By Walter Broeckx
Arsenal starting this last Arsène Wenger home match with : Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Wilshere, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Aubamayang, Lacazette.
On the beach in the schadow behind Wenger: Ospina, Ramsey, Mertesacker, Monreal, Mustafi, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles
A bit of a slow start from Arsenal at first. Burnley staying loyal to their game plan that is almost everyone behind the ball and keeping one man up front. So difficult to through for Arsenal. Slowly Arsenal getting a grip on the match but the first shot was too weak to trouble the Burnley goal keeper. Arsenal trying to find Kolasinac on the left flank but his low cross is cleared in front of Aubamayang. Mavropanos can’t make proper contact with the corner. A beautiful combination on the right flank started by Aubamayang and then Lacazette, Bellerin, Lacazette, Iwobi and again Lacazette and the latter with the low cross and Aubamayang sliding the ball in the goal at the second post. GOAL ! 1-0 to The Arsenal after 14 minutes. Only one Arsène Wenger rings around the Emirates.
Arsenal continue to press forward and a cross bounces of the hip of a Burnley defender against his arm but the ref considers this rightly as not voluntary handball. A Burnley player runs in to the back of Xhaka who headed the ball away and both go down. This was a clear foul from the Burnley player but the ref gives nothing. Xhaka can continue, the fouling player has to go off with a dislocated shoulder. He did it to himself. But giving no foul….. Mavraponos looking very solid in his defensive work. Burnley using the block the goalkeeper trick that still is allowed by PL refs for som unknown reason but Cech can free himself and catch a Burnley corner. Ooooh Santi Cazorla rings around the Emirates. Aubamayang loses a ball on the right flank but the runs 50 meter to intercept the Burnley attack. Arsenal letting the ball go and Burnley defending and defending. Still 1-0 after 30 minutes.
Mkhitaryan is kicked on his ankle when trying to start a dangerous looking attack but the ref lets it go and be loses the ball. A minute later a good combination on the right Lacazette on the right flank with a cross to Mkhitaryan but he blasts his shot over from 8 meters out. Mavrapanos showing his steel with jumping in the back of a Burnley player. The ref blows (correct) his whistle. A low cross from Mkhitaryan is kicked over his own crossbar by a defender. Lacazette wins the ball back on the edge of the Burnley penalty area but he is being pulled a bit and can’t get to the ball and the keeper then smothers the danger. Mkhitaryan with a shot that takes a deflection but the keeper saves the ball. That came after a good advantage from the ref who later books Tarakowski for a foul on Lacazette and a good advantage from the ref. A low cross from Burnley but Bellerin can clear. Aubamayang starting a counter and Long brings him down but no yellow card. 4 minutes of added time. Iwobi to Bellerin on the right flank and his cross finds Lacazette who scores with his left foot. GOAL!! 2-0 to the Arsenal after 47 minutes. Arsenal go in at half time with a clear 2-0 advantage.
Aubamayang escapes his man on the left flank and his low cross finds Wilshere but he blasts over from 6 meters out. A cross from Burnley finds Vokes but Cech with a save on the goal line. The first real Burnley attack after 48 minutes. Burnley now trying to get a bit of attacking going but Cech punches a cross away. Arsenal then takes the match back in their hands and pushes Burnley back. Wilshere with a great turn on the half way line making space for himself. He runs towards the penalty area and gives it to Kolasinac on the left flank whose fierce shot finds the back of the net. GOAL!!! 3-0 to The Arsenal ater 53 minutes. A cracking finish.
Mkhitaryan with a shot but it curls just wide. That could have been a double blow for Burnley. One Arsène Wenger sings the Emirates. Burnley with a shot from distance but Mavrapanos throws himself in front of the ball for a corner. He sure looks a solid defender so far these two matches. Again the old trick of block the keeper is used by Stoke, sorry Burnley. A few corners in a row for Burnley but no real danger from those corners. Iwobi gives it to Aubamayang on the left flank. He goes past his man and cuts it back to Iwobi who blasts it in under the crossbar with his left foot. GOAL!!!! 4-0 to The Arsenal. Unstoppable shot. One Arsène Wenger is sung by the crowd.
