Category: Uncategorized

After a very good September we are starting to believe in the team and manager again. I reckon the draw against the Chavs was a big result for the team. With a bit of luck we would even have won that game, and that would have been very nice, but above all the boys needed to be solid, regain confidence and show what it means to wear the shirt. And that is what they did. Many a team in the PL would have buckled under the pressure of the Champions after losing to Pool so painfully, but our boys stood tall.

A few good home wins later and we are joined fourth with the winds in our sails. We now need to push on and it is clear that we are not yet cruising with all the sails raised to the mast. This is of course good news as we need to improve further to get closer to the two teams that are leading the table. So were is the extra ‘wind-power’ to come from?

1. The UEFA Cup/ League Cup team. Wenger has opted to play predominantly two different teams for the PL and the two current cup competitions. This way the whole squad is being used and young players are getting really good opportunities to shine and grow. Furthermore, the more experienced ‘fringe players’ are playing themselves fit and ready to join the PL team if required. This may turn out to make a massive difference this season;
2. Mesut Ozil. I am not sure what is going on with Mesut: was he really injured or is Wenger giving him time to make up his mind once and for all re signing a new contract… or not. But I am sure that whatever his decision, and I reckon he WILL sign a new contract within a month, he will start to influence our games more and more from next weekend onwards. His ability to find quality assists, through-balls and key passes is still top of the league. We need him back.
3. Jack Wilshere. It looks to me that Jack is gradually getting fitter and playing the cups is really helping him. What I would like to see is Mesut and Jack sharing some of the ninety minutes in PL games going forward. Jack coming on after 65 minutes or playing the first 65 minutes is a viable option now. Together they can add that much needed extra dimension to our attacking football and get the best out of Lacazette, Alexis, Giroud and Welbeck.
4. IwobI. There is also a real chance that the most exciting talent at Arsenal currently, Alexi Iwobi, will move up another level this season. It is just a gut feeling, but I reckon he could be our joker this season.
5. Lacazette-Giroud. We are effectively playing with two CFs upfront with the third attacker in our 3-4-3 being the creative player. And we need Mesut or Jack, or indeed Iwobi, to play in that role. I rate Alexis but he is just not a good team player in the two CFs upfront system. He never gelled with Giroud and I have not seen much that indicates that he can work really well with Lacazette. Ultimately, he is too selfish and that is only compensated by his goal scoring ability. If Wenger has the guts, he will start taking Alexis off after 65 minutes and combine Lacazette with Giroud more and more. He should also start them together now and again. They ARE both team players and could build up that title-winning CF partnership this season.
6. The partnership between Xhaka and Rambo. IF they keep playing with tactical discipline, which means close together when defending and pressing opponents together to dominate the midfield, they will get better and better. It is still a work in progress but Wenger will get it right with them.
7. Coquelin. We need that player on the bench who can come on and help us close out a game. Francis needs to return to fitness asap.
8. Cazorla. The almost forgotten one. Just imagine getting three months out of him towards the end of the season, what a boost that would be!

By TotalArsenal.

Arsenal 2 – 0 Brighton

Another clean sheet, another win, and joint fourth in the league table. Things are looking up for Arsenal. 2-0 to the Arsenal I take every day against any opponent, and Brighton gave us more than a decent game today. I hear some say that we should have scored more, been more ruthless, and I don’t disagree, but it is still good that we take these winnable games seriously and get the three points. This is a lot harder than you may think, but the team was focused, fought for it and deserved the win, and that goes a long way.

Eight quick observations – and please add your own in the comment section:

