Arsenal lost 2-1 to Chelsea in a preseason game that was fun to watch, but for all the wrong reasons.
Arsenal were messy. Chelsea were poor. Both sides have plenty of concerns heading into the new season.
There were quite a few worries for Arsenal fans. The biggest being that the same faces that weren’t good enough last year are mostly still in the side.
Mo Elneny started and was given far too many minutes. He was his usual self. Unambitious, with a few mistakes in the mixer. Why is he so close to the first team?
Granit Xhaka scored and made some lovely passes, but his lack of pace nearly broke an ankle and there were a few flashes of ‘why?’ that he brought to the table. He needs to move to Italy, we need an upgrade, we can’t continue to talk about top 4 if we don’t move on players that aren’t at that level.
Our entire right side of defence isn’t up to snuff. I really like Cal Chambers, but he’s not a first-team right back next season. Hector Bellerin came on and assisted Tammy with his first touch. It was poor, but par the course, he needs to be exited. We need a new right-back as a matter of urgency.
Bernd Leno seems to be regressing with his passing. He looks panicked and totally lacking in confidence on the ball. If your keeper can’t move the ball in this Arsenal system, you need to find a new keeper. It’s painful viewing that such a good keeper in his twenties is so bad with his feet.
The biggest worry – and I do hate to say it – was Auba. He missed a one vs one and a header from 6 yards out. Two seasons ago, those are goals. Is he keeping his powder dry for the new season? We have to hope so. It is very worrying that our best striker at the moment looks like Eddie. He came on and put a show on again. He ran with intensity, livened up the front line, and looked dangerous with every touch.
There were some good bits about the game. We certainly played with more attacking intent than we did in the Premier League last run out. We broke into their box plenty of times, Willock scored a goal that the lino missed, we created enough high-quality chances to come away with more than 1 goal. The big shift is that we’re playing a higher line. That’s giving us more in the opposite third, though it exposed us time and time again yesterday.
Ben White looked decent when he came on, he made a couple of goal-line clearances. He looks assured on the ball, he’s fast, and you can see his range of passing is good. I don’t think anyone can deny the need for him after watching a high line with Bob and Pablo in the first half.
Willock is a messy player, but he causes chaos. His rangy runs and attacking mindset caused issues for Chelsea and it livened up our game. I expect him to leave, but it’s worrying a player we’re sending to Newcastle had more zest than nearly all our attackers.
The star of the match was once again Sambi Lokonga. He came on and the game opened up. He’s fast, he moves the ball with vertical purpose, and reads the game really well. We don’t need to experiment with Mo Elneny, Sambi should be getting first-team minutes from the start next season.
The major disappointment was that Thomas Partey was crunched and hobbled off injured. He was absolutely brilliant in the first half. He carried the ball, he opened the game up with his passing, he pressed hard… such a shame his day was cut short, but hopefully it’s not too serious.
So, in short, a bit of a worrying day out. There’s two weeks to go before the start of the season, we still need about 4 players, and the coach needs to fix a lot of issues on the training ground.
Spurs next week…
Lenore
Chamber White Gab KT
___Xhaka/Willock__TP/Lokonga__
Saka/Pepe___Maddison / ESR___ESR/Martin
———-Auba/laca_______
Xhaka we have no choice. Mike loves his locker room mole
I wouldn’t trust willock playing too deep. He’s a bit too raw for that imo
Lokonga should partner partey to the extent that they’re both fit and able to. But it ain’t gonna happen often
Mikel has a choice man. He just sucks haha
Mike sees blue we see red, not sure there is anything there to fix this issuse
The thought of Xhaka playing another season for us… let alone another 3 or 4 if we re-sign him to a longer deal.. and more money is really just too much to even think about. without losing your mind. Nobody is clamoring for that. reeks of Ozil’s last extension.
All the clubs in Europe have suffered income loss, so they all are trying to sell to get cash with the exceptions of a few clubs that have sugar daddies which pour money into them. Arsenal is not one of them, but because they have many players that are not wanted or are in their last year or two of their contract, Arsenal wants to move them on. ALL the European clubs know this, therefor all the pressure is on the inept Arsenal front office and here is my prediction. Since Since Arsenal can only register a squad of 25… Read more »
Man… if this match goes to pk’s … I think that would have to be the most international Championship matches I have seen in one season go to pk’s to decide it. … seems like they all do now.
