FINALLY, we’re back in the mixer and there are some tasty football games to sink our teeth into this weekend.
Spurs vs City today is the first of the thrillers. Someone is dropping points, maybe both teams. Hopefully, it’s Spurs.
Then we have Leicester vs Liverpool in a top of the table clash. Again, hoping it’s Leicester dropping points.
… and then obviously, the Arsenal take on Leeds in a flashback of yesteryears Super Sunday’s. Jimmy Floyd? Lee Bowyer? Mark Viduka? Oof… some names that make feel a bit queezy.
Mikel Arteta has a lot resting on this game. It’s not pivotal to his future, but it’s a huge test because fans are demanding to see that the club is on the up. There’s a lot of worry that we’re on the slide and it’s terminal. Nail a win against a side everyone seems to think is excellent and we’ll have a nice week.
My uncle is a massive Leeds United fan. I spoke to him yesterday and he has a lot more faith in Arsenal than most of us do. His take is that Arsenal will be wounded and Leeds can’t defend for shit. He’s hoping to score early and take a point. The game plan from Bielsa can only go one way. We’ve seen them ship 8 goals in two games. Surely there’s a clue in there somewhere.
I think we’re hoping that Arteta and his coaching staff have had plenty of time to stew on the conundrum that is our lack of attacking prowess. We’re hoping the team is as fired up as Dani Ceballos after a rogue ‘you mum’ joke flies at him. We want to see a reaction and see off the Villa game as an anomaly.
What we don’t want to see: Lacazette or Auba through the middle
What we do want to see: Big performances from big players and an attacking approach that yields more than two shots on target
Arteta was asked in the press conference if he was feeling a different type of pressure now fans are calling him Fraudteta on the Twitter.com. He answered like Arsene Wenger would. He said the loss last week really hurt him. He will firstly look at his own decisions and try to learn. Overall though, despite saying again that the road back to the top will be bumpy, he’s very optimistic about the future.
Arsenal fans want to know that the people at the club care and we want to know that our new coach who is learning the ropes is actually prepared to the learn the ropes. If nothing changes this weekend, then it’ll start to look like he’s just stubborn. If he changes things and it doesn’t work, it’ll look like he doesn’t know what he’s doing. The job is hard, because we are a long way from the top and fans don’t like to accept that.
The coach is staying positive, he wants more honeymoons, and he seems very confident that he’s taking us on the right journey.
The Leeds game is a great place to try and claw back some points and make a move on the table. Big teams are playing each other this weekend. Points will drop. We need to make them up against a team that will most certainly not be in the top 6 this season.
Should be a fun game. See you in the comments. Listen to the podcast if you haven’t. I added music and cleaned up the sound a bit!
Ishola
They are stronger in certain positions – there are others where I don’t think they are all that.
The real difference is they are managed better.
CC,
I’m saying that the money paid for Auba were WELL worth it. We should have sold Lacazette and it all would have made perfect sense. You say buying Auba was a mistake. Tell me how I’m wrong again?
City only need to replace Jesus, get themselves a powerful athletic central midfielder who can change up the tempo with dribbling and passing and they need a clinical winger.
If they get Messi they can get a clinical midfielder who can change up the tempo with passing and dribbling, they still need to replace Gabriel and probably should get a direct and pacey winger.
Vieira was a monster. An absolute collossus in the middle of the park.
Vieira and Yaya >>> Pogba and I like Pogba even now.
Come on City it’s easy all you need to do is do Kane’s ankles.
raptora
Arsenal it appears have become a one man team who totally really on Aubameyang for goals.
This is bad management and needs fixing.
Raptora
I’ve told you at least 5 times, but you’re clearly too stupid to acknowledge what’s being said.
Would you buy a player to replace Gabriel this Jan? If he’s world class then it’s a given based on what you’ve said.
Do explain that……
raptoraArsenal it appears have become a one man team who totally rely on Aubameyang for goals.
This is bad management and needs fixing.
