If I were to ask any Gooner to pick a PL team he/she just fkn hate, after Totnum of course, I’d bet 4 out of 5 would say Stoke. I’d go one further and say since the dawn of social-media 4/5 at some stage sent out a tweet or comment at the start of any season having Stoke on our relegation wish list. They are by no means what one would call a traditional rival of ours, but it’s still a rivalry not short of any bitterness. These orcs are the antithesis to Arsenal, play a brand of football that belongs in the 19th century and put in tackles that belong even further back. They deliberately took out too many of our players over the last decade without regret. So when their manager said in his pre-game presser; “we have to find a way to hurt them”… that should give us pause for concern.
Good morning one and all…
Stoke will be visiting the Emirates this afternoon, with the ignominy of having the worst away record of all PL teams this season, scoring the fewest away goals and with the temerity of having one 37 year old Peter Crouch leading their attack.
Of the three games Stoke won all season, (a rather controversial) one was vs us at the Britannia. Their then manager has moved on to equally grey pastures and they’re now managed by Paul Lambert, an appointment that does not seem to fill Potters fans with much enthusiasm. He started off with a win but the seven games since are rather grim and win less.
So I hope we heap more misery on them to rob them even further of whatever little breathing space and fight they have left.
After we lost our way a bit we slowly pulled ourselves together and went into the break three wins on the bounce, having scored eight goals and conceding just one. Beat Spoke today (fingers crossed) and we can kick on to carry momentum into Europa which represent our one chance for Champions League football next season.
I don’t know about you but it filled me with joy seeing a full compliment of players back in training – sorry Santi. It’s been a while since Arsène Wenger had that luxury. With Lacazette expecting to lead the attack in Moscow we can expect him making a welcomed returned today, even if off the bench.
Good luck to our boys and home support, may they all give our manager his voice back to bid the Potters adieu on a win less Emirates streak.
Labo
Positively Arsenal 
Good preview, Labo. Restrained, but that works well.
I always get twitchy in build up to these games should I read comments about how opposition need to get stuck into us. Avoid clicking on any links to Stoke Sentinel from NewsNow!
You never know, maybe these comments are made in their buildup to games against other big sides and we just don’t see them. I’m doubtful it’s quite the same,though.
On a related note, it was strange to watch, on and off, City at Goodison with Everton holding off completely and not showing any aggression.
Same players at Everton who were thundering into us in that 2-1 loss last year, not missing any opportunities to get close, kick when we released ball, push, grapple, kick from behind, etc.
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COYG!
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now that is a surprising team selection
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Wilshere is our captain today
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that is one strong looking list of subs
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Arsenal FC
Verified account @Arsenal
13m13 minutes ago
🙌 @D_Ospina1 makes his first @PremierLeague start in 364 days today – his last came on April 2 last year
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COYG
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the son of ex Arsenal player Kevin Campbell is a sub for Stoke today
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HT: Arsenal Women 1-1 Chelsea ladies
AFC gifted CFC the lead with a major goal keeper error, Beth Mead leveled just before half time with a solo goal
game is live on the BBC red button, or RB1
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Andy Kelly
@Gooner_AK
20h20 hours ago
Arsenal only need a draw against Stoke tomorrow to guarantee their place in the Premier League next season. If that happens, they will be the first English club to have been in the top flight for 100 consecutive years.
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The problem with being a rhythm team , is when you have not played for pretty much three weeks you lose that rhythm.
Arsenal are a team that struggle to find rhythm on 10 days rest.
