Before I proceed, I must thank The Gunners FR for allowing me to use the cover image.
Well, games are coming thick and fast. We are playing twice a week and the fact that we are competing on both fronts must be posing a conundrum to Mikel Arteta. On one hand, we are top of the league having won all but one and chasing a Champions League finish – though I believe we are title contenders this season. On the other, we are playing home and away midweek games, there is a good chance we can win it and ultimately qualify for Champions League.
However, this is a bit detrimental to the squad’s performance. We saw against Bodo/Glimt last week, when players were not playing to their full potential and looked a bit tired. Zinchenko is missing games because of injuries, Jesus was left out of the playing XI, Ramsdale is playing with a thigh injury (though it’s Matt Turner starting in Europa).
We have learnt our lesson from last season when couple of injuries derailed our top 4 chances completely. We have got options for most of the starting positions. In defence, versatility of Tomiyasu is coming as handy. White can play at RB and CB. We have a solid defender in Holding who can cover the Europa games. In attack, we do miss Smith Rowe. Vieira can cover for Ode but ESR has played at wings earlier and as things stand, you can’t replace Martinelli or Saka without seeing a drop in our performance.
Midfield is our biggest concern. Partey is a must in important games but is injury prone. We have to protect him at all cost for when it matters. Xhaka is built of steel but can you name a replacement of Partey and Xhaka without compromising our performance? No, Sambi is not the answer. I have complained earlier about our negligence to fix midfield, Edu and Arteta did try to sign Luiz from Aston Villa but you can’t wait for the last day to finish business. We should have strengthen our midfield last year, I am really hoping we do this winter.
The fact that we are fighting on two fronts, with limited options in midfield and on wings, requires a very careful squad planning from our Manager. Arteta hasn’t really impressed with his rotation tactics till now, but I hope he improves and believes in our bench a bit more. I don’t mind seeing Marquinhos, Nelson and Eddie starting against smaller teams in Europa.
If we are 2-0 up at 70 minutes in a Premier League game, Saka can be subbed. As fans, we want to WIN ALL, we can’t afford to concentrate only on either Premier League or Europa and that’s why it’s more important than ever.
Match Day
We are playing PSV today at Emirates. We need to finish at the top in our group to qualify for next round and avoid play-offs, which makes today’s game crucial. It would be interesting to see what team Mikel prefers, but I’m hoping we will see Sambi today. I won’t mind KT starting today in place of Tomiyasu, whom we need in Premiership in absence of Alex.
I would also like to see Eddie playing complete 90 minutes today. Fabio in place of Odegaard? Yes.
I doubt we are going to risk our wing positions, so another start for Martinelli and Saka today (?). If we are winning at 60 minutes mark, sub them. I am no manager and I’m an emotional fuck but I can see Saka is over-playing. I love to see him in every games but that would be a short term vision. We need him for next 30 PL games, and few important games in Europa in the later stages.
Right, that’s all for today. I would love to read what you think about this conundrum.
We have reached a very small milestone, LondonIsRedCom on Twitter has 200 followers now. Yay! Rome wasn’t built in a day!
AK Auba was a real conundrum at the time leading up to the contract renewal. Mikel should never have caved giving the ridiculous contract to Auba. If he wanted to give a contract, it should have been loaded with financial targets for goals and assists. If Auba didn’t like it, he should have been showed the door.
It’s that simple for an experienced manager, DoF & contracts manager.
However, as we witnessed in the All or Nothing series, we pandered to Mikel losing £100+millions in the process. Auba was Ozil MKII. At that time we were a £2billion+ going concern being run like a SME.
12 months or so on and we look to be being run better financially, although our TWS purchases have been loaded/leveraged on the club’s debts/worth, such as not paying clubs to take our dross and actually investing in players who will a give a decent ROI. A rarity under Mikel & Edu.
With us appearing to be acting like a club with a long and sound historical and financial pedigree where the squad is acquiring players who fit in their natural positions, and add value on and off the field, then what of Mikel?
So far so good, I’d say sitting at the top of the table. However, will unlearnt lessons from the past 3 years come back to haunt Mikel and ergo us? Can whoever is reading this confidently say Mikel won’t repeat his mistakes?
I can’t. See you at the game lads and lasses if you’re reading.
The Aubacle (Auba debacle – geddit?) was staggeringly good business for Killroy’s dear friends(!) Barcelona. In effect, they got paid by us for taking him and then made a shit load of clear profit selling him to Chelsea. I maintain that in a fair world, Arteta would be fined the same amount that Chelsea paid for him.
Not much of a cricket fan but you can’t skip an India v Pakistan.
Not looking good though, Kohli only hope left.
“12 months or so on and we look to be being run better financially”
I’m not so sure – AMN as I’ve already mentioned, spending £50 million on White who after one season is now being shoehorned into a position just to keep him on the pitch when his replacement was already on the books, Vieira who does look a good player but £35 million for back up when we have no midfield is crazy.
