Finally!!
Torriera replaces Guendouzi, otherwise, Unai Emery fields the same group that won at Newcastle and Cardiff.
Arsenal Confirmed starting XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal; Torreira, Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil, Aubameyang; Lacazette
Everton Confirmed starting XI: Pickford; Kenny, Keane, Zouma, Digne; Gueye, Davies; Walcott, Sigurdsson, Richarlison; Calvert Lewin
Please join us for a bit of a Live-Blog and/or Game-Day-Chat. Your observations are as good as mine…and maybe even better!
by 17highburyterrace
Bergkampesque 
Bit of trouble trying to get a post up…and I need more coffee… back in a bit…
Thanks HT– but NOTE the link on the last one at top-of-page didn’t appear.
Unless visitors go to the home page first they do not have a link to find us here.
jw1
(As per usual when I’ve dropped a pithy line– I get ‘New Post(ed) 🙂 ‘ and it gets washed away like so much, er, hmm. So I’ve brought my reply to retsub’s Ramsey-Recall here!)
retsub–
I’ve written the briefest of paeans to Ramsey upthread (now last thread). But– my sentimentalism exited the door with AW. It’s all and only business now. That was the decision the club made. As such, my youthful footballing-soul is the darker for it.
Sorry Aaron.
Like Theo, like Jack. I wish you well and farewell.
Except whenever we see you again.
jw1
I would like Rambo to show us that he has still got it. Go on son, work your socks off and score us some goals, produce some assists and become pivotal to the team again.
Thanks for Match post, Seventeenho. So glad we have Tor/Xhaka in the heart of the team. The four attackers will have fun today.
Who is your least favourite Football analyst/commentator? Mine is Graeme Souness…. by a country mile.
OK… Needed to get my wife her coffee… 😮 I was hoping she’d watch the match with me but she’s off to hike with friends in search of yellow/orange aspen leaves…
Yeah, I think, as much as Guendouzi has impressed, folks know that he does so by eating up gobs of pitch-space…kinda like one Aaron Ramsey. As such, with a bit more of a “compact” deep-lying “2” at the rear of our MF, Rambo and Ozil should have a bit more room to work…passing balls (or making runs towards goal)…to the front guys PEA and Lacazette…
Speaking of TV and such.
Saw a snippet last night– that Comcast has outbid Fox Sports to takeover Sky Sports. That’s a tough call– which might be better or worse– to unwind right now.
jw1
TA I saw him giving your boy a hard time as well. I gotta admit I quite like Souness though.
That sounds nice to go and look for Aspen leaves, Seventeenho!
The pundits on the US feed are horrific (IMO), TA… The only guy with sufficient generosity (while remaining critical, of course) is Martin Tyler… Today we’ve got Lee Dixon working with Arlo White… Dennis forbid if Everton score first… In general, the scoreline dictates the narrative 10,000%…
Did he, Retsub? I always mute him as he talks shite and is so drawn towards negativity with that winging voice, I cannot stand him.
Yes seventeenho, the score line dictates the commentary everywhere, including on the blogs. But Sour Souness is in a league of his own. No humility or doubt, just boring opinions that never change.
It is nice, TA… But probably will be better over the next couple of weeks… I might have to take the in-laws (visiting this week… 😮 ….) out to see them…
Hey Retsub… Running Rambo ought to just sign da ting, IMO… It’d be cool if he could help out a bit with Richarlison today, I think… Xhaka’s gotta avoid fouling in spots where Sigurdsson can take his FKs…
Unfortunately, this ain’t no slam-dunk, I fear…
Hi, 17ht. Nice to have this up but something tells me I would be watching keenly, with hardly time to type comments. Yes, I expect a game that will roll along very quickly.
TA has his wish for a Xhaka-Torreira start. Great to see because that’s what most fans have been craving. But for the return of Richarlison, and the fact Calvert-Lewin is a young bully, I don’t see how we can’t get a clean sheet today. Minimum of 2 goals to us and a clean sheet is my prediction.
