I am personally really impressed with the way Unai Emery is trying to impress his way of playing onto his new Arsenal squad, and also instilling a never say die attitude, whether we are winning or losing. We saw that the team maybe even tried harder against Man City after going behind, and the new coach is insistent that they must try their hardest for the full 90 minutes no matter what happens.
Arsenal’s away record was abysmal last season, but he believes that we can prove this weekend that our attitude has changed under the new regime. “We wanted to start [in front of] our supporters, against a great team like Manchester City, but the difficulty on the pitch was big.” he said on Arsenal.com. “For me, the result is very important but also the way [of the result]. I think we can improve in each match, in each training. The difficulty is clear: I believe in our team, I believe in our players. We can improve and we need to improve playing in the difficult games. Our demands are very high and I want these demands for me first, but also for the players and the club. We need to work hard, we need to work together and we need to suffer together when we lose. It’s the same for me, for the players and for the club. When you are [at the op or at the bottom] you need the resilience. You shouldn’t change your mentality if you lose the first game. I want a consistency in our way [performances]. I want us to do well with our thinking and our mentality.
“We have one plan, we have one process. Maybe in one match you can be very happy with the performance and the result – and I want that on Saturday. But then you need more time to completely watch your team as you want [them to play]. For example, on Sunday, we saw good things on the pitch. I want us to show more personality in each match to improve, so the performances arrive quickly. Saturday is a very good option to show our personality, our capacity against a big team like Chelsea, and away from home. [When you’re] away, you have an opportunity to change last year’s difficulties when the team played away. On Saturday we need to be a more competitive team on the pitch to change these away performances.”
It won’t be easy, and the change in the mentality may not be quick, but I am coming to believe in Emery’s attitude more and more every day. But we all know that the one thing we have wanted to see for quite a few years, is an Arsenal team that will fight for every point, from the beginning of the game until the end, no matter the opponent….
Keep the Faith!
Admin
That’s right, keep the faith. Very excited for the entire season but remain grounded and realistic throughout. I just hope fans don’t start leaving the stadium when there’s a good chunk of the match left if the results don’t go their way. Sing, clap, jump, hug, high five or do whatever you can to make it a great experience for all regardless of the negativity that will try to force its way in. To all the Arsenal fans worldwide please give Unai Emery and his coaching staff time and a few transfer windows.
Well said GanjaMan:)
In all the years and generations I’ve followed Arsenal you can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve left before the final whistle. The last fifteen minutes against City was a disgrace, especially the fact we were welcoming a new manager, with the amount of fans that had left the ground. Their not real fans, they never went to Highbury, there just there for the occasion, I see them every week texting and playing with their phones instead of watching the game, they jump up when a goal is scored even though the scorer is twenty yards offside, that just shows you their knowledge of the game. That is fundamentally the problem with the Emirates and why opposing fans call it a library. In the whole of the stadium there is one section that get behind the team throughout the game and they are in the north west corner of the ground.
Leaving the ground before the final whistle is like leaving the cinema before the film ends!! You just don’t do it!
Excuse me for differing , but when you rely on the players we have to win you games and your the coach, its Emery fault for not getting rid of them or thowing them to the reserves or under 21s. The looser mentality has crept in – its ok to loose, where’s the pressure on the players who get well paid? Yes fans should walk when the result is nit achievable presurise the players coaches management and the owners
Well you obviously cannot see any good in the team, going by your comments, so I’m surprised your name is red & white….. can’t be the colours of the mighty Arsenal surely!
Again well said Sue
Red and White, and you have drawn your conclusions after Unai Emery has had one premiership match in charge, and that against the champions from last season.
I would hate to have you as a team mate playing competitive sport or serve in the armed forces with you.
True mate i dont tolerate looser mentality, losing with a fight ain’t bad, but accepting a loss to Chelsea even before the ball is kicked is accepting looser mentality.yes last year even city lost, but those guys came back stronger.Do we pay mega bucks to the prima donas to loose and jog like headless chickens? Common we are the Arsenal.
Sue, Well TRUE fans don’t! Those home fans who DO are almost all – though not 100% – fair weather fans. If it more important that you beat the rush to get home early than supporting to the final whistle and then clapping the players off the field, then I question the TRUE dedication of your support. As I say, there are exceptions, but as a rule, this is the case. If for example you come from distant parts and there is only one train left to get you home that night, then THAT is an exception. But it is NOT the rule, is it!
I agree totally Jon…. I get the tube to Paddington then catch the train home… Which isn’t a long journey compared to some, but leaving before the final whistle just to beat the stampede – just baffles me!!
Kenny as a paying customer, people can leave when ever they feel like it, just because it doesn’t conform to what you believe is a real fan doesnt mean your opinion supersedes there desire to leave, What is your definition of a disgrace ? Who are you to pass judgement ? Live and let life young man, we have had 12 years of nonsense so lets ease fans back in slowly it takes time, keep your chin up and stop judging others and enjoy yourself I promise you wont look back !!!
