via @arsenal
This year’s Champions League offered up one of those draws where you don’t want anyone to lose. Atleti vs Juve wasn’t very exciting, but clawing your way back from two goals down against Simeone is a near impossible task. Game over, I think. Not many managers know how to shut up shop quite like Simeone… but, even an old Ronaldo is capable of magic, so it’ll be interesting to see what Allegri decides to do in the home leg.
City won, but were ruffled by Schalke who took their chances well.
… thankfully, the real deal is tonight. Arsenal take on BATE in a battle for Europe’s footballing soul.
I don’t think it’s going to be the ordeal the first leg was. The only worry I have is Emery has struggled of late to motivate his players against the less interesting teams. They don’t come any less interesting than our Whopper consuming friends from Belarus.
Emery is trying to sell this match as important because it is to his summer.
‘No, no, the Europa League is still a big competition, it is still a European cup, but of course when you are in the Champions League you want to be in there every year and next season we want to be in the Champions League. But the Europa League this season still has a lot of big teams, it is a top-level tournament, there is Chelsea, Napoli, Valencia so it I think it is a big competition, more than last year, and every year it is more intense. Last year Atletico Madrid won the cup, so for us it is big opportunity to go in the Champions League. Now we have a game in front of us like tomorrow to get to the next rounds and try to get to the final and be in the Champions League next season.’
The trophy drops a £50m for a win, so it’s still fairly lucrative. The real bonus is making the Champions League via the back door. There is a huge incentive for Emery to send his boys out flying.
I’ll tell you what else is lucrative, Mesut Ozil’s contract. Emery had a few things to say about the gaming superstar.
“First, the key in his hands,”
“He’s working very well this week and I asked him in our conversation to be consistent, to be available for training. I said that when you can train with us consistently you can help us with your best performance in the games.
“I think this week was good for all the players because we are in a big, important moment for the season. I am looking at him doing the training like we want. I know he wants that but he needs consistency, to be available for training and the matches without injuries, without being sick. Like that, I think we can see the best Mesut.”
Well, that reads like an olive branch to me. Emery has said the player lacks consistency and doesn’t train well. He seems to be indicating this week has been good (always hard to exactly tell). Let’s see whether he lands a chance to play tomorrow. Ultimately, whether you like the player or not, our current offering lacks creativity and a meh Ozil will offer us more than nearly all of our other players combined (especially against BATE).
He should also give Ramsey a run out. This should be a fodder match. If they both play shite, don’t start them against Southampton. The job of the manager is to manage the difficult players. This looks like a positive moment, let’s hope Ozil takes the chance.
Also… not sure it sounds like Raul is impacting Emery’s thinking, does it?
Emery has a gut feel for what they’re going to try and do.
‘We need to find a good balance between attacking and defending. I think they will play with a deep block and wait to play on the counter-attack. We need to be focused on our tradition when we lose the ball, to try to win back the ball as soon as possible. We don’t want to give them chances to have a free-kick or corner. Afterwards, it’s about us being efficient in their box to score some goals. We don’t know if we will score early in the game or later, but we need to continue to play with calmness and focus. We can have some chances like we had in the first leg, but we need to be more efficient in both boxes.’
The big question is does he know how to counter their plan? Does he have something more interesting up his sleeve this week? What was in the video analysis this week?
I mean, it’s BATE, we should be able to win out because of sheer force of talent. This is similar to us losing to Ostersunds. So let’s hope there’s a good reaction.
It’d also be nice to get the win out of the way nice and early, rest our key players, and be prepared for our next Premier League game against Southampton early on Sunday. Ralph Hassenthutl will have his players prepared for that game and he’ll be aiming the take advantage of our potential legginess. I have my doubts they’ll take us at him, but I’d certainly prefer to have fresher players if possible. Top 4 in the league is within reach, we just need to get back to beating the smaller teams with a little more ease.
Tonight needs a performance. No two ways about it. Emery needs to get the fans back on side. He needs to inject a bit of energy into our dour season. No better time to do it than in the Europa League against a team of unfit players that really shouldn’t get anywhere near us.
Over to you, Unai.
Lol. Just heard about Chelsea. Happy days indeed.
Won’t they just appeal allowing them to sign in the summer and then spend a few hundred million before the ban is allowed to kick in? Great stuff though.
Hazard is going to be the highest paid player in the world lol. No way they allow him to leave.
