Hello and how you? Thursday the 7th of January sees the Mighty Cannon host Merseysiders Liverpool FC. KO at the Emirates is at 8.00pm UK time, expected weather is partly cloudy, with temps at 6° (feels like -3 °).
So here we go, a chance to avenge the painful defeat on Merseyside earlier in the season. To come out victorious from this game would be massive for Arsenal, especially in view of the results last night. I expected Liverpool to crank up their game, as a loss will mean them slipping further away from any title aspirations they have.
Missing for the Gunners are Mosquera( ankle), Young Gun Dowman (ankle) and Ricco (awkward), and apparently Kai is still doubtful for this one.
Missing for the Scousers be Salah ( AFCON), Leoni (ACL), Endo (ankle) and Isak (leg). Ekitike is doubtful through muscle injury, but we shall see.
Having watched Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Statto HQ handed over the Belch and Augecheeked stats: The Arsenal have been given a 60.6% chance of winning and the Merseysiders 17.2%.
Next up cup drama for the Arsenal, Portsmouth away in the third round of the FAC and then neighbours Chelsea in the semi-final of the Carabao cup. So COYG!
Mills
Huge game and massive opportunity certainly. Should we win it’s an 8 point gap over City. However, even if the worst should happen, we will still be 5 points clear and we have played the champions twice, we can’t lose to them again. My prediction is that no matter what happens tonight, City and Villa will drop more points between now and the end of the season, than we do. I’m the most confident of winning the title as I’ve been since 04/05…………………………oh.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Great preview lads.
This is indeed a massive game both points wise and phycologically. Win this and it will seem a long way back for our rivals.
The problem for us is the scoucers have a very good side. They like possession and get they are one of the best in the division for counter attacks. They also have an excellent high turnover rate.
They are poor, however, at dead ball situations both attacking and defending so we must take advantage of that weakness.
In these big games between two very good sides small things can make a huge difference, a mistake, a touch of class or an officials decision.
Play at our best and we can lay a huge marker in the sand, be eight points clear and not have to play in the league again until the 17th COYG.
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Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, White, Norgaard, Merino, Eze, Martinelli, Madueke, Jesus
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David Ornstein says Arsenal retain long-held Marc Guehi interest – most likely as summer option. Arsenal discussing Crystal Palace defender and in touch with 25yo’s camp.
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trossard gets a soft yellow card
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liverpool very close to scoring
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we haven’t created a single chance for Gyokeres yet. We haven’t created much at all.
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HT: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
this has not been great, far too slow in our passing and we are not committing to really go for it
we need to really up our performance in the second half. Waste of time having Gyokeres up front if we aren’t going to try and create for him, so its either create some chances or bring on Jesus who might conjure something out of nothing for himself.
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no changes for second half
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MLS on for the injured Hincapie, seems like a hamstring injury
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this is a poor performance from Arsenal
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Martinelli on for Trossard
Jesus on for Gyokeres
neither Trossard nor Gyokeres had good games
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liverpool on top, Frimpong getting in at us far too easily, thankfully so far he has messed up
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Saka off, Madueke on
Odegaard off, Eze on
odegaard had a very poor game
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12 minutes plus stoppage time left to play
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FT: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
our worst performance of the season, this lot can’t handle the pressure of being title favorites. the pressure gets to them
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Six points clear and only city and brentford to play away out of the teams in the top half plus the derby against the spuds. That does mean we have lots of hard home games but that is not a bad set of fixtures.
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ian if we play like we did tonight home advantage will be worth diddly squat
until the manager and the players embrace being favorites they will keep putting in performances like tonight cos the pressure gets to them
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our next 4 fixtures are all away and in 4 different competitions
Portsmouth (FAC)
Chelsea (CC)
Nottingham Forest (EPL)
Inter Milan (CL)
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tonight we had the chance to have a real statement win, go 8 points clear, and we had our lowest number of shots in a home game for 4 years. Risk averse football will not win us the title.
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Arteta “These games need some magic moments. At Anfield, they did it and they won the game. Today it didn’t happen, but if you can’t win it, you can’t lose it”
that quote from Arteta after the game tonight sums up what is wrong with Artetaball, we do not have a good attacking system that we rely on to get us goals, we rely on someone having a magic moment. And of course the if you can’t win don’t lose betrays his main game plan, defense first, defense second, defense last. And hope for a magic moment. Our talented forwards are being let down by a risk averse manager.
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@eduardo
you see your glass as half empty but i see mine as half full……
it wasnt a great match but there are always matches like this in a season.we played well in the 1st half created chances in the box but unfourtunately we coudnt find one player to finish those ones… i know with practise and player understings we will come good.
2nd half liverpool had an upper hand but with all that they couldnt conjure even a shot on target.
Have a chill pill… 8 or 6 points ahead we are still top of the league ….its all good and dandy
COYG
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