Well hello and welcome to what is, in fact, my Monday, because we all had a day off yesterday.
A lot of the chatter I was reading yesterday focused on Granit Xhaka, who is officially the new poster child of the collapsed Wenger apologist regime. Never has a group of people been so misguided in who they attach their loyalties to, but one thing is for sure, you have to hand it to them, their arguments always incredibly sound on paper.
The big fear a lot of people have at the moment centres around an isolated statistic call xG build-up. The definition of xG Buildup is comes from the very interesting Statsbomb site.
You’ll note, however, that for a lot of players, the values are still dominated by xG from shots and xA from assists. You get a little extra credit for your buildup play, and some unexpected players are still able to shine through. But the fun starts when exclude shots and assists from the possession chains, so we can concentrate just on buildup play. It’s okay if you ultimately make the assist or shot yourself, but you also have to be involved in the earlier parts of the move to get credit. I originally called this pre-xGC (pre as in pre-assist, you see), but the world knows it now as xGBuildup.
Now, the reason people have their panties in a twist is because Granit ranks pretty well for this statistic (play here).
The masters of this statistic and people that outrank Granit are midfielders like Busquets, Weigl, Alcantara, and Kroos. Iwobi, Ramsey and Mesut also score very well here, but it goes without saying, Granit, being a mainstay at the base of our possession-based approach is going to score well for this particular statistic.
The issue I have with internet stats folk (the amateurs) is the absolute lack of context they give when chucking out isolated numbers they’ve seen in a radar graph. Granit Xhaka is never critiqued for being bad at passing. He’s being taken to task by fans who actually watch the game with their eyes and spot the glaring weaknesses in what he offers the team holistically. Namely, he’s easily rattled under pressure, he makes at least one goal gifting mistake each game, and he lacks mobility in a system that requires an intense pressing philosophy.
We’ve been defending his errors for 2 and a bit seasons. During that time, he’s sat at the base of our midfield as we’ve been humiliated 10-2 in the Champions League. He’s been part of relegating ourselves to Europa League. He’s reinforced the idea that we’re soft through the middle and easy to bully in midfield. Is it all his fault? No. But you can’t doubt he’s a chunk of the reason we are where we are.
Unai Emery has an extremely unbalanced squad at Arsenal. He doesn’t have the basic component pieces you need to win a Premier League title, and the most frustrating challenge is the problematic parts are his most expensive. The manager is trying to ring in the new era playing his best players, not the right ones.
Granit Xhaka might be a formidable distributor of the ball from deep, but he’s a doughnut when it comes to defending, he makes unforced errors on the regular and his lack of pace and power make him a weak point to exploit.
Aaron Ramsey is a force to be reckoned with on the pitch and ideally, you’d have him leading the press, but in a more advanced position, he lacks creativity and discipline.
Mesut Ozil is the most precious of flowers, he needs to be correctly watered, manicured and fed to be able to exist in the modern system. Even then, he doesn’t like tough games away from him and he hides in games against the top 6. He doesn’t like playing out on the right and when he does it stifles our fullback, but when he’s playing in his favoured #10 role he can’t cope with defensive duties.
The manager also needs to make a decision on a keeper who rattles the defence. Seeing the Telegraph write things like ‘Ignore your manager’ is why the British sports press is dying. What needs to happen is the manager needs to make the tough decision, and it’s clear that Cech is not going to adapt to the passing game at 36 years old.
Emery needs to make decisive decisions that are going to look odd from the outside, one of them is going to have to be putting Xhaka on the bench and opting for a more mobile centre midfield. His challenge is that MG and LT would give us better cover, but they both lack experience and possibly the passing range Xhaka offers us. But ultimately, they’ll give us power, pace and the aggression we’ve lacked with Xhaka there. We could also operate with Aaron Ramsey playing a more central role next to LT, but Ramsey would need to do things like not bomb forward and play up front in the last ten minutes of a game you’re hanging onto by a thread.
My fear is the manager is caught between a rock and a hard place. He’s hanging on the past with his starting line-ups, then ruffling feathers with early changes. He needs to go hard at what is right. As G Nev said the other week, don’t go half arsed and back your vision.
