Good afternoon Positives,
I shall make it brief and, I hope, to the point. I admit the positives of the game today, though not impossible to find, are a little thin.
Let me however get the brutal bit out of the way.
We played today as a team lacking or short in probably two essential elements.
First, we lacked confidence that when we have the ball and we are in the final third of the field, with the white painted oblong things in sight, we are actually able to ‘do’ something with the football. We look so hesitant in our approach play as we move towards the opposition box we don’t seem to believe we will score.
I do not blame individual players and as individuals we have very good players. Jack for example for long periods was very effective in controlling midfield and winning us the ball. It is a collective failure to transform possession, and often good field position, into serious scoring efforts and to test the keeper. Begovic had bugger all to do today, and even that he messed up with Hector’s shot.
To what extent that loss of collective purpose is a consequence of missing ” star” players, through injury in Mesut and Santi’s case and by reason of the transfer shenanigans in the case of Alexis I shall let others decide.
Giroud’s absence is a gap that probably few Arsenal fans, me included, thought would be so significant. We have only young Eddie on the bench to change our attacking options, and that ain’t enough. Even so the players out there today should have coped far better with the Bournemouth challenge.
Second, the quality of our passing from open play and from the occasional dead ball we gained today was poor. Pass after pass went astray. I saw maybe one incisive, accurate ball ( for Hector’s goal). Add that to our tentative, nervy approach play and where the next goal is coming from I do not know.
And well done the Cherries. A deserved result in which what you had, as a team, you used better than what we had.
Right that is the sack cloth and ashes done.
Luckily, probably very luckily, our next two games are at home. Our record in front of the Emirates faithful remains impressive. Let us put our travel woes behind us.
Of our players today Jack, as I said above, I thought played well. He looks fit, and more important he looks as though his brain is back up to full PL speed. Subject to his physical condition remaining intact I think we can expect him to have a Summer in Russia. Another good effort from AMN. Very good going forward and the only AFC player to open up the home defence on his own, before clipping the bar. He was a little off it in defence first half but more solid in the second.
Off you go then – this is not Anfield.
Positively Arsenal 
indo reporting that alexis has been offered/agreed to £400K a week at utd, and that utd will also pay his agent £10M in fees to get the deal done, on top of a £35M transfer fee package – either in fee or fee and player part exchange
£21M a year in wages, why is it he did not sign a new contract at Arsenal if that is all he is getting from utd.
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The talk is always overdone about a club being done permanent damage in the event of losing big players.
Suarez, Sterling, Gerrard all gone within a year. Sturridge ,another main man from then, now peripheral. Skrtel was a main defender for years. Now Coutinho of course. Hasn’t killed them.
Year’s not going as we hoped, and the Ozil Sanchez era hasn’t quite delivered what we hoped either, though thankfully it well and truly ended the trophy wait.
Point is, even with doomsday scenario of Ozil , or both he and Wilshere (unlikely), departing, while it puts us in some immediate jeopardy and uncertainty it can all turn around quickly if a couple of big players arrive or emerge from within.
Today was again about missing players, plus whatever it is generally that can see us leave giant spaces while leading in 2nd half of a vital away game.
Front three out of it, and Jack not back either; Wilshere called a defender ,Holding on, Musafi rushed forward when he saw someone could have a huge space to run into if ball got through. Xhaka and Maitland-Niles in vicinity but former doesn’t have speed to get back if someone’s past him; M-N understandably a little unsure about correct positioning and not great at tackling left-foot.
Messy, and back to the thing from Forest about if that’s mostly personnel, or the system. Evans is held up as a ‘proper’ defender, but what does he do there : stay way back and give them that potential space, or do what Holding and Mustafi did?
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Shotta, he will gamble. He has NO choice.
We have the Europa League +/- the Carabao cup to play for.
Win the former and we’re in the CL.
I expect Mkhitaryan for Alexis latest tuesday…£0.
Malcom next…£35
And Aubameyang could be joining too…£53
If he pulls these 3 moves off, re-signs Ozil & Jack, and adds say N’Zonzi (£30), we’ll have one heck of a squad. More than good enough to compete with any of the mega rich. Theo & Debuchy could be off as well…
Summertime additions could see Goretzka, Richarlison & a CB added,
while we say goodbye to Per, Santi, Chuba & possibly Giroud. Plus our loanees, Campbell, Jenkinson, and Lucas.
I expect AW to go for broke in his “final” year.
Considering how much money he’s made for AFC, he deserves the full support of Kroenke et al. Then he can hand over a solid team to the next manager.
First thing though is to salvage this season.
We wait and we wonder…
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The Theo deal could wait till summer but he wants to go to Russia and Big Sam wants him..chi-ching…£20-25.
Debuchy is finally fully fit and calls are coming in…£5.
