Stamford Bridge was partly empty due to the sanctions in place but there were still enough supporters in blue. In the 1/8th of stadium were ladies and gentlemen sitting in red and white to support a team which had lost three easy games earlier. When the game ended, you could only see red jerseys in a blue stadium. It was beautiful. Players celebrated with fans for a good 10 minutes, showing what it meant for them to win a London Derby.
We beat Chelsea 4-2 at their home. After leading twice and giving it away within minutes, we decided it was enough. Eddie was brilliant, who opened the scoring capitalising on a Chelsea’s mistake. They levelled back. It was a brilliant Smith Rowe’s goal to put us in the lead again, but that didn’t last long. We went into the second half having played better football and a 2-2 score line. In 57′ minute, Eddie came to rescue again. Poor pass from Azpilicueta landed to Eddie’s feat after bouncing off from like 13 players and he don’t miss that.
Out last goal was symbolic in a way. Saka was handled in Penalty area and referee didn’t think much to point to the spot in spite of Chelsea’s players reactions. Everyone was expecting Martinelli to take it (even Arteta) but Saka was not in a mood to give it away. He scored, sending Mendy the wrong way and went straight to away section to celebrate with fans. We could all see how much it meant after missing one in Euro for England. He was a proud of himself and rightly so. I was buzzing for him.
4 goals from hale enders when we needed it the most. Who would have thought Nketiah can deliver better than Laca. Elneny got his first start this season and he didn’t disappoint at all. He is limited but a no nonsense player who have got a Ferrari engine fitted in. Our back three was poor but then a win’s a win and I will keep the complaining for some other day.
That leads me to talk about out top 4 chances. We are still in the mix with 57 points, level with Spu*ds sitting in 4th on basis of goal difference. We have to play Man United and West Ham and a six pointer north london derby. 6 game and it might feel too much of an expectation but I believe we should win all of them. United are sh*t, West Ham are tired and well, you can’t lose against Spu*s. Our other three games are against Leeds, New Castle and Everton – all winnable.
On the other hand, Spurs still have to play Leicester and Liverpool. They have games against Brentford and Burnley, they will do a spursy and lose some points I’m sure. In any case, we can’t afford to lose any more matches!
There was an argument going on twitter earlier stating Champions League qualification meant nothing since we are still building team and have areas to strengthen. We have lost against Brighton, Crystal Palace and Southampton and we should rather fix everything first and then think of competing in champions league. Well it’s a sh*t argument! By that logic, playing in a league with Klopp and Pep’s team – probably two of the best teams in recent times, is waste?!
Champions League attract players. Talents all over the world wants to make it big at the grand stage. Not only we will struggle to bring world class talents who constantly look for CL games, keeping the ones we have will get difficult. Saka, Martinelli, ESR would most certainly be dreaming of playing against Barcelona and Bayern and making their legacy. And it has it’s monetary benefit. When you have some 50m extra cash, you can afford to over pay for players like Ben White and not feel the heat.
We are playing Man United tomorrow at Emirates. I won’t mind seeing the same starting XI and the intent with which we played against Chelsea. They are not going to sit back like a lower mid table club and that gives us the option of playing our game. We have been shit with low block but play comparatively well against teams who wants to compete in possession. It’s probably the worst United side in years and three points should be a guarantee from Mikel’s team. Win this, and you are one step closer.
To the Chelsea fan who somehow managed to land on an Arsenal blog, repeat after me…
LONDON IS RED
Mb,
The argument you’re referring to is yet another part of the complex attempts to buffer Arteta from his own failings. Seemingly if you predict future failures then ,when they happen there very predictability lessens the responsibility for their occurrence. Mind boggling stuff really. We qualify for ECL,fail miserably and are then told,sure what could Arteta do,we could all see this coming.
Your interpretation is simple and logical,get in while you can,earn as much as you can and keep moving forward at whatever pace you can.
Yes – I mean how is that right saying not playing in CL / Europa is a positive? It’s a competitive sport, ask Villarreal if they were okay to not play mid week game?
Edu didn’t want to set a target. Arteta do not have a yes /no answer when asked about top 4. And now the fans…
It’s seriously baffling.
What if we crash out in the group stage with results like the Bayern one? – We pick ourselves up, identify our weakness, fix it and fight next season.
