Morning all,
Well the Arsenal squad that’s traveled to Belarus is full of young players, ten to be exact who we would not call first team regulars by any means and a few more if you consider ‘bench’ players as non first team starters.
So what can we expect from these players, are they ready, are they good enough, can they seize the opportunity to shine.
When you look at this group of youngsters, Chuba Akpom, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Matt Macey, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, Josh DaSilva, Marcus McGuane, Charlie Gilmour and Vlad Dragomir it’s only really Chuba Akpom that you would think is in the last chance saloon to make a name for himself. He’s now 21 and although we had high hopes of Chuba a few years back he hasn’t really kicked on as we’d of hoped. He for me has the attributes but maybe just at a level that isn’t quite good enough. As for the rest we have seen glimpses of a few and more than glimpses of others. The risk for me and one of my pet hates as am sure most of you know is Arsene playing these kids out of position.
We’ve seen Ainsley MN played in a variety of positions and although he’s done ok in the defense he definitely isn’t a defender is he. Play to these young players strengths and i believe you give them a way better chance to succeed when they step up into the first team.
We know Chuba and Eddie Nketiah are both strikers and Reiss Nelson is predominantly a right winger who can also play behind the main striker but what of the others.
Josh DaSilva is a midfielder who enjoys the defensive side of the game and this has mean’t he’s also been employed in defense, versatility is something we know Arsene loves in a player hence Ainsley MN has been pushed from pillar to post to cover a variety of positions. Ainsley MN is a strong young player, he’s quick and shows good awareness of the game, I sometimes wonder if these attributes are a benefit or a hindrance to a player at a young age as then Arsene doesn’t stick to the square peg square, hole scenario he wants to see how he can mold them into something else instead of just playing them in their best and most comfortable position.
I know nothing of Charlie Gilmour, Vlad Dragomir or Marcus McGuane apart from what I have read. Charlie is a two footed central midfielder who molds his game on Santi Cazorla and that’s cannot be a bad thing can it (lets hope he’s half as good) Vlad Dragomir is a youngster with a big reputation and he says he is a Toni Kroos type player (yet again if he half as good i’ll be well happy) he also likes to play behind the main striker by choice. Marcus McGuane is a central midfielder who is all action and enjoys the defensive part of the game as well as getting forward. I did mention yesterday we need to unearth a couple of gems for central midfield so maybe he could be another along with Joe Willock that may be the spine of the side in the next few years. It seems we are blessed or possibly overloaded with midfielders so expect Arsene to play a couple out of position for sure. Lets just hope who ever gets the nod has players around them who communicate and talk them through the game and encourage all the time. We’d all like nothing more than a great crop of youngsters to make the grade, maybe just maybe this year is when we see the breakthrough of more than the odd one or two. Lets hope for a good performance tonight and a good result and for the youngsters to shine.
I’m a little surprised Ben Sheaf is not in the squad for tonight’s game, does anyone know if he injured..?
Morning Wath.
I suppose the othèr teams are likely doing the same as us, playing those who need games under their belts. If so, it should be a fairly even game. If they put out their strongest sides, then we could possibly struggle. But at least we will see who is up for it, and capable.
Afternoon Wath and the House
Very good post Wath and just like you I have made my feelings well known about playing players out of position,
It really bugs me to see them trying to make Niles a very talented winger into a defender when as you say he just cannot defend.
This leads me onto Reiss Nelson. I have been watching him for 3years ( since he was 14) and I think he is the most talented no 10 we have on our books. If you look at the goals he has scored they are all as a no10 and i think he is wasted at on the right wing or r/w back.
As for todays game I think most of the young players have been taken as a reward, and only Niles and Reiss will start some of the others played for the U23s on monday and i cannot see them getting playing time tonight.
Just my opinion.
Wath very disappointed for Ben Sheaf I have high hopes for him this season but so far he has not played at all.
He has sufferd a fractured vertbra i don’t know when it happened or how long he is likely to be out.
Hi Rick, thanks for the info mate appreciated, I like Ben Sheaf very much, amazing how all these players seem to get such nasty injuries at key points in their careers..! Agree with Ainsley MN, he’s a winger who we trying to make a defender and yet why..? Even TH14 says Reiss is a right winger or a number 10 but now a wing back so why even play him there and risk it backfiring..! I have been impressed with Reiss when he’s been playing right wing Rick but if you say “10” is his best position then again why are we messing these youngsters around.
What’s your thoughts on McGuane Rick..? I see he out of contract end of this season, is he another we gonna lose due to being messed around..?
McGuane isn’t going to go to a club as big or bigger than Arsenal and go into their team.
It’s a big year for him, if he progresses and gets a few 1st team games and impresses then he’s going to get a deal, a bit like Willock.
He’s 18 going on 19, he’s probably waiting to see how it goes and so are the club.
I reckon that there could be a lot of openings for this current crop of young players over the next 2 years.
Afternoon all and thanks Wath.
I too dont like players played out of position, but certain positions are OK as in todays modern game a Wing Back is not too dis-similar to a Winger and lets face it most Full Backs are re-cycled Wingers, so as per Ox playing WB and Bellerin(former Winger), it`s not the worst position for any Winger/10 like Nelson to adapt !.
Tonight`s opponents will be destroyed !……last season they were knocked out the CL qualifying round by…….fcuking Dundalk !!…………………our womans team would destroy them !………………oh and the game starts at 18;00….not 8pm !……….so if you look in at *pm you would have missed the biggest ever EL score ! hahaha
Ancelotti sacked !……………………………….how the fcuk has Arsene never been sacked here ?……………………..
