Good morning my darlings, here we are, basking in Monday morning glory, does it feel good? Of course it does.
… but don’t get top 4 complacent.
West Ham looks in a perilous state when it comes to the league. They have no centre-backs, the focus is on the Don Unai Cup, players will not be worrying about Arsenal.
… but that is where the danger lies. Chelsea took until the 90th minute to score. There are NO easy games in the league. Though I do take heart from the fact Chelsea had 26 attempts at their goals.
The players need to leave complacent ideas at the door. There are easy games in this league.
I do want to cast my eye to some of the mess that’s going on over at Manchester United. They’ve signed Ten Hag, the Twitter choice, and they’ve done it over Pochettino who is out at PSG.
Now, there’s no doubting the job that Mr Hag has done at Ajax. He rebuilt two teams, did huge work in the Champions League, and the football his sides play is quite simply some of the sexiest work you’ll see in Europe.
… but.
Ajax has a very deep understanding of who they are as a football club. There’s a total football DNA. There’s infrastructure and a built-in patience with the fans. They don’t have a clueless Class of 92 poking their noses in.
There’s also this: He has no experience in the Premier League. He looks great on paper, but the idea that he’ll just work over here because he’s done good work at Ajax is a touch fanciful. This is no mugs league. Peter Bosz (65% win rate at Ajax) moved to Dortmund and had a nightmare because he couldn’t program the fitness of the players, Holland to Germany isn’t the jump from Holland to England.
Then you have the big one. He has no track record with megastars. There is no way United clear out all their problem players in one hit. Big names have different mindsets. At Ajax, the players are young, their careers depend on the coach. When you move to a big Premier League club, these guys are eating regardless of performance. Ten Hag is going to have to deal with leakers, players that don’t want to learn new things, straight-up arsonists, and egos that think they rule the roost. Mikel Arteta was nearly downed by Ozil, Mustafi, and a group of internal monsters that wanted the worst for him. Ten Hag is going to deal with the same issues Rangnick and OGS dealt with, and be real, his profile won’t impress big names in a league that has Klopp, Conte, Tuchel, and Guardiola.
Now let’s talk other issues. Ronaldo is on a two-year deal worth £600k a week. He’s their top goalscorer and their biggest Premier League liability. Where else do you think he’ll get money like that at 38 years old? Nowhere. Can a new manager that plays a vicious pressing system afford to bench Cristiano? Now multiply that issue across the club. What are United going to be able to do that Arsenal couldn’t? Who is taking their mega earners on? United might be rich, but they can’t clog the squad if no one exits.
Jadon: £350k p/w
De Gea: £400k p/w (Ten Hag needs a keeper who can do Ramsdale things on the ball, good luck)
Harry: £190k p/w
Varane: £340k p/w
These are monster deals that no one else will pick up.
Then I see they are looking to fix their midfield with Frenkie. The first move of their new manager might be to take a £70m punt on a midfielder that is being benched by Xavi in a Barcelona side that just lost three successive home games in a row for the first time in history (check out how Barca fans feel about Auba now)? I’m down for it. No doubt there’s pedigree there, but outside ‘brand’ there’s not a lot I’d like about a £70m reboot.
So… this could all be wrong. United has to get it right one day. But listening to all the ‘it’s over’ chat because of one signing reminds me of the Conte, Jose, Ralf, and Carlo fans that said the same when those, far more successful coaches, landed at their respective clubs.
Pochettino was the bigger worry. Charismatic, experienced, took a Spursy culture to the Champions League final, very experienced in the Premier League. ‘He fucked it at PSG’, honestly, who doesn’t these days? They spat out Don Unai, Thomas Tuchel, now Poch… it’s a poison club. Only one man wants that job and he’s sitting in the Spurs dugout for 5 more games.
Finally, before we go, there’s more talk about Gabriel Jesus. I am fully prepared to take a massive L on this one, but rather than embrace it now, I’m going to dig in a little deeper.
I think his primary motivation is to stay at City and sign a new deal
He only joins Arsenal if 1) We make the Champions League 2) He is a wide option for us.