Arsenal does have adequate good players for 4 position. But Arteta has been playing favourite, playing assets out of position , and taken off from.Emery playing back passes.. Only saving grace is the discipline in defence in spite of attracting opposition to camp in our half
Except that Lacazette wasn’t world class. Are you even alright?
Pogba is a superb player. Getting his shit dragged in a totally guff United team, but in a proper side with a proper manager he’s superb, has everything.
First time I’m agreeing with CC regarding Pogba.
Gabriel has been our best player. Love him already, literally the only glimmer of light so far this season.
Raptora
Can you read?
Tell me if you’d replace Gabriel with a superior player this Jan.
Let’s speculate one is available and we have the money……upgrade Gabriel right?
Problem with Pogba isn’t ability or talent it’s attitude.
He doesn’t want to be at ManU, hasn’t wanted to be there for a while and ManU will have a problem getting back any serious level of what they paid for him in the summer.
Pogba is top notch, agreed.
Vieira and Yaya were pantheon greats though.
We’re not a very good team and only one man to blame for that.
Yaya was phenomenal.
Poor guy couldn’t escape Guardiola
You can’t be slating Ozil for turning up once in 10 games and then laud Pogba who does exactly the same. He has little desire and hunger to be a top player. Always was and still is an overrated player.
Cc
If we have the money then yes you do.
If you’re argument is we should have used the money in an area that needed strengthening more – fine but Laca has never scored enough goals to get us top 4.
Charlie,
I would replace Chambers for Gabriel, like we did when we bought Auba to replace Lacazette.
Why would I sell Gabriel if he is a top player, something Lacazette isn’t? You are making zero sense.
@TR7
Spot on regarding pogba
TR7
I don’t slate Ozil, I like Ozil.
Pogba with Kante is still such a great midfield combo.
WengerEagle
“Pantheon greats”
…what a Wally lol
Mourinho setting Spurs up to become dominant.
“I would replace Chambers for Gabriel“
What does this even mean? Chambers is a RCB, Gabriel is a LCB.
So you would choose to put the money into another position of the defence and not replace Gabriel whom we just bought?
Guendouzi starts for Hertha
Torreira + Partey midfield base next season is so damn good, a big big big shame we’re selling the small guy.
Well thank god bought auba, we could have well been relegate last season without him.
Raptora has a pretty straightforward point. If buying auba when we had laca was money badly spent then buying Gabriel when we have closet full of cbs should be money badly spent as well. The fact that everyone was clamouring for a CB doesn’t change the fact that we had a roster full of them and hadn’t sold any.
There’s a team in La Liga lying currently second whose manager looks like different gravy.
Arteta sees taking Laca from.the Middle as an acknowledgement of what it is..So like a politician wiill keep him on there.
Count the blessings of occasional 1-0 wins
Lol Red you utter shaft, on about your 10th alias now.
Harder to get rid of than Herpes x Wenger.
I will choose each of Cesc, Santi, Rosicky, Hleb ahead of Pogba, let us not even mention Viera in the same sentence with Pogba. How many games has he won United ? Not even 10. Ramsey who I don’t even like had more of an impact overall than Pogba, says it all really.
TR7
Pogba or Xhaka?
WengerEagle
You always like retarded players
Terreira not even on bench vs Barcelona.
MattyG starts for Hertha
Charlie,
You do you brother, I’ll stop this nonsense. Just know that your opinion that spending money on Auba was a mistake is a laughable one. It all stems from the fact you rate Lacazette. Maybe he’d be proving me wrong on the international scene at least? Haven’t played for France since 2017? Oh okay then…
I will say that we should have kept Giroud with Aubameyang and sell Lacazette. Same way he’s preferred in the French squad.
How many goals has Ederson let in through his legs against Tottenham in his City career?
Man, hate to say it but spuds played well today. Fucking depressing.
If Laca scores more than another 2 or 3 goals in the PL between now and the end of the season I’ll be surprised.
Pogba is a very high risk, very high reward, type of punt.
He’s got everything to be elite, but looks clumsy and disinterested.
