Man, if my life were a kids song right now, it’d be The Wheels On The Bus are struggling. We’re not even out of January and I have gone from ZERO illness in years to a second bout of something horrendous.
But… I’m here for you. You are the sick one. Sick in the head because you need a fix of Arsenal content.
I’m also here to remind you that after saying TP05 would be back for the Forest game next week, the club finally dropped the pictures.
Absolutely crazy that his return to first team training coincided perfectly with Ghana exiting AFCON. Which will make it even wilder if he somehow manages to cram three weeks worth of training into 6 days and make the bench in 6 days.
If there is ever a corruption of standards, it’s this one for me. I would lament Arsene Wenger for ‘like a new signing’ players that either weren’t like a new signing or were doomed to break instantly. TP05 falls into the latter category. But there is evidence to suggest that he is more than capable of dropping 4-5 month stints, and if the heavy rotation against Palace is anything to go by, maybe Arteta has realised bragging about being a macho big dog and not feeling pain doesn’t stop key players pinging muscles.
Upgrading the Alan Hansen line: You don’t win the league with massive injuries and a flaccid finish to a season.
Japan is smacking up its second-round Asia Cup games because it’s playing teams like Myanmar, Syria, and North Korea. The combined GPD of those countries is $124.46b, roughly 45% of Toyota’s 2021 revenue. It’s not a fair fight out there. So expect Tomi to make it quite far in the comp. If Japan makes the final, he’ll be back for the Burnley game.
That’s two players coming back into to contention in February that change how we can play. Then we’re only missing Timber. We could do some damage over the next few months if the team can find their finishing boots.
The pervading narrative seems to be that we take too many touches in front of goal. Speed up getting those shots off and get a little more aggressive moving the ball up the pitch and we can defeat that. My hope is that is a confidence based stat versus a talent issue. We weren’t having these issues last season.
Richard Garlick has been named the managing director of Arsenal football club. He’s done a great job with contracts, creating a clear structure on how people are paid, and working hard to make sure conversations start with enough time to avoid getting barrelled like we did with Auba. He’s also been part of the transfer braintrust, which presumably means he’s been part of the transformation when it comes to 1) getting deals of the line 2) getting more valie out of those deals 3) not panicking and overspending on players because Chelsea come knocking.
Seems like a sound promotion. I’d be interested to know if that means the club is going to pass on adding a new CEO – or if the ‘taking the job when Vinnai’ exits shuts that idea down.
Ok, short one today. Jump on the podcast with Matt and Jacob where they talk about very important things you’ll like.
First, but read the whole thing
Meh.
Run for the throphy…
No
This winter break is killing me… Don’t even follow up on what is happening or not not happening in the world of football.. Anyone else having this lack-of-football related depression?
Bloody hell 1st. ?? Now there’s a 1st
Bloody hell 6th now there’s a 1st lol
Yeah man, if we could get solid work from TP5 through seasons’ end– it’s likely our overall performance levels rise.
Guess the big question then is– does Arteta focus Partey’s minutes on CL or PL? On higher level opponents in both? Matches off, or cameos only– versus bottom of the table teams?
Manage him well, and there could be a payoff.
Partey is a crock, the warning signs were there, in a league of fine margins, his absence has already fucked us for the 4th consecutive season. The bigger issue we have is that Tierney is injured again, 2nd injury for Real Sociedad, contracted until 2026, we’ll struggle to cut that short.. Nobody in their right mind would agree to take his wages at this point, let alone pay a fee on top. Partey contracted until 2025, if we can’t keep him fit for the 2nd half of the season, then I suspect we’ll find it incredibly difficult to offload him… Read more »
Josh is the defacto CEO.
He has an active role in the day to day management of the club, hence the need to phase out the Chief Executive Officer
This management setup has lots of loose roles, just seems set up to benefit Arteta having a larger than life role in how the club is run.
12th man
Ah man, the Partey hopium time back again and, as we all know, with a nasty sting in the tail like that double whisky you know shouldn’t have.
