Morning all.
It was a dream come true today and also it was a big win in the derby so I’m really happy for the team. This was for our fans and I hope they are happy with us today.
Well Mr Ødegaard, we were and still are. Or at least I am. If any Arsenal fan didn’t enjoy our victory over the noisy neighbours then I’d been surprised. The performance was excellent, all bar the last ten minutes which even Mikel Arteta admitted was some of the worst football his team has played. A layer of paint stopped us from winning by a kind of goal margin we deserved, and some awful moments in front of goal.
But what a way for Martin Ødegaard to make his mark on any game, let alone his first NLD. He was everywhere, his passing was good and he scored. Should have had two though. Bah Humbug. Lol He’s certainly a classy player and his best should be yet to come. Will Arsenal try to strike a deal with Real Madrid for him? Probably if he continues to play the way he is. Could we afford him? That’s the million dollar question, literally.
I’ll be honest, initially I thought bringing in a player like Ødegaard in January was an odd decision. We had ESR already strutting his stuff and the last thing he needed was to be ousted by a player on loan. After all, there’s no way they could play in the same team. How wrong was I? At the weekend, they both rang rings around Mourinho’s team but once ESR went off, Arsenal lost a lot of their attacking threat because put simply, Willian cannot do what our man from Croydon can do.
I’m often mystified by managers who once in the lead during a game, decide to protect what they have. Great if you’re a team which can park a bus successfully but for now, we know that’s not really Arsenal. In fact it hasn’t been since the George Graham days. By removing attacking players who have so far in the match caused all sorts of problems for the opposing team, it can help them more than us. The best way to defend sometimes is by attacking. I don’t mean that a team should go all hung ho and risk being caught on the break but just carry on as they were playing. In this case, I mean Arsenal. Replacing Saka with Pepe is kind of like for like although the younger of the two is a far better player, but Willian for ESR results in a totally different game down our left hand side. The momentum shifted and Toots became more adventurous, probably because they weren’t as fearful of Willian as they had been ESR.
This is not me criticising Mikel Arteta, after all, he’s probably forgotten more about the game than I ever knew in the first place but I do wonder if when players need to be replaced, like for like would be more advantageous to the team. Someone with a bit more trickery and pace than our ageing Brazilian. I suppose the player I’m thinking about is Martinelli but for some reason, he’s not getting game time although he’s not listed as injured. Against the Toots, he didn’t even make the bench. Odd.
Matteo Guendouzi and ex Arsenal midfielder Gilberto are in the Daily Mail headlines today. The Frenchman has vowed to fight for his place at Arsenal once his loan ends which is all we Arsenal fans want to hear really. Yes he was a prat but he’s young and if he can learn to control his outbursts, he might yet have a future under Mikel Arteta. Then again, he could be sold to help fund a signing of Arteta and Edu’s choice instead so it’s a win win situation for Arsenal right now.
Gilberto has been talking about Thomas Partey, the type of player Arsenal have been crying out for for many years and how he’s making Granit Xhaka look a much better player. It’s hard to disagree really because when the two play together, our midfield is much stronger. Just a shame it’s taken Arsenal so long to realise that the very man who has raised this subject, is the same guy the club never really replaced.
See you in the comments.
Morning all.
Rico, I agree with you on the protecting the lead comment.
You’re tearing a side apart, why change from what’s working?
Though quite often it’s the players who go into their shell, as well, so it’s a tough one.
Odegaard is a star, a talent that we need to keep hold if possible.
Let’s hope he’s in love with the club, Arteta and North London as that gives us a chance.
ESR is every guy as good as Saka, imo.
Both world class players in the making, both Arsenal juniors and just a joy to watch.
Xhaka-he’s been an enigma, but there’s what’s been a player in there, but he’s been asked to play in way he’s not really cut out for, then came Partey and bingo, we almost got two players for the price of one 🙂
That’s a few brilliant performances in a row now, at least we’ve shown brilliance in several games, but we finished this one off.
On to Olympiacos then the Hammers.
If we can get two wins, we take on Liverpool full of confidence.
Perhaps they go into their shell Scott, because of the change.
Rico, maybe, maybe not.
Hard to know, really but pressure does strange things to managers and players.
Good Morning Rico and all
Yes, am still on high. Especially as I keep seeing the look on Mourino’s face plastered all over the net….especially when Lamela was sent off, when the ref awarded a penalty and when Arteta and Soares were hugging each other after the final whistle.
The look on his face in all three is priceless
Rico I still say it to this day that if we had kept Gilberto and Pires we would have won the league again by 2009/10. We never really replaced them. As it is AW preferred Flamini to Gilberto, while in the 2006 cup final we lost to Barca he should have hauled off Freddie and not Bobby.
