Let’s Get It On
Feb 6th, 2015 by 'holic
As Marvin Gaye once said, “You know what I’m talkin’ ’bout.” It’s them versus Arsenal. It doesn’t need building up. So straight into the team news.
Alexis is out, no wait, he might not be. Confused? You will be. Danny Welbeck is back in the squad after a lengthy lay-off and will surely make the bench? Definitely still out are Mathieu Debuchy, Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
As for the hosts, although that suggests a level of hospitality rarely offered these days, Bentaleb is back from the Cup of African Nations and so they have a full squad to pick from. They are also, like us, in a decent run of form, having lost just one of their last nine league outings.
Our starting line-up will be determined by the availability, or otherwise, of Alexis. Should he not make it then it would be something of a surprise to see a change from the team that started last week’s comfortable triumph over Aston Villa. There is a very strong case for Tomas Rosicky to get a start, but Theo Walcott’s record against Tottenham makes for impressive reading, and he may get the nod on a ‘horses for courses’ basis.
This is a weekend like no other in any season. The relatively few who have the away tickets face a nervous afternoon. If we can replicate our intense performances of recent weeks then the traveling faithful will have much to cheer. Santi Cazorla can crown a fine spell with a match-winning display in the big derby fixture. Those of a lilywhite persuasion will point to a new-found fondness for late winners and their own form man of the moment, Harry Kane, although he isn’t one of their own, as they would have you believe.
I should insert a paragraph here about form and logic going out of the window for a North London derby. The fact is though that during Arsene Wenger’s tenure we have avoided the banana skin more often than not. Class usually tells and the ‘holic pound certainly follows that trail of thought.
The ‘holic pound
I am sorely tempted by the 16/1 offered by Paddy Power against a 1-3 win for the Gunners. Fancy a cheeky back-up? How about 55/1 against 2-4 in a fixture that has often yielded goals down the years.
New customer to Paddy Power? Fancy that introductory 6/1 against an Arsenal win of any description, then click on the banner ad at the head of the page. Terms and conditions apply, of course.
So that’s it. No point in adding flowery rhetoric. This is battle, the decider of bragging rights until St Totteringham’s Day arrives once more with the inevitability of a furry creature defecating in a lightly-forested area.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
153 Responses to “Let’s Get It On”
First? Top four? Maybe top ten?
Joyous news from London. My son has just had his offer accepted on a one bedroom flat in the Highbury area! Has already been on notice that there shall be a parental wing, in the form of his moving to the sofa bed when his financial backers hit town.
Cheers H. That covers it nicely.
To paraphrase – this is the battle and class usually tells.
Bloody well hope so!
Trophy?
With one to spare….
That 16/1 seems generous, ‘Holic, for a scoreline that doesn’t seem out of bounds. Hope you land it. I’ll be happy with three points anyway they come.
for Cynic, from the previous drinks: http://youtu.be/eELH0ivexKA
Cheers NBN.
That link had me in stitches!
I’m actually in that video.
Got terrible grass stains on my dress 😀
howdy ‘hol
nice one
howdy all
and
howdy them thats goin
safe home
hide yer smug grin
til yer off the high road
slainte all
water wagon me
yeah
i know
fuckin shittest shite of a shit
fo sho
.
.
THE ARSENAL
Hahahahaha!
Laughter at Cynic’s 6.
Howdy yourself cba. You snuck in there.
Evening all. Up the Arse
Cheers ‘holic.
JUST WIN, ANYWAY, ANYHOW.
That’s it.
Some Arsenal legends have a happy knack of scoring against the enemy. John Radford, Charlie Nicholas, Bobby Pires, even whisper it gently Adebayor and to those I think we can add Tomas Rosicky and Theo. it’s a great habit to develop and I think Theo despite the criticisms will do the trick again tomorrow. That’s of course if he plays as Alexis and he are probably competing for one spot and if Alexis is fit… I suspect the Chilean won’t be risked as a starter but may be a back- up option. They have four excellent players we have at least twice as many. If we turn up with the right heads on I think Holic’s pound will be wisely invested.Thanks for the preview Guv.
Safe passage to all those going to the Swamp tomorrow. My first visit was in 1968 and as I arrived home my frantic mother greeted me with the news that an Arsenal fan in the Park Lane End where I had been standing, had been found with an Airgun, in the ground! Vigilant stewards obviously. I was more worried that a Gilzean header had won the game undeservedly for Tottenham. I don’t know Mothers do worry don’t they? It was only an Airgun.