Kolasinac with another shot but it is blocked by a defender. Wenger is having words with Per: you will be one in a few minutes. Ramsey and Welbeck come on first for Wilshere and Lacazette after 70 minutes. Ramsey plays the ball to Bellerin on the right flank and his cross is put over the goal line by Aubamayang. GOAL!!!!! 5-0 to The Arsenal after 75 minutes.
We got a Big F*cking German sings the Emirates as Per gets his shirt on. And he enters the field after a big hug from Wenger and Vick Akers and Chambers leaves the field. Cech comes out to give the captains armband to Per. Aubamayang goes over his man but his cross can’t find Welbeck. Maybe a shot would have been the better option. Per and Mavraponas are certainly the biggest centre back pairing a Wenger team has ever fielded I think. Per gets a big cheer whenever he touches the ball. Great from the crowd and they sure lift it even when he puts a tackle in. Bellerin at the end of that attack but his shot goes over. Mavropanos with a good interception before Burnley can become dangerous. Let us hope whoever becomes the new manager gives this young man a chance and let us hope the moaners will not get on his back from his first mistake. Per being cheered on after each touch great from the crowd. The match now being a bit of a practice match for both teams. The result is known and Per blocks a cross and the crowd loves it. Ramsey sends Aubamayang away on the left but the cross from the Gabon striker is behind Ramsey and Burnley clear for a corner. After that corner a cross goes in the direction of Per but a defender gets there first. I think the roof would have gone off if Per would score. A cross from Ramsey goes to Mkhitaryan who lays it off to Welbeck who launches a fierce shot that ends up against the angle of goalpost and crossbar. That would have been some goal. Ramsey has a shot with his left foot but straight at the keeper. No extra time says the ref and he blows his whistle after 90 minutes while the crowd sings : Only One Arsène Wenger. Fitting for the 5-0 score in his last home match as the Arsenal manager. Thank you Arsène. Merci Arsène!
Thank you Walter !
A wonderful moment full of symbols; The players (all of them) winning the game playing the kind of football Wenger (and we) love. The great Per coming in. (well in french le grand Pere is more funny 🙂 ). And Mavropanos revealed himself as an impressive player, like a last gift to Arsenal from Arsène. What a day!
On our Flemish sport channel gave the whole ceremony after the match live. This is the respect Wenger gets outside England and over the world. Thank you Play Sports for keeping live after the game!
And what a bummer. For years I came to the Emirates for the last match of the season at home. And the one season I couldn’t make it Wenger says goodbye. F*ck…… 🙁
Walter, talking about bummer… we (my son and I) have been supporting Arsenal for the last 14 years… We promised ourselves to come from France to the Ems some day and watch to an Arsenal game – any game. We decided two months ago to come next year, for it was the last year of Wenger’s contract and we could afford at last spending the money necessary. F*uk also! 🙂
But, I guess we’ll remain Arsenal fans… So we will come anyway. Wont be the same, but we will come!
“But the reception I have received from the supporters today means that even if they are not always happy, they still respect me and know that, at least, I always gave my total commitment”…AW
Exactly Wenger, we respect you even though we weren’t too happy with the last few years. We also know you gave it your best shot. The results were not good enough for some of us, but we’re grateful for the effort you put in, and wish you more success in subsequent endeavors.
Nice one. Wish I was there. Still games to go but an appropriate send off at this stage.
Not a vintage season by wengers standards, but he still leaves us in a healthy situation, some serious firepower up front for starters.
