@LaboGoon initiates the faithful
Maybe all new managers of top Premier League teams going through some sort of initiation ritual wouldn’t be such a bad thing at all:
Big game to the League’s most expensive team – check
Big game away from home – check
Having Tony Adams, Sam Allardyce and Tim Sherwood doing their best impression of the “Britain’s Got Talent” judging panel – check
“Go out into the woods son, go out into the woods”
Good day one and all…
The PL roller-coaster returned with a bang last weekend and has already been a source of despair as we saw our top 6 rivals all won their opening games and we, well, you know – so we can ill afford giving them a 6 point head start at the end of this weekend. While on the flip-side we will have played two of our toughest opponents, it still will not make things less stressful going forward.
Arsenal take the short trip to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea in another of these high profile fixtures that we always have circled on our calendars. With both clubs having new coaches Unai Emery could not have asked for a more difficult start than playing the juggernaut that is Man City, whilst Maurizio Sarri’s side strolled to a 3-0 win in what clearly looked like mismatch vs relegation candidates Huddersfield.
There certainly was a lot to like about us in defeat last Sunday, but what Arsenal also need is for Unai to channel his Sevilla self not just the PSG version, because we are nowhere near being the league’s wealthiest side.
We had 3 shots on target while on the other end of the pitch Man City had 8 out of 17 shots on target, and with Chelsea another of the usually high scoring teams we need a bit more caution, stability and sensibility in defense if we want to answer Unai’s call of putting in an improved performance:
“Our players need to improve in the biggest games.”
With Sarriball in full effect last weekend and Eden Hazard back, the Blues will look to seize control of midfield, but I think we will be better prepared by not taking the quality in their ranks for granted.
Up front I wouldn’t mind seeing Lacazette given the nod as I feel him and Auba partnering up in attack will be fruitful. 🍎 When he came onto the field last Sunday we immediately had the Man City defense on the back foot.
Team news: Nacho Monreal and Lucas Torreira is available for selection so we can expect changes to the line-up.
Good luck to our boys, coach and all Gooners for today. Given the varying fortunes of these two sides last weekend…… I feel we could see a classic here today.
Positively Arsenal 
Morning L – busy day in prospect on the fun bus.
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6 hours till kick off and the nerves are already setting in. How we missed the PL.
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CARMON YOU GUNNERS!!!!!!!!
Cech
Bellerin – Sokratis – Mustafi – Lichtsteiner
Guendouzi – Torreira
Mkhitaryan – Özil – Aubameyang
Lacazette
S: Leno, Monreal, Holding, Xhaka / Elneny, Ramsey, Iwobi, Welbeck.
V
Kepa
Azpilicueta – Luiz – Rudiger – Alonso
Kante – Jorginho – Barkley
Willian – Morata – Pedro
S: Caballero, Zappacosta, Christensen, Drinkwater / LoftusCheek, Hazard, Moses, Giroud / Abraham.
My one advice to UE is to maximize Mesut play him in the middle not on the wings.
Let his genius unfold.
Looking forward to seeing how well LT11 & MG29 play together.
CARMON ARSENAL!!!!!!!!!!
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Great again LG, im most nervous going up against big Oli to be honest.
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COYG
https://www.premierleague.com/news/813559?sf195614938=1
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Morning campers.
Big day, big game and a big test, and that’s just for us, let alone the team.
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Same line up as Aman, except for Iwobi in place of Mkhitaryan and making use of the bench in the second half (obviously).
Strange how Leno apparently seems to be out of favour having not even played a game yet.
Not one of the managers purchases was he!
UTA
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https://player.arsenal.com/video/final-word-unai-emerys-first-game
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Any point or points we garner from the first ten games will feel almost like bonus points to me, if I’m being honest. The number of new players, the new manager, and the very different playing style will surely take the best part of a season to fully assimilate. We can’t discount further departures and possibly some Xmas arrivals to further stir the mix. Even under Wenger, following an interlull, the team would often take a game or two to shake off the hangover of disruption so my interest remains high but my expectations have been tapered.
One thing it would appear to remain as a constant is our cringy, winey, miserably critical fanbase, aided and darkly abetted by the ever-desperate footballing media.
At least that means Positively Arsenal is unlikely to prove redundant any day soon.
Enjoy the game one and all.
COYG’s!!
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Leno will be the first choice it’s just a matter of time and not because Cech is a bad keeper it’s just, as Pep did at city, with the new style Unai will want a footballing keeper.
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Well said AA, a huge amount of change for a club that has been so stable for the last two decades, but some encouraging signs, and what from what some bloggers who visited the facilities are reporting, some real excellent training fitness infra structure developments going on behind the scenes.