Here’s to hoping I am wrong. Here’s to hoping the club enforce some time management on Arteta for him: can’t play more than 2 in 3 games, subbed off when we’re 2 goals to the good…no idea, just some sense given his record with us
Bilbo
I just looked at a stats page, and Partey started 28 games for us last season.
I believe he was a vital cog in our successful campaign, and his injury towards the end a major reason why we got derailed.
I’m hoping he can have a significant influence on this season.
Can’t believe Djoko lost on Australian Open. Had 33 wins in a row there.
Think everyone on the same page as to what Arteta needs to do this time around.Thats rotate, rotate & rotate.The mickey mousers have leaned into their squad this season more heavily than the oilers.Which is saying something.Even the chavs& spuds have rotated more than us as far as I’m aware( due to injuries in their case).
Arteta is just going to have to trust the squad if we’re to last the course.
STOP PRESS.
Klopp to resign at the end of this season.
Incredible scenes. Stevie G in!
Very surprising news re Klopp!
Good news for the rest of the premier league that Klopp leaves, not that great for the pl as a whole
It’s certainly weird timing.
“We’re not even out of January and I have gone from ZERO illness in years to a second bout of something horrendous.”
Welcome to old age, mate!
Hopefully the Klopp announcement results in a drop off in their performance.
It’s a good timing. They are top of the league. If they can get a few extra levels of support from their fans, it might make a difference in the games that are left.
City will win this year regardless though. But it’ll be a good effort from Pool.
And West Ham gets Kalvin Phillips on loan.
Klopp beasts his squads and they work in cycles. He’s probably getting out before the next down cycle – which would be lovely.
Either that or the fetid, polluted air up there is staining his teeth.
Ferguson said announcing his retirement in 2001 was his biggest mistake in management. When he did eventually step down, he announced it when there was nothing left to play for… Apparently he’d planned to step down a season earlier, but didn’t want to go out after losing the title on the final day to City Be interesting to see how this effects the Liverpool players, and also the Bayer Leverkusen players, where Alonso will likely be favourite to take over at Liverpool, and could create an unwelcome distraction. Really strange timing from Klopp, could be a stroke of genius if… Read more »
You have to say it’s classy from Klopp. He admitted he is out of energy and probably will go back to Germany. Respect.
Salah will probably go Saudi end of season.
Klopp showing managers everywhere how to go out
Do it on your own terms
Wish Wenger had done that
Alonso to Liverpool remember where you heard it first.
Klopp leaving at the end of the season
Guardiola’s contract finishes the end of next season.
Things are changing
Klopp is rumoured to be wanting to focus his true passion in life and where he see’s his future….Peloton adverts.
Alonso back to Liverpool is a given check out the odds with bookies
Wowers! Klopp is finally leaving. He stayed too long, tbf. Managers shouldn’t be spending their entire careers at one club. Good for him. Let’s see if Pep will follow, although he seems to really love all that blood money and the way he’s been mouthing off in the press about processes. When a club manager is the mouthpiece for their hundreds of charges, you know something is clearly wrong there.
Klopp told his players in November. This is just for the public
Forget Klopp leaving…. Galatasaray are apparently interested in signing Cedric as a replacement for Boey who looks Bayern Munich bound.
Klopp being gone at the end of the season is a double edged sword
It’s good tht one of the best managers in living memory will leave our rival
But make no mistake his players will run through brick walls for him. They will go to absolute war to let his tenure end of an amazing high
As far as this season goes I think it’s bad news for arsenal because it’s going to galvanize them hard
We missed out on Klopp. 2013-14, seems we’re about to lose Alonso to Liverpool now as well as I reckon he’s as good as got the job. De Zerbi it is then
I took screenshots of the Arsenal manager betting throughout. Unai was sacked n 29/11/19.
At 30/11/2019 it looked like this:
Allegri 5/4
Nuno 5/1
Ljungberg 6/1
Pochettino 6/1
Arteta 6/1
Vieira 12/1
by 2/12/19
Arteta was 5/2
Brodge was 5/1
I’m always interested to see the point at which the bookies get the lay of the land.
Amazing news regarding klopp hopefully pep follows suit
Klopp has been incredible for Liverpool, some of that kind of pressing from his teams probably won’t be replicated for a while yet. He’s won them everything available to win in his time there.
