I have a feeling it’s going to be the Gyokeres day. Leeds are in town for today’s game and we must have practiced some more fluidity among the new signings after a disjointed Man Utd game. We won’t see Eze in the line up today unfortunately but it’s a done deal and he will soon join the pack.
Havertz picked up an injury. He was a direct competition to Gyokeres considering Mikel’s system and his preference to play a #9 who excels in dirty work rather than scoring. The primary reason he didn’t sign a striker so far and have tried to push Havertz, Merino, Trossard in that role. Not that any of them were total failure but we lacked a 20 goal a season player and someone who could make a difference on his own in games where the opposition just likes to sit back and defend. With Gyokeres, we are trying to fix that problem. Havertz’s injury is sad news, at worst – he was a back up to Gyokeres if the Swedish fails to deliver or picks up an injury. But the silver lining out of this I feel, is that, he now knows it’s all him we got and he doesn’t have that additional pressure to score in order to keep his place for the next game(s).
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Leeds were the Championship leaders, finished with 100 points and are always a threat. We can’t take them lightly. Chelsea thrashed West Ham last night, announcing themselves in the Title run, and with Liverpool eyeing an Isak move, Pep throwing money anywhere and everywhere, it would be a very tough season. We won the Man Utd game in a very dirty display and we just need to build on it. Lets go out there and win, keep ourselves 6/6 points and there are some massive games coming up from next week – Liverpool, Man City and Newcastle in next 4 games.
In the team news, we won’t have Kai available due to his knee injury. Norgaard also has some discomfort and will not be available. The RB situation is a bit messy, both White and Timber are a doubt for the game and it would be interesting to see who Mikel prefers if they don’t make it. I am guessing one of MLS and Kiwior would have to do it in the worst scenario. Jesus will be out for some more months, while everyone else is fit for the game.
I am expecting a back 4 of MLS, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori unless one of the White or Timber are available. It would be the usual midfield of Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice with a front 3 of Saka, Gyokeres and Madueke. Martinelli might not make it, because Mikel loves his new suits and Martinelli had a stinker last weekend. I am a Team Gabi but unless he gets back his old self, I won’t complain if Madueke starts ahead of him. After all, we need to know if the 52m GBP we spent was worth it.
Farke, Leed’s manager, was very clear about his approach in his pre-match conference. He promised an attacking game and that he won’t sell out their DNA by going defensive and parking the bus. Well, we love these kinds of oppositions. I am pretty sure they won’t change, Bielsa’s shadow stays with you till eternity. It would be an exciting game and one of those where Odegaard might gets his praise.
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What’s your prediction? I am hoping we get to see the mask celebration today at Home for our new no 14. Saka doesn’t like 2 bad games in a row so he will score one too.
2-0 to the boys, with a much better performance compared to last game; also preparing for the next week’s 6 pointer against Liverpool at their home.
Right, that’s all for today. Man City playing Spurs in about a minute, it’s a bit of a pickle because both of them can’t lose the game so i would take it if both of them drop points. Let the Spuds cherish 1 point after losing on Eze. It happened again.. It happened again..
Cheers
PS Some longer drives looming to Oswestry to play the English team and Colwyn Bay which is a great away trip. 1230 kick offs though so leaving at 6am. I don’t have to pay the fifteen quid fare though because I’m driving!
It is the same in small ponds as in the larger ones. The bigger clubs pick off the decent players of smaller teams however some of the smaller teams have excellent managers which enables them still being able to compete.
Agreed. It’s slowly helping to fuck competitive football.
On paper 5-0 looks very impressive but for me it was a game when the run of th ball was in our favour, and here’s why
1) Raya pulled off a superb save before we had opened the scoring, what our first 2 games have shown is the importance of having a top quality keeper as united and Leeds to have 2nd rate keepers and it showed.
2) Timber did push the Leeds defender before heading in the first goal , on another day that may have been punished.
3) their keeper was at fault for our 2nd goal , dreadful goalkeeping.
4) gyokeres did well but there was an element of fortune in that first the full back played him onside and then calafiori unsighted the keeper and again was very close to being called offside.
5) it is very rarely (if ever)I say this but the ref was unusually biased in our favour .
So yes a great result , Nwaneri was very mature in his performance, Dowman is very brave on the ball as the only way to stop him will be to kick or manhandle him , Madueke looks a better footballer than martinelli, gyokeres is a similar footballer to Haaland in that both are untidy on the ball and will miss their fair share of chances , both are hungry strikers though of course Haaland with his pace will always look the better player, gyokeres at least has got the Wolves off his back for the time being , he will probably be a player that frustrates and excites the fans in equal measures , the expectation is 25 goals this season , I don’t think he will be too far off that of we play to his strengths.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal working to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen – subject to player exits. 23yo defender told #Bayer04 of wish to leave + prioritising #AFC above others. Efforts ongoing to make fee more realistic than €60m clause @TheAthleticFC
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Ornstein reporting we are behind another defender and are willing to pay another 50m pounds to bring him here.
Kroenkes have gone mental, but good that we are covering all aspects. It’s indeed all or bust for Mikel this season.
Also, Tottenham were actively pursuing him. Kroenkes are just having 60m laughs these days lol
I assume that means Kiwior is off although that seemed to be almost a done deal a couple of months ago.
We’re going to have a situation where Arteta’s going to have problems keeping everyone happy with enough minutes unless we see quite a few bodies leave.
I made the above comment without paying too much attention to the quoted fee.
How many £50 million players can we have on the bench for fuck sake.
Marc
Thanks for the snapshot of your first game back. Looks like we got lucky with the players’ Knocks but shows it can happen anytime.