Cynic@6: 🙂
But was the Airplane still attached, ttg?
Here you go, ttg. Trip down memory lane. First leg of the League Cup semi-final that year at Highbury, with a 23-year old Pat Jennings in goal for the lot in white.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/arsenal-v-spurs#
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QZn9xiuOE
Not really much else to say.
Terms and conditions you say? I’ll be having none of it and certainly not for a North London Derby. 😉
Calling the pope a furry animal Holic? 😀
Since we got our mojo back – finally – I can genuinely look forward to matches like this. It’s going to be a cracker, make no mistake gents. They may have Kane, but our squad is simply better and firing nicely.
Breakthrough game of the season.
Too late now to respond to a number of posts in the previous round, but I do wish some would read what I say, not what they misinterpret it as. GSD, for example, I never mentioned Real Madrid in the 1950s, nor did I suggest we should play like them. The opposite in fact. I referred specifically to Cruyff’s Total Football and its precursor played by Puskás’s Hungarians. And my point was that while both were wonderful to watch in their day the main reason it worked was because they were lucky enough to have the players to do it at the time when oppositions were playing more traditionally. I certainly wouldn’t want Theo or anyone else trying to emulate an obsolete system today.
Time to read the OP…
Öskar
Oskar. Pot? Kettle?
I never said that you mentioned Real. Following on from the Doc’s sensible response to you @80 I used an example of a team playing a different game at a different time. Pointing out that such a comparison will only get you so far. I was assuming we could build our arguments on previous drinkers posts. Rather than write the lot out every time. There is not enough ink in the Internet.
And you are very selective in the points you pick up on. Nothing at all about your unusual ideas about team shape and defending.
I hope AW is just scare-mongering with Alexis. His being on the bench against Brighton when he should have been rested was wrong, imo, and this looks the same. Give him a complete break ffs, Arsene, before he does some real damage. We can at least draw this one without him and there are more important battles to come.
If we can contain Kane, by double-teaming him for example, they don’t really have anyone else to worry about and I can see us scoring at least two.
So 0-2 then. One each to OG and Theo.
Öskar
And for what it’s worth Oskar I made the Real Madrid comment as a general point, applicable to any of us. No mention whatsoever of you at all at that point.
Misinterpretation indeed.
FIGHT!!!
FIGHT!!!
.
so this is what it’s like
in here
sans body weight swally
.
.
.
*slips extra tough lipstick in handbags*
Cheers cba. That made me smile!
Re-read it, GSD. Who else, in context, did you mean was ‘saying we should play like Real Madrid in the 1950s’? My apologies if you were referring to someone else saying that, but I can’t see who it could be.
As for team shape and defending I thought I was pretty clear … the keeper, backs and DMFs primarily defend and the other four primarily attack. The wingers may drop back occasionally to help out, as Theo did when he collected the ball in the RB position BEHIND Bellerin before scooting past a couple of Villains, and passing (a pre-assist) to OG who passed to Özil, who passed it into the net.
Öskar
Trust the Irish… 🙁
Öskar
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ZqNBd_orI
.
away an boil yer head an leather up ya big daisy
The point was not in reference to what a previous drinker (you or anyone else) had specifically said. It was in reference to the previous line about Barca and Bayern and how these teams would bare a much more useful comparison than any other team of another era as they belong to the current era we are playing in now. I simply picked the best club team I could think of.
I did not think your team shape ideas were that clear. Now I believe my understanding is better I will reiterate my point which I still believe. Namely, that those tactics will not work.
To be clear. 28 was a direct response to you Oskar. Wink
bbc4 dedicate a night to genesis
.
what other horrors
has a sober world got for me
.
dear sweet fuckadoodlefuck
Right. I’m off to bed. I’m sure tomorrow is a big day for some reason or other.
Nightcaps on the bar for them as wants ’em. Or morning pick-me-ups as applicable. Just a herbal tea for you I’m afraid cba.
naaa
i can’t do with this
prefer cannot
don’t see that much now
do not understand why
forgot
just how posh boy antiseptic bland
that band were
.
bbc4 is gonna wake up in the morning
looking inward
cringing
From a purely objective point of view I do have to say Guvnor that your prediction of a 1-3 result is as likely as any to bring you a pot o’ cash so all the luck in the world to you mate. 🙂
holywankinfuck
.
hour and a half
concert
.
night night
disappointed bbc4
.
