This evening saw a welcome return to Wembley for The Arsenal after a season that has been challenging to say the least. The FA Cup has provided a quantum of solace in recent years with three hugely enjoyable victories, the last of them after beating today’s opponents in the semis. However, a stern challenge was in store against a Man City side that had proved too strong in our last seven meetings and came into the game on the back of two recent wins against Bournemouth and UEFA. A tall order then but spirits had been buoyed by a gutsy defeat of Liverpool during the week. Could we beat the current top two in the PL within the space of week? It would certainly send a message.
Before the game there had been speculation on team selection in both defence and attack but as it turned out the biggest surprise was possibly in midfield where Ashley Maitland-Niles was chosen to start, despite rumours of his imminent departure. In all there were 5 changes from the side that started against Liverpool with Auba, Hector, Dani, Mustafi and AMN replacing the unfortunate Nelson, Saka, Rob Holding, Torreira and the cup tied Soares. Emi continued in goal with Mus recalled and Tierney retained either side of David Luiz. Hector, Dani, Xhaka and AMN were given the task of winning what would be a vital midfield battle if we were not to spend 90 minutes under the cosh and our expensively assembled forward line of Pepe, Laca and Auba were entrusted with getting at their occasionally suspect back line.
I must admit if felt very odd to watch the teams emerge to an empty Wembley stadium and line up somewhat pointlessly beside the arch.
The stadium itself was bedecked, or at least the Arsenal half was with reminders of our 13 previous FA Cup Wins – perhaps done as a gentle reminder that money can’t buy you class.
1st half
Anyway, to the game. Come on you Gunners !! It took only 3 minutes for Mr Toad, disguised as Jon Moss, to ignore a foul on Dani and let City get in a dangerous cross that was well cleared by Tierney. A period of early domination followed for Pep’s men enlivened by a mix-up between Luiz and Mustafi in our area that had me swearing loudly at the TV but was fortunately cleared by Dani, I think, for a corner. Finally about 15 minutes in we started to get forward a little more, a Lacazette offside goal was followed by a good chance for Auba after Luiz played him in with a cracking pass. Unfortunately, Auba shot straight at the keeper when he could perhaps have done better. He was about to make up for it. Deciding on a change in tactics we played the ball calmly out of defence and worked it forward to Laca, who controlled well and played it wide to Bellerin, he nudged it forward to Pepe who swung in a great cross for Auba to ghost in at the far post and slide a perfect finish past the hapless, stranded, baffled and bewildered keeper. Great goal, well worked and expertly finished.
One Nil to The Arsenal
A drinks break followed shortly afterwards, I had a beer, and then I noticed the players were having a break too. Whatever Mikel said or whether it was simply the confidence from the goal The Arsenal started to play much better. Mus was lucky to escape a booking for standing on Silva’s foot but I think it was the last foot he put wrong and it wasn’t really luck in a way as Moss ignored several yellow cards subsequently. I suppose we did ask for more consistency. As the half wore on Ederson did well to cut out a Pepe cross and tip over a Mustafi header from a good Ceballos corner. We should have punished City a couple of times but a mixture of a final misplaced pass by Auba after good work by Xhaka and bad luck when the ball hit Pepe’s heel when he might have been through meant that we went in at half time a goal to the good though it could have been more. City had had half chances but good defending had restricted them greatly. Very encouraging but could we maintain the level of performance in the 2nd half?
2nd half
In all honesty the answer to that question is no. We started slowly and Sterling, of whom more later, missed two presentable chances in a couple of minutes. We spent the next 20 minutes pinned back apart from rare forays forward by AMN, who was having a good game defensively but is not blessed with the best left foot cross. The one time Mahrez did escape from AMN Emi was down smartly at his near post to save well. Goalmouth scrambles, last ditch blocks, shots just wide and mostly stout defending was then the order of the day. It was tight, nerve-shredding, nail-biting, edge of the seat, behind the sofa – you get the general idea I’m sure – stuff. The drinks break came again and Mikel wisely told the team to get another goal to reduce the tension. Excellent work down the left by Kieran and Pepe put Auba in the clear and he finished with his customary aplomb through Ederson’s legs.
Two Nil to The Arsenal
Two nil up, 20 minutes to go. We have not been a team you would ask to defend a lead if your life depended on it for some years now but cometh the hour today and with Luiz to the fore we defended with great bravery ad no little organization and skill for the last 20 minutes. Pepe was the first to be subbed off for Willock shortly after Auba’s goal. He was not at his best today but he played an important part in both goals and has won the prestigious photo at the top of this article prize. Willock was shortly followed on by Torreira replacing Lacazette and clearly the plan was what we have we hold. And hold it we did, Laporte shot just wide, then Sterling deliberately fell on Mustafi and may well have injured him – Mr Toad sailed serenely on – and Sterling then had the cheek to complain about Mustafi being injured. A minor annoyance but it was in no way accidental to my mind and should been reviewed. Mus went off having done well after his early Mussiness to be replaced by Holding and Dani went off to be replaced by Kola. There were a long seven minutes of extra time but City had by then run out of ideas.
