Hello people,
In this podcast I wax lyrical about the recent improvements, before adding caveats. There is a bit of a young player and Xhaka love in too. At last it’s mostly positive about everything.
Pedantic George
113 comments on “Arsenal Have Improved massively.”
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Positively Arsenal 
FT: Norwich 0-5 Arsenal
Saka x2, Tierney, Lacazette (pen), ESR with our goals, it could have been more in this dominant perfromance
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FT: Man City 6-3 Leicester
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FT: West Ham 2-3 Southampton
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that’s a nice position to be in at the half way stage.
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As with the last game, that looked fun.
Saka must be a nightmare to defend against , he can fashion a goal out of nothing, no wonder so many opponents just try and take him out.
Impressive.
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Fantastic performance, winning breeds confidence and suddenly things start to click on the pitch.
Smith Rowe though,one thinks he must be playing with a rabbits foot in his pocket but he’s around movement and awareness is a joy to be hold. He anticipates where the ball will go and positions himself to take maximum advantage.
Saka well the boy is just a little genius. To think he almost didn’t a better sign the contract!!!!! I believe young players from the academy and indeed other young players will see the faith Arteta has placed in the youngsters and that will give them an incentive to stay or join Arsenal.
If I was Vlahovich I would relish joining this team.
Ben White at right back did ever so well and shows his versatility, he can also cover midfield if needed. No one is talking about his 50 million fee now. And he has to be ahead of Maguire for England.
Partey has also been very efficient and its a pity the afcons are looming when he’s hiting form.
It was an excellent performance all round but special mention to Tierney. Lovely goal and excellent all day.
Reason Auba will struggle to get back is the shift Martinelli puts in. A few times he covered for Tierney and was effective going forward as well as defending.
Ramsey had pretty much nothing to do all day.
And Laca scored.
And we scored a penalty!!!!
And well done Arteta
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our good form has for me come about due to two main factors, 1 xhaka coming back from injury, which has helped see Partey play well too now that he has a top level partner at the base of our midfield, 2. having a main striker in lacazette with more of the attributes suited to the football we want to play.
we are in 4th at the half way point of the season, two sides, spurs and man utd could overtake us if they win their games in hand, spurs by 3pts, utd by 1pt. But we have the points on the board, they have to win all 3 of their games in hand to get ahead of us, and that is no shoe in. It will be interesting to see how we cope without Partey, Elneny, Pepe and PEA while they are at the ACON, and what transfer business we do in January, both in and out, and if it makes us another step forward.
Big rumors today that Napoli are in advanced talks with Arsenal over a loan move with an option to buy Ainsley Maitland-Niles. If we do let him go early in the window we would surely have to bring in another midfielder with both Partey and Elneny away. Some are hoping we give Jack Wilshere a short term contract, and use him and young Charlie Patino to fill the voids.
It does seem that we are very willing to let Aubameyang leave either on loan or full time, but that we are in no rush to bring in a replacement right away unless a main target is gettable, and will let Nketiah and Balogun take up the slack with Lacazette.
Watford are said to be close to signing Kolasinac on loan for rest of the season, with AFC paying a good chunk of his wages.
Just to point out that all of Lacazette, Nketiah, Elneny, Kolasinac and Chambers are all out of contract in the summer, and are free to sign precontract agreements with non English clubs in January.
Leno, PEA and AMN all have another 18 months left on their deals.
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ha ha ha, Jorginho has set a new record for most EPL penalties scored in a given year, with 10, its amazing the number of penalties certain teams get compared to Arsenal.
CFC now 6pts clear of AFC
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some rumors that our game v Wolves on Tuesday is to be called off, as Wolves have Covid and injuries. Whatever about Covid, their injury situation should have no bearing in it at all. Injuries has never been a reason for any club to get game called off. Its what reserve and youths teams are for.
