Xhaka showing Emery who’s boss with lack of apology.

by .

So I basically caused a revolt in the comments section with my ‘crazy’ views on Unai Emery last season. I called out the basics like language issues, the negative football, and the fact he lost a one horse race at the richest club in the world. I highlighted his dismal defensive record at all his clubs , I found damning quotes from his explayers, I brought ‘sauce’ into the common vernacular… I’ll cut to the point, I basically did the due diligence Arsenal failed to do on our bland hire.

Every melt under the sun abused me. Two of my London friends pulled me to one side last Christmas and told me to behave because I was taking the criticism too far.

‘Emery is good, look at the results. I think there’s something wrong with you?’

Now all of a sudden, the world has realised that I was correct (again), but are they talking about Le Grove? No, they’re talking about some handsome ESPN journo who strung some tweets together in 2018 at the same time… like he was the lone voice.

‘Isn’t it spooky how accurate this obscure handsome man is’

It’s a fucking disgrace. I now know how Xhaka felt on Monday. At least when he was being booed, it was for slow-walking and telling the fans to fuck off. I’m serving up 30-yard football insight screamers, people are seeing them, criticising them for being tap-ins, and… hold on, I’m lost here. Basically, the internet is shit. Everyone was there to call Le Grove a DISGRACE during the unbeaten run, but no one is there rolling out the OH BOY YOU WERE RIGHT RED CARPET now I have been largely proven right.

I don’t even like high praise anyway, fuck you. Fuck you.

*throws shirt to ground and storms down the tunnel*

No, I will not fucking apologise Unai, you cheese on GOOD EBENING toast melt.

Talking of Xhaka, Sami Mokbel said Arsenal are offering the Swiss counselling. I really don’t know where to go with this sort of commentary. If he genuinely has mental health issues, I’d leave this alone, but we live in a culture of amateur psychologists (thank you, Mr Ganesh), so it’s hard to tell what is real and what makes for a trendy headline. We all go through rough patches when we’re performing badly at work, is that not just feeling shit about being a bit shit? Does it always have to be something deeper? I’m honestly not critiquing mental health here, but I do find people’s amaeteur diagnosis and assumptions as damaging as ignoring them. Everyone cited Ozil as being depressed last year and it was totally made up.

Anyway, dealing in facts, the player has entered day 3 and he’s refusing to apologise. He also took time out to rile the fans by changing his Instagram profile picture to one of him in a Swiss shirt. I have to say, that was a zinger, our group chat went wild over that one.

The overarching feeling is the player is acting like a 14-year-old.

There are a lot of people claiming we shouldn’t need an apology as fans. You’re right. I fucking hate apology culture. It’s a real leftwing pass time in America, people love a ‘THEY MUST APOLOGISE’ outrage, then the apology comes and some obscure charity that campaigns for the rights of people that work as Christmas elves tweets ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’… I digress. The apology isn’t for the fans, it’s for the manager.

Unai Emery, to be fair to him, has mostly done this by the book. As Matt on the podcast pointed out, his poor English maybe lacked some finesse, but overall, he condemned the action and said it was wrong. The fact Xhaka hasn’t come out and apologised has made Emery look weak, and that’s unforgivable from a captain… especially when the manager put his career on the line by giving the armband to him in the first place.

The apology is also for the club and the people that pay him. We’re a community-based club. We have values. We preach class. Xhaka telling fans to fuck off is not a good look for the brand and it’s not a good example to set to kids (think of the children!). Shit is going to happen in your life, tantrum-ing like a kid and telling everyone to fuck off is embarrassing and it shouldn’t be passed off as ‘he’s just human.’

Do that in a client meeting when you’re told your ideas are a dumpster fire of human excrement, you’re out the door. There are literally no arenas where that sort of workplace prose is tolerated in front of clients. I have to say, when you work in a factory, you can say what you like to each other and ‘banter’ is always a mitigating circumstance, but still, not in front of clients and it’s important to note, this was not in a factory.

