Morning everyone and I trust there is a spring in your step this Tuesday morning?
Another pleasant Start to the working week after last night’s demonstration of the football art at its best. You saw it, you coo’ed, you purred, you WOW’ed at Ozil’s back heel to Sanchez about ten minutes before the end. Even Steve Bruce probably WOW’ed at that flick and who could blame him ?
Like most Arsenal fans I suspected a difficult game, with opponents desperate to get at least a point out of the fixture and having enjoyed a couple of decent performances recently. But it was not to be. It was never a contest that would go the distance or require the counting up of points or rounds won. It was a KO. Opponent on the canvas, eyes-rolling, stars swirling, concussed, fight over at the 45. We took control of the game when Mr Mason whistled, and never, as far as I recall, looked like allowing it to slip from our steely grip.
Admittedly the evening got off to a humorous start with Dawson’s slightly unlucky re-direction of Sanchez’s free kick. Having fallen behind Hull knew they were in for a difficult evening. They did try going forward, they really did both in the second part of first half and in the opening phase of the second. But then the sky fell in. Two killer passes cut the centre of the home defence open, the finishing was as good as the passes. The game was decided.
After half time we had our usual ten or fifteen minutes dawdle, by the final 30 we had re-engaged top gear and the only question was whether we might get four or five. Some decent keeping and close misses kept the score reasonable. Harper I thought had a good game and for a 40 year old shows no sign of fading.
Turning to our lads though;
Front and centre stage last night clearly our goal scorers, our German wizard, the French spinal column of Giroud and Coq, and Santi – I must not forget Santi.
And Jack, my goodness that was a great 25 minutes !!
But less obvious was a very good evening from the defenders, all five of them. They concentrated, they marked their men at dead ball kicks, Ospina took the ball cleanly when he could, and punched hard when he was obstructed, they tackled sharply and stayed on their feet, and dealt with every Hull attack. Now very different to the pattern four or five months ago when the likes of Swansea seemed to reduce us to quivering jelly ? A little unlucky to lose a goal but these things happen, a momentary lapse with Kosc temporarily hors de combat thanks to Meyler.
On that point of the occasional overly physical challenge from Hull I must also praise both Kosc and Coq for their high quality efforts at retribution for earlier kicks received. It is not something I often see which makes it all the more welcome when it does happen. Francis’ stamp on Quinn’s ankle was almost Italian in its cynical perfection, and the ginger Irishman departed a short while after. Mason was oblivious. Kosc’s studding of the cheek of Meyler was equally high class and the Hull player did not recover, though stayed on gamely. Again Mason accepted the tangle as a misfortune. It is very difficult to prove intent. Had it been the other way round I would have been spitting. I would never condone a deliberate and violent assault on an opposition player, however the fruit is always sweet.
The Daily Mail has these pictures this morning of the incident and the aftermath.
Reading the mainstream media this morning ample recognition of the dominance that brought us three points. No doubt that will last all of five minutes until the transfer window opens.
For us it must be tracking Citeh and taking the opportunity to secure second place. Onwards to the Swansea game.
And just for you to enjoy one last time, Ozil at his very best;
Positively Arsenal 
Great stuff,
You saw the same game as I did.
I too was impressed with our players newfound mastery of the dark arts, just like the rotational fouling at the end of the Chelsea game. The invincibles could handle themselves when pushed onto the ropes, Wrighty and Dennis were know for getting in a bit of retaliation early in a game too.
This Arsenal ain’t going to be bullied off the park no more.
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Pretty much how I saw it too, nicely summised.
It’s almost as though one or two of our boys were making a statement or two, laying down the odd marker, letting people know …
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When Quinn left one on Coquelin I turned to my wife and said that he would get it back in spades. I too was delighted that that is exactly how it panned out. You also get a real sense that the Arsenal boys are looking after each other and that is a significant step forward. It was the best this team have played. I thought we would find it hard but we were on a different planet – and at times it seemed that we were playing a very different game.
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heh ..why are we quoting articles form a newspaper who have their tongue up mourinho’s arse and exist purely to troll arsenal ?
ok obviously we dont want to blind anyone but maybe they shouldnt think they can come at us at full speed and not care about consequences…or we return the compliment ten-fold!!!
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sorry i should not have said newspaper …that used serviete
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Arsenal
Iron fist in a velvet glove.
