Afraid to say many are going to be pissed when they wake up and get their time zone morning PL news feed. Xhaka clone is about right but this new improved slower-than-refs Jorginho is just as costly brain fart stupid at times. Xhaka and Jorginho pivoting is likely to resemble something out of Fantasia and the dancing Hippos. Shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes or the time it takes to birth a super yacht sideways onto the dock to complete the pivot.
19 games to pray to whomever is your deity that Xhaka and Jorginho don’t play together in midfield. Do we remember how easy it was to have Jorginho in Ramsey’s(?) back pocket, in Wenger’s last FA cup win? Jorginho was completely ineffective and that was over 3 years ago. Does Arteta and Edu think Jorginho has improved? To anywhere close to Partey’s level?
We were after the ‘Dogs Gonads’ and ended up with the neutered version no one wanted, and on the put down list, to be cast off in the next 5 months into football’s player wastelands: better known as Sunday League football parks.
So what does this season now offer for us in light of our revelatory Jan TW?
I think we were our usual incompetent selves overworking our vast PR machine who deserve a pay increase and a reduction of hours to just 20 a day. 22 is far too much but with The Arsenal and Arteta and Edu very necessary to keep a semblance of our tradition in TWs from Wenger’s last dozen years of almost signing the world’s elite players: who all turned us down. Now Arteta and Edu are forming their own nearly-signed list to match Wenger’s in less time, only they’ve added a gazumped column now as well.
If you were talking to a complete football ignoramus or blinkered cricket mate and said “My club has just been gazumped by Chelsea for a player we really needed above all other players, and then a few weeks later we went to Chelsea to give them money for their worst and slowest player they were replacing with the gazumped player, which in turn helped Chelsea to buy one of the world’s top young talents.”
What answer do you think you’d get?
Now try that with a savvy PL club supporter and watch them collapse in the snow/ground laughing uncontrollably. Poor Junior is putting out fires all over his school, as more hot banter is hurled his way. Thai kids give no quarter. Before Junior went to school he had his well prepared “Well where are you in the league?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him it wouldn’t be enough because he’s been giving them belters all season. All I could offer was keep your noise cancelling ear pods in your ears and talk to girls who don’t follow football.
So how did we really fare?
We got a watered down version of Mickey Mudflaps but… one acclimatised to the rigors of the PL but a far lower ceiling. For our title ambitions Trossard fits the bill being one of those nuisance players that buzz around the box breaking the concentration of defenders, as Trossard brings our other attackers into play.
Trossard has an eye for goal and an assist and that’s exactly what we need right now someone with goals and assists this season and who seamlessly fitted in after one training session. Jesus will love playing with Trossard’s, especially for his movement.
He can also play 8/10 and on each wing. Trossard’s a Duracell Bunny player whose gas tank rarely empties. Arteta got lucky; Trossard had been a bad boy upsetting De Zerbi in the process who wanted rid of the player in quick time and Edu obliged for £21+++.
In a normal TW situation Mr. Bloom would have wanted £40+++ and Edu would have not gone near Brighton because he was floundering on what to do in the wake of Mickey Mudflaps debacle until the bargain basement player & price appeared. Edu grasped with both hands thinking there is a god!
Jacub Kiwior just 23 is unknown to me but Zinchenko seems to rate the Pole highly, so perhaps we’ve got a semi-polished diamond who can fit equally well as a CB and CDM. I would imagine Jacub is a vastly improved Holding who may well move on in the summer.
It’s too early to be predicting winning the title or what effect if any (if Partey stays fit) Jorginho is going to have on our summit defence. More likely the EL cup will be Jorginho’s brief. Europe comes into the mix in February, which generally causes pain for a few of the competing clubs with injuries and playing players in the red zone: something Arteta does often without consequential thought for our long-term strategy: see last season.
It wasn’t a bad window just embarrassing once again for Edu and Arteta with them being snubbed by the players they needed.
In the end we couldn’t go through a transfer window without our usual trolly dash in this case Jorginho as our panic buy. What are the odds on Xhaka playing all remaining 19 games if fit?
