Arsenal 2023/24

Missed the first half but the second has been frantic. We haven’t been able to take control and they’ve had some good chances. In general we are dwelling on the ball to long and not providing options for each other. 
Eddie is doing everything he can to ensure he is on the bench next game. Nelson is busy without being effective. Ramsdale has done well so far and couldn’t do anything about their goal. 

Arteta's charges have been overturned by the panel, huge result for the lad.

Absolutely bossed Brighton there. Only hairy moment was Gross's chance in the second half. Really should have had 4 or 5 there.

Huge game Xmas eve. Biggest of the season so far.

Was a well controlled game, we came out firing in the first 15 mins, but Brighton held their nerve. No chances for them in the first, we should have been 2 up. Pleased for Jesus to get a goal, he's worked hard with no luck since coming back from injury. 
Great to see Havertz get the full 90 and scoring the second.
Liverpool next, they arent in great form but still dangerous.

Absolutely delighted to get the Brighton at home monkey off our back, especially since one of my colleagues is a big Brighton fan. Good to have a small gap over City opening up, they're dropping points left right and centre. Liverpool being held by United was amazing for us too.

Porto in the last 16. Should beat them realistically.

Got to be happy with drawing Porto. If we advance there will still be a lot of strong teams to contend with. Kind of hoped some of the top sides would be drawn against each other to possibly make things smoother down the track, but can’t complain.

Maybe I’ve been out of the loop but I’ve only lately been hearing talk about how much we need a new striker. Makes sense. Havertz isn’t an out and out striker and Jesus is injury prone. I love Eddie but we don’t want to rely on just him. Who are we hoping for?

I like Ivan Toney but don’t think he’s worth the asking price.

I’d rather wait until the summer and go for Rice type statement signing in that position. I’m confident our front 3 can get the goals we need to get this campaign over the line, but we are lacking depth at DM. Behind Rice is Partey, Jorginho, and Elneny. Partey has hardly played, Mo is just back from an ACL, and Jorginho’s carrying a niggle. Would love to go after Onana from Everton for that role.

best start to a big game, 4 minutes and we go 1-0 up!!!
Stoked that Gabriel found his first for the season, he'shad t work hard to get back into Arteta's starting back four.

Of course Salah evens it up, beats Zinchenko with a simple cut back and drives it near post- Raya should have done better.

Zinchenko can’t defend. We got rid of our left back that could defend.

Buffon II

Zinchenko can’t defend. We got rid of our left back that could defend.

I'm surprised more teams haven't worked that out.

2nd half is going to be very interesting, some little niggly shoves and hands been thrown about, Van Dyk and Jesus have been having words, same with Alexander-Arnold and Martinelli.

Get Trossard on for Martinelli.

perhaps, havent really seen Martinelli free to run at the defence, CB has had his number when he's gottent he ball. Jesus has been good so far, industrious as always, just needs a chance to get a shot or two away.
We were very lucky with the Odegaard handball in the box, could have gone against us and we'd have had no argument.

4 on 1 and TAA hts the bar!!
Trossard for Martinelli as expeted, Nketiah to come on for Jesus 

Konate is having a blinder, kept Martinelli quiet, and now bocking three long range shots, two pen shouts turned down in one game, ref has done well.

Take a point. Saliba is world class. He will become the greatest centre half the premier league has ever seen. Rice everywhere again, immense as always.

Top at Christmas. COYG.

Buffon II

Take a point. Saliba is world class. He will become the greatest centre half the premier league has ever seen. Rice everywhere again, immense as always.

Top at Christmas. COYG.

Yeah, totally agree Saliba is easily the best CB in the league, give him a year or two and he could be the best CB in Europe, maybe the world?? He and Rice create a really good spine for us, along with Gabriel. Out wide we have pace and skill, just need a consistent target man up front who can socre goals on the regular, we are lucky at the moment that the goals are coming from the midfield/wide players. Jesus is the #9 that Arteta wants, as in he works hard, chases the ball, presses hard and demands a lot from his supporting defenders. Just needs to find some goal scoring form - which isnt amaszing, he's at best a player who'll contribute
10-14 a season, whilst that's ok and we score from other sources, I'd really like a man who can contribute 15-20 a season to lead the line.

Good to see City are down 1-0 to Everton at the break. 

Funny thing is, from the 25 mins I watched at least, City are playing by far the better football. It’s just the final piece isn’t there. And Everton’s goal was entirely the result of a City error in their own box.

