Good day Positivistas.
With 11 games into the season, eight of them in the Premier League, I think it’s fair to say that the Unai Emery era is now well and truly under way. It hasn’t been without pause for concern though, especially in defence but with the slickness of our attack it has moved from the front of our minds. Thankfully not Unai’s as he said he is working with the players on tightening things up, so best to leave him to it then.
Now the main story surrounding Arsenal going into the international break hasn’t been the barnburner of an attacking display vs Fulham, nor Aaron Ramsey’s goal of the decade but rather a section of the away support at Craven Cottage singing “we got our Arsenal back”. I’m not going into their reasons for singing it and the stupidity of it all, however I do acknowledge that there’s a real positive buzz around the club and match going crowd at present.
After the disappointments of the last two PL campaigns, finishing 5th and 6th respectively with an FA Cup win the highlight, it do feel like we are turning the right corners at the moment. Maybe it’s the new manager bounce, having new voices and faces amongst the coaching staff… whatever it is, it is something new, refreshing and reminiscent of the great Wenger years combining well with some Spanish flair.
Last season wasn’t complete trauma though as only Mancity had a better record than us in home PL fixtures, but it was our results on the road that has been the cause of frustration. So for Unai to have us collect three out of four wins on our travels, after winning only four in nineteen last campaign, it is already an indicator that this team is on the ups.
The mentality of the players were also questioned many a times, not so thus far. In the six game winning PL run the boys shown great resilience to come out at halftime with great desire to get us over line. Who can forget even in defeat to Chelsea how we fought very hard till the final whistle?
Following a slow start to the season Lacazette and Aubameyang look like they’re developing quite the lethal partnership that can be a handful for any defense, even the younger players have grabbed some of the headlines. Lucas Torreira has just been a source of inspiration with his ability to guard the midfield bulldog-esque and Holding, coming in for the injured Sokratis, has been amongst the top three performers on each matchday he played. Alex Iwobi has earned the praise of some of his harshest critics, Mattéo Guendouzi are just a bundle of youthful excitement and Hector Bellerín is now a seasoned professional.
There’s no doubt that Unai got a great head on his shoulders and that the players are responding to his managerial philosophy.
Some are asking if Arsenal can be seen as PL title contenders being a mere two points behind the early log leaders after a quarter of the fixtures gone. Well I think it is too early to make such pronouncements, however qualifying for next years Champions League may now be a genuine expectation… if José continue to self-destruct at Manutd and we only have Totnum to battle it out with for 4th spot.
With the current form of this group of players, the mood in and around the club and our uncanny ability to slip under the radar… I don’t think we have reason to feel inferior to anybody.
@LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
6-0 Miedema with her hattrick
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koscielnly in full training today again
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FT: Reading Ladies 0-6 Arsenal Women
Miedema x3, Nobbs, Mead, Van DeDonk with our goals, it really could have be double that.
this was an understrength Arsenal team with many players out injured, and in fact AFC only had 4 subs listed.
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an Arsenal win tomorrow will see us go 4th, if we win by 4 or more we go 3rd, 2pts off top
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Happy birthday, Arsene!
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if arsene wenger reads any arsenal blog it has to be positively arsenal. so this is wishing you happy 69th birthday arsene. i was hoping you would clock 70 still at arsenal!
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let the points keep coming in threes! up the arsenal!
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Well a few days leave and Trojan efforts as netball dad and taxi man over the weekend sees me free to make the trek to the Emirates this evening. Going with a mate of mine who persuaded me to go to Highbury 20 years ago or so to witness a truly dreadful 0-0 FA Cup tie against Palace. From such unpromising beginnings grow obsessions! It will be his first trip to the Ems so I hope our seats high up in the Clock End (where we watched the parsimonious ministrations of Bould and co all those years ago) will be suitably atmospheric.
We should have too much for them but I can also imagine all too easily a Schmeical masterclass and a poacher’s moment from Vardy.
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iDibs
I see you now. Very nice profile.
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layksite
Wenger almost admitted to which blog he read some years ago (it had something to do with referee decisions & points we’d lost through errors.) but bottled it by saying he couldn’t remember the name. I always assumed it was the long gone Debatable Decisions blog, but others would have their opinions.
Yes, Happy Birthday to him.
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Our U23’s play Everton U23’s this evening too, kick off 7pm
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New post up
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