Crystal Palace 3 Norwich 0

 CP's Covid shorthanded Eagles, missing several players and their manager, finally found someone they could beat in hapless Norwich. They only got six shots on goal, but made good on half of them. Norwich performed better the 2^nd half, but were already down three and never scored. CP now sits in 10^th on the table, despite their swoon in recent games. Beyond the top seven, most of the league teams are struggling, and even there, West Ham is shaky.

Carrow Road Massacre: Norwich 0 - 5 Arsenal

 In truth, the Canaries looked every bit the bottom side they are--incompetent going forward, ineffectual on defense.  But the ball still has to be deposited behind the keeper into the net, and the Gunners did it early and often today.  The goals were all quite nice, perhaps the pick of the bunch being Tierney's pinpoint hard shot past the keeper, at a tight angle and at distance, that bounced in off the far post;  Odegaard's assist was perfect.  Saka scored two, Lacazette scored on a penalty, and no Arsenal game would be complete without Emile Smith Rowe coming off the bench to put one in.  He's on fire.  Martinelli also had a dynamite game.  It will be difficult to keep up this intensity.  The youth of so many of our best players will help, also that we have no European distractions.  The minimum goal has to be 6th place and Europa League, which won't be easy.  Fourth is not out of the question; we're there now.  Spuds and Man U are on our heels and playing well under new managers, though.

West Ham lost to Southampton 2-3 and Leicester lost to City 6-3, putting those teams further back of us, but Tottenham punked ten man Palace 3-0 to stay close enough to catch or pass us by doing well in their three games in hand.  All we can do is win the games we play, and we're doing that.  Man City in a week will be a stern test, and I'm looking forward to it.  The Wolves game was canceled due to Covid.  The semis against Liverpool should also be a good gauge of how far we've progressed.  It's all well and good to beat up on the likes of Norwich, and it should be unsurprising.  We need to beat the really good teams on our day as well.  So far this season, that has not happened.  We're a combined 0-12 score against the three teams above us so far this season.

All three of our right backs have Covid, so Ben White was moved out to that position and Rob Holding took his place today.  Both did fine.  

Arsenal 5 - 1 Sunderland (League Cup)

 Only Ben White and Martin Odegaard retained their places in the starting lineup as Arteta took the opportunity to rotate his squad against League 1 Sunderland.  The Black Cats are as of today 43 places back of the Gunners in the ladder of English football, and were massive underdogs.  To their credit, they played an open game rather than bunkering in, and the match was a free flowing one with plenty of goals.  Fortunately, most of those goals were Arsenal's.  Eddie Nketieh took the opportunity to impress suitors (he's a free agent this summer) by scoring three times, all nice goals but two of them superb.  We were just too much for our third division visitors, though the 5000 exuberant fans that traveled from the Northeast got some reward when Sunderland capped a lightning counter with an elegant finish to bring them within a goal just before the half.  Sadly for the traveling supporters, it was all Arsenal in the second half.  Our 18 year old debutant Charlie Patino got a goal in his 12 minutes as a late substitute.  That was nice to see. One more starlet in the academy pipeline.  Our semifinal opponent will emerge from tomorrow's fixtures:

There will be no more easy games in this competition.  We've beaten three of those teams and lost to the other three in the league.  I imagine the draw will take place Thursday.  There's talk of making the semis a single game rather than the two-legged affair they've been doing recently, and that suits me fine.

Gunners Dominate Injury-Hit Leeds: Leeds 1 - 4 Arsenal

 Thrashed 7-0 by City last time out, no one was expecting much from the Whites today, and "not much" was what they could muster.  A rash challenge by Ben White (a former Leeds player, appropriately enough) in the second half gifted Leeds a PK which Raphinha buried in style.  But that made it 3-1 Arsenal, the visitors having scored thrice in the first half from two delightful goals from Martinelli and a deflected shot from Saka.  Emile Smith Rowe was put on late and finished the scoring beautifully.  Our offense is finally clicking now that Aubameyang has been exiled from the match day squad for his indiscretions.  

The commentators kept harping on Arsenal's fourth place position, but there are two teams with enough games in hand to pass us in the table.  Nevertheless, this is about where we'd want to be now, approaching the halfway mark of the season.  I'd be happy with 6th place and a Europa League berth, but let's dream big and hope we manage to pip Man U and the Spuds to 4th.

I wonder why Lokonga can't get a look in.  It's not as though either Partey or Xhaka is all that strong a presence in midfield.  Cedric got 30 minutes when Tomiyasu went off with a calf problem.  ESR came on for Saka (who did not have a great game).  Martinelli yielded to Tavares, who played left wing; I thought it made more tactical sense to replace Xhaka with Lokonga, or if Martinelli had to come off, simply add Lokonga to the midfield and push Odegaard further up.  Well, whatever Arteta had in mind, it worked.

Next game, if it's played, will be and EFL Cup quarterfinal against Sunderland Tuesday.  Arteta will be desperate to win silverware and provide his fringe players with more minutes, so you know he will want to win that and go to a two-legged semifinal.  I don't remember Arsenal winning a League Cup. (I looked it up, and we won it in '87 and '93--it's only been done since 1961.  We lost five finals.)

Four more matches are postponed due to COVID

Pressure mounts to pause season.  Some teams can barely field enough players to even play.  A team must have 14 players to be allowed to play. Leicester is one of those teams.  Crystal Palace is one of the teams affected by the postponements, but insofar as I can tell, still can field 14 players.  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10318401/Four-games-POSTPONED-Covid-pressure-mounts-Premier-League-pause-season.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490

Crystal Palace 2 Southampton 2

CP battled to their 8^th draw of the year in a back and forth match. This team can score, more so than in past years, but its defense is not as solid as in past years, which makes for interesting matches. CP went up early on a Zaha goal, lost that lead on a Free Kick, fell behind 1-2 on a long range snap shot, then equalized with a shot in from an acute angle at the 65^th minute. The last CP goal was Ayew's 1^st in 43 matches. Palace is now in 11^th place, mid-table, roughly where they usually place.

Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham

 It was a hard-fought, enthralling, and rather weird game.  Officiating was for once favorable to Arsenal.  But mainly, some excellent patches of play from the Gunners were the difference.  The Hammers had their moments, but they did not look as though they were ever going to score.  Ramsdale was that good.  The first goal came two minutes into the second half.  Martinelli made an outside in run from the left that Lacazette spotted, and he fed him a perfect leading pass.  Martinelli took a sublime first touch and when Fabianski (who had a very good game) took his defensive stance, fired it Thierry Henri style past the keeper and just inside the far post.  The game was still mostly Arsenal after that, and an arguable PK call sent Laca to the spot and Soucek off the field for a second yellow.  Fabianski made a great save on the penalty (it's the third in a row missed by the Gunners), but West Ham a man down threatened only rarely.  Still, it takes only one, and cheap giveaways almost resulted in a West Ham goal.  The game was sealed late on by Emile Smith Rowe, who spotted his chance as he dribbled inside roughly 22 yards out.  It was a fine strike to the goalie's left, under the outstretched leg of a defender, which froze Fabianski. The outcome was not in doubt after that.

This puts Arsenal briefly in fourth place, just above the Hammers.  Tottenham have three games in hand, and Man U has one, and winning them would put them both above us.  This was a game we had to win, to restore confidence as much as anything.  This squad took on a good team in front of the Arsenal fans and handled them pretty well.  The trick is to do this away.

Crystal Palace 3 Everton 1

 CP got back on a winning track in a game more exciting than the score indicated. Everton seemed down and out when the score was 2-0, but fought back to make it 2-1 and made the ending interesting. CP ended a long string of home losses to Everton. Another stellar performance from loan player Gallagher, whose 2^nd goal of the day sealed the win in stoppage time.

Arsenal 3 - 0 Southampton; Arsenal Women 0 - 4 Barcelona Femeni; Notts Romps over Southend

 After a hesitant start, the Gunners turned on the style and turned up the heat, and the Saints could not stay with them.  A lovely flowing move saw a slick cutback from a driving Saka finding Lacazette, whose emphatic finish made it 1-0.  The lead was doubled six minutes later when the red hot Martin Odegaard scored a rare headed goal.  It was all Arsenal in the second half, though they added only one goal from a lovely header off a corner by Gabriel, assisted by Odegaard.  They needed this one after losing three of their last four.

Arsenal Women were blown out at home by Barcelona in Champions' League.  It's a rough patch for them, having been skunked in the FA Cup final 3-0 by Chelsea last time out.

Notts County put the Shrimpers to the sword 4-1, to stay in the mix near the top of the National League.  Wootton scored twice.  Juve was held 1-1 at Venezia.

Aubameyang did not make the Arsenal roster due to unspecified disciplinary reasons.  This is a second offense for him, and combined with his poor form this year, it asks questions about his captaincy.  I'm not sure who would succeed him were he ousted.  Lacazette will not be offered a new contract, Xhaka may not be with us much longer either, Partey has not really led by example, and everyone else who starts is 23 or younger.  They may settle on Partey by default, and it may give him some much needed confidence.

Season Unravels at Goodison: Everton 2 - 1 Arsenal

 Once more, Arsenal scores first and then dares its opponents to score, and they do.  Richarlison had the ball in the net three times for the Toffees, but was marginally offside the first two times.  Arsenal had a 1-0 lead at the half thanks to a lovely finish from Odegaard from a very nice cross from Tierney.  The first half was played in terrible conditions and most of it was indeed dreadful as a spectacle.  The second half was far livelier.  On balance, it was a fair result, but one that leaves the Gunners floundering mid-table instead of challenging for a top four spot.  Everton has been hit by injuries and did not look great, to be honest (except for the goals, which were superb), but we gave the ball away far too many times.

Saka was clearly hurt and needed to come out.  I'd have put Pepe in.  But instead we got Nketieh for Martinelli and the former put a sitter off the post and knocked the rebound over the endline for a goal kick when it should have been 2-1 Arsenal.  Well, I should not have watched this one.  Arteta needs to get more out of these guys if they are to have any chance of Europe next year.  There's plenty of season to go. 

Manchester United 1 Crystal palace 0

 Manchester United continues to stick it to faltering Crystal Palace, a 3rd loss in a row for the Palace, but a great week for MU.    

Man U 3 - 2 Arsenal

 The scoreline was an accurate assessment of the game.  Man U was better on the night.  Some of this may have been tactical, but mostly they were a bit quicker or more skillful than we were.  They got the second balls most of the time.  We were always in danger trying to play out of the back, and we lost the ball more often (though United had problems with the press too).  The goals were all legit and well taken.  Both teams could have had more.  It was a fun game to watch, hard play but never dirty.

Aubameyang has to sit for some games.  He is not the player he was two years ago, not even close.  He gets chances but he seldom does well with them.  Martinelli had a good game in place of Saka, and is playing his way onto the lineup card. Nketieh was brought on too late to assess, but he should have been sent a few crosses.  Partey was a disappointment again, Elneny was just a passing wall, Odegaard had little influence.  Tavares got caught upfield again on the second goal.  White is sometimes a worry.  

The men have to put this behind them, learn what they can from it, and prepare for Everton on Monday.

Leeds United 1 Crystal palace 0

 Another loss of points from a goal in stoppage time.  This, the third such costly goal this season,  is getting old fast.  

Arsenal 2 - 0 Newcastle etc.

 The Tynesiders are bottom of the table, so everyone expected today's comfortable Gunners win.  Arsenal spurned several chances to take the lead in the first half, but two excellent strikes after the break secured all three points against the Magpies, condemning the Toon Army to a gloomy train ride home.  Saka scored first, and when he was subbed off for a muscular problem, his replacement Martinelli put the game out of reach with just his second touch, a sublime cushioned volley of a looping pass from over his shoulder.  It's at about 2:15 in this NBCSN highlight reel.  It leaves Arsenal even on points with fourth place West Ham, though the latter are ahead on goal difference and have a game in hand.

Juve lost 2-1 to Atalanta, Notts beat Dagenham and Redbridge 2-1, and the USWNT beat Australia 3-0 in a friendly in which both squads featured a lot of young players and the Matildas played quite well.  This was no runaway, just a matter of better finishing from the Yanks.  The Washington Spirit's Ashleigh Hatch scored 24 seconds from the start of the game, meaning Australia was playing from behind for over 90 minutes.  They created several great chances and really should have scored at least once, despite heroics from the American keeper.

LIV 4 - 0 ARS

 This result was about what most people expected, and was an accurate reflection of the play.  Since I alternated between this game and the Spirit game (I can't remember when two major broadcast networks aired soccer games simultaneously before), I missed some of the action, but saw our backup left back, Nuno Tavares, make several big mistakes that magnified the scoreline difference. However, we lost because we were playing a team that was a lot better than us on the day, and likely every day.  Ramsdale had a great game in goal, or the Reds could have had six or seven.  To be fair, Liverpool's keeper made two very good saves himself, so we could have been on the scoresheet anyway.

