Hello and how are you? Sunday the 22nd of February sees the Mighty Cannon go east and up the Seven Sisters road for a clash with our favourite best friends, Tottenham Hotspur FC. KO at the Lane is at 4.30pm local time. Expected weather is partly cloudy, temps at 13° (feels like 12° ) and between 1 and 6% chance of rain.
I have nothing to add to this one, especially after the interesting posts on the blog this week, we all know what’s played out and what’s forming before us. Aspects of the media are setting us up for a fall, but I’m sure Arteta and Co have other ideas.
Missing for the Arsenal are: looks everyone’s potentially available, except long termer Merino.
Missing for the Spuds are: Wilson Odobert (ALC) Pedro Porro (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (ACL), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Kevin Danso (ankle), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Ben Davies (ankle) and Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Cristian Romero (suspended). Doubtful is Richarlison and Solanke, but I think the latter will be back for this one.
The lads at Statto HQ were on their way to a large comic con and were attired in various styles of cosplay but still handed over the predictions: Tottenham Hotspur FC, Middlesex, 16.2 % chance of winning. Arsenal FC, North London, 60.9% chance of winning. Next up a holiday for the lads in Dubai and then Chelsea at ours. So COYG!
Mills
Our assault on the league seems to have gone from a Blitzkrieg to a Rorke’s Drift since Christmas. Kicking the proverbial out of Arteta and some of the new scapegoat players will do nothing to help our cause, but insisting the Sun is out when we are getting soaked to the bone, doesn’t seem too smart either. If anything good came from the fans and media murdering Wengerball on a budget, it’s that the horrible pain of defeat has, for me, been relegated to a dull ache. We used to play in a way that made me proud of Arsenal, win lose or draw. I know that often we were poor, but we always tried to me entertaining , brave and good. We had players that I adored, Arshavin, Cesc, Rosicky, Santi, Jack, Aaron etc. But those days are now just a beautiful memory and all the longing wont bring it, or anything approaching it back.
All we can do is support what we have, in whatever way we as individuals choose, and make the most of it. We might enjoy it less, but somehow we should at very least, try to get some joy from our hobby. If we can’t do that, perhaps it’s time of a new hobby, Knitting perhaps?
Games don’t get much bigger than this in my opinion, so enjoy what you can my friends. The run in will tell us as much about US, as it will about the team and our dear leader.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Nice summary George! COYG!
Ed, I remember Lee Francis but Russel Milton has gone from my memory totally. I can recall seeing Rix play left back at Highbury once. Not sure who it was against though.Grrr! Bloody memory!
COYG!
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Great preview lads,
Forgot the outside noise this is a game more than any other that you have to show your maximum support. We need the three points for the title push yes but we need the win for the confidence, momentum and the fact this is old enemy.
Historically the NLD is full of cards and full of goals and strangely the spuds have conceded a large number of own goals in this fixture as well.
Their new manager likes to be aggressive and on the front foot but also likes to keep it tight as well. He likes to turn the ball high up the pitch so we have to learn the lessons of the last couple of weeks and pass quickly, give the man on the ball plenty options so we don’t end up playing hoof ball and surrender lots of possession.
Their new manager hasn’t experienced the speed of the premier League or the hostility of a NLD and maybe this will be his undoing. The ref has given more reds than anyone else this season but doesn’t like giving pens so discipline will be needed for us today.
We know our lads will be be up for this and we also know when they are on their game they are very good so let’s go out and get three points today COYG.
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Sheffield Wednesday lost today to Sheffield Utd and with it have been relegated to League One, with 13 games left to play.
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Arsenal Women beat Bristol City Women 3-0 in the FA Cup to progress to the quarter finals
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Odegaard is with the squad today
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Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Odegaard, Jesus
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oh brother.
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wouls be nice to get a fourth…
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WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TOTTENHAM
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Nice. One mistake, but apart from that a fine performance. The warmth of the sun…COYG!
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FT: Spurs 1-4 Arsenal
Eze x2 and Gyokeres x2 with our goals, in a dominating performance, we played with far more purpose today, far less of the pointless circulating football. And boy oh boy what a hit that was by Gyokeres for our second goal.
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Hopefully Saka and Timber are not injured, both went off after knocks
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HAPPY St tottorings day everyone!!!
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History made today, only the fifth time St tottorings has taken place on a NLD day, only the third time it’s happened at the shithole and the earliest time ever and first time in February. What a day for all ARSENAL supporters.
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na ian we are not there yet, either another win for us or a draw for spurs and we are there, but not just yet, if we hadn’t blown the win v Wolves we would be there.
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10 games left, a maximum of 9 wins and a draw to win the title.
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Gyokeres has now got 10 league goals in 26 games, and 15 goals in all competitions.
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seems Arsenal will this summer play Girona at the end of July and then play a game in Ireland at beginning of August.
Seems with the timing of the World Cup and the start of the new season we will not be doing any long haul this summer, so games will be close to home.
I hope the game in Ireland will be against Shamrock Rovers, they are the dominant team in the League of Ireland in recent years, and we have signed one of their players, Victor Ozhianvuna who will join next January. We also have had another few of their young players over on trial in recent months too. Also they are managed by a former Arsenal Academy player, Stephen Bradley
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