By Walter Broeckx
Compared to the team that started against Everton we had a few changes.
Per Mertesacker took back his place in the cente of the defence. It was Joel Campbell to make his first PL start in this match in the absence of Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott.
The team that started: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Campbell, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud.
On the beach: Macey, Chambers, Debuchy, Flamini, Gibbs Gabriel, Iwobi.
Neither goalkeeper being put to work in the opening minutes. Lots of midfield play from both teams trying to pass their way around the opposition. The first real attempt of a shot on target from Monreal but it went well wide. Just on the 15 minute mark a curling effort from Joel Campbell that went just wide of the goal of Fabianski. 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Swansea with two fouls in succession and both time the ref has a word with the Swansea player. One time a big warning is enough ref. Then suddenly Gomis on his own, on side but Cech forced him out and Bellerin put the ball in to a corner. The offside trap didn’t work as Koscielny stepped up too late. Campbell with a good run but couldn’t find Bellerin with his pass and at the other end Gomis again almost away but this time Kos could block him. The match had opened up now. The ref again warning Swansea this time calling over the captain that the fouling should stop… how about pulling out a yellow card ref?
Alexis with a brilliant pass to Giroud but his first time shot went over the bar. Montero being brought down by a combined effort from Bellerin and Campbell but the ref seems to have forgotten his cards. The small wall keeps Sigurdson out and the follow up header from Shelvey goes over. Replays showed the ball went against the arm of Mertesacker but it seemed to be pulled up by his teammate in the wall and still in front of his chest. Still 0-0 after half an hour.
Montero the most dangerous man for Swansea but taking a touch too much. Arsenal not in the best period in the match in the last minutes. Campbell with a shot on the turn but direct at Fabianski so no real danger. Gomis then called back for offside if he had left it for Montero it wouldn’t have been offside. Giroud on the floor when he turned and seemed to be caught a bit late. Holding his knee… This sure sends a few shivers through my spine to be honest. Yes he was caught on the knee by the knee of a Swansea player when his foot was in the ground. Dangerous to get injured… But he seemed to able to carry on. 0-0 at half time.
Arsenal winning a few corners at the start of the second half. And third time, best time as the corner from Özil finds Giroud who heads it in towards the far post. GOAL!!!! 0-1 to The Arsenal after 48 minutes.
Cech immediately has to be on hand to stop a dangerous cross towards Ayew and then has to make another save on a Sigurdson shot. The corner again gets a dangerous situation in front of the Arsenal goal but Arsenal can clear. Alexis then trying to curl one to the far post but it goes wide. Alexis not having his best match so far this afternoon. Ayew offside but even then Arsenal could prevent them scoring ever after rounding Cech. Bellerin with the last ditch attempt that saw him hitting the post with his chest.
A yellow card against Ki for holding Giroud too long. Campbell suddenly on the left flank with a dangerous cross but Fabianski first to the ball in front of Giroud. Shelvey slipping over…. and the ref gives a foul and stops a possible Arsenal counter… WTF???? Still Arsenal 0-1 in front after 60 minutes.
Another chance for Arsenal but Alexis cannot direct his header on target after a corner for Arsenal. Ayew fouling Monreal and Arsenal have a free kick that is being blocked, the ball goes back to Arsenal a cross that loops high in the air, Fabianski comes for it under challenge of Giroud. Fabianski spills the ball and Koscielny puts it in the net much to his own surprise. And mine. Never the less GOAL!!!! 0-2 for Arsenal after 69 minutes.
My stream then going down only to see…. GOAL!!!!! Özil who else, with a low cross from the left that goes behind everyone but Campbell who scores in his PL debut match! 0-1 after 74 minutes!!! Who would have predicted this after a difficult first 45 minutes.
Arsenal midfielders then a bit too casual and Williams with a shot but Cech with the save. Montero going off for Swansea. He was most invisible in the second half. Campbell on the counter but his shot went over. Arsenal now controlling the ball and playing the ball around as in a practice match.
With 7 minutes to go Giroud comes off and Chambers comes on. Let’s keep him fit for Wednesday was on Wenger his mind I think and Campbell going off for Gibss I think. (stream problems) Alexis now up front on his own. Williams pulling Alexis down when on goal but only a yellow card for the ref. Bellerin with a low shot and a great save from Fabianski and then again on the rebound.
