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Arsenal finally get the first win on the board despite nervy performance

Arsenal finally got themselves their first points of the season at home to Norwich, lifting themselves off the foot of the table.

The Gunners started the match brightly, although you could feel that our players were lacking in some confidence.

Our first chance came to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but goalkeeper Tim Krul just got enough on the ball to deny his effort, while the Canaries continued to play attacking football.

Despite our opponents playing open, we struggled to carve out that many clearcut chances, but when Kieran Tierney dispossessed Norwich inside our half and spotted a huge gap upfield, his long ball was perfect for Auba to run in behind the defence and claim it, but just as you are expecting him to do his trademark ‘cut to the right and place it into the far corner’, he snatches at a long-distance effort…

We went into the break knowing we should really have been ahead, but also knowing we were going to get more opportunities in the remainder of the 90.

Our main outlet in the second-half was all coming through Pepe down the right, but even he seems to be lacking some sharpness as he struggles to find that final ball or pass which would open it up for his team-mates.

Just after the hourmark Arteta opted to make the double-change, with Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey coming off the bench, and it wasn’t long after that we finally saw the deadlock broken.

Nicolas Pepe received the ball down the far right, and he manages to work his way to the edge of the box before his effort strikes the far post, and he and Krul pounce on the bouncing ball before it somehow manages to work itself to Auba inside the six-yard box to poke home into an empty goal.

Pepe had another of big chances where he should probably have done better with by not actually shooting himself, but the result ended up being the right one finally, and we are finally back to winning ways in the division.

Patrick

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95 Comments

    1. Stop moaning. We beat a team 6-0 just two matches ago. We can win the champions League in two years time (according to Odegaard and Willian). So be very optimistic
      #DontAuoteMeAnywhere

      2. Our 6-0 was using our first team against WBA’s B team😂 and some of us have the guts to say we thrash WBA..

  4. That was another very hard watch. Very very lucky with the goal, 3 points but not much else to say we have turned a corner. Two teams at the bottom of the league and not much between them to be honest. Long long season ahead, the football we are playing has no identity at all. A massive improvement needed from here on. Thought Pepe was good and ESR when he came on.

    1. Let’s be patient @Reggie. The defence was pretty solid. It’s too early to say how things will be. We have to see the Burnley, Spurs and Brighton games first before we get a clear picture of the state of the team.

      1. QD, Hilarious to see the words “Reggie” and “patience” in thre same sentence. Surely you must know he does not even know the meaning of the word!

        1. Jon patience doesn’t really come into it. Just reality, i dont dress things up and i say it as i see it. So what is your problem. I want us to be as good as we should be and we are not, i see nothing at all to do with patience. Its about getting out of this team, what is being put in and not glossing over reality. I pray to god i am wrong and we top the league or are in the top 4 at xmas and Arteta has got 4 manager of the month awards but that or anything even remotely close to it, is never going to happen in my view. We are wasting time with Arteta in my view and the football we are producing is awful. I want to enjoy the football i watch and i dont, that is down to poor coaching. I call a spade a spade and if you dont see that then you are blind. It was a welcome 3 points today badly needed but it was poor fair.

          1. I’m with you on this one @Reggie.

            We have already done a year of ‘Patience’ and unfortunately in the EPL no one gives a shite about a project. Its all about instant points.

            There are some on JA that keep preaching that it is going “to take time” but the way it is going will they be preaching that in 6 months or this time next year? Its like a broken record. This is so bloody frustrating, the team on paper should be competing but yet we are celebrating a win against cannon odder. Let’s just 🦆 MA off and reset yet again as this is frigging painful.

            I’m now gonna listen to some pink Floyd records.

          2. Well Reggie, credit for your full explanation.

            I thought your first line the most appropriate, as it agrees with what I constantly say about you and many others who agree with you.

            Patience IS the reality, my muddled thinking friend.

            Without patience, nothing worthwhile will ever be achieved. I don’t expect top four , in fact it is virtually impossible considering that both MANCS, Liverpool and Chelsea are bound to be there.

            I look at 5th or 6th place as progress and accept that we havde a long haul in front of us to catch those teams.

            So again, I KNOW we need patience . I have it , you do not!

    2. LOL. Very lucky on the goal but Pepe looked solid? He hit the two posts from clear position … Maybe we wouldn’t have needed luck if he hit the damn door at least once from all his tries and especially on the goal.

      Not much between the two teams? 7 shots on target and 12 off vs 1 and 3?

