Hello and how are you? Tuesday the 30th of December sees the Mighty Cannon play out its last game for 2025, this time against title- contenders Aston Villa. KO at the Emirates is at 8.15pm. Expected weather is partly cloudy and the temperature is 4°(feels like 1°).
So the Arsenal go into this game having played relatively well against Brighton, but also wasted way too many chances, and I’m sure they will look to rectifiy that and show the third placed Villa what we can do if we put our minds to it, in what promises to be a very exciting game.
The Lions are on eleven straight wins after an amazing come back against Chelsea. Arteta’s boys need to keep their eyes on dangermen Watkins, McGinn and Rogers. Jadon Sancho has also looked good. But then after the match up on the 6th, we don’t really need any reminders, yet the Arsenal are unbeaten in five since that last-second loss.
Great to see Gabriel back (how much we’ve missed both him and Mosquera) but I also hope Saka finds his shooting boots soon and that big Vic can get more in the back of the net, he needs it as much as we do. Who knows who the Gunners might bring in this transfer window?
Ben White (hamstring), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), Kai Havertz (knee), Max Dowman (ankle) will sit this one out for the Cannon, whilst Evann Guessand (Africa cup of nations), Ross Barkley (knee), Tyrone Mings (thigh), Pau Torres (calf), Matty Cash (suspended), Boubacar Kamara (suspended)are all unavailable for the Villains. However, I’m reading that Kai might be back for this one… Mosquera and White should be ready for the Forest game. Timber! might be also return having sat it out against Brighton, after landing awkwardly in the penalty shoot out against Palace.
I hunted down the boys at Statto HQ who were buying fireworks for New Years, and they offered me a cracker statto-wise: The Arsenal are at 63.3% for a win and Villa are on 14.7%. That’s it for 2025, and I wish you all a “Guten Rutsch!” into 2026. Next up an away-day on the south coast against Bournemouth. So COYG!
Mills
One thing about sitting top of the tree with City on our coattails is that every game becomes a massive game. Especially wen that game is against the team sitting in third place with a manager that seems to have a hex on our boss. The good news is that after this evening, we don’t have to play them again. I’m a bit of a coward and to be honest, this game scares the pants off of me.
Every game seems like it takes a pint of blood to get over the winning line, although we control most games, often dominating, the score lie never seems to reflect said domination. I saw a statistic that in recently we hve have an open play xG of almost 10 but only scored one goal. The good news is that this anomaly can’t last, it will even out and we will start scoring more goal if we maintain our chance creation. Let’s hope that tonight is the night that balance is restored, a comfortable will will make a “happy new year” an easier get.
Enjoy the game and I’ll see you all next year.
Positively Arsenal 
Mills, I can’t find anything in moderation, my Email is gm374@btinternet.com.
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Thats weird, I’ve just sent you an email thanks George for putting up the add. COYG!
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I haven’t got anything Mills. gm374@btinternet.com
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Mills, maybe on to many full stops in the first one I gave you?
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Just sent mail to second one you put up. See if that works.
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They might have gone in the spam folder?
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have they gone in the spam folder?
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Great again lads,
Yep massive game tonight, three points, the phycological high ground and to quiet the media.
There is a chance Mikel could play his first choice best eleven tonight and there is also a chance villa could be missing seven players. In big games that could be the difference.
George is right about the goals with go in eventually and tonight could be the the night. We are fast starters at home and villa are known to start slow and build into the game, so we will have to make our chances count early doors.
Apart from our XG suggesting we are going to score more goals stats also say villa face more shots than most teams in the division. That suggest that they can’t keep getting away with facing lots of shots and not conceding lots of goals.
We usually do well at home and we usually do well on big matches, so although the media are saying unai is a tactical genius and villa are undoubtedly the form team I still think this game is ours COYG.
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Reports that Rice is out with a knee injury
White, Timber and Havertz all with the squad and some if not all of them might be included in the match day squad
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White, Havertz and Rice have all arrived with the squad
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Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Merino, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, White, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Eze, Martinelli, Madueke, Havertz, Jesus
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Nwaneri not in the match day squad. He has not started an EPL game this season, and now can’t make the match day squad. He probably needs to go out on loan in January.
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we have some serious attacking options on the bench this evening, Eze, Martinelli, Madueke, Havertz, Jesus
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20 minutes in and we have been second best. Big holes in our midfield and villa are exploiting it.
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HT: Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa
we’ve been second best, only two half chances for Gyokeres, both headers, but Villa have had a few clear cut chances that they really should have scored at least one of.
We need to step it up big time in the second half, have to stop villa getting these breakaways, where they are right at us.
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Gabriel makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal with a header, Martinez whinging like the bitch he is
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Zubimendi makes it 2-0 to the Arsenal
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earlier kick off results
burnley 1-3 newcastle
chelsea 2-2 bournemouth
nottingham forest 0-2 everton
west ham 2-2 brighton
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the Zubimendi goal
https://x.com/i/status/2006117377054777667
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Gabriel’s goal
https://x.com/i/status/2006117083981938699
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Trossard makes it 3-0 to the Arsenal
VAR tried their damnest to rule it out but thankfully it stands
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Norgaard on for Merino who was booked and came close to getting a second yellow
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Lewis-Skelly on for Gabriel who seems to have cramp
Jesus on for Gyokeres
Gyokeres still on a goal free run but he did play well
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Jesus makes it 4-0 to the Arsenal with his first touch of the game
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timber off White on
Saka off Madueke on
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the trossard goal
https://x.com/i/status/2006121009045242128
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8 minutes of stoppage time to be played, come on you gooners get us a 5th
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the Jesus goal
https://x.com/i/status/2006124218371502110
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Raya with a great save to keep the clean sheet
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no clean sheet, Watkins taps in after a great run by Malen
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full time at old trafford – man utd 1-1 wolves, ha ha ha ha
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FT: Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
Gabriel, Zubimendi, Trossard and Jesus with our goals to keep us clear at the top of the table at the half way point in the league.
