In the words of Peaky Fucking Blinders, we have got a curse. Call it The Emery Curse, or the Emi’s, but we have one.
Last season, in the first game against Villa, we lost 1-0 after they scored in 07th minute and we never recovered. They were coming off of a win at City and they beat us. We did create some chances later on but never converted it. In the home game, we lost 0-2 when we conceded both goals in last 10 minutes. We were just 2 points behind Man City with 6 games to go, and a loss to Villa confirmed our title challenge was over. We needed a win so much at that point and they denied us. I hate them more than Spurs these days. The two losses costed us the title at the end.
Anyways, it’s a new season and a new fight. We take on Aston Villa at Villa Park today in a 5.30 evening kick off.
In the team news, there would be some surprises. Fabio Vieira is most likely going back to Porto on a loan so won’t feature today. Tomiyasu and Tierney remains unavailable due to injuries. We are most likely going ahead with the same team that featured against Wolves. A back 4 of White, Gabriel, Saliba and Zinchenko; a midfield of Partey, Rice, and Odegaard; a front 3 of Saka, Havertz and Martinelli. I would love to see Timber in place of Zinchenko starting today though, he is one for the future and improves our left side by a margin. Martinelli hardly gets any support from Zinchenko and that’s the difference between the outputs of him and Saka.
Gabriel Jesus is also not available as the rumours goes.
Mikel Arteta had to say this in the pre-match conference yesterday,
on how big of a test Villa away is so early in the season:
It’s one of the toughest places to go for sure. We know that, we’ve prepared really well to understand what we have to do to go there and win the game.
on the importance of getting a result against Unai Emery personally:
Personally? I don’t do things personally, I just have the will to win and prepare the team in the best possible way, regardless of who we are playing against.
source: Arsenal.com
It’s tough because we lost both games against Villa in the best season of Mikel Arteta. For the Unai Emery question, Mikel is fooling everyone including himself. He would have sleepless nights thinking how Emery got the better of him and I am hoping he has an answer to that today.
There are some things happening in the transfer window. Forest looks really interested in Eddie Nketiah and we have rejected a £25m and Forest will agree for £30m me thinks.
Fabio Vieira is going on a loan to Porto (from where we got him 2 years back). This one is a strange move, because we have sold ESR already and we would be left with only Odegaard as an attacking mid with no back up or competition. There are talks that the management is very impressed with Ethan Nwaneri and he would deputize Odegaard.
Merino deal is almost confirmed, he will be joining us from Real Sociedad for a £28m free. I have not seen much of him, but we know Rice is more of a #6 and we needed a #8 after Mikel decided to shift Kai up top.
We have also rejected a Wolves move for Aaron Ramsdale on loan + option to buy. We are in a favor of a permanent move for Aaron, and we have already decided a replacement in Joan Garcia from Espanyol.
Hardly a week left, there would be some chaos at the end, lets see how it pans out for us.
Right, that’s all for today. See you during the game.
KP
Good to see Bellamy at half time talking sense no doubt. Nice to see him involved in roots football.
Looking forward to your take on the TW and tonight’s game, Ambarish.
Hoopah
Are you still in Sterling denial?
Do you need LIR help? Some multi lingual rant from KP to shake you to the undeniable fact that Sterling is in the building and we are the laughing stock of the TW.
Almuniaisnomore
I hope you and yours are doing well and you’re keeping healthy these days.
I imagine your satirical head must be dreaming up all kinds of hilarious moments, which would be most welcome should you feel the urge to join your friends again in LIR, as a sketch or just in banter, your presence is missed certainly by me, but all here I’m sure would agree.
No surprises with our line up except Trossard instead of Marts as TRVL suggested.
Jesus is injured groin apparently no known return date so I guess that added to our Sterling need.
No confident about today’s game.
Off we go then with hope rather than expectation….
Brighton have come to play
We look most likely to score with Saka dominating play
As per usual our game slows after 30 minutes where Brighton has had 53% possession.
Brighton managing to keep the game to their preferred pace.
Havertz seized on a rare mistake by Dunk.
1:0 to us prior to the goal Havertz had had 4 passes with 3 completions
Rice off misses the Spuds away derby next game after the international break
1:1 straight through the middle of a gaping hole
El B needs to shore up at the back as its attack against defence
El B needs to shore up at the back as its attack against defense
Rice was not known for theatricals since quite a capable player and does not the drama. Who taught him that shit ?
Being a novice could not execute the dramatic fall very realistically and got caught.
Now with 10 men and a defensive lynchpin at midfield off , there will be mayhem at the back considering how Brighton play
Welbeck continues being consistently shit with occasional performance at crucial stages…maybe what make him relevant
Our lumbering giraffe missed a sitter.
You’ll will guess who
Ooops – two points dropped – never mind RS will make up the difference.
Oof draw
Fortunately Brighton have gone a way down their usual offensive capabilities
Tied with Arsenal at the top ,at this stage
2 points dropped way too early. Expect City to dispatch the Hammers but the Pool Manure game either way we can’t take advantage of the outcome.
Maya kept us in the game but our first hiccup at home against a decent stubborn Brighton side who in the 2nd half came out with more belief but Rice let the side down badly with the sending off and missing the north London derby in the Spuds back yard.