My Arsenal Blog

Arsenal were able to surprise quite a few people with the manner of their performance against Manchester United. They weren’t tipped to cause a parade of issues against the Red Devils, but in the end, they beat them from pillar to post. However, while it was an impressive triumph, we don’t really feel like it’s going to be enough to suddenly crown Mikel Arteta as the club’s new saviour.

There’s still a long, long way to go before that happens, and it’s important to remember that the Gunners still weren’t even really that impressive. The game plan was great but that was largely down to Arteta, and against sides that aren’t in quite as much turmoil as United, it may not work out quite as well.  .......Read more here.....

It took three games to get there, but Mikel Arteta has finally nailed his first win as the Arsenal manager. Speaking after the 2-0 win over Manchester United, he revealed it was a much more stressful experience than winning as a player.

It has been a long time since we’ve seen Arsenal play as well as they did in the first 45 minutes of that game. It feels fair to say that the likes of Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will probably be having bad dreams about it for a long while.  .......Read more here.....

On Lucas Torreira:
He was really good again. He wants to fight for every ball. In training he fights for every inch. He’s starting to understand the whole picture much better, that’s what I’m trying to do [with him]. He’s been superb. In the three games he’s played under me, he’s been top.

On whether we have the ability to develop our battling qualities:
Yes. I think you have to have some of that naturally. Then you can be contagious with it. I think we have some really good role models at the football club. I think when we install a good culture and a good way of living together, more will come up. They just need a good platform, they need support, they need guidance. That’s why we’re here.  .......Read more here.....

Everyone knew that Arsenal had to come flying out of the books in order to even stand a chance of success against Manchester United, and boy oh boy did they. They produced one of their best performances since the departure of Arsene Wenger, and they were able to see off the challenge of United pretty convincingly with a 2-0 win.

After the game, new boss Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his side as they look ahead to what they hope will be a bright year in 2020.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are interested in signing Chris Smalling from Manchester United when his loan spell at AS Roma expires next summer, according to Mirror.

The 29-year-old centre-back was apparently very reluctant to remain at Old Trafford following the arrival of Harry Maguire from Leicester City for a whopping £80 million, obviously not liking the prospect of losing out on precious game-time in the season preceding Euro 2020 as he strives to be a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the tournament. Roma were on the hunt for a central defender after Kostas Manolas left to join Napoli and Liverpool refused their offer of a loan for Dejan Lovren, and getting Smalling in seemed the obvious solution for all parties.  .......Read more here.....

Granit Xhaka has been the target of some sharp criticism lately, with his performances continuously underwhelming. The Swiss international is known for his uncompromising battle style in the middle of the park, and he’s therefore expected to stamp his imprint and help Arsenal establish control over games. The expectations have only grown bigger after his selection as the team captain. However, it’s fair to say that he hasn’t lived up to those expectations at all.

The scrutiny the central midfielder finds himself under will only have increased further as he ducked down to let Scott McTominay’s shot sail over him and into the top corner in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal went to Old Trafford last night with a lot of hope – depending on who you asked. The general consensus was that if they showed up on the night they would get the win, but that makes you question why a team with this much quality just isn’t showing up on the night every single time they play. The main factor behind that is inconsistency, of course, but it’s still incredibly frustrating to see.

“How many times have we have been 1-0 up and not got the second goal? This is a steep learning curve for us and we’ll keep working hard and, with more experience, we’ll make the right decisions.  .......Read more here.....

While most of the action from the Premier League this weekend has been and gone, there’s still one game remaining for everyone to sink their teeth into: and it’ll take place at Old Trafford later on this evening as Manchester United host Arsenal. These two teams are well and truly in the hunt for a place in the top four, but as always, there are a million and one obstacles waiting in their path.  .......Read more here.....

There is absolutely no need to talk about why it’s important to win the North-London Derby. The rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is well known throughout the world, and well documented over the years. It’s always a big thing to stick a pin into our bitter neighbours and show everyone what colour the north part of the England capital is.

But apart from those sentimental and historic reasons, there are, of course, practical ones as well. Three points are up for grabs, and at this particular moment in the season those three points staying at the Emirates would be hugely significant. The reasons for it lie in some of the other results in this weekend’s round four of the Premier League, as well as the current standings in the table.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have been credited with interest in Mario Lemina of Southampton, courtesy of The Telegraph.

Having started his professional career in Ligue 1 with Lorient back in 2012/13, Lemina moved to Olympique Marseille after two seasons , and his 50 performances – most of those very good – earned him a transfer to Juventus. The midfielder went there initially on loan, but the move was made permanent before the 2015/16 season had ended.  .......Read more here.....