Mid
I always expect that now, esp with mex usa
PK’s would definitely favor Mexico… even though US Keeper is good. The have a huge experience advantage.
YES!!!!!! miracle…. hahaha
Tata has lost twice to the US in one summer
Surely he will get sacked now.
Xhaka staying is one thing but tying him down to a new deal on increased wages is very stupid. He’s not that in demand, infact in his whole time here there has only been two clubs silly enough to want him.
Arteta just talks but is a first class bullshitter and in my view the shittest manager in this league. Rude awakening pending for him.
Sack time
Especially beating them with our youth team basically.
Nice!!! That’s a big step for US football.. Need to qualify for World Cup now. and not screw that up.
US didn’t qualify for the Olympics so essentially this is the Olympic team
Just goes to show that you don’t need a sexy manager for a national team to prosper.
Berhalter took the job knowing he would have to ride the youth and not afraid to do it..
Arteta should take a few notes. Sometimes you need to let those senior players go. They got you into this situation.
“Le Sauce. He played in the 3rd best defence in the league last season, that is competence,” Then why the need to blow £50m on an early Kos like player and not give Saliba pre season game time to at least assess him and for the fans to make their minds up on the player? Sure, White looked decent but plenty of decent options to buy get passed over even when we continue to struggle with our transitions. A CAM/AM was our priority for 3 seasons + and yet Arteta keeps buying CBs. We asked why Luiz the first time?… Read more »
Anyhow.. will see what happens in Transfer market next 2 weeks. But I’m very worried to say the least.
going nowhere whit this crap management
we all know it.
‘Raptora, I have no idea. My hope is that by January it’s Partey and Lokonga rolling in the midfield.’ Pedro it’s my hope that we have Overmars/compos (Rangnick not available now) and Ten Hag or similar rocking up up in January with Arteta and Edu rightly unemployed. What a Xmas present that would be for us fans and more importantly our club’s legacy and our history saved from being tarnished further where we can banter once again with other club’s supporters rather than being humiliated by them constantly taking the piss out of us and our club. If you’re fine… Read more »
This is the 2nd time Diet Pep has rejected an offer for Xhakalson
Let that sink in!
Has Mike found the leaker yet? I know he was really upset about that and searching for the “leaker”
I bet you the last day, we sign ODE!
the star of the out midfield!
Please no no no
If we now need to sell to buy and nobody wants the dross we have up for sale, does this not prove beyond doubt that the order you try to buy players matters Pedro?
No one was in for Ben White, couldnt this have waited until after Midfield was rebuilt?
Guns the order you buy players doesn’t matter. If you start the season with no midfield and drop silly points it’s fine because you can buy the midfield you want later
Don’t fret!!
It’s only points at the end of the day
I just watched highlights of the game against Chelsea, and on that showing our defence needs more work than our attack. What are players like Bellerin still doing in the team?
On this occasion, we created many good quality chances, snd arguably scored an equaliser (ball clearly went over the line), but our defending was so bad it’s a mini miracle we only conceded 2
China
We need 3 mids
one for CAM
2 for cover… TP when out, which will be most of the season
one extra since Elneny sux
Willock will be sold I thinks
‘Diss, you have to stop conflating what you believe to the problem, with what the manager and tech director think the problem is.’ You mean the dynamic due who bought us error prone Luiz for £25m and Willian who can’t get a start. Kept Xhaka and AMN where he had offers plus an extensive list of catastrophic decisions labelled non negotiable? Such errors that led to our worst 3 decades records being negatively broken? Who didn’t understand Xhaka who said he wants to leave this season, but they didn’t expect him to leave because they love a player that, since… Read more »
Since we as arsenal fans are living on a prayer I throw down the challenge to our resident legends to rewrite the lyrics to bon jovi’s living on a prayer but about arsenal
or how about ACDC’s Hells bells?
