Güete Morge Positivistas,
A mood of satisfaction this morning after events at the Ems yesterday evening. The ship is off the rocks, the holes in the hull patched, re-floated, and back on course. Half way point, top of the league, coping well with long term injuries to players who appeared to be pivotal, playing good football, and probably starting 2016 in pole position (barring an upset at the KP tonight) – not too shabby.
Yesterday’s game, as it played out, was not what I was expecting with AFC Bournemouth playing a lot more football than I anticipated. No suggestion of settling for a draw or coming only to stifle and spoil at all from the visitors. I have watched the Cherries a couple of times this season on TV and I still would not recognise any of their players if he sat next to me on a bus. They have a combination of hard working and apparently very fit players, and most seems comfortable on the ball. They lack a real goal scoring threat and Cech did not have much to do. If they can address that weakness, and I read AFCB also have injured players to come back, they are good enough for a mid table finish.
We started a little hesitantly I thought, perhaps still aching after Saturday’s hammering, but gradually assumed control. Our German maestro gradually found the time and space to place his passes and pick out team mates. I thought Ox and Aaron also worked well and got a grip on the midfield against our industrious opponents, the key to dominating the match. The goal when it came was a surprise too. Gabriel found himself in an acre of space for the first, with Bournemouth’s defence asleep. Good header nevertheless. No mistake. As against Spuds earlier in the Autumn we came across a side who appeared to have a fatal weakness against our corners and high balls into the box. I have no idea why certain teams in certain games fall apart like that but I never look a gift horse in the mouth. There followed a flurry of goal scoring chances with the visitors rocking on their heels, but no killer second.
There was a slight edginess until our second on 63 minutes, a classic very Arsenal goal. Olivier’s touch exquisite and Mesut’s placing of the pall past Boruc precise and deadly.
Thereafter we settled back and ceded possession and space to Bournemouth for the final twenty. As in the first half we created another handful of chances that could have racked up the goal difference. Rewatching the chances in slo-mo and from multiple angles they look easy don’t they ? Shows what I know. With both sides beginning run out of gas after two games in three days the Cherries finished on the front foot but came no nearer to spoiling Peter Cech’s new PL clean sheet record.
Arsene took the risk in rotating but those players he brought in all played well, one and all. In the past when a player has been given a chance after a spell on the bench they have often been ‘too eager’ and messed it up. Young Callum earned well deserved plaudits, a little wild at times which would get him into trouble on another day and against less honest opponents, but fully competent. The notion of Le Coq on the sidelines and Matty unavailable is not the worry it was a month ago.
A few days off now before another home game against team with the fans for which the phrase “long suffering” was surely created.
Enjoy your Tuesday.
Positively Arsenal 
Yes, Andrew, Bmth play good open football and you should never expect them to park the bus – Eddie Howe has a similar philosophy to Arsene. They have certainly missed Callum Wilson’s strength and pace up front. Ideal opponents after Saturday’s débâcle.
Newcastle will be a different kettle of fish, methinks. More like the So’ton approach is what I’m expecting. I hope Gabriel can get another game at the weekend – BFG could also do with a break. If Sanchez is available, it might be an idea to rest Ollie too.
Yesterday’s rotations told us quite a bit about what Arsene is seeing in training. Chambers was impressive, but we’ve seen before what he is capable of, All this talk about him going out on loan is probably the usual nonsense. Chamberlain had some of his old spirit back but he does need to learn to get his head up and look at what is on for him – he tends to hit and hope a lot of the time after his runs.
I see Kompany has also had a setback and won’t be playing tonight – encouragement for Leicester. But I watched them against Liverpool and they didn’t impress me at all. Liverpool had listened to their homework about Vardy and Mahrez and snuffed them out of the game. Kanté is a little terrier but otherwise they are mostly journeymen. I don’t expect Man City to lose – a draw would be best for us – but the first goal could be decisive.