1. The partnership between Rambo and Xhaka remains a work in progress. It is hard to see them play with some sort of plan in games like these. Rather than playing close together horizontally they tend to play vertically, away from each other. This is fine when we are attacking but when we are defending counter-attacks it often leaves our defenders exposed.
2. Alexis needs to play more for the team. It was clear that Wenger told him this at the break, as he was less selfish and started to create opportunities for others, culminating in the assist of the weekend for Iwobi.
3. Iwobi needed that goal. He took it really well and it was just what we needed to put this game to bed.
4. Kola works better with Welbeck than with Alexis. He is less of an attacking threat as a result. The problem is that Alexis does not really do proper wing-play. He wants to move towards the box asap in order to shoot on goal. Question to you: other than with Ozil who does Alexis have a decent partnership with in the team?
5. Lacazette is such an exciting attacker, we just need to serve him better. I love his movement and making himself available constantly. And that shot against the post is exactly what people come to football stadiums for: such quick thinking, such brilliant technical execution, such ferocious force…. and so unlucky not to score.
6. Nacho Monreal I salute you!
7. We are potentially one win away from becoming third in the table. A great turnaround if that were to happen in such few games. Man City are looking very strong right now and let’s see how good MU really are now they will have a few harder games coming up. I would like us to focus on ourselves and improve further, and the one player pivotal for this is Mesut Ozil (of course). Especially in the big games we need his creativity and guile to give us that extra dimension. And having Jack on the bench to support/replace him is also very important. This team can grow and grow.
8. Why did we not push on after we went two nil up? Part of me believes that Wenger wants to spare the more vulnerable opponents/ fellow managers and tells his team just to play out the game. Another part believes that we do not push on to save us from further injuries. Another part believes the subs are not working at the moment. Another part believes we need at least one of Mesut, Santi or Jack on the pitch to get the really big scores.

By TotalArsenal.

Alex Iwobi says, look at me, I’m the new Ozil…

Here are the line-ups:

Arsenal (3-4-2-1) Cech; Holding, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Iwobi, Sanchez; Lacazette.
Substitutes: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Wilshere, Elneny, Walcott, Giroud.

Brighton (4-2-3-1) Ryan; Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Stephens, Propper; March, Gross, Izquierdo; Brown.
Substitutes; Krul, Goldson, Schelotto, Suttner, Molumby, Knockaert, Murray.

I gotta work the espresso machine.  Please join us in the comments for the groggiest live-blog yet!

by 17highburyterrace

Arsenal v Brighton Preview and Predicted Line-Up

Jack’s back

An early Sunday kick-off so we can be shown on BT is maybe not ideal for the team, but it suits me fine. In the early morning there is my man Max Verstappen racing  against the big guns of Hamilton and Raikkonen for a place on the podium in the Malaysian GP; and after the game, I will be off to enjoy a Tchaikovsky symphony with my daughter (her first ever). A day full of excitement lays ahead and watching our boys against Brighton will no doubt be the second highlight of the day.

I think there is no risk of underestimating the task that lays ahead. We do not have a team that will steamroll over any team and Brighton did not start too badly with already seven points in the bag, with a draw away to Watford and home wins against West Brom and Newcastle. Brighton & Hove Albion FC, as the full name goes, will have nothing to lose and will play free as a bird. They managed to keep a clean sheet at Watford which is an indication that they can be solid at the back and as a team, and the Gunners need to play with focus AND intensity to send the Seagulls back to their beautiful home – one of the finest cities on these shores.

But how does a Seagulls’ supporter look forward to this game? Retsub’s mate Len was kind enough to send us the following ‘pre-view’:

The Bergkampesque!

Here we go… Lineups:

Bate Borisov: Scherbitski; Rios, Gaiduchik, Milunovic, Polakov, Volodko, Dragun; Gordeichuk, Ivanic, Stasevich; Rodionov.

Subs: Veremko, Yablonski, Berezkin, Signevich, Tuominen. Baga, M Volodko

Arsenal: Ospina; Mustafi, Mertesacker, Holding; Nelson, Willock, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Wilshere; Walcott, Giroud.

Subs: Macey, Dasilva, Gilmour, McGuane, Dragomir, Akpom, Nketiah.

Elneny, playing 3 matches in a row is our anchor again.  Otherwise it’s 9 changes from the Monday night win vs West Brom.  (Mustafi goes again, but this time on the right side, perhaps, the BFG playing middle-middle…)  Willock is the biggest surprise.  Will he or Maitland-Niles play in the center of the pitch?  We shall see…

And, it’s another chance to see if Jack is Back…

Please join us in the comments as I try to describe the action.

by 17highburyterrace

On Multiple Fronts?

(Or, a wider look at our squad as we wait for tonight’s Europa League match…)

Sorry, but this was the most recent squad photo I could find…

…And look at it. It’s not the current squad.  Without too much trouble one can pick out the departured, the injured and the guys who are unlikely to ever get a minute of first team play due to the vagaries of the game.  And then there are the potential departures (or one very big one) in the January transfer window.  We do need to add in a couple of new players of course, but still, the resulting group is smaller.

