Good Morning Positive Arsenal fans,
Another morning, another inquest into an away defeat against an ‘Ammers side who I anticipated would be put away with a little bit to spare. The aim was to be back on level points with Chelsea by 3pm, even in we knew the chance of Newcastle getting anything at the Bridge was remote.
We started well, had control of midfield and possession in the Ammers’ half, opened them up in the first twenty odd minutes on two occasions, but fluffed our lines. The home side got back into the contest, managed a couple of half chances themselves with Anderson v lively, and young Rice misdirecting a header from one of their many corners. The first half ended a respectable 0-0. No worries.
We switched off at the start of the second half and were punished. A poor clearance, Anderson and Nasri combine to clip the ball into the Arsenal box. Rice in three clear yards of space. No second reprieve. I hope Granit reflects carefully on his part in what proved to be the turning point of the game.
Within 30 seconds of the restart Laca bearing down on the goal only to put in another underpowered strike. And so it went on really. 40+ minutes of us trying to break into the Ammers box, with a change of personnel, with Aaron and Lucas on, and a change of formation. To be fair, for about 10 minutes of the 40 , we showed a real sense of urgency in our play to recover the deficit. After that flurry though the final 30 minutes the Ammers held us off with some ease. 2 shots on target all afternoon. Really not good enough. Of our players who emerge with a scintilla credit on a grey afternoon I would give Alex Iwobi a pat on the back as when the ball was at his feet he put the opposition on the back foot. Kolasinac did OK in working the flanks, and Leno did nothing wrong all afternoon. Ironically Leno had a quiet afternoon by our standards, away from home.
So another week off and then the mighty Chelsea roll into town. They have the advantage of being able to play for the draw and maintain their comfortable six point lead. If they were to win then six would become nine points and I suspect that the finance bods in Highbury House could start budgeting for another Europa League bonanza for the 2019-2020 season. If we were to win however the route to 4th reopens.
KBO.
Positively Arsenal 
Hmmm. That Mail article on Ozil
‘Arsenal manager Unai Emery wants the club to find an exit route for Mesut Ozil before the end of the January transfer window to free up funds to sign his own players.
The Gunners have taken only two points from their last five Premier League away games and Emery’s decision to leave Ozil out of the squad entirely against West Ham — while including teenager Eddie Nketiah — raised eyebrows further.
It was a pointed instruction to the club’s board that, as far as Emery is concerned, the German is dispensable.’
Don’t know how to word this, but…are paragraphs three and one the journalists own inferences based on paragraph 2?
I mean, no reader from earth could be expected to think that’s the case, and if reading in good faith would think the journalists must be claiming to have information directly from a source that this is Emery’s thinking and that he has communicated that thinking to those around him, including figures in our management structure.
But this is journalism today, this is the Mail, the writer is the guy who was involved in tea-Gif gate.
I don’t know. It’s obviously the norm for football journalists to write complete fabrications, but this one feels like it could be slightly different.
A uniquely weasely effort if so.
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rich its probably just sensational journo trying to have a dig back at Ozil, but when Emery has 3 fullbacks in the subs and leaves Ozil out for tactical reasons, then no one should be surprised that journos are going to run this sort of stuff.
Maybe emery does want Ozil out, if we were seeing this at another club I think most of us would jump to the view that their manager wanted the player out, did not most think Jose wanted Pogba out.
I said it over the weekend, if Emery does not see Ozil and Ramsey as part of the team, then for me the best solution is to get them out of the club this month. When 2 so talented and well liked players within the squad are being shunted aside it normally only causes rifts in the squad, it causes doubt in the players minds, the begin to question every decision the head coach makes.
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anicol I haven’t seen it for AFC this season, maybe cos we don’t have a player losing possession around 30 per game, in any game, I did see earlier in the season that a certain former player lost possession over 30 times in a game for utd.
but I think it was Obinho who used to put up those stats on twitter, and arseblog used to have a stats article for each game, I don’t know if they still do it, as I seldom visit that site now.
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Dogged stuff Andrew, thanks and well done and always extra-appreciated when I’ve been unable to watch the game.
Loathe to join in the Ozil speculation fest but if it’s true and Emery DOES want shot in January then that ‘might’ suggest he has transfer targets already in mind, which, in a twisted sort of way, is a positive. New player ‘bounce’ in February would of course be welcomed at a time we traditionally fall out of most of the ‘reckoning’, competition-wise; if Emery managed to get us to fall IN to a sustained fight for top 3 or 4 that would set us up nicely for next season. Very nicely.
