I find myself unable to write a review that could be considered Positively Arsenal, so I have ducked for cover and our friend Mills has taken up the reigns
LCFC 3 ARSENAL 0
Who forgot to bring the bullets? KO Gunfight at the King Prawn Corral.
Years ago, a New York art critic had seen the surrealist sculptures of Alberto Giacometti in an exhibition. The review of these works he published was pretty much this: ” Ive been staring at my typewriter for half an hour and I can’t think of anything to write about these absurd works”.
The feeling after the game seems pretty much like that doesn’t it? Well, Alberto left the Surrealists and went on his own way and later arrived at a new style and created a truly new addition to the world of art. Out of pure humiliation, came some strong and ground-breaking work……COYG???
The basic facts were, (all apologies to those who like more analysis) our Guns were again packed with blanks and damp squibs, a rare thing; in days of yore it was often in big games, but we seem to be breaking a few records with stats and facts that leave us red-cheeked. Letting in three to Chelsea or whoever was pretty horrible, but to mid table teams is embarrassing. But like all egos, maybe ours needs shrinking a bit? Hope the therapy works! What looked like the easy run/in at the end of the season, has been a been a tough time for those on the Arsenal trail.
LCFC got on top pretty quickly and everything yet again seemed a struggle. Mustafi went in and didn’t get booked and we threw a few other tackles in, then Ainsley got booked, which seemed to be pay back for the other challenges. Iwobi had a chance which was pretty weak. Ainsley got book a second time, and Olivers army saw red. Big laughs. As Ed said: 12 versus 10.
We held on to HT and to be honest I felt like UE would pull off one of his talks like he did earlier in the season and we would come out top gunslingers, however it was not to be.
0-1on 59 mins and it looked like the coffins were already being assembled and things started feeling like the Alamo.Some subs here and there, yet even these didn’t really get the geist going, in fact it looked like it had given up and gone off to graze on the high plains.
0-2 on 86 mins and things looked pretty much finished despite Leno looking very good again with lots of fine saves, although all of us would rather the had nothing to do all game.
Mr Emery looked like he was thinking about the Valencia game the more it dragged on..Eddie N always looks like he wants to impress, 4 mins were added on, and the LCFC fans started winding the Gunner faithful up, which seemed cheeky for a Championship side like themselves (anyway, they are up for the 8th place trophy) and then goal number three sneaked in on 90+5 and the whistle blew for rant time for the professionals on YT, twitter and the nefarious blogs everywhere. The third goal made the score seem meaner and more humiliating.And that was that, we died with our boots on.
We find ourselves now two uphill points outside the top 4, and to “av a CL laugh” we need Chelsea to mess up (again) and us to start winning. Odd that we could have been way up in 3rd rather than stuck in Tombstone City 5th.
But we aren’t finished. Was it really the last chance gunfight at the KO corral? Just because it looks bad doesn’t mean it is? Even the PL top four shuffle hasn’t finished yet. There might be a final hoedown yet? Does Doc ‘St.Totteringham’ Holliday has some special moonshine to pick us up? Will there be a Tom Mix-up?
Valencia is a bigger game, and we like those, surely there’s some hope? What that you say, don’t call me Shirley? But if we concentrate on what might have been, how can we concentrate on what might be? Will we be True Grit or Butch and Sundance getting slaughtered? I dont know, but a cup game is very different from a league game…
And top stuff for the Arsenal Women today. Making us proud even when we feel buried and forgotten. See? Always something to smile about and feel good.
COYG!
Positively Arsenal 
I had stated pre game that I hoped Emery would be brave, throw off the shackles and go for it, sadly there was no sign of any sort of gung ho attitude from us, despite Emery’s claims that our game plan was to control the game with possession and that we actually started well and he was proud of our players.
I have wondered a number of times this season if all of Emery’s famed Analysis of opponents is more of a hindrance than a help, by that I mean is he over thinking it, is he focused too much on being clever or out thinking our opponents game plan, and forgetting to put enough focus on our own actual style of play. I will give you that he seems good at thinking on his feet, so to speak, in that he often improves us with his subs, many of which come on at half time. So he can work out what is going wrong during a game, what is wrong with our tactics, but does our awful first halves mean he keeps misreading what our opponents pregame tactics are. Or do I give him too much credit for fixing his selection mess ups, by simply bringing on our better players, who then improve our performance.