Fear of failures won’t let you go anywhere.
Morning Jamie,
Just read your piece about Tets on the other thread. Really fair and cogent way to explain your position. When many of the usual suspects on le grove were wary of making predictions at the start of the season, I thought that finishing 4th was the minimum given the cash spent and his time in the job. I also thought 2 strong domestic cup runs were achievable given we were, ahem, out of europe. I’d give him one out of two on that score.
Tomorrow’s a proper biggie – we really ought to be winning that given where United are at the moment. They also have a huge injury list I understand. Arteta simply has to get into the players’ heads and convince them that the mancs – more than ever in recent history – are there for the taking. I really want to see them start like a fucking train a la spurs, City and not like it was against Brighton.
On Tets, I’m slightly less sympathetic as you know. He continues to make errors, trashes players’ fragile egos and values and will always be an ersatz version of Klopp and Pep.
At various points this season, I’ve read some of these naive lads on le grove saying Norwich away/villa home/Watford away etc. are vital games… Nonsense. This one tomorrow is though.
Hoping against hope that results give a big swing in our favour this weekend.
Oh and do I get a trophy for coming 4th? (((BOOM))
CL qualification should be a given – look at the teams we’re up against. Spuds changed manager and spent half the season with their best player sulking because he wasn’t allowed to leave. ManU utter shambles with a caretaker manager and a squad that needs a complete rebuild. West Ham only in contention because everyone else has been shit. Leicester had a really poor season by their recent standards.
The fact we still in the mix isn’t something to celebrate it’s a sackable offence we should be 10 points clear of all of them. The Chelsea result whilst fun shouldn’t be seen as a turning point yet – it was one win with a mickey mouse mistake for one goal, no midfield tracking for the second, the third was calamity defending and the forth was clever play by Saka to win the pen.
Kroenke
I thought trophies (and sauce, binnings etc) only happened on Le Grove?
Jamie(from previous post)
There’s nothing wrong with still believing/ having hope. There are some arguments that Arteta has moved Arsenal forward and that he deserves next season,particularly if he makes top 4.
I don’t share your opinion on Arteta but my own is fairly flawed for a few reasons:
*I don’t like the man. The Gazidis watch story,the pay cuts etc suggest he’s a sycophant. His treatment of players and many of his interviews suggest narcissism. I have to accept I don’t actually know him and furthermore his character and his capacity to do his job aren’t necessarily the same thing. But I really don’t like him
*Secondly,I am beginning to detest the methods and manners of those who defend him. All arguments have two sides but I cannot help but feel that the use of vitriol, the suppression of logical the bullying of opposition are methods employed far more regularly by Arteta’s defenders. Why is that?
* Thirdly,I don’t see any real evidence of his abilities. Giving away the squad is something a child could do. His signings vary but overall he does not get value for money. Our football is putrid a lot of the time.
* Finally,there are 5 other teams that Arsenal are realistically competing with. To scrape into 4th in his third season,while remaining 30 odd points off the leaders barely registers with me as an achievement of note.
That’s not to say I’m not cheering the team on from behind the couch but perspective is needed. I celebrated like a loon after Charlie Nicholas’ double won the league Cup in ’87. But I didn’t ever think that GG had climbed a mountain. The demands for lge success never changed.
Ambarish
Great write up mate. Thanks. The best compliment I can give you is that it reminded me of when Kevin Whicher used to write such reports in the Gooner.
A proud night and I salute the gooners in the stadium who I reckon had a fair old stake in the outcome.
I agree with you both about CL qualification. Arteta fanboys feel it’s their duty to protect him from the kind of expectations a club like Arsenal ought to have. We’re what? The 6th wealthiest club in the world? It’s fucking pathetic and anti-Arsenal in my view. CL Qualification means money, attracting the right type of players, invaluable experience for the squad and arguably most importantly excitement for the fans. Anyone who thinks we’re better off out of it is daft. If we do get 4th, none of us will be hubristic enough to expect to win it but it represents a step back in the right direction.
