Well, we are into another international break and I have lost count of it now. As a neutral, I find it frustrating but I do understand that some of us loves to see our country play. And to go into a 2 weeks break after sharing points with Chelsea and ranking 4th on the table isn’t a good sight for us. Chelsea under Maresca has improved but not enough to beat us at home. In fact, we should have taken all 3 points and it feels like a loss.
We have had a fit playing XI. Odegaard was back into the team, we had our usual back 4 and a front 3 of Saka, Havertz and Martinelli. Chelsea dominated us for the first 25 min where David Raya had to make a brilliant save for a long distance shot from Cole Palmer. In 24th minutes, Gusto wasn’t able to put the ball in the nets from a close range header which should he should have been. Neto’s cross was brilliant, Ben White wasn’t bold him to move closer to him and in a way let him make space for himself to put a cross. We finally managed to put some pressure when a poor pass from a Chelsea defender was blocked by Saka and Odegaard took the ball, passed it back to Saka who then took a shot which was blocked. Martinelli got the ball from that block but wasn’t able to get pass Sanchez. In fact, it wasn’t the very best of his attempt, was on a perfect height for the GK and he didn’t have to move to his left or right. Not good enough.
Havertz scored within some min but it was offside. In the second half, Martinelli finally scored from a similar angle to the one he missed earlier. Much much better and we only had to get through 30 odd minutes to win. Even though Odegaard gets the assist, it was Thomas Partey’s brilliance. Timber tried a long range shot in 65th minute which was a bit wide. Why was he trying to shoot when both Havertz and Saka were in good places to receive the ball – I don’t know. Neto levelled the score for Chelsea and we couldn’t have done anything about it. It was a great goal, similar to what we have seen from Odegaard in the past. Nothing exciting in those minutes.
Right, that was the Chelsea game.
This draw came on the back of a 1-0 loss against Inter Milan in Champions League, a 1-0 loss against Newcastle, a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool and a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth at home when Saliba picked a red card. These results are not enough to panic (just yet), but there has been some lacking in consistency and poor managerial decisions that could have made it better for us.
Lets talk about the players first. We had some injuries, Odegaard’s absence affected the game, Martinelli is on a poor form (still one of my favorites in the team), Trossard/Saliba had a brain fart which costed us the Liverpool game, Declan Rice had one earlier against Brighton (1-1, 2 points dropped), Trossard against Man City (2-2, against 2 points dropped). I have been vocal about the refereeing decisions going against us, but we are talking about the players who are probably in 1% of football players around the world, and they couldn’t concentrate enough to not get a silly red card for kicking the ball away? Ok, refs are not blowing whistle for other teams, but you can’t kick the ball away it’s in the rulebook.
Martinelli and Trossard are out of form. Both of them shouldn’t be on the pitch at the same time. Merino gets tired after 60 minutes, Ben White wasn’t brave enough to stop Neto for that cross and there has been other incidents. Only Saka and Partey are putting up the fights so far. The less we talk about Havertz, the better. Talking about ‘this might be the year we win’ doesn’t get you trophy. You need to put your mind and body on the line without thinking about what happens tomorrow. If you are in red and white, and has a cannon on the chest, you need to show that you earned it – every goddamn minute.
Now, lets talk about the manager. I am okay with Mikel’s infatuations towards defenders as long as we don’t neglect other areas of the pitch. But we have done exactly that. Going for two competitions at once with only 1 attacking midfielder will cost you. Odegaard is brilliant when fit, but we didn’t have a back up. Ok, we had, but we sold one of those to Fulham and loaned another one (Vieira) without bringing any like-for-like player.
This was highlighted before the season started and some of the news outlets confirmed that the club and the manager sees Nwaneri as a back up and they are not actively looking for a replacement. Guess what, Nwaneri is playing Carabao cup games and Mikel feels putting 3 DMs (Rice, Partey, Merino) in the midfield is better than giving him a chance in PL / CL. First, you didn’t have a competition / rotation to Odegaard. Second, let go off 2 players which were closest to play in that position. Third, you are hesitant in trying a 17-year old that might do the job.
