Big match tonight for the ladies at home - down one nil from away match - we need two goals to qualify for champ league and my niece is having kittens at school on her lunch break. I thought it was child abuse making her watch Arsenal matches with me during the late Wenger era but now I'm glad I did because she a proper fan who gets enjoyment from male/female teams.
Nwaneri just looked a class above any youngster out there. But Lewis-Skelly was great too. Nicholswas nervy and had a rough 15 minutes. But he got better after that.
Nwaneri will be a much better squad player than Vieira and may be even more. The kid oozed class everytime he touched the ball.
His passing was great and his first touch was ridiculous. What I didn't know he had was raw pace. The pace he showed to get in the box for his first goal and our 2nd goal was impressive. I think we have a star there.
Lewis-Skelly was really good too. He isn't as refined as Nwaneri technically but he is a physical specimen. He protected the ball like a senior player would.
Jesus needs to score and get up and running, prolific he ain't but he needs to find his shooting boots and fast. I love Kai but we all know a top class striker and we would be nailed on this year.
Absolutely. I don't watch football merely to see balls nestling in the net. He is more valuable to Arsenal in the way he plays than any other striker in the premier league.
My major concern with our squad remains the recruitment of Neto as second string goalkeeper and the lack of a replacement third string.
Arsenal were fortunate that we played Bolton in Carabo Cup and not a higher ranked team. Had we
played an EPL side I am sure that they would have focussed on the inexperience of Potter and his
potential weaknesses.
I have no issue with Raya as our first string goalkeeper. He has played well sofar this season. However, I do have concerns about Neto a goalkeeper ranked 222 by Transfermarkt. There are
at least 10 clubs in EPL with second string goalkeepers who are in top 25-100 in world rankings.
If we were going to offload Ramsdale then we should have recruited someone who is at least of
that calibre to cover Raya.
We may get away with loss of Raya against Leicester and Southampton, but not I suspect against
better calibre teams. Neto at age of 35 should be considered at best a third string goalkeeper.
For the record all four goalkeepers in our U21 squad are aged 18. None has experience to play in
the first team.
I would be most disappointed if we went out of any competition through the inadequacies of our
goalkeeping department.
It has been suggested that Szcesny is reconsidering his retirement. If that is the case Arsenal should try to recruit him for the remainder of this season.
Just saw Roy Kean's runt against us in daily mail, Shut up man you disgusting nasty piece of shit, He should be in Jail for deliberately injuring a player, for fuck sake, I am now educated by Pedro and proud that we are the most hated team, I am relishing it, that means we are doing something right !!
The comment by Barnes is also great, White football players should feel offended when a Black player is target by racist thugs, it is time this responsibility is shared and White player should do their fucking bit when it comes to racism. Where are the Black referees ? Where are the Black foot ball coaches, when the stupid Rooney is on his fourth or so Job ?
He has some points about us being able to keep the ball. We booted it out too many times for my liking.
What annoys me more is the fact that the whole segment was named, "how bad Arsenal are". That is a joke. City were crap and couldn't go through 10 man Arsenal at home for 56 minutes. How that is not the conversation is beyond me. I expect it from that idiot Neville though.
After having managed the gantlet of our first seven matches-- fairly well actually-- the performance versus Bolton, with The Kids front and center, was like mana from above. Good juju. As good as it gets-- as a snapshot moment, during a long season that's already dealt us (minor) setbacks.
No complaint that we weren't perfect-- when so many boxes were ticked by those who played well.
A bit concerned about Jesus' ability to lead the line for us, he's no longer his usual energetic and 'troublesome to centrebacks' self, also should have hit the target with a golden opportunity.
I would have loved Martinelli to start this game up top, I believe that's where he's the most dangerous, he had a one v one opportunity where he could've taken on his man and took a shot but went to the by line and had his cross blocked. I think we should utilize him as either a centre forward or a right wing back ala Yannick Carrasco
You're rightfully worried about Jesus. He's still here so he'll obviously be helpful here and there. If we're having issues with availability in the winger department, he'd be a very solid choice there. The season is very young for him still, he'll need a bit more time to get some type of form back.
