I Can't Fucking Stand It

Our best player on the season gives away three points.  We won't be relegated, but playing in Europe next season is not something this squad deserve to think about.  Why do I watch these games?

Notts County is doing well, and Juventus is top of Serie A (on head-to-head w co-leaders Inter), so there's that.

Arsenal 0 - 3 Manchester City

We were second best by a mile today.  There's no denying it.  But despite the empty seats and the terrible online player ratings, I was heartened by what I saw today.  A mostly young squad put plenty of energy and belief into trying to play decent football.  Sadly, the Emery era seems to have stripped us of our identity and our defensive organization.  Freddie can't fix that.  But he has infused the players with some confidence.  These are good players, though obviously we have some weak links across the back line, partly due to injury.

Start with Leno.  He was fantastic today.  I wouldn't trade him for anyone.  Everyone in front of him will look better when they are managed better, even the aforementioned weak links.  What team wouldn't want Martinelli or Saka in their setup?  They're certain stars.  Pepe has enormous talent, and Auba has been one of the league's top scorers since he joined the EPL.  We were on the attack a good part of the time, but City was always back in good order.  That's training and instruction.  Our mids showed a lot of individual talent and often combined well, but when we didn't have the ball they seemed unsure how to close City down.  That's training and instruction.

I could bitch about Kolasinac and Chambers today, but I like them as players and they're being exposed because the team has been poorly coached.  No one reads this so I can say without fear of contradiction that if Wenger had these players we'd have quite a few more points this season.  We needed someone who would get more out of the team, and we ended up getting someone who got less.  It's all on the Kroenkes.

I hope Arsenal keeps pushing.  Yeah, we're mid-table and we're going to stay there, but we're getting our Arsenal back.  Freddie's right that Arsenal is killing us by not supplying a coaching staff for him.  He's not the guy who can restore our former glory--I wonder if anyone can given the owner--but he's got the right idea about how we should play.

Looking a Little Better; Man City Tomorrow Though

As it happens, I couldn't watch the last two games in real time.  I did follow along with the audio commentary at Liege.  Our defensive frailties are still evident, but finally the offense is starting to click.  The excellent performance of our young guys is especially heartening.  City will be a real test, but the men will have to believe they can win this game, despite our current injury crisis with both first choice fullbacks.  I continue to believe that Holding and Chambers are our best center backs now, and are the future, with Saliba of course.  But I'm resigned to seeing at least one of the older, error-prone guys in there who will probably be turned inside out by Aguero.

I have no confidence that our execs will choose the best candidate for the coaching job.  I like what Freddie's trying to do, but he's not allowed to hire a staff so there's a limit to what he can work on.  It's a case of trying to hang in there and not drop too many more points until the new guy can address what's wrong.  The January window might bring a little help, but I'm not expecting much.  Can we give Ceballos back and get a partial refund?

Well, hoping for the best.  Statistically, we outplayed Liege by a good margin.  In highlights, I saw their keeper make a couple great saves.  The first team should give City some problems, but our defenders will have to be harder to play against than they have been.  Torreira-Guendouzi in the middle of the midfield?  Laca maybe should sit this one out so Auba can fill the CF spot.

ARS 1-2 BHA

This is a lost season.  We won't be in Europe next year at all unless there's a dramatic turnaround, and we won't deserve to be.  I still believe we have a fantastic set of offensive players, and the talent is there to do a lot better.  But we're so easy to play against.

I will try to take a break from Arsenal.  If it's not fun, don't do it, right?  And watching these millionaires underachieve is not fun.

NOR 2-2 ARS : Freddie Couldn't Fix Everything in Two Days!

I'll get the negative comment out of the way early:  Luiz and Mustafi are a terrible CB pairing and Freddie shouldn't have picked them.  One or the other with Holding, OK. 

It's pathetic that dropping two points in a fair result away to a bottom-dweller looks like progress after dropping two points at home to a bottom-dweller we were lucky to draw against.  But there we are.  We were still ridiculously easy to play against, but the attack was more incisive and the ball moved quicker on offense.  The games come thick and fast this month, so there will be ample opportunity to see if we can improve under Freddie.  It was not going to happen with Emery.

I liked the classy way AFC and Emery parted ways.  The players were circumspect and respectful, and Emery was gracious.  His whole staff was ousted, which makes sense, so I hope we have cover.  Moving Per in was good.

