via @t0wey (instagram)
There are a lot of rumours doing the rounds that Unai Emery could be entering the ‘win or you’re out’ zone. Sarri heard rumours about a similar situation at Chelsea before the Europa League final last year and basically said, if that’s the view, fire me now, it’s no way to run the football club.
I tend to agree. Don’t sack if you don’t have a plan in the back pocket of what’s next. Also, don’t sack if the plan is terrible.
The stark reality the club are facing is this: Lose against Leicester and you will likely be 9 points behind 3rd and 4th. Not insurmountable, but certainly a huge body blow heading into the dark months of fatigue and rainy days against top 6 sides.
Raul doesn’t have the most elite taste when it comes to managers, my worry with him has always been that he’d see us as a Barca-lite. We know he’s an ego guy that mixes in high society circles. That, in my opinion, has led to a false sense of who we are. I raise that, because when you spend your time hoping to be something you are not, you make bad choices. David Luiz will cost us £40m all in, it looks good on paper, but it’s been a disaster and he’s 32. That sort of move is a high society move.
Dinner with Jose Mourinho is a bad choice. Dig into it though, why would you go to dinner with that man? Because it’s a statement about who you are. It’s star fucking. Is it good for the club? No. But it says something to people who roll those circles.
I think the backlash from most of the major Arsenal media will put an end to Jose dreams, though we can’t be sure. However, I don’t expect that to push us into the path of the sort of manager that will be good for us.
We should be looking at names that do a lot with a little, or coaches that have untapped stardust.
A manager like Lucian Favre is desperately untrendy, but he’s been all around the world and he’s working magic with a superb young cast at Dortmund. He consistently outperforms his xG, the football he plays is exciting and he’s truly a tactical master. The way he turned around that Inter game last week was something else.
He’s not trendy though. There’s nothing saucy about his resume, though he’s built for an underdog job, which is exactly what we are.
There are plenty of hip names out there that could also excite. It’s hard not to pay close attention to the work of Paulo Fonseca; the saucy Portuguese created a mini-Man City over in Donetsk, now he’s sitting in 3rd with Roma. He has style, he’s grounded in Italian football, and the Premier League would be immense for him. He also has real nice hair.
He recently lost to Marco Rose’s Monchengladbach, as you know, he’s my new dream. If you want clarity about who he is, check out his 11 principles of management. He has sauce, he took Salzburg a long way in the Europa League and he went unbeaten in Austria. Now he’s transported his heavy pressing vision of football into Monchengladbach, who are topping the German league.
It’s early days, he could go the way of Ralph H at Southampton, but his partnership with Rene Maric seems to be built on something solid and smart. Here’s some details on his tactics so far this season.
I will run a deeper analysis at some point, but my point here is that now we’re being linked to Luis Enrique. A man that rocked the treble at Barcelona, a player of extreme prestige, someone that is a high society type of guy… but would he be right for Arsenal?
I don’t think the filter of, ‘better than Unai’, is where we need to be looking. We need to be hiring in a manager that has a distinct vision of where the game is going, and we need to have someone that has an underdog mentality. That’s why I like Ralph Rangnick. That’s why Nagelsmann is impressive. Even Allegri to a certain degree was an underdog at the highest levels of European football, the Juve spend to success was impressive, they were run a little like Spurs until recently.
Can you create a competitive edge with top tier managers with with midlevel money, or does that create an imbalance? Jurgen Klopp is still out greatest miss because he was a top tier manager with a midtier mindset to creation. He had never had £200m to spend until he went to Liverpool. He was an underdog. He was the perfect manager for a rebuild. That’s what we need.
I also want to hark back to my point about vision. I know that people associate this sort of babble with hipsterism, but just as oat milk and elite couture shouldn’t be frowned at, an understanding of where the game is going shouldn’t be either. Case in point: Thiago Motta.
He caused ructions in the football world when he played a 2-7-2 in the PSG youth leagues. His belief is you take out the power and pace era by flooding the midfield. He sees the keeper as an integral part of that process. That’s advanced thinking. Here are the details.
