Burnley is there for the taking and Vincent Kompany is struggling. We can use today game to improve to win big and up our confidence, improve goal difference and go closer to Man City. I don’t understand how they always end up at top, they have lost 2 games in 11 and still. Catching Pep is one of the toughest thing on this planet and you can’t afford to drop points against the likes of Burnley if you want to do that.
Team News
Martin Odegaard still remains a doubt for the game after missing our last few ones. It’s such a shame that Emile Smith Rowe picked up an injury right when he was needed. He is not made for LCM, but fits the Odegaard role more. It also comes with the benefit that Saka plays on the same side and we have seen glimpse of their chemistry in Arteta’s early career at Arsenal. Such a shame for such a talent.
Saka limped off in our Champions League game against Sevilla where he communicated to physio that he don’t want to continue. Hopefully he is fine and fit for today because we need him. Dependency on Bukayo for the right wing has started becoming a concern because though he is made like brick, I’m not sure how much he can sustain the kicking and fouling happening against him.
Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey and ESR are yet not available for selection.
I was reminded about my change of heart towards Havertz in the comment section earlier but trust me, it’s more the acceptance that Mikel is going to play him no matter what and if he is going to start 100%, there is no point in speculating. It’s quite similar to the 37 game run of Willian. I have accepted it to keep myself sane.
If you ask me, I would prefer the same back 4 of White, Saliba, Gabriel and Tomiyasu with Declan Rice in the DM role. Front three picks itself and midfield remains a conundrum. Seeing a midfield of Havertz, Rice and Jorginho baffles me, because Havertz hasn’t been doing a great job, Jorginho should be a crisis option and not when we have other options available. What happened to Vieira and his brilliant minutes initially in the season. We should have given him more minutes to grow in that performance but he is side lined; hopefully he starts today.
Positives
There were few positives against Sevilla. We have been too predictable recently. Wenger ruined us by showing how you can control a midfield, and rely on individual brilliance for moments to remember. Under Mikel, we have a rigid system and that system runs on wings and keeping the possession. How many times have we seen runs like Wilshere, Sanchez, Ramsey, Walcott or Cazorla? I don’t remember bar few of those Thomas Partey rocket launchers that landed in East Ham. Our wingers hug the sidelines and teams that sit low doubles up on them to nullify our threat. Odegaard used to get the benefit sometime and we have seen Xhaka and even Tomiyasu these days shifting in the middle to try and exploit this doubling down but it hasn’t helped at all.
In my opinion, we need to be more direct. Calling out that we don’t have a player to do that means you have forgotten that we didn’t have a right winger as Saka played at LB and unless we try out things, we will never know. This is primarily why I love Klopp’s version of football more than Pep’s because it’s a not rigid, keep passing till eternity and wait for a mistake football.
Against Sevilla, our wingers were more central and I loved it. Martinelli had a game of his career, his first touch is better than the coffee I have in morning with some whipped cream on it. Saka, too.
Right, there’s one more thing to talk about. I thought of writing a different post altogether but it’s frustrating me so I am gonna add it here.
Take the short corners for fuck sake
Against Sevilla, we had our first corner in the 1st minute. Martinelli took it and Havertz missed it, no idea how you can miss that one though. Another corner in 28th minute, nothing happens. 49th minute – two corners, 55th, 58th and we didn’t score from any of them. Do you even remember when we scored a header from a corner? I don’t. So what’s the point if no one can head into the goal, just take a short one and do what you can. Fans gets excited when a corner is awarded because it ‘can’ lead to a goal, but not if you are playing against Arsenal. We need someone in the mould of Giroud because of Strikers are not good enough.
Negatives
Bukayo Saka has to buy Martinelli a dinner for his assist.
Right, I know I am always complaining. I won’t if Mikel delivers a Premier League title and I will accept his way of football if he does that. Till then, LiR remains critical of him and his football.
See you during the game.
This is the interlul and my posting will not increase until after that is over. In the meantime I will rest and enjoy the two rugby competitions the URC and the Premiership with the European competitions also starting soon, it keeps me sane with all the Arsenal mellow drama happening atm.
The readout from the PGMOL meeting about various VAR fuck-ups was illuminating and depressing in equal measure. They’re not independent judges – they’re cunts marking their own homework.. Michael Owen calling journalists scumbags… Pots and kettles…
But expect more, not less of this lunacy as they continue to dig in. Arteta’s display of hot tears will further entrench the refereeing establishment’s antipathy towards Arsenal and anyone else who seeks to question referees’ decisions.
