Ten games into the season and we should now accept the fact that Tottenham is doing exceptionally well and might just provide the third axis to the title challenge. I almost puked saying that. I’m sorry. At the very least, they are going to disrupt things. Ange is doing well with that shite and a bit of luck is favouring them too. They won 2-1 against Crystal Palace with ‘only one shot on target’.
Anyway, to hell with them. We are playing Sheff United in a 3 PM kick-off at home. A crucial game to get all three points and also to improve our home performance.
In team news, Thomas Partey is unavailable due to injury. Gabriel Jesus is out too (again) for few weeks due to muscle injury he picked up during Sevilla game. Timber is out for long anyway, rest all are fit. Jesus injury makes thing difficult for us because we are playing 2 games a week and Eddie Nketiah has failed to convert the chances he has got till now. I have been asking to put Trossard at CF because Havertz was not clinical in front of the goal while playing at Chelsea and he is not going to be clinical at Arsenal.
Will we start with a midfield of Odegaard, Jorginho and Declan Rice again? There’s a lot wrong with this. First, Rice should be the DM. Second, Havertz / Vieira provides a better attacking play at LCM. Third, Odegaard needs some rest and ESR should be given some games as he is fit now and is a direct threat. Playing ESR provides something different to our play from the wings strategy. It will happen eventually because Mikel has noticed Ode form but again, why wait till something goes wrong!
Our defence is stable. Tomi again at LB is we all want to see, and he should start ‘if’ performance is the parameter. He was superb against Chelsea in that LB role and it won’t be long before he develops a brilliant chemistry with Martinelli.
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Right, a short one today. I would love a 4-0 score line, with couple of goals from Martinelli and Saka each. See you during the game.
ESR starts in place of Odegaard. I have been asking for it from long and Arteta finally listened.
Just a quick side issue.
https://arseblog.news/2023/10/arteta-working-hard-to-change-touchline-behaviour/
My post on the last piece about Arteta being a compulsive liar, and this little gift pops up. He’s not serious about changing his petulant behaviour – he just wants to avoid a ban. A phoney twat of the lowest calibre. But he and the club think they know best by conning people and lying. Now to read the post – sorry Ambarish.
Ambarish – Very well done for persuading Tetsy to listen to you! 😊
I’m thrilled that ESR is starting. My hope is he’ll relish the chance against what is essentially a championship level side. I hope someone is in his shell-like right now to ensure he puts in a pot performance. I was surprised about Jesus – I thought it was a phantom injury.
Thanks again Ambarish for finding the time to write your review.
Tony – any chance you’ve got our favourite feline fanatic with you? 🐱
Pot should read potm. Sorry, I’ve been smoking some prime potm this morning. 🌿🌿🌿 Oh fuck!
Blades playing a dangerously high line.
How the fuck was that not a yellow?
Little Eddie Unket! Was that a pass by Rice or just a general cross? I think he meant it to go to E.
Looking a bit better in the 2nd half but still need a bigger GD going forward.
ESR getting an assist will be good for him. He’s looked a lot more lively than Havertz.
Need to be adding GD if possible.
Havertz put for his usual Sunday stroll and a passenger, so Arteta takes ESR off?
Havertz is an absolute turf of a player…is the most important to say today.
If Havertz cannot even impose against Sheffield , serious questions to be raised , yeah even maybe…
considering Chelsea wanted to see the back of him , and did so at an unbelievable price for a consistent dud except CL fluke
Happy for the win but there was only one conclusion to this n=match when Eddie got his 2nd. Sheffield’s players heads dropped to hand us a capitulation. Just lackluster all round of just doing enough.
At least our GD is where it should be but Havertz has been outshined by Vieira and ESR today. ESR looked lively and much slimmer. I hope he gats more starts.
I could see City making a statement against Manure tomorrow and maybe knocking 5 past them.
Wonder if anyone got compensated for motivating that deal.
Not everyone is English and honourable
When you examine the goals and the fact that we had 2 10s in Havertz and ESR and then Viera and Zinchenko played 10 with our back 3.
Out of our attacking 4 midfielders only ESR created an assist. The others were from corner scrambles and I think Trossard played in Vieira for his pen.
Our midfield was seriously poor against a side that has now lost 9/10 games.
Killroy & KP
Well, the stage was set for a thrilling encounter where both sides did not disappoint in a pulsating game that could have swung either way at the end. The final was full of drama, yellow and red cards for being too transparent with their dark arts and it’s there that the All Blacks lost the game through ill discipline, which is normally something the French and Springboks have history of.