It was a great team performance today, Mahrez, Sterling, De Bruyne and Silva were for all their possession mostly ineffective and that was not because they suddenly became bad players, it was due to hard work and discipline in closing the channels they like to play down. However, having said that I must give individual shouts to Xhaka, he was superb today, Tierney likewise and Luiz who had a great 2nd half when the pressure was at its fiercest. Auba was class and Lacazette led the line well.
Finally, well done Mikel, a first Wembley game as manager and you’ve seen off that Pep Whatshisname bloke.
It’s good to be a Gooner.
Onward to the final. What did she wear?
Thirst
Now to read Matt’s speedy report. Trained on the Green Citizen?
god, that was awesome. matt, you captured it beautifully, because it reads as it felt.
on the edge of my seat throughout, an ice brook running down my spine, toes turning to cupcakes…so impressive the layer after layer of defenders we were able to keep between the blues and our goal. again, a top class opponent with not much but sweat-soaked shirts to trade at game’s end for all their sterile possession (just for ttg).
sterling is a nasty little bastard, too. you can see him decide just where to put his knee with his full weight on the back of mustafi’s thigh, watching the replay.
a clap off to david silva, while he played for the wrong team i always appreciated his skill and humility.
I was still reading the drinks on the preview and spotted the chevrons. Amazing ,speedy work all. Congratulations.
And a fine match report too. Thank you Matt.
Of course, the upshot of this is that we all remain on edge for another couple of weeks and those who really believe a season out of Europe would actually “be good for the club” must decide for themselves whether they believe it enough actually to hope for a Cup Final default at the hands of a club they despise.
COYG
Great, and speedy report. A combo of George Graham and Wenger ball sees us through. This has been a remarkable week.
Scruz,
A Californian express report and a fine one, many thanks .
I’ve given a lot of comments in the previous blog but you’d give out of 10 the following marks today
10- Tierney , Luiz , Arteta
9- Xhaka, AMN , Martinez, Auba
8- Ceballos , Lacazette ,
7- Pepe , Mustafi
6- Bellerin
Re C100’s comment about season tickets my decision is really a domestic one. Mrs TTG was taken back into hospital in the night, thankfully only for a few hours, but I’m not keen to travel to places that might put me and her at risk and frankly not keen to leave her . She will be wondering why I don’t have a ticket for the Final .
Sorry Matt, Scruz
It’s been a very weird day and I got mixed up there.
It’s a Japanese express report!
ttg, sorry to hear about mrs. ttg. you’re a good husband. wish her all the best, to get better, and enjoy the anniversary celebrations!
I am so sorry to hear that TTG. We will ensure that if you need a ticket you have one. Or keep it, and I have some contacts to sell it on, by the game, if you need to.
Brilliant report of a brilliant performance, Matt. Your report was as much a pleasure to read as it was to watch that masterclass. Tense principally because of our recent history but we outfought, outfought and outplayed the best team in the land.
TTG, sorry to hear about Mrs TTG. I hope all is good now. I agree with most of your scores but I would have Laca, Mustafi and Ceballos on 9 and Bellerin and Pepe on 8. No-one was less than excellent.
Scruz (in the last drinks), the very one!
First match report on Highbury Library too. Well done Matt. Such precision, brevity and speed is difficult to achieve. Holic-esque, sir.
Great report OM down to the finest details and speedy Japanese Gonzales indeed 😀
Great tactical set up from Arteta no wonder who the master was. Lads are listening which is a major difference between him and UE and on top of that it’s bringing in results. We were never going to become world beaters over night.
TTG sorry to hear that, however I have my fingers tightly crossed for your other half. ❤️🤞🏻
TTG: Best wishes for Mrs TTG and you. Family first, always.
OM: Shinkansen-speed but not a beat missed. You captured the game to perfection. I was oddly serenely calm for the final quarter. It just felt it was not going to be City’s day, but it was ours.
Auba has just got to be re-signed.
Arthur, My take on it is that the players actually were listening to Emery but they just couldn’t make out whatever it was he was trying to convey to them.
TTG, All health to you and especially the Mrs.
I will add my voice to those who think we have a diamond in Tierney. He had another outstanding game today. How typical of Scotland to have only two world-class players and they are both left-backs.
If that team picture was taken post-match, Mustafi, at the back, is standing up, which suggests his not damaged his hamstring.
C100
What a kind gesture. Many grateful thanks . It’s strange to think of such a depressing season possibly ending in silverware .
I suspect that they will treat the Final , cautiously , as an experiment and will allow in a limited number of people ( probably very limited ). I think Boris jumped the gun far too much on Friday with his views on events and audiences . It seems out of sync with reality as scientists have been quick to suggest . I can see very limited attendances being allowed next season but the social distancing @nd travel, especially heading into winter will limit numbers very significantly
Thankyou to my many friends on here for your kind wishes . Much appreciated
It’s been a busy day. I’ve certainly had a few lemonades.
First to OM. That is an absolutely brilliant match report. Simply top notch. It is tight, elegant and totally captures the feel of the game. Dave would be proud. It was a pleasure to read. Thankyou.