Bon Jovi living on a prayer Mikel used to play in the team, he’s come back to lead He’s down on his luck it’s tough, so tough Edu burns through money all day, spending for his man He brings home the players for love, for love Mikel says we’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got It doesn’t make a difference if we’re top 4 or not We’ve got top 8 and that’s a lot For love we’ll give it a shot Whoa, we love xhaka’s hair Whoa, livin’ on a prayer New contracts for our drossy players Whoa… Read more »
Bravo China! LOL
Haha thanks but I’m just the warm up act. The usual suspects will headline and do much better
Kolasinac, Bellerin are a symptom of the midfield problem, we lack midfielders that will be available to receive the ball, more so under pressure.
Diet Pep also expects his holding midfielders to play mostly behind the ball, that leaves the FBs with less options.
Thats the reason our FBs seem to have deteriorated gradually since Wengers final years.
First viewing of Lokonga and Tavares. Both seemed ok but Lokonga looks to have more about him than Tavares. Actually thought Eddie showed more than he usually does but would have preferred Bolagun. Maybe Bolagun is going to get minutes against the Spuds instead of Auba and play Eddie instead of Laca see how they work together with Saka and ESR. The Spud’s game is the acid test for the new season starting with Brentford. Losing to the Chavs is never good, but losing to the Spuds fort any kind of match, pre season friendly, cup or league game is… Read more »
Though i understand the concern for the lack of signings, personally it wouldn’t bother me if we went with what we have. As far as I’m concerned we have at least 6 young players who are another year older, meaning they have another year’s experience, their physique/body are another year stronger and the more i watch them the more confidence i have in their ability to go out and perform and win football matches. I am more concerned that Lacazette/william / Xhaka/Bellerin/Kolasinac and even possibly Aubameyang are still at the club.. People keep talking about buying a striker and CAM,… Read more »
It’s weird when I agree with you Pierre
If you can not mention the O word for more than 12 seconds you do talk sense sometimes 😜
Tony Beating or losing to Tottenham is really not important, what is important is that Arteta sorts out the defence and quickly before the season starts.. That defensive performance yesterday in both halfs was abysmal yesterday, there were gaps right across the back line. The simple solution is to stop trying to be too clever and tell the back 4 to stay in line and in contact with eachother. What we don’t want to see is both full backs high up the pitch, one centre half leaving the other exposed and Elneny ryingbto fill in the holes at the back… Read more »
I can only think that Balogun has an injury as he hasn’t been involved in the last 2 squads.
Pierre you’re assuming that Arteta is going to play the players you’re saying are older and better.
You know the players that you, and I plus many others wanted to see get games last season.
I’m pretty sure you’ll be disappointed, as we all will as Arteta leaves them on the bench or not even making the bench as is Arteta’s way.
Think Martinelli last season being made to sit on the bench to teach him a lesson about patience and being too eager.
Our midfield is nowhere near good enough to launch a serious sustained attack on top 4 spots. Another season of mediocrity incoming with a 6-10 finish given where our squad stands currently.
Pierre I totally agree with you re our defense but that’s wheat you get keeping an inferior keeper with no footballing skills as Martinez had. Leno was as bad as our defense yesterday and lucky at least 3 Chavs fluffed their lines yesterday. I actually liked seeing Eddie show more of his skills range yesterday where both my son and I commented on him a few times positively. Anyway, you shouldn’t worry as Pedro told us white is going to solve our defensive issues. Just probably won’t be until after Xmas when Arteta is fired first. Genuine question do think… Read more »
As far as I’m concerned no matter what happens in the remaining days of out TW my target for Arteta and Edu is top 4 or better. Aa stated before they’ve had plenty of time to plan this TW and if they want to blow the majority of their budget on a Luiz replacement, then they have to stand by their decisions if, as expected it goes tits up by Xmas. No excuses for Arteta, Edu, Vinai or Josh. No doubt Lewis and Graylick will get off scot free for the failure of this window but I wonder how long… Read more »
This team still has a lot of potential tho, amn, pepe, esr, white, balogun, willock, saka, xhaka, lokonga, auba, laca, .nketia, holding, chambers, Martinelli, eelneny, gabriel, saores, mari, leno…… we have no eauropean football, if we play together and if areteta should use his brains properly we might be a problem to teams this season and even win the league. Dont think im stupid but wenger had worse and got top 4 back to back
Never mind the typos tho
Win the league?????????????
