Morning all.
Another big week lay ahead for Arsenal FC and not just the men. Around this time last year, Renee Slegers side had just lost the first leg of their Champions League semi-final 1-0 against Lyon at The Emirates. Did the women think they were down and out? Of course not and thanks to a fine performance in France a week later, they reached the final of the competition once more. To this day and regardless of how much money both Man City and Chelsea have thrown at their respective squads, the only English club to win the competition and they’ve won it twice. A 2-1 advantage in this seasons semi-final still leaves much to do in France at the weekend but it’s an advantage nonetheless.
The men of course have never managed to win this big trophy having had just one go at in the 2006 final. A final which I still believe to this day was ruined by some “suspect” decisions made by the officials. 11 v 11 – who knows what might have been eh…
Twenty years later and here we are with just a two-legged tie against Atletico Madrid standing between Arsenal and a second Champions League Final.
In the Premier League, just four wins and better goal difference than Man City, stands between the clubs first Premier League title since 1922. Yes, that’s how the media like to spin it. Poor old Arsenal, can’t win for toffee. Yet there is 18 other clubs in England’s top division who would simply love to be sitting where Arsenal are right now.
I’ve gone from having Southampton supporting builders in around our home to having an Arsenal fan painter and decorator. An ex pro footballer himself and a north Londoner to boot said something to me the other day which made me smile. “If Arsenal win the Premier League and Totts get relegated this season, it will go down as the best season in his lifetime”. Having just read Xavi Simmons has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, the chances of the latter of the two has in my opinion, increased.
However, I don’t give a toss about what happens to them because football is about what we do, what The Arsenal do. We just need to find four big league performances which give us a chance to pip City to the title. A sentence which really shouldn’t be on paper considering the number of opportunities Mikel Arteta’s players have had to push further away from City but we cannot change that now.
Whilst Arsenal are a tad uninspiring and lacking in attacking style, I just hope and pray for four wins and twelve points regardless of how they come. Of we are always going to have a whinge and moan about the team selection, tactics, substitutions, you name it and we’ll moan about it but for the next 4-5 weeks, just win.
I’d love for us to win the Champions League, which Arsenal fan wouldn’t but it’s the Premier League which sits top of my tree. A ten month season of hard graft against clubs who are all very strong. The Premier League isn’t as it once was when one could look at the fixture list and almost pencil in where three points would come from. Now every opponent can pretty much beat any other on their day but the difference in a league competition is finding the consistency to do that through injuries and suspensions etc over ten long months and without a winter break.
Regardless of what you or I think about our playing style, points and goals are needed and lots of the latter. Our front players need to get their big boy pants on and give a bit more for the fight. Seasoned international footballers shouldn’t need a manager to tell them the basics in the game. That is if they shoot they might score more. Leave the chess moves to the chess players.
As Pete the painter alluded to, just take the bloomin handbrake off…
Catch up in the comments.
Painter Pete is saying what the rest of us know and have been saying for weeks , give him the address of the site and get him to post a few comments when he puts his brush down.
Keep winning and score a few and what will be , will be.
Today I found the site as it went to yesterday and I refreshed and lo and behold.
That’ll be the genius behind the scenes Potter..
Agreed and that’s the only really gripe I have, well, along with wasting money on who I think are below par players.
G’day Rico,
Summer seems to have arrived early this year and with it cometh the first asparagus of the season. Delicious.
I’ve just finished cutting the grass, knackered! I now have the afternoon to sit in the sun and ponder the ups and downs of our next run of games.
Win ’em all handsomely is all we can do. Simples! As Aleksander Orlov would say. 😉
Afternoon Cicero, British strawberries are already available too. Happy days.
Three London derbies from our last four PL games is far from ideal.
Marco Silva and Fulham have previous with us, Palace might be distracted with Europa Conference business (hopefully), but West Ham might very well need points against us in their relegation shoot-out with Tottenham.
It really is the wrong time of the season for fixtures of this importance.
I heard a statistician say (on TalkSport if memory serves), that it’s harder for a London club to win the PL because they have too many ‘derbies’, so for Arsenal to have so many late on is quite annoying.
One less next season unless Millwall replace Spuds or West Ham (which can’t be ruled out).
I read a headline from a Fulham forum which suggests how funny it would be to end Arsenal’s title dream. Arteta should print the article out and pin it up in the dressing room…
Can’t beat British strawberries Rico, you’ll be thinking of tennis soon no doubt?
My onions are looking gorgeous, looking forward to some salads soon, just planted some spuds and have to get my toms in.
Yes, we need to win all of our games, especially those in the CL.
They all hate us Rico.
After all the favours we’ve done them over the years from Luis Boa-Morte and Nelson Vivas right up to modern day with Leno, Iwobi (ok, via Everton), and ESR.
We helped them survive in the PL.
Quite right, Rico, pin it up in the dressing room and get those fires blazing.
