TACTICAL FLEXING + WHAT CHELSEA WILL TELL US ABOUT PALACE 11

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Ugh… preseason games against clubs that are our rivals can be really irritating.

If we beat Chelsea this evening, I’ll be knee sliding onto Twitter to confirm that, yes, we are going to win the league.

If we lose, I will build a trench, hunker down, and fire ‘IT WAS TOO HOT’ commentary at the weirdos that’ll get off on the loss.

It’s a no-win situation.

Preseason is good for confidence, but let’s be honest, beating Liverpool in the Community Shield a few years ago didn’t do much for our title aspirations, did it?

The game won’t impact our season, but it’ll make us feel good if we put on a show.

There are two more games left of the preseason. My suspicion is that the club probably know, loosely, who is going to be ready for the first game of the season. I suspect a large chunk of the game this evening will be the starting 11 for the Crystal Palace game that lands in 2 weeks!

Here are some suppositions:

The fullback situation is probably going to look like it did at the end of last season. If KT and Tomi aren’t available, then I’d guess they aren’t going to have enough time to get match fit for the Palace game. What we have to hope is the problems they have aren’t recurring and they aren’t BIG issues. If Tomi has done his calf again, I’m gonna lose it.

Right back is going to be the position to watch. There are three options, Cedric, Ben White, and William Saliba. My guess is you will see Ben White occupying the role. He’s better on the ball than Cedric, he’s a stronger defender, and he has previous doing the role. I also think asking Saliba to fill in there could be problematic. Put the smaller more nimble player there. White also looked really sharp when he inverted the other night.

Not sure if I mentioned this yesterday, but William Saliba is apparently close to signing a new deal with the club. Quite something. Just remember all the folk that spent all last season squealing about how badly he’d been treated, about how upset the player would be, about how Arteta wouldn’t take him back, that if he came back he’d not sign a new deal. Remember those people today. What makes this Saliba story even more delicious is there are stories that Barcelona has been trying to get him to move to them for the past 4 months. The kid was so unphased by a world-class loan period, he pushed away the advances of Barcelona. Wow. Don’t infantilize grown men that are elite alpha athletes. They aren’t bitches. They are the top 0.00001% of humans that can play a global game at the highest level. They like competition.

No doubt in my mind we’re going to start the season with Zinchenko at left-back. Nuno Tavares has taken a loan move to Atalanta (NO BUY CLAUSE), which from a coaching perspective, feels like a really, really good move. KT hasn’t been seen. So hopefully the fact that Zinchenko speaks the language of JcP as well as any player in the world, he’ll click right away. Let’s hope his fitness is where it needs to be!

Our starting midfield partnership this season is going to be Granit and Thomas Partey and I think that’s right, I suspect they’ll roll out today. If they can control the game at home against City, I gotta tell you, I think they can control anyone. Xhaka comes with flaws, but he also comes with a lot of benefits, and he brings out the best in Partey. The evolution for Granit this season is that he will be pushed higher up the pitch as a #8, and that will allow our system to transition to Thomas P and a more advanced #8 like… Tielemans.

It’s also interesting that Arsenal have given up on Lokonga as a #6, they apparently now see him as a #8 LCM, I think that came from Gunnerblog? I agree though. I think Sambi offers more further up the pitch. He’s too young and inexperienced to be our #8 this season, I think that’ll be Tielemans, but he’s a great rotation option and I think people are sleeping on him and he’ll show that this year.

I’m not sure where the front 3 is going to go. Emile Smith Rowe has been absent, I think Gabi Martinelli might occupy the left, Gabriel Jesus through the middle, with Bukayo on the right. We also can’t rule out Eddie occupying the left more this season, potentially playing in a two with Jesus.

The thing I’m most excited about is the tactical flexibility Arteta is baking into the squad. He’s trying to make us unpredictable. He has players intelligent enough now to switch up systems after 15 minutes. It’s a very NFL play-by-play type approach, but being able to switch to something new can backfoot teams and cause all sorts of headaches if you can do it well. It also should help us in the big games. If Arteta can make a formation decision 2 minutes before kick-off, you can be very damaging.

Finally, James from The Athletic said that a data presentation convinced Gabi Jesus to move to Arsenal. Arsenal use all sorts of fancy tools, some proprietary I believe, to show players what their role in our system is, the sort of chances they’ll get, when they’ll bring to the side, and I reckon they probably ran a model that said ‘last season, you’d have scored 20 goals in our system and Arsenal would have finished 3rd.’

