Did you see that? The whole town was red, MLS sobbed for a few seconds and had to clear his nose, Ben White – the legend – dedicated a song to Hincapie, Mikel wore sunglasses, Saka and Martinelli – the OGs of this team – posed together and the best of all, rhe TShirts of all the players read CHAMPIONS.
Declan Rice was singing, “Set piece again, ole ole; set piece again, ole ole”. ‘Hincapie, get your bum out..’ were the words only Ben White can come up with. Dec Rice is a decent guy, with Ole, Ole, Ole, Ben White White…
It was disheartening to lose the Champions League final. And the way we lost it to PSG made it even worse. There are questions being asked, and Mikel is answering why Gabriel was the one taking the crucial penalty when you have Madueke and Zubimendi available but that’s for another day. I would like to celebrate the ‘Premiership’ for some more days, after all, we had the title of 22 fucking years and the best part of it all is, the best is yet to come.
No, I am not giving up. You have to be critical of things in life if you want improvements. And there’s a lot to improve still at Arsenal. You can always get better than yesterday in sports and we won’t let it go the late Wenger years way, not at LiR.
But, we did win the Premiership. Against a club that has been under the radar for cheating. Against a team that went on to spend 200m pounds and got Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Khusanov in a January transfer window and still fell short of us. Against another team that is color blind and thinks red is blue. I heard they joined the parade in red and white and were singing rice, rice baby. Sad bunch of the lots.
We finished as runner ups in the Champions League. We lost to the last year Champions and in the penalty shootout. The only one who saved a penalty was David Raya and only if Eze and Gabriel had put it in, we would have 2 trophies on that bus. We played with 10 men during the extra time, Hincapie could hardly move and yet, it was PSG who wanted it to end and go to the shootout. They registered their first shot on target in the 117th minute. So, yeah, we lost but it wasn’t a gran and run for PSG.
Only about 2 months ago, I was frustrated and writing about us getting ousted from the Carabao and FA cup in 15 days. The last 15 days however were totally different because we saw us lifting the Premier League trophy, ending the Champions League run as runner ups, and an open bus parade painting London in red as if the communists are back.
Could we have done better? Yes – but then PSG could have done better too. No shame in losing in penalty shootout, we will go again next season and with a better preparation. The next time we go into the competitions, we will have a team who knows what it takes and will have experience of winning a trophy.
I have been a critic of the Mikel regime. I will also be critical in the coming season(s), but for now, thanks to the club, manager, players for giving everything they could to lift the trophy. We did it.
Right, that’s all for today. Hope you are back in your senses if you were part of that parade.
If you were part of the parade, Champions League final or the last day of the Premier League and have some pics which you don’t mind sharing with me, please send it to bloggingwithmb@gmail.com. I’m already preparing for the next season.
Also, fuck the Spurs.
Marc
If Rioch had two fucking decades in charge , he would have won more than 3 league championships, if his early signings were anything to go by and more importantly the club would have most likely stayed at Highbury, like Liverpool did with Anfield.
Wenger started well, mainly because of Bergkamp but he got totally distracted with the new stadium bollocks and having the dressing room a certain shape, all a load of feng shui bollocks he picked up from
Japan.
Chelsea didnt move stadium ,nor Manchester United and they fucking cleaned up the trophies instead.
A lot of the fanbase , like Slagsy fall for all this utter bollocks, partly because they are fucking dense, but harmless.
New stadium was good for the corporates, billionaires and plastics , like the lying cunt who posts on here ,not the real old school traditional support.
Art
The stadium move was all about increasing revenue to try and compete with ManU – all the plans were being made before Abramovich appeared on the scene and then the TV money went crazy meaning stadium revenue wasn’t as important.
The move was made with good intentions – the world changed as we were in the final stages of planning the move I don’t think anyone expected the PL TV deal to hit the financial levels it has.
The big question is how does the PL maintain the TV income when the younger generation aren’t as interested in sitting down and watching a 90 minute match? Before I had a season ticket I could easily watch several matches over a weekend – of course now there’s so much TV coverage you end up with overload.
Marc
The greedy billionaire slags have turned the sport into one big fuckin circus act/ soap opera. And will continue to do, to them thats where they will collect more revenue.
