I don’t really want to talk about Spurs beating my German team, so let’s get knee deep in the Technical Director role that is open at Arsenal.
As I mentioned yesterday, I truly hope the execs approach this role with an open mind. We were supposed to move into a new era of smarts when Wenger left. Proper search and select, rigorous interview processes and smart decisions based on the needs of the club.
Arsenal did well at this with the vacant manager role, but I think they slipped at the last minute with Emery. Firstly, he was a late entrant, so the club wouldn’t have done due diligence. Secondly, I have my doubts we vetted his backroom team, and now we’re shipping in more of his mates. Great if he’s the next Arsene Wenger, not so great if things don’t evolve.
That’s why the idea of Monchi is a little worrying. Sure, he’s a sexy signing, but is he the best on offer? Who knows. I just hope Arsenal do a deeper dive than a browse of Emery’s WhatsApp contacts list before we invest in a hire that could change the face of the club for the next decade.
I don’t have the job spec for the technical director, but I assume it’s a powerful position that requires a broad understanding of many different disciplines that go into making a football club tick. It’s basically the Chief Operations Officer role of the football side of the business, with Raul as the CEO.
The name doesn’t have to be explayer, it doesn’t have to be a chief scout, but I don’t know the industry well enough to talk about non-footballing folk that could do it, so I’ll mostly be running profiles on people at clubs doing interesting things.
First stop:
Andrea Berta – Atletico Madrid
His start was at Parma, then Genoa where he gained an education in scouting. This area is the background of most of the names that would look to move into a technical role. He moved to Atletico in 2013 to look after international scouting, he then moved into the technical side of things before taking over the Sports Management role in 2017 where he looked after 5 groups: the first team’s coaching staff, assistants of the coaching staff, the first team’s area of coordination, Atlético de Madrid B and the scouting and analysis team (I think this is close to what the Arsenal role will look like).
He’s had quite a ride if you look at his numbers from 2013-14 season. The club has finished in the top 3 every season, finishing 2nd once and winning the league in 2013-14, they’ve averaged 84.2 points a season, conceding 24.2 (avg) goals, as well as dropping 67 goals (avg). They’ve been in 2 Champions League finals which they lost, won a UEFA Super Copa twice, and triumphed in the Europa League last season at our expense. Obviously, a lot of that goes to the managers credit, but the reason I mention this is because Atleti are not a big club and they’ve been brutalised in the transfer market with big names leaving on the regular.
From an outlay perspective, they have achieved all of the above on an average spend of 13m euros a season. Their total net spend since 2013 is 91m euros. They have spent 603m and recouped 512m. Think about that number for just a second…
Berta has spent net £79m since 2012.
Arsenal spent £73m in one summer.
Some highlights in that time are Mr Griezmann for 30m euros, Oblak for 16m euros from Benfica. Even the flops are good, Jackson Martinez for 37m, sold for 42m to China!
Think of the players they’ve had to deal with Losing. Falcao, Alderweirald, Diego Costa, Turan, Mandzukic… it never affects them. I mean, in the sense that they compete at the highest level. Hard to outmuscle Barca and Madrid every year.
Even their wage bill is low. In 2017 they were at £156m. Ours was £199m in the same year and we finished 5th. They finished 3rd and made the UCL semi-final.
Atleti are just a consistent flow of great players in and out. Every time you think it’s over, they pull in another gem. The Atleti story is all the more incredible because it all happened under the backdrop of them moving stadium for the 2017-18 season.
Back to Berta, the man knows how to work with a top manager. Apparently, Simeone was very upset when it was rumoured he was off to United. It’s a small thing, but remember Sven was banned from the training ground by the now PSG manager.
It hasn’t all been gravy, Atleti were dinged with a transfer ban for making illegal approaches for academy kids, but be real, we have Huss Fahmy from Team Sky and Raul wasn’t exactly nowhere near that Neymar deal. Also worth remembering a technical director sets the tone for theb football, and Atleti isn’t exactly joga bonito
Still, he’d suit Raul, he’s very chummy with the super agents, and interestingly for Arsenal, he has a real edge in the South American market. Somewhere we’ve struggled, and a market that will likely open up post-Brexit.
