Good day one and all.
Arsenal is traveling north to the King Power Stadium for a high noon confrontation with Leicester City in what may well be a last chance saloon to keep alive top-four aspirations.
The Gunners lost their way a bit in the last two Premier League fixtures as they conceded three goals in defeats to both Crystal Palace and Wolves, after conceding just one in their seven games prior (all competitions). It made the Gooniverse restless as questions are being asked as to whether they got the gumption to get over the last few hurdles as we approach the finish line. This is the same group of players that registered fine victories over United, Chelsea and Tottenham, and were impressive in draws against Liverpool and Tottenham (a) – both which they were unlucky not to win.
So why did we look so limp and stripped of any kind of heart? Is Unai Emery’s tinkering unsettling the team?
Since taking charge of the Foxes Brendan Rodgers lost his first against Watford but he look to have instilled ‘great character’ thereafter as his team won their next four. However, their last two matches were a loss and draw each, so to avoid three game winless run it’s unlikely we’ll find them in the mood to just rollover. Jamie Vardy too, who had his ups and downs under previous manager Claude Puel, seem to have got an arm around his shoulder and whispers of nonsensical motivational mantra into his ear as he comes into this game having scored six goals in their last six matches.
There’s no hiding that Arsenal was a bit sh** this past week but the battle for Champions League places is not over yet and it will arguably makes little sense to rest and rotate with two weeks left this campaign. Although Europa offers another path for a return to Europe’s premier club competition, being ‘at the beach’ would not be ideal preparation ahead of Thursday night – which indeed pose an interesting selection dilemma for Emery.
Win this afternoon and we will move to within a point of Totnum and also put added pressure on both Chelsea and Manutd – who face each other later at Old Trafford – as the loser may well find themselves out of the top-four race.
That being said, the Gunners’ away form has been pretty dire and beating the Foxes at the KP is a task easier said than done. So while this is a tough one to call, I think we can expect to see a very interesting game because both teams are going to slug it out, and if push comes to shove… the Gunners just need to dig deep.
@LaboGoon
**
Positively Arsenal 
with 2 games to go
3rd Spurs 70pts
4th Chelsea 68pts
5th Arsenal 66pts
6th Man Utd 65pts
LikeLike
I’m telling you all right now, I can’t do a positive blog about that bag of shit. I dare anyone else to do so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That draw at OT keeps alive hopes of a top four finish. I would be happy to see a few of the u23s play in the next few league games.
LikeLike
I’d make an effort but my second half viewing was interrupted by a kick-about, I can’t really comment on the second half.
LikeLike
The ever dependable PGMOL.
Always there to deliver a sucker punch when they see red & white.
Yes, we are way off our best but damn!….what a cheating scumbag of a ref Michael Oliver is! Karma awaits.
Our last stand shall be @ the Mestalla then.
COYG!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
George Im on the case. Its going to be acki kacki but better than no round up. Look out in your email box, should be with you soon.
COYG!
LikeLiked by 1 person
George I sent it to your email. Hopefully bette than nix.
LikeLike
Ed. Yep, no doubt we weren’t playing well and Leicester looking more likely. Do find it really hard to try get measure of how much ‘us’ and how much ‘them’ though.
By ‘them’ I mostly mean the long term effects of it happening again and again and again- where teams can be hyper aggressive and push their luck against you but your fouls are nearly always called, and if you give an opportunity for a pen, or a yellow, etc…
Just don’t know how you can approach it.
Nice illustration followed in utd game when ref didn’t card Herrera for wiping out Hazard who was driving at goal 30 yards out, sliding in with zero possibility of winning ball. Then Rojo made his near obligatory red card challenge minutes after coming on.
How do you prepare- is it a hyper aggressive, near anything goes league, where refs let lots go and do everything to keep people on field, or is it the one where you get two first half yellows for Ainsley challenges?
Still got my hope for Europa * and beyond that maybe we can pull out a big surprise next year in how to approach things. Hard to envisage at present though.
*if things as I believe on the pgmol/prem front, it would make sense for players to understand Europa offers far better conditions for them to play and this might produce determination to seize the chance, as well as relief.
LikeLike
After another poor display and conceding three goals in each of our last three games it is somewhat amazing were still in with a mathematical chance of coming forth or even third, how shit is everybody else.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ARSENAL side with less than 25% possession (and that was when Ainsley was on the pitch) even when were crap in the mid 70s. It is difficult to see how this is an improvement or even getting there but that’s probably best left to the end of the season.
Anyway as we support the club as a whole it is great to see the U23S winning again and the U18S and the women winning their prospective leagues. COYG.
LikeLike
Next Sunday is our last Home Game of the Season, and will be followed by a lap of appreciation, now depending on results in the Valencia and Brighton games, that could be anything from fun to toxic
LikeLike
Unai Emery: “We started very well. The idea was to control with possession. We wanted to be competitive.”
Emery actually said that today
LikeLike
so only a few weeks ago the WOB were celebrating the stat that Emery had the most wins for all Arsenal bosses in their first 50 games – 32 wins, but after 4 defeats in 5 games these same idiots are saying that squad of players he achieved the record with in his first 50 games are shite and need to be almost totally replaced.
the 7 changes to the starting line up in several of the games, the change in formation from game to game, nay, from one half of a game to the next, has nothing to do with it, no its all wenger and gazidis and stan’s fault for giving him such an awful bunch of players.
by the way i see the looney homeless knob on aftv has turned on Emery, who would have expected it.
LikeLike
Dan Critchlow
@afcDW
2h2 hours ago
After his 17-minute app. today, Reiss Nelson has finally played more senior minutes for Hoffenheim this season (747) than for Arsenal last year (734).
Think it’s fair to say we were hoping for him to be involved a bit more.
LikeLike
Liverpool U23’s lost today meaning Arsenal U23’s who are currently 2nd, can finish no lower than 3rd, Brighton would need to beat Chelsea to surpass our lads.
LikeLike
Hopefully a good experience for Nelson anyway. Think you’ve got to be unbelievably good as a 19 year old to get a lot of minutes in a pretty good team when on a loan deal, especially as season progresses. If it’s your own youngster, calculations are all completely different in terms of what you could get in the future from player development.
Gone better than Smith-Rowe’s anyway. Asano’s and Nwakali’s too while we’re at it.
Think ESR’s injury has flared up again. Still got feeling it was an issue he was managing well before January, so just hope it fully clears up ahead of new season.
LikeLike
New post is up
LikeLike