Morning all.
PSG are the new European Champions after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0. Luis Enrique and his young French team were by all accounts, outstanding. I didn’t watch the final but I saw enough of their quality during the two semi-final matches against Arsenal to realise just how good PSG are.
The funny thing is though, as good as PSG have been this season, Arsenal created enough chances over the two legs to have beaten them. As did Aston Villa for that matter, especially in the second leg.
PSG play quick and free flowing football and that’s what I’m envious of because it’s just good to watch. Liverpool play in a similar way, possibly Chelsea too but Man City and Arsenal continue to play in the way they do which quite frankly, I find boring to watch. Obviously, City’s way has brought them success under Guardiola but in my opinion, much of that was because their way was not only something different but because they had the players who could find that inch perfect pass and finish yet now, I think they’ve been worked out and managers have found a way to disrupt their style of play. Just as I think managers have worked Arsenal out.
As fans, we tend to look at our own faults after a game we’ve lost or drawn but sometimes, one has to look at the opposition and what they’ve done too. When a keeper makes a save, do we credit him or blame the Arsenal player for not finding a gap between the posts? If one of our own players intercepts an opponent’s passage of play, it’s brilliant, yet when it happens to us, there’s usually someone to blame.
Arsenal drew too many games last season, we all know that, but did they all come about because Arsenal were just poor, or was it because opponents know how to stop us? A bit of both perhaps?
If Mike Arteta was watching the match last night, surely he would have seen how affective football played at a greater pace is more difficult for opponents to live with than a slow buildup before hoping for a perfect final pass and finish. Usually by the time the opposition has ten men back defending I hasten to add.
One doesn’t need to be a footballing genius to know that quick passes, pace and width is the best way to win football matches, or any team sport really. Even now I can close my eyes and see Patrick Vieira winning the ball in our defensive area, breaking away at speed before threading the ball to one of his teammates ahead of him.
Back then, I’m not sure Arsenal players were “allowed” to pass backwards. Lol
Obviously football has changed a lot since Vieira’s days, certainly in the Premier League but in certain European countries, the best teams still play in a similar fashion to how Arsenal did back in Arsene Wenger’s early days. Liverpool have just won the Premier League by playing in a similar way.
If Mikel Arteta is to win the Premier League or even the Champions League I think he has to change the way we play the game. Guardiola might have conquered English football quite early, but it took him six years to win the Champions League.
Catch up in the comments.
I think you are spot on. Football is going through another change. The days of sterile pass pass pass with everyone in their position is coming to an end. Fast fluid football is the future, with younger players able to put in the work. Much as I hate to say it Chelsea May have spotted this before us. Hope Arteta has worked it out.
I hope so too Kevin, we can’t continue with this constant negative style of football if we’re to win anything. It’s too easy to defend against.
Good for thought Rico, well done.
How long did it take for teams to figure out what was happening at our corners and to find a way to nullify our main source of goals? Similar with Saka’s tactic of cutting in and shooting from the corner of the box. Arteta”s use of Partey’s long throw was a washout as we had nobody to get on the end of it. When did we last have a back to goal, hold-up player capable of converting crosses into goals?
Haarland’s arrival at City changed the way Guardiola’s team’s played but ways have been found to deny the big bloke quite as much freedom as he had then.
The game is always changing, new tactics evolve and coaches have to be aware and able to adopt or adapt.
Is Arteta able, or willing, to radically change the way we play? The odd tweak won’t get us the silverware we all crave.
Thanks Cicero, it all starts with Raya, he’s too slow. The defence are too slow and the midfield, well, too slow and often negative. It’s no wonder the likes of Saka and Martinelli end up surrounded by 2/3 defenders and their pathway blocked.
Martinelli is a bit like Walcott, he needs the ball in front of him, let him run and shoot.
I think Arteta has it in him to change. How many times do we hear him talk about not being at the level needed or having the intensity required. Maybe he just needs someone to have a word in his ear about raising our game.
Morning Rico and Co. I saw the game yesterday and yes PSG were very impressive, their Georgian winger with the unspellable name was a target for Arsenal before the financial muscle of PSG blew us away, what a talent, so quick and so strong and he can finish. Martinelli is quick and strong but he can’t finish, he probably scores about one in very six chances, when he needs to be scoring one in three.