As for the fans making out this is going to cost us players in the future, bitch please. Arsenal is in north London, we have a sweet stadium and whatever sympathy you feel towards Granit, recognize he’s earning more than you and he thinks you’re a peasant. Fuck it, I think you’re a peasant just for retweeting that handsome man’s super great insights THAT I ALSO HAD BUT WITH MORE DETAIL.

Back to my point. The apology issue is now an Emery issue. A hot-headed moment might be forgivable, an insolent refusal to rectify the mistake and change the news cycle is not. The manager now has to act, and I’m afraid he’s going to have to remove Granit from his duties or look even weaker than he already does.

… and seriously, if you were any other manager in world football, you’d be doing cartwheels if there was an easy out for removing Xhaka as a captain after a month. It’s not even controversial and it’ll make the team better.

Second part of the equation here is this: Forget the ‘players ran to his side’ nonsense. They all know that Granit’s behaviour was unacceptable. If Emery lets this slide, he will be letting a squad that’s out of control know that he’s there to be rolled. He might as well put the gimp mask on and hand the dog chain to whoever is kinky enough to parade him around the training ground.

The notion that the manager is worried about a revolt is pathetic and actually aligns to the sexy ESPN man’s insights about how players of his past teams saw him as meek and easy to dominate. Emery should take control of the situation. These player report into one man and one man alone.

Also, imagine fearing the personalities in our squad? It’s a group of very nice, well-meaning guys. This is hardly Chelsea at its peak under Jose. Bar Kola and Luiz, those two could be dangerous.

Right, that’s me done. Please listen to my podcast. I did it via Skype and I’m very proud of terrific output. You also owe me, so cough up with your ears.

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Dissenter

It seems referees everywhere are not endearing themselves to many The colorful Napoli president, said “buffoonery from the referee” led to coach Carlo Ancelotti and his assistant being sent off in the 2-2 Serie A draw with Atalanta. In a fiery end to the game, Josip Ilicic’s 86th-minute equaliser stood after a long VAR review, as Napoli appealed for a penalty. Ancelotti and his assistant were then shown red cards for protesting. “Without us, the referees would be peeling potatoes,” De Laurentiis said. “If there is VAR it’s pointless creating eight minutes of additional time because all that happens is… Read more »

Dissenter

“Without us, the referees would be peeling potatoes”
One for the ages.

Gentlebris

‘Unai Emery was one win away last season from being christened an overwhelming success, he would have finished third above Pochettino and Sarri (all considered vastly superior coaches ) , he was two wins away from getting both that and a first European title. He masterminded some tactically perfect matches against Chelsea, United and Spurs at home. A good win without conceding against Napoli and a very comprehensive victory against Valencia in the Europa.’ The whole idea of employing Emery was to take this team forward after Wenger’s shortcoming last years in charge, but even Wenger’s last years in charge… Read more »

RodneyKing

I’m not really a fan of Lacazette down the middle and Aubameyang out on the right. If those two are ever going to be on the pitch together, then I’d rather have Lacazette playing slightly behind Aubameyang, with Saka/Martinelli and Pepe on either side of them.

On the other hand, I like Martinelli’s movement. It may be too early to say but I think with Pepe, Martinelli and one of either Laca and Auba, we’d see a better interchange of passes and running off the ball than with Pepe, Laca and Auba.

salparadisenyc

De Laurentiis quote is gold.

