We visit our one time rivals for the title in Manchester today.
Up the M6 full of swagger and confidence or fear and trepidation, depending on what side of the fence you currently occupy.
It’s not a place we have had much success at in recent years but it’s not a place they have had any success at this season, having failed to win a home game. So I suppose anything might happen?
Unless we preform considerably better than we have up until now, it could be a disappointing day.
I would like to think I could predict something insightful, but truth be told, I have no idea what sort of a set up or line up Arteta will go with.
Any success we have had since the return of football, has come from us accepting being second best, and setting up accordingly. We won the FA cup this way, so we might try that again. However, as we are struggling to find two fit centre backs, let alone three, we might play a little more expansively. They seem to struggle against pace so that could be an option. Where that comes from, beyond Aubameyang, again, I don’t know. I feel Arteta will be keen to get Willian back in the starting eleven, Aubameyang is a certainty, so that leaves one spot up top. Personally I would go with Saka, but that would mean Aubameyang in the centre and Mikel seems reluctant to go there.
In the midfield, Xhaka and Partey would seem obvious weather we play four or three/five at the back, so another may, or may not be required, perhaps Ceballos?
Let’s hope it’s a good game and we come away with 3 points and a happy fanbase, nothing much cheers us up more than win at the Old Toilet.
Ok, sorry I couldn’t be anymore illuminating, but that’s the best I can do for today.
Enjoy the game, stay safe and be happy.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Mesut Ozil Looks Beyond Soccer With Move Into Venture Capital
By Nicolas Parasie
November 2, 2020, 11:03 AM GMT
Class 5 Global focuses on online ventures in emerging markets
Ozil has invested in firm with $100 million under management
Soccer star Mesut Ozil is forging a new career in finance, joining San Francisco-based venture capital fund Class 5 Global as a strategic adviser.
The Arsenal midfielder joins a growing list of sports stars who have transferred their tactical skills on the field to the world of startup investments, from David Beckham to Serena Williams, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.
Ozil won Spain’s La Liga with Real Madrid and was a pillar of Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning team. He retired from international competition in 2018 after accusing German media and soccer authorities of discriminating against him due to his Turkish roots. Ozil stirred controversy last year when he invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a fierce critic of the European Union — to be the best man at his wedding.
Class 5 tries to draw U.S. venture capital funding to online startups in emerging markets. Its top managers were previously founding members of Lumia Capital, the first U.S. investors in companies such as Careem and CargoX.
Ozil was already an investor in Class 5 Global, which has more than $100 million in assets under management. “I am excited to shape and work on my post-football career while I am still actively playing football,” he said in a statement.
Class 5 managing partner Youcef Oudjidane has been advising other English Premier League players and was introduced to Ozil via former Arsenal player Kieran Gibbs.
World-class athletes bring “a unique perspective on the future of consumer preferences,” said Oudjidane.
LikeLike
Anybody that says they’re happy with the win then proceed to add a caveat are not really happy with the win. They pretend to be happy with the win. And who on here is suppose to raise their hand, that said once Wenger left we win the league? That happened on the pages of legrove and video of aftv.
There’s deliberate attempts to undermine the victory because the defeat or draw that some expected that didn’t happen robbed them off their dystopian narratives.
The last 10 years Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford for PL matches with stronger teams, that included the likes of Ramsey, Özil, Santi, Monreal, BFG, Kosc and Alexis, all their pomp, going up against much weaker sides than this current Manutd and yet we never left with all 3 points. No attempts at rewriting history will change that.
We all love Wenger but Arsenal’s decline didn’t start Emery. It’s like we are becoming just as spoiled and just as entitled as those sections of fans we claimed we will never like.
LikeLike
LG, sorry but that’s just not correct. Football has always been a game of fine lines and you play better in defeat than in some wins.
I knew the 8-2 defeat at manure wasn’t as bad as the result sounded and many wins have been not quite as good as the score suggested.
Remember the poem If and the treatment of extremes. I was happy with the the win especially at manure but you have to be honest and there were parts of our game that were below par. As much as I loved Arsene I would criticize parts of his teams performances if I felt they were lacking.
Laca and Auba are struggling at the moment and as a team we are not creating lots of chances and we certainly are not clinical.
So once again I was jumping around at the final so I was definitely happy but I know we still have a long way to go to be a consistent good team.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ian, I agree that we still have a long way to go and I never stated otherwise. My comments got more to do with the deliberate undermining of the victory. I remember during Wenger’s later years we would beat teams and those criticism from wob quarters that we shouldn’t celebrate it, yet here we are doing the same thing and having debates around it, still inside 24 hours of the final whistle.
LikeLike
Labo I’m with you on this. It was a good win and there was some excellent play. No caveats from me. We will continue to get stronger and more fluent if we are lucky with injuries.
LikeLike
Sanctimonious much. If the standard of our play, let alone that of the oppositions, is not up for discussion, we are nothing more than cheer leaders. For 16 years I’ve said the 05 Cup final was a lucky win, this was a well earned win, but I’m buggered if I’m going to wax lyrical about a performance with big flaws as well as big positives.
LikeLike
I questioned AW on these pages when I had questions. Think there’s a reasonable difference between questions about the footy, criticism of the footy, and criticism of stuff off the pitch. And it’s possible to have a reasonable amount of all when required. And to be fair imo discussing the impact on the pitch of the dropping of ozil for non-football reasons is fair.
It’s why I rate the result above the performance in my earlier comments as a win at OT at anytime given the rivalry is as big a boost to form as an away win in the NLD usually is. And there’d been a drop in form (all teams slightly flagging at times already imo).
My big Q to AW had been a desire to see Ozil deployed in a front three. Eventually my wish was granted and surpassed in a dream cup final against the champions (yep, Ozil can indeed play in the current team’s system! Everyone’s seen it.), with arguably better football then ever seen from the German WC winning front three in 2014.
LikeLike
I have essentially the same criticism of arteta’s call as it results on the pitch as there’s already been a resulting wobble but I think he’ll be protected from an emery type implosion in the squad from this call for a few reasons but mainly because it’s Ozil last year. Not that he cares for my opinion but I hope he redeems this error in the time ahead,
I hope some younger players transition into the starting team as the season progresses.
Though with this season having such an insane broadcaster driven schedule and the expected injuries it’ll be hard to have a settled eleven for a prolonged spell as seen in central defence already.
LikeLike
e.g.:
I don’t like Emery. Not a fan.
Possibly slightly less keen on Emery then Neymar. A close call.
Emery alone killed himself with Neymar at PSG and then at the owners bequest ditto with Ozil Arsenal. You’re only meant to commit Seppuku once? This was: foolishness. Multiplied. Stupidness.
Not forgetting Gunedouzi over Elneny. Many such calls by Emery. It is remarkable that it took so long for the Experts to note it all.
LikeLike
For the reason earlier above I don’t think Arteta’s call is going to be as bad for him. Though there will probably be further damage, overplaying Saka for lack of attacking quality in the squad will underline the error.
he recalled Elneny.
I’m not comparing Mo with Gilberto or Patrick Viera but that’s a positive for me! Partey poor lad should be allowed a few games to warm up and hit Mo’s level (of fitness at least please!) before people out there compare him to the greats! Heh.
this was one of the rare blogs where you’d have read about the madness of Gundouzi over Elneny at the time of it. The Dropping of Mo & others, not just Elneny & Ramsey for a green rookie who is certainly not a phenom was the opposite of positive for the team. An example of why IMO this has been and is a positive Arsenal Football blog!
LikeLike
Podcast/review is up
LikeLike