Hello you wonderful positive people.
Against my better judgement I have decided to preview our Carabao Cup game against the big white cocks.
It’s only the Carabao Cup say some! Not me though, oh no, not a bit of it. It’s a quarter final match against our bitter rivals and I want to win. I want to win big. I want to progress to the semi finals and then I want to win it. Bollocks to anything else.
The PL result and performance against them was, by a distance, the standout effort of the season. Despite the recent 22 game unbeaten run the football has hardly been inspiring. Glimpses of excellence amid some frankly turgid stuff. So who better to turn on the style against again than Spurs?
Injuries permitting I believe we should turn out our strongest team possible. That means starting Ozil, Ramsey and Lacazette, because any team without them is simply not our best team. It’s just not and I don’t give a flying f**k what excuses are rolled out.
Play Xhaka and Torreira in the midfield. I don’t want to see Xhaka at CB ,FB of Wingback. I honestly can not say how annoying it is when the guy that controls the game in MF is moved anywhere else. If we have to stick to this 3 at the back and a midfielder has to be drafted in, let it be ElNeny. JUST NOT XHAKA ….PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE
I would also like to see Cech between the sticks , where he perhaps should be regularly?
This Spurs team is the very last team we should be playing a weakened team against. Losing is awful at the best of times but losing to them, at home, is unbearable, whatever the competition.
Positively Arsenal 
That Rose one always given as free kick. Smith unsurprisingly suggests correct call
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I’ve seen worse.
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HT: Arsenal 0-1 Spurs
spurs with lots of possession and Son put away their one good chance, Mkhitaryan and Ramsey went very close with our two good chances.
Lots of players not at their best so far, need a big second half once again
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I thought we ended the half on a high note. Going to need the Unai Emery HT talk to do the biz.
COYG!
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Sounds like a game where we really shouldn’t be behind
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Good game so far. Plenty of commitment from both sides. Good finish from Son and the Totties look sharp on the break. We have created a couple though. Got to be more goals.
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Just watching the Sissoko chance – thank gawd it was him.
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Koscielny on for Mkhitaryan
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57minutes, lacazette on for Iwobi, kane is on for spurs too
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2 -0 alli given the freedom of the park to have time to slot home, woeful defending, 3 cbs and not a sign of any of them
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lacazette hits the post, we really should have had a couple of goals so far, but we have not been clinical
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still time, one goal will make them upset.
COYG!
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64 minutes Nketiah on for Guendouzi
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a comeback is not looking likely at the moment
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one piece of magic for us will change this around. Pretty frustrating at the moment.
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81 minutes AMN down with what looks like cramp, we have already used all our subs
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Mandy
The back pages were full of grit about Özil back in February.
During the Summer.
More recently.
He has been injured for most of 2018. This can be accepted. There is speculation that he may have had an argument although he seemed happy enough under Mourinho which scuppers that “hard working tracking back eat my shorts” meme nice and sweetly.
If the most valuable asset at the club under the old gaffer had an inury he’d have disguised it for as long as he could. Like last season. I expect the new gaffer is also comfortable telling little porkies in order to protect the club. Slight variations or tweaks on the pitch, in the fitness training, but the new gaffer appears to be much the same as the old gaffer!
COYG!
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Dave magic for us would be out of keeping with this game
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Got to have a bit of hope Ed!
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we’ve had no response
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we sort of faded away.
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chelsea have won 1-0
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I’ve seen better
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FT: Arsenal 0-2 Spurs
spurs had the freedom of the pitch to score both goals, we missed several great chances, overall a flat performance, second defeat in a week. Putting Xhaka at CB is depriving our midfield of a vital component. The “tactical reason” for Ozil’s omission remains a mystery after looking at that performance.
We need to get back on track very soon
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Well sadly we go out of the Comedy Cup. Xhakas much more effective in the midfield! Seemed a bit of a tactical mistake to leave out player maker Mesut. But Im not the boss, on another night it might have gone our way?
Our defence wasnt to hot, but in some ways it was like everyone had been at Nannys Christmas drinks cabinet last night and was bit lethargic.
