Arsenal worked hard to earn a win over Watford today at the Emirates, in a game which looked like it was going to get away from us.
We should have gone 1-0 up inside opening 15 minutes when Alexandre Lacazette chipped over the goalkeeper, only for the ball to bounce wide, and almost immediately after Petr Cech was forced into a big save.
We continued to bring the game to our opponents, and nearly opened the scoring once again through Granit Xhaka, who ran onto a rebound rolling out of the box only for the keeper to push it away.
We were also denied a penalty by the referee for a foul on Lacazette inside the box, and at half-time the match looked wide open with both sides playing some more than decent football.
The second half started much like the first, with us continuing to open up the Watford defence but failing at the final hurdle, and the match continued to excite, and entering the final 15 minutes we looked doom to end our run of consecutive wins.
Isaac Success found himself clear through on goal only to (thankfully) push his shot past the keeper and past the post for a goal kick, and it seemed as if they were going to sucker punch us late on and walk away with the spoils, but I was gratefully wrong!
Alex Iwobi runs down the touchline to whip a ball in towards Alexandre Lacazette, only for the big Frenchman to miss a connection and the ball to ping of the defender’s foot and past his own keeper. 1-0 and with less than 10 minutes to go, we can begin to stop holding our breath.
But it doesn’t stay 1-0 for long, as once again Lacazette is involved as he uses his strength to get into a strong position in the box, and he finds an in-running Mesut Ozil to put away. 2-0. Game over.
Did Watford deserve a point for their display? Does Lacazette’s late involvement forgive his early misses? Is he becoming our MVP?
Pat J
A win is always good and I’m glad we got the three needed points.However,some things still need to be corrected with respect to our lineup.I remember when I first said that Auba and Laca in the same team won’t work unless maybe if we play with two up top.I was called clueless and bashed and even till now some see my comments as a joke.Lo and behold we have seen the effect today.Also,Unai Emery’s team selection is bad and I don’t get his persistence.Auba must not play at RW and I think he as as the head coach should face the reality that one of Auba or Laca must be benched.Ozil must also not start at RW and must also be benched if he plays poorly at No. 10 even though tbh I’ve seen him come central and do basically nothing.We have an overrated midfield and an average defender in Mustafi who I hope this is his last season.I turned my back on him when clearly Wenger,who was actually bad with respect to defenders didn’t rate him.Is this the same player he tried to replace Evans with?Good game from Leno.
Agree with everything you said and I’m sure Emery saw those points too, because he gave instructions directly in the field. About Aubameyang’s ineffectiveness when playing as a winger, Ozil’s tendency to stroll to center despite assigned as a winger, etc
Sometimes Mustafi makes silly mistakes or unconvincing, but for me he is Arsenal’s best CB currently. Leno made very good saves
Kev, stop trying to make out you’re Mystic Meg and also whenever has Auba played RW?
Not mystic meg or whatever.I stated what was glaringly obvious.Its not rocket science that Auba and Laca in the same team unless with a two top won’t work.I too have the right to speak for or against the motion with regards to their so called good combination.
… and your answer to Declan’s question: ‘whenever has Auba played RW?’ is what?
Do you watch the matches in a freakin’ mirror!?
Or simply don’t know left from right?
i miss the like button days for comments like these 🙂
I RECKON YOU ARE ALMOST ALONE IN CONSIDERING THE HAPLESS , STUMBLING MUSTAFI AS OUR BEST CB. I say he is the worst defender in the club, equal worst with Bellerin. I also predict that Holding will now start in front of him, alongside Sokratis(when he is fit).
Did he do something horrible in the first half? I only watched the last thirty minutes
He gives many free kicks away by stumbling on players and making stupid fouls. But he was good today.
Might I suggest Rob Holding today produced the best CB performance of the season today.Hopefully Mustafi was able to pick up a few tips on how to DEFEND as a Premier League Centre Half.
And two shout outs-Firstly to Alex Iwobi for coming on and having confidence and determination in his performance that undoubtedly gave us a more balanced attacking threat.And to Emery for taking of Ramsey who again showed he is never a No10 type player no matter what he might think.
@Phil, I like Holdings imperious attitude.
@georgie b-He seemed very composed and determined which I liked.Emery has obviously been working with him and to me it’s showing a marked improvement in his game.Not easy playing next to Mustafi who is a mistake waiting to happen.I list count of the number of needless free kicks he gave away.If Sokritis is fit next week I would have him straight in next to Holding with Mustafi benched (sat next to Ramsey).
