Emery brings in 5 man entourage, here’s why that’s a very odd move (long read)

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Let’s crack into a delicious portion of hot off the press Gooner news.

Bernd Leno: What does it mean?

Arsenal were rumoured to have a £50m budget this summer. We just dropped £25m on a keeper. Petr Cech might take the #1 jersey, but it’s hard to see past Leno starting. Cech’s form has been shoddy, he can’t play with the ball at his feet and at 36, it’s clear his reactions aren’t what they used to be.

I think the legendary Czech will stay on for his experience and winnertivity. Leno didn’t move at 26 to be an understudy. I would certainly expect David Ospina to be moved on. He’s never been good enough, he showed how poor he is with a miserable World Cup opener against Japan. It gave me heart to watch Chezzer also gaff hard against Senegal. He’s another keeper who was massively overrated by our fans.

What I love about Leno; outside his ability to make the unexpected saves Arsenal fans have been starved of, is the new layer of options he brings to us defensively. Hoof won’t be the only option, allowing us to transition the ball up the pitch from the back, we’ll also have a keeper who can break the lines with smart passing, as well as a sweeper option if we need it. He’s going to be very useful if he can regain the form that had everyone fluttering eyelashes at him 2 seasons ago.

Also worth noting that form and scouting for keepers is super fucking hard. Confidence and system plays such a massive role in performance. Look at Richard Wright and Jordan Pickford. Both looked exceptional for shite sides, then couldn’t cut it when they made the move up. Ter Stegen, on the other hand, went from relative unknown to winning a lot of big trophies at Barca.

I remember reading Dave Seaman talk about the difference between big and small clubs. He basically said when you play at a big club, it’ll be freezing, you’ll have seen none of the ball all night, then BANG, there’s a 90th minute top corner strike you need to deal with.

His bad season at Leverkusen isn’t the issue, it’s whether he has the focus to make it at an elite side (if all goes well this season and we become elite). Is he Oblak or Karius? Let’s pray this expensive gamble is a lucky one.

Jack Wilshere: how do we feel?

We all feel sad. Jack was the kid that curled home that beauty against West Ham for the kids. The real deal. He was the pugnacious tough guy who took it to Barca. He was our Gazza. Sadly, Wenger blew his body by overplaying him, then the injuries set in and he never recovered.

I can see the difficulties for Jack. Growing up in the spotlight of the English press must have been a nightmare. As with all our Project British players, Wenger never really settled on a position for Jack. The player wanted to play at the base of our midfield like he did for England, Wenger thought he was a #10 or a right midfielder. If you can’t own a position, it’s very hard to develop. I also heard the player wasn’t exactly a fan of Wenger’s ways, which can’t have helped.

It’s difficult to see Jack Wilshere go when we’re offering players like Xhaka new deals. Outside fitness, I can’t see anything the Swiss does better. But it is what it is. We can’t keep waiting on potential, and when money is tight, you have to make important decisions and the club has made their choice.

Question is, who replaces him? Kike Marin has us in for Banega, which feels like a very solid stop gap replacement. However, the Spanish journo also comments that the Argentine is seen as a cheaper option to Torreira, which would be really disappointing. I mean, firstly, Banega is a centre mid, not a defensive mid. Secondly, I’d much rather be investing £20m more in a 22-year-old, than a 29-year-old. Also, Banega broke his leg getting run over by his own car. That’s Gabriel levels of dimness.

Are we really doing this?

Emery: Bringing the band back together

Arsenal confirmed to the press that Jens was off, along with Boro, Peyton, and Banfield. To replace them, the club has basically let Emery bring his entourage with him from PSG.

‘Emery worked alongside Carcedo, Villanueva, strength and conditioning coach Julen Masach, goalkeeping coach Javi Garcia and video analyst Victor Manas at his previous clubs and all of them have made the move over to London Colney.’

This move is really interesting. In the blur of excitement around how well Ivan and his new team are doing, the fact that our CEO let the head coach bring in 5 of his mates without question is amazing. The club is going back on its plan to control the backroom infrastructure, instead, opting to give the new manager a huge amount of power with these hires. Really, when they didn’t need to. Arsenal had all the leverage with the Emery hire. He needed us more than we needed him.

The oddest move has to be in the performance department. I wrote last summer that the hiring of Darren Burgess was really weird as we already had Shad Fosysthe. One is listed at the Head of Performance on the website, the other the Director of High Performance. That’s a cluster fuck right there. Now we have a strength and conditioning coach coming in who is the manager’s confidant.

HOW DOES THAT WORK?