Secondly, to every contributing author, the standard of writing in the new bar has been, without exception, of the very highest quality. It is an absolute privilege to read what you lot write as well as to write sometimes myself. My hat is off to every one of you. The varied styles are all tied together with a love of Arse (matron!) and I honestly think this is one of the premier Arsenal sites. I’m bowled over in admiration.
On to the game… screw it, I watched it on an intermittent stream with a bevy in hand, so i have nothing to add to the report or the drinks in the last bar or this one.
But my throat is a bit hoarse from singing all our songs. I am so proud of our entire club. Days like today are priceless.
Enjoy it, everyone. All my love to you all… its damn good to be a Gooner.
And just for the record… she wore a yellow ribbon. And no amount of fucking oil money could change its colour.
Dave, we are thinking of you. (Could you have another word with the big man before the final?)
TTG.
All my love to you and the missus. We’d all lose every final going for the health of our loved ones. Maybe it is just my experience, but I have found it does make a difference when people send their love to those they care about, even indirectly, or from miles away.
You both have all the positive vibes I can send. Which is LOADS right now!
Also, just gonna say it… every word of every single David Luiz I have ever seen in our colours is spot on. I totally get why he is so respected within the squad.
A great report OM that captured the essence of the match we just watched. Holic must be nursing his drink and nodding appreciatively at the fine piece of writing. He must have done that while reading the last five or six articles and must be wondering why he did not take advantage of all the talent at his disposal.
Best wishes to Mrs and Mr. TTG. Hope Mrs.TTG recovers speedily.
I just watched the highlights.
I am just so, so burstingly proud to be a Gooner right now.
Our manager is better than his mentor. He is the best I have ever seen. I’ll wait for him to prove that, he has a long way to go, but I wholeheartedly believe. There is nobody in the world I would rather have managing our club. It is the steel in his eyes. Some people have it. Most don’t. Simple as.
I think Auba is gonna stay. Moving to a new city is a hassle. Only do it if you have to. I think he will stay for Arteta. Not for Arsenal, not for our fans, or our history (not suggesting for a second that these are unimportant to him) but he will stay for Arteta. He knows he has never had a better manager, and our man has barely got started. Auba knows Arteta has the potential to turn things around years faster than most of us saw coming. Auba will stay because he believes we can win things. I’m not saying we will. But the mere fact that for the first time in years we look like a team and a club with a serious upwards trajectory is gonna help convince a guy who is already smitten with the sheer class and history of our club. Auba wears our badge with genuine pride. He doesn’t need reasons to go… he just needs a solid reason to stay. Arteta is that reason.
I think we will keep Laca and AMN. New contracts all round!
Luiz- keep doing that.
Tierney- hero.
Martinez- better than Leno or Schezny. He is our new number one until someone takes it off him. He is the best since Safe Hands and I will be gladder of his success than almost any other player. An Arsenal man through and through and I expect him to go on to become a bonafide legend for our club.
For those that have read my comments for a number of years you will know I am usually much more circumspect. I rarely give it the big’un and get ahead of myself…
But I am seeing characters emerge that I believe will bring us a chance of competing at the very highest level of world football. Who knows if I’m right? But City and Liverpool will cyclically decline. We will take their spot as top dogs for our moment in the sunshine. Arteta will win us a league title.
And even if we are shit I’ll still scream myself hoarse watching us and no one will remember if I’m completely wrong about all of this.
Arsenal til I die.
GSD @20.
The word ‘interview’ is notably missing from that post… 😳
Fuck
It
cba, where are ya?
It is half 3 and no one else is around.
I’m gonna start playing The Clash…
Emi Martinez is the new Rudy.
Rudy can’t fail.
OM?
Come on Japan.
Let’s be ‘avin ya!
My old man said…
I said…
Sorry.
Too much about Arsenal.
Something about Irish politics.
The Ramones are the greatest band of all time.
Mooooo
40?
What do you mean ‘you are posting comments too quickly?’.
Are you a Tottenham fan?
You massive Cunt
Your post was so good Japan that it had to get 50 drinks overnight. Fortunately it will do.
A sign of your magnificence.
Speaking of magnificent…
Trev. You are a diamond for healthcare advice.
I follow your advice to the letter
Every time the ball goes to Mustafi I close my eyes.
If you have never read this blog before then I am not mad.
Well, I am mad.
But I am just paying tribute an old drinker who made my life better with his brand of madness. I’m a poor replica.
If you never knew cba then you never knew cba
And I never met the mad bastard so I guess I never knew him either
But he ain’t here no more
And not one of us has the chance the see the Ramones live today
You were either there or you weren’t
Raising a glass to Dave and Kev. To Terry and Chris.
None of us are that far from joining you
See you soon
Mine’s a Guinness
Half century.
And a lot quicker than Dom Sibley.
Did I just tabs myself?
No bones…
I’ve got a fag in my mouth
No, no.
Remember I’m British
A fine half-century Dino.
Nearly Noon in Nippon but
time to meet the day and
catch up with the drinks.