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I suspect the Geordie bus will be wheeled out on Saturday DK as McLaren has not got much imagination and he would look on a point from the Ems as manna from heaven at this stage in his season. My guess is that Olly will stay in against Toon but Theo will play up front against Sunlun with the Frenchman on the bench. Also fancy Debuchy for a return against his old employers and/or Sunlun?
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I thought we bossed he game. We played some great football. I was impressed with Chambers and the Ox was looking close to his best. Özil? Oh my. I just don’t understand some of the extremely negative assessments of the man. He has been excellent from day one. Of course, he is unbelievable at the moment but never bad enough to be “nicking a living”. Maybe the price tag influences people too much?
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Thank you Andrew – a happy story to tell and don’t you deserve it after Saturday. I too thought Calum rode his luck with the referee a couple of times but overall had a fine game. Calm in possession, capable on the ball, active and focussed throughout. Different from Le Coq, different from Flamini but a very very capable understudy.
Mesut Özil though, is on another planet.
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Only seen the last 3 minutes of the game and the highlights. Enough for me to be thoroughly delighted. Better yet Andrew has now replaced that battered, sinking old tub we saw atop Sunday’s blog with a triumphant, animated super hero. That is good enough for me.
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Good job Andrew. You’ve covered the game cool, calm and collected. Mesut Özil is rubbing off on all of us.
Looking back on December, last night’s result cap off what has been a good xmas period for Arsenal. 5/6 wins is better then our closest rivals and prolly what most of us would’ve taken given how offish November has been. Overall 2015 has been superb – best team in the league by quite some distance. Now if we can just shift that 38 game period fwd by 19 games, it would be the Cherries on the cake.
Move over Liverpool, 2015 was our year.
Newcastle awaits.
Feliz Navidad Positivistas.
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Mesut is by some distance the best player in the PL at the moment. One interesting change in his game is that during his seasons at Madrid, and when he first joined us, he would rarely finish a game and be taken off with 10-15 minutes to go.
Nowadays, apart from playing game after game after game, he is still fresh and with plenty of energy at the end of the game.
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Stamina, strength and finishing are what we’ve seen the German playmaker work upon since his arrival. Part of the carrot dangled by the gaffer (“We will help you to become as good as you can be. PSG? These aren’t the droids you are looking for, move along. Move along.”). With some results.
Özil also played as much as any other player during Germany’s (& Shad’s) successful juggling of their squad through the last WC during a S.American summer, starting all but the last group game and often staying on for the full ninety because they needed his control. He’ll be starting against Newcastle.
The man has become a machine.
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Swansea, Southampton, Leicester, Palace to a large degree (club have built a great squad, more or less the same as Pardew’s the same squad that earned Pulis a lot of praise…), AFC Bournemouth, Watford playing a more familiar (for the gritmeisters) direct style but looking at their GD still forward thinking and last but not least a shout out to Steve Coppell’s Reading which was a fascinating case (SC didn’t add to his promoted squad).
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All these clubs make diminishing number of teams that are allowed to play handball (Norwich etc. Southampton as they set up in particular for their previous game…) stand out when we see them play against AFC. Which is why it’s best to comment on the irregular possibly fixture related code variations that we consistently see elsewhere (IBSF).
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Can’t forget Neo-post BT deal-Stoke
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Results yesterday ran more closely to expectations than at the weekend, including our win, Manure’s draw v the Chavs and, of course, Southampton who contrived to lose v West Ham.
Without reigniting the ‘debate’ (what debate?) over refereeing inconsistencies, I do always come away from a setback like ours at Southampton just wondering how many of their players were putting themselves in the shop window in front of Arsene and, well, the world.
It’s a bit of a slur because it implies those Southampton players are not in fact playing any longer for their manager or the club. Merely themselves. Lets see how many more ‘spirited’ performances they come up with over the next few weeks … And what of Saturdays hapless referee – consigned to a lower league match I read somewhere, not sure of the truth (or significance, if any) of that.
I only had patchy access to our game last night but loved Ozil’s goal and of course his all round contribution.
