Arsenal’s target was just to win – and they did it in 20 minutes!

At last Arsenal got their act together and won a game this year at last. It definitely seems to make a big difference playing in front of our home crowd at the Emirates, but more important was the urgency which the team showed by trying to put the game to bed as quickly as possible, and as Laurent Koscielny said, our target was just to get the three points.

“It was very important because the last few games we didn’t play well and didn’t get the three points, and we didn’t give as much as we need to, to win games,” our captain said. “Today we were focused on what we want to achieve together, we know we have the quality technically and physically but mentally we needed to push ourselves more. We just had one target and that was to win, and the first half was very good.

“In the second half we were not efficient, we lost a lot of balls and we didn’t play well but we kept the win. Today was important for our confidence and confidence comes with results and wins. So today we are a little bit more confident than last week.

“Without sacrifice on the pitch, the defensive runs and offensive runs give solutions to your team-mates. If you don’t keep this you can’t win in the Premier league so we need to keep this.”

Of course the win was the most important thing, and it was our first of the year after five winless matches, and it was great to see the players working for each other and celebrating together. They looked like they believed in each other.

A perfect display and hopefully we can keep this team spirit for the rest of the season. Who knows where we will end up?

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38 Comments

  1. Wenger just said “Nothing is happening with Abumeyang. He has been left out of the squad but it has nothing to do with transfer”.
    I can’t see it happening. Still fingers crossed cause the same things he has said in past like for Mustafi and lacazette.
    But maybe it’s just our old Arsen playing with media outlets. Or it might be cause of Dortmund slamming Wenger a couple of days ago due to his talks about their player.

    1. BBC saying Sanchez Mkhi deal is done.
      Straight swap no money involved.
      Poor agents get nothing then?
      But who knows what deals were
      struck under the table.
      Truth will out eventually..

      1. Wenger has admitted in today’s press conference that Alexis and mikhitariyan deal is imminent. But has amid all links for abumeyang poring cold water over the deal.

  2. Finally, I watched a game in a very easy mood. From now on, I would like a few more games like that.
    And I am waiting for Ozil and Wilshere su to extend,and Mhkitaryan and Aubemeyang to sign, so I can slowly start looking forward to the next season and maybe few good games in EL.

  3. Forget Aubameyang and lower your expectations to save yourselves from disappointment.

    Wenger has,disappointed us a lot more than made us happy.

    1. Yes, but let me believe for just a few days that Sven is in direct contact with the Board and that transfers are out of Wengers hands 😉

  4. I hope I’m wrong but this could be the most damaging win when it comes to transfers…winning 1 game, after about 20 minutes of really good play, is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things…only those with the most selfish of intentions would suggest otherwise…the only reason we’re even in this predicament, where were celebrating our first victory of 2018 against a bottom half squad who is managed by possibly the only individual more antiquated than our manager, is because of Wenger’s ridiculous mishandling of his contract last year combined with his mishandling of the contracts of our top players this year; a fact that he himself admitted to…so before you get too excited about the possibilities of our current roster don’t forget what has happened over the last several years and pray to the gods of football that real quality reinforcements like Auba are on the way, which could have happened years ago for less money and we might have been holding a trophy of some significance, or this brief respite will be followed by the usual mediocrity and stagnation

  5. 4 nil in 22 minutes is crazy good.
    Did we really just go do that 🙂
    So far four top 6 sides have
    played and all four have won.
    Tomorrow Spurs face a potential
    banana skin at Southampton and Liverpool are in Swansea.
    So to be fair we must wait to see whether we
    made up any ground in our quest to make top 4.
    Theo started in an Everton shirt for the first time
    and played the full 90 and made an assist.
    Gibbs played the full 90 against Theo for WBA.
    Gabriel has started for Valencia and Le Coq has
    started along side Kondogbia.
    Valencia lead in their away game 0-1.
    So far no yellow card for Francis…yet 🙂
    Wow how things move quickly in football.

  6. gabriel, ox, walcott, sanchez, perez out on loan: that’s 15m+35M+20M+20M = 90M pounds!!! where The Frack is the money?!! like donald trump follow the money trail…and on average fans are required to pay 78 pounds per seat/ match? WTF!!! GIVE US THE AUBA, MIKI( A FREEBIE) PLUS A DM AND A CB!!!! Guys, don’t let the frog let you believe that sanchez was a disruption! coquelon came out and has denied any such happenings this is all a PR stunt by the AFC propaganda machine to get you to believe fake news! one win against the minnow like CP is not gonna solve our issues! we need WC players and we should demand to see where the hell all the money is going from the sales!!!

