Morning all.
After Man City slumped to yet another defeat in the Manchester derby, Pep Guardiola said he wasn’t good enough:
This is a big club and when you lose eight [out of 11 games] something is wrong. You can say the schedule is tough or the injuries to players, but no. I’m the manager and I’m not good enough, simple as that. I have to find a way to talk to them, to train them in the way we need to play, to press the way we need to press.
How’s that for honesty. He’s right of course, a manager’s football career lives or dies by results. Gary O’Neill has been sacked this week because Wolves were not achieving the kind of results the clubs board believed he should and yesterday, relegation favourites Southampton sacked their manager Russell Martin after their 5-0 thrashing by Totts.
Not for one minute am I suggesting or expecting Guardiola to be sacked but it’s amazing how a group of players can go from being very good to average. Similar could be said about Arsenal really who at times last season were very good but this season have turned into a side which lacks a cutting edge or a killer instinct, especially up front.
As a club, we’ve focused on bolstering our defensive options but have neglected our attacking unit. We sold Nketiah, Biereth, Smith Rowe and let Vieira leave on loan and in return, we got Sterling on loan. Admittedly, Nwaneri has been promoted to the first team squad but we’re still short in quality. Havertz form has dropped, Trossard has been pretty underwhelming and both Sterling and Jesus, well, the less said the better really although what Sterling might bring to the team is unknown as he’s barely played.
Guardiola said it was up to him to make his team player better and the same could be said about Arteta but sometimes, it’s as much about the players as it is the manager. Roy Keane said Rashford needs a new challenge after the player was left out of Utd’s squad yesterday and perhaps that’s the case for a number of our own players. By that I mean changing a few things up on the pitch. Why not try Martinelli through the middle and Sterling or Jesus on the left? Or Saka on the left with Sterling/Jesus on the right, better still, Nwaneri on the right with Timber behind him. Just try something different to surprise the opposition because too many clubs know that if they can nullify Saka, half our attacking threat is gone.
I’m not suggesting it would work but at least it would be something different. No opposing right back will be expecting to face Saka and he’d have spent the week focusing on Martinelli who instead could be terrorising central defenders with his pace.
Thierry Henry was once a winger, although I’m not for one minute suggesting our Brazilian could be as good as him but a move to middle might just make Arsenal better.
Catch up in the comments..
Morning Rico and all.
Well it’s a warm night here in OZ at 8:30pm it’s 38 degrees, we got to 42 degrees in the shade.
Pep statement after the match may sound a bit strange, but my gut feeling is, he his trying to take the pressure of the players, but saying that I did read last week sometime that apparently he is starting to fall out with some of the senior players. I am just glad it’s them not us for once.
Good morning Rico.
I don’t agree! Tinkering around the edges, moving the players around a bit, is not the answer. Vlahovic might well be though, a proper number nine who could well be available next month. Martinelli’s pace is priceless on the wing but there’s little use for it in a crowded penalty box where physicality is vital.
A word on your jokey suggestion about Rashford the other day, he’s not a number nine and would add little or nothing to our squad. A couple years ago, the player he was then, would have been an asset but we have his equal or better in Havertz now.
It is still okay to disagree, isn’t it. 😉
I believe Martinelli will come good once again. I’d hate for us to lose him as a lot of suggestions have surfaced from a few sources especially to a rival. I do agree though that we are too predictable, evidenced in the usual two defenders on Saka and sometimes a third seemingly in reserve. I assume Arteta has watched Sterling in training and not seen enough to gamble with him in any of the forward positions, we also miss Ben White’s overlapping runs.
Peps right, the great Joe Mercer once said that a manager is only as good as his worse player. so Arteta if they are not good enough to play you should walk.
Morning Cicero, Geoff.
It most certainly is Cicero.
I was thinking short term re Martinelli, to try something different and be less predictable. Long term needs are very different imo.
Welcome Berg, we certainly miss White, especially when Timber has to fill in on the left. Not having Tomiyasu available is another problem.
I wouldn’t want to see Martinelli at a rival club either.
Welcome Nobby, good job our worst player is pretty good then… lol
The Martinelli situation is beginning to remind me of that of the Jon Sammels one in the early 70’s . He was a useful player that made some good contributions but became the target of the crowd and led by the then media hacks like Desmond Hacket ( the man they can’t gag ) who spent most of the games in the press box with a bottle of scotch .