Glad you are now seeing Iwobi’s promise I had been drawing your attention to despite all the bashing he was receiving from most of you.
@Abel-I have seen a marked improvement this season and all credit to Emery in achieving what Wenger was incapable of doing.The player still has a long way to go though.So let’s not suddenly pretend he has morphed himself into Messi
Great points you make, Phil. I esp like the improvement in IWOBI under Emery, which might confuse SOME of the Nigerians on here who thought we did not rate him BECAUSE HE IS NiGERIAN, which is of course ludicrous. We did not rate him , simply because, til this season , he was not doing the business. Now he is and I personally hope he starts at Fulham instead of Auba as wide man who is wasted playing wide. I agree with Adrian Clarke on the club commentary site who thinks we should play both Auba and Laca as joint strikers, both centrally with Ozil CENTRALLY, just behind. But there is very clear evidence of a new and far more tough attitude with Emery in charge, both as the players are fighting much harder, are looking physically tougher AND (oh joy!!!) with Emerys refusal to keep under performing players on the pitch and use subs when they are needed, NOT only in the bloody 70th minute, which Wenge was a slave to. Starting now to see real shape and progress, despite all the problems which will still exist until we get certain players out the door and better replacements in.
silly foul on gray like really silly which could have caused us trouble if cech didn’t get brave and lucky…also kept it safe when he should have passed on several occasions other than that did ok, but him and cech are not suited with the ball at feet way of playing
Kev, you’re hilarious. One game that Auba and Laca don’t score and it what, it proves what!. Lacazette was involved with both goals. Everyone in the media is adamant that the two of them look great together on the field and even off the field. They’ve been combining and doing great together almost every-time they play. Lacazertte on his own last season, was on his own, no-one was on his wavelength on a consistent basis. He looked patchy and isolated. Auba looked good last season but it was with Lacazette he looked his best. He got the call at the start of season to start on his own and it was the worst form anyone has seen from this player. Two of them came in and the stats start shooting up between the two of them. What planet are you on son. They wont do it in every game like that’s just stupid, seriously you haven’t got a leg to stand on.
Have you been watching the same games as me?Auba has been average at the wing though he’s scored goals.I have and will still be vindicated as long as Auba is played at RW.Do you even know Ozil at RW could have scored in every match this season and people would still call him to play at No. 10?Please get your facts straight.Auba has been average as a winger and it’s only his goals that has somewhat made him look ok.I never said Auba won’t score as a winger.All I said was Auba at RW will be average and I think I’m right so far from an objective point of view but I guess stats will be your only defence.On stats basis in EPL this season players like Ramsey and Ozil are very much part of our best players and should start.Nothing you ever say shall change my mind about Auba as a RW because I even saw him at Dortmund.Good thing football ain’t all about stats hence players like Iniesta and Hazard are rated.
Goalscoring and assisting are stats that matter, sure the scoreline at the end of a game is a stat. So don’t give me that BS, like I said, you got no leg. Ramsey is poor on the field this season, his stats suggest the same. Ozil has not created one assist this season, again BS, you’re hilarious dude.
Sorry you’re speaking nonsense.Please tell me where in my reply I said goalscoring and assisting don’t matter.Ypu speak so much nonsense and you refuse to listen.Please read my comments well.I said based on the stats of Ramsey and Ozil this season in EPL they are part of pur best players.Why choose only assists for Ozil?Someone whps even played at RW and out pf position.By stats I mean goals or assists in this case.You might think you speak sense than me but even a kid will agree with me when I say Auba at RW has been poor regardless of scoring or not.
People who are honest know Walcott was generally poor in 16/17 season in EPL but stats say otherwise.Please let’s not lie to ourselves.
