via @Arsenal Instagram
It is FA Cup weekend and I’m having to scour the internet to find places to watch it because America’s English football TV is as fractured as it is in the UK.
I really can’t wait for the day that Jeff Bezos or Tim Cook writes a cheque for the lot. This isn’t like Amazon killing the high street, it’s just taking the football from one billionaire and giving it to another.
The Premier League and assorted cup games is a consumer product that is in desperate need of simplifying. I should be able to buy all of Arsenal’s games, I should be able to opt-in for highlights packages on the whistle, and there should be varying levels of service where I can buy one-off games or packages that give me the big matches.
Everyone wins.
I really can’t understand why it’s take so long for something like this to happen, but hopefully, with 5G coming onto the market hard over the next year, a tech giant will rip the package from cable TV who do a very bad job when it comes to value.
The good news keeps on coming with Mikel Arteta. He told the press this weekend that he doesn’t believe in 5 captains, which is a relief, because the idea was an utter nonsense.
“The more stability we can generate with our captain and the players we have in the squad, I think the more clarity we will have to transmit to the fans what we are trying to do.
“There are many factors, some we cannot control, but at the moment everything is OK and not the time for me to change things in place because I haven’t seen real things to make the decisions.
“I have been at clubs that have four or five captains. It is more a leadership group than captains. At the end it is one guy wearing the armband and after the team picks the leaders.
“The moment they pick the leaders is when someone talks if they listen or they are looking at the roof. That is when you see.”
This is a total basic of leadership. The 5 captains idea was basically Unai Emery’s socialist wage structure. If you give 5 people the leadership, you either have a situation where everyone is fighting it out to be the biggest voice which can be embarrassing and cause factions.
‘Leadership is related to how this team leads together. The moment you start to see different groups, there are leaders in each group but they are not shared in the best common interest of the whole squad. This is what I want to avoid.’
… or the opposite, where the assumption is that someone else will take the lead and no one does (hello, last 18 months). Then there’s the factor Arteta mentioned – because the roles are not clearly defined, no one knows when or who to pay attention to.
That nightmare is AUBA. Get it? Auba > Over?
The man from Gabon seems to be the defacto choice until the end of the season and I like that. He’s one of the best sharpshooters in the world and he’s currently putting in a shift out wide for the team. I also like his prematch huddles and the post-match attitude to the fans. Not sure if that’s come from him, but it’s been noted that the players are giving away shirts and staying on the pitch longer after games.
I think that’s the thing a lot of Arsenal fans are warming to… Arteta isn’t just about the details on the pitch. He seems to look at a football club like an eco-system. Part of that eco-system is the fans. If the fans aren’t happy, it’ll be acid rain in the ground, not rays of positivity sunshine. By working hard, saying the right things in the press, showing the correct body language, and giving the fans something back after the game… he makes everyone’s job easier to do off the pitch.
I think we’re in a phase where we’re praising Arteta for doing real basics correctly, but look, why not, we haven’t had an approach like this in a long time. Arsene created a bit of an enemy of a fanbase he thought were ungrateful, Emery just didn’t have a clue what was going on and whinged about us when the going got tough. We had major broadsheet journalists pondering whether the real issue at Arsenal was indeed the fans (quite staggering you can get paid for that sort of shite analysis). Now 2 weeks into the reign of a manager who understands modern fans and it’s a different vibe, long may that continue.
The important thing we need to do as fans is ground ourselves in reality. Arteta hasn’t solved all of our problems, there are still plenty of ups and downs to come, and we are in desperate need of some upgrades if we’re to find the next level. There will be some outrageous wins, there will be some shock losses, and there will be general setbacks as we navigate this season. We just have to avoid whiplash conclusions, which I hope is possible because everyone can see what the manager is attempting to do with our great club.
The next challenge we have is against Leeds United tomorrow night. Marcelo Bielsa is a managers manager. Pep, Klopp, Tuchel and Nagelsmann will all put him in their top three list. The guy is a genius, an obsessive, and he has always made his teams more than the sum of their parts. Leeds United go to war for him, that’s a managerial trait all managers want to have. The power of persuasion. Arteta said that players who go there come away better people and better players and they always talk highly of him… which I assume is what he wants.
