Good Morning Positivistas,
What a night ! A delicious opportunity to reel in Tottingham and Leicester thrown away, three points that is seemed we must pick up during a good first half performance surrendered to Swansea. The evening ended with a number of players slumped, and I imagine that physical deflation was multiplied by the thousand across the fans in every corner. Even the invariably polite and articulate Arsene cracked in front of the camera. I know it took me a moment to compose myself.
Looking at the football we played I thought much of it was genuinely good. Joel Campbell was a constant attacking threat and always involved. His goal was smoother than a ripe little peach. Ramsey and Ozil worked hard and pulled the Swansea defence about all evening, Giroo provided the target around which our efforts pivoted. Did we make chances ? Oh yes, we made chance after chance. The content of the game reminded me of our thriller at the King Power at the end of September. 5-2 that finished, goals galore, Theo, Olivier and a treble from the irrepressible Chilean, a happy afternoon. If the sun shone brightly that day the weather had changed by 9.40 last night !
We find ourselves in the “perfect storm”.
A set of strikers who create chances but manage to batter only the woodwork into submission, who put the ball a millimetre to the left when a millimetre to the right is required, and often run into a keeper apparently equipped with eight tentacles rather than the standard two hands and big gloves. For the moment we can’t get the ball in the goal, or I should say more accurately we can’t get the ball in the goal enough times to overcome the effect of our second current malaise.
Allied with that misfiring offensive equipment we have a defence that seems to have lost its confidence, particularly whichever two central defenders find themselves on duty. Whether it is Per, Kosc or Gabriel when then are subject to direct aggressive attack by the opposition, when their equilibrium is upset, they seem to lapse into panic. If there is a defensive ‘plan’ (and I am sure there is) it seems to disintegrate within moments. And as their nervousness grows the opposition take advantage of the gaps and errors that such skittishness causes. Last night even the great Petr fell victim to the collective madness. Do I exaggerate ? Perhaps, but in recent games there have been a number of grim examples of allowing the attackers to take the ball, and the game away from us.
And yet, despite the footballing equivalent of Scylla and Charybdis, we sit still third in the League. Six points adrift but with ten games to go. To listen to some it might as well be sixteen points. Nonsense I say. With no side truly dominant in terms of form that the Premier League could/should be written off is absurd. If we were six points clear with ten games to go you and I know we would be nervously casting glances over our shoulder, and rightly so. There is much work to be done, to recover confidence, to re-sharpen technique. Do it again, do it better.
The North London Derby but three days away. Always a key fixture but this year….. ! Both sides frantic to secure the three points, both still in the chase for the title. There is no magic pill, no miracle panacea, we face a long march up a steep road, with the precipice of defeat a step away. The players must work hard, regain their optimism, and not give up, indeed never, ever give up. Will you join them ?
Positively Arsenal 
those 3 goals came in a 7 minute spell.
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Mills, you are a treat! The Arsenal Poet Laureate?
The current league is the way football should be. Everyone has a chance of winning.
I have no time for a walk-over for The Arsenal, in every game. Where is the enjoyment and need I write it, the angst from the minority.
The Arsenal hit the criss bar and as Sanchez seems to imply – no cojones.
We expect a hat-trick from the Chilean with the cojones, on Saturday! Que grosero!
COTG.
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Sorry, cross bar!
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lfc keeper with an outstanding save to prevent Mavididi from scoring again
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80th minute, Malen on for Mavididi
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90th minute, Nelson on for Willock
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FT: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
Arsenal now play Man City in the semi final
Bennacer was outstanding in CM, Hinds very good, Bielik solid at CB. Sheaf looks very good at RB, even if he is normally a midfielder.
This is clearly a very skillful team, all our players very comfortable on the ball. Disappointed by Reine-Adelaide once again, seems to float through games, there certainly is a lot more in him than he showed tonight.
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Not bad game at all.The Arsenal have some good young players.
COYG!
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a very good performance overall by the team, but a special mention must go to the defense as it can be said that the entire 4 players are all playing out of their best positions, Sheaf is normally a CM, but due to an injury crisis at RB he is doing well there, Bielik came to the club as a DM and is growing into the role at CB, Bola was outstanding at LB for the U21’s on Monday, and he is normally LB for the U21’s, but at U18 he plays CB. Robinson is normally a left winger, but again due to injuries he has mostly played at LB this season.
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pity Bennacer is small, as he looks like he has the sort of game that our CM is lacking since Cazorla is out injured
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the other semi final is Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea
Chelsea have been in the last four finals, winning three, the last two,
Man city lost last years final to CFC
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I thought Chris Willock looked too. Well played all the young Gunners though.
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Willock certainly a highly skilled player and unlike Reine-Adelaide he has very good work rate. Hinds very similar to Willock but his built far stronger. The young sub that came on, Nelson, is another very skillful ball player.
must say I thought Liverpool players very street wise, lots of little digs, foot left in, off the ball hits etc
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PSG are very likely to win their league next week, with 8 games to spare.
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I wonder if Jeff just needs a bit of leaning on to step up a bit.You can tell hes fantastic. I would like to have seen a bit more of Nelson-have heard him being spoken of by various sources as one to watch.
But despite all Liverpools effort and streetwise play, you could tell the skill and style and strength of AFC was generally much better.— Im off so until till tomorrow for the big game v the Chas and Dave XI. Night!
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https://mobile.twitter.com/AFCOllieJD/status/705864700047859714/video/1
Schezzer won’t ever change heh.
But I enjoy his on the pitch silliness. It’s football innit. Or should I stock up on some razor blades before the weekend?
I wouldn’t say no to another first minute screamer followed on by eighty nine minutes of solid D-Fence. Alas you do need those Rosickys, Cazorlas or Wilsheres (stupendously good goals for club and country at the end of last season) in a squad, magic players one and all. but let’s see how this team get on. I haven’t given up on them. Not yet heh.
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don’t worry fins, AFC win 6-0 or better and we go above spurs into second
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The performance tonight was excellent especially when you consider none of the back four were in their recognised position and three of side are playing up an age group and Reiss Nelson is playing up two levels.
Six of the starting eleven are hale end acadamy players.
I think I would have to give MOTM to Marcus McGuane especially as he was one of those lads playing up an age group. He was everywhere and protected the back four very well although he did tire towards the end.
When you also consider most of these lads played all or part of the U21 game Monday its even a bigger achievement.
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