A guest post from @Labo_Goon
Good day Positivistas!
We all know how pundits just love their top 6 mini-league tables,
because for them this is where Premier League titles are won
and where the divide between Champions League qualification and Europa
occur.
They have a point you know, but……
The other side of the coin is that many games vs teams in the
“also-run” category aren’t exactly cakewalks. How many times in the
past did teams fall a mere few points shorts from being crown PL Kings
or even making CL qualification because of slip-ups against the also-rans ?
This is what make these games so vital. If you drop too many
unnessacary points here, it’s irrelevent how well you did in the top 6
mini-league come May. Something we as Gooners know all too well.
Against the top 6 teams you know exactly what to expect, they have a
certain style, some cracking players that will punish you if you lose
focus for even a second. But this… this damn also-runs are the
banana skins man. Complacency can set in, Ben Foster can turn up like
a man auditioning for a ‘top 6 call-up’, and one or two of their
attacking players can get bloody slippery as hell. Don’t even dare
give them a set-piece anywhere close to goal, training ground stuff
can suddenly just fall in place.
Don’t forget the refs man. How many times did they become the subject of
discussion – for sucker punching us to create distance between
ourselves and sweetheart clubs at the top of log? A legitimate goal
being disallowed, a few of the most straightforward penalties not given,
a player getting stopped via chokehold being waved on, penalties given
against us from only god knows where? Match officials love stealing
the show!
Now today! With the expectation that WBA will play from deep, Arsenal
need to be on their A game and not too adventurous, the opposition
will be very patient as their primary aim will be not to lose. If we
over commit too much, a misplaced pass could lead to… … Let me
just say, whatever scenario, Arsenal twitter refers to it as: “typical
Arsenal”. So that is not needed tonight.
After an initial poor start to our season we seem to have pulled
ourselves up and are WWDW in our last 4 games. Most pleasing for me
about this is that we kept 3 clean sheets, conceding a solitary fluke
goal. So more of that defensive discipline wouldn’t be asking too
much.
On our opponents: Just last Wednesday they pushed a strong Man City
team to their limits. In Evans and McAuley they got one of the better
CB pairings of teams in the mid to bottom half, so chances will be
few, and we need to bury one as soon as it comes. Allowing them to
become too comfortable as the game moves along, could be very
frustrating for us.
Tony Pulis has been a long time admirer of Arsène Wenger and in the
very articulate Kieran Gibbs he found himself a gateway to the Arsenal
way. So no doubt our ex player has become the de facto technical
adviser leading up to the game all week. That should tell us they know
our weaknesses and our strengths, to the man.
If we play with the same discipline and care we did Bournemouth and
Chelsea, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t have joy at the end
whistle.
On team selection: I think we’ve reached the point where we can refer
to a predicted line-up as “the usual suspects”, with them one can
expect the distinguished Mesut Özil back after missing out last
Sunday, as well as Alexis Sánchez the obvious replacement for Danny
Welbeck.
Saed Kolašinac is a player that excites me, very compact and
disciplined, so it will be interesting to see the chemistry building
up between him and Alexis on the left side of the pitch. This is a
fixture for the Chilean to get back to his best, so stay in the
attacking half of the field and trust your team mates, there’s no need
to play fetch. If he can try more of those passes he gave Theo vs the
Donny’s, he’ll become a treat to even those he frustrates so much.
Ramsey and Xhaka were the ones pulling the strings last 2 PL fixtures.
If they win the midfield battle, it will make the job of the rest so
much easier.
As the boss always say, our most important game is the next one. This
is that game! And my buzz phrase is: play as individuals and we’ll be
left biting our nails, play as a team and we are in for a treat.
We are favourites to win this game but we also shouldn’t take anything
for granted, fans and players alike. Let’s keep the faith and trust
Arsenal to colour Monday RED.
Good luck to all watching the game from wherever and don’t forget
keeping them fingers crossed. Our boys need all the help they can get
and Arsenal supporters… know your role, we got one job!
Positively Arsenal 
Monday night Football crew will be sharpening their knives as we speak.
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Good reading. Thanks Labo
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Good morning Labo,
We have had some odd performances against clubs that on paper we should have beaten easily. Everton and WBA away last season faced us on the back of a desperate run of form and we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in both.
What seems to make the difference is that we start strongly and convert control of the ball into one and, ideally, a two goal margin. Too often we have started well, but with no goal to prove our dominance, allowed the opposition back into the game.
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Good morning guys.
Agree Andrew. I suspect opening 20 minutes could be very entertaining as WBA would look to strike early before we get any rhythm going. So if an opening comes our way, we need to capitalize.
Hope Ollie gets the 100th tonight.
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Great post labo
I concur we need to approach this game with the same focus like the Chelsea game and we need to take our chances
A workman like win will not go a miss but I won’t begrudge us winning in style.
I would have like us to win a few games without Alexis and Ozil- not for any other reason than the team will have massive self belief and the pressure will be on the A stars to perform.
