Started watching All or Nothing last night - rewatching the begining of last season was painful. The clip of ESR as a 15yr old juggling the ball was insane.
That all sounds about right. I think teams are still kind of learning/adjusting how to play against Arsenal and over time we're probably going to see more and more deep blocks that are difficult to unlock. Odegaard has had a pretty quiet start to the season and he'll need to up his game. Fabio Vieira could also be a big part of the equation eventually. Especially against weaker opponents that sit very deep, we could see him end up starting a lot of matches in Xhaka's spot eventually. Everybody looks good in youtube highlights but he is a player whose quality really jumps off the screen and in Portugal at least it translated to some very impressive g/a numbers for a player his age. If he can adapt to the PL (he is very small and slight), it will be a big boost. I like Eddie Nketiah a lot as a backup striker but we may eventually learn that we need to find a more physical option for these scenarios, just like City and Liverpool have seemingly decided.I think what you’ll have to watch out for in that run is the difficulty of unlocking packed back lines. You’re playing true Pep ball at this point and whenever City get these runs I’m always prepared for a match or two where we are just a little too wasteful and all the possession leads to a bunch of interesting half chances but no goals. Sometimes it takes some real quality to rescue points in those matches and that’s where Arsenal may be just a bit short.
To me, you should be more active in the midfield, I think you’re short by maybe 2 bodies there for a true title push. I know a lot was spent this summer but it feels to me like the depth and less creative nature of your 8s is going to really wear on the results over 38 matchweeks
I was firmly in the Wenger out camp.. he stayed a year or two (at least) too long and made moves at the end that kept the team from moving on/ were short sighted. Movethat were intended to help win that year but not for years to come. His refusal or inability to bring in a center mid and defenders.. staying with players that got injured every year etc.So...I'm only going to say this once, and it's not a point worth belaboring in any event. But when you think back to the "Wenger Out!" period of the club, this is the sort of optimism and youthful vitality around Arsenal that everyone had hoped and believed might eventually come after the great man's departure. I don't think many people expected an immediate transition to success the minute Wenger left. But there were basically two camps at the time: there were the "Be careful what you wish for!" people who reckoned late-period Wenger was still a safer pair of hands than anyone likely to follow him, and there were those who didn't see a future under Wenger and were willing to risk an unsettled period of further backsliding in the hope that the club's long-term ceiling would eventually be higher under new management. Well, it's taken much longer than most Gooners had hoped - Emery just didn't work out, front-office intrigue took ages to settle down, and Arteta himself was seriously at risk of being sacked at various points - but here we are. It feels like we're at the dawn of a new Arsenal. And I mean, they may lose to Fulham next week, or all of these wins against relative minnows (although the result at Palace is looking better and better every week) may show this to be a false dawn. But man, this is the most excited I've been about this club in a long time.
The youth is a huge thing. I started following Arsenal in 2007 when I graduated college and for the first time controlled my own cable package and could subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel. Since then we've almost never had a young team with promising prospects. There's been a few individuals along the way (Jack Wilshire anyone?) that mostly haven't panned out and a major reliance on buying outside talent that was generally later 20s, more expensive and already closer to their prime.I was firmly in the Wenger out camp.. he stayed a year or two (at least) too long and made moves at the end that kept the team from moving on/ were short sighted. Movethat were intended to help win that year but not for years to come. His refusal or inability to bring in a center mid and defenders.. staying with players that got injured every year etc.
The club seemed ahead of development last year.. but injuries kept them from top four. The same could happen this year.. the team is still thin. Arteta’s reliance on Xhaka is working out but feels misplaced given his history..
BUT they’re playing very positive football… they’re putting teams under a lot of pressure and keeping possession.. and the passing up front is great.. Gabriel has been the forward they needed in Arteta’s system.. with the ability to hold up and win the ball but also creative and fast enough to go 1v1 and create havoc on his own. The core is also very young… we could see them playing together for five or so years together..
The last time Arsenal played the same starting eleven in the first three games they had a pretty good year…
Much of that was due to Wenger.. he didn’t have time left to develop players.. he had to win… so you get players that are older and more expensive to try and win now.. at the expense of not playing your young players and letting them grow.The youth is a huge thing. I started following Arsenal in 2007 when I graduated college and for the first time controlled my own cable package and could subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel. Since then we've almost never had a young team with promising prospects. There's been a few individuals along the way (Jack Wilshire anyone?) that mostly haven't panned out and a major reliance on buying outside talent that was generally later 20s, more expensive and already closer to their prime.