Almunia and K’Phobe
I’m just a giggle song should fit with our current predicament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN-4lX0QyZc
if nothing else a fun song/vid
gigolo*
The league wasn’t as competitive outside of 4-5 teams when Wenger was getting top 4 with the likes of Bendtner et al. Now, there are legitimately 8-9 teams that can challenge for a CL place.
Winning the league is more than a step too far.
Leno has never been able to pass the ball.out of defence yet a decision was made to keep him and sell Martinez!!…The Good news for Arteta is that Ramsdale can’t do it either!!So why on Earth he’s under consideration is bizarre to say the least. Yesterday’s performance also proved once and for all that Mo Elneny brings nothing to the team except a desire to offload the ball sideways and backwards…That Bellerin is a “C” grade full- back and needs to be sold ASAP to any Club that will pay for the privilege of having him.A loan to Inter will… Read more »
Tony
“Genuine question do think think that White is a slightly improved Kos or something far better?”
Koscielny without the cock ups?
If White proves to be as good as koscielny, that’ll do for me..
Though of course Koscielny did have the knack of a cock up at crucial moments
.
Not quite, Leftside.
We won the league title in 1990-91. After that we went 4th, 10th, 4th, 12th and 5th.
Then Wenger came. and his first majority-managed season took us to 3rd and then 1st place in his fist full season.
The reason we solidified a Top 4 position was largely thanks to Wenger. It didn’t just happen that way. We were in pretty bad shape before he arrived.
What really worries me is the level of incompetence currently at the club in regards to player transfers.
Hard to have faith in a back room and staff that watched Emi Martinez and Leno for a good months and still made the decision to sell Emi over Leno.
Also how bad is Xhaka’a agent and Edu that they can only find one club that Is after him. Surely that highlights why he shouldn’t be anywhere near the club let alone as a key player.
Lol china, im just trying to be as positive as i can be so i can enjoy the season, you cant enjoy being a fan in a competition without hope. You gotta believe your team might also win it, its been a shitty TW, i just have to drink some water and enjoy the season, i dont want to endure it
If we had bought just buendia, tavares and lokonga i think some fans would be happier, we got young guns who can be a threat in attack all we needed was a play maker, 3rd best defense, all we had to prioritize was the creative side. Even moise keane did well at psg cos there were creatives around him
Pierre
Arteta is a risk averse safety first type of manager. Even last season ESR got a chance only because Arteta had no other option but to play him. Saka was just too good to be ignored. As much as I would rather kids got their chances than the likes of Xhaka, Willian etc I don’t see Arteta giving many opportunities to Balogun, Eddie, Willock, Nelson, Martinelli etc. His own signings Lokonga and Tavares may get some game time.
I was thinking Kos without the odd game changing error. I’d’ave excepted Kos type if we paid £25 million or less but for £50m at his age?We should be looking at a high potential VVD in the making. Hard to tell after what we witnessed yesterday but I’ll see how he performs up until Xmas, which by then we should know which way the needle is going to move. Mind you, if White has to deal with the usual number of hospital passes coming out from the back, not sure we’ll see a true reflection of White’s abilities. No doubt… Read more »
accepted a Kos type player*
Seems Chelsea are selling yet another academy player to Southampton this time for £5 million Pedro sort of mocked them for not being ruthless but here is a player that at best would have been 3rd or 4th choice RB and was refusing to sign a new deal so bang off he goes no messing. He might turn out to be the next best thing but they also it seems have either a buy back or a significant % from any future fee. How on earth can they get £5 million from someone that hasn’t even been with the first… Read more »
Terraloon
‘How on earth can they get £5 million from someone that hasn’t even been with the first squad?’
What would you expect to get for the £27m Saliba if he’s sold next summer?
I’m thinking with lack of PL and first team experience maybe £12m because clubs know we’re an easy pushover.
Distanced,
On point mate.
We had no business recruiting White until we had brought in a 10. If Buendia wasn’t it, you should immediately have moved to your next attacking midfielder. You should have a list and work on things in order of priority.
If there was a list on AM and it’s:
A) Buendia
B) Maddison
C) ?
The moment A doesn’t work, you move to B asap. You don’t leave it alone until it’s done!
Pedro i ve just read your tweet. Yes, selling is difficult for most of the clubs, yet chelsea made it to the top 4 last year and they won the bloody CL. Ofc they have been ruthless they changed a fan favorite LEGEND coach Lampard, because he was not delivering! And their deadwood didnt damage their season last year!