I was also amused by how the Goners attempted to use Mesut’s mastery of the game as some kind of stick to beat other Arsenal players (Theo and Lord O, who I understand should be “apologising” to someone who was ‘nicking a living’ until recently), how even Gabriel’s football bullets were turned into propaganda weapons to slag off the likes of Lord O (“failed to celebrate”) and Per (too slow to head in a rebound from one metre out).
Will these lunatics EVER give it a rest?
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Our 600th post by the way, for those who have an eye to records.
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Fortunately AA, I don’t know where you read these idiots (please don’t tell me).
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Congratulations all involved – here’s to the next 600.
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MJ @mj_afc 18h18 hours ago
So I was wondering what gripe fans would have when we went top. The unanimous winner is we should be further clear than we are. #Arsenal
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another great review chalked up keep em coming in 2016.
The wobs accersion that without Le Coq we would fall to midtable has crashed and burned on the Flamini and Chambers rocks. The same goes for Alexis, Santi, Welbeck, Jack etc. I know its only half way and were still not showing major consistency but as the old and rather tired saying goes, the table doesnt lie.
Yesterday we started with only 6 first team players against a side who had found abit of form, confidence and certainly good play. Many will say its only Bournemouth and of course the mighty ARSENAL have a right to breeze past these fixtures but in reality we know this not true and the side once gelled performed excellently.
At this stage i’m still not convinced we will win it this year however we certainly stand a chance and as we gone on very strong runs in the second half of the season many times in the past the trophy target is well and truley there.
I thought at southampton the Nacho chance was important as first goal has dictated the play all over the PL this season and the Gabriel goal proved just as important at a time we wern’t at our most fluid in the game. These goals by other means releases the power of the German and unshackles him from the attention of the opposition. Our sucess may just rely on finding ways to set him free.
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The Goners took the same journey with RVP. Like some kind of behavioural pattern?The Goners got lost in the wind.
Thanks to George for building this shelter from those who get pleasure from repeating the memes read to them from the kind of plundits lampooned by Alan Partdridge(Steve Coogan).
For example what are we to make of the assement that M.Utd have a tradition of play going forwards and that Van Gaal, listening between the jingo jangling lines, that the Dutch geezer simply doesn’t get or respect Engerleeeeesh Footy. Too much passing sideways innit?
It’s nonsensical gibberish. Stinking steaming manure.
What football team playing against a good opponent can go hell for leather for ninety minutes? In 1906, 1956, 1966 or 2016? What are these plundits on about? Are they deliberately trying to make themselves appear as people who lived their whole lives in football but have forgotten how to play the sport, or, are they simply ringing the (jingo) bells whilst groaning like Quasimodo?
Yes, hunter was right. It’s that pinnacle of stupidity: trying to associate nationalism with a style of football. It doesn’t get much dumber then that but it’s what you hear if you listen to MOTD or any other murdochian orifice.
Thank the football gods for the Arsenal.
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Loved Gabriel’s goal celebration.
First goal since he came to Europe in front of the home fans at the amazing new arsenal stadium it must have felt good!
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well summed up andy… well done
so happy for the players too….
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http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20151229/the-breakdown-bournemouth-h-
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the logic of malcontents is amazing to behold
I want Arsenal to sign a DM.
Arsenal are to sign El Neny
I don’t want AFC to sign El Neny, as I’ve never seen him play, and he only plays for Basel, and is cheap, (typical Wenger scrooge) he has to be shite. I would much prefer Samper from Barcelona. Now I’ve never seen Samper play either, but he has a big reputation, and I know about him cos AFC were linked with him last year.
What you mean Samper has never played a La Liga game, its the Barcelona B team he plays for and they are in the Spanish 3rd division.
The lad is young so you can’t expect him to be in the Barca first team.
What you mean he is 21 in a few weeks time.
I don’t care, as he has as much experience as that El Neny.
El Neny is 23, has 3 league titles with Basel, and a few cups too, has played at the Olympics, and has 39 caps for Egypt, has CL and EL experience, and this season has the best pass completion numbers in the EL (161).
I don’t want El Neny as he is shite and no one had ever heard of him before this week and his youtube clips are not very impressive. I’d rather stick with Flamini, and he is shite. Fuck Wenger, Fuck Kroenke, Fuck Gazidis, fucking show some ambition for once.