COYG!!!
“But Sour Souness is in a league of his own. No humility or doubt, just boring opinions that never change.”
What can be called ‘compensation bias’ TA.
They keep paying him. So he must be right!
jw1
Is he one o dem old-school types? (sorta the way I picture Retsub… 😉 …) All about players today not being ‘ard enough, never seen a real foul, etc., etc…
Eris–
Would add that Everton’s newcomer Digne has some terrific pace as well.
jw1
I guess it’s still early, but that stadium looks to have lots of empty seats.
We have Kick-off!!!
Welcome Eris…
Sok cannot quite be turned by Theo…
OM fecking G… Cech has to be inch perfect to stop Calvert-Lewin… That shoulda been a goal…
What happened there?!? Big let-off, IMO…
At least a full yard offside, but not called…
Right guys, I am casting game onto TV from Ipad, which means watching the game with delay. Don’t like to see comments that indicate a goal when it has not happened yet on the screen. But back in a bit.
That early chance was ridiculous…and the stadium and team have gone quiet…
A bit of noise as Auba wins a corner chasing down a long ball…
HT–
Bellerin near-side had played Calvert-Lewin onside on the far-side of the pitch.
jw1
Xhaka’s corner is easily cleared…
We’re starting to find some happiness down the left but mostly it’s just the nervy stuff trying to play out of the back, Xhaka caught most recently. Theo flagged for offsides this time…
Time to turn off Lee Dixon with his grim critique of our game thus far…
Yeah, JW I saw that Bellerin was a step behind the line on the early chance… Still a yard (instead of two) offside, IMO…
We cannot play it out of the back and it looks only a matter of time until Everton score…
Ozil dropping deep gets a whistle….
Afternoon HT. I’m following on the radio. Alan Green never a pleasure but there we are. Nearly a goal for Rambo there by the sounds.
That ought to have been 2.
jw1
Ah. Nacho. Thanks Alan Green!
Pickford saves from Nacho!!! That was SOOO much better… Ozil to Bellerin whose cross was knocked down by Auba…
Looking better but Digne stops Bellerin… Mustafi mops up Everton’s move… Torriera is gonna get a yellow for a late one after his throughball didn’t quite make it…
Tor yellow. He will be off at half time I guess. I’d like to see Elneny given a shot if so.
The Ref wants to “teach” Torreira a lesson that he’s in the English league. We see such tackles regularly go unpunished.
Isn’t it John Moss who also welcomed Xhaka to the league with two red cards? I dislike that Ref.
Nacho tries the next (failed) throughball after Auba did some decent dribbling around a defender at midfield… Xhaka getting warned. The pace of the game is up and we do need to be careful here…
I think Moss is doing OK to try and settle the game. We’ve been snappy these past 6 or 8 minutes and would have a lead but for Pickford…
Why couldn’t Lucas get to that ball?… The Everton break comes to nothing. Before that Auba tried from distance but got blocked at the point…
The game is very open and Arsenal are showing something of a press…or at least the aforementioned snappiness…
We are looking more and more like a second half team these days. We shouldn’t be making this an even game, by any stretch. Everton are no match, in my view, if we just take off the shackles and just pin them back.
How did Bellerin allow himself to be backed up against by Richarlison? Good save, Cech.
LT11 gets to one, goes to ground and Moss plays advantage but we pass backwards.
We lose it and Richarlison is able to get around corralling Bellerin but Cech is up to the shot…Well saved but out for a corner…
And another after Cech punches behind… The next cross he catches, however…
Eris– ‘a second half team’ and we’ve made the blunder of starting Torreira!
jw1
The latest giveaway is Mustafi’s but LT11 gets it back…the crowd a bit nervous as he’s on a yellow…
Anyone predicting scores and outcome of this game? Other than nil:nil it could absolutely anything.
Torreira snapping at the heels of Richarlison (I think) there, though he has to be careful now. Moss will not hesitate to reduce us to 10 men even in this (1st) half.