Right now you've got Ramsdale (24), Ben White (24), Gabriel Magalhaes (24), Saliba (21), Tierney (25), Zinchenko (25), Tomiyasu (23), Lokonga (22), Saka (20), Odegaard (23), ESR (22), Martinelli (21), Jesus (25), Nketiah (23) as players that should all be getting better purely as a result of getting older and more experience.
Even their older players are still under 30 (Xhaka and Partey). I'm not crossing my fingers and praying that this isn't the year that Aubameyang or Lacazette (or Koscielny or Montreal) doesn't fall off a cliff physically. By the way, color me shocked that Bellerin is only 27. Such a shame how much his knee injuries have sapped him. I would have sworn he would at least be turning 30 on his next birthday.
I think there was also such a big financial incentive to either stay in or get back into the champions league that it made short term decisions look better. Arteta committed to a rebuild, probably because he had little other choice, and it took a bit to fully make sense, but now that he has mostly the right players in the right positions (I don't think Xhaka is Arteta's ideal choice for his role, but he's there and he's worked fine so far) the team is showing what Arteta's plan has been all along. And when it clicks it is gorgeous. The first few years were about building a base of players that fit, and if it wasn't for injuries to an overly thin squad, I think they would have made it back into the champions league. This year they really have put in the finishing touches for the first team, and started to shore up the bench. The flexibility of who he has brought in helps with the depth. Ben White at RB and Zinchenko being able to cover LB or the left midfield slot are good examples. They do have to continue to fill out the bench with quality players instead of semi-retirees and never going to happen sort of guys, but it's not nearly as thin as last year. And I think he'll look to replace Xhaka with someone closer to an Odegaard type, someone who can press and is defensively responsible, but a more creative player or better finisher. There is no real replacement for Partey, but that is going to be hard to find so I think they have to just get better and if something happens you cover for it in aggregate.Much of that was due to Wenger.. he didn’t have time left to develop players.. he had to win… so you get players that are older and more expensive to try and win now.. at the expense of not playing your young players and letting them grow.
God, I hope so. He would really be the perfect "third winger" on this team, capable of rotating with either Martinelli or Saka and allowing us to do so without changing much in terms of our style of play. Before his injury he was as bright a winger prospect as anybody in the game.Can Arsenal pull Neto away from Wolverhampton? If so, how much will it cost them?
Dude has a worrying injury history, but he was pretty fantastic two seasons ago.
Yeah, the definite concern for this team and going forward is the defensive mids are Xhaka (30 in September), Partey (29, seemingly a shit bag), Elneny (30). All eyes to Lokonga (22) hopefully making some big leaps to spell one of them by next year.I think there was also such a big financial incentive to either stay in or get back into the champions league that it made short term decisions look better. Arteta committed to a rebuild, probably because he had little other choice, and it took a bit to fully make sense, but now that he has mostly the right players in the right positions (I don't think Xhaka is Arteta's ideal choice for his role, but he's there and he's worked fine so far) the team is showing what Arteta's plan has been all along. And when it clicks it is gorgeous. The first few years were about building a base of players that fit, and if it wasn't for injuries to an overly thin squad, I think they would have made it back into the champions league. This year they really have put in the finishing touches for the first team, and started to shore up the bench. The flexibility of who he has brought in helps with the depth. Ben White at RB and Zinchenko being able to cover LB or the left midfield slot are good examples. They do have to continue to fill out the bench with quality players instead of semi-retirees and never going to happen sort of guys, but it's not nearly as thin as last year. And I think he'll look to replace Xhaka with someone closer to an Odegaard type, someone who can press and is defensively responsible, but a more creative player or better finisher. There is no real replacement for Partey, but that is going to be hard to find so I think they have to just get better and if something happens you cover for it in aggregate.
Also, Saliba is a beast.
I don't think all the Tielemans talk is made up. Arsenal clearly know what they have to address next. They want to move out Pepe and add depth on the RW, and fill out the midfield a bit. Although, maybe Zinchenko moves there if Tierney can stay healthy. He could replace Xhaka, at the least rotationally so that everyone stays healthy.Yeah, the definite concern for this team and going forward is the defensive mids are Xhaka (30 in September), Partey (29, seemingly a shit bag), Elneny (30). All eyes to Lokonga (22) hopefully making some big leaps to spell one of them by next year.
This is a good point. I forgot that Zinchenko actually slots into that defensive mid when not covering for broken Tierney. I had such high hopes for Torreira as he always looked like a complete beast when playing for Uruguay.I don't think all the Tielemans talk is made up. Arsenal clearly know what they have to address next. They want to move out Pepe and add depth on the RW, and fill out the midfield a bit. Although, maybe Zinchenko moves there if Tierney can stay healthy. He could replace Xhaka, at the least rotationally so that everyone stays healthy.