Nothing to Say Except EMERY OUT

Kroenke Sports "Entertainment" serves up another steaming turd.  At this point, I'd trade managers with just about anybody.  Let Freddie take over.  Lure Eddie Howe to break his contract.  Snap up Pochettino if he's mad enough at his sacking to break his vow never to coach at the Emirates.  Ask Arteta if he'd consider the job.  Anything but more Emeryball.  Exactly why anyone thought that the man who managed to avoid winning Ligue 1 coaching PSG could follow Wenger is a deep mystery.  He had a good stretch last fall, but since then he's been crap.  The club bought excellent additions and our academy has produced several very good players.  For about two weeks, Arsenal was in the unfamiliar position of having no players injured, and we've never had an actual injury crisis in the Emery era.  Kos left in disgust and Ramsey beat it out of town.  Xhaka has been ruined.  Ozil was humiliated.  Torreira is played out of position.  Good players are getting worse every week under Emery's tutelage.  The past 30 league games or so have got to be the worst run Arsenal has had in decades--and this is a very talented team.

C'mon, Raul and Josh--pull the trigger.  You know Edu wants to.  If they haven't been talking to candidates for weeks, it's only out of stupidity.  Stan is losing millions of pounds a week at this rate; the Gunners are going to finish in 12th unless Emery is sacked soon.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Wolves

Pathetic.  Outshot and outplayed at home.  We were fortunate to get anything out of that game.  I won't bore you by repeating the obvious comments about team selection, tactics, and substitutions.  Saka for Torreira just before their equalizer and switching our left backs when we should have been chasing a winner were clown moves.  Every day that Emery is left in place is a day wasted as the team slides backwards.  He should have been replaced weeks ago.

I think Wenger had to go, but with this squad he would have at least 22 points after 11 games, not 17.  We downgraded in the manager position.  When's the last time Arsenal has been pretty much 100% healthy?  Mavropanos and Nelson are playing U23, Bellerin, Tierney. and Holding are back and rounding into form.  We are poised for takeoff, if we can find a decent pilot.  Let Freddie hold the reins until we can get a more experienced hand.  He can't do worse than Emery.

Sheffield United 1 - 0 Arsenal

Give the Blades some credit; they played hard and smart.  But as soon as I saw the starting lineup, I knew we were in for disappointment.  What is Emery waiting for with Bellerin, Tierney, and Holding?  Why no Ozil?  Why, oh why, Xhaka?  At this point, I'm eager to see what a better manager can get out of this very talented Arsenal squad,  It has to be more than Emery is getting.

Arsenal 1 - 0 Bournemouth

It's embarrassing that the Gunners scored just once in the first half against what looked like eleven sleepwalkers.  Howe woke them up for the second, and the Cherries could have scored, but they didn't, and we got the three points we needed to climb into sole possession of third place, just one point back of Man City, who got outplayed 0-2 at the Etihad by Wolves.  At this point, I just hope Liverpool loses a game somewhere along the way so they aren't Invincibles too.  It's their league already, eight games in.  Man U and Spuds also lost in humiliating fashion, so we have a little cushion in the early going.  We'll need it if we don't start playing better in the league.

After the international break, our first eleven should be:

                             Leno

Bellerin  Chambers   Holding   Tierney

                  Torreira  Guendouzi

                          Willock

Aubameyang                             Saka

                       Lacazette


...if Laca is fit, of course.  Xhaka, Ceballos, and Ozil could play in MF when the situation called for it.  Nelson and Pepe are quality threats up front.  I'd relegate AMN, Kolasinac, Mustafi, Luiz, and Sokratis to backup/cup status in defense, but any of them could supplement the starting central defenders in a back three if Emery decided that was his formation (and honestly, I'd like to see that).  This team is really deep now, with a great mix of veterans, players in their prime, and young guys still improving.  The only first team players who seem to have no future at Arsenal are Ozil, Mustafi, and Mavropanos, and we have to move at least the first two on at our earliest opportunity.  I was sorry to see Iwobi sold, but after seeing Saka, Nelson, and Willock this year, I get how Arsenal couldn't turn down the money.  It was very good business for us.  The jury's out on Pepe.  We have Saliba and Nketiah available next year, so I am not sure we'd need to improve the squad by buying players.

But we do need to improve the players we have, and I wonder if that's something Emery is equipped for.  I'm also not sure he's using the squad to maximum effect, either in team selection or tactically.  (That's being very diplomatic.)  But I really like this team, they're almost all healthy, and they should kick on from the less-than-impressive start to the season that has nevertheless left them in OK position early on in the league, and very much  alive in the cup competitions.

