Good morning the Positive Arsenal crew,
As the digital clock on the scoreboard reached 10:00 to go I had this morning’s match write-up sketched out in my head. It was along the lines of “an exciting game”….., “plenty of chances at both ends”, …..”some noteworthy performances from players on both sides”…., “but an inexplicable result of 0-0″…. . I was going to ponder some dubious finishing by strikers at both ends, two generally solid defensive performances, great industry in midfield if not great quality, and pick a few names out on both sides that caught the eye.
I was, in fact, going to highlight what I thought was the key moment of the match, and still do, which was Bernd Leno’s save from Deeney’s volley on the 52nd minute (picture above). A curling free kick from Holebas picked out the Watford striker 10 yards out, a solid but well directed shot from Deeney, an a split second later, a decisive leap by Leno to his left low down, very little time to react, and he still managed not just to keep the ball out but push it round the post!! The art of goal keeping at its very best. If that Watford goal effort had gone in ? ( Sound of sucking teeth) Well the way the match was unbalanced at that time, with Watford on top and driving forward. We were rocking. It would have been a hard road back for us. As with Lacazette’s excellent opening goal against Everton last week on such pivotal moments are games won or lost and, when they are all added up, trophies decided. Last week a world class goal, this week a world class save.
And as often happens when a flash of talent changes the game the side that benefits goes on to win the game. In our case yesterday it took a almost another half hour but by that stage Watford wee out of energy and, like me perhaps, had settled for the 0-0. Iwobi and Lacazette combined and the opening goal is scored, or as I saw properly last night an own goal, followed by a second similar move which opens the Orns’ back door again, and a slick finish by Mesut. The One-Two to leave the visitors flat on their back. We all go home happy. Three points, fifth place, touching distance of the top four and all to play for.
Of the players who impressed me as described above Leno stepped in after Cech went off and did everything that our first choice keeper could have done, punched, saved and efficiently dealt with Watford’s rough-housing at the dead ball situations. Above all he kept that hard to acquire clean sheet. If Petr is out for a few weeks with a hamstring he may face a hard fight to get back in.
I thought Mustafi and Holding did well against an unusual two headed attack of Deeney and Gray. They saw off the muscle and physical aggression in the air of the ugly twosome, and it was not until Isaac Success came on that Les Hornets with his better ground game really got any space and broke through Holding. If you get booked for dissent again Shkordan, arguing over a f****** throw in on the edge of the Watford box, I will fine you a week’s wages. I don’t mind if a player argues with an official, if they feel it does any good or is to do with a game-changing incident, just don’t get booked.
Torreira was a one man bee hive of industry and ensured that the midfield battle was always vigorous. He seems comfortable enough in the PL. The Uruguayan had an eye on winding up Deeney and his spectacular tumble toward the end convinced me that Watford striker should have seen a straight red, never mind a second yellow. Looking at the incident again on the TV last night it was rather less certain which one of them might have picked up a second card, if Taylor had been in the mood.
Among our opponents Doucoure was very good all afternoon in central midfield, and Peyrera is a talented player, intelligent and quick with the ball at his feet.
On we go then with a little more confidence, another battle against difficult opponents – a long trip to Baku for an early game, I think, then the erratic Fulham at Craven Cottage to see whether we can convert 5 PL wins into 6. Interesting times.
Enjoy Sunday.
Positively Arsenal 
well the ref bias is not for first team only, lcfc striker gets away with 2 talking to’s for poor tackles but ref can’t wait to book an AFC player for a nothing challenge. Seen this time and again in Arsenal youth and U23 games. Its beyond a joke.
LikeLiked by 1 person
HT: LCFC 1-1 Arsenal
Omole gave AFC the lead at a corner, but LCFC hit back after Burton gave the ball away with a flick 35 yards from goal.
LCFC no.9 should have been sent off by now but we have one of those one eyed refs again.
LCFC look bigger and older than the AFC team.
Saka our most dangerous attacker.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shock horror, ref bias
LikeLiked by 1 person
60 minues, Burton give AFC the lead from a penalty when Bola was barged over in the area after good work from Saka
LikeLiked by 1 person
Blimey wonders never cease
LikeLiked by 1 person
Been watching ten minutes. leicester have claimed five different handballs in box in that time.
