I honestly cannot remember being so nervous before a Liverpool game. Not for ages. They’ve been in fine goalscoring form and we struggle to keep a clean sheet these days. I blame Mike. Ever since he put Wojciech Szczęsny in his fantasy league team we seem determined to leak goals win lose or draw. He will be all smiles when I return to work tomorrow though, thanking me for the points, which is a little insane but when you’re as unpopular at work as I am you have to take it where you can get it. The bizarre thing is of course that hidden behind the quite breathtaking talent that is Aaron Ramsey, Wojciech Szczęsny has actually been one of our very best players. The defence in front of him looks as settled as I can remember it and the midfield generally work their socks off to deny teams room in which to operate when they enter our airspace. And yet I was nervous that we would not keep them out yesterday. In my defence I kept my jitters to myself and didn’t pollute either this place or twitter with such pathetic weak kneed negativity. There was one other reason that I was concerned, not just for Mike’s fantasy league side but for our very real team as well.
Let us be perfectly honest we have been in a small dip, a minor depression, operating under a briefly passing black cloud of late and Liverpool have been in rampaging fine spirits. Our blip, as I sincerely hope it will prove to be, has been at once entirely understandable and at the same time extremely interesting. Understandable because we play in a fast hugely competitive league where players are usually only good for about four matches before they start playing in the red zone and given our injury situation we have had to wheel out the same old faces for just a few more games than has been desirable. The blip, or dip if you prefer coincided with some players returning to the side. I never expected such crucial personnel as Santi, Tomas and Mikel to simply glide back into their best pre injury form, who would predict such a thing? They didn’t of course, all players need time to find their groove, and with Mesut still adjusting to the frantic pace of the EPL and still finding the pushes and shoves shockingly under punished by lenient refereeing it was no surprise that we have struggled of late. This little period has been interesting though hasn’t it? Interesting and telling because we have somehow contrived to come through it five points clear domestically and joint top of our Champion’s League group. Oh and I ought to mention we’re shot of the pointless fixture clog of the league cup as well. Which I consider to be a result. How often in the past have we turned in below par performances, lost a couple of home games and been in such a powerful position?
Happy days to be an Arsenal fan.
Yesterday I was proved wrong. I had no real need to worry did I? I don’t need to tell you what happened of course. This isn’t the nineteen fifties where you need the written match report to tell you how the drama unfolded, but I shall at least share the moments which stood out for me.
Per’s ludicrous level of calm insouciance as he intercepted, dummied a Liverpool forward before instigating a counter attack. It was simply gorgeous.
Wojciech Szczęsny playing a one two with one of their player inside his area with the relaxed attitude of a man who meant to do it.
Giroud’s entire performance. Yes, yes I know he fluffed his lines in front of goal a couple of times but he made more dribbles than anyone else on the pitch, was a tower of strength in our goalmouth whenever they had a corner, he bothered and pestered their defence into errors all afternoon thus relieving the pressure off those behind him and he tracked back, closed down and generally made a nuisance of himself all day long. A fantastic, skill filled, gutsy, tireless performance.
Santi’s goal. What can you say? The guy scored and got the assist. Not many players can play a thunderous one two off the opposition woodwork and then crash home an unstoppable volley.
Aaron’s goal. I laughed out loud. How else could you react?
Koscielny’s performance. All of it. Suarez must still be smelling Kos’s deodorant on himself. The young man not supposed to be Arsenal quality continues to keep our club captain out of the team and world class strikers in his back pocket.
Arteta’s tackling. No individual moment stood out but the slight of foot with which he gently relieved his opponents of the ball was just a joy to behold.
Arteta late in the game making Stevie G look so very past it.
Arteta dragging/back heeling/side flicking the ball to Gibbs next to the corner flag while under pressure.
Arteta’s hair.
Tomáš Rosický spinning, running, injecting urgency wherever he went and looking like a man ten years younger. Long may it last.
There were many other moments – I’m sure you have your favourites, but before I go I have to credit Liverpool for making a game of it, they had their chances and on another day might well have got something out of the match. However their strength is their attack and we neutered that strength for the most part by keeping the ball in their half. Can you imagine how good we will be with Podolski and Theo back in the side? It is a terrifying prospect. Oh and while I’m gazing with my red tinted spectacles into the future how about when Mesut Özil catches up to the speed of the EPL? It’s like we have this unexploded bomb ticking away in our midfield. He already has an understanding with Aaron, he just needs to adjust to the crazy pace of the English game, and, well, boom!
Positively Arsenal 
Dexter 12:48pm
Exactly, Benzima is a lowlife scum.
He could be jailed soon.
