On this Sunday afternoon, every team will play their 38th game, the last one of this season 2023-24. Premier League never disappoints you, who will be crowned the champion is not decided, yet! There’s not much to play for the other teams however.
Relegation battle : We already know the three teams that would be relegated. Luton, Burnley and a piss poor Sheffield United are going down.
Europe qualifiers : Newcastle and Man United are hoping Chelsea loses it’s last game and that they can win (while the other one should also lose) to secure a place in Europa League. Aston Villa have already qualified to Champions League football next season, so a 5th position Tottenham can’t do much about it.
Title challenge : This is the most important bit. Man City and Arsenal have two points difference, and there are 4 conditions that can happen.
- City loses, Arsenal Wins – We run away with the title. For this to happen, David Moyes needs to do us a favor, while we need to get pass the Dyche’s football.
- City draws, Arsenal wins – We win again since we have a better goal difference to City (60 to 61).
- City wins – irrespective of what happens with any other teams, if City wins, Pep will have another trophy to show in his cabinet.
- Arsenal draw / loss – If we draw against Everton or in worst case lose, City will be crowned Champions irrespective of their result against Moyes.
If you ask me personally, I would love the second scenario, a nerve breaking one where we beat the best team on the planet on goal difference of just ONE, on the final day of the league. That would be a WOW! moment. It’s not happening though, don’t keep your hopes high.
The best part of all of this is, that we are in contention for the title. The worst of it all, we depend on West Ham to beat City for us, and it’s not happening. Not on the final day, not when City needs a win to secure 4th title in a row, not at Etihad. There’s a very slim chance the west London club do us a favor, since Spurs and Son went on full Spursy mode against Pep. A very slim that one, but it won’t let me not be all excited for the game.
I was full ballistic in December when we dropped a lot of points. I was mad when we let Emery school us when we needed a win. The lads couldn’t sustain the pressure, nor the manager towards the end of the last season, but we have improved in that area. We have hold the fort since our Dubai’s training, and we have been giving some sleepless nights to Pep.
Lets not underestimate our achievements. Klopp fought against Pep for 8 seasons and only won one of those titles. He was second with 97 points in one of them. He had the best front 3 in last decade, Salah , Mane and Firmino and along with the best defender in VVD, he still couldn’t win more than once. Arteta has a lot to do before he matches Klopp. He is learning, and we are improving. I hated the pace at which we did, and I still do, but now since that bad phase has gone, I am very optimistic about the club in coming days.
Doesn’t mean I am not critical how we are letting go of Reuell Walters for free. A 19- year old Right Back, who made the Arsenal bench numerous times but couldn’t make it should still cost a couple million dollars in the market. Arthur Okonkwo is also leaving as a free agent, he should have costed more than a couple of millions. Aaron Ramsdale have been dropping hints of his transfers, and in his latest Instagram post, we saw a farewell message to him. The rumours points out a 15m fees to Newcastle. Now, how in the hell do you sell a player who was starting every game last season, and who is not playing not because his form dipped but because Mikel prefers David Raya over him, for only 15 million to a club that has all the money in the world. It’s not like we are selling him to Crystal Palace or Bournemouth.
Elneny and Cedric are leaving at the end of this season. I’m okay with that, they had their time here, and it’s over now.
In other news, Arne Slot will be the new Liverpool manager after Klopp. He is currently managing Feyenoord and is considered a top manager. We have seen what happens to those ‘top managers’ in the premier league – Ten Haag, Ralph Ragnik, Ange – and I will not have kept my hopes high if I was a Liverpool supporter. Plus, they will go through a rebuild now. Man United is in shambles, Chelsea are shit, Spurs will remain Spurs for the foreseeable future, and it’s going to be another City v Arsenal.
Right, that’s all for today. If you have a lucky charm in your house, hold on to it for 90 dear god minutes tomorrow, and pray West Ham sees Milwall in City. We also would have to win against Everton for sure. Lets close the season on a banger, irrespective of what happens.
See you tomorrow.
Norg-time and time again this tactical savant has found a way to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear with a limited budget and even less fanfare…so whether it was a 3-4-3 or my other preferred 4-1-4-1 formation, I think this Geppetto of a man would turn this little 7 phase puppet show into a real world-class contender in no time…I do agree that it would take a lot of convincing to pry him away; not because of the Atalanta supporters, but due to his hesitiation to manage outside the Serie A…the difference here is that we might be the only “big” club in Europe who could offer him both carte blanche, due to our absentee landlord approach, and an unprecedented level of backing, which has sadly placed a cap on his European potential…that said, I fully realize that the chances of him coming here are slim to none
I cant reiterate enough how ridiculous it would be if we brought in Solanke for 65+M…if that were the case, it would mean that MA had spent 200M, not including wages, on 3 second choice Strikers, none of whom have the capacity to take us forward…that’s why I would always prefer that we spent 120M on a proven commodity than 200+M on 3 coin toss propositions…Jesus can’t hit the broad side of a barn, Havertz had one clinical finish the whole of last season and Solanke, who’s 26 going on 27, has had one season of consequence in the PL, when he was the clear target man, which he won’t be in MA’s Striker-stunted system, and no one else on that Bouremouth squad hit double digits across all competitions…this is why I’m always harping on the long-term ramifications of short-sighted decisions…maybe MA has the same “diva” fears as his former boss here, so he leans towards reclamation projects and those who will gladly kiss the ring
Seems we’ve been made chumps of by Sesko’s agent, as he staying at RBL with an improved deal: shocker.