Neither Xhaka nor Ozil are moving enough to make themselves available. Everson’s defense in midfield could be beaten with some flashes to those lanes.
jw1
I don’t know about us being a 2nd half team… I think we’re playing a (high-stakes) game of trying to do things very (very) quickly from MF on forward… Leaves us susceptible on the break given our not-so-strong individual defending…
Yellow for Digne trying to stop Auba…
Digne gets a yellow for trying to clip Auba as he started a potential counter attack.
Xhaka tries to find Ozil but…it doesn’t get through…
Richarlison, wide with his shot after turning LT this time…
Mustafi haters are gonna love this one… His heavy touch allows Theo in and Sok takes a good yellow trying to mop up… It was only Theo, somebody should’ve shouted…
We know how dangerous Richarlison is but he’s been allowed two bites already. Not a good sign when the danger man is getting bites.
Sokratis fouls Theo….what we will call taking one for the team. 2nd time Mustafi has put Sokratis in a tough situation.
We will have to wait for the second half to see if we prove to be better in the second half.
Cech saved from the quick free kick for a corner kick.
Digne takes and Cech has to push it over the bar…
Another Mustafi brainfart.
Goes to ground 30 yards out. Costs Sokratis a yellow and what looks like a deep thigh bruise.
jw1
The corner is cleared but Everton seem on top…
Ooooh… Ozil gets going on the break but his slid pass across to Rambo is just toed clear…
Mustafi goes down and might be hurt… Happy times for J-dub?…
That’s low HT. I’d never wish injury on anyone.
jw1
Calvert-Lewin and Mustafi make contact that’s done Mustafi some damage, apparently. Hope it isn’t as bad as it looks. Ozil has to start running the show, but with Ramsey in his way, I’m not sure how that will work now.
Sorry, JW… Forgot that you’re not like 99% of the one-liners… you know, a fantasy manager…
For those folks I’m sorry too…Mustafi looks to be OK…
Maybe Mustafi will keep things simpler if he’s carrying a knock…
Cech has been brilliant.
jw1
Cech has to save again… (only Theo, however…) We’d almost pounced on the forward press…
Oooh… Really bad news for the fantasy managers… Sok out, Holding on…
Sokratis goes off due to the injury received via the aforementioned brainfart.
jw1
Sokratis is being withdrawn for Rob Holding. Good thing he had a run out on Thursday night. Theo’s right eye develops a ping pong sized swelling.
Lacazette needing too much time to take his shot.
Laca held in the box. If he goes down, penalty, but he wanted so much to settle down for a chance to shoot.
Looks like Theo got some Cech on his eye…
Gooners, I fear, are going to have to get used to these more open matches…
Ugh… Laca doesn’t want to use his left (with his first touch of the match)…
With his second he does better, sliding wide for Bellerin but his shot-cross is to nobody…
Did Auba mean to go for goal from there or was it a lucky bend?
Xhaka starting to find his range now.
Auba hits the corner of the frame and we’re looking a bit better for spacing…
Laca now decides to go to ground but it’s in a harmless position… The ball in misses both defender and Nacho…
More Richarlison but again Cech manages his angles and pushes the shot over. Holding eventually clears the corner into touch…
Laca sends Auba down the left and now it’s back down their end…
The silly cheat! Digne has made the most of that challenge by Torreira in a bid to get him sent off. That was a nothing challenge.
Everton player down and both teams probably would like to re-group at the tea talk… It’s all a bit too knife-edged, IMO, but I fear that’s the preferred style these days…
Auba does some nice work to get the ball to Nacho but the throughball is an easy pounce for Pickford…
Even the US commentators noted as much Eris– in an inDIGNEnt tone as well! 😉
jw1
Half time. 0-0!
Half-time… No need for an(other) espresso after that 45…
Hmm. Time for another refresh in the second half. Not sure where it’s coming from mind. Can see Guendi and Danny both getting a run out. Or maybe Iwobi instead of either.
