Arsenal got 2019 off to a good start with a 4-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates today. The visitors spurned two good chances to open the scoring, and goals from Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the Gunners the points despite Kodak Kamara make it 2-1 midway through the second period.
Happy New Year!
Read the Arsenal 4-1 Fulham match report and see the goals here
Ratings
The ratings are now hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Bernd Leno. Also, give the ratings a few seconds to load.
Well, a win is a win. But, the amount of chances we concede is so worrying.
Hopefully we can fix that, and beat Chelsea at home, and it’s game on for the top 4.
Happy new year everyone!
Was Mustafi taken off because he was not very good or because he was injured ?
He certainally is not a leader and adds to the confusion at the back. Hopefully Kos will take back this role during the twilight of his years as he gets more accustomed to the pace.
It looked to me like he was the sacrifice to change formation when we went to 4 at the back and a dedicated 3 in the middle. Needed it, as we didn’t have control of the midfield.
Think it was also precautionary since he is still nursing his hamstring as James “confirmed” ‘On the whistle’
Precaution bc of injury.
We were not any more secure with a back 4. If anything if you bother to remember the match properly, we leaked the goal in the second half.
And it was TORREIRA who,got fleeced in midfield that led to the goal.
Had that been Granit, there would be plenty of criticism.
Also just to mention, Sokratis was OVER aggressive attacking the ball high up which led to the chance by Sessegnon. Again had that been Mustafi, he would have been derided as foolish.
And Sokratis did also concede to needless free kicks.
To add…Koscielny is getting better but he got beaten for pace by young Sessegnon. He is again 33.
He won’t be around for long.
@ Santori.
And for their goal… Guendouzi lost the goal scorer! Had that been Xhaka, the guns and knives would be out!
Fickle and biased! And that’s not just the referees, but a few of our fans too
“Had that been Xhaka, the guns and knives would be out”
Had it been ozil, the name callings and salary mentions would be out. ???
No need to always compare our players to Mustafi mr/mrs Santori. We know you love him. Yes Torreira has had some “off” games lately and Sokratis too. But Mustafis bad moments have been far more so come on Santori, get real
Disagree with the Torriera bit. Kos’ horrible pass to Torriera meant that he was set up to fail.
The result just masks the same shenanigans that happened at Liverpool. Kolasinac has absolutely no awareness of where his direct opponent is.
Come to think of it, torreira seems a bit too easily fall to ground when battling or holding for the ball. Probably because he used to play in Italy where the football is less aggressive, and referees blow for it more often.
Santori is spot on again, as he most times is on certain issues
He wasn’t this time as he ignored the fact that Torreira was fouled
Torreira wasn’t fleeced but clearly fouled which the useless referee ignored.
Yeh wouldn’t let go of a chance to take a pop at Mustafi.. even when he doesn’t make a mistake – yeh, actually he’s not a leader.. and Kos is, right? Kos may be a better footballer but not by a big margin. He’s always been error prone and no way he is a leader, he always lacked character. So dissing Mustafi and then suggesting another disaster waiting to happen is probably not very clever.
So you’re comparing a player who at his best was world class with Mustafi? You must have very short memory. In his prime he was one of the central defenders in the country
Really appreciate your giving us the benefit of all those team meetings and dressing room half-time chats you’ve sat in on. Clearly you base your borderline insulting personal assessment of Kos ‘always lacking character’ on such first-hand experience. I mean, anything else would at best be little more than straw-clutchingly inappropriate and patronising… at worst, dare I say it – ‘character’ assassination? Kos has been a stoic, dignified servant of this club, not to mention getting us some very vital goals when we’ve needed them most. Yes, he’s been down of late – but not through his own doing. So… Read more »
mustafi’s main role in the team is to shout at the linesman for offside after we’ve conceded. because we didn’t concede in the first half, probably emery didn’t see the need of keeping him on the field 😛
Yeah that fucken irritates me. He looks like such a dumb arse when he does that and the attackers were clearly on
Saka did touch the ball back to Sokratis for the fourth goal. And I think Guendouzzi played MOTM football today.
