GOOOOOOD EBENING.
Late one for the folks back in the UK today. Maybe it’s nearly beer o’clock? Well, have I got product news for you… I am working on a hard seltzer brand. It is fizzy water and alcohol (5%). 100 calories. It’s mental. I use booze to mostly medicate my life, now I’m medicating at 100 calories… give it a crack.
You know what else I need alcohol to medicate for? Unai Emery.
I know that people think I have it in for him, but it’s not true… I just find some of the things he does utterly perplexing.
Let’s talk about the captains armband.
Leadership is something you look for in all players. Everyone should hold themselves accountable, all must fight for the team, every last man must step forward when needed. Shared leadership is a mindset, it should be part of the culture, but let’s not kid ourselves it is a substitute for a real captaincy.
The idea of ‘captaincy’ is not dead. We can’t woke-wash away the basics of leading men. Leadership is real, it cannot be shared. You need a focal point for the team.
Topline, there are two ways that captains armband is dished out.
You either have someone that is an outrageous talent and they lead by example with goals, assists and match-winning performances (Cesc). This approach is usually a way of grounding an ego in ‘team.’
The second way – and generally more popular, is giving the armband to the standout leader in the squad. They might not be the most popular (Roy Keane), they might not be the most talented (G.Nev), but they are a bonified warrior that leads you into battle (Adams/Vieira), holds everyone to account, and does the dirty work on the shop floor (hairdryer/boot throwing/ rabble-rousing).
Last season, Unai Emery – fresh out of a new age business grad school – elected for a socialist approach to the captains’ armband, probably an idea born out of the Wenger handbook of management named ‘HAPPY EVERYONE.’
A year on, 4 of the 5 are now firmly off the roster. Aaron Ramsey was binned after a month when Unai realised he didn’t fancy him. Koscielny went on strike in the close season. Petr Cech moved to Chelsea as the Sporting Director before the Europa League final, Mesut Ozil took sick leave so many times it became an HR issue… Granit Xhaka, is still here, waiting in the wings.
So where are we right now? It’s September 26th 2019. We’ve played 6 Premier League games, 1 league cup match and we’ve had an away day in the Europa League… still no decision on the captaincy. Our default is Granit, who is being booed by the fans already.
Today, the press has leaked that Emery is holding a vote.
I cannot tell you how ridiculously juvenile this approach is. It’s Boy Scouts stuff. It’s someone that’s bad at people thinking this is a good way to bond the squad.
Here are some topline issues.
It tells the players the manager is insecure:
This is palming off responsibility. This is walking away from a decision. This is a man worried about what the squad thinks of him. It’s also an excuse if it goes wrong.
‘Don’t blame me, you voted!’
This sort of micro-beta-male action might not bite now, but the thought will linger. If I know my boss cares whether I liked them, I know they are weak, I know I can strike at them when they are down, I know I can cut at them when they are indecisive.
The manager is struggling to understand basic connections of the squad:
This one is a worry, but one that doesn’t surprise. Emery struggles to manage egos. He doesn’t seem to understand the causal effects of his behaviour in general. It should not shock that he cannot identify a strong leader, because he doesn’t seem to be one himself. If you outsource communication to your assistant, you are probably struggling to interpret the language of the club. My worry here is that if he can’t understand what’s going on at a basic level, like, who is the standout leader, how can he understand the lighter nuances that happen in the day to day that you need to be on top of to manage a group?
He believes it is better to be loved:
The basic premise seems to be that he thinks great leadership is tied to popularity.
I present to thee: Emmanuel Eboue.
Lad was absolute banter, did you see the tiger outfit? Squad LOVED him. Captain material?
Extreme case, no one would invite him to be a leader, but my point is this: You don’t always know what is right for you from a leadership perspective.
