I spent the day listening to all the great podcasts, reading all the blogs, and even venturing over to some Spurs Youtubers that were most entertaining.
‘WE PLAY LIKE BAGEL FC, FAM’ one of my favourite lines.
I particularly loved The Arsenal Vision Podcast opening statements, do check them out.
Everyone seems to have bought into the project now. That’s a big shift from where we were a few weeks ago and the club has to be applauded for moving on the loose threads.
Everyone knows what we’re doing.
We can’t be City or Chelsea, so we have to go the path that is the smartest. That’s signing established young players about the bang. Does that get to CL glory as fast as signing 5 Jack Grealish’s? No. But we can’t afford to be that club moving forward. The problem with that strategy is the expense. Jack Grealish is a now player, in 3 years time, he’ll be fading out. We’ve had a crack at that approach, what did we learn? We can’t afford to hit Jack G levels, but we can afford older more experienced players… and it doesn’t work.
Arteta and his team are working hard to bring the fans into the process. We are part of it, whether you like it or not, and the manager knows that this whole vision fails if he doesn’t have us onside. YankeeGunner read into the end of the game a little hard, but it was pertinent that all 6 of the summer signings were on the pitch after the 90. I think the rest of the team was made up of players he’d given deals to. What does that say? This is Arteta’s team now.
The overarching theme of it all is joy. I’ve penned a piece about the meaning of Arsenal for The Gooner, which you must buy to read. But one of my themes is joy. Arsenal fans control the narrative. We decide if we want to back an idea or shit on it. We have decided that we will control our mood this season. We won’t cave to the attention seekers. We won’t cower to our inner demons and give up like the meek. We’ll show up and get behind this group of young players who are outrageously likeable.
I’m a Ramsdalian, no doubt. I watched that 90 back. He’s electric, as Dissenter in the comments said, he’s a bit of a showman. We’ve needed that. Leno is a top keeper, but he’s a bit meek. Tomiyasu, what a fucking player. Arteta bought in outrageous specificity with him. He wanted a right back that could play centre back so he could tuck in and support long balls over the top. The move was pure genius. No one is crying over James Maddison because Odegaard is going to prove a better signing. Ben White just quietly got on with dominating Harry Kane. We can now look back on our signings from last season and say… maybe there were some good ones? Gabriel looks like our best centre back, dominant, great at passing, far calmer on the ball. Thomas Partey is a top 3 midfielder in the league.
I don’t even need to sell you on the Hale-Enders… but one thing I will say: Arteta rolled out AMN, not Mo Elneney. That is progress. We’ve shifted out 30 odd players in 2 years. We’ve promoted from within. Signed very young players from all over the world. We just won a NLD Derby with the youngest ever starting 11.
Are things looking up? They might be.
Short one today. Check out our podcast. Small not on that, we ranked 55 for Sports podcasts in the UK this week. That is huge for us considering how good the podosphere is. Podcasting is a different level of commitment and it is absolutely painful to build an audience. So thank you for sticking it out as we searched for a formula and thank you to Johnny and Matt for making the shows so much fun.
NOW LISTEN.
P.S. There’s a new CHAT from YouGov in the bottom right of your screen. Click it and share you opinions so we can talk data on Friday. >>>>>
Neymar beyond tedious with this shit.
If I was managing Eden Hazrard .. Id have him on a fine every time he comes in over weight.. Dude still looks like the old boys I play beer league football with occasionally. Rocking the Goodyear tire around his waist, look and the baggy shirt.
Anyhow, strange to see all the La Liga teams struggling this much. in CL.. but thats the way things appear to be trending. .. looks like RM gonna get bailed out by VAR for a pk. King Benz with the goal. 4th highest goal scorer ever in CL now.
Englandbest
“Oh my, another one who contradicts himself within minutes.
Do you believe that losing habitually – and KNOWING that you will lose – breeds confidence?”
Will just point out that in the champions league Wenger won over 50% of his matches with approx 25% of losses and approx 25% draws , so when you say that wenger went into champions league games” losing habitually KNOWING he will lose” , you are actually showing your ignorance, as the 25% lose rate confirms ..
What a goal Messi!
GOLAZO
And thats why they got Messi… out of nothing… scores a stunner
Messi Magic as always.
