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About Thursday night…
So Arsenal were good, very good, but I feel we will regret those chances we missed. The top four of Auba, Laca the Wizard and Rambo were running rings around Napoli. But for that dominance, we couldn’t seem to make them pay and fully capitalise.
I do love Ramsey, shame that he is going, but it is understandable why he is considered so polarising among Arsenal fans. He does amazing things and the he does that pass to an offside Napoli player (Insigne maybe? Lost count with the number of times) which left him 1 on 1 with Cech. Situation was salvaged but was a scary one.
Maybe Laca doesn’t score as many goals as Auba but his all round impact was amazing and I would have taken Auba off instead. Just wary that we didn’t fully utilise the opportunity we had, almost like Atletico last season.
Now to the main point, I was hating on Chelsea for their scummy fans after their racist islamophobic abuse of Salah. Not surprised Chelscum fans would do that. But then we have Arsenal fans who abused Koulibaly and can’t even use the excuse of it being some of the fanbase, because it is. It always is a small minority, but now its my team doing it, I struggle to accept. How stupid is that dumbass fan, insulting a black man and our two main strikers are black?! I find it ludicrous, would he have the nerve to say that to Koulibaly’s face? I sincerely doubt it. Hopefully the scum gets found and banned. What an absolute prick. Ruins the gloss of a hard fought win. Just puts it into perspective of what Sterlings and Roses have to go through.
Deep for a Friday. Have a good weekend all.
Jimmy
Who sums up your manager’s reign?
Good performance last night v Napoli. I went to the game and I thought we should’ve got a third, although lucky not to concede so happy with 2-0 overall. Ramsey is also in good form and we will miss him. I think we will go through although that may mean rearranging a curry (I digress).
I spent the game sat next to my friend’s (3rd I recently discovered) cousin, and great company he was too. We got onto the slightly bizarre topic of which player epitomised the latter Wenger years the most; he went with Ramsey (moments of brilliance but periods of abjectivity) and I went for Walcott (loads of performance and goals, but little to show for it).
Any other shouts for this bizarre award? What other players epitomised a manager’s reign (good or bad) out there? A special mention for David Hillier, Ian Selley and Andy Linighan from the end of George Graham’s era.
Dave (Gooner, Amersham)
Maybe Hazard exit will help Sarriball…
Okay, so Hazard is going to leave this year and apparently, we’re going to turn into Arsenal. I’m a little advanced in that I’m speeding through the seven stages of grief (and genuine warm wishes for everything he’s done) and am now onto the hope stage.
Hazard is a ball-dominant dribbling genius in a system favouring quick incisive passing and one-touch football. While Hazard can obviously win any single game on his own, I feel his presence takes away from the entire team maximising their output through Sarriball.
One way of explaining this is by using the NBA example – One of the most valuable players is Klay Thompson. This year, in one game as an example, he scored 43 points with 4 dribbles (and obviously dribbles are more common in basketball than football). I think he is the most underrated part of the current Golden State Warriors dynasty. He is any coach’s dream – makes smart runs off the ball, spaces the court and is absolutely deadly when he gets the ball. He is the perfect tool for a pass and move team.
Obviously dribbling, and especially Hazard’s dribbling is extremely effective at breaking through lines of pressure. However, it’s also true that the burden of scoring, creating is extremely unbalanced at Chelsea and not totally in line with the ideal Sarri system. Hazard FC as opposed to Sarri FC. And I feel like the greatest teams have systems with multiple threats – MSN, BBC etc.
Anyway, I’m under no illusion that we will not lose a lot of our fear factor, threat, etc immediately after he goes. But maybe, maaaybe, next season, when the ball goes to that left wing, instead of standing around waiting for magic to be created, there is space for the development of better movement and quick, incisive, one-touch passing – and isn’t that what Sarriball was supposed to be after all?
Saaj (just let me have my delusion damnit.. goodbye sweet prince) CFC
Pogba swap? Yes please..
If its true Real are having a clear-out I’d swap Pogba for Bale and Kroos in a heartbeat. I know they are both approaching 30 but are genuinely world class. Pogba isnt yet. Let’s take a chance that they can play at the top level well into their 30s. Pogba won’t be here forever and this team are nowhere near title contenders so why build a team around him. I know the short term approach hasn’t worked for us but we could balance it out with three new young players.
De Gea
Shaw
Lindelof
Alderweireld 25 mil
Wan Bissaka 40 mil
Matic
Fred
Kroos
Bale
Martial
Rashford
If Real agree to a swap then the following team would cost us 65 million. Four outfield players would be 30 or close to it so use the rest of the budget to sign some young players to eventually replace some of them. Tielemans or Rice for centre midfield and maybe a young centre back.
Job (Hypothetically) done.
