You know what I thought was very amusing? The story in The Sun leaked by senior players in the team who feel like they’re taking the fall for being shite. They dropped a similar thing in the same paper before the Chelsea game on boxing day. One of their big swipes was about the role Thomas Partey plays… then he goes and drops a 9/10 MOTM performance.
Senior players at Arsenal need to understand this: No one gives a fuck what you think. No one. The star boys are all under 25.
Bigger picture, Arteta needs to stop propping these schemers. Willian has ‘great potential’, Pierre ‘late for NLD team meetings’ Auba is committed… he always goes to bat for his big names, and they rarely repay the faith.
Telling a journalist Arteta blames them feels so far from reality. He never throws players under the bus. He takes the blame so often, it’s almost problematic. The worst flaying he’s dished out was Pepe when he headbutted someone at Leeds. Dropping big names for shit performances all the fans watch with fury is not throwing players under the bus. It is a very, very weird bubble these guys live in.
That’s not to say there aren’t senior players who are putting in a shift this season. Granit Xhaka, love him or hate him, has been one of our most consistent performers. Alex Lacazette has developed a new role where is everything and nothing at the same time. Thomas Partey has been a mixed bag, but you never doubt his commitment on the pitch.
Fuck the leakers. Auba deserved to be dropped. Willian has deserved the same. The shame of it all is that these whiners can’t be moved on with much ease.
Arteta gets more out of the younger players he seems so risk-averse in playing. They also never mail it in. I do understand why there’s an aversion to playing too many of them, it’s not normal to play so many teenagers, but the counter-point can’t be to play uncommitted seniors who have us sitting in 9th at the moment.
There’s a big dilemma to be faced this Thursday. Does Arteta revert to his seniors knowing there’s one or a few leaking to the press? Does he revert to names that let him down at Christmas? That couldn’t do the job against Liverpool?
Or does he pick the team best suited to doing the job? The team. The team. The team. Imo.
Martinelli said he was fit for Thursday. Play him. Let him terrorise a Slavia’s shoddy defence.
Bukayo Saka was immense against Sheff U, rumours are that he just had a dead leg, let him roam as a #10 again.
Give Nico another go, he’s been crucial to two goals on the bounce, he looks hungry, warm up the clunky first touch and reward him.
We cannot afford to play badly on Thursday. I need my match against Unai Emery in the cauldron of hell. Our awful season could be made a little sweeter if we make the final downing him in his comfort blanket.
Arsenal needs to score goals. Willian’s ‘control’ wasn’t helpful in the first leg, nor will it be in the second. Auba is either a #9 or he’s on the bench. If Lacazette is playing give him players that can form part of that 3-1-6 formation we had going at the weekend.
What I loved about the Sheffield United game is Arteta created an innovative solution in a game we were missing big players. There were clever ideas all over the pitch. My issue is that he does that when his back is against the wall… but when he gets bad options back in the system, he falls back on them.
We need to be protaganists on Thursday. I want Arsenal to humiliate them and crush their confidence in the first 20 minutes. We have to be decisive and head there demanding more than a late goal… we need to score 3 again.
I say this every week, but we need to get a run going, it hasn’t happened all season, let’s make it happen now.
Right, short one today, listen to the podcast below and we’ll talk turkey in the comments below. x
Like or loathe arteta, Leno owes him and has not repaid his support. Not good
But as much as I genuinely sympathize with arteta for being screwed by Leno, auba and Willian, this happened because he indulged them all It is arteta who insists on picking players based on their name, age and traditional reputation rather than current form or whatever Rather than managing for football he was managing based on favoritism and keeping big names happy and it hasn’t worked one bit. I hope he has learned a very somber lesson from this season that this approach does not work and we will be a better team when he stops looking at names and… Read more »
Our medical team takes more than a week to cure a flu. Or the team is not equipped with a general practitioner.