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Confirmation the Wolves game is off which now give the squad time to chill
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Arsenal v Wolves has been postponed due to Covid outbreak in the Wolves squad.
our next game is v Man City
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
·
12m
Arsenal youth product Dominic Thompson makes his Premier League debut for Brentford against Brighton.
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Mikel Arteta was a happy man after we beat Norwich 5-0 on Boxing Day.
Afterwards, he discussed the performance, the belief in the team, Bukayo Saka’s display and more.
Read on for a full transcript of his press conference:
on how pleased he was with today’s performance…
Very happy, it’s not easy to win away from home in the league. The way we performed, how dominant we were from the beginning and the quality that we showed throughout the game, (it was) really impressive today.
on Saka’s sharp performance…
Yes, I think in general – collectively and individually – we had some big performances. You don’t win five-nil away from home if you don’t do that, so I’m really happy with all the boys.
on the improvement to our goal difference recently…
Yes obviously the start was difficult, but we are scoring more goals because we are getting into those positions in much better condition. Every process is done much much better, and I guess better positioning and chances to the strikers. At the moment they are being really effective.
on whether today was a good example of how much we have improved…
Yes, probably. The direction the team is taking, and how we are growing the understanding between players. Obviously they’ve been playing now for a few months together. The unity that we show in general, and the support that we are getting in every ground from our supporters is very much linked with the way we can transmit the way we want to play. So I am really pleased with that as well.
on how important it is that the players are enjoying themselves on the pitch…
That’s what we are here for, to try to create enjoyment, and if they enjoy it then I am sure that people will enjoy watching them play. They are in this moment right now that they really like each other, they enjoy playing with each other, and you can see that on the pitch.
Copyright 2021 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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Ten goals in the last two matches against basically championship level opponents maybe but a goal is a goal doesn’t matter who the opposition is it counts the same (in the GD column!).
Before today the team had scored a third of their league goals this year in the previous three matches.
These are strong indicators of some progress compared to the football earlier this season, let’s just forget last season as the football was forgettable save for Saka and others’ from the Wenger School* growing up. *that’s what it is sorry Josh mate no amount of your daddy’s money spent on weak PR or shite blaggers can change that!
And the big change is the returning Xhaka and the dropping of the out of Aubameyang whilst I am not comfortable disagreeing with Ian here I feel Auba is still a little underweight compared to before his malaria and other strife (this opinion could be gibberish as this is pure unadulterated speculation).
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Eduardo of the players you mentioned we are never going to miss Elneny. We’ve hardly played Pepe so unlikely to miss him either unless injury strikes. In the short term we haven’t missed Auba either though this a fifty fifty for me. Will Laca improve form with an extended run and be motivated by the knowledge he is now number 1 striker? Hes played well to link up play but his main job is to score. And he hasn’t done enough.
Partey will be missed but at least we have Lokonga.
If AMN goes to Roma then we definitely need to sign a central midfielder. And he has to better than what we. We really don’t want to go back to the past where we stock piled useless players. We need every player to be looking behind thinking I’ve gotta perform as there is someone breathing on my neck waiting to take my place.
We wouldn’t be in this predicament if we had Guendozi or if we had a recall clause.
I wouldn’t mind if we went for someone like Aouar, as we need more creativity in midfield.
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If you took Auba and Pepe out this squad over the last two seasons, given the team’s goal scoring form under the coach until this last month, the club would most likely have been relegated!
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The goal difference is starting to align more closely with the league table position.
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Fins looking at the here and now you can’t miss players you don’t use or don’t want to use. Arteta has taken a gamble and so far it has paid off. I think the team will be okay if we don’t get injuries or covid crises. But it’s a fine line. Ghana, Gabon and Morroco (favourites) are in the same group. One of Auba or Partey will be coming back early if they finish bottom of the group or fail to get in the last 16 vi’s a vis other results. Ivory Coast should progress as they should beat Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leon. Then its a toss up between them and Algeria with the Algerians being the favourites to top the group.