.
.
.
WE ARE THE ARSENAL
NBN @ 15
Bob Wilson diving at people’s feet – surely not?
UTA.
And sleeves pulled up, no fancy Buffonesque short sleeves over a long-sleeved under shirt, Noosa. Them were days…
And no gloves.
Thanks for the preview ‘Holic.
I’ll go with 0-5.
Shades of ’78.
Giroud to do a Sunderland.
Lovely.
So.. no Alexis!
Still…
Up The Arse!!!
😀
And Danny for Theo. I am surprised by that. Glad Ozil is in though.
And it is on BT sport. Damn.
The bbc text update thing is currently offering the chance to have one’s questions answered by David Pleat. And we pay for this.
Tense as anything now. Come on lads!
UTA!
Shouldn’t have changed the team selection.
Perfect preview as always Holic.
PMI if we was to win 0-5 at the lane
maybe we could sing about it for the next 5 years again
or hopefully we will have bigger fish to fry pretty soon.
I’m so efffin nervous. Realy hope for a good start 🙂
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TOTTENHAM?
Any stream ideas please?
http://footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links/index.html
Özil to star.
3-0 to the reds
COYG
Try this :-
http://firstrows.biz/soccer/tottenham-hotspur-vs-arsenal-frsgggab
I’m on this one:
http://stvstreams.com/flash-vlc/flash
We’ll win 3-1!
😀
Thanks for the stream help lads.
Let’s do this.
Thanks Datsyuk. Very helpful!
And BB the same!
You’re welcome 🙂
Ooh please no
My gosh.. we’re really defensive!
COME ON!!!
I love our Coq!
Oooooooooziiiillll!!!!
Yeeeeeees
Ozillllllllllll!!!
GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!
BAAAMMM!!!
Swampers 0-1 Good Guys
😀
Lovely run by Danny
All about Welbeck.
Spuds are resorting to orcish tactics now!
Card ’em ref!!!!!!!!!!
COME ONnnnNNNNNNN!
Way to go Motor Ozil!
Looks like the line up change has worked after all, Cynic.
Would have picked theo myself. Shows what I know.
Oooooooosssspina!!!!!!
😀
Should have BB, just to make clear that this stuff is not tolerated
Exceptional COQ!!
🙂
Özil scores!! Beautiful work from welbeck
Great call by Arsene
COYG
Damn, need to leave! Hopefully back for 2nd half
We’re really sitting deep and hoping for counters…
Why not?.. worked so far for us!
COME ON!!!!!!!
😀
Bellerin needs to ramp it up
The lovely Hector needs some help, back to the walls stuff. Can we get to HT 1-0 ahead?
FFFF… yellowwwwww all the way!
They’re bound to get one sent off at this rate!
COME ON!!!
Need to tighten up in central midfield. We are giving the ball away too easily. Bellerin needs to tighten up on the right. 4 times Rose has got free.
Ospina looking very assured. Welbz looks as if he has been out a while. The game time will do him good.
See the half out so far so good
Danny unsurprisingly tired. Theo will get his minutes.
Apart from the goal we’ve been poor.
We need to get the ball to Ozil.. also need theo on.. need pace to counter!
They’re diving right and left now… is klinsmann managing again?!!!??!
FFF!
We’ll need changes in midfield.. bring on Rosicky.
happy to be one nil to us, but not particularly pleased with the way we are playing. they seem to be first to every ball, and we’ve been sloppy. atkinson with a customary dubious yellow, to welbeck.
I’m happy with that. Beat them 2-0 exactly like the Chavs did us.
Atkinson lucky it’s half time as he was losing all control there.
Coq, Monreal and Ospina have been terrific so far. Most worrisome so far is Santi; not having the influence he’s had previously, and is getting knocked off the ball too easily when he’s on it.
rose dove like he was off a springboard. cunt.
Santi struggling, I think this is a game for TR7. They are so much quicker to the ball. No outlet for the punts up field . When will we see Theo?
qft Jean. congrats on the kid in highbury, too.