I don't think Arteta has cause to be too disappointed with his men.  Sometimes you're going to run into a buzzsaw.  The teams around us mostly lost or drew, so we're still in fifth, I believe.  Manchester United lost big at Watford today and it surely cost Solskjaer his job, though it had been hanging by a thread.  Leicester ran into that buzzsaw at home against Chelsea.  Brighton lost.  It'll be wide open for that fourth Champion's League spot.

Juventus beat Lazio 2-0 on a pair of PKs taken by center back Bonucci.  Notts County was beaten by Eastleigh.

WAS 2 - 0 CHI (NWSL Championship game)

 It was a hard fought, well played contest throughout, with lots of physical play.  A close range header put the Red Stars in front just before the half.  The Spirit had the league's best record (a winning one!) in games where they'd given up the first goal, so they were in no way out of it, and they dominated play in the second half, creating several chances.  Trinity Rodman was a prime instigator, and hit the post on one long range scorcher.  An obvious foul in the box was the occasion for Sullivan to step up and take the penalty kick, which was a poor one right at the keeper who guessed to go to her left, but Chicago's netminder let the ball roll under her past her left hand.  1-1, and after more pressure from Spirit it went to extra time.

Washington kept pressing and in the first period Rodman put in a very nice cross which Kelly O'Hara placed past the keeper into the far side netting to give Washington its first lead on the day.  Washington's keeper, Bledsoe, made a few excellent saves to preserve the narrow lead, and her team won its first national championship.

Spirit was beset with problems this season, so the championship was quite unexpected, especially after the coach was fired (bullying and verbal abuse) and Washington forfeited two games for Covid protocol violations.  They're a young team and there's no reason they can't aim for a repeat next season.

Jamaica 1 - 1 USA

 This was not televised, at least for free, so I didn't see anything but highlights.  A disallowed late goal from Jamaica (I would have allowed it--we got lucky) left us with a point we may not have deserved.  I'm amazed at Canada, which is top of the group after beating Mexico at home.  Ideally, we'd finish in the top three, but Mexico and Panama are just one point behind us, and we're a point behind Canada.  A win over los canaleros at home is a must in my view, and we also need to beat Canada away to ensure a happy ending.  I do not expect anything out of our game at the Azteca, but a point would be fabulous.  We do not want a playoff with a team in the African, South American, or Oceania federation.  There's a healthy enough gap between fourth place and fifth that it would take a collapse for any of the top four not to stay there.  But it could be fine margins that will separate third and fourth.

Speaking of collapses, Italy drew with Switzerland and Northern Ireland this window to drop from automatic World Cup qualification to runner-up in their group to the Swiss, and now Italy will have to enter a playoff to reduce the eight second place teams to two qualifiers for Qatar.  A few months ago, the Azzurri were celebrating their European championship.  Now they face a second straight elimination from World Cup qualification.

Arsenal Women survive Tottenham

 Down 1-0 in stoppage time, seemingly on the way down, while I was in another room looking up the league standings, Arsenal came through with a late goal to eek out a draw.  Pity that I missed the tying goal, but I thought it was over.  

Dos a Cero

 The USMNT showed skill, strength, and lots of energy in their deserved 2-0 beating of Mexico in Cincinnati tonight.  Pulisic was a late substitute and within minutes he sliced through the Mexican defense to redirect a cross with his head past Ochoa.  Tim Weah, who had an excellent game, provided the assist.  Not long after, Weston McKennie got a fortunate rebound off a defender and coolly slotted the ball inside the far post from maybe eight yards.  The first half saw Mexico outplay us by a little, but the second was pretty much all US.  Robinson got sent off for a second yellow at 88', but by then El Tri were well beaten.

At the halfway point, the US tops the group but only on goal difference, as Mexico is even on points and Canada is just one point behind them--and surprising Panama another two behind Canada.  We will have to stay above at least one of those to qualify automatically and avoid a playoff.  I think we can do it.  

Arsenal 1 - 0 Watford, Plus Bonus Coverage!

 The Gunners made hard work of it, but got all three points Sunday when a Smith Rowe goal proved enough to see off the stingless Hornets.  Aubameyang had a miserable day.  He could have had two goals himself, but he miscontrolled a lovely dink from Lacazette and he missed a penalty drawn by Lacazette.  He capped things off by tapping in a goalbound shot from Odegaard from an offside position. None of it mattered, fortunately, because Watford squandered the few opportunities they got.  Arsenal now sits fifth in the EPL.

I noticed something remarkable yesterday.  Arsenal's goal difference is zero.  The four teams above them are double-digit positive, and no team below them is more than +2.  I'm not convinced that West Ham is going to be in the Champions League next season, but the other teams currently in the top four are probably going to stay there.  

DC United missed out on the playoffs, which is just as well because they were not going to get far anyway.  They play a more exciting style of football than they did under Olsen, but they are not in the MLS elite.  I'll have to go to a game next summer.

Arsenal women are perfect so far in the league, but they did get battered by Barca in the champion's league.  (They should advance to the knockout rounds, though.)  They made the finals of last year's (Covid delay) FA Cup and will play for the Cup next month, I believe.

Juventus is having a nightmare season.  It hardly bears thinking about.  The talent on that team...

Notts County drew at League 1 Rochedale and earned a replay at home in the first round of the FA Cup.  They're in the top seven in the National League (England's fifth division) and will be in the hunt for promotion.  But it's early days.

CP Unpredictability

Since CP plays to the level of their opposition (other than Liverpool), I have no idea how well they will play in their next match against 18th Burnley.  A draw or even a loss would not that much of a surprise.  When they play Liverpool, I regard it as a success is they can hold Liverpool to no more than three goals.  Nonetheless, things are looking pretty good at the moment, and we CP fans can even nourish even some hopes they might qualify for a cup.  

CP 2 Wolves 0

 Zaha got a strange call in his favor early in the 2nd half, when a goal that had been disallowed as an offside was changed back to a goal after review by the VAR.  I've never seen that before, but the Wolves did not complain about the call. 

Gallagher added another goal as insurance with 12 minutes remaining.  

All in all, Crystal Palace performed well and deserved to win.    

