Well, it’s the North London Derby time. One of the best teams in the world is going to get into sh*t and hope to come out clean. September is a tough month for us, we already have dropped points against Brighton – thanks to the referees, and we are going to play Tottenham away next Saturday with City coming up next. With a bit of dent in our confidence, we need the win. I will go into the matchday details in a later post and let me use this one to vent out my frustration.
Declan Rice received 2 yellows and is suspended for the Tottenham game. Why? Because a ref decided to fuck up. I am not getting into the discussion of whether it was right or wrong call. If it was right, Joao Pedro did the same and should have been sent off as well and the game should have continued 10v10.
First off, Veltman appeared to quickly take the free kick but the ball was still moving, which makes it illegal. Ref should have had a talk with both players and should have said play on. If you are hell bent on giving a card, because it’s an Arsenal player, you miss (or ignore, choose your words) the illegality of that free kick that was about to be taken. And why was no card given to Pedro when he kicked the ball halfway through?
At this stage, we don’t even want the referees to be RIGHT. We just want them to be CONSISTENT in their POOR REFEREEING.
Saka had to say this to BBC Sport :
I thought it was a bit harsh for us. We just want some consistency. Joao Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it, and Dec got the slightest touch and was sent off. It is what it is; I don’t want to put the whole game on the referee as we still had chances to win it. It has been a good start. Today is a disappointment, but it is a long season.
source : bbc sports
Mikel Arteta On Declan Rice’s red card…
I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be. In the first half, there were two incidents and nothing happened. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan, he turns around, doesn’t see the player coming and touches the ball. By law, he can make that call, but by law then he needs to make the next call which is a red card. So we play 10 against 11. This amazed me, at this level.
source:Arsenal.com
It’s such a shame that nothing has changed yet again this season. The ref was from Manchester and I don’t need to guess if it can affect your decisions on the field. It’s high time for neutral European referees who don’t care if you are playing in blue or red. The PGMOL is a circus that needs disbanding.
Right, that was on the ref. The next one is on Mikel.
We haven’t heard from Mikel yet but there were injury concerns for Odegaard and Timber. Declan Rice is out for sure because of the 2 yellows. It’s okay that we have Thomas Partey but we have seen drop in performance after the 60min mark. Against Tottenham, it’s going to be a high intensity game which require a very high level of concentration. Can Thomas do that for 90min? I doubt that. Jorginho, the same thing. So, we haven’t got a DM that can play 90 with the same intensity, our only RCM could be ruled out for the game and for LCM, we would be playing Merino – his first game in Arsenal color.
You see why I was worried when we sold ESR and loaned Vieira? Odegaard. If our captain picks up an injury, no one is their to do half his job. ESR was the closest, Vieira could have still covered but there’s no one else to cover that position. Declan Rice / Thomas Partey / Jorginho / Merino – fight for the other two positions.
Third – we needed a CF. We missed chances in the Brighton half. A proper CF would have converted atleast one. A scoreline of 1-1 with 10 minutes sounds like the best thing, but we could still have won had we converted.
Right, I was gone for a week celebrating my birthday in Jaipur, the pink city and a lot had happened before transfer window closed. We brought Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea. A move I would have hated if he was to be our first choice but everyone and their dog know that he is going to play those 20 min when Saka needs the rest. Mikel Merino finally made it, Calafiori was done deal long back, the deal for that Spanish goalkeeper collapsed so we loaned Neto for a season. Reiss Nelson left, Nketiah is gone, Vieira sent on loan and Aaron Ramsdale joined Southampton on a permanent deal.
A good clean up but I am not satisfied with the incoming. I don’t know we may have to start a fundraise to bring a CF to the club. That’s it for the day, I will be okay by next weekend and I’m sure we are going to enjoy a beautiful win against our arch rivals.
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TRVL/Marc
I’m numb at the possibility of losing the potentially best RCB in the world to fix the 10-year 8 AM conundrum where Xhaka was never the player. Saliba currently is irreplaceable at RCB in the PL; he would fit straight into City’s line up and obviously RM’s.
I’m not surprised and I’m sure Ebenezer Kroenke will love the lack of money used in such a deal or maybe the purse strings have been tightened and hence why no Osimhen or similarly priced elite potential 9.
We will have to see how this unfolds, but it appears more and more El B’s PR spin doctors are using the press to get fan approval as they did for his new contract blowing smoke up El B’s arse. Except for Souness; who wants to see success from our great pretender the season from our serial loser manager with one covid FA cup in 5 years.
Marc, what will the mood in the stadium if Willie goes?
