Arsenal added two more players to a squad struggling for specific talents.
The first one we can officially talk about is Martin Ødegaard. The Norwegian national team captain has joined on a perm deal for about £30m. There’s no sell-on clause, I think the most Madrid have is the option of first refusal should we decide to move him on at some point (rumoured).
This is a great signing and I won’t hear any different. He adds leadership, he adds quality in the final third, he’s a ball carrier, he offers us control, and he has the best eye for a fast and ambitious pass in the team.
He’s only 22 years old.
This is exactly the sort of move Arsenal should be making for exactly the sort of fee we should be spending. I think we’ve landed ourselves an absolute bargain and I really cannot wait to see how far he can take his career in a red and white shirt.
There are some really boring folk out there trying to palm this signing off as bland, average, or whatever else they want to say. Sorry, can’t have it. There’s a weird tendency for a noisy collection of fans to only admire a signing if it feels like they discovered the player. Christian Romero? Apparently a baller signing. Ben White, terrible signing. One center-back was bombed off by an elite club and was part of a defence that conceded 130+ goals in two seasons. If that player’s name sounded like the guy who was doing your plastering, people would be up in arms.
If you banged the drum for a younger profile of player, you have to have to be able to hold the idea in your that young players get better.
We’re getting the opposite with Odegaard. He’s a Madrid cast off, therefore he cannot be elite. It’s so bonkers considering the amount of cast-offs from major clubs that are now making their way to the top. Jadon Sancho rebounding to United. Lukaku rebounding to Chelsea. Serge G finding his way to Bayern. Donyell Malen making his way to Dortmund.
Don’t write of 22-year-olds, because there is still a lot of growth in the tank, especially the player earmarked for exceptionalism at a young age.
The next move is a little more controversial. Aaron Ramsdale has made his big move to Arsenal. This is an Arteta signing. He’s gone to bat for him harder than he went for Willian. This is his keeper. I sifted through the amateur data and there’s not much I could find, but there are a lot of fans that have watched him doing videos saying this is a really good keeper.
In fact, I will call out Habesha in the comments section who went into his research a hater and came out impressed.
I have been watching short highlights of Sheffield United to see if Ramsdale was good since Christmas (because it is the only stat that matters 😂). And I haven’t been disappointed. You can’t see whether he is good with his feet in the highlights but there have been some outstanding saves. You can checkout a 3 minute highlights of Sheffield for the past year on their YouTube channel. You can also see whether the fans rate him or not in the comment section. He started slowly and grew in to the season. And most of the goals he has conceded weren’t because of his fault but because of a very poor defense. There were a couple of long range goals he conceded that I didn’t like (especially against Leicester with Ihenacho and Perez beating him). But other than that he looks like a very good keeper. I am more at ease with the transfer than I was after seeing what he is capable of. He might even oust Leno from what I saw and considering Leno’s form over the past 12 months.
How many of the loud detractors have gone to this length? How many could seriously debate a Sheffield United fan that their player of the season was poor? Not many. Again, if he was called Ramsdinho from the favelas, people would view him differently. I genuinely believe because he sounds like a 4th generation butcher, people assume he’s shite.
Back to the prop, just remember, not many keepers do great things at 23 years old. It’s a tough position that needs a maturity generally found in older players. 80 games at 23 is about 80 games more than Emi Martinez who was at Rotherham on an average loan.
Then onto what he has going for him.
It reads like he’s very good at coming for crosses and catching them. We’ve sorely lacked a keeper that can dominate their area since, well, Emi Martinez. He was apparently a bit shaky at the start of last season when judging by his one vs one’s… but towards the end he was judging them well. He has a Schmeichel spread and he’s very fast off his line. Then you have his passing, he’s got a beastly launch, he’s pretty confident playing out the back, and his decision-making massively improved in the second half of last season. Finally, he’s a great shot-stopper, because he had to be at Sheffield United.
You also have to put context around his two loan moves. I think he had 17 different defensive combinations of defenders in front of him at Sheffield United. It was a total mess for him. Doesn’t matter how good you are, if the players in front of you are broken, you aren’t going to be able to perform.
Does this signing come with risk? Absolutely. It’s a lot of money to spend on someone untested. But main point here, he didn’t choose his fee.
That brings me onto the disgusting abuse.