Are you for real, you just rubbished his match winning ability and said stats can be misleading. That’s why I called BS because a bloody scoreline is not misleading. This wasn’t an argument about stats, Ramsey, Ozil, or now bloody Walcott. Can you not stay on point without hopping from one thing to the next. Forwards are there to get end results. Aubameyang is a good wide forward because he can play through the middle, he can work the sides, and he is dangerous from outside the box. He’s clinical, so when he gets chances he’s a good bet. He also creates. Defending, the entire team needs to brush up on this, I haven’t seen the evidence where he’s a liability and he’s never gonna improve. He played wing in France, he made his name as a winger. In Dortmund he was a very good winger, he was involved with allot of end result. He moved centrally and yes he scored double his figures. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good winger, Dortmund were actually at their very best when he played wing and Lewendowski played centrally. At the very beginning I was of the belief that Auba had to play centrally for us. Not now, Lacazette is a right handful and the two of these players work well together. How anyone can say otherwise has me at a loss. You just say nonsense, rather than try and argue your case you call other views nonsense!! and change the subject so many times that I’m not sure which remark to reply to.
I don’t other views nonsense.I only do that when someone insults me before replying to me which is what you did using world like BS and all that.We all have our opinions and I haven’t forced my opinion on you.I for one believe Auba at his best at LW was an ok winger but a world class striker.I am in no way tarnishing his image but imo he was never going to cement a starting place as a LW had he gone to any other top team because he wasn’t really that good as a winger.It was CF which utilized his abilities and brought the best out in him.Now today the world sees Auba as a world class CF.You have your opinion and I have mine.I just don’t get what the hullabaloo is about.I think hes an average winger and I’ll continue to stick to my view until proven wrong by actual performances for us.You’re also very annoying because you’re are to saying things I didn’t say and also you clearly don’t understand what I’m saying.
If you want someone to take you seriously learn to respect the person’s opinion before replying.You can’t be getting away with insults which actually denote the kind of person you are.Look at your first reply to me and you’ll know what I mean.If you can give it then you should be able to take it.
Class!
Also,to clarify I’m not plastic.Unless you’re new here everyone knows that on the first time Emery put Auba at RW I wa against it.What do we care about what media and everyone think with regards to Auba and Laca?I couldn’t care less.We are noy here for emptions but for results.If one of them is unhappy about being benched he mifht as well leave at the end of the season.I don’t care if you don’t want to see what is glaringly obvious that Auba and Laca must not be in the same team unless we are playing with two upfront.Auba is a world class CF not a world class RW.Its annoying to see people ignore something glaringly obvious.
The results speak for themselves, very true, when I tried to say as much, you changed the conversation to go deeper into stats and then tried to bring up two totally different players. They’ve combined to good effect this season, good effect in the sense that it adds to the scoreline/points total. Attacking wise, to suggest Aubameyang has not been a good influence from the wings is totally ignoring the facts. I’d say of all the leagues wide players, Aubameyang is sitting up there among them nicely.
When someone has a certain opinion it just looks desperate when they ignore all the previous just so they have anything to use in reinforcing ones own belief.
“When someone has a certain opinion it just looks desperate when they ignore all the previous just so they have anything to use in reinforcing ones own belief”
I told you I’m not plastic.I said this before Auba played his first game at RW in EPL this season.I have nothing against the guy but from what I watched from him at Dortmund as a RW and from what I’m seeing here this won’t end well.Having Auba and Laca at this point in time is like having prime Drogba and Torres in one team.Unless you play a two top one of them will always be useless.It just isn’t working for him at the wing.Maybe you watch different game from me and you think hes been class at RW.I respect your opinion but please note that I do not force anyone to share in my view or opinion.For if you fail to see what is glaringly obvious I don’t know what to say anymore.
Kev is correct on the two top. Auba is a striker, not a winger. Ozil is play maker who needs to roam and create not defend–we are paying for creating/scoring goals.
Playing from the back philosophy is okay if there is great talent there, but we have poor talent at the back. So, let them clear the ball at dangerous times, or supply it to the middle.
Clean sheets are must. So the back three should be focus on defending and organizing this properly. Learning to dribble and keep possession is a long term goal, but for now keep that ball away.
Eventually Emery will learn to adapt to a back three as the action is in the middle. There is also more talent in the middle than the back, and it also the middle that supplies the ball to the forwards.
The two top formation best going forward.
————Auba—–Laca———- [Let Auba-Laca be the best]
——————Ozil—————- [Leave Ozil to create/poach]
Welbeck–Xhaka—Lucus–Iwobi [Engine room.]
—-Monreal—Holding—-Lich—- [Defending is all that is asked]
——————Leno—————
When this team get going, it will sort of what Wenger wanted, but did not have the luck to land great defensive backs. We need two defenders and a legitimate winger to get to compete for 2nd place.
