I echo putting out the welcoming mat for Kai and Declan and even more so that Mikel has got his men where any excuses for next season issues won’t be accepted in this quarter.
I agree Timber shores up our RB/RCB with White nicely. White tends to run out of gas after 60 minutes at RB, so I can see some rotation for RB but only when Saliba needs a rest to play CB.
It’s not the numbers so much but the lack of negotiating nous that played into Sullivan and Brady’s hands as the controlled the leverage and we have Declan to blame for that. He could have stepped in earlier to seal the deal, but his loyalty was to West Ham: I hope the lad shows us the same courtesy when and if he moves on. I believe he will.
Can Declan become Mr. Arsenal? If the price is anything to go by, then yes he will, as our most expensive player. I also don’t think the pressure of his price will bother him; how Arteta tries to use him might, though. Junior and I watched him quite a bit last season and he can pivot into 8/10 when he makes his runs from our half, but he’s ungainly in his stride and not fleet of foot, as one needs to be in that position – more Xhaka like than say ESR or Trossard who both defend well when needed.
We no longer need Holding with Rice also being a CB. It’s easier to see how Rice is going to be employed at 6 but how does Kai fit into Mikel’s intricate jigsaw puzzle of plays?
I don’t see KH as an 8, but a 10 back up, yes. False 9 and 9 yes he can play, and he has enough pace to go wide left when interchanging with our attack. Kai has the requisite technical skills to be successful in the opposition’s final third, but expect Pepe’s levels of defending, as Kai doesn’t like the physicality of defending and another Ozil like cupcake.
Mikel said he has five roles for Kai, so he’s going to be busy and probably confused. Kai also needs to toughen up and add a bit of bulk to his overall muscular frame although he looks like an ectomorph to me, so very difficult for him to add muscle. Mikel loves to play his shiny new toys, so I would hate Kai to be in front of ESR, and I hope Emile has a great pre-season. ESR is better than Havertz just younger and needs regular minutes to shine.
If we get Timber then we need to address the LB cover for KT and buy Lavia as MF back up or buy similar. Vieira needs to go out on a PL/Championship loan and be judged on that next summer. All in all the window is being kind to us and CL football is a magnet to quality footballers. Will we be stronger at the end of the window? That depends on the outgoings and who else after Timber A&E bring in.
I hope lessons were learnt by Mr. Lewis/Edu and Mr. Garlick. Never negotiate without leverage and a sound strategy, and next season is already looking like it’s shaping up for Mikel & Edu.
I’d say this coming season is all or nothing for Edu & Mikel – sink or swim?
so all in all today was an interestingly busy day at our club:
(1) the re-upping of Nelson—not so sure on this one, although I get the thought process…we knew we needed some cover for Saka and with our pending massive expenditures elsewhere it’s clear we wanted to avoid another hefty transfer fee…now Nelson has looked much the better player since returning from Feynoord, but he didn’t play a whole lot so I’m not sure if the juice was worth the squeeze…he missed a considerable amount of time due to a thigh injury and was a healthy scratch 3 or 4 times in the second-half of the season, which is cause for some concern…if it weren’t for his Bournemouth screamer I do wonder if he would have been offered an extension, especially one that included a 6 figure weekly wage…this one was mismanaged, much in the same vein as Eddie
(2) Steve Round—like I stated earlier, the timing of this is a bit peculiar, but I would very much doubt the inside scoop will be forthcoming anytime soon…there’s some talk that he will be going to the Hammers to work for his former boss, Moyes, and that maybe Santi will be returning to the Emirates in a coaching capacity…I guess only time will tell…you would think that after your most successful managerial campaign you would run it back with the same coaching staff, so methinks someone didn’t take to kindly to his underling’s critiquing during the bed soiling end of the season…just speculative though
(3) BEST NEWS OF THE DAY—do I even have to say it??? bye-bye to our little wantaway albatross…I wonder if someone looking like Xhaka, but with a bushy mustache, glasses and an oversized nose, placed a very lucrative bet several months ago about his potential landing spot…probably just a coincidence though
Cheers
Killroy, I am beginning to wonder why I am bothering to counter the prevailing anti Arteta hysterics on this site. Posters so invested in Arteta being gone that they angle every Arsenal action under that prism of dislike, to seemingly lose any rationale. Then when I question the ‘party line’ I get labels thrown at me like Arteta fan boy. A lot of you make it all about the manager.