Martin Keown said yesterday that all Emery’s changing of formations, tactics, and players, only leads to confusion and causes these sub par performances. That he needs to decide what our formation and tactics are and stick with it. In other words make it simple for the players and stop trying to outsmart our opponents.
going on team selection stats(ignoring reasons like injuries of course), most started goalie, defenders, midfielders, attackers, Emery’s favored team selection is
Leno – 29
Bellerin – 18
Sokratis – 24
Mustafi – 29
Kolasinac -22
Torreira – 23
Xhaka – 28
Guendouzi – 22
Iwobi – 21
Aubameyang – 28
Lacazette – 26
subs
Ozil -19
Monreal – 19
Mkhitaryan – 17
Ramsey – 14
Koscielny – 13
Maitland-Niles – 11
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by the way the most subbed on players for us are
Ramsey – 14
Iwobi – 12
Torreira – 10
Guendouzi – 9
Lacazette – 8
Aubameyang – 6
Welbeck – 6
Mkhitaryan – 6
Maitland-Niles – 5
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Been a rough, rough week. Glad there’s Europa to hope for.
Hard bit for me is the double whammy of the away games not being enjoyable in themselves, and my lack of a sense of how things could improve.
Chance still there to end season on a great high and with the CL qualification that would give us a significant boost at this time.
Attractive football or a style to give hope we are building towards something good and convincing both pretty much off table for me now this season. So it’s just all about hoping we can somehow still rescue it with results that make it, somehow, a very reasonable season, which helps us building for better days.
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Rich if we finish top 4 it will be a good season, if we win the Europa League it will be a very good season, but if we achieve neither its a poor season, a maximum of 5 games left before a verdict is delivered
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Tough watching once again. If Emery didn’t know, he does now, refs are bent in this league you can plan tactics all you want but when a defender gets a yellow on his first foul, for a borderline foul, you know what’s coming. The second foul for the yellow/red was coming, the picture above is clear, there were no spikes to the shin or other, madison made a meal of it and goodbye AMN…meanwhile who was it Kxakha gets a kick spikes first just below the knee ( wow a yellow! ) and Torreira gets the forearm smash to the face, in the box, while going for the ball and well there was no blood so…..
Having said this, we were sub par, couldn’t unlock the defence for the third match in a row. So if anyway you cut it, 3 goals in 3 games won’t get you much. Amazingly we’re still in the thick of it, let’s hope the boys can shake themselves and put together a win streak, it’s not as if they haven’t surprised us a few times already this season….
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poor performance yet again from Arsenal & oliver made sure we are screwed up by sending off AMN by issuing 2 soft yellow cards.
i doubt we can finish top4 now.
All hopes on the Europa now where we are atleast better off in repect to fair officiating unlike in the EPL.
But as the season closing one thing is certain now that we are no more a team who wants to dictate play even against lower ranked teams and prefer a counter attacking style.Wengerball is the thing of the past.
i womder how many of us like the new style of play which is not entertaing enough against the one we used to watch under Wenger when we were glued to the Tv screen for the full 90 mins.
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Love the review. Surrealism is probably a good parallel to draw for this current Arsenal team.
3 goals conceded in 3 consecutive games. By a manager, excuse me, coach who was supposed to be all tacticy if not tiki takaee, and drill our defense better. Can’t even blame Mustafi this time for giving the GK an assist eh? So what do we do? Insist that a squad deemed to have underperformed under previous management, is just not good enough. Surreal..
Btw, Leno kept the score down. He’s been a great addition. Hope he keeps improving like he has this season.
I have serious doubts about Valencia but that seems to be more familiar ground for Emery, and Arsenal will want to make up for a semi final exit last season. I just wish Ramsey were available.
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Top stuff Mills. A review far better than the game itself.
A concern for me is that since the run in started Emery seems as if he’s looking one game ahead instead of taking it one game at a time. Would have been so great if we had something to take, be it even a good performance in defeat, into that Valencia game.
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Thank you Mills.
I suppose that even a melting clock can tell the right time twice a day?
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Thanks for the thanks. Hopefully we can move on soon. Sure can Fins, but who knows when youre around at Withnails place?
George, Ive sent an update for mid-week to your via email.
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I’ll definitely be heading round to the Gunners’ gaff to watch them take on Valencia.
It’ll be interesting to see some of our new signings opposite some recent and former Gunners.
I suspect they’ll be tougher opponents then the strikerless Napoli.
COYG!