Man U 1 - 1 Arsenal

Fair result for two teams playing poorly in steady rain.  The finishing was awful except for Aubameyang's delicate chip over a stranded DeGea.  McTominay's goal was lauded by the announcers until the replay showed that it was a fortunate deflection.  Both clubs desperately needed the three points, but neither earned them.  Supporters can dream about how both these squads will be bolstered by returns from injury, but this was today and the men wearing the shirts weren't good enough.

Not that there wasn't a great deal of enterprise and grit.  It was a tough match to referee, bodies flying everywhere and plenty of play-acting and appeals to the officials.  Kevin Friend was somewhat uneven, but got it right most of the time--and when he didn't, he got it wrong the other way soon enough.  The first half was dreadful, but the second had much more action, and redeemed the contest as a spectacle, I thought.

If I'm going to complain, and of course I am, it will be about the decision to play Pepe and Chambers on our right.  The former was never going to give the latter the help the latter needed to corral James, especially after the early yellow.  Nelson was a lot better in that regard.  Pepe contributed very little on the day, I thought, except poor dead ball deliveries.  Saka was somewhat better on the left.  It's hard to criticize the tactics because nothing either team did seemed to work.  Leno had another very good game, and had to.

I'm disappointed.  If there was ever going to be a good time to play at Old Trafford, this was it, and we couldn't get it done.

Two Needed Wins: Frankfurt 0 - 3 Arsenal, and Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa

I did not see these games live, so I won't make extensive comments.  But it's clear that our defenders are putting us in difficult positions time after time.  It's only a matter of time before Luiz is benched for EPL games; he's frequently switching off, when he isn't taking himself out of the play with gonzo defending.  I can't understand why Chambers doesn't start in central defense, at least for games like this.

I'm delighted with both results.  It puts us in pole position already for Europa league advancement, and keeps us in a "best of the rest" spot--barely--behind the top two, who are in a class by themselves now.  Losses from Spuds, Man U, and Chelsea made this an important win, particularly after the abject performance at Watford.  How can we expect to compete if we can't get 3 points from the bottom teams?

The play of our Academy graduates is hugely encouraging.  Joe Willock is playing himself into a regular starting position, and Saka looks like a good replacement for Laca until he recovers from his injury.  Don't forget Nketiah, currently scoring for Leeds--I think he'll be an Arsenal forward with a bright future.

It seems like a good time to be playing Man United, but who knows?  Luiz could bottle it in the first half.  I can't wait for Holding to get fit.  I guess Mavropanos has the Diaby position now:  forever injured.

Watford 2 - 2 Arsenal

At the half, I thought we were lucky to have the 2-0 lead, but I didn't think there was any chance we weren't going to get three points.  By the end, I felt we lucky to get one point.  What a shocking display.  If Watford had a finisher, they'd have scored four or five.  Xhaka was more honest than Emery afterwards, admitting they played scared and without character.  I'm going to try to forget this awful experience.  I don't have the heart to join the crowd jumping on Emery.  Yeah, he was terrible today.  But it's not like he's going to be fired this early in the season.  I think.

Arsenal 2 - 2 Spuds

I watched this game at a pub in Montreal (not the Burgundy Lion; pub name withheld because of the awful food).  I was encouraged by the overall energy and performance of the Gunners.  Both teams played hard and well and it could have gone either way; the result was fair, I thought.  Random observations:

Luiz seemed to be the Brazilian Mustafi in Liverpool, but tightened up some in this game.  He and Sokratis both took themselves out of the defense on the first goal, though.  Terrible.

I don't see why Emery thinks so highly of Xhaka.  The announcers said that since he joined the EPL, no one has more red cards than he does.  Mistakes like the penalty are horrendous if done once, but when it's repeated often enough, there's a problem.

Our strikers are fantastic, aren't they?

Guendouzi is a star in the making.  Dare I say it:  his game reminds me of Aaron Ramsey's.  Awesome engine, great control, quick passing.  He's playing a bit further back, but he has all the tools.  I love this guy.

I don't really blame Leno for the first goal.  The keeper has to stop the shot, and he did.  No way should an attacker be the first to a loose ball in our six yard box.  I was happy with Szczesny, but I think Leno is a very good keeper and will be our #1 for many years.

The main worry I have is that every team we play, win or lose, has been better organized defensively than we have.  This is about more than the skill and intelligence of the players.  Emery's system has either not been fully absorbed by the squad or it's flawed.  We're letting in too many crosses and shots; it's too easy to penetrate our defense.

The fightback was admirable.  I didn't see any heads down, and the belief (as AW would say) was there.