That’s a good one, JW… Personally, I enjoy a good pun… Isn’t that what separates the pundits (from everybody else with a Twitter account)?…
Ozil and Laca have hardly had any touches…
I can’t tell if it’s just from watching too much Wenger-ball…but… I miss having a midfield….
We are not getting Rambo and Ozil enough into the game at the moment. Auba and Laca working hard but Everton are keeping it tight in midfield and defence and we need to pass the ball quicker and more accurately in the second half if we want to hurt them. Defence holding strong but Mustafi’s mistake forced a foul by Sokratis that injured him. Sokra not happy.
I think they have to get Torreira off quick, or it’s an early bath for him I suspect.
I guess at least we will see something different in the 2nd half. No idea what it will be though.
Second half will be different. 3-0 to the Arse
If Robbie Mustoe’s halftime evaluation in-studio is to be taken to heart?
We’re doomed.
Emery has adjustments in mind. That has been one facet this season to count on.
Our attackers must touch the ball much more often.
jw1
I’m not sure how we can move forward in confidence and footballing identity when we have two wildly error prone players being automatically selected week in and week out. A real shame about Sokratis. He’s been our player of the season so far— with Cech in a close second, who is keeping us in this game.
Hoping (praying) for a better second half.
It’s been too open a game and I just feel if we get our composure right and pass with intent, we can put them to the sword. We have to find a way to get Ozil into the game and if Xhaka has to keep making those forward passes, then so he should. It seems to be the only way we can put them in difficult situations. That is other than for Lacazette to stay sort out his first touch on the ball; it let him down a couple of times.
It’s not a happy thing to say that your keeper has looked the man of the match when the opposition is Everton, albeit a wounded Everton, at home, but that seems to be the case. Cech has earned his place again, today.
We need to get back onto the front foot now. Shame Torreira may have to go off soon because of the risk of a second yellow. But, we have to go for it, one way or the other.
I mute (both) Robbie(s) as soon as I hear their voices… What’d Mustoe say, JW?…
I wonder if Emery will burn a 2nd sub so early…
Listening to the radio whilst painting the living room.
I don’t like having to rely on Alan Green and Don Hutchison, but going by what they’ve been saying Everton should be in front.
Lacazette needs to get himself in gear, losing Sokratis is a worry.
We need a bit of luck methinks…
Sorry.. I missed the game.. What’s happened..?? Why we only got one shoot on target..??
Who must be replaced sooner..??
2nd half on…
Dixon choosing to echo Mustoe… I will be muting him soon…
Early Everton possession but another offside call missed (because Nacho is a bit late getting into the line)…
Corner for us…
I like to see a good set piece routine and that was an intelligent one by Ozil and Ramsey. But keeper saves Ramsey’s volley.
Rambo tries a long volley from it… Gets through but easy for Pickford…
Cech must grab a shot-cross from Richarlison down our end…
HT– Mustoe’s rant is worth hearing again for the ginned-up embellishment alone.
I’ll post after the match.
jw1
Mustafi has to cut out his penchant for some fancy footwork and Libero play. He just isn’t made for that and in any case, this isn’t the time for it.
Alan Green is saying Petr Cech has been our best player today, not great…
I guess if we can’t win the next best is not to lose…
Life is too short for Alan Green Kev. I’m sharing your pain though
No changes at half-time and both managers seem to favor this press and strike-quickly game plan…
LT11 loses one he might’ve gone in harder for…
End to end, but mostly down at ours… Dixon “embarrassed” by Ozil’s lack of physical intensity…
And now I cannot hear Lee at all…
Okay. Now, I feel Ozil has to be taken off. He isn’t up for the fight and I hate to see him that way. Cowardly avoidance of contact and ducking out of headers.
Suspicion of handball but the Ref deemed it unintentional, as if that matters these days.
That was a beauty by Lacazette!!!
Apparently we should have had a penalty in the first half.
Alex Lacazette 😎
LACAZETTE!!!!!