JJPawn, this selection has promise.
shut up mate,Arsenal is producing bcos the two have been both included, initially when it auba alone,Arsenal found it difficult even scoring, now u can for sure bet that irrespective of who our opponent is & no matter how gallant their defence is, we WI surely score
Agree … But We need to replace bellerin and mustafi ASAP … Lichsteiner poor against brentford but he is a way better defender than bellerin who is utterly useless … Ramsey can play in Europa at most hapless footballer would prefer Iwobi which is saying something for me … Holding looks to be improving significantly impressed with him … And torreira has to be our best signing in years … I would prefer guindoza to xhaka as a starter though he had a decent game today … I don’t think wenger would have won this game so emery a plus if still learning
Good game! Watford is such a tough team. Ozil is my man of the match.
I don’t get this. We still came out 2-0. It’s hard to make a justification after a few games. Emery has no politics with the players, unlike Mourinho, Emery is experimenting. Laca and Auba will have to play together, so does Ozil. THeir contracts said so. It’s just a matter of finding which shoe fits best.
Kev,
You sound like an individual who is not a high achiever in either academic or commercial life. You clearly are a plodder. If you had a “V12 twin turbo” engined race car, you will clearly disconnect one of the “Turbos” and the fuel lines to 3 0r 4 cylinders ! at the start of a race !
We are given to understand that Unai Emery (head coach) diligently and relentlessly studies many of the past games on DVD with his coaching staff of all the EPL, ECL and champions league teams and he[Emery] hi-lights these in his training and coaching, at least this is what we were led to believe by Ivan Gazidis during his speech when Emery was introduced as the New Coach. This aspect has not been born out by the players on the field thus far. Emery clearly fails to “grill” the boys in the class room with DD evidence and fails to “drill” the players on the training field with what was learnt in class room adequately over and over until the “blue prints” of positional, cohesive synchronous positional movements become imprinted in the players brains for quick one touch accurate passing to front of feet, and not to behind the players who are running forwards, when the player has to stop track back pick up ball and begin the run again thereby losing all momentum and allowing the opposition to regroup.
Emery must use both his “turbos”, Lacazette and Aubameyang at the same time in every game is a given but Emery must know from history of Aubameyang at Borrussia Dortmund that he[Auba] played as a striker and Not a Winger and his 98 goals only one came from outside the box !
Given this then how can Emery use both Aubameyang and Lacazette together and bring the best from both. Simple solution; change the 4321 formation to a 4141. In this format, Emery can allow Lacazette in his best position as Central Striker upfront with Aubameyang and Ozil in the middle and directly behind Lacazette and flanked by two wingers.
Yes Emery must insist that AFC sell Ramsey, El Neny and Mkhitaryan this January and sign Nabil Fekir(attacking box to box midfielder) Alex Telles(Left Back) and either Gelson Martins or Ismaila Sarr both top end Wingers.
You also said Ramsey would sign a contract and Xhaka wasn’t good enough to be a footballer. What’s your point? 7 wins consecutively, Emery must be doing something right. Concur with your Mustafi comment though, he’s an absolute clown.
Just saw the last thirty minutes, but it was bad and the statistics are not good too
Luckily Watford scored an own goal. They had to be attacking afterwards and it opened the opportunity for Welbeck to rob the ball, passed it to Iwobi, then Lacazette to make an assist for Ozil
A win is a win, but they cannot keep riding their luck, especially with those opportunities they gave to their opponents. But I liked how Emery barked and gave instructions in the field, as compared to the timid Wenger
Besides for Success chance, we didn’t give them multiple golden opportunities like we have in a bunch of other games. Frustration came from our sloppy passing and finishing. Defensively, it’s a step in the right direction. And our midfield, Torreira mainly unfortunately, put our defense under pressure a lot by giving the ball away. We put ourselves in bad positions instead of being opened up by opposition on a regular basis. Thought Holding very good today. Seems to have become much more comfortable in defense.
The 2nd half kings strike again ? up to 5th and United thumped can’t get better than that! Statue for Emery ?
Happy days John! What a weekend so far (pity about the spuds!)
I know Sue, there’s always one that ruins it.. ah well they still need hard hats at the lane ? Chelsea winning, within 3 points of the mighty Liverpool if nothing changes ?
Sue any love for iwobi yet?
