Reframing expectations.

by .

‘United will get run ragged by the German boys’

The coolest take of mine this week.

Getting smashed by OGS 5-0 is embarrassing. But look, that’s the reality of United, they have a lot of good players that on their night, can be absolutely devastating.

… poor Nagelsmann. That’s a real spanking. Another one of my hipster fantasies running into problems.

So, onto Arsenal.

We host Dundalk. It’s a dreamy story of a team that’s climbed the ranks with a coach that was teaching kids to play football in America not so long ago. What a day out they’re going to have.

We should beat them, but they’ll be high on life, so this will very much take on the vibe of an early-round FA Cup game. I’m praying for a win out here…

There’s a lot of misery around Arsenal and Arteta at the moment. Everyone needs to take a reality pill and get back on track with what the project is about.

This time last year, people were genuinely talking about Arsenal getting relegated. We were 12 points off 1st, and 4 points off 14th. There was no direction, the players looked uninterested, and things were about to get very, very bad for us.

We hired in a 38-year-old manager. He expertly steered us out of a hideous situation and stabilised the club. That was a huge task most thought he was incapable of.

His biggest mission has been to change the culture of the club, that takes time, especially when you can’t turn over large chunks of the squad that were badly recruited.

Arteta tasked himself with making us difficult the beat. He has achieved that. No one comes to Arsenal to roll us these days, you might think that’s no big deal, but we have literally been getting rolled by top teams for 10 years. We are good at defending. We have the second-best defence in the league and we rarely concede more than one goal. Shots against us have drastically reduced. Again, you might think that’s par the course, but it is within living memory that Watford had 32 attempts at our goal.

Part one of the job is on track. The foundation has been set. The next phase is about fixing the attack.

Here, we have to be realistic. Solving that problem with internal solutions, to the level we require, is unlikely to happen. We don’t have the attacking riches United, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea or City have… even Everton look like they have better-attacking options than we do.

We clearly lack a #10 or a modern #8 player. It isn’t one player either, it’s two. We don’t have players that thrive in the half-spaces. There’s no Hleb, Santi, Wilshere or Rosicky to make the magic happen. We’re currently relying on Saka adapting to that role, and that will be a huge ask. He’s more suited as a wide player.

Wide player-wise, there’s simply no world in which Arteta sanctions £72m for Pepe. He’s not playing well because he’s not that good. We hope based on his price tag, the reality is, if his name was Billy Smith and he was a youth player, we’d not be interested. Reiss Nelson is now the answer, but let’s be honest, he was struggling the break into Hoffenheim after a blistering start and we spent the summer trying to move him on. We love Gabriel, but it’s still a stretch to think he’s going to be a teenage saviour this season.

Then you look at the striking options. Auba through the middle isn’t an option because he can’t hold the ball up in the way we’d like. Lacazette isn’t right, and Eddie seems a way off ready. Fans are pumping Balogun?! That’s not right.

If we’re realistic, solving our attack is going to be very, very tough.

At the moment, our approach is to squeeze out chances to make our powerplays. The hope is that out of 4-5 good chances we create, we score one and batten down the hatches. This season, our form has been poor and we’re not taking our chances. Nothing has clicked and lady luck has covid.

You also have to accept that when you hire a young coach, they will make mistakes and misjudge situations. Arteta has a high ceiling, but he has to learn. We couldn’t afford to spend £15m on Poch, so we took a chance on potential. He will fumble, he will do odd things, but that’s a price worth paying, because when he gets it right, and he will, it’ll be worth the entrance fee.

‘SACK HIM’ is not analysis. It’s what stupid people who live in the moment say. Again, worth noting that the ‘best young coach in the world’, just had his arse handed to him by OGS. RB Leipzig is a very well assembled side deep into its development. They made the semi-finals of the Champions League last season. They are a good team, but bumps in the road are part of the journey when you bring in a young manager. Even Jose, with a far better squad than ours, tanked a 3-0 lead to West Ham.

I also find the perversion people have over William Saliba very, very odd. Arsenal are pretty good at defending. If we are not including a young player in our squad this season, there’s a good reason for it. The player had fitness issues last season, so we know there are problems there, because the Premier League is brutal. He can’t speak English, which is also tough to manage. He’s 19 years old, has just moved to a new country, and he’s dealing with horrendous personal problems. Do we think throwing a precocious talent into the first team, just because Dave on the internet saw two minutes of him on Youtube, is a good idea? Do we need to wreck him in front of millions to prove a point? 19-year-old centre backs at the highest level of the Premier League are a very, very, very rarely a thing. Arteta is protecting a player that has a very, very, very long career ahead of him. You are really struggling if your analysis of our problems right now is #FreeSaliba… but again, when things are not going well, any average idea is given oxygen.

Arteta will experiment. He is humble enough to admit when he’s wrong. He will develop his ideas. But you need to brace for the fact that the path to top 4 is not paved in goals, it’s brick walls and ruthless discipline… and the hope that January might bring a present or two.