“Won’t they just appeal allowing them to sign in the summer and then spend a few hundred million before the ban is allowed to kick in? Great stuff though.”
exactly what will play out and they might just be banned for a window, i suspect the next winter window when they wouldn’t have done much buying anyway
Was watching the BATE game the other night and the commentator mentioned that Ozil has not been available for selection 103 times in 315 games for Arsenal since joining.. that can’t be correct?!!
Valentin we were linked with Nzonzi when Arsenal was still in charge. Plenty of people on LG were calling for us to sign him.
The fact that Emery became our coach it was only natural that the links would resurface.
You have to pick a lane and stick with it. Either Emery is signing all of our players or none of them. You can’t just pick and choose the ones you don’t like and assign them to Emery.
*when Arsene was still in charge
I forgot that Peter Cech played for Rennes for two years between 2002 and 2004. He met Christophe Lollichon the great goalkeeper coach there. Peter Cech counterpart at Rennes is also an international Czech goalkeeper Tomas Koubek. Rennes are in transition. The previous coach Sabrina Lamouchi was sacked in December. The new coach Julien Stephan is the son of Guy Stephan the assistant coach of the France coach Didier Deschamps. He has some background there. Since his appointment, the result have been pretty spectacular. He was initially a caretaker manager, but after consecutive victories he was confirmed as permanent manager.… Read more »
@qna, NZonzi confirmed that 1) there was nothing with Arsenal when Wenger was in charge. He had a fight with the coach. Announced that he wanted out and then spend a weekend in London for family reasons. The press put 2 and 2 together but there was no contact there. 2) there was contact when Emery was named in charge of Arsenal. He delayed his signature because some intermediaries told him that Arsenal were going to make an offer if the Torreira deal collapsed. Luckily that didn’t happen. That is completely different from a random link resurfacing. There was substance… Read more »
“NZonzi confirmed that”
WHO GIVES A SHIT???!?!
“there was contact when Emery was named in charge of Arsenal. He delayed his signature because some intermediaries told him that Arsenal were going to make an offer if the Torreira deal collapsed. Luckily that didn’t happen.” Steven N’Zonzi is delaying a transfer to Roma as he still hopes Arsenal or Everton will move for him. The former Stoke midfielder wants to leave Sevilla after being part of France’s World Cup-winning squad although the Spanish club insist his £35m release clause must be activated. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, N’Zonzi is looking to earn £3.5m a season which only Premier… Read more »
And we had already signed Torriera so that kind of nulls the waiting for the Torriera deal to collapse story.
I guess the point of all this is to point out Gazidis or Raul or Sven saved us from Nzonzi.
Such a horrible player that he ended up at Roma, recruitment made by the desired Monchi, who are a champions league club.
What exactly is the point of this Nzonzi debate this afternoon??
Woke up to the Chelsea news
Nice
I do hope the apppeals gets finalized before summer I want to see that ban in affect now than later
RH
I think the point is to prove that Emery hates young players and only wants to buy old players that he already managed, same as always. Still not very convincing though.
Hates young players. Only wants to sign 30 year olds he’s worked with. Still waiting for it to happen though.
Apparently the first leg will now be played in Rennes because Chelsea also have a home game that same day and it’s apparently against the rules to have two big games in the same city at the same time.
“Hates young players. Only wants to sign 30 year olds he’s worked with. Still waiting for it to happen though.”
This has never happened though that’s the main issue, Krychowiak was 26 when he signed for PSG, Banega was 25 when he signed him for Sevilla, they were not exactly “old men” back then.
The whole narrative has no merit
Arsene Wenger was keen on him, but admitted that Arsenal didn’t move fast enough to secure his services.
“There was no work permit issue or anything because he went to Chelsea from Rennes and we could have been quicker maybe on the day”
Wenger quicker on transfers? No… really…no
But Marko we both played in London yesterday albeit different kick off times
And yet they still say it Receding. Doesn’t trust young players and yet he continues to play young players. Is only interested in signing up old players that have played under him. Doesn’t make the signings and only Suarez he’s worked with.
Receding they don’t want to do that again and I guess the time difference in Belarus was different to France so that wasn’t really an option. Been changed anyway.
As much as we’d love it to be for real, that transfer ban for Chelsea is probably going to end up in a tap on the wrist. The footballing authorities roll over for a belly rub whenever you appeal anything Re Rennes, it says how far we have fallen when we have to have a little bit of respect for 11th in the French league deary me. 10 years ago we’d expect to hit 6 past teams like this with our under 19s (lupoli and vela hattricks init). Now we need to be serious to be assured of a result.… Read more »
Arsenal’s former chief executive, who left the north London club in September 2018 to move to AC Milan, has now taken the club’s head of business strategy with him.