What are the chances of that?
Hard to say although I’d suggest Man u’s resurgence is a greater threat to us than a Son-less Spurs, especially with the ludicrous ‘iconic’ Knight of the Realm having seemingly dived his way out of full fitness. He was never at the races yesterday and Diver Alli looks a fraction of the player he was before his diving career took off (literally).
This window could set the tone not just for the rest of the season ahead, but the summer months also. Failing to make top four would, of course, impact on next season too.
And United’s current resurgence could affect us in other ways – most likely by reducing the chances of Poch leaving Spurs.
Interesting couple of weeks ahead. At least off the field, anyway.
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Never say never but of the clubs that might conceivably be able to afford Mesut in England or Europe I cannot see any of them being interested in him. Possibly there is some Chinese club with Yuan to burn as Arnautovic is being moved on a huge package and e have seen a few eyebrow raising transfers to the Middle Kingdom previously. I am however 100% is the DailyMail knows no more than I do about the Mesut situation.
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Interesting piece in the Times this morning from Marcotti in the shift in the approach of agents toward their clients running down their contracts. The financial incentives for players and for the agents are likely to be far in excess of extending. If you can find a copy have a look but here is an excerpt:
“Last June, Emre Can left Liverpool for Juventus on what most called a “free transfer”. In fact, as the Italian side later disclosed — they have obligations to the stock market — the 25-year-old cost about £14 million in commissions. That was in addition to the midfielder’s wages, of course, which amount to about £4.5 million a year post-tax, or roughly £165,000 a week gross, which is how salaries are usually expressed in Britain.
Aaron Ramsey goes out of contract at Arsenal next June and the 28-year-old midfielder has been strongly tipped to join Juventus on a free. He, too, will get a big bump in salary: Italian media cited a basic wage of about£5.8 million net plus bonuses, which roughly translates to £215,000 a week, plus up to £2 million a season depending on appearances. We don’t know how much Ramsey’s advisers will earn — though, as with Can, we will — but you would imagine that they, too, will be in line for a big commission. In fact, reports in Italy put it at about £7.5 million.”
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anicoll
Heard those fees quoted for Can’s agents/whatever about a month ago. Incredible.
Incentives massive now for agents to push in that direction. That said, would make sense if they also try for and sometimes get huge commission for signing new contracts.
Only bit I can’t wrap my head around is whether or not plenty of players aren’t interested in it, or resent any manoeuvrings by agents. (Just can’t see how they can do any scheming without player approval.)
I feel like I would, and in the Can case, say, would be completely suspicious of motives when they are looking to earn like that.
But it’s a different world when in it, I guess. Quite often family members in the mix as well as reps.
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Ed
Indeed. It’s an open invite.
Something to think about,though : we were told Emery blew brass away with analysis of squad, and, presumption admittedly, feels like that would have to include plenty about Ozil, and how to use him prominently.
Well, surely that would be based on having watched him an awful lot and knowing the player well…so how can that opinion change so dramatically when Ozil is simply who he has always been as a player…ie the very things that no doubt positive analysis was based upon?
I guess it can all be put down to being creative when applying for a new job. We’ve all done that. But you wonder what brass make of it in that instance.
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The rest of the Marcotti article discuses the point of the motives of agents and why the “free transfer” is so attractive not just for players, and agents but big clubs too.
“Bring up agent fees and, regardless of the amount, talk invariably turns to “parasites” and “money bleeding out of the game”. The first is often just a facile slur — it’s a fair bet that Can and Ramsey, who are most directly affected by them, do not think of their agents as “parasites” — and the latter needs to be viewed in context.
According to Uefa’s figures, European clubs as a whole made more than £500 million in 2017, with most of the profit flowing to the sort of clubs than can and do pay multimillion-pound commissions. If the money paid in agent commissions “stayed in the game”, the odds are that it would not save a lower-division club from bankruptcy but rather would simply flow back to already uber-wealthy superstar footballers or even wealthier billionaire owners.
A more meaningful way to look at the mega-commissions involved in “free transfers” is how, increasingly, they are approaching transfer fees in size. It used to be that signing a player on a Bosman — an EU ruling through which out-of-contract players can leave clubs without a transfer fee — meant, at most, giving him a moderately higher wage since no transfer fee was involved. Now, however, the economics have changed. Can is costing Juventus about£57 million in wages and fees over five years. Assuming a player of comparable ability and age would demand £6 million in wages with, say, £2.5 million payable in commissions, effectively it’s the equivalent of buying a £24 million player.