Its all about the merch, innit.
The socials, innit
Look at me, I am a cunt, innit
And the soppy cunts lap it all up and keeping buying the tat and the 8th/ 9th lime green and pink fucking away kit.
Plastic cunts, that’s why there are no managers like Rioch or Graham anymore.
the question is? will El B persist with his negative approach? and will it be as successful as 25 – 26?
Norg
Winning the PL might go to his head but he’ll always be a defensive coach by nature so it’d only take a bad result for him to revert to form.
Next season could be a strange one – a lot of teams are going to have players at the world cup so fatigue could play a major part. Liverpool, City and Chelsea are going to have new managers, Carrick at ManU I’m not sure about and while Emery has done a good job at Villa I don’t think he’ll ever really challenge for the PL.
In theory Arteta should have an advantage but the simple truth is we won the PL this season because the City players knew Pep was leaving and dropped off (it happened at ManU back in the day when Fergie announced he was leaving at the end of a season).
Marc—your “revert to form” comment is spot on…I was fairly confident that silverware was in our future once the proper backing was in place, as this was the case for every franchise in the Kroenke sporting empire, I just wasn’t convinced that.the manager was up to the task…the major difference between this operation and the others was that they all won on the front foot, whereas we had to win ugly…so I wouldn’t be surprised if MA tried to run it back…he’ll undoubtedly suggest that if it ain’t broke why fix it, but we all know that wouldn’t be his reasoning for doing so…one has to only look at his blunt instrument gameplans against top sides, especially away from home, to understand that he’s still a step or three behind (and even he knows it)
fortunately for him there will be new and/or unproven managers plying their trades at several of the traditional top 6 sides, so winning the PL should be easier next season…as such, our focus should be squarely on the CL, until they’ve proven otherwise…now we might get away with flopping our way into another domestic title, especially with the favourable officiating, but if we don’t have a squad rethink we’ll likely come up short again and look foolish doing so…let’s face it, any idiot can take a billion dollar budget and sit 11 men behind the ball then win something of consequence after 6+ years…so now that the monkey is off his back why not at least attempt to craft a squad that’s both creative in it’s offensive pursuits and defensively sound, just like Enrique’s PSG…what a pipe dream, as even his greatest admirers know deep-down that he doesn’t appear to have that in him…that said, maybe just maybe if we surround him with enough talent they can find a way in spite of his obvious shortcomings
I personally think Mikel will be braver this season. There are talks of us interested in getting a wide forward, an attacking midfielder, a RB and a second striker.
We just won the Premier League. He has full trust of the owners and he will most likely get a new contract before the next season begins. That would give him the licence to improve the attacking aspects of the game. There’s no pressure now, he can get all the players he wants (we made a lot of £££) this season and with Pep gone, you can afford a loss or two here and there.
It’s not like Mikel can’t play attractive football. We have seen it, I remember the City game (last season?) on top of my head. He just has to take more risks, trust his defenders, not play 2 DMs in the midfield and let the Striker do striking.
This possession based, defending first approach is good for the results, not so good for the eyes. And it can ruin players like it did with Martinelli. Marts will be gone, or play cups going forward. We are getting a left sided forward and that would be the end of him.
even though World Cup years can be problematic when it comes to conducting business, especially if we dither too much again, here’s what I would do this summer (perfect world scenario of course)
Keeper—settled
Defenders—sell White, which could be difficult depending on his injury status, and possibly even Cala, whom I like but he’s not utilized properly and he’s way too injury prone…then I would buy two wingbacks to provide some much-needed tactical flexibility and to help Saka and whomever we buy on the left…this would leave us with Saliba, Gabs, Hip, Mos, Timber plus two new options(maybe Skelly on occasion)
Midfielders—sell Zubi, Norgaard and Ode…now that Rice has returned to his rightful position Zubi is an unnecessary luxury option who’s not great defensively…then buy a readymade AM to pair with Eze…there’s no reason with the trio of Saliba, Gabs and Rice in the middle of the park that we can’t deploy two AMs…this would leave us with Rice, Eze, Ethan, Dowman, Skelly, Merino plus a new AM
Forwards—sell Havertz, Tross and Jesus…buy a bona fide left-side forward and a Striker with pace…of course this will never happen unless Berta has far more pull than I think…under this plan we would have Saka, VG, Noni, Marts plus 2 new pieces
obviously that’s a lot of maneuvering in a World Cup year, which is why I referred to it as a “perfect world” scenario, but if we accomplished this rarther heady task it would put us in the best position to win both the PL and CL titles…most importantly, this time around we would do it with some fucking style instead of relying on all that boring sideways dark arts-dependent bullshit …Cheers
TRVL
You forgot the most important business we could do this summer – sack the cunt.
