Barcelona 2 Arsenal 1 – Match Report and Player Ratings

August 5, 2019

This was the last game of our preseason and we fielded a strong side comprising Leno, Chambers, AMN, Sokratis, Monreal, Willock, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Rapinoe, Aubameyang and Nelson. I expect to see a side with similar players for our opening game of the season. Every time I see Mesut and Mkitaryan in our lineup together I am so frustrated, we just can’t have two guys in the squad offering nothing to the team at the same time.

First Half

Barcelona got us underway. But it was arsenal having a good few minutes with Aubameyang being fouled early on, then Nelson feeding Aubameyang whose shot  went off for a corner. There was a tricky moment when Xhaka misplaced his pass giving the ball to Griezemann but he couldn’t capitalize.

Ozil finally got into the game and made a forward pass to Aubameyang who left the defender for dead with a gorgeous spin move and hammered it into the net making it 1 nil. That goal was totally against the run of play and Arsenal take the lead into the half.

Second Half

In the second half we made some substitutions bringing Guendouzi and Kolasinac on for Nelson and Monreal. At that point I wasn’t sure which formation Arsenal was playing.

Barcelona upped their pressing game making it hard for us to come out of our own half. Willock made and outstanding block to keep the score 1 nil. Xhaka decided he didn’t want to deal with the ball and gave it to Chambers who was quickly closed down and Arsenal were lucky again not to have conceded.

But then the inevitable happened AMN lost concentration yet again and passed the ball into his own net, how did he not see Leno wasn’t in goal? It was another case of a player not wanting to deal with the ball but simply just wanting to get rid of it 1-1.

Saka who came on late in the second half injected some energy into our attack and whipped a great ball into Aubameyang, but he couldn’t get on the end of it. Saka actually did more in that move than Mkitaryan did for the entire game. Substitutions were made and I am sure everyone saw Mustafi was coming on and just knew we were going to lose. Three minutes later Suarez had the ball in the back of the net 2-1 to win the Gamper Trophy.

Conclusion

Mkhitaryan and Ozil should never play together in my opinion they are too similar and offer nothing majority of the time they play. Mkhiryan kept leaving AMN exposed. On one occasion it seemed like he was trying to get out of the way for AMN to deal with the player and on another occasion Mkhitaryan literally just had to step over to block the advancing player but instead he made AMN run over to do the marking of the man he should have been covering.

AMN also leaves too much space. He is always tucking inside Chambers, I’m not sure if that how Emery wants him to defend. To me he  always has to expend extra energy to mark a player who is coming down the wings, especially since he wasn’t getting any help.

I would have liked Mesut to show his class in the second half. He should drop back to receive the ball when we are being pressed and create something with it. I am unsure as to why we were not pressing Barcelona, was it because Emery believed they are good at holding the ball and we would be out passed? but If our ultimate goal is to be a pressing side then we should do it regardless of the team we face.

Ratings

Leno 5 – at fault for equaliser

Chambers 5 – partially to blame for winning goal

Sokratis 6 – solid game

AMN 5 – Didn’t look good for the goal and made some silly mistake

Monreal 5 – didn’t offer anything today

Xhaka 4.5 – is he really the best captain option we have

Wiilock 7.5 – another outstanding game … MOTM

Rapinoe 6 – would like to see him control the game when we are under pressure

Mkitaryan 4 – did nothing

Aubameyang 7 –  great goal, would also like to see him hold the ball up when under pressure

Nelson 6 – great showing, clearly Mkhitaryan should have been taken off instead of him

 

Subs

Saka  7 –  looked great as usually and think he should be given more time, impressed me more than Nelson

Ceballos 6 –  didn’t really notice him

 

fred1266

 

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Perfect Pepe … Ivan was terrible … Ian is Right Right Right

August 2, 2019

First let us all rejoice in the news that the ‘big club with the smallest budget’ just signed the 4th most expensive player in Premier League history.

Welcome Nicolas Pepe. Arsenal now have a front three to match the best in Europe.

Every Arsenal supporter should be over the proverbial moon. This is more than a big signing, this is a statement by the club …. don’t write us off, we mean business and we can do business.

It also puts into perspective the performance of the previous management team who were also working under the tight fisted, disinterested American billionaire (… yes, I’m being sarcastic).

