There’s no way to package that game up positively from a performance perspective. That was a 3 out 10 and it’s really hard to argue that we deserved anything out of the 90. Three shots on target, two goals, and 3 points.
You do have to win ugly in the Premier League. All games are hard. That though, was Elephant Man levels of grimness. It’s hard to really understand why Arteta changed his winning formula from last week from a team that was so very impressive. Elneny, AMN and Tierney (hip injury) all dropped out of the starting 11. In came Saka, Ceballos, and Kola. It really broke the system and it failed to click for the most part.
Our midfield dominated possession but failed to make headway into the opposition box, a constant issue. Deeper than that, Ceballos held onto the ball too often, slowing play down… compared to Mo last week he just kept the ball moving at speed. Yes, Dani was a key part of our win, but I think the performance will not have pleased the manager. I can’t imagine he was following instructions, if he was, they weren’t very good instructions for the day.
Kola was a non-entity out on the pitch. I don’t know why he’s anywhere near the squad. He’s mentally weak, he literally can’t get up for the games, and he wants out at Arsenal. It was unfortunate that Tierney picked up a hip injury, but more worrying that Arteta puts Kola in his spot despite clearly knowing he’s a bad player. How many times must he be reminded of this? Why do we have a player starting that isn’t committed to Arsenal?
Saka landed the two pre-assists. That’s some peak Alex Hleb stuff right there. However, I think you’d only call his performance good if that’s all you saw. We needed more from him out there. It was a sloppy outing, below is standard, but the sign of a class player is they still deliver when thing aren’t going well. He delivered.
Bernd Leno showed why many people had a preference for Emi Martinez. I thought he was really poor. He looked nervous for a start. He was flapping for crosses, he more often than not opted to punch, and he didn’t look in control of his box. The cross that he came out for an nearly broke his neck for was a stark reminder of how close we are to having to go with a really unsuitable keeping option. Leno needs competition, that was not the sort of game we needed to see from him after selling a keeper in purple patch.
My big positive was that Eddie and Pepe came on and both looked really hungry. I was at a table with a bunch of Gooners and we were saying that Eddie in particular needs to start impacting those 15 minutes when he’s brought on. He certainly did yesterday. He worked hard and when his chance came, he buried it. He needs a big season. Hopefully that’s a stake in the ground in a 15 goal season. He’ll need that because Lacazette didn’t look at the races again, it’s clear there’s no new deal coming and the club is going to have to sell him this window to avoid another no-fee disaster.
Ultimately, we found the tools to unlock a West Ham that looked far more organized than they have, but that sort of performance is a reminder that the old Arsenal still lurks in the wings. Bumming victories like that can be both a good sign, because it shows focus and effort, but it can also be a precursor to deeper issues further down the line.
The good thing about this coaching setup is there won’t be a celebration of that performance. They’ll be trying to fix the issues there and hopefully we’ll see a response for the Liverpool game. For me, the mistake was tinkering with a model that was working. West Ham and Fulham could have been taken down by the same starting 11 and it could have built a bit of performance momentum. I also think Arteta thinks he can change every player, hopefully the Kola performance was a reminder that there needs to be more than two players on that blackball list.
So we move on. We have 6 points out of 6. The Liverpool game is going to be a roll of the dice, but maybe a shitty run out like that one will refocus the minds in the training ground. I’d rather learn a lesson with a win, than take that sort of complacency across the board into the Liverpool game and get our backsides handed to us.
See you in the comments!
Firmino scored one less goal with 2 more assists in the league. Pretty similar there haha
China
“You could play Saka left, Willian 10, Pepe right and you’d have a whole bunch of danger in there to support Auba”
We can only play with a CAM/#10 if we play with a back four, and at the moment it isn’t clear when we’ll be able to do that. It might. not be until next year; it might not be until next season.
I’m with you in that in an ideal world I’d prefer to see Aubameyang through the center (and Lacazette sold) but for the moment the current arrangement is probably the best we can do.
China you’re still calling forwards wingers. That’s says it all about your understanding.
No one plays with traditional wingers anymore. And actual wingers are very rare. Beat your man get to the touch line and whip a cross in types. They’re inside forwards these days a yes Laca and Firmino can and have played wide on these positions before.
Goober you’re proving my point. Laca = bad link man Firmino = the best link man when there’s not actually much between the two apart from the perception from our fans that Laca isn’t good enough.
