After stuttering recently Arsenal return to the familiar surroundings of the Emirates, to hopefully get a warm arm around the shoulder from the home crowd and a timely reminder that this season is far from over, time to get back on the bike.
Newcastle is in town and this is exactly the sort of fixture we need to shake us out of this malaise we got ourselves in recently, to rebuild faith, restore confidence and get going again.
The Magpies having seven losses and one draw in their last eight matches, means nothing less than a win should be a reasonable expectation. A result I have no doubts of us getting as the Ems has been very good to us this season.
On what we can expect in today’s game, Arsène Wenger said this in his pre match presser:
“We’ve played recently against two teams who defended extremely well at home. Maybe we have to speed up our passing and have more penetrating runs in the final third to create more chances. Maybe we need support for our central strikers in the box as well.”
So theres will be a reaction… and one with real purpose.
This game won’t be a contender for match of the season but it could be something that will put a smile on our smiles.
Am I putting the mockers on our team? Nah! Just think that getting out of the funk starts with us. I believe we because:
WE ARE THE ARSENAL!
Team news: the Boss made four changes against West Ham, but I see us going back to something like the side which did duty the games prior. With Ramsey out for the rest of December, Jack could retain his place and Mustafi may return back from injury.
Enjoy today Gooners, this game will be a bit easier than the last three and it is probably the ideal one ahead of Liverpool.
To the Emirates faithful, continue doing what you have been doing so well, its such a shame you can’t all join the team on their travels.
Those watching from home, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, so get ready to spread the Christmas cheer.
By @LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
Morning all.
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Morning Labo, morning G. Football on a Saturday at 3pm again, that’s a tonic in itself.
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Morning Labo, PG, Andrew et al.
Funny time of year, the lull before the Xmas madness, yet hardly much of a lull, the squad has been going pretty much flat out for some weeks.
Missing arguably two of our most important players in Santi and Ramsey, possibly a third given how Lady Luck appears to be spurning us these days.
If opponents could please also stop ruthlessly punishing our occasional mistakes that would certainly help matters.
And the refs – oh what’s the point?!
Looking forward to watching Match of the Day’s marvellously slanted view of the game telling us about 20% of what actually happened and their apologists spending the rest of the weekend denying any possibility of bias.
Marvellous, isn’t it, Alan?
Enjoy the game!
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nice preview, its a long way from the media driven narrative of “Crisis Club Arsenal”, laughed at all the similar articles from them today about a mass exodus of our players, even “Per Mertesacker could decide to leave at the end of the season, with his contract up”, never mind little facts like he is retiring to take over as head of our Academy. Soundbites, big headlines, and sensational articles never did need much substance.
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Ah, Positively Arsenal. Free of people who bang on about the ‘state’ the club is in and how Kroenke has ‘killed’ us, and the like.
Bit confused by club randomly putting out a Reiss Nelson tweet at half one this morning but suspect he’ll have to wait till midweek for his next chance.
Again can’t predict lineup at all, but guessing Kolasinac returns.
Let’s hope for an earlyish goal for us, Newc to be forced to ease off on the bus and a different looking game to recent ones after that.
Don’t recall getting Attwell before so let’s hope he’s not too ambitious to get in Riley’s good books. Also hoping Hayden gets few chances to smash people. He enjoys that on a normal week and might be extra pumped today.
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Good morning Positivistas…
I concur with Rich, get the early goal and A5 will supply the deck chairs.
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Thanks Labo: a cold and frosty one here this morning so reckon conditions should be just about perfect though wrap-up warm must be the message for any lucky Emirates bound Positivas this afternoon.
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Good job Labo. Facing some recurring challenges which prevented me from being as regular as before. Being away from Arsenal and having to focus on recovery from 2 catastrophic Category-5 hurricanes has certainly reminded me, if I had ever forgotten, that in society there are certain powerful forces that are beyond our individual control. Going head-to-head against them is a fools errand. It takes time to expose and undermine them or for them to undermine themselves actually. Take the English football establishment. I have documented how they work, via the refereeing mafia, the PGMOL, to fix football matches and to undermine teams that want to play football. Now it is becoming common knowledge on twitter but still the vast majority of football fans think it is simply whingeing by gooners.