If you believe Can is worth more than that, Juventus got themselves a deal. After all, the money is all coming out of the same pot and it’s simply a question of who gets the bulk of it: the player and selling club or the player and agent.
What we are seeing is a natural evolution whereby as transfer fees rise commissions tend to catch up, putting more leverage than ever into the hands of agents who now earn commissions the size of the transfer fees of yesteryear. That, potentially, is a game-changer.
Players have always benefited from letting their contracts run down but, equally, there were many factors discouraging them from doing so, particularly at top clubs. There was the risk of injury, of being unpopular with fans and team-mates, of losing playing time, of simply having to pack up and move yourself and your family.
Equally, agents were incentivised to get their clients to extend contracts: they maintained good relations with the club — who often end up paying agent fees when players extend their deals — and they did not need to worry about finding another team.
The economics, however, have changed. The commission that an agent can earn from delivering his client as a free agent dwarfs what they can make from keeping him at the club, simply because, at the top end, transfer fees are so high. It is hard to see those commissions coming down, too, because on one level clubs such as Juventus would rather pay huge sums to players and agents than rivals. Why? Neither Can nor his agent is a football club. They won’t be using that money to acquire players and challenge Juventus.
Does this herald a new world where, at the highest level (farther down it’s different: mid-tier top-flight clubs, where players earn much less, will continue to sell to giants), players will routinely let their contracts run down in order to move for free or on a substantially reduced fee — which is, essentially, very similar?
Possibly. The conditions are all there for it to happen. While few would begrudge players more money — after all, they are the ones who create the value — the idea that a cadre of superagents wield even more power than they do now won’t sit well with many.
In the meantime, let’s find a more accurate term than “free transfer”. Because it never is.”
The question may be when are Arsenal going to take advantage in the change and scoop up its own “free transfers” ?
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Trouble is now its being pushed around as the truth, I cant find any statement from the club or a vid of UE saying this about Mesut. Click bait shite stirring.
aftv talking such poop today they should open up a sewage farm. Muck spreaders.
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Lots of speculation dressed up as proper statements. Lots of quotes put out on twitter twisting quotes. Lots of sheep believing the bullshit
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The Daily Fail’s head of Sports is a miscreant lifelong Spurs Fan (Jeff Powell), of course they will twist and infer negativity in Arsenal’s direction at any opportunity. Only matched by their sycophancy to his beloved Spurs.
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As Mezut was just coming back from injury he may of been fit but not match fit
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Wouldn’t believe anything from the Daily Heil
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That Mail article was penned by so called journalist, Adam Crafton.
A quick search of this guy and Arsenal slows a slight agenda!
Amongst other things, he was the one who put no Arsenal players in a combined Arsenal/Tottenham team before an NLD, took a load of abuse over it and went publically crying over the stick he received, and created a big story out of it, Arsenal fans being xeno, homo and every bad kind of phobic
I dont think he has ever written anything positive about Arsenal, in line with the Mail itself.
If there is something going on between Emery and Ozil, well, Arsenal are allegedly quite selective on who they leak to, and I can guarantee Adam Crafton would not be top of the list for something so inflammatory.
If it were Ornstein or Mokbel, wouldnt especially take it as gospel either, but would be a little more concerned.
If by some chance this journalist has got this story right it is via guesswork,not inside knowledge
Would love to see Mesut back in the side,fit and playing well, and blow these stories out of the water . That said, I also acknowledge some of Emerys comments, selections and explanations are a little strange but there may well be much we do not know.
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That article on Özil can be filed alongsid the many on Sterling and Özil previously.
You all know whence it came, we are allowed to stand up and speak it’s name: bigotry.
Always gets a good number of clicks too.
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NB:
Objective identification of repetitive bigotry is not “the blame game”,
But an empirical analysis.
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Ive told that Marcotti bloke, if he ever wants to be a success in football journalism, not to waste his time on the interesting, researched, informative articles about important stuff. No no no. He needs to get in the clickbait programme of creative fiction like Adam Crafton.
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A look back in history would remind us that Arsenal were perhaps the first big gainers from this change in the market via the Sol Campbell move from Spurs. It’s also the case that the international players union sought, some years ago, to get transfer fees made ‘illegal’ in that they were a restraint of trade. In fact what is happening now suits the players better because it’s a hybrid of what preceded it. Top players can move from one big club to another by running their contracts down and taking, in effect, a large slice of what would have been paid as a transfer fee for themselves. Players at poorer clubs can get themselves bought (if they are good enough) for relatively low sums which do not impinge too much on their ability to negotiate big wages.
