It wasn’t the most accomplished performance of all time, but all that matters is the three points which keep us top of the league.
Here’s how the players rated. And remember, with our brand new player ratings system you can add your own ratings and the aggregate of all reader scores is displayed alongside ours.
Note: We know it’s not showing properly in the apps/RSS feed, but we’re working on it.
10/10 should have gone that ex spurs cunt missing an open goal
Darren Bent is a gooner actually
If he’s pulled on their filthy shirt he’s NOT a gooner. He’s something Wenger stepped in.
Is it just me or do these new player ratings page shows up all wrong on the android app?
Not just you, it’s an issue and we’re working on it.
Strangely enough, they show up fine when you want to make a comment on the app. Just not before.
All of Girouds efforts today landed in my backyard.
Even this gets redthumbs, don’t know if i could have made it any clearer that it’s a fucking joke.
Except all that landed in your backyard are the crickets you now hear chirping as homage to your excruciating plea and attempt at humour.
Now that’s a joke.
HG, the fact you’re getting red thumbed down is because your joke was at the expense of Giroud. The guy may not be as clinical as Messi, but he works his nuts off for the team. He is a lot, lot more important to our team than being the end result to our attack.
Not even so much ‘at the expense of Giroud’ but ‘shit’.
Admittedly, I wasn’t able to watch the game, so maybe they were a bit dire. Connection in Manaus is absolutely terrible at the best of times. Looking forward to my fibre optic back in Blighty…
Have you posted up any clips of the goals yet blogs? Santi’s goals sound like they were pretty awesome from the Live Blog.
Maybe if you’d made it funny it would’ve been clearer that it was a joke.
This is a very common joke to express how far from the goal girouds efforts were, just making fun not tearing into Giroud as such.
if you didn’t like it suck a dick!
Well, that escalated quickly.
i swear the are some untouchable im this team so much so you can’t even make a joke without so much as a reprimand. fucking lighten up!
Is Heraldgoon the new Fat Gooner? where is he this week?
I believe Arsene Wenger feels the same way.
On whether Poldi can play upfront he said:
“He can as well, because if he is in front of goal and you give him one chance, you score with him. He doesn’t hit it in the stand.”
Is it just me or does no one really realized this? Giroud’s pass to Wilshere for the first goal was absolute class. Again, fair enough his finishing needs a bit of work but what he makes up for is great work ethic and a good target man for our midfield players to lay the ball to and make runs etc. Apart from Cazorla continuing his run, I don’t think it would’ve been a goal had Giroud not find Wilshere in space. So yeah I really think it won’t hurt if he’s spared some slack.
Is it just me or do these new style player ratings show up all wrong on the android app?
It’s just you
Emirates Announcer: 10/10 for effort in pronouncing Kacaniklic
0/10 for execution in pronouncing Kacaniklic
There is something to be said for 60k home and away fans having a good chuckle together.
Just a handy reference update- You can watch the 2nd half on Arsenal Player, the substitution is at about 85:45. After Ozil takes a cheeky 15 minutes walking off the pitch 🙂
Sign a striker or Wenger Out
You need to get your head checked.
Get a brain or shut up
Yeah! Silly wenger and his silly top of the table football team.
You cock.
Game, Set and Match.
My thought summed up nicely with this.
Go away Piers!
As I’m often tempted to say to the arse that is Morgan – “Oh do fuck off!”
You are a fool. That is all.
How many games are we winning two nil this season!!? Ridiculous!
Six times. We have won six games with the result 2-0. Five at Emirates and one on the road.
These are the games which we previously would have drawn 1-1. The importance of the second goal is being realized.
It’s 10 if you include cup games: Fenerbahce (ECL), Naples (ECL), Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Southampton, Marseille (ECL), Hull, Cardiff, Spurs (FAC), Fulham
2-0 is the new 1-0 🙂
It’s just not on.
I’m composing a sternly worded letter to Sir Chips.
New song?
2 nil to the Arsenal, 2 nil to…
Think it might catch on…
“Are you not entertained?!”
Dos a Cero. It’s a magical scoreline; ask any American. Glad it’s becoming popular with Arsenal as well.
Poldi clearly had something to prove when he came on. Unlucky not to get a goal.
Wonder where Poldi will play against Coventry… LW or CF?
Soo glad betbatosser had his usual shit game COYG
A bit unnecessary.
seriously, when does a naff player saying that they want to play for a club way too big for them then become a transfer rumour??
Giroud and our BFG goal celebrations, 10/10
Ozil needs to step it up or get dropped when Ramsey Arteta Are back. Simple.
Just like we should have dropped Santi after his last performance. Oh, wait.
That’ll be the Ozil that Ronaldo had in his Ballon d’Or top three.
