I agree he’s out of sorts. Could do with a rest. I’d play trossard v Everton.

Also I’ll add that contrary to the suggestion he plays worse with Tierney that was kept being repeated over and over here I’ll suggest the opposite. I think he likes a full back that overlaps as a runner and takes a defender with him so he can cut inside. This is done less with zinny who drops into midfield … well actually defence, right wing, right back, bench all over the gaff..

Ivan Fresneda set to make decision today on who to join from Real Valladolid, having agreed terms with Arsenal + Borussia Dortmund. Expected 18yo right-back will cost €15m & return on loan for rest of season

Dortmund is quite a tough team to compete with for young players, they have a real tradition of showing an easy pathway in to the first team AND allowing players to move on to truly massive teams if the chance comes

If we are prepared to pay 35 million for a right back and polish centre back rather than midfield player you have to assume the Declan rice talk must have some legs.

after 19 games last season City had 47 points, this season they have 45. the standard of the league hasn't dropped, we've just been performing at a better rate than all but 5 teams in prem history after 19 games

Why did we buy or are going to buy Kiwior? I read he can be a defnsive midfielder and provide cover for Partey or is going to be back up for Gabriel.

Really well done to all the Arsenal fans in that corner where Rashford celebrated for managing to restrain themselves from entering the pitch and attempting to assault Rashford - but if they did then of course Rashford has to cop his share of the blame for inciting the fans, and ten hag being outside his technical area shows he's not willing to set any disciplinary boundaries for his team so he would have been the prime person to blame if Rashford had been assaulted..... hi Richard Keys!

We needed a left footed CB, he's back up for Gabriel. Arteta doesn't like his left sided CB not being able to play comfortably off their left, I think as Arteta plays a back 3 or even back 2 in possession he expects a lot from the CB and the patterns of play he sets requires quick incisive passing that he must feel better suits a left footed CB. Gabriel has played all but 1 game this season I think so cover was needed

Rich is this you? Joking, he's spitting the stats off so reminded me of you.

For the first time I now feel the stadium is a fortress. I don't recall losing many big games at Highbury ( CL Chelsea 2004).

What I like about this team is they sought revenge against Man Utd. Okay, we lost to them this season, but I thought the reason for going at them so hard was because City won, Man Utd were creeping up and we needed to win it or at least draw but they were going for the win full stop, out of revenge more than the table.

I love that.

...hadn't realized Saka mimicked Rashford's celebration in front of our fans after he scored.

Its a bit of a tough sell to tell the guy who got a winning brace in a 3-2 win he's not man of the match.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S3f1wOvAD0Q

Whisper it quietly but no red cards for Arsenal this season, after such a glut of them tarnished Arteta's early time at Arsenal.

Clearly the team is better, the players are better and we dominate the ball more - but a lot of our red cards weren't from flying in to try to stamp authority on a game we weren't in control off, they were desperate defensive lunges as attackers bore down on goal, or acts of frustration.

Now it seems there is more restraint, maybe because there is no need to cut an opposing player in half if he might score, if he does score we've got the confidence to come back and know we stand a better chance of doing that with 11 men!

Spurs are closer to the relegation zone than they are to Arsenal right now

Nooooo!!!

I’ve been avoiding saying that for weeks now. I’m that superstitious.

We haven't had a St. Totteringham day for a while now.

Heard some people say that after the match Martinez of Man U made sure he shook every Arsenal players hand and waited for Nketiah specifically to walk off with him. You can see why Martinez has the warrior reputation, I've seen a few off the ball things with him I don't like but I expect every CB does it to some degree. If he did show such sportmanship at the end of the game then fair play to him. Perhaps he can see the bigger picture having just won the World Cup

Some players can't turn it off after the final whistle. When I played sports, it was tough with certain teams or players, easy for others. I suspect its like that in all sports. Also, depends on your personality. I knew guys that hated every opposition and in American sports there are players like that. They had no friends. Larry Bird was one. He didn't have nor wanted any friendship with an opposing player for much of his career.

I suspect Roy Keane was like that. Also, its my understanding was that the Man Utd players on the national team segregated themselves, ate only with each other and such on the national team. Not sure how true that is. I can't see Becks being part of that, but who knows.

Rashford and Saka are on the national team together but Rashford was disrespectful. Saka couldn't let that go unanswered. Speaking of whom, if he starts taking more and hitting those shots that he did regularly several months ago, it will obviously make things much tougher for the defense and open up lanes for others as they key on him.

Touch wood!

Lampard out

Dyche, Moyes, Rooney in Paper talk
We have to really be up for it Saturday week...early game 12.30 start ....maybe new manager bounce.....we have to be cool, ruthless, clinical
take the crowd out of it early
19 games...every one a Cup Final now.

Come on you reds.

Bet you one of our key players gets injured in this game.

Everton always kick lumps out of us with absolute impunity at goodison

I'm sure we used to do it back in the day but hearing (mostly) Spurs and Man U fans react to every bad result by blaming the board/owners for not backing their manager with millions of £ more signings is ridiculous. Just look at what you have spent the money on that they did give you and crucially what you could have spent it on.

Spurs:
Ndombele £54m
Gil £25m
Richarlison £60m
Royal £25m
Lo Celso £32m (and £16m loan fee)
Sessengnon £27m
Sanchex £42m
Spence £15m
That is £269m - which is the same price as our starting 11 yesterday

Man U:
Anthony £90m
Sancho £85m
Ronaldo £17m plus all those wages!
Van der Beek £40m
even Varane, Martinez, Casemiro cost £170m combined - all good players but you cant complain about not having a good enough striker when you've lumped £170m of your budget on 3 players. Our equivilent (Saliba, Gabriel, partey) cost just £95m

Players got tight to Saka and they ended up fouling him or getting rolled to easily, Shaw was backing off to give himself some reaction time and security of the rest of his defence - that allowed Saka more space to shoot. The best players earn that respect/fear and the space it gives.

