Good morning All Positives,
An evening we all expected to be an easy run out developed as planned. The Ukranian side had some ability and were fit and organised but never threatened an upset or even, unfortunately, to give our fringe players who stepped up for the evening a hard work-out. The half empty stadium was a bit different to the riotous FC Koln riot opener last season.
I don’t think anyone in red had a poor game and because of that my eye was drawn to our younger players for most of the evening. I was pleased to see Torreira have a start and he did not disappoint. The game allowed me to see a bit more of the Uruguayan’s creative and passing side rather than his tackling and shutting down attributes. Even a cheeky free kick to test the side netting which was not expected! In the few weeks LT has been with us I see him a little sharper, a little more confident. Guendouzi put in a good 35 minutes as his replacement and his tackling has become cleaner and more decisive in just a few weeks. I have no qualms about either, or even both, starting on Sunday against Everton.
Our other young starting debutante Leno never really had enough to do to prove himself. If the German is indeed “good with his feet” we will have to wait and see. Our keeper was a little unlucky to concede two goals in the closing stages but neither were shots that he was responsible for or could have stopped. Smith-Rowe flashed like greased mercury for 20 minutes. Our oldie new boy Lichsteiner performed wholly as expected, professional to the tips of his highly polished Swiss boots.
Four goals, all well taken, not too much sweat or drama. A solid Europa League foundation before we set off for our next fixture in Baku on the 4th. I can see our qualification for the knockout phase, and this group stage therefore being over before the end of October.
Enjoy your Friday. The weekend beckons.
Positively Arsenal 
dont think we really had to get out of second gear, but some decent performances and hopefully some selection headaches for UE, Iwobi was excellent, as was Mikhi, and as for Torriera!
Shame about the two goals conceded, but the main thing from this game,we scored 4 and could easily have had more.
Of course Xhaka at fault for both conceded
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Nice round-up. Nothing to add. COYG!
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arsenal getting more stick for conceding 2 late goals when 4 up to win 4-2, than spurs got for conceding 2 later goals when 1 up to lose 2-1, no media agenda at all.
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eduardo1966@edminton1966
12m12 minutes ago
Replying to @ScottyBoyGooner
Cat C games never sell out Cat B rarely sell out CC never sell out either EL rarely sell out but the soundbite that AFC are pricing their fans out of going to games sounds good to media, AST and other idiots. Its as if its our opponents they want to see & not there to support AFC
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Not sure anyone did enough to secure a first team place that wasn’t a shoe in anyway. I enjoyed the game, but the commentary was painful.
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I really enjoyed watching the game. Always in control, flashes of brilliance, goals well-taken. And something else, I thought – a real sense of harmony in the team. Our players looked as if they were loving playing. Long may that continue.
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yes george the commentary was so fucking negative it was untrue, I had a foreign language stream for most of the first half and it was great, but it went down so ended up with the usual negative crap commentary
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Ahead of Sunday’s match against Everton, here’s the latest team news update from our medical team after Thursday’s victory over Vorskla Poltava.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Right ankle from Vorskla match on Thursday. Currently being assessed ahead of Sunday’s match against Everton.
Sead Kolasinac
Left knee injury. Progressing well and now expected to return to full training in early October. (Initially aiming to return during the month of October).
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Small fracture to left fibula. Progressing well and now expected to return to full training in early October. (Initially aiming to return to training in November).
Carl Jenkinson
Significant sprain to right ankle. Progressing well and now expected to return to full training in early October. (Initially aiming to return during the month of October)
Laurent Koscielny
Right Achilles tendon repair. Started working outside. Aiming to return to full training in November.
Copyright 2018 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
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Don’t want to be taken on a negative note. But did we played outstandingly? It was a routine win rather bizzare in the end against a weak opposition.
Nothing to be proud off.
Let’s, c how we play against the big boys.
Till now we have failed in the 2 matches we played against formidable opponents.
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Well I’d say it was a step up from our last home outing against “weak” opposition in the form of Ostersund Ro in quality and the result
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who scored the first Arsenal goal you saw live
mine was Niall Quinn, 27 December 1986, Arsenal 1–0 Southampton,
I took in 3 games on my first visit to AFC that Christmas. That home game and away to Wimbledon at Plough lane, a 3-1 win, Charlie Nicholas (2), Hayes. and the NLD at shite hart lane, a 2-1 win, Tony Adams and Paul Davis with our goals.