But first an old Ramones
number….🎼🎼
If you’re happy and you know
it clap your hands 👏 👏👏👏
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
And a glass of vodka
Japan!
Thank God you are here
Best wishes to Mrs TTG, I hope
she is better very soon TTG.
I have a dash of tap water in my vodka
I just could not be arsed to get ice cubes
Or a proper mixer
And thanks for the many kind
words to all of you. And to
Mrs OM too for not minding
about waking up at 6.00AM to
the sound of my heavy handed
keyboard hammering.
can’t be arsed?
Sounds familiar somehow
Where’s my homebrew?
We rocked!
I don’t give a toss who we get in the
final.
6am?
Must’ve been the mooing that got you up
Nothing like a night on the swally
Rocked?
We were like Rush playing YYZ.
Neil Peart stands alone
Sterling stuff Dino except you’re
a winner unlike the petulant little
cheat who lost.
May your home brew last forever.
Although John Bonham is better.
One of the tiny number of people who have ever been better.
I can count maybe 3. In all of time and space
Arteta is the Neil Peart of managers.
Early morning coffee done.
Time for breakfast and highlight
watching. An afternoon nap and
then a sashimi and sake evening
already planned. Life is good.
Until Monday morning anyway
😉
I watched the match with a non football fan. I had made clear to her how much respect I have for Pep. He is absolutely brilliant and he shows a lot of class. Consistently.
I guess that informed her burst of laughter after we scored our first, the camera panned to him, and I screamed, at full volume…
“HAVE SOME OF THAT YOU BALDY CUNT”
Good to hear Mus was walking around
afterwards, well spotted Ned.
Matt, Thanks for a great match report! Top top qualities to be sure. 😀
Top top qualitee too.
Are thoughts turning to the ton as we hit
80? Can 🦖 drink all night?
Watch this space
My teenage daughter has stolen my Ramones t shirt. And several Damned shirts also, although she did buy her own OMD shirt in Central Park last summer. I digress though – to quote Mr. Justin Sullivan, Today is a Good Day.
Thanks bt8, it was a pleasure😃
I drew the long straw.
Hello desnj!
Des in New Jersey?
A drink on the bar for you
sir or madam.
Madam as of course Des may
be short for Desdemona.
And Desdemona is a gooner of
course.
As a satellite of Uranus who else
could Des support but The Arse
OM @ 82.
Due to circumstances we don’t need to go into I started at 10am this morning. I’ve been drinking solidy since. Red stripe..white wine. Cava. Gin.vodka.
I’m just winding down now
But no promises I’ll fuck off just yet
Much appreciated. Yes, DES in NJ. Long time reader, very happy Holic community is still up and running. Expat in the colonies, and quite pleased tonight.
@88
🤣
Desnj!
Top man!
Or
Top woman!
Or
Anything else that takes your fancy.
As long as you love The Arse you are welcome here
Right.
Let’s bang out this century and I’m done
Any help?
Anyone?
I’ll have some of what you’ve been having, GSD. Almost woulda sworn you were cba himself the way you were going on there.
97
Tailflicks it up for…
Thanks all, dating myself but my most memorable Arse experience was Alan Sunderland, 1979. I it my friends mothers rubber plant I was so happy. I would gladly bite a rubber pant again in 2 weeks. Whatever it takes.
Mikel on AMN
“I believe in him. He has great
qualities. I had to give him
opportunities and today he took
it with both arms. He had a
really good performance”
A surprise selection though
mentioned as possibly playing a
part in the astute Dinosaurs
preview.
BFD. We’ve got a BFD…
Ok, that didn’t come out quite right. I generally avoid rubber pants.
Desnj nicks the ton!
An auspicious start Des!
Fine set up work by Dino on
the wing – sleep well sir👍
Job done
Well in at the ton, Desnj. You’re a natural. 🙂
“Come to bed you mad bastard”.
She has a point.
Well in for the ton Desnj.
Big love to you all.
Dino out
Big Fucking Dinosaur to be more precise.
@103
😄
You did say whatever it takes.
Off to breakfast, something oily
to chomp on should do the job
Thank you. I’ll finish on one thought – we deserved to win today, it was really fun to watch in a fairly unfun time so drinks are on me if they haven’t called time. Cheers all.
Excellent report Matt!
GSD, let me join you in raising my glass to ‘Holic, Terry & Oscar! They all would have been so proud of this transformation.
Not much to add to all the excellent drinks. This was a performance for the ages. Three more matches and keys finish the season on a high.
Late to welcome dean. Welcome.
Late to pass good wishes to Mrs. TTG. All the very best.
Which is strange since it’s so bloody early here in the UK.
Remind me again. What did she wear?
gsd, well in for the walk down cba lane. impressive stuff!
welcome desnj, bottle of jack on the bar for you.
an interesting article to read tonight after today’s game: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/fa-cup-semi-final-fixtures-preview-man-city-united-arsenal-chelsea-a9623136.html
but we already knew arteta had giant palle made of vibranium, or somesuch.
