Afternoon guys.
Thank goodness for Thursday night football eh? A break from the dullness the league serves us up and a chance to see the so called second string of Arsenal players in action. We should see Torreira, Chambers, Tierney, Holding, AMN, Martinez, Martinelli and Willock in action and Mustafi. Yes, I’m even looking forward to seeing our German back in defence. If the performances in this competition so far are anything to go by then we should see some positive football with pace and energy. The kind of football one would expect to see our ‘first’ team play albeit against tougher opposition.
I know we were battered by Chelsea in the final last season, but we got there. Relatively easy too I’d say but then the Europa Cup is the very thing Unai Emery has been good at during his managerial career. With us though, he didn’t succeed.
This season, he might have to win it though because the way our League campaign has been going since April this year, I think the chances of securing a top four spot are slim to none. Reading that, you might think I’m a miserable old sod full of negativity but I’m not, I’m simply being realistic.
Unai Emery held his press conference yesterday and I’ll be honest, I’ve no idea what he was rambling on about. The answers to questions put to him were as confusing as his team selections and approach to our games. Not to mention playing out from the back.
Is this team better than Wenger’s in his last season? That’s one of the things he was asked which is pretty simple really isn’t it?
In my career, it’s normal to have criticism of our work in the difficult moments, of my job, our team, the players. On one hand, we have the supporters and their opinion, and we need to accept that. My focus is improving in the next match, seeing how we can improve on things. Also, it’s how we can little by little get ahead, doing our steps in that way, progressing and achieving our immediate target. That’s winning tomorrow. We also want to improve things. We are at the beginning of this season and we have won two matches playing very well in this competition, with very good results. We lost a very big opportunity in the Premier League on Monday to finish third in the table. We are now fifth, so we have another chance on Sunday. We know we can improve and we need to improve, so we have to get better in our way. It’s one process and here the most important thing is our strategy. Our strategy is, when I was watching the games in my office last season, we changed 10 players out of the 24 players we had. That’s 40 per cent, more or less. We are now using new players and some young players to give them chances, to give them confidence playing for the future. We want to have that performance with them. With that process, I’m happy. I’m disappointed in the result on Monday because we had a very good opportunity to win three points. We are in our way and we need to have one strategy. The most important thing is the team and the club, and also that our objective is clear. It’s about where we want to get to, where we want to arrive. We are at the beginning and I am very confident. I have belief in the players, in our work, the club’s strategy, in every player and in our way with our job.
Any idea what he answer is? No, me neither although my own answer would be be simple, no.
So, a few questions for you guys.
1) In your opinion, is the first team playing better than Wenger’s during his final season?
2) In your opinion, is Unai Emery doing a good job?
3) What positives do you think Unai Emery has brought to the team?
There is a fourth question, but that’s for another day…
I would have written about tonight’s opponents but I haven’t a clue about them. Still, I’m sure Unai has done his copious amounts of research…
Enjoy the game guys…
Thanks Rico,
In answer to your questions:
(1) a little, defensively none whatsoever
(2)NO
(3) None – any improvements are down to the individual players,in spite of Emery not because of him.
In Wenger’s last season results were Ok up to Christmas, totally fell off a cliff edge after that.Mind you I thought he should have gone a few years earlier.
Who would have thought we looked forward to Thursday nights ?
Thanks Rico,
My answers are the same as Limey , Emery has had the luxury of our younger players this season , they would have been a bit too young to play for Wenger.
Did Emery really say he is pleased with the progress ?? What progress?
Afternoon Rico. Following on from my generally negative post from earlier I say:
1. No
2. No
3. None
Sad, but there you go…..
Hi Limey, Mike, Adam and all.
No, no and no from me too…
Surely it’s only a matter of time…
It’s just so simple. The difference in performances between our league and Europa competitions is in one player. Xhaka. Don’t overthink things. It’s the obvious answer.
I wouldn’t think it’s just about Xhaka…
Nice one Rico. Good topic
In answer to your little posers these are mine:
1, no
2, no
3. No but, Wenger would not have played any of the kids yet, and consequently they would all have moved on at season’s end!
I shall watch the first half and then go down the pub where there’s no tv. And not a lot of connectivity. If you could see my face, you’d know how bovvered I will be!
Emery has pissed me off more than Wenger did. It’s time for a change and the time is now!
Good afternoon, by the way.
No not just about Xhaka , but he doesn’t help. What does he do ? he is a bit of a nothing player. Offers nothing in attack or defence really..
Torreira gives the defense a bit of protection. battles in midfield and nicks a few balls. Emery obviously doesn’t rate him though.
The whole back line looks better in Europa competitions. We look calmer in defense and how many crosses do our full backs whip in.?
We seem to play with much more energy and freedom. I’ve said it before…….Maybe the guys just ignore the manager a bit more .I struggle to understand him. They probably do too .
Thanks Wavy.
