Brighton is a tough team to play against. They play high intensity, positive game and have Europe in mind. Having played 3 less games than Tottenham, who sits at the 6th position, Brighton could overtake them with a win. They are in a happy place but they know things can turn bad towards the end of the season, and won’t really be wishing to leave it to that. They will fight, and they will make things tough for us.
Today’s game comes with a relief for Arteta, both Solly March and Webster are ruled out of game and we are back in fine form. Saliba and Zinchenko are ruled out for the season, but Kiwior didn’t disappoint and Tierney is as good a player at LB. He might come up short in his midfield abilities, but I’m of the belief that a defender’s first priority is to defend well. Anything else is extra.
Having said that, I would really like him to excel in the three games left. Rumours about him leaving (or sold) is not a good news for me, I don’t know if we need to splash another 60m for a LB when we already have a lad covering it and doing well whenever given a chance. It would be like creating a problem and then fixing it.
For the rest of this season, we don’t have anything to win or lose now. I’m a generally optimistic person but everyone and their dog knows City are not going to drop points, and are not going to give away their 1 point lead with a game in hand. We feel the Liverpool’s frustration, in a short amount of time they have overtaken the title race. No doubt we have thrown it away ourselves by sharing points against the likes of West Ham and Liverpool after going 2-0 up, and against Southampton at home, but Pep is showing to us how hard it can be for any other team. Not only does he prepares his team tactically, he engrains in them a tough, winning mentality which allows them to perform at the top when needed the most.
It was nice till it lasted. It leaves us to the last three games, and I’m looking forward to finishing our season with 3 wins, and 90 points. It will keep the confidence high, make the incomings in the summer easier and gives us the confidence to pick ourselves up and retry again next season.
—
Back to the game, I’m expecting a a back 4 of White, Kiwior, Gabriel and Tierney. Jorginho would probably keep his place after a good game against Newcastle. Xhaka starts because he always do. We would see Saka, Odegaard and Martinelli behind Jesus, but I would personally like to see Eddie given a chance today. We are at home, we are playing Brighton and Eddie can do a job.
Trossard would like a game too, but unless we play in 2 competitions, I doubt we will see much of him. Mikel has his favorites and there is nothing wrong in that if it works. The only problem is, it don’t keep people happy. We need a strong bench, but good players don’t like to settle on the bench. A conundrum Mikel has to overcome, and we still have ESR and Eddie waiting, Balogun, Lokonga and Tavares returning, Saliba and Tomiyasu injured.
I would love to see a clean sheet. It felt sh*t to David De Gea winning the golden glove. I wouldn’t have mind if it was Ederson or Allison but lol.
Right, a short one today. Lets beat them seagulls and continue the quest of being the best out there. If you are saddened with missing out the trophy after being top of the table virtually the whole season, here’s some positive – we will be playing in Champions League next season, we will be fighting again for the trophy, Spu*s might not even make to Europa and London is red through and through.
#COYG
Aluminiasaynomore-we’re definitely on the same page when it comes to MA/Eud’s bang average at best record when it comes to all things asset management related
TRVL,
We are. It’s one of the reasons I can’t get behind this management team. I genuinely don’t trust their ability to identify and purchase quality players. People have talked recently about the invincibles, unsurprisingly as they were the last Arsenal title winning team. But if the current team are to be mentioned in the same breath surely at this stage,4 yrs and hundreds of millions spent, he’d have brought even 1 player into the club that could get onto that team. Just 1. But no. And incredibly the story is he now needs another 4 or 5. I simply don’t accept that a world class manager/ coach operates at this pace and requires this much leniency and financial support. Its ‘ jam tomorrow ‘ all over again.
Almunia
Agree even any signings that are deemed to be good signings were hardly strokes of genius – Ode is a good player but Madrid not only wanted to off load him but needed to sell him. I bet we paid asking price, the Ben White fee was ridiculous my big worry now is we’re going to sell Saliba due to his contract winding down and will only get £30 odd million for a player who’s going to be the next VVD or better.
“But no. And incredibly the story is he now needs another 4 or 5.”
