Four goals in 22 minutes set the scene for Arsenal to win their first Premier League game since December 28th – which was the 3-2 win over the same opposition at Selhurst Park.
Read the report and see the goals here.
Here’s how the players rated today.
Big ten for team effort and team balance and a lovely worked 4th goal.
Its happening
Bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42762918
COYG – will sleep happy tonight
My name is Nacho
First day of not missing Alexis, hope it will go on like that.
Beautiful play at times from the boys today, more of that please!
The black hole on the left side of the pitch mysteriously closed up and fluid football resulted. Shocking. That deal needs to get done.
is Alexis being gone making them more comfortable? I realize it’s palace but they seemed much more fluid and confident.
Indeed. I also noticed our attacks down the left weren’t breaking down half as much.
Perhaps the impending arrival(s) have given them a lift
Also Ozil looking more like a man who’s staying
I think we have a slight chance to extend Ozil. He is not as hotly in demand (Juve I believe maybe Manure again)
But should he leave I think his natural replacement is actually Ramsey with Mhykitarian as insurance.
I would love Ozil to stay, he gets such a bad press but he is probably our best player now and I believe he does really enjoy being at Arsenal. At the same time though you have to think that for the contract to run this late without being renewed its a pretty good sign its not going to happen. If it was surely it would be done by now, very very soon there will be a long line of clubs that will come knocking on his door and his head will be turned and the prospect of Ozil staying… Read more »
Just pay the man his money. Lock it down.
Probably helps the attack when one player isn’t losing the ball 30 times a match.
Elneny’s passing is underrated in my opinion. It wasn’t all sideways and backwards.
Absolutely and sometimes you need someone to just do that job and keep it tidy.
I thought El Nenny, Xhaka and Wilshere really complemented each other actually.
He’s done some reasonable passes going forward but really we need to have better back up than him.
He’s only there because we can’t get rid of him.
An OK player which you won’t be surprise either plying his trade at Palace etc.
Still too flimsy for me.
And pointless quoting passing completion statistics. More important are the passes that actually make a difference.
We play a poor palace side and he looks OK. It won’t be the case against other teams.
Replace.
I rather play Willock almost.
And he was everywhere. Always available for a pass and dictated the play. Usually the ball from the back goes to the wings but today with him there ball was worked through the centre which more difficult for palace to breakdown our play. He was even showing where to pass the ball next if he was a bad option.
Thought he was great today. Never looked flustered, generally in the right position to either accept a pass or to break up play, and allowed the rest of the midfield to function much more fluidly.
Swap in Ramsey for Xhaka and we suddenly look like a much better team. Bring in PEA and it’s exciting times.
Not according to Santori lol
I thought almost all his passes were safe, and often slowed down the attack. But when you are leading by four, that’s fine. I was wondering if he could play a modified version of the Fernandinho/Busquets role for us–an internal solution.
Does he remind a liiiittle bit of Gilberto?
Where’s Aubameyang’s rating?
I just want to say I absolutely love Monreal. What a player and loved his passion after scoring. Really underrated. ❤ play a similar team in midweek and let’s blow chelsea away next!
I recognised the team, which was missing so far, finally! Particularly the Laca goal!
Hurray!!….now onwards to thump the blue cunts @ the bus stop in fulham
I know it’s only one game and too soon to say that will boost our form but it’s nice to have some players back. We constantly missed 6-8 first team (or 12th, 13th player) players in the last few weeks and that would affect all teams. Hopefully Nacho is OK. He is a massive player for us. Great to see Elneny starting because I know he can do the job. He gave Xhaka and Wilshere more freedom. Cech also deserves credit. Made some great saves and caught/punched most crosses (yes that is also goalkeeping).
Which is why we need better depth. Elneny is not good enough.
