Good morning you lucky, lucky Positive Arsenal fans,
The glow of satisfaction after last night’s thumping of Leicester remains, the remembrance that I saw art and science in action. Each goal a precise, almost perfect combination of mind and sporting body, each goal a combination of players, with each the cog that levered he next, with the ball finally stroked past the hapless Schmeichel. The canvas was complete.
Drawing back from this sighing reverie and toward the game a bit of a ropey opening from us, but fair play to Leicester who came at us hard from the first whistle. We have seen these disjointed starts to games, for no obvious reason, over many seasons so it was not much of a surprise. Was it playing two right backs with one on the wrong side ? I dunno. The visitors deserved their lead when it came on 31 minutes, despite Hector’s contribution. As we all know it could have been worse by 31 minutes with Bernd pulling off a couple of smart saves and Mr Kavanagh interpreting the accidental hand ball by Rob Holding with great wisdom.
Having had the cattle prod of Leicester’s opener jabbed into the collective team rectum however the response was indeed ‘electric’. It really looked as though a switch had been flicked with players in red scurrying hither and thither with the ball at their feet, pulling the Foxes backline about, and looking like the goal scoring side that had finished the game at Fulham. The initiative was clearly with us and our opponents were breathless in our wake.
The equaliser came, with Hector teeing up a sweep for Mesut just before the half time break which must have further punctured Leicester’s balloon. 30 PL goals for Mesut – and not one a tap in. The second half we stated well and had loads of possession without really creating a clear chance. A rather good header from Ndidi rattled the Arsenal bar to remind us that possession = good but goals = better.
Whether that let off caused Emery to decide on changes who knows but three minutes later on rolled Guendouzi and “supersub” himself, PEA. Faced with a faster, more direct threat Leicester were cut to pieces over the next six minutes, with our third goal (I am told) involving nine Arsenal players, 16 touches and nine passes. Six minutes of lightning.
Last night’s win was one of the games when I hesitate to pick out individual players because in the victory every man played well and contributed. But as you have forced me then I shall award Alex Iwobi Man of the Match. He got the balance between creative work with the ball, and being more disciplined in his covering duties right. Alex was still running hard at the end and his stamina has built up as he has matured.
Up to Fourth in the PL and a useful two goal cushion on the neighbours who I see take on Citeh next domestically after what I hope is a wearying tie in Eindhoven. For us the road to Lisbon and a different set of challenges.
Enjoy Tuesday !!
Positively Arsenal 
What a lovely start to the day.
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I’m tempted to allow some smiley faces …………….. but no, that’s a step too far.
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If the side continues to play like they did yesterday they will end up doing very well. There was an irresistiblity about it that was compelling – and it struck me they were enjoying going about their work. There are a fair few games coming up thick and fast and the depth in the squad should allow everyone both chances and rest.
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What irritates me are all the joyless so called realists who sanctimoniously refuse to get carried away. We’ll lose a few, probably won’t win the League this year and may or may not end up with silverware. But I think we’ll have a lot of fun on the way and isn’t that the point of it all? The goals last night (and all season) have been things of wonder. This side do not play normal football.
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Didn’t see game live having booked something else before tv moved the flippin’ game. Watched it in it’s entirety last night/this morning.
Andy’s post above is spot on as usual.
Marvellous stuff. UTA
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Thanks again for being the eyes and the ears Anicoll5.
Its true, Arsenal goals were things of wonder. Each one seemed to have such a cool confidence about them, a real delight. There is also a pattern emerging of second-half Arsenal being much stronger after UE ht atomic talks?
Thanks again.
COYG!
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We’ve been talking about Alex being one the players of the season. He is virtually a contender for man of the match every match so far. I cannot recall when he had a poor game this season.
It is brave to award him man of the match this time though as Ozil was not only imperious but even when we weren’t playing well in the first half he put a hell of a shift. As good as Alex was for me Ozil was in a different planet and he gets man of the match.
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Being so attack minded its obvious we’ll give opposition chances, and once again the defense weathered the storm, be it by luck or getting a body part of either a foot/hand in way – which seems to piss off many pundits. Owen Hargreaves especially was besides himself. As long as the attack keep winning us games the risks rare paying off and our phenomenal 2nd half performances just seem to have no end to it.
