Sunday, December 22, 2024

Report: Arsenal 1-0 Norwich (inc goal)

Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Lokonga, Maitland-Niles; Pepe, Odegaard, Saka; Aubameyang

Subs: Leno, Tavares, Cedric, Mari, Chambers, Partey, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette

Arsenal finally got on the scoresheet, and off the mark in terms of Premier League points, with a 1-0 win over Norwich at the Emirates this afternoon.

Mikel Arteta handed a debut to new signing Takehiro Tomiyasu, dropped Bernd Leno for summer arrival Aaron Ramsdale, and although Thomas Partey was back in the squad, deployed Ainsley Maitland-Niles in midfield alongside Albert Sambi Lokonga.

The Gunners started brightly, winning a couple of early corners, and the new right back had a shot blocked after an excellent Ben White pass.

Norwich saw a McLean header flash wide, before a glorious Odegaard pass found Aubameyang in behind, but his left footed effort was blocked by professional time-waster Tim Krul and then cleared. Neither keeper was particularly tested in the opening half hour, and the visitors began to have a little more joy in possession than in the opening stages.

The wall deflected a Norwich free kick over the bar as the momentum of the first half changed completely towards the Canaries. Nevertheless, there was a late chance for Tomiyasu who showed brilliant desire to get on the end of a headed clearance, volleying just over the bar, so the teams went in level at the break.

There were no half-time changes from either manager, and again it was Arsenal who started brightly. Gabriel headed wide, and there was some early pressure on the Norwich final third. Maitland-Niles created a 54th minute chance for Saka which was blocked, and another Saka shot rebounded for Pepe at the back post but his effort was brilliantly blocked by Williams.

Mikel Arteta made his first changes in the 62nd minute, bringing on Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe for Sambi and Tomiyasu – Maitland-Niles moved across to right back.

And five minutes later, Arsenal were ahead. Pepe had a shot which deflected off the post, it took a ricochet off the keeper, Aubameyang looked offside initially, it came to Aubameyang who tapped it home. There was an anxious VAR check, but the goal was given. 1-0.

Aarons shot wide with his left foot, a reminder that Norwich were still in this, and a Smith Rowe interception in the final third should have come to more but Odegaard couldn’t get a shot or a pass away with Aubameyang lurking at the back post.

Pepe fired a shot over, Cedric replaced an exhausted Maitland-Niles on 82 minutes, and Aubameyang had a chance to double the lead but his shot was saved by Krul’s legs. Cedric smashed a shot way over the bar from an Arsenal corner, Smith Rowe forced an excellent save from Krul before Saka curled the rebound just wide of the far post.

At the other end, a superb Gabriel block denied Pukki, and from the resulting corner an Arsenal break saw Pepe shoot wide. Cedric produced another stunning block to keep the Gunners ahead, and there were moments of danger late on that we could have done more.

Still, while it wasn’t our best performance of all time, Krul kept the scoreline respectable, and hopefully the win will release some of the pressure we’ve had to deal with going into this one.

Enjoy it, it’s overdue!

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Maniac

Our fans singing “one nil to the Arsenal” with about 10 seconds left on the clock pretty much sums up the confidence we currently have in this team. Definitely some positive signs, but there is no denying that our finishing is so, so bad.

Nonetheless we needed 3 points and we got 3 points. Job done.

Bishop

After the calamitous start to the season, a clean sheet and 3 points is more then welcome.

Great result, hope this is the start of our tedious grind up the table

Maniac

For sure. Really hope this win is something we can build on. Would be great to grab a few wins and get some momentum going before the next international break.

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

At least they’re creating chances apart from a Tierney cross

Maniac

That’s definitely one of the positives – we actually look pretty good on expected goals. The problem is that we really struggle to convert any of those chances. Admittedly Krul made 2 great saves today (Aubameyang and ESR) and Williams a great block (Pepe), but otherwise the shots were very wayward. A lot of chances just sliced or completely overhit. We need to, at the very least, be testing the keeper with some shots on target.

KENBRO

Pepe needs to be more positive I think he could’ve had a goal or two today. I noticed a tendency he has when he receives the ball his first instinct is to go backwards not forward. I don’t know why this is. There were several times he could’ve made forward runs with the ball and affect the game in a positive way where he just went backward allowing nnrowich to regroup. I don’t understand this.. I hope he sorts this out he’s been doing this since Unai era and one of the reasons Emery never fancied him.

