REDZONE FEARS BUBBLING

by .

The year is 2021. The future is bleak, face masks and Purrell are the currency of the land. West Ham United are genuinely an excellent side.

Imagine these visions in 2018?

West Ham had a good run out against City, beating them for xG, but losing the game. It’s kind of brutal that TV isn’t aligned better between European football and the league. How can you have City playing the first game of the day after a Champions League run out? Truly brutal.

Arsenal and Leicester are in similar boats this Sunday. I mean, bar the fact Arsenal had to do two away legs in the Europa, with our home leg being further away. Again, why does it have to be the first game of the day? Every little helps. The competitions need better alignment.

The big watchword amongst Arsenal fans atm is ‘THE RED ZONE.’ This terminology was big on Le Grove in the early days. People didn’t think it existed when we were calling for Arsenal to get a S&C coach to fix the injuries (remember Wenger getting a witch doctor in to solve the issue?). Well, now people are very much accepting of sports science. The basic premise… when you are fatigued, you have a higher chance of soft tissue injury. The fancy GPS kit they use helps staff understand where a player is in terms of their limit. When you hit the RedZone, there’s a higher chance you could ping something.

The corollary that many of us are worried about is the breakthrough of Jack Wilshere, when Wenger played him 54 times and the player never recovered… and the breakthrough season of Bukayo Saka, with Arteta being unable to drop the teenager. This is Wilshere.

‘I remember having conversations with the physios in my first year in the Arsenal team. They were like: ‘Look, you’re playing a lot…’ I told them: ‘I want to play”

“I was living the dream. I was 19, playing for Arsenal. We were challenging for the league, in the Champions League. No one was going to tell me I needed a rest. That’s one of my biggest regrets – I wish I’d listened to physios a little more, learned more about my body”

It’s very worrying. Arteta is under pressure and playing for the short term. Keeping players fit and healthy during their development is a longterm thing. ‘The player said he wanted to play’ shouldn’t factor. If I child wants to eat a bonfire, you don’t let them, unless you are a weak leader.

This Sunday feels like one of those plotlines in a film.

‘Come on Bukayo, just one more time. Do it for the boys.’

The Leicester game is another Cup Final, not because we’re going to do anything in the league, but because this project needs a major scalp after a rough run of games. Killing Brendan Rodgers title run after he shithoused us earlier in the season would be totally dreamy. He needs Saka if he has a single hope of it.

The manager knows he’s tired, his response is that fatigue is part of the game. Wenger, Ferguson, Pep, and pretty much every manager out there would say the same… but there needs to be a balance. Unai Emery fucked his top 4 hopes when he overplayed Aaron Ramsey after he returned. That sort of marginal error can kill you.

The only temptation on offer is that after today, it’s a 5-day rest until we play Burnley, a game you’d hope we could rest him.

Then it’s straight back into the Europa mixer for a doubleheader against Olympiacos, which is conveniently wedged between Spurs and West Ham United. This next batch of games is where the money is made. 6 wins and the season is saved. If we have a horrendous run, pick up some injuries, and drop out of the Europa, it’ll be a bloodbath with the fans.

This is football. Glory or death. No in-between.

Loan watch is going well. William Saliba has managed 10 games in a row, he’s certainly answering fitness questions and his fanbase is growing. Also worth noting that Dino Mavrapanos is doing well. Lots of admiring glances for one of Sven’s bets. It’d be great if one of them slipped into the squad next season. Both young, both have high ceilings, both have resale value.

Short one today. Before I go. A couple of things.

This internet is a shithole. There are literally thousands of basement dwellers whose only power in life is being mean on the internet. These cowards sometimes pop up in my comments section. I’ve had people send me e-mails this year complaining about it. I am always happy to be alerted to bad actors. If I get the mail, I sort it, every time.

What I have to reiterate, over and over and over again, is this: I am just a part-time writer. I work a fulltime job dropping New York 70 hour weeks. Advertising is where I make my money, not this website. I make ZERO money from tweets, podcasts or blogs. I am also a left-leaning snowflake. If there is someone saying mean things in the comments, trust me, it’s not because I am down with those comments.

So when you email me. Please consider this is just a big hobby on a site that looks sleek, modern, and clean… built for a 2.0 world.

