In Match Chat…
Flares? Crowd madness as in the reverse fixture? As long as there’s no delay tonight, I’m good. It’s Thanksgiving today in the US so I’ve got some cooking to do…
Deep Frying is the ONLY way to cook your bird…In my humble opinion.
But that’s for later. Right now our attention turns to the Rhineland. Here are your line-ups:
Arsenal: Ospina; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Holding; Chambers, Elneny, Coquelin, Maitland-Niles; Wilshere; Welbeck, Giroud. Subs: Macey, Sheaf, Willock, Nelson, Iwobi, Nketiah, Akpom.
Cologne: T Horn; Sorensen, Maroh, Mere; Klunter, Ozcan, Jojic, JK Horn; Cordoba, Osako, Guirassy. Subs: Kessler, Olkowski, Risa, Lehmann, Rausch, Nartey, Bisseck.
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (Russia).
It’s an experienced team but a fully changed 11 from the group that won the North London Derby this past Saturday. What do you think? Is it a chance for players to impress for potential game-time in the PL or maybe even as long-term replacements for our major want-away players–Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozi)? Frankly, whether they go in January for small transfer fees or in the summer for free, I believe we MUST find replacement players who will require both a fee and salaries akin to whatever we’ve offered the two big guns. I’d love them to sign for another round at Arsenal, but, with only five weeks until the winter window opens, it seems they will surely at least test the free agent (Bosman) waters.
Regardless, it should be fun watching the other veterans as well as some younger guys (Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Ainsley Maitland-Niles) who might land leading roles soon at the club. Ideally, we stake ourselves to a lead and then get some healthy minutes for some other prospects. So, let’s do it… Watch and chat along… Please…
Go on then…
by 17highburyterrace
Bergkampesque 
For me, it’s all about the Arsenal guys today as the only Cologne player I know is Lukas Poldolski… 😀
In the reverse fixture, Koln let us have the ball trying to pounce on the counter. Am I correct in remembering that they scored the first goal…before we got the final 3?…
Help a Gooner out, eh…
Hope the lads have a good cohesive game tonight. Already lined up for the Anthem now.
I’ve got the commentary on today… How can they say, “This is an Arsenal team in very good form” when it’s a completely changed 11?… Those last pair of Europa League matches against Red Star Belgrade seemed–with the exception of the late Giroud goal–rather poor…
Fried turkey is sumptuous.
Ever had a vat catch fire?
jw1
Yes. Was Koln 1-0 at the half.
jw1
Hey ‘Eris… Are you still in Nigeria? If so, where’s Pony Eye? (No worries if you don’t know… I realize it’s a very large country… 🙂 )
Yep, 17ht. They went ahead first, very early about the 10 minute, before Kolasinac, Sanchez and Bellerin got us the win. Their fans celebrated first as Jhon Cordoba gave Cologne the lead, superbly lofting the ball over David Ospina from 40 yards after the goalkeeper’s weak clearance. Ospina is back in today. What are the chances ….?
Hey J-Dub… I’ve had some overflow spills light a bit of grass on fire… Nowadays I stick to small birds and I’ve got a deeper stock-pot…
PE? I have no clue but, yes, I am still in Nigeria. Next time, I shall probably have to confirm his coordinates in the event we can hook up. Who knows?
Mainland-Niles forces an early Corner kick after good interplay with Welbeck but the keeper saves from the cross.
OK, we’re off. What (TF) are these blue kits of ours? Hoping that we might get mistaken for ManCity? 😦
Lots of possession early and now very good work from Welbeck to get a high angled shot in from AMN…Out for a corner however which is taken by Elneny but grabbed by their (not very tall) keeper…
Cheers guys for the recap of the reverse fixture… What exactly was Ospina’s injury. Did Colombia make the WC without him?
We are playing a high press but Koln are able to pass around our press. Córdoba forces a save off Ospina after a fine move by the German side.
Did Chambers dye his hair and beard… Or take they dye out?