Before that Messi Mbappe and Neymr were litterally just walking back and watching on defense you would think City could get one through 10 on 8.
and now the Benz strikes.. per usual
Still riding that wave after being fed dribs and drabs for so long.
We all know there will be ups and downs,but as long as there is maximum effort and a discernible pattern of play,like Sunday-I think we will all be in for that.
Gabriel played like peak Sol Campbell and Tomiyasu looks a real find, Ramsdale as well looks decent-as Pedro foretold.
It is superb hearing all of the Spurs fans and media saying how Spurs just had an off day-long may it continue.
Greizemann … goal. 1-1 now.
Think that King Benz above Raul into 4th all time Champions league goals.
Whoaaa Sheriff just scored a stunner … RM on the ropes.
“Serial offender or not that was a red card challenge by the rule book. Xhaka will always do dumb things. But it doesn’t matter if KDB did that for the first time.“
HG, I’m not disagreeing with you on the severity of the challenge, I’m just telling you refs get only one look at it and sometimes from a shitty angle, so when a clean player like KDB makes that challenge, more times than not refs will lean towards dishing out lesser punishments.
Playing in the CL while also reaching top 4 is an achievement that is quite difficult due to fatigue + rotation. Unlike Wenger, Diet Pep will never achieve that even if he manages for 50 years.
He can reach top 4 without Europe if there are no injuries to top 3, 4 players, though. Of that I am almost sure because one of the usual top 4 will have a shit season, as one of them usually does.
Ideal situation involves Laporte going in two footed on Neymar whatever the consequence.
I support Sheriff and Shakhtar because they’re both from unrecognized countries – Transnistria and Lugansk and Donetsk republic. Long live any kind of separatists and other freedom fighters!
And Barsa of course, for being a symbol of free Catalunya, free of Castillian boot.
Sal
Why u not like Neymar?
RM lost to a team that probably has the entire payroll of about 2 of their players. No Idea how a team form Moldova is even in the CL. But they schooled RM. Have to say it was a deserved win.. nothing lucky about it at all.
ATM bailed out by a soft pk at the death. Suarez with the winner.
Kris
I feel what you are saying for sure…. and only peaceful separatists. violence just breeds more violence
How is De Paul doing in this game? He came on in the second…
I think Ill go for Sheriff from now on. I like the underdogs.
This one is a real underdog. like a runt puppy fighting with the big dogs LOL
PSG/City was disappointing, looks like I picked the wrong game to watch.
what the fuck happened in madrid? is that a cyprus team?
Zacharse…
Moldova.. well sort of .. actually they dont have a country.. haha But they won the Moldovian League.
Guns
Never have, his choices and mentality let him down with that kind of ability.
Neymargate 2 incoming.
wow. guess theyll be wanting odegaard back
If Englandsbest were Sheriff’s DoF he would’ve said no, we’re not going to play RM in the CL until we build a team that can go all the way, like proper clubs do.
Neymar, yes, his choices and folks he surrounds himself with have let him down over and over.
But on his day, unplayable…
Real Madrid transfermarkt value- $870m
Sheriff transfermarkt value- $13m
After two games Sheriff top of the group on 6 points.
New Sheriff in town
Sorry just had to say it 🙂
Saw the first half of the Man City game and again despite so much possession and being a bit unlucky hitting the bar they are far too predictable in their attacking play in these higher end matches. Serves them fine in the bread and butter EPL but seems them fall short in winning the CL. Always attack from wide to go inside. Hardly any focal point or threat straight down the middle. Harly any variation.
Real Madrid certainly didn’t shoot the Sheriff. Two quality goals from them with the winner being an absolute belter.
French journalist Romain Canuti:
“There are a few players at Marseille who are struggling with Guendouzi. His way of working, when he always blames others for things, when he falls to his knees in training to implore God because a touch isnt good enough, it grates”
Pedro, we saw some of that from Guendouzi at Arsenal
I don’t think some people get the difference between going to the stadium and having a chat on line. I’d assume everyone on here would be dying to have the opportunity to go to the Emirates every week to support and get behind the team for the 90 mins. Just because you don’t back the manager doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be 100% behind the team when they run out on the pitch. Cheering works in the stadium. Not from here, so why does it matter so much people don’t feel the manager can take us to the next level and… Read more »
City will be dangerous in the CL for real once Pep leaves and the next guy buys a proper striker.