He fits the profile of signing, young, hungry, experienced, with a year on his deal. I’m just not so sure this noise is about our ambition or the player trying to ask probing questions of Pep G, who looked very pissed about the line of attack from journalists.
Jesus is a top player, he plays for City, he’s won loads of things, he seems a total professional. I would just be very surprised if Arteta pivoted from bidding £60m for Vlahovic and agreeing terms with a 6ft3 striker, to deciding his ideal man was a small striker with a very limited goal impact up until the Watford game.
Still, no one in the Premier League is better equipped to judge the talent of Gabriel Jesus.
Remember, clubs play the game with journalists, the more stories in the ether, the better for Arsenal. Don’t fall in love with a a rumour yet.
… but be fully aware of this one fact.
When David Ornstein announces we’ve signed Gabriel, I am going two feet into stories like ‘HOW SHORT STRIKERS ARE THE NEW FRONTIER IN AERIAL THREAT’
I’ll flip harder than a drug dealer caught in an undercover sting. You have been warned.
Right, we have some extra content for you today.
Here is Pedro talking to Latte Firm. Top channel. Subscribe. They have a Gabriel breakdown tomorrow.
Then we have The Arsenal Opinion.
Bankz is here for the tr4phy again
Let’s do this!!!!!
grooveydaddy, come outside!
((((BOOOOOOM)))))
That was easy…..too easy.
4th
Bankz
I been gone for Jewish festivals, I’ll be back now 🙂
Haaahaaaa
DM bring it on.
I have missed you keeping me on my toes.
I can’t wait to beat you to the tr4phy consistently for the next couple of days.
I just wishTomiyasu is back in the side against WH. Cedric is a liability. He really struggled last weekend. I wonder why he is allowed to take free kicks. Nothing comes out of them totally.
Pedro
Conte didn’t have ant experience in the premier league before ,winning it in his first season, same as Ancelotti and Mourhino
Not saying Ten Hag will win anything but that line of attack is lame.
I think United have a lot of work to do and I’d be impressed/surprised if they got through it this summer.
Arsenal’s need is for a 20+ goal scorer. He doesn’t have to be tall, he doesn’t have to be big – Aguero, the best in PL for years was neither – but he must be a prolific goal scorer. I don’t see Gabriel Jesus fitting that role.
My guess is that the man is already identified – who he is I have no idea. But buying nobody in Jan suggests Edu is sure he’ll get him in the summer.
Ten haag will prob make them better but weve seen how long it took arteta to burn the deadwood. I dont think its arguable that man utd will do it quicker and better. Too much commercial revenue riding on star power there to be able to give him a free hand
Would be interesting to see saka on thebleft jesus on the right and some real power in CF
Love that elneny wants to stay regardless. Must be because artetas an asshole and a bad manager…
United have a lot of work to do. Ten hag is joining a toxic culture with average over paid players. The only way he will succeed is if they give him at least 3 years with no expectations of a result. Sancho, Varane, Degea, Van de beek, Elanga, Dalot, Shaw, Lindelof and may be Degea are the salvageable players. He would want to get rid of the rest IMO. He will use Ronaldo the first season if he doesn’t move. Same for Bruno Fernandez. They just gave a stupid huge new deal despite him having a long enough contract. It… Read more »
Degea twice 😂😂😂 he must be good 😂😂
Habesha
Jesus has said he doesnt want to play cf he wants to play rw
This leak makes more sense than rangnick’s ‘10 new players’ press debacle
https://www.espn.com/soccer/manchester-united-engman_utd/story/4650985/man-united-want-evolutionnot-revolution-under-erik-ten-hag-sources
Zacharse
Where did he say that? Can you provide a link?