The ideal person to manage you is often not the sort of person you would ask to manage you. Are you going to invite a fox into your warm metaphorical chicken coop? No fucking way. That’s why Rob Holding thinks Granit Xhaka is a great leader. He’s a top lad, he’s a bit shit, and he probably doesn’t hold anyone accountable because he does not have the performance cache to do so.
Voting for your leader is for politics, not the army. Tony Adams once said, ‘It is better to be feared than loved’, wise words, no doubt, but seriously, if there is an end of the spectrum we need at Arsenal, it’s closer to ‘feared.’
Donald Trump once said he believes you only have so much energy in life, which is why he doesn’t bother with exercise.
I think there’s a reverse version of this in management. You have a credibility power bar that you can grow with great decisions. You can also drain it with bad ones. Phil Brown lectured his players on the pitch at halftime, that drained his tank, it was over. Jose Mourinho threw his physios under the bus in the media, which told the squad he had the back of no one. Unai Emery is chipping away at his with confusing tactics, odd management behaviours (player reviews) and meek decisions. There comes a point in a season where all the mico-fails culminate into something very bad. We likely won’t see that until the back end of the season, but when he surveys the wreckage, it’s moments like this that he’ll likely curse.
IN OTHER NEWS.
Some Wenger quotes doing the rounds about the United job, I read they are fake.
I did a SOLO podcast.
Mertesacker played his last game for Arsenal in May 2018. The previous season his only start was against Chelski in the Cup Final. His best ever game for Arsenal.
When exactly did they play 27 games together over the past 2 years?
Like nearly everyone else, I think Emery is handling this captain thing poorly. One, he’s in his second year; he should know the players, their personalities, the dressing room dynamics, etc. Select a single player as captain and stick with him. It shouldn’t be that difficult, and the fact that he’s finding it difficult suggests he is a little lacking when it comes to having insight into his players, the team dynamics, etc. Two, I could see doing a blind-ballot team vote if you wanted to see where the players themselves stood on certain players, but being so public about… Read more »
The big question about the captaincy is what are people expect a captain to do? 1) be an ever presence on the pitch. 2) Lead by example in the pitch either by being the best in their position or taking game by the scruff of the neck 3) be the voice of the coach on the pitch and the players off the pitch 4) Talk to the media and speak eloquently about the team, the tactic and how the team feel. 5) Confront a player when something wrong is done on or off the pitch 6) Guide/counsel other members of… Read more »
Give it a season and Tierney will be our captain.
Quote me on it.
Just listened to the podcast. I agree with everything including your judgement of Ozil except when you accuse him of toxic in the dressing room. Ozil is smarter than you think. He is rich enough to hire a professional team to take care of his interest. He will not do anything toxic. He has his whole life mapped out. Like it or not, I predict that he’ll stay until his contract ends. Then he’ll join the MLS where there is no team demotion and the fans enjoy watching a star player doing his trick. And Ozil has abundant of tricks… Read more »
BBB sport 17 July 2019
“Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he will let his players choose the Premier League champions’ next captain.”
Does this make Pep weak?
Bamford10September 26, 2019 21:54:00 Like nearly everyone else, I think Emery is handling this captain thing poorly. One, he’s in his second year; he should know the players, their personalities, the dressing room dynamics, etc. Select a single player as captain and stick with him. It shouldn’t be that difficult, and the fact that he’s finding it difficult suggests he is a little lacking when it comes to having insight into his players, the team dynamics, etc. Two, I could see doing a blind-ballot team vote if you wanted to see where the players themselves stood on certain players, but… Read more »
Bojangles
Slight difference.
Pep has just led his team to two PL titles and multiple trophies.
Imo, he has allowed himself the right and leeway to decide such matters and significantly he has the respect and confidence of all his players.
Emery is a long way short of making such decisions.
Benny and Azed
The city example doesn’t suffice
Pep Guardiola is the soul and spirit of Manchester city, on and off the pitch.
He is effectively the captain micromanaging every aspect of the footballing aspect of the club. He once had a famous club doctor [an institution in sports medicine ] fired at Bayern.
