Emery ushers in a new era of fandom

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Nothing sweeter than logging onto Twitter at night and seeing a flood of incredible moments from a home game against Leicester. Nutmegs, flicks, playing out the back… the exciting part about it all is it’s not just Arsenal fans fawning, it’s people from all sorts of teams.

Wonderful.

You know the other great thing? All of that doom surrounding the broken fanbase proved incorrect. Arsenal isn’t Brexit Britian or Trumps America. We’re fans united by the same thing… a better Arsenal. Sure, it took certain folk way too long to accept Wenger was killing the club, but really, who gives a fuck about that now.

Arsenal fans are united behind progress. It doesn’t matter where the season ends, it cannot be denied that Emery was a great idea. We’ll never have to worry about any sort of regret in making the bold move to embrace the future. You can nitpick over line ups, you can bitch about certain players, that’s table stakes as a football fan. What you can’t do is complain that what you’re being served up now doesn’t thrill.

I’m not just talking about the wins. I’m talking about the joy of being a fan again. Not knowing what the starting line up will be, being surprised by the subs, knowing players are being held accountable, sleeping safely knowing that the things I see are the things the backroom team see x10. It’s no longer a chore to wake up for games, fans aren’t going to feel numb toes in December, there’s no conclusion about the season that can be made with 95% accuracy in August. It’s all up in the air, it’s all very new.

As someone on Twitter said the other day, all fans have always wanted the same thing… a competitive Arsenal. Now it feels like we might be on the verge of that, even if we’re not slugging it out for major honours in year one.

Do the careful what you wish for crowd deserve to be pilloried? No. Can we forgive the folks who enabled 10 years of averageness. Yes. Familiarity, stability and nostalgia are the enemy of sport and fandom. We had the perfect storm of those three. Not only that, we had one of the few managers in the world you could class as an intellect. A whole swath of the fanbase were captivated by a coach in ambition retreat, and they all went along with it because they couldn’t fathom that a man who could talk about philosophy and brexit might not have a fucking clue what he’s doing on the football pitch. That led to screams of ‘the latte class’, ‘fake fans’, ‘spoilt brats’ and a whole range of cataclysmically poor arguments.

‘He DOES do tactics’

‘Injuries aren’t his fault’

‘Do you really need a sporting director?’

‘The players really let him down, I think he knows that this summer’

But fuck it. We’re into the new era. No need for plane banners. No more A4 sheets of protest paper. No more AKB vs elite football thinkers. Just back to minor disagreements about how we set up.

Sure, there’s no doubt we’ll get pulled into a shitstorm when it inevitably goes wrong, but at least the argument won’t last ten years, and at least we’ll never have a manager long enough for fans to have those peculiar daddy issues they had with Arsene Wenger.

Some additional things I’m loving about the Emery era.

Strategic thinking:

I mentioned it briefly yesterday, but having a manager that understands players physical limitations as well as the mental ones is a dream. Watching the players stun the ball on 73 minutes to preserve their energy was a breath of fresh air. Seeing early subs to save legs is dream stuff. Seeing players on the periphery get game time to keep them mentally checked into the setup is masterful.

All basics, but we’re a fanbase not used to the basics being adhered to.

Player improvements:

You’re never going to have 11 world class players at the club, but the power of the team is often enough to move performances to another level. Spurs have been brilliant at this with Poch. He gets so much from that squad through motivation and his knack for improving players. We’re seeing signs of that with Emery, Iwobi has been excellent this year, his game is moving to the next level. We’re seeing kids coming through the rank earlier. We’re seeing new elements of players games emerge. Everyone has a plan in mind.

Ruthless decisions:

When Sanchez fucked us off, he should have been benched. He wasn’t. We allowed him to fester and bring the squad down. Ramsey is on the shit list, likely because he can’t survive with Mesut in the side. We pulled the contract, and we’ve benched him. We all have a soft spot for Aaron, but fuck me, what a brutal process. But… that’s sport. The old regime would have tried to accommodate. I remember being told by someone at Arsenal I was mean for saying Diaby didn’t deserve a new deal… that was the softness of yesteryear. We’d wasted £65k a week on a player who couldn’t play more than 10 games a year because we thought that was what class meant. Not anymore. We are a sporting entity, no one deserves a living, and if you’re not helping the cause, you’re out.