Habesha “United have a lot of work to do. Ten hag is joining a toxic culture with average over paid players. The only way he will succeed is if they give him at least 3 years with no expectations of a result”. You’re talking a lot of sense. Ten Hag is already getting the same treatment Conte received; nothing but praise. Some people think it’s all so easy. It might be if you’re coming into a club with the best squad in the league but that’s not them. We had exactly the same thing with Mourinho when he went to… Read more »
Left side, Having used the weekend to speak with (and ridicule) many Man Utd supporting friends and family… Rangnick is either speaking the gospel or being fraudulent about United’s prospect. I thought Arteta was controversial but even Rangnick has drastically divided opinions within that fanbase Some of them believe that he is exaggerating the extent of their troubles and is deliberately throwing players under the bus to deflect blame from himself. Some believe that Ralph’s open critique of his squad is a breath of fresh air and exactly what their overpaid squad deserves. Their outlook for next season ranges from… Read more »
AFC Imagine getting all bent out of shape over half an inch, I mean even my wife doesn’t do that. It’s the 2 inches missing before it she’s more worried about.” 😂😂😂. I almost spit my drink. To be honest a shorter CB is a concern. But white has handled it like a boss. But his start against Toney was worrying. Now it doesn’t matter. Only few CBs succeed with that sort of height. But quality matters. Cannavaro was one of the best CBs I have ever seen and he was short for a CB. But CFs don’t need the… Read more »
Lacazette is an experienced striker . Eddie is a novice in comparison. This being the case , is it not surprising that Eddie manages to drop off effortlessly to link the play , whilst Lacazette rarely if ever finds space on the pitch , everything he does is under pressure and for an experienced player he seems to spend a lot of time on the floor compared to Eddie.. Pre season, Eddie looked ready and i said so enough times. He was unlucky to succumb to an injury at the start of the season when Aubamayang and Lacazette went down… Read more »
Habesha You won’t get any disagreement from me mate. It’s good to read sensible comment for a change. I think you’ve got most of that bang on. Football has changed now, a lot of that is down to the rule changes too. The days when you needed a 6ft 4” striker up top for aerial balls and knock downs are long gone. Football today is all about movement and playing between the lines. It’s much harder to defend against good movement than aerial balls. Now a big player with great movement sure but size is no longer the prerequisite it… Read more »
Here’s what I think will happen under Ten Haag , first and foremost Pogba is out and his fav Van de Beek is in . Second if he can manage it will be Frenkie de Jong . Thats his preferred midfield pivot with Fred as a DM . Can you imagine the kind of passes De Jong can play with Ronaldo upfront . Ronaldo if he stays will be used as Haller has been this season , he already has Sancho from wide positions . All he has to do is sort out the defense . If it was Poch… Read more »
If man utd had beaten us on Saturday which was a possibility if the penalties had gone their way, then we’d be joint on points with them. We are just as far away from Liverpool and City as united are. You could argue that man utd have more current potential than us as its only up for them whereas we are more at our current level. I think we will get top four now but we are probably at least 6 first team players away from challenging the top 2. First choice rb and lb as tomiyasu and Tierney are… Read more »
Jonathan David is the striker for us.
habesha here’s one, bet you can find more if you look
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gabriel-jesus-man-city-winger-21876848
all ten haag has to do is buy a few players… ya maybe on football manager. in the real world and more importantly for an extended campaign that sees injuries, luck, etc force the unexpected you need culture, leadership… the intangibles that money doesn’t buy. anyone can use money for a quick ix like at everton, like we used to do, but eventually what happens is what happened to emery- all the things you overlooked come back to haunt you, the expert and/or thuggish tacticians of the PL find a way to nullify the strengths and then what are you… Read more »
Pedro,
United might just be the only club that’s as poisoned as PSG. They need a massive reboot but their commercial commitments won’t allow for 3 years in the wilderness. Plus, they have three times as many toxic characters in the dressing room as Arteta had to deal with. It will be a shit show and Ten Hag should have known better.
“You could argue that man utd have more current potential than us as its only up for them whereas we are more at our current level.”
why would anyone waste time with this kind of coulda woulda shoulda especially after we just beat them? ya some luck went our way for once but if you think they were the better TEAM on the day you are mistaken.
We first wanted Jesus in Wenger days…
It’s a yes from me
Conte really should be heading to PSG. So Spurs can hire a coach more to their level.