My only other game that season was the Littleswoods Cup final at Wembley v Liverpool, Charlie Nicholas (2) as we won 2-1, the first time LFC lost when Ian Rush scored.
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Joe Baker – edge of the box volley from left hand side I can just about remember.
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Somebody more uncharitable than me might suggest that some so called Arsenal supporters are perversely willing Emery to fail in order to fuel their Wenger yearnings.
That.Was.A.Good.Result.
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Troy Deeney setting up a career as a pundit when he retires, he is whinging about something AFC related again
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I should add that I took in the reserve game at Highbury the day before the Littleswood cup final, think we won 3-0, I remember Merson scoring two, and Rix with a wonderful freekick goal
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Arsenal U23’s play Liverpool U23’s at Boreham Wood this evening, kick off at 7
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Can’t remember my first Arsenal scorer (but it might have been Baker) in a terrific 4-4 against Spurs October ’63
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If I may I’ll repeat what I said earlier on the previous thread – Sokratis on the right (of Holding) was an entirely different proposition to Sokratis on the left of, probably, anyone. He could turn out to be a really great player for us but he has to be played in his best position and not one in which he looks like Bambi on ice.
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Bloody hell eddy, thats a tough one, as now I notice the years are memories are fading into one another! Arrgh.
Alan Sunderland vs Gothenburg CWC March 1980. I dont remember it however. But clearly I remember the Goths scoring, and the old bloke next to me saying” that will wakes us up”. And it did!
I also remember seeing Bradys goal, he wacked it in with his right foot, but I was gutted that to see my first Brady goal wasnt with the sacred left! I loved that guy so much, I used to practise his style up the park, and even tried to get the dimple ( i know what a tool! but I was only a little lad from the poor estate where football and pop music was all we had).
Liam got injured in the last minutes and went off. So many memories flooding back now…dear old Highbury.
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Interesting article in the Torygraph about Tottenhams, erm, unfortunate stadium delays.
A headline for the article suggests construction workers off their heads on coke!
Then goes on to cite other issues in a slightly less lurid style, such as poor management as well as the complexity of the project etc.
Oh dear!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/09/20/spurs-stadium-workers-heads-cocaine-alcohol-construction/
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First goal from an Arsenal player I actually remember, Alan Sunderland in a draw against West Brom around 79-80
Saw a couple games before that cannot remember against who, but do remember we didn’t score, As was sometimes the case back then.
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Anicol at 12:31
I suspect we won against Ostersunds away 3-0 and qualified for the next round already so it was just a formality losing 2-1.
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Pretty sure it was John Radford but can’t remember who against, maybe Everton when Alan Ball played in white boots.
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Anicol
Arsenal won 5-1 on aggregate against AC Milan in the Europa last season should be a better judgement of our performance under Wenger rather Ostersunds minnows.
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Rather than***
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roicky why should it
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Geoff Strong v Aston Villa 1964
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AISA
@AISA_Arsenal
24m24 minutes ago
As well as Ivan Gazidis, both Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham will be attending Sundays ‘Fans Forum’ which AISA will have a representative at the meeting.
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Ed
I was just replying to Anicol who thinks we are playing better under UE than Wenger as we beat Volks 4-2 but we lost to Ostersunds last season in Europa.
So I gave the comparison which makes more, sense as we beat Milan 5-1 which represents our last year form more than yesterday’s match against a weaker opposition.
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Xhaka beware
Arsenal v Everton
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Lee Betts, Harry Lennard
Fourth official: Roger East.
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The Europa League group stage is a bit bonkers.
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Troy Deenie is weired
He has a rather large head
Quite disproportionate with the rest of his body.
And you have to wonder what is it that he has in such a large head?
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Ed, least it’s not at Goodison or, even worse, Moss for a Saints game (let them batter us at least twice, looked away as Long was closing in for off ball contact on Kos, to watch someone running with ball out wide with nobody near them!!)
But, yeah, little doubt he’ll stick with his template and let the opposition get away with tons of little kicks and pushes when we release ball, plus all the rest, while Xhaka will of course have to be extra careful.