Reality here: Gabi Jesus and Zinchenko didn’t move to Arsenal to play for 4th. They’ve been told we’re going to challenge for the league in 2 seasons’ time. Guffaw at that, soil your panties that it’s aggressive but damn… doesn’t it feel good that someone at the club is finally dreaming big?

Right, that’s me done. Get the podcast into your system. Matt and Pedro are going to go On The Whistle so UK fans have something to watch right after the game tomorrow morning. It’ll be Patreon tho. So you’re gonna have to pony up some cash/money to see it.

Become a Patron!

558 Comments
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MidwestGun

Well I’m ready.. let’s get it on.. Got my drinks and some pasta..

MidwestGun

Yep Peds.. That Amazon doc should be interesting.. the trailor had a little of eveything.

Left Testicle

I don’t recall calling MA meek. Other things? Yes. Meek? I don’t think so. How would I know?

georgia boy

COYG

Florida Cup incoming

MidwestGun

Is there an actual Cup? That is my deep question for the day..

Freddie Ljungberg

He has been bad at in game management though, hence why why almost never came back from a losing position last season.

That’s of course also linked with having poor options on the bench but more could have been done on that front. Pepe would have given goals if he had more minutes, Eddie could have gotten more playing time much earlier etc.

Squad is much stronger this season so hoping on some major improvement there.

Mr Serge

What channel is it on in America ?

Left Testicle

I think you have the wrong guy Pedro. I called him out on things like in game management, but I didn’t say he was meek. Again, how would I know? I’m not in the dressing room!

MidwestGun

Serge- Espn +

Left Testicle

Meek
quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive

I would have no problem saying I called him meek but I didn’t.

Nigel Tufnel

I’ve posted numerous times why Xhaka needs to be upgraded. But the obsession with some of you mugs is really unhealthy.
Whinging from the lineup…
Just enjoy the game and leave the guy alone. You need someone to bully and scapegoat to make your lives seem better?

georgia boy

not sure if they get a cup. Maybe a free ride on space mountain.

Espn+ (subscription) in America

MidwestGun

Jesus is like an angry hornet .. dude is everywhere.

Nigel Tufnel

Pundits putting spuds in top 2?

Levys friends really control that media..

MidwestGun

Werner was offside.. no var.. I suppose in preseason.

MidwestGun

Saka didn’t catch that shot clean… Gallagher hacking dudes down.

Mr Serge

It’s on Chelsea.com over here

Nelson

Saka wants to shoot through the leg.

izzo

I love our transfers this summer. We’re gonna have a fun season. I expect Jesus will top the goal scoring charts.

Left Testicle

Who is Salaber?

Venga, Dani

Chelsea resorting to hacking us down in a preseason friendly.

MidwestGun

Salaber.. could be new englander announcer they add an ER to everyones name.

Venga, Dani

What a ball from Zinchenko!

georgia boy

Great ball zinchenko

MidwestGun

Hopefully we score why we have them penned in.

georgia boy

YES SIR

MidwestGun

Jesus scores!!!! beautifil chip. !

Thierry Martinelli

I’m awake!!!!!!
Almost missed the game. 3.17am in East Africa.

Thierry Martinelli

Good goal!!!!!

Venga, Dani

Jesus looked offside by quite a margin

Dissenter

Yea, we are going to rock this season

Had a crazy dream the other day that we won the league under Arteta

Venga, Dani

NVM~!

MidwestGun

He looks so sharp.. this preseason… hope he can maintain it when the season starts.

Sly

Arteta Arsenal looking sharp 😄

Dissenter

“Jesus looked offside by quite a margin”

He was very ,much onside
The Chelsea defenders didn’t have a problem with it

MidwestGun

If we can keep this starting lineup healthy with our manic pressure … going to be a good season.

Cezan P

I tell you something, I’ve not had a feeling like this about an arsenal team for a long time, it feels different, we look dominant.

Dissenter

Saliba is what you call a RR defender
He has that grace in his movements and always seems to start from the right position so he doesn’t have much running to do.

Thierry Martinelli

Zinch came in an demanded game time. Warrior mentality.

georgia boy

Fuckin saliba looks so good, nice little boot to push it out there

Dissenter

Thierry
I think it’s more of case of Zinchenko came in…and he met a crocked competitor.

Dissenter

Partey is so damn good

Mr Serge

Saliba is gonna be number one witching a month

Vickingz

You just can’t play no counter attack with xhaka, he kills counter attacks automatically

MidwestGun

Saliba is just smooth.. Ben White can do what TT does.. at rb… so for me.. why change it.. if it looks good.

