Good Morning Positive Arsenal fans,

Or as I believe they say on Merseyside a “Go ‘ed, rrrright, nice one, boss, well in, sound, belter, I’m made up” sort of Morning, or something like that.

Another sour taste of defeat in the roof of the mouth this morning, a little sharper and harder to ignore because it was the correct result against a Liverpool side who are as erratic as Arsenal are.

Of the game itself George had spoken of the need for the players, ALL the players, to turn up and perform to their abilities in what obviously would be a difficult tie. We had seen too many “slow” starts, too many games we have had to chase like fiends having let our opponents get ahead. Anfield was surely not the stage to slip into that sluggish entry to a game. Our players were rested. Our opponents had endured a poor night at the King Power and a far from solid home form. The task was clear and the auspices favourable.

The afternoon began poorly. Even before the referee’s whistle touched hi lips we were without Mesut so our creative engine was missing a crucial gear. That Sanchez on the bench was a surprise, but given our shaky recent form I could understand the change, applying a different and hopefully more direct approach. A strategy to try to retain the ball more which is not always the Chilean’s forte.

Sadly the first half was a contrast, to my eye at least, of Liverpool’s dynamic, fast football, orchestrated by Coutinho and with Sane as its cutting edge, in contrast to our own rather pedestrian approach. It was not just that they scored two goals, they looked dangerous every time they crossed the halfway line with the ball. We on the other hand had periods of possession during that first 45 but never ever looked like landing a dangerous blow. 30 yards out we huffed, puffed and passed in triangles, then frittered away possession with a speculative ill-directed chip into a crowded box or were harried off the ball by the gegenpresse. I find it difficult to identify one Arsenal player who during that first half performed to a level that they might look back and give themselves even a 6 out of 10. I saw not lack of effort, I just saw a lack of quality compared to our opponents.

I suspect Arsene did read the proverbial riot act at HT and, as we all saw, we set about the opposition with verve, in fact the sort of energy that had it been employed at 5.30 rather than 6.30 might have made a considerable difference to my work this morning. The obvious trigger for the change of pace was the arrival of Alexis and that he immediately became a thorn in the Scouse flank. Beyond that Latin injection though all of our players looked about a inch taller and a yard faster in that second half. An injection of half time confidence ? Or an injection of my favourite sporting concept at the moment “desperation”.

We clambered back aboard the train with ample 30+ minutes to retrieve at least a point, more than sufficient time. For the next 20 minutes the hosts rocked on their heels, with Coutinho finally subdued and their back four exhibiting all the signs of panic for which they have become so rightly famous.

They bent, they scrambled, they flung themselves in and across, but crack them we could not ! The whole game pivoted on our scoring again. We played out final Lucas and Theo cards but it was not to be. During that final fifteen minutes of the game, when I hoped we would have had the LFC goal under siege, in truth they managed to get a grip back on the match. If Origi’s header had spun inside rather than outside the post then it would have been no surprise. We pressed, but not with sufficient guile to penetrate.

We went down to the third of the well taken Liverpool goals with a blocked shot and a breakaway leading to Winjaldum’s tidy finish. The curtain came down, the evening was truly over.

So, with not as much enthusiasm as I should have, onwards to our meeting with Bayern. There is pride at stake, and possibly a few careers.

Enjoy your Sunday.

So the late ko at Anfield is going to be a test, in more ways than one I feel.

The team heads north going into the battle sitting insecurely in 4th spot, a single point in front of Liverpool, with a game in hand. The league positions alone would make this a big game, but it feels a lot more than just 3 points at stake.

Both teams are on poor runs, both managers are being blamed by very vocal sections of their fan-bases and both clubs have gone from title hopefuls to no-hopers as far as the media and the fan-bases seem concerned. Both teams need a win and one, or both, will definitely be disappointed come 7.22 p.m.

All I seem to see recently talked about is how poor our away form is,  against the current top 6 . The problem is,  and there is no getting away from it – It is poor. Of course that doesn’t mean it will stay poor. We can’t do anything about what has gone, but the players sure as hell can do something about what is to come.  I almost feel that the next few weeks ,these players will hold Arsene’s future in their hands. If they show the fight and togetherness needed to go on a good run, I believe Arsene will stay. However, if he sees anything less, I think he could decide his work with us is done. I stress, this is just my gut feeling, I could be completely wrong, he may stay if we go on a bad run, and he might equally leave if we go on a good one.

I also think this next few weeks could see the team staying together , with further building work going on in the Summer, if things go well. Or it break up as we know it ,with some players losing faith in the team or the club losing faith in some players, if things go badly.

The result will ultimately be all that matters today, but the application will be what is crucial going forward. If the players don’t show the spirit and application required, then Arsene will take the blame. And ultimately, this has to be the case.

I have no idea who should start, what tactics we should try or what shape we should use. That, thankfully is not my job or problem. I just want to see the players live up to the potential they have.

I believe in these players and our manager but I feel the moment of truth is upon them all. The club is coming to a fork in the road, and its up to the players to make the right turn.

I’m sure I’m coming across as a right drama queen, but I think this is a very important time for all concerned.

“Cometh the hour, cometh the men.”

Come on you Gunners.