The players aparrently watch Arsenal Fan TV !………….bet Wenger does sneakily aswell ! hahaha
http://www.talkingbaws.com/2017/09/alex-iwobi-confirms-he-and-his-team-mates-watch-arsenal-fan-tv/
Breaking news ?????
The entire Arsenal squad including their long serving manager has applied for asylum immediately after landing in that Belarus thing.
The long serving manager of Arsenal F.C.is wanted for taking the fans for a ride for an entire decade.
Stay tuned…..for more
Afternoon Rico and all ya
Tonight’s team
Ospina, Holding, Merts, Mustafa, Nelson, Willick, Ellneny, NILES, Walcott, Wishers, Giroud
Bench
MACEY, Dasiver, Mcgaun, Gill more Nketia Dragamire.
That mean Nelson and AMN are the two wing backs..? Oh well lets see how this pans out..!
Hahaha…………….aparrently the Bate goalie is an Arsenal supporter …..great pass !
Keep this up and my record score is on ! hahaha
Spoke to soon ! hahaha
We’re making hard work of this.
Yes Adam we will always give teams a chance, but we`ve hit the post twice aswell, should win this to strengthen our passage through to a knockour stage game against B Munich ! hahaha
See Gazidis trying to do his master of spin again !…………..”At the same time, we retained Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil and promoted new young talent from our Academy pipeline into the first team. These decisions, taken as a whole, have again strengthened our squad for this season’s competitions. We will continue this long term approach of progressively reinvesting all our available revenue in our playing resources as we look forward.”…………………….Retained Alexis and Ozil !!!!…..really !……..to be let go for nothing !
and reinvesting all our available revenue in our playing resouces says the man who knows we made £30M in the last window !…….twat !
Entertaining game, so far.
We will sneak through on away goals 🙂
“We are well placed to compete at the highest levels on & off the pitch”………………what high levels are Chavs,Manshafter and Mansour City at ?………..is that a level above the highest level ?……then we are not at the highest levels you twat !.
Olly the Centurian !
🙂
Trust us to make this lot look like Barcelona
Two goals to the good, but why do I feel that we are clinging on ?………………………supposed to be a stress free game !
🙂
Letting them play !………..get on the front foot and take the game back to them !
Balls become like a hot potato !
I should have turned it off after the first 25 mins ………..it went downhill after that ! hahaha
Good win for the fringe.
Thank fuck that’s over.
Great to see the kids get a run out, and that’s all I’ll take out of this competition.
number wants to move to Arsenal… 🙂
It sounded a bit hairy on TalkRubbish2, I’ll have a butchers of the highlights in a minute.
Yes, we complain about Walcott, but 2 more goals, I didn’t see anyone else get 2 goals.
Wilshere, another 90 minutes in his proper position, No.10, long overdue him playing there and playing so well.
Yep, it was only BATE Borisov, and they were going on endlessly on TalkRubbish about our defence and the two goals conceded, but we hit their post twice and had a good goal wrongly flagged for offside and I’d imagine that Everton would swap places with us, so maybe it’s not all bad?
Kev, I keep saying it-plenty ONLY look for the negatives but that’s their problem, really.
We played a few of the kids, we created plenty of chances, we won-it is what it is and not much to get overly excited about, but hardly anything to be upset about, either.
Is it just me, or has anyone else out there noticed that since the last Apple update, that everything has slowed down on iPad and iPhone?!
Scott, I think the problem is that many of us suspect that once we face a really good side, that our defensive inadequacies will be shown up.
But as far as a vehicle for educating our youngsters is concerned, the whole Europa thing is invaluable.
I do wish that Nelson could get a game up front and AMN in centre/mid, wing-back isn’t really doing them much good.
iPad slothness? Yep I’ve even discovered a man with a red flag in front of my cursor!
It’s shockingly slow. Even thought of buying a new one, drastic that though!
I’m ignoring the update offers.
Every time I update, it stuffs up to some degree.
Kev, I get your point on our inadequacies, but we all point those out, but it can be balanced by the positives, imo.
in many ways Ican see where Scott is coming from .Going right back to the beginning of Sky coverage when Andy Gray and Keyes started analysis the topic of conversation after games changed from talking up the positives to discussing the negatives . Everyone in the pub became an expert every offside was stupid “”looking across the line ” became the mantra and I guess we are still guilty in seeing the detriments. We used to leave the game happy to have won or not , to have seen great players and to have had a couple of hours with your mates. That was football , things have changed now , the simple pleasures have gone.
Potter, don’t get me wrong-I know we are just decent ATM, nothing special, and I also know that we should be much better.
We aren’t relegation bound, and we aren’t Tottenham, so it could always be worse 🙂
Morning all.
After yesterday’s performance could Jack be the new Ozil? And, could Nelson be Jack,s apprentice? (So long as the man with very long teeth starts young Reiss playing in the number 10 role?) just asking!
So out of Arsenal at the moment I forgot about last night’s game until after half time. I missed the best bits, I think!
Good result. Let’s hope we perform as effectively against Brighton on Sunday.
New post up
Seems that Apple are gearing up for a sale pitch and to flog us another lot of phones and tablets, by slowing everything down, it’s an old ruse but it works every time.
Yep, good point about the change in emphasis about a positive view as opposed to a negative view. Yeah SKY did drive the ‘every game is life or death’ mantra endlessly until football became something to be endured instead of enjoyed.
Fcuk em all, Apple and Sky.