      Pal, you need to take off your dark shade glasses and look a bit more realistic. If your favorite Pepe and if Auba were more clinical this could have easily been 2 or 3 to 0 for us. Honestly the only missing thing today was the final shot.

      2. Pepe is a bit of a luxury player IMO, he has got talent but at what cost to the team, offensively. He is too loose with the ball and still passes the ball back to often. Attack the space man !! Then players can put through balls into that space, there defenders will then fall back creating more space for the midfield. Sambi looks fantastic odegarrd works he’s socks off (which is good for a creative player)
        AMN done nothing wrong today, but I don’t think he adds anything more than Eleney which as been said lots of times..
        But I’m well happy with the win,

      3. I dont think Pepe has a good game but His first shot was with a defender un front of him. Not Quiet simple ir clear chance, if u ve played once u should know. The second one Is a rebound In a disputed ball

        2. Yep you are right, I exagerated, because I also don’t think that Pepe had a good game. He tried lots of times and it was always a near miss. With that said I like Pepe and on a good day he is a real threat. I don’t know what is stopping him to perform good consistently. He finished last season on very good form. I hope he starts scoring again, we certainly need it.

      4. We were very lucky, Norwich were every bit as dangerous as us. I thought Pepe was our driving force, everything that happened came through him. Nobody was outstanding at all today though.

      5. R dont make stupid statements like “dark glasses” just look where we are, what is happening and how we are doing and stop making stupid statements. Everything i say has a basis, i dont have rose or dark glasses, i have an opinion. We AREN’T THAT GREAT!

        1. I never said we are great. AND you are very negative in all your comments, no matter if we win or we lose, hence the dark glasses.

          1. Because we aren’t in a great place, or haven’t you noticed. If you are happy then good luck to you, you are very very tolerant but i am not, i expect far better. We are all relieved with a win but it wasn’t very inspiring.

          2. I can agree with that. But the more you focus on the positives and less on the negatives, the better for your mood and health. 🙂

            And for clarification I am not happy with the current situation either. I expect only wins in the few matches that are coming, and if we go backwards from now on, then we will have to part ways with Arteta. But on the positive side we have a ton of young talent with 5 year contracts. This means that next summer we can bring more talent instead of worrying for keeping the current. We are in a very good place to start building a strong team and to make a core of player for the years to come. The only problem is, we don’t have patience left anymore (myself included).

          3. R my problem with patience is, what basis have we got to say patience is going to pay. Arteta is a rookie and never dont anything like this before, i hope he proves me wrong i do for the greater good, i really do but he is so inexperienced and has nothing to back him up. So im worried.

          4. Reggie I see what you mean and I know Arteta had a lot of time already, but he inherited a mess which I belive he is slowly fixing. I also think that quite often he didn’t get the best out of the players he had currently, but now that he has players of his own chosing I hope his tactics will start producing results consistently. We don’t have mich basis except that despite him being stubborn and with strong character, he hasn’t lost the dressing room, and the players seem to be working their socks off for him. I am still giving him the benefit of the doubt, as he is trying to rebuild the whole team and he has everything to prove, and he loves this club. I hope we start getting wins now, but even if we don’t I believe that, the next manager will reap the rewards of the work done outside the field by Arteta.

  5. It’s looks like it’s gonna be a slog of a season as always.
    Not impressed whatsoever.

    Tomiyasu look solid from what I saw for the time he was on.

    1. We were less than the sum of the parts. Probably because we haven’t had playing time together. We will improve.

  7. Partey and esr did the difference against our direct Rivals in the relegation battle. Yesterday i read that we have the 8th most expensive squad in WORLD football…this Is unaccaptable, arteta can just ask for More Time having that assets AND giving us this level of performances

  8. I wanted a solid defensive display and 3 points. Got both. The goal was flukey but it is what it is!! Hope we go on a good run.

  9. To be sincere, Auba has lost it and he shouldn’t be starting matches. I’ve said it countless times that signing him to a new contract was a big mistake and lastly, MA is not the man to take us forward.

    1. I agree 100%. Better Laca, and MA has no clue what he is doing. Give this team to the Norwich manager and he will give us better results than MA.

  10. Guys, it is a win. Let us celebrate it. 3points is all that matters.
    No need complaining about the performance. Krul made 3 saves that could have been a goal. Let us be optimistic a d relax on the negativity for now. We move to the next game

    1. No no no no. No Skills! 3 points is not ALL THAT Matters. We need our freaking team back. Not this school of grandmothers masquerading as The Arsenal! You all can go on and celebrate this display, but I can tell you MA don’t have the foggiest idea what he is doing!