Comedian

Just enjoy the win I will say. Nothing wrong with opinions assessing the performance…but lets just enjoy 3 points.

SciGunner

Glad to open the scoring and points account.

Some observations:

Auba looked sharp and committed.

Creativity in the final third for the first 60 mins was terrible. Partey and ESR changed that. We should be able to do better even without them.

Was Odegard playing number 8 or number 10 for the first 60 mins? Either way he was a bit too deep. Some nice passes though. For a talented played, I would love him to dribble at people and take a few more shots.

AMN at midfield debate is settled- it just dont work.

Pepe’s first toch 😐

SciGunner

The pressing- there were good and bad moments. Are we a pressing team?

SciGunner

And Tomiyasu looks solid

Riku

Good win
Some of the lads we kept missed some great chances today
ESR shot straight at keeper easy height , Martin o got ball 7 yards out on right foot and ended up dribbling back out of the area ozil style rather than shoot on his weaker foot .
Thought amn and Pepe decent , in second half. Pepe made break through

SciGunner

AMN was not bad but to be in Arsenal midfield (especially with the current level of creativity or lack of)-he needs to pass better.
Pepe was good overall-but his first touch let him down many times.

KENBRO

Lol Pepe’s first touch and Pepe’s first instinct to go backwards drives me nuts. I’m yelling at the screen like why does he go backwards every time??? When Saka receives the ball he turns and goes forward tries to beat his man. When Pepe receives the ball he immediately turn backwards and go back where the ball came from or do a little dribble into midfield and then pass backwards like what is this style of play I don’t understand it lol

Vaibhav Pandey

Hard to say but Niles is done at CM and maybe at Arsenal.

Matt P

Some signs of promise but yes we need to be much more clinical in front of goal.

G-Man

We are winning the relegation battle!!

Verdant

It is quite clear now we can’t depend solely on Auba for goals.

The guys behind him need to get better at getting the goals. Pepe, Saka, Ø, and even ESR when he came on. Perhaps just a bit unlucky.

Well pleased with the results. Who wouldn’t be? It’s also good to see AMN getting minutes. I hope he can grow in confidence.

Oh, I love Tomiyasu already.

shokim

A win at last & off the bottom of the table. Hard to watch at times, but I’ll take the 3 points.

Paul

Impossible to watch for me because I live in England. How mad is that?

Bob's Mexican Cousin

Surprisingly stupid

Collibosher

Me too

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

Download “live football tv euro” from the play store

Shano

Baby steps, I knew it would play out like that when we didn’t get early goal. But I’m very happy with Tomi, lokonga, niles versatility, I thought odegaard looked quicker and if we had our confidence up that was 5 today with the chances we created.
Ramsdale looks a character also

DialSquareGoon

Hard to watch the first 26 mins thanks to NBC’s shite Peacock streaming app.

Bishop

Clean sheet – ✔
3 points – ✔
Striker scoring – ✔
Partey getting a good half an hour unscathed- ✔
White – Gabriel partnership – Promising.

COYG

Djouroureallylikeit

And Tomiyasu looked good

Djouroureallylikeit

Oh and I thought Ramsdale was good too.

Matt P

Agree on White-Gabriel. Tomiyasu played well too, especially given he’s only been in the country a couple of days. Ramsdale good too, and some good attacking play in the second half. We really need to improve our finishing. ESR has to score.

Verdant

AMN finally embracing his versatility – ✅
Ramsdale showing some confidence at the back – ✅

Bishop

In the spirit of staying positive and not nit-picking after a good result, i consciously ommited mentioning some players because;

I expected more from AMN as a central midfielder. His passing was sloppy.

I wasn’t too impressed with Ramsdale taking too much risk with the ball at his feet. That’s a recipe for disaster

As for Tomi, he started very brightly but I feel like tiredness set in very fast. Will reserve judgement for now

Evaristus

Annnddd breathe!

Djouroureallylikeit

Should have scored way more, but we’re off the mark thank fuck

Jack

ESR was the driving force when he came on. Like he had a point to prove. Well done lad

Matt P

He was excellent, but needs to improve his finishing.