No complaints from me
I never complain after a WIN
That’s what I want. 3 points
I leave complaints for loss or draw.
Let’s focus on our next match and hopefully Emery and our coaches can do their job and fix anything that needs fixing before the next match
United Lose
Arsenal WIN
Not to bad LOL
COYG
?
Innit, solid 2:0 win against Watford, who were deservedly (the table doesn’t lie) in fourth place unai Emery got the selections right in the second half.
Lacazette is getting into positions to score goals and was unlucky today. What some people seem to forget is the Aubameyang playing along side Lacazette provides a dual threat for defenses; if they concentrate on marking one, the other is given space.
Ozil into the centre was positive and he seems to be getting into goal scoring positions more frequently.
There is no doubt that Emery has had a positive effect on Iwobi and Holding; hopefully these young players continue to improve.
What does Lacazette have to do to win a penalty; I can think of three clear penalty decisions not awarded so far this season?
I think that was a good match, very entertaining game and with a lot of positives aside of the three points…this was not the day of laca, but I’m very happy with him…he is a fighter
I have to recognize that this was a good game for xhaka and when emery change Ramsey for iwobi i didn’t like it, but in the end of the day iwobi got a great impact
Both Iwobi and Mkhitaryan deserved to start in EPL, but I think they would only start in the upcoming Europa League game
It was a great substitution, iwobi 30 minutes on the pitch was greater than Ramsey’s 60, he was directly involved in both goals and continually terrorized Watfords defence. He’s the 2nd best player on the pitch today after xaka
How good has xhaka become!?
Brilliant win!! 7 wins in a row, is this arsenal? I know the wins haven’t come easy but its still impressive, last season there would have been more draws and losses regardless of who we played. This match shows why we need wingers, as soon as ramsey came off and iwobi came on, we looked more dangerous as we were more direct on the wings. If iwobi can make kind of impact, imagine what a world class winger or wing forward could do. Aubameyang also isn’t performing as well on the wings and its a dilemma as to how make it work as we can’t play 4-4-2 judging by the team we have. Ozil and ramsey were anonymous in the game at least until ozil moved to the center where he scored. Ramsey should always start on the bench, there is no way to play him and ozil if we want to have a balanced midfield. Overall, a shaky performance but a very much needed win.
Iwobi should be starting at d xpense of Ramsey.. Ozil in CAM.
Mustafi benched for Sokratis.
…big up Leno, impressive n confident display.
Perfect September! It’s been such a looooong time
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I loved this game maily coz it is a 90min.game….again Uni’s sub. the difference….game by game the confidence of the players grows….everybody fights….one point behind chelsea….fifth in the table…LACA..and IWOBI…CONTRIBUTED A LOT….OZIL.AND XHAKA…DID….THE CREATIVE PART….wow….wow
Can these stooges keep their but, but, but and but away from here we won and that all that matter.
Taking Ramsey off for Iwobi really improved our attack, Iwobi gives more forward drive and has really improved under Emery… Not happy to lose Cech, hope Leno will do right from here on. We are under the media’s radar currently and I’d like it to be that way.
Let’s keep building this momentum..
P.S: Ozil is better at NO 10, not Ramsey
I’ll be honest, I was worried right up til that own goal went in. The game looked even enough and that goal was a sight for sore eyes. Decent ball across by Iwobi but it was what Lacaette was doing that made the ball cross the line. We looked better attacking when Ozil moved centrally, but he still will not chase a man who he is standing right behind for some reason. Leno was quick off his line, that was good and he looked assured without being truly tested. Great win, its brilliant that we seem to be building a winning habit. The players looked like they felt it was only a matter of time, they didn’t panic and send everyone forward like they used to, because that backfires too easily I was glad to see them not rushing forward. Onward’s and upwards, Ya Gunners Ya!!!!
There was a certain Sanchez and said he wants title and went to Manure. We are winning and they are ….. Ask Sanchez.
So happy for the win today. Watford are no push over this term.
Exactly, I think when people are talking about certain AFC players having a poor game, they don’t credit the opponents enough. Watford are a tough side, even tougher this season. Defensively they know how to lessen a threats input for his side. Aubameyang’s threat was minimal today, he didn’t play as well as we know he can. Watford are a big reason for that, they’ll have specific orders to not give him the space to run into. Lacazette for most of the game it was similar for himself, in the end he made a huge contribution. Watford tried to do a job on him too. We didn’t panic, and Iwobi’s fresh legs coming on late helped open up things a bit up there. Monreal looked knackered, he’s being over used a little, and it could have been a problem but we held in. It wasn’t an easy game so its a good win.
