Hello how are you? Saturday the 7th of February sees the Mighty Cannon host a visit from Wearside and Sunderland AFC. KO is at 3.00pm local, with partly cloudy weather, temps at 11° ( feels like 5°) and 41% chance of rain.
So, as we swim through the waves of negativity and lies “even if Arsenal win the league nobody will remember it as they are so boring” and through the spoilt ‘banter’ of “all that money and you’re still only second” etc we face Sunderland. It could be said that the match last November up on Wearside was out first blip, as we came out of the match with a draw, so now we have a chance to put that moment away and keep building the momentum.
Sometimes I worry in our age of fragile ego, and desperate glory hunting that any fault will have such tremors of negativity that it could affect the team badly? But voices like mine are less and less needed or wanted in the lie of clear cut (binary) analysis and so slowly I find myself taking a back seat and just watch the parade. What can I do?
The cat shall mew and the dog have its day, but all things change…if there is a single answer, how does this look in the face of flux and mutation? Personally, any talk of the quadruple goes against us and plays into the hands of undermining agendas of those who wish us to fail, and those are the true dark arts, if there are any? If it happens they X4 great if not, then perhaps it could be considered how difficult such an achievement is? One step at a time? Some negative perspectives might show us how it is, but positive attitudes potentially show how it can be?
Bukayo Saka (hip) and Martin Odegaard (unspecified) and Mr. Merino are out and about, Timber! at this moment looks unlikely, but we finally have a great squad and coverage.
For the Black Cats, who are aiming for the Euro spots are missing our old friend Xhaka (phew! the last thing we wanted was some kind of revenge?). The Mackem’s are doing well with their last three matches going unbeaten, so time to stomp out that one.
Statto HQ delivered an encrypted message that revealed that the Arsenal have been designated 76.8% chance of winning and Sunderland 7.6%. Next up a trip over to Brentford. So COYG!
Mills
Xhaka being missing is fantastic news for us, I think he’s been the best midfielder in the league this season. Now I understand that people are screaming “RICE” at their screen right now, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but know this……………..You are wrong.
A win will put us 9 points ahead of City and with them having to go across Lancashire to a revitalised Liverpool, I suspect it will be 9 points come Sunday evening, That will be massive, given that City are realistically the only team that can stop us winning the holy grail come May.
So come on Mikel, handbrake off, let’s show the world we are not afraid to win.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Arsenal U21 team to play Everton u21: Setford, Hamill, Salmon, Clarke, Ogunnaike, Ibrahim, Julienne, Agustien, Bailey-Joseph, Mooney, Harriman-Annous.
Subs: Porter, Washington, Dixon, Stevens, Zecevic John
new signing Evan Mooney makes his AFC debut and fellow new signing Jaden Dixon is a sub
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the U21 game is live on Arsenal.com, kick off at 7
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Arteta said today that Timber is available for the game, but Saka and Odegaard are out.
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u21 game finished 0-0
mooney started the game and dixon came on for the last 10 minutes.
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Good preview lads,
A crucial game tomorrow, not necessarily because of the opposition but because of the difficulty in cities game on Sunday
It will be city’s last difficult game in the league until they play Chelsea a week before we go to the Etihad.
We could do with a big cushion so we go into that game with the upper hand.
On the game tomorrow, the black cats have a terrible record at our place and have not done well on London this season either. They have amassed most of their points at home and have only ten points from twelve away games
They are another low possession, fast break, good in both boxes team. In the air they are amongst the best in the division with duels won so we will have to match them strongly in that department.
Stats wise they are near the top of shots faced and yet ironically are joint lowest for goals conceded. That is obviously because of having a very good keeper in roefs, who you would hope has an off day.
Style wise I would say they are a better version of Leeds and can be technical as well.
If we are as combative as we know we can be and play our accurate quick tempo football and add clinical to that we could be riding high come tomorrow night COYG.
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Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Havertz, Trossard, Madueke, Jesus.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, Hincapie, Eze, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Norgaard, Lewis-Skelly
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man utd on verge of their 4th win in a row, they are 2-0 up v ten man spurs, with romero getting sent off he will miss the NLD as he will get a 4 game ban as this is not his first sending off of the season
spurs just the 9 points above relegation spot, with west ham able to reduce that to 6 points if they win at burnley today
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Arsenal Academy have confirmed that Northern Ireland U17 international central defender Daniel McCarron(16) will be part of our summer intake of scholars and that he will sign a professional contract when he turns 17 next February. McCarron plays for Dungannon Swifts, where he has been part of their first team squad this season, he is from Co. Fermanagh and plays Gaelic Football for St Michaels school in Enniskillen.
McCarron has had several trials with Arsenal over the last 18 months or so.
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Zubimendiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal
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penalty to arsenal, VAR checking for an offside
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a very tight call, offside given
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 Sunderland
Zubimendi with the goal. Its not been pretty, but we lead.
Saliba was booked. Brobby was booked for them but it really should have been a red.
