I guess I should get a 2 min silence for leaving a nine to five job for Lloyds Banking Group and moving to a more challenging work which requires you to wake up early mornings and including weekends. At least, the money is good enough (sigh).
I have pledged to write at least 100 articles in 2nd year of londonisred.com and so far, I am falling short. At least it coincided with the international break and both football and I are back.
Things didn’t really go our way this weekend. Spu*s managed to win against Newcastle and climb over us in the table on goal differences. What does that mean for us? We have 2 games in hand and we simply can’t afford to lose any easy points. United drew against Leicester which basically made the Champions League spot a 2 legged race betweek north London rivals.
Irrespective of whatever the f*ck happens, north London is and will always be RED!
Crystal Palace v Arsenal – Two projects at WAR!
Patrick Vieira has been doing great at Crystal Palace playing some nice football and picking up points against tougher teams. This year, they have drawn at Brighton, beaten Wolves away, restricted City to a draw at home and beaten Everton by a 4 goal margin in FA cup. Though they are sitting at 12th position, going to Selhurst Park is not going to be easy for Mikel Arteta. We only managed to restrict them to a point at home last time we met in October, courtesy to a last minute goal from Lacazette. I would be very careful with Gallagher and Zaha.
However, I still expect and hope we win. We have lost just one of the last 16 away games against Crystal Palace in Premier League, lets keep it that way. We are on a good run and players look motivated. A team hoping to play in Champions League should be physically, mentally and tactically ready to win against a bottom half team irrespective of circumstances.
Onto the team news, both Ramsdale and Tomiyasu remain doubtful for the game but we have enough coverage in Leno and Cedric. In fact, Cedric has been good enough to not let us miss Tomi. Saka has returned to full training and all other players are in contention to start.
We will probably see the most likely playing XI with the exception of injured Tomi and Ramsdale. I’m still expecting to see Martinelli moved to CF someday but I guess it’s too late to try something new.
Congratulations PV4 for being inducted in the Premier League Hall of Fame. You are a legend, part of a once in a century INVINCIBLES and one of the motivation for a 10 year old in India to follow football and Arsenal.
Right, a short one today. Lets beat Palace 3-0, keep our goal difference better than Spu*s and make a rather dull Monday cheerful for us fans.
Ambarish
Good preview. Arsenal have the ability to win tonight – no question about it. Better players, higher levels of motivation and slightly better form than CP coming into the game. Score first and we win. It’ll be interesting to see what team PV picks (our’s largely selects itself I think). No Zaha, and if Benteke and Ayew start, we.’ll have enough. Their midfield is distinctly meh. It’s fucking Palace for Christ’s sake.
My glass is nearly up to the brim, let alone being half full. 2 goals to nil. What time is kick off where you are?
I think on the whole the weekend’ s other results were to be expected except Chelsea losing which was terrific. The big one was Manure drawing with the Filberts and practically putting themselves out of the top 4 race. Spurs beating an already on the beach Newcastle was an inevitability. They’ll face tougher challenges. And now that they’ve been talked up again, expect them to lose again soon. I’m also looking forward to the Burnley Vs Everton game tomorrow. I’ve never really liked them so the idea of the Toffees being relegated is intriguing. Enjoy the game.
Manure crashing out of top 4 felt nicer. Chelsea is in a crisis that is only going to get worse. Tuchel in his press conference was pretty blunt about players talking to other clubs for a possible move but eventually it’s going to happen.
Spu*s are a threat imo. Any team can have a 8-10 match run and we crashing out of top 4 under Emery because of a Penalty miss has made me a pessimist. Mikel needs to keep it simple like he has been lately, one game at a time, win the ones you are expected to win and we should make it.
It’s going to be at 12.30 here, I would make it 🙂
Cheers, enjoy the game.
Anyone who thinks this won’t be a really tough game is sorely wrong. They are a high energy team who swarm the ball and make it uncomfortable. The crowd is close to the pitch and intimidating, more so under the hot lights that try but fail miserably to disperse the cold night air. Against Everton under lights, the young players allowed the hostile atmosphere in the ground to get to them, we must learn from that. We must play the game and not the occasion. Not having Ramsdale available is a blow but we need him for the bigger fish we have to fry. A point away will be valuable but all three points will be massive and heap the pressure on the teams around us.
