Morning all.
Today’s post is by AllezKev.
Being pipped to fourth place by the Middlesex Silversmiths several weeks ago was a hard pill to take. We’ve done it to them so many times before in the recent past and everything seemed to be falling into place once again, but sadly it wasn’t to be. All the same I still think the 2021/22 campaign was in general the season where most of us began to believe again. To believe in what the club is doing, that there really does seem to be a plan along with an end game which everyone is working towards and one which we can all buy into. Dare I say, a process.
Most Arsenal fans are generally optimistic, even if that optimism is tinged with cynicism which I guess stems from expecting a lot yet being been let down by the club so many times. Empty promises, poor managerial and staff decisions, and at times a seemingly leaderless and uninterested owner who in his early days as sole owner, allowed the wrong people into the club with disastrously expensive consequences.
The inexperience of our owners and their choices of the people to run the club has seen player recruitment appear almost shambolic at times and seen the club lumbered with expensive and valueless players who we’ve had to pay to leave. Who can forget that it wasn’t so long ago that a well known agent appeared to be running the show, appearing in the directors box and making our club look like a variety act. So it’s worth remembering where we’ve come from as we build towards the 2022/23 season and begin the journey again.
We all have our own personal perspective and feelings regarding the health of the squad that Arsene Wenger left behind when he departed the club and the culture in the dressing room he bequeathed to his successors. The immediate seasons following on from Wenger’s departure seems like another world and the business that the club has had to do every summer was brisk but never seemed enough. The job was huge, the malaise was deep and at times it seemed that we weren’t going forward despite the huge sums invested.
Unai Emery had a mixed, sometimes torrid time at Arsenal. Undermined by the dressing room, not fully supported by the Director of Football or the owners, he was frankly hung out to dry. I’m not 100% sure but I don’t think that Mislintat or Raul signed any of the players he really wanted, all the same he begun to try and change our approach to playing and in particular, playing out from the back. He was maybe too loyal to certain players and the club at that time wasn’t ruthless enough with the malcontents.
Strangely enough he had that unbeaten run early in his first season which had us all wondering, even if some results were by the seat of our pants. Cech gave us nightmares with the ball at his feet, the record shots on goal that we regularity conceded was high as at times when on transition, our midfield would be totally deserted whilst our back four was left completely exposed. Never a dull moment under Emery!
Somehow Unai got us to the final of the Europa, mainly on the back of Lacazette and Aubameyang playing some of their most effective football in an Arsenal shirt as a pair but they never replicated that form often enough in the EPL and in the final vs Chelsea, Eden Hazard ran the show and destroyed Arsenal whilst Mesut Ozil did one of his disappearing acts. Ozil then tried to blame Emery. The fact that Alex Iwobi came on and replaced him and we actually looked far more effective as a team seems to have been airbrushed by his acolytes on Twitter.
Raul left under a Nicholas Pepe cloud and Edu took the reins. He was inexperienced in the role and has made some mistakes, not least getting too publicly close to Kia but in general he’s done a good job. I mean just compare the squad we had when he took over to what we have now, that wasn’t just luck. I believe that the clubs annual wage bill has been reduced considerably which is quite an improvement.
Emery left, Arteta breezed in, Guendouzi left and acted like a petulant child whilst on loan in Marseilles. Willian came and went, Kolasinac left, Mustafi left too, as did Ospina, Iwobi, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Monreal, Cech, Luiz and who could forget Suarez.
Winning the FA Cup during lockdown was a miracle. I’m not sure how Arteta did it, a mixture of luck, our senior players finding some self respect and playing like it meant something and Aubameyang playing like a star. It sadly didn’t last with Auba…
But it brought Arteta time and allowed him to make changes behind the scenes. His coaching staff evolved as Freddie left, as did Mkhitarayan, Sokratis, Lichsteiner, Chambers, Willock, Macey, Emi Martinez and Ozil finally left for Fenerbahce – that’s ended well. Aubameyang lost his mojo and left, Lacazette too and Guendouzi finally stomped off complete with his dummy.
There’s still more to do and there always will be because football teams are constantly changing and evolving but I believe that we’re in safe hands, especially when I look at our squad and the type of players we’re now recruiting. Of course selling players has been a problem but it’s affecting everyone in the Premier League as both Chelsea and Man United have given a host of players away for free, but you won’t read that on NewsNow as it’s only Arsenal who do that…
Our business so far has been very encouraging this window, Fabio Vieira, Marquinos, Turner and who could forget Trusty (the process), William Saliba, despite the naysayers is returning, Nketiah is on a long contract, Balogun is on a long contract and there’s some real gems on the cusp waiting to move permanently from the Academy into the Senior squad. More to do of course but I can’t wait for the season to start, to see how 5 subs influences games, to see the hoped for, heaven sent, arrival of our new No.9 plus other impressive additions – bring it on…
See you in the comments.
Morning Kev, all.