The Director of High Performance will have the report into the manager’s mate by the looks of things. Imagine flying halfway around the world to make an impact in your new job, only to find out you’ll be reporting into somebody who sneaked in the back door because he had mates in high places. It’s the fitness equivalent of Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans sharing duties back in the day.

Broader question here, did the club interview all of the new appointees? Or is it just a wink and nod from Emery that has them in new jobs? More importantly, do any of them speak English? This extract comes from an interview with Emery.

‘Luckily, the French I learned when I was younger helped me out a bit! Of course, I don’t fully master it. One day, I heard Rafael Benitez say that he wasn’t able to transmit everything he wanted to say in English, and that surprised me because he was fluent in English and that he had been living there for 15 years. But he was missing that small percentage which would have allowed him to connect perfectly with his players.

My language proficiency in French was enough to explain myself and to be understood. Of course, one of the most important elements for a coach to succeed lies in his ability to communication and connect with this players. On an emotional level. Furthermore, I tend to talk a lot in the dressing room, even if I brought down the intensity of talks to 60%. But I was able to say what I wanted to in French thanks to the two years of French I had studied in Hondarribia when I was young. My talks with the team were done in entirely in French, and I think that we understood each other and that the language wasn’t a barrier for us.’

How do the club manage the language barriers? Does Emery do what Pep G did, and hire in a Premier League player who can speak Spanish and think at the right level? A Santi like object would have been perfect, but maybe someone like Cesc Fabregas who could end up leaving Chelsea this summer, and has gone on the record to say he’d love to return to Arsenal as a coach, could return in some capacity?

Alternatively, Emery could keep it simple and go with the team he’s kept with him throughout his career. If he chooses that path, that’ll mean the Spanish speaking players will be elevated to leadership like positions. Nacho Monreal, who I think is an exceptional player and human might relish that role. Hector Bellerin might enjoy that as well. The revenge of Lucas Perez could see him return and wreak havoc on the club that dismissed his talents.

I keep talking about the language challenge because the first three months of the job are so important. This paragraph helps give context to what I’m getting at.

One day, Jorge Valdano said, “At Barcelona, the leader is Messi. At Real Madrid, it’s Florentino Perez. At Atletico, it’s Diego Simeone.” A player, a coach and a president. A different kind of leader every time. I know when I’m the main person responsible, and when I’m not. It’s a process that a coach has to live with and internalise, and that he assimilates with time and experience. In every club, you have to know what your role is and what role you have vis-a-vis the rest of the group.

I am of the opinion that PSG’s leader is Neymar. Or that he is currently becoming it. Neymar came to PSG to be the leader, to go through this process to someday become the best in the world. It’s a process that will require a bit more time in order to consolidate this position. At Manchester City, Pep is in charge. At PSG, Neymar has to be.

I think that I managed the dressing room quite well. My greatest satisfaction was that the team didn’t sink, after losing against Barcelona or Real Madrid. A few weeks ago for example, we had a horrible first half against Saint-Étienne, but after the break, with one player sent off, we reacted well and managed to equalise. One of my staff members told me, “Unai, today the players showed that they are with you. If that weren’t the case, we would have lost.”

The notion that players can end you is something new to Arsenal fans. This is something Emery is going to be acutely aware of when he comes to Arsenal. The players at our place couldn’t end Arsene, he was an immovable object. The last two seasons, they pretty much-downed tools, yet the manager was given full backing by the board.

Emery won’t have that luxury. He has a two-year deal, with Arsenal retaining the option to keep him on with a 3rd year if he smashes it. If the players don’t like what they see, or they don’t react well to the violent shock to the system that’s coming, the new man could be in trouble, very quickly.

That’s why he has such a tough job on his hands. Sure, there’s a lot of low hanging fruit to be had, but only a fool would try and harvest it all in one go. If you’ve been in any sort of transformational role at a company, where you’ve taken over a bad team (or watched a bad team taken over), you’ll know that the secret is to work with the people you have and slowly implement your ideas and changes. The dick swingers who wade into big organisations and try to enact an overhaul in weeks, usually come out with egg on their face. They alienate the people working for them, and often those watching in. They miss the good bits and end up making swift exits with their tails between their legs.

Emery is going to have to play a masterful game. He needs to show the board he’s making progress, at the same time, he needs to show the players and backroom peeps he’s a team player. That’s why it’s so interesting the club let him bring in a large backroom team of his mates, versus giving him a team they owned to work with him (the modern structure Ivan promised). If you let him bring in two people, he’s forced to work in a system, if you give him 5 people, that’s a fully formed unit everyone has to abide by straight away.

