True. It would be best if they qualify for the next round but really struggle to get top spot in the groups. If they have to play their best 11 a few times it can make a difference how they perform in the EPL

Partial comnent from IG in May 2018....
Cautioned against expecting instant rewards from the new man, dubbing any demands for immediate success "naive."

Not when like in May 2018, he demanded a £200K war chest , as at the time, he was one being considered at first to replace AW. Stan no can do.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer ... 0?mode=amp

Fernando Ricksen RIP. Only 43. Very sad.

Hey mate.

Can you PM me what IP address you are trying to connect with and also if you are using a VPN - particularly PIA VPN.

Eg: https://whatismyipaddress.com/

Also, when it fails, can you get to here : http://stevegleiber.com/
===
Edit - I just checked - I don't think it's this end.
Currently-Blocked IP Addresses:
Server Setting Beginning IP Ending IP Actions
No IPs are being blocked.

It might be one of a few things:

https pages needing a lower MTU setting in your router (unlikely)

Some sort of VPN or malware blocker
- This site has mixed secure (onsite) and 'unsecure' (3rd party sites) content - from the links people post.

Maybe a web browser or blocker doesn't like it

A local vpn or blocker running - like an IP range blocker used for safer torrenting.
Eg: Peerblock <== That'll do it for sure

Your ISP or upstream provider blocking it (school, work, etc)

A broken or maladjusted proxy (or stale cache)

Maybe try a different web browser ?

A trace route would also help (Tracert) - to see where it is failing.

It would be interesting to try from another computer, but the same IP address.
Or - That computer into another internet connection - Or tethered off your mobile even.

After watching the Watford game, I think the best formation for us is 4-3-4-4

Did anyone see the Napoli defeat of Liverpool. Now that's how to play in the Prem and how to win it too.

I’d agree with that assessment, his target is black and white.

Napoli played well but 2 big errors from Liverpool we’re punished. Robertson giving away a pen - he’s started the season slowly. And van Dijk with a poor pass to no one in his own area

Allegri doesn’t have a job at the moment

It’s strange how the thing emery was lauded for when he was hired is the thing that’s possibly holding him back now.
He does intense analysis of the opposition and sets his team up to try to counter this. Now it feels like he changes the team too much and worries about the opposition more than concentrating on our strengths, even if the opposition are bottom of the league and we’re at home (Brighton at home last year with 3 defensive mids)

After years of wenger sending the same team with the same tactics no matter the opposition or occasion it was great to hear we hired a guy who did his research. The reality is we need something in between.

Pick the way to play that suits our best players, and attack. Play this way at all times and just tweak the tactics and players in accordance to the very dangerous teams. The best teams set up the same way but may attack wider, defend deeper, press or not - but by and large it is the same system.

I love seeing Real Madrid losing and not doing well. Arrogant club. They act like they are bigger than the sport itself.

Away from home. Not playing well. Fortunate to go 2-0 up.

Then completely lose control and provide opponents gifts as a way back into the game. Subside to 2-2.

Good to see that Tottenham have copied us this evening.

Tottenham went 0-2 up against us before drawing 2-2 as well as tonight.

Allegri will probably end up at United because they will spend big money. We will get a former player to try and offset the fact we will spend FA.

#KroenkeOUT

I thought I read somewhere he wanted a certain amount of for transfers to consider the job and wasn't give that assurance. Don't quote me on that but I thought I read that somewhere.

He was on the short list before and didn't come. No reason for him to come given the circumstances have not changed.

Yes, if only we were so lucky as to have Glazer in charge. Really well run club that.

If, as I think, Lampard and OGS will fail, there will probably be openings at both clubs. Not even a chance we will get the likes of Allegri considering us.

Emery is our level right now and unlike a lot of you, I am okay with him for now. The Arsenal are liked, in part, for giving managers time. I can't believe some fans online are wanting to get rid of him after 1 season. Amazingly short sided.

So they did. No comedy goals given to us that time though (sadly).

Not even sure why Allegri is considered the standard-bearer for football managers right now. It could be argued Conte hade even better results at Juventus; took them from a 7th place finish the season before he arrived to winning the league three times in a row, the last season finishing 17 points ahead of the runners up. When Allegri took over they were already a well-oiled winning machine. He could be a success in England of course, but I think if you look at Conte and Sarri and how they fared in the Premier League it’s far from a given.

