Well, my friends, it would seem the xG warriors and the underlying performance pirates are on the rampage, pillaging old tweets of folk who went far too aggressively against the team in December.
Arsenal comfortably with the best attack in the league by npxG since jesus came back from injury late november. 21.03 npxG, liverpool in second with 17.86 npxG. Lazy narratives gonna narrative.
— Seewrap (@craptor) January 22, 2024
With a shot chaser from Scott Willis.
Since Jesus came back from his last knee injury Arsenal have 2.2 non-pen xG (best) and are +1.28 in non-pen difference (best) https://t.co/R7pEJbyLbG
— Scott Willis (@scottjwillis) January 22, 2024
… and hot dang, I’m feeling frisky. Gabriel Jesus might only have 3 Premier League goals this season, but his impact on the team from an xG perspective is a sight to behold. I know people find these performance metrics boring, but to have a better output than Liverpool, the league’s xG monsters, is surprising to me.
Here’s what we don’t know about these numbers. Is the correction in performance against Crystal Palace a sign of things to come? Or will we revert to creating loads of nice chances but no one to finish them?
This is the faith part of xG. You either believe we’ll start scoring more goals than xG like last season or you don’t. I think we have a 5th gear to hit over the next 2 months and Palace was the start of something special. So we’ll see where this ends.
Injury news was positive. Declan Rice will be in the squad for the Forest game. That really does feel like an important moment. There’s no point in seeing Thomas Partey back in the side if we don’t have Declan. Thomas gives us new options we haven’t seen before… but he can’t be trusted alone. Declan is essential to us controlling Liverpool.
Thomas Partey will also be in contention for the Forest game. I’m expecting to see him on the bench so he can be ready for the Liverpool game. That’s a very sexy option for Arsenal to have and it’s one that will be consequential for success in the major tournaments we’re fighting for.
There was also an update on Jurrier Timber. Sami Mokbel said he’ll start training with everyone else at the end of February. There are some saying this means he’ll be in contention for first-team action in February, which you should categorically dismiss. I’d pencil him in for a squad appearance in the two weeks after the March international break. I’ve been over it plenty of times on here as to why late March is most likely, but you don’t need to take my word for it now, if he’s doing real work with the player at the end of February, you can see why even a late March date is cutting it close.
He has to go from ball work on his own to getting chased down by Declan Rice and Kai Havertz. He’ll be doing a lot more intermittent sprinting, he’ll be cutting back at speeds fast enough to fool the best players in the world, and he’ll be getting booted around. Not to mention the pressure in his mind.
‘Will my knee blow?’
‘Where has my form gone?’
‘Am I slower?’
We also have to remember he only played a tiny part of our season. He is coming from Eredivisie. It’ll take him time to adapt to the league.
Thomas Partey hadn’t trained with the team just before Liverpool when people were saying he’d be back early. His hopeful return against Forest will be 6 weeks from that date. He had surgery, was keen to get back, and it took him time.
Transfer-wise, it’s all a little bit dead. We were offered Benzema and said no. Not sure picking up 5 months of his £100m wages was ever going to fly, nor was a player who doesn’t have the off the ball movement we need. Fabrizio thinks there might be some late window action for The Smith, but only if there’s a sale. Who can you see spending £35m here? Not many. As predicted in December, it’s seeming very unlikely we’ll make any moves this window. It’s best that way if you like busy summers.
Final piece of news. Mo Salah has come back injured from AFCON. It’s serious. Apparently. We’ll believe that when we don’t see him lining up to harrass Zinchenko at The Emirates.
It’s a quiet old January.
Ok, that’s me done.
See you in the comments.
Make sure you check out the latest podcast with Janan Ganesh from The FT. He’s top-tier.
“it’s been a 4 year process of continuous improvement. We have a dead stadium rocking, one of the most valuable squads in the world, and we’re on the cusp of greatness.”
All this is good bro. And I’m praying and hoping for more; I know you do too. At the end of 5+ seasons, we’ll ask how many trophies he’s won. Not the atmosphere, not which clubs want him or how good his xG is.
Diss, rolled out of Arsenal, Spartak and PSG because he lost the dressing room. Love that you’re a half season table merchant now it’s Emery doing well on it.
Pedro
You do realize that Arteta should have been rolled out of Arsenal so many times over, had we been a conventional club
No bocdy has cracked the PSG code by the way, it’s a dysfunctional club.
Thierry Martinelli, you’ll look at the context of where we are and how far we can go.