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Josh James @JoshJJames78 5h5 hours ago
Arsenal’s win rate in 2015 was 67.3 per cent. The highest for any calendar year in the club’s history
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Andy, after checking German for Dummies, I will not comment on your German welcome!
AFCB, Mr. Wenger’s supposed annual salary exceeds that club’s annual turnover. As for the annual wages, Mr.Wenger’s annual just about covers it.
Full marks to Eddy Howe and above all, Jeff Mostyn.
Bournemouth are proof that a small club can survive on a modes timput from a wealthy owner..
We should not go overboard after a defeat, nor should we go overboard with a win against a cash-strapped footie club?
I am surprised that our meister, had short shrift from the ASCB review of the game.
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Ahmed @Ahmed91Gooner 22h22 hours ago
Arsenal’s top scorers in 2015:
28- Giroud
19- Alexis
12- Walcott
9- Özil
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notoverthehill, just one thing on AFCB, they are to be fined for breaking FFP rules in the Championship last season, if they were still in the Championship they would have had a transfer ban imposed by the football league, like 3 or 4 other clubs have for similar breaking of the FFP rules
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Ed we were looking at Samper 5 or 6 years ago before he signed his contract with Barca at 16 but he decided to stay at that tin pot club rather than join the world famous ARSENAL I’ll never forgive him.
You are right of course the football managers amongst the fanbase are never content. I heard recently someone saying they couldn’t understand why ARSENAL don’t sign world class players. I did point out our last three Ozil, Alexis and Cech wernt bad.
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You should have referred to Alsatian for Dummies NOTH
I shall get my lederhosen
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Or my lead (?)
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Bit of a shocker at the King Power although I admit I am biased. Dull, unimaginative from the visitors and the home side looked a bit knackered.
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LCFC 0-0 MC
Arsenal top at the half way mark, but of course we are not real contenders
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Doug Nichols @TheTXI 3m3 minutes ago
Arsenal season over 4+ times this season yet we are top table at the halfway point. Go figure.
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Shocking performance from referee Pawson – I saw at least eight yellow cards he missed for deliberate diving and feigning injury – cheating bastards
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don’t worry anicoll, the BPL will do retrospective charges, and all 8 will be get bans, isn’t that how it works.
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So the foxes have earned theirselves another pizza and with it ordered a side dish of ARSENAL topping. I’m not sure if I’m happy with city dropping points or disappointed they picked up one I guess we will find out at the end of the season.
For now it’s a great way to see the new year in looking down on everyone else.
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Only if the petition gets to 100,000 signatures Eddy
Sign early, sign often
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Where do I put my John Henry?
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Ah – for a moment there PG I thought you asking about another John.
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Leicester no goals in 2 games.
Ranieri out!
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Swiss-German according to Google.
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Ah – Alsatian too – I thought you were joking Andrew.
Didn’t know dogs could speak.
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Terrific stuff Andy,top of the league mate.
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Leo @_LS87_ 10m10 minutes ago
The difference between this strong half-season and others we’ve had in the past, is that the others came when most of the squad was fit. This time we’re top despite spells with 7 or 8 out at once. One week there were 10 missing.
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19 games left.
Man City have to play Leicester.
Arsenal have to play each once more.
Of the 17 remaining games, how many wins would Arsenal need to clinch it?
Let’s start the title run-in on Saturday vs Newcastle.
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It’s a ‘John Hancock’, George.
Tut tut.
besides – everyone knows a John Henry signature is worth Jack Shit.
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City have seven games in January.
They are going to suffer.
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city will have 8 games if they win in 3rd of FAC, 9 if their FAC games goes to a replay
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That is possible, Eddy.
City’s second string team look a bit of a mess at the moment.
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Arsenal News @__arsenalnews_ 5m5 minutes ago
Number of Premier League points in 2015:
Arsenal – 81
Manchester City – 72
Tottenham Hotspur – 68
Leicester – 67
Manchester United – 64
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