Graelish looks like a waste of 100M in that system. Probably better suited for the way Chelsea play.
Goober,
They know the difference. They’re just pretending they don’t so they can take a cheap dig at those who have something critical to say. Except for maybe an extremist or two, 99% of everyone in this comments section would yell their heads off supporting the team at the stadium.
Never seen Jack Grealish got completely shutdown by Hakimi. He didn’t even try a single time to run pass the defender.
I don’t understand the forlorn characters here with the crocodile tears for “losing” Willock. That was an addition by subtraction. Put together all of your memories of when he played for Arsenal, any position in midfield. When did he ever show aptitude for the game? He did run onto some goals in the box against lower Europa teams, but was absolutely clueless on how to play the position otherwise. He could never have taken part in the fast, intuitive, progressive passing you saw Sunday. If you say that’s not true, then you are dishonest, and just want to complain about… Read more »
Tom
Real may want Ødegaard back.
PEDRO Guendouzi has been toxic at every club that he has played at and it would appear that the situation is now repeating itself at Marseille. Some who post on Le Grove seem to think that he will grow out of his immaturity and we should overlook his transgressions because he is a great footballer. Marseille have taken him on loan with obligation to buy, but the contract is subject to conditions. My guess is that there will be a loophole which allows them to pull out if he mis behaves. The good news is that Guendouzi’s contract with us… Read more »
Pedro
Since you are looking for a reporter on the woman’s game, I suggest you contact Lucy – @lucetbh. She is doing it for Highbury Squad every week.
ESR > Grealish
Good morning all. I thought my last post had got me binned. Quick thoughts on the NLD was that our first half was invigorating and not expected if I’m honest. We know we like to come out of the traps fast but it normally lasts for about 25 minutes with no reward and then we apply the handbrake because by then we’ve run out of ideas. The NLD was different. You could see the play patterns clearly where our high press was collective for once and put the Spuds under too much pressure. where they didn’t completely fold but were… Read more »
Tony
Agree, good momentum with the team now, and its about consistency. I also dislike mike. I dont care for his style whatsoever.
However the team has found its goal scoring boots in the last game.
I hope we can also replicate this type of explosive offense moving forward.
I said a few days back. The team should NEVER lose more than 2 games in a row. That type of deficit should be code RED
It should be a goal for mike this season. No 3 game slides…
An interesting aspect would be with Xhaka out, who will fill int?
Sembi as a 1-1 replacement or Pepe while moving ESR middle
Absolutely Guns. Consistency even with win uglies is fine throw in a couple of 1:0s to the Arsenal and I’ll see that as improvement. The constant pretty football can come later. We need to rack up points any which way and let those above us know we mean business and re gunning for them (pun intended) It’s been a long time we saw that – maybe with peak Cesc was the last time playing on with broken leg is a long lasting memory. Problem was the fcuker left us not long after that. A few of the kids beginning to… Read more »
Ben White vs his old team. Lets see
we were never in for him if I recall correctly. He was a fan favorite and is friends with Pepe.
He hinted he wanted to come to us….
Not sure we need him with Lokonga now, but then again, xhaka is hurt, TP will miss games and Loko is a question mark.
So yea, having a Bissouma would be a good option at some point
With Xhaka’s injury, I’d love to see AMN start. Give him a chance to prove himself in midfield. Let Partey play a bit more offensively. Honestly don’t think we need to buy a new midfielder. Got youth players coming out of our ears and they need a route through. Lokonga and AMN can 100% fill in for Xhaka.
Everyone seems to have bought into the project now. That’s a big shift from where we were a few weeks ago and the club has to be applauded for moving on the loose threads.
Everyone knows what we’re doing.
Not everyone Pedro, much too early to make such assumptions, we’ve had many false dawns in the past. You’re extreme positivity after dismissing arteta just a few weeks before, as well as the whole direction of the club is concerning to me.
Johnny’s witty vocabulary when describing certain thing is outrageously good.
