Good morning Positives,
After two defeats in games in which we faced difficult opponents yesterday was a game I certainly had marked down as three points to the Arsenal and so it eventually worked out. The eventually being relevant as right up to the time-added-on+ the ‘Ammers were still in the game and could have snatched the equaliser. I was surprised at the 61% v 39% possession in our favour, it looked more even to me. If we were a bit unlucky not to earn a point at the Bridge so our claret and blue visitors will feel aggrieved that all their efforts were for nought.
Of the game itself the content of the post game comments on here was accurate. I also thought it was our worst display of the three games. Defensively we were shaky and better finishing from Arnautovic could/should have embarrassed us further. The right hand side of our football team in the first half worked well going forward. If the move broke down however, with Hector upfield, there was no cover behind him and the ‘Ammers raced in on our goal. Mustafi and Sokratis were confronted with 3-4 charging opponents and the tackles and clearances looked desperate. On the other side of the pitch Nacho did not suffer the same problems. In the final third during the first half our passing was also poor, with good ball wasted. It was difficult to pick put anyone who was better or worse than anyone else, it was just below average.
If the first half was unsatisfactory the second was better. Laca’s introduction gave a definite target for the ball being passed forward and he and PEA combined far better. We seemed to get a better measure of Anderson and Antoine and, slowly, a solid grip on midfield. Our new Uruguayan’s entry on 56 minutes I thought was important in winning that midfield battle. He is very tidy. As it was the first time I had seen Torreira live I was impressed. But he is sooooo short – He really is Alan Ball/Billy Bremner size !! When our second goal came, while it was as ugly as sin, it was deserved.
After that WH scrambled to get back into it, with pressure but no real killer punch in their attacks. The introduction of Chicarito, with his blue rinse, made the work of or back two that little bit easier. The Arsenal defence did enough to fend them off. The third goal was a little cherry on Danny’s cake, the reward for effort.
Of the Ammers I thought Antoine did well, and despite some wayward finishing Arnautovic’s goal was a peach of a shot. Jack was anonymous. If I had not been looking for him I would not have noticed him. A hard Autumn beckons for Manuel Pelligrini.
So three much needed points in the bag and AFC are on the road for two interesting games in Cardiff and on Tyneside.
Fear not for the future, weep not for the past – and enjoy your Sunday…
Positively Arsenal 
anicol its less than 750 shares that have not been bought yet, 1.2% of total shares.
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https://player.arsenal.com/video/breakdown-west-ham-h-1
Good stuff here, Adrian knows best.
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Try make sure only one of us is daft enough to give the clickbait meisters what they want with their daft Lacazette stuff
It contained a line like ‘Arsenal will do what they can to keep him until at least January’
No words needed for the stupidity of the line, and i guess the why (write it) ? of it is because the industry is that pathetic these days to knowingly write things which make no sense and serve no purpose to try get their lousy clicks.
Must be rough in the early days in that industry, and if you make it all the way to the top you get to sit with and have to be like those Sunday Supplement bums.
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Antony Taylor for our away game at Cardiff, wonder how many injuries we get and associated stitch ups. For watching from behind the settee
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Wonder if Sourness will spot any bad fouls against us
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markyb
At my most suspicious/paranoid about Riley felt he might use our fixtures on occasion as a test or chance for refs in doghouse to redeem themselves.
Mason was the one that made me think it. 3 or 4 weeks out of action as punishment for not sending Coq off against Palace then he gave him us again 1st game back.
This is a bit different as, in theory, after stick Taylor’s had for being lenient, he should be primed to go the other way this weekend, which wouldn’t suit Warnock’s Cardiff at their place,at all.
Xhaka better watch out for sure. It’ll likely be a day when anything remotely yellow worthy gets a yellow and a strong yellow could well be a red. Also have to watch out for Chambers-type double yellow up at Stoke from Taylor.
Behind the settee sound right. .
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I was just making the point that AST have no say, or almost no say, over the outstanding shares eddy, despite the loud noises the insist on making.