  11. Goal! Clean sheet! Win! I am a happy bunny lol.
    I thought we were decent, but again as I feared not prepared enough. Everyone was bad infront of goal and we needed a lucky goal to win. Defense was great! Gabi and Rolls Royce could be a great partnership if they can scale their performances up.
    ESR too unlucky, either always hits the post or his shots get saved… rest I missed out. But yeah a win finally! Weekend sorted!
    COYG!

    1. This is the worst performing coach ever at arsenal football club. It has to be. With that performance we can’t even beat Crystal palace. And we are playing at home, and some lovely fans on here is of the opinion that I celebrate the win. This arteta team lacks the impetus to succeed. No footballing spirit, no identity, no brand. Arteta should be sacked in all honesty, the team needs passion now and a fear factor to the opponents, two fear we are lacking…with the arrival of a new coach, the boys will sit up and fight for a place in the team. Lacazette had no game time. This is a joke. It’s a shame to us as a fan to be playing at this level of mediocrity.

    2. I think ESR’s worst spot of luck is having Arteta as his manager. I hope this can be resolved sooner rather than later, but any manager besides Sam Allerdyce would help this kid turn into the Champion he is destined to be. Arteta obviously favours Odergaard. I wonder whether ESR regrets not going to Villa or a well run, forward thinking club like his hometown team Crystal Palace.

  12. i’m glad because we had 3 points on the table and not excited with the performance of the team and we were celebrating the win like we won the the game against a top 4 side, at home against a relegation team of this season, scored a lucky one that’s not gonna happen in every game. poor finishing from all the players especially odegard this guy dont know how to shoot and poor first touches inside the box we need goals from midfielders lokong atleast trying others not taking any chance to shoot even tomiyasu go for it, that left flank was dead with saka’s laziness

    1. 3 points is 3 points it doesn’t have to be against top-four before it can be called three point. You called the goal a lucky goal yes lucky goal u said we can’t be lucky every time but our shots can’t be saved by keeper in all games . I don’t care about the performance I don’t care about how the goal came the most important thing is that we won.

  13. I’ll take the win and the entertainment value from the match. I also like what I see with our new signings, especially the commanding GK. On the contrary, it’s not wise to see this match like a crystal ball of things to come in the coming games.

  16. Finally a win. The defense did great finally. Now the pressure is on our wingers Pepe and Saka and also Odegaard and Smith-Rowe to deliver as well. I thought Maitland-Niles was going to play the game of his life given that he wanted badly to play in midfield but he was a disappointment. Lets see Lokonga and Partey partnership next game. The attacking players really need to stop being wasteful and step up big time.

  17. I think Arteta will switch from the double pivot to a single pivot. I am assuming Arteta has finally figured out his permanent starting XI.

    Ramsdale
    Tomi White Gabi Tierney
    Odegaard Partey
    Pepe ESR Saka
    Auba

    I feel for Sambi but I think this will work. Only concern is our conversion ratio (almost 30 shots to get a goal is alarming). Saka might need a rest.

    Happy with the 3 points, let the team gel together.

    1. Your formation will make us leak more goals. I guess your seeing Partey as the lone DMF. He ventures forward often and odegaard is attack minded also. We will concede goals. That’s why we were all crying out for a DMF during the transfer window, someone of Bissouma’s ilk

  18. Great to get the first points on the board but it is going to be one hell of a long season ,the football being played is so dire I nearly switched off at about 65 mins .
    Looks like Martinelli is going to struggle to get game time again this season which is a big shame .
    Positives -both ramsdale and tomi (MOTM)looked good
    Negatives -Odegaard
    Any onwards and upwards also I’m Happy we have finally started the season 3 weeks after the other 19 teams .

    1. Hi Dan. From what I’ve seen of GM over the past few months, with the exception of one cameo Brazil sub appearance he has been poor, and I wouldn’t play him either. If possible he tries TOO hard. The enthusiasm is great but he’s too uptight to play well. He’s still a kid and it’s been showing.
      Disagree about Odegaard although I can see why you are saying that. If any of the several excellent through balls he played had not been wasted by our profligate Auba and Pepe perhaps he’d have got better reviews.
      I thought Saka was played too deep but was also below par, which without ESR means much of our fizz was missing today. Again proved those two are critical for us.

      1. Not trying to be negative, but I thought Martinelli sent shockwaves through the Emirates with his performances prior to Arteta arriving. What’s happened? Did he suddenly become so useless overnight? The coach needs to answer

  19. Look, we won, Auba scored, clean sheet aswel.

    Look at the positives for god sake, all of you lot doom and gloom people.

