We went in the game a little heavy with almost all first teamers apart from Timber in place of Zinchenko/Tierney and Trossard for Martinelli.
Barcelona scored first when Odegaard lost a ball in their half and Ezzalzouli did a great run before Lewandowski scored from a tap-in. We levelled back in 12th minute when Saka scored a brilliant goal. This kid just can’t stop scoring, can he? One thing to notice was Ben White was too high up the pitch both during when we conceded and scored. This leaves us with just a Saliba and Gabriel in a counter attack, and that’s why Partey’s midfield handling becomes important.
We had a Penalty awarded of a handball in 21st minute. Saka put it out wide, can happen with anyone but we seriously need to mix it up. We are making it easier for the opposition to read of Saka’s penalty game.
Barca scored again when a deflection from Odegaard lands into the net, of a free hit from outside the box. Now call what you want, it wasn’t a Ramsdale mistake but Ode’s. You don’t shy away from the kick if are standing as a wall.
Saka helped us again to level up in 42nd minute when he lofted a ball to Odegaard in the box which Havertz guided in the goalpost. 2-2 at half time.
A long ball in 55th minute, which Jesus guided to Trossard, who scored an inch-perfect goal. A lovely strike from Smith Rowe was saved few minutes later and a Dembele’s shot hit the woodwork at our end. Soon after in 78th minute, Trossard scored his second from a Tierney’s pass, leading us to 4-2. Barca scored in 87th minute to make it 4-3. However, within couple of minutes, we reclaimed our 2 goal difference when Vieira scored a perfect left-foot goal from outside the box. It was a beautiful goal, perhaps the best of the day.
Overall, we were good in attack and could have easily scored few more. We also need to iron out mistakes defensively, because out of those 3 goals, 2 would have not happened if Ode was a bit more aggressive. Partey showed us all, why I’m against selling him this season. He has been the backbone of our game, and replacing him with Rice without a handover would cost us. Think of Rice as a rotation to Partey and not a replacement for this season, and this solves our both problems – Partey’s injury and no drop in performance!
I think Arteta is still experimenting with Timber, after playing him at right back and left back. We will see what position he takes up but defensively we have enough options and there shouldn’t be any concern for any out of form players. When fit, Tomi is a world class player who can deputise at both ends and at CB. White can play RB, CB, so can Timber. Tierney is looking sharp, Zinny will be in the fold and Kiwior has started picking up things.
Partey is most likely not leaving this season, so our midfield looks even better. Rice can deputize him, Havertz, Trossard can cover #8, ESR is back to fitness and a fight for LW between Trossard and Martinelli is going to be an interesting one.
Couple of weeks more, if you are bored without football.
And here’s another thing Bob. You’re either a zen master of inner tranquility or, like me, you’re triggered when the cabeza de chihuahua pops up and says from time to time.
See that xxxxxxxxxxx (insert name of latest global football vedette)… I coulda/woulda/shoulda signed him.
Turning to 🏏
Can England win this in your opinion (written at tea of the third day)?
Wtf Tony. Why all the aggressive, name calling?
Still think his worst years don’t outweigh his glorious best years; they featured some of my favourite Arsenal memories of all time. Exceptionally high standards, some of you have!
Winning hearts but not Ashes Test series Kroenke. I think Australia will be delighted that they have retained the Ashes but know they’ve been in a real contest and could easily of lost the series 3-1.
In a democracy, Wenger would have been voted out!
Prior to Wenger we supposedly coulda/shoulda signed Gullit, Maradona, Placido Domingo, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Bertrand Russell. Zen Master obv.
