Good morning Positive Arsenal fans and welcome to the 2017/2018 season,
I trust you all thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s game from Wembley, a contest that swayed from end to end but which I thought the deserved winners emerged? The result was not quite as comprehensive as in May but I recognise that we were without certainly 4-5, arguably 6 first team starters yesterday so we can be excused a little less than pure clockwork movement in the win.
I reckon we had about 75% control of the game. Our only dodgy phase came after Per was injured and we lost our momentum. When we were after the equaliser CFC spent long periods pinned in their final third and not able to get the ball away. Rather impressive on our part I thought.
Of our lads I thought Iwobi continued his sparkling pre season form and his tricky footwork and running AT the Chelsea back line resulted in an uncomfortable afternoon for our opponents. If you can get AT Luiz and Cahill then they will crack. Stay fit young man and you will have 40 games this season.
Granit earned the man of the match award and he and Mo moved the ball quickly and accurately. As in the Cup Final our midfield imposed control over the Blues for most of the 90 minutes.
Top prize this week goes to Nacho however for a commanding performance in the centre of the back three after Per went off. The Spaniard organised Sead and Rob efficiently, and despite the fact he is not a tall player was never, as far as I can recall, beaten in the air all afternoon. His aerial success came not by the application of brute force and flying elbows, but of reading the game and anticipating the arrival of the ball a split second earlier. Nacho really is a very good defender, and at 31 years old, ( 32 in February) he has 15 years of accumulated wisdom. He has not ever in his AFC career, been prone to fitness problems or suffered a serious injury. Moving to a centre back slot may well extend his Arsenal career by a season or two. I hope so.
The rest of our lads I thought did well, Hector still looking a little rusty, the OX good in parts and a bit clumsy at other times, Alexandre in and out of the game. Overall though I’d give them a collective 7/10.
Of our opponents ? Not very impressive. Not sure why Pedro was playing given he had his mask on to protect four facial “fractures” sustained less than three weeks ago. Are Chelsea really that short of players ? At the game it was far from clear why the Spaniard had been sent off from where I was sitting. Something was clearly “up” because Conte was yelping in the 4th officials ear to try and get him substituted ad the stretcher was brought to pitchside. Looking at it again on the box it was a straight red card and fair play to Mr Madeley. Alvaro Morata after 75 minutes ! What was that about?
And the penalties?
Ah Thibaut, Thibaut, Thibaut ….In the words of Björn the Bard
“The winner takes it all
The loser’s standing small
Beside the victory
That’s her destiny”
And finally, at the insistence of my daughter, a picture of Positively Arsenal’s newest reader, Nelson.
Enjoy your week!
Positively Arsenal 
uber blogger and twitteratti arseblog has got the simple minded in a spin, he is claiming that Arsenal spend nearly all of their summer transfer budget on Lacazette and have to sell players to raise funds for any more new arrivals. And the idiots are lapping it up. Fake Outrage abounds, KroenkeOut, WengerOut, AkerOut all over the place.
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Chelsea HQ 🏆 @Chelsea_HQ Aug 6
The FA Cup winners have never gone on to beat the same opponent in the following season’s Community Shield. 😏
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FH
Because they are frustrated football agents?
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Getting back to the footy and catching up with the football match (nevermind the frustrated agents) that I missed on the weekend, I have a feeling that Alexis has had some positive (and sometimes negative but overall on the plus side) influence and inspiration for players like Chambo and Iwobi.
Just throwing that out there into the mix.
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Anyone have misfortune of watching Sky’s new show The Debate last night. I flicked onto it just as they were discussing us, for a Redknapp monologue about the club being too nice to be successful.
In about a minute he trotted out a load of guff about not knowing who makes decisions (i.e no one makes tough decisions) at the club, players having too comfortable a life here with no one wanting to leave when they should, mentioned Walcott, Wilshere and the Ox (!). On and on. A torrent of unsubstantiated thought farts passed off as the truth.
He made Carragher look like a titan of reason and good sense by comparison.
Couldn’t pay me to watch the whole thing but i’d bet the house no other team came in for the treatment like that.
It’s gonna be on for an hour every night of the week apparently, so that’s another one to feed the malcontent crew and maybe get some ideas from them in return.
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I think I shall probably miss that one Rich. Can’t see what all the fuss is about – everyone knows the Premier League will be decided between the Manchester clubs. (Because of all the money they have spent)
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Anicoll. I had my fill of it in less than two mins so won’t be watching it again. Just a cathartic moan after Redknapp seemed noticeably lamer and more amateurish than usual.
Seems it will never stop amazing me how much crap these people talk about us though.
Titles not done yet anyway- what if poor, mistreated Conte gets another 100 mill or so on top of the measly 150 mill spent so far?
