Good Morning one and all.
This afternoon at 7.15 P.M. we take on Leicester at the home of football in a pay-per-view game. A blog could be written just on the rights and wrongs of this latest scam, but that’s for another day perhaps, and certainly for a more interested blogger.
In a season that seems to be throwing up odd results as a matter of course, it’s hard to predict how this encounter will go.
Brendan will bring his teeth and depleted team to Arsenal in the knowledge that it’s been 27 encounters since The Foxes last beat us on our own patch. Vardy has been injured so may not start, and Soyuncu, Ndidi, and Pereira are out. Arteta has his own problems, injury-wise, we seem to be down to the bare bones for centre-backs with only Luiz and Gabriel fit. Despite the shortage I expect him to persevere with 3 at the back and again use our best left back as a CB. I can’t see him deviating from our safety-first approach today, or any other day for that matter. The days of swash and buckel are well behind us.
I hope to see a Partey/Xhaka axis, but that’s not a given either as Arteta might want to see it operating against some little Irish fellows first.
It also seems that Willian is a doubt, we can but hope (read into that what you will).
For all his flaws, Brendan does like to play an open and attractive game of football, so hopefully we might join in, but I won’t hold my breath.
Given how bad some of the competition for a top 4 finish have been, so far, we must make hay while the Autumn sun shines. Let’s hope for 3 valuable points and a decent game of football, surely that’s not too much to ask?
Enjoy your day, friends, and stay safe.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
19:15 kick off George not 15:00 wouldn’t want you to miss our champagne football.
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Thanks Jules,
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No idea how I’m going to watch it. I’m not paying 15 quid and these new box office games don’t show up on my IPTV. Guess it’ll be searching for a stream.
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Once again we have little idea of the line up this theme seems to have running for seasons now. There are some guaranteed names on the team sheet but not many.
The amazing medical effect of playing ARSENAL means vardy will play some part at least and might even start.
If we play quick football we should be alright
COYG
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Patience.
That’s the way forward.
That we’re not setting the football world ablaze but also not shipping any water, is a balance I’m ok with, at present.
I’m also ok with mixed metaphors.
The tv thing, however, I’m not ok with. I can afford the 15 quid but am genuinely struggling with even the thought of paying it, while thinking, “but it’s an Arsenal game”. The money at the top is horrific. Money made on the knowledge that enough will whinge yet still pay, adding to the billions we already pay each year.
That we (worldwide football/sports fans) pay so much, facilitates the ability for mega clubs to make non-footballing decisions, so I guess the ozil situation is down to me and my sky/BT subscriptions.
I apologise.
Off to spend 15 quid…
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Morning George, everyone.
We seem to find playing teams that expect to beat us a bit easier than those who shut up shop etc. I think MA’s first priority was always to address that leaky old defence, make us theoretically harder to beat, and the solution has impaired our ability to play the swash buckling football of the past. Whilst I’d still take a bullet for Arsene, drawing or losing games we should have won, was at least as frustrating as Arteta’s current interim tactics, even if the view from that particular hill was almost always so much more pleasing overall.
I’ll put my neck out here (while George sharpens his blade of choice) and predict a steady improvement in the quality (or watchability) of our football over the coming two seasons. One window in and our defence has already been stiffened up and now our midfield looks to have had some major work done on it, as well.
No idea if tonight will be too early to party (geddit?!) but as long as we stay in the game and compete for 90 minutes I’ll continue to freely donate bucket loads of patience in the hope another couple of transfer windows will help deliver us ever closer to the promised football land. The sunlit uplands surely await.
The PPV fiasco is exactly the sort of boring development I might write at further length on (so take a care with what you wish for). But for PPV to be hoist ALONGSIDE three existing subscription models (Amazon, BT and Sky) is insufferable and COULD damage the integrity of those existing broadcast deals. Personally I’d be happy to pay to watch EVERY Arsenal game but I’m not prepared to continue paying a substantial monthly sum to watch other non-AFC games alongside, at least not at current prices.