Let’s see where that goes.
See you in the comments where I’ll be giving you all xG ratings for agreeing with me.
x
Marko
More tedious ramblings, get yourself a little 9-5 and you won’t be so bored
The odd thing with you Charlie is how you latch on to things and never let go
You were a true AKB (presumably still are at heart and suffering)
You won’t hear a bad word said about xhaka entirely regardless of how many times he’s played badly
Arteta is a dream boat apparently
Funny thing is how can someone say that Emery doesn’t guarantee excitement has anyone looked at his record over the years and the football he had Valencia/Sevilla/PSG playing? Not to mention how little he emphasizes in defending.
China
You’re just not very good at reading and fill in as and where you see fit. None of the above is true, just iterations you’ve concocted because you don’t give alternative opinion any time of day.
As I say, your ilk are a waste of time
Pedro you too always latch on to some story or another and try to run with it
You sold the Ivan is legit story for a decade and now after 8 odd years of shite and 18 months of passable he might be out
And you latched on to the arteta at all costs route ‘because bold’ which completely goes against your usual style of actually being thoughtful and analytical
I can take a walk around my neighborhood naked this evening , a few people might refer to me as bold…majority though will have other more appropriate words for that
LMAO.. the fvck is this bros
As I’ve said, explaining anything to you is like explaining things to a dog.”
ouch…
Charlie’s argument is basically this Arteta would be a good appointment… how come… unknown.
It’s brilliant really.
Lol Pedro banned for criticizing you?
“Charlie’s argument is basically this Arteta would be a good appointment… how come… unknown.“
Still a mile off Fido
Ah I wasn’t banned I just got a comment blocked for using a naughty word apparently
Anyway, there you have it guys
Charlie wasn’t AKB
He doesn’t defend xhaka to the hilt
And he doesn’t want Arteta ‘because exciting’
Never mind that everybody has read all 1000 of your posts over the previous years saying all those things Charlie. Just say nope and people will forget. That’s some next level Jedi mind tricks
Dunno why the discussion re:Arteta is still been over flogged…its quite a simple concept, It would have been a hire that would stoke interest and made fans sit up and take notice, I mean it’s not as if much is expected from Emery this season, in that light Arteta would have brought along unpredictability and fresh mind to instill his own belief and ideas into the team, at the very least it would have brought bums back to seat and see what the fuss what about
the arteta signing would have been equivalent to promoting the dishwasher to head chef cause he’s been watching how the chef cooks and occasionally makes the sauce under the chefs guidance. It would be total chaos. But I’m glad arteta went back to washing dishes and staying under the tutelage of le chef.
China
It’s there in black and white, feel free. But yea, I think I’ll be the authority on what positions I’ve taken vs letting you play judge. You’re another that reads what you want and runs off in directions unknown
I don’t particularly find it “exciting” when cech has the ball at his feet.
I suppose I would liken it to watching a horror movie, hands over your face, peeking through your fingers, scared at what’s coming next….
Vic
Just a token few trying to turn a perfectly reasonable comment into something else entirely. Not sure why I’m that surprised, but exactly what you say is how i see it.
You’d do awesome in a court of law
‘So Charlie you said in your statement to the police that you were at the scene of the crime’
‘Nope.’
China
Except you’re missing the part where what ive said is rehashed differently by some bored guy in Asia…
Victorious,
“Dunno why the discussion re:Arteta is still been over flogged…its quite a simple concept, It would have been a hire that would stoke interest and made fans sit up and take notice”
What interest are you stoking up? This is Arsenal FFS, we don’t need attention because we’ve had it for the past half decade.
It would be like taking notice of a high speed police chase.
Isn’t this hard enough to view than to have the media keep saying that ” oh what if he had more experience” every time the manager stumbles.
im not sure that arteta is A list enough to put bums on seats
A gamble on Vieira or Henry would’ve done that. Arteta was a bland player and hasn’t done anything to stand out since apart from his age
Pierre
I suppose I would liken it to watching a horror movie, hands over your face, peeking through your fingers, scared at what’s coming next….
unless you are 10 years old, that is not acceptable. Who gets scared by a horror movie?
