I usually start a new season brimming with a blend of optimism and ludicrous over confidence. I assume we’ll win every game, a delusion I maintain right up until the first dropped points when I cheerfully downgrade my expectations to an unbeaten season. After the first defeat I shrug and assume we’ll just win every competition in which we compete. And so on until the conclusion of the campaign.
It’s a happy and harmless approach to my hobby, doesn’t hurt anyone and put simply means I always hope for the best of all possible outcomes. If that ends up meaning fourth place or a Europa league position or just avoiding relegation then that’s what I’ll be cheering for at the death.
Not this time though. Having been stung by the season which followed the World Cup I watched in horror as the Euros dragged on to see all those Arsenal players not getting a break, not resting and recharging. I realised that this would be a difficult season. Now it seems that we will not only have to catch up after a slow start but also assimilate all sorts of new faces into the squad, which, when allied to the inevitable injuries ( a knock on effect of the international bullshit we all had to endure) simply means disruption and disjointed performances.
So when I saw the result of our opening fixture I was as angry as everybody else, but not surprised. Not angry at or with any individual just at the entire wasteful, pointless distraction of those international matches. I was told by many of you to try to enjoy them. I was gently chided for wishing Wales would lose at the first hurdle because it must be nice for Aaron to do so well. I can only assume those gentle chiders are deeply regretting their position now. I’d happily sacrifice his summer of fun for a prolonged healthy season with Arsenal where he could enjoy lifting a trophy at the end. Success with Wales or success with the club which actually pay his wages. He’d be happy either way wouldn’t he?
Anyway it is what it is and with the hateful circus of the transfer window at long last beginning to pack up its tent perhaps we can get back to real football. Perhaps my return from the muddy wastes of the North Somerset coast will coincide with the return of Wengerball. Stranger things have happened. Maybe the stutter against Liverpool and the blunt if resolute performance against Leicester were simply the prologue. Maybe we turn the page to chapter one this afternoon at 3pm.
Historically Watford versus Arsenal always produces a decisive result. Well, almost always. Of the twenty four matches between the two teams only one has ended in a draw. We have won every Premier League game ever played against them, their shock FA Cup victory at the Emirates back in March was their first win against us since 1988. Normal service was resumed a couple of weeks later with a resounding victory built on Iwobi’s effervescence, Alexis’ sharpness and a Coquelin / Elneny midfield axis which kept the ball moving and denied Watford almost any meaningful possession.
I will happily settle for more of the same today: Fast, fearless and inventive in possession, fierce, decisive and tireless in defence. Sounds like the perfect recipe doesn’t it? Whether we can produce such a display after a difficult first couple of games remains to be seen and whether I’m allowed to watch any of it with Liz’s birthday barbecue happening in the house and garden is a similarly moot point. The lack of Arsenal fans or even football fans on her guest list suggests it will be a big ask. Luckily enough my dogs are deeply antisocial so if I position them in the doorway to my room I might manage to go undisturbed for the requisite couple of hours.
As with Arsenal it could all come down to how much I want it, how far I’m prepared to go to get what I want and how well I can ignore the catcalls and anger of the baying crowd who little understand the pressures I’ll be operating under. They can all go hungry if it means I get to see a couple of halves of vintage or even near vintage Wengerball. I’ll face the music afterwards and take my punishment like a man.
Anyway time for the proper football blog. After last season where I sometimes strayed so far from the facts and indeed any mention of the game that I could have been auditioning for a job on the Daily Mirror, it has been made abundantly clear that readers come to football blogs for predictions, selections and wisdom with which the common herd is not blessed. I shall endeavour to give the people what they so desire.
I predict a tight game with either lots of goals or no goals or at least not many goals and a win for either the home or away side with a draw also a possibility. The Arsenal squad will feature the likes of Ozil, Cech, Cazorla, Xhaka, Bellerin, Giroud and Alexis among others, and many if not all of these will play in certain positions on the pitch. There will be a referee who will be deemed a bastard to either the visitors or the home side at various times, unless you are Andy Nic in which case you’ve probably got his autograph and photo on your bedroom wall. Arsenal will play defensively, keeping it tight and quieting the home crowd or will attack furiously like drunken Mongolian horseman with a point to prove. There will be a moment of controversy.
I hope you enjoy the game, it promises to be one.
Positively Arsenal 
we’ve got mesut ozil 3-0
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What a goal. No wonder they’re booing Alexis he’s destroying them.
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Best I’ve seen Alexis play since his first spell with us. Hope this lasts.
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HT: Watford 0-3 Arsenal
Cazorla (p)
Alexis
Ozil
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but but but steww, alexis and ozil are unhappy and want out of arsenal, don’t they look unhappy
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Arsenal U18’s beat Brighton u18’s 3-0 earlier today, J Willock, Malen x2 with the goals, think that puts AFC top of their section.
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Eddy – I don’t see any of those sort of comments. After all I’d have to go out of my way to read the press or listen to the pundits so I simply choose not to.
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those comments are not from pundits or media, its from arsenal bloggers and so called fans
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Oh I see. Those kind of comments are usually reserved for journalists who pretend to know what other people are thinking.
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Crazy pinball goal for Watford. All started when poor Nacho was left three on one.
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a bit of pingball in the arsenal area and watford score
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Good to hear the home crowd boo their own captain for that foul on Nacho.
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Theo working his socks off today
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Ox went for the cheeky chip but just over did it – shame.
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cech with a double save
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What a goal Positivistas. Ozil runs from deep 8 yds from goal to pick up a cross from Alexis.
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ozil off, wilshere on
ox off, elneny on
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Treble save from Cech.
