On a cold night in north London, an Arsenal side recently ravaged by viral illness and still learning how to play without its creative genius, Bukayo Saka, took on a vibrant and confident Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
We were delighted to see that Ødegaard had shaken off enough of the lurgy to start and so too had MLS and Havertz (Jesùs dropping to the bench) and that we started with our first choice midfield:
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, MLS;
Ødegaard, Partey, Rice;
Trossard, Havertz, Martinelli.
The Codes started much more briskly than we did and moved the ball quickly through our ranks in contrast to the way in which we seemed usually to ponderously built our attacks throughout this match. Our defenders passed the ball mainly laterally to beat the high press, midfielders regularly dropped deep to receive the ball then passed laterally as if to allow the Codes’ high press to drop back then when the ball eventually reached our wide men, they usually stopped, danced a bit, allowed the opposition defence to set themselves and then either passed back to a teammate or swung the ball in to meet the head of one of the Codes’ big stoppers. A friend described the experience as akin to watching David Raya plus ten Ray Wilkins playing. Perhaps I exaggerate a tad, but this was a very frustrating game to watch.
Of course, the efficiency of Newcastle’s high press and low block did slow down our attacks but our desire to pass the ball to feet facilitated that block as midfielders sought out a clear pathway for a pass to feet and opposition players sat on or in front of possible recipients. Our midfielders turning from right to left and back again, then choosing a square ball or a back pass became a frequent feature of this game. This Newcastle team proved a hard nut to crack.
After Newcastle’s early vigorous start in which Joelinton skied the ball over after 3 minutes, we played our way into the game and began to dominate possession. There were several near things. After 13 minutes, Timber headed a Rice corner wide from a decent chance. A Rice free kick from wide right, caused bedlam in the box with a Martinelli shot blocked by Tonali, a Saliba shot blocked by Burn near the goal-line and Havertz’s toe-poke smothered by Dubravka. A taste of things to come, sadly! Timber then met another Rice corner that he sent over and this one really should have hit the net. Our set pieces were getting closer! At this point we looked a good bet for the opener.
Yet Newcastle remained dangerous on the break. Isak beat Saliba and cut a ball back from the byline which reached Hall whose shot, blocked by Gabriel reached Tonali via a poor MLS clearance and the Italian blasted a great opportunity over the bar. A warning!
Then, after 30 minutes, a sumptuous one touch ball out of our own half from Trossard gave Martinelli a one-on-one with Dubravka. Sadly Martinelli’s shot hit the post and rebounded. Another Arsenal corner followed leading to another scramble in the box which ended with a superb block by Botman to another close-range Havertz effort.
Shortly thereafter, their goalkeeper lofted a long free kick to the edge of our box, Botman nodded it on, we failed to clear the ball, it bounced to Murphy who got a lucky touch to Isak who had lost his marker, Ødegaard. The on-form Toon striker thumped the ball high into Raya’s net.
A foul on Partey at the edge of the D offered the chance of a swift equaliser but Ødegaard’s effort hit the wall. As 45 minutes loomed a close-range Gabriel effort was blocked by Dubravka.
Half Time: Arsenal 0-1 Newcastle United
An Opta stat that Newcastle had blocked eight Arsenal shots in the first half was ground for half-time optimism that we could wrest this tie back under our control but the vision of Barcodes throwing themselves in the path of goal bound shots in Keownesque fashion was the abiding image of the half. We had 58% possession, 14 shots vs 5, 3 on target vs 2 and 19 touches in the opposition box vs 10. Surely the second half would see us finish the job?
We started the second half on the front foot and had Newcastle under early pressure but after 6 minutes the shit hit the fan. A Murphy pass found Isak inside our box. His shot was parried by Raya diving to his right but fell to Gordon who put it in his net at the far post.
The rest of this half was a siege, albeit often in slow motion as described in the opening paragraphs. On 58 minutes, Havertz missed a sitter, the ball looping from a deflected cross to him in the 6-yard box with only Dubravka to beat but he shouldered it wide. That could have changed the complexion of this match and the scale of our task in the second leg.