Arteta has many options with Xhaka out, including putting Odegaard alongside partey with Smith rowe moving more centrally into Odegaard’s position , and then bringing in either Pepe , Martinelli or Nketiah into the inside left position that smith rowe occupied. Doing this will give players like Martinelli and Nketiah the chance to impress, neither would let the side down im my opinion, just a pity that Willock isn’t still at the club as he would have thrived in that position. Of course Lakonga is the natural replacement for xhaka but with AMN and Elneny available there is certainly no… Read more »
Nigel Tufnel Going to Newcastle to play consistently was a good move for Willock Young players improve with consistent football, he’s 22, he’s still learning the game He’s absolutely rapid over short and long distances, he knows how to score a goal, he’s now filling out, and looks powerful Providing he stays fit, he’ll develop into a top player over the next 12-24 months Gnabry needed 2 loans in Germany before going to Bayern, Malen needed 3 seasons in Holland in order to develop I’m delighted we signed Odegaard who’s a top player, and stylistically what we needed The timing… Read more »
I think the Brighton bubble is ready to burst and Arsenal will win comfortably at the weekend.
Maupay , i don’t particularly rate, welbeck is injured, though Trossard has the game to cause us problems , but overall i think we will boss the game, especially if the excellent Bissouma is out injured..
We should be going into the game with confidence as the side has a better balance to it now.
Hopefully Arteta won’t mess with the starting line up or system/tactics and just bring in a Xhaka replacement to maintain the balance in the side.
Rich
“But writing off 22 year olds, who are yet to play a whole season consistently, is knee jerk”
Jerk is about right in Nigel Tufnel’s case.
There needs to be a AMN project put in motion.. make Ainsley a world class midfielder, he has
what it takes if he keeps a cool head and concentration levels high. He can keep Trossard silent
on the weekend..
Midfielders like xhaka and partey succumb to injuries if they overstretch themselves. They should stick to what they do best , patrolling the midfield area, as that is what their bodies are accustomed to. V Tottenham, Xhaka decided to play to the crowd and chase the keeper down and suffered for it as his body is used to xhaka slowly ambling around in the midfield area and reacted in a negative way to Xhaka running at full speed for more than a couple of yards. Partey’s injuries have been when he decided to stretch his body too much going forward… Read more »
AFC
“because I didn’t know what I was talking about – after all I’m just a silly little Superfan.”
I agree with this, Bam.
Pierre Xhaka got a knee injury when he watched the ball, and a player went tumbling into his stationary leg It was a freak injury Xhaka’s fitness is superb, he got a bit of cramp after being out for over a month through COVID + suspension I agree about Partey though, he’s only lasted 90 mins in 10 league games He regularly gasses out after 70 minutes, tired legs, tired mind, and his passing becomes erratic It’s why Xhaka’s injury is a bigger blow than some would care to admit, particularly with so many young players already in the team… Read more »
Esr like nasri and rosicky are playmakers that are more facilitators than controlers. They are better suited to inside wing positions. Same with pires,jack g, foden etc
Which striker do you think we should be looking at as Lacazette’s contract winds down
A replacement striker aiming for the number 1 spot
Any one in particular for suggestions?
Rich
“Xhaka got a knee injury when he watched the ball, and a player went tumbling into his stationary legIt was a freak injury”
You are right in that respect but I believe that without the lung long busting run to chase down the keeper moments before the injury , which in itself caused Xhaka discomfort , he would have been more aware and focused and, dare i say it , agile and the injury wouldn’t have occired, I think his body was taken out of it’s comfort zone….jist my take on it of course.
Rich
“Xhaka’s fitness is superb”
And there is reason for that, he normally understands his body and the limits it can go , however he got caught up in all the excitement and decided to chase around for 30 seconds like a martinelli and his body thought “what the fuck is goong on here” and packed up on him.
Knagg champs
Alexander Isak
I’d like to see an internal replacement for Lacazette
Get Balogun out on loan at the end of January, once the African cup is finished, and Auba + Pepe are back
See how he does with 15-20 games in the Championship, which was really beneficial to Smith Rowe a couple of seasons back
Or give Nketiah/Martinelli a run in the team
We’ll have to get the balance between youth + experience right, but we’ve got some really talented young players
Pierre, your theory that he was effectively in the red zone is slightly clutching at straws.Xhaka’s injury was just unlucky, nothing to do with just having made a forward run. He wouldn’t have expected that Partey would foul Moira onto his leg while he was looking at the ball.