    TT18 – considering he had 1 training session, looks very promising at RB, I like the look of this guy, pretty fast aswel, can use both feet, not really sure which one is his strong foot.

    Sambi – was assured in possession, a few iffy moments here and there but again, looks good and the more game time he can get the better.

    MO10 – looked sharper than last game out, I just wish he didnt have to take that extra touch as he can slow our attack down, but he was positive and worked really hard in the press and tracking back.

    Ramsdale – I must say i like him, he moves the ball faster than Leno, better with his feet, gave teh defence confidence, he didnt have much to do in the game but when he was called upon, done very well, nice bit of composure to skin a pressing striker.

    BW4 – played some nice passes, a nice chip ball for TT in the first half was sublime, was pretty solid, a few nice blocks and i thought that He and Gabriel did well in their 1st game together.

    Overall it wasnt the best of games, but as you can imagine, there was alot of pressure on the team to win.
    and sometimes, like this you just dont get that rub of the green to turn things around.

    On another day that could have been 5-0, we created enough to win comfortably
    and there was also Williams, who had a great game tbh for Norwich.

    Now we have the win, its about getting this team to sync and being consistent

      1. Thank God for the winning today, hope such spirit shall be consistent so that we will be librated from the bottom of the table. There were some many wasted opportunities today at the front line which could have gave us high goal margin. In the middle again there were weakness, our openent possed some serious threat after 15 munits of 1st half of playing.

    4. Looked like Ramsdale really controlled the box and communicated. MO10 is now MO8, just a nitpick. Missed the first 20min or so as Peacock failed.

  20. points earned but worrying times ahead. pretty quiet day on the website as well. think arsenal are really getting to some folks 😆

  21. Mixed reaction. Win was priority but scrappy and nervous. Auba and Pepe are infuriating. We miss chance after chance with those two. Defence looked good though despite pressure invited through some awful control and passing. Hope Ramsdale keeps his place. AMN was good in CM, let down only by those usual lapses and numerous overhit through balls, but at least he tried to go forward. Anyone criticising Odegaard just look back at the several through balls wasted by the forwards as usual.
    Lets hope the win calms us down because that was really scrappy. But we must remember most of this team have never played together before, so it could have been worse. My ongoing concern is the inability of Pepe and Auba to finish quite easy chances.

  22. Bare min in the result. Looking at the xG 2.17 vs 0.56 was an expected performance. Not great not bad or lucky either. On to Burnley. Obviously nobody is going to be getting excited until we’ve put a decent run of games together.

  23. Not much to say on that game apart from solid debut from Tomiyasu, he looks a very good player! AMN needs to step it up if he’s to become a regular. Anyway 3 points and onto next week.

  24. Lokonga is a good buy, ramsdale is descent and will get better. Ode really worked hard.. A descent game and hope this springboards the team to a good run. Good luck to the team.

  25. IMO, between Edu, Vinai and Arteta ,
    Arteta should be made the scape goat,

    Our football has no style, no definition, the likes of Ødegaard should be made to come off the bench, Lokonga, Aubameyang, needs to play harder, Smith-Rowe needs to be more decisive, take more shots, saka really needs to shake off and pick up from whatever is happening,

    Pepe obviously is our best scorer, he’s so precise when he aims the post, I wish Arteta would play him behind Lacazette with Smith-Rowe and saka on both flanks,

    Tomiyasu has got the kind of energy we need, it would really be nice to see Tierney and Tavares play together.

  26. We struggled. That’s true. Let’s see what the next ones look like. We need a strong midfield. It’s simply not there

  27. 3 good points on the table….

    Few observations:

    Saka looks ordinary on the left, had 2 shots the moment he shifted to the right….the RW is his best position…we can’t afford to waste the best talent and arguably the only game changer on the team

    Pepe plays better on the left with Tierney overlaps availing an outlet for a quick break….

    Sambi diagonal long passes created chances from deep for auba…the lad has to start by all means especially games where a double pivot would be utilized….xhaka should remain on the sub bench

    Partey would be very crucial for our season..

    Tomiyasu solves a lot of issues for the team with his aerial ability…won some aerial balls today…

    White and Gabriel partnership is the real deal..

    Tierney is too one-dimensional , would like to see Tavares come in at d later stages of a match just to flip things on the opposition’s right back

    Ramsdale should man the posts for now…the lad commands his area very well.

