Lunatic
So here we are, preseason is done, next week we take on the champions as we kick off the new era of Unai Emery. I’m excited, you are excited, we’re all f**king excited.
There’s pause for concern. I think the reality of the new regime is you don’t quickly fix a house that’s been left neglected in woods for 14 years. There are so many agenda items the new backroom team need to address in a short period of time just to bring us to elite parity from a setup perspective. The dream that we’ll be chasing down Manchester City in season one are fanciful, if we’re totally honest, 5th is probably a fair expectation of where we’ll finish, 4th would be the stretch target.
Is that a negative way to look at things? Absolutely not. We have to be realistic. If it took Pep G a year to bed in his ideas, with a team that had won the league 3 seasons before he took over, you can imagine how hard it’s going to be to embed ideas into players who have no success anywhere near the bloodstream in over a decade. The closest most of them have come to a league title is watching 89 on Netflix. Even players like Ozil who had some success at Madrid were there when Mourinho was relevant.
Emery is having to teach a lot of the players how to exist in 2018. You can see that in the way we’re playing at the moment. Yesterday’s Lazio game was a comfortable win, but the Italians just aren’t in the same league as City and we simply won’t be given time or space like that over the next three months.
It’s fascinating to work out what the fuck Emery is going to do. Someone mentioned to me they were concerned that we hadn’t found a system yet. I’m not fussed about that, the best teams in Europe can dance between multiple ideas. Part of the new era of football is being tactically fluid, having players that are actually intelligent enough to change the way they play after 15minutes. Think American football playbooks in the Premier League.
We jumped between 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and what looked like 4-2-2-2 at one point yesterday. I absolutely love seeing us trying new things. My worry isn’t about the system, it’s knowing how to play it. We’re looking very sophisticated at the back at the moment, Calum Chambers and the players we’ve switched in are very comfortable moving the ball around. It’s quite incredible how much width and space we generate simply by having a keeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. Arsenal is opting for a slow, methodical approach to moving the ball out of the back. It’s a system of patience, maybe a little too patient at times. It’s certainly not the blitzkrieg style of Klopp, or the electric directness of Pep G.
I think the challenge we’ve had is transitioning the ball from midfield to attack. I don’t know if it’s just a tough adjustment, a lack of experience, or just preseason jitters… but there’s a lot of heavy touches and a bit of panic moving the ball forward. When it works, it’s great, when it doesn’t, there seem to be calamitous effects.
The positive for this season is I struggle to see past a Torreira and Guendouzi being the two midfielders at the base. Their movement, passing variety and mobility is going to put them in prime position to relegate Xhaka and Elneney to the bench. The difference those two are going to make this season could be immeasurable. Again, the big issue is there’s a whole team trying to learn on the job, and our two best deep-lying midfielders are new to the league.
Still, what a potential pairing, eh? Guendouzi makes some dumb decisions on the pitch, but he’ll stump that out and no doubt be a force by the end of the season. He’s so confident on the ball, demanding touches at all time. I also like that he’s an aggressor. Torreira had a solid game, tough to read too much into his performance, but I feel he’s likely going to be one of the shrewdest buys of the summer.
Our back 4 are going to cause us issues this season. We still lack quality. Lichtsteiner is an immense competitor, you just feel he’s 3 years too late to be a monster in our starting 11. That said, he was a beast all game. No one fucks with him. He’s dark arts shrewd. He looks fit. That ball he played to Lacazette was the next level Wenger was talking about.
Sokratis looks very slow. Mustafi just isn’t good enough. Jury is out on Mavrapanos and Holding. I love the idea of Vida, because he looks the sort of guy who’d cut your throat for talking too loud at a Tesco Express, but he’s 29 years old heading over from Besiktas. That move reeks of World Cup excitement. We need whoever the next Umtiti is coming in. Not sure we have the wedge to make that happen.
Our real strength this season is going to come from Auba and Lacazette. You can mop up a lot of mess having two deadly attackers there to finish off anyone’s long ball. It’s probably not a bad thing that they have a bit of a bromance going.
Overall, I’m very comfortable about next week. There’s only so much you can do in a summer, and if you count the revolution starting from January, it’s been a beast of a ride. I think the key for fans here is expectations. We have to go with the flow. You’ll have to ignore the bitter Wengerites who will jump on any loss as ‘UNACCEPTABLE IF THIS WERE WENGER’ because it’s irrelevant.
