Morning guys.
I’m off to a local market in Lymington shortly. Artisan bread, home made chutneys and if I’m lucky, there will be some local honey and chilli jam and many other things to sample along the way. I love bread, baking it as well as eating it so fingers crossed there’s something unusual on sale, or at least unusual to me. Yesterday I mentioned how I feel obliged to show interest in Bournemouth FC, Southampton FC too because the people where I live, love one or the other so it would be rude not to know a little about both. At least know their most recent result. It seems Bournemouth have backtracked on their “he’s not for sale at any price” mantra from the summer and are now considering selling their prize midfielder Alex Scott in January. Good time to sell, assuming they will because nothing says overinflated transfer fees than a winter transfer windows. Apparently Liverpool are favourites to sign him. We don’t need him that’s for sure, regardless of how good he is. At least I don’t think we do.
Two things struck me from Mikel Arteta’s pre Nottingham Forest press conference.
Viktor Gyokeres’ form:
These are moments in a player’s career, or in a season, I would say, and we are trying to help him as much as possible. He has some very good moments; three or four times he’s been in front of goal with no keeper, and the ball should arrive to him, and it doesn’t. Then maybe they are talking about something else, but these are the strikers. It’s very small margins – scoring or not scoring changes the narrative. We should know the perception of how much he can help the team.
Scoring more goals from open play than set-pieces:
We are getting criticised for scoring goals! Regardless of the manner that we score them, the team is showing a great attacking flow. We’ve scored some beautiful goals but the value is exactly the same. I think we have to be a team that is able to score in many, many ways and that will make it harder for the opponent.
Arteta said: He (Gyokeres) has some very good moments; three or four times he’s been in front of goal with no keeper, and the ball should arrive to him, and it doesn’t.
So, if Viktor is making the right moves but the ball isn’t arriving to him, that’s either down to his teammates not spitting him or the ball into him is poor. Maybe that’s the simple difference between our striker scoring for Sweden and Arsenal is that his fellow countrymen know his game better than his club teammates. It happens in football though, many times too. Didn’t Bendtner, Pepe, Podolski and Lacazette fair better on international duty than they did for Arsenal and I’m sure they are not the only ones. I still maintain that if his teammates can find him with a pass more often, he’ll score goals.
Which takes me onto the second comment above, scoring goals. I’m firmly in the Arteta camp here because set-piece or not, a goal is just that, a goal. Penalties, free kicks, corners, open play, why does anyone really care how the ball crosses the goal line? It’s a debate which bores me to tears. But I think we’ve looked better in attack so far this season but yes, we need to score more goals. Many more goals considering the number of chances we create.
Not always is a solution to be found from the outside, ie, sign a different or “better” player to do the job because if you look at the players we do have, they know where the back of the net is because they prove it when on duty for their respective countries. Premier League football is tougher though and it’s different. There’s often less space in attack that’s for sure but as much as it’s up to our forward players to find space in front of goal, it’s down to them to find their teammate too. Easier said than done I’m sure…
Catch up later.
Morning Rico and all, I have been saying for a while now that Gyokeres will want to leave due to lack of game time, in regard to Arteta’s quote about the ball not arriving to him, make me wonder do the players not like him or are they ignoring Arteta either way something has to change as he is being wasted at the moment.
Your sleep patterns are worse than mine Cicero.
Not surprised to see such stuff online about Gyokeres. It was inevitable really the more he doesn’t play.
New post up.
Viktor Gyokeres is pushing for a move in January because of lack of playing time. (Team Talk)
Eating healthy now – prediabetes for last 15 years.
Love Swiss evening bread ebrot, low carbo, high protein.
Or Japanese dark rye bread.
Goodnight all.
Just what I do, my sourdough starter is three days in and already bubbling nicely..
Buy good quality flour, fresh yeast and bake your own. Don’t use a bread maker.
Varies Stuart, supermarket bread is reasonably priced but bakery/artisan is often over double in price around the £3.50-£4.50 mark. Worth it though sometimes.
He’s certainly a trier, Rico. And God loves a trier.
What does a decent loaf cost over there nowadays?
No Stuart 😂
We agree but surely we cannot lose sight of the runs he makes, the positions he gets into which with a good pass into Viktor, he’s likely to put his chance away.
Thing is, we all wanted a clinical striker signed and we finally got one. Now we don’t utilise his strengths.
Our local market does a marvellous Kibblewheat loaf for the equivalent of 4 quid, Rico. Worth the plane fare?
Sweden face different defences to Arsenal. The dreary low blocks we regularly face do not suit a striker of Gyo’s ilk. Against Lille he didn’t have a single shot, didn’t create a single chance, had a total of 12 touches, made 8 passes with a 75% completion and won just the one duel. I think he might actually do better in a team playing against Arsenal rather than for Arsenal. Tho’ it is hard to imagine him getting anything out of Big Will and Gabby.
Thanks for the comment in the last post, Potter. That story of the match fixing in 1915 was new to me. Dire and desperate times they were. I’ve found some commentary on it in my four volume set of Caxtons “Association Football”.
Not sure the Newcastle manager is going to survive until Christmas
I thought the same Cicero, the challenge on Smith before they scored was just that, a foul.
There’s a photo on the club website that purports to show the Arsenal squad wearing the “gifted” red shirts.
It’s under features, but to me it looks far to clear and it’s in colour which makes me doubt that it was taken in the mid thirties.
Enough chances to win by a mile, one breakaway by the Brummies and they score.
Ref was poor to bloody awful. On a scale from one to ten I’d give him minus five.
Afternoon guys.
Now now Kevin… lol
Another rotten day for the ladies team. Talked about missed chances.
beautiful sunny day and a lovely walk around a very expensive market and harbour..
testing
Afternoon Gooners, don’t forget to bring home the bacon Rico…
Neto scores a second at Everton 🫤
Good morning Rico good luck with your market raid. 😉
More goals however they come are essential, despite our good defending, we are dropping behind our rivals as far as goal difference is concerned.