I’m not looking for Attwood-esque conspiracy angles here (he and twatty Pedro are addicted to blaming anyone but our manager) but any more decisions that favour hand-chopping, oil kleptocracies over the rest of us will continue to raise suspicion. You think about all the other ‘cunteries’ that Saudi, UAE, Bahrain and Israel get involved in to pervert the truth (eg murdering journalists and swathes of their own population, suppressing protest, sports washing etc.) and it’s natural to see that they’d readily cheat in their own national interests. Sordid shit that even puts the British Tory party in the shade for once.
The other inevitability looming problem for PGMOL is that we’ll eventually see all the major clubs (except perhaps City and Newcastle given the referees already existing nexus with the fleshpots of the ‘mideast’ – killroy and upstate – that nomenclature’s for you) coming into conflict with officials. Liverpool, thanks to those ridiculous decisions in the spuds game, are already there with Arsenal. Chelsea are on the brink and it’s only a matter of time before Manure see a 1-1 draw with one of their rivals, eg Bournemouth, slip through their fingers as the ref gives the cherries a wholly undeserved last minute penalty. When all teams are in dispute with PGMOL, grab some popcorn and sit back as the money grubbing fuckers start to eat each other.
KP
Well stated and it is one of the reasons my interest in all things EPL has waned and I am more and more the UCL and Seria A besides the rugby. Thanks for your passionate posting.
Hi Killroy
Talk about the grimness of football…
Not sure if it’s caught up with you yet but there’s a nasty clip of a group of geezers – one of whom is clad in an Arsenal jersey – racially abusing sone Palestinian protesters at Waterloo station. I can’t swear to it but I think it was filmed on Saturday, and it certainly looks as if this racist bunch of cunts were on their way to the Burnley game. A grim sign of the times. I travelled scores of times to see AFC away in the UK and Europe and never heard any racism. It would not have been allowed to stand by any of the rest of us. But it seems that some of our fanbase have morphed into the type of people that have always followed Chelsea. I felt really ashamed.
The club has, unsurprisingly, said nothing. I feel sick and embarrassed. It’s a fucking disgrace just how awful England is these days. Not that dissimilar from pre-war Germany.
It looks like anger and frustration from either life or other situations is vented by these scum bags to the first outlet they can spot.
Often this is the case when things go wrong in the personal life of individuals. History tells us that Hitler used this method when finding a scapegoat and the German population took it on board.
The popularity of right wing extremism today is evidence of that just look at how Trump has conquered the Republican party like that. Why would this not be reflected in everyday life by morons regardless of what sporting kit they wear.
TODAY’S FOOTBALL WTF
Just recently my son asked to go to boarding school because he felt his private school was falling well short of the education, he feels he needs, and we live in a 3rd world country with me the expat.
Since the eventual collapse last season and the one before, my son and I had just had enough of Arteta & Edu. Edu because for whatever reason is making too many mistakes with incoming and outgoing players.
From a businessman’s point of view the mistakes that have cost the club more than £100m at the very least and possibly £200m+ when the current mistakes have to be shipped out at cut price and 2 for 1 special, fire sale offers, and contract expirations et al.
Mostly, we pay them to go while others laugh at our expense with perhaps the exclusion of Man United whose owners are only interested in profits they can take, and therefore, the Glaziers business positioning of the club is systematically creating obstacles with the worst being uncertainty for the players and Ten Hag.
My son has lost interest in football. He enjoyed Football Manager with his friends, but as my son said there is nothing to look forward in football anymore, and especially with Arteta and The Arsenal. I found myself nodding my head in agreement.
I feel football is now completely a statistical sport; everything is in the numbers and players must be able to play almost any position to elite levels.
That’s ok for robots and perhaps AI football long after this almost 70-year-old has become ashes in the wind.
What the money people and senior suits don’t seem to realise is players are human.
A poster from another blog yesterday said he thought all footballers had ADHD with OCD.
Having had that combination all my life go undiagnosed until the last decade, I tend to agree with that point. It’s a gift for me at times and a curse that only real friends stand by us. The brain grows unevenly to other people, and so the spinning brain cliches are born, and with Chinese whispers they form the wrong impressions from those looking in from the outside.
I’ll just say this for people who are on the spectrum or maybe just think they are different; you probably are, and that makes you unique, just like me. Trust me unique is most often misunderstood by the general public.
Please find a good doctor you can truly relate to and trust, and let that person get you to harness whatever gift the spectrum brings to your life and use it to the full – your life will be all the happier for it, and that of those around you.
That’s enough of my psychobabble.
FOOTBALL HAS LOST ITS VERY SOUL.