Yes, I’m pretty sure he got the pre-assist on Auba’s goal. And I thought Guendouzi was excellent, MOTM for me.
MOTM today is Iwobi. But he tanked in second half. Its been a hectic period.
First half he was everything that was dangerous about us going forward.
This is ridiculous. Guendouzi is turning a new Ramsey. He’s almost the same as Elneny… Lots of running and very busy man, but actually doing nothing. He hits the deck soon as he’s touched. I know he’s only 19, but he’s very lightweight for you guys to build up such hype around him.
MOTM for me was Iwobi (as much as he gets my nerves when he wonders around with no end product).
Does anyone not get on your nerves? Who was the last player to impress you? Oh, and do you mind fucking off?
@ Joseph
I don’t recall insulting you personally?!
Or are you one of them Internet “Tough” guys????
true…he cant help in attack or defence…but always is pointing, shouting and waving.
Loses his man every time in defense, gets dribbled past and brushed aside easily.
In attack he does a few simple passes but mostly ends up killing moves
Really excellent to see Iwobi seeming to step up a level of late. How we could do with that continuing. AMN also consistent and improving. If those to come good then I can be less sad about wtf is going on with Ozil and Ramsay. As ever, great to see our strikers scoring. All in all, whilst not perfect, a very welcome response to Liverpool. Let’s see Chelsea and s**** drop sone points now! V competitive league this season!
Man U is coming. We’ve got to be careful about that as well.
Agree.
BUT cue someone dissing Iwobi and asking for him to be sold. Just watch.
You know touching on Ozil and Ramsey, I am worried the club are taking an unnecessary gamble. Those 2 are pretty the best creative players we have. We are wasting money on both. No value in Ozil’s wages if Unai doesn’t fancy him and Ramsey leaving on a free but our main area investment is needed is in the back 4. Leaving us having to invest in creativity in the near future as well and can you see the club doing that with our constant “limited funds”?
Bring back Santi for a final, swan song season of wonder and marvel
Our defence was shocking again. Iwobe needs to improve his passing, not good enough at this level. Let’s hope we can start a winning run going and beat Chelsea.
Reading some comments here, I think some would have preferred a draw to allow themselves nuclear criticism.
Thought Iwobi was our best player in the first half. Got an assist an created two good chances for Auba.
Second half his decision making was a bit odd but still fine. He’s a bit like Sanchez in that he is high risk but as long as it’s not in our half it’s not worrying. He is improing. Let’s hope he can keep it going.
Iwobi is good st running with the ball and tracking back, but his crossing and passing and design making is shocking…. I want him to be good but my eyes don’t lie…
Lol decision not design… but maybe he is a crap designer as well
…errr…he came up with the assist for the first goal.
He also conjured the back flick to set Kolasinac up to pass to Granit for almost the second.
Then he was involved in tight passing for the real second goal.
Are you watching the game or just passing judgement on bias?
he is one of our most effective players at the moment.
Not good enough comment…no analysis;)
Santori you didnt mention Mustafis name in your comment, is everything okay? Hahaha im just messing with you my fellow gooner :*
I have watched every game this season. Give me some stats on his effectiveness this season. Last season, or the past 6 seasons. His numbers are not good enough for a side trying to come 4th.
Totally agree
You’re an idiot
Iwobi made a couple of wonderful passes; he also made some incredibly poor ones, including some that should have been very easy. Very involved, as usual, but some moments, too many, where he looked terrible. Seemed tired by the end (though, in fairness, I think we have played about 35 matches the past three weeks). Okay, that’s my effort at a balanced judgment.
