Good morning all.
Today myself and Shotta @shotta_gooner mull over the disappointment of the NLD and those of recent months. The conclusions drawn are grim. and that Arteta’s day’s are irreversibly numbered. for football reasons.
You can also listen and download to this podcast over at https://uncensoredarsenal.com/index.php/the-demise-of-arteta-is-the-rise-of-pochetinno/
Positively Arsenal 
HT: Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal
Nketiah and Elneny put us 2 up and we were in total command, but then Dundalk got in too easily for a goal, and its seen a massive drop off in our display since. Pepe not showing the spark we would hope for. Dundalk almost drew level on the stroke of half time but Chambers got in a bit of a block to see the ball over the bar.
Smith-Rowe and Nketiah very lively, Cedric having trouble controlling the ball on this poor pitch.
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Both goals through attacks down the middle. No silly crosses.
3 at the back again?
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Willock makes it 3-1 to Arsenal, Balogun gets the assist soon after coming on
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wouldn;t you think with only 15 minutes left and us 3-1 up that Arteta would give debuts to Azeez and Cottrell and maybe even Hein too
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just as I type it, Cottrell has come on for Smith-Rowe to make his first team debut
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Balogun with a superb finish from a Pepe pass, 4-1, he has been good since he came on
I hope we now see Azeez come on
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Azeez on for his debut, he replaces Willock with about 10 minutes left
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fuck me Dundalk have scored again, a long freekick in is headed past the keeper from ten yards. Not a good look for our keeper
was hoping Arteta would bring on Hein in goal for his debut, but not now, cos too many would see it as having a go at Runarsson
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chambers has goal rightly ruled out for offside
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FT: Dundalk 2-4 Arsenal
Nketiah, Elneny, Willock and Balogun with our goals, debuts for Cottrell and Azeez make it a good night for Arsenal, even if some did not impress as much as we would like
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Balogun was impressive in his short stint tonight, his hold up play for Willock’s goal was very good, and he took his goal with some aplomb, he looks to be physically strong enough for mens football
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Chambers and Mari getting 90 minutes is a plus, the keeper on both of their goals a bit of a minus
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7 players from our Academy played for us tonight, with 3 of the 4 goals scored by 3 of them ttoo, not a bad night for our Academy.
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Arteta On Balogun’s contract
Well, we’re having some discussions with the player he knows we want to retain him at the club. We know that the length of his contract at the moment is an issue, but we’re trying to resolve it in the best possible way. We want him to stay he said to me he wants to stay at the club, so hopefully we can reach an agreement and extend his contract.
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afcstuff
@afcstuff
·
42m
Arsenal top-scorers this season (all competitions):
Nketiah 5
Pepe 4
Aubameyang 4
Lacazette 4
Willock 3
Own goal 3
Balogun 2
Gabriel 2
Saka 1
David Luiz 1
Nelson 1
Mari 1
Smith Rowe 1
Elneny 1
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I always try and use the Untold mantra of supporting any and every ARSENAL manager and although I still want to see Mikel succeed more and more of his decisions I cannot support every week.
I didn’t think breaking up a successful Xhaka Elneny partnership as soon as Party arrived instead of easing him in was a good idea and bringing him straight back in against the spuds was crazy as well.
Ceballos is not the special player that Mikel’s faith seems to suggest and unless he has loads of time and space he is very negative and slows our breaks down.
Pepe is a player who will have the occasional special moment but actually underperforms in most matches, in fact since he has been with us I can’t remember a full 90 minute performance from him. I hate fans saying we should sell players but I think we should sell him, getting regularly tackled by Paddy the plumber was the last straw for me.
Tonights game wasn’t about a result it was all about performance and getting players experience, this was something Mikel once again just didn’t get. To bring on Ceballos in front of Azeez in game we didn’t need to win when we were 2-1 up was criminal.
When Azeez did finally get on with 7 and a half minutes to go he looked very good and had a 100% passing record from what I see and most of them forward. He also faked going the other way twice losing players proving his skill and confidence.
I would of loved to have seen Smith-Rowe playing a real number 10, as he is, and giving Eddie and Balogun a chance to play together as an old fashioned strong and fast front two with a technical number 10 behind.
I was chuffed with the win and enjoyed the goals but when the final whistle went I definitely felt there was something missing and an opportunity had gone.
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Ian just to point out there was no paddy the plumbers playing there tonight, Dundalk are a fully pro outfit, we do have them in the league of Ireland.
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as for Pepe for me his best game for us was in the FA Cup final last season, and I had hoped that with his performance in that game it would have seen him step up and really have a big season for us this time. But alas so far he has been once again a moments player, a confidence player who does not seem to have the confidence of his manager and so in turn he is feeling it hard.