If you are doing that to a new player, you are no fan of Arsenal, and you can get in the bin.
There’s a weird culture of entitlement where fans assume their choice for a goalkeeper is the one… and if it doesn’t happen, they go on the attack… literally to the player’s Instagram. It’s appalling. The same people will be asking why the players don’t go to war for the shirt in December. This trend is embarrassing and the only way it stops is if fans start to unfollow accounts that do this sort of thing. What keeps them going is the likes and affirmation. Cut that off, block, report, and as fans, we start to control the community. Attentions seekers thrive when people pay attention to them.
The backlash against the Saka abuse filtered into IRL. Spurs fans were clapping him. Why can’t we take that approach to all football abuse?
Have your thoughts about the transfer by all means, but 1) Abuse is never acceptable 2) The player hasn’t dropped a single game and he could be far better than you think. If I can get excited about Willian for 5 minutes, we can all get excited about a young keeper with a high ceiling.
Onto the pre-match prezzer.
Mikel Arteta was on better form this week. He didn’t look sullen, he gave some good answers, and he seemed a bit more in control of what was going on. He asked for perspective on last week, and if I was to try and give it, it’d read like this.
Arsenal trained a very specific way all week, with a very specific starting 11.
The covid hit 4 players the day before the game.
The club didn’t know who else would be out of the squad as they frantically tried to test all the squad the day of the game.
We had to line-up with a striker who’d never played a Premier League game and we had to shuffle the deck with players that were also making their debut.
We were missing Thomas Partey, Gabriel, our two best strikers…
Hard not to frame that as a bit of a nightmare to deal with.
What didn’t help was the emotional reaction Arteta had to the problems. He let it consume his press conference when he should have been pumping our chances. The players went out like they knew their own manager was defeated and that wasn’t cool.
This weekend is a chance to start again with a bit more good news lifting the squad.
Auba might make the bench, there’s a chance there will be two new names in the dressing room, and the team will have trained with a specific plan in mind with the right players.
You’ll see Martinelli playing as a #9 from the start, we’ve seen him do damage against Chelsea in the past.
You’ll likely see Saka start from the left, which is always mega.
You could even see Odegaard and ESR starting.
All those things will make us better.
I’ve seen a lot of ‘ARSENAL WILL GET SPANKED’ and I’m not sure that’s ever the case with Arteta. We’re much, much better in big games with him. Sometimes a huge prestige game is what you need to get things back on track. It’ll be tough because it’s Chelsea, but I’m feeling a little bit better.
There are a lot of rumours doing the rounds that we could still be in the market for more players. It won’t be Auoar, so don’t get your hopes up there, but there are a lot of people talking about Calvert Lewin, who is a monster striker for Tierney-style crosses, as well as the absolute clear need for a right back.
It’s a big weekend, but we have a home-game, so if you’re going, head there and give it your best as a fan. If you can’t be arsed, why would the players care?
This new squad we have is young, vibrant, hungry, and they will be better if we are better as supporters.
Fingers crossed they bring the fire. I’m excited. Football is back baby, let’s make this Chelsea game a memorable one for the right reasons.
See you in the comments. x
Tom
Not selling AMN instead of Emi makes that decision even more calamitous, no?
Technically Ramsdale was 5th choice at the Euros but 2 keepers got injured.
Come to think of it, how many English keepers starting in the Premier League didn’t get picked for the Euros?
What do people think about a Partey + Torreira midfield ?
I d rather have Torreira as the 4th midfielder than Elneny.
TR7, people just want to see what happens, rather than go over old ground regarding Emi Martinez and William Saliba over and over.
I was calling out Leno being average when people still thought he was the second coming of Neuer. No idea how he tricked people that long, just never instilled confidence.
Have to say Sambi has looked better than both Elneny and Torreira
The positive brigade are really clutching at straws here.
It’s amazing that in the space of just one week you can change your tune completely. How is this possible? Is it because you’re unwilling to accept the obvious.
I personally have zero faith in Arteta, both as a manager and a coach.and although I truly hope we beat Chelski at the weekend, I just can’t see it happening..
No prediction from me.
Pedro, can’t speak for others but the only reason Emi is still a hot topic is because we just bought a lesser regarded keeper ( good luck to him) and paid more for him full stop.
