Sorry for the brief post but I have other things to do today.
Incredible, hardworking, performance by the Arsenal. Everyone worked hard, everyone put in tackles, everyone tracked back for cover. This is what pissed me off so much about Guendouzi at Rennes and I’m glad Ramsey started in his place today. I hope that showed him that this is what’s required to play for the Arsenal.
Make no mistake, this is a good United team. They passed the ball very quickly and smartly. They were able to break Arsenal’s press early and got three really great chances in the first half alone. They even made Luke Shaw look like a good footballer for a little while… before Maitland-Niles stepped up and shut him down. Fantastic defensive performance from the Bird Catcher.
This was a full strength United side as well. And they played three men up front. This wasn’t at all like a home game for Arsenal, United played more like the home team: attacking Arsenal, trying to get above us.
Arsenal were lucky that they missed some great chances but sometimes “luck” is a product of hard work. Was it just “luck” that Leno saved Lukaku’s shot from 3 yards out? I don’t think so. He’s a hard working keeper, he made that luck for himself in training and on the pitch.
Aubameyang’s penalty was all balls. Like his entire body was made of balls. He kicked that straight down the middle. 17 League goals now but more importantly, he’s snapped back from that atrocious performance at Rennes. Which was below sausages: Caviar > Sausages > Aubameyang at Rennes.
Sokratis is still one of my favorite players. Lukaku is a tough footballer and was in top form today, physically. Sokratis had his hands full and didn’t shirk his duties.
Ramsey… added yet another incredible memory to his Arsenal history book. I still can’t believe we let him go. He’s not only better technically than ever before, he’s added leadership and discipline to his game. He is going to be a gem at Juventus.
Lacazette is such a fantastic all around footballer. Hard worker, can break four defenders, crisp shooter, and a selfless leader. Won a stonewall penalty today and gave it to Aubameyang .
People who say that this result almost assures us a top four berth should hold off. I wouldn’t want to get too excited, yet. This is the toughest top four race in 30 years and Arsenal have 5 tough away games still to play. And away is our Achilles.
If we play the remainder of our games the way that we did today, taking them seriously, actually giving “150%” in every match, then I have no doubt that we will finish top four. If we play as hard against Wolves away as we did today against Man U and as we did the other day against Tottenham, then I think we all have to say that Emery has done a fantastic job at the Arsenal this season.
Sources: my brain
Glad we all rose to the occasion…
COYGs
I like the attacking lineups of late. More of Ozil, Ozil + Ramsey together, Laca and Auba together, Mustafi at RB,.. win or lose the games are watchable. ! None of that 3 DMs stuff!
Thst penalty tho… 😬
Lacazette asked him if he wanted to take it. He said yes. Put it right down the middle. Stone cold.
Stone cold stupidity. If you’re going up the middle you panenka the shot over where the keeper’s legs may be. Aubameyang should not be taking penalties for us, he’s not good at them.
LOL
Well, I struggle to disagree on the basis of observation because I am not a fan of his style. However, statistically, he’s average so I don’t see a real problem.
The thing people should know by now is that Aubameyang is a very average to below average finisher. What he’s exceptionally good at is getting into scoring positions. But he’s a frustrating forward in my opinion: one dimensional and not even exceptionally good at that one dimension. I think it should be clear that if we are going to sell one of Laca or Auba it has to be Auba.
As for the pen, I’m ok with Lacazette giving it to Auba if it will help his confidence because his confidence if garbage right now and we really need him putting away chances.
Not even a question.
Laca is an all around package. He’s a brawler, hustler and ultimate team player.
Two of the more difficult players to knock off the ball on this Arsenal team are Laca and Ramsey.
Two lightweights in the same regard are Auba and Ozil.
Common Jack, clearly Aubameyang mind fu#ked De Gea there.
No one would be stupid enough to take three identical penalties in a row, especially when the last one was saved in the 90 minute of a NLD for a win.
Or would they?
I completely agree, Jack.
All of Auba’s penalties this season were kicked slightly to the right of centre. ALL. He is not good at taking them, and does not fill me with confidence in the way that, say, Harry Kane does.
If the keeper is really doing his homework, Auba will not score another penalty again.
