Good morning Positivistas and a glowing Summer morning up here in Norfolk.
A fine game yesterday between what the succession of televised games over the weekend showed were clearly the two superior footballing sides in the EPL at the present time. Both demonstrated a quality of football and of purpose that the Citehs, Yooniteds, and Spuds and Saints are deficient in at the present time. And therefore while the result disappointed me as I would have preferred the flame to flicker a little longer in the season, the football I thought was pretty damn good.
And to the grit of the game itself which I had the opportunity to view from on very high indeed, and again on the TV last night ?
Our starting line up, no significant changes though with Bellerin back into after his Wembley break – it seems Arsene has decided who is our first choice right back and after the young Spaniard’s careful patrol of Hazard all afternoon, and some striking runs forward, who is to argue ?
My first ‘surprise’ was Chelsea’s decision to start with no recognised striker, even allowing for the attraction of them leaving with a point that seemed an odd one. Not so and in the first half I thought the visitors looked more dangerous, their best chances of the game from Oscar and Ramires. When Droggie came on at HT the attacking threat faded, with the poor old Ivorian reduced to shouting, waving and pointing after Michael Oliver in desperation. Should I feel pity to see a former footballing nemesis reduced to a toothless, dribbling old crone ? Probably, but it make take a year or two yet.
Overall though a very good defensive performance from all our back five. And did you see the number of cards we picked up in the last few minutes as we pressed and Chelsea threatened to cause problems with a breakaway ? Does that tell us we have players who have learned ? Yes it does.
Two midfield units worked hard throughout the 90 minutes and effectively battled each other to a standstill. There was very little time for any player to take a touch or look up to choose a pass and even Ozil, generally a man who can find space inside a telephone box, saw his usual poise hustled and harried. Coquelin and Matic tackled the heavy work, Santi and Ramires picked up the scraps and tried to create something with them. Aaron, like Hazard, found it difficult to get anything going on the flank against the capable Azplicueta.
My only criticism of our creative engine was that until the last 15 minutes or so we did not seem to move the ball through midfield fast enough, there was an extra touch, a half turn, that just allowed the defenders to regroup. That change may have had to do with Danny’s introduction, it may have had to do with slightly tiring legs. It did seem to me that last ten minutes that we were at our best, and they, blowing hard, leaning on the ropes.
But we all know it is goals that win matches and we have two of the best goalscorers in the PL.
Sanchez and Ivanovic was a chess match, the Chilean leading the large Balkan on, pushing the ball inside, down the line, at him. But never quite breaking young Branislav, though his late yellow card following a frustrated lunge at Alexis indicated that he understood the game that was in progress. For all his cruel taunting of the Serb however Alexis could not break open the Chelsea lock.
And up front Olivier ran, he hustled, he charged, he darted and flicked but against the double coverage of the ever popular Mr Terry and his sidekick Cahill he was always going to struggle. And Giroud did, but he was game to his final kick, he will have easier afternoons and more profitable ones.
So a good game, a timely reminder we have still work to do, and peaks to attack and conquer.
Enjoy your week.
Positively Arsenal 
…..disappears into vortex !
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Shotta,
You hit the nail on the head with Henry. What bothered me so much was the likely irreparable damage that did to his relationship with the players. I’ve gotten the impression he is close to some of them. I don’t see how they can trust him now. “Careful, man, he’ll slag you off on Sky”. That’s a real shame, IMO.
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baiting or not..it adds to ‘reputations’ ..
you either cut them out on the pitch…which we didnt ..or you play guerilla warfar from the backscenes….
thats why i mention ivan…ivan is not there to show class ..ivan is there for the dirty work
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It’s rumoured that Juventus, Wolfsburg and Atlético Madrid will play the Emirates Cup
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no anicoll stay !!!
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My apologies, Hunter. You agree then, you were saying they’re not good “enough”? Which was my original complaint, I think. I’ll go back and check.