Finally, some exciting news. I’m going to be a contributor for The Gooner. Layth has kindly given me a little bit of space to drop thoughts. I’ve always loved the fanzine. The jokes, elite banter, gossip, and the sketch on the back of mag was always a treat when I’d go to the games with my dad and football fam back in the day. Fanzines were and are a massive part of the footballing experience, I’m glad it’s continuing, but it could always do with your support. Sign up here, it’s money well spent.

On that note, see you in the comments. I’ll be here with an On The Whistle Podcast tomorrow.

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Useroz

Cap Tierney….. exactly. Needed to drag his boot to the Lei foot

MidwestGun

Outside the area by 6 millimeters. apparently.

China1

Clearly no contact it doesn’t take 2 hours to reach a decision Christ

vickingz

What’s this again????

raptora

There was zero contact with tielemans. It’s a fair decision.

Nelson

The contact was outside the box.

Mr Serge

That was not a pen

Davedale

Why hurdle the leg just run in to the fucking thing it was a definite pen then……

Zimmie2652

Serge,
Xhaka couldn’t catch a cold in Wuhan, are you really surprised he couldn’t catch Tielemans?

Gommit

I am. 100% sure that VAR would have given an Arsenal player a card with the free kick..

Aussie+Gooner

Let’s hope that Leicester do a Man City and take their foot off the pedal and we cruise to a 1 – 0 defeat claiming it was an improved performance and a very narrow defeat!

Useroz

Peter needs to practice more in training … good try

JayJay

I’m really sick of looking at that useless cunt as our manager, fuck off

Dissenter

Willian is hiding from the ball

Mr Serge

If we lose this is the 5,th team to do the double on us in a season 4 is already the record

Zimmie2652

The movement out there is incredibly poor today. Looks like nobody wants to make an angle and provide and outlet anywhere.

Nelson

Ndidi tripped Pepe’s right foot first.

roaaary

Willian trotting round the pitch. Doesnt want the ball.

When out of possession he strolls back.

Get him off immediately arteta or this is on you

Mr Serge

How can you even play willian after he said he never wanted to come here

Useroz

Put a poor starting 11 out there and can’t expect much more than that, however much we wanted a win

MuddyGooner

What do they practice in training because it can’t be on taking corners and accurate passing ?

Valentin

Again Mari backtracking when facing a speedy attacker, lucky that Ineacho final pass was not good enough.

MuddyGooner

Mari needs help at left back

JayJay

But remember guys, we are competitive, arteta will be full of price for our players after this game if it ends only 0:1

roaaary

Such slow build up here.

Useroz

Bs midfield let Lei runs half the pitch and shoot

MidwestGun

Mari.. is having a bit of a mare so far… agreed.

Matt

Willian runs like a 70 year old with arthritis.

Sid

It will be a draw, luiz to score from a set piece

Mr Serge

Willian not even bothering there argh get him off Arteta is lucky we are not there to give his team’s absolute pelters
No way these players get away with this if we as fans were allowed in the stadium

JayJay

Willian was first man in UK to get vaccinated

Matt

Why can’t we have one player like Barnes, madison, tielmans.

Matt

Jay jay

😄

JayJay

Matt
Why can’t we have proper manager?

Aussie+Gooner

Willian practicing social distancing!

Captain Tierney

Xhaka is loving a backpass to Mari today

DUIFG

Lol. And I’m supposed to belive mari holding is our best cb pairing,

Backing off into Scotland there ffs

Radio Raheem

To be fair Leno is the least of our problems

Cezan Patel

Can xhaka not pass without taking 6 touches ? Or even pass toward the right of the pitch ? Ffs hes so frustrating since parteys been injired hes slowly reverting to his slow game again.

Matt

Jay jay

Good question. Even if we had all three, Arteta would probably start Willian ahead of them.

Captain Tierney

Tierneyyy

Nelson

Leicester is taking advantage of Tierney playing high up and both Xhaka and Mari are slow.to cover.

Matt

Surely that was a handball?

Useroz

Willian the back pass specialist adds nothing so far… worse than a Pepe-on-the-right

Thorough

The least-of-our-problem Xhaka, the one-better-than-Ceballos, the Xhaka-who’s-being-great-this-seasons, with an assist as usual.