When you are being extremists, you look to create extremist opposition to justify your position. I am not an extremist, Tony used to call me the ‘fence sitter’.
If you find my posting annoying or out of touch, I’ll stop and I’ll understand you’ll just want an echo chamber for your views. I’m not sure that Ambarish would want that but there you go….
Don’t look at me, Bob, I’m waiting for the season to start and get 12 games in before giving my thoughts thus far. If Arteta deserves applause for being top again, he’ll get it from here, as he did last season; although apprehensive we were happy with being top. Obviously, a 2nd botched run in brought out the anti Arteta talk and rightly so because Arteta made the same mistake both seasons. You on the other hand felt 2nd was a big improvement.
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We in turn said 2nd is losing because it is as well as the pitiful way we conceded the tile to City.
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Currently, we are at the stage where we are asking questions re Rice and Havertz and why not Caicedo and Mount or MacAlister or others? Reasonable questions are they not, Bob, particularly when White is the only overpriced player who isn’t as croc and a reasonable performer that is only now worth his buying price.
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Jesus isn’t a title winning 9, if he was, he’d still be at City. Ditto Zinchenko, a bit part player for City and a croc and poor for us. Both should be sold as they were never needle pushers at our level, but who Arteta knew he could control and who would be loyal and poor buys if you ask me.
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Bob, you’re well respected here, but your game going experience leads you to be over protective of Arteta in particular who you say you’re not fully aligned with. Conflicted messages much?
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Anyway, Bob, you enjoy poking the bear then cry foul when you get bit. 🙂 Can be frustrating reading, too.
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At least it’s good intelligent banter, speaking of which did KP decide to stay in Malaga for another week?
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Finally, the news we’ve been waiting 8.5 years for; Xhaka has left the building for good!!!! Music to my ears. He’s BL’s problem now and Havertz is an upgrade to Xhaka intelligence wise if nothing else. That doesn’t mean it will be easy for Kai, Xhaka was left alone by defenders in the box, which gave him his goals from ankle scuffs to sticking a boot out. Kai will not get the freedom Xhaka had, and will be closely marked, especially if he does well to beat the press and add goals and assists he’s been bought for.
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Rice, Timber and Havertz have potential and possibly will resemble Arteta’s best window yet and in 16 weeks we’ll have a good idea if the ‘Process’ is working with the shiny new additions. If Saliba, Marts and Saka wanted moves instead of signing then Arteta should be fired for losing his best players. Happens they all duly signed, so that is a positive that they have bought into Arteta’s (groan) ‘Process’.
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Pre-season is underway so it’s pointless to praise or critique until the season is under way. Pre-season is all about testing new partnerships and tactical formations to get a winning system well drilled to start against Forest.
Fair Tony, I wanted Arteta sacked a couple of times in the first two years. I am not strongly aligned to him but I see that he has a positive influence on our way of playing, esprits de corps and attracting top, young players.
If Barca, RM or whoever convinced him to leave us, I would only be upset to the extent that we’d have to find a suitable replacement and uncertainty wouldn’t be helpful.
If we underperform, that could mean adrift of the top two or three with two months of the season gone I would be considering replacements in January. I am not sentimentally attached to him. It’s interesting how you think my game going experience affects my loyalty to Arteta. Does that make me have a more reasonable approach to my support or do I lose objectivity? I’m not sure, let’s not forget that I watch half the games on a screen too!
You’re right though, why do I come on here to challenge entrenched views and then be surprised that my posts are met with annoyance or hostility? Mostly because I like the interaction with you Tony, Kroenkephobe and Almunia who have a sense of humour to go with a certain antipathy to Arteta! Without the sense of humour, it becomes too bitter which I tend to rise to. I’ll keep coming on but I will not engage with TVRL and Killroy as it is pointless and I get why you and they, might find it frustrating.
It’s ironic that I have wanted Xhaka gone for years but now he’s left I respect him more than I ever have done. I wish him well.
