RA Comment:

“The opening game against Fulham was more like what we expected of the Arsenal of Old.

No more pussy footing around waiting for the first Gunners mistake, and then the almost inevitable collapse of confidence, and the spiralling down into the oblivion of another losing start to a Premiership season with the inevitable turmoil of fan anger and despondency.

Early days? Do I hear? Yes, yes, yes.

These are early days, agreed, but gilded with the gold of understandable tactical brilliance already beginning to show under Mikel, and players already schooled to play for each other and their adoring fans.

The player acquisitions from current transfer activities chose to shine, with Willian playing a stormer to back up our main strikers and giving three assists with all the nonchalance of a man who has done it all before over the previous 7 years or so in the premiership. Talented? You bet.

Not to be outdone, Gabriel, who has not played in any competitive games since before the virus struck, was asked to play in the pivotal role alongside Tierney and Holding and was simply terrific. His command in the air, especially when under attack in the penalty area, immediately brought back memories of Tony Adams and Steve Bould and his positional nous and skill were outstanding.

Defensive headers – yes – but from a corner taken by Willian he scored his first goal for us – from a header.Talented? Yes, and there is much more to come from young Gabriel.

The calm way in which the team played while getting the measure of Fulham was impressive, and just to show them not to get too cheeky, a wobbly, weak shot from the man with a thunderous shot, Xhocker, resulted in a meleé, with Willian shooting against the GK leaving the rebound for the alert Laca to score.

And that showed the wonder of Arteta for me, the defence, the midfield and the attack melded into each other in a way I have not seen for years.

Tierney, for example, was key in a CB three, and yet suddenly he was up there supporting the attack, leaving AMN to automatically cover for him, and all throughout the team similar moves were happening, as the well coached and practised exchanges were planned – not the potentially disastrous mad-chicken, one man breakouts we have become so familiar with,

Auba, scored a fabulous goal, the team all played well, and although it was ‘just’ Fulham, as our team settle in, they are going to get better.

Promises for the future to make all us Gooners very happy.”

My player ratings:

Leno 6

Holding 6

Gabriel 8

Tierney 7

Bellerin 6

AMN 6

El Neny 6

Xhaka 6

Auba 7

Laca 7

Willian 7

Willian with 2 assists and Gabriel with a fantastic performance. Gabriel is my MOTM.

And the wait is over! Premi.er League football is back and I am sure we are all very excited.

First and foremost, I hope that the season goes without any issues and the Covid-19 situation will be under control and that stadiums will soon be full again. Football stadium without fans are not the same and even visioning the games from our cozy sofas is not the same without hearing and seeing the fans singing their Club’s glory or booing players…

How nice is it that we start our season with a London derby? It is also nice to have another London team in the EPL and personally, I never disliked Fulham. They have made some shrewed business from the French league getting Areola (he is a very good GK) and Tete (he is a good back up full back) and most importantly, they have a very clever coach in Scott Parker.

I feel like there are a lot of similarities between Parker and Arteta. Both very good midfielders with good defensive contributions and great understanding of the game. Parker has re-energized Fulham like Arteta did with Arsenal and both are young coaches leading historic London clubs although our club of course has a much richer and better history 😛

When it comes to the confrontations, it seems that Fulham is the best club at losing London derbies so let this streak continue today and then they can win against Tottenham and Chelsea. I think we have not lost to Fulham in a long time and also not lost to a newly promoted team on MD1 in a very long time. It seems past confrontation’s statistics give us an edge but…

Fulham is going to come out fighting and with passion to prove to EPL clubs that they belong to this league so I am expecting a tough battle at Craven Cottage and our defensive injuries are not going to help:

• Chambers, Mari, Mustafi, Sokratis and Luiz are out;
• ESR and Martinelli too

Apparently, Willian has been training well and he may just get a start today along with Saliba and Gabriel who would slot in for injured players so here is the potential line-up:

Leno – Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney – Bellerin, El Neny, Xhaka, Saka – Willian, Laca, Auba

COYG! Make us proud today! Let us win MD1 and start the season on a positive note

I was worried that Lacazette would leave but he has confirmed that he would like to stay and I think that unless a massive offer comes for him, Arteta is going to be able to count on him this season. With Auba’s new deal about to be announced, we will start the season with the following forward players:

Willian, Pepe, Reiss-Nelson ; Saka, Martinelli, Auba ; Laca, Nketiah

I think it is a very exciting offensive armada that offers plenty of possibilities to Arteta as most of the players can play in different positions. It is going to be interesting how we line-up tomorrow and the rest of the year:

In any case, I am happy to hear that Laca will most likely stay at AFC for another season. He is a solid striker and I am sure that he will contribute to our club’s success this year with more goals and assists.

