Well good morning, apologies it’s been low key week. I’ve been in Texas, land of the mask-free. It’s wonderful to be living in actual normality. I sat in a restaurant, had a frozen marg at a bar, sneezed at someone and it was all just very cool.
But onto more serious chat…
This chat with Steve Round that Arseblog News uncovered whet my appetite no end.
“One, what a magnificent club Arsenal are…it’s just a great, great football club. It’s a massive club.
“The other thing [that attracted me], was to work with him [Mikel]. I knew he’d need a bit of experience and some knowledge from the domestic game. I think he’s got a real chance to become one of the best coaches in the world, let alone the UK. I didn’t hesitate to join.
I just like putting things like this in the blog, because that opinion Steve Round has is not rare in the game. I think we have an extremely exciting setup and though Steve Round isn’t the sexiest of names in the game, his expertise is deep and his experience is going to be hugely valuable to the club over the next 3 years.
The most fascinating part, outside how they use data, is how dedicated the new team are to culture.
“We’re continually working on emotional intelligence and leadership styles within the group, whether that’s the head coach, the two assistant head coaches or even the captains’ group within the team. How you formulate that is bringing togetherness, spirit. Humour is always a very good energy developer. You’re forever trying to build a resonant environment and take it away from dissonance. Discipline, self-discipline and making sure that our behaviour, positive behaviours are continually reinforced. Negative behaviours are pulled up, there are certain things we will not accept.
“If a teammate is showing disrespect to another teammate, perhaps the ball hasn’t come to him and he’s thrown his arms up. That’s telling the world this guy has made a mistake. We don’t blame like that. We don’t do that. If the guy has made a mistake our responsibility is to help him overcome that mistake. Our responsibility, me personally, is to try and make sure the next time he doesn’t make the same mistake again.
This is how big businesses, particularly with creative outputs, think about culture. It’s such a mature vision of how things should be. It’s been sorely missed over the last few years.
Arsene Wenger built an incredible environment for the players, but he didn’t build one that focused on winning. Also, contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t a big one-on-one guy. It was a culture of comfort that lacked direction and vision. That was his undoing.
Unai Emery just wasn’t a good people person. If the guy running the show is a bit on the spectrum, it’s going to be next to impossible for him to cultivate a culture built on empathy and strong communications lines.
Arteta is hopefully going to bring back the good bits from Wenger. Pride about the badge, a great environment, and the love the players didn’t get from Emery… but he’ll combine it with early years Wenger ruthlessness. We need a bit of winnertivity back at the club, we need updated standards, and we need the players to know that their job is more than turning up every day. I loved reading Martinelli talk about how Mikel asked him to assess his own movement so they could discuss. It’s a basic, but it’s a level of intimacy a lot of managers struggle with. The key to it all is this manager makes learning interesting. Engaging 21-year-olds who play football in education is no easy task, but it seems to be getting a good reaction.
To make all this fancy new thinking, you still need to have elite players coming through the door. There are major question marks over whether Edu has it in him to make that happen. Seeing us linked to players outside the coterie of agents we lean on would be a nice start. We’ve tried to bandage the squad with top 4-ish players and it didn’t work. We now need to focus on a sharper vision with youth, power, pace and high level thinking at the core.
The good news is we’re in Month 6 of Arteta and the good news is still flowing through. Let’s hope we can make some moves on the table when the game resumes. It’d be great to finish this never-ending season on a high!
Though losing 3-2 to Brentford isn’t exactly promising. Tears Emoji x3
Right, I’m off, see you in the comments x
ESR is a the new Henri Lansbury
Im telling you for free!
Then what are men doing discussing chocolate? I thought chocolates were for the lady, no?
Andy Maybe, but with us he would be an automatic starter due to us not having anyone with a pulse in attacking midfield. Also Serie A isn’t really much of a draw imo. Dissenter If we sell Auba we need to replace him. We’ve been linked to a loan for Jovic, I would even take that for a year so we can give time for Martinelli and the rest to develop. Would maybe allow us to bring in a top CB too and shorten our rebuild time. Not very likely though with that many changes at once again. Don’t think… Read more »
Every top team would love a James Milner in their set up.
Versatile, reliable, hardworking and has a great team ethic.
You don’t have to be world class to be a “great player”.
I wish we had a JM at Arsenal.
Dissenter
Guen, ESR and Willock would still have a place in the squad, would just reduce their playing time a little which is probably best for us at this time. Our midfield is to poor to have several inexperienced players playing constantly surrounded by crap older ones..
Would look at Torreira the season after too and if he’s worth keeping then.
Maybe loan ESR another season so he’s 100% ready when Ozil finally fucks off into the sunset after robbing us blind for years.
“Maybe loan ESR another season so he’s 100% ready when Ozil finally fucks off into the sunset after robbing us blind for years.”
You just have to know that Ozil will likely wind up playing in MLS in North America, where the quality of football would permit lazy stiffs like Ozil to still shine with his otherwise passively indifferent creativity. My sincere hope is that management truly are not so blatantly ignorant as to even consider any extension. The Ozil Experiment has been an unmitigated failure from which it will take years to recover from.
Touche Sid,
You’re right, my lady does like dark chocolate. 🙂
Pierre.
Salah scores every 140minutes on average
Mane. 148
Firmino. 302
PEA. 136
Lacazette. 188
Pepe. 397
So if you take the top two from each team there is very little difference but yep PEA may be slightly more clinical. Oh the irony that so many want him gone
Lacazette isn’t even close to Mane
Firmino isn’t lethal but Pepe by comparison is impotent.
