Morning all.
It’s arrived. The final day of the 2018/19 domestic football season here in England which means the transfer window opens in just a few days time. Thursday 16th May to be precise and then closes on 8th August at 5pm, just hours before the 2019/20 season kicks off. So that’s nearly three months in which Arsenal must take another few steps towards sorting out this unbalanced squad. To build a squad which would not only travel to places like Burnley, as we are today, but would relish the trip knowing full well they can match them physically as well as mentally. To find the type of players who will lead by example, take the game by the scruff of the neck and make a difference.we need a leader in both defence and midfield. A guy or two who will make every single player believe in not only what they are doing but how they go about it. Sadly, Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira are long retired.
With just this one domestic game left it’d be tempting to suggest it matters very little. We’ve secured Europa League football for next season which can’t be improved upon so just enjoy the day but I think that would be wrong. We need to end with a strong performance because just around the corner awaits one of the biggest matches our club has been involved in for a long time and we need to go into it with confidence.
Saying that, I expect Unai Emery to rotate a bit for this match as the last thing we need is an injury to any of our key players. Danny Welbeck has returned to full training so he might make an appearance at some stage and maybe a few of the younger players might join him having been involved in training yesterday.
Whoever plays, I hope we see commitment and pride away from home against a team we know will be strong and physical. Mike Dean is the referee so for once, I hope he’s fair to both teams.
Finally, reports in the media today suggest Arsenal are looking to tie both Aubameyang and Lacazette down to longer contracts. Makes sense to me, as long as their agents don’t expect an Ozil kind of contract. Plus, if they’re tied down to us, at least they won’t be leaving for free any time soon.
Enjoy the game guys…
God morning Rico, a lovely one here in sunny Norfolk.
Tying Aubameyang and Lacazette to new contracts is going to be horribly expensive wages wise. They are already on £200,000 and £100,000 a week respectively and as neither are in the full flush of youth their sell on value, in a year or two, will be minimal in comparison to what we could get for them now.
Our experience, with Ozil, shows how high wages can completely de-motivate a certain type of player.
Win, lose or draw today, will make relatively little difference to our final league position, fifth or sixth? Who cares? Play the entire U23 side and let’s see what they can do.
Morning Cicero. I do think it depends their demands and their current contract situation. If they are to run out in a year or twos time, I’d keep them signed up purely so we don’t lose them for free. Similar to what the club did with Xhaka and Elneny.
Lacazette – 2022
Aubameyang- 2021
If what Raul said is to be adhered to, the club will be either extending Aubameyang contract or selling him.
FOR RAMSEY REPLACEMENT I WOULD SUUGEST WE GO FOR HERRERA OR RYAN FRASER
Selling the second top scorer in the Premiership is going to take some selling…..to the fans.
I’ve been in Baku last year
The airport probably haven’t the capacity for receive more then 50.000 a day.
Baku is known as the Dubai of the Caucasus. With the oil money, they created sports infrastructures. For this reason, there have been World Swimming Championships, Judo, etc. and several Tournaments / Capeonates of various sport modalities of Youth, Asians, etc.
Choosing a day of the week for a European football final, in an Asian city, distant and where it is mandatory to take a visa, is only possible because of the high money that was paid to have it there.
Criteria …
good last day post rico.
Cicero. I agree on one point and disagree on the other.
Your first point I strongly disagree on. We must keep both players until at least when their current deals end. 2021 and 2022. And as rico says, we should do what Raul has suggested. Either sign for a reasonable wage or sell.
If we sold either one, what would we replace them with? After Kroenke has had his dip we wouldn’t be left with enough to sign anything decent, so we must hang onto them both and build a team around Them, Socrates, Bellerin and Torriera
Second point. Thats exactly what I would do today. Play the youngsters. Maybe even three or four of them. See what they can do.
Afternoon Gooner’s
Afternoon Rico, thanks again for a good post and thanks for all your work throughout the season, blogging would be a lot more dull without our daily fix of HH….
May 16th until August 8th.
That’s 12 weeks, 85 days, more than enough time for the highly paid staff and executives of Arsenal Football Club to do the business that’s required to move away from the previous managers squad types and towards a more modern competitive squad, more in keeping with Emery and most modern coaches.
Mess up this summer and there will be nowhere to hide, those execs can’t hide behind the manager anymore as it’s their brief and our manager is only a head coach.
So Raul, Fahmy, Keswick et al, we’re looking at you….
Correct Kev , Emery is only the coach but no doubt he will get a say in any dealings but from now on the buck stops in the board room . Which is why Gazidis slithered out before the proverbial landed in the air conditioning unit.
Thanks Vcc, one more positive one to come yet I hope. 😜
Afternoon Kev, thanks and it’s a pleasure. Well, actually, let me think about that one…. lol
I don’t think there are any excuse this transfer window either. I know we keep getting told money is tight and all that jazz and if it really is, then on the owners shoulder be it because I’m sure they (home and away fans) will turn. Wenger is gone so reap what you sow Kroenke.