We need to redesignate the duty again.
Kane is a ferocious penalty kick taker. As was van Persie. Since I posted that comment I’ve read that Auba actually waits for the keeper to move and doesn’t look at the ball… lmfao. That’s not a good strategy, at all. I wish we had a Cazorla again. Why isn’t Xhaka taking penalties? Seriously. I’m going to hazard if he hammers a shot to the sides there’s no way in hell a keeper is stopping it.
9-0 at home since December. Getting 2 goal margin against Rennes suddenly seems possible.
Agree about Ramsey. On current form, he is going to rip Serie A new one and absolutely terrorize Juve opponents next season.
What a man, what a player…
Chel$ki dropping points and Sp&#s losing yesterday? Plus we have no “big” opposition left to play while they still do.
The run-in is going to be nerve-wracking and fraught with possibilities.
Can’t have asked for a more committed performance. Felt like we owed United one sweet revenge in which we allowed them to dominate a fair bit of possession and suckered punched them where it mattered the most. The two key moments in the match besides the build up to our goals were Xhaka’s 6yard box interception/clearance; and more importantly the huge, huge save by our German custodian with Lukaku all alone in the 6yard box. The reflex with Leno instinctively sticking out his right foot to block the goal bound shot was well worth the preservation of our 3 glorious points! Sokratis and Koscielny too were imperious in defending our box. Nicking and clearing away all that came into our goal. Our Bosnian Tank too gave Ashley young the fits by raiding his flank at every opportunity and dishing out the “cavaiars” which was crying out loud for someone to take a bite. Am indeed gonna miss Ramsey and the passion that he shows on the pitch. All in all, I’m so glad that we won this after throwing away 2points at Wembley. And suddenly 3rd place feels so achievable and in reach! Every player put in a great shift and to finally watch Suarez make some decent moves, nifty dribbles and passes was an icing on the cake! Gonna savour this victory for a while! One can only dream!
Careful boys, it’s the hope that kills you…
Heh
The sweetest moment was when the taunting Mancs were chanting RVP’s name only to be stunned into silence by Xhaka’s goal. Truly delightful.
And tonight on BBC Match of the Day, they were adamant it wasn’t a penalty. I had to laugh.
@ Lonestar Gooner But what’s the purpose of living if we don’t cling on to any glimmer of hope? 🙂
Oh, Shawn…who said life has any purpose? 🙂
The decision to let Ramsey go for free
keeps looking worse and worse as the season goes on. He’s been at his best recently, with mature, disciplined performances. He leaves it all out on the pitch, as well, plays his heart out. What will it cost us on the open market to bring in a replacement of similar quality? Surely it’ll cost more than his contract would have been. Leaving the ‘legend’ debate aside, he’s unquestionably a true Gunner, committed to the team and playing his heart out till the very end. I’m going to miss the guy.
Some inconvenient facts on Mesut Ozil, who played better than I thought…
4 chances created against Man U (most in the game)
Passing 91%
34 chances created this season (more than any other player this season despite limited playing time)
When Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ozil all start together, our record is P11 W7 D4 L0. We’ve never lost a game with that combo.
Our uptick in form coincided with the return of 2 players — Ozil and (more importantly) Koscielny. Rennes and Bate were the outlier performances.
Some facts on Aaron Ramsey, who unquestionably played well…
Ramsey had 8 tackles against United – only Lucas Torreira with 9 v Chelsea has made more in a single game for Arsenal this season.
Looks like we’ll lose both players next season, not just Ramsey. You cannot buy what they bring. The Ramsey case, in particular, is the very definition of a false economy.
All that said, that was a statement game from Emery, and I think that he planted his flag yesterday. Against the league’s best, we’ve drawn games we should have won, and in one case (Chelsea away) lost it. One of Emery’s big tests was making us consistently competitive against the top teams, and with the exception of 150 out of 180 minutes against City and 90 minutes against Liverpool, he has done so.
Spot calling the kettle on
An interesting thing about Ozil is that, despite constantly being criticized as a non performer in big games, his record of goals and assists (as a midfielder) in the big matches compares well with the best in the league.