You can please some of the people some of the time. The rest need lobotomies.
who else in that midfield set-up gets dropped when our best player of the first half of the season (ramsey) and out de-facto captain (Arteta) are fit to play again??… all Gooner 3000 is saying is that the man needs to step up a gear, what right minded person disagrees with that?
Right you are Clockend, and it just occurred to me, Gooner3000 is obviously Tim Sherwood.
Problem with that, is that he doesn’t have Ronaldo playing in front of him anymore.
I can’t help feeling that if he had a world-class striker to feed, we’d see a lot more from him. HFB is great, and we all love him, but he’s far 25-goal-a-season striker. Very far.
Podolski was, at least for me, outstanding today. Came on, nearly scored with his second touch of the ball, then had his glorious shot pushed onto the post. Could easily have scored at least one goal. Apart from that he was up and down the pitch rapidly, helping gain back possession and even blocking crosses down the left side. You could see he was fit, ready and hungry for a goal. Excellent performance as a sub and hopefully will be in the starting line up next time.
How Podolski doesn’t burst footballs when he hits them is beyond me, perhaps he see’s the dutch skunks face and not a football?
Quick question here: What if a ‘keeper gets injured/sent off during a match, but his team goes on to record a clean sheet. How does this figure in the race for the Golden Glove?
I talked to left glove yesterday, he told me he wanted it, hand off. All jokes aside, one fine save on that Sidwell attempt early on the first half. Brilliant stuff.
Why the heck is this being thumbed down…
Because plonkers
it will be difficult for wenger now to decide who to play wilshere or ramsey.
Ramsey is still solidly my first choice for his all round game, the lad can get forward and can defend as well which is a massive asset to the team. His stamina is something else. But Wilshere has improved upon his early season performances, agreed.
Good problem to have.
Agreed..That’s my thought too.Love them all!
Gotta love the selection headaches…These days when a player gets injured, Wenger doesn’t have that “oh shit we’re fucked” look on his face. He knows he has a huge list to come in. It still pisses me off when the analysts pop up and talk about Arsenal’s lack of depth in the squad to be the downfall. Ummm: Ramsey, Ox, Podolski, Rosicky, Bendtner, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Arteta and Diaby (is he alive). That’s a full team right there to come in. If we win the league, do you think there is a chance every analyst gets the sack?
“It’s simple we want to win the league.”
The faith who put in Santi already paid off. Can’t wait for more from him!
P/S: Monreal’s and Sagna’s position was incorrect. Just a reminder.
Santi starting to come into true form is scary.
Let’s give Ozil a break. He needs some time to adapt to the Premier League like any new player. Inconsistency is natural with these kind of things.
Maybe you could do away with the little ok buttons for the user rating, and make it enough to click on the stars? I like the new system and its great as it is..Just a suggestion.
We’ll consider it but in the meantime we hope that clicking a small button isn’t too much hassle for anyone 😉
Blogs, I am amazed at how you reply to all the posts that you need to. Do you actually read every single post? You are doing a marvelous job. I´ve been a follower and reader of your blog for five years! Amazing what you are doing for us.
You could combine all the “ok” buttons into single fat button at the end, so when someone does the rating stuff she/he hits the submit button once and for all.
Agree with this! otherwise awesome
It’s better to have the OK if you’re using a tablet because it’s quite fiddly tapping the exact right pllace on the stars.
Top of the league!!!
I guess we want Man U over Chelsea because of the table? Or a tie with John Terry and Ivanovic colliding ending each other’s careers. Mourinho faints from the drama and a downward spiral ensues.
I hope Chelsea don’t go into a downward spiral as well considering how our own downward spiral proved to be.
I’d vote for something happening that’s so shocking that it makes Vincent Kompany, who is watching the game back in Manchester, pull a groin and forces him out to miss 6-8 weeks. He’s the linchpin to City’s title challenge.
A splendid post except for the one thing, we don’t really do “ties”, it@s a draw, sorry but had to say it……..
Would of gave Kozza an 8.5 but he missed an open and saved a certain goal within 2 seconds. Shame too, love to see CB’s score.
Podolski looks hungry,time to give him a run down the left wing and do his cut ins
The game was fast, you see first half, gnabry nearly had a goal, good runs frm j10, & assists ozil been marked but see the movements frm team players, pers, coyg santi
LK6, could have had a goal just before Santi’s two–MOTM, totally obliterated that ex-Sp*rs twat and preserved the clean sheet … loved it! 10/10 moment!
