So, what did we learn today after witnessing Unai Emery’s first game in charge? Your guess is as good as mine but as I am writing this it is my guess that is going to be heard. Did we see evidence of a new much talked about high press? Err not really. Lacazzette was looking as fit as a butcher’s dog and was covering the final third with what seemed like a new found determination. The number nine is his but the Frenchman knows that he has to earn it every week because it is only a short hop across from the left wing for Aubameyang who, as we all know, is more than capable of playing that role.
Ramsey strutted his stuff with all the air of a player who knows he can leave and be made welcome at any club in Europe. I have no doubt that the club are doing all they can to keep him but unless you have been living under a rock for the last five years everyone knows that there is nothing that a club can do anymore to force an in demand player to sign a new contract. My guess is he will do an Özil.
The one punt I would have as to what is new is that UE wants to put his marker down on who he wants to bring through the ranks and into the first team. Maitland-Niles was conspicuous by his absence in the starting line up. Why? M-N is a Wenger prodigy, Smith-Rowe is now clearly an Emery prodigy. See where I am going with this? The same applies to Guendouzi.
As for the defence it looks as though we are in for another heart stopping season. If Emery can whip that lot into shape then he will truly deserve all the credit that comes his way.
So I watched the game on Bein Sports 2 in Arabic and when it came to the end of the 90 minutes I turned off not realising that there were penalties – doh.
Anyway, good to see the boys in the glorious red and white back in action, ohh, I almost forgot that should be the boys in the glorious red, white and pink!
Strange times.
Comment from LB
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Hi LB
Nice to read an LB match summary again.
I have a different take on Ramsey ie he is not wanted by Europe’s elite clubs, which is where I reckon he thinks he belongs
Cheers, LB.
Hope you don’t mind me lifting the comment – I assumed that was your intention?
You raise some good talking points.
I’m not sure Lacazette looked to have found his sharpest touch yet. Much like the rest of them.
I thought Rambo was fairly anonymous but that could have been the poor quality of the stream or the poor quality of my eyesight!
I thought the player distribution across the two elevens wasn’t really indicative of too much and would expect a swap round for PSG.
Laca central and Auba left side whanger is the best way of fitting both in the team – just as Arsene had already concluded. So those two play together.
The two Greek lads seem like a pair also, but combined they seem to lack pace?
Smith-Rowe plays left side in the juniors, doesn’t he? Why is he being shoehorned into a box to box role?
Ainsley M-N’s penalty and Emile’s banger of a goal were my highlights. Simple chap that I am.
LB is back, back to good old days 🙂
No time to read thoroughly, will comment later, cheers LB
“The new shirt features a ‘W’ engineered into the shirt. The ‘W’ represents the attacking part of the famous WM formation introduced in the 1930s by Arsenal legend Herbert Chapman and is directly linked to the ‘M’ graphic from the new away shirt.”
Mt Fuji wins.
Interesting meteorologically as normal snow clouds occur at 6000′ and Fuji is just over 12000′. The answer is of course, cumulonimbus clouds have deposited their load on the mountain top, as they can rise as to as high as 50000′. I think that deposit is there all the year round. Even in the hottest of Japanese summers.
9:19 classic rolf
Chas
Are we saying Ramsey is shit unless we have an out of focus telly? 🙂
The thing about those comments is that after writing them for 10 odd years now I don’t necessarily believe 100% what I am writing. Out of habit I tend to just look for an angle to write something.
Lacazette did look quite sharp fitness wise — but as was suggested his shooting boots certainly were not as sharp as they could have and maybe should have been.
The Lacazette central with Aubamayang on the left is almost certainly the best way to accommodate the two but there probably is a tiny bit of truth in what I suggest that Aubamayang will take his place in the middle if he doesn’t deliver as much as UE hopes. I doubt that this has not crossed the Frenchman’s mind and should help motivate him.
Is Ramsey wanted by all of Europe’s elite? Who knows but there is an element of truth in it and the comment was short enough, so without adding a bit about Rambo it would have been skeletal.
Is there really any truth in the idea that UE wants to promote his own prodigies? How on earth would I know but of all the my waffle I thought that was my most interesting angle. Again, as was also suggested, it will be rubbished after the next game as UE simply alternates and M-N starts but I am quite proud of coming up with that idea.
Regarding the defense, I can’t think of anything that I wrote above that I would change — heaven help us.
Like you LB I think the team should have wandered off not realising there were penalties. I was wondering why they were standing around at the end, and surmised maybe penalty shoot out. Its easy to make too many assumptions after 90 minutes so I think I will leave it for a while, I have a feeling things will be different. Emery had that look of a Leonard Rossiter mixed with Danny DeVito, in Rising Damp and Taxi. Makes it interesting.
LB
I liked your match summary as it raised a few topics for discussion. I couldn’t think of anything to say about the game!
Loving the idea of a Leonard Rossiter Danny De Vito mixture managing The Arsenal. ☺
“Emery had that look of a Leonard Rossiter mixed with Danny DeVito, in Rising Damp and Taxi”
Now that is cryptic. Only large amounts of alcohol will be able to unravel that one 🙂
What you all think of Jeff leaving
The 1st summary of a new season – Thank you LB.
After all my years of supporting Arsenal nothing really changes – I’m always excited about our potential and very interested in seeing which of the new (young and old) players will make the 1st team squad. However the potential is rarely fulfilled to the max and I end up disappointed and wishing and hoping things were better.
I believe that 2018/19 will be a transitional season with Unai finding his feet in the PL. From what little I have seen of his teams he appears to prefer an emphasis on defense and pressing the opposition into making mistakes that can be turned into goals. This man is not inspired by that style of football as i prefer a game that puts the emphasis on offense.
I have flash backs to the boring 1-0 to the Arsenal days and I’m nervous that we will return to that type of football.
Please, someone, anyone, help me through this pending nightmare.
i hope he can play better than sing, bloody awful
oh bloody hell LB, i was still chewing on your first post and before I finished I read the next one. So what exactly do you mean 🙂
I didn’t see the game, but all accounts it seems I didn’t miss much.
I hope Ramsey stays, he is a good lad. As for the 2 strikers – dear oh dear, what happened to them since they joined the Arsenal? They are prolific shooters and now they are below average, how come? Bring ollie back, that’s what I’d do.
that poor snowboarding girl, Ellie Soutter committed a suicide. on her 18th birthday, this is too tragic for words.
hector 🙂 🙂
Lol
fred, I don’t know how you can live and function in a hot country. It has been boiling here in UK for the past month, no rain to speak of for 2 months and i was ready to emigrate somewhere nice and cold. Thank Dennis it rained today and I was phoning family in poland to tell them that it is raining!!!!!! I understand how the africans must feel after months of draught
Deeply concerned about the GN5 outlook. I haven’t seen any of our football under Emery, but if GN5’s prognosis has truth then it might be time to find a new manager
Sorry Micky
NEW POST
Micky
GN5 didn’t watch the first game and probs got out of bed the wrong side. I’d take no notice. ☺
Or we should have never gotten rid of the one we had