It was almost 3:45am here in India when I read your fantastic report Matt and wanted to comment right away but I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open and sentences coherent so I decided to keep it waiting for the Sunday morning – otherwise it would have been injustice to your top report which is in the true traditions of holic (you rolled it out pretty fast too – just a tad slower than the maestro, and he would be proud nonetheless).
Since I have not been able to regularly comment lately, I also want to mention that just like the Arsenal team the writing on the blog is really on a steep upward trajectory. Top top top quality. GSD’s fantastic match report after the NLD where he came up with that gem about Kola’s inspiration from the architecture on display to take a massive dump was just hilarious and accurate at the same time. I am an architect and I could never have come up with that one – hats off Sir. Btm’s preview for the Liverpool game was just brilliant in the way he contextualised the gap between the two teams. Doc Faustus’ equally brilliant report after that game encapsulated the history and playing styles of the Arsenal team of recent decades and those of a past vintage. GSD kept up his top form for his preview of the semi-final and got everything right (including the possibility of AMN being included in a tactical switch!) except the predicted scoreline. Thank you all for the great writing. And to everyone in the comments section, all of you have kept the discourse so interesting and respectful despite being so passionate. Usually high passions mean disagreements quickly turn into disrespect but that is never the case here. And the comments are fantastic in terms of the fact that they cover the whole spectrum of the game. Almost everytime I find that there is nothing more one could add to everything that has been commented. I want to specially mention the regular commenters like bath, C100, bt8, NBN, scruz, pangloss and of course the other writers mentioned above. Sorry of I missed anyone but all of you are top draw. Your comments illuminate my understanding of the game and more importantly the best club in the fucking world.
I don’t know if my comment comes across as too emotional or something but heck even if it does. At the end of the day, I think it’s the very emotion that the game and Arsenal evokes in us that we are all addicted to. Just like GSD’s brilliant comment@78 where he mentions how he abused Pep when he came up on screen after our first goal despite his massive respect for Pep footballistically (I did the same with an even vile abuse in my mother tongue while pumping my fists having jumped off the couch😄) – it’s this kind of raw emotion that’s the germ of it all.
TTG sending out my best wishes to Mrs.TTG and to you.
Also I feel you are being a tad harsh on Hector with that rating of 6.
And I agree with your comment in the last drinks @250 about Hector never having been a top class full back even in his zenith. But at his zenith (where I believe he can reach again if he stays fit and gets a proper pre-season) his main defensive strengths were his interceptions while running back towards his own goal and also keeping pace with the runner off the flank into the penalty box so as to disturb him enough to misplace his shot or block it at the last moment. He did that aplenty last night against Sterling and Mendy.
Your comment comes across
perfectly Desi.
Due to a family commitment (honestly, do these people not understand the term “forward planning”?), I couldn’t watch the game but, having read the report, I feel like I was present throughout. OM, great work. The Guv would have been proud.
This place is, frankly, the best on the entire steam powered interweb. Thx to all for making it so.
A cup final…who’dda thunk it? All credit to Arteta. So, now we have a manager who understands that pragmatism is not a dirty word. Felch is a dirty word, but not pragmatism. Think what we can achieve once he gets some better players and the youngsters develop. Very, very happy.
Ah. The blessings of autocorrect. Four hours later, I spot its malign effects in my @111 above, which should of course welcome desjn.
COYG
Fine report Matt and an excellent day all round.
What a thoroughly enjoyable evening that was. Great performances all over the pitch. The first goal was a 10 player, 19 touches thing of total beauty. Poetry on a football pitch. The second was another moment of class. That was as good a team performance as I’ve seen in many a year.
Tierney looks a fantastic signing. He will rapidly become an Arsenal legend. I sincerely hope that we can keep Ceballos. He seems to be enjoying himself. Xhaka had probably his best game ever.
Final word for Luiz. Apart from a fantastic performance, for those who haven’t seen it, have a look at what he does at the final whistle. No massive celebration. He just gets hold of AMN. He starts taking to him. No idea what was said but it was like a father figure talking, explaining and praising. Wonderful to see. Perhaps we have some leaders at long last.
Very much looking forward to the final, whoever we end up playing.
TTG. Best wishes sir. I hope that Mrs TTG is very much on the mend. Thoughts with you all.
Great job, Matt !
Superb performance, defending like professionals. In the words of Ace – remember them ? – how long ?
Eleven heroes today, plus a few more who came on as subs.
I think the AMN choice was very clever. A right footed tackler forcing Mahrez – who cuts inside on his left foot anyway – inside, where he has his natural foot to tackle and pass the ball out of trouble.
Anyhow, what a week. Since Wednesday evening we Played 2, Won 2, shots 7, goals 4, beat Liverpool, beat Manchester City.
We have an absolute gem in charge. Please, owners, back him and let him fulfill his potential with us and not somewhere else.
Superb reproduction of a classic cba night, GSD, though I don’t expect you to read this before noon.
Bleary-eyed and somewhat the worse for wear myself, I yell at the top of my voice to you fine people:
🎗”WHAT DID SHE WEAR?”🎗
What a great thing to wake up to GSD! A true full on cba tribute. Desnj welcome sir and delighted you came out from lurking to join us in the drinks.