Time and patience required, like the Tottenham stadium, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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ArsenalAndrew
August 18, 2018 at 11:35 am
100%
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It is cloudy and overcast (Seems to be a theme at the moment) but humid in Islington Central.
Chelsea share the same air as the great and the good of N.1
If you are going to the game or to the pub or staying at home to watch the game
Be careful and have a great game
Come on Arsenal
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COYG
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Arsenal U18 2-0 Brighton u18:
Okonkwo
Daley Campbell, Spencer-Adams, Ogungbo, Swanson
M. Smith, Olayinka
Balogun, McEneff, Musah
John-Jules
Subs: Graczyk, Cottrell, Matthews, Alebiosu, Greenwood.
Greenwood made his Arsenal debut as a second half sub
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For those fans whose noble desires for our club, sometimes produce correspondingly intense bile, just remember: despite the best teacher, our confidence is never solid in the early stages. Support the team, no matter what, and yes – no matter the outcome – enjoy the game.
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Quite confident about this.
Of course I always am but such is the way of things.
UTA!
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cfc take the lead, far too easily opened up there
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Fucks sake wot a stupid goal to concede easy long ball to the flanks cross and easy tap in
No defence at all everyone gone AWOL
We have a huge mountain to climb
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We make it too easy for the opposition
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Aubameyang with miss of the season, six yards out, goal open and he balloons it over the bar
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and now its 2-0 as moratta runs on to a ball from the half way line and slots home, awful defending once again, we had a line of defenders on the half way line, and a simple ball over the top leaves us totally exposed.
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Ok I am done with this game.
What a shambles
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xhaka booked
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jesus christ, now mkhitaryan fires way over the bar from 8 yards out, we could easily have scored 2 or 3, but our finishing has been poor, and add in that our defending has been awful and we are 2-0 down with little over half an hour played
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come on, Mkhitaryannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn fires in from edge of the area after good work from monreal and iwobi, Mkhitryan powers home first time, we are back in it now big time.
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cech with a good save from morrata
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Iwobiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 2-2, first time finish six yards out after driven low cross by mkhitaryan from near the corner flag
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we have created at lest five great chances so far, and taken two of them, we really could be in the lead, despite having been 2-0 down.
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another good chance wide by aubameyang
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What a wired game about the worst I have ever seen us play defensively and we are only a goal down and could even have been leading.
Seriously need to sort out the defence
Get torreira in at half time. With the was chavs have had joy on the flanks playing 352 would have been better
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another good chance skied over the top from inside the area, this time iwobi, we have had about 7 good chances this half.
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As I was typing iwobi scores a cracker
Maybe this will be.an 8-7 game
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How many sitter can we miss in one game?
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HT: Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal
we went 2-0 down with some schoolboy defending, we had created some great chances right before both CFC goals, and despite being 2 down, we continued to make great chances and Mkhitaryan and Iwobi both took a chance and missed a chance, Aubamyang missed a couple this half too, so we are right back in this game, and are looking good going forward. Next goal might be crucial
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well george I think its 4 so far.
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HT: 2-2
Wow understates the proceedings so far.
It really is another type of football UE has brought to the Arse.
Takes some getting used to…this pressing style
I imagine its even harder for the players.
You’ve got to be super-fit to keep this up.
Rotation is an absolute for this team to maintain this system.
But judging by the way we came back it just might work.
We should be at least 4 – 2 up.
Chelski are reeling.
We’re killing them from the wide positions
Lacazette must be itching to get on.
Welbeck, Rambo & Torreira too.
2nd stanza impending.
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Just need our shooting boots in the second half.
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Torreira on for Xhaka for the second half
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aubameyang goal ruled out for offside, it looked very close
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Man unlucky that was millimetres offiside.
Tighten at the back and we could take this Chelsea team to the cleaners
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cfc bring on two subs, hazard and kovacic for willian and barkely
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ha ha ha, commentator with “oh that was so tight” when moratta called offside, he was clearly offside, but when Aubameyang was inches offside the same guys say it was clear. by the way think it was lee dixon.
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67 minutes, Ramsey on for Ozil, who didn’t have the best of games
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we’ve been second best in the second half, not creating much, sitting deep, mkhitaryan and iwobi and aubameyang not in the game enough.
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Overall despite the shaky defence I have to keep reminding myself Guendozi is only 19 he has been amazing.
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both teams make their final subs, Lacazette on for Iwobi, and cfc bring on Giroud for moratta
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monreal should have done better on that attack for us
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torreira almost in as keeper fails to hold a ramsey cross/shot, then mustafi gets booked
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