Who’s next? Gunners win at Hawthorns
It was not an inspiring encounter but the Gunners edged the lackluster Baggies to claim all the three points at Hawthorns. It was a win that capped a fabulous week for the boys.
A second half header by Welbz remained the difference in the encounter. The Gunners moved two positions in the league table and are within the touching distance for the 4th spot.
Wenger will be impressed by the performance of Cazorla whose cross led to the winning goal. The diminutive Spanish midfielder was without doubt the best player on the pitch.
A good win for the Gunners and we roll on to the next. It’s all roller-coaster for the Arsenal fans at the moment.
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West Brom vs Arsenal preview
Arsenal and West Brom will lock horns at Hawthorns in the lunchtime kick off. The Gunners will be looking to avoid a third consecutive loss. West Brom will also look to avoid a third consecutive loss after losing to Newcastle and Chelsea.
The Gunners currently sit at 8th position in the EPL. For the Baggies, a win could take them within three points of the Champions League spot. It is that tight in the mid table.
Arsenal has not lost to the Baggies in the previous 7 matches (W0 D2 L5). The Gunners have won thrice and drawn twice in their last 5 visits to the Hawthorns stadium. Clearly, the Gunners are the favorites in this tie.
Good luck to the boys!
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Impressive Arsenal guns down BVB
Arsenal fans can afford a glimpse of smile at least for now. The Gunners beat BVB 2-0 at the Emirates to confirm their progression to the knockout stage.
It was a nonchalant performance. Arsenal were able to hold on to their lead something that has been incongruous to the team in the recent matches.
The Gunners made a dream start to the match as Sanogo got the goal in the first two minutes. In the 57th minute Sanchez made it 2-0 with a sumptuous curling effort. What a revelation has he been!
Hopefully, the Gunners can build on this victory. It can bring back the lost confidence for the rest of the season. Go! Go! You Gunners!
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Is Wenger too stringent to change?
The Gunners boss has been accused of being stubborn and resistant to change. The Frenchman has been criticized for being stringent in his tactics and his business in the transfer market. His character has been linked to the repeated failure of the Gunners in the past decade.
It is difficult to defend these accusations against Wenger. Over time, Arsenal have played the same way yet expect different results. Tactical opponents have dominated Arsenal because of the one-dimensional approach to games.
In the transfer market, Wenger will fail to address areas that even a casual fan can point out blind folded. This has led to consistent failure for the Gunners. It is very disturbing to see teams around us going forward whereas Arsenal is going in opposite direction.
Do you believe Wenger’s philosophy will turn around Arsenal fortunes?
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Shambolic Arsenal lose at home
Like many of you, I am still in shock how the three points slipped again yesterday. Manchester United were there for the taking but Arsenal’s shambolic finishing and defending cost them the three points.
It has reached a point that you wonder whether Arsenal will ever win a game. Whether they play bad or good they lose. After yesterday’s loss to a clueless United, one may be wondering how low the confidence of the players is.
Arsenal had the best of the chances in the first half. They couldn’t take any. As I have said, on paper Arsenal looks a formidable force. However, lack of leadership and decisive players keeps on biting the Gunners.
They say luck favors the brave. How we conceded a goal after United had zero shots on target is baffling. The defeat to United means that we have won once in 15 matches against them. Another horrendous record against a big team. It is an easy feat choosing which of the two clubs is bigger.
We are now out of the title challenge. It looks like our fight for the 4th spot will start early this season. It is frustrating to see a promising season that would define our club ebbing away in familiar fashion.
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Arsenal falters again to plunge more Gooners into deep frustrations
On Saturday, I wrote an article about how Arsenal (knowingly or unknowingly) frustrates many fans around the world and exactly a day later they were not shy to do that. Going ahead against Swansea and then squandering the lead within a span of less than 3 minutes.
Alexis Sanchez work rate was again cancelled by the abject defending when under little pressure. I am afraid the patience of the Chilean might run out soon.
Consequently, Arsene Wenger seems to have thrown in the towel to the title race. Mind you it is only November! In all truth, I think Arsenal are out of the title race. I don’t see how they will bridge a gap of 12 points against the in-form Blues.
Another season, another failure in all fronts. For Arsenal fans our hopes will need to be postponed for next season like it has always been.
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Are you frustrated to support Arsenal?
I read an article at ESPN sports about Arsenal being the most frustrating club to support. Saying yes or no is not an easy decision but I think the author of the article had a point.
Following the Champions League capitulation against the Belgian minnows one couldn’t agree more with the statement. Arsenal is a club that offers you wings to fly but crashes you the moment you want to take off. It’s a club for the past 10 seasons been described as ‘nearly there but far’.
The worst thing in football, and even in life, is to accumulate hope only for it to be crashed in the 11th hour. Arsenal has well scripted this scenario season in season out. Last season, for instance, I thought we would win the EPL only to capitulate in the closing stages of the showdown. In fact, it is ludicrous how quickly we slipped from being title contenders to fall into the mediocrity of scrapping for fourth. Paradox, ah?