James Murray had been in the role at Arsenal since January 2017 and played a key role in the club’s financial planning and commercial department.
Absolutely no loss. I think everyone can agree that our commercial dealings should be better or been better years ago
You know it really pisses me off that Chelsea are being charged for this and it might sound weird to say that
But Chelsea and man city have fragrantly flaunted rules on FFP for yonks and absolutely nothing has been done about it. Now they randomly give a damn about some rules?
Fuck off.
Either create rules and enforce them or do one. For all the satisfaction I get from seeing Chelsea in trouble, it pisses me off to no end that it’s just meaningless lol service to the authorities in light of their financial doping
“Emery was given a list of players and told to play them. If he has had the choice, he would have selected other players. Trying to pretend otherwise is just patently false.”
Valentin
So why does Emery get the flak for not playing Ozil?
You Emery Outers need to have a meeting and get your story straight.
Frankly no backroom staff from the gazidis years could ever possibly be missed
Chelsea will get a transfer ban Real and Atletico had similar bans in recent years. They’ll appeal it it’ll get suspended until the appeal is finished in which case Chelsea will spend a couple hundred million in the summer and then it’ll only effect them for the following one summer window cause they likely wouldn’t have been buying in January anyway. The only problem with it could be what if someone like Pulisic or whoever doesn’t work out. Made all the more difficult for them could be that they’ll have a new manager who’s going to have to work with… Read more »
But Chelsea and man city have fragrantly flaunted rules on FFP for yonks and absolutely nothing has been done about it. Now they randomly give a damn about some rules?
It has nothing to do with FFP or UEFA this has to do with signings and breaking rules related to signing minors and to do with third party ownership and was investigated by FIFA.
Marko Yep – Gazidis was a fraud. As CEO his job was to oversee and steer strategy, yet he was fast asleep at the wheel while the Weng man created huge threats to the medium term viability of the club through the player contracts and acquisitions mess. Under his watch our commercial revenue growth was the worst of all the top 6 clubs, he left the club with falling revenue and the highest wages-to-turnover ratio of all the top 6, and he let the club’s local rivals bridge the gap from generating half our revenue just a few years ago… Read more »
I would’ve taken Mbappe and a transfer ban 🙂
qna
I second that.
Joke Friday –
What does the sign on an out-of-business brothel say?
Beat it. We’re closed.
What’s the difference between a G-spot and a golf ball?
A guy will actually search for a golf ball.
What’s the difference between a tire and 365 used condoms?
One’s a Goodyear. The other’s a great year.
What do the Mafia and pussies have in common?
One slip of the tongue, and you’re in deep shit.
What do a penis and a Rubik’s Cubes have in common?
The more you play with it, the harder it gets.
@Marko, Emery tried to sell Kimpembe when he joined PSG as he wanted a seasoned centre back to compete with Silva and Marquinhos and replace David Luiz! Afraid of losing another promising youngster, management told him no. There was even a clause in Kimpembe contract that stipulated that he could be released at a reduced price if he had not played a certain amount of time. Emery played Nsoki once, Tuchel has already played him 13 times this season. And not just in meaningless games. Yacine Adli also played only once as a substitute in the league under Emery. LoCelsi… Read more »
I would’ve taken Mbappe and a transfer ban I’m not even sure that would have been illegal. He was 17 at that time and it would have been 2 million to his agents not some kind of off the books transaction. As far as I’m aware the only reason that we didn’t sign him up was because the great ditherer didn’t want to pay 2 million to his agents. Anyone ever notice how he never signed players from the likes of Zahivi or Raiola or Jorge Mendes. He hated having to sign players from them or hand them over money… Read more »
@Marko, I agree that Chelsea and ManCity have flagrantly flaunted the rules, but at least this is a start. For example a lot of papers use Arsenal high wages as a stick. However dig deeper and you will find that some of the teams are simply not declaring their true wage bill. About a month ago, Kante was jailed for refusing to use a tax loophole (image rights paid to a Jersey company). Guess what most of the other players did not have the same moral values. Those extra payments do not appear as wage payments. More than 10 years… Read more »
It is funny how that aversion to pay agents fee came from David Dein whose son regularly screwed Arsenal on transfers. David Dein even made agents swear on the Bible that there was nothing underhand in the deal and their future dealing between the players and the club.
In previous comment, I meant Kante was hailed not jailed.