El B never really wanted Saliba and made it known in public only to get severe egg on his face when Willie turned out to be elite, now he wants to part exchange Saliba.
We’ll have to see what transpires, but thanks TRVL for sharing; what a story to bring out on NLD day! If Ange had put the story out, you’d have to say brilliant shithousery for throwing possible destabilizing vibes at us and our starters today.
The irony is it’s El B’s crew shooting themselves in the feet with the story. Shame it wasn’t a home game………..
What to make of yesterday’s football?
Pool slipping up gave Arne a taste of just how any team can beat another on their day even in someone else’s back yard, and there is no tougher place than Anfield to visit with Newcastle and United close for the tribal hostility.
That said, I liked Forest under Steve Cooper, who I often thought would make a brilliant psyco actor in a horror flick. However, Cooper laid the foundations at Forest, and now Santo has improved Forest and made them into a tough team to beat, as was seen yesterday. It didn’t help that Salah’s footballing ego got in the way rendering him easy to be put in the defender’s back pocket. I really hope Salah plays like that against us and Calafiori is fit and up to the task. Timber won’t be!
We all said that this season teams will have improved where even the dire Dyche managed 2 shots on target, both finding the back of the net where Villa needed 8 to score 3 to secure the points.
It’s fair that from you both that you’re right in thinking the international break has taken its toll with another break hangover, and there’s another on in about 4 weeks. It’s shameful that a brilliant league gets marred by international by way of lost form for whatever reason or injuries.
I watched an old Have I Got New For You recently when they went to town on Blatter, it was hilarious.
I digress.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13847377/Arsenal-Tottenhams-combined-north-London-derby.html
Something to read with your morning coffees where we try to work out what is the usual gamesmanship where players do the equivalent of Lazarus from the treatment tables.
Don’t be surprised if Ode comes trotting out of the tunnel with his laser focus and bursting with creative flair waiting to be unleashed on the unsuspecting Spuds. That was my dream last night whilst enjoying some tasty hybrids.
https://www.premierinjuries.com/teams/arsenal
Calafiori is 50/50 and Jesus has been passed fit. Sick-note Tierney has no return date from injury; shocker!
The reality is it will be Jorginho as TRVL and I wondered during the week. I’d prefer Nwaneri.
As a guess El B will rock up at the toilet bowl with this line up:
Maya
White – Saliba – Gabs – Timber
Jorginho/Nwaneri – Partey – Havertz
Saka – Sterling/Jesus – Marts/Trossard
I think Sterling who El B knew in the first few seconds that Sterling had to be signed on loan, will get the nod ahead of Jesus and Trossard instead of Marts……
What say you guys?
What I do know is we need 3 points to put us back on track with Pool who uncharacteristically dropped 3 points yesterday. In the past we fluff our lines when it matters most to take advantage to keep our “Nearly men” bon tag.
This afternoon we need to add 3 points to be one point above Pool and 2 behind City and ready for our away trip to the Etihad.
Take 3 points there and then who knows?
Drop 3 points and we end up where Spuds will join us in 6th, and then going to Manchester will be a much more different and difficult proposition mentally and emotionally.
No amount of dumb & dumber pop psychology from El B is going to work in the away City game. Simple fact is we need to be better than City on the day.
I see a draw today and have done all week. Ode is a huge miss, so we’ll play for a point, as we did at City last season and damage limitations rather than a positive winning attitude.
We’ll end up level on 8 points with Forest, but the GD remains to be seen.
See you at the game lads.
Tony—for this story to have any basis in reality everyone would have to completely disregard all the rumours involving Saliba’s Madrid-based aspirations…only then would it be possible for anyone to actually believe that this was all part of some carefully constructed master plan, instead of a pathetic attempt to finagle a narrative that could easily be perceived as an indictment on his capabilities as a manager of any real import…I just can’t imagine any manager being so fucking arrogant/asinine that they would devise a plan that included the following moves:
(1) pay 105M for a world-class DM, then instead of deploying him there we actually play him in a position where he’s a rather average option…after all, how much would you pay the Hammers if you knew all along that he wanted to play further up the pitch? certainly not 100+M
(2) spend another 40+M, a year later, on a player best-suited for the more advanced 6 role, then proceed to play him in a less favouable deeper-lying position simply so you could appease the rather fantastical whims of your 100+M DM recruit
(3) then 12 months later trade one of the best CBs in world football in order to shore up the very position you’ve already paid 150M to redress…you’ve now not only lost your best defender, you’ve likewise spent the functionally equivalent of 250M to have an undersized DM, who I’m still not convinced is a top-notch option, Rice in and around the box and Merino squarely on the bench
all that said, I’m seriously praying that this story has no merit whatsoever
as for today’s fixture, I still think we’ll be too much for a side that will struggle to dominate the midfield, especially if we spread their backers out wide…as such, if we don’t give the ball away cheaply in crucial areas of the pitch, we should be able to curtail their opportunities…of course, it will likewise depend on who’s ultimately available and how MA handles any potential selection decisions…I would suspect that if some key players are missing he’ll be very conservative in his approach, which could make for a boring affair…as a result, I’m heading out for a bit of a late night gig, then sleeping in, so I won’t be watching this in real time…looking forward to the running commentary though…Cheers
Agreed TRVL it depends on galaxy brain’s selection thought process or lack of one we all know about. I’m not betting against a typical city away, risk adverse blueprint, El B always turns to when he knows he’s going to be outthought, which this season has been every game we scraped wins in this season.