It’s pretty clear from Arteta’s press conference that he’s very concerned about the overall health of the squad. He needs to get some energy back into the legs of first-team players, he needs to ease injured players back, so I would imagine he’ll use this game to give a run out to players he’s not sure about.
Dani Ceballos is the player lots of people have been whispering about. Since his first few games where he was electric, he’s massively lost his focus and belief. He was player of the U21 Championship, we know there’s huge potential, so the hope is that under a manager that can coach, communicate and plan, he’ll thrive. We could certainly do with his energy and enthusiasm heading into the back half of the season.
I also wondered if Pepe would start, just to keep some momentum going, and to up his under-fire fitness levels. Bielsa, who signed Pepe from Angers when he was at Lille, had this to say.
‘Pepe is a great player with big resources and is a goalscorer,’ said the Argentine ahead of a possible reunion with his former player with Leeds set to face Arsenal in the FA Cup at the Emirates on Monday evening.
‘And he’s a player who is able to unbalance a match. Obvious skills, then you have all of these skills in one player, the value is £72m. It’s just a matter of time and after, show those skills.’
Big words that I like to read.
Right, that’s enough for today. I’ll see you in the comments a bit later, check out the latest pod if you get the chance!
1st
2nd
Where?
4th?
4th
The game is on ESPN+ in US. $5 a month and watch all the games you want including FA and League Cups, Serie A, etc.
The board regarded the fan’s opinions as “noises”. Arteta is doing his best to amend the mistakes made. That’s leadership.
Still bummed about Buffalo Bills losing to Houston Texans last night in overtime. They had the game firmly in the bag in the first half as well as the start of the second. And then just let it slip away. Reminded me of our game against Chelsea. Just shows that the games (typically) are not won or lost in the first 30 minutes and that you have to keep your concentration for the full 90 (or an hour in the case of American football).
The game’s on BBC1… can you not just use a VPN and watch on bbc website?
We’ve not been booed off at either half time or full time this decade. The progress under MA is very encouraging. I was unsure of the appointment until I heard Arteta speak at his unveiling. Spoke with focus and clarity. I can understand why the players are buying into him, as I did as a supporter the moment I heard him utter his first words as an Arsenal manager. Reminded me very much of the impact that Wenger had on me when I heard him outline his vision in the first few weeks of his tenure. I’m actually quite excited… Read more »
5 Leaders, some of those with seriously debatable leadership skills, clear nods to the cliques that existed, just awful management from Emery. Also how Emery responded to the Xhaka issue was terrible. I was absolutely against Xhaka’s behaviour or even his being named as Captain, but the way a non committal Emery failed to address, the issue, hung Xhaka out to dry, through a lack of his own messaging, was despicable leadership.
Arteta, has subtly, but firmly addressed multiple issues, something a team desperately needs from a manager.
Love it.
To be fair to Emery, the issue with the captain was overblown. His main issue was that this team did not have a natural leader who had a good relationship with him and was also credible on the pitch. Out of the five more senior players. Xhaka had no credibility on the pitch. Aubameyang and Özil had a strained relationship with him. Luiz had credibility issue and was just too new to the team to be dropped as captain. Lacazette was injured and not an automatic starter. Aubameyang has rallied behind Arteta and deserved to keep the captaincy, but if… Read more »
Just back from a Caribbean Christmas and New Year. Did manage to get to see the live games v Chelsea (disappointing but felt strangely elated we were going right way) and that epic v Man U
Missed the gossip and have used Pedro’s posts to catch up! Haven’t felt this good about AFC since Wenger first took over
Hahaha Spuds are going nowhere under Mourinho.
Get in Borough!
Valentin,
It may have been difficult, but Emery took to long to appoint his captain, City had a similar process and appointed Silva almost two months earlier. Reeked of his indecisiveness and his weakening grip over the squad.
It showed him up for who he was, the players were not satisfied. He named 5 captains and pleaded no one. That is laughable and caused by his own weakness,
Agree with comments above on captain – Terri le Mgmt from Emery and displayed note clearly than anything else how poor a man manager he really was
Luiz will be a a natural vice captain (remember those?) and if he keeps his place in the team (Holding, Saliba, new signing ) will be the natural captain next season
Terrible
Nothing wrong with having 5 leaders but a lot wrong with having 5 captains
It’s normal for other clubs to have several leaders in the team but it’s bizarre to have 5 designated captains for obvious reasons
Leadership is a character trait, captaincy is a title. The distinction is important
Danny,
I said at the time, if he was not sure he would have been better off installing a rotational captaincy.