Anyways – Laca stays 🙂

Houssem Aouar is a 22 years old French player that can be deployed as central midfielder or left attacking midfielder. He plays for Lyon and is touted for his ability to keep the ball, drive the ball forward and to find the right pass. His breakthrough season came in 2018-2019 and he started the 2019-2020 season well. He is player in the mould of Iniesta (not as good as the Spanish legend but similar type of player), he definitely has talent and apparently he is not a trouble maker and is well appreciated by his coaches and partners. He has got also a decent eye for goals and his delivery on set pieces is very good. He

He is 175cm and he is not really heavy either and plays for the French U-21. Guardiola and Arteta really like him and Edu contacted Lyon to discuss a swap deal that would see Aouar join us for Guendouzi + cash. Lyon is not against a swap deal but they do not want Guendouzi and they are also not ruling out a sale of Aouar.

I like Aouar and think he will go on to become a very good player. I am just not sure if he is ready to battle it day in and day out in the EPL yet. I had similar doubt about Ceballos and we all know what happened so…let us see.

Physically, he would need to develop fast and also the pace of the game is different than the French league. If we could buy him this year at a good price and then loan him out to a team in the EPL like West Ham maybe as they will see Grealish go, it may be the best option as we will give him the chance to play a lot in the EPL.

Another information is that the club is definitely looking to offload Guendouzi. I wish him good luck, and I think we are making a mistake as he is a very good player. We would need to sell him with a percentage of the future sales and a good buy-back clause too. I think he would do really well in the Italian league and I am sure that AC Milan is monitoring his situation closely.

So what do you think of Aouar?

Today, the draw for the Carabao Cup took place and we are playing Leicester away in the third round.

The competition has been under scrutiny as players have a gruelling schedule packed with league games, European and sometimes national team games.

So many clubs play their young players in the Carabao Cup and if they get closer to the final, they tend to play more players from their usual starting XI.

How do you feel about this Cup and about the draw to Leicester?

Our Brazilian players’ contingency is growing since Edu has arrived, no?

1. David Luiz, Martinelli last year
2. Willian, Gabriel this year

Two older players in Luiz and Willian and two young promising players in Gabriel and Martinelli. Two defenders and two forward players.

Below two major hypothetical questions:

1. We are just missing a player like Gilberto Silva and/or Edu to have a Brazilian player in each line. So, here is a list of Brazilian DM/CMs players that could be looked at if we were to, hypothetically, engage a player purely based on nationality and position and known by the many not the few:

DM: Fabinho, Casemiro, Fernandinho, Luiz Gustavo, Ramires, Lucas Leiva, Mattheus Henrique

CM: Allan, Guimares, Paqueta, Coutinho

2. Shall the fanbase come up with a song with a Brazilian air for Willian and Martinelli when they score and Luiz and Gabriel when they put in a great tackle or a goal? If so, which Brazilian air/song should it be? There are well known pop song classics like La Lambada, Samba de Janeiro, Ai Se Eu Te Pego for example…

Anyways, the point of this post is to know how you feel about the growing Brazilian contingency in our ranks. At PSG, we have a history with Brazilian players and one thing is for sure is that even if they are not the best players, they always play with heart – which is already a big plus 🙂

There is mounting noise about the possibility that Arsenal would be willing to listen to offers for Bellerin. The club is supposedly OK to let Bellerin go for 35 Mln EUR.

At one point in his young and rich career, Bellerin was seen as the best young full back in the world and teams like Barcelona, Real, City and Juve were monitoring him but then Bellerin got injured and since then, he has been chasing his shadow to rediscover the form that made him one of the most potent RB in the EPL and in Europe.

Bellerin really struggled under Emery but seems to have found some form back under Arteta and he put in some good displays after the lockdown. He seems to have found better balance in terms of his defensive and attacking contributions since Arteta has come in. At 25, he is entering the most exciting part of his career where he is supposed to have reached his optimal form and level. The kid has been with us for nearly ten years and he is very attached to the club and he has been key to welcoming new players and supporting our young players when they join the first team. He is very well liked by the players and coaching staff and he is also a player that is engaged for important socio-economic causes such as environmental protection.

So should the club keep Bellerin knowing that AMN is looking to be extended and Soares has joined us? Or shall the club cash in on one of the longest serving player in our club? It is a tough choice to be honest.

How do you feel about it?

As the transfer season is on-going and as we see movements at Chelsea and Man Utd in terms of midfield acquisitions, we also know that we are in the market to strengthen our midfield. It seems that Xhaka will be a starter again next year and we need to complement his skills and mitigate his weaknesses so we are looking for two types of players (assuming that Arteta will try to set us up as a 433 at some point)

1. A more defensive minded player that has good discipline to protect the back four and good passing skills to initiate movements rapidly and effectively;
2. A more attacking central midfielder that can carry the ball forward, dribble, pass and score a few goals – a more box-to-box player in a way.

