After yet another week of misery that followed a week of bliss, we begin a run of fixtures that will either sink us to the bottom of the league before Xmas, or produce a string of heavy losses. I have to go with the latter. Over the course of this week (so far), we have debated about our rag tag defense which again was shown up time and time again as Southampton zipped the ball around with ease. Despite Fletcher going oh so close to leveling in the dying moments, it was another three points gone from a winnable fixture. Even a draw would of been decent. The Gooners Arsenal had an awful start to the season, losing their first three fixtures with many calling for Arteta's head. But, since getting that first victory they have never looked back, and are on a great run for form having beaten Leicester in their own backyard. Although they are not as free scoring as Liverpool, they are getting through games playing decently. I don't think they are strong enough to challenge for the title, but they can certainly qualify for the Champions League. Our Previous Visit You do not have to think too far back for this. Last game of the season before last. We started just as expected being 3-0 down pretty quickly. Although to Watford's credit, we did pull two goals back late on. Had we drawn, we still would of gone down that afternoon. Our record away at Arsenal is pretty poor, we did however win 2- 1 under Wally which was a shock result, and more impressively, knocked them out of the FA Cup with the same scoreline. Possible Lineup Uncle Claude will be "tinkering" again after last weekend. Pedro in place of Tufan didn't really work, but we have Dennis back for this game having served his one game ban. I would actually start Dennis back in his central role just behind King. Sarr was very poor last week overall, but he still is hands down our best player. He will probably start, but I hope Claudio hooks him if he is again playing poorly. I would not be against Fletcher perhaps coming on second half even, if we are (very likely) chasing the game. Foster was much better last week with his out-ball play wonderful at times. It's going to be Cathcart again, unless Ngloulou is okay to start a full game. We cannot play 4 4 2, we do not have the width in our side to protect such a frail defense. It will no doubt be King as the lone striker, but he is miles better than Deeney was. Prediction I can see nothing past a defeat here. Arsenal are on form and must be drooling to take us on for an easy three points. I just hope we show a bit of metal and manage to keep the scoreline respectable. Arsenal 3 Watford 0
Anything within 2 goals of them will be a respectable attempt in my books. Depends on which team turns up. If it is the one that goes all out tries it's best, chases people down then that will be OK. If it's the lazy team of can't be arseds that we sometimes get then it'll be another thrashing. Not expecting any points for a good few weeks.
Arsenal seem to be hitting form just at the wrong time. I'll probably need to get quite heavily sedated pre-match to get through this
Let's just refuse to play and give Arsenal a default 3-0 win. A crafty way to avoid another thrashing.
Thanks for stepping in and writing the preview Skyla. There are plenty of spots on the rota if anyone is keen to write a preview just pop along to the thread. Think there are a few old hands who have written really funny, informative and enjoyable previews before who I for one would love to hear from again!
Would there be any other penalty if we did this? It must surely be an at least cheeky consideration for City away? Keeps the goal difference down.
I'm not sure if the club receives a small fine by the PL for non-participation. However, we do that anyway against City away, may as well put 11 cones on the pitch.
I don't know what it is, but yes, there would absolutely certainly without doubt be an enormous punishment. It wouldn't even just fall under 'failing to fulfil a fixture', and 'bringing the game into disrepute' as Wolves were hit with back in the day (ridiculously) for making too many substitutions in a Starting XI wouldn't even begin to cover what that would be.
Our next five games are literally in a footballing sense the stuff of nightmares - they would be even if we hadn't just been served up the tepid shyte that we dined on on Saturday afternoon. I honestly feel it would be better for my blood pressure and mental health not to watch any of these matches, though I'm sure when the time comes I'll be strapped in ready to bring the tone of the shoutbox into disrepute, and besides, they could end up representing more than 1/8th of the entire Prem fixtures we get the chance to witness before shuffling off that particular coil once more. I have full hope but no expectation that Claudio will use his millennia of experience to come up with some kind of genius plan to stop these young upstarts like Mikel, but with a defence like this as it stands, it's hard to predict any kind of positive result coming out of any match we go into. Last time I said that, we got the freak anomaly of Everton, but then none of these next five teams are anywhere near as shyte as Everton. Arsenal won't have to play particularly well to beat us, and they usually don't - they just rely on the extreme mismatch between the inherent quality of their attacking players and our defensive ones. This time, that has been ramped up by a factor of ten - it scarcely bears thinking about. If Nkoulou isn't coming in to start I'll be desperately disappointed, and I'm also hoping that there was no Rose 'knock', it was just Claudio recognising how insane it is that he is still fat and unfit several months into the season and taking him out of the firing line until he is actually in appropriate shape to be a Premier League starter - a process that will have reached its zenith and spat him out the other side, trim and athletic, in time for Sunday afternoon.
