Xhaka – The Long Ranger!
Sep 17th, 2016 by 'holic
From the intensity of a Champions League evening in Paris we returned to Premier League action in East Yorkshire, definitely not Humberside, as a friendly Tiger corrected me beforehand. Once again the team selection caused consternation and debate in the hour ahead of kick-off. Francis Coquelin retained his place alongside Santi Cazorla, and the rounded Alexis was again asked to occupy the square hole up front.
The tremendous roar of the travelling Gooners greeted the kick-off and Arsenal responded with their customary short passing game around the opposition box. Once Hull had established a foothold the opening phase turned into an edge of box to edge of box at the other end affair, a true midfield war of attrition. The first effort on goal came as the clock ticked past twelve minutes and Alexis scooped a Theo Walcott cross high over the bar.
Five minutes later a break and some sustained pressure brought about the opening goal. The final touch may be adjudged to be an Alex Iwobi drive or an Alexis/Livermore deflection. As I type it matters not. Were it a deflection by the defender it would have been Iwobi’s, but I suspect Alexis will get the credit as an attacker.
Hull City 0-1 Arsenal
Midway through the half Hull’s left flank was again outdone but Walcott’s final effort lacked power and conviction. The fact that he was there though was encouraging. Slowly he is getting back to something resembling the player most want him to be. Another Hector Bellerin cross minutes later offered Iwobi the chance to confirm a goal in his own right, but Jakupovic dived to save superbly and Mesut Ozil drilled the rebound high, wide, and handsome.
At this point Arsenal were an irresistible force, but a second goal was needed to settle the nerves of those who have seen them in this mood before. A careless crossfield pass in his own half by Coquelin illustrated the point and Shkodran Mustafi spared his colleague’s blushes with a superbly timed challenge. A minute later there were smiles all round when Cazorla, of all people, picked up another yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Elmohamady. He may just be ruled out by suspension before he is exhausted!
Ten minutes before the break Snodgrass finally produced an effort on goal for the home side but it provided a comfortable save for Petr Cech. Then a moment that surely should have sealed Hull’s fate. Coquelin broke into the box and his goalbound effort was cleared by the arm of Livermore, who was shown a red card immediately. Under this season’s guidelines deliberate handball is not considered double jeopardy. Alexis unfathomably took over the spot-kicking duty from Cazorla, successful in the last two Premier League fixtures, and duly saw his tame effort find Jakupovic’s right hand. Heads were scratched at that decision.
Hull, however, were not off the hook completely, and it took a desperate last-ditch block by Jakupovic to prevent Elmohamady from glancing a corner into his own net. Hull made a quick adjustment with Mike Phelan sending on defender Maguire for the ineffective Diomande. A second free-kick, albeit a tame one, conceded by Cazorla in added time raised howls of faux anger from the home support, uninformed by replays of all the key moments of the match. The half-time whistle enabled all a chance to inhale deeply and recover.
At the start of the second-half Cazorla had another little tug at Snodgrass and was read the riot act by referee, Roger East. There isn’t a malicious bone in the little Spaniard’s body but he was in danger now of collecting a second yellow under the totting-up procedure.
Continuing Arsenal pressure resulted in a second goal nine minutes after the break. Walcott played a one-two with Iwobi and applied a delightful chipped finish to the Nigerian’s sumptuous back-heel. On the line Maguire could only help the ball in. It was Theo’s one hundredth goal for club and country.
Hull City 0-2 Arsenal
As the hour ticked by we seemed camped around the edge of the Hull box again, and again intricacy was preferred to incisiveness. That isn’t so much a criticism as an oft-expressed observation. We lack ruthlessness so often under these circumstances. On a fleeting break Hernandez, albeit from an offside position, crashed an overhead kick onto the bar, truly a warning shot across the Gunners bows. Cue the obvious substitution of Granit Xhaka for Santi Cazorla with twenty-four minutes remaining.