Buckle up lads/lassies it’s going to be a rough ride to when the fat lady sings for the last time this season.
More hand rubbing needed in the dressing room at half time. First half was not football from the PL leaders.
Tossard doesn’t have the penetration of Martinelli. Already being dispossed by Brentford..
In hindsight Arteta asking advice from set piece coach
Anyway Todsard gets a goal
Brilliant play by Saka. Saka, Partey are a reason Arsenal are progressive with the ball. Pleasantly surprised by movement of White.
Hi Hoopah
I’m unable to watch. Frustrating as fuck.
Hoping for a stress free final quarter.
Spurs losing 4-1. Their 44 million signing having a debut nightmare.
very fortuitous for us, but I certainly won’t complain considering that we could have quite easily been down by a couple of goals…good on Trossard for being in the right place and getting the required touch on a somewhat difficult bouncing ball…still concerned about the assurances given, as I still can’t fathom why Xhaka is untouchable…I’ll be interested to see what we do tactically with 20+ minutes left, up one and knowing that we’ve only scored once in the last 250+ minutes…nervy times ahead
we’re like small boys in short pants against this squad inside the box…Ramsdale needed to stay big in that situation, but he got it all wrong…praying for an offside call
no such luck
based on tactics alone, we’re being out managed again…Ode looks like he’s been watching too much of his old loan spell film, as his service has been incredibly disappointing…I can’t believe I just saw Xhaka going off for an offensive-minded replacement…MA must be really fucking worried about not getting all 3 points after 2 losses on the trot
really hoping that Vieira gets a chance to shine from distance, albeit I’m a bit worried about the counter with him on the pitch
it’s like Vieira was told to steer clear of the ball as much as humanly possible…I do like that we’re on the front foot though
we’re failing the title credentials test thus far, as that’s one point from a potential 4 since the closing of the window…looks like we’ll be relying on others to get our business done, which was an old timey bugaboo I’ve mine during Wenger’s second term in office
WTF was that? Everton provided the blue print on how to play against AFC and Brentford tweaked it, is this the implosion of Arsenal? certainly looks like Pep’s gimp is not having the answers at this time. So title good bye and hello hanging on to top 4.
Viera didn’t shine from the distance with that free kick, looks like he needs game time.
City beating Villa and us on Wednesday and they will be top of the table and us having a game in hand which at the present state of play we sure will loose. WTF!!!
if City can get all 3 points against Villa tomorrow, by this time next week we could be tied on points, with only a game in hand…I’m exceedingly worried that we could wilt at the prospect of that potential reality…could be a lot of nail biting in our future
Didn’t see the game but I gather that a draw didn’t flatter Brentford at all,got to give credit to them,working on the proverbial shoestring. As for us, it is worrying of course as we’ve read this book before. I’d like to think that Arteta will try to freshen things up but given that the next game is v city that’s highly unlikely. When you look at the bench there is still a serious lack of depth in quality,but money has been spent. The 40 mill on Vieira is particularly bemusing. I’m still hopeful that the anticipated City surge might not materialise,they have lots if problems on and off the pitch. Most definitely going to the wire.
Ireland France was a cracking game,Wales Scotland also enjoyable. Good to have other sports to take the mind off football on days like this.
The Viera purchase doesn’t look like the brilliant one it was made out to be and Ramsdale was not all that great in the goal they scored. True we read that book before with heart attacks looming when the ball gets into our box and the defense not being at the top of their game when we registered clean sheets.
Fuck Arteta’s AFC setup and game plan the 6 nations owns this weekend.
I hate to say it but when you overpromise in the window then underdeliver, you just might struggle for positive results…when oh when will Xhaka finally find himself on the bench, to start a match, so that we can get some more offensive players on the pitch…the problem now is that it’s far more difficult to pursue such a course when you’re facing City next…it would have been far more savvy to have tried to up the attacking ante against the likes of Everton and/or Brentford, no disrespect to the latter, but instead we stood pat and ended up with 1 point of a possible 4
Fuck me, a repeat of last weekend sort off. Arteta’s Arsenal being wanting and being flat and bad, CHECK!. The teams in Rugby’s six nations that I wanted to win and do excellent, CHECK! Well next weekend no sixmass so hopefully AFC will do better, but then we are talking about Arteta, so slim chance he will introduce changes, he is not know for that.
