Hello and how are you? Thursday 12th of February sees Arsenal make a short trip over to the beehive to take on Brentford at the Gtech Community centre stadium. KO is at 8.00pm local time and weather conditions will be partly cloudy with temps at 7°
Missing for Arsenal are Havertz, Dowman, Saka, Odegaard, Merino and Trossard is a doubt.
Missing for Brentford are Kevin Schade, Reiss Nelson, Antoni Milambo, Fabio Carvalho, Josh Dasilva,
Statto HQ reckoned up the reckonings and have given Brentford a 19.2% chance of winning and Arsenal a 56.5%. Next up 4th rnd of the FA Cup versus Wigan. And for those in the know: Kölle Alaaf!
Mills
The heat is on, we go into this game just 3 points clear of City and we have yet to play them at their gaff. Key players missing only adds to the jeopardy. When the going gets tough the tough either get going or collapse like a pack of cards because it turns out they weren’t tough to begin with. Well we might find out tonight which camp we are in. Do we go there and look to play no risk football and eek out a win, or to we go with our Champions League hat on and open up? I suspect the former but hope against hope for the latter.
I don’t know just how big this game is on the seemingly endless list of big game we seem to have, but it seems pretty big to me. I was of a mind that City were not good enough to go on the kind of run that would derail our 22 year quest for glory, but the 2 transfer window additions and their recent results have shaken that confidence, and my yellow streek is on display for all to see.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Great set up lads,
So we go to the ground with a pub on in corner ( I think they’ve just changed the name but not the ground) hoping to get drunk on goals and points. That win chance % is the lowest we have had for a long time and they have a good home record in fact their home record and our away record is exactly the same.They play the old Wilkinson /Taylor % football with lots of long balls, diagonals and set pieces including a right back who is the best in the league at long throws. Kai will be missed not just because his contribution going forward but also because of his defensive prowess as well. At home we coped well with the bombardment but this in on their turf so they will know where the ball will land. We have struggled at points from simple balls over the top and so Raya and the back for will have to communicate accurately.
Brentford love scoring but also they love to concede and that’s why their games have lots of goals in them.
Our record against the bees and in London derby’s as a whole is excellent and although this will be a tough game, we have the firepower to get through COYG.
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Saliba not in the Arsenal squad for the game tonight, he is ill
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Raya, Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Hincapie, Rice, Zubimendi, Madueke, Eze, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, White, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka, Jesus
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Gabriel booked cos the Brentford crowd are loud and the ref is weak
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we are not playing well.
Raya makes a great save.
We need to get a grip on this game.
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half an hour in and we’ve had one shot, off target.
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Gyokeres booked cos the ref is a weak cunt.
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HT: Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
we’ve had one shot,
we’ve had one shot,
we’ve had one shot
I say again, we’ve had one shot.
sort it out Arteta, for fucks sake.
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Odegaard on for Eze who was very disappointing in the first half. He really has not been the same player he was at crystal palace. Apart from his big game v Spurs he has not been a good signing.
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Maduekeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee with a header gives the Arsenal the lead
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Madueke off, Saka on
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for fucks sake 1-1, we couldn’t deal with their long throw.
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Calafiori and Martinelli on, Hincapie and Trossard off
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10 minutes plus stoppage time to save our season
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Gabriel could very easily have got a second yellow there.
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we totally fluff a great chance to get the lead again in injury time.
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FT: Brentford 1-1 Arsenal
a disgraceful performance.
they really don’t seem to be able to handle the pressure of being title favorites.
we had 2 shots on target the entire game.
12 games left, 10 wins needed.
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we have taken only 9 points from our last 6 games, that is certainly not title winning form.
we face Wolves away next, followed by Spurs away, then Chelsea at home, brighton away, everton at home.
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Brentford make it difficult for sides, especially those at the top.
Our set up with playing slowly, kicking the ball high and long hamstring us.
We gave away lots of niggly free kicks, unnecessary throws and our passing was sloppy.
Brentford are a big side and to keep kicking it long or passing back to Raya to kick it long was ridiculous. You have to trust yourself and your football skills to beat a big opposition.
Odegaard coming on coinciding with a quickening in our football for a while but a soon as we scored we never really looked like doing anything, other than the Martinelli chance.
I always think our captain is nearly a great player. Technically he is very good but several times in a game he will follow something great with a real clanger.
Basically if you don’t shoot you don’t score and on a wet night against a team with eleven men behind the ball, the shooting from outside the box is vital.
Crossing as well was slow and high and we seem to want to beat players several times instead of the quick panic making early ball.
In the end it’s another hard fought point and we get to go again.
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our problem is that all teams know they have a fighters chance, cos we don’t go out to put teams away, we are set up to not lose and hope to win, when we should be set up to win and hope to not lose. Every sub is a like for like sub, there is nothing new for teams to worry about
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ian the problem is our playing system is the reason its far too often a hard fight. We had one shot in the entire first half, and we had 2 shots on target in the entire game.
every sub we do is a like for like, opponents don’t have to worry about dealing with a change in our tactics or formation, just a different player doing the same tactics.
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