Things will now change in the coaching lineup, I suspect a brief to sort out the defending, but I hope the club stick to the much maligned values. Attacking football, giving youth a chance, self sufficiency, not encouraging the instructed cheating that other clubs in our vicinity seem to practice, aligned with a bit more defensive solidity, we should be fine whoever the new man may be
Arsene Wenger is unique, I wish him well with whoever is fortunate enough to secure his services, have a hunch that may be the fair nation of France, but we shall see
Crap in the medja.
DailyStar: Arsenal will finish this season with their lowest points total under the Frenchman.
The EPL is a top group, and a rest of the pack group. The top group nominally has more wins, and if not a win – a draw, than the bottom group. Hence the top group picks up most of the points over the course of the season (unless PGMOL/EPL/The (sweet) FA is trying to demonstrate just how much they can push results in order to have people fill their brown paper bags with something.
When Wenger started, there were 4 teams (sort of) in the top group. At Wenger’s retirement, there are now 6 teams in the top group. Arsenal is still in the top group.
In a fairly officiated, fairly disciplined, fairly scheduled league; there is little difference between any of the top teams. That differences exist is mostly an accident of statistics. There may be slight differences in quality between the teams.
That isn’t what the EPL is. There are points, goals for, goals against, goal difference, yellow cards, red cards, fouls, injury and other, differences that are not accidents of nature.
But, if the top group averages N points, the total points to the top group is 4*N if there are four teams and 6*N if there are six teams. The rest of the pack average changes from (something minus 4*N)/16 to (something minus 6*N)/14.
If the number of top teams continues to increase, the results is going to be an increasing difference between the average points for the top group and the average points of the rest of the pack group.
In the past, relegation was somewhere around 40 points. What is relegation with a 6 team top group? It is like to be around 35 points this season.
For a relegation line of 40 points, the average team which survives to not be relegated has on average done slightly better than obtain a draw in all their games. For a relegation line of 35 points, the teams being relegated AND OTHERS are not even averaging a draw for every game. How do you get fans to attend games, when on average you can’t even expect a draw?
Mavrapanos and Chambers highlight the problems, Koscielny has been off with the injury for a while.
Dwain –
he needs to protect Koscielny, Bellerin also, Hector will be tired because we don’t have a second choice RBb, Niles or Chambers should cover.
This was a major oversight in investment, the han flings of the Athletico week on the part of AW.
Mo El – in every big game he’s featured in, he has brought calm and assurity to midfield, why is he playing at WHU? The league is done! Mistake 2 Athletico week.
Mistake of charachter, why are we doing this horrid Thursday thing again? Ok second crack, but it’s so difficult, United scraped by, because their squad is monstrous. We will need two distinct matchday squads again.
Mavrapanos and Chambers have set the bar, a par not met by Mustarfi, that you wish Per had the legs for, that you wish Kos was fit for, but Mustarfi just isn’t meeting.
I judge it on the fact that I knew we were safe with them against Burnley, Mustarfi is named, I’m worried. I said don tell let book near Europa, third mistake of Athletico week. Had he not played and he’d given Kos an extra game prep, then a longer rest before that game, no injury.
The 23 year old and 20 year old ‘Greek boy’ have Leicester and Huddersfield to try and shut out. I’m praying he sticks with today’s back four, tinkering with your back line never helps and 3/4 of them deserve the games, we have found our back four, they need to merit it.
With Kostas already proving to be head and shoulder above the opposition, Felaini accepted, it sends a message to ant incomes and current squad members.
If you ask me you go young again, the linked Dortmund boy and Diallo fit, again I’d cash in on Mustarfi and go with twin signings of around 22.
Granit responds to his critics, well done, I like this boy, I wish he’d mature faster, and stop watching people run off the back of him, but it’s improving.
Jack unlocks another door, as he is played in quick succession, Arsene is giving him the platform to earn his contract, will Santi have that cameo to do anything?
All in all frustrated by this end, 5-0, not impressed, too little too late, nothing equal to his sacrifices.
So for me, it’s ins and outs.
