Morning all.
I love the above picture, it’s a poke in the eye for all the critics out there who at some stage have passed comment about how we won the league. Meanwhile, I suspect many Arsenal fans couldn’t give a toss how we won it because we won it. Don’t get me wrong, going forwards I hope we see a more exciting style of football but as has become quite obvious at this World Cup, even the best sides struggle to breakdown a lower than low block. I’m not talking about teams who are defensively organised, I mean teams who literally camp out in and around their own box.
I don’t recall anyone moaning back in 2016 about how Leicester City won the league which if my memory serves me right, was by hitting opponents on the break. Getting the ball to Jamie Vardy and hoping he’d score. Good for them I thought at the time because they did exactly what they thought would give them a chance and it worked. Not against us of course as we beat them both home away but I’m pretty sure we were the only club who managed to so.
Isn’t that what Arsenal have just done, find a way to win the league and make it work? The “it’s been 22 years since….” line is over, finito, gone! Oh how the media must hate that.
I wonder how England will fair against what’s expected to be a defensive DR Congo this evening and how long it will be before the pundits are begging for a Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka corner to land on Kanes head if England can’t get a goal? We’ll see…
Would I like to see Arsenal play in a way France played last night? Of course I would but most Premier League teams don’t play the way Sweden did. I’m not trying to make excuses but sport is about winning. Playing entertaining football and coming second doesn’t bring silverware, or money for that matter. After all, had Arsene Wenger been able to get his teams to play more pragmatic football during his second ten year tenure, he might have left the club with at least two more Premier League trophies to his name.
We cannot rewrite history though but I’m convinced that last seasons football was only about winning the league. Now, I think the Arteta handbrake will come off because the pressure is off. Off of him and off of his players and I think the latter is the most important. Pressure, nerves, stress – all can lead to tentative football being played. Perhaps that’s why safe football seems to come before progressive football. Playing yet another pass instead of shooting when the goal is gaping.
Maybe I’m being overly optimistic but it’s what I believe and only time will prove me right or wrong.
To end, Sky Sports report that Kepa is open to a new challenge at a different club where he’d be the first choice keeper. Ex Leeds 6’ 7” Illan Meslier could be his replacement should Kepa move. Meslier is a free agent.
The Bruno Guimaraes rumours rumble on.
Catch up in the comments.
Afternoon Devil.
Depends who we sign as to who we sell I guess. Wish the club would get a wriggle on, we need something new to talk about. 😜
Jm, why? Can we not find better for that kind of money?
New post up now.
I think it would have been important to sign Mateus Fernandes.
Based on the recent season and the WC performance I dont feel that €22M is enough for Trossard. Its wrong to sell him. Yes he is 30 but another season and a half will benefit both him and Arsenal. He is tactically sharp and pops up in the right place at the right time.
Martinelli, I would love to see him stay but he needs to change his style and not depend more on speed. Against low blocks his speed is inefficient. And as much as I love him to stay I believe that if a bid of 60-80M comes in that would be a good price.
Good afternoon Rico and all
Thanks for the post Rico….especially at this time of the year when there is a WC with no transfers atm. just rumours. In a couple of years time no one will remember how we won the EPL…..on the records there will be Arsenal as 25/26 EPL Champions. And if we win the EPL the coming season playing with the same style etc I feel that those same pundits etc will find it hard to come out because winning it once might enable them to spin it as a fluke, but winning it twice on the trot will leave them with eggs on their miserable faces.
Potter….Vlahovic from what I see. That’s quite an interesting one. I will go one better…compare him and how he fares with VG14.
Vlahovic is a good forward but not elite in the terms VG14 is. Gyokeres gives Arteta more tactical options all around while Vlahovic is more of a box player. Vlahovic does no attack spaces like VG does but that is understandable in Italy. Vlahovic is dangerous but he needs to be supplied well and he doesnt use his physique like Gyokeres does. the latter’s pace and strength helps him a lot much more than the other.
Vlahovic is more of a classical no 9 but as I said earlier he needs excellent service all the time. he is excellent at attacking crosses and cut backs but is less involved in build ups. Vlahovic doesnt attack the channels that much while Vik does. The latter can carry the ball 40-50 yards using his body strength but DV does not. With regards left foot and heading, DV is better than Vik. but overall I would prefer VG14 to lead my attack.
Afternoon Geoff, you and me both.
Afternoon Rico and all,
just wishing Santi Cazorla all the best on his retirement from professional football, I miss watching the little wizard apply his talents for us.
Morning Kev. I wonder if we’re likely to hear the result of the case against them. They might be given a transfer embargo
Morning Rico, yeah City are offering a bigger fee to Leicester it seems for Monga and as City don’t need to balance their books like everyone else it looks like he’s going there.