That’s how I feel. The game has become stagnant where obviously VAR just sucks the passion out of the game. A goal is scored and there is a lull before anyone can get excited. It adds no value to the sport, as say TMO does in rugby, which is a more stop start game to begin with, so generally, much shorter TMO breaks fit in where players get time to be patched up.
With the transparency of the rugby TMO, the supporters are sucked into the drama unfolding, and thus less passion is lost – possibly more gained from hopes and dreams as you watch form the result on the big screen. Movie night/afternoon on steroids.
I am sick and tired of the tin-foil hat brigade who either really believe or are happy to use the conspiracy theory as the mother of all excuses for their particular manager. In my case, Arteta.
Rub of the green and even lady luck is quoted as stats to support unrealistic agendas that boil down to sad excuses when what really happened was a player or official made a mistake in a game played at hyper-speed.
It’s always been the same since I started watching at the local field or in 1966 on a tiny black & white TV. I got lucky to watch the world cup where for that my usually all over the place focus was lasered for the game’s entirety.
Winning the world cup was just ………………. Thank the gods VAR wasn’t used back then, and that brings me back to today.
You know what, I miss the old days of football. Vinny grabbing Gazza’s nuts still makes me smile today and laugh if I see the pic. Paddy V Keane season after season of warrior football. McMahon telling his Liverpool players just one minute to hold out in 89.
The very passion I signed up for all these decades ago has evaporated into NFL like tactical plays that takes that special gifted talented moment away – something out of the unexpected that takes our breath away and reaffirms why we love the game so much.
Perhaps I’m too old now, I don’t know – maybe my values are outdated, but what I watch every weekend is no longer a sport I really recognise or enjoy very much, especially with Arsenal.
It no longer gives me pleasure to watch my Arsenal, and neither would it seem my son not even for banter with his mates. He’s the future, not me and can take it or leave it.
I’m not senile or stupid enough to realise that the future is progress or must be to survive; we adapt or die out. It’s a simple enough rule to live by, but few can get their collective heads round by the warlike mess we are witnessing and mass migrations.
However, why can’t sport evolve keeping the passion and spirt of the game intact while technical ability and increasing athletic capabilities be safely utilised on the pitches and not run into the ground all clubs are doing now.?
GREED & CORRUPTION
You put UEFA, FIFA & FAs with the world’s wealthiest people or countries who are club owners, and you get the unofficial stab at the Super league, which I warned about back in 2015, I think.
It didn’t surprise me at all when the greedy owners made their attempt at contianual making money with virtually no downside. Just how much your team made you in a season.
I’m not going to comment of FFP because where do you begin?
For the corrupt and owners with no relegation downside, it was win, win, win…….. all the way to their banks to add to their billions. It still will be when streaming technology permits and clubs start making billions from global fans; the new generation who can afford the tech and match streaming fees.
Most likely modest at first but soon the increases will come.
Eventually, the global super league will be announced unopposed because the once cloth-cap wearing, working class men; the epitome of the terraces’ supporters who had the biggest voice will have been silenced long ago.
For football, the aforementioned was just the end of the game, as many of us knew it, and played it if even only for the Dog & Duck, on a Sunday morning. It will come eventually.
Tribal violence is back with people dying in the streets before or after games across the Channel, so I wonder if the real football world are supporters any happier in Europe?
Tribally, sure, but are they happy with the football and the way the game is run today? Not many supporters are going to games in Saudi.
The sport is comparatively new in America, but gaining traction as billionaires can see US$ value to the sport first and foremost.
In the end America will want to run the game because they will have the money. Can’t do any worse than FIFA or EUAFA, can they?
I have my doubts, but you can be the best judge to answer that question.
Obviously, for those of you whose life revolves around matchday at home games, and those who go to both, you view things differently, which I completely understand for the camaraderie and fully charged emotions at games and travelling hours together. Those are huge moments and long lasting lose or win.
Draws are soulless.
For our away game Gooners’ you have my utmost respect for your passion, drive and energy. You always will for what it’s worth, so sincere thanks.
PLAYERS & COACHES
I think this has turned me off football the most.
Arteta primarily for just the vindictive person he is, and the far too many times he’s hurt younger players to the point where they lose form and find better clubs to be happy with their skills and craft.
Is Havertz better than Pepe was that Emery didn’t want? Vieira the lightweight?
The examples are there for all to see from the last 4.5 years. Look at poor Ramsdale now, such a nice kid who told people how he switches on his focus. Another out of favour pet to join ESR.
There is no place for galaxy brain in football unless you are Pep with unlimited resources, and who plays robotic boring football and wins, so others try to copy.