    1. The minnow that almost beat Man city and took a point them. There are no pushover in football. If you don’t play well you get beating. So enough of all minnow blah blah.. I know fans deserve better but enough of all this pay highest ticket fee in the country. If you don’t like what you get take your money elsewhere. Don’t tell me you can’t cos you love the club can’t do without her when you have some ex..

    2. Chamberlain 40m + Gabriel 9m
      paid for Lacazette 46m.
      Money gets eaten up quick in football
      Auba is valued at 50m plus so we need to sell more to get him.
      Gibbs 7m Perez 7m Walcott 25m Olvier 15m = 54 mill might just do it.
      As for Evans? Might have to wait?

    3. Spot on … Anyone who thinks that with a miki for Sanchez swap we can put out a team that can get top four or win Europa must be back on the wenger kool aid which is always what happens on this site after a decent win… Xhaka Iwobi maitland Niles bellerin elneny and Monreal would not get into the first eleven of any of our rivals … And I am beginning to wonder if aubemayang thing is just another corporate ruse … Even if the man comes it will require some good management to get lacazette ozil wilshere miki and him working together … With hazard back on form and Willian getting game time Wednesday night will be though and dont b surprised if that silverware heads elsewhere

    4. Agree totally and let’s hope Sven M and (soon to arrive) Raul are the ones directing the targets and negotiations

  7. Look gunners we had a decent 1st half in a long time dont get carried away please, its one game! Chelsea on wednesday will be a better test. Without Alexis we will be okay as i see Lacazette being told to step up his goals ratio & take control of the CF spot. Alexis (20m),Theo (20m), Ox (35m), Coq (12m), Garbiel (15m)… Thats over 100m, after we bought Lacazette in the summer for 46m, of income to the club….

    Add Miki from Utd for free in Alexis swap.
    €50m for Aubameyang, rejected will go €60.

    New CB 20yld Mavropanos we signed looks like a Varane type, €2m or something.
    Still need a DM in this window & could be a good window in all honesty, go buy Carvalho for Lisbon for 25m.

    Summer comes then buy a new Top CB, GK & Winger…. more will be available to choose from. Mertersaker, Debuchy, Ospina & Elneny all to go in summer. Holding & Niles to be loaned.

    Cech/Ospina (summer replaced,cech no2)
    Bellerin/Chambers
    Mustafi/Holding(loaned in summer, New CB)
    Koss/Mavropanos
    Monreal/Kolasnic
    Xhaka/Elneny(Sold in summer, Carvalho IN)
    Ramsey/Wilshere
    Ozil/Niles
    Miki/Welbz
    Laca/Giroud
    Auba/Iwobi

    A few additions & we could be okay!!

  8. finally some commentaries that go to the heart of the matter, instead of the usual misplaced euphoria that inevitably follows one good result…remember this is the same manager who said his and/or Sanchez’s contract issues didn’t negatively impact the team then pulled a complete 180 as soon as it helped his pathetic cause…there is no one more dishonorable towards the fans than this regime…he had some nerve to attack Mike Dean’s honor considering his horribly spotty track record, regardless if I didn’t like the call on the pitch…you can’t have it both ways and there is no one who wants their cake and to eat it too than Wenger and Kroenke

    1. I think he will fit in better for us and link up well with Laca/Jack/Ozil

      I am just glad that Alexi has now gone and that boring drawn out sage should hopefully be done.

  9. We’re taking too long to get this Aubameyang deal signed off. You feel a top side will make a late bid with a £60M offer, which we’ll be unable to match 🙁

    1. Arsenal are not a “top” side what can splash the cash.

      Top sides: PSG, ManU, Real, Barca, City. (In some order or other).

      We are below that lot.

      We will lose our best players to these “top” sides regularly. The key is to make them pay top dollar for them, as with Monaco and Liverpool, rather than pretend we are “top” side. If anything what should have taken place is a sale of Alexis right after he refused to sign for big bucks, some 18 months ago.

      The truth also is that unlike basket ball, no one player can change the course of a team. There has to be several players of high caliber and for that there has to be a farm-system and youth system that will provide great young players, or more money and luck to get players who can play those key thankless roles of being competent, while the flashy ones get the credit.