KENBRO

he was good not excellent and driving force? nah but he was good. He needs to improve a lot of things like making quicker decisions with the ball when in the box or final third. He squandered two great opportunities due to poor decision making but he’s only going to improve so not worried with ESR

El Mintero

Our best midfielder today.

G B

Tommy looks a player!

Matt P

Man he’s good in the air! Really springy jump. General play looks really sound too.
I am looking forward to the next game, that’s a nice change! Signs of hope to build on.

Brady’s bunch

Have to agree with you he looked very comfortable on the ball

Spiker

I think he’ll be extremely difficult for opponents to get through, very secure, adn a good passer. Shooting, dribbling, and working with his winger, overlapping, etc., seem absent from his game or very weak, but having a VERY solid wall at RB is going to be a lot more important this season. With Gabriel and Ben White, feels like opponents will mostly be aiming for the gap when Tierney is up field. With a decent 6 (I really liked Lakonga today) I think we’ll end up very solid at the back. Those CBs really squashed the attacks, keeper wasn’t tested… Read more »

SarcasmB0t

We still have no way of scoring goals.

A better team than Norwich would have us for dinner.

Support the team – Arteta out.

Guns Up

Take a day off.

Homer

Funny how some think ‘supporting’ the team means crapping all over it.

This aint aftv. Go eat a cookie, you’ll feel better.

Bob's Mexican Cousin

Don’t think he’s crapping all over it. It’s a valid opinion, which many have shared recently. Glass half full half empty situation today in my opinion.

Beating a winless Norwich 1-0 at the Emirates vindicates Arteta and proves his adequacy for the job? I don’t think so.

SarcasmB0T

Funny how others think “supporting” a team means constantly lowering your expectations.

Before the game, everybody was talking about how we needed a “statement win”.

After the game, a scrappy goal is apparently enough.

I support Arsenal and I’d like to enjoy watching it again. That’s been pretty hard lately, and I’d like that to change.

If eking out a win against soon-to-be relegated Norwich is all you expect, I can see how you have no complaints.

ALbangbang

Don’t listen to the fickle fans, it’s all “be positive no matter what” when we scrape 1-0 against Norwich but they’ll go missing again next time we get smashed 5-0.

DPK

Considering some of the things you have said about Arteta in the last year Homer that is an extraordinarily hypocritical comment !
But then again, hypocrosy is par for the course with you sadly….

Reiss Neverseen vs DicTetaBall

AFTV is a multitude of people. Some want Arteta to continue as manager and some want him to leave. It was the same with Wenger and the same with Emery. Don’t know why this is often overlooked.

How many times have we seen fans scapegoating players to avoid putting Arteta’s tactics under scrutiny. Everyone has elements of this team that they’re not fond of and for some, that’s the manager. Doesn’t mean the team is being “crapped” on.

Qwaliteee

Well said.

I’ve always thought Robbie was (and still is) a sound, intelligent dude and a great ambassador for the fan base and indeed the club.

He always tries to provide a balanced opinion and doesn’t take sides.

Top fella. I wish AFTV all the best.

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

The season has started!

The Smith is such a quality player, the way he glides across the pitch.

Walleye

He really is quality. The way he is built very difficult to knock off the ball.
team looked better when entered the game

Ant Lester

Thank goodness for that. I’m actually looking forward to MOTD – can’t remember the last time I said that. Well done Arsenal.

AusGunner

Much better even if it was a narrow win. Lots of encouraging stuff. Tomiyasu looked very promising and had the crowd onside. Groovy.

Paul

Everyone, including the fans, needed that win.

Tribe

Will try not to spread any negativity today. Three points are always welcome. A realistic view: Our new signings will need time to adapt and have an impact as we all expect. The signs are positive but way too early to judge. Even more realistic view: Our midfield is better with both Smith-Rowe and Odegaard in the team. And one pretty much evident thing, Maitland-Niles all day every day in front of Xhaka or Elneny. He has the dynamics that those to will never have. He is not the perfect solution to CM position but my opinion is if Arteta… Read more »

ChickPEA

Ahead of Xhaka yes, but Partey and Lokonga should start the next game.