Pedro “There are a few players at Marseille who are struggling with Guendouzi. His way of working, when he always blames others for things, when he falls to his knees in training to implore God because a touch isnt good enough, it grates” Yep, remember the dive in his own penalty area that cost them the game, despite being warned about his diving? In coaching circles one of the most important things you look for is attitude. Better players are often rejected because of a poor attitude and the negative affect their behaviour is likely to have on other players.… Read more »
Our succession planning with our CFs is less than ideal; there were so many other areas that had to be dealt with this last window. PEA clearly number 1, Laca and Nketiah in their last year of contracts and two promising 20 year olds needing minutes. In retrospect, Nketiah should have gone out on loan from Jan last season. Balogun should definitely get loaned out this Jan – there was a good argument for him having a season long loan but that was probably messed up by Nketiah staying. Martinelli is a slight concern- will he get enough game time?… Read more »
Eddie and Marti are streets ahead of Balogun in terms of progression/output. The former two will most likely replace Auba and Pepe in the squad/on the bench during their absence at the AFCON. Replacing Partey is the big worry for me. The basement European comp would’ve been a great opportunity to bed in some fringe youngsters this season. Finding decent loan moves for some of them is imperative in Jan. Arteta should be putting out his strongest fit 11 every single league game until the end of the season. Now isn’t the time for experiments. For the second time in… Read more »
Mentioning Bamford, I went to check his twitter. One never gets disappointed. @afabulousopera6 Aug 31 Whatever negativity we see today will pale in comparison to what we will see if/when Arsenal don’t get a result against Norwich or Burnley and if/when Arsenal lose to Spurs. I don’t see Arteta surviving those three matches. #afc @afabulousopera6 Sept 28 Arteta has managed to do better than I thought he would, obviously. I remain unconvinced by him, however, and I think he’ll soon enough be back in the hot water. Let’s see where he has Arsenal in early December. Arsenal fans who think… Read more »
“One, I’m more an observer of Arsenal than a fan.”
Too funny!
AFC Forever
Agree entirely about Guendozy and his attitude.
Used by some as a way of getting at Arteta
Rich “We’ll have to get the balance between youth + experience right, but we’ve got some really talented young players” That is a very important point. These are good young players but they lack experience. You need experienced heads, especially when things go a bit pear-shaped as they will from time to time. What I like about the squad now is the balance and the fact we have cover for key positions, something that has hurt us before. Losing big players is always a problem, of course, we saw that with Partey’s injuries and Aubameyangs poor form last season. With… Read more »
“One, I’m more an observer of Arsenal than a fan.”
Bam was born a cunt. Waxing lyrical here for years about how to be the right kind of supporter, and when the going gets tough he drops Arsenal and runs up the road into OGS’ arms.
Still can’t believe he stole Benny’s details in order to circumvent his le-grove ban and post positive puff pieces about himself in the 3rd person. Genuine lunatic.
Haha Dariano was pure gold!
I’m broadly done with big players, on massive contracts, with big ego’s, giant transfer fees, and flash sports cars
Whilst I’d prefer we promoted internally to replace Lacazette
We couldn’t go wrong looking at Toney at Brentford, if we did decide to enter the market
Always preferred Wenger’s mantra
“We don’t buy superstars, we make them”
Pedro
Not sure if you will see this. but my chat button on the bottom right of the screen shows blank pop up when clicked. Is it supposed to work with some specific browser? Is it intended only for Mobile view? I am using PC
Jamie
“Still can’t believe he stole Benny’s details in order to circumvent his le-grove ban and post positive puff pieces about himself in the 3rd person. Genuine lunatic.”
How is it even possible to steal someone’s details?
That Dariano nonsense is an indicator that he’s a sausage short of a hotdog.
Everyone here ‘registers’ an email address in order to post. Bam got BennyDeVito’s from Twitter I think, tried it here and was able to post as Benny. Pete told me Bam tried dozens of times to get back in using a Proxy/VPN.
Someone so unhinged shouldn’t be allowed to teach children. Florida, though.. enough said.