And the other thing for me, no one will remember he took over an average Liverpool side or that he amassed what 100 points one season and all that yada yada yada, it’s that league winning season and the champions league that the fans will remember more fondly
Klopp and Pool are not the issue. Pep and City are.
This news makes zero difference for us.
Christian Falk @cfbayern
Martin Zubimendi: Bayern terrified Arsenal will steal ‘no.1 target’ from them
________________________________________________
Who could see us snapping Bayern targets ahead of them? This must be an alternate reality.
Arsenal announcing MG as the official vehicle partnership. Surely we could do better than that.
That’s the sort of tie-in I would expect of a championship level club.
Arsenal are apparently fighting Bayern Munich for Zubimendi next summer… If Alonso goes to Liverpool, with their need for a No6, they’d almost certainly enter the fight.
Alonso a big fan of Zubimendi, and Zubimendi a big fan of Alonso.
Hope you feel better Pedro.
Thank you for maintaining this blog despite health issues.
People celebrating, but Xabi Alonso (if they get him) could be better than a tired Klopp (which would have happened in the next 2, 3 years for sure).
Unlike Pep’s, Klopp’s football is less suitable for a 20 year job, me thinks.
Juergen Klopp is an impressive man on all counts. I like him as a manager (he is my favourite manager together with Carlo Ancelotti) and I like his personality and demeanour. He is bright and has good values. he has achieved so much as a manager too. I will be sorry to see him leave the PL.
I am
I am surprised by the timing of Klopp’s announcement though. It is early t go public, and it might destabilise his team. We shall see.
So is Richard Garlick being appointed as MD menad that we may not have a CEO?. Internal solution eh?
Klopp will at least be leaving a team that’s largely on an upward trajectory, they had their little dip last season… When they were too slow to address their ageing midfield, and were putting together new attacking parts… We were lucky they didn’t get Caicedo, he’s the exact player they needed Salah is one of the best forwards in PL history, but if Saudi are prepared to pay £200 million for a player who’s 32 next summer… Then they should certainly dump his wages, and take the money… £200 million, and £17 million p/a in wages freed up… Would allow… Read more »
Klopp talked a long time ago about retiring and going to Switzerland. Think the press took it in jest.
If I were Stevie G I wouldn’t be sitting beside my phone in anticipation though.
My hunch is that Klopp is sick in his goodbye interview he looks like his going to cry, a few of my Liverpool supporting friends have commented that his lost quite a bit of weight in the last year or so. Hope I’m wrong but something don’t seem right.
I’m looking forward to the game tonight and likely seeing Spurs’ season end in probable desperation. Should be wonderful entertainment.
Just as I was being bored senseless by a Tottenham fan droning on about their revenue and earning more than us,the Klopp news drops and the awful Liverpool fans nearby are inconsolable-always liked and respected Klopp,but the Liverpool fans not so much.
Klopp changed the make-up of the Liverpool team in the last few years bringing in younger players and they were in transition not too long ago so that they are top of the table now is very good for them and they are ahead of schedule. Klopp was setting them up for future years with his moves in the market last few seasons so him leaving at the end of the season is not such a huge shock considering.
Zverev setting a new barometer on the choke scale after an incredible demoing of Alcaraz. Klopp has looked dusted for some time, this seems more like a rallying cry to find one last piece of title glory. Curious to see how it plays out, may do just the opposite. Either way he’s irreplaceable and that is a good thing for the rest of of the premier league. Will be a big task for Xabi Alonso, De Zerbi or … whoever takes the gig, key players ageing, club likely going to the highest bidder in the not so distant future. Roll… Read more »
Klopp a good manager for sure. heavy metal style football
P.God.Let it be ‘ Slippy G’.If Arsenal are interested in Zubamendi they’d better get a move on,sharpish.Especially if the Mickey mousers nab Alonso.
Sal.The Arabs will be queuing up for the Mickey mousers.No problem.
Per Mertesacker has more charisma than Klopp, we should make sure Liverpool dont get him.
Alonso will replace Pep.