I was a neutral with sympathetic leanings towards the Boks because their have had the edge over every team they have played and have been pushed hard to be good values for their wins leading to lifting the Web Ellis trophy.
A big thank you to France for what appears to be an excellent hosting and worlds coverage. Next RWC, junior could well be at a uni in Australia where it’s being hosted. Perfect timing for S E Asia TV wise.
Now onto our win yesterday. I see that 5:0 win as lost opportunity for Arteta as our women’s team could probably beat that poor excuse for a PL team. It’s not the club’s fault bar a lack of money I would imagine.
Why didn’t Mikel play ESR in the 10 CAM position as a replacement for Ode?
Why did galaxy brain play Havertz next to Saka where they have zero chemistry and yet ESR and Saka are oft telepathic on the right side?
Why Zinchenko at 10 at the end?
Havertz was just getting in everyone’s way mostly tripping over his own feet.
Played 90 minutes
Made 34 successful passes mostly short side and backward passing.
Lost possession 6 times
Made 3 interceptions
6/14 successful tackles
To be fair ESR was only marginally better stuck in the 8 position for the first half. ESR was better in there 2nd half because he played on Ode’s position, but Havertz still kept overloading the ‘Ode’ space on our right side.
To me Arteta set ESR up to fail and taking ESR off instead of Havertz was just typical Arteta BS.
The better selection for midfield was blatantly obvious to all bar Arteta and his cronies with Partey injured. Yesterday’s game that was no more than a training game for us should have been used that way. Arteta should have worked out how to be as good without Partey in finding the bests MF combination.
Arteta didn’t and that shows the type of manager he is: a far cry from generational.
We may have won the game; that was never in doubt, but we lost a big chance to sort out our misfiring midfield, as below:
Trossard at 8 Rice CM/6 and ESR CAM/10
Trossard links well with Marts and everyone really.
Rice is best with transitions from his DMF position to ESR or Trossard who would be commanding their space for channel through balls to be pushed to our mobile front 3.
ESR would have got on the ball far more and found his old mazy short dribbling rhythm we loved so much 2 seasons ago. That’s still there. We know it and Arteta knows it.
It’s why we are play shit football for most of our games; only coming to light to score and then boring shored up back low block.
The more I see of Arteta the more I can’t stand him and his football.
Anyone feel different?
Hi Tony
Games like yesterday’s are full of traps. SU shocked me not only by how poor they were but also by their lack of fight and collective effort. To my mind, they’re usually one northern team capable of digging in unlike their cross city rivals Wednesday. They look resigned to relegation and this before the clocks have even gone back.
I think the only thing that anyone can draw from this is that Eddie Unket can score heavily against poor teams. Otherwise, it’s just a game to move on from. Rata and the back 4 were under no pressure whatsoever.
In other news, Cardiff beat the shit pretty comprehensively and have thus won 2 of their 4 derbies already this season. I should’ve gone because that Blades game was a welcome but perfunctory procession.
I might dip into the Manc derby this afternoon hoping for some red cards and injuries. At least it’s a stress free Sunday with 3 points chalked up. The spuds only luckily beat SU in injury time after being a goal down by contrast.
Rugby is a game I no longer understand. I used to enjoy watching games and trying to predict refereeing decisions but now it’s just baffling and a bit of a turn off. I know the red card was awarded because the NZ player should have gone lower, but the other guy was leading with his head and had bent his knees and was closer to the ground than normal. The score miraculously ended pretty close (meaning the ABs were the better team) but the officiating decisions killed the game. I thought the final and the entire tournament were anticlimactic. And don’t get me started on the cricket…
I can’t believe I’m saying this but Havertz seems to have even less influence on matches than Xhaka did over the majority of his career with us.
I supposed at least Havertz isn’t giving away stupid free kicks or getting sent off etc but for £65 million we could have got a far far better player.
Marc
All I’ve seen Havertz do so far is a series of neat little touches that help the team recycle the ball around that motherfucking horseshoe that Tets is so fond of. He does get behind the ball when we don’t have it and joins the press but he plays with less pace and energy than ESR and Vieira. He gives off a thoroughly Ozil-esque ennui. So he still has everything to prove. A cost-benefit analysis of his work so far at the club would not be terribly positive. Podolski he ain’t. He may come good but if he can’t stand out at home to SU, the conclusion will be he replaced a dud (GX) with an even bigger one given the cost.