These figures are from early 2017
Mata
Appearances 43
Goals 13
Assists 10
Min per goal/assist 148.6
Coutinho
Appearances 31
Goals 11
Assists 3
Min per goal/assist 172.5
Ozil
Appearances 25
Goals 5
Assists 7
Min per goal/assist 179.7
Silva
Appearances 50
Goals 7
Assists 16
Min per goal/assist 181.7
De Bruyne
Appearances 8
Goals 3
Assists 0
Min per goal/assist 229.7
Hazard
Appearances 40
Goals 11
Assists 3
Min per goal/assist 230.9
Eriksen
Appearances 28
Goals 3
Assists 4
Min per goal/assist 337.4
Not saying the guy is perfect, or that he hasn’t gotten worse since then, but at least until very recently, the guy has been amongst the top midfielders in England when it comes to delivering goals and assists in the big premier league games based on minutes played.
I meant to clarify that those figures are based on goals and assists against the top 6.
I’m struggling to remember the four chances Ozil created in the game.
But then again what passes for a chance created nowadays anyways?
Laca, who I thought was fantastic , gets an assist and I suppose a chance created for a 10 yard nothing sideways ball to Xhaka who then let’s loose from 25 yards.
But then again you can’t blame Ozil for not making 20 yard eye of a needle passes to players who aren’t there ,can you.
Kola sent three brilliant almost identical crosses from left wing that went to waste because no Arsenal forward took a chance on attacking the goal mouth.
Maybe Arsenal do have the winger fans have been demanding after all.
I didnt make the stats, bruv.
There were so many good performances from our point of view. Leno probably the key contributor. We could have lost, but that sidewinder from Xhaka gave us the all important first goal.
I was happy with our football, and Emery showed some bravery and that’s all I ask.
We’ll miss Ramsey. But this is not a new development. It was always silly to let him go (not to mention classless) I’ll be watching Juventus more closely next season. I agree that he’s going to be great for them.
Going forward, I hope we stick to playing the likes of Ozil and Ramsey (even together sometimes!) We’re no worse in defense (even better sometimes) and much better in attack.
Auba gave Laca a pen to boost his confidence and now Laca returned the favour. Any talk of selling either of them has to be nipped in the bud. Hopefully Eddie will also get more game time, though I doubt it.
What do we think of Suarez? I’ve seen people praising him (and his potential I guess) on the basis of yesterday but I don’t remember anything standing out.
Great point on Leno, who has been excellent of late. Was superb against Spurs too.
Xhaka was so, so good as well. offensively and defensively. I see de Gea getting criticised for not saving the goal, but that was what we cricket fans call a leg-break*. He hit it with the outside of the boot and that gave it nasty swerve. Very Roberto Carlos.
*not to be confused with a leg breaker. in cricket, a leg-break is a delivery from a right arm bowler to a right-handed batsman that spins across him, from in to out. I leave it to Shard and Greg to explain the other varieties…
On Twitter I captioned it David De Googly.. Left footed shot you see. The term Chinaman won’t quite be acceptable nowadays.
You know why Xhaka was good. I think because he had Ramsey playing like that next to him to share the workload at both ends. This is Prime Ramsey and we’re letting him walk on a free, and it breaks my heart. The club can try to dress it up any way they like, it was a terrible call.
AMN had a good game too.
Before the season started I was worried about how Emery would handle the lack of a winter break in terms of workloads and physical conditioning. On that count I think Emery has done well.
man, are you right about ramsey. pogba didn’t have a minute to breathe with the welshman around. he was so good off the ball yesterday, it was almost unbelievable. i’ve never yelled “good stuff ram” at my tv so many times in a single game. let that settle it; ramsey is an 8, not a 10. on yesterday’s form, he’s an absolutely brilliant 8.
but it wasn’t just ramsey. man united struggled to cope with ozil as well. they had to assume a different posture to mitigate mesut’s threat or he would have ripped man united to shreds. this new posture also took a lot of pressure off of xhaka.
Quote of the day goes to Shard:
“The term Chinaman won’t quite be acceptable nowadays.”
“… but that sidewinder from Xhaka gave us the all important first goal.”
In those first fifteen minutes?
Auba, Ramsey and Xhaka– all took speculative long-range tries from edge-of-box and further out. One corner, one goal, one goal kick the results.