The world looks a wonderful, if slightly hungover, place this morning.
So the season extends to August. Arteta bestrides this fine club. No aged prima donnas (Countinho, Willian) please, even if that means Joorabchian has to make do with last year’s yacht.
And thanks for all the love Desi. The thing I constantly ask myself, is “what would Dave think”. I agree with you. I think he’d be proud.
I’ve just watched the highlights on a recording of this morning’s Match of the Day repeat.
Two thoughts:
Who was the brick shit-house at right back and what has he done with Ainsley Maitland-Niles?
The most telling thing to me was the complete absence of adverse criticism of the Arse by the studio pundits. When was the last time that happened?
UTA COYG
Fantastic performance of fortitude and skill by the whole team, players and coaches, everyone of them and matched by the superb match report by OM in super quick time followed by drinks of the highest order. A fabulous tip of the hat by GSD to the one and only cba.
MA impresses more & more as the weeks go by – the board must sign him up to a long term contract and support him by bringing in the players he chooses to improve the team – not agent led mercenaries feathering their own pockets. The future is bright, the future is 🎗🎗🎗
Finally thoughts are with TTG – wishing Mrs TTG a speedy recovery.
That was quite a channelling of your inner cba, GSD. Now, you, I like.
Luiz certainly redeemed himself yesterday for what happened at the Ethiad. He was a rock. It all went pear-shaped so quickly up there that we forget we probably played better in the early minutes of that game than we did at the start of yesterday’s match.
Welcome, desnj, and well in for the ton.
Great link @112, Scruz, and from an Arsenal/Arteta point of view especially in light of yesterday’s game. History in the making.
Think it comes down to the old cliche of “that winning feeling”.
The best feeling in sport is when you walk off the pitch, court, track or whatever, having given absolutely everything to win. In a team situation, that feeling is magnified and intensified and that collective joy becomes almost addictive.
People start protecting their team mates and that cycle of fight, protect and win becomes very powerful.
Arteta seems to have achieved it with a badly fractured squad in relatively no time at all.
Great drinks above by everyone, certainly, but not least desi and Trev.
Too late to the table to add anything that hasn’t already been said. Great summary, Matt and some very fine drinks contributions.
I’ve found it interesting to see Mikel Arteta tailor his cloth to suit his circumstances perfectly in the last two games. Collectively we’ve been fairly contemptuous in the bar over the years of teams who’ve turned up to blunt our attacking efforts, nullify our creative players and hassle our players into making mistakes. It’s quite satisfying to be on the side of a positive outcome from such an approach.
Fairly contemptuous must be an understatement BtM but the thing is, when you have been beaten by an inferior opponent one of the only emotions left is contempt of their inferiority, real or imagined. Imagined in this case, no doubt. 🤣
I’d just like to reiterate my thanks for the numerous good wishes for Mrs TTG.
We await a specialist’s appointment early in August to decide on the way forward.
While one gets a new perspective when you have personal trauma you also realise how much your club can lift you with a performance like yesterday’s . I must confess at 2-0 I started to realise we might win and found the tension unbearable . I went for a walk in the garden , lifted some weights in my office and made my way back to watch the closing moments deeply relieved that we were still in control.
I’d also like to echo Desi’s point re the quality of writing in this bar . My thoughts turned , as a number here did to the Guvnor last night. He would have loved to write that game up and would have done so brilliantly but OM did a wonderful job in a Goonerholic timeframe. So many of the previews and reports have been quite excellent and the discourse in the bar balanced and constructive. If you want a contrast head over to Le Grove where a lot of the regulars sulk when Arsenal prosper ! Great stuff and thanks and congratulations to everyone for continuing Dave’s traditions so impeccably and making after match discussion so worthwhile .
What did she wear?
So Lewis cruised home in the Hungaroring again this afternoon. Another F1 procession. He’s a Gooner and, for sure, will have been heartened by that win over Citeh going into qualifying yesterday.
I had lunch with him in 2014 when he was a McLaren driver. Chris Hoy won the BBC Sportsview Personality of the Year award that year. I asked Lewis “How does it feel to have been beaten by a Scotsman on a bike?” “That is one fast Scotsman” was his reply.
He’s probably thinking the same about Kieran Tierney’s ability to get up that left wing, cross the ball and then get back to defend.
Leicester giving Spuds a St Tott’s day helping hand by scoring the Tinies first for them.
Scruz, thanks for the link @112. Like so much journalism, it makes an interesting observational point that could have borne greater editorial rigour: three Premiership clubs in the FA Cup semi-finals have appointed recent former players with limited managerial experience as their head coach; compare and contrast with Guardiola, whose team, happily for the writer, was the fourth semi-finalist. Just some of the questions that could have been addressed: Is this a co-incidence at four clubs, or a general pattern seen elsewhere in Europe? Now top clubs have become tactical conveyor belts from the Academy to the First Team, is not producing a head coach already steeped in the system just another aspect of that? Is there something about Premiership football that requires someone who has recently played in it to understand the players in their charge that wasn’t needed before, or in the way that a journeyman player who worked their way up the managerial ladder cannot? How does a Klopp fit into the theory? Why Lampard not Terry — also a former player so all the club connections — at Chelsea? (Perhaps that last one answers itself :). I also thought the piece should have mentioned that Guardiola was given an apprenticeship at Barcelona B before getting the first team.