Hope we can hold on. Would be a cracking results in circumstances
LikeLiked by 1 person
FT: LCFC U23’s 1-2 Arsenal U23’s
Omole and a Burton penalty with the goals for us, lots of last ditch defending from our boys in the second half.
anyone remember Calagar Soyuncu the CB we were linked with all summer, well he played for LCFC tonight and on that showing we were right not to sign him.
Saka good for us, Iliev solid in goal again, and all the back four had good games. Coyle and John-Jules not at their sharpest tonight
The win makes it 6 unbeaten and keeps AFC right at the top of the table
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rich they must have picked up the Burnley bug, where everything is handball or a foul to them
LikeLiked by 1 person
Willock, Smith-Rowe and Nketiah not in the U23 squad tonight suggesting that they could be in our squad for Thursday’s EL game.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whatever has happened to Mavropanos?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anyone know why we can’t see the whole of the Arsenal v Brentford game on the Arsenal player?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s pathetic that this game is still not available
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good stuff.
Impressive to be getting these results with all the players who have left in recent times, and the amount of injuries, suspension and unavailability of key players at present.
Tonight especially. A 20 mill centre back- think starting Turkey player- for them, his partner an 8 mill 31 year old Tunisian international. 33 year old keeper. 29 year old 50 cap Wales international in King. Diabate,22, cost 3-4 million.
Wouldn’t be surprised if most of their own youngsters on older side as well. Lad in midfield played full year for Burton season before last.
Wasn’t pretty the last twenty I saw, and had the feel of us being on last legs a bit with resources but should be valuable experience for the lads. 1 or 2 of Nelson, Nketiah, Smith-Rowe, Willock would likely have killed them on break.
Defenders did well dealing with serious aerial bombardment. (My man Ballard doing his thing in there, Medley,too)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ed. Aye. Think it annoyed me even more for an u23 game though. might have been just a few stood by the microphone but didn’t half sound an unpleasant bunch.
lot of bile in people for a youth fixture and the worst ones sounded middle-aged! Hope some of it wasn’t their coaches but may well have been. Seething at everything.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Georgaki
Were last years League cup games on there?
Might be wrong, but I’d guess if not up it’s not doing of club but rather pesky rights holders. Only belatedly found highlights of it on some obscure channel called Quest last week.
Fragmentation of sports rights is a pain in the ass. Have lost Serie A, La Liga, plus Pro14 rugby this year.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Georgaki-pyrovolitis you will find that Mavropanos is out with a groin injury, said to be anther few weeks before he will be back
Daley-Campbell, Osei-Tutu, Sheaf and Zelalem all missed out through injury too
LikeLiked by 2 people
a non football question for you all
name a song or two or more that you would rate a 10 out of 10
I’ll start it off with
Imagine – John Lennon
Hurt – Johnny Cash
The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
LikeLiked by 2 people
Summer Breeze – Isley Brothers
LikeLiked by 4 people
Janice Joplin, Me and Bobby Magee.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rappers’ Delight – the 15 minute version
1979 -Smashing Pumpkins
Drinking Again – Jeff Beck
LikeLiked by 2 people
End of the Line- The Travelling Wilburys
LikeLiked by 3 people
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don McLean- American Pie
LikeLiked by 2 people
Don McLean-Vincent.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Cats In The Cradle-Harry Chapin
LikeLiked by 2 people
10’s! Phhh…got a lot of 9’s (and many which are only 10’s in the car on the right day)
Enduring favourites then..
Ashes to Ashes- Bowie
Kiss- Prince
Self Destruction, Final – Nine Inch Nails
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see for miles – The Who
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ray Charles-Drown In My Own Tears
Gordon Lightfoot-If You Could Read My Mind
Billie Holiday-Strange Fruit
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was playing that Don McLean album earlier. Probably the best LP ever.Each song is fantastic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wichita lineman anyone? Along with a couple other Glen Campbell Jimmy Webb classics, Galveston, By the time I get to Phoenix
LikeLiked by 3 people
Cheers eddy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Best 10 out of 10 cover….Hendrix-All Along The Watchtower.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, Janice was the best cover ever
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with Rich – lots of 9s that can be 10s on the right day. But since you’re asking today:
R.E.M – Pretty Persuasion (because I should only pick one R.E.M. song)
Stone Temple Pilots – Interstate Love Song (purely for blasting at top volume in the car)
Arctic Monkeys – Cornerstone (because it’s both singable and damned clever lyrically)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very pleasant diversion Ed.