Just like peak-Robben, you know what Saka wants to do but stopping it is a different matter

Hopefully Everton don't get that new manager bounce. Their fans weren't necessarily against Lampard from what I saw - their anger was much more directed at the board who are all still in place, so I can't see their sacking of Lampard as changing the mood amongst the fans.

Upcoming league fixtures:
Everton (a)
Brentford (h)
City (h)
Villa (a)
Leicester (a)
That Villa game will be a tough one, we play City on the wednesday night and then have to travel to Villa for a saturday lunchtime kick off when they've had a fulll weeks rest. Emery factor, and he's got them picking up good results. If we could beat City at home a draw away to Villa wouldn't be the end of the world as I think that will be a tough one - I'd take a scrappy 1-0 right now

after that:
B.mouth (h)
Fulham (a)
Palace (h)
leeds (h)
great chance for maximum points from those games

It's been a really odd weekend for me. On Friday I attended the funeral on the South coast of one of my oldest mates. He was a lifelong Gooner and we'd been going to The Arse together since our teens. We went to the Forest game recently. He had lots of kids and grandkids, lots of siblings, nieces and nephews, and lots of friends, so the church was bursting at the seams with Gooners.

Moving on, yesterday was one of those great days that burn themselves into your memory. I don't when I was more elated after a match - maybe Anderlecht or WHL in '71. The stadium was absolutely rocking. Not many in that crowd started the day believing we could win the PL. That game has changed all that.

And then today, I went to Bernard's memorial gathering. I confess I have found Bernard's death really difficult to process. This was a man I'd known for maybe 25 years, exchanging views and opinions often daily. And yet I met him only once and we'd never had a proper spoken conversation. I had no idea of the circumstances of his death and I wasn't able to offer my condolences to his family because I didn't know them and I had no contact details. Thankfully, today has filled in a number of those blanks for me and I have been able to meet and talk with his wife and one of his daughters. Today has been helpful. I can confirm that Bernard was a remarkable man.

Plenty of Gooners including representatives of The Supporters Trust and The Gooner; both were important to Bernard and he was to them. There was a smattering of Forumites there though not many active contributors. Chapeau to truegooner, Gaz ( B/Wood ) and Pete on the beach. I think Pete is going to post something here soon so I won't spoil his thunder.

xG charts for the Man U game. Dominated them. It may not have felt that watching the game on the edge of your seat but Man U created very few chances and the ones they did create were very low quality

Attacking sequences involvements chart for the Man U game.

ps: the chart is created for every player on the pitch - it just happens the the 10 players with the highest stats for attacking sequences (shots, chances created, build up to a shot) were all Arsenal players. Dominated

Lovely post DHD

Yeah, I was thinking about Robben too.

Lovely post DHD. Thanks.

Teddy Sheringham
“It’s Arsenal's to throw away!”

“Pep will make sure his team hunt them down, and I certainly hope they do!”

Haha we’ve got so so many fans, pundits and ex players terrified and bitter they’re literally begging the neighbours to win the title instead of us!

https://twitter.com/nonewthing/status/1 ... Q9UCuAV94Q

Nice Twitter thread on Arsenal’s tactics and using themes from other sports particularly basketball.

There’s a great bit near the end of the thread where Arteta is filmed when doing his coaching badges about full backs and wingers not passing to each other in simple vertical lines, it should always be on the angle to allow the receiver a chance to turn and run or do what he wants with it rather than just having his back to goal and the defender right up his backside. Then there are multiple clips of White and Saka doing just this

Not sure if anyone has posted this but Jamie Kiwior was made official as an Arsenal player today.

Yesterday was incredible.
I'd give anything to be in the stadium experiencing that atmosphere.
It was rocking from watching on TV and we were relentless.
It was my Dad's 13th anniversary of His Passing last Friday The 20th and He was a massive Arsenal fan.
I started following The Arsenal because of my Dad and I know He would be so chuffed and proud of what we are doing this season.
That win yesterday was for him.
I know you are watching Dad.
Love you so so much and God Bless You xxxxx

What Arteta has done from the clunky football we played winning the Fa Cup to now is astounding.
Our movement, poise, passing patterns and almost as if we are playing on a chess board and picking out our positions is so beautiful to watch.
The player who embodied this yesterday was Zinchenko. I never realised he was THIS good at city.
So classy and just caresses that ball and executes at will. Just gliding across that pitch filling in at left back and moving into midfield.
And to think we would have missed out on him had Ajax not rejected our bids for Martinez.
What a travesty had we not signed our Zinny.
I love Tierney but I can see why Arteta favours Zinny.
Brilliant player.

The way we pummelled utd in the last 20 was incredible. We roasted them and fully deserved to win.
Delighted for Eddie.
So many of our fans let alone non Arsenal doubted him and were spelling doom when he hadn't even played a minute after the Jesus injury but boy has he shut a lot of people up and choke on humble pie.
He was excellent yesterday.
The whole team was.
Loving this ride.
Saka wow just wow.
Get that contract signed!

Thank you DHD.
As eloquent as ever.

Heard a stat on Kelly and Wrighty that before yesterday the last time we had scored a LAST MINUTE winner in the Premier league was in 2007 when Thierry scored against utd.
Surely that can't be right???
We have won late against villa and Fulham this season alone but maybe they weren't in literally the last minute?
Astounding stat if true.

Excellent.