Everything that happens now is something new. If Emery wins an FA Cup, it will be bigger than Wenger’s. If he wins a league cup and takes it seriously, it’ll be more important than Wenger’s FA Cup. If he wins the Europa League, we’ll all celebrate it like it’s a World Cup, because it’s more important.
Everything positive that happened in the last 5 years was diminished when placed against the bigger picture of progress. That’s not me being miserable, that’s just giving you real talk. As we patted ourselves on the back for FA Cup wins, we slowly slipped out of the Champions League, we lost our identity, we shipped our best players, we became the go-to for meekness when describing a team. As we ignored jobless elite managers, dishing out a new deal to ‘the best in Europe’, inferior clubs built out exciting squads and rose from nothing to Champions League finalists.
Moving forward, everything that happens is a building block to something better. Even if things go to shit this season, at the very worst, we’ll have a club with upgraded thinking and players ready to move to the next level with a better manager.
Arsenal is making moves, whatever happens.
Enjoy the ride, keep the faith, and let’s have some good times this season.
1st
2nd
3rd
Tr4phy
Clean sweep!
New season /New dawn.
Too late
Good one groovey
6th?
Not even close!
Good morning all Nice win yesterday
Pedro
I am all for experimentation in pre season friendlies, but the question which needs to be answered is are we any clearer as to who are likely to play in our
starting lineup against Man City next week?
In particular do we know whether Cech or Leno will play in goal or who are
our starting backline. The only player there who I think is guaranteed his place is Bellerin.
“You’ll have to ignore the bitter Wengerites who will jump on any loss as ‘UNACCEPTABLE IF THIS WERE WENGER’ because it’s irrelevant.”
le grove’s the only place I visit where Wenger’s name still comes up regularly.
Stroller
It doesn’t matter if you or Pedro are clear on who will start against city. That’s up to Emery.
Bellerin is not a lock to start either, he’s been one of the worst performers of the preseason… what are you on about there?
I’d be very surprised if Lichtsteiner’s arrival doesn’t result in an upturn in Bellerin’s form. the Swiss is still capable of taking the starting role.
Bamford like your 4-3-3 in the previous post. But Ramsey won’t be fit for City think Ozil takes that place and Miki plays through the right wing. Hagi and Messi are perfect examples you were correct. Not many though, also it was just a remark. Talking about sneidjer i used to think he was a leftie too. Very ambidextrous, much like Carzola, Perisic and that England winger his name escapes me. Ousmane Dembele, Andre Gomes, the Seville striker that went from France are other lesser ambidextrous footballers I can think of now. Great preseason so far. Looking forward to the… Read more »
I don’t think Bellerins a shoe in for anything at this current stage
Zfree
I was not discussing whether Bellerin was one of best performers in squad, but
I am wiling to bet that he will be in starting lineup against Manchester City whatever you may think.
The real problem at Arsenal at moment is that we have a strong “squad”, but we lack “standout world class players” who are shoein certainties for starting
eleven.
At the moment there are probably only four players absolutely guaranteed a
starting place in the team and those are Bellerin, Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette.
No doubt that statement will be hotly disputed by other posters.
Would prefer 5th or sixth and a win in the Europa than 4th and not winning EL. Closing the points gap, better away form in the league, and improving results/competing against other top sides will be great to see, but top 4 will be a dog fight. And I’d much rather a European trophy than the Tr4phy.