You might miss a good game… lol
I’ll be more disappointed in the board if they let this run on and on…
Agree Mike, re Xhaka and the difference when we don’t play him, Kolasinac and the two clowns at the back..
Yeah Rico , I would like to think that the board would have learnt from the long running Wenger saga to let things run on and on.
I think Kev said earlier , maybe they will see if things get better and give it until Chrismas.
I’d have thought they’d seen enough Mike. Raul made it clear we need top four but right now, a Europa League place looks difficult…
I must admit Rico , after finding out about Emery’s past away record I’m worried that the board were hoodwinked into employing him in the first place.
Good Ebening and thanks Rico.
1) All depends on what they are playing !…….Hungry Hungry Hippos, probably……………football, same shit !
2) Doing a good blow job on Xhaka.
3) Funeral directors are doing great in every away game we go to as Count Emery needs a coffin to sleep in by day light.
The one I really dont get ( apart from the Granny Xhagger love in ) is …………What the fcuk has Torreira done ???…………..
The man is bluffing his way in the football world and getting paid alledgedly £6M pa………….that buys a lot of coffins and a shed load of Transylvanian soil !………………………..but !……………I like his EL teams and Carabao Cup teams, well, until he fcuks that up aswell !
Dick Out !
Anyone of us In !
Good old Ivan Mike.
I didn’t know his away results were as bad as they are either, worse for us though is the performances..
‘No, it’s not better’: Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour insists Gunners have NOT improved since Unai Emery took over from Arsene Wenger.
Think we all agree on the answers to your questions Rico.
UE speaks an interesting form of “english” (which Mike 4:24 alluded to) which brings me to a valid question – how many of the players speak English and, understand what is being explained to them, and, asked OF them, while playing?
Perhaps what Mike said is true, they don’t understand EU’s English-speak?
Xhaka, apart from a fantastic shot on the volley against Sheff Utd doesn’t make enough positive contributions to the team.
Emiliano Martinez
2 Hector Bellerin (c)
20 Shkodran Mustafi
16 Rob Holding
3 Kieran Tierney
11 Lucas Torreira
28 Joe Willock
15 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
32 Emile Smith-Rowe
35 Gabriel Martinelli
9 Alexandre Lacazette
Did Xhaka cost is that first goal?
Asking for a friend hahaha
Morning all.
Solid start.
No Ozil-Emery is becoming an utter joke I’d he isn’t one already!!!
I see that our new first pick back 4 are as leaky as the EPL second eleven picks!
Not too impressed so far.
Nearly pub time thank goodness.
What an awful game of football.
awful, rico?
Get out of jail free card , Pepe’s bergkamp moment
I’ve seen some bad games but that first 80 minutes took the biscuit ! Thank Gawd for Pepe & Guendouzi !
I thought so Jm.
Well,
I didn’t enjoy that until it was over!
Why don’t the midfielders see the danger and sprint back ? Torriera was bad too.
Not a great watch was it? Disjointed, like a jumper on inside out. Plenty of terrible footballing crimes out there on the pitch. Redeemed by two great free kicks from Pepe. Generally a bummer though.
Night all.
Just got to say it before I go to bed……….
Lacazette pretending to be head butted really winds me up! He looks like a right Pratt now. He’s too good for that and I’m embarrassed.
Night All.
The return leg in Portugal could be interesting.
I noticed that Emery doesn’t prowl the touchline anymore, waving his arms, giving instructions and generally giving the impression that he knows what he’s doing.
Once you lose the fans you’re usually finished and I wonder if he’s beginning to realise that despite his daft press conference on Weds.
Over to your Raul…
Good morning all.
I watched the game around midnight (recorded) the only thing that kept me awake was trying to work out just what we were supposed to be doing. The usual turgid, aimless attempting to play out from the back. An entirely disjointed and ineffective midfield and anonymous attack.
Victoria showed how we should be playing by pressing (encouraged by our dimwitted defensive tactic) and swift counterattack when our hopeless midfielders presented them with the ball at every possible opportunity.
Lacazette looked more than a bit rusty and I was not impressed by his stupid attempt to get a player sent off by pretending to have been butted.
A stupid moment from Mustafi rightly earned him a yellow card, is he returning to type? Tierney was badly at fault for one goal and needs to work much harder on his defensive positioning.
Although Pepe will grab the headlines with two superb free-kicks, it was Guendouzi who turned the game round with his aggressive running with the ball, which panicked the Vitoria defenders into committing fouls, as well as his defensive work too.
We need more defensive nous, at one corner the smallest player on the pitch, Torreira, was left to mark an opponent who appeared to be about two foot taller than him.
The headline for a match report should be “Pepe free-kicks paper over the cracks”
Emery’s reaction or lack of it as Pepe’s second went in spoke volumes for me .
Does he know that the game is up ?
New post up now.
Emery looks lost and lonely. Very similar body language to that of Arsene after the fans turned. If he had any sense, he’d walk before being pushed. He’s out of his depth.
Agree Cicero, Guendouzi certainly injected some life into the team.
Morning all.