It’s only me
Surely it’s not an easy one – we have seen it last them they visited Emirates.
Ramsdale has been brilliant but I’m personally a big fan of Leno. He might be poor with his feet but an in-form Leno is great at shot stopping and we have seen it for couple of years. Depends on his confidence level too.
We mustn’t play for a point. We have some tough fixtures ahead i.e. Spu*s, Chelsea, Manure, West Ham.
Grab these 3, get closer the top 4 target.
Fuckin’ hell
We’re well off the pace tonight. Second balls, energy, movement. All lacking. I still think we can get at least one though. Oh fuck – a pen.
Just when it looked like we are controlling the game…
Whatever can go wrong has gone wrong. Partey and Tierney injured.
It’s awful to watch,isn’t it? A lot of players are having nightmares,ode,partey, laca,tavares. I’m genuinely looking at that as a source of comfort. Let them all have a stinker together,get it out of the way and move on.
Arteta-esque in the sheer awfulness of the performance tonight. There’s always a display like this just around the corner. A flashback to the horrors of November/December 2020. Arteta fanboys will be pissing their beds tonight.
Not only we are losing, we are worsening our goal difference. Losing 3-2 can prove to br better than 3-0 at the end of season.
PV4 proving who’s the boss. Again.
Almnuia
I’ll take some comfort from that too. They can’t all be this bad again at any future point this season. The laws of probability wouldn’t allow it surely.
Kroenkephobe
I’m not so sure about Tavares and Xhaka. And our best player in last few matches is injured and taken off. I hope it’s not a big one and he js available – I can’t imagine having a Lokonga and Xhaka mid just about when we need yo win everything we can.
It’s only me
I know what you’re saying mate but when PV4 was controlling midfields all over England, Palace were a regular 6 points every season. Arsenal are seriously underachieving these days and tonight is an all too sad example.
Kroenkephobe,
True,but are we going to run out of players is my next question. Hard to see tavares playing again and the word on Tierney isn’t promising. We’re another injury/ suspension away from big trouble.
Ambarish
Agreed. Xhaka is a perennial weak link. I pissed myself when he copped that yellow card. Sambi, on the other hand, is not a lost cause in my book. But I’m a big fan of Guendouzi so what the fuck do I know?
Almunia
True dat mate. I’m still used to those bloated squads of the past few years but you’re right – we’re decidedly thin on the ground these days.
Frankly I’m happy for PV this season. I love the guy and it looks like he’ll be a big success as a manager in future.
Night lads. I’m off to wet the bed!
Yes,I am genuinely happy for PV4 also,just wish he had taken tonight off. Missed you last night,stayed up til late watching a most incredible snooker final between Robertson and Higgins but I knew there was no point posting as you were on gardening leave. Should have tried you on here I suppose. The Mrs took the lads to the inlaws so I had the day to myself. Was posting away like a single man!
Almunia
Quickly moving on… Snooker. Yes, we need to have a conversation about that before the WCs take place. Robertson and Higgins are two of my least favourite players. I’m also no fan of Mark Allen. If Ambarish is kind enough to indulge us, I’d be very keen to get your prognostications on who’s going to win this year. I’d love to see that massive Gooner Ronnie O’S pick up just one more before the ennui kills him. I hope you’re getting a good easter break mate. I’m of to catalunya (where else?) this weekend with the family.
I should explain my antipathy. How Higgins is still allowed to play after being caught on camera discussing losing is of Trumpian corruption magnitude to me. And Robertson just gives me the heebeegeebees with that sulky, hang dog look of his and that new romantic barnet.
Well, that was an absolute shit show. PV4 is doing a solid job at Palace.
Jamie
Hiya mate. It was fucking excruciating last night wasn’t it? Worse than Everton. Just shows how close the club is to suffering setbacks. I’ve not heard the news about Partey’s injury but he’s been a key factor in allowing us to win while the team’s been putting in some ordinary performances. Good to know you’re still out there.
Hiya kp,
Yeah, I was expecting a tough match but I still thought we’d get a result. The injuries are as damaging (if not more so) to our season’s objectives than the dropped points.
Nuno (and Sambi) can be forgiven for being below-par; they simply haven’t been given enough minutes. Both KT and Partey are huge misses for the run-in.
This is what happens when you have a paper-thin squad. A win against Brighton or sadly top 4 is gone imo.