On the hour, Arteta then put Jesùs and Jorginho on for Trossard and a tiring Partey. Interestingly, there was no attempt to add Sterling to the mix despite our need for a goal. Five minutes later, another excellent Rice corner was headed wide by Saliba from a few yards. ‘Nice Eddie’ then put Kelly, Barnes and Longstaffe on for Murphy, Willock and Isak, adopting a 5-4-1 by adding Kelly to the back line and leaving Gordon up front on his own.
The siege resumed and was met with stolid, brave, last ditch defending. A Jorginho strike from 20 yards was blocked by a diving Joelinton before Almiron replaced a flagging Gordon and joined the midfield line to make their formation 5-5-0.
Arteta’s last throw of the dice was to replace MLS with Zinchenko who took up an ‘inside left’ position in the absence of any attacking threat from Newcastle and got a yellow card on 80 minutes for a magnificent challenge on Joelinton. The game played out with more pressure and more blocked shots. Jorginho fired a beauty just over the bar as 90 minutes came round.
Full Time: Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle United
Match stats show 70% possession, 23 vs 7 shots, 3 vs 4 on target and 47 vs 15 touches in the opposition box. The key difference was that they had an on-form top class striker who scored the first and ‘made’ their second. For all my hyperbolic criticism of our pedestrian build-up in the opening paragraphs, I must credit the team that their heads didn’t drop, their efforts never flagged and they kept trying right to the final whistle but it just wasn’t our night. Newcastle put in a superb defensive performance without displaying many of the dark arts we have seen from them before and took their few opportunities well. They deserved their win.
I thought that Saliba, Ødegaard and Havertz in particular played as if they were still suffering from post-viral malaise and none of those three, despite much effort, showed the quality that we have come to expect of them. I have seen much angst, anger and criticism in social media but in truth we have played less well this season and taken the points. The effort was there, the crispness, the final ball and the finish just weren’t and at the other end we had two unlucky bounces of the ball.
I am optimistic that this Arsenal team, when we throw off the viral lurgy and get a few of our wounded back, can win this tie in the away leg in Newcastle.
Believe!
Onwards.
[This was originally scheduled to be Lonestar Gooner’s review, but life moves pretty fast and Baff had to step into a temporary breach. Nonetheless, here’s LG’s piece as a fillip to Baff’s. — eds.]
We Must Save Ourselves…
Jan 8th, 2025 by Lonestar Gooner
Let me establish a couple points from the start: (1) Newcastle are a good team in very good form. The barcodes brought a substituted line-up (no Guimarães) to the Emirates, rode their luck, finished their chances, and established a solid (but not insurmountable) lead for the Carabao Cup second leg. (2) The Arsenal are a very good team in fair-to-middling form. Of course there are numerous explanations, we’ve recounted them ad nauseum, but, even if the team is not serving up scintillating fare at the moment, we produced enough to win our match.
Alas, make no mistake, we’re in the washing machine right now…
The Lineups
Less than seventy-two hours from a mentally and physically draining trip to the South coast, Mikel Arteta once again drew-up the ranks, this time to welcome the Geordies to North London. Undoubtedly, the team had been running on the thinnest gruel, paracetamol, and Biofreeze, but the gaffa fielded perhaps the strongest side available (which was almost perfectly predicted by Bath’s quality preview). Given our squad’s current fitness levels and rotation needs, I thought it was quite a strong line-up (perhaps I would have gone with Bath and started Jesús, but, hey-ho), and Arteta clearly penciled a team designed to give it go:
Raya
Timber—Saliba—Gabriel—Lewis-Skelly
Ødegaard—Partey—Rice
Trossard—Havertz—Martinelli
Gordie, I mean, Eddie Howe also fielded a team designed for a protracted skirmish. Fair play to them, Newcastle did not sit back and low-block us from the off; rather, they came to play. With height at the back, swift thuggery in the midfield, and top-level finishing leading the line, Newcastle would be no mugs, and much like Alexander’s phalangites squaring off against Darius’s Immortals, quality “finishing” would make all the difference. Deploying in a 4-3-3 formation, the visitors looked thusly:
Gordon—Isak—Murphy
Joelinton—Tonali—Willock
Hall—Burn—Botman—Livramento
Dúbravka
Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 1
Although the visitors deserved credit for coming to the Emirates in a mind to play football, and this could be down to their lack of fear (interesting Orbinho statistic: Arsenal had failed to score in four of their last six matches against Newcastle), Arsenal played some dominant and very good attacking football for the first thirty-five minutes or so. Attacking the Clock End, the Gunners produced wave after probing wave. Havertz was denied a point-blank attempt, Timber spurned a presentable chance from a corner, Gabriel shot wide, and Ødegaard blasted over. Newcastle attacked when they could and Isak’s cutback really should have forced Raya into action. One rare Newcastle foray into our half produced Arsenal’s best chance of the night when Partey and Trossard combined to set Martinelli free on goal. Trossard’s first-time pass split the Newcastle midfield like a hot knife through butter, and Martinelli’s control and pace left him with just the keeper to beat. Shaping for the near post, Gabby’s shot seemed poised to ripple the back of the net only to cruelly smack the post and rebound into touch. I melted into my couch…this felt like it could be one of those nights. And so it proved. From what appeared to be a foul on Rice, Newcastle were awarded a freekick, and the keeper’s ensuing offering was nodded down, split Saliba and Gabriel, and was rifled home by the in-form Isak. It was poor from our red Twin Towers, but, not for the first time this season, the margins had broken against us, and the Geordies were enraptured.
