Morning all.
I thought for one minute Unai Emery was auditioning for a new series of This Is Your Life. Too young? You don’t know what you’ve missed.
Emery has apparently reassessed his intense training methods as the coming months are set to get busy. We’ve an FA Cup fixture against Man Utd, we’re trying to secure fourth spot at least and then next month, Europa fixtures return.
We’ve suffered a lot of injuries this season which has often raised questions about whether or not Unai Emery and his staff have been asking too much of the players in training. Will he consider giving players a break or changing his training regime?
We are doing that. We are working, and also thinking and speaking with our performance [analyst] Darren [Burgess] and Julen Masach [strength and conditioning coach], for this week and this month.
‘You have to balance the players because they play a lot of matches in the next month, with the Europa League and the FA Cup. So we are doing that.’
Thankfully, that long list of injuries has finally reduced. Welbeck and Holding are widely expected to miss the rest of the season but other than Mkhitaryan and Mavropanos, who Unai Emery has hinted will turn out for the under 23’s in order to gain match fitness, the rest are available for selection. Koscielny, who has reportedly turned down a chance to join Monaco, will continue to be wrapped in cotton wool.
We’re at the Olympic Stadium today for a lunchtime kickoff against The Hammers. Samir Nasri could line up against which will be weird. Not only Nasri either as Fabianski is there, as is Perez and Wilshere although the latter is ruled out through injury. Marko Arnautovic could be missing too as he wants a move to China apparently and West Ham have said no so he’s sulking according to reports. I must admit, him missing might make our defenders job a bit easier although there’s still Carroll to contend with. Arnautovic stands at 6’ 5”, Carroll 6’ 4” and we know how good we are against the big guys. Not!
We’ve already played West Ham, a match we won 3-1 at The Emirates but the score line flattered us really. The team that day was:
Arsenal XI: Cech, Bellerin, Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang.
Subs: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Elneny, Torreira, Welbeck, Lacazette.
Torreira was still being ‘run-in’ after his World Cup action, Leno had to settle for a place on the bench and young Guendouzi was already showing his potential. A lot has changed since though. Ramsey is leaving, Cech has switched places with his German counterpart and Torreira has certainly made his mark. Lacazette has been used more often too but for some reason only Emery knows, he’s often the first one to make way when the Spaniard rings the changes.
Pellegrini is having a very mixed season at West Ham but he too has had to cope with injuries. I think it’s seven missing for The Hammers today with two more listed as doubts. It’s tough but then we know that. Both he and Emery are in their first season at new clubs which is often difficult enough and not being able to field a regular 11-14 first team players in the league each week can’t help their cause. Each unit within a team needs to work together over time to become familiar with the way each other works. To build an understanding, to become a well oiled machine. Emery has had to chop and change his defence on a weekly basis and by opting for Xhaka as cover, the midfield has been disrupted too. How can any team find balance, rhythm and consistency when so many changes have to be made?
Perhaps now that our injured players return, we can settle more as a team. Find a better tempo, be more organised in the way we defend and be more clinical going forward too.
With our match kicking off the weekend of Premier League football, we seriously need to win. Put a bit of pressure on Chelsea before they play Newcastle this evening.
I’m off to get the kettle on and the biscuit tin out. The builders are in…
Have a good ‘un guys….
first…
good morning all!
There is life out there… 😉
Morning Jm.
Don’t give them too much because they will charge you for standing around.
Good post Rico. Not sure what to make of today’s game with regards the result. As you rightly say, we don’t do that well against big strikers… I believe that most teams that face Arsenal of late, fancy their chances at set pieces against a defence that appears to not take individual responsibility in attacking the ball.
I feel a draw could be on the cards.
Happy New Year RICO and all you lovely Arsenal supporters.
Morning all.
I can smell a win today 🙂
Morning Rico. Nice post. We have to get back to a winning mentality, starting today.
Happy New Year to you too Marinello, thanks re the post.
Morning Adam, thanks.
I do hope having a settled and fit squad will improve us, certainly at the back.
I can’t help think that Nasri will bite us on the bum today.
Hobart, as long as no one bites his bum, the size of it… lol
Oh and going back to where it all went wrong. For me it was when Dein and Fiszman fell out and started fighting each other at every turn. That acrimony mixed in with some very human greed has shaped the direction of the club and has led us to our current problems.
