Morning all.
Medhi Benatia is no spring chicken but that’s doesnt seem to bother Unai Emery. Not when it comes to defenders anyway. Stefan Lichtsteiner was and still is 34 years old when he signed back in the summer and Sokratis Papastathopoulos had just turned 30 years old.
We’ve signed some mature defenders in the past but usually they arrived fresh off the garbage heap. Ok, a bit harsh I know so I’ll amend that to they weren’t really what we needed.
Despite his years, Lichtsteiner has been a great addition in my opinion both on and off the pitch and yes Kev (from yesterday) I hope we sign him up to another year. In fact I agree with the view that when he finishes his career, he’d make a great coach. The way he was on Saturday evening in the technical area with Emery was enough to convinced me of that. He was off his seat and on the touch line handing out drinks, no doubt dishing out words of encouragement too. He was finding a coat for Aubameyang too who looked down in the dumps having been subbed. As for Sokratis, he just grows on me and together with the Swiss, they’re a couple of rascals when on the pitch together.
So I suppose it’s no great surprise to read that Medhi Benatia is being widely tipped to make a move to Arsenal in January. The 31 year old French born Moroccan is out of favour at Juventus apparently with a suggested transfer fee of £13 million. At 6’ 2” he’s the same height as Rob Holding but taller than our other two centre backs. I wonder if he’s forgiven Michael Olivier yet…..
Unai Emery has changed many things at Arsenal since his arrival and perhaps one of those things, important things too is attraction. Who would not have been impressed with the we performed on Saturday if they were watching? The atmosphere in the stadium, the passion on show from the manager. If you were a pro footballer looking for a move to a Premier League club which is heading in the right direction wouldn’t you sit back and have a big think about Arsenal? I know I’m biased but we’re in the capital of England, pay good wages and we’re on a mission. Be an important player for a team or warm the bench at the likes of City etc? Or risk having your car wheel stolen elsewhere. The top top players would probably choose Pep or Sarri but I don’t think we’d be after that kind of player because of the transfer fee which comes with them so I reckon we’re a better option than the others. Much better.
Medhi Benatia Characteristics from Whoscored.com:
| Very Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
Weakness:
| Weak |
We’ve another match tonight. Sporting Lisbon who’ll no doubt be eager to make amends for their defeat in Portugal. They’ll have a different guy in charge of the team tonight as Jose Peseiro has been sacked after a dreadful run of results. No doubt the Sporting players will step it up a bit in attempt to impress Marcel Keizer who’s expected to be appointed at 5he weekend.
They need to win to ensure the top spot fight remains up for grabs. We need a win to make it isn’t and as said a couple of days ago, Unai Emery can then rest and rotate his players and focus on the domestic game. Not that I think for one minute that he’ll have any other idea than to win all three of our remaining fixtures.
Team news. Sokratis and Monreal are going to be….. yes, you guessed it, assessed ahead of tonight’s match although the latter was involved in training again yesterday. Elneny, Mavrapanos and Koscielny remain spectators.
Enjoy the game guys and gals. If not, we can moan about it tomorrow……. ⚽️🏐
Morning Rico and all. It makes sense to me to buy experienced, older players and give them shorter contracts. I imagine the club will still be interested in younger and hotter prospects too.
Morning Adam, it does to me too although I did raise my eyebrows re Lichtsteiner for a day or two until the penny dropped.
Have you seen this Juve guy play much?
On occasion I believe I have Rico. I think he’s rugged and quite ruthless. That’s ok with me.
With the new transfer strategy and the people involved, I doubt we’ll buy too many duds somehow.
That’s good Adam, we’ve seen enough softies signed over the years.
Yes, seems to a whole new approach to transfers and after an indifferent start, Sokratis has really added steel to our defence. Mustafi looks like a proper defender too. At times 😂
Quite glad both Utd and Totts won last night, need them to stay in the champions league. Or finish bottom of their group.
Good morning Rico and all.
We’ve been pushovers for far too long, it’s high time that we put some steel into our defence. In Sokratis and Lichtsteiner we’ve made a big step forward, Benatia seems to be out of the same mould, referees will have to watch closely when certain players, or more to the point a certain player, trips over a blade of grass in the penalty box.
Morning Cicero.
We could do with a bit more steel in midfield too. Torreria is great but he gets targeted and should he get injured, we’ll seriously miss him. Maybe that’s another reason Ramsey is being allowed to go.