You see him getting in his player’s face on and off the pitch. Guardiola is the unquestionable leader at city- he plays that “captain role” already so the players can nominate their representative, it doesn’t change a thing.
At least whoever end up as Arsenal captain should behave better than Derby’s captain. Injured and out for the season as a non-wearing seat belt passenger in a drink drive incident.
According to Derby’s statement.
As a result of an alcohol-related incident, Richard Keogh has sustained a serious knee injury that will prevent him from playing until the end of the season.
Only people who have a problem understanding the game (probably into rugby)would not appreciate the qualities of Mertesacker. He was a much better footballer than people gave him credit for . His positioning and reading of the game was exceptional , it had to be to cover for his lack of pace or he wouldn’t have lasted so long in the premier league or in international football. His passing from the back was also underrated, I would often point out to friends( yes I do have friends) who would criticise his ability on the ball to watch him closely when… Read more »
Pep is so micro-critical he will argue with a striker about off-the ball movements when setting up for a defensive corner kick. That’s the way he is.
It’s Pep’s team, that’s unquestionable so the captaincy isn’t that big a deal at city because he’s a fully hands-on manager. . They play EXACTLY what he wants…they deviate ————-are out.
As for the 5 captains. This would appear to be a Spanish aberration. Barca and Citeh are two clubs that that choose to go this route. It appears though that only Emery is considered weak for doing so. Same applies to him electing to allow the players to choose the captain(s) for the team.
Benny
That’s an interesting point, but I think the two situations are a little different. I feel like Guardiola is doing what he’s doing not because he doesn’t know who he would appoint but because he thinks it’s best to let the players themselves choose at this particular moment. With Emery it feels more like he’s doing it because he isn’t sure who to choose or what to do. That’s different. I could be wrong, though.
If I were manager I think I’d make Aubameyang captain. This would be a little unconventional given that he’s not a defender or midfielder and given that he’s not a “hard guy” or “serious guy,” but he’s well-respected, well-liked, charismatic, has a great spirit to him and wants to win things. He has a lot of self-belief and my sense is that he believes he can win big things and that he wants to win big things. I just don’t think we have anyone else who really makes sense. For me it should be Aubameyang.
Imo, he has allowed himself the right and leeway to decide such matters and significantly he has the respect and confidence of all his players.Emery is a long way short of making such decisions.
Absolute horse shit. If both managers let their players pick their own captain how does one look like a complete pussy while the other one doesn’t? Pep earned the right to allow his players to pick the captain meanwhile Emery hasn’t earned that right? That sounds stupid
The double-standards are amazing, if not entirely predictable.
Rumor that Manure plans to replace OGS with Poch. It would be bad news for Emery. Both SPUDS and Manure could become serious competitors for a top4 spot.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he will let his players choose the Premier League champions’ next captain. Previous skipper Vincent Kompany retired at the end of last season. Midfielder David Silva captained City for Wednesday’s pre-season 4-1 friendly win against West Ham in China but a permanent replacement will not be made until all the squad are back from summer breaks. “They will choose the captain when we are all together,” Guardiola said. “After they are all back (they are) going to make a meeting and decide who is going to be captain.” Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne says he… Read more »
“Well. Socialism is always a problem. it never works.”
It works in Finland who top the table for happiest Country on Earth
‘I have friends’
‘I love granit in the changing room’
What’s going on with all the odd quotes lol
Graham England’s game plan was power from the pack for the USA game because the USA came to defend spending most of the game pinned in their own half. Pretty much all they could do against a far superior/technical side. England’s tactics for the Argentina game will be more of a running game while dominating at the set piece. England’s pack dominance of old is now just one of England’s attacking options. The win was never in question so a good run out for players to get game time to keep their match fitness. ES To paraphrase you, as I… Read more »
Fun advert with Mourinho poking fun at himself:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7507771/Jose-Mourinho-stars-hilarious-advert-poking-fun-moments-career.html
Tony
Nice to see Maureen doesn’t take himself so seriously (or will he really do anything for money.)
