Have you ever in good faith offered to help a friend out and then gradually regretted it?
Well that was me yesterday evening, because with Rico not feeling too well with a migraine I offered gallantly to step into the breach to help out only to wonder what I’d let myself in for.
Fresh from a Liverpool schooling our rag tag bunch of superstars were faced with a crucial game to save their faltering season against a team that had already humbled both Leicester City and Glasgow Rangers. Now let’s be honest, Leicester are currently a much better team than Arsenal and Rangers are on the cusp of becoming Scottish champions so we can’t really disrespect Slavia Praha. Added to that is the traditional tedium of much of European football and there you have it, the prospect of a dull opening 45 minutes in which both Slavia and Arsenal didn’t disappoint in that department.
It was pretty uninspiring stuff in general, even if we did have Rob Holding doing a Charles Charlie Charles as he overlapped Saka down the wing to actually put in probably the best cross of the first half. Needless to say the gormless Arsenal shirts in the box reacted as if they had lead boots on and the ball flashed harmlessly across the area to safety.
Saka should have scored after wastefully placing his shot wide and Holding had a header that the Slavia keeper, who looked like the man in the iron mask, easily tipped over the bar and with that the first half petered out with a whimper.
The second half wasn’t much better. The standard of play was bang average in general and that’s being kind, but Lacazette did well to press and create a golden opportunity as he robbed a Slavia defender just inside their half, but as he bore down on the Slavia goal I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t going to score. Lacazette didn’t fail me as he somehow hit the woodwork. It was that type of game.
Eventually Arteta shook off his inertia and made a change, taking off the dreadful Willian and bringing on Martinelli with 20 minutes remaining. Gabby added some much needed energy and the team seemed to get a second wind before Arteta made the big switch! On came Elneny for the disappointing Partey, Aubameyang for the equally disappointing Lacazette and Pepe for the strangely lacklustre Saka.
Arsenal immediately began to move the ball quicker, Aubameyang missed a great chance stabbing his shot wide and then came the goal. The ball was played up to Auba who held it and played in Pepe who deftly lifted the ball past the man with the iron mask and into the net. It was a finish of quality and not in keeping with what had gone before – or with what was to follow.
Arteta immediately took off Smith Rowe bringing on the hapless Ceballos, it was as if it was a message to close ranks and hold onto what we had and Arsenal went full defensive mode. But instead of shutting the game down our players became edgy and nervous and Slavia sensed blood and went for it. Arsenal’s negative tactics led to Soares and Gabriel making a pigs ear of clearing the ball which led to a high ball into the box. More comedic defending led to an equaliser for Slavia and frankly that’s exactly what this Arsenal team deserved.
Don’t talk to me about game management because Arsenal couldn’t manage anything at the moment.
By Kev.
Kev…..you said (with regards Holding crossing the ball…… Needless to say the gormless Arsenal shirts in the box reacted as if they had lead boots on and the ball flashed harmlessly across the area to safety.
No….it wasnt that they had lead boots on. They were simply rooted to the spot when they saw that it was actually Holding who gave that peach of a cross. They could not believe what they actually saw. That finally one of their own managed to do what Arteta wants…..a CB who can play on the wing and actually deliver a superb cross. 😂😂😂
They were undecided whether to 1) applaud Arteta for seeing something in Holding that they never saw 2) applaud Holding for delivering that peach of a cross 3) believe what they were seeing 😂😂😂
Me??? later on in the game I was actually amazed that Auba, of all people, managed to hold on to the ball and play as a holding CF for once instead of turning and going for goal, and pass to Pepe who scored.
But dont worry about the post. From what we saw during the game yesterday you did a very good job. Actually it was better reading your post……the game itself was far more boring.
Good morning everyone
It’s crazy that professional footballers can’t close out a game, or at least look reasonably comfortable when trying.
All football brains and talent flies out the window with some.
Morning all.
If we play like that again in Prague next week, Slavia can park the bus and hit us on counter attacks then win 1-1 on away goals. UNLESS he plays Martinelli and the young guns from the start 🤞🏻 We have to find more energy in attack and Willian doesn’t have it anymore
Morning all ,
Vented last night and not much happier today.