A different manager could get him going, but he’s also got a touch of Ozil syndrome about him, where he could lose even more interest the moment the ink dried on his new deal.
I’d stay well clear, United should cut their loses.
These players are earning so much money, you can only imagine how easy it is to lose interest pretty quickly.
I tell you what’s depressing and that’s losing to teams who are beatable.
Kaz
I would rather play with 10 men than have Xhaka in my starting 11 😛
See Pogba has got some good attributes as a footballer, no doubt about that but honestly I don’t fear him at all when we play United.
Ishola “They are living dangerously though. Already had last ditch defending from them”
You still think that they are living dangerously. I rather saw an MC team running out of idea to break through Mou’s defense.
Branislav Ivanovic starts for WBA against Manure. He will be 37 yo in 3 months.
City were at their absolute best when Toure was on song. Easily one of the best mids ever to grace the PL for me. Pep fell out with him too.
This times 1million
Easily one of the most complete players ever seen in pl or any league really. Guy had it all. Always felt he was underrated in the sense that barca got rid of him and no big teams with history like real or bayern tried to snap him up.
Pep really didn’t like him as he prefers technical midgets without personality
If AFC played like spuds just did to get that win many would still complain! moaninho will get spuds to play well for 1.5 seasons max, and 6 months are already gone. spuds played like $h*te, 2 shots on target, and both goals were due to poor keeper play. Their entire game plan was lump it long. If you want a coach like that then you deserve what you get, that game plan was as anti-futbol as one can get. Total $h*te. Seriously, do not know what many thought they saw today, but spuds won against a seriously changed $h*tTy… Read more »
“I would rather play with 10 men than have Xhaka in my starting 11”
I would ask what the difference is but empty space doesn’t fuck up.
City have scored 4 goals in their last 6 games. They can’t find goals easily. If we didn’t sideways pass for the whole 2nd half, we might have managed to get something out of that game.
London gunner
Yaya Toure was a water carrier for Barcelona while the Premier league made him look like Zidane..go figure which was the stronger league.
TR7
Hahaha, I just wanted to see which you’d go for 😀
I don’t fear Pogba as a gamechanger against us for Utd, but with France he’s a different calibre.
@Aaron
We have been playing like that though, but worse.
I don’t know if you were watching but Spurs could and were countering very quickly.
We on the otherhand cannot…
Countering with what? 2 f’n shots on goal for an entire 90 minutes, puleeeze.
@Calypso
That’s because they didn’t trust Yaya to do more than be a water carrier.
Doesn’t tell us which is a harder league at all. Just tells us he wasn’t trusted to perform at a high level by an incredibly anal yet successful manager.
“The coach is staying positive, he wants more honeymoons”
There is only one honeymoon, the one between Pedro & Mikel
Nelson “You still think that they are living dangerously. I rather saw an MC team running out of idea to break through Mou’s defense.” As in a lot of cases it can be important when the goals are scored. Spurs were tettering at times in the first half but the longer Man City go without getting on the scoresheet the less likely they look to score. We have seen this before from Man City. Keep them out long enough holding onto a lead and they fade as the game enters later periods. I said on here a while ago that… Read more »
@Aaron
Yeah… that’s literally how they scored.
Aaron
But we have a ‘coach like that’, who tried playing the exact same way against City, then large parts of the fanbase celebrated that we ‘only’ lostby one goal.
Managers will be judged by results, especially so when you set up your team to play dull, risk-averse football. Arteta has to look at what a free-for-all this season is, and realise how to make Arsenal a protagonist in matches again.
Some valid points Aaron. Liverpool are far from out of it, they will strengthen in Jan . Chelsea are a threat as well Tottenham are an injury or two from a slump, Kane is increasingly an injury waiting to happen, and they have a certain weight of history against them whenever they get close to winning something. Hard to judge them today, as City were incredibly poor, and a very odd starting line up from Pep Just because we are in transition for the moment and not always in a good place, no need to big up rivals too much… Read more »
Marc
How many times a day do you knock one out over your Xhaka poster?