Özil again with two assists, going off in extra time and Iwobi making his PL debut. A difficult first half but then in the second half Arsenal mostly dominated the match an won it comfortably in the end. 0-3 after 90 minutes.
Quickest match report online! Cheers Walter! Great day out in the end…
COYG!
An excellent win and three good away points – against a team that gave us problems in recent times.
First half Swansea worked very hard to close us down, second half they found this more difficult and we gradualy took control of the match.
A good team effort and nice to see Campbell on the scoresheet.
Well done the team and manager!
So this is a team in absolute CRISIS. Everything has gone wrong because Wenger didn’t BUY BETTER.
I don’t think our league position is that bad.
WOO HOO , HOO ! Well played the boys . Not easy but stuck to the plan and were rewarded.
Nice tactics and selection ,Mr. Boss man . And congrats on the 2,000 th goal milestone , and am looking forward for the next 1,998 too !
Brilliant victory.
Five victories in a row, four of which with a three-goal margin.
Another mature display in terms that we rose our game in the second half and outclassed the opponents.
Mesut was his usual brilliant self. Nine assists to his name.
Petr is doing his job magnificently. Sixth clean sheet in eleven games.
And, what to say about our right-hand-side but: Hec and Joel, I love you both like you are my brothers.
Against Sheffield Wednesday, Wenger went with 11 players, today he had a team on the field. That was the difference. But weekends don’t get better than this: Chelsea get done at home (with Bogeyman-at-the-Bridge Klopp), ManU drop points, and the boys ride into the sun with 3 points, 3 goals and a clean sheet….all with their guns still smoking! Bayern beware! We coming for your ass!
All this from a team in crisis, like Tony just observed. Proud of this team and their manager. Looks like it is finally coming together for us and all the hard work on the team is now paying huge dividends. I believe, I am sure this team is going on a roll when the boys come back from their sabbatical in the injury list. WOBs, where art thou?
Stop celebrating guys. We are in CRISIS. I know this is true because it was all over ever newspaper this morning. We have the same number of injuries as Liverpool, so it must be a CRISIS.
Anyone see Jose’s press conference?
I have nothing to say.
Hi walter B.
Do you fancy a website stream that won’t will not give you headache?
If, as is being reported, the self-styled “special one” has received his comeuppance from Chelsea’s sugar daddy, there are timely warnings to other Clubs.
1.Excess largesse on its own will never bring sustained success.
2.Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction. 😉
Well done that team. 🙂
Campbell did very well. He rose to the occasion. Another disappointment for those who were waiting to write about the cost of Wenger not buying this or that player in summer. Another one from among the Arsenal youth recruits looking to grab his chance with both hands.
We were led to believe that Arsenal would struggle with this one and, based on last year’s form. it was logical but this is another year and a more matured and more experienced team.
Good win today!! A near full-strength side despite the fact we’re in CRISIS.
AW proved to doubting pundits that he actually knows what he’s doing.
Sometimes you need a bit of luck to support your “faith” – last year Bellerin and Coquelin came to the fore. This season Gabriel and now (hopefully) Campbell.
These younger guys are proving to be strong additions to the likes of Cech, Merts, Kos, nacho, Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis &Co.
And let’s here no more negative comments about Giroud. An ace professional who has shown excellent spirit from the bench and is now joint leading goalscorer with Alexis.
Proud to be a Gooner
COYG
Mohamed I sure could do with one… my stream stopped a few times and that is rather frustrating
Word for the weekend ‘ NOTHING ‘
I have since calmed down from my euphoria of celebrating the Gunners deserved victory over the Swans at the Liberty Stadium this evening. I am grateful to God who gave the Gunners this victory after the disappointment they had last Tuesday night at Hillsborough, Sheffield. I have now turned my focus on the Bavarian side, Bayern Munich. Who because of their Ucl game against Arsenal on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena, went ahead to play their Bundesliga game away to Eintracht Frankfurt yesterday Friday, to have an extra 1 day rest than Arsenal. I wil start plotting how Arsenal will successfully dismissed Bayern Munich in that game. I will keep fellow Gooners posted on my game plans against Bayern. Joel Campbell will get better in every game he plays for Arsenal and do well like he did today against Swansea City AFC. Campbell must keep the momentum of doing well for Arsenal in Arsenal games by focusing on improving on every aspect of his game. Good night Sirs.