Hopefully, Kolasinac can soon lighten Monreal’s load. Also Lichtsteiner can capably play LB if required.
Take the win and run essentially. 7 wins in a row. Hasn’t even happened for City, Chelsea, or Liverpool in all comps. so let’s just be positive about that. We have needed to win these games to have a chance at top 4.
Money was on Arsenal collapsing. Seemed like a sure thing in AW era. Mentality change to find a way to win this one.
Ugly win i take it any day.
Mustafi collecting yellow cards with his silly mistakes lol.
Leno looked nervous made good saves. However he was lucky few times that ball he didnt hit and ball between his legs gave me heart attack.
Iwobi look so much better. I think it must be his juice. Also give some to Bellerin.
Great win. Iwobi MOTM for me
What a relief! For a moment there it was looking like a draw at best…then we started scoring and scoring! Terrible performance but excellent result..I’ll take it! Hopefully Ramsey on the bench from now on.
Short review. Our attack let us down today, and our defense was very sharp. Toerriera and Xhaka are a fantastic duo. Bellerin and Monreal did do much today as well. Mustafi should stop jumping over strikers and give the good opportunities to hit free kicks. Holding was great. Abuama should not play as a striker from the beginning. During the match coming from the sub yes, but not from the start. Iwobi is the sole person who can run with the ball, a reminder to Arsenal to look for the future and secure a player who can do the same if not a better job than Iwobi. Laca should stop being so full of him self and not get to cooky with his goal scoring stats. Do the job and no fancy bs from now on.
And here is what you people need to understand once and for all. Before now and always football is going to be a game of brains. Its better to have a Ozil who you barely see in the pitch but when it comes to it makes the diff compared to a player who runs all over the pitch and does absolute nothing. Mesut needs to start as a 10 forever while Ramsey can play 10 at Barcelona or Cardiff wherever he prefers to go.
We are going to fight spurs for the 4th place. Its going to be a hard battle that i am sure. Up the Arsenal.
Abuama winger*. bad. Where is the edit button when you need it the most. lol.
? uearghhh win win win
Oh my…
Leno… Great save.. Palm away deeney header good to his confident
Ya gunner ya
I’m so happy!!
Ooh to ooh to be ooh to be a gooner ?
Regardless of what all those stupid pundits will say,
Lacazette works so hard,ozil was nowhere in the First half,but improved very well in the second half,iwobi changed the match,well deserved 3 points
FANTASTIC – Bellerin, Torreira, Xhaka, Laca, Iwobi, Cech
GOOD – Holding, Monreal, Welbeck, Leno
OK – Ozil, Auba, Mustafi
Ramsey’s issues must be doing some bad things up in his mind – affecting is performance
Yeah Auba, Ozil are not Wingers but its working atm, why the persistent whining and negativity
So as a Manager – if u string-up an 11 that has an habit of winning – u will still be disordering it ?
Anyone who thought bellerin was fantastic that match must have had too much of the paella … One of the worst defending fight backs I can remember and despite his reputed pace I can’t actually recall him going past anyone in the 90 mins … Need a quality RB in the window
Can’t believe people are complaining. This is the 7th win in a row. If Emery can pick up points while still developing his team then I would see that as a positive.
Sure he has some bad players. He inherited them. The senior management are working on an overhaul but years of squad mismanagement wasn’t going to fixed in the last window, neither the next or the one after that. This lone of thought is along the lines of a fat person that has abused his body for years wanting a 6 pack in 2 months because he is going on a beach holiday.
Good analogy Robin, I am hoping to do it in 3 months; wish me well! (LOL)
think there is a lot of improvement in the team each game they play. They are not playing badly thou not outstanding.
The main positive for me this season is their cutting edge, using few minutes to decide games unlike playing 90+ minutes with no good result.
That being said, moving Ozil to the wing to accomodate Ramsey in AM is a crime. If Ozil must be bench it should be for a better creative player, Mhki and even Iwobi is way more creative than Ramsey. Ramsey has better work rate u can’t dispute that. For Auba he plays too much with ball.
Finally, the need for wingers in this set up is very glaring.