Ah Charlie so to clarify I was wrong about you
You’ve been wenger out for several years
You think xhaka isn’t very good
You don’t rate arteta on the grounds that he’s an unknown quantity under pep who knows arsenal
I’m glad we’re in total agreement on everything
if Unai wasn’t going to get the job, I want another proven manager to have gotten the Job. Not Arteta, not Henry, not Viera. They can go play house with someone else’s toys. Or sit in front of the PS4 playing manager. The last thing Arsenal FC needs, is to stop being an experiment club for up and coming managers. We haven’t won the league for 14 years. You want to have a project or experiment, do it with the players, not the manager.
Forget about Arteta, pointless argument. Emery is in charge so let’s hope he can work things out and get the fan base behind him. He probably needs to forget about trying to play out from the back with cech in goal.. As yet it hasn’t cost us any goals but that is more through luck than judgement. There are obvious moves he can make to improve the team, which I believe would have 100% support of the fan base.. Start torriera and lacazette. To continue leaving them on the bench will give the impression that he is incompetent. That’ll do… Read more »
Agreed Pierre
Laca, Torreira and Leno and I think we’ll be 10-15% better immediately which is a solid step
The league needs to deduct points from Spuds. The way the keep rearranging heir games has become embarrassing.
CC
Just a token few trying to turn a perfectly reasonable comment into something else entirely.
No prize for guessing who the prime suspects are, always needlessly making mountain out of molehill.
Just a token few trying to turn a perfectly reasonable comment into something else entirely
You’d swear someone put the words Arteta and certain excitement and Emery and dull as dishwater in his mouth. Is that it Charles did someone force you to say that? Notify the authorities
I wonder how much the Gazidis uncertainty took away from the tail end of the summer transfer activity?
Gazidis still has to coordinate the backroom team and the manager. I just wonder is having his head turned away wasn’t an issue.
The club needs to help him make up his mind.
China Nobody is A list until they get a chance Bet you were laughing at the appointments I’d zidane and pep when they happneded Don’t forget Jose was just a translator. Arteta could be the second coming for all you know and he’s revered by the city players and staff. I like emery and want him to succeed but you’re being extremely facetious in trying to insist that the lads who thought Arteta would have been an exciting choice said anything OTHER THAN THAT. I’d like to see what he can do and if Unai does get the chop at… Read more »
Una nai/Don
“Bet you were laughing at the appointments I’d zidane and pep when they happneded
Don’t forget Jose was just a translator”
Zidane manged Real Madrid B
Pep managed the Barca team in the segunda
Jose had to prove his mettle in Porto
Is that all you’ve got.
You love Sanogo and rate Xhaka highly so it’s not quite a surprise that you wanted Arteta too.
Vic
Very true, front and centre as per. Not a debate to be had with certain folk on here, they come charging in stating what’s being said without actually reading. Idk about you but I’ve no patience for that nonsense at this point
What interest are you stoking up? This is Arsenal FFS, we don’t need attention because we’ve had it for the past half decade.”
Obviously, no wonder fans are staying away these days.. nothing interesting to see, I mean do we really have any player remotely delightful to watch these days..Unlike previous years this current team from staff to players are boring to watch
Arteta’s philosophy and experience of the game lies in a perfect middle ground between the ‘old Arsenal’ and the new interpretations and approaches to the game, based essentially on the same principles and values of the club.
Gonsterous
Was zidane or pep proven before their chance?
vic
Arteta’s philosophy and experience of the game lies in a perfect middle ground between the ‘old Arsenal’ and the new interpretations and approaches to the game, based essentially on the same principles and values of the club.
the old arsenal ? The old arsenal was a team built from the back. The saying 1-0 to the arsenal was a nod to our defensive stability. Or is the old arsenal just what Wenger and his values for you ??
Dissenter
Sorry?? I love sanogo? Do I? News to me. But why bother asking me when you know everything there is to know about me
Hardly proven too rate though were they? And Jose had to be given the Porto job. He didn’t prove anything but his tactical awareness. He had no previous.