@90. Too right. Rare you see Welbeck so angry. Not happy with that pathetic effort from Rose.
Good to be up at half time. Are we leaving space on our right a bit? Also seem to be having a bit of trouble going forward, maybe Rosicky and Walcott can break that. Ospina seemed to have a couple of nervy moments. Besides that, it seems under control. Now if only they can stop practicing for the Olympics diving team …
Le Coq and Rambo need to get more of a grip second half. We are getting over run at times.
Agree re Santi. He needs to get involved more.
I still think we look a lot sharper on the break them they do. This could be just made for Theo.
“The players clash as the half-time whistle goes. Danny Welbeck appears to be particularly upset about something.”
From the BBC. Do they actually watch the games they report on?
No let down lets go
Haahhhh, made it 🙂
Get Welbeck off before he’s sent off.
Arsene looks all fired up, just like us! C’mon the Arsenal 🙂
Wenger switches Welbeck and Ozil so he and Rose stay apart for a bit. Great stuff.
Thought Kos lost his pants, whew 😉
Ok… now we got to get 2 more!
COME ON!!!!
Bring on Rosicky!!
fuck. just when I’m thinking we can’t take much more pressure they score. COME ON YOU REDS!!!
Saw it coming. COYG!!!
We have lots left to throw at ’em. Theo and Rozza for a start…
we are really riding our luck right now.
We need to change our tactics now.
Ospina’s been brilliant…!
We need to tighten this up and now. We are weak in the middle and very vulnerable down our right. How the fuck can Danny Rose be allowed so much time and space.
Cracker of a game!
nearly welbeck and koz, that’s what we need, get a goal boys.
Regroup, hit on the counter
Wow!!! Spuds on fire!
TR7 magic ready to roll
Quiet Santi. Here we go Super Tom!
And Santi off. Would love to see Chupa get a run!
We do look like we have goals in us.
Speaking of goals, Theo to come on!
Theo for the winner. Go on the boy!
Stop giving the bloody ball away.
We need to keep hold of possession much better.
Theo time.
Abject.
Word of the day.
We have not been good at all.
Why is Ozil still on the pitch?
Lurky, why is he still on the wings? That’s the right question. He is a waste down there
Ah well… that Kane chap isn’t too bad.
We Didn’t control the midfield and we were second best too many times to loose balls… our undoing.
Our midfield was non existent today. Oh well next game I guess.
well that was a fucking disappointment.
Urggh. Damn. Gutted.
Nothing to add right now.
Did they just win the Premier League? Acting like it little bitches.
We really did miss Alexis… mayhap we should have risked him.
They wouldn’t have been able to press that high on the field then…
Ah well.
Ospina was brilliant though and welbeck definitely looks good!
🙂
Fully deserved.
Not good at all. Couple of players non existent especially at the middle, and I am not counting Coq who has been decent.
Some of the last year stand out players were totally outclased today.
Poor today. Second best far too often. What hurts is that we lost to a side that for 90 minutes wanted it more. That for me is just not good enough.
There were few plus points today. We lost the midfield battle and gave away possession far to easily. How we gave so much time to allow the cross for their second was just plain wrong.
I must say that I feel for those who travelled today. The walk back will be horrendous. Stay safe boys and girls. You all deserved better than that today I can assure you.
Not sure what went wrong, seemed to be all right but on the defensive side which isn’t bad, maybe we gave them too much space. Didn’t see much of ramsey. Maybe we sat back too much trying to soak up the pressure and couldn’t find a way out. It seemed to change a bit when rosicky came on. On to the next match then.
We gave them far too much respect from the start, then did not know how to react after conceding the first.
I looked like we were playing Real Madrid for pete’s sake, not some outfit who haven’t been above us in the table for 20 years.
Not a good tactic to get extremely defensive against inferior opposition in my opinion.
I hate losing, especially to this lot.
No free flowing football.
No three points.
Is it a bad day or what? 🙁
All credit to Tottenham though. They played well.
37% possession in the 1st half (which I did not see).
Safe to say this is Not Goonerholic’s Tottenham!!!
One of the few times, I’m glad not to live in London. OMG!
Just watched both goals again. Both not great. I can’t see who it is that comes off the post at the corner. If he stays then that does not go in. The second, far too much time to get the cross in and how is he allowed to win that header????