Tribe

Never mentioned Partey and Lokonga mate. It was Niles opposed to Xhaka and Elneny.

Parisian Weetabix

Yeah but Partey and Lokonga should start the next game.

ChickPEA

True, but your 10-game run point had me wondering as in my view, he’s more our first backup option – and I’d be totally fine with you having a different opinion by the way.

Matt P

Yeah I thought AMN was pretty good. Agree, ahead of Xhaka. I really hope Arteta can get over his Xhaka love…

Brady’s bunch

Very happy for the win but Maitland Niles looked out of his depth for me grand squad player but nothing more. Pepes first touch is woeful also

Tribe

If Niles had been given half of the chances in the team that Xhaka gets, and in midfield position, then this conversation would have been veeeeery veeeery different. I repeat again, Niles has a potential that has never been unleashed and trusted. Forever played out of position. How many games has he got in midfield at Arsenal? He has strength, intelligence, speed, technicality, awareness. Which of those apply to Xhaka, and he is Arteta’s frist choice all the time. Luckily he is suspended now so we can see a tiny bit of Niles capabilities. I am only comparing two players… Read more »

Brady’s bunch

I hope your right but for me neither xhaka or AMN are good enough for our midfield no matter how many games they play

Ealing

Xhaka is not, AMN will be!

Qwaliteee

He’s had so little playing time that he’s probably not match fit. He looked tired in the second half.

Brady’s bunch

He failed to impress against Norwich he would have been overrun by a decent team

Qwaliteee

Which part of ‘He’s Not Match Fit’ are you struggling with……?

Best of John Lukic

Wild that we didn’t bag 4 or 5 in the 2nd half, but all in all I have no complaints. Have decided to try and enjoy each game for what it is and disregard the bigger picture – and it worked for this one. I was entertained, we won, voila.

Wengerball

Not impressed with the talent we have. Our style is so pompous. Manager seems to think we can just play a relaxed slow tempo and methodically pass our way to the goal by playing ultra safe. You could see in the latter stages when we were getting into Norwich’s box constantly was pass pass pass. Our finishing was horrific. And for the love of God when will be done with the Pepe experiment. He’s a slightly above average player. People will say he did well today because he had a ahot bounce off the bar and back off his foot… Read more »

Goonerink

You don’t have to say dollar when you use the currency symbol

Wengerball

Glad thats what you took away from all that.

Goonerink

I don’t agree with your opinion, but as it’s an opinion I can’t claim it’s factually wrong. The syntax I could.

goonshow

I can – Pepe draws 2 players every time he gets the ball, which creates more space for Auba to run into. We didn’t capitalise on that enough as MO and our brand new midfield are still getting their heads around playing together. But it will come. The increased chances once Thomas and ESR added some drive and incisiveness show that… Yes – Pep has a few shockers as first touches, but he also had the instant spin and sprint away when he received it on the half-way, back to goal. ‘Slightly above average’? He’s a lot better than that… Read more »

goonshow

That’s about the only stand-out in that negative drivel.

Parisian Weetabix

I actually thought it was really interesting to see the positions Pepe found himself in once Partey came in and actually played some risky progressive passes to find him for once. Too often we’re so fucking laborious that by the time we get the ball to him he’s got three players around him (which I admit is something I’d like him to be a little better at, but I digress). Whereas today with that one pass from Partey to split the lines, suddenly Pepe was in a position where he could use his left foot, and his finish was very… Read more »

cannon and ball and arse'n'all

Pepe has struggled because most of the time the opposition can afford to double up on him. The RB threat has not been there for a while. Compare that to the left hand side where there is Tierney and Saka, no one can double up on Saka because Tierney will expose the space. Most opposition teams doubled up on Pepe because there was no threat at all from RB – Callum Chambers got a few assists towards the end of the season because there were two players stood on Pepe, which meant CC had free reign due to the opposition… Read more »

Brady’s bunch

Pepe has no first touch and he runs like his boots are too big for him

goonshow

Exactly my thinking – as per above comment.