Tony
He didnt want to play second fiddle to Havertz.
Looking around the Arsenal landscape there’s a couple points of interest in today’s news:
(1) Obi-Martin looks to be considering a move to Munich after potting 43 goals in 42 outings this season…WTF are we doing here??? maybe MA should learn how to properly incorporate the odd academy piece, so that our blue chippers don’t walk away before they ever get a chance to perform on a PL pitch
(2) MA’s short-sighted “bestie” nonsense looks to have cost us any chance in bringing in Sesko…who in their right mind would want to come here just to find themselves sitting behind the uninspiring and clinically-challenged Havertz…this will undoubtedly lead to another underwhelming hire up top or, even worse, MA running it back with the same lame trio from last season
(3) Douglas Luiz’s camp appears to be in deep discussions with Juve, as they have a few midfielders of interest to Villa, which could lead to a swap deal of sorts…I can see why Villa might rather make a deal with someone outside the PL, but it will be interesting to see how the player himself reacts if Arsenal throw their hat in the ring…still not convinced we’re seen as an attractive landing spot by most, even though every Artetite under the sun would strongly suggest otherwise…all one has to do is look at the undeserved wages and assurances being offered to some of our new recruits, as that tells you everything you need to know
Do we actually have a scouting department and how much does it cost the club because I can’t remember the last signing that doesn’t come across as “saw his highlights on youtube / MOTD”.
As was expected, finding a Striker who actually wants to come here and play under Arteta is becoming a bit of a task…it appears as if Osimhen, Sesko, Isak, Toney and Gyokeres are no-goes, plus I doubt we’re going to get into a bidding war for Zrikzee, so now we’re starting to look at those who didn’t even make our original list of candidates, like Santiago Gimenez, from Feyenoord, and the aforementioned Solanke…hardly inspiring stuff for a team that continues to tell anyone who will listen that we’re the best project out there…I’ll tell you this, there’s no way those first Strikers mentioned aren’t having their respective heads turned if the manager in charge was considered to be a top shelf boss of a club on the precipice…this has all the feels of the good old days when Wenger used to pretend to care about recruiting top players, only for us to exit the window with a couple of half-measure additions…maybe Timber will play up top, after all he’ll be like a new signing
If I had to hazard a guess, I would suggest that all of this Striker talk is simply a not so clever ruse, one that MA learned under the tutelage of our former longtime boss…by feigning interest he appears to be doing his due diligence, while in reality he never had any intention of pursuing a world-class Striker…just look at the facts, there hasn’t been any real chatter about Jesus beng on his way out and Havertz, who was functionally a mute was the entirety of the season, can’t stop making his public case for him being given the starting nod for the foreseeable future…not to mention, there’s no guarantees that the overpaid Eddie will be sold off, especially with the supposed asking price…as such, there’s no way I can envision MA, who holds a peculiar disdain for the traditional Striker, shelling out a boatload of coin for a 3rd or 4th Striker…this is just some amateur hour shell game nonsense
There’s a new candidate entering the fray,, Albert Gudmundsson, a 26 year old Icelandic Striker, who potted 14 in 35 appearances for Genoa last season…of course his cheap price tag of 30M and the fact that he fits the positionally versatile narrative that MA’s always spewing will undoubtedly be lapped up by all the usual suspects, but in the real world he’s an undersized forward who, minus last year, hasn’t potted more than 10 goals in a top division since 2016-17, during his 2nd campaign in the Jupiter League…hardly the kind of player who’s taking us somewhere we haven’t already been…Next!
btw I didn’t include Evan Ferguson in any of my lists because I just can’t imagine anyone, at least not at this juncture, ponying up 100M for someone who’s scored only 12 times in 46 PL appearances and has missed 130 days due to ankle and knee injuries
If we’re going to take a more shot in the dark approach when it comes to our Striker hunt, why is no one talking about Girona’s somehwat late bloomer, Artem Dovbyk…btw at the time of the below article he had only potted 14 of his eventual 24 goals, which means he scored 10 more times in his remaining 17 matches to help secure Girona their first ever CL invite…according to transfermarkt his present MV is 35M, which makes him a bang for your buck wet dream
“Delving into the statistics, Dovbyk’s expected goals (xG) of 10.9 and non-penalty xG (npxG) of 8.5 highlight his efficiency in converting scoring opportunities. These numbers underscore his ability to outperform the expected metrics consistently. Dovbyk’s influence is not limited to the attacking third; he actively contributes defensively as well. With an expected assists (xAG) statistic of 3.4, he plays a role in creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates, showcasing a well-rounded approach to the game.
In terms of overall involvement, Dovbyk participated in 28 shot-creating actions (SCA) and contributed to seven goal-creating actions (GCA). These numbers emphasize his active role in both the build-up and execution of offensive plays. Artem Dovbyk’s performance in La Liga for the 2023-2024 season positions him as a dynamic and impactful player. His ability to score, create opportunities, and contribute defensively makes him a well-rounded asset for his team”
maybe all the rumours surrounding his far less impressive teammate and fellow Ukranian, Viktor Tsyhankov, was just a smokescreen
were just
TRVL
Interestingly the academy players that AFC want to keep all seem to be keen to follow others through the exit door. They will have talked to players from other teams and then realise they need to make a move to obtain first team playing time.
New post!