I've been reading a lot of tactical pieces on Arsenal and Emery and one of the things that came up that interested me after the watford game was this. Arsenal are 2-0 away from home to a struggling side. Watford HAVE to come out and attack, this SHOULD play right in to Arsenal's hands with a playmaker of Özil's quality and the pace of Aubamayang and Pépé up front. How often do big clubs bemoan the tactic of 10 men behind the ball, but then you regularly see them break the deadlock and then gaps appear so they can kill teams on the break. Why did Arsenal show zero attacking ability once Watford had to come out and attack us even more, to be honest I haven't seen this from us for some time. We just appear to be far too conservative, to scared to use Xhaka's quote and too worried about what our opponents can do. We're 2-0 up away to a side absolutely shot of confidence, it is totally different to Spurs blowing a 2-0 lead at home to us.

Özil hasn't travelled to Germany. He's being rested.

...and will be ready for another stroll around the Emirates in about a month.

My preferred starting 11 for the foreseeable future.

Leno
Niles, Sok, Anyone but Luiz, Kola
Torriera, Ceballos,
Pépé, Aubameyang, Willock

I have no idea why they are taking Aubameyang. Tiring if he doesn’t play and risky for injury if he plays. Can understand why Özil & Socrates are not going. We either give priority to the EPL or we don’t. But this is a half way idea.

To be fair I don’t think anyone was saying it was the same. But it has happened to Tottenham twice recently.

AMN quotes

“I want to stay in the team, but if the manager chooses to pick him (Bellerin) over me, that’s something I will have to live with. I’ll just have to keep training and working hard so that I get picked instead.

“I’m a midfielder by trade, either central or on the wing, it’s all the same to me. I’m not a defender so I do get a lot of stick about my defending being poor, but it’s something I’m learning and have been learning for a couple of years now.

“It’s not going to come overnight. If I was a defender as a kid, and my defending was poor, I would understand where the criticism is coming from, but I’m trying my best for the team and for the manager.

“It’s not where I would choose to put myself in the team, as I’m an attacking player by trade. That’s all I can try to bring to the team. I’m still learning the defensive side, so when players are running at me, and they’re throwing skills at me, I’m still learning how to deal with that.

“It’s always nice to have one main position where you play, and everyone else gets to play in their main position, so hopefully it’s just a matter of time before I can do that too.”

Willock left wing? and only 10 men? This needs a re-think

Maybe Frankfurt away (the hardest game in the group) isn't the time to bed in too many youngsters but I'd like to see the likes of Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and a young forward - could have been Nkeitiah if he stayed, maybe John-Jules. Things are a bit more stretched at the back with a lack of first teamers and a lack of good youngsters coming through.

Emery needs to protect our best players, I felt he played too many of the best 11 in the group stages last year.

"Anyone but Luiz" counts double.

I think I read (and I could be mistaken) that Ashley Cole was originally a winger in the youth side. van Bronckhurst was a midfielder. Walcott was a striker. It's where the club needs him. Unfortunately for him Bellerin is only 24 has his best years ahead of him and save injury, Bellerin will start for some time.

I like AMN a lot. Having to learn how to play full back in PL matches is unfair to him to some extent and criticism has to be in context with that reality. I hope we can hold on to him.

Agree with that we should have countered more and better than we did, when we had chances. We really should have gotten a 3rd goal.
I think we are still lacking in belief as well as belief in our teammates. A few new faces and it takes a while to have confidence in the player next to you when you haven't played with them much.

Enrique did want a guarantee up front of a certain amount to be available. He wouldn't get that money at all.

Apparently Sven's input was needed at the time. Familiarity maybe on background of managers being considered then. Arteta was just a whisker away from being hired. Yet Emery's vision for Arsenal won all 3 over.

If Poch ends up on wrong side of the table a few months out, no CL, hmmm. Levy just might go for Allegri if he's still available end of season. Never say never.

Just seen the team - hopefully that isn't a diamond in midfield. Can't stand it

Yay!!!!

1-0 Willock. Good work by Saka.

Yeah nice - and not a minute too soon !

The opposition have looked very dangerous and the scoreline doesn't reflect the game. They had a few golden chances to score. We did well to get a goal but to be fair, we had at least 2 or 3 great chances prior as well.

We will need a 2nd goal. I will be surprised if this ends up 1-0 to us. I can see a 1-1 match if we don't tighten things up or take advantage of counter attacks when they present themselves and they will. Frankfurt will come out attacking.

Happy for Willock. He almost scored earlier. For a team with so many youngsters, away to a decent German side, we are doing better than the team sheet would have indicated prior to the start.