I know I’m really reaching but humor me positivistas…
What bodes well for next season also is that Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, & Malcom will play no part in this year’s WC, along with Cech, Martinez, Macey, AMN, Kolasinac, Chambers, Holding, Mavropanos, & Rambo +/- Bellerin, Nacho, Jack, Danny & N’Zonzi.
We could start 2018/19 on a roll considering how many of our rivals players will be without a summer break.
In Arsene I still trust.
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PS: Only Real Madrid can scupper the Aubameyang deal. My fingers are crossed..tight.
goodnite.
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Woke up with the word, “cup-tied”, ringing in my ears.
Q: would Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang & N’Zonzi be cup-tied and unable to play in the Europa League if they joined us?
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aman my man! always positive about transfer. but i think we should be planing for life after cech. i’ve been saying this since last season. the more reason i was surprise we sold woj.
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i think we are only allowed to register only one player who have played in champions league. which means if you prediction come true (i pray it does) we cant all three.
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Cyrille Regis RIP
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Can you imagine ?
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We are bringing in a few new club rules;
No statues, no banners, and no dogs.
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Layksite ba wo ni? Only 1 per game or 1 throughout the rest of the competition? If its the former and we have all 3 players, who would you have as “the one” ? Who’d be our Neo?
I’d go for N’Zonzi.
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Plenty of tickets for Palace on Saturday, just picked up one four rows up in Block 2 – it is handily placed as I will be able to shout instructions to Arsene to tell him where he is going wrong
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On Cech & Woj…I agree a new starting keeper in the summer would not be a bad idea BUT I’d hold off for another year to give Ospina, Martinez & Macey a chance to stake their claim. Only if Ospina opts to go should we invest in a fresh GK.
AW had at some point lost patience with Woj. If he absolutely wanted to stay a gunner by agreeing a 1-yr extension and a final year on loan as opposed to doing the standard thing agents do of seeking absolute guarantees, he’d probably be our number 1 come summer. Anyway, you can’t have it all in this life, Poland are top-seeded @ the WC, so Woj hasn’t done too badly in his career.
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https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/950699453253652480/mVt-VY7J?format=jpg&name=600×314
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Mavropanos expected to make his debut for AFC tonight in the u23 game. its live on .com
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Ed
Looking forward to game tonight.
Admittedly, last few weeks and season as whole have been reality check for me on youth front, and should be to everyone, or at least force them to think.
The questions for all are: where do you really place youth development, bringing through our own, etc, in relation to results?
My own answer is that it is so,so much easier to talk up those things in principle rather than practice.
It couldn’t be easier to celebrate youth, right up to Chambers, Holding, Iwobi age, when we get a good result, but if we don’t?
I’ll still watch them tonight and dream about who could step up or become top players, but the reality, of the real cost, or cons, of putting faith in youth and doing the development yourself, instead of endless loans or buying whatever young players prove themselves in high level first team football- the City and co way- is very fresh.
The biggest niggle of all though is knowing that if we do have any who make it all the way- Bellerin, now quite likely Maitland-Niles, Nelson another with great chance- them richest bums will do their best to get them once the biggest stage of proving and development is done. Still, could be a whole lot worse, and only a tiny number have it better on that front.
Lets hope this crop is special and the experience for M-N, Nelson, Willock and Nketiah pays huge dividends later on. There are plenty more who seem a similar level of talent as well.
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Just a few thoughts on what is wrong with our play at the moment
Like me, many seem to have noticed that our play, especially our attacking play has lost its zip, its speed, its tempo. So why is this.
Players
Of course missing Ozil and Ramsey etc will mean a lesser player or two in the team, but in all honesty even when we have had all or most of our best available this season, our play is still on the slow sides a bit too often. So maybe its not a player/selection issue.
Confidence
Could be a confidence thing, I would say that a lot of the tippy tappy backways and sideways stuff is down to players not being confident enough to take a man on, make something happen, play that difficult through ball. A lack of confidence does tend to see players not only take the safe option to avoid a mistake, but it also sees that extra touch or two to steady themselves, that so slows up play too.
But again we see it even with our best players, even when we are playing well and winning.
Fall outs
Rumors that several players have fallen out with Alexis,and seeing as a lot of our play goes through him, maybe there is a reluctance to play to him, or for him to play to those that he might dislike. But it happens on other side of pitch too, so maybe its not that.
Passing style
This season, I have noticed a problem with our passing style, not where we want to play the ball to, but how we actually do it. Too often we pass the ball directly to our players. And by that I mean its like passing to a cone, or to a spot on the wall, and as we know passing to a cone is all well and good for practicing how accurate our passing is, but cones are not looking to move. Just watch any of our games, and keep an eye out for how often we pass to a player standing still, or the receiver of the pass has to stop or go back to collect the pass. This for me has more of an impact on slowing down our play than any other. Passes in a perfect world should be into the path of a team mate, so he can take it in his stride, this is the quickest way.