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Where did my last post go at half time?
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Game opening up nicely now.
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Gibbs on for the injured monreal
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watford fans don’t like their players getting booked for deliberate fouls
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I assumed they were booing the player for his violent play.
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First truly poor decision from Alexis which we can forgive after that first half display
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FT: Watford 1-3 Arsenal
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Well done Arsenal. It took hard work. Pity no clean sheet.
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Seeing how hard Theo worked today on both sides of the ball, practically blowing at the end, what gets to me are bloggers & their lemmings slagging him as not good enough. Injury-free Theo in all comps had 21 goals and 14 assists in 2012-13. How these guys retain any credibility is beyond me.
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how can we be 3-0 up and I still be so scared? As good as Theo and the Ox were going forward they give zero protection to our full backs. Also we have no player sitting on the crown of the box for corners for and against consequently The oppositionare able to break when they are defending and when our defenders initialy clear the ball comes straight back. Even in open play the amount of space watford players had in the middle after our defenders had cleared was criminal. Arsene has just said players are still struggling with fitness but I feel some players need to work on where the ball will be played next but one before we start have more solid looking performces again.
All in all we did play some excellent football going forward and the back five were excellent, back to winning ways and climbing the table big time Oh Happy Day!
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I thought Theo was outstanding today, its amazing that all it took for some arsenal fans to have him as a target was the braindead pundit waddle to label him as in lacking a football brain. We see lots of fans say he can’t dribble, can’t pass, can’t shoot, he does not work hard enough, well everything he done today disproves each and everyone of those silly soundbites.
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Did not see all the game, but from what I did see Holding cool and calm once again today, Xhaka with his best game for us so far, Elneny was perpetual motion when he came on, little disappointed in both Cazorla and Wilshere.
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Wenger on Perez and Mustafi: “I think they should both go through. They’ve had medicals.”
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#WelcomeMustafi @_The12thMan 33m33 minutes ago
650 wins for Wenger. Landmark.
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 24m24 minutes ago
Wenger on Mustafi and Lucas Perez: “They’ve both had medicals but we need to complete the paperwork”
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Wenger: “We had to work very hard to get signings done. We have not got any plans for anyone else now.”
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Watford boss Walter Mazzarri says watching Sanchez, Ozil and Xhaka like “having an orgasm”
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Wenger: “We have bought two players, [Shkodran] Mustafi & [Lucas] Perez. Now we can integrate them into the squad. Because he’s not in the Spanish national team, Lucas Perez can come straight away. We have to wait for Mustafi to join the squad because he goes away with the German national team.”
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Howdy all. Lovely blog from Stew to start the day, and a lovely win from Arsenal before lunch. That’s a good Saturday morning. Now, Arsene has confirmed the signings so close the infernal transfer window, get this stupid international break out of the way, get my boy Aaron back, and let’s go!
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not in squad today – Debuchy, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Mustafi, Gabriel, Ramsey, Lucas, Iwobi, Gnabry and Welbeck
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I feel for Mustafi sitting on the bench hoping Holding gets injured. Any word on Nacho?
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Nacho s ok, just a bruise.
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A_B, you saw it the way I saw it. I was getting frustrated with our midfield in the 2nd half. I felt they didn’t anticipate where the ball might drop and mostly seemed second to the ball. El-Neny improved matters when he came on. I agree that our full back are left exposed too often.
First half was very good though….
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https://mobile.twitter.com/ClassofBergkamp/status/769544966582464514/video/1
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WENGER ON THE WIN, MONREAL, TRANSFERS
Arsène Wenger was a happy man after his side claimed their first Premier League victory of the season at Watford on Saturday. This is what he said to the press afterwards:
on getting the first win of the season…
I think overall the performance was a strong one. Very fluent and a massive first half. We were 3-0 up at half-time and in the second half we still created many chances but we missed something in the final ball, like we did at Leicester. We are not capable in the end to maintain completely for 90 minutes exactly the same intensity physically, but overall it’s a very encouraging performance and a good win.
on the end of the game…
Watford went absolutely for it because we couldn’t score the fourth goal and because we dropped physically and I think that we win games here but they are physically very strong, very determined. For us it’s always a tricky game. They are just over the fences [at the training ground] and against us they are always really up for it.
on changing penalty takers…
Look, I name three penalty takers before every single game. I did not take Theo completely out of it, because he was number two
.
on Mustafi and Perez…
I think they should go through, both of them. They had medicals. We have to finish the paperwork and I don’t know exactly when we will announce it but look, I think it could be announced at the beginning of the week.
on Monreal…
Nacho Monreal has a kick but nothing major.
on the international break…
The Euros lasted longer than before, it lasts four weeks, so I believe we paid a heavy price in our first game. Mesut is nearly there, not completely but he just goes again so for us the break is not welcome.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160827/wenger-on-the-win-monreal-transfers#sgYeVY9glxdqOMKe.99
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Kaveh Solhekol @SkyKaveh 2h2 hours ago
Marcus Rashford is the first teenager to score a Premier League goal for a team managed by Jose Mourinho
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Osman @OsmanZtheGooner 1h1 hour ago
Arsenal have had 6 different goal scorers already after 3 league games.
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Lucas Perez has completed his move to Arsenal and gone back to Spain to sort out moving home to England. Wenger says he will be training with Arsenal during the International break.
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I know my place
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MOTD never fail to downplay arsenal one way or another
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The Welobi Connexion @TheComposerOfOz 7h7 hours ago
3-1 win looked good first half, 2 new signings and Arsenal Fan TV will still be just moaning
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