Via Arsenal.com
Further to injuring his right knee during Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, assessments and scans have confirmed that Granit Xhaka suffered a significant injury to his medial knee ligament.
A specialist consultation took place in London on Tuesday evening which has determined that Granit does not require surgery.
Granit’s recovery and rehabilitation programme will start immediately and we are aiming for him to be back in action in approximately three months.
Everyone at the club will now be supporting and working hard with Granit to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.
“Ernest Reed – I sincerely hope these Alexis return to Arsenal rumours are just that, rumours. Don’t want him anywhere near the club, the selfish malcontent.”
I agree. God, can you imagine the cringe of him sitting at a piano playing 1-0 to the Arsenal? He was a fine player, but he’s yesterday’s man and he would upset the balance of the side.
Jamie
Cheers. You’re right that is unhinged.
I’m not a big fan of Xhaka, but that injury news is appalling. I feel for the guy. It’s great that he doesn’t need surgery and I hope he recovers quickly.
Valentine. Another arsenal observer me think
Nobody wants to be the guy that picks on players after such a convincing win but I’m suprised how few noticed how easily Odegaard was bullied off the ball. He’s a baller ,but he will have to work on his physicality
InsideRight
“I’m not a big fan of Xhaka, but that injury news is appalling. I feel for the guy. It’s great that he doesn’t need surgery and I hope he recovers quickly”
Classy comment. I read somewhere he has a big influence on the players at training etc, so that will be a loss.
What I remember most clearly about Roger Hunt is that I cannot remember seeing him miss an easy chance to score.
It’s my view that a striker for a half-decent side who never fails to score a goal that ought to be scored would win the Golden Boot year in, year out. Take OG as an example. I love the guy, but if he had converted all his chances he would have topped 40 goals every season.
“Esr like nasri and rosicky are playmakers that are more facilitators than controlers. They are better suited to inside wing positions. Same with pires,jack g, foden etc’
You could add Hleb to that list, Jack Grealish reminds me of him
Yea steve. Hleb too. Pires was a great example as i think he played as a number 10 for om and compared to the rest he was actually a creative genius in the middle also. Even iniesta had most of his best games in that inside left channel. When pep moved silva and kdb to cm it was to occupy that same positions as sane and sterling couldn’t really play there.
I’d rather have Victor Osimhen though
Grealish has had a seriously tough first couple of months at City. I would say that anyone of City’s benched offensive players would have played better in his place. Of course that Pep wants to help him fit in as fast as possible but he’s not looked like a good transfer. Probably just more of what City already had abundance of. Sancho is another one that’s facing huge difficulties in replicating his Dortmund form. That’s 2 out of the top 3 most expensive players added to the EPL teams this Summer. It just shows how transfers are never guaranteed to… Read more »
We have internal solutions to Xhaka’s absence but AMN needs to understand that it’s last chance saloon for him.
He really needs grab this opportunity with both hands and make the most of it now in terms of his work rate, attitude and actual ability.
Remember he complained publicly that “all he wanted to do is play… AND he is being given time and space to play in his supposed preferred position.
No more excuses.
The NLD was great but let’s not start saying this is how arteta wants to play, because direct, instinctive play with the handbrakes off hasn’t been a blueprint under arteta, and goes against the narrative of JDP, which pedro was explaining just a few days ago.
Gonsterous White, Partey, Smith Rowe, Ramsdale, make us more direct We need variety in our game The Partey pass for Aubameyang was sublime, and while there’s always an element of risk vs reward, he does beat the press, and open up games from deep Ramsdale has good variety in his kicking, goes both short + long White can pick a pass from back to front, and isn’t afraid to drive into space Smith Rowe is the oil in the engine, his movement is superb, his instincts are always forward, pass and move, pass and move… Take out those 4 players,… Read more »
Raptora I agree Grealish doesn’t quite look the real deal at City. It doesn’t appear to have the same freedom under Pep. I also agree that not all transfers work but if the player is quality they are more than likely to do well. Its taking Messi a while to settle at PSG.
Bissouma fit for Saturday
Rich
The style of play was more to do with the can’t lose this game mentality than anything the lads learnt in training.
Will we see the same directness against Brighton? I don’t think so. Why? Because the NLD is the most important game for the club, that’s what drilled into all the new signings at arsenal.