Hello Positives,
In this podcast I try to drag Shotta onto the sunshine bus against his will.
Are we going to win the title? probably not, but we should enjoy the challenge while it lasts, and who knows what might happen given a fair wind?
All Arsenal can do is beat what is put in front of them and we did that with quite some aplomb. It was a welcome return to our good play at just the time when we were becoming concerned.
Pedantic George
Positively Arsenal 
I think that title is a bit of a stretch, a win against a bad Forrest side at home with a poor patch for thirty minutes in the first half is hardly confirmation of our title credentials.
In fact anyone seriously saying we are in the title race this early has probably been flying over the cuckoo’s nest.
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While I give George an A for Effort, he failed to move me from being a Waverer when it comes to our title credentials. Good try George!
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BTW I would love to see participation by fellow Positives in the poll which I posted on on my blog and on Twitter (need at least 500 subs on YouTube to be able to post poll within a video). Simply click this link: https://strawpoll.com/polls/7MZ0zdwvmno
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It will be interesting to see the line up tonight, on the one hand our opposition is the weakest in the group, were at home and we have a difficult game at the weekend but on the other it’s a must win if we want to take the advantages of winning the group (longer time off and avoiding the CL teams).
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With Turner injured and Xhaka suspended I think I would go with
Ramsdale
Tommy White big Bob Keiran
Partey Sambi
Veira
Nelson Eddie Martinelli
I think we obviously need a loaded bench for insurance but we need to keep as many players fresh for chelski especially as they have an extra day.
Marquinous could start on the left with Nelson switching to the right and bring on Martinelli later.
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We look a poor side when Xhaka isn’t on the field – and without Martinelli we lack a cutting edge.
Sorry I haven’t been able to contribute for the last week or so, but I’ve enjoyed the debate from afar.
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The mixture of the Stiffs and first team players has never gelled this season however considering it was a team with the new manager bounce and the pressure we had going into the game I thought we did well.
The surprising thing was when the first teamers came off the bench they made little difference.
This was a game all about the result, so we achieved what we needed and we march on.
The Yankey chelski up next a win there and we would be making very difficult for teams to overhaul us for top four.
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It was a scrappy old affair dominated by the away end supporters. Totally agree about Xhaka, the team lacks soul when he is absent.
There is always a thin dividing line when team tinkering but they got away with it.
Sunday is an interesting one and obviously Auba will not hold back when he scores.
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Let’s hope we get a more ARSENAL friendly ref than last night. He was one of the worst European refs I’ve seen, normally their quite good.
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Go `Stros! What a season!
COYG!
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I do not expect an Arsenal friendly official in spite of the odd call in he Gunner’s favour the negative handicap season after season is consistent and can only be ignored with the help of wishful thinking or blind faith. Which is all fair enough.
I do expect a good football match between two good football teams with good footballers.
Fingers crossed today’s donkey released from the stable is not too high on the ManUre fumes and can recall which sport it is officiating (which does not involve charming memory of public school or soggy biscuits)
COYG.
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Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Turner, Tierney, Nketiah, Holding, Cedric, Vieira, Lokonga, Nelson, Elneny
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Soggy conditions which in yesteryear made sliding in the mud (for fun if nothing else!) part of the game.
But with things like, drainage, now being apart of the sport i suspect the team that can measure their touch and passes or avoid the errors and take their chances could be the one that takes the victory.
It was close from Jesus, and there has been some world class defending from Silva. Arsenal are shading the contest as they approach HT but as in recent fixtures the Home team will have a second wind after the break.
COYG
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A leggy/soggy pitch
Both teams playing in Europe mid-week.
Is easy to state that substitutions will be very important in the second half. The bench is stronger now with Elneny and Zinchenko returning. fingers crossed Arteta remains lucky and does not ignore the value of Nketiah in this fixture.
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HT: 0-0
poor game, we are not creating enough or hitting the target
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1-0 to the Arsenal, think its by Gabriel, from a Saka corner
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Zinchenko off, Tierney on
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Odegaard off, Elneny on
Odegaard underwhelming again
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5 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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Holding on, Martinelli on
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FT: Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal
Gabriel with the goal in a well deserved win.
We are top of the league
we are 13pts ahead of chelsea
with spurs playing liverpool this evening we currently stand 8pts clear of spurs and a full 18 clear of liverpool
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Eds,
MO has been decent but I am hoping ESR is fit in the second half of the season (I know I know Arteta will probably not play him as much as he should)
Overall that was a more comfortable second half away to the Big rivals (not Tottenham!) when compared with the challenges at Palace, Leeds, Southampton etc.
Not at their sharpest with leggy players on an energy sapping pitch.
Yet for me Jesus was outstanding as a creator and I am jumping for joy as this team easily played the better football away against the (true) Big rivals and recent European champions.
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Loving it, another great win, playing some outstanding football at times and with some ruthless finishing, this team can go far.
I know there are some man city comparisons in the way we set up and play but the directness and efficiency of our play looks sometimes to me like a hybrid Arsenal/Bayern Munich style of play.(obviously not as good)
Hats of to Arteta and the team for setting a new record and another great win.
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However much people might say Chelski are going through a transition and are not at their best, this was a really important and fantastic win.