Hopeful the Chicken-shits will go for a Burton. Bah humbug!
COYG!
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Hurts a lot but don’t think a bad performance; could have been so different with better finishing or a bit of luck.
Although…maybe that means I have largely accepted that at any stage at any game we can be terribly exposed by one pass and one properly timed run.
Maybe that’s harsh, maybe careful what you wish for (is alternative a defensive team? Or an unlimited budget if attacking?)
Anyway, fuck me, rediscovering the losing feeling isn’t nice.
The Son off or on looks like it was marginally on anyway, or dead level, which should be given as on. Wish they’d cleared it up properly so I hadn’t wasted first half on it.
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Seriously tho. If there’s prospect of us losing Ozil- which seems possible- we better have some fucking good ideas about creative players to bring in if, alas, Ramsey really is off.
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Annoying, a little unlucky with some finishing, but at the risk of a cliche perhaps we have more important things to use our seriously stretched resources on in the coming weeks.I think back to last year and the damage that final did. Not that I would turn down a trip to Wembley, but this wasn’t meant to be .
What is a little worrying, looks a few signs of running out of steam, though not surprising with this level of injuries
As for Ozil. Will give UEs ver the benefit of the doubt, there is prob more crap written about him than just about any other player. However it does seem a little strange and concerning, let’s see if he appears in the Burnley game.
The media and some bloggers will crow power shifts will no doubt be mentioned forgetting a certain recent result, but the reality, what Emery is doing is at an embryonic stage, I strongly suspect Spurs will have an interestingly concerning few months.
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so as claimed last night on TV, Man City have been drawn to play Burton in the semi final
CFC v THFC
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At the risk of sounding a tad defeatist,That draw just reinforces my view that we don’t have the squad to fight on too many such fronts at the moment, of course on our day we can beat these teams, but there seems a cost at the moment!
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Emery on the defeat
I think we worked like we want, like we prepared.
We created chances in the first half to score but out efficiency wasn’t good for us.
We didn’t concede a lot for them, but they have quality and they scored.
Emery on Arsenal’s finishing
The first one on one for us, Mkhi had his saved. Th first for them, they scored.
I am happy with the performance, but not the result.
Emery on Spurs
We are doing our process, they are ahead of us in their process.
We need to create our identity.
Emery on Xhaka playing at centre-back
They are helping us with their commitment, playing in a different position because the team needs them.
He is helping and I am happy with him and his performance.
His commitment to help us is very important.
On Ozil not being involved
It was tactical. I thought the players today with us were the best for this match.
Emery on whether he would sell Ozil in January
I am thinking of the match, I am not thinking about another situation.
On whether Ozil has a future at Arsenal
Every player is important. One I decided didn’t play, it was a tactical decision.
On Dele Alli being hit by a bottle
I didn’t see. I thought the atmosphere in the stadium good. If there is a situation like that, then it is not good behaviour.
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well those comments by emery on ozil do not look very good for mesut’s arsenal future
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We were the better team on the night, just couldn’t take our chances. While losing to them is bad, that’s 2 less high pressure games in Jan and our squad is already stretched so may not be as bad as it seems.
We do however need to put Xhaka back in midfield. It’s absolutely killing us not having him there.
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i just don’t see how losing Ozil and Ramsey would improve this team so am going to put myself in a state of possible denial over ozils future at least whatever Unais words.
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Emery comments
on Mesut Ozil…
It’s a tactical decision because I thought that the players that were with us today were the best choices for this match.
on if Ozil was at the Emirates for the game…
Yes.
on how he reacted…
We are thinking of every player. We have 24 or 25 players and when they are playing one game and not in another, it’s the decision. Today it was tactical.
on whether he would let him go in January…
My focus now is analysing this match and also Saturday against Burnley is very important. We are going to assess every player, how they are tomorrow in training and for a difficult match against Burnley on Saturday.
on whether Ozil has a future here…
I am thinking about the match on Saturday, and not thinking about another situation.
on Ozil being a big player…
Every player is a big player. Every player. I decided not to play him. It’s only a tactical decision.
