Well bugger me sideways, the pure unadulterated fun at Arsenal just continues doesn’t it!?
After the international break we were welcoming a poor Southampton side to the Emirates, a perfect side to kick start our, quite frankly, atrocious start to the season so far, they were probably thinking the same about us…
Like most, at 2 o’clock on Saturday I was keen to see just what starting eleven Emery would send out this week. Not just because of his ongoing tinkering of the side, but to see if he even knows how to set us up in a relatively “easy” home league fixture, against a side who sit firmly in the relegation zone. Emery doing what Emery does (which is soil his pants at the sight of any other team), decided that we should be cautious for the game, he went with five at the back & also continued to leave our record signing to warm the bench. Top stuff from the manager that. Before the game I acknowledged the back five, it didn’t sit well with me for all the reasons above. I can understand why he did it (I only understood it a little it must be said). Away at Leicester we looked “ok” up until they scored, so maybe that’s why he continued with it. Regardless, you’re at home to a team one off the bottom of the table, you simply don’t go defensive when you’re playing at home to a team like that, you go for it, you assert yourselves & take the game to the opposition. To me, this is Emery showing the world just how scared he is to enforce his own style, whatever it may be. It’s been said before, this man is more afraid of losing a game than he is winning one & setting the team up how he did yesterday made that opinion startlingly obvious.
There’s once again absolutely no point going into any detail of the game, we were outshot once again, by 9! We did our sideways & backwards passing routine. Once again we looked like a Sunday league team trying to defend. Speaking of defence, I can’t help but look at Bellerin & fear just how far off the pace he looks. We all know he is still trying to find that match sharpness since his knee injury, but I would have expected to see some improvement from his game by now. I hope he finds himself again soon. How we didn’t lose yesterday is astonishing, their manager was just as shocked as we were afterwards, clearly indicating the amount of chances they had & you can’t argue with him. By the time we equalised, they should’ve been four ahead & that isn’t an exaggeration in the slightest.
As long as this painful period continues, we have to start looking above Emery for some action. Everyone can see we need a change, yet Raul, Edu & the rest of the senior footballing set up, need to be held fully responsible for letting it continue. Allowing Emery the chance to correct his errors is perpetuating & is pure ignorance to their responsibilities at the club. There should be no further messages of support or backing. The only press release that’s required from Arsenal is that we have parted ways with the Head Coach. Nothing else.
Never have I seen a last gasp equaliser that was celebrated so minimally. No one seemed to care, the fans or the players. Never have we seen our beloved club so low, collectively. It’s a sad sorry state of affairs, it looks like it will continue & that is the most worrying thought you can have. We are showing relegation form, just six wins from 20 when you include last years run in. A team who lost 0-9 at home just a matter of weeks ago outshot us at home & should’ve won by four goals. This Arsenal team is bereft of confidence in every single aspect, the only player who is performing consistently at present is Leno & that’s because he is having to, every single week.
We face Frankfurt at the Emirates on Thursday night, another fiercely hard opponent for Emery to lose sleep over & then Norwich away on Sunday. I personally don’t have any belief that we are capable of winning either of these games, so let’s all pray for a moment & hope that Emery isn’t on the sidelines come Thursday night. Otherwise we will continue to free fall in every single way we possibly can.
The Arse 