“You do have to win ugly in the Premier League.”
Next game will be “losing ugly”.
” It’s hard to really understand why Arteta changed his winning formula”
I feel bad for you, Pedro… lol
Red Army I’d say they have that perception because that is in fact the case: he isn’t good enough. Not enough pace, not enough dribbling, not enough guile or athleticism. However, I readily acknowledge that he is doing a job at the moment, and that between (i) working tirelessly, (ii) providing hold-up play and (iii) finishing chances in the box, he is our best option at CF at the moment and for the foreseeable near-term future, i.e., this season. We should sell him in the summer, though, as he does not have what it takes to be a first-choice #9… Read more »
Firmino is a much better foil for others than Lacazette though. He takes out opposition players frequently which Lacazette doesn’t do as much and that is not reflected in bare stats like goals and assists.
But that is not a slight on Lacazette as Firmino is one of the best at that.
Like others I think Lacazette kops a lot of over the top flak.
Said before the majority of EPL clubs would be delighted with the offensive options we have.
It’s the central midfield which is lagging badly.
Ishola
Do you see us playing three in central midfield this season? If so, who do you see as the starting back four?
Bamford
It’s not that clear atm what is going to go on in these areas because there is a new signing at CB which we haven’t seen yet and there is also this thought that a new recruit or two is coming in at central midfield.
Also we don’t know how many times Arteta is going for a back three again. Gabriel being picked from the off suggests he will be a regular at the back and if nothing happens in central midfield in regards new personnel it’s going to be more of Xhaka and Ceballos.
So as per the rumour mills, we have prospective buyers for Kola (Germany, WHU), Mustaf (Lazio), Elneny (Sampdoria, Hamburg), Torreira (Atletico), and Sokratis (Napoli)
In; Partey, Aouar and Zaha (Loan?)
If we can do this before the TW closes as we look to ship out more in Jan, it’ll be a pretty decent summer.
Ishola “the majority of EPL clubs would be delighted with the offensive options we have.” Sure, but only four teams finish top four, and that’s our aim. The question is whether the top four teams would “be delighted” with Aubameyang, Lacazette, Willian and Pepe. I’m not sure they would, despite some of the price tags there. But I agree that our attacking players are not even close to our principal problem at the moment. Our principal problem is central midfield and to an extent defense as well, because: (i) while we’ve signed CBs, it isn’t clear which new CBs, if… Read more »
Zaha isn’t going to join and is also not necessary.
We have been talking here about players being blocked from playing wide because Auba starts wide as inside forward and the club have already signed Willian and we also have a near 60m pound winger on the bench atm in Pepe. Plenty filled in those positions.
Zaha ain’t going to happen.
“Firmino is a much better foil for others than Lacazette though. He takes out opposition players frequently which Lacazette doesn’t do as much and that is not reflected in bare stats like goals and assists.” Agree with this. Laca can’t be faulted for his workrate but he is approaching 30 and is’t getting quicker. If we get a robust box to box ball carrier (yes, Partey or Soumare), his natural, more versatile replacement for me would be Martinelli. I imagine a front three triumvirate of Auba, Martinelli . and Pepe/Willian (may the real Pepe please stand up?) in that you… Read more »
Red army if you want to be pedantic, we play with wing backs and forwards, yes.
You know exactly what China means though. I’d argue that an inside forward is a ‘modern winger’ playing outside in, yet still being able to get to the byline.
My feeling at the moment ? Between the slow transfer window, the difficulty to sell the “dead wood” for buying midfielders, and the “WTF ??” about Arteta’s team selection yesterday ?
Simple : Pedro sold us a fucking dream, and this will be the same old shit all over again.
(May the not too distant future prove me wrong…)
Ishola Yes, there is Saliba. People were apparently fairly impressed with what they saw from him in the u-23 match. See article below. Tweets below are a sample of takes. “Saliba [is] very composed on the ball as we already know [and is] always looking to drive and pass forwards. [He] lost possession leading to dangerous counters several times [though] as a result. [He] clearly needs more minutes under his belt.” – @afc_dreamer “I figure he’ll play for our u23’s for a while. Then a few cup and Europa matches. Hopefully breaks into the first team before Christmas.” – @thatgoonerkev… Read more »
“Speak for yourself man. I have been following him right from depay’s first season at Lyon.”
Good for you man, just shows you aren’t part of the majority is all.