HT Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 1
Although Gabriel forced Dúbravka into another brave save from close range, Newcastle had the lead they craved and began to settle into a low block. Arsenal would have everything to play for in the second half.
Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 2
Truth be told, many of the Emirates support (the criminally quiet crowd was rumored to be heavily populated with tourists) had barely returned from their halftime snacks and constitutionals when Newcastle’s strike force extended their lead. Somewhat against the run of play, Isak was allowed to receive the ball in the Arsenal final third and rifled a cross-cum-shot towards Raya’s far post. Raya was only able to parry the ball, and Gordon beat an uncharacteristically inattentive Timber to the rebound. Once again, the Magpies had breached our defenses.
FT Arsenal 0 – Newcastle 2
The traveling horde in black and white could scarcely believe their eyes (neither could I). Newcastle had played for a smash-and-grab, snaffled it up, and prepared to sink back into their lair like a satiated badger. And they defended their lead like a badger protecting its hard-won carcass from a marauding bear. Arsenal pressed. Newcastle sank back. Arsenal replaced the ineffective Trossard with Jesús, the again impressive Lewis-Skelly with Zinchenko, and Partey with Jorginho. A quick word for the eighteen-year-old MLS, we really have a good one on our hands here. At least twice, he received the ball under pressure in our eighteen-yard-box and either rode the challenge into space or drew the foul. He plays with moxie, intelligence, and maturity…get him on an improved contract please.
Arsenal continued to probe and dominate possession, and, on about sixty minutes Havertz contrived to “head” a deflected cross…with his shoulder. Newcastle responded with fresh legs (Harvey Barnes, Almiron, Kelly, and Longstaff) and curled up into an obstinate 5-5-1 formation. The Geordies made block after block as the Gunners alternated between peppering the Newcastle goal and blasting shots over it. In the end, the good guys were unable to convert chances into goals, and Newcastle galloped off our pitch and into the second leg with a two-goal cushion.
Conclusion
In many ways, this result has been in the post. We’re a tired team. Losing our skipper for more than ten weeks (along with Benjamin White’s absence) placed a heavy mental and physical burden on the team. Losing our best player for likely the remainder of the season has poured water on a drowning man. Our attack, at times, looks stunted, but, if you study the stats… (well, I’ll just leave that there and observe that we simply got varianced, we got footballed). Critics abound, and many, rightly either question how the team has found itself in this predicament or, more importantly, ask what the Board and front office can do to remedy our offensive malaise. Loud voices clamor for January attacking signings, but, unless these folks know some form of sorcery, I haven’t seen a list of gettable names (it takes two to tango…)
No, I’m afraid the team will be on its own to grit out nine games in January (last year, Arsenal had three January competitive fixtures). I think Mikel has done a yeoman’s job of keeping this injury ridden, snake-bitten, and physically and emotionally depleted side second in the Premier League (within six points), third in the new and improved Champions League, and into the third round of the FA Cup. Lest we forget, this Carabao Cup semifinal is far from over, and, if any team can go to St. James’ Park and steal a result to go through to the final, I’ll back us to do it.
