Such a nice finish that.
They’ve not been great but it’s nice to see Arsenal play one touch counters again.
Iwobi has made half a YouTube highlights reel without being very effective as well.
Excellent half hour but let another team off the hook when we were dominating AGAIN. Never has an Arsenal 3-1 with barely a chance created by us been more on the cards.
Only momentarily but from first sight That Aubameyang haircut looks like an absolute horror job.
That was beautiful.
Mesut Özil is on one
That 3-1 goal is pure filth.
Ref nearly gifted that to you. Piss poor performance by him and the lino in front of me all game.
Iheanacho was giving Holding a mare early on, Holding getting far too tight more than once, I actually think the unwarranted booking helped him (and us) as he started dropping a yard off and not being turned.
Nearly came when the third went in. Özil and Bellerin were both fantastic tonight. Atmosphere in the second half was superb, best outside of spuds games I’ve been at for a while, but I’d say in general it’s been getting better and better since the West Ham game (Brentford not included, where tension was running very high).
Weirdly I think he’s been very effective this year. Not in assists/goals etc, but often in the Giroud sense. He’s packed on quite a few pounds of muscle and he’s offering the out-ball, holding it up and bringing others in and/or using power and skill to work himself out of a tight spot.
Looking forward to Rees Nelson coming back next year after his performances in the Bundesliga - Project Youth finally coming to fruition in the shape of a much improved Bellerin, Iwobi, Nelson and the Conservative MP for Harrow Ainsley Maitland-Niles would be great to see. Never mind Emile Smith-Rowe.
Tbf, a couple of Leicester fans just complained of that and it was first I’d heard. Guessing it was in the clock-west corner, almost as far from me as possible when I was on the north side of halfway and almost pitch level, so I didn’t see it and didn’t really see any appeals. Wenger style.
Perreira should have been carded three times for challenges on Iwobi and Lichsteiner, Chilwell (who was a prick all game long with his moaning) too, soft fouls given the other way, Iheanacho and Maddison both offside when I was level with them and the Lino was 10 yards off it. To be fair, nothing game changing in retrospect, but a big part of them stifling us first half. Maddison has a touch of the Zaha about him (fully appreciate Pires was no angel in that respect).
Yeah he just seems a lot like this to me in general. He sort of seems to improve, and like yesterday he kept getting involved in play all the time and seemingly doing most things right. But then at the end of the day he's never there to score goals or make assists. Like that moment when he almost came through 1-on-1 but he sort of missed the touch to bring down the ball and it bounced to the keeper instead - thats where a player with that little extra skill would have just gotten a touch at that and made a chance of it.
Iwobi is looking more and more like Willian to me in that sense. Great player, allround good. But, maybe not the kind you cry a river over when he's out either.
Agreed.
But he’s worthwhile. He helps us retain the ball and unsettle the opposition defence and midfield and sucks 2 in, creating space for others. He recycles bad balls well too, rarely giving it away where a counter is in even if he does often lose it at the end of a surge forward. He still needs to add more end product to stay in the reckoning long term with anticipated recruitment and the emergence of AMN, Smith Rowe and Nelson expected to kick on by next term, but for now he’s beneficial enough to the whole to make up for the more tangible productivity that’s a little lacking.
*engage matralux mode*
Teams are going to have to learn to put Arsenal away in the first half. They were absolute shite last night and should really have been a couple down at the break, but they remain a team with an uncanny knack for quick/successive goals.
I can’t tell whether the shit first half great second half narrative is a sign that Emery is great at recognising the issues and fixing them or he doesn’t know how to set them up in the first place and these big shifts are throwing teams off.
Wa-hoah, Mourinho going for it again.
Several CSKA supporters have been injured in an escalator accident in Rome.
Ronaldo versus Mike Smalling
The pub I’m at is mostly wall to wall Madrid understandably but there’s one tv with a different game on where they’ve gone with the obvious choice of... Ajax v Benfica
Dybalo and Che-leenee.
Keown.
Oh you're in Madrid phonics?
This is like one of those hopeless mid-nineties attempts at beating Juventus.
You rattled him, MATE.
The only reason it isn't 3-0 is because they hate Liverpool.
Wayne Rooney is better than Romelu Lukaku.
He's definitely more in shape. Matic is finished as a footballer as well.
That's some save.
Matic is looking like the same player he was during Mourinho's last season at Chelsea.
We've made no subs. Not much on the bench but there are at least some fresh legs available
Purple Lukaki is terrible.
That escalated quickly....
You imagine those at the back are looking at bumps and bruises, while those at the front, broken ankles, legs and maybe worse.
Scary shit though.
5 are in intensive care.
Were they doing a gig or something?
That joke only works if I had written out the number. -1 funny points, sir.
I believe it was '5ive' so either way is technically correct (the best kind of correct).
Fabinho starts for Liverpool
Origi on the bench
Chelsea v Tottenham wafer tie later in the season, cannot wait. First leg at Barnet, second leg at Reading, and the Met can have the week off.
That Suarez pass was unreal.
Liverpool have changed their tactic tonight. We’re playing Salah up front with three behind him.
Frank Lampard’s Derby
Frank and Jody will be our next managers I reckon.
Sancho is going to be absolutely mega if he stays abroad for the next few years.
Never thought I’d see Atletico lose four goals in a game
Last edited by Waffdon; 24-10-2018 at 08:52 PM.
Liverpool's group is fun, though PSG should be dominating with the players they have. I really can't call who will go through.