Lovely post for a follow up Rico. Would I love Guendouzi to stay??? Nah. I say sell him and move on to a better player. He will upset the boat i feel.
Gee Devil, if you keep seeing Joe Says face, you’ll be scarred for life 🙂
Morning Devil, or replaced them better than the club did. Especially Gilberto, what a mix up that was with him Flamini and the other midfielder whose name escapes me. We signed him then he left rather rapidly, to Pompey I think.
Diarra I think it was. (Spelling)
Hi Rico and all well said Rico but changing the subject a little if what I read about Auba not going out on the field with the other players on the bench after the match then leaving the club in less than 20 minutes after the match and not celebrating with his team mates is a disgrace and I would even consider taking the captaincy off him. Not a good exsample for the younger players
Thanks for the post Rico, the comments of Jose following the game seem to be the first signs of the usual Mourinho cracks appearing on the relationship between the players, the coach and the club, it should make for a lively next few months. Once the fans are back and complaining about the football then it should quickly unravel, especially if Man City give them a kicking at Wembley.
Now if we could only dump them out of europe then he could be out the door by Christmas.
Rico, I don’t think that Arsenal will have the funds to complete a deal for Odegaard even if Arteta wants him, but maybe we could agree a fee with Madrid, take him on loan next season and complete the deal in the summer of 2023?
I guess it’ll depend on who Arsenal sell as well, I mean if we could get good fees for Willock and say Maitland Niles then that’ll pay for Odegaard.
Remember if we sell Lacazette we’ll need a replacement especially if Nketiah and Balogun leave as well, Balogun staying would be a big plus but it’s looking 40/60 atm.
Hi Geoff, I think the line should be drawn under the fine and match ban.
Then there’s the reserve goalkeeper, we need to get rid of Runarsson and decide on Ryan and how much will Brighton want?
If the Seagulls are greedy then will we pull out of the deal and stick with the Icelandic flapper?
Or good for Woodman and would Woodman join Arsenal now that his Father has been released?
Did anyone else hear the rumour that Leno doesn’t rate the Spanish g/k coach Arteta brought in from Brentford and wanted to be coached by Woodman?
So now Woodman is leaving, we’ve lost Martinez, possibly on the advice of the Spanish guy and signed Runarsson on the advice of the Spanish goalkeeping coach.
An Arteta blind spot?
They all have them…
I’d rather Mourinho stayed Kev if he continues to ruin the club. You’re right though, fans won’t put up with his ‘style’ for long. Letting Poch go isn’t looking as good now.
There’s certainly wriggle room between Real and Arsenal Kev. As you say though, it depends on who we sell and how we finish the season. So much must be up in the air right now.
Matteo Guendouzi has just become a Father I read, so has he suddenly come over all grown up and responsible?
Does he want to return to Arsenal and show the brand new Matteo, does he want to reintegrate himself into the project and become an Arteta devotee.
Does anyone trust him?
Because I don’t, I think he wants to play out his contract and get himself a nice Bosman in 2022…
That’s true Rico, there’s also Ceballos, Real will want to flog him as well to raise dough for a rebuild so he might have to be part of any deal?
I think the best thing to do with the Auba situation is to let the club sort it behind closed doors. As with all these things once it gets into the media it gets worse like scratching an itch eventually it turns into a sore
.
We have had time to digest the Derby and covered all the talking points . As far as the media is concerned it’s gone into the history books and largely forgotten .There will be no recriminations on Kane or Lamela’s sly kicking so we just get on and confirm our place in Europa and head for the West Ham match . Not surprised really.
At the time I understood Wenger’s stance on contracts for over 30’s , didn’t neccessarily agree in all cases but could see where he was coming from and I agree about Pires but especially Gilberto who many in the crowd didn’t appreciate until he wasn’t there . Replacing him with Flamini was a backward step . Mr pointy as we called him never had the same game control as our Irish Brazillian and only really looked good alongside Cesc , Hleb and Rosicky . ( it would be difficult not to in that company ) but really was a utility player
I know that rarely do top old players have the coaching ability but I feel that Gilberto might be one of those that could .
We are in for a spate of wheeling and dealing in the next window . Maybe the club should buy Arteta a Range Rover with a broken drivers window to lean out of and a guide dog.