I’d say that arteta being at city and tearing up the peen would rank higher than managing Barca b in a dog shit league for experience
Unai they were not
They were however inheriting two of the best squads in recent history
Pep inherited messi, xavi, iniesta, puyol
Zidane got Ronaldo, benzene, bale, Ramos, Kroos, Modric
At arsenal arteta would’ve inherited Mustafi, ozil and Lacazette
Now even if arteta is the dogs bollocks, he’d have a hell of a task on with this squad and no experience to guide him.
The proof is in the pudding that the same basic squads that Zidane and pep had great success before/after they arrived/left because their squads were world class already.
I mean how did Jose land the Porto job dissenter? What proven track record did he have?
Zidane and pep at Thise two clubs were every bit the wild card that arteta would be for arsenal. The only exception being that arteta would be under less and pressure
UN nai yes zidane and pep were proven. They came into a side that was set up for them to fit in. They weren’t left field signings with the hope of surprising people. Pep learnt the barca ways when he coached the B team, so did zidane. They came into the team and slowly pushed their views while still not moving away from what the club was. That’s the mark of a good manager. arteta on the other hand wasn’t coming to arsenal to fit in. We are a broken team in dire need to direction and change. what team… Read more »
When you have an elite squad of proven title winners, you can afford to experiment a lot more.
Paul Clement
Yes Pedro used to sing his praises and recommended him as an exciting bold name to take a punt on…it was based on nothing except for the fact he used to sit besides Ancelloti..we have all witnessed the car crash his career has been so far
unnai
your arguments are mental. So if arteta could turn arsenal into winners, I’m sure he would have no problem just turning up at Madrid or barca and really winning the league right ? With no experience at all. Are you saying that ? if not, then how do you expect him to succeed at arsenal. A club that’s run worse than Madrid and Barca.
Idk about you but I’ve no patience for that nonsense at this point”
Basically, this certain few really have no interest in challenging points raised or holding up a debate, just picking and choosing parts of what’s been said and running away with it score to score imaginary points
really wouldn’t begrudge you, the ankle biting as become tedious and irritating.
So it’s settled, Unnai thinks Arteta will win the league with Madrid or Barca cause he has the element of surprise on his side. And hey, at least he knows Spanish so that’s not a problem.
Fucking lol
UN nai yes zidane and pep were proven. They came into a side that was set up for them to fit in. They weren’t left field signings with the hope of surprising people. Pep learnt the barca ways when he coached the B team, so did zidane. Gonsterous Oh you mean like arteta did when he was at arsenal? You don’t think he’d have taken a similar philosophy to Wenger and improved upon it? pep reinvented Barcelona and created completely unique brand of football. Tika takka was his. Zidane?? Do me a favour a season or two before Jose was… Read more »
Gonsterous Right. Stop being a dick I never said arteta would win anything did I? But you can’t deny that pep and zidane were fucking insane choices for high pressure clubs And look how well it turned out Both knew the culture of he clubs right? And arteta knows ours How the hell do you know he wouldn’t be successful? Or even better than emery or late Wenger? You don’t have a clue. That’s all I’m saying I don’t know either. But I’m open to the possibility You aren’t. Maybe you should follow chelsea Closed minded, pragmatic, dull, transfer window… Read more »
Dull bag Mourinho won the league with many of the same (world class) squad that Zidane did
Congrats to Zidane for doing awesomely tho. Nobody is calling Zidane or pep less than great appointments. But because they were inspired (and inheriting elite squads) it doesn’t make arteta a similar category and he wouldn’t inherit their elite squads either
UN nai
philosophy of wenger ?
Wenger didn’t know what he was doing in the last 2 seasons at the club. Look at the players we have, you think they can play tiki taka like the prime midfielders Wenger had ? No, so what philosophy was arteta going to use that was wengers ?
the old “go out there and express yourself ?”
unnai
You don’t have a clue. That’s all I’m saying
unnai
You don’t have a clue. That’s all I’m saying
I don’t know either. But I’m open to the possibility.
and there you have it, you made my point for me. That’s why I back emery. Cause I know what to expect from him and I back him. This isn’t the time for arsenal to go around looking for a manager that no one knows what to expect. We need to have clear goals to get back to being the big boys. Not buy a lotto ticket and hope it’s a winner.