I agree with your thoughts on Saka but am I the only person that things the constant fawning over Smith-Rowe by every conceivable commentator/pundit is way beyond what his performances deserve. Yes goals against Leicester, decent but really a tap in, and against Villa (a complete fluke) but I don't get this player being billed as the future of English football. Quite happy to be told I'm wrong...!
Personally I think he looks incredibly dynamic, intelligent and dangerous every time I watch them/him - the future of English football, no, because he has a great deal of competition in that department, but he's even explosive and quite quick to go along with those more traditionally sedentary playmaking sensibilities - he's been a vital part of Arsenal's upturn in form, for a start.
I like him. Seems hard to knock off ball and has a change of pace, picks a pass and has that Lampard instinct of popping up in goal scoring areas. Early days of course but looks a better prospect than Saka to me.
"we begin a run of fixtures that will either sink us to the bottom of the league before Xmas, or produce a string of heavy losses." Why not both? I will look at the BBC stats page after 4 minutes. If it reads Arsenal 83% possession with 3 attempts at goal and 2 corners, and Watford none, I'll know how it's going to turn out. If we start slowly it always seems to set the tone for another miserable performance
Is there any chance the defence will be kiko, Sierralta, new guy and rose? If so we might only lose 3 nil.
Arsenal are second to Leeds on my Cantstandometer. To lose to both within a few weeks might push me over the edge.
I’m confident now that Ranieri has had a little tinker with the squad by this weekend he will have it all sorted. Arsenal 1 Wuffurd 3.
Yes we don't have a chance, I agree. Like we didn't have a chance at home to Liverpool two seasons ago. Funny old game .... P.S. We have very little chance.
Hmmm, Kevin Friend is the ref for this one. Tends to favour the bigger teams although frankly which refs don't? Anyhow, I quite liked this from the s*** Mike Dean, nice video... https://www.sportbible.com/football...ives-crowd-a-yellow-card-after-chant-20210801
It is so obvious that this is going to be a score draw (2-2) or we get comprehensively beaten. Definitely one of these two outcomes.
Still not entirely over our final day defeat by these knobs. Despite everything going wrong including: rehiring Quique, terrible VAR injustices, injury to Deulofeu, playing an unfit Deeney, getting the whole approach to lockdown wrong, sacking our manager for a caretaker novice with two games to go, we still could've stayed up with a win. Players were bang up for it that game, Arsenal were on the beach, there was something in the air and you knew The Great Escape was on. And then that absolute arse Dawson committed yet another of his brainfart fouls and gave them a penalty after about 30 seconds. Then he let Aubameyang tee up an overhead kick inside the six yard box to really put the nail in our coffin. I really can't ******* stand that bloke and it's made all the worse by him swanning off to West Ham, being quite good and playing in Europe. Perhaps unfair but his contribution that day almost took us down singlehandedly, one of my least favourite players ever to have pulled on our shirt.
Predicted team: Foster Ngakia WTE Cathcart Masina Sarr Cleverley Sissoko Kucka Dennis King Bachmann, Kiko, Nkoulou, Rose, Tufan, Louza, Cucho, JP, Sema. Arsenal 4-0 Watford 'Orns!
And to top it all off, we still could have won it if Deeney and Danny Wellsh1t hadnt missed their chances.
Cant see anything but an easy win for the Hornets in this one. Arsenal 1 Watford 6 Dennis 2, Cucho 3, Cleverly 1
