Well done Willock, got one in the end.

Willock 4-1 he deserves that

Missed an easier one moments before.

2 lovely passes from Elneny and Pépé for the goal

When Elneny came on my first thought was I hope he doesn’t get injured

Sana’a delivery from the left infinitely better than Kolasinac’s

8 2nd half subs and only 2 minutes added on. With added on time take whatever you think it should be and add at least 1 of the score is within 1 goal and take off at least 1 of the game is done and dusted

Thought we were better once Xhaka came off. Too many with a couldn’t care less mentality for a lot of this game. Saka pass to Pépé was my highlight for the night and closely followed by Pépé to Willock. Pépé only played for about 20 minutes and that is not good enough.

Willock good again. The question is how he breaks in to the premier league team? I’m not sure he can whilst we’re play the 3-4-3 with only 2 CM’s. But if we move to a 4-3-3 he’s probably the best we have at getting in the box and being a genius me goal and assist threat

Joe should play instead of Willian in the Prem.

I think that we are still trying to find players who compliment each other. I thought Willian bought Bellerin a lot more into the game. When Pépé plays that front position there is no combination with Bellerin. I don’t know if Willock would work. No matter what I am struggling to put Pépé in my team.

Which is also true of Partey and Xhaka- I don’t think they will work together. In today’s game I thought Xhaka was poor. He played a number of square balls across our box to players who really weren’t in a better position. A square ball in this situation is low percentage gain IMO. Would look at selling him in January and spend the money on improving the squad.

A win is a win. No one got hurt. I'll take that, thank you.

Put that one to bed, now on to Villa. We need to impose ourselves against Villa, and put down a marker. Same team against MU would do nicely. No Xhaka please. Keep Elneny and Partey partnership on.

I like this sort of flattering to deceive.

Just hope our number one keeper is a bit better in our next game. Even he knew he should have saved it.

The cherry on the cheesecake?

Well spotted.

I didn’t know it was you who picked the team.

At the end of the day we won 4-1. That’s a good result. Just because people don’t like or rate individual players they take any opportunity to have digs at them. What are people expecting? Presumably a bigger win than a three goal margin against a side who to me, didn’t look mugs? Perhaps we should all try and give at least a passing nod to being realistic?

Can you think of any outstanding displays that Elneny has had for Arsenal, other than last weekend at Old Trafford? Because I can’t. Suddenly some are appearing to see Elneny as undroppable on the strength of one game. Look, I would bring Elneny back myself for the next match. But I am at least prepared to admit that Xhaka has had many more good games for Arsenal than Elneny has.

Before the game at Manchester United, would anyone have been bothered if Elneny had been sold? Because I wouldn’t.

Chelsea last year, cup game I think, where he played as defensive midfield and was superb. It was a great performance.

Last season he didn’t play any of our games against Chelsea. I know you said ‘last year’ so I checked the 2018/19 season. Elneny’s only appearance against Chelsea was as a 71st minute substitute on 19th January 2019, which you’re right is last year (until 1/1/21) even though it was two seasons ago. He must have been good for that 20 minutes or so for it to stick in your mind that much. I don’t remember it.

I'd agree on struggling to recall any super Elneny games. I think his first few games with us were a bit of a breath of fresh air because of his energy.
I think he has to stay in the team but in a 2 man central midfield it looks like it is Partey + 1, and the other will be decided game to game.
Ceballos and Xhaka are quite similar in their strengths and weaknesses. Elneny is different. The things he has the others don't is more pace, mobility, energy and stamina - and you could argue discipline and lack of risk taking. Ceballos and Xhaka should trump Elneny in general passing and technique stats but watching Elneny recently I think that gap has closed. Elneny has also shown an ability to dribble forward to beat a press which Xhaka definitely cant do.

It is of course about the right balance and finding complimenting players for the team.

Other than Gabriel and Partey I think Saka has become a hugely important part of the team because he does things other can't from the position he plays

How has Joe willock been overlooked for the Eng U21 squad picked this morning? Oliver Skipp, Josh DaSilva, Dwight McNeil, Eze, Sessegnon and Connor Gallagher all picked ahead of him

Maybe because he missed some very good chances against mediocre opposition? He's developing but needs to have aspiration. He's not 'there' yet.

