SOKRATIS SNITCHING?

by .

Bukayo Saka, you absolute beauty, rocking New Balance like peak Aaron Ramsey. The young superstar inked a new deal with New Balance and immediately leveled the brand up about 15 points. Good for him, let’s hope the new boots bring him many goals and many assists FOR ARSENAL SPECIFICALLY.

Let’s continue the news… Dino Mavropanos landed Rookie of the Month in Germany. That’s a nice accolade. No one saw his resurgence coming, bar the might Sven (gone too soon). It’ll be nice to have more centre-back options for next season. It really is imperative we don’t renew contracts of players that’ll stifle minutes of players that have high ceilings.

Talking of summer… there are reports that we’ll enter the battle for Hakimi this summer. One can dream. Think we need to be realistic which market we play in when it comes to right-backs, I have my doubts it’s for someone of his quality and price. Still, nice to be linked.

The focus this week is all about Olympiacos in the away leg. We head to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium to take on a side that’ll likely contain Sokratis. He’s been giving them all our secrets apparently.

‘let them fuck it up themselves’

… is probably the gist.

The game plan is clear. We’ll need two goals and a clean sheet. That’ll make the return leg comfortable, and honestly, for once this season, it’d be nice to just do things the easy way. Don’t get sent off, don’t play headed through balls to the opposition, don’t pass to their strikers, and take your fucking chances.

Last season, Auba missed an absolute sitter in the last minute of extra time, and we limped out of the competition. He really needs to pull out the big guns and give us some of that Auba magic. He’s finding form of late. I loved his goal at the weekend, but we need more of that.

Each game we progress in is another chunk of change that supports a better summer in a pivotal transfer market. I think the semi-finals is more than realistic, and providing we avoid a British team, there’s a good chance we do something interesting. The worry is Spurs or United over two legs. I tend to fancy us in a final.

We have to beat the Greeks though. They’re smashing it in the league this season, sitting pretty at the top by about 400 points, so this is basically a Champions League Group Stage game. It will be a tough game. I think we’ve lost 5 of our last 10 against them. I remember one of their centre backs (Morrocan?), a bald chap, having a worldie against us when they knocked us out of the Champions League way back when. We don’t need any such reruns on Thursday.

Also key for Arsenal… we need to put on a show against Spurs who have their leg as the home fixture. That game always has a residual impact on the mood of the fans. If we win the two games, everyone is happy, we lose, and everyone goes into pitchfork mode which will make it very tough for Arteta in the ground next season.

My view on the manager is this close of season is about fan capital building. If he puts on a good show, snatches some exciting wins, and progresses in the Europa, the atmosphere next season in the ground will be sexier. If we clunk to the end of the season, it’ll be tough for him.

Let’s see what he had this week. One final trophy to player for, let’s make it simple.

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Black Snake

seeing all the memes going around at the mo, I thought Oprah was Ian Wright!

Rich

The alternative to a free press, is a state controlled press And we don’t want to go down that route, I’m not sure there’s any easy solutions, and I’d like the UK to have its own first amendment Our media isn’t about reporting the news, and allowing people to draw their own conclusions It’s about clicks, subscriptions, advertising, viewing figures, and sensationalising and dramatising every little thing, and then targeting their viewer and reader demographics with content that will appeal Our entire democracy has been turned into a freak show, soap-opera We’ve got political activists masquerading as journalists and “Experts”… Read more »

Leedsgunner

Just in case we want to sign up another geriatric player on a freebie, today’s feeds going crazy on linking Jerome Boteng to us.

Please please please…. no. No. No.

Batistuta

Sal

Surely there’s a place in that attack for her majesty

Sid

A bit Rich a Neoliberal(“free market”) supporter complaining about silicon valley oligarchs.
Feudalism can No longer hide in political institutions so they camoflage it with corporate feudalism (“free market”)

salparadisenyc

Bati

Kind of assumed she was between the sticks sweeper keeping with eye on serious attacking distribution. One touch stuff.

Although there is an argument to be made for her majesty pinning the mid in a double pivot with Phillip.

In the end just get the ball to Ø, we’re talking vertical upward mobility.

raptora

Wow, the comment section under this post is doomed.

Need a new post so badly lol

Words+on+a+Blog

raptora,

Nothing more to say until the match starts tonight.

If we win I will argue persuasively that Arteta is Arsenal’s Basque Jesus.

If we lose or draw I will conclude that it’s time to say “good ebening and goodbye” to the guy I had marked down all along as the Basque Fraud.

And if Willian starts I’ll be depressed and have a dose of Meghan’s mental health problems

Black Snake

Im looking forward to Arteta’s project going “bang”…

salparadisenyc

I’ve left the windows open.

Graham

Sorry if already posted but Guardian statistical analysis published yesterday of the best goalkeepers in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2021/mar/10/want-to-compare-keepers-fairly-take-a-deep-dive-into-their-clean-sheets

One standout performer in Europe this season.

MidwestGun

<— Closes Sal's window. Stay off the ledge, my friend.
This is why mankind invented alcohol. And Pedro, Le Grove.. so we can do some drunken venting if things go south.

