They say that one Swallow does not a summer make, well ok, but that was a golden eagle sized swallow we saw last night. Some of us have believed in Arteta for a while, this particular someone was advocating for him to be our next manager while he was still playing for the club, but the tide of opinion must now be firmly on his side? Surely?

We started the game off being battered and giving the ball up for fun, 17% possession in the first 10 minutes and it was looking ominous. Then Luiz played a through ball from midfield to Aubameyang, he took it under control and a goal looked certain, only for him to fire it straight at the goalkeeper. Although he should have scored, it was a turning point. Suddenly we were more composed on the ball. Soon after, Emi had the ball and after passing it around the back for a while we broke out, 17 passes later Auba scored about the best team goal we have seen from any team, this season. It really was a work of art.  City continued to dominate the ball, but we pressed and defended magnificently.  Auba got gifted the ball in the box and fluffed an easy lay-off which should have been 2 nil.  But we looked the most dangerous side of the rest of the half,  despite having much less of the ball.

City came out for the second half , with a flea in their ears, started moving the ball quicker and turned up the heat. It was almost one-way traffic for the entire half, but once again some neat decisive play saw Tierney set Auba free and he finished with the aplomb of the great finisher he is.

Every single Arsenal player excelled. It was a phenomenal defensive display. Not the desperate stuff we saw against Liverpool, this was organised hard work, planning and execution. David Luiz turned up with a performance that I have not seen bettered by any Arsenal centre-back in a very long time. Despite the magnificent of his performance, for me, Xhaka excelled even that. We have not witnessed a centre-mid play that well since the days of Vieira.  I kid you not.  Xhaka is our leader and heartbeat, his critics should “F*CK OFF” as he might say to them.

What a night, what a result, what a future we might have if Arteta gets the support he deserves.

One swallow? Perhaps, but perhaps not.

Pedantic George.

I could not be happier with that result. Coming back from a goal down against the League and European champions. A spectacular backs to the wall victory with every player leaving it all out on the pitch. Fantastic.

However, the flip side is that we played shocking football. We were dominated from start to finish by a side that has already gone on holiday.

The two goals we scored were not the result of our good play, not even the result of us pressing as a team forcing a mistake, they were the result of two Liverpool players , under very little pressure, dropping huge clangers. They were so much against the run of play that I physically burst out laughing.

Take those 2 gifts away and we had one attempt on their goal in 95 minutes of play. At home.

We had 31% possession, the lowest recorded by any Arsenal team in the Premier League, at home, at our own F*cking home.

This was not a park the bus, restrict their chances and hit them on the break performance, it was a we got battered and somehow clung on by the skin of our teeth performance. They had 23 attempts on our goal, so it wasn’t a great defensive effort, it was desperate stuff.

Of course we deserve huge credit for the commitment ,spirit and effort, but I can’t be happy with the performance because it was frankly pathetic.

Our passing was non existent, no fluency or creativity.

I thought Lacazette, playing this false 9 role, was fantastic. Which is rather ironic in that he is the current whipping boy of the squad.

Also we seem to have got an upgrade in the goalkeeping department, which is odd because Leno was perhaps our player of the season. Two busses come at once eh?

I’m confused, because I 100% believe in Arteta but we should not be so bad so often, even with the worst squad in 25 years.

If ever a result has masked a performance, this was it. But don’t let that take the joy of getting 3 points against Liverpool, that has to be enjoyed separately.

Pedantic George.

Good afternoon positive people.

Well that game left me with mixed emotions. I was happy that after 15 minutes we wrestled control of the game and dominated them for the remainder of the half. We seemed to attack at will and created many good chances. We could, and perhaps should, have been 2, 3 or even 4 up, come half time. They simply couldn’t live with Xhaka and Ceballos running the midfield, and Lacazette, Saka, Aubameyang terrorised them for a good spell.

However, that happiness is tempered with how we totally lost control in the second half, were dominated by possession, had Eddie sent off and ultimately were hanging on for a point.

We had the best half of football for ages, followed by one of the worst. And yes, the referee didn’t help, but we didn’t help ourselves either.

