Gooners: Start your engines! Arsenal is 7th in the table. The race for top-10 has truly begun.
After our last game prior to the international break, when Arsenal was not merely defeated but outclassed by Leicester, yours truly (and Blackburn George) predicted that on current form Arsenal is likely to come 10th in the Premier League unless the club hierarchy make a change in management.
After today’s 2-2 draw with 19th place Southampton, not only is this prediction looking more likely than ever but hopes being spread by the club management and their PR agents for a bounce in points against the likes of Norwich, Brighton and West Ham before facing Man City at home on December 15th is receding fast like the winter sun.
Team selection
In his match preview, my colleague Shard predicted that Emery would emphasize Southampton’s quality or lack thereof, i.e. #Respectball, and his team selection did not surprise. Five at the back with a double pivot of Guendouzi and Torreira. operating behind Ozil and a forward line of Auameyamg and Lacazette.
There was instant concern on Twitter:
Are we really playing 5 defenders at home to 19th place Southampton?
— Dark Kimmel (@Fattcheeked) November 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/adithyadesign/status/1198246822122344449
https://twitter.com/LaboGoon/status/1198247752062439425
But there were optimistic voices:
I know lots of @Arsenal fans are worried about where we will finish this season, but worrying about playing Southampton at the Emirates today is a bit ridiculous. Southampton are absolutely woeful and Arsenal always beat them in London. Today should be an easy win? #AFC #ARSSOU
— PAUL McG AFC ☘️?⚪ (@Afcpmg) November 23, 2019
Today I am expecting and hoping for a more attacking approach from Emery, he doesn't want to get the sack so I'm guessing he is going to try to change his ways a little, decent line up #coyg
— gooner Randall (@ianrandall7) November 23, 2019
1st Half Highlights
Both sides started briskly. It was remarkable the confidence shown by Soton, a team that was trashed 9-0 by Leicester two games before and against whom Arsenal was more competitive ending with a more respectable scoreline. Such were their cheek, they took a very quick free kick in the 7th minute, deep in the Arsenal half and Bertrand found Ings who slotted it in past Leno’s despairing dive. Ten minutes later Arsenal equalized when Lacazette shot high and hard after a rebound from a strike by Aubameyang.
The half finished 1-1 to mixed reactions by the fans:
Could of been worse I guess…
What’s clear is the standard of our football has detoriated incredibly, no matter who starts.
Seems a mess, players constantly out of position.
Just need 3pts at this stage because still hoping for good football is a bit naive. #Arsenal ?⚪️
— GöönerChris (@chrisgoona) November 23, 2019
Not sure why people are booing and moaning, this is one of our better performances. Not very good mind, but it's been worse.
— Positively Granit (Blackburn George) (@arseblagger) November 23, 2019
But the statistics made grim reading:
Halftime stats:
Arsenal: 2 Chances Created.
19th placed Southampton: 9 Chances Created.
At the Emirates. Sack him before he gets rushed by Highbury roadmen @Arsenal https://t.co/Ql26ZZ9nfG
— ∞ (@TheFalseNein) November 23, 2019
When Arsenal can only create one chance in the whole half, at home, against 19th placed Southampton, you have to say things are fundamentally broken.
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) November 23, 2019
Notably the half ended with audible boos from the Arsenal fans directed at their team. What should be most alarming to the club hierarchy was the hundreds of empty seats clearly visible to the world including the sponsors and the broadcasters. When many fans don’t care about showing up and those in attendance are audibly dissatisfied this is ominous. It not only affects the atmosphere during games, it eventually bleeds gate revenues and impacts future and existing sponsors. This is ultimately what is most important to the Kroenke family, especially Stan and Josh.
2nd Half Highlights
The half started with Emery making a tactical change substituting Chambers for Pepe and converting from his patently negative setup at the start to a more attacking 4-2-3-1. It did seem to make Arsenal more cohesive and progressive. There was a flurry of attacks by the Gunners at the start with one attempt by Aubameyang in the 50th minute kicked wide by the keeper. A 52nd minute counter attack led by Pepe left him clear on goal but had him passing when it seemed he would been better served shooting. Two minutes later in the penalty area the Ivorian volleyed a cross unto the frame of the goal. It was not be his day.
Accordingly the mood on twitter perked up:
Arsenal looking so much more threatening with Ozil, Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette all on the pitch together. Should have scored three in 10 minutes since half-time.
— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) November 23, 2019
But Arsenal only flattered to deceive. In the 71st minute, Tierney who had been having a good game to this point, conceded a penalty when he grabbed the arm of Ings who was shaping to latch unto a cross. Soft but we have seen them given. Leno saved Ward-Prowse’s spot kick but the Englishman bundled in the rebound. All hell broke loose in the stadium and the Arsenalsphere at the spectre of defeat.
In the 82nd minute Emery, who by this time was looking a sad, lonely disconsolate figure on the sidelines made his final throw of the dice; swapping Torreira for Willock and Martinelli for Bellerin. In the 87th minute Soton simply fumbled a nailed on chance for a 3rd as Willock saved on the line from Moussa Djnepo. Then in the 91st minute Tierney blocks a goal bound shot in the six yard box from Sofiani Boufal. One minute later the clearly inept Djnepo steers a cutback from Boufal wide of goal, again from six yards away. In football you pay for being profligate. In the 95th minute Martinelli crosses unerringly for Lacazette who in the said same six-yard box makes no mistake. A point earned from the jaws of defeat.
Fans disappointed by a comeback
In 14 years of supporting Arsenal I have never met an equalizer met with so much disappointment by Arsenal fans. The booing in the Emirates was loud and incessant.
