Every one of our games left this season is a cup final. It’s not going to be easy but hey, it’s about winning the toughest league in the world while competing against one of the best managers on the planet with one of the costliest squad assembled in history.
I have let go of my emotions and anger from last two games and looking forward to the rest of the season. It’s still not-all lost, and it’s still in our hand. And, it begins today against Southampton at home.
Arteta had some bad news in pre-match conference. Saliba is not recovering well and will need some more time. Zinchenko is out too for this game and may be for a few more. Tomiyasu is out injured, which leaves us with White, Gabriel, Tierney and Holding in defence. There are no other options, Kiwior is not ready yet.
It’s the midfield and defence which has let us down in our last two games. We need to stop leaking goals when 2-0 up. Conceding one at that stage gives the opposition a belief that they can do more. In Mikel’s world, we need to be ruthless, f*cking ruthless.
I’m hopeful today, I am sure players would have gone back to dressing room and wouldn’t have slept at night without thinking about their performances. When you are so close the title, you need to introspect what went wrong and fix it in the very next game. You can’t wait for a season, or a season break, or a trip to Dubai.
The most important piece of our playing XI is Partey. If he is fit, and playing well, he controls the game like no one can do. When he is in fine form, he improves players around him, be it Xhaka or Odegaard. It’s the drop in his performance that is affecting the team morale. One of the reason we need an upgrade in midfield, a better Partey’s replacement for games when he is not in fine form or when he is injured. We need an upgrade to Xhaka.
I can go on, but today’s not the time. It’s not going to change for last 7 games, so all we can do is stick to supporting the lads who have managed to stay ahead of Manchester City for a whooping 31 weeks (don’t care about those couple of days when City was on top).
We have done for 31 games. We can do for another 7. Our team needs our support and whatever be the result, they will get it.
Lets beat Southampton and go into the City game with 4 point lead, that would certainly put some extra pressure on them.
What’s your prediction today? It’s Friday, game is late night here in India and tomorrow’s off. Beautiful time to watch a game, and I will see you in the comments.
Cheers!
after the 2-0 start by Southampton maybe MA will show the boys some Pool and Hammer’s tape during the halftime break…sorry, too soon?
we must have the most blocked shots ever recorded over a two year period…I gues that’s what happens when your trained to close your eyes when you’re shooting
Killroy
Good for your heart too.
TRVL
And I think it’s high time we move Martinelli in the middle. He looks like the only one who can score. Jesus is absent.
DK
Certainly not. We need minimum of 2 goals in next 45 minutes. It’s as simple as that.
And I don’t wanna see Vieira anymore. Too lightweight, no shot in his leg.
Ambarish-in reagrds to your earlier Walcott post, those are words that haven’t been uttered in some time…maybe not since Walcott’s first Youtube video was released lol…half the reason why Walcott has been effective is because Zinchenko is too busy up the pitch or searching for his Ritalin dealer in the stands
not sure I would move Marts into more central positions, as he’s making hay out wide and he and Jesus are already rotating positions at times…I would say that it might be time to see if ESR can bring some more directness to this affair, especially considering that Vieira doesn’t appear to have his shooting boots on today…personally I fear that the bus parking iniative will begin after half, so hopefully MA has prepared for this eventuality, although I highly doubt it
regards
maybe White should try hammering in the occasional cross instead of pretending he has the required guile to pick out a specific player in the box
time to counter their changes with one’s of our own…not to mention we need Zinchenko out wide so that Marts has some help against a deeper-sitting Southampton
about time, now get Zinchenko the fuck out wide
Jesus’s first touches are troubling tonight
as long as fucking Zinchenko and White are tucked inside of our forwards Southampton can constantly doubleteam are wide side players…MA is so clueless tactically-speaking
we’re pathetic losers…title hopes my ass
outmanaged by two bottom-dwelling losers in back-to-back weeks, unless we can score 3 in 20+ minutes
why not bring on someone who has no goals in 15 games coming off the bench…btw 1 attempt on goal in the second half
we keep this up and 2nd place might not be a forgone conclusion
Take a good look this is what it looks like when the title is slipping away. 3:1 loosing to the bottom team that looks like they have taken 4 points from AFC. Fucking disgrace by MA.