Will Iwobi now sit down?
1 up. And your can hear the disappointment in AGs voice.
Good win back by Torreira and brilliant pick out by Ramsey. I hope Ozil can now find some space. Give him 10 minutes to see how he shapes up, then out he goes.
That’s a striker. Just a sliver-of-a-look at goal. Laca-BOOM!
1-0 to the good guys!
jw1
Torriera raised a leg to stop an Everton clearance, knocking down to Rambo who didn’t dawdle and moved it wide for Laca… INCH PERFECT with the curled shot… Class all the way…
Don Hutchison says we should have had another penalty, so that’s two…
Looking at that handball again, it should have been given because it has prevented the ball from landing for Ozil.
2-0!
Alan Green is an Irish Scouser AB….
Ha ha ha, Retsub, the beers are on you….
THAT’S TWO!!!!
Stumbling bumbling Ozil… Gets it too Rambo who again chooses to assist…AUBA scores it…
TA– looking prescient– as ever. 🙂
2-0 to the good guys!
jw1
LacaBoom, I like it JW
Brilliant sweeping move with Ozil at th stop of it. Laid it off to Ramsey who stumbled but found his feet quickly enough to set up Auba for the curler. Hints of offside but hey, we don’t have VAR.
Don Hutchison says we’re lucky to be winning 2-0, what about the penalties Don (ex-Everton).
Time for Danny Runs-all-day to come on.
jw1
Yep, I meant stumbling, bumbling Rambo… And, indeed, offside… Pickford might’ve charged down Auba, I thought…
More racing away on the break but Bellerin gets stopped…
Giraffe legs
I feel like I’m missing some crow-eating (perhaps?) or something good by having the sound turned off…
I didn’t miss the goals, however… 🙂
Aubameyang got the 2nd then!
I thought it was Ramsey in all the excitement.
Actually no HT– they’ve pretty much gone quiet.
Little bombast now.
jw1
Everton look tired as Xhaka takes a FK quickly… Unfortunately our crosses, one by Ozil, one by Nacho aren’t meeting their targets…
It’s odd, every time I hear Walcott’s name I immediately think ‘come on Theo’, before correcting myself. 🙄
That’s the great thing about watching… I can turn off the sound AND still see what’s (actually) going on…
Auba, who showed a good deal more all-pitch game than our previous #14 (Theo) goes off for Iwobi…
Iwobi on for Auba.
(Suspect Welbz for Brentford then?)
jw1
Sigurdsson (the Icelandic Ozil?…) finally gets a touch and Everton have a promising move. Bellerin blocks Richarlison at the point, however…
Cech with a great save once again on the FK-then-header.
Though fortunate the first Everton man touched it– as Richarlison was going to head it home had it reached him.
jw1
Siggy lofts a nice FK but Cech gets down to Keane’s header…We clear the corner, Iwobi pressing the ball like a man possessed…or at least happy to make a show of it…
Everton make a double switch, Theo and Calvert-Lewin out for a pair of smaller (and slower) guys…
Theo and Calvert-Lewin off. Bernard is a very nippy player with some skill too. Has to be watched to safeguard the clean sheet predicted.
Can we avoid the otherwise obligatory late goal conceded?
Davies with the same foul on Torreira that earned Lucas a card– just a foul here.
jw1
Cech.confirming his value to the team again. No way he should be dropped on current form.
I turned the sound on for (literally) a second…and Dixon was talking about chopped tomatoes?!?…
Quiet is better…
More goals please, but the clean sheet is probably even more important…
Excellent group defending (led by little LT…) causes Richarlison and Mustafi to go into a big collision…and the ball to fly away harmlessly…
Mustafi and Richarlison both down edge-of-box.