I reckon you’re easily hitting double figures daily, and triple figures weekly.
You just love him soooo much….
“I would rather play with 10 men than have Xhaka in my starting 11”
Well in fact… it’s the same thing.
Rich
He’s quite simply the most unique player I’ve ever seen wear the shirt.
lol Rich likes Xhaka
kaz
Toure was surpless to requirements
Raptora
Yea. A laughable opinion that you’ve never once actually grasped, figure that one out.
Crack on with your top shelf approach of buying as per who is available on the market instead of having a plan yourself of actually building an attack.
Next up…. whoever is available in Jan. Hear David Alaba is looking for a move, let’s spend 35 mil on him and bench Tierney. Or maybe shove Tierney centre back so at least he makes the XI.
Attacking midfield? Pfft who needs it.
Imo, Yaya is the most complete midfielder in the EPL’s history. Vieira is up there, Scholes is up there. But for me, he takes it. He was more than competent in the defensive part of the game and in addition he was match winner. In 2012/13 he had 20 goals, 9 assist in 35 EPL games. What a player.
Yeah Kaz two shots through the keepers legs and on any other day that game goes nil nil to the spuds, and people would have paid to watch that dross.
@aaron
I’m by no means calling it a perfect performance or comfortable, their decision making from certain players let down their counters quite often and Reguillon kept trying to knock it past Walker to see if he could race him instead of going for a pass.
I’m just applauding that they at least understand counter attacks are meant to be quick….
On that Kaz we can both agree!
@Calpyso
No, Guardiola just didn’t like him.
Yaya was still playing up until Guardiola was announced and then once he arrived, he’s immediately benched Yaya for most of the season.
Kaz
It’s not that they understand that a counter is supposed to be fast in comparison to us – our problem is the players haven’t grasped that in a counter repeatedly passing the ball to your keeper is a bit of a problem.
Guendo on a whole different
level as he is lighting up with the field with his
Class, touch and skills.
Unfortunately he is playing with a bunch of Brainless Walcotts.
Pogba, bale , james , coutinho, Ozil . Eriksen All playmakers that have been frozen out of their respective teams in the last year … United 14th Arsenal 11th Barca…9th Inter ..9th Madrid 4th Hasn’t done the clubs a lot of good has it. As a football supporter that likes to watch and admire quality, i think it is a criminal waste of talent, especially when you look at how these clubs are struggling. That’s why i said a month or so ago, and it hurts me to say it, that i get more enjoyment watching Chelsea & Tottenham play… Read more »
Can’t wait to see Guendo back in the middle with Partey
Godfather, that ain’t happening if Arteta stays here.
I hope Arteta was watching the the England vs Iceland game and he was watching the off the ball movement of Saka. I hope he was watching the interplay between Saka, Grealish, Kane and Mount and I hope he comes to the realisation that you don’t play like that by telling your players how to play all the time.
Give it a rest Pierre no one gives a shit.
I’d say 99% on here wouldn’t give a toss if Ozil was kidnapped by Aliens beyond being happy to see him off the wage bill.
This Cunha lad for Hertha is unbelievable.
Pierre
I don’t call getting thrashed 8-2 entertaining football.
Aaron
The difference is , Tottenham can play on the counter as they did v city today and they can also play open attacking football …
We can play like Tottenham did today but under Arteta I’m not sure we can open up….maybe he will try something different tomorrow..i hope so.
The Godfather
“Unfortunately he is playing with a bunch of Brainless Walcotts”
Cunha just scored a very good goal.
Pick that one out..
Pierre
Three times in a row Arsenal lost 5-1 to Bayern, what say you.
Fucking Spurs.
Just imagine if Spurs win the league with Maureen, in the godfather of sauce’s first full season…..
It will be unbearable.
I shoal what does that have to with what has been happening prior to the goal.
Apply your brain son …
Stop being a simple lineal thinker smh
People have short memories and forget how shit Arsenal were under Wenger.
Godfather
You spoke too soon.