Youth Shall Be Served--and Serve

 Arsenal has fielded nine of the youngest ten starting lineups in the EPL this season.  They averaged 23.1 to 24.1 years.  The U23s are top of the EPL2 table.  The future looks bright.  Not all the young guys will make the senior squad, of course, but those that don't will attract some nice transfer fees.  Ramsdale (starting from the back) is 23, Tierney 24, White 24, Gabriel 23, Tomiyasu 22, Tavares 21, Lokonga 22, Saka 20, ESR 21, Odegaard 22.  There are other youngsters who don't start often.  The over-25 greybeards are Lacazette, Aubameyang, Partey, and Pepe.  Form does not alwayds improve with age, and injuries can blight careers.  But there are so many good young talented players that I'm optimistic.

Crystal Palace 2 Manchester City 0

Crystal Place once again proves that they play to the level of their opponents, drawing last week with Newcastle and winning at Manchester City.  

As they usually do, MC kept possession of the ball most of the time, and got off the most shots.  CP took the lead on a Zaha goal on the 6th minute of play. Both teams had a goal called off due to offsides.  A red card by MCs Laporte at the end of the first half eased the path for CP, but even so MC once appeared to have equalized with what was initially called a goal by MC in the 2nd half, but later called off due to offsides. A goal in the 88th minute by CP sealed the deal.  CP has often not played well with a man up advantage in the past, but this year they seem more capable of using their advantages. 

A welcome respite from their six draws to date.  

https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2021/10/30/man-city-vs-crystal-palace-final-score-three-things-we-learned/

Leicester 0 - 2 Arsenal, and Arsenal 3 - 1 Aston Villa

 I'm not forgetting the League Cup win over Leeds.  Arteta fielded a team composed mostly of fringe players, and they came through, earning a decent win to progress to the quarterfinals against Sunderland on December 21.  It's minor silverware, but you know Arteta wants it.

It has to be a strategy of Mikel's to come out of the blocks flying, hoping to catch the opponents before they wake up.  Aston Villa did not look as though they belonged on the same field in the first half, and when ESR potted the third Gunners goal early in the second half, we sat back and let the Villans huff and puff.  They got one on an excellent strike from outside the box, but it wasn't nearly enough to get anything out of the game.  It was an encouraging performance and a big improvement over the last two games.  

The theme continued at the King Power, where the Foxes hit the snooze button one or two times too many, inviting Arsenal to take an early lead, which they did.  A fabulous glancing header from Gabriel put us up in the 5th minute, and the lead was doubled 12 minutes later after a storming attack saw Emile Smith Rowe pounce on a ball that rolled fortuitously into his path for a smart hard finish past a helpless Casper Schmeichel.

The three points were preserved by a MOTM performance from our 22 year old keeper Aaron Ramsdale.  Bernd Leno was beaming from the bench; he knows that his young "backup" would start ahead of any keeper in the world in the form he's in.  He commanded the area in a way Leno never did, and he's making some fantastic saves.  This is a game that could have been 4-3 either way had a few chances managed to beat the keeper.

Okay, I'm going to whinge (I like that Britishism better than "whine") about the nasty fouls on Ramsdale and another Gunner--I forget who--in the second half.  It was low class and only one of them got a yellow.  Speaking of which, Johnny Evans was very lucky to have stayed on the pitch after wrestling Auba to the ground when he was the last defender.

All's well that ends well, as some hack playwright once put it, and this was another march up the table for the men in red and white.  Well done!

Arsenal 2 - 2 Crystal Palace

 Arsenal started well, and were rewarded eight minutes in when a Pepe shot was smartly saved but Aubameyang was in the right place to tuck the ball in the net from a tight angle.  For the rest of the half, Palace dominated and were unlucky not to score.  The visitors continued the onslaught after the break and pounced on two egregious errors from our central midfielders, stealing possession and quickly scoring from sharp passing and fine shooting.  It looked as though the Gunners were going down to a well-deserved defeat, but a stoppage time goal from late substitute Lacazette stole a point that Arsenal's poor performance did not merit.

It could be said that Mike Dean did us no favors (surprise!) by not brandishing a red card for a brutal kick to Saka that took him out of the game at 1-0.  That player could well have gotten a previous yellow, too, so he and Palace were doubly fortunate.  But at even strength, Palace were the better team and have to be disappointed.

This makes two poorly played draws after the two 1-0 wins against the two worst teams in the league and the thumping of Spurs.  So, Arsenal have looked really good in one league game out of eight, OK in two, and poor to awful in the other five.  We're a scrapping mid-table team at present, far from a contender for European places.  I love how we've freshened up the personnel, but our manager is not bringing the best out of them.  He's new at managing and maybe he will learn, but I get this Wenger vibe out of him that tells me he thinks he knows best and is going to keep plugging away with inferior tactics.  I hope I'm wrong.  These players will improve (they are almost all quite young) and they need leadership that can maximize their potential.

USMNT Qualifying Campaign Six Games In

 Our first loss, to Panama away in a dreadful performance, could prove costly in the end, but the comeback win over Costa Rica in Columbus Ohio gave us some breathing space.  We still have two games against Mexico, and it's entirely possible that we get no points out of them.  If that's the case, we'll have to do much better against Panama and Canada in the return fixtures.  We're sitting in second now, a single point above Canada and three above Panama.

In our favor is the youth of this squad.  They can only get better, right?  In Columbus, the oldest US starter was younger than the youngest Costa Rican starter.  It was the youngest squad the US ever put on the field in a qualifier.  Pulisic was injured, Weston McKennie was disciplined.  The defense is talented and learning.  We have players who can do some spectacular stuff (like Dest's goal against CR) and also who can make dumb errors.  You can't teach the former, but the latter can be corrected.  I think we'll be all right.  If we can get a couple draws against Mexico, great.  A win?  Even greater.  But I believe it'll come down to beating the teams we're supposed to beat.

USA 2 - 0 Jamaica

 Youth was served--twice--and youth scored twice.  18 year old Ricardo Pepi got two great assista and made no mistake.  That was fortunate, because we missed several other decent opportunities in a game the US dominated.  Jamaica has just one point, so this was not supposed to be a tough match, but it was scoreless at the half.  In the end, the Reggae Boyz could not cope with the speed of our attacking players.  

