Late post today, things are a touch quiet in the world of elite-level soccerball.
The theme we’re going to touch on is the chase for a higher league position.
The Premier League gods were kind to us today, after treating us very shabbily over the past month with injuries and some horrendous luck, they opened the gates of the Top 4 to us once more.
Manchester United drew against Wolves.
Chelsea drew against Leicester.
Spurs have to play a wounded City tomorrow with a side in such bad shape, they tried to loan Olivier Giroud.
This season for me is still very much a write-off, but I doubt it will be for Mikel who seems to be very aggressive with his timeline. He wants to win a cup this year and he wants us to challenge the top 4 this season.
The Burnley game presents itself as an opportunity to see what we’re made of when chances are presented to us. 3 points takes us to 9th. Assuming Spurs lose, that’d have us 1 point behind Jose Mourinho’s sinking ship. 2 behind OGS. 8 behind Chelsea.
Making top 4 is a massive stretch goal regardless of how inconsistent Chelsea have been. We’d be expecting Arsenal to turn a huge corner inside a month and have consistency of results, something this squad hasn’t managed since the 22 game unbeaten run in 2018.
Stranger things have happened though. We are defensively far better than we’ve been in years, there are sputtering signs that the team is responding to the attacking demands Arteta is placing on them, and we’ve added a bit more depth to the squad that could help reshape how we play by opening up other areas of the pitch.
Also worth noting that Chelsea plays United, Spurs, Everton and Bournemouth in their next 4 games. Only one banker there. United, amirite?
Unai Bummery has been reimagining his tenure at Arsenal.
“The process was good. When we played possession, we did it; when we had to press, we did it. And we were competitive, playing as the game required. With moments of possession game and moments of three quick touches.
“This second year, we have not played well; we have not defended well; We have not been competitive; We did not transmit. And I told the players myself. There were several problems: four captains; the Ozil-Kolasinac case; Pepe’s signing, which needs time to be that of France. We didn’t play well, that’s for sure.
“That brought us bad results, there was no improvement, the fans focused on me and they threw me out.”
The process wasn’t good. Let’s clear that up right away. Players found the video analysis dull, no one knew what they were doing, and no one could be bothered with pressing. Then let’s land on the last bit, there was no improvement in the first season, statistically we regressed everywhere on the pitch, then the fans turned in the second season when their continued to be no improvement. What a joker. We didn’t run him out of the club, his shocking tenure did that all by itself.
There’s another piece where he basically says Arteta is doing the same thing as him. True, similar setup, similar starting line-up… the difference is Arteta leads, communicates and implements strategies on a different level.
Mesut Ozil sums is up nicely.
“He’s doing a good job. He’s hungry for success. Everything about him is positive.
“Arteta’s story is a bit different because I don’t remember when he quit football, but it hasn’t been over that long. In this way, players can understand more easily.”
Connection. It’s so important. Emery didn’t have that with the players. That’s one of the ingredients in the special sauce. Still baffles me that there was an actual debate about that for so long, but here we are, half the internet still thinks Pep Guardiola is a fraud because he hasn’t won a Champions League with Preston.
Staying on Ozil, we apparently turned down a bid from Qatar for the player. Rumour has it the player and the coach were interested in the deal. I’m struggling to fathom that. We have very few players that can move that ball through the line, so the idea we’d stifle our attack at the last minute seems a bit absurd for me. Ozil is important to the manager, hopefully we see a return on that faith with some assists and goals over the next 3 months.
Read some sad news that Jack Wilshere is broken once again. He really has had the roughest of 10 years. I mean, not by normal human standards of disability, but I feel for the guy regardless. Could have been a generational talent if he’d stayed fit. That Barca game he dominated was one of the most special performances I’ve ever seen from a teenager.
Anyway, I hope everyone in the UK is having a banger of a Brexit party this evening, let’s hope the Tories make it easier for us to sign players from South America in this new era. Next Messi needs to be at The Arsenal.
Right, see you in the comments. x
Torr replaces Saka!
Xhaka to LB
Pierre you’d have to locate ozil first before you can pass to him…
Saka for Torreira???
Xhaka our utility man.
How long is Sead out?
3-4-3 with Xhaka on the left apparently? Thoughts?
Ozil is at best a half an hour player, we conceded possession because saka was injured , hopefully it should be corrected now with him going off
Can Luiz step up into the middle to overload, and granit sits back left.
My thoughts is we need healthy FB’s … hahaha Can see why they got Soares on Loan now.
Poor from guen there
Arsenal, particularly Guendouzi playing back compulsively ,it is sickening to see. Unnecessary risks
Guendouzi is doing my head in. Constantly giving up possession or putting team mates under pressure with stupid passes. He’s no better than when he first arrived. No sign of development at all. Hope he gets moved on in the summer.
I’ll give Xhaka his dues, solid team player getting stuck into LB when in need
Laca couldn’t win a fight with a paper bag right now
Fuck Lacazette off, Martinelli on the left, Pepe on the right. Lacazette , at the moment, brings nothing to the team.
Willock for laca, pack midfield and have some drive on the ball
Luiz headers he ball to burnley instead of volleying it out?
