Tuesday the 16th of September sees the Mighty Cannon in action against Athletic de Bilboa, in our first Champions League match of this season. Kick of is 18.45pm Central European time (17.45 BST) at the San Mames Stadium, Bilbao.
So as the leaves start to turn into variegated colours and the horse chestnuts start to fall, the games come thick and fast. I’m sure after the game against Forest, which produced some nicey goals and some good football, everyone will be interested to see how we can set up and play this one out as a squad?
The Lehoiak (The Lions) are currently third in La Liga, although they lost at the San Mames at the weekend against Deportivo Alavés (1-0), and the one thing you could potentially take from that game was that their keeper (Simón) looked a bit shaky at set pieces/corners, so hopefully we can exploit that?
Founded back in 1898, Athletic are the fourth most successful team in Spanish top flight football and have not been relegated since its inception in 1929, a record only matched by Barcelona and Real Madrid. The have a long and interesting history with strong links at its core to Britain, in name and in original founders, one Alfred Mills who was from Cornwall and had gone to Bilbao to work for a local cable firm, and ended up playing for an ex-pat side but through this became the only foreigner ( El Inglés was his nickname) to sign the original statues of Athletic. He was for a while their captain and won the Copa del Rey in 1904 and served as a board member. Later Athletic would be coached by Billy Barnes, ex Luton, QPR, West Ham, Sheffield United.Barnes was named among the top 100 important QPR players ever but he won the Copa del Rey during his two stints as manger three times with Athletic.
They have won La Liga, eight times, the Copa del Rey twenty four times, they qualified for the CL by coming fourth last season and reached the semi-final of the Europa League, who were beaten by our best mates Man Utd.
Athletic were runners up in the UEFA cup several times, back in 1958 and in 2011/12.
Athletic Club’s new stadium, nicked named the Cathedral, can hold up to 53, 289, it was completed in total back in 2014. Their fans (the Lions) can certainly make some noise as I’m sure we will witness. We will also get to see in action Nico Williams, of rumoured to be linked with the Arsenal, but the feeling I get around Planet Gunner is that we are looking very solid, with the summer signings looking eager, and I’m sure everyone feels that we do at least have a stronger squad than last season.
Their manager, Ernesto Valverde has a full cv, including previous tenures at Athletic, plus times at Barcelona, Espanyol, Olympiacos, Villareal, Leyton Orient and Valencia. He was well decorated as a player and coach and his cabinet trophy is full to the brim. Currently he has a 50% win ratio at Athletic, and overall career is 52.63%…that in around 940 games.
Our old pals at Statto HQ have predicted a 50% chance of win for the Arsenal, and only 22.6% chance for Bilbao.
After this we line up against City (H), Port Vale(A) and then Newcastle (A), so it will have been quite a September song to have sung. COYG!
Mills
Well then, 3 days is a long time in football. One game against Nottingham Forest has change my mood and my feeling about the team going forwards. Spirits are lifted and most fans are happy, why though?
It’s simple, we played good football that was fun to watch. For the last 4 seasons I read that we’ve had 9/10 summer windows, and they have turned out 4 or 5/10 at best. Ah but this year, this summmer looks to me like it actually was a 9.
Cristhian Mosquera has knocked my socks off. Ok, It’s just less than 2 full games, but my God, he looks incredible. He appears to be no downgrade on Saliba defensively at all and is better on the ball. By “better” I really mean just as good at passing and striding out, but in addition he looks happy to move into midfield, receive the ball under pressure and distribute it quickly and accurately. If this small sample turns out to be the norm. Then WOW.
Martin Zubimendi is a HUGE upgrade on Partey. Even without the 2 goals, he is a top top player that will only get better as chemistry with his team mates blossoms. He’s quick, tidy on the ball and as the kids are want to say, he’s “press resistant”.
Noni Madueke is a treat to behold. He’s direct and tricky and effective, no one thought we had stollen him from Chelsea, but he’s come in for Saka, and that’s some ask, but again, there looks to be no step down in quality. More a traditional winger and maybe , with Viktor Gyokeres poaching about, that’s exactly what we need?
