@LaboGoon on the early programme today
Arsenal’s performance last weekend in the North London Derby was a show off of the amazing quality and the potential we possess. The challenge now and indeed the question on everybody’s lips is can we replicate that consistently.
Football doesn’t work that way though, there’s no exact science if you will.
Sometimes, at least twice a year, you play Burnley, who under Sean Dyche are really well organised defensively and them packing their midfield make them a very difficult team to break down. If you allow them going a goal up, they have the ability to shut you out almost completely.
Being level on points with us is not down to luck either, and it would be foolish to even think otherwise.
We did however collect 6 points off of them last season, but they took us really deep both times as we only snatch those in the dying moments. So we can expect them again being focused throughout and very patient. And coming off of 3 successive PL victories… there will be little room for complacently as this could be another butt clenching affair.
Another challenge coming to the fore – we are playing at Turf Moor. While our form at the Emirates can rightly be described as amazing, somehow we struggle on the road. For us to keep pace with the rest of the top 6, we are going to have to start taking some of the Emirates intensity on our travels.
Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool all dropping points yesterday offer us a real opportunity to capitalize, which I think would add to the pressure – that hopefully won’t get to our boys.
That said, if we play anything close to like we did vs Spurs, there can only be one winner.
On team news: with no new injuries and to give ourselves the best chance to win, I suspect we will start the same match day 11 that did duty vs Spurs.
The schedule over the next 6 weeks will be very demanding dear friends, so we better brace ourselves as teams around us will drop even more points. All we can do is pace ourselves nicely to stay fresh and take it one game at a time. Let the Conte’s, José’s and Klopp’s that have so much to say about so-and-so teams having better festive fixtures get ahead of themselves, while we carpe diem.
Good luck to all watching the game around the globe. Don’t forget to scream and shout for Arsenal, the greatest team the world has ever seen.
Positively Arsenal 
Hear, hear…
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Excellent Labo and good to see a nice early post so we have more time tomorrow to run around and get everything done before the game.
I think You’ve called it right when you you say this will be a hard game and maybe even harder than last week. We had everything against us last week and again the signs this week aren’t good. It’s still November, were away from home where are form hasn’t been good and were going to a tight ground where Burnley have made abit of a fortress even against the big teams since there return.
Thursday was a real shame given that the first, U23 and U18s all clicked up big wins in difficult circumstances, however the dogey pen was better in that game, than in last week’s or this week’s PL games.
I think we learned again in the week stale possession without moving the ball quickly will get you bogged down and allow the opposition to organise and sit comfortable in front of you, against Burnley we need to be quick and use every inch of the pitch. Overlapping players on the outside or in the middle will be very important.
Three points so important tomorrow even more than performance, enjoy everyone COYG.
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Good morning guys. Just after 6:25 here in SA and the sun is out.
Burnley got wins over Chelsea, Everton and Southampton thus far, and draws vs Spurs and Liverpool.
You are so right Ian and with Burnley’s two banks of four and five I suspect a lot backwards and sideways passing from us, recycling the ball to relaunch attack after attack. Focus and patience from us will be the order of the day.
This game will keep us so on the edge of our seats.
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good analysis Labo. Early goals won’t do any harm…always assuming they’re at the right end.
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Thanks Labo – top work. I’m not at all envious of your late spring weather. Its forecast to be wet and cold, with the rain becoming heavy as the game goes on – so every incentive for our lads to run around a lot. I pity the poor keepers in conditions like that, especially so if one of them is not that busy. I wonder if this is the sort of day where it is better to aim for chaos in the box with repeated aerial bombardments rather than the more intricate and measured wengerball approach we normally use to try to unlock stubborn defences.
I was quite pleased when I saw that the game was on Sunday afternoon as assumed that it mean it would be on UK TV – but just realised the reason is to accommodate our Thursday evening fixture.
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Cheers Labo – Burnley on their best League run since Ralph Coates had long hair. I predict much sweat, grunting and clog.
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I’m not feeling well enough for 90+ minutes of breath holding.
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No worries George: Alexis and Aaron will have us two up after 18 minutes!
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Thanks Labo,
Will be harder to move the ball across the pitch at speed away at Burnley, the pitch surface will have been prepped for this contest and also it is a smaller pitch, less space for the attackers to run into, less spaces for the defenders to cover or close.
Prior to seeing the starting eleven and news of Özil’s bug I thought that Iwobi and Wilshere alongside Giroud and Welbeck were fantastic and variable options from the bench, the first two capable of dribbling through the centre.
COYG
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ozil, like Walcott, is out with an illness
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Tense opening 20
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Jeez it’s tense not watching and just looking in for occasional updates.
Twitter is telling me Burnley are bringing plenty of dirt and mason is being a shit. That accurate?
Foul stats say they’ve conceded only two free kicks to our nine. Seen the like of that before in these games and it simply looks an absurd figure, given they are guaranteed to be playing with a lot of aggression and defending vigorously for much of the game
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Keane went in studs up on one of our players but escaped a yellow. Got one for his next one, the usual one for free for the Northern hard men.
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Probably two reds for Granit
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I thought we got a good grip on the 1st half but, as ever, we need a goal – first half an Indonesian stream – back to English commentators now
No prize for which is better
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Same old Arsenal
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Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssss
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FINS!
That was scary comment to put esp after the last one i had read was
Penalty to Arsenal on the BBC live feed
LOL
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Normally I am very gracious in victory
Today…
Fuck you Burnley
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Damn… that was very tense. But I kinda liked the way we won. It keeps us on our toes.
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“Same old Arsenal always cheating”
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Well good to see it in quotes then. LOL
we didst give ourselves the pen, we hardly get them given so not sure which same old arsenal they are talking about
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One-nil to The Arsenal! Love it.
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did not get to see the game, just listened to updates here and there from BBC radio 5,
I would have taken a 1-0 to the Arsenal before hand, and certainly would have taken 1-0 to the arsenal from an injury time penalty. The boiled piss from the BBC commentators was lovely, they had, just like for the spurs game, already picked our opponents as they ones they were backing, powershift spurs, and this week plucky Burnley going top 4. But its crisis club Arsenal top 4, same old Arsenal, hey.
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crisis club Arsenal now top 4, above the best spurs team in several generations, and this after a power shift, the media not happy at all, BBC and co. in a bit of a meltdown over it, lovely stuff
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so did the Burnley fans, like every time we have played them, roar for a foul every time one of their players lost possession, tripped over, or stumbled over his own feet, and did Mason fall for it.
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New post up
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AFC have not let in a goal this season with Koscielny, Mustafi and Monreal our CB 3
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