Devil you asked about left back last night If we discount going three at he back with Saka as the left wing back it has to be Cedric which shows the parsity of the squad unless Kev or Rick have a junior up their sleeves that can step in and become Ashley Cole overnight .
Martinelli just has to play , like ESR he brings a breath of fresh air everytime he gets on the pitch and as much as I appreciate the work Lacazette puts in I can’t help thinking that Martinelli would have just drawn the keeper and tucked it in.
However my main worry is the inability holding a lead even when we only have a short time to defend it. I can’t help thinking that one thing Arteta has taken from Wenger is subbing attackers for defensive minded players to achieve this . It didn’t work for Wenger and it doesn’t for Arteta .
With injury time called just get the ball and move it into the opponents half and pass them to death .You don’t drop back and invite people on to your goal.
Devil, the reckon this playing out from the back idea sorts the men out from the boys.
So many don’t want to take responsibility, so just take the easy option and get rid of the ball to a team mate who may or may not be in a better position to use it.
Useless passes that may look good on the stat sheet, but do absolutely nothing to help.
How often do we look NOT at the guy who made the error, but the player who passed the ball to caused the undue pressure?
It takes a confident and strong willed player to cope with this style, and plenty are getting found out which is good, they’re easily spotted and can be moved on.
Potter I agree that a lead is best held by doing what got that lead, but it’s also an individual thing as much as a collective one.
Plenty just can’t handle that pressure.
Scott the problem is that Arteta keeps being blamed for it. Yes it separates the men from boys and those who can handle the pressure of playing it well from the back.
However, in the short term, do you think (as Kev and now Potter pointed out) we should go to three at the back??? I know that in the long term such an idea is not good. But ffs we are talking about a cup here. Shouldnt we go on Kev/Potter’s suggestion (in order to compensate for the loss of KT03) for the Europa lge and experiment in the league??
Because right now we ar seeing an implosion of Unaiesqe proportions in the last few games of Unai’s first season when we lost the final.
atm Arteta can only be blamed for one thing…..that of not playing to his players’ strength. Would it have been better if he went with three at the back with Saka playing as LWB?
He cannot be blamed for what players do on the pitch….simply because 75% of the players in the squad are not his players. Of yesterday’s 11 starters only Gabriel, Soares Partey and Willian are his signings. And had KT been fit he would have played and Soares not.
he cannot be blamed if Auba decides not to turn up. He cannot be blamed if Pepe has a stinker. He cannot be blamed if the players play well and show they understand him during training and then act like total strangers on the field.
Potter I agree that he should have put Martinelli instead of Willian. He would have worked harder, made space for others and am sure he would have either scored or created one for someone else.
Devil, it depends.
Sacrificing the short term for the long term gain isn’t such a bad thing, except for fans.
Tinkering with the system may solve a problem today, but does it do anything to help us in 1-2-3 years time and really, that’s how long this could all take as it is one hell of a rebuild so I’m not so sure we should play around with the formation.
I’d like to see him focus more on the EL now and play the best players in it.
Reward those we want to keep.
Those that have let us down can rot on the bench.
Where is the pride in the shirt, I don’t see it apart from Tierney, I had such high hopes for Arteta,,but I feel he’s being let down by players who need a reality check.
Balogun looks like he’s staying.
Let’s hope the hype and circus surrounding his contract negotiations have been worth it.
Regardless of what happened yesterday, today’s news of the death of Prince Philip overshadows it all.
Afternoon all.
Very sad news about Prince Phillip. My heart goes out to the Queen.
I didn’t see much of the match, thank goodness.
Thanks Kev for the post, I can tell easily from what you’ve written how the game went. Typical Arsenal right now.
https://arseblog.news/2021/04/report-balogun-close-to-penning-new-arsenal-deal/
Really pleased to see that Kev, just hope it’s true. He’s a huge talent imo.
I am beginning to wonder if it’s the players letting down Arteta or Arteta letting down the players.
We seem to see a number of illogical selections with an over dependence on non performing players. We seem beset with a continual stream of personal problems and mood swings from players.
For instance what happened to AMN who was putting in good performances out of position and then suddenly cast in the wilderness . The on going Aubameyang situation , the disciplinary problems with him and Guendouzi . Is it that Arteta is still to learn first his best eleven and secondly how to treat the players not in it.