Well, another two weeks should bring Hector and Kieran and Rob close to being able to feature.  If they can all start by mid-October, we'll be a stronger team.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Burnley

What a goal from Lacazette!  The equalizer from Barnes took a bit of luck, but I can't say Burnley didn't earn it.  They could have had more.  I thought we made it way too easy for them to lump it into good areas.  We were dominant in the second half, though, and were good value for the win.  Auba's strike for his second winner in two games was lovely.

I'm developing a healthy dislike for Ashley Barnes.  If Troy Deeney is a 10 on the Jerk Scale, Barnes is a solid 6.  I think he was the one who kneed Guendouzi in the back, but i guess it could have been the other jerk up front, Wood.

It was nice to see Torreira in there, but he doesn't seem quite 100% yet.  Yes, we got three points in a convincing performance, but I expected more defensive bite in midfield.  When we did press, it seemed to work pretty well.  Burnley's press was stifling in the first half, and our guys are faster and more technical.

The buzz is about Ceballos, and it was merited.  He just thinks faster than most players.  Pepe displayed his talent too, and it won't be long before his final ball becomes as lethal in the EPL as it was in Ligue 1.  Luiz did his job alongside Sokratis.  I've seen Leno look sharper, but he did enough.

All in all, a satisfying three points at home. 

Newcastle 0 - 1 Arsenal

Our first meaningful game of the season, and it's one nil to the Arsenal!  An away win, an away clean sheet, decent performances all around.  We even got to see a little Pepe and Ceballos in the second half.  Yes, it was Newcastle, who looked a bit shaky in midfield, but the hosts gave a very good account of themselves with a disciplined defensive effort and a lot of hustle.  To this anxious Gunner, the Magpies seemed to get to more second balls.  Joelinton looked very very good with his holdup play and work rate. 

But enough about them.  Leno was quite good, the back line solid enough.  I was delighted to see Chambers play so well, though his distribution was a disappointment.  AMN made the goal, really, with a tremendous steal and a fine pass to a wide open PEA, who finished beautifully.  Auba had a good game, I thought.  Mkhi had a strange game, being involved in a lot of good offensive moves that seemed to go nowhere, but staying anonymous for stretches.  I don't think he gave AMN enough help defensively, but fortunately he and Chambers were up to the task on the right side of defense.  Reiss Nelson worked hard but doesn't look quite ready for the Premier League.  He tired in the second half, leading to turnovers.  Willock played his heart out, and it would be churlish to ask him to be brilliant too.  Xhaka seems insufficiently mobile for a central mid, but Guendouzi covered a lot of ground.  Still, the space we afforded Newcastle makes me uneasy about facing a more creative side.  When Ceballos came in, it didn't change much, but then it didn't have to, because we were in the lead.  Pepe and Martinelli had little to do.  I thought it odd that all three subs were brought in when we were one goal up and they were offensive.  I half expected Luiz to be added to the midfield in place of Willock, and Xhaka moved a little higher up.

We didn't learn much today, except that we have a couple of academy graduates who can help us this season.  I hope Chambers has earned Emery's confidence.  Nacho was pretty damned good, I thought.

Results elsewhere were as expected, it seems to me.  Spuds left it late again; I was hoping for the smash-and-grab by Villa, lots of red cards, and a sewer backup in the new stadium.  Damn.

What Have They Done With Stan Kroenke?

I assume he's been kidnapped and forced to spend money on players, because the signings this summer can't be of his own free will, at least the paying for them part.  And all this is without unloading our wage bill problem children Ozil and Mustafi and Mkhitaryan (and Kolasinac).  This is a serious bid at leapfrogging Chelsea and maybe Tottenham into a Champions' League slot.  Our offensive firepower is awesome, but out defensive prowess is not nearly at that level.  Expect some rough seas early in the season, until Tierney, Holding, and Bellerin get fit, and Ceballos and Pepe start to click with our dynamic duo up front. 

We're so stacked with offensive talent that it would not surprise me to see Iwobi sold to Everton.  Of course, I'd rather see Ozil and/or Mkhitaryan out the door, but that's not going to happen.  Torreira and Guendouzi are going to be solid, Xhaka is still a force, and how about the academy graduates for backup?  I'm pumped.

Real Madrid 2 - 2 Arsenal (RM wins on PKs) -- ICC

Weird game.  The second yellow on Sokratis was bullshit; he got the ball and it wasn't even a foul.  But Real was playing us more than even at that point a man down.  The rest of the way they were on top.  I can't understand why Emery kept his starters out there so long.  I liked the kids again.  Asencio looked to have suffered a really bad injury, unfortunately, when his knee appeared to buckle with minor upper body contact.