Gyokeres himself looks to be just the profile we were screaming out for.
Eberechi Eze on the left looks to be the teams biggest upgrade and I belive he could be the final link we were short of.
We haven’t even seen Piero Hincapie , and by all accounts he could turn out to be another upgrade, hard to imagine that give how good the rest of our defence is, but imagine if he is? Oh Lordy.
Anyway, here’s the thing, I can’t wait now to watch us again. I haven’t felt this way for years.
However, It was just one game that’s changed my mood, and I suppose one bad game could crash land me again. But for now COYG.
Pedantic George
Positively Arsenal 
missing the game tomorrow will be long term injured Havertz and Jesus, with Saka also out with no return date yet. Added to that Odegaard and White are out, our captain has hurt the same shoulder as he did a few weeks ago, but its said to not be in exactly the same place, whatever that means, and Ben White is out injured again, he really has become a sick note, all that playing while injured has caught up with him.
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Arsenal have confirmed the signing of 19 year old winger Archie Stevens, he made one senior appearance for Rangers, and played 11 times last season for Dunfermline Athletic while on loan. He played in two preseason games for our U21’s on trial this summer, scoring one goal, and did enough to be signed on a pro contract.
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just a little reminder that the CL game tomorrow kicks off at 5.45pm uk time.
for Irish gooners the game is on free to air tv- Virgin Media 2
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I was traveling abroad during our game against Forrest so for the for the first time in a long time I missed the game live. Also I couldn’t comment early (sorry George)
From what I could take from the highlights its no Odegaard, no Saka, no problem certainty in the short term.
The squad is finally absolutely packed with talent, although hopefully numbers won’t present a problem later in the season.
For the new players to have fitted in so quickly is amazing and maybe had we played pool a little later we would have beaten them.
We won’t play ange every week so the low block will still provide us with a test but we seem to have more weapons in our ARSENAL now, if you would excuse the pun.
Now we have more quality and options in the squad it remains to be seen if our cautious manager will trust his bench and take more risks to get over the line.
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COYG
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Arsenal XI vs. Athletic Club: Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Merino; Madueke, Eze; Gyökeres.
subs: Kepa, Setford, Lewis-Skelly, Saliba, Hincapie, Norgaard, Dowman, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Trossard
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Gyokeres with a bad cut to the back of his head, Gabriel was actually the one who did it as they both went for the same ball, Gyokeres headed the ball, Gabriel headed the back of Gyokeres head
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HT: 0-0
both sides have had chances, its all a little too frantic for Arsenal so far, Madueke our biggest danger but he is over doing it a bit, needs a few one two’s and no so many trying to take on their whole defense on his own.
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this dire stuff, no creativity at all, we really need to bring on Nwaneri and maybe MLS for Rice and Merino, but we all know that won’t happen.
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Trossard on for Gyokeres
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Martinelli on for Eze
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Martinelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal, he ran from the half way line, and slotted home
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Trossarddddddddddddddddddddd makes it 2-0 to the Arsenal,
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Norgaard on for his debut, as is Hancapie
Madueke and Calafiorie off
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FT: Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
a deserved win, a hard fought win, a win with the goals from two of the subs, Martinelli only 36 seconds after coming on, can only remember one quicker goal from an AFC sub, Bendtner v spurs. Trossard assisted the first goal, and he scored the second from a Martinelli assist
oh by the way Mosquera was outstanding once again.
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Shame about the midfield bookings but a good away win to start the campaign
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major boardroom changes at Arsenal, with the bad news being that film maker Ben Winston a zionist and big supporter of the IDF has been appointed as a board member, this club is losing its very soul. But the PR is great
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Arsenal results today
Arsenal U18’s 4-2 Ipswich U18’s –
O’Neill, Thompson x2, Bailey-Joseph with our goals that see us top of the table after 5 games on 13points
Arsenal U21’s 3-2 Wolves U21’s –
Harriman-Annous x2 (including a stoppage time penalty) and Dowman (3rd youngest scorer in EPL2) with our goals, after being 2-0 down
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George, sent the preview over, sorry its late.
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It’s up.
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