Batistuta

Yea site one example of a club that doesn’t get instant success after firing a manager when there are numerous examples of teams who are successful after doing same…

RodneyKing

As Wenger and Arsenal began to decline, demands for a new manger were met with: “Who’s out there that can take over from him?”. But now everyone seems to have an opinion. Let’s all pretend that the terms “Groundhog Day” and “Elite Purgatory” were never used regularly to describe the team’s dreary performances and managerial situation. At the time, a number of posters here pointed out that Wenger was driving the club into a dark tunnel that will take years for it to get out of. How right they were. As fans, we want our team to do well, much… Read more »

þorkell einarsson

i am hoping xhaka is replaced by someone in jan.
muatafi used as backup in the squad until replaced by Saliba ?
özil given time to flourish, him and AMN linked up well yesterday !!
ceballos replaced by Moutinhio Wolwes .. and Eddie NKH is given
a run in the first team asap.. ? auba is tiring with each year ..

TheBayingMob

“ Emery’s biggest undoing is his inability to learn.”

Emery’s biggest undoing, by far, is that he is a shit football manager.

China1

What is the weird obsession with putting our most defensively capable midfielder in a b2b or am position? I just don’t know what the grand idea is If guen was a defensive beast or something you might go okay well he has cover he can afford to experiment but guen is only okay defensively and is clearly still learning his trade. He clearly needs good help alongside him. It should be guen playing alongside a defensive rock so that he can hone his trade calmly rather than the sink or swim setup he finds himself dumped in where we ask… Read more »

China1

By which I’m referring to tor as our most defensively capable mf

PhD2020

Champagne charlieOctober 31, 2019 11:20:32
Bati

Hahaha add your name to the list that “doesn’t see the game very well”It’s literally been rehashed a half dozen times to anyone objecting his ridiculous assertions. The guy is a first grade idiot, pompous as it comes, and has no reasonable basis for his POV.You nailed it, he’s a troll.

—–
Not pompous at all..Not a troll..

Just a wannabe Harvard reject..Or a Harvard dropout-kicked out because of what is witnessed, day in,day out..

No sane parent, would subject their kid to this total nonsense on a daily basis..

Fornicating impossible…

Cesc Appeal

LT

I much prefer Auba to Lacazette in all honesty.

I get people say Lacazette has better work rate and is maybe more well rounded, but Auba is unquestionably the better ST in terms of goals and carrying a threat.

Since his return I haven’t been impressed with Lacazette either. Looks off the pace and lazy.

Under Emery I thought we were at our best when we played one and brought one off the bench.

RodneyKing

Before the game last night, I watched Wright interviewing Bergkamp about his time at Arsenal. For around the tenth time, mind. For someone who went about his business on the pitch rather seriously, he’s got a great sense of humour. He wants to come back to Arsenal in some capacity but not as head coach. Classy player. I’ve seen that goal against Newcastle lots of times but I never get tired of seeing it. The gulf in quality between Wenger’s early teams and our recent teams is so wide it’s almost diabolical. Hard to believe Arsenal won games with just… Read more »

Un na naai

One thing is abundantly clear
Emery and whoever replaces him in the summer has to let this attacking talent loose.
5 goals at anfield. AMN, Özil, Martinelli, Willock and Saka were unplayable going forward
You put ALP in amongst that let and let them loose you are going to blow any team out of the park
Why is he so scared to go forward with such an arsenal?

Un na naai

Since his return I haven’t been impressed with Lacazette either. Looks off the pace and lazy.

CA

You aren’t half taking some amount of nonsense these days
What the hell has happened to you?

James wood

His caught Bandyitis.?

Un na naai

Bamford

Any more on how our wonderfully improved defensive frame work came together last night?

😂
You fucking clown

Valentin

Un na naii,

Every village is supposed to have an idiot.
Even Harvard…
😉

Pierre

The return of Bellerin and holding along with tierney was supposed to herald a new beginning . Doesn’t look that way does it .Llll Is it the players or is it the lack of protection that Emery fails to provide for our defenders. Well, last night he played willock and Torreira in centre mid and it looked for all the world that Torreira was asked to play as a box to box midfielder. Did it work, well one could say that Torreira scored and to be honest I thought he had a decent game, though from where I was sitting… Read more »

Un na naai

As I’ve said all along

Ceballos is not going to make it at arsenal
Willock is the superior option
Saka, AMN, tierney and Guendouzi should be getting on to the pitch as often as possible
Ozil NEEDS to be starting league games now. Emery the goon takes him off and we lose the game

Martinelli is going to be a giant for us. He’s got it all. In the air, height, workrate, pace skill, technique, vision and instinct. The kid is a monster. Whoever scouted this lad deserves a blowy from Megan Fox

Torreira has to be our DM.