He’s hot property, but the sort of talent that can really change the mindset of the club. PSG, United, Milan and Inter have all tapped him for his services, but he’s resisted so far. At 47, he’s still very young, but there’s surely a move in him at some point. There are rumours that the salary to move him is £12.2m a year (£234k a week)… I know that’s PSG money, but it shows the value the footballing world thinks this man brings.
… and let’s be real, where better than London to test your mettle (and spend those pound notes)?
Arsenal truly would be remiss not to interview this man. He operates at an elite level on less than half the wage bill of Barca and Madrid. He turns a profit on terrible players. He has an incredible eye for talent. He can work with sauce drenched managers. He looks like he’d steal your girlfriend if you stepped away from the bar. He could take us back to the top.
Right, that’s me done.
Arsenal vs Bate this evening. No Ozil or Ramsey. Let’s talk about that tomorrow.
Happy Valentine’s day xxx
Read in the metro (shit rag) a week ago that Arsenal have already decided Suarez isn’t getting signed after his showings in training.
Dismissed it as the bollocks it sounded like, but is there truth to it given the cunt hasn’t seen a blade of grass since City?
Fair enough… .I wanted to get behind the next coach, whatever, happy at least it wasn’t Wenger….. but this is a joke…..sack the cunt….he’s fucking useless…I’d rather see someone like Eddie Howe given a go than carry on with this shit.
Yeah fuck off MNiles you are shit!
Wonder whether they will let us take Hleb if we leave Iwobi behind?
Charlie. Maybe he can spend the rest of the season playing fortnite with Mesut 😉
Even if we don’t get anything out of tonight, it is highly likely we will do enough in the home leg to progress. However it would be hard to back us against Napoli/Sevilla et al when we play like this.
It’s just performances like this make it increasingly difficult to defend Emery. I’d love to see him succeed but my doubts are growing game by game.
Emerys decision making is baffling though. Why bring in Suarez?
Here comes Suarez.
Mkhi really should be bossing this game. Hardly noticed him. Is he even still on.
This is so funny. Suarez first touch, so bad he loses the ball.
Qna
Who knows? Maybe Mesut is pulling the strings and we scoured the globe for a suitable fornite partner for him to play duos with.
Suarez on, hat trick incoming
This just makes sad viewing and I feel for the travelling fans who’ve had to swicth flights 1-2 times just to be served this shit.
A day after Spuds convincingly smash Dortmund at Wembley, we are struggling to beat a Belorussian side.
How times change
Suarez 3rd touch, bad pass intercepted.
Denis Suarez already affected with the wengerism
This is just simply a really poor coaching performance. And as Arsenal fans we should know one when we see one.
do you know what guys? Arsenal are rubbish
Suarez first corner, hit the first man.
Out of his depth does not even cover it.
One shot on target since we went behind.
Emery is no Guardiola.
Hes no Neil Warnock.
Can’t beat the first man on either side.
Players think it’s one of those pitches to pass about. Lump it up top Allardycw style and get on the end of something.
Suarez 2nd corner hit first defenders again.
No wonder Barca were scrambling to insert a mandatory future fee for Suarez.
Our squad is so fucking poor it’s unreal.
Dissenter
This gets said quite often but the club should cover the costs for the fans who have made the effort to go over there tonight. Or if the players had any self respect they’d put in towards it.
Mhki, Suarez, Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette and we can’t register a shot on target so far
Suarez comes towards the player with the ball, literally 3 yards away.
Doesn’t even try and occupy dangerous vacant spaces
We should retire “Victoria Concordia Crescit” slogan because there’s nothing harmonic about our play, and we’re certainly not winning many games as of late. Our new motto should be “Arsenal, making shit teams look like world beaters”.
Spurs game is going to be ugly.
@qna,
How impressed are you by Suarez now?
Tactical genius Emery?
Still think that I has an agenda or did I just stated like I saw it?