Kev I mentioned about Leno wanting a different goal keeping coach a couple of days back as I read it somewhere else then on this site and as I said if it true and we give into him then what happens if the players decided they don’t want Arteta do we give into them no way. As for runarsson I may be wrong but I believe I read that Edu was the one who wanted him
Well Aubameyang had a falling out with Dortmund a few months before he left to join Arsenal over his timekeeping so it’s not the first time for him, therefore don’t be surprised if this actually escalated because I get the feeling that he might think that the rules and regs apply to the rest of the squad but not him…
Also if his big mate Lacazette leaves he may begin to get itchy feet?
On a change of subject, Pepe took a season and half before “acclimatising” to the Premiership and beginning to have some influence on the pitch. Odegaard has done it in under two months.
Ceballos, partly through injury, took half a season. Partey, again partly through injury, also took half a season. Willian, one would have thought, should have hit the ground running, but again has taken half a season to start earning his corn.
Our scouting set up has been reshaped and is now based on statistics, are we profiting from the change?
I saw an interview with Liam Brady last week Cicero Andy whilst he praised Stat DNA and the work they do he still has serious misgivings about how the club has seemingly ditched most of its scouting network.
ATM we are withouth Guendouzi,Torreira, AMN, Willock, Kolasinac, Mavropanos…..dont tell me that that lot will not fetch enough money to buy Odegaard (if RM agree to sell)
Ceballos is with us but I dont think the club will buy. Not whilst he can be replaced by someone like Miguel Azeez.
Then there are Nketiah and Nelson…..both of whom can easily fetch 15 million each. Chambers (if he is going to be sold) and Bellerin can also fetch a tidy sum.
And one of Laca or Auba will be sold. Personally I would love Auba to be sold….and Laca stays. Because the latter enjoys it much more acting like big daddy to the little kids. Plus being the focal point I feel the team plays better with him. Can Moller make the step up and be Laca’s reserve?? Maybe Martinelli can and that is why he is not playing at all….simply because Arteta is trying to turn him into a CF. ATM he cannot play simply because its either Laca or Auba. I do not think that one of them will make way so that Martinelli can play. And maybe that is why Balogun is leaving because Arteta may already have earmarked MArtinelli for that position plus knowing fully well that Moller is there as well.
And the money we get from the sale of Auba/Laca will go towards financing players in other positon.
RM wanted Saliba as well before he came to us. Would any of you put him as a makeweight in the Odegaard deal?? Personally, seeing how Odegaard has performed lately, I would include him.
I suppose we employ a team of anoraks and you tube nerds to scour the internet for likely looking transfer targets. Then with a few Zoom conferences between Edu, Arteta and the players agent, followed by a phone call to the club concerned and Robert, as they say, is you fathers brother. 😉
Guendouzi a father? He’s still a kid himself Kev.
Perhaps Real would like him in exchange for Ødegaard… Wishful thinking I know.
If we were to get a good offer for Aubameyang, I think the club would be foolish to turn it down.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/bernd-leno-arsenal-league-season-23739092
I think we all suspected this and some of us commented here with regards what was happening behind the scenes.
Not wanting to rub it in….but it seems that Arteta has sent the trouble makers packing. Two permanently and two still on loan. fingers crossed they will not return but are sold.
Agree Devil in that many of us here believed there were bad eggs which is why I never wanted Ozil back in the team. Only one has a chance to come back as Mustafi is out of contract in the summer. Kolasinac, the following year.
Now though, concerns will raised over Aubameyang, especially if he did sulk off early on Sunday.
Hi Rico,
I’ve got it sell Guendouzi and use the find s to buy Odegaard or a straight swap??
Rico I think i said A few weeks back in Jan that I could see ESR and Odegaard combining and they are doing an excellent Job. Let’s not forget how important Partey is making that midfield solid and Xhaka playing much better. But like you I wonder about Martinelli I suspect he is carrying something but they’ve decided to play it down to help the player deal with it. He seemed to be pretty upset when it happened understandably.
Rico, I meant Guendouzi as well.
But as you and others have suggested….Auba may be what is left of the bad apples (maybe???) At least he is tied to a long term contract so a fee of 35 would suffice imo. You can only see how the team plays with Laca in it. I have been banging the drum for quite a long time now to have an attacking four of Laca; ESR, Odegaard, Saka. And I would guess that an attack with Laca; Martinelli, Willian, Pepe would also function well.
If he is going to behave like that and sulk off he is not going to be a good role model.
And if we have noticed these things you can bet your bottom dollar that Arteta would have noticed that as well. Auba simply played in his hands and gave him the perfect excuse to drop him. Now he cannot be criticized if the wheels went off last Sudnay. It went well (thank God) and everyone and his dog was saying what a brilliant manager Arteta is now. He had the balls to drop him and it worked.