With twenty minutes remaining the busy Elmohamady matched Alexis on a race into Hull’s box and denied the Chilean another goal. For a while both teams appeared content to knock the ball about in Hull’s half of the pitch. Theo broke the mould with a somewhat optimistic effort from distance that missed the target. Looking for 101 Theo then blazed over from a tight angle in the inside-right channel.
Thirteen minutes from time a much-delayed penalty award gave Arsenal the kick up the backside they deserved. The referee allowed play to continue when substitute Mbokani threw himself over Cech’s lunge for the ball. He was most definitely looking for it, but Cech didn’t make contact with the ball and we would have wanted it up the other end. The yellow card for Cech reflected the double jeopardy principle perfectly. Snodgrass netted comfortably.
Hull City 1-2 Arsenal
A nervous finish was avoided when Alexis set up Walcott for a parried strike on goal, and the Chilean was on hand to drill the ball high into the net from the rebound. At least the scoreline once again reflected the visitors dominance.
Hull City 1-3 Arsenal
Jakupovic’s work for the day wasn’t over. In time added on Xhaka showed what £35 million can buy you with a wonder strike from distance. Clearly he hasn’t yet bought into the tip-tap it round the box method which may explain why Coquelin has been preferred. How dare he put boot through the ball when in range!
Hull City 1-4 Arsenal
The final whistle confirmed another big win for Arsenal at a favourite venue, so it would be churlish now for anyone to say for much of the match it was closer than necessary. In the end we found that ruthless streak. Let that be a sign of things to come.
74 Responses to “Xhaka – The Long Ranger!”
Long range drink!
Well in, bt8b.
‘Holic, should have tipped you off that we’d never won 4-1 at Hull either so you could have had a back up-punt. Still, symmetrical revenge for our only other defeat at Hull, the 4-1 loss in a First Round FA Cup replay in 1908.
No one tell Xhaka that Arsenal players aren’t allowed to shoot from 30 meters?
Took out eight players..and the goalie too..
Xhaka In!
😀
Cheers H! Off out for a few to celebrate.
Very fast report, Holic, even by your standards. Good victory today but there is a lot of a scope for improvement. I will take the three points and a three goal difference from the match.
We moved beyond Liverpool and Chelsea in the table, and pending results we could do the same to Everton, Spurious, and Man U. Not bad for a couple hours’ stroll in East Yorkshire. Sure hope Ollie’s toe hits the G-Spot of podiacal recovery soon. 🙂
And now I’ve at least seen the goals on arsenalist.com which always helps on TV blackout days like today. Great goals all and it was an especially welcome sight to see Theo involved in more than one of them. Also great to see Xhaka, Lucas and Mustafi all on the pitch.
TTG, where did Alexis 0/3 penalties stat come from? Seems to be only 0/2, although still nothing to celebrate.
Xhaka have no business on the reserve bench, he should be in the first eleven. This is the kind of mistakes Arsene always make, I hope he will not frustrate him like Debuchy.
Before Cynic comes …can I say that Theo had a great game today?
Holic,
It came from my increasingly muddled brain! Apologies. I remembered the first penalty I saw him take, in the World Cup he missed.(against Brazil) Then he missed against QPR.
Strange that he and Ozil are so poor at taking them. We have had four this season in five games. That’s more than the whole of last season I think.
Blimey, Holic, that was quick !
First drink posted at 5.06 !
And to quote you at 0-2 ,
“but Cech didn’t make contact with the ball and we would have wanted it up the other end”
Ooh, Matron ! ?
🙂 Trev 🙂
Wonder if AW will reprimand Xhaka for that long shot?
Wow!
What a performance! People were concerned about Hull’s positive start to the season. However, we are a team building on new positive signings and good performances from another academy product!
With two previous touch and go performances in S.Hampton and PSG, we got off to a positive start against a well performing Hull side. Our record against Hull and newly promoted sides was good on paper, donwe needed to convert that into a good performance today. Again, the boss started with Alexis up front and preferred Coquelin and Cazorla to Granit Zhaka. A decision which, is causing a little public confusion, but one which has brought us positive results. With what is seen as a weakened side, it is a luxury to have a positive looking bench.