We still need to look at midfield. Still too lightweight. One thing to watch is where Wenger may play Mhykitarian. He may be an option higher up but he could also be used in an Arteta (indeed Santi) role further back providing experience and control in midfield. We lack the player who is composed and has good skill to hold the ball in the central area. Neither Granit, Ramsey or Elneny can turn to save their lives. Jack (and possibly Iwobi) can turn on a dime. Jack in particular has been excellent for us holding/fending off and moving the ball… Read more »
Get in there Laca! Seems like Alexis was the destabilizing element in the team with his endless twists and turns leading to numerous losses of possession. Today’s passing and movement was fluid and confident
There’s something to be said about that for sure. You don’t want to restrict him too much bc he provides the surprise elenet and it led to many of our goals. BUT he over does it many times which leads to turnovers and instantly we are under pressure on the counter. To some extent it’s valid when he looks at our options and how they lose the ball cheaply, but he is also guilty of not trusting them and himself losing the ball. Plus with someone of his stature, you feel some of the younger players are obliged to play… Read more »
so true! Alexis was brilliant but almost never playing it simple…
Tear down the Alexis banner
A bit of class please. He provided us with many great moments and has been loyal to the cause.
I won’t begrudge him for moving because we do not look like a team competing and we are not buying with the vision to push higher up still.
See defense and midfield.
I thought i would miss all those balls chipped into the box from alexis, but i guess i dont. Fuck off to Manchester and enjoy maureen.
I really don’t think there’s anything to read into the fact that Niles came on ahead of Kolasinac. I agree I haven’t watched Arsenal as long as you have (been following since only 2001), but it seems like Wenger to put on a youngster to allow him to get more minutes under his belt once the game is pretty much won.
Good win.lets make it the beginning of a good run.COYG
Auba and Mhki to arrive next week.
It’s time to gatecrash top four.
off topic but seeing the sort of pen sterling just got for city makes me wonder if there really is some kind of hate towards us from the refs..I mean our players aren’t even divey cunts.We missed out on a pen today with the ref only 4-5 yards away from it with a clear view :/
We also had a fairly strong penalty shout against us waved away, probably because referees think Zaha is a diver. I thought this referee–who I don’t really know–was reasonably competent and consistent and that’s good enough.
I thought he was consistent, but not all that competent. He let way too much go, and there should have been at least three bookings in the match.
He certainly let a lot go, but that seems to be the current style of the newer English referees (I guess, a retro style really). I prefer yellow cards for obviously tactical fouls that break up a counter before it can start (what Fernandinho repeatedly does for City until he is finally carded)–but I was comparing this guy with people like Jon Moss or the truly unbelievable Mike Dean, so I was feeling pretty generous.
10/10 Zaha throwing a tantrum when he fell over for the 6th time.
Good to see Lacazette bag one. Hope it builds the confidence. as anyone who gets too excited about Aubameyang should take note, it takes time to settle and understand where to make runs. Iwobi has been unfairly criticised. He is an exciting and excellent player with great strength, close control and an eye for key passes. Excellent finish today. If he is to make that left side his own, its a great start. The other player to watch who is looking good with U23s is the Jeff. Remember him? Excellent ball control. Hope he can push into first team and… Read more »
Really enjoyed the setup which appears to be sort of 433 with El Neny in a more definite holding mid role. Took pressure off Xhaka on defense and helped protect back four.
That said when we tried to play more defensively in second half we seemed to still give up some easy chances. Part of that is down to Palace not playing as awfully as in the first half but still a slight worry.
I don’t want to draw unwarranted comparisons, but I was watching an analysis video on Pirlo recently, and a point mentioned was how he would always play alongside an energetic player like Vidal or Marchisio to enable him to demonstrate his brilliance. I’m not saying Xhaka is anywhere as good as Pirlo, but even l’architetto himself would struggle if left entirely isolated in our often deserted midfield. Xhaka has been poor, but he’s played a lot of football with very little rest or assistance, and I’m intrigued to see what difference it makes to his game and his confidence to… Read more »
I agree because lets face it he isn’t a defensive DM lol Its just his effort tracking back and then positioning when he is in the box. Not being aware of your surroundings.
He still needs to track back with more enthusiasm and be switched on defensively. I would rather see AMN competing for a spot in that midfield 3 or rotating w Xhaka.
Xhaka definitely isn’t a CM either. He just does not have the control needed in tight spaces. The moment the big teams press him, things will go south very fast.
Xhaka is not a DM, I think we all know that by now. The question was always do you play him alongside a DM or drop him. But he isn’t and never should be a DM, or especially in a 2-man midfield.