first off I’m not much of a statue guy, except in the most rarest of cases…there’s other far less grandiose ways to honour someone, which don’t require such pomp and permanence…let’s face it, the whole Wenger latter days gig was so divisive that it almost belies logic that we would pursue such a course of action at this particular juncture, which speaks to the contrivancy of this undertaking…it’s not like I don’t understand why some would actively lobby for this sort of physical bestowment, but that doesn’t make it right…personally I believe the manner by which he mismanaged his rather messy and incredibly belated exit should have made him ineligiible for any such honour, which isn’t to suggest that I don’t applaud him for his earlier managerial efforts and contributions
let’s face it, in the not too distant future each stadium will have their own hall of statues where all manners of people and moments will be unnecessarily honoured in “bronze”…in one corner you will witness those who’ve travelled great distances to pay homage to this, that or the other, meanwhile in another corner you will witness those who’ve made a similarly lengthy pilgrimage simply to destroy and/or deface another statue for political or overtly PC purposes…that said, maybe it’s best to put a moratorium on all statue-based activities until all the revisionist history simpletons have gone the way of the Dodo…just a thought
You could have left well alone, Bob, as I had pulled out of the POV by politely agreeing to disagree, but you were in Jack Russel mode deciding to taunt. I only let a single barrel go as we’re friends, but yes, as KP alludes to Wenger set the club back and conned us out of £120m for 3 worthless FA cups and 3 titles in 21 years. GG’s %vs time served is better including our only 2nd European cup win, which far out achieves Invincibles.
.
Wenger was a mini dictator running the power part of the club and as with all dictators they are full blown narcissists who are always ousted by their people. Wenger should have left with David Dein or soon after because Wenger was more drunk with power than football
.
Had we been face to face and you came back with that to taunt, Bob, I would have had to walk away or you would have ended up in a world of pain with no warning. It’s my failsafe, but just so you know the level you triggered me. I’d have seen it as you being a 24 carat cunt disrespecting me. I’ve always walked away purely because I wouldn’t want to go to prison particularly in foreign countries.
.
For years I rode and filmed ex special forces and various martial arts specialists including Krav Maga proponents, and I can tell you they are a bit different to your Arsenal mates in the UK, unless they were formally from the regiment. Try going on the mat with them, it’s seriously painful, just training – ask TRVL? He knows more than I, but he’ll know what I’m saying here; it’s all about destabilising the person(s) in front of you to such a degree that person cannot fight back – normally because they are unconscious.
.
I’ve never had to use it or been triggered enough to have in blind rage, which you never do. Wenger can trigger me that way, so I keep away from the stupidity from Arsenal fans who blindly followed Wenger who royally fucked the club over for his own uses – chiefly to be adored by everyone inside and outside of football. I’d say he fucked us like he fucked his family over. That’s the mark of the man you cherish above all other managers.
.
Now you know why I said what I said and why I had given you a warning and the chance to say fair enough, we see things differently, but you had to have a smart mouth come back. As Marc or someone said, try reading what is there in black and white and then apply your reply to how you have perceived that person over time. Maybe even make allowances for their POV when taking in their deep feelings on the matter. It’s what I do for you and others when it the best way forward.
.
I was expecting your bleating reverence of Wenger reply, but I thought I’d leave it to others to have their views before commenting further.
.
This is where we are very different, Bob. I actually respected Emery who had we given him the players he wanted, he would have delivered 4th and probably won the EL cup, but Raul was too busy filling his coffers. Then we would never have had 4 years of 8th, 8th, 5th and 2nd while Ten Hag wins a cup and gets 3rd with Manure in turmoil.
.
Pochetino will get the Chavs firing and Klopp’s mid field is being fixed.
.
Bob, you could always ddi as Pedro says and wait for Pep to leave for us to win a Title with Arteta. Says it all really.
.
This season is going to be a hugely challenging one where Ben Kind and Raps on LG seem to have things realistically thought out and measured last night.
.
Time to wait and see. Enjoy dothing your cap, Bob. Pierre will be bedside himself next time he goes to the Emirates where you’ll probably have to pull Pierre inside or he’ll miss the game., but don’t hold his hands; it could be messy.
Bob
I’d be interested to know what your take is with Pedro and his many monikers? So many on LG don’t realise Nigel T, probably Sal, certainly Coneta are all indeed Pedro. His not that clever with his writing styles and is easy to see for me anyway and KP, Marc, Killroy and TRVL.
.
Don’t you find it disingenuous at the very least that ferret face Pedro has to pretend to be others to keep feeding his Arteta agenda?
.
