Saka may have had an off day against Fulham but he’s still POTS

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are in a league of their own when they are at their best. They were charged up after seeing their main nemesis, Manchester City, win on Saturday night and just had to  overcome Fulham on Sunday afternoon at Craven Cottage.

The Gunners dominated the game from minutes 1 to 90, from the start until the end. Arsenal deserved to win this weekend because they were the best team on the pitch. Of the players who shined for Arsenal this weekend, Trossard came out on top, but Odegaard was also a revelation.

Bukayo Saka didn’t shine this weekend even though he was lauded on Sky Sports punditry (as quoted by Team Talk) before the game by Floyd Hasselbaink, who said, “Bukayo for me is player of the season. He has done so well.” and Jamie Redknapp, who said, “There is nobody who can do what he can do. Brilliant matchup today. Bukayo has been a revelation this season.”

Looking at Saka’s game this weekend, I don’t know about it, but he didn’t look fresh. Many believe he should have been rested against Sporting Lisbon last Thursday, but it is obvious that Arteta relies on him, and he is correct to do so. Saka has 10 goals and 9 assists in 29 appearances so far this season.

But what has occurred is history, and one bad afternoon will not change the reality that Saka could be crowned player of the season.

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When Arsenal found themselves at the top of the league standings in the first half of the season, many predicted that they would fall from that position. Sergio Kun Aguero, a Manchester City icon, even believed he knew when Arsenal would fall from first place. The Premier League legend claimed that injuries would see Arsenal slip from first place. He said that with significant injuries, they would become inconsistent.

Aguero stated at the time as per the women seeking men craigslist mt, “We’re on the first stage of a Premier League that will be different from many others—by and large because we’ll have a World Cup in the middle of it. That makes it harder to foresee how it’ll turn out.

“Consistency is the name of the game to win the title, and the missing piece is knowing in what condition each player will rejoin their clubs after the World Cup. Arsenal will probably be one of those teams but surely not the only one.”

It’s safe to say Arsenal haven’t suffered much without Gabriel Jesus, who hasn’t hit a ball since the World Cup due to injury. Nketiah has attempted to fill his void, but Arsenal have won games without the Brazilian, which many questioned they would. Even the recent injury to Thomas Partey hasn’t deterred Arsenal; Jorginho’s acquisition has essentially replaced the Arsenal number six; Arsenal defeated Aston Villa without Partey.

Arsenal have been on another level this season, and as ironic as it may appear, all of the criticism has only served to drive them on further.

Gary Neville has made himself look silly with his Arsenal comments

Believe Any Other Claim, But Not That The Gunners Aren’t The Team To Beat For The PL Title

Imagine there is someone who still believes Arsenal will not win the Premier League title. That person has to be Gary Neville’s friend. After watching United go nine games unbeaten last weekend after beating Manchester City, the Manchester legend believes United will finish ahead of Arsenal.

“No. But I said Leicester wouldn’t win the league,” Neville said when asked on Sky Sports if he thought Arsenal would win the title. “They won’t win the league. Manchester City will win the league, and I think Man Utd will finish second, and I know that will annoy Arsenal fans!”

Many Arsenal fans were not comfortable with Neville’s claims, and luckily for them, Arsenal legend Bacary Sagna has blasted Neville’s claims, revealing why the Premier League champion will be coming from North London this time around. “That’s his [Neville’s] opinion. He has his own point of view, but there is a difference between his point of view and what I believe will become reality. This season, Arsenal have been the best and most consistent team. Manchester United and Manchester City have two important games coming up,” said Sagna on FindMyCasino, in response to Neville’s claims.

“I don’t see United finishing in front of Arsenal. They have improved, but Arsenal are better and have been the best team all season—Pep Guardiola will agree with that! He’s been saying they are difficult to catch, and they will be. This weekend Arsenal have an important game and again they will have to show that they’re strong, but I’m not worried about that.”

Bottom line, as a Gunner, you must be aware that much will be said, and some may even argue that Liverpool is still in the title race. However, at the end of the day, statistics are all that matter. Arsenal leads in every statistic that can propel a team to victory in the league. After 18 games, Arsenal have 47 points, which is 8 points more than Manchester City (before their Spurs match) and 9 points more than Manchester United (before their midweek Crystal Palace match). While Manchester City has a goal machine in Erling Haaland, who has already scored 21 goals, they have only scored 4 goals more than Arsenal this season with 46 goals. Imagine if Haaland was at Arsenal.

Anyway, comparing Manchester United’s inferior goals to Arsenal is a joke. Arsenal’s defence has also demonstrated its tenacity, with Manchester City conceding four more goals and Manchester United conceding seven more than Arsenal. This Arsenal team is simply superior to the two Manchester sides tipped to trouble them, to the point where if Arteta’s boys can be better or match the performances of these two in the remaining league games, there is no way Guardiola and Ten Hag will steal the 2022-23 Premier League title under Arteta’s nose.