Shkodran looks to have taken one in the Shkodran. 🙄
jw1
Comes on Danny for Aaron.
jw1
Again, quite punny, J-Dub…
Iwobi wins a corner… Welbs on for (two assists) Rambo…
(Not physical enough) Ozil keeps a ball down there end (and into touch) vs two Evertonians…
Fred Astaire (Welbs) has a lefty shot blocked at the point but we’re keeping possession and look the most likely for the next goal…
(Finally) the ball gets to a #10 but the shot is well over… Maybe the difference today is that we were eventually able to get Ozil involved while Everton never got Sigurdsson going…
An Everton corner is punched clear but they have a little spell of possession. Tosun tries a curler but Cech parries…and has to use his hands again at the corner of the goal… Last gasp from Toffees here…
From a FK, Cech punches off Keane’s little headband… Wear a real helmet, dude…
I’m feeling a little bit of clean-sheet contrition from Robbie in the studio after the match perhaps…
Not there yet, but into the 89th…
Torreira wins a duel.
My day is complete. 😉
jw1
90th…
Mustafi wins a ball but gets called for the foul… He heads away the hail mary…But Ozil wimps out of a 50-50 and Everton come again…
4 mins of stoppage…
Holding into the second tier. No muss defending.
jw1
Gonna try to listen again… They’ve gone very quiet, I fear… As Arsenal win a corner…
2 of the 4 have been played…
Xhaka tries a bomb but it’s wide…
3 of the 4 played now…
One last FK to defend…
Cech channels Neuer sweeping then putting it pout of bounds.
Safety first!
jw1
And that’s how it ends… Over to the experts… (you guys…) and Neil Diamond…
(Petr makes me regret my pre-match tout for Leno to start.)
My MOTM. Petr Cech.
jw1
Cech easily.MOTM.
Good goalkeeping from Cech and wow.. we turned up the gears and the team scored 2 in 3 mins. Surely the scoreline doesn’t show how mich we were made to work, and it is a good start for the lads.
Who said you need to be good with your feet on the ball to be a good keeper? Positioning counts massively.
Agreed JW1 Cech was class today, I haven’t said that for a while. I would be hard pushed to pick anyone else. Most of the players had ok games, but nothing special imho.
Mustoe barely this side of unforgiving in-studio post-match. Kyle Martino too.
Basically, Arsenal didn’t play well in the first half and should have been down several by then. Did not deserve a result based on not being– something-or-other I suppose. Good thing results are measured in goals tallied then.
Nothing but wins for almost 5 weeks. Pisson’emboth.
jw1
Weird match but we (somehow) get the win and Big Pete gets his clean sheet— deservedly so. Not sure what’s going on with Özil this season but I’d imagine it has something to do with Emery’s tactics and our generally non-existent midfield.
Pleased we got all 3 points but I can’t say I feel any more confident than I did after our first match.. We’ve enjoyed a fair amount of good fortune in these opening fixtures and you have to wonder when that luck might run out.
Also, Lee Dixon can f*ck right off.
I just caught the 2nd half, lucky timing by me. But I will go back and watch it all later. Reading through the great live blog, very fun.
I also can’t stand Lee Dixon calling Arsenal games on tv. He over compensates trying not to be biased for Arsenal that he ends up being 90% negative about us. Always finds something to pick on, and any praise is grudging. You can hear it in his voice. Loves to talk about the fans turning sour or poor atmosphere.
I really didn’t love what I saw from Ozil in the half, I hope the first 45 was better.
When Lacazette scored, I thought, that’s what 50 mil well spent looks like. And also, by the end, I have been so impressed with his hard work and all-around play. Not the one dimensional striker that some said he would be.
A clean sheet – I shall celebrate with a take away curry. 🙂
Beer me Kev. 😉
Going to a new sushi spot just opened around the corner.