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almost Italian in its cynical perfection
That’s the key for me, we’ve all seen or felt ankle rakes in amateur games, hobbled for a day or so. Managed to get to work, do the DIY, etc. afterwards. It’s not hard to have a technique as a professional athlete where you can foul without breaking limbs or snapping ligmaments, hitting with undue force into your opponent and not dropping the tension in the limb. That was a well controlled foul from Francis. The old Baresi pinch or love bite (a little bit different to Suarez’s nuzzles) was also classic, and like our own famous Gr*tbusters over the years you’d often see the opponents of these famous defenders back in for the next game. Baresi, Bonucci, a slightly different tradition of fouling, Ivanovic comes from this school but as he plays for an cheating oligarchical monster he and his teammates just takes it all to an unecessary cheating level that would result in points deductions if any Arsenal player ever played like that (please refer to the historical record). I like Coquelin’s style.
We mustn’t forget Arteta’s impressive ability to foul. To buy a foul as well. Incredible how many times he does it! His leadership has been a factor in the Arsenal staying in the top four during the rebuild, coming third etc. if Coquelin can manage to learn some tricks off the skipper over the next year whilst practicing Mikel’s incredible long range passing technique and that side step shuffle/tackle that he can make then Le Coq will be well on the way. Mikel famously and rarely lost the plot and his cool at the end of the 2-0 victory in Munich, hehe, so probably best to edit those five minutes from the record and the tutorial video, though i thought it was interesting to see how much playing in the CL means to players who haven’t played in it. The AAAA spent years trying to tell fellow fans that coming fourth wasn’t important, but if the rebuitlt squad hadn’t managed to do so we’d currently be watching a team without Özil and Alexis.
After perhaps only thirty to fifty games in CM so far in his career to date Coquelin’s not doing too badly. Though I thought his passing was almost at it’s weakest to date in yesterday’s game, we’ve usually seen him pass with more confidence and ambition, from the very beginning of his career with the Arsenal. All a part of his learning curve. Have to say the two stunning interceptions he made on the F Word’s passes last week, reading the snake’s game better then the chumps clapping in the crowd for sure, they were the season’s highlight from Coquelin for me. Though those early to ground sliding tackles (early to ground = relatively safe/ controlled technique a result of less force in any impacts) around the c.circle can be great fun to watch too. Arteta’s not had the legs for those for a while heh.
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For me that is and always has been ‘Wengerball’ as it has meant to be played.
Clipped passes over the top from one half to another, passes through the lines that couldn’t be seen till they were made, runners from deep terrifying shite arsed cloggers like Dawson, variations such as the big man (OG) and the little man (AS) both having headed chances. Controlled almost sterile possession when required (catching breath!), slick one touch famous Arsenal attacks back to front in seconds, it’s what we like to see.
Deeeeeeefensive possession – if you won’t tell Mourinhio and all the petty plundits how the teams out there have won recent WCs, ECs, CLs etc – Germany with three deep CMs two attackers (Muller and Özil) and a hope for the best (an amateur volunteer at CF, with the other two forwards they didn’t appear to need a striker…), I won’t either! If every hack dwarf who has been pining for a Gazprom victory since Mourinho’s return says they aren’t boring every day at the moment do you think this means that they might be protesting too much! It’s too funny. Props to those arsenal fans out there and in the stadiums on the wind up. They’ve been incredibly successful. 5live spent twenty minutes before kick off trying to explain to your average punter why a team spending two billion on winning a league playing boring football is not boring. Amazing. I doff my hat to all the Gooners out there who’ve known exactly what they are doing in this regard: Very, very funny.
And to top it all, the Mudchester Grubt’s contracted cartoonist can’t help himself and simply highlights the incredible fallacy of all these petty plundits, including many of the writes upon his own rag, as they attempt and fail to ignore the elephant in the room:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2015/may/05/david-squires-on-chelsea-premier-league-champions-2014-15
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Thanks, anicoll.
This header for the video in DM is a fascinating picture. Whoever the player is should’ve been sent off whether he made contact or not, as he’s out of control!
I’m keen to watch the whole match again as there was so much beautiful Wengerball.
Fons@12:21
Excellent.
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Fins@12:25
Excellent2.
Cartoon amazing.
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Squires is on the money. Boom boom. I’ll get me coat.
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Top work Andy Nic and thanks for sharing that cartoon, Fins. It takes some doing to win the league with three matches to spare while managing to turn yourself into a laughing stock, but I guess that is the special genius of Jose and Roman.
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Really guys? Are we celebrating nasty fouls now? I wouldn’t like to see us play that way. Ever. I don’t care if everyone else is doing it. Everyone else is taking nasty, tainted oil money, too. Are we going to celebrate that and try to emulate it?
I don’t think Coq meant that stamp. But if he did, I’m very disappointed in him. And I can’t see how Kos could possibly have done that on purpose, it was a flailing tangle of limbs that ended up with his studs in Meyler’s face.