Thanks for the young man compliment Ashley and the advice but I’ve actually been going to Arsenal for sixty years and will never understand why people who leave 15 – 20 minutes before the game ends bother to go at all.
There is nothing more impertinent than a young person calling a highly experienced and life long fan of mature age, “young man. ” You may only be ignorant of KENNYS age OR you may be being deliberately rude. It is for you tojudge which!
Thank you Jon.
How sadly true this “lukewarm type” of supporter is these days, at all top clubs . We have more than our fair share too. The problem with corporate marketed football, as compared to the days before corporations got their cancerous claws in our game and ruined the sporting behaviour, comparative honesty and everything else surrounding top level football, ( EXCEPT the actual game itself, which is less honest less noble, more corrupt but MORE exciting) is that marketing always attracts fair weather “fans”( people who are there for the occasion more than the love of Arsenal). BUT , pre 1992, we often had crowds of 25-30 thousand only and now we have a largely full stadium and at most Prem grounds too. This decline in moral standards is the REAL price we pay for the growth in NUMERICAL support. Together with massively increased ticket money, of course. Wherever corporate marketing goes, massive ticket prices follow, as surely as night follows day. And standards of decent behaviour always decline where obscenely rich people make money from ordinary, normal, humans. BEING “OLD SCHOOL” IN MOST WAYS, I long for the old decencies to return. But there is more chance of Elvis being found alive, than of that ever happening. Sigh!
Absolutely spot on Jon.
Great message.
Well said! In total agreement !
Let’s be positive and get behind the team and Emery. I believe he will come good but there are bound to be teething troubles along the way. Some players are still in Wenger mode, and it will take time to adapt to new methods. i, for one, will be behind the guys all the way. COYG
I think people are well aware of our transitional phase presently, and are not expecting miracles on demand. Grit, a fighting spirit, and teamwork are what most are looking for on the pitch.
I think Lichtsteiner has said all the right things, has good pedigree, and appears to be the leader many of us have cried out for. There are some real positives at the club, and I am excited for the future.
Spot on Durand.
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Durand, Early days but to me Lichtsteiner looks the outstanding choice as club AND team captain. He seems to me one of the few who have leadership qualities at all. There were none of Wengers players who had even a remote idea of captaincy qualities.
Agree jon, Arsenal could do a lot worse than Lichtsteiner, as he has all the required credentials, other than long service.
Prob won’t be for lack of trying more down to the quality of players and winning mentality that our team don’t have so will come up short again on Sat and then we’re here the rubbish new manager give him time blah blah blah the club is a complete shambles will never get close to winning prem league ever again and can’t see them making top 4 for many many years be finishing around 6th or 7th!!
Hey 5pur2 boy,
your team is really special, beating records all over, like not signing anybody thru whole transfer window.
Advice: replace Pochetino with Wenger, Arsene knows how to manage team thru hard times… phhhh!
Ha Ha def not a spuds fan just telling you the truth some of you are so deluded in thinking there are good times to come well keep dreaming as that’s all it will be and in maybe a few years time when still not won a major trophy your except I was correct!!
I was surprised when Ramsey was selected to play CAM against Man City, and delighted that Emery quickly saw it wasn’t working and subbed him. That is already a clear sign that things will be different now and problems will be dealt with quickly, not prolonged for years as they were under Wenger. We will improve a lot between now and Xmas, and might even manage a decent performance against Chelsea, although it’s early days and the new manager still has a lot to learn about his squad.
Id’ like to see…
Cech/Leno
Bellerin – Sokratis – Mustafi – Lichsteiner
Torreira – Guendouzi
Mkhitaryan – Ozil – Laczette
Aubameyang
Or…
Cech/Leno
Lichsteiner – Sokratis – Mustafi – Monreal
Torreira – Guendouzi
Mkhitaryan – Ozil – Lacazette
Aubameyang
Chelsea beware!
With littlebit of luck we can win this.
Defeat for Arsenal by Chelsea on Saturday in the PL match at the Bridge should not be contemplated or thought of in any quarters of the Gooners whatsoever. But rather a 0-4 away win by Arsenal over Chelsea in the match should instead be contemplated for to happen by all Gooners.
Let me put it before all the sundry of the Arsenal supporters who will attend the match, watch it on TV and follow it on the net not to start panicking nor be worrying as to whether Arsenal will win the match or lose it. They won’t lose the match but will win it handsomely. For, the Gunners will make a complete demolition work of the Blues team in the game on Saturday under the watching eyes of the Chelsea partisan home support.
Ok -that’s this game sorted then.
I guess you’re a descendant of Nostradamus? When last did Arsenal beat Chelsea by a four goal margin at Stamford Bridge? We need to be realistic as fans. It’s such unrealistic expectations that makes fans troop out of the stadium when the match is not yet over.
I think fans have to stay strong this season. Expect the possibility of no, or hardly any progression, because of what Emery’s working with. We definitely won’t be as bad as last season, but it’ll be very difficult to break into the top four.