With our opponents still dropping points every win, especially the ones against our rivals, are vitally important.
The spirit and grit shown today in a hostile environment and another crap ref was excellent.
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Such a perfect day!
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Interesting to see silent Newcastle making a challenge….
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With BradyB what a day!
Completely and utterly dominated Chelsea, some great performances as individuals, but what a team effort. Chelsea did nothing. Saliba, Gabriel, White, Partey were excellent today, Jesus didn’t score but did a lot of other things, Ramsdale was a spectator
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In May 2017 Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 to win the FA Cup, a little against the odds if I remember. Due to work I wasn’t able to watch, so was more than pleasantly surprised by the result. Unfortunately due to my unwavering belief in the role of luck and the influence of the Sporting Gods I haven’t watched us play Chelsea since. While I appreciate the rest of you waxing lyrical and eulogising the efforts of Odegaard, Partey and Arteta, I would like to take full credit for the result, skulking round Reading and avoiding all media as I was.
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After a fantastic performance and statement win against chelski it will probably be the mixture between first eleven and Euro team tonight.
We have seen these mixtures struggle to gel in the past and although the seagulls will be changing up their team as well I think we will have to perform “if” we want a result.
I say “If” because later in the season this could be a competition that we really don’t need.
For now though I certainly want to see another good gunners performance COYG.
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Arsenal: Hein, Soares, Saliba, Holding, Tierney, Lokonga, Elneny, Viera, Nelson, Marquinhos, Nketiah
Subs: White, Partey, Gabriel, Odegaard, Jesus, Martinelli, Turner, Xhaka, Zinchenko
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Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, 1-0 to the Arsenal
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1-1, welbeck penalty
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we are now losing 1-2, after missing several good chances at the start of the second half we fall behind to their first chance of the half
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Martinelli on for the ineffective Marquinhos
Gabriel on for Saliba
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looks like we are going out, 3-1 to Brighton with 20 minutes left
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jesus on for vieira who has been very poor
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Zinchenko on for Tierney
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xhaka on for lokonga
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spurs go out, as do leeds, and it looks like chelsea are going out, as are arsenal
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FT: Arsenal 1-3 Brighton
Nketiah with our goal, we are out of the league cup at the first game.
less fixtures
the performance suggests that there is still too big a drop off from our first 11 to the back up players, a few additions still needed
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newcastle, southampton and blackburn all through on penalties, liverpool v derby gone to penalties too,
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liverpool win
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I couldn’t get a stream anywhere last night, even my dodgy one didn’t show it.
From the commentary all of the first three goals were against the run of play but from 2-1 down we struggled.
Although the possibility of the new squad players not being ready yet has been acknowledged on here and a few sites there are pundits (like Keown) and other sites that suggested Vieira etc were the new Messi, Ronaldo (1&2) Pele etc.
Everybody keeps saying Vieira is a very good technical player but even when he is in space we haven’t seen much of it. He is very lightweight and losses the ball far too easily.
I think he needs a summer in the gym and obviously time to adapt to the new style of game expected of him.
We can only hope that in time the new young players will come good and not fade away like Pepe.
Personally I don’t think we should criticise them too much in their first season.
Eddie and Nelson are looking good as are the reliable Mo and big Bob so we do have some back ups
A good win at Wolves and we will have finished the first part of the season before the world cup
Really well.
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Dunno how to put it, but I think physical conditioning, and mental and technical parts of people’s games kind of merge, and when someone’s struggling you can blame a combination of things.
Vieira missed pre-season, which is big on the physical front, but I don’t know if conditioning is solely to blame for his recent struggles.
Take absorbing pressure: It looks like he’s struggling to anticipate contact with players. He’s already off balance when the challenge comes in, and he gets shrugged off it, not unlike Reiss Nelson in his few appearances before that loan.
Vieira’s skinny, yeah, but there have been some fantastic midfielders with his build able to protect the ball—Iniesta being a the best example.
I’m guessing he’ll benefit from the break and the chance to build up, but also from some one-on-one coaching. Can’t imagine there’s been a lot of that throughout this cursed Sunday-Thursday schedule since September.
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Love the look of Nelson now though. So smooth and elegant. Reminds me of Grealish, but with end product. If he’s on the right path and stays fit, there’s no telling what he could achieve.
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Do you think they should create new rules for the league cup? Perhaps no top 6 teams (but then the sponsors would pull out) or another rule that would mean a limited amount of first team players from all PL clubs, staggered by seeding? Plus any team getting to the semi’s or final cannot play more than three first team players (even as subs)?
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mills there is a proposal for changes to both the FAC and league cup for the clubs in European football, something along the lines of them fielding u21 sides or even not entering the competitions at all. All FAC replays are to go from round 3 and on, maybe even in this season.
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Thanks Ed.
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Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Turner, Tierney, Nketiah, Holding, Cedric, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Marquinhos
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the earlier result that seen Man City lose at home to Brentford, means we will be top during the WC break regardless of our result tonight, but a win would see us open up a 5pt gap.
Newcastle, Spurs and Liverpool all won today, more VAR disgrace in the spurs game. Man Utd play tomorrow
A win for us tonight would give us a great boost in our fight for top 4, it would open up a massive gap on both Liverpool and Chelsea, and on utd too before their game tomorrow.
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