So , truce? You’ll continue to offer reasons why our players aren’t good enough, and I’ll continue to scroll past your comments. Everyone is happy. (banned smiley because I can’t resist)
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bournemouth now 3-0 up, promotion to the BPL all but confirmed for them, great to see them and Watford come up
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whats with the apologies ? lol …we are not fighting alanbama…
and …i never said they werent good..
you added the word ‘enough’ which somehow changes the structure and meaning of the comment.
i just said i wanted players with the guts and desire to reward wenger i/e go out there and make chelsea their bitches……
i then tried to seperate ( even though i never used the word) what is enough for you or for me… honestly im not trying anything funny ..
if you want to be specific then tell me which players youre talking about..what our targets are and then we can classify if they are good enough for it…. but its such a pity cause i feel like i have to defend my words all the time……. why? you have your opinions i have mine..as long as we explain our opinions its all good to me. i dont tag people with descriptions or get angry at them just cause i dont agree with what they say…
i also dont agree that wenger has to ‘give them guidance’ ..its football…they know what to do..they know the importance of setting a marker against chelsea….after what happend last year..after cesc ..etc..
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. i dont tag people with descriptions or get angry at them just cause i dont agree with what they say…
i should add to that..provided they explain their position…
when the arguement for luiz vs djourou for example is the price tag….a matter which is out of the players control then yes i wont take that opinion seriously…
if the arguement is the ‘leading of the back line’ i have plenty of our own examples to show so again i cant take that arguement seriously
im just giving examples of how one explains his /herposition and the whys of his/her arguement against baseless personal convictions….
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The stuff of dreams – AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. I was at the old Dean Court ground in 1957 when Freddie Cox (ex-Arsenal) managed the team that beat Spurs 3-1 in the FA Cup before losing in the quarter finals to ManU (Busby Babes). Don’t remember anything of the game – I was only a nipper. Got in when someone opened a hole in the corrugated iron fencing at the old Brighton Beach End – or that might have been the United game.
They’ll have a job staying up but if tonight was anything to go by, they’ll play some good football.
Eddie Howe – Manager of the Year. Outsider for the Arsenal job in 2017?
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Interesting viewpoint:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/apr/26/arsenal-cesc-fabregas-chelsea
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coq just replied thierry, telling him he was wrong about giroud. henry is gradually losing the respect of the players who adored him as an arsenal legend.
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Hunter, we’re talking in circles.
What I’m saying is this: I AM NOT INTERESTED in talking about who we should get. I’m also not interested in reading other people’s opinions about it. I’m surely not interested in reading rants about how our players don’t have guts. I am interested in supporting the players we have. That’s it. That’s all. No points to defend. No opinions to argue. You like to talk (seems like ranting to me, but that could just be my perception) about who we should get to replace who we have. I don’t. I like to support who we have. Always. Under all circumstances. Not everyone is like me, I get that.
And I don’t think I ever “tagged you with a description”. It just seems like you’re really upset we didn’t beat Chelsea, and have tagged the whole team as bottlers and wimps. And that’s offensive to me. Perhaps I’ve mischaracterized your feelings? Let me know if I have.
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Just me then who thinks Boremouth’s rapid rise is all a bit dodgy.
The Premier League really needs another Russian billionaire.
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i believe even if henry wants to suggest we need another top class striker, there is a better way to put it without slagging off giroud. oli has proved this season more than ever that he is a ‘top top top’ striker. stats shows that hehas same goal per game ratio as other top strikers in the league if not better. so henry should have said we need another ‘top top top’ striker to go with oli rather than say we cant win the title without a top striker.
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Unfortunately all ex players think they and their era was the best and Thierry might well be right but we’ll never know how long it would of taken to adapt in the modern world or how he would of coped with the advantage many other clubs have over ARSENAL. He may even have left earlier. Generally I tend to remember players for what they did while wearing the red and white and ignore their misguidedness while excepting the media coin
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yes you could say im frustrtated that our players did not end the appalling record against chelsea, an incopnvenient statistic that provides our enemies with the ammunition to continue to piss on us. perhaps we need a few more characters who wont accept a draw or a defeat when playing against that lot. some of these characters could well come from within the club, others i feel we need to purchase. that is all. it is true that it was a ‘must not lose game’ but damn it i hate those fulham smurfs. anyway, enjoyed talking, hope there no hard feelings. good morning.