I do expect Alexis to start today though
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i dont buy into the notion that the games agaunst the top six more important than the other 14. at the end it is 3 points or 6 poins at stake. that is why most times i find it rather foolish seeing our players not giving their best against this lower teams because they are trying to stay fit aginst the to 6. what will be of essence ten years down the road is if you won the title and not if you beat the to 6 team. if we beat all the lower 14 clubs that gives us 84 points and that alone makes us title contender and a super favourite for top 4 finish. we already lost against stoke, a game we all agreed we should have won considering the chances we created. i’ll rather want us to focus more on games we have good chances of wining than on games the media hype as if they hold more importance. every one is talking about our good performance against chelsea but we only got one point. if we have won against stoke and lost against chelsea, we would have got two more points.
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Biggest game of the season
Why?
Because it’s the nrxt one.
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Thanks Labo.
The thought of a Pulis team been given nearly a fortnight to prepare for an Arsenal game really does give me the hebegeebees.
Larry has to start, we need his physical presence.
Our team will need to be on song and on form tonight, and whoever does get to the Ems tonight needs to give the boys plenty of support.
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I am looking forward to Ramsey in the number 10 position instead of Ozil.
Elneny starting is an indication that balance of the team is important and having a front three of Ozil laca and Sanchez I think leaves vulnerable in the middle
The mobility upfront should give the baggies food for thought
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COYG!
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DC, I love the word hebegeebees.especially the way King Julius says it.
Interesting team selection and Rambo could be in full flow.
I think Gibbo and Evans and might get the “hebegeebees”.
COYG, COYG, COYG.
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My man Mo starting tonight – good lad
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Arsenal U23’s are 1-0 up away to Everton U23’s, Marcus McGuane with the goal
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commentators going on about WBA should have had a penalty, from all the replays I have yet to see any contact by Mustafi on the forward.
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Very lucky we didn’t concede and credit to the baggies player for staying on his feet. That was a definite penalty
But it all started with losing possession cheaply and a simple ball over the top
Why mustafi went sliding in I don’t know stay in your feet and there would have been no danger
Baggies constantly looking for that long ball over the top
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Ben Foster already time wasting
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TFL I can see no contact
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Eduardo watching the reply there is definite contact enough for me to give a penalty if he had stayed down
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Boom Lacazette wot a poacher
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Lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Alexis freekick off the bar, Laca heads home, first AFC player to score in his first 3 home league games
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Monreal clears off the line
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Alan Smith moaning at Jay Rodriguez
Idiotic – as usual
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Monreal off the line and it all started with Ramsey giving the ball away with a silly pass and everyone caught upfield
Another chance when Elneny losses the ball
In between the chances we have had baggies had another great chance
We need to score more goals as we will surely concede with the sloppy defending we have shown so far
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West Bromwich Albion eh – who knew ?
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 WBA
Lacazette with our goal, WBA close on a couple of occasions.
Commentators very unhappy that AFC lead
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Alexis needs to clear his head or he will be sent off
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Arsenal U23’s are now behind v Everton U23’s, Olowu with an OG
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Krychowiak !
Excellent
It’s taken the first 45 minutes to find out to spell his name
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a minute later McGuane makes it 2-2 with a penalty
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AFC U23’s behind again, six minutes to play
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1-0
I expect we should play better in the second half and West Brom will rue their missed chances .
I would like to see Alexis more upfront and not dropping too deep all the time
Lacazette is a little bit isolated
Ramsey will score if he pushes upfront
Elneny bar the one mistake has been tidy
Defence and midfield needs to communicate better
Monreal though has been phenomenal
We should win this more comfortably if we stop getting edgy and focus
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down to ten now, Gilmour sent off, two yellows
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Fantastic 1st half. Pity those gooners who can’t enjoy Arsenal is going for the win, not sitting on a 1 goal lead. Wenger is no coward!
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Arsenal only denied 2 penalties in that half, and neither got a mention in the half time analysis
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Having said all that there was a blatant shirt pull on Sanchez in the box when he had a reasonable chance of getting the ball a definite foul and according to the rules a penalty
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And speaking of the baggies honest to goodness honesty what about Ramsey who stayed on his feet when if he had gone flying would have been a penalty too
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I think the foul on monreal was a penalty too though I thought earlier monreal handled the ball
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FT: Everton U23’s 4-2 Arsenal U23’s
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Penalty for shove on Ramsey
Lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee tucks it away
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Brilliant penalty Lacazette
Ramsey excellent play a penalty for me he clearly was beaten and the only way he could stop Ramsey was barge into him
Anywhere else that would have been a foul so fair play to the ref for calling it
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disgraceful that WBA have not had a man sent off yet
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Giroud on for Lacazette
Ozil on for Alexis
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Love Ben Foster – minutes and 2-0 down
Still wasting time
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*88
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Maitland-Niles on for Ramsey, about twenty seconds left
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Man of the Match ?
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – no contest
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FT: Arsenal 2-0 WBA
Lacazette with both goals,
Arsenal very impressive in the second half.
Monreal was outstanding today.
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just been told that Mustafi, Xhaka and Ramsey were all shit today, and Kos was poor also.
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Monreal on another planet.
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