Forgive me for I have been busy a lot and I’m typing this on my mobile while returning home and my work shift starts at 6 in the morning, almost 6 hours from now
BUT… I can’t skip a NLD match day can I?
Am I selfish in hoping we will be 4-0 up by half time so that I can sleep early?
Biggest match of this season, win this and we get to celebrate the St. Totteringham day after years, and we do it at Shite Hart Lane. We also qualify for Champions League without going into any permutations and combinations.
Good news is, Saka’s injury was a minor one and he is back in playing XI. White could only make it to bench but I would prefer Holding anyday over him. Rob is good in the air and can counter Harry Kane efficiently.
It’s sad to see ESR on bench, it must be a dream for those 2 kids to score in as many NLDs as possible but I’ve a feeling it’s one of those matches when Martinelli proves why he deserves to start every fucking game.
Eddie, if scores today, should be given a knighthood and declared better than Bruno Fernandes for a decade.
Our only problem will be the duo of Kane and Son. Son has a habit of scoring against us and it would be challenging to stop them. A lot depends on Gabriel and Holding, we might see a deep block where Xhaka supports in defence. Ode has lost his form a bit in recent games and we need his best today.
I will keep it short today. We win 3-0, a goal from Eddie and 2 from Martinelli.
What’s your prediction? Let me know in the comments.
We just can’t shake off this tendency to play snakes and ladders with our form/ performances. That’s the type of inconsistency that top managers rid you of. Regardless of the ref we are back playing shite again when the pressure is on,infuriating.
Almunia
That’s the fear – Arteta often goes on losing runs – barring a massive comeback we’ll need 2 wins after tonight.
Remember old derbies when refs tended to give both teams a bit more leeway?
This buffoon has gone the other way sadly.
Nice to see Big Pat Jennings looking so well. Honestly,I don’t want to watch the 2nd half,all we can hope for is no more injuries,suspensions.
Oh fuck.
We could conceivably end the season the way we started it, loosing the next 2. Hopefully NOT.
Remember Conte’s a terrible manager – Pedro and the fan boys said so.
Xhaka’s going to get roasted, then bum fucked and then sent off.
Almunia
Agreed. Pat looks a bottle or two of grecian 2000 away from looking the way he did in his 70s pomp.
I still think we beat Barcodes and Everton so keep the faith. This game is a total fucking dud. I seldom do it but I’m checking out. Time for the Walking Dead and a different bunch of zombies.
Marc
You’ve got both pairs of your Arsenal goggles on tonight
You’re right mate. I’m honest enough to admit when I’m wrong. Have a good one.
Kroenkephobe,
Enjoy that,this is torture to watch. Catch you tomorrow.
Kroenke
Wasn’t an attack or even criticism – just like telling a mate that ugly girl don’t do it for the love of god don’t do it.
I can’t see Everton still needing points on the last day so it’s the Newcastle game for me. The fact that it’s a night game really worries me. I have a suspicion that if we looked back over the season our record in night games would be very poor.
Why the fuck has Lokonga disappeared from existence?
Anyone watching Arteta’s interview?? The interviewer can’t get any sense out of him at all, it’d be funny if he wasn’t manager of our club.
Almunia
Turned off at the final whistle – what’s the clown saying?
Wouldn’t speak,implied it was the referee’s fault entirely and he couldn’t comment or he’d be suspended. Monosyllabic responses and insane mutterings and soundbites for the rest of it. I was embarrassed for him actually.
#was meant to be innane mutterings but maybe autocorrect got it right….
#inane!! Crikey.
I was a bit emotional last night while the game got completely away from us, but nothing compared to what I’m reading about Tets. What a fucking wanker – he’s really unfit for high level football management. And getting (justifiably) told off by the equally hot-headed Conte is farcical. No excuses now – they have to win the last two games.
Kroenkephobe,
Of course you were annoyed, it was hugely frustrating, the problem for me is that between the last decade of Wenger and now Arteta we,the fans, seem to be stuck in an endless loop of false dawns and shattering reality. Being infuriated by that is totally natural. The problem comes when ,to escape it,we start to disconnect from the club. I think that’s happening to me to be honest.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/13/irelands-eurovision-misery-continues-as-it-fails-to-qualify-for-2022-contest
Almunia
As if last night’s result wasn’t bad enough, here’s more bad news! 😊 Ireland’s Eurovision fortunes mirroring those of Arsenal’s footballing ones. Dana and Johnny Logan will be horrified. Two major powers fallen on hard times. You’ll have to get your Undertones, Pogues and Microdisney albums out instead tomorrow night and waltz Ms Almunia around your living room. I hope the pain is diminishing. There’ll always be results like that round the corner while the basque bantamweight remains in charge.
Looks like Conte completed owned Arteta in the press conference – last night will have damaged our confidence (how often do we go runs of wins or losses?) and put the Spud’s sky high.
Newcastle will be a tough match.
Marc
Thanks again for the words of wisdom last night – they made good sense as usual.