So, I’ll not tell anyone how to support the lads, and I have no idea whether we’ll receive any January reinforcements. But I do think it’s time for Arteta to tell the boys to break the pots and pans, sink the ships, and burn the tents. We’re on our own, and at the end of the season, either we’ll sleep in our opponents’ tents, or we’ll just (metaphorically) sleep. Take care, ‘Holics.
MCMBD.
A fair assessment of a disappointing result, bath. But an early goal at St. James’s and it will be game on.
Adam Clery of Four Four Two offers this interpretation of the game. He is a Newcastle fan but keeps his analysis commendably even-handed.
Saw the same game as myself, at times was the most frustrated ive been for a while at our lack of finishing but the optimism at the end has rubbed off on me thanks BG
Thanks Bath, pretty much how I see things as well after a couple of days to get over the disappointment of the actual result. On we go, after I hope some extensive shooting practice before the next game.
Lonestar Gooner had some things going on that prevented him getting us his match report quite on time. We’ve published it below Bath’s fine work, so for this post you get double your money.
Blimey, two blogs for the price of one! Cheers baff and LG. Not sure why the ‘Edit’ button is active on LG’s post.
It never occurred to me before – where is the law of nature that says there can only be one match report per game? Excellent reports by Bath and Lonestar. I’ll be retiring in a couple of weeks and can take on more reading material 🙂
thanks, ollie @5. fixed. —eds.
Thanks LG!
Another fine report and the right tone at the end.
Nice one Baff. A very measured report. You are right that we slowed play down too often but also that the heads didn’t drop and the lads kept plugging away even if they didn’t get rewarded.
Cheers Lonestar. I thoroughly enjoyed your report and the tone was spot on for me. Newcastle were good. They had a game where they rode their luck and it enabled their gameplan to come good. As you pointed out, on another day we could have won the same game by a greater margin than they won this won, it was just a matter of which team took their chances. The badger vs bear comparison was spot on!
Like London buses no report and then two come along at the same time!
Feeling much more sanguine this morning about things. Four days to work on things, and rest, and vitamin supplements for the ill should get us back to where we should be. Another game for Arteta to work on his best players and formation for the right wing issue.
And United haven’t become good after one game. They’ll be shite again for us hopefully.
This time next week we’ll be in the next round of the Cup and beaten Spurs. Players coming back to form and fitness. What’s not to like.
I know there has been a lot of talk first about us missing out on Isak when Newcastle signed him and secondly about us buying him from Newcastle now but he’s not a player I am hugely interested in. Of course, he’s a good player, but I’m not sure he is what we need.
When he was potentially available, we were trying to get Vlahovic, and I understand why. Football has changed a lot over the years but the tradional idea of having wide players who cross the ball and strikers who head goals is as effective as it has ever been. Vlahovic is a big, strong bloke who is good in the air, as well as being capable of making runs behind defences. If there is one thing that the game against the barcodes showed us it is how valuable an elite attacking header of the ball would be for this team. (After they shut up shop I did wonder why Merino wasn’t brought on for exactly that reason).
In terms of a template for the summer, I’d say we need a left winger (Williams, please) and someone to knit Rice (at 6) and Odegaard together, and we need a striker who’s pacy and good in the air. Isak is a lovely player, but he is not particularly strong for a tall bloke and he contests and wins far less headers than Havertz. He only bothers to press when he feels like it too. I don’t think he’s a good fit for this side.
Right now, we can’t overhaul the whole team. For me, central midfield needs the most work, we need someone with top passing who can start a bit deeper than Odegaard and get the ball forwards quickly. That would require a lot more coaching to move away from the team’s curent secure setup, requiring us to take more risks. It can’t be done mid-season.
The simplest solution is not a reversion to a mid-Wenger side (good to watch with skillfull players but lacking trophies). We don’t need Odegaard and Trossard to be Cazorla and Rosicky. We need to look further back.
Before Arsene, Gorgeous George built our success on defence. On being hard to beat. Currently our best player is injured and our most creative player is out of form. Martinelli, Trossard, Jesus and Havertz will all score some goals, but not hatfuls. Enough to win matches if your defence is mean enough though.
