Morning all.
I love the internet but when it crashes on a Friday afternoon it’s frustrating, annoying even but at least the sun was shining so my vegetable patch welcomed a bit of TLC instead. It was strange though as the first time in a few weeks there was no football to fall back on later in the afternoon when a break from the heat was much needed which is something I’ve got quite used to these days and it’s nice to watch the games without really caring who wins, apart from England of course. Yes, even with the Totts players on show, I’ll always be behind my country when it comes to sport.
But it’s funny really because club football will always come before international football for me and I’m probably not alone and even though my passion for Arsenal dipped over the last few seasons, that wasn’t about the club, it was down to the football we were playing. Not the results even, but the boredom, boredom of watching the pretty much the same game each week with the only difference being the opposition. As last season unfolded though, I can say with hand on heart that I believed that it was coming to an end and it did. After much speculation, Unai Emery was confirmed and I’m certain I’m not alone in saying that for the first time in a long time, I’m looking forward to the new season.
We’re kind of in a similar situation as we were twenty two years ago although back then, it’s fair to say that not many of us had even heard of Arsene Wenger, let alone what kind of football he’d introduce to the Premier League but we’ve all heard the name Unai Emery. Some of us might have followed the Spanish League when he managed Valencia and Sevilla, others might have kept an eye on the French League as he led PSG so will know a bit more about his style of football. I’m not embarrassed to say that apart from knowing his name and nationality, I know little else so when the Arsenal email dropped into my inbox, I actually read it for once as it was about the Spaniard and what we can expect.
Michael Cox, tactical expert:
“We’re likely to see Arsenal approach big matches in a different manner next season, with Emery making surprise selection decisions to nullify opposition strengths and exploit weaknesses, and tactically disciplined “squad players” should have a crucial role to play.
Tim Hanlon, Spain-based freelance journalist:
“Sevilla wasn’t a team with big stars, but he got them playing really well together, with a good team ethos and a strong work ethic… always with an eye on attacking. Most of the players at the heart of his team were bargain signings like Grzegorz Krychowiak, Vicente Iborra and Carlos Bacca. They played an open game but also had a solid defence with players like Adil Rami, and a strong central midfield with the aforementioned Krychowiak and Iborra.
Jonathan Johnson, ESPN France and PSG correspondent:
“He will be very invested on the training ground. Meticulous to a fault, he absolutely lives and breathes the game and pores over team selections. Again, that’s why I think the set-up at Arsenal will really suit him as he won’t have power struggles – he’ll be able to concentrate on preparing the team for the next match. The change of scenery and pressure and the actual type of job he’ll be doing will really bring the best out of him. You saw glimpses in Paris, but not much due to the restrictions he faced.
Phrases like ‘meticulous to a fault’, ‘a good team ethos and a strong work ethic’, nullify the oppositions strengths and exploit weaknesses’ might seem like normality to some, but for us Arsenal fans, we’ve not seen such discipline for years, so if Emery brings those traits alone into the squad, it’ll be a great start. ‘Solid defence with a solid midfield’ was also mentioned, but he likes the attacking game too so I reckon we might be in for a bit of a treat.
Ok, it might not all come together during his first season and I doubt it will but at least we know what the man will be trying to do and as the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Arsene Wenger needed a season, Pep Guardiola did too and even though Unai Emery won’t have the kind of money his fellow Spaniard had in order to build his squad, he’s no stranger to winning things with players his club can afford.
Mind you, by the time the transfer window closes we might just be surprised by how much he does end up spending…
Good afternoon Rico, just a quick look in today, the sunshine is just too good to miss.
The more I read about Unai Emery, the more I’m looking forward to the new season. Words like discipline, applied to an Arsenal team, are like manna from heaven, or a beer straight from the fridge. Speaking of which, here’s to a lovely summer’s day…..cheers!
Afternoon guys,thanks Andrew.
Yes, a massive breath of fresh air and long overdue- I reckon the Emirates will be full on day one..
Good report rico. From a sunny algarve, although not as hot as at home! Everything you mentioned are reasons to be excited this summer, awaiting the new season. And then of course the World Cup prevents such a hiatus. We have waited so long for this, I don’t expect instant success, but fourth place this season will actually be a success.
The Emery aspect brings a breth of fresh air to the whole club .He talks about the team ,the stadium , the background and the fans as the four pillars on which he builds success. We know that of the first two there is little problem. The third providing that Gazidis keeps the board and Kroenke together should be ok but number 4 shows that he knows that Wenger had lost them. Therefor he knows that he has work to do to get them back. How he does it will be interesting because I am sure,if things start slowly the careful what you wish for Akb’s will be out in force and things will have gone full circle.
Are there many Wenger lovers left though?
Potter, that thought is so funny, AKB’s moaning away, and vast majority on here defending him and saying give the man time!