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20 minutes in and we’ve been poor so far, slow, sloppy passing and lacking in the movement up front needed to make some room to play
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very close, ramsey plays in bellerin, his cross is hit up into the air by jack, goalie fumbles and ramsey lobs ball onto the top of the bar
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HT: Arsenal 0-0 Stoke
poor stuff, lacking in tempo, passing is off, nothing fluent about our play at all. A much improved second half is needed
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ladies game finished 1-1
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Can only improve 2nd half. I hope
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Welbeck is having a stinker
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little bit of actions at last
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fucking bullshit again of us putting the ball out of play cos one of their players has sat down, play to the fucking whistle
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Lacazette on for Welbeck
stoke sub Berhaino on for diouf
about half an hour to go
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this is awful stuff
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ospina gets lost under a corner and the ball hits the post, we break but slow it down so stoke get lots of players back, its awful to watch
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Aubameyang put clean through by ozil and he should have done better
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chambers with a half chance at a corner
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If you listen to Andy Townsend you would be lieve he was on of the best 500 players of his generation or some sort of great coach or tactician.
He needs to watch some video of himself
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penalty to Arsenal, ozil tripped up
Aubameyangggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
he did not look confident before taking it, but he slotted it into the bottom right corner
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clear penalty
Lots of moaning
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MKhitaryan on for Wilshere, not before time, jack has been poor, took far too many touches, slowing down our play
xhaka on for Elneny
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WwwB once andy townsend is moaning about it you know it was a clear Arsenal penalty
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stoke have brought on big knees and bigger elbows up front
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Arsenal finally having some shots at goal
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Aubameyangggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg 2-0
a corner in, headed on, and on the half volley PEA fires home from ten yards out
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Xhaka comes on and immediately makes the difference.
Defensive positioning,vision and passing
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WwwB we have speeded up our play in midfield since jack was taken off
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you cannot shoulder charge someone in the back
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penalty to AFC
bellerin into Lacazette and he is shoved in the back
Lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 3-0
nice that PEA passed up the chance of his hattrick to let Lacazette get his goal
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joe allen is a nasty piece of work
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Joe Allen trying to fuck about with Arsenal players, Xhaka running security.
His real talent is starting to blossom.
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Ramsey named man of the match
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FT: Arsenal 3-0 Stoke
took some time for us to get going, an hour in fact, but once we scored we flowed forward. For me our midfield really improved once Jack was taken off, he just took far too many touches which slowed us down.
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pundits whinging that first one was not a penalty, what a shower of muppets
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Aubameyang has scored five goals in his first six PL games, best goal scoring start of any Arsenal player.
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so Arsenal will next season be 100 years unbroken in the top division
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ed
Funny, I really love that stat
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I thought Mo was outstanding today always wanted the ball always available to take the ball off the CBs. Turned forward whenever he could his contract was criticized but actually vital.
On the funny side Steve I had money on a Auba hat-trick so was excited when we got the second pen until Laca stepped up to take it.
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Improved 2nd half. Started getting more in groove in 5-10 before first. Pretty comfortable from there.
Strangely, for a game where we were off it for so long, only felt one player had poor game (though that could be the warm glow of a win!) in end.
Just don’t think Danny is at all suited to playing wide against deep defences.
Looked ok on the few occasions he was facing goal in a bit of space, but back to goal, which will occur a lot for anyone in that position for us in these games, he’s near enough a dead end. Has to concentrate hard just to control it and play it back to someone.
Good to see Chambers looking in good shape again. Ramsey sharp. Lacazette looked fit and well. Mhiki electric when on but stage of game comes into that.
Even on not his best day Ozil provided one of his outstanding through balls, and won pen. Probably had a good last half hour. Probably far from the first time his class has come through in that period of game as opposition tires.
Left thinking about winger types again though. Not just Danny’s troubles on left.
Really catches my eye the limitations of Hector being the main man for width on the right. Works great when we release him into space but the rest of the time it feels we are a bit constrained by whatever options are available to him dependent on what angle his body is at when he receives the ball. Can’t all be Lahm, I guess.
Maybe that’s just the way it goes with how we play but can’t help thinking what a great dribbler type would do in similar positions.
Finally, what was Ozil up to when looked like he was offering out Bellerin for a fight?! Seemed way over the top.
Just cos he’s a Vegan, Mesut ,I’m still not sure you’d win that one!
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