Arteta has named the same starting line-up in every match since the World Cup. This a a serious problem and it is underlined by the fact that a substitute scored our only goal today. WTF does he think this is, a cookie cutter job, do one formation that is all that is needed? Look at Martinelli he failed to create a single chance today, is he Xhaka ver 2.0 when it comes to being first on the team sheet?
And here we are again relying on Villa and Leeds top do us a favor so that City and Man Utd. don’t capitalize on the shit show Tets presented us with for the last two weekends.
After watching the game and now the highlights again what came to my mind was B. B. King’s song “The Thrill is Gone” 😆
Fun banter on LG a dude named Guernsey gun is handing it to all the fan boys of the generational one. Made my weekend for sure.
Killroy—it wouldn’t shock me one iota if GG was another Pedro inspired iniaitive so as to give the impression that the rumours of his heavy-handedness have been greatly exaggerated (LOL) it will be interesting to see how this poster will be dealt with if they continue to rattle Pedro’s base…it might be a tad premature, but welcome to LiR Guernsey Gun
Great song choice Kilroy and all the blues from BB’s era. Freddie and Albert King especially, sadly what the song narrates is very apt and expected if I’m honest.
TRVL, Guernsey Gun was made for LIR. When you get binned you know you’ve struck home the truth with Pedro and his Pedrybots.
We’ll the ‘Wrigley’s’ ‘ advert, gum chewing, Thomas Frank, found the chink in our Emirates Fortress armor: ARTETA!
Once again Arteta is intent on his myopic tactical sense of Plan A or bust and bust we did. A brilliant game for the neutrals and shit for us and our slipping grasp on the PL apex.
5 points dropped in 2 games, does that sound like 2021/2022 again? It certainly doesn’t depict a title winning side succumbing to constant pressure. We are an open book now that even Dyche get us to drop our pants against a very average Everton side. They just had pride where we, as I see it, is paint by numbers play no matter what. Arteta’s plan of Xhaka staying in the final third falls apart when he spends much of the game defending where Jacub would no doubt be better for DM and Trossard for LMF. If the game is going tits up like yesterday then at least make the right changes. Trossard came on and scored so why not Jacub for Xhaka?
Arteta’s teflon Xhaka plan of playing in the final third has been turned to work against us if it wasn’t enough already?
How must Josh and daddy be feeling this morning after investing heavily and believing in the rookie who is still making rookie mistakes?
Will they believe their eye test that it was Everton revisited.
Why would this be so? Well, because Arteta is clueless with team selections and in-game management. Simples! Round plugs in square holes. It would surprise me if Arteta could get it right in a sex shop? He’d probably want square butt plugs.
Seriously, WTF was that shit show last night?
We wus robbbbbed!!!!! Untold and LG scream Lee Mason fluffed his offside lines! Weeeeeee Woooonnn, so the 2 blogs will bleat on for days until they come to their collective senses and realise we should have been 2 goals down by half time at Fortress Emirates that really resembled more like The Alimo.
Fact is and sorry for being boring in my repetitiveness, but the left side should be:
Zinchenko -Trossard – Gabrielli. So Gabrieli has quick footed, intelligent players to interact and create spaces and triangles for one another.
Equally, our right side should be Tomi – Partey – Saka because White can only play-by-numbers he doesn’t have a natural football brain. He’s an over priced bench sitter much in the Elneny and Holding mode.
Our current starting 11 has no place for Xhaka and White. If Arteta persists with his current thinking, we will continue to drop points at a similar rate to last season.
There was no good from last night from a Gooner’s perspective; only the bad and the ugly. So, there’s no point discussing it because there were too many ‘ifs and buts’ that would amount to nothing, but the lucky draw we escaped with.
As with last week, this vapid draw inspires no-one! We have no cohesion, fluidity or understanding of how to deal with opponents who know how to squeeze the footballing life out of our young pretenders to the PL crown.