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Four unconnected thoughts.
Looking at the size of the Bournemouth Ground I wonder how easy it will be for them to remain within the letter of the FFP law. I would imagine that their sudden rise suggests that they have already ignored the spirit of it.
People will smile and tell me I am deluded but I wonder whether a match-fit Jack Wilshere would have been the player to beat a man going forward and create real space and opportunity on Sunday.
Is it the case that sides like Bayern, Real and Barca can sign (and afford) top, top, top superstars because they don’t need the depth of squad to compete in their relatively uncompetitive leagues?
And however inconvenient, I find it is always worth listening to the sense of what Hunter says. He often causes me to see the world in a slightly different way – as indeed to all of the contributors to this site – and for that I thank him – and everybody.
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man…im just angry that the only one in the club who wants and acts like arsenal is at the toppest of levels in football…is wenger…
yes of course the players want to reward him …. but they have to learn how to be ruthless and how can i say….slay kittens and kill babies in front of crying mothers…in a football sense….. especially chelsea children and kittens….. heh…
dear oliver? is terry pushing you? elbow in the face….i wont mind the red card.. in fact ill sing in praise!
this will sound horrible..but if you cant beat them…hit them, smash them, send them to hospital with bruises….we will nto give them the satisfaction of both geting a result and feel happy about it. you can get yuor result but you will suffer for it. we are too kind at times….. terry celebrating? would he do that if keown was there to jump on him ala ruud?
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Thanks for “barbarians at the gate”, Steww.
I’m way behind…
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Darren @DarrenArsenal1 · 9h 9 hours ago
Would be nice if as much interest was shown to the fans chanting “Sit down you paedophile” as it has done singing “Boring Boring Chelsea”
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Darren @DarrenArsenal1 · 9h 9 hours ago
Worth breaking apart a myth, when we won the league in 89 and 91 we played 76 games, 5 were won 1-0, FIVE!, 1-0 was born after Parma only
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It is now conventional wisdom among pundits and the our blogging know-it-alls iand twitteratti that Arsenal need an upgrade at GK. Not a shred of evidence is offered, just one lazy opinion after another. I just stumbled on the following facts concerning our current No. 1. In the 12 games since replacing Sczchney:
Comparing Ospina to arguably the other top 2 goalkeepers in the league, David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois, he has the best clean sheet ratio, makes more saves per game, more saves per goal & has conceded the least goals per game.
He also boasts the best win ratio out of the three and has the most successful punches per game. Comparing him to his Polish counterpart (Szczesny), Ospina concedes a goal every 150 mins compared to every 71 mins for Szczesny.
But why make facts get in the way of b.s.
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Shotta
I’m doing my best to counter that Bullshit in twitter world.
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1-0 to Hull City after 35 mins.
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just a crazy thought, but could liverpool be trying to miss out on European football next season so as they would only have one game per week, like last season, and so aid their bid to win the league.
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Ed: there was a real sense that that is how United played it towards the end of last season. But with United playing so badly on Sunday, and with us still to play them, surely Liverpool must still have a real hope of top 4?
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eduardo
April 28, 2015 at 8:34 pm
ehhmmm yes … because rodgers knows what he’s doing….
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ospina is good..safe hands so far..good decisions too. hope schesney stays and fights and matures and doesnt do a bendtner…sign theo !!!
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Rotherham United 2 – 1 Reading
Damian Martinez has helped Rotherham avoid relegation, despite them having 3 pts deducted last week. He has been impressive during his loan.
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top four almost done and dusted, Arsenal need max of 3pts from five games, city need max of 3pts from four games and utd need max of 5pts from four games. all 3 have way better goal difference than liverpool and tottnum
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Perhaps Liverpool need a new spine.
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http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/golazos/arsenals-lukas-podolski-scores-cracker-inter-milan-udinese-videos/?
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this is some screwed up shite from Craig “I love Arsenal” Burley (yeah I know nothing he ever says when working on AFC games even hints at his love for AFC”
http://www.squawka.com/news/craig-burley-i-love-arsenal-but-its-pathetic/365268?