Marc,
That’s exactly my take on the race for fourth and it’s remarkable to me how few people look at it that way. The Arsenal/Arteta PR machine ( inherited from latter day Wenger it must be said), has succeeded in crushing the fanbase into accepting levels of ‘ achievement ‘ that were never acceptable at this club even through the late 70’s and 80’s(notably fa cup success alone did not placate the fans desire for lge glory)
Thank you, Kroenkephobe! “Learning on the job”, only the stakes for me are not that high 😀
Hi Marc
I’ll consider myself on a yellow card mate.🤣I’ll leave all that to Bankz, DM and grooveydaddy when they’re eventually banned and end up over here!
It’s so ridiculously easy to be banned by pravda Pedro on le grove. I’d feel properly shocked if I ever really thought I was stepping out of line on here…
Kroenkephobe,
Will take a look at that quiz in the afternoon, I’ll let you know how bad I was. I’m beginning to accept that Arteta will be here next year but I’ll never accept that each passing day isn’t more damage done or at best more time wasted. Ronnie playing well, did you chance a bet?
Almunia
That LC victory in 87 was a turning point, not only for the trophy and beating the bindips but also for the nature of the semi final 2 legger. Going forward, it also instilled confidence that we were catching up with Liverpool.
I was at Wembley the following year for that game against Luton – I was mute for about a week afterwards. Still feel psychologically damaged tbh.
Kroenkephobe
Hard one to take alright. FA semi 91 was worst ever for me,followed by Birmingham lge Cup final,I was so angry that day! There was also lge cup semi against Oldham (I think) where we were actually singing Wembley when they scored. I’ve erased all European nights from my hard drive btw!!
I put that 91 game out of my mind when ‘donkey won the derby’ the following year. Revenge was swift and sweet. That Birmingham game was a catastrophe right enough. I was also having a really shit time at work.
The euro night I cannot let go is real sociedad and the Parc des Princes. I was there and if I hadn’t been full of French lager (we were in the uefa hospitality area which was fucking insane!) I would have shed hot and uncontrollable tears. The drive home though was awful. Hangover + traffic jams + euro defeat = misery
That’s a traumatic one all right,not sure how my telly survived that. The worst ones though are when you know you’ve been cheated (and you suspect by corrupt officials). So all time worst ever are 50th at OT and RVP’s red card at nou camp. Both still leaving me feeling real rage. Some blows really are knock outs aren’t they?
Aluminas
“ I don’t like the man. The Gazidis watch story,the pay cuts etc suggest he’s a sycophant. His treatment of players and many of his interviews suggest narcissism. I have to accept I don’t actually know him and furthermore his character and his capacity to do his job aren’t necessarily the same thing. “
#meToo. ( can’t get the the c- graphic from twitter 😂)
The test that will show up Arteta’s personality (as if it still needs it) for what it is will be Saliba in the summer. I reckon he’ll be sold or loaned out again only to be sold in a year. If someone puts their foot down and insists he stays he won’t get matches and will be loaned out in Jan.
We’ll then see him picking up CL Trophies in a few years whilst the fans boys are still saying judge Arteta in 2525.
Oh yeah and Xhaka gets a contract extension.
Saliba likely to be going to Atletico Madrid. Marseille would not be able to afford him, although Saliba feels loved there.
So saying his sales will give financial options would fit Arteta nicely
https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/22/arsenal-news-william-gallas-reveals-the-only-way-william-saliba-will-have-a-future-at-the-emirates-stadium-16516175/
Galas comments
Hoopah
If you were to put that up on Le Grove you’d have all the fan boys going full throttle about how you’re wetting the bed, don’t know what you’re on about, are an online fan (I have a ST) or support the Spud’s. Come the summer they’ll be writing about Saliba having a bad attitude, not being good enough, the money can be used where we need it more etc etc etc.
These people are a danger to the club.
Our U23s are beating manure 1 nil at the moment. I’m even resorting to omens. Biereth with the goal. Another of our youngsters with some serious potential I think.
If Varane,McTominay and Ronaldo are available tomorrow they will improve utd significantly in key areas. Still believe we should win but am a little less confident now….
Kroenkephobe,
Took one look at the quiz and like a bad horse I refused at the 1st. 73 managers? My head hurt even thinking about it!
Almunia
I’ve been gardening most of the day. No, that’s neither a euphemism nor an innuendo. Just checked in to see Gooner Rocket Ronnie is ahead of Allen. Another omen for tomorrow as far as I’m concerned. ‘Scuse the terrible pun but looks like the Crucible is beginning to heat up.
