It may not have been pretty but Arsenal held on valiantly at Huddersfield to register our first away win in six games, and we are still amazingly in with a chance of reaching our top four target if we continue to ground out wins like that. Unai Emery was not so happy with the performance over the 90 minutes, but still praised the players after the game.
He said on Arsenal.com: “It was very important, this victory, it is three points for us to be closer to the top four, and our target is this. Knowing we need to take the regularity at home and away, and today this victory I think can give us confidence and the possibility to continue our target in the Premier League.
“I am very happy. We were working very well and every player was working and helping each other. Today I am very proud with our work, every player worked. I want more every time, because in the first half the difference between them and us was two goals, and it is not enough, because if they score one they can get more. My ambition is to want them to keep the mentality and don’t concede the position to the opposition. But I know it’s easier on the bench than on the pitch but today I think the players worked well.”
“It is game 26 and there is a one-point difference between Manchester United and us. If we ask if it’s easy or difficult for us then I think it’s difficult, but we can [do it]. On game 26 we are on our way. Our motivation is very great and every player wants to [work hard] in every match and have regularity and consistency in the Premier League in 38 matches, and now we are getting close to our target and to the other teams.”
To be fair Arsenal were decimated by injuries and a reported mini-virus so Emery’s choices were limited, but we still managed to start with a strong starting XI. The most important thing was to get the poinnts and a much needed away win. Let’s be happy with that for now and let’s hope we get a lot of players back next week shall we?
Sam P
Many important players are either ill or injured, but the remaining players worked their socks off yesterday and Emery emphasized that effort in his praise
As what he said, it looks easier outside the pitch, hence no EPL game should be taken lightly. Arsenal would need the extra effort from all players, including the opinion splitters, the usual suspects and the fringe ones
The top four road still looks bumpy because of the Tottenham and Man United matches, therefore I would consider the fifth position as an improvement, considering the injury and the transfer factors
Does anyone seriously believe this squad deserves a Champions League position?Without major investment in defence and strengthening in midfield plus some natural pace out wide in attack we will be watching the likes of Wolves and Everton catching us up not challenging for Top4.
We do have a decent squad of players when all are fit bit we are still miles behind Citeh And Liverpool in terms of quality,most especially defensively.
Our run in looks to be easier than Man Utd and Chelski But with Europa League games coming back this week rotation will come into the line-ups and we just do not have the quality of players in reserve,although injuries are part responsible for this.
Will Elneney ever change a game?Can Eddie come in and score in 6 games running?Will Mavo get game time and command clean sheets?
Too many negatives to be confident.But you just never can tell.
To expect two out of Manure,Chelski and the Spuds to implode is too much to expect no matter how good our form till the season ends
When has an undeserving team ever made the top four? However unlikely we might feel right now, if Arsenal make the top four of course they will have deserved it.
Ok let me put this different way
IF we make the CL via a fourth place finish in the Premiership,we will be required to go through a qualifying round to make the Group Stage.We have done this several times before and never not gone through.When the Euro’s or World Cup is played over that summer we have had some of our best players out until after the qualifying because they were late back for training.
If we do get fourth place this season do you really believe we can qualify with this squad of players?And that’s without any summer tournament.
This defence will embarrass the Club in the CL.We ship goals for fun in the league.Even yesterday we could not help but concede against the worst side in the Premiership who NEVER score.
It might just be that Fourth Place becomes a poison chalice if we do get it and proper investment is not made in the squad.
English teams don’t need to play qualifiers anymore. 4th takes you into group stage now.
Didn’t know that-mind you Its so long since we’ve been in the CL…………
Would’ve saved Arsenal fans plenty of stress if they changed that rule sooner.
The money is not poison we need the 60 mill plus for players
What are you talking about? During Wengers reign we regularly got through the quali rounds in fact I don’t think we have ever failed to get through the quali round so what are you talking about? Seriously. Unless your are talking about the group stage after which again we got through that every year matched only and now surpassed by Real Madrid but we got no credit for that despite the obvious achievement. So what are you talking about? Unless you are talking about the last 16 which we failed but also insanely got Barca/Bayern 5 years out of 7 and the year we got Monaco was their insane year (which again no one mentions despite that squad being lauded in every other conversational sphere) who’s squad is now spread amongst the best teams in europe now. That is just bad luck all were at the top of their games when we got them too.
Who mentioned anything to do with any of Wengers teams?I certainly didn’t.But you being a paranoid AKB can’t leave your doomed EX MANAGER to RIP. can you?