Jeremy DG

Pepe was peak Pepe today but he adds the chaos factor, which essentially was the difference. One moment he’s unplayable, the next he tripping over his own feet. I love him and it isn’t his fault someone paid too much money for him. Also I think the talent is very good. This is the first game this season (or ever) a lot of these players had played together. The pompous play you referred too was today down to confidence I think, and not the manager. He picked the right team, made the right subs at the right time and you… Read more »

Wengerball

I think my first sentence has been misinterpreted. I believe we have a HUGE amount of talent, so much so that the performance is dissapointing because I don’t think the manager is getting the best out of the talent we have. I don’t think it’s a confidence issue. You can tell the tempo is the same as always even without Xhaka. Once we’re in the final third we focus on keeping the ball instead of breaking the lines. How many times did you see a midfielder or outside back make a forward run that just needed a small cutting pass… Read more »

chepetin

That makes much more sense. But that’s different than your first sentence above. I don’t think anyone misinterpreted “not impressed with the talent we had.”

goonshow

Your ‘guarantee’ is as hollow as much of your insight, since you cannot possibly be privy to the ‘instructions’ given by the coach. What I did, however, see vs Norwich was a team that, for the first time since Ma caught her tits in the mangle, tried to drive forward through the mid-field instead ‘horseshoe-ing’ round the flanks into dead-ends and then passing back! Did it work? Only partly – but it’s churlish in the extreme to cast the performance as ‘disappointing’ when we had (a) a keeper who’s never played with the CHs (b) CH’s who’ve never played together… Read more »

jfmgunner

I just think Saka is better on the right. But I do agree Partey got the ball out to him much faster and it helped him. You just need a player with quick accurate first touch and passing in his game at this level and too often Pepe seems to make the wrong choice. Look at how instinctively ESR just makes a fast decision and it works. I think we’ll be better with Saka ESR and Ødegaard behind Auba.

Wengerball

Exactly. Pepe has had the chances to prove his worth and he hasnt. He’s not going to mafically turn good and become the next Overmars or Pires. Play saka/esr there and I think our attack will click more.

KENBRO

I agree with half of what you said especially with Pepe he goes backwards too much for me doesn’t commit players doesn’t turn and go forward always backwards first I don’t understand him. He’s just not good enough for me. But overall I think the team did well I liked all the changes that were made except for AMN in midfield but I’m sure that’s not long term

El Mintero

That is so factually inaccurate…Pepe is never one to go backwards, is always committing players and is always going forward. Seriously, what / who are you watching…?!!

goonshow

So you two would advocate dropping the only player we currently have to can take on and beat players? Who can whip a shot in from range with either foot (as he’s showed on occasion)? Who draws at least 2 players out to the right flank every time he gets the ball, creating space for others?
Pepe just needs MO, ESR, Thomas and possibly Lokonga/AMN to develop the understanding of how and where he wants the ball and he will flourish.

Smokin'Gunner

Created plenty of chances and not all of them came down the left flank…Not the prettiest win in the world but I’ll take positives where I can get them these days.

El Mintero

Same problem as last year. Can’t put the ball in the net. Auba is finished. His goal today was terrible. Yeah we’ll take it but it sure as hell was not vintage Auba. We got the best out of him when he played off Laca, coming in from the left. Arteta would rather do a city and play with no striker but we just happened to give him the biggest deal in the team so he’ll never be benched.

Reiss Neverseen vs DicTetaBall

What a weird take… Vintage Auba used to a poacher or “tap-in merchant” (as the kids say). He was best as a CF at Dortmund and ASSE. It was only really at Arsenal that he started to score long shots, free-kicks etc.

Don’t think scoring a goal is something to begrudge a player over, especially a goal that was scored in open play.

Qwaliteee

“Auba is finished.”

Another one of your ignorant gems.

Give youth a chance

Not the emphatic victory we hoped for, but at least we got the 3 points and have something to build on

Jeremy DG

Anyone expecting a 7-0 today was in Lala land. The team tried hard but are clearly lacking confidence in the final third. This was an important step to regain some. The talent is there, I thought the manager made some good decisions today and the new signings all looked good. There were some really promising passages of play and Gabriel and Partey (and esr) all added some quality to the side. Onwards and upwards. On a side note, the commentators are really getting quite tiring. It was like listening to Norwich fucking cheerleaders the whole way through. Barely a mention… Read more »

Homer

Good comment.