With a fit and full strength squad Arsenal beat PSG at the Emirates during the league stage, PSG looked really good then but they couldn’t finish, Arsenal could, at the time, I think it was 3-0?
I actually think that Arsenal’s style suits european football better as foreign teams don’t play the low block as we find in England. I reckon that foreign teams will set up against us more defensively next season. Oddly enough Inter we’re the most successful against us and only because we squandered our chances in the game, the only team that really gave us a difficult time was Atalanta, but we got lucky and Raya saved a penalty.
What impressed me was how fit all the PSG players looked, they had strength in depth and quality in depth, the difference to our bench in the last few months was stark. They had players the manager was happy and confident to use, we had a bench of academy players most of whom have been or will be released for a pittance. There seems, with a few notable exceptions, a dearth of quality coming through the Arsenal academy, the odd gem surrounded by a lot of dross.
Morning Kev. We beat a different psg team in the group stage though.
I’m not convinced a fully fit Arsenal squad would have beaten them in the semifinal though, thankfully, we’ll never know. Lol
The transfer window is open now, not that Liverpool needed it to to sign Frimpong. I hope Arsenal are getting their ducks in order early too.
Early in the season, at the kick off the ball was played back to Raya, who was halfway to the centre circle, he then hit it forward for Martinelli to run onto and keep running with the ball causing panic the the opposition’s defence. Since that ploy was quickly recognised and negated we reverted to the slow, plodding build-up which allows our opponents the leisure to trot back into their defensive positions ready to repulse our attacks.
Good morning everyone
Spot on Rico. We need direct football….transition of 6-9 seconds from our penalty area to theirs.
However, with regards whether or not we would have beaten them with a fully fit squad I beg to differ……PSG, were beaten on xG in just six games in all competitions this season, with three of them being against us. We played them 3 times and if we had finishers in our game and fully fit squad to chose from yesterday would have been us.
Plus one has to keep in mind that in both the semifinals of the CL Donnarumma carried them and we didnt take our chances…..he was even voted MOTM on both games.
We caused panic in France too for the first 15/20 minutes and PSG couldn’t cope but it’s like if that doesn’t work, we revert to type. As you said Cicero.
Morning Devil, you could apply the same rule to Real Madrid. We beat them which is all what matters but whatever this xG thing is, which I find bonkers, Real’s was I think, better than ours.
The only stats which matter in my opinion is goals scored and goals conceded, after all, might as well hit the corner flag than go inches wide. The end result is the same.
Yes you are right on that count Rico. The stats which count is who scores most.
XG is expected goals. And in all games we played only the one against Atalanta did we dip down on XG and chances created. In every other game we were always expected to score more goals and also created more chances than the other teams…Real included.
Afternoon Rico and all,
With the money and the players PSG have and had they should have won more major.
But what’s the point of it Devil? It’s just another useless statistic imo. A bit like possession really, it’s all irrelevant in the end.
Afternoon Geoff. I think PSG were the authors of their own problems. They went for big names, possibly trying to emulate Real but they’ve gone now and they’re better for it. Enrique helped too of course.
I have been saying season after season the team is to damn slow. See my match comments elsewhere and invariably I complain about the first halves in particular.
Trouble is I don’t think Arteta can change, if he could he would have by now surely.
His style /tactics are mind numbing, break through opportunities galore missed as we pass side and back. Martinelli must make 10 pointless runs across the opposition back line or into the space behind fb’s every game just to be ignored as the ball is recycled into a morass of statues.
Xg etc are just inventions of statisticians to give the talking heads something to gab about pre match, post match and forever after.
I would surmise that every elite club has a statistical department, another drain on the revenue, another reason to increase ticket prices. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sacked 450 employees at United all deemed to be surplus to requirements. How many could go the same way and for the same reason at our illustrious club?
XG is important Rico. It is a pointer to the amount expected of each team. I would be worried if I managed/coached a team whose expected goals would be 1 or less per game. Even stats as to where the game is mostly played that is why they have heat maps and touch maps.
At the end of the game, goals scored are better than everything but every coach/manager in his right senses looks at the stats. They are a good indicator.
Our problem is not chances created or XG but in Chance Conversion. Which this season went below 40%. If we converted a minimum of 60% of our XG not only would we have ended the season unbeaten (EPL) and repeated the invincibles, we may as well have won practically all games.