Doing all the additions and subtraction might make a Gooner’s head spin.  It might also make him or her ask, “What (TF) is Wenger thinking?!?”

It’s a tight unit for sure.  Squad rotation, respecting players’ fitness issues–keeping them rested and hungry or letting them play themselves back into shape–and, of course, getting acceptable results (which mean “nothing but wins”) probably makes Arsene a bit dizzy himself.

Luckily, Would-be-Wengers don’t have such issues as they’re–by their very nature–always right.  Suggested line-ups for each match run the gamut.   Do we play our best 11–a slippery notion at best–in every game?  That’s certainly an appealing notion for those whose focus extends only to RIGHT NOW–and winning the quadruple.  Others will concede that there’s a need to prioritize the Premier League and that we must rest our best players in the lesser competitions, sometimes to the point of putting out some very inexperienced guys.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say…

In the end, for better or worse, Wenger is the one who decides who starts and who dresses (in kits vs suits).

To me–and I will freely admit that I’m a “What Can I Learn from Wenger” type–I see some interesting patterns beginning to develop.  Injuries and more players out than in over the summer transfer window are worries, but a potentially easier schedule this autumn–despite the longer travel associated with Europa League play and the Thursday to Sunday turnarounds–means that I’m sensing an opportunity for some real squad building with the smaller number of first team players.  What’s your take?

Having done match previews with predicted 11s (plus subs) for a while, it seems pretty easy these days to pick a starting line-up–especially for the league matches–although, I must admit, Wenger has been surprising me with one or two of his choices each weekend.  No Alexis (nor Ozil) at Chelsea seemed bold (if not suicidal) and then starting the Chilean vs Doncaster in the next match was also a head-scratcher, for example.  I’ve always been skeptical regarding “Weng-uries,” but we’ve done well enough since the close of the transfer window with bromides such as, “Alexis is working his way to full fitness,” and “Ozil has a little problem with his knee.”  I think things should get clearer as the days get shorter, but a real rotation seems like it’s beginning to formulate.  In lieu of trying to predict the line-up for tonight’s match in Belarus, I present the players I think will be our regular first 11 in league matches (those listed first) and others who will likely go in the midweek games (listed in brackets).

Cech (Ospina)

Koscielny (?) — Mustafi (Mertesacker) — Monreal (Holding)

Bellerin (? Nelson?) — Xhaka (Elneny) — Ramsey (Wilshere) — Kolasinac (Maitland-Niles)

Ozil (?)

 Lacazette (Giroud) — Alexis (Walcott)

That’s quite a few question marks, especially as it’s been reported that several additional youth players will be traveling for tonight’s match.  Over time, however, as the injured and sequestered return, some of the question marks should be replaced by some strong names.  Iwobi, Welbeck, Chambers, and Coquelin shouldn’t be out too long, while Cazorla and (maybe even) Debuchy returning might be seen as more iffy.  Who are the up and comers whom we might see play sooner than later?  Who am I forgetting or leaving out?  Bottom line: who would you put in your first 11s for the league and midweek matches?

The question marks in my lists would suggest that full rotation isn’t possible at this juncture.  I wonder, however, especially after trying to watch our stale but ultimately successful performance last midweek in the Carabao Cup vs Doncaster Rovers, if we don’t need a first 11 player (or two, or three or four) in the midweek efforts to give us our best chance at getting the needed results.  (Again, wins only, please, probably say most Gooners).  Even if Wenger needs to mix and match a bit, there still seems a reasonable opportunity, I think, to keep players both sufficiently rested and reasonably sharp, while building some good combinations in both 11s.  Your mileage may vary, of course.

Finally–and I feel this is something very few long-time football observers seem to think about–but something that seems evident (in jaw dropping proportions) for fans of other sports–are there any considerations about the length of the season and trying to peak at the right time?  Does–or should–Wenger protect his best players early in the season so that they are primed to play their best football as we get into the new year and the competitions move into their final phases?  I believe he should, but then again I’ve always tried to heed–and actually been inspired by–AW’s mantra, that we shouldn’t be “slaves to the moment.”  Is long term thinking something supporters might indulge or do we pay the (high) price of admission in order to live (and die) with each match as it comes?  A Dutch friend of mine often says, “O Gaat” (one game at a time) and it probably makes a lot of sense.  Nonetheless, thinking about the longer term, in my view at least, also seems critical.

