Hoping for a new lease on life with our new head-coach, Arsenal gets 2020 rolling with a Premier League clash against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
With both clubs under the guidance of former players, Mikel Arteta and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows all about the hostilities and the grit that goes with one of the league’s long standing rivalries.
Happy New Years all! For Arteta, who is just starting his managerial journey, there would be fewer memories as sweet as getting your maiden victory against an old enemy, however, he would prefer it not to have come to this.
Picking up just one point from his opening two games hasn’t been the ideal start for the Spaniard, but with the players looking like they’re buying into his ideas, as well as his demand for increased work-ethic, there certainly are much to be encouraged about. His primary expectancies now are better awareness and pacing of our intensity throughout the 90, so we can get our season going.
For a club of Arsenal’s standing to end 2019 on a run of just one win in 15 games (all competitions) is concerning, but we are by no means a sinking ship. It will just take the efforts of all involved pulling in the same direction; ie the players continue doing what is expected of them and the clubs chiefs giving Arteta their full backing.
Look, the general view is that there are no quick fixes, with that fans also need to slow down with the fear-mongering and exercise a bit more patience, because that is what Arteta is going to need to rebuild this team back into a functioning unit. The buzzword going forward has to be synergy.
It’s almost unbelievable, just thinking about it, that less than a month ago Arsenal was above Manutd on the log, but thanks to a strong run in December they enter the new year more promising; 7 pts clear of us and 4 pts off top-four. In their last nine league games they were on the losing side just once (W5, D3) and scored a whopping 19 goals.
They certainly got a good run against the top teams this season, beating Chelsea, Leicester, Man City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as being the only side to take points off Liverpool. So one can almost forgive pundits for predicting the Red Devils to inflict misery on the Gunners, however, Ole will be the first to tell you that form means little against this old foe. Last season when he took over they went on a three-month, 12-match unbeaten run that came to an end with their last trip to the Emirates. Which make looking forward to this match just that more appetizing.
Team news
Arsenal face a defensive crisis with Calum Chambers now joining Sead Kolasinac, Hector Bellerìn, Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding on the sidelines. Additionally Sokratis is out with concussion.
Gabriel Martinelli and Dani Ceballos could make the matchday squad and Granit Xhaka, whom Arteta said missed the last game with illness amidst ongoing transfer speculation, could return to the starting lineup.
Prediction
On current form, league position and confidence the Red Devils are sure favourites, but the Gunners certainly played much better than our last two results. What let us down most has been our finishing because we created more than enough chances. So once that’s sorted everything else will be minor irritations.
Manutd kept only one clean sheet in their last nine league games and conceded 12 goals. So if we continue creating those chances but also have our scoring boots on…. Mikel could pop his cherry with a memorable win.
— @LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
foreverheady
December 31, 2019 at 8:33 pm Edit
Best wishes to one and all for 2020 and the coming decade. I’ve had a word with Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyant , and she tells me that come May we will have finished a comfortable 5th in the League, won the FA Cup and secured Champions League football courtesy of a thrilling victory in the Europa League. Well played Mikel and all who sail under George’s positive banner.
And God bless all of us here, and all those contributor’s who for all sorts of reasons are not so obviously present right now but who I know are still with us in spirit.
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Thanks Heady, and on we march.
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Happy new year to everyone that contributes to this site, as they say, it’s nothing without you.
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so Craig Pawson’s punishment for fucking us over v Chelsea is to be 4th official tomorrow in our game v Man Utd. Nice.
Match officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Sian Massey-Ellis, Constantine Hatzidakis . Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Stephen Child.
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Happy New Year my old mucker George and all the positivistas. As you all know am still around in body and soul. Podcasting will return after the start of the New Year. I am hoping by that time we start winning again. 2020 cannot be as bad as 2019.
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Happy New Year positivistas.
Here’s to an upward trajectory in 2020.
It’s about time we upped our game.
Stay strong and keep supporting the Arse.
In MA we trust!
COYG!!!
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Jack Wilshere’s birthday today. Is he injured or does he get nowhere near West Ham’s team these days?
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foreverheady
Poor Jack seems to be in one condition worse than out with known long-term injury: think he’s trained sometimes, but body not responding well when pushing it. Come back at least couple of times since start of last year but seems to be out again as soon as plays a few minutes.