Its the fan boy narrative – always push the goalposts to the next horizon and make excuses. The current squad is 99% Arteta’s but its not good enough but that isn’t Arteta’s fault it was the Butler in the Library or the man on the grassy knoll or whatever bullshit diverts attention that Arteta bottled it again.
minus Ode, not a single sellable asset has been brought into the fold by this management team…by this I mean someone who’s current value actually exceeds their original purchase price…what this team really needed was some readymade seminal players in their early to mid-20s to link with those who had already fallen into their proverbial laps…in the past this would never have happened because of our frugal spending practices under Wenger, but the fact that this script changed drastically under Arteta yet the kind of targets we opted for never really changed is inexcusable
btw Saliba’s current market value is lower than what we paid for White, which is an even tougher pill to swallow considering that White isn’t even playing in the position he was brought into play…this is another reason why I don’t believe whatsoever that Arteta had any intention of bringing back Saliba as a regular starter
fine if people think Mudryk wasn’t worth the monetary squeeze, but at least he was a like-for-like Marts cover/competition piece with a long runway and a huge up-side…instead we paid full price for a player put out on the curb and shopped around by his former club, who neither fits the positional script, unless Arteta was wiling to play him instead of Xhaka, nor the age-based narrative…as for our other winter move, we pursued Caicedo, but we were unwilling to go far enough to secure his services, even though he was always going to be even more expensive going forward…he was likewise a young player with positional flexibility, who fit both our current scripts and had proven himself in the PL…instead we took another Chelsea castaway who was about to lose his starting place to the returning Kante and gave him term to boot, which was undoubtedly going to create some problems down the road…these are just the most recent reasons why I wouldn’t trust this duo with another transfer window windfall
just as a follow-up to my previous post, once again I’m not suggesting that either Tross or Jorginho are hacks, as they both possess some valued skills, but they’re not the kind of difference makers who were going to lift us to a title and they were likewise always going to be more problematic purchases come the summer window
please keep in mind that Tross has only scored 1 goal for us, whereas he scored 7 with BHA…now to be fair, he was more of a regular starter for BHA, where he averaged about 25 more minutes per match, and he has produced more assists here, but he only made 1 statistical contribution against a top 8 side since arriving in North London
TRVL I think you may be missing the point. By replacing squad players with first team quality players, it allows Arteta to rotate without losing significant quality. This change of ‘depth’ would mean we ought to be able to compete on more than one front and enable us to absorb injuries in a way that was not possible this last season.
Afternoon all.
The way things seem to be looking is KSE is going have to financially dig deep to back some major changes. Stan will look foolish if he doesn’t after almost winning the league. If we can’t shift Jorginho, then he’ll be good for lesser cups organising our younger lads. Jorginho is an enabler type of player; it’s just a shame he’s in his footballing twilight years.
A good professional worth keeping if there are no takers.
If we’re going to mount another serious challenge, because I believe once we were in our stride this season we started to believe and put on a title assault. That can’t be denied where the milk has been spilt and the tears are now dry: just feelings of emptiness prevail.
Quite honestly sitting at my computer I don’t know what to think or worse write. Are we going to dance the Hokey Cokey with all the ins and outs? Will it fatally be more outs than ins? When will there be an end to the Arteta & Edu madness of blowing hot and cold?
The answers my friends are not blowing in the wind, but will come next season with somewhat of an overview to be obtained by the summer’s comings and goings. The focal targets have to be the title and CL cup in that order. 2nd is our current barometer, so first is the only move up!
By Arteta madness my thinking is simple; don’t make the same mistakes covers everything really.
Results will do Arteta’s talking for him where I don’t think he will be so easily forgiven if we’re 6th by Xmas and looking sad. However, if we’re neck and neck with City keeping Pool, Chavs, and Manure below us by Xmas, then it will be a very happy xmas for us Gooners.
I’m hoping for the latter as I’m sick of losing when we shouldn’t be.
All eyes on KSE, Arteta and Edu then for the next 12 weeks where I’m sure the LIR oversight committee will be highlighting observations from pre season to end August.
@Bob
In theory what you say is correct but you and I know that Arteta doesn’t rotate, the players on the bench are for in player management. Look at the graph that Pedro posted Arsenal is dead last in changes in the starting XI. In addition if you don’t rotate you get player fatigue as well as players that are not rotated in are rusty and need plating time.
In addition we all know with Arteta’s stubbornness this will not change. For me the summer TW will furthermore show up the inexperience of player recruitment. TRVL put is spot on that the value of the players bought by Arteta they have not increased with the exception of Ode.
