Wolves v Arsenal Tomorrow

The Arsenal roller coaster continued Wednesday as the Gunners faced Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League “league” phase of the competition. They all but assured their place in the knockout stage with a 3-0 victory, though Girona FC awaits in a week’s time.

The win helped ease some of frustration left over from last weekend’s match against Villa, where Arsenal gave up a 2 goal lead and could not manage a late winner. Havertz had a last minute goal ruled out for handball and we all left the pub with a bitter taste in our mouths.

We’re back at Maggie’s Saturday as Arsenal take on Wolverhampton. Wolves sit just above the relegation zone and adding to the match drama, the Gunners have been linked to their forward, Matheus Cunha.

Your guess is as good as mine as to which Arsenal we’ll get, but I look forward to watching with you at the pub.

Best,

Mark

Back to winning ways?

Arsenal delivered a 2-1 win in the North London Derby Wednesday and’ a much needed boost to Gooners’ spirits.

There were definitely some nerves about the pub early on. Arsenal were rampant for the first 20 minutes, with nary a goal to show for it. While Spurs managed to take a 1-0 lead, despite not having more than a sniff of goal.

5 minutes before the half, Arsenal equalized and 4 minutes later took a lead they would never relinquish, courtesy of a lovely goal by Leonandro Trossard. All the highlights are here.

Which brings us to Saturday. Arsenal sit 4 points behind Liverpool (who have a game in hand), and welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates. The Villians have something Arsenal lack, namely strikers. Last season, the two teams split the spoils but the Gunners defeat in April had a significant impact on title hopes.

Hopefully, the Gunners can build on their mid-week triumph and continue to close the gap on the league leaders.

Great seeing everyone who managed to get out of work for Wednesday’s match. Late kickoff tomorrow, so hope to see a lot more of you.

Best,

Mark

What do we think of Arsenal?

Arsenal washing out of the FA Cup Sunday was excruciating. A truly anemic affair which saw Gabriel Jesus stretchered off and a withering lack of finishing by our front line.

Despite our lofty position in the table, it’s hard to imagine we will catch Liverpool and somehow win the league. There’s also a steep hill to climb in League Cup competition and daunting tasks await in the Champions League.

The worst part is we’ve needed an out and out striker since last season and we’re no closer to filling that need. Enduring our lack of activity in the transfer market is beyond maddening.

Arteta is still the man for the job but many Gooners are losing patience with the obvious papering over the cracks. We need reinforcements and we need them now.

That said, I have no room for the abuse and vitriol coming in from supposed Arsenal supporters. I want Kai Havertz to go on a scoring tear as much as the next Gooner, but let’s keep things in perspective.

Tomorrow is the North London Derby and we need a win in the worst way. Anything less than 3 points would be a disaster. In the past, some truly disappointing seasons have been salvaged by beating our London rivals.

Call out sick, take a long lunch, or schedule a midday “meeting”. I’ll look forward to seeing you at Maggie’s.

Best,

Mark

FA Cup 3rd Round Sunday

Didn’t make it to the pub Tuesday for our League Cup tie against Newcastle, but by all accounts, a frustrating affair. One of the few Arsenal reports, I subscribe to, Layth’s Take, suggested we dominated play but were ultimately undone by our lack of firepower.

Would I love for us to buy an out and out striker before January ends? Absolutely. Do I expect we will? Probably not. But our support for Arsenal persists, as we gather at Maggie’s to shout at the TV set, regardless of who lines up for the Gunners.

Sunday brings us another Cup opportunity as Man Utd arrive at the Emirates for the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. This silverware is slightly more respected than the League Cup, but for me, silverware is silverware, and I’ll take any trophy Arsenal can get their mitts on.

I look forward to seeing you all Sunday at Maggie’s.

Best,

Mark