Bergkamp. The Invincibles.
Special memories.
It’s been a while since we have seen Leicester City and Emile Heskey. What can we expect to see?
Because I am a little bit ignorant I don’t really know. They dominated the second tier last year with what looked like a settled team. So, at a fair guess they’ll do better then most promoted teams in their first season.
How will they play? Direct and with pace, that’s what I’ve been told! We shall see.
I don’t know any of their players, I expect to find out more in Sunday! Although they have only one point so far they’ve played well, and they should’ve taken a lead away to Gazprom-upon-Fulham which could’ve been interesting.
Arsenal’s entire pre-season training programme would have been structured around this initial run of games before the the upcoming international break, with the champions league games being the likely priority. Arsene said over the summer described the schedule as “mad” for players going to and returning from the WC. We’ve certainly seen examples of madness in the critique of players who are still in pre-season. A number of players who will be on the bench on Sunday played for the U21s on Thursday, simply because they needed the minutes no doubt.
This is why it was possible for a non-certified genius like little old me to anticipate some rotation for the trip to Everton. The decision to start Alexis in the middle was made slightly earlier in the season then we had expected because there was a desire to keep both Giroud and Alexis fresh for Wednesday, what with that game being a little bit important. Unfortunately Giroud picked up the late injury. The best made plans…
The same back five plus Flamini will most likely start on Sunday but there could be some rotation for this game too. For example, Wilshere may be due a rest, he’ll have to play for England so he might come out the team for Ramsey, who had a mid-week breather. And there could be other changes, because Chamberlain and Özil just played their first ninety minutes after having not been training for that long, and they were blowing. Chambo because he was injured, Özil because he was raving in Las Vegas two and a half weeks ago! This would’ve been a perfect game for Giroud. CF selection will be interesting, I wouldn’t cry if Sanogo was asked to soften and beat them up for sixty minutes.
The true mark of the end of this staggered post WC pre-season will be the closing of the transfer window after this game. A transfer window in which ManIOU have spent £60M on three LBs? A completely unsettled Utd team, rebuilt too quickly and stupidly (the opposite to the wisdom of Arsenal after the F Word F’d off) drew at Burnley. Leicester will provide sterner opposition.
We’ll have a better understanding of any changes or evolutions in this team after the break. Safe to say that all but the unwell are very happy with the performances of Chambers, Debuchy and Alexis since they began their pre-season in the Emirates cup (unlike Per and Özil who got their first minutes this week, three weeks later then their team mates).
It would be remiss and ignore the official appointed for the game, given the unacceptable standards of refereeing for all football fans seen in the last two games. Even the Besiktas players looked fed up with the man from UEFA by the end of the last game, and who could blame them. Further information on the gentleman who sent off Gibbs for wearing the wrong shirt and having the wrong colour skin can be found over on Untold Arsenal.
Hope you all enjoy the game, especially those lucky enough to be going (if you are going remember to serenade our old pal A.Taylor please, thanks).
A guest post by Finsbury
Positively Arsenal 
Great post Fins. Sanchez worked his socks off and so I understand the yaya idea but im not sure whether Arsene might start with pace. It difficult to know who will finish the game strongest so subs could be important hopefully we will have all three tactical subs at our disposal
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Lovely stuff Fins,I think a fresh as a daisy Ramsey will be bursting at the seams to take Leicester apart,and our new boy Sanchez has the first goal monkey off his back, 3-1 to Arsenal.
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Refreshingly honest blog.
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Thanks Ian and Mel,
With the new fitness coach I’m sure the trips away after the game for the likes of Alexis will be considered. But even ignoring that, he really did put in a shift on Wednesday.
Ass mentioned previously, he’s long been a fantasy signing for me. The standing ovation he received on Weds, to be there in the crowd to witness his “arrival”, it was like a dream for me. Couldn’t have worked out any better, a serious serious player with no ambitions or delusions of moving to the big two in Spain. Perfect.
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And thanks George,
For putting in the effort for keeping this blog going. The WOBs are full blown in their hatred, these rictus zombies are not for turning. Unfortunately for them the tide has turned, their stupidity and maliciousness was exposed. And now this cyber space can be less of a refuge from mob madness and more of a celebration.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAwNDhCNiU0
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Seeing Fernandinho get sliced and diced by Mame Diouf makes all those who think Arteta is not good enough look mighty stupid.
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Well done Fins very enjoyable piece.
I would like to see Sanogo start and soften up the Leicester centre backs for a finale of pace to rip them apart…..hah, hah!
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Meh, video is blocked.
If you click on the title it’ll take you to the video above: mini-interview with Bergkamp on the Leicester hat-trick
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15 minutes to go at City and Stoke lead. Dare we dream?
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I wonder what excuse they’re going to make for City’s loss.
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Nice pre-match write-up. Thanks Fins.
I see Man City lost. To Stoke. At home.
Come on Everton.