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well tfl then only PEA will not be missed, as Pepe, Elneny and Partey will all be missed as they are in the match day squad week in week out, and in Partey’s case in the starting 11,
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TFL
Looking at the hear and now it costs nothing to show a little class.
Instead the club choses to pay footballers to play for other clubs whilst slagging them off.
Which is the opposite of what Utd did with Rooney. They just paid him to pay for other clubs! Without the bollocks.
Which is what all big clubs do.
Do you not want the Arsenal to act like a proper big football club?
Or does this bollocks behaviour meet with your approval? Surely not??
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You don’t need an enigma machine to decode and understand how it is that decent football or sporting clubs conduct themselves.
I don’t think many Arsenal fans saw Arteta’s dropping of Auba as a gamble. I’ve been saying he isn’t fully fit since the start of the season. Friends have said it was like watching the team play with ten men for months.
Which is a bit similar to watching Arteta pick Willian month after month when he had better options available.
Arteta may have made changes most desired to see later then we hoped not least how deep the defenders were for long spells during games even after White’s arrival but as they say late is better then never.
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thats the thing fins, I’ve had the argument for a large chunk of the season that Arteta was not getting the most out of the team and squad, and that was the reason some of us were critical of him. That we believed our squad is good enough to be in the mix for top 4, but Arteta was picking an out of sorts Aubameyang and like you say fins, it reminded us of his picking of Willian last season. It was as if refused to see that it was not working.
A mate of mine always says “give me a lucky manager over a good manager”, and I’ve got to say Arteta is a very lucky manager. Players are helping him improve the team by getting dumped for off field antics or by asking to be released from high paying contracts and not the below par performances that should have seen them dropped earlier,
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Fins I completely abhor the way the club has hang out players to dry and Artetas big man syndrome.
With Arteta he just comes across as a prickly little so and so, I didn’t really fall for his I just want respect speech. I think it’s to do with his ego. And luckily for him the results are going the right way, the team is playing well and he does have a rapport with the younger players. So far he has the confidence of the dressing room.
And am not against him coming out and explaining why he’s taking the decisions he has especially re Auba. It’s just the way he says it, and then the club statement which was wholy unnecessary etc.
And his treatment of Pepe who is a confidence player, blanking him and freezing him out even when there were opportunities to play him and build his confidence, I just find bizzare. Surely if you have a player you want to sell, you don’t want to drive his value down.
So I have issues with the club and Arteta. He has a lot to learn but I give him credit for the improvement and with Edu the brilliant way we spent wisely in the summer.
Edouardo as for being in match day squad, yes that’s a fact but Arteta is not banking on Pepe or Elneny much. So my point was they wont be missed as we could go the whole Jan without any of them getting game time or at most coming in last few minutes. If all you need is to see a game for five or ten minutes heck you just bring Nuno on, the lad could literally play anywhere.
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tfl we have at least 3 cup games in January, the exact games we would be playing Elneny and Pepe in, to rest the first choice players for the EPL games.
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To be honest Eduardo I think will stick to his tried and tested. He only seems to change things when it’s forced on him.
Lokonga will step in for Partey. I had AMN in mind as the other midfielder and would be happy with that. If he goes to Roma then for sure we need another midfielder unless he plans to use Patino instead.
If Eddie goes and Bolagun goes on loan then we definitely definitely need another striker. As the only rotation we have is Martinelli upfront if Laca is missing.
We have six games in Jan which is doable if we have no injuries. It is also possible if the Covid things goes mad that games are cancelled.
I think for the carabao games we will see a mixture of reserve and academy players from Liverpool and for us too. I also expect heavy rotation for the FA game v Norwich.
Personally I don’t expect us to get past Liverpool over two legs.
I also think we will lose against City as they are just streets ahead of us.
So out of three league games we must beat Burnley and Spurs.
FA Cup against Nottingham will be fesity but we are favourites and it won’t be easy. I also think it’s the game where we may get injuries given the physicality of championship teams.