Emery is just collecting data on the alliances in the camp, y’all need to know making data based decisions is saucy
If the players end up choosing Xhaka then they are even bigger pussies than their dumb coach.
Is Finland really socialist? They have some of the highest standards of social programs and funding and manage themselves extremely well – but it’s still a capitalist country for the most part
Pedro
Just listened to podcast. I repeat what I said previously, I prefer your solo podcasts.
Agreed on all things Xhaka. The man should be nowhere near the first team, unless it’s with another club.
Un**ed have something similar to Xhaka in Maguire, the 80 million pound man, in that he’s prone to making a mistake under pressure. We need Auba and Pepe to get onto him whenever he receives the ball (which is fairly often when they play out from the back.) He’s not as error prone the way Xhaka is but he has mistakes in him which we maybe able to take advantage of.
Bojangles Best kind of PR: humility Keeps him positively in the public eye and yes he probably did it for the money as well. But can he be a successful manager again? Will he be the special one at come backs? Is there any sauce left in him? Or will he join Wenger on the managerial scrap heap? In my experience serial winners in all walks of life always bounce back, so expect him to be managing again at a big club. At the highest level Wenger was only a winner at Arsenal so couldn’t be classed as a serial… Read more »
China 1
Finland has or until recently had the best education system.
Allowing the players to choose the captain may cause fractions within the team amongst the players . I’m sure xhaka regards himself as the leader of the team as ,by all accounts, he is the one who reminds players of the standards that should be met . If xhaka is ignored as captain by the players then it could start a divide. Some may think this a good thing as it will be the beginning of the end for xhaka but I’m not so sure as it could prove to be disruptive for the season. Of course , if the… Read more »
Tony
I’m sure he can still succeed as a manager. I really do not want him to attempt it here.
If, as some suggest, divisions in the dressing room now, unless Maureen has changed his approach to man management (which I doubt,) I dread to think what it would look like after 6 months of him at the helm.
“Is Finland really socialist? They have some of the highest standards of social programs and funding and manage themselves extremely well – but it’s still a capitalist country for the most part”
Its neither the 2 terms are limiting
Valid points Bojangles.
Anyone here been to the Allianz Arena in the home section? Gonna be in Munich for a week in Nov and thinking about going to see a game.
Regarding the post by Pedro, I actually agree. I think UE is shiiite at player relationships.
Sid that’s precisely my point – there’s an awful lot of fear and misinformation that has been gladly put out as propaganda surrounding the capitalism vs socialism vs communism type debates and they always boil down to very much binary and unnecessary good vs bad type stances which people have. Take China as a case in point. Communist China… which has an economy which is in many key regards far less regulated and freer than the UK. It also doesn’t have half as many social benefits or programs for its citizens. Go figure. Meanwhile in America people lose their minds… Read more »
Santiago Solari would like to try his luck in the PL. Not sure how saucy he is though.
Sounds a bit like our man here.
“The type of football I like is when the team is the protagonist, offensive football, high tempo and aggressive but in order to achieve that you have to defend high, have fast transitions, and of course talent is a big part of that.”
Me- ‘Solari?’
Solari- ‘yes?’
Me-‘it’s a no from me. I’m afraid we can’t offer you the job’
Solari- ‘but why?’
Me- ‘you said the word protagonist. Hearing this word brings up memories of recent trauma’
Solari-‘but-‘
Me- ‘no. Just, no. This will never work. Thanks for coming for an interview anyway and have a good ebening’
Solari- ‘???’
China
It is a similar situation here in Viet Nam, which of course has a communist government. There are no social welfare programs in place. There are a number of public hospitals and schools and the government subsidise transport in the major cities.
Infrastructure is mainly implemented through cooperation with large International companies, in large part from Japan and Korea.