Selling Havertz would be a brilliant move but we would lose a fortune – he is the second highest place player. He did score a good goal in the final – that might inspire somebody to dig deeper into their pockets.
Odegaard will never be top top class.
Norg—I’m kind of hoping that his most recent form will embolden someone of note to come calling, that way we might not have to sweeten the deal or eat some of his contract(highly unlikely though)…as for Ode, maybe he’ll find another level at the World Cup, which will allow us to buffer our coffers…with our luck they’ll both shine, then we’ll keep them and they’ll simply return to their former underwhelming selves…after all the WC isn’t typically a good barometer of success at the club level…that said, the way the PL is going, thanks to our bully ball manager, it’s starting to resemble the overly defensive International game
Arteta loves Havertz, he couldn’t stop Xhaka leaving he won’t let Havertz go and why would Havertz want to leave?
Thinking outside the box, If we are looking for quality on the left then jack Grealish could be a consideration for a year or 2. He is 30 years old but I reckon he has a couple of good years in him and he could be perfect for this Arsenal team with his football intelligence and ability on the ball. He also knows how to buy a free kick which is sure to annoy the usual suspects on here so as far as I’m concerned it is a win win situation, plus he would cost no more than 20/25 million .
Koupi and Alvarez are hopefully on our radar and I also think that Adam Wharton of palace would give us something extra in midfield as he is good defensively , a tireless worker and good on the ball with a good final ball.
Hopefully Dowman and nwaneri will receive more game time but it won’t be easy if the level of quality improves offensively.
As for departures the high wages of players like odegaard, Havertz and Jesus may represent a problem, Zubimendi may also be a possible departure if Arteta thinks he is not mentally strong enough plus martinelli could be surplus to requirements if we bring in a left winger.
I would imagine also that Raya and Gabriel will be offered improved contracts as reward for their remarkable consistency.
Arteta has in 19 cup competitions as Arsenal manager won 1. Not a great record that is why he needs to go. If Perez loses the Real Madrid election his rival has promised to bring in a world class manager and since this rival wants a Spanish one, hopefully he has Arteta in mind. Just the small matter of Perez after some 20 years losing the election for president.
https://x.com/primevideosport/status/2061810818157523243
Hardly out of the box, as he’s a former flop from Pep’s City, which is right in Arteta’s wheelhouse…why the fuck would we want to get someone who would slow us down even more…you must be fucking kidding…wipe that Kool-Aid off your face
as for Alverez, that’s nothing new, as talk of his departure from AM has been bandied about for the last year or so…right now Barca appear to be the front runners…unless Berta has final say, I very much doubt he’s coming our way…I hope I’m wrong…his size and the competition for playing time, so long as Havertz is still employed here, make him a bit of a longshot, unless we’re changing our script…of course he could be shoehorned in on the left, a position he’s played a grand total of 6 times in over 300 match appearances (btw he’s played CF 218 times)
Kroupi’s a more likely target, but still relatively unproven at only 19…I doubt he would follow his former manager to Pool, as they just invested heavily at the CF position, unless they’re viewing him as an upgrade on the left…Gakpo struggled as Diaz’s replacement…sounds like his dream move would see him playing for Enrique at PSG…not surprising…I.guess only time will tell, but I’m sure he would have to be given iron-clad assurances to commit to our offensively-stunted project
Wharton doesn’t make much sense with Rice as the bona fide 6, (fingers-crossed he will remain in that role) considering his price tag…he has a long list of suitors, hopefully we’re not one of them
Maxi Araujo should be squarely on our radar…he’s the kind of energizer bunny wingback that could help with our left side revamp
Morgan Rogers, Barcola or Yildiz seem like potential left-side options…if it’s Rogers or Barcola, we should keep Marts for cover, so we’re not shoehorning the likes of Eze and Noni out wide left…I would prefer Rogers, as I think he’s more of a complete player, but Villa have demanded a King’s ransom…Yildiz is an intriguing option, as he can play out wide and tucked in behind…Juve will likewise demand a steep price and right now he’s being heavily recruited by Chelsea…maybe we can get him if it doesn’t work out there in a year or two, like usual…all I know is we had better not allow economics to cloud our decisions when it comes to finally sorting out this longtime positional requirement
finally, Kerim Alajbegović could be an interesting one for the future at RB and I’m a fan of our supposed interest in Valverde, especially if Ode is on the outs…that said, I wouldn’t be shocked if we settled for a much cheaper option like Reijnders
Vera
Until we start bringing in players with football intelligence,superior technique and good decision making on the pitch then I’m afraid that teams like PSG ,who have all of the above, will continue to make us look inferior.