Unai Emery gives Wenger credit – but wants a new Arsenal future

Unai Emery is a quarter of the way into Arsenal’s first season without Arsene Wenger for absolutely yonks, and although the Gunners brought in five new signings, Emery has still got Wenger’s core for his squad and has somehow got them on a 13 game unbeaten run.

So it is interesting to read his answer when he was asked whether this is Emery’s Arsenal or still what he inherited from Arsene Wenger. “I don’t know,” the Spaniard replied. “but for me it’s very important that every day we continue improving things. But the most important thing, before I came here, this team, this club and these players had a lot of positive things and I want to share with him this capacity and this work in the past year. And then, give them my personal style and ideals also. But learning and doing things together with the past and in the present.

“Then, we want to write a new future here, to create a new future. But we are at the beginning but we need a lot of time more in the present and in the future but we think of each match. Tomorrow we have a chance to improve more things and to show every supporter our mentality, our ideas and our performance against a very big team. But thinking that we are in one process and this process is in our way because we can and we want to write a new history here. I want to do a big history.”

Well he has started well, and if after today’s massive test against Liverpool we are still on our unbeaten run, perhaps Gooners can start dreaming again!

Arsenal now have one of the deadliest strike forces in the world

Aubameyang not my rival Lacazette by Iomie

Alexandre Lacazette is ready to form a deadly partnership here at the Emirates with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, after revealing he had no intention of leaving the club.

The Frenchman was brought to the Emirates by legendary boss Arsene Wenger last summer for a whopping £52 million after seeing Lacazette have the season of his career and net an impressive 36 goals in 39 games for Lyon.

He was expected to lead the club into a new era and become ‘the next Thierry Henry’, but despite a relatively decent start, the season wore on and Lacazette’s finishing become that of a Sunday League striker he simply couldn’t find the back of the net.

His lack of quality in front of goal led Wenger to delve into his transfer kitty for the very last time in January and break the Gunners transfer record by signing Aubameyang for £60 million, a fee which has already yielded rewards.

The 28-year-old became the quickest Arsenal player to score ten Premier League goals, after opening his account on his debut in February’s 5-1 thrashing of Everton, and went on to score as many Premier League goals as Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, Christian Eriksen of Tottenham and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane in just a few months at the club.

And that led to much speculation that Lacazette could be sold this summer, as he would not be guaranteed to the regular football he deserves, and would be considered bac-up to the Gabon hitman.

But Lacazette says he was never concerned about his role in the team and has never seen Auba as his rival, Believing they can form a deadly partnership.

“I never said Aubameyang’s arrival was bad for me, only people in the press said it was bad,” said Lacazette on the Sky Sports website

“I was happy because I knew I could play with him. I didn’t see him as a rival more than a team-mate, so since the beginning I was happy about his signature.

“Of course, it’s good that we have a good relationship off the pitch. If people are good off the pitch, on the pitch it will be easier to play.”

At a combined total of £112 million, both men are proven goal-scorers at the very highest level and are two of the best in Europe, so if Unai Emery can get them working well together here at the Emirates, the we could have one of the most deadly partnerships in world football.

Arsenal MUST make most of Liverpool v Man Utd result

As well as Arsenal needing to win our own games in the Premier League in order to get back among the title challengers after making a pretty pathetic start to the new season with just a single point from the first three games, we also need those sides above us to drop points to give the Gunners any chance of success.

So far the pace setters from Manchester have not looked in danger of that, but although both Man City and United have not yet lost, they were not on maximum points going into the latest round of games. Stoke had held United to a draw and hopefully can do at least well today against Pep Guardiola’s high flyers.

Arsenal got the perfect result in the early kick-off, with United quite lucky to get even the point from their trip to Anfield. The draw means Liverpool stay behind Arsenal and with a win away to Watford we can close to within three points of Jose Mourinho’s team.

But Arsene Wenger and the players must make the most of this chance by having the right attitude and going all out to win today. Let’s just hope the Hornets do not have too much of a sting in the tail for us.

Does this mean Arsenal’s Wilshere is OVER his injury problems?

The injury problems that have beset the playing career of the midfield star Jack Wilshere, for both Arsenal and his international career with England, have been well documented and they are almost too numerous and various to go into. But if he could put them behind him there is still plenty of time for the talented 25-year old to have a stellar career for club and country.

However, there is a much held belief that Wilshere is one of those players who is simply injury prone and will be in and out of the treatment room all the time, and if that is the case it will be almost as frustrating for us Arsenal fans as for the player himself, because we all know what he is capable of.

But there may be signs that these problems are over once and for all, barring the odd impact injury and bad luck. Some of Jack’s problems have been of this variety already, like the leg fracture he picked up on the pitch with Bournemouth last season, but many have come through seemingly innocuous incidents or setbacks on the road to recovery and it is these we need to cut out.

Wilshere himself has admitted in an Arsenal.com report that his fitness levels may not always have been up to the standard required and if this is true it could be the reason behind many of his injuries, while declaring that he is now in the best shape of his life and if feeling very positive about the future.