Based on the above, shouldn’t securing Ceballos be our utmost priority? He managed to develop a good partnership with Xhaka, demonstrated defensive resolve and has also shown that he can drive and pass the ball forward. Securing Ceballos first would give us the chance to take full advantage of the players available on the market:

1. If a wonderful box-to-box player is available, then we can play Ceba like he did towards the end of the season – which is more of a defensive role;
2. If a wonderful defensive midfielder is available, then we can play Ceba further up as our box-to-box midfielder.

So the latest news is that the Club is really trying to get Ceba back as Arteta is keen to have him back in the squad and Ceba said that he would enjoy another spell at AFC so let us hope we can secure him quickly 🙂 Also, Lampard may make…Kante available on the market! If this is the case, I suggest we do whatever we can to land him 🙂

So what are your thoughts? Should Ceballos be our priority midfield signing?

PS: The Club is working hard to also secure long term future for Martinez and AMN

PPS: Auba will announce his signature once the club has announced the recruitment of more players but in essence he has agreed to the deal. He will only pen the contract once the other players have joined the club.

As you all know, I am a fervent PSG supporter having grown up close to the training ground. I started following PSG in the era of Bernard Lama, Alain Roche, Ricardo, Valdo, Rai, Leonardo, Okocha, Ginola, Weah amongst other. We then had a short period of instability that lasted something like 14 years with lots of changes in owners and coaches but that included showy purchases including Anelka, Ronaldinho and Pauleta.

And then, the group QSI, backed by Qatar’s government, took over and we entered into a new dimension. A dimension that saw us purchase big players like Ibrahimovic, Beckham, Neymar but another player has really impacted the club during that last 8 years: Thiago Silva. A fabulous CB who had a great career at PSG, a captain for most of his time with us and one that was so close to finishing his time at PSG with a Champions League Cup. He has won many national trophies at PSG and unfortunately European success still eluded him and the club.

One thing is sure though – he has been the best Centre-back of PSG history and he has been an examplary captain. Often criticized for his lack of leadership in CL games, he has shown this year that he did improve on this aspect despite advancing in age. He has helped players like Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kouassi (that really ungrateful 18 years old that left for Bayern Munich for free although we offered him 3 years contract + 2 years) grow into fine CBs. He was much loved by his President, coaches and teammates.

As “O Mostro” (the monster) is set to join Chelsea today and despite the rivalry between the two clubs, I can only wish T. Silva to personally do well in the EPL. People think he is old and slow but the guy will be great in Cup Games, CL games and he will be a massive positive influence on Rudiger, Zouma, Tomori and Christensen (if the latter stays).

Obrigado Captain Silva and best of luck in the EPL!

So what are your thoughts on T. Silva joining Chelsea on a free transfer? Would you have wanted him to join us instead?

It is not a secret that we are trying to strengthen our midfield – there are two profiles targeted:

1. DM
2. 1 more attacking CM

A lot of names have been heard such as Partey, Rice, Zacaria, Doucoure for the DM and for the CM, we are still looking at Ceballos but Coutinho and Grealish have also been mentioned…

But what if the solution was in Rome? and more specifically at AS Roma. Why AS Roma? Because we have a good bargaining chip with Mkhy who would like to stay there and Roma is keen to keep him and is open to exchanging players so which players could be looked at:

• Amadou Diawaya is a player that has impressed this year with Roma playing as a Defensive Midfielder. The Guinean is 23 years old and has made the headlines because of his ability to cover a lot of grounds. A player that can be seen like a hybrid between Kante and Matuidi although he is not as good as them yet and is currently valued 20 Mln EUR.
• Jordan Veretout is a player that has been monitored by AFC since last year. He is a versatile central midfielder who is known mostly for his defensive capabilities and his first pass. At 27 years old, he is valued at roughly 25 Mln EUR.
• Lorenzo Pellegrini – the heir to De Rossi at Roma. A deep-laying playmaker that has a good reputation when it comes to his passing ability, his long range shot and is also regarded for his defensive contribution. Excellent delivery on set-pieces and at 24 years old, he is valued at 32 Mln.
• Nicolo Zaniolo – a central attacking midfield and if Pellegrini is seen as a De Rossi, Zaniolo is more likened to the great Totti. Zaniolo is a more physical presence than Totti but he is less quick and his dribbling is not as mesmerizing. That said, he is seen as the crown of the Squadra Azzura for the years to come – he will probably (with age) play less as an attacking player and more as a central midfielder. He is touted to be a great and at 21, he is already valued at 55 Mln EUR.

Since Mkhy is valued at 20 Mln, it seems that we could get a good midfielder to strenghten our squad and address our DM or CM issue depending on whether we can manage to keep Ceballos.

So my fellow gooners, do all the roads lead to Rome when it comes to addressing our midfield conundrum?