And since your post about Guen being a king among serfs in this game I have hardly seen him touch the ball and I have some time for Guen.
tbf though he is in a very average team who won’t be seeing a lot of the ball especially against one of the better sides in the league Dortmund.
Tbf spurs are run like a proper football club despite building a stadium they managed to asemble a far superior squad on lower wages.
Arsenal are run by corporate snakes and yuppies who don’t know fuck all about football and that can be seen in the disaster of a squad we have assembled.
Make no mistake about it we are still very much a team stacked full of deadwood and that includes many of the first 11. Really sick and tired of what a shit club we have become
We need a wide wanker to come into the club like a Daniel Levy.
David Dein was a wide wanker as well but just not as an obvious one as Levy.
Fuck off Kroenke you bland cunt.
We need a hands on owner.
We are dying with hands off Kroenke.
Dying.
Ishola,
You’re confusing me with whatever point you’re trying to make. Hertha has a lot of physical talented players with limited football IQ. The level MattyG compared to his teammates is glaringly obvious.
Right now Dortmund is dominating possession and Guendo has to drop deeper to support … unfortunately when he gets on the ball the necessary runs from his teammates are lacking due to their low football IQ
“Arsenal are run by corporate snakes and yuppies who don’t know fuck all about football and that can be seen in the disaster of a squad we have assembled.”
Yup – that pretty much sums it up.
The slug looking Russian could have been our hands on spiv character owner.
But oh no the fans wanted a bit of “class” instead.
Kroenke class.
Spurs are genuine title contenders.
If they keep Kane, Son and Bale relatively injury free, they’ll be in the hunt.
This season has vibes of 2016/17 about it, we smashed Chelsea 3-0, Conte switched to a back 3, won 18 on the bounce, and didn’t lose again until March.
Liverpool slight favourites for me, but so far, I’m not seeing the same gulf in class as the last 3 seasons.
I can’t believe people are slating the Kroenke’s.
How much more money do they have to throw away on the likes of:
Ozil
Mustafi
Xhaka
Pepe
Willian
I could go on and on …go and check out our wage bill and net spend since 2017 and then come back and talk
We need a wide wanker to come into the club like a Daniel Levy.David Dein was a wide wanker as well but just not as an obvious one as Levy.Fuck off Kroenke you bland cunt.” Never a truer word said. Ultimately the club is shaped from the top david dein was a football man and the desire to win. Arsenal means nothing to Kroenke but a low risk investment on his balance sheet. This has allowed us to become a fake shell of a club. Looking at our transfers is the litmus test of what’s going on behind the scenes.… Read more »
Godfather
Just throwing some money around isn’t enough.
You can see Levy is at the heart of Spurs just like Dein was at the heart of Arsenal.
Marc
Pierre thinks Pepe is same in class as Son, the delusion has numerous levels for him even outside his man crush.
This heavy posession game is getting a bit over rated it seems now days.
While great to watch, it seems to be getting nullified with smart counter attacking football.
I prefer the heavy posession game personally, its fun to watch, but City seem to be done and toasted.
The team has really fallen off – and while they can produce and dominate games, winning them is another issue altogether
Also hate to see kane play so well as a playmaking striker. Its funny how his game has changed he was a lethal poacher/target man getting on to balls but instead seems to have cultured and modified his game to get the best for the team/son by dropping deep into the hole and looking to release the ball to son. I think its intelligent of him. He doesn’t have the pace to do what son does with his penetrative rampaging runs and runs in between the lines so instead he has developed his throughball weighted pass and also uses his… Read more »
Interesting this downer on Arsenal enhanced by an irrational fear of Spurs this eve. As for the club being badly run, yes it has been, they rightly got rid of a long failing Wenger but did so without a plan, unforgivable. They put their faith in Ivan Gazidis then Raul, I cannot even fit that on a scale of stupidity. But if comparisons are to be made with Spurs, let’s remember, they haven’t won anything yet, or at least not for quite a long time. As poorly as we have been run, we have, just last summer won something metallic.… Read more »