Those fools at transfermarkt have Ramsdale at one third the value of Emi.
What do they know?
At a period when our rivals were investing huge money in their GK positions, (Allison, Ederson, Kepa, Pickford) we decided to sell our very own top keeper, basically doing the opposite.
After realizing our error,, we then turned around a year later to spend big on a GK. Very Arsenal like this
Venga Dani
Lokonga is my second choice midfielder after Partey, Xhaka is third. The Fourth position is between Elneny and Torreira
https://youtu.be/z18tWJF4fZU
He really comes of well here. I like him already.
Emi Martinez will continue to be big regret for Arsenal fans as long as he continues to be one of the top keepers in the league.
Until we find our own top keeper, this hurt sure will stay.
Ramsdale still seems like a weird signing. Considering the price tag, no one can convince me that there wasn’t better value for money outside England.
That said, people abusing him online are fucking scum. It’s embarrassing. I’ve always had the impression that, as a group, Gooners are less scummy than most other fan groups. And yet, here we are. Spuds applauding one of our players because he’s been abused while we abuse another one. Pathetic.
Bacary, funny thing about that AMN to Wolves transfer that never happened……most fans were against it at the time , mostly because they all thought he was a good utility player worth keeping around ………. not entirely on the bench though.
Just read that Ramsdale was Sheffield United’s player of the season despite their relegation last term and the same was the case in his final season at Bournemouth in 2019/20. He is hand picked by Arteta to play the Arteta ball. Now I can’t wait to see him in action in Arteta’s team.
@Nelson. He’s been player of the year 3 years running. At Wimbledon 3 years ago too.
The “positive” brigade is very gung ho right now, asking people to blindly support all the wrong decisions of Arteta – White, Ramsdale, Xhaka and Odegaard. Let’s see how long the positivity lasts.
Haven’t seen anyone say that but at least have the decency to await results rather than go manic depressive now. And dwelling on old mistakes achieves very little,
Samesong
Sorry to hear about the passing of your dad. Stay strong bro.
Now if we could arrange a Bellerin-Trippier swap then that would really get us on our way
I see Merson mouthing off again by our signings – I seem to recall he was the one that called William an amazing signing and couldn’t believe we had pulled it off. ’nuff said
*Willian
I’m always glad to see the club back transfer activity. It shows a degree of ambition if it’s replacing a first team starter, like Ramsdale is with Leno. I do have doubts about the price and I hope he isn’t on stupid money, but Leno had regressed so hopefully it works out To be honest, Odegaard is a bigger concern. In 5 years, he’s started what, 8 league games for Real? I was a bit underwhelmed with his performances on loan. I’m not as convinced about their being a super high ceiling there, but it does help with creativity. The… Read more »
“Tom, you say that, but there are quotes from Emi that specifically say that Arteta was the one the gave him the chance and the football we played under him helped him shine. The benefits of an ex-keeper that talks too much.“ Not sure what point you’re making here , Pedro. Arteta deserves credit for starting the No 2 keeper after his No 1 got hurt? Hardly revolutionary. Or that Emi did well in a system that utilized one of his strong suit – ball at his feet. If anything the latter is a perfect rebuke to the Emi going… Read more »
If nothing more we are building a solid spine that can be passed on to the next coach…
?
? White Mag Tierney
Sambi partey
Ode esr saka
?
Honestly not bad
Evening ladies and gents. I haven’t posted for a little while. Odegaard is a good signing in my opinion. Gives us the creative spark we need, plus fits our game plan. Still young and will grow with us – happy it’s a permanent signing and not another loan. Ramsdale is not the GK I and many others wanted at the club, but is age means he’ll get time to prove himself. We have made 5 signings so far and haven’t really moved the neadle much. We still need another 2-3 purchases with 3-6 outgoings. Let’s see what happens in the… Read more »
* his age
” And the fact that every year his transfer fee is going up tells you how good he has been despite two relegations.”
Just because we massively overpaid for him as we tend to do the majority of players that we sign, it doesn’t give any definitive proof into his quality.
Teams have been grossly overpaying for Morata for years, does that make him a world class ST?
I still want Arteta out, but he’s here for another season so we have to just grin and bare it!
———-
If he carries on being shit he won’t last the season. Money’s on December.