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Cardiff will be a test for us with a partisan crowd and Warnock whipping is lads on. I fancy a few goals as neither side is exactly watertight at the back. Hitting the back of the net, that is the thing. Hopefully it wont be a re-run of the horrible night at the Liberty in January when we crumbled against the doomed Swans. ( horrified face)
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Rich,
I can see the zero tolerance going only one way I’m afraid
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markyb
Yep. Hopefully someone has a word with new players as they could easily be caught out thinking ‘oh, it’s like this, is it’, then finding out it isn’t
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Yaya’s agent’s tweet feels like a bit of a sign of how some agents see themselves these days. Player’s themselves in an entertainment industry or something.
Literally no point to it- financially or otherwise- but he wanted a bit of attention or amusement.
Ramsey’s not all that different,I guess. At least can’t think of a point to his tweet yesterday.
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I’ve always supported fans having shares and having a small say as to the direction a club should go in. I also like the idea of fans running clubs especially in the lower leagues and even like the idea of long term having a single share to look at in their bedroom and dream of romantically being part of the club.
The idea of the set up of the AST was a good one at a time of uncertainty unfortunately there primary reason for existing went away very quickly and they thought they were allowed to comment on everything else the club were doing including the manager.
After this misuse how can anyone have sympathy for these bigheads who think they are more important than they are
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ian AST knew a long time ago that they were fucked, and that is why they have been trying to change from a shareholders group to a “fans group”.
as I said earlier about their article yesterday, it reads like a self entitled better than you tirade, the number of times different posters mentioned that the £29K per share they would get meant nothing to them, shows that in general its a well heeled group. Which then of course brings us to the whinging about season ticket prices from them, £29K would buy very good season tickets for decades.
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rich the media write the bullshit article about AFC cos they know we have a large section of fans who will buy into any bullshit that is showing AFC in a bad light, for God’s sake they believe these cretins on the Ozil story.
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AFCPressWatch
@AFCPressWatch2
9h9 hours ago
J. Robinson, R. Mitchell & S. Peck called up for an Eng U15 selection camp.
Malcolm Ebiowei called up for Eng U16s.
Karl Hein called up for an Estonian U17 training camp.
Danny Ballard on standby for NI U21s.
Sam Greenwood, Yunus Musah & Miguel Azeez called up for Eng U17s.
0 replies 5 retweets 8 likes
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It’s north London derby time as our under-23s take on Tottenham on Friday evening – and you can watch it LIVE on Arsenal.com.
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The Mirror are reporting the PGMOL sacked ref Bobby Madley over posting a slur to the disabled.
If he really did such a thing, well ,he shouldn’t have, but all a bit odd, especially with other,false rumours that abounded.
Whatever the reason, one less ref in an all too small pool, considering the demands, pressure, and having to keep up with athletes.
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I’m serious about this.
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And Madley has moved to Norway apparently Mandy – Norway FFS – an extraordinary move
( Clearly I would like to unreservedly apologise in advance to the one or more Norwegian viewers of Positively Arsenal ( 41,241 all time) and who are recorded should any of them have taken offence at the words “Norway FFS” )
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Perhaps he has been pining for the fjords
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“What kind of talk is that ?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmyGrk99uzM
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I think the problem started for the AST when they allowed people to join who didn’t have shares. The difficulty they have in calling themselves a fan group is A.I.S.A. already fill that position and it was them that provided the money to start up AST in the first place so it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
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In the realm of utterly useless information there are six countries in the world from which this blog has never had a single view, North Korea, Cuba, Western Sahara, Chad, Central African Republic and Turkmenistan.
Why eh – are they all WOBs or Black Scarfers ?
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Communist bastards.
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George but but but but but but but but but but but but
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https://arsenalcolumn.wordpress.com/2018/08/26/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-quest-for-balance-continues/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Anam also missing out on the fitness considerations regarding subs and selections after the shortened and staggered pre-season. Same for the new gaffer as for the old gaffer.
But he’s still up there with Adrian for me providing consistently quality in depth reviews. As per the quotes on No. 10’s, No.8’s &No.6’s it looks like UE is of course wanting to explore his CMs/AMs in fluid and different roles.