Overall defence we have cover across the board and goalie is not an issue.
Midfield it’s Lokonga, Xhaka and for AMN, with Patino being an outside bet. I also think Benjamin White can step in to play midfield
Upfront Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe rotate.
Upfront Laca, Martinelli and for now Eddie.
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Thanks TFL @9.18
I agree save for on Edu. Powder is dry again after the Willian etc. dampness but I’m going to hold fire for now heh.
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Correction TFL @10.12!
And I also agree with Eduardo. Someone else said or wrote a while ago that Arteta seems like a lucky manager, might have been Eduardo!
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I guess any coach would be lucky to have an academy player like Saka.
Finishing today with growing confidence, trying to keep up with Smith Rowe nutmegs included.
Still not confident in Lacazette’s penalty technique but all these goals were great to see, all of them important given the big defeats that affected the GD, great credit for scoring the extra goals with so many goals flying in it’s been the best week of the season so far IMO
Huge fixtures coming up in the league but that’s in the future this has been a very merry Xmas for the Gunners!
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Very pleasant period, this. Find it a shame we haven’t got more eminently winnable matches to try use confidence and get points on board, and instead it’s City next.
Suppose should try look at it as an interesting challenge. If no injuries, we’ve more or less got our strongest team, more settled than goodness knows how long, and with highest feel good for a long time as well. Still can’t feel anything like confident going into game, and think by far most likely result is defeat, quite possibly as painful as usual against them, but who knows.
Would be wonderful if that’s not how it goes. A positive result would be incredibly helpful in keeping momentum going and morale high.
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Saka and Emile though! Sue me, it’s more special when come through ranks. Or maybe it’s not that. More that they are already such good players, have undoubtedly both kicked on this year, and it seems so likely they aren’t done improving yet.
Whisper it, but really think Saka could become Robben-esque in being near unstoppable cutting in on many a day. Still a fair step up in finishing to get there, but definitely travelling in right direction.
Funny to me that pundits put nearly all emphasis on failings of defender in not stopping it. So is it case that if defenders were always on game, Robben would hardly ever have succeeded, or that he was just too good at what he did?
We won’t whisper anything about Messi- that’s too far- but same deal with him : bad defending or just too good?
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Mikel has been a lucky manager I said so last season and this season has been the same.
We played Norwich and Burnley when both were at their worst at a critical time for Mikel. We played crap in both games and scraped by 1-0 when both games could have gone against us. We have a habit of playing teams when they are out of form or are missing their best players or both.
Mikel has accidentally found youngsters and the two players who were holding us back the most Auba and Pepe he held in the first team for as long as possible (Fins you can’t say we would be relegated without their goals as that’s assuming we only had nine players playing and not judging the impact of the players coming in and how they fit into the team)
We have also been lucky with Covid playing once a week mostly and while teams have been forced to play decemated teams or stockpiling games we have sailed through with only Tommy being affected from the first eleven.
Even the postponement of Wolves may be an advantage as city play two games in three days before they play us and we can just sit and wait.
We need to remember our goalkeeper was our best player for four months and we have found form via slow progress but have still not come from a goal down and West Ham are the only decent side we’ve beaten and they were missing players and out of form (although we did play very well in that game)
At the half way point Mikel has been lucky but our rivals are all struggling so I can’t see his luck will change any time soon and so long may it continue.
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you know we could have avoided a lot of the divide and complaints this season if only Arteta and or the club had told us that the process we were to trust in was Arteta waiting on Aubameyang to fuck up off the field of play so he could be dropped from the first team squad, and therefore have a much more cohesive attacking unit.
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FT: Newcastle 1-1 man utd
despite a man of the match performance for utd from Craig Pawson they only manage a draw at newcastle
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Pity our game against wolves is postponed. We were on a good run.
Man United were abysmal last night. They were lucky to get a point against Norwich and if they continue with the same form they can forget top four.
