Well, technically there’s still couple of days for an Arsenal game but Premier League officially begins today with Liverpool v Bournemouth. We haven’t had football since the stone ages it feels like, and I know some of you resorted to watching Chelsea in Club World Cup, hopefully you get back to your senses now.
FOOTBALL IS BACK! Lots of exciting things going around in the transfer market but before that, lets discuss our state first. We have got the midfield sorted with Zubimendi coming in and Norgaard as his back up, we have paid some huge money for Madueke to Chelsea who got some game time at LW in pre-season games. He is not here for Saka, he is here for Martinelli and Trossard will most likely be sold by the end of the transfer window. Nwaneri signed a new contract where he has been promised game time in the middle of the pitch. I hope he ups his game, dethrone the captain Odegaard and make that position his own. No shying around like ESR, go make a statement like MLS did with whatever minutes he got. Mosquera, a young but experienced CB came in to support Gabriel and Saliba while Kepa provides the cover for Raya for games that will not matter.
Biggest transfer of them lot, we have finally landed a CF since Auba left. A first under Mikel, Gyokeres has already scored a header (wooh!) and put on his mask against Villareal. We came 2nd three times in a row, and we didn’t have a striker. We have finally got one, and hopefully he is going to be the piece we have been missing.
Call me an optimist, but we don’t have a problem anywhere on the pitch. Defensively, we have a solid back 4 of Timber, Saliba, Gabriel and MLS with Calafiori and White, a first team starters, on bench. Mosquera provides the depth in CB position and Kiwior has been great lately in the middle. That’s 2 sets of back 4, perfectly capable of playing against 15 of the 19 Premier League teams and win.
In the middle of the pitch, Zubi and Norgaard are the DMs and Rice can cover if things go south. Odegaard keeps his position with Nwaneri catching up, while Merino, Havertz tries to compete with Rice on the left side.
Up front, Saka and Martinelli on either side with Madueke and Trossard available to rotate / cover. Gyokeres starts in the middle for me, every game of the season. If you can manage a season playing Havertz or Merino as your striker, you won’t need a back up.
So, yeah – we have probably the best line up in the Premier League. We also have probably the best bench in the Premier League. Whether we win a trophy or two, will now solely depend on the manager. Over to you, Mikel.
Ok, that’s the good part. The bad part is that Zinchenko is dropping interviews, talking about how unhappy he has been sitting on bench and how the manager has not been treating him good recently. Mate, you were injured half the time you were at Arsenal. Appreciate you helping us get into the top 4 initially but do you think we are going to sacrifice our games to give an injured you more game times? Lets be practical here, you have been replaced by a 18 year old kid not because the manager favoured the kid, but because he is better than you. Stop crying for everything, if you want to go the Ozil way, get that fat check for contract termination silently.
Trossard has also been getting attention from everywhere.
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Lets talk about some of the nuisance going around. Isak, from Newcastle has gone on a strike. Liverpool wants him, he wants to go, but the Magpies wants about 150m for him. They will ultimately settle to whatever Liverpool will offer but what a shitfest going on.
Man Utd have landed Sesko, stirring up the old rivalry but hey, we don’t compare ourselves with a team finishing 16th. Amorin can jog on.
Spurs being Spurs, lost a 2-0 lead against PSG in super league in the last 5 minutes of the game and went on to lose it ultimately in the penalty shootout. Thomas Frank, personally told me that he didn’t want to win simply because Daniel Levy loves sacking his manager who wins them a trophy.
Chelsea, has bid for the tea lady at Leipzig because apparently they have run out of players to buy.
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Right, that’s all for today. I will be back with the match day blog tomorrow. First game of the season, against our old rivals, on a Sunday evening is a perfect set up.
How’s things at your end?