China
He inherited them and made them into what they were
Nobody talked of xavi and iniesta the way they do now until pep got them.
He cultivates he style that harnessed their abilities
Look at the difference with Messi at Barca and Argentine
Why can’t he play for the national side?
He’s never been the same since pep left either
His game dropped a level or two downto Ronaldo’s level
Evening all.
Guns, Pedro and the rest of you silly sausages that want Arteta, really!
Mikels arteta played for
Rangers, Real Sociedad, PSG and Everton.
Do you know what they all have in common?
They all needed a new manager 3 months ago but strangely didn’t go for peps favourite cone man, but he is good enough to manage our club, With no experience.
PSG are bigger than us but why didn’t the other three go for him?
It’s not that we know arteta wouldn’t be successful. He might be the smartest move ever and win us 10 back to back CLs We’ll never know The point isn’t proving that he can’t do it it’s the need to prove that he can do it The remit is to find the person who is most likely to improve us in a short time, surely Based off that remit we look at the candidates and see who seems to be most likely to tick those boxes plus some others such as not rocking the boat or spending too much money… Read more »
fking hell china, isn’t it like 3:30 in the morning over there ?
China
I’m not even saying we should have hired him. What I’m saying is maybe he should t be dismissed if he’s thought of so highly. Other, bugger sides have taken bigger gambles and struck serious gold
Dude it is.
It’s 3:36 and I can’t sleep. Tomorrow’s another 9am to 8pm shift so looks like it’s gonna be a shit day.
:(((
Look we have who we got.
FFS let the man do his job.
To many of you played champions manager thinking you can solve problems overnight…lord above.
I don’t dismiss his ability in seriousness. What I dismiss is other people having so much confidence in someone they basically don’t know anything about. None of us do outside of a few quotes. I literally accept he might end up the best manager ever. I’ve no idea! It’s not the possibility that he might be quality that I challenge in seriousness, it’s the fact that when our house is engulfed in flames people want to seriously look at someone who has no record to stand for him. We are a complete mess so how can people have so much… Read more »
China
But pep and zidane hasn’t displayed anything like the capabilities needed to take Madrid and Barca to the next level other than with their footballing ideas rather than their (at the time) unproven implementations.
Arteta is Saif to be highly rated by arguably the greatest footballing mind in the game today, one of the all time greats. Maybe the all time great. That’s some endorsement
I don’t know if emery is going to be a success but I do believe in the moment he was a reasonable choice and I’ll give him a solid chance to prove that decision right
I hope it pays off
Unai nai
I mistook you for Valentin
He’s the dude that idolized Sanogo
My bad.
Pep is awesome but even Niel Warnock would get top 2 in La Liga with the squads that pep had
Arteta is Saif to be highly rated by arguably the greatest footballing mind in the game today, one of the all time greats. Maybe the all time great. That’s some endorsement
yah the same pep who said Wilshire was great and also said there were tons of wilsheres in Spain.
If someone is working with me and some one from the papers ask me how’s the bloke? what do you think I’m going to do ?
Talk about his positives and big him up or talk about his negatives and Create a hostile environment when I’m back at the office?
I just don’t get it with this Arteta love in. To be honest, the more I’ve thought about this, it’s better we didn’t hire Arteta. He was a part of everything that was wrong at Arsenal for 5 years. He saw it and felt it on a daily basis and although some on here feel it would have been beneficial to bring him back into the fold, I don’t. To assume that Emery was an easy option is being totally disrespectful to a guy who has achieved far more in the game than most managers out there and, most importantly,… Read more »
Gonsterous
So what are you saying now? Pep is a bad judge of talent? Are you deliberately doubling down just to slate arteta? As I said previously I’m not saying he would have swept all before him. I have no way of knowing. But neither do you so how can you be so condescending and arrogant?
unnai
Zidane and pep would fail in this arsenal side. Pep almost failed at city but then went on to spend money that, had he demanded at arsenal, Stan would have booked his flight back to spain. Can pep do it with an average squad ? No one knows but Every one will be willing to gamble on pep cause he’s record states he’s the best.
