Much rather have the points on board rather than games in hand.
Spurs looking good again but they are under pressure to beat Burnley Brighton and Leicester all away.
Just love Saka. Just makes it look so effortless.
His goals today just stroked in.
Makes it look so easy.
Loved Tierneys finish as well.
Drilled and precise off the post.
Good to see west ham dropping off too.
Need Newcastle to pull off a miracle tomorrow.

Emile Smith Rowe !!!!!!!!

Smith Rowe - Finally.

He's been anonymous most of the game.

5!!!!

Yet again a goal off the bench for Emile Smith Rowe

Still a minute left - C'mon Arsenal, try and hang on !

One touch passing sped up our game so much

Might as well utilise Warrior's good work . Geeeeez they are big suckers take up half the page , they aren't that big in the smilies column .

A penalty was only way he was going to score though Brom ....you have to ask why he can't sniff around doing the same as Smith Rowe ....older legs ...?

Those 5 goals were really positive for our goal difference which is now better than those around us,

7 points ahead of West Ham.

Surrender to a mentally challenged cantaloupe like Socrates ....are you kidding ....?

I'd rather drink half a gallon of rat poison and battery acid before that happened .

Right 6am ...... been up since 4 .... I'm going back to bed

Really impressive win today, 5 goals always most welcome. Norwich will sink without much of a fight but you can only beat what is out in front of you.

Nice to see Saka get a brace as it’s felt like he’s missed out on the goals whilst the others got in on the act. Ødegaard CL dictating games is a regular occurrence now. Lacazette doing his role well and yet another goal off the bench for Emile Smith Rowe. He must have a hat trick of bench goals in under 30 minutes of actual game time

Really looking forward to seeing how the team do against wolves, got to hit them hard and fast because no doubt we’ll tire

Yeah I reduced it for that display but the original is larger.

I might step it down in a gif animator program.

Edit - There ya go - Fixed it.

Wolves game is off due to covid

Sounds immeasurably more pleasant than drinking Liebfraumilch.

I read a report that said ‘a combination of injuries and covid’ for the wolves squad. Injuries should have absolutely zero to do with a game being called off.
Most teams have had a game off so it’s no hardship on us in terms of catching up, and we’d have been playing them with less than 48 hours rest when they’d had 10 days

Where did you see that? I can’t find confirmation.

Just looking at fixtures, we’re almost certain to have our league fixtures v chelsea away and Liverpool at home postponed because Chelsea are playing in the club World Cup (assuming it goes ahead) and either us or Liverpool will be in the league cup final which clashes with our league game with Liverpool.

Wolves game off with Arsenal due to Covid/injuries within the Wolves side.

It's from the Athletic.

No formal confirmation yet but plenty of journalists are reporting it.

It's off. PL have granted Wolves' request for Tuesday's match to be called off. Has been reported on multiple outlets. Not certain what some actually read lately.
Not bothered by it. Arsenal need a rest and really don't quite fancy anymore bodies piling up from our players due to Covid.

Jet lag, etc and I woke up an hour into the match so watched the replay.
1. Ødegaard is our poor man's Fabregas and that is meant as a compliment.
2. Pépé and Saka have the same move. Saka pulls it off far more consistently. When Peoe does pull it off it's more spectacular.
3. Martinelli is doing great. He is far from the he potential finished product and that is a scary thought
4. The White/Gabriel partnership is pretty solid.
5. The flick ons and one touches are reminiscent of the fairly recent glory years. It's getting obvious the players know where each other are and where they will run and make runs.
6. Get rid of these away kits. The early 90s experimental styles should stay in the 90s.
7. If Arteta makes top 4 he should st least be in the conversation for manager of the year. But there is a lot of football left to be played

Arteta has had his ups and downs, enough in 2 years for some managers much longer stint. Depending which side you fall on the manager you can mitigate the downs or you can pour scorn/luck on the ups.

Personally I was always of the opinion that the squad was absolutely dire, so much deadwood and unbalanced and unsuited to the modern game. The squad had grown old and we’d taken our eye off the ball massively in trying to rejuvenate it with quick fixes and quicker money.

I think I come down on the side of Pro-Arteta but can realise he’s made mistakes and still has areas to improve but can see that the potential, intensity and culture he brings/is developing is worth buying in to and giving time to. Arteta was often compared with Lampard and Ole as they all were young managers in jobs too big for them, but I only ever heard people in the game talk glowingly about Arteta. There was something worth listening to when people spoke about his ideas on the game and his training, tactics and coaching.

No doubt there will be more ups and downs this season but it feels more fun and sustainable , a plan to get back to the top and a likeable group.

With Wolves off we play City next on New Year’s Day. Let’s see how far we’ve come. We couldn’t ask to be playing them at a better time for us, we’re full of confidence and playing well. Of course so are they but that’s out of our control. I want to see us attack them, don’t show them too much respect, pressure them, use the crowd. Can’t wait

Don’t be silly we should sack Arteta and appoint Graham Potter ! He wasted 150m on overpriced English players remember etc etc !