This tells me City are just as dangerous as ever and we need to keep putting points on the board while things aren’t working for them, because it won’t be long before they’re back on track.

Same starting lineup minus Havertz (inj? as he's not in the squad at all), Trossard with the start.

Hammers go 1-0 up with another goal that just stays in.....
Horrid defending.
Not sure what Raya was thinking charging out tothe ball past the near post. Needed to hold his ground and he could have stopped the final shot.

Havertz suspended after his 5th yellow card.

With all the technology is there really no camera above or from the other side? What's the point of it again?

ajc28

Havertz suspended after his 5th yellow card.

With all the technology is there really no camera above or from the other side? What's the point of it again?

From the angles they had it was tough to see, even an top down view would have been tough to get the correct angle. Why they cant employ the goal line tech for every out line is beyond me? Twice we've conceeded goals which coud have been deemed to have crossed the line. 

Need to get that equaliser soon because they’ll sit on a point here if they have to and we need three points today.

FFS, 2 poor defensive efforts and Hammers get a goal from each. Not how we want to end 2023.

Martinelli has been poor and I’m rapidly losing patience with Gabriel Jesus who’s intent to just go down.

No qualms with their first goal.

We’ve fudgeed it.

loyalgunner

Martinelli has been poor and I’m rapidly losing patience with Gabriel Jesus who’s intent to just go down.

No qualms with their first goal.

Martineli just hasnt seen the ball, we seem very content to play down the right to Saka and Odegaard, which is all well and good bit it makes us easy to defend. Jesus has been working hard and creating chances for others, but we need our front man to be scoring goals. He may need a spell as a sub to freshen up or give him a bit of a rocket. As for his going down easy he does get a lot of physical attention, as does Saka, which seems to get ignored.

So many chances squandered. Sometimes I hate this game, you can dominate for 90 and still lose by 2.

We've done more than enough to have got something from this game. Clearly what we lack is a goalscorer. Feels kind of like some of those Wenger seasons when we had most of a top team but there was always one piece missing that prevented us competing with the best.  

that was a clear pen on Saka, first contact on Saka's shin leads to him falling.
We've had nothing from this ref.
But we've not really deserved it to be fair, we should be ahead by 2 at least if we could actually test the keeper.
Saw the stat early in the half that we'd had 64 touches in the oppositions 18yrd box compared to less than 10 by WHU. Too many times we look ti pass aroind the box when a shot would be the better option.

Reiss-Nelson has looked good snce coming on, so has ESR, neither are options to start for Jesus or Nketiah however. Jan window needs to see us buying a striker....

That was never a penalty. We’ve just been so wasteful and don’t deserve anything from this one.

Mad to think there are fans on here who still don’t think we need a striker.

Areola has been decent today, but still we've not tested him often enough.

Buffon II

Mad to think there are fans on here who still don’t think we need a striker.

I like Jesus as a player, he works so hard and creates probelms for defenders, but he is not the guy you want leading a front three, he doesnt shoot enoughm he's always looking to set up a wide player - that may well be down to haow Arteta wants him to play, but it doesnt work when the opposition shuts our wide men out of the game. At that point you need your front man to score a couple with his head - ie the two chances Jesus had in this game, Nketiah isnt the optioin either, as much as he has done a job he is still a bit raw. 
We need a consitent goal scoring striker who is the finished product and we need him now,

Hopeless.

And that sums up our night, Rice gives a pen away.

Jesus is a decent player and all but from his career prior to here it can hardly be a surprise that he's never going to score the goals needed from a starting striker to be able to compete for titles. 

theprof

that was a clear pen on Saka, first contact on Saka's shin leads to him falling.
We've had nothing from this ref.
But we've not really deserved it to be fair, we should be ahead by 2 at least if we could actually test the keeper.
Saw the stat early in the half that we'd had 64 touches in the oppositions 18yrd box compared to less than 10 by WHU. Too many times we look ti pass aroind the box when a shot would be the better option.

Reiss-Nelson has looked good snce coming on, so has ESR, neither are options to start for Jesus or Nketiah however. Jan window needs to see us buying a striker....

The defender is having his shorts pulled. Never a penalty lol

loyalgunner

Hopeless.

hardly hopeless, half way through the season and we are second, 2 points from Liverpool. Just a blip which highlights a few issues which Arteta needs to resolve. Chin up chap.