Let’s hope Southampton turn up against Spurs. They got the win at Westham maybe that will give them belief. Leicester to me are surely out of top four as they just can’t get going. Should be a game full of goals against Liverpool though.
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Only seen excerpts but seems Xhaka knows score on refereeing front. Quite mad though that it was left to him to speak simple truth on it- 4/5 years in to his career here- as opposed to anyone else doing it.
Mad, but where we are, and where we’ve been for a long time, both in the different way we’re reffed and the way nobody speaks the truth on it.
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Last night’s Utd game had me thinking back to that horrible 4-4 draw up there. No way that happened without the early 2nd half red and soft pens. Utd meanwhile get the opportunity to get something from game when up against it, while receiving opposite refereeing, where refs pass up chances to make life much more difficult. Ronaldo and Maguire you could easily make a red of if you wished and then there was a pen shout which seemed uncannily similar to one of Newc’s pens that day- lopping ball, attacker stood in front of defender, feels contact, falls. In this case though looked like Fernandes actually hooked leg around player a bit.
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How lucky can the spuds be. Southampton looked comfortable and 1-0 up all of a sudden penalty and red card following a stupid challenge by Sontons defender.
You would think that spuds would go on to win this for fecks sake
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Basis of the red presumably Taylor pinging Saints every time he can. Looked at stat halfway through half and it was 10 free kicks to 1. Smelt like a pen or red day soon as saw that. Means can give soft 1st yellow for repeated infringements. Chances of us being reffed like that in an away game surely nil. Can recall a few bad days up there when Saints had huge licence to rough us up.
3 reds in 3 for Spurs opponents. How nice after a nice long break and with games in hand to get through.
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Good to see that the Yorkshire Football Club’s (that would the the Pgmob) favoured and protected teams are protected.
Who could have predicted that!
No matter how awful the footy at times in the recent past you can’t ignore the Yorkshire handicap. Everton should have been down to nine men.
The pgmob apparently aspired to follow in the classy footsteps of the cricket club or fans do Leeds FC I mean no offence to our Northern brethren but what is wrong with the referees from London the part of the country that produces the best football talent?
These cowboys prefer to hire Ozzie Rules officials over officials who understand Association Football. Clowns that they are. Got the ball my Arsenal.
It’s still about a ten point swing towards the favoured clubs no point in any denials.
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Thanks Ian
That was almost certainly hyperbole on my part when reminiscing the very real horror and prospect of relegation last season (with more or less the same squad!) before the (re)introduction of footballers who like to play football, graduates from The Wenger School/Hale End & other gems brought into the youth team.
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Perhaps one day Arteta will deserve as much credit as Wenger got for finishing top four with a rookie teenage midfield of Denilson & Song whilst turning a profit (as opposed to spending about half a billion or is it a quarter billion I think I lost count around about the time Sanllehi arrived out the club with not even a squeak from the usual blagging suspects in spite of his old record of destroying the club once known as Barcelona prior to his scandal in North London.
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Well played The Saints!
Probably robbed of three points (haven’t seen the game) too, for those in denial the Handicap in certain quarters is hard to deny.
Pep Guardiola is a check book manager but he does deserve credit for winning the league against the Handicap we didn’t go through Brexit just so Guardiola can win the league!
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Spuds result means since we beat Leeds on December 19th only us and city haven’t dropped points.
The Wolves cancellation could still turn out to be an advantage, although I do understand what TFL was saying about being on a good run.
Having a full week to rest limbs and stop Covid could make a big difference in the games coming up especially the spuds game when having a full team and getting a result could be critical for the rest of the season.
The reassigning of the three postponed games could also be critical as chelski, Liverpool and wolves will all be difficult games.
The window will have an effect on the positions at the end of the season and so it’s important we get more from the Aaron Ramsdale shelf and not from the Pepe or ex chelski and manure shelf.
Obviously I would rather have success with our own lads but realistically I know Mikel doesn’t like the academy players and so I know many will be farmed out or moved on.