Special shout out to unsung heroes Xhaka and Torreira. They commandeered the midfield with exceptional calm.
I’m wearing all the banned smileys.
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It’s been a while but three times last night I roared so hard that I have a sore throat today. That free-flowing football is what it is all about…
Great write-up Anicoll….
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Copied from the metro
Alexis Sanchez has scored three Premier League goals since joining Manchester United.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored FOUR Premier League goals in his last 35 minutes of football.#ARSLEI
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on our defensive problems, a concern for me last night was how we matched up with LCFC at corners and freekicks, we had Mkhitaryan marking Vardy, and we had Bellerin marking Maguire, to me both of them were miss matches in favor of LCFC, and but for a great save from Leno we would have paid dearly for Bellerin being on Maguire. It was clear LCFC had decided to put Maguire at the back post on Hector, with him having a massive size advantage, I would have expected us to have had someone with more size and strength than HB to have shuffled over to mark Maguire
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Well I doubt that footballing reasons guided Alexis decision to Move to Man U. Any serious attack minded player that moves from AW to Jose.. Hmm. Not sure I can muster up much sympathy for him… He made a clear eyed decision to follow money over footy
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anicol it might even have been ten players touching the ball on the third goal, as I’m told Mustafi played the ball to Leno in the first place
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James Benge
Verified account @jamesbenge
Oct 22
Rob Holding is planning to start his coaching badges before the start of 2019 and will join Danny Welbeck on a course.
“There are lots of benefits to it, not just for after your career. It also helps on the pitch, talking and communicating.”
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Absolutely loving this. Hell, even the players’ body language before walking out is different from last season. You can tell the team is no longer on autopilot.
This is actually enjoyable for the first time since the 07/08 season.
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Martin Atkinson has been appointed referee for #Arsenal’s game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
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how old is atkinson and why is he still refereeing games? it is either officials of the game are poorly renumerated compared to other profession or that the profession is run like a cult group for us to see so many incompetent people being regularly featured this many years. you only see just one or two added every season while the real footballer get hundreds youngsters coming in every season.
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Atkinson, expect lots of unpunished kicks and shoves etc from Palace getting in our faces.
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At the risk of sounding ageist, but as one getting on a bit myself , perhaps I have the right but I think there are a few refs late 40s and into their 50s, would imagine Dean and Moss are up there.
Not sure quite what it says, either these guys are still very good, ok I know, or that Mike Riley and co are not doing a good job at recruiting younger refs.
The ref pool just looks too small to me
In days of Wenger , I would worry about the media outcry of Leicester not being given a penalty, that wasn’t actually a pen, hopefully things are different now, but we shall see
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I suspect there will be a backlash of us getting exactly bloody nothing given in our favour this weekend due to the perceived injustice to poor ickle Leicester on Monday.
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I wonder what the odds are Zaha winning a penalty against us this Sunday.
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Two important calls against Leicester at home in our favour in consecutive seasons I think Mark – you are probably right – swings and roundabouts even out.
I often see the complaint that not enough new referees come into the PL and I agree that it would be helpful if there were more referees as the demands made on a small pool is unhealthy. It only took Bobby Madeley to jack it in over the Summer to cause an actual shortage of officials. The need for VAR monitoring at Stockley Park will add to he pressure on that small number.
Tell me though – we clearly do not just want ANY referee simply to bump up the numbers. They have to be as good or better than the standard of official we have. Where are these new referees ? I ask that because my pals who support Championship sides, and teams in League One, are as convinced as many PL fans that officials who referee at that level are utter shite, incompetent, corrupt, unfit and either too old, or too young.
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–
https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2018-2019/football-news-mesut-ozil-uses-his-arsenal-to-highlight-germanys-grotesque-act-of-self-harm_sto6983226/story.shtml
Think this writer sums up the Ozil Germany story very efficiently as an act of self harm.
Could take the German team a fair while to rebuild after the mess they’ve made, longer then it took France, though Spain might be keeping them a little company now their midfield has lost the genius of Xavi, Iniesta & Cazorla.
