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 
Oh, I hadn’t heard the old “Wenger don’t do tactics” jibe for a while. Go ask Brendan Rogers and Rafa Benitez if Arsene can’t do tactics.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
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Would any incoming striker will be able to finish better then Plodders? Would they be able to dink it through like Plodders did for Walcott when Ramsey scored against Fenerbache? Maybe. But Plodders is already here!
Those who have become addicted to mindless speculation will continue to waffle. I’ll continue to enjoy the football games, as they come. Sad that the squad lost two of the top goal scorers from last season for a spell, but as seen with the Gnabster this does not have to be cause for despair and self-indulgent bleating.
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I would like to see Poldi and even Theo get a chance up front.
Something like this:
………………Poldi
Santi……….Özil…………Mozart
……………..Poldi
Santi………Özil………….Theo
………………Theo
Santi……….Özil………..Mozart
……………….Theo
Poldi………..Özil………..Santi
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Poldi and Theo will both be back after the international blip. All we have to do is get a result in Germany and we’re set.
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A or B, by the time those fixtures come about, we will have had Theo, Flamini, Ox and Poldi back in the squad for a couple of weeks. This means we’ll have Santi, Theo, Poldi, Ox, Arteta, Rosicky, Flamini and Wilshere on less games than Giroud, Ramsey and Özil. And if Özil, Giroud and Ramsey are spared the trivial friendliest coming up, they will enjoy two weeks off plus the rest a few games on the bench will give them. In other words, by the time that week rolls around the tired players will be rested and the players coming back from injury will be match fit.
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………………Poldi
Santi……….Özil…………Mozart
Thats the one I would love to see.
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Gains remember Giroud still has to play in the play offs for les bleus so won’t get a rest there either, for the moment he’ll just have to soldier on
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I didn’t realize les blues had to qualify through play offs. That puts Olive at or past the red line. Hopefully, Deschamps plays Benzema instead of him.
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I’m torn between that combination and the Poldi, Olive, Theo goal machine from last season.
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I meant to give Giroud a rest Gains,not in preference.
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Not likely Gains
Giroud is France’s only hope.
They have only started scoring since he was called up.
Just hope that France do well enough in the first leg to ensure that they rest him in the second game.
Expect Wroy to call Jack up for 180 minutes of unwanted football too. (and Jenks).
And our volks might get called up to play against England too, which would be a great opportunity for some thug to knobble Ozil with impunity.
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Coleman is a tosser,
he will use Ramsey as a means of saving his own job with Wales.
Rambo is too honest to do a Giggsie on the Welsh team.
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If Wenger is a clever man, and of course he is, then Plodders and Theo won’t be declared fit until after that stupid game in wembley.
Wit our luck the two of them would probably crash into each other and take both of themselves out.
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Klopp is bigging us up.
Is he looking for a new job, I wonder?
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finsbury November 4, 2013 at 1:56 pm
llorente? …even though to be fair the only time he has shocked me with his perfromance was in them memorable 180 mins of bilbao owning manure.
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the play offs are a worry with Bacs and Kos going too and apparently Matthew close to a call up last time as well
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Re Suarez comments, see this article
http://1nildown2oneup.net/wenger-to-see-where-walcott-and-podolski-fit-back-into-team-before-spending-big-again/
We may yet dodge the Cheaty McBitey bullet.
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FG that is a good article and reminds us that even with Oli ,Mesut and Aaron all on four assist a piece we have last seasons assist machine ready to back in the side a mouth watering prospect
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But I bet Coleman doesn’t play Bale – on instructions from Real Madrid.
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yeah hes getting very giggs like
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Hunter
A possibility, but following his sulk at Bilbao I think Llorente has had even less minutes on the pitch in recent seasons then Bendtner. Not for me. He needs to go and be first choice somewhere that would be my best guess.
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Arsenal have the greatest ever Welsh footballer.
In a couple of years he could yet be the Greatest British Footballer.
Daglish, Best, Charlton – your time is up.
