Hello and how are you? Saturday the 20th of December sees the Mighty Cannon take a trip up to Merseyside to play against Everton FC in our first match at Everton’s shiny new stadium at the re-claimed Bramley Moore dock, the famous Hill-Dickson stadium (52,769). KO is at 21.00pm central Euro-time (8.00pm UK time) Expected weather is 7° (feels like-3°) and 3% chance of rain.
As we play the first of of our two games this side of Yule, we go to the Vauxhall area of Liverpool to play Everton. It been interesting to watch the construction of the stadium by drone over the last years.
Everton are currently 9th( W7 D3 L6 F18 A 19) and Moyes’ rejuvenation at their new home has been a tonic for Everton, as they are currently only four points off fourth. Last season the Toffees held us to several draws. Dang! Goodison wasn’t always a great hunting ground for us in recent years, so hopefully we can change that? You betchya!
Ben White (hamstring) Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), Gabriel Magalhaes (thigh), Kai Havertz (knee) and Max Dowman (ankle) are all crocked. Calafiori will miss the game through suspension. Grrr!
Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are missing due to apperances at the Africa Cup of Nations. Dewsbury-Hall is out with a hamstring injury he picked up against Chelsea. Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh) and Seamus Coleman (hamstring) will also not play for Everton. So potentially tougher injuries for them rather than us?
Our chums at Statto HQ were angry when I interrupted them eating sushi however they did hand over the latest predictions. Everton have a 16.7% chance of winning while Arsenal have a straight 59%. Next up its jingle balls against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. So COYG!
Mills
This is a very big game, make no mistake, we are in a slump. Not so much results wise, but definitely performance wise. The media knives were out for Victor from the off, and it could be affecting him?
I feel we have been missing Trossard more than people want to admit, Our Captain seems to struggle when coming back from a lay off, and Eze is hit and miss, with more misses than hits of late.
I feel we need a convincing performance and a comfortable win, just to stop the collective jitters that seem to be setting in. Here’s hopping!
Pedantic George
Positively Arsenal 
Calafiori saved his suspension against wolves…..otherwise i think its gonna be a tight game.
COYG
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I stand corrected youre right. COYG!
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I would imagine by the time we kick off we will be in second place, because we are the late game, this will put even more pressure on the team to get the win.
In recent times this has been a club we have struggled against and the last three games have been draws. Not exactly the opposition you would pick for such a pivotal game.
Goodison has gone with its outwood keep that held supporters before going through the turnstiles so the toffee fans could throw missiles over the wall and yes I once went to goodison in a Vauxhall Viva that cost me £50 quid.
Our current foe are good in both boxes with stats matching ours, like keeping clean sheets and are near the top of the division for shots from deadball situations and high turners.
We know we can play well out from the back and we are going have to today. With only really big Gabi out from Mikels first choice side and the bench well stacked, we are in a great place for the big performance and statement win we need COYG.
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Raya, Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Eze, Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus
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FT: Everton 0-1 Arsenal
Gyokeres penalty wins us the game, but oh my lord was that a hard watch. We got lucky with the penalty, yes it was a clear penalty, but we will never know why he handled it, and I would say we got doubly lucky when VAR did not give a penalty against Saliba.
We were the better team after we scored for a good chunk of the game, but this is not good football, and we have to remember that the team starting tonight was only Gabriel away from our first choice 11.
Arteta and the players are not embracing the challenge, not taking on the mantle of favorites the way they should and need to
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oh by the way 17 EPL games played, 17 points ahead of spurs, mind the gap
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we only had 2 shots on target including the penalty, Everton had one.
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Probabably not a good idea commenting immediately after another frustrating game but I’m raging at the moment.
I can’t see how Mikel can win the league unless he learns game management quickly.
That was a bang average Everton side and everybody knew their strengths and we played straight to them. Mikel might be good on the training pitch but if things are not going his way during a game he is clueless.
Odegaard goes backwards quicker than the old Italian army. Everton were never going to play the ball on the floor and Zubamendi probably had his worst game in an ARSENAL shirt. He gave Saliba no protection at all. Norgaard is another untrusted player and shouldn’t have joined us really. Today was another game his skills would have been ideal but Mikel can’t see it.
After Sunderland and Villa we have learned nothing, our game management at the end of the game is horrendous.
All this criticism is after an important away win, so so frustrating.
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we’ve been top at Christmas 4 times in the EPL era and not won the league in any of those seasons, we are top this christmas, and I wouldn’t put a penny on us winning it. Our manager is here 6 years now and we have no attacking freedom. Arteta puts massive stock on controlling games, as in possession and stopping opponents having many shots on our goal, but he needs to put a bit more stock in controlling games by scoring lots of goals.