Hi Bob
Some typically well constructed points there. Sorry all for having been a bit incommunicado. A combination of lethargy, Arsenal apathy and still being on the Costa del Sol in my mind.
There’s a good bit of Xhaka revisionism doing the rounds today. More than fuck off-gate, the absolute howler up at Turf Moor a few years ago, the red card at home to Burnley after being goaded by neanderthals, the numerous yellows (which neutered his performances even more than usual), the idiotic red cards usually committed miles from our penalty area… I’m getting there… It was the fact that he’s been our go-to tottoo Inked In starter for far too many games thanks to a mysterious weakness on the part of Arteta. Did Tets see GX as a playing-style reincarnation of himself and therefore undroppable? All this while Gunnerdoozi, Torreira and ESR were neglected. One of the greatest mysteries/miseries of recent Arsenal history. He picked up last season but that’s like saying wanky Rishi Sunak is a upgrade on lying racist Bojo. Anyway, he’s gone and for a sizeable amount 9f moolah.
I might rewrite my adaptation of the Mark Morriston classic, return of the Mack/Xhak now he’s left.
Hi Tony
Intelligent banter? I’ll take that mate. Back at yer!
I’m a serious Arsenosceptic these days (who knew?) but Havertz (an unknown quantity for me) notwithstanding, the squad is in increasingly better shape. I’m not ready to change my name to ‘Kroenkephile’ but as least they’re putting their ill-gotten gains where their slack-jawed mouths are.
Round’s departure was as welcome as it was unforeseen. All organisations need to keep things fresh. I loathed SAF, but he at least had the gumption to bring in new faces and keep abreast of changes. Cazorla? Porque no?
Arteta next… 🤞
I like Bob’s stuff
I like TRVL and Killroy’s stuff
Let’s triangulate a little here everyone. 🔼
Personal animus need not apply. Love and Peace lads!
Fair also, Bob. You’re part of the family here as I see it, and it would be our loss if you left permanently. I honestly feel this season will be make or break for Mikel. If he has really learnt from the last 44 months give or take, then I’ll welcome winning and be thankful for Mikel leading the club to a title. Doesn’t mean I’ll like him as a person that’s not possible for reasons I’ve well documented here and LG.
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I’m looking forward to the new season, especially with Xhaka gone and the weekly expectations of us being Xhakered no more, which until last season he didn’t disappoint. I really hope ESR get’s substantial minutes to lay claim to a starting birth. I feel he still has more than Saka to offer where his long term injury stunted his development.
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As previously mentioned Xhaka’s sale price is a step in the right direction for the suits up stairs. Have a good weekend with the fam.
“I like Bob’s stuff
I like TRVL and Killroy’s stuff
Let’s triangulate a little here everyone. 🔼
Personal animus need not apply. Love and Peace lads!”
I’m in 🙂
Bob-trust me, your more positive slant on our present managerial/administrative appointments neither concern me nor cause me undue frustrations, it’s your passive aggressive nonsense that really turns the screw…you did it again with your response to Killroy earlier today, of which you’re well-aware…as per usual, you make it personal, then when someone responds in kind, you run to the resident blog “mommy” or post to others stating that you won’t engage with the supposed “lunatic fringe”, like some sort of passive aggressive Shakespearean aside, then you continue to reference those same individuals in future posts in the hopes of creating a wedge amongst those who regularly post here…kudos to you both, KP and Tony, for not taking the bait and showing your support for all involved…as for Bob, who clearly can’t set aside his “professional” tendencies even when he’s off the clock, that’s some wolf in sheep’s clothing shit
Bob
Just as a little thought experiment imagine last seasons results were identical but achieved in the exact reverse order.
What would you make of that season?
Hi Marc
That’s a really interesting – albeit hypothetical – question. Given our actual end of season defeats and draws that felt like losses, if the results had been reversed, Tets might have come under serious scrutiny after the first ten games. Had he stuck around, I guess a lot of people would consider he ended on a high even though it was a ridiculously easy start/end to the season. Oooh fuck, my brain is starting to ache with all the hypotheticality (made up word).
Not to pre empt Bob in any way. I’m sure he’ll have a pithier and more erudite reply than me.