Cordoba tests Ospina but our keepers turns in out for a corner… Which is cleared, Ospina rooted to his line where many keepers would have come to grab or punch…
Nothing wrong with trying to coordinate the defending early, IMO… Lots of switching in the back 3 (or 5) early on…
Coquelin, trying to control the ball, loses it into touch. That was not very pretty…
Jack and Debs work in on the right before we switch it to the other side. Giroud wants a foul over there but doesn’t get it…
There’s Ospina off his line on a poor lobbed ball from Koln. They seem happy to try and attack, while we’re like a cyclist in a dual race in the velodrome, happy to sit off…
AMN almost gets around his man to at least win a corner. It’s prevented and Koln create a decent counter of their own… Broken up on by Holding…
Le Coq, still waiting for his first Arsenal goal, hits a good one but it curls wide with the keeper well beaten if it had stayed between the posts…
Would have been nice to see Coquelin score from distance!
jw1
Welbeck and Wilshere want some #10ish space but it comes back to Elneny whose highball is too long for Chambers the brunette blur…NOT…
It seemed a pretty good effort, JW, but given that he’s yet to score one, it also seems an iffy idea…
I’m always startled when he shoots.
jw1
OK, Koln starting to punt instead of play as our attacking instincts begin to build. Jack and Elneny looking patient in the middle with Koln giving them plenty of space…except of course when they foul…
Giroud works the ball deep in the box but wide… comes to nothing…
DW is working the central spaces too… Giroud often moving wider…
Debuchy’s cross finds neither of them…
Arsenal in charge now… but AMN’s chipped cross only finds little Jack who gets his head to the ball but his bounced effort is right to the keeper. Getting to it = good, failing to place it better, a bit less so…
Arsenal are getting due for a goal as Koln already looked to have lost their early bit of snap… Reduced to long balls already… Though Ospina takes one of his own… Rather short and immediately back with the red team…
Debuchy down… Next to be seen in 2020?… I think he might have embellished a bit… Seems OK
More slow build up and another Ospina hoof comes to nothing…
Nice bit of defending by AMN on a through ball that Ospina claimed.
jw1
This next time Ospina rolls it out and we do better. It always surprises me that Giroud can’t bring down the high balls w/o help from the ref…
AMN has some pace and some size and seems to be learning the game nicely, IMO… If his final ball improves he could be good backup for Kolasinac…
Seems to me that the pitch is a bit heavier than we’d prefer… Elneny can’t quite get a ball to DW, for example…
AMN does well to keep possession after a slip (or was it a foul?) Another chipped cross, another poor finish, this time a scuffed volley by Debuchy…
The commentators mentioned much the same per AMN.
jw1
Ooooh… More good work down the left but Le Coq is denied again, this time by the near post…
Some day it will happen for him… Maybe?…
So. Had to look up Coquelin’s stats.
That’s now 32 career shots. That being the 4th on goal.
jw1
Hmmm, I missed that talking point… I dunno, these guys (the talkers) don’t seem so well-informed. Maybe better than the English guys, however…
Nice JW… Although hitting the post, I think, doesn’t count as on-target… Giroud does one of those himself, a tough attempted curler wide of the far post…
Finally got the game on the radio on line, what a palava…!
Cologne fans are making a great noise, must be a brilliant atmosphere in the stadium.
DW wants to be as nifty as Jack with the one-touch attacking… Jack was on the floor as Danny tried the return touch…
Another effort on the left but a defender gets the ball sent in by Welbeck instead of Giroud…
I’ve got the volume down, Kev, mostly to avoid the commentary, but you’re right, the Koln fans do seem to be enjoying themselves…
That defender marking Ollie is hobbling off. Koln playing with 10, I think…
Everything happening on AMN’s side, nothing on Chambers’… The former wins a FK in a nice but wide position…
Testing, testing… A couple of comments were denied…
We’re overloading on the left but then finding little when the ball is crossed… Given the overload, Koln break down the right. Their cross falls into a similarly lonely spot…
Another Elneny FK but this one is too close to the keeper who double fists it into touch… Nice dribbling from our right to the center by Jack but his pass to DW is cut out…
Holding, just as fast as the Koln attacker, works it back to Ospina… On our next foray, Elneny tries a shot from 30 yards out. Not quite Row Z but well over…
2 mins extra time, massive by Euro standards is more of the same: and Arsenal miscue at their end leads to a break by Koln. This one is better but still crowded out by our right sided defenders…
Halftime will come w/o a goal… Koln getting the bulk of the ET possession…
There’s the whistle? Another coffee? A goal might’ve had the same effect for me…
Yeah, I might try the coffee… Reading back I’ve got some typos that speak to a lack of a little bit of sharpness, as AW might say…
Back in a bit… Impressions boys?…
There have been several times when AMN has over-crossed from the left– where Chambers was nowhere near an attacking position to take advantage an keep a possession going.