Editor: In response to Qs:
(i) Did Watford deserve a point for their display? Not in my view, i believe the game panned out as the hornets must have expected, they’re meant to come emirates stadium with plans no more than damage limitation. Expectations at Vicarage Rd can only be to maintain premiership football, also to cheer Elton on in concert and little more than that.
(ii) Does Lacazette’s late involvement forgive his early misses? with Lacaz, if you looking for faults you’ll find them; similarly if you looking for pluses we’ll find them too, but objectively this is a striker that is going from strength to strength; i only hope hes the stamina levels to see us through the oncoming season(s); far as progress goes he’s fast becoming our most potent strike option.
(iii) MVP? No – Robin holds the accolade of being a “master striker”, he exemplified the art form of being the front man, and taking things to another level. im thinking of goal he took from Alex Song against everton, something he did twice at least. But Alex Laca can etch out his own name as long as he remains focused he will improve at arsenal where he has the chance to be a football giant, or even an immortal… its really up to him if he’s the will to push on from here.
Can anybody explain what an MVP is? i took it to be RvP (Robin vanPersie) 😀
Most valuable player
@Ackshay: Thanks
I’m not an admirer of xhaka but he had a decent game today as did Holding and Iwobi when he came on.Ramsay and Auba were anonymous.
Grandad, Aubameyang was tightly marked by Watford because they are worried by his pace. This allowed Lacazette more freedom.
I have stated for some time the Xhaka’s performances will greatly improve once he is playing along side Torreira. Long may it continue.
I honestly didn’t see us winning this game, but Iwobi coming on really changed our game. Iwobi looks a totally different player from last season, I’m always happy to see a player making improvements. Ramsey should be starting from the bench, I don’t understand why Emery keeps starting him. Mustafi makes needless fouls, Bellerin as always very poor in defending. I’m happy with the win, we are grinding out results despite some poor performances. I hope we can keep this momentum going. Onwards & Upwards.
By the way. Holding man of the match. Sokratis+ Him for the future.
agree. Emery must be pleased. I doubt he’s convinced by Mustafi and is glad Holding is starting to become a viable option
…not so long ago we found ourselves in 16th or 17th place and today we’re in contention for 3rd spot. We really need this team to be consistent and hold form which i’m optimistic can be achieved with the return of AMN and of course Kolasinac (the tank). Of course how well we prepare for the oncoming transfer window will determine our real ambition…
by saying “how well we prepare…etc” – i’m hoping that we’ve the intention to go into the market and spend?
?
It’s strange.
Our chances of finishing in the top 4 are the same as last season and we could finish 6th place again. BUT I’m enjoying this season under Emery and I was miserable last season under Wenger
Emery getting 2 defensive midfielders is something Wenger never would have done. Emery is a breath of fresh air.
4 points off the top!
Innit, Arsenal’s chances of top 4 are enhanced compared to last season because we now have a proper DM in Lucas Torreira. In addition there is no doubt the mentality within the team is much improved and Unai Emery drives from the sidelines and makes changes where required.
A good game and a hard fought victory in the end well deserved. I think Ramsey should be dropped to give the team more balance up front.
Building on strongly but there’s still room for improvement.
The carabao cup draw is at 9
We are just 4 points off the leader board.. just a thought….
? How does this compare to last season at the same stage?
Arsenal v Blackpool carabao cup
The Ozil brigade talking about how Ozil looked good when he was moved to the centre. Apart from the goal he was absolutely poor all game.
He is doing what Ramsey has been known for after his 2014/15 purple patch season.
Ramsey has been scoring patchy goals here and there while being absolutely a passanger in the team. Ozil is doing the same. Wait until these patched up goals dry up, then you will realise how deceiving he is.
We need more midfielders that are well rounded in each game. Not waiting for a goal or and assist here and there. I want much more involved midfielders that can do more than on thing in each game.
Spot on with Ozil. I actually forgot he was even playing in all honesty. His goal (which was a tap in by the way), really saved his performance. I always expect him to go missing against quality opponents…but it was Watford, and we were at home!
He bloody scored!!! Isn’t that what we all wanted??!!
How many times has Ramsey put in bad performances but still knicked a goal? And he still get berated for his displays. Ozil can’t get a pass either. He was a ghost today, but turned up when it mattered so I’m fine with it overall, but pretending he was brilliant at any stage of the game isn’t the truth
LOL!