Agreed it was a woeful first half but saw more quicker passing in the 2nd (albeit marginal). To be fair to a squad that doesn't play together week in, there was a faster tempo and more inclination to play 1 touch moves. Wiillock did it a few times whipping crosses in early and Pépé also who played that lovely angle ball into the box for the 2nd own goal. Progress.

I think that tell us a lot. Arteta knows the problem but can't just buy his way out of it like City. He's seeing who wants it the most.
But, please for the love of Jesus, Allah,, Vishnu And Thor can someone tell our strikers and advanced midfielders to shoot.

Agreed. Although also worth a mention seeing Pépé track and nip at one their attackers all the way to the dead all line. He's learning, what's expecred slowly.

The tempo of the whole team still needs work though as the younger players séem to understand but the older, experienced ones less so

I thought Willian did about 50% more than Ceballos and is a better option in the middle as we're too predictable to trying things from the flanks.

We may want to co-opt this song and tweak the lyrics

....hmmm, I might even adopt it myself and change 'us' to 'me'.

I don’t think it’s a case of no one liking you. I’d say it’s more to do with you making yourself look a prat.

Elneny only started four games in January 2018. Two of which were a cup defeat against Nottingham Forest and a league defeat against Swansea. It was of course during Wenger’s last half a season (or thereabouts) in charge, when things were arguably declining quite markedly. Was he simply considered the ‘best of a bad bunch’ that month?

Charming. Step forward anybody who hasn't made a prat of themselves on this forum. I'm standing in line...

In my case I don’t limit it just to the forum.

Me too!

Very hard to judge a player from wengers final moments and few performances under Emery.

He scored a decent goal in the nou camp. For what it’s worth I’ve always thought he had some better qualities than Xhaka who I consider a player who would get few games at any other premier league club and wouldn’t touch the squad of someone else in the top 6.

We signed a young guy called Moller late in the window, he’s a tall striker, he’s been starting up front for the U23’s and already scoring goals, holding the ball up and playing pretty well by all accounts. One to keep an eye on.
Smith-Rowe played for the U23 tonight on his way back from injury. Scored 2 goals in a 6-0 win

I think there are plenty of Premier League clubs where Xhaka would get lots of games. What I’m not so sure of is whether there’s much to suggest Elneny would get any nearer the squad of someone else in the traditional top six, other than one fine performance last weekend.

Did anyone see Mourinho stating his displeasure that one of Arsenal’s coaches will be part taking charge of Wales due to Giggs’ ongoing problems and being removed as Wales boss for the next 3 games? Albert stuivenberg is the arsenal coach and also an assistant with wales. Spurs have 3 players playing for Wales.

So essentially what Mourinho is claiming is an Arsenal coach will not do his job with wales professionally enough and will deliberately sabotage his spurs players by playing them in the game and not resting them or taking care of them if they have a knock because the Arsenal coach will use his elevated temporary position to arsenals advantage and spurs disadvantage by trying to injure spurs players by overplaying them.

Firstly (and he won’t) but Stuivenberg would be well within his rights to fire back with both barrels saying what mourinho has said is slanderous towards his professional integrity as a Wales coach.
Secondly mourinho obviously fails to realise the irony of one of his spurs coaches being on the England national team coaching staff!

Mourinho is trump like is not only his ability to spout unsubstantiated nonsense but also in the way that hardly anyone just immediately calls him out on these assertions and lies

You sitting down for this. Effort

This was about Pépé, as you know. Are you aware at least three independent sources made Pépé our man of the match? One was the Sun, another was Football Critic. I don’t recall the other but I’m sure there was one. I didn’t read many other sources giving marks out of ten. One possibly, two at the most. So a good proportion of those I saw made Pépé man of the match.

Unless they give man of the match marks to players making no effort, maybe he put more effort in than you noticed?

I know they’ve played a game more than the others near the top, but for overnight at least this is apparently the first time Southampton have been top of the Premier League.

For me its about being proven right about something I always knew deep down.
https://johnpavlovitz.com/2020/11/05/we ... t-america/