Will this work? Who knows. But the exPSG player landed a job at Genoa and this is what he’s producing after three games (also worth checking out the quality of goals here).
How can Thiago Motta have Genoa playing like this after three games pic.twitter.com/eJffGGznKI
— Renato (@rehnato) November 4, 2019
So in short, the next Arsenal manager needs to be a statement of vision, not a big name because it gives the club a short hit of prestige.
Who would you hire for a replacement?
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MATT:
Emery a happier man if pre match analyses are worth a dime
Edu
What’s the word on the street mate
I thought Leicester were supposed to be good, they’re shite.
Not the game that was expected. Good game though.
We’ve been more structured today than in most any fixture all season.
Chambers is having a good game.
Bellerin is good going forward not so much in defence.
You do sense Leicester have gears they can go up yet and showed it in flashes, but then we’ve had chances as well.
Stay of execution for Emery from the hierarchy perhaps if the final result follows on from the evidence of that first half.
Kola has no skill. Hope Tierney can play in the 2nd half.
Not sure if I can decipher that CC but clearly Torreira can never be criticised for anything unless he’s playing DM on his own, surely?
“Testament to the medical treatment these fevered egos get bear fats. Bloody amazing.”
Testament to the medical treatment these fevered egos get these days. Bloody amazing.
I hate iPhones!!
Our midfielders are too slow releasing the ball.
The feverish Rodgers wank train will have to cup their balls for 15, Leicester off-colour with all the expectation on them.
Kudos to Emery for switching it up and causing some confusion for them, but we’re still giving up chances and anything we create is sporadic and off the cuff.
All square at the break is welcome though, big 45 coming up. Weather probably helping us with some loose Leicester touches costing them in some moments.
MarkoNovember 9, 2019 16:38:17
When I made the remark that Marko was like Clive in Cheers, the know it all postman, he got offended.
Seems to me he is easily offended by facts.Facts? I’m not a postman. Steve Rowley wasn’t back at Arsenal. Eboue doesn’t have aids and you weren’t held up in traffic at 4am in Hampstead Heath and served champagne by Carlos Vela. But yeah facts.
😂
Since when did facts barge their way in to your world?
Mug
We are playing like the second best and our legs are shaking. It feels like we are away to Liverpool, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. It’s fokin Leicester.
How have they progressed this far ahead under Rogers for less than a season, yet Emery’s been at the Arsenal for year and a half and we are obviously playing like a team that is afraid of them.
Honestly, we cannot watch this match and say that Arsenal back 5 want the ball. Every single time, there is no one to pass, we go long and it results in a dangerous situation for us. The no of easy chances they have created is an example to it. We have ceded control in the middle of the pitch and they just advance all the time. Even Jony fucking evans is advancing like a Bara pro footballer !!!!
Emery must go.
@Bob 16
Can we afford to compete with the likes of Manure, City, Pools, Real & co for the limited top players?
We are always looking for basement bargains. So that top revenue figures can be misleading.
By the standards of the past couple of weeks this is actually Watchable.
The way Guendouzi and Torreira are playing means Xhaka will walk back into the XI. Guendouzi has poor awareness off the ball and Torreira looks so slow.
This formation which forces outer CBs to being adept in space. Holding isn’t built to play this role. Mané rinsed on more than one occasion before. Pereira can do the same. Kolasinac is playing so deep
As long as Torr can limit Maddison’s effectiveness, we have a chance.
I still think we could nick this.
Depressing times.. struggling to pick one of our players over their first XI in this game I’d have Chilwell, Vardy, Tielemans, Ndidi & that centre back in our team in a heartbeat
Need Emery gone as soon as possible & hope a new appointment can start clearing up this mess we are in…
Bob
Torreira chopped a guy down 20 yards out twice to give dangerous free kicks. Anyone else not named Torreira would get both barrels, some would get both barrels and any other barrels laying about.
Doesn’t matter the name on the shirt, do stuff like that and you’re a donut plain and simple.