Groin might be latest issue, but generally lots of updates seem pretty vague. Must be real tough on him and I sense maybe not far off giving it a go in America. Another year or two might just pack it in I reckon. Pellegrini strikes me as sympathetic type but doubt Moyes is.
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Anyway, on more positive front, game tonight, and happy new year to all!
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No sense of how it’ll go in me bones this evening. Chambers a nasty blow, quite possibly Xhaka back in which should be boost. Fear Utd’s dirt and counter speed. Hopeful that if we can play similarly to other day maybe this time it will yield more.
Notice club photographer Stuart seems properly enthused by Arteta’s arrival, which makes me think it’s looking positive on the ground and he can see something special in the man and his methods.
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Happy new year everyone and what a great preview. At the moment our improvement in every game means we don’t really know what heights we can hit at any stage. So far I’ve enjoyed the new effort and style and I’m just waiting for it to get a proper reward. COYG.
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Agreed, everyone there needs to get behind this team. The effort is there from the players and coaches. This team failing over the season is not worth thinking about , can you imagine what Riley would do if we were in or near the relegation area with a handful of a games to go?
Pretty sure the PGMOL shite will carry on today, Riley, despite being a reported Leeds fan, looks like he has some sort of thing for Utd, any bias and hope the fans let the ref have it.
Good luck to the team, they will need it for a few weeks until the injuries abate, perhaps help arrives, and Artetas methods really start to bed in
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Thanks Rich – poor old Jack (though if he has been careful and well advised he will be considerably less poor than me). Could have been one of the greats if his body had allowed – or rather if he hadn’t been such a prime target. How we could do with a peak him atm.
I suspect a point is the best we are likely to get this evening, but will beat Leeds in the Cup on Monday and then start to put a better run together in the League.
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Got round to watching Chambers video. Contrary to what I suspected, don’t think any fault with opponent on this one. Little shove maybe but nothing more and just an honest hard battle for ball.
Anyone know what knee is hurt? Assumed it must surely be one landed awkwardly on- right- but watching video got impression something may have gone wrong before that- in take-off so to speak- and only pic I could find shows him appearing to hold left knee, which took no weight on landing.
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Foreverheady
I really hoped he’d be able to play a fair amount of games with West Ham. Never thought there was much chance of body being up to full programme of games but thought maybe with no Europe and less kicking, and luck, he could have a few 25-30 game seasons and show some of quality he has.
Damn it sucks. Main hope is he’s saved his dough well and has good support around him. I’ll always suspect any of our injury woes could be down to all the medium kicks as well as the most serious ones. Just in that last game- so many knocks we take out on the field.
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Happy and healthy New Year to all our fellow Arsenal addicts.
Whether our annual rollercoaster has reached the bottom yet remains to be seen.
I will be very happy to see Xhaka back and for him to stay.
Good luck to the team tonight.
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Happy New Year folks!
Nuff Blessings!!!
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usual bullshit on final score about VAR, Dion Dublin just said that football needs to go to Cricket and Rugby and ask them how to get VAR right, would it not be much simpler to go to the other major leagues in Europe and ask them how they have got VAR right. Its the usual turn a blind eye to the fact that its the PGMOL run by Mike Riley that has got VAR wrong. Why act like its a shambles everywhere in the game, when its only in England with these PGMOL Game Managers both on the pitch and in the VAR Booth, that are cocking it up, partly or majorly cos they refuse to implement the rules of the game the same as the rest of the major leagues across Europe, all this guff that the game in England is different and has to be different to the rest of the world, is just a soundbite to hide their match fixing.
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VAR turn down a fairly clear penalty to Southampton
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Spurs second only to LiVARpool in VAR favours
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Leno
Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, David Luiz, Kolasinac
Xhaka, Torreira
Pepe, Ozil, Aubameyag
Lacazette
Subs: Martinez, Holding, Ceballos, Guendouzi, Willock, Nelson, Saka
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Aubameyang, Lacazette, Ozil and Pepe are all starting the same game for the first time tonight
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we start tonight’s game only 4pts off a relegation place
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De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Matic, Fred, James, Lingard, Rashford, Martial.