    ESR is very important going forward for the team…arteta has to come up with a system that accommodates him regularly…

    I enjoyed the game…the lads fought for the points and deserved the win….on to the next game

    1. A lot of good points Instroo. Agree about Ramsdale, Tomi, White and Gabriel and also that Tierney is limited. Would also like to try Tavares there.
      ESR is critical and not only was Saka poor on the left, he was also played too deep to be effective.
      Yes Sambi and Partey must be our starting CMs.
      I would start Pepe on the bench honestly. He can create stuff but notice its only towards the end of games. His decision making is awful and he’s too often negative. Can’t afford both him AND Auba missing every chance.
      Can’t agree that the game was enjoyable but still some positives and these guys need game time together.

  31. We commanded total shots and shots on and off goal by a large margin. Infact even more than Man U against Newcastle – the difference is the execution.
    I hope in Time this will be the difference that will I hope give the team and their performances more confidence.

    In fairness to the chances, there was quite a few we should of been more clinical on.

    But generally speaking, it was probably a performance were we should focus on our defensive qualities as all back 4 and our keeper were a 8 out of 10.

    Win ✅
    3pts ✅
    Team play together for 1st time ✅
    Injured players back and playing ✅

    More to come? Definitely

  32. These players are in dare need of a coach. I mean what does it take for a manager to tell Pepe to be direct and decisive? What does it take to instruct Odegard and Smith-rowe to shoot when opportunities presents around the 18 yard box? What does it take to tell Tierney to mix it up, cut inside, cut back, drive into the midfield, combine with other attacking players?
    Oh, I forgot Arteta is clueless! No philosophy, no identity, no pattern.

    1. Another ‘fan’ focusing on narratives of their own than appreciating the win for what it is….a win.
      Again people just focusing on the manager and forgetting supporting the club when they have achieved a win…

      You are not a glass half full or half empty kind of person because you dont get a glass…its a waste….

      Enjoy the Win!!!!

      1. Do you notice Tom, that when we lose even if playing well fans say all that really matters is the result – “points don’t lie”. When we win these same fans say “who cares about the points, we were poor”.
        Impossible to please fans who
        – come on here with the sole purpose of criticising Arteta
        – refuse to acknowledge even that he made some good signings
        – want instant success
        – expect almost a totally new lineup to gel from day one
        I am not a fan of Arteta but the total negativity from some fans when we at last get our first win is annoying.

  33. A win is a win, but this doubling on the wings and trying to hit one man in the box is driving me insane. This is a MA tactic that is not working.

    If you are playing with three up front… get the wider ones in the box to support the CF and stop fannying around on the touch line.

    This was a painful watch yet again… but at least we got a jammy 3 points and hopefully onwards and upwards. 🤞

  34. What a breathtaking game! I couldn’t resist the excitement of that Auba’s goal but the team still has alot to do. Lacazette needs to start, those young guns play well when he is on the pitch.

  35. YES, WE WON,
    and I thought most of the team played very well.

    Odegaard ran around a lot, but never looked as dangerous as did ESR, when he came on. I think the big “O” needs to be more assertive in his play.

    I am still not convinced about this Center Back pairing. I think they may have trouble against Burnley (if they play together).

    Overall, I was worried we allowed Norwich to play as well as they did.

    If we had been playing like a top 6 team, I think we would have had the game won by half time.

    Still, just as the Bachelors used to sing: I believe!!!!

    But this PROCESS seems to be an agonizingly SLOW one!!

    1. lol JW.
      MA seems incapable of teaching the team to press. Not too concerned that the had ball time as our defence with Ramsdale looked good.
      Hoping MO gets more assertive as he beds in. He’s classy but he needs more confidence to show it. He does a lot of good things that aren’t obvious because he’s not flashy. It was no coincidence how our form improved when he arrived last season.
      I’m more inclined to think Pepe and Auba being such awful finishers was what cost us a convincing win.
      Norwich weren’t bad – we will play worse teams this season.

  36. Arsenal have gone seriously backwards under Arteta. 1 goal in 4 games and.palying like a bottom half team. Enough is Enough the owners are incompetent and need to make some serious changes or sell up. ASAP

  37. As bad as we were i thought there were a lot of positives . Could have been 5 nil and norich could have nicked one and the crowd would have turned on the team . The defence looked good in their first game together and many other new combinations. If we lost this or drew the confidence is gone but we can build from here . We gained two points on the leaders so that in itself is reason to celebrate along with the spurs being hammered
    COYG

  38. I guess with this win the glass remains a quarter full and the Arteta heads can nod their heads in righteousness. What do the rest of us know? It’s going to be a long season though, and clean sheets may only be found in the bedroom.

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