Never too early in the season for a North London Derby right?
Good day everybody.
All eyes will be at the Emirates Stadium this evening with Arsenal hosting Tottenham Hotspurs in the Premier League; a match of which the result could well be an early sign what club is likely to win the battle for St Totteringham this season.
Now one can imagine this game will be massive for both teams, not just because of each wanting to get one over the other, but because they’re still licking their wounds from their respective defeats and what better tonic than going into the inter-break with bragging rights over your archrival.
Spurs, with just one win in their opening three fixtures are struggling to find consistency and it’s not recent; they haven’t won an away league match since 5th January. So their shock home defeat to Newcastle only seem to pile on the problems Mauricio Pochettino are already grappling with.
Unai Emery’s selection and tactics last Sunday against Liverpool took many by surprise. Of course it didn’t work, but to be fair not many things do for visiting teams at Anfield. Either way, a defeat against the European champions doesn’t make a team bad and today the Gunners got another shot to get it together.
Questions are still asked about our defensive capabilities though.
While we were always going to be up against it at Anfield there’s still concerns that it has become easy to play against us because of a belief that our defense are just not strong enough to win many battles of attrition. We saw in games versus both Newcastle and Burnley how they weren’t short of chances. I mean, that’s not how progress is supposed to work right? So perhaps our best remedy may just be to start the dashing trio of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pépé together, and not only that, but also provide them the necessary creativity in midfield to work with.
We know how beautifully this triumvirate exists in our heads and I can say this, it’s frustrating to know you have this wealth of talent but they are yet to be given their chance. In the last 10 minutes last Sunday we looked much stronger and direct when they were together on the field. If Emery goes with this… we’ll have a better shot to take advantage of a Spurs side who has been rocked in recent times.
Be that as it may it’s not all doom and gloom for either side. Totnum already had a big away game at Mancity and they did well to come away with a 2-2 draw. The Gunners looked half-hearted thus far but a win today will make it three in four and that wouldn’t make bad reading. But both teams will want to compensate for their less than enthused recent showings and with Manchester United and Chelsea both dropping points there may be bit of extra motivation for this to be a fiery contest.
Arsenal will start as favourites though, considering we have won 11 of our last 13 league games at home and Spurs hasn’t won a league match at the Ems in nearly nine years. However, I think we can expect a close encounter, not just because I don’t want to risk baiting the football gods, but games against that lot are never easy. They got few players who know how to turn it up so we dare not switch off through out.
I’ll love a Gunners win here today more than anything else, but at the very least I want our team to start showing signs of life and keep those yobs on the backfoot.
@LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
Leno
MaitlandNiles-Sokratis-Luiz-Kolasinac
Xhaka-Torreira
Özil
Pépé-Lacazette-Aubameyang
+ Martínez, Chambers, Guendouzi, Willock, Ceballos, Mkhitaryan, Nelson.
COYG!!!
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🤔🤫..4-1…🤫
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A stat like them not winning away since 5 Jan should be most welcome, so why does it worry me so much!!??
Even worse, as I moan about these pgmol bums and their (increasing?) refusal to use VAR properly, the horrible thought emerged yesterday that they will upend their use of it so far, (the world record high bar will shoot down to u14 Slough schools championship level), and use it today to find a red for us or a pen for them.
Cheerful git, aren’t I.
For the match, how we play, who we play…nowt coming to me above the unease. Think I read Laca’s had ankle issue for three weeks (Lyon game?) so if that’s still case, that’ll impact starting chance. Can’t guess what’ll happen with mid 3/4. Sead will have to come in. Rest of defence should be same. Expect Ozil will start on bench.
Feck knows. Hope we win
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Today’s team
Cech
Jenkinson, Koscielny, Saliba, Monreal
Elneny, Bielik
Welbeck, Ramsey, Iwobi
Nketiah
subs:Ospina, Lichtsteiner, Osei-Tutu, Bramhall, Asano
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jack stephenson
@jacktruthafc
·
17h
How have we got Atkinson as ref again ????? Twice in 4 games come on we have had Atkinson Taylor and dean who we getting next week moss ??
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cheers to Labo for taking up to the KO.
LOL Ed, except its also really sad to see whose gone. Whose the coach of that side? Raul Montana?
This might be a massive scrap today, on and off the field( late ko means load sof booze and tension), a win and we are still hanging in there, a loss and the cheeky chicken will be strutting around around thinking its 1961.
But lo! Behold here cometh Saint Totteringham and the mighty cannon to banish the foul meats.
FOYS!
COYG!
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Mills the late KO is madness but then the big broadcasters & the Mighty Mikes try their best to write the scripts, who cares about da Po-lice not Big Daddy Raul nudge nudge wink wink
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Be interesting to see if any of the new team can take this opportunity to step into the gigantic Rambo sized hole specifically in NLD’s of late.
The Billy Big Blaggers projection that Cabellos can do it is as big a dump upon their listeners as any of the other tripe they’ve been shitting down upon them from their lofty back scratching heights.
Can Emery fluke & stumble his way to a midfield selection that works (same as last season), I certainly hope so!
COYG
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Excellent LG,
I think I would much rather see the flying three finish the game rather than start it although it would be nice to be four nil up by half time.