Arteta stated last season that he does not want our attacking play to speed up cos that risks losing possession and leaving us open to the counter attack, and nothing we have seen this season suggests that he has changed his opinion or tactics on that. Its circular retention and its a boring as fuck. I said the other day that I don’t think we’ve ever had as many quality attacking players at our disposal but our tactics do not make the best use of them.
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I think this blog should be renamed MOANINGLY ARSENAL…My word the team won and all you do is moan!!!!
we were lucky to be awarded a penalty??? That was a STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN PENALTY which ever way you look at it.If Saliba had handled like that you think Eveton supporters would have moaned?
For once Arsenal supporters grow some balls and support the team.
1-NIL TO THE ARSENAL ….. COYG
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Mhukahuru, let me address what you consider to be negative comments.
What Mikel has done with the atmosphere and unity with the team, squad, staff, club and fans has been remarkable and may become his greatest legacy.
We are top of the PL and the CL so as any fan of any club you have got to he happy with our position and indeed everyone on this site is.
As we have said many times on this site for over a decade you have to talk about the performance and not the result because that is the best indication of the next result.
If you allow for % comparison Mikel has been backed financially more than any manager in our history and that includes the thirties when we were called the bank of England club.
It is widely recognized that we have the deepest squad in the division and although we have been peppered by injuries we should be able to cope in most games.
I am certainly not Mikel out but he is still making the same mistakes he was making in his first season and so even when you are positive you have to remain in touch with reality and those who dont are called spuds.
As I said yesterday it was probably not wise to comment straight after a very frustrating game but I’m over sixty and have been supporting the club since I was four. That frustration comes from my love for this club and how much I want us to win.
As a club we have gone through periods of not winning the league before. The last one from 1971 until 1989 was a period where we mostly enjoyed cup runs and beating the spuds but in that 89 season we lost 1-2 at home to Wimbledon at the end of the season and thought we had blown it. But the mood of the fanbase going up to Anfield and having to beat the best team of the decade by two goals was still positive because we knew GG was tactically brilliant and could adapt to any situation. I have seen loads of managers over the years and none of them seem to be as ridged and stuck to the pregame plan as Mikel.
Now when Ed said we were lucky to get a penalty it wasn’t because it wasn’t a penalty, it was because PIGMOL doesn’t normally like to give us them. As shown by the first certain foul on Gyokeres wasn’t given and deliberate handball denying a goal scoring opertunatey is a straight red.
I certainly am not moaning but I am realistic and I am scared that our best squad ever won’t bring home what they deserve.
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@ianspace
I hear your arguments but i think its the narative that has been put out there about Arsenal….if you watch/read some opinions from ex players they are always negitive about the team. Man city will win 5-4 and you wont hear all this moaning from their supporters.
sometimes we win ugly lets rally behind the players,the manager and the team.
COYG
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Sorry derby
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when I said we were lucky with the penalty, it was not to suggest that it was not a penalty, it was as clear as day, but as clear as it was the ref did not give it, but that’s by the way, the luck was that it was a complete brain fart from O’Brien, he actually seemed to do a good goalie impression as it looked like he tried to catch it. It as Moyes said was not something that you would ever think a defender would needlessly do.
We had one other shot on target along with the penalty. Jayus give me a 5-4 win any day, but Arteta will never have a 5-4 win, he’d rather a 0-0 draw. You know what I’d love to see Arteta do in a game, Gyokeres and Jesus up front, attack through the middle. Arteta game plan is all about defensive stability, nothing wrong with that at all, but it should not be the overwhelming priority. MA seems to have a very simple philosophy where scoring is concerned, defensive stability, give opponents very little chance of scoring, certainly not let in more than one goal very often, then with majority possession, which we have in most games, 60% or more, with spells like yesterday where we had over 80% for several 10 minute spells, he hopes that the outstanding attacking quality we have come up with a moment of brilliance that leads to a goal.
We have great defensive talent, great midfield talent, and probably the largest group of attacking talent we have ever had, but our tactics restrict our attacking talent, its all about control, keeping the ball, not taking risks. We’ve lost 2 if not 3 league titles in recent years cos of this lack of risk in our attacking play.