What we are is a tough, well-organised side that is hard to beat. Also, everyone else seems to have it in for us. I see no reason why we should respond to this by playing open, expansive football that inevitably leaves gaps in our defence and costs us the points that eke out our challenges for trophies into nothingness.
The player we need in January is as close to Chris Wood as we can get. A tall, strong header of the ball who would thrive in this team when we aren’t hugely creative but can still work good crossing positions. We will still have days when it all clicks and we score some lovely goals. But we are also capable of scoring from a set-piece and winning ugly from there. We need someone who accentuates that ability.
Let’s just lean into our strengths for a few months. Let the media whinge about set-pieces and dark arts, just like they did when we were winning trophies under GG. If we can get our first-choice striker then great. But if not then let’s do a loan for the biggest, meanest bastard we can find and start chucking him up top for the last half hour of games where we need a goal. It won’t be pretty, but it will be damned effective.
With the way referees, other fans and the media have been this year, there is nothing i would like more than watching their blood boil as we batten down the hatches and grit our way to succcess.
One nil to The Arsenal is still the best chant in football.
But second and third best are Boring Boring Arsenal, and Same Old Arsenal Always Cheating.
Bring me that sweet, sweet music…
Sancho at 10. This is a definite possibility, fingers crossed!
These reports certainly offered a realistic perspective, no blind optimism, no dooming.
Top work.
I post this without comment
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2025/01/08/premier-league-footballer-accused-rape-police-pass-file-cps/
Many thanks to Bath and Lonestar for those twin reports on a game I didn’t see and thus spared myself considerable frustration from what I read. It’s important that we didn’t, and won’t hang our heads but continue to do our utmost in this and every competition and let our strength return as it will. COYG
Re GSD@11: This
On Bath’s report first, great summary of the game all pulled together perfectly by your carefully considered three final paragraphs which bring some very appropriate perspective to mindsets daunted and bruised by a defeat.
Much of the criticism and negativity around our team’s performance in the ‘sphere’ has focused on speed of ball progression – understandable and backwards/sideways is frustrating to watch. On the night I found our defensive errors more concerning. Both goals were conceded poorly. Raya, Saliba, Gabriel and MLS all seemed overly and unusually troubled by Isak’s presence in their midst.
Barcodes midfield performed well and did that without the odious Guimaraes. He’s a difficult individual to like but he is a very effective contributor. Despite that, there is a part of me (in keeping with GSD’s desire for a ‘biggest, meanest, bastard’ up front) that hopes he might replace Partey at season’s end. If we’re going to spend money in Newcastle, my money would be on the Brazilian rather than the Swede. (Nope, TTG, we’re not talking pubic hairstyles here 🙂 ).
Two match reports and two good ‘uns. Lovely jubbly, to quote Del Boy.
Gentlemen,
Thankyou for two excellent and fair reports . My first observation is that Newcastle played one of the games of the season . Their two centre backs played out of their skins and they have two excellent young full-backs . I don’t know if it was Dan Ashworth who acquired them as well as Guimaraes ( who I find loathsome but can play ) , Gordon and of course Isak but their recruitment has been excellent .
I have huge respect for my friend GSD’s opinion but I totally disagree about Isak. He is a complete package and it’s interesting that Newcastle sold Wood when they acquired Isak. His mobility , touch and positional instincts are outstanding. I just worry he might be injury prone but he is the nearest player to Henry since the great Frenchman retired .
I thought we played ok but we didn’t recruit anywhere near as well as we did the season before ( when we did brilliantly) and lack in penetration and creativity if Saka and Odegaard aren’t available or fit. Merino, Calafiori and Sterling don’t move the dial enough and we’ve needed a predator for a long time .
We ran out of legs at this time last season but went to Dubai and refreshed and reset . This year we have lost our best player, had a debilitating virus , seen Odegaard struggling post injury , Rice is knackered post continuous football and Martinelli and Trossard are 7/10 players when we need slightly more . Also our terrific centre backs are having a little dip but that happens at their level
But we have unearthed MLS who is a huge asset, very brave on the ball, able to progress attacks very effectively in tight situations and physically strong. He and Lewis Hall will fight for the England left back shirt for years unless MLS moves into midfield ( re GSD ‘s note could he be the midfielder to knit with Rice ?)