Watch the game… Ozil was allover the place linking/creating/thinking.
He does not play silly English ball of the past that silly fan think is good, for example, the rough style of Deeny.
If you like Deeny, then go swap Ozil for Deeny. 😉
On the goal, if you look at the pinpoint shot and the acceleration to get to the area to do that, you can see why he is a genius.
?funny how Ozil is in the right place at the right time!
Spot on … It’s easy to get frustrated with him but stupid comments about him on this site beggar belief … Also emery has upped his effort level for sure … Silly suggestions about how Iwobi should start over him not to be taken seriously by anyone with minimal understanding of the game
expected the backlash. Ozil always has his fans. It’s fine. You’ll see as time goes on he’s not good enough
What part of the TV did ya watch? If you’re saying ozil was poor today, then think again. He was good and always know where to find players on the pitch. Why slate the poor guy?
he was as invisible as Ramsey. Even more invisible when he moved to CAM. His goal saved a poor performance.
We must not have watched the same match. The Ozil I saw was pressing hard, gave through balls for the strikers. He was on the left, right and central. He was everywhere on the pitch. He didn’t misplace a single pass. And in the end, he scored. Please how was that a bad performance?
Sue I hope you don’t hate iwobi so much anymore?
Well Pat, I have to say there has been an improvement ?
Haha!
Iwobi is bigger now. More powerful. That him becoming a man. He is going to improve as his confidence grows. That is why Wenger gave him time. He also has experience playing for his national team.
Ramsay on the other hand is sliding. He is unable to think creatively and unselfishly, despite the talent. Time to sell him.
Sue, now has Iwobi’s picture on the wall along side Emanuel Petit, Kolasinac and Lichtsteiner ??.
Haha hilarious Ozzie ????
Our team has continued to grow in confidence, 3 points, a difficult opponent, but the thing that stood out for me we never seemed panic and stood up to a more physical team.
Our final pass and finishing still a let down, i still have concern with team selection, but we are slowly developing a style, we can only get better playing more games with a set unit, so on to the next game.
You’re the koscielny in my defence, my Lacazette in attack. My love for you will last like Petr Cech. Pls don’t leave me like Alexis Sanchez. I won’t pass you backwards like Xhaka. Babe in times of troubles I’ll save you like Leno. I love you like Santi Carzola loves Arsenal. I will be consistent like Gouendozi and patiently wait for you like Rowe. I will always be passionate like Emery and hardworking like Alex Iwobi. Even though people say I’m not too good like Ozil of old. Yet I’m ready to prove them wrong like Torreira. Because old things have passed away. They still might not approve our pair like that of Xhaka with Guenduozi, but you have no worries bcoz I have a Aaron Ramsey and Mkhitaryan combine of trust in us so I’m rest assured. I will dodge other girls like Aubameyang dodged Pickford. Even when the deal is going on I’ll prove to you I have the strength of Monreal and the pace of Bellerin. My penalties always hit the spot like Thierry Henry. #copied
3 points and a clean sheet! The only downer being Cech’s injury – otherwise a perfect game for me is; 3 points, no injuries and a clean sheet.
My highlights from our last two games:
2nd goal mid-week: Leno’s chipped ball, Lichtsteiner’s brave header, Mkhitaryan intelligent use of the ball to set up the rest of the move.
2nd goal today: Welbeck in mid-field to win that ball, Iwobi again involved and credit where it’s due, a pretty neat finish by Ozil.
It now seems certain Ramsey is off at some point, either January or in the summer. I do hope we can keep a hold a of Welbeck, top squad player and definitely someone who can be very useful in Emery’s Arsenal.
With Kroenke now in complete control, I am not so certain we will be seeing any further big signings, but as a fan, and as an optimist – I do hope we are genuinely looking to bring in at least one of the wingers we are being linked with – obviously Pavon would be a huge statement of intent. I would be happy with Sarr or Pepe (not seen either) because it would also be a case of addressing shortcomings in the current squad. All we would then need next summer is a centre back and a new first choice playmaker / #10.
Anytime xhaka and Torriera play together our team is more balance. Laca should learn to fall when giving a knock in d box to win penalty, and he should do more shooting than skills in d box. I give iwobi credit for d display, likewise emry, his sub is always class. Nice game guys, 7 wins that’s great. I am so happy.