I love Ian Wright, he bleeds Arsenal. I’ve seen him have to bite his lip many times on television in recent years as he struggles to avoid saying what he really feels for fear of damaging the club.

Well now he has let rip … and I love him even more for it.

For those of us (like me) who questioned what Ivan Gazidis actually did apart from delivering slick platitudes, Ian Wright’s words resonate.

Here are just a few lines of what he had to say:

I’ve got to give credit to Raul Sanllehi, head of football and the senior leadership of our club. This is exceptionally good business. This is unbelievable. This is the kind of business Arsenal have missed for so long.

We could mention that other fool (meaning Gazidis) that was there – but I won’t because I’m in a positive vein now. This is the kind of player about whom we’d usually be saying ‘I wish we’d have got him’. Well, we’ve got him.

It’s a deal we assumed would never be done but it’s brilliant. This is the kind of player who, once he settles in, I personally think we’ve got a world-class player on our hands.

I’m not being over the top, I’m not being over-excited. I genuinely believe that from what I’ve seen of him. He ticks so many boxes in terms of goals and assists but for me it’s the directness. We miss that.

We miss a player that can take players on one-on-one and beat them. A player who can receive the ball, dribble, turn and run at players. No defenders want to face that. I’m very excited about it.

This is what Wrighty had to say about the new contract for Matteo Guendouzi:

This is what we should have been doing years ago. Now, someone upstairs has actually got their finger on the button, knowing we need to sign players. We signed Matteo last year ago for £8m. People are now in for him for £30m.

That’s the kind of business that we are starting to do. This is why the people upstairs now are starting to get it. We are getting into people before their contracts run down and that is great business. I love what they are doing.

I have renewed sympathy for Arsene Wenger after all the abuse he took in his latter years. The man who should have managed the situation, who failed to recruit a top quality management team around him, who was the one who was far too comfortable on his fat salary and who was happy to let the blame be directed at others…  was Ivan Gazidis.

So today we can celebrate two things. The signing of a world class player for a club record fee and the demonstration that the wrongs of the Gazidis era have finally been put Right Right Right.

Rasp

 

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If Only Granit was Rock Solid … The Xhaka Debate …

July 31, 2019

Following our defeat last Sunday, the discussion began to focus on the role of Granit Xhaka.

Why?

In many ways it was a typical Xhaka performance.

Could it be that we are looking for the next weak link as the new players arrive and consequently the quality of the squad improves?

Is Granit part of that mind-set that has taken defeat too philosophically in recent years? I want our players to really hurt after a poor performance, and like me, I want that hurt to go on for days .. usually right up to the next game and the opportunity for redemption.

I want a player in his position to orchestrate the game, to be the solid anchor that holds everything together, who protects the defence and instigates the attacks. A player who can drive the play forward … a leader.

Others sought a more technical analysis of Granit’s role in the side. Here are some very interesting takes on his effect on the team:

GoonerB

The area that actually concerned me most was the base of our midfield. I think as much as we talk about our CD, it is the porous lack of protection directly in front of the back line that is a major cause of concern with me. We certainly need to be looking at our central defence independently, but we need to consider that first line of defence, their screen, as well.

In our line up yesterday that chief responsibility should have fallen on Xhaka, but I watched carefully, and for me he was constantly positioning himself about 10m too far forwards leaving dangerous players on our goal side of him, when it probably should be the other way around.

He lacks pace so does not make up that ground if they gain possession, so the defence are massively exposed and caught between retreating towards goal or having one of them step out to try and cut off what the defensive midfield should for the most part be dealing with.

It is almost as if he doesn’t see it as his role and sees himself as more a creator, and that this responsibility should fall to others to pick up the mantle. Interestingly that was his role before he came to us and he was always paired with someone who covered behind him defensively more.

The problem here is that often more creative players than him end up holding a deeper position to cover for his wanderlust, and I saw that on a few times with Ceballos at times.

Also, the odd Hollywood ball or decent forward pass at times aside, Xhaka actually slows our game down to much and we lack forward momentum. I actually started to feel that I was watching a more shouty, face scowly, Denilson.