At the moment it seems that the furore is being aimed at young Gabriel but is it really all his fault ?
Saka is the star boy but Martinelli is a different player , he is quick , he never stops running , he covers the weak side of our defence and he often makes his runs to the by line and runs out of room because there is not only nowhere else to go or there is no one to give it to.
Saka’s style is to dovetail with Odegaard , White and Rice and is our main line of attack . Our midfield always looks to the right, usually the service given to our left is more direct , long passes or with the ball played out of defence and the chase is on .At a rough estimate I would suggest that our attack is unbalanced 75 % down the right. This leaves Martinelli and Trossard of getting less chances but exposed to criticism when things do not work out. Ask yourselves how many times when our left is exposed Martinelli’s chasing back sorts the problem , his style of play is not suited to a slow build up towards a low block Dyche style . He needs room which means we have to give it to him earlier , that bit’s easy ,the moving targets in the box for him to aim at ? not so easy because we don’t have that type of player up front.
I like Martinelli a lot, he’s our only real speedster but it’s because of the lack of support on his side, certainly if compared to our right that I often wonder if he’d get more goals if played central. A quick ball over the top to him and wallop, goal.
At the back of my mind though the Walcott debate still exists. I just think that against clubs who just want to defend as Everton did on Saturday, try a different tactic instead of changing the players who come on and play in the same way.
Perhaps Lewis Skelly is the answer, if he plays more as a left wing back than a fullback/midfielder he could provide the kind of support to Martinelli that Saka gets from White. If the pair can forge a partnership on the basis that they work together in defence as well as attack we would be improving both positions.
Good afternoon Rico and all
A post which makes one think, if they want to think. But I enjoyed reading it.
The Pep debate. lol. haha. ho ho ho.
Seriously, the man who has steered City to 6 titles in the last 8 years, to a CL success and FA Cup and League cup is now thinking that he is not up to standard and not good enough?? yep, just overnight with the click of fingers and voila, he has become a weak coach who is not up to the job??SAF spent more than 20 years and rebuilt many teams. Le Prof spent more and besides winning titles (and losing some) built a stadium and kept Arsenal afloat. And dear Pepito, with a cash cow behind him, besides him, in front of him, underneath him and above him cant face a rebuilt?? Pull another one Pep.
I hope we dont get blamed for City’s freefall which is steadily gaining momentum, because Rodri got injured in our game. Or because Haaland was so pissed off that he told Arteta to stay humble while forgetting to look where he was putting his feet and stumbling down.
And why have some senior players fall out with Pep?? Because of his training methods which has bought them so much success that they got bored?? are the players so dimwitted that they fall out with a coach who has won so much with Barca, Bayern and now City??
City’s owner cant afford to sack such a man. He can only resign or walk away. Pep has earned a lifetime contract at City (whether its by hook or by crook remains to be seen) however if the players think they can get him the sack by playing badly reflects more on them then on him.
Nah I dont think those are enough reason.
The real reason lies much deeper. Only time will tell us. Maybe by February we will know much more.
With regards our options in attack I am on the fence atm. Because even if we changed our whole attack the opposition will still play low block. So if we have Havertz as our CF a team like Everton would have played as much as low block in the same way if we had Sesko or Gyokeres. If we had DB10, Pires and Saka (superior to Freddie) behind TH14 today’s defences would still have played low block. Remember when Spartak Moscow won at our ground 1-0 and we had something like 23 shots on target?? That game TR07 could have thrown the kitchen sink he simply could not score. They defended their penalty area and had only one shot on target with which they won the game.
Incidentally, Fulham and Everton only had 3 shots on target between them, we had around 30, Odegaard could have had a hat trick etc etc.
So yes in a way I agree we need a different option, but at the same time I don’t think this present batch of players need to be replaced.
Chelsea could be top of the Premier League on New Years Day!
Now who would have predicted that back in August?
Just goes to show what you can achieve by signing every footballer you can….
Kev, I did ask myself that same question two days ago. Was wondering how on earth Chelsea are up there.
https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2024/12/16/arsenal-u17s-win-flamengo-adidas-cup-as-frohock-bailey-joseph-and-hashi-score-in-final/
Good news at last!
Very interesting post.
