04 Oct 2018 23:17:42
And so the run goes on, 8 wins in a row and 3 clean sheets. I am impressed by Leno and Iwobi is starting to fulfill his potential.
We are so different to watch than under Wenger. We don't rely on haiving to play teams of the pitch in order to win, and we have scored 2 or more goals in every match, except the first game v Man City, This makes us very difficult to beat as a team has to score 3 or 4 goals in order to beat us. Admittedly we have had a winnable run of games, but you still have to win them. The players look more agressive tonight and seem to be getting to grips with the new tactics. Looking forward to playing Fulham and hopefully extending the winning run.
05 Oct 2018 05:49:41
Only saw the highlights but it looked like we were very lucky to keep a clean sheet and the score could have been very different if opposition had taken some of their excellent chances - same story again but a win’s a win
We will get beaten by decent teams the way we get caught out at the back and sloppyness but while we keep beating poor sides, we keep improving plus getting points
Far far far away from convincing but definite green shoots can be seen
COYG and well done.
05 Oct 2018 07:48:14
First I must correct my post, it was the third clean sheet over the last 4 matches, we conceded v Brentford.
SY4, when Emery took over, I was looking forward to seeing an improvement defensively, with a better structure and players closed down and dispossessed quickly. This hasn't happened, perhaps it will take longer for the players from the Wenger era to adjust. However, despite our opponents having chances, we have only conceded once during the last 4 matches.
The biggest change has been a definite improvement fitness-wise and the players look physically stronger. The other major change is the amount of goals we are scoring, 2 or more goals per match since the opening match v Man City. The players also seem to play more freely, without having to obey Wenger's instructions. I am intrigued to see how we now play against top teams, Liverpool at home will be interesting.
05 Oct 2018 08:02:57
Every player that seems to say something, they're saying how confident they are under Emery, how they are loving life and like you say, RG, 8 wins on the bounce will do that, they have been very winnable games, but I don't believe for a second that we would have beaten Watford and potentially Cardiff last season, we are winning ugly and that's something that rarely happened last season. Long may it continue.
05 Oct 2018 08:27:14
I don't think anyone is fooled by the clean sheets into thinking we are all sorted defensively but there is improvement on recent years everywhere that's plain to see.
I'm sure someone somewhere is going to take their chances and make us look silly but this is the beginning of a new era rather than a conclusion that's been years in the making so I'm sure none of us will get to deflated if and when it happens.
05 Oct 2018 16:59:15
Although the players may be physically fitter I think the biggest difference is the players mental attitude, Iwobi and Xhaka are now running with purpose and commitment that we simply haven't seen from them before, they've always been physically capable of doing that but now they are mentally tuned into giving much much more.
05 Oct 2018 19:25:53
Last season we averaged 1.947 goals per game. That was not the issue.
The defence was.
Emery inherited a pretty good front line it’s the defence that needed sorting - starting with central midfield.
05 Oct 2018 19:50:53
SY mate do you think we are seeing this season through the players increased work rate just how Arsene had got to close to the players mate?
Under Dick Iwobi Xhaka Mustafi and others have shown more work rate determination effort and commitment this season already than they did in all the games they played under Arsene. I think Arsenes biggest mistake was becoming close friends with his players and subconsciously the line became blurred between manager and buddy.
05 Oct 2018 21:56:51
Spot on. His success was on allowing players to express themselves but he had leaders and disciplined intelligent players with the right mentality. He slowly recruited the wrong players for his style and never addressed it. He then went a bit soft. Every past player especially creative players loved him but behind them was a Keown, Lauren, Adams, Vieira etc keeping them honest. He needed those players to discipline the team but never had them in the later years. A bigger Emirates pitch exposed the defence further as we sold top players and replaced with average.
a sad long decline.
Now
We started loosing ugly to winning ugly. Defence is still a mess but slowly getting better and the effort is also improving - it’s just taking time but you can see it moving in the right direction. Still a long way to go but we are moving forward.
Not sure attack is any better but defence is slowly improving although the clean sheets are papering over the cracks.
06 Oct 2018 00:56:42
Agree mate at the moment we are getting away with things at the back but it's difficult to think that unless we do something soon it's going to become an all to familiar problem as teams start taking their chances.
I'm sure Dick will put it right long term and the new switched on attitude of players will produce benefits the sleep walking selfie obsessed attitude of the past simply had no chance of achieving.
I'm happy to pay to watch this Arsenal team now because even of they ain't always brilliant at least I know they will turn up and put in a shift and that's got to be worth getting behind.