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do we go with cannons at germany and laser guns at o.t ? or the other way round?
with cannons..we can sit back…not so mobile…..sort the perimeter..station them in key positions and boom to giroud to flick pain if possible and then at ot we let them run amok with their laser guns shooting from all over the pitch …?
do we go for two different approaches or do we just go with laser guns in both ..?..the adrenaline and all…will>fatigue
the red white laser gun…ddzzjjnnnnnvvv ..oh its in the back of the net…..
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Pato – worth a punt?
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Hunter
Dortmund is by far the most important match. the 155mm self propelled Howitzer for that.
As for the team in 8th place, the 20mm rapid fire auto-cannons will do the job.
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ahahaa..spot on dc!
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Guns on Germany ,laser them manure. Light them up like they have never been lit before.
Sneak a win against ze Germans. Spank manure…
Oh yah….
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Klopp is talking some shite at the minute.
Moe style tactics to distract from the game in hand.
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I am really hoping Moyes is unable to sleep this week with the stress of having to play us, but with the looks of him I doubt if he ever gets a nights sleep.
JvC, were coming for you.
where’s your new daddy gone?
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…writing books on liverpool and complimenting ex players
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Spank them redmancs including the disloyal basterd.
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Hope you are feeling somewhat better. Remember you will never walk alone. 🙂
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I am finding the full stats very interesting and revealing, in terms of developing trends. The most interesting is Southampton’s league topping defensive record at one end of the scale and City’s league topping “goal-machine” (with inconsistency lost 3) at the other. Spurs too is revealing; excellent defense, ineffectual attack, strong midfield. On the whole, Arsenal (and Chelsea, Liverpool) now look the most balanced to date, not far off City on the goal scoring trends (minus an exceptional Norwich result), hence our position, especially considering the strange refereeing for Aston Villa. This mostly without 4 injured forwards, which indicates current squad depth. We will see with the next run of matches and a few more top teams. It’s very open down to # 7 or so.
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Morning Positivistas,
An odd day yesterday with no internet caused by BT changing broadband lines between my two domestic numbers – ‘take an hour at the most sir’ – 16 hours later the screen was still blank – definite withdrawal symptoms
Regarding statistics ZP I saw an interesting one on Sunday – Q. which club has won more PL points in the 38 games played between 3rd November 2012 and 2nd November 2013 ?
A. Arsenal – 83
Followed by ManYoo 82
Citeh 77
Chels 74
And we never really got going until the end of January did we ?
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Anicoll, what are you thinking? If made public this stat would expose as false all our proven arguments that Mesut, bless ‘im, ergo spending 42 million quid etc, is the prime or sole factor in a moderate and plausibly unsustainable upswing in fortunes, and so without spending much more, we will fail. Are you attempting to legitimize AW’s trophy-less kids-glorification small-change half-baked no-tactics player philosophy, or what? Jenks must have played in at least a dozen of those 38 games!!!!!! Podolski as CF!!!!
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Arsenal, never forget, it is important, are quite simply not that good over a season’s worth of matches, and your so-called stats are evidently flawed. This is not possible with second tier players who were, lest we forget, almost all mainly unknown or in nappies before they arrived at Arsenal.
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It is inconceivable that City, Yoo or Chelsea Daves did not in fact win your fictitious 38 match spell because they have players who were famous beforehand; because they were famous they were expensive; that is how you build a team of deadly winners!
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Just wait til Hunter finds out!
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With apologies for length, and off-topic, but I thought this article by John Barnes stood out.
I’m not interested in what happened to Yaya Touré at CSKA Moscow – as far as I’m concerned their supporters can abuse who they want because, for me, what happened in Russia is the tip of a wider issue and, quite frankly, something of a smokescreen. For instance, how many black coaches are there in this country? Very few, yet all we’re focusing on is CSKA Moscow, and the more we push for clubs like them to get banned or have their stadiums shut down the more we don’t need to look at what is going on here.
The truth is that those at the top of British football do not care about getting rid of racism, they just don’t want to hear it or see it. As soon as someone like Touré or Danny Rose gets abused in Eastern Europe there is shock and outrage from players, clubs and the authorities, yet no one is speaking about the people living in inner cities like Brixton who, because of their appearance and their background, have become completely disenfranchised from society. Why don’t they care? Because the powers-that-be have enough wealth to not worry about these people.
