Five positives Arsenal can take from Watford draw

We all know the second half Arsenal performance against Watford was lamentable but that does not mean there were no positives that can be taken from the game.

This was a game of two halves, one good, one very bad but even in the bad half, there was positives that can be taken from it.

Watford did not score by breaking Arsenal down

It was two huge avoidable errors that cost Arsenal, put them to one side and the Arsenal defence actually stood up against a relentless barrage from the Hornets. That tells me that if the errors are cut out that the Arsenal defence can be effective.

Bernd Leno was a solid last line of defence

If it was not for the German Arsenal would have lost, he made an error against Tottenham last week but he has not allowed that to dent his confidence and put in a display that was very decent, he just needs to be more consistent.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on fire

It is such a shame that he was not on the winning side, he fully deserved to be, he got a brace to take his season total to five and if there was one player that could hold his head high yesterday it was the Gabon international.

When Arsenal are good they are very good

The second goal involved every single outfield player, it was a master class in passing and control and they opened up Watford like a tin of beans. That showed Arsenal can be almost unstoppable when they put their minds to it and it is definitely something that Unai Emery can build on.

Arsenal didn’t lose

I suspect many of you reading this will be asking how the hell is that a positive? Well, when you concede 31 shots, which is one more than Man City managed against Tottenham then not to lose can only be classed as a positive. Being two up and then drawing is, of course, a negative but putting the whole game into context a point was a blessing. Put it this way, if that game would have gone on for another ten minutes, Arsenal would have lost.

19 Comments

  1. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this!!

    Arsenal didn’t lose – it sure as hell felt like it, once again.
    The only positive is Aubameyang..i hate to think how long the article would be if it listed the negatives.. definitely reach double figures!

    1. Lol Sue..

      I tend to look at Emery and the faces he pulls. It’s like a squint and pain. Almost like he’s constipated. Then I have a chuckle and feel a little better. It’s the only positive I can take personally because that second half needed flushing away!

      1. ? could be wind?!! Haha!!
        I’ll have to try & have a look on Thursday now, don’t usually get a chance to, as I’m too busy shaking my head ?
        It sure as hell did, GunneRay – awful!!

    2. These 5 positives seem the the writer searched for needle in the haystack and found 5 earbuds. Comical indeed.

  2. Yep nothing positive about that match or the other 4 we have played this season .
    The club is in a right mess at the moment and it’s going to be a long time before it’s sorted .

  3. I don’t think there are any real positives. The way we capitulated was shameful. I don’t even blame the players. If Arsenal would have pushed up and Leno taken goalkicks we probably would have won. Emery is a tactical failure at the deepest level of football. He lost the supporters and the players at the same time. He has no right to be called a football coach.

  4. Apart from Auba, I cannot see any positives. Even his brilliance is barely a positive because once Laca is fit, Auba will be shoved back on the wings, where he’s a lot less effective.

  5. There were two positives for me, Ozil and Cabs playing together and proving they can create chances.

    I’m not getting carried away with the shots Watford had, Leno was grwat in goal.

    O.T. aussiegooner, I replied to your reques for the£200,000,000 breakdown on the previous thread, it makes frightening reading!!!

    1. I’m glad you mentioned Ozil and Ceballos partnership and when Ceballos was taken off in the 60th minute, I couldn’t help thinking that Emery doesn NOT want this creative engine to develop. It was their first game together and they were coming on nicely, but yet the gaffer decided to sub, and in 11mins both of them were in the bench. Last year he wasted enough matches trying to make Iwobi and Kolasinac as the creative players and this time he wants to waste matches with Willock and Reiss, when it is clear these guys are not ready yet.

      1. First of all Iwobi giving 9 assists and 6 goals last season is not world class but not bad .
        Reiss Nelson needs to be loaned ,
        Willock is not an attacking midfielder the same way AMN is never a defender . Apart from tenacity what else can Willock do ,shooting nope , dribbling no , passing no ,tempo and control of play no . we better let him find himself as a footballer and stop the hype .
        It pains me to say it but a manager who doesn’t know his best 11 is a useless manager .
        You can either choose between Sokaratis or Luiz you cant play them both .
        Why send OSei tutu on loan when we dont have a right back .
        Why cant Chambers get games .
        Maybe its just me but i rather see elneny in a team than Xhaka .
        Ozil can come good if managed well .
        Saka is a better prospect than Nelson for the LW.
        We have lost several gems who are better than our current crop of players
        DAneyl MAlen , ISmaeal Bennacer ,Jeff Adelaide, Beilik .

        lets try this
        mustafi , Luiz ,Chambers Kolasinic
        Torreira, Cebellos
        Ozil
        Pepe Aubameyang Saka /Martenelli

        We can sub Ozil when fatigued move cebbelos to an AM and play Miles or Guendozi in the B2B
        Xhaka, Sokratis should never be in a first eleven of any team .

  6. Arsenal didn’t loose? Ok I see we now have to wait until we loose. We have a spineless coach. Look at lampard at Chelsea, Rudiger just recovered from an injury that has kept him out for about 2-3months but because he couldn’t take the sloppiness of Zuma and co. At CB what did he do, he took Rudiger straight into the team and had Zuma watch from the bench. Holdings has been back for about a month now but the stubborn gaffer won’t listen and bring him on. He keeps sticking to ……… Arg!!!!! I rather not mention.

    By the way, Chelsea even play better football than we do even without any new signing.

    1. Chambers looked pretty solid in his one appearance for us this season and he was Fulham’s player of the last season. Yet Emery persists with Luiz and Sokratis who are competing to be our new Mustafi!

    2. Holding has literally only just gained enough fitness to play. His first game since his injury was with the U23s last weekend. Emery can’t be blamed for that.

      1. That wasn’t his first game mate. He’s play on cameo about three or two times. Last week he had to play a full 90mins. He’s been kicking the ball before last week

  7. “5 positive things”……………catch yourself on!!!! a tale of 2 halves……..dear, dear, Watford are bottom of the league for goodness sake. Unbelievable Jeff!!!!

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