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Well that was the thing Ro – we won 3-0 in Ostersunds, tie over, feet up, no problems, then found ourselves 2-0 down in 23 minutes at the Emirates, with the Swedish no hopers pressing for what would have probably been a deserved third goal equaliser until Kolasinac managed to get a goal back and put the tie beyond them.
The game ended 2-1 to the visitors, a win at the Ems or at Highbury unique for such a small European club, never happened before, not once, ever.
So weighing it all up I’d say last night was a considerable improvement against the “weak opposition” you mentioned in your opening post.
I don’t really see AC Milan was weak opposition although, like us, they are not what they once were.
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Mossy – yes yes yes – He is my boy – 2.86 points per game.
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What I also would like to see is a really erratic performance from Deano at the London Stadium – put a bit of a dent in the Chelsea bus – he had a stinker there last season and owes the Ammers
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Emile Smith Rowe is the first player born in 2000 or later to play for the Arsenal first-team in a competitive game.
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Anicol Agreed but we were never under threat of losing the tie.
Anyway you think we are better under UE than we were under Wenger let’s wait and see time will tell. Fingers crossed.
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I have no view on whether we are “better” under Emery than under Wenger Ro. It is far, far too early to compare the 22 season record of one manager with the 6 game record of another. Perhaps at the end of the first season there will be a measure available, more likely it will take 2-3 years to weigh one against the other. Probably the result will some bits better, some bits worse. As you say fingers crossed.
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Tks Anicoll.
Agreed it’s too early to draw, any conclusions but there always the sixth sense….
With Wengers experience and his cool & calm approach towards the game and everything around the club I presume I have a safe bet.
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Arsenal FC
Verified account @Arsenal
47m47 minutes ago
📋 Here’s how #AFCU23 line-up against @LFC this evening…
Starting XI: Iliev, Pleguezuelo, Ballard, Medley, Bola, Willock, Olayinka, Burton, Saka, John-Jules, Nketiah
Subs: Hein, Olowu, Smith, Omole, Coyle
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Zelalem, Bramall, Sheaf, Osei-Tutu, McEneff and Amaechi injured. Gilmour suspended.
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Zelalem not involved. Bramall, Sheaf, Osei-Tutu and Amaechi injured. Gilmour suspended.
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
4m4 minutes ago
Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0. Saka scores his first U23 goal after being set up by Nketiah. Against the run of play, with Liverpool having hitherto been dominant.
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
1m1 minute ago
Arsenal 2 Liverpool 0. Nketiah doubles Arsenal’s advantage from close range.
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
35s35 seconds ago
HT. Arsenal 2 Liverpool 0. Strange half. Arsenal started really badly but have improved since taking the lead. Saka lively. Style of play has evidently changed – more long balls now.
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Can’t believe how well Freddie’s u23’s are doing, given the amount of promising youngsters who have left in last year or so, plus injuries, suspension and Smith-Rowe absent for this one.
Hinds, Crowley, Malen, Bennacer, Dragomir, C Willock, Josh Dasilva, Reine-Adeleide, Virginia, Mcguane, Mavididi gone, plus a few who could be solid at u23 level at least- Moore, Bola, Chiori Johnson. Akpom finally moving on.
Bielik and Reiss Nelson loaned out.
Sheaf, Zelalem injury hit. Osei-Tutu injured. Gilmour suspended. Smith-Rowe unavailable.
3-0 up vs Pool last I heard tonight and about to go top!
Incredible, and vast majority players who have come through Hale End from a young age.
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
15m15 minutes ago
Ft. Arsenal 4 Liverpool 0. Arsenal weren’t as dominant as the scoreline suggests but another encouraging result under Ljungberg. Saka and Nketiah excellent. Willock has progressed so much. Ballard and Medley good at the back. Encouraging sub appearance from Smith.
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Rich its only 2 or 3 years ago that the experts in our fan base were telling the world that our Academy was a mess, a laughing stock etc.
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The departures of malen and dragomir surprised me. Especially Malen he appeared to have all the attributes to be an arsenal player, skillful quick good feet and scored goals . Feels to me that this is going to be another Gnabry like regret. He is certainly doing well at PSV and has broken into the first team. Wish him all the best.
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