Granit’s artillery-range goal was a physics lesson. In that when you project a spherical object into a 15-20mph wind– without spin– it ‘knuckles’ or veers unexpectedly. A much-castigated David De Gea didn’t make a mistake– nor was he fooled. Simply, the lesser-expected outcome from applied elements of the strike.
Oh. Yes, that. And?
Back about 2 weeks ago? When I took large statistical stick for extolling Arsenal:
“to just let it fly from range more often”?
If it’s not too much bother?
I’d very much appreciate my Gold Star now professor. 😉
My only problem with “let fly” is that it’s pithy and ignores the more important “get the ball into position to let fly”.
So, like I said in my article: sure, let fly, but get Ozil on the pitch so that we can. Emery has done so and we are playing better.
Ozil invoking Bergkamp saved our season from devolving into a toxic mess. Now it’s just a happy chaotic mess of hope and opportunity. A primordial swamp with some creature forming, instead of putrid tar pits and a feathered Emery/Ozil thrown in.
Am an Ozil fan to the hilt.
Would hypothesize from the part(s) of the US you reside(ed) in?
That you’ve seen the game of Ultimate played; perhaps at a very-high level?
Played that game at national level for over 20 years.
Having the vision– and understanding of the field/pitch’s geometric spatiality– are very similar between football and Ultimate (similar aspect ratio size-wise too). Couple that with an ability physically to propel a disc/ball– to react and perform as expected over distance; using both touch and force– while mentally calculating the geometry of it all with teammates running full-tilt? Both games with an expectation of completing passes in a similar percentile range (80%+)?
Can claim I’d once had a glimpse at how Mesut Ozil might see a football pitch during play.
So I can’t find myself caring what he ‘costs’ to have on the team– or on the pitch. What he can do is priceless– and nearly irreplaceable in today’s game.
So, the idea of ‘let fly’ for me? Involves a perspective I’d developed playing a different game. With a rarer ability (than peers) to throw deep, and very accurately. That others cannot fathom what it is you see– nor have the ability to make happen physically? Well, it was always a battle to convince– even when you could perform it over and again.
I’ll have Ozil’s back– till he’s done– and after.
A 28 year old midfielder in his prime, who can pass, assist, tackle, is tactically disciplined, knows where the goal is and is technically good enough to finish his chances. Good luck finding that cheaply on the market. Sub 200K wages deemed too expensive is the definition of a false economy. A terrible call, you say? You bet. Emery’s very deployment of the player in big games makes a nonsense of the decision. Theyre smart guys. Im sure they can see that for themselves.
Too early to assess Suarez. He looks harder to dispossess than you’d think, though.
And yeah, my bad on Xhaka’s spinner. It’s left-arm Chinaman, not right arm leg-break/googly.
Victory against the old enemy still feels the best to me. Better than beating Tottenham or Chelsea. Especially when the pre-match narrative was all about how OGS said Man U knows how to play Arsenal and they let us have the ball cos we are vulnerable against the counter…. blah, blah, blah. This was repeated by multiple NBC commentators including Lee Dixon. To have Emery stick it to all the pundits and puncture the massive hard on they all have for OGS made it that much more enjoyable for me.
It will always be United.
Lee Dixon makes my ears bleed. I swear, if that guy makes excuses for the ref once he does it 100 times a match.
A major improvement over our Top 6 games last year, when we finished 1-3-6. Going 3-3-4 and really outplaying the opponent/deserving to win in two of the draws (Spurs, ManU-away). This is pretty impressive for Emery’s first season. This team’s real challenge is when it’s not challenged. Losing away to bottom table teams is our bugaboo. If Emery can turn that around in these last 8 games, this will have been an unequivocal success for his first year.
When given a clear role in a functioning system, Rambo has been devastating. He finally gets direction and clarity, so naturally it’s time to move him on. I may be cheering for Juve despite CR7’s presence next year, LOL.
Faith will be along momentarily to voice great displeasure, but as much as I thought Xhaka had brilliant moments, he was very fortunate at several points when he played loose with the ball or failed to clear. Despite all the good he did yesterday, a little more ruthlessness from Manure could have seen us cursing him once again. He lingers on the ball and panics – we’re lucky it didn’t cost us. I love his energy and his fire, but there are some players that give you the heebie geebies when they get the ball, and Xhaka is still one of them for me. I just don’t think he’s consistent enough to be in our long-term plans.
