We are.....

Nice little 4-0 in The Cup (good to have Podolski back) and now to concentrate on our place at the top - keep on winning, we stay there! Southampton at their place up next - we can do it, come on Arsenal!

Watched Osil in this game, he gets through a lot of work all over the pitch.
His pass for the first goal was magic.
As you say, nice to see Podolski playing, I think he can make a major contribution for the rest of the season.

A hugely disappointing performance at Southampton. Outplayed for much of the first half we turned things around after half time with two well-taken goals then fell back to old ways for the equaliser - nobody picked up a run from deep and the runner was alone in front of goal to score from the cut-back - piss-poor defending, from midfield!
Overall I'd say the conditions didn't suit us, an extremely heavy, rain-sodden pitch meant our passing game wasn't up to much and the Saints were better physically to cope. Koscielny stood out as our best player by far, never letting the conditions put him off his game. Flamini dived in two-footed - his feet were low, he won the ball but, even in those conditions you just can't dive in so the red card was obvious. That means we're probably without his services for three (or more?) games, Ramsey has had a set-back so we'll not be seeing him for the next couple of weeks - it all looks a bit worrying, eh?
We might be in third place by tonight - shame, I enjoyed being No.1 - still, there's plenty left in the season and, hopefully, we'll recover (in all senses of the word) from last night.

Not a good performance but others have and will struggle against the Saints.
It's not the end of the world, though an act of stupidity by Flamini leaves us a bit short just as a run of tough fixtures is round the corner.

Oh well, Tottingham did as well as expected, losing by just the odd 5-1 at home to Citeh, whereas Chelsea are a bundle of laughs with a 0-0- at home to West Ham (well done you Hammers) so we're second, not third as I'd expected.
Given that I trust we'll rebound with a proper performance against Palace on Sunday and Citeh are playing Chelsea there's a chance we'll not be far from OUR position at the end of next weekend's matches, eh? Let's hope the lads are up for it come wind or rain, Hell or high water - come on Arsenal!

We're certainly dealing with the lesser opposition much better this season.
Now the bigger games are on the way, I wish we did not have so many injuries but there it is, we need to give our all.
Come on you Gunners!!!!!

Oh yes and now that The Special One has proved that he is The God Of Football and that Citeh are not The Best Team On The Planet (who on Earth said that, I wonder.......) we can relax until next weekend at the top of the league again. Ah, 'tis nice up here. Three points at Anfield next Saturday followed by another three at home to ManU in midweek will ensure that's where we'll stay, eh? Come on Arsenal!

We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes and not a whole lot better thereafter TBH. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, being on top. Liverpool were first to everything the whole game and, in truth we rarely got started. OK, I'd expect us to beat ManU this coming Wednesday and wouldn't be surprised if we knocked Liverpool out of the cup but I don't see a team losing 6-3 and 5-1 having any hope of finishing on top of the pile - shame, but there we are.

I never heard or saw the game just fell over when I saw the result on Saturday evening. I fancied us to do Liverpool. Still, that's football and it's turned up some strange results this season.

Seriously Big Match tonight. It would have been anyway and we owe them one for the loss at Old Trafford but, following Saturday's debacle a win is, for me a must. A big win would be even better. Given that Chelski have shown they can be erratic too, winning at Citeh but failing to win at WBA a win would also put us back on top and I so like it up there - so, come on Arsenal!

How disappointing. A poor Man utd side and we could not take them.
Our midfield looks so lightweight and so pedestrian and loses possession far too often.
Wall pass after wall pass failed because of poor close control. Maybe we should realise that the percentage of success, playing the same passes and failing time again, might warrant a change of tactics occasionally.
Giroud is right out of form, so we're playing with no centre forward, just can't see where the goals are going to come from but we've known for months that we were short in that position. A sharp striker would have scored tonight.
So onward, our squad is looking very thin now. Our midfield better set about their work against Liverpool or we will struggle against their pace and movement, again.
Come on you Gunners !!!!!

Yes, very flat. TBH I expected more. Giroud puts himself about but was way off the pace - we should expect to bury a ManU in present condition, we didn't, which probably means we are out of condition.
Liverpool in The Cup. Well, no need for motivation, go out there and prove that you are the business - come on Arsenal!