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As I heard (yet again) that we have failed to strengthen and approach the season with important areas unaddressed, I tried to think what I would do if I was in charge – and if this was my starting XI.
Cech
Oxlade
Mustafi
Kos
Monreal
Kolasinac
Ramsey
Xhaka
Ozil
Alexis
Lacazette.
I quickly ran into problems, as I couldn’t easily see which of that 11 needed upgrading, and more importantly, I couldn’t easily identify anyone who was available who was obviously better and who might want to come to us and who we could afford.
As any golfer would know its relatively easy to trim your handicap from 10 to 4, much, much harder to go from 4 to scratch. The journey from footballing good to great is harder than ever in the fatness of these pursey times.
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The pundits are convinced we have no leaders and subsequently not bought any leaders.
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Further thoughts on Alexis and Chambo (the English Sanchez):
Nevermind the Redknapps polluting the ether what about our very own brown arsed plundits, pardon me, but it’s begging the question:
What kind of football fan would carry on for over a season questioning the football ability of a footballer like Chamberlain? Did they not obeserve hyped up clowns like Alli flopping against the giants from Iceland and Costa Rica, or Gent, have they been incapable of making the evidential observation that footballers like Chamberlain (and Welbeck) are simply better footballers (who’ve have set backs due to injury).
Just putting that out there. As these agent’s shills are starting to piss me orf!
You all know how much I love watching Sanchez play footy (when he’s not fatigued or slightly scrambled or niggled or clogged off the park), but clearly he’ll be in need of even more rest after the WC and he’ll be over thirty.
Keeping AOC at the club is a far more important call. What kind of blagger would support the player’s agent’s interest over the club for period longer then twelve months? You all know the answer as well as I.
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“Doesn’t have a set position”
Has he proven that he can pass a football against top level opponents, let alone Iceland?
I used to ask “What is wrong with these people?” but then the penny (pennies, all that clicking innit) dropped.
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< proven he pass the ball, unlike others!
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Cazorla:
1st season: Tennish role
2nd season: LF/CM
3rd season: no longer has the legs for the wider areas, makes the full transition to CM ala Schweinsteiger etc.
Doesn’t have a set position my bleedin’ Arsenal.
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DGnjzPkWsAADTBY.jpg:large
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“vaarboom” a word which the internet assures me is the Dutch for “barge-pole” and which I trust is being jotted down by Ivan for immediate use if Virgil’s agent is on the telephone at any time over the next 48 hours.
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Thank you all for indulging my ranting above.
The Gooner &a Gunner podcast is the type of media put out by supporters that i was hoping to see more of alas such activities have long been superceeded by the desperate experts in PR, finance, physiotherapy, football etc. who know enough on how to monetise internet content and maximise the hits. I’d add our good and highly respected friend Mean Lean’s podcast to the mix but he needs to get rid of the deadwood and play the (petty) plundits in their correct positions.
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You guys remember Jonah Lomu? Of cause you do, ran right over and through Michael Catt. Mind you coming from my woods here in Port Elizabeth SA. Thats who Saed Kolašinac reminded me off when I saw that run on Sunday. Wouldn’t mind seeing him doing a Lomu on Dele Alli, or any opposition.
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Fins, I think AOC is going to be sold. Soz.
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As long as the tackles that will be aimed at the newbie are not the kind of tackles that would not be allowed upon a field of Rugby Football by their officials (ignoring the bit about hands hehe) who could complain?
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This is me expressing my grief PG. sorry too!
Additionally it is immensely lame and worth highlighting that the blaggers have supported the agent and not the club for the past year. Worth highlighting and not forgetting!
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Fins, don’t get the idea that I want the lad sold, I just think its on the cards.
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Chambo was the player the specialist in signing players signed up to special agents targeted when he stood to shake all the players’ hands that day, after a stand out performance. And amazing goal!
That was the day I started to worry about his future. Tell a lie it was the day his agent was given charitable status by the petro-corp “kingdom” also known by its other name as Don Revie’s (the crook) retirement home.
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On the same page there George.
Hope you’re feeling better these days and enjoyed some of the summer.
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Crystal Palace chairman steve parrish: “No one has an option to buy the club, least of all Tony Adams and his mythical consortium.”
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I see we are the point of the transfer window where every player we don’t sign “would have been perfect for Arsenal”
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Crystal Palace chief: “No one has an option to buy the club, least of all Tony Adams and his mythical consortium.”
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Marcelo: Surely there’s a difference between this Real Madrid and Mourinho’s. The main difference are the titles.
