Hello people.
This evening at 7.15 we kick off against a Wolves side that are worryingly consistent in their play. They inevitable play reasonably well. Results for them vary of course, but they know how they play and they normally action their style quite well. The problem is that a decent team , playing quite well is good enough to see us off comfortably. I would like to think that if we play well we will win, but I seriously can’t remember when the last time was that we played well. People will cite United away, a great result, but one we got from one shot on target from open play. Hardly what can be described as a great performance. That said, I’d take that today, thank you very much.
We seem unable to attack with much fluency, guile or swash buckle, and with all the injuries and banishments we are suffering from, I don’t see that changing today, or any time soon. We have in Aubameyang, one of the best strikers in the world, but he’s scored once from open play this season. Is it reasonable to assume he’s just on a bad run (which coincides with bad runs for just about everyone in the team), or is the system not suiting him and the others? Option B would seem more likely to me. But it’s hardly surprising when you consider our creative options are Willock, Willian or bizarrely , Lacazette?
Then there are injuries to consider, Partey is out and Saka is doubtful, both would help.
He way we are playing it can’t be long until Arteta tries something new, goodness knows what that might, or should, be, but it needs to come soon. There are still people clinging to the hope that everything will somehow click, and we will morph into a fluent attacking force. I wish I was one of those people and could see it too. I just don’t.
For me, top four is out of the question and even top six is highly unlikely unless something dramatically changes. Well let’s hope I’m wrong and this evening sees the start of a transformation.
We start the day in 14th position, just one point behind Wolves in 10th place, but 3 points could see us possibly, depending on other results, scoot up to as high a 7th. Make no mistake, this is a massive game.
Pedantic George
Positively Arsenal 
I don’t see how you can say we won’t make top four or even top six. We are currently only five points off of top four and four points off of six. Also remember this is still the team that was under Emery and Wenger he hasn’t got his players in yet, it will take time I would expect to see a similar formation to Thursday. I would also like to point out other than the villa game results have been ok we have played a lot of the top teams but we still have tough games to come Everton wolves Southampton Chelsea Tottenham in the league in December tough games but not a disastrous run. Let’s see where this team is after 38 games once they have a settled team and a formation. Let’s remember this is a work in progress and 1 transfer window. Remember Chelsea spent loads this season in transfers. We can only do it in dribs and drabs yet other than villa game we have been solid defensively.
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thegreatwrighthopeofgoonerland , if that’s taking the piss out of EVERY single thing people say when ignoring the shite we have been playing, it’s good.
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I have come to the conclusion that most Arsenal fans are still in Denial. One of those typical, conformist, biggish account on twitter just posted that the trajectory is “right” and I responded that we are dead last in shots in taken int the league. That is a damning downward indicator. But he has ignored me so far. I bet the longer this goes on, the worst it becomes, he will be the most angry, Our fanbase is no different from others.
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Is it possible to live in hope without being in denial?
‘I don’t want realism, I want magic’ says Blanche Dubois, and that is pretty much my position with football. I know that the magic doesn’t happen very often, but before each game there is the chance that it might. And if it doesn’t today, then it might next week.
And in a funny bleak kind of way, the worse the play, the worse the results, the richer the moments of joy become.
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Mesut Ozil is prominently featured in a number of the latest training photos, looking as smiley and involved as anyone.This seems strange to me for many reasons and I wondered if anyone has a view about it.
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He has the look of a vindicated man Tim.
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He does indeed George, and hardly the look of a bad apple sulky lazy trainer either.
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If a Martian came to earth and looked at many of the more sensible blogs, he might be inclined to believe that many of us have a fixation about Ozil that we cannot get rid of.
The truth is that he would be right.
The truth is also that we see the poor midfield and attacking play that has plagued us all season, the low shot rate, the low number of goals and rest of the pathetic statistics and we feel that the root of all of this stems from the exile of our main and indeed only creative midfielder.
We see this week in and week out and can do nothing better than the repeat the same things again and again, I suppose in the hope that the powers that be may hear of them and take note.
Nothing can be done until January but it remains to be seen whether the self-destruct button will be released, or continued with what so many of us believe to be dire consequences.