Right, that’s me done for today. See you on the other side my darlings. x

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Bankz

Bankz is here for the Tr4phy again

Boomslang

Here

Bankz

Another BOOOM?

Boomslang

Too late

Bankz

Tr4phy

Ashwin Gunner

Tr4phy

Bankz

Nice one Boomslang

Boomslang

Cheers Bankz. Though you had it.

Emiratesstroller

I have one concern about Arsenal’s current form notwithstanding that we have now won 10 games on the trot. It is that in recent games we have played poorly until half time and have struggled to stay in games. The stats show that Arsenal have scored most of their goals in second half of games. Bluntly Arsenal were second best in the first 30 minutes of game against Leicester and could easily have been two or even three goals down. It is all very well playing brilliant stuff in second half of games, but it does not follow that we… Read more »

mysticleaves

“If Ramsey is a top 6 in his position then I must not watch enough football, because he’s the 3rd best player in his position at arsenal.”

Lol, don’t tell it to Bamford though.

mysticleaves

Honestly I don’t think that AMN is a good defender from the FB positions at all. Having recovery pace does not equate to being a good defender.

When he was played as RFB what I enjoyed most was his combination plays, the versatility in the way he carried the ball and his busts forward. i didn’t think he was a good defender at all.

Kolasinac Is definitely a better defender than AMN in the LFB position. You people should put that one to rest. Better to train him as a CM

Graham62

Pedro Thought about this long and hard but have come to the conclusion that my persistent “blame Wenger for everything campaign” has run it’s course. However, should anyone openly glorify the past few years, I may come back with the classic Basil one liner “Who else is there to blame, you cloth eared bint, Dennis Compton?” Seeing the Emirates crowd on Monday made me realise there is now genuine hope amongst us all. The passion and intensity both on and off the pitch seems to have returned. One final point, if and when the vile and obnoxious brigade return( S14/… Read more »

mysticleaves

Pedro, good post. The positivity about the team is the major thing going around now. Almost everyone now seems interested again. Emery might not take us to ‘the next level’ but I am 100% sure he will try.

Also your little link on the previous thread about Iwobi was a bit revealing but justified what I have known before, about Asensio. Apart from his long shots and the accuracy of it, which is a very handy skill. I doubt that overall he’s quarter as good as people make him to be.

Major_Jeneral

Good post… Pedro where is the next podcast

Emiratesstroller

mysticleaves I think that you are wrong about ABN. He is quick, tackles well and most importantly good in the recovery. What he lacks is “experience”. Last season he played on several occasions in the left back position. Kolasinac is okay offensively, but is not solid or positionally sound in defence. That was why he was dropped last season and replaced by Monreal. If as has been suggested Kolasinac is not rated by Emery then I would consider replacing him with ABN. Arsenal need to find a long term solution in that position, but also finding a role for ABN… Read more »

Rainman

“Do the careful what you wish for crowd deserve to be pilloried? No”.

Yes Pedro they do, okay maybe not Joe levels of pillory, but they do deserve some shit for being enablers of the Vampire Dictator’s reign. God knows they gave us shit for not supporting mediocrity.

” Can we forgive the folks who enabled 10 years of averageness”

Yes we can, provided they eat their humble pie and acknowledge that we were right all along.

Rainman

And we should make all of them take an oath that they will never ever put a man ahead of the club again, no matter how charismatic he may seem. After that all is forgiven.

mysticleaves

“Bayern’s performance against AEK was slow and sluggish, they won 0-2 but the performance was anything but impressive. A major factor in this was their lack of pace, specifically in attack. When you play without pace in attack your passing and movement must be absolutely perfect, and that’s simply not easy to do.”