If we finish 2nd this year and you want him out, up to you, but remember, Spurs binned Poch after CL because they were unrealistic about the job at hand. No team has been built like City in history. No one has come up with a great answer as to how we can beat them.
Pedro last season was the blueprint to beating city to the title.
Dissenter, you know which club he wouldn’t have been rolled out of? Manchester City. Because they’d have seen the underlying progress.
Who cares what Chelsea or United would have done.
Samesong, evidently, it was not. Which is why you’ve seen Arsenal make so many changes.
So, how long do you think an elite manager takes to win European honours and a league title?
Thierry, depends which era they are in, who they are competing against, and what club they are at. There is no such things as a timeline on when an elite manager should win a league. If Arteta went to PSG, he’d win a league in year one. If he went to AC Milan or Barca, year one.
The Premier League? The most monied league on the planet. Who knows. The best coached league, with the best players. It’s hard.
“Pedro last season was the blueprint to beating city to the title.”
Less of a blueprint maybe and more the right set of circumstances.
Can Arteta juggle two competitions without beasting players?
Not so sure.
He’s 3rd juggling two tournaments – which is decent. Let’s see how he handles the backend with regards to rotation, no doubt, his biggest weakness.
Look away Diss, someone questioning the communication skills of a manager at a major club.
If Arteta went to PSG, he’d win a league in year one. If he went to AC Milan or Barca, year one.
PSG can win their league without a manager, but Milan are 7 points back of Juve and Barca 6 back of Real.
Besides, doesn’t Arteta need to get rid of bad apples first before getting on with the project proper?
That’s one season gone right there.
Pedro: “He’s 3rd juggling two tournaments – which is decent. Let’s see how he handles the backend with regards to rotation, no doubt, his biggest weakness.”
Fair.
Counting up Arteta’s seasons as manager of Arsenal, and not considering all the obstacles that needed to be overcome at the club, not to mention Covid, is rather silly isn’t it.
But it’s evidently a quick and easy way to blast the manager on a slow news day, or indeed immediately after a win, as is some people’s preference.
You sad fucks.
…And when counting up trophies, why leave out the community shield wins?
Tell us how you’d have felt had we lost those games…?
Why would you think Milan or Barca would hire Arteta and why would he win there?
All dreams.
Pedro. Good post again however I disagree with your view getting Benzima in. 6 month contract. ECL/ La Liga winner numerous times. Been there got the T etc. I think he’s exactly what we need to get us over the line (didn’t the great SAF do something similar with Larsson and Zlatan?) Our squad is still young and if you need a proven, some1 who could eek out a half chance that could see us get a 1 0 in a difficult match he could be the man? To the MA8 haters I remember what AW and Pep said about… Read more »
Arteta finished second the year when averting bar City was in bad shape.
Why don’t you mention his end of the season collapses x2, 2x 8th, 2 x Europa League embarrassment.
He is promising for sure, but elite not a chanse at the moment.
No big club would give him support money and authonomy he has at Arsenal.
He is very lucky man.
I might be mistaken but I remember even Pedro lost faith in Tets at some point .
It’s pretty safe bet that Arteta will never reach Emerys level, only Arsenal fans would argue that. He confirmed it also spanking tets in Europe with weak team.
Hopefully we are wrong and Pedro is right but highly unlikely.
By the end of this season we will know for sure.
I still can’t see how many on here are putting Pep and Klopp above Ancelotti . He’s done the lot – in every major league.
I can’t really understand why people would want Arteta out of the club, look at the state of it when he arrived, we had Mustafi and Sokratis as our cb pairing for fuck sake, what could he had achieved with that squad?
Other than he seems like a really dislikeable, cold person and don’t know how to rotate he’s doing fine.
Odegaard fiddling with his socks prior to Arsenal taking penalties Is apparently giving out a signal to the corner kick takers leading to the opening 2 goals at the weekend….he’s obviously irreplaceable, just need him to play a few defence splitting passes similar to Eddie’s and jorginho’s at the weekend.
Total meltdown on here towards The Arse🤯. Imagine the tantrums when Don is President😝
Anyway, in the mean time, UP THE ARSE!!! Forest next, a must 3 points!
‘Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus has revealed that he has been banned from playing a popular video game.
The 26-year-old has been handed a Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) suspension on his Steam account. VAC automatically detects cheating, indicating that they believe Jesus has not been playing fairly.
Jesus had in-game items attached to his account worth around $38,000 (£30,000), according to trading service CS.MONEY, but this will all be lost unless his ban is overturned.”