Don’t lose faith. Don’t covet busted flushes that started with better tools. Keep the faith. This is the way. xx

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896 Comments
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Useroz

“..”………..Runarsson
Soares Mustafi Kolasinac Nile”

This lot is taking home in excess of £300k per week! Likely more than all of Dundalk’s starting 11

They better perform, at least against Dundalk….

Nelson

Captain Xhaka is leading the team.

karim

CC / Eagle

To think Lille still haven’t lost a game this season and are joint top of the league with PSG….
They were quite lucky tonight.

Samesong

Useroz

The Dundalk players will not be strangers to each other.

You seen our keeper play before?

Kola and Mustafi a recipe for disaster.

Useroz

Rich. That’s irony isn’t it?

Rich

Useroz

It’s likely more than the entire Dundalk squad earn in a year, but that won’t stop us making hard work of this.

Marc

“Captain Xhaka is leading the team.”

Where?

Just Another Customer

it will be turgid as fuck

Marko

What is this two widemen playing in wide positions? Be still my beating heart. Odds on Nketiah at LW? No I joke I joke…

Champagne charlie

Karim

Oh I know, my Dad was messaging me raging at how bad Lille were when Celtic went 2-0 up haha he was tuning in to watch a battering so was duly disappointed.

Who is pulling strings for them so far in the league? Forgotten man Renato Sanches looked lively when he came on there, enjoying himself at Lille isn’t he.

Nelson

Out onto the football pitch, Marc…

Useroz

Cmon lets bully them!

MidwestGun

Well here we go…Let’s Go!

Buzzy

Just saw the line up..thank fuck I have a zoom call..Sunday cant come fast enough..cant stand this elite competition

TheLegendaryDB10

Come on The Arsenal!!!!

Radio Raheem

My brother has just put money on it to wind me up.
What a twat.
—-++++——–

Hahaha at least he isn’t Dariano. Or is he?

Nelson

Xhaka is the CB. Kola plays LB.

Useroz

Lets also count the number of successful aide and back passes in our expected total domination and possession!

Radio Raheem

Whats the total valuation of Dundalk’s starting 11?Annual player wages?

———–

Same as a pack of Lidl crisps?

karim

Good shot Mc Elneny

Marko

Dundalk with the first chance of the game. I kid you not

Useroz

Jesus. Wot a long shot. By Dundalk.

Useroz

Runa catches the corner!

Jay

MuppetmanOctober
Yeah keyboard warrior is alot easier!

Banging your mum alot more easier, idiot

Radio Raheem

On the other hand is not getting out of out EL group a sackable offence?
———

We need to go for this competition. Maybe not sackable but gets that convo going.

Samesong

Take note Runner boy threw out the ball for quick counter.

WengerEagle

karim

Yilmaz has settled in nicely there, guy was a goal machine in Turkey and still remember a good few years back in the CL where he scored a fair few when Gala went on a nice run.

Credit to them, great club for churning out/developing talent.

Hazard, Gervinho, Pepe, Osimhen, Leao, Gabriel Marghaes, Thiago Mendes, Boufal, Digne, Sidibe, Origi, Gueye.

Made quite a bit of dough off of that list.

Useroz

Edie doesn’t fight for the ball over the top?? Didn’t even jump and put pressure there?!

MidwestGun

Did Eddie learn the fall over for no reason move from Laca? I hope not.

Useroz

Nothing wrong with Pepe’s jump

WengerEagle

Marko

Keith fucking Andrews on the mic, Dariano help us.

Jay

Eddie Nketiah is championship at best

Gunnershabz

If Pepe can’t perform tonight against these lot questions have to be asked about his future I want to love him and become world class but he needs to up his game now we need him

Reiss again I want him to do well hopefully he can produce tonight

Left Testicle

Is that Leno in goal for them?

Radio Raheem

Questions over Pepe? No way

Useroz

Dundalk drew with the Spuds early 80s. We better not break that record.

Doing ok for now. More forward play than the A team but could be quicker. Dundalk looks Championship level and fighting.

Jim+furnell

Fucking hell Pepe! Disgraceful

Nelson

Pepe has to learn how to kick corner.

Champagne charlie

Sick new corner strat

salparadisenyc

Serious corner game there Pepe.

Samesong

Go on Arteta leave the tactics on the Macbook for all to see.

Habesha Gooner

Honestly, Pepes confidence looks shot. Cant be good for a player like him coming in and out of the team. But he is one of few that can deliver special moments in this team. And the fact that we are the worst creating team around isnt helping either.

Danny+S

Is someone playing champ manager 99 during the game?

Gazzap

Pepe is very predictable coming inside all the time. Easy to defend against.

MidwestGun

I was reading those Laptop tactics.. something about score you fuckers … is all I could make out.

Useroz

Pepe’s passing (not crossing ) still poor.

Half chance.