A part of me hopes Arteta is trying to prove a point about some of these players not being good enough but I think I’m perhaps clutching at straws.
We have imo, 4/5 players who really have to be gone this summer. Not because they’re no good but I’ve a feeling they’re bad apples. No evidence, just a hunch.
Rico…that hunch is correct. The players we have are all good players with good stats and have played at the top level. They dont win the FA Cup beating the likes of City, win against the dippers in the charity shield, take points from Man utd (4) chavs spuds with good performances if they are bad players.
No, you are highly right….4 or 5 players are bad apples. and there is something tying Arteta down that he has to play them now.
I guess summer will tell us many things.
Kev, even if Balogun signs a new contract, with Aubameyang, Willian and Lacazette in front of him for a first team start, he wont get a look in. Most likely he will be sent out on loan in a cynical attempt to boost his value in the transfer market and then sold.
After watching last night’s game it is obvious that none of the three “strikers” I mentioned above have the pace to operate in the counter-attacking style Arteta wants to pursue.
My personal preference would be to get rid of all three in the summer and promote the youngsters, that way we could become, once more, a top six club rather than languishing in mid table while the older players relax in their over-paid comfort zones.
cicero I dont agree with your Balogun statement. but with regards the last paragraph…selling all three in the summer to promote youngsters I am with you 100%
Incidentally if Auba, Laca, Willian are got rid off…Balogun will not be loaned but will play
For those who do not know, Slavia is controlled by those who have part of the control of the Totts. They play this weekend with their great rival, Sparta, whose equipment was based on a great club at the time, Arsenal …
Curiosities.
DG, “Incidentally if Auba, Laca, Willian are got rid off…Balogun will not be loaned but will play”
That in a nutshell is the whole point of my comment.
Cicero, could mean a few are on the move and Balogun now knows his chance is coming.
Hope springs eternal Rico. 😉
Indeed Cicero. 😆
I enjoyed that write up a lot more than the game,thanks Kev.
I still think Arsenal will make it through to the next round though.I can understand Cicero being cynical about Balogun(great news by the way) why no start for Martinelli ? And why is Willian always given endless chances ? I can see several Arsenal youngsters being sold this summer.
What does Arteta think he’s achieving by constantly screaming instructions.
I had to turn the sound off on the TV,what with the annoying scouse twat on there ! I followed the game on the Arseblog news liveblog – jeez a lot of those people are Arteta out.
RIP Prince Philip.
The result of next Thursday’s match may well signal the virtual end of our season. If we lose it will mean no European football for the foreseeable future.
If that is the case, we will have to cut our wage bill by a considerable amount. We will not be able to hang on to our best and brightest players if we are swamped by over paid un-achievers.
Our executive management team must decide whether to keep Arteta or not. If they believe another season or two will allow him time to reshape the squad, then they will have to bite the bullet and take the financial hit which will result from the sale or release of the likes of Aubameyang, Willian, Lacazette, Luiz, Leno and Bellerin, as well as sending Ceballos back to Real and probably Odegaard too, unless we can buy him for a reasonable price and he is willing to stay at a club without European football.
Whatever happens, and it will be painful, Arsenal fans must get used to the idea that we are not in the Top Four Trophy competition and that we are no longer, at least for the moment, a Big Six club.
That irks me too Limey, perhaps if he was a bit more chilled on the sidelines, the players might be calmer on the pitch. Still, once the fans return, Arteta will be drowned out thankfully.
Can’t do anything about the Scouser though. Lol
Spooky Cicero, I’m just writing something about that for tomorrow. Now you’ve ruined it. 😜
Sorry Rico, but as they say, great minds think alike. 😉
Harsh but true , many of us feared when Kroenke started sniffing around that we would go the way of his American franchises , in fact a friend of mine that used to go with me to Highbury in the 60’s that now lives outside Los Angeles told me that his only interest is grid iron and everything else is shopping malls and property he was adamant that Hill Wood was right and that he was not the right sort for our club.
Now Stan has to bite the bullet , we have dropped and his income from the U.K is in the real estate in central London as the football club’s money making is in recession.
