@LaboGoon gives a bore da pawb to Arsenal far and near
Good day Positivistas…
Arsenal and Unai Emery finally got some reward last week in a game that weren’t too pleasing on the eye yet entertaining in equal measure. And it’s off the back of that emotional cocktail that we visit the land of Aaron James Ramsey’s fathers to play Cardiff City this afternoon.
Despite the glamour of scoring three goals vs West Ham, there was still cause for concern at how disjointed our defense looked in our willingness to commit men forward. It is still early days in Unai’s reign so we should expect a few kinks and just have to trust the process because what he is trying to do is ‘teach them how to fish’ – so to speak.
Not able to get in behind opposition defenses seems to be is an obvious concern for Neil Warnock with his sides lack of goals. After three games the Bluebirds are the only Premier League side yet to score, averaging less than two shots on target per game. So with them looking more and more like clean-sheet fodder, god speed our defense have themselves a rare day off.
That doesn’t necessarily mean we will be romping it at the other end… because whilst Cardiff aren’t scoring, they aren’t exactly conceding either – shipped just two goals in the three games. So if we are to have any joy our middle to front players will have to make sure at least one end of the pitch see some action.
It’s not only Cardiff going into this game goalless, Aubameyang has been kept quiet in the first three games too and will be looking to get on the scoresheet this time around, along with Lacazette who is yet to open his account too. We are all rubbing his hands hoping our frontline strikers get scoring soon.
Heading into the game last weekend all the rage on social-media was about a training ground “bust up”. With the victory the rumour mill amongst the media and fans seem to have gotten more calm; besides Reiss Nelson adding sauerkrauts to his diet and fruit juice banned from London Colney… it was a rather slow news week at the Emirates.
Today should be one of those where we expect one team to do all the attacking work and the other all defending, but strangers things has happened. Over the last 12 months Arsenal didn’t had much joy on their travels against teams we were expected to beat, and with that a perception grew that we are susceptible when away crowds get real noisy to rally behind their team. So while we can expect the Bluebird faithful to crank it up, this is something Unai would like to nip the bud very quickly because following the FIFA week are travelling up north to Newcastle. With Rafa already giving both Chelsea and Man City a scare… we wouldn’t want him to have any ideas.
Good luck to all watching the game and if all goes well Arsenal will put on a worthy team performance to silence all critics.
Positively Arsenal 
It’s today right?
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Oh yes thats right and well done again LG. Were now clawing our way up the table and although Unai says the players are still not 100% with the combinations and pressing together all at the right time we are getting there.
the bluebirds are now blue again and have finally scored a goal and we know they will be kicking and screaming to get every point possible this season. If its hostile on the pitch off the pitch, as all those who have been there will testify, its even worse so our away support like our defence is likely to come under arieal assalt.
Aaron will be one of the first welshmen to play at Cardiff this year as they dont have any and as he has scored there before i’m expecting a good game from our box to box mystro.
After last seasons bad away form this wont be easy however it could prove a major launch pad for a successful season and a natural proggression that see’s us on the up and up COYG.
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Definitely PG, definitely!!
Thanks Labo. How you dey, my broda!
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Only missed one game but feel strangely out of football groove at minute. Maybe because internationals upon us.
Would be happy with any sort of win today, and then hopefully get fully into season after break, with the season really getting going and more games, chances for those who have played little or not at all,etc.
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Arseblog covers pretty well my thoughts on Warnock’s mention of roughing us up.
”I hope we can rough him up. Needs must.”
‘And if that applies to Ramsey, you can be quite sure it applies to every single Arsenal player. Rough him up, leave one on him, let him know you’re there, the reducer – not particularly subtle code for deliberate fouling, and all we can do is hope that the foolishness of making that kind of approach public is something today’s referee, Anthony Taylor, takes note of. And that there’s nothing too nasty.’
‘Of course there’s a physical side to football, it’s something fans and players enjoy, but there are lines you shouldn’t cross and Warnock’s comment about Ramsey is a none too subtle throwback to the ‘Arsenal don’t like it up ’em’ stuff the likes of Sam Allardyce used to peddle. Leaving aside the fact that nobody likes it up ’em, the very real consequences of that attitude – and the fact it was widely reported without any real repudiation in the mainstream media – are evidenced in the broken limbs of Eduardo, Abou Diaby and, of course, Ramsey himself who had his leg snapped by a brutal Ryan Shawcross challenge in 2010.’
‘It is down to the officials to manage the game, and I don’t really believe there are players these days who go out to inflict serious damage on fellow professionals, but I just worry that when you’re fired up with a stop them at all costs attitude then someone might be inclined to go in a bit harder and a bit later than they normally would. Hopefully that’s not the case.’
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was about to mention that Rich, it will be interesting to see if the Ref will apply the rules or game manage and buy into the narrative that its all right for lesser skilled teams to “rough up” the skilled teams and skilled players.
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Danny Welbeck joined Arsenal four years ago today.
