For the second time running, Arsenal youngsters in a midweek cup competition with less pressure on the outcome and more freedom from the manager than our full strength ever gets in the league dazzled the Emirates and romped their Belgian counterparts on way to a resounding 4-0 victory.
Bellerin started for the first time this season and got the honor to captain the side as well. His reputation seems to have become legendary at Arsenal during his injury, something that has been our tradition. Holding also continued his comeback alongside Mustafi who now has registered three clean sheets on the bounce. What would Luiz and Sokratis give to get one!
Tierney put out another impressive display of full back with his desire to drive forward from both wide and inside positions which was very good to see. His direct approach and ability to combine well with Nelson gave nightmares to Standard Liege RB, who later took out his frustration on 18 year-old Gabriel Martinelli, after getting left for dead for the umpteenth time by the man who really stole the show on the night.
Man on a mission
Before the game Unai Emery publicly said that he does not see Martinelli’s future as center forward and if he is to really develop he should be playing out on either right or left. But playing again as a center forward last night, he looked like a man on a mission to prove that verdict wrong. Because he did not only scored 2 but the manner in which he scored the goals can only be attributed to a center forward with sharp sense of the movement off the ball, willingness to attack it and then knowing where the goal is to finish it.
Martinelli’s energy and movement created havoc in Standard Liege’s defense and the way he waited and then sneaked past his defender to meet the cross of Tierney for his first goal was something that we have not seen Emirates for a while. Two minutes later, Martinelli had his second when he showed composure and eye for goal to curl the ball into the bottom corner of the net and with it he became the youngest Arsenal player to score 2 or more goals in a European game. He was so good that it was surprising how he didn’t end up with his hat-trick.
Ceballos also added another impressive outing to his loan spell which saw him score his first Arsenal goal and move one step closer to a successful Real Madrid return. But what was key here was his pairing with Torreira. For first time this decision Ceballos played as a true box to box midfielder sitting alongside a defensive midfielder and it gave Arsenal a kind of balance that we have been seen missing this season. Will it be continued in league is quite another matter.
Willock is slowly becoming a fixture in the first team and tonight would have done no damage to his continued push towards more first team football in league. He took his goal well and it seems like he is slowly adding more and more arsenal to his game which is taking him closer to become the Gunner we let go for free in the summer.
At the end, Arsenal has maximum points on offer from their first 2 games in Europa and seem to be cruising. Young talent is bursting at the seams and Unai Emery keeps winning or drawing. Ozil controversy? What controversy?
Good job again Omair. I think your last paragraph is the most telling. That was the same scenario up to January of this year. 22 games unbeaten and both mainstream and social media were like: “Ozil controversy? What controversy?” Add Rambo to that quote.
Last season when Unai Emery’s ship hit the rocks and had no choice did he integrated Ramsey and Ozil in the team. I wonder how long before that happens. Because anyone can see that we can’t go very far relying on Aubameyang alone.
“Yes. It was in the end. There was a lot of confusion and a lot of things were up in the air. The decision was made and that was the situation, so I had to look at other options.”
Ramsey confirming what we all knew in an interview on the BBC.
Grand Daddy Raul Montana has been costing the Arsenal league places and worse so far. How long did he last at Barca and was it only the court case that allowed them to get rid? How did he end up at AFC?
How long will it continue?
As long as the Kronkes’ want it to.
Even better thing is that we replaced Ramsey with a loan signing who is more eager to perform well in order to go back rather than have a long term future at Arsenal.
I think that Arsenal board did well for so many years by not letting themselves being affected by the opinion of the fans, only to then just surrender.
I think UE used his second “get out of jail “card last night.
Whilst the fans bask in the sunlight of a good win by our reserve,s out came his knife attack against Ozil to imply that he did not deserve to play in that game.
BY the way, yesterday was the ciourt hearing for the 2 thugs who attacked Ozil and Kolasnik.