Black players, in particular, should be tackling these issues because ultimately it will affect them when they retire. There are so many intelligent former black players, guys like Luther Blissett and Cyrille Regis, who never got a chance to become a top manager or a top coach because of the perception that surrounds people who look like them. They are black – which, for many, means they are good athletes but incapable of being anything above and beyond that.
To a large extent this is down to unconscious racism and probably 99% of us are guilty of that – I know I am. We all have preconceptions of people based on what we have been told about them and their race and ethnicity.
I still come across managers of a certain generation, those in their fifties and older, who say to me: “I don’t see you as black”, and think that is a compliment. So what, I don’t walk around with my jeans down by my arse, smoking a spliff, so that means I’m not black? These are the attitudes we need to change if black people as a whole are going to progress, and the only way we can achieve that is through education.
This is what footballers have to do – they cannot directly affect society but what they can do is use their standing in this country to make a wider audience aware of the wider issues surrounding race and stress the importance of understanding that what they have been told about a certain group of people is, in the main, wrong.
That, for instance, the best occupations black people can aspire to is being a footballer, or a runner, or a singer. People look at Barack Obama and say: “See, black people can be President” – no they can’t. Any black person who has been successful, particularly Obama, has been lifted out of blackness and stands as the exception.
We need to talk openly about perceptions and not be afraid of the fact that we all have different views about different people based on how they look. There is nothing racist about an open, honest dialogue and it is certainly more productive then pointing the finger at the CSKA Moscow fans, or at Luis Suárez or John Terry, and demanding they are punished.
Personally, I don’t blame Suárez or Terry for what they did – they are simply products of a society and environment that allows them to think it is OK to speak about certain people in a certain way. It would be far better if instead of banning them and demonising them, the Football Association aimed to educate them and make them see that black people are undeserving of racial abuse.
The truth is that Anton Ferdinand has more in common with Terry than he does with someone from Africa. They’re wealthy guys from western culture who both drive Bentleys, both drink champagne and both listen to Tinie Tempah, yet Ferdinand is told he is different, that he is part of a race open to insults? That is ridiculous and, again, is the product of historically incorrect preconceptions.
Racism is never personal – it’s about someone saying the group I am part of is superior to the group you are part of. How, for instance, can a handsome, talented, beautiful black footballer be personally affected by a fat, ugly, unemployed fan calling them a black this or a black that? I used to get that when I was playing and I used to just look at the people doing it and think: ‘You’re abusing me? Look at you, how can you even dare abuse me?!’
That is why it is pointless, and pretty ridiculous, to be worrying about a footballer getting racially abused – in no way are they the biggest sufferers, and, quite frankly, if I was someone like Touré or Rose I’d feel embarrassed if I had to look at someone who was suffering genuine racism and take their sympathy. A millionaire getting booed in Russia is nothing compared with generations of people never getting the chance to better their lives and those of their children.
Physically we are different – east Africans, for instance, are genetically inclined to run long distances in shorter spaces of time – but intellectually and morally we all have the potential to be the same. That is the type of equality I am interested in and is the message I give when speaking at universities and other public forums. And that is what more people involved in football, black players in particular should be doing. Because unless you get rid of racism in society, you can never get rid of it in football and as things stand there will always be these one-off moments when a player is abused or booed purely because of the colour of their skin.
Everyone goes into shock because they thought racism had disappeared from the game but how can it have done when it continues to exist in every other part of society at a more deep-seated, depressing level? Just because someone keeps their mouth shut for 90 minutes doesn’t mean that for the rest of the week he isn’t a racist, or hold unconsciously racist views, and until that is addressed, there will always be a problem.
Tackling racism is a long and complicated process but one thing’s for sure; it cannot be solved by banning a player or closing part of a stadium. The problem is wider than that and if football really cared those involved in the game, players in particular, would worry less about one-off incidents like what happened to Touré when he played for Manchester City in Moscow and more about what is going on around them. Perceptions need to change and for that to happen, education needs to be pushed as the only way forward.
John Barnes has donated his fee for this column to charity
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I read his last night on the Guardian website and it irritated me then. May just be cos I am white ?