Imho, HH is the must go to site for all Arsenal fan, always a good read, whether you agree or disagree.
So far what I like about Emery is the players that we are linked with….. Good practical players who will integrate into the squad seamlessly. I am a Xhaka fan but I would love to see a midfield of Benega and Elneny. Lichtsteiner has shown in the WC that he still has game, Torreira is a player and hopefully Sokratis can regain his form. These are all underwhelming for those who want 100m signing but these are guys who win you trophies.
Thanks Obi.
Interesting comment made by one on the guys in the post about restrictions at PSG. Looking at Emerys teams prior to his time in France, it looks like he’s not really a £100 million kind of manager which as you say, he’s doing again now. Maybe at PSG he did want Neymar or Mbappe because for that kind of money you’d expect perfection..
From what I’ve seen of Lichtsteiner in the World Cup I believe he’s exactly what we’ve been missing. A right back who can, and does, defend well. He can also put in decent crosses, but most importantly he is a genuine Captain and leader on the pitch. He directs players and points out correct positions for them. With Merts retired and Koscielny out until Christmas Lichtsteiner is the standout candidate as Arsenal Captain.
Mbappe is having fun against the Argentina defence…
There’s something intrinsically horrible about Argentina.
Dirty lot!
Adam I agree, any team with Rojo and Otamedi is a horrible team….. very dirty players, and Mascherano can be dirty when he wants to. But even more interesting how about playing without a striker when you have Aguero and Higuain in the squad……
What a strike by Pavard
How much was Mpabbe when AW refused…..16m? That’s a good reason to fire the man… Actually, 25m for Kante n Mpabbe… smh.
Obi. We didn’t need him as we had Sanogo at the time.
That’s great Adam…… Sonogo.
I’m glad they’re out…
That was a tremendous match, goals, deflected goals and amazing goals. Plus some feisty tackles and some quite horrible ones. The outstanding player for me Mbappe. Just two things missing from the game, a pair of red cards for Mercado and the horrible, horrible Mascherano.
What do we think of Ever Banega, the Argentinean midfielder heavily tipped to join Arsenal next month? A good passer of the ball, able, and willing, to tackle. Looks to have a good engine and a fine reader of the game.
A worthwhile addition to the squad? Or could we do better?
He might get sent off a few times Cicero.. lol
Wasnt it Tsgh That used to write get Cavani.weve seen Torreria and Banega have to say not sure about either.
Can’t say either have overly impressed me either….
I take that back, great defending there from the little guy… lol
Potter, I think that was Michael Caine in Get Carter?
He’ll soon learn Rico. ?
Messi, Ronaldo and Aguero all depart on the same day. Will it be between Kane and Cavani for the Golden Boot?
I’d say they’ve both been pretty good myself.
Benega is a baller fellas, Argentina was poorly coached, not the least of it was the selection. Little guy can pass, good on dead balls and will defend, I will argue that he’s better than anyone we have now, he just need someone with pace next to him now at 30 y.o.
Rico, re. Golden Boot, all the cheap and scrappy goals Kane has been scoring, usually dries up after the group stage. What people have not notice in all of “let’s drink England’s koolaid” is that their service has been poor.
Gotta say that I’d be hugely pissed off, if after all the chat, that we didn’t sign Torrieira.
I also like Banega a lot, shame he’s 30, but he’s what we need now, a bit of steel and experience.
Sign those two, Ramsey, Nelson and Sokratis and I’ll be quite content.
Keep Perez and Welbeck if we can, move on Ospina & Campbell.
Too much gobbling off by the agent of Soyuncu, I think we might have cooled our interest because of all the agent inspired publicity. Shame, as he looked a player.
Good morning all, the first hint that Cech could be moving on has emerged, he has said that Napoli have “shown an interest” but he prefers to stay at Arsenal.
At thirty-six years old and only one year left on his contract staying at the Emirates looks like a cushy number.
Kev, isn’t the deal for him already done?
I like him, just hard to judge properly on one game.
Morning guys.
White Rabbits.
Morning Rico and all.
White rabbits?
I’m a bit slow this morning. 🙂
Morning Adam, 1st of the month, it’s supposed to be lucky apparently…
Never heard that one Rico. 🙂
Ha ha Adam, I’ve often posted it on here… ?
I’m quite glad to see the back of Argentina and Portugal as I’m fed up with Messi and Ronaldo dominating the pre match talk. Great players they are but it’s not all about them and I think Ronaldo is one of the most selfish footballers ever. Ghastly bloke imo.
Perhaps it’s a country thing?
I think that picture of Ronaldo with his shorts pulled up, doing his ‘free-kick’ stance while looking up up his magnificence on the big screen will be my enduring memory of him.
That picture sums Ronaldo up. It’s all about him and his body..
I remember that with Bartez, it was Henry I’m sure..