There were 2 names I was hoping Man United didnt try to hire, Erik Ten Haag and Marco Rose because I think either one of these coaches would do so well for them. They went for Ten Haag and despite how much some people are trying to downplay this hire, I think he is gonna do well for them.
“But Ragnick as DoF and Ten Hag as manager does worry me”
If Ralf continues on as the DOF, his consultancy company stands to benefit immensely from a massive team rebuild. Watch this space.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13804710/officers
If his partner, Lars Kornetka (who just left Lokomotiv), joins him in the UK, that’s a sign he’s here for the long haul.
On an unrelated note, Folarin Balogun, also has a company registered with the same accountants (Saffery Champness) as Rangnick.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13346116/officers
Naija,
Hiring Ten Hag is pretty massive. He is an elite manager and it’s a sign that they’re willing to go back to the drawing board. Though as with any change in football, there’s always a chance it doesn’t go to plan. I think he’ll do well there too but I’ll be gutted if that happens.
Naija
What do u mean downplay it? I think were all saying they could hire god and it would still take three years to clear the decks
Zacharse,
How are you so sure it will take three years to regenerate that team? Not every club moves at the same pace as we do.
I think they have 14 players whose contacts are expiring between this year and the next. By August 2023, it could virtually be a whole new team.
Robbie, Ralf said it would take 6 yrs and they need 10
Players this summer.
United board have apparently told Ten Hag it is evolution not revolution.
You love the greener grass. United players already saying they don’t know if Ten Hag is strong enough: code for, it’s only Ajax mate.
I also like Jonathan David and think we can get both him and Jesus if we can unload Pepe. Then Arteta will have the ability to rotate Guardiola style, with 5 subs also. We could also avoid overpaying for Eddie to stay and let Martinelli be 3rd striker. Though I do rate Nketiah and think he will score lots for some team. He just isn’t going to get the chances to start for us.
Arteta screwed up by not giving him starts when Aubameyang left.
No one, and I mean no one, could argue United has more potential than arsenal right now 😂
Also Robbie, the people that say it’s not that bad are the same people that said Arteta was a fraud because he cut out the toxic players and took time to rebuild.
If Ralf says it’s shit, if Jose says it’s shit, if Jesse Lingaard says it’s shit, it really doesn’t matter what @POGBA198768 says to counter that… because it’s shit.
There are no quick fixes at United. As LS said, only club in worse shape is PSG
Zacharse… I’m glad you nailed Bigper so I didn’t have to do it.. Imagine saying United have anything better than us at this time. The negativity is constant from this guy, it’s like he’s Killroys twin. Every point in his comment was down on Arsenal. We are a unified team, on the up, with an identity and style of play. United are a bunch of big contracts running around on the pitch. They don’t care about the club, and many of them will have to go. We have a shot at Pedro’s “stretch goal” as we hoped we would. We… Read more »
Nigel, Bigper in the mud. He’s a card carrying ‘if we finish 4th, it’s because everyone else is shut’ type.
Sancho is on how much??!! 😂😂😂
manure, looking like a shit show.
dreamy days.
come may, after the football Gods have blessed us with 4th, we’ll be sponsored by Amazon after the doc goes supernova.
Part 1 will be Exodus, part 2, Genesis, with Jesus and Abraham leading us to the promised land in part 3.
Deus per omnia.
I like Ten Hag a lot. He was probably my #2 choice after Conte. But I wouldn’t go as far as saying that he’s elite. The success in Ajax means nothing until you go to a big boy league in a big boy club. He doesn’t have much experience in dealing with egos as big as the ones in manure. I really like the manager but he isn’t proven. Nowhere near to say he’s elite as of this moment.