Champagne CharlieNovember 9, 2019 18:18:47
The feverish Rodgers wank train will have to cup their balls for 15, Leicester off-colour with all the expectation on them. Kudos to Emery for
😂
Chuck
You’re desperate to not be wrong on this one. You’ve got your finger on the pulse mate. You know your football. But this guy is legit
I said it when it was unfashionable and now it’s catching on
Pedro
You should name drop me for your Brendan Rodgers shout out
Was me that pin pointed him first
Tony Adams can barely speak!
Soyuncu and Evans are playing passes inside our half…..
Torreira a bit of worry, I’ll give you that CC!
Again I never said that I was served Champagnes by Carlos Vela.
But again twisting what people said to then accuse them of lying is your standard modus operandi.
Whatever make you happy Clive.
Un
Mate I begrudgingly admit he’s better than we’ve got, he’s just not the level I think we need – or an interim boss.
He’d take us so far, but don’t get me wrong…I’d rip your face off for that at present. Just find some of the stuff written about him cringeworthy.
If this game stays as it is I actually think Martinelli off the bench makes more sense than Pepe.
Now ready for Pepe to come off the bench and smash a hat trick.
HillWoodNovember 9, 2019 18:16:57
Edu
What’s the word on the street mate
A lot of complaining but I think most are just happy we’re not 4-0 down – guendouzi is getting both barrels – our movement is non existent- it looks so much worse when you’re seeing it with the whole pitch in view
I love it when we get a free kick two thirds of the way up the pitch and instead of putting it in the box like normal teams, two quick passes and it’s back with Leno.
WTF ?
“Pedro
You should name drop me for your Brendan Rodgers shout out
Was me that pin pointed him first”
Don, when did you mention him? I put his name forward around April/May 2018 -ish.
“Torreira a bit of worry, I’ll give you that CC!“
I’ll take it Bob! …..Love you Granit <3
This playing out from the back needs to stop. Holding and Kola can’t pass, Bellerin kept misplacing his passes.
Emery looking like Count Dracula in a playback.
‘Torreira chopped a guy down 20 yards out twice to give dangerous free kicks. Anyone else not named Torreira would get both barrels, some would get both barrels and any other barrels laying about.’
To be fair to Torr, with Ozil moving to left wing Torr is forced to play high up on the pitch. It is not that he is sitting at the base of our mid waiting to foil attacks. He has to run back from advanced position and put in tackles.
We’ve done alright… but Leicester had the better chances.
Lucky that it’s 0-0.
Why not talk about the handballl fuck sky
Tierney warming up in shorts and T
The rest wrapped up like toddlers lol
Gotta love a Scotsman
Yup. It’s like I’m watching my “old” Arsenal play. Versus a minnow. And we’re not the “old” Arsenal…
Ozil is fading
Edu
It looks cold wet and miserable
The weather don’t look too great either
I have to say it here Xhaka >>>> Torreria. Emiliano’s distribution >>> Leno’s , Guendouzi has been erratic
TR7,
A lot of times Torreira defend forward way too high. The question is Is that what Emery asked him to do?
Özil does not tackle but he is blocking the pass. Sometimes you don’t need to go and try to recover the ball, blocking the pass and try to intercept is more efficient.
Could we be about to see an Emery 0-0? A rare collection item. Like some others I think we have a good chance here.
Leicester look a little off their step today, if we create another good chance or two we could take the win.
“The feverish Rodgers wank train will have to cup their balls for 15”
lol. Credit where it’s due, that’s funny.
Adams looks fucking ill.
Okay, we don’t do midfield anyway. Why not Pepe in for Guendouzi and go all out?
Commentator on my stream very critical of Guendouzi and Torreira. He’s saying that they wouldn’t make the XI of recent Arsenal sides over the last 5-10 yrs
Nitpicking we’re a comfortable LCB missing, Holding struggling that side being a natural right footer always coming inside.
We’ve def got the players for 3 at the back, and it’s not going to hurt our incredible organisation and discipline any.
Guen going to cost us.
“Ozil is fading”
To fade you have to have been bright at some point …
Chambers probably our best player again
Ozil made a tactical fault. Something new!