Very good post Kev, I’m not sure any other club has achieved what Edu and Arteta have as far as changing a squad goes. You’re right too about Chelsea and Utd losing players for free, not much is said about that. Also, the likes of Rashford, Martial, van Beek etc and the way they’ve declined or simply not been played. If we had signed Lukaku, imagine the uproar….
Good morning Rico, Kev you’re a glass half full sort of guy and that’s a great post.
Looking at the names of the departed brings home the fact that we have signed some truly s**t players over the recent decade or so. Let’s hope that’s over now and we can move on with a relatively clean sheet.
The signing Jesus is expected to be announced shortly. £45 million plus £10 million in performance add-ons. God alone knows what his personal terms are but I reckon one day’s wages, at his rate, would keep me comfortably for a year.
It looks like the Frenkie De Jong to Man. U. is a done deal, so that means Barca can afford Raphinha without breaking the rules yet again.
I’m about to be deported to the summer house as my wife takes control over the tele to watch as the Brits follow each other out of SW19.
Morning Cicero. I hope you have a TV in the shed, don’t want to miss the cricket.
Sometimes it’s good to have a reality check in relation to Arsenal and Kev has given me that this morning. You’re right Cicero, over recent years, we really have signed a number of disaster players. Thank goodness we’re moving into better times. Or at least it seems we are.
Matt Turner confirmed.
Morning Rico and all
Well put Kev, Lets hope we keep improving and most importantly Kroenke and the board keep supporting Arteta, and then if all goes well I can eat my humble pie before it goes off.
As much as I don’t want to keep looking back I just wished Emery was given more time.
SHED? Rico, shed? Summer house, heated, double glazed, full wi-fi, and a tele but sadly I haven’t got Sky up there yet. 😉
Morning Geoff, I froze mine, just in case..
Same as my shed Cicero. 😂
Morning rico, nice reminder Kev of our recent history, very well summed up. And like you, looking forward to this new season, but have probably said that most years, and by November am often dismayed 😉 🙂
Morning Andrew, I know what you mean. 😂
Matt Turner six foot three and turned twenty-eight three days ago. At that age I guess “a long term contract” is three to four years at the most. He could be a good buy at around £3.5million. We should be able to recoup that and a decent bit more by selling Leno.
Cicero I’m surprised Leno has not already been sold
Thanks Rico, yes you’re right, compare the stick we’ve got for Nicholas Pepe and compare it with the criticism Chelsea have got for Kepa and Lukaku.
Yeah Cicero there’s enough crap going on around us in the world as it is so I simply won’t allow the arseholes in the media, the press or NewsNow to bring me down regarding Arsenal. I’ll always try and look for a positive spin because, well, its football mate it ain’t life or death is it…
As for Jesus, lets see how he fits into things before condemning him as Aubameyang Mk2, £45m is quite reasonable for a top striker and as for the extra £10m I hope we end up paying all of it because that’ll mean he’s done ok.
Raphinha is up in the air, for me it’s a nice thought because he’s good, but it’s dragged on awhile now and that makes you think he’s not as keen as we’d like him to be.
Two weeks of grunting and groaning from SW19, I’ll pass on that as well.
Thanks Geoff, yes Emery was a decent guy trying to change a culture at Arsenal that had set in under Wenger, it was too big a job for him but he started it off…
One of the best things the Kroenke’s did was bringing in Tim Lewis.
Thanks Andrew, try giving it until the mid-season World Cup break before you lose heart this time, who knows, you might enjoy it… 😉
Auba and Willian both let us down but I recon Jesus having worked with Arteta before could be a different kettle of fish so if he does sign I am looking forward to seeing how he goes.
I understood at the time why Arsenal signed Willian though, at least he wasn’t a money grabber and left after realising it wasn’t working.
Geoff the mistake we made with Aubameyang was the big shiny new contract (a la Ozil) up until and including the FACup win in 2020 he was absolute mustard, after it he was like sour milk.
I think that Barcelona are having second thoughts about him…
Willian just didn’t work, again we overpaid for a veteran, a policy we’ve hopefully learned from.
Like Rico I tried to see the positives in signing him but he was polish wasn’t he?
Did you see Chelsea have turfed Cech out Kev?
Yes, they’re having a right clear-out on the management side Rico – I wonder why, what have they found out?
Does make you wonder Kev..
Chelsea’s American owners won’t trust any of the Russian ex-employees of Abramovich.
I am seriously worried about the rumours and the effect that they may have on young Smith Rowe . The signing of Jesus is fine if he proves to be played centrally but if he goes out wide I can see Esr getting sidelined and if Raphina arrives he goes even further back.
Last season Saka was our top scorer , he featured in 43 games 40 as a starter and scored 12 times . ESR started 24 times and came on as a sub 12 times and scored one less . Saka scored a goal every 280 minutes ,Esr one goal every 198 minutes .
We need to protect and nurture Smith _ Rowe because I believe that in a couple of years he will be the better of the two .
Morning all.
New post up now.
ESR will be fine I think, we’re going to have so many more games this season and hopefully a much better FA Cup run than last season. I’m far from convinced we’re going to sign Raphinha though, especially if he only really wants a move to Barcelona.