Yes he was indecisive, but he also has no obvious candidate.
It’s ok to have a vice captain imo, but 5 was just ridiculous
Valentin but that doesnin part reflect on emery that he had no good candidates He had the model professional in the dressing room xhaka but he couldn’t coach him to play well (or even hide his weaknesses) so xhaka ofc tanked He had auba but he couldn’t get him to look like he was really involved or putting in a shift outside of popping up for a goal He had ozil but I don’t even need to explain how badly that went He had Luiz but he looked like a toxic player in the dressing room and crusty the clown… Read more »
China – agree although the limitations of some of these players still emphasises they are temporary as far as our future is concerned. If Xhaka only looks good when Torreira is in his proper holding role then his limitations are clear. Having a system to help reduce these limits doesn’t negate the fact that they are limits and we need to urgently seek more complete players or nurture them from youth.
Still loving the Arteta reboot of AFC. As Pedro says there will be bumps along the way but we are now set on a clear upward trajectory for the first time in more than a decade, hopefully Arteta will exceed Wenger in both levels of achievement and length of service. COYG!
The clear and obvious leaders are definitely less prominent in the modern era. Certainly in the Premier League. Kompany, has left but for obvious reasons he would be part of that group. Silva and Henderson for the top 2 are not up there with Kompany or Gerrard. I think these days, it is more important to have a player that can bridge or eliminate the various groups that tend to develop. Clearly, their were a lack of credible candidates. Partly because Emery had overseen a number of cliques within the squad, none of which were particularly enamoured with him! He… Read more »
China1, I had not seen it that way, because I did not expect Arteta to have such a quick effect on the team overall. But yes you are right, Emery’s limitation as a coach amplified his short coming as a man manager. I was wrong in that I believe that it was the other way around. That because he was poor at man management, he got impaired in his tactical decision. Now that I think about it. It is more like a vicious circle. He made some tactical mistakes leading to players doubting him. Players showing doubt led to him… Read more »
Liverpool not giving two shits about the FA Cup.
Tottenham and Man United with replays. I love it.
Spud’s get a replay – good result for us they wouldn’t have wanted an extra match.
Now come on Everton.
From what I watched the Spud’s who fielded a pretty strong line up were poor. Really think Mourinho is yesterdays man.
Good challenge for Pepe if he plays with Bielsa knowing Pepe so well, not sure Leeds is the right game for him, though.
Would hate to see Pepe’s confidence momentum from the United game stunted if he was nullified by Leeds.
Worse still if Pepe were to get injured by some dark arts Leeds are renown for.
Just hope if Arteta wants to play Pepe then he plays him as an impact 2nd half sub.
Pepe hasn’t really announced himself yet, but the United game gave us glimpses of his ability and skills.
Liverpool are playing lots of kids. The FA cup is really reduced to just another run about.
And people wanted Jose here. Fucking idiots and delinquents sure. Funny thing is that one thing you would have expected him to improve (defence) he hasn’t they’ve looked worse. Regretting it already I bet. Not Jose though big pay off coming his way
Even with 13 points ahead with 18 matches left on their schedule, Klopp still won’t give the FA cup any respect.
..and attaching automatic CL qualification to the FA cup still wouldn’t fix this since Liverpool are virtually guaranteed a spot next season.
Ancelloti will have egg on his face if Everton can’t beat the weakened Liverpool team.
Not sure I understand those defending Emery. After 18 months we had no direction, no obvious style of play, no preferred formation and no preference as to which players were first choice. In fact in 18 months the only thing consistent in our play was playing around our own penalty area. In 10 days Arteta a man who who had no experience (say the naysayers) has shown more clarity in direction and has managed to get all of the players showing commitment to the shirts. It’s early days and we are a long way off challenging for the title but… Read more »
Marko agree I had some guys that sit next to me saying “Jose would fix us ” I was like ffs really ? He is finished as a top line manager too long in the tooth with no fresh ideas
Everton could be 3 nil up here – just keep shooting straight at the keeper.
The José Mourinho lovers were very few and very far between.
There can’t be more than 4-5 of them.