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Another win. I know it will stop one day but it’s hard to imagine when. I think the third goal might be the favourite of many this season but I still favour Ramsey’s against Fulham, that finish was something special. Leicester were unlucky not to have a penalty awarded, should have been one, but I still think we’d have beaten them anyway.
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If we see that ref again this season, or more then twice, alongside our friend mr Friend I’ll be pleasently surprised.
Place your bets now…
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“Unhealthy” certainly yes!
Spread that ill health out over a twenty year long period without being addressed without any sane defence (“forgetting to enjoy the game” doesn’t really cut it i’m afraid, nice try though!) being proffered for such rotten structure then I hope it is considered reasonable to have such a small pool with so few getting teams more then twice a season (essentially a core of four or five only) is best described as:
“An illness”.
That also sounds about right. We have made progress!
Thank you for helping to clearly idenfity the condition.
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I am a bit sceptical about the alleged demise of German football Fins – they went to Russia as joint favourites. They do not seem to me to be a team that is made up of old or past it players. Admittedly a poor run of results started in Russia but loss of form is temporary, particularly their recent failure to score goals despite creating chance after chance, while class endures.
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Your comment on referees Fins – I don’t understand what you are getting at or trying to get at?
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Ditto your robust defence of the poor picked upon lads from up North.
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Don’t think I wrote about the “demise” of German Football above. Just re-checking the text…no, I can’t see that written or implied anywhere.
I compared them to the French team’s travails a decade ago. For reasons which a wise and kind souls such as you can seasily understand!
That’d be the very same France that just won the World Cup.
I thank you.
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Highlights of u23 Everton game up now.
Ballard cleared two off line, to go with one against Liverpool game or two back and pretty sure he did same for N Ire u21’s the other night. Seems mighty unusual- 4 in a month- as clearing one off line isn’t something that actually happens that often.
Aside from element of coincidence, guess it shows he reads danger well.
Not sure u23’s can keep getting results mind unless they get a few players back sharpish. Lost a number from last year and prob without half the starters from this year now- Amaechi, Smith-rowe, Nelson, Osei-Tutu, Gilmour, Willock.
Poor Zelalem still not back, Sheaf out again, Bramell as well.
At least says a lot that we have still so far been getting good results, and must have been good for development of younger ones who’ve been playing.
Might be tricky managing things as they play this Fri, with first team playing Thurs,Sat, then have checkatrade next Tuesday with 1st team playing Blackpool on Wed. Maybe Ainsley will get minutes if they don’t want him straight into 1st team.
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Note to last few comments in the previous thread/piece:
The website read by the old gaffer, and by current and former officials on the PGMO roster is the Untold review series, when it was active.
Perhaps the likes of Clatternburg were interested in the marks they got or were given using metrics and marking systems that they are all familiar with (as they are based upon standard measures used by their profession, and were bing applied by people with the requisite experience). Of course the officials would be interested as there is or was no other published information that could allow the eneral public and joe bloggs to appreciate that Clattenburg was the best performing most gifted official on the roster (Interesting choice of new employer for the former PGMO employee).
The attempts to denigrate that body of work or it’s value to those in the game hasn’t really worked that well given the above readers of said work.
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“Grotesque act of self harm” Fins – the link you provided – the text discusses the state of the German national team and the damage that recent events have inflicted? Surely you haven’t forgotten?
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Despite reading every comment on this here blog, sometimes I have no idea what people are arguing about.
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I know how you feel It goes all oozlum bird sometimes.
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in order to get the very best to officiate in the premier league, insnt it better to have a league format for the referees? where the worst five gets relegated to lower league at the end of the season and the five best in the lower leagues are promoted. analyse their performances every game and give them points rether than the one where they are purnished by sending them to lower league for just one game only to return to referee the biggest game of the next week. by so doing older and non performing ones will have no choice than to retire like every other players and the younger ones that fail to make the grade will never get to officiate in the elite leAgue. as things stand now, mike riley only has his rules and does whatever he likes.
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I know Arseblog isn’t universally popular here, but I would recommend reading at least his paragraph on Özil’s assertion of racism in the DFB and the response. It is as impressive and succinct a reality check as I could imagine.
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Why bother 900FtG?