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It was enjoyable watching Sagna being asked to play in a way which exposes his weaknesses. Cut inside? Negative. Hitting a surprise cross? Negative. Delivering a cross, period? Negative. Sagna is good at defending and running his arse off covering all over the pitch. But he’s getting paid how many hundreds of thousands of pounds a week?
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Right when the season starts getting sexy we have a damn international break.
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Chelsea have no outlet. They’ve been pinned back for most of the first half because they have no creativity beyond Cesc. When Cesc is back defending (puke), Chelsea has no where to go. Costa may be a good finisher, but he provides very little physical presence and his hold up play is lacking. Mou lined up Ramires and Willian exactly how I predicted. Coward. Hazard has been invisible.
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Very fair write up Fins – from the excerpts I saw of Leicester last season they are comfortable on the ball and a cut above the usual boot and fist approach of promoted teams.
Seems to me exactly the game to give YaYa a run out – if he never is given a chance in the PL how will the boy learn?
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Nice preview. Fins.
Just worried about tiredness of the players after giving all. Also, really hoping to see one of my favourite players (TR7) tomorrow.
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I hate chelski o.g. 3-1
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Where have you been Andrew?
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In a farmhouse on the island of Islay George – watched all the football but no internet
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Good stuff Fins.
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I remember when we beat spurs 5 4 and we hear JM ask if ir was a game of hockey… well so what are they playing at goodison now? a game of netball? once it is not yet 5 -4 lol
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Season is looking a bit bonkers already isn’t it? Thanks for whetting our appetite for tomorrow Fins. Like you I cannot begin to predict what will happen. We have some tired players, some just coming into fitness some chomping at the bit for a start and we face a team we don’t know much about.
It’s the end of the beginning tomorrow. Can’t wait.
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Unlucky Everton. They were chasing all game, but had Chelsea on the mat numerous times. Last week they were given an offside goal against us, but today it went against them. And they had a very unlucky own goal. Too bad they faded and ended up conceding so many late on.
This Chelsea isn’t convincing. They conceded three because their midfield was put under immense pressure. Without the creative midfielders they used against the weaker teams, they couldn’t get out of their own half. They were pinned back so much that Hazard started dropping back to try to push the ball forward. And given how Costa was non-entity against Distin, the feeling of them conceding permeated Goodison park.
Everton tore them apart twice because Cesc was at sea in the midfield. For the Mirallas goal, the Belgian disputed the ball with him in the middle of the pitch, ran all the way to the box unmarked and burried the cross home For the Naismith goal, he let McGeady do twist and turn until he looked up and found Naismith. This team is not an improvement on last season. Mourinho is playing in the same cowardly manner and they’ll still struggle against mid table sides who are capable of parking the bus.
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Good post. Thank you, Finsbury. That was the most refreshing and honest preview I have read in a long time. “I don’t know any of their players.” Beautiful.
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To avoid my previous comment being misinterpreted, I should clarify: I did genuinely enjoy the post!
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I saw a lot to encourage me at Goodison this evening. Some impressive finishing from both sides(aided by a couple of outrageous deflections) but Chels at the back looked slow, and a year too old.
Unlike last week luck deserted Everton but that is football.
I do think referees make things difficult for themselves by putting up with too much shite from players.
Both sides would have been lucky to finish nine aside if the man in black had a little backbone
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Time for JC28 & Yaya22 to reprise their preseason Benfica combo.
Rambo’s always ready to go…and hopefully Mozart.
Szcz
Debuchy-Per-Kos-Nacho
Rambo-Flamini-TR7
Alexis-Sanogo-Campbell
+Martinez, Bellerin, Chambers, Wilshere, Ozil, Cazorla, Podolski.
…would be nice.
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I was at Filbert St the night of that hat-trick. most of us left pissed off that we had drawn the game. I was sitting two rows behind Charlie George (real, real fan) who happily signed autographs for lots of fans. We were behind the spot where Dennis curved in his first and what a joy it was to watch that ball rise and drop into net.
i don’t want to tempt fate by under-rating them but I am, nevertheless, hoping for a great game from Alexis.
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Fins – Keep them coming. We need more voices emphasizing the positives rather than the mentally weak lemmings who are blinded by the money spent by the oilers and oligarchs. George made this marvellous point on Twitter:
“Money talks, but it dont laugh and sing and it dont walk, its forever in Blue shirts.”
While, with the usual exceptions, we are dancing in the rain.
Watching Everton playing with inferior players give Chelsea the scare of their lives, cutting them apart for 3 goals and creating multiple chances, tells me we at Arsenal are playing way below our full potential. Obviously we must be mindful of our defending but with the weapons we have at our disposal, i.e. Alexis, Ozil, Ramsey, Cazorla, Wilshere et al, we have the capacity to put all teams includity City and Chelsea on the backfoot.
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Lovely post: just what I needed to read after an irritating day. I think we will be just fine tomorrow: the reality of being in the Premiership will catch up with Leicester, and a few of ours will be anxious to stake a real claim.
Well done Stoke for proving yet again that it is a competitive league and that even the best sides can have off days.
