Morning all.
No Premier League title for Arsenal this season according to ex player and fan favourite Freddie Ljungberg who was a guest on Sky Sports Monday night football.
I don’t think they actually are that much better (than last season. Because actually we’re talking about a team going from the third-best defence to the best at the moment, and could that make little difference make a difference? Of course. But we’re talking about a team going from almost the second-best attack to sixth, even one of the stats is 11. I think if Arsenal continue as they are, I don’t think that can win the league. Because I think so many games are going to the wire, and sometimes that kind of game can go against you. Everyone can see it with their eyes, it’s not the same fluidity, the same pace, energy, creating chances, you can see that. I don’t think it’s actually anything tactical. The reason they haven’t been as fluid is I think individually the attacking players have been average this season whereas they were on absolute fire last season in terms of Martinelli, Saka, Jesus. Odegaard for me last season was up there alongside Kevin De Bruyne.
It’s hard to disagree with Freddie really because our attacking players aren’t performing as well as they were last season, a result of which has seen us struggle to win games convincingly. Chances yes, taking them, no. Is it as simple as the team really are missing Granit Xhaka, or at least the style of footballer he was for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. If Kai Havertz was brought in to be his perfect replacement, it’s not worked, yet, but it’s not him who believes he can play the Xhaka role.
Leandro Trossard if he can replace Granit Xhaka’s midfield position:
Yes I think so. It’s a position I can handle as well. I’ve played there with the Belgian national team. If I can get a run it’s different but I need to be switched on because it can change every week. It’s based on the game plan. Not every team plays the same system and the manager thinks a lot about those things so it’s up to me to keep going and pushing to have game time.
What’s remarkable though, and credit where it’s due here, the team have secured the points to stay right up there with Man City. Liverpool too this time around. Last season we started really well but faded after the turn of the year so if its roles reversed this time, the best of Arsenal might just be to come. A bit like City last season.
Tonight we take on FC Lens. Fabio Vieira is ruled out through injury, one which is likely to keep him out until after the winter break but for Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe, a return could come sooner according to Mikel Arteta. Ben White and Martin Odegaard are fighting fit and healthy.
A win tonight would not only secure a place in the knockout stages of this competition but we’d go through as group up winners too.
We have to win at home, and we have to win the group if we can tomorrow. That’s the mentality of the team, that’s for sure. – Mikel Arteta.
We’ve already played Lens away from home and were beaten. Gabriel Jesus scored an early goal but Lens equalised after a mistake made by David Raya. They went ahead with around 20 minutes to go but Arsenal had many chances to score throughout the 90 odd minutes. 11 to be precise, 6 of which were on target. I think that’s the kind of point Freddie was making as we could and probably should have won that game comfortably and had we, we’d have secured our place in the next round already. But we didn’t and we’re not.
Going through to the next round and finishing top of the group is in our hands though so that’s a positive. Hopefully Mikel Arteta’s team will get the job done tonight which would then allow him to rest and rotate players a lot more in our final fixture against PSV in Holland in two weeks time.
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico
Nothing to moan about as far as I see it. Freddie was a great player…
Granit Xhaka is yesterday’s news. He stank the place out for 6 years before a stand-out season last year. Swallows and summer…
Thick socks tonight for sub zero temperatures in North London. Lots of tickets available on the exchange for some reason.
Morning Pete, I’m not fussed about Xhaka but the gap his last season or two left us, hasn’t quite been filled. I assumed Havertz would be the player but nope, it’s Trossard by the sounds of it. A player I absolutely love..
Good morning Rico, Pete.
Whoever plays tonight will be wearing gloves and one or two may even be wearing tights, it’s certainly going to be cold.
Anyone remember the first player to wear tights, I’m pretty sure he was a Leicester player and it may have been pre-premiership.
Warm and snug for me this evening, on the sofa beside the flame effect fire with the central heating as back-up.
Morning Cicero, at leas with it being cold the players might run around a bit. Lol
Ticket exchange ? mine went on because of the near 300 mile round trip on Icy roads however they sold in 12 minutes. What’s more it’s my son’s wife’s birthday and he does the driving and have you seen the price of a train from Norfolk to London ?
Xhaka like many old players is water under the bridge , he took a long time to become useful whether Havertz will get the same time remains to be seen.
There is a lot of talk about Ollie Watkins but I don’t see a lot of difference between him and Trossard and we already have Trossard .
Freddie is not saying anything that is different to the comments made on many supporters sites.
The media will try to tell you that they are needed to explain what is happening on the pitch. Of course fans that go to matches and watch on T.V have been watching for years and in many cases have played at varying levels . They can see that Saka and Martinelli are not getting the room that they had last year. They can see that Odegaard is not as effective as he was , and they can see that defences set up differently against us and that we are forced to pass inside 20 yards out, more than last year when we overlapped about 6 to 10 yards out and effectively we are playing in front of defences as opposed to getting behind them and bringing the ball back.
The defences have progressed where our attack has not. We are still better than most teams but because of the now accepted way of playing against us we do need an alternative .
Can Trossard be that player ? I truly hope so.
Do you mean our key players are being targeted Potter? My hunch is yes because imo, they are. It’s the only way to stop them.
Saka and Martinelli are two of the best wingers in the Premiership, but without a fox in the box there is little end product coming from them. Probably the only time Saka beat the Brentford defence, by going outside it, the perfectly timed pass reached the waiting Havertz. His more usual tactic, well known by every left sided defender in the league, is to turn inside and attempt a shot to the far top corner. Too predictable!
Martinelli, on the other hand, does frequently beat his defender using his pace to get round behind him and either shooting at an acute angle to beat the ‘keeper at his near post or hitting a pass into the area in front of the goal in the hope that someone will be there to get on the end of it. Again, too predictable!
Jesus, Trossard, Nketiah, Havertz and Odegaard, whoever is playing need to be much more ready to get into that space where Martinelli’s pass is directed.
That’s why defences are so organised against us . We need someone that drags them around with movement and draws them out . At most times we are too static .
We here keep suggesting that but why is it that Arteta doesn’t see it, or if he does, doesn’t do anything about it? Unless he’s hopeful that Havertz will be that player. He’s certainly capable if a turn of fortune would happen for him.
Raya, Tomiyasu Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Odegaard, Havertz, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Raya back in then, no surprise really..
So pleased for Havertz. As said earlier, could he be our target man up front? 😂
Lovely finish from Jesus…
If Saka comes through this without injury, I’ll be amazed…
It just gets better..
3-0 Saka
4-0 Martinelli. A truly outstanding goal
Fantastic first half. 5-0 is well deserved.
not a bad start . do we make changes to protect players for wolves
Excellent night…
Six goals, a clean sheet, three points, group winners. J.A.D.A.T.O. 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔
Just checked scores, what a great win with a clean sheet to boot, this will help to build the confidence. I thought it would be a bit closer but it sounds like we were switched on.
Switched on Geoff? We were electrifying in the first half. Second half controlled and containing and a threat right to the end when Martinelli’s persistence won us a penalty to wrap it up 6 – 0. With six different scorers.
New post up