One day I’ll post up my reading between the lines opinions and everyone can pull it apart.
Good morning Rico and all,
There are a few rumours going the rounds which, if true, could sort out some of our problems.
1) Juventus are offering central defender Mhedi Benatia in a deal to take Ramsey, this would get the Welshman’s wages off the books and fill a hole in our defence.
2) Thierry Henry wants Koscielny to join him at Monaco. This would unload an injury prone player whose replacement could be the above mentioned Benatia. Come on Unai, you know it makes sense.
I look forward to that Hobart.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Koscielny, Papastathopoulos, Mustafi, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Substitutes: Cech, Bellerin, Ramsey, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Monreal, Nketiah.
No Ozil again, not even on the bench despite training yesterday. Do I dare get my hopes up by thinking he might be off this month. 🤞🤞
Morning Cicero, is he any good though? If so, it does makes sense and certainly better than getting nothing for Ramsey.
Koscielny has apparently said no to Monaco.
Hopefully by end of season Unai will recommend who he wants to keep and who needs to go.
My son bumped into Bob Wilson the other week in Barnet, and he asked him if he rated Leno. He said, a big weakness of his, is coming and taking crosses.
Not sure why Torreira is on the bench today.
Thierry and Cesc will talk him round. 😉
Rotation? Marinello.
Morning all.
I’m waiting for it to begin and I’m sitting comfortably!
1-2 to the Arsenal.
Need I say more?
Cloudy and dull here.
Cloudy and dull here in Essex.
Afternoon Gooners
Afternoon Rico, no Ozil, not a surprise to me, if he isnt starting then there’s no point having him sulking on the bench.
This game have Southampton (a) written all over it… ☹️
Our last 4 away games in the Premier League:
2-2, 2-3, 1-1, 1-5….
No away win since we lost Holding…
Listening to BBC5LIVE, Arsenal have had a weeks rest since we played Blackpool, so no fatigue but we sound like we’ve not woken up yet.
West Ham according to the radio, have been playing a really high tempo, so we need to stay in this game and wait until West Ham tire…
Afternoon Kev. I don’t mind where Ozil is as long as it’s not in the squad.. 😜
Such a shame he’s not more robust, we could do with his creativity.
Moss giving us nothing..
It’s like watching Bruce Riochs Bolton Wanderers team, just with out the flair.
Hardly an impressive first half, in fact downright depressing.
Shots 6, on target 1. Passes gone astray, dozens. We need an Emery half-time miracle substitution. Torreira for the ineffective Xhaka with instructions to nullify Noble in midfield.
We can’t afford any other subs as we need to keep a couple in reserve to cope with Koscielny and Mustafi running out of gas after an hour.
AMN looks like a boy out there. he needs to toughen up, getting knocked off the ball far too easily. He could cost us here.
Such a good game that I’m halfway through the Telegraph GK crossword. 😉
AMN is a bit too casual imo.
allezkev.
12:47. If we keep playing like this theres only going to be one winner today.
Looks like Moss is being replaced. Good!
VCC, he’s also very slow getting back in position. Emery was frantically waving him back after one failed attack.
Hairdryer treatment time!
What’s up with Moss? Mind you it’s a long trip home to West Yorkshire.
Not Moss, a lino change
Typical Mustafi! Stupid late tackle and a booking.
Is that what we call defending? Absolute RUBBISH!!!!
Terrible defensive header from Xhaka. Pathetic.
Lacazette/Aubameyang £100m worth of strikers and Fabianski might as well have taken his armchair out with him.
Too many overpaid/overrated players who flatter to deceive…
Here comes the cavalry…
Not much to like about this team is there….
Too slow. Too square.
Andy “Elbows” Carroll on. Get the St John’s Ambulance men warmed up.
What a ghastly performance from Arsenal. Awful.
Better defending corners this year. Other plus points today …………..,
Pretty standard fair Rico. I guess he’s inherited a horrific mess of a squad but I fail to see what emery is even trying to do with this team.
This is pitiful. The balance, formation, players, tactics. Not sure we’ve played this badly for a long time.
