I’ve tried to gain inspiration for today’s preview from the deluge of football which has swamped us around the turning of the year. Unfortunately as I don’t care about the other teams involved in these fixtures all I got for my troubles was a crick in the neck from trying to do other things while simultaneously keeping an eye on matches I wouldn’t normally condescend to acknowledge.
Of course it’s disingenuous to suggest that the results of our rivals have no impact on our season. The final league positions are decided by an holistic interweaving of results each affecting the others in a complex web of possibilities. That wasn’t why I watched Middlesbrough though. Not really. I watched them simply because Calum was playing and I’m intrigued to see if I can glean anything from his performances.
After Francis Coquelin’s inspired return from the barren wastes of the loan wilderness any Arsenal player currently honing their craft on alien pitches has that delicious potential to become an Emirates based game changer. The problem I have with watching an entire match just to enjoy the contribution of one player is the same as watching the Welsh international team. I’m simply not invested in the result nor the contest as a whole. One doesn’t enjoy a gourmet meal by lifting a single ingredient onto one’s fork and abstaining from the rest.
Not that ‘boro or Wales provided cordon bleu cookery, far from it, but I hope my point still stands. The gastronomic delight du jour in the Arsenal kitchen has been cooked up of course by our Gallic heartthrob. He has been promising a goal of such superlative defying elegant ostentation ever since he joined us. Older readers may remember February of twenty thirteen when I was moved to write these words:
“Out of absolutely nowhere and without bothering to so much as take a touch never mind think about a pass, Olivier Giroud, still some thirty yards from goal and near the touchline unleashed a terrifying dipping shot which would have snapped the Mordor keeper in half if it had hit him. OK so the shot missed the target by a fraction, Arsene got off the bench and signalled his displeasure, the commentators pointed out how well placed Ramsay was and we came home with a well earned point but no more.
But I was captivated by that moment. The audacity, the confidence, the technique. Name three other attributes you want more in your centre forward. Go on. Name them.
But of course the goals started to come. He opened his account against Coventry in the widdley diddley cup and gave us this fantastic quote “This goal has taken the pressure off me. It’s done, I have my first goal. But it has to be the start of a beautiful adventure.” And I started to love him just a little bit.
“But it has to be the start of a beautiful adventure.” Perfect. I’ve been accused of being a bit of a romantic where football is concerned and maybe that is true but like Larry I believe a player’s career and relationship with us should be just that. Wasn’t Thierry’s Arsenal career a beautiful adventure? How else would you describe it? I like that bit of poetry in Giroud’s make up. It complements his physical prowess rather neatly.”
What excited then me was the sense of adventure and invention which all great players have and which provides the moments we love and cherish, briefly lending the epithet ‘beautiful game’ a ring of truth. I think Giroud’s subsequent contribution to the side has vindicated my optimism. The blend of the sublime with an obvious physicality has been present in many of his goals and his vital assists.
His misfortune was to be born into an era dominated by over reaction and the promotion of idiocy which the internet has inadvertently spawned. Had he played in earlier times he’d have been rightly lauded for the player he has always been and not just for one moment of brilliance.
Today the players will need to find other attributes to compliment the skill and speed of their natural game. With an extremely ill timed flu bug working through the camp, injuries still robbing some players of match sharpness, others of any fitness at all, Elneny departing for international duty, and having played just the day before yesterday, stamina and determination will matter as much as fluency and improvisation.
Bournemouth have won and lost three each of their previous six games and are one of those sides I find difficult to predict. They don’t strike me as naturally suited to the suffocating defensive tactics beloved of many of our opponents nor quite good enough to go toe to toe in a straight footballing contest with us. But then, neither did Everton.
The Cherries’ best result was probably the four three over Liverpool who are enjoying their best form for a few years. There was also the six they stuck past Hull but then they’ve contrived to lose to Burnley, Sunderland, Stoke, and West Ham so pick the bones out of that lot. As I say, unpredictable, up and down; they are capable of flowing football and abject defending and their best hope will be our lack of fully fit players. They’ve had one day longer to recover since an away win at Swansea. Precious little you might say but when we’re talking of a four day period it is significant nonetheless.
I’ll settle for a win however achieved but I wouldn’t say no to another slice of scrumptious footballing cuisine from the man who stole my heart over four years ago. As I said back then “A man who should have taken a season to win me round had me in that one sparkling moment of near brilliance back in August. There’s just something very Arsenal about him.”
Positively Arsenal 
Coquelin down with what looks like a hamstring injury,
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A goal back by HT would be handy. Ramsey back into CM with Le Coq off – pity he is injured but an attacking change
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26 minutes, Coquelin off, Oxlade-Chamberlain on.
