Well, this is awkward… Mikel Arteta is… a… Xhaka fan.
“When I was going from Arsenal to City to start coaching and we were looking in that position, he was one of the players on my list,”
“This is how much I liked him. I was happy when Arsenal signed him because I thought he was going to be a terrific player.
“ He has done some really good things and now he has got stuck in a very difficult situation that, I think, was growing and growing and growing and one day it exploded. But I have been amazed as well by how this relationship is starting to come back a little bit and I think the fans have been very, very positive about him. Obviously it is difficult to change completely the scenario from where he was to a magnificent one. But I think we are in the right direction with him.”
This certainly appears to be the dead body under the patio the entire exec team missed when they interviewed him late at night when it was clearly too dark to see!
I mean, there’s only one thing to do here, look for the light that shines on this turd the best.
There’s no one else in the squad that can play the better bits of Xhaka’s game like he does, so unless there’s a spare £50m in the pocket of the Kroenke’s, it’s very likely this is as good as we can do right now. Just to double down on the claim that we spent next summers money last summer, Raul said this to the press.
‘It is in general. The strategic window by definition is the summer window that’s when you plan the season ahead. ‘Last summer we did an incredible effort where we were very grateful to the support we got from our ownership.
‘We went really one step further and made a real investment that increased our expectations for the season.’
Doesn’t sound like he’s keen to splurge. I’m also not sure I trust the club to do good work in January, so unless there’s a player we can loan, I’d rather us save what little powder we have for sharp moves in 5 months time.
Back to Granit.
You either build him up, or you cut his throat right away. If we’re in the hearts and minds phase at the moment, there’s no one that needs as much heart as the player who told us to fuck off in a shit fit the other week. It’s also clear to anyone that’s been paying attention that Xhaka is a big personality behind the scenes… he managed to bulldoze his way to the most undeserving captaincy of all time. It makes sense that anyone who is feeling out the squad would give him a chance to make good on his ‘potential’ because he really does have to show some of the players his words mean something (they didn’t under Emery who flip-flopped).
I really do think we have to take a lot of the press talk with a pinch of salt over the next few weeks. Arteta has to win over big names in the squad and he has to make the best of the mess he picked up from Emery. I would imagine he’ll also fancy himself as a proper coach, he needs to have case study signed off over the next 6 months, no bigger player to take on than one of the most misunderstood (as in, WHAT DOES HE DO?) and mistake-ridden players of the decade.
This following quote kind of confirms my thinking, but as it’s Boxing Day, I’ll be honest, I read the below quote and built my blog around it to make it seem like I’m insightful.
“I don’t want to change everything drastically in two days,”
“I want to put my feelings slowly, I want to see what is going around, and in the right moment I will make the decisions for the benefit of the team and the club. At the moment I don’t think it is the right time, with the amount of games coming up and the amount of things that have to be done, to change too many things.”
The most important thing for today is the win (also insightful). Bournemouth is in a mess, they’ve won 2 games in 8 and lost the rest. Sure, they beat United and Chelsea in that time, but they’ve been awful. Their confidence is shot to pieces, they’ve conceded 10 in their last 6. Literally the worst team in the league right now… but remember, we are normally a gift for struggling managers, and it’s not a given that we’ll get a new manager bounce.
That said, we are still only 4 points off 5th – if we beat Chelsea, we’ll be 3 points away from top 4 at the start of January, which is unreal. There is certainly a very real chance we could make a power play for the Champions League this season if Areta gets things to click. Again, it feels unrealistic considering the drama, the contracts and the confidence… but hey, crazier things have occurred. Spurs are going to be up and down, Jose struggling to impact them like you’d have thought. Chelsea boasts a young squad with a young manager that will be inconsistent, and United are shite.
I still think the brief to Mikel is simple… find out who is worth keeping, deliver a quick appraisal of the kids, and lay the foundations for next season.
“The context is very important, and the context right now, here, is not Manchester City. It is completely different. So I can’t demand the players to do some things because I will expose them and that is the last thing I want to do. I want to give them confidence, reassurance and guidance. But slowly, slowly, slowly, hopefully we will get to where I want.”
Today is a huge first step and it’s exciting. However, I want to stress over and over, the next 6 weeks are going to be very difficult. We could well be replacing 7 first-team players this summer, he has to find out if the kids have the mustard he needs, and he has to win over the fans. Arteta has to somehow build a culture, lay technical foundations, and make brutal decisions all without a preseason.
Bear with it… it’ll come good. I’m certain. See you in the comments and listen to my podcast if you were rude enough not to have already.
Not Unai just an excited arsenal supporter.
Now fuck off cunts.