first team ever to start a game at the bottom of the table and score 3 goals against a team at the top of the table…that’s Arteta’s Arsenal in a nutshell
time for a City like finish…thank goodness for the 8 added minutes, as we could save our blushes
we were somewhat lucky in that I don’t understand Southampton’s later game subs…they’ve actually allowed us back in this match…we don’t deserve to be in this match, but if we find a late winner it could be massive in the run-up
big play by Nelson to race back to defend
this could stretch to 10 extra
too ambitious on Partey’s part
so close yet so far?!?
WTF does Jesus do trying to cheat the ref for a penalty instead of playing the ball. Jesus is not a finisher and not the answer to our attack.
with less than10 matches to go you can’t take 3 of 9 points and expect to win the title, especially when two of those fixtures are against bottom-feeders
good on the lads to eke out a tie, but it’s just not good enough…now we have to win at the Etihad and hope that City fucks up at least a time or two
Ambarish-this match reminds me of the title of your previous posting thread “Where’s the winning mentality?”
Tony-like myself, I bet you were pissed that MA didn’t simply replace the missing Xhaka with Trossard, so that we could finally see what that might look like…I have a feeling that we would have been in far better stead if he was in the starting 11, especially considering what was on offer in their final third today…then again who am I to question the obvious tactical wizardry of our skipper
Post of the LG thread:
Biggest managerial choke since K.Keegan and Newcastle Utd.
All on GoldenBalls.
Ramsdale is never a CL calibre goalkeeper
Balogun should be at Arsenal and not on loan.
The selection and purchase of Vieria a scandal.
The fan boys are now changing their tune and getting very defensive. Bumped into a couple of so called fans at a train platform on the way home, one of which a mate knew who didn’t like the fact Arteta’s useless – took them 4 seconds to resort to “what have Tottenham won”.
Arteta is a cunt and in a few years 99% of these people will suddenly be the ones who were saying it from the start.
They are cunts to.
London is Red is a beacon for those who have a grip on reality keep it up Ambarish – mate Arsenal owe you one.
Kudos to the crowd tonight. After the third, there was a moment when we were very subdued. We collectively know what that result means.
The majority still stayed to the end. The players showed their appreciation.
All very nice. But still, we really looked so ropey at the back. It’s no surprise Soton were happy to let Holdinho have the ball. He wasn’t pressed at all. This should have been something Arteta anticipated and planned for. Partey had to come deep to progress the ball leaving us lighter in midfield.. Holding standing there for 5 seconds with the ball hoping for a safe pass wasn’t the answer.
Viera should have been off at half time. He was ineffective. Arteta can be dogmatic, sticking with players who don’t cut the mustard or are playing badly for too long. It’s like Wenger’s 70th min subs without any reference to the state of the game.
I don’t understand ESR not seeing more game time. He’s on the bench, we know he’s got goals in him. This should at least be a consideration.
As you were, we still need to win all our games as do ManC. On the,Iimited, bright side, St Totts day is back and Champs league next year. These are good things.
Two goals up at Anfield and you don’t win the game, two goals up at West Ham and you don’t win the game, letting in 3 goals at home against team at the bottom of the table, what is the problem? It is the fucking defense, if I can see that why is Areta being paid millions for the shit show he puts on. The defense of Gabriel and Holding as CBs doesn’t work.
Why doesn’t Arteta move Benny Blanco to partner with Gabriel and take your pick for right back, it isn’t rocket science, but we have as manager a fraud and failure that is why we will not win the title this season. After Wednesday it will be all over but the crying. All these weeks top of the table only to crumble in the final weeks because of a shitty, proud, arrogant impersonation of a manager. Get the fuck out of my club.