When Canada got a draw in the US, it was considered a surprise.  Well, Canada just got a point in Mexico tonight.  They have to feel pretty good about their chances, having already drawn their two toughest assignments in the entire qualifying campaign.  They sit in third place.  The US and Mexico are on top with 8 points each, but it's very early days.  There are ten matches to go.  US depth should help enormously.  We just have to get the home wins, and pick up some points on the road, and we'll be OK.

Brighton 0 - 0 Arsenal, etc.

 Arsenal was extremely fortunate to escape the South Coast with a point.  The Seagulls outplayed us all game.  It seemed they got to every second ball.  Where Brighton failed was in their finishing.  It was woeful.  The Gunners got very few quality opportunities and could not cash in on them either.  We're going into the international break as a mid-table team, with ten points in seven games.

Notts County allowed four goals after the break, turning a winning position into a 1-4 disaster against Woking, which drew level with two games in hand.  

Juve managed an 86th minute winner from Locatelli in the Turin derby.  The stats make it look a very even contest.

DC United is playing tonight.  I won't be able to watch. They're at Orlando, which is a direct competitor for a playoff spot, so it's a big game.

Arsenal 3 - 1 Tottenham (and 3-0 over Wimbledon); DC United 4 - 2 Cincinnati; Notts County No Longer Invincible

 The appetizer for today's feast was the inevitable pummeling of third tier Wimbledon by our second string in the League Cup.  It wasn't hugely impressive, but the outcome was never in doubt.  Martinelli and Nketiah were dangerous, and the latter got the third goal with a delicious backheel that had both placement and power.  Partey was our only regular starter on the field at kickoff, a clear message that we were resting the regulars for the NLD (that's North London Derby to those unfamiliar with English football, in which North London's two Premier League teams--Arsenal and Tottenham--clash).  

The Tottenham game was virtually over at the half, as the Spuds failed to mark our mids and were all over the place when we were on the attack.  There were encouraging signs that the offense is starting to click.  The Gunners beat the press all first half, moved the ball rapidly into dangerous areas, and finished when required.  The second half was not as good.  Spurs did not quit, and Arsenal ceded possession for long stretches.  Kane could have had a couple goals, but missed, and a foul on him just inside our penalty area was not called.  I'm sure that was because the referee had not pointed to the spot a minute or so before after Gabriel was barged to the ground from behind in their area.  He figured he was not going to call them unless they were obvious.  Tottenham's goal was nice too.  The game was a good watch for the most part.

Aubameyang looks to be rounding into form again.  Saka, Smith Rowe, and Odegaard behind him were superb.  Xhaka and Partey bossed the midfield, though Xhaka left the game after being injured (accidentally) on the play where Spurs scored.  The defenders were solid; I really like the new boy Tomiyasu.  Ramsdale in goal was great, and made at least two great saves.  The players were very supportive of each other throughout.  This result means that we're now level with Spurs on points and in tenth place.  Three games ago, they were in first and we were dead last.

I'm looking forward to my co-author's account of the Brighton-Palace derby tomorrow.

DC United is in decent shape to make the playoffs after a demolition of Cincinnati.  They earned a four goal lead and then lost focus, allowing a couple consolation goals.  With six of the last nine games at home, where they have a good record, it's reasonable to hope for a postseason, though probably a short one.

County finally lost, to Altrincham 1-0.  I really thought they'd be more dominant in the National League (England's fifth tier).

Burnley 0 - 1 Arsenal

 It's one-nil to the Arsenal for the second week running.  Burnley did their usual lumping it into the penalty area and seeing what happens.  They got too many corners, all of them dealt with well by our defense.  Burnley outhustled us most of the game, picking up the second balls and most of the 50-50s.  But the Gunners showed the most danger, I thought, and we could have gotten more than the great free kick from Odegaard.  Aubameyang who looked off the pace.  Pepe was impressive, and our mids did well.  But Gabriel may have been the player of the game.

I was outraged by the penalty called on the field by Taylor, but fortunately it was VAR to the rescue.  White's awful backpass was gotten to by Ramsdale just ahead of Tarkovsky, who of course made sure he tripped himself over our keeper.  (I hate that.)  We had a young lineup out there, with Auba playing grandpa at 32.  There were definite signs of the offense coming together, but there were too many poor passes that squandered possession.  All in all, a solid performance that deserved the three points.  The Clarets did not do enough to merit anything.

Notts County also won 1-0, and they're at 15 points (out of a possible 21) and in third or fourth place in the National League/

USA women romped 9-0 over Paraguay in a friendly, with Carli Lloyd enjoying one of her last few games before retirement (she's 39) by scoring five goals.

DC United is hanging on to a playoff spot.  They need more wins to make it official.  Ola Kamara scored all three goals in a 3-0 win over Chicago this week.  Kamara now leads MLS with 14 goals.  He's a Norwegian international (born in Oslo of an immigrant father) who's had about nine clubs in maybe five countries in his 31 years.

Arsenal 1 - 0 Norwich

 We got just one scrappy goal from our dominant display, but it was enough to get us off the bottom of the table against fellow cellar-dwellers the Canaries.  The game was not televised here, so I saw only the highlights.  We still lack that cutting edge, but the new boys Tomiyasu, White, Sambi, and Ramsdale were all solid.  Maitland-Niles played in the middle and did fine.  I'm happy we didn't loan or sell him, considering our midfield issues.  

Burnley must be disappointed they won't see Xhaka on our team when we play them (I think he's ruled out for three games for his straight red against City), given that he presented them with beaucoup points last year due to similar dumb decisions.

Honduras 1 - 4 USA

 I had to get up early today, so I turned off the game last night after Honduras scored.  To that point, the US looked pretty bad.  I figured we'd lose by a couple goals and be in a hole in qualifying.  When I got up, I checked the score and was delighted to see that there was a comprehensive comeback and the US is back on schedule with 5 points from their first three games.  They'll need to improve to assure qualification, and I think they can.  It was a young squad Berhalter put out there--the youngest ever for a qualifier--and they should play better together as the octagonal proceeds.  The Canada and El Salvador games, and the first half of this last one, showed the USMNT at their ineffective worst all over the field.  We were lucky not to lose to Canada, actually.  The players at Berhalter's disposal should make the team a juggernaut when almost all of them are healthy.  Let's hope that happens. Here's a pirate video.

Extended highlights.