As regards Pep I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks out(maybe at the end of the season) He might still get all or part of his contract paid,he is such a legend at City,although his Bank account is not exactly short of funds.
Ben White is a big miss,he’s been nearly always available for years,although we should be able to cover for 1 full back.
You’ve gotta give their Coach a lot of credit Dev, he went into a lunatic asylum and has sorted them out pretty well.
Chelsea have a big advantage of being able to have a separate league squad from Europe,effectively not in Europe at all.
True Cicero but it’s a lot to ask of an 18 year old with just a handful of appearances behind him. I’d imagine once White is back, he and Timber will be our fullbacks.
Thanks Limey.
Afternoon Devil.
I think it was Geoff who suggested that Pep is simply taking the pressure off his players and he could be right. That’s what good managers do.
Pep can deny injuries, just as Arteta has done but the reality is, they have a massive impact on the squad because they shrink rotation options and other players have to play too many minutes.
Agree re Chelsea and their two squads, it’s a huge advantage to them..
With regards the two squads that is what I talked about last season Rico. I had suggested that a club could have two squads, one for Europe and the cups and the other for the league. The majority all told me that its impossible to have such a number of players yet Chelsea are showing that it can be done. if that club goes all the way in the cups and in Europe the cup squad will have played around 26 games while the league squad would have played 38. Its not good if you are knocked out but imagine going all the way.
With regards injuries where city and pep are concerned, in the previous seasons City had to cope with such injuries as well. It did not shrink options and didnt seem to have massive impact for them when they won 4 EPL in a row. But now the injuries are having such impact. Why is that?? Didnt Pep have to cope with injuries during those four years?
I feel for Martinelli at the moment. Teams have realised that we have no central presence up front so they are happy to sit deep. This takes away Martinelli’s main strength of running into space off the shoulder. So much recently has seen him trying to beat a man with only about 15 yards to run into, and even if he does get half a yard there’s rarely anyone to pick out.
He does plenty of work covering the left back who is wandering all over the pitch but this doesn’t get seen by most.
Against this low block our entire game is nullified except for the set pieces. If they don’t work we are stuffed.
What we need to do is get another option available to us on the pitch. One that will give us a presence in the box but can also have the stamina and speed to close down and run into space.
No idea who that is, but that’s what we need.
Devil, it’d be very different I’m sure if Chelsea were playing Champions League football rather than Europa.
Rodri perhaps and not having KDB.. That’s like us not having Odegaard and Rice.
Hobert, good to see you back.
I doubt many will disagree about having a physical presence in the box..
Looks like we dodged a bullet not getting Mudryk..
Interesting to listen to all my usual podcasts and to a man (and Amy Lawrence) they say we’ve gotta go strong for the game tomorrow and that the League Cup is important, which of course I agree with.
The opportunity to get to a major final at Wembley and to win some serious silverware is beckoning and we’d be foolish to pass it up.
I recall watching our players celebrate at Wembley 18 months ago after beating Man City on penalties to win the Charity Shield, I don’t know what it meant to some fans but it meant a lot to our players, a kind of a reward for running City so close in 22/23.
Palace will go full-strength and as we have them again at the weekend there’s no benefit in resting anyone who doesn’t need it.
Arteta needs a trophy as the detractors are lining up behind him Et tu Brute style . The league is in the lap of the |Gods and we are certainly not in pole position and the reason that we are not is the same one that means our chances in the Champions league are minimal albeit from a financial position we need to go as far as we can .
This leaves the domestic cups and the third round draw with a rejuvenated Manyoo is not a slam dunk given . Therefore this game against Palace could become our most important game in the near future and we need to take it seriously.
It is important for the fans and the club needs to realise that and go full out for it.
It’s nice to bring money into the club, for any future expensive like stadium upgrade or players.
but in the end, I am guessing 95% of fans want to see trophies including my self, other wise it’s not worth me getting up at 3am to watch us play if there is no reward at the end of the season.
Good morning all.
Spoilt for choice tonight, Arsenal v Palace in the Carabao Cup or Arsenal Women v Bayern Munich in the Women’s Champions League. Both live on the box, both kick off about the same time. Great scheduling by the powers that be!
Morning Cicero, Geoff all.
I think we need to go out to win this competition. A trophy is a trophy and this group of players need to feel what it’s like to win something together imo.
New post up.