It wouldn’t surprise me that, like Denilson, Xhake has great stats for touches on the ball and number of passes and completion rate, but most of the time they are very reserved and safe and don’t make anything happen.

I noted that Ceballos drove us forward far more effectively when he got on the ball so he shouldn’t be covering defensively behind Xhaka. Neither should Torreira when he comes back who I also feel has more forward incisive play in him than Xhaka, and I still maintain that Iwobi could be an excellent forward thinking BTB player as well.

It all makes me wonder exactly what he specialises in and brings to us. He seems to not want to be the chief DM, so we are left still searching for that player, but in the role he seems to prefer for himself we have better options.

I kind of feel that Douzi is also a bit Xhaka like in that assessment at present as I have watched him more but at his age can develop in a couple of potential directions more so should stay with us, maybe not regular first team standard yet though. When those 2 play together I don’t feel we look that strong or balanced.

If we were to bring in a specialist holding midfielder (with what we seem to be about to spend elsewhere) we need to free up squad space, funds and wages. I just feel he is not quite right for us and we aren’t balanced in midfield with him. Again I feel he is probably a good CM at a slightly lower level.

Mike M’s response:

Gooner B, agree wholeheartedly. I think my question is how does UE see these players. I agree giving the young players game time is a good idea but he is playing Xhaka and Mustafi as well as the other 4 i mentioned too. Does that mean in his mind they’re staying to be part of the squad for next season?

I’m not sure so that’s my question. I’ll say this too, however unpopular it might be, I’d take Mustafi’s effort and attitude (I really think he tries hard, he’s just not very good or smart) over Xhaka, Miki, Ozil any day. I still think he needs to go, but I’m really stuck on attitude and mentality with this team right now. Am I wrong? Are there any positives in mentality we can take from what we’ve seen so far.

This from LBG

GoonerB
More high class, spot on analysis of Xhaka! Your analysis of his positional sense as a central midfielder is exactly mine. I believe he does not regard it as his responsibility either to hold a defensive position when we don’t have the ball or make a corrective run to pick up loose attacking players in dangerous forward positions. I believe in fact this the crux of our defensive frailty- ” the base of the midfield “.

As most know, I don’t even regard highly his so called spray passing ability as he is too slow in those passes and they are quite often cut out. Given his lack of pace too, he’s argumentative, sometimes ridiculously, attitude to officials, one might guess I have little regard for him and believe any success in the Swiss team is largely due to the quality around him. Said, done, nothing more from me on Xhaka, except an hooray if we sell him.

RC78’s view:

I am a firm believer that having Mustafi and Xhaka on the pitch for us will continue to hamper our chances and will lead to goals and chances conceded. If I could sell only 2 players, they would be my top pick. I d rather give Bielik and Chambers a chance than to see Xhaka and Mustafi play for us again.

You may see the above comments as harsh criticism. We should not be looking for the next scapegoat. The abuse directed at Mustafi shames us all. Any player wearing the shirt should get our unconditional support at games.

So try to be objective and let us know how you value Xhaka’s role in the team.

Rasp

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The Emirates Hic-Cup … Arsenal 1 Lyon 2 – Match Report and Player Ratings

July 29, 2019

This was the sixth of our preseason games. We fielded a mixed side comprising Leno, AMN, Chambers, Sokratis, Monreal, Willock, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, and Lacazette.

My initial thought was that I was glad to see Willock playing consistently in the first team and that we are moving away from the Mkhitaryan and Mesut combo. In reality, I suspect they were probably rested because of the attack earlier in the week. With Mkhitaryan seemingly playing on the left, I wondered who’s going to be playing the Mesut role?

 

First Half

There was a minute of applause for former Arsenal player Jose Antonio Reyes who was taken from us way to soon, may he rest in peace.

One thing I have noticed is how quickly Arsenal have been starting games in the preseason, and this game was no exception. Monreal hasn’t looked up to it early in preseason, but today he was sharp, on one occasion bursting down the  left flank and crossing but not finding an Arsenal shirt, and then on another being bundled over in penalty box. Sadly the ref wasn’t having any of it.