But as a whole, we've outgrown him. His time is up. I'd argue this summer was the perfect moment to find him a new team but oh well. Maybe his stay was determined by Sesko's failed pursuit, maybe not. If there are suitors and a replacement even in the winter, if the numbers make sense, I'd be pulling the trigger for sure.
Misses a chunk of the campaign every season.
Really high wages.
Mostly ineffective and by the time he's back to his best, he's injured again.
He's in his prime years so there must be buyers for him - Bayern, PSG or even Saudi Arabia.
Jesus is a write off at this point, I don't even really think of him anymore when I consider our squad. In his prime years in age, yes, but his ability is greatly reduced and he not at all reliable. I think Jesus is done at the top level.
I Like your opinion Pedro on taking pride to be hated, it also gives amunition to cope with all the ugliness of the Pundits and other haters, it becomes like water on the back of the Duck !!
I have to say I am somewhat concerned regarding the well-being of disgraced former Sky presenter Mr Richard Keys, chief constable of the celebration police. I was expecting and edict from his office. I wonder if he is busy negotiating an arrest warrant for Manchester C115ty players and staff regarding a last minute equaliser against ten men?
So Zinchenko is firmly an expired / surplus / devaluing asset now. Club needs to have a strategy on how to preserve value and get cash for him in the next window. Or evolve his role.
Nwaneri is very good. Has an eye for a goal like ESR. Probably why ESR was allowed to move on. Overlapping skill set.
We need good dribblers in the team. Guys who are comfortable with both feet and who can do it at pace. Would add so much to our team dynamic.
- he doesn't have the engine to run up and down the pitch like say Ramsey, Xhaka, even Flamini etc.
- he is quite bad defensively
- he is made of glass and moving him from an area with low concentration of players to the most crowded place in midfield ups the risk of him getting injured
I see your point though, if we're playing versus a deep block (relegation fodder) at home, where we'll know the game will be mostly played around their penalty box, yeah, I can see him playing at LCM. That's literally the only situation I can imagine but it's a definite possibility.
There are chances Merino comes back from a shoulder injury before Zinny comes back from a calf injury. Then our new signing will take his rightful position and we won't need to be creative with our LCM spot. Zinny should have been already sold along with the dude cosplaying as Sterling..
The result last night was okay , but realistically Bolton was a team that we should beat comfortably.
The two major matters to consider were the performance and potential of the six youth players who played in that game. Realistically we should focus on the four who started and played the
bulk of game.
PORTER the 16 year old goalkeeper was protected for most of the game but made a couple of
errors. He is not remotely ready for first team football and it is of real concern that Arsenal have
recruited Neto who cannot play for us in Carabo Cup.
NICHOLLS did not start well, but improved as the game progressed. It remains to be seen whether
he will get any further game time as a Right back factoring in that White, Timber and Tomiyasu
can all play that position.
LEWIS-SKELLY had an excellent game until he got injured. His first choice position is DMF, but he
has the ability to play in other positions on the pitch as he showed yesterday when playing LB. It
should be remembered that both Partey and Jorginho are coming to end of their contracts as well
as being in their 30s. He is clearly in line to join first team squad possibly this season considering
that we have only 22 registered players on books.
NWANERI is for me the standout player. He may not be a giant at 1.76 tall, but he has the physique
to cope with first team football and he has excellent football intelligence and movement. His two
goals were also a bonus. Like Lewis-Skelly he has versatility in his position on pitch. I expect him to
play regularly this season particularly with our injury list. It would not surprise me that he will join
the senior England Team in the foreseeable future. He looks a better prospect than Mainoo.
The second feature of the game was the performance of Sterling. I thought that he had an excellent and mature performance. He is most definitely a valuable addition to squad.
I respect your opinion, but over the years I have learned not to view any opponent as a team that "realistically" should be beaten. On any given day, Murphy's Law strikes and strikes hard. Maybe we can keep that concept in our head ["yes, we should be able to win".] and not commit it to ink :)
Yes, they make these team play the match for a reason. We exceeded expectations yesterday with Nwaneri brace so that was some excellent minutes for our youngsters.
