Raya starts which is obvious. Ben White starts as RB, Mosquera and Gabriel as the CBs, and Calafiori on the left. MLS gets another start in the midfield, alongside Declan Rice and Odegaard. Havertz led the line with Saka and Tzolis on either side of the pitch to assist him.
It was expected that Konsa would start against his former side, but it looks like Mikel wants to stick to what worked earlier. Havertz over Gyokeres – we can’t even call it a mystery because we all know why it is so.
I am turning 35 in a few minutes, India time so I don’t have much to say, except that not seeing Martinelli is a heart break for me while not seeing Jesus gives a relief. Only a day and some hours left before the transfer window shuts, and we have only Tzolis left as the left winger.
That’s another day’s discussion though, the game starts in an hour and I will watch some of it.
Hope you are having a good day, and hopefully the Monday ends with a win. #COYG
Art
Believe me mate, I’m getting there too. I’m not even enjoying it much down the divisions either (Cardiff City and Haverfordwest). I might be going to Fratton Park this weekend though which is a ground I’ve always wanted to visit.
Vieira
Forked tongue fuck. Nice.
The football season has arrived and with no prospects of any exciting games to be served up by Arsenal I paid a visit to paint specialists Fenwick & Tilbrook. I cant wait to start applying their paints to our walls and then sit back and watch it dry. I will probably get more excitement than the 60,000 supporters at the Emirates.
We may see an improvement to Havertz this season – he has had special training and can now put his left boot on his left foot and his right boot on his right foot. El B has sent him on a short course at RADA to improve his acting skills.
Feedback regarding the Jesus contract – they could end up paying nothing for him.
Norg
I thought the €9 million sounded to good to be true.
So looking like Martinelli’s transfer will go through in the couple of days so we’re going into the season with a weaker squad than last season – certainly on the attacking side.
By the way and out of interest who the fuck watched Arsenal last season and said “do you know what we need? Another DM”?
Trossard was brought in as a PL proven squad player and was a decent enough buy – Tzolis is at best unproven and will now be expected to carry the left sided attacking position for the season unless we can buy someone in January (never cheap and no one wants to sell their best players halfway through the season).
Can’t wait for Wicksy to tell us how “well you know its not easy / we didn’t want those players anyway / X can do a good job out on the left side” yada yada yada.
To sell two left sided attackers (one of the weakest areas we had in the squad anyway) and not adequately replace them is pure incompetence which should see Arteta sacked.
Marc
Barca are masters at screwing AFC – it is in their DNA. Jesus is a bit part player but could prove valuable especially as he will cost nothing in the long run.
“Speaking after the Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Arteta demanded Arsenal be “ambitious” and “fast” in the transfer market”. HAHAHAHA!!!
Does anyone actually believe that he’s not behind each and every deal or failed misadventure…Berta might do all the boring paperwork, but when it comes to actually securing targets and the recruitment process that’s all MA…if you look at.any Arteta fluffer site you would think it was the exact opposite and even though they’re praising this window they’re somehow calling for Berta’s head, which literally makes no fucking sense:
“Top priority was Rogers from the very beginning. It is only Berta´s fault that we failed that deal. He could not get over the line and then he fixed on very difficult deals. Arteta was obviously crying for top attacking outlet”
anyone who thinks MA was “crying” for a top attacker hasn’t been watching what’s been going on around here ever since he ran Auba out of town after re-upping him the window prior…if you can’t see the eery similarities between the current manager/fanbase dynamic and what transpired during Wenger’s last decade, you is fucked up…even so, some on a blog where they’ve turned Arteta fluffing into a fucking art form couldn’t hold their tongues:
“this transfer window has been nothing short of shocking, an almost nostalgic throwback to the frustrating days of yesteryear under Arsene Wenger. It’s a feeling of deja vu that no fan truly craves, especially after the promises and expectations built up over recent seasons. The sense of unease, bordering on outright disbelief, is palpable among the fanbase.
For several seasons now, we’ve grappled with a persistently problematic left wing, a glaring deficiency that has seemingly been exacerbated and significantly weakened even further during this current transfer period. It’s an area of the pitch where creativity and consistent output are absolutely vital, yet it feels as though our efforts to address it have not only failed but actively regressed. The lack of a clear, impactful solution continues to haunt us, leaving a gaping void in our attacking arsenal.
Furthermore, the persistent and utterly baffling failure to bring in a world-class, or even genuinely elite, striker remains a source of immense frustration. It’s no joke to say that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, despite his own inconsistencies at times, was likely superior to every single striker currently on our books. This isn’t a criticism of the players we have, but rather a stark reflection of the standard we should be aspiring to. The absence of a clinical, prolific number nine is a weight that consistently drags us down, preventing us from truly competing at the highest level. Goals win games, and without a top-tier scorer, we are constantly fighting an uphill battle.
What’s even more infuriating is the clear evidence that there were multiple players available who were undeniably good enough to significantly upgrade our squad. Names like Rogers and Barcola immediately spring to mind. These were talents who could have genuinely elevated our game, bringing fresh impetus and quality to key positions. Instead, we witnessed a classic case of penny-pinching, a seemingly misguided approach that led us to go “galaxy brain” in pursuit of targets who were either openly using us for leverage, as was clearly the case with Vini, or who had absolutely no interest in joining us and made that abundantly clear, such as Alvarez. This strategic misstep, this unwillingness to invest appropriately when genuine opportunities arose, is a deeply concerning pattern. It speaks to a fundamental misunderstanding of the market or, perhaps, a misplaced sense of financial conservatism that ultimately harms the team’s prospects.”
keeping in mind that even though this particular individual got many things right in this well-reasoned diatribe they still found a way to not to place all the blame squarely at the feet of the person who everyone answers to when it comes to ALL football-related matters…that said, I’ll give them credit for even going there because you just know all the old heads in Pedro’s army ripped him a new asshole after this:
“The entire situation paints a rather bleak picture of the decision-makers. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Berta is, in essence, a fraud, and that Mikel Arteta, despite his tactical prowess in other areas, is demonstrably not good at identifying attacking talent at all. This isn’t a minor flaw; it’s a critical deficiency that directly impacts the team’s ability to create and score goals, the very essence of football success. The reliance on others to deliver results, without the direct input of top-tier attacking recruitment, raises serious questions about the long-term vision and strategy”
dynasty my ass!!!
