Right, we are out of Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but not everything is lost. We are 11 points clear of Man City in Premier League and we can take that lead to 12 points if we beat Bournemouth today. City do have 2 games in hand, but if they win both, we will still have a 6 point lead with only 6 games left for the season. In Champions League, we have a 1-0 advantage against Sporting and the second leg is at home. If we managed to get at least a draw, we will be playing Atletico (most likely) in the semi finals. I would rather play Atletico than Flick’s Barcelona.
The chance of lifting a trophy is still a possibility. And a win today will improve that possibility even more. Bournemouth are sitting in the bottom half of the table, and I hope we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot today.
Playing XI is out and I still don’t understand what has gotten into Arteta’s mind.
Why is Martinelli in the playing XI when you have Hincapie available. It’s not the time to be concerned about the injuries, because a loss in any of the games could mean a title. I’m OK with rest of the selection, Eze could have played ahead of Havertz but I’m not sure how much of his fitness is back.
I don’t understand the fact that we spend more than 250m on midfielders (Rice, Zubimendi, Norgaard, Havertz, Odegaard) and yet, we always have 2 DM-profile players and an option to choose from a non-performing Odegaard with a out-of-form Havertz. Anyway, that shouldn’t be a problem for a team sitting on 1st, playing against a bottom half team I suppose.
We need to win today. Man City has to visit Chelsea tomorrow and though I don’t have much confidence in Chelsea beating them, anything can happen. In last 3 seasons, we have always been the favorites going into last 7-8 games but have given it away. There are 7 games left, and 7 test of whether we have learned something over the years.
Right, game starts in an hour. See ya.
The utter misery of caring about a club managed by Arteta. Fucking enemy within.
Norg
If it meant getting rid of Arteta I’d put a Tottenham supporter in charge.
Auréola is doing everything right including having courage to put in fresh legs who look properly coached.
Delectable to that other namesake location
Marc
No excuses just no idea – El B is a busted flush. Pep has just poured himself a glass of wine and has a huge smirk across his face.
Odds that City now go on and win all of their remaining PL matches?
Norg
When you consider how poor City have been this season, Liverpool are going to sack a manager who won the title last season, Chelsea and ManU have changed managers it should be not only done and dusted but looking at winning multiple domestic competitions.
City win tomorrow and beat us and I don’t think anyone will be able to make any justification for Arteta not being sacked – the only conversation is do we do it at the end of the season or right away?
Marc
The Board do not have the balls to sack him now but unless he wins either the Champions League or the Premiership he must be looking at the exit door. If City beat us and win all of their remaining games they need to make up a goal difference of 6 – easily achievable unless we put together a rugby score. Teams know how to deal with our set pieces and El B has nothing else in his armoury.
Mikel you’re the end of the bell
An irredeemable n’er-do-well
You’ve made Arsenal a joke
You’re a pig in a poke
Where’s that 🍎 and William Tell?
A bit of terrible limerickery to take my mind off that little bastard.
Norg
City beat us 2 nil and win their game in hand 2 nil and the goal difference is level. The truth is we’re now in a position where we’ve got a massive game mid week (go out and the media will declare a full blown crises) followed up by City.
I can’t tell if the players are fatigued because the managers a cunt, mentally lost because the managers a bottle job or both.
There once was a man called Arteta
as hard as he tried he couldnt do better
time after time
his team went into decline
hopefully it will result in his resignation letter
NORG
Nice one. I hope the Arsenalsphere is rife with rumours about his sacking. He fully deserves it. That loss was all about him. I cannot see us getting anything from City either. He’ll be thinking he’s clever by trying to low block for 90 minutes and we’ll doubtless ship a goal or three.
Absolutely terrible today.
Well done Bournemouth and their coach.
Like the Southampton one, genuinely talented coaches playing good vertical football on the carpet.
This club is rotten to its guts.
The supporters are cunts, the coach is a complete cunt and so are the cunting owners.
We could have been like Bayern or Real Madrid or PSG but didn’t have the bottle for that.
They would simply rather be, the best in North London and have this fraudulent cunt in charge and thats why they sing that fuckin dirge and stick with this moronic cunts and his antics.
What was it last week?
All holding a fuckin bic pen in a circle.
All a bunch of cunts.
The football has been so terrible that I took a sabbatical. But now that we have 6 games left to play I can derive joy from Schadenfreude about our chief bottler doing his best to get canned.
If City win tomorrow and beat us next weekend plus win the game in hand we are level with GD coming now into play. Looks like Haaland is just getting into form plus several City players peaking while our MIT (Manager In Training – El B) is destroying the fragile confidence of the squad, they are rattled and the dressing room has to be a bear pit.
If we go trophy less this season but Josh actually grows some balls and El B is shit canned for a manager that gets the nest of the squad I take that any day and add it to the other trophies we won like top of the table at X-Mas, most days top of the table without winning the title and 4th time in a row at 2nd place.