Jenko did OK, Chambers looked pretty good.  Sead had a poor game.  We've still got big problems at the back.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Bayern Munich (ICC)

I love these silly preseason games.  I get to see a bunch of kids looking like future stars, in a crazy, wide open game that doesn't mean anything.  There were a lot of chances in this one; the score could have been a lot higher.  The Gunners had more clear chances, I'd say.  Young players who shone were Willock, Nketiah, Nelson, John-Jules...really, everyone.  Players who didn't look so fantastic (for various reasons) were Mustafi, Kolasinac, and Mkhitaryan.  Auba was very sharp.  Bayern subbed their entire team at the half; Arsenal replaced most of their starters by the 70th minute.  Gnabry was dangerous for Bayern; I wish Arsene had kept him.

Our defensive problems were evident again.  AMN was fine at right back in the first half but Kingsley Coman turned him inside out in the second.  Left back was an issue when Monreal and Kolasinac were playing there.  Mustafi is a disaster waiting to happen.  Sokratis was solid.  Gotta say, the young midfielders were lively.  Ozil did his usual gliding around making good passes and not playing defense.  (He's blond now.)

Fiorentina is next up, then Real Madrid at FedEx.  I don't think I'll go.

I don't know what the deal is with Koscielny, but I'll always love the guy.  We should give him the transfer he obviously wants.

The youngsters beat Stan Kroenke's Colorado Rapids 3-0 a couple days ago in a tune-up.  Some really nice goals.

Every Promoted Youngster Is Like a New Signing

That's how I'm going to spin it, anyway.  I'm excited by the youth movement and am willing to see what we can do with our mix of veterans, young guys, and a few bargain purchases Edu can locate.  Honestly, if we make Europa League again, I don't think I will complain.  Anything we can manage to accomplish will be in spite of the owner, who seems indifferent to Arsenal's results.

It's sad how the Koscielny situation is playing out.  Let's hope Holding can come back in a couple months.  He and Chambers could be an awesome pairing in central defense.  Sokratis and Mavrapanos can also play there; Mustafi may be on the way out.

Chelsea 4 - 1 Arsenal

No predictions in the final minutes before the game.  It could go any way, really.  Not having Ramsey is a major blow; I'd actually be fairly confident if he were fit and starting.

...

nil-nil at the half, both defenses bending but not breaking.  Ozil and Auba are being kept from much possession.  I don't know who the impact subs would be from either side.  Guendouzi is not going to scare the Blues.  I suppose Iwobi could replace Kolasinac to some effect.

...

Game's suddenly gone to shit...fine play from Chelsea, but defensive lapses are killing us.  I'm definitely not giving up, but it's a long way back now from 2-0.

And now a PK as we're overrun again.  3-0.  Can I give up now?

4-1 and I have got to admit we've been outplayed.  Too many midfielders trying to dribble through people, giveaways turned into goals.

It's over.  Honestly, Chelsea were better on the night.  No Aaron, big problem.  I'd have started Iwobi, but would that have made a difference?  I doubt it.  Lacazette did earn a penalty he wasn't awarded, but it was a close call and we didn't get it, even with VAR, it having been waved off.  If you're looking for a goat, I nominate Ozil, who did almost nothing of note the entire time he was in.  Aubameyang must have been marked out, because he didn't see much of the ball.  And when our strikers had a chance to do something good, they didn't manage to do it.

Last season:  6th place and a EL semifinal.  This season:  5th place and a EL final.  It does not really seem like progress.

Burnley 1 - 3 Arsenal, and Premier League Season Wrap-Up

OK, it was a meaningless game from any practical standpoint, given the results elsewhere, but our work at Turf Moor was very satisfying to me.  Let me count the ways:

1)  PEA bagged a brace and shared the Golden Boot with two guys from Liverpool.  His last few games have shown a striker in excellent form, which bodes well for Baku.

2)  The youngsters did great.  Iwobi, the dean of our home-grown young guns, had another very good game.  I've always known he was going to come good for us.  Eddie Nketiah got a goal, and Joe Willock looked really dangerous.  Guendouzi bossed midfield.  The sour note is Mavropanos, who did not play especially well and got injured in the first half.  We may have made a mistake there.  There are more players in the youth pipeline, too.  (I still wish we'd kept Isaac Hayden.)

3)  Other than Dinos, no one got hurt, and everyone gained some confidence.  Granted, many of these players will not start against Chelsea in the final, but seeing Elneny and Mustafi play well was very reassuring.  (Please, Shkodran, don't Mustafi us up in Baku.)  Kos looked pretty awesome as an emergency sub; you know he's going to start, alongside Papa.