I now go back to a subject we discussed earlier in the season. Who has improved under Emery? I daresay almost every player at this point in the season, with the possible exception of Mustafi, who’d need a miracle worker. Think about it – Leno, Kola, Iwobi, Mkhi, Laca, Auba (despite recent form). Guen is much better (he may have gotten a lesson for his defensive lapses by being left out yeserday). I think Ozil is playing a more complete game now. Ramsey is playing a much more disciplined game. Bellerin and Holding were vastly improved before their departure. Xhaka, despite my criticisum above, is making fewer brain farts. Emery is figuring out how to put players in position to succeed, and it’s working. Anyone disagree?
Yesp
yesp
yesp – add in that he’s extremely one-footed. He can pass with his right but almost always has to take extra touches, that’s where he gets in trouble. Also could have been yellow carded for pulling on several ocassions.
good point
Hahahah v ery funnny mate,,,,Faith is here. You know me I am never displeased/unhappy. Defo not the day to have a go at Xhaka
He won/changed the game for us, with individual brilliance – like at Newcastle
Mate he didn’t only give you the heebie geebies, when he got the ball, he gave them to one of the best Keepers in the world.
It is strange how we all expect Xhaka to be perfect but everyone else can have failings?
Please do not ball him out for not being two-footed, who are the two-footed ballers – Ronaldo, Pog, Rambo, Ox, James Rodriguez? come to mind then I am struggling. How left-footed is Messi??
Sorry you know I love Xhaka.. he is my bias and con do no wrong in my eyes
I knew you would come to Xhaka’s defense! It’s not a question for me of whether I like the guy, nor whether he can deliver a good performance. I would just prefer a midfielder who isn’t a liability with the ball when under pressure. And Xhaka has shown that he is, over and over.
I will say that he has been more switched on defensively since the new year. We aren’t as frequently decrying him missing a runner or straying out of position the way he used to do constantly. And he does ping the ball around the pitch when he has time and space. But we would do better to have someone who can make the time and space to do it.
I think his form has improved to the point where we can get good money for him in the summer, and could use those funds to invest in a winger and more defense, and perhaps another midfielder.
I love the guy, and actually have some Albanian roots in my family tree, but one step up in that position could have a transformational effect on this team.
Mate, really good points, well made. But I am sorry I love Xhaka, so your points are not persuading me. Arsenal fans are the only fans that think that other teams’ players are better than ours – EVERYONE eulogising about Ramsey, who is a top player, mysteriously only now he’s leaving and not while he was here – curious that one. EVERYONE maligning Ozil now’s he’s signed his contract and is staying for three years. What were we all saying when there was doubt as to whether he would sign the contract or not?
Transfermarkt has Xhaka at only £45m, risible for a player of his calibre….no upgrades at that rate, mate. http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/granit-xhaka/profil/spieler/111455
Just wanted to say RIP Sam Pegram, friend and fellow Gooner who we just lost in the plane crash in Ethiopia. 25 years old. Hurts like hell.
ugh. as a human, you hate to see a senseless loss of life. as an aviator, you hate too see possibly preventable aviation-related deaths. lastly, anyone hates to lose a friend. i just lost one of my best friends, a guy i grew up with, last april and i’m still reeling. sorry for your loss, man.
My condolences, mate.
I’m sorry for your loss, Greg.
Mate, really sorry to hear this. All the best. Thinking of all you. Will pray for you all.
Condolences sir.
Sorry for your loss, Greg. 3 days before the accident I had taken 6 Ethiopian Airlines flights over a 4 day period. If I’m not mistaken 2 of those flights where on the 737 8 Max model. It’s crazy to have been that close to, yet so far away, from that tragedy. May they all rest in peace.
terrible. so sorry for your loss Greg. sending best wishes and hope to you.
UEFA have cleared Laca to play against Rennes on Thursday.
Im going to take a wild guess that Unai puts out another ultra-attacking lineup. Is Mhki back? Riches.