Just curious as to your thinking on this. Personally, I see Pedro to be the same attention seeking to make money at others’ expense as Wenger.
.
But that’s just me with Pedro where I just think there we are then and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
.
Geoffs property is not selling, and he’s some marketer labelling his property as being on TV, but it got a slagging as one of the worst, so why advertise the fact? It’ll never sell at that price when you consider what else is on offer.
.
Pedro senior is a bigger comedian as his son.
just a few takeaways from what we’ve seen thus far:
(1) midfield concerns—not in the sense that we’re lacking highly skilled options, as we’re clearly a better team on paper, especially if Partey stays, but nore from a tactical standpoint…if plan A is to have the trio of Rice, Havertz and Ode starting regularly, with Rice lying deeper and Havertz functionally replacing Xhaka, I do have concerns about our ability to match-up against teams who either stack the midfield or deploy more effective midfield options, like City
of course, having our backers tucked inside could help hide some of our obvious deficiencies, but at some point we’re going to have to rely heavily on this trio’s ability to move the ball quickly and effectively, which might be a bridge too far considering their respective histories…Rice has never been known for his passing prowess and as such it will require both Ode and Havertz to come deeper at times to ease his burden…Havertz has never really been a player who was required to have the ball at his feet in deeper positions, so it will be an interesting learning curve situation…Ode will have considerably less issues with adapting, even though I’m a bit concerned that he could get bossed in those deeper spaces at times
personally I always envisioned Havertz being deployed in a more advanced role, with some midfield-like responsibilities, but I wouldn’t want to be relying on him as a pivot option…if it were up to me I would employ a hybrid system that at times acted like our base 4-3-3ish formation, with a more stretched forward line and Havertz arriving late, whereas at other times shifted into a more 4-4-2-like look, with our tucked in backers acting as pivots, Havertz joining Jesus up top and Rice pursuing more advanced spaces, thereby adding some more directness to our attack
I just don’t want to see MA going full-on square pegs/round holes and simply hoping that all involved will quickly adjust and immediately thrive…above all else, Arteta should make sure his best players are doing what they do best, instead of trying to reinvent their respective wheels…logically there are a few things that Havertz should be able to do that his predecessor couldn’t and MA should focus on those things first and foremost, like his superior pace, abilities in the air and the fact that his mere presence will impact opposing defences, which should make it nearly impossible for the opposition to double-up both Marts and Saka on a regular bass…if these aren’t forefront in his mind, when devising his tactical plan, he needs to give his head a shake
(2) squad size—we simply must make a whole host of moves in a rather timely manner so that we can properly focus on the task at hand…outgoings, loans or otherwise, must come first and in doing so it might provide us with the financial impetus to make some later window moves…of course those leaving could have a determining role when it comes to any further reinforcements, but regardless i would suggest that we need another “proven” player with an eye for goal who fits our more youthful age profile
Tony-I warned you about the passive aggressive wolf in our midst, at least now you know what you’re dealing with…Cheers
Tony, it was never my intention to ‘trigger’ you. This was a discussion about whether Wenger deserved a statue, I and many others believe, despite his obvious failings, that he did. You were triggered by that and then as I gave you an idea that many agree with the recognition this act represents, you take it personally.
Never meant for it to come across as a personal attack, I’m very sorry you took it that way.
I appreciate Pedro running the blog. I’m not triggered by his views even if I don’t always agree with the tone or content.
There are far too many more important things in life to get worked up about than people’s views on a blog( which I try and remind myself any time I get riled).
Akmunia
You watching? Croke Park looks terrific I must say. Would I be a complete arsehole if I said I’d prefer Kerry to win?
KP,
I surely am,looking forward to a good game. I’ll be shouting for kerry myself. David Clifford is a joy to watch. No real underdog here,2 giants of gaelic football.
To my inexpert eye, I can tell that these are two top teams. The skills, movement and fitness are a notch above some of the other games I’ve seen. I’m really happy that it’s being shown here on the BBC.
Goooal! Clifford is Kerry’s answer to Saka!
