...even if it wasn't the best performance.
First time we have recorded back to back league wins since the first two games of the season, and a win that puts us 7 points off 4th and just 4 off 5th (which may or may not nbe a CL place).
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang rightfully, imo, got the MotM award. Not only for his 2 goals, but a lot of effort out wide. 17 goals in the league this season, despite playing most of it on the wing for a crap team.
Bernd Leno repayed any debt for the error for the second Everton goal with a great second half showing.
Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz had some bad moments, but did enough to come out of it with a postive mark.
Bukayo Sako was left out of the starting XI, and looked tired in a poor second half performance. However, he added his 10th assist of the season (5th most of PL players in all comps) with a wonderful cross to assist the equaliser.
Eddie Nketiah scored that equaliser, a very good finish by the youngster. Bit surprising he saw out the 90, but did show some good moments in the first half before hitting the bar with a decent effort late on.
Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos once again showed the beginnings of potentially a decent partnership.
We have the second leg against Olympiakos next, then Portsmouth in the FA Cup. In the league we have West Ham (h), Brighton (a), Southampton (a) and Norwich (h) coming up as our next four fixtures. In all honesty we will have to win all 4 to be in the fight for the CL places.
Unbeaten in 2020 - not many can say that! Need to keep building on that though. The Arteta Effect is not in full motion yet.
Good win...
posted on 23/2/20
*to our aid.
posted on 23/2/20
comment by 50... (U1147)
posted 3 minutes ago
Ceballos is made for PL despite his small frame. It’ll be a shame if he’s to go back to Madrid in the summer but whilst we’ve got him, we may as well make use of his talent. However I find defensively midfield isn’t as good with Xhaka and Ceballos partnership compared to Xhaka and Torreira. But at home I see no reason why we can’t use the former.
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They've yet to play one of the teams strong enough to exploit the defensive weakness that is Ozil. As soon as they get a 3 man job to do, they'll look a lot worse. Ceballos is good defensively but he's no DM. The extra pressure from a high bore attack means if you insist on leaving Ozil in, then you need Torreira and Ceballos behind him. Xhaka just isn't mobile enough to compensate for Ozil's weak showing in that role. Ceballos may be but it'd be the tiniest MF pairing the PL had ever seen. I suppose they'd have the advantage of seeming to appear out of nowhere, to the opposition because they won't be able to see them behind tall lanky Ozil and Auba
posted on 23/2/20
comment by WB2 (Emery'll Get Me Killed) (U8276)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by 50... (U1147)
posted 3 minutes ago
Ceballos is made for PL despite his small frame. It’ll be a shame if he’s to go back to Madrid in the summer but whilst we’ve got him, we may as well make use of his talent. However I find defensively midfield isn’t as good with Xhaka and Ceballos partnership compared to Xhaka and Torreira. But at home I see no reason why we can’t use the former.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
They've yet to play one of the teams strong enough to exploit the defensive weakness that is Ozil. As soon as they get a 3 man job to do, they'll look a lot worse. Ceballos is good defensively but he's no DM. The extra pressure from a high bore attack means if you insist on leaving Ozil in, then you need Torreira and Ceballos behind him. Xhaka just isn't mobile enough to compensate for Ozil's weak showing in that role. Ceballos may be but it'd be the tiniest MF pairing the PL had ever seen. I suppose they'd have the advantage of seeming to appear out of nowhere, to the opposition because they won't be able to see them behind tall lanky Ozil and Auba
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Özil played well today. Not sure which game you watched
posted on 23/2/20
Yeah quite impressed with the performance even though it had its flaws, but earlier in the season that would have been a 100% loss. There’s promising signs building but a way to go to be certain of that, Europe is still a big ask. We’d have to Win a huge amount of games, and hope others capitulate, so we’ll have to take each game as it comes. But at the moment Europa is the best hope
posted on 24/2/20
Well said D'Jeezus.
The sooner Saliba comes into the fold and Luiz gets switched into minor appearances and dressing room support the better....
posted on 24/2/20
Ozil was really good today. Like the old Ozil before the huge contract.
posted on 24/2/20
GT.
Not about whether he played well yesterday. Entirely about the fact that we know, without shadow of a doubt, that the second the going gets tough, Ozil RUNS FOR HILLS. That is if you haven't chosen to selectively forget the VAST MAJORITY of Ozil performances over the last 5 years. You say he played well so what's my problem as though he has a record something like 100 games, 80 good and 20 bad, so we can/should forget the 20. But the reality is his record is more 20 good and 80 bad. Just FAR TOO MANY games to, simply forget as past.
Too much Ozil water under the Emirates bridge mate. Even if he won himself the ballon d'or for games between now and the end of the season, I STILL wouldn't be forgetting how much he's already let us down and would still want him out of our club. Arteta and some fans are being straight SET UP! Ozil's game here now is to have fans and manager alike convinced. The renewing his juicy fat contract, though an expensive option, is cheaper than paying transfer fee and future wages of a replacement. Only has to look worth 60 mil or so and suddenly, paying those dumbass wages he's on another few years, doesn't seem such a bad idea.
THAT'S WHY all of you need to wake the feck up and remember the last time we were here. 4 years ago, when he literally signed his fat new contract one day, then near enough DISAPPEARED as a force on the pitch, the next. We've paid 350k a week the whole time, whilst he's played as though he's getting 35k. If fans don't wake up soon, he is going to do the EXACT SAME THING TO US AGAIN! That's "The game I've been watching." The one apparently few to none of you have even realised you're playing.
posted on 24/2/20
** Or I should say "The game you're being played," in.
posted on 24/2/20
comment by Aye (U3245)
posted 22 hours, 19 minutes ago
winning ugly. sign of champions
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You sound like a Liverpool fan!
posted on 24/2/20
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2nd half was pretty horrid but we managed to hold on somehow.
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BO$$,
This is pretty much what the commentators said, one even went so far as to say that Everton could have won the game with their second half performance.
At this point Arsenal will gladly take a win, even an ugly win! Still lots of work to be done.