I was talking about THIS TEAM.THIS SQUAD.
Struggle to be a Championship Level team but would qualify for the CL in fourth place.Most likely as third seeds in a group.Could be carnage.
But let’s face it.Wenger embarrasses the Club every bit as much as himself with some of his later CL games.Or have you conveniently forgotten that?
@Phil
Welcome to REAL LIFE.
Since when have footballers more deserving of getting paid £100,000 a week and a Nurse gets paid £23,000 per year. A Doctor being paid £190,000 a year while a footballer gets paid £300,000 a week.
If Arsenal don’t deserve to get into the Top 4 then who deserves? Life does not worl like that. If we finish 4th, 5th, 19th etc then we deserve to finish there because that is what the season would have dictated.
Isn’t it?
Really worried about where Emery is taking us! Huddersfield hasn’t score for like 4-5 matches and sitting on the bottom of the league! Shouldn’t we use the opportunity to score as many as we can to make up the goal difference with teams competing with us for the fourth spot? if Emery is serious about his job? Another thing is, looks like he is determined to have Suarez replacing Ramsey and Ozil, as the Number 10. From Suarez’s two appearances so far, I got a feeling that Emery got a lousy deal! So far, Suarez showed that he doesn’t track back and share any defensive duty, worse yet, he didn’t demonstrate any creativity up front neither!
Is Emery playing a game with Stan Kroenke?
We tried to score, Iwobi messed up his 1on1. Such shame when chances like that dont fall on to Lacazette.
I am afraid certain players are not good enough to make the first 11, Iwobi being one of them. A squad player but never a starter. Unfortunately who do we have to put in his place at the moment…No one
Iwobi end product is poor. Poor deliveries and can’t finish. If he did both of them then we would be talking about a land slide win
I agree. But as you said, we don’t have any better this season so he’ll have to do for now. He’s an acceptable squad player but nothing more.
Emery is not what we need to be honest, the sooner we know this the better.. I mean I slept watching my team play. I can’t imagine my arsenal playing like crap. And don’t give me injury bs.
Hector bellerin the player we miss most.
If a player like elneny can even make it to the bench it shows how desperately the squad is lacking.
The team did well to win yesterday considering most that made it to the line up are average to the very best and others should not be playing in any level higher than the championship
If we want top 4 then we need to invest like a top 4 team
So again someone on here keeps ranting Ozil called in sick and he’s unreliable and what coach would trust him, Lol… it’s not even surprising, I already pointed out how folks will say he’s picking the games he plays.
Regarding the match, the performance was poor, pissful poor against Huddersfield, but hey the three points was the most important thing to bring out of the game.
This squad is too imbalanced, we can create all the excuses we want and say all sorts of stuffs blah blah blah, sentimental BS. Before most of our players got injured, it was an imbalanced squad, when we have every of players, we still fill the pitch with defenders,and it’s okay I suppose, but when the players are not available, the squad is imbalanced because they’re not available?
well, looking forward to the EL game, that’s all I’ve been waiting for
He’s not even allowed to be ill now!! ?
??Sue He caused the sickness, it’s his fault the virus is spreading
He is the virus!! ?
When was the last time you enjoyed an arsenal game for 90 minutes. I prayed for Emery not to get any money to spend in January now am praying he goes at the end of the season.
Jah son
You pray for him to go but you have never answered the question of who you.would.Like to replace him with and why
Pray to get no money in January to strength the squad so we can challenge for a top four spot which would give us momenuum in stabilising our current position of not just being a top 6 club but forcing our way back in the top 4
It’s ironic just to see how far We have fallen
We’re all talking about top 4 and not even a mention of being title winners these day. The manager fault of us being where we are…don’t think so..past regime and current ownership.
So do us all a favour and if you don’t want to support the club or the current man at the helm then watch from afar. Keep your negative thoughts to yourself as its getting a bit tedious reading your comments
Should the boss fail for one reason.or another then.please come back and say I told you so.
Bear in mind though
His failure will be our failure as we will be the ones walking around carrying the burden of knowing our beloved club has become second best which will be a disgrace.
I am not religious but it is Sunday so jah son get behind him and pray he works a miracle with the current crop of inadequate players he has at his disposal to work with. Due to the fact it’s your fault we Had no money to spend in January for players as you prayed for it..plus silent stan has some Part to play in it
Now undo it..?
