Morning guys.
Speculation I know but ironic if true. AC Milan want to sign Mesut Ozil, or rather Paolo Maldini does but he’s got a fight on his hands trying to convince Ivan Gazidis to agree. Yes, the very man who was likely to have played a major role in awarding the German midfielder his hefty pay rise together with his new contract. Yet now, according to reports, he’s not worth bothering with. Like I said, oh the irony.
It’s sad though really because this story, or situation has all come about after the media picked up on the players absence from the team through injury or tactical decision. The same media who on another day would have lambasted Arsene Wenger for not doing tactics or for selecting a player who was out of form. I suspect that if Ozil wasn’t earning the extortionate wages he is, the media wouldn’t even bother running a story let alone something nearly every day of the week since Unai Emery said the German had been left out of the team for tactical reasons. Fickle lot eh.
No doubt tonight though, we’ll see Ozil back in the starting eleven. An attempt to convince that all is is well but I doubt it will put an end to all the speculation over his future. A future which is far from certain to be with Arsenal.
Tonight’s fixture is a big one for both ourselves and Chelsea. Win and we’re right back on their tails. Lose and the gap begins to look like it’s too big to close. Even if we do beat Chelsea, there’s still a lot do be done before we can even think about securing a top four spot. Both on and off the pitch.
We need a couple of players through the door. The kind who will have a similar impact to the one Arshavin had on the squad a few years ago. Players who will make a difference.
Those we do have for the game tonight need to grow a pair. Be up for this game, organised a lot better than they have been, a task which lies solely with Emery. He’s said he believes in the players he has which if true, then they really should be doing a lot better than they are.
With Chelsea, you know what you’re going to get. The trickery and occasional tumble from Hazard. A goalkeeper less assured than Courtois, Giroud probably leading their line as Morata’s days at the club seem to be over. No Fabregas though as he’s gone. But they have plenty of other dangerous players like Luiz, William, Pedro and both wingbacks who’ll get forward as much as they can. That is unless we ourselves come flying out of the blocks as we did against the Totts and Liverpool. Put Chelsea on the back foot from the beginning, stop them from playing their way. Take any chances we might create and then win the game.
Start slowly with backwards and sideways passing and we’ll hand them the momentum because once they get hold of the ball, they’ll be at us. If the manager and players have watched the match between Chelsea and Totts from a few weeks ago, they’ll know how to approach this game.
Emery like the pressing game we’ve heard so often yet we’ve barely seen it on show. When it’s there we’ve looked decent, when it’s not we’ve looked lethargic, slow and predictable. Boring.
Emery said he has the players. Prove it I say..
Hold onto your hats guys, it’s a bit breezy out there. Good job Stan Kroneke isn’t over here…..
It’s ok, Rico, Stan would keep hold of his money well enough that none would blow away 🙂
Morning all.
I was thinking more of his hairpiece Scott….
morning all!
Morning Rico. Good post. There now seems little doubt that mismanagement on and off the field contributed greatly to our apparently impoverished state. Which, when you think about it, has a certain irony after Arsene and Ivan hammered home the “responsibly run club and the self-sustaining” mantra for years and as an excuse for our inertia.
Unless the fans take action en-masse I can see all this crap running for years.
I know, Rico 🙂 🙂
Good morning folks, thanks for the post Rico.
I’ve always detested Jaime Carragher, both a player and as a pundit, but his piece in the Telegraph this morning puts the blame for our present slump squarely on the shoulders of the Wenger, the board and, of course, Ozil. I find that can agree with him on two of his choices but can a single player be instrumental in causing so much? Still, two out of three ain’t bad.
I still detest Carragher though. 😉
This morning’s conundrum….fit the word “trouble” into it’s correct place in my previous comment.
Cicero, the fact he left Stan our says it all.
Of course, he obviously had a ghost writer as that prick couldn’t possibly string a sentence together; let alone an entire article!!!
Morning Adam. Thanks.
I used to think Gazidis was the one to be trusted but boy how wrong I got that one. No wonder he was swiftly moved on when the changes were made.
Don’t know why but I still think things are happening but we’re just not seeing it yet..
Carragher is just one of many Sky Sports mouthpieces who don’t have a clue what’s going on at Arsenal imo Cicero. It’s just an opinion.
Hes a ghastly bloke who is a bit excitable at the moment because old dentastick has his team playing well.
I do blame Wenger though, Gazidis too… lol
Rico. From what I understand Ivan was a very decent bloke, but Wenger’s power within the club was unique. There was certainly plenty of friction between them toward the end.
I too think that there is a plan though whether the fan’s patience will be durable enough to see its fruition, I doubt.
Adam, he might have been a decent bloke but in the end, he was happy to take his money and conform.
As we’ve said before, there’s been a lot of people within the club doing a really bad job. Our hope has to be that this new lot do things better.
Adam, the fans patience with who or what exactly?
Stan Kroenke? Who will ignore any fan dissent and will be at Arsenal forever!
The board? For being supine and totally ineffective.
These management team? Who we hear little of and see little activity from.
The manager? Half a season into his contract, fifth in the league, progressing in the Europa League and still in the FA Cup.
The squad? Largely (still) Wenger’s legacy.
The football Cicero. If it doesn’t improve, the fans could turn. Results too and lack of investment. The tactics from Emery, the odd substitutions and team selection.
As I suggested a few days ago, the Arsenal faithful put up with a lot before staying away. They won’t be as patient this time imo.
Rico. I wasn’t defending him just saying what I have been told by those who know him and worked with him. Regardless of whose fault it all is, the fact is that we have been left with a very average team and no funds available to turn it round.
