Morning all.
One from Kev…
Were Liverpool really that good last season, were they really that all-conquering machine in the league?
Or were they, as I believe, just extremely lucky, particularly with their opening fixtures, very lucky that Man City suddenly came to a natural end of their domination cycle and really lucky with injuries? After all, their senior players stayed fit and seemed to hit the best form of their careers together and they were massively lucky that Arsenal suffered an injury nightmare into the bargain….
To me Liverpool didn’t look that all-conquering in the League Cup final when they faced Newcastle, a team that hadn’t won a serious trophy since 1969, Liverpool also flopped in Europe and in the FA Cup as well.
To me it was a perfect storm in the League in their favour with the added benefit of the PGMOL subconsciously showing them a lot of latitude whilst punishing Arsenal to the max.
But nothing lasts forever, you might think it will but it doesn’t as we well know at Arsenal. When we won the league in 2004 if any of us had been told by a trusted friend that ‘you’d better enjoy it Kev/Rico/Adam etc because you won’t win the league again for the next 21 years’ – you’d have listened to that in disbelief and then just laughed.
But here we are, in the wilderness for 21 years, when even those successive runners-up spots seem to taunt us as not being good enough or bottlers, etc.
But this season really seems different. Yes, I know the injuries seem the same old same old, but this squad is immense. No Eddie Nketiah’s, Cedric’s or Rob Holding’s artificially filling up the squad, all our players are elite.
We went to Anfield, the bete noir of Arsenal dreams, without Havertz, Saka, White, Jesus, Nordgaard with question marks over Odegaard and Trossard, lost Saliba and yet we dominated them, silenced the crowd and were a whisker away from scoring. They won with a once-in-a-lifetime free kick that you won’t see again from that player and we were unlucky on a few occasions not to get a penalty. A penalty? Of course not, it’s Anfield, don’t be silly.
Football has a habit of leading you on, like an attractive girl you’re really sweet on who then blows you out and goes out with your best friend, we all know it…
Well after Sunday and the signing of Isak it all feels like that, but it’s only three games and we don’t have to go to Anfield or Old Trafford again in the League, we took six points and deserved seven.
Our walking wounded will be back very soon and we’ll go again. Liverpool didn’t strengthen their defence or their midfield so let’s see how things transpire when Frimpong is joined in the physio room?
Catch up in the comments.
Morning all.
Thanks Kev, the stars certainly aligned for Slots lot last season. Well, apart from in Europe and the domestic cups as you say.
Could say your second spot in 2023/24 was lucky given the injury nightmares Liverpool had that season. Fact is when we won the league last season we had as many points as City had when they won it. Difference was no one including yourselves could keep up the pace – face it Arteta is no Klopp or even a Slot. He’s never got above 90 points & Klopp did it 4 times. On the game 2nd half we were the better side, could well have been a draw but we nicked it.
Morning Rico and all.
Rico in-regard to your question yesterday, site still taking long time to load and a couple of times it would not load.
Kev, Liverpool were pretty lucky in some of their wins last season.
Morning Geoff, thanks.
There’s a difference between winning the league and coming second. How many red cards did VvD get away with and dodgy penalty decisions given?
Geoff, Liverpool we’re lucky at Newcastle, it’s a running theme…
As I said last night I can’t see Liverpool not dropping points during the season and they still have to come to our place. It’s not time to throw our toys out of the pram just yet.
So far we haven’t clicked but it shouldn’t take too much tactical adjustment to start being more dangerous going forward.
We have to break the system of little one-two passes on the edge of the box looking for the opening for a tap in and use our assets to take on full backs and put defences under pressure and put in early crosses.
It is interesting to note that Saka uses his left foot when he cuts in from the right and Martinelli on the right looked more dangerous than he does checking back to use his right foot and come inside.
Switch the two over now and again and get Gyokeres some service , get other tall players to break into the box like Rice and Merino , Zubimendi and Odegaard can pull strings but they must be prepared to sometimes play one touch football and if that isn’t working Eze and Madueke can ring the changes .