This is pretty much mirrored in the Philippines, it having a capitalist government (without the subsidised transport.)
Both countries are riddled with corruption and nepotism through all levels of government.
Dissenter
“Arteta cut his management skills by tolling his team mates and using the proceeds to buy a luxury watch for Gazidis.
Pity that it wasn’t enough to get him the Arsenal job”
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. And it makes me laugh every fucking time
Yeah no surprises. The lines between ideologies on paper, how they are represented in international media and the realities of actual life in countries with said ‘idealogies’ is very different Because China has a huge hand in its banking and energy industries, as well as strict controls on currencies, people in the west would have you belief life here is restricted heavily when the opposite is true. If you want to make money and make it fast China is one hell of a place to come. It’s much easier to earn here than in the UK imo. Opportunities down every… Read more »
The only problem I have living here is, I cannot send money out of the country. I have to go across the border to Cambodia to do so, which is no big deal, just a pain in the arse if you need to send money in a hurry.
Some great news for Martinez, as he gets his first call up to the Argentine 1st team.
The spuds have fixed the price for Kane (the right way to pronounce it is “Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane!!”), and it’s 280M Euros.
lol ?
Arteta again ?? FFS…
It’s Xhakas birthday today apparently and he’s getting absolutely hammered on the Arsenal fb page.
I get that it’s not classy and that he’s just a person with feelings and all that but he’s not fir to wear the armband and he shouldn’t be anywhere near the pitch on matchdays. He’s even useless as a sub if it’s not in a game we’re winning comfortably and were the opponents doesn’t press at all.
Pierre I actually agree. Emery hasn’t been at the club long enough or infact, done enough, to justify this decision. Comparing this to Peps actions at MC is ludicrous. Whatever way you look at it, it is weak leadership and will most likely only serve in creating an element of negativity within the camp. Maybe things are different now but a captain is the player who all the players look up to and leads by example. If Emery can’t see himself who this player should be, then we have a massive problem. This says more about Emery as a leader,… Read more »
“It’s Xhakas birthday today apparently and he’s getting absolutely hammered on the Arsenal fb page.”
Not hammered enough.
For his birthday, Emery’s present : the armband for the rest of his life.
China1
Do they have people walking around with clipboards advising you that policy # 2345/B145/RZ is not being followed?
The reason I ask this is that it comes across that the reason it is easier to make money in China is because they don’t have so many restrictions/ regulations or should I say, governing bodies, controlling things.
One gets the impression from afar that, in China, things are a wee bit more lax.
Am I right?
Spuds have bigger problems than us.
See, life can be good.
Emery hasn’t been at the club long enough or infact, done enough, to justify this decision. Emery has to justify giving the players a vote because he hasn’t been at the club long enough?? In what world is that logical, not this one. It would make more sense to say he hasn’t been at the club long enough to select his own captain, which of course he has. Pep has allowed his players to elect their captains but that is quite justifiable because he’s been with Citeh 4-5 years?? Wow, takes my breath away. Yet saucy Pep cannot be made… Read more »
China1
Does the equivalent of HMRC keep a tight control on things?
Is the Chinese government able to control and regulate tax laws etc? From what I here, this is not the case.
Just asking.
A settled first eleven, and a settled captain would be nice , however it shows clearly that our manager after 60 games hasn’t got a clue.
It reflects how disjointed our club is.with him at the helm.
To be captain you should be close to the manager and his representative on the pitch to talk to the players and keep the plan in shape.
The fact that we dont have a player who is clear fit to be captain speaks volumes about the team
Bojangles
Very naive assessment.
You’re comparing Pep to Emery. Amazing!!
I think we’ve all seen enough of Emery these past 16 months to realise he is not too good when it comes to applying systems/ structures/ logic.
If you seriously can’t see the difference between Pep and Emery and the environment they work in, you must be blind.
Pep has the trust of his players and, more significantly, he trusts them.