Carry on beloved Goons!
people who politely point out that Sagna and Monreals positions are wrong, thinking they are the 1st to notice it.
need to shampoo my crotch
Well said bloggs, regarding ozil. It’s not that he’s shit, or that he’s been shit, but he was shit/poor today. He’s not playing like one of the best midfielders in the world, which he is. All those that are too scared to even remotely accept a bit of critisism towards him need to grow up, it’s football, it’s opinions, no need to insult anybody over it. Maybe in a few months time you will realize how poor he was, when he really starts controlling games, in the interim he needs to get his head down and work hard to win… Read more »
Personally, my only issue is with the use of the word shit…that’s the kind of class you put John Walters in, and even Ozils worst performance of the season (at OT) was still more useful than anything Walters has ever done, ‘poor’ would be acceptable for that though.
I guess there’s always been a lack of nuance on the internet though, and complaining too hard about that would make me a bit dumb!
Absolutely. I don’t like people throwing around the word shit. ‘Sub-par’, ‘should do better’, ‘lousy’, ‘poor’, could describe Ozil at his worst, but he is not capable of ‘shit’. Jonathan Walters is a fine, superb example of shit.
if you dont want to get insulted, perhap consider NOT insulting the players in first place? Calling our player shit then going emo when you get called shit (or equivalent) back is hardly surprising
Santi, much more effective while playing from the middle. Maybe ozil can start from d flanks. But most importantly, its Gunners on top!!!!
I watched Poldi today and he looked more threatening than everyone in his 10/15 minute cameo. AW has never really backed him to the extent he has certain other players like Giroud and Ramsey, even Per. The man has 111 caps for one of the best international teams in the world i just wish he’d get more reps. Statistically speaking he has our greatest chance conversion rate. I like Handsome Giroud a lot but in terms of chance conversion Poldi it far ahead. It seems to be a preference for hold up play over clinical finishing. I suppose that’s effective… Read more »
Gnabry shouldn’t lose his place after two solid performances. It’s also man management, I think, on Wenger’s part. By holding Podolski back and playing younger, ostensibly less refined players than him, Wenger is probably hoping to get a response next time he plays him. Remember the beginning of 2012-2013 when Walcott was held out behind Gervinho and others (partially because of the contract dispute, partially because of a preseason injury I think)? Then when Wenger put him on in the League Cup, he was like a rabid dog out there, scoring goals for fun and asserting himself as the alpha… Read more »
Well, Walcott did get injured but I get your point. And I think its definitely having an effect on Podolski, especially as he is being kept out by someone also vying for a place in the German squad
Is it just me, or did Podolski look profoundly uninterested for a 15 minute section of the game? I assumed that he’d pulled something, such was has disinclination to make a run, and I half expected him to come off when Ozil was removed. Anyone know what’s up with that?
Are you sure you weren’t watching something else?
Maybe it looks different on the stands to on TV – after he hit the post there were a couple of occasions where we broke and didn’t make a run at all – just at walking pace on the left wing.
Fair enough, didn’t notice myself, but like you say, you don’t see it all with TV
I noticed this once. He was 5 yards away from loose ball in pen area and he just stood, watched as defenders got there first. Bizarre. But it was only once!
By comparison, Giroud is always on the move.
Just you mate
Do you know which player that is Podolski? 😀
I noticed it as well and said to my brother that I thought he was going to come off. I don’t think it was 15 mins – more like 4 or 5. I think he had a knock but ran it off. He certainly seemed OK after that and I don’t think you can fault his work. He tracked back to help Monreal as needed.
You’re right, it could’ve been less. Standard Arsenal fan angst time dilation.
Just you, I think. He came one looking like he was hell-bent on proving something
LittleTripoli is right, this definitely happened. I was at the game and we were all quite befuddled, thought he was going to go off. He was just walking around slowly and a little aimlessly, like a pensioner in the park. No runs, no tracking. Then suddenly he was bursting forward with the ball.
But there was also the time about 20 mins from end that JW did similar and he had control of the ball! About 30 years out he had ball and sort of stopped, like he was going in slow motion, within seconds the ball had been nicked and we were under pressure.
Ooooooooooh San-teeeeee Ca-zhoooooooo-laaa
Wouldn’t anyone else like to see in inverted wingers so podolski playing RW and would be able to let his hammer of a foot off more often
Really impressed by Wilshere. He’s come in for some stick but his recent performances show he’s still got it. Agree with the comments on Ozil and how impressive was Podolski when he came on? Looked a man on a mission. Podolski, Ox and Gnabry are going to have to bring that firepower we lost with Walcott if we’re gonna keep the momentum. Looks like they’re up for it
Agree with all of that – thumbs up!
Agree totally Little Tripoli – there was a period where I thought Poldi had pulled up as he was strangely static..
You guys are a bit harsh, ain’t you. Everybody was pretty good. Ozil & Santi are flash players with constant play. A pleasure to watch.