USA 1 - 1 Canada

 When Greg Berhalter was a defender for the US national team, I dreaded it when he started.  Something bad usually happened, and he was often part of it.  When he was appointed head coach, I groaned.  But up to today, he was doing OK.  That went out the window with this discouraging draw.  Canada had the answers to the US's questions most of the game, and when we finally sliced them open for our goal, we didn't make any effort to keep the lead.  Canada's left winger got behind Yedlin and crossed to the sole Canadian in the box, unmarked by any of the three Americans lounging around in the vicinity.  We were lucky not to lose, actually, as their substitute right winger Buchanan smoked our tired defenders more than once to lay in perfect crosses that no Canadian felt like tapping in.

Yes, tired defenders, partly because Berhalter forgot he could substitute, until about the 82nd minute.  Herdman outcoached him by a wide margin.  Based on what I saw today, it doesn't much matter whether we qualify.  This squad is just not good enough, at least under Berhalter's leadership.  What an awful display.  The Nashville crowd booed lustily at game's end, and they were right to do so.

El Salvador 0 - 0 USA

 This was a fairly entertaining game.  El Salvador looked decent, and were well organized.  The US had the better chances, primarily from a couple of headers from close to goal, and looked more dangerous over the 90 minutes.  But the home side had their moments.  They say that a point on the road is good enough, but this was an opportunity missed.  The US is definitely not guaranteed to win all their home games, so they will need to get three points at a couple of their weaker opponents, and la Azul y Blanco can be classified that way.  We host Canada on Sunday and got to Honduras Wednesday.  Anything less than 5 points after three games would put the USMNT in a hole.

Transfer Moves

 I know nothing about this Tomiyasu guy we paid 16M pounds for today, except that he plays right back and can play center back, and he's 22 years old.  Getting Odegaard was very good.  Ramsdale is a good keeper, and we needed backup for Leno.  Lokonga has already shown himself to be one of our better players, and looks to be a bargain.  We've offloaded (read: paid to go away) Willian, sold Runarsson, and loaned out several other players.  We sold Willock for decent money.  We're keeping Maitland-Niles, which I like.  Bellerin is going to Spain.  I wish we'd called Saliba back from his loan spell, but instead we extended it, which I really don't like.  No one wants Kolasinac and Palace wouldn't pony up money for Nketiah.  Whatever else we fans can say about the Kroenkes, we can't say they didn't spend some money.  Now all Arteta has to do is manage a lot better than he has and win some football games.

The international break comes at a good time.  We can integrate the new boys into the squad and ideally the coaching staff can turn our defenders into players who can avoid giving up easy goals, our midfielders into players who can keep and move the ball, and our attackers into players who can actually score goals.  They're doing none of that now.  

 test 3

Manchester City 5 - 0 Arsenal

 I didn't even know what day Arsenal was playing this weekend, or whether it was televised.  So when I looked at LiveScore today while grocery shopping, it was a surprise to see that our game was already over, but it was not a surprise to find out we lost.  Xhaka did what Xhaka does best:  earn a straight red doing something stupid.  But we were already down by two goals.  We never had a shot on goal, despite having all our "creative" players on the pitch.  The three-man back line may as well have been two or one for all the good it did.  Five easy goals; from what I read it could have been eight had Leno not kept making good saves.

Bottom of the table.  With 105 points on offer the rest of the way, I'm sure we'll get at least 40 to avoid relegation, and may pick up 50 or 55.  But on the evidence so far, we'll do well to finish 8th again.  Unless there's a dramatic turnaround after the break, the only question is how long it takes to sack Arteta.  Shame, really--Sanllehi and Edu stuck him with some players he did not want and the club has finally backed him this season, perhaps too late.  I like the young players and I fear Kroenke will cash in on them and doom the club to mediocrity or worse.

WBA 0 - 6 Arsenal

 West Brom is off to a good start in the Championship (10 points from four games) so this looked to be a real test.  But their manager decided he'd rather see how his young players could do on the pitch than have the distraction of the EFL, so it was a mismatch with the strong lineup the Gunners put out there.  Kolasinac as a center back alongside Holding was a surprise.  Tavares was left and Chambers right in defense.  Xhaka and Elneny played in front of them, with Odegaard as the #10 and a superstrong front line of (from L-R) Saka, Aubameyang, and Pepe.  Ramsdale was in goal, and made some nice saves to keep a clean sheet.  Arsenal sliced through the Baggies' midfield and defense on numerous occasions with stylish attacks.  The final score did not flatter Arsenal; they really were that much better.

Man City will be a very different proposition this weekend.  But Auba's hat trick ought to boost his confidence (the third was very nice) and it can't hurt for the forwards to have been rewarded for making good runs.  The makeshift defense wasn't severely tested.

This was just the second round of the League Cup.  Arsenal got a bye to the third round for the last 25 years because they were playing in Europe.  With no European football, the domestic cups take on added importance, and Arteta should be able to put out a strong team every time.

Arsenal 0 - 2 Chelsea

 "Too easy" is something I say at least a dozen times every Arsenal game.  Both Chelsea goals were the result of Kieran Tierney's getting caught inside and leaving his marker totally free outside.  The Chavs could have had more.  The Gunners didn't really come close to scoring, if you don't count that 50-50 penalty shout on Saka that we didn't get.  Both CBs are on a yellow for dumb challenges far away from the goal, so they'll be even more ineffectual in the second half.  The Blues could score again if they wanted to, but may just decide to hold on to the three points.

[after FT]  Yeah, they decided to dial it back a notch and make sure Arsenal didn't get back into the game.  We looked better in the second half, and almost scored a couple times.  (Holding's header was the best chance.)  But Leno had to make some smart saves to keep this from being a total laugher.  Tierney came up lame, but Tavares looked very good to me.  Chelsea were the better team, no doubt, but we were hampered by Arteta's tactics.  The press did not pay off and we wasted a lot of energy.  Against Chelsea, I think we should have looked to counter, and made things secure in the back.  Every team in the league is probably looking forward to playing against a Holding-Mari central defensive pairing.  Lukaku can make almost any defender look bad, but this was ridiculous.  Is White injured already?  

In relegation territory already!  Overachievers.

Brentford 2 - 0 Arsenal

 1-0 at the half, and it could be worse.  We're getting outplayed.  No excuses--there are injuries and illnesses, but I like the team sent out there.  Sambi made a couple errors, Xhaka nearly gave away another goal by dwelling on the ball, and our back line looks lost.  I hope the second half features a more energetic Arsenal.  What I've seen so far is not a great advertisement for the Arteta Way.