We went after Ozil for less for his exploits on fortnite
Pedro…
You ‘re In street fighting mode this evening.
I’m still team Arteta but at this stage he remains a promising but still unproven talent.
I know you’re a true convert and you want him to succeed more than anyone else on the planet with the possible exception of his dad, but this is football, with so many variables involved, so who knows?
One important aspect of this is that KSE will give him time.
Damn … les miserables are getting schlonged by Pedro. I was listening to 2 big Arsenal pods earlier… The Gooner talk with Tom Canton and Harry Semyou also… Both having reactionary negative comments in the chat box that make no sense. The bitter angry gooners have no sense of context. It’s not just grovers. Pedro of everyone said it best…. “if your only barometer for elite managers in the Premier League is trophies, there aren’t going to be many, are there?” Pep with the financial cheating, and luxury vacations for refs (and probably other decision makers) barely let Klopp get… Read more »
Alex, not many unproven managers take a team of kids to second over 4 years in the league like the Premiership. He needs to win a big trophy, but he’s top tier, there’s no fading into oblivion now, he’s part of the elite set for a very long time. He’ll manage City, PSG, or Barcelona and he will absolutely win the Champions League. But, bigger point, none of it matters as long as we’re progressing. He’s not getting dropped by KSE. The only reason they spent so much money is their belief in him. Total faith, he runs the show… Read more »
On the fill-in your creds every time issue–
If you have an iOS device, the save your creds option does not work.
What might work, since this is a WordPress-based website?
Go to wordpress.com and create an account. In the options of your profile, look for and check the ‘automatically log me in to WordPress sites’ option. Be sure you save your selections, as WordPress always has a button at bottom of any page to ‘Save’ or ‘OK’changes.
I never have to login to any WordPress sites.
Trollen has nothing good to say ever sad man lol
Anyone that advocates the sacking of Mikel at this point cannot be a genuine fan or is on the sauce,
Rollen, you’ve spent quite a lot of time over the past few years absolutely sure you’re right about Arteta and you’ve been wrong at every step.
Why would anyone believe you as we sit 5 points off the top of the table after breezing into the final 16 of the CL?
Still fanboying Emery. The weirdest of Arsenal fandoms.
I took a break a few weeks ago amid all the vitriol. Sad to see that despite a win the madness is getting worse.
What a shame.
According to Pedro, Arteta comes to a dysfunctional team like Barca and wins the league in year 1.
But having come to a dysfunctional Arsenal, he finished 8th and went out to Olymipiakos in the EL.
Sorry, but that is pure shilling for a mediocre narcissist.
Meanwhile, Emery, an elite manager (unlike The Narcissist), came to a dysfunctional Arsenal as a mere coach who didn’t get the players he wanted, and finished 5th and EL Finalist.
Imagine if we had made Unai a manager and given him players he wanted and multiple years with said players.
And the dumbest fans are those mentioning covid as an obstacle.
As if covid affected only certain clubs (those needing excuses).
Anyway, I don’t demand Arteta wins anything this or next year.
Top 4 this year, he can stay.
85+ points next year – ditto.
What I can’t fathom about all the Arteta haters is who do you think we could get that’s better then him? Do you think Klopp is coming? Pep? Ancelotti? Zidane? Simeone? I highly doubt any of them are coming and those are really the only managers in the world who I clearly rate above Arteta. Any other name you throw out who’s more accomplished has all kinds of questions marks attached to them currently (Mourinho, Conte, Tuchel, Mancini etc). Any of the young guns like De Zerbi are no different then Arteta in that they’re promising young managers who’ve yet… Read more »
Well said Canadian gooner I only see hate on here by a certain few, never at the games never to random gooners I meet all over London.
“He’ll manage City, PSG, or Barcelona and he will absolutely win the Champions League.”
The thing is Pedro he is using Arsenal as a learning curve to garner experience and once he goes to those top clubs where he doesn’t have full autonomy he will be successful. Unfortunately for Arsenal fans once again we shall back to square one lamenting what could have been.Only a big club like Arsenal could give a novice full controll.
Covid would have been an equal obstacle for most teams.
…. but especially for a team rebuilding, with champions league wages, playing in Europa league, as we’ve been described in that period.. . The timing was bad for us to lose money on ticket sales.
Covid was not a financial obstacle as much for Man United, Man City, and maybe some others…
But it’s blame Arsenal and Arteta for everything here, so we can’t even give our club credit for overcoming some extra difficulties. The self hatred here runs deep.
