‘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
Why are we playing William?
Would like to see Willian and Balogun get some minutes
Good team spirit there for Pepe goal, sure he needs more of that..
Its been a surprise but Mo elneny hasnt disappointed once for me. He is been very good.
Laca to come? Since Arteta won’t play Auba centrally, why not bring on Laca for a shooting practice?
Pepe on left more natural position.
Cmon. Nelson! You not getting into the starting 11 with such crosses
It’s all about getting minutes into players for Sunday to give them confidence.
Blood in the water now everyone wants a piece. Willian probably volunteered. I would.
Saving Pepe i suppose. Willian to get match fit.
Looks like Mustafi and Pepe will feature on Sunday.
We are playing with a 3 CB formation with no actual CB on the pitch. Lol.
Balogun should be given some minutes.
Habesha
I agree. Elneny has once again been very solid so far doing the right passes needed.
/////
I can see why Willian us being subbed in as he needs these minutes to get to know our style if play.
But I don’t think Ceballos is needed though.
Arteta is so saucy he can play Elneny and Xhaka in central defence.
We prob only team with 8 centre backs but no centrebacks playing
I dunno man two players just off injury coming on instead of a kid or two. Well at least it’s not Auba or Lacazette coming on
Don’t know that Elneny, can play CB.
Nelson good but very inconsistent
If I was Auba/Laca I’d want 20 mins here
We don’t have a Giroud in the box and most of our crosses gone wasted
I could play CB out there tonight
Shoot. Willock. One dribble too many. Judgment.
Good clearance from Nketiah.
Willock has been good, disruptive because he moves vertically more than most. Obviously must be doing that against the wishes of Arteta…
You trying to tell me Saliba couldn’t play against these lot tonight
Very poor decision
Their players run out of energy.
Elneny can play goalkeeper tonight even
Did runalongson just look for the gk there? Lol
Dundalk would be delighted to only concede 3, lol.
Runnalongson got good feet on the ball and is quick.
Here we go balogun is coming on
I want to see what this kids about
I think Iceman wants a crack at scoring a goal too.
BolaGUN finally
Is the number of substitites allowed 5?
Samesong
He’s looked fine but you need to take the opposition into account.
Let’s not claim we’ve got the second coming of Martinez just yet.
Balogun and Tesco express getting in on it
Balogun to get 20 minutes.
Habesha… yep 5.
Balogun baby
Good twist and turn by Willock and Eddie managed to clear.
Folarin about to make an entrance.
Ouch, their number 3 was just sent for a hot dog by Willockinho
NKetiah shit again tap in aside. Should have had a hat-rick.
Ummm Eddie dude. get over the ball.
Really poor from Eddie row z.
Pepe should play insideSaka on the right
Defender made Willock look like Neymar there, humiliating.
Balogun wants the ball ALL the time
Does Willian not like a dribble anymore?
Everyone breaking out the dribble trick bag today.
Nelson playing with a lot of confidence today. Should do that every game.
Better vision from Nelson and Balogun would be thru. I’d rather Nelson or someone tries those than another safe pass.
That’s why CC has been up–talking Reiss Nelson. If Pepe won’t rise up to the occasion give Nelson a chance.
Maybe that’s what Pepe needs to get going…competition
Saliba would have been sliding all over the pitch so a no no! Wot a joke.
Nelson has looked good tonight, even if it has been against bricklayers and road sweepers.
Hahaha KT with the ‘av it approach
Tierney 3pt…. Field goal.
Wenge eagle
Willian has retired and dribbling is left in his locker, locked.
Man How I miss watching an Arsenal champions league match. We wouldnt be a quality side in it right now but still. This is so boring.
Based on this performance, Nelson has to get good minutes on Sunday.
Willock has been good, disruptive because he moves vertically more than most. Obviously must be doing that against the wishes of Arteta…
I know you meant it as a joke though it would explain an absence from premier league games perhaps
Dundalk are appalling, incredible how toothless they are when they aren’t packing their box with eleven bodies.
Willock needs to learn more about timing. Should have crossed than another dribble
Even Dundalk playing out the back down 3 goals under pressure. Game has changed.
Anyhow.. Willock need to take a dive. would have been a pk.
So all referees hate us not just PL refs.
Willock should just fall down when his shirt was pulled.
We mostly move down the wings. Hardly anything thru the middle.
Feel a bit for Balogan you can see him making some runs looking for a goal but we seem comfortable with the 3
Hard to recall an opponent of lesser quality, the term pub team often over used.
Not in this case.