I don’t think the League Cup is a major problem for being cup tied given how few games there are in this tournament
Having an experienced keeper like Neto as back up for Prem and CL far more important
Setford has been bought as no 3 keeper and LC but unfortunately injured. That aside there’s a big difference between a 16 and 18 year old esp in goal. Our no 4 keeper Lucas Nygaard has only just returned from injury. He too would have been picked ahead of Porter.
Arsenal's squad last season included three goalkeepers with EPL or International experience. All three were in their 20s. We had also on the books Okonkwo who was
a highly rated young goalkeeper playing regularly at Wrexham.
The club offloaded three of these goalkeepers this summer and replaced them with
Neto a 35 year goalkeeper who cannot play in Carrabo Cup. Two of the Under 21
goalkeepers are currently injured and the other two were rated below Porter in pecking
order.
So my concern is that we do not have adequate cover not only in Carabo Cup, but also
for future matches in EPL and Champions League as well. Let us hope that Raya does
not suffer a long term injury. Should that arise Arsenal's season could go up in smoke.
Neto at 35 is at best a third string goalkeeper at any other major EPL club.
Congrats to the Arsenal women for qualifying for the Champions League!
From my 'Questioning The Model' Category-- World Opta Power Rankings (1-through-133)
Subset: PL Teams
1. Man City
3. Arsenal (OK, yeah, fuck those gimps-- but they are holding the silverware, for now...)
9. Liverpool
18. Fucking Chelsea (WTabsoluteFingF^ck?!? Isn't Mourinho dead? Or exiled on Elba?)
The rest of the list is depressing if you follow the PL as your top league... but here, have at it--
https://theanalyst.com/2024/08/who-are-the-best-football-team-in-the-world-opta-power-rankings
Jack Grealish's current totals stats for Cheatty : 127 appearances 127, 14 goals, 18 assists
Nicolas Pepe's stats for Arsenal: 112 appearances, 27 goals, 21 assists
Forget trophies and team trajectories....is Pepe unfairly considered a flop? What says the jury on Grealish?
Grealish is shit. Now please let Pepe rest in peace.
Big match tonight for the ladies at home - down one nil from away match - we need two goals to qualify for champ league and my niece is having kittens at school on her lunch break. I thought it was child abuse making her watch Arsenal matches with me during the late Wenger era but now I'm glad I did because she a proper fan who gets enjoyment from male/female teams.
Nwaneri just looked a class above any youngster out there. But Lewis-Skelly was great too. Nicholswas nervy and had a rough 15 minutes. But he got better after that.
Nwaneri will be a much better squad player than Vieira and may be even more. The kid oozed class everytime he touched the ball.
Here is a comp.
https://x.com/kimmoFC/status/1839070232326840432
His passing was great and his first touch was ridiculous. What I didn't know he had was raw pace. The pace he showed to get in the box for his first goal and our 2nd goal was impressive. I think we have a star there.
Lewis-Skelly was really good too. He isn't as refined as Nwaneri technically but he is a physical specimen. He protected the ball like a senior player would.
All in all it was a great night for us.
Hate us coz they anus
Jesus needs to score and get up and running, prolific he ain't but he needs to find his shooting boots and fast. I love Kai but we all know a top class striker and we would be nailed on this year.
So Kai Havertz is not a top class striker in your opinion, right?
No, do you consider him one?
Absolutely. I don't watch football merely to see balls nestling in the net. He is more valuable to Arsenal in the way he plays than any other striker in the premier league.
I'm glad you feel that way, he has great attributes but sorry he is no great no9 and you know it.
Kai is our stop gap striker atm, considering how Jesus is really struggling in the department of getting balls at the back of the net.
The all out striker that we are going for will be Sesko.
My major concern with our squad remains the recruitment of Neto as second string goalkeeper and the lack of a replacement third string.
Arsenal were fortunate that we played Bolton in Carabo Cup and not a higher ranked team. Had we
played an EPL side I am sure that they would have focussed on the inexperience of Potter and his
potential weaknesses.
I have no issue with Raya as our first string goalkeeper. He has played well sofar this season. However, I do have concerns about Neto a goalkeeper ranked 222 by Transfermarkt. There are
at least 10 clubs in EPL with second string goalkeepers who are in top 25-100 in world rankings.