Move on to the next one then…
Vlahovic is like the Serbian Kalou, consistently linked to Arsenal regardless of any interest from the champions.
Seems we’re missing out on Monga as City have joined the chase and are offering more money.
Morning Cicero, all.
Kepa has informed Arsenal that he wishes to leave the club. I suppose that makes the Mesier rumour more believable.
Vlahovic has a lot of baggage, Potter.
Dusan Vlahovic is available on a free as his contract at Juventus has expired . What do you think Devil as youvwatch Italian Football .
Santi Cazorla has finally retired from playing. Perhaps now he’ll return to Arsenal and work with Mikel Arteta. 🤞
Might have been cooling..
At least he didn’t fall in… 😁
https://x.com/ArsenalRadar/status/2072583998866341957?s=20
🤣🤣
Honestly, I wouldn’t have been too upset had Congo knockout us out..
I’m looking forward to seeing who we sign Kev, then we might get an if change, regardless of how small, might be.
I don’t like the talk about Rice at right back, he shouldn’t be playing at all.
It worrying seeing pictures of an exhausted Declan Rice holding an ice pack to the back of his thigh, maybe and selfishly, it would be best for Arsenal if Mexico knock us out over the weekend.
I guess so Rico, even Man City had problems with the low block, it’s become the standard tactic when facing better technical teams as England have found out this World Cup
Surely though Kev, if we play our way but at a higher tempo, we can take the low block out of the game. We don’t though, we spend too much time faffing around at the back, playing sideways and backwards passes and the problems we then face are often of our own making. An early goal would force teams out imo.
Morning Cicero, all.
I read the Balogun challenge was nasty.
The Belgium game was incredible. What a comeback..
Balogun scores again and is then sent off for raking an opponent’s calf with his studs.
That’s true Rico, 22/23 Arsenal were fantastic going forward and were still great defensively as well and far more entertaining, but our opponents didn’t use the low block so often. Unfortunately the way Arsenal play is influenced by how our opponents play because it takes two to have a game.
Totts are spending big this summer. They’ve just agreed a £100m deal for Tonali..
That was painful…
Kane may have guaranteed Tuchel a new contract. 2 – 1.
Kane may have just saved Tuchel’s bacon. 1 – 1
No penalty imo.
Too easy in my view, should have stayed on his feet.
Penalty or did Kane go down to easy ? VAR in England would have taken half an hour
England have suddenly woken up…
One goal down and Bellingham in the book.
Well that twenty minutes went well, not.
whoops
Rice starts, Madueke instead of Saka.
I couldn’t resist sharing that one Stuart.
England will find Congo tough to beat I reckon, especially if they don’t play better than they have so far. The defence worries me..
A beautiful photo, Rico. Love it. Thanks for the post. Yep, we were the only team to beat The Foxes home and away that season, and, yes, Arsene likely would have won two more titles with a more pragmatic approach and perhaps some thicker shin pads for Aaron and Eduardo.
England should do the business this evening setting up a mouth watering match in the mountains of Mexico. A veritable fortress where the home side has only ever lost two games of the seventy they have played there.
Arsenal players still at World Cup.
Gabriel, Martinelli, Saliba, Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino, Raya, Eze, Rice, Saka, Madueke, Trossard.
Me neither Potter. I wouldn’t be at surprised if they do.
Morning from a little bit overcast Norfolk although it’s still shorts and tee shirt weather..
Bit by bit the squad start to get their time off , From a personal point of view I wouldn’t be gutted if four more joined them tonight
I look at the pattern of our game under Arteta Kev, 2/3 seasons ago we were scoring for fun and we weren’t playing as timidly as we did this past season. If Arteta can balance defence and attack and yes, that does mean 2/3 additions imo, there is no reason for us to not to improve.
I actually don’t like the way we play but my opinion is irrelevant in the whole scheme of things.
Thanks Cicero, you’d know him if you saw him. He was once considered to be a very good keeper. But then so was Kepa. 😂
Afternoon Kev, Cicero.
I’m not Kev but I anticipate improvement in the way we play. To be fair, we don’t have to speed the game up much to see that.
Rico, if I was you I wouldn’t really put too much hope at all on Arsenal suddenly morphing into a kind of a Holland circa 1974 anytime soon.
it all depends on the business we do, if we can’t secure the right players at the right prices then it’ll be grind, grind, grind with most of our existing squad, leaning into our main strengths, goalkeeper, defence, midfield. Personally I don’t really care and if it triggers the retards on Sky Sports and Talk Sport then I’ll drink to that…
I haven’t seen the foul on Gyokeres by Upamencano but given the lamentable performances by VAR and the officials in this World Cup nothing surprises me.
G’day Rico, Meslier? Never heard of him, still at six foot seven he will be handy at high balls into the box, just hope he can get down quick enough to low ones. 😉
Fine post by the way.