The run is over. It was fun while it lasted. Reality gave us a slap in the face and our charge for top 4 probably died with that point.
No Tierney, Partey, or either Gabriel gave us a leggy performance that lacked true penetration.
That lack of quality in the final third, both with the final pass, and the final shot, were not quite there.
We also looked pretty open. Palace hit the target twice. Both times pulling great saves out of Bernd Leno. That didn’t really tell the full story, Palace were bad in front of goal considering some of the great chances they had. The woodwork was rattled. Granit Xhaka did have to step in with two spectacular interventions.
Talking of Granit. You had the full package. He was the most prolific of the progressive pass makers, he made some elite tackles, he was blood and thunder… but he also tackled like Boris Johnson after 3 pints, he gave away two freekicks in dangerous areas, and one of his very poor stray passes led to a dangerous counter.
Mikel Arteta blamed tired legs from the Newcastle game. I thought we lacked energy at times, but overall, it just felt like a game where things didn’t click. Hector wasn’t at the races. Saka and ESR were quiet. AMN looked unusually shaky at times. It just wasn’t our day.
Still, my main takeaway from the bland result was this: At least it was a bad day at the office for players that will get better.
I’ll take that sort of game from ESR, Saka, and AMN. Much better than watching that exact performance from Willian, Pepe and Kolasinac.
The biggest loss was Tierney. He’s suffering with tight muscles, no doubt because we’ve played him in nearly every game. He was always going to break at some point with no rest. Let’s hope it’s just tightness and a few days rest will get him back in shape.
If he does come back, the Newcastle game starts to look like the first time we could see a true selection. Thomas Partey will make a huge difference. Martinelli will give us that energy we lacked at times today. ESR and Saka have to keep playing. That’ll make us a more dynamic team and hopefully give us the three points we really need.
Short post today. I’ll be back later with some thoughts on the other things that are going on around the club!
Shaun ” without going into it to much in essence what your saying is the thuggery of the nineties football made it more physically demanding than the Game being played in present day” ” thuggery” is your word not mine. Back in those days , 2 footed tackles were commonplace, the tackle from behind was taken for granted and players used cto take man and ball and it was accepted. Put players like foden, mason mount, saka, smith rowe, rashford , greenwood against the likes of stuart pearce, vinnie jones , Adams and bould ,dennis Wise julian Dicks and they… Read more »
Just listened to a very good Arsecast when they discussed the Palace game had then our squad and issues such as LB cover. . The Palace frame made it clear that if we are going to play wide forwards who cut in onto their stronger foot then it is essential that we play athletic FBs on both sides who can go outside and cross or cut back as per the Liverpool full backs. This also creates space for the wide forwards to come inside. At the moment we only really have Tierney who meets this brief although both Cedric and… Read more »
And I’m not saying it was better in those days but football was a different game to how it’s played now.
Good Riddance .
Finally, ozil agree to terminate his contract and will be jetting off this coming week.
Thanks for the memorable moments and good luck
The pace of the game these days absolutely differs from the 90s. Games are played at higher tempo than before.
“Put players like foden, mason mount, saka, smith rowe, rashford , greenwood against the likes of stuart pearce, vinnie jones , Adams and bould ,dennis Wise julian Dicks and they wouldn’t stand a chance ….NOT A CHANCE.” agreed but the very same players you mention above would not be able to get away with half of there ….ok thuggery may not be the best choice of word so let’s say physically aggressive style of play but anyway we are talking about more physically demanding and I don’t see what two footed tackles and a more aggressive style of play have… Read more »
I’m not sure how accurate it is that in the 90s it was THAT brutal, be serious. Even in the 90s when I first got into football it wasn’t typically that exceptionally aggressive in your typical match. It pretty much mirrored what kids football has always been like (and probably still is) on the school field, where players go into tackles with less fear of punishment and players on the receiving end are less likely to make a meal of it and roll around for 20 mins for fear or losing face amongst your friends (unlike pro football now) I… Read more »
“Let’s not reimagine the 90s as some time where every 5 mins your legs could get snapped. It wasn’t that bad.”
100% this.