If we were going to offload Ramsdale then we should have recruited someone who is at least of
that calibre to cover Raya.
We may get away with loss of Raya against Leicester and Southampton, but not I suspect against
better calibre teams. Neto at age of 35 should be considered at best a third string goalkeeper.
For the record all four goalkeepers in our U21 squad are aged 18. None has experience to play in
the first team.
I would be most disappointed if we went out of any competition through the inadequacies of our
goalkeeping department.
It has been suggested that Szcesny is reconsidering his retirement. If that is the case Arsenal should try to recruit him for the remainder of this season.
I agree with the added bonus that he would be HG too
He must be better than Neto
Just saw Roy Kean's runt against us in daily mail, Shut up man you disgusting nasty piece of shit, He should be in Jail for deliberately injuring a player, for fuck sake, I am now educated by Pedro and proud that we are the most hated team, I am relishing it, that means we are doing something right !!
The comment by Barnes is also great, White football players should feel offended when a Black player is target by racist thugs, it is time this responsibility is shared and White player should do their fucking bit when it comes to racism. Where are the Black referees ? Where are the Black foot ball coaches, when the stupid Rooney is on his fourth or so Job ?
He has some points about us being able to keep the ball. We booted it out too many times for my liking.
What annoys me more is the fact that the whole segment was named, "how bad Arsenal are". That is a joke. City were crap and couldn't go through 10 man Arsenal at home for 56 minutes. How that is not the conversation is beyond me. I expect it from that idiot Neville though.
After having managed the gantlet of our first seven matches-- fairly well actually-- the performance versus Bolton, with The Kids front and center, was like mana from above. Good juju. As good as it gets-- as a snapshot moment, during a long season that's already dealt us (minor) setbacks.
No complaint that we weren't perfect-- when so many boxes were ticked by those who played well.
A bit concerned about Jesus' ability to lead the line for us, he's no longer his usual energetic and 'troublesome to centrebacks' self, also should have hit the target with a golden opportunity.
I would have loved Martinelli to start this game up top, I believe that's where he's the most dangerous, he had a one v one opportunity where he could've taken on his man and took a shot but went to the by line and had his cross blocked. I think we should utilize him as either a centre forward or a right wing back ala Yannick Carrasco
You're rightfully worried about Jesus. He's still here so he'll obviously be helpful here and there. If we're having issues with availability in the winger department, he'd be a very solid choice there. The season is very young for him still, he'll need a bit more time to get some type of form back.
But as a whole, we've outgrown him. His time is up. I'd argue this summer was the perfect moment to find him a new team but oh well. Maybe his stay was determined by Sesko's failed pursuit, maybe not. If there are suitors and a replacement even in the winter, if the numbers make sense, I'd be pulling the trigger for sure.
Misses a chunk of the campaign every season.
Really high wages.
Mostly ineffective and by the time he's back to his best, he's injured again.
He's in his prime years so there must be buyers for him - Bayern, PSG or even Saudi Arabia.
Get rid.
Jesus is a write off at this point, I don't even really think of him anymore when I consider our squad. In his prime years in age, yes, but his ability is greatly reduced and he not at all reliable. I think Jesus is done at the top level.
I Like your opinion Pedro on taking pride to be hated, it also gives amunition to cope with all the ugliness of the Pundits and other haters, it becomes like water on the back of the Duck !!
"Winding up the nation"
That's epic!
“Say it quietly… but the momentum feels like it’s with Arsenal. We’re more relevant than ever. The media hates us. Rival fans hate us. PGMOL hates us.
That’s exactly where we want to be – winding up the nation. Hopefully, we’ll cap off the season with a haul of silverware.”
Love this, Pedro.
I have to say I am somewhat concerned regarding the well-being of disgraced former Sky presenter Mr Richard Keys, chief constable of the celebration police. I was expecting and edict from his office. I wonder if he is busy negotiating an arrest warrant for Manchester C115ty players and staff regarding a last minute equaliser against ten men?
So Zinchenko is firmly an expired / surplus / devaluing asset now. Club needs to have a strategy on how to preserve value and get cash for him in the next window. Or evolve his role.