Too early to say, and could be wrong but my opinion is that the midfield had proper balance to it and that’s what led to an improved and balanced performance. Good in transitions. Wilshere over Ramsey in that CM/B2B spot for me. He kept it ticking and was the reason I said above, with his sublime one touch passes and quick linking up with attacking players. Ramsey takes too many touches and misses simple passes which broke down our attack too often and he’s nowhere to be found during build up often too. Wilshere understand the positional aspect of a… Read more »
Thought Elneny was very tidy on the ball today, was switched on defensively which we need and had several good forward passes. Agree Wilshere kept the engine running smoothly. He’s the only midfielder with Wengerball DNA, we have to keep him and Ozil if we are going to be successful in rebuilding. I don’t know what Ozil is asking for but for god’s sake pay the man his fucking money.
Ramsey should just Ben played further forward; behind the striker on one of the forward three. It’s what’s he’s best at and what he does for Wales.
He’s another like Xhaka that really shouldn’t be in midfield.
have to laugh at all the stars, but you have to put things into perspective it was only palace, if it was city or united or Chelsea you would say ok, and we would have done just the same without ozil so theres no change threre so it was a good result but nothings changed
I’m most thrilled for Lacazette today more than anyone else. The guy can still play well without scoring but really the goals are what makes him, and what we need.
Hope he now goes on a 10 game scoring streak
We did quite well today. Cheers to the boys for stepping up and showing that prima donna, self centered, dog shit its not all about him. Really great. Appreciate it.
Shout out to Alex Iwobi. Young man playing his way through a difficult spell and proving he can be an important member of this team
Please, AMN had a couple of good tackles but his play was sloppy more than a few times. He needs more experience gaining concentration before he’s moved to midfield.
A good result.
But one good result does not mean a turn around in fortunes.
Got to work hard, concentrate and improve.
And we desperately need new signings…
Is it possible Iwobi’s career arc is going the same way as Wilshere, Ramsey, Diaby, Bellerin etc? Minus maybe the awful injuries suffered by the former two. There’s always the first season breaking into the first team and showing flashes, then a second one of consistent performances and a real “we’ve got a gem on our hands” feeling, and then invariably crash boom bang (with a potential recovery a couple of seasons later). I really hope not. He should and could be the player that will step up for Alexis, has all the skills and physical attributes and character, just… Read more »
Can we just make Welbeck go for free?
Good team performance. I think Elneny should be more appreciated for is solidity and passing in that position today. Allowed Xhaka to play further up and have less of the defensive burden.
I would score Jack higher. He had some great passing play, rescued some bad balls to him, granted lost a few. I feel none of the anxiety when he’s on the ball that I do with others. So glad he’s seemingly healthy.
It makes a diffrerence when Lacazette gets someone to play off of him. Whether it is Özil behind him or A. N. Other along side him then it gives him more space to flourish, despite his chance late on, it showed when Özil went off, that Lacazette was less effective. In the first half they looked like a different team to the ones that had turned out in previous weeks or most of the season so far. Despite Sanchez being our best player we were unbalanced with him in the side, today against Palace we looked coherent. Whether behind the… Read more »
Never mind squad option, Elneny needs to be played more. Every team needs balance and he provides it much in the way many teams have unfancied players like Matic, Dier etc. Gilberto Silva wasn’t mercurial.
Spot on Gonzo, spot fucking on. Not sure why people don’t rate Elneny, he’s only going to grow into the the team with confidence.
I must admit I’ve been very negative about Iwobi but that was his best game for a very long time. Monreal was a real boost and let’s hope he is back soon. Maitland Niles is not a left back, I don’t know how many goals have come from his side, their corner did today.
No coincidence we were much more Fluid with Xhaxa out of the way…Once everyone is fit i think Wilshere and Ramsey have matured enough to play together with either Niles or Elneny providing the cover and legs.
Monreal has great timing…Bellerin should take note…Monreal goes forward half as much but produces 10x more.
Xhaka at central midfield (box to box). Arsene must be kidding.
Surely it’s NOT a coincidence that Arsenal started playing somewhat like THE Arsenal the very game (discounting Bournemouth away) ‘that’ Sanchez seems to have been sold, right?
Please God let Özil stay!
We won
farewell to the bully
peace at last
jack man of the match, AGAIN, he deserves the number 10 shirt
That was the performance of a no8 or no4. Not a no10. As ever Ronaldo doesn’t know what he’s talking.
Nacho is top quality and definitely the best left back we have had at the club during the Wenger years
Always should play with a proper fm like elneny. Helps the creatives with defensive cover, tackling and simple passing .plus elneny has a goal in him.