Vegetable Dhansak on the hob. I hope it tastes as good as it smells… It should presage an uncontrollable evening of flatulence which will endear me to Ms K I’m sure.
Kroenke
Like I said a thought experiment – usually we do the “if only we’d won this match” etc but to re look at the season as being out of it early on and then have a good but ultimately limited to top 4 run at the end after all the money spent would once again put anything Arteta does in perspective.
Enjoy the currie.
Marc-I like what you did there…in the days leading up to the summer following MA’s first full season in charge, when the more recently ghosted ESR saved his proverbial ass, there was growing sentiment within the fanbase regarding the notion of sacking Arteta before the start of the transfer window…at the same time, those within the Kool-Aid crew, who were incredibly incensed by this seemingly very real possibility, went to the airwaves arguing that our results since Xmas justified his continued existence at the Emirates…ironically these same individuals felt it was totally nonsensical if you adopted a similar stance, albeit in a converse fashion, and suggested that our poor form following Xmas, two years running, was cause for his potential termination…just another example of continued nonsense being propagated by the cake and eat it too crowd…Cheers
Bob
My statement from my last post:
“This season will pull the curtain away from the leadership at Arsenal and we will see what they can accomplish after this mega outlay for players. However, I am sure of one thing, the Arteta fanboys plus the Arteta Knows Best supporters will find excuse after excuse if the project goes south.
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To all of them applies Jack Nicholson’s famous quote from A Few Good Men “You can’t handle the truth!”
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that was a general statement and that this season will be a tell all because by the end of it Arteta will have been 4.5 seasons in charge and he either has come good on his promises or not and all of us want to see the rewards or consequences.
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You know who the apologists, fanboys and AKBs are you know them from LG. If my statement struck a raw nerve with you and you felt it applies to you, I am sorry but that is your decision as no one should ever take a general statement on board if they feel that it does not apply to them.
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I did not want to see Arteta at AFC, I wanted ETH and what he has done with the shitty team handed over to him at United in his 1st season was praiseworthy. A trophy and top 4 not a small feat. This season again he is not being supported by the absolutely abysmal owners that deserve to be hung outside a window upside down by their toes from the 20th floor of a high rise. Yet he respects the club and does his best. Respect.
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This upcoming season will be a cracker as every top 6 team is stronger. KSE supported Arteta with a mega outlay, whether it will lead to the expected results will become evident in May and it will be either boom or bust, Arteta in or out, that simple.
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Cheers
If Arteta survives this season which I unfortunately expect him to (he’ll be under pressure season after when he misses out on top 4) a summer 24 spend of £150ish million will have seen him spend three quarters of a billion £.
All of this ignores the money pissed up the wall on bad contracts, wiping out players values and general piss poor performance etc.
So what I’d like to know is at what point his spend is enough to say “win the title and / or the CL” or fuck off?
TRVL
Like everything in life context makes a huge difference. Last season to a fan boy is a testament to Arteta’s brilliance because he over achieved expectations and only fell short because of bad luck.
Reverse the order of results and its a completely different story.
For me Arteta will get another crack at a season if he achieves top 4, Semis in the CL, plus either FA Cup or Carabao Cup trophy, that is for me the minimum. But may grumble and concede that he has improved the team if AFC goes out on the CL QFs and will be in both of the local cup finals. However Arteta will get a massive amount of flack if he will be in the local cup finals and loose.
I’m a bit more sanguine about Tets and his future. I think he’ll be under heavy manners to win something (neither the Carabao nor Charity Shield count as ‘something in my opinion) . If he fails, the axe will fall by the end of the season and the Kroenkes will give someone else a chance. The amount of money that has been invested to this point suggests that the old paradigm of finishing in the top 4 is no longer enough and any regression will cost him his job.
There’s also a chance that the team starts like a train, and one of the bigger teams in Europe hits the buffers and makes him, er, switch platforms. It’s unproven of course one way or the other but we shouldn’t assume he’s a diehard loyalist.
To be honest, lets say lady fortune smiles on us and Arteta transitions, hauls ass out of town, fucks off to greener pastures knowing the competence of the people that would hire a new manager who would they go for or will we have a repeat after Wenger shuffled into the sunset?
