Emirates Ball

It was in-form Wolves vs out of form Arsenal when the two met at Molineux on Thursday evening. A run of good games during November and December saw the gunners have a strong end to the calendar year, but January didn’t represent a happy new year for Arteta’s side as a loss to Manchester City and a draw at home to Burnley seemed to have halted the momentum they were starting to build up.   On the other hand, Wolves we’re on a high with wins against Man United, Southampton and Norwich all coming in the Premier League, as well as a win against Sheffield United in the FA Cup. Two sides at completely different ends of the form spectrum.   The Gunners lined up with their strongest possible lineup, with the only notable absentee being Tomiyasu at right back. The departure of Aubameyang has increased the predictability of the Arsenals line-up due to the short options upfront. It’s clear that we can expect the combination of Lacazette, Saka, Odegaard and Martinelli/ Smith-Rowe unti...

  “Emirates stalemate blows Champions League race wide open”   After a run of disappointing results and performances since the new year, this fixture was the perfect opportunity to return to winning ways. The squad was down to its barebones featuring a number of academy players due to injuries and absentees. However, Arsenal had more than enough quality on the pitch to collect the required three points to maintain their top 4 push. The match as expected was Arsenal dominating possession and Burnley defending in numbers whilst utilising their threat of a counterattack and set pieces where possible. Burnley’s main attacking outlet throughout the contest came via Dwight Mcneil. The forward forced Ramsdale into saves in both halves. However, he could have snatched all three points within the dying embers of the game but was only able to fire over. The rest of the contest was all Arsenal, reflected in the 20 shots taken of which 5 were on target. The problems for the Gu...

DOGGIED, DETERMINED Gunners fight for a draw at Anfield   Arsenal vs Liverpool is already a tasty fixture, one which promises countless goals and drama every season. The first leg cup tie had even more suspense given the controversial negative flow tests Liverpool reported which forced this leg to be postponed for a week. Much of the talk was surrounding the Liverpool manager and his squad who had been accused of falsifying test results to delay the game whilst they waited for their best players to return to match fitness. With a lot of eyes eagerly anticipating the line-ups, a lot of eyebrows were raised when the reds named the strongest possible line-up they could have produced given notable AFcon absentees and injuries. I mean, Klopp rarely even attends conference duties when it comes to the carabao cup, neither does he name the likes of Allison, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, TAA and Fabinho in these sorts of ties. Given that at least 3 of those players would have not played in ...

  “ Super-sub Grabban delivers knockout blow to lethargic Gunners” Lewis Grabban the substitute hero slid home an inviting cross in the 82 nd minute to put the nail in the coffin on an abysmal Arsenal performance. The only elegant aspect of the Gunners game was their all-white kit that was used to raise awareness about knife crime and youth violence. A squad plagued with absentees due to Afcon, injuries and Covid presented opportunities to fringe players such as Cedric and Holding. As well as a rare start for the highly-rated midfielder Charlie Patino. The first half was one to forget. A lack of urgency, grit and creativity was evident from the get-go. The Gunners looked bereft of ideas, and this was highlighted by Arsenal’s carelessness in possession. All players were guilty of this but none more so than Holding and Tavares. Subsequently, in the 34 th minute, Arteta had seen enough, demonstrating his ruthless streak by hooking Tavares off for Kiernan Tierney. This change...

A free-flowing play from the hosts saw them dissect Manchester City in the opening 10 minutes, as they did multiple times throughout the first half, but ended with Martin Odegaard falling to the ground under a tackle from Ederson. The movement of the ball suggested that the City goalkeeper made connection with it, and official Stuart Attwell brushed down Arsenal's claims. Replays of the incident, however, obviously demonstrate Ederson coming into contact with Odegaard before the ball. VAR Despite the obvious mistake, Jarred Gillett looked at the situation and opted to stick with the ruling.   Arsenal seized the lead in the first half thanks to Bukayo Saka's fourth goal in three Premier League outings. They built on their early dominance with a strike straight out of the leaders' handbook, with Ben White regaining control and launching a quick attack that finished when Kieran Tierney slipped a pass measured precisely for Saka to shoot into the bottom corner. It was only ...

  Arsenal lined up against Leeds with a team consisting mainly of bit part players and those who have rarely been able to get minutes. And it’s understandable, given how important results in the premier league are compared to the EFL cup. So it was a big surprise to see their most expensive summer signing ‘White’ and their new number 10 ‘Smith Rowe’ feature in what is a relatively unimportant match. The Gunners boss returned back to his trusted 4-2-3-1 formation with Leno, Cedric , Holding and Kolasinac joining White in defence. Elneny and Maitland-Nile sat in the pivot, with Pepe, Martinelli and Nketiah joining ESR upfront. The reds failed to create any clear cut opportunities and it was very evident early on that this was a team that hadn't played much together. There was a lack of cohesion and understanding on the pitch, with the front 3 failing to combine well or create any clear cut chances. In fact, the first big chance of the game fell to Leeds when Harrison volleyed a vicio...