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wigan relegated to league one only two years after winning the FAC
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Interesting that Russian/Middle Eastern billionaires appear to be more detestable/less welcome than American ones.
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I know it’s mean of me, but I’m absolutely delighted that Wigan have gone down. Means it will be even longer before we have to visit that dungheap of a pitch they have again. With all those cows seemingly having grazed on it, I don’t understand how they can’t get the grass to grow.
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not @Legendhenry · 8m 8 minutes ago
Liverpool spent 215m in 3 years and finished in the top 4 once… £215,000,000… more than Arsène spent in 10 fucking years.
Richard Jolly @RichJolly · 13m 13 minutes ago
Everton’s back four have scored more PL goals this season (9) than Liverpool’s four specialist strikers (8).
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know what you mean dkg, and Blackpool and their sand pit gone down too, as have Milwall, none will be missed
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can anyone explain why there seems to be a fuss about the Emirates sponsoring the FA Cup from next season, its not like the cup did not have lots of sponsors over the last ten years or so. Its it down to it being arabs
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DK
Our American one doesn’t mess around with the workings of the club; our Uzbeck one – oh oh!
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He doesn’t, dc?
So who got Ivan Gazidis appointed as CEO?
A majority shareholder who doesn’t interfere with the vehicle he has so much money invested in. Interesting, if rather naïve, concept.
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Good point, edu. Nailed it in one.
The Barclay’s Premier League? No problem with that.
The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods? A-OK.
The AXA-Sponsored FA Cup? Sounds classy.
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON? Fine by me.
The Emirates FA Cup? WTF’s happening to the game!
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I see that Gazidis was a City fan in his youth, by the way (allegedly).
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you know shotta, people want us to win the league title by overhauling chelsea. and guess who they think will help us achieve it. their reserved goalkeeper.
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I don’t like saying this, because I think Szczesny has it within him to be an all-time great, but I don’t think Ospina was signed to be a Number 2 – and nor do I think he would have joined Arsenal had he felt he wasn’t going to be first choice. I am not quite sure what more he has to do to show that he is a very fine keeper indeed. His record over the years speaks volumes: his performances since early January show that he has a good relationship with our defence. So what interests me is what is it about him that makes people take him less than seriously? Is it based on any concrete goalkeeping reasons, or is it to do with preconception and prejudice?
As for Wojech, it looks to me as if he has become a bag of nerves, and I feel for him.
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WS1 should stay and fight for his place and we do not need Iker C. He is not better than our current set of keepers and certainly much older than them! Why should he leave Real’s bench to ours? I don’t get it? Are we likely to pay more? He should maybe go to USA then…
Sign Theo up! … Toral, Wellington, Campbell, Akpom, Sanogo, poldi, martinez are all coming back from loan… Keep the squad in tact… it is good enough to continue to progress and can only get better!
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Ospina is a most unspectacular keeper FH and that may be the reason for the skepticism about him among fans and commentators.
Physically he is small, compared to other keepers. I have no heard him give an interview so I have no idea of his as a personality/character. He does not shout, rave, wave his arms about or race the length of the pitch to opine to the referees, opponents or even arsenal team mates, as far as I have ever seen. He seems to just get on with the job.
And the Colombian has had in the period since he tok the gloves from Szcz in early January, had the good fortune to play at a time when the team has played very well. A couple of defeats admittedly but narrow and no goal keeping bloomers on his part that caused them.
Fair play to the man. I suspect he will be difficult for Szcz to shift the longer he is there.
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that we still need a top class keeper is annoying.. we have 2 and other developing ones why should we make cech of Iker c our no 1 at their expense? That Van Der saar and dudek did it means no other younger keeper can stay and grow with his mates like seaman and schmeikel and co?
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Allow me to express my incredulity at Liverpool’s recent lamentable form. A game they had to absolutely, no messing about, 100% win last night – and they failed to turn up.
At the beginning of March they had just won at St Mary’s and defeated Citeh at Anfield, and looked to be on a run towards at least the top 4, if not a title challenge.
To collapse so spectacularly suggests a fundamental problem in that team and/or that club.
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