Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, football is back after dead, boring two weeks and we are up against another London rivals. Chelsea this time, at Stamford Bridge in an early kick off – perfect to set the mood for the remaining weekend. The fact that we are joint top with Spuds makes it a bit crucial for us, we need to win this and we need to win in style to get back to the top.
We have always hated Chelsea and it’s good to see them being sh*t from some time now. We are coming from a win against Man City, doesn’t matter if it was a boring affair because what it would have done is, instil that confidence in the boys that they can beat anyone if they have done so against the Champions. Plus a win today and a lot of records will be made.
We have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in our last 3 visits, and it would be first time since modern day Premier League began that Chelsea will lose 4 in a row. We have been unbeaten in last 15 London derbies and we need to make it 16 today. The last time Chelsea lost 3 games at home in a row was in 1993, and the third game was against non other than Arsenal. They won’t be happy with playing Arsenal today.
In the team news, Arteta continued his confusing statements in press conference but if I have to guess, Saliba, Saka, Trossard and Martinelli are all available for today’s game. That ‘accessing before the game’ is just a fallacy. Reece James is back to fitness for Chelsea and that might be a bit of concern for our defenders. I would assume we will go with the usual – Saliba and Gabriel partnership in the middle, White and Zinchenko at RB,LB. In the midfield, we have both Partey and Rice available and it remains to be seen if Arteta succumbs to fan’s demand of seeing both Rice and Partey alongside Odegaard. I, for one, feel that we should keep the DM position in rotation and competitive and let Havertz / Vieira / ESR fight for the left-over position in midfield. If one of them gets injured again, we will have the same problem again with the amount of games we have.
Up top, Saka and Martinelli starts – no doubt about that. Whether it’s going to be Nketiah or Jesus depends on Mikel’s coin toss but I think Jesus will get the preference.
GK position is again a coin-toss but if the rumours are to be believed, Ramsdale might not be available for today due to personal reasons.
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It seems like the Arsenal.com admin has gone into a full banter mode and I’m loving it. In the match preview post, this is what they had to say –
Another unprecedented transfer expenditure of over £400 million this summer has yet to really reap rewards for new boss Pochettino, with the Blues in the bottom half of the table after their first eight matches.
souce:arsenal.com
-expenditure of over £400 million this summer
-in the bottom half of the table after first eight matches
Brilliant!
I am expecting a 3-1 win today, having Martinelli and Saka back in the team brings that spark and goal scoring options. One thing to appreciate about our defence is that, we hardly talk about it now, and that’s the best compliment for a defender. If your defender is in the news, it’s a not good thing. I would personally like more of Tomiyasu because he a machine and we have yet to unlock him. I might get a stick for this, but if a Tomiyasu + Martinelli partnership can cause havoc at the left side. Tomiyasu is also better in 1v1 defending, less error prone and track back better. Just a thought, if Mikel is reading this 😀
I have been bored to death with no football (cricket world cup didn’t help), and lots of work. A Saturday evening with Arsenal winning over the London rivals would be a perfect thing for me right now.
What’s your expected line up and how many goals do you see us scoring? Let us know in the comments. I will be back during games because the bridge needs to be burnt.
Hope you have a good weekend!
Hi KP
There is a fundamental flaw in Arteta’s team selections and until he sorts it out, this is what our season is going to look like: scrappy, nervy and wrong partnerships being forced to play together around the pitch.
Saka and ESR telepathic play 2 years ago anyone?
Good night.
I wanted to mention Rice. I thought when Arsenal went 2 down, he really grasped the nettle and started moving us forward. He made a massive case to be made captain for me. I also think it might do Ode a favour to pass it over and get on with providing the creativity.
Rice should change his name to Declan Lamb-Biryani – he’s so much more than just a plate of boiled Basmati!
Just because we finished 2-2 after 2-0 away at Stamford Bridge, doesn’t mean we need to accept this kind of football. It was a shite show, and a GK error and Trossard individual brilliance brought us into the game.