Subs: Romero, Jones, Mata, Pereira, Young, Greenwood, Williams
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Unbearably nervous. I have such fine hopes for this side and its wonderful manager. It is starting to matter too much to me now!
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Good evening boys and all you wonderful ladies..
Got in just a while ago. My immediate thoughts seeing the Sok and Kolasinac in the lineup was “this can’t be right”. Can’t remember Sead even making any of the training pics these last days.
Anyhoo… bar a few fitness issues, I really like the look of the XI and feel really positive about our chances tonight. We got a good un in Arteta and think soon we will be singing “we got our Positively Arsenal back”. Haha.
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Pepeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 1-0
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how the fuck was that not a yellow for Maguire for that foul on Ozil
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we really should be more than 1-0 ahead, several very good chances to make it 2-0
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this fucking ref has no intention of booking a utd player no matter what they do
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Pepe hit the base of the post with a shot from outside the area
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Sokratissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss 2-0 smashes home a rebound when degea blocked a lacazette flick at a corner
no more than we deserve
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Don’t care how it turns out. That was emotional man.
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Very well played, and well deserved.
Still need to be careful though, up against another of Riley’s minions and against a team Riley seems to have some connection to over the years. Seems another ref who thinks rotational fouling for our opponents is allowed, but will punish any infringements from our players, especially in the second half as a little tiredness takes over
Kola needs to be careful.
Hope that confidence boost does wonders for Pepe
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HT: Arsenal 2-0 Man Utd
Pepe and Sokratis with our goals, a 2-0 lead is nothing more than we deserve for that half of outstanding football. We in reality should be 3 or 4 up we have created so many good chances and dominated this game.
AMN outstanding, as has been Kolasinac, solid at CB, Torreira and Xhaka a great CM partnership. Ozil finding room, Pepe looking the most confident we’ve seen him, aided by his early opener. PEA and Lacazette causing the utd defense all sorts of trouble.
Only concern is that we are not further ahead. and only real gripe is that we really have a Mike Riley game manager in operation at the Emirates today, how at least 3 or 4 utd players have not been booked only he and the PGMOL cunts will know.
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Half time 2-0 up. Whether we win, lose or draw this has been the most one-sided refereeing performance I have seen since we lost to Villa on the opening day of the season against Villa some several seasons ago.
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Mesut Ozil with the highest average speed and distance covered in the first half
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57 minutes, utd make double sub – pereira on for lingard, greenwood on for james
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we are allowing utd back into this with sloppy passing and lack of concentration
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61 minutes, Nelson on for Pepe, a fine first half from pepe, but in last few minutes he had been losing the ball a bit easily.
come on you gooners
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Rob Holding was ready to come on there, but has put back on his tracksuit top again
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68 minutes, Saka on for the limping Kolasinac who has had a fine game
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dive by a utd forward looking for a penalty, VAR turns down the Pen, but no booking for the dive
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75 minutes, Torreira down injured, Guendouzi getting ready just in case
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80 minutes utd bring on mata for matic
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81 minutes Guendouzi on for Lacazette who has a bit of cramp after putting in a real good shift today
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4 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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FT: Arsenal 2-0 Man UTd
Pepe and Sokratis with out goals,
oh what a performance, if this is Artetaball and we are going to be served this on a regular basis then what the fuck did we do to ourselves 18 months ago
Every player had a fine game at the least, AMN and Kolasinac very good at fullback, both CB solid,
Xhaka showed he is levels above Guendouzi,
Pepe came of age for me tonight, he did run out of steam in the second half, but what a first half
Lacazette and PEA put in a real shift, and both really could have and should have scored
Saka and Nelson and Gundouzi got stuck in when they came on
Man of the Match for me was between Torreira who showed just how badly Emery used him, and Ozil, who also showed how badly Emery used him, and keeping him on today seen us keep the danger going forward, we had someone able to keep utd on the back foot as they were scared of how he could open them up, what a pity some of his great play did not lead to a goal in that second half
Oh boy I really enjoyed that
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Well done Mikel and the players.
A great start to the 20s
May it be the first of many.
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Absolutely flipping brilliant!
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