Happy New Year fellow grovers. And Arteta. Glad he is proving Pedro right so far. He should be given all the time and resources to implement his ideas.
Looking forward to seeing the lineup for tomorrow.
Regarding the captaincy, how could Emery not identify a player whom the other players listened to and select that or those two as captain and vice captain? Surely spending time with a group you can see who naturally leads or at least one or two who groups follow!
Upstate gooner
60 minutes playing action that takes nearly 4 hours to get through
Highlights are enough for me
“There can’t be more than 4-5 of them.”
And that includes close family!
Or perhaps he did but like everything about Emery, he over analysed then froze up when a decision was called for. Then left it to the players themselves. If I was a player in that group and the head coach couldn’t even make that call I’d have a hard time believing in his tactical decision and instructions too. Arteta has taken the lead and expects the players to follow where as Emery never did and just hoped they would..
How are they using VAR in the Cup? Wouldn’t lower league ground’s not have the equipment etc?
A to Z but going nowhere
So you were a car park baller and no college what a bullshitter.
3rd worlder?
Total farce some of these Cup games using VAR and not others
Should be all use it or none use it
Wow some of these Liverpool youngsters
Are very good .
They seem a yard faster than what we have to offer,?
Wow some of these Liverpool youngsters
Are very good .
They seem a yard faster than what we have to offer,?
Echo😳
Hillwood
Are they really only using it in certain matches?
That’s fucking crazy – it’d be one thing introducing it for say the semi’s etc but how can you effectively have different rules for matches in the same round of the same competition?
Un
Not is they’re murdered by the locals.
Marc
Yep
Same thing last year. The old duffers at the FA just don’t get it
Hillwood
The FA would fuck up a cold beer on a sunny day.
Un
Only ones that are in agonising pain and soon to be dead!
Gentlebris and CG definitely wanted us to hire Borinho. If my memory serves me right, even CA wasn’t averse to hiring him although I am not sure.
Un
Can’t think of any off of the top of my head.
TR7
That’s generally a good reason not to do something?
https://youtu.be/CBBTATYmaw4
A short tactical analysis of our game against United
I can see Everton managing to lose this.
All the dudes who love saying “I was right about xyz” are awfully quiet on the Mourinho front.
You know who you are.. I can think of 3 off the bat.
Jamie
That’s the biggest problem with the comments section – too many more concerned with looking like they were right than in wanting Arsenal to do well.
As I was telling Marko just this week
Some of the players coming out at Liverpool are going to be class
Ryan Kent and Ben woodburn look very very good
Kent is 23 btw and Woodburn at 20 is going to find it very hard to make the break through at Liverpool. Despite looking like Vieiri.
Marko
That’s going to be the thing Klopp has to manage – who do you move on from the first team to make room or which youngsters do you let go.
Marc
“That’s the biggest problem with the comments section – too many more concerned with looking like they were right than in wanting Arsenal to do well.”
You’ve never had that problem …maybe one day you’ll be right eh
Marc
LOL ! I was relieved when Mou was appointed as Spurs’ manager. Imagine the agony seeing the vile man at the helm of Arsenal playing soporific football week in week out and picking up fights with his own players. Levy really botched everything up for Spuds. He luckily stumbled on to a top manager in Poch and yet sacked him as soon as things went a bit south.
Jose has been finished for a long time… question for Spurs is how much money do they waste trying to find out.
Pierre
Yeah I mean what was I thinking when I suggested giving Torreira a week off this time last season.
Surprised you haven’t brought that up lately.
The hardest arsenal the team to beat had one clearcut outstanding captain: TONY ADAMS. We had 5 leaders or more on the pitch , each with a great voice and spirit.
Arteta seems to embody logic and analysis. He is a cool dude and will be patient and play the long rebuilding game.
The transformation of the players motivation is already an indication of artetas respect from the players.
Its looking good so far.
TR7
He hasn’t been great for them and he’s still on his best behaviour. They’ve got some difficult fixtures between now and the end of Feb.
“Pedro is like that old hag with one eye out of the dark crystal ”
You mean the wise woman?
There are two things you need to know about the wise woman!
Pickford’s garbage
Fucking hate scousers
Banger
Great goal though – cunts
Un –
Jose is as spent at the top level as Wenger.
He’ll be at FIFA within 10 years where footballing geriatrics go to die.