The anti-Arsenal bias has existed since AW came in a starting buying his fancy Dan foreigners. They are piling on b/c AFC is in the muck.
And these days, commentators aren’t paid to be objective anymore. They’re paid to keep the rage/conflict machine running.

Qwaliteee

The anti Arsenal bias has been around since at least the early 70’s, when Bertie Mee’s Double Winners were dubbed boring. And when West Ham beat us at Wembley in the 1980 FA Cup Final, you would have thought there was a Royal Wedding taking place such was the delight of the media. Ditto when Tony Adams was jailed for drink driving at Christmas 1990 and we were docked two points by the FA after a bundle with Man United at Old Trafford in the same season. The media have always hated The Arsenal. As for foreigners, Arsenal were buying… Read more »

goonshow

And let’s not forget the glee with which they hounded Anelka’s every trangression and hissy-fit! Nor Paddy’s reds (and it was never Keane’s fault, remember?)

Qwaliteee

I fucking loved the way Paddy could wind up that miserable manc cunt.

Because of Paddy’s height, Keane always used to get ‘furious little bloke’ syndrome. Fucking hilarious – especially the Highbury tunnel in 04/05.

Ben EagerBeaver

Sensational journalism

Freddie08

Arsenal looked so much more fluid when we switched to a 4-3-3 in the second half, with Partey behind Smith Rowe and Odegaard. Shout out also to Cedric for his late cameo. Brilliant block to deny Pukki.

El Mintero

Shout outs to Cedric not allowed. Ffs don’t you know he’s fkn shit?!! (Sarcasm).

Tropical gooner

Considering this is essentially a new team with several players playing together for the first time, it can only get better. Plenty of positives and good performance from the new players. Negatives? We must surely have someone who can deliver better balls in for corners.

Jeremy DG

Pepe is normally good, but today was being peak pepe. One moment skinning opponents for fun and take audacious shots, the next falling over his own feet.

GateCrasher

Barring a couple of spells where we lost some composure / control I actually really enjoyed the way we played. Tomiyasu looks a beast though he faded a little in the second half. And sambi looks a real find.

At the same time, partey and Smith Rowe coming on definitely made us look more threatening again.

All in all I think there are some foundations I can get behind and I suspect we’ll look better and better once these guys play together some more and our first team looks clear.

It was very Krul that we didn’t score more goals.

Runzac

Excellent

Gunnerlocutor

I was hoping to score another at the end for Rashitsa and giggles…

Parisian Weetabix

Ruddy good pun that.

Cechmate

Yeah we had to Rowe hard to get to the Partey but we reached there with clean White sheet.

goonshow

Yes – a real Pukki we didn’t get more.

Baichung Bhutia

Yes, finally a win. Positives – like the look of Tomiyasu, Partey looked sharp, CBs looked much better, Auba working hard and scoring a goal, ESR is awesome.
AMN in midfield looked a bit lost and Odegaard had minimal impact on the game.

Matt P

The jury is still out a little for me on Odegaard, very busy but needs more end product.

Brady’s bunch

He’s a baller he just needs better movement around him and he could be a showstopper

turcofeo

Definitely, and that goes for all our attacking players.

Baichung Bhutia

He is definitely a good player, but today I thought he didn’t have as much of an impact in the attacking front. Could see the difference once ESR came on.

El Mintero

It’s exactly why Madrid got shot of him.

Qwaliteee

This rabid hatred of Odegaard really is quite peculiar.

goonshow

Very unfair – he ran his bollocks off, pressing more than anyone else in the team! And, again, so many new combos out there – you gotta give them all a little time to settle.

turcofeo

I was actually very encouraged by his performance. I think the attack isn’t ticking at all at the moment and yet he showed some passing vision and technique that no one else on the team offers (Ben White made some noise today with his diagonals and THAT lob to Pepe, though). I hope he becomes more influential in attack once we develop some confidence.
But what really surprised me was his defensive work rate: leading the press relentlessly and even tracking back, covering for Tierney?! That just enamoured me.

Ghost of Fabregas

ARTETA IN!!

Qwaliteee

…..a taxi to the airport.

Rich

If we looked like a team of strangers who’d never played together before, then that’s because most of our team hadn’t

We got away with that lineup today, hopefully we keep that back 5 together and build some cohesion and continuity

The sooner we get Partey + Xhaka back in the middle of the park, the better

Qwaliteee

You actually want Xhaka back in the side………….?