For me our problem is mostly a mix of lacking in confidence and our passing style. The lacking in confidence may be one of the reasons for the poor passing style, as you should be more accurate passing to a stationary target than picking out the fast moving player.
So what is the solution, how can we improve confidence, maybe practice, maybe have better players or more confident players, often they are the same thing.
Whatever the solution is, we sure as hell need to get back to Wengerball, and you don’t get Wengerball with slow passing, or lack of forward thrust.
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You don’t get Wengerball without Wenger, that’s for fucking sure.
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A point about youth development and its success has to depend on the transition of young players into the first team squad and getting game time.
Bizarrely at AFC youngsters probably have a better chance not just because of Wenger’s greater willingness to allow youngsters a chance but also because of our (still) poor record of injuries. With no injury to Debuchy I doubt Hector would have made he mark he did and if Mustafi, Monreal and Kosc had been fit I doubt we would have seen Chambers or Holding in the PL. Historically Anelka was 5th choice before multiple injuries gave him his first chance.
Looking about the wreckage of mid January I wonder whether the hour of Eddie Nketiah may not be to hand !? An extreme choice for sure but our goal tally, or lack of it, may require thinking along new lines.
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I don’t disagree with any of that Eddie – I’d add in the simple things though – corners, free kicks being the most obvious. Why are we, and I’d include Mesut in this, incapable of striking consistently accurate corners and free kicks ?
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Mavropanos looks mobile, pacy and very strong’
Rob Kelly 15 Jan 2018
The plan for Konstantinos Mavropanos when he joined earlier this month seemed clear: he would continue his development by going straight out on loan.
But so impressive have his performances been in training that Arsene Wenger has changed his mind as he is keen to see more of the centre back – starting on Monday night in our under-23s clash against Manchester United LIVE on Arsenal.com.
“He looked comfortable technically, he looks very mobile as a defender and he looks very pacy and strong in all aspects of defending,” the Arsenal manager said.
“What I don’t know yet is how well he’ll cope with pressure, how much his lack of experience will be detrimental to his performances.
“When you go to a big club, every game and every mistake is analysed. Every action you take in the game is analysed, so you’re under scrutiny and that puts a huge pressure on you. If you make a mistake in a smaller league for a smaller club, it’s less of a story than it would be at a big club.
image: https://www.arsenal.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images/U23_manutd_promo_1600x900.jpg?itok=45eSki7q
image: https://www.arsenal.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images/U23_manutd_promo_1600x900.jpg?itok=45eSki7q
Watch our under-23s live on Arsenal.com
“We will see [how he copes with that] that in the games and I haven’t seen him play in England against an English team yet. I have to see that. Personally, I am encouraged by what I’ve seen and I’ve decided to keep him until May.
“Greece is a fantastic sporting country. Their basketball and football is absolutely amazing. They have a real knowledge of team sport and they produce fantastic players. He can be one of them from what I’ve seen, if he develops well.
“He looks like an intelligent boy as well, so let’s hope he will develop into a great player in the future for Greece.”
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/mavropanos-looks-mobile-pacy-and-very-strong#1schvMeFeP43iDmX.99
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/mavropanos-looks-mobile-pacy-and-very-strong#ryrMBmfcmdLKV1Dx.99
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Wenger won’t let them practice Andy, he just make them practice slow backwards passing.
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oh anicol, don’t get me started on corners and freekicks, not only does it look like we don’t practice them, but they are that poor you would at times think that the players were using their weaker foot to take them with. I am totally at a loss as to why they are so bad. any average player just lumping it to the middle of the area would have a better chance of creating a goal than our lot do.
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can I just say now, in case we do actually sign him, Aubameyang as good as his scoring record is, he misses a lot of good chances
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They should INSIST George
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Andy Nic
A dozen rows in front of me. A pre/mid/post game chat (s) it is then.
See you there, fine sir.
Meanwhile, although reluctant to get into any great debate with fools I would say just one thing.
Roll the clock back to 2013 .
“Ok Mr/Mrs Doomandgloom, over next 4 seasons we might drop out of top 4 a couple of times but we’ll take 3 FA cups and reach at least the semi of the league cup, take it?”
“Of course I’d take it you AKB knob, I’d love it. Winning trophies again and not making CL would be fine. It’d be my old Arsenal back!”
Back to now:
“Well?”
“Fuck off dickhead, we’re shit”.
Sigh*
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The Ozil corner with the BFG flick on was a trademarked move from die maanshaft training ground and we saw it often, harder in the PL but it was one move you’d see tried once or twice a game back when the BFG was in his pomp.
Ozil is ok there, Giroud Leicester, Mustafi header etc. spring to mind from FKs too. Others could improve!