KSE do what even Doris the tea lady can see shit can Arteta is required to end his project “Disastrous Failure”.
Killroy
Good to see you back – its been fucking hard work (again!) following Arsenal.
Assuming City win tomorrow they beat us and goal difference isn’t going to save us. Right now next weekend pretty much looks like its shit or bust. I’m not sure a draw is good enough for us now – we’ve got too many players injured (how many fucking seasons do we have to see it before we change things?) and too many players looking a mix of fatigued, nervous and out of form.
Real leaders inspire people to go on and achieve. Arteta seems to transmit fear like its a fucking virus.
Marc
If City win tomorrow by 2 goals and beat us next weekend by two goals we are even on GDs and the way our attack is sputtering and since the set piece goals have dried up the GD will always be in favor of City.
Arteta has now lost 3 of his last 4 games in all competitions. He only has had 3 defeats in his first 49 games in all competitions this season. That my dear friends is the definition of a chief bottler.
Killroy
They were also 3 massive games – a Cup final (irrelevant competition but the psychological impact was huge), an FA Cup Qtr final (opportunity to put the League Cup final defeat in the past) and then what should have been a fairly standard home PL win.
He could still cock up mid week and manage to derail our entire season in 6 matches.
there was no way that I was getting up for a 7:45 start…thank fucking god I didn’t, as I would have been livid considering what was on display…I’m not even going to prop-up the opposing manager, even though I spoke about his potential rise through the ranks some time back when he first arrived from Girona, but they weren’t great either…being better than us doesn’t mean jackshit nowadays, but I do appreciate that they didn’t come to simply park the bus and hope for the best…as for us, I’m so tired of our flopping about like a fish out of water approach to football…between Havertz, Noni and VG, we’re the fucking keystone cops of simulation play…we don’t even hide our weaselly intentions anymore…my stomach fucking turns knowing that we spent so much and this is what’s on offer…we still might lift some silverware this season but it certianly won’t be pretty and it will require some considerable help by others
on another note, and of course it’s only rumour mill fodder at this point, the possible departures of both Ethan and Skelly this summer is a rather disconcerting notion…it’s not as if they have the same representation and this is some sort of leverage play…the last thing we should be contemplating is getting rid of our high up-side blue chippers, especially with all the blunt instrument-types we currently employ…that said, I would be surprised if both left in the same window, unless they made a concerted push behind the scenes…if I was them I would be worried about my future prospects under a manager who clearly frowns upon those who go off script and/or have final third goals in mind
Killroy—great to see you back in the fold, however briefly…Cheers
Arsenal were poor but what today’s game showed was the incredible strength of the league , Bournemouth were excellent, they were hungry and pressed the ball as if their life depended on it and Arsenal were clueless in how to handle the press , it is easy to see why they are undefeated since the beginning of January.
Someone needs to remind the players and fans that we had won our last 4 league games and the league momentum was in our favour , whereas city have dropped points in the league recently.
I agree that it looks like it’s all going tits up, we look devoid of any creativity without saka, eze and odegaard, the confidence is starting to desert the players and this where the manager has to install belief and confidence in the side.
Despite the defeat we are still in a decent position , a lot depends on how City react , history tells us that they will get stronger but this season they have not looked as invincible.
Am I confident , not really as I didn’t see much today to give me hope but I’m old enough to know that in the last 5 or 6 games in a title run in anything could happen…
Go to the YouTube channel of ESPN-FC and listen to the punditry of Steve Nichol and Craig Burley on the Arsenal v Bournemouth game plus the damaging statistics especially the drop off from set piece goals.
Arsenal’s Recent Struggles
Before March 1 Set Piece Goals 25, Conversion 13%, Open Play goals 60, Games w/1+ Open Play xG 23
Since March 1 Set Piece Goals 3, Conversion 5.5%, Open Play goals 7, Games w/1+ Open Play xG 0
EPL Records in April
Pep for 38 games win Pct. 79%, Goals 102, GA 31
El-B for 26 games win Pct. 42%, Goals 50, GA 37
From the quadruple dreams by the Kool Aid crowd to the reality of no trophy Arteta.
Killjoy
“Arsenal’s recent struggles
Since March 1 Set Piece Goals 3, Conversion 5.5%, Open Play goals 7, Games w/1+ Open Play xG 0”
And yet since March 1st up until today we had a 100% record in the league and have one foot in the champions league semi final after defeating Leverkusen and sporting ,so I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
The fact is our record in all competitions compared to city’s since March 1st is better than theirs as they have lost twice and drawn twice but I haven’t heard a lot about city’s “recent struggles” despite taking a 5-1 hammering over 2 legs from real Madrid and drawing with relegation threatened forest and west ham.
is it just a coincidence that you have decided to show your face again after a few defeats …..I doubt it..