But what more can be said about Iwobi? 2 assists in today’s game and now three in two games. I still can’t believe he has still only just turned 20. Anyway, we now have something to build upon and a mouth watering fixture against Chelsea next, who just lost against the job seekers. We need to break our whodoo against the chavs which seems to only exist against Maureen and Hudink.
3 more points means 3 more pints!!
UTA!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
What a hit that is…Xhaka! : http://tinyurl.com/gmtkhv4
😀
Well in!
Now that was a pleasant away day up North! ?
Cooly going through the gears following a tough mid-week CL tie away at les champions de France; with our X-Man in stoppage-time to Avenger home our top 4 – 1! ?
Up The Arse!
AFCOF!
BBC falsely said we were second. We’re actually third. I’ll take that though!
😉
Game of the Day on Sky right now.
Countryman – I actually thought him, Iwobi and Sanchez were Hull’s best players today until the second goal went in, but I was only half watching it.
Jakupovic was also half watching it.
D Dan,
Victory away oop north right after beating les champignons de France …
this could mushroom into quite the winning run. ?
We didn’t beat PSG.
Good call Cynic. I thought this was our most convincing game of the season. Let’s not forget the start Hull had made.
True, SSY,
Felt like it after escaping as we did.
SSY
If away goals count double in Europe couldn’t we claim we did? ?
No.
but we can pretend
Apologies for going off topic but wanted to express my support for Larry (not the politicians).
Fur flies in the House of Lords as peer asks: ‘Who pays for Larry the Cat?’ – The Telegraph
https://apple.news/
That Larry’s a pussy. Palmerston will ‘ave ‘im I’m telling ya!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/01/larry-loses-collar-in-most-brutal-fight-yet-with-palmerston/
Love cats.
Kata is the name of our cat. Four years old.
Goonerah Tigris.
Haha Trev, one of your coolest efforts yet!
That’s some seriously ‘fungi’ punning.
Whoops, ‘holic, thanks for the better link. Guess I mixed up my cats there but Palmerston looks like a tough customer and may the better cat win. 😀
I stand corrected. We were second until Everton finished their game.
Word is, Gladstone the Treasury cat (the new cat on the block) could tear the other two limb from limb if given half a chance. The dead mouse pile is set to grow apace. 😉
As striker, Sanchez has scored 3 goals in 4 starts!
A decision which could pay off if it continues to deliver!
We could have done worse than start Xhaka at CF.
Some excellent work from Iwobi, but to those who have knocked Theo’s defensive efforts ad infinitum in the past I have to say that Iwobi’s lack of support for Nacho was Iwoful and the primary reason for Hull’s continual threat down our left flank. In complete contrast to Theo and Belle who have developed a much more positive understanding in recent times.
We had this game covered from early on, and apart from the traditional, frustrating, easing off when 2 up the signs are good for the future.
Iwobi is a marvel to watch. 100% talent that kid. same preferences for wenger with a display to shut us up. man, xhaka! we don’t do that at arsenal…
Nice report Guvna. Didn’t see it but clearly ‘the boys done good’. I wonder why I was so nervous. Must be a vitamin A deficiency.
Thank you Bath, et al. Have a lovely Sunday all. 🙂
Far too many clubs in the Premier League start with “W” or its inverse, “M” for my liking. Exhibit A: Watford v. Manchester United.
@bt8
They’re worse when coupled with a manager named ‘M’oaninho..!
(Incidentally, if the scoreline persists, he’s getting sacked in the morning… :D)
BB it looks like you could be onto something there. 😉
Moaninho.. cementing ManU’s Europa ambitions…
Oh wait.. they lost that one too didn’t they!
HAHAHAH! 😀 😀 😀
Long may it continue.
😀
@bt8
Shaping up to be a great week!
🙂
Well done Watford! United beat Hull with a last minute goal and are thrashed at Vicarage Road. How did we do at those venues? Come back LVG all is forgiven!
Well done Watford and a great recap of yesterday’s events Holic!
Not going too well for Moanrinho keep it up!
Enjoy your Sunday Holics! ?
Team v Forest?