Highbury legend
That’s actually pretty funny. Pedro is great at his job you must admit!
Highbury
What would you have changed about the team selection? (Note: Arteta is not able to select players from other clubs, nor are you. ; -) )
@HL,
My greatest nightmare was Arteta morphing into Wenger. And this fear was confirmed when he used “handbrake” in his presser.
Pedro sold us a sauce that was bottled and aged for 22 years in Monsieur Wenger’s legendary jacket.
xG from Saturday
Arsenal (1.53) 2-1 (2.46) West Ham
Not good.
Re the back 4 option yeah the problem is we don’t know what arteta currently thinks about this
We can probably guess that Gabriel walks into CB in a back 4 but beyond that it’s anyone’s guess right now
I expect we’re going to see the back 3 retained for Luiz’s benefit for now tho
Meanwhile, the new physio from PSG looks straight out of the Wallabies. I expect to see some significant muscle gain in some of our players.
Not select Kolasinac for starters.
Up the Wallabies!
“It’s pretty much the same shit that was in front of Martinez when we beat the two best teams in the pl.“
Simply untrue. We had Gabriel and Kolasinac in place of David Luiz and Tierney.
Gabriel can be as promising as we like but two games into his PL career I hardly think he’s going to be David Luiz levels of organisation and communication. Kolasinac in place of Tierney as a CB speaks for itself.
We’ll look a different defensive unit with Luiz and Tierney playing, nothing to do with Leno.
Kola, Sok, Gabriel could all play for the wallabies. Maybe that’s what attracted him to us
And I hate to admit that we do look better with Luiz 😂😂😂
When Luiz is good he’s awesome
The problem is when he’s not at his best he’s a car crash penalty vending machine lol. And that’s a BIG problem
The Bale/Kane/Son lethal trio… you must admit it’s a bit scary.
Spurs can get bent
“When Luiz is good he’s awesomeThe problem is when he’s not at his best he’s a car crash penalty vending machine lol. And that’s a BIG problem”
Same for Xhaka. Depending on the speed of the opposition, he can drop a worldie then immediately go to dogshit the next game. I’m also not a sucker for how he shields the ball.
“The Bale/Kane/Son lethal trio… you must admit it’s a bit scary.”
It is, depending on which Bale turns up.
Most, if not all of Europe’s creme de la creme clubs are reliant on a versatile front 3 who are goal threats from any side of the 18 – and a bonus is having a midfielder or full backs who can also get you goals. We quite don’t have that and are extremely reliant on Auba. When he goes through a dry spell…yikes.
AM seem to be adamant that Arsenal meet Partey’s release clause, while they want to take LT on a loan with an option to buy.
Is it just me or this is true, we should ask them to take a hike. Sell LT to the highest bidder & activate Partey’s release clause at the 11th hour.
I like that idea Kamal, unless we can use torreira as a make weight and soften the financial outlay
I don’t know why Legrove is obsessed with hold up play….Jamie vardy,aguero and Tony martial aren’t that good at hold up play,are they?.Im starting to think all those years of Giroud messed up some of you all with all this hold up play shit.Auba will score more no matter where he plays.We have devastating wingers and we still insist on this lopsided unbalanced frontline it’s pathetic.Dembele created alot of space for auba at Dortmund by virtue of his running/dribbling.We have saka,Pepe and nelson here and we are here hailing hold up play.Its not as if laca is good at it,all… Read more »
Dani Altos,
They aren’t wingers they are forwards 😂😂😂
But I definitely see what you mean!
CC
You may be right in respect to the defensive unit in front of Leno but that doesn’t account for his failure to look comfortable and do the basic things associated with a top keeper.
Things like catching the ball, commanding his area, distributing the ball effectively, coming off his line, communicating with those around him.
Even if he had the three stooges in front of him, you’d still expect him to fulfill these basic requirements.
Imo, he is a cause of our defensive frailties, irrespective of his shot stopping abilities.