Principally by Arteta; however, with only one lucky FA cup to his management list worth mentioning in five years almost, where Pep with City pretty much have cleaned up while Liverpool and Klopp picked off the low hanging fruit Pep missed.
Players have to be actors before the can play now. The dark arts are found in all sports, but the closer scrutinization by cameras is beginning to pick much of it up now in rugby, but far less in football. Dark arts slow the game down and sucks the life out of it where you feel like switching off or at least I do. I hate liars and cheats.
In the near future I’ll look to see if there is a game worth watching. Games, such as City and Chelsea was excellent; Chelase made City have to play and scavenge for the ball; it was fun to wall, roller coaster end to end football.
There are still one or 2 worth watching for the football only as a neutral each week, if you include midweek cup and league, but almost never The Arsenal. We simply are predictable and boring playing Artetaball.
Anyone really enjoy the fluky City home win?
So, no more for me at least until Arteta is gone if I’m lucky to live that long. I don’t see him going any decade soon if he keeps Champion league football each season. We’ll be back to Wenger mediocrity just how Stan likes his safe money rolling in.
I don’t blame him for being a businessman, I just wished he understood what Arsenal and its history means to us older Gooners. It’s part of the fabric of our lives, pretty much for all our lives.
The last Wenger 10 years killed Arsenal for me. None of it made any sense. Had Emery been backed like Arteta has been, then we would have won trophies. Zaha back then instead of Pepe would have won us the Europa Cup and 3rd place to qualify for Champion’s league. Arteta would still be with Pep.
Arteta is Josh & KSE’s golden boy with no accountability, so that’s me saying thank you the thrills and ups and downs up until 2010 from 1962.
THE FANS & BLOGS & REALITY
I’ll leave the club to its new generation of supporters and obsessive fan boys.
When blog owners troll their own posters under various guises and monikers, it serves no purpose to engage in any form. I accept that blogs are faceless and respect that privacy is very important in today’s day and age. Unfortunately, it brings out the worst more than the best.
Banter is the get out for hatred or racist speeches and rants and are simply toxic and unpalatable for more people who prefer reality and to be able to discuss it rationally and not being dragged down to their levels with retorts we would normally never write.
I don’t read other blogs because it’s safe to do here on LIR and post your thoughts and occasional rants without some troll wanting to sling mindless abuse because they don’t agree with you. Normally, followed with you’re a plastic supporter or simply raving mad and not a real supporter.
When all that fails, we most certainly must be a troll, as there’s simply no other explanation to them.
INTERNATIONAL LULLS.
Take one month a year in July and do all the internationals with rankings to get in the knockouts and no groups. All knock out football and every 6 years or something. European Cup can be every 3 years if it’s really needed for world cup rankings.
The lulls are also killing the game and dangerous for players who want to play for their countries because they hide injuries and niggles.
I stopped watching internationals 2 decades ago.
IN SUM
That’s my current view of our club and football in general.
Now some thanks.
Ambarish for LIR and the cool person you are. I hope we meet some day and the blog becomes what you want it to be.
Marc,
you’ve helped me more than you’ll ever know.
Your humour and fights with Pedro made me always look for your posts first, in the better days and made me happy and laugh so many times. Keep being you and if you want to be in touch ask Ambarish for my email. I’ll understand if you don’t. I’m an acquired taste.
TRVL,
I’m sure we’ve been dopple-ganged if there is such a word.
Our football views are uncannily similar, and I just love to be around intelligent people. I’ve enjoyed your thoughts and what little I know about you tells me I’d like to have dinner with you in Toronto some day in the next few years. Same with Marc in London or Thailand. I’m happy for you to have my email if you feel you want to talk outside or LIR now I’ve leaving the blog.
Killroy,
we share the same love of rugby and probably other areas outside sport. Would be good also to share news from time to time.
Hoopah & Ambarish,
I’ve never been to India, but I’ve always wanted to go to Nepal and some of the best places to visit to continue my photography life. I couldn’t think of 2 better people for advice and eat & talk together where you suggest for me to go.
KP, I’ve saved the best for last.
KP and I have known each other since Guendouzi days and for the past year almost, have been communicating through email channel and having a blast about many subjects.
You are a true friend. The first to offer help before your needs, and incredible father and husband. You are a rare breed, and I am very fortunate to have you in my life.
LAST WORDS
I’m done with football blogs – maybe I’m too old or just prefer reality from real people as above.
KP I’ll be in regular touch. I’m going to find the right retreat to deal with my ever-increasing ADHD OCD mix. It’s becoming intolerable to live with.