Ospina
Debuchy Gabriel Holding Gibbs
Xhaka Elneny
Ox. Ramsey. Perez
Akpom
Subs.
Macey
Bielik
Zelalem
Jeff
Willock
Giroud
Maitland- Niles
That’s a tasty starting eleven none of whom started at Hull, plus a few youngsters, plus Giroud, who might even start ahead of the Chelsea match.
Moaninho moans monotonously mocking ManU’s madhouse mickey mouse mob leaving many mancs moping morbidly.
… I can see them headlines now.
😀
BB. I’d just go with Maureen’s a cunt.
End of really.
Finally had a chance to watch the highlights. All of a sudden my 5-0 prediction does not seem that silly.
Highlights never really give you the full picture but it seemed a stroll in the park. Again we got the rub of the green with decisions. Not sure there’s was a red, although he’s an ex spud so who really cares? Also not sure how Santi stayed on the pitch. He was a lucky boy.
Iwobi continues to impress. Granit has to start. Alexis is wasted in that position. Theo looked impressive as well.
There will be much tougher games ahead. However this was an easy, convincing victory. 3 points will always be 3 points. We now await the Chavs whist laughing at Maureen.
BB @48 you left out monotonously maligning. 🙂
Iwobi continues to impress. Granit has to start. Alexis is wasted in that position. Theo looked impressive as well.
In a nutshell, Steve T.
Separately, the Special One has now lost 11 of his last 21 league games.
At Shite Fart Lane, Sunderland show up in a predominantly shocking pink away strip that’s even more crap than their play, and is far worse than Arsenal’s dayglo yellow and blue, if you can imagine that.
Steve: the laws of the game are very clear. A handball stopping an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (and a shot hitting the target with only the keeper to beat is of course very much an obvious goal-scoring opportunity) is a red card wherever it occurs on the pitch.
From the Laws of the Game:
Where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a deliberate handball offence the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs.
+1 on route one maureen character analysis
man’s a cunt – nuff said
just wasting words
only to reach there eventually
pretty much what i just done did ?
see 49
for less word wasting
world’s not made o fuckin letters
no siree !
squanderin shite that i am
shocking behaviour
will need to work on that
quite the flaw
and no mistake
and then some
Mourinho is a man of letters ….
French ones …
Not generally a fan of the “next Tuesday” expression but Mourinho drives me to it repeatedly.
See you …. ?
Lars. You are totally correct. The keeper however was standing directly behind the defender and would have had a simple save to make. Regardless of all of that, it was not an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Again, had that been Kos with Cech behind then I’m sure we would all agree that it was a yellow.
Steve: I’m not at all sure the keeper would have got it. The replay from behind the other goal shows that there is substantial spin on the ball and it has started to swerve towards the left post as Livermoore handles it. But that doesn’t matter, the only parameter is if the shot is deemed to be on target. If it is and an outfield player handles the ball, it is a red card because a shot being on target with nothing but the keeper to beat is by definition an obvious goal scoring opportunity (note: obvious opportunity, not obvious goal!). If the keeper would have saved it or not is of no importance at all as far as the laws of the game goes.
And no, I would have had no complaints at all if the roles had been reversed. I do think it is a harsh rule because a penalty means you still have the opportunity (i.e. the defender has not actually denied the opportunity as you get another crack at it) but those are the rules so the referee was 100% correct. I think the only major mistake East did was not to award the Hull penalty straight away, how he missed that and had to be convinced by the lino is a mystery. Cazorla was clearly on his last warning and did not commit any more fouls but would most likely have walked if he had and I would have had no complaints about that.
Lars. From the MOTD highlights the only way the shot does not hit the keeper is if he moves. It was straight at him. If you’ve seen different footage to that then I will go with your version.
I think that Santi could have got a second yellow fro any one of his indiscretions after his first. I’m sure we all know several refs that would have given him his marching orders. As I said, just my opinion.
So.. the ref was crap again as usual!
😀 😀 😀
While we celebrate, am not sure it was convincing.
Hope Iwobi improves with his defensive duties. Cazorla
needs to take it easy so he doesn’t put us in a fix.
