Of course I am pretty excited for the North London Derby tomorrow at Shite Hart Lane, hence the title. To make it more interesting, Manchester United has just beaten City 2-1 at Old Trafford. I have never been happy in my life seeing United win except for today. Not letting City have those 3 points means there will a minimum of 5 points difference after tomorrow’s North London Derby. I am pretty confident we gonna improve that point difference to 8 f*king points!
We need to win tomorrow and we will! We are in some great form, Spu*s have been shit and ESR is back. A backline of White, Gabriel, Saliba and Zinchenko.. fully fit midfield of Partey and Xhaka and the front 4 of Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli and Eddie will going to be too much for the Tottenham. Our Captain, Martin, has won the Premier League Player Of The Month and Mikel, the manager of the month for Nov/Dec; Saka and Martinelli has been high on confidence and playing some of the best football of their life; Eddie has been scoring and didn’t let us miss Jesus till now. I’m sure they would be buzzing for a North London Derby and I’m sure they all want to score tomorrow.
On top of that, we will have ESR on bench, who comes as a sub and makes an instant impact. We have a fully fit Tomiyasu and Tierney in case we need them. Midfield has been a concern but I am not in a mood to complain today.
There are couple of things to worry. We haven’t won against Spu*s in our last 8 PL games at Sh*te Hart Lane, having lost 6 and sharing points on other 2 occasions. We need to change that. The other concerning thing is the refereeing and Kane/Son going down like they love the smell of the grass. If you are an Arsenal fan, you know at some point there will a tiny touch from one of our players, a dive from Kane or Son and Referee pointing to the spot. VAR will not find it important to take a look, or even if they do, they will use only couple of angles which lets the penalty stand and they score. Unfortunately, that’s what happens!
Irrespective of it, I am excited for the Derby. A 4.30 PM start for our UK readers (10 PM Indian Standard Time) is a perfect way to end weekend with a win and 8 point lead at the top.
Lets do it, lets thrash them! Lets go for the league.
And I don’t know how was the first Manure goal legal?!
Nice piece Ambarish.
I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow is a draw. Spud’s away tomorrow, ManU next week, then City in the FA Cup, Everton who are scrapping for their lives, Brentford who are capable of giving us a game, then City in the PL followed by Villa away and you just know Emery will want to prove a point.
Tough run of fixtures.
the whole Mudryk gig reminds me a bit of the Vlahovic ruse….traditionally we’re not privy to such intimate transfer dets unless they’re being used to quell fan concerns….Benzema, Higuain, Suarez, Locatelli, Laca(for the first 2 seasons of speculative chatter), amongst various others, have all been seemingly used, at varying times, to deceive the fanbase….now I could be wrong, as our fiscal policies have changed quite drastcially in the past 2 seasons, but the fact that he appears to be the only player on our TW radar, minus the odd Hazard rumour, even though we have other more pressing needs, seems eerily similar to what transpired this time last year…sadly, we all know how that little misadventure ended
on a side note, it kind of worries me that I’m so incredibly confidant about our chances to get all 3 points on Sunday…in fact, I can barely remember a time when we appeared to be such heavy favourites…of course, the Spurs might awaken from their slumbers just in time for kickoff, but if their recent form continues we should have little trouble getting a result from this rather anemic bunch…I’ve always been a fan of Conte’s ability to achieve great things in short-order, no matter the circumstances, but there might be a little too much parity in the PL for him to succeed as he has in the past…usually he makes his hay when there’s a clear division between the haves and have nots, which allows him to overwhelm a plethora of bottom-feeders then grind out the necessary results against a couple similarly skilled squads…here’s hoping that we play to win the game and not to just maintain our current 5 point buffer in the standings
recent reports suggest that Chelsea are the frontrunners to secure Mudryk’s signature, which may or may not be the case…if this player was crucial to MA’s future plans and our usual slow-play transfer dawdling cost us again, there will be some considerable explaining to do…now if this was just another elaborate ruse, as I’ve suggested above, then same old, same old applies
someone needs to explain how Chelsea seems to have a bottomless pit of money, especially considering how the new owners paid well above the number less than a year ago…not to mention, there’s ample talk about how Nkunku is heading their way come the summer…either this is the second coming of the LIV tour or we should have an absolutely absurd amount of money to spend, as we’re a far more siginificant club, internationally-speaking
TRVL, agree with your assessment and it is clearly deja vu of the the last Jan TW. The explanation will most likely again be there was no one else available that wee were interested in.