😂

chepetin

I was all in on Rich’s comment until the “+ Xhaka”

El Mintero

I’ll have a pint of what you’re drinking…lol

goonshow

Was with you all the way… until you Xhak yourself in the foot there!

Rufusstan

Xhaka represents the post not the future, and is symptomatic of what was wrong with the club. Not saying he’s a bad player, but not what the club needs any more

ObiKing

Manager should afford the players a bit more freedom and we can definitely turn this around. COYG

Qwaliteee

But he doesn’t. And he never will.

Therein lies the whole fucking problem – and why this club requires a new manager.

*scratchedvinyl

AusDrexler

I think it was a decent show. Another day Pepe, Aubu and Smith-Rowe put those shots away. Some really good committed defence. Much better.

Qwaliteee

So we finally manage a win. And so we should have – we were at home to fucking Norwich.

But still far from convinced though. In fact I can’t ever remember feeling so indifferent about an Arsenal win. So excuse me for not throwing cartwheels and popping the champagne.

Arteta still has it all to do, as far as I’m concerned. Simple as that.

ObiKing

A bit of positivity wouldn’t hurt. Let’s save the whinging for our next loss ( hopefully not anytime soon).

Qwaliteee

Is that how you’ll describe Arsenal fans expressing their dissatisfaction after our next defeat……….”whinging”…..?

Mate, we’re not fifth from top, we’re fifth from bottom.

This is The Arsenal, not Watford.

Freddo

The big red train is leaving the station. Too bad you don’t want to be onboard.

Rufusstan

See it as a start. The team is likely to improve from here

karl

Great effort by a more and more nervous Arsenal as the match progressed. The individual performances were better than the total with Tomi, Sambi and AMN putting in a shift.

I still think Odegaard is too passive and often takes the easy option. He needs to be more positive and make a difference.

Gunnerlocutor

2 things I was NOT expecting: The VAR ref who allows Auba’s possibly offside goal is … Mike Dean!? And the brilliant block at the end of the game that saves our win is by … Cedric!
COYG!

Matt P

Haha

karl

Krul the time-waster made it onside!

Goonerink

I was surprised by that, thought there were enough heavy hitters playing at 3 that he’d be a ref in another game

goonshow

If nothing else, Mike Dean’s moment of lucidity, could mean we have finally turned a rather large corner!

Mootilated

Happy with that! Will remain cautiously optimistic though

Laudgunner

Such a relief. We needed a win to Kickstart our season. Let’s build on it. COYG

Sheldon

I’ll take a gritty win like that any day. We just need to gel.

cannon and ball and arse'n'all

One nil will do me. It sounds like we now have a RB who can threaten at the top end and defend at the back, a Tierney of the right, which means our RW can become unlocked and open up two sides of the pitch instead of all the stats being dominated by the left (Saka/Tierney). A big positive that we now have options. It is not Odegaard or ESR, we can play them both, and if we don’t then one can cover the other. Not exactly getting carried away after our start to the season, but the mocking of… Read more »

Santi's Little Helper

Thought Tomiyasu was a beast. Excited for that one.

Funsho Patrick

Isn’t sambi a beast?!! I thought he should have stayed on to play with partey…..that would be one mobile and technically assured midfield..

Hantal

Win. Clean sheet. Auba goal. Job done.

Nice to see Vieira smash the arseholes down the road too

gOD

We are playing in one of the most physical league in the world, and people are saying positives about that performance…it dawned on me we can’t compete with the players we have, our players are physically weak and it will be exposed in the next couple of games just like in the Brentford game.

I’m sorry the only positive I see is the 3 point and we are out of bottom of the table. This team is weak…very weak.

Man Manny

I will put some of the bluntness in front of goal to nerves and 5 new signings playing together for the first time.
If they come away from Burnley with the 3 points, I feel the confidence will start creeping back.
Crystal Palace has shown there is nothing to fear about Spurs. Another win at home, and we will start to see the team play with the handbrake off.
Norwich gave a good account of themselves, but a more clinical Arsenal would have made the last 10 minutes less frantic.