Champagne charlie

Is Gary McAllister in goal for them?

Samesong

Is Gary McAllister in goal for them?

LOL

Left Testicle

I hope Balogun is better than Nketiah

salparadisenyc

With size of the Irish should be doing short corners keeping possession.

WengerEagle

Charlie

Dundalk keeper is 40, lol.

Useroz

SamesongOctober 29, 2020 20:16:14
Go on Arteta leave the tactics on the Macbook for all to see.“

Thats a decoy. The 13th player and sauce to help secure a win against a very strong (physically ) aide!

Habesha Gooner

Your I think we missed the boat regarding Niles. He should have been sold to fund a creative midfielder. I cant see us selling him for more than the 25 mil quoted this summer.

Left Testicle

Mid,
How are we doing on the XGs?

MidwestGun

He doesn’t look a day over 39. Must be the Guinness.

Ishola70

Not scored yet.

Their goalie looks like an obvious weak link.

Old pissed up looking fella dragged out of the pub.

Left Testicle

What a fooking bland team.

MidwestGun

Left _ I’m calculating now.

Useroz

Habesha GoonerOctober 29, 2020. Did we get an offer actually? Would grab that £25m ….

Better header from Pepe.

Gazzap

Nelson has to hit that. He’s got wengeritis

WengerEagle

Are we aware that we’re playing DUNDALK?

SUGA3

Lol, pathetic

Gazzap

This shape is better than against Leicester. It’s just a shame the players aren’t quite top quality. But Willock in that advanced central area makes a positive difference.

MidwestGun

That was definitely an XG goal..

SpanishDave

Jesus begorrah holy saint Patric hav’nt we scored yet.
Freck

Left Testicle

At the end of last season I never thought I’d see a defence of Kolasinac, Cedric, Mustafi and Xhaka.

Useroz

Nelson took couple of shots but still nothing on target half way the 1H.

Elneny under instruction to pass forward it seems. Good start.

We don’t have ball carriers to take on their defence even with Pepe and Nelson.

karim

CC

Yilmaz has been good and the other noticeable ones have been Araujo, Bamba and Ikoné with Jose Fonte rock-solid at the back.
Renato is a bit inconsistent but still quite talented.

Eagle

Yep, having Campos as chief scout was always gonna help as far as making profits on talented youngsters is concerned.

Useroz

Eddie mot offside.

Habesha Gooner

useroz
There was a lot of numbers quoted from 15 to 25 mil. I thought we could have got atleast 20 mil for him. I dont get his use to us now apart from playing wingback against big teams. We would have been better served if we had a N 10 instead.

Gunnershabz

Pepe has a lot of ball but needs to do better

Is balogun on the bench

Marko

Still waiting for that direct dribbling and off the ball running from Reiss. Goal threat though

Left Testicle

We look better in XGs. Is Nketiah our XG top scorer?

Useroz

Oh. Eddie. Take the shot

Matt

All this talk about Pepes confidence being shit because he is on an out of the team. Sorry, but what a meek prick!! Fucking man up, put your big boy pants on and show the world that you can’t be left out. He is a typical Arsenal signing of the past 10 + years. Weak as hell mentally and not up for a fight.

Muppetman

Jay you’d struggle to bang a drum with your midgets thumb poking out of a bush dick

Gazzap

Oh ffs shoot

Left Testicle

Balogun is on the bench.

Useroz

Eddie should be on form playing effectively a U23 team!

Runa boy made two corners. Wow. 100%. Passed.

Samesong

Runnerboy not Artetarised yet.

Left Testicle

If it stays like this how will Pedro spin this one?

azed

At least we are competitive.

Nelson

Runarsson appears to have a sure hand to catch the ball.

Valentin

Willock and Nelson two best players on the pitch tonight.

MidwestGun

Come on y’all his nickname is Iceman… get with the program. sheesh.

Useroz

Kolac header on target. Finally after 33”.

Habesha Gooner

I like willock because he is the only one of our midfilders other than partey that drives the ball forward.

Left Testicle

Xhaka has been a rock at the back. 😄

Nelson

First one on target.

azed

Finally a shot on target.

Useroz


At least we are competitive“

LOLLLL

Gunnershabz

I am liking Nelson he showing some fight and wanting to take a place

Love to see balogun come on he can’t be that bad then nketiah

Samesong

Come on y’all his nickname is Iceman… get with the program. sheesh.

Runna boy for me.

Useroz

Willock shot from outside the box. Second on target.

MidwestGun

Runna boy is too Rasta….. I think.

Kris

This is just too depressing again. Don’t blame the quality of the players, as they’re clearly better individually than the pub team, but it seems the coaching is not working out.

Samesong

Willock shot from outside the box. Second on target.

Looked like a pass. lol

Nelson

Eddie!!!

Useroz

Eddie. Better reflex would have nicked a auba tap in. Saved.

WengerEagle

How about Runa long now son?

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