I didn’t think you were Adam. 😇
Afternoon Gooners
Afternoon Rico, I think the whole saga of how Arsenal has drifted in recent years is a combination of factors and cannot be blamed on one individual, personally I think that leadership comes from the top and if the owner is distracted (Inglewood) then it’s a recipe for what we now have.
Not only Gazides, but a lot of the senior staff and Board are complicit with allowing Wenger to run the show, whilst hiding behind him, now most of them are gone, but I find it strange that all the same Board members are in situ, a change in that dept wouldn’t go amiss imo.
Gazides was responsible for beginning the change that we’re still going through, so credit to him for that, aided and abetted by Josh Kroenke who seemingly sparked the beginning of the staff and medical clear out when he visited prior to Wenger leaving a year early.
Whether he did it for football/sports reasons or financial reasons can be debated until the cows come home, we’ll never really know? Suffice to say if it had been down to dithering Stan, I’d suspect that Arsene would still be in charge today.
Sven going is a shame as we all thought that he’d find us a shed load of unknown superstars, but in truth all we’ve had are mostly ex-Dortmund players. There must be other scouts out there who can do his job, it’s never been a problem for us in the past.
The focus will now switch to Raul, can his much vaunted contacts book find us some uncut diamonds? That should be enlightening…
Despite some recent doubts over Emery, we’ve gotta stick with him for now, considering that his first transfer window was done for him by somebody else and he hasn’t any money to spend in his second, it’s difficult to really blame him. Let’s see how he can maybe get some value out of our young players as it’s the youngsters he’s mainly had success with over the last 7 months.
https://shewore.com/2019/01/19/the-truth-mertesackers-absence-and-manchester-uniteds-ticket-allocation/
Afternoon Kev.
Agree on sticking with Emery for the time being although I can see the argument for change now too but if we’ve no money, that’s not going to change regardless who is manager. The question people rightly ask though is should the squad we have be doing better than it is?
I’ve no idea anymore and just like the Ozil situation, I’m getting bored with it..
Losing Holding has been so damaging Rico, Adam seethes every time I mention it to him, he despises Rashford – as do I…
But Rob was our one defender who was comfortable coming out of defence with the ball, into midfield, drawing opponents to him and creating space, none of our other centre backs can do that thus our build up now is slow and stunted.
It’s not the absence of Ozil that affects us as much as the absence of Holding imo.
Fingers crossed that Bellerin and Monreal are in the team for today and we play a flat back four, we’re going to need that extra body in midfield as that’s where Chelsea are strongest.
What’s the odds that Chelsea get a penalty?
Ditto re Rashford Kev and I bet he knew exactly what he was doing. Mourinho probably set that one up. He’s been a big miss that’s for sure.
I’m hoping Mavropanos might have the same influence should he be fit.
Would like to see Mavropanos on the bench, but he probably needs another run out in the U23’s, I hope we go with only one striker in this game, that at least allows Emery the option to change things from the bench.
Ramsey to start?
Or
Ozil to start?
Lacazette to start for me…
Leno, Bellerin, Sokratis, Koscielny, Kolasinac, Torreira, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Ramsey, Aubameyang, Lacazette. Ozil on the bench.
Odd decision starting Ramsey instead of Ozil, I don’t see Ozil as the cavalry.
Kolasinac and Aubameyang on the left, that looks a bit vulnerable, Ramsey on the right I’d guess, but you never know with Emery..?
Good to see Hector back, no Mustafi…
Has Ozil coming off of the bench ever worked?
Not sure it has but if he’s been putting in double shifts and been talking the talk let’s see if he’s as good as his words – if needed…
Ramsey works a bit harder than Ozil, that’s probably why. Odd though considering he’s going. Maybe both are…
Looking at our subs bench and I see absolutely no goals whatsoever…
What a strike!
That was better.. should be 4 up though..
Can’t fault anything about the first half. The defence looks much more organised as a four, we’ve three good midfielders and Ramsey has even put in a successful tackle. Aubameyang could have had a couple, Lacazette’s was absolute class.
More of the same in the second half please.
Great shoulder by Koscielny! 😉
Bellerin going off on a stretcher. Doesn’t look good at all.
Six minutes? Six minutes? Where did six minutes come from?
Clean sheet, three points. Job done!! 🔔🔔🔔
Excellent…
Excellent performance and result. I hope Hector’s injury doesn’t turn out to be as bad as it looked.
Brilliant Kos.
Excellent Rico, apart from the Bellerin injury which looked quite serious.
Yep Adam, the best I’ve seen him play for ages. He did look knackered by the end though.
Gutted for Bellerin, I really am.
Kos had his best game in years I reckon. Him and Sokratis weren’t conceding today. I thought everyone played their part.
Still. I suspect the media will say Chelsea were awful… lol
Koscielny and Sokratis where good but Chelsea weren’t playing with a striker of any description.
Seems the rumours that Kozzers career was dead were a little premature lol
Ffs, the guys been out for how long?
He ain’t a spring chicken which makes recovery time even slower yet he’s been written off, blamed for some goals that clearly weren’t his fault and he’s shown now he’s still more than capable, even if in a “bit part” capacity.
Superb footballer, and always has been.
Scott, look at the Chelsea side, no central striker, no physicality, no elbows and no long balls to try to cut out. Imagine If Diego Costa had been playing this evening. Things would have been very different.
We won ! A clean sheet.
The rest, tomorrow.
Cicero. Imagine if Bergkamp and Henry had been playing for us, or Vieira. We’d have battered them..
None are, they’ve gone just like Costa has. We can only play against who we do…
Cicero,
So should not the rules allow for scum like that?
I mean, defender breathed on a forward and it’s a penalty.
It’s all one way.
It’s just a joy to belt that mob so let’s sll celebrate 🙂
Morning you lot.
Is it fair to say Kozser and Sokratis brought the best out in each other???
Morning guys.
New post up now.