Arteta probably thought that for such a big team in human form size would be slow enough for Xhaka to cope with. Arteta’s tactic was to hope above hope that Xhaka was in the right spot at the right time to score or assist. Clock being right twice a day thinking springs to mind.
Play like that against City who will be really up for this one, with all the finance doping clouds hanging over the club, and Arteta as well: guilty by association if nothing else. City will be out to prove a point that they are the best football playing club on the planet if Pep was to describe it. The will want to prove a point and collect the points.
We shit the bed at the Emirates yesterday, so it can equally happen again against City there days later.
My prediction is the same as its been since Arteta & Edu joined the club: we will win no major titles under their reign. Arteta is a bottler exclusively linked to his narcism thinking he is always right to the point of not requiring a plan B. When this doesn’t go right, Arteta then looks for busses and spouts ignominious excuses that he truly believes are correct.
Right now looking at current PL managers I’d take Roberto De Zerbi from Brighton, so he can bring Mitoma and Caicedo with him. I look at Brighton with envy and feel Roberto could get a fine tune out of our squad.
You reading on this Josh K?
You’re welcome to air your views here and get respectful thinking back.
We’ll never be a mouthpiece for KSE; only for The Arsenal as fans, as we see it, and have seen it for many decades and before you were born for many of us.
No harm in trying is there?
Time to realise that the words orated by Arteta do not resemble the football played currently; too many lucky results pre world cup covered up what we are witnessing and will be seeing for the rest of the season.
Sadly, unless Arteta ceases his footballing love affair with Xhaka, White and potentially fatal usage of Jorginho, our football is just regressing to 2 years ago after we spent near half a billion pounds.
Trust the process, though, lads.
Cue Pedrobots to masquerade as Josh K here next.
Sid from LG one of the top posters there, who always keeps it real or real funny. One fo the reasons I pop in from time to time to read only. No point posting when the blog owner is a troll when the narrative becomes the slightest bit Arteta negative.
/Users/admin/Desktop/IMG_7100.tiff
Gabrielli = Martinelli
Tried to post a pic of Junior in full motion in Kone.
Ambarish if I send you a few pics could you post then in the comments?
Very flat performance yesterday, Brentford looked to waste time from the off and the ref let them but the simple truth is we weren’t good enough and Arteta had zero ideas on how to change things.
So we’re on 1 point from 6 which could easily be 1 from 9 come Wednesday. March’s fixtures look fairly straight forward but out other 2 matches in Feb aren’t easy away at Villa and Leicester.
We’ve seen before that Arteta does runs of wins and losses he needs to serious up his game now.
Tony—my thoughts exactly, even these seemingly minor tweaks would provide us with some more impetus going forward…the only other change i might consider would be Tierney for Chenko, so that we could have our 4 best defensive players on the pitch, thereby allowing our offensive players to go hunting with exceedingly less concern about us being stung on the counter…of course, it’s not like Tierney is some sort of lockdown defender, but he’s a level above Chenko, and he can still provide something in the opposition’s half, which would be preferable to having Tomi move to the left and keeping White at RB
with this configuration we could establish 2 triangular pockets on each side of the pitch, with Eddie roaming from side to side, as he’s not really that effective when being depolyed as a singular target up top or as a false 9, with his back to goal…on the right he could provide some protection for Saka by making overlapping and dummy runs, whereas on the left he could stay more centrally and find little pockets of space in the box while Trossard and Marts were having their way with defenders out wide left…let’s face it, Eddie’s two greatest assets are his poaching ability and his motor, so why not use these strengths to our advantage by deploying him differently on each side of the final third
right now we look exceedingly predictable and although massive changes could be perceived as unwarranted and rather desperate, some justifiable tweaking is warranted…it’s clear by City’s performance thus far today, they smell blood in the water and unless MA puts on his big boy managerial pants, which I’m not sure he owns, we’re gong to be chum come mid-week…of course, we can try to squeak out a 1 point result or try to play tight to the vest and hope to steal all 3 in the closing minutes, but history would suggest that these possibilities are relatively unlikely, so why not act like a supposed top club and come out on our front foot and see how they respond to the unexpected