Anyone who watched Girona 0-1 Liverpool yesterday-- knows they won't be a pushover at home. Pool were awarded a PEN after a VAR review. Iffy, since the ref on-field didn't call it (Diaz had slipped taking a shot). Anyway, Pool played their strongest 11, yet Girona could have scored three in the first 25 minutes-- one was a 'how does anyone miss a tap-in like that' by Daley Blind.
Sami Khedira says that Ozil told him that his move to Arsenal was a mistake. I think most wise fans of Arsenal agree with him. Wish he had stayed at Madrid …
Dude looks to have an extremely high ceiling so I’m very hopeful of him owning LB and Timber at RB, but Calafiori was injury prone before he joined us. Now he’s here and he’s already missed several games through injury.
We collect LBs for fun so it’s not a problem for us that he’s out, but it is worrying that we appear to have been lax about considering his injury record when signing him
The last thing we should have to do is sign ANOTHER left back in the next 18 months and I personally would block Arteta from doing so at all costs
Calafiori, Timber, kiwior, MLS, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu are all comfortable at LB.
We should sell Tierney, Zinchenko and Tomi. MLS should be earmarked as Calafiori’s backup except for games when we are carrying too many other injuries and we may need Timber there for experience.
But we all know if Arteta gets his way, we’ll sell the above defenders then blow half our budget on more this summer. His obsession with collecting defenders at the expense of forward players and midfielders has to be brought back under control. No more luxury defenders when our squad only has one first team quality winger and no back up CF options
If we win tomorrow, we'll be on 13 points tied 2nd with at least 4 other teams and only Barcelona and Dortmund could go ahead of us in points but they play against each other.
Win tomorrow and all chances are we'll be in top 3 by goal difference.
Disappointing season so far, we don't have the attacking option to win the league imo and as soon as we get a top team in Europe we will go out.
We need to win a cup this season and come top 3 or it's just the same old same old. We should have won the league last season but we threw it away at home against west ham, Villa yand Fulham.
We can't just come second and thinks that's enough or the players will start leaving.
"Arteta on fitness of Partey, Timber, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zinchenko who missed training: "We have to manage a lot of the players. Some of them probably not fit for tomorrow, some of them a doubt. We have 24 hours to make those decisions."
It's a weird stat because all it tells us is that teams have greater chance of winning the more shots they take, which is obvious. Also doesn't account for who's shooting the ball, is it 25 goal a year striker or defender who has scored zero goals in past three seasons.
Last season was our time to win the league because city have been on the decline for the past three seasons.
We all rightly point to the villa game at home when Arteta brought back his former city player favorites - Zinchenko and Jesus, to fuck us up.
But when you think of it deeper, Arteta started the season messing about with the backline and cost us points. He benched Gabriel for the first 3-4 games, it wasn't until it went bad for him to come back. Had we started that season with the Saliba-Gab duo, we would have won the league last season.
Arteta is a proper tinkerman, lie Ranieri, he always learns the wrong lessons from crises.
He's been doing these experiments every season. I don't understand how anyone can support him any further. He's on easy street and has been given so much time and power that he thinks he can experiment with the team whenever he feels like it during the season. We are currently operating with zero accountability, and it's showing even more now being practically double digits behind the leaders in a season where the former champs have declined and we're seeing Arteta make terrible decisions after terrible decisions instead of using the opportunity to capitalize. That is his style of management, though. Kill everything that is working or has worked and start tinkering and trying to be too smart.
Yea kinda if not for anything like that the Chelsea front line has a lot of pace plus they do have quite a deep bench attacking wise as well even if their defence and goalkeeper are bang average
You are making the exact same excuses now that you used to shoot down when wenger was our manager. He spent a lot less. Got closer to major trophies, played beautiful football and played largely young players
Looks like we all may have to eat some humble pie, if not this season then the next.
A finance guy with no football experience figured he’d just buy up all best young talent available and signed them up to 7 or 8 year contract, and sooner or later they’d come true.
Anyone who watched Girona 0-1 Liverpool yesterday-- knows they won't be a pushover at home. Pool were awarded a PEN after a VAR review. Iffy, since the ref on-field didn't call it (Diaz had slipped taking a shot). Anyway, Pool played their strongest 11, yet Girona could have scored three in the first 25 minutes-- one was a 'how does anyone miss a tap-in like that' by Daley Blind.
Sami Khedira says that Ozil told him that his move to Arsenal was a mistake. I think most wise fans of Arsenal agree with him. Wish he had stayed at Madrid …
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mesut-ozil-arsenal-realmadrid-khedira-34290638?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/jMl85hptT8U
This is it exactly
Same with Arteta
He chokes creativity
Im getting sick of his need for control and over coaching
It’s not impressive
Give me banter era wemger any day
Calafiori is worrying me a bit
Dude looks to have an extremely high ceiling so I’m very hopeful of him owning LB and Timber at RB, but Calafiori was injury prone before he joined us. Now he’s here and he’s already missed several games through injury.