It is in this atmosphere we tackle Newcastle today. Wenger and the players certainly know the league is fixed to a certain degree. It is hard to imagine how difficult it is for them to be enthused and motivated to play every game knowing Dean, Oliver, Atkinson and company will screw them with a soft penalty or refuse to call a one in favor of Arsenal. This is when we at PA and others who are like-minded have to be even more supportive and encouraging while denouncing the The Powers That Be and the Fake News Media who are in bed with the bookies and the agents who are slowly but surely destroying the reputation of the English for fair competitive football.
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Attwell has Mike Gollum Dean on the mike to ensure the learning curve
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Thanks Labo.
Always respected Benitez although he’s a little too boring for my personal taste.
Looking forward to the contest, football!
Arsenal are not a “big man in bad shape” (Get Carter quote), as the self flagellators proclaim whilst they interrupt everyone’s trip down to the market (some people will do anything for a few queer looks and some coin!)
Everyone and anyone looking at the squad list at the start of the season and the contract situation of the two best footballers in the PL, Koscielny and others getting on, can groan and scratch the hair on their chins if that’s where they get their kicks but for those of us who enjoy watching skilled footballers kick the ball and as the club keeps on trying to explain season after season: they’re not sprinting against pumped up petro clowns (red noses and make up included) powered by high octane fumes, they’re running a marathon.
COYG.
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Hi all, Steve will putting 56p on 14-0 today i’m sure.
I said the other week at some point we will spank someone and since then we have troubled to score so really the last few games have been my fault.
Arsene was hinting about the back four allowing him to get more attacking players on the park and this game is ideal for that and so I would guess we might go that way again and with AMN good form and Sead’s dip in form it could mean the young lad gets the nod today.
Like a out of confidence striker if we get one early goal off someones backside or something we could then get the flow to score a million. If we are creating more chances than city then we have the potential, when clinical, to really get double figures.
Enjoy, all wherever you are happy watching COYG.
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From the Bleed feed:
“Dreadful Leicester – can’t break teams down that defend deep.”
It’s not easy. Shame few teams attempted that approach a two seasons ago, though an absurd pelanty count can disrupt the old game plans (as result of “Game Management”. Was it “Theatre”? The “Greatest Story Ever Told”©)
Benitez will have the instructed the Toon Army to dig in. I have the impression that Hayden if he starts is one of those rare players (unlike Dier) who can play CB and CM. they’ll have the numbers in their box, hopefully so will the Arsenal.
COYg
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Kolasinac ‘rested’ again. Can’t complain about M-N playing (he’s worth it), but would like to see him in his ‘proper’ position in midfield. His mum will be on Wenger’s case if this continues.
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Far more creative – a second would be handy though
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Good first half for us, although Hayden hasn’t seemed too keen on rekindling old friendships.
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Well that was really poor….both halves.
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Evening all,
I see some are dispondant with a miserly 1-0 home win?
Arsenal have been battering most teams with over 70% possession and 20+ shots in game after game, we don’t get penalties, the goal scoring is a bit lower than we’d like, but hey, is this a ‘crisis’?
Troy Deeney with yet another straight red card.
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Decent performance, Toon roused themselves for final 15 so our failure to rattle in a couple more when dominant magnified. Conte has just said the same about Chelsea 1-0 against Saints. The point at the London Stadium is not quite looking so bad tonight.
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i didnt see the first half but the second was poor. dreadful at times. we can blame the referee all we want but wenger needs to be bold enough to sit sanchez in the bench. at this rate, he isnt and shouldnt be in the first 11. it is beyond any logic to keep a player in a team when he only want to play with himself and for himself.
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Sanchez certainly clogging up the flow (more so in the second half?) today though it would have been nice to see a card for the late clog on him in the first half…
…didn’t get to watch the last two league games: was one difference in the first half which I too thought showed some good football a result of Ozil coming a lot deeper, back into central midfield, and Sanchez managing to restrain his forages back into midfield today?
