My Arsenal Blog

The disappointment of the FA Cup fourth round exit is still fresh with some Arsenal fans. However, the Gunners get back to Premier League business this evening and welcome relegation-threatened Cardiff City to the Emirates Stadium.

A great opportunity to return to the top four

Arsenal’s form over the last few weeks has been highly inconsistent. However, the visit of the Bluebirds gives the Gunners an opportunity they cannot afford to miss. A win against the 18^th place Welsh side would move Unai Emery’s side above Chelsea and into the top-four, with the Blues facing a potentially more difficult trip to Bournemouth on Wednesday night.  .......Read more here.....

On Tuesday night, Arsenal will look to continue their quest for a top-four position in the Premier League when the Gunners host struggling Cardiff at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal heads into this clash on the back of a 3-1 home defeat against Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Gunners will be hoping for better fortunes on their return to the Premier League.

The Gunners have been inconsistent of late in the Premier League, winning three of their last matches in the top-flight. However, a 2-0 win over Chelsea in their last league game means that the team from north London could move into the top four of the table with a victory in this clash.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth-round tie with Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Friday was always going to be difficult. It turned out too difficult for the Gunners, who suffered a 3-1 defeat to exit the competition. In truth, United exposed Arsenal defensive vulnerabilities with some superb counter-attacking football.

Deadly on the counter-attack

In reality, Manchester United underperformed this season prior to the hiring of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as temporary boss. Former boss Jose Mourinho’s cautious tactics stifled the immense attacking talent at the Manchester club.  .......Read more here.....

As Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup, deservedly beaten at home by the resurgent Manchester United team, several aspects of the game painfully stuck in the eye when it comes to Arsenal and their performance in this contest.

Kolašinac and his forays

Sead Kolašinac is a decent enough player, even more so considering Arsenal snatched him on a free from Schalke in 2017. However, while his constant running up the pitch is a very useful trait when the Gunners attack, he often comes up short at the back as his forays take him far ahead of the back line. It’s fair to say Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took note of that and prepared a tactical surprise for Unai Emery.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are set to host Manchester United in the fourth round of this season’s FA Cup on Friday evening, and as usual, the boss spoke to the press about it. He did, however, talk about other things as well.

First of all, he said that United are now playing at a different level (since the sacking of Jose Mourinho), despite consisting of the same players. He considers them very dangerous, and feels that the FA Cup bears huge significance for both United and Arsenal, as both clubs have a huge history of winning the competition.  .......Read more here.....

A recent inconsistent run of results seem to have made some Arsenal fans lose perspective on their teams results so far this season. A 2-0 win over Chelsea brought the Gunners back to within touching distance of the Blues in the race for a Champions League spot this season.

In reality, Emery has made a solid start to life in north London. The Gunners are still in the Europa League, challenging for a top-four spot and for now at least are still in the FA Cup.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal breezed into the FA Cup fourth round by defeating Blackpool 3-0. The Gunners reward is a home tie against resurgent Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. The draw could have been kinder to Arsenal, but at least the tie is on home soil.

A big test of Emery’s Arsenal

There are those who argue that Arsenal are moving in the right direction under Spanish head coach Unai Emery. The Gunners are regarded as a slightly tougher team under Emery, although that may just be down to the presence of the combative Lucas Torreira in the centre of midfield.  .......Read more here.....

The fourth round draw for the FA Cup has been made, and while Arsenal should fancy themselves on any given day against any side in the draw, we think it’s safe to say that they aren’t going to be too pleased about this one. The Gunners have been drawn against Manchester United, as both sides prepare to battle it out for a place in the fifth round of the competition.  .......Read more here.....

During the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup seemed to be the thing keeping the Frenchman in a job, as Wenger won the competition on seven occasions. However, it was not enough for some Gunners fans, as they wanted to win the league.

Wenger’s successor Emery comes into the club with very different objectives. A top-four finish in the Premier League is obviously the Gunners main objective this season. However, winning the FA Cup would be a good start for the Spaniard at the north London club. Arsenal kick-off their quest to win the grand old trophy later today at Blackpool.  .......Read more here.....

Blackpool play in a stadium (Bloomfield Road) that is capable of holding just over 17,000 fans, and yet, apparently, only 3,000 tickets have been sold for their game against Arsenal in the FA Cup. While many could potentially show up on the day of the game, it’s interesting to note that the Seasiders are taking this boycott of the Oyston family very seriously.

Odd atmosphere

While it likely won’t impact the Gunners all too much, this just further emphasises how much of a slam dunk this game should be for them. While they shouldn’t take Blackpool lightly by any means, they definitely need to recognise that they should be walking into the next round. If they don’t, then questions will likely have to be asked.  .......Read more here.....