The season in general was frustrating as hell.  Dropping two games at the start to big rivals put us in a hole, but the long unbeaten streak gave me hope.  We were in the top four hunt until almost the very end, but that was because all four of the contenders for the last two spots played terribly down the stretch.  It came down to any of several moments, like Auba's penalty miss at Wembley, or Emery's brain fart when he selected the team that would face Palace, or one of Mustafi's Mustafi-like Mustafi-ings that gave away a goal, or one of the missed sitters that our strikers unaccountably committed.  But that's over.

I like what Emery's done with this team.  Torreira was probably decided without his input, but Guendouzi came largely because of him, and those two will be midfield heros for us for a long time.  It's not his fault Aaron is leaving.  He's got what he could out of Xhaka.  The strikers are working very well with each other.  Has he handled Ozil properly?  I think he has.  Iwobi has played himself onto the team.

Our problems are defensive, obviously.  I firmly believe that had either Bellerin or Holding not been injured, we'd be in third place.  But they were.  We're getting them back, and I sure hope they're as good after surgery as they were before, because they were both terrific for us.  Lichtsteiner has obviously got to go; sadly, I suspect Jenko will have to find a new home as well.  Monreal and Kos are aging off the team soon.  Kolasinac looked so good early on, but a defender has got to defend better than he does.  I'd keep him, but he needs work.  Leno is in my opinion top notch and I'd try to tie him down to us long term.  Cech's retiring after Baku, and Martinez and Ospina are on loan.  I doubt the latter will be back, but Emi will probably be our backup, unless we buy someone else.  He may be good enough.  The real need is for more solid central defenders.  Calum Chambers should come back; there's one.  He's been playing defensive midfield for Fulham, but no way is he playing in the Championship next season when we need him so badly alongside Rob or Sokratis.  I honestly don't know what to do with Mustafi.  What drives me batty is after he screws up and then looks around and gesticulates wildly to indicate that he's either been fouled or a teammate should have covered for him or something.  I don't recall him raising his hand in acknowledgment that he did something dumb, and he does more dumb things than any other defender.  On the other hand, he's athletic and gets to more balls in the air and on the ground than you'd expect, and makes great plays every game.  But it's the one or two colossal cock-ups in big games (like the foul on Kane or gifting a chance to Zaha) that overshadow it all.  We sure could use a young left back too, for when Nacho retires.  I don't know when Hector can start in games, but AMN looks like a solid backup, though it would be fun to see him as a winger.

Midfield is a major problem now.  Matteo and Lucas are our foundation.  Xhaka is still formidable, but not irreplaceable.  Aaron is irreplaceable.  There's no one like him.  Would you have taken Paul Pogba for him?  Me neither.  Ozil...that's the big question, isn't it?  On the back of this season, no one is going to offer much for him and his huge salary.  We may be stuck with him.  He's immensely talented, but something is wrong with him or his game or both that Emery can't fix.  He's still popular with his teammates and he hasn't lost the supporters, unlike the unlamented Alexis, so there may be great years for him here.  But I wonder.  Mkhi does what he can, but that seems to be less than what's needed most of the time.  He seems to me to be a less than 90 minute player, but he does do some really good things often enough to indicate he can play a positive role.  Is Suarez staying?  I doubt it.  Smith-Rowe, Willock, and Maitland-Niles could grow into valuable midfield assets and get substantial minutes.  Elneny has to be frustrated by the minutes he's getting.  He may be sold.

Laca and Auba are fantastic up top.  Iwobi could be a good striker if the guy could just finish.  Nketiah may make the first team; the jury's out on that.  There's a case to be made that we could use Welbeck up there, but he may have played his last game for us.  I really like him and hope he stays.

I'm always optimistic.  Between the guys coming back from injury and new acquisitions, I think we
will be a top four team next season.  Whether we're playing ECL or EL depends on what happens in Baku.

Anybody 3 - less-than-3 Arsenal

No team goes through a season without major injuries.  Big teams have depth.  So it's useless to speculate about our season with Holding and Bellerin healthy.  They aren't.  And the cast of supporting characters isn't good enough.  We've played some good football this season, and there's still a theoretical chance of silverware and an accompanying ticket to Champions' League, but the truth is we're not very good right now and look to be imploding.

Full confession: I got up early to watch this game, against my better judgment, and turned it off in disgust after the sending off of AMN.  We were already being outplayed with 11 and our loss was inevitable.  Every club in the league wants to play us now.  Europa League games have not been televised in the US this season (Bleacher Report sucks), so I may have watched (part of) my last Arsenal game for a long while.  It's a time saver, really. 