Not a great time to have lost the HFB. He’s proven to have been an important player for the club.
–
Two interesting stats:
AFC have the hit bar/post most in the league apart from City (need to check this one, from the commentator).
And AFC have scored quite a few headers this season, usually from mid distant chips or Xhaka clips, not from long crosses/corners etc.
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Ed
The contrast between what we’ve produced for spells in some home games and our lower points is particularly astonishing.
Aside from home advantage, including at least some from refs compared to away, what accounts for it, the vast difference between our best and our average this year?
Absence of key players counts for plenty, after that?
One big thing for me is that if you have only two centre mids, and especially if neither are fast, and you commit fullbacks, don’t defend deep, leave space…that front three have to be shit hot! They need speed and skill, enough to frighten the opposition about what happens if they commit numbers forward for a spell.
Risky attacking formation and philosophy demands that front three carry huge threat and a lot of deadliness. With Ozil or Sanchez out, and especially both, it hasn’t been the case. That surely has a knock on effect on the entire team. In turn it puts extra pressure on midfield two, who know they are regularly needed high up in build up, but are also aware of threat behind them.
Defence in turn also have to respond to that. If jack and Xhaka are beyond halfway, they have to go forward also. The third cb was supposed to be a safety net, but it’s been a huge eye-opener for me how ineffective it has proved at times despite the defenders all having plenty of ability.
Those brilliant periods at home have also in most cases come when we are more or less free from making individual and collective choices about how adventurous or cautious we should be : Leicester, Utd, Pool, Chelsea we had to go all out for it because of the score.
All out, with our best available, at home, we can still produce great pressure and excellent attacking play. The rest is less encouraging at present.
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I know it is nothing to do with me but wtf are Stoke doing appointing Paul Lambert as manager ? Is there really no one available or willing to come to the Potteries better than a man who has been sacked regularly since 2012 from one underperforming job after another ?
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anicol its the usual stuff from these clubs, its like how all the same British managers keep getting hired at new clubs after the sack at another. Pardew, Fat Sam, Pulis Hughes, etc
and its the same in the Championship, and league 1 and league 2.
it is this merry go round of managers that stop the younger guys getting jobs, and for me is also the reason why so few Black managers.
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Hamstring injury could prevent Arsenal’s Bielik from going on loan
by jeorge bird
Arsenal defender Krystian Bielik’s hopes of going on loan in this month’s transfer window have been put under threat after he was ruled out for three to five weeks with a hamstring problem.
Bielik recently returned to action after recovering from a dislocated shoulder that prevented him from going on loan in the summer transfer window.
The Polish youth international impressed on loan at Birmingham City in the second half of last season but has been pushed further down the pecking order following the arrival of Konstantinos Mavropanos.
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interesting that Akpom not in u23 squad
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Should be a good watch that.
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strong looking line up,
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Jeff makes it 1-0
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Annoying that the comentator could not tell the diference between Nelson and Jeff
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Fucking cunt refs same in U23, Nelson just booted by united thug Ref totally ignored it
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HT: Arsenal U23’s 1-0 Man Utd U23’s
Reine-Adelaide with the goal. AFC have dominated the game and really should have had another goal or two.
Man Utd have committed a lot of fouls but ref yet to book them for it.
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Exhibition of our skills in utd game so far.
Unfortunately an even bigger exhibition of completely inept refereeing. Seen it so many times that when a ref allows endless fouls someone gets hurt for us. It s absolutely constant. A number of them have been called for 5 or 6 each. One of them was finally spoken to then made another clear foul moments later.
In part it could be that curiously British idea that a team is somewhat allowed to foul a lot when trying to close a class gap, but also the special, related idea this is even more true against Arsenal teams.
Spoiling things more than a little for me as the injury threat is much higher for these talented lads than it should be.
Do your job you thick twat.
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MUTV (official club channel) is showing the best goals & assists of Alexis
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rich I really loved how the ref about half way through the first half called over one of the utd players and told him that he had spotted four or five fouls by utd so far, and still did not book him, and did not book anyone as it continued for rest of the half
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Mourinho on Mkhitaryan: “I would lie if I said it was a pure tactical decision. It was just a choice of the players that we know, in this moment, they have 100 per cent their heads in Manchester United.”
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Wonder what the utd players will do second half?
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Dragomir makes it 2-0
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smith-rowe on for Jeff, must say that was the best overall game I’ve seen jeff play, normally he flitts in and out of games, but tonight he was always looking for the ball, and was very good when he got it.
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good double save by Macey
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Eddieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee makes it 3-0
ran from out wide with defender hanging out of him, and slowed down 8 yards out and calmly slots the ball past the keeper
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Eddie again, plays one two with Nelson and slots home from six yards out, 4-0
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