Its not altogether clear what is happening with Leno. He says the club havent been in touch about a new contract which if true suggests that Arteta isnt a big enough fan. He clearly isnt the kind of footballing keeper Arteta wants. Pep did the same with Joe Hart at City.Or it could be the opening salvo in a contract haggle.
“Charlie if you buy two senior wingers are you relegating saka to the bench?“ I’m relegating the out of form player to the bench, and promoting the form player to the XI. But notably that form player will actually fit the collective framework of the attack and not be a half-footballer we need to alter our system for or indulge to work. Saka shouldn’t be a nailed on starter. There should be players here able to bench him so that he improves and plays to his maximum. Right now he’s the RW irrespective of form because a half-fit Saka is… Read more »
Will Diet pep put a goalkeeper thats surplus to requirement between the sticks for an important match?
China.
Well stated, anf has been rtalked about much more in the media.
This aspect of arteta hinders everything he does at the club, from buying players, team selection, to perhaps contract negotiation.
Given things don’t quite work out ( well at least most of us recognize) , it’s about time Arteta decides the starting 11 tonight on balance and intent, rather than names and ages!
Ryan, who we never see, is a better keeper than Leno.
This is my prefer starting 11:
…………………………………….Lacazette
Martinelli………………………ESR…………………………..Pepe
……………………Xhaka…………………………….Partey
Saka…………..Gabriel………………………..Holding……………..Cedric
………………………………………..Leno
I find that Saka could move up when we attack. Martinelli would move inside forming an attack of five. Xhaka can cover up for Saka.
It’s been reported Martinez has been on Manures radar, and Villa is braced for a large bid at end of season!
FFS. If this happens, someone needs to take responsibility… again, inevitable when you indulge in established names , seniority rather than performance.
Wonder how much the manure would pay…. £50, 60m? Great goalies are defo pricy … had arteta inserted a sell on clause?
Graham, Ryan started once. Looked quite OK actually, after conceded an early goal….
UserozApril 15, 2021 13:37:07 It’s been reported Martinez has been on Manures radar, and Villa is braced for a large bid at end of season! Useroz I’m not surprised This is arsenal all the way since that wrinkly fucking leech bought shares at arsenal. Big fat fucking I told you so. I really loved Martinez at arsenal. Everything we’ve been looking for and he just bins him for a (relatively) paltry £20m. This is nearly on par with Emery letting wilshere and cazorla walk for zilch in my book. Arteta is on negative equity with me. He’s gonna have to… Read more »
Useroz
They have Henderson lined up to replace De Gea. They won’t spend anything like that on Martinez . Arguably they don’t need him
I’d say we could have got north of £40m for Leno last summer
Who’d pay the £25m we paid for him after the shit form he’s been in this season? What a calamity
Bertie
Someone big will come for him.
Barca, real, one of the Italian clubs, Bayern or maybe Dortmund if they get good money for Haaland, Sancho or any of their other their wonder kids (Reyna next?)
He’s that good. He really is.
It’s had next to no discussion but this torrents issue is another arteta mess,
We had a 25 m asset now worth what like 10?
The club sunk big money into torrents and now need to write him off, could he have been rehabilitated towards a sale rather than carted off. It was a risky move that has backfired .
Another large investment for zero return, this can’t continue to happen
Some say Martinez went for £17m… plus performance related fees to total of £20m. Pathetic business regardless of Martinez ‘s earlier statements he wanted to leave to play. And who would blame him?
Many speculate IF Martinez had been in goal, we’d have another 8 to 10 points… who knows but it’d at least be less frustrating at times watching Leno when you wish he were Martinez, especially when Leno is bloody rooted while crosses are flying in…
Just reading how we had a deal nearly done on Bellingham but Edu came in and fucked it all up too apparently?
What the hell is going on at arsenal? It’s one calamity after another.