Really, we played such wonderful, beautiful football. Why are we excited that our players could be turning nasty? Lest I be denounced a wimp, I don’t have a problem with the physical side of the game. But for stamp like that to be retaliatory…that sets a bad precedent. IMO, anyway.
Sorry to bring the room down. Nice article, anicol, and lovely, lovely game.
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I doubt we are celebrating nasty fouls K.
Too strong a word.
I may just raise a gentle smile in relation to Meyler, who just prior to the Hull goal had crunched into Kosc with reckless abandon then ten minutes later had left the Frenchman laid out after another violent airborne clash, ending up on the wrong end of fate.
If it was fate, or something else it is difficult to say I agree.
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I’ve been celebrating Arteta’s cheeky fouls for years. Not nasty. Too much control too little force to be considered nasty from Francis, and Kozza’s was accidental. I feel that if he wanted to stomp he’d have stomped like, say, Ba on Arteta, there would have been a follow through and there would not have been much doubt.
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No follow through by Coquelin.
Koscielny isn’t the sort to go for a sly stomp. He’d follow through and be too obvious? We saw for France against Ukraine that he’s not the most subtle in certain circumstances haha! Maybe he’s learning the darkest arts, but I’ve never seen him as a master of such techniques, he’s too eager to play the ball which is what makes him so good against so many different opponents.
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Thank you Andrew, you can feel the enthusiasm running throughout your prose. Sumptuous performance from many players last night but Mesut stole the show for me.
I agree with Kelly as far as foul play is concerned. Sadly football is and always has been a dirty game. I recall when I first had a stab at playing Sunday league how dismayed I was by the constant cheating, gamesmanship and minor violence which was perpetrated by all the teams that beat us on a regular basis. Not until we got some players who could also employ the dark arts to good effect did we begin to get a foothold in any games. I left the side not long after, wanted no part in it. This of course makes me a wimp.
Funny how I had no problem achieving my black belt in karate during the same wimpish period in my life. But then in karate the rules about not injuring or putting opponents at risk are strictly enforced by referees at all levels.
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i dont know if they did it on purpose alabama…when i saw the guy could miss his eye i did got scared a bit but the rest of the epl needs to put it in their brains that they cant kick us or foul us any more
as for the petrol money ..i wish we were as strong a club behind the scenes to control sky and f.a and make our own rules but we cant….i wrote yesterday about how it seems we will have to play a bit by their rules if we want the system to reward us.
noone likes it i suppose hence i committ to stop my involvment with football when wenger retires…the game is ruined long time ago and only wenger’s combination of pragmatism and romance to do things right is whats keeping me in the sport.
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that said….cant wait us to turn nasty on chelsea everytime we play them./.dominate them. bully them..beat them and spit on them as they walk out the pitch …. its what they deserve.
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its not nasty to let opponent know he cant and shouldnt mess with you…
i doubt any of these ‘macho’ players of hull, stoke or whoever would ever dare approach and tackle vieira or keown like they have done to wenger’s younger players….
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dennis..heh… zizu…the elbow would go to faces if the face was getting to near for their comfort….
thats not nasty…
nasty is the bastard who isnt at the same level and comes out to play like a thug to stop the talented ones. the talented one has two options: a) clever retaliation like dennis or zizu b) making sure he gets the foul at the first or minimal of contact like xavi messi can do… none as masterful as karagounis though…head and shoulders above everyone
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so ..we either become ‘cheating’ divers or defend ourselves like you would in a street fight….
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the third option is for english football to become civilised
AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAAAA
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” I must also praise both Kosc and Coq for their high quality efforts at retribution for earlier kicks received.”
My apologies, A, I think you meant that phrase more tongue-in-cheek than I took it. I never thought they did them on purpose. Still don’t. It just bothered me to think that someone would.
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get stuck in son …
wooow what a tackle..did you see that ?
shoooooooooooooooooot
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Hunter, I love it when you make my point for me.
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huh?
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nice review A5, these fouls or hard mishaps must be taken in context. Untold called it exacatly right when theey said mason is a ridiculas ref who ignores or misses most things. I counted four hull players who on another day would have been sent to the stands and two of them in the first 29 minutes, theres your background no celebration just an acknowledgement of our players steel.
Le Coq has played most of his career at CM so its not something he is just getting used to.
At times we sparkled last night and wherever we finish football wins at ARSENAL more often than at any other club in the league.