Sorry for the typos
@goobergooner honestly I don’t understand why people dont think we will be deadly with auba,saka,Pepe/Willian up front…with all this fabled hold up play we are still playing like shit…so why don’t we try something new?Now I hate Bellerin and xhaka but I don’t see why we can’t line up like this for small games like west ham…Sure you can say Luiz is shit in a back four but that front line is pretty lethal
Leno
Bellerin Gabriel Luiz Tierney
Xhaka/ceballos elneny Willian
Pepe auba saka
Exactly as altos says, play Auba in the middle with proper support he will outscore Aguero, vardy and co by a distance. Aguero has KDB and 2 silvas to open up deep blocks. Vardy at leicester is similar to Auba they have a proper midfield and have added cengiz to open up deep blocks. Meanwhile Aubas support is laca, Ceb is the only midfielder allowed near the final 3rd. Saka on the left wing once in a long while, which is a positive. On the right pepe is expected to get the ball from a non existant midfield and move… Read more »
Altos
You can give out as many forward lines as you want but if that central midfield continues to be not influential enough then we can see performances again like we saw against West Ham.
Slow pedestrian midfield and it only improved to some extent when Ceballos started to get going in the second half.
The midfield as a whole doesn’t do enough. It neither gives good protection for the backline neither does it support the front line to any real great extent.
We cannot play 4 at the back with Xhaka in midfield. It’s like starting the match with 10 men.
“The midfield as a whole doesn’t do enough. It neither gives good protection for the backline neither does it support the front line to any real great extent.”
Absolutely spot on – people can debate goalkeepers, strikers, second strikers or anything else but until we have a midfield that actually does something we’re going to struggle.
I’m also with Sid on this one,keep it simples.Laca has this way of making our play ugly with his cumbersome and heavy touches,pulling players shirts and chasing his first touch it’s painful to watch Big man olly with his flicks would be perfect for auba if this is how we want to play,big shame he ain’t here.
“Things like catching the ball, commanding his area, distributing the ball effectively, coming off his line, communicating with those around him.“ Graham Leno is a Hugo Lloris type goalkeeper, he’s not a catch-merchant, he’s a sweeper keeper who punches, and you either need to deal with that or state your preference for a GK that loves to come and claim. Fine if that’s the case, but the bogus criticisms like distribution, coming off his line, communicating etc need to get parked because they’re so embarrassingly overboard in light of Martinez it’s unreal. Seems we’ve let a faultless goalkeeper join Aston… Read more »
Graham62, I think that you are fighting a lost battle with CC. He views any criticism of Leno as having an agenda against the player while in the same time he is trying to prove that Xhaka is the second coming of Petit. Leno is a great shot stopper, but lacks in most of the other goalkeeping abilities. He is not not an organiser, is not vocal, induces panic into his teammates and put them into difficult situation by his hesitancy and poor high ball handling. Being vocal is not something that can be attributed to the defense. It is… Read more »
MarcSeptember 21, 2020 11:57:17 We cannot play 4 at the back with Xhaka in midfield. It’s like starting the match with 10 men. Well,then we are fucked ain’t we because I can bet my left bollock that xhaka ain’t getting benched by arteta anytime soon and when he plays in 3-4-3 he makes the whole team sit pretty deep..as I said am not a fan of xhaka and my main issue was with our frontline.Lets assume that Thomas comes and replaces him,I am still of the view that we put two wingers and auba upfront,none of this lacazette hold up… Read more »
Sounds like Semedo to Wolves is definitely happening. £29m.
·
“Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo to Wolves should be wrapped up tomorrow. Medical etc. £29m deal as stated. The RWB position set to be significantly boosted for trip to West Ham on Sunday. Him and Ki-Jana Hoever bolstering that area.” – @JoeEdwards_Star
“he is trying to prove that Xhaka is the second coming of Petit.”
Citation required.
Sounds like Semedo to Wolves is definitely happening. £29m. · “Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo to Wolves should be wrapped up tomorrow. Medical etc. £29m deal as stated. The RWB position set to be significantly boosted for trip to West Ham on Sunday. Him and Ki-Jana Hoever bolstering that area.” – @JoeEdwards_Star Again,a question I asked a while back,how comes some of these teams get linked with players by Friday and get the deal done by Monday?Like Liverpool with jota and Leeds with Rodrigo while we can’t seem to finish deals in time?I mean just look at how long it took to… Read more »
Plus to add to the aouar debate I sure hope he comes and proves the legrove hype is worth it because I look at him and can’t see a 50m player there…gets bullied off the ball alot and dissapears in games.He does exactly the same things Willian does from my pov,less output,more running/dribbling with the ball diagonally and creating space for teammates.I still think we need to add a goalscorer from midfield,we are painfully short in that area.(Dele Alli anyone?😁)We ain’t getting top 4 with Auba’s goals alone
As much as I preferred Martinez over Leno, there is no point to the discussions going around concerning he and Leno. They are about as valid as discussing Wenger and Emery. Martinez is no longer with us, he has moved on as should we.