Let us hope for a change tonight, but do not hold your breaths.
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Top comment on the previous blog Mills.
If living on fumes of hope that Mikel will turn things around and get us a top 6 finish in his first full season in management… dress me in a tutu with pom poms and glitter in my hair.
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Definitely not impressed by the quality of football from us off late. But, I also remember how are used to look at Klopp’s numbers after Rodgers and see not much of an improvement from a season or 2. And then they really took off. I’m just hoping that is what is going to happen with us as well.
I feel we need to be playing the same attacking combination as far as possible for them to learn each other. Right now there is too much of changing every match. It’s confusing for us. Imagine the players.
Damn Spurs are playing some good football under that ass Mourinho.
Come on Mikel. Release that handbrake.
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Yeah definitely a game where I’m hoping for a result rather than a performance.
Generally I always think managers should get three seasons but that won’t happen nowadays. Usually even if a manager is having issues and bad results you normally see flashes of his style from the team and the occasional good game until he starts turning it round but honestly I haven’t seen that and this season seems to be worse than last a regression rather than a progression.
Again 5 points off top four would seem reasonable at this stage of the season but it’s the way we are playing not the points or position that is making people question the position after 38 games.
Being a football fan is all about eternal optimism and so of course I believe we can get top four but if I’m honest it’s from my heart and not my head.
Tonight though I will keep on praying we can win COYG.
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ian you have hit the nail on the head for me, almost a year into his reign and I have seen no game under Arteta where we have really turned it on, you would think that if he has a plan to see us play free flowing attacking football that we would have seen at least one game where we cut through the opposition all game long. If we have done it I can’t recall it. A worry is that only last week Arteta said its not important to have lots of shots and he seems to be hinging his attacking tactics on our forwards becoming very clinical and getting a goal or two from the one or two good chances he wants us to create per game. Mikel seems very much wedded to the 1-0 to the Arsenal meme
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Team: Leno, Bellerin, Gabriel, Luiz, Tierney, Xhaka, Ceballos, Willock, Saka, Aubameyang, Willian.
Subs: Runarsson, Holding, Cedric, Elneny, Nelson, Nketiah, Lacazette
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Should Wolves win today and keep a clean sheet, Arsenal will have lost three home league matches in a row without scoring for the first time in 112 years, with the Gunners last enduring such a barren run between November and December 1908.
Furthermore, defeat would also mean that Arteta has overseen Arsenal’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season; the Gunners boast 13 points from nine matches, with their lowest after 10 games being 14 in the 1992-93 and 1994-95 seasons.
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Leno will be wearing our outfield white kit today to avoid a colour class with Wolves.
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I’ve previously said I was sad not to see a Wenger vs Bielsa match. But I am happy neither Tottenham or Chelsea went for Bielsa. Heh.
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Saka starts, I hope he’s fit! Nelson hopefully on the verge of replacing the jet setter.
Looks like there is an intent to move to a four but it’s a tricky call with Luiz’s pace. Perhaps that’ll be offset by greater fluidity and passing from the CBs to the CMs?
COYG.
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Correction looks like they’ll start as a three at the back, moving to a four on the ball.
Willian and Willock have looked lost in recent league games (not Ozil!), I hope they have good games today. If it’s a back three then like many I think I’d like to see Saka play in either of their roles.
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wolves take the lead, Neto nets
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Gabriel levels with a header 1-1
a willian corner to Bellerin, back to Willian and his cross is headed in by Gabriel from seven yards out
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that goal was our first effort on goal, 30 minutes in
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wolves take the lead again, leno should have done better with the first shot, they put away the rebound
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is there any good reason why we let David luiz take freekicks
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10 minutes stoppage time to be plays, this is due to a stoppage for a clash of heads earlier in the game
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HT: Arsenal 1-2 Wolves
Gabriel with our goal, they only highlight for us in that awful first half. Anyone who thinks we have no need for Ozil is an idiot. We’ve had one shot on target – our goal, and one awful freekick by David Luiz off target in that 45 minutes.