And all this could so easily have been avoided had they simply charged £15 per month for the surplus games; there’s a chance the huge majority would have signed up for that with relatively minimal fuss, who knows. For now, football is leaking cash to deserving charities up and down the nation, so it’s not all bad, I suppose.
The current arrangements are the very worst of all possible worlds. I’m looking forward to following on the radio after donating £15 to a suitable cause (not necessarily the landlord of my local pub).
Expecting a good home win tonight – COYG’s!
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Don’t do it Steve …!!!!
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Andrew, as always I admire your optimism , but for me it would require me to ignore the facts, evidence and shithousing that has been clear to see. We may very well become more functional and efficient in attack, but entertaining? expansive? creative? I think not. I also fear that when Arteta cant be heard micro managing every player, they wont know what the fuck to do.
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Wasn’t micromanaging what Emery was doing and in the end the players couldn’t cope?
Is that what they do at man$it or this entirely arteta’s idea?
I am sure I remember they had a player, wasn’t he called Silva and don’t they have another on now called De bruyne who are creative players?
Where had this come from, and more importantly, where can it possibly go?
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Gone are the days I used to wait to watch Arsenal matches under AW. Even used to sit late in the night to see the free flowing Wengerball.Unfortunately it’s not the same under Arteta. When you don’t play your most creative player you are killing the entertainment football can bring to you. Arsenal maybe stronger in defence with Thomas Partey but clearly lack the attacking threat they used to be for the opponents with Ozil in the side.
I am sure Arsenal.has lost the appeal for a goo number of fans since AW left.
Bad times.
I guess the board will be watching Arsenal audience falling. But do they care?
The idiot fans may enjoy 1 nil to the Arsenal.
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I lost all faith in sporting integrity the moment Kerry Packer and Tony Greig set up world-Series cricket back in the 1970s, which from a personal point of view effectively ended my own county career. (I shan’t bore you with the details). I would have loved to see Ozil playing at his imaginatively exquisite best under Arteta, but know now I never will. I probably won’t pay the £15 this evening which of course Packer foresaw, but would (idiotically) celebrate three points courtesy of our most iconic scoreline. That probably makes me the embodiment of Negative Capability, romantic old fool that I am.
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Koscielny backs Ozil
https://dailycannon.com/2020/10/mesut-ozil-in-training/
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I’m with you in that idiot boat FH, and I’m certain AA is too. (Top comment Andrew, insert gold star)
Sometimes 1-0 may not be pretty but it sure as hell will be good enough. COYG!
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Heady, I was grateful to Kerry Packer and Tony Greig because it gave me the chance to see more of Barry Richards. So I too can set my standards aside for the pleasure of watching sport. Or at least I could in my 20s
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Kerry Packer and Tony Greig’s World Series was the high water mark for Windies cricket. We were on top for a few more years into the 80s and 90s but it has been all downhill since. I hope Arsenal’s traditional values are stronger than Test cricket’s. I really, really hope so.
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Now there was a player. And KP and co did indeed make all the difference. In so many ways now is a better time to be alive for the Sports Fan.
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I liked Barry so much that I began to doubt my sexuality. A better set of teeth might have swung it.
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Happy Invincibles Day
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Leno
Bellerin, David Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney
Xhaka, Partey, Ceballos
Saka, Lacazette, Aubameyang
subs: Runarsson, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Elneny, Willock, Pepe, Nketiah
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VAR rule out what looked like a perfectly good goal by Arsenal,
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Looks like a back four with Auba on the right, something we’d seen in pre-season and mikel was had this variation kept up his sleeve, would’ve liked to have seen it against Liverpool or City in then league.
Brave to go with a four when starting Luiz?
Early goal for the Gunners from a corner following a good attack from Tierny and Saka is disallowed.
Exciting to see the kid play in this role today and that was a promising move.
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Looks like a back four with Auba on the right, something we’d seen in pre-season and mikel was had this variation kept up his sleeve, would’ve liked to have seen it against Liverpool or City in then league.
Brave to go with a four when starting Luiz?