“Chambers probably our best player again”
Which describes what a cunt fest this squad is right now
Hope we’d improve passing. Very loose in 1H
I think Emery would take Laca off after 60/ 70 min
Sky sports link gone down, here’s a different one:
http://zoneland90.blogspot.com/p/liability-insurance_163.html?m=1
Great clearance Ndidi you twat
The Baying Mob
When everyone is lackluster, it’s probably the coach that needs looking at
So lucky
Dream10
I don’t disagree, at all
Why Lac didn’t pass to a free Ozil. He is blind!!!!
Who got completely mugged at left back for their chance there…. yea… I know you saw that Bob 😂
Just knew Auba and Laca would fuck that up.
Such a dreary duo.
Lava criminal. Ozil completely free. Or Bellerin Too slow.
Back to Leicester hitting the cross bar. All on Torr tbh. Not good enough with a half yard and still lost his man.
Any half decent team will get chances if you’re sitting that deep
CC
How many beers you had? Cracking me up
Guendouzi is starting to get on my nerves. He seems to be less of a help than a hindrance.
Why Lac didn’t pass to a free Ozil. He is blind!!!!
+1
He bottled the most obvious pass
Leicester have the better footballers, Leicester play the better football. I wish it were otherwise, but a lot of this is on player quality. People here who think our players are better simply because they are Arsenal players will not be able to understand this, but it’s true.
I’d rip your face off for that at presen
Cc
You cut me deep man.
Bayingmob
None mate hahaha just wildly indifferent to Arsenal currently so getting a kick out of moments in matches instead
FFS how many hospital passes does Guendouzi make in a game now?
Valentin
When we defending we are playing with a back 5 with Guen in front of them. If we win the ball, we must have at least two players slightly forward who we can pass the ball to build an attack. Torr and Ozil are the two guys. I am totally against playing Torr high up when we have 4 at the back but with 5 at the back we can afford to play him a bit further up the midfield.
Bamford you fucking baby
They don’t
We have the better footballers
Jog on you melt
Compared to Leicester our passing is so slow and inaccurate.
Good try Bellerin. Worth a shot. .
Our two strikers are good in shooting but weak in buildup.
Bamford10November 9, 2019 18:38:18
Leicester have the better footballers, Leicester play the better football
Hahahahahahahahhaa
Some dumb Florida based yank trying to educate Europeans about our sport
Fuck off
Go sling some baseball you fucking drip
On replay Bellerins shot only a foot over….
Well I’m on 1/2 a bottle of Glenmorangie. Makes this shit tolerable although we’ve been ok (albeit a bit lucky)
Ah man thought we scored.
Was it really offsite???
What’s the point of an “advantage” that never gets called back?
Shame offside
Dreadful from Auba. So obviously offside.
Game is stretched now. Good time to bring on Pépé
He’s offside … 😒
He was off the whole way, Auba looked and didn’t check his run.
Evans got to be.careful now.
Dream10 “Bring on Pepe”…
Hahahahahahahaha
Banford circling again, someone toss a loaf down the road so the pigeon flocks off
Paulinho
No qualification for CL means both Auba and Lacazette are likely gone
“Some dumb Florida based yank trying to educate Europeans about our sport
Fuck off
Go sling some baseball you fucking drip”
Florida is a weird place! Like, weird!!
Score could have been anything Both sides missed chances after chances.
He’s off
Aubameyang has to be more aware of where he is there in relation to the last defender. It’s a fairly simple thing to do.
Dream10 – Really couldn’t care less.
Kola can never run forward with the ball.
Leno very slow reLeasing the ball
Baying mob
Been there
Didn’t like it
Must be weird though for obvious reasons
Ozil and Chambers doing good so far.
So Bamford isn’t posting currently but is still drawing abuse from many
He must be living rent-free in the brains os some people here. He’s backing Emery to the end same way many backed Wenger to the end, that shouldn’t earn this much vitriol.
Sub Laca. Not on form at all.
Pepe or Martinelli is fine.
Bamford10November 9, 2019 18:44:18
Aubameyang has to be more aware of where he is there in relation to the last defender. It’s a fairly simple
Bam
How’s our organisation?