Of course, none of us like losing, and there’s a good chance we’ll lose to Chelsea as well, but be patient! Conte started very badly, and look what he did, and the same for Pep. Klopp, and Poch haven’t won anything, but their teams have made huge improvements, and are very entertaining to boot!
This is a free season for Emery, so if progression has to wait until next season, then so be it.
Great comment – well done lad – realistic aspirations also are needed, we are not competing financially with, City, United, Liverpool or Chelsea so we cannot expect realistically to compete for the title, its a simple fact
Once people realise we at best a top 4 team then things will be a lot easier, the correlation is clear the top spendings in the top tier leagues usually win the league, there are of course exceptions occasionally ie dortmund, Leicester, but over a sustained period money will buy success, we are not financially competing with the top tier teams therefore we cannot expect to compete with them
Ashley according to Forbes we’re richer than both Liverpool and Chelsea so what are all these comments that we can’t compete with the big boys. Are you Ivan Gazidas in disguise? You sound like you’ve been following Arsenal for just a couple of years, if that, but I’ll have you know we are still London’s biggest club regardless of position and will be expected in the very near future to be again challenging for the Premier League.
we will beat chelsea….they are not as strong as what people thinks…
Arsenal in last game looked and played like Wenger is IN. Hope this will change from the next game. Chelsea beware.
I said that I ll be happy with 3 points from first two games, so go Arsenal, make our day!
Maks, but as you know, Wenger is not IN he’s OUT.
So what’s the point of mentioning it?
Of course if we beat Chelsea, Wenger will be OUT not IN.
I think I’ve got it now.
The problem with Emery’s press is that ball goes over the pressmen and on to the opposing mid-field from where they attack in numbers with the tired pressing Arsenal players chasing in a panic.
The problem with playing from the back with a goalie who is also like a backfield player, is that the ball turns over and the other team will an easy shot at goal.
Emery is strategically naive. How many losses will make him learn the EPL better?
All this pessimism is killing me, what makes you think Chelsea fans are sure of victory, why then are we so sure of defeat?
What have you seen in that Chelsea team that makes you think they’re better and that they’ll definitely beat us. You that highlighted the cons of pressing high, Huddersfield won the ball 10 times in Chelsea’s defensive third while they were trying to play the ball out from the back, arsenal won the ball 7 times in city’s defensive third, yes 7 times, only we didn’t take our chances, no team in the world(except barca) is perfect at playing from the back and if you organise your press well, you’ll win the ball back a lot of times.
You think I enjoy the naivete of the manager of my team?
Why did Emery deploy a strategy that is weak? If the ball cannot be brought through, how can the forwards operate? The forwards are starved of good feeds of the ball, and so the chances are fewer than it needs to be.
Chelsea will be back to proper strength soon with more of a collective way of playing under the new manager. But, they still rely on certain players. So, to beat them is going to take a lot more than just pressing and possession.
It seems to me the key factor for this set Arsenal players is controlling the middle. Flood the middle in a variation of the 3-5-2. Use two strikers so they can pair up and hunt.
1. Arsenal will predictably lose the midfield battle.
2. However, with the right formation we can handle. Playing Iwobi in place of Ozil and Welbeck as wingback will help us hold the ball better.
3. Additionally, none of Ramsey, Xhaka and Bellerin should be anywhere near our starting 11; if you see any of those three starting, get it from me Arsenal will lose by 3+ goal margin.
Its a matter of time you guys gon realise the efficacy of playing an iwobi and welbeck in big games..
These guys assure you of hard work, holds the ball very well, cover spaces and grounds as evidenced from the Fa cup final,community shield, last season at the bridge and at the Carling cup semis…
unfortunately guys prefer big names and high costly players on the pitch.
There’s a lot of nonsense talk about how bad Arsenal were last season.
Arsenal for the record had the second best home record only behind city (15 wins, 2 draws and 2 loses). Arsenal was only poor in away games.
If Emery can repeat last seasons home record and do better in the away games, then Arsenal should not just be competing for top 4 but for the title.
If he fails this season, it is squarely down to him (and the board not funding. Though no one made this excuse for Wenger) and not the whole nonsense about a weak squad left by Wenger. That weak squad had a nearly perfect home performance last season.
TW14-TH14, agreed that the excellent home form was offset by abyssmal away form. Hopefully this is where Arsenal can improve.
However, many posters on this site made the point of the lack of investment by Kroenke and the board and the sidelining of Usmanov over the last years of Arsene Wenger’s management. Unfortunately Wenger took everything onto himself, rejected a director of football, negotiated some bad player transfers, kept picking under performing players and did not often change his tactics to suit the opposition or changes during a match.
In addition he did not use his credibility to stand up to Kroenke and the board, but ran interference for them with multiple excuses.
Wenger was about two seasons away from rebuilding the back and DMF.
RESPECT!! @ ARSENE WENGER
Hello fellow gunners .first time to coment here very excited..