We are lucky Spuds have had a slow start and lack cohesion on the pitch with Son looking off the pace; the loss of Kane has negatively affected Son’s game, so let’s hope to day he doesn’t find his best from again.
I’ll happily add some commentary if you’re ok about spoilers but it’s a big game globally so not easy to not see the score or a well meaning completely Brahms & Liszt is bursting to tell you the score risking a rear naked choke. lol.
Enjoy your night, keep one ready for the throbbing head; it’s where the Venty is perfect and keep fingers crossed for once El B knows what he is doing.
Can we get a collective Gooner “Hallelujah” just before kick off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4
Outside of the Havertz selection which I don’t like at all but realise he’s an undroppable today’s lineup is about as strong as we could go.
I really think we need to start seeing Timber look better at left back – that’s no criticism of the player more the manager playing a RB at LB and still persisting with this fucking atrocious inverted full back bollocks.
Marc
Trossard has never been a good fit at 8. It’s not his natural game and Rice is chosen who himself is far from idea no matter what Rice sees himself as.
Same as Havertz isn’t a natural 9: needs too many chances. Timber at LB again not natural for him.
Jorginho playing for Ode will be targeted so it depends when he loses possession?
I’m sticking to a draw hoping for a win.
TRVL
The UFC this weekend is in the Sphere my first look inside with my AV room.
Seriously impressive as my projector updates to 8K. My room sound is impressive.
Tony
I wasn’t praising the selection just given Arteta’s piss poor performance its about what we’ve got.
Of course we should have a proper LB at LB, a Striker up front and maybe a home grown attacking midfielder called ESR coming in for Ode.
Why the fuck are we wearing that awful kit? We always wear red for NLDs, home or away.
Marc
I was agreeing with you in my cockeyed way🙄
For some reason we were forced to change our usual red shirt
Off we go then
Spuds looking lively with first shot on goal.
We are really missing Ode’s guile and movement. Jorginho is pedestrian and slow.
Saliba on a yellow on 15. Had to be good for 80 minutes now
Saliba on an yellow, filthy Spuds trying to draw him into another foul.
Head down Martinelli cannot see where to shoot into the goal.
Solanke is intelligent.
If interference with goalkeeper is not called, oops I would say the ball crossed the goal line ,in the air before Raya clawed it back in
Timber is very strong. So has a neat physical way of obstructing an opponent without drawing a foul.
But
Of course ElB pois é um bastardo and incopetent
Timber lucky not to see red. The lad can be rash and is a hothead.
Could see a red for 2 yellows here.
Good to see you Hooper.
End to end stalemate and getting stale from both sides. Halftime needed.
Looks like there is no VAR today. Timber had his spurs down on Pedro Porro foot.
Lucky
Ref’s gone card happy if he doesn’t cool down at half time we’re going to see a red.
For once a ref who is an Arsenal fan 😀😀
Hoopah
Do I really need to tell you how stupid it is to tempt fate when dealing with a ref?
0:0 at half time is probably a fair reflection of the game. Had Spuds been more direct their attacks would have worked Rays vs more.
2nd half hard to call
Will Sterling save the day and win the points for us.
Tony
Yeah lots of huff and puff but lacking in quality far too often.
Could easily come down to that one odd moment where someone keeps their head.
Not sure encouraging our players to have a little nap at half time is a great idea – especially if you forget to set an alarm.
Don’t like the way this half has started
Spurs look to be instructed to get into the face tackling. Incidentally they seem to have got a way to get the ball off Martinelli by going horizontal.
But Spurs still not moving to take a pass and waiting for the the ball. So there is hope
White has been very average this season. Needs changing up. Jorginho is a passenger. Martinelli is having no joy so Sterling to replace to work with Trossard who has been decent.
Exactly why having a righted RB at LB isn’t going to work.