And if I remember correctly, we paid 65 million for Kai Havertz because he was a versatile player who can play in the midfield and as a CF. We didn’t see him the midfield and he isn’t really doing much up top. We needed a proper CF, not another Gabriel Jesus.
Careful what you wish for. We were asking Wenger to stop neglecting defence and he would still go with 7 attacking players. The football was great but we would often lose. Now, we have a manager who can hold off City to a 2-2 at their home with 10 players and loves hoarding defenders. The football has gotten boring and we don’t get to see any of the Sanchez/ Wilshere like goals. Martinelli fits in that profile, but he hugs the sideline like his life depends on it.
We needed a blend, we got the opposite of what we had. City’s loss to Bournemouth is keeping us in the fight, Liverpool is leading but they will have bad days and I still feel it will come down to Arsenal v City at the end. We are still in the Champions League, not doing great but not as bad as some other teams.
Lets hope Mikel learns, unlike Wenger. I would love to hear your say in the comments.
Cheers.
Only caught a snippet on the news but apparently White is out for “months” and Arteta saying we’ll have to see but I don’t think it will be 6 months which would obviously be the rest of the season.
The feeling I’ve had for a while that Arteta might struggle this season is getting stronger and it looks like it could be down to injuries caused by his inability to rotate properly.
@TRVL
Did as you asked and this was the reply from Dan Kit
“Fcking love that Md – gunner
Did t know that as a fan forum
Tell him I miss his amazing wordsmith on JA (one of kind )
I’ll make my way over and see if I reconnect.👍
much appreciated Killroy—we used to go toe-to-toe in the wee hours, when BlogDaddy was fast asleep, then we would get put on blast once he had awoken and realized what the fuck we were up to…absolutely top drawer individual…Cheers
Dan kit sounds like he’d fit in perfectly here…….. The more people with voices the merrier is all I can say: narratives are never controlled here just welcomed. Fan boys , too, if they have reasoned and measured posts from an open mind and not a myopic Pedro like MA vision.
Marc
All I saw this morning was White is out for months whatever that means in MA speak?
To be fair that kind of does us a favour.
I’ve felt that White, even at his best, is an Arteta player level player. He lacks consistency in good positions and really isn’t a natural RB. For me, at best, White is a good defensive utility player (Swiss army knife) including DM at a push.
These kind of players come with the jack of all trades master of none for me.
They are mostly average with some bright moments, such as the odd 40 meter pass landing on a 6pence for Saka or Kai – but rarely Marts. White’s work with Saka in tight spaces is good, but defensively we suffer, as is the problem with inverting RBs inviting balls over the top or through the channels for fast counters into acres of space vacated by our inverting fullbacks – all too often both at the same time. When players like Partey, Cala and Zinny go walk about up top Saliba and Big Gabs are left scrambling to cover, and not as well as previous seasons, as results are proving.
White’s absence allows MA to play Timber in his favoured RB position. Timber has better feet than the natural CB White and is more rugged in defense; possibly too much so, and could do with keeping a cooler head when being intentionally wound up. It leads him to be targeted by savvy managers to unsettle his game.
I’m not sure Timber is as physically strong since coming back. Whether this is psychosomatic or the knee being a little weaker from the ACL tear, I have no idea?
Do you have any thinking on this TRVL?
Imho Timber is the better RB where I’m hoping Timber makes the position his own in White’s absence. I’d be happy to see White more as a minor cup and bench player, as we need to move the needle at RB now if we are to put in the challenge we need.
Problem is does Cala move the LB needle much past the poor and defensive error prone, Zinny? Not much for me, but it’s Cala’s first season, and he’s in danger of being Arteta-rised along with the misguided Rice AM 8 wanna be.
Rice, dead ball specialist? Seriously? He probably hits a good ball in 1:4 deliveries from corners and free kicks. As TRVL pointed out Rice lofts the ball in a high arc giving defenders time for a cigar before defending, and is why we are no longer the set piece kings – that and our dark arts being found out and stopped.
How does MA and his vastly experienced team not see this? Contracts causing selective vision?
That said, MA likes to play Partey at RB and Timber at LB as Cala is becoming injury prone, so I doubt we’ll ever see the end of shoehorning during MA’s reign.