Makes me laugh when you read comments of clueless Emery lovers like Ramdas. Anyone would think we finished on a high at a European final. We were humiliated by Chelsea in that match. We then went on a painful 1/2 season watching the team get worse and worse. By December we were all over the place playing pitiful losing football
That was why Emery was sacked and deservedly so
Canadian Gooner I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, although Arteta has improved a great many things, can you, from a coaching and footballing perspective, provide me an extensive list of Arteta’s abilities as a generational coach. I look at other coaches, like Gary O’Neil for example and think to myself, now there’s a young manager who has clear and positive goals as a coach and is able to condition his players, in a relatively short period of time, to perform to a much higher level. He also did well at Bournemouth. Remember, my question is based on… Read more »
3rd place is about our limit this season as I don’t think we are a good a side as last season. Rice and Havertz coming in for Partey and Xhaka is a step backwards , so unless Arteta tweaks the system to accommodate Partey and possibly smith rowe, trossard or Vieira then 3rd place is about as good as it will get.. What we had last season is Partey who could pass between the lines and xhaka who could hit a slide rule pass inside the full backs , what we have this season is Rice and Havertz basically recycling… Read more »
‘’ pretty safe bet that Arteta will never reach Emerys level ‘’
Lol.. I take it you don’t bet
‘’ Martinelli hasn’t the skillset or deception to beat the fullback one on one ’’
Not true.. he done it against Trent and I’ve often seen him beat a full back and drive into the area
Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil said: We’re going to wait for the relevant tests, but it’s clear with Kieran that it’s a rupture in the hamstring. It’s a shame, because we have left back Aihen Munoz out too and it’s important to double up in positions because of the amount of games we’re going to have to play. But I’ve never made excuses and I’m not going to start now. ___________________________________________________ This is why clubs should stay away from crocked players. He’ll be out for a month supposedly and that’s after the 2 months he missed earlier in the season.… Read more »
Arteta is not an elite coach. At least not yet.
We are Arsenal, let’s start winning silverware ffs.
G
Martinelli would be best suited playing up top.
From a non-generational granddad!
I prefer losing an Europa league final to Chelsea than losing to Olympiacos in the round of 32. I prefer losing an Europa league final to Chelsea than losing to Villarreal in the semi final. I prefer losing an Europa league final to Chelsea than missing out altogether on European competition. I prefer losing an Europa league final to Chelsea than losing to Sporting CP in the round of 16. That year, Arsenal beat Rennes, Napoli, and Valencia to get to the final. For perspective, Chelsea won the Champions League 2 years later. Arteta had 3 opportunities (could have been… Read more »
It’s ironic that 2 of the most common excuses for Arteta is that he had to change our squad and deal with COVID.
Isn’t it funny that he won his only trophy during that period too?
The only trophy Arteta has won is with those rubbish players.
” G Martinelli would be best suited playing up top.
From a non-generational granddad ”
Agreed
That Tierney injury is a problem, he’s contracted until 2026… That’s his 2nd injury there already. Nobody in their right mind will take him off us permanently now, and he’d be crazy to cut himself out of his current contract. Partey is contracted until 2025… Last summer was the time to cut loose… Just got to hope we can somehow keep him fit until June, and hope somebody will take him. I like Tomi, he’s the ideal squad defender, but I have no idea why we’d extend on improved terms, over the medium term, until we get a better sample… Read more »
I don’t know what Pedro is smoking thinking that Man City would have kept Arteta for 4 years with just an FA cup win.
I think the expectation was set for the fans depending on what was the purported conversation between William and Arteta when William came to Arsenal. I believe that’s what was sold to Rice as well. People calling other names because they are evaluating Arteta based on his expectation is disengenious. We all have watched enough football and Arsenal to understand what is to be expected. The whole hype was created by Arteta, Edu and blogs that we now have a setup and manager to deliver success meaning trophies to the club. So calling out some of the fans now after… Read more »
IF we finish 3rd and pot less when will the heat be on Arteta? He has spent a lot of dosh but I do worry about his very thick relationship with Edu.