Our big priorities are the Champions League and Premier League and we really need to find a way of invigorating the squad – and now not in early February but that doesn’t look likely at present . But Arteta is a fine coach and will find a way to get us moving again .
TTG.
Isak is indeed excellent. But, like Henry, he’s not much in the air. Even Thierry wouldn’t have helped much against the barcodes as we crossed high balls into the box!
If we’d payed Sociedad the buyout clause then that would have been a good move and we’d have evolved differently as a side. But I think that to make Isac work now we’d probably need another 2 or 3 signings, and his price would be so exorbitant now that we’d not be able to afford much more if we made a mega move for him. Frankly, we missed the boat, and I’m not sure we can rectify that mistake by paying Newcastle £100m+ and his huge contract.
If he signs, I’ll be happy enough. It’s just that I’ve seen plenty of chatter from Gooners about him being the final piece and I can’t really see it, especially for the fee. Pace and strong in the air are my 2 priorities for a striker.
It’s an interesting idea about MLS in the middle with Rice and Odegaard, TTG. Dunno if he has the physical profile Arteta wants but he’s strong for his size so maybe. We’ll have to see more of his passing, as we really need vertical passing, done at speed. Players who can do that are rare.
I dislike Guimares as much as anyone else who’s seen him play, but I’m fully with BtM that he’s just the right type of player for the role.
A report replete with satiated badgers, carcases, marauding bears, snake bites, tense tents and sinking ships and more positivity in adversity than DJT combating Covid with a bottle of bleach, Lonestar. Great, epic read!
Martinelli smacked the post and the ball went wide. Isak smacked the bar and the ball went in. Raya parried a cross and it fell to Gordon in the clear. Dubravka parried several and they fell in a forest of black and white socks. On such margins hang the outcomes of football games, managers’ reputations and the mood of the Gooner faithful. We did indeed ‘produce enough to win our match’ but Newcastle managed that little bit more where and when it mattered leaving us with a challenging deficit to overcome in the second leg.
Like you, I thought MLS (one wayward pass excepted) was excellent. Zinchenko came on late and made me wonder if he has enough in his brain and legs to provide some of the creativity in midfield that we’re lacking at the moment.
Much football to be played. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Nor did they say it was going to be quite as hard as it feels at the moment.
Thank you Bath and Lonestar for two excellent reviews of two different flavours, nicely complementing each other.
Lonestar, whatever challenges life must have thrown at you to make your otherwise impeccable punctuality (unlike myself, who meets punctuality only gingerly, making her wait through ungentlemanly lack of temporal organization) slide for this time, my best wishes in resolving those.
I am with TTG above in recognising Isak as exactly the type of player that would make this team’s evolution towards greatness a faster and smoother experience. If I am allowed a bit of jibe, it feels to me that we Arsenal fans saying that a striker like Isak is not what we need has an Aesopian sour grapes feel to it. 🙂
Football is a game of simple efficiency, especially in both penalty boxes. All the tactical evolutions that the game has gone through have all had their roots in (a) getting the ball and the players closer to the opposition penalty box as much as possible and (b) failing that keeping the ball and the opposition players away from our penalty box as much as possible. This part the current Arsenal team does well enough, almost always, except that (b) to (a) transition tends to be slower in the context of our current efficiency rate in front of the goal. Not always, not as a theme or a pattern, but often in the key moments of the season.
I see two reasons why that is so: (1) tactically we are biased in favour of not conceding at the expense of attacking risk taking (which is the default psychological mode of individual football players, an instinct that they learn to curb and tune in service of the collective tactical focus), (2) we are not clinical enough in front of the goal especially under psychological pressure.
The #2 is the kind of problem best addressed by a clinical finisher. Aubameyang comes to mind — whatever our opinion about his personality etc. are, and irrespective of his fallout with Arteta (notably just a year after Mikel convinced him to stay on and build his legacy), Mikel relied primarily on his finishing ability for our last silverware which was won based on solid tactical and positional defending and 1-in-2 chances precision of Auba at his best. Even Unai’s tactically chaotic team with subpar defenders went to an European final just because of goalmouth efficiency of Auba and Laca. Jesus, Kai, Saka are all better footballers than Auba, maybe even much better, but none of them brings that unerring efficiency.