This is clearly what Arteta does he devises plan A and if plan A doesn’t work he persists with plan A until the end. That is how things play out on the pitch why should it be any different when selling and buying players. Love to see Guen move to Villa and give Tets the middle finger salute.
Why is it that Napoli can unearth treasure in players like Kvara for 10 mill and Arsenal is standing there holding an empty bag. The three stooges are just so inept in getting players in and out. If Micky Mudflaps doesn work out go get Leao in during the summer as top 4 is virtually guaranteed with today’s results. Fuck Joe, Schmo and Curly.
What the fuck is going on with Liverpool?
Its getting to the stage now where its almost more bizarre than funny.
I did say almost!
Killroy
Arteta’s from Pep’s school where you have a big cheque book. The idea of doing a Wenger and signing a CM from Milan’s reserves would seem more alien to him than playing with a rugby ball.
Cheers Killroy…if we were truly interested, which isn’t to suggest that I totally agree with the notion of stumping up 80M for Mudryk, we should have made our final push when Chelsea was pursuing Felix…of course, anything could happen…maybe Chelsea is just bluffing to prop up the asking price, albeit that’s not usually their MO…these situations remind me of why some used to secretly, or not, wish for poor results around the winter window, so that actions would hopefully be taken…fact remains, since arriving at the Emirates, we’ve been notoriously poor acting from a position of desperation, so expecting us to have the foresight to act from a position of strength seems like a bridge too far
Report on the Telegraph website that Chelsea are close to signing Mudryk with the player flying into London and hopes a deal will be done over the weekend.
The only way our clowns can close a deal is if there’s either no one else interested in the player or if we pay way over the odds.
Mark my words, there is no player coming in during January because it hadn’t crossed the executive dickheads that this Micky deal would go south. So, no other players in the queue, Jesus not coming back until middle to end of March, but we may very well play in 2 other competitions besides the league with a waver thin squad. We need bodies to sub for tired players when the outcome of a match is done.
Sort of hope that we either promote players from the academy ranks or recall some of out loans that will throw bodies into the squad and bench. If this season Arsenal does another implosion then the confidence of the players is in the shitter. Don’t trust that the 3 stooges are able to pull a rabbit out of the hat by January 31st.
Killroy
I wouldn’t give Arteta more money to spend if I were Kroenke – he’s pissed money up the wall like it’s going out of fashion.
In a season where 2 of the regular top 4 are having complete meltdowns if he can’t make top 4 he shouldn’t be making the tea let alone managing the team.
Marc
What to take Doris the tea ladies job, NEVER he isn’t qualified for that job.
Marc, it’s clear that the powers that be would like nothing more than to stand pat and simply feign interest in players of consequence, if at all possible…ESR will be packaged as a “new” signing and the only saving grace will be that we didn’t ship any depth piece elsewhere, unlike last season…it’s why I expressed some concern when MA publically propped-up Eddie after he scored a brace against a far inferior squad
the following was reported on Sky earlier today—“We reported on Friday that Arsenal remained in talks, but were prepared to walk away from the transfer if the deal was not right.