TTG, please accept my good wishes for Mrs TTG and I believe you have a joint celebration tomorrow, or has a week past in a work blur of distancing, sanitising, air-flowing and protecting and all the other stuff the pair of you have been so worried about.
Whether, this week or last, all the very best to you both.
NBN, my very simplistic answer to your “what makes a good modern day manager “ question is, in one word, intelligence.
Listen to the successful managers speak – the quickness of thought, the demeanour when questioned, the eye movement.
Mourinho was a successful manager – was, in an era when a bully could still get away with it. Times change, the game moves on, the requirement becomes maybe more subtle. Some have it, others do not.
Until recently the alternative to the Arteta/Lampard/Solskjaer model was the Van Gaal/Hiddink/Ancelotti model of managers who were inarguably proven, successful Champions League calibre managers, but most of those including even Mourinho, are now demonstrably past it. The point of the article being that we are now in a different era. Ned, your questions are still valid but unlikely to be explored or addressed in a journalistic article due to lack of time and space. Academicians, take note. 😉
Ned, I am not sure it is a co-incidence, or a general pattern seen elsewhere in Europe, but it does seem to be a pattern among the top clubs in England, who might be setting, or participating in a trend that will soon be seen more broadly elsewhere.
Looks like it will be Chelsea in the Cup finals as they lead Manure by two goals after 67 minutes.
Trev,
Thankyou we do have an anniversary tomorrow. The lucky lady has enjoyed ( endured) 46 years of wedded bliss with me .
Interested in the other semi-final . Willian has been superb for Chelseaxand looks razor sharp . Lampard seems to have outthought Bilbo Baggins ( no great surprise ) but there’s still time to get three penalties to take them up to 21 this season .
Re the coaches many Arsenal fans would have taken Ancelotti ahead of Arteta . Everton have been incredibly underwhelming and the Italian looks a spent force . Arteta was a brace move. Imagine if we had appointed him when Wenger left instead of being swayed by Canales ( Sanllehi’s mate) to appoint Emery. Where might we be now?
Chelsea now three up. A De Gea hat trick
Many congratulations TTG and Mrs TTG. Have a great day.
And the first of your predicted Manure penalties of the day has been awarded. Why do we rarely get those?
enjoy your day with the mrs., ttg. mazel tov!
Many thanks! I will surprise her with my Arsenal FA Cup highlights video. Lucky girl .
Yes Dean found one penalty to give them but Chelsea beat them easily. We’ve beaten them in the two FA Cup finals we have played them . We’d also beaten ManUre in the two finals we’ve played them in.
I think we have a real chance on August 1st
To partially address NBN’s questions about the ages of the managers, here’s some stuff I found to compare 2012, 2016 and 2020:
1. “Spain has the youngest average age of managers (48.15 years) followed by Germany (48.4) and Italy (49.6) with France having the oldest managers (51.5 years on average) followed by England (50.15).” –sportingintelligence.com November 2012
2. Bundesliga managers are the youngest of Europe’s top leagues, at 44 years on average. Italy’s Serie A and England’s Premier League managers both average just under 50. In Spain the average age of managers in La Liga is slightly over 50, and in France the Ligue Un managers average 51 years. –unattributed Reddit post following the 2015/16 season
3. “Current” Premier League managers: Arteta 38; Lampard 42; Howe 43; Farke 43; Potter 45; Espirito Santo 46; Solskjaer 47; Rodgers 47; Dyche 49; Guardiola 49; Smith 49; Wilder 52; Hasenhüttl 52; Klopp 53; Pearson 56 (sacked today); Mourinho 57; Moyes 57; Bruce 59; Ancelotti 61; Hodgson 73.
–numbers compiled today by me from various internet sources
The average age of these 20 managers is just under 51, so not much has changed from the previous two years in England. I am intrigued by the drop in Bundesliga managers ages between 2012 and 2016 though. Maybe that was when a younger trend was set, which England is just getting around to following now. After Hodson retires the average age can’t help but go down, can it?
I’ve just been told there is a real chance we will swap Guendouzi for Coutinho. Thecbig question is whether we can afford his salary. If we do that deal it may indicate that Ozil is off although we will surely have to subsidise his salary wherever he goes . I’m starting to find him very tiresome
There’s no way that we would have seen the performances we saw against the Mugsmashers and the Oilers with Özil in the squad, let alone the team. The presence of a prima donna who doesn’t put in a full shift yet hoovers up twice the average salary of the other players is not a dressing room ingredient conducive to 100% commitment. I hope we can ship him out in the window even if we hve to pay most of his salary.