KP-I tend to agree with your sentiments, in that when you look across Kroenke’s sporting empire whenever he’s made massive investments expectations have gone up exponentially…with the Avalanche, as soon as he needed to re-up their best players, only a Stanley Cup would suffice…with the Rams, he went all-in with another fairly untested manager/coach with the full understanding that anything less than a Super Bowl would be considered a failure…even this last season with the Nuggets, who were a winning organization for several years, he went over the salary cap at the trade deadline, which required him to pay a luxury tax for the first time in their existence, for the sole purpose of pushing for their first championship ever…of course, the PL is a different beast, as unlike those aforementioned leagues, who all have tournament-like playoffs to determine a champion, winning here requires a bit different squad construction and strategic nous to come out on top
Vieira
Just imagine Tets reading this exchange today while tucking into his quails’ eggs, manuka honey and green tea and thinking to himself, hey, I better jump and take that job at PSG before my fellow BASTARDS (tm – AlmuniaSNM enterprises) led by that gullible idiot Josh Kroenke rumbles me and decides to give me the push. Now, that would make the TW!
Interesting to see people’s thoughts and expectations for next season. My personal take is next season is going to be possibly the most fiercely contested season we’ve seen in the PL.
City will be there, Liverpool will be much better, ManU will continue to improve, Newcastle will improve and even Chelsea will be much better (although that’s probably not difficult). That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to be within half a dozen points of the eventual winners but the competition for top 4 will be savage.
So where do Arsenal fall in that and how will they do? Well I’m expecting Arteta to be Arteta – we’re going to have a stronger improved squad but the expectation level is going to be much higher and Arteta has struggled to compete on multiple fronts. Going out of the Cup’s early has been written off but this season anything less than Qtr Finals of the CL will be a dismal failure and top 3 is the minimum acceptable league performance.
I’m expecting Arteta to struggle trying to rotate a squad and will end up having an end of season bottle job finishing 4th or 5th. He’ll then be sacked half way through the season after assuming he doesn’t do a runner next summer.
Sorry for the ramble!
Marc-there’s no doubt that finding our way into the 2-hole, or higher, this season should be a more arduous task than last…Klopp, who should have been at the Emirates all along, will almost assuredly unveil a better side, although they still might be a year away from competing for things…Poch will instantly make Chelsea a much tougher out, which shouldn’t be a difficult ask considering the manner in which they captitulated to us last May, but I still think they will need some time to get their i’s dotted and t’s crossed…that said, when you look at their similarly youthful options, they could emerge as a real footballing juggernaut in the years to come…ten Hag has proved his mettle, as if it weren’t for his unwavering presence early last season things could have easily imploded…now he currently finds himself in a bit of a financial pickle, until things on an ownership level get fully sorted, but if that scenario changes sooner than later, look the fuck out…finally, with Newcastle’s newfound financial realities, Emery’s redemption tour plans and the formidable duo of Bloom and DeZerbi at BHA, depending on their roster come mid-August, MA had better up the ante when it comes to his tactical nous or we could find ourselves battling for the Arteta version of the Wenger Cup
KP-good Tet’s imagery…if he were to read this he would be so incensed that he might even have a hair out of place upon completion
-Marc
“the competition for top 4 will be savage.”
Exactly my thoughts. The teams you already mention will battle for CL next season as they are all stronger, good managers, plus not repeating the mistakes of the last season, however I would add to that Villa. The points per game that Emery accumulated once he took over the job, if he would have been at Villa from day one, they would have made top 4 last season. Add to that Monchi being at Villas as DoF and the two of them working together if they can replicate what they did at Seville, Villa will be in the mixer.
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That is 7 teams battling for those 4 spots and if you take into consideration that two of them most likely are assured of a spot City & Pool, that means 5 teams will battle for 2 spots. As you said it will be a savage battle. For me the outcome is determined bt how good will each team play against the stronger ones like BHA, Spuds and any surprise newcomers, plus win the games that we are expected to win and 6 points from them, then perhaps we will secure top 4.
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However, we will have a field day if Arteta falls into his bad habits again, not rotating and exhausting his players, flawed in game management and subs. If that happens I hope that KSE will finally after 4+ years will see the light.
Apparently Steve Round gave his notice in with the reason being “I can’t handle working under that useless cunt for another minute”.