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Official: Arsenal have announced Dutch Italian fashion house Cavallaro Napoli as the club’s Official Formal Wear Partner. Cavallaro Napoli will dress first-team players, management and senior staff for home matchdays and other official occasions #afc
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ox is an interesting player. the only reason he is not being appreciated by the english press is that he plays for arsenal. i disagree with the idea that he is the next sanchez. i think the role he’s assumed in the team now is definitely the reason i think wenger will keep him. he covers both wing back positions brillianly. better than moses in my opinion. he can as well play in all midfield position as well as left and right wing. I struggle to see any player as vasertile as ox. we need to keep him except if he doesnt want to extend. one funny thing is that james milner is a favourite of this english media and the only merit is his versatility even though he isnt as good a player as oxlade. players like sergi roberto and rafinha of barca are being praise to high heavens but ox is condermed even though he done better than this players.
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p.s let me add that we dont need another player like sanchez. he may be a world class player, but he need to adapt his game to suit the wengerball. if he doesnt do that, i’m afraid he’ll still be a kind of liability in matches when keeping the ball is very vital. what pains me most is the fact that he can adapt but just dont want to because he felt he is superior to every other members of the team bar ozil and maybe cazorla.
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Another player like that was Mr Wright, changed the way we played and we became a Cup team.
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Arsenal FCVerified account @Arsenal 56m56 minutes ago
Well done to our under-23s, who beat Watford u-23s 6-1 in a friendly today – Eyoma, Nketiah, Malen (2), Bennacer and Johnson with the goals
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bale is sooooooooo one footed. cant even improvise to score
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I am a patient man and a sensitive soul – but Paul Scholes brings out the worst in me, the very very worst
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How many red cards would Scholes have had if he played for us?
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isn’t it so typically hypocritical of the wob, asb, that they go on and on and on for 5 years now complaining about Arsenal selling RVP to utd, but are now complaining that Arsenal are willing to risk Alexis leaving on a free next summer, and not actively seeking to sell him to the highest bidder.
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goalkeeper Deyan Iliev played for the u23’s today, after being out injured for over 2 years.
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Wenger’s press conference
Team News
Alexis out with an abdominal strain, picked up on Sunday in training
Mertesacker, Ramsey and Ozil all doubts.
Transfers:
We are not open to any bids for Alexis
Oxlade-Chamberlain:
A massive talent who knows he is a massive talent and who is on the way up, after a couple of years of niggly injuries, he was better fitness wise last season, hence his improvement.
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Koscielny is suspended for first two league games, Alexis is expected to also miss these two games with his injury.
Mustafi is in contention but has not played any preseason game time.
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so with Koscielny out suspended, and the only chance of Per playing is with a protective bandage on the wound he he suffered to his eyebrow on Sunday, it only leaves us with Chamber, Holding, Monreal, Kolasinac, the returning Mustafi(no preseason games), Elneny and young Bielik as contenders for the back 3 slots, what ever will we do, oh woe is me, we are doomed, I tell ya, we are doomed.
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Again an injury crisis leaves us woefully short at the back on opening day – will Arsene never, ever learn eddy ?
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spot on anicol, wengerout, medics out, akers out,
imagine only having Chambers, Holding, Monreal, Kolasinac, Mustafi (all be it no preseason games, but he played only about 5 weeks ago), Mertesacker with a cut eyebrow, Elneny and young Bielik, to choose 3 starters from, its madness.
and to make matters worse, Wenger said we are not close to selling any of the “DeadWood”, although he for some reason did not call them DeadWood.
to make matters worse Wenger said we are not close to selling any of the “Dead Wood”, although surprisingly he did not ball them Dead Wood, but you know what that means, with the squad “already too big” we are not getting any shiny new toys, sorry, shiny new signings, in the rest of the window, we are going to lose the transfer window, no ambition at Arsenal.
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anyway on a serious note out injured for tomorrow game are – alexis, coquelin, cazorla and campbell. only on way back from injury Gabriel and Wilshere. Only back in training Mustafi. doubts with injury, Ramsey, Mertesacker and Ozil.
Kos suspended. that is 11 players either out or with some fitness concern. And yet we can field a team that will be favorites to win, how shit is our squad.
by the way, Debuchy has played CB for the U23’s in preseason, and did very well, he might just have an outside chance of being in the squad tomorrow. Imagine the whaling and gnashing of teeth from the ASB if that happens.
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There will only be whaling if there is also sole searching…..
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Eds you missed out Doris.
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Doomed, AFC are doomed I tell you!
Can you hear the bells? The bells are ringing!
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i’ll like to see chambers getting a chance. him, holding and mustafi are still young. they can play together for many years.
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Historically the peak of the silly season is the last two weeks of August beginning next Monday. Should I do a forecast?
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