Even in the 90s footballers were by and large a fairly soft bunch when compared with actual tough bastards like rugby players
Not many 90s football players would’ve lasted 5 mins in professional rugby
“Put players like foden, mason mount, saka, smith rowe, rashford , greenwood against the likes of stuart pearce, vinnie jones , Adams and bould ,dennis Wise julian Dicks and they wouldn’t stand a chance”
Yes they can’t withstand the ruggedness of those defenders but at the same time will roast these aforementioned defenders with pace and trickery.
Except if you believe Adams or Bould can match them speed for speed and tricks for tricks which I doubt.
I would love to hear the details of the conditions on which Ozil is leaving. But it is a huge weight of Arsenal either way. We need to go in to the market to recruit players now. A midfielder and a Backup keeper the priorities.
Yeah I wonder how much big eyes cost us with that golden hand shake… no word on it so far, but I imagine he’ll ask for at least most of the 7m he believes he’s somehow earned
I can’t believe there is anyone here seriously suggesting Mari didn’t play because we don’t want to pay his former club 1 mil.
So we paid 4 or 8 mil (depending on where you got your info) for him to play 9 games for us over 4 years?
Also there’s such a thing called adaptation. Any footballer with half a brain with clock on if they regularly get minced for holding onto the ball to long and either try to skin their man earlier or lay off a pass sooner. Wilshere was a moron who uses to get fouled all the time and never learnt his lesson (no brain), but for any player with basic intelligence (saka is a straight A student), they’re not gonna be dumb enough to spend their entire careers getting hacked out. Saka would be just fine in the 90s. ESR would be too… Read more »
I challenged Pierre’s statement about the Man Utd babes not because of their quality, but rather the overall quality of the opposition. In the early 1990s when they started playing the opposition clubs were relatively weak by comparison with what you see today. The league was effectively a “one trick pony” until Wenger arrived at Arsenal and started recruiting “world class players” from overseas. Blackburn did win the title in one season, but otherwise the League was dominated in EPL era by Man Utd. As I pointed out the opposition was fairly mediocre with smaller squads and players recruited almost… Read more »
https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1350387813544562689?s=19
Hope all the Ozil obsessives go with him.
“I would love to hear the details of the conditions on which Ozil is leaving. But it is a huge weight of Arsenal either way. We need to go in to the market to recruit players now. A midfielder and a Backup keeper the priorities.”
The oracle tweeted, he is going on a bosman and as such won’t get anything. I think Arsenal played hardball on ozil and his agent. They actually wanted to get paid off but they were told to refund all the wages he earned while not playing.
“I can’t believe there is anyone here seriously suggesting Mari didn’t play because we don’t want to pay his former club 1 mil.”
That’s some of the trashes they keep churning out here and when you question their sanity they tell you it’s critical thinking.
If you want an accurate reminder of what players were like in the 90s, look at Tierney
Guy is the most stereotypical 90s sort of player ever. Kinda hilarious throwback but so good at it
Tee
Yes he is joining fenerbache on a free but Arsenal will still pay him to terminate the contract. Sanchez had a similar pay off from United when he left to join inter.You would be naive to think he would leave 7 mil on the table.
No way ozil is not even getting paid off? We are saving 7m this season in wages???
Indisputably our worst and costliest ever signing who morphed from a lazy bottler (who showed only the rarest of his talents) into an enemy within who sought to undermine the club with his pseudo altruistic bs. Photo shoots and declarations of love with a despot who delights in killing and torturing his own people. A former professional sportsman. Re-signed by a manager whose own rise and fall left the Arsenal in tatters. And let’s not even go there with his cod generosity towards our extinct friend gunnersaurus and his ersatz rashford impersonation. Mesut? Chau boludo!
“Ozil was scheduled to earn around £7 million between now and the end of his contract in June. A deal has been reached in principle, however, for an early termination.”
This is from the athletic. They would say so if it was canceled with out pay off. Instead it says a deal has been reached.
I don’t see why Ozil should pay back fuck all. They chose to give him that contract, then refused to play him and now they’re asking for him to pay them back lol, they’re fucking mad at Arsenal. The biggest comedy club in the world
We have problems all over the pitch ATM. Only 2 positions you could say there is genuine competition LCB and LW. Everywhere else we have either good/decent players and nothing or ok players and nothing. What’s more worrying is that 2 of the good players are young, players that you can’t depend on every game.