That’s it, absolute bloody rubbish, no pace, passing awful, defending for the goal was worse than the Keystone Cops and totally toothless up front.
A disgrace
Ditto Lewis. There’s nothing new at all.
And how can top footballers not stay onside?
Run out of steam and invention. Oh, and money.
Outplayed.
Well, while West Ham were good, it’s not hard to outplay a team that so bloody ordinary.
Sideways and backwards passing is a joy to watch, and such a threat to opposition defences.
Pitiful.
6th place here we come….
Luckily we will have the wages of our only creative player off the books soon, and let’s not forget the possible impact of our loanees that may come in.
Small club mentality, I’m sorry to say.
We desperately needed a fully fit, functioning and effective Ozil today. We had no creativity in midfield, nothing on the right side of attack and very little movement anywhere.
Well at least now we know our level , Plenty of the ball but no real penetration and two expensive forwards hardly in the game. Lacazette is a worker dropping deep to get the ball and Aubameyang is waiting for the ball to be played quickly . Neither got anything today.. It was a classic nil – nil altered only by a ridiculous header from Xhaka.
We keep making defensive mistakes and are drifting back to the slow build up with little movement and no flair taking the ball to a packed defence where there is no space. We have to inject some pace through the middle of midfield and the back 4 / 3 need to get the ball into midfield much quicker.
Too slow , too predictable , no points lets go home.
Ozil Scott? Is he off then?
UE Needs to wake up and NEVER play Xhaka again. Ive said it since day one of seeing this clown, he is absolute crap, costs us so many goals. Declan Rice a 19 year old showed him how to play basic football.
This is as low as I can remember my feelings with Arsenal. I pay good money to watch this…….. S—E
Do we not concentrate on defending at all. We are shambolic at best. My Sunday league team defend better than this shower.
I.m off for a cold shower to cool off.
We are in a deep pile of poo, and I’m beginning to have serious concerns about Emery being the man to get us out of it.
I know it’s early but I’m not seeing much in the way of improvement, or even a vision of where we’re going.
Rico, is Ozil even still there?
Wtf is going on?
I know everyone blames him but is he injured or just not part of Emery’s plans?
That performance we just saw simply highlights what a dumbarse decision it is to let Ramsey go because he at least offered something going forward, something that was lacking.
What about Anderson taking a full 3 strides before falling over and replay shows there was very, very little to no contact made.
Should’ve been a yellow for
Simulation lol
Comparing the two teams we would have been better off with Na€ri in our side today. He at least could add a bit of craft, if not craftiness, to our midfield.
A disgrace. Again.
Was Nasri at zero cost?
The reality: we have the worst team of the top 6.
That’s true JM – and who was responsible for the majority of that team.
We have too many overpaid big time charlies who consistently fail in these type of games.
My major gripe is when we were chasing an equaliser – that is we needed someone who could score a goal – Emery left Nketiah on the bench and sent on Bellerin…
Totally agree with the view of too many overrated and overpaid players at the club. Not the fault of Emery, in fact I kind of feel for him. He can’t sell them therefore he can’t replace them.
There’s a long way to go and a lot of things to be done before things improve.
Scott, Ramsey was no better when he came on imo.
Evening all and thanks Rico.
Years of this I`m afraid with no investment.
The much maligned Ozil was missed.
Wenger would have done better.
Even better would have been my choice…………………Zorro aka Arteta…………..you know the one. the one with inside knowledge of Peps trousers movement ! 🙂
Luckily for me It`s not hurting anymore, I`m resigned to the fact that we have a idiot as an owner who lets face it as sole owner now can take any money he likes out of the club to finance his Rams and I dont mean the ones on his massive ranch…………………LA Rams are his priority, who`d have thought we would be second to a bunch helmet wearing soft rugby imposters !.
Rico, the players, they have form, it’s been going on for too many seasons, Wenger was too soft and they got into a nice comfort zone and maybe put in a performance in the FACup when another season was gone. Just to take the pressure off a bit, but they couldn’t do it last season and old softee got his cards.
Many of these same players don’t like the fact that Emery wants them to work, they miss the old days when Wenger was always making excuses for them, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of them are trying to get rid of him, you only have to listen to their agents.
