Nacho Lifts The Mood And Storms The Palace Defence
Jan 21st, 2018 by 'holic
There have been worst days. Birthday pints with some of Swindon’s finest set the scene for an enjoyable excursion to the home of football. Seats were taken in time to register a very well observed minute of applause for Cyrille Regis. The rain and the cold air barely registered and were forgotten after an amazing opening quarter of the match by the Arsenal.
The Gunners welcomed back Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Mesut Ozil and Mohamed Elneny. They reverted to a back four and packed the midfield and one of the returnees put us ahead in only the sixth minute. Nacho Monreal’s excellent far post header from Granit Xhaka’s corner set the mood for the first-half.
The left back turned provider when he raided down the left flank and cut the ball back for Alex Iwobi to double the advantage. I tried to get a signal to check the cashout on the ‘holic pound but it wasn’t strong enough and before I could get through we had a third goal. Again it followed a corner that found Monreal and his ball into the mix was finished decisively by Laurent Koscielny. We hadn’t even been playing for a quarter of an hour.
Less than ten minutes on and we were in euphoric mood after Alexandre Lacazette ended his recent goal famine from Mesut Ozil’s sublime backheel. With Mohamed Elneny providing an unexpectedly solid base we looked a better balanced team than we had for a long time. Midway through the half the contest was over. Sadly, not long afterwards Monreal’s day was over as he was replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles as a precautionary measure, apparently. Let’s hope so.
Without him a little of that balance was lost and Palace started to break play up at every opportunity with the aid of some lax refereeing as the intensity of the challenges increased, particularly after the whistle to start the second-half was blown. Roy Hodgson had definitely called for more effort from his team during the break.
Petr Cech and his defence held firm and denied efforts from Sako, van Aanholt, and Kelly. Iwobi attempted a response only to be denied by Hennessey. The late substitutions commenced with Reiss Nelson coming on for the excellent Ozil. With twelve minutes to go Palace got their consolation when Benteke headed a corner into the path of Milivojevic who finished comfortably.
Sead Kolasinac was introduced for Iwobi as we looked to see out the final moments of a relatively dull second-half. What had gone before had already put the gloss on the day. It was time for a quick post-mortem accompanied by some of Scotland’s finest courtesy of one of our own! The perfect end to a very enjoyable day. Let’s hope there are more to follow.
121 Responses to “Nacho Lifts The Mood And Storms The Palace Defence”
Sounds like a fine day out. Thoroughly enjoyable game. Loved the Oil magic. A very fine contribution by Iwobi I thought.
Great report Landlord!
Good win etc…… not going to be negative in any way important three points.
Life after Alexis continues, hope we continue this way but second half was a bit alarming a bit of pressure and we seem to give into it, a bit like my sons team on Saturday mornings. Did I say I was not going to be negative?
Opps…
Three points onto the next game please
(Wenger still needs to go) Here I go again…..apologies…
Not seen any of the game yet but there is clearly a major typo H. You have said very early that we scored from a corner. You may want to get someone to oroff read the next time????
?
Proof read even…..
Oh the irony!!!
Nice report H. Glad it was such a top day.
I will catch up with highlights just as soon as the cricket finishes.
Hope to catch up at the Everton game.
Nice to watch a game when you
don’t mind chances missed and
penalties not given – cos sod it
we’ve tanked them anyway.
Glad you had a happy birthday
guvnor and many thanks for
the match report.
Excellent report, Guvna. A good day out despite the chill.
I was delighted that Lacazette bagged his first goal for a few weeks. Hope that’s the seal broken.
Alexis who?
Sounds you had a good day out, Guv’nor, and, again, happy returns.
Not to be churlish about three points, but the Arsenal that turned up for the final 70 mins wasn’t the Arsenal that played the first 20.
Perhaps this team set out to prove there is life after Sanchez?
UTA.
Didn’t see the game live and only watched the first 34 minutes later. Then I switched off, kind of like the team apparently. Glad your birthday was a good ‘un GH. 🙂
Whichever Palace player was charged with marking Nacho shall remain in infamous anonymity it seems, if such a thing exists.
