via @Arsenal Instagram
I bought some house plants from a reputable dealer. I was utterly ripped off, of course. You buy plants in Brooklyn and they are 7 times more expensive than their equivalents in B&Q. Anyway, there were some insects on it. I was like, ok, we’ll just be friends and you’ll eventually die.
WRONG MOVE.
I am now dealing with an insect problem of biblical proportions. These guys have formed an army against me. They’re so powerful, they’re building machines… I cannot stop them. If anyone has a better idea outside fly spray, please help… before it’s too late.
International break is here and I think I’m going to indulge it this time around. I’ve also added Youtube to my gym routine. You can sit on an exercise for 4x longer if you’re watching goals and highlights from all the games around Europe.
One player that’s caught the eye for more than football reasons is Memphis Depay. He launched a stunningly shite rap video recently, but he’s also had a good start to the season. He’s scored 4 goals and had 1 assist. He looked dangerous last night in the Holland vs Germany game. Two exArsenal kids scored, Gnabry and Malen, and Ryan bloody Babbel had a storming game. It’ll be interesting to see if Depay is just a big fish in a little pond, or whether he can mature at 25 and make it back to the big leagues.
Arsene Wenger is on a HUGE PR run.
‘Take me back football, take me back!’
He’s been speaking to his oil backers and he reckons Arsenal are the best of the rest.
He mentioned that the club had spoken with him about the potential of returning in some capacity. I have no idea what that would look like, but whatever it was, he turned it down.
In some ways, a move back would make sense, Fergie is still around the United situation, which clearly isn’t helping. I think he should probably leave it a year, get a job managing a team, then return as a footballing man in some capacity in the future. Say what you will about him, he’d be a good look for the club at an exec level (football side). As long as he weren’t deeply entrenched in decision making.
It’s all a bit sad with Arsene. He’ll probably blame his loyalty for his jobless situation when the reality is his problems largely stem from allowing power to corrupt his view of the game. Great leaders throughout history have shown a serious lack of ability to change their ways once they hit the heights. Arsene Wenger surrounded himself with yes men that he never changed, he scoffed at tech, he believed that art was the only way, and he lost confidence in his final years as the game over-took him.
If you’d give him an elite team of coaches, scientists and data folk and forced him to listen, things might have been very different.
A lesson for us all… don’t believe your own hype, it’s probably not real.
There’s an interesting piece on Sky Sports, who do great data work imo.
This is how Arsenal look this season. It all makes sense. We’re direct, we like to counter, we’re not the high sequence passers of yesteryear and we’re not much for play through the middle.
The Unai Emery takeover is complete. Nothing fancy to see here. I’ll have to be fine with the approach if it delivers us third, but for a club that wanted to retain the beautiful game, it’s a pretty grim evolution and it’s totally bereft of anything exciting.
The footballing equivalent of Brexit… OUT MEANS OUT… for so many years, then you’re stuck on WTO terms in the freezing cold and you can’t get a pot of Marmite.
Pepe was sent back from international duty because he wants to work on his fitness in London. Finally, someone in charge at Arsenal who wants to do the right thing for Arsenal FC. Nice work, Raul.
Southgate has just announced a line-up without Jadon Sancho. FFS…
See you in the comments. x
Tennis will take a massive dip when Djokovic and Nadal retire though. They were slapping around the previous top generation in their 20’s and you look at Federer at 38 still making deep tournament runs for fun along with Nadal and Djoker winning slams at 33/32.
Tsitsipas too has flattered to deceive after showing some early promise. That spoilt brat Krygios is the only one who is capable of challenging the top 3. Others are pony.
I think Connors only played one Australian Open and not man French and the same goes for many players in that era. Had Connors played more he would of surely won more Grand Slam titles
Bjorn Borg retired in his prime at 25 with 11 GS titles.
Rod Laver, Borg and Conners could have won many more than they actually did.
Borg never even competed at the Aus Open which was played in grass until ’86.
Fair to say he’d have won a few of them considering he won 5 Wimbeldon titles out of of 6 attempts before he retired [losing a Final to McEnroe].
Connors won eight Grand Slam singles championships: five US Opens, two Wimbledons, and one Australian Open. He did not participate in the French Open during his peak years (1974–78), as he was banned from playing by the event in 1974 due to his association with World Team Tennis (WTT).[7][8] and in the other four years was either banned or chose not to participate. He only played in two Australian Opens in his entire career, winning it in 1974 and reaching the final in 1975. Few highly ranked players, aside from Australians, travelled to Australia for that event up until the… Read more »
Borg the only player to have won both Wimbledon and French open at least 5 times each. I don’t think any other player has won even 3 each such is the stark contrast between the nature of two courts.