Few weeks until Wimbledon Kev but yes, it’ll be here before we know it. Not much planted this year, too much other stuff to do.. lol
They do Kev..
Iwobi has been great for them, Leno too. Miserable toads Bb. I hope we batter them. Vill should have really.
Villa even…
Me too Rico, just for their ungrateful lousy attitude towards us.
And they should be supporting London over Manchester anyway.
Villa may have been a little distrscted by their own big Euro semi-final against Forest on Thursday, Rico because they are clearly a better side than Fulham.
That’s another thing I struggle to grasp Bb, everyone seems to prefer City, 115 charges and all, instead of us. Well I can’t wait to see what happens when other clubs start moaning should City get away with it..
True re Villa but they had chances..
It’s hardly a level playing field when you can pay £100m for Jack Grealish and feel no financial pain when you decide to ditch him a couple of years later after you lay out more big money for Doku and Savinho. Nico Gonzales (£50m) and Rjeinders ((£47m), haven’t started a PL game since January.
Pep has such vast riches he is able to rotate without weakening his side, no other PL club has that luxury.
The whole City and Chelsea thing is farcical, Rico, and shows the fans corruption is controlling our sport.
The lawyers are making a fortune while those responsible for running the PL show ordinary passionate fsns of the 18 other clubs nothing but contempt.
Even when the charges are made City are going to appeal, so this is going to run and run…
Mansour has more money than the rest of the league put together. I looked on Forbes and if you add the wealth of all the billionaires in the premier league apart from Newcastle and city it comes to 138 billion. Newcastle have a sovereign wealth of 620 billion and City 1.7 trillion all in dollars.
There is no way that the league can find the lawyers and the wherewithal to beat them in court . To save face they will take a points deduction spread over a time period that won’t affect them too much.
Good morning Rico and all. I’ll be over in June to enjoy some of those strawberries and that asparagus. Our Tamarillo harvest is spectacular, two a day is better than any flu jab.
Mouth watering week in store, PSG v Bayern, Athletico v Arsenal, Arsenal v Fulham and, to top it off my Northland Harlequins team kick off the new season after an unbeaten pre season.
Who would you rather have at the Em’s, LG, the brilliant but aging Griezmann or Alvarez?
It is farcical Bb, and Sky etc say very little about it.
Staggering, no doubt that money has come in handy for legal fees.
Add to City’s wealth the best manager in world club football, it’s almost impossible to compete.
It’s a sore one for Newcastle, Potter.
Before the Mansour money, it could be legitimately argued that Newcastle were a bigger club than City, now City dwarf them.
To add further insult, City look favourites to pay £100m for Elliott Anderson, who Newcastle were gutted to lose when they were forced to sell him to Forest for £30m because of PSR.
I know football is our passion, but the way football has gone and is still going, is very unedifying and off-putting.
It’s no fun if they’re just going to allow oil money to blow everyone else out of the water.
Hi Stuart. A big week for football, especially Arsenal…
I’ll be amazed if we sign another striker in the summer unless one of Havertz or Gyokeres leaves. I’d personally rather Igor Thiago.
Me too, Rico.
What is he, one or two goals behind Cyborg for the Golden Boot?
Igor with the Ozil eyes…
I think so Bb, he’d be great for us I think and I’d probably offer Havertz a lift to the airport. 😜
If big Vik stays we will have to look at the way we provide for him because at the moment he scores more by accident than by design.
Even in the match against Newcastle Vik was going clear into the left edge of their penalty area but Odegaard looked right and played it square away from him. You could see his frustration as a first time ball and he was through on goal.
I have seen Odegaard described as captain twirly because he likes to go round in circles and weigh up his options rather than play a first time ball.
Antoine has already found a retirement home in the Colonies, or so I think anyway, Stu. And of course he’s 35 now … As far as Arsenal tranfers go, he’ll remain one of my biggest regrets, though. He went from Sociedad to Atletico for £24m in 2014, at 23yrs of age. How Arsène can have let such a bargain pass him/us by has been beyond me ever since. How immense a player the boy was, was already here for everyone to see – if you bothered to look. He would have been a dream fit for the Arsenal, and for the PL. He’s one of the hardest-working players I’ve ever seen, unafraid, relishing duels, loving a tackle – and very good at it -, on top of what everything everybody knows about him as a scorer-playmaker, of course.
As for Alvarez, to me he’s the classiest CF around, plain and simple. To amplify what Rico, Potter, and BBD already said about corruption in the PL, it drove me mad when the Oilers were allowed to have him on their payroll as Haaland’s … backup!! I mentioned our “technical” deficit the other day; not only a player like Alvarez would score goals but he, along with Bukayo, Eze, Dowman, Ethan (?? ) would turn us into a whole different team …
He’s another I wouldn’t be overly fussed about if he moved away. Because of what you have described and his fancy flicks etc which seldom come off.
Odegaard I mean, not Viktor.
Scary…
May be before your time, Rico. Igor from Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein.