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What sort of price did you get for your ticket fins?
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< was a good day for the Arsenal ladies/woman's team!!!
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Mills, I hope it’s included in the season ticket allowance. Think it was last season (which is why AFC season tickets are better value then at the Boris Johnson & Lord Sainsbury sponsored sewage works in n17 or at the bus stop in Fulham).
Otherwise I’ll be looking on the ticket exchange.
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we started the season with 2 BPL defeats, then went 14 BPL games without defeat, 10 wins and 4 draws, but in the 20 BPL games since we have 8 defeats, 4 in the last 5 games, with 10 wins and 2 draws.
Once the initial boost a new manager gives wore off our from has been poor to say the least.
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Ed. Aye. Some mitigation we lost 2 very important defenders, plus an important squad member in Danny.
Also wonder if there was much discrepancy between home and away fixtures in the 14 and 20 game stretch.
What you detail is what makes it such a bizarre scenario that it can still be a good season, depending on two games in prem or, potentially, three in Europe.
My general view is that it is silly to judge a season on anything other than the overall, ie the results of 50+ games; especially on only a few games, but that’s where I’m poised at moment, and it doesn’t feel that wrong to be so.
It’ll be almost entirely a results thing if we do somehow manage it, though.
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I think some of our problems started when Torreira was deployed as a more advanced midfielder, he had started the season as the midfield enforcer there to protect the backline, then he popped up with a winner v Huddersfield and low and behold he is no longer our DM, he is another all rounder, and his form has gone to pot since.
His partnership with Xhaka has been broken, Guendouzi became a fixture in our starting 11,
in my post earlier I mentioned the 14 game unbeaten run, in it we scored 33 goals, conceding 15
In the 20 games since we have scored 34 and conceded 29
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fins, amazing to see how popular Arsenal are these days. Seems remarkable to think that you could just turn at Highbury for years and years. It was three squid fifty for a ticket for the Juve semi in 1980.Seemed really pricey at the time.
Ive often wondered if they will expand the stadium, some of looks like it could potentially have areas where added more seats. Did you ever propose your trees idea for in and around the stadium?
Ed, seems like a big meme at the moment is that the team isnt one that UE has built up, and thats why its not working etc. But I wonder what kind of team will he build? I cant see it being a flowing Wengerball type team. We are supposed to be patient with evolution but being beaten Brendan Rodgers 8th place trophy team is a lot of laughs.
Ive often wondered if Santi had been offered one year more if he could have done the biz in the midfield. fuck I miss that guy. A real Arsenal all time great.
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Rich yes Danny might have been very useful to us, after all he would have meant we could actually put in a cross for a header, but the fact is that Danny started 1 league game for us this season was sub 6 times and scored 1 goal.
On Holding, he didn’t get a sniff of a game till Sokratis got injured 6 games in, and Sokratis didn’t return to the starting 11 for 7 games, Holding got injured 2 games later, Koscielny came back from injury 2 games after that.
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Mills, one of my only decent pre-Arsenal Unai memories is watching his Sevilla team beat Liverpool in Europa final with a great display of football 2nd half.
Think my main thought, aside from ‘yes!!!’, was that the good of technical quality had ultimately triumphed over Pool’s ‘heavy metal’ of intense pressing and limited build up play throughout field. Classy, clever, passing football, with better technical players won that day.
Also very vaguely remember enjoying another of the Sevilla finals as a good entertaining game of football.
With PSG remember an awesome first leg display where they destroyed Barca, and an away horror show where they opted for trying to protect big lead and were made to pay, albeit with help of officials.
In conclusion, none of that sheds much light for me. PSG is a world away, and the rest I don’t know about- Spanish players tend to have good technique, the Argentian player Banega was instrumental; their league is very different, and the Sevilla squad was most likely built by their main man Monchi.
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Mills my first visit to Highbury was in 1986, and I was able to walk into the Box Office the day before the game and buy tickets for whatever part of the ground I wanted, it was £6
As for what sort of team will Emery build, take a look at the lists of most selected and most subbed on players at beginning of this thread, I think it shows a preference for functional type players, flair seems to be a foreign thought to him.
You could say he is building a Europa League team. Is that nasty of me to say.
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Mills
I realised belatedly that there are no trees on the podium level around the stadium, between the railway lines, as they have to allow clear emergency access to the stadium.
So no trees or greenary yet *sniffs*.