Even PSG wouldn’t get Arteta for fear that he’ll screw the league, something that they can walk through.
Up4 grabs
PSG are not, and never have been, bigger than Arsenal.
It’s not all about money you know.
Mikels arteta played for
Rangers, Real Sociedad, PSG and Everton.Do you know what they all have in common?They all needed a new manager 3 months ago but strangely didn’t go for peps favourite cone man
I assume they were scared of the unknown quantity that is Arteta. That or he didn’t play alongside 44% of the players at those clubs. Apparently that’s important
unnai yes pep is a bad judge of talent. He has a long list of players that has gone on to be the best in the world. He also has a long list of players that sucked when playing for him. He bought a keeper for city, had to sell him when he failed and bought a new one. Arsenal fans would have crucified him for that. Ibrahimovic, bought by Pep, didn’t know how to use him. Vidal was great at juventus, pep bought him, turned into shit. So you are telling me there’s not even a 50% chance that… Read more »
goetze was great for Dortmund, pep took him to bayern and killed his career, fabregas was going to one of the best players in the world at arsenal. pep took him to barca and fked around. So people need to stop thinking that just because pep says someone is good, he’s going to become good.
9.03
China
Very good point.
If moureen had to go to a club like Watford or Leicester with moderate funds
He wouldn’t last
I see say the same thing about pep…
A good manager will shine through like porch an hopefully Emery
Michael24,
PSG are a bigger side than us at the moment,
Better set up, better players, and have won the league title recently, something we haven’t done in 14 years.
They also have the 3rd best player in the world and best up and coming youngster in mbappe.
No one wants to belittle there own club but don’t be so one eyed about it.
Gonsterous
Have you actually read anything I’ve posted? Read this I AM NOT SYIMG ARTETA WOULD DO WELL.
I don’t know. How could I.
I’m just saying that he shouldn’t be dismissed because he could well be a tactical genius and a fantastic man manager and coach.
So take the blinkers off and read what my posts properly before you respond. Good lad
Gonsterous
Hahahah
Yeah yeah yeah
Ibrahimovic, cesc, bla bla bla
He’s not there to get the best out of every single player though is he gonsterous? He’s there to extract the maximum from the team. How did he do at Barca overall despite the “failings” of cesc and ibra?
Anyway. This ain’t about how well pep did at whatever club it’s about taking a chance on a man who could very well prove to be a legend. We will know one day
What’s going on at Charlton
Unbackable at the moment
Why we always have intnstional breaks …SEP Oct Nov… All bollocks
World cup should be every 5 years and last for 3 months
All teams take part k o first couple of rounds thrn group stages
Un na naai
Shouldn’t waste your time with gonsterous.. He’s a grade one dick… Wouldn’t give him the time of day.
9.30
AKBs on full on deflection mode! Enjoying every bit of it! Let’s win ugly against the Toons in 2 weeks time and maybe we will get to read more twisted comments subtly pointing how the current defence/midfiled/attack/kitman is as shit as it was before.. Hence if you are praising current manager, definitely the one before “should” also be praise worthy. The hell this squad is substandard, because your Almighty lord left behind this mess and it cannot be corrected in ONE transfer window and FOUR games into the season. If that fails, deflect further hinting Arteta “could” emulate Pep’s and… Read more »
Just wow.
Pierre
Had to show him how flawed his views are
There are some rumours that Arsenal tried to sign Pepe from Lille at the end of the window and are battling with Sevilla, Lyon and others to try and get an agreement in place for the January window.
He is a winger, from 36 appearances last year he got 13 goals and 4 assists and this year from 4 appearances he has 1 goal and 3 assists so far.
Interesting.