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Just like the saints game we played reasonably well but couldn’t take our chances. I thought once again Auba’s movement was excellent and second half he worked really hard but again he’s not a natural finisher.
Second half I thought we got a little stale with to many long balls which was easy for their CBs.
Although the amount of CBs out has cost us all five of last goals losing Big Rob for so long which is the killer. You can’t blame Xhaka for misreading the game when he is playing from a completely different perspective.
Ainsley’s not back to his best and he needs to work out if you can’t get past the defender then pass early however defensively he was good which is why son switched to the other side.
How fat was that tef, Im sorry but what type of physical test has he past maybe the most doughnuts in hour test, his manboobs were enormous. I think that’s why he wasn’t giving any fouls and just let play go on. I think he was unsighted for the Nacho pen but the lino wasn’t and the Miki one was a follow through so again has to be a pen because although the spud got the ball he was not in control and dangerous.
The handball early on although Miki would have been clear I think was accidental and so no pen. The ref got that one right but again I think he didn’t see it so was a bit lucky.
Tactically you would have to question our high line against son who is fast especially as in general play we defended well.
All in all when our CB’s are sorted then we will be alright however in peps first yearhe lost games trying to play football well we lost that abit tonight so maybe it’s affecting the whole team.
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Oh and the first goal was offside
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Ian you can’t be right about any of the things you think the officials got wrong, VAR was in full use tonight, unless of course I might just be right about how VAR will not change how the PGMOL game managers view incidents in AFC games.
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And right on cue, John Cross going on about power shifts, top dogs etc.
I very strongly believe Tottenham and all the media who love them are in for a nasty surprise early summer
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Trust the process I hear them say?
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don’t forget george the latest one is – “we need to create our identity”
and that will be by the looks of it without Ozil and Ramsey
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Massive game now at home to Burnley on Saturday afternoon, kick off 12.30. Have to stop this poor run of form.
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I was worried about this game given all our injuries going into it, but still I’m gutted we lost to that lot, at our home! I can only hope we get out of this slump quickly because Burnley will put in some ‘robust’ challenges at the weekend and we need to be ready for it.
I’m sure Emery knows what he is doing, but I remain puzzled how our best player is neither in the team or on the bench, unless he is injured?
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he ain’t injured according to Emery, it was “tactical”, and more worrying is the notion that he will be sold in January was entertained by the head coach too.
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Thank fuck Andy has the keys and not me. I’m struggling to be honest.
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Mezut has just returned to full training and although Unai says it’s tactical he may mean more that he is nursing him back. Back spasms tend to be a difficult injury to treat and to completely cure.
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Having just had an early morning look at the game again, we come across as much the better team, but just didnt take our chances. 9.9 times out of 10 Mhikster would have had it in, Rambo had a couple of good chances that on another day would have gone in, and the Soc with a mighty header, and other chances in the 2nd half. Its compounded by the fact its the Spuds, with the extra poison of experts and with the Southampton game ( a game we shouldnt have lost)added in the mix that frustrates so much. Anyway, f*ck it, its the Comedy Cup anyway. Good luck to Burton Ale.
I wouldnt be surprised if Burnley get a thrashing.
COYG!
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Still think it is possible as suggested Ozil is coming back from a tricky injury, Emerys words are strange, but maybe he is just frustrated at Ozils injuries and having to talk about him all the time.
IF Ozil is being forced out, Jan really isn’t the time, no way would we replace him then. We have a nice run of disturbs towards the end of season, the sort even his critics say Ozil tends to do well in.
If Ozil and Ramsey really are being forced out, can only assume he is going towards traditional wide men with a more defensive anchor in MF? But those players can take a while to bed in
Let’s see what Burnleh brings , will be interesting
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Not that I will be listening to them, but in the spirit of fairness, fully expect Talkshite, and others to campaign for a ban for Dele over his 2-0 hand signal, just as they did when Theo did the same .
Seem to remember Theo got coins thrown at him as well
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