Top Four Tantalisingly In Sight For Gunners
Feb 23rd, 2019 by 'holic
I mentioned the arrival of squeaky bum time before the Bate game and we have started the end phase well. Much better in fact than our nomadic neighbours who had their leader and talisman back at Burnley today – and lost. For us now a potential super Sunday as we take on Southampton while Manchester United host Liverpool. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that we could be in the top four on Sunday night. What we have, we hold!
In a huge week we have three matches that could shape our end of season starting with the chance to gain revenge against the relegation-haunted club that ended our 22 match unbeaten run in December. Unai Emery has decisions to make about his team after the win on Thursday.
Bernd Leno is sure to return, hopefully behind a back four. Laurent Koscielny has been passed fit and could form a new partnership with Sokratis Papastathopoulos between Stephan Lichsteiner and Nacho Monreal? Ainsley Maitland-Niles is under the weather, Carl Jenkinson has been captured by a brigade of little-known Finnish terrorists, and Shkodran Mustafi deserves to be taken out of the firing line and given a tartan blanket on the bench.
It’s perm any two from three ahead of them. Lucas Torreira may miss out again to Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi. We want a playmaker ahead of them and behind the surely recalled Alexandre Lacazette. Personally I don’t mind if it is either Mesut Ozil or Aaron Ramsey, but pick one of them please, Unai. That leaves the question of two players to give us width. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang must be favourite for one side, and probably Alex Iwobi the other.
The Saints replaced Cardiff City in the bottom three when the Welshmen won at St Mary’s. Since then they have done some special high intensity training (SHIT) in Tenerife in readiness for what is also the pointed end of the season for them. We can expect them to be at least combative. Expect Charlie Austin and Shane Long to attempt to add to their goal tally against the Gunners.
The ‘holic pound
We don’t do clean sheets in the Premier League, so I start from the likelihood of the visitors scoring one is high. I also think we have enough about us to overcome one, if that is what Southampton score. Cautiously I am drawn to a best of 15/2 against 2-1 to the Arsenal, with maybe a few pennies as back-up on 3-1 at 11/1?
My attempt to do a supermarket run today failed spectacularly, so I’m afraid I will be joining Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, and Danny Welbeck in the infirmary rather than taking up my seat. If anybody has a spare working set of lungs hanging around that they are not using I would be grateful.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
29 Responses to “Top Four Tantalisingly In Sight For Gunners”
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Morale is low at Chelsea and high at United and the Totts are too far in front even if it is time to start feeling Spursy! So we need to start playing with quality and consistency although if I am honest I am doubtful we can reach the top four at the end of the season . For many years Wenger galvanised the side at this stage of the season and we ended the strongest team in the league over the last few games. I’m not sure Unai has that ability and Holic’s excellent preview hints at why. We need a solid defence and creative attack and don’t have the luxury of leaving out the quality players we do have.
I’d be delighted with any sort of win tomorrow. I think 2-1 might be the score too.
Hope you feel better Guvna and don’t get stressed further by the game tomorrow .
Thank you TTG. To say I go from well to unwell many times a day is to sum it up. Occasionally a little bit of what is in the lung comes out and I feel encouraged, then night time comes and I have to sleep in a recliner because in bed I fill up quicker than a Fiat 500. I’m gutted to be missing tomorrow.
Heh. You almost got that one about Jenkinson past me but not quite. Hope that special training didn’t teach Shane Long or Charlie Austin any new tricks, whether involving canaries or otherwise. 😉
If only Trev were here, he probably has a whole bag of pulmonologist jokes. 🙂
Seriously, take it easy and follow doctor’s orders ‘holic. Thanks for the preview and come on the big 3 points please.
Evening H
Given your health update,difficult to see you braving a chilly night against Bournemouth midweek,so it looks like your next appearance at the Ems might have to be the big Sunday game against Utd on the 10th,or the EL tie against Rennes on the 14th of next month,and if you don’t get clearance for either of those 2,it will have to be the night game April 1st at home to Newcastle.
Unless of course you are intending health permitting,to attend the match at Wembley next w/end against our Neighbors. !!!
As for the Saints,they have a terrible record against us away in the league,i think 19 seasons without a win,so i will be very surprised if we don’t pick up the 3pts.
I see our old friend Mike Dean was the Ref for the Spurs game at Turf Moor,and he wound up poor old Poch big time with some hilarious decisions.
I thought the Spuds were nailed on for 3pts given Burnley’s appalling record at home against top 6 sides,but yet again football finds a way to confound us.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer mob.
As for our Ladies,great shame given the number of players we were missing,and a tough gritty performance,that we couldn’t complete the job in the penalty shoot out against City in the League Cup final today.
We’ve only lost two home league games against Southampton, in 1968 and 1987 (Nigel Winterburn’s debut game). Of the other league games at Highbury or the Ems, we have won 25 and drawn 13. That is a big contrast to our away form against the Saints. We have won only three of the last 12 league games there.
Take it one day at a time, ‘Holic.
Thanks for the preview guvnor.
Agree with that team, hope UE
does too. But I’m a bit more hopeful
on the score, consecutive 3-0 wins
looks good to me.
ps Take it easy Guvnor. There’s
always the next game in football
and no need to rush your return!
This is the team that beat Southampton 3-2 last year.
Cech
Bellerin (sub Holding)
Mustafi
Chambers
Kolasinac
Elneny
Nelson (sub Wilshere)
Xhaka
Iwobi
Aubameyang (sub Lacazette)
Welbeck
A minority of those will start today.
I’d completely forgotten that game
already Ned and had to you tube it
– bit worrying that 🙁
anyway, we scored 3 and gave away
2 careless goals. I remembered after
seeing Cech get the hump with Mus.
That seems to be how our season plays out, OM. Giving away careless goals is the constant. We win when we score more than we give away and not when we don’t. The days of 1-0 to the Arsenal seem distant.
The revolving door to the Leicester manager’s office has had another spin. Puel sacked.
Unai is now the 13th longest serving manager in the Premiership.
Arsenal: Leno, Lichsteiner, Mustafi, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Ramsey, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Lacazette
Subs: Cech, Koscielny, Monreal, Guendouzi, Suarez, Ozil, Aubameyang
Normally, Ozil, Monreal, Auba and Guendouzi would have started. At least the bench looks strong.
Are we playing for a nil-nil or what with team selected? Mustafi more likely to score for Arsenal or Southampton?
We almost conceded but Laca scores at the other end.
Laca!!
Unai knows?
Foul on Kola
Get in Mkhi!!!
Mkhi makes it 2-0.
Coolly finished first time
Lucky for us their finishing is not
the same level
Blimey Laca. That was a sitter.
Still, apart from our customary
wobbles at the back, we’ve been
much better going forward and
could have got 4 or 5
Anyone got a decent stream? I only saw about half of that. Not seen Laca’s goal yet.
Laca missed chances to increase the lead but being ahead at the end of first half feels good.
That was an enjoyable first half. A bit more clinical and it could be all over.
More for the second half please. Laca to get his hat trick.
Bring it on
They are fouling repeatedly but the ref is happy to let it happen.
Xhaka gave it away casually and they almost scored.
Shame for Iwobi. He’s been excellent today.
Fourth baby! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>