Good post Ambarish—although we don’t agree on all things, most notably the best roster comments, albeit we’re the premier defensive unit, it was a well-reasoned and hopeful assessment…I’m trying to stay firmly within the half-glass full camp, but I would really like one more serious offensive add before the window closes
KP–I responded to your last post on the previous thread…check it out when you’ve got a minute
TRVL
Being positive at the start of the season, i will be first thr castigate Mikel if things don’t work out (yet again). Finishing 2nd won’t be sufficient.
Ambarish—you might be willing to give your left nut for a second place finish come season’s end
We’ll be Arsenal under Arteta – so at some point we’ll bottle it.
Liverpool have bought some good players but if winning the PL is difficult winning it back to back is a massive task.
City can’t be as bad again if they are Pep will go and will be there or there abouts.
Chelsea have some good players with a manager who’s now had a season and summer TW under his belt.
After that who knows.
My hope is the fans demand its the PL (or CL but that just won’t happen) or Arteta’s gone because if we don’t Enrique going to end up at Newcastle or City.
TRVL
As long as he’s giving his and not mine!
Taken 15 minutes for Jamie Carragher to take his levels of being an absolute cunt to levels even Arteta would struggle to achieve.
Why do Sky allow someone who’s completely incapable of giving an unbiased opinion around Liverpool (or Arsenal for that matter) to commentate on matches involving them.
What a player Ekitike is just slotted in seamlessly scoring one and almost heading a second. Pool will be lethal with Ekitike and Isak.
Bournemouth have matched Pool for the first half but Pool deserve the lead and still in 2nd gear.
I won’t bet on it, no. Not after 3 sessons in a row and with Mikel in charge. Lol
Nice one Vieira,
Here’s some post holiday nostalgia when you need it.
https://youtu.be/67lYG7a4YOA?si=CaOzRRDuj-on5rEO
I’m sure you’ll have seen ‘Altered States’. Deep, cerebral, superbly shot film by Ken Russell. Imagine Hollywood shooting a movie like that in the 2020s.
Pool worthy of their points but can be got at on counters. If they buy Isak, it will take a Herculean challenge to beat Slot to another title.
Spuds, Chavs, Forest and City will still add more players before September.
It’s going to be a much tighter season than last season.
KP—I was a big fan of the book, so the movie had a difficult time living up to it…Bill Hurt might be the only mope actor I’m fond of (RIP)…I’ve had the good fortune of experiencing both a deprivation and hyperbaric chamber…the latter was all business, whereas the former was a surreal pleasure…not sure I would recommend the DC for anyone who was an “altered states” drug novice …great blast to the past on your part…Cheers
Tony—Ekitike’s still rather raw, but he does have an unpolished Isak vibe…Pool’s a different side with Gravenberch on the pitch, as it allows Mac to push forward…his absence definitely affected Wirtz’s performance…in the end, it looked a lot like the Pool of last year, when they turned over scorelines with a multitude of late goals…if they do get Isak, I have a feeling Hugo will be deployed as either a wide side forward or tucked in behind, which could be deadly…I would take that combo every day of the week over a VG/Havertz duo…it should be an intriguing season
on a side note, just think of how the Kool-Aid kids would have reacted had that no-call handball at the halfway line, when Hugo could have had a breaf for fun, had gone against us…of course it was barely a touch, but a touch nonetheless
“Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the Premier League competition is “like nothing we’ve seen before” as he prepares his Gunners team for the “most difficult” title race he’s seen”
two things:
(1) built-in excuse nonsense…classic Arteta…either you look like a genius if you pull it off or you have a readymade excuse baked into the equation if things don’t go as planned
(2) that’s why we should have shown a far greater sense of urgency over the last couple of seasons when it came to our transfer practices…it was far easier to spend to win while many of the “top” sides were in transition…we just might have missed our most logical window…hope not though
For three seasons we’ve had more points than any other team in this league, which is incredible.
This quote from ‘Stubborn’ in today’s Guardian. The entire article is typically highly irritating and leaves the readers wanting to slit their wrists.