Finally, I’m looking forward to meeting you KP, hopefully next year when I go on my travels; you will be my first stop.
Be well everyone and I hope you find your happiness from today’s Arsenal. Sadly, I can’t with Arteta at the helm bringing his toxicity brand to the club.
Tony
Tony-I’ve been largely absent from this blog in recent times, minus a couple of match days, as I’ve been preoccupied with my own travels, which hasn’t been a thing since the start of covid…for that I do apologize, as I think it’s played a role, however minor, in your relatively newfound blogging malaise, in that complacency kills any sense of momentum, much like with our beloved club under MA
most of us spent a considerable amount of time on various sites/blogs where we represented a somewhat smaller contingency of individuals who were uwilling to buy into the overriding pro-Arteta narrative and as such we found ourselves on the receiving end of a bevy of barbs and/or recriminations from both those in charge of said blogs and their respective simpleton minions…such an environment, albeit frustrating at times, can be rather envigorating, as most of us on here tend to thrive under those largely divisive conditions…that said, when we were summarily excommunicated and arrived here it was initially a rather revelatory situation, as it was a breath of fresh air to have found a place where a handful or two of like-minded individuals could meet and discuss the club and other topics of interest
unfortunately, the relative success of the club, purely from a standings standpoint, the repetitive nature of the posts, of which I’m sadly a major contributor to the oft-times monotonous tone, and the fact that we’ve become so conditioned over the years to adopt a more caustic posture, this blog can seem sterile at times in comparison…on top of that, there’s a prevailing belief that Arteta isn’t going anywhere any time soon, regardless of his limitations and seemingly constant failings, when it comes to the eye test, which has a wierd way of dulling the desires of those with dissenting voices…in the end, we’re kind of victims of the moment, much like when we were still qualifying for CL under Wenger but it was clear to some that his best days were behind him
I hope you don’t disappear from this forum, as you would be dearly missed…that said, I do understand your obvious frustrations…I have no problem with Ambarish providing you with my email, as I certainly don’t want to put it out there for any “unwanted” eyes, but if I had my druthers you would reconsider your earlier message and find a way to remain active, even if to a lesser extent…take care bud
Everton deducted (only) 19 points.
How can they have been sooo utterly shit for years and still been cheating?
Now they’re joint bottom (again!), at least their fans can stop worrying about those nosebleeds they’ve been getting whilst in 15th place. Let’s all hope it really affects their confidence and they stay there.
Chelsea and City will be metaphorically touching cloth and worrying about their tortoise heads!
🍾🥂🍾
19? Wishful thinking. I meant 10!
Sorry TRVL too much going on to even find time to get here.
If Arteta leaves, I’ll be back in a heartbeat. I know you will echo my thoughts on all things Arteta, and in some ways it’s not cathartic to write any more because we have to continue to write about mistakes and so much more that in the end is really just toxicity Arteta brings to the club.
It pains me to see ESR’s tears: I so much feel for him. Many others, too. so for now and until I have had time to get to a retreat for body and mind check ups I’m getting rid of all toxicity in my life.
You, KP and a few others here are positives I see going forward. You’re people I’d like to meet on my photography travels with any welcome along for the adventure it’ll be.
I think Hasselbadding India will be a lot of fun. Start in Nepal and work south to Goa I would imagine. Nepal is on my to do with cameras list.
If you get Ambarish to send me an email you’re happy to use or just use mine when Ambarish sends it to you, I’m sure we’ll find other areas of interest in our lives, such as cars.
Incidentally, if you see an MMA fight card with Benoit Saint-Denis the French Foreign Legion and later special forces vet – last week dismantled a very decent contender in the first round again to hit the top 15 rankings. He’s a joy to watch. His jujitsu off his back is brutal. Once his on top it’s game over for everyone thus far. He has all the weapons and knows how to use them with such accuracy.
He might revive some interest in the sport again for you.
Hope your winter is not too severe and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.
Hey KP
Hope you’re getting to at least some football this weekend. If I had it here, I would enjoy it at any level.
The Arsenal will have to do without me at least until the 3 stooges have been relived of their duties.
Call it a trial separation if you will that hopefully won’t be too long, but with KSE could be decades. There is a precedence.
Once my MOT check ups are complete, I’ll know my movements for next year at least. Sounds a long time off, but really about 6 weeks.
I’ve started reading a Michael J Fox book who I truly find inspirational. A fine actor, too. Then I’ll finally get round to reading the author TRVL recommended. Football blogs took my reading time from me when I think about it.
Have a great weekend all.