I agree with you that, just like in the last EL game, Arteta’s bringing on of experienced players when we were in front seemed to be a wrong choice, once again Balogun is restricted to a very short stint on the pitch, but he did look very good once again. it was so nice seeing our CF actually hold up the ball and lay it off to a team mate close by and not what we’ve been seeing so much this season from lacazette, where the ball can end up back in our own half.
I do find it laughable that so many Gooners now want Nketiah dumped to give Balogun game time, Nketiah is our top scorer at the moment, and if anything we should be hoping to keep both he and Balogun, but we need Florian to sign the thing, can we really risk pushing the likes of Nketiah out of the picture to give Balogun game time, only to see Balogun refuse to sign a deal and leave next summer, and also have upset Eddie enough to see him leave too. I’d have no problem with seeing both Eddie and Florian get more of Lacazette’s game time. But Balogun has to sign a new deal before he warrants much game time
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Miguel Azeez’s hard work has paid off.
The 18-year-old midfielder has been with us since he was just five, and on Thursday night he got his reward with a first-team debut against Dundalk in the Europa League.
Azeez became the 877th player to represent our men’s team – shortly after Ben Cottrell became the 876th – and he spoke exclusively to Arsenal.com after the game.
Here’s what Miguel said:
on making his debut..
I’m buzzing. I’m happy and overjoyed with the experience. I’m so grateful that I was able to get the experience and all the hard work has paid off today.
on how it felt to be told he was coming on…
I just wanted to play my game because that’s why I’m here. I didn’t want to do anything that I’m not used to doing. I just wanted to see the game out and make sure we won and put in a good performance.
on what Arsenal fans can expect to see from him…
I will play with passion because I love the club. I’ve been here since the age of five so I’m an Arsenal fan through and through and obviously, I just want to give something back to the fans and play my best games every single day.
on the large number of homegrown players coming through at the moment…
A lot of us have grown up together, playing for the first team was our dream so it gives us the motivation to try and play together, play as a unit and put good performances on the pitch.
on sharing his debut with Ben Cottrell…
We went to the same school so for us it’s a dream come true, it’s what we’ve been working towards. He was a year older than me so we were never in the same school team but [our team] would have been decent.
on if win means he’ll get more opportunities…
Hopefully, whenever the manager wants to put me in I’m just going to take my opportunities. I’ll keep training hard, keep making sure that I’m in the managers head and play my game whenever I get the opportunity.
Copyright 2020 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
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Positive night, in a fragmented sort of way- ie bits and pieces to be really happy about, primarily from youngsters.
Really wanted Azeez on sooner and was worried for a few minutes once on he would hardly get a touch, but thankfully then saw a bit of the ball and with that one turn showed the sort of class that seems typical of him from what I’ve seen.
Felt like it was a case of prioritising minutes for the 3 senior cbs and Pepe over vital minutes for youngsters. Might seem potty saying that on night we saw plenty of youth but still feel that’s where Arteta’s instincts lie.
Also, trying to avoid being a git by turning it into Nketiah vs Balogun, but my mind keeps going there, probably in large part because Balogun hasn’t signed on. If one guy is not only a fair bit faster but seems much sharper turning etc, the other guy needs some strong advantages of his own- finishing, heading, holdup,touch etc.
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One of the larger than life characters on Arsenal Twitter, Arsenal Bam, posted this today “I’d love to see us field a team of our very best Hale End products as possible alongside our other great young players like Gabriel, Saliba, Tierney, Martinelli and Guendouzi. I think we’d destroy teams.”
Leaving aside any quibbles about individual players, its easy to see the attraction of such an idea. Such a team would struggle to start with for sure, but I think it would be a step towards creating a new identity for the club and one that begins to shake off much of the shabbiness of recent times. I’m biased here, of course, but for me perhaps the greatest attraction of The Arsenal is its diversity, and the Hale End mob are a pretty good reflection and celebration of the possibilities of North London.
Like many I was full of hope that MA would be at the forefront of leading such a charge, and despite recent evidence to the contrary I still believe it may be possible. I don’t think the club can afford ready-made players to challenge for cups and titles in the near future, but I do think a team of young players, growing up together and sharing the same dream could be a different way forward.
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Azeez looked class when he came on. That turn away from those players looked so easy. Looking forward to seeing more of him.
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Ed, I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful but Dundalk would be in a very low level in our league triangle. The point I was trying to make was Pepe was struggling against them and so should be nowhere near our first team.