jw1
Thankfully I’ve got Perry Groves as co-commentator…
Ok, you guys watching on TV, tell me?
How has Jack been playing?
How has Chambers been doing?
What is the overall impression, baring in mind the opposition, of a back three of BFG, Holding and Chambers. First time they’ve played as a combo..
Perry Groves? That sounds pretty fun, Kev…
My view is that everything (and everybody) in attack at least is on the left side. Chambers has been invisible, esp. as a target man on the right. My guess is that AW will tell his guys what needs to change and we’ll do much better in the 2nd period.
Part of the problem is that Giroud (just about) always turns to his right (our left) if he gets the ball with his back to goal…
2nd half on…
J-dub… You eating Turkey this afternoon/evening?…
Some extended head badminton on our right side, center of the pitch…
17, Ospina did play most (if not every) game for Colombia in qualifying, including the last vs Peru. Just thought I should clear that.
Now, for the 2nd half and some goals, please. Coq looks like once he gets going amongst the goals, he’s going to get a few more before he leaves/retires.
Elneny tugged back defending on the left gets the whistle… Jack, leading the line, passes back to a red shirt…
Iwobi is in for?…
Here we go, let’s put this to bed.
Welbeck off for Iwobi…?
A twinge?
Apparently Koln have 9 players out injured.
I know their pain.
Debuchy/Per/Holding at the back.
Chambers has been at RWB.
And was just thinking how Chambers has been a no-show on BOTH ends.
jw1
AMN I think…
Jack, clean through but won’t shoot with his right foot and it comes to nothing… That was probably our best chance of the match and absolutely nothing… Which is why (I think) he gets sold to a mid-table club in January or June… 😦
DW is the sub (out)… Hopefully due to building match fitness (not another injury)…
Iwobi deep, does a very fancy turn to send us on the break… A corner is won…
It looks like Iwobi has come on for Welbz, rather unnoticed.
Elneny can’t beat the first man but we keep it in…
Oooh, another chance for Jack, this time on a knock down from Giroud to his left foot is by-passed for a control touch…except there was no control and Koln take it the other way…
AMN seems to be having a good game.
Elneny can’t put Giroud through…
We lose it via the touchline but get it back as they pass it to Jack who looks better as a deeper lying mid…
Koln can’t get out of their half, but we cannot make anything near their box…
AMN, doing good work in the left corner is held back… FK and a yellow surely…
Elneny takes it and again can’t beat the first defender…
This is getting old so the corner is taken short… Nothing doing there, either…
Nearing the hour mark and this match is starting to feel like a turkey… A dried out overcooked one, in fact…
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing…
I’m gonna copy that line and paste it in as needed… 😦
So, our centre back (Debuchy) is charging down their defender to their corner flag and none of our players thought to put pressure on their keeper, to prevent a back pass? Come on!
Does Cologne actually need to defend or can they count on us to give it to them? Maybe so. A bit of possession and a nice open chance for Cordoba but he scuffs it and it only dribbles to Ospina…
AMN keeps in an overhit Iwobi pass…
Penalty to the hosts. This doesn’t look good, all of a sudden. Debuchy fouls.
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing…
Except that it comes to a Cologne Penalty!!
It’s soft, for sure…
1-nil to the home club… Good penalty with Ospina diving the wrong way…
The young French man gets up after being fouled to score from the penalty. 1-0 Koln.
If he’d stood his ground he’d have saved it… It looked better placed from the side view…
Can this Arsenal team come back in this one?
