By Bulldog Drummond
Looking at Arsenal, as we have noted throughout this season, the away form is key to taking us up the league (not least on the grounds that it would be hard to improve on last season’s home form). If we can beat Brighton, that will take us to five away wins – more than the whole of last season, and thus a significant sign of real progress.
And here’s another goodie which comes from our away form this season… we might not win every away game but we score two in each and every away game in the Premier League
| Date | Game | Res | Score |
| 18 Aug 2018 | Chelsea v Arsenal | L | 3-2 |
| 02 Sep 2018 | Cardiff City v Arsenal | W | 2-3 |
| 15 Sep 2018 | Newcastle United v Arsenal | W | 1-2 |
| 07 Oct 2018 | Fulham v Arsenal | W | 1-5 |
| 28 Oct 2018 | Crystal Palace v Arsenal | D | 2-2 |
| 25 Nov 2018 | AFC Bournemouth v Arsenal | W | 1-2 |
| 05 Dec 2018 | Manchester United v Arsenal | D | 2-2 |
| 16 Dec 2018 | Southampton v Arsenal | L | 3-2 |
One more game with us scoring two or more apparently would be a record in the PL in terms of consecutive away games scoring two or more goals.
Other factoids are that we rarely lose on Boxing Day, and that for the most part we score in the second half.
Mr Emery said, “Brighton is the same, a very tough match physically, very organised and, like with Burnley, a very good coach who is working very well.
“It is a challenge and I respect those teams a lot because they also have good players. They decide to do a line-up with physical players with a lot of crosses for the strikers for heading in our box.
And…here’s another one: after 31 Premier League games Thierry Henry had scored 17 goals. Aubameyang has scored 22 goals after 31 games. He is, as we may already have mentioned in passing, the top scorer in the League this season.
So let’s try a possible line up, this one comes from Goal.com
Leno
Lichtsteiner Sokraitis Koscielny Kolasinac
Torreira Xhaka
Ramsey Ozil Iwobi
Aubameyang
This leaves out Lacazette and includes Ramsey – who in some quarters is said to be about to be transferred to Italy (although which club depends on which report you read).
Here’s a different approach…
Leno
Lichtsteiner Sokratis Koscielny Kolasinac
Xhaka Torreira Guendouzi
Ozil
Lacazette Aubameyang
I suspect the team is going to be one of those or a combination.
On the subject of Koscielny and Guendouzi the manager said,
“I was speaking with Koscielny about the possibility for him to play against Burnley and he said: ‘Not today’ – because he was very tired after two matches in a week and I decided for him not to be with the group. Koscielny said: ‘I’m not Mattéo! Mattéo is 19 and I’m 33 years old!’
“I am very happy with Mattéo and he is improving a lot. He gives a lot of moments with the combinations, the quality and the possibility to play with our style. He needs to continue his progress with us but I think he’s very young.”
Here’s the league table…
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 7 | 32 | 48 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 50 | 13 | 37 | 44 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 18 | 19 | 42 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 15 | 20 | 37 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 37 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 30 | 4 | 29 |
A win for us and defeat for Chelsea would do rather nicely. And indeed overall by this stage in the season to be just four goals behind Chelsea in terms of goal difference is not too bad at all.
From the first game of GameDay 19, we have Fulham v Wolves. Our own Callum Chambers started I believe.
At 34m, Seiss (Saiss?) of Wolves needs a treatment, I am going to suspect Chambers was the Fulham player.
At 44m (10m later), there appears to be some handbags between Chambers and Seiss, both get yellows.
My Stats (possible) Outliers at end of GameDay 18
Referee: Martin Atkinson leads on most treatments “managed”, most minutes of time teams had to play short-handed due to treatments, and number of substitutions needed by teams because of treatments.
Caution: Liverpool is definitely an outlier, with a Caution of 532 man-minutes as compared to 2nd, 3rd and 4th places of Newcastle (801), Man$ity (805) and Wolves (805). ManU is a possible outlier at the other end at 1538 man-minutes. Brighton and Arsenal are at 1416 and 1406 respectively. Huddersfield close at 1387. We then have a gap of 100 to where the “pack” is.
Treatment: Watford has only needed 6 treatments, resulting in them having to play short handed for 14 minutes and not needing to use any substitutes. Cardiff is at the other end having needed treatment 31 times and having to play short-handed for 63 minutes. They have needed substitutions 8 times from treatments. Brighton is close to that in terms of short-handed minutes AND substitutions.
Inverse Treatments: Leicester is possibly an outlier in only having inflicted treatment 9 times, causing opposition to play short handed for 14 minutes (lowest) and only required 1 substitution (joint lowest). The Spuds have inflicted the most treatments on opposition at 23. CPalace and StateAid have inflicted the most minutes of short-handed play at 56 and 55 respectively. Interestingly Burnley at the Leicester end of things, is at 46 minutes short-handed. Spuds are tied with a bunch of teams on most substitutions from treatments at 7.
I’ll go for the last one of those above two starts i.e.
4-3-1-2 formation Arsenal starts for Brighton.
Starts:
Lichtsteiner Koscielny Sokratis Kolasinac;
Xhaka Torreira Guendouzi;
Ozil;
Lacazette Aubameyang.
Bench:
Cech Jenkinson Medley Elneny Ramsey Iwobi Nkethia.
This is the Arsenal killer beast match starts and bench on the day halfway into this season’s campaign in the PL that will swallow up Brighton in the game. But if Emery accepted to go along with us to have the above 18 as his match day squad for the match. And adopt our starting XI to start the match with my bench adopted also by him for the match if possible.
I believe the above 4-3-1-2 formation Arsenal starts and the 7 man Gunners that I have on the bench can beat Brighton 0-4 @FT + the added time in today’s Christmas Boxing Day match taking place at the Amex Stadium between Brighton and Arsenal this evening.
Approaching half time in the Spuds game. There has only been 2 fouls in the game, both to Bournemouth. There has been one treatment, inflicted by the Spuds. No cards. Chris Kavanagh is the referee.
Fishy, fishy.
—
Caution data. Liverpool is about 2.6 standard deviations off the median (1110 man-minutes). That’s an awfully big gap to 2nd at 801 man-minutes.
—
The numbers for our game. Brighton and Arsenal almost the same on man-minutes of Caution, are tied on treatments required, and almost tied on treatments inflicted (I think 3 of our “inflictions” were in fact self-inflicted, so we would be tied on inflictions as well).
COYG!
Early second half in the Spuds game. Foul count now reads none by the Spuds and 3 to Bournemouth. The third foul resulted in a yellow to Bournemouth. One minute before that, the player that the Spuds inflicted a treatment on, they inflicted another treatment on the same player. Manager was forced to substitute him.
Kicked him off the park, and not even a foul.
—
Arsenal.com now in game mode, lineups to be announced very soon.
COYG!
From LiveScore:
Leno
Lightsteiner Sokratis Koscielny Kolasinac
Torreira Xhaka Guendouzi
Ozil
PEA Lacazette
Beach: Cech Elneny Ramsey Maitland-Niles Iobi Nketiah Willock
Which looks like the second lineup to me.
COYG!
Now 70 minutes into Spuds game, and they have still not committed any fouls. Still just the 2 treatments to Bournemouth players.
At 73 minutes, kavanagh finally sees a foul by the Spuds.
How does the dirtiest team in the league (inflicting 23 treatments on opposition before this game and 2 during this game), getting 29 minutes of game time when their opposition is playing short-handed, and having forced opposition into 7 substitutions by inflicting those treatments) manage to play 73 minutes of a game before the referee notices a foul?
live match report is online