@LaboGoon gets the big Friday game underway
Hello Positivistas…
Arsenal host Liverpool tonight at the Emirates in a game where the result, much like last season, could be the difference between Champions League or Europa qualification. So for both teams a win is important.
This won’t be an easy game, Liverpool’s attack have an undeniable air of ruthlessness to them when given space, the kind that has already see them made light work of us at Anfield back in August. That is how Liverpool play, and that what we can expect. So if you want to take them on at their own game, as a team you need to work harder than them and strike a good balance between attack and defense with little room for complacency, or risk getting picked off.
Few teams – Burnley, Newcastle, West Brom, Big Sam’s Everton, Manutd who all took points off them – this season has worked out that by sitting back, flooding the midfield and defense, it can result in their “Fab Four” being ineffective.
Now I’m not suggesting that Arsenal should set up for a draw. There is a theory though that if you can keep their ‘gegenpressing’ tactic at arms length in the first half that they will open up more in the second. As legs grow tired their defensive deficiencies will start to show, leaving them vulnerable on counter attack or otherwise.
That is what I would like to see, especially with the visitors coming into this match in good spirits after scoring 4 first half goals vs Bournemouth.
As I already said, this will not be an easy game but if we can carefully navigate between attacking impetus and stay switched on in defense, be it playing with a back five or four… we should give ourselves a pretty good chance of coming out of this with all 3 points.
On team news: with Ramsey already out until the New Year, we’ve lost Larry too for at least the same time frame until further notice. Shkodran Mustafi however is back to bring more calm to our defense.
On the previous blog’s comments thread it was highlighted that fixtures will be a bit tight over the next few weeks. So ‘flair and panache’ could be sacrificed as our players are going to have to play through aches and bruises, putting their bodies on the line for each others and us.
One of those things man, because as the saying goes: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”.
To the Emirates faithful, you guys have had a great year, keep it up and going into next year. Gooners watching on the tv…. don’t ever quit losing hope.
Merry Xmas to the PA community and all readers.
Positively Arsenal 
Nice. Woke up looking forward to game. Friday night. Big game. Christmas-a-coming. Christmas-supplies-a-being-started-on.
On Pool and Klopp tactics. From what I saw of his miserable ending at Dortmund it seemed every last team had decided ‘fuck this being turned over in our own half for a lark’. They’d pull nearly everyone back and then, often early in a game, romp into space behind on a counter of their own with simple long balls.
Dortmund looked lost without the chance to do their gengen-thing, counter, countering or whatever it was they were remarkably good at for a time. Though they’d lost some attacking sparkle by then and generally looked tired.
No such luck with Pool at moment. Do feel they put us in a particular bind though. It’s easier for teams who often basically sit deep and look for counters to just do the same with a bit of extra work and concentration when playing them, especially for clubs with more modest expectations who can just say ‘oh well’ if it doesn’t come off.
For us, different story. Do we radically alter our game for them, and do the things that are well known to cause them and their style of play problems but mean a big departure for us, or stick with our own thing.
I’m guessing and I hope it’ll be somewhere in the middle, with enormous emphasis on being careful in the early stages and the players primed to be ready to just get it to safety at that point in dangerous moments.
I’ve not got an offing clue basically how we’ll line up or look to play it. Probably a game for Danny Welbeck to perform his big game role of cup semi and final of last year.
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good one lg. let’s hope for happiness tonight and even more on tuesday. cheers all.
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We have to be very cautious tonight and always look to cover each others’ back… just in case. Make those Liverpool attackers and defense question themselves.
COYG!
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I am not going to drill down to what we need to do tactically but I will say I think it will be a hard match and we will win 2-1. I hope I pray and all the rest of it. Come On
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Thank you Laboo Sir.
I will be taking my wide eyed nephew to this match courtesty of a friend who has decided to head North of the Wall this Winter.
Not sure which of us will be more nervous or excited to see the football…
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“From what I saw of his miserable ending at Dortmund it seemed every last team had decided ‘fuck this being turned over in our own half for a lark’. They’d pull nearly everyone back and then, often early in a game, romp into space behind on a counter of their own with simple long balls.”
Rich, i felt teams used to do this with the earlier AFC 433 variants, (helped by the tilted pitch in mnay cases), and that’s why AFc’s style has evolved as it has. The old ‘half-press’ that was once described by the coaches but as an understanding of the team’s approach: completely ignored by those who like to pontificate on their blags and in their echo chambers. Ah well, maybe next time they’ll discuss the Football…
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Well written… enjoyed reading that
Come on Arsenal…
1-0 to the arsenal till season ending will suit me just fine…
the more we score and the less we concede the better though
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Thank you Labo for the preview. If we play to our potential and avoid giving them gifts we can take any team. I would assume the boss has reviewed that, he rarely (if ever) gets the plan wrong, our stars now have to do their part. It would nice to see Alexis step up….I also hope that refereeing is a non issue, too often they’ve been a major factor! That is by far IMO the biggest flaw of the epl…
COYG!
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Well done LG great post.
I think we will go with a back four and stay measured early on, gradualy impossing ourselves on the game and constricting them until they break.
In the presser Arsene did mention he might go with a five, which would mean staying tight then exploding into life when we have regained possesion.
Obviously being football, games are virtually impossible to predict and so any win will be welcome however we obtain it COYG.
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@Fins
My grandson also. I share the nerves.
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The final tub of coal has been moved from the face, the final barge toted, the last picture shown.
I am done for Christmas.
Bring on the Scousers.
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Nice post Labo.
If Arsenal cut out the needless sloppy play…they win…
I’m sure the good old folk on PA would never want a sugar daddy to pollute our beloved club. If you are not that bothered and only trophies matter read this:
View at Medium.com
And then fuck off….