Through the bringing in of players like Kolasinac and Holding Arsenal have been exploiting both of these ‘changes’ for a while now.
The way to strengthen your position in this new market is to produce far more players of your own and, if you want to hold on to them, pay them better by using the money that you would have spent on fees and agents commissions.
Look at the clubs who have spent most on developing their academies recently and you get a clue as to who is most ahead of the new game. But you have then to play them!
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Sounds right to me although, logically I think, transfer fees between clubs will reduce significantly or even fade away. Buying a player just because he is in the last 6 or 12 moths of his contract seems very expensive and possibly pointless.
For new recruits we are not signing a player, we are leasing him for the duration of his contract. If we want to keep him we pay him enough to cover what he could expect elsewhere. If not then off he goes. Alexis Sanchez career seems to have followed that contract by contract pattern albeit he was sold on while he still had a value.
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Re the Rookie in midfield still starting.
The blaggers were so hooked on their own fumes and the winds of change meme that was blowing through their arsenal in the first half of the season that they were unwilling to discuss the strangeness of Ramsey not starting, which in itself is strange for purported football blogs.
But then again the consideration of the billy big blaggers not discussing the actual football in favour of peddling some kind for grit arsed narrative for clicks should not be a surprise for us.
Like all of you I’ve been disappointed that Matteo has been asked to start games in CM , but for me he should not be starting beyond AMN’s recovery from his early season injury.
I don’t think the rookie from the French second tier is better suited to starting games in the PL then the slightly older player who has already impressed over 90mins at the top level already, and played a fair few games for the senior team last season (although only a couple at best in midfield).
It’s a decision/call that makes no sense in relation to the football pitch.
But there’ve been a fair few of those this season!
Starting with the decision to let the in form CB from the end of last season who can also cover at RB go on loan for the year. The Swiss veteren who was always going to struggle at RB in the he PL at his age has enjoyed his forced stints at RCB even less then we have! Jenkinson played better at RCB then the player who came in over the summer.
Between the Chambers error, the Ramsey error, playing a rookie when you do have better options in CM error, and apart from Aubamayang (ignoring the frustration of not seeing him enough with Özil or Ramsey), there have been:
A lot of errors.
However for the record and I order to retain my own dignity and not portray myself as gullible to memes or simply as a cunning linguist I would like to declare:
The coach has not forgotten how to coach defending
Iwobi’s inconsistent form is just fine for a developing player his age who was never as precious as the once in a generation talents in his position, like your Mbappe’s etc.
–
Random thought for the day:
In football you get all rounders same as in other sports.
Ramsey an all rounder in midfield (can someone like Wenger or even Coleman please explain this to UE if it’s not too late?) Welbeck an all rounder forward, etc.
it’s not a difficult discussion when talking about Ramsey and what his best position is (clue: in midfield!).
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Mesut’s Instagram does not suggest a man too troubled by what media outlets think is happening to him. Sure, there’s an element of PR to it, but you can’t fake happiness.
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take your mind off the football and have a listen to my latest Yorkie show
https://www.spreaker.com/user/cavanonlineradio/the-yorkie-show-14th-january-2019_1
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dave your choices are in next weeks show
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Fins, you’ve twice recently said that Chambers was “in form” at the end of last season and said he should not have been loaned out – when – which game or games do you say he was “in form” in at the end of last season ?
From what I recall of the end of last season Chambers was in and out of the squad, sometimes a starter, and sometimes on the subs bench. Nothing dreadful, nothing outstanding, and nothing I saw as “in form”. He was no different to any other time in his career with us.
The one who caught the eye over the final few games was Mavropanos, rough as he was/is. With Sokratis arriving did you really expect Chambers to get much game time ? I think it was a toss up between Holding or Chambers going on loan. I’d say they chose the right one.