Dartford FC in their Princes Park Stadium remain he leaders in eco-stadium design
( not then that highly praised by the far right press billion dollar boondangle /control fraud operation in n17… )
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But it does mean Rich that he can manage teams with good tech quality. He didnt seem to stay at PSG for long though I suppose the bizarre game versus Barca didnt go down well, plus with that amount of money spent on a team they demand big silverwear. His longest stint seem to have been four years while mostly hes a couple or so. So it looks like hes mostly been playing with sides that would also not be totally of his selection?
Hes on a two year contract with us…
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Ed-six quid and just turn up, seems like a massive luxury now! Certainly looks that way with that way, I hope we dont become a EL team, it really has it moments. Seeing Ö and Rambo left out sometimes was not a lot of laughs this season. Rambo should not be leaving.
Feel sorry for Ainsley this morning he must feel really shafted by bullshit reffing.
Shame fins, but at least you had a great idea.
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Excellent stuff Mills on a difficult day.
Yes the ref was bias again but the worrying thing was the possession stats before Ainsley went off which at one point was 77-23 I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ARSENAL side have less especially against a midtable side.
I said in the preview the starting line up and starting tactics would be vital and unfortunately I think Unai got it all wrong.
Miki and Alex Iwobi deployed as wide midfielders pushed to far forward creating a four two four effect meaning we totally lost the midfield. Add to that Auba and Laca weren’t working hard enough in tandem to stop the diagonal balls from the back we had it all to do.
Once Unai knew Nacho was injured then he had to go with a back three as Sead cannot defend and when going forward needs the ball in front of him so he can fly forward.
The Torriera thing was strange at times he was the furthest forward maybe to haress them high up the pitch but it never really worked.
Tactically we needed to change well before
The sending off but it just didn’t come.
As for the ref well it’s difficult to see how they are even trying to look neutral nowadays and how choudry stayed on the pitch let alone not get a booking baffles me.
With two Champions teams in the bag and a good win for the U23S it should of been a fantastic weekend for the club but we were let down.
Strangely were not out of it and thinking Positively we should look forward not backwards we are where we are and it could still be a fantastic end to the season.
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cheers Ian, great points too—as everyone has made today. COYG!
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interesting point about how little time – years wise,- that Emery stays at clubs, it really puts the mockers on all this “Emery needs x number of transfer windows to get in his players”, like so much of the bull spouted by the idiots and bloggers, its nothing more than a soundbite,
talking about soundbites I seen this little douzey this morning
“the only people who want to take AFC fwds are the fans. The suits & owners are seemingly not prepared to do what it takes 2 make us great again. Disheartening”
that’s a great soundbite, but in reality all it means is that fans want to spend the owners money on Arsenal. Its easy to talk when you know you don’t have to walk the walk.
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I get the impression, and it won’t please the Mustafi haters, that the central defender most likely to be binned this summer will be Mavropanos, and not Mustafi. Look at the facts, Mustafi has started 29 or our 36 games so far, the most of not only our defenders, but the most of all of our players, while Mavropanos only makes the bench due to injuries to others, and was not deemed needed enough to get a place in our Europa League squad, he has played a grand total of 6 games for AFC, 3 last season and 3 this, he will be 22 at the end of the year, in those six games he came on a sub once, he was subbed off twice, one at half time, and he was sent off after 15 minutes in another, so six games where he completed 90 minutes just the twice, his first two games. Yet somehow he has a massive reputation, go figure
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What followed pretty much destroyed the point but did anyone think we were looking much improved defensively after half time until their goal?
That goal rudely interrupted my thinking, no doubt about it, but what I had in mind was that we might be a lot better off, away, having most of the team in a proper defensive mode, if that’s what it was, and then two or three up pitch who are seriously good on counter.
I’m not sure as it stands that we have anyone great on counter. There are a number who have some abilities which should be well suited to it- Ozil’s final ball, Auba’s speed behind- but i think great counter-players are those who can do the lot- shoot, pass, dribble, sprint-especially dribbling. Sterling probably number one exponent of it. Liverpool’s three pretty damn good as well.
Anyway, that idea was dynamited after their goal, and there’s always the question of if Leicester changed with the match situation, but they did seem stymied for a while when we had a defence who weren’t thinking of attack and were all out focused on defence, and it had me wondering what if we had that, plus the extra man for a full compliment, and a few players who are exceptional on counter.