What say you, my fellow Arsenalistas?  Don’t be shy…

Go on then…

by 17highburyterrace

Arsenal 2 – 0 West Brom

Arsenal v West Brom was a good game to watch. Arsenal were not as slick and dominant as many of us had hoped but the players worked for each other and started to play really well in the second half. I watched the game in a Manchester pub with hardly anybody interested in it, which was great. I had the TV to myself and was able to analyse the game properly without any disruption.

Eight quick observations:

1. Lacazette is our calculating fox. He works hard for the team without having too much luck in supporting our build-up play as yet. But he knows how to pounce on an opportunity, how to anticipate these and how to stay calm before the kill is made. Two goals for him and us. Brilliant.
2. The team did not play the ball to Xhaka anywhere near enough in the first half. Whether  they did not dare or Xhaka was not mobile enough I don’t know, but it made us very slow and ponderous. In the second half, Elneny played closer to Xhaka and we pushed a bit higher and kept WB significantly more in their own half. Xhaka got a lot more involved and we now were a lot less exposed at the back and were able to see out the game easily after the second goal went in.
3. The way we played so much better in the second half is once more a strong indication of how good a ‘half-time manager’ Wenger is. Rather than substituting one or two players after the break, Wenger opts for tactical changes and speaking to his players as a group and on an individual basis.
4. I know that some  believe that we are better without Ozil but this was the perfect game to see how much we miss him when side-lined. Rambo did his best to make things happen but he has not got the speed of thinking of Mesut and technical ability to deliver those key-hole passes. Against a team like West Brom we can get away with this but the sooner he is back the better imo. Mesut adds the extra dimension in our attacking play and nobody else does this (other than Santi and Jack but they struggle to stay fit).
5. Nacho is Senor Arsenal. What is not to love about Monreal? He gives his all and is so focussed when he is playing. The highlight was of course he kamikaze clearance of the line early on in the game which saved our blushes.
6. Alexis worked hard and can be sublime one minute and wasteful the other minute in terms of his involvement in our build-up play. I would love it if he would leave one or two free-kicks to Xhaka going forward. Still, he played almost a whole game and with his heart on his sleeve and had the assist for the all-important first goal.
7. Gibbs was a joy to watch. What a professional and I hope he does well at WB.
8. Another clean sheet. Yes we rode our luck a bit at times with one particular decision going our way, but with Koz, Mustafi and Nacho in the centre and Kola and Hector on the wings, we have a lot of speed, healthy aggression and skills in our defence, supported by the uber-calm Petr of course!!

By TotalArsenal

Arsenal, on the back of two consecutive league clean sheets, take on West Bromwich Albion in a bit of Monday Night Football.

Tony Pulis’ teams are always difficult, though usually on our away trips.  Last season a real low point was the 3-1 loss to the Baggies at the Hawthornes in early spring.

With all the top clubs gaining three points over the weekend Arsenal surely need three of their own.  Here are the full line-ups.  Please join us in the comments as I try to keep up with all the action.

Arsenal: Cech, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Bellerin, Xhaka, Elneny, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Sanchez, Lacazette.  Subs: Mertesacker, Wilshere, Ozil, Giroud, Ospina, Walcott, Maitland-Niles.

West Bromwich Albion: Foster, Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Nyom, Livermore, Krychowiak, Barry, Gibbs, Rodriguez, Robson-Kanu.  Subs: Yacob, Morrison, Rondon, Phillips, Brunt, Myhill, McClean.

Go on then…

by 17highburyterrace

….Playing football the Arsenal Way!

Proper football is back on the agenda this weekend but we need to wait till Monday evening to get our ‘injection’. It will be interesting to see how our main competitors for the title will fare this afternoon. Hopefully some will drop points to give us an opportunity to move closer to the top four.

The good news is that most of our first-choice players are fit. Ozil is still a doubt but I reckon he will play. Welbeck is out but he was only keeping Sanchez’s spot warm. Our defenders will be well rested as will be our midfielders and wing backs, and Lacazette will be relishing a new opportunity to win over the home fans.