Santa – it’s always interesting that you so often bemoan the bias against (and pro) certain players. And then fall into the same trap with your own favourites. I have been a strong critic of Iwobi on this forum, but have NEVER said the lad doesn’t have talent. What he has always lacked is work rate in the less glamorous aspects of the game: chasing after a lost through ball (which he often is guilty of); tracking back; anticipating gaps in our mids and working to close them, EVEN if it isn’t strictly his job… Just generally getting stuck in… Read more »
Can we all just spare a moment to think about those who put Leno in their fantasy football team.
i don’t want to spare a moment for idiot’s who’s gng to put arsenal’s CB and GK in their fantasy team.
Not a fantastic performance, worrying that it looks like we won’t be reinforcing in January.
Although it is nice that we can play not great and still win 4-1!
COYG
Auba, Laca, Iwobi, (Ramsey), (Ozil), Torreira, Granit, Guendouzi, AMN, (Lichsteiner), Mustafi, Sokratis, Holding, Kolasinac, Elneny.
Discounting youth, these are our senior players available and the ones in parenthesis are carrying slight injuries or in Rambo’s case may be gone.
Hard to believe some pundits think Emery has a lot of depth to work with.
Can’t see Holding getting to the field anytime soon
It was a good performance. Laca’s goal may be goal of the week. It was very well constructed. Lot of fans still have Anfield’s disappointment in their mind.
Often feel like Blogs is just a *little* harsh on Guendouzi, and tends to overlook his moments of genuine quality in the ball – such as his excellent work in the buildup to Ramsey’s goal, and his brilliant long pass to set Auba through on goal.
I just think that with a player of 19 it’s sensible to remain a little cautious. I do try and highlight the good things he does, but we shouldn’t overlook the times his inexperience is on display.
Guendouzi is a baller, I’m not one to overhype young players, but….. I think we’ve got a real player on our hands.
Iwobi is frustrating, but so was Alexis… Next 12 months will be crucial, if he starts to add regular goals+assists? Then I’m willing to put up with his erraticism.
Think we’ll also see a lot more of Niles, since money is scares, he certainly looks like a player we can turn into a regular starter.
It’s not even a joke to say people said very much the same thing about Denilson after we just signed him. Another Fabregas etc.
Just give the kid some time without raising expectations too high.
I know some dude who after seeing Guendouzi for the first time, said at the same age he was controlling games better than Cesc was for us and would go on to become captain of the club earlier than Cesc was. This was also after the first PRESEASON game.
I then pointed out that Cesc was our captain by 20, so unless you’re expecting something miraculous, the idea Guendouzi would be our captain next year fantasy.
I do have to add that watching him this season, Guendouzi really just needs to work on his positional awareness off the ball. With him currently, it is always reactive defending and not proactive. The amount of times he is 2-3 yards behind a opposition runner is hurting us quite a bit. It’ll come with experience but we also shouldn’t be in a position where he has to be playing week in week out.
Guendouzi has a tendency to take three or four touches before passing and it tends to slow our attacking possibilities. In earlier matches he would too often be caught on the ball standing still, but he has learned to avoid that by dribbling into space while he decides where to move the ball. I think there is a good chance he will, in the same way, learn to move the ball forward more quickly. (In fairness, I think I may be unconsciously comparing his ability to see and then execute an attacking move to Ozil, who is the best I… Read more »
You’ve clearly forgotten Santi… no-one I’ve seen in our attacking midfield (and even when he was shifted deeper) could control any pass, no matter how wayward, beat his man and then rapier through a pass with either foot. No-one.
Errmm… and your point is?
It looked to me like it was Guendouzi that lost his man for the Fulham goal. Looked a bit Xhaka-esque “tracking back” in such a lackadaisical fashion. I think he’s got amazing potential, but him and Torreira have seemed a bit soft in midfield since the ManU match. They’re anticipating fouls in dangerous areas and leaving out admittedly shit back three or four even more exposed. I think Guendouzi perfectly encapsulates Emery’s ideas of pressing without pressure, which leaves big gaps throughout, and still enough time and space for opposition players to pick a pass. Sorry this all seems pretty… Read more »
le poseur n kid
Yeah we have to remember he is only 19yrs.