Iwobi has more urgency than the rest, if only he had goal scoring in his repertoire
Not to worry, we will batter them at Emirates….the potato field isn’t helping at all
I’m not sure I could be on 120k a week, go off to this bumblefuck place, drop a 2/10, and NOT square up the travelling fans who followed to support.
Valentin. What the fuck are you talking about. Why are you asking ME that?
Emery isn’t doing himself any favors with this performance.
This types of teams didn’t stand a chance under Wenger. It’s almost like we’ve lost our sense of who we are on the hierarchy of European football.
Emery hasn’t really changed anything. In many ways we are as bad as we were under wenger. where is he style? we still look like a wenger team to me. why does he constantly switch formations – even after we play well he still changes it next game. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing. Unless he is using this season as pure experiment and will actually try and win something next season. we’re a big club not a plaything!
Almost like a festival on here
Such glee at a team you support losing a football match
This Valentin fellow is besides himself…careful you don’t get too excited dude, calm down
Ref plsssss put this jokers out of their misery,its embarrassing
If we drop out of Europa at this stage then there’s no defending this regime.
Bobble head returns
Emery is the best coach in the world gaskia
Again Suarez.
See that Leno is now siding with Özil.
Bye bye Laca
Lacazette is so overrated. He lacks composure in front of goal for a 55 million striker.
Red card for Laca
Never said anything positive about Suarez. Said I didn’t know him and only negative things about what I’ve seen.
Stupid Laca.
Lacazette showing his “fight” there
Dissenter
Come on, we’ll win 5-0 at home.
Our place in the next round isnt in danger…..but today does highlight just how average we are.
Game over boys, they are fucking woeful.
BUllshit…
Red Card to Lacazette.
Will miss the next 3 games in the Europa League.
Will miss two games or more…
I said it already. we are rubbish
This is really stupid from Laca. This night is going from bad to worse.
We’ll smash this team at the Emirates, let’s get that clear.
Ha! Laca had enough with that niggling shit and lashes out. Definite red, idiotic if somewhat understandable.
Today is a complete disaster
We will now have to go full strength at home.
We have a real fight for top 4, and now our only advantage (being able to rest the first team in these “easy” games) has gone.
We will no doubt be shit and far from fresh in the Spurs and UTD games, and you should look back to today to see why.
We shouldve won 3-0 today, and played the kids in the return leg.
What a shit show.
This just isn’t progress. Where is the improvement in the players?
so many midfielders and no idea how to get the ball forward or get into space themselves. sideways backwards
I thought he was but emery isn’t the right guy for arsenal at all . This is shocking against this tripe
gambon,
I am not sure we will beat Bate Borisov at home, not the way we are playing. We will concede to the worst league 3 team in his form.
We were supposed to put the tie to bed today and focus on the league.
Dissenter. He was never a 55m striker. We bought him because of 10 years of pent up anger and when we finally decided to spend some he was the only player available that none of the other big clubs wanted. I said at the time the he is only a squad level player. That he’d give us about what Giroud did when he first came but at 4 times the price. To be fair, I think he’d do better with better service. But he had two great chances created for him tonight and blew them.
We have no fight…they’re out muscling us all over the park
We dont even have shots on goal anymore.
Why not play the youngsters who got us there…
Poor choice
Iwobi doesn’t have enough quality.
qnaFebruary 14, 2019 19:42:20 Dissenter. He was never a 55m striker. We bought him because of 10 years of pent up anger and when we finally decided to spend some he was the only player available that none of the other big clubs wanted. I said at the time the he is only a squad level player. That he’d give us about what Giroud did when he first came but at 4 times the price. To be fair, I think he’d do better with better service. But he had two great chances created for him tonight and blew them. REALLY???… Read more »
I’m not making excuses here, but they are a dirty bunch of cunts. The pitch is shit.
Thats not saying were not shit. We clearly are. Just made more shit by the shitty shitness.
Desperate stuff….
Cardboard cutout of Ozil would do a better job than Suarez.
The bookies are loving this
Dissenter
Seen this many times before. We will smash them at home.