A more chritable coach (like for example AW, apologies for mentiong his name in a positive light) might very well have said that he did not play because of that, but he felt the need to add insult to injury by making that disgraceful comment.
He knows perfectly well how many fans feel and how he is being pilloried by many of them and by many bloggists, so he thinks that he can deflect the criticism of him but making this insult against our best player and a World Cup winner.
It has always been my understanding that when a party to an argument or dispute has no real arguments then he starts to insult.
I dare say this wil not be the last from him..
All it does is contue to highlight his insuitablity to be our coach/manager.
I completely second you point.
One of the best thing about Arsenal over the years has been our value. We treat our players well, cherish them and stand up for them. But now that Arsenal has all but died. New Arsenal is selfish, throws his players under the bus, humiliates them in public, insults them, try to force them out of the club by every means possible, being arrogant about it and basically telling lies on our faces.
We accused Germany of so many things when they treated Ozil shit and now we are basically doing the same thing. Unai Emery clearly has some personal agenda against Ozil and in the process he is not even disrespecting him but also hurting Arsenal because any idiot can see that Arsenal are better with Ozil than without him.
We as fans should take care of our values and cast anyone aside who refuse to uphold them and right now frankly, Unai Emery is abusing them!
Good write up! Only got to watch the 2nd half…the team looked good.
I don’t think that Emery is giving them freedom, I think they just can’t help it but play like this. They have not been coached down by him long enough. He recently said that Chambers did not listen to his instructions…keep it up Chambers!
What was concerning was bringing on Auba?! When we were 4 up?! Can anyone explain that?
Maybe Paul he thought, we needed 5th goal to be sure?
I do agree that this is the group who has more Freddie imprinted on them then Unai Emery but still I feel his selections and tactics have been more free and attacking than what we have seen in League. I would call his league version coward and scared and this more expressive and with freedom to explore without the scare of failure.
Sorry for the late reply, bro. especially seeing there is more to complain about after today’s match. But yeh, it’s possible that he is not so much concerned about the cups so he loosens up a bit. If that’s the case we all know he needs to it across the board. I can’t believe he has the nerve to call out Ozil when we have to watch this crap…talk about Nerve.
There are still many Gooners, some of them are my friends, who believe our club, unlike any who have enjoyed sustained success at the top level, can succeed without its best player, who believe that running around from box-to-box is a substitute for creating chances and that playing poorly but gaining points is a long term formula. Apparently there are many who have taken Wenger’s success for granted thinking it must have been easy to make Arsenal a top-3/top-4 contender for 20 years while most of the time having to sell our best players.
We are seeing history repeat itself. Like many big clubs before, Arsenal is dismantling the foundations of prior success. This is is the surest way to head for mid-table and lower.
For me it’s hard to imagine from which peak of logical thinking they have come to this conclusion. The idea to replace a quality player with poor substitute for freeing up money and thinking that while doing this they will continue to be the team that they were is just nonsensical. We are already worse than the worst Arsene Wenger period and people are calling it progress. Wake up before shit hits the fan!
Shotta at 715
I really wonder which kind of fans are their who still see Emery is the right man to manage Arsenal.
Must be those WOBS who led the cause of removing Wenger .
Infact these idiots are the real culprits who have destroyed Arsenal and they still think they are on the right side of history.
Let them bite the dust .They will soon find out that removing Wenger was the biggest mistake of thier lifetime .
With Grand Daddy Raul’s support and Uncle Josh’s millions being cycled through the Raul’s transfer tumble dryer. With Utd and Tottenham managed by poor or inexperienced coaches respectively, and with poor self serving mismanagement of their squads by those upstairs, Unai will never have a better chance of getting the club in fourth. Behind Leicester.
Apart from the chances he had in the last third of last season.
I have watched games with United, Spurs, Leicester and West Ham this week and based on sheer talent available to Emery, there is no reason Arsenal can’t make top-4. Feel free to disagree.