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I like it I like, but can I change my mind if things go tits up
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Swopping Douzi for Mkhi will make that hands down our strongest line-up. No compliant though. A handsome 3-0 victory will see us jumping up to 6th on the log… #COYG #UTA and whatnot!
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it seems Wenger favorites Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Xhaka, Ramsey and Ozil are also Emery favorites, who would have thought.
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we have a one eyed ref today
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Playing the fucking ball out from the fucking back = fucking ridiculous
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Cech with a big blunder and Cardiff really should have scored, but Harry Arter blazes over
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Ten goal thriller at this rate – Mustafi first up
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Mustafiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii bullet header at a corner from about 8 yards out, we had gone close with a few half chances one leading to this corner. 1-0 t to the Arsenal
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18 minutes gone – should be 5-2 to us
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Taylor has a yellow card after all, he books Monreal
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Disgusting from Taylor – he should have booked a Cardiff player first for one of the pretend fouls on an Arsenal player rather than the other way round
Cardiff back in this
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That should have been 6-2
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Lacazette shot hits the post and come back out, oh so close
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break in play,
so in case you missed it, Emery said Iwobi missed the game as they had a big fall out at training and Alex stormed off and went home,
well he actually said Iwobi has a cold, but after last week we all know what that means.
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Well I’m sure you are surprised as I am.
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1-1, self inflicted
a game we should be out of sight in and its level,
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Good old Granit….a well gift-wrapped present to Cardiff.
1 – 1 at the break.
We’ll see what this team is made of.
COYG!
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HT: 1-1
AFC with the better of it, but not taking our chances and Aubameyang and Ozil have not been sharp at all, loose at the back and asking Cech to be a passing keeper is not a good idea, Ref also woeful.
Mustafi with out goal.
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I yearn for Wengerball.
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Damn. I’ll keep fighting my defence of Xhaka as he’s a very good player and most of the stick is ridiculous…but he hasn’t helped me there.
Up there with Ox against Monaco as a decision.
Only defence is that team had lost any groove about ten minutes before so there may have been no one showing for ball.
Still, a clunker.
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Terrible decision making from the ref and Xhaka, at 46 minutes retain the ball in the opponents half job done
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Taylor can still book the team in Red and White
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our passing is off, also lacking tempo. need more from our attacking players
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Aubameyanggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg with a fine strike from edge of the area 2-1
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finally Aubameyang opens his account for the season
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fucks sake, Taylor will not be happy till he sends an Arsenal player off, Bellerin, Monreal, Guendouzi, Sokratis and Xhaka booked so far, no yellow for Cardiff
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think the fact Sokratis headed the ball might have seen him get away with a penalty there
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we are going into our shells again, we need to step it up and kill this game off
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we are pathetic at the back, cardiff with 2 efforts on target and its 2-2
we had gone into our shells after taking the lead and have now paid the price, need to step it up big time. Too many below par so far.
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Torreira on for Guendouzi
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Ffs, this team really are the gift that keeps on giving.
High risk, low reward.
I am sure emery is working on things, but very hard to see exactly what at the moment.
Why do we find defending so much harder than other teams?
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Time for Mr Taylor to give them a pen?
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Lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee makes it 3-2 with about 10 to go
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welbeck for ozil and Mkhitaryan for aubameyang
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4 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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cardiff with a great chance, headed over with cech way out of position
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FT: Cardiff 2-3 Arsenal
Mustafi, Aubameyang and Lacazette with our goals, we let in two soft goals. Ref was awful. Our Defensive play was awful at times, our midfield and attack were not sharp enough, our passing was off and our tempo too slow. Cech looks like he can not play the passing out game, so we have to bring in Leno or stop asking Cech to pass out from the back. Would say too that Torreira has to start.
Aubameyang lacked sharpness, Ozil was not great, Ramsey in and out of the game, Xhaka was sloppy on their first goal. Lacazette had a good game.
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a win is a win is a win
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That was a good win. I mean, we’ve lost to newly promoted Warnock sides in the past.
We found a new level in the second half I thought, with Ozil finding a bit more space. Their goal was from a phantom fk – we know Taylor is crud – and it made the contest interesting when it shouldn’t have been.
Signs of the combinations coming together in attack. Do think we need to find a way to get Torreira in the side.
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bird I think we will see Torreira and Xhaka as our starting midfield 2 soon
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Patrick Timmons
@PatrickTimmons1
5m5 minutes ago
Lucas Torreira only played 20 minutes today but completed 26/26 passes, won 6/6 duels, 3/3 tackles and provided the winning assist. There isn’t a simpler way to put it: he needs to start.
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Eduardo, was think this could be hampered by the int. break, but there’s just a friendly next Saturday vs Mexico for him, and then I assume he’s back. I’ve said my bit about Xhaka, and then some, but tend to agree that Xhaka-Torreira is the logical choice for continuity’s sake. I assume Emery thinks Guendouzi has a very high ceiling and is worth the investment he’s being given. He’s been a bit inhibited, which is natural after that initial adrenaline wears off. Just being around at the club for the next two weeks may keep him in contention.
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