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Great to see the academy kids in these EL games, very enjoyable to watch
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yes Ian, Dundalk would be lower league level in England, but I’ve never seen anyone refer to league 2 players as plumbers or barmen etc, but for some odd reason any foreign team from lesser leagues are referred to like they are part timers, Sunday league players, we even see it said of Dutch top flight teams, bar the two or three most will know, we seen it said of any but the very elite in France too, its a needless over exaggeration of their level.
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Whatagwaan family!
Just want to chime in regarding Pepe. I really think he is not mentally right. He does not look happy and lacks confidence from what I can see. When he is confident, he is a problem for defenders. I fear we will never see his best with Arteta as the manager. He needs an Arsene to get the best out of him. So despite many being down on the young man, I for one rate him highly.
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Well West Ham are looking lively and attacking putting crosses in at will with a big brute in the middle to knock it in. Easy!
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Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that managing Mesut Ozil was not difficult but added that certain players are “are a bit more sensitive.”
Ozil has not appeared for Mikel Arteta’s side all season amid speculation that he will move on from the Gunners as the 32-year-old enters the final six months of his £350,000-a-week contract in January.
Ozil was signed by Wenger in 2013 for a then-club-record £42 million from Real Madrid, but has butted heads with Arteta since the Spaniard took over at the Emirates in 2019.
– Insider Notebook: Ozil eyes MLS; ‘shameful’ sandwich row
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
Speaking to ESPN’s Caught Offside podcast, Wenger quelled the notions that Ozil can be trouble in the boot room.
“He was not difficult to manage. He was a guy who had a special quality as a creative player and needed to have fun,” Wenger said. “He is an artist and these guys are a bit more sensitive.
“They need support and an environment that pushes them to give their best.”
Ozil, who won the 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, will be free to negotiate directly with overseas clubs, with sources telling ESPN’s James Olley that a move to Major League Soccer is among his options.
Wenger also provided advice for Arteta, once his player at Arsenal, on how to best utilise someone like Ozil.
“You have two ways to see a football team. You get everybody to do the same. The same intensity of work, the same defensive work or you find a compromise. You have a more creative player in the team who can do less defensive work but you build a team around him who can compensate for these deficiencies. That is what you have to think about.”
Wenger pointed to the situation at his great rival Manchester United and Paul Pogba on how to deal with internal tensions with a player.
“I believe that you have to explain to a player that no matter what his future plan is, his interest and his job is to perform at the present [club]. It’s the best way to prepare your future, to play well in the present.
“When I saw Pogba coming on on Tuesday night at RB Leipzig, I was sorry he didn’t start the game because straight away he made a huge impact.”
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Arsenal turnaround must start with home wins, says Mikel Arteta
Manager sees Burnley’s visit as chance to refocus
Thomas Partey out and David Luiz head injury being assessed
Nick Ames
@NickAmes82
Fri 11 Dec 2020 22.30 GMT
Last modified on Fri 11 Dec 2020 22.34 GMT
Mikel Arteta accepts back-to-back home games against Burnley and Southampton will be crucial in determining the direction of Arsenal’s flagging Premier League campaign.
Arsenal sit 15th and have lost their past three league fixtures at the Emirates, struggling to create chances. A defeat in last weekend’s north London derby at Tottenham did little to alleviate the sense their season is running away from them and Arteta regards Burnley’s visit on Sunday as an opportunity to reset.
“We can do nothing right now about what happened in the past few weeks,” he said. “We know the home form is going to be vital to our success and we have to change that immediately. So if we want to have any hope of doing something important and relevant this season, it has to be by winning the games at home.
“Unfortunately the results in the Premier League have not been what we want. We are very frustrated with that and we know how important it is to put some results together really quickly because we need them straight away.”
Burnley have taken only two points from their travels and have lost all six of their top-flight meetings at the Emirates. The alarm bells will ring even more loudly for Arsenal if the visitors are able to improve on those numbers and Arteta promised Sean Dyche’s side would be matched for commitment. “I am telling you that the desire, the commitment and everything that they will try to put on that pitch will be there,” he said of his players.
Arsenal will be backed by 2,000 fans for the first time in a league game since March, although that may be short-lived if London is put into a tier 3 lockdown next week. Arteta confirmed Thomas Partey would miss the next few games after aggravating a thigh injury at Spurs, while David Luiz’s head injury is being assessed to discern his fitness for Sunday and Saints’ visit on Wednesday.
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Put AW back in the hot seat in January and…
he’d probably sign Eriksen and reinstate Mesut!
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And the in the summer…renew Mesut for 21/22, add Buendia or Aouar after offloading all the unwanted players.
Wishful thinking..but thats what I would do.