In truth Torreira has been poor last two games but no one will voice this bc its not popular.
He was fleeced today for their goal.
I’d still be on the look out for another mid. Elneny is not the quality to add anything extra for us.
What about that guy Veratti over at PSG? Maybe we could swap him for Mustafi?
I feel with Torreira, he has abit more credit in the bank for playing so well earlier in the season. Maybe the harsh schedule of the league has caught up with him. I am not slating both players as they are young and in a new league so hopefully pushing on they will be the players we need them to be.
There were several matches in succession where Torreira was arguably our best player (certainly Adrian Clarke thought so). Except for Lichsteiner (and no one came near that level), he was our worst player against Liverpool; he was better yesterday, though not great. I think he is exhausted.
Torreira was ‘sold’ by a hospital pass from Kos – and 9 out of 10 other days, would have had a foul called on that ‘tackle’
“He was fleeced”
You keep saying that word, i do not think it means what you think it means vezzini. The phrase you are graping for is “he was fouled.”
I think oppositions fear Guendouzi’s passes. They seem to have instructions to bully him whenever he has the ball. The boy is doing well but he is still a bit raw.
The refereeing today was abominable. So many kicks and hacks on our players went unpunished. Lacazette should have had a penalty, and that was a cast-iron foul on Torreira to start the build-up for Fulham’s goal. Why can’t we ever get decisions like that in our favour? I don’t think we’ve had a penalty yet this year, but by my count I think we should have had at least five.
Agreed. And when Sokratis was fully mugged in the corner of the clock end 2nd half. I mean, whoever that no-name was, he pulled him back by the jersey, held him while he kicked him, and then for good measure trod on him. There were at least 2 yellows in one mugging there, but no.
And when AMN was hauled back by the neck – the ref did give a foul, but it should have been a yellow.
I’ve become so accustomed to this over the past month or two that today didn’t even register as anything out of the ordinary. Refs have been so lenient, really letting teams get away with butcher jobs, so reluctant to brandish cards–I don’t think we have a particularly soft team, but there’s no way this doesn’t affect the team both within any particular game (especially in trying to create offense and develop any sort of rhythm) and over the long-term in terms of being beat up, especially in this period of so many fixtures.
Well if you think we should have had at least 5 penalties already this year, then that is a lot considering we have only played a game this year.
Little shaky from the boys today but we got the most important thing today which was the three points
Up next is whooping those scumbags #chelshit
So WTF does Lacazette have to do to stay on the pitch for a full 90?! He always misses out on the later stage goal scoring period. He must be getting quite a bit frustrated at that.
Is he on the same Emery Shit List as Ozil?
Emery doesn’t have a “shit list”…. He simply picks a team he believes gives us the best chance of success, he also makes the substitutions that he thinks is best.
His Rambo for Lacazette change worked, as have many of his other changes this season.
Several have, several haven’t. But that’s not the issue I spoke to.
It’s very common for a striker, who presumably has run all game, to be replaced though I don’t think it made a lot of sense yesterday. Glad Ramsey came on–would have replaced Iwobi or even Guendouzi and left Lacazzette on. Very classy of Lacazette to defuse the situation when he came off.
Is Emery on you shit list as Wenger was ?
Take a look back at my posts and you will see I don’t pick a man to go after. I kept hoping Wenger success far longer than many. I like Emery. But I do wonder what the story is with Ozil (none of us actually knows), and why Lacazette gets the hook so much. Ramsey got a goal. But he could have come on for Auba and given him a rest too. My point is entirely that Laca gets serially subbed off even when he’s on a good match. He might actually have a better tally if he got to… Read more »
Lacazette got the hook a lot under the previous manager too. Perhaps they are aware of things that you are not.
For example, perhaps his energy levels wane after 60 minutes, perhaps he doesn’t offer sufficient aerial security during those latter stages.