‘Bama: Fingers crossed
We had the midfield thread that the billy big boys are currently slapping each other on the backs here on PA after the 2014 World Cup. When Germany won their most impressive WC to date (there are a few!) with a flattish midfield three (Schweiny the former forward playing like some kind of Teutonic Cazorla! Kind of…), Ozil feeding the CF and the wide forward whilst nominally starting as the left sided forward.
But according to the blaggers only now has three CMs become the benchmark. One WC (four years) after Germany’s exposition!
Arsene ended up playing Sanchez and Ozil behind the CF with the three at the back and that worked against City and Chelsea.
Young Pep thought it was a remarkable tactic from the old gaffer, a shame our “shambolic” billy big blaggers were and are still too busy running down the greatest manager in the history of the club (Arsenal values?) to remark upon it…
but in the end AW wanted to play four at the back against most of the non-petro clubs for logical reasons. UE is the same I guess, and he wants to stick to four.
The new gaffer’s quest is exactly the same as the old gaffer’s. With a little bit more pressing and a little teeny bit more passing out the back, but don’t worry it’ll all remain very familiar. As seen with the second goal at Chelsea Unai is a fine student of the old gaffer.
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Testing.
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Anam at the Arsenalcolumn blog (link not working) another one missing out on the fitness considerations regarding subs and selections especially in mpidfield after the shortened and staggered pre-season. Same for the new gaffer as for the old gaffer.
But he’s still up there with Adrian for me providing consistently quality in depth reviews. As per the quotes on No. 10’s, No.8’s &No.6’s it looks like UE is of course wanting to explore his CMs/AMs in fluid and different roles.
‘Bama: Fingers crossed
We had the three CM midfield thread here on PA that the billy big boys are currently slapping each other on the backs here after the 2014 World Cup. When Germany won their most impressive WC to date (there are a few!) with a flattish midfield three (Schweiny the former forward playing like some kind of Teutonic Cazorla! Kind of…), Ozil feeding the CF and the wide forward whilst nominally starting as the left sided forward.
But according to the blaggers only now has three CMs become the benchmark. Four years after Germany’s exposition!
Arsene ended up playing Sanchez and Ozil behind the CF with three at the back and that resulting midfield worked ok against City and Chelsea.
Young Pep thought it was a remarkable tactic from the old gaffer, a shame our “shambolic” billy big blaggers were and are still too busy running down the greatest manager in the history of the club (Arsenal values?) to remark upon it.
But in the end AW wanted to play four at the back against most of the non-petro clubs for logical reasons. UE is the same I guess, and he wants to stick to four.
The new gaffer’s quest is exactly the same as the old gaffer’s. With a little bit more pressing and a little teeny bit more passing out the back, but don’t worry it’ll all remain very familiar. As seen with the second goal at Chelsea Unai is a fine student of the old gaffer.
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testing 1-2-3
Mary had a little lamb
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< I do wish that AW had switched to back three with ten to go against in the home tie against Madrid and with a clean sheet tie turning result still a possibility.
That's not a critique of the coaches' "defensive coaching", just a mild wish that the old gaffer had done what we'd seen him do many times before: throw on an extra CB to close out a result.
Who knows we might be lucky enough to make another European SFagain this season. If the Arsenal get that far again I expect a tie against this year's Chelsea will be a tiny bit less daunting then last year's A.Madrid.
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Where is Eddy with the cup draw?
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Burnley,eh.
Lump of a centre back gives little Olympiakos striker a completely unnecessary arm in face with a bit of force. Striker gets bit of treatment
Burnley : boos and ‘same old…always cheating’
Sure some think it’s good old fashioned support but they cross a line into being annoying shits for me.
Ha, little guy got them back with a nice goal. Best footballer on pitch
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Respect to them for showing bit of love for their team at end of a night that ends in disappointment. Always like to see that when team has given their all.
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spurs have asked permission to play their home tie v Watford at a neutral venue
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2018/19 UEFA Champions League group stage
Group A: Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge
Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Internazionale Milano
Group C: Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Liverpool, Crvena zvezda
Group D: Lokomotiv Moskva, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray
Group E: Bayern München, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens
Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim
Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moskva, Viktoria Plzeň
Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys
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Firstly there is nothing wrong with being a communist bastard especially as Arsene preferred a wage structure with a hint of socialism. So Wobs, from what I’ve seen, are more likely to be fascist barstards.