This was easily our biggest problem before Iwobi offered us a pretty handy outlet. Also we have become better in combination play

AFC Nemesis

Do not underestimate how the removal of the toxicity in the stadium has helped the players. The crowd Monday night was incredible. There is no longer the sighing at misplaced passes or the booing of players, which helps the players perform. Confidence is a key factor in improving players performance, it’s not just about the improved tactics and in- game management Emery has bought to the club. As we saw yesterday on this blog, there are some characters who will choose a player to target just because they take pleasure from abusing someone. That player will then be set-up as… Read more »

Emiratesstroller

The major weakness of Wenger was to turn far too many of his squad into utilitarian players rather than specialists. Emery needs to avoid doing that except perhaps in emergency. I would much rather have a couple of specialists in each position than having as we did have in past far too many players of similar ilk and weaknesses in the squad. That was frankly the problem with Walcott, Ramsey and Chambers. They did not know their role in squad/team and consequently were not good enough in any of them. That is my concern with AMN. He is being used… Read more »

Leftsidesanch

Good post Pedro. Things are going reasonably well, I think the two main things I’m enjoying seeing are the resilience that the team have developed. Going a goal down etc, heads have dropped in the recent past but there is a belief we can turn things around. When Leicester scored, I was in no real panic because I knew we’d give a decent account of ourselves. The second thing is, we seem to be playing with confidence/smiles on our faces. My main reservation is that we take too long to feel our way into a game, We need to perform… Read more »

Bamford10

Nemesis

Iwobi is very average. I’m not going to stop pointing this out simply because you want people to be “positive”. In-stadium atmosphere and the Le Grove comments section are two entirely different things. Sorry.

AFC Nemesis

Leftsidesanch

“The second thing is, we seem to be playing with confidence/smiles on our faces”

This.

Aubamayang always seems to be laughing, I am sure this bloke is the happiest footballer I have ever seen he seems devoid of an ego.

Emiratesstroller

Bamford 10

Iwobi may be in your eyes “average”, but rather like Welbeck a useful player to
have in your squad.

Having 25 world beaters in your squad is going to be problematic, because top
players expect to be starting in every game.

Arsenal have a lot of good players in their squad more than most other clubs,
but they could still do with a couple more world class players.

Bamford10

Emirates

I agree that he is a useful player at the moment. I just don’t think he’s any more than that. That is all.

mysticleaves

Bamford You failed woefully about Coq. You had to change your moniker to “dipshit” because you lost our wager. He basically made you eat your words for 2 seasons playing in the first 11 of The Arsenal where your original claim was that he was not up to requires level to play for Arsenal. When he eventually left, he went to a Valencia that is in the UCL and doing good in their league and he’s an absolute starter over there. You were only “right” because he left, due to circumstances beyond his qualities and also because even a broken… Read more »

Marko

Iwobi is very average.

What does that make Ramsey then?

Bamford10

Mystic I was going to drop the whole thing, but you just want to continue on with it. Coquelin was moved on because he wasn’t good enough for our XI. If he had been good enough for our XI, he’d still be in it. I was correct. I can’t even recall the specific wager you say I lost, but re my basic point that he wasn’t good enough, I was absolutely correct. I am also correct re Iwobi. If you agree that he is nothing more than a useful squad player, then I don’t see why it bothers you so… Read more »

HighburyLegend

“it took certain folk way too long to accept Wenger was killing the club”

And some of them didn’t accept that fact yet, even on Le Grove lol

Marko

Even as good as Ozil was in the second half of the Leicester game (let’s be honest he was pretty dire in the first 35 minutes) and as good as Mhiki is I’d say Iwobi in the last 3-5 games has been in better form than them. It just goes to show how important it is to have pace in the attack could you imagine how explosive we’ll be when we finally have actual wingers in the team.

