Arsenal are in Yorkshire this afternoon to take on strugglers Huddersfield at the John Smith Stadium.
Good day one and all…
There’s not much to say about our hosts except that with 13 games left to play it already look as if the 2018/19 Premier League season has defeated them. They’re rock bottom since Boxing Day with only two wins in 25 games, haven’t won a game since the 25th November, haven’t scored a goal since 2nd January, are on a 12-match winless streak, conceded a staggering 48 goals (second most after Fulham) and scored a mere 13 goals.
I can imagine for them the end of the season can’t come quick enough so they can just close the doors, shut the blinds and switch off the lights to put an end to this dog’s misery.
But till then…
Last weekend’s defeat to Mancity was disappointing, not wholly unexpected if we are honest, and saw us slipped down to sixth on the table, but with just three points off of top-four there’s still hope of a return to Champions League football next season if we can put a good run together, starting today.
We have been lacking a bit of our early season spark of late but all signs still point to this game being more routine, yet intriguing. The Terriers can’t score a goal to save their season, we aren’t good travellers and are currently sitting on a six-game winless away run. There’s also the caveat that our hosts could have the “new manager bounce”, with this only Jan Siewert’s second game (check Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl second game for reference), but with his appointment coming at a difficult time and the first two games against Chelsea and now Arsenal, it would require something incredibly special for him to turn things around. That being said we could expect their players to leave their hearts out on the field as some of them will be playing for their futures.
In the pre-game presser Unai Emery said Koscielny and Auba was down with illness this week but are expected available, along with Mkhitaryan, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Xhaka will be subject to late fitness tests.
We got a game in Belarus on Thursday so it will be interesting to see if Emery start both Auba and Lacazette, that doesn’t mean they won’t be licking their chops going up against one of the leagues poorest defenses to get themselves and the team back on track.
In the previous meeting between these two sides it took us nearly 90 minutes to find a winner and we got a rare clean sheet. Hopefully we won’t wait that long to open the scoring today but given our shaky defense there’s a good chance they may nick a goal. However I do feel our attacking impetus may prove too much for them to handle.
@LaboGoon
*Ed, It seems Aubameyang has not traveled*
Positively Arsenal 
Just the way of it, and partly because I’m anxious type with footy (let’s pretend it’s just footy), but I never expect any game to be anything like routine any more.
Stats in preview suggest we are massive favourites, but they gave us a tough afternoon at home, and tough away games against anyone is the norm now.
I hope we have an early nerve settler and more importantly get the three points which are pretty much a necessity at this point.
Also hope ref behaves and Guendouzi is not excessively targeted. Not expecting either to be honest.
Think it’s Moss and, though stats apparently not my friend on my feelings about him, have seen him put on a masterclass in past in letting teams gain advantage through fouling us. The 4-0 Saints away game was a very bad one. Among other misdeeds they were allowed to kick/ push etc any time they were in range as we released ball.
Anyway, fingers crossed. Any win will do but a good performance would be very welcome.
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An excellent Post, Labo, thank you.
Your comment about “the new manager bounce” perhaps lifting Huddersfield to a win or a draw is fair enough, but I am rather hoping that “the dead cat bounce” will have the totally opposite effect. lol
COYG
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Can see lots of bus parking, rotational fouling, but hopefully a day when Lacca can really step up in the absence of his colleague .
Mik being back, hopefully a good thing, hard working decent player, sometimes looks like he isn’t having the greatest game but still think we do better when he is playing, fit and firing. He is also a goal threat tho what this would mean for Ozil is another matter
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Agree with you, Rich.
The elements, Arsenal sickness concerns and a dodgy referee should remove any possible complacency from our team — it certainly does for me — but I don’t think Mr Emery will allow that anyway.
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Nice preview Labo, measured and well-balanced.
So a draw it is then.
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The tackle by Arter especially was such an obvious straight Red even Alan bitter Smith could not make light of it, only a yellow. Ralls one nearly as bad and had a hint of Shawcross about it. He must be very robust is all I can say. God knows it’s getting to be that anything short of a broken limb against us is a yellow, or worse a talking too.