Ozil/ Mustafi/ Xhaka/ AMN etc must be loving this
Now do you get it?
When you quite clearly don’t have the trust of all your players, you don’t throw in the towel and let them run the show.
Cutting your own throat.
Maybe that’s what Emery wants.
And the towel will help to wipe the blood.
But in this case it is clear that 1 towel will not be enough
Graham
I’m not comparing the two. I’m questioning the logic in your comment. As if length of time at the club has any bearing on whether or not Emery is justified in deciding to have the players vote for their captain. Just doesn’t make any sense.
I wasn’t argueing that Emery is not a weak manager or that Pep is not a better manager, that is your conclusion.
To state that two managers who do the same thing in their method of captain selection can’t be compared because one is better than the other is ludicrous.
https://africa.espn.com/football/nice/story/3952209/sources-nice-player-stole-teammates-70k-watch
Talk about ruining your own life
If this happened at Arsenal it will somehow be attributed to Emery’s lack of condiments
“To state that two managers who do the same thing in their method of captain selection can’t be compared because one is better than the other is ludicrous.”
It’s beyond ludicrous, it’s agenda driven stupidity
Pep wants players he has been with for years now to choose their own leader ….Great he has earned it.
Emery wants players at a club which has witnessed an incredible turnover of senior players over a year and half to pick their own leader…stupid man, weak, lacks sauce, confused , sack him.
Makes sense doesn’t it
“We’re not young any more, we’re not inexperienced,” he said. “We’ve played in a big games for club and country. I can see why the manager is frustrated because he’s been here for six years now and we’re still making similar mistakes to the ones we were in his first year.” Is that an Arsenal player talking about Arsenal players and Emery? No It’s a Spurs player talking about the third best manager in the world and his players. I wonder why they keep making these mistakes seeing as they are coached by a man only bettered by two other… Read more »
Yes CC makes sense. Makes sense in a double standards sort of way.
Those ‘leaks’ from the Spurs camp are extremely embarrassing. Poch really needs to get a grip of his players because they’re flagrantly undermining his sauciness.
This wouldn’t ever have happened under Redknapp.
Pep’s been with his players for years, he should know them inside out. He should be able to pick his captain without any fear.
We know the reason Emery has thrown the decision over to the players is because he is weak.
That still doesn’t give any credence to stating a manager cannot give his players the option to select their captain simply because he hasn’t been at the club long enough. There is simply no logic in that at all.
The difference between ManCity and Arsenal is one has an abundance of leaders ready to step in when the others have dearth of credible leaders. That has nothing to do with the headcoach. Pep can let them decide among themselves who to choose for captain from the credible leaders: KdB, Silva, Sterling, .. Emery has no credible leaders. Xhaka may have the leadership quality, but has no playing credibility. Aubameyang may be the most welcoming guy, but is he the guy who will rally the troup when the going gets tough. Will anybody listen to Guendouzi when he himself in… Read more »
“his sauciness. ”
lol
Once all the remnants of the wenger era signings are out the door choosing a Captain will be as easy as poch loosing the Carabao
Sauciness… sauciseness ??
Xhaka just announced as club captain, that’s the United game disappearing down the gurgler. Fucking awful call, and will probably cost him his job.
100 pc agree with Guernsey Gun
It will cost him his job
Arsenal’s academy manager and former skipper Per Mertesacker spoke out last week revealing why Ozil has not started many matches this season.
“I hope Mesut can get fit,” said Mertesacker. “Unai requires a certain fitness level.
“Unai is fair to everyone. You need to deliver a certain fitness level – then you are available to play.
“Unai tries to get through to him. He talks to him. He says: ‘You need to train to a certain level every day – I need you to be fit – otherwise you are not going to play.’
LOL Xhaka is Captain
Say goodbye to all those thoughts of a mobile dynamic midfield. Emery just about guaranteed he won’t have a long stint here as coach
Guernsey
It’s not official yet, hope Ornstein is wrong about this one.