  10. I hope Ozil stays and we keep Giroud. If Mhki joins I’m sure we could do without Auba.
    Auba would be so exiting however.

  11. I really doubt the Auba deal as playing him means dropping a wenger favorite. Once Ramsey is ft wenger will bring him in place of Elneny. Makhi May come in place of Iwobi (who is also a favorite to some extent). To bring in Auba, he has to drop lacazette which will be odd.
    One scenario is that Ozil is certain to leave in summer. Then Auba comes in as front two and Makhi plays in ozil’s position.
    The other extreme scenario is that wenger leaves (which I don’t think will happen. In that case his favorites will not be guaranteed a starting spot.
    Am I missing something.

  12. Elneny is key to all the others on the line to work and to make the back three less stressed.
    He is rather underestimated among the fans, but he is an important buffer between opposition with the ball and back three.

    It is possible to line up this way… with Mkhi…

    ——————-—–-Lacazette————–———–
    ————-—–Ozil—————-—Ramsay–———————
    Kolasinac———-—–Xhaka—-——-—Mkhitaryan
    ————————-Elneny—————————
    Mustafi—————Koscielny——————-Bellerin
    —————————-Cech———————————

  13. In your dreams…
    Ramsey Xhaka and still for some time Kolasinac are not good enough to play in Arsenal s 1st 11.
    Wilshere is better then Ramsey and Xhaka together.

    1. Funny!

      Wilshere cannot even wipe the boots of a Bournemouth player. (Been there and left without making a mark, so Wenger is rehabbing him to sell him.)

      The problem for Wilshere is his style of keeping the ball until his ankle is broken, more than than that not being able to run quickly enough to catch a tortoise. “Capt” Wilshere is a joke.

      The English are funny, they think Wilshere can play at the top level. He is too fat and unfit for his age. But, if the Boss’s efforts at rehabbing Wilshere works, there is another 25M for him too, after Theo fetched 20M.

      There is a reason English footballers are weak. The players are awful and think too much of themselves. There are exceptions, that is Kane & Co. But, even Kane knows that in a faster league, he won’t be as good, so he is staying put.

      Sorry to English fans, just it is what it is. Until that culture of false superiority is done away with not much will change. The younger generation is going better… I hope they stay humble like Kane and produce before asking for money like Theo or contracts like Jack.

      1. If by KANE &CO you mean they are the benchmark we should be aiming at I think your on the wrong chatline pal.

        1. I think you need to look across at the those English lads at the Spurs and note how well they play, compared to the Arsenal’s spoiled brats who have been the bane of Wenger’s life.

          If Wenger carried on with only focusing on foreign talent rather than waste time with the English players, maybe there would be another trophy or two for our team.

          Don’t let partisanship blind you to the reality of what happened.

          1. So you’re critical of English players but seem to like the Premier League, sounds to me like a Celtic fan, bored with a one team league with a soft spot for Tottenham. Phil’s right, I think you’re on the wrong site

            1. Sorry, I am an Arsenal fan!

              That does not mean I appreciate deadwood like the English lads making too much money and talking too much. That is what likely got Sanchez’s goat.

              Now Wenger has dumped the build England’s team after building France’s. So we should see Wenger’s III Regime. That means getting certain players able to play fast attacking football, but also be defensively savvy. He cannot however have star’s that get too big, before the big five come calling.

              Kane will be gone soon. Alli too. Slowly the Spurs will fall down, as their salary structure is poor with a stingy ownership, worse than Arsenal’s.

              However, Wenger’s efforts at building a brand means that over the long run there is money coming in. We need high character players though, like Koz, who are willing to stay and become Arsenal greats–though proposition these days, where only money matters.

          2. Those English lads have done and WHAT exactly over the last few years?And how many are likely to be there in 18 months time?And yes you are right I hate them pal.

      2. Why the so much hate shown towards wilshere and English fans. This is my first time of commenting here. I love the articles here and the passion of most fans. I just have to reply to this. Japan.

        1. No hate. Just calling out the unrealistic expectations of English fans along with the blindness to how poor their players are. For example, name five English players overseas. Why do they not travel well? Why do they think Wilshere is great when the poor chap cannot even get a bite from a mid-level team in the EPL.

          Facts sometimes are hard. I like the English players at Spurs. They have skill and spunk. What are they doing correct that were are not? How is that the Saints produce good local players?

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