@LaboGoon says …..
Good day one and all.
Arsenal host Cardiff at the Emirates Stadium in a match that will have huge implications at both ends of the Premier League table; while the Gunners hope to maintain a push for Champion League qualification, the Bluebirds are aiming to move clear of the relegation trapdoor.
When these teams met earlier this season Arsenal won 3-2 in a game, it has to be said, we hung on for large parts as Cardiff threw everything at us trying to at least take a point. I’m not too sure though if that is going to provide the away fans any comforts because the Bluebirds’ form on their travels are nothing to put on a postcard and write home about. From 11 away games they took back to the Welsh capital just 5 points, which compounded by the fact that Arsenal have won 14 of their last 17 home PL matches… can I just say I do hope they enjoy the sights and sounds of London.
Now does that mean I think the match will be cakewalk for the Gunners, not at all but I do think we will find a way to get a result even if we have to drag ourselves over the line – especially considering our home form against teams outside the top-six.
The FA Cup defeat to Manutd in front of the Emirates faithful may have knocked the wind from some of our sails, but Unai Emery always seem to put a team out that gets a result when our backs are up against the wall following a poor result. Anything but will be if the players go in with their heads elsewhere. Thus they need to be focused, not get ahead of themselves and be careful not to be caught out from a counter-attack… again. Let the Emirates crowds’ confidence carry them.
There’s no need for apprehension ahead of the game, Cardiff haven’t exactly been slaying dragons. They have lost each of the seven game against the top-six opposite thus far, conceding 25 goals in the process. In their 11 games on the road they average one goals scored every two games and two goals conceded each game.
Arsenal go in the match a bit thin at the back due to injury. So we might see young Mavropanos selected tonight – be it as a starter or the bench remain to be seen. In the few games we saw of him toward the end of last season it looks as if there’s a good defender in there that can’t wait to pop out. Mesut Özil too may get a rare start if he is part of the plans to outsmart Pep Guardiola’s Mancity team this coming weekend. The team selected tonight may give us an idea on whom will start at the Etihad.
15 PL league games left and one get the feeling each one is ‘must-win’ for the Arsenal.
Tick this one off tonight and we are still at the races for top-four. If not and we are in danger of being overtaken by Manutd and any top-four hopes out of our hands.
Positively Arsenal 
Premier League
Verified account @premierleague
3m3 minutes ago
GOAL Liverpool 1-1 Leicester (45+2 mins)
Anfield is in shock. Harry Maguire gets on the end of Ben Chilwell’s looping header to level with a cool finish
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bournemouth 1-0 chelsea early second half
spurs 0-1 watford at half time
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On big calls and claims find it incredible how well Anfield crowd are able to exert pressure when there’s the merest sniff of a pen or similar.
They’re obviously more tuned into it all at moment than normal, as much as can be even, but the difference still feels vast between how their crowd claims and our own.
Not knocking our lot and know I wouldn’t be able to make any difference if I was in amongst them (used to think the atmosphere tended to suck at Wales football games I went to but didn’t feel I could do anything other than join the dirge-like ‘Waaales’ calls).
All the same, (1) boy it irritates me when Liverpool crowd and others make their loud spurious claims and (2) think it’s an advantage for them and would sign us up for it on ‘if you can’t beat em…’ grounds if I could.
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BOURNEMOUTH 2-0
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3-0
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FT: Bournemouth 4-0 Chelsea
I think that puts Arsenal 4th on goals scored
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fuck it spurs are now leading 2-1
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Yet again a lucky last minutes finish for the Spuds
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spurs win
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mandy its amazing that spurs have not drawn a game this season, they’ve lost one more game than us but are 7pts clear of us, our 5 draws have hit us hard
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thank fuck liverpool only drew, i don’t want to see them win the title
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A shame, was hoping this evening , and yesterday could have been a fuck you to the media, but not to be, they will be full of it tomorrow.
Hopefully their fortune won’t last much longer
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Liverpool winning it, cannot happen,the media would party like its 1990, on a par with Spurs winning it.
There is a lot to dislike about the way City are run, but will take them out of a bad bunch this season.
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Chris Wise
@chriswisey
4m4 minutes ago
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri still has his players in the dressing room. The game finished over 40 minutes ago.
He’s chucked all his #cfc backroom staff out. So it’s just Sarri and the players. #bbcfootball
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Smith-Rowe loan to Leipzig a very interesting one for me.
General rule with loans is that if you have loanee and your own player at similar level you are always likely to play your own player (to keep them happy, or develop them) and so you are only likely to use the loan player if you have extra belief they are the better option on the day.
Meanwhile, with your own young players, generally, if you feel they are on a similar level to another or other players in squad, there’s the big incentive to choose the youngster, if they have real potential, because…youngsters have to play at some point in order to (try) develop that potential. If they are seriously promising youngsters, the incentives are big, likewise the possible punishment for not playing them (increasingly, they won’t sign contracts).
Put the two together and it feels like a loaning club would need to have huge belief in the quality of an 18/19 year old to pick them over their own (owned) options. Either that or be…desperate and willing to try things out?
Varies club to club of course but in Leipzig’s case they are 4th, in final Cl slot, 5 behind 3rd and 3 ahead of 5th. A big ambitious team, on track to meet target for year but far from comfortable, with everything still to play for.
I guess it could be a case of ‘why not?’. They’ve seen a prodigious young talent, can get him in at little cost, and will just see how it goes, with the added bonus of it improving their chances of trying to sign him permanently in the future should it go well.
In the end though, for reasons above, don’t think odds are especially great of him playing a lot for them. Likewise the longer the season goes on with Hoffenheim, most factors point towards them playing Nelson less : they need points so will have to pick best team, and don’t have any development incentive for the player if they think he’s more or less equal to other options
We’ll see, though. They’re both certainly big talents.
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There is sort of a new post up.
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Just read an article stating that according to the match referees, we are currently out diving both Liverpool and Spurs- how does that work ?
And Klopp is moaning about treatment from refs, don’t tell me the Germans lack a sense of humour
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