Bamford10

Mystic And I have given Iwobi praise, btw. I have noted the energy and work-rate he is bringing to the side. Good to see. But I have also noted his limitations. As have others, btw, including Paulinho and TR7. I don’t see why this is such a problem for some of you. He’s a useful squad player. He’s working hard. He’s contributing energy and work-rate. Great. I personally don’t think he’s any more than this. Maybe you do. OK. Different eyes, different opinions. That’s what makes this place interesting. Everyone saying the same thing or only saying positive things because… Read more »

AFC Nemesis

Mysticleaves

“Bamford
You failed woefully about Coq”.

It’s a long list. He was wrong about Giroud being a championship player or Benteke being World Class. Could also mention Bony, Schneirderlein etc.

Marko

I do stand by the claim that Ramsey is a “top tier” player, i.e., one of the top 33 in the world (or equal to such players) when in form. Iwobi, in contrast, is not of that caliber. Which isn’t to say that he’s not more useful to us at the moment, but usefulness is one thing, class is another.

Ramsey top tier and class…top 33 as well… where do you get these numbers from? I’ll wager not from an actual reliable source…by the way not an actual wager guy

Bamford10

Marko

Iwobi doesn’t have pace. He runs a lot. Energy and running, however, are not pace. These are two entirely different things.

And Ozil was the decisive factor the other night. Iwobi getting MOTM can only be down to people wanting to reward his work-rate. Without Ozil, we don’t score even one of those three goals.

Ozil was fantastic the other night. World class. Iwobi worked hard.

Bamford10

Nemesis

I have no idea who you are — you strike me as an Untold type — but I never said Giroud was a championship player (I said he wasn’t good enough to be our #1) and I never said Benteke was “world class”.

You should try not lying, guy.

Dissenter

Bamford You’re the only one here who thinks Iwobi is average. K dare say that virtually everyone disagrees with yo. You’re entitled to your as much opinion as anyone but that should tell you that maybe you’re missing something in the picture. The lad was selected as the Motm in that game you’re pillorying him for. It just reminds me of the all time doozies you’ve had; Morata is better than Giroud Beneteke is class Harry Kane isn’t world class We can add the Iwobi comment to it. …you’ve made the Iwobi opinion known already so give it up because… Read more »

Dissenter

Ozil had one of his best games at Arsenal in 2 years …. and yet Iwobi was named motm. How do you explain that if he just “worked hard”

The praise of Iwobi has been modest and very selective. All people are saying is that he’s the most improved player under Emery and has cemented a starting position.

Marko

Bam you continue to show your ignorance and lack of understanding for the sport you claim to be knowledgeable about if all you can say about Iwobi in his current form is he works hard. You are honestly trying your hardest to show you know fuck all really. Also running and pace are the same thing really

duvee

Iwobi is on a fantastic run at the moment. By far the best of his career. However he still needs to add goals and assists to his game. His work rate is definitely improving but will he ever have the final product of a top top forward. I’m not so sure.

Marko

You’d look more credible if you were calling him average when he was playing average but he’s not he’s playing well and when someone is playing well that makes them a good player. If for example I was to say Ramsey is gash and not an elite top 33 player I would be right because he’s playing trash right now playing like a top 34 player am I right

Jamie

Iwobi does have pace. He’s one of our fastest players. In fact, he’s only marginally slower than Bellerin.

https://talksport.com/football/414831/arsenals-first-team-players-ranked-pace-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-official-speed-test-results/

Bamford10

Dissenter

Except that I’m not “pillorying” him. He had a decent match. He worked hard. He did have a lot of poor touches — as others have also pointed out — but overall he contributed a lot. Mostly via work-rate. And work-rate, btw, is the only explanation for his MOTM award, and this is why none of you are pointing to any great passes he made or great chances he created. Because he didn’t have any of these.

He worked very hard. That is all.

Marko

However he still needs to add goals and assists to his game

Sky threw up a stat mid game where it said he had been involved in something like 6 or 8 goals in recent games. He’s clearly improved on his final ball and getting more decisive in the final third

Bamford10

Marko

“Also running and pace are the same thing really.”

