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.