Arsenal 2019-2020 - Because Thursday Games are the Best Way to Start the Weekend

He hasn't lost that yard of pace yet, but when it goes, it goes quick. I don't know if Arsenal have much choice because they can't replace him, but a new contract would be a big risk.
Their other choice is to let him play out the final year of his contract and see what happens then. With most players in most situations, that's generally a terrible idea...but PEA might be the one type of player who you might be better off keeping for one year, and neither saddling yourself with an albatross of a contract or losing out on having him for what is very, very likely going to be the best remaining year of his career. And that in turn may limit the amount of leverage PEA has in negotiating a contract - or a move elsewhere, particularly given that a) his preference has apparently been to move to Real Madrid or Barcelona, but b) neither of them seems likely to target him this summer. (Or at least that's what I heard James Horncastle or Raphael Honigstein suggest on the Totally Football podcast this morning.)

How much could Arsenal get if they sold Aubameyang? Would they be able to find a decent replacement for him with that sort of money? And would the difference between PEA and his potential replacement be the difference between a Top Four finish next season and not? It's quite a fascinating conundrum, really - and I don't think there's an obviously correct choice between selling him, extending him and letting the final year of his contract play out. I mean, I want him to stay, but I'm at least willing to entertain the possibility that Arsenal could do better without him.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Lots of noise today about Arsenal signing Willian on a free. No real consensus on specific terms, which obviously matters a lot. The most likely scenario seems to be a three year deal that roughly extends his current wage, which is anywhere between 120-150K per week depending on what source you look at.

The devil is in the contract details but I like the idea behind the move in general. Willian is just a really useful versatile player and was probably still one of Chelsea's best 4-5 players this year even at 31. Arsenal have much bigger needs, but we could definitely use a player with Willian's profile who can be a playmaker/facilitator and play across the wing/attacking midfield positions. Next season is going to be an absolute bear in terms of fixture congestion, coming after a summer in which players didn't get a traditional break. Especially if Auba goes or Laca goes and Auba plays centrally more often, our wide options will be Pepe, Saka, Martinelli when he comes back in January, Smith-Rowe, and Nelson. That group is a little thin, really really tilted toward very young players, and lacking anybody with Willian's all round game.

Best of all, while you may be creating a little bit of contract pain down the road, Willian on a free involves very little current year expenditure (6-7M), so this move would really improve our wing options while leaving the powder dry for the positions of much greater need like CM.
 

shaggydog2000

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Apr 5, 2007
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Lots of noise today about Arsenal signing Willian on a free. No real consensus on specific terms, which obviously matters a lot. The most likely scenario seems to be a three year deal that roughly extends his current wage, which is anywhere between 120-150K per week depending on what source you look at.

The devil is in the contract details but I like the idea behind the move in general. Willian is just a really useful versatile player and was probably still one of Chelsea's best 4-5 players this year even at 31. Arsenal have much bigger needs, but we could definitely use a player with Willian's profile who can be a playmaker/facilitator and play across the wing/attacking midfield positions. Next season is going to be an absolute bear in terms of fixture congestion, coming after a summer in which players didn't get a traditional break. Especially if Auba goes or Laca goes and Auba plays centrally more often, our wide options will be Pepe, Saka, Martinelli when he comes back in January, Smith-Rowe, and Nelson. That group is a little thin, really really tilted toward very young players, and lacking anybody with Willian's all round game.

Best of all, while you may be creating a little bit of contract pain down the road, Willian on a free involves very little current year expenditure (6-7M), so this move would really improve our wing options while leaving the powder dry for the positions of much greater need like CM.
He's not a bad signing. They can use more creativity out there and he can help with that and is flexible enough that Arteta can find ways to fit him in. It's a big problem if he's the only signing, but I have doubts that is the situation. Just because he is a quick easy signing and therefore happens first doesn't mean he was their first priority.
 

Zososoxfan

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The Cox article in the Athletic was a really good read and paints Arteta, AMN, Auba, and Tierney is a great light. All of that is fair and accurate--that was the plan for attack, it worked to a T, and it's an example of smart tactics matching your players' abilities, and their execution of it.

However, my read of the match was that Chelsea had a pretty significant upper hand until the first water break. Moreover, that dominance was due to Chelsea passing thru Arsenal's MF at will. I never really liked Kovacic's game, but he and Jorginho stood out in the first 20 mins for just absolutely bossing the MF and creating chance after chance.

After the break, Arsenal really shut that down and started imposing their will. So while I thought Cox got it very much right that Arsenal's plan and attacks down the left won the day, I also thought it didn't explain what Arsenal did to take some control back of the MF and center of the pitch. To that end, I thought Xhaka and Holding deserve a lot of credit too, and I don't think very much of Xhaka generally.
 

shaggydog2000

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The Cox article in the Athletic was a really good read and paints Arteta, AMN, Auba, and Tierney is a great light. All of that is fair and accurate--that was the plan for attack, it worked to a T, and it's an example of smart tactics matching your players' abilities, and their execution of it.