Lacazette was replaced early on by Nelson. He was seen later wearing a protective boot –   let’s hope this was just for precaution. Aubameyang moved to central striker with Mkhitaryan now playing on the right. Willock looked really bright,  collecting the ball from Guendouzi and smartly turning for a low shot into the keeper, and then soon after was involved in an attacking move in the penalty box. But he was eventually smothered by the  amassed defenders.

Arsenal displayed some great interchanging football. The opening goal came when Mkhitaryan who crossed to Aubamyang who headed the ball home, making it 1 nil to The Arsenal. Lyon had an appeal for hand ball by Chambers turned down, I wondered when I saw it if this would have been given in the EPL this season. Willock was ever present and was our best player in the first half.

 

Second Half

The first change for the second half was Nketiah on for Guendouzi. With this, Aubameyang moved back out to the right, Mkhitaryan was now playing the link between midfield and attack which I think his best position, and with Eddie as striker.

The two sides were going at it second half with Lyon now creating more. Nketiah headed a ball over the bar, and then fluffed his lines again missing a cross from Nelson. Soon after that, Nketiah received a ball in the box and turned sharply but his shot was smothered by the keeper. The chant of Eddie, Eddie, Eddie rang round The Emirates, he really is a fans’ favourite.

Some poor defending by Maitland-Nyles  failing to block a cross led to the equaliser from Dembele. Shortly after, AMN did make a great block on Dembele showing he can play with discipline. Arsenal thought they had restored their lead when Martinelli put the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled as offside. Soon after, we failed to operate the offside trap correctly and Dembele made it 1-2 for Lyon. Arsenal had a few more opportunities but couldn’t take their chances. Lyon were crowned 2019 Emirates Cup Champions – not a big deal, it’s always been a slightly embarrassing competition, but still, it’s better to win than lose.

Conclusion

Arsenal’s second loss in preseason was frustrating. We were in control in both games and yet ended up losing. It was another promising performance by the Arsenal youngsters. Nelson had a good industrious game, although he struggled to get through Lyon’s defense. Willock was amazing once again and Eddie did the hard work by getting into the goal scoring positions but then  lacked the composure he had shown in earlier preseason games.

If only Arsenal could change how they defend. Good to see Chambers back and at least he put in a good defensive performance. There was one occasion when Sokratis brought down Dembele and was lucky not avoid a card. We’ve seen it many times before. Our defenders are too slow to play such a high line.

 

Ratings

Leno 7 – solid game but was left exposed for both goals

Maitland-Nyles 6  – needs to work on his defending

Sokratis 6 – solid today but still reckless when given the chance

Chambers 7 – was solid again nice to see him finally getting his chance

Monreal 6  – looked lively

Wiilock 9 – another great game and shouldn’t have been taken off …  MOTM

Xhaka 5 – Can the crowd please stop telling him to shoot

Guendouzi 5 – Nice to see him back

Mkhitaryan 6 – great assist for the goal

Aubameyang 7 –  took his chance well and caused trouble whole game

Lacazette 5 – let’s hope it nothing serious

 

Subs

Nketiah 7 – impressive as always, unlucky again not to score

Nelson 6  – I’m still waiting for him to impress me

fred1266

 

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How the Nicolas Pepe deal was really done ….

July 28, 2019

Despite being bombarded with stories that Arsenal could only afford the £40m offered for Zaha, it seems clear that the club is trying to buy Nicolas Pepe for a deal thought to be in the region of £72m ….. How?

Past transfer shenanigans have shown that deals can be made on a whim and a handshake at times, with players being snatched off the treatment table when having a medical for one club to jumping straight on a plane to sign for another.

Deals are done in car parks, engineered by other players, a casual phone call … all sorts of chicanery can be involved.

Mike M came up with this possible (albeit tongue in cheek) script of how the negotiations between Lille and Arsenal were conducted ….

Imaginary conversation:

Lille 1 : So we need $80m for Pepe or we’re not selling.
Lille 2: Hey Boss, Arsenal are on the phone inquiring about Pepe.
Lille 1: Tell them to forget it. They only have $40m they can’t afford him.
Lille 2: I told them, they still want to talk to you
Lille 1: What a colossal waste of time. Ok put them on.
Lille 1: So you’re interested in Pepe huh, my assistant already told you he’s not in your price range. We want $95m.

Arsenal: What is our price range? How do you know?