I still think not bring a striker in january was a mistake BUT not ROTATE the squad was the BIGGEST ONE. It is clear that Elneny and Nkethia can do a good job, if they can shine against Chelsea and United of course they can do it against lesser teams. Arteta is with them everyday he should have known that they were ready. It seems he has seen his mistake hopefully he learned the lesson because if we get CL, rotation will be key next season. Teams look better know, just 5 games to go, hope we make it to… Read more »
Pedro, They have 5 players whose contacts expire this June. They’re already going to have to recruit 5 just to replace what they’re losing. 10 players, while unrealistic, is not that far off from what they actually need for next season (European qualification withstanding). It shouldn’t really take 6 years for a big club like Utd to rebuild their team. It didn’t take Chelsea six years in 2003-2005, nor Man City in 2008-2012, nor Liverpool in 2015-2018. Lingard (allegedly) said the dressing room atmosphere is shambolic. Meanwhile, Rangnick is saying his squad is not fit for purpose and that the… Read more »
Peds I still want to know what you meant by Saka being as good as Salah goals and assist wise
IAT, Class of 92 are absolutely awful at management, running clubs, and identifying the true issues. Of course your brother wants him out, he doesn’t understand what it takes to rebuild a club, just like most Arsenal fans. United losing 5 players for nothing menas no incoming revenue. United having key players, that are shit, on mega money, means they can’t sell Ten Hag doesn’t have a quick fix. He needs a certain type of player to operate his style. It is a slow rebuild for them. Also… elite. Rap has it right, at least Conte can manage divas because… Read more »
Goober, big error:
https://twitter.com/theafterpartey/status/1518147749493067776?s=21&t=VWpYZ_ka9lbY6cMNJBtRxA
“No one, and I mean no one, could argue United has more potential than arsenal right now 😂”
In terms of squad potential, probably not. Though you could have easily said the same thing when comparing Liverpool’s squad to Arsenal’s squad at the start of 2016/17. We all know how that turned out in the end.
I think a good managerial appointment raises a club’s prospects more than any group of players could.
The only way Manchester United emerge as a great club again, is if Elon Musk buys them.
Public company. It could happen. LoL
IAT, a manager means nothing if the infrastructure is shit. Yr 3 of Klopp is not comparable to ground zero for United. Arsenal under Wenger was never going anywhere and everyone knew that. You are hyping a greener grass. Quite incredible how much vision is needed to get excited about United… yet you spent most of this season claiming Arteta was a busted flush. ‘ We have struggled to create quality chances under Arteta. I think we could have Lewandowski leading our line and we would still struggle for goals based on we set-up our attack.’ Odegaard and Saka in… Read more »
“United having key players, that are shit, on mega money, means they can’t sell
Ten Hag doesn’t have a quick fix. He needs a certain type of player to operate his style. It is a slow rebuild for them.”
14 of those players will be gone by June 2023. The “need” to sell those players is an afterthought. In the space of 1 calendar year, Ten Hag can overhaul the squad.
Even quicker if they go the Arsenal route with terminating contracts. He just needs to survive the first year.
Haha cheers peds. I was thinking you meant mane.
Was just funny to read.
IAT, ‘ Bruce and Arteta are cut from the same cloth. They rely more on their perceived persona than their managerial and tactical ability. In my opinion anyway.’ That was a classic. This one is my fave tho: ‘That since Christmas table is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in a while. It completely ignores some of our worst form in half a century. It’s like analysing growth in the British financial sector but completely ignoring 2008-2012’ 5 games to go, how is that table since Christmas looking? Like Christmas baby! 🚀 Not sure how you made your… Read more »
Goober, I said it on a podcast earlier; BIG fail
Odegaard and Saka in the top 5 for chance creation and you couldn’t see that an elite striker makes us better? https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/big_chance_created https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/clubs/big_chance_created?se=274 As I said, we’re still struggling to create big chances (xG of >0.4). In individual rankings, Saka is joint 14th and Ødegaard joint 30th for big chances created. In the club rankings we’re 12th placed for big chances created. You can repost my comments from your treasure trove till you have a record as long as the Old Testament, I still stand by those comments amigo😁. You’re the same dude who rated Rangnick higher than Conte when… Read more »