I agree about Newcastle potentially being difficult but it will be much more tricky if the team isn’t properly prepared psychologically. We have something real to play for, they don’t, we have a better team on paper, the relative league positions, the fact that we usually win there (4-4 draws notwithstanding) plus the important point that we’ll be up against a team not looking to low block and to show a bit of showbiz to their fans. Circumstances suggest that it should be 3 points. I’m wondering if the team selection should be a little more bold than last nights, ie swap Cedric for Nuno and being in ESR at the expense of Elneny or Arteta’s golden boy GX. Start like a train, get a few goals up and start shithousing after 65 minutes. Sounds easy doesn’t it.
Kroenkephobe,
I’ll just watch the Will Ferrell film of the same name,slightly more entertaining (only slightly mind you).
Yeah,Newcastle away are difficult to predict but I’m convinced that it’s one of those grounds that is more intimidating under lights. We shall see. It is not a given that spurs will beat Burnley. Either way the idea that we are progressing and will continue to progress under the present regime is still a difficult concept for me to grasp. I really believe that this is not a journey. This is it. What we have been watching for the last 2 and a half years is Arteta’s vision of how his teams should play.
Almunia
Sit in a review meeting with your boss / line manager after performing really badly and not only missing out on targets / KPI’s but setting a new company low and tell him it’s a process and see what he says!
The FA Cup final is a strange phenomenon. If Arsenal aren’t playing, I have to resist the urge to feel like a kid with his nose pressed against the window of a sweet shop. If we are in the final, it’s one of those games you only feel relieved about not losing. A strange day all told.
Almunia – I was struck by something you said about Monday’s game being played at night and therefore under floodlights. Is it that you think we’re particularly shit in those kind of away games, or is it a more general belief that night games favour home teams.
Monday is one of those games where the players need to do it despite Arteta. The likelihood of there being no discernable leader on the pitch is a possible concern.
“The likelihood of there being no discernable leader on the pitch is a possible concern.”
Don’t worry little ones we’ve got Super Xhaka!!!
A good observation courtesy To Pierre
“Was Holding marking Son part of rhe Arteta strategy going in to the game or was conte smarter rhan Arteta and asked Son to play narrower , meaning Holding had to engage Son.I would find it difficult to believe that Arteta put Holding on Son , mainly because Son is the type of player that makes life difficult for Holding, hence why i think Conte was very clever and Arteta was too slow to recognise that their was a problem.Holding was getting pulled into areas that a central defender playing in a back 4 should avoid as he knew that if Son skinned him there would be a massive hole in the back 4, hence why Holding felt he had to stop him at all cost.Prior to the game i thought putting Tomiyasu on Son was the best option as he is a good man marker , and playing with wing backs with Tomiyasu as a centre back if white was unfit which would allow him to follow Son in the knowledge that we had 2 centre backs covering.Arteta was naive and Conte was very clever in the way he isolated Holding , who clearly looked uncomfortable playing in areas he is unaccustomed to. “
I think the atmosphere at night games is more intimidating for whatever reason(alcohol? Less children/family?) Perhaps this intimidates refs more. Perhaps it motivates home teams more. But it certainly affects Arsenal,we tend to go into our shell. And amazingly even when we explain to the opposition that we are the youngest team in the league they don’t show any sympathy. What’s that about?
With regard to Pierre’s comment posted by Hoopah.
Not only do I think that it was Arteta’s tactic for Holding to deal with Son but I think Holding was given instructions to rattle him with physical challenges, Arteta got Holding so wound up that he was playing recklessly and couldn’t get his head back once booked.
Can anyone remember Holding playing like that before? Xhaka can lose it, Mustafi was always capable of that type of stupid play, Gabriel can lose it as well but I’ve never associated Holding with being that type of player.
People always talk about Arteta micro managing matches from the side lines and his constantly gestating etc why didn’t he calm Holding down or tell him to be more careful?
Lukaku being the propah LUMP. Asks for the ball when he is covered. Makes himself relevant pointing to spot he wanted a pass a micro second after the ball is played.
But a good match going on FA Cup
Really enjoying this,hard to believe it’s scoreless. Pity one of them has to win though!
Hi Hoopah
You must have balls of steel or a huge masochistic tendency watching those two teams of gobshites battle it out. And don’t get me started on their fans by and large. Fair do’s mate!
Actually Hoopah, you have me thinking now about the most expensive flops ever. Torres at Chelsea,Shevchenko at Chesea, lukaku at…..Pattern or what. Pogba gets my vote though.
Alumias
Good got you wound up.
Agree with your list of flops.
But Lukaku is specially exasperating.
Among the lesser evils don’t want a Liverpool quadruple. And no other Invincibles ever… unless it is Arsenal again
Hoopah,
I’m leaning towards Chelsea aswell,imagine! Football can be a special type of hell sometimes….
Let’s do a running commentary on the match.
When LondonIsRed why do we need the Cambridge Analytics bog 😷 ?
Lads
The Lukaku thing is a bit mystifying. He looked unstoppable in the first few games of the season. I’d still have him at Arsenal in a heartbeat. I hope that’s not too controversial. 🙂
Hope Cholsky don’t come to rue the number of chances they missed earlier.
By the way the Mane elbow was much more damaging than the Holding offence, but then Mane was in attacking position where players get more latitude
Here’s a question,if it goes to pens will tuchel change keepers again? Would be madness in my eyes.