Bad day at the office
Im very glad Wengerpoo has gone but can someone enlighten me on what has changed. Wenger got us to 6th. Will Dick Emery even do that. I dont think so.
We look like a team that doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be doing. It certainly looks like Emery is struggling for ideas. Worryingly we don’t have the budget to replace large chunks of the squad and Emery is alienating or not playing 2 of our best players.
What also worries me is that Emery has commited an extra player in defence and an extra player shrouding the defence. He has sacrificed a box to box midfielder and a number 10 to do it. However our defence looks as shaky as ever while we’ve throttled our creativity
Oh and while I’m glad to see Wenger gone I can’t help but compare Emery to him.
Last season Wenger took the team to the UEFA semifinals and 6th in the league.
That was with Sanchez wanting away, Ozil on strike waiting for his contract, Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan for half a season and also without Torreira, Guendouzi, Leno, Sokratis, and Leichstiener.
As far as I’m concerned we’re going backwards under him.
And I’m not happy about it.
In the unbeaten run we had a balance with a weak much criticised defence. To rectify the situation we have sacrificed the balance and the level has dropped. The loss of Holding seems to have been the catalyst and the spate of injuries has compounded it.
I think we need to go back to square one.Set up with the best players play to our strengths and try to find the intensity we had back then.
Torreira on the bench was a strange one, as was Ramsey.
Rico, you’re genuinely the first person I’ve seen comment anywhere that suggests Ramsey didn’t make us more dangerous when he came on.
If Kolasinac stayed on side, Ramsey has one or possibly two goal assists.
Can’t remember much happening in the first half but each to their own.
Forgetting all other things for a minute, that performance was as insipid as anything we’ve seen for a long time and that’s what worries me.
6 months proper coaching should have seen us improving in our performances, not necasarily results, but that was terrible and the fall back is always to blame Wenger?
He will be guilty of things that go wrong in 10 years time.
Emery must make the very best out of what he has available now and during these TW’s obviously improve the squad.
Just to add, nobody was complaining about the squads lack of quality in our unbeaten run, it was put down to the new, improved attitude of players due to the new manager but that opinion is just pushed aside now things aren’t going so well, but now it’s back
on Arsene.
The first step is to get the team to play with joy.
Indulge yourself:
Upss, I was wrong.
https://youtu.be/iAn-J8_xUG8
It’s these that I watch when I want to wallow in it.
https://youtu.be/2fSGukG2qis
https://youtu.be/KHlRsKt6PXQ
My dad told me at the time we were blessed. I didn’t really understand that until recently.
Potter, my thoughts, for what they’re worth, are that I too think it all started to go wrong after the injury to Holding and then Mustafi and then so on. The players were shuffled around to cover, the performances, although weren’t particularly brilliant, got worse. The confidence we’d built slipped away, the never ending errors crept in and back to square one.
I don’t think this squad is good enough to get top four and I don’t think we have a chance of winning a cup either.
Scott, even though we went on a very good run, I don’t think many comments on here were too complimentary about the football we were playing or the errors being made etc, so the criticisms are the same, just the results are different.
Scott…………………….in the unbeaten run I kept saying how lucky……..sorry…….fortunate we were !
The only difference when we lost at Southampton was that we didn escape a loss !…………we played as bad as when we were fortunate to win.
A few players added under Dick, but same performances and where the fcuk has the so called pressing game gone ?………………….by the time we get the tactics/formations right other teams at the top will probably have changed to something new and updated.
We are years behind and anyone who thinks a few tw`s will change it are in cloud cuckoo land especially as no money investment will get us fcuk all…………might aswell try a ManU of years back and play the kids !
Weirdly I find it quite amusing how shit we have become ! hahahaha
Only thing keeping my interest is The FA Cup and surprisingly The EL when we play some of the youngsters, but that will change the further we go !
Wenger may be getting the stick instead of Dick and I know he had to go, but it`s possible that we will come to acknowledge what a great job Wenger did to keep getting us to CL in years of austerity until last season.
No way am I convinced we would be any worse off if he were still in charge today as many of the wins last season were more convincing than this seasons one`s !
I did say when Dick came in that he needs time, but also said that we fans are a fickle lot and that it would not take long for the knives to come out, it`s a shame though that they are not all united to go in Kroenke`s back though !