“Emery tried to sell Kimpembe when he joined PSG as he wanted a seasoned centre back to compete with Silva and Marquinhos and replace David Luiz! ”
There’s a director of football at PSG, Emery had no powers to sell a player and he also had no powers to buy players.
Would they for his opinion on certain players, Yes but he had no, 0, non, Nein, لا, 沒有, Nee, όχι, Nej powers over incomings or outgoings.
@azed, Like I said he wanted to but was overruled by management. The same way Wenger wanted to keep Alexis Sanchez and was overruled. The fact that the player was not sold does not mean that the manager did not try to sell him. Sometimes management make overruling decision for the good of the club, sometimes they mess things up. Benitez tried to sell Xabi Alonso to Arsenal. Arsène Wenger had agreed the deal. AFC did not want to pay the 3 millions pounds commission, so Wenger was overruled. Xabi stayed an extra year before joining Real Madrid the following… Read more »
So basically all the good decisions credited to “management” and all the bad ones to Emery
Fair enough
Valentin
Wenger and Benitez were managers, part of their job descriptions included the buying and selling of players.
Emery is a head coach, he had no such powers at Sevilla or PSG and he has no powers to buy or sell at Arsenal either.
“Benitez tried to sell Xabi Alonso to Arsenal. Arsène Wenger had agreed the deal. AFC did not want to pay the 3 millions pounds commission, so Wenger was overruled.”
Point of correction, it Wenger who refused to pay the additional 3 million not AFC’s management. Wenger had absolute powers when it came to Arsenal.
Wasn’t it Wenger who said something along the lines of “I won’t sign Alonso as it would kill Diaby and Song”?
Emery tried to sell Kimpembe when he joined PSG as he wanted a seasoned centre back to compete with Silva and Marquinhos and replace David Luiz Any evidence of that? Because there’s plenty of evidence of Emery trusting him and trying to replace Silva with Kimpembe. Like most of the things you say you just say it without anything to back it up and anything that counters your argument is conveniently because management forced him to do it. You are as false and disingenuous as they come. LoCelsi joined PSG as a precocious 10. Emery tried to convert him into… Read more »
@azed,
That was one of David Dein last decision at Arsenal. He left in September that year.
In the later year, yes Wenger was all powerful, but at the time David Dein was still in charge. Remember when Dein refused to pay Ashley Cole the extra 10kpw because that was the amount the agent was making.
“David Silva, Juan Mata, Paco Alcacer and Jordi Alba all played for Emery’s Valencia while under the age of 23, as did Alberto Moreno, Denis Suarez and Gerard Deulofeu when the Spaniard was managing Sevilla.
His remit changed somewhat when he was appointed PSG boss in 2016; the primary objective for any manager at the Parc des Princes is to win the Champions League, which makes the promotion of young players difficult. Nevertheless, Emery has still handed minutes to Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe in the French capital.
Read more at https://www.fourfourtwo.com/gallery/revealed-which-managers-give-most-game-time-young-players#fzevuvMMevSTxykE.99
Receding HairlineFebruary 22, 2019 16:37:41
So basically all the good decisions credited to “management” and all the bad ones to Emery
Fair enough
>>>>>>
Sadly that’s very much how appears to have become in here.
“That was one of David Dein last decision at Arsenal. He left in September that year.”
David Dein left Arsenal in April not September and he was not involved in the Xavi Alonso saga. That was all Wenger.
“On 18 April 2007, it was revealed by Arsenal that he had left the club with immediate effect after “irreconcilable differences” between himself and the rest of the board. It is thought that he was in favour of a possible takeover of Arsenal by an external benefactor seeking to invest money into the club. Arsenal had invested heavily in the development of their new stadium which forced the club to take on heavy debts which meant the club was in need of new revenue. The other members of the board were said to have signed a contractual agreement that they… Read more »
Azed,
Stop posting facts that disprove the Emery out agenda.
Marko I know I’m simply giving an example
What’s the point in all the various footballing authorities having rules when they are only occasionally enforced?
They along with city and psg have broken plenty of rules over the years so why punish them for this?
Either we have rules or we don’t. All evidence suggests that we don’t
Emery responds to £60m Guendouzi PSG link.
Apologies if this has already been posted, I haven’t had chance to back track through today’s comments yet.
https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/matteo-guendouzi-transfer-news-psg-arsenal-rumours-gossip-unai-emery/
Considering Emery doesn’t like youngsters and wants Benega and N’Zonzi you’d think he would have said yes, we’re definitely selling him.
Very strange there from Emery.
Emery wants to sell Guendouzi ..management overruled him