by Bulldog Drummond
Unai Emery has put forward the view that the poor away form of Arsenal is a psychological issue, and of course there may be something in that. But the interpretation put on the remarks by journalists has as always been very short term, rather than looking back over this season and last season.
What we all know is that Arsenal have had a bad run of away games recently – just as they had last season – of later losing four and drawing two in the league.
| 16 Dec 2018 | Southampton v Arsenal | L | 3-2 |
| 26 Dec 2018 | Brighton and Hove v Arsenal | D | 1-1 |
| 29 Dec 2018 | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 5-1 |
| 12 Jan 2019 | West Ham United v Arsenal | L | 1-0 |
| 03 Feb 2019 | Manchester City v Arsenal | L | 3-1 |
Mr Emery has suggestd that Arsenal do better when they “prepare the matches by thinking it’s going to be very difficult,” which shows a growth in the psychological awareness of what happens in football. As a result he is talking up the game as being tough and the need to respect the opponents.
“We can have better balance when we prepare by thinking it’s going to be very difficult,” Mr Emery said. “We need to think this match is very important for us. Every player needs to be ready, be focused and be thinking we need to win this match.
“We must impose ourselves from the first minute and throughout the 90 minutes but first is the mentality. It’s to think this match will be very difficult. For us tactics are the second issue. The first is to think we need to win and after that it’s how we can win – preparing tactically and individually.”
Mr Emery said also that he anticipates that Huddersfield will now change their tactics and press higher up the field rather than dropping back to defend deep.
In the last press review he said that both Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were recovered from injuries and so available for the game, as are Laurent Koscielny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who have both been ill.
But he also returned to the psychological issue, talking about the need for high levels of confidence; confidence of the type that was to be seen during the long unbeaten run earlier in the season. He said that the team needed to “work hard, take a good feeling in training and then show it in the match. This week we’ve had good days of training because the feeling of the players and their wish to work every day is good. I want to do the same against Huddersfield. After that, we know we can win. If we cannot, it’s different.”
So here’s another version of the team…
Leno
Mustafi Koscienly Monreal
Maitland-Niles Torreira Xhaka Kolasinac
Iwobi Lacazette Aubameyang
This would leave, on the beach a selection of seven from these eight
Cech, Lichtsteiner, Mavropanos, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Mkhitaryan, Suárez, Özil.
We shall see.
Iwobi on the right again????
For our today’s afternoon away match against Huddersfield Town in the PL, I like that UA’s proposed Arsenal formation starts of: 3-3-1-3 and 7 out of 8 Gunners list on the bench for the match.
I want the Gunners who will playing in this match as starters and come in into game as substitutes to play to be careful not to take beating Huddersfield as mere formality, but take beating them as a difficult job in their front that they have do successfully producing a remarkable result irrespective of whatever be the odds against them to do the job successfully and produce a remarkable result.
Huddersfield are still fighting against being dropped from the PL to the Championship and therefore may not be a mince meat for Arsenal to take for, as they could be hard meats for the Gunners to chew. Arsenal played to a 1-0 win at the Ems over Huddersfield in the League this season in a match which the match referee ignored punishing Sokratis for deliberately pushing a Huddersfield’s player down from his back in the Arsenal box in an attacking and a defending race on to the Arsenal box. Had the match referee whistled against Sokratis it would have resulted to Huddersfield having a penalty to them.
The Pgmo anti-Arsenal referee, Jonathan Moss is the centre referee that will officiate in the match today. Consequently that makes it Arsenal XI playing against Huddersfield 12 or 13 players in the match if in addition to the match referee one of the 2 match assistants for the match turnout to be an anti-Arsenal match linesman in the game. Therefore, Arsenal should least expect any leniency shown to them in the match but harshness to them by referee Jonathan Moss and possibly by one of the 2 linesmen who could carry out anti-Arsenal match flagging in the game. But whatever be the case in the game, Arsenal should have themselves fully ready to deal squarely with any anti-Arsenal match officiating in the PL that could be pushed against them in game and come out from the match collecting all the 3 points at stake in it after they’ve persevered all undue harshness to them in the form of anti-Arsenal match whistling and flagging ment to them in the game by the match officiating officials.
I think since Arsenal usually creates 3 – 6 good goal scoring chances per an away match in the PL this season but hardly converts them all but a goal on the average, Arsenal will beat Huddersfield in this match but if they convert at least 3 of the chances out of the numerous ones that they are sure to create today in the match.
My Arsenal starts and bench for the match in a 3-3-1-3 formation starting XI are shown below.
Starts:
Leno;
Mustafi Koscielny Monreal;
Guendouzi Torreira Kolasinac;
Ozil;
Suarez Lacazette Iwobi.
Bench:
Cech Lichtsteiner Mavropanous Elneny Ramsey Mkhitaryan Aubameyang.
I think AMN and Xhaka who are said to have just recovered from injuries should wait for the next Arsenal away match to BATE in the Europa for possible selection. But despite that Koscielny, Mustafi and Mkhitaryan have just recovered from injuries too, I’ve taken the risk to see them starting the match but have Mkhitaryan on the bench.
We need to go into the game thinking that it is winnable. All games are difficult, but with a winning mentality, it may give ourselves the necessary “jab” when things are going against us.
Team
Leno
Monreal, Mustafi, Kos
Kolasinac, Torreira,Guendouzi, Maitland-Niles
Mkhitaryan, Lacazette, Iwobi
Beach – Cech, Lichtsteiner, Mavropanos, Elneny, Suarez, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah
At Borehamwood our U18s are one all in the FA Youth Cup quarter final against West Brom. 60 minutes played
West Brom regained the lead at Borehamwood. Axes finishing from close range. 22 minutes to find at least one goal. COYG
Drat, no Ozil again.
No miracle game from Callum against ManU either.
COYG!
No Ozil (for a long time now), No Auba… Iwobi… What does all this mean?
Our U18s didn’t find their second goal so West Brom into the semi-finals. We didn’t take our chances.
Oh, Iwobi from Kolasinac. That’s a good start.
COYG!
live match report is on line
Arsenal haven at 1st half scored 2 goals through the efforts of Iwobi and Lacazette coming off from Kolasinac and AMN assists and have not conceded any to Huddersfield in the game, the Gunners should not relax in their attacking efforts in the 2nd half of the match but up their attacking intents to score 2 – 3 more goals and defend stubbornly to not concede any goal to the Terriers to beat them 4 nil or 5 nil at fulltime.