That’s great if these new guys are easy to work with, troubling if not. As I said the other day, Arsenal are closer to PSG than they are to Sevilla. This excerpt kind of talks through the basic differences.

As a coach, I had the habit of showing players what steps to follow, similar to controlling someone with a joystick. Except that when you come to PSG, you realise that the players are the ones who make the most effective decisions. One day, I told Neymar that, “There are match situations we have worked before the game, but in your case, you imagine those situations by yourself.”

Let’s start from this very basic principle: coaching is very, very, very difficult. From there, coaching excellent players is even more difficult. Why? Because being convincing is the most fundamental thing to coaching: the players have to believe in you. Whether they believe in you because you have won many trophies, because you are a great coach, because you are imposing, because everything you say ends up happening… Whatever the reason may be. But they have to believe in you. And in big teams, the players expect exactly that – for the coach to not to mess up.

That’s also what they expect in a more modest club, but they are also aware of the larger margin of error and that bad results can happen more often. That is not the case with a big team. You have to be right even on the finest of details: your work, your preparation, your principles, your way of speaking, when you decide to speak. Everything is a bit more difficult. Maybe from an external perspective, you may think that you can work less, but it’s the opposite. You have to speak up at the right time, which can help your team win. In a team like PSG, where winning is expected, that is what gives meaning to your actions and what you say. In smaller teams, the results can vary. Here, it’s not the case. You almost always win, and that’s what forces you to hit your target at the right moment. Every time.

Arsenal isn’t PSG, but we still have exceptional players with big egos. Ozil won the World Cup. Aubameyang is one of the best hitmen in Europe. Lacazette is the top scorer in the Europa League. Ramsey thinks he’s Roy of the Rovers. How will Emery deal with a less talented version of PSG, with the same types of egos?

It’s going to be fascinating. I’m too wrapped up in the excitement to worry too much about the politics of the Arsenal training ground, but you have to pay attention to the amount of change going on, how it’s being implemented, who it’s being implemented to, and the role communication is going to play in making those first three months work.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that. Have a great day!

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Bankz

Bankz is here for the Tr4phy again

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2

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Tr4phy

Bankz

Tr4phy

Boomslang

Trofee

DM

🙂

Bankz

DM you rat.
I’m tired of you devising ways of beating me to this

Thanos

Lol

grooveydaddy

Way too slow today…

Bankz

Pedro have you finally agreeed Emery was and is a better choice than you self acclaimed messiah, Arteta?

Guns of Hackney

Bankz

At no point has Peter said that…and for the record, Arteta would have been a very exciting appointment.

But, Emery is here and he’ll have to deliver. He won’t have long.

Ishola70

“It gave me heart to watch Chezzer also gaff hard against Senegal. He’s another keeper who was massively overrated by our fans.”

Correct. Yes he was.

“Let’s pray this expensive gamble is a lucky one”

The fee for Leno is not an expensive one in today’s market. This signing is a let’s wait and see purchase and I think you have confirmed that with your comments about him today.

“I mean, firstly, Banega is a centre mid, not a defensive mid”

Yes he is shit defensively.

TitsMcGee

Not really worried about the backroom staff. If the manager fails they’ll be gone too.

qna

Kike Marin says we are in for Ever Banega. That would be astoundingly stupid if we did that. Unfortunately Marin has been pretty decent overall with his claims. I just dont get the direction the club is going. If they bring in Sokratis, Lichtsteiner and Banega and don’t even qualify for the UCL next season, then what? Is that acceptable to anyone? What if they don’t qualify the season after that either. They are selling us down the creek. It’s quite obvious to me that we won’t qualify for the champions league next season and unlikely the following season either… Read more »

Ishola70

Arsenal are interested in Banega because he is yet another player who has a release clause in the 20 odd million region.

Leftsidesanch

Didn’t the Sampdoria pretty much confirm that Torreira was done (he didn’t reveal which club obviously) but apparently even the players father revealed he was destined for AFC?

Black Hei

“Unfortunately Marin has been pretty decent overall with his claims.”

Cough.

Didn’t he say Benzema to Arnseal

Steveyg87

“I would certainly expect David Ospina to be moved on. He’s never been good enough, he showed how poor he is with a miserable World Cup opener against Japan.”

R’uth

Thoughts?

Steveyg87

Ramsey hasnt signed da ting yet..