Ambarish
I just read about the center and LB player on our radar, and thought MA just has to keep buying what we don’t need. We have Mosquera & White as back for Timber at RB, and Kiwior for LCB and LB with Cauliflower and MLS.
So seems pointless to spend £50 to 55M on a defender.
We could and should have bought Isak instead of VG, Zubi and now this defender.
TRVL
The Pool v Newcastle this evening should be a spicy one with the Isak saga rolling one. Junior and I are looking forward to this one, and feel there could be a red with emotions boiling over, and Pool wanting to keep up with the leader’s pack at the very lest, but also make a statement themselves.
Your observations from earlier were spot on.
Staying on the subject of the importance of having a quality goalkeeper, there is a reason why west ham have conceded 8 goals in their opening 2 games , the keeper is shite. There is a reason that Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals the last 2 seasons and had 2 clean sheets this season , our keeper is top quality , Arteta gets a lot of flack on here but his decision to replace Ramsdale was 100% correct , though to be fair it was about time Arteta got it right on the goalkeeping front after replacing Martinez.
There is a reason why city struggled defensively v tottenham , the Edison replacement was at least a level (maybe 2 ) below him, Trafford’s distribution and decision making was atrocious.
Palace have a very good keeper, the Chelsea keeper is level 2 as is the tottenham keeper , the Liverpool keeper is top level as is Raya and Edison, united must buy a new keeper if they want to be taken seriously as the 2 they have are weak especially when it comes to dominating their area.
Playing liverpool away this weekend is a good thing , recently our 2 toughest away games have been liverpool and Newcastle mainly due to their high intensity which we find it hard to cope with , so hopefully being so early in the season the intensity of those teams are not at full capacity but that may be just wishful thinking .
I would say that if we are sitting in the top 4 after playing United, liverpool and Newcastle away and city at home in the opening 6 games that will put us in a really good position to put a winning run of games together and then wait for the likes of united, Newcastle, Liverpool and Chelsea to visit the Emirates in the 2nd half of the season.
So the moronic cunt did have the funds to sign Isak all along.
Shot his load on overpriced shit.
Like a virgin in a brothel takes the first slag , he sets his eyes upon.
Had he been shrewd and patient, we could have had Isak and seriously undermined Liverpool our rivals.
Do these cunts in charge know, they can only play 11 at once.
Expect a firesale and more players value crashing
Thats my voice of doooooom , today
AF
Our clueless lot do not know how to sell players at a profit or even break even.
NORG
If , i really said what , I think about these cunts in charge, I would be banned from the Internet.
So we had the money to buy Isak all along. And dented Liverpools chances at the same time.
And the PSG goalkeeper has suddenly come available.
We shoukd have offered £150 for Isak from the off.
And sold him in 3 seasons for £150 million to Real Madrid or Saudi
And Donnaromma can play for another 8 -10 seasons and be sold like above.
So basically they would actually cost fuck all.
Instead we have bought 8 players
And when you buy 8 players.
2 will be good
3 will be average
3 will be shit
TRVL nailed it, quality over quantity.
But these clueless cunts just plough on regardless
One minute they want Watkins , the next Sesko, the next Gykores.
Just pissing good money up against the wall with no strategy
Does my fuckin head in.
Frauds.
Pool making hard work at Newcastle. Thought there would be a red and Gordon didn’t disappoint.
Pool should take the points but they need a striker now gnarly Diaz has departed.
Tony—unless Pool are fully healthy, they’re depth is rather lacking, which could be their undoing…I still think they’ll be inclined to go for a CB before Isak, but they just might do both, especially after this potentially shocking draw against a 10 men Newcastle side…props to the home side for not putting their heads down and playing on the front foot, even after it was 2-2
AF—definitely agree with your Isak take…I guess it’s possible that we did reach out to his people and they said their client had no interest in MA’s anti-Striker tactical approach…that wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities considering how many others have done likewise…that said, with the right offer anybody can be had
looks like a 16 year old kid, Rio, has saved Pool’s blushes…they still might go after both a CB and Isak…how Bruno survived this one without a sending off is beyond me
it is very rarely (if ever)I say this but the ref was unusually biased in our favour
Wickmeister – good to see last season’s nasty case of attwooditis is also on the mend. I prescribe reading LiR once a day and you’ll be fully cured by Christmas.
NORG
A good day out in the end and waiting 92 minutes for County to get a winner was pretty sweet. A diving header no less! First win of the season and a typically tough game for the Welsh Premier League. Tackles flying in, the pitch was bone dry and covered in dead grass after 4/5 months with no rain. Shocking really that Briton Ferry/Llansawel didn’t keep it watered. Grass was as short as you’d find on a cricket square and therefore super abrasive.
Bus driving has it’s eccentricities. A brief gust of wind can feel like a take off. Traffic leaving west Wales was fucking terrible after the bank holiday.
But we won. Eyes down for the live home game on Saturday evening against high flying Caernarfon. Up the Bluebirds! Our other Bluebirds (Cardiff City) are top of the third flight (pun intended) after winning at Luton so all ‘my’ teams doing well. 💪
https://youtu.be/fXNS_d5kJIk?si=z34Ab-u2DOuyAVae
Highlights/Uchafbyntiau of a game played in the hottest and toughest of conditions. Enjoy…
Briton left their scoring boots at home and didnt stand a chance of getting one past your keeper.
Rees has a decent game yesterday but so far he’s been a pale imitation of the previous goalie. But I’m hoping yesterday will be a huge confidence boost for him, the team and get the squad pulling together. Did you get the sense from that clip of the awfulness of the pitch? I was shocked and disappointed to see it look so poor.