Btw, that goal from Trossard is what we expect from Gabriel Jesus. He is not the answer for a team that expects to compete against the likes of Pep and Klopp. We need better.
Tony
Remember that old US TV programme called ‘the Waltons’?
‘Night Tony, ‘Night Junior, ‘Night Pumpkin’
Kroenke
We were lucky to beat the Spud’s at home only a couple of weeks ago.
We really haven’t looked good in any matches this season.
We were like a blunt instrument out there for the better part of 80 minutes…at the very least you need to have bags of creativity in the final third or the requisite amount of clinical finishing, especially when we’re constantly deploying the same static and rather vanilla tactics…unfortunately we don’t have an overbundance of either…it certainly didn’t help that our MIT started two deeper-lying DMs…the fact that Jorginho is playing ahead of Partey, ESR, Tross or Havertz, speaks volumes about our offensive struggles…just think, our 65M dollar man has been so dreadful that he can’t even get into the starting 11 against his former club…what a boring mess
Cunt got lucky again.
Deflection last week, mistake this week.
Sterile, dull, bland, robotic , negative and lucky.
Every fucking game.
Cunt has to go.
@Kroenkephobe Yes bro… Watching Cricket WC…
Hi KP
I have to confess to watching the Waltons and its equally sickly ratings battler; Little House on the Prairie and to be honest they offer better viewing today than what we had to suffer through last night.
I think Ambarish has sufficiently had his fill now of Arteta to write a review that explains Arteta’s issues and where he went wrong with his selection.
England were fortunate yesterday that the conditions favoured them and caused the Springboks far more problems to deal with. To beat South Africa you have to beat their physicality and it took all of their subs on midway through the 2nd half when their scrum finally found its collective purchase, and with the old side two step shuffles kept making Sinclair give away repeated penalties.
This was obvious payback for Cole early doing the old half step back just as the pack sets making his opposite prop to over extend his legs and face-plant and giving England penalties.
None-the-less a weather assisted valiant effort by our boys playing through our pack as we have through the ages.
The bottom line is the final is going to be a herculean & titanic battle and I can’t wait.
Wish I could say the same about our beloved Arsenal.
TRVL
My succinct summation using all my intellect sums yesterdays game up as “Same shit, different day” which could be Ambarish’s tag line. Bit of a holiday mood hoover but if you’re in Vegas or NYC I’m sure you’ll find ways to beat the Arsenal depression.
Have a good one LIR and try not to worry that, in spite of Arteta we, are 2nd by a -2 GD on the same points as City. Bin Dippers and Spuds are only a point behind with Spuds playing Fulham Monday night and should take all 3 points it being a home game.
Have to be honest but Arsenal takes 2nd place to the Rugby World Cup much more exiting than the bland game that is being offered by Arteta. For 77 minutes we were total shit, our 1st goal by Rice was also our 1st shot on target. 2 shots on target 2 goals, that is pathetic.
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Nothing will change until the cancerous growth known as Bumteta is gone. What a stubborn piece of shit that man is. joy and interest in AFC will return when he is gone. Until then the Rugby & CL will be the top sporting events and the EPL will be a side show.
Killroy
I understand why you feel the way you do, and we sing from the same home sheet where Arteta is concerned, but that was a wee bit harsh on the EPL.
Can’t argue there have been some amazing games and moments from the rugby world cup with perhaps the biggest and best game to come with the final. Generally, that’s what world cup tournaments do, they offer the cream of the cream moments in that sport every 4 years.
By contrast the EPL is a slug fest for 9 months every year for us tribes to get behind. Rarely boring these days unless you’re watching anything put together by Arteta, Moyes or Dyche.
Probably like you I don’t get excited watching us play these days and long for Arteta’s departure, but if you love football there are plenty of games to enjoy from many leagues as KP does.
Has been a killer world cup, though – best for a long time being the benefit as money seeps into the professional game.