Was hoping to see Xhaka control the centre circle for that final ten minutes as the opponents threw the kitchen sink. Not quite like a peak Arteta yet!
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What exactly is Sanchez doing, or not doing, compared to other players among the non-strike force would you say Layks?
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First half I thought we were much better than on Wednesday and against Saints – shooting, running with the ball into the box etc
Within 2 minutes of the second half starting we were back to our previous timid selves – Pass – Pass- Pass – Pass Pass …………
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I don’t know if they showed it on the box but Cech was going absolutely mental during the final fifteen minutes with Xhaka, Ozil, Welbeck and Sanchez
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There was a great chance midway through the second half for Wilshere to get the second, one or two others. I felt that it wasn’t until they brought on Gayle that Newcastle looked more dangerous. AFC responded with their own chances but after a bright start for the two new forwards the unpunished hack into Girouds left AFC down to ten for a few minutes as he ran it off and that’s where/when Newcastle really built up some pressure.
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And I thought Ozil was incredible to watch during the closing phase of the match.
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Changes > chances
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Will Tottenham put the pressure on City?
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Ha, ha. Kane made really bad tackle five minutes ago.
Poll’s comment after admitting it looks real bad on replay is ‘full speed and with the intensity that isn’t in that challenge I think ref got it right (yellow only).
I have zero doubt that with many different players and in different situations, the commentators and Poll too would have reacted completely differently to the challenge.
Commentator’s couldn’t say quickly enough that Kane hadn’t seen player as ball dropped, and as replays showed he’d had a pretty good view and plenty chance not to do it, they didn’t say anything.
I don’t suspect that sort of crap has anything to do with conspiracy or the like. Just seems an obvious case of commentators being primed to defend certain players and teams, or the opposite. Think refs are much the same but a bit extra going on there,too.
Oh, now Alli’s put in a stinker. Absolute stinker on replay. Should definitely have been red. But at least theatre been protected.
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‘What did you see at the “theatre” today darling?’
‘F******g sh*te that’s what I saw.
Tottenham.’
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Boy. Crime pays for pens ey.
De Bruyne could easily have carried on instead of placing his own leg right and back in a show of impressive dexterity if not sportsmanship.
While Winks- fair play- does what all players should, and doesn’t use the loose leg from Fernandinho and obviously gets no pen.
Rarely seen such a good illustration of how half the pens these days are made.
City are scum for it but I doubt saint Pep (and his assistants!!)see it that way nor admit to themselves what they’re about in those situations
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Nope. No pressure today.
Be nice for AFC to get one of those such pens against such an opponent.
But we do get no foul on Sanchez for that hack on him first half followed immediately by a foul for the opponents after an Newcastle player fall over. Theatre of the absurd.
Definitely no pressure today. I could put some money on MOTD not having an inquisition as to whether city’s third was possibly fractionally offside (with advantage given to attacker as it should be).
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Chamberlain was quite good at exaggerating a fall from a foul like KDB did and ensuring he wins a pen. Though not often that blatant!
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what he does is what i dont know anicoll. he holds on to the ball, refuses to give the most simple of all passes and when he knows he has failed in his attempt to play for himself, he gives the ball away of pass to a player that is already marked. it is funny because every defender knows what he is going to do or not going to do. so they just wait for him. and stupidly he plays into their hands. i ahve to say anyone that hope to buy him will only buy him on reputation.
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City hit the post. Could been four.
Yep. The City Arsenal contests are still the best football contests in this league.
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It is four.
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Tottenham not under strength, no unsettled players stinking out the squad on the day,
Somehow I think the coverage won’t be as severe as it was for the Arsenal hehe.
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Fortunately I won’t be paying attention to any of it. I’ll be enjoying the sweet smell of victory, three points, and the rest of the weekend.
One Nil to The Arsenal.
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Fins
Noticeable right away that tone towards Spurs afterwards was gentle, soft and sympathetic from Humphreys- ‘tough day, not their day’, kind of thing; ‘City are so good no one could live with them’ kind of thing’
Admittedly I only gave Ferdinand and co two minutes afterwards but that would have been more than enough for some savage comments against Arsenal for a performance like that.