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And lo and behold he is back
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
2h2 hours ago
📝 Here’s how #AFCU23 line up against @ManCity in the #PL2 this evening…
XI | Iliev, Osei-Tutu, Sheaf, Mavropanos, Pleguezuelo, Gilmour, Willock, Burton, Amaechi, Nketiah, Saka
SUBS | Okonkwo, Ballard, Thompson, Zelalem, Balogun
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
48m48 minutes ago
WHAT A FINISH 🔥
@BukayoSaka87 beats his marker on the left wing and fires into the far corner 🎯
🔴 1-0 🔵 (4)
AND IT’S TWO 🙌 @XavierAmaechi is fouled inside the box and Burton converts from the spot 🔴 2-0 🔵 (9)
GET IN THERE 👊 @EddieNketiah9’s saved effort falls to the feet of @Joewillock, who makes no mistake with the finish 🔴 3-0 🔵 (45)
Half-time: #AFCU23 3-0 @ManCity A dominant first-half performance with goals from @BukayoSaka87, Robbie Burton and @Joewillock 🔥
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I’m a little concerned to see Amaechi and Saka play for the U23’s tonight, it to me suggests they are unlikely to feature for our u18’s in the FA Youth cup on Thursday v Spurs, although there is a few days in between, so maybe they will.
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
4m4 minutes ago
We’re back underway at Meadow Park…
More of the same please lads 🤞
🔴 3-0 🔵 (46)
Goal for @ManCity. Bolton converts from close range following two stunning saves from Iliev 🔴 3-1 🔵 (46)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
3m3 minutes ago
INSTANT REACTION! IT’S SAKA AGAIN 🔥
A loose ball drops inside the box and @BukayoSaka87 is there to finish 👏
🔴 4-1 🔵 (51)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
34s35 seconds ago
YESSSSSS 🙌
@EddieNketiah9 cuts the ball back to @XavierAmaechi inside the box, who fires past Anderson 🎯
🔴 5-1 🔵 (67)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
3m3 minutes ago
Our first change of the evening…
⬅️ Mavropanos
🔛 Ballard
Well played, Dinos 👏
🔴 5-1 🔵 (71)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
2m2 minutes ago
Our second change of the evening…
⬅️ @BukayoSaka87
🔛 Thompson
🔴 5-1 🔵 (76)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
7m7 minutes ago
Our third and final change…
⬅️ @XavierAmaechi
🔛 Balogun
🔴 5-1 🔵 (86)
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
30s30 seconds ago
Full-time: #AFCU23 5-1 @ManCity
A 5️⃣ ⭐️ performance from #AFCU23 in the #PL2…
⏱ 4, 51’ @BukayoSaka87
⏱ 9’ @Rburton26
⏱ 45’ @JoeWillock
⏱ 67’ @XavierAmaechi
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Nice to see u23’s with such a strong team, and getting sort of result you’d hope for with that lineup.
Fretting a bit though about whether it means no Amaechi and Saka for Spurs game on Thursday.
For me, not too much to ask for youngsters to play Mon Thurs, with neither needed for 1st team at minute, although with Amaechi maybe need to be more careful as just back from 4 months out.
Spurs u18’s strong this season so those two could make all the difference and give team a lift as well.
Think John-Jules injured from tweet I read earlier and Olayinka also seems to be out at minute.
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Mesut Özil has confirmed on his Instagram that he has married fiancée Amine Gülse. #afc
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Andy
I’ve said it more then twice!
Was saying the same thing at the end of last season when trying to comment at that time upon the defenders, their fitness, their form, their football in opposition to the gibberistic meme from our Billy big blaggers’ spectacular efforts to divine upon the defensive coaching as they loooked to attack the greatest football coach in the history of the club. Everyone out there can see the value of such punditry I hope (keep your eyes on the Football!).
The competition for Chambers at the end of last season at the back wasn’t as good as it has been during those halcyon bygone days when the Arsenal were winning back to back Golden Gloves (highest number of clean sheets in the league – 14/15 & 15/16). The young Greek had a couple of cameo performances, he looked good but too small a number of apprearences. Chambers was starting for a sequence towards the end of the season during Arsenal’s best run of league form and also did well coming on in a European semi-final etc. following on from his earlier run in the Europa knock out rounds in 2018 up till the SF when the senior CBs came in (might have been against Milan) etc.etc. etc.
He was, in fact, the in form CB at the club at the end of the year.
It didn’t make any sense to let either one of the young CBs go, not now when neither were rookies and ready to play when required as cover or to pressure the big imports for their starting berths as seen with Holding.
One of them could easily have a dip in form, like Holding all last season as he struggled with some technical development/confidence/injuries, or a big injury like Holding this season when he was playing like the kind of CB Young Pep hopes Stones will be.
I’ve made an objective observation that the Arsenal tend to do reasonably well (trophies! Hello!!) when they have a healthy stable of good to top level CBs to call on. To be fair it seemed like an easy and innocent observation!
Not the case the last two seasons, as testified by the numbers in the Goals Against column.