“You pray for him to go but you have never answered the question of who you.would.Like to replace him with”
I wonder how many fans would have picked Wenger after Rioch.
We need to trust the board to pick the right man, who trusted Gazidis to get a manager with ambition over a manager who would do as he is told?
I recall reading how Raul wanted Enrique instead but Arsenal didn’t have the funds to pay his wages… But Gazidis would have been happy to pay Ramsey his wage hike.
Who would have picked Ole after Jose for UTD?
Just because a fan may not know who he wants to be manager, I think it is fair to say what you want. For example, to be excited for 90 mins.
If you pay me the wages that top teams get paid to scout out potential managers then I’ll draw up a list otherwise, asking who and picking on that over the real issue is just willful ignorance.
Many games left but one game that stands out as a must-win is our game against United who seem IMO the strongest challenger we have for a top 4 finish.
@A.ball08
I don’t think it matters what manager any fan like. The club has a duty to always find someone to continue building on a legacy and the brand of football that attract millions of viewers across the world.
I am afraid I disagree with you jah son
The right manager is key
I do not think at this present moment in time we will find a better person to manage us considering the restraints he has
If you have great players around you then the job is easier
If you are surrounded by poor players which we have abundance of then the job is going to be a lot harder
Forgot about building a legacy for now. That died many seasons ago. Getting back in to the top four so we can attract better players is key now.. How sad is that we have now resorted to this factor
Even getting in to the top 4 won’t guartentee better players coming to us as the owner in his wisdom runs the club with no investment
We should be happy that we have a manager and a man who has won many cups is willing to manage a club that has been under funded for close on a decade
Everyone is entitled to there own opinon and i repsect that but I am afraid yours is wrong about our manager.
You don’t think we can find a better person to manage us. That’s like saying he’s tested and proven. Tell me this please
What’s the difference between what’s happening at arsenal and what was happening to United under Moreno apart from the fact that Emery doesn’t put anything out there in the public.
The difference is approx 370m
And no I don’t think we would be able to find a better manager to guide us through these changing times.
Not saying there is not better managers out there but none who would work with a suppose 45m summer transfer budget.
Now who would you have to take his place as I still not seen.you.mention one name to us
Who who who…
If I said Vieira then you’ll say he isn’t good enough.
I could say Enrique and you’ll turn round and say he wouldn’t accept us.
I would say that some people do not care about the name, they want someone with the right qualities and they do not see those qualities in Emery.
Any name mentioned can be dismissed due to opinion so… Asking for who over what is a BS tactic.
Up.and until the last bit it was pretty constructive but as.aleays you.let.your self down by having to bring wording that wasn’t needed .
What you fail to accept is all the names you have mentioned above ..would they be willing to work under the conditions our current manager works under
No money to invest
Wether you think he has the qualities or not he is probably the only one willing to make a go of it.
Would.you have preferred arteta who was close to getting appointed. Until he realised he wasn’t going to be the manager but rather a puppet for the managemnt
Now who would you appoint taking in to consideration of the financial restriction and conditions. And the question is still who?
And be.nice. it’s a discussion and not abitching contest
We were so poor. As long as we are owned by Satan Kroenke we will buy the lesser players. I notice we loaned Dennis Suarez and Leicester loaned Yoari Tielemans. That in itself shows how deluded our management are. We must get Satan Kroenke out.
Emery wanted Suarez.
Worked with him before and it has been reported enough about how Emery likes players he knows…
Great point Sean.Tielemans is a class act and a cut above Suarez.
Stan is definitely the biggest problem, but I am afraid Emery himself is another big problem we have. I think the man is very tunnel-vision doesn’t like to explore new things! For teams like Huddersfield, we can afford to explore more attacking formation and more aggressive players! For example, having proper winger, like putting Nketiah on the right instead of Maitland Niles, who was horrible and giving away the ball so many times yesterday; having Willock replacing the wasteful Iwobi earlier…
Emery got options, but he needs to get out of his comfort zone and use weaker teams to explore! Sadly, he is not doing that!
Funny how we see things differently Coor, I thought AMN and Iwobi were two of our better performers against Huddersfield.On the downside I thought Mustafi and Torreria were poor.Kocielney was our top performer.
Honestly I really hope we get 5th or even 6th and manure gets 4th, but we win Europa league and take their champions league spot. that would be a trophy for us and no wat anyone says a rather significant trophy and we get the satisfaction of manure not playing champions league after working their asses off.