Oh boy. So now everyone who runs, runs at the same pace. Great argument, Marko.

Marko

Average player works hard and that’s seemingly enough to get starts over a top tier level player like Aaron Ramsey. Is that right

Bamford10

Max speed is not a great thing to look at when thinking of a player’s pace on the field, as it is very rare that a player even gets up to full speed. Far more relevant is a player’s pace in his first three yards, five yards, ten yards. And you’ll note that Sokratis looks “pacy” — pacier than Iwobi in fact — according to that max speed table. Sokratis is not pacy, however. Hopefully we don’t have to argue about that.

Pierre

Marko
“Sky threw up a stat mid game where it said he had been involved in something like 6 or 8 goals in recent games. ”

And there I was thinking that stats are pointless .

duvee

Average player works hard and that’s seemingly enough to get starts over a top tier level player like Aaron Ramsey. Is that right I think it is a form thing though. Iwobi is in great form for a few weeks now. He was distinctly average for the past few years before that. He deserves to start ahead of Ramsey and others but I’m not going to get too excited yet. I’ll reserve that for another few months. Hopefully he kicks on now and becomes one of the first names on the teamsheet. For the weekend I would drop Mhiky and… Read more »

Marko

Oh boy. So now everyone who runs, runs at the same pace. Great argument, Marko.

Did i say that? Your original statement energy and running aren’t pace… I mean at this stage it’s classic Bamford he gives an idiotic opinion it’s met with counter arguments and then he just digs his heels in because he can’t be seen as knowing fuck all about football. It’s just another day in the Bamford show really

Dissenter

Bamford
Does Ramsey have good pace or falls into the “running” category.
I think you’ve always conflated good movement, burst of acceleration and “pace”.
The “lack of pace” argument has always been your stock attack line when you want to dismiss players. You’ve used it against Harry Kane, Giroud and now Iwobi.
Funny enough, you’ve never held it against Ramsey, why is that?

AFC Nemesis

Bamford Here we go again more deflection whenever you are challenged on the rubbish you spout. You said Iwobi doesn’t have pace, which is simply not true. You also said he has a poor first touch, something that is one of his qualities. What the hell are you watching on those highlight shows? You do know he’s the Nigerian bloke, wearing red with the number 17 on his back? You might have confused him with one of the stewards. This nonsense is up there with Giroud being a championship player and your hero worship of Benteke. For someone so arrogant… Read more »

Bamford10

Yes, Marko, that’s right: a hard-working squad player can contribute more than a cocky top-tier player who has long been infected by Hollywoodism and who has never really settled into a single position.

Do you have a point?

Bamford10

Nemesis

You can repeat those lies all you like, guy; they remain lies. I never said those things, and only a scoundrel resorts to lying.

Golikethis

….sleeping safely knowing that the things I see are the things the backroom team see x10
Xhaka???

Marko

And there I was thinking that stats are pointless

No no Pierre they’re important when you’re trying to prove that a player is actually playing well whereas with you you were throwing up stats trying to prove Ozil was playing well when he wasn’t. Credit where credit is due he was excellent second half Monday and everyone was talking about the last time he played like that and that probably says it all really

Dissenter

I was openly derisory and dismissive of Iwobi when he signed his contract extension in the summer. I didn’t see a potentially spectacular player in him.
But boy was at wrong. He’s ,asking me eat my humble pie.
I dare say that he’s been the most consistent player this season and is on course to win that much cherished fans player of the year award (if he doesn’t lose form)
The same one Ramsey fans use to celebrate him all the time, even when he won it in our shittiest season in a long time.

Dissenter

***He’s making me eat my humble pie

Jamie

Bamford –

I’m not saying the results aren’t surprising, but max speed is surely relevant to ‘pace’ over the distance these tests are conducted, which I think is 30m.

I concede that they don’t all accelerate at the same rate over 10m, but Iwobi always seems to me to cover the distance from box to box quicker than most, with or without the ball. He might not be a lightning rod, but he’s no slouch.