Cc this is in reference to your earlier posts regarding Arteta. You are a decent poster but how can a untried guy generate excitement and not UE. We are just being knee jerk reactionaries . V said that Arteta’s reaction to a goal was great . So that’s what the managers attribute has to be. It’s so absurd that it doesn’t need any reaction.
NW9 Did you read the full back and forth of what I said earlier? I ask that genuinely, because a lot of noise followed after input from a select few. I was commenting on the club and how they’ve fucked up heading into this season. I noted that the new manager should’ve been known by March and in place instead of curtailing an already short World Cup summer window. I too stated the recruitment was laborious, the player recruitment was meek at best, and the general anticipation for this next era was massively underwhelming as opposed to the hugely exciting… Read more »
Pep did not inherit a a great Barcelona team. He made it. He promoted Messi from the youth team. I think that Iniesta was a fringe player. Now Guardiola is regarded as one of the best manager, but at the time his appointment was viewed as a huge gamble. Same thing with Zidane, who had been less than successful without the youth teams. In France, most pundits were betting on how long before he would be sacked. Different view of the world. The choice of who Arsenal appointed after Wenger was a direct choice between two different approaches: Do you… Read more »
Why do you say we are miles off from top four. Just four games and you have reacted. Whatever the failures will of UE we have won two games on the trot and should have won against Chelsea. Only our second win away this year. Any deviation from the assumption we make about the team selection and we become arm chair managers
Valentine potentially a great manager on what basis?
Forward thinking decision? Potential managerial star? All this on accolade showered on a number three?
Why not Rui Faria then? Why not Buvac? Since all one needs to be a potential star is a stint as number two or three and some nice articles from your media pals based on nothing
Lenny Henry>Lenny Emery
Up4grabs.
So your take on being a bigger club is based on what they have and where they are at present.
PSG/ MC/ Chelski are clubs that have been bankrolled.
Take the individual wealth afforded to them away and none would be big clubs.
Neymar/M’bappe etc were paid for by Qatar Sports Investments, not a business model.
All true fans know who are, and who are not, the truly big clubs.
Too many fans have forgotten the historical implications of the game.
First point I did not mentioned Arteta, I just stated that there was a different approach that would have me more excited. Now on Arteta itself. When at Arsenal, Arteta was one of the few people willing to argue with Wenger. And we all know how Wenger treats people who do not toe his party line. He was also able to make his point in term of tactics and training that impressed most people at Colney. Wenger did not listen, but at least respected the way Arteta conducted himself. When Arteta retired, Gazidis tried to have him join the back… Read more »
But I ask you, what’s “good” for us this season? What’s par for Emery?
CL. . Either by top 4 or Europa. Not the end of the world if:
We show that we are getting better and progressively worse like we have under wenger the last dozen years.
We show a system that is working for us and show signs that we are headed in the right direction and that next season will be a great one.
Players showing belief. Determination. Passion. Playing for the Cannon.
The anti-Emery passion being shown on here is pathetic.
Look at how many years these same people tolerated the crap dished out by Wenger and yet they now start turning against Emery after only 4 games.
Michael24, you seem to confuse between into Historical and and currently Big Club. Historically Huddersfield, Aston Villa, Leeds, Nottingham Forest were big clubs. But nobody would qualify them today as big clubs. They are clubs with big potential but potential is nothing if you don’t have the resources to achieve your potential. If you are a neutral and you have no idea of the History behind most clubs, none of the big historical clubs would be considered as big clubs. Now if you are a professional footballer, usually two things will motivate you: money and the chance to win silverware.… Read more »
some people needs to realise that criticising Emery is not synonym of endorsing Wenger.
But it looks like we had the AKB cult and now we have the Unai Emery Will Save Us cult.
I am afraid I am part of neither.
Pellegrini has lost his opening 4 games with West Ham yet won two trophies in his first season with super rich Man City. Lol
@Valentin
“He promoted Messi from the youth team”
__
No he didn’t. Rijkaard did.
Micheal
You knew the Akbs would have the pitchforks out right away
Same cunts who kept saying get behind the manager etc.
Hypocrisy at its best
Always said akbs were the worst thing that wenger brought to the club