Chin up Same Song you old man would want it no other way.
Stay strong brother.
Everyone happy with the transfer window are just trying to polish our turd signings when we will still struggle to score goals and will be conceding left right and especially center. We can’t escape donut football until Arteta is sacked.
Pedro We’re getting the opposite with Odegaard. He’s a Madrid cast off, therefore he cannot be elite. It’s so bonkers considering the amount of cast-offs from major clubs that are now making their way to the top. Jadon Sancho rebounding to United. Lukaku rebounding to Chelsea. Serge G finding his way to Bayern. Donyell Malen making his way to Dortmund. Don’t write of 22-year-olds, because there is still a lot of growth in the tank, especially the player earmarked for exceptionalism at a young age. This is exactly what I said this morning players at 22-23 get written off all… Read more »
PSG win 2-4 but still unconvincing
Szoboszlai, the le grove don, with a brace against Stuttgart.
Leipzig with Andre Silva leading the line will/should push Bayern a bit more this season.
KroenkephobeAugust 20, 2021 18:56:26 Almunia I understand all of those choices. We’re both acolytes of JL and DS. I think I saw the reason for signing spunky but I was definitely unhappy about Lukic being sold. I loved the guy. Santos was a seriously irrational piece of business, made real when everyone saw the size of his midriff. Off for my first proper game inside a stadium (bit of a stretch describing it as that I suppose) tonight. Haverfordwest County vs Cardiff Met University. I’ll be disappointed in myself if I don’t get a police caution at the very least!… Read more »
Echoimg the same good thoughts towards Samesong
Stay strong, condolence man.
Pedro
You may want to drop the attitude a notch if you want many to approach your Arteta poesy seriously.
Glad too see you’ve found your way back home after that fleeting moment of reality.
At least, Arteta has his team now so let’s go.
I’m happy to get Ramsdale, not particularly Ohdeargod but I’m hoping to be proven wrong!
I wonder if our transfers……White and Ramsdale have been made partly because we’re looking at getting rid of Eddie, Willock (gone obviously), Nelson and AMN…..all English and home grown. The squad would have been very short of English /home grown I imagine if we had bought Onzna and Aouar for example? White and Ramsdale are probably the best of the English boys we could get to come to a mid-table club.
If these new signings are so good why dont bigger teams want them?
Pedro was okay after the loss. Sounded normal infact.
Sadly few days after and he’s back in his full AKB regalia.
Bipolar disorder is indeed real.
Jonny
!
That’s what they’re called presumably because Hwest is the county seat of Pembrokeshire. Anyway, it was a 0-0 with few decent chances. More people there tonight than I’ve seen for ages. Must have been 6 or 700 people and the club feels on the up. So good to be out though soaking up some atmosphere again at a night game. Plus it was free! Usually a fiver.
Have you got an FAW team?
Radio R.
Yes I totally agree. I was going to say he’s got until possibly Xmas, but if after 12 games or so we are doing poorly, then he’s gone!
Will this side score enough goals, the jury is out there but we can hope. I’m not sure what the target is or playing style but Arteta has the players he wants, so he has to get us CL football or it’s a failure.
Brentford is a newly promoted team in the EPL. We should have won that game at a canter even with our second string side and youth players.
The fact that Arteta wasn’t able to do this is a reflection on him… and his poor poor poor tactical nous and man management skills.
Excuses already for all manager that hardly knows how to tie his shoes.
Arteta has his signings. Pretty much everybody he wanted,
He has no places to hide, and that’s including Pedro’s excuses.
It’s time to put up the results or ship out.
Top Four or Out
*for a
Welcome LA.Ramsdale!!
seems like more are coming around to the idea. Must admit, this collection of young 20 something’s could be some team in a year or two.
Rumours of Lewin? mad. if they swap out Laca for him, this window might shape up to be one of the best in a long time.
Few sales next week would be lovely, end the window with a right back, Lewin and madders and we’d be looking like dark horses. Pulling a massive cannon.
Aaron Ramsdale can exploit Bernd Leno’s biggest weakness to give Arteta what he wants at Arsenal
Arsenal have signed Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United but fan concerns over the England keeper’s distribution have been quelled after in-depth analysis
https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/transfer-news/aaron-ramsdale-bernd-leno-arsenal-21353419
Samesong, sorry to hear about your loss, hope you and your family are doing as well as they can be.