Not the point though.
Our first XI will have to run another 12k each, when we have an absolute scrap for CL football going on.
Nothing comes off for Iwobi. He’s a trier but he just bit good enough.
With one of our potent attackers out next 3 games in Europa, how will we batter them at home now?
Chelsea came here in November with 7 changes and still won, with a clean sheet.
We are pathetic, prideless and lack quality. I almost feel like loaning my ticket for the rest of the season.
Calls for Lacazette being overrated because he throws an elbow in anger?
Shelf your agenda princess, he’s our best player. Never seen any good players throw a wobbly because they’re frustrated, give me a break.
If we get knocked out of Europa this early in February then Emery’s position is untenable .
That’s pretty obvious.
Can another manager do better with the scrap yard we have assembled… nos sure but someone else has to have a go.
Tippy tappy
Keoenke FC have done badly tonight….. He’ll be crying into his wig no doubt
Has a single corner beaten the first defender? Shocking.
We’re playing that Wenger-shite crab football around the outside of the box and no one is testing the keeper.
It’s soul destroying watching performances like this. And Emery just stands there looking like Wallace, just missing the tank top and some cheese.
I’m not making excuses here, but they are a dirty bunch of cunts. The pitch is shit.
Agreed, that field is disgusting and they’re playing cuntish, plus this ref is a bit funny…
But still we look very disjointed and uninteresting
92nd minutes first shot on target of the second half !
Dale
Eddie Eddie Eddie
CC
“Calls for Lacazette being overrated because he throws an elbow in anger? Shelf your agenda princess, he’s our best player. Never seen any good players throw a wobbly because they’re frustrated, give me a break.”
What did he do all game long?
gambon
They will score at least 2 goals against us at home and knock us out.
this shower of shit barely deserves to be involved in the Europa league let alone the fucking champions league. pathetic tonight.
Non of these midfielders is advancing to take the final ball
If we cant come to a side in the middle of their pre-season with such little quality and win then what is the point?
Bate will score at the Emirates. Emery is a real tosser if he oversees us getting knocked out by this gash outfit.
This Arsenal team don’t do pressure!
R.S.P.C.ArsenalFebruary 14, 2019 19:47:05
DaleEddie Eddie Eddie
Ah true
“What did he do all game long?“
What did any of them do? It’s been a horror show and you’re trying to use it as justification for your Lacazette crusade. It’s embarrassing
sideways and backwards
Stay off social media
We are going to to trolled mercilessly and deservedly so. Even if the match was played on a ploughed field there is no excuse for losing to BATE. Hleb still starts for them for crying out loud
Emery out.
Reality sinks in. Our level is Europa cup.
This is progress.
Özil can’t be useful in that team.
The tactics are better than during Wenger
We are defensively better.
Still believe that?
Please please please emery, play Ozil, I can take the odd lifeless performances but at least you bring some creativity to the party. We are a poor side , what do they do in training? Corners crap ,free kicks crap, defensively crap, no energy whatsoever.
I see no noticeable improvement or regression from last seasons team. Emery is about as good as Wenger (albeit with only 8 months).
The squad is second rate and not even the worlds best manager could win us trophies with this team.
But there would be managers that wouldn’t allow us to be as bad as we have been for the last two games against teams without quality themselves.
that was shockingly poor tonight. but symptomatic of where we’ve been all season. I cannot see the spark in there. that team is simply not close to working on any level.
Thank you
Kroenke
Will need to build a trump style wall for our defense …
Plus our offense could do with a new MVP
Going home zero to one down can be ok.
Yippee Kai ya Ay mutter fuckers…
Get those dollars out
Lol my BT app even shutdown because we we’re so shit.
Yankee Go Home!
Arsenal are a side that don’t take themselves serious.
This side is so lacklustre, Nothing matters to them. As said before they will score and knock us out of this tournament.
NelsonFebruary 14, 2019 19:43:17
Iwobi doesn’t have enough quality.
___
Well that’s an understatement if I ever saw one lol.
Cech is soooooooooooooooooo done!