In the final we started with Mosquera and Hincape because Arteta was too concerned about their wide players , don’t get me wrong Mosquera and Hincape are very good defenders but Timber and Calafiori are streets ahead of them technically and being composed on the ball.
Because of our lack of composure on the ball at the back we resorted to long balls meaning our offensive players were feeding off scraps so we never looked comfortable in possession of the ball and that includes Rice and Gabriel, skelly was the one player who was prepared to take the game to PSG.
Havertz did his best but odegaard, saka and Trossard had no influence on the game at all,
Gyokeres and martinelli have low technique, football intelligence and decision making, these are areas in the game that can’t be improved especially at the very top level of playing the game. I have said from day one that Gyokeres technique is woeful and martinelli is a head down merchant and nothing will ever change with those 2, they will have their good moments but ultimately their lack of decision making and poor technique will let them down.
Signing players who make good decisions on the pitch should be a priority, we have Dowman at 16 years old who is already streets ahead of martinelli and Gyokeres when it comes to making good decisions on the pitch.
We have definitely lost something offensively from a couple of seasons ago so Arteta may need to be ruthless and look at the over rated odegaard, the injury prone Havertz and the poor decision making of madueke, martinelli and Gyokeres.
Vera
“so we’re not shoehorning the likes of Eze and Noni out wide left…I would prefer Rogers,“
So you would rather “shoehorn “Rogers out on the left ….makes sense!!
I think Rogers potential signing is a red herring, good player though but definitely not a wide player, best position is as an 8.
Yildiz I like, ultimately a lot will depend on how much we have to spend, Alvarez will be close to 100 million so whether we can afford to buy more than one 100 million player we shall see.
I’d still prefer mbappe, on the pitch attacking wise he gives you the lot , incredible pace , technique , a goal threat and puts fear into the opposition, if he comes on the market we should break the bank to get him.
The Real Vieira Lyn
( I know to spell )
Under the prevailing circumstances we need need players with intelligence because as I suspected for long there is no intelligent tactics or training nous coming from our manager.
Yes, we definitely need intelligent players who can ignore the shooing of hens from the sidelines , read the situation and play intelligent passes . Dowman and Odegard when given the time, can do that.
Until we start bringing in players with football intelligence,superior technique and good decision making.
You could bring in Ronaldo, Messi , Batisuta, Mbappe and Maldini and this moronic cunt you continually nosh off, would still make them play like Harry Bassetts Wimbledon.
When will you get it in your thick fuckin skull, he is a cunt and is always going to play his scabby, 25% possession game and nick a set piece.
He has been there 6 fucking years, dont you pay attention?
Fuck sake Slagsy.
Pricksy—as it was so aptly put by Hoopah, thanks for stating the fucking obvious regarding “intelligence”…maybe you should tell your manager to stop buying robot fucks so that he can micromanage any instinctive flair out of the game…btw Rogers has been deployed the most as a left winger…I know you detest facts but before you try to critique me why don’t you at least do your due diligence (talk about a lack of intelligence)…I feel like you and your eskimo brother don’t know what shoehorning actually means??