This should remind you not to get too excited about players you see in the World Cup in few months. League play and international play are just too different.This is a good point. I forgot that Zinchenko actually slots into that defensive mid when not covering for broken Tierney. I had such high hopes for Torreira as he always looked like a complete beast when playing for Uruguay.
So, I’ll shamelessly use this as a jumping off point to ask for the group’s collective wisdom on something.And Saka never gets rested, which is why bringing in a viable upgrade on Pepe is so important. Losing Saka would be a huge blow for them.
I feel like three games is too early to make any conclusions.. but I will also say that I like what they're doing up front... and I think it's only a matter of time before Saka gets on the scoresheet. I also think that Gabriel is unlike Lacazette and Auba in that he doesn't seem overly selfish. The better he performs the more space there's going to be for Saka and others. He's been great at holding up the ball while also attacking.. teams are going to be drawn to him. I don't think Saka has lost anything and as the season goes along he's going to get more opportunities than last year.So, I’ll shamelessly use this as a jumping off point to ask for the group’s collective wisdom on something.
Saka’s off to a slow start - no goals, no assists, expected npG+A/90 less than half of last year’s rate (.22 vs .46). Is the season so young that reacting to this is like reacting to Devers going 0-4 on Opening Day? Or is this a thing that people who know what they’re talking about are starting to watch, wondering if maybe Jesus is “crowding out” Saka’s offensive opportunities?
I was going to say.. he hasn’t posted at all.. I’m sure after they lose we’ll hear from him thoughHey is @mikeford doing ok after this start ?
While also cleaning out a lot of players that were dead weight on contracts that couldn't be sold.He posted in the previous Arsenal thread last May that he was done until Arteta is gone. I really hope he keeps his promise (and that Arteta leads Arsenal to 10 league titles and 5 CL titles over the next 25 years) because he's definitely the miserable CHB of Arsenal in this forum.
Missing out on the CL league was definitely disappointing, but if you didn't look at the progress of him putting in his system and getting youth into the team and see the advancements and additional potential, you were never going to be happy without Pep results. If he was a Liverpool supporter over the last 5 years, he'd be running Klopp out of town.
Arteta took over in December of 2019, so you had a horrific season that was already in flight then you went into COVID in the middle of the second half, a shortened offseason with reduced team time. This is truly his team now and deserves the credit or blame for its success.
I think arsenal have needed midfield help/depth/talent for probably ten years at least? Basically since Ramsey and Wiltshire started getting hurt every year.The midfield is officially thin now, I think, with Partey and Elneny both hurt. Zinchenko, who might have been a reasonable candidate to play a 6, is apparently 50/50 for tomorrow. I guess it’s Xhaka and Lokonga for the next couple games, but I wondered - with double game weeks starting up - what you guys think about the depth past them? I think of Smith Rowe and Vieira as more forward-playing, right? Are we desperate in the transfer window now?
Yeah.. agree with this. I’d like a player that upgrades the position and who will challenge for playing time when everyone is back.If we can't play Sambi as DM against Villa at home, with a strong team around him, then we should just ship him somewhere else.
It sounds like Partey will be back in a week or two and Elneny maybe right before the international break. We need another CM but I don't think the short term crisis here is truly acute. If we can move up a deal for somebody that we really want, we should definitely do it and even be willing to pay a bit of a premium to secure him. But I hope we don't bring in somebody crap like Arthur just to have another warm body around.
If rumours are to be believed Liverpool were sniffing around as well. The tea leaves probably indicate interest was luke-warm at best. Rumour also has it he wants London.Strong Douglas Luiz rumors. If we can get him in the 20-25m range and with reasonable wages, I think it would be a great deal. He can play 6 or a more all action 8 in Xhaka's position, has some familiarity with our style of play from his time at Man City and obviously should integrate well given that he knows all our Brazilians. Not a superstar but a good, reliable squad option that is a clear improvement on Elneny (who may be injured for a long time anyway) or Sambi (at least the current version of him). Luiz and a maturing Sambi would also give us some decent insurance if Partey ends up facing charges and getting suspended. And if the wages aren't too high he should be a player that remains moveable in the future if we want to go that route, as he is only 24 and is proven in the PL. A lot of midtable PL teams would want a 25 or 26 year old version of Douglas Luiz if it comes to that.
Agreed. They can't just delay this until after the World Cup like EPL matches, but even if PSV didn't want to disrupt their fans travel and tickets I think it would be better for Arsenal to just play at PSV twice.Arsenal’s Europa League match against PSV on Thursday is postponed due to lack of police (due to the Queen’s funeral). I wonder why they didn’t just reverse the fixtures and have Arsenal play at PSV this week?
Username checks out.Apropos of nothing whatsoever, I thought I'd drop this here: