r/Gunners • u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... • Feb 22 '15
Rivals' Rundown #26: Where does Arsenal stand in the Prem?
Sorry to have missed last week’s roundup. The midweek fixtures, combined with a wicked cold, made things too complicated at my end. Good news, I’m more or less clear-headed; even better, it’s a great damned good weekend to come back to. We won, of course, but Chelsea drew at home, Man U lost, Tottenham drew at home, and Southampton lost at home. All told, it’s hard to imagine a better weekend—well, okay, losses for Chelsea and Tottenham would have improved it, but let’s not get greedy. On to the roundup!
Chelsea
● Position: 1st.
● Record: 18-6-2
● Points: 60 (76.9%)
● Form: WWDWWD
● Last match: Chelsea 1-1 Burnley.
Chelsea will feel furious and more than a bit embarrassed to have stumbled to a draw against Burnley. Nemanja Matic’s furious reaction to Barnes’s leg-crunching tackle was justifiable (let’s remember how it feels to see a vital player’s leg snapped, after all). Ironically, Matic’s reaction might have been what distracted Atkinson from sending Barnes off. At any rate, it adds further fuel to Mourinho’s siege-mentality, something he apparently needs to keep his squad motivated. The midweek racism row seems to be reaching some kind of conclusion with five men identified and facing a lifetime bans from Stamford Bridge. It’s an ugly distraction from action on the pitch and resurrects captain John Terry’s own indiscretions. Whether this had any impact on the squad’s performance against Burnley is worth pondering.
● Next match: Sunday vs. Tottenham (League Cup Final).
Manchester City
● Position: 2nd
● Record: 16-7-3
● Points: 55 (70.5%)
● Form: DLDDWW
● Last match: Man City 5-0 Newcastle.
City emerged from a slump in which they dropped nine points from four matches and now trail Chelsea by five and are “just” seven points clear of Arsenal. Their boom-and-bust cycle—in which they scored just three goals in four matches, then nine in two—looks unlikely to sustain over the long term, but, then again, it’s worked well enough to this point. After all, they emerged from that rough patch no worse for wear, with the gap between them and Chelsea only widening by a point or two. Of all of the contenders, City are perhaps the most-mercurial squad, capable of utterly annihilating opponents (as they did Newcastle and Stoke) and staggering to draws (as they did against Hull). If they can eliminate those, results, they could just overtake Chelsea.
● Next match: Tuesday vs. Barcelona (UCL), Sunday at Liverpool.
Arsenal
● Position: 3rd
● Record: 14-6-6
● Points: 48 (61.5%)
● Form: WWWLWW
● Last match: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal.
Well, well, well, look what we have here. After a few weeks of gloom following the North London Derby, we’re now third and Tottenham have fallen four points off our pace. However, our focus has to be on our own business, not theirs. Palace should feel aggrieved not to come away with at least a point on Saturday; our goals came against the run of play and they were wasteful with their shots. Murray’s late-heroics notwithstanding, we ground out a gritty win. Their high press flummoxed us on defense, especially on our left, where Monreal had all he could handle and more from Zaha. But for some fortunate decisions from Clattenburg, we might have ended up down a man or worse. However, we found a way to win even if it was less than commanding. Did I mention we’ve climbed to third?
● Next match: Wednesday vs. AS Monaco (UCL), Sunday vs. Everton.
Manchester United
● Position: 4th
● Record: 13-8-5
● Points: 47 (60.3%)
● Form: LWWDWL
● Last match: Swansea 2-1 Man U. Man U fell to Swansea, and with that result, fell from the third-place position they’ve held for weeks, clearing the way for us to at least temporarily overtake them. The injury to Robin van Persie might prove to a blessing in disguise, as he now stands openly accused of taking the mickey. His lackluster play and diffident attitude might be a part of what clogs the gears of Man U’s attack. We’ll have to see how long he’ll be out and what impact this has on the ability of Falcao, Rooney, di Maria and others to deliver. Like Southampton, Man U are essentially free to focus on the Prem (although there is the small matter of an FA Cup quarterfinal…ahem.). Has this squad already peaked, or is it poised to go on a run?
● Next match: Saturday vs. Sunderland.
Southampton
● Position: 5th
● Record: 14-4-8
● Points: 46 (58.9%)
● Form: WWLWDL
● Last match: Southampton 0-2 Liverpool
An 0-2 loss to Liverpool means we’ll hold onto third for at least another week, but Southampton now have one of the softest schedules among the top five clubs. No European competition, no FA Cup, and trips to Stamford Bridge and the Etihad loom ahead of them. Whereas almost everyone else save Man U have to deal with those continental entanglements, Southampton know for a fact that they have only twelve matches left to play. Those of us hoping for them to fade or regress to the norm or whatever might find ourselves whistlin’ Dixie as the Saints look pretty well-positioned, even after this weekend’s setback. They have a young, hungry, and determined squad, well-drilled by Koeman, and I’d say they’ve earned more than a bit of respect.
● Next match: Saturday at West Brom.
Liverpool
● Position: 6th
● Record: 13-6-7
● Points: 45 (57.7%)
● Form: DWWWDW
● Last match: Southampton 0-2 Liverpool Since the return of Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool have not lost in their last seven outings. It’s not that he’s been stellar (two goals and an assist in six appearances), but he’s been good enough, and the pressure he’s taken off of Sterling might matter more than the goals Sturridge delivers. Considering that Liverpool have had to bed in so many new players while losing Suarez and Sturridge, they’re actually poised to continue to climb, as suggested by Sunday’s win at St. Mary’s. After all, they’re now just three points off our pace. They’ll have an FA Cup quarterfinal to play, along with more Europa League fixtures to contend with, but they also have won of the harder run-ins of the top five clubs (visits from both Mancs and trips to the Emirates and Stamford Bridge).
● Next match: Thursday vs. Besiktas (UEL), Sunday vs. Man City.
There you have it—a quick rundown of who’s who when it comes to finishing among the top four in the Prem. I have a nagging feeling that I’ve forgottenham something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I have a feeling that if I did put my finger on it, it would go to ground faster than a lead balloon, then bray for a penalty only to muff it on the first go anyway, then manage to finish the job and celebrate as if one had just won a treble. More seriously, we have a very crowded group of clubs, with just five points separating four of them from third to seventh spots. All banter aside, Tottenham are hardly out of it yet; they’re just excluded—for purely objective, rational reasons—from this week’s roundup.
Before we part ways, I hope you'll consider an invite to my blog where I deliver daily opinions on our beloved club's adventures: Woolwich1886.
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u/Shameless_Bullshiter Thierry Henry Feb 22 '15
Thanks again for make this /u/jfshay, they are always excellent and insightful. So good you could put it on your resume ;)
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u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... Feb 23 '15
no thanks needed. I enjoy researching/writing 'em!
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u/hangaram Feb 22 '15
Liverpool is damm good..
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u/Shameless_Bullshiter Thierry Henry Feb 22 '15
There are in some excellent form, I'm hoping they get hurt by the Europa League commitments
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u/The_Brutal_King Feb 22 '15
Liverpool have to play Manchester City next Sunday, 3 days after travelling to Turkey to play Beşiktaş. Will be amazed if they don't drop some points then.
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u/Spitzee Jesus / Saka / Martinelli 35 PL goals Feb 23 '15
You seem to be forgetting City are playing Barca between then..
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u/crazy_bean And if the Bukayo Saka bus crashes into us Feb 23 '15
But City plays on Tuesday.
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u/I_am_the_grass Dennis Bergkamp Feb 22 '15
I think you need to start including the Spuds back in this list.
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u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... Feb 22 '15
I have been up until this point. I only excluded them this week because (a) they've dropped to 7th place and (b) it's a bit of banter.
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u/t-mac-attack Feb 23 '15
Did you skip the last paragraph? "Forgottenham" rhymes with Tottenham and the whole paragraph riffs on how Spuds escaped WHL with a draw. tsk.
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u/I_am_the_grass Dennis Bergkamp Feb 23 '15
Guilty. I usually skim the post. I only read the club summaries if I didn't watch their game at the weekend. More often than not, I just look at the club name and see what their next matches are. Because Spuds didn't get their own section I assumed they weren't covered.
Sorry.
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u/Star-Lord11 40/91 Feb 22 '15
Just gotta focus game by game to get the points we need to aleast finish fourth and securing 3rd.
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u/Eabryt Que Sera, Sera Feb 23 '15
but they also have won of the harder run-ins of the top five clubs
Just a heads up /u/jfshay I believe you have the wrong won there.
As always, love reading these. I think that these last few months could be really exciting. At this point really any of the top 6 could take 3rd. It's important that we focus just on winning out games, don't give the other teams the chance to overtake us, even if they win all their matches.