Thanks for the link MJ. Nice article. I’m starting to feel a little excited about Aaron Ramsdale now 🙂
From arteta
‘ . I have had bigger challenges during my 18 months here and a lot of things have occurred during that time.
“Maybe now is not the right time to look at everything because a lot of people are not interested in analysing what has happened.
“But in two or three years’ time, when we look back with perspective, we will say ‘what happened makes a lot of sense’.’
Excuses already lined up. Judge him in 3 years lads
Top priority this summer should’ve been CM, keeper and RB and so far we’ve got a backup CM, backup keeper and no RB
Priorities…
Samesong
May the good memories sustain you in the days ahead! Remember it’s ok to grieve and make sure you take the time you need to take care of yourself.
” LENO.So why didn’t Arteta keep Emi and sell Leno? Capitals again.THERE WERE NO OFFERS FOR LENO. And again. LENO INSISTED ON STAYING.Got it? ”
1 year later…
LENO IS INSISTING ON LEAVING apparently to project himself towards national team. He only soils himself in a catastrophic club dripping in sauce which is not football
Emi Martinez was sold for at least £15m more than his market value before his last 3 months at Arsenal , he tripled his wages and fulfilled his ambition of becoming Argentina’s no 1. He wanted to go and it has worked out well for him so friends, get over it !!
He wanted assurances as the no 1 goalie after a twelve game run despite doing nothing for the previous 10 years. He was never going to get that assurance, it was a ruse and when you consider his reaction at the end of the 2020 F A final , he knew he was done at Arsenal and going out on a high
Emi is in a much better place now.
Good for him to show that courage.
Been a loyal servant for so many years, to finally get his chance and do well, to then be told there is no guarantee he will be the starter.
I mean what does the man need to do? Score a hattrick too?
‘Arsenal won’t spend, Pedro is wrong’
https://twitter.com/espnuk/status/1428793976262434820?s=21
“I painted you the reality, Dani” No Pedro you painted your reality, not the reality, there’s a big difference. Your reality is to blindly support a clueless manager who has hardly moved the needle from last season’s squad. We got a ball playing short arse CB in a defense where we need more height and had enough CBs, so the buying of Ben W was unnecessary. We could have had Onana for £9m or Ryan on a free; both are currently better than Ramsdale. Why do we need a new keeper? Grow up mate stop being so petty with posters… Read more »
I want the players we bought to excite me and to give me hope that we will do well but honestly, the transfers we made for so much money, are not of the required for top 4 level of players. Several years ago, our benchmark was – is this player good enough to start for a title winning team? Now the players we targeted are exactly of the required class… but for our reshaped goals – 5-8th place. We basically bought Michael Keane (White) and Pickford (Ramsdale), both Everton class of players, for £80m. Bless Odegaard, he is decent and… Read more »
Pedro He adds leadership? No where in his 6 months loan at arsenal did I see ode display any leadership traits. We have got to stop saying so and so is a leader when they are not. Auba is not a leader Luiz was not a leader Laca is not a leader Leno is not a leader Chaka is not a leader A leader takes the game by the scruff of the neck when we are losing, and raises the level of the players around him. I only see players that hide when the going gets rough on the pitch.… Read more »
Raptora
Good post
“Get the best out of him” is a tired and lame excuse for a weak player with no aggression and application for this league. Odegaard isn’t built for the PL. We just added another crock to the team to partner Partey in the physio room. We needed dynamic, mentally tough, speed and robust backed up with ability and we got a half baked return loanee everyone is wishing will suddenly become what he’s not .There was better players in the market and we have money to spend on the right profile of player for that CAM position to share with… Read more »
Arsenal spent more money so far than any other EPL club, why am I not excited about the new arrivals? Why are the bookies not more excited about the team? In Sunday’s game Arsenal are 4:1 to win the Chavs are 10:13 to win. AFC is playing at home in front of fans, those odds are staggering and it tells you what other unbiased individuals think about how far Arsenal has dropped. The excuse about the Brentford game why they lost is telling you how Arteta is grasping for excuses. Laca couldn’t play, he would have sold him in the… Read more »
“I want the players we bought to excite me and to give me hope that we will do well but honestly, the transfers we made for so much money, are not of the required for top 4 level of” Raptora How do you know they aren’t of top 4 quality? This is the problem with fans. We need the high of a pepe like signing. That won’t do us any good. Getting excited by the players when they come in is one thing. But to still be excited about them after 6 months is what we want. We want Tierney… Read more »
izzo and raptora bringing the truth
I agree with you Izzo on Ode. Not excited. Yes, a decent player but not the needle mover. The Ode fans on here, thinking that he will explode in a few years are not realizing, his skills set as pretty much peaked already. What you see is what you will get. A neat and tidy player, who takes orders. If Ode really went bananas and started to play with flair and creativity, that would be great, but he listens to his boss and that is that Add in an Aouar, a maverick, a difference maker, press beater and then we… Read more »
Lads, lads, Pedro is right. Arsenal spent biiig, Arteta got who he needs. Now lets see how this translates to on the pitch results.