Defensively we are sound , we shouldn’t ship too many goals but we do need to put opponents under pressure afterall against Liverpool Alisson had a deck chair and a box of cigars for most of the match.
Out of interest, do other club managers play left footed players on the opposite side and likewise on the right? Surely it’s more natural for a player to be on the same side of the pitch as his natural foot.
Madueke is much better on the right than the left.
FYI , Guardiola has managed in his career 1 win at Anfield, 3 draws and 6 defeats, bear that in mind next time the ‘dickheads in media’ are prattling on about Arteta not winning at Anfield.
Rico, I just hit the button and the site loaded instantly. Great improvement. 👒 off to you.
Kev, I don’t ever expect any favours from the Var muppets, I just recognise that they are institutionally incompetent.
Rico my previous comment appeared within a few seconds of hitting the button.
Good afternoon Rico and all
Good post Kev. You have managed to write in a nutshell (a good one at that) what reality is. The only thing I would add to that post is that of the proverbial two to three buses coming after you spend a lot of time waiting for one. So yes, I do believe that soon we will win some cups. We should live in the present then. Life has thought me that it can turn you upside down on your head any time. It has taught me that the unpredictable and unexpected can happen either way…..positive or negative.
21 years ago……as you said…..we would have laughed at anyone who said we would have to wait for all that time to win the league. Now imagine the reaction of the Mancs if someone would have said that Shitty would have dominated the EPL while Man utd would be fighting relegation and (fingers crossed) relegated (I know it would never happen but then who knows).
Just read this on a FB post……..A director of a rival club told Mail Sport that Arsenal are victims of having historically vastly overpaid for players & held on to others for too long.
He cited the then-club record £72m paid for Nicolas Pepe in 2019 & the £32m for Oleksandr Zinchenko as the two clear examples of paying way over the odds.
The same director added that Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Thomas Partey, Ainsley Maitland-Niles & Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all on a lengthy list of players he feels could have been sold much sooner at a far higher value.
I have long felt the above to be true. And I only blame the board. While the board back the manager in our case, it should be the board who should hire a DOF (Berta atm) who knows a good thing about football and has a clear plan in mind. Dont tell me we were bound by loans, etc etc. Why pay BP72 for Pepe when we could have found better and cheaper elsewhere?? We didnt need a 72M winger…..GG certainly never did. Do you remember when he came he went for TinTin Perry and Brian Marwood. Not exactly world superstar beaters but certainly two tough nuts who helped us win the league and steadied the ship.
I find it hard to believe that from here (I watch a lot of U21 and U19 games at international level and also club level) I know a lot about many players while professional clubs know less or twist the knowledge according to agenda. I still remember banging the drum (if Kev remembers…long before social media and news now took over) for Nasri, Benzema and Ben Arfa when they were 16 years old taking part in the Toulouse tournament. I texted immediately via SMS to Kev and told him that these were three very very good players.
Another world which doesnt exist anymore.
I wish I could take the credit Cicero but theres a very switched on gent behind the scenes who has worked his IT magic..
Re VAR, and all officials, I just expect consistency. Not a red card for one team but not another. It’s ridiculous how far apart officials can be with their subjective decision making.
Afternoon Devil.
We are not the only club to spend vast amounts of money on a player who doesn’t work out. Look at Utd and Chelsea for that matter who’ve wasted millions on players only to let them go. In certain cases, they’ve they paid for them again.
Re Pepe, story is that Emery wanted Zaha, Raul sealed a deal for Pepe. Same in midfield, Emery is said to have wanted N’Zonzi, Raul signed Torreira.
Personally, where I think we go wrong as far as sales go is we sell too late. At the moment it’s realised player x, y or z isn’t right, as soon as the next TW is open, sell him. Sell him when he’s playing, not after he’s been cast aside for six months.