Our midfield is woeful, Ceballos taking far too long when on the ball, Willock and Willian might as well not be on the field for all they have contributed. Aubameyang has been starved of the ball. Saka the only shining light in the forward or midfield sector
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Great defensive performance. Fully justifies all the positive comments we keep on seeing as to how Arteta has improved our defence !!!!!!!!
We also managed 2 shots on target, albeit one was the goal and another a ball that dribbled from Auba to their goalie. Oh yes, and one shot that went over.
Auba, at least, has managed one shot, sort of.
It is not his fault, the support from midfield, or what one might call midfield, is abysmal.
We are playing away, aren’t we?
Why am I watching this rubbish?
Wolves are streets ahead of us in all departments.
I dare anyone to give any of our players more than a 3 or 4 when they come to assess their performance out of 10 unless we see something completely different in the 2nd half.
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Free kicks are wasted on David Luis. I can’t remember him getting a single one on target even.
Saka looking lively. Some good crosses. Unfortunately the goal was our only shot on target I think.
The ball deflects of Bellerin’s butt making it difficult for Leno. But they went through is really easily.
We have zero attack through the middle. All attempts come from wide areas.
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Holding has come on for David Luiz, its a sub that probably should have been made at the time of the head clash
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Traore booked for diving
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so what the fuck are Arteta’s non-negotiables, this is dire, its as bad as anything served up under Emery
Nelson on for Willian, not before time
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20 minutes left, and I don’t recall us having a shot in the second half yet
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wohoo we’ve had a shot, Nelson fires over
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15 minutes left and no sign of Arteta throwing on another striker
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10 to go and Lacazette is on for Xhaka, who like so many others has been poor today
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8 goal attempts in the second half and we’ve not managed to put one on target
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we are into stoppage time
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I remember the Wenger days when we would work the ball into the box even late in the game and many of us would want them the cross it in sooner.
Now all we do is cross the ball. It’s so boring.
No attack through the centre at all. Pathetic.
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At least Nelson gave us a right flank unkind Willian who was useless again.
We can’t even counter through the centre quickly.
Just too slow.
Auba couldn’t score even when their keeper passed the ball to him.
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More attacking activity against an opponent who as decided to settle for a win and it was woeful. Not one shot on target.
At least they did not have one either but they weren’t trying to.
The problem remains we have no creativity in midfield.
The exile of Ozil looks more and more ridiculous as each game goes by.
What possible football reason can there be for not wanting to play the only player you have that can create chances.
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FT: Arsenal 1-2 Wolves
Dire stuff once again, the midfield was very poor, the attack mustered 2 efforts on goal all game, one our goal, the other a powderpuff effort from PEA.
a year ago today we sacked Unai Emery with the team sitting 8th in the EPL, today we sit 14th and have had our worse start to an EPL season after 10 games, 13pts.
We’ve scored 10 goals in those 10 games and our vastly improved defense has let in 12
after ten EPL games last season we had 16pts, scored 15 and conceded 14
trust the process, football reasons, non-negotiables, yada yada yada
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emery got 3 more EPL games before his sacking, two draws and a defeat.
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…from Royal Arsenal to Relegation Arsenal. Utter pants, not since just before my time in the mid 70s has it been this bad.
Arsenal are the new Spurs. We used to be on the top and playing on Wednesday nights and they looked up at us, now we are are mediocre and playing on Thursday nights looking up like they used to. Green eyed Arsenal, and red faced. They should be glad there were no fans as it would have been bad for them to listen to the boos.
Is there any point in carrying on with Arteta? It looks like hes lost the dressing room, Im not that sure he even had for long, its been oddball since things started up again, perhaps he lost it ages ago and the FAC no fans in stadium helped him scrape on through to this point?
The back end of the year is so turgid how is anyone going to pick this up?
Weird thing is I dont even feel angry, just bored and numb. Its sad to see great players playing so badly, they certainly are playing for him, and if they are then Artetas lost he plot or has nicked a Moyes script and is reading that to the players?
And to think we soaked up all that kack about Wenger for years, what a bloody joke! From top four to bottom floor.
Thx to FH and LG.