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Damn youre right George – I knew he’d had a setback but much worse than I picked up
Just have to make sure he has the chance to get a few games in in April and May
CL final would be nice
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Diaby will need 10 games for his champions medal.
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Wenger can (literally) wheel him on for the last few minutes of our run in to the title! 🙂
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Looking at the fixture list as it stands at present the 10 final games start with Swansea on 8th March
What was it RvP tried a few years back ? Rhino placenta or something similar
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Dexter
In our current form the last 10 games will be a victory parade.
15th March at the shite hart lane is a nicel target to wrap it up.
St. Totteringham and St. Paddys weekend rolled into one!
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Think we might need to really go all out for it for Abou.
What we need is Gunnersaurus placenta to get him fixed up.
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The toffees can go above the Koppites today.
A very negative team selection from Average Villan Boas.
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I wonder if that chap still posts on ACLF,the one who insisted we would never win a game with Ramsey in the team?
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Most über döomers have gone to ground PG.
Evil gets at them when they do show up, but nearly all of them claim they have always supported Ramsey (from this March, and onwards!!) I kid you not.
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The LWC’s seem to be digging in for another 1-0 penalty win.
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I knew we were going to beat Liverpool. First, because Suarez and Sturridge aren’t as good as their hype suggests they are. Second, I don’t fear a team with Gerrard in its midfield. Third, Brendan Rodgers is one of the worst managers in the division. Fourth, we have Cazorla, Ramsey, Arteta, Özil and Rosicky in midfield, for fuck’s sake.
Suarez is not worth the aggravation. I’d take Benteke, Draxler or Michu instead of infecting our dressing room with such a sorry human being.
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Silva has nothing to do with Pirlo. One is a deep lying playmaker whose strength is picking out passes from deep and the other is a trequartista.
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Shotta, the problem Mourinho is running into is there’s a finite number of world class players. David Luiz, Willian, Schurrle, etc., may be expensive as shit, but they’re not world class. Even City has run not this problem. Once they get past the first eleven, their bench is not all that hot.
Lukaku with a dirty knee to Lloris’s head. I didn’t like that a all.
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Gains,
I liked it.
Lloris was Faking the injury.
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Suarez would only be using Arsenal as a stepping stone to get to Spain.
He could never be trusted as a gunner.
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The chemistry is starting to really approach the upper levels. The crew is starting to look like the are having fun out there and PLAYING FOR EACH OTHER.
to me that’s when beautiful football is born and its the best part. I’m starting to enjoy the spectacle as well. Nor so much nerves anymore but sit back and EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. hahaha.
I predict we will see many more jaw dropping performances from our GUNNERS from here on.
I just wish we had a brazilin on the team to see the samba after each goal.
Oh well. Can’t have everything. Bravo to the lads again for the efforts in this famous game. The day pool came in to reclaim the title of a ” big team” & went home disappointed and demoralized. Oh crap, we ain’t that good. ARSENAL brought us back down to earth. At times we were all ball watching , mesmerized. Couldn’t think fast enough. And Brenda says they have to become more clinical in their finishing. Lol. . He looked so mafia yesterday. Not worried about the red mancs at all. Its Dortmund in Germany game that will be massive. What a game to participate in as a player. Psych..massive
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I kept wanting Tottenham to lose, but a draw is obviously a better result for us. The 5 point lead holds!
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Gainsbourg69 November 3, 2013 at 3:02 pm
both are playmakers dude, dont see your point ..one plays from deep the other behind the striker(s)…..both have vision and play short-long pass with ease…its the position that changes…pirlo does playmaking from early on silva does it in attacking third gives the through-balls..
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lol…yep both are playmakers amigo …just checked on this hipster website one sits back and is termed the deep lying playmaker while the one who is not -so -deep-lying – playmaker is termed the trequartista
http://news.rapgenius.com/Association-football-tactics-player-positions-lyrics#note-2154420
(press deep lying playmaker and the trequartista…they are the same thing..the position the playmaker plays depends on what a team’s system/formation is, that dont mean they are different type players …….. 😉 )
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Hunter
silva is overrated in the EPL, he does not do enough to influence games.
Pirlo is, or more realistically was one of the great players of the last 10 years.
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Arteta and Carrick are more similar to Pirlo. Silva is more a number 10 in the mold of Maradona. Saying those players are the same is like me saying Van Persie reminds me of Flamini because they both wear socks and shorts.
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Pirlo operates in an area about twenty yards on either side of the halfway line. Silva operates in and around the opposition’s box. A trequartista is called that for a reason.
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Nah, DC, Lukaku left the cheeky knee out and smashed him in his face. Cech ended up with a skull fracture from a similar action. Dirty is dirty.