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Comes down to how badly we want it.
Repel their initial advances, score a quick 1 or 2 and stay focused.
Nacho Monreal has been our stand out player so far because of his concentration.
Xhaka is absolutely key to maintaining tightness in CM. Wijnaldum & Henderson (or Can) will be all over him from jump so he has to be at his very best.
Personally, I’d play Coquelin or move AMN to CM (and play Kolasinac @ LB) because playing TWO moderately-paced left footers in CM is too risky against quality opposition.
Anyway we line up, its effort, skill, guile & efficiency vs pace, skill & guile.
It will not be boring.
May the home team win.
Cech
Koscielny – Mustafi – Monreal
Bellerin – Coquelin – Wilshere – Kolasinac
Ozil – Lacazette – Alexis
+ Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Xhaka, Iwobi, Walcott, Welbeck
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Same line-up. Ok
COYG!!!!
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What do I know ?
Nothing
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poor standard of play so far, scrappy stuff. our players giving it away very easily so far, ball not sticking up front at all
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bellerin standing off his man way too much, and seems to be jogging about, no sign of his famed pace. LFC attacking down our right side a lot.
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a lfc throw in middle of their half, one thirty yard ball and its two on two, kos deflects the ball up and couthino heads over cech, awful stuff from afc. They have been playing like they are in a panic, not stringing any number of passes together, and a certain amount of lacking in energy about our play.
25 minues AFC 0-1 LFC
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our players in panic stations mode, its awful stuff
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Arsenal corner, ends all the way back with Cech, who boots it downfield to a lfc player, ending up with jack fouling middle of our half. Its awful stuff
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The team looks so nervous
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our players wearing led boots tonight, being out run all over the pitch, can’t remember the last time we were so poor at home
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good God even Ozil can’t pass it to our players
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HT: Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool
awful awful stuff from Arsenal, heavy footed, lacking in touch, energy and team play, over run in midfield, defense in a panic, as is most of the team, lucky to be only one down, and are so poor in midfield and attack we are lucky to be 0. Can’t remember as poor a 45 at the Emirates by us as that.
Iwobi, Bellerin, Xhaka and Alexis the worst of a poor bunch, but as stated earlier, even Ozil not able to find a team mate with a pass.
I’d bring on Coquelin, Welbeck and either Theo or Kolasinac for Bellerin, Iwobi and Xhaka
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This team is in a very strange period, the ‘First’ eleven have been pretty much on seven days rest.
The manager takes all the flack and protects the team
Why are the performances so bad?
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I’ll take 0-1 – generous
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Look – we have all heard about this gegenpress malarkey but we have not done one thing with the ball in the visitors half
The goal was bloody ridiculous with the bounce off Koscielny’s foot – ffs – perhaps the gods are smiling if that was the only score
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I’m at a loss to explain how or why so many of the team tonight are playing like they have taken sleeping pills. So so sluggish, not only in movement but in speed of thought and action.
only good thing is that we are only 1 down, if they can be woken up at half time we can still win this
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The imbalance in CM is destabilizing the pretty good start.
Ozil has had to provide stability taking away from his offensive duties.
Kos is having to overwork because there is no steady central defensive help that will also complement Bellerin and AMN.
Coquelin (or Elneny) should replace Xhaka @ HT to give us a chance.
I’d also switch Iwobi for Theo and/or Welbeck for Alexis.
@1 down, the game is still wide open.
COYG!!!!
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only thing anicol is that Liverpool have not been that impressive either, just that our players are so heavy legged it is making them seem faster, but for me its not that lfc have been extra fast or have unusual energy, its that our players have been extra slow and have unusual low energy, is it simply that they have froze, the pressure has got to them, it certainly looks like it to me, they have brain fog.
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Pass completion 1st half.
Xhaka 83%
Ozil 73%
Iwobi 69%
Sanchez 54%
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Mustafi on for the second half
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fucking disgraceful by ozil, an afc corner poorly taken he runs back as lfc breakaway, slows up half way into our half, and only after salah has gone well by him does he try to catch up but its way too late and salah gets the ball and cech makes a fine save. That is just not a good enough effort by ozil, so much for setting a new tone for the second half
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disgraceful from AFC again, 2-0 to lfc, an afc attack, AMN loses the ball five yards from their end line, and lfc break away, and it was panic stations from our midfield and defense, god awaful stuff
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Alexisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
1-2, Alexis heads in from six yards, through the keepers legs, bellerin with the cross in
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all of a sudden there is a pep in our step
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@Xhaka does that
Madness
coyg
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we are leading now
xhaka with a long ranger and now Ozil has fired us ahead, unbelievable jeff
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I just don’t get this team
Ozil
3-2
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arsenal scored the 3 goals in 4 minutes and 40 seconds, unbelievable jeff
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arsenal’s goals have killed my stream, ha ha ha.
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our major problem this season if the fact that we have a holding midfielder instaed of a defensive midfielder. unfortunatetly he doesnt even hold the ball. we cant use the only coq now because he is already low in confidence after we dumped him since the santi got injured. we need a holding midfielder that can actually hold the ball or a defensive midfielder that can pass the ball better or perhaps a santi to partner coq
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We appear to be cutting the opposition into tiny slices
I shall lie down
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fucking hell cech should have saved that, 3-3
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welbeck on for iwobi
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Bloody hell
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FT: Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool
came from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 but could not see it out
afc awful in the first half, looked dead and buried at 2-0 but 3 quick fire goals seemed to see us in full flow, had several good chances to kill it off and then let it slip.
it was amazing to see the transformation in our play in the second half, from woeful to very good. our defending was very poor all game.
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Jack Wilshere thought the team played scared in the first half
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I’m so happy Jack Wilshere is fit and playing well
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