Might need Eddy, I hate to say…
Corner won, however…
Finally a good delivery and the BFG header forces a save… Not a ton of pace on the ball, however…
Iwobi pass cut out and Holding has to be Johnny on the spot to cut out a pass to two red-shirted runners…
There’s plenty of time, but we have to make sure the gloves are taken off. All the flicks and Hollywood passing must stop till we get 2 goals.
Better from Jack, totally on his own, but his 20 yard shot is central and saved…
There’s a good cross but it’s to tiny Jack… He gets a head (or shoulder) to it but has to loop it over his marker…and the goal…
Finally the Chambers-as-WB experiment has drawn to a close.
Nelson on.
jw1
Arsenal playing with a bit more urgency but…
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing…
Actually the copy and paste isn’t quite accurate… It’s merely some harmless Koln possession…
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing…
This time it’s more accurate and it could’ve been a 2nd but the pullback is behind the runner…
This seems pretty dire… Nelson on for Chambers but our giveaways are still on the left…
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing… Nelson showing his pace to stop the attack. Hopefully we can keep this at 1-nil and nick a goal somehow…
Decent diagonal run by Iwobi and he loses control almost in a spot for Jack to pounce and shoot… Not quite, however…
A cross from the right is a couple feet too high for Ollie…
We’d be hearing “Eddy, Eddy,” maybe, if the home support wasn’t so loud…
Nelson already looks frustrated with very tight spacing… Now we seem to be overloading the right side…
Elneny’s corners are woeful, I hate to say…
Iwobi, almost slips through but, again, not quite…
Giroud had a chance on a long pass from Jack but looked a mile offside… The big guy running in sand meant the assistant’s flag was unneeded…
Another corner coming as the injured defender put it behind…
77 mins played but this should create some extra time…
Jack takes it and it’s a good one… Koln get the head to it, however…
Koln defend well and deep, to be honest but if we had a few willing to take more risks (as Iwobi has attempted), we should be able to open them up. With Nelson on now, I think he should be given that task.
Jack, one-two with Le Coq comes to nothing where he might have had a chance to take a first time shot…
This time it’s Iwobi and Giroud who fail on a one-two…
The extra coffee at half-time has definitely been the best part of this game… for me at least…
80 mins played and we’re hardly have a sniff…
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing…
The copy and paste has been quite handy… BFG short with a backpass but Ospina is aware and it’s not a problem…
Giroud gets a nice cross in, but well over whoever was trying to run onto it…
Arsenal lose it, Koln break, comes to nothing… except that they have a shout for a handball off the BFG…
Giroud’s return passes have been lacking.
Probably a dozen today that have been too hard to handle.
Here’s Eddie!
jw1
Nelson flops like a more experienced player from a Giroud chip… Before that, in space, Jack’s diagonal cross is cut out by the first defender…
Eddy, for Debuchy, to save the day?
Jack’s chipped cross too high for Ollie…
86th min…
Jack again, but over everybody…
So, copy and paste, except the Koln runner is offside…
OK, down to late heroics for our 2nd 11 and I really don’t see it happening… That said, I missed both matches we rescued–one in this comp, the other in the league cup–so maybe you guys can see it coming…
Not at the moment… Copy and Paste…
Nelson on one– then Nketiah on a separate attack both miss from close range.
jw1
Super-sweet dribble by Nelson but his toe-poke finish is right to the keeper… It falls to Jack who also weaves through before his cross is cut out… Ollie wants a pen or a handball or something…
The big guy who cried wolf, perhaps?…
Copy and paste but from a deep position… Nothing happening for Koln… Other end… Copy and paste but no break… A whistle against us instead…
Wishere nearly from 20yds.
jw1
2 of the 4 extra minutes played…
Jack over with a blast from 22 or 25 yards… tipped over by the keeper or going high?…
Copy and paste… This time with Jack failing to get by his marker with a dribble… He does get on the ball, I’ll give him that…
Final whistle coming…
Bottom of the Bundesliga too good for our 2nd 11…
Hmmmm….
