Exactly What I Deserve

 For some reason, NBC preferred to televise the relegation battle between Arsenal and Burnley rather than Leicester-Brighton, and I stupidly watched, at least until a minute ago when Granit Xhaka did what he does best--something stupid--and got sent off with the score at nil-nil.  Why Willian was out there I am not sure; he was not good.  Lacazette tries, and did some good things, but at this point you present him with an open net and he'd still find some way not to score.  Had Ceballos played...well, he didn't.  Barring a quick turnaround, Mertesacker will be caretaker manager by January and we'll be hiring one of the usual suspects to make the best of a bad situation for a year.  

Arsenal Is Telling Me to Get a Life

 Thanks, guys.  If you can't get interested in playing football when you're being paid for it, I have permission to lose interest in watching it when I'm not being paid to sit through your performances.  Good luck.  I'll check back in a few months.  Probably.

WTF?

 We follow the solid win at Old Trafford with a limp surrender to Villa at home.  I give up.  I don't know what to expect from this team.  Arteta better concentrate on a cup competition, because he's got a mid-table team now.  They will likely struggle for Europe again.

Europa Win, League Loss

 Fuck Jamie Vardy.  

I'm beginning to like the fact that NBC isn't televising a lot of Arsenal games.  It saves me from watching them.  Let me know when something interesting happens.

City 1 - 0 Arsenal

 [I didn't see the Liverpool and Sheffield games]

I think most Gunners figured we were unlikely to come away from the Etihad with any points, given our poor run against them and indeed all the big six away.  Nevertheless, it was disappointing to see the lack of punch in this Arsenal squad against a very beatable City team.  I was impressed with City's defensive discipline and positioning, and they deserve some of the credit for our poor offensive display.  

I don't have a lot to say about the players.  I thought Ceballos was excellent, and was also impressed with Saka, Tierney, and Bellerin.  Willian was almost anonymous.  The free kicks we had were poor.  We looked second best most of the game, and deserved to lose.  Our 3-0-2 record is about right.  As Thomas is integrated into the midfield, I expect we'll improve.  I would like to see Saliba in the cup games; Gabriel looks fine but I keep expecting a major mistake--he's had a couple near misses.

Arsenal 2 - 1 West Ham (EPL) and Leicester 0 - 2 Arsenal (League Cup)

 I can't believe we won that game against the Hammers.  Pre-Arteta, we would not have.  I can't explain why we were so flat.  Well, three points.

The kids were more than all right at the King Power, and we earned the right to go to Anfield a few days after we play them there in the league and try to beat them to progress.  I like the way Arteta won't write off any competition.  He understands that winning is a habit, and so is losing.

Fulham 0 - 3 Arsenal

 I'm not going to get carried away.  This was Fulham, the club that bettors think most likely to be relegated.  The Cottagers were flat and lacked a cutting edge; their defense was not well organized.  But it was a comfortable win.  Laca, Auba, and new boy Gabriel scored.  Willian got two assists.  Everyone played well.  Elneny and Holding got a run-out and performed.  Leno was called upon to save a goal early.  And most important, we got three points.

Everyone knew we'd desperately want six points from the first two games, and would have expected us to get them.  There's a run of tough games after that.  Let's see where we are mid-October.

Martinez looks to be leaving.  20M pounds is fair, and he'll be making a lot more playing for Villa.  Good luck to him.