I think what contributes to the difficulty in moving balls from midfield to attack is the weak ball retention ability at the top. If we play with 2 strikers both who aren’t secure with ball at feet, that limits our attacking opportunities. We have to play behind Defenders and over the top a lot. And if we are to complete our attacking trio with Ozil then it’s really hard against the top teams. Ozil can’t beat his man or hold on to the ball when pressured. His languid style remains an issue for me, opposition players can so easily exploit.… Read more »
ES Why do you stick Bellerin in the lineup without regard to form, opponent, formation, etc??? If we were to play 3 at the back in a given match, I could make the argument for AMN to be the RWB bc he can dribble, take on a man, and cross, and is faster than Bellerin anyway. 4 at the back, until Hector shows something, I would be much more assured with Licht. As a new coach going into first game of the season against a strong opponent, why would I want to risk the out of form, mistake prone player… Read more »
Either way, if Bellerin starts against city and is shit, he’ll be benched against Chelsea. Then he’ll get his next run out against west ham. If he blows his opportunity there, we won’t be seeing him again in the league until he shows some improvement in the lesser comps
WTF is Tuchel doing at PSG
He won’t hold this dressing room for too long.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45072890
Dissenter
Do you remember when you said I had gone “cuckoo” for suggesting a few weeks back that guendouzi or Smith-Rowe could be pushing for a place in the starting line up………
Zfree I am not going to discuss the merits of Bellerin or for that matter the long catalogue of players that most posters on Le Grove don’t rate. Frankly if you read those posts every player in our squad is dog shit. The reality is that most of our current squad will have no difficulty in finding a place elsewhere in an EPL or equivalent team on the continent. Since last summer we have offloaded: SANCHEZ MAN UTD GIROUD CHELSEA OX LIVERPOOL GABRIEL VALENCIA COQUELIN VALENCIA WILTSHIRE WEST HAM So they were clearly good enough to play in those teams.… Read more »
Reality check will come undoubtedly when we kick off the season, question is when. I’m sure Emery is aware of the many weaknesses but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’d be happy with any improvement from last season, 5th place is achievable.
7 points from first 3 games is possible but very improbable, you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed receding.
I think if can get a commanding cb and maybe a wingerbwe can finish 3rd. When it comes to the new centre back that we signed, allot depends on how well he reads the game not his pace. As I remember Tony Adams or Steve Bold were very quick, but the read game really well and they were very well drilled. It’s pretty clear that Mustafi needs to go, he is clearly not good enough . The new right back Licsteiner looks tombevvery solid, he knows what he is doing, to me it’s a no brainer, he must start against… Read more »
You can add WALCOTT to Everton on my list.
Pedro I agree, we need to downsize expectations, but: ‘We have to be realistic. If it took Pep G a year to bed in his ideas, with a team that had won the league 3 seasons before he took over, you can imagine how hard it’s going to be to embed ideas into players who have no success anywhere near the bloodstream in over a decade.’ There’s the small matter of the vast sums of money spent by city. Tactics are important but in the end, players win football matches. Also, you seem to be dismissing those FA cup wins.… Read more »
The importance of a goalie dribbling out with the ball and playing a short pass to one of the outfield players is hugely overdone by some in it’s actual importance. Oblak is seen as the best goalkeeper around and dribbling out with the ball and playing a short pass isn’t the thing he is noted for at all. If you are going to pick one GK over another just because apparently he is good at dribbling with the ball at his feet for just a few yards and then playing a simple short pass then at least make sure that… Read more »
The solution initially at least might be to have the licht play vs citeh & chavs & let Bell end start against the lesser sides in a hope for improvement.but yes it’s worrying….
I don’t see how 7 points fro the first 3 games is improbable
We play City at home….our first game in what has been advertised by all as a new era, surely looking at preparations from both sides we should be up for that. Then a draw at Chelsea and a win at home over West Ham. Its not the Herculean task many think it is.
And I hope Emery really fancies winning the Europa league.. We need it. Its gonna be a bumpy season league wise.
Pep started all this goalie playing from the back nonsense. At the end of the day the goal keeper he choose isn’t even a good shot stopper. I hope Emery doesn’t obsess over such stuffs..just keep things safe and simple.
It’s not as if playing a simple short pass by the GK is that difficult for the majority of them.
What gets the obsessives excited about this is when the keeper also goes on a little few yards solo dribble run added in.
It’s quite funny really.
Ishola I don’t think anyone in full control of their faculties should be excited by a goal keeper going on a solo dribble.
Nothing wrong with a simple clever pass to a team mate who can handle such passes like you pointed out..anything else is lunacy. Chambers, Sokratis and holding should never receive the ball from the keeper under pressure.
Zfree
“As a new coach going into first game of the season against a strong opponent, why would I want to risk the out of form, mistake prone player when I’ve got a seriously experienced, leader, stout defender option available?”
because he’s going to be up against a well-rested Leroy Sane. opening two games our RB’s going to be up against the best two left wingers in the league. not sure Lichtsteiner should be exposed to that kind of baptism of fire.