When we got Willian I queried whether he was a short term fix that could be sold to recoup what we have laid out on him , I think that it is quite likely that it might be the case and Bellerin appears to want out and has a few suitors that might want him , Aubameyang has just had his retirement fund topped up and I think that he will hard to shift but probably needs to be . Luiz is out of contract I think , but there are rumours that we have offered an extension . So no money there.and nothing for Ceballos either or sadly Odegaard , which leaves Lacazette and although we possibly have Nketiah , Balogun and Martinelli if he goes , we are light in experience up front.
I for one am glad that it’s not my problem because the more I think about it the worse it gets.
Cheers Limey, yeah I’m on board with that, I think we’ll get through, probably a 2-2 draw.
Balogun is great news and yes I think that both Lacazette and Nketiah will be moved on in the summer.
How about part ex for Declan Rice?
Declan Rice would be fantastic !!
Xhaka Rice & Partey looks a strong midfield,I’m hopeful Partey will be better next season after a good pre season.
I’m afraid Declan Rice will be beyond our financial abilities and may have higher ambitions than playing fore a mid-table club.
Me too re Partey, he’ll hopefully have found his feet by then.
Evening Rico and the House.
On a rather sad day it is good to see you back Rico
you were realy missed.
Saying that I must say your standin was pretty good and his post today was the
normal house standard.
Rice is already a big fish in a pond that is likely to finish higher than ours. We may have the name but they will be in the competition and unless we win it we won’t .
He is likely to see us as a step down . We will need to lower our gaze and find players from lower clubs that really want to play for us .
I get what you all say about Declan Rice, although at the same time I think in a post-pandemic environment that his transfer fee wouldn’t be as prohibitive as before and if Arsenal offered Eddie Nketiah in part- exchange then the fee would be affordable, but it would need, in this new post-FFP, the Kronekes to lend the club some money. I know that that’s unlikely, but then so was the signing of Pepe and Partey until they actually signed…
The only fly in the ointment is Rat Face, who they have on loan from Man Utd and who Moyes might view as a more important signing and if Solskjaer askedfor Rice in part-ex then we’d be banjaxed.
Arsenal have for a long time been linked with the big midfield enforcer at Brighton and he isn’t coming cheap so if we can’t afford Rice then I can see us affording Mr Brighton either…
Thanks Rick, it looks as if Balogun is going to stay and if the club can retain Taylor Hart as well then we could be entering another era of Arsenal Yoot. Next season is going to be absolutely major for a lot of our quality young players, with funds thin on the ground, the prospect of half full stadiums for awhile yet and the self-sustaining model looking as useless as Neville Chamberlains piece of paper Arsenal will I suspect increasingly look to internal solutions as our owners in general refuse to invest in the team.
For example Rick, I wonder if Lopez will get a run out this season in the remaining Premier League games. There needs to be a plan, no more buying shiny new players and then wondering how we fit them into the team?
If the club can discover in Lopez an adequate understudy to Tierney then job done, the finance maybe earmarked for another left back can be used elsewhere.
Finding another enforcer in central midfield for me, is a priority, someone who Arteta can rotate with Xhaka and Partey and the level of performance doesn’t drop, so no Elneny isn’t that man but he’s a decent and relatively affordable squad man. Ceballos goes back to Spain with our good wishes and fond memories of his efforts in our FACup success and let’s forget this season.
The academy doesn’t seem able to develop the physical, dominant defensive mid anymore so we need to buy in. Attacking minds is different, we’ve got a whole clutch as differing stages of development but the next 3 or 4 years should be very productive starting with Azeez, then next off the rank is Cirjan, just behind him is Patino and at the back of the current rank is Henry Francis and not forgetting Matt Smith whose out on loan. We have Cottrell, more of a box to box type but whose promising and James Olayinka whose got some potential, yeah the Arsenal attacking midfield is well stocked.
Morning all.
Kev, I reckon I’d the club headed down the path of giving these kids every chance, most fans would accept a few average years.
We’ve had them anyway, so we might as well see it as part of a plan 🙂
Morning Rick, thanks.
Morning all.
I think we need a keeper too. #just saying.