Cheers
jw1
A win next week v Watford and we are in the top four (with Spuds if they also win)
Still espresso for me…
I’m sure TA will get out a post with some observations–perhaps 8 of them… (in honor of Ramsey’s kit number?…)
Here’s what I think…regarding some of the, er, talking points, at least as they seem to have filtered down to me…
Ozil (and maybe Lacazette and Aubameyang and maybe even our less than full blooded Spanish full-backs) belong on “top” teams, you know, those who prize skill and quality above passion, ‘ardness, running for running’s sake and all those (awesome?) qualities we love in the English football. Are we a top team? Wenger always thought so, but maybe we aren’t, so we need to get down and dirty with the other mid-table teams…while riding our luck and never giving up… (And, of course, with the top teams and the relegation fighters too…)
Ozil’s got bad body language (that of the perfectionist…) so it appears that he’s given up even when he hasn’t. It got chippy today but everybody stayed on the pitch (except Sok, who suffered for Mustafi’s heavy touch and hurt himself on the challenge where he got his yellow card) and Ozil looked a frustrated figure but at least he stayed at it… Personally, I pity Everton’s #10 (Sigurdsson) who had to watch Richarlison (the Brazilian Alexis?…) go solo time and time again… We can give Cech MOTM, but really, I think it was the team sticking together more than anything that got us the result.
I guess I’ll have to watch some of the second period with the sound to hear about how, as Mustoe claims, the crowd nearly turned on the team… That would be sad (if true…) and maybe the legacy of the bitter divide around the former manager…
To me, if Wenger went excessively in the other direction–with players who could maintain possession but sometimes at the expense of pace and directness, you know, offense being tthe best defense and all that…Emery is going too far the other way. Even though it was a tough game for him with the early yellow (a rush of blood after having his throughball intercepted, I thought…) little LT11 is the bridge. He’s not (Sanguine) Santi, but he’d need to be a foot taller (and go on Rambo-runs…) to be Patrick Vieira… I’d say his starting (today) is A start (in the right direction) for balancing things… Setting up that first goal with the raised-foot knock-down looked as routine as any of the Cech saves (and was the moment that turned the whole game, I thought).
Now, if you hate Ozil (Xhaka, Bellerin, Mustafi, Xhaka and the like…) I don’t know what any of this means for you. (Did we need Guen in there instead?…) In time Mesut–and all the rest–will be gone and maybe tougher/better guys will come along. While we wait, as long as we keep winning, I think (maybe?…) we shouldn’t complain too much…and we might even enjoy the quality (and qualities…) these luxury guys do offer…
Enjoy JW… I certainly will…
Interesting to hear the comments of Trevor Brooking (West Ham) Alan Shearer (Newcastle and now Don Hutchison (Everton) as none of them rate Arsenal and also think that we’re basically a poor side.
Maybe that is borne out of the frustration of thinking that we’re still a soft touch and maybe the one top six team that they feel their team should beat?
Imagine if Spurs or Man Utd had played quite average but won 5 successive games, would not these pundits opine that only ‘good sides can play poorly and win’.
Well this Arsenal may not be firing on all cylinders but they are developing a resilience that I quite like the look of, a bloody mindedness that we’ve sorely missed for many a year.
I’d rather this than playing nice football and folding in games.
To me it’s progress.
17tino I’m not really sure how good we are, because the best we’ve played this season was against Chelsea and we lost, Liverpool on November 3rd will hopefully tell us more…
17HT, to put things into perspective I don’t think there are many supporters who actually hate any players.