Anyone got a link to a good stream? Cheers
Sure, but a January window is not an ideal time to be doing this replacing Not impossible though and that’s the point we shouldn’t feel like we have to be stuck with Xhaka until the end of the season because we can’t replace. It’s a cop out. Toulouse struggling why not Sangare? Emre Can barely playing for Juve why not him? Espanyol struggling why not Marc Roca who nearly joined Bayern last summer? Sander Berge linked with a move away from Genk why not him? Bruno Guimaraes, Kessie, Florentino Luis all linked with moves from their respective clubs. The idea… Read more »
Looks like this is the 3rd Arsenal manager who has the same opinion of Pepe. Great dribbler but can’t play as part of a struggling team. Strangely enough when people who had followed Ligue 1 made the comment that without extensive coaching Pepe would be lost, we were told that we did not know what we were talking about that Pepe was a fantastic addition. Pepe looked better in Ligue 1 because Lille played for him and that Christophe Galthier’s coaching style is very prescriptive. I still think that he will be a success but he will need a massive… Read more »
Goona it is on Amazon Prime just sign up for a free monthly trial and then cancel once the month is up.
“I’m gonna blame it on getting 4 hours sleep a night twice in a row due to kid and wife having a stomach bug“
That’s miserable mate, hope it clears up for everyone and you can ring in the New Year in good health (and well rested!)
I did nt spend £250 000 000 and send us to 12th’
Lol epic! CG you should know the average arsenal prefers to be told fairy tales than to be hit with the realistic bitter truth which you gladly obliges to do time and again
Continue to do you thing as you actually serves a total diversion of the stale and deluded crap read on here daily.. Cheers
Yeah no signings in Jan when the club desperately needed them was a wenger gimmick
Just like the old ‘the markets moving slowly and nobody else has made their moves yet, therefore we will wait and see’. Just excuses to not make our own moves and spend money.
We bought auba in a January for how much??? The summer window is clearly better but the Jan window is and has always been useful.
Thanks Charlie you too
CC
Where you not blowing smoke up Luiz’s arse when he first joined? Might be mistaking but it would seem a horrible call from you
Shocking signing
Starting 11 aren’t inspiring but am curious to see if the way they play has some Arteta sauce added to it.
Indeed wonder how bad Pepe can be before displaced by a puss poor Nelson. For Raul sake hope it’s genuinely caused by his adaptation to the PL but somehow I don’t believe so…
Hope Artreta is using the game as experimentation to ‘corroborate’ his observations on the training pitch to help his decision making on January clear out.
“I did nt spend £250 000 000 and send us to 12th’
Yeah, no one else did either, again with the ignoring of facts for a good moan.
Thanks Vic.
Well balanced team,4-2-3-1.
Fullbacks who aren’t fullbacks, 55 million striker playing out of position and a declining CAM playing. Yeah well balanced alright.
@left….cheers!
Rebirth of the almighty Arsenal!
Your take of the acore?
1 – 2
“Well, this is awkward… Mikel Arteta is… a… Xhaka fan.”
BANG!! Lol
Pepe has been training with Arteta a few days now, if he’s fully fit then it’s maybe a concern. Potentially he’s a terrible trainer, or say it quietly….plain dogshit.
I’d have thought that him starting Nelson and being impressed by Nelson in those few days is more of a concern.
1-3 the goonas!
If xhaka plays like he did in the second half of the last game then he won’t be one of our weaker players today
Let’s see how he does under LEGO hair
Auba doesn’t look energised at all.
May be he’s a very cool kind of gjuy!
This has to be the worst squad for 15 years there’s literally no real class in the side.
We are digging out of a big hole, Will Arteta make it?
And it’s Arsenal,
Arsenal FC,
We’re by far the greatest team,
The world has ever seen….
‘ Yeah, no one else did either, again with the ignoring of facts for a good moan.’
Yep, no surprise the sort that align with a known troll also
Arteta not in suit. All starting 11 look very serious. No smiles no show of emotions …
@spanish dave….I agree as weak as water our current squad!
Arteta not in suit?
Oh man. He’s got to go two!
Xhaka and now no suit?
He wants me to hate him.
Arteta lost his first and only game in charge when he deputized for pep
Hopefully he gets this one right!
COYG!
Reiss is playing on the LW.
Left
CG comes across maybe too extreme with his views but when you try and come down from your superfan high horse and engage with him you’d a find a fan who’s got fed up with the direction the club seems to be taking since Wenger and probably want the best for the club as well
Never seen him insult anyone also despite been on the end of barrages of abuse here daily from the usual suspects
Enjoy the game and let’s all hope for a victory
OK Pepe time to call your agent! Nelson picked ahead of you again. Time to consider your options. What a joke! Nelson must run around the cones faster in training! (or help to pick them up after!).
Arteta has definitely emphasized patience and possession. You can see that already.
Xhaka gives the ball away poorly in our own third. One minute fifty seconds in.