Wallace he is 33 , he has seen all there is to see in the game. I will play him ahead of Bellerin…that kid needs a quiet word with himself
Pierre
Yes I did, on July 26th after you said they were first team material on the evidence of one preseason game.
I officially joined that cuckoo club I onc derided after watching Guendouzi hold his own.
Neither of us may be right though
Just had a look at a couple sites that are still massively pro Wenger, these people are unbelievable. They are like those Jamanese guys camped out alone hiding in the jungle still thinking WW2 is going on. They will never move on, as is their choice and miserable existence. Back to reality, I suspect the mess Wenger has left behind is more shocking than even we realise, that allied with Stans inherent lack of ambition and caution with cash despite what is in the bank balance-(would love an explanation there) suggests at least a year of consolidation, and Ivan doesn’t… Read more »
ES – you have a fair point about the number of starters who can be certain of playing against City. I think that the fact that Emery has been trying out systems as well as giving players game time, coupled with WC players returning at different times has clouded the issue. However, I’m pretty sure he has a clear idea, which is more important than it’s predictability to us! I would add AMN and Ozil to the definite starters. My biggest concern would be at CB. There are advantages of playing City first up but this is negated by not… Read more »
Receding, I’m not saying the players won’t be up for the task, it’s whether they are up to the task. City are record breaking champions with arguably one of the best managers in the game. A draw would be a good result. Chelsea is a tough first away fixture of the season. 7 points out of those and West Ham is what you’d expect if we were serious challengers, not a team with a poor defence and new manager after 2 very poor seasons. Again, I of course would be ecstatic with such a return but improbable or at least… Read more »
Guendouzi has shown promise but the clamour for him to start matches already is an indictment of the established central midfielders already at the club before his arrival.
Dave Smith – are you not failing to move on by commenting on W. yourself?
We can beat City in the opening day, three pints in that game isn’t asking too much. Didn’t they draw against Everton last season on the opening day? This season they have had most of the top players out due to the World Cup and are not in full,gear yet. We, on the other hand have had s useful preseason. Chelsea away….has draw written all over it. My concern is Westham on match day three. They will be the team to watch out for in terms of improvement. That’s the banana skin game for us. The days of “not bothered… Read more »
Bob, fair point but just making reference to the “unacceptable if it were Wenger” line in the lead article
It’s a real shame we didn’t finish top 4 last season, that champions league money , the level of players are able to bring in is really limited Emery. Just looking at Liverpool and the players they have signed, we are simply just not in that market. And because the previous manager couldn’t put his ego aside and do the right thing and step down.
David Smith
“suggests at least a year of consolidation”
You don’t consolidate such a poor last league campaign.
Not saying top four must be got but improvement must be shown from last seasons league results overall.
If Emery can’t even manage that then he isn’t up to much.
Just cant wait for it to start……a new era is here. I hope Mr Wenger wishes us good luck!
Bob N16 What we have seen in the pre season games is that we have got at least 22 players in our squad or U23s who can play in the first team as and when required. The real issue at Arsenal is whether we have sufficient quality to play against the top teams in EPL when they put out their best starting elevens. At the moment I think that we are deficient in defence and perhaps one player short in midfield/wing. Until those positions are resolved I think that we will still struggle to make the top four. What I… Read more »
Ishola, we have been on an increasing downward trend, I dread to think where we would have finished this season had things not changed. Seems like Stan finally agreed. There are multiple stories of players regularly turning up late for training, taking calls during drills. I would be very interested to know what Josh found on his review which made them act so quickly, but I suspect we have a pretty good idea. If something is sliding, the first job is to halt the slide, with new people in place, this takes time. Fortunately, we have some very decent players,… Read more »
Marko Arsenal are playing a City team who are behind in terms of preparation. That is the circumstance. I would have thought that was obvious Everyone starts preseason at the same time and yeah they’ve got a couple players back late from the world cup with feck all preseason under their belt well we have Monreal, Lichtsteiner, Xhaka, Torreira and really Ozil who’ve had little preseason too. The only real notable one for City is DeBruyne, Walker, Sterling and Kompany. So would they be behind in preparation really? Sane, Mahrez and Laporte had no world cup. Gundogen, Aguero, Jesus, Fernandinho,… Read more »
But City and Chelsea as openers?