Yeah TR7 it’s insane to think that two of the greatest players of all time in Federer and Djokovic [36 slams between them] have won a combined total of 2 FO titles between them in their entire careers. And both of those were captured without having to go through Rafa.
Rafa on clay is as close to unbeatable as you’ll ever see in top level sport.
https://twitter.com/svenja_mastro/status/1170791013700513792?s=19……just look at Nadal’s draws to the UsFinal in the years he won it…some laughable opponents lmao..
Marko
“Yeah that’s cause people were flabbergasted that you not only added meaningless charity shields to his trophy haul .
I have always found that you normally deal in the truth so I’m not sure why you would need to lie about something so trivial to prove a point.
He beat Djokovic in 2010/2013 Finals to be fair to him. Del Potro in 2017 SF was legit too, beat Federer in the QF.
This year has been a cakewalk for him though.
Even if Emery can’t see or chooses to ignore Xhaka’s faults, there is at least a possibility he may miss a couple of games next month due to the expected birth of his child.
” Even if Emery can’t see or chooses to ignore Xhaka’s
faults, there is at least a possibility he may miss a couple
of games next month due to the expected birth of his
child. ”
and the couple of games missed we earn us top 4 right?
the earlier Emery realise torrreira should be starting as our DM nd not Xhaka, the better for the team.
Tee
I never implied that at all, just your interpretation.
Torriera is a BWM but being played as a CM, while Xhaka (please feel free to enter your own opinion of his position) is being played as a DLP. For me, Xhaka’s best position is at home with his wife.
4 hours 53 minutes -excruciating game.
Congratulations Rafa for no 19 !
If we’re going to count charity shields as wengers success, please let us not forget emirates cups. They required playing multiple teams and winning extra points from superior goal difference
We stopped even winning those eventually but won a few of the early ones
#Majorsilverware
If cup finals count, we can also credit arsenal for all those world class players he nearly but didn’t sign
Great memories
Wenger says his job became to difficult at Arsenal. Too much was placed on him, he was unable to concentrate on the football side of the job. Obviously there isn’t a word in French meaning to delegate.
https://www.goal.com/en/news/i-was-invaded-wenger-frustrated-with-managerial-demands-at/13w7ey2mhp41f1ihi9w9hu4akd
According to Kane, he doesn’t cheat and he’s correct. It’s called football trickery. May even be something coached at Spuds nowadays.
Granit Xhaka may have picked up an Achilles injury during Switzerland’s 4-0 win over Gibraltar. He hobbled off on 74 minutes after undergoing treatment. Xhaka has hinted that he could sit out his country’s upcoming fixtures with Denmark and Ireland because his wife is due to give birth in October. Wonder whether he’ll sit out some Arsenal fixtures also.
We’ll have Holding available in October. I would try Chambers or Luiz as DM. Both are defensively better than Xhaka.
China1
“If we’re going to count charity shields as wengers success, please let us not forget emirates cups. They required playing multiple teams and winning extra points from superior goal difference ”
Trolling and lying at the same time from China.
Nice one .
Bojangels
– and he is spot on. Tbh in my eyes Gazidis is main culprit for all shit that came after his appointment.
We can rage on Wenger till the end of days, but in the end he was hired to be manager, not allfather of Arsenal.
If we had current managament structure i bet Wenger would won us a title or two more and team wouldnt be such a mess after he left.
I look forward to reading Wenger’s autobiography.
The first part would be fascinating from a footballing point of view, how the double teams and the Invincibles were formed and the early days at the Emirates etc.
The second part probably equally fascinating if he goes into depth about Gazidis and his feelings on the last few years. I don’t think he is a person to openly criticise others in such a format but still think there would be some interesting insight into how things fell apart.
Pedro
Late into the conversation
Don’t throw the plants away, they aren’t the problem. It’s fungus gnats or fruit flies in the potted mix/soil.
Get some neem oil Or
Get some Dr. Bronner’s – Pure-Castile Liquid Soap
Or just change the top layer of the potted mix.
I was forever critical of Ramsey’s role in centre mid and how Wenger allowed him to play with a lack of discipline for such an important role in the team. Emery has installed more discipline in the midfield, that’s for sure , the problem is that he has only rarely achieved the balance in that area and it appears like it will be an ongoing theme this season. If Xhaka is injured for the next 3/4 games it give the manager a chance to experiment (for want of a better word) in the midfield area. Xhaka was out for the… Read more »
From the daily mail ,
“I’ve been suffering for a few weeks now’: Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka reveals he has been playing through achilles injury after being taken off during Switzerland’s win over Gibraltar”
Then why has Emery been playing him?
It shows a lack of trust in his other midfield players ….
“If we had current managament structure i bet Wenger would won us a title or two more and team wouldnt be such a mess after he left.”
