We all had our hopes pinned to the relegation bound Nottingham Forest drawing against the might Liverpool. They were unlucky, do were we… because Nunez scored a goal in 9th minute of extra time which allowed Liverpool to keep their points advantage at the top. They now sit at the top, 4 points ahead of Man City and 5 points from us, where we both have a game in hand. A loss to them last night would have made everything more exciting.
Anyways, you don’t win titles because of someone else’s downfall. You win because you have the heart and courage to fight, and convert into performance on the pitch on gamedays. There are still 12 games to go, both City and Arsenal will get chances to go back to the top, if we take or it let it go like season is what will decide our fate this season.
We are playing Sheffield United tomorrow. They are having a rough time, and most likely will be relegated. They are 20th, with 13 points having won just 3 games in 26 which they have played and there is no way we should lose to them. I would even expect us to improve that goal difference by few goals.
We have some positive news from the fitness point of view. Thomas Partey is expected to make the matchday squad after months, Zinchenko and Tomiyasu might not make it tomorrow but they are close as well, and we could see them back in a week. Timber has started training with the team, he won’t play for a month at least but he is recovering well and we need everyone we can have for the remaining 12 games and the Champions League run.
We ran out of options last season because some players were out injured, others were fatigued and we don’t want to repeat that this season.
Mikel Arteta had different views for playing against Sheffield United, when asked about what challenges they will pose, this is what he had to say…
They’re a really difficult team to beat. I’ve watched four or five games now with the City game, the way they started against Villa, and then obviously the game took a different route, but as you mentioned they are extremely well coached. I know Chris really well and I admire his teams, a lot of things that he does with them. It will be Monday night football and it’s going to be a tough night.
source: arsenal.com
Look, we don’t like to play against the bottom teams. They sit back, they let us have all the possessions and sometimes Mikel Arteta don’t know what to do with that. We need to break that, because that’s what Sheff’s are going to do.
Right, a short one today. I will be back before the game tomorrow. Hope you are having a nice weekend!
let’s hope our return fixture against Porto looks a little like Bayern versus Lazio…at least so far
KP – you are forgetting El B has the mighty Cedric Soarse up his sleeve.
TRVL – AFC should beat Porto however it will depend on El B’s game plan and in game management.
NORG
And it all started so well for Cedric. Do you remember him coming on as a sub on his debut for us and scoring from a fairly long range effort? He’s not the worst full back we’ve ever signed (Andre Santos is – by a mile) but hell never be seen as a shrewd acquisition.
My second dose of live football tonight in the space of 5 days. Cardiff City Stadium to watch them against Huddersfield. The Bluebirds are back on the up after two straight wins. Keeping everything crossed that it’s the start of an Arsenal-type winning run.
https://youtu.be/Dfv4tK6R4H8?si=i_Ew1o4v4vUXtwlA
That Cedric goal I know you were waiting to see. A game played while Covid was in full swing. It seems like decades ago (which is probably for the best). Some Argentine bloke playing in goal, the rarely spotted marauding glaswegian left-back and a prolific CF with a dodgy barnet. Oh, and Saka on the bench which would never happen now. Another era.
Oh, and here’s a(nother) weird thing about our Cedric – turns out he was born in Germany!
The date of that game? 1 July 2020. Football in July!
Just wondering what we want to happen in the game between City and the Bindips this weekend.
If City are in the ascendency out of the two, does a LFC win suit us more? It also potentially softens them up for our game to come against them.
Or if City win does it dent LFC’s confidence and put us in just a two horse race?
For my mind it has to be that a draw is best. Providing we beat the Bees, we gain 2 points on each.
A nice situation to be in, providing our own form continues of course.
Any thoughts out there from people who know more about these things than me.
Norwich usually allow us to play as if it is a training game. The goal by Wilshere will probably be the one that is best remembered. I know live 8 miles north of Norwich and friends mostly support the local team. I mention I am a Gooner and they keep quiet. A local farmer was a presenter on Eurosport before taking over the family farm. He is a keen Norwich supporter. The talk at the ground is all about the coach they hope to nab from us.
Cardiff are due another purple patch but it is so hard for promoted teams to stay up.
KP – my limited knowledge is probably not as good as yours but remembering recent seasons City always hit their peak February onwards. If they win this weekend they will be in the driving seat and assuming we do likewise against Brentford we will slip into second. Will we stay there? I have a funny feeling United will be our stumbling block. They are still crap under ETH but they somehow usually get their game together when playing us.
NORG
Delia Smith aside, NC is a positive and generally friendly club. I went to Carrow Road for this first time last year and saw Marquinhos and his Canary Mates pluck the Bluebirds! I live in west Wales (ie 100 miles west of Cardiff) and reckon I drove 700 miles that day to experience crushing disappointment. But the burghers of Norfolk were pretty welcoming. I think I might possibly be the last Gooner to have seen Marquinhos play in England.. Sad really.
Trvl, what was that waffle? Supercilious? Lol.
Very few of your comments are suggestive of sparkling education background or a wealth of sporting experience. Or maybe they weren’t experiences at a particularly good level.