Lille 1: Everyone knows. It was in the media.

Arsenal. We’ll give you $65m structured as follows … (blah blah).

Lille 1: No we want at least $90m

Arsenal : The player wants to come to us, lets figure it out.

Lille 1: Ok.

Lots of talking……..

Arsenal: so $72m it is structured in the following way …. (blah blah)

Lille 1 : Ok. You’re lucky the player wants to join you. We already have offers of $80m. Deal. Hang up phone.

Arsenal 1: So they thought we only had $40m to spend. You think if we’d announced we had $100m they would have settled for $72m?

Arsenal 2: Hard to say, but I’m glad we didn’t kill that press rumour, it certainly didn’t hurt.

Meanwhile

Lille 1: So I guess we did good. They only had $40m and we ended up getting $72 from them.
Lille 2: Good job Boss, I’d have never believed that a few hours ago.

Gooooooners!!!

NB – Hope we get him now !!!!!!

Mike M

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40 Million Lies … Vinai tells it like it is …

July 27, 2019

Vinai Venkatesham was asked about the much touted figure of £40m as Arsenal’s transfer budget at a Q & A session with the Arsenal Supporters’ Club two days ago.

His answers didn’t conform with the agendas of many news outlets and so were only reported accurately by those who care about Arsenal … not those who seek profit from disseminating fake news. The figure of £40m had been so widely reported that it was accepted as fact by the majority of Arsenal supporters.

Here are the bullet points of VV’s response to the £40m question:

  • I don’t recognise this £40m figure
  • That doesn’t come from us, that doesn’t come from the club.
  • We never ever, ever, ever talk about how much money we have to spend because that’s the least helpful thing you can do.
  • It is true that our funds are more limited after three years in the Europa League, but the budget isn’t £40m.
  • We have the budget to make a difference, but as Raul (Sanllehi) says, this is a particularly tough window and we’re in the middle of it.
  • I sense and understand the frustration, but there is a huge amount of misinformation out there in the market.
  • About 85% of what you read just isn’t true.

Is Vinai lying? I don’t think so.

Maybe those who are more comfortable feeling a sense of injustice and have an intrinsic lack of trust in our management will continue to believe the negative press directed at Arsenal, but I would say that these few well chosen words by Mr. Venkatesham should be seen as very good news.

Rasp

 

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Bielik, Mavropanos or Mustafi? Which one should stay?

July 26, 2019

Bielik is coming out of his best full season with Charlton and had a very good Euros with Poland.

He is  home-grown and has 2 years remaining on his contract at age 21. He can play CB but was good at DM with Charlton.

Mavropanos hardly played for us.

He is 21 and has 3 years remaining on his contract.

He has shown some glimpses of true defending talent when he played but also had some rash and hairy moments.

He has been injured for a while now and needs to get fit.

We all know about Mustafi. He joined in 2016 and has failed to live up to the expectations we had of a World Cup winner.

Whether we play a back 4 or a back 5, we need at least 5 CBs. Sokratis, Holding and Monreal already make for three. Surely a CB will be brought in to replace Koscielny. There is one spot left, so…  who should it go to? Bielik, Mavro, or should we keep Mustafi?

Have your say and explain your reasoning.

RC78

 

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Dani Ceballos … the ‘Real’ Deal

July 25, 2019

The smoke has turned into fire … any moment the club will announce that Dani Ceballos has joined Arsenal from Real Madrid on a one year loan deal.

The exact details of that deal are not known, the optimists will hope that there is an option to buy at the end of the 12 months … I very much doubt it, Real Madrid are not in the habit of letting developing talent go cheaply.

Ceballos is not Denis Suarez. He’s already proven quality. He has very good close control. He can weave through a defence and find a killer pass, he is a free kick specialist … he scores goals.

Feast your eyes on this  … but a note of caution, no-one can know how he will adapt to the EPL. He’ll get a kicked all over the park if he starts embarrassing opposition players as easily as you’ll see in this video ….

Dani was being courted by many top clubs and should already assume hero status by virtue of choosing The Arsenal over ‘that lot down the road’.

