With only nine more Premier League games to go the clock is ticking…
Good day one and all.
Arsenal welcome the resuscitated Manchester United at the Emirates who are continuing their mid-season turnaround under Ole Gunnar Solskjær with 15 wins in 18 games (D2, L1) across all competitions.
Both teams were involved in European action midweek against French opposition, but as far as results are concerned fortunes couldn’t be more contrasting. It was a night to forget for Unai Emery and the Gunners as their match against Rennes ended in 3-1 defeat, while United who won by the same scoreline for a win that would make Houdini proud as they completed an unlikely comeback from a 2-0 first leg deficit to beat PSG in their own backyard. They may still have to come down from their high having put down a marker for things to come.
However, focus now switches back to domestic matters and both coaches designs to deliver a place in next season’s Champions League.
Arsenal are on a 14 match unbeaten league run at the Emirates (W12, D2), including eight consecutive wins. Ironically our last defeat in all competitions at home has been against Manutd in the FA Cup. I doubt playing at home will be much of an advantage because under OGS Manutd got a 100% success rate in away games (all competitions) – played 9, win 9 with a return of 23 GF and 3 GA.
The defeat against Rennes should not dampen any spirits, we were in control till we were reduced to 10 men. In our last league outing last Saturday at Spurs we did well and by all accounts should’ve won that match. Now we are left with a bit more to do for an immediate turnaround; and with the firepower we got we should be more than capable of doing it. However we will need to keep our heads at the back because for the visitors Lukaku and Rashford are on a purple patch.
We will be without Torreira who begins a 3 game ban, but the biggest decision to be make will be who misses out between Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Özil, as there has been a reluctance to start them both. Ramsey was one of the stand out players last Saturday and Özil has been in fine form since his reintroduction to the squad. Maybe playing a more natural right back wouldn’t hurt as well.
A win today will put Arsenal in a good position as we won’t be playing another ‘top-six’ rival In the run-in, but Manutd’s away form can’t be ignored, which lends itself to this being a highly entertaining and season-defining classical six-point encounter.
Time for everyone to pull their socks as high as possible and push this Gunners side to line.
@LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
Long time coming but you could feel today was the day. Leno with three outstanding saves. Arsenal did the dancing today. ManUre flushed back to old Toilet. Nice.
COYG!!!!
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I thoroughly enjoyed that. We deserved the victory. No stand out man of the match, but if I had to pick one it would be Kolasinać….
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Stupid pundits trying to say that it wasn’t a penalty.
It’s a penalty every day of the week for me. Laca is running fast with the ball. Fred pushes him from behind. Any push at that speed will send someone down.
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P™@Cechque
5m5 minutes ago
Arsenal’s record when Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ozil all start together. P11 W7 D4 L0.
Start them together @UnaiEmery_
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8 BPL games left, next one is 3 weeks away
Newcastle (H) 1st April
Everton (A) 7th April
Watford (A) 15th April
Crystal Palace (H) 20th April
Leicester (A) 29th April
Brighton (H) 4th May
Burnley (A) 12th May
Wolves (A) yet to be arranged
5 Away games has to be a worry considering our poor away form(P14 W5 D4 L5), its time the team stepped up and put our away record to rights.
our home record so far this season is very much like last seasons, only man city with more home pts than us, P16 W13 D2 L1 Pts 41, city have 45pts, LFC have same as us 41
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by the way spurs have the best away record in the BPL P16 W11 D0 L5 Pts33
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yeeeeehaaaaaaa!!! I said at half time with fatso giving all the 50/50’s to them he might give us a big one so we were due. Abosolutley fantastice decision from probably the worst ref in the league.
Laca was my MOTM so dangerous caused them problems all game and his hold up play was excellent. Thought it was strange taken him off and putting Alex on who struggles defensively. I actually think Iwobi best position is the no 10 because he doesnt have to track wingers or full backs back.
This was definetly an ARSENAL weekend a few more of those and we might start dreaming of third place.
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Orbinho
@Orbinho
Aaron Ramsey with eight tackles today – only Lucas Torreira with 9 v Chelsea has made more in a single game for Arsenal this season.
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a word on Maitland-Niles performance, need to see more of that up for it approach from him, the most aggressive performance from him in an AFC shirt that I’ve seen, keep it up lad
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Well,that was nice, and very well deserved. Food for thought for Mr Emery , but we’ll done to him and the players, some excellent performances. For once, a few other results went out way
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Wahoo, Positivistas! Today is a good day! What a performance from the boys and the manager.
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Great result. Felt near essential we won it. Even more so with the amount of away games left.
We can now spend the break between prem action in optimistic mood. Think team might even be getting a sunshine break to prepare for final push.
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If I was as conceited as the Billy Big Blagger I’d be highlighting my easy predication that Ozil and ramsey would both play during this crucial fixture crunch and hopefully start this potential “play off” game together, but I won’t as the power behind the scenes at the club which this week added Grimaldi’s head to the spikes above the entrance to Highbury House and they are still there telling the head coach who he can or cannot pick/start in the future.
It is what it is, though not starting the best British midfielder in midfield till today is all down to the coach, no excuses for this horror story, and the whole world could see the Arsenal midfield DOMINATE the football match against the in form club team in the PL with their two best and most senior/experienced midfielders playing in, wait for it, in midfield! Fuck my football boots who could have ever imagined such a thing from most of the Arsenal fans – whose concerns and discussion all season long have been ignored by Billy Big Blagger. However it was those same fans who rained down abuse on the officials for their bias in the first half they deserve all the credit for that penalty call – and that after their team has gone in 1-0 at HT during the biggest game of the season as very few home fans in the stadium were kidding themselves about what they’d obviously seen in the first half although on or two of our good and respected friends are still in childish denial regarding the objective understanding of the declining state of the officials, I would kindly suggest that the former head of the pgMOB knows a little bit more then they do about such things.
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I wrote dominate and I mean it even though they hit the post twice in the first half.
Without the tilting to balance it up the game would’ve been over sooner then it was the gulf was that big today.
I have been consistent in stating that City and Arsenal have been the best squads and football teams of late (last season’s rebuild and transition not included!). When their best footballers are playing on their best positions on the football pitch.
And that remains the case at least until Ramsey is gone. Not sure if I can make this claim again next year.
Papa and Koscielny hitting the heights as a partnership today. Outstanding games from both. lucky today the visitors didn’t have a fit and firing options from the bench, Martial only just back and Sanchez is out, but when you’re a club that chooses to spend £50M on “Fred” who is even less of a footballer then Raul’s mate Paulinho then you don’t deserve the luck!
Well played the coach and players though of course if Torreira hadn’t been sent off last week we probably wouldn’t have witnessed today’s masterclass in midfield from the Xhaka-Ramsey combo.
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Leno?
Also outstanding. By my memory a perfect game from him today and that deserves high praise.
The new keeper has had a good week.
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New post is up
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Shotta
With Utd playing 442 which I think is the same as in the cup game playing a three at the back was a wise call from the coach today.
The early goal helped but they’re still good opponents and the second half tactical tweaking in my opinion meant the team were even more secure in defence then the first half, I haven’t checked the stats yet but that’s my first impression.
A good day for the coach, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he reviews Rambo’s game on the laptop but I have more important things to be doing during the week!
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