All managers make bad signings – it’s just how things work out but Arteta has the impulse control of a fat kid in a sweet shop.
Ambarish
It’s incredible how Pakistan can self-destructive in that way. They should never have lost that game with 5 deliveries to go. And playing a clearly nervous spinner for the last over? A massive no-no. Babar is a terrific player but I question his credentials as a captain. India got away with one. I didn’t see it all – was there any mankadding? Only joking…
A fat kid in a sweetshop just about sums it up. The Soton line up doesn’t look too threatening. No wonder they are where they are. If we can get our passing right, I think we’ll have too much. 2-0 with goals from Jesus and Martinelli.
Any defence that let’s Xhaka twaddle into the box and have a free shot like that are in serious trouble.
Marc
I agree. Soton look really poor. No energy, no press, Jo threat.
Hasenhuttl sporting his 80s terrace hooligan look today, rather than either of his other two looks : hard-up country squire or provincial geography teacher.
KP
I have had given up when 2 overs were left.
Day is only getting better. I don’t know if I should send my apology letter to Xhaka with a GOAT picture yet.
H-T. Good enough performance but still room for Soton to get back in it. We need a second goal because those corners of theirs could produce something.
Marc
Yep, Xhaka always has a good shot in him, you can’t give him time to do that in your box.
Anyways, we need couple more. #COYG
Indeed a controlled half time. Ode’ had a good challenge to stop 2 of the Sotons against no one.
Ambarish
Yeah that tracking back by MO prevented something that could have hurt us.
On the Xhaka Mea Culpa, I would hold off for a good while. There’s always a possibility he’ll come out and stick the nut on Ward-Prowse for looking at him the wrong way or lob Ramsdale from 30 yards out (as Lee Dixon sometimes used to do). We’ve got so much more quality than them. We need to get another and turn on the style whist also managing the clock. That yellow for Bukayo was bullshit btw.
Just need to up the tempo for the 2nd half and get fresh legs on early as against S’hampton: we have a very strong bench. See how Vieira plays with Partey in the Xhaka forward role.
Give Eddie game time to get back to scoring. Southampton from the 1st half have little threat other than set pieces. They can be our experimental punch bag for the 2nd half.
Dearly me
F*ck me
It’s Wally
Fucking worst second half display for a while (although Leeds was maybe on a par). A nostalgia trip back to late 2020. Unmotivated, no plan B, no determination and fight. An Arteta disaster collection piece. A reminder, were it needed, of his chronic flaws as a manager.
We needed a captain out there today. Jesus was being wrestled by their back line. Someone needed to get in the referee’s grille and show him the error of his ways. We should have scored a hat-full and dominated them for the full 90 minutes. Piss poor.
Deary me what a poor game again from us. Tired play from tired players especially key players.
We played the 2nd half like we did in our last 6 games of last season again though fatigue. Partey was a yard off the pace for much of the 2nd half.
I’d say Mikel is anything but generational on current form and the WC will save him, as something always does.
Should have started with Marquinhos, Eddie & Martinelli with Saka and Jesus on the bench.
Why is Mikel playing Tomi at LB instead of KT; is it to accommodate White in the team?
Tony
Why would Arteta feel the need to shorn horn a £50 million player he didn’t need into the team?
I didn’t really see the build up but half caught something about Arteta telling the players that he’s playing them every week because top players play 70 odd matches a season – did anyone see the build up or get the actual comment?
Marc
I didn’t see that, but nothing would surprise me with Arteta. The irony is top managers rotate and keep their players out of the red zone. Today we were gassed after 15 minutes and off the pace for the rest of the game.
When asked if he was considering dropping Saka to the bench, Arteta responded: “Look at the top players in the world. They play 70 matches every three days and make the difference and win the game
I think this is the genius comment you’re referring to Marc. And to think the club is negotiating Saka’s contract. He’s an arsehole.
Kroenke
What a stupid thing to say. There’s dozens of responses to that question that support starting the player that aren’t so fucking ignorant. With a World Cup mid season it’s beyond idiocy.
5th or 6th is calling with a second half of the season collapse – all the fan boys will blame luck or injuries without having the intelligence to ask why so many injuries.
The last person who will be blamed will be Arteta of course. Man, they were terrible today. He didn’t pay attention to the warning signs at Elland Rd last week.
Kroenke
He believes his own bullshit.
At least a bright note to finish the evening on with the Spuds losing to Newcastle.
Mikel, we can’t do anything about. For now. Off to bed. Have a good evening lads.
All of those Artetapologists saying 28 points out of 33 are deluding themselves and deliberately missing the point. On the day, and just looking at this and possibly the Leeds game, we have been shite, listless and ill prepared. There’s no point and no truth in turd polishing – other performances this season have been far better.