In social media posts, Mudryk had previously indicated Arsenal was his preferred destination, with personal terms not expected to have been a problem”
talk about deja vu….so the same management team who was willing to pay over the number for White, Ramsdale, Vieira and Lokonga wasn’t willing to squeeze another 7-8M for a player they were supposedly willing to shell out 80M for a few days earlier…it’s fairly clear to me this was simply another PR ploy orchestrated by an organization who still cares infinitely more about perception than reality
let’s hope and pray that a Plan B actually exists, even though that doesn’t appear to be in MA’s infinitesimal bag of managerial tricks
According to Julien Laurens on ESPN-FC The Chelsea owner and sporting director traveled to Turkey today and in a few hours had the deal done. Basically they gave in to all the wishes of Shakhtar and paid to the penny what they asked for. Total fee was 100 mill and a huge pay rise to what AFC was willing to pay Mudryk. Can’t see how his introduction to the squad would have been good. He behaved more like a mercenary and how he played AFC with his fake love for the club. If he would have behaved like Raphina and said Arsenal or nothing that would have been a different story. But to pay that kind of money coming from a very inferior league with 6 CL games to judge by and throwing a fee of 100 mill at this plus a wage demand that would unsettle players at the club for me it is a bullet dodged.
Killroy, I totally understand your trepidations about this particular situation, as I would have much rather that we spent over the number for a player like Nkunku, who both fits our current age profile narrative and is far more positionally versatile, what concerns me deeply is our seemingly constant dick tripping transfer endeavours and our continued attempts to deceive when it comes to our recruitment practices…that said, I do believe the player in question was worthy of pursuing, albeit maybe not for the numbers being bandied about, which begs the question why didn’t we make this move in the summer, when he could have been pried away for substantially less
TRVL
I, for one, thinks it was A LOT of money for a 22year old playing in Ukrainian league. Look what we got in 6m in Martinelli. He may well turn out to be the next big thing but that amount of money gets you 2 Thomas Partey.
—
On the other hand, I think why Chelsea are spending big is because Roman had put a clause that new owners will have to invest a fair amount of money once they take over. He is just utilising that credit. — needs proof reading though, could just have been a rumour but I certainly read that during Chelsea selling off.
Edu was low-balling but missed out to notice that there are few billionaires and oil merchants in the market who can throw any amount of money without any repercussions. To them, fuck the FFP.
Killroy
Yep, couldn’t agree more personally!
Walking away from a deal isn’t a bad thing – not having a plan B is.
If Arteta / Edu have identified a weakness in the squad not solving it has consequences – we’re back to the latter Wenger days of “if I can’t have X I won’t sign anyone”.
Tony,
I was never able to develop a grà for Guinness, boring lager drinker I’m afraid but your advice on using alcohol to get through today is under consideration! Haven’t seen enough of Mitoma to comment but that Brighton performance was wonderful yesterday,you’re spot on. As for the NLD I need to see the spuds team before I get a sense of what could happen. They have players that can hurt us,no doubt about it. Need Partey and saliba and Gabriel to be on their game big time. Anyway hope you enjoy it and we get the result we’re all praying for.
Kroenkephobe,
Masters final day. Williams has been wonderful. Will be cheering for him although Trump isn’t the arrogant type I first thought he was. He’s actually humble and quite private. He has won me over.
Cardiff were stung very late yesterday, real kick in the teeth for the second weekend in a row. Tough to take. I sense you’re optimistic about today,hope you’re right. You’ve been doing well with your predictions of late. I’m going for a 2-1 away win. Enjoy the day.
The comments regarding our transfer dealing ,in particular the suspicions that our plan is limited to our failed attempt at Mudryk ,echo my own thoughts. The idea that the player we all wanted is now overpriced and overrated because we didn’t get him reeks of mindless sheep mentality. Glad to see many here with a healthy dose of cynical perspective!!
Ambarish
Yesterday for ManU first goal, Rashford was in offside position but chased the ball , feinted , didn’t touch it as Bruno poked it in from behind. He did not touch it , if City players let him be chasing behind the ball , think the ruse is not offside
Evening guys agree with you all, especially if Mudryk has gone to the Chavs. This is where we lack ambition from the club.
Even if we win tonight, 4th isn’t certain; look at last season. Arteta is throwing the dice again because he’s made the same mistakes as last season, only we had our purple patch early this season.