“I think that you are fighting a lost battle with CC. He views any criticism of Leno as having an agenda against the player while in the same time he is trying to prove that Xhaka is the second coming of Petit.“ Ahhh Val, good thing you don’t do any of that bullshit you’re constantly accusing others of ehh.. I don’t view any criticism of Leno as an agenda, and I’ve said nothing of the sort about Xhaka being the second coming of Petit. But can see how your own wank gaslighting is all you have on the topic because… Read more »
“Again,a question I asked a while back,how comes some of these teams get linked with players by Friday and get the deal done by Monday?Like Liverpool with jota and Leeds with Rodrigo while we can’t seem to finish deals in time?I mean just look at how long it took to announce a free transfer ffs or Gabriel for that matter.” The current Arsenal management tends to shroud incompetence under the guise of class. We nickel and dime, over-posture, have a stupid poker face and it always costs us. I can’t recall if it was a Swiss Ramble article that highlighted… Read more »
Bojangles,
The discussion is not anymore about Leno Vs Martinez, it is about Is Leno good enough for Arsenal?
Can he play effectively the start from the back type of play that Arteta is trying to implement?
Will his lack of command under high balls impede Arsenal to reach top 4 or win the Europa League?
To me it is a no. Under Arteta, Arsenal will still win against lowly opponents. However against better strikers and coaches who will bombard our penalty box, Leno will cost us goals. If we are lucky those won’t matter on the result.
ION, Lakers mugged Nuggets with that hail mary three from AM. If Nuggets wins game 3, I have them to take the series in Game 7, simply because I think Malone utilizes his bench better than Vogel.
Heat and Celtics is too close to call. Any wagers?
On Leno: It will quickly turn into a witch-hunt. Any small mistake will be amplified due to us selling Martinez. Once again our fans will wish for him to fail so they can fuel their righteous indignation. I was a big fan of Martinez, probably would have preferred him over Leno, but Leno is still a world class keeper, more than likely the best keeper we have had since Lehmann. Instead of having two quality goalkeepers we now only have one. People are acting like we sold Martinez and are left with Almunia. There are many aspects of the squad… Read more »
Shad
Harder to say now that Gordon Hayward is back. Prior to that, my money would definitely have been on the Heat. Now I don’t know. The next game will tell us a lot. In fact, I might say whoever wins the next game will win the series.
Jim
Agree some fans really make you wonder.
Jim Lahey with some sense.
Jim just obliterated the nail
Are some posters aware that Martinez WANTED to leave – we didn’t force him out and if he’d been prepared to stay we wouldn’t have sold him.
What I really would like to know is why, Sokratis, Özil, Torreira and Guendouzi weren’t even in the squad to face West Ham. I understand the club is looking to sell these players, but none of those deals look even close so why are they not even on the bench at the moment? Are we cutting our nose off just to spite our face?? Also Mesut Ozil is training with the U23 at the moment, the club need to tell us what the fuck is going on with him. Is he not good enough to play? Is he not putting… Read more »
Re: Leno v Martinez Agree with you there Jim. And I’ve seen posits where posters say the keeper gives the back 3/4 confidence but all the while forgetting the inverse is true. You need a very mobile defense to inspire confidence in the keeper as well. Martinez was better at sorting his feet out and commanding the box but that suddenly doesn’t reduce Leno to tripe. A better defence will infuse him with confidence and he can do more ball work in training. Alisson is literally only 1cm taller than Leno but you don’t hear him getting the vitriol Leno… Read more »
CC, Any criticism of Xhaka , and you come charging defending the player when it is obvious that the Xhaka has some very good traits but he is a limited player. You accuse me of agenda, when I just state my opinion. You just disagree with them. When we bought Leno, I thought it was a mistake. That there was better and cheaper goalkeepers available at the time. I explicitly said that he is prone to gaffe. I was hoping that he would grow into a great goalkeeper rather than a great shot stopper. He has not. You argue that… Read more »
Palace reoirtedly bid 19m+6m add ons for Brewster
How do Liverpool do this shit?
Like..WTF
Again people should calm it regarding Leno.
I saw someone say that he is now being portrayed as being shit which is ridiculous.