I think there was pressure on Ozil to go now rather than in the summer. In the timing of events. Apparently Fenerbache haven’t won the Super lig for 8 years, ( not even had much Europa League footie either) and haven’t performed as well as expected for such a big club in Turkey. They’re 2nd at the moment. It’s looking like they have a great chance this season and see Ozil as the key that can finally get them over the finish line. So because the planets aligned 🙏 , it’s better for Fener to have him now than wait… Read more »
Back when real hard players like Peter Storey and Norman Hunter roamed midfield you could scythe straight through players as long as you more or less got the ball at the same time. Hence outlaw of so called tackles from behind. It used to be known as softening up the opposition and also involved old fashioned CFs and CB,s doing battle.with or without the Ball.
I’m not sure how high Ozil’s stock is in Turkey, but if he puts in as little effort as he has with us in the last couple of seasons those cunts will roast him alive on the pitch. Good riddance. I bet he hasn’t lost a cent in this deal.
I agree with ES on playing the youngsters. Most of them are not physically capable to play week in and week out. Saka must be tired last game. He lost one step and was outplayed by the opponents.
On the other hand, Xhaka was still playing like a bull. He actually surprised me with the timing of his tackle. In the past, those tackles would usually result in yellow cards. Partey also looked calm and reassured. Those you can get it from a youngster.
Wilko
” China and Jamie two pussies that didn’t play football or actually remember what it was really like in the 90s. ”
This is why people have issues with you.
You just jump straight in with the abuse ‘ Pussies ‘ , simply because their opinions differ from yours.
Everyone is clueless Cape wearing cuck pussy, unless they agree with your views.
” Mark, Go do one, with your whining….”
Or some other such crap will be your response.
Tired already if how you and little ‘ t ‘ like to think you can police this blog.
Don the internet tough guy. Embarrassing.
@stroller, I’m not sure I agree that players are playing longer. I suspect the opposite is true (though maybe the data will prove you right). Players seem to be starting earlier and become honed athletes for their twenties and with a noticeable decline in their thirties. I see fewer bald heads and combovers than the 70s and 80s. I don’t think that’s all down to hair transplants. I would say the pressure, the money and the pace all mean players have shorter careers than in the era of Shilton, Wark, even McAllister…
Second thoughts, maybe there is less opportunity or inclination to “drop down a level” these days, what with the solid gold house and delayed gratification.
RR
“Hope all the Ozil obsessives go with him.”
Let’s hope so..
I christened them the Ozil obsessives as they were formerly the Wenger obsessives ( WOBS) and have little or no understanding of the game .
China1, What you fail to realise that the reason why Wilshere was so good was because he was holding to the ball longer than his teammates and still be able to make a pass. That’s why he was at the end of shocking tackles. Most English central midfielders were just crab players. You are asking him to play like David Batty with no forward pass and a lot of quick lateral passes to avoid getting injured. Marco Van Bastien had to retire early having had 3 operations on his ankles from hard tackles from behind. The issue was not their… Read more »
You just know Don is a 5’3 midget. So much anger and insecurity it’s palpable.
Keep flexing those internet muscles, you’re a very strong and successful man.
Over physicality was absolutely permitted in the game during the 90s and 00s. Most of it went unpunished and Arsenal suffered more from this than any other team in my opinion. Our fast, technical football was targeted by opposition players and the refs did little or nothing to help us. It is frustrating that now the over physicality has been outlawed now, but we have lost our fast paced, technical game. I’m not sure signing one player or 5 players will solve this. We no longer have the overall team ethic of swift, technical play. When AW left the club,… Read more »
Valentin “Yes, nostalgia is not what it used to be! I to remember the defence splitting passes from Song to RVP often resulting in goals. Song was no Messi but he could loft a good ball over the top. It gave us options, something we seem to be sadly lacking today. I agree that Azeez should be given a run out in the first team – he has a genuine skill set and would cause havoc as would Balogun, Moller, Cirjan etc but alas it would appear not to be. I don’t know if Arteta is particularly stubborn or just… Read more »
Typo. What I mean is that Xhaka and Partey’s influence on the game can’t be provided by one of our youngster
Just watched Fabio Silva score for wolves using strength and both skill at the age of 18. if he cost £38m Balogun at 19 must be worth £20m plus !!!!!