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Great performance by the youngy today and much needed after a bad weekend for the men’s and women’s first teams.
I too am concerned about the availability for Thursday, it would be good if we can play all our big hitters and stuff the spuds.
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Sniper
@clockendsniper
2h2 hours ago
Arsenal U23s last 5 games v Man City U23s
Arsenal 5 Man City 1
Man City 6 Arsenal 5
Man City 0 Arsenal 1
Arsenal 4 Man City 3
Arsenal 3 Man City 3
0 replies 0 retweets 4 likes
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Funny old game where we can score 18 in 4 games against City (2) Chelsea, and Pool this season at that level and then have a few absolute stinkers at teams like Derby and Blackburn where we can barely create a thing.
Lineups vary plenty at that level, but also thing bigger clubs (1st teams) want to play more football, have more technical players,etc.
Others often come with idea of fighting and defending first, and if they can get a lead like that, can often shut us out well and hit on break, at least if we haven’t got stronger team out there.
Glad Nketiah and Willock picked tonight. Felt like right call and they did it.
Smith-Rowe I assume is probably still nursing a niggle, bit of a pain if so as think it’s been quite a while since he’s been 100% and so he hasn’t been able to capitalise on last appearance which I seem to remember as one of best yet.
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As it happens, looks like that makes us u23 league’s top scorers, with 30, which is 9 more than leaders Everton.
But we’ve conceded 25 more than them (in 15 games)- 33 to their 8.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6591585/Red-card-tackle-Manchester-Citys-Bernardo-Silva-harsh-Wolves-defender-Willy-Boly.html
Bit confusing. I thought it was immaterial whether or not you get the ball if the criteria for red card is met.
Is Clattenberg referring to laws of game with his ‘we were told’, or pgmol interpretation of laws of game/ how to ref?
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game management
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So what you think should have happened is the club should not have sent any CBs out on loan. Assuming as you say they were all fit that would involve Mustafi, Sokratis, Holding, Chambers, Mavropanos and Kosc aiming to fill 2 slots ? Although perhaps Emery had a 3 at the back notion then!
It seems a bit crowded to me Fins. Regarding the games at the end of last season your recollection ofCCs impact different from mine. He did fine but no better or worse than he had previously.
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Interesting to see Dortmund have shelled out 15 mill on another young (19) defender.
Lots of talk with us in recent weeks about what our future holds, what realistic expectations are with our budget…and plenty of teeth gnashing about us not selling for big money and not getting near to a Coutinho type bonanza.
Germany and here very different, and a bit apples and pears comparing us with any team from another league…but does feel like they are one of the closer matches to us around Europe.
Recent acquisitions for them in defence are French giant they brought in at 18, this latest one at 19, and another two centre backs- Akanji and Diallo- brought in for decent money (18 and 28 mill) at 22/23 age. Unusually young for core of defensive options.
Guess we’ll find out over next couple of years if we are going to try move more in that direction by targeting younger players with high ceiling or whatever the current phrase for it is.
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“It seems a bit crowded to me Fins”
Andy if you want to list Koscielny as a match fit PL level CB this season, you are entitled to that opinion! He must be close to finishing his pre-season so maybe he will be soon.
There were three match fit CBs at the start of the PL season.
For the trip to West Ham (playing three CBs) there was: one
(if we can agree to speculate that Papa has fully recovered from his own niggles).
“He did fine but no better or worse than he had previously”
Sure. But he was still: the in form CB at the club at the end of last season. This is not a complex consideration. Even if someone is of the opinion that he won’t fulfill the same potential as Holding, Holding had poor form and injuries last season so Chambers played more, and the Greek kid was only going to make up the numbers to cover Kozza during his own recovery.
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But it is a complex consideration Fins, that is the point. Unless Emery had been told by doctors that Koscielny would not be available this season then he would include him among CBs in the squad – albeit that until he was fit he would not be available.
So what does a head coach do ? Keep 5+1 CBs in the squad – Or send one out on loan from Holding, Mavro and CC ?
Going back to the “in form” Chambers at the end of last season which games were these – I shall look them up again as yesterday I could not see what games you meant?
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Andy if you want to argue that Koscileny is a match fit PL footballer (must be close now) at the start of the season, I won’t be stopping you.
“I’ve made an objective observation that the Arsenal tend to do reasonably well (trophies! Hello!!) when they have a healthy stable of good to top level CBs to call on. To be fair it seemed like an easy and innocent observation!”
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