Tony and Killroy
I was deeply surprised by the way the Ingerland v SA game panned out. They very nearly beat the Springboks and on the basis of the performances by each team on the night, it would not have been a shock. The turning point was when England rotated their props. In retrospect, Borthwick will regret not having two beefier props as replacements.
I loathe SA teams as much as Australian ones so if I watch the final, I’ll be doing my own version of the Haka in support of the ABs.
All the major teams (and England and Wales!) will be seeing numerous departures of players and new arrivals. Killroy – which of the major teams have the best players, waiting in the background in your view?
Tony
You noticed I still love watching the CL, major reason for that is the EPL has invariably a referee fuck up each weekend where you can bet your firstborn on. The other leagues and the CL plus EL not near to that degree. That is one of the main reasons I am disappointed with the EPL.
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The Ref situation is totally solved in Rugby, full transparency in the discussion between Ref and TMO, not so in the EPL. The automatic offside technology adopted by UEFA and the other leagues not the EPL and I am sure you will agree with me on those points.
Just as I thought my firstborn is safe. Howard Webb said Arsenal should have had a penalty when Sanchez cluttered into Jesus and wipes him out just like the Onana situation. PGMOL is a fucking joke.
Killroy
I agree on the refs and the solution is simple (patent and copyright Marc 2023!). Firstly we bring in the best player and managers (plus a certain cretin) from overseas why not refs?
Secondly £3million per season is deducted from each of the clubs TV money and is spent on paying and training refs – trainee refs will be supplied free of charge to lower leagues to gain the experience on a base salary of £15 – £50k per year dependent of league and seniority (subject to achieving required qualifications) the best candidates are promoted to the PL where the salary is £500k – fuck up and get demoted really fuck up and get the sack.
Problem solved.
Oh yeah publicly hang Mike Dean but that’s more for my own amusement.
Marc
As you can imagine, I’m as deeply opposed to capital punishment as I am to murder, but maybe we should make an exception for certain football officials…. You’re right. PGMOL operates in a closed shop (which is anathema to capitalists in all forms). The PL on the other hand is about as free market as is possible under current UK legal structures. They should tell PGMOL to fuck off and improve and in the meantime get the best that money can buy. I’d put that wrinkly old bald-headed Italian ref (Collina?) in formaldehyde and let him referee PL games wearing a jet pack.
Anyone got thoughts on tonight’s game? Sevilla did well against RM at the weekend and we scraped a draw from the Chavs who are hardly the stuff Real Madrid are made of.
One for the morning for me, so, with not seeing the starting 11 I am evoking the 5th.
Marc
That would amuse me, too.
Hi Tony
A narrow win – but I wouldn’t bet on it. Cool heads and plenty of energy. I doubt we’ll get that many chances. I’m more than a bit ‘meh’ about the whole thing too.
Tony & KP—until we inject some pace into our attack, we can be had by any opponent on any given night…this system is so easy to defend, especially considering the fact that we have no one who can shoot from distance on a consistent basis, and equally as easy to counter on, thankfully Saliba has been on the pitch for the majority of our matches…so as it stands, in order for us to be successful against anyone of consequence we need Saka and/or Marts to overcome the constant doubleteams and Ode to deliver a world class performance…a tough ask indeed when you’ve given everyone and their fucking brother a GD blueprint for your rinse and repeat inklings…Cheers
We will find out in 2 hours how this game will turn out by staring in amazement at the Arteta’s starting XI fuck up.
ESR seating for Ide and Havertz at 8 with Kiwior in for big Gabs.
Hope ESR plays a blinder.
Starting*
ESR looks leaner so hope he bags a brace
So poor against a team who have lost 8 from 9 games. Havertz is puss poor as usual looks lost. Zinchenko always slowing the game down in the final third.
Feel sooty for Marc if you’re there.
Sorry*
Zinchenko’s best position is Left Back in the dressing room. Can’t wait for Timber’s return.