Who’d have thought!
Good luck to ESR in the U21’s!
A year ago, I’d have been aghast at the idea of ESR’s sale. Now it’s a question of how much his performances in the Euros have raised his value. Over 2yrs left on his contract too. If the talk about Balogun working from £50m is to believed, who can argue that one of the hottest players in the wining squad isn’t worth £60m at least? At least, if Edu is on his game it should be the starting point.
How many u21 duds have we seen being sold for big dough on the back of a single tournament (*cough, Sanogo)? While ESR already has a body of work going back 3 seasons now.
Some nerd at L’equipe is doing his ’10 to watch’ from the Euros and ESR must be on it.
That Tets-Round leaving interview in full.
SR – Kin ell Mik. After all I did for you, how could you stab me in the back? (ripping his P45 into a hundred pieces and scattering them over Tets’s thunderbird coiff)
MA – Steve. I told you repeatedly how I wanted those cones laying out but you fockin undermined me by leaving them misaligned by a few millimetres. You know how perfection is important to me.
SR – Perfection! Per-fucking-fection! You kept Xhaka at the club and signed Willian!
Per Mertesacker raises his head from under the table – Don’t bring me into this Steve.
MA – And Steve, it hardly matters now, but the writing was on the wall when I saw you on All or Nothing making a wanker gesture behind my back when I was telling the lads about the onfield benefits we could reap from hand rubbing. And luckily those Amazon cunts weren’t around when you stuck, ‘Glory Glory Man United’ on the JVC Ghetto Blaster when I specifically told you I wanted YNWA.
SR – I’ve worked at some giants of English football. Storied clubs with a much higher standing than this shambles. Derby! Middlesbrough! Everton! I’ll survive… I’ve already had offers from Pulis, Dyche, Mick McCarthy and Craig Levein to do their cones and sit silently on the bench while a game goes to fuck.
MA Est-ce que tu parles francais?
SR – Eh?
MA – C’est dommage parce que j’aurais besoin d’un assistant au Parc de Princes en quelques semaines.
SR – Mik you’re nothing but a piss poor polyglot and a sycophant… Just out of interest, who got my job? Vieira? Cazorla? Steve Bastarding McClaren?
MA – No, Josh agreed with me on a radical new approach. He’s here now.
Tets opens the door. SR looks across at eye-level but there’s no one there. The next thing he knows, there’s this massive brown labrador emerging from around the table with it’s ‘lipstick’ out starting to hump Round’s leg.
MA – This is your successor Steve. A break from tradition but a real upgrade we think. Adidas are making him a bespoke tracksuit to cover his constantly aroused genitals and like you, he’ll wear a nappy to counter his leg-cocking incontinence.
SR – Ah fuck Mik, he’s jizzed on my tracksuit bottoms and laid a cable on your Everton rug.
MA – Here Steve, use Pedro from le Grove’s cv to wipe it up.
I should have called it something… The importance of getting a win at AFC.
Aitcho
Personally I think selling ESR would be a mistake. There was so much obfuscation last year about his injuries and why he wasn’t selected at various points, it’s impossible to know what really happened. He’s a talented player, Arsenal through and through from what I can see, a European champion and a goal scorer. I’d give him more time and use him much more.
Only at Arsenal would a piss take bringing up the idea of Steve McClaren give people sleepless nights.
Hi Marc
You’ve probably seen this but just (or should I shay jushsst) in case…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90&pp=ygUac3RldmUgbWNsYXJlbiBkdXRjaCBhY2NlbnQ%3D
McLaren had been in Holland for days only but thought his best chance of making himself clear to Dutch viewers (in English of course) would be if he put on a terrible accent. 🇳🇱 Total clown. He sounds like that over permissive Dutch policeman from the fast show.