I don’t know what it is but the side of me that cares for another man feels pity for Mourinho. Guess that’s the difference between arsenal n chelsea(the crisis club)
A few questions to our UA faithful:
SamuelAkinsolaAdebosin…………have you ever written less than a paragraph in commenting???
Gord and Syd………..what does NOTHING and nothing to say even mean in the context of this weekend?
CRISIS is now Arsenal’s new name…..Arsenal in CRISIS FC, playing at Emirates CRISIS stadium with Arsene CRISIS manager and 11 CRISIS players whose middle names all are CRISIS: Petr CRISIS Cech, Per CRISIS Mertesacker, etc.
Yet Chelsea have only recently entered a slightly uncertain period with Moronho and his circus performers….beaten once again by Klopp and his mighty Liverpool revenants. It would be unbelievable if it weren’t actually true!!!!
@Walter, Excellent review! It was a great 2nd half performance by the squad to secure the 3 points!
@omg, they’re referring to Jose Mourinho’s post match press conference, where his response to every question was “No”, “nothing to say”, “no”, and “don’t know”.
When asked if he was worried about his job and what can be done to fix Chelsea.
PG Moreen was so good in her ‘nothing to say’ press conference. I’m not talking – it’s too expensive!! She is feeling the pressure. Problem is she just doesn’t know how close to the truth she is!! The PGMO are bloody aweful. They are not fit for purpose nor talented enough to act like officials. Such a wonderful experience for us Gooners to be in thin air while there are 22 time champions close to tears carrying the league.
Arsenal showed so much character not just today but this whole season. I am most happy the the club is learning from mistakes and the whole squad seems lifted if you will, there is an air of confidence that was missing. We don’t rely on one player, the up and coming players seem inspired by the more experienced and talented core of the team. Honestly I don’t see a weak link in any player on the pitch. Yes, the bench isn’t as good as I would like but let’s be fair, Arsenal have overachieved , considering the circumstances, they had found themselves in and had to deal with. COYG!!!
PS: Mourinho’s post-match interview puts the icing on a delicious Saturday cake.
Rumor has it that Abrahamovic is casting about for Wenger’s phone number. He wants the “king of failure” to come and cast out the hex he put on his”special one” for his disrespectfulness to Wenger.
I have applied to serve in the committee to draft Wenger’s response and to negotiate the terms nd conditions under which Wenger may accede to the request.?
Giroud was incredibly lucky to not have his ligaments snapped as Theo did. His good fortune was that his standing foot was slightly bent, and the heel was above the ground, so the planks weren’t impeding the rotational movement induced by Montero’s kick. I don’t see any mention of an injury on arsenal.com, so I assume he’s fine. That guy is strong as a bull.
A brilliant win again, another 3 points and a clean sheet. Again I’m not surprised at all at our performance even though it’s so obvious that Alexis was not firing on all his cylinders. Another subtle PGMOb cheat was beaten today by 3 gunners goals.
Can we now do the double on Bayern M.? Why not if not.
And for Chelsea and Maureen, I SINCERELY have nothing to say. LOL
Mr Attwood, has any champion got relegated the following season before? I like to know if chel$ea are on their way to make a history.
COYG
Really liked what I saw from Campbell. He was a bit tentative, sure (we´re not talking about that abomination of a first half, where the only redeeming feature was Campbell´s curling effort, precisely. Smart shot, and the execution almost made it a goal); but he was very mobile, offered solutions to his teammates, and his defensive contributions were outstanding. His shot that made it 3-0 was very composed, too. He can be pleased with his first start for sure.
Coquelin now fully integrated to the passing game, which has seen him with some very good through passes lately, Koscielny essential as always, Cech impeccable, Bellerin just a joy to watch (Montero made him miserable at times during the 1st half, but given his quality and the rest of Hector´s game, can´t hold it against him), and Özil just unstoppable as usual. Great day for Gooners!