How do we go about selling an unwanted player? Do we stick an ad in Football Weekly, Left back for sale, two right feet and bad attendance record at training sessions. Easy terms available, loans considered. Or do we hawk them around other clubs via the Old Boy network? Or is left to the players agent to do the legwork? I honestly don’t know.
Rico that is why I have the feeling (not only me…I think even others here as well) that the coming summer will see Saliba sold. That is why Mosquera and Hincapie. Unless Saliba signs by January then he will go for an amount between BP85-125. His sale will finance two-four players. With Berta at the helm (if he stays) I guess we will be going for Mosquera type/age level and especially those who have a year left on their contract.
Paul Scholes: “Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal around. He’s done a great job to get them to where they are now, but the question is, is he capable of taking them to the next level?
“We spoke about this with Gareth Southgate and England – he did brilliant taking them to finals, but we didn’t think he was capable of winning tournaments with England. Arsenal are not quite ready. It [Arsenal vs Liverpool] was a great chance to play your new players and make a statement.
“When I first saw the Arsenal team against Liverpool, I thought that it wasn’t going to be a team to go to Anfield and blow them away, they couldn’t create chances. They just signed Eberechi Eze, brilliant footballer, creative, Martin Ødegaard, the most creative player they’ve got.
“They bring in a centre-forward [Viktor Gyökeres] but then they don’t play Ødegaard. They had a bit of a negative mindset. I remember I had a go at Arsenal last year when they went to Manchester City and celebrated a draw, but I thought going to Anfield this year and getting a draw would have been a good result.
“Once Liverpool scored, it’s very hard to switch the mentality of going for a point then suddenly needing to create chances and going after them. They just couldn’t do it.”
I’ve no idea either how players are sold but if the article in the athletic a few weeks ago is correct, the buying club makes the first move. Our problem that not many clubs want to pay good money for ours. Honestly, in most cases of late, who can blame them. We keep hold of the best.
I suggested that yesterday re Saliba Devil, I hope I’m wrong, I really do but making moves like that is the only way the club will recoup big amounts for players. Mind you, the media would have a field day. Idiots.
Yes the idiots will have a field day. But for me that is good business. But buying Mosquera and Hincapie for a combined fee of 70M and selling Saliba for between 85-125M is smart.
Previously, when Saliba was injured, and in his place you had Upson (I loved his attitude, commitment and love for us so don’t get me wrong) I would have been trembling with fear. Seeing Mosquera play has dispelled all that fear. And he is still 21. So he can fill in. That means that in summer Arsenal will need to buy another CB (unless they promote Salmon) and still have enough money to strengthen other areas.
Upson Devil, you’re going back a bit too far. 😝
He means Holding , same meat different gravy . I was wondering if at home we could play 3 at the back with odegaard , Zubimendi , Rice and Eze across the middle, martinelli Gyokeres Saka up front with plenty to shore things up if its not working .
Oh dear……I meant Rob Holding. Not Upson. 😅😅😅
I realised, just pulling Devils leg..
I always think of our FA Cup win with him and Merts at the back. Merts hadn’t played all season before then.
There is more chance of Mr Dull Paul Scholes finding a personality than there is of him making an unbiased and informed critique of Arsenal.
Suffice to say, Paul Scholes would get an enormous you-know-what on if Arteta rocked up at Old Trafford as the new manager.
He’s was a prick as a player and he’s a prick as a pundit.
Interesting comments from that ‘secret director’ – I think that Berta has definitely got more value out of the players he’s signed this window, didn’t Sporting want €100m for Gyorkeres?
The Mail is reporting that Arsenal where open to offers of £60 million, at the start of the summer, for Gabriel Martinelli. But prospective buyers valued him at nearer £40 million.
At 24 he should be approaching his peak period, perhaps he will go next summer.
Morning Cicero, all.
New post up.
The Martinelli rumour is no surprise to me. He’s today’s marmite player among fans. I’d still love to see him being used through the middle..