After the wolves game where we didn’t have a shot on target, Arteta spoke about it being great to have a week to drill the team, but it was clear he meant defensive drill, the lack of chance creation did not bother him at all, he was only worried about the defensive wobbles we had. And after yesterday’s game he was delighted that his drilling of the defence had done the trick. Again he seen no problem with the lack of chance creation. We have been hearing from Arteta for six years now that all we should have to do is score the one or two chances we make. No matter how much possession we have we don’t pepper the opponents goalkeeper with shots.
I laughed yesterday when fans were complaining that Odegaard was taking the ball from our CB’s toes he was so deep, as if he was doing that off his own back. There is very little our players do tactically off their own back. It is that rigid adherence to control that hinders our attack. We have dominated possession in almost all our games, but that has not been converted in goals, we have averaged less than 2 goals a game. It is that stat that gives opponents hope.
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seen a clip today of the Saliba penalty shout, and it shows that it was not a penalty but not for the reasons the PGMOL stated – not enough contact for a penalty – but because Saliba actually got the ball, with his knee, it hit his knee and was gone before contact with his opponents foot.
Also Gyokeres should probably have had a penalty just before the penalty we got, O’Brien shoved him in the back as he was set to head into an open goal, it was from this attack we got the corner that O’Brien handled the ball for our penalty. Must have had a guilty conscience ha ha ha
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after 17 games Arsenal are 10pts ahead of liverpool, 13pts ahead of man utd, and 17points ahead of spurs
Wolves have the worst ever record after 17 games, just the 2 points.
on poor records, 9 of the 20 teams have a minus goal difference at this stage.
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20 more wins and a draw will guarantee Arsenal the EPL title.
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u21 midfielder Harrison Dudziak has joined Braintree Town on a short term loan
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@eduardo
Well i dont agree with your analysis..we always been scoring goals i think in the last 3 seasons we have been 2nd or 3rd best scoring team.i remember when went 3 or 4 games scoring more than 4goals a game .
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Victoria Concordia Crescit”
Not sure this can be achieved with a split fan base.
There was a time when top 4 was seen as a good achievement , even by the great man himself.
Seems like it’s Title or failure these days.
Was not the best game,happy for the 3 points and not so much the performance. Is this our first 3 points at their place in a while?
I get the negativity surrounding the performance, but if we had played sexy and not got the result everyone would have reminded us it’s a results business.
At this stage of the season after some tough games we are in a good position.
Some people including the media gave us the title after 10 games. Now City 2 points behind, is it a case of they are brilliant and we are shit?, or they were shit and we are just barely any better?, or is it both are good teams with 1 doing marginally better?
It’s hard to decide based on reactions in the media and online.
Obviously, Villa are amazing.
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Personally I do not think we play well with Gykores in the team at the moment.
I think he linked up play once all game on Sat and was bullied by Mylayanko or what ever the full back name is.
Not the 1st time, I saw him losing duels against Sessengon nevermind any centre half.
Jesus comes up and instantly the cohesion in the team improves.
Yes he occupies defenders but he loses any kind of duel so it’s not that beneficial.
He does not seem to know how to find space or move the defenders out of position effectively cause he loses possession as soon as it is in his vicinity.
And he is not making chances for himself or getting on the end of opportunities.
I am not writing him of, but there some glaring deficiencies in his game that has effected the team. I mean Merino makes look more fluid and carries more threat at the moment.
Hope he improves cause this is not even Sanogo levels.
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why are my comments being moderated?
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I don’t think there is a split in the fanbase or indeed lack of support for Mikel and the squad.
Yes it is a results based business but as far as the title goes its about the money we have spent over the last six years.
Top four was a good result when we were overachieving in regards spend and wages.
I used to hate Maureen, blessed with a massive expensive squad paid up to the eyeballs who would score one goal then park the bus and score on the counter.
I remember talking to a few chelski season ticket holders I knew. They were very happy with their early success after waiting so long with none. But after a while they got bored of having to turn up home and away watching their winning team playing lime dross.
At the moments we play backwards so often. Against Everton, Raya caught the ball cleanly (taking all the pressure off the defence) and looked for a quick break. He threw the ball to Zubimendi who was in lots of space. Instead of passing quickly or running with the ball against a skeleton blue defense, he played the ball back to Raya immediately putting him under pressure as well as the rest of our back line. Raya kicked long conceding position in the process and Everton started again.
Odegaard and Zubimeni were constantly doing things like that all game. It is not controlled football its simply anti football and it puts us in danger.
Didnt we learn anything under the old master that football should be entertainment. I grew up with the boys from Brazil and the Dutch total football so I will always want my club to win but I will also always criticise negative play when it is not necessary.
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New post is up.
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