Hope we don’t lose those both.
New era or no new era, if we lose 3 to City and 2 to Chelsea, even the most optimist of us all will run to a corner, breathing and blinking rapidly; mistaking Emery as Wenger!
What Guendouzi has highlighted for me is the horrendous attitude of entitlement among the Arsenal youth. AMN is a good player and some day may be a great player, but the guy has been floating around the first team for the past two seasons and hasn’t put performances in as Guendouzi has since he has arrived. Thats not to single out AMN, any of the Arsenal youth are the same. None of them have done anything to suggest they should be starting for Arsenal.
Wilshere is another with huge entitlement issues, wanted assurances that he would play instead of earning his right to play.
le grove’s the only place I visit where Wenger’s name still comes up regularly.
Yeah sure. I believe they call him Mr Wenger over there
Nah, GK being good with the ball is very essential. You just need to watch Cech last season to realize how poor distribution and over reliance on kicking the ball in the air puts pressure on our defenders and midfielders. That we don’t have players who can win aerial duels makes it even more important that our keeper can pass the ball. City wouldn’t be the team they are without Ederson.
Guendouzi needs to show this promise in competitive matches.
And promise is not enough either. He has to show that he is all round capable considering how much he has been bigged up since joining.
It’s all well and good slating other younger players but they have actually been in the lions den. Guendouzi hasn’t yet.
ES – I think you make a good point. We have a lot of players who are ‘squad players’ and not enough certain starters who other top 6 teams would covet. I hope and believe that this will be addressed in the next year or two. Our youth policy ought to be the source of most squad players and Emery will decide which players of the rest should be moved on. We’re at least a couple of years away from ‘doing a Liverpool’ and spending big on three or four players who are bought to go straight into the team.… Read more »
@Ishola70 –
“It’s all well and good slating other younger players but they have actually been in the lions den.”
Its not like any of those youngsters have really impressed outside of the “lions den” either..
Keeper is not picked because of basic dribbling and basic passing attributes.
Has to have far more than that to his game.
Agreed Ishola, happy to see Guendouzi show the fans why he was brought in but only the most ‘rose-tinted’ supporter would expect him to be a regular starter. Europa and Caribao should be where we’ll see him but hey if he pulls up trees in the PL then great but unlikely.
All footballers who play for EPL Clubs believe that they are entitled to start/play
in first team. Whatever your opinions of Wenger he is correct in suggesting that
each week there are 11 players in squad who are going to be happy and 15 who
sit on bench or are uninvolved who are not.
It is always going to be a dilemma for any manager to keep his entire squad happy.
Dave Smith
Emery needs to improve upon a last poor season.
That’s why he was brought in.
If he can’t improve upon such a poor season he is failing and that is from the off.
Arsenal will be in danger of rubber stamping second level if they don’t improve this season.
@ES
“All footballers who play for EPL Clubs believe that they are entitled to start/play
in first team.”
Well that is a huge problem then, isn’t it?
Just a random thought
Why not sell Ramsey and bring in Fekir?
@Receding hairline
“Why not sell Ramsey and bring in Fekir?”
Do you think we need another play maker? Would he be a step up on Ozil or Miki?
Personally I would prefer a winger, or if we are going for another central player maybe a player like Kovačić.
Guendouzi being a starter on the evidence of a pre season isn’t rose tinted, it’s the reality of how piss poor our midfield has been. He will be a world beater this fella.
I think the target should be 75-80 points over the course of the season.. What that gets you for league positon remains to be seen.
Below 75 will be a poor season for Emery.
I would even say a minimum of 80 but I have already been accused of wanting too much too soon
@ Jim
I may be wrong but Fekir can actually play from the wing and is a better dribbler than both.
@Receding hairline –
I think he played the majority of his time as a central creative player for Lyon, I know he can play out wide, but I don’t know if that is his preferred position! Kind of like Nasri I guess!