I remember Bartez doing the same with his shorts after it all went pearshaped for him after Henry showed him up.Or was it Freddie or Pires ?
Cech has said repeatedly that he wants to stay in London for his kids education.
Sell him to Fulham, West Ham or Palace then. Saying that though, it doesn’t help any keeper when the defending in front of him is as comical as ours has been for the last few years..
Morning all.
I wont say I`ve been influenced by this world cup, but I pull my shorts up and look at the reflection of my magnificence in my saucepan before filling it up with porridge oats and when my missus looks at me in disgust I roll over and feign injury and make a hand gesture for VAR to be used !
You’ve forgotten the imaginary ‘yellow card’ Lc.
Unlike Ronaldo who is rich enough to have a statue made for his narcissist self, I can only afford to use my topiary skills to trim my Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’ shrub into a shape of me holding a saucepan with shorts pulled up !…………………………..obviously I do this this shorts pulled up with secateurs in hands !……………………………….I`m also thinking of doing another one with me holding secateurs in hand as I`m a world class topiarist !
I’d leave that to Monty….
😀
The Dom has nothing on my secateur skills !…………………………you`ve heard of Eddie Scissor Hands, well welcome to Le Coq Secateur Fingers !
😆
Don Lc, Don.. ?
Along with Argentina, hopefully we’ve seen the last of that cheating tub of lard Maradona polluting our television screens.
He’ll be back Cicero, unless alcohol or drugs kill him first..
I really don’t understand the media’s fascination with him. From the so called hand of God incident to his drug addiction and alcohol abuse he is a repellent caricature of an evil individual. I suppose he is an example of how a talent and life can so easily be wasted. Young footballers, rolling in wealth and adulation, should take a long cold look at him and think carefully about their own lifestyle.
Homer decision ball to hand surely
That`s a penalty every day of the week!
Pique used all his professionalism there! Penalty for me.
Still very hot but we have a little cloud now, first time in a week or more. Do they herald then end of summer?
I think at halftime Putin promised the ref a holiday in Siberia if Spain won.
We’ve had two weeks of hot summery weather…..in the middle of summer, what a surprise! Now on an island surrounded by water we are running out of the stuff. Hose pipe bans are coming into force, we are being told not to wash cars and soon it will be “bath with a friend” to save water.
Despite all that the water companies will continue to charge us for what they can no longer supply. Great Britain in the twenty-first century. ?
Luckily I have my own supply of water pumped up from underground………………I call it…. La Taste from Le Coq…………………free to anyone in need !……………………bring a tanker around and I will refill the broads !
🙂
No need Le Coq, almost all the water in Norfolk comes from boreholes, the aquifers were amply replenished during the Winter and Spring. There may even be enough to send down to Cornwall so you can all have your annual bath, whether you need it or not. ?
Morning Rico and all. Yesterday’s games at the WC were dreadful I thought, especially Denmark and Croatia. Gary Neville seems to have taken leave of his senses to me. Hysterical.
Morning Adam and all.
Agreed, really disappointed with Spain. The second game was better though, for the first ten minutes.. lol
Sorry guys but if kos at Burnley was deemed not to have been deliberate how was pique ‘s
I suspect Spain will feel more aggrieved about the penalty they didn’t get in the dying minutes of the game…
Rico. Yes, Spain seem to have passed themselves into World Cup oblivion. A player as talented as Isco surely has to have a bit more end product to be effective and there seem to be a dearth of top strikers throughout the game to me. It must be Ozil’s fault.
I really like Isco Adam. For Real he is so much better than he’s been for Spain apart from in the opening game. They lack speed up front I think, and movement. As good as Costa is, or was, I really don’t think his style of football suits the way Spain try to play, especially when up against a Russian brick wall. Watching their game yesterday reminded me of so many matches Arsenal played against teams who only defend.
To agree that Isco is enormously talented – on the ball.
Costa is a bloke who needs a bit of service. Sling a few balls in and he’ll make chances and probably break a few noses while doing so, but it looked as if that was way too inelegant for a side of diminutive ball players. He looked frustrated to me. It is surprising that both Germany and Spain, huge countries with mega footballing institutions can’t come up with strikers other than Mario Gomez and the very weird Iago Aspas as alternatives.
Never has the difference between gross possession and winning been more clearly on display.
To say nothing of the enormous hype that flows from out TV screens.
Yep, it’s like having Giroud up front but not supplying crosses to him. It doesn’t work. Spain’s approach to the WC couldn’t have been helped by the sacking of their manager but common sense says Costa needs balls in the air.
Oh well, England’s chances have increased with Spain, Germany and Argentina going out. Or Columbia’s…. ?
New post up now…
Why wasn’t Dixon commentating though? I thought he was funny last week. Mind you, anyone rather than Glenda ‘Delhi Alley’ Hoddle I suppose.