You’re an average bear on a blog of average bears, that’s why we’re on a blog waffling but I agree with the pretentious bit. However sounding poncy on a blog doesn’t give your anti Arteta dogma any more weight.
If your point can’t be made without pretending to have some higher standing, perhaps consider if your point is a good one on the first place.
That we overpaid for Havertz is pretty much accepted by all, the independent article you direct us to is hardly a revelation. But he’s delivered. If Wengerish principles of ‘qualidee and value’ are your thing then you’ll have to mourn his passing like other AKBs do. If improving the team is what concerns you, rejoice in Havertz. And the manager who brought him in. Moaning the loss of Xhaka, who was pretty dire until Arteta came over, to what Havertz brings is pointless revisionism.
Cheers.
KP-a draw seems to be the best possible outcome…anytime either one of those teams fails to get max points should work in our favour, so long as we get our business done…as for Marquinhos, still don’t quite understand what happened there, as I saw a player with something on offer…I just think we failed him by not finding him a landing spot that would both guarantee him minutes and properly develop him…he appeared to be half the player against lesser opponents, which is always a weird gig
KP a draw is definitely best outcome for Sunday. It’s time for us to shut that gap and assert ourselves. Both teams will also know realise the fight is three way. I suspect both teams know the game has to be won.
I don’t see Brentford posing a problem. Another good win adds to GD as well as points.
Then they have to chase us. And our GD means mere snatched 1-0s won’t be enough. They have to go for it. Looking for more Liverpool type implosions like at Palace a few years back.
The smart money is on ManC. I suspect some of that is because it’s ManC and the smart money has been on them all season. If we can come away from Etihad with a draw minimum then we’ll have more chance than that poxy 14% they’re giving us right now.
Norg, I recall being at the Ems for that Wilshere goal but sit lower corner of North Bank, opposite end of where it was scored so I don’t have the best view of the Clock End pen box. I’d like to say the fans around me and me included were blown away in real time as the players mucked about on the edge of the box. But in honesty, it was Wenger days and the fans around me, were on the “what the eff are they doing again? someone shoot” rage – our days of the walk the ball into the net cliche – then it went in. I and others cheered without not knowing exactly what had happened.
On some replays, I’ve seen you can hear an “oooh” during the replay itself. That was the crowd round my end watching the replay and realising what a great goal it was and going “oooh”. In our early banter years the football was still beautiful in parts.
I’m sure most of us will have a batch of goals we’ve missed or not seen properly for one reason or another. I think a few Nasri wonders passed me by just because I was too far away and sat too low down, Porto, Fulham? When Ems first opened I sat upstairs but I prefer vibes the view most times and moved down.
KP – A friend of ours recently moved to SW Wales – Pontyberem. We visited in November and it didn’t rain.
I have often been to Carrow Road to see Arsenal. Another friend is a season ticket holder and I take over a seat normally used by his brother.
Aitcho – I mentioned a week or two ago I often gave up my seats to friends just to stand with another group of friends at the Clock End – the atmosphere and banter was electric. However sitting in the east stand upper did allow for an excellent view for most of the pitch.
Another memorable goal was a few decades before Wilshere was born. A skinny long haired Irishman (17 I think) took his place in our midfield. His passing was out of this world. During the game a huge cross field pass found its way in the path of a marauding Geordie Armstrong who in turn clipped it towards goal. Big Mac met the ball with his head and Bang.
“KP a draw is definitely best outcome for Sunday.”
Sorry guys but so wrong – the best result is a 30 odd man brawl including the managers, followed by a pitch invasion and then each club deducted points.
On the other hand I’m not sure I could take the excuses from the fan boys when Arteta still managed to fuck it up!
Aitcho—simply-put, you’re a clown lol….where does one even start when it comes to your jumbled, word salad of a post?!?…shit-talking others won’t change the fact that you’re an insignificant poster who clearly has an inferiority complex of almost epic proportions…you’re but a gnat in my world…good luck with that bud
“You’re an average bear on a blog of average bears,”
Speak for yourself – I’m special my Mum said so!
Trvl
Lol, ‘smarter than the average’. Yet to see evidence of that.
Dump posting nonsense won’t make you significant.
I look forward to your next inane revisions of footballing history and anguish over stuff you made up.
What sort of supporter gets sad when their team bangs 31 goals in 7 games?
NORG, I’m a little post Brady, there wasn’t much quality when I started going and probably why we indulged Champagne Charlie more than was good for him. Qe were probably a basket case of Manu proportions at that stage but thankfully the media scrutiny wasn’t as bad. I don’t know how the hell we ended up with players like Woodcock and Petrovic.
When GG first came, despite his dour approach and ‘no superstars here’ mantra, we were really exciting at times. Rocky being a standard bearer for that. I think Limpar was the first proper star he brought jn. In hindsight, maybe it was on the back of a bung. Anders didn’t care about GG’s dogma. There used to be a pit of some kind in the East Stand where a lot of us youngsters would stand, right by the touchline. I used to remember GG shouting at Anders constantly to track back and mark and Anders either pretending to not hear or understand him. He was never going to last.