Florian,
Everytime Giroud scores for Arsenal, I have double celebration. One for my beloved club and the other for this foremost professional and all round great guy. I love Ollie!
Giroud’s strength and near constant availability is a factor that is often cast aside (along with his many other great qualities) by his detractors when bad-mouthing him. When we combine his well above average goal to games ratio with his excellent injury-free record, honest observers of the game must give kudos to this guy.
Congrats to Olivier Giroud for scoring the 2,000th goal in the tenure of our most beloved manager.
Bootoomee – He is also one of our best defenders from corners or deadball situations. Truly a great all round footballer. Some criticise his pace but he makes up for it by prempting situations.
Cannot but be thrilled at Mourinho’s facial expression today while fielding questions after the (mis)match with Liverpool. The man clearly had a chilli fingers stuck up his arse, by the looks on his face. The pained look on his face, the embarrassment at being in this situation, that he and his team of cheats were made to bite the dust with the referee failing to give decisions in his favour…. pure undiluted joy! He can’t manage success, he can’t handle adversity, hey, he’s even rubbish managing a big mouth…. “What is he good for? Absolutely nothing, y’all”!
I would be curious to see what instructions AW gave to the holding midfielders before the match and then at half time. They were having difficulties protecting the right side the first half of the game and the start of the second as Swansea was able to penetrate with some ease but then they started to shut them down. It could have been natural adjustments or better fitness…Did anyone see a shift of any note…my stream was not the best.
Metro has an article on one of Bellerin’s tackles. To me, there is an image in the article, perhaps it is actually a video? In any event, Gomis appears to have a 12 or 13 yard head start from the half way line, and Hector beat him.
http://metro.co.uk/2015/10/31/hector-bellerins-covering-challenge-during-swansea-v-arsenal-shows-hes-basically-the-flash-5473422/
Gord,
That was in the first half. Gomis received a defense-splitting pass that put him 10 or more yards behind our defenders and with a clear race for a one on one with Cech.
Bellerin raced after him and, by the time he Gomis had knocked the ball away from Cech’s outstretched hand and with Cech completely helpless to prevent Gomis’ follow through with a tap in, Bellerin’s TGB had arrived beside him to knock the ball out of play for a corner. Gomis was left on the floor wandering where the sweeper materialized from.
seems like SACKED
http://www.winnersports.co.uk/jose-mourinho-sacked-as-chelsea-fc-manager-after-defeat-to-liverpool-56819
Walter
Just one minor thing; all three balls that resulted in our goals started from Ozil’s boot, does that make it 3 assists then instead of 2? (Although to be fair for the second goal the ball was touched by 2 Swans players before it reached Koscielny). Also the shot fabianski made a great save to around 90 minutes was from Ozil rather than Bellerin, maybe it could have been your poor stream making it difficult for you to see who the shot came from exactly 🙂
It’s becoming clear to see why the boss didn’t send Campbell out on loan, he has been one of the best performers in the last two matches. What I particularly like is he also has a shot in him and has an eye for goal. A left footed player who can play on the right wing can be a massive asset to any team; the angle naturally favours left footed players to curl a shot in (we have seen examples of this in Robben and Costa of Bayern on the right, and Neymar being the opposite of this on the left), and the player won’t usually face the dilemma of wanting to shift the ball to his favoured foot first before taking a shot. I’m sure the goal will boost his confidence and I can see that right side becoming a potential headache for the boss when it comes to team selection very soon.
That boy Bellerin was awesome , running up and down and across and ball points in between ! The fact that the ‘fearsome ‘ Montero had to be substituted was all due to his diligent shepherding .
Took a heavy crash into the post late in the game , do hope he is okay to go on Wednesday . He is the future of Arsenal, probably an hard core AKB to boot !
Joe Hart dropped a similar clanger to Ospina’s, just waiting to see if Pellegrini gets slaughtered for picking him for that match.
And since we are on stupid asses…or how Roman came to hire The Moaning One …..again !