Redsy

3pts a clean sheet we are climbing the table and Sp*rs loose I will sleep well tonight

Steinn

So many times we get into good positions but somehow don’t manage to make a clear cut chance out of it. This should have been more comfortable but a lot of positives from today: Lokonga keeps on impressing although I think his positioning is something he needs to work on, having Partey alongside him will hopefully help cover for him as well Tomi looks a baller, a CB-esque full back who is not half bad in attack either Partey bossed it today, I’m sure he will step up this season Ben White can really pass the ball and having no… Read more »

jfmgunner

Tomiyasu was quick with his passing, confident and a huge upgrade in the air. He looked exactly like his YouTube Siere A highlights promised. Very early but he’s got a versatile collection of skills that makes him incredibly useful. Ramsdale’s quick passes out of pressure will be vital to playing from the back. Looks like Arteta may not have signed a #2 after all. He is vocal and passionate, but let’s see how error prone he turns out to be. Overall an exciting player. We are creating chances now and my instinct says we will begin to finish more. My… Read more »

El Mintero

He was never signed as a #2! You don’t spend 30 mil on #2 goalies…doh!

Noel

Loved the irony of the “We are staying up, we are staying up” chant!!!!

Santori

Its Norwich.

Fellow relegation strugglers.

About where we are at the moment.

Too many prefer to imagine otherwise with new players. Bang average.

We will be ‘developing’ for more years at this rate. Idiotic fans got sold opiate by Edu and Arteta.

Nothing new. It will be the same shit.

karl

I feel the opposite. These players are capable of a lot more and I wonder about Mikel’s systems and tactics.

Vaibhav Pandey

So refreshing to see a solid RB after a long long time. His power and pace was infectious.

Jordan 23

Just wondering – Did everyone get checked for whether they have been double jabbed when arriving at the Emirates today? I’m a few weeks away from being double jabbed.
Do you feel daily safe going back to the stadium?
Love to hear your thoughts, thanks.

El Mintero

Don’t go unless you’re fully vaxed. That’s a fkn no brainer dude.

Jordan 23

I’m in my teens bro so getting jabbed as soon as possible.

Jordan 23

Takehiro Tomiyasu is gonna be a fan favourite, he wears his heart on his sleeve and leaves it all on the pitch. A great character.

Freddo

Imagine how well he’ll play when he hasn’t just got off a plane from China where he played on Wednesday.

FREDDO

Love the way martin presses and forces everyone around him to do the same so the team doesnt lose shape. You can talk about doing that all you like before the game but someone has to put their hand up. Arteta must love that

Freddo

And then Auba thinks ‘I’m supposed to be a leader in this team’ and hops onto his bike. It’s a chain reaction.

Viv The 🐐

I just checked on the result with this visit to the Arseblog and was relieved to see some smiles amongst the players and fans. But a 1 nill win is the closest result to a full blown desaster. It is good for the moment, but it solidifies very little ground for Arteta. I like it, that AMN finally got a spot. I hope we won’t rely on Elneny anymore as a key figure in midfield. Please just let people with somekind of perspective run the show. Let’s enjoy a less doom and gloom week next. You never know how quickly… Read more »

Goonerink

A 1-0 win with 30 shots and our attacking front 3 unable to be supplimented with fresh legs due to amn picking up a muscle strain.

Freddo

It wasn’t a disaster. The team won. The game is now history. All that matters is the future. Arteta is putting together a great team that will soon be dishing out the 5-0 wallopings you want. Arsenal reached into the covid bargain bin and found some diamonds. The train is leaving the station. All aboard.

Reiss Neverseen vs DicTetaBall

A fair and balanced view of the match result 👍. Glad to see some fans happy but not throwing caution to the wind just yet.

Arsepedant

Some random thoughts. Although Ramsdale had next to nothing to do, he looks hungrier to me than Leno does for the number one jersey. Tomiyasu is quality. He reminds me of a young Hector Bellerin. White and Gabriel will be our main central defensive partnership going forward, but they have a way to go to get completely used to each other. Lokonga and Maitland-Niles were both brilliant in the first half but faded in the second. Still, they’re very good players and now that Partey’s fit again I think Xhaka faces an uphill battle to get back in the squad.… Read more »

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