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I see some suggesting that this performance, along with many recent ones, is a sign Arteta has lost the dressing room, its hard to disagree, I said at the time the 25 man squad was named that the biggest problem Arteta had created for himself in leaving Ozil out, was that if we did not quickly improve in the creativity department that the players would question everything Arteta is doing. They are not stupid, many of them are sure to know ozil should at the very least be in the squad, that so many of them are not near as talented as he is, and Arteta has compounded their doubts with his tactics and team selections and how he is quick to slate players in public.
I await to see arteta’s comments tonight, will he have a go at the players, will he go on about the long standing problems at the club etc etc
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you really have to laugh
Arteta: “It’s a frustrating night again. Wolves had two shots on target in the first half and scored two goals.”
for fucks sake we had two shots on target all game
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Arteta says Partey won’t be back for the next few games
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If you rewatch Willian’s crossing it was good and with Xhaka spraying the ball to either flank I think those two should have stayed on. It was no coincidence we created nothing once Xhaka went off. Willock gives you 110 % and he also can cross, second half he was excellent. Auba looked better down the middle but when not scoring he still gives the team very little.
Defensively we were murdered by Neto and Traore but never doubled up against them, in the end I think it was Keirans worst game for us and we know he is a very good player.
If you look at the table we are about on the same level as Brighton, Palace and Newcastle but look on the bright side we better than Fulham, Burnley, Sheffield United and West Bromwich.
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ian the tactics we are trying to use just seem so poor, we constantly get 3 men outwide on the left of opposing area, and they have to inter pass the ball between them several times before anyone will decide if they should cross it or go back out to the half way line with it, we have both fullbacks bombing forward and then fans blame them when they have to chase all the way back to defend and then struggle to do it. Passing is so God damn slow, Ceballos seems incapable of making a first time pass, its pirouette time when he gets possession. Xhaka is starting to look lost in this midfield. Willian and others put in high crosses all game long, almost as if they think we still have Giroud up front, its sheer madness.
Once again Arteta bemoans our lack of creativity and said its up to him to “put the right players in the right positions and do better.”, he has been spouting this bollocks all season long and yet tells us that Ozil is not needed in the 25 man squad, let alone the team.
And again he says Aubameyang’s goals are vital for us and that we have to find a way to get him scoring again, compare and contrast how he never puts any of the blame for his poor form on Aubameyang, yet he is only too willing to be critical of the form of Pepe. Same goes for Willian, not a bad word is uttered there.
i said before the game, on here, that I would not be so concerned about what I’m seeing from Arteta’s Arsenal if there was signs of some free flowing football, of even a willingness from Arteta to let the players loose, but once again this was paint by numbers football, it was like the players when attacking kept hesitating as if trying to remember “where is it the boss wants me to go and what is it he wants me to do when I get there”. Look at Saka, how many times today when there was half a gap for him to attack did he just turn back and play it sideways to Tierney or Willock, there was no sign of the free spirited Saka that burst onto the scene last season.
I’ve said it before, maybe, just maybe it due to football reasons Ozil is being left out, maybe he just refuses to play paint by numbers football and continues to play the ball where he believes it should be played to.
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The Wenger Out Brigade are still blaming Arsene for our current problems, over 2 years after he left.
We have now lost our last 3 home EPL games, in Arsene Wenger’s last season as manger of AFC we actually had our best ever pts total from home EPL games
Also in that last season his first 10 EPL games saw us
W6 D1 L3 F19 A13 GD+6 Pts19
compare that to our current start to this season
W4 D1 L5 F10 A12 GD-2 Pts13
its a damn good thing that Arteta has worked such wonders with our defense, its a full one goal less let in this season, but the cost seems to be that we score half as many,
I say Wenger Out has clearly been a massive success
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Dire stuff once again.
Once again I believe that stuff going on behind the scenes is impacting management and players.
I really worry that Arsenal in it’s current structure are becoming the poison chalice of the Premier League.
Who is going to come in and be able to make a difference if the powers that be continue in this way?
As far as all the obvious observations of tonight’s woeful display.
Tierney is exactly the sort of player we need.
Auba never has been and never will be Captain material.
I have said it for a while he is taking the piss and there are hidden agendas.