My guess? More of the same. And Pedro will be made to look like a fool. Not that it’s a fresh experience, he’s getting pretty expert in this.
11 more days. Are we done or will Edu save the best for last?
Raptora I agree, fan connection and contentment are lacking with Arsenal. If they are not careful, we will continue to lose fans, lose money, and drop into the abyss. Most fans are older and the ones who remember the good old days. Recruiting new fans comes with success A big name exciting signing would keep the base happy. You simply have to do this… with a club like ours, who is struggling. The natives are getting restless, and Edu and Co need to watch out… good will will run out soon, no matte how much money you spent on the… Read more »
My son and I were just talking about the new editions and he said, “Dad I bet if Leicester had over £200 million to spend this TW, they would have a team to challenge right at the top”. What could I say? He’s absolutely right. I told him in sports reactionary management in today’s world rarely last long. With these two it’s like putting lipstick on a pig for our £200+m TW. What has really changed? Ode for Ode Lokonga for Ceballos and Partey (sick note) when cooked Ramsdale correcting the Runnarson decision Travares Inexperienced so not a starter but… Read more »
Martinez was a shocking decision. About the same levels as Gnabry, I would say.
To see Pedro going all out to defend this makes you laugh, don’t it. Employees always want to leave, the onus is on the Employer to identify the top talents and retain them.
Guns
Definitely saving the best for last, especially when that last is a ramsdale purchase
What happened to my comment?
BID 175000 ON BRUNO
SAGG
The dreaded banned words got it.
Relating to Arteta there are not many left in the dictionary I’m afraid.
Guns
The boxer?
Sorry my 10 yr old typed that when I was away from laptop
but to be honest, I think he is right…lol
I think he meant a million not a thousand
K’phobe
Good to hear all is good in the valleys.
Not much happening here just same routines while Covid is increasing in other areas of the country.
I don’t hold out much hope against the Chavs buy it’s always good to do well in your first home game with the fans back.
Watching the Chavs play last week they look supremely confident. We need to knock that confidence early to be in the game.
Depends on how much Arteta overthinks the game. My best guess is too much.
Guns
Bless him.
Looking at the odds Chavs to win 10-13 versus AFC to win 4-1 is a disgrace. In front of home fans after spending the most in the TW the bookies who have no team loyalty or are fanboys have us down 4-1. shambolic. Lukaku will be in for the golden boot after Sunday’s game.
Aouar 25
Olmo 50
De Paul 35
110M and our midfield would be the best in the prem arguably.
We definitely needed another 10 in the team. Esr cannot shoulder that responsibility alone and I would say that a 10 was a bigger priority than RB where we have 4 not very good players in that position. If esr gets injured who slots in there? Nobody. For the cm position to be fair we are perhaps 1 body short there but azeez will most likely come through this season and let’s not forget that Ben can play there as well as AMN so for that’s not a priority at the moment. Ramsdale for me is a good addition to… Read more »
“Arsenal third favourites to be relegated as odds slashed ahead of Chelsea clash” Says the Mirror online. Obviously click bait but it’s deriding us only one game into the season. Hardly surprising, is it? This is our current level. Change has to come, same vibes as when Gazidis said au revoir to Wenger. I just can’t see how Arteta can do better after 20 months. and 3 TWs. We have 2-week international break, which regardless of results Arteta should be despatched so the change of coach/manager has time to make changes – mostly taking the handbrake off and leaving it… Read more »
Tony The Premier League may be deficient in basic things such as decency, but you can’t deny its absolute brutality. Chelsea will be tasting blood, and Tuchel will have an assured and thoughtful plan of attack. Expect some long ball, long throw, Leno pressure every time they get near our box. I think they’ll also try sitting off us for stretches of the game to see if the usual suspects make errors. Exactly the sort of thing we’d have done when intimidating the opposition was part of our schtick over 20 years ago! I’d love to be wrong but the… Read more »
Lambs to the slaughter sums it. There’s not been massive improvement on last years team. Parts have simply been replaced meaning at best we expect last years results.