Good Morning Positives,

An interesting evening at Gander Green Lane. The expected result and, on reflection, an evening that I probably should have expected. The non Leaguers came on in the same old way, and with our superior firepower we despatched them in the same old way. Twas it (almost) ever thus when a very big club meets a non League minnow?

I admit I had been hoping for a more resounding victory, three goals up at the half hour market least, and the chance to ease off for the remainder of the game before a 5-6 final count. That is not however the Arsenal way, and in spite of my jitters it made for a better match to watch, with Sutton still dashing forward until the final whistle.

Of our players I thought Rob Holding had a good game, growing assurance on a windy night and a pitch though flat had an unusual bounce and the speed of the ball across the plastic was slightly different to grass The Ox was probably our best player, albeit a late entry. Industrious at the back when he needed to be, willing to give us width going forward. I shall forgive his error in the final few moments as by them as in Munich, the result was never I doubt. And Theo of course, captain on the night and 100 goals up. To be honest Theo had one of his less effective games I thought last night and what the plastic pitch offered him in speed of movement and acceleration it seemed to reduce in his ability to control the ball. Good night for Perez again. As I have said before, other than two or three PL clubs, the Spanish striker would walk into most starting line ups in England.

The negative sides I believe Alex Iwobi has his ankle strapped and iced after the kick he took. And Jeff ? Not a good night for him last night, hesitant from the start and the game went on around him. Hard to recognise the player who performed so well, so confidently, in the last round at St Marys. I think a loan spell and regular week in and week out football for JRA an absolute necessity.

Our opponents, 293 places below us in the English Football League pyramid, or some such tosh, acquitted themselves admirably on what as probably a match they will remember forever. For a few, particularly Deacon, it must surely be a ticket to back into a league club and rekindling their former ambitions.

That is all from me today. I see we did not give Sutton a pennant at kick off – much to the hilarity of the BBC commentators. We are however a little classier than that.

We have a lengthy break before the next game, and it is a biggie. Perhaps a chance to relax and breath a little, for the players, the manager and above all the most important group of all at our mighty football club, the fans. Enjoy your week.

Good morning Positive Arsenal fans,

I apologise for the late running of the service this morning as I have been out in the fresh air and the sunshine, clearing the tubes and clearing the mind before a day shaping the world to my preferred design.

Of last night’s game a formidable disappointment and the almost certain exit from the CL at the Round of 16 for the nth season in a row. The result proved a little more excruciating as for about 30 of the 90 minutes I saw us and the Germans battling evenly with one another and had a realistic ambition to leave Bavaria with at worst a narrow one goal defeat, probably a point and even, at best, an extraordinary win. Munich backed away from Sanchez as though he had ebola, Hummel looked like he should be playing for Klopp and even Alonso (for a few minutes) looked out of synch and the game passed him by. The minute counter then turned to 53. There followed ten minutes of fast, purposeful attack and clinical finishing that destroyed us. A number of players looked slightly dazed and I know I was. I see from Arsene’s quotes that he thought the same. The 5^th and last goal heaped absurdity on top of frustration.

We know what happened but perhaps why it happened is more debatable. There are no shortage of answers that focus on personnel, on tactics, that “if only X had been standing at Y ….” or “ if Z had started instead of A….”. Chief among the hackneyed answers are the “ if only we had M in charge and Arsene had left/been sacked/committed seppuku …..” Understandable that one seeks the lifebelt of rational comfort but specious in my view.

Well my shy at answering the Why question is that we do not play teams anywhere near of the quality of Bayern Munich week in and week out and unfortunately when we did come up against them we struggle. They play with a pace and a purpose that we are not able to compete with over a full 90 minutes. We can stand toe to toe for a period. If luck goes or way and we can tip them out of their game, they meet a mad referee or they have an “off night” we can occasionally win. Nine times out of ten however their players, individually and collectively, are superior to ours. Over these two leg ties then the chance that you will get your one in ten chance back to back is very small indeed.

There are probably three perhaps four teams in Europe who are and have been at that superior standard to us. We have striven to take that further step. If one looked at the AFC starting line up last night then it was the strongest I would have chosen, and the bench was packed with proven experienced good players, Yet still we came up short. We have not stood still. We have better players and better playing systems tan we did two years ago five years ago etc. However as we have improved and moved forward so these sides have also moved developed. The weaknesses that Bayern had last night, an ageing and slower Alonso, an indifferent Hummels, a foolishly conceded penalty that then they allowed the rebound in, they managed to overcome and in the end gained a well deserved victory.

Let me make my opinion on one point perfectly clear. If Manchester City or Leicester City, or Tottingham if they had managed to stay in the CL, or Chelsea or Liverpool or Manchester United if the had even managed to qualify for the competition had been out there last night at the Allianz they would have been on the end of exactly the same drubbing. Like us they don’t face that quality each week. They are no more likely to have coped than us.

What can we do – what must we do ? No easy answers, no trite solutions. No “if X had been standing at Y instead of Z … “ or the latest “ defensive midfield beast” magic signing.

Work hard, ensure every single game, starting with Sutton, is approached with the absolute, single minded seriousness that our opponents displayed last night. Learn from defeat, do not wallow in disappointment and recrimination.

And finally, the most ridiculous picture I have ever seen.

Enjoy your Thursday.