The boring stuff:

  • He’s 22, a Spanish national who has represented them at U19s, U21’s and in the full national side
  • He’s 5ft 10in, a midfielder who can play in several positions but is most effective in the advanced role of a No. 10.
  • He joined Sevilla as a youngster, signed his first professional contract with Real Betis and joined Real Madrid in 2017

There is no doubt that Arsenal are restricted in what they can spend. The loan deal for Ceballos (effectively coming on a free for the year) to some extent balances the plan to sign William Saliba and then send him back on loan. That deal involves delayed payment and so much of our £45m mini war chest remains … currently it may be in the region of £39m if you deduct the £6m paid for Martinelli.

Make no mistake, this is progress. We are getting a player who will significantly improve the quality of the squad. Ceballos is a Real Madrid player and a Spain International. The new management team have pulled off a major coup … the Saliba deal is all but in the bag … what next I wonder? … Would a centre back be too much to ask?

Rasp

 

 

 

 

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Message to Mr Kroenke, “horses for courses Stan”

July 23, 2019

This is a thought that I will bring to the table regarding the analysis of Stan Kroenke’s ownership of his other sporting franchises in the States compared to The Arsenal.

The question is, can they be considered the same animal? I am no expert on state-side sports but I would imagine that they are far less of an all encompassing global attraction, and are more marketable purely in the region in which the club is located, given such large populations in any given region in the States.

Arsenal has a fan base that stretches across the globe and a history that is probably longer and richer than anything else he has. Sporting institutions like the Rams and Nuggets surely can’t and shouldn’t be compared with Arsenal in the way they should be run, and the Rapids as a football team aren’t even in the same ball park (excuse the baseball pun). Different sports, different institutions with completely different landscapes with regard to finances, marketability, and what success or lack thereof means to the bigger picture and health of the club.

It seems that many feel that Kroenke will sing the same tune with Arsenal that he has with all his other franchises, but this sport and this club are different and should accordingly be run in a different way.

I am not saying that we are more special, but we are different, and the consequences of towing the same line, that he has with his other franchises, with a top globally supported football club like ours, could be far more damaging long term than what it would be with his State-side franchises.

It is up to our fan base to let him know that this is unacceptable. He deserves a bit of time to show he can do something different, especially following Josh Kroenkes poetic words and impassioned pleas to the fans (unfortunately likely pure BS though). I am not hopeful about Kroenke though and feel that this next period of fan patience with him is potentially purely paying lip service to a period of time before the inevitable fall out.

As I always say, “I would love to be proven wrong”.

Gooner B

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Why the Sky has Fallen in on Arsenal’s Finances

July 22, 2019

There are eighteen days to go before the UK transfer window closes at 17:00 on the 8th August – the day before the new season starts.

The performances of our young guns in the pre-season friendly games may have some supporters questioning whether we even need to bring in more players, but for most, this is a time of frantically F5ing Newsnow and  scanning the twitter feeds.

This is a scenario we have lived through for many years … and it is not specific to Gooners, but we do occupy a unique position in the transfer hierarchy. The level of fan optimism/pessimism is directly related to the buying power of the team. The pressure is less at either end of the wealth scale. If you’re a City fan then it’s just a question of which world-class player will be next. If your club is lower down the table then it is usually more a question of ‘can we hold on to our best players?’

We are classed as a big club. We have a rich history and the trophy cabinet bulges. But we have made it crystal clear that we are not now and will likely never again (under the current ownership) be a club that can compete financially. If anything, we are likely to slip further down the ‘rich league’ as other clubs are swallowed up by super-rich new owners whose agendas go beyond promoting football.

It was easy for some supporters in the latter years of the Wenger era. He was the man in control of everything … and therefore (in many supporters minds) took the blame for everything. Since the shake up in the management, we have a head coach, and various experts managing different aspects for club operations. It’s a rather confusing set-up, so easier to focus any blame … if blame is your mindset … on our American owners.

The idea of building the new stadium to generate the income to compete with the richest clubs was laudable, but in retrospect rather naive. The fact is that the Sky money and the other media income streams mean that even the revenue from the much moaned about ‘expensive season tickets’ is far less significant. That media generated revenue is spread across all 20 EPL teams (not equally) and therefore gives no special advantage to Arsenal.

So if you want to direct your anger over our lack of available finance for shiny new players .. blame Sky.

Rasp

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