Madhu, That’s a reasonable take. As you say, Edu and Arteta hyped us up, but they had to do it. The club was in hibernation mode. Half asleep. They needed to come out, swing their big dicks, promise big stuff and make us believe. That’s what they did and we needed that. The owners also backed them. Artedu demonstrated that they’ll make all the required changes no matter what it takes, how much money it costs or how much pressure that invites on them. Wenger was comfy fighting for top 4 in his last years. He lost his drive to… Read more »
Rap agree with you. Wengers last year’s were dreadful and I was calling for him to leave. Where I probably will reserve my judgement of Wenger is that the mitigating circumstances that he was in namely divided ownership, no spending due to debts, ownership struggles, no structure in place and run by Gazidis with his own agenda etc. I was expecting Wenger to force himself out when Pep or Klopp as available. That’s where I failed to understand him. What is also don’t understand is that using Wengers last year’s to big up Arteta. Arteta is his own right is… Read more »
“And the dumbest fans are those mentioning covid as an obstacle. As if covid affected only certain clubs (those needing excuses).” Covid affected everyone in different ways. I noticed initially that some teams seemed to do well with the empty stadiums and the turmoil, where others suffered…as time went on this ebbed and flowed throughout the league. It’s too easy to assume it affected everyone the same. I recall player celebrations being so muted it was as though they were on a training pitch, so I think the whole pro mentality was upset in this period. The point is though,… Read more »
“He needs to win a big trophy, but he’s top tier, there’s no fading into oblivion now, he’s part of the elite set for a very long time. He’ll manage City, PSG, or Barcelona and he will absolutely win the Champions League.”
A bit sad you failed to include Arsenal in the last sentence, Pedro.
Barring the unforeseen? Arteta has another season, this one and next at minimum– to bring home honors. If you’ve not been paying attention to how KSE has been operating their successful stable of clubs and franchises? It’s folly predicting Arteta’s length of tenure at Arsenal, based on European football norms. From a business perspective, Arteta’s footing looks even more solid. Josh Kroenke (who’s presiding over the club), Arteta and Edu are all within a few years of each other age-wise. Appears the three have a strong relationship. Then, consider the revenue spike by Arsenal FC since midseason 2019. According to… Read more »
I’ve watched Bayern , Real, and obviously City and I think Bayern are beatable, and we could give the other two a run for their money, especially in a one off final.
Mikel will not be leaving anytime soon.By that,barring a complete disaster ( no.Not the last two seasons)He’s here for this season & next at the very least.
‘Les Miserables’ best get used to it.zOr take a long vacation from watching Arsenal.Better for their blood pressure.
We over achieved last year so obviously entitled arsenal fans expect the title this year
Some reports are saying we are close to agreeing deal for Zubimendi to join in summer.
I love the fact that the exact same excuses used to defend Wenger, that Legrove and most of us didn’t buy at the time, are the exact same reasons being used to defend Arteta. There was 0% chance Arteta would succeed Guardiola at Shitty, that’s part of the reasons why he left. 4 years afterwards, with a football pattern that’s unproductive and devoid of any form of flair, he is even much much farther from succeeding Guardiola. Not after everything started clicking for them after he left. Manu, PSG, ManCity and other top clubs don’t hire novices or non-achievers, Arteta… Read more »
sorunmuogmail.com
“We are a special kind of stupid. We never learn. If Wenger, Ljunberg and Emery were not good enough, so also is Arteta despite spending a fortune and some more.”
You’re on point 100%
That said, you need to get your kevlar jacket ready because you are going to have incoming fire your way pretty soon
Fanbois are coming for you
less comments nowadays as it more difficult to post them.
Dissenter.
Sooner or later everybody will come to this realization and stop ignoring the blindingly obvious. I remember those days when the almighty Romford Pele used to support Ozil with the intangible “what the eyes can’t see’. Eventually, he realized we were right. @Artesunates will come to the same realization sooner or later.
And where’s Romford btw? He was one amazing poster!
sorunmuogmail.com
“We are a special kind of stupid. We never learn. If Wenger, Ljunberg and Emery were not good enough, so also is Arteta despite spending a fortune and some more.
”You’re on point 100%
That said, you need to get your kevlar jacket ready because you are going to have incoming fire your way pretty soon
Fanbois are coming for you”
Ha! At it again with the facts massaging: including stand in manager Ljunberg in your list 😂😂😂😂
Have you fellas ever committed to something without expecting instant success? I’m not even an ‘Arteta fanboy’ FFS.
Sor
” I remember those days when the almighty Romford Pele used to support Ozil with the intangible “what the eyes can’t see’. Eventually, he realized we were right.”
That’s a matter of opinion, I would put the ozil obsessives up there with the wenger obsessives in that they believed if you make the most noise then you must be right…… unfortunately for you that isn’t the case as there were many more Arsenal fans who supported Wenger and Ozil than the ignorant minority who wouldn’t be able to recognise what quality is ……as they say ” ignorant is bliss”.