So back to the point as a front three Liverpool’s clearly produce more.
MLS might be too much for Nozil.
Its not what it was 10 years ago.
I think this fool retires. I cannot see him doing anything football related because he just sucks.
Now you’ve done it Guns, that’s the third criticism of Ozil in a row, you know what that means.
Yep, a knob in shining armour loaded with distorted and meaningless stats will arrive on the scene shortly to bore us to death. Thanks
bris
Depends on how you feel about power tools and teeth?
Or he might spare the MLS and go to Turkey but i doubt he does anything remotely good over there.
His race has been run a while ago.
Soumare looks like a good option in CM>.. and I do hope we get a proper CAM this summer too…
‘Depends on how you feel about power tools and teeth?’
Marc,
Didn’t realize they took things to power tools level.
That indeed is a brain messing violence.
bris
I saw it years ago – it was a good film but bloody hell it’s the noise of that scene as much as the visuals.
Genuine question
Outside of Pierre does anyone actually care where Ozil goes when his contract is up?
‘Yep, a knob in shining armour loaded with distorted and meaningless stats will arrive on the scene shortly to bore us to death. Thanks’
I’m sure you were by no means referring to Pierre.
Ernest Reed
The MLS won’t have Ozil. Theyhave changed tack and now go for very good young talent from south and central America.
They would rather spend 15 million on a 19 year old Argentine than commit that to an ageing European has-been.
Honestly
I would sell the tire midfield, Xhaka, Ozil, Willocks, ESR…
All of them
Uproot and tear down
thats what Ive been saying too. start over in midfield.
Keeping any of them gives us nothing.
Maybe willock but there are so many other players out there that are miles better.
“I would sell the tire midfield, Xhaka, Ozil”
That would take a salesman with almost super human skills if only Sanllehi were still at the club?
Is it not worrisome that the final reason our midfield now resembles Burnley’s is because of Ramsey departure, and now he can’t nail down a regular spot at Juve.
Such difference in level that Arsenal’s keyman is Juve’s spare tyre.
bris
That’s some really expensive spare tyre!
Marc
lol, you knew it was supposed to be “entire” right, but your royal pettiness had to have some fun.
The fact is that if you offer Ozil to any team in Europe for free while Ozil agrees to a pay cut that brings his wages down to £50,000 p/w, they would still say ‘no thanks’.
People in Europe don’t buy retired footballers just because they are famous.
To find a buyer for Ozil, you have to go to China, Qatar or The States. And I’m not sure they would love Ozil’s attitude on the pitch.
Dissenter
Wasn’t having a pop at a typo – I do them all the thyme.
I was having a pop at you not liking Sanllehi and how difficult it’s be to sell Ozil and Xhaka!
‘That’s some really expensive spare tyre!’
Marc,
Juve don’t think nothing of £400,000 p/w for spare tyres. The dude on whose table the buck stops must be sabotaging that club.
I can’t find any other reason for such financial recklessness.
Watched an old clip of Ozil playing for RM the other day.
Tracking back, running into spaces, even tackling. Looked so motivated and committed.
I’ve never seen him look like that playing for Arsenal.
Never!
Gentle
“I’m sure you were by no means referring to Pierre.”
What in the world brings you to that conclusion? I would never sully Pierre’s good name and reputation like that.
He does that best himself
Dissenter / Guns
Maybe not a great idea to buy 6 midfielders at once. The kids ( Guen, Willock, ESR) are good enough as backup atm, could develop into something more and are on low wages, it’s the senior players that are the problem. No need to go crazy.
The definition of being in cruise control.
Mr Mesut Ozil at AFC.
IF we remain with the same midfield next season, kiss it goodbye.
There MUST be a clear out this summer. At least 2/3 new mids needed.
At least 2 new starters.
If not 3.
Remarkably our mids do hold some value… in my estimation
Xhaka- 20m
Torr-15-20 m
Guen-12-15m
Sell for what we can get…. anything… need a rebuild
Freddie
The only kid I’m tempted to keep is ESR…and that’s because I haven’t seen that much of him.
Our midfield is not better than some teams that are facing relegation.
Not trying to stir up shite but our midfield is no better than Norwich’s or Villa’s.
Dissenter I’m well aware how crap our midfield is, it’s bottom half at best. The issue isn’t the 19-20 year olds in there though. It’s mainly Xhaka and Ozil that’s the problem. Upgrade those 2 with proper players and midfield isn’t a problem area anymore. No point buying in 3 new starters and 3 new back ups in one are of the pitch before we even see how our kids, that are perfectly fine as cheap back ups, develop. I still think especially Guen can become a really good player and I have hope for the other 2. No need… Read more »
Freddie This is where we disagree though. You lot focused on Xhaka to the point of obsessiveness. -Torriera isn’t suited to the league and would have been eased out of any other top premier league after one season. He was the worst player on the field in Baku, totally anonymous and he routinely makes as much mistakes as Xhaka. -Ozil… enough has been said and I won’t waste my time on him. -Guendouzi isn’t progressing – he isn;t getting any better . He is still young but you’ll think that with all the game time he’s had would have improved… Read more »
Dissenter spot on that’s the problem our midfield sucks.
First thing we need to address whenever the close season happens
New post, bums