Arsenal is a club well placed to succeed. Their brand of football and tradition is a good platform for success. How success repeatedly eludes them is inexplicable!
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Sloppy Arsenal allow Anderlecht to claw back
Wow! Arsenal fans didn’t see that coming. At 3-0 the game was over and beyond Anderlecht reach. This was not so. Arsenal fans were treated with inexplicable buffoonery from Arsenal defense.
Arsenal dominated majority of the game but looked sloppy when caught out on the break by the Belgian side. They were able to soak in the Anderlecht attacks and went on to score three goals. Arteta scored from the spot, Sanchez scored a rebound from a free kick and the Ox scored the third from a brilliant run. At this point, Arsenal looked in complete control of the game.
In a surprising twist, Anderlecht became a threat and troubled the disconcerted Arsenal defense. From 3 nil down they managed to grab a draw.
With that result, Arsenal spurned the chance to make it to the next qualifying stage. They have also lost ground to challenge BVB for the top spot. It looks like we will have to accept the second best mantra again.
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Sanchez Trip to the Top Continues with Every Week
The Premier League has witnessed such a flow of talent, like Cesc Fabregas and Angel di Maria, in the summer that it would be easy to sweep Alexis Sanchez under the carpet. The former Barcelona and Udinese forward cost Arsenal £35 million, which is almost half that of Di Maria’s transfer fee. Yet, the consistency and the impact that Sanchez has had at Arsenal may be more important than that of Di Maria at United. Incredibly, Sanchez is now a third favourite at 14/1 in the Premier League top scorer betting odds from Betfair.
Since the 25-year-old is not a proper centre forward, he is unlikely to challenge Diego Costa or Sergio Aguero, who remain the favourites, for the Golden Boot award at the end of the season. For the impact that he has made and for the relatively low transfer fee, Sanchez could easily be named as the Player of the Year if he continues with his impressive form.
Sanchez scored two more goals against Burnley to help Arsenal get their third consecutive win in all competitions. This victory also helped them gain a major advantage over Liverpool and Manchester United, who suffered defeats last weekend.
Arsene Wenger has not been shy to praise Sanchez since the start of the season. It would also be the case of those connected with Arsenal. The applause has not been unequivocal from all corners since the likes of Diego Costa, Di Maria, and Cesc Fabregas have been grabbing all the attention so far. Sanchez appears to be moving into the limelight, which seems more than justified, after his goals against Sunderland and Burnley.
Admittedly, these are two teams struggling near the bottom of the league. They also have one of the worst defensive records in Europe’s top leagues, but that should not take anything away from Sanchez and his incredible statistics. It would have been fair to expect goals or assists from Sanchez. The Chilean, though, has also contributed in the defensive side of things, which is a major boost for the club.
Sanchez has seven goals in eight league starts, while he has also set up two more. A bigger contribution comes in his ability to prevent the opposition from starting the attacks. Despite being a forward, he has ranked as one of the best tacklers in this Arsenal team with an average of 2.3 tackles per game. This statistic is bettered by only Mathieu Debuchy, Mathieu Flamini, and Calum Chambers (all of whom are focused on defending). It is this workrate that appears to have helped him overcome the tag of being the ‘next Mesut Ozil’.
The German international did not only cost a lot of money, but he also came with a reputation of not giving 100% in the defensive area of the pitch. This has been proven by several statistics not to be the truth, but the undesirable reputation continues to stick with Ozil. Sanchez is highly unlikely to be classified under that category going by the statistics he has set in his first few months at Arsenal.
The high-profile defeats against the likes of Chelsea have seen Arsenal written off as title challengers this season. A look at the table, though, reveals that the Gunners are just three points behind Manchester City, who appear to be firmly in the title race with Chelsea. It is vital that Wenger’s team carry this form after the international break when they take on the likes of Manchester United and Southampton.
This good run of form has seen Arsenal’s position improve in the eyes of bookmakers. At the start of the season, they were placed as the fourth favourites – or even behind Liverpool on some occasions – for the Premier League top four finish odds. The back-to-back victories, though, has substantially helped them and they are now third behind City and Chelsea. Betfair backs Arsenal at a much healthier 4/11 to finish in the top four.
Meanwhile, Sanchez has struggled for a perfect home at his previous clubs like Udinese and Barcelona. If he continues in the same vein of form, the 25-year-old could be a very important player for Arsenal. He only has the best years ahead of him.
Arsenal cruise over Burnley
Predictably, the game between Arsenal and Burnley was a contest of attack versus defense. Burnley defended well and appeared to frustrate Arsenal until the man of the moment, Alexis Sanchez broke the stalemate.
For the first 70 minutes the crowd at Emirates grew impatient as the Gunners superiority dominance could not be converted into goals. However, a cross from Chambers met Sanchez who headed the ball past the impressive Burnley goalkeeper.
A minute or so later, Chambers scored the second after Welbeck’s shot was saved by the Burnley goalkeeper. A third goal was scored in the injury time by the ever impressive Alexis Sanchez. The goal made it 10 in 12 appearances.
O! Oh! To be a Gooner.
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