Traore just attacked the byline with pace and aggression none of our RB’s can half match, led to a corner and second goal
S Asoa,
The famous Arteta sauce that to me has a funny smell…
The restricting coaching meant that few if any of the players is willing to take risk and do the unplanned.
We rely on the opposition making a mistake and being out of position instead of dragging them out of position by deliberately overloading one side or doing something quick and instinctive.
Losing balogun will be a head scratcher in a few years. We need to keep the best young talents here and sell the rest to invest in the team. Anyway looks like a huge weight of the shoulders of Fabio Silva. He has been putting the hard work. I can see why they spent so much on him. He looks like a good player.
Pierre I’ve addressed you a few times regarding Ozil, which you chose to ignore. Mesut Ozil is a luxury player, the type to buy when everything else in your team is complete. Arsenal were never a complete side after star players started leaving, and the fact that Wenger bought Ozil and took us into a season with only Giroud and Sanogo as our striking options is criminally neglectful. He came from a pedestrian paced LA Liga, where he played for about an hour in most games, to a PL that’s full of pace and intensity. Real Madrid sold him and… Read more »
Valentin
Watched a replay with headphones on.Arteta was screaming instructions non stop. Firstly he exposes the moves to all and sundry. Secondly , in a fast paced game it takes time to register what one hears and react. No wonder our games are boring and ponderous nowadays. Like slow stirring the sauce… and the team is cooked.
So funny hearing the ecstasy expressed over Ozil finally leaving, whilst ignoring the current league position as opposed to the form the team were in when Arteta had him playing. They’re not unconnected folks but the club from the summer continued to cut its nose to spite its face.
Personally I wish him the best at Fenner and if he does well, I’m sure the fans here will find another way of still blaming the man who wasn’t even given an opportunity to fill the creative void for the club since lockdown 👏🏼
This a funny derby. A big fat Sam Westbrom side scoring three is very funny.
The mistake was not buying Ozil but the crazy new contract. WE bought him at a good price and commercially as well as on the field he initially created a lot of positives for arsenal.
Far worse buys were Mustafe for was it £37mm, Peres at £18m, Xhaka for £35m plus not taking £60m for Sanches and losing Ramsey on a free etc. etc.
West Brom now 3-2 up and on the attack – big Sam effect plus Wolves are clearly in decline
Herb’s army.
A really good detailed breakdown of the Ozil and Arsenal situation. One which I totally agree with.
One can only hope Pierre can digest (swallow) these points. How Pierre can keep calling for his inclusion is baffling. It just ignores all the history we had of him disappearing during games, and just playing 3-5 yard sideways passes. With no output. Look at his stats for the last couple of years. Shameful.
Something tells me Nuno’s time at Wolves may be over sooner than later, especially after what his agent has been saying and Wolves’ relative poor run of results in comparison to the last couple of years.
It’s a fun match to watch this one, very back and forth.
The opinions on Ozil are obviously polarising among the fan base, but I respect both sides who see him as one of classiest players we have had, and also those who feel he could have achieved so much more. I think the truth lies somewhere in between. When he was at the zenith of his Arsenal career with Alexis and Cazorla it was fantastic to see, but he was also guilty of disappearing in some games. However, it would seem he is now on his way and it would seem to be the best outcome for him and Arsenal. There… Read more »
Club are looking at short term solutions for creativity in this window, before they look for something permanent in the summer.
That makes sense on paper, but the decision makers have not doing being well.
Lots of positions to upgrade especially the manager.
I never ever got on the Ozil hate bandwagon. I wish him all the best.
S Asoa,
I have been writing that for a while.
If Arteta constant screaming annoys people who just watch the game, I can only imagine what it does to the players.
Also his instructions tend to be very low level: Pass to him, run there, follow that player. Those are useless, because by the time the players register, the opportunity is gone.
Just watched the last 20 minutes of the Wolves v WestBrom game, and it is funny that two CBs for WestBrom are former Arsenal academy players: Sami Ajiyi and Kyle Barkley.