AFC Forever

That Jesus finish was top class. He’s a fantastic player. Credit to Xhaka great pass.

MidwestGun

Gatorade break..

Venga, Dani

Gotta say this XI looks pretty saucy

Sly

Congrats on the baby Pedro
Welcome to fatherhood

Dissenter

Mid
Yea, Ben White looks solid as RB but it’s no fair to him if he’s to make England’s World Cup squad
Hopefully Ben White gets his fair share of games in the middle

Venga, Dani

Saliba looks like he came out of the womb being pressed by forwards…so calm!

MidwestGun

Diss-
I hope he doesnt make it to be honest.. Im worried about what the World Cup is gonna do to all our player who play in the Cup already.

MidwestGun

62k to see a exhibition match in Flo-rida.. not bad.

Dissenter

Nothing a nice cast wont do for Martinelli’s hand
May have broken something

Mr Serge

Amazing turn up for a friendly

MidwestGun

It looked dislocated possibly.. the way they pulled on it.

Dissenter

Yea, only global teams like Arsenal and Chelsea can fill up stadiums everywhere

MidwestGun

ODE!!!!!!!!

Venga, Dani

ODEGAARD!!!

Venga, Dani

Brilliant from Martinelli + ODE.

MidwestGun

That damn shit Ozil again.

Sly

Odegaard beautiful

Jonnygunner

Fucking lovely finish

Dissenter

There’s something building
Something tingling down my spine
We are going to do something special this season

Nelson

WoW! We outplay Chelsea!

Jonnygunner

We’re moving the ball quickly,precisely and shutting them down immediately we lose posession

Samuel

Our starting XI is starting to look real nice actually.

Thierry Martinelli

OMG!!

MidwestGun

Hahaha Saliba Ultras in force at the game .. chanting his name.

Mr Serge

Top 3 diss I am telling you now

Paul Mc Daid

Watched the Orlando game on a very good stream the other night that someone mentioned but can’t remember the name, Watching this on ESPN + but just wondering what the stream was for future reference. Think it was like 6 letters

Dissenter

Our overall play is beginning to look like a machine
The pressing looks unforced, just natural

Jonnygunner

Only a friendly I know,but we look sooo much better than the end of last season

Luteo Guenreira

Great goal by Odegaard.

NW9 gunner

Pierre must be squirming – Martinelli brilliant and Odegard scoring

AFC Forever

Welcome to Artetaball.

That goal from m Odegaard was like pinball. Ridiculous finish. It’s all about the movement. That’s what happens when you load the team with technical players (ballers).

MidwestGun

Its going to be whether we can stay healthy or not…over the long haul. other wise. Im very optimistic.. especially if we sign another midfielder.. Glad the season starts soon.. be a shame to waste the momentum.

Dissenter

There problem we’ll have is the big gap between the starting 11 and maybe 5 subs…and the rest of the squad

Second half is going to be crap for us, Chelsea’s depth will balance the game.

Mr Serge

This is what happens when a manager gets his type of players in
Exciting times lads

Nigel Tufnel

Erikson would be better than Ødegaard lol.

AFC Forever

Midwest

I agree. We can see what we’ve missed with Partey’s injuries. He’s looking good.

MidwestGun

Yep second half could be ugly if we do mass subsitutions which we probably will. Doesnt matter cuz we owned them this half. 😀

georgia boy

One of partey’s better shots

Dissenter

Eriksen is going to make United better, that’s just fact.
The comparisons are just trouble baiting

MidwestGun

Jesus, Marti and Ode putting on a skillz exhibition to close out the half.

Mr Serge

We are pressing so well and the passing is sweet

Venga, Dani

This half has been incredibly encouraging.

georgia boy

odegaard silky over here

Mr Serge

Gutted I am missing the first 3 home games of the season damn holiday and then work commitments

MidwestGun

Mount with a rocket.. killed the post.

AFC Forever

Pedro

“Something special brewing at Arsenal”

Yes mate, I know I keep saying it but I’m really excited by what Arteta is slowly building. It’s only pre-season but you can see what we’re doing.

Dissenter

Chelsea’s squad is in a tumultuous state
They don’t even have names on their jerseys

Zacharse

the annoounces on espn have no idea who’s playing. really hard to believe he doesnt know who mason mount is if youre a soccer annoucner…

MidwestGun

Good half that was fun… Did Sterling even touch the ball? maybe once.

Just Another Customer

the first half is all that matters and it’s really promising would love to see us play that kind of tempo against Palace just to make a statement after the defeat last season

Nelson

Xhaka doesn’t cover his man!