I know it’s not ideal, and it’s certainly clutching at straws on my part, but it’s still maybe something to think about, or at least can’t be dismissed, especially if we were truly looking to control possession and take game to them and yet had just over 20% possession, only carved out two chances, and looked vulnerable in defence, including to balls over the top.
Suppose you can argue either way- let’s become better at defending (and countering), or lets recommit to attacking possession football- from where we stand, depending either on if you have a strong preference or if you think one is more achievable on our budget.
I’d prefer to be a great footballing team but think defend and counter significantly more achievable, though still hard, and with the added benefit of being a least a little more difficult for pgmol to fuck us over with.
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“the only people who want to take AFC fwds are the fans. The suits & owners are seemingly not prepared to do what it takes 2 make us great again. Disheartening”
Weird thing is Ed, I was at a mates house about 7 yrs ago, and his son in law was coming out with the same crap, making out I was a foge because I didnt want the club to spunk of loads of cash just to be like Chelsea (shooting tigers in cages=big hunter type of club). He kept on saying that our system wasnt working anymore. I just sort of looked at him and didnt say anything. It was like he thought in the term of monopoly, here money isnt real, the endless jobs that AFC give people world wide arent important.
Whats also amazing is that theres no actually evidence anywhere of the people who run the club not wanting to win. The ranting bloke at my favourite place says hes taking the banner to the US this year.
To right about talking and not walking Ed.
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It’s hope Ed.
You got me thinking other day about how many are convinced our u23 stars could transfer skills easily to senior football. Imagine for a moment Mustafi, exactly as he is, was a, say, 20 year old playing u23 football for us.
He would, undoubtedly, do brilliantly at that level. It would be too easy in most games for him. There would be a clamour to play him in first team, and much abuse that it hadn’t happened already. He would also be used as a tool to abuse 1st team defenders with.
I wasn’t completely thankful to you for reminding me of the truth of it- the vast difference in the levels- and i’m certainly not going to abandon the great hopes I have for our talented youngsters, but it’s for the best to be kept in check as far as reality goes.
I still hope Mavropanos can come very good for us, but yeah, there’s plenty of uncertainty, and good reasons for doubt.
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well Mills those that spout that kind of crap believe that Kroenke not spunking up £200M or £300M of his own money to Arsenal is evidence that the suits don’t care. Now imagine if our world wide fan base of hundreds of millions of fans, all spunked up £10 or £20 each and gave it to the club to buy success, it might showed they actually cared, or what about leaving their entire estate, no matter how much or how little its worth, to Arsenal FC, no giving the club money for nothing is only for the suits to do, not the people who claim they are the only ones who truly care.
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Good point Ed!
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As awful as we are at the moment , Utd possibly even worse despite a clear PGMOL/ Riley operation to get them in the top four, of which we were on the receiving end in recent games to compound the teams complete ineptitude
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Rich I get the hope, I have it for so many of our young lads in the Academy, and as one who has always been big into our Academy teams, all the way back to the days of Ross, Powell, Vassen, Davis, Whyte, Meade and oh so many more in the 70’s and since, but you always have to temper your hope with the reality.
the reality of Mavropanos is that it certainly looks like Emery is not at all impressed by him, taken off in both his starts, not included in our EL squad list, does that suggest the lad is seen as our great white hope, he looks to be more seen as Bob Hope.
The defender in the U23’s that most impresses me is Daniel Ballard, after that Medley, similar type defenders in the U18’s too in McGuiness and Clarke.
I had massive hope for right back Vontae Daley-Campbell, but he is refusing to sign a new deal and rumor has it he is leaving us for compensation fee in a few weeks time. A contract has been on offer to him for over a year now, and his refusal to sign has seen him completely overlooked for U23 selection, not a good situation at all.
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Much being written out there about the structure above Emery, or lack of it.
Maybe a real concern in moving forward, cannot say i know enough of such things to really comment.
But what i do know is that employment law means we cannot tie sven or monchi to the club.
Suspect they have appointments but will have to wait for them to be released from current roles
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we have all talked about the awful reffing of Michael Oliver yesterday and the totally wrongful sending off of AMN – by the way something he can not appeal as it was for two yellows, yeah the FA really have some very warped rules – but I have to say that even Michael Oliver’s ineptitude pales when compared to what Martin Atkinson once again got up to at Old Trafford, two of the most clear straight Red Card offenses you will ever see, but Utd completed the game with 11 men, or should I say 12.
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Have not watched the game at all. Had other things to do yesterday.