The board/Raul, whoever it is has the tough task of finding really good players for peanuts and that’s not going to be easy, but it’s their job.
I was all for selling Aubameyang but his display against Valencia has kind of made me think again. He, and Lacazette need better service as well as being more consistent in front of goal. I hope we can find the kind of player who has a bit about him and the ability to break down/through defences to give them a better service. Speed on the wings and better crosses would go a long way I reckon.
Not forgetting our defence of course. Both midfield and our back line needs some serious attention..
To suceed in English football you need pace on the ground and speed of thought . Henry , Pires , Overmars , Wright all quick and benefitted from Bergkamps thought process. Today we have two strikers that rely on pace and thought but there is no supply line that thinks on their level . Find that and you have solved the problem . Players Like Ozil , Elneny , Xhaka are very silky but they do slow things down Guendouzi and Iwobi hold the ball too long and the space up front has gone.
. When you attack in this country it has to be one sweeping movement . if you allow defences time to reorganise your impetus is lost and you face 9 men pulled back with one upfront to catch us on the break .
This is the major job of our procurement department we need a quick distributor to play through midfield.
Totally agree. Even Ozil who is our most creative player is pretty slow both on his feet and thinking a lot of the time. Being so left footed doesn’t help.
Arsenal team: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Mavropanos, Monreal, Elneny, Guendouzi, Mkhitaryan, Willock, Iwobi, Aubameyang
Well Pierre Emerick, you probably wanted to play and try to win the Golden Boot, so as you’re two goals behind Mo Salah you’d better have another Mestalla outing.
Four goals would be nice….
Of course, back in the real world……… 😁
4 goals wasn’t enought
I hope he gets it..
Welcome to the last day of the season, roll on August!
A win today after Thursday’s heroics would be a little icing on the cake!
COYGs
Aubameyang 2 – 0 Burnley.
VCC, I wasn’t actually advocating the sale of either or both. I’m glad it’s not my decision. I was merely pointing out the difficulties of either option.
Oops. 2 – 1.
Nketiah makes it a three one win.
3-1 well that’s a bit of ice cream on top of the icing. Well done Auba, a share of the Golden Boot. Not to be resold, TH14 was our last 20+ goal scorer some years ago. He may miss plenty but he’s scored 22 of ours this year. He gets my vote for a longer contract. And Lacazette too.
And a last mention to Eddie, a goal at the death. Let’s hope that’s a portent for the future.
Now we have to win the Europa Cup and assure ourselves of another money spinning season in the Champ League.
Not such a bad season after all. Could’ve been far better but I was expecting far worse so…….here’s to next season.
Nice to beat that lot on the last day. Shame it didn’t relegate them though….
I do like a bit of schadenfreude, Man U beaten two nil at home to the already relegated Cardiff City. The appointment of Solskaer doesn’t look that clever now. 😉
Fifth place Europa League, at least, guaranteed, the Europa League final to come and with it the prospect of Champions League football next season.
Not a bad achievement by our new Head Coach, in fact better than I anticipated.
With the Chavs already qualified for the CL does a losing finalist take the winners place in it?
And who goes to the Champions ? Tootss and Liverpoll are there…
Not sure on that ruling Jm, but don’t think it’s 5th.
Morning all.
At the end of the day, we must give Emery a pass mark, imo.
Yes, it could have been so much better, even allowing for the Europa League Final, but looking back to the start of the season, I think this would’ve been an acceptable result.
I do think the area in which he let himself down was our defence as it really isn’t any better than let season but hopefully he gets somebody in to sort that out.
Thank F**k the Scousers fell short!!
That’s made my week.
rico, I think England only have 4 teams in champions. If, for instance, Arsenal won the final they have 5.
Some ideia with the Europa League. But not sure
Arsenal must win the Europa League final to gain qualification for the Champions League even though Chelsea are already qualified. The losing finalist does NOT take their Europa League’s qualification spot.
As Arsenal finished outside the top four, by winning the Europa League final they will go into the group stage of the Champions League, making it five English teams qualified.
Jm, Cicero has answered your question.
New post up now
Good afternoon Rico and all. A really sad end to a season that though didn’t promise much at the beginning, but made us to imagine what might had been, had the players been stronger mentally. Looking at the table, you at once begin to scratch your head wondering where the boys had thrown away that solitary point that is now the difference between our champions league aspiration and our europa qualification.
Good to hear that they are trying to tie down both Lacazette and Aubamayang to longer contracts. Even Leno, Torrera and Guendouzu. Thats being proactive whicj the noard had miserably failed to do these past years, costing us horribly.
For the recruitment, we will look out for tjose technical players again, but they must also be physically strong. Liverpool, Chelsea, ManC get these sort of players, we must also seek out our own.