Where has the time gone – just 4 more weeks left in the 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
Good day Positivistas.
The Emirates is where it’s at this afternoon as the Eagles swoop in for a visit to face Unai Emery and his Gunners side.
Arsenal have been producing fine performances recently and following progression to the Europa semifinals on Thursday evening, confidence will be high as they now turn focus to Crystal Palace with hopes of extending their winning run to 11 at home to remain in a good position in the race to secure a top-four finish.
However, we will need to get pass Roy Hodgson’s side who have developed quite the knack to make life difficult for whoever host them, especially the second half of this season. They lost just one of their last five games (W3, D1) and scored 26 of their 40 goals on the road. A lot of which is down to being good playing on the break in away games whereas at home they tend to be a bit conservative.
Now a lot has been said about the Gunners’ Emirates form where they got 44 of their 66 points. Only PL title challengers Man City and Liverpool boasts better home records this campaign but here’s the rub… the Eagles burst Pep’s bubble at the Etihad and it took a late a winner for Klopp’s side to ensure they keep all three points at Anfield. So we can expect Roy to again take the reins of off his players and ‘have a go’.
When these two teams met in the reverse fixture back in October at Selhurst Park they played out a 2-2 draw – the Eagles were awarded two penalties. It was a result that ironically saw Arsenal missed the chance to move up the 3rd on the league table. So today we have to make sure the opportunity doesn’t pass us by again as a win will see us leapfrog the lot into 3rd.
The Gunners will be in good spirits, having won six and conceded just one goal in their last seven games in all competitions, but they know they need to do better upfront with a few easy chances fluffed in that run. And with this run-in we got we have to be sharper because we cannot afford any slip-ups.
Aaron Ramsey (injured) and Sokratis (suspended) will be missing out and with Wolves away on Wednesday night, we can expect to see rotation from the side that took to the pitch at Napoli.
We are on a good run of form and know that only a win will do in the quest for Champions League qualification, so I tip the home side for a win. We need to stay switched on at the back though, the Palace attackers has a habit of falling over at the slightest of touches in and around the box.
Lets go!!!
@LaboGoon
***
Positively Arsenal 
Cheers Labo.
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COYG!
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Thanks Labo, great scene-setter.
This has the hallmarks of a classic nail-biter and it’s turning into a cracking end-of-season. [*reaches for gloves*]
Impressive home record for the Gunners, isn’t it? [*Pulls on gloves*]
If the players and the crowd are up for this I think we’ll do it although I don’t anticipate a run-riot given the close proximity of our next ‘wolverine’ test.
One game at a time, and all that. Glovelly.
COYG’S!
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Excellent LG great preview,
Dead right this is going to be one of hardest home games of the season. With two of our best players missing its going to be difficult to rotate. I think Ainsley can match wilf for speed but if they switch him to the other wing Nacho and Sead will need to
double up as both will struggle on their own.
So Leno will be important off his line and we are always going to have to be wary of the breakaways.
As LG said in the blog sometimes attack is best form of defence and if we are at our full attacking potential we can seal the three points without putting pressure on our defence. We are excellent going forward so there is no reason to struggle if we perform as we know we can COYG.
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Like Labo says: Lets go! (cheers for the preview). A massive chance to beat the Smeagles and jump the Chicken and nab the third spot. If onlys pop into mid after the Everton game, but thats the Arsenal rollercoaster ( all thoughts to gf60). I got things mixed up in my mind and had the horror that we were at the Nest, but was glad to see yesterday its at our manor. Could be tough, but I think we will av em.
Cheers everyone.
COYG!
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Nice one. Tough game, these type of teams can seem extra motivated against us, need our strikers to be clinical, an Ozil masterclass wouldn’t go amiss either.
This team are in the Tottenham level when it comes to cheating and getting very soft penalties, there is a ref who can fall for such things, have to be careful at the back.
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AFC Women are one win away from WSL title after beating Everton 2-1 at Meadow Park.
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Elneny & Matteo fared better Away to Everton then the Utd midfield! At Home today COYG!
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before we play our game, utd are 2pts behind us and 11 goals worse off, a big opportunity for us to open a gap on them with a good win
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xhaka left out of the squad as a precaution, torreira and maintland-niles on the bench as are cech and monreal, Jenkinson and Mavropanos start, as do Ozil, Elneny and Guendouzi, https://pbs.twimg.com/ad_img/1119961401613791232/9KY_RF4C?format=jpg&name=orig
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is there some reason why BBC 5 live don’t have commentary of either of the 4pm games today
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elneny falling back baloons his shot from seven yards high over the bar
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Just incredible there is no video or even radio coverage of the Arsenal game available in UK. All eyes on the Liverpool walkover v relegated Cardiff. Crap.
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that will wake us up.
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mavropanos with a really stupid booking, needlessly pulled back benteke,
now palace benteke scores from the resulting free kick, woeful defending, benteke had a free header six yards out, mavropanos and mustafi failed to mark him, just downright poor all round
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will it mills
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Yet again, we provide a happy day for an absolute carthorse
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Half Time: Arsenal 0-1 Crystal Palace
woeful defending for their goal, and only a Leno double save just before half time has kept us in the game.
