking bones!
I know I should not mention why because this will only get me to one place! We are down to bare bones….
I’m sorry but where is Rosicky? No mention of him why?
So when the manger doesn’t speak of a a player doea that mean he is ok?
BTW Holic straight to the point mate nothing else to add really!
After reading all the contributions…………..
WE ARE DOWN TO BARE BONES! GOD SAVE US!
How the hell did we ever put ourselves in this situation?
Injuries?
Mismanagement?
Freak Season?
These transfer things Arsene is playing mind games!
If we don’t but we are fucked!
Buy means buy and so on no but 🙂
And when the summer comes we need to get rid of Arteta and Flamini!
One thing I wanted to ask here…………..
What the hell is Diaby still doing at the Club?
I know he is a kind of a pupil…..
How far will go? There is no news on him, club is probably still paying his wages…..and so on…..????
He is very unlucky it has to be said but I have lost my patience on him and his development!
Dont get me wrong but I think of him a bit like a lost Sheep!
Great player but a mist in my mind!
Night all!
I hope the feel-good factor from winning at a hostile place like Istanbul cheers the team to a confident victory at home (which is becoming not all that friendly thanks to placard carrying boo-rs). It was good to see a half strength team play well and win against Gala. Hope the streak continues. COYRs!
Somehow I get the feeling we will see a pairing of Monreal and Debuchy before too long. I hope we can score more goals than we give up!
I think Rosicky must be injured just as Gnabry is also injured. The alternative is that he has fallen out seriously with Wenger and is not being considered but surely Wenger would not penalise the team by denying his experience at such a time.
The comments of this Dutch chap Verhieven about mismanagement of the treatment room sound like the beatings of a physio version of Stewart Robson who incidentally fell out big time with George Graham because he was an insufferable prick at age 20, but we are getting to the stage where one has to doubt the competence of the medical team and the management of our resources from a fitness perspective.
What we need today us proper support from proper Arsenal supporters. I have fallen out with ‘ friends’ who are determined to have their say at the ground today.
What the team needs is 100% support from the fans! anything else is counterproductive while matches are taking place.
COYG
Rosicky returned to training this week after injury, ttg. Today maybe a “little bit soon” for him to be back in the match day squad.
What the team needs is 100% support from the fans! anything else is counterproductive while matches are taking place.
Amen to that times a thousand.
Get behind the team or get the fuck out.
Up the Arse.
Lars really does know @30 (and sometimes at other times too 🙂 ).
Isn’t there a centre half in the U21 team who would be eligible to play?
Debuchy is 5ft 10in for heaven sake, I suppose he could act as a sweeper but I am dreading this game.
I will be waving my scarf, singing songs, jumping up and down and cheering my head off. Stewards beware!
COYRs
Delia,
A football stadium is no place for that sort of behaviour.
You’re supposed to throw flares and fireworks, for goodness sake ! 😉
Compensate BtM, Ivan!
Thanks NBN I am glad there is no more complicated reason for his absence. Taking Delia’s point I’d go with Hayden rather than Debuchy today at CB. He can play left side which suits BFG and Debuchy can slot in at RB. We then have cover in the squad for both full backs.
Don’t we love the pseudo- intellectual prat that is Myles Palmer- not.
A gem from today;
My advice to Gooners : If Newcastle go 2-0 up, 30,000 people should walk out.
Why the hell is he paid to write about Arsenal?
When I come to power it will be him and Stewart Robson first against the wall
The obvious flaw in his plan is that if Newcastle go 2-0 up with less than five minutes to go, there won’t be 30 000 left in the ground to walk out, because they’ll already have buggered off.
🙂
What’s Antonio Fargas doing wearing an Arsenal jumper in that photo?
Arsenal
01 Szczesny
39 Bellerin
02 Debuchy
04 Mertesacker
03 Gibbs
15 Oxlade-Chamberlain
20 Flamini
19 Cazorla
17 Sánchez
23 Welbeck
12 Giroud
Substitutes
09 Podolski
22 Sanogo
26 Martinez
28 Campbell
34 Coquelin
37 Ajayi
70 Maitland-Niles
Referee… wait for it….
Lee bloody Mason.
Cynic,
That’s not a bad line up considering!
Come on Arsenal!
Oh.. no Lee blind Mason sugar spice!
COME ON!
Up THE ARSE!
😀
Here we go.
UTA
READ everyone, since I was here last. xx
Holic, what a response to BTM’s eye opening piece. Will have to go over a few of them again..I had no idea …. 🙁
It would be a better world, if fans saw football through Yaya ‘Sanogo’s eyes. Wonderment. Innocence.
Delia,enjoy yourself. We’ll bail you out, if needed. 😉
Now c’mon the Arsenal!!!!
Lee Mason you blind C!
Come on Ox concentrate!
Comer on get in there!