New post up now
Kev, I know it’s making things fit but Chambers is an option in midfield. Perhaps now is the time to start moulding him. It might just work.
link?
Hmm, maybe, but I’m not really sure that the fans would accept a few average years Scott if I’m being honest, the support base has changed so much since social media gave us all a voice.
Look, Arteta has been with us what a year and a half, barely, he’s won the FACup and beaten Liverpool to lift the Charity Shield but it seems that half of support want him out already…
Our fan base is made up of a lot of different ‘wings’ so to speak.
There’s the Mesut Ozil fanboys who’ll never forgive Arteta for binning their hero, even though he’s been absolute rubbish since he joined Fenerbahce.
Then there’s the Be Careful What You Wish For brigade who still want Wenger to return, even though all our dysfunctional squad issues started with him.
Then there’s the Blame It All On Stan group who feel that all our issues originate from the top.
I have some sympathy with these fellas and gals.
I guess there’s some others out there, like the Percy Circus Group who just want a new manager, anyone will do, you know who you are… 😉
Then there’s the ‘Rico, We Need a Link Association’, who like me are stuck in limbo… 🙂
Anyone so unwilling to bend/change cannot be a successful leader- especially in the modern game. The mass of evidence looms quite obviously the job is beyond Arteta.
As well as courage and intelligence, true leadership requires a level of finesse and nuance. Wenger had these qualities but in his time the game changed in a combination of ways. Other clubs copied his methods. Still others spent to the moon.
Forget wage packets. These are grown men. Your average work place thrives on fairness and respect. Imagine showing up to work (a job you’ve known well your whole life) then being yelled at the whole time.
Like most I want Arteta to do well and he might do quite well managing kids. Top level talent requires more. They’ve all had years of head games and being barked at and now they’re over it. Give them the plan, take a seat, let them play.
Arteta refuses to see what we all see (Willian!?) Per would do better.
Either Arteta is blind and daft or Willian has some sort of ‘Appearance’ clause in his contract.. can be no other reason for playing him.
The micro managing from the sidelines is annoying to say the least Mortimer. I certainly wouldn’t like it.
You mention Wenger but when he arrived at Arsenal no one knew who he was and by their own admission, the players had no clue either and wondered what the heck they were in for. He was fortunate though as he had a well drilled and well respected back five who knew what they were doing. He needed to make tweaks, not build an entire new squad.
Plus we had Bergkamp back then and Wighty, two blokes who loved to play the game and respected the club.
I think it’s very different today.
Ten mins in and Chelsea are already 2-0 up at Crystal Palace.
What is this ‘Arsenal Way’ I hear about? I argue that it is being quick and creative – playing on the front foot when in posession, applying relentless pressure otherwise. Rapid skill at pace once made Arsenal attractive and envied.
Make no mistake we still have the players to do this. At the top level talent should be encouraged not made to second guess themselves. Pepe, for instance, is an incredible talent who has it in him to win the golden boot. Instead he is coached to be average.
Every day Pepe should be reminded that he is great and his competition average. Attack, be direct, skip past players, draw cards, be relentless. Even Partey when he arrived flashed such brilliance and strolled past the opposition with ease but has less and less. Why? He is coached to be bang average. They all are.
Bags of chances improving the odds of victory. This is the ‘Arsenal Way’. Arteta has a collection of high preformance machines but drives them like a grandma..
True Rico but Arsene appreciated character and didn’t seek to remove it. The players he bought in those days had an ‘edge’ and weren’t punished for a bit of shit housery. Arteta would’ve likely sent Viera to Hertha and sat Bergkamp in favour of one with more ‘experience’.
Arsene was fortunate to have Adams and that group but, besides a new regime of diet and fitness, he nurtured thier strengths. He didn’t need, or want to be, the biggest baddest dog in the room.
Can’t blame Arteta for Pepe’s poor form Mortimer, he was bang average under Emery too.
In his first few years years, yes re Wenger but what happened when we signed tough nuts like Kolasinac and Gabriel? He tried to reign them in and they lost their edge.
I don’t agree the players are being coached to be bang average, it’s the players who need to take some responsibility once they cross that white line.
The players Wenger bought in the early days, didn’t want to be the bad apples but he sure had a few post 2005.