...No such luck.  The goal seemed to me to be a clear foul on Leno; but that's not how the officials saw it, and it didn't matter anyway.  It was a disjointed performance.  Sambi and Chambers were obvious weak points, but mainly it was a lack of ideas and organization.  That's Arteta.

It does not look promising.  Brentford is exactly the type of team Arteta would have wanted to play.  They just did it better than we did.  Yes, we had chances, and Raya made a great save.  But Brentford had chances too, with Leno making a fine save.  A healthy Partey would have made a difference, but on today's evidence, top half looks like an aspiration rather than a given.

Reasons to Be Happy

 We ended the season with five straight wins.

61 points is not good enough, but it is five better than last season's total.

We reached a European semifinal.

Arteta seems to have figured out who he needs to play, finally.

Luiz is moving on, and there is some clarity about who should follow him.

As much as I wanted Arsenal to be playing in Europe next season, there is something to be said for the added time and focus on league play that can be spent without the distraction of a lower-tier cup competition.

Arteta is being backed by management.

All right, now progress has to be demonstrated.  While some additions will undoubtedly be made this window, and they will probably help, most of this progress must be generated from the players we have.  My suggestions:

Departures:  Let Lucas Torreira go back to Argentina.  I really like him, but he'd be way down the pecking order in midfield.  Sell Guendouzi for whatever we can get.  He's a head case.  Try very hard to move Willian on--what a mistake his signing was!  We can't afford Odegaard and we don't need Ceballos.  Mavrapanos is so far down the depth chart that he has to go, though I suppose another loan can't hurt.  Bellerin wants to go, possibly to Real Betis, so let him, as much as he adds to the team.  He's still got a lot of football in him, but the Arsenal phase of his career appears to be over.  I still like Lacazette, but apparently Mikel has fallen out of love and this is a good time to part ways.  Nketieh and Nelson are fine players but not what we need to get better; they might be happier elsewhere, and we might get decent money for them.

Internal additions:  Bring Joe Willock back and play him.  With a little improvement in decision making, he can be a huge asset, filling the Ramsey-shaped hole in our midfield.  Besides Willock, I'd promote Balogun to the senior team and stick him in for Auba if he's not doing the business for us.  Saliba has to be integrated into the corps of central defenders (Holding, Gabriel, Mari) that will do a good job.  If he can be happy playing fullback, I'd like Maitland-Niles there.  He was quite good.

New guys:  If we don't have a very good GK in the youth ranks ready for promotion, Mat Ryan or some other solid backup has to be found for Leno, who I still have a lot of confidence in.  Runarson is not good enough.  We have to replace Hector and get a good backup for Tierney.  AMN is one possibility, but the market may have to be tested.  Cedric is not the answer.  We have to get another ESR/Odegaard type in the midfield, someone who can combine and create.  If it's Odegaard, great, but I don't think we'll shell out what Madrid will ask.

Arsenal was one of the younger teams in the league even with Luiz, Willian, and Auba driving up our average.  It's reasonable to hope that Saka, ESR, Martinelli, Tierney, Willock, and Saliba will be as good or better next season.  I'd keep Elneny and Xhaka, though the former's minutes may be limited.  We have not seen the best of Partey.  He could own midfield for us 100% fit.  Pepe is very good and needs more time on the field.  

I'm optimistic.  But I'm always optimistic before the first ball is kicked.  I think it's going to come together and we'll contend for top four, and without Stan dipping far into his couch cushions for loose millions.

Outcoached, Outplayed, and Out of Europe

 Big game, big disappointment, again.  I had high hopes for Arteta, but the man has not gotten the best out of our squad.  Worse, it does not look as though he understands his part in our decline.  I'm not going to join the "Arteta out!" chorus, because he'd certainly be replaced by a more expensive veteran past his prime who would do no better, given the people running AFC.

Another Must-Win Game, Another Can't-Believe-It Result, Against Everton This Time

 If we win the Europa League, the season will have been salvaged.  I'm not expecting that, but go ahead, football, surprise me, pleasantly this time.

Arsenal 10 - 0 Gillingham (FA Cup), and Another Result

 The Gunners women could have had 20 if they'd pushed for it, but in the end they settled for 10-0.  I'm not sure how Gillingham made the 5th round, but I don't know the women's side of English football.  But congratulations, Arsenal Women.  

Their male counterparts were not as successful as Fulham got the close calls (I'm still not sure about that pen) and only a last minute rebound putback from Eddie Nketiah rescued a point against relegation bound Fulham.  The Cottagers were dreadful all game and it was disappointing that we couldn't put in a few (non-disallowed) goals.  Arteta rotated heavily but unaccountably played Lacazette and Saka in a game he clearly regarded as a rest opportunity, the former pulling up with what looked like a season-ending hamstring pull.  You're welcome, Unai!

The "Arteta out!" chorus on Arseblog is warming up.  I want him to be backed for another full year at least.  The critics seem to think he has a Man City level squad and he's holding them back.  He's obviously not a top manager now, but I think he's growing into the job.  He can become a really good manager here, or we can watch him do it somewhere else while we overpay some safe choice who's just been fired by another club, until he's fired.  Maybe Joe Montemurro will be available.

Into the Semis: Slavia Praha 0 - 4 Arsenal (1 - 5 agg), and Fading League Hopes

 After an infuriating 1-1 scoreline in the first game at the Emirates in a game we dominated, the Gunners came good in the second leg, maintaining a clean sheet while blitzing the hosts in the first half to kill the tie.  Everyone did their job, especially the front four.  Now it's two dates with Unai Emery's Villareal, who dispatched Zagreb 3-1 on aggregate.  If we can get by them, it'll probably be Man U in the final (though Roma is strong).  Hey, why not?  

Well, losing to Liverpool 3-0 may be why not.  And going down 3-0 to West Ham.  These are two of the teams we had to overtake for a European spot, and one point out of six was a crusher.  Now we pretty much have to win out for a legitimate shot at a Europa League berth, though perhaps 16 points out of the 21 on offer could be enough if we get a lot of help.

I remain hopeful for the future.  If we can find a way to ditch Willian at an airport somewhere, it would be good.  There are possibilities all around.  Saliba needs to be motivated, and if he is as good as we thought he was, we don't need Luiz.  I'm surprised at how well Chambers is doing at right back.  The loss of Tierney is a blow, but he will be back next year.  ESR, if he stays healthy, is our #10.  Forget Odegard; we can't afford him.  Saka can play there too.  I wouldn't like to lose Laca, but maybe we should sell.  Willock and AMN could bring in some cash too.  Nketiah could also be on the block; the young guns we're making room for are Balogun and Martinelli.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Tottenham

 I couldn't help myself, and watched this game.  It's so nerve-wracking.  The Gunners were superb in the first half, and could easily have been up 3-1, but the woodwork intervened a couple times and some last-ditch defending held us to just the one deflected Odegaard shot.  Lamela's rabona was awesome, and came at the end of Tottenham's best move of the day, so fair play to them.  But they were toothless the rest of the half.