We win the group!! We win the group…
I think… They flashed the table and we’re on ten points… Others all on six…
Tonight over turkey, I will give thanks…Maybe not for this match, however…
Only when Nelson an Nketiah came on (with 10-12 minutes to go)– was there any real urgency to attack.
jw1
Ooooh what a boring match. I think our reserve team tried really hard but looked a little clueless in front of goal. Always looked likely that Koln would get one chance and take it. Perhaps if some of these players could get a cross in it would help?
As we enter the knockout stages we will need to strengthen the side.
Roasted rotisserie chicken from a local organic market here 17HT.
(Cheap, easy, delicious.)
All the fixins too.
jw1
Anybody with some final thoughts? The quicker this goes into the rearview, the better…
We probably deserved a draw but nothing more, I fear…
Reiss Nelson is gonna be a player… Didn’t we think the same about Jack at that age, however?…
Some folks still do, right?…
Same with Theo… After a match like this, those who were missing, however, look all the better… As such, I say THEO (THEO, Theo, theo…)
It really is all about the fixings… Isn’t it J-Dub… Unless you fry, of course… (Really, it’s the best, after a brine, of course) and soooo easy (once you gear up, as I did 20 years ago)… Leave’s room in the over for hot pies or keeping stuff warm, too…
Oh boy… Everton-Atalanta… Click…
Enjoy the holiday, JW… Thanks for chiming in Eris, Kev…
Hopefully the first team can do better at Burnley…
Damn, reading the above, I left out a question mark and added an apostrophe… It appears I can’t finish either… 😀 😦
Rearview:
Nelson should have had Chambers minutes. Eddie on earlier.
Play anyone who can get some height on a corner.
Creativity went unfulfilled. Jack’s usual partner-in-crime– Giroud?
Misplayed almost every 1-2 with Jack.
jw1
Roasting the top of the cornbread dressing now. Potatoes/carrots/brown gravy.
Mama made a gluten-free pumpkin pie from scratch.
(Crust reminds of mincemeat pies my grandmother made.)
Cold Corona and freezer of pint glasses.
I’m thankful.
jw1
You guys across the pond enjoy the holiday. Having worked for American Banks fot many years I used to enjoy it as well. That is until some wise guy introduced me to Jelllo shots!,,,
Sorry I left the ‘party’ after the penalty, not that I missed much.
Seen the pen, thought it was harsh, looked a bit of a dive to me.
Not one of those senior players put themselves in a position to be able to tell Wenger that they deserve a chance in the 1st XI, except maybe Welbeck, who looked lively in the small amount of highlights I saw…Listening to the radio it sounded like we played too much 5-a-side stuff in and around the box against a team that’s on its knees in the Bundesliga, always wanting an extra touch instead of taking the shot early, I didn’t need to see the game as I’ve seen it too often in the past.
But we win the group, so alls we’ll that ends well. 🙂
I hope that Arsene really does go with a more youthful line up against Borisov, an Arsenal team containing 4,5 or 6 youngsters will definitely energize the Emirates crowd more than a team of blokes going through the motions.
Lol, 17ht. We get you, that’s what matters.
Final thoughts? We need to put this behind us quickly as we will surely finish top of the group (currently on 11 points with the next side on 6), so the kids can look to play the last group game and enjoy themselves. Our hosts defended deep and simply played to nullify whatever offensive play we mustered and they did it well till we brought on ball players to trouble them. Maybe we needed more time, but something tells me we could have gone on another hour without scoring tonight.
Sad that in a game in which we were hardly troubled, we had to lose to a soft penalty kick. While we looked solid enough at the back, it would seem we couldn’t muster some fluidity upfront, largely (to my mind) to do with a lack of sharpness owing to a lack of game time for those who play these games for us. However, one would expect them to show they deserve to be in the first team by taking the job more seriously.
On to Burnley it is then.
“On to Burnley it is then.”
Wonder if Burnley could don all-white kits maybe?
jw1
Throw in a Kane or Alli in the mix and I’ll have that….😉
Not the happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday i would have expected, but nevertheless I wish you guys Happy Thanksgiving.