I have read (think it was Arseblog) saying the team put out was not much different from the team that got a draw away to Spurs at Wembley and the approach was timid and the team was set to give up possession and play counter attacking football (like Crystal palace home).
Is that now our new philosophy?
Are emulating Athletico style of play or is it because he is working with what he has got at the moment and the sooner he gets a full transfer window the sooner we will become this team of protagonists?
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Big fan of Ballard. Not quite seen enough of McGuinness to form opinion but do enjoy that when ball played long he is always favourite in air (also seems to possess astonishing leap for attacking set pieces).
Daley-Campbell situation a real kick in teeth. Not only is he strong- extremely so in youth football although will level out a bit in prem- also has a mean streak to him.
To be honest, our recent academy products and even the Brits we have bought young don’t score highly on that front. Nice guys, all of them. Jack had some devilment and anger, but in a body that wasn’t very well suited to using it.
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somebody asked how long has Emery normally stayed at his other clubs, well here is the list
2004–2006 Lorca Deportiva
2006–2008 Almería
2008–2012 Valencia
2012 Spartak Moscow
2013–2016 Sevilla
2016–2018 Paris Saint-Germain
2018– Arsenal
oddly the only places he had success, or should I say won trophies, was Sevilla, 3 EL in his 3 season’s, and at PSG in both his seasons, neither club did he come in and buy a whole host of players, he worked mainly with what was already there, yet for some reason at Arsenal we have a fan base that are demanding he be given years and years of transfer windows to bring in his own players.
at Seville his biggest transfer in was less than £10M, and he made transfer profits of £47M, £26M and £12M
yes at PSG there was a big turnover, with several of the players he signed in the first season being sold or loaned out in the second season.
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Over the past few matches. Really over the season. I’ve been missing some Wengerball. But that’s not a yearning for the past, merely how I see our future should be. So what did I do today? Went to the official site and watched the highlights of the U23s title winning campaign. Our man Freddie has them playing some entertaining football. I saw signs of a press too. And some of the goals are like direct products of Wenger’s vision for Arsenal.
Now does that mean I’m Emery Out? Honestly, I’m struggling to say no. But either way, as other comments here have pointed out, Emery is essentially a short term signing. I doubt he stays beyond next season. Maybe he can get us CL football, and help stabilize the team. But the plan should be for someone else in the future. Hopefully someone who knows and understands the Arsenal way (and of course is competent enough to implement it)
Whether that be Vieira, Freddie or Arteta. And of course Bergkamp involved in some capacity. (Heart emoji)
However, regardless of my ambivalence on Emery I am unequivocally Raul out. The biggest signing we can make now is the DoF we appoint. Sadly, Raul is the one who will do this. Ridiculous that after his elevation to the top job he alienated Sven, who in the two windows he had did a very good job, and has since left the post vacant. Emery was never hired to take care of the strategic direction of the team. Right now, no one is doing that. I am not encouraged by reports of Cagigao de facto carrying out the role. I mean he may be good, but it’s a very different skill to spot good young talent vs building the team keeping in mind the culture, style of play and administrative issues. (age profiles, HG quotas etc)
We chased Edu, who refused, then Overmars, who signed a new deal at Ajax, and Monchi, who (thankfully) went back to Sevilla, and now apparently we’re back to Edu again in July after the Copa America. What was the word used by the WOBs? Oh yeah, Shambles.
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a major problem Arsenal have had this season is the lack of goals outside of Aubameyang and Lacazette, 19 and 13, after that its Mkhitaryan with 6, and Ramsey and Xhaka on 4 each, Alex Iwobi with only the 3 sums up our attacking problems.
We have to for next season find the players and a system that will see several more players hit double figures
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shard the U23’s did not win the title this season, are currently 2nd but could finish 3rd and Freddie was not their manager when they won it last year.
The U18s won the title this season, with Ken Gillard as boss, after Ampadu left for Monaco early season.
As you say Shard we went for Edu first off, he turned us down, and after going through a list we are back to Edu, suggests he was the one we really wanted all along.
As for Cagiago getting the head scout role, well for me all that matter is that he can spot talent, and Cagiago has a good track record on this, and its young talent we want to spot, its where the real skill is, more senior talent spotting should be for your head coach to do.
