I've said before that all of a sudden, we look properly coached. Players seem to have simplified their individual games. They're playing in groups and as a collective to a recognisable and repeatable plan.

I think this lock-down is really playing into MA's hands because he can coach continually and the players can all hear him. One thing you can say about MA - he's LOUD!

Good start for us. 3 points in the bag. And everyone in the starting line-up did well. This team looks more organised and assured. Arteta has done wonders.
Nice to see us get a headed goal from a corner. And Gabriel will score more like these for us. Lacazette, as ever, is a good "fox in the box". And what else to say about Aubameyang ? Excellent finish.

Agreed on all that, Soc - he's confident as well!

The other thing I noticed was that he isn't scared to put in a standing tackle - to try and win the ball from opponents' feet without going to ground. I think that'll serve him well in the PL. Attackers won't want to run at him.

What’s happened to the Arsenal app? Comes up blank on iPad and iPhone.

I think El Nenny did well. The thing is though the way Arteta sets up the team he doesn’t ask too much from his 2 central midfielders as the team is designed to compensate for their lack of prowess. The creativity and moments of insertion are provided from wide areas. It’s like he’s saying to them

“Look lads let’s be honest we know your both a bit *%^@ but your all I have so stay in the middle just recycle possession looking for the easy pass and make sure your the first guy to get to any knockdowns”

How he’s set the side up is seriously impressive in my opinion and particularly surprising. It’s like he’s the polar opposite to Arsene in philosophy.

I’d be fascinated to see how far we could get with a couple of speedy midfielders.

From today’s game, sadly (because I’ve always quite like them) I think it’ll take a miracle for Fulham not to be relegated. I’ll be surprised if they don’t finish bottom. Hence second or third from bottom (but still relegated) would exceed my expectations for them.

That looks like Martinez gone then. All in all I think it’s the right decision even if I was leaning towards Martinez. Hopefully Leno ups his game because for a keeper brought in to play out from the back I haven’t always been overly impressed with him in that department, however the defenders he was playing with wouldn’t have helped. Martinez has a monster long pass which meant when he was forced to play long, even under pressure it always had good length on it. Leno sometimes hit a clearance that dropped before halfway inviting immediate pressure if the opposition won it in midfield.

20m is good money for Martinez who, as someone else remarked, we wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if he went for 5m 6 months ago. I’d want Leno to up his passing game and back him to do that with better ball playing defenders and promote Hein or whoever from the u23s as back up.

Agree, hard to see them staying up if they defend like this. Also like Fulham, and Craven Cottage is the only away ground I've been to.

Leeds look like a proper Premier League team though, they've let in three goals against Liverpool but among those is a penalty and a real cracker of a finish from Salah. Scoring two goals at Anfield is no joke, they will be a terror for any team this season with the way they press and work as a unit.

Today’s 3rd goal came literally from Leno playing out from the back watch it again.

I can’t understand this one at all anymore, it’s like a force of habit now. If George had signed Seaman these days there would be no matter of decent performances that would stop the online twitter and internet campaign to bring back John Lukic

Arsenal ladies 7-1 up at West Ham after 55 mins.
We want 10!!

Well as I said I expect him to improve and back him to do that. And I literally said it was the right decision. Think it’s you who’s on the campaign here. Leno wasn’t impressive passing out last season (no one was before the break). Not sure why it’s controversial to say that?

I have to agree Top Gun. Leno distributes the ball well, be it by kicking or throwing. As I implied the other day, for me the moans about Leno’s distribution represents making an almighty fuss about at the most very little, and arguably precisely nothing - a big fat zero.

Every keeper makes mistakes and Leno will inevitably make one sooner or later. When it happens, I can see the reaction here now.

No you’ve both got that wrong, no-ones going to crucify Leno for a mistake because he’s not Martinez. It’s very marginal, and Leno has won out. The margins being Martinez was ever so slightly more impressive but it was only 10 games so he’s the one sold, no complaints. I back Leno to go from strength to strength along with the team.

Thanks Rog.

I might support your demand for a pay rise.

It had to be said, Hazuki.
But I was stingy. It should have been


It feels like The Arsenal is back.

Viva Arteta!

Was it Leno though ? Have you noticed that Sokratis hasn't featured at all under Arteta ? Wonder why that is.

Keowns commentary after the 3rd goal “you won’t see a better team goal this season that started from Leno”

Not a campaign and I’m not having a go at you either mate, I just don’t get the problems with the perception of our goalkeeper

Ok I’m reminding you of this one dude when it happens

Even the BT pundits today said it was going to happen. Also when Leno needs to get rested “why the F did we let Martinez go!” Etc etc

FT - Arse Ladies 1-9 v West Ham

FT Liverpool 4 Leeds 3. Leeds were a bit unlucky. Bin Dippers got a very dodgy pen and a milky one to win.

Van Dijk seems to be losing his aura of invincibility. Carrying on from last season’s cock-up against us, there was another howler today - and a couple of near misses too.

Very impressed by Leeds. Scoring three at Anfield isn't easy, they have some things to work on defensively but they will cause a lot of trouble for teams this season.

Ok, but these are really minor comments on Leno’s ability, you and Bern are batting them away like he’s been Neuer crossed with Beckenbauer (that’s for you Bernard) he had room to improve, as Martinez’s performances showed. Yes I said the defenders were atrocious, but Martínez was more impressive playing out with the same squad. Last season under Emery was ridiculous and I don’t blame Leno for the defenders he had to work with, but I also can’t give him credit for it. I’ve got no problem with Leno and neither as far as I can see does anyone else, and I think the club have made a good decision in getting 20m for Martinez.