The team MA puts out this afternoon and his tactics will tell us if MA is shifting to playing players where they naturally play best or shoehorning, as is His norm.
Forest has Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White & Elanga supported by Dominguez and Yates all very pacy and tricky players. They are on a high being where they are in the league where they normally come to play us as the underdog, but I’d say things are as even as both our table standings relate, so Forest’s confidence will be high, and it’s up to MA to dent that high sufficiently to get the 3 points.
We have home advantage, but it all depends on what MA decides to do tactically, and how he puts the brakes on Nuno’s speedsters? The new rules prohibit cynical midfield fouls, so we may well see a lot of yellows again.
Timber need to be cool throughout, I wouldn’t trust him if on an early yellow. When a speedster gets caught at top speed the resulting foul goes spectacularly airborne leaving refs little option but to produce cards.
I hope Ethan gets a start because Ode alone cannot create enough in games to win them and control the game. Rice is not an 8 and Merino is very underwhelming – more a bench player. Trossard isn’t an effective AM8. So, I don’t understand why Ethan doesn’t start with say 60 minutes a game. There are no easy games in the PL everyone on their best day can beat the other.
I’ll go for a 2:1 win to us in a very hard fought game if Nuno has Forest playing like they did when they beat Slot in his back yard earlier this season, because the result was no Fat Sam type fluke or Pulis kick-em-off-the-park tactics. Forest deserved the points on the day.
I’m hoping we deserve the point this afternoon after the fat lady sings……….
Tony—like yourself I believe our best 11 sees Cala on the left and Timber on the right, with Rice sitting deeper so that each can take turns getting forward…both have the ability to attack on either side of our wide side forwards, which should keep defences honest, thereby opening things up for Saka and Marts
of course, Marts could find himself on the bench if MA’s deadset on re-upping Tross, which appears to be in the offing…personally I wouldn’t enter into any such discussions until season’s end, as I would rather allocate those wages elsewhere…let’s face it, he’s not a legit 8 or 9 and he doesn’t possess the wheels required to play out wide, so he doesn’t really fit our script…he’s overvalued by some due to our glaring lack of clinical finishing, but his numbers this season have been pedestrian at best…we simply can’t afford to have another luxury player up top, as we already have Havertz, who’s clearly going nowhere
I kind of think our future lineups, should MA stay on beyond the summer, will see Havertz as a 10, tucked in behind or along side whatever Striker we acquire next summer…as such, let’s hope we don’t replace Edu with some ring kissing fuck or we might butcher another window
against Forest I would suspect we’ll see a back 4 of Timber, Saliba, Gabs and Cala, a midfield of Partey, Rice and Ode, with Saka, Havertz and Marts up top…the only reason MA might go with Marts over Tross(see above for the counter argument), is because of the former’s speed, as we know Forest can run with the best of them and quite frankly Cala could use the help…I like our chances, especially if we play on the front foot, which certainly isn’t a given…I still don’t think we’ll be seeing a lot of Ethan in our immediate futures. unless more injuries occur and/or we’re down late in matches and searching for a spark
time for a few “after hour” bts before crashing….just got some blueberry hash strips, so I’m hoping I don’t overmedicate and sleep the fuck in…see you at kickoff (fingers-crossed)
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/nov/22/mikel-arteta-returns-visit-owners-arsenal-title-challenge
Worth a read in order to gauge the mood at the club during another dull interlull. Just a soupçon of suspicion that Stubborn El Bastardo has been told to buck his ideas up by the two American vultures who both probably still have Viagra (or Valium) boners after fascism prevailed in the US.
Won’t even be trying to stream the game today because County are playing at home to Y Bala. We beat them away in a terrific display so hoping for a home repetition which will put us second in the table.
The club has decided to jettison the bus, presumably because of the cost, so I’m firing up my new second hand Volvo V70 and driving 2 other stewards (one is a very sad spud fan!) and 1 of the club’s 6 season ticket holders (who is a Gooner). I might try and inspire an argument to spice up the 70 mile round trip. Check the BBC later for any stories of a bitter fight to the end between 2 geriatrics in a lay by on the A40.