In addition to efficiency, a central forward of the Isak type also brings in technical excellence in hold up play and being the focal point especially in fast transitions. Not only he played a part in scoring both the goals, but much of the Newcastle good attacking play used a very simple tactic of using his pace, close control and diagonal passing as the springboard for fast counter attack. I can very well imagine a team where in Saka’s absence Jesus plays on the left wing, Kai as the lest sided 8, Rice as #6, Martinelli as the right winger, and a striker of that type as a goalscoring counter-attack-springing #9. And when Saka returns one of Jesus/Martinelli sits on the bench, other one plays on the left, and Bukayo starts on the right. That’s our first eleven. I think that team will score more goals especially when under a lot of psychological pressure in the key moments of the season, while the rest of our tactics and personnel remain unchanged.
I think it’s very unlikely that Arsenal will fork out the (rumoured) £150M (just think about that number for a moment) required to sign Isak. Sadly, I think that a new striker in this window is also unlikely – a winger may be possible.
In the category of ‘biggest, meanest, bastard’, Liam DeLap, currently plying his trade as a Tractor Boy, comes close to meeting some of that profiles characteristics. At 22, in a squad from which Jesus, Trossard and Sterling may have departed, he’d be a very fine EPL tested substitute when we needed a goal, has a work rate that Arteta would admire and offers promise of performance growth to regular starter. We’ll need more than two new forwards with differing profiles. His profile and price point may make him a contender.
GSD
Beautifully argued ! I see your point. My admiration for Isak was partly based on his superb header against us this season. He passes muster in the air for me . Not many current strikers would get that one
As for MLS I saw a youth cup tie against C130y where he got the extra time winner and he played in his natural position in midfield. When Benny Blanco is back, he and Timber can be the full-backs and MLS could push into midfield
We can lust after Isak to our hearts content but we have missed that boat. Swiss Ramble and Magic Hat have suggested that Arsenal has significant PSR headroom but I am afraid that BtM is right. We’ve missed the Isak sliding door. Magic Hat is clear that we don’t have the resources to sign Isak for the £150-200m transfer fee that the Codes will demand, pay the salary he will demand and fund the knock on pay rises that our squad’s agents will demand. We chose to chase Vlahovic the summer Isak left Real Sociedad. Had we made an offer, I am sure he is intelligent enough to have chosen Arsenal over Newcastle. I expect him to go to a very rich club when he next moves – there are less than half a dozen candidates. We might still catch Vlahovic or Sesko next summer of we can sweet talk them and offer a decent financial package. When we were taking chances on young strikers in Arsene’s era, we didn’t make a good job of it and a series of duffers passed through our gates. I hope we have a better eye for a prospect but strikers unproven in the PL are always a gamble. Hence BtM’s suggestion of Delap is not the daftest idea. He’s raw but adds power and aggression to the attack.
The news tonight that Benny Blanco and his wife are expecting their first child explains the reasons why our team has stuttered this season.TMS – Too much shagging. We now have Benny, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus awaiting babies and Martin Odegaard has just become a dad. Clearly the lads are heavily involved in extra curricular matters and not doing the business on the pitch .
I’m amazed that a team of good-looking , fit multi-millionaires are spending their leisure time in this way when a few hours of practice in front of goal might solve our problems . I hope Arteta steps in and refocuses them away from the sins of the flesh.
If he banned lovemaking three days before a match at the current time no player would ever have sex !
TTG@18 and TTG@20: MLS was a midfielder coming up in the Academy. He was only recently switched to left back, perhaps with a prescient eye to the first team’s coming shortage in that department or on succession planning for the post-KT3, Zinchenko, Tomi era. There are plenty of elite midfielders who are not tall. N’golo Kante, Xavi and David Silva come readily to mind. MLS has shown he is strong and doesn’t get knocked off the ball. He has also shown examples of having an eye for penetrating, vertical passes. One thing I have noticed about him in his first-team games is that he frequently plays the simple pass, but he does it quickly, so it is effective (unlike Zinchenko, who often dallies on the ball for too long before making the obvious pass.)
Cheers, all, for your kind words and well wishes. All good in Dallas, just an unexpectedly busy week in the office.