Nwaneri is very good. Has an eye for a goal like ESR. Probably why ESR was allowed to move on. Overlapping skill set.
We need good dribblers in the team. Guys who are comfortable with both feet and who can do it at pace. Would add so much to our team dynamic.
Zinny has been injured (again) but with our surplus of LBs I’d imagine we will reconvert him back to LCM where he can play to his strengths
If he can stay fit then he’d be very useful
Zinchenko at LCM is flawed cause:
- he doesn't have the engine to run up and down the pitch like say Ramsey, Xhaka, even Flamini etc.
- he is quite bad defensively
- he is made of glass and moving him from an area with low concentration of players to the most crowded place in midfield ups the risk of him getting injured
I see your point though, if we're playing versus a deep block (relegation fodder) at home, where we'll know the game will be mostly played around their penalty box, yeah, I can see him playing at LCM. That's literally the only situation I can imagine but it's a definite possibility.
There are chances Merino comes back from a shoulder injury before Zinny comes back from a calf injury. Then our new signing will take his rightful position and we won't need to be creative with our LCM spot. Zinny should have been already sold along with the dude cosplaying as Sterling..
The result last night was okay , but realistically Bolton was a team that we should beat comfortably.
The two major matters to consider were the performance and potential of the six youth players who played in that game. Realistically we should focus on the four who started and played the
bulk of game.
PORTER the 16 year old goalkeeper was protected for most of the game but made a couple of
errors. He is not remotely ready for first team football and it is of real concern that Arsenal have
recruited Neto who cannot play for us in Carabo Cup.
NICHOLLS did not start well, but improved as the game progressed. It remains to be seen whether
he will get any further game time as a Right back factoring in that White, Timber and Tomiyasu
can all play that position.
LEWIS-SKELLY had an excellent game until he got injured. His first choice position is DMF, but he
has the ability to play in other positions on the pitch as he showed yesterday when playing LB. It
should be remembered that both Partey and Jorginho are coming to end of their contracts as well
as being in their 30s. He is clearly in line to join first team squad possibly this season considering
that we have only 22 registered players on books.
NWANERI is for me the standout player. He may not be a giant at 1.76 tall, but he has the physique
to cope with first team football and he has excellent football intelligence and movement. His two
goals were also a bonus. Like Lewis-Skelly he has versatility in his position on pitch. I expect him to
play regularly this season particularly with our injury list. It would not surprise me that he will join
the senior England Team in the foreseeable future. He looks a better prospect than Mainoo.
The second feature of the game was the performance of Sterling. I thought that he had an excellent and mature performance. He is most definitely a valuable addition to squad.
I respect your opinion, but over the years I have learned not to view any opponent as a team that "realistically" should be beaten. On any given day, Murphy's Law strikes and strikes hard. Maybe we can keep that concept in our head ["yes, we should be able to win".] and not commit it to ink :)
Yes, they make these team play the match for a reason. We exceeded expectations yesterday with Nwaneri brace so that was some excellent minutes for our youngsters.
I don’t think the League Cup is a major problem for being cup tied given how few games there are in this tournament
Having an experienced keeper like Neto as back up for Prem and CL far more important
Setford has been bought as no 3 keeper and LC but unfortunately injured. That aside there’s a big difference between a 16 and 18 year old esp in goal. Our no 4 keeper Lucas Nygaard has only just returned from injury. He too would have been picked ahead of Porter.
Arsenal's squad last season included three goalkeepers with EPL or International experience. All three were in their 20s. We had also on the books Okonkwo who was
a highly rated young goalkeeper playing regularly at Wrexham.
The club offloaded three of these goalkeepers this summer and replaced them with
Neto a 35 year goalkeeper who cannot play in Carrabo Cup. Two of the Under 21
goalkeepers are currently injured and the other two were rated below Porter in pecking
order.
So my concern is that we do not have adequate cover not only in Carabo Cup, but also
for future matches in EPL and Champions League as well. Let us hope that Raya does
not suffer a long term injury. Should that arise Arsenal's season could go up in smoke.
Neto at 35 is at best a third string goalkeeper at any other major EPL club.