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It’s the system. The goals may be there, but shots and chance creation is down. You can’t tell me an attack comprised of Auba, Laca, Ozil, Miki, and Ramsey would have had such few chances created under Wenger or a more enterprising manager. We might even have kept and played Nelson and ESR more, plus Joe Willock. Emery’s had injuries to deal with, but he’s got options he choses not to use or to not play to their strengths. He benched Ramsey and Ozil for parts of the season because they are too attack minded, ie not rigid enough for his rigid system.
Now Ramsey is injured, why not play Willock instead of Guendouzi? Both are young and raw, but Willock is more attacking, and can carry the ball. He’s not given chances to Mavropanos. Holding was coming good before his injury but was held back in favour of Mustafi. He’s not given chances to Nketiah or some of the other young attackers despite it not working and them bringing skills that are needed. Because playing the youth is scary. Just like being attacking is scary. Emery is a good manager for a small team. At least that’s how I see it. But for all I know, the people on top see him as the ideal manager for just that very reason the way they are intent on cutting costs.
I don’t view this as negative comment btw. It’s just what is happening. In fact, after Sven left and we brilliantly decided to let Ramsey walk and how we were treating Ozil, I was sure we’re cutting costs to go Project Youth 2.0. Which I would have supported, despite the disappointment. But no, we’re doing some weird halfway thing. Not playing our best players and wanting rid of them, and not playing our talented youth either. Instead loaning Suarez for no reason. No direction in our strategy since Sven left, which unfortunately is also the case on the field.
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I have a comment stuck in moderation.
Oh ed.. I have fallen victim to twitter rumour mongering then.. No title for the U23s. Ok. Sad. The point still stands though.
I have no issues with Cagigao being a head scout. But that’s a different role to what in the US is called the General Manager, and football likes to call either a DoF or a Technical Director. Which I suppose is the role offered to Edu. Again, the issue is no one has been performing this role for months now.
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Plenty of interesting comments, folks. I missed Ian’s earlier but that one has certainly got me thinking and tallies with some impressions from this year and before. Especially in terms of 4-2-4-ish setups and how with them we often get very few of the benefits of the attacking players qualities, and are not right behind them either.
I’ve had to throw all sorts of beliefs or expectations out the window, basically. Simplest of them being things like ‘Auba, lacazette, Mkhi, Iwobi…that has to be enough, surely, to give you a decent attacking threat almost any time’, or throw one or both of Ozil and Ramsey in mix…
Regardless of our defending, I’m sure I believed till quite recently that calibre of player would ensure we virtually always cause an opposition defence a lot of trouble, home or away…and that’s without reckoning with the fact that I like plenty of our defenders and more defensive midfielders, and that those I’m not as sure of aren’t nearly as bad as their strongest critics make out.
So…what the f is going on? This year and last year both in away games? Has the game changed a lot? Are at least some of my overall opinions of players and their capabilities distinctly off?
I think plenty comes down to most teams being defend and counter operations at heart, or at least well schooled enough in that play to use it efficiently when we are in town. *
Combine that with pgmol, who can more easily do their thing when teams are playing aggressive, defend and counter football against us, and you have a potent mix.
Finally the question of what precisely we are now. Not a possession team, but definitely not committed to the opposite style either. Do we have players especially well suited to either style, or even players suited to some mixed style which tries to combine the two?
Think someone said we are in between styles and that sounds about right.
* Leicester’s possession stats run counter to that, but i’m not sure in essence they were so different, more that they just took us as they found us, were not pressed hard anywhere, found our attacking threat manageable, and had some technical players out there.
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Anyone see the comedy capers at Leeds yesterday? Bamford what an embarrassment.
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Shard
Given the disingenuous and sanctimonious critique of everything atvthe club in recent years, for the clicks, the lack of discussion over the simple fact that no one has been running the Football side of the Football club since last summer has received so little coverage is worthy of our remark and observation.
Raul?
The sooner the club get rid of the man who signed Paulinho for Barcelona who was at the heart of their court case involving Brand Neymar in spite of his lyig protestations of innocence as provenbin court: the better! No wonder he doesn’t want to speak to the media.
Raul Sanlehhi is beyond awful.
The real question is:
Who appointed Raul and the dodge geezah from the equally discredited Team Sky to The Arsenal.
I have a brick wall that awaits them for a fashionable photo opportunity…
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Suarez been injured since Feb then. Feb 21. Only joined us at very end of Jan, I think. Three weeks.
Strong reminder to me that even when you try account for things unknown, you obviously can’t do it accurately.
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