By Tony Attwood
- “Spurs were unhinged” The Guardian, and the Bournemouth game
- Arsenal v Bournemouth. Arsenal’s amazing 44 goals in 13 games, and a desire for a refund
The BBC tell us that Jurrien Timber is available to make his return from a serious knee injury, against Bournemouth, having been unavailable all season, although we understand he has played with the under 21s or under 18s or both.
Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez serves the second game of a three-match ban.
In the match between the two clubs earlier this season Arsenal won 4-0 with goals from Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Ben White. We will be looking forward to more of the same – while avoiding Bournemouth’s pesky tricks such as putting five men on one side of the centre circle for kick off, and then kicking off the other way.
If Arsenal win, as obviously we hope they will, that will leave the club just one win short of the record for the most home wins in a season.
And we might spare a moment to look at a couple of interesting seasons in the past when compared to this one… One more win in any of the three remaining games will obviously give Arsenal 26 wins, which is the record. Two wins in the three games remaining will give the club the all-time record. However Manchester City have won 24 and have four games to go. so it is possible that both clubs could end up with 28 wins.
However Manchester City would then win the league by having two more draws than Arsenal. We could also compare this season with 2005.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 38 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 72 | 15 | 57 | 95 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 87 | 36 | 51 | 83 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 22 | 11 | 5 | 58 | 26 | 32 | 77 |
| 4 | Everton | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 45 | 46 | -1 | 61 |
2005 was considered one of our great seasons, but we are ahead of that campaign after 35 games in terms of wins, goals scored, lower goals conceded and points.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal2024 | 35 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 85 | 28 | 57 | 80 |
| 2 | Arsenal 2005 | 35 | 23 | 8 | 4 | 76 | 33 | 43 | 77 |
Arsenal have scored 85 goals this season (and urgently need a centre forward according to the dopey media). But in 2005 when we were behind with only 76 goals, after 35 games in the last three games Arsenal went on a goal scoring run with three against Liverpool seven against Everton and one against Birmingham City. That’s what we need to keep the rain off in the last three games of this season.
Incidentally, the highly desrespected Kai Havertz has been directly involved in 13 goals across his last 11 Premier League appearances, matching his tally for his previous 58 games.
But people find it hard to see tactics and possibilities, as when Just Arsenal said, “The consensus in the summer was that Arsenal had overpaid for a Chelsea flop, a player who after years of trying had yet to settle into English football.
“The price tag surprised many but the wages he was given remain shocking. His agent deserves a pay raise for negotiating his client to become one of the highest paid employees in our history. Some of my peers suggest a fan shouldn’t concern themselves with salaries, but many did when it came to the likes of Ozil?
“Wasn’t the excuse for finishing 8th and 5th that the current regime had to offload deadwood who had been over paid?”
Ah well, never mind.
Bournemouth are having a record-breaking season, so let’s see who we might put out to play them.
The Standard goes with
Raya;
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko;
Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice;
Saka, Havertz, Trossard
Sporting News offers
Raya
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu
Odegaard, Partey, Rice
Saka, Havertz, Trossard.
Pain in the Arsenal has the same. The table reads
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 35 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 85 | 28 | 57 | 80 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 82 | 32 | 50 | 79 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 35 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 77 | 36 | 41 | 75 |
- Arsenal v Bournemouth; the history, the referee, the fouls, the cards
- Arsenal and Bournemouth, Bournemouth’s ability to foul without getting a card
Studs up challenge on Saka…blood drawn…no card.
‘Mark Travers definitely pulled out of the challenge’…no he didn’t! Yes, Havertz waited for the contact and went down easily…but the commentators were sooooo anti-Havertz!…Never said anything about the knee high challenge that left blood all over Saka…you can’t make this up.
1-0 to the Arsenal!
Exciting matchup ahead for Arsenal against Bournemouth! 🙌⚽ Hoping for another stellar performance from the team. Let’s go Gunners! 🔴⚪ #Arsenal #COYG
There was a on Raya, but I think Saliba was tugging on a shirt also.
We should have been 3 or 4 -0 up at half time. We wasted a lot of chances. How on earth VAR didn’t call the ref for the red card foul on Saka after 10 minutes is beyond me…. studs op just under the knee…. VAR trying to undermine the decisions from the ref with the penalty on Havertz, trying to find an angle where there would be no contact to be seen but couldn’t find one. Keeper came with an outstretched leg and Havertz made sure contact was made. The not given Bournemouth goal if the ref thought it was a foul on Raya he should have blown immediately. That is a number one rule as a ref that I have learned in my days: foul on the keeper, stop the game as that way there will be no arguments after that.
Rice what a player… the way he won the ball for out second goal when he was second favourite to win it… and then that spinning assist towards Leandro who once again showed that you can’t give him an open goal to aim at….
For the third goal… what a run from Rice from his own half to run in to the penalty area (well picked out by Jesus) and then smash it in to make it 3-0…. 110M a bargain…
Raya is now sure to win the golden glove with almost a clean sheet in half his matches…. congratulations David! (and his defenders!)