Willock pops up all over the pitch. Works hard. And gives us angles in the final third. Arsenal lack these kinds of players.
Would’ve been nice to see what Balogun can do with the ball but he won’t get a touch. Hopefully we top the group with a game spare and give him more game time.
Gazzap. We lack such players towards the higher end of the PL level
A routine win.
Ok then… on to Sunday… huge match. Warmup over.
The keeper did well with everything he has to do. Looked tidy with his feet. Does Leno have competition?
Anybody willing to bet that on Sunday Xhaka will start and Willock be on the bench if even in the squad.
The sauce bounces back with a huge win by showing attacking intent against European giants Dundalk
Happy with that 3 nil win.
To be fair one had to expect considering how shit Dundalk were.
I am far more worried about our game vs Manure and Mike “the absolute cunt” Dean.
We really need to make sure that we stay composed vs these cheating scumbags.
Lol Niall Quinn on the sauce.
‘Minute 0-42 and minute 48-90, very good’.
Willian made no difference at all after coming over. I would give his place to any kid, any day.
Attack vs Defence, hard to pull any conclusions from that.
Willock, Nelson, Cedric all bright. Happy to see Runnalongson get minutes, Pepe get a morale boost.
We have a gaping hole behind the striker, my word what a difference a Coutinho would make to the side. Loads of players favour a particular side of the pitch, it’s an easier role to play than having space 360 degrees. Pity ESR is struggling with his body, because there’s a massive opportunity for a guy like him.
“Willian made no difference at all after coming over. I would give his place to any kid, any day.”
I would play Nelson ahead of him on Sunday
Reiss Nelson looked feisty made a decent case for himself, Pepe with a right footed goal screamer, that must be a first. Ideal confidence build for those two.
Willian got the run out to build for United, be interested to see where he slots in.
Mik going with a back line of Elneney, Kola, AMN and Soares at the end, not something you see every day.
Clearly Iceman is the new Emi, immense in all areas.
Val with another agenda. What. A. Guy
As if willock olaysu in the same position with xhaka or they both perform the same role. Nice win tho. Nothing much to talk about but willock and Nelson really had a superb game. I can’t wait for willock to mature Guy’s going to be a good player that’s for sure
Agree with you there CC.
Coutinho would do us a world of good to finally have a creative.AM.
I am nor sure how feasible it is to get him this Jan but he would be a good target this summer.
Valentin
“Anybody willing to bet that on Sunday Xhaka will start and Willock be on the bench if even in the squad.”
As much as I’d love to see Xhaka out of the first XI you can’t really be championing a player based on a performance against such a team as Dundalk.
Tonight was a welcome pick me up for Pepe and Nelson, otherwise nothing to really take from it.
CC
Agree 100% A Coutinho is what we need.
I like the look of Balogan, could be explosive given the chance.. What i do find strange is that he did nothing of note in the game ( not necessarily his fault) and all the comments are positive, whereas Eddie scores yet another goal and is slaughtered on here… Eddies goal was a goal that only he can score, brave and alert Willock i have always liked , he showed tonight that he has quality and with him , it’s a confidence thing and you could see his confidence growing in the game as he realised that he was the… Read more »
Ishola70,
Willock runs with the ball and bring something different. He has pace and I would rather have somebody with pace against ManUtd rather than Xhaka.
Xhaka has his place in the team, but against a team that will play counter-attack football, he will be exposed by his lack of pace. Pogba will ping long balls toward Rashford and Martial and Xhaka will be left in the dust.
3-0 at home vs a shit team.
Can’t wait for Pedro’s next praise of Lego Hair.
Val
What is your opinion on Islam?
Nelson
I don’t think this is the right place to be starting a debate on religion.
I just wonder why all those killing in France. Val is from France.
Nelson,
“Val, What is your opinion on Islam?”
Why?
I don’t really care about religion. My wife is the believer.
I was raised believing that religion like sex life should be a private affair and should not interfer with politics.
Valentin
“Willock runs with the ball and bring something different. He has pace and I would rather have somebody with pace against ManUtd rather than Xhaka.”
He is more likely to disappear though isn’t he like he has done too often before when being given chances in the higher end matches.
He is going to have to really convince in a top end game Valentin before fans start screaming for his inclusion.
Dundalk don’t cut it I’m afraid.
Decent practise match for the reserves.
……..and Spurs fuckin’ lost!!
I heard Pogba has also problem with the french NT.
What happen in France is not religion. It is terrorism. It is mostly disfranchised former petty criminal people who latched on some death cult.
Most of the French Muslim are disgusted by those nutters, because more and more associates their religion with them.