They obviously played well enough, but I just want to make it quite clear that I loathe everything to do with Chelsea and hate their players and manager with an unhealthy intensity.
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If last year is anything to go by, you stop Chelsea from scoring in the first fifteen minutes and you can nick a draw off them.
And it looks like we might buy Loic Remy. Nice.
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Remy is Chelsea bound I think
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heard we had hijacked the deal, but the we heard about falcao, cavani, etc to mention but a few in the past few weeks… transfer window coming to an end it is clear
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“Gunners boss Wenger said: “People are very harsh with Ozil because he’s a player who’s always very easy on his play but when you watch the game again after, the next day, you see what a player he is. Everything he does is intelligent.
“The timing of everything he does is absolutely perfect. You never catch him giving the ball too late. The number of players you catch giving the ball too late is unbelievable. You never get that with Ozil.”
For Bootoome and friends.
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Gainsy – The boss also said Ozil is “not a tackler” in bigging-up our German playmaker. So for those people expecting Ozil to be deep in the defensive third making tackles, it will be a long, fruitless wait. Meanwhile Ozil is in the offensive third weaving magic and making assists. Enjoy it and leave the hating to our opponents.
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Not to be contrary and I could be wrong (can’t find detailed stats on Champions league qualifiers) but I remember Ozil blocking a shot and making a tackle (or at least a ball recovery) in the Arsenal box.
I think knowing when to not make a poor tackle on a 50/50 ball is one of Ozil’s better traits and not to get down on Jack but one he could learn as well. I love Jack but I worry for him, he seems to have no fear when it comes to making or receiving challenges.
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Cheers Fins
That’s settled my Sunday morning breakfast nicely.
Leicester away will be no picnic, for certain – they played exceptionally well to get promoted and their team is a well organised unit.
I’m sure their fans can’t wait to see a few new classic arsenal goals.
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Hope the Islay farmhouse was well stocked with the local firewater Andrew.
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Blaise
You area quite right, Özil did track back and tackle on Wednesday night, not often but enough to help out his defensive teammates.
Once he gets into the groove of playing with Alexis, things are really going to become magic.
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Nice one Fins and thanks.
This season continuing last season for entertainment value, it would seem, so it’s doubly frustrating for it all to stop now for the uninspiring international break.
Ah well, at least we have today to look forward to …
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Ozil is not a tackler in the manner of say Ramsey, Arteta or even Cazorla. That may partially explain why at this stage he is playing wide left rather than as a classic no. 10. Wenger and Jogi Low may know a thing or two about getting the best out of him that us keyboard warriors don’t.
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Wojo,Debuchy, Per,Kos,Monreal, Flamini,Aaron,Ozil Alexis,Santi, Sanogo.
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Big worry is wroy’s poor handling of Wilshere and Oxliade Chamberlain in the England squad.
It’s like giving the local alcoholic a loan of your Jag for the week you are on holidays.
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Arsene played Berkamp out wide in some CL games to great affect because teams struggled to pick him up so I don’t think its a negative or protective tactic it just didn’t have its full effect last Wednesday. Leicester will be organised today so once again we need to make sure we don’t concede the first goal and give them encouragement.
From the bits and pieces I putting together I think the transfer square pegs are aligning, with Remy going to chelski and falcal going to RM.
Don’t know what that means for us socraties maybe not sure about Carvalho and rabiot looks like he’s going to Roma.
Basically I haven’t a clue like everyone else but I do think we’ll bring in at least one signing but all the deals look very difficult to do atm.
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I just had to listen to Robbie Mustoe repeat a bunch of doomer lies because Loic Remy might choose Chelsea. According to that idiot, Wenger never plans, all he does is scramble. This idea that Wenger doesnt plan for the future was first murmured when we bought Per Mertesacker and became a legitimate talking point when we bought Özil.
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Gainsy – I think idiots like Mustoe still think that splashing around a lot of cash for short term gain without any regard to quality and the long-term future of your club is an act of a genius. It took a billion quid in spending for City and Chelsea to get a precarious grip on the top ladder but the minute the oil spigot is turned off these clubs will crumble as Anzhi did within the past year and what is now taking place at Monaco. Nobody in the media likes to highlight what is now the two most recent financial disasters of clubs and owners with grandiose amitions. Closer home Manchester United is trying to spend its way out of trouble and despite signing Mata, diMaria, Shaw and Blind for big money they are hardly likely to make top-four this year. Meanwhile the Glazers and their investment bankers are scheming to drain the club of more capital. Don’t expect the media in our part of the world to tell us the truth, least of all idiots like Mustoe.
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Wheels well and truly coming off the spuds bandwagon, as we knew they would.
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Shotta, never mind the stadium, this idiot was talking about the squad. Mustoe, along with every other know it all, thinks we need a striker and a CDM as a matter of fact. They’ve decided that’s what this squad needs and they will claim Wenger doesn’t plan just because. What’s striking is how they think Chelsea, after having only played three games, have solved all the problems they had last season.
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Come on you mighty reds!!!!
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