I've already resigned myself to seeing Willian the square pass assist king .. locked in and loaded on the left wing.

Rich

Sid

It’s not a truly free market when the odds are fixed in favour of the corporations who live in the pockets of our corrupt bureaucrats

The free market isn’t the problem, the corrupt bureaucrats who are officiating are the problem

Bureaucrats should be fair referees

Referees should never become players

Referees should never have a stake in the game they’re officiating

Referees should never take back handers to fix the game their officiating

The game isn’t the problem, the problem is the game is riddled with a combination of corruption and useful idiots

salparadisenyc

Middy

Not to worry, the window is open in order to hear Arteta’s b a n g.

Kroenkephobe

Rich A reductionist reply to your treatise on the UK media. Most of what you have written is consciously complete piss incorporating a harsh market adoring, reactionary agenda of your own. It’s written in a tone that erroneously suggests you see yourself at the centre of the British politicals. when in reality you’re actually over there in the weeds with the likes of Farage. At least I can admit I’m a leftie. Do yourself a favour and stick to football analysis. You’re like Bojo insofar as you have an issue with the truth. Who are these left wing presenters in… Read more »

I hate Green Bay

In Los Angeles, we HAD to employ a certain amount of Hispanics, regardless of whether they were the best candidate. I am not middle aged so don’t include myself in that demographic. Don’t give me that shit about I’m scared to walk around town because I’m x colour. My son, who is white got so badly beaten up by a brave bunch of six black blokes, he was hospitalised and didn’t leave the house for six months. Too many people only want to see things from their leftie fucking woke perspective. Sht things happen to every class, every colour, and… Read more »

Mb

We have become too sensitive! Rustin Cohle in True Detective said –

“Human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution.”

Sid

@Rich, the game is flawed

Im telling you for free!

Kroenkephobe

Blah blah blah green bay. You xenophobes all start crying when you’re challenged. Anecdotal evidence is as unreliable as mind reading what’s going on in someone else’s head, yet lazy people unwilling to engage in proper, evidence based debate always fall back on it. And by the way Hispanic is a term that people from central and south America bristle at for historical reasons but you know that don’t you. Yeah, I’m “woke” and proud. Let’s have some footy analysis greenbay – the team you support is kicking off in 3 hours in a rather important game. Keep the race… Read more »

Sid

We should get over and done with Olympiacos, the game vs Villareal will settle things on le grove mano a mano

Kroenkephobe

Green Bay

California was a part of Mexico until the US took it in the mid 19th century. Worth bearing in mind.

NORG

Bang Bang – Arteta’s gonna shoot you down

Globalgunner

The entire west coast from Texas to Canada border used to be part of Texas but thats another story

Globalgunner

Used to be part of Mexico

Captain Tierney

People are analysing the Meghan, Oprah interview the same way as Carragher and co on MNF.

WTH is going on ?!!!

Rich

Kroenkephobe Do some research, nothing I put was factually incorrect You might not like what I put, because it doesn’t fit your narrative Try reading a book on confirmation bias, or maybe just try reading a book to begin with, my 2yr old nephew has some good ones with fun pictures, which might be more your sort of level I’m not going to do your research for you, but it’s really not hard to look into the political backgrounds of BBC + SkyNews + Channel4 presenters and their program editors If you can’t differentiate between our left wing and right… Read more »

Sid

Sheriff Diet Pep always Martinelli/Saliba
For what I don’t know
Every time that I plant a seed
He said, “Kill it before it grows”
He said, “Kill it before it grows”, I say

NORG

and if we lose tonight Arteta may be wailing.

MidwestGun

Y’all don’t really wanna do a deep dive into politics and racism today.. do you? Come on now.

I think what we should be concerned about is will Papa Sok and Luiz get in a wrestling match and who will win?

Valentin

Rich, I can already tell you what you will get on your favourite newspapers: On the Daily Express you will get a story on the weather and how this great country is going to the dog because of all those ungrateful bloody foreigners, who we singlehandedly saved from the Nazis. On the torygraph, you will have story on how poor William, Kate and the royal family are the victim of a cabal of woke people. On the daily Mail, you will have more campaign against that ghastly black American woman who has turn that poor innocent boy against his family… Read more »

salparadisenyc

Royals, Nazis, Land Grabs and Piers Morgan.

SMH

Nice goal Kessie, away goal Milano.

Leedsgunner

Any team news yet? Confirmed line ups?

salparadisenyc

VAR is fucking pitiful.

Mb

I have put a tenner on Villarreal today. Don’t kill me.

Rich

Valentin If you think CNN is balanced, then you’re out of your mind It’s every bit as skewered as FoxNews The Times is right leaning, and pro-EU, but it is a Tory paper If you think the Guardian is a balanced read, I can assure you it’s not It’s the polar opposite of the Daily Mail You need to learn to distinguish between “The Truth” and “Your Truth” The left wing press happily pushed baseless conspiracy theories on Brexit and Trump for 4 years But when their guy won the Whitehouse, and Trump tried playing them at their own game,… Read more »

Frost

Leno, Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Willian, Aubameyang

From Wheatley.

salparadisenyc

Batistuta cannot be enjoying this.