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Ed, league two players are officially fully pro, however in reality they are paid so low wages that alot still rely on trades and other forms of income to top up their wages.
There again the comment wasn’t meant as a slight on any foreign team, maybe I didn’t quite express it eloquently enough, but more as an expression of just how low Pepe’s performance s have got.
People say you shouldn’t consider how much a player cost or how much wages their on but if anyone offered me two or even three Reiss Nelson’s for Pepe (especially in the current fiscal situation) I would absolutely bite their hands off as would most sane fans I suspect.
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Pauln71,
Many people have seen on here over the years that I regularly get things wrong however I just don’t get the Pepe thing.
I have never seen a full 90 minutes from him, surely he couldn’t of lacked confidence from the moment we signed him. Surely he couldn’t of lacked confidence after he scored goals or done well for the last twenty minutes in games.
I get the impression he will always be a player that has special moments rather than a special player.
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On Pepe I’m not sure it’s a confidence thing. Watched him in African Cup of nations when I believe he was flying with club team. I expected thrills with him and Zaha, and some other good players, but they were pretty woeful. Struggled to beat man and usually lost ball. I tried putting it down to one of those things and ropey pitches.
I think we messed up, or at least lost out on a risky gamble. Not sure what came before, but he had a sensational year of flying in a team with a hugely distinctive style – counter team with 4-5 fast young players who caused havoc on breaks. Figures also inflated by 7 or 8 pens (same as Laca’s were- 10 one season), and if we don’t factor in we might not get that many pens in 3 full seasons, it’s a spectacular error on our part.
Be very surprised if he cracks it with us, regardless of manager, but of course, for his sake and ours, would be great if he could.
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Amam @ 12:41
Completely agree.Bring Arsene Wenger back at the club in some capacity.Could be a DOF or as member of the board. He can be an instant impact.We may continue Arteta as the manager/coach.
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rosicky there were reports earlier this week that Vinai and another board member or exec went to see Wenger about him visiting the Emirates for a statue unveiling this season, and he is still very reluctant to attend, he is said to be still very upset about how it all ended, how he was treated at that time. So I’m not sure he would even consider ever actually working for the club again
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Gurjit
@GurjitAFC
· 10h
According to @Eurosport_UK, William Saliba is available for a move as sources indicate that there is no future for him at the club while Mikel Arteta is in charge. #Arsenal
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James olayinka scored the only goal in Southend’s win over scunthorpe today
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What a damning indictment of the club of Wenger is reluctant to return for a statue unveiling, due to his treatment.
Still, Ivan has gone, possible traitor at least at the end, out of the way, Wenger may return one day if we get a new owner or the current owner disowns his son
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fucking laughable, Alan Smith says Arteta should play Willock, Nketiah, Smith-Rowe and wait for it, Balogun, against Burnley tomorrow.
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results went very well for Spurs today, utd and city drawing and Chelsea losing
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Life in general seems to go very well for Spurs at the moment, keep hoping some sort of Karma will kick in against a very unpleasant manager and a cheating captain , who has developed a very unpleasant and dangerous habit of bargeing players with full force, who are off the ground, Gabriel his latest victim, in front of the ref. But as we know, things don’t work that way, especially for the protected when the PGMOL are at work
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Gilles
🇳🇬
🏴
@_Grimanditweets
·
2h
Willie Saliba said this on Guendouzi’s latest instagram post:
😬
Saliba: ”
🔥
🔥
🔥
🔥
🔥
”
Pepe:”This is your problem, you comment on everything
😂
”
Saliba:”Hahaha, I’m sending well wishes to the brother that was locked up like me
😂
”
Guendouzi: “We are together bro
❤
“.
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Jeez, Only a few players there, but I fear for this club if Arteta has lost or is starting to lose the dressing room, and combined wit of the Kroenkes / Edu/ Vinnai are going to have to choose another manager.
Bruce Rioch is probably brushing up on gegenpress , or hitting 70 crosses per game, or whatever goes on these days
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I always felt Ivan had total faith in Arsene and actually probably still has today. I think he was in a straight jacket towards the end which is why he fled a club he had genuine affiliation for.
When you hear about his Dad’s politics and flight (with Ivan) and family from South Africa he doesn’t seem the sort to backstab anyone he respected.
On today’s game I can’t see us losing. I think we could get a hat full if we score early and get some confidence back. I know Burnley will try and strangle the life out of game and hope we go into our stale style but I think away from home they are not great and we will enjoy ourselves. Mikel is obviously under pressure to play some of the youngsters in the PL and so I hope to see some of those as well COYG.
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New post is up, and it’s not as bright as Ian’s view.
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