However, when Emery subs him (explains he needed to keep Seri quiet, who robbed Torreira of possession for their goal) and his replacement scores, perhaps you should keep quiet about your ‘shit list’ analysis
And you should mind your own rather than telling anyone to keep quiet. Ramsey could have scored while on for auba or someone else as well, so kindly stick it wherever pleases you most.
It wasn’t a great performance by any stretch of the imagination and our defense was porous again but a win is a win and 4 goals to the good (minus 1 could have been more if it were more confident opponents) 1) Leno -OK. Some sketchy distribution but stayed focus (aware of tricky headers back to him from the defense) and came out a number of times to claim the ball when need be. 2) AMN – I mentioned he was too far up field last game as a winger. Much better in fullback/Wingback. This should be his go to… Read more »
Lol …I can’t give a horse tit’s to ur opinion when u dont even know that chamber’s is not eligible to play against parent club when on loan.
Far too long to read sorry. Happy New Year though! 🙂
10/10 For Lacazette reaction to the substitution. As soon as he heard the boo’s from the crowd he started clapping a pointed to his head as if he was referring that it’s all in our minds and helped the team to stay positive.
And pointed*
Our players are just impossible.. now of them have the ability to sense their dangerous passing ability?
I blame koscielny for the goal.. it was such a stupid ball he chipped it towards Torreira in the middle of the field inviting pressure.. it would be different if the ball was on the ground..
Xhaka almost set them up twice with two careless passes.. and this was after a Liverpool drubbing..
Nice picture of Rambo Blogs, quick feet for his important goal! Gonna miss him aren’t you..:-(
An expected result against a poor side. Didn’t really tell us anything we don’t already know. We need to find consistency again as we’ve looked flaky recently. A signing or two might be what’s needed to kick others up the arse a bit, particularly in central defense.
The Chelsea game is a massive one for us now. Anything less than a win and we can probably kiss goodbye to the top four this season given the consistency of the other sides, not to mention United who suddenlt decided to start turning up to games.
Also, a shout out to Kolasinac who is starting to really look the part again for the first time since his first handful of games for us. Let’s hope he continues this way. Finally he looks like more than the new Andre Santos.
Kodak had his moment
Borderline racist
… what?
Does anyone besides me think Kolasinac might be our internal solution to the need for an “out and out winger”? Buy a new left back and move him into midfield and he’d be a monster.
Maybe. But he’s not much of a dribbler. Something tells me what Emery wants in a winger is a more direct one-on-one type of guy like a Zaha. The two wingers Arsenal have been strongly linked with (Sarr and Pepe) are nothing like Kolasinac. But you’re right, it’d be great if he could just play up on the wing and worry less about trying to defend.
Did you see him dribble through several people – several times – today? Or all the times he’s beaten his man to the end line one-on-one and gotten in a dangerous square ball?
Seems like he does exactly what you think the new-age wingers should do.
I guess I wouldn’t call what Kolasinac does ‘dribbling,’ but it’s not worth arguing about. I’m sure we’re both glad he’s having success out there. COYG.
Something tells me that Emery doesn’t play with genuine wingers. You know, because he never has.
Football has changed, mate.
Winger’s in modern games are combined 7/10s; able to play in the half-space. They dribble and carry the ball and make final passes. The wingers you speak of do not exist as wingers anymore, they exist as…..full backs.
Kola is wing back/full back. Dont mistake his attacking running as someone capable of being a winger.
“Winger’s in modern games are combined 7/10s; able to play in the half-space. They dribble and carry the ball and make final passes. The wingers you speak of do not exist as wingers anymore, they exist as…..full backs.
Kola is wing back/full back.”
What you described…don’t we spend every single post-game player ratings article comments section complaining that that’s all he does? And that he’s really good at it, but kind of shit at defending?
Thanks guys for giving me a birthday gift by winning Fulham on d first day of d new year. My fiancée made me a cake with Gunner’s logo… Wish I cud post here