I thought we were pretty damned good in the second half, too, until Lamela was ejected.  Then for some crazy reason, we started giving the ball away, presented Spuds with corners and free kicks, and otherwise came off second best to a team that had ten men.  Kane had one in the back of the net off a free kick but was well offside, then he hit the post having beaten Leno all ends up on another free kick, the rebound being cleared by an alert Gabriel.  Thankfully, on the last free kick, Kane struck it over the bar.  This was a vital three points.

If you'd have told me that with ten games to go we'd be two points back of Liverpool, I'd have figured we 

would be in the top four for sure, not tenth.  However, we could overtake Villa, Liverpool, Spuds, and Everton to finish in sixth, a reasonable goal.  West Ham might collapse too.  Chelsea in fourth is ten points better than us (we do have a game in hand) and in all likelihood too far away to worry about us.  Obviously, we'll have to win at least seven, probably eight of our remaining ten games to accomplish that.  It's a big ask.

Arsenal 4 - 2 Leeds

 An Aubameyang hat trick and a rare Bellerin goal saw us through this really entertaining game.  Leeds fought back and potted two fine goals of their own, but another collapse like at Newcastle all those years ago was not to be.  (Diaby choking Joey Barton might have been worth the dropped points.)

https://twitter.com/i/status/511273783844671489 

No, this was a solid performance from the Gunners against a team that is hard to beat, and which was above them in the table before the game.  They could rise a few places before the end of the season.

We're playing Benfica in Rome on Thursday (stupid Covid).  The "home" leg will be in Athens!

Self-Destruct at Molineux

Damn it, Luiz!  We fell asleep as time expired in the first half and a winning position became a losing one in an instant.  Then I see (I stopped watching after the pen--I was sorry I turned it on) that Leno handled outside the area and he saw red too.  These are the times that try men's souls.  Or not.   

Purple Patch in the League, Bounced From the FA Cup

 This not watching Arsenal thing is working out.  Instead of agonizing over every missed chance and misplaced pass, I just check LiveScore every so often--too often--and try to distract myself with other things.  It doesn't always work.  I listened to the audio for the last ten minutes of the Southampton win.  I watch the highlights after we win, and try to forget what happened if we lose.  Our position in the table has improved since Christmas, but we're still in 9th and would be in 11th if the teams with games in hand win them.  But we're rather close to the Europa League places and not entirely out of touch with top four (though there are a lot of teams above us that have five or more points on us, and games in hand).  But we can only beat the team in front of us, which this Saturday will be Man U, which just got beaten at home by the league's bottom side, Sheffield United.  I'll start to believe we've turned the corner if we can get three points off the Red Devils.  A point would be acceptable. 

The Cup loss to Southampton was regrettable but with all the injuries it was only a matter of time until we were eliminated.  The draw did us no favors, but we were beaten by a squad that was better on the day. 

Well, personnel moves are really coming together. The Odegard loan might be very good.  We finally say goodbye to Ozil and Sokratis (I liked the big Greek, but he was surplus), and it looks as though Mustafi is going.  I'm not sure about AMN and Nelson, and hasn't Torreira left?  It looks as if Balogun does not see his future at Arsenal, more's the pity.  Chambers isn't going anywhere.  We're still a trifle light on #10s, but between Odegard and Smith-Rowe it could be enough, now that it's just the EPL and EL to deal with.  If Partey stays fit, we could have a very nice midfield setup.  It's a good mix of veterans and young guys, too.

I don't know what Auba's "personal issues" are, but they have to be serious for him to miss games.  Let's hope it gets resolved, for his sake.  He seems like a nice guy.  In the meantime, we have just managed to plug the scoring gap, between Laca, Saka, Pepe, Martinelli, and cameos from a couple others.  I'm not sure where Nketieh fits in anymore, but I still like him.  We may have to sell.

Lampard fired...it seems dumb to me.  Man U stuck with Solskjaer through the rough patch and it was the right move.  I'm convinced Arteta is the man for Arsenal too, and I hope he is the manager next year wherever we finish this season.

I Knew I Shouldn't Watch It...Arsenal 0-0 Crystal Palace

 That was an awful game.  My second post in this blog recommended "right viewing" and this game convinced me that watching Arsenal games live is a terrible idea for me.  I'm in a constant state of anxiety or frustration, depending on who has the ball where.  If we go a goal up, I know it'll probably be a desperate struggle to keep the opponents from scoring the rest of the way.  If we go down a goal, the game is almost certainly over.  I follow the score when I don't see it live, and when Arsenal went up 3-0 to Chelsea, I figured I'd turn it on--they'll show highlights afterward.  The first action was the Chelsea goal.  Then the penalty.  That's when I turned it off, figuring this was nature's way of telling me not to jinx the Gunners.  With me not watching, Leno saved the pen and all was well.  The Palace game was not fun at all.  They had the better chances (such as they were); we really didn't look as though we were even going to force their keeper into a good save.  This was a game I expected us to win.

The talent is there.  Hiring Willian was idiotic.  Buying Pepe was criminal at that price (maybe literally).  I'm still not sure what they saw in Cedric.  But the academy is coming up trumps, and the Tierney purchase was a great move.  We'll see if Partey can stay on the field.  I think we'll be all right as long as Leno doesn't get hurt.  The boys will be doing it without my full attention, which I'm sure is fine with them.

I like Mikel.  I do wonder if he can get the best out of this crew.  Those who were eager to push Wenger out (I was one) are finding out that he was not the problem after all.  Arsenal is not as fun to watch these days, and we sit in 11th.

Arsenal, I Can't Stay Mad at You

 I find I'm happier not watching the games live, win or lose, and may keep that up, though I'm tempted to watch the Palace game Thursday.  I'm delighted that Holding got a pay raise and extension; I love that guy.  The kids are doing great.  I'll be very happy with 7th place and a deep cup run.  We need European football.  I don't understand how we could let the GK situation get this dangerous, but let's hope Leno stays healthy.