“People look at Barack Obama and say: “See, black people can be President” – no they can’t. Any black person who has been successful, particularly Obama, has been lifted out of blackness and stands as the exception.”
Does Nelson Mandela know about this ?
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Thank you Zim Paul.
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Zim Paul
Don’t forget, it was booing Ramsey that saved Arsenal!
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ZimPaul
That’s an excellent article from John Barnes, very honest and brave and realistic. I hope people absorb his points and don’t just react without thinking.
There’s a lot of smug and self-righteous outrage when it comes to racism and an obsession with correct language, when – as Barnes says – there are far worse and far more widespread manifestations of racism.
I’m not sure totally he’s right about Obama, though. Obama is an exceptional individual (as is my lady crush Michelle) but it’s no coincidence that the first black leader of a non-black country is the leader of the USA. The problem of racism is both much worse and much better in the States than in the UK, and Obama has benefited to some extent from the efforts made to combat racism there. He is one of many black faces in American politics, both blue and red, and a member of a large, monied, black middle class. That said, there were and are hurdles which he has had to overcome for no other reason than that he is black. So I think that *in America*, a black or non-white person could become President again. But I think what John Barnes is getting at is that the focus is often on role models, which are important, but the equally important fact of the existence of the extra hurdles does not get enough of a mention.
One quibble I have with the article is that I have heard from South American Arsenal fans that Suarez’s infamous remark is not considered a racial insult in South America. But that doesn’t vitiate the wider point that John Barnes makes. The problem is societal and the remedy has to at least include education.
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What is racism?? Is it more to do with the colour of the people?? Me – Being from a third world country and all that and with more tribes than your fingers and toes put together can count,the subject is dicey. I find it amusing – that big ass grown man get butt hurt when someone says something racist to them. Oh – for FFS – Man up. Put your fist to his/her face when he/she says some shit because of your race or because of the colour of your skin.
We get called “Chinks” all the time when we go to any part of India. Why is that you ask?? We got slanty eyes as in the Chineese and the Japanese. By the way we are descendants of Mongolia but when the Britsh invaded India things got all messed up.
And what do we do?? We say up yours. We get abused left and right all the time. But we don’t whine and moan. We just get on with it and have our way when we do get our way.
Now what I’m saying isn’t the way it should be , but that’s just the way it is – atleast from where I’m from.
Not every one is like that in India (Sensational Arsenal) – I love Kanadains. Bangalore was the best place during my college years where I studied at Rahul Dravid’s college. The people – love them. The girls – va va voom. Marijuana?? – Don’t mind if I do. Delhi – I puked.
I was called a Chinky one time by a kid at Delhi. And I don’t even have slanty eyes. I’m mixed. Portuguese – my nana. Infact I look more Indian than I look like a mongolian. I shooked my head in disbelief. Next time I saw the kid I gave him the middle finger right infront of his mother.
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What somewhat irritated me about Barnes’ comments, apart from the Obama nonsense, was the glaring inconsistency.
He tells us he does not care about YaYa Toure and his treatment in Moscow – he regards it as inconsequential, as YT is a millionaire football and what has that to do with the downtrodden mass in the inner cities – why should we care about the very priveleged rich YT ?
You may agree or disagree but in terms of an argument fair enough so far
However JB then immediately goes on to clamber aboard his own particular hobby horse, the lack of black coaches, how black ex players do not get a chance to manage top clubs, about the prejudice within the hierarchy of football clubs – this Mr Barnes says is real racism.
Well Jon if you are inviting me not to care two hoots about the abuse YaYa Toure got in Moscow, because he is a millionaire etc and it masks what you regard as ‘real racism’ , why on earth would I give two hoots about the job prospects for former professional footballers like yourself in the English game ?
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Thank Dennis the football is on tomorrow,
the discussion here on nationality lasted days and days and got nowhere.
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You wait til we get Joey Barton ‘s theories on homophobia in tomorrow’s Guardian DC
(Not to mention Redknapp on business ethics in the weekend supplement)
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anicoll – I think John Barnes is saying a whole lot more than the examples you have pulled out of it.
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I want to be Sven.
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Klopps compliments are very backhanded aren’t they?
Look forward to a great game but somehow I’m more focused on the weekend game.
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