So it has begun with City’s fight against FFP breaches:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12098983/Man-City-launch-legal-fight-against-Premier-Leagues-115-charges-rule-breaches.html
Bob-not sure what you’re talking about when you posted that I might be missing the point…the only statement I directed in your general direction was in regards to the selling off of players, like Nelson, who can’t be sold as his contract expires this summer…as for the notion of replacing bench players with first teamers, I’m all about that shit, but I just don’t think this management duo has the ability to identify, minus the obvious, acquire, without paying above the number, or the onions/tactical nous to properly rotate a squad, regardless of the talent available for selection…maybe you simply directed your response to the wrong individual by mistake…have a good one
with talk yesterday and today involving a 3rd offer to Nelson and the hopeful signing of Ode to a long-term deal, it reminds me of how we’ve truly butchered this squad building project…by the time we’re done locking down Saka, Saliba, fingers-crossed, Ramsdale and Ode, combined with the bumper deals we already gave to Marts, Eddie(stupidly) and maybe Nelson, our briefly restructured wage bill will skyrocket before we even try to lure supposed elite level talent to the Emirates…once you likewise include Jorginho’s and Trossard’s overpriced salaries, we might be doing some bargain basement shopping unless we ship some of our better players, as it’s not like Xhaka’s 12+M transfer windfall is going to help much…no wonder we’re always sniffing around for players on a “free”…if we were smart we would have used our early transfer funds to lock in some readymade elite players when our more youthful up and coming blue chippers were on vastly lower wages, but instead we were too busy paying above the number for largely unproven talent and those who didn’t fit the script
Killroy, you may be right; we shall see! I’d hope with enough quality to allow rotation without an obvious drop in quality and performance, Arteta will recognise the need to allow players to recharge during the season.
TRVL, you seemed to be suggesting that we would be acquiring ‘bench warmers’ to acquire fresh ‘bench warmers’, I was arguing that if brought in 3/4 first team quality starters, you’d then have say 14/15 starters and Arteta might be inclined to rotate more.
We would get compensation for Nelson say 8/10m if he went to an English club.
There is someone at the club,or maybe they’re gone, who deserves immense credit for spotting Saliba and Martinelli and also a team behind the scenes producing saka,esr,patio,Eddie,Nelson,most of whom will either make it or command a decent fee. By all accounts a new batch are coming through with more players that will make the professional grade. Reasons to be hopeful I guess.
Back to cheering d hammers again tonight. All eyes on Rice once more. The silly season in the papers has begun particularly early this year,but the noise surrounding our interest in him is already deafening. Not my number one choice at that money,would prefer someone with endless energy like a young Kante. Got to be someone in that mould about to explode. Can we find him? Or tap the Brighton phones??
Hi Almunia
I’d be happy if the Hammers get to the final as well. There aren’t many English sides I’d say that about though.
Here’s a question. RM’s confidence in Ancelloti will be seriously dented after losing so heavily last night. Do you reckon there is any possibility that they’ll be looking to tempt our plucky little rookie manager away from us?
PS I thought your comment on the global dearth of decent goalkeepers was spot on. I would not be averse to trading Ramsdale (and Turner). I know he’s ancient but is Navas (Forest) still decent in your view?
Howya KP,
You’d know more about this than me but isn’t Arteta Catalonian thus rendering Real anathema to him? And vice versa? That aside Real only hire the biggest of names. Nagelsman turned down Chelsea by all accounts,is he expecting the call?
Aa for keepers I fear Navas is past his best. Have seen him lately and he is still a decent shot stopper but doesn’t have the presence you’d want your keeper to have,especially in the air. He’s also gone 36. I don’t mind an older keeper mind you. Schmeichel was turning 29 when he joined utd, van der Saar was 3 months off 36 amazingly,what a signing he was. Maignan was the big miss for us,he was very gettable before he moved to Italy.
Anyway word is that Ramsdale has just signed a new deal and you know how Arteta feels about acknowledging mistakes!
I think Arteta is from the Basque region (which is also mistrusted/disliked by the Franco-supporting central area around Madrid). But I doubt that would come into it if Arteta were interested. That said, 8f he has any connection to an Iberian club, then it’s Barca of course which could be a bridge too far. I could swear I saw some media reports (aka shite) linking him with RM. All those regional differences aside, they’d be perfect for each other.
The way this season has ended I can already feel the torpor setting in. Hope all is well with you mate.
Bob-you must have misinterpreted my commentary, as I’ve always been an ardent proponent of bringing in players with starting pedigree…in fact, I want nothing more than for us to add a couple readymade star quality players…that said, I don’t trust our current management duo when it comes to making such decisions as they tend to waste considerable time on more pie-in-the-sky type options, which never seem to materialize, then ultimately opt for lesser lights and/or cast-offs…furthermore, the fact that MA seems to give incoming or re-upping players ridiculous assurances undoubtedly complicates matters when it comes to issues involving squad rotation…in the end, most of our biggest stumbling blocks are self-inflicted, which are difficult to correct without making wholesale managerial/administrative personnel changes, unless you prescribe to the rather far-fetched learning curve narrative, considering the inflated egos involved
Bob-as for your Nelson compensation claims, I think you might be overestimating just what we might be awarded but I could be wrong…I realize that with him leaving before the age of 24 we will be receiving some form of compensation if he does remain in the PL, albeit that’s certainly not a given, but the number you suggested seems a bit high considering his current market value, which I believe is a mitigating variable…Cheers
Basque v Catalan, my ignorance on that is shocking, may do a little research!