I’ll wait until Feb 1st before making a prediction to see whether we are indeed covered in MF and Attack. If we bring no credible starting 11 additions, I expect us to drop points through injuries and tiredness.
What am I hoping for tonight? That we play Brighton ball after watching them last night make L’pool look like a Championship side.
Anyone disagree with me?
As for Mudryk, it’s his choice and Arteta’s lure was obviously not strong enough. Can’t blame Edu if his been given a ceiling to adhere to. Arteta’s more to blame for not having another player well along in negotiations we can tie up by the weekend!
Point is KSE obviously don’t trust Arteta enough after some disappointing buys. Funny how Brighton can do it isn’t it?
I’m sticking my 1:3 win as we’ll be fresh and hungry.
Anyone else got a prediction?
1-2 for me, with both Martinelli and Eddie on scoresheet.
Kin ell lads. Good to see the traffic going up on here. Got a feeling its going to be a busy old afternoon. I solemnly promise not to make any in game predictions if we’re winning Marc. 😶
Got half an eye on the barcodes v one f in Fulham game. What the fuck did Tets do to Willian? Away from N7, he almost looks back to his Chelsea form (and about 10 kg lighter). Bernie also looking the part. That’s two careers that the basque bantamweight nearly fucked – another (Gunnerdouzi) might back to haunt him soon.
Chelsea v Crystal Palace first half was a good watch. Can we not try for Zaha? He would be a great addition considering he is in his last year of contract and we can get him for cheap!
2 – nil win for me. Just need to be resolute, patient and disciplined and our superior players and their technical ability will tell. He’ll never manage it in a month of Sundays but our immaculately coiffeured manager needs to screw his nut and not start the histrionics. I’d like to see Eddie quietly and angelically draw that mad bastard Romero into an early yellow and maybe a red. It’s a rugby term but we need to be taking the ball into contact with them in the right places on the field. GM and BS please take note.
Almunia – you’re more of a scholar of the game than me. When you see their line up, I’d be interested in your or anyone else’s insight.
Tony – give little pumpkin a friendly and lucky scratch from me! It might be the difference maker. Prayers mats out everyone!
Usual line up as expected, so will there be a Xhaka moment? Would have preferred ESR instead of Xhaka.
K’phobe should be a cracker, but Xhaka always worries me.
I wholeheartedly believe that this affair will be decided by MA’s willingness to commit more men in the box, considering the Spurs capacity for generating chances on the counter….of course, this wouldn’t be such a concern if we had found a more viable midfield option than Xhaka, as he can’t logically play in more advanced positions and still provide the requisite amount of defensive cover…persoanlly, I would love to see ESR playing more centrally so that the Spurs can’t double-team our wide side players on a regular basis, as it’s clear there’s a blueprint out there right now…of course, this doesn’t mean that we can’t win the day by staying the course, but it would be savvy on our parts to force opposing defences to play more honestly by displaying some more directness in our play at times
Stepping out to an NLD….. Wearing pink bomber jackets. Fuck me! They look like a group of male geriatrics on a field trip from a Miami retirement home. Twatty Pedro will be saying that they look really smart. GG would have told Adidas to fuck off.
COY rip roaring reds.
Lisping Arry’s first unpunished push of the day. Within 20 fucking seconds
Llorissaynomore
boy do we need a player or two who can score from distance….maybe that was one of the reasons why we paid above the number for Vieira…I can remember a time when Xhaka would have never passed up an opportunity to have a go….of course, not while in our kit, so much, but now he will never miss a chance to pass to someone in a less advantageous position
For me the problem is with the recruiting department. At first it was all defensive signings and we screamed for attackers. Look at who has been recruited and signed in the attack under Edu & Tets? Mudryk was available on the cheap in the summer but it didn’t happen. I am always looking at Napoli who let their players leave if the wage demand is too high or they are rotating their squad very smartly, but that requires eyes on the front line and decent scouts. To me we don’t have that we rather deal with super agents.
Got to love Lloris.
Arsenal up the Spore arse 1-0
Saka
Lovely.