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
1h1 hour ago
📝 The teams are in! Here’s how #AFCU18 line up in the #FAYouthCup this afternoon…
XI: Okonkwo; Swanson, McGuinness, Ogungbo, Lopez; Smith, Olayinka, Cottrell; Amaechi, Balogun, Saka
SUBS: Smith, Daley-Campbell, Greenwood, Coyle, John-Jules
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Great Preview LG,
I think all this talk of top four really needs to be put on the back burner for a while, although it may look like we are close in the table in reality we arev some way off.
All the stats about hudderfield last win is irrealevent as this is a new manager and they will be happy with a draw which wont be.
I listened to Una’si presser and he said he expects them to do loads of twirls on the pitch and pressing our anus so once again he’s not giving much away there.
Saka is playing for the U18s today (good luck to them in the youth cup) so wont be involved anywhere in the squad today and with no game inbetween the two Euro games I think Unai can play a his strongest team today with an eye not just for winning but as LG says GOALS! COYG.
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
4m4 minutes ago
Goal for @WBA. Soule races through on goal and finds the bottom left corner.
🔴 0-1 🔵 (7)
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crap not a good start for the youngsters one down after 7 minutes
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Team selection and formation will give us a better idea of the type of match to expect. Earlier this year AFC beat them 1:0 at Home with a 3-1-4-2 set up without Ozil, who might have been sick tbf. Labo has documented they are not much of an offensive threat so one wonders how Emery might set up, a subject some of us have expressed great concern at UFV. (Being Positive doesn’t mean questions can’t be asked after 6 months of performances.)
For comparison: At Home last year AFC set up in a 3-4-2-1. Away in the final match of the season it was a 4-2-3-1. First game was 5:0 and second 0-1 for a combined 6:0 scoreline to AFC. Both games featured Ozil.
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Thanks Labo
fingers crossed we don’t witness the insanity of a club that don’t have the most money forcing £500k p/w to sit on the bench, no one deserves to see that on a Saturday afternoon
But hey, if it makes all those people who wanted a change of manager happy I would not want to piss on their parade!
(I don’t anticipate a trophy parade or even just a league cup final this season)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
2m2 minutes ago
WE’RE LEVEL 🙌
@BukayoSaka87 latches onto a loose ball following a free-kick routine and fires past Griffiths from close range
🔴 1-1 🔵 (31)
#FAYouthCup
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Just watching the extended highlights of the Arsenal Women against Manu Women. Sky 413 — and it is really good.
You can tell I do not often watch women’s football — so maybe I will start to do so more often now.
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
2m2 minutes ago
HALF-TIME: #AFCU18 1-1 @WBA
The visitors opened the scoring, but @BukayoSaka87 was there to equalise on the half-hour mark 🔥
#FAYouthCup 🏆
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not in the squad Ozil, Ramsey, Xhaka and Aubameyang
https://pbs.twimg.com/ad_img/1094234312600375296/MIUb8n2N?format=jpg&name=orig
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Lol not even on the bench.
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Hopefully it’s all due to illness? Unlikely.
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It’s a big ask for Miki coming back cold from injury.
hopefully Huddersfield won’t have the quality to score from the chances they’ll get and that the Arsenal find a few finishes.
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This is what AFC say about the non-playing team members;
— “Mkhitaryan and Maitland-Niles return as we line up with three at the back
Auba and Ozil miss out (illness), Ramsey (knee) and Xhaka (groin) also out
We’ve won nine and drawn two of our last 11 games against Huddersfield”
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James Olley
Verified account @JamesOlley
Mkhitaryan and Maitland-Niles in the starting line-up for Aubameyang and Lichtsteiner. Ramsey (knee), Aubameyang (ill), Ozil (ill), Xhaka (groin) haven’t travelled.
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ARS team selection: Its a 5-3-2-1 with no Ozil. Emery is relying on his now standard tactic; attacking from the flanks. He may well succeed. Its only Huddersfield ffs.
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Wide areas very important at both ends. Miki and Alex very important and must work hard to get back when ht breaks. AMN and Sead must get behind the packed defence and produce quality crosses and maybe you never know shots.