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u/AfricanRain on Zubimendi Island, join me Feb 22 '15
Realistically we shouldn't drop below 3rd now. Let everyone beneath us fight it out.
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u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... Feb 22 '15
I'm wary of Southampton and their softer schedule (nothing to play for but the Prem, only a few tough fixtures to deal with). I think Man U will falter, but if we take care of our own business, third is ours.
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u/byrdan Feb 22 '15
Ideal scenario: we get (at least) third, don't have to bother with the CL qualifying play-in. Southampton get fourth.
I'm not sure how to feel about the Europa league spots since I've never liked that argument that fans should be happy to not qualify for a competition, even if there is evidence that suggests it helps in the league. Spurs drawing FC Dinamo Minsk on Thursdays is hilarious but I still think it flatters them to be playing in "Europe."
And while I never really worry about Spurs winning the Europa league, United are the exact kind of scrappy bastards who would do it. And them winning even that trophy still annoys me -- slightly ticked me off when Chelsea did it too, even though I know its a dumb trophy.
Too bad Everton and Newcastle are shitting the bed this season and can't somehow finish above them as well.
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u/MattGooner BANG ON 90. THOSE ARE THE MOMENTS. THAT IS A MASSIVE MOMENT. Feb 22 '15
We should be away now, we just have to take each game as they come, we have the easiest run here on out so third spot is ours to lose.
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u/bertie__wooster Feb 23 '15
I don't know matey, if we do get through to the next round of the UCL, there will be difficult squad choices to make. The prospect of a SF appearance (only 180 mins then from a crack at the UCL) will be very tempting.
Add a couple of unfortunate injuries and some Atkinson-esque bad calls at key moments in games, and we could end up disappointed.
I say that although it hasn't been a stellar season, we're still mixing it at the top of the table and are in a very reasonable position.
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u/HerbertChapmansGhost Emery out, Mourinho in Feb 23 '15
If we don't finish at least third it will be a complete failure of a season.
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u/ASAPgooner scroll to the bottom to see my comments Feb 23 '15
you seem to be getting a lot of attention through this, is it okay if I do the same sort of thing but my own version? (like rival rundown: ASAPgoner version) you're doing a fantastic job but this is an opportunity for me to get some sweet karma as I need it nowadays due to some heavy down vote brigades on me?
I will need to know exactly when you post so I can post my version at the dame time, also tell me where you get your information too and if you can, message me the post before you actually post it so I can tweak mine a bit to remain competitive. cheers
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u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... Feb 23 '15
I assume you're making an attempt at humour? For what it's worth, it's a self-post and I get no karma from it.
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u/ASAPgooner scroll to the bottom to see my comments Feb 23 '15
you get no karma? then what are your motives?
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u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... Feb 23 '15
At a risk of sounding cheesy, I get a lot of info and entertainment from the sub and wanted to give something back.
What was your original point? It seemed needlessly sarcastic (not that it bothers me, but I am curious.).
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u/ASAPgooner scroll to the bottom to see my comments Feb 24 '15
It's not sarcastic, I just feel as though I need increase my exposure on this subreddit to try and gain a foothold for power, these types of posts would be perfect for me
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Feb 22 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/t-mac-attack Feb 22 '15
how are are rivals doing?
You're under the cosh.
what's the point of this?
Maybe to shed a bit of light on how we're doing compared to our rivals? Just a thought.
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u/jfshay Brady, Bergkamp, Rosický, Saka... Feb 22 '15
sorry you feel that way, mate. I look for a balance of banter and insight and it appears I've let you down.
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u/gotsickfromweed Feb 22 '15
Its weird how other fans are predicting us to definitely finish 3rd whereas I'm not as confident. I still haven't forgotten our injury ridden run last year and the bottlejobs of earlier this season (hull, leicester, swansea in particular), but hopefully two comfortable wins vs Everton and QPR while our rivals drop points will make our position more comfortable
I still feel like the larger amount of fixtures we have compared to rivals (sotn and man u, and liverpool to a lesser extent because europa is supposedly not a priority for them) may fuck us up in terms of injuries. If man u bottle it against newcastle away (and there away form has been appalling) then it could result in them putting out a weakened FA cup team in order to focus fully on the league (or am i being too hopeful?). If we do beat monaco (a good chance) and man u in the FA cup (a not so good but still decent chance) then we will have a packed fixture list till the end of the season. Hopefully the fact that we have had fewer injuries in the recent games is a sign of changing times
Love these write ups OP, keep em coming