On balance I feel a point was fair, although disappointing too.

Top four has been a pipe dream all season, so perhaps now we can stop with the wishful thinking and enjoy the fight for a Europa place.

Pedantic George.

The football are coming thick and fast with Arsenal going again, this time hosting Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in a Premier League clash.

The Gunners come into this match on the back of an impressive 2-0 victory at Wolves to continue their recent good run, whereas the Foxes made light work of Crystal Palace to finally get their first win in five games since the restart.

Good day one and all.

With the season now in the home stretch Arsenal have had a timely upturn in form, winning three straight league games without conceding a goal. Mikel Arteta is clearly happy with the defensive improvement, yet cautious:

“The more we improve here, the more solid we are, the more chances we are going to have to win football games.”

Also at the Emirates our form have always been exemplary. In our last six outings at home we kept four clean sheets to go with our still unbeaten league run since the turn of the year – taking 16 points from a possible 18.

Conversely, Leicester are without a win on their travels since New Year’s Day. It’s been a five-match winless run which saw them taking only two points from a possible 15.

The 3-0 win over the Eagles was a vital one for the Foxes as it gives them bit of a bounce as they now start a very tricky run-in; following tonight their final four league fixtures are against Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Spurs and Manutd. Brendan Rogers will be well aware that there is little room for error if they are to maintain their current top-four standing.

The Gunners also have a sticky run-in… but if they are able to extend their winning run here tonight it can only boost their own continental cause even further.

Team News

Mikel Arteta could make very few changes from the team that took the field at Wolves, as he would like to build on that performance.

Two players that could come in are Alexandre Lacazette, he will be hopeful of handed a start after he came off the bench to score, having again missed out to Eddie Nketiah. Nicolas Pépé will be another, who missed out last time due to his wife giving birth, but whether that comes at the expense of Bukayo Saka is a decision the coach has to make.

Mesut Özil could make the matchday squad, subject to a late fitness test due to recurring back problems.

Prediction

Both teams are looking to finish the season strong because they still have much to play for. But also the Gunners are good at home, whilst the Foxes have been out of sorts on the road.

Meaning Arsenal should go into this encounter in good shape to give Leicester’s top-four hopes a mighty dent. COYG!

— LaboGoon

**

Well that was a pleasant surprise. A really hard working win, away against a team that is lauded for their organisation and solidity. It was a victory based more on endeavour than skill, but as Mikel says, that type of endeavour is non-negotiable if we are to get consistent results. He is clearly starting with the base before he starts putting on any icing. His philosophy is possession-based free-flowing attacking football, so I am happy to wait for it to emerge.

We scored two good goals and restricted them to one shot on target. No one can legitimately suggest that we didn’t both earn and deserve the victory.

Luiz, Mustafi and especially Xhaka, were magnificent. This isn’t an exaggeration, much as it must infuriate the hissy fit brigade.

No point me going over events you will all have seen, so I’ll just point out a few things that I think went slightly under the radar.

Tierney struggled. Now a I know he’s flavour of the month, but he really does struggle with his positioning when trying to stop his winger. He looks much better going forward than defending, something I’m sure he and Mikel will get right. His attitude seems exemplary.

AMN made a huge difference when he came on, at left back. Yes, left back! He is way more talented than he gets credit for. We rightly wax lyrical about Saka’s versatility, but Ainsley’s seem to go unheralded.

Aubameyang puts in an unbelievable shift, but his hold-up play and passing leaves much to be desired, that won’t change at his age, and maybe explains why Arteta is reluctant to play him as CF? Let‘s not forget though how brilliant he is on the left. It’s not like we lose his goals.

Saka, despite his fantastic goal, struggled on the right. He got better but it was still a struggle. It seems he was shoehorned into the eleven but even if he was, it can only help with his development. He is a mouthwatering prospect.

Sead is terrible at passing the football.  I know Mikel is desperate to have a left-footed CB, but he can’t be other than a very short term solution.

Ok, that will do from me, have a lovely Sunday and be careful out there.

Pedantic George.