Herb “When we can look back at the quality of Dennis Bergkamp, it is embarrassing to compare Ozil’s contribution when as a club we have significantly regressed since the summer of 2013.” You are comparing Ozil with the very best no.10 ever in the premier league. I think it’s worth considering the quality of player they both played with. Bergkamp had wright/Anelka/Henry. Ozil had Giroud for the first 4/5 years and has hardly played the last 2 years. Taking that into consideration, Ozil’s stats compared to Bergkamp are pretty good Ozil an assist every 3.40 games prem Bergkamp an assist… Read more »
Ozil was an okay signing. But we needed a striker. We had Cazorla there who didn’t need an upgrade. And His new contract was what screwed us most of all. He was decent for us for the first five years. He didn’t show up in the big games but he helped us hammer small teams. But his new contract was an abomination. It was a move to save face that crippled us. He didn’t even perform to the levels he was performing at before his new contract. Westbrom winning against wolves is really a surprise. Big fat Sam at it… Read more »
5am
“So funny hearing the ecstasy expressed over Ozil finally leaving, whilst ignoring the current league position as opposed to the form the team were in when Arteta had him playing. They’re not unconnected folks but the club from the summer continued to cut its nose to spite its face.”
Well said…
and now apparently we are on the market looking for a creative player…
azed
January 15, 2021 23:06:21
Mari has picked up another injury?
What’s going on at the club?“
The same thing that’s been going on for the past 15 years. Buying and facilitating broken players who just can’t stay for.
I love Tierney as a player, but long term he will be just another case of what could have been as he will break continually.
Stay fit *
Habesha Gooner
It was the right decision to sign Özil. We were struggling in 12/13 to qualify for the CL with Cazorla as the main creative hub. If I remember correctly, we played Spurs and got overrun. Then Wenger added Ramsey and Rosicky centrally for a spell at the expense of Wilshere and Cazorla. Should have signed Özil plus a striker in 2013 and Alexis plus a CM the next summer.
Pierre
He is gone already. He hasn’t performed for the last 3 seasons. So go and advocate for Eddie. At least he is ours. And we will find a better solution either this window or the summer.
I wouldn’t put it past the club to bench Mari to avoid paying the clause at a certain time.
Dream
That is another debate. But we needed Higuain or Suarez more than we needed Ozil. I loved that we signed him but we needed to prioritize.
So Ozil was a wrong buy at a time we needed a striker goes the narrative apparently.
Did we pay over the market value for him?
No.
Did he perform on par or above according to his wages?
Yes.
Did his purchase and wages crippled Arsenal financially to the point they couldn’t buy a striker?
173m Arsenal cash reserves in 2013-14 season says no.
There must be something wrong with the coaching structure if players are picking up so many injuries.
This has been the case for far too long.
Has it anything to do with the facilities and systems implemented at the London Colney training ground?
God knows.
My Physio who has worked with top rugby and football players reckons the latter get injured too easily due to a lack of muscle and joint strength building weight training.
Ozil for one could have done with 4-5kg of extra muscle to give him more physical confidence.
Todays footballer have become lightweight to increase endurance, being lightweight means getting impact injuries, tears increases.
“Just watched the last 20 minutes of the Wolves v WestBrom game, and it is funny that two CBs for WestBrom are former Arsenal academy players: Sami Ajiyi and Kyle Barkley”.
Some serious body on the line defending from Kyle Barkley – love to see the passion.
Would make absolutely no sense to sell Ozil now and not have anyone coming in.
ESR doesn’t get you so far as he’s young and inconsistent and bar him, there’s no one else. Our creativity is maybe the worst in the league.
Hope Edu has plans to get someone creative in, doesn’t look like Arteta fancies them type players either way
Don is a man suffering from anal fissure, must have been an altar boy.
Jack Wilshere aka Artful Dodger
‘He was a snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy enough; and as dirty a juvenile as one would wish to see; but he had about him all the airs and manners of a man. He was short of his age: with rather bow-legs, and little, sharp, hazel eyes.’
Think we’ll definitely target an attacking midfielder, we need to create more chances, and score more goals.
I quite fancy Pedro Neto or Martin Odegaard, they’d be my top picks.