If he pisses off then we should be all over Rabiot

What a f**king summer this could be

Emiratesstroller

At the end of last season I made the case that Arsenal was: A] In need of management and staffing restructure. I highlighted also that the club’s staffing was in my view over bloated with one staff member for every player in first team squad. B] That our defence including goalkeeper needed a major overhaul and tactical change. I made also the point that it was not necessary to bring in overpriced mega stars, highlighting that apart from Adams the best defence we had with Dixon, Bould/Keown and Winterburn were acquired from lower division or unfashionable clubs. C] There needed… Read more »

Black Hei

Peds should just get Stroller to do the blog post on his off day.

Just add up all his posts for 1 day and you get a blog post.

McBright is Wright

Great read Pedro!
Jack is gone, so has Gibbs and co. the real issue is who is coming in from the academy next? Adelaide, Zalalem, Amaechi, wilcock and Nwakali especially, should be giving a look-in.
As for the backroom staff, thats the coaches palava. If the lava blows burst, then, they go with the blast.
Lenovo is not a bad phone…sorry, keeper. I hope he is not as slippery as my lenovo that keeps failing off me, and not yet broken!
UNai will do just fine with our UN assembled team

alexanderhenry

Pedro

‘It’s difficult to see Jack Wilshere go when we’re offering players like Xhaka new deals. ‘

That’s actually an excellent point and one that has changed my mind.

Selling Wilshire in that context now looks foolish.
I still think played in the right way he could have figured for Arsenal- and England for that matter.

Graham62

ES

No disrespect sir, but some of your posts, although valid, are just a wee bit too long.

Can’t you bulletin point to avoid over elaboration?

Emiratesstroller

Arsenal do have quite a lot of talent coming through U23 and U18 squads e.g. Nkatieh, Nelson and Smith Rowe. However, rather like everything else under Wenger’s watch there has been too much duplication and emphasis on utility rather than specialist players. Bird who writes about our youth programmes has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of our youth programme We lost FA Youth Cup by being bullied and outplayed by physically more mature Chelsea Team. Too much emphasis on attacking players and not enough attention on developing good defenders. Duplication particularly when it came to goalkeepers!! The club has now… Read more »

Ishola70

alexanderhenry “That’s actually an excellent point and one that has changed my mind.Selling Wilshire in that context now looks foolish” They play different positions. Wilshere has been let go because he was at the end of a contract and Arsenal have other options for CM. And there seems to be players in the market that are attainable for this position as well as we see with the Banega links. If there was a player of a certain age and experience and quality that plays DM that plies his trade in one of the better european leagues and has a release… Read more »

Receding Hairline

Wilshere was not sold, he was offered a new deal in line with his inputs over the past two seasons and turned it down.

Why is this being ignored and how has this somehow comeback to Xhaka??

Ishola70

You better ask Pedro that Mr Hairline.

Alexander quoted Pedro saying it’s difficult to see Wilshere go when players like Xhaka get contract extensions.

Take it up with Pedro.

Good man.

Receding Hairline

“Selling Wilshire in that context now looks foolish.”

@ Ishola

The quote above was from aleaxanderhenry not Pedro. I just thought it wise to point out to him that Wilshere was not sold and was in fact offered a new contract.

U seem to get an erection anytime someone criticizes Xhaka so i will let u take care of that

raptora

WE,
I like a lot both Can and Matuidi. Would add to that bunch Vidal.
3 players that have Arsenal written all over them. You might say they are all-rounders but it doesn’t mean they are average at everything. All 3 are top notch. Sadly, only Can is at a good age.

Ishola70

No Mr Hairline

You are confused again.

Alexander quoted Pedro and agreed with him.

As I said take it up with those two.

In fact your defending Xjaka mission will see you having to take arms up against plenty on here.

Carry on.

gambon

Im no Xhaka fan, in fact I would sell him, but he’s better than Wilshere.

For a few years our midfield has not been even close to what a top 4 team would expect, Wilshere is a part of that.

I have said many times, we dont need a midfielder, we need a new midfield pairing.

Lets not forget Wilshere went to Bournemouth and struggled significantly.

Xhaka, bad as he is, would be Bournemouths best player by a distance.

Ishola70

At least you are consistent in your views Mr Hairline I will give you that.

The real scoundrels are those that said a few months ago that they don’t personally rate the player but now they see the club give out a new contract extension they change their tune. They know how they are.

Guns of Hackney

I’m hoping that the sacking of Wilshere is a wake up call for some of our other malcontents. If golden boy jack, who “bleeds arsenal” can get the boot, so can they.

I’d still love to see Mustafi, Iwobi and Elneny replaced though. Total losers.

Happy for Cech to go. Ospina is dirge. Let’s promote a youth player and have at it.

Give bellerin one more season and if he doesn’t sort it, sell him to anyone. Same applies to chambers and holding.