A very pleasing afternoon of cricket. And some of what that kerb-crawling bastard David Pleat might have called poetic justice against those cheating, kangaroo shagging bastards! Phew.
there’s been a few rumours swirling about our starting 11 and base formation next season…I was under the impression that we would be deploying our usual 4-3-3, or should I say 4-1-2-3, with a deeper-lying pivot…as such I felt it would be Ramsdale, a backline of Timber/ White, Saliba, Gabs and Zinchenko, Rice as the DM, Ode and Havertz in midfield, with Marts, Jesus and Saka up top…now this could be the case, but if Timber usurps White we just might see plenty more of the whole Zinchenko tucked inside gig on both sides of the pitch, thereby enabling Rice to play in a more advanced position…as such, our typical deeper-lying pivot would once again become a dual pivot scenario, but this time with our backers taking the lead roles in those regards…it’s an interesting concept, which could add some much-needed directness to our attack, but it will likewise leave us open to the counter in wider spaces, should we continue to be “loose” in possession:
“the Gunners made more errors leading to shots than any other team in the Premier League last season – and more than twice as many as the other three teams in the top four. They were a little loose in possession, a little open on the transition” (Sky Sports)
now it appears as if both Timber and Zinchenko possess the requisite passing skills to perform admirably in this capacity, but surely not as well as an in-form Partey…I get it though as Rice doesn’t have the passing nous to sit in the middle of the pitch and disperse the ball at a world-class level
I’ve even heard a couple “insiders” suggest that Rice could actually be deployed on the left side of the midfield, which seems an odd choice, except if the plan is to have Havertz wide right and Ode placed squarely in the middle…this would put our best passer dead center, while adding some more size and protection in wider spaces to help compensate for our new “tighter” formational approach…not sure I’m sold on this plan, albeit the possibility of Havertz and Saka teaming up against opposing defences does seem rather intriguing…I guess only time will tell
Hi Vieira
The club has now assembled so much exhorbitant ‘talent’ that formations really ought not matter. Our first XI should be nailed on to beat any team except manure, city and Liverpool (home AND away) without needing complex tactical tweaks. The ingenuity need only come to the fore against top, top opposition or when we fall a goal behind and a revised approach might be needed (not one of Tets’s strengths) .
I’m not a betting man, but it will be interesting to see where bookmakers and pundits see us finishing this year. My regained interest is a sign, perhaps, that I think we’re slowly getting back to the top table that we last sat at in the mid 2000s. That’s the expectation anyway.
KP-I want to agree with your assessment, but we’ve seen teams rife with talent not make the grade when the tactics didn’t align with the personnel on the pitch…just think about when Wenger would shoehorn Ramsey or Ozil out wide or when managers like Jose, Conte or Sarri would try to force ill-suited squads to play their preferred formations
that said,, I do concur with the notion that we should have enough talent to manhandle the lesser lights, regardless of the formation, but as we witnessed last year MA was outmanaged far too often in the business end of the season, against several basement dwellers no less, so too much nonsensical tinkering could prove fatal
tbh the only reason I have come to terms with the monies spent on Rice, instead of Caicedo, is that I envisioned him as a dominant figure in the middle the park, which would in turn would allow us to commit more players in and around the box…more often than not we were badly outnumbered in the final third last term, which allowed teams to constantly double-team both Marts and Saka
this wide-side defensive shift by opposing defences was what enabled Xhaka to be left unmarked on a fairly regular basis, so I was assuming the Havertz get was MA’s attempt to run it back with someone who might have far more goalscoring potential in the 8 hole…unfortunately Havertz hasn’t been that clinical since arriving in the PL, which is likely why some had hoped that MA would have targeted someone who was exceedingly more proficient in the final third
ultimately all I hope is that whatever formational course we choose it allows us to redress our biggest shortcomings, like our lack of directness, midtable finishing and vulnerablities on the counter, so that we can become the kind of team who, like City, dictates the tempo and style of play against all comers…that certainly doesn’t mean you should win each and every time you step in the pitch, but it does means that it’s going to take something special from the opposition to take a point, let alone all 3…Cheers
TRVL
One additional factor for me that makes the signing of Rica palatable is his on the pitch leadership. Sometimes it is a matter of expressions other times it is oozing confidence and steady the team when things are going south and I believe that Rice has those qualities.
Killroy-agreed…I would have mentioned it but I was solely talking about the tactical side of the equation…he surely makes far more sense as a leader than anyone we’ve had since MA’s arrival…Cheers
The concern is Arteta with more toys to play with will try and over complicate things (something Pep has done on occasions) even more.