We went close a couple of times, Rice with a good effort, Jesus was brought down for a penalty but he was a toenail offside so overturned.
aston villa are winning away to bournemouth
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Martinelli and Gyokeres on
Madueke and Jesus off
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Bournemouth now level at 1-1 with Aston Villa
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Gyokeressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss makes it 2-0 to the Arsenal, his 12th of the season in all competitions
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Havertz and Calafiori off
Eze and Hincapie on
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FT: Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland
Zubimendi and Gyokeres x2 with the goals that put us 9 points clear of city and villa but city play liverpool tomorrow.
Gyokeres now with 13 goals in all competitions, and 6 goals in his last 8 games, but that will not stop the media targeting him
10 wins and a draw the maximum we need from our remaining 13 games to win the title
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Nice squad game again. Good to see the Vik hit that back of the net X2!
COYG!
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A really hard fought and professional performance. Sunderland didn’t disappoint and caused all sorts of problems in the first half but we matched them physically and earnt the right to play football.
In the end once Zube had scored the first the game got better and better for us. We definitely played better second half and as the game went on the more open it became and the more we looked like scoring every time we attacked.
Before anyone gets carried away with the nine point lead, remember city play twice before we play again so the lead could be reduced to three points albeit we would still have a game in hand.
I can’t call tomorrow’s game as city have dias back and guei in to stiffen their defence but Liverpool are very good going forward especially at home.
I suppose we have to take heed to the old cliche and concentrate on what we do. Keep winning and the rest will struggle. I think we have just three games left outside of London. Wheather that will be an advantage or not I don’t know but you would imagine it should help.
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While I understand that if someone leans forward and their body is past the defender they are offside but if their feet are in their own half surely they are onside.
We have never lost with that ref but he certainly didn’t give us much today. Sunderland should definitely had a player sent off as well but studs up landing high on the shin doesn’t seem to be a sending off anymore.
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correction – we need a maximum of 11 wins and a draw from our 13 remaining games to win the league. Doesn’t sound much when you say it quick. Like every title winner we need a favor or two from other teams, we could do with liverpool beating city tomorrow, as its probably the only really difficult game they have to play till the face us in April. We have the likes of spurs and chelsea in our run before then.
our EPL games before we play Man City in April
Brentford – away
Wolves – away
Spurs – away
Chelsea – Home
Brighton – Away
Everton – Home
Bournemouth – Home
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Gyokeres has 8 league goals so far this season and 13 goals in all competitions. Last season Arsenal’s top scorer Havertz, had 9 league goals and 15 goals in all competitions
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Nice win for the women! COYG!
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after man city’s win at liverpool today we still need 11 wins and a draw from our remaining 13 games
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yes Mills an important win for the women, olivia smith with the goal. If arsenal win their game in hand they go 2nd. They are currently 10 points behind man city;
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Yep the next five games are critical, we have four away games (including the north London derby) and city have three home games and two away at Leeds and West Ham.
You can never tell in football but you would imagine city will win their next five games so we need to match them goal for goal, point for point.
After those games the game at city is the only game outside London for rest of the season.
Fulham’s record at city is terrible so the likelihood is we will go to brentford just three points clear. Over the next five games we need to prove we can handle pressure.
At the moment there is a sway towards city’s title chances if we can thirteen points from the next fifteen the momentum and probability will be back in our favour.
The game against chelsea will officially mark the start of the run in. History has proven teams, including us, can catch up ten points in the final ten games.
So with all the media hype before the Liverpool v city game saying the race for the title is still very much in the balance.
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Charles Charlie Charles, ARSENAL’S tricky winger, has gone on loan to Kalmar
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results so far tonight
Chelsea 2-2 Leeds – CFC were 2-0 up
Everton 1-2 Bournemouth
Spurs 1-2 Newcastle
its currently west ham 1-0 man utd, still about half an hour to play
in the championship Leicester city were 3-0 up at half time v southampton but it ended 3-3
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yeah ian he is off to sweden for a year. hopefully it will work out well for him.
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correction, Southampton got a winner in the 96th minute.
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we can celebrate St Totteringham Day at WHL on Sunday week if we win our games against Brentford, Wolves and Spurs.
Spurs would still have 11 EPL games left to play.
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west ham 1-1 man utd
sesko with the utd goal in the 96th minute
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the spuds sack Frank just eleven days before we play them, typical.
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yeah ian, pity they didn’t leave it till after we beat them.
Wigan who we play in the FA Cup on Sunday also sacked their manager.
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Arsenal Women won 4-0 away to O-H Leuven in the first leg in WCL,
Maanum x2, Smith and Russo with the goals. Arsenal are well set to get into next round where they will face Chelsea Women
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Man City well on the way to cutting our lead at the top to 3 points. They are 3-0 up at home to Fulham, who have not taken a point off city in 15 years.
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PG, two bit preview with you. COYG!
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Thanks Mills, it’s up.
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