Almunia
No staying power you younger lads! 😀 I took a team by team approach but had trouble with some of the spellings. It was the managerial revolving door at WTF-ord that caused me to give up.
I started with that old Czech boffin-y geezer at Villa Dr Venglos but it was wrong (pre PL I guess). Nice thing to sit and do with mates in a boozer.
In the pub,getting beaten all over the place here. Anyone got a loan of glasses?
After a win or even a loss LG becomes toxic and “Don’t mention the Warteta” or your comments get deleted or you get binned.
Made a comment about saying how Arteta saying this:
“Good things happen to good people,” Arteta said. “If there’s one player I’ve been unfair with, then it’s him.
While Arteta was talking about Eddie I answered that with a Saliba quote from le Parisien, “Marseilles is a big club with a lot of pressure, but when you are good then a lot of good things come your way.” I am sure Saliba is thanking Arteta for loaning him out as he got a call up to the French senior WC squad. Plus it almost looks like he trolled Arteta.
Pedro’s reaction delete the comment and then this.
“This is an Arsenal website. If you are shitting on a win tonight, I don’t want you here, come back when you’ve digested the humble pie.”
It is getting really tiring to see a few diehards calling Pedro out on his fake news like Pool dropped 30 points when VVD was absent last season when in reality it was their entire defense.
Still hoping for a win tomorrow as United has no business getting points from the game as their players have to be demoralized after Rangnick came out with a statement that 10 players have to leave in the summer. Who ever is on the team sheet for United tomorrow have no guarantee that they will be at the club next season why should they put in a shift?
Should have clarified, playing pool.
Killroy,
The true tragedy is that if you wanted intelligent, open debate,that was the place to go. Now it seems that football, like most aspects of life,is subject to the whole woke,cancel culture,left wing becoming right wing shite that is ruining intelligent conversation everywhere. What is particularly sickening is that legrove established itself on the basis of being opposed to such crap.
Sorry to hear of your 15 – ball travails last night Almunia. Here’s a multi choice question relating to pub sports:
Are you?
A) A person who plays pool best when you’re as sober as a judge?
B) A better player after a good number of bevvies?
C) some who thinks they’re B but they’re actually A?
Hope we’re all feeling like we were post-Chelsea by about 2.45 British Time this afternoon. Assuming you’ll be there Marc, would love to get your observations about the game and the atmosphere later on. I’m just about to set off for Sheffield to watch Cardiff this afternoon with 3 taciturn and moody young lads. Should be a blast. If your head’s clear enough today Almunia to get the prayer mat out, say a wee one for the Bluebirds as well.
Killroy Hiya mate.
It’s a great shame that Pedro’s nailed his ball bag to the mast of a sinking ship as it were. That site is no longer a place for opinion sharing and pluralism. It sounds more like ‘unsold anusol’ by the day. He’ll eventually ban everyone as Chief Petty Officer Arteta sinks and takes, erm, Pedro’s scrotum with him. That’s definitely enough nautical metaphors.
I’m rather happy to be banned so I don’t feel annoyed by all the lies and propaganda any more. I’m finding life much more agreeable on London is Red to be honest.
Definitely c!! As I get older especially. Going to have to reevaluate.
Safe journey to Sheffield, seems they are more desperate for the points than Cardiff, sometimes that can work against the team in need,fingers crossed.
Getting nervous about today. Utd are shite but they are still capable of beating us. We’re pretty Jekyll and Hyde ourselves, but surely we’ve too much for them?
Is Arteta more hyper than usual today?
Saw him making a strangulation gesture, think to Elmeny
Fucking hell, lads! If we can hold on to this lead, it would go a long way to make up for the 9 points dropped.
Can’t stand the Mancs.
Hoopah,
He’s on something alright! This is typical Arsenal isn’t it, won’t allow us to relax for a second. We got the benefit of the doubt for two peno decisions,hope the ref doesn’t seek to balance things up. Nerves are shredded already.
It’s not going to stay at 2-1 is it? We’re looking the likelier to get the next goal. Utd defence even with Varane in for Maguire looks terrible.
We look poor defensively so we need to score another goal to be safe. Tavares looks poor defensively.