Pedro says: “Odegaard and Saka in the top 5 for chance creation and you couldn’t see that an elite striker makes us better?”. This simple statement is undeniable in it’s clarity. Yet you still have Arsenal “fans” here trying to dig up some contrary stats to fight it, or use some twisted logic to argue against it. What is wrong with some of these people? Even without Ødegaard and Saka being so high up in those categories, would they still watch our games and not see that a good CF would do wonders in this starting 11? I say it… Read more »
Ten Hag is an impressive manager but I’m not too worried about United. The funny thing is that the more modern a manager they get, the worse the fit. They need someone in the traditional Italian mould who can play a low block without pressing and still get results while they’re executing a rebuild. With a few exceptions (Sancho, Elantra), the players who are actually performing and have an elite mentality are all old and don’t have the legs for the type of football someone like Ten Hag or Poch wants to play. That’s a pretty unique predicament because in… Read more »
IAT Robbie what is your point man!?You overlook all the important facts going on here. here is the article i posted earlier, maybe read it https://www.espn.com/soccer/manchester-united-engman_utd/story/4650985/man-united-want-evolutionnot-revolution-under-erik-ten-hag-sources rangnick says we need 10 players and six years. at the beginning of the week an insider leaks to espn WECAN”T DO THAT for exactly the reasons i said before i saw the article.THEY HAVE A FINANCIAL MODEL THAT RELIES ON STAR POWER. That means HIGH WAGES HIGH TRANSFER FEES. that means being cornholed a)because they dont have CL or ass 538 gave them a 1% chance of making it before they lost to… Read more »
IAT, Ralf won’t burn United to the ground. Conte will do that to Spurs. Not sure where I wrote Ralf was a better coach, maybe you could find that?
If you think Saka and Odegaard won’t bang with a proper striker, I can’t help you
If you stand by the half season table being nonsense, just look where we are now, you were wrong and any numbers person would have told you that
If you think Arteta is like Steve Bruce, then you need to tap out my man
Arteta taking names this season, beautiful stuff
if theyb want kane, rice and nunez that going tobe more than 300m in fees and wages that no one elsew would dare go near. they want to sell wan-bissaka, martial, bailly, phil jones, telles, butthe reality is they probably won’t get too many of thosedeals done because of wages which means fewer players out fewer players in whichmeans theywill soon be in the position we were in this year with a paper thin squad
POTENTIAL!?>>><<<<?????
“Conte didn’t have ant experience in the premier league before ,winning it in his first season, same as Ancelotti and Mourhino”
They were dropped unto a Chelsea squad. What all 3 have in common is a personality capable of managing big players.
👆🏻Yes yes yes
Meanwhile theyll have fernandes for how long now and on what wages? They’ll have van de beek back from a potential relegation side and who is their captain and leadership group? Maguire and de gea? Whats gonna happen w rashford… his name has been strangely absent from the last weeks press perhaps theyre going to extend his contract whixh means a rise on 200… i just dont see it even if they manage to move on 14 players in 2 years
I know some people will be worried about Ten Hag going to Man Utd but I’m not. I’m quietly confident that they’ve got it wrong again. Why? Man Utd is a club built on big egos. Players go to Man Utd because they want to have that name on their CV and they want to win things right away. Just at look at the people they recruited recently: Sancho, Varane, Maguire… CR7 not exactly shrinking violets are they? Ten Hag is not that type of manager. He’s a thinker, a developer and a nurturer. He will do great things for… Read more »
*Man City
*Or get out the popcorn! 🍿
agree leeds, so many things have to not go wrong over a 3 yr period for man utd to go thru what weve gone thru and for it to work. even with zidane/conte they wouldnt be guaranteed top 4 but your point i s well made
Ten Hag is absolutely the best choice Man United could have made. The good news for us is that Man United are such a mess they will probably have to go with the Arsenal template and tear everything down and build it back up brick by brick. However, in all reality, who is there in the current team that is worth keeping for the long-term? Fernandes and De Gea have pedigree in the league and Sancho has been looking more of a threat as the season has progressed. Elanga is a promising talent and Fred and McTominay make good #3… Read more »
bacary
Nope.
The best move for Man United is for the guys in suits to decide what kind of club they want Man United to be.
Ten Hag does not strike me as the guy needed for the current Man United. They need Zidane.
If they choose Ten Hag, it will be a United that is more about work than glamour.
But as usual, I think the top brass are all over the place. A bit like ours.