The only transfers you could say have worked are
Tierney who’s injured a lot
Martinelli who’s injured a lot
Partey who’s injured a lot
Or Pepe who’s ignored a lot
Nelson
Like that team, probably go with Mari instead of Gabriel though
But Saka at left back makes the most sense
Bertie… pethaps agent speak so he’d move to a club with higher aspirations
UserOz
Completely agree
He’s been amazing since the day Mapauy shoved into Leno and hasn’t looked back
In fact he’s getting better and better
Bollock crushing to have had that bloke at our club and to let him got for fucking burnt Leno
Just to clarify Dein did not sell his shares to Kroenke. Although he introduced Stan to the club as a potential investor Stan bought his first shares from TV company Granada media. Dein was forced out by Fiszman & Co and DD sold his shares to Usmanov who he viewed as a better prospect than Stan. Then Fiszman and the board made their ‘not his type thank you’ comments about Stan before agreeing the two year ‘lock down’ on share sales. Subsequently they did a complete U-turn and sold out to the American and the rest is history. Shame really,… Read more »
This from ‘The Arsenal History’:
“For the record, the only shareholders who have put money into Arsenal in the last 50 years have been David Dein and Granada, who both bought previously unissued shares. All other purchases were of existing shares, and the money therefore went to existing shareholders.”
Pubs are open! Who’s going out to watch the arsenal for the first time since December?
Andy 1886.
That’s simply not correct.
Arsenal actually created extra equity 2011 when shares were issued and sold to Granda Media
At the time Granda agreed to take another 4.9% which they did when the new stadium was built
Granda ended up with 9.9% of the total shares which were even sold to Kronke
Or a haircut
I’d love a haircut
Sorry Andy Totally missed the word Granda which as you see from my reply takes your posting out of context
Pedro can get his wig cut.
Rich
Slavia Prague has a big and physical striker. Last game, Gabriel kept him in check. I am worry that Mari is not physically strong enough to deal with him.
What those rumours that ManUtd are sniffing around Martinez means that after one year, Aston Villa has benefited from a very good goalkeeper and will generate enough profit to purchase a replacement. Everybody could see that even from a purely financial aspect selling Martinez for £16 millions for a mistake. A lot of fans mentioned that we were going to sell an asset for £16 millions that would be resold in 1 or two years for twice the amount, when Leno was unlikely to rise to that amount. That was even before taking into account the fact that Martinez was… Read more »
Liverpool are not resting on their recruitment laurel. They have signed an agreement with StatBomb with regard to their new statistical profiling of players. Meanwhile at Arsenal… When I read the names of players whom Arsenal is linked with, most looks like the easy, lazy and obvious approach to scouting. The German, the big European clubs are looking at Ligue 2 clubs to find gems and Arsenal look at relegation threatened clubs. Bissouma, Anguissa are decent players but they are not coming cheap. None of the relegated clubs will be desperate to sell. They know that their best chance is… Read more »
DUIFG… too late with torreira publicly reiterates his want to play for boca junior and be close to his family….
Arsenal hands are very much tied and forced now in setting the fee…
Valentin. Interesting report. I’d guess our scouting to identifying emerging talent outside of Mertesacker’s patch is close to if not defunct.
Footballing reasons aside, with a skint owner , we practically need to go back to the dark days when we sell nurtured young talent for large profits in order to buy some decent, established players., and other kids with leftovers.
In short, where are , and who’s finding, the next 14 to 17yo Guendouzi (sans petulance), Saka, Martinelli that could be put in the EPL shopfront after a couple of years ??
Useroz
with a skint owner
Our owner, who is a billionaire, skint?
He is more of a miser who wants to avoid the pitfalls of the money sink that is football.
To avoid being a money sink the club need to be spending the money wisely… which is not quite what goes on at The Arsenal unfortunately.
And if these rumours re Martinez are true, I am just shaking my head in disbelief (but not surprised at our ineptitude in the market once again).
New post
Wiglaf
I don’t doubt your assertion at all about Emi, he is a great keeper .
I just don’t think he is United bound . He will want to be first choice where he goes
Come on you handsome boys!!!!
Come on you handsome boys!!!!