Derby’s not only tend to be close but also tend to swing in momentum sometimes more than once. So if the ref is being particularly problematic it would be good to finish the game strongly and on top.
Winning the midfield is important although again in close games mistakes and flashes of brilliance play an even more important role.
Sods law tells us that because chelski and manure drew today’s game will finish even so if we win today it will be massive on so many levels.
Obviously I would like to see us win with fast flowing football and brilliant interchanges between the players however if we get the three points by the ball going in of someone’s arse taking twelve deflections I’ll be overjoyed COYG.
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Iwobi is oh his second goal for Everton! 2-1 after ten minutes. Can I blame, Wenger for the defending or Iwobi, Monreal, Kozza, me mam all not wanting to play for Emery and Montana?
The player who wants to eventually play in midfield would’ve been a handy option last week in that line up ahead of Ceballos, Willock or Guendouzi.
And people are lining up to have their pictures taken with Big Daddy Raul.
Yes. It is:
The Age of the Moron.
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Leno
Maitland_Niles, David Luiz, Sokratis, Kolasinac
Xhaka, Torreira, Guendouzi
Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang
subs:Martinez, Chambers, Willock, Ozil, Ceballos, Mkhitaryan, Nelson
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I hate seeing the Ö the bench and Guen playing. Sorry but I do. To me that sums up Emery. Lets hope Guen does something good today.
Fuck it. We shall see. The Spuds have a strong line up, unfortunately.
FOYS!
GOYG!
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man the Arsenal have a beautiful pitch. Must be great to play on that.
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I blame Weng.
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dominate first 10 minutes but shit defending sees us losing 1-0, brainless from Sokratis
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Phew. Leno did well then.
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SO WHO ASSESSED THAT LUIZ WAS A BETTER DEFENDER THAN MUSTAFI?
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stupid from xhaka and its a penalty to spurs and its 2-0 to spurs, emeryball indeed
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two mistakes two goals. Xhakas better than that.
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COYG! Need one soon to stay in this.
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so is it the awful defending of Mustafi, Koscielny and Monreal that sees us 2-0 down. It can’t be the upgrades, it just can’t
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fuckin av that
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Lacazetteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 1-2
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Half Time: Arsenal 1-2 Spurs
Lacazette gets us back in it just before half time after we shot ourselves in the foot twice, first Sokratis with woeful defending to let them in to take the lead then Xhaka with a brain fart to give away a needless penalty which seen them go 2 up.
We are seeing a lot of headless play from Arsenal today, everyone running about like demented cats, seemingly having little game plan other than hard work.
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Referee is terrible. Thank God we scored at the end as he let a lot of fouls go in the run up.
Laca has to play. Fantastic player.
This game needs Dani or Ozil. We are relying too much on the full backs. And Son is using the space left by them.
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Leno is a fabulous keeper.
Spurs are fouling like crazy all over the pitch to break up our game. Won’t be surprised if one of them sees a second yellow.
We are rushing to get the ball to the front 3 in the absence of a player like Ozil.
They’ve got their 2 goals. 4 more goals to go for us.
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guendouzi close with a shot, out for a corner, from which kolasinac takes a lacca flick away from the on rushing PEA
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kane shot hits the post
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62 minutes Ceballos on for Torreira
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Ceballos shot just too close to lloris
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Mkhitaryan getting ready to come on
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Should have had a pen on Auba and Soc
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Has Guen got something (pics?)on UE?
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mkhitaryan on for lacazette, it did seem as we were making our first sub that lacca asked to be subbed off
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Aubameyangggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg touches in a Guendouzi pass in 2-2
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Fabulous ball by Matteo and finish by Auba.
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come on you Gunners>!!!!!!!!!!!!
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sokratis goal rightly ruled out for offside, kolasinac offside when he played in the ball
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Xhaka needs to get it brains together
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Hemel Hempstead got away without a card then
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5 minutes to go and with us well on top idiot Sokratis gets involved in a ruckus that takes several minutes to resolve, with him getting booked
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Da fuq? Spurs guy holds Soc but doesn’t get a yellow.
Shit ref.
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5 minutes of stoppage time to be played, its a bit end to end at the moment
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C O Y G !!!
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delli alli does not get booked for diving cos he is english and the english don’t dive
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pepe has no end product
kane is a diver, but we all knew that anyway
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Alli and Kane should have seen yellows for diving.
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FT: Arsenal 2-2 Spurs
a game we really should have won, but having been 2-0 down I suppose we should be happy to get a draw
Lacazette and Aubameyang with our goals, we had handed spurs their goals with more stupid mistakes.
awful football from us in first half, and much of second half, too frantic and headless. Pepe so far has no end product, and can we really have a goal machine like PEA stuck out wide switching wings.
We once again, just like last week v LFC, abandoned the midfield, it was not till Ceballos came on that we played ball.
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Arsenal were good in the second half, shame we didnt get that 3rd. DickEmeryball in the first half though.
COYG!
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kane and alli are divers and cheats and Martin Atkinson is a woefully bad ref, a brilliant PGMOL game manager, but a woeful ref at implementing the actual rules of the game, a disgrace to his federation
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