However, my read of the match was that Chelsea had a pretty significant upper hand until the first water break. Moreover, that dominance was due to Chelsea passing thru Arsenal's MF at will. I never really liked Kovacic's game, but he and Jorginho stood out in the first 20 mins for just absolutely bossing the MF and creating chance after chance.

After the break, Arsenal really shut that down and started imposing their will. So while I thought Cox got it very much right that Arsenal's plan and attacks down the left won the day, I also thought it didn't explain what Arsenal did to take some control back of the MF and center of the pitch. To that end, I thought Xhaka and Holding deserve a lot of credit too, and I don't think very much of Xhaka generally.
This Arseblog tactics column does a nice job of showing how some tactical changes Arsenal made took away the gap between midfield and defense that Chelsea took advantage of for the first goal:

https://arseblog.com/2020/08/tactics-column-artetas-flexible-arsenal-win-record-14th-fa-cup/
Basically because of his speed and ability to recover, Tierney was able to push up from central defense and pressure to close down the gap. Holding did as well, but had to leave more of a buffer because he's slower than the guys he was asked to cover.
 

Zososoxfan

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This Arseblog tactics column does a nice job of showing how some tactical changes Arsenal made took away the gap between midfield and defense that Chelsea took advantage of for the first goal:

https://arseblog.com/2020/08/tactics-column-artetas-flexible-arsenal-win-record-14th-fa-cup/
Basically because of his speed and ability to recover, Tierney was able to push up from central defense and pressure to close down the gap. Holding did as well, but had to leave more of a buffer because he's slower than the guys he was asked to cover.
That was an awesome read. Thanks for sharing.
 

fletcherpost

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This Arseblog tactics column does a nice job of showing how some tactical changes Arsenal made took away the gap between midfield and defense that Chelsea took advantage of for the first goal:

https://arseblog.com/2020/08/tactics-column-artetas-flexible-arsenal-win-record-14th-fa-cup/
Basically because of his speed and ability to recover, Tierney was able to push up from central defense and pressure to close down the gap. Holding did as well, but had to leave more of a buffer because he's slower than the guys he was asked to cover.
I read this last night, it's a great read.

There was a video doing the rounds of Arteta giving Tierney instructions at the first drinks break. Not long after the restart Arsenal get the penalty with a great ball over the top from Tierney right into the path of Auba who gets fouled in the box.

I think Arteta is the perfect manager to take Tierney to the next level. Arteta seems to like him a lot.
 

Tuff Ghost

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I think Arteta is the perfect manager to take Tierney to the next level. Arteta seems to like him a lot.
Arteta and Tierney definitely seem to be a perfect match. Arteta has repeatedly talked about the importance of fully committing and doing the "non-negotiables." Some players have risen when challenged (Ceballos, Maitland-Niles) and others have retreated (Guendouzi, Ozil). Tierney is definitely committed and seems like future-captain material.

Tierney also seems to appreciate Arteta:
“He knows what’s going to happen in a game, how it’s going to happen, and what you should do,” says Tierney. “He knows where you’re going to get pressed from and where your options should be. You should know where the left-mid’s going to be, the centre-mid, so you can play in sync — one brain.”
That quote is from an Athletic article I previously linked a little while back. While on the subject, it is probably worth sharing this story for anyone who missed it:
No story sums that up better than Tierney’s participation in the 2017 Scottish Cup final. Twenty-seven minutes into the game, Aberdeen forward Jayden Stockley caught him with a swinging arm, leaving Tierney bleeding from the mouth with a fractured jaw and a tooth Tierney described as “facing the wrong way”. By chance, Tierney’s dentist happened to be sat close to the dugout, and hurried down to pitchside, fighting his way past security to assist in treatment.

Back in the changing room, the dentist offered Tierney a short-term fix at his practice a short drive away. If all went to plan, he might make it back for any post-match celebrations. Tierney accepted, undergoing a procedure under anaesthetic before heading back to Hampden Park.

“We’re driving back to the game, we were at traffic lights, and I remember hearing the commentary for Tom Rogic scoring the winning goal,” Tierney recalled. “We were going mental, beeping the horn. I just jumped out the car in my kit, had my boots on, I just ran. Aberdeen fans were all shouting stuff at me as they were coming out, thousands of them.” Social media footage documents Tierney jogging around the stadium concourse as he tried to find his way back into the ground.

Eventually, Tierney got down to pitchside and looked up to see the final few players in line to lift the trophy. He sprinted up the steps, just in time for Moussa Dembele to hand him the cup. With a fat, bloodied lip, he thumped the badge on his Celtic shirt and held the prize aloft. It is the stuff folklore is made of.
https://theathletic.com/1918953/2020/07/10/kieran-tierney-arsenal-tesco-cult-hero/