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Arteta was clearly at a different game when he says that Wolves had 2 shots on target in the first half. They actually had 5 and none in the second half, but then they were really trying to.
I would like to see Arteta succeed, whilst I did not want Emery to success because I could see the type of football he was advocating was not for us.
Arteta’s is even worse.
Where do we go from here?
Ironically I can see us fluking a win next week and, supposedly, everything will be alright.
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Arteta on injuries, creating chances, Auba’s form
Josh James 29 Nov 2020
Mikel Arteta
There were plenty of talking points for Arteta to cover in his post-match press conference after our 2-1 defeat to Wolves
The horrific collision between David Luiz and Raul Jimenez, our lack of creativity in front of goal, Thomas Partey’s availability and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s form were all covered.
Scroll down for a full transcript.
On David Luiz and whether the incident affected the players…
It was a really tense situation because the collision was surprising and straightaway you could see the reaction of the players, asking for the doctors to come on the field, which is never a good reaction. Then I just had news from David that the doc made all the tests and followed all the protocols to make sure that he was fine. He responded really well to all of them, but it was a nasty cut. David wanted to continue and he continued, but at half-time we decided to take him out because he was uncomfortable heading the ball. And with Raul, I’m really concerned and worried and want to send him our best wishes for him and his family because it looked really nasty and hopefully he can make a good recovery.
On whether it feels like ‘one step forward, two steps back’ currently…
Well, it’s a frustrating night again. Losing at home is painful. It’s the third time in a row, for different reasons but at the end of the day, in the first half Wolves had two shots on target and scored two goals. We had I don’t know how many entrances into the penalty box, how many crosses, chances and situations with more or less efficiency, with more or less quality in the final ball but enough for sure not to lose the game or even win it. But when the game’s close, in that situation against Wolves, you are so exposed in any ball that you lose in certain areas because they are a great counter-attack team and this is our reality at the moment. This is our level today. We can beat anybody but we can lose as well because the margins are so minimal. We want to start to score more goals, obviously. The mountain is a big one to climb.
On creating the fourth-fewest chances in the league…
When we can train, that means that we have time, because we are playing every three days and that makes it really difficult to do that. We just try to improve this situation. More than the situations we create or not is the final ball that we deliver when we are in this situation and the amount of times that we hit the target with the situations that we create, which is not enough. It’s down to me to find this solution, to put the players in the right positions and do it better.
On whether he is more concerned with finishing chances or creating chances…
Well for sure today, we got into these positions much more than Wolves did and we lost 2-1. That’s for sure, but the quality, as I mentioned before to your colleague, the efficiency when we get into these positions and the quality of the delivery when we get there and the final product, it has to be much more consistent and better and this is the task that we have ahead of us.
On if he’s concerned for his position…
It’s something that, the day I decided to become a coach, I knew that one day I would be sacked or I would leave the football club. I don’t know if that will be the day I sign my contract or in a month’s time or in a year’s time or in six months, so I never worry about that. My only concern is to get the best out of the players, give the best possible service to the club and become better and better. I know one day I will get the sack, I will leave, but I don’t know when that is going to happen.
On our low points tally…
It’s very worrying. As you can imagine, you expect other things to happen. We’ve lost games in many different ways but in the end we’ve lost them and that is our reality. After a few more games the table will tell you where you are and how much you deserve and clearly, we have to improve. It’s nowhere near good enough for this football club and we have to change things dramatically.
On the importance of Thomas Partey…
I don’t know. I don’t think he will be with us in the next few games but still, we’ve been missing a lot of players. We have many different issues but I don’t like to use that excuse. At the end of the day, we are always really close to winning football matches and we have ended up losing them in the last few games and this is only in our hands with the players that we have. It’s what we have to do, we cannot change that. It is in our hands.
On if Thomas Partey is out for the next few games…
Yes.
On if he’s worried by Aubameyang’s form…
I think we all are becuase the main goal scorer of the club at the moment isn’t scoring goals, so my biggest concern is how to help him more to score goals because we need his goals. How important Auba has been for this club in the last two years and how the goal sheet has been shared among the squad tells you his importance. He needs to be scoring goals if we want to be successful.
Copyright 2020 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
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