We collect LBs for fun so it’s not a problem for us that he’s out, but it is worrying that we appear to have been lax about considering his injury record when signing him
The last thing we should have to do is sign ANOTHER left back in the next 18 months and I personally would block Arteta from doing so at all costs
Calafiori, Timber, kiwior, MLS, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu are all comfortable at LB.
We should sell Tierney, Zinchenko and Tomi. MLS should be earmarked as Calafiori’s backup except for games when we are carrying too many other injuries and we may need Timber there for experience.
But we all know if Arteta gets his way, we’ll sell the above defenders then blow half our budget on more this summer. His obsession with collecting defenders at the expense of forward players and midfielders has to be brought back under control. No more luxury defenders when our squad only has one first team quality winger and no back up CF options
If we win tomorrow, we'll be on 13 points tied 2nd with at least 4 other teams and only Barcelona and Dortmund could go ahead of us in points but they play against each other.
Win tomorrow and all chances are we'll be in top 3 by goal difference.
A team whose best player is Denis Zakaria an EPL reject, should be easily delt with.
I bet we steam roll Monaco tomorrow and paper over the cracks.
Jesus
KT
Kiwior
Zinchenko
Should be sold in Jan and that money be spent on a striker or a left winger or both.
That's if we can even get money for a couple of them
KT due to injury and Jesus due to crippling wage.
Martinelli needs to go
Sterling needs to go
How we let esr vieira and Nelson leave woth this pair still playing is beyond me
Disappointing season so far, we don't have the attacking option to win the league imo and as soon as we get a top team in Europe we will go out.
We need to win a cup this season and come top 3 or it's just the same old same old. We should have won the league last season but we threw it away at home against west ham, Villa yand Fulham.
We can't just come second and thinks that's enough or the players will start leaving.
Arteta just now at CL press conference -
"Arteta on fitness of Partey, Timber, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zinchenko who missed training: "We have to manage a lot of the players. Some of them probably not fit for tomorrow, some of them a doubt. We have 24 hours to make those decisions."
Not a great believer in the xG stat tbh, still prefer the eye test.
Arsenal should’ve won at Fulham but according to BBC Sport, we created xG of 2 overall and 0,4 from open play.
Not great.
It's a weird stat because all it tells us is that teams have greater chance of winning the more shots they take, which is obvious. Also doesn't account for who's shooting the ball, is it 25 goal a year striker or defender who has scored zero goals in past three seasons.
The only way to win the EPL is improving our open play goals. No cutting corners
Last season was our time to win the league because city have been on the decline for the past three seasons.
We all rightly point to the villa game at home when Arteta brought back his former city player favorites - Zinchenko and Jesus, to fuck us up.
But when you think of it deeper, Arteta started the season messing about with the backline and cost us points. He benched Gabriel for the first 3-4 games, it wasn't until it went bad for him to come back. Had we started that season with the Saliba-Gab duo, we would have won the league last season.
Arteta is a proper tinkerman, lie Ranieri, he always learns the wrong lessons from crises.
He's been doing these experiments every season. I don't understand how anyone can support him any further. He's on easy street and has been given so much time and power that he thinks he can experiment with the team whenever he feels like it during the season. We are currently operating with zero accountability, and it's showing even more now being practically double digits behind the leaders in a season where the former champs have declined and we're seeing Arteta make terrible decisions after terrible decisions instead of using the opportunity to capitalize. That is his style of management, though. Kill everything that is working or has worked and start tinkering and trying to be too smart.
Yea kinda if not for anything like that the Chelsea front line has a lot of pace plus they do have quite a deep bench attacking wise as well even if their defence and goalkeeper are bang average
Chelsea just need a proper goalie and an additional striker and they will be the most complete team in the league.
They have more depth than anyone else.
Pains me to say it, but can't hide from the truth.
I would rather have Iwobi in the team than Jesus. He doesnt need luck to stay injury free.
Selling ESR to sign Sterling brings bad luck.
Have to say though Pedro
You are making the exact same excuses now that you used to shoot down when wenger was our manager. He spent a lot less. Got closer to major trophies, played beautiful football and played largely young players
He had oil machines to contend with
He had terrible refereeing to deal with
He had bad luck with injuries
Amen
I've been saying the same for a while now.
This is a redux of the Wenger era.
So all this talk about city and these 115/130 charges, but what is the story with Chelsea ?
Surely they will be hauled in as well for previous and current misdemeanors
If not, we could be in trouble as they to have got their house in order on the field.
Looks like we all may have to eat some humble pie, if not this season then the next.
A finance guy with no football experience figured he’d just buy up all best young talent available and signed them up to 7 or 8 year contract, and sooner or later they’d come true.
We all laughed, didn’t we.