Maybe he is a great leader off the pitch and good at collecting fines but he’s a terrible player and shouldn’t be on the pitch. If he becomes captain I hope it’s a non playing one, we’ve had that before. Anything else would be a disaster.
“Fucking awful call, and will probably cost him his job.”
All good then .
Xkaha named captain?
Death knell for Emery. We’re fucked on Monday too.
Xhaka*
FL I hope ornstein is wrong as well, but I think it’s a done deal. Best chance to get a win at OT in ages and he’s just given them a 72 hour major confidence boost. Fucking awful decision. Well he’s made his bed and all that…..
Emery really is a moron.
“this wouldn’t have happened under Redknapp”
Genius!
“Emery really is a moron.”
What about the players who have voted for Xhaka ?
I am more interested to see whether Emery goes back to that diamond midfield formation with Xhaka
CAPTAINsitting at the base of the diamond.HL –
The majority who must’ve voted for him are morons too!
Valentin: “The difference between ManCity and Arsenal is one has an abundance of leaders ready to step in when the others have dearth of credible leaders.” Wrong. City were trailing by 7 pts to Pool on Christmas if I’m not wrong. It was Kompany who came back from an injury, played in every game afterwards and won them the title with surpreme leadership. He also scored the most important goal with that phenomenal shot from outside the box vs Leicester. His teammates at the Etihad cried when they learned he is leaving. Nobody else in that club comes even close… Read more »
I hope the trend of not playing the first captain goes on. Since Cesc it has been an ongoing trend the captain to get injured. Happened with Vermaelen, Arteta, Mertesacker and Koscielny. Hopefully Xhaka follows the trend so we get our vice captain – hopefully Auba, to lead us in most games.
Oh dear, Emery.
You just had to fuck this up
Huge fuckup by Emery naming Xhaka. This probably means that he considers him as a guaranteed starter in the EPL and that’s exactly what we all feared. #emeryout
” O Captain! My Captain!”
😂😂
Yes…true in David Silva maybe not being the best captain but at least you want him in your squad and playing most games.
Does Emery not realise that Xahka was booed off at the Emirates last week
“Xahka was booed off at the Emirates last week”
And will be applaused by the Mancs next Monday…
That’s Emery finished.
Only a matter of time now, if Xhaka is captain and starting every week then he’s just signed his own death warrant.
Xhaka as captain.
We shouldn’t be surprised. A captain that reflects his manager. Dull uninspiring and mistaken prone… Emery has done what Wenger did. Appoint a “yes man” rather than the right man.
PS. Although, why would you reward someone who openly said the team played with fear (against Watford no less?).
A bizarre choice.
It’s been Xhaka for ages, this all smelt very Wenger like in terms of Emery not wanting to just make a decision and announce it himself, put it off, put it off and then finally try to pass the blame to the players.
Really poor management but with 8 months left on his contract anyway he will pay for his bad decision.
If this is true,I pray Xhaka is booed from Monday to the end of the season when Emery will be sack hopefully.
How do you prefer to make a player that is error prone a captain.
Emery has just confirmed that he doesn’t have sauce
If xhaka was voted captain that speaks volumes about his teammates
“I’m so proud to have been named Captain by my teammates. I can’t wait to gave the Armband to my successor : my newborn.”
Got this comment on Arseblog
“Wow. That was like being promised a pet puppy as a child, but instead receiving a snail from the garden.”
Very apt comment
Really is an appalling choice
Paul Kelly: “Does Emery not realise that Xahka was booed off at the Emirates last week” So Emery is deluded then. How do managers not see that, yes, football is not a popularity contest. But in 9/10 times fans prefering one player to another in their team they are right. It’s the fans that want their team to succeed, no? Why would they boo Xhaka or Mustafi if they are playing really well? They won’t. Fans want to see Torreira and Guendouzi + one of Willock or Ceballos. How hard is it to test that one out and see how… Read more »