He said, “When I first broke into the first team, even looking back when I was 16, you take things for granted. I was training every day and when you’re a 16-year-old, you can do that.

“As you get older your body changes, you pick up injuries, you have to be more careful with certain situations and it makes you stronger as well. I’ve always loved playing football and that’s what I wanted to do.

“Of course there’s been times when it’s been tough, when you’re injured and you wake up in the morning, you think ‘Oh I’ve got to go to training, all the other lads are training, you’ve got to go to the gym’. That makes you stronger and it makes you appreciate it more and try and do everything you can to keep fit and keep on the pitch.

“I always hear the boss say it is my first five-metre burst, when I receive the ball and to get away from defenders and I feel that’s getting better and better each day. I feel like the way to improve that is in games when you’re playing against opposition that want to win and want to win the ball back and you have to be able to keep the ball.

“That’s coming back and my fitness levels, if I’m honest, are probably the best they’ve ever been. I look at my numbers after the game and I’ve been out for four months and I’m not the one who hasn’t run the most. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t run the most, we’ve got a lot of players that do that, but my numbers are good so I’m happy.”

I will be happy as well if his new fitness levels stop him getting another injury that could well spell the end of his time as a Gunner. So have we now got a great player who will be able to play all season and help Arsenal to win a major trophy or two?

Arsenal team news for Chelsea with NO Alexis Sanchez

It will have been a difficult decision for Arsene Wenger to make as he got the Arsenal squad ready for this Premier League away game against Chelsea, because after a slow start to the season we really cannot afford to take nothing back with us from Stamford Bridge today, but at the same time our best player Alexis Sanchez was not match fit.

The Chilean needed some game time to gain fitness and match sharpness so the boss started him against Cologne but because of the way the Europa League match went he could not afford to take him off. Fortunately Thursday night did see Alexis sharpen up and find his form over the space of an hour or so, but even with his powers of recovery it would be a risk to start him just two and a bit days later.

I expect Sanchez to be on the bench and to come on at some point, but Wenger will go for the players who are fresh and having left Danny Welbeck, Mesut Ozil and Lacazette out of the Europa League clash it will be these who start today. Ramsey and Xhaka will be back in the middle with Bellerin and Kolasinac as the wing backs and we will still have a back three but it will look a bit different, with Koscielny on the left instead of Monreal and with Mustafi on the right with the big German Mertesacker in the middle.

Has Wenger let slip his Arsenal team and tactics for Chelsea?

Even if Arsenal had started the new Premier League season well and were in good form going into an away game against Chelsea, you would make the home side favourites, and despite winning our two home games against Leicester and Bournemouth you would hardly say the Gunners were going well.

So any advantage to take with us to Stamford Bridge would surely be seized upon, which is why I was a bit surprised to hear some of the comments from Arsene Wenger, reported by Metro, in the build up to tomorrow’s game.

The Frenchman did well to change his tactics halfway through the Europa League game between Arsenal and Cologne on Thursday and the switch from a back three to a back four was widely credited with being a big factor in us turning the game around.

It also gave Wenger the opportunity to keep Antonio Conte guessing about the shape of the side he would be faced with, or he would have been if Wenger had not let slip what he sees as our best defensive set-up with the pace of Monreal and Koscielny on either side of the tough tackling and vocal German Shkodran Mustafi.

He said, ‘[Mustafi is] reading the game well, strong in the challenge, and he likes to talk as well, so that’s an important quality in that part of the pitch.

‘On both sides of him, we have Koscielny and Monreal who are quick, so that looks well-balanced.

‘Communication is very, very important. In the organisation, it’s very important that you talk early, and sometimes you have to be very vocal because the crowd is shouting.

‘The timing of your talking and sometimes how loud you are is very important.’

Was this wise of Wenger to say? Not if he now starts with that back three, but could Wenger be bluffing and be about to spring a surprise on Conte and Chelsea by going with a different back line?

Can Arsenal take heart from Man Utd and Mourinho problems?

It was looking pretty bad for Arsenal fans and our hopes of a successful season for our club in the early stages of the new Premier League season, but after the latest round of games which have been played after the first international break I think we are all a little bit happier.

And one reason for this is because the early form of Manchester United was looking pretty ominous after they took maximum points by winning the first three games and did not even concede a goal. So with Jose Mourinho’s record of being a strong front rummer we really needed something to knock them off their stride and we got it in the shape of Stoke City who scored twice and then frustrated United to claim a draw.

Mourinho was not happy and refused, twice apparently, the offer of a handshake from mark Hughes. That was not the only sign that the Portuguese manager is not a happy bunny either, because he has been having a pop at Chelsea and the tactics of his former club under Antonio Conte. He has had another pop at Arsene Wenger, according to the loudmouth Piers Morgan, and he has been talking trash about his two Old Trafford predecessors David Moyes and Louis van Gaal as well.

All this smacks of there being something wrong and I welcome that, because when things are going well for Mourinho and Man United then we have good reason to worry. As it is, can Arsenal fans start to feel a bit more hopeful about the season ahead?