I also think Mustafi is regularly caught off position, don’t
know if it’s me alone. Finally, Wenger should pls
establish a working and reliable pair on the left because that
link is weak and vulnerable.
The Tigers were Xhakastically beaten. ‘Nuff said.
Sensational goal from Gnabry, formerly of this parish.
http://arsenalist.com/f/2016-17/other/ex-arsenal-player-serge-gnabry-has-scored-a-ridiculous-goal-against-borussia-gladbach.html
Perhaps we shouldn’t have sold him but played him as CF.
Ned,
I’ve seen him hit some tremendous shots/goals, as I’m sure you have too, when he was still in the academy sides.
That was before his injury woes began but I was surprised we sold him rather than loaned him. There has been some talk of attitude problems but you hope we haven’t let a good one get away.
Trev@64, You never know at that age. But the good ‘uns who do get away are few and far between. Not too many playing at the top level. Havard Nordtveit at West Ham might be an example. As per my ‘where are they now’ @86 in the previous drinks about the 2008-09 FA Youth Cup team, most of those who leave after bright Academy careers sink down the leagues.
So which academies do turn out the most successful players, Ned? And I don’t mean just the cream, but those who make it to the world’s premier leagues.
The house seems to think we played very well but I beg to differ. I thought we were decent, nothing great. the team selection continued to amaze and it makes me wonder how can Santi Cazorla play non-stop knowing very well that he looks absolutely knackered. He was lucky to escape a red but then the point is why to play him non stop. Coquelin again the same issue, when you have better players on the bench in xhaka/elneny, why play Francis? it is not about him being good or bad, it is that we have better players than him.
Mustafi tries to win every ball, he needs to know when to hold back and against costa and co this weekend, he maybe found out. Agreed it is early days but isnt that something he needs to be told? Arsene continues to allow players to express themselves but discipline is the key to success.
Iwobi for all his good offensive displays leaves monreal in the lurch way too often. When chelsea come visiting, pretty sure conte’s tactics will be to attack that flank. Can we please have Alexis on the left, theo on the right and giroud upfront of that game? Iwobi can always be the impact sub in such games.
Ozil has been poor. He still seems tired after the exertions of the euros and his passes seem to lack that crispness you associate with the magician.
I know my post feels like as if we lost but it is my worry that makes me say this. Nottingham should the game to experiment and not chelsea. So Arsene, play your best team and do not protect or ease them into the season. they need to be ready when it matters.
Now shall we all laugh at mou, yes this maybe a temporary blip and they may bounce back but the sight of him suffering and add in shrek to the mix, wow, it is a good day afterall.
Blimey O’Reilly Vinay and there was me feeling good about football for once!
I’m seeing lots of stick for Mourinho, but he’s actually ahead of schedule. Usually takes two seasons for his teams to play this abysmally.
I too thought Iwobi was pretty terrible until that sublime flick. Gave it away far too often.
Ozil is Ozil. For me he’s always like that, assist machine or not. To see him throwing his hands around at other people for a misplaced pass, AFTER he’d skied over a virtually open goal from eight yards didn’t exactly endear him to me either.
I think he’s the most over rated player we’ve got, but what do I know.
So Barca are in for Bellerin again..!
..and Northampton to sink ManU is my prediction.
😀
@69
Nail on head.
Couldn’t agree more.
Will the Penny drop.??
50/50 bet, or am i being too generous. ??
Be kind to the afflicted. ??
I did hear he was distracted.
Okay, 80/20
But wouldn’t put money on it.
Lord save us if we lose to those in Blue on Saturday.
Chris@65: There has been a lot work done on this by the statisticians at CIES in Switzerland:
The pecking order among the clubs in the big European leagues for converting their Academy players into full time pros is:
1. Barcelona
2. Lyon
3. Real Madrid
4. Manchester United
5. Rennes.
We are ranked 11th equal and no 2 among Premiership clubs. No other Premiership sides make the top 25.
Gnabry was in final year of contract and refusing a new deal, therefore only option was to sell him.
We’re off to the Forest! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>