Don’t renew Kos’ contract. Waste.

Let Ozil leave for free and write it off.

Ishola70

Gambon

“Xhaka, bad as he is, would be Bournemouths best player by a distance.”

He would still be doing silly things in front of the defence and having brain lapses.

In fact some of these lesser clubs are less forgiving to players that are a defensive liability. They just can’t afford to have players that are weak links defensively because they don’t have the offensive power to offset it.

Carts

Ayy, Pedro. Commend your efforts. Wasn’t feeling that post too tough. Bit wordy and convoluted, but I get the message. I’m not sure I’m on side with the whole *Xhaka staying and Wilshere leaving*. I’m not a Xhaka fan by any stretch, but what you’ve done is attempt to conflate two separate issues. Wilshere has been with us since dinosaurs roamed. And he has shown not one iota of development. Xhaka has been with us for 2 seasons already and he’s been performing way below expectation. But I mean, let’s not forget that Wenger thought Xhaka was a B2B. That’s… Read more »

gambon

But at a Bournemouth like team Xhaka would be protected by good DM/DMs alongside him.

However at the top level you cant afford shit like that. Players need to have few flaws.

All sports at the top level are about exploitability, from card games to chess to tennis to football.

Receding Hairline

@ Ishola Seems u need to read today’s post over again as you seem to have just read the Xhaka part and run with it to the bathroom while grabbing your Kleenex. Pedro never said Wilshere was sold, he said he was let go. Alexanderhenry was the only one who put the words Wilshere and Sell in the same sentence which was not the case. Dive Liverpool sell Can, no they did not, they offered him a new deal and he felt he could get a better deal elsewhere and left. Wilshere was offered a deal, and i stress again… Read more »

Receding Hairline

@ Ishola Seems u need to read today’s post over again as you seem to have just read the Xhaka part and run with it to the bathroom while grabbing your Kleenex. Pedro never said Wilshere was sold, he said he was let go. Alexanderhenry was the only one who put the words Wilshere and Sell in the same sentence which was not the case. Did Liverpool sell Can, no they did not, they offered him a new deal and he felt he could get a better deal elsewhere and left. Wilshere was offered a deal, and i stress again… Read more »

Ishola70

gambon “But at a Bournemouth like team Xhaka would be protected by good DM/DMs alongside him.” The problem with that notion is Xjaka can only play one position without being a headache for the team and that is deep as the last midfielder in front of the defence. The higher up the pitch he goes the bigger liability he becomes for the team. So these DMs would be protecting him with Xjaka behind them? All seems daft to me. In fact the idea of a player that plays deep mid needing protection at all seems daft to me. I wish… Read more »

Guns of Hackney

Xhaka and Wilshere are both shit. Let’s not revise anything here.

Let’s hope Xhaka sorts his life out quick time.

Ishola70

Mr Hairline

You need to take your angst to Pedro and Alexander Henry. They originally spoke about Xjaka not me on this most recent blog post.

These will be new foes for you to battle in your quest to save the world from Xjaka criticism.

gambon

“These will be new foes for you to battle in your quest to save the world from Xjaka criticism.”

Lol, XhakaDefending is actually a thing now.

Bamford10

Yeah, I’m with McGee: not worried about the backroom staff thing.

HighburyLegend

“We all feel sad. ”
I don’t.

“excitement around how well Ivan and his new team are doing”
Please stop praise your god Ivan in every post, it’s becoming really embarrassing…

Receding Hairline

“You need to take your angst to Pedro and Alexander Henry. They originally spoke about Xjaka not me on this most recent blog pos” Yet u jumped in when i pointed out to alexander that Wilshere was not “sold” as he posted but choose to walkaway “These will be new foes for you to battle in your quest to save the world from Xjaka criticism” Wrong again but you should be used that by now. There are no Xhaka defenders on here, he is a footballer with flaws and strengths, the only one who needs help with Xhaka is u…..u… Read more »

gonsterous

I actually rate xhaka more than I rate Wilshere. sadly in some people head xhaka offers a lot, and in some other people’s head Jack offers a lot and has a high potential ceiling. Though it could be argued that if a player has a high potential ceiling but never achieves it, he never had a high potential ceiling in the first place.

raptora

Alonso was really one of the players that you can absolutely rely on, trustworthy and a top professionalist.
Xhaka is none of those. Dude thinks he’s a thug and goes to airports yelling “fuck*ng white b*tch “.