The tweets speak for themselves:
https://twitter.com/PR_WhoRu/status/1198284579335032832
Never ever seen anything like that in my life. The players, the crowd…..all gutted because we equalised https://t.co/XItOTkbzMY
— Neil Brooks (@NeilBrooksAFC) November 23, 2019
Incredible that Southampton haven't won that. Arsenal utterly abject again.
21 shots for Southampton, 12 for Arsenal.
Absolutely awful.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) November 23, 2019
SACK HIM NOW FFS
— PB (@OliPriceBates) November 23, 2019
‘Sacked in the morning’ chants in the stand. That’s all I want now
— Spanish Gooner (@elspanishgooner) November 23, 2019
#Emery has to be sacked. He HAS to be. Nothing about this is redeemable or worth backing further because it “can be turned around.” Tough decisions need to be made & this isn’t even a difficult one. 18 months of tangible, empirical proof that he needs to go. End of. #AFC #ARSSOU
— ꀸꋪꍟꅏ (@GeecheeKid) November 23, 2019
Fucking pathetic. Top 4 is absolutely fucking gone because Sanllehi and Edu are pussies and Emery is a cowardly piece of shit who needs to jump off a cliff.
— Ryan (@RyanMKIV) November 23, 2019
Emery isn't up to standard but we already knew that. Every week Sanllehi, Vinai and the Arsenal hierarchy let this continue – they are to blame.
Get him gone and start fresh with new ideas. Wasting six months of this season would be pure negligence.
— Phil Costa (@_PhilCosta) November 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/arseblog/status/1198284853457895424
Dear Arsenal. Sack Emery and sack that cunts Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham. All three enemy's of The Arsenal. SACK SACK FUCKING SACK THE CUNTS
— Dennis Wenger (@Arsene_Bergkamp) November 23, 2019
Behold Raul, Vinai and Edu
With the fanbase in revolt inside and outside the stadium it is obvious that Emery’s time at Arsenal will soon come to a premature end. Josh, Raul, Vinai and Edu may pretend they can “ignore the noise” but the damage to Stan Kroenke’s investment is palpable. He will be demanding changes if he hasn’t done so already. Raul may be hearing the bells toll for Emery but there are thundering hoofbeats heading towards him and his minions. Not even the biggest tweeters, bloggers and YouTubers can ignore the voices of increasing number of fans who are vocal in demanding that Don Raul shit or get off the pot. The only question is how soon will the hierarchy make a change?
Are there any people left watching Arsenal matches ?
Despite having a decent squad we are heading for a bottom table finish.
Hope the Wobs at Twitter and blogtettas have learned their lesson now .
Can we ask the board to request Wenger to come back and save us from relegation .
a big worry for me is the news that life long Arsenal supporter and current Chairman of the club Sir Chips Keswick, is considering quitting the board cos he and others on it now feel that they have no say what so ever.
He and Lord Harris of Peckham recently proposed that David O’Leary, an Arsenal player for 19 years, title winner, former Captain, who managed Leeds for a few years and now works as an ambassador for AFC, be promoted onto the board so that he could advise them on football matter,
basically it would have meant someone on the board who would have the football knowledge to question the decisions of Raul, Edu, Vinny and co.
But Raul somehow had the power to veto this move. To think people used to talk about Ivan not having the power to question Arsene, but have not a single problem with Raul being able to actually stop the Board being able to question him. Its madness and instead of the bloggers and big twitter accounts being in uproar at this happening, any of them that have even bothered to mention it are all in favor of seeing Sir Chips leave. We really do have a lot of idiots in the fan base.
If true, this is very significant Eddy. Promptly posted on Twitter.
I think its Amy Lawerance that is reporting this story and if not mistaken she says they feel like they are nothing more than “figureheads” with no say what so ever in any decisions. When your Chairman and another long serving member in Lord Harris, can have their request for David O’Leary to be added to the board then it really is pointless them being on it at all. Its being rumored that Ken Friar was all in favor of the appointment too, and I do wonder if there was more to him missing yesterday’s game at the Emirates than the official line that his wife is ill.
What is the manager thinking? 18months on the job and he still cannot identify his best players, or his best setup. Emery is not stupid. He just is wrong for this league. For this country. And for Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal are now the BPL slump buster! No matter how shit the other team has been playing when they play us, they magically turn into and start playing like 2013 Barcelona!
I wasn’t and am not angry about yesterday, to have expected anything else than what we saw would of been almost delusional! I’ve been watching our games with arms folded across my chest since the Oz and Rambo BS last year.
Sack them all! Edu and his agent, Raul, Vinnie and El Molino de viento! I know that only the manager will pay for this hopefully soon, but I have no faith in that whole set up! We’ll be lucky to have 25 points by Jan01….
I still don’t get why the hierarchy, Raul most likely, are so afraid of letting Emery go. What more proof do they want that this is not working? We have reached a point of no return with him. Just sack him and be done with it
Pride? Ego? Admission of failure? Try anyone of these.
Shotts the Big Blaggers are starting to turn their guns on Raul & Co. 24 months too late & the damage done has been great but better late…
Following on from the O’Leary story and the board wanting to quit en masse in solidarity with Rambo, Koscielny, Monreal, Ozil, Xhaka (fuck me what a list, what a disaster) and from your own articles over AW’s last contract I couldn’t think of someone better other then you to write an account of this story of Raul’s bloody rise, the fights upstairs that undermined AW at the end, and spectacular incompetent now risible, humiliating & hilarious fall from grace (from hero to zero in four months?). But of course Raul doesn’t care as this parasite will just move on to another host after Barca and Arsenal.
As for the Arsenal…
You will love what George and I have to say in our podcast.Stand by.