Apparently Wenger was in talks with Griezmann and Sociedad for ages that summer but in typical Arsene fashion dithered and didn’t follow through his enquiries and Griezmann just lost patience with the summer window running out and joined Atletico instead. That scenario was quite a common theme with Wenger around that time, that’s being unwilling or unable to make a decision on a signing and of course that got considerably worse once David Dein departed. I’ve often wondered what kind of a team we may have had under Wenger if Dein had remained in place to do the transfer business?
Sadly not Stuart. I never watched the film though.
Eze should be ok for us tomorrow, but we might have to wait until the weekend for Calafiori and Timber.
Havertz I still reckon is out until West Ham at the earliest but more likely Burnley.
In fact it might be a bit of a toss up who returns first, Kai Havertz or Mikel Merino?
You’re up early Kev… 😝
Timber returning would be a big deal imo.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1549970620465472&set=a.519709350158276
Morning Rico and all, it seems of my comments have gone missing
They’ve gone walkabout Geoff
I wanted to watch the dawn Rico 😁
It would be massive, I’ve always been a Ben White fan but Timber has improved beyond the best level of Ben and doesn’t hit that himself much anymore.
The sad thing is that Ben played when he probably shouldn’t have done, for the good of the team – I’m thinking 22/23 after Saliba broke, and it’s had a debilitating effect of his game since.
Lots of niggling injuries when he was never injured before and that lack of sharpness has taken a slight edge off of his game.
@olipb.bsky.social
Martinelli, Havertz, Odegaard and Madueke have a combined 5 Premier
League goals this season.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm2pn84y1r3o
So the dates are set we play 29/4 Atletico away , 2 /5 fulham home , 6 /5 Atletico home , 10/5 West Ham away , 18/5 Burnley home , 24/5 Palace away & if we get there 30/5 Champions league final.
City have 4/5 Everton away , 9/5 Brentford home , 13/5 Palace home , 16/5 Chelsea F A Cup final , 19/5 Bournemouth away 24/5 Villa home
Both teams have 6 games before seasons end but theirs is more congested.
clutching at straws maybe .
I think Everton are capable of a point, Potter, and travelling to Bournemouth three days after the emotions of a cup final is a recipe for an upset, especially if Bournemouth are fighting for a Europa place.
If we negotiate Fulham and West Ham I think we win the title 🫰however history warns us to take nothing for granted.
Clutching at straws indeed Potter, but we are at least in pole position.
It’s the straws that break the camels backs. And those cheating humps have been favoured long enough. Well done the PL.
Thanks for the responses re Griezmann, LG and Kev. Those potential moves to Arsenal passed me by somehow. Mind you, we had Ozil and Sanchez on the payroll at that time which may have put some restraints on Arsene’s spending.
Some first half in Paris. Wing play for the ages from both teams.
PSG 5 – Bayern 4 . A really open game played at pace by both sides . Extremely dangerous attacking but very open poor defending. Made a change to see a match without a low block defence , we would probably bore the pants off them.
It is reported that our Director of Football Senor Berta was in Istanbul yesterday to watch Galatasary striker Victor Osimen, he’s Nigerian aged 27.
There is also speculation that Arsenal want to sign Atheletico’s striker Julian Alvarez. (ex City).
City are throwing their toys out of the pram because the EPL refused to reschedule games to ease their fixture congestion.
Tonight’s game is at risk as torrential rain is forecast prior to kick-off. The pitch is already in poor condition and the Madrid authorities have put anti-flood measures on stand by. Barcelona made an official complaint about the condition of the pitch after a recent La Ligue match.
Morning Cicero, all.
If we’re to sign a striker this summer, I hope he’s from the PL. Why did City let Alvarez go I wonder?
New post up now.
Hi Cicero
I read somewhere Arsenal will need to sell a ‘big-hitter’ before they can buy to stay within PSR rules.
Arsenal have been huge spenders recently with a significant wage bill which at some point has to deliver major silverware.
In general we aren’t seeing value for money,, big signings aren’t working and not good enough.
How do you move Gyorekes on after spending £60+m and making him our number one target when players like Cherki and Ekitike were available.
Jesus is a.big drain on the clubs finances his best days are long gone, Havertz still hasn’t found a true position and has now become injury prone.
The reality is Arsenal’s player recruitment needs to go up a notch rather than just buying for small margin improvements.
Julian Alvarez is also linked with Barca plus has City connections. He would be a next-level signing and get the fan-base excited, but financially difficult to sanction for Arsenal. I’d imagine he would demand £300k+ a week in wages, which would put pressure on Arsenal to significantly reduce an over inflated wage-bill.
There are critical other areas that need addressing, the left wing and a game-changing number ten.
Arsenal badly need fluidity and creativity and that will cost a lot of money.
Not to mention the need for an upgrade on Kepa.
Lots of work to do for Arsenal in the summer with very little wriggle room.
Going into it as champions would feel incredibly positive and persuades Julian Alvarez that he can join Arsenal and be a winnwer.