Early goal for the Gunners from a corner following a good attack from Tierny and Saka is disallowed.
Exciting to see the kid play in this role today and that was a promising move.
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Lacazette fails to make contact when it looked easier to score
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just seen the disallowed goal again, its a disgrace that it was ruled out
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Officials quite like Leicester
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This game is set up for a dodgy Vardy pen near the end
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HT: Arsenal 0-0 Leicester
a game we really should be a couple of goals up in, without being outstanding. We’ve had 11 or 12 efforts on goal, only 2 on target, goal wrongly ruled out for offside and lacca missed a sitter
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Not sure how VAR ruled that no goal. The goalie was miles away.
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One of the better first halves from recent memory. Nice to see us attacking. Forward line still not consider but then it seems to change every match. Enough that we should be ahead though.
I think the goal was ruled outside because Xhaka moves to get out of the way of the ball making him active? Or does he block the goalkeepers view? Not exactly sure.
Dani with a rubbish game so far. Needs to go ahead of Xhaka and Partey in between the lines. Give their defense something more to think about. Play like Mesut would play.
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From the view behind the goal the gk and Xhaka are not even close. Hard to say he is being obstructed when he has no chance of getting the ball anyways.
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chkmiaot the replay from behind the goal shows Xhaka does not touch the goalie, nor does he obscure his view of the flight of the ball, and under the rules moving out of the way of the ball does not make you active, in fact moving towards the ball does not make you active, only touching the ball makes you active
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Interesting Eduardo. Did not know that rule.
Well then I have no idea why it was ruled out.
Anyways nice that we have be one or 2 good touches away from scoring a few. Hope they come off in the second half and we race ahead.
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Mustafi on for the injured David Luiz
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There’s only one set of rules that count in these games, Riley’s rules
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Ah, here comes Vardy, let’s see what happens from here
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vardy is on for lcfc
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Pepe on for Saka who has been limping after being on the end of a bad tackle ten minutes ago
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Evans the fifth LCFC player booked
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Sometimes, life is just so predictable, and undeserved
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Vardy scores, one long ball over the top and they get in and its a simple header to an empty net for Vardy
we have not been as good in the second half than we were in the first, will be interesting to see what response we have to this
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Nketiah on for Tierney
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Yeh, not much going on in the 2nd half and we have been undone by the only good Leicetser move, unfortunately.
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time running out and we look like we haven’t a clue how to break them down, as has been the case all this second half
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Vardy close to a second, Leno makes a good save
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We need a centre forward more than anything else I think. And an even-handed set of officials.
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Goal should’ve stood and Lacazette should have scored.
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FT: Arsenal 0-1 Leicester City
AFC sit 10th, could be 11th by this time tomorrow, 3 wins and 3 defeats from our 6 games, we don’t let in a lot, but we don’t score a lot either, trust the process, who needs a luxury like Ozil, that sort of talent is reserved for the good teams.
We were fairly good the first half, but in the second half our game plan seemed to be hit it long and high, but that was bread and butter defending for LCFC, its not like we have a Giroud type CF who is good in the air.
But don’t forget to trust the process
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Seen it too often before, the PGMOL show their bias early, the players Initially try to respond, but heads gradually drop the longer without a goal, opponents get confidence to kick our players knowing they won’t get red, sit back when we try to attack, then the so predictable sucker punch.
But we were so poor in the second half especially. The forwards, Lacca!!!! and poor old Mustafi clearly not ready yet, DL would surely have seen that and reacted a lot quicker.
Racking up a few losses now, Old Trafford next, we know what we will get from the PGMOL there, we will need at least two goals to counter a certain pen against us.
Arteta needs to learn a bit sharpish to avoid the mistakes of last season
And a few players need to take a look at themselves after that, some extremely poor performances
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I think we need some creativity and drive from the mid myself. In my opinion Ceballos/Xhaka combination is not going to get it done. For me only one of them should be in the team at a time. I rate Gabriel highly though.
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I think it was Xhaka who lost his man on their goal.
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