Apparently such things didn’t happen with the German (or the French) teams?
it never happens?
Deschamps hasn’t dont an admirable job rebuilding the spirit in his camp and the identity of his team after the grotesque spectacle (you can quote me on that) that France put on for the watching world in one or two tournaments in spite of having the greatest pool of talent to call on in Europe…perhaps I slhould just stop with this hole digging excercise?
Gnabry made his debut for Germany the other night.
Think Nelson has been scoring more of late then dear old Gnabbers! Will be interesting to compare both players in the same league this season.
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No idea if this is true- but it should be;
“Did you know this is the first time Arsenal have scored 2 or more goals in 11 consecutive games since Tom Whittaker was the manager in 53. Guess what they won the league on goal difference in that year. Who says it cant happen again.”
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Oozlum bird! Never heard that before. Brilliant.
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It is an idea layks – but lets have a look at it replacing 20% of the PL reffing workforce each season.
Is there an actual means of measuring referees’ performance against one another? Are the refs going to vote on who is in or out, or the clubs, or the PL owners ? And if there is a way of measuring and we decide who decides then do you have any evidence that the lower league referees are any better than the ones they are replacing ? What happens if the lower league refs are happy at that level and don’t actually want to be “promoted” – seriously – why would anyone want to put up with that abuse week in and week out? And when VAR comes in then will lower league refs be trained and experienced in its use to the same level a existing PL refs ?
Can of worms mate – let VAR come in and start to work – then might be the time to look at refereeing again and how to get more bodies and raise the quality.
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What a tonic Hugo Lloris is for the TV football fan in need of entertainment. Another top performance from the inebriated Gallic store in Eindhoven tonight. Marvellous.
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Jenkinson in our squad for tomorrow
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PSG busy booking their Europa League place – Unai will have a smile
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To defy me PSG immediately get an equaliser (ffs) Dortmund Atleti though 4-0 – bloody hell
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Half-watched some of Liverpool’s first half and ,just before their 2nd, commentator was talking about Liverpool doing ‘pretty much what we wanted’, i.e. winning and playing well (he said something to that effect?
Hmmmh. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that it’s often the case the commentary team are very much behind the English side in Europe, but I’m pretty sure the protocol is to disguise it somewhat, certainly for the professional (not ex pro) commentator, who this guy was.
Wouldn’t bother me at all if that was consistently the way of it for all teams… but, really, I’m not sure any if the commentary teams we get ever want us to do well on the night. Simply doesn’t come across like that to me. Maybe old Martin wants us to win. Smith on Sky meanwhile, no, no, no.
Big Ron the last one I ever detected real warmth towards us from in his ‘The Arsenal’
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anicoll, just to dip in on the good old ref debate, which I haven’t been following today, refs have a performance table throughout season, ranked from top to bottom.
Think it affects a range of things, including end of year bonus, selection for big events/games, and prob FIFA/Uefa contention/selection,too.
Read a few bits and bobs on it in my period of trawling ref biographies.
Can’t remember now exactly how those marks are attained each week. Th…iiink it used to be just one assessor, normally or always ex ref, but not totally sure. Managers also give a mark, or at least used to, though Lord Knows if that is part of same ranking (maybe not).
Also remember some term about Match Delegates (?) and know they made a change, recently I think, to bring in much more video analysis. 20-odd people were employed specifically for role of reviewing DVD’s of games and marking every decision. Refs not keen on it, partly because it has meant some difference to when they find out their score, but also quite possibly because it’s a harsher way of doing it, less human touch, etc (and by sounds of it these new assessors may not even be current or former refs themselves).
Anyway, they are constantly assessed, and i wouldn’t half mind seeing some of the historical reports. To know what Riley got on game 50!!! Who assessed him? What happened next, apart from the big promotion down the line?!
The Newcastle 4-4- did they approve of the pens, especially 2nd? Did they agree on the non-punishment of Barton and the subsequent Diaby red. I expect yes for all.
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rich wasn’t it a european game that Andy Townsend shouted “get in” when he thought we had let in a goal, only for Szczesny to make a great save.
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Carl Jenkinson’s last appearance for Arsenal came 692 days ago in the 2-0 loss to Southampton in the League Cup
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