None of that detracts from the performance. To be honest it makes me feel even worse.
In the end we got what we deserved. They were well and truly up for this game and sadly too many of our players didn’t turn up.
Did you see the stat on their tackles, over 90% success rate, says it all.
First half mistakes were not rectified when the game restarted, winning the second ball and keep possession for more than a few seconds. You can’t build counter attacks without your creative players keeping the ball long enough to see the pass. Ozil despite scoring was particularly poor keeping possession, and I had feared that strange frenetic nature of an NLD may find him a little rusty.
This was a game for TR7 to start, a perfect combination of snarl, tempo and creativity, and would have helped Santi out much more than Ozil or Danny did, or for that matter Rambo who had a very poor passing game.
My subs would have been to take out Rambo and Ozil for TR7 and Theo, and keep Danny on.
No pressure at all on Bentaleb on that cross; could have taken another couple of seconds and still had ample time. Reminded me of the headed goal conceded at Leicester earlier this season — no chance for Ospina, who was Arsenal MotM.
Illustrates that Santi is the barometer for how this side is going to play. The difference between the good Santi and the poor Santi in terms of game impact is staggering.
A game we could have used Debuchy.
You can’t win NLDs when you don’t turn up to play.
The most gutting aspect about that game was that the Spuds wanted it more. And how in the hell we managed to substitute the one forward who was busting his gut and making a difference I will never ever know. We got what we deserved – nothing.
Joe @ 143: Yes, that was a surprising decision. The only explanation I have is Danny probably not fit enough yet to last the distance.
In these situations Ozil is a problematic player because you find it hard to take him off given that he can produce a few moments of genuine match winning quality, but he was very unhelpful in keeping possession and building the momentum.
Rambo’s passing and poor control as well contributed to the problem.
I just feel we showed too much respect. We are not playing Mancity or Chelsea, we have a better midfield than them. And they wanted it more than us. No big deal, next match up. As far as we finish above them am good.
The moment Ox came back from injury I want him to form a partnership with Coquelin.
Cazorla in front of them, Alexis and Welbeck on the wings with Giroud as a striker.
That is our best line up. No Ramsey, no Wilsherr, no Ozil and certainly no Walcott.
If Mertesacker continues to play like this would not mind seeing Gabriel for a game or two.
Monreal and Ospina are quite safe at the moment.
This may not be popular but at the moment I don’t think Coquelin is the answer in midfield. He is better than anything we have in that position but for me he just emphasises how much we miss a player of real quality in that position. I would love to see him develop into a top player but for me the jury is still well and truly out.
Lurky @ 146: Before Ox returns we might as well try TR7 in the Rambo role a few times. I like Rambo a lot (and his industry and extra man cover age comes very handy many times) but his passing game this season has been wildly inconsistent and was atrocious today when we needed to keep possession.
And you are right that in current form Ozil doesn’t start tough matches where he needs to physically fight for the ball.
Counterattacking tactics without enough counterattacking, especially when we were leading 1-0. All in all not such a good afternoon in the end. Even one point would have been preferable.
Joe, Dr F: one reason that Welbeck may have been substituted was that he was on a yellow, and looking likely to get a second.
Would not mind seeing Rosicky myself, Dr. Faustus. Much Bette than those who started the game today in midfield.
NBN the tactics was spot on from Arsene.
What he lacked was a personal to implement it, imho. No player to keep the ball at his feet, no physical presence at the middle of the park, and no outlet except Welbeck. For all the talk that Ozil bulked up he is not that good at duels and can’t keep the ball under pressure.
The ref didn’t help us with his tendency to let Sp.ds players be over aggressive towards Giroud and Ozil although that should not be an excuse.
And yet, Dr F, it was Ozil who popped up to score the goal, and made it look a lot easier than it was, both the run and particularly the finish. Another exasperating thing is that he is criticised for not tracking back, yet he spent so much of the game running back to cover Walker that he wasn’t able to do nearly enough of the attacking stuff his is so good at.
Plus with Alexis off games, Santi off by recent standards, and Giroud not able to get into the game much as he was playing so deep, the main people Ozil plays off weren’t there for his quick passes — and those are what he does so devastatingly, far more than his ability to keep possession.
Lurky, don’t disagree with you about the tactics at all. We didn’t have the outlets and that may come back to not having had sufficient control of midfield.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>