Guest Post – iBtM Europa League Preview
Oct 24th, 2019 by 'holic
Last season’s final weeks dispelled the majority of the positive Arsenal feelings I’d squirreled away. The prospect of this coming season left me underwhelmed. And then there were droplets of good news. Celtic had agreed to our offer for Kieran Tierney. William Saliba was coming (and then going, of-course, it wouldn’t be Arsenal otherwise), a barrow load of dead and decaying wood was offloaded. Martinelli was coming and he was better than anyone had ever been. Ceballos, the future of Spain was coming. And finally, we signed Pepe, a mega star so mega that I’d never even heard of him in his galaxy beyond the stars!
And even better, our young players, Willock, Saka and Nelson, looked so, so promising in pre-season. All of a sudden, my mood changed and the arrow on the Arsenal barometer swung right round the clock face to “Sunny without a cloud in sight – piss of Sp*rs.” And it just kept getting better, we actually won an away game at Newcastle. At this rate it could only be a matter of time before we saw the green stuff inside Steve T’s wallet by the bar at the Tolly!
But life with Arsenal never flies forward on a constant upward vector. The current Arsenal are masters at installing a leaden lining in the fluffiest of silver clouds. And that little hole in the ceiling began to let in the first few droplets at the very mention of the word Watford and since then it has begun to look like it’s going to take more than a bottle of Brasso and some elbow grease to put a shine on anything that glitters silver unless there are some very fundamental changes in, well, just about everything except the Thursday nigh team. Which brings me beautifully to tonight’s game. See what I did there?
It is absolutely sluicing down here in East Herts making the prospect of the long March from the Faltering Fullback to the stadium one which is likely to fill shoes to the ankles with water. But Thursday night games have turned out to be well worth the physical discomfort and late mid-week annoyance. The Thursday night team plays like Arsenal for goodness sake. The goalkeeper doesn’t make three yard passes inside his box. The two full backs can actually defend. More, both can get forward at pace and cross accurate, dangerous balls which tee up shots and headers on goal. Xhaka doesn’t play on Thursdays and neither does Kolasinac but Rob Holding does.
We get to see Joe Willock do what Joe Willock does in a box to box role. How can someone glide so effortlessly and quickly over such an acreage and still get back to intercept dangerous attacks? Our man from Frey Bentos makes beefy challenges in his best role on Thursdays and Ainsley Maitland-Niles gets run outs in the midfield role that will one day be his.
And none of that is all. Did I tell you about up front? No? Well, up front is the best bit because we get to see the irrepressible Martinelli. We get to see Auba or Laca, we get to see Saka and when he’s not one get Nelson. And it is all so much different from the weekend team because this team plays Wengerball or Emery’s version thereof and it is actually a pleasure to be in the ground. The exact opposite of the second half versus Boureouth of last Monday’s wet night out in Sheffield.
So I’m looking forward to being soaked to the skin. It will be well worth it to see Kieran Tierney float balls into Martinelli to backheel to Laca to put us into dreamland and secure that Holic pound.
Am I a little worried that Holding, Tierney and Torreira tonight might mean they don’t start on Sunday? I’ll worry about that on Sunday, get back to me then.
55 Responses to “Guest Post – iBtM Europa League Preview”
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You wait overnight for a preview and then two turn up together ! Wonderful stuff IbtM and your feelings about the current situation are very close to mine . Which means if it’s Thursday we have a lot to look forward to. I can’t remember enjoying a half as much as the first half against Liege for a very long time . Which translated means I love watching the team Emery picks for unimportant games and am bored watching the team he picks in the league . Whatever happens tonight he won’t send this team out again on Sunday. The man is so risk averse he could have been an actuary in another life .
Thanks for the preview IbtM and hope you are growing fitter by the day Holic !
Re my last post any offence caused to actuaries was entirely intentional ?
Just arrived in Cambridge and weather has dried up.
Looking forward to seeing the same lineups as in the Liege / Forest games and hopefully a fun evening with a few goals.
COYR
it’s actually a delicious prospect to be across london heading to the grove, weather notwithstanding. folks on the kensal green platform keep sneaking glances at my sharp red and white scarf, clearly out of place in west london. just makes me smile all the more. a short game of mornington crescent and i’m off at holloway road near the center of the universe…
well in ibtm, hope to meet you in an hour or so…
Bergkampesque preview, sir.