Marko
He’s so bad – a truly awful player.
Un –
Time has already told. He’s done. Would’ve been a disaster at Arsenal. An expensive disaster.
Pool’s reserves piping down a full strength Everton, lol imagine being a Toffee fan.
Un
I’m not so sure – I think Arteta will have an easier time repairing the damage Emery did than he would had Mourinho had the job.
Also will the BBC commentator stop salivating over the prospect of Liverpool winning stuff.
Unna na was one of the Mourinho-for-Arsenal crown
Gentlebris was another, can’t remember anyone else.
Un
It’s the old Black Adder joke – keep up!
Remember when Feo Walcott had pace?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Un, going on 14 years writing, plenty I’ve got wrong.
Marc
“Yeah I mean what was I thinking when I suggested giving Torreira a week off this time last season.”
I remember it well , last January you was saying send Torreira to tenerife or some other exotic destination for a week or 2 as he looked tired .
I said play him in his best position ( DM) and he wouldn’t need a holiday.
Pedro-I know it has been discussed already, however I just wanted to add that ESPN+ is a bargain. $5 a month, and you get all of the FA Cup (They showed every 3rd Round match) and League Cup games. You also get all of the Serie A fixtures, as well as matches from Holland, Sweden, and Denmark. It’s awesome. Next year the German Bundesliga will be on it too.
Or you can just watch pirated streams.
Hard not to respect what Liverpool have done in all seriousness.
Cannot underestimate the impact that Klopp has had on that football club, look at the confidence he’s instilled in each and everyone of those players. Probably fully expected to beat Everton today even with the reserves.
Pierre
I had Dubai or similar in mind for just for a week over the Cup fixtures which he didn’t play in anyway if my memory serves me right. He also didn’t look tired he was tired.
Jose in was all wrong!!!!!!
How much evidence do people need.
What’s happened to all the talk about Ancelotti…
very quiet these days
‘Remember when everyone wanted yann m’villa?’
Haha mate he looked the shit for Rennes back in the day.
Also Schneiderlin was an all-time Le-Grove favourite, Krychowiak, Batshuayi, Renato Sanches, list is endless.
Nobody on here has a clean track record but who does if you make enough calls on players? Even the pros get it wrong as you say.
This is a shockingly poor result for Everton – they’ve played the occasion and not the team.
I think Keown just said haven’t won at Anfield in 20 years – not a surprise is it.
Ancellotti another washed up overrated manager like Mourinho
I think Emery was soooo bad, some people
Simply had to start justifying…because it was too much accept or even comprehend.
Like maybe Torreira, is just not up to it….I mean it’s laughable. We all watched him in the World Cup and watched his unbelievable start.
I’ve been saying that Carlo has been finished as a top gaffer for a while, just like Mourinho.
Last time he overachieved was at Real Madrid, that CL winning season they should have won the treble rather than just the double though, they threw away the league.
Players downed tools on him at both Bayern Munich and Napoli, just like Mourinho’s players at Chelsea and United. Once that happens more than once at separate clubs, the problem can’t just be attributed to the players.
Great manager in his time and goes down as the all-time CL goat.
“What’s happened to all the talk about Ancelotti…”
Why people judge a new manager after a handful of results that are just as likely to be “bounce” as any form of brilliance amazes me.
Form an opinion on individual performances but you don’t make a final call until he’s had a good few months.
Moise Kean looks a complete bust, said that Juve were very smart to sell up when they had the chance as he had a purple goalscoring patch but really lacks all-round quality needed to be a top CF.
He’s the Italian Iheanacho.
Marc,
People formed their opinions before he joined Everton. Didn’t want him, still don’t want him. You can happily give him a few months! Ha. We’re not giving Jose a few with Spurs either.
Thanks Mark S, gonna get that sorted for the game tomorrow!
People forget that Mourinho has always been a chequebook manager whose principles was always to steamroll lower team and nick a draw or an undeserved victory against bug teams. The problem he is facing is twofolds: 1) teams have more money so the difference in quality of players between big teams and bottom teams is lower than it used to. 10 years ago a player of the quality of Felipe Anderson would have been snapped by one of the big teams instead of toiling at lowly WestHam. Watford would not be able to afford Deulofeu. Moutinho would be nowhere near… Read more »