A cracking cup-tie, plenty of action and we got through to the QF's which is nice, a bit of a boost before we meet The Germans on Wednesday in a CL tie that we cannot possibly survive (which is also a bit nice i.e. nowt to lose). Come on Arsenal, let's have a go at the impossible!

Yes a good win against Liverpool and hopefully we can do for the other half of Merseyside in the quarter final.
As for the Krauts on Wednesday, we can but give our all.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jpr60 wrote:We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes and not a whole lot better thereafter TBH. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, being on top. Liverpool were first to everything the whole game and, in truth we rarely got started. OK, I'd expect us to beat ManU this coming Wednesday and wouldn't be surprised if we knocked Liverpool out of the cup but I don't see a team losing 6-3 and 5-1 having any hope of finishing on top of the pile - shame, but there we are.

Didn't United win the league in a season when Newcastle and Southampton put 5 and 6 past them..

ADRIAN_1976 wrote:

jpr60 wrote:We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes and not a whole lot better thereafter TBH. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, being on top. Liverpool were first to everything the whole game and, in truth we rarely got started. OK, I'd expect us to beat ManU this coming Wednesday and wouldn't be surprised if we knocked Liverpool out of the cup but I don't see a team losing 6-3 and 5-1 having any hope of finishing on top of the pile - shame, but there we are.

Didn't United win the league in a season when Newcastle and Southampton put 5 and 6 past them..

You've got a point there, Ades.

Meanwhile "the impossible" became a touch more impossible last night. The game was going well, pretty even and interesting then we don't score from the penalty spot and the player giving away the pen receives a yellow card, despite Ozil being free on goal had he not been pulled back. Then Szczesny, our goalkeeper (thus the last line of defence) goes for a ball with Robben, Robben gets the ball first, Szczesny collides with Robben, who is clearly badly injured (to judge by his behaviour) and the ref rightly awards a penalty but then shows a red card to the keeper. Now, doesn't the keeper have the right to challenge for a ball? Someone had to get to the ball first. If Szczney had reached the ball first would Robben have been red-carded? I doubt it. Anyway, that's what happened, we were down to ten men, having passed up the chance of being 1-0 in front from the penalty spot and, despite Bayer also being crap at penalties it all went downhill from there. Two good, well-taken goals - no argument there, the best team won but would they have been so much "the best team" if we'd have been allowed to play with eleven too?
3-0 to The Arsenal in Germany then, eh?

Meanwhile, back to the Premier League and a chance to consolidate - Sunderland are coming and we really do need a convincing performance/win to set us back on track. It doesn't matter who plays IMO, just get out there and play for the club - come on Arsenal!

And that will do nicely! An excellent performance and some goals to help the "Goal Difference" column - a couple of really good'ns too, Giroud's first and Rosicky's. Good to see The Arsenal playing well, better than your Chelskis and Citehs, although they both keep sneaking wins!
Still, onwards and upwards - Stoke next. Now there's a place to go and get a good result, eh?

Yes, a good victory after the bitterly disappointing defeat in midweek.
Two goals from Olivier, who likes a nice pair, apparantly.
Excellent build up and finish for the Rosicky goal.
I hadn't realised that the game was live on TV here yesterday, so decided to take the Duchess out to lunch.
I will be more careful in the future.
Come on you Gunners !!!!!

I suppose we have to accept that "top-of-the-league" stuff is over for this season - still, nice while it lasted. The FA Cup is what we can still hope to succeed in this time around but let's hope we can collectively pull our socks up - today was a bit poor (although I thought we'd win it right up to the end - daft, eh?) and we've got the Germans to handle next. We do need a touch of oomph to get us through, who will provide it?

We just don't have a squad strong enough to fight on so many fronts.

Yep, another of Wenger's failings. Failing to recruit the players that you so obviously need. Season after season, it's always the same. I can see why the Arsenal fans are getting pissed off with him.

I'm happy, we've had a once in a lifetime team with the Invincibles, since then we've hardly plumbed the depths.
Our squad this season is markedly better than last and we've been unlucky to have some real long term injuries, while fighting on many fronts.
We're almost there, a bit more physicality and a top flight striker will surely be signed this summer and then we will get among the trophies again.

Haven't people been saying similar things for years now though? Players leave and adequate replacements don't come in, let alone the extra players you need to be properly competitive.