Once upon a time there was a king who wanted to go fishing. He called the royal weather forecaster and inquired as to the weather forecast for the next few hours. The weatherman assured him that there was no chance of rain in the coming days. So the king went fishing with his wife, the queen.
On the way he met a farmer on his donkey. Upon seeing the king the farmer said, “Your Majesty, you should return to the palace at once because in just a short time I expect a huge amount of rain to fall in this area”.
The king was polite and considerate, he replied: “I hold the palace meteorologist in high regard. He is an extensively educated and experienced professional, and I pay him very high wages. He gave me a very different forecast. I trust him and I will continue on my way.” So they did.
However, a short time later a torrential rain fell from the sky. The King and Queen were totally soaked and their entourage chuckled upon seeing them in such a shameful condition.
Furious, the king returned to the palace and gave the order to fire the weatherman at once! Then he summoned the farmer and offered him the prestigious and high paying role of royal forecaster.
The farmer said, “Your Majesty, I do not know anything about forecasting. I obtain my information from my donkey. If I see my donkey’s ears drooping, it means with certainty that it will rain.” So instead, the King hired the donkey on the spot.
And thus began the ancient-old practice of hiring asses to work in the government and occupy its highest and most influential positions..
( At Chelski does the Buck stop with Bruce ?)
What a stark difference between Wenger and Mourinhio as Wenger choses to keep quiet on Mourinihos woes as against Mourinios constant dig at Wenger in the media calling him names.
If Mourinihio gets the sack it will be surely bcos of his constant absurd comments and jokes he makes in the media to humiliate rival managers.
God will always punish you if you hurt others.
Sound familiar ?
One day Thomas Edison came home and gave a paper to his mother. He told her, “My teacher gave this paper to me and told me to only give it to my mother.”
His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her child: Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.
After many, many years, after Edison’s mother died and he was now one of the greatest inventors of the century, one day he was looking through old family things. Suddenly he saw a folded paper in the corner of a drawer in a desk. He took it and opened it up.
On the paper was written: Your son is addled [mentally ill]. We won’t let him come to school any more.
Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
Omgarsenal …. get a life and lighten up moron
Bootoomee
“Everytime Giroud scores for Arsenal, I have double celebration. One for my beloved club and the other for this foremost professional and all round great guy. I love Ollie!”
Menace
“He is also one of our best defenders from corners or deadball situations. Truly a great all round footballer. Some criticise his pace but he makes up for it by pre empting situations.”
Well said lads. I’ve done lots of analysis on here, showing just how well Ollies statistics compare with the likes of Benzema et el. His goals per minute ratio is also very very good. But as you both allude to, it’s his overall contribution and attitude that has been the most impressive.
The only criticism I had, if you can even call it that, was that he needed the ‘team’ to be playing well for him to come to the fore, but even that no longer seems to be the case, with goals at important moments, when perhaps we wasn’t playing that great.
Despite all the criticism, and time on the bench, he has kept his head down, a great attitude, and has thrown all those accusations right back down there throats.
Well done Olly.
Syd
October 31, 2015 at 7:27 pm
Word for the weekend ‘ NOTHING ‘
syd
November 1, 2015 at 10:05 am
Omgarsenal …. get a life and lighten up moron
Hmmm.
2 Fantastic contributions syd. Keep it up.
Giroud has 60+ goals in 150 odd appearance. Not bad for a shit striker that he is. .
Jambug perhaps I was the only one to see Maureens post match interview and any chance to have a dig at that piece of shit is an opportunity not to miss. He whenever given the opportunity always slyly (as he is) has a dig at my club and I am loving every moment of his torture and long may it continue and if this has no bearing on the weekend then I don’t know what has and that is why some people need to lighten up and stop being morons a bit like yourself!
syd
You should perhaps make yourself a little clearer.
As for taking such joy in Maureens suffering, I’m with you all the way with that.
But saying that, is there really any need for:
“…….and that is why some people need to lighten up and stop being morons a bit like yourself!”
A bit OTT for don’t you think, as all I said to you was ‘2 fantastic posts’?
My other post was just extolling the virtues of Giroud.
And in your book that makes me a ‘Moron’. Lighten up indeed.
Handball by BFG – he only used one hand so the PGMO official thought it wasn’t handball. 😉