Not sure what to make of the Sokratis numbers.

Marko

Look I don’t want to be wasting another day talking to you Bam just tell me where you got that Ramsey is a top tier and specifically top 33 player? I mean if he’s that what is Xhaka?

Bamford10

Dissenter Yeah, it’s strange that I have said of players who lack pace that they lack pace. Now why would I do that? Maybe … because … they lack pace? Do you know what I didn’t say about Theo Walcott? That he lacked pace. Because he didn’t lack pace. He lacked dribbling, close control, quality in small spaces, cleverness. As for Ramsey, he certainly isn’t pacy — though I wouldn’t say he’s slow — but pace isn’t really what any reasonable observer would criticize Ramsey for. His decision-making, his positioning, his work-rate at times; these are the things he deserves… Read more »

Dissenter

Is it “classy” for players to take selfies with pitch invaders?
That’s what Ronaldo do at OT yesterday. I’ve never seen that before and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. It may just encourage more pitch invaders.

Bamford10

Marko

I didn’t “get it” from anywhere, guy. That’s my own view. This was covered in a discussion here weeks ago.

DivineSherlock

Isn’t it amazing people are still buzzing after that win against Leicester. Cant get enough of those goals. What a delight Emery is. I feel confident against Liverpool now. Wish Emery had prime Koscielny to work with.

Bamford10

Dissenter

“I didn’t see a potentially spectacular player.”

So much for the everyone-here-knows-he-is-simply-a-squad-player line.

Pierre

Marko
“Even as good as Ozil was in the second half of the Leicester game (let’s be honest he was pretty dire in the first 35 minutes) ”

Here’s a stat Marko to prove it a player is playing well or “dire”.I

Ozil …first 20 minutes …100% pass completion with 20 passes during that period.

Dissenter

Bamford
“As for Ramsey, he certainly isn’t pacy — though I wouldn’t say he’s slow — but pace isn’t really what any reasonable observer would criticize Ramsey for. His decision-making, his positioning, his work-rate at times; these are the things he deserves criticism for. Pace doesn’t come into it”

Ahhhhh
You’ve just complimented Ramsey for his “positioning” when it’s clear that he has never shown a sense of positioning in the midfield.

Dissenter

Bamford
I didn’t see a “potentially spectacular player” when he signed his deal in July. I was openly dismissive at the time.

Now I see that player. If he keeps his form he can become one of the staples of our team for many years to come.

Bamford10

Dissenter

You seem to be struggling with reading comprehension this morning, mate. I was clearly saying that those are things he deserves criticism for. Re-read.

Pierre

And a stat for iwobi ..first 20 minutes….50% completion..

Make of that what you will …

What do these stats prove Marko .

Marko

I didn’t “get it” from anywhere, guy. That’s my own view. This was covered in a discussion here weeks ago

So a wrong view then

AFC Nemesis

Bamford

“As for Ramsey, he certainly isn’t pacy — though I wouldn’t say he’s slow”

I’m crying.

The absolute bollocks you’ve started to come out with is very amusing. You need a bigger spade to get out of that hole mate.

Marko

I’m not sure Pierre that Ozil made the kind of passes you and I could make and that Iwobi was trying to do things that got us out of trouble to turn the game. He’s not known for his passing by the way

AFC Nemesis

Ozil was the best player on the pitch Monday night in my opinion.

World Class player. He was virtually unplayable, made us tick and we need this on a consistent basis. Giving up International football could be such a benefit for us.