But as you say…..at the end of the game its goals scored which counts.
They are not just inventions Cicero. They are a needed tool to coaches.
But no, the statisticians at any club are not the drain on the revenue. They are just a fraction of less than an insignificant percentage on revenue. What needs to be done is management of money paid in salaries the majority of which are inflated and obscene to players who rarely justify such an outlay. A case in point was Ozil who refused to take a pay cut even though he wasn’t playing and whenever he played he didnt sweat a cent during some games and in others refused to turn up.
But until there are clubs who keep paying players obscene wages just to win trophies then people will get laid off. A case in point…..Luke Shaw at United got paid more than 8 million in 12 months and rarely if ever played. Is it his obscene wages or the statistics department which contributed to 450 being laid?
I think Arsenal did something similar when Edu first arrived Cicero.
Totally agree re the stats, just boring and irrelevant information
For us mere supporters yes they are boring and irrelevant Rico. We only look at one stat….Goals scored.
Not to me it’s not Devil, expected goals are totally irrelevant in my head. Goals scored matters, not those we missed. But the stats bore me to death as they can manipulated any which way one chooses.
You mention Luke Shaw but how much have Arsenal paid Tomiyasu, Partey for example for their seasons on the physios bed?
I’m sure Albert could tell Arteta how many times we ‘should’ have scored Devil, although I’d imagine Arteta can see that for himself.
Stats can be looked at in different ways,
On one hand it’s good to have a reocrd of each players performance,
but at the same time they don’t show if a player was played in the wrong position or did he shut his opponent down.
The other problem with stats is they don’t alway show the true story for example, a striker only has 3 touches in the whole game, and it makes it look like he done nothing, but it does not mention, that 90% of the match was played down the other end of the pitch or whether the managers game plan is working or did the manager use the interchange at the right time.
Exactly. On the flip side, look back at Kane with England. He can do nothing for 89 minutes and then pops up with a goal. His lauded for that by so many yet for much of the game, England have pretty much played with ten men..
Rico I mentioned Shaw simply because United were mentioned on laying off 450 employees. The same can be applied to our club over the years. AS you said…Tomiyasu etc.
I get that Devil but I suspect all clubs have a clear out over the years. Utd’s was probably made very public because it’s Utd..
Shaw had a salary of 8-9 million per year. And Ratcliffe said that by laying off those 450 employees United would save about 10 million from their wages. Treat that as you will. And Shaw wasnt injured during last year. he was simply on the bench but doesnt want to leave due to the wages he has.
Utd could have got rid of him, just as we had to with a few players. Certainly since Arteta arrived.
Talking of Utd, they’ve confirmed Cunha.
Where’s our first day signing? 😝
I seem to remember that Denilson had the best passing stats fot about 2 years . Hardly put a pass wrong although he hardly put one forward either
Gosh, there’s a blast from the past. The Brazilian who didn’t play like a Brazilian.
I agree with you all.
However the subject has shifted……from the importance of stats and the stats department in a financial self to the effects of stats analysis.
My initial argument was not on the interpretation of stats. It was on whether they are a drain on club finances or not.
We had a big clear out, including the sacking of our mascot until the fans complained.
yes we did but that was during pandemic. United’s was waaaaaay post pandemic. and it wasnt as a consequence of the pandemic. It was as a consequence to bad financial management.
We have signed Sterling’s son Thiago to play with the under 10. So those who were glad (me included) to see the back of Raheem will see Sterling’s name on the back of the shirt once again in about a few years Timi😅😅😅
Just the ten years minimum re Thiago, that’s if he’s not be released for free before then..
Brentford have just agreed a deal for Caoimhin Kelleher, £12 million…
We should have gone for Kelleher imo. He would have pressed Raya for the starting spot. At just 12 million that was a too good opportunity to miss
Exactly why I posted it Devil, £12 million for a goalkeeper of his quality is cheap imo.
Partey being linked to Barcelona
Ok, that’s Sunday out of the way, now the recruitment team and Coaching staff have had weeks and months to prepare for this window, a new Director of Football with his fancy reputation is in charge – so what is stopping us doing some early business?
Surely it’s not penny/ pinching?
Have we signed anyone yet?
Bit to early for us to sign anyone, try back closer to the closing dates and we might be on the move by then. 😁
Morning all.
New post up now.