Chances for Bournemouth already, defenders nah we don’t need em
Any free streams available?
Same old Laca problem. Pass to Auba or take a damn shot. Holding on and on and lost it.
Shit! Saka’s positioning was all wrong.
ffs..shite
Starting both Xhaka and Ozil in an away match lol. If this was Emery he’d get slaughtered.
CG comes across maybe too extreme with his views but when you try and come down from your superfan high horse and engage with him
Listen here you horrible cunt you’re only rimming him at the moment because he’s another who constantly fellates Wenger and who’s called for us to lose games in the past year. You’re both fucking braindead as well
Welcome to reality Arteta
Laca’s pass is not very good.
Nice to see the new broom sweeping clean! Not!
shoot FFS!
Laca almost 1 on 1 and this is when we must have a shot on goal.
We pass quickly w/o taking 3.5 touches.
Need to take shots
Saka could have done better with the cross. 3 crouching in the 6 yard box for once
Cmon.
Vic, some untruths there. Not sure what a superfan is so I wouldn’t call myself one.
CG regularly insults so lets do away with the proclamation otherwise. I’m certainly a disillusioned member of the fan base but I am still an Arsenal supporter at the end of the day. I turn up to games and support my team and want them to do well.
Its okay to see things from a balanced viewpoint, highlighting the highs and documenting the lows but constantly criticising everything and not offering support doesn’t sound like a fan to me.
Anyway, enjoy the game also.
LACACONFIDENCE
AMN still piss poor in passing
Laca got to see who’s around more. Auba free to his left twice already!!
I can see Saka and Torreira enjoying working with Mikel. Laca so far looks as disinterested as ever. Holds up the ball apparently links up well too.
3 half chances Laca got without no shot
Lacazette is pony
Nelson is dogshit
We need a real LB. Defensively, Saka is not ready.
Tierney still has the better crossing in this squad. Nelson isn’t a winger if you can’t cross proper.
Laca playing CF isn’t on. Auba wasted on left wing.
Torreira lovely
Guys, we know this team is shit.
Mikel is using real games to suss who’s who out.
Relax.
Did Auba touch the ball yet????
Lacazette = not quick enough, not good enough. Sell in the summer, please. Sell Aubameyang as well.
In possession and out looking improved. Ozil and torr looking great. Build around torr please not xacka
Still playing out from the fuckin’ back, Lord help us!
AMN stays piss poor after 17 min. Can’t do simple passes.
Great block thought that was a certain goal
@Bamford ..i agree, need far better players
Nelsons crossing is dog shite
Nelson ffs
Shouldn’t be playing
Torr plays great!!!
Mikel is using real games to suss who’s who out.
What I hope too cos I don’t see nay material differences…
Btw the guy Arteta likes since City time doesn’t have a good game so far …
Any decent streams please ?
Best performance in ages so far . One touch , lovely
We are looking a bit better in terms of interplay, movement and combination play in the attacking third. That’s something.
Agree also with whoever said Torreira looks better. He does.
Arteta shouting now help now help to the players from the sidelines. Maybe they are so stupid that some of them need a puppet master
Laca should know the shot won’t work with a guy in his face!! Doesn’t have a sharp mind.
Auba should hit the target from 18 yard central!!
OMG…we need decent forwards..
The finishing is leaving so much to be desired at present.
Pepe for Nelson 60 mins. I can see Pepe ripping this defence apart.
Saka is quite exposed with Auba hardly tracking back and diligently , unlike Martinelli
First Luiz and then Auba blasting over the bar but at least we’re shooting, much more direct.
“Arsenal have already had more shots than they managed in their last away game v Everton”
Well some cause for optimism.
Best football in ages, solid start.
Nelson really dog shit wasted that chance. Could have taken a shot also.
Nelson….
Nelson is so so underwhelming but I want him to do well
Nelson for pepe,what. Hed have a hat trick by now
He could’nt hit a cows arse with a banjo!
Why Laca makes this back pass?
Laca off, Abu centre, Martinelli on, Nelson off, Pepe on. Job done.
Samesong, Pepe should probably have started from what we’ve seen so far but eady to say in hindsight.
There’s definitely an improvement though but a serious lack of quality
We have no one absolutely no one fighting for the second ball in BOU penalty box. Shocking Or should we with this bunch who can’t jump!!
@aussie….sounds good to me….
Nelson couldn’t score!
Fuck this bullshit. Let’s get pepe on
Nelson is horrible!!
Southampton a goal up
Torreira playing how he is comfortable. That is persistent back passing. Son of a gun you are asking for a whack on the pants
Ozil is still a pussy
His wages aside , I pity Arteta’s who needs to work with this lot You can sell more than half of it.
Leno is too slow releasing the ball.
Did Ozil just sprint?
….
LOL!
Conceded.