I do not think that guys will splurge on Black Friday sales, no?
JW1,
My mouth’s watering at the cornbread dressing and the pumpkin pie.
Yummy.
I expect the streets in UK and US to burst with people rushing for Black Friday shopping.
JK
Arsenal U18’s 6-0 Tottenham U18’s.
Watching TOT vs WBA– and Dele Alli has gifted a goal in the 4th minute.
Literally whiffed on a clearance in a high-press at midfield and WBA pounced with a long breaking pass. Spurs’ Sanchez (whom I felt was the only Spud who might have made MY combined XI after Saturday) caught Rondon at the 18yd box and being bigger tried to body him off the ball.
Rondon nudged back and in the same movement — tapped the ball across goal– Lloris frozen in disbelief watching it roll into the net.
Spurs looking soft. Like somebody pulverized their confidence recently.
Still 1-0 after 32′.
jw1
It was an absolute hammering. Maybe the kids start early to feel the pressure of the North London derby. Only yesterday, the U-23s beat Watford’s 3-0.
Still 1-0 at half.
Mike Jones is letting the game be cleanly physical.
Somewhat later after Rondon scored– he was dribbling laterally at midfield– and Dier tried to body him off the ball. Rondon gave Dier a slight forearm which caused Dier to stumble away– giving up the challenge. WBA has made several clean sliding tackles dispossessing Spurs Ericksen and Alli. Both posturing and whining after– Jones, arms outstretched, and play continuing the other direction.
jw1
Spurs must practice whining (Yank for = whinging).
Eric Dier appears to lead them in practices.
And just as I type this (at 56′) Dier gets a YK for dissent.
Kane scored to equalize at 74′ assisted by Alli.
Although it was more Kan’s magnetic feet than anything Alli did.
Have to say for much of the match, Dele Alli’s loping around resembled a not-quite-coordinated young giraffe– limbs akimbo.
WBA did have the 2 late, last chances to score– but one straight at Lloris, the other Rondon not quite able to control a cross at his feet.
A fun to watch 1-1 draw.
(Especially considering who was drawn!)
jw1
Hey JW… I watched the final half hour of the match and noted that WBA were able to control the tempo of the match (much as Koln did with our 2nd 11 the other day)… For quite awhile I thought the match was in the black country (at WBA) given just how little atmosphere the Spuddies were generating there at Wembley. With a win tomorrow at Burnley we could continue reversing the power-shift in N. London by inching above them in the table… It’s a long season, however, and Kane will get fitter and, perhaps, Dele will find that aggressive (and good) decision-making and burst of pace that made him such a sensation when he broke into their team. Too bad that Gibbs decided to sit a mile off and let him get that cross in… Looked to me like Rondon got clipped and might have gone down (and still knocked the ball in with a head or a shoulder) if he was focused on the contact rather than trying to get his feet back under him on that last glorious chance…
Pool-Chavs on now…
How was your turkey, er, chicken, day?… Mine was nice… The stuffing and cranberries and desserts almost achieved (taste) levels to match the brined and fried bird at my party. Family and friends, of course, were the nicest part… The weather here (in the Bay Area) is soooo much nicer (warmer) than in the (snow-free) mountains at this time of year…
Ox in from the start (at left side attack?) in a big home match… Klopp rolling the dice in a desperate moment, perhaps?…
Liverpool’s Egyptian Mo… Salah, looks a good deal more lively than ours (Elneny) did the other day… That said, his job is to stay back and deliver balls to the attackers and he did just as well (poorly) as everybody else…
Chavs looking (very) happy to let Pool have the ball and try to pounce on the break…
Wow… Pool still manage to keep Chelsea out… Drinkwater, clear through, stomps the ball instead of scoring it and the corner finds a half dozen blue shirts but none of them can put it in…
I’d like to believe that Arsenal can finish above ALL of these teams (both red and blue in this one, the lily-whites in the earlier match)… but, of course, we’ve got plenty of issues ourselves…
Great stuff over the last few days, Seventeenho and others. Enjoyed reading the comments of a game I was unable to watch.
Hope Thanksgiving was a blast!
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