Da_Hustler

I’d give Xhaka another season, personally i feel he was played in the wrong position (DM) when he should be played as a DLP. His passing abililty can be very good and i think with a proper DM next to him, he wont get caught out as much. Very optimistic about this coming season…..tactically i think we will be sound like never before

gonsterous

my point being, when someone rates xhaka they are called deluded but by that same logic, shouldn’t the people who rate Jack be called deluded too ? cause both have achieved fak all and never seems to offer much on the pitch…

Ishola70

Ridiculous Hairline You jump at the mention of the word Xjaka on here and defend him. In fact you are the Xjaka defender par excellence on here. Be proud of yourself. Xjaka is proud of you. I’m sure this is getting very boring for the other posters to read so I think we should call it a truce don’t you think. I don’t have any real interest in your posts because I see you as just a pom-pom waving poster and you are forever just arguing on my posts. This is not healthy and is a waste of time Mr… Read more »

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Guns

Agree with points at 10.51

Draw a line and fucking have the season….

C’mon you reds

gonsterous

Xhaka is none of those. Dude thinks he’s a thug and goes to airports yelling “fuck*ng white b*tch “.

when did xhaka yell fuking white birch or is it okay to just make up stuff cause u don’t like a player ??

Bamford10

QNA You’re kind of hilarious, mate. One, it’s fairly clear that Emery & co. believe they need to add experienced, no-nonsense, hard-working quality players, not shiny new starlets or the next hot thing. It’s also clear that while we have money to spend, we don’t have unlimited money to spend. That’s how you get the kinds of signings we’re getting. Two, their aim is to finish top four — and clearly they think we’re going to get there through solidity and work-rate. That you — QNA of Le Grove — would be signing other players does not mean that they… Read more »

HighburyLegend

Costa about Iran : “Time wasters and simulations hurt this sport. For me, it’s not football, it’s something disloyal. ”

lol there’s only 1 Diego the c*nt.

Champagne charlie

Qna

How could signing Banega change your view so much? Really struggling to get that.

Banega has played for the new manager at two teams, he knows him inside out, and he’s got undoubted ability. If he wants him then you’ll have to sell a reason why that’s not right

Skinnywill

If you read Wilshere’s statement, he was going to sign the new terms on offer but following a meeting with Emery decided to leave as his playing time would be reduced (ie Emery didn’t see him as a first team regular). Therefore we were prepared to keep him as a Squad player.

I am sad to see him go, not because of the player he is, but if the player he could have become if he had been able to stay fit and reproduce that performance versus Barcelona all those years ago on a more regular basis.

Marko

The club is going back on its plan to control the backroom infrastructure, instead, opting to give the new manager a huge amount of power with these hires I’m sorry but this is nonsense there doesn’t exist a situation where a new manager wouldn’t bring in some of his own coaching staff. No way in the world does a manager just come in and work with complete strangers and considering all the Wenger yes men we got rid of it was expected he’d bring in his own guys. Also still on about his lack of English? It’s my fault for… Read more »

Receding Hairline

“Zero interest in these posters from here on in and will not be responding to them.”

Heartbreaking …wonder what i will do with my life now!!!

I do agree with you on one thing though…you are indeed a waste of time

Ciao

steve

Wilshere was an overrated little shit.

HighburyLegend

@Bamford : that’s the problem, so many Le Grovers were hoping (already) for big names to sign, but to rebuild things take some time.

DM

Ishola

Just curious, is there a reason you keep spelling it “Xjaka”?

Bamford10

Jesus. This place sometimes. Jack was (at his best) a thousand times the player Granit Xhaka is; however, Jack’s injuries have hobbled him, slowed him down, reduced his agility and athleticism. He is not the player he once was and he never will be. Watch some video of him from 10, 11, 12: you’ll quickly see that he had a quickness and explosiveness that he no longer has. No problem with Jack moving on — he wasn’t sold, btw — and no problem with Emery giving Xhaka a year to show what he can do. I think Xhaka will prove… Read more »

DM

I thought Iran were actually very very good last night. Extremely unlucky not to get something out of the game. Likewise for Morocco.

Ishola70

DM

“Just curious, is there a reason you keep spelling it “Xjaka”?”

Not really no. Just a bit more exotic than Xhaka.

DM

Ishola

Righty. Cos his name should actually be pronounced more like Xjaka (or “Djaka”, to be precise), thought maybe you were alluding to that.

Marko

Literally can’t even mention Xhaka in a sentence without someone losing their shit even if it’s someone like Alexander. They’re like Trump surrogates…Xhaka surrogates are a thing now… awful job

Da_Hustler

Xhaka was accused and it turned out to be false….

Paulinho

Bamford – Yep. I can understand the POV that Xhaka is a steadier bet because of his injury record and general robustness, but the notion that he is actually a better footballer is bewildering.