Giroud!
wtf?
Never a foul! Lee Mason!
Oh F THE REF!
GET IN GIROUD!
COme on !
Well played Bellerin! Top notch stuff!
Lee Mason Again!
That’s a pelanty
Where is the card Lee Mason?
Sanchez always looks so happy. I bet he even liked that shit Christmas jumper they made him wear.
Cynic ha ha I bet he loved it 🙂
Very good first half Bellerin playing very well today. Should be two nil up if it wasn’t fort this great ref. Sanchez yet again running and running!
Ox looks a bit off today but otherwise a very decent first half display!
Refreshing to see one of our fullbacks actually blocking crosses. Bellerin has done a great job so far on his flank.
Ohhhhhh Santi Cazorla !
Ohhhhhh Santi Cazorla !
Ohhhhhh Santi Cazorla !
Nananana Nanana Giroud!
Fuckity fuck what was that Giroud !!!!!
Ref is a joke… not consistent!
Oh and …. GIROUD!
😀
Alexis to score from the free kick!
Urghhh unlucky…
There goes the defending again. Come on guys concentrate
Come on Gibbsy how did that not go in! 🙁
We’re practically lining up…
😀
Have a well deserved break Alexis!
COme on COQ!
Ohhhhhh Santi Cazorla !
3 happy pts..thank you
Thats more like it, apart from short lapse when we allowed them to score we controlled the match well. Girouds second and Santis first were as good as goals as I have seen this season, glad to see them both on the scoresheet.
Great result!
That’ll do our goal difference good!
Did the barcodes really beat chelski?! Well.. the gift that keeps giving.. I’ll take that!
UP THE ARSE!
😀
Alexis with another two beautiful assists!
Can’t wait till Ozil gets back… 🙂
Getting there.
Three lovely points.
COYG
We defended well enough with a makeshift defense because we came into the game with the right attitude and everyone — especially the tireless front three — contributed well defending collectively. Bellerin defensively was given great support by Welbeck, Giroud and others but going forward he was superb all on his own. Loved the confidence to make a straight run down the middle when he spotted empty space.
Debuchy more than adequate centrally, but well supported by Flamini and Ox.
Giroud my MOTM. Terrific all-round performance: two different types of very well taken goals, superb hold-up play often dropping deep, good understanding with Santi and others and some excellent defensive support.
Santi’s first goal was sensational. Everything about it — team movement, Gibbo’s third man run, pass from Alexis, the balance, poise and finish — was superlative.
Great job boys.
Arsene Wenger confirms that defender Laurent Koscielny and midfielder Aaron Ramsey will both be missing for at least a couple more weeks.
—–
WOW! We really must sort out our defensive frailties!
Pity Welbeck didn’t score. Nice to see a team having every shot on target resulting in a goal and it not be a stat of one, and a one nil defeat for us.
He kind of did, though, Cynic!
Hi guys, nice read ‘holic!
Yeah he kinda did Cynic! I just don’t understand why mason ruled it a foul play! Smh
Delighted to be back in the warm after a bold night at THOF.
I really enjoyed that game. I enjoyed a really good performance that underlined that Wenger has not lost the dressing room in any way, shape or form.
Loved Bellerin’s performance and I had to call out an idiot in the tube queue should called him an accident waiting to happen. In three years time he will be a full Spanish international . Great team performance and Debuchy clearly gave great reassurance to BFG . He looked like a CB much more than Chambers or Monreal do at present, a mark of his greater experience rather than any deficiency on their part.
The rest did Santi, Alexis and the two strikers real good. I thought that Welbeck and Giroud could play together effectively and this proved they can . Ox can also play CM and he was part of the reason our tempo was so high . And Flamini was very disciplined tonight. I even only Skwire at Lee Mason about ten times!
The only blot on the evening was listening to a thick as shite Wenger aht merchant on the radio. Simeone and Klopp were his choices . Would that be the spiv Simeone and the mad guy from the bottom of the Bundesliga?
I expect a fruitful Christmas for us following this.
Happy Birthday Santi Cazorla and well done Arsenal.
Nice to see the ref totally bottling it at Chelsea.
And by nice, I mean fucking disgraceful.
Good to see OG back in the groove, exactly what we’ve been missing with Danny struggling in the 9 role. If we could have Theo back our front line would be truly lethal.
Ox once again looking strong in deep MF. Ballerina continues to impress, especially with his speed. Debauchery adjusted well and made no obvious mistakes, unaccustomed as he is…
I’m a bit worried about Alexis. He spends too much time moaning and demanding yellow cards, and not enough on improving his passing. He acts like he believes he’s carrying the whole team, but that is not true. He was quite disappointing today, and needs a time-out to relax.
Good to see the whining fans onside with the boss. That’s if they were ever real fans…
Öskar
I won’t bother you with the trials and tribulations of my train journey to the Ems but if any of you saw an OAP walking Olympic style down St Thomas road 10 mins before kick-off, it must have been a sight!