Notts County looks to be going out of league football.  Only an away win in their last game combined with a home loss by Macclesfield will save them.  DC United is doing just OK, in my estimation.  We went to Audi Field to see what may have been the most boring athletic contest ever played, so maybe that colors my view.  Juventus has won Serie A again, of course, but does not look ready to turn that corner.  It will be interesting to see Ramsey and Szczesny reunited.  All in all, not much to get excited about for me.  I'll post again if Arsenal manages to transform itself and win Europa League, but that seems very unlikely now.  No one reads this anyway.

Watford 0 - 1 Arsenal

I won't lie; I was very nervous about this game.  But thanks to Ben Foster, PEA, and a typically thuggish Troy Deeney, we got out of Vicarage Road with three points--barely.  I loved the Giroudesque goal Auba conjured up simply by hustling at top speed towards a keeper who tried to do too much.  And for me, there's no controversy at all about Deeney's whacking Torreira in the head with his forearm.  The TV commentators called the red "harsh" and seemed to think it mattered that Deeney's intentional clubbing of an opponent who'd already passed the ball was with his forearm and not his elbow, but that was only because the elbow hit Lucas's shoulder.  The intent was there, Torreira was knocked to the turf but did not make a meal of it, and the fat boy got exactly what he deserved.

I did not expect it to be goalless from there.  I was sure Watford would scrounge a goal and I figured we'd bag one or two more on the break.  But poor finishing from both sides, and uninspired play from Arsenal, made the game a real nail-biter.  Leno made some very good saves, and we got in some vital blocks, none more impressive than AMN's when Leno was rounded.  Foster did really well too on a couple of occasions.

My impression, before reading pundit ratings, was that this was not a good game for Ozil or Mikhi.  Monreal is showing his age (but I still love him).  Mavrapanos was not convincing.  Iwobi is still missing that final product, but looked lively and did his job.  Auba was dangerous all game.  Ramsey looked to be our best player and his being taken out was likely with Napoli in mind.  Kos is wonderful.  For once, I have no complaints about Mustafi.  Xhaka and Torreira were effective; Guendouzi when he came in, not so much.

They're all must-win from here on in.  Damn.  I hope we get some help against the other Champions' League chasers.


We went to a DC United game last week, a 0-0 snoozefest against Montreal that featured one shot on goal combined.  No Rooney, big problem.

Everton 1 - 0 Arsenal

What a depressing display.  Everton was better than us--Everton!  They should have had three goals.  We didn't show up.  Whatever's wrong needs to be fixed immediately.  I'm going to stop thinking about Arsenal for a while because it's just too annoying.

Arsenal 2 - 0 Manchester United

I had no idea what to expect today, but I did think there'd be more goals.  If Leno weren't so good, there would have been.  de Gea was nowhere near Xhaka's well-hit strike, and I'm glad.  He also wasn't briefed by Lloris on how to stuff Auba's PKs, though after he thoughtfully explained his approach to an interviewer ("I wait until the keeper moves"), you can bet every keeper is going to wait for his weak up-the-middle rollers.

We did not dominate this game, but we did outplay a very strong and confident Man U.  Combined with Spuds' loss and Chelski's draw, this was a very good weekend.  If we play like this Thursday, we have a chance to move on in Europa League.  Since we don't play another top six team this season, there's reason to be optimistic about our top four prospects.  The run-in:

Newcastle (H)
Everton (A)
Watford (A)
Palace (H)
Leicester (A)
Brighton (H)
Burnley (A)
Wolves (A) --will be earlier

All of those teams except Burnley look fairly safe now, and by the time we play them Burnley will probably be clear of the relegation zone.  There are no easy games in the EPL, but we will not be facing clubs desperate for points.Some of our rivals for top four are guaranteed to drop points because they'll be playing each other, and/or are also facing City, 'pool, or both.  Let's take care of business!

Tottenham 1 - 1 Arsenal

It was immensely frustrating to see an offside Harry Kane win a penalty because Shkodran "Brainfart" Mustafi could not stop himself from barging into him, and then bury it professionally, and then see Auba take a terrible effort after he got an iffy penalty call.  I'm sure we'll all recall this game as having had two points stolen from us.  But if I'm honest, I'd have to say that a draw was not a fair result but not terribly so.  Leno's spectacular double save in the first half preserved the advantage.  Spuds took the game to us for the most part and looked sharp.  My usual litany of complaints and praise follows:

If Emery thought that by putting Mustafi out wide he could prevent his giving away cheap PKs, that was obviously wrong.  Frankly, I thought he had a poor game.  He gave the ball away needlessly several times, and we were very fortunate Pochettino decided not to target our right side, because Mustafi was out of position repeatedly.  If Maitland-Niles was fit, he should have been out there.