Pierre

Marko
Now let’s see…your stat of iwobi being involved in 6-8 goals this season is proof he is playing well but if I give you a stat that ozil created the most chances in Europe for the first half of last season proves nothing …..is that right….

shaun ellis

“Personally I do not understand why we do not play both Aubameyang and Lacazette at the start of games. We have seen that a twin threat of both these players opens up most teams.” the midfield is not defensively correct and neither is the defense.The coach knows this and needs to be cautious that is pretty obvious. Aubameyang does not have the best defensive qualities on the left out of the attackers we have available.when introduced later in the game with the opposing teams defenders tied legs they still have to mark lacca tightly but are exposed to the in… Read more »

Pierre

Marko “I’m not sure Pierre that Ozil made the kind of passes you and I could make and that Iwobi was trying to do things that got us out of trouble to turn the game. He’s not known for his passing by the way” Put it this way Marko ,if all our 10 outfield players had a 100% pass rate in the first 20 minutes I can guarantee you that we would have been the better team in that period instead of being outplayed . Of course he plays a lot of easy balls but sometimes that is what the… Read more »

Bamford10

Dissenter “Now I see that player.” Right, and you thus prove my point. You see a potentially “spectacular” player in Iwobi. I see a hard-working squad player who can be useful to us at times but who lacks the quality to become a top player. So we disagree. Which is fine. But last night and this morning, certain people here tried to say that I had no point re Iwobi because everyone here knows that Iwobi is nothing more than a squad player. Except that it’s clear (from your comment and others) that some people see a good deal more… Read more »

mysticleaves

Yes, Marko, that’s right: a hard-working squad player can contribute more than a cocky top-tier player who has long been infected by Hollywoodism and who has never really settled into a single position.

Yes, and somehow you made out that Ramsey is top33 in the world. For your information, top33 means 3rd 11 and in every 11 there’s basically only 2 CMs. So basically you are saying Ramsey is top6 CM in the world.

Even if all the teams played 433 that would be top10 CMs in world football. oh boy.

Pierre

Iwobi had an excellent last hour of the game his decision making was very good as were his dribbling skills and yes I do think iwobi has a very good burst of pace.

He has been our most improved player this season and he along with bellerin have improved their final ball which is a credit to emery.

Bamford10

Mystic

Yes, or as good as such players. When in form. Absolutely. And this is precisely how Ramsey has been talked about by all and sundry commentators when he has been in form. What I am saying of Ramsey is precisely what a Frank Lampard would say of Aaron Ramsey. It’s not in the least bit controversial.

Dissenter

Bamford
You do realize that the praise of Iwobi has been measured and specific. You’re stretching the modest Iwobi praise to appeal to the extreme.
You realize that I’m not calling him a spectacular player, right?
He’s the makings of one if he keeps improving.

mysticleaves

“Indeed you see signs of a “spectacular” player in Iwobi, a claim that, no offense, I personally find ridiculous.”

Frankly if Iwobi retains the level he has been on this season as his base level or atleast in 7 out of 10 games I wouldn’t complain if he’s first choice.

His level now is frankly, spectacular (it’s eye catchy). As he’s not the finished article he still has potential to make this his level.

Graham62

Leno is an improvement.
Bellerin is improving. Ditto Iwobi, Mustafi, Holding, Xhaka, Lacazette, Auba and,dare I say, Ozil.

All the Arsenal players look motivated and hungry.

All down to Emery.

mysticleaves

“Yes, or as good as such players. When in form. Absolutely. ” If all the CMs in the world are in form at the same time Ramsey will have a struggle to make the top30 CMs. Off my head I can mention 10-15 that are better than him. And when does Ramsey get into form? Is it when he starts scoring? Because, frankly, his passing, positioning and basically everything that makes him a CM is debatable at this stage. China called it when he said Ramsey is already regressing ability wise. Even last season it was his goals that saved… Read more »

Drey

As for Ramsey, he certainly isn’t pacy — though I wouldn’t say he’s slow — but pace isn’t really what any reasonable observer would criticize Ramsey for. His decision-making, his positioning, his work-rate at times; these are the things he deserves criticism for.

So………. not a top33 midfielder then?

Danish Gooner

If we keep this form going i see us getting around 85 points could be enough to win the PL but will definitely secure us a cl spot.

Danish Gooner

But on the other hand this is Arsenal Pea might get done for the season against Sporting but look at the class up front Laca starting to look like a 50 mil player Pea shredding defenses and Ozil starting to look interested very,very good signs.