Enjoy the game.
A whole lotta ‘holics goin’ on
Smashing preview iBtM and have a great time to everyone attending the game tonight.
I shall be watching and cheering on from my sofa?
A little bit of rain never hurt anybody anyways
Entertaining preview, iBtm and as noted, in the nick of time. Rally the troops!
Great preview iBtM. Writing this from my seat in the North Bank. Luckily the rain has dried up and it’s a great autumn night for watching football.
COYG!!!
Good preview and like you I’m concerned about our EPL side .
A few weeks ago I did state that thought UE wouldn’t bring back our injured players into the EPL side for a long time because a game Thursday and Sunday would be too much too soon for them .
So how and when will we see Tierney , Holding and Bellerin in the EPL team ?
Having read a few post Sheffield Utd game UE press releases he’s happy with the team as he feels we are now more competitive than when he arrived
We are in trouble
Former Spur player fires Vitória ahead. More shit defending.
13/10 now available on the home win. Testicles out.
Not going according to plan,
anyway a good test COYGS
Thanks for a fine, optimistic preview iBtM. However, things are not working out as hoped by you or the others in here. More worrying is that, so far, we have looked disjointed and Guimaraes have played a lot better than us and the scoreboard rightly reflects that. They have created three chances and we, none. I hope we turn things around. COYG.
Sorry to know that the Chief had serious health concerns recently but very happy to learn that he is recovering well.
Get in! 1-1
Decent cross and a nice
header from Martinelli
Hope we can push on
Get in!!!!
Great cross by Tierney and well headed in by Martinelli.
Can’t understand why Emery didn’t bring in Tierney against Sheffield United. His treatment of Ozil is stupid, unless there is something we don’t know about.
Another brain fart by Mustafi but nothing comes off from the resultant free kick. But Vitoria get back in front after AMN gives the ball away in a dangerous area. All our defenders were way up the pitch. We will never learn defending under this comical manager.
Shit, then again
Sorry but tactically we do not have a clue.
We look disjointed and clueless. There is only one team on fire and that is not Arsenal for sure. They have made us look second best from the off and unless we pull our finger out and play much better in the second half, we are looking at a thrashing.
I fully expect us to win. Although I am not sure how many we will need to score. Probably 3 more.
Ceballos and Gwen on for Willock and AMN.
Like your optimism, GSD.
Laca goes down at the slightest touch. Very poor by him.
Genuinely disgraceful by Laca. Very disappointing indeed.
Embarrassing sadly. Very embarrassing.
Bein Sport commentator hates us and is loving every second he can call us crap. He’s a pain. And an idiot.
Yes, let’s not pull that nonsense.
Looks like Emery had passed on his clueless foottbal onto our young guns, shame that I thought our young ones would show everyone how it’s done. I’m very much surprised with what I’m seeing.
60 mins gone, still same old crap
ATG, was thinking the same, the more they play the more they are infected with the UE virus, shame
Laca play acting in full camera view that is indeed embarrassing
It’s only us who can make even way below average teams look good. Time and time again.
Okay Pepe. Over to you
We are indeed poor today all over the park. Vitória have shown us how to play.
Pepe scores a great free kick, 2-2.
One more please
What a goal by Pepe!
They almost took the lead again. How can any team be so porous.
Martinelli misses a great chance to score.
Pepe still hasn’t scored from open play… picky picky ?
What a pass by Mustafi to Bellerin
We have looked like a decent team only after the 75th minute.
Really weighted pass by Mustafi, ATG, but Bellerin showed some pace. He looked slow earlier but he needs some time to get back to his original pacy self.
Pepe!!!!!
Has now.
Pepe took all the weight off Emery’s shoulders. What a game for Pepe, he showed why he was so highly rated.
Pepe does it again what a free kick
Never in doubt
Pepe also made GSD’s prediction come true.
Half the credit goes to Guendouzi.
I’ll still wait for Pepe’s open play goal ???. Excellent free kicks, not since RvP we’ve had great free kick takers.
THAT was very close.
Two free kick goals within minutes of each other? I guess he still hasn’t scored from open play then. Tsk tsk tsk. 😉
I wasn’t watching and only assumed the second one had to be from open play. Statistically speaking, it had to be! Only thing was, it wasn’t. 😀
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Top job Unai. Great subs. Be careful though there’s a lot of shitbags
out there !!