I missed the first 5 mins but the rest of the game was well worth the hassle of earlier in the afternoon.
I need not have worried about Debuchy at CB, he was terrific didn’t put a foot wrong. The BFG was commanding at the back and the PIG pulled off a great double save to deny the visitors.
The Ox and Santi worked tirelessly and apart from Welbeck who seemed to be off the pace today, it was a super team performance.
Still have no idea why Welbeck’s goal was disallowed. The Ref did us no favours and the Assistant on my wing ( I am now at the front of Block 30), could not keep up with play!
There was plenty to shout about and sing about. I waved my scarf, I annoyed my friends in the row behind by getting too excited and joined in chanting “There is only one Arsene Wenger”. We deserved an evening like tonight and I had a very good time.
Now let’s turn over that Merseyside mob.
COYRs
OTD
Sorry mate Alexis got kicked karate style in the chest. He ran his nuts off and had two super assists . I don’t have any problem with him at all. This was our most potent attacking performance for a long time and the combinations in attack were very exciting.
I thought Alexis was pretty lively and made two excellent assists and was definitely involved with the team. His relentless chasing down of opponents is clearly paying dividends.
The ref should have been harsher on them as it was clear that Alexis was getting kicked all over the place.
I agree, Ttg, they weren’t subtle in their attempts to nullify Alexis, but he needs to get on with the game rather than go bleating to the ref all the time. To me it’s a sign of growing frustration, not only with the personal assaults but also with the club’s position in the table ,and it’s affecting his game. I’m not saying his game isn’t still good, but it has lost its edge in recent weeks. Clearly he’s been identified as a key threat and is getting more attention from opposition, but that’s the Premiership for you and it won’t be any easier at Anfield next week.
Öskar
There was nothing wrong with Danny’s ‘goal’, but neither should our pen have been awarded, so balances out with the ref wrong both times!
Öskar
One thing that pee’d me off early in the game was a myopic TV analyst (don’t know who, but he was a gunner once apparently) agreeing with the ref that OG was ‘definitely offside’ when he was clearly played definitely onside by a player on the far side. I think he was watching a different game cos much of what he opined was in similar vein.
Öskar
Delia@86. Good on you. The stewards must have been annoyed as all hell. 🙂
MoM was cazorla. Danny can learn a lot from giroud on quick decision making and finding space to get off a shot. Was hoping someone would smash into tiote but never mind . Overall happy. Need to keep this momentum. Expect a lot of crosses at liverfool.
What ATG said at 58 and 68.
Just read the previous BTM story. Absolutely shocked by it, did not imagine the club stewards/authorities to be so classless
Excellent result – we really needed to win this one and our injuries made it look a bit of a banana skin beforehand.
I thought Bellerin had an excellent game: really dynamic going forward and adjusted well when it was time to do some defending. Alexis excellent as usual, Debuchy assured at CB, although Cisse wasn’t much of a threat at centre forward. Giroud has the look of a player who will score more goals this time out if we can keep him fit, and I thought Welbeck was fantastic – ran all night, got up and down the line, made sensible use of the ball and would have been worth a goal. Cazorla also great – he seems to be hitting proper form now.
My only concerns are at centre midfield: I think Ox is a very good player who will, in time, be great, but he’s still too loose in possession and gives up the ball too often. That’s OK out on the wing, but if he’s going to play half a dozen games in the centre then it will cost us at some point, particularly given that he’s playing next to Flamini, who has similar issues.
The officials, not for the first time this season, were total clowns. We had a perfectly good goal disallowed and both sides were denied stonewall pens in the first half. No idea how Lee Mason missed the rotational fouling on Alexis, it was utterly glaring.
Great to hear the silent majority give voice to their support for the boss. It was important that the man be showed the proper respect in a week in which the actions of a minority have dragged the reputation of Arsenal fans through some pretty deep mud.
On we go. A week to rest (at last) and then to Anfield, where we might just end the scousers’ season for them.
COYG
Top result by the team.
This hard working arsenal team who defend and put in a full shift as a single unit is the arsenal squad that needs to keep turning up every match, win lose or draw…
Bellerin had an amazing game for such a young lad. Speed like theo but an engine like Sanchez. Top quality.
Santi had a magical game of the highest order including a magnificent solo goal and a clever penalty.
Debuchy seemed to have a quiet game, but that was helped by his great positioning Throughout that simply nullified any Newcastle forward movement..he is also top shelf.
Only negative from me in a top team performance was our keeper.
I cannot help but think szcezney often seems to be out of position and off his line when we concede fairly basic goals from set pieces.
Even though this goal was poor defending from the team, if he simply stood on his line it would not even require a dive…as young Emi does when he is between the sticks…
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