Retsub, I used to hate Graham Roberts…
Retsub, I agree… and maybe I should put “hate” in quotation marks…much as I often do with the word, “supporters…”
I play the EPL fantasy league and, I get a free transfer every week; twice a season I can change out my entire squad. My hunch is that the younger generation, also play these sorts of games (and many others) so it becomes ever easier to picture things like Ozil (Mustafi, Xhaka, Bellerin, etc.) out…and everybody/anybody else in… Then there are the pundits… Who are always right, in their own minds at least, and get paid to be provocative… If you read/hear those sentiments enough, it starts to feel like hate… In the end, however, you’re probably right… Some Gooners wrote (regularly) and even sang about wishing Wenger dead. It usually doesn’t come to that with the players…
Lee Dixon, not long before the 1st goal, absolutely laid into Ozil for not sacrificing his body on a hopeless ball that two Everton players had beaten him to. He then piled onto the general woefulness of Arsenal and here, in the comments, folks quickly wanted Ozil off the pitch. Heat of the moment comments? Maybe?…
In truth, there was a later moment (even) I’d be critical of Ozil… For not taking the 2nd goal himself… Instead he passed to Rambo who eventually got rid of the ball but took long enough so that the goal should have been called back for Auba being offsides… Bottom line, Ozil, it could be argued, wants out of the lime-light and is maybe too much of a team player. But, since the goal stands, nobody cares…and, IMO, there’s no such thing as being too much of a team player… 😉
And that (my opinion again…) goes for the supporters too… 🙂 In other words, don’t let the pundits (read: paid-to-be-haters–even if you once loved them–Dixon…) get you to hate on your own players… 😦
To be honest, the game had a greater edge to it than I anticipated simply because I felt Arsenal have that much quality than Everton. While I had predicted at least a 2-0, it was with the expectation that we will keep control of the game for long periods, but it wasn’t so as the Everton forwards gave as good as they got so, credit to them.
Maybe, Emery is still trying to pick his best midfield combination; for me, this is just about as good as it can get or us, in that department until the winter window. Torreira is feisty and has a strong sense for recognizing dangerous situations developing, a quality we’ve needed for some time. One thing’s for sure, his slow introduction to starting games has helped his performances and by extension, the clamour for him to start (coming on in the second half gives the advantage of knowing what areas to plug and what tiring players to exploit), but he looks worthy of all the acclaim.
Agreed that Cech was our best player and deserved his clean sheet today (in fact, he earned it all by himself); I also thought Xhaka came alive in the second half and did some very good things, while Ramsey, with two assists, was important.
We look on schedule for my earlier prediction that we should be in the top 5 after the next 4 games, (given our fixtures) right after week 2. And, so we are, being in 6th, only on goals difference to Spurs. After that (those) losing start(s), this is commendable, even if we have not always looked sleek and comfortable. We should be able to win our next two league fixtures too and suddenly, we could be eyeing top 4, if any of the other teams slip up as they start to play one another. Hope for the best.
I expect Robbie Savage to now fancy himself as a go-to man for calling our score line correctly. 😀
ROBBIE SAVAGE’S PREDICTIONS (WEEK 6)
Burnley 0-1 Bournemouth (Wrong)
Cardiff 0-3 Manchester City (Result)
Crystal Palace 1-0 Newcastle (Wrong)
Fulham 1-1 Watford (Correct score)
Leicester 2-0 Huddersfield (Result; close)
Liverpool 2-0 Southampton (Result; close)
Man United 2-1 Wolves (Wrong)
Brighton 1-1 Tottenham (Wrong)
West Ham 1-2 Chelsea (Wrong)
Arsenal 2-0 Everton. (Correct score).
Not bad, Robbie. Not bad at all.
Checking back in…and still waiting for TA’s observations…
‘Eris, your expectations are WAY higher than mine, though I have to say, as it plays out, this part of the schedule is lining up better than I expected. I thought 12 or 13 points from the 8 matches between Chelsea and Liverpool and we’ve already claimed 12(!!!!). Watford will come with nothing to lose and it will be their 3rd tough London game in a week. They play Spurs midweek in the league cup at Empty, er, Wembley…
Anyhow, If we could win that one…Wowsa… I’ve only seen Watford play a little (losing by a goal to ManU) and I bet they spent their Richarlison money well… I’m not sure I’d take a point if you offered it to me now…but maybe after Wednesday…The schedule continues tough (or maybe gets even tougher) after the Watford match, but at least our away games are in London. That’s in league play. For Europa we travel just about as far as you can (Azerbaijan, technically in Asia, I think)… Keep winning, keep the team hungry and the players working for one another (despite what the pundits say…) and (maybe?…) the supporters will fall in line. Pulling in the same direction is how you win the tug o’ war…
New Post 🙂