Bloody hell! Özil is playing.

....he still has time to do a runny poo.

...or break a fingernail.

Yes but Lichsteiner though

I know. Glad it's a back 4 but would've preferred anyone but him at right back.

Plenty of empty seats but a few more than 4,544 in.

Early goal, perfect start.

Mooooossssstttaffffiii 2-0. I've always liked him

BATE are so poor, god knows how we managed to lose the first game.

We very nearly conceded this evening. We will need another goal.

Yes, until we get a 3rd it's a bit precarious.
Kos off, let's hope it's just a precaution and nothing that'll keep him out.

Hleb on. Good player he was.
And Sokratis is back 3-0

Agreed. Decent turnout considering.

Well that’s a win and as such, always welcome. But gauging the opposition, is anyone inspired?

That's the problem with this competition until we finally play a decent side. They got the job done tonight. Not exactly free-flowing exuberant football but at least we managed to get through a game without the customary panic.

Is anything about it inspring though DHD?

Thursday game at 5 o’clock, BATE Borisov, half empty ground, and our midfielders and strikers couldnt get on the scoresheet.

Where does this go ?

My guess is there were somewhere between 40-45k in the ground. Lichtsteiner did quite well, including an important clearance off the line. Mustafi was impressive, and Özil was good enough to make me happy enough if he starts the next game.

Started the game at a good tempo leading to an early lead. Without being the perfect performance, overall it was easily enough.

Özil was a couple of heads and shoulders above anybody else on the pitch. The one source of creativity in an average game, but sadly few of our guys knew where to position themselves to receive his assists. Iwobi is at the impressively athletic stage of his career - hopefully a little polish will soon give him more glitter.

No, it wasn't inspiring, but it was never going to be. Job done however, and that was very important. Still a lot to play for this season.

Yep, we got the job dome Brom.

Not brilliant but a bit more creativity with Özil pulling the strings.

Lichensteiner played well although he wasn't tested defensively.

Still have major concerns at how easily even poor sides are able to get in behind our defence. They had that one kicked of the line and a couple of other very decent chances in the first half.

As soon as we meet a good side we could well be in trouble.

We definitely look better creating chances with Özil in the side and I’d play him v saints and Bournemouth as long as he is fit enough for the 90 mins.
I’d like us to play Aubameyang/Lacazette/Özil/ramsey but I don’t think Emery will do it

One thing we just cannot do is play 5 at the back or the 3 holding mids

What are Wenger's 3 greatest victories?

Hmm...tough one for all 3 but the top I'd have to say

1. Real Madrid, 1-0 away CL Can't see much competition.
2. I'm gonna shock some people and say Liverpool 4-2, 2004 at Highbury because we had literally been knocked out of the FA Cup and CL in the span of a few days and down 2-1 at Hightime, CL loss fresh and now Invincibles season in jeopardy. The whole season about to collapse in one week. Chelsea had played Villa I think and had they won, we'd be in deep doo doo and Henry saved our Invincible season.
3. People may disagree with this one as well, some will say the 1-0 win at Old Trafford in 2002, but I'm going to say the win at Old Trafford in 1998. We had a horrible record at Old Trafford for several years prior. 1991 season I think if memory serves me right (and it often fails me). Before that win, a draw was seen as a victory at OT. Even at home we only beat them once since 1991 I think. It changed the whole mentality that we were good enough.

Honorable mention: 5-1 at Inter, 2002 win at OT to win the league. FA cup final in Vieira's last game. Win vs an excellent Barca side in the CL.

This Sunday might prove something then. Southamptn rarly beat us at home iirc but their new manager got the better of us in the first game and could do the same this Sunday.

Hopefully not, I'll be there and thankfully rarely see them lose when I'm there.

We've drawn Rennes in the next round. Nice short travel distance which is always welcome, Rennes are 12th in the French league so we really should beat them comfortably.

Chelsea have been handed a 2 window transfer ban for illegal signing of young players. Real Madrid, Barca and Athelico all received bans for the same thing recently I think.

I'm sure Chelsea will appeal and either weasel their way out of it or have the ban delayed allowing them to stock up on players in the next window - just as Barca did

Lacazette banned for a further 2 games in Europa League. That seems ridiculously harsh. I get the red card, he’s being continuously fouled and pushes a hand/arm out in to a guys face who is behind him. But he’s been given the same ban as if he’d deliberately 2 footed and broken the leg of an opponent

Özil was good but I think describing him as "a couple of heads and shoulders above anybody else on the pitch" is a little over the top. For once I felt today's Sun's marks out of 10 to players was reasonably fair. The highest scores were the 8s received by all of Xhaka (who they made man of the match despite him getting the same points as two others), Lichtsteiner and Mustafi. Other scores I recall were the 7 for Guendouzi and Özil's 6. Accepting that getting the same points does not necessarily mean players were exactly at the same level, I reckon they got the order of those five right. Having said that, personalIy I'd have given Özil 7, not 6, even though I felt Guendouzi was a bit better.

Hopefully we shouldn't need Lacazette to beat Rennes. If we do, the ban shouldnt matter.

I thought whilst his performance was unspectacular he improved the structure of the team a lot. When we broke we had a player as an outlet to receive a ball from Iwobi and Henrik and before we didn’t.

I think And hope Emery might have seen a lightbulb last night. 4-2-3-1 or failure

I agree. As I implied last night, I think Özil did enough to keep his place. I just thought OMOH's comment that he was a couple of heads and shoulders above any other Arsenal player on the pitch last night was way over the top. Moreover, grossly unfair because in my view he wasn't even our best player, let alone twice as good as everyone else.

He played well though and I agree he improves our structure. We need creativity whether we're playing Man City or Huddersfield, and he provides exactly that.

More strong links today that Monchi will become our director of football in the summer. He’s at Roma but previously worked wonders in the transfer market at Seville with Emery.

If anyone is bored, tune into the Proteas-Sri Lanka test. Sri Lanka need 120 more to win with 8 wicket in hand: a tough ask with swing on offer and Rabada bowling at 150 km/h, and Steyn and the giant Olivier just as ferocious.

Won that at a canter. Nobody saw a series win coming.

Not sure where that leaves your guys Decaf. Off to India next. Best of luck with that

Come on Burnley, win it!

And Kane gets their equaliser

And then they concede a goal like that. A throw-in puts Kane straight through on goal. You'd be shaking your head if you saw it in an under 12s match

And Burnley leads again !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hang on now, win it!

4 minutes of added time to play. Come on Burnley!

Final minute!

Oh yeah! Spurs lose!

Roma are currently 5th.

We are not Sevilla.

KSE OUT.