Isn’t it incredible to think that these lads are amateurs, working full time jobs. This is what I mean when I talk about losing my love of football. The GAA boys have all the strength and skill with none of the financial rewards. Hitting each other as though their lives depend on it yet not a feigned injury in sight.
there’s been some chatter today regarding the notion of us selling the underwhelming Turner and pursuing the highly sought-after Raya…I have no problem whatsoever with shipping Turner, as he’s clearly not the kind of top flight keeper we could rely upon should Ramsdale go down, but the idea of us paying north of 30M for another keeper would be full-on bonkers…I actually rate Raya higher than Ramsdale, albeit not by a significant amount, and I do like the idea of having some “real” competition behind our starter, just like at every other position, but if we were to invest that heavily again in that particular position that would be chequebook managing at it’s finest
I’m likewise a little concerned about Rice’s injury status, as I can’t remember ever hearing about him being sidelined before arriving here, even though it’s undoubtedly not his first time being shelved (might just be my usual Arsenal injury paranoia kicking in)
KP & Almunia—there’s was a couple points in time when I got into both Gailec Football and Aussie Rules, likely due to the fact I played in a handful of Rugby tourneys, so I get your points regarding the whole old school/for the love of the game sentimentality, but I just found that over time they had more of a weekend warrior/hobby sport feel…this certainly isn’t meant to be a disparaging commentary, as I totally respect the time, effort and skill involved, I just couldn’t see them replacing my other more primary sporting interests…that might have more to do with spreading myself too thin, as I follow a myriad of sports, which might not be the case for you two, or it might have something to do with my gambling predilictions that have encouraged me to opt for those sports that better fit that particular narrative…Cheers
I was watching our largely misunderstood and sacrificial lamb of a former manager, Unai, in Villa’s entertaining match against Brentford and I now fully understand why they paid a record fee for Diaby…one of their most problematic issues last season was their lack of effective width, which forced them into being too narrow too often…as any good manager should they use the off-season to target those players who could best rectify any squad deficiencies…so now when teams choke off the inside lanes, Villa can get very favourable 1 v. 1 scenarios on the edge…if Buendia can rise to the occasion, they could be a formidable foe, much like Villarreal under Emery’s tutelage…this also makes me wonder what might have been if Unai was actually given a say when it came to personnel matters here, as his preferred tactics rely heavily on players with a particular skillset, which was totally disregarded with the weasel Raul in charge
A preview of this season from the Guardian in case you don’t read it (maybe too opionated for Bob, and too Marxist-Leninist for Marc! 😊).
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/31/arsenal-premier-league-2023-24-preview
It’s the stuff about Tets that is particularly worth reading. He irks opposing fans sure, but he also irks vast numbers of Gooners too!
If you want to read the same sort of things for other clubs (Brighton Tony? Or your mates Manure and Liverpool Almunia?) they’ll all come out in alphabetical order in the next few days I guess. The start of the season is on its way…
Subscribe to the Guardian Kroenke!
‘He irks opposing fans sure but…….’
‘his touchline histrionics can irk rivals, although they are criticised to a tiresome extent in some quarters.’
Worth highlighting the rest of the sentence!
Hi Bob
Yeah, I wasn’t trying to quote selectively. It was mainly written as an incentive to fellow LiR-ers (not sure that’s the best portmanteau I’ve ever come up with given we aim to tell the unalloyed truth on here 😊). I essence, I don’t find myself to be tiresome in my critique of Arteta but each to their own. In fact, I promise never to write anything negative about him after he buggers off to PSG, or becomes the manager of the Al-Shabaz bone saw surgeons in Jeddah or some such sithole.
It’s a small thing but I’d like Arsenal to have a manager that I like and admire again before I shuffle off this mortal coil.
Kroenke, Of managers in the last 50 years, who are your top 3? I like both GG and Wenger but they both left unsatisfactorily. GG managed to accommodate some god awful players for example and we all know AW was well past his sell by date. I guess you’re talking about personalities.
I definitely liked AW and GG but not without criticism, I’ ve always been much more invested in the players.
Mee, Howe, Neill, Rioch, Emery, Arteta don’t like or dislike really.