We can’t sell the deadwood, which has been dentrimental for years costing us progressing and on top of that we offer them new deals! JOKE!!
I’ll see you boys in 8th at the end of the season 👋🏾
Completely on the same page as TR7. We try to move forward by creating a young core. MA is not the type of manager, who will focus on development. Martinelli was a huge absentee last year, same for Balogun. Nketiah remained stagnant and Willock had a tremendous outburst at mighty Newcastle!
At least under Emery regime, nobody can argue that he tried to move forward by experimenting with younger players.
Re Pedro, TR7/ WE, I was the first person to point out that Pedro was burning his objectivity and hence, his credibility. He binned me twice for it, and I say well, let me leave the big man alone if I want to continue enjoying his blog. Le grove is a fine blog, but not because of Pedro anymore. Without the le grove veterans like yourselves and many others, I wouldn’t bother reading Pedro blaming every man and his dog but never Arteta. As for Le Tet, I hope he will manage a surprise…I sense it even. But if he… Read more »
As i have written before, even if we make one-two more transfers wont be enough for competing for top4. Coming season is all about priming us to do so the year after!
Xhaka, Bellerin, Laca/Auba need to be replaced + keeper and a couple of role players coming from the bench.What on earth is Kola doing in our side. It is just obnoxious!
Distance there’s something illegal in that water you’re drinking 😎
At this point geting players out is MORE important than bringing in. We have to realise that. Try younger players. Yes they will make errors and they will cost, but i d rather see costing errors from Azeez, Balogun missing sitters and Willock making poor passes than seeing that from Xhaka, Auba and Bellerin.
respectively*
If we start the season badly the pitch forks will be out very soon.
He better get this right
“Coming season is all about priming us to do so the year after!”
I thought that was last season Gunnernet, and now the mighty Arteta and his trusty sidekick Edu have had a full season to get top 4 season and ………………didn’t in such as style that hasn’t been seen for over 3 decades.
This season has to be top 4.
I do believe that if we get in Max Aaron and Maddison and Partey stays fit, we will make top 4 in spite of Xhaka. The other teams are not that great except Citey. Chelsea and Liverpool will struggle big time.
To make top 4 though, our genius of a manager must keep things simple. No more false 9 and his other bs.
I think they are primed and sharpened already, China.
The more Pedro supports all Arteta does, the more alienated the fans become.
Don’t think he’s worked that out yet.
A proper RB would be extremely welcome
Chambers can do a job, same for Cedric. The less said about bellerin the better. But if we had a clone of Tierney at RB we’d be 5% better off the bat. Over the course of a season you’d feel the difference.
Same in midfield. A quality partner for partey and we’ll be 5% better.
Get both and the difference will be palpable, really
In trying my best not to lump all my expectations on Sambi but I’ve really loved his work this preseason
Is he going to be the guy to save us?
I doubt it. Even if he’s in the first 11 and class, once he has a bad game he’ll be dropped for 2 months to teach him a lesson
Pedro just doesn’t want to be wrong again after a few wrong calls earlier.
But it’s okay, you can be wrong. You are not a seer. Better to be wrong than to become annoying to your homeboys.
weren’t the Kroenkes supposed to be funding a spending spree this summer or was that just an elaborate ruse to sell season tickets?
Since August 1st 2020 to August 1st 2021, Mikel Arteta has seen his Arsenal side get defeated in 19 matches ( if including the recent Hibernian and Chelsea dead rubbers.) No one at the club internally seems to question his logic, ability , signings or track record. At any other’ club ( big or small) this appalling sequence of defeats would simply not be tolerated. and the manager would have been removed. And yet Arteta seems bulletproof. He has overseen , Arsenal not playing in Europe for the first time in 25 years whilst the likes of West Ham United… Read more »
CG
It appears it is not just Arteta’s hair that is made of Teflon.