Secondly if spuds are giving up a home tie then by default Watford should be allowed to host it rather than their fans having to travel up to Milton Keynes or similar.
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Never liked communists since Ivan juiced trying to beat Rocky.
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Not to mention that Sergei and me had to flee for our lives, with barely £3 billions to set up a new life with.
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Europa League draw kicking off at the moment – draw will be done by 12.45
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Was hoping to draw the yellow submarine, Cazorla, but we can’t have it all!
European group games are not the same unless you have a trip into Central or West Asia.
If Nelson won’t play or start for hoffenheim in their CL group games he’ll be better off for himself getting the 90mins every two weeks or so in these upcoming matches.
Big Dave Ospina will be looking forward to the challenges ahead in his CL group games with Napoli.
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And also Brentford coming up, a further chance to see how a few more graduates from the Royal Academy/former players are getting on.
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Group E:
Arsenal
Sporting Lisbon
Qarabag
Vorskla Poltava
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Couple of long distance ones there.
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Feel a bit for our travelling fans with the draw. Think there were a lot of places they had eye on rather than Ukraine and Azerbaijan (damn my attempt to spell that without looking didn’t go well). Oh well.
Hefty trips for players so let’s hope BT and Sky don’t pull their specials by giving us a Saturday afternoon game (if by rules it’s Sunday only after Europa that would be a help)
Maybe worst we’ll face is one of top six away immediately after long haul.
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But most importantly of all we should get to see the senior midfield take to the field for their first starts of the season tomorrow.
Exciting stuff.
My advice? Ignore the mountains of gibberish that will be pumped out before and after this weekends fixture about & just enjoy the new gaffer being allowed to play with his senior players and to finally have them all consistently training and starting together.
Because the problems at the back won’t be solved this season. Looking back at the GA columns over recent seasons, bearing in mind that the German Legend arrived in September we can appreciate that even a top talent needs a few months to adjust mentally and physically to the intensity of the PL. So if “Ivan’s Team” (you can quote me on that thanks!) are not looking for an English CB to be one of their senior CBs going forwards for the next long cycle (not a 30 year old) then they would need to bring that player in sooner rather then later. Preferably last summer! They’ve opted for a medium short term solution for now, but even the experienced Greek international like Mertesacker before him will need a period to settle and adapt etc.
Consequently I would consider anything below the sum of 45 in the GA column this year as a mark of solid progress.
In the BFGs first season which wasn’t a full season, with the club in turmoil till a certain result against 5pur2 the GA was as bad as last year. The following year after he’d settled in, slapped the dressing room into shape with his genteel manner (please refer to the meltdown of German Football following his and Lahm and Schweiny’s absence in that camp) the GA column dropped by over ten! Below 40. And remained thereabouts for the duration till his legs went and kozza’s ankle flared up.
Which his how the club equaled the clean sheet record in the league, during the same spell they picked up three Fa cups and came 2nd in the league, a period our Big Blaggers have been referring to of late and I quote as “a decline”.
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Number 9 shirt for an 18 year old on a year’s loan? That would be very strange. Think chance skyrocketed that it could be permanent
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Have Sporting Lisbon recovered from all their players leaving in the Summer ? If not this looks a formidably simple group stage although the travel is a bit of a grind.
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Little bit gutted at losing Nelson, thought he looked like he would get some decent minutes this season but on the other hand he is behind two or three seniors on that right side and like Holding & Chambers be simply needs to play in order to develop.
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Happy Nelson has signed contract.
Think he could easily have got 15-20 appearances this year, or more if he did excellently when given a chance.
No guarantee of more at Hoffenheim, though early on he should get at least a little more opportunity than he would have had in same timeframe here. So if that goes well, maybe it can be a rare, great loan.
A young apparently innovative coach working out a final year before moving to another job is quite an unusual situation, so maybe that will have an impact, though I can’t really guess how. Bit more experimental,maybe?
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