It will be nice to see Kieran Gibbs return to the home of football. I am glad he moved on and chose to play regular football. You only live this life once so may as well take the opportunity to play football rather than warm the bench season after season at Arsenal. Let’s just hope he plays ok against us but not a blinder.

As many here know, I am excited in the partnership of Rambo and Xhaka and reckon that, together with Ozil as the more advanced midfielder, they can lead us to silverware. As a team we need to play with intensity and focus as to attack AND defend together as an unbeatable unit. Against the Chavs we saw, once again, how strong we can be if we play like purpose, pace and discipline.

Now it is important to continue with the same shape and focus against Pulis’ West Brom, a team that will sit back and defend with discipline, hoping to beat us on the break and with set-pieces. If we attack them without intensity and not as a solid unit, we will make it hard for ourselves. I reckon Ozil and Alexis – our two true top footballers – will both start on Monday with Lacazette in the CF position, and I cannot wait to see them play together from the start. This is a very exciting attacking trio to have, possibly the best one we have had in more than a decade.

The final excitement I want to talk about is the trio of Koz-Mustafi-Nacho at the back. Surrounded by very good wing-backs and a solid, steady goalkeeper , they have the speed, aggression and defensive skillset to allow us to press high and dominate play in the opposition’s half.

And as long as Arsene is at the helm, this is the only way for Arsenal; and long may it continue. Good, classic defending may be an art worth watching – and we all like a clean sheet – but true excitement comes from relentless, clever and deadly attacking football. We have the team and bench to play that sort of football so let’s go for it.

Predicted Line-Up:

By TotalArsenal

Jack Wilshere, without any doubt in my mind, is one of the game’s most intelligent players.  Intelligence in this sense is seen when a player is able to choose the best option at every given moment with or without the ball. With the ball, Jack is up there with the incomparable Santi Cazorla as both have the technical skills to match the quickness of their footballing minds. Without the ball, which had been Jack’s weak point, it now appears that all the hard knocks to his career have helped him grow.  Against Doncaster Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup, when Mohamed Elneny pushed forward, Wilshere dropped to occupy vulnerable spaces. It’s no more Jack the lad, it’s now Jack the man.

I saw plenty in that match against lowly Doncaster Rovers.  Plenty.

Watching him, I saw that he played with a certain detachment. He was in it, yet out of it. That state gave him the unique awareness that belongs only to geniuses like Andrea Pirlo and Xavi Hernandez, maestros who seem to see what the fans high up in the stand see: a panoramic view of the game while not missing the details. Jack Wilshere is back, only bigger–though he will need time, support and recognition for it all to become fully forged.

He needs time to build up his fitness and get away from the scares of his injury traumas. He needs everybody’s support in his transition from the impetuous kid who drove headlong at defensive brick walls to the metronome who would orchestrate play. Fully back, he would need his teammates to recognize that he has become the center, the soul of their team. And never again should a cruel injury befall him. That is the prayer that should be on the lips of every lover of football.

Jack, it appears, has been reconstructing his game to diminish his proneness to impact injuries which have all but blighted his footballing career. Arjen Robben did likewise and enjoyed a more injury free tenure. So did Robin Van Persie. Jack is doing the same, and, providentially, it is the reconstruction process that has heightened his awareness that has given maturity to his game. With this quality, a player begins to see himself merely as a cog in the wheel and so becomes more team conscious. All the world greatest players have it.

What should be the best role for Wilshere? Simple answer: any creative midfield role, but the deep lying playmaker role would provide a better insurance against the vicious tackles. He might actually play better further forward but his provocative style invites the harsh tackles. To play him deeper is to help his effort at reconstructing his game. Wilshere has enough genius in him for the team to be built around him.  Am I straying into dizzy heights?  I would wager on it, that, not long from now, Jack would be taking all of us safely through these same dizzying routes.

Let us indulge a little bit and imagine Ozil, Santi, Jack and Rambo in the mid-areas firing on all cylinders. The feints, the back-heels, the drag-backs, the no-look passes, the one-touch passes, the through-balls… The vision, the swagger… The aforementioned dizzying heights…and the victories.

This is my song to Jack.

by Pony Eye