I agree there Rico, Guendouzi looks likely to add that bit of midfield steel, he just needs to get a bit street-wise. He’ll learn a lot from playing alongside Torreria, Lichtsteiner and Sokratis.
I always felt that whilst Koscielny and Vermaelen were good technical defenders, they lacked a bit in physicality. Perhaps Benatia is seen as Koscielny’s replacement as the Barca move seems more likely.
He’s still very young so plenty of time for Guendouzi but as you say, he’ll become more streetwise, especially with more steely players around him.
Kos to Barca makes sense all round I think.
Morning Gooners
Morning Rico, glad to have you back.
Interesting post.
Benatia is a name I’ve heard linked to us a few times, but I don’t know a lot about him.
£13m for a 31 year old seems a lot of dough, but they do look after their players in Italy so there should be a few more miles on the clock.
Arsenal did try to sign another center back last summer, Vida was strongly linked, but this guy sounds right out of the shithousery class of player we’ve needed for ages.
Does that mean that Holding will lose his place in the team?
Good result in the Checkatrade yesterday, 3-1 at Forest Green and now we’re into the knockout stage, maybe we’ll get a home draw?
Afternoon all. Interesting regarding Benatia. A friend of mine is a Juve supporter and says that he is a quality defender who isn’t afraid of a challenge nor is he easily bullied. He’s just at a club who have great depth in defence and it’s not easy to compete with the likes of Bonucci, Chiellini or even Barzagli. I would love to have him on a 2 year contract as he’s at the peak of his career right now and can we get him for around 10million, it wouldn’t be bad business imo
Morning Kev, thank you.
Or perhaps Mustafi, but then again, if Kos goes… I can’t see Emery dropping Holding just for the sake of it, not now. Mavrapanos is another who’ll soon be pushing for a start, Pleguezuelo too.
At 31, maybe he’s just seen as strength in depth and as long as we keep winning, we’ve a lot of fixtures to get through.
Adk, sounds like the perfect addition to our squad. Right age too as you point out.
Morning all.
The buying of older more experienced players is not the worst strategy in the world, imo. Franz Hooever arrives approaching the twilight of hi career, he brings years of experience, still with ability and control, although perhaps lacking a little pace! But consider his ability to pass on his honed skills to the youngsters around him, the years of accumulated practise, hopefully all good. All the finer traits of years and years of kicking and being kicked by opponents can be cascaded down to out young wannabees. Win, win. The team have another very able player the club have a would be mentor. Excellent use of the options we presently have.
As said before we seem to have a crop of very able young players. It would be a criminal waste not to attempt to turn these folk into first team players of the future, but there has to space for them to move into. By buying the older player who has only a short term contract those jockeying for positions will know that their time will come sooner rather than later if and when the oldsters move on.
Good thinking.
Tonight’s game should be straight forward enough, but I think Juve thought that yesterday. Just have to beware of too much complacency. I’m quite looking forward to it.
Sunshine and black clouds here. Looks threatening!
That’s how I see it Wavy. We all saw what happened when youth were teaching youth, it failed miserably. I think Emery is the kind of manager who’d be rubbing his hands together looking at the guys coming through. He’s said before I think about bringing the younger players through and I’ll think he’ll keep his word as long as they have what it takes.
I read somewhere that Nelson might return in January.
Kos in very injury. Barça will make the same mistake with Vermaelen?
I know Benatia. He is good but maybe a litlle bit slow. But the leagues are different.
But he might recover fully Jm after having surgery..
Evening all and thanks Rico.
Checkatrade highlights…………..entertaining stuff !
https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/november-2018/highlights-forest-green-rovers-1-arsenal-u21s-3
Welbeck looks in a bad way… ☹️
Just read it looks like he has either dislocated or broken something, the poor bugger.
Shocking timing for the lad-not that it would ever be good but you know what I mean.
Please not out for the season .What do they reckon on BT? Can’t even find radio tonight .
I guess a dislocation would be the better injury but it looked awful.
Club sying nothing,gone for xray
Another injury… ☹️
That’s 2 hours of life we won’t get back
Look on the bright side Potter, we’ve qualified for the knockout stage……for the second season in a row. What is more, the unbeaten run goes on. 😉
Ha ha Potter. Not the best viewing eh..
Yep, we’re through I guess and playing a under strength side. I think the injury to Welbeck didn’t help either. Fingers crossed for him..
Night guys.
Looks like it’s a broken ankle for Danny boy… ☹️☹️
Morning guys.
New post up now.