I would prefer that we chose options other than Coutinho and Willian. Both will command massive salaries and I would prefer hungry and ambitious, young players on the rise rather than complacent seniors looking to continue to feather their nests. I hope we have people other than them in mind. I’m not impressed with what Coutinho brings to the party. He failed miserably to adapt to the Barcelona system which is surely the bluprint or close to the blueprint that Mikel is using so I don’t see why we would want him. Willian would play in a position that we have well covered and be an obstacle to our young players coming through. No thank you. Do your due diligence, Edu and Sanhelli.
All of this is to feather the nest of Jim Koorabchian. I’d rather play the kids. If this is true they will face a massive fan backlash.
Ned do the Monks have any stats for Coutinho since he left Liverpool?
Autocorrect decided Jia was Jim in my last drink. Seems fair.
C100
I think Autocorrect thinks Kia Joorabchian is Jim Kardassian !
I think Bath makes very good points about two players who would be very expensive to run with little or no sell-on value. I think Pepe was a wrong option , we had much bigger priorities than a very expensive one-footed winger but he can be a match-winner and I think he is improving.
The Athletic has a great tactical analysis( firewalled) of us yesterday in and out of possession . The use of AMN and Tierney in two different roles was very intelligent and as we saw yesterday , highly effective . Eddie will be back as an option for the Final
another from the athletic, about nasri and his (under)achievement in his career.. he always had flashes of brilliance but never any consistency with us. and he was a cunt when he left. (paywalled) https://theathletic.com/1777520/2020/07/17/samir-nasri-where-did-it-all-go-wrong/
ttg, that was an excellent article. so interesting the different options for mustafi depending on who was where, and that the mistakes weren’t always his (like getting caught in possession by sterling). also amazed at how much space amn kept finding himself in! i’ll be interested to see if we can keep that defensive shape over the final three games, and find the same success as in the last two.
C100@150: Yes they do. Lots. But thanks for asking 🙂
Coutinho
at Liverpool P201 starting 88% of games, scoring 54 goals, (one every 276 minutes), and providing 45 assists (one every 331 minutes).
at Barcelona P76 starting 72% of games, scoring 21 goals, (one every 230 minutes), and providing 21 assists (one every 439 minutes).
at Bayern Munich P34 starting 65% of games, scoring nine goals, (also one every 230 minutes), and providing eight assists (one every 258 minutes).
On the attributes of a good head coach, Trev makes a good point about intelligence. The Premiership has got so much more tactical and technical in recent years that a manager unable to get his head around those aspects is not going to go very far. But there is so much more to Arteta than that. He has that intangible leadership quality that makes the whole so much more than the sum of its parts. And he can obviously coach. Even Mustafi and Xhaka look like players now.
Thanks for the monkly stats
Ned. Coutinho is worth a goal
every 3 games and an assist
every 4. Not a bad player by
any means. It is a position where
we need some quality.
Now that Ozil has seemingly
Retired Feelings Hurt it is clear
that we are less creative.
I still don’t want Coutinho though
– if only for wider governance
related issues.
Also I agree Luiz redeemed
himself in the last two games.
I hope it’s “good” Luiz in the
final too.
Some talk of extending Dani’s
loan with an option to buy for
around 20m euros at the end.
That seems to be around half
the price of before and I wonder
if that will hold for the market
generally.
Dani’s had a few good games
recently and seems to be getting
up to speed with the PL.
But then so have Mus, Luiz and
Xhaka.
We’ve already decided on Luiz
for another season but I’m not
sure about the others.
Mus nearly gave away a penalty
on Saturday – fortunately VAR got
that one partly right – and Xhaka
too come to that with a possible
handball. They all stood up and
counted in a tough game too.
It’s a conundrum.
hey, can someone check me on the first half highlights at the mothership? either i am crazier than usual or they posted a version ever so slightly sped up.
An interesting analysis of our SF victory:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/07/20/six-ways-arsenal-outplayed-manchester-city-fa-cup-semi-final/
Mustafi out for the Villa game. It is a hamstring injury after all, although, reading between the lines, perhaps not a severe one.
Eddie back from suspension. A rest for Auba, perhaps?
Looks like the rumours that Santi was coming back to coach were way off the mark. He is leaving Villarreal for the Qatari side Al Sadd.
Santi leaving at an apt moment. Marca says Unai Emery is to be Villareal’s new boss.
https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2020/07/19/5f14a32322601df64e8b4644.html
Ned,
I think there was real interest in bringing Santi back as a coach but having missed so much football he wanted to continue playing . Obviously that is easier in the desert , wherever Santi is to play , than the Premier League . I would be very confident he will return to coach with us in the future . He would be a very popular (re)acquisition
I’m still basking.
My voice is still hoarse. What a performance. What a result!
Likewise GSD.
Basking like a basking shark basking in Basking Robbins at the Basking Ridge Country Club, Madisonville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ, USA.
Likewise chaps
I’m a basking case , basking in reflected glory , like a basking shark basking in Basking Robbins at the Basking Ridge Country Club, Madisonville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ, USA. Don’t bask me why .
TTG@166: I bow as ever to your superior inside track. There would be plenty of people happy if Santi was to return at some point. I just hope Xavi doesn’t take Santi with him to Barcelona when he is done coaching in Qatar.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>