Nice one
At least you had the balls to write what you meant to write and own it rather than the usual word games some engage in
One thing most of us agree: Raul is way better than Gazidis.
“I see Mhkitaryan showed his undoubted ability the weekend.
It’s a shame that our manager couldn’t find a way to use him effectively, what a waste though it doesn’t surprise me as the manager has continually struggled to find a way of using the CAM/No.10 in this present Arsenal team, let’s hope that Ceballos can give him what he is looking for.”
Petty but expected, i knew two goals against Bosnia will bring out the gossip in you
Pierre ‘I was forever critical of Ramsey’s role in centre mid and how Wenger allowed him to play with a lack of discipline for such an important role in the team.’ Problem is that you turned 100% of your ire on the player, not the manager that signed him when he was 17 years old. You had strong opinions about the player whose entire adult professional career was molded by Wenger but you left out the manager who didn’t give proper direction. …and we are the obsessives? Have to stop now before Pedro parachutes in. He’s decided that you’re a… Read more »
RH
In your mind it may be petty but you also know it’s correct..
What’s your take on the manager playing Xhaka whilst carrying an injury.
The Achilles tendon problems have nothing to do with why Xhaka will lunge at Son’s feet in the penalty box. We are short staffed in the midfield, to answer the question of why play Xhaka? Willocks is a young lad starting in his first season- he needs proper management. Guendouzi is more seasoned now but is also very young. He was overplayed last season. Ceballos too have been carrying some knocks. Torriera was definitely tell close to burn-out last season too. We’ve moved on Mykhi and Elneny. We need bodies in the middle of the field desperately. Emery has to… Read more »
“What’s your take on the manager playing Xhaka whilst carrying an injury.”
What’s your take on Xhaka reporting for international duty and playing two matches in three days if he knew he was indeed injured?
Many players struggling with Injury pulled out of the internationals, if he is declared fit he plays and no one heard of this alleged injury until he went off yesterday
“In your mind it may be petty but you also know it’s correct..” No its petty Emery if anything had too much trust in Mhki, played him regularly and in a position where he flourished in his one super season at Dortmund. He can play number 10 in his country Armenia, good on them, but Mkhi in a three man midfield in the premiership does not work I suppose the manager (Mourinho) who also paid 30+ off million for him used him “incorrectly” . And if he fails to be consistent at Roma he is used “incorrectly” also, when do… Read more »
Dissenter
“We are short staffed in the midfield, to answer the question of why play Xhaka?”
There are many options Emery could have used .
Luiz or chambers DM…..ozil/Mhkitaryan if Ceballos is, as you say , carrying knocks (debatable).
Willock and Guendouzi have already shown us that they are more than capable of putting in quality performances and playing Torreira in DM is where he should be anyway.
But no , you carry on believing that xhaka should be starting despite carrying an injury.
We shouldn’t be playing ozil because he’s expensive. We should be playing him because he makes us better.
But he doesn’t make us better, he makes us worse. So unfortunately that leaves him as either an expensive onfield burden or an expensive off field waster
Against teams that aren’t relegation fodder and away from home I’d rather the latter
China1
I disagree
He’s an extra body, fit and ready to go pas far as I know]
He’s a professional footballer paid by Arsenal FC who’s had a full preseason.
We won’t know if he’s going to make us better if he doesn’t get minutes<last season [and the season before that] may have just been an extended bad patch.
We don’t have the personnel to completely freeze out a 30 year old player with his supposed pedigree.
Pierre
You have some quaint idea that players should never play with an injury?
It’s the players willingness, the type of injury, degree to which that injury limits performance and the availability of other playing options that determine if the player is fielded.
That’s a decision that the medical people in the club will make. You seem to be suggesting that Emery played Xhaka…like he forced him.
One of Xhaka’s strengths is that he makes himself available no matter what. Maybe that’s why managers like him.
“Xhaka has now surprisingly revealed that he suffered a recurrence of an Achilles problem which has plagued him over the past month, but is optimistic that he won’t be facing any time in the treatment room. “I’ve been suffering from Achilles tendon pain for a few weeks now. I felt it during the game,” he said following Switzerland’s win. “It hurts now, but it should be okay otherwise.” Really sounds like he’s on deaths door Pierre. You still can’t get it into your tiny, bitter little head that Torreira and Ceballos didn’t have a preseason and the latter is also… Read more »
It’s possible Özil isn’t playing because Emery doesn’t want to play an AM and Xhaka is playing because he wants to play a DLP and Xhaka is the only one we have that fits the bill.
“Xhaka is the only one we have that fits the bill”
How doomed are we.