Controversial maybe, but my man of the match was Szczesny. Quick reactions and a fingertip save in the first half were so important. Santi clearly brilliant though
Great to see two goals from Santi. He’s like an adorable cross between Alvin the Chipmunk and Adam Sandler.
Nightmarish vision for me that – nothing at all adorable about those two!
Once again, as with the Villa game we did enough to win, so to be anything other than satisfied would seem a little bit churlish. I do however, feel that we need to play with a little more conviction and pace if we want to win the league, we are currentky doing enough to win games but still feel a step up is required to go all the way.
Tim Sherwood is a GOOOOONNNNEEEEERRRRR
That was funny 2 weeks ago, but the basteads won again today and he has even got Adebaywhore back from the dead…….
I score ozil a 9 out of 10. he is the only arsenal who does not buckle under pressure.no matter the number of opposition players harrying him, he always finds a way to neutralize their threat without losing the ball.he is a wenger dream player.our passing game flourishes when he has the ball.
I thought Ozil was more involved today. He actually worked very hard and had one of those games were he was less anonymous. Movement in front of him not so great. He needs a pacier foward to tee up.
Even when he isn’t “involved”, he has a massive influence on the game.
While I know he’s still young and has heaps of time to improve, I don’t like how Gnabry drifts into the middle during games. It sort of creates too much of a jam in midfield, with Santi already given that responsibility. And due to his nature of finding space, it also seems to cause Ozil to drift outwards towards the wing, not allowing him to have the maximum impact from the middle of the park. Which could maybe correlate to his lack of form the past couple of games. I could be wrong, but that’s my two cents anyway.
I agree with all that you mention. I had also posted something similar earlier today (around 8:30am)
Nice to know someone shares a similar opinion!
Another convincing win without getting out of second gear. Stuff of champions?!?!
Unless you are some media pundit who pontificates for espn or the BBC.
Ozil 6?
Ozil’s stats vs Fulham according to Squawka.
Created 3 chances ,more than any Arsenal Player.Completed 82 of his 94 passes. Mesut played as he always does. He makes everyone around play better!Thats his effect at Arsenal.Arsenal are top of the league in spite of having one of the most wasteful striker in the EPL! OG has had more clear cut chances than any .
The important thing is that we are Winding many of the games we would have been a draw last season. Keep it up Arsenal and the title will be in our reach. 🙂
*winning.
Santi is a competitive little bugger. I think he doesn’t want to be showed up by Ozil and you get the feeling he was frustrated but a couple months back because he wasn’t entirely clicking. It’s a healthy environment at the moment in the squad with Santi and Ozil pushing each other, Koscielny and Per determine to keep as many clean sheets as possible, Monreal and Gibbs also look locked in a tight race to start, and of course Jack and Ramsey (not to mention Arteta and Flamini) The one area which could do with a bit of positive competition… Read more »
On the goal diff with City – if we match them until they come to the emirates then beat them 8-0 its sorted!
Towards the end when we had a lot of slow possession nobody would pass to Giroud. Frustrating as he made quite a few good runs. I understand he put some wide, but you have to keep feeding strikers to get them going.
Slow – that’s what I thought of the game. One tempo. The one slowing it down the most – don’t all shout at me – was Ozil. And Ozil was poorer also because he kept ghosting to where he wanted to be and the player in possession couldn’t keep up (even though Ozil was still doing that slowly!). Hence a lot of misplaced passes that sort of looked like Ozil’s fault.
I don’t understand how Poldi gets so much power in his shots. As a keen amatuer footballer and fellow left-footer, I think he must have gunpowder on his boots. Everytime he strikes the ball, it flies straight without much movement. Even his snapshots and stabbed shots with no backlift are like a cannon.
I thought Gnabry was poor overall personally, although he improved in the second half. I mean, you can cut him some slack because of his age and I like him a lot as a prospect, but I think this performance showed why Podolski and Ox are still better options when they’re 100%.
I think teams are now well aware of what Ozil is capable of and he’s being marked like crazy. I remember one point in particular when he received the ball just after the hallfway line with his back to goal, turned around and immediately got swarmed by 3 opposition players. He took one more touch then dispatched the ball to a teammate. Quick, efficient, and calm as hell. And in addition to that marking, add the new aspect of the physical game, new teammates, new league, new environment, etc etc, and I think Ozil is doing a fantastic job. Can… Read more »
Happy with the all-round performance of the team.
I’m thinking we need to find another set-piece specialist. We had a couple of free kicks in excellent positions, but just couldn’t get it over the wall. I remember a certain number 14 that used to be quite handy with them.
In fairness those walls were all far closer than 10 yards, but I agree, we need to do something other than just hit ball at wall.