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close from Ramsey
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great tackle by Mustafi
our defending at the corner was poor, the guys are not alert at all tonight
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iwobi well wide from a good position
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Come on Arsenal, get your heads in the game before it gets too far away from us.
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HT: AFCB 2-0 AFC
poor defending by bellerin on the first goal, silly from xhaka on the penalty
tempo and energy levels not good so far, final ball missing, some of the players look shell shocked, iwobi have a poor game. Giroud not in it so far, alexis final ball been off. Bellerin having as poor a game as I have ever seen him have, not his usual zip.
big half coming up, if we are serious about contesting for the title then we have to make a comeback here.
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Well as they said at a different time, and in a different context
Things can only get better
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I am formidably irritated at the players tearing into one another. Turning on one another, bitching. Shut the fuck up and get on with the job of playing football
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some of the players need the riot act read to them at half time, going through the motions.
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We are giving away far too many penalties this season. That’s six now, only Hull have given away more, on eight. Ok , some against us have been beyond soft, but…..are we missing a trick on the training ground? it seems the more defensive, and some would say, dirty teams are amongst those who have given away the fewest penalties. Do they practice clever fouls or something?
Whatever , it is a habit the team need to lose
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anicol I don’t think there is many who are playing well enough to be able to complain to anyone else for being poor. They do need to sort themselves out. If we don’t see a good response in the second half then heads should roll.
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Help…I want to bury my head and come out when it’s over.
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When we get a penalty like the one Bournemouth got I might criticise this team.
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Mandy on that penalty, xhaka had no reason at all to shove him, none, the guy was going no where, and was just waiting for the push so he could go down, and stupidly graint obliged, beyond stupid.
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Well either win this 3-2 or lose it 4-1.
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so will it be 70 minutes before we see Lucas on
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Orbinho @Orbinho 12m12 minutes ago
The last time they won after being 0-2 down away in the Premier League was Bolton in March 2008
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still different offside rules when it comes to arsenal, a fucking disgrace
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Our penalty stats do make pretty odd reading for an attacking, not especially dirty team. Four pens early season, but not one in the league for nearly four months, during which time we have conceded several, including three at home in a row, that must be unusual.
Seems refs are a bit unforgiving at the moment….for whatever reason……
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Maybe the revenge of the PGMOL for wengers comments about them needing to be more serious in their work…..lions in zoos etc
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that is the second awful corner xhaka has taken tonight
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afcstuff @afcstuff 8m8 minutes ago
As well as not saving any of the 8 penalties he’s faced at Arsenal, Cech has also dived the wrong way on every single occasion. #afc
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Not
Our
Night
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Foul on Hector
But even so!
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that was a foul on bellerin, but ref allows it and afcb make it 3-0. Bellerin really treading water tonight, never seen him struggle for pace so much
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Shades of Southampton….around about this time last year, nothing is going our way tonite, clear foul on Bellerin as well .
Happy days for the WOB on the eve of their derby
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losing all the battles
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Was that Bournemouth “goal” handball by the way ? Good spot if it was
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iwobi off, lucas on, about 30 minutes left.
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I’ve definitely gone full head under the covers now. I have no mental strength.
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anicol i think it hit him on the arm, which is handball, if the ref deemed he actually put his hand to the ball, its at least a booking
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Wouldn’t be surprised to see us get a really soft red in this game
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Bad day at the office after such a promising start to the year on Sunday. I thought the short rest period might make it tough, but I didn’t expect the team to crumble so completely. There’s some hard work going to be required on the training ground in the next week as well as in the treatment room patching up the walking wounded.
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It’s on
Reading here we come 🚂 come
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Exciting last 20 minutes coming up. Ref is going to have to start converting some yellows into red at this rate.
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very disappointed by Giroud tonight, he has scored two fantastic goals in our last two games, so I would have expected him to be full of confidence and to really take this game by the scruff of the neck
and as i say that, he gets in front of his marker and heads it on for alexis to score
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Hoot fucking hoot
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brilliant lucas gets another goal back, 15 minutes to go
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Exciting last 15 minutes.
What’s Oliver up to keeping all 11 on?
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if alexis’s passing was a bit better he would be unstoppable
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Come on boys!!! Don’t be like me!! Believe!
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Poor challenge – silly bastard
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That’s more like it, timely red, following two timely goals.
Exciting last 5 minutes ahead.
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deserved red card for two footer on ramsey
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who did gabriel come on for
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how is that not a foul on lucas, it was much more of a push than the afcb penalty
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ramsey with a wild shot
keeper booked for time wasting
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what an awful corner by ox, we are terrible with corners, its beyond a joke.
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