JayJay

How’s that not a penalty?

MilanoGooner

Willian can never shoot on target

Socrates

It’s so obvious that Willian would rather be anywhere but in an Arsenal shirt. Does the lad know how to pass the ball forward???

Danish Gooner

It is a fact,Arsenal is incapable of beating a decent side.

vickingz

See willian

JayJay

Did Willian just have a shot? Wow, mikel will give extension with double wages

MuddyGooner

Super signing Willian with a limp shot

Captain Tierney

Willian with an exquisite skill there.

Leftside

Socrates he more or less admitted that this week too but our woeful manager still picks him. Horrible manager.

MuddyGooner

……. that went wide

BacaryisGod

Don’t worry everyone, Pedro said we are winning this one. Although as bad as Leicester are playing, you never know.

Useroz

Esr can and should shoot near 18 yard box rather than passing always

Dissenter

Is it enjoyable watching Arsenal these days?

Nelson

A young Willian could have scored.

Captain Tierney

Saka would rip their young LB apart.

Valentin

William practicing social distancing with the ball. 😁

TheLegendaryDB10

Willian with a shot…. 😂 He really is crap, isn’t he?

Useroz

Why not a yellow
Cmon

Jim+furnell

How terrible must Willian play before Arteta sees the light.

MuddyGooner

Cedric very decent at right back

Socrates

Put Pepe on the right for god’s sake… Arteta ffs

Buzzy

Joyless shite week in and week out. The new normal at Arsenal.

Nelson

Cedric and Pepe play well together.

Useroz

Who can make headers really with these speculative , mostly over hit crosses

JayJay

Young willian wouldn’t join this shit team

China1

Lol thorough yep!

Mark

No fuckin booking for the Leicester player??
Oh I’ll just give you a talking too.🤔🤔

Socrates

This game is crying out for Martinelli

John Munoz

Pepe is looking solid. Glad he seems ready to play.

TheLegendaryDB10

Willian with an excccceelllenr cross…. to absolutely no one.

Foxy

Yes Cedric showing why he should replace BELLERIN at RB.

China1

More high floaty crosses please lads. One of these is going to end in laca scoring a bullet header from the edge of the box. Surely! …. surely…? 🙁

DUIFG

Things don’t break down with credric, bellerin is so limited technically.

Dissenter

Johnny Evans just went down like a sac of spuds

Useroz

No one touched Evans head FFS. He halted a shooting chance by Tierney by faking it

MilanoGooner

oh, Evans had a whiplash moment, lest stop the game for crying out loud

Mark

Let’s see what we get our first yellow for, and how quick it’s given.

We need to score quickly!!

Davedale

Where’s the advantage there???????

Mark

This Ref is a joke. And Martin Keown is just so Dumb. Hate hearing his Shit.

Useroz

Is Giroud there?? Why so many hugh crosses??

Dissenter

We continue to CROSS THE BALL when we have no one to win those headers

Matt

So many of our players get the ball and their natural thought is to look for a sideways or backward pass. We need people to drive forward with the ball and commit people.

China1

That’s about 6 floaty crosses this half so far of which we’ve touched the ball on zero of them. Intelligent

Useroz

Toothless but couldn’t expect more with this so called rotation

Buzzy

ESR has been piss poor for an entire month if not more

Mr Serge

I am losing patience with the process

Matt

Leicester have clearly been told to have shots while Leno has the sun in his eyes. I’m sure Arteta won’t give the same instructions in the second half.

MuddyGooner

We’re not playing midweek, so why rest so many players? ……. and if you are, give Martinelli a go

Captain Tierney

Luiz, Mari, Xhaka have been horrendous and ponderous in possession.

raptora

Pepe has been our best player.

Matt

Right, not target Thomas everytime and get him sent off

Socrates

finally a yellow … wow!

Buzzy

Watching this team makes me physically lethargic. Like the symptoms actually manifest.

Dissenter

Thomas can’t defend Pepe so he’s just fouling him every single time.

Mr Serge

Muddy agree martinelli needs a start and game time over the fake Brazilian chav