I get why some have got the hump and are whinging about the lack of new signings but as I said previously , we have the intelligence of merino to come in who is basically like a new signing, his cameo on Monday night showed us what we were missing for the 2nd half of last season.
Don’t be surprised to see Merino playing up top in the next few weeks as Arteta rotates the squad, Gyokeres is now 3rd choice striker and will have the league cup to impress.
Havertz, Saka and Odegaard are all 100% fit but Merino and Eze if given the chance will improve our ball retention and will give the attack a different dimension as merino is by far our best striker in the box and Eze can be explosive from distance.
The signing of Konsa received the usual negativity but with the injury to Mosquera it may prove to be exactly what we need as the Saliba injury is obviously an injury that will need time to heal, plus the timber injury is longer than expected so konsa can always fill in at right back to give Ben White a break.
3 competitive games , 3 wins , 7 goals scored all from open play with zero goals conceded with the chavs to come this week, another tough game that will give us an indication of how the season will pan out.
Vera
“ For several seasons now, we’ve grappled with a persistently problematic left wing”
Maybe that is the reason why Martinelli was sold , why keep a player who you obviously think is problematic due to not quite being up to scratch.
Vera
“ What’s even more infuriating is the clear evidence that there were multiple players available who were undeniably good enough to significantly upgrade our squad. Names like Rogers and Barcola immediately spring to mind”
Of this I agree, we obviously spent too much time chasing Vinicius and Alvarez.
I do like Rogers but shoehorning him out to the left wing would be a waste of 125 mil , Barcola has pace but maybe there were doubts about him , Ndiaye would have been perfect , decent price and has the ability to cause chaos , letting him go to city is a strange one.
Arteta will have to a decision on what type of player he wants to replace Tzolis, is it Eze or will it be madueke or Dowman , I’m sure the manager will be criticised from all sides whatever he chooses even if we maintain our position at the top of the league
first and foremost, those weren’t my words, thus the quotation marks, and even though I agree with many of the sentiments expressed by that particular individual I would simply say that the problem with the left side wasn’t only personnel related but the underwhelming tactics/schematics, which is a longtime managerial problem
as for your ridiculous “new signing” claims, you can go fuck yourself all the way back to the days when that asinine statement was first uttered in the halls of the Emirates…Merino came in against Villa and the only thing of note he did was flop and scream, liike his achilles had rolled up from his ankle to his asshole, then when he realized he had fooled the ref he immediately stood up…he’s even worse than Havertz, antics-wise, because at least Kai isn’t a dirty as fuck player…just so that you don’t get things twisted again, I believe that Merino is a much better finisher than Havertz, albeit that bar is exceptionally low, as so is my dear old Gran, but neither are level-raisers…not a single other side with championship aspirations would ever sign, let alone rely upon Kai, as he’s barely a bench-worthy option…cee you next Tuesday
I dont know fuck all about AI , except its a huge fuckin con job
This cunt Wicksy, he is an AI character.
No one can be this fuckin soppy.
Be fuckin human, and just type something normal.
Ambarish
Has been very naughty.
Wicksy= AI
“we have the intelligence of merino to come in who is basically like a new signing”
Wicksy you really are a cunt of the highest order.
Art
Wicksy can’t be Artificial Intelligence and I don’t think they’ve come up with Artificial Stupidity yet.
TRVL
The fans boys will praise any good signing as being 100% all Arteta and blame Berta for anything that isn’t right.
So hands up who watched Arsenal last season and thought “you know what we need? – another DM”?
Arteta spent 2 seasons chasing Zubi and now he’s last years toy – and some individuals wonder why we can’t attract talent.
Between Arteta’s general levels of being a cunt, shit football, fucking over players whenever the whim takes him the only surprise is the players who do sign / stay on.
We’ve now got Tzolis as our only natural left sided attacker – odds he picks up an injury?
Wicksy you talk about shoehorning Rogers out wide as being a poor option (didn’t he play from the left last weekend and look pretty good?) but you’re now going to tell us why playing Eze, Bowman, Madueke, my Mum, Chairman Mao and Rudolph the Red Nosed fucking Reindeer wide left is tactical genius by Arteta.
Just a peek into your future – expect to get called a cunt an awful lot this season.
Marc
He is 100% A1
why is he on here?
There are plenty of other sites to nosh the cunts cock on.
Marc—thanks for hammering him for his shoehorning nonsense…the difference between Rogers and Eze playing out wide is that the former’s statline out there is better than when he’s being deployed in the midfield, whereas Eze’s production is woeful out wide…that’s why Cala started to play with more width against Villa (so Eze could tuck inside)…furthermore the dropoff for Noni on the left versus the right is downright fucking vast
AF—he’s a failed LG choirboy, unfortunately no one paid any attention to his dime a dozen tripe, as 99% of those fucktards are barking up the same tree