Good morning Positives,
A satisfactory result with the occasional hint of ‘good’ against Fulham, and a welcome salve to the bruising we picked up on Merseyside slightly less than three days earlier.
Looking at the highlights again this morning the 4-1 result does not reflect the number of chances we created (16 shots inside the box and 9 on target) although it does earn Rico the Emirates-visiting-keeper-of-the-season-so-far award. Auba on another day could have had 3-4 goals. The work of Sead and Alex Iwobi on breaking open the visitors for 80minutes of the afternoon was excellent. AMN again had a good afternoon. It took to the 80th minute until we were really secure but going forward yesterday we were a potent force.
The first half we were a bit more jittery at the back, perhaps in reaction to Anfield. Was Mustafi unwell ? He did not look comfortable at the start and it was not surprise when he did not reappear. Fulham could have embarrassed us with a first half goal but for failed to hit the target with two scoring opportunities.
A straightforward week of preparation for Blackpool. Mindful of our humiliation in Nottingham last season I expect Unai to field a reasonable starting line up and an experienced bench. Given the comments from the medical team it may be that Hector, Ozil and Nacho can use the tie to test their fitness. We shall see.
Enjoy the week.
Positively Arsenal 
Good evening Dibs – I trust you are well ?
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James Olley
Verified account @JamesOlley
6h6 hours ago
At Emery’s press conference where he dismissed talk of a bid from #afc for Keylor Navas. “Not true. We never speak about one goalkeeper because I think – and it’s true – we are very happy with the three goalkeepers we have now. We’ve never spoken about Keylor Navas.”
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A good evening to you too, Sir Anicoll. I am well, thank you. Just swamped with too many responsibilities at the moment all I can do is like every post! (Banned smileys all around)
Happy new year guys and thanks to all the contributors who make here a worthy and safe haven through the good and, er not so good times!
I shall return to my hideout from whence I shall continue to like the posts and comments alike!
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Unai Emery will get his first taste of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday, when we travel to Blackpool in the late kick-off.
Our head coach held his pre-match press conference at London Colney on Thursday afternoon and discussed his FA Cup memories, the latest team news and responded to reports linking Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas with a move to north London.
Read on for the full transcript:
on what he’s expecting from Blackpool…
Good afternoon. It’s a new competition we are going to start, the FA Cup. In the history, it’s been very important for us. Arsenal is the team that has won this competition 13 times, more than anyone else. It’s a title and it’s a possibility for us to do something important. We are going to start that at Blackpool. We know them because we played against them and we have the respect. We’ll prepare for the match with this respect for them, but also respect for this competition. It’s a way to [win] a title. We want to play and have positive things with our supporters in this way.
on the sort of side he could pick at Blackpool…
We trained this morning and tomorrow we are going to do the last training before this match. Tomorrow we will know how we can be with the players [and who could feature] but [we’ll play] with respect for this competition. I want to take a team with the players being competitive. The team for Saturday is the same, maybe we can share with some players who are playing less, or some young players, but thinking above all of finding a big performance there with our players. This is our idea at the beginning.
on when he first became aware of the FA Cup when growing up…
I know it’s very important for every English team. It’s a different competition, with a chance for a lot of teams. The first idea when I arrived here was to play for all the titles. Arsenal is in the history the best team in this competition, played 20 finals, won 13 times. This respect for our supporters and the competition I took quickly. I want to do something important and this is a big opportunity for us. It will be very difficult but we’re excited for this competition and are looking forward to starting on Saturday.
on if he watched a cup final on TV growing up…
Usually I followed every competition. I don’t remember which matches exactly but I know this competition is very important for Arsenal.
on if he’s been to Blackpool before…
No. I know it’s 90km from Liverpool and I know they’ve played in the Premier League.
on if he’s prepared for an unusual atmosphere with Blackpool fans in dispute with the owners…
When we played here against them in the Carabao Cup, we knew this history of this club. They aren’t in the best moment for that. But here against us at the Emirates they played very competitively and gave us a lot of difficult moments. I have a big respect for each team and I know they are one team now not in the best moment but the respect is there because it’s a very big opportunity for them to play against us with their supporters and live this important moment, finding the chances against us.
on Liverpool v Man City, what could happen and who he wants to win…
At the moment they are the two best teams in the Premier League, also with Tottenham in this moment. It’s a very big match for all the supporters of football. I am going to watch it like a football supporter, to learn and to take more information on the two teams, tactically and individually. I think it’s a great match in football.
on if it would help us if City won tonight…
We can only respond in our way. We aren’t in the top four and we have three points difference to Chelsea. Liverpool and Manchester City, they are far [in front], Tottenham maybe also, but we need the motivation to do one way, to get closer. The difference [in points] between Liverpool and us is big.
on if he’ll play a full strength squad v Blackpool…
We are going to be competitive. The priority is the next match, and that’s Blackpool. I am going to play with the players to be competitive. If we need some young players to do one mix, but finding this power to be stronger with them, we will do it. The priority now is Blackpool.
on reports linking Keylor Navas with Arsenal…
Not true.
on if there’s interest…
I don’t know. We never speak about one goalkeeper because I think – and it’s true – we are very happy with the three goalkeepers we have now. We’ve never spoken about Keylor Navas.
on if there have been talks with Juventus about Ramsey…
I don’t know. I want his focus every day with us on training and thinking for the next match, which is against Blackpool. I am looking at him and he’s very concentrated with us now. On Tuesday, he scored when he played 15 minutes, and he gave a good performance. I want that from him, and also he needs to [look] at his future. But I want him in the present with us. At the end of the season is the moment he can go to one team or another team.
on Mesut Ozil’s future at the club…
I am only waiting [for him] to be OK to play.
on team news…
This morning Dinos Mavropanos started to train after I think five months. That’s good news. Emile Smith Rowe trained with us this morning. Continuing with his injury and not OK to train with us is Mustafi, he has to recover from his small injury and continue working alone. Bellerin and Nacho Monreal, Mkhitaryan and also Mesut didn’t train this morning. Tomorrow is the last day, we are going to wait for tomorrow, for how we can be for Saturday.
on if Ozil could be involved…
This morning, he didn’t train.
on Holding and Welbeck…
They are progressing well but it’s long injuries. Thy are working with the doctor.
Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
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they don’t make invincibles like they used to
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Good game that – real quality all over the pitch (other than Kyle Walker obv)
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#OnlyOneArseneWenger
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What a shame for that nice Mr Klopp. My heart bleeds.
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I’d say it was brilliant game. And correct result in all senses!
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You do wonder,though- if Pep was allowed to stay after going that crazy with 4th official, what the hell have managers done in past to get sent to stands?
And it looked so accusative,too. Like something far more than ‘that’s a terrible decision’. Much more like ‘you are disgraces to your federation!!!’, or something of that ilk.
Ah well, would love to know, especially as it looked so much like the accusation was against 4th official Atkinson, who presumably can’t affect decisions on pitch one bit.
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just seen the result!!!!! Nothing like feeling Invincible to put a bit of spring into your step! Bet AW and all the lads had a smile on their faces! Yes!
COYG!
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Plenty to think about as well as enjoy with the game.
Main one with me is with City and how they can be so good at winning ball back when Fernandinho seems only one particularly suited to that from their non defensive six.
5 very attacking players, mostly small, two of them with average pace (or at least I thought so until tonight when the Portuguese Silva seemed to do exceptionally well in leg races).
Might be being harsh on number of our players past and present but I’ve grown used to our attacking players not being especially adept at chasing down, winning ball back etc, and had this idea that that’s kind of the norm now for higher level attack minded players, with obvious exceptions like the pest Vardy.
Ours can have their moments, in different ways, Sanchez certainly did at times, but definitely wouldn’t say it’s been a strong point over years.
It’s what led to me thinking we need at least two and maybe three centre mids with strong defensive attributes to cope defensively against best teams. City totally upend that belief of mine.
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My own football highlight yesterday was Cazorla scoring twice against Real, the second with his head!
Looks like he is having fun back in Span, and long may it continue,
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wished he was still with us though!
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Klopp is complaining about the referee and Kompany not receiving a straight red card.
This would be the same Klopp who said not a single word when his own golden boy did this;
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I suspect that clopp is a bit of a kunt…..
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The other (almost unsayable) thing is I thought Anthony Taylor had an excellent game last night Tim. A good balance of stopping play when required for infringements, ignoring the theatrics and keeping the players under control.
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Footballing clichés that need to fork off to the Kupier belt.
Shambles. I dont need to say anything else. The June Brides are the only ones who could lay claim to that (see Shambling movement of the 80s). As soon as the (insert term here) dont get the result or player they want, then out comes the old “shambles” word.
The last regime. eh? WTF is it a regime? That Vic Akers what a diktaor he was. He forced some people to wash the kit. Evil that. What a shambles.
Arsenal do bad business. Really. Of course, the training ground came for free. Just look down the years of who we signed.Who we sold and the fear instilled (rumour? see under) in certain managers to come to AFC because of a lower budget.I blame Wenger.How dare he keep us 20 yrs in the CL. Shambles. Similar thinking to “Arsenal didnt win anything last year so they are sh*te”. Yep. Which semi-final& final did the Spuds get to last year? Last time they did anything like winning the league Joe Meek rejected the Beatles rehearsal tapes because they didnt have any original material Shambles?
Lots of rumours. Exactly that. Penny at the church door. Yawn. Notice how rumours never have a root source? My Nan said they say theres men up there in those aeroplanes. Shambles.
Oh.Brother. COYG!
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Well, lets hope this isn’t the 1 in 100 time Mirror football get something right.
Otherwise, it’s worse than we thought folks.
A story linking us to a young lad we were frequently linked to previously- supposedly an Arsenal fan, and mates with few of our youngsters i think.
Anyway, says we would have to wait till Summer when we have cash, and then says West Ham may want in excess of 3 million (suppose that could be 3.1 million or 20 million, or any number above 3 for him!)
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/reece-oxford-ready-wait-until-13811979
Anyway, odds obviously favour it not being their 1 in a 100 number.
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I recall the little brute spoiling an opening day a few years back. I knew he was in Germany but not that he was still hoping for a PL return.
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Not seen him play for a few years. Been with West Ham’s u23’s all this year.
Thing that used to stand out in youth football with England was that he had a phenomenal leap on him, so that had me interested right away as I’m still pretty damn keen for us to have a defender one day whose a monster in air. *
Mirror’s 3 mill figure undoubtedly bollocks. Elsewhere there is report of them turning down ten million from Gladbach couple of days ago.
* Kompany had few hairy moments yesterday but also made a lot of those clearing headers, 2nd half especially, at heights our guys could probably get to, but not to head away with power/distance.
It’s a thing of mine. But as ,until recently at least ,we hadn’t conceded from a corner, maybe I overdo it a bit with emphasis on height for one of the cb’s.
Fingers crossed Mavropanos can be that defender one day anyway.
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Oh, his agent is Sterling/Ox’s so can prob forget about it on those grounds as well.
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New post is up
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