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Some observations…
I don’t get why it is necessary to label Arteta a lucky manager.
He is doing well… even some of the games we lost this season Palace and Everton spring to mind were more down to individual errors which happens in games
I am no footy expert, but when there is reason to criticize, do so, when the team is doing well say so… and also observe that perhaps “the process” is coming together..
Surely we do not know everything that takes place in training
perhaps the change in personnel this season means they are better able to execute the Managers game plan rather than him being lucky. Of course he was always going to start with the players he met at the club and take his tie to sort through
Auba has been out o form; The manager played him regardless so which does t sound like he did something arrogant when it was clearly Auba at fault and not the first time
There some sitters he has missed that is difference between winning and losing or even drawing some of our games
By all means we can wait till May to Judge if there has been improvements, but no need for the snide and cheap insults on the manger while we wait. What is the meaning of he “accidentally” found a working system or he is lucky: to have the players developing from our academy… arsenal has always been a club that wished to have players come through… it has not always worked out, perhaps more effort is being put to make it work out as we do not have the funds to spend as the Man Cities of the World.
So all the games we won were we playing teams at their worst times an naturally all the ones we lost so were those teams lucky too?
In the end you can only beat what is in front of you.
Lets take a step back and breathe! Come on people lts okay to be positive. Every single thing Arteta does cannto be wrong. Clearly he is doing some learning on the job. Bit hey, Pep was not built in a day. Allow arteta to do his work!
I am all for being bold and brave so i predict we will beat City on Jan 1st!
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only happy clappers need apply, hey TS
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Nobody can say for sure whether the process is working or Mikel is a lucky manager or even some things have just happened we can only make our case either or and see what transpires.
Football fans historically by their very nature are overly optimistic every July fans from every team have larger than normal expectations for their team.
I have no problem with fans “believing” however the years have made me realize football is a roller coaster and can be a real heartbreaker which is why I always try and remain as grounded as possible.
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The recent goal glut has been so great that West Ham’s big win today only brings them level again with Arsenal. plus five at the halfway stage over Spurs and Utd who will both improve, Spurs with their previously enjoyable/comical GF total now rising.
A number of very good goals to enjoy in the recent glut.
Some maybe many fans including me will be floating blissfully into the City game with no fear or even care for the result given the recent goal intoxication just hoping to see the team continue to show some bite and balance up the pitch, to play well. already excited about the NLD.
The biggest possible praise IMO for arteta is to speculate that there’s some hope that he could from this position even negate the ‘handicap’ this season and keep the club where it is now, won’t be easy as that plus five GD will most likely be eaten up by penalties but there is hope! Utd chose a coach without any PL experience who knows he might need six months to settle in.
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Arsenal have 3 games to rearrange, our postponed game today v Wolves is one, the other two are Liverpool the weekend of the CC final, as one of us or them will be in the final, and the 3rd game is our match with Chelsea, as it will need changing as they will be away for the World Championships or whatever its called.
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something that gets on my tits are the knobhead fans who keep coming out with shit like the game v man City is a free hit. (to them any game v a top side is beyond us so is a free hit, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea) A free fucking hit. What is this nonsense. There are no free hits we are Arsenal FC not Accrington Stanley for God’s sake
Oddly so many of these “Free Hit” fans never seen Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool as free hits when they were lambasting and trying to hound out Wenger.
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fins I see no reason why Arsenal can not beat Man City this weekend. Yes they are good, really good, but we have enough ability in our team to be able to beat them. They play another game tomorrow evening, while our team have all week to prepare for them and we are at home. We are going no where if we just lie down and roll over for them again.
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anyone know what this is all about from Arteta on ESR after the Norwich game
Arteta on Smith Rowe:
“His talent is obviously unquestionable, but he needs his team-mates, he needs his environment, he needs a cool head and he needs a very clear direction of what he wants to become. Time will tell.”
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