He would be a disaster at Bournemouth. Especially that tight home pitch where players get no space. We saw at Bournemouth last season what a joke he was on that pitch. Too scared to play high up the pitch because of technical-deficiency induced claustophobia, and so he just stayed deep in some sort of trance.

Carts

Problem is this:

In all the years I’ve watched Wilshere I couldn’t tell you what Wenger thought Wilshere was good at. From the jump, he looked like someone who could evade a couple of challenges and advance into space. It became apparent that he simply lack the ability to do this.

Xhaka on the other hand; it’s clear what his attributes are. Passing (and dictating the flow from deep). Sadly his starting position is horrendous and his recovery pace is dire. BUT, you’d imagine that will be something Emery will work on.

Motta is what Emery expects Xhaka to be.

Receding Hairline

all games ended 1-0 last night

Talk about a bad day for betting. Who would have thought a Uruguay vs Saudi match up can’t even bring home an over 1.5 after what happened with Russia.

The team who have been backed to have low scoring encounters, Russia, are the ones bringing in over 2.5 like it’s going out of fashion.

Bamford10

Paulinho

Agreed.

Marko

Motta is what Emery expects Xhaka to be.

Motta could actually tackle though and sat right in front of the defense as a DM whereas Xhaka can’t tackle doesn’t sit right in front of the defense and isn’t a DM

raptora

Chances that the French don’t manage a win in their next 2 games vs Peru and Denmark? I couldn’t watch their game vs Australia but heard they were dire. Would not be the first French NT to fail to get out of groups.

gonsterous

Jesus. This place sometimes. Jack was (at his best) a thousand times the player Granit Xhaka is; however, Jack’s injuries have hobbled him, slowed him down, reduced his agility and athleticism. He is not the player he once was and he never will be. Watch some video of him from 10, 11, 12: you’ll quickly see that he had a quickness and explosiveness that he no longer has.

exactly why I rate xhaka more than Jack. so much for being in his prime. The guy has ankles made of weaker glass than RVPs

gonsterous

raptora

allegedly. also turns out he was innocent. Jack on the other hand. clubbing and having a fag. normally I don’t mind but when you are paid to sit on the physio s bed for 3/4 of the season, it gets my panties in a twist and simultaneously gives me a wedgie…

raptora

I agree. Xhaka’s huge problem comes from not being all that capable at defending properly and I can remember at least 5 goals last season where he just didn’t bother running back with the opponent team having a counter. And problem number 2 is not being able to do well with nearby opponents. So he basically needs someone/people to defend for him and he also needs to be free from any press so he can spread the ball the way he likes. Waaay too hard to make it work imo. Especially vs top teams where you are under constant pressure… Read more »

Carts

Marko

I though like Verrati was the closest player to the defence.

Stylistically, Motta and Xhaka are alike..

Jamie

“Jack at his best was 1000 times the player Xhaka is, just check his ability when he was 12 years old!” The hyperbole here doesn’t help. Jay Emanuel-Thomas also lit up the youth league. Ability as a kid means nothing, especially when you’re playing against other kids. Wilshere controlled one game in his entire senior career (almost 10 years now). Xhaka might not be a great player, but Jack is no better, let alone “1000x better.” He simply didn’t develop his game, and admittedly his injuries hampered his development, but he’s never been a great player. He’ll end up at… Read more »

raptora

gonsterous,
I don’t like any of Xhaka and Wilshere. Not top examples in any way. Re Xhaka I don’t know if he was innocent or not, he probably said sorry so the police let him go. It’s whatever.
In reality I have a problem with players that are both shit on and off the field. Bring the problematic Icardi, let him become the top scorer of the league and see if I have any problems whose wife he is banging.

Leedsgunner

No amount of apparent passion and floor thumping is going to matter if you are not up for the rigours of the EPL physically… and the team can’t rely on you to be fit for battle. Wenger did Wilshere a massive disservice by utterly overhyping him mentally so that he thought he was the real deal when he broke into the squad making him unable to teach, and utterly overplaying his first two seasons so that his body was not properly allowed to strengthen and develop. Contrast how Wenger treated his prodigy with how Rooney was handled by Moyes and… Read more »

Dissenter

Pedro
The idea that a new manager comes in with 1-2 staff is preposterous and utter nonsense. I’m suprised that you won’t let go of this idea. It’s not done anywhere else.
A new manger needs to communicate his ideas and enforce his methods though tested and LOYAL aides, not through Arsenal apparatchiks who’ve never worked with him before. He shouldn’t be a grain of tiny people sabotaging him.
If Emery fails, his circus goes out with him. That’s how it works everywhere.