Bamford10

Dissenter

“[Iwobi has] the makings of [a spectacular player] if he keeps improving.”

Yeah, I disagree. He doesn’t have the “makings” of a spectacular player. Not enough quality. Not even close, really, IMO.

Zfree

Bamford

Midfielders in the Prem better than Ramsey:

Jorginho
Kante
Kovacic
David Silva
Fernandinho
De Bruyne
Pogba
Eriksen
Dembele

Pretty good arguments could be made for a few Liverpool midfielders that I’ve passed over, maybe doucoure from Watford, maybe gylfi, etc. but that above list is enough. And I haven’t mentioned Torreira or Ozil either.

Then you’ve got rest of the world. Just to name a quick few from only Spain:

Modric
Casemiro
Kroos
Koke
Busquets
Rakitic

Sure doesn’t seem like Aaron Ramsey is cracking the top tier

steve

AFC NemesisOctober 24, 2018 11:59:39
Ozil was the best player on the pitch Monday night in my opinion.World Class player. He was virtually unplayable, made us tick and we need this on a consistent basis. Giving up International football could be such a benefit for us.

_____

We’ve seen Ozil turn it up against shit sides at home before. Nothing new. Come back when he does it regularly and against good opposition.

Zach

Anyway it’s a boring argument. Ramsey wouldn’t sign, he’s on the absolute periphery of the team now, and we’re humming.

On to Sporting… and #11!

Zfree

Anyway it’s a boring argument. Ramsey didn’t sign, he’s on the absolute periphery of the team right now, and we are humming.

On to Sporting…and #11!

steve

Danish GoonerOctober 24, 2018 12:44:26
If we keep this form going i see us getting around 85 points could be enough to win the PL but will definitely secure us a cl spot

___

Yeah Man City won’t get less than 85 points. You’re beyond deluded.

Bamford10

Zfree

Yeah, I wasn’t the one who brought up Ramsey. That was other people, a group that could quite rightly be dubbed “Ramsey obsessives”.

And I agree that many of those midfielders are better than Ramsey.

This doesn’t change my view that when in form Ramsey is a very good footballer, one who wouldn’t be out of place in a third-team World XI.

Indeed if you look at how Ramsey has been talked about when in form,my view is more or less a commonplace.

Ramsey is moving on, though, and as I say, I didn’t even bring up the subject.

HighburyLegend

“We’ve seen Ozil turn it up against shit sides at home before. Nothing new. Come back when he does it regularly and against good opposition.”

Hard to disagree with that.

AFC Nemesis

Had to smile when I read that Shkodran Mustafi had mocked Alex Iwobi after he was called the ‘Nigerian Lionel Messi’. Iwobi has claimed his good form this season is down to Unai Emery:- “I’ve lost a bit of weight because of the intense training & I think it’s made me a bit sharper, The boss has basically told me if something doesn’t work, keep going & don’t dwell on it. He’s told me to stop being so critical & to just keep trying no matter what happens, no matter if things don’t go as I want them to. Obviously,… Read more »

Dissenter

Exclusively for Bamford anytime you check back in.

Iwobi is in good company …along with Kane et al that you don’t rate.
I’m glad you haven’t lumped him in in the Benteke category.

Bamford10

Your Comment Here

Marko

Ah yes who can forget that Bam has spoken more positively in the past about Benteke than he has about a certain Harry Kane.

Bamford10

Dissenter Bogus analogy. You’re obviously feeling insecure about your preposterous claim that there is a “spectacular” player in Iwobi. There definitely isn’t. And not rating Kane “world class” is not the same thing as not rating him at all. I’m surprised you’d turn to such an obviously dishonest argument. As for who the real analogous player here is, it’s Coquelin, a player who I said was a hard-working squad player but nothing more. Many here disagreed. Many even made grandiose claims re what he could become. What did he become? Nothing more than a hard-working squad player. As I say,… Read more »

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