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Sure, in principal I’d much prefer clean football. However, I watched years and years of Arsenals players being stomped upon, whilst Arsplayers are called for fouls not even committed. It’s always the case that a foul is different for an Arsenal player than it is for their opponents. Just look at last night, or against Chelsea.
Certainly, there have been contacts made by our players in these two matches that on other days would’ve been called, correctly or otherwise, but they’re the exception rather than any rule, I’d say.
One could also bear in mind the tone set by the ref – in any match.,Lee Mason sets a tone that wouldn’t be tolerated in rugby football (even in its pre video days).
I’d been so thoroughly against fouly cheaty bassturds – until sometime around 2011/12, and then in a match against totty, Flamini came on and wiped out one of their players. I think it was his first match back at Arsenal. I cheered so loud and heartily I could barely concentrate on the rest of the half. Imagining myself as a conscious sort of fellow, I afterwards reflected on my sudden joy. I concluded that whilst I still want clean, non cheaty games, I ain’t gonna get them. It’s just a pipe dream.
I’m evidently less conscientious nowadays, despite the remaining deep-seated desire to see the beautiful game – played beautifully.
Don’t make me list every uncalled foul Hull committed upon us last night, and i,wont mention phow many deliberate wrecking tackles have been visited on our Coq in the last couple of months. (Nose broken 3 times)
I hope this helps…(me).
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Ian I was thinking of the total number of starts in CM he’s had for the Arsenal first team, Freiburg and in the French top division – he’s only going to get better.
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have i upset alabama? again? what did i say?
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Fins, I thought you meant it was his new position. my reading things wrong again
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I think that being prepared to stand up and respond to aggression/violence from opponents is part of the game of professional football. I don’t expect to rely on referees. I don’t want to rely on referees. In last night’s game Quinn and Meyler both handed it out first, and received a response. A standard playground response I agree but I anticipate they will be a little more cautious in who they clatter into next time.
And Coq’s nose Ranty, it attracts attention like Hailey’s Comet, its quite uncanny, at least one instance of his battered bugle was down to Olivier – last night he was punched by Ospina.
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No probs ian.
Some people think the CBs were not passing out to him on purpose but it’s just a combination of many things. Not a ‘sign’ from above. As he gets more confident and canny he’ll be asking them for the football off his CBs and keeper a little bit more but it’s clear that the team works on Ramsey, Ozil and especially Cazorla dropping behind Coquelin when in possesion at the back, at times. As with the second goal. Hull weren’t expecting that, Not with rambo on the right.
And the third goal was quite nice too. Dawson clucking like a confused possibly headless chicken whilst running around in circles. Beautiful.
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i sincerely hope sanchez gets ‘injured’ in the f.a cup final for two months
fuck copa america…stay here and train with the rest
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Obviously in the last minute of the game when were three nil up
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Right then, haway la Vecchia Signora !
And speaking of cynical Italian assassins butter would not melt …….
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And Atkinson with the whistle – a renowned international performer – and Pepe is looking tense – I predict sparks
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And a yellow from the PGMOB man within ten minutes. Bonucci. Of course. You don’t often see that from him under the PGMOB banner, “game managment” ! suppose *vomits* not sure Bonucci would have much joy playing for the arsenal under the PGMOBs enlightened interpretations.
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1-0 Juve
But Madrid just need an away goal and to stay par or better (away goal).
Tie is well balanced now!!
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From what I remember Chiellini picked up a yellow card about 2 minutes into their tie in Monaco
For the next 88 he never put a foot wrong.
Bonucci cut from the same cloth
Unlike Pepe
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Casillas to WHL ?
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Still drunk off that champagne football the lads uncorked yesterday. This team doesn’t need much I tell you that. Love Ramsey on the right he plays that role with intelligence. Bellerin doesn’t need much help anyways. What a player we have got on our hands. That kid is the business. Thanks Barca. Another exquisite gem unearthed by Prof. Wenger
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Madrid missing that Arteta-esque or Alonso inspired control in midfield? Perhaps they could do with an Ozil?
They only need to score the one and they’d be ok you’d think so maybe not
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Ramos, good as he is like most CBs he’s not the ideal D**Mer is he?
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Big goal that for Madrid
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Unspeakably poor defending from the home side – no idea what Lichtensteiner thought he was doing !
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Can’t help feeling a sense of frustration with Arsenal for losing their heads in the last few minutes in the first leg against Monaco. We would be doing very well in this game against either Juve or RealMad…..bollocks!
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Enjoyable piece by the way Andrew thanks
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What a fuckwit is Andy Townsend…..”he’s got to score, he’s got to score” “he should have put it in the back of the net”. Well yes, Mr. Townsend I’m sure he knows what he needs to do…..
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