China1
I heard that the lockdown is moving to Beijing. Tianjin isn’t that far off.
I think you need to start doing a bit of modest hoarding.
Dark Hei
Should be a no for Zidane. If United are looking for a foundation then Ten Hag is the guy. Have no idea how he navigates through next season with Ronaldo on the books but it’ll be a great test of his management skills.
Man everyone here is gay for United tonight. Fuck United. Who do you guys think starts at RB this week, can Tomi make it back to the starting 11? If he does, will Arteta bench Nuno and play Cedric at LB? Harsh for me if he does, Nuno was all over the place but also very much a threat and I think he needs game time to work out the errors in his game. El neny probably earned another start. And Pepe over Martinelli for me if Saka is out. 3 points to carry the momentum forward, can’t bottle it… Read more »
The reason Saka has such a good goals/assist return is because he is prepared to take risks with the ball and is not afraid to fail.. You normally find that players such as Debruyne, Salah Harry Kane and trent Arnold are very low in the pass percentage stats mainly because they will take risks with the ball. There is a reason Odegaard is so low down for big chances created , he is a safety first player , something I’m afraid that Ozil became in his last few seasons at Arsenal. Odegaard intrigues me because i think he has so… Read more »
Always ready to bite at odes heel at the slightest opportunity. How many big chances was ESR creating when he was playing as the 10? All the time ozil was here you were posting chances created and key passes stat but now its all about the big chance? Taa has more big chances created this season than modric. Guess modric is a safety first player too? How about ozil always topping assists chats ahead of iniesta and co. Guess they too are risk adverse?
LG Tomiyasu should start, plus i would prefer Martinelli to pepe as i would like to see how eddie , smith rowe and Martinelli link up with Odegaard.. Tavares is a bit of a loose cannon but we do tend to look more dangerous going forward with him in rhe side. It was noticeable that Tavares played quite high up the pitch v united especially in rhw first half with Xhaka covering tavares.. This is a smart move by Arteta as firstly it means xhaka is moved away from the higher position he was playing previously in which he was… Read more »
Raulishuss
“Always ready to bite at odes heel at the slightest opportunity”
The only one biting is you , my comment was complimentary towards Odegaard if you have the football intelligence to understand what i was saying.
Arsenal have gotten lucky in several matches. Improvement of the midfield especially on build up and holding the ball in the final third needs to be emphasised. Arteta’s rebuild did well for the defence, a great passer and creative midfielder would improve the midfield. A player in the mould of Thiago Alcantra will keep the team ticking. A creative player like Madisson or Florian Wirtz that can connect with our midfielders can provide cover and unpredictability. A striker is essential, however we may get back to the position of Auba where we don’t have a midfield that can dominate matches… Read more »
Raulishuss “Taa has more big chances created this season than modric. Guess modric is a safety first player too? ” Actually you are confirming what i was saying by using modric and trent arnold as a comparison. Modric has a 90% pass completion Trent Arnold , 78% pass completion. Modric 1.2 passes key passes per game Trent arnold 2.7 key passes per game. What you will find raulishuss, is that players like kane, Debruyne, trent Arnold, salah have a pass completion of 80% or lower . So yes , modric is less of a risk taker with the ball, probably… Read more »
Pierrre
Dont you think Odegaard is more like David Silva than KdB ?
Divinesherlock
I mentioned kane, trent Arnold, salah and Debruyne so there was not a comparison in their playing style , more about their thinking when they are on the ball in the final third of the pitch.
Maybe Odegaard is playing to Arteta’s instructions, who knows..
Luteo I don’t put anything past this team anymore. On paper, having beaten Chelsea and Man United, had we beaten Brighton or Southampton last week we should be well clear now in the race to top 4 but it is what it is. With Tomi back Tavares should have the freedom to venture forward without our whole back line looking ragged. Remember they’ve played together before when Tierney was out earlier this season. I hope we hit West Ham with pace. With them having to play makeshift centre backs or academy players in that role we should hit them hard… Read more »
Three more wins to the promised land.