Atm it is a win win situation for Arteta. Especially if Auba continues to sulk and throw his toys out of the pram.
Mig, initially I was against Odegaard. As I thought that he was going to take ESR’s place or shunt him to the flanks. However, seeing how ESR, Odegaard axis is working and it is also making Tierney into a better player I feel that its a must that Arteta keeps Odegaard.
Hi Mig, him and Torreira probably and half a dozen more I reckon.
I can’t for one minute think Arteta would leave Martinelli out without a reason Mig. He’s too good.
Devil, you couldn’t have been banging your drum that long as Ødegaard only joined in January. 😆
Seriously though, I think the general view on here was to bring in some of the younger players because it was the senior players letting the team down. I think it’s really positive that Leno has spoken out because if anyone was is any doubt that the camp was divided, they know now it was.
Guendouzi wasn’t part of the first half of the season slump though Devil.
Evening Rico and the House
Its been another very wet day in Kent.
I blame Carol Kirkwood she said it was going to be dry and 17degrees
Evening Rick, it has been 17 degrees and sunny where I am 😀
Rico Still having loading up comments.
I have to post comment to update other comments Its so weird.
Did you have your Jab today or is it next week./
Last hour I have been catching up with your posts and the comments
over the last two days.
I would like to repond to the comments about the Loan system and also the one
about Leno
At the moment I do not have much spare time and it may take a couple of days to get it together .
Is that OK with you.
Evening, hope jab went well rico. Didn’t risk coming on during Spurs match as had cricket recorded, in case talked about. Shouldn’t have worried, poor match but much better today. Toss seems all important.
Still smiling from last two matches, we seem to be moving from a small pocket of players carrying us, to an ever larger number, can only be a good sign.
Morning all.
Whatever wheeling and dealing we do, I think priority no. 1 is keep Ødegaard.
He doesn’t go missing in games, and some his touches are just pure genius.
This kid has an a enormous future and I want that further to be with us.
I refuse to write off Saliba as I believe he will end up a sensational player, so get him back, give him a season to settle and take things from there.
It’s a shame Torreira never settled in England, but he will bring decent dollars.
I don’t Laca gone, I’d genuinely prefer to see Auba.
Martinelli-I’m glad he’s being taken along slowly.
He’s months away from being back to 100% after his injury and he’s a baby.
Keep Ryan if we can-fantastic back up keeper.
Nelson, Nketiah, Kolasinac will all be sold.
Just keep Ødegaard!!!
Scott, I felt the same about Ceballos last season, but he hasn’t quite lived up to it.
Guendouzi needs to be given until the end of the season to prove he has settled down and wants to play
Hi Geoff,
I think we need to get him back at the club to really
Make an informed decision on him.
He’s young and worth a chance imo.
I think we should sell Auba and get his big wages of the books and split the money from his sales to buy another striker and try to keep Odegaard.
It may sound harsh but we have a go at players like Xhaka and Guendouzi about the behaviour and yet from what I read this was not the first time Auba has turned up late and his body language to me seems that he does not really want to be at arsenal.
Scott has your dog healed yet, Said her racing career is over but at lease she will make a nice pet
Geoff, she’s almost ready to have her splint taken off, leg has healed beautifully but she’s retired, no question, and hopefully she can make a good Mum 🙂
I’m with you on Auba.
Late to the game, late to team meetings-Arteta had to discipline the guy.
In the words of Peter Walton ” He has Previous ” . As Kev said earlier he had similar problems at Dortmund but the club knew about it when we were buying him. He got away with it there but having just cast aside the previous boat rockers , it is important that he doesn’t upset our applecart.
Guendouzi is another conundrum , no doubt he has promise and no doubt he could be a long term replacement for Xhaka but iwould it be inviting a problem back into the spirit of the squad ?.
Kolasinc has gone to Schalke and they are likely to be relegated so as we couldn’t sell him before I doubt that we will get much for him now.
Afternoon Rico and the House.
Anybody about today?
Afternoon Rick, all.
Jab went fine Andrew, the side effects though have been awful. Woke up in the early hours and felt like I’d drank two or three bottles of rough red wine. Stinker of a headache.
https://highbury-house.com/2021/03/17/balogun-is-not-the-only-youngster-set-to-walk-for-free/
New post up now
Kev
Lambert left Ipswich on March 1st
Since then they have played 5 games and Mark Mcguinness
has not played in any of them.
Last night Ipswich played Fleetwood where was Mark.
He wa splaying for Ipswich u23s in the Professional Development League2 south
This is 2 leagues lower then the one our u23s play in.
WE got it spot on when we both said it could happen.