Great work from Hector
Guendouzi resorts to playing like a headless chicken
Haha and again
Time for MAP.
Unlucky from Gabi, Ozil does know how to find space and a tight pass
Arsenal in disarray. Strikers are going right down.
Arteta pull up your jocks
Hahaha and that is xhaka’s pace very much exposed
Guen is having a trash game, this side looks massively unbalanced right now. Poor arteta
Guen doing what only guen can, zhaka smh
We now look so disjointed without a system. Need to a get a foothold of the game here.
Xhaka did a intelligent foul
I hope Arteta fucks Xhaka off in the summer. He’s a liability.
Am I the only one who’s BPM rises everytime Mustafi is on the ball
MAP or AMP.
wonder why we get more yellow’s with fewer fouls…. hmmm?
Guen does nothing, offers nothing
Fook me. It was offside, but still. No one near that ball into the box
Guendouzi off please,
Guendozi off as well. Don’t understand why he gets nod ahead of torreira. Not saying torreira is makelele, ffs Lacazette, fucking awful
Fucking hell laca looks like a Sunday league player. Sort it arteta
Ozil.has been on point with his passes today.Laca been shit today a waste of space.
Laca needs exorcism
lol @ Guendouzi and Xhaka in that play
Laca’s pass is so bad
Fuck off ref.
Matter of time….
Same shit, different game.
This is trash, Pepe caballos on now and get rid of lac and guen
Win is still up for grabs but this is painfully average.
This is “Artetaball” is it?
This is mourinhoball 2.0,
Arteta’s butts being exposed, said his first eleven ain’t it at all
Laca should not be getting a start and if said this for months now. Been really really poor this season. Come on Arteta ffs, haul him off
Don’t know how that was a miss. If it hit any other part of his body that would have at least been on target. We were very lucky
Guendouzi canters around at 60% power, wins nothing, has no positional sense, follows attackers into our box on the wrong side of goal… He adds nothing to the side.
Guendouzi defensively is shit. Has to turn like a truck, slows down moves . Asking balls all the time exharrberates this. Must be sold unless we want to play differently. Hard worker ,Yes. Nevertheless needs culling
Ozil should have shot, hook him off!
Lacagoals approaching one year without an away goal.
Chances we get a red??
Why didn’t Ozil shoot there?
What a mess
10 shots for burnley
Chance after chance
This is dreadful, what’s arteta seeing, we need a reboot, 2 big subs, change the shape, something
Dyche totally schooling the novice Arteta.
Xhaka at lb already on a yellow already being exposed, I’d say pretty high chance of a red
Arteta-ball was supposed to reduce the shots at goal
Not working today
My biggest criticism of Arteta so far is we don’t seem to have a plan B.. if the initial game plan goes to hell. But he is still a young coach learning as he goes so hopefully we get better at it. Unfortunately with our table position we don’t have much time. Need wins now. Backs are to the wall at the moment.
What DID happen to Xhaka’s long shots?
Burnley clearly the better side atm
We’re fucking all over the place. Really really poor. But it’s ok guys, apparently read somewhere that we have 60 million to sort this mess out in the summer. Lol. Joke of a fucking club
We are getting torn apart in midfield
What the fuck is arteta waiting for?Bring Pepe on now.We have seen this movie before,Burnley continiously pumping balls into the box will only result to one thing and once they score we aint getting nothing
outplayed by Burnley. Where is the sauce?
Time for Arteta to make a change.
Ceballos for Ozil
Pepe for Lacazette.
Having a 10 with zero goal threat is quite odd
Short corners suck.
Midwest
That’s what we will get with Arteta.
He’s a very young manager and is still learning his trade, not damning him at all.
He’s only as good as his assistants. He needs to get assistants that make him better.
azed
Ozil has been decent…
Bring on cabellos for either ozil or lacazette
Willock it is then
Willock…
Let’s see what young Willock can do.
Laca has something over arteta
Willock !?
Ffs take laca off too.
Ozil for Willock
Ahmed
We need to control the midfield.
How did these players become pro? Can’t pass, folds up when closed down
Guendouzi will back pass and give away advantage to opponents, including losing ball in course of turning like a road roller
Burnley not doing anything quality, a decent side would have scored a couple, but we are poor. Offensively poor
You can see why Ceballos wanted to leave
Very disappointing Ozil
If PSG or some other oil club came in with a big offer for Guendouzi this summer, I’d take it in a heartbeat. He’s got a lot of heart but I don’t see that he’s good at much else. Certainly not at providing control in midfield.
Gotta start questioning why Ozil keeps getting into this side. You know he goes straight back in for the next fixture.
Ozil off, finally
these types of games show how useless he is
Funny enough, id have taken Guen off before Ozil
Ceballos shagged Arteta’s wife?
For fucks sake. Why are Burnley getting so much space in front of our defenders. Fucking man up and get close. Put some pressure on
Is Leno the son of Dracula… it might explain why he’s afraid of crosses.
Take off Laca put on eddie
Ozil is far from the worst performer today
Ceballos did something to someone.
In the shithouse for sure
We are 12th and looking like it.
No confidence at all, we will loose.
Surely Pepe must come on for the dire Lacazette soon?