Samesong It’s at times like these that Arsenal fans should reflect on how lucky we were to be able to watch our team year after year in the champions league. The entitled fans who turned on Wenger all those years ago must be cringing at how wrong they were to think it was so easy to qualify for the champions league every season whilst playing such open , expansive , entertaining football.. It will nothing short of disastrous for the club if we do not make top 4 this season as there is nothing to say that we will be… Read more »
Thanks Pedro, good post! I love the Gabriel Jesus pre-transfer love-in at the end. If we do sign him, I’m sure you’ll be waxing lyrical throughout the 22/23 season! I’m all for the transfer personally. Ideally as Johnny said he would be one of two forward players but even if he is the marquee forward signing, I can see a 20 goal a season striker for us. The fact he’s not the size of Haaland or Nunez is a non-issue in my opinion, he’s got all the in-the-box tools to be significant attacking threat for us. He wouldn’t be my… Read more »
Is Saka definitely out? I know there was some murmured talk about him being injured?
Although he probably could do with a rest?!?
Pierre
Wenger kept us in the CL , true . But how many seasons did we really compete for it ?: Same in PL in his later years . This time it feels like we are building a squad good enough to compete for major honors.
.”He opened his locker in the closing stages of the game and all the flicks and tricks came out , one and 2 touch give and goes , the confidence was oozing from him..”
Pierre, didn’t you mean to say the confidence was ooziling from him?
Pierre
The present bunch of academy players have not been afforded the chance of slowly working their way into the first team due to our failure to qualify for Europe and failure in the FA cup
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You are the second person in Le Grove who mentioned the failure in the FA cup. We were eliminated by Nottingham Forest. WTF!
I am gutted that Ten Hag is leaving Ajax. He was so incredible at my club. I have always secretly wished that he would end up at Arsenal as I have massive love for them due to the Bergkamp, Overmars and Van Persie days. Plus I think ETH would do amazing at Arsenal. Also, I have been reading this blog for a while, but I don’t really understand why there is so much love for Arteta. Ten Hag may not be proven in the Premier League, but he has so many more credentials than Arteta… He had one of the… Read more »
Creative players live and die by movement around them. We’ve already established Odegaard is not the type of player to dribble past opponents, so for him to be effective his teammates need to their bit. Nine times out of ten when Arsenal aren’t playing well as a team, Odegaard will have a poor game too. It’s a bit of a chicken/egg thing for some, but for me personally, it will always start with the movement of his teammates. Saka, on the other hand, can have decent game when Arsenal are poor, because he can do things on his own many… Read more »
Beating United will always take priority over any other team for me. Growing up they were the enemy, never Spurs. Spurs were an irrelevant mid-table team and that is how I still view them today.
United are the enemy. Always good to put them in their place.
Their fans are insufferable, they still think they are some powerhouse of world football, a deluded lot.
.”He opened his locker in the closing stages of the game and all the flicks and tricks came out , one and 2 touch give and goes , the confidence was oozing from him..” Pierre, Ode’s flick to Eddy came on 25 minutes, and one to Saka for his pen a minute later, so not sure how you can say closing stages of the game. You’re a solid poster and I always have time for your analysis, but not in case of Odegaard. Your off the charts Ozil positive bias makes it impossible for you to have an open mind… Read more »
Tom “Creative players live and die by movement around them” Which is why i made the point that playing with a more mobile striker has helped Odegaard. People shouldn’t be so defensive about Odegaard, i think he could do more when we are behind in a match . We have only come from behind once all season and that is when the elite playmakers show their worth. Odegaard creating chances when we are already ahead as you mentioned is fine but let’s see him do it when the chips are down. This is when players , not only Odegaard, need… Read more »
Pierre- not making top four this year will NOT be disastrous.Disappointing YES.As in so close but yet so far.Zoe Disapointing financially & the players we could attract? But as Pedro has pointed out.We’re ahead of schedule.Progress has clearly been made.It would be nice not to blow it.Hopefully no more twists & turns for us.Just a straight road to the promised land😀
Is Ten Hag an exceptional coach or just a good coach that was lucky enough to have An Antony in his squad?
Manure would quadruple his wages…