@LaboGoon opens up the wrap this morning
After a slow start to the season Arsenal recovered well to now have four victories on the bounce in all competitions; and it’s off the back of that form that we host Everton at the Emirates this afternoon to cap off another great weekend of Premier League action that saw a few teams around us on the log drop points.
Good day one and all…
No disrespect to any of the last four teams (including Vorskla) we played but they were always going to offer us less of challenge than Man City and Chelsea in the first two fixtures, thus Unai Emery had the opportunity to use these games to iron out some creases as he work toward finding a balanced team.
Scoring twelve goals in that four games gives us reason to be pleased with our attack, failure to register any clean sheet however has been less distinguished. Unai himself highlighted it as an area of “disappointment” and hinted at tightening things up because he’s aware that the current sloppiness could catch up on us soon if we don’t nip in the bud, especially against opposition who are a bit more than just decent. A category I believe our visitors fall under.
The Toffees have their own story to tell as far as being too exposed defensively and their own failure to keep clean sheets. Their record away from Goodison isn’t better reading as they have won just three of their last 29 PL games on their travels.
Whether or not that make them ripe for the harvesting of goals for both Lacazette and Aubameyang will be answered this afternoon. Two players who will be key today in our quest to bag the points on offer. Auba is slowly getting his mojo back and Laca should be well rested as he looked very relaxed as an unused sub Thursday night. Lucas Torreira was impressive in his first start and Alex Iwobi looked like man reborn. Which leave Unai with a few headache selections for today.
Everton will be looking at Richarlison to be their source of inspiration, as he make his return from a three match ban, because they don’t have a particularly good record against us. We have beaten them in seven of our last eight meetings.
Despite their defensive failings Everton are playing better football under Marco Silva than in recent years though, and with both teams so willing to commit attackers forward this could be a very open and entertaining game with end to end action.
Historically this fixture brings goals… many goals. Last season we scored five against them in both victories. So fingers crossed for more of that.
LET’S GO!!!
Positively Arsenal 
COYG!!!
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I hope we give Theo a great welcome when he takes to the field, then we don’t see him again for the next 90+ minutes.
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Blinking heck, amazing interview with Mertesacker in Guardian today.
Don’t recall hearing anyone in football talk as he does. Think he’s going to need a lot of resilience feeling the way he does working within the game as it is.
He had an excellent guide and example on the resilience front so hopefully that stands him in good stead.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/sep/23/per-mertesacker-arsenal-save-the-children-zaatari-refugee-camp-football-program
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Nice, moving video with the interview as well. Per’s one of the good guys.
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Yeah! Great article, which I’ve been looking forward to since Amy promoted it on Arsecast.
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Great article Rich, thanks for sharing.
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We will have to beware of their pace today, and the curse of the ex player.
I am sure Theo will get a great welcome, but will also have a point to prove.
But with out attack, just hope the result makes Jim White very grumpy on air tomorrow.
Per was an impressive footballer,and is an impressive human being, his values, and I am sure his ability could make a possible future manager?
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45603071
Interesting words, and nice upbeat message from Cazorla
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Good job Labo. As everyone knows I analyze the data to better understand the league. Just asked on twitter: Who is the ref? That is critical to predicting today’s game. If the ref is a PGMOLer, who ignores dangerous tackles, then EVE will foul repeatedly and forcefully, assuming quite reasonably that the ref will be reluctant to issue the 2nd yellow.
As I highlighted in my latest blog in the EPL “….over the past two seasons red cards have dropped like a stone to less than 50 for the first ever time in 17 years; to 41 in 16/17 and an astonishing 39 in 17/18.” EPL: The PGMOL And The Disappearing Red Card http://uniteforvar.com/?p=1264
If the Arsenal team understand the tactics of the officials as well as Everton’s they will overcome.
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Other than the very occasional lapse during Arsene’s reign at Goodison Everton were a banker at home, even when we managed to reduce ourselves to ten men early. The Toffees started well this season and Marco Silva seems a bright and innovative manager. A defeat by Bournemouth and at home to the Apless Ammers popped his and Everton’s balloon and I can see nothing other than three defeats in a row for the visitors.
UTA
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
1m1 minute ago
Full-time at Meadow Park: #AWFC 4-3 @westhamunited
Despite falling behind twice, we’ve maintained our perfect start to the season 🔥
@DanielleDonk is our hat-trick hero 🙌
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I see the “playing out from the back” nonsense has not improved.
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10 minutes in and we have been second best so far, Cech with a big save in a one on one in the firsrt minute, and EFC have come close to opening us up a few times since, they are doing a high press.
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pickford with a fine save from Monreal
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our playing out from the back has been sloppy, slow and nervous so far.
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Torreira booked
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Moss being moss
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That’s it lads – keep giving free kicks away on the edge of the box – Siggurdson could not hit a barn door from there
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commentator says “Arsenal denied clear penalty cos Lacazette not smart enough to throw himself to the ground when fouled”
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Everton trying to get Torreira sent off
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A bit more even than I expected. Both sides have made decent chances as well as indulging in some erratic defending.