This is not hindsight, because I thought this when it happened, but taking Lacazette out was not a good idea.  Maybe Emery felt he'd given all he had and was losing steam.  But he did a great job and can't play against Rennes, so why not keep him on the pitch?  In the event, Auba didn't make the crucial difference, though he had his chances (as did Laca, to be fair).

The commentators on NBCSN wondered if Ramsey would be focused enough.  Ha ha ha ha ha...yes.  He always gives it everything, and he did well today, especially for the goal.

Monreal, Kos, and Sokratis were fabulous, weren't they?  They may all be a year or two away from retirement, but they put in a shift today that any 25 year old would be proud of.  I'm not forgetting Leno's excellent game either.

Guendouzi made a few errors but I thought he was very good.  I'd have replaced Xhaka if one of them had to come off for Torreira.  But our (few) defensive issues weren't due to the holding mids at any phase of the game.  Iwobi continued to impress and I think he did his job both ways.  Mkhitaryan surprised me with his energy and incisiveness.  His passing was wonderful and Auba wasted one gilt-edged opportunity off a great ball from Mikhi.  I'm finally starting to agree with those who say that we got the better of the deal when we swapped Alexis for him.  I liked Ozil's commitment when he came on.  I was surprised we didn't see Kolasinac at some point in the second half (with Monreal moving into a back three, and taking a winger off), but maybe he's not fit.

Well, it was a really good watch, and neutrals would have been happy.  United, Chelsea, 'pool, and City will have to be happy with the dropped points from both of their Big Six rivals.  While we Gunners will be furious about the missed offside on Kane (really, it was blindingly obvious), I will admit that going in I was thinking I'd be happy with a point.  I know it's Wembley, but we were away, Spuds have been playing well but still losing, so desperate for a win, and we still have some serious absences due to injury.  (Just imagine what Bellerin could have brought to this game.)  By the end of the day, we'll probably be in fifth again, but we get MU at home next and that's a game we need to win.  Our last eight will all be against teams with poorer records than ours, so a strong run-in is possible.

Manchester City 3 - 1 Arsenal

This was a comprehensive beat-down.  From start to finish, and especially in that dreadful second half, City was so much better than the Gunners that it made a top four finish for us seem like a ridiculous notion.  Yes, our defense was abject, but our midfield was outplayed and our front line seldom had the opportunity to even look threatening.  I don't fault the effort; the other guys were just a lot better on the day, and it's hard to argue that we looked like a squad that could finish ahead of Chelsea or United, or make a Europa League run.

Assuming that another sixth place finish is likely, where do we go from here?  Lichtsteiner is practically gone already, Sokratis, Nacho, and Kos are hardly the future, and Mustafi was a mistake.  Chambers is presumably coming back and Holding will heal.  Mavropanos, Bielik, and other young defenders may or may not turn into the sort of quality players we hope.  Bellerin will be back and he is top class.  I have some hope that Kolasinac will start to get good at the defending part of his job, which is most of it.  I guess Maitland-Niles is stuck in as the backup fullback, though why Jenkinson isn't starting ahead of Lichtsteiner I don't know.

If Ozil and Ramsey are leaving, we better hope that Smith-Rowe develops quickly.  Guendouzi and Torreira look like as solid a pair of central mids as you'll find anywhere, and they're near the beginning of their careers.  Elneny seems like a squad player at best.  Xhaka can still be very effective.  But creativity is lacking.  I have always liked Iwobi; maybe he'll kick on and be the player so many see him capable of being.  Auba and Lacazette are fantastic offensive weapons and need more regular service.  Laca in particular is the sort of player every team wants, working hard at all aspects of the game, and able to do the extraordinary every few games to get a big goal.  I don't know Suarez.  Mkhitaryan looks like a guy who's in the twilight of his career.  I hope there's a future for Welbeck here, but he's unlikely to lead our line in any big game.

Add it all up and Arsenal would need massive infusions of talent to contend for a top four spot.  They're not going to get it.  The top scout has been pushed out and there will be no big checks written for the transfer market.  Arsenal will be fighting every year just to play in the Europa League.  10th place seems more likely than 1st for a good long while.

Bad day for Stan.  His Rams looked as pathetic against the Patriots as we did earlier.  Maybe more.