Reasonable but I preferred Gabi, this is an issue of outlay v recompense, Mustarfi plays like he doesn’t want to be here. Per be and Kos hampered. 2 standouts in two games. 2 to go, Holding extends. For me Kos won’t be fit till Xmas. 1 out 2 in.
Starting line, Bellerin, Chambers, Mavrapanos, Kolasinac
Cech stays, Butland should secured, only Chelsea can offer a similar package and lile United, will want different credentials to us.
Ospina like Welbeck, deserve to start week in week out, but don’t quite make my grade. Like Theo the latter Neil thrive elsewhere.
Either Cohen makes the grade or, we need a full back either side, rotating to avoid Monreal being mismatched for pace is effort, and he again deserves to start.
In midfield, it gets complicated, 3 with a holding, what about Ozil, or 2 with roaming, who’ is covering and what about Aaron and Jack?
For me I go with a holding, but I trust Mo implicitly and Aaron, Jack also at full fitness. For me now that’s is midfield.
Granit, Niles covering we’d be missing Santi. Those are two capable line ups. No Ozil!?!
But condensing those positions, you can get Niles, Aaron, Jack, that’s in our favoured 4-2-3-1
So essentially, Mo, Xhaka, Ozil. Well for me, that’s a step back from Santi, Coquelin, Ozil oh how I wish Granit would man up and be responsible, last in mate, first out.
Up next: 9/9.5/10 well it’s covered and I feel probably only prefer Moratta to Lacazette, but that’s not changing, we bought perfectly.
WF
This is my area of concern. Nelson and Iwobi, make up the numbers well, but Mikhi is the only key first team wide man. I think Golovin and Meyer make wonderfully versatile additions. Sven has a good eye and let’s hope we can do the nMeyer deal. A manager would help.
Out:
Monreal
Mustarfi
Perez
Campbell
Akpom
Welbeck
Ospina
Released
Carzorla 1 yr if he likes, he should go get weather and stay safe though.
Per
We have too many reserve GK’s over 21, we will have to make a choice , from Illev and Macey and Martinez, although loans for two are viable
Injuries have seriously curtailed the seasons development of Jenkinson and Bramall, but pre season probably offers a last hope for prpgression with Arsenal. Most noteably for the rather unlucky Carl.
With Nkwali also set to return from a loan and Asano, lots of internal solutions remain for muddled and full back positions.
Who else can take their chance.
I look at the news, and I don’t see the English press recognizing that Wenger has been a wonderful manager, or good for England. Every article has some stab in the back with a knife.
At best.
Thanks for the report , Walter . Had to watch the game on a dodgy stream , as my cable operator was showing the Chelski Vs Littlepool game.
But they did show the reception before and celebrations after the game.I thought that it was typical Arsenal and not overboard or cheesy,and rather classy.
The game itself was vintage Arsenal , and I too hope that the new man in will allow the team to play our brand of attacking football , while shutting the back door firmly whenever we venture forth.
Up the Gunners !
Sky “tribute” turned out to be simply another platform for Sounded, the manager who transformed Liverpool from a good to an average team, achieved f… all at any other club and picked a useless player based on limited video evidence, to indulge his sour mean-spirited criticism of the greatest manager to have graced the EPL. Also Henry should have been at the Emirates but went with the Sky agenda.
The celebrations at the Ems for me were to say goodbye to the Master of the Beautiful Game. His legacy of a Training ground, a Stadium a squad of players & staff, a host of beautiful moments on the field of play, despite the tilted fields of play, with players that shone like diamonds that were nothing more than dull carbon when they arrived at Arsenal. What a man. What a role model. What a wonderful life’s experience. I never knew how much I loved you until you’ve had to go.
Thank you for showing me the love of the Game beyond the passion of love for my club Arsenal. Our game, your last game at the home you helped build, showed us some of the beautiful game you brought to the world and to Arsenal.
Bless you Arsene Wenger.