Rambo Ramsey

Pedro, what are you on about with your restrict-power mantra?

Not only does the coach have limited say in player Ins-and-outs, you want to extend this to recruitment of assistant coaches as well? There is such a thing as pushing too far.

I guess you want Emery to waste months giving lessons to his own assistants, teaching them his methods and vision. They’ll sit with the players while Emery does all the coaching.

Jamie

Leeds –

Good post.

The only two who come to mind are Ashley Cole and Cesc Fabregas. Any of Wenger’s other ‘successes’ weren’t youth players, and Cesc is a contentious one, coming from la masia..

Bamford10

Jamie

“Wilshere controlled one game in his entire senior career (almost 10 years now). Xhaka might not be a great player, but Jack is no better.”

Knowing nothing about football doesn’t help anyone either, Jamie.

Jack Wilshere was a much, much, much better footballer than Granit Xhaka, and he showed this in far more than one match.

You should stick to virtue signaling on the topic of racism, mate. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Marko

Soyuncu is quoted as telling Turkish newspaper Gunes:

“I hope I go to Arsenal. I really want to play in the Premier League, but everything depends on the team.”

“I go to Arsenal. I want to play there, but everything is connected. Because I have a contract for 3 more years

Busy little football club

Dissenter

I think there’s a point where common sense takes over.
We are too top heavy on all these backroom staff.
We need to let people go.
We don’t need Shad Forsyth’s as “head of athletic performance enhancement.” and then get another “director of high performance” in Darren Burgess.

Unless one is being eased out, we don’t need to cooks running the broth.
Start thinning out all these physical trainers with high sounding titles. It’s getting boring.

Someone is very confused in that club hierarchy.

Leedsgunner

Jamie

Fair enough about Ashley… forgot about him. To be honest, I try not to think about people like him too much.

Dissenter

The people I fear in any organization no go to are the tiny people with big titles who never leave to expand their coast.
That’s why no manger will walk into a contract where his assistants are foisted upon him. It’s not Emery we are getting, we are getting the Emery and associates team.
Just wish Pedro will stop all the whining about nothing.

gambon

Agree with Dissenter.

Any head coach comes with a team.

It would be like asking a builder to come and build an extension on your house…but he has to use the tools you give him.

Marko

Jack Wilshere was a much, much, much better footballer than Granit Xhaka, and he showed this in far more than one match.

So a couple matches then.

You should stick to virtue signaling on the topic of racism, mate. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

You see it’s this kind of attitude that gets to people. Given your track record I’d lay off telling people they’ve no idea what they’re talking about

gambon

Dissenter

Do you think this post would have happened if Arteta brought in a team of 4/5 people?

Dissenter

Who gives a damn about this Caglar Soyuncu kid. He’s a nobody. It’s not like he’s listed as one of the bright young defenders in Europe.
The fee being quoted is too high and we shouldn’t pay it. Freiburg paid £2.4 for him two years ago and he’s only played 24 games in the Bundesliga.

Move unto someone else. He’s not worth the hype.

Dissenter

gambon,
“Do you think this post would have happened if Arteta brought in a team of 4/5 people?”

Nope
This is Pedro’s passive aggression being channeled in a sophisticated hyper-intellectual manner.

Jamie

Bamford –

Let’s get it right, you fucking hypocrite; when someone tells you that you don’t know anything about the game, you start crying like a bitch, equating it to being called a cunt. Yet here you are, telling me I know nothing about the game.

Piss off, you fat yank.

Leedsgunner

Bamford All the ability on the world doesn’t mean a thing if you are continually broken and unable to fulfill your potential… and another thing, it’s fine taking about taalking about potential when you’re in your teens, maybe until 21. However, with Jack people were still talking about his potential when he was 23, 24, 25. In fact I doubt there is a player in world football that has milked the potential card more than him… Jack has literally made millions on the hope that he would be fit enough to a world beater one day… except that Jack’s not… Read more »

Marko

Do you think this post would have happened if Arteta brought in a team of 4/5 people?

Absolutely not. For some reason Pedro had a chub for Arteta

Bamford10

Marko

Except that my “track record” is quite good, except for where you and your petty sort distort it in order to score stupid points.

And Jack Wilshere was a much better footballer than Granit Xhaka. It’s not even close. I have no problem dismissing anyone who says otherwise.

Further, you and your buddy WengerEagle dismiss posters and opinions all of the fucking time. You are in no position to lecture others on this point.

And no, Marko, you don’t have some kind of spotless track record when it comes to judgments about players; no one does.

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