Valentin

“Hard to believe Arsenal won games with just twenty minutes gone.” Those teams were ruthless. When they had a team in a vice grip, they did not let go. That starts from the top. Perez interview on how Rodgers told them at half time that he did not want them to relax whilst they were already 5-0 up against Southampton. Arsenal at 2-0, we are afraid and can’t decide if we should press ahead or try to defend a lead. In the end we do neither. A team in the image of the manager. Afraid, badly organised, indecisive and reactive… Read more »

Freddie Ljungberg

Pierre

We have a league match on Sunday that is far more important than the carabooboo cup, with Xhaka unlikely to play (hopefully) and us being short of midfielders it would have made no sense at all playing Torreira for 90 minutes.

People were even complaining about Ozil getting a start because he wasn’t matchfit, presumably because it was away at Anfield and they expected him to suck, but when he didn’t against their kids the same people were then furious he got subbed.

Same with the Tierney sub, makes perfect sense if you realise that the carabooboo is meaningless.

Pierre

Un
“CAYou aren’t half taking some amount of nonsense these days
What the hell has happened to you?”

It all boils down to his hatred of Ozil and refusal to give him credit , so he kept repeating how weak the opposition were last night.

Pierre

Fred
“We have a league match on Sunday that is far more important than the carabooboo cup, with Xhaka unlikely to play (hopefully) and us being short of midfielders it would have made no sense at all playing Torreira for 90 minutes.”

Playing Torreira as a box to box midfielder would have taken way more out of him than asking him to sit in midfield and protect the defence for 90 minutes

Freddie Ljungberg

Don “Ceballos is not going to make it at arsenal Willock is the superior option Saka, AMN, tierney and Guendouzi should be getting on to the pitch as often as possible Ozil NEEDS to be starting league games now. Emery the goon takes him off and we lose the game” You could be right about Ceballos, he’s struggling to adapt at the moment and at this time I wouldn’t want the club to make it permanent. Willock still has some way to go before he should be starting regularly in the PL for us, especially in an otherwise inexperienced midfield,… Read more »

Pierre

Fred
“Same with the Tierney sub, makes perfect sense if you realise that the carabooboo is meaningless.”

Not meaningless in the sense of being a confidence builder

Instead it feels like a defeat and put that alongside the Sheffield United and palace results and that is 3 poor results.

Freddie Ljungberg

“Playing Torreira as a box to box midfielder would have taken way more out of him than asking him to sit in midfield and protect the defence for 90 minutes”

I’m not saying that’s the right position for him or that he should play there, I’m saying playing him for 90 minutes is going to take more out of him than playing him 60 minutes, I don’t pick where he plays.

Pierre

Fred
” but would rather see a youngster get those minutes and if we can push Ozil out with his 350k millstone by not playing him we absolutely should”

Some people never learn do they.

Freddie Ljungberg

Pierre

So you would rather play our first choice, returning from injury, adapting to the league right back for 90 minutes and have him miss the Wolves game? Clever.

We’re stretched thin as it is already quality wise in some positions, probably a bleseing that we got knocked out early.

Klopp doesn’t seem too thrilled about advancing and he has a far better squad. Our kids can get a kickabout in the EL and some FA cup games instead, a lot of them will also get played in the PL so no big deal.

Freddie Ljungberg

Pierre

I know you’re hoping that Ozils mom is going to be our next manager so your idol will get more playing time but that’s not going to happen, he’s just not cut out for the league anymore, if all he wants to do is sit on his arse collecting his undeserved paycheck that’s up to him but don’t pretend that he’s somehow the victim in all this.