My final contribution
Ten out of ten instrumentals
Santo & Johnny-Sleepwalk
Booker T & The MGs-Green Onions
Humphrey Lyttleton-Bad Penny Blues
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good vibrations-the Beach Boys
Milestones (from the 1958 album)-Miles Davis
Dona Dona-Klezmer Conservatory Band
Laughing-David Crosby
Ghosts -Japan
Bulldog-King Coleman
Ann Richards-An Occasional man
Preparations for a journey-David Sylvian
All of them on headphones, speaker don’t do them any justice. Tough call though Eddy, list would have been a long one, had to cut out some great stuff!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dave
Listening though cans. Is there another way? Recently got myself subscribed to Tidal MQA and listen via three different pairs. Hardly ever bother with hifi system these days other than for Apple TV etc.
LikeLiked by 1 person
SR-its weird you should mention that, about hi fi, I put some stuff on for the first time in four years yesterday and it just didnt seem right, seems unclear and muffled.
For me, youre right, headphones is the best way, songs just sound totally different..
I like your instrumental list, sleep walks a top number. Trouble is I keep thinking about all sorts of songs that deserve to be on the list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mandy, meant to ask, do you like Guess Im dumb by Glenn Campbell?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well if we’re talking covers it’s a toss up between Wonderwall by MFP or Stairway to Heaven by Rolf Harris.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Or the worst covers
Ronan Keating – FairyTale Of New York
Will Young – Light My Fire
LikeLiked by 1 person
worst cover- I love rock n roll —Britany Spears
LikeLiked by 2 people
Worst cover? Beat this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ainyK6fXku0
LikeLiked by 2 people
thats really creepy and weird George! Beam me up or anywhere!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shatner’s pal
Think this featured in a tv show a few years ago, might have been Eastbound and Down. Worked well in it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember ‘celebrity’ gooner Arthur Mullard & Irene Handle doing ‘You’re The One That I Love”. But it was for a laugh, and in that respect it was funny (like the Rolf Harris mentioned earlier).
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m ashamed to say that Mullard and Baker got another view today on YouTube SR – truly shocking
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mav is currently unavailable through injury
LikeLiked by 1 person
High bloody time:
“Football’s law-makers are to investigate new measures to increase playing time in matches because of growing concerns over time-wasting and lengthy delays for set pieces during games.
Cardiff City’s match against Burnley on Sunday established a five-year low for playing time in a Premier League match — the ball was in play for only 42min 2sec. More than eight minutes were spent waiting for Sean Morrison, the Cardiff centre back, to take long throw-ins.
Increasing the amount of playing time is one of the main thrusts of the “Play Fair” strategy that is being considered by the International FA Board (Ifab). An Ifab source said that “a number of new ideas” were under discussion about improving playing time. Measures that could be explored include for the referee to stop his watch from the time a throw-in, corner or goalkick is conceded until it is actually taken. One previous proposal had been for a stadium clock to measure 60 minutes of actual playing time, but that has failed to gain support.
The Ifab source said: “We all want to crack down on major time-wasting and increase playing time but the fundamental question is how we do it.”
Morrison took 20 throw-ins against Burnley. The average time taken was 25sec, with the longest 37sec. Ten of them took longer than half a minute.
The total length of playing time for the match was the shortest for a top-flight game since Stoke City v Aston Villa in December 2013, which was only 40min 50sec.
All law changes or trials have to be sanctioned by Ifab’s annual meeting, being held in Scotland in March.”
I would normally demand Cardiff have a points deduction imposed to deter time wasting – that punishment would however depend on them ever getting points to deduct.
LikeLiked by 2 people