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Rich, You’re a braver soul then me tuning in to that lot!
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But yes we must acknowledge the wider impact eventually on the pitch from such a screed of negativity.
booing your own subs on a cold occasion just days after you’ve lost one of your star players to a midwinter twang amidst a hectic two games a week schedule. That didn’t impact on the players eh? The always impressive Sane had several chances there towards the end for City where he missed the right pass in the box (could’ve been more then four) nothing wrong with that.
At AFC there’d be groans and sighs.
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Fins
Was a genuine accident. Was looking at something on computer and before I knew it had absorbed a minute or so of the chat. Normally it goes off instantly or muted these days
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Not seen our win but the points and a beautiful goal (seen that) enough to make me happy tonight.
Cant wait for West Ham cup game either. Youngsters could get a brilliant opportunity there. With Jack and Maitland-Niles getting full minutes in prem could well see DaSilva and maybe Nelson get a start!
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didn’t get to see the game, but it was my misfortune to have live radio commentary by Irish station, Today FM, so I ask were we that bad, the narrative of Arsenal in Crisis was in full flow from them today. I actually had to turn it off, I just could not listen to their shite any longer, it was “Arsenal fans have every right to be disgusted by the performance today”, and “Arsenal embarrassing”, and lots of stuff like that. I periodically switched it back on to get a score update, and a couple of times I was sure Newcastle had to be winning, as the commentary team were so down on Arsenal. Their disappointment at the final whistle that AFC had won was clearly evident. Don’t know who the commentator was but he pundit was former Eire manager Brian Kerr, one of the worst pundits out there, can’t abide him when we are at our best, and just can’t take him when we are not, he don’t even try to hide his dislike for AFC, or the Narrative he is pushing.
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Well Rich, the league cup game is likely to see us start the 7 subs from today, and Holding, Per and Debuchy, not forgetting Walcott, so maybe not a kid to be seen in the starting 11, I expect all the subs to be youths
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Was at the game today, not at our very best, some decent build up play, and a lot of last ditch defending by our opponents.
Didn’t really have our shooting boots on, almost as if trying too hard to score after recent games.
Ozil and I thought Wilshere impressed, AMN had a moment or two as well. They chased bellerin a bit, who I thought coped manfully. Difficult for our MF against dogged, organised and physical opponents,,lots of shots, but not so many on target.
Rafa is a clever manager, who knows how to organise a team, think he was aware our co diffidence might not be at its highest in the goal scoring stakes for now, games like this are not always push overs, a degree of patience was required. But, that said, on a different day, we could easily have scored three or four at a canter.
Still,three points is what counts.
Interesting to see our neighbours still protected by the refs, though no danger of giving them red cards costing them this seasons title
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I’d guess Rafa had his game plan and stuck to it Mandy. Even though Toon were 1-0 down they did not attack much, conceded possession and resolutely wasted time like a team defending a 0-0 score. They got to the last 15 minutes and, as planned, gave it a go and could with luck have nicked a point. Unfortunately for them the plan was shite.
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Yes, the time wasting was pretty bizarre in the circumstances.
I was near pitch level at the other end, so couldn’t see everything, but definitely a difficult last few mins, not helped by giving the ball away in silly positions again as nerves took a hold
Think you are right about Cech going mad, and good on him,also believe I saw him berating OG for not tracking back, though our striker looked injured by then.
On a good day, we could thrashed them, on a bad day, they could have easily nicked a draw
Mesut was pretty good, really hope he stays, Alexis had one of his more enigmatic games
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Some teams get praised for winning when not at their best. It seems we are not one of those teams
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Arsenal getting more stick for winning 1-0 than spurs are getting for losing 4-1 and kicking lumps out of city.
several journos mentioned earlier in the week that AFC were closer to the bottom than to man city at the top, 18 off bottom and 19 off top, well spurs are 21 off top and 19 off bottom, will it be mentioned, will genius Poch record away to the top sides be trotted out, not a fucking chance, as that is not the narrative, you can only have one team in crisis and as several journos have admitted that club is Arsenal regardless of results or facts.
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