BOB N16 Arsenal have at the moment 6 talented youngsters aged Under 21 who are good enough to play in Cup Games. These are: MAVROPANOS GUENDOUZI MAITLAND-NILES SMITH-ROWE NELSON NKIETAH I would suggest that three are good enough to sit on bench for EPL games as and when required, but none in my opinion are good enough to play regularly in starting eleven against top teams. When you discuss our squad we have as previously discussed players good enough to join squad of most top teams, but the million dollar question is how many would make their starting elevens. This… Read more »
One of the things that many if not all Arsenal supporter’s feel positive about is that this season won’t be a repeat of the last few years. We have really been stuck in Ground Hog Day but this works both ways, in previous years Pep would know exactly how we are going to set up, play, leave the back 4 unprotected and get repeatedly caught out. I don’t expect instant change but you only have to look at the comments on here to know that no one has a real idea how we’re going to set up next week or… Read more »
The transition will be quicker if Wenger’s losers, like Aaron Ramsey, are leaving.
Jim Lahey
It is a problem if the agent/player is unhappy with situations and pushing for
departure.
I suspect that is the problem we have once again with Ramsey. His agent sees
mega bucks pushing for departure and Ramsey is no longer confident that he
will be an automatic starter.
Thanks to Stans complete unwillingness to act on a manager who by the end failing in every way, yes, Arsenal were and are in serious danger of falling into the second level. This has been a horrendously run club, run at the behest of a failing dictator, existing on stultifying complacency which seeped through the coaches and players, and exists right up to the majority shareholder, let’s hope Josh is more dynamic over this club than his father. Fortunately, there has been a huge turnover of players but many have been scarred perhaps forever from,working with the talents of Wenger,… Read more »
There is a reason to be optimistic about this season. Nothing is set in stone yet, so let us take a deep breath and take it one match at a time. For Unai, I think getting the CB and keeper right will be top of his concerns and by now he should have those who will start the first game. Again, new signings are new to the league so it is essential u do not start all of them at the same time so confidence is not lost. I won’t be surprised if the first game line up is more… Read more »
Martial left at home and Alderweireld looks as if he’s going to United for £60 Million.
Could a possible swap deal happen? Spurs have an interest in Martial and a need for him.
Receding Hairline
Fekir is quality player, Would prefer to replace Ramsey with someone with creativity (dribbling/passing), end product and pace is nice. James Rodriguez and Dembélé are my preferred replacements. But, Emery will likely opt for N’Zonzi.
@ES – “It is a problem if the agent/player is unhappy with situations and pushing for departure.” I think that sort of entitled mentality has larger ramifications than just dealing with agents. It kills progress. If you have players who believe they should be starters each week then they will no longer strive to prove it. Of course Guendouzi needs to prove it when it comes to the real thing, but I think any of us can see how refreshing it is to see a player looking to make a point, he is constantly looking for the ball, he is… Read more »
Stroller
It’s hard not to slaughter the players that the previous brought in if they are not doing a job on the pitch.
In everyday life if you are not working to the level you should be or can do your work colleagues will let you know,
The lazy epidemic swept the club was an atmosphere that previous allowed to happen.
So punters have every right to slaughter the lazy fucks if there not playing at a level we want.
Any of you lads fancy a punt on the horses ?
Cesc
It’s a possibility but ManU are going to rate Martial at a higher price than Alderweireld. Purely based on attackers cost more than defenders and an up and coming player will carry a premium over an older player in the last year of his contract.
For a deal to happen I can see ManU wanting cash as well.
It is both an exciting and frustrating time. Exciting because everything is new and unpredictable, because we now have an actual manager and actual coaches trying to improve our players and our system, because we have a DoF and a great head of recruitment that have us behaving like an actual football club and we’re on the right road now. Frustrating because this is going to be 2 or 3 years of hard work, careful transfers and changes to undo all the damage done to the club and what is frustrating is why we didn’t do this sooner. It was… Read more »
UT – hope you’re right about Guendouzi being a ‘world beater’ and that he’s already worth picking over Elneny, Xhaka and AMN.
Pre season games don’t always provide so much evidence of such potential.