Real shame about that penalty at the last, but the casual way they approached playing out from the back was a bit precarious, Liverpool had half a dozen chances from closing down alone.

I was thinking how well we’re doing it as an example and marvelled at the turnaround!

Very good start and important to start with a win.
Lovely goal by Aubameyang. Surely contract gets confirmed soon?!
Gabriel looks solid after nervy start and with saliba still ro come, holding being kept and mari soon fit the centre back options look quite promising.
Willian had a good game. Could turn out to be an astute signing.
Has Elneny resurrected his Arsenal career?
He did well today.
I'm one of the ones who thought Martinez was the better keeper so sad to see him go.
Leno is a very good keeper but I felt more secure with Martinez in goal.
However I was thinking today. Not sure he did himself any favours with that reported guarantee of wanting to be a No 1 or he wouldn't sign the new contract. Dont think arteta was prepared to do that.
Maybe Martinez would have been better off saying nothing and just seeing who arteta selected for the first game then gone from there....if he backed himself to be no 1 then hold onto the shirt if selected.
Anyway sad to see him go.

Can’t disagree with much of that.

I think it boils down to a few things

1) we love a rags to riches story
2) in Britain we don’t like a keeper that punches, there’s no problem with it and it has cost us nothing but Leno does prefer to punch in certain areas of the box.
3) football fans have short memories
4) Martinez played most of his football recently under arteta, Leno had Emery. Really doesn’t need further explanation

Yes Emi would be a strong backup for Leno so there’s the argument of trying to keep him if Leno gets injured again, that’s valid, but no one needs to rest GKs.

I wouldn’t like to cast aspersions on the opinions of BT sport pundits but......

There are valid arguments for Em being first choice, the club decided Leno was the better bet and, I’m going to say it for the last time, I think they made the right choice all in all.

There’s no accounting for idiots on twitter, twitters like those million typing monkeys wait long enough and everything is said, but no one on here is going to have a go at Leno citing Martinez if his form stays as it has been, i.e. very good, with the odd normal mistake.

1) yes i probably fall into the more romantic than pragmatic fan, albeit Martinez was impressive. It’s more Arsenal for 10 years but I get what you’re saying.
2) yes, although I’d argue with the distribution control for a team that wants to play out from the back that’s a big advantage.
3) Yes, absolutely
4)That’s a very good point.

I hope Leno really grows into it, Emi after a few games in when Luiz was charging forward shouted, “Oi David!! Where the *%^@ are you going??” just brilliant. I think fans really liked everything about those 10 games and it is a real shame to see him go.

The Aubameyang goal was terrific. It must give the players a lot of confidence to score a team goal like that. Not just in each other but also in Arteta's methods.

I agree. Not every cross can be caught and there are occasions when punching the ball away is absolutely the right thing to do.

Having watched two of the three promoted teams today, you’d have to say there is an absolute gulf of class and ability between them.

Sorry if this sounds dismissive of our performance today, but Fulham looked like a prison team. Leeds on the other hand gave the PL champions a serious game and a big BIG fright.

But then Leeds outplayed us for long periods when we played them in the cup last season.

Yeah I think it’s fair enough to be tempering our perceptions of the result, not that it wasn’t a good performance, as fulham looked a lot like they are, the same side that got them through the Championship.

Leeds look a completely different animal even if their playing out against the Liverpool press was pretty bad the bits I saw anyway.

Interesting article. Lets see if they are asked to apologise for their behaviour

https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/p ... da8171a394

Yes, Arteta starting Martinez in the Community Shield made it clear he wasn't just going to give Leno his spot back in my opinion. It seems Martinez wanted more reassurances than that though, and Arteta couldn't give it to him. I understand where Martinez is coming from, but not sure we were left with much of a choice here.

Maybe Ash himself will now feel obliged to keep quiet about the next Leno boo boo. But he’s not the only possible candidate.

Uninstall. Reinstall. Done the trick.

So if/when Martinez goes will Macey be stepping up for Europa league duties etc?

Has any of us ever seen Macey? One assumes Hodd has but he’s not around at the moment. I haven’t so have no idea what he’s like. If he isn’t that great, as someone (think it was Top Gun) implied, keepers surely need to be rested less than outfield players. So if Macey isn’t that great, maybe we’ll only see him in the League Cup, not the Europa League and FA Cup?

EDIT: Just looked Macey up. Apparently he has played for the first team twice. Which means I’ve completely forgotten those appearances. So I’ve still no idea what he’s like.

All sounds plausible. I had to look him up to remind myself just who our third keeper is.

I don’t know too much about him and can’t remember those games either Bernard but read that he’s in no way ready to step up and be number 2. The only option is to sign someone With very few links apart from the Brentford guy.

That’s another one that’s gonna happen. New replacement keeper makes a mistake “Oi this guys rubbish why did we sell Martinez he was a saint”

If Aubameyang signs his new contract contract I wonder where he will end up on this list ?

https://www.arsenal.com/history/club-re ... ng-records

Actually easy to work out, if he keeps up the current rate of scoring around 30 in all competitions each season like he has for the past 3 years for the next 3 he will become our 4th greatest goal scorer in between Bastin and Radford.

I saw him play for Plymouth at Charlton when he was on loan. I don't remember him looking anything but pretty average.