County’s manager ( 🎵 we’ve got super Tony Pennock…) who has just extended his contract by a year is a seriously good egg, football tactician and motivator who put out a message on X thanking various people at the club including volunteers. It sounds silly but it really made my day to be recognised. Could you imagine El B doing that? Football at this level is sooooo much more meaningful.
Enjoy the game everyone. I’m going for a 3-1, Ode inspired win. Goals by him, Saka and Martinelli.
KP
At that level emotions still come into play regarding the club and its well being. People see others as fans and human beings, not so with The Arsenal any more. it’s just big business and I hope you’re right that El B was summoned to the Kroenke ponderosa with the threat of being football’s neutered with his nuts being fed to Winless the failed dog experiment. If he’s still there and not Battersea dogs home being the canine version of non-negotiables.
We all like to be appreciated from time to time, although for El B that has to be 100% of the time by everyone and their sister.
This, however, is El B’s fluffer for our amazing owners fawn fawn fcuking fawn…….
“And this sport and the demands that we have sometimes put the temperature up a little bit, sometimes bring it down and everybody needs it. I’m the first that needs that. And not only from the owners – from the coaches, from the players, media, it’s great to have that. So you are always seeking to be the best and evaluate and judge yourself in the right way.”
Temperature? What exactly is El B the first to need? Heat? Always riddles with him, I think Emery communicated better.
“So you are always seeking to be the best and evaluate and judge yourself in the right way.”
Clearly El B hasn’t found the right way yet! But evaluate and judge yourself?
Now in English that would mean look for the errors and don’t repeat them.
El B’s ‘right way’ is to continue regardless and keep making the same mistake since he was deemed a rookie. His logic is it will work in the end and after 5 years it still hasn’t
Thanks, KP that was really illuminating.
KP have a little empathy for the Spuddy. He’s obviously a loser supporting perennial losers – maybe humour him a little. I know it’s not easy him being a spud an all, but I’d maybe give him a pork burger…
Couldn’t hurt could it?
You’ll get the commentary here, KP. You should be able to imagine the rest…… Good luck with Country..
TRVL
Agree with your thinking especially Marts being a back up to help Trossard. See you at the game amigo….
Nice one Tony. The spud fan is 65. I think (but can’t be 100 percent sure…) he was pleased when I told him he was a true rarity, ie one of the few remaining Spurs fans to be alive when they last won the league in 61. Every year their number dwindles.
The Kroenke’s (whatever you think about them) has allowed the club / Arteta to spend a huge amount of money – they’ll at some point expect results.
Edu’s replacement will be interesting – if they are a genuinely independent and capable individual one of the things that could or should see conflict is Arteta’s regular destruction of players values who he doesn’t favour. There’s no problem with looking to upgrade on a player and there’s no problem with deciding to move a player on but look at the money we generate in sales.
Its pathetic and has cost the club hundreds of millions of pounds.
Great goal taken under pressure by Jackson with Chavs all over LC.
Points should be in the bag for Moresca boys against men this game.
Marc
I’m hoping the owners are going to take a hard look at Edu & MA TW dealings where the profit and losses should be glaringly obvious.
I don’t see those above us dropping points. Pep staying should help Ciry have renewed confidence.
Looks like a red is inevitable for the LC back 3 all on yellows. LC want to go home🤭
KSE has won the major honors in the three biggest sports in the US. NFL, NBA and ice hockey and they did this with money investment in players as well as staff. They will expect that Arsenal also will win major honors as that is the aim for the teams in the KSE stable. Bottom line that will not happen with El-B in charge.
If Fotmob is to be believed Jesus is at 9 Trossard LE with Ode, Jorginho and Merino in mid. TRVL as you suspected the back line would be with Cala and Timber in their natural positions.
Chavs 2 up so 3 points secure
Only three points will do today
what a shockingly uninspiring lineup…either we’re not as healthy as was suggested or CL has become more of a priority…decent starting few minutes though
if Ethan can’t get a start with Rice, Partey and Havertz on the bench, MA clearly doesn’t trust him
this is a lineup chock full of MA’s short-sighted recruitment practices (Tross, Jesus, Jorginho, Merino)…just imagine what could have been done with those 125M misplaced fees
What a finish by Saka