Now only Arsenal and Man City have their title chances completely in their own hands.
Arsenal 5 points clear but city have a game in hand.
villa 6 points back,
liverpool 13 points off the lead but game in hand. Man Utd and Chelsea are both 15 points behind us.
spurs are 20 points behind us but have that game in hand, ha ha ha ha.
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Excellent second half after a worrying first half. Unai was supposed to be the tactical genius but it was the changes Mikel made a half time, plus onana going off, which turned the game.
Gabriel got MOTM, for his influence and goal but it was MR. Dead who was consistently good across the whole game.
Goals from all angles tonight which was brilliant but unbelievably we are still being wasteful. We also are not tight when we drop back at the end of the game. I think that may change when we have a settled back four again. The shame is if if it wasn’t for those late goals not only would we have three more points but our goal difference would be better than cities.
We hit the new year and the half way stage at the top and now come on Xhaka and Sunderland.
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our next game is away to Bournemouth who gave chelsea all sort of problems tonight in a 2-2 draw at the bridge.
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Arteta on the January transfer window
“Depending, as I said, on the availability of certain players, the window is there, we’re Arsenal, and we have to be looking at it, what do we need, and we have to be actively looking and then can we do it or not, that’s a different story.
“But our job is to be always very prepared because something can happen, so hopefully very positive.”
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I would say given Ben’s perchant for injury and Jurian’s need for rest and rotation plus Mikels reluctance to play youth players we could probably do with a right back. The rest of the squad is just about covered.
The only other deals I can imagine would be bringing forward one of next summers transfers and if players like Ben are being moved on at the end of the season then getting a replacement in now would be logical.
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yeah Ian from the comments of Arteta re transfers this window, to me it looks like we would like to bring in some of our summer targets if they are available. Oddly enough one man available that its said we want to sign next summer is AFC Bournemouth’s forward Antoine Semenyo. But given that Man City are in for him now, and if Arsenal were to do a deal it seems they would want to give a small loan fee now and then sign him in the summer. That might be appealing to Bournemouth, especially if we were to throw in say Nwaneri on loan now too. But would we bring him in now even if we could with Trossard having his best season for us, and Martinelli hitting goals on a regular basis in the CL, also Jesus and Havertz are now fit and we haven’t been able to get much game time in Eze or Madueke so far without them, so its a fine balancing act.
We have been linked to a couple of fullbacks too, but all of them are left backs, we’ve been linked this week to AC Milan’s 20 year old left back Davide Bartesaghi, if we were to sign him it would cast some doubts on MLS future here too.
Have Chelsea any right backs they want rid of. Ha ha ha.
With Arteta’s reluctance to play Norgaard its no surprise that we are being linked with some central midfielders, couple in the French league and a couple in Spain. All young (under 20) but some with big fees being mentioned. Again its very unclear if we can do any big deals this window, without selling someone and we don’t seem to have any players on the out list. So if we sign anyone it could be like I said earlier loan with a buy obligation in the summer, like with Hincapie
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Happy new year everyone
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Happy new year lads! All the best to you. COYG!
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Happy New Year Fellow Gooners, only 18 more wins and draw is the maximum needed to win the EPL, 2026 could be our year.
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Happy new year gents
re:MLS people tend to forget he is a midfielder and i think its his prefered position .
I see him as perfect guy to throw into mid when we give Rice a rest especially seeing as Norgaard is not a long term fix.
MLS at 18 having played as a left back and with his ball carrying capabilitues will be a monster DM or box to box.
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testing
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MHUKAHURU I think that the key thing to remember re MLS and him being a midfielder is that Arteat clearly does not see him as an option in midfield, cos if he did he would have surely played him there once by now. MLS has played 60 times for our first team and all have been as a left back. He’s been an unused sub on many occasions too, so lots and lots of opportunity for Arteta to have tried him there.
I would suggest that if Rice and Zubimendi were out injured then Norgaard and Merino get the midfield slots, and if they too were out then it would be Eze and Havertz that Arteta would turn to long before he’d even think of using MLS in midfield.
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I see Chelsea have sacked their manager and the favorite for the job now is Liam Rosenior
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Jack Wilshere turned 34 today, a major talent whose career was ruined by the kickers
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FT: Liverpool 0-0 Leeds
liverpool up to 4th, just the 12 points behind Arsenal
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FT: Sunderland 0-0 Man City
FT: Brentford 0-0 Spurs
man city 4 points behind Arsenal, meaning we need a maximum of 18 wins from our 19 remaining games to win the league
spurs are now 19 points behind arsenal after 19 rounds of the league. Mind the gap
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George, mailed the Bournemouth preview to you.COYG!
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It’s up.
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