TTG has properly sussed things out I’m afraid. Too much attention to marital duties has left too little in the tank for football. Might be tough for this season, but the future looks bright.
When I played grade school football, my coach strictly forbade “extracurricular” activities three days before our games. Needless too say, Monday night “study halls” were, erm, well attended.
MCMBD
TTG@26: I am reminded of a Brian Clough quote about it not being pre-match sex that tired his players out, but their being up half the night looking for it.
Rare though it is for me to have a kind thought for Sean Dyche, I think the way Everton’s new owners sacked him hours before a game and without even a public ‘thank you’, was churlish in the extreme. Nothing wrong with new management taking decisive action, and firing folk fast and early is M&A 101. Yet, as both the club and Dyche had clearly come to the end of their mutual road, surely it would have been a better look for the new owners to have held the door open for Dyche to walk through unaided rather than unceremoniously boot him out by his backside.
Interesting segue between one type of lust at 25 (Bath) and another at 26 (TTG). Not sure there was supposed to be any connection of course.
TTG @26 – As Rocky’s trainer, Mickey Goldmill knew and said all those years ago: “ Women Weaken Legs”!
Sins of the Flesh ha ha.
Come on you Baptists!
Most likely to drive change and get us a goal when we’re under the hammer?
1) Jesus
2) Trossard
3) Havertz
4) Beast in the Making
Delap would certainly add something different to our attack and complement the options we have. I suspect Ipswich would be rather reluctant to part with him whilst in the midst of a relegation battle though. So he will certainly join the list of options in the summer and might be the one.
The repeated mantra on that clip was intriguing. What does it mean?
I believe City have a buy back clause for Delap. Not that any club ever uses one. Presume the player also has to agreeing he might not want to be a fourth choice option.
In the summer there was talk that Brighton wanted £100m for Evan Ferguson. Even if they’d accepted less than that, I can’t see them taking less than £60m. Dunno if others agree with that? (I am taking into account that Brighton always drive a hard bargain). Given any fee for him would be a fee for his potential, as so far he’s actually done very little and not scored many goals, it does rather show the paucity of the market and the necessity of taking a punt on a player who we hope will develop, or paying mega money for one who already has.
Maybe Sesko or Delap could be in the former category. Personally, I’d much rather buy one of them and still have the money to pay Williams’ release clause than just buy Isak (or any other potentially available big hitter).
It is a tough market though, and a replacement for Edu who really knows his stuff and has the contacts and the killer instinct to take some calculated risks in the market is really what we need. Garlick and Lewis are top people, and even if they are naturally risk averse they are bright enough to see the team needs additions. What they may need is someone to sell them on the vision of what significant outlays can bring to the club, and I don’t know if Jason Ayto is that man. Our January options may be limited by our lack of a full-time Sporting Director. It’s another reason why this will be a tough month to do deals.
If we can bring in a top guy in the SD role then we could have a big summer in the market. I reckon a loan from abroad or a £40m signing under the age of 24 who won’t block other new signings are more likely than anything else this month.
I read somewhere that we’re talking to Tomas Rosicky about the SD role, no idea if that is actually true. He has apparently been doing a good job in Praha.
I’m probably taking this quote from Amorim slightly out of context but it still made me chuckle when I read it on the BBC.
“I really love my players,” added Amorim. “I want to keep them, especially the talented ones.”
Especially the talented ones. Genius.
GSD@39: A statement that implies he has untalented ones, too, although I guess we already knew that.
To be fair, I have said before that United has a talented enough squad that, at some point, a manager will be able to get a tune out of them. Perhaps United is working on the theory that if they get through enough managers, then eventually, by the laws of probability, they will randomly come across that person. It is the inverse of the Chelsea strategy of buying zillions of players to increase the odds that a random selection of eleven will start winning games.
Thanks Bath and Lonestar !
I’m very late to the party as, apart from work, there’s been a lot of urgent reorganising to do this week around my upcoming knee replacement. It’s been a lot of upheaval so apologies for not engaging in here.
TTG @26 – they could still have it 2 days before a match … 😳
manger of the year, he’s got tHa manager’s ear : GOldMertesackerUndFrankensense. Keep keepin’ it stable at tha back.
>>>>>>>