Still would be amazed if Arteta was being considered for that job,couldn’t imagine Real fans being happy.
Fornals with a cracker. Hammers have their chance to end 43 years of emptiness. Good luck to them.
All well here my friend,hope the same can be said for you and yours.
for those who might have not watched the BHA/Newcastle affair, don’t be fooled by the final scoreline, as 2 of Newcastle’s 4 tallies came functionally within the extra time, once Brighton tried unsuccessfully to push for an equalizer…that said, Newcastle were the better team over the 90+ minutes, although it’s important to note that BHA fielded an largely rotated lineup, which included Caicedo and a newbie in the back 4, amongst other key changes
the rumour mill never ceases to amaze, for months we’ve heard all manner of claims regarding our “favoured status” when it comes to the Declan Rice chase, yet, seemingly without fail, these are invariably followed by a whole host of “alternative” options that our manager supposedly favours…the flavour of the day appears to be Florentino, a 23 year old DM from Benifica, who has a 20M market value but a 120M release clause…I’ve personally watched a handful of Benfica matches this season but only once have I even heard the respective commentators mention him by name…of course, that doesn’t always tell the full story, especially for someone in that particular position, but it certainly isn’t a ringing endorsement either
as we know these kinds of rumours are usually the work of zealous/crafty agents attempting to raise the profile of their oft-times under the radar clients, which could be plausible in this case too, as our penchant for secrecy/trickery could make us a logical trolling target…sadly, this “secretive” transfer model has not only yielded incredibly mixed results, it has greatly exacerbated an already tense period…regardless of the original intent of this particular rumour, I can’t help but think that it’s far more likely that Florentina will be wearing our kit come August considering our more recent transfer record
TRVL
Just take a look at the players Arteta bought and brought in, with the exception of Ode, would we get at least the same amount of money that we spent on purchasing them? For me I seriously doubt it. This indicates one of three things, either their talent was totally misjudged, we overpaid for them or Arteta ruined their valuation by benching them, playing them out of position and now they appeared to be out of form.
We are stuck with the not so dynamic duo of Edu & Arteta until they get hit by the door as they leave.
A truly excellent quote from the Athletic:
“For the second successive season, Arsenal look likely to fall just short of their objective. Last year it was the top four. This year it was the Premier League title. And to some, that makes Mikel Arteta a nearly man rather than the serial winner the club needs.”
Outstanding new description for MA, he is a “nearly man/manager”
What do we think of the Forrest game?
Hard to get enthusiastic over a game that doesn’t move our position. 2 games left and only pride to play for with a worn out squad limping home.
We got 2nd and that’s our current position to beat next season.
Pre season looks good, MLS all stars to begin with, then Manure at home followed by Barca also at the Emirates as well.
For tomorrow’s game it is anyone’s guess; Forrest still need points and Cooper is a good tactician with the players & budget he’s got, who work hard for him on and off the ball.
Wet finger in the air prediction of 3:3 tomorrow and 3 points from the Wolves game to finish on a high for the lap of honor.
Then hibernation time for me until pre season. That is unless Edu buys 3 £100m+ elite City level players and 3 £50M+ potential elite players, and a £25m cheeky gamble all done in the first 4 weeks. That would stop me in my tracks and cancel hibernation hence forth. 🙂
What are the chances?
Killroy
All managers have signings that don’t work out – even very good managers have expensive signings that in hindsight were a waste of money.
The issue with Arteta is he only destroys value in players – Ode might be worth more than we paid but that’s only because Madrid sold him on the cheap because they need cash quickly. They isn’t another player who Arteta’s been involved with buying who’s seen a significant increase in value there is however a long list of players who value he’s tanked.
Marc
Totally agree and a classic example of destroying value is Guen who was valued at one time at 40mill.
now I don’t have anything personal against Ramsdale, even though I would have much rather we had kept Emi, but to hear him lash out at those who’ve suggested that they’ve “bottled” the title run is a tad rich…I think it would have been much wiser if he had looked at the facts, read the room, then tempered his comments, after all not everyone has the luxury of bottling their gig then having their salary doubled