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it dotn matter where they operate…they are both playmakers..one does it from back the other does it in final third..they are not defenders not wingers and they are not defensive midifielders nor the 6 ( box to box for hipsters) nor strikers/forwards …they are both playmakers, traditionally the “tens ” of a squad …
where they play/situated on the pitch depends on what formation or tactic the manager wants….in the 433 the ten plays left wing . zidanne at madrid, kaka at milan…. silva at times for city…..rosicky at times for arsenal … if you have a different name/term for every possible position the playmaker may take on a formation then ok ….
Arteta and Carrick are more similar to Pirlo…only in that they occupy the same space on the field ..pirlo is a wizard unlike arteta or carrick while silva is much closer to wizzard type players ..arteta carrick busquets are neat and tidy types and their role is to focus first on defendning and then the first pass to midfield….the other two are original playmakers ..
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You .are both right.
They are both playmakers but nothing alike
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Steww
Beautifully put.
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instead of infecting our dressing room with such a sorry human being.
oh so youve met him in person..sorry i didnt realise…
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no we are not both right….
a) deep – lying playmaker
Sitting deep in the middle of the pitch, these midfielders are tasked almost exclusively with passing the ball in such a way that it creates attacking opportunities. Often nicknamed “the quarter-back role” due to their tendency to sit, mostly stationary, behind the attack and launch long passes forward.
Termed the regista in Italian football, they need an accurate and technically excellent range of passing, and to be able to read the runs of the players around them well.
b) The not-so-deep-lying playmaker. The trequartista (“playmaker” in Italian) does largely the same job as the regista, only further up the pitch. They’ll sit just behind the striker/s, and their focus will be on short passing rather than the deep-lying playmaker’s long range contributions.
The perfect trequartista will be able to find space in between the opponent’s midfield and defensive lines, and exploit this space to pick killer passes forward. They aren’t as burdened with goalscoring responsibility as the second striker or attacking midfielder (although their accuracy and technique usually results in some great goals), and typically don’t have to have the same speed or workrate. Their passing and skill with the ball usually does all the talking.
so we have a) the deep lying – PLAYMAKER …and the b) trequartista which means PLAYMAKER in italian
the trequartista is the NOT so deep lying playmaker…..will you look at that then?
the only difference ( as said) is where the manager choses to play his playmaker and what play/formation he has set up for. the one who does it at the back is called regista and the one who does it further up is called trequartista…both are classified as playmakers in their cv.
lol…… simple enough now ?………
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so yeah…silva is a mini-pilro because he is not as great as andrea nor has won as much or inflenced world football as much…hence called mini…. ..medication now quickly… 🙂
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i should be a lawyer…
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They are completely different players. 🙂
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yes they clearly are …one is a playmaker and the other is a trequartista
🙂
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I never heard the word trequartista so many times in one day
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gains69 save your ammo for legrove..lets go there and laugh at pedro..much better 🙂
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arse or brain i heard it for the first time today so i did a bit of research on it to find it means playmaker…i need to keep up with the modernities of the game..thsi flu wiped me out….
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Why is nobody talking about the main point of yesterday’s game? Unless my eyes deceived me, Brendan Rodgers was wearing eyeliner and had fake tan. Is make-up part of the new stratergy to make managers look good on Matchday?
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You’re right, bro. Jack Wilshere is just like Sagna because they both play on the right.
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I got IP banned from there.
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That’s to your credit gains
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Somebody trequartista me a beer fast, I just got a terrible headache.
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So they intend to Lewis holtby themselves to the title? Hahaha
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Great as always steww
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I know our differences will spill over on this one (contrary to popular opinion that we all sing from the same hymn book all the time) but of all the big strikers who are even remotely willing to move in January, Suarez is the only whose publicly favored our club.
Now we may argue about his moral fiber but the fact that he is interested is indisputable.
Just saying…
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And I agree with you shotta, obviously. 🙂
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I got IP banned within the first half hour I visited there.
I forgot to say hi to Dexter. How have you been, man?
Shotta, I don’t think Suarez would fit our style either. If Van Dickhead had stayed, he’d be perfect. The bastard has even begun scoring goals with his head.
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Yesterday, this dude in some comment section I was reading said that whomever does the buying at Liverpool is on a decade long DMT trip and picks players by the way their middle names smell.
This explains the purchases of the Sissokos, Andy Carroll, Jordon Henderson and Downing.
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Easy Gains! Im good thanks man, how ya doing?
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Hey!!! Dexter!
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eyemsick 13, I shall use it regularly from now on trequartista, trequartista, trequartista
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