But by the same token fans shouldn’t have their heads in the sand either that he can do the team a favour by improving in a few certain aspects of his play.
He can be said to be a certain kind of goalkeeper but that doesn’t mean that he can’t look to improve in the aspects that he is weaker at to some extent.
“Exactly as altos says, play Auba in the middle with proper support he will outscore Aguero, vardy and co by a distance.”
@Sid : do you have Arteta’s private number ?
I’m asking you this for free.
@Bamford,
I’m still with Heat if they can rotate their defence positions and not stick to zonal all the time. That has been sussed. Hayward is clutch but who do you drop for him? Smart would be the obvious choice but he and Tatum literally carried Celtics in game 2 – it would be unfair to drop him now.
Also depends on whether Heat will be able to get their shooters on point. Crowder was abysmal.
Jim I think those players are closer to sales than we’re led to believe, and certainly enough so to the point we’d likely not want them on the pitch with half focus. You get the feeling there’s a shit ton of ‘chicken’ getting played between clubs and we just need the first piece to fall that’ll spark the rest. More and more noise about our intentions being to land Partey and Aouar, then seek a Zaha loan in the final days. Would be terrific business to achieve all that, imagine it depends on Torreira moving, Guendouzi moving, Sokratis, Mustafi/Holding, and… Read more »
Shad,
“Alisson is literally only 1cm taller than Leno but you don’t hear him getting the vitriol Leno gets. They are more or less the same keeper bar Alisson is more enthusiastic in catching, has better distribution and has footwork”
Maybe Alison does not receive the vitriol Leno gets because he is good at catching, has better distribution and has footwork. Basically bar the occasional mishaps he looks and play like a world class goalkeeper.
@CC –
I really hope that is the case!
I can understand not having them in the squad if you know they won’t play for the club ever again, I guess they have a better idea whether a player is going or not than we do!
“We can hope that he will come good, but left not pretend that he has been €80 millions success.”
I’d like to see a single example of this being said of Pepe anywhere ever.
“Also Mesut Ozil is training with the U23 at the moment, the club need to tell us what the fuck is going on with him. ”
He’s basically going through the motions doing just enough to pick up his salary whilst letting it run out. Ozil is finished forget about him.
Shad
Yeah, I don’t know how you drop Smart. He has been the Celtics best player in the playoffs for me. I basically still favor the Heat, too; they are tougher mentally, more athletic, more balanced, and in Butler, they have the best player in the series.
So Valentin’s on having a pop at Leno and Pepe – who’d have thought that?
Lots or reports about a swap deal between us and Chelski. Who knows for who..some are suggesting Kante incoming..
Martinez could have left for nothing.
Maupay probably earned Arsenal a couple of millions by hurting Leno
@Valentin,
Leno would improve immeasurably if he played behind Liverpool’s back 4.
Charlie
Do you still think we can compete for top four as is?
Only business we should do with Chelski is swapping Guednouzi for RLC or Kanté. Anything else is garbage.
CC I get where you’re coming from on this but even you would have to admit that if Arsenal are to progress, having Leno between the sticks will not instil too much confidence in those around him, as well as us at home. Did I mention Martinez? No I didn’t, unfortunately, he’s history. There is no doubt in my mind that there are far better keepers out there and significantly, keepers that have a presence, as Martinez had, which, as you well know, is an essential requirement if we are to be taken seriously. If and when Liverpool have any… Read more »
Shad,
No he would not. Karius behind Liverpool’a defense was still shit.
Allison is a world.class goalkeeper whose distribution is terrific and Leno poor distribution would just be highlighted.
Don’t confuse looking good because you are protected with being good. In a system where he never has to be in a 1v1 situation Mustafi looks world class, but we all know that put him in an uncomfortable situation and he will look awful.
“Ozil is training with the U23 at the moment”
Not a good idea, his Fortnite eyes could scare some young players.
Swap deal with Chelsea? Can’t think of a player we want out that they’d want to take. Sounds like clickbait.
“If and when Liverpool have any corners or free kicks next weekend(VVD), I guarantee all Arsenal fans will be shitting themselves.”
And we’re not even talking about the rest… Gabriel please, save us!!