🙂
Love to hear from Herb, Meerkat, Kelsey and Lee about our recent performances .
5-38 Kev. You’re probably right about them being in the comfort zone for far too long. Odd how after a few injuries and bad results, Emery’s training methods are being questioned when not so long ago, players were praising them.
Rico, you are correct.
I was just very bloody frustrated when posting those comments and I’m sure it showed.
That performance was just horrible, and regardless of whether we think these players are good enough, they’re better than they’ve shown, yet are getting damn well paid so it’s them who must step up and take some responsibility for their performances.
I’m guilty of saying I blamed players over the past few years for a lack of performance as much as I blamed Wenger for some of his decisions, and realistically, Emery deserves the same treatment.
Whatever happens with Stan, the board, even Emery, these professionals ought to show a hell of a lot more passion and pride and at least give us their best.
I said that’s as insipid a performance as I’ve seen for years and I do believe that’s the case, but imo, coaching can only go so far.
LC, we can blame Stan every time we post and I still detest the fact he’s at the club, but still, we have 11 bloody good footballers on the pitch who need to appreciate what they have in life a little more than they seem to.
It’s not a great squad but I do believe it’s a good one, but that performance didn’t reflect that at all.
Predictive text turns Stan into Satan on my phone which is a little harsh, even coming from me bahahahahahaha
Oh, and me admitting to being wrong is an anomaly, so don’t fekken expect it to be a regular occurrence hahahahahahah
In retrospect, looking back, Klopps first season finishing eighth “I think ,“ and no silverware partnered with Guardiola,s equally ropey first season albeit finishing 3rd with a better squad and no silverware, you could,ve been forgiving for thinking things would not work out at that early stage of their tenure,s in England.
Point being to judge Emery after 6 months after the calamity he inherited would be premature, patience was always needed. i.m.o, 2 or 3 transfer windows, so we could at least see if his ideas, his own personnel and ability to sort out bad defensive habits and to steady and improve what was a sinking ship, would come to fruition,
I read earlier, “it’s preposterous to expect Emery to progress a defence that was not just inherently flawed in one position but ALL positions”, I suppose he means no coach could turn these defenders into title challengers.
It,s true he has he,s work cut out, But I,m willing to accept the unpredictability that lies ahead without criticising too much, at least for the immediate future, as long as I see intent in the next couple of transfer windows.
Jonathan, well, you’d be underwhelmed by the intent shown in this first TW, but as for the defenders are concerned, it’s fair to ask a little improvement from them, I reckon.
Just flicked onto the Rams V Cowboys game.
Seems Stan owns one club that’s flying.
Good on him 🙂
Morning all.
Scott. I think what you and probably Lc miss is that those of us, certainly me, who don’t blame Kroenke every day, also wish he’d sell up asap. I always hoped Usmanov would buy him out and was really disappointed when he sold out to the American. Until someone makes him an offer he can’t refuse, we’re stuck with him unless the fans turn. If the fans do turn, it’s now him in the firing line for so many reasons which were discussed here the other day.
I hate the fact that the club can only seal loan deals this month, it’s an appalling situation to be in but, we’re not in this situation because of Kroenke, if that article is factual.
I agree with those who suggest the players we have should be doing better, but even their better for some of them, is still not good enough for a club who wants success.
Ramsey leaving for free is the last of what have been dreadfully dealt with player contracts. None of which are the fault of the current setup, imo anyway..
It’s good to see you’ve had a change of heart. As others have suggested on here, plenty of people at the club have seriously messed up over the last ten years, especially those who dealt with player signings and contracts because that’s why it seems, we can only do loan deals this month.
Good morning Rico, as far as Kroenke selling Arsenal you may continue to hope, but don’t hold your breath. The man has never sold a single share in any of his sports franchises. He is under no pressure financially, and holds all the high cards.
Arsenal are not a drain on his empire and share price is meaningless as there is no market for them as he is the sole owner.
However much we would all like him to cough up for a few marquee signings, or sell up altogether, neither is going to happen. The Kroenkes are here to stay.
Morning Cicero. I know, I accepted that a while ago.. lol
New post up now.