Obviously kidding but remember when people were saying stuff like that. Seems long ago now right. I think the culture and professional application he’s creating are impressive. It’s a young side and there will be setbacks but we are heading in that right direction for the first time in a while. I’d love to see how this team would fare with a genuine world class striker who could score 20 to 30 a season. A player that would be a nightmare to defend againest and a genuine goal threat. It really could make such a difference

That said for some reason there’s a hardcore element in our fanbase mostly online that seem to hate our manager for some reason and he will never win them over. After even the most minor setback you get people calling for the managers head. I just don’t get it and can’t work out what it is about Arteta that some people don’t like. I noticed an ex forumite on twitter earlier having a row with one of these types.

(Kiwi borrowing Decaf's computer)

Saw a few people commenting how they liked that we stood up as a team to the nightly stuff Norwich put in. We’re starting to get a bit of that old treatment again, particularly Saka, and I don’t think we’re getting the right protection. It’s therefore up to us to stand up to it, if it means a few ‘silly’ yellows to show we won’t be messed with them so be it. Tierney have a good celebration in front of the Norwich fans when he scored our second just after all the niggly stuff.
We’re young but there are still a few players with an edge. It’s much needed.

Rog ...... got to say this and the "C'mon hang on " post ........ displays quite a dry sense of humour when most had you painted as a backward hick humourless computer nerd who lives in a foxhole ,

living off Pepsis and pizza surrounded by techo gear the size of Alan Turing's first three bommes .

Well halleluhah ..... that's a relief . Praise God , Allah , Vishnu , Jupiter , Bhudda , Zeus and Thor .

Now my good friend Soc can stop agonising ..... No more waking up in a lather of sweat , twisted / soiled sheets , costly trips to his shrink .

Kiwi, you didn't add "tua pek kong" to your list. Try goggling this one

https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/a ... ml?newsnow

I hope it happens. Good for AMN to try make it happen somewhere else.

https://arseblog.news/2021/12/arteta-od ... -together/

Ødegaard is coming good right now. Thanks for making me eat humble pie.
Just hope he makes me eat much much more pie when we play City.
As a team, we need to be on the get go for this match.
And of course, Arteta must allow the team to charge forward more. The one touch football has made us move so much faster.
Partey was especially very good against Norwich, as was almost the entire team.

https://dailycannon.com/2021/12/ramsdal ... -happened/

Hope he won't repeat his antics when the "bigger clubs" come calling

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer ... 85429.html

Arsenal and Arteta needs to watch him closely, and make sure his head does not get turned by "bigger" clubs. Arsenal has done well to groom such a star.
Add Emile Smith Rowe to that as well.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/footb ... h-25790578

Another who has made me eat humble pie, and gladly gulped it all down.
Glad he has also started to move the ball faster on the pitch.
Keep going strong, Xhaka!

I must have picked it up from reading all the posts here. I only learn from the best.

Spurs last 5 league games have been at home. They’ve played 10 at home and only 6 away. They may be 6 points back with 3 games in hand but those games are all away from home and they still have to go away to City, Liverpool, Man U and Chelsea this season.

Looks increasingly likely that 4th place is going to be between Arsenal, Spurs and Man U.

So the 'Appy 'Ammers won't too 'Appy you don't consider them for a 4th spot?

An interesting statistic. Let’s hope that the season continues with crowds allowed in then. We wouldn’t want their away matches to be diluted by empty stadia.

I suspect that’s the reason we use this forum more than some of the others. Any Arsenal manager, and player, will get criticism here. But I do believe the criticism levelled at individuals here is often based on some rational thought. Sure, there are exceptions. But some of the stuff I’ve seen about Arteta on other chat rooms appear solely based on pathological hatred more than anything.

I accept online criticism is part of the internet and social media age. But overall, I think the moans and groans you find here are less extreme or more polite than elsewhere, and mostly at least nods its head in the general direction of logical opinion.

Spot on, there's more of a general balance here overall.

I think we're looking a real team at the moment. This definitely feels more like a Geroge Graham type evolution than a Wenger one. Arteta inherited a team with cliques, egos, some bad apples and some overpaid, underperforming stars. Like George, he's been lucky to inherent a fantastic core of young players emerging but has added some shrewd signings to the squad.

I was so pissed off after the Utd and Everton games as I felt we really shot ourselves in the foot and were the masters of our own undoing. Having said that, I still feel top 4 may be a bit beyond us this year. I hope I'm wrong but I think unless we can start nicking some points from the sides above us and around us more regularly, then top 6 is more realistic for this season.

As an aside, if AMN is leaving next month then you have to think we have a CM lined up. With Partey and Elneny at the ACN, leaving us only Xhaka and Lokonga is too thin.