Jimmy (F*ck knows how I’m not at the wheel)
De Gea is a demonstrably dodgy keeper
I’ve never really been a big fan of DDG, way too over-hyped (except by those wise Spaniards) but this season he has really dropped off and I’d do a little dance if we sold him for decent money and brought in fresh blood. Most people I tell think I’m crazy so along with the previous mailbox from Mangor United, Belfast I’ve decided to back it up with stats as given by the Premier League (yes, I know, damn lies and all) so I’ve taken him against the rest of the top six teams keepers. I’ll start with the good and run to the bad. Most saves 1st (the only good thing he’s first in but there’s a reason why) Errors leading to goal 4th, lower is better so that’s alright, it runs downhill from here. Goals conceded 1st, higher is worse so that’s basically 6th. 4th in punches, save percentage. 5th in touches, clearances, clean sheets, penalties saved and high claims (one more high claim than Leno who has played five less games). 6th in pass completion, aerial battles, sweeper clearances. In sweeper clearances DDG is ranked joint 26th dead last in the league even with Gazzaniga who has played only two games. Basically he ranks 5th or 6th in most aspects and is bottom three in everything but saves and errors leading to goals.
So he’s making a lot of saves but I would submit to the court he has to make a lot of saves because he’s creating more shots against him by being so bad at almost all the other aspects of keeping. He stands on his goal line and lets problems develop that can be nipped in the bud by coming for the ball and being an active keeper, he is the most passive keeper I have ever seen. You can see the frustration of defenders when he won’t come and claim through balls that should be easily his. Teams can put crosses into the six-yard box with impunity. His pass completion is terrible so any build up suffers and playing back to him is a risk. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. He’s always been inclined this way but this season it just seems so much worse. The guy has fantastic reactions and that’s all he has, he’s the Fellaini of goalkeeping (even Fellaini had two strings to his bow he could elbow with the best of them to go with his aerial prowess) great at one thing and that’s it. It makes for some amazing looking saves at times but when you realise the problems are of his own making it’s less impressive, more depressing. He’s coasted on that alone, failed to improve in any other area of the game and with the new influx of keepers into the Premier League has clearly fallen behind.
I dream of having a keeper with Ederson and Alisson’s involvement but I’d settle for Romero playing instead of him and a wad of cash. I know we don’t have the greatest defenders in the league but if they’re not helping him, he’s certainly not helping them. Some people think he’s the greatest goalkeeper in the world, I think he’s easily the worst in the top six. I know I’m in the minority, I’m just hoping whoever ends up setting our transfer policy this summer is in the same minority.
Fly, MUFC
Lay off Young
Are United fans ever going to get off Ashley Young‘s back?
I’m not sure what critics see when they see the former Watford man. But I see a guy that was asked to play a position unfamiliar to him last season because Jose wouldn’t trust the club’s actual full-backs because they were either not fit enough or just not up to it.
Now the ravages of time and the fact it isn’t actually his position are finally catching up with Young and rather than show understanding, you’re all having a pop at him.
He’s been a great servant for your club and deserves more respect than he is receiving right now.
What’s the bigger crime? a player past his best, who simply can’t put the performances in anymore or players with all the ability in the world but picking and choosing which matches they bother to put a performance in?
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London
EFL are not fit for purpose
I read with interest Tom Reed’s piece on yet more EFL clubs facing Winding Up Orders:
Now I’m not a fan of any of the clubs mentioned but I do relate to them when my own team Leeds United are not that far removed from the same issues.
There were also issues with Bolton and (to an extent) Swansea this season as well yet all this passes under the radar because it doesn’t affect a Premier League side – or that’s how it seems.
In actual fact, in ALL the cases involved there is only one common denominator and that is the EFL who have been incompetently run by Shaun Harvey until he recently buggered off (having no doubt secured a hefty wedge as a “goodbye” present).
Is it any wonder that clubs get into this position when the EFL’s own ‘Fit & Proper Persons’ test is overseen by a man who has been involved in at least three liquidations of football clubs before being deemed competent enough to run the whole show?
While I freely admit that that the cause of the issues were ‘Publicity Pete’ Ridsdale, it was the EFL who then allowed him to take charge of a further two clubs where he proceeded to cause the same mayhem (albeit on a smaller scale) – what part of the ‘Fit & Proper’ criteria did he meet then?
Until there’s a fundamental change across the people running the EFL, things will never change and it will only be a matter of time before one or more of these proud clubs is banished into history.
CarlostheJackal (I struggle with the brackets bit), Leeds
Alter egos
In response to Dr Oyvind, I routinely set myself up as Horaldo da Silva for years, and I’ve no idea why, and Huddersfield was always a club I used to look for when starting the game up, as well. I couldn’t tell you why, and what’s more, I actually ended up going to The University of Huddersfield upon completion of my A levels. It’s a funny old world, innit……
Harry B
…This morning Dr Oyvind, Earth asked if anyone created a ‘Manager Persona’ when playing football games, now I have a habit of doing this myself on FIFA Career Mode, most recently I am the German Jürgen Rëgen, manager of SSV Jahn Regensburg in the second tier of Germany, the name looked perfect and it gave me vibes of Arsene at Arsenal, I got relegated in my first season but then secured back to back promotions to gain a place in the Bundesliga if you were wondering.
Mikey, CFC