Great win, and the warm fluffy feeling returns.
Its been gone toooooooo long
Alexis Sanchez is probably already in the “red zone” but somewhat deceptively for Mourinho, he did pass his Manchester United physical. (??)
A very happy and accurate report of affairs yesterday. The first quarter was surreal as we looked likely to score every time we got the ball having not entered the Palace half for the first five minutes. We were devastating from corners ( honestly Steve!) and tge fourth goal showed Ozil at his brilliant best. Nice to see Lacazette notching. He played well.
On the way to the match I caught a Myles Palmer headline saying that the Sanchez-Mkhitaryan deal was off! Poor sad old deluded fellow . Today he’s saying Wenger is going to rule the club from the boardroom next year until he dies! Must be sad when you used to know stuff but all your contacts have gone- and can’t go gracefully.
The pace of the Auba deal is interesting and is an insight into how quickly the Arsenal board/ management crank into action. Apparently Gazidis has so far let BVB know he’d like to talk to them. No bid has been made. Playing poker with the Arsenal negotiators the big danger is that you would fall asleep during the game.??????
This is an interview given by Bobby Pires to a Chilean newspaper about the Sanchez move and the situation at Arsenal. Bobby is an ambassador for the club but takes a pretty negative view of the ambition shown by Arsenal and how this lack of ambition has disillusioned Sanchez and Ozil.
Maybe he didn’t expect it to get back to the Arsenal hierarchy …or maybe he did !
Apparently Arsenal have promised the two prospective big signings that further big signings will follow, but we’ve heard that before and it hasn’t happened ( the only team in Europe not to sign an outfield player in the window a couple of years ago.) They certainly won’t keep Ozil unless they show more ambition.
http://sportwitness.co.uk/robert-pires-alexis-no-mercenary/
Having acknowledged that I still find the Alexis deal quite obscene!
Lucas Perez just made a great assist against RM ?
TTG,
@14 Dortmund have said that Arsenal
have made a bid. Low as usual and no
doubt it will drag for a seeming age
Cheers H! Sounds like a great day out was had mate.
spud og amusingly puts them 1-0
down
hmmm, that pleasure didn’t last
long 1-1
Ivan does appear to be in Dortmund so fingers crossed. ?
Ivan in Dortmund. Table for 1 please.
Spurs draw at Southampton? but are still three points ahead of us?.
still, 2 points pulled back. Let’s
just win our next 10 and see
where we are then.
we should tell Ivan not to
come back without Auba.
I heard Ivan is in Dortmund for the Pfefferpotthast.
…he made every move in his repertoire…
Myles Palmer
Christ, is he still alive?
Silva sacked by Watford brings to eight the number of Premiership managers sacked so far this season. No wonder Pochettino calls the job ‘the electric chair’.
the mercy seat
Cynic
It’s hard to tell !?
Interesting tga5 in Ornstein’s tweet about Auba he makes the point that if we sign him there is ‘very little money for other transfers’.
Since the summer we’ve signed Lacazette , Mavropanos and possibly Auba. Mkhitaryan is a swap. The Tank was a free transfer which is of course not free but we’ve unloaded – Chesney, Ox, Gibbs, Gabriel, Theo, Coquelin . Sanchez is the swap for Mkhitaryan. We’ve also received a lot of loan fees for the likes of Perez.
Wages are hard to calculate but we aren’t going to be paying out substantially more although a new deal for Ozil might swell the wage bill.We will have paid out about £110 million but have received about £90 million- a net spend of around £20 million. Are we really saying in this era that we need to balance the books? We had a similar message in the summer. Maybe if they’d sold Sanchez for £60 million in the summer we’d be in a healthier situation.
I’m not sure Arsenal economics aren’t out of sync with Liverpool and Tottenham let alone the three richest clubs, especially bearing in mind our ticket prices
clean shit
myles away
…also known as the electrifying chair
Still trying to work out why our performance dropped off in the second half. Were we saving something for Wednesday ? Was it because Ozil ran out of steam? Did Nacho’s injury upset the balance of the side or was it simply that Palace upped their game in the second half and we sat back seeing out time. What ever the reason, there was lots to like but we were left feeling we could have pressed home our advantage and improved our goal difference, an opportunity missed when we had the opposition back on their heels.
The Gooners on the train were in high spirits on the way home, the win and the impending transfers in ? seemed to have cheered up most of the assembled party. However, I am much more sceptical whether we are getting a bargain with the United swap for Alexis and wonder whether we are importing more trouble with the Congolese, who has a reputation of being difficult to manage.
What ever happens on the transfer front, we must get Ozil and Jack to extend their contracts, they look great together on the park and can only get better.
Belated birthday greetings Holic , glad you had a good day on Saturday and unlike me trust your seat is far enough back to keep you dry.
See you all at the Ems on Wednesday. COYR
Dedication to club and cause. Nacho brings it every time.
#cheesey
Delia@33: Tellingly, once Nacho went off we played like we played when he was out injured.
I did wonder if Ozil being pulled so early meant that he has been pencilled on the team sheet for Wednesday.
TTG@30: Interesting chart in Swiss Ramble on the underlying profitability of the top clubs. It compares their EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation and Amortisation), as this strips out player trading and non-cash items. To your point, when it comes to generating cash (and thus not needing to rely on player sales), Arsenal is right there in the mix.
It is in this post, quite a long way down: http://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/chelsea-band-wore-blue-shirts.html
It also shows why Man Utd, which makes a bigger EBITDA cash profit that the next two most profitable Premier League clubs, Man City and us combined can afford to splash the silly cash on Sanchez.
Interesting perspectives on Nacho and Mesut. I thought Monreal’s return made the greater difference in the match. Also that Xhaka’s deep corners were a vast improvement on Ozil’s traditional short ones to the first defender.
Ozil’s backheel to Laca was indeed sublime, but he also gave the ball away unnecessarily on too many occasions to merit the idolatory heaped on him by some here.
no fuckin hint blaaa
.
.
cunt am fuckin puttin up
oooh “mindfulness”
.
bow legged fuck
fuckin ridiculous
too accommodating me
“Bring me yer wankers , yer spanners
fuckin size o the hoop on her
.
not my problem
laughin fuckin boy away de bed
the fuckin cunt
fuckin wife drop off point
me
.
.
.
“Aggravating shite for sale “
.
two face value
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxGI68P_yk0
.
.
wankers
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdnmesOzLxg
an you can fuck off an all
ya kiss me quick knotted hankie shower
.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnUOq0euqYQ
so
is it
the ems or the grove or the ashburton or the ashburton grove or the
emirates or…
make oop yer mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNFCRO0DTTI
it’s
THERE
please
no flowers
send donations to ‘holic
he’ll sprinkle them on his herbaceous borders
.
god bless all here
members only
nicky tesco
clubcard
& communists
&
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1B6LrOmNsg
+elasticated slacks
“EHHHHH!?”
.
.
contribute
or fuck up
&
one for al*xis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq85vxM2DoY
tunes here
won’t earn you friends
.
considered analysis
(reworded offin t’internet)
WILL
*does winky face*
Chris @ 37.
I watched us play 90 mins recently for the first time. I think it was the Bournemouth game but I’m too tired to check. After Xhaka chucked in yet another rubbish corner I posted something about how poor his corners were. I was amused to see that, despite the lack of drinks in the bar, there were cross posts from others about how poor his delivery was. It was the standout observation to all watching.
Yet any stick you can beat Ozil with…
I admire the way you take it upon yourself to personally redress the ‘idolatry heaped on him by (Trev’s fave) some here”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nA7KZF94wk
oops…clean shit
i’m off
no desire to enter into a
howdy do an etc an blaaa
but
dino , yer a very clever fucker
trust yer doin well
and howdy from chez me
?
Chris.
How would it be to say that corners that don’t clear the first man are no good? And that various takers sometimes offer these up, despite them being no good? That Ozil sometimes takes poor corners? And so does Xhaka? That we would benefit from consistently excellent deliveries? And that it is possible to bemoan the lack of consistently excellent deliveries without taking each specific and tiny sample in any one game and using it as evidence to back up a point (apparently you think Ozil is overrated?) that has been flogged to death and has become parody as much as genuinely held opinion?
Argue with me as much as you want. I doubt I’ll reply. I’m pissed off tonight and I came in here for some light relief and instead I got hit with yet another dose of your using everything that happens on a football pitch to prove that your ideas about our players (team, formation, management, transfers etc) are right. If I wanted to see someone twist any and all evidence before their eyes to suit their own agenda then I’d watch the Sky Sports pundits. Or Robbie Savage.
light relief?
help
us
lord
Nah cba. Not clever.
Well, maybe on a good day.
Right now I’m just grumpy and pissed off and wound up and moody. Have a drink on me, whatever it is your drinking tonite. And I’ll join you, if I may?
And one for Chris. It’s not personal.
And one for IF, cos if he read 61 and 65 he’s prolly cheering me on right about now.
*waves at cba and SSY*
I’m off the wagon at the moment and I appreciate those who know how to put ’em away. Slainte.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mbTlF_VyrA
.
reminded
age today
several times
[HUMBLEBRAG]
“can’t believe you two same class”
.
none fuckin negates time
50s end closer
And a drink for SSY on the bar. Having recognised his ability to knock em back I feel remiss not to offer him one.
Enjoy a drink on me, sir. Burns Night coming up- so a Scotch would be preferable, but I leave it in your hands…
buenas noches
gunnerigos
on homemade dino
here
*slides a 30% rum n raisin ankle weakener*
oops
catch this one
no ?
*slides third*
*catches drink*
*drinks*
*smiles briefly*
*looks up hopefully for another*
Sorry I missed the first two cba. It’s these claws.
Buenas noches SSY.
*sets cattle to STUN*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qghZDmtW9NY
.
.
didn’t much care for the cranberries
i liked Dolores
.
naive understanding – zombie
another – cleverer – but no less
tutting from a-freestate-far
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVm6n34MIM
a great tune
.
.
some free state music is good
[BEHOLD]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFRIu8skLc
Your drink is cheering GSD. I hope your mood is similarly lifted by future onfield results, whoever takes the corners or backheels so gloriously or surprises with moments of magic. Perhaps I too am feeling uncommon grumpy. I’ve always maintained said Ozil is a very talented player. Just not often enough. Hopefully his current good form will last longer than it generally has since plying his trade with the good guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAWQsQK61VU
.
.
suns a nearly coming up
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxSqD79TU_Y
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms8JI4Bc1Qc
anyhoo
.
.
.
UP THE ARSENAL
(ya mad cunts)
.
[sorry for language Delia]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl4OO73ec-M
[lyrics do not reflect the opinions of the me]
but
he says Delia
so
FUCK UP
and
STOP GOIN ON ABOUT IT
.
sheesh
From my parents’ handed-down collection of 78rpm shellac discs …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X_h7Y-pDHg
…and lyrics for above in case you want to sing along:
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
A dey waHapana Hapana Hapana Ba “HHH” !
HE fané hé hé
é HE é HE !
A dou té abido I komon
AAAAArnamm
A dey waHapana Hapana Hapana Ba “HHH” !
HE fané hé hé
é HE é HE !
Reniko iui tamonipooo néééé
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
( intrumental )
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
A dey waHapana Hapana Hapana Ba “HHH” !
HE fané hé hé
é HE é HE !
A dou té abido I komon
AAAAArnamm
A dey waHapana Hapana Hapana Ba “HHH” !
HE fané hé hé
é HE é HE !
Reniko iui tamonipooo néééé
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
Dam duHduap OUA OUA OUA
HEE poulédada pidou PALOUW
BUUU daduki douway datoukitoungui
Onipowa patapalaaaaaïï
OUA OUA OUA !
“All togevva nah “
I wouldn’t bother trying to translate. It’s about someone called Hapana Shapana Ba “HHH”, who was shot dead.
FUCKIN LOVE IT
Don’t you ever sleep, cba?
Kanui and Lula also recorded ‘Tomi Tomi’ which I prefer, but I couldn’t find the lyrics for it. 😀
not until i phonetically learn every tune
“aaah beticka ticka wap dap doodle dicka”
WOOP WOOP WOOP
Close!
This just might be the first 45rpm disc I bought when they replaced 78s … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGVHhXKcDrE … at about the same time I was opening my rocknroll club!
.
.
god bless ye chris
i fuckin love that
????
89
that is
FOGHORN LECHORN
accent
“Eight , boy , with a nine after it”
.
.
97
holy fuck
jesus nana
she’s no mother maybelle but
who is ?
.
anyhoo
gonna grab an hour
.
cheers big man
nite nite
or day day!
Why are any corners poor? Stationary ball. No opponent within 9.15m. Shouldn’t professional footballers be landing their corner kicks on a sixpence?
Chris @ 84
Top, top man. I’ve left another drink behind the bar if you want it at whatever time you read this.
NBN. It is amazing how many poor corners are taken when you are right it should just be basic to get it into the right area.
I’ve lost count of how many times I have said this but we are dreadful at corners. We can’t tske them and we are equally as bad at defending them.
We have been so poor at corners for so long , that suddenly being good at them is an awesome tactic that will catch any opponent off guard 😉
It’s about someone called Hapana Shapana Ba “HHH”, who was shot dead
I never knew that bloke in the wrestling was from the islands, or that he’d been tragically slain.
Edumacational these drinks.
In other news, they don’t let you smoke on the bus so why do they let you on if you have BO? Fed up sitting behind people who smell like they’ve pissed themselves and fallen asleep in front of the fire.
AND the ones with dandruff flakes the size of dinner plates hanging out of their hair.
Puts me right off picking my nose, so it does.
Three possible answers to Ned’s question @106 occur to me:
i) Taking corners is _much_ more difficult than it appears;
ii) Arsenal aren’t actually much worse at taking corners than anyone else;
iii) The Arsenal staff neither coach nor practice corner taking.
There are probably others. I have no idea which, if any, of the above is the dominant answer. I feel that I am invited to assume one of them in particular.
COYG
Delia@33,
Aubameyang is from Gabon ?? not Congo.
He’s seemingly a “problem” to the Germans now cause they can’t handle someone who’s got a little bit of personality. Someone who likes to have fun and a good time enjoying his life. ?
It all started going downhill for their relationship with the African when Klopp left Dortmund. Why? Cause Klopp was actually “fun”, for a German! ?
Aubameyang will be “A-OK” here in London with all of us good-time and cosmopolitan Charlie’s! Ask Iwobi and Capt Jack?! ????
Pangloss@111. Turns out the answer is i).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2014/06/17/what-is-a-corner-kick-worth-in-soccer/
Interesting article, Ned. My take is that Arsenal are probably about average at scoring from corners, but perhaps there is the impression that we are worse than other teams because other teams seem to score more corners against us. In other words, we are shit at defending corners. (sorry for stating the obvious)
– Henrikh, from Old Trafford to The Emirates. How do you feel?
– That stink, man, in their dressing room, like you wouldn’t believe.
WELCOME!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeQtyBTFAXU/?hl=en&taken-by=alexis_officia1
Thanks for digging out that article Ned. I can’t say I’m hugely surprised to learn that taking that corners is non-trivial.
In other news, probably covered by others – I was called away to a 20-minute phone call while typing up this response to Ned’s drink @113 – the BBC are reporting that Sanchez had gone to Manchester Rowdies in a swap deal for some unpronounceably-named Armenian bloke. Wo saw that one coming?
COYG
We are swapping promise dashed for hope renewed. Same old same old.
Didn’t see that one coming either 🙂
🙂
Henrikh speaks. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>