We had a clear penalty not given, but what else would you expect from piggy Jon Moss
guendouzi and eleney are the most sterile midfield duo I’ve ever seen at Arsenal, all sideways and backways and safe passing.
kolasinac and jenkinson expected to be our lock openers today but neither can get past their direct opponents, we are slow in our passing and our movement
massive improvement needed in the second half, this is just not good enough for a team that can go third with a win.
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could iwobi make the difference today, someone to take on and beat a few defenders
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As poor as we have been, How is John Moss still a ref at this level?
Similar to the performance at Everton with some similar players, Emery has to change this at HT.
this probably represents as good as, if not a better top four chance than Europe, have to seize it
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Maitland-Niles and Iwobi coming on for Mavropanos and Jenkinson
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Better!!!!!!!!
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yes indeed.
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Ozilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll with a brilliant finish from a very tight angle from a great reverse pass from lacazette,
it was ozil’s trademark hit the ball into the ground to spin it up over the keeper
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Jenkinson looking rusty. Played Benteke inside for his goal. But really our finishing has let us down yet again.
Clear penalty also not given. Iwobi might be a good player to bring on now.
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fucking liverpool winning
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Mustafi will be the new twitter darling after that.
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mustafi with one of the worse pieces of defending I’ve ever seen and zaha makes ti 2-1 to palace
jeez we don’t half fuck things up for ourselves
half an hour to pull this out of the fire
ozil booked now
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fuck me we are awful at the back today
fuck all better if at all in midfield
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moss a disgrace of a ref
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oh brother. Way too charitable to the Spuds.
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Guendouzi booked
Torreira on for eleney
palace score from a corner, but it looks to be clearly offside but not given, 3-1 down with about 25 minutes left, has this team the balls to turn it around
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I ask again, what exactly is Guendouzi good at
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this is a shit show
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Note to Emery, maybe injuries and suspensions caused the need, but rotating this squad really doesn’t work, especially on the defensive side of things.
I hope our lack of activity in Jan doesn’t prove to be false economy
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PSG have won the french league again, nearest rivals lille drew so psg champs before the play later today
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just about to say we dont look like scoring when Aubameyang fires home from edge of the area, he ran at them tried to feed lacca but ball rebounded to him and he fired home
about 15 minutes left, come on you gooners
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fuck me jon moss might as well put on a palace kit
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fucking hell iwobi, ten yards out and it was akin to a back pass, after we had opened them up, really needed to power that shot
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how the fuck is that not a penalty, oh yes it is jon moss
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5 minutes of stoppage time to go
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COYG!
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iwobi not having a good game, no matter how hard he is trying
palace time wasting
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Full Time: Arsenal 2-3 Crystal Palace
handed all 3 goals to palace, with hopeless defending
awful sterile in midfield
lacked the tempo needed to win, this was as bad a performance as we’ve put in all season.
far too often in the last 2 or 3 years when a rival drops points and we have the chance to ram home an advantage we put in a fucked up performance like today, too many of these guys can’t handle the expectations playing at Arsenal bring.
still not sure the manager can handle it either, that was a fucked up line up once again.
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The team is just learning to play a new system I guess which the first team seems to be getting right finally. But rotating the squad causes teething problems again. Will take a while.
Rubbish defending from Mustafi on the second goal. Not pushing out quickly enough for their third.
Still could have won of we had done better with our chances.
Referee was shit. 2 calls for penalties. Neither given. The handball couldn’t have been clearer.
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Someone do the review, that’s mashed my head.
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george I’d do it but it would never pass the censor, what will all the swearing etc
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Gormless, inept , a complete waste of oxygen. But enough about John Moss.
That was a waste, and could prove very costly. The same type of teams do us time and time again when we are weakened. This has been going on for a while. Sometimes, we just hand rivals and the PGMOL what they want on a plate, as with the recent Everton game. It looks to me like Emery started with a couple players the team really doesn’t trust, this isn’t easy for the players concerned, or the team. I don’t like calling out individual players, it is the team that lost that, but it is clear that one player especially doesn’t suit that system, and it spreads wildfire panic throughout the team at times, though he did well at Watford.
Our first eleven are excellent, and can get results. Start without Xhaka, Sok, Torreira, Ramsey, and you got problems, no matter how good our forwards and attacking Mfs can be. There should not be such disparities within a healthy squad, and this is something for the summer, assuming emery gets the resources.
Teams get injuries and suspensions, on the injury front, we seem to get more than most, still, the lack of protection we saw at Watford takes its toll.
We will now need to beat Brighton and get a couple away wins at least. Not impossible, but I suspect we will need our regulars for and firing to do so.
How we miss Rob Holding!
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the needless Sokratis booking v everton that led to his 3 game ban really hit us hard today, and he still has one game left on his ban, wolves away on wednesday.
Mavropanos has started both games Sokratis missed and been taken off in both, 59th minute v watford, and at half time today.
Mavropanos and Mustafi with awful mistakes for the first two goals, and Guendouzi with one for the third, a real self inflicted defeat once again.
Eleney and Guendouzi were awful as our midfield 2 v Everton, and were just as bad if not worse today. Most sterile CM duo I’ve seen at Arsenal and I’ve seen Morrow and Selley as a CM duo.
Iwobi huffed and puffed and really had a go, but things did not run for him, and he really fluffed his big chance, ten yards out and his shot had no conviction at all.
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Was Leno partly at fault for that second goal, should he have been out for the ball, like Mustafi seemed to think he would, or was it all wank defending by Mustafi.
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