Xhaka is very good at high diagonal balls but I don’t think he qualifies as a deep lying playmaker because I think you need more than that When I think of a deep playmaker I think of cesc or pirlo. Those guys had fabulous passing ranges but what’s more important imo is how it’s used. Those two could create chances and major transitions out of nothing from as deep as you like so their contribution was as much about unlocking teams and helping the team break through the lines which supports the attack. As good as xhaka genuinely is at… Read more »
Calling Xhaka a play maker is an insult to play makers
He is just a guy with a good left foot who can spread a pass under no pressure, can occasionally put himself about albeit recklessly.
https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/players/what-unai-emery-sees-granit-16881490.amp?__twitter_impression=true
Spade is a spade, only it’s not with certain players. Has suitability issues without question, but the idea he’s not anything to his game is just daft.
Xhaka should be left in the same rejects corner as the other Wenger dross such as Mustafi that we haven’t yet got rid of
We need to build for the future and not use these players again I would even say that this should be so even if it puts us at short term risk but the last contributions of these 2 puts us more at risk by playing them
As I said, the only midfielder we have that fits the bill. Who else do we have that can play that position, seeing Pirlo and Fabregas are not available.
CC
I agree that he is not a playmaker but there is nobody else in our squad that can play there. If you have bothered to read my previous posts you would know my feelings about Xhaka. If Emery insists on playing DLP Xhaka will be selected until we buy one hopefully in January.
Bojangles
‘As I said, the only midfielder we have that fits the bill. Who else do we have that can play that position, seeing Pirlo and Fabregas are not available.’
Agreed, our midfield is short of real options.
Besides Xhaka, we have a 24 year old Uruguayan still coming to terms with livin/h in England and two 19/20 year player as well as a loanee from Real Madrid.
“Wenger said no”
Did he goes to rehab ?? lol
@China1
“Cesc was playing the same ball but as a through ball onto a rushing winger and playing it 3 seconds early when the opposition were still wrong footed”
Very good observation! Often we saw Cese long balls drop inside the opponent’s box allowing the attackers to threaten the goal. Some of his passes to Diego Costa helped Chelsea winning the League.
“My frustration in the end was that I didn’t have enough time to think about football,” he told beIN SPORTS. “Maybe because I was in a form of model of management where I had so many things to do but I was slowly, if I think back today, I was invaded between the time I arrived to the end. “I was basically invaded by demands that stopped me from concentrating on what is the most important part of my job.” Playing the woe it’s me angle. See it wasn’t his fault he was such a control freak and micromanaged everything… Read more »
But what does xhaka have to his game outside of that pass?
Serious question
If you ask his wife I gather arsene invades a French woman in Paris not too long before his marriage broke down
Just sayin
Marko,
This from a man who didn’t know if a DOF controlled traffic. Priceless.
Revisionist nonsense, hoping that his audience have short term memories. Still comes across as arrogant, the one trait that turned the tide for me against him. Such arrogance!
Xhaka is a player with basically one major talent in a game and more importantly a position where top players require several on a minute by minute basis There are extremely few high end players who are just great at one thing. And it’s in a large part because abilities and skills compliment one another If you have his long passing skill *and* can turn a man inside out like Ceballos/cesc/santi then you have an extremely potent weapon for transitions and counter attacks. But xhaka can’t turn his man. I can’t ever recall seeing him properly skin a guy or… Read more »
Xhaka is a net negative performer for Arsenal. The opportunity cost alone is staggering. There isn’t a player who doesn’t have some sort of positives. That however, is not the ultimate assessor.
Oh still totally arrogant. I suggest also when his likely wank titled book comes out not to bother getting it because he’s the type who won’t tell all he won’t take responsibility for his failings he’ll pass it off as something else. Which is a shame because I always wanted to know truly what was behind the Park Chu Young signing. Fishy as fuck that one
Mate I think the Park chu Young signing was the same as all our Asian signings. Cynical.
I think without exception, we’ve gone after Asian players to sell shirts in these highly lucrative markets. Wait another couple of years and he’d have bought an 8th choice CM from China to sit in the reserves for a way in to this market too
Frankly there are very few genuinely good Asian players but we never went for them and on the one occasion we had a good one ie Inamoto he was totally ignored
Thanks for the link to the Opta Skysports stats – So at the moment we have a style similar to Pool/Klopps gegenpress except without the pressing? Wtf is that about then, either do it or don’t.
The only pressure I normally see is the opposition applying it to our backline.
The only time chambers should play DM is for a team that wants to get relegated, Luiz is a CB theres more time there to pick passes than in midfield.
Mikhi showed his undoubted ability? Someone needs to taken to castle black and let out the gates to join the wildlings
The idea of paternity leave for footbsllers is ludicrous. One match is the maximum number a player need miss and that only if the birth of his child falls on that match day.
In Xhaka’s case, any reason that keeps him away from the team is valid but giving him paternity leave sets a precedent. Nobody will be happy if, say Laca is granted paternity leave with a couple of must win games approaching.