“If we start the season badly the pitch forks will be out very soon.” We play Chelsea in the second game, who have a better team than us, we’ve got home advantage, it’s a 50/50 game that could go either way We then go away to City, who we’ve taken 2 points off home + away, since December 2015, and we’ve lost the last 9 in the league straight City are a much better team than us, we’re capable of a smash + grab result similar to the FA Cup semi final win 14 months ago, but any type of… Read more »
I think the game just made you think Arteta really is the wrong man , I mean Leno was pretty bad and it made you think of martinez and that massive critical mistake , then you think Ramsdale this means lego head is still listening to that prat of a new goal keeping coach , then you see Elneny and your just like boring. xhacka time brings exactly what you expect ,its imperative he is moved on this summer ,critical in fact ……has to happen. Along with bellend and kola that will probably not be moving anywhere as I doubt… Read more »
Norg
“”CG It appears it is not just Arteta’s hair that is made of Teflon.””””
Or he is taking the execs to Boodles every 3 months for their Rolexes.
Even if one day , Arteta wakes up and it all clicks – it wont be pretty to watch thats for sure. His soccer is 100% stodge.
Certainly not a patch on what the peerless A. Wenger served up for x 2 decades.
If partey is not available next sunday it would be extremely intresting to see a young team go all out in a 4-3-3 and look whether they got what it takes or not.
Leno
Champs-ben-mari-kt
Saka-sambi-willock
Pepe-eddie-thesmith
“” “””””I do believe that if we get in Max Aaron and Maddison and Partey stays fit, we will make top 4 in spite of Xhaka.””””””””
Just say we will Not make it top 4, Dont beat around the bush, looool
“Has Mike found the leaker yet? I know he was really upset about that and searching for the “leaker”
Set-piece specialist Andreas Georgson. Throwing all sorts of info around.
The gradual lowering of expectations started in 2010 or so and ever since then became so embedded in the club that this culture of meek acceptance and constantly lowering the bar has fully taken hold to the extent that what used to be an expectation to compete in the league and go deep into the CL has become a vague hope that hopefully possibly maybe we’ll be in the EL and the CL qualification alone would be like a wonderful achievement Take a bow to all those who oversaw the collapse of the culture at the club. Take a bow… Read more »
Yeah, if we start shitty like last season, the fans at the stadium are going to put way more pressure on pandemic Pep compare to what he felt 9-10-11 months ago.
He still has a job due to the pandemic.
Creatively we were fine yesterday , We scored 2 “goals,” could have had a few pens on another day , Aubameyang could/should have had a hat trick and we looked more dangerous as the game wore on… If Lakonga starts, he is definitely a creative force, i said yesterday he has a bit of fabregas a out him in the way he looks like he has time on the ball. There were a couple of occassions where he bided his time, dropped a shoulder and floated a ball over the chelsea back line that had all the makings of fabregas.… Read more »
Xhaka glad to be home? How odd! It runs contrary to all we’ve heard about him being red-hot to leave and join Jose at Roma. Is it true, or just a ploy to get Roma to raise their bid a coupla mill? The story is that Arteta always wanted to keep him. And all the players love him. So, yes, I guess it’s true. He is staying and is an integral piece of Arteta’s plan. Effectively Arteta’s equivalent of Klopp’s Jordan Henderson. So, does that make the Arsenal midfield pretty much complete, apart from one outstanding ball-carrying midfielder? Yes, provided… Read more »
CG,
Welcome back home.
Sid,
We will make top 4.
China I said this many times fiszman sold to the wrong people on his deathbed usmanov and dein would have been the proper choice if he loved the club
Strap in its going to be a horrible ride until Christmas, when the club realises they should of sacked Arteta last Christmas. I have no confidence what so ever in manager or this team, will struggle to finish top 10 let alone top 4.
We will make top 4 based off what? Hate to break the news but we have little to no chance as we are, and even if we bring in the required players they still have to be managed by our resident village idiot of a manager.
All the talk of ruthlessness in the summer was embellished, what he should have said was he would be ruthless with Matteo, Saliba, AMN as per.
I have always believed that Arsenal would target this summer two starting level players for the first team plus another three squad level recruits. Sofar we have recruited White [replacement for Luiz] to play in first team and Tavares [replacement for Kolasinac] and Lokonga [replacement for Ceballos] to be added to squad. We need still a replacement for Odegaard unless he returns plus a second string goalkeeper to replace Ryan. The decision to keep Xhaka makes absolute sense despite the plethora of negativity by many of posters on Le Grove. We don’t have the budget to replace two midfielders of… Read more »
Trust Emiratestroller to bring levity to the comments section .