So the late ko at Anfield is going to be a test, in more ways than one I feel.
The team heads north going into the battle sitting insecurely in 4th spot, a single point in front of Liverpool, with a game in hand. The league positions alone would make this a big game, but it feels a lot more than just 3 points at stake.
Both teams are on poor runs, both managers are being blamed by very vocal sections of their fan-bases and both clubs have gone from title hopefuls to no-hopers as far as the media and the fan-bases seem concerned. Both teams need a win and one, or both, will definitely be disappointed come 7.22 p.m.
All I seem to see recently talked about is how poor our away form is, against the current top 6 . The problem is, and there is no getting away from it – It is poor. Of course that doesn’t mean it will stay poor. We can’t do anything about what has gone, but the players sure as hell can do something about what is to come. I almost feel that the next few weeks ,these players will hold Arsene’s future in their hands. If they show the fight and togetherness needed to go on a good run, I believe Arsene will stay. However, if he sees anything less, I think he could decide his work with us is done. I stress, this is just my gut feeling, I could be completely wrong, he may stay if we go on a bad run, and he might equally leave if we go on a good one.
I also think this next few weeks could see the team staying together , with further building work going on in the Summer, if things go well. Or it break up as we know it ,with some players losing faith in the team or the club losing faith in some players, if things go badly.
The result will ultimately be all that matters today, but the application will be what is crucial going forward. If the players don’t show the spirit and application required, then Arsene will take the blame. And ultimately, this has to be the case.
I have no idea who should start, what tactics we should try or what shape we should use. That, thankfully is not my job or problem. I just want to see the players live up to the potential they have.
I believe in these players and our manager but I feel the moment of truth is upon them all. The club is coming to a fork in the road, and its up to the players to make the right turn.
I’m sure I’m coming across as a right drama queen, but I think this is a very important time for all concerned.
“Cometh the hour, cometh the men.”
Come on you Gunners.
Positively Arsenal 
who took all my spaces out
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Jeorge Bird @jeorgebird 3h3 hours ago
FT: Arsenal U18s 1 (Dasilva) Tottenham U18s 2
Andy’s Arsenal U18’s @AndyAndya873 4h4 hours ago
On a bright note our U16 beat spurs 7-2
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twitter will be in meltdown with that selection, Ozil not in squad, Alexis only a sub, Giroud up front. Coqeulin starting. Would only have needed Ospina in goal and Ramsey wide right and every box would have been ticked
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Man Utd have been in 6th place for 139 days, a 6 goal win for Arsenal today would see utd move to 5th, it would also see AFC go 2nd
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I see none of the malcontents have even considered that the leaving out of Alexis could be a tactical move by Wenger, of course when you spend years claiming Wenger does not do tactics, then you can not dare acknowledge that he actually does.
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Wenger: “We’re going with Giroud and Welbeck up front because we will need to be a bit more direct and strong in the air.”
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Looks a good line up to me.
Would love to know what’s behind the benching of Sanchez – AFC playing transfer hardball? Who knows.
Have wanted to see Welbeck and Iwobi play together for about year! Very pacy pairing.
Great chance for Chambo to shine and he’s been playing really well in recent months.
Giroud will be a bloody nuisance to the Liverpool defence and this season his hunger for goals has been matched with strikes of all flavours.
Expect a confusing mixture of Wengerball and Route 1 – the Liverpool Tactics Board will look like a field of red ink especially now they have about 3 players freed up from marking Sanchez.
Apparently Henderson’s absence is significant although he’s not someone I’ve ever rated to be honest. Hard to know who wants or needs this game more – on paper a draw looks a good shout but I’m going for an Arsenal win.
COYG’s!
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The way I see it AW leaving Sanchez on the bench shows he can be cold bloodedly ruthless. Interesting set up without his 2 best MFs. Seems he aims to grind it out. Won’t be pretty. He has done it before when fighting for top-4.
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COYG
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all over the place in defense there, 1-0 to lfc.
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we must be the worst takers of corners in the BPL
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how can such talented players be so bad at taking corners. We have one of our biggest set of players out there today, and our corners can’t beat the first man.
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cech with a good fingertip save
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coquelin booked for shirt pulling
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awful defending once again 2-0 to LFC
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on both their goals, the scorer has been unmarked.
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Jas @JasAFC 3m3 minutes ago
Monreal looked like he’d seen a ghost when he saw Mané. That was literally his man to cover.