Does that quote remind you of anyone? No prizes for parsing the Wengerian overtone! A slightly different take on the ‘if there was a trophy for games played in a calendar year…’ bullshit because he’s expanded the period but it still just smells of utter cack.
I’ve deliberately tried to keep my interest on the downlow since the end of the season but the little cunt has annoyed me already.
Hi Vieira
The imagery in that film when he’s first tripping is magnificent. To create it on a 2D Screen really brings home Russell’s talent as an auteur. Hurt was a terrific actor. I really liked him in Gorky Park, but he’s been the coolest bastard in the room in sooooo many films.
PS – anyone want a Thomas Partey patented tea tray?
‘You put the kettle on. I’ll do the teabags!’
My biggest and most artistic achievement of the summer I’d say.
TRVL
Totally agree Ekitike is a bit gangly, but it’s also his unique style. He’s unafraid to try things MA would have horrors about now, so I can just imagine what he’ll be like after he’s got a PL season under his belt. It was interesting that as soon as Ekitike was subbed, B’mouth scored.
I remarked to junior that Ekitike would have snubbed out the pass to Semenyo who ran 75 yards to score. Ekitike was playing box to box albeit clumsy junior version of our Paddy Vieira. That’s what you get for around £73m.
If I were Slot, I’d play Ekitike as a false 9 behind Isak as you suggested.
Tomorrow we will have Frank’s new signings of Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo to deal with, and we have a very tough opening 10 games, which is why MA is shitting the bed because he’s feeling the pressure already.
There really is no hiding place now for MA. He’s spent near a £billion with a squad worth around £1.3B.
Now, if MA really had a plan for the season after coming 2nd three times consecutively, and knowing how close the top 6 are to completing their 3 to 4 year rebuilds with huge pressure from their clubs’ owners to win major trophies, you’d have thought MA would have gone straight for Isak and Eze at the very least this TW.
We’ve all posted our Spuds, Chavs and Manure concerns because they have bought well, especially if Frank manages to nail Eze’s signing. He’s also still got time to get a Morgan-Gibbs like signing before the window shuts.
I know we’ve all been watching paint-dry football knowing the outcome even before season’s start where we’ve had to find ways to cope with MA’s Arsenal.
However, we’ve been predicting a really Gung Ho season where clubs finally have the artillery and other tools to make a concerted challenge. I think we are finally going to get to enjoy a quality season and probably the best for the neutral for a decade or more.
This season could potentially be all down to the last day’s games’ of the season to crown a winner from Pool, City and Chavs and not us.
It’s going to be a belter with no prisoners taken, so time once again to strap in, and pray to your deity and employ your season’s beginning rituals if you have them.
Watched Aston Vila vs Newcastle. The sending off of Aston vila player was correct , but towards the end there were glaring and nasty fouls as Ref appeared to literally look away those moments , which normally any ref would not have missed . Newcastle is owned by Mr Moneybags , hope nothing is going to happen wrong like how Fergie used to manage those days. Was bit too obvious
Oops it is me
Not on any weed
Hoopah—talk about a horribly conceived alias lol
it’s fairly clear to me that this should be a cake-walk top 4, with only United and maybe Spurs having an outside chance of muddying the waters…we’re back to a more defined tiered situation with those who entered the fray last year either losing players of import and/or standing pat in the window, when it comes to signing needle movers(Villa & Newcastle)…of course, there’s always a surprise or two who emerge from the pack, but this offseason the big boys have sent a clear message to the pretenders, we’re back and no expense will be spared…as such, the real battle should revolve around the final 2 or 3 Europa/Conference League positions…that’s why I’m so perturbed by the very real possibility that we may have missed our best window of opportunity…that said, Pool needs some depth both back and front, Chelsea have questions at the back and they still have to prove they can play a more expansive brand of football against other top sides and City still have an unsettled first 11 and a manager who can’t find a way to reinvent his tactical wheel without sacrificing too much defensively, so there’s still hope for us yet