Are we going to see a Sesko v Gyokeres? I would love to. We are visiting Old Trafford today for our opening game of the season and it couldn’t have been more exciting for an Arsenal fan. We had finished 2nd thrice in a row, we have no intention to make it 4 and we will finally be playing with a proper striker up front. No Havertz – a makeshift striker, no Merino – a midfielder with a duty to score goals, no Trossard who plays better on the wings. We have a 65m striker who scored the most goals last season in any of the leagues that matters. A striker who dreamt of playing in red and white, who asked his agent to cut down his fees to facilitate the transfer, who hold ransom his old club for a move. We haven’t seen anything like that from quite some time, and in games when the scoreboard reads 0-0 in 65th minute, when the strategy you devised isn’t working, it’s the passion and fire in the players that wins you game. We have added more of that in our playing XI.
Right, what a way to start the season. A rejuvenated (take it with a pinch of salt) Manchester United under Amorin who got rid of some of the deadwoods, who brought in one of the striker we were initially interested in, is always dangerous. In fact, Man Utd is dangerous irrespective of the players or the manager if they are playing at home. They have already added some firepower with Cunha, Mbuemo, and Sesko.
In the team news, everyone’s fit except Gabriel Jesus. I would love a back 4 of Timber, Saliba, Gabriel and MLS with Zubimendi, Odegaard and Rice in the midfield. The front 3 from now on, should always be Saka – Gyokeres – Martinelli unless it’s an unimportant Carabao Cup game or one of them needs rest. There shouldn’t be a second thought to play Havertz or Merino in that role if Gyokeres says he is fit. Unless you want to play with two strikers, but that’s a thought for a different day.
In the pre-match conference, here’s what Arteta had to say about the pressure to win the title that stood out for me –
You keep digging, digging, digging. You have to keep digging because one day, the gold is going to be there. That’s all the time, what I’ve been taught, I’ve been educated and that’s it. For three seasons, we have more points than any other team in this league. It’s incredible, that’s why we have all the consistency. Now we have to do it in a season, to earn one more point or the same amount of points and more goals difference than any other team. That’s the objective.
source: Arsenal.com
No, we don’t have more points that any other team in the league in last 3 years combined, Man City has. Even if we did, it doesn’t matter because we came 2nd each time. I understand that we keep digging, digging and digging to get to our goal but if your goal is to keep digging for next 12 years in search of 1 title, that’s bonkers.
Anyways, I don’t give a fcuk how you twist your words Mikel. It’s your 6th full season, you have a billion dollar squad at your disposal, you have got 2 playing XIs that can play in Premier League and the missing piece is here. No excuses this time. The title is a must, unless you finish second and get us that Champions league trophy. And it’s start with a game against a team that finished in the bottom half of the table, is your rival and is a must win.
Lets go out there, beat them convincingly for the confidence that’s needed for the games to come and to be in the mix of the title. No, it’s not too early, both City and Liverpool has started their season with a win and you surely don’t want to play catch ups to them.
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Right, that’s all for today. We are playing Man Utd (A), Liverpool (A), Man City (H), Newcastle (A) in first 6 games of the season, and every one of these games will be important if you want to hold that trophy in your hand.
Before I wrap up, let me thanks Paul and Ray for some of the wonderful pictures they have shared with me. I will be using these at LiR. You can follow them on Twitter/X if you find them as refreshing as I do.
Thanks again, guys – if you are reading this, we would love to see you in comment section.
We are missing the midfield.
Casemiro can get into Bollywood without much effort with those acting skills
And bollywood loves cunts.
Madueke and Havertz for Gyokeres and Marts. Fair.
I don’t like Odegaard. Not anymore.
So with Ekitike and other new PL additions hitting the ground running, our ‘good as Haaland’ managed 9 passes with only 4 being successful giving him a 44% success rate in his fist 60 minutes.
Can Havertz do better?
Raya saved 2 points there.
Ambarish
You never did like him iirc!😁
We’re getting really sloppy and wasteful. Need to assert control
KP
He sounds like Ozil to me. In th Ozil era, I was a fan of Alexis.
as to.VG, the storyline is as was expected by many, especially those who focus on the technical side of the game…he doesn’t make sense in MA’s system and so either he accepts his minimal role or our tactics need to be changed…we all know that the former is a 100 times more likely than the latter…this is the same approach as last season, which is why MA favours a non-Stirker up top…only at Arsenal would you pursue a number 9 that everyone in the know says doesn’t fit the script…let’s hope he has the fortitude and skillset to power through the usual malaise that comes with his position under MA
well at least we know what this year’s tweek is, subs before the 75th minute…good for rotational purposes, but hardly a revelatory maneuver…we’re the world’s most expensive blunt instrument…I’ll take the 3 points though, but I expect far more going forward
on a side note, somehow all that buffing up hasn’t stopped Havertz from flopping about like a fish out of water
POTM?
Nostril-d or Saliba for my money.
Drab, scary uninspiring but beating those cunts – at any price – is great.
Ambarish
Nah mate. He’s a million times more valuable than Ozil who was THE worst signing AFC has ever made.
Raya gets MOTM and we score from a set piece.
Think that about shims it up.
Chavs and Spuds level on these optics but below City and Pool.
Sums*
after that affair, I have far more confidence iin the notion that United won’t finish in the bottom half than we’re going to win any trophies of consequence…you summed it up nicely Tony, set pieces and timely saves will be our measuring stick once again
we were out-passed, out-shot and out-possessed by United…let that set in…not to sound too crass but was that black armband for Jota or the death of the beautiful game at Arsenal
we look as if West Ham or Real Sociedad were given a billion dollars to spend
3 points at Old Trafford is always a good result.
As for performance? Too many established players looked off the pace – Rice, Gabriel, Saka were way below their usual levels. Havertz was fucking useless when he came on. Ode was lively but not quite clicking, Martinelli didn’t do much (not his fault in my opinion as more system than player), our defence doesn’t look as solid with Calafiore at LB.
As for the new guys Zubi looked OK – VG got very little to work off.
All in all a very Arteta performance.
SACK THE CUNT
MA spoke with the NBC American feed commentators and, once he had left the scene, they were quick to remark that he never looked happier after a match…speaks volumes about what our style of “play” will look like this season…interestingly enough the two Robbies spoke about how Arsenal “dug in” to secure the squeaky win…were they not watching us last season…they were acting as if we’ve been playing silky football since MA arrived…maybe the fact that a former teammate of MA’s was on the panel overly influenced their obviously misplaced analysis
TRVL
More likely they haven’t caught up with the media line over here that Arteta needs to win the PL or be sacked.
Watch the change of tone over the next couple of months.
Going around in circles with this moronic cunt in charge.
Summer signings have actually sent us backwards.
Madueke = wank
Gyokeres = wank
Norgaard= wank and not even on bench.
Good result on paper, but absolutely wank and drab.
Might be harsh analysis, but Liverpool and Manchester City are streets ahead.
3rd if we are lucky
Cunts.
they’re all from over there, they simply have a select match on Saturday and/or Sunday that they show nationally in the US…it’s Mustoe, Earle, Howard and Rebecca Lowe…there’s no way they watched what we had on offer last season and felt it was fucking “silky”…I think they were just making an old school reference to the Wenger era figuring that their American viewers aren’t the most in-the-know nuanced bunch…that sort of cliche nonsense always rubs me the wrong way, but I get it