We aren’t winning the league, but maybe it’s the optimist in me, I think we’re in for a pretty good season. Probably won’t be challenging in Feb or March but do think we can finish at least fourth and maybe sneak third We were such a shit show last season we can’t really do much worse. Auba and laca look like they are forming a good partnership, no way is our away form going to be that bad again. There is a lot of positives, the big one being, he who shall not be named has left and emery looks… Read more »
I did not have to see Papa Socratis play much before i knew he was a wrong buy. A guy who will fix a badly leaking defence must at least look tough! You don’t fix any defence if you look as a Chef arriving on a job from Paris. Even Wenger looks tougher! At least, Mustafi has the tough expression, just not the talent….the poor lad. And i still don’t understand the Chambers’ contract. I mean, is Emery seeing things? I bet Chambers himself wouldn’t give himself a pass mark on his arsenal career so far. Bit like Everton buying… Read more »
I would even say a minimum of 80 but I have already been accused of wanting too much too soon
One must ask would you have been this demanding of Wenger? Who in 22 years got 80 or above points just 4 times the last time was the 07/08 season. And Emery in his first season in charge should be targeting 80 points minimum and should be beating Man City opening game of the season. I’d temper those expectations right now if I was you otherwise you’ll be getting into arguments all season long
Marc
I read that United want £70 Million for Martial.
That would mean Alderweireld and £10 Million for him, Spurs can do that.
I would be concerned if they got Martial because he had all summer off and will likely be pissed with a point to make. As of now I think Spurs will struggle due to lack of changes and the World Cup. If you add Martial that will give a lot of them a boost.
Kane and Martial is a pretty fearsome attack, add Son when he returns and that is quite something.
Appreciate us trying to develop youngsters under 25 and accept that they will make stupid errors. However, I don’t think Rob Holding has a high ceiling. Probably has the least ability. He is worrying slow and not dominant physically. This means he is not suited to playing a high line or a low block. Although Chambers is on the soft side, he is superior on the ball and cover at RB. If you’re slow, ideally you make up for that by being class in the ball and great in the air. Bonucci is an example.
*probably has the least ability of our youngsters (under 25)
CA – you’re right, poor acquisitions who were given contracts that were not warranted. Pay the top players market rates and the youngsters need to earn pay rises. Very difficult to move on overpaid players without taking a hit on the transfer fee.
It’s going to take a while to sort out our squad!
@Dream10 –
I feel that central defenders tend to develop slower than most players in other positions, so I don’t think you’ll see the best of either until they are in their mid to late 20s.
Ospina we cannot even sell for £4 Million because of his wages.
Just gave Iwobi 70k so good luck getting rid of him anytime soon. Also and I don’t mean to trigger you CA but Carl Jenkinson is STILL an Arsenal player
Good read
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6027077/Unai-Emery-ready-Arsenal-revolution-test.html
People saying things like Sokratis was a wrong buy you have to think as of the start of the transfer market we desperately needed a GK, CB, CDM, CM and a winger. We needed, not wanted, required all of those things with a £70 Million budget. That is £14 Million for each position if you shared it evenly. Choices had to be made because as we’ve seen the club and our players have been so damaged we can’t really even sell to raise funds. I think with the position Wenger left the club in we’ve done well in the transfer… Read more »
How did Iwobi get a new contract… I can’t fathom any reasoning behind it. The man is a Championship level player at best.
Jim Lahey
Fair enough. At least loan Holding out for a year or 18 months. Let him get 30 or 40 full matches under his belt.
Marko you really have to forget about Wenger now. Its time you moved on. Stop making everything about him.
Yes I’m demanding of Emery as I was of Wenger.. I point out to you again that neither myself nor anyone here was responsible for him spending 22 years here.
Don’t get me wrong I think Martial is a very good player but his application the last couple years coupled with if he was to join Spurs I’d seriously question the ambitions and attitude of the lad. Like don’t get me wrong Spurs have improved in recent seasons but they’re still them and they’re still not a big club
@Dream –
Yeah I think that would be for the best, would like to see both Holding and Mavropanos go out and get a lot of game time this year.
R.S.P.C.Arsenal
We need to move on Wenger has left the club and so has the bulk of his coaching team.
We have a new management structure, head coach and coaching team so let’s
give them plus the players a chance to prove what they can do.
Too many posters are obsessed in getting rid of players like Mustafi, Xhaka,
Ramsey and even Ozil. Let’s see how they perform under Emery and not what they did under Wenger.