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1st half in one word ?
Toothless
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HT: Liverpool 2-0 Arsenal
its not that lfc have been that good, we’ve been awful, playing like entire team have taken sedatives.
Poor defending on both goals, created little or nothing, and struggling big time under the press, some crazy stats out there on number of times we have given away the ball.
there has been no urgency or energy in our game. Just not good enough from the players.
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anicol my word would be
pathetic
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our lot are playing like they couldn’t give a fuck
for the fans,
for the club
for the manager
for their teammates
for themselves
its dire stuff.
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I try and stay positive, and back the team and manager all the way, but that was abject. It seems at the moment, they cannot pass, defend, take set pieces, deal with set pieces.
There is time to rescue all, we have to back them to do so this season, but they just seem unrecognisable, there seems to be something wrong. If they do not pick up on the performances we have seen in recent months, all sorts of imponderables come into view.
I firmly believe they are unsettled by the manager situation, but if that is the case, they have to be a bit more professional . It seems as if they carry a weight on their collective shoulders.
They need to improve on this
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Shit play so far. Don’t look like a team at all. Can’t keep the ball enough to string 2 passes together. Wenger puts Welbeck and Giroud up top so that we are strong in the air and players don’t even try getting in any aerial balls.
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My word for that performance, and indeed recent ones……unsettled……
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Coquelin, Iwobi and Monreal are particularly off the pace today. Alexis and Ramsey on for Coquelin and Iwobi for the second half would be my choice
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Sane and Coutinho running the game for the home side and both look dangerous any time they are on the ball. Plenty of time to put this right but a major shakeup required. I fancy for once the two substitutes will be on in a minute.
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No effort bring made to get into position defensively and not following any attacking strategy. I can’t blame Wenger. It’s the players who are not performing. As for why I wish I knew. Arsenal at the moment is unrecognisable.
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Chkmiaot we constantly see this, when we don’t have giroud in the team, we put in crosses and high balls, but for some odd reason, when he is there we don’t do it. Headless stuff
I mention earlier, today we have Giroud, Welbeck, Xhaka, Koscielny and Mustafi in there for corners, and we have put in low balls, unable to beat the first man. Jesus christ, a high hopeful ball would give us a decent chance of getting on the end of it, but our lot seem to be having a brain freeze once again.
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Referee is doing well
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anicol I have thought of another word for our lot today
cowardly
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Most goals conceded of late have been in a similar manner. Midfield does not track back leaving opposition wingers time and space. Poor.
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Get a grip eddy
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the second half will tell us what our lot are made of.
will the stand up and be counted, or just stand there and let it happen. In the last week or so many of them and come out and said they have been letting Wenger down, well much more of that first half, and I think Wenger will decide to leave in the summer.
Alexis is on for Coquelin, with ox going cm,
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I know he is not the quickest , nor would he be match sharp, but think we need a Per out there. I remember how he and Arteta once did a lot to stabilise the team in a similar dire run of performances. Kos is a great player, but seems to lead more by example than inspiration
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Giroud very close, another foot away from the keeper and it was in
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Diving bastard
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We have had some bad defeats, when we have not deserved them.
But this first half is not one of them.
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Welbeckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk we are back in it
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The data doesn’t lie. If Arsenal cannot dominate possession and the tempo we aren’t beating these teams.
In my last blog the data showed we had only 2 top class midfielders. #3 was Iwobi. We are going to struggle. Ranting & raving won’t help
Alexis is now on. Lets see if this solves the problem of possession & creativity.
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it was a great finish by danny from a tight angle
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Can booked for foul on alexis
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we have got in 3 times down the right this half, but the final ball has been lacking
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Hector’s headband has got to go!
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Walcott and Perez on for Welbeck and Giroud
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is the ref bottling this, Can should be off
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Ox, Welbeck and Iwobi not helping out defensively at all. Welbeck could easily have marked Sane for the second. Iwobi jogs back for the first.
I love Arsenal and Arsene but something is just not right at the club. Players are just not focused. Something’s up behind the scenes.
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the answer is yes the ref has bottled it, and in fact has booked Xhaka for complaining that Can did not get a second yellow, disgraceful once again from the pgmol
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Great. No servings yellow for Can but Xhaka gets one. For nothing.
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ten minutes for us to pull this out of the fire
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