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HT: Arsenal 0-0 Everton
Cech our best player in that half says it all. A very open game, our passing not sharp enough, we grew into the game, denied a good penalty shout too. Sokratis off injured, Torreira booked. Ozil and Lacazette and Ramsey not in the game enough so far.
Monreal the nearest to scoring for us.
I see the fans boycott has continued on from Thursday, or is it Arsenal have priced a generation of fans out of going to games, or more likely we have a shower of awful fans, I won’t call them supporters.
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Change (s) at Half time ? Torreira is walking the thin yellow line but Ozil may be the one whose afternoon ends early.
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not sure we will see a half time change, not with Holding having already come on.
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we are not looking any sharper so far in the second half, passing and control piss poor
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The loveliest of finishes
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Lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 1-0 oh what a hit from left corner of the area, blasted into top right corner of the net
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Aubameyangggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg 2-0 3v1 and it looked like we messed it up but ball went to PEA and he finished it, well
commentators say it was offside
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PEA was offside on his goal
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Emery: seems to give great HT talks!
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67 minutes, Iwobi on for Aubameyang
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Ozil was in the eyeline of the assistant referee for the offside goal maybe – either that or it was a straightforward cock up. A good yard offside when Ramsey passed.
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Cech with a fine save
the commentators begging for an Everton goal
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everton take off theo, he had a poor enough game
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ramsey despite his two assists has not had a good game, too often our moves have broke down at his feet.
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79 minutes Welbeck on for Ramsey
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we have messed up some great counter attacking chances with awful passing
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games ends with us messing up another great attacking chance.
FT: Arsenal 2-0 Everton
Lacazette and Aubameyang with our goals, Cech our man of the match. Our passing was off for the most part, performance poor enough first half, a big improvement in the second half without ever hitting our best. Talking about hitting our best, The Lacazette strike was outstanding.
Up to 5th, we play 4th place Watford next Saturday
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At this stage in the season most clubs in the league have enough good players to give anyone a game and Everton have more than their fair share of talent, as indeed do West Ham who upset them last week and Chelsea a bit today. So although it would have been nice to see a more swashbuckling performance, in the fullness of time that might prove to be a very useful clean-sheeted three points.
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Can’t complain. You have to assume we’ll hit our stride at some point, and it’s unreasonable to expect it to happen this early. So these iffy wins should give us a good platform when it does come together. Would love to play Liverpool knowing a win can put us in the frame.
Fair to say that Cech has probably been having his best spell at AFC, with his hands at least, since we got him. It’s been pretty dramatic, and if it continues it may lead to speculation about a few of the changes in the summer.
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Of course, we’re giving up more chances. Thought I’d better get that in as well!
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Good win for the boys. Lucky on the 2nd.
We made the Toffeees pay for their first half profligacy.
Fourth win in a row. Things are looking up considering we still aren’t firing on all cylinders.
Oh well.
MOTM Cech totally earned his first clean sheet.
Well done ARSENAL.
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Terrific defensive interception by Torreira to start the move for our first goal, and I don’t know how many offsides there were in our second. Yes, I agree that Cech was our MOTM today. If not for him and some erratic forward play by Everton we could have been two down at half time. Peter seems to be clearing the ball quicker now also instead of playing short passes out to defenders.
Our first clean sheet.
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We won well in the end but far from convincing. also the 2nd goal was offside. Don’t forget we put 5 past them last time at the ems. Still a long way to go as cohesion is missing big time.
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2 real good penalty shouts turned down for us today and if we had been on our game on the breakaways we could easily have racked up five, six or seven goals today, our passing was real iffy today right through. Keep winning and come into real form and we could go places with this team/squad
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Liverpool excepted, we have the best win sequence in the PL. Watford up next.
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A two goal win, while not playing well. That’s good business today.
Not convinced by the gaffer’s midfield positioning of Ramsey today, someone needs to drive the midfield, but he does keep ending up in the box to create goals.
Will have to improve hugely when Watford come next weekend.
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Is that the best win of the season playing the worst football how strange is this game.
The officials had an even worse game than we did.
How Adrian Clarke is going to analyse this game is anyone’s guess because apart from the how to make it clear your no 1 performance from Petre Cech and the fans choice of midfield that will make us stronger at the back was disproved showing defence is about the team and not individuals.
My lad told me a joke saying imagine if we still had sanchez we would have a front three of PEA, Laca and Mezut. As funny as that is it hides the fact that they are not bonding yet and how nice it would be to have that ultimate link man Oli to coordinate our attack.
Whatever happened today and the potential loss of Socretees you have to be pleased with a 2-0 win
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As posted, a strange game.
The officials taketh away, then they giveth.
But the most significant factor, another in a series of wins against a decent outfit, while not playing well. We certainly seem to hit the goals in the second half.
This team are like a golfer with a new coach, changing their clubs and their swing all at once, scary moments at times, but the forward play, character and desire have seen us through in recent games.
Not counting chickens, but at this stage of the season, with the two unpleasant opening fixtures, players getting to know each other the coaches, and a new system, can only say I am impressed with where we stand, long may these wins continue.
Well done Emery and the boys, has been a good week for the club at all levels.
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