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
2m2 minutes ago
Goal for @WBA. Azaz finishes from close range to restore the visitors lead.
🔴 1-2 🔵 (68)
#FAYouthCup
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bollocks wba retake the league just after we nearly scored
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Leno, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Torreira, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Lacazette, Mkhitaryan
Subs: Cech, Elneny, Lichtsteiner, Suarez, Mavropanos, Nketiah, Willock
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Sam
@samuelJayC
33m33 minutes ago
Eight unavailable players in February. Familiar feeling for #afc fans.
Bellerin
Sokratis
Holding
Xhaka
Welbeck
Ozil
Ramsey
Aubameyang
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Correction: 3-4-3 set up.
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ARS should win this but we all know that HUD is going to set up in a 4-5-1 with as much as 10 in their defensive 3rd with the aim of frustrating our wide players. If they were a fast counter-attacking team I would be more concerned.
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Arsenal out of the FA Youth Cup, lost at home 1-2 to WBA, an awful start to the day, Saka with our goal, AFC missed a lot of good chances and paid the price
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Damn. Sucks that u18’s out of youth cup. Best chance in many years and bit of a downer given how vital it feels to produce a big star or two from academy.
Oh well. Was hoping for a little boost from that direction but nothing definitive in losing a close game of course.
Youth teams seem to share habit of going behind early in many a big game which obviously makes things much harder.
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wrong choice there from Iwobi
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Lacazette nearly in with a chance.
Hoping to see a good game today from AMN, has a chance to find Miki, plays in Iwobi for a half chance which goes wide.
A third attack down the right. Little bit of momentum for Arsenal at this moment. COYG.
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Iwobiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii his volley from Kolasinac’s high cross is deflected in 1-0
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Alex!!!!!
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Little bit of luck with the finish but the cross from Kola was perhaps his best of the season?
COYG
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Good start for Miki, might not last the 90 but he looks in good nick/form today.
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Arsenal holding off Huddersfield’s riposte, strongest five minute spell for the Home team so far.
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A couple of overplayed dribbles from AMN to loose possession he’ll want to do better.
Nasty foul from a now frustrated Huddersfield right in front of the lino.
Free kick to the Home team.
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lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 2-0 taps in from AMN low cross
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HT: Huddersfield 0-2 Arsenal
Iwobi with a deflected shot and Lacazette with an easy finish see us 2 up at half time in what has been a very scrappy game, even a battle at times, Huddersfield for all their huff and puff have not come close to scoring, our passing has been a bit heavy at times but we are causing them problems every time we attack
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Bit late to ask, but does anyone have a live feed to the game?
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AMN finds the perfect pass across the box after Iwobi and Miki combine, he’s been warming up and had been a threat with some good runs previously.
Lacazette looks to make up the numbers on Aubamayang with a cool simple finish.
Both wide players setting up the goals. Shotta is correct, there’s no harm in identifying and discussing how the team’s set up!
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footballalive7777.blogspot.com
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Yesss Laca.
By way, I’m following via BBC webpage and have rarely felt more sure it is NOT PARANOIA or the like that there’s bias against us and for rivals in media.
Update when we took lead was : ‘Oh Dear’ ; when Pool got 1st (offside again) it was :
‘He’s in my fantasy football team too… lovely jubbly.’
Their 2nd was ‘this is joyous’
There’s case to be made for context around each of those comments, but truth be told it’s very consistent with how things really are with BBC and other online updates.
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Keen to know if stat Pool have scored 12 offside goals is bogus or not.
Close one today, but when ,instinctive or otherwise, reaction is invariably to keep flag down for any close ones, can easily rack up a fair few over a season. 12 in 26 games, or wherever we are, would be extraordinary stuff though.
Such a massive help in close nervy games to do so well on them and other big calls, especially at 0-0
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If the Gunners can keep the Terriers on the leash we might see Eddie play today.
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Leno with a good save after we were easily opened up
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Thanks, Fins.
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For me that’s a good save by Leno to keep it 0-2.
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