Have a feeling we’ll have another go for Aouar though, Buendia or Dybala might be other options
We can’t afford to get another transfer wrong.
Batistuta
“Would make absolutely no sense to sell Ozil now and not have anyone coming in.”
I presume we may bring in Eriksen which won’t please many on here but i would be more than happy to see a player of his quality..
28 years old and prem proven at a possible bargain price.
Watching Leeds play on the worst pitch I’ve seen this season anywhere in the PL.
How is a club coached to play quick, interchanging football supposed to execute that on a cabbage patch?
Weird.
Pierre
Eriksen on a 6 month loan as a very last resort maybe?
No chance we should look at him on a permanent deal though, Chelsea rejects are bad enough, a Spurs reject is too bitter a pill to swallow.
I have a sneaky suspicion KSE will back us for the right players this month, the club is haemorrhaging money
But they can’t afford their asset to deteriorate,
Goals + creativity is an issue, and I think we’ll definitely try to address that.
Pierre
Unless it’s a loan for Eriksen to get us to the summer.
Buendia seems the obvious one though
Not a fan of Eriksen, we have to move on from the ESR signings, such as Willian, who inevitably come on high wages. Start building for the future, players with higher ceilings, not on the downward curve.
The ESR = These type of signings
This Leeds v Brighton games seems like they have been playing for ages. Not used to seeing football kick off screened on sky at 3pm on a Saturday.
Not a fan of Eriksen, but he was not a “reject” at Spurs.
They were trying to extend his deal for ages, but I suspect he wanted to win something plus get a better salary.
This Richard Garlick appointment essentially is a replacement for Huss Fahmy which is required. The new “Dick Law” for Edu let’s say. For all our suspicions on the Brazilian’s DOF ability, one job we shouldn’t expect him to be doing is all the legal work required in players’ contracts. I would imagine Edu will still be involved in negotiating the major deals but the finer details will be all Garlick. From what I have read, Garlick is qualified solicitor and has a sports law degree, he is meant to possess clout at the top level as well as having some… Read more »
Arsenal with Arteta:
Leeds lost – Yeah!!
West Ham won – Shit!!
Our new low level…….
Breaking news from the SS Arsenal, currently negotiating the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic. Newly promoted Petty Officer Garlick has staked his claim to be in charge of the lifeboats, should the situation arise. Meanwhile, a cabin boy answering to the name of Balogun, having incurred the displeasure of Captain “Blackbeard” Arteta, is currently languishing in the hold surviving on meagre rations.
“Raul Sanllehi was a very well-respected figure in the corridors of power within the top echelons Europe and UEFA.” I have not laugh out so much since Marc was arguing with me about the long term prospect of Raul ten minutes before the club issued a statement that he had been sacked. He was a chancer that had he not jumped ship from Barcelona would have been kicked out. Barcelona had publicly admit that they broke the law of two countries (Spain and Brazil) and have their president resign in exchange for no criminal proceedings against the president, the member… Read more »
Richard Garlick will encounter the same issues that Huss Fahmy did. A lot of current senior players are on financially unsustainable contract, but they are not ready to accept that new reality. Arteta is somebody who does not know the meaning of the word compromise. He wants what he wants and he wants it now. So he will manoeuvre to bypass him and get his favoured players the deal that he think they deserve. Luiz and Willian are the two evidences of it. Negotiating with the academy graduate is no picnic. Heavily incentivised contracts may make sense for the club,… Read more »
Chelsea get the 3 points but are not that great.
“Balogun wants first-team football before committing his future, but Arsenal have no intention to include him until he signs a new deal.
The Gunners are unwilling to help the striker advertise himself to other clubs without any guarantees he’ll extend. So the two parties are at a bit of a stalemate.”
Extract taken from Daily Cannon
https://dailycannon.com/2021/01/arsenal-wont-play-talented-teenager-unless-he-extends-his-deal/
There is nothing wrong with criticizing the manager for what is happening on the pitch but the shit he is getting for what people assume is going on behind the scenes is ridiculous. Nobody has sources within Arsenal but everyone in the, as Valentin likes to call them, Arteta Out Brigade are using everything that goes wrong at the club as a stick to beat Arteta with.