“Even if he had the three stooges in front of him, you’d still expect him to fulfill these basic requirements.Imo, he is a cause of our defensive frailties, irrespective of his shot stopping abilities” I don’t know if you are deliberately trying to fight a shadow but I put it to you to name a world-class goalkeeper that dishes out 9/10 performance with the so called stooges in front. Leno saved us 2pts like he did last season in many matches where he was our best player. Martinez benefitted from Arteta tactics which was defensive and counter attacking play. I… Read more »
Valentin
I see the GK as an essential cog in the workings of the team, always have.
Look at Chelski, they have a liability in goal. I wonder how long Lampard will give Kepa?
Arsenal need someone like a Nick Pope at Burnley.
Also, and I know some on here will ridicule me for saying this, the way Leno reacted after getting injured at the Amex didn’t sit well with me.
Pointing your finger at others because of your own failings shows that you are mentally weak..
Oh shite, I’ve put my finger in it now.
If Zaha comes I feel laca will be out. What a wild fucking time if we got Aouar Partey and Zaha.
“To me it is a no. Under Arteta, Arsenal will still win against lowly opponents. However against better strikers and coaches who will bombard our penalty box, Leno will cost us goals. If we are lucky those won’t matter on the result”
Martinez will surely save Aston villa when his penalty box is bombarded. 😂
Graham62,
I agree with you, but here we have people who genuinely believe that Leno played well against WestHam and saved us 2 pts!! He was a heart attack panic inducing player.
The guy was statistically the goalkeeper who made the most mistakes that directly lead to a goal, but as long as he keeps making those nice for the camera flying save, let’s overlook all the things he does not do well!
Personally I prefer a more steady goalkeeper who does very few camera defying saves because he just catches the ball without making any fuss.
Trask
“”” Palace reporttedly bid 19m+6m add ons for BrewsterHow do Liverpool do this shit?”””
Don’t employ wallies like Edu and Raul for starters, perhaps?
As for Brewster and Palace.
Their forward line of Zaha, Bat, Ayew, Benteke and now possibly this young potential diamond is sure better, more dynamic and certainly more varied than what our ageing 30 year olds can muster up
Arteta and Arsenal have to up their game.
x3 bloody shots on goal ,against the Hammers
Just as well, the luvvies were not attending Sat night.
“What a wild fucking time if we got Aouar Partey and Zaha.”
Can’t help but laugh at this one.
(only one coming on those 3 would be a miracle)
“Also, and I know some on here will ridicule me for saying this, the way Leno reacted after getting injured at the Amex didn’t sit well with me.Pointing your finger at others because of your own failings shows that you are mentally weak” OMG! Leno getting injured was his failing? Have you played the game before? He reacted because he felt the foul was deliberate but your are here talking about mental weakness. If I may ask, how many times did you call for Martinez to be played before Leno got injured? I could recollect, many were scared to death… Read more »
Lots of rumours knocking about. I’m very interested in the Chelsea one though. Wonder what it could be. Honestly the only one I can think of that I would be interested in is rudiger potentially on loan which could make sense with Sokratis, chambers and Mustafi being linked with moves away and there was something a few days ago about Holding going on loan for 5 million to West Ham not to mention interest from Newcastle.
Valentin
You’re right.
Leno, despite his numerous flashy saves, has been culpable for many of our defensive difficulties.
Any Arsenal fan who says they are confident with Leno in goal are lying.
Jim Lahey
“What I really would like to know is why, Sokratis, Özil, Torreira and Guendouzi weren’t even in the squad to face West Ham.I understand the club is looking to sell these players, but none of those deals look even close so why are they not even on the bench at the moment? Are we cutting our nose off just to spite our face??”
Jim talking some sense and has obliterated the nail and I agree with your take on the goalkeeping situation.
“The discussion is not anymore about Leno Vs Martinez, it is about Is Leno good enough for Arsenal?” We’ll I have to state my bias here. I’ve never been a Leno fan. Other than being a great stopper he has never displayed other qualities that shows he can be a great gk. I admit to him saving us blushes on occassions last season but he also cost us points last season. However he is our keeper now so we live with that. I still think that once we solve more pressing problems in the team we will need to replace… Read more »
“Leno, despite his numerous flashy saves, has been culpable for many of our defensive difficulties.Any Arsenal fan who says they are confident with Leno in goal are lying”
Yeah, Leno was responsible for our defenders brain farts while Martinez rid them of it.
The beauty of this Leno/Martinez saga is that as you likely would want to point accusing finger at Leno for any of our defensive shortcomings, pray Martinez becomes Oblak at Aston Villa.