The midfield needs more additions. Shunning Aouar and Guendozi, options that were readily available, seems more of proud rather than pragmatic decision making.
The club now needs to buy more expensive options in Maddison and Bruno or another target.
Arteta on Xhaka: “We never wanted to let him go. We believe that he’s a very important figure & players like that are what we need as well for all the young developing players that we have in the team”
Xhaka as a role model….give me strength. That’s depressing.
K’Phobe Sad but true. I can see Lakaku being the new Drogba who almost always punished us. If I were White I’d be right up for it, as that was my position. Went from center half to RCB. I wasn’t tall so I had to play a different game. Nothing unsettles a forward more than the same defender dispossessing him, breaking up attacks depriving him and blocking shots over and over again. That’s the game I want to see from White tomorrow. The day is actually tailor made for the day White can announce himself? White won’t get a much… Read more »
Argh There is nothing more frustrating than the fact that we haven’t moved on from Xhaka. I hope Partey comes back quick. Because As the season progresses I think Lokonga has the ability to take the starting spot alongside Partey. Signing Xhaka to a new deal is the worst thing we have done this summer. It is like the Willian decision last summer. All is not doom and gloom for me though. I actually like every player that we have brought in this summer. That gives me hope in the fact that, even if Arteta goes (which is a high… Read more »
Xhaka is no more a role model than my left nut.
And his “influence” in the dressing room has coinciding with some of the most execrable and gutless Arsenal performances I’ve ever seen.
“Looking at the odds Chavs to win 10-13 versus AFC to win 4-1 is a disgrace. In front of home fans after spending the most in the TW the bookies who have no team loyalty or are fanboys have us down 4-1. shambolic. Lukaku will be in for the golden boot after Sunday’s game.” I read how you were flipping and flopping before and during the super cup between the chavs and Villarreal and the above isn’t any different from it. Hope you will be back to yell like you normally do after your lukaku has scored tons of goals… Read more »
Everybody dwelling on the 2-0 loss forgetting that arteta had to work with a team of new signings and youngings, important senior players were not in the game, players that were still trying to adapt, if youve played for a team youd understand that sort of rustiness when everyone in the team hasnt played together. We should always think things too. I hate arteta but that shit show was expected
I wish we’d gone all in for Maddison.
Aouar I would love to know what the issue is.
He said xhaka is a role model to the young players not some fanatics with the power of the keyboard.
“I wish we’d gone all in for Maddison.Aouar I would love to know what the issue is.”
Maddison at that price is a no for me.
Aouar’s case is kinda weird because I was expecting top clubs to be scampering for his signature at that low fee. Maybe there’s something about him we don’t know or clubs don’t see him as what they need but will go for him by the end of the window after they might have gotten who they want.
Maddison at 10m over Ben White doesn’t seem so bad.
I’ve enjoyed watching the cunt whenever I’ve seen him play.
“He said xhaka is a role model to the young players not some fanatics with the power of the keyboard.”
What power you using, Teeeeee?
Your tongue? don’t mistake the Keyboard for Arteta’s backside.
petit and Vieira
vieira and gilberto
cesc and gilberto
cesc and flamini (flaming wasn’t elite but did have one amazing season)
Coquelin and santi
Xhaka and Ramsey
Xhaka and guendouzi
Xhaka and Partey (Partey usually injured so often el neny or Ceballos)
Xhaka and Partey (Partey will probably miss half the season so will be Lokonga)
and people wonder why we have to play donut football in 2021. the dismantling of our midfield since those earlier levels is unreal and the consequences heavily reflected in the results and drab football
there should be guendouzi and torreira in there too