Valentin

At this point, I will take Özil’s mum as manager over Emery.
😁

China1

A key difference between then and now was that in the old days we didn’t just have much better players but we utilized them really well Take for example between auba Pepe laca and ozil we should have enough talent that we should be creating havoc, even more so with overlapping FBs but we just don’t If you think back to the old front line. Henry was unplayable so had to be double marked but he would drift around so much that marking him was a huge pain, and if you did double mark him you’d have just vacated more… Read more »

Pierre

Fred
“but don’t pretend that he’s somehow the victim in all this”

It’s the fans that are the victims …they made their point last night that’s for sure.

Pierre

Fred
“So you would rather play our first choice, returning from injury, adapting to the league right back for 90 minutes and have him miss the Wolves game? Clever.”

Eh..you lost me there

Un na naai

Freddie I am right about Ceballos. Honestly, I do t know why we gave away Wilshere and Santi only to bring in Suarez and Ceballos on loan. It smacks of someone without a plan. Rank mismanagement. AMN was good last night Freddie. I’m sorry but I think you lot have lynched the boy unfairly and fail to recognise his positive contributions in an effort to double down on your dismissive attitude towards him. He may never be a regular arsenal starter but every club needs players like AMN and for me he’s better than iwobi. Works harder, better end product,… Read more »

DigitalBob

Ceballos’s is a decent squad player but the amount Madrid will ask for feels like its a non starter. He’s very much a flat track bully and will always struggle to perform against the better teams. LT playing box to box gets us a 5-5 match, Emery is a strange man sometimes! Mesut was great but like alot of the 11 that started the match he was visibly tired by the our mark. AMN could have been better but he’s got enough to not be classed as shit, thats way too far. He needs to maintain focus during a match… Read more »

Un na naai

A quote from the Liverpool right back, Williams last night

I thought we gave them a few sloppy goals which we could work on in training, but overall I thought the team dug in. We stuck as a team and we got the win.

So!! Well well well!! They work on defence in training?? Who fucking knew eh? While on le grove we’ve got halfwits trying to claim coaching is fanciful.

Some of the biggest horse shit I’ve ever heard

Freddie Ljungberg

Don We’ll have to wait and see about Ceballos, it’s still too early to tell but I would prefer someone like Dominick that has the physicality/ work rate as well as the skill and cracking long distance shot as our CAM. I know you love Wilshere and all but he’s finished as a top level footballer and it looked like Santi was as well, good for him that he’s foing well in la liga but I don’t think he would have been as good here after his injury. We’re not going to be playing Liverpools b-team every day, AMN is… Read more »

Un na naai

Digital
Could disagree with any of that. Except Ceballos. I wouldn’t even want him as a squad player when we have lads like Joe Willock. Scores goals, makes tackles, driving runs, hard working. Made for the prem that lad.

I honestly think Ceballos offers little more than Elneny.

Un na naai

Freddie

Both jack and Santi would have been superior options from the bench
You telling me Santi or jack couldn’t do 20-45 mins spurts for arsenal?

Un na naai

I think it’s really unfair the way some of you are towards AMN.

Un na naai

New post

DigitalBob

Un – Elneny!, a bit harsh for me as I felt Elneny was a less accurate Denilson. Ceballos has quality just not top tier quality, but against 70% of our opposition he’s a good enough squad player. I have a fear of youngsters getting burned out so Willock at most shouldn’t be playing more games than he has to over the next few years. If Ceballos costs us anything up to £28 million to £30 million I think he’s worth it. But anything more and its bad business. Happy to see the guy prove me wrong. I miss Santi so… Read more »

PhD2020

He’s a true believer. Give him credit for that.
——
Fornicate off dude..Your ass linking knows no bounds….

Really cringeworthy…Fornicating lizard….

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