When I sat down to write this preview the first thing that struck me as I pondered the upcoming season was how much the whole vibe around the club, the players and the supporters had been changed by our FA Cup win, benefits both tangible and intangible were gained that day. If we had not so steadfastly put Chelsea to the sword a month ago this would be a very different season preview. Potless in more ways than one, the discussion would have been around our worst league position in a millennium, our inability to win big games and our lack of resources to meet the challenge ahead. We would not have watched another Wembley win, this time over Liverpool, or even had the simple pleasure of chuckling over trips to Bulgaria for the neighbours. But we did win and thank Dennis I am not writing that preview.
Instead we go into the new season with reasons to be cheerful indeed. One two, three for starters – firstly, the trophy cabinet is freshly stocked as we’ve remembered how to win, secondly new players have been brought in with more to come if Edu is to be believed and thirdly, our current crop of youngsters – Saka, Martinelli, Saliba, Smith-Rowe, Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Nketiah, Willock, Tierney and now the new Gabriel are all plausibly challenging for regular starting places though the jury is still out on some.
In fact, I’m a blockhead as there are far more than three. We have the strongest keeper duo in the PL, we have a core of experienced players through the spine of the team, we have Auba to sign, we have Dani back and I haven’t even got to the really good news yet. This season will start with a fan base united behind our bright young manager after what seems like an eon of pointless bickering and mistrust, the players seemingly fully committed to the plan and actually understanding what it is, and then we have Mikel himself talking the talk and walking the walk like, well, like a top class manager. Truly our cup runneth over and buoyed by success we bounce into the new season; that is the difference a trophy makes.
Of course the problem with bouncing is that you come down again eventually and as I think more deeply about the coming season there are, as ever, more questions than answers. Rather than take those questions one by one I would like to look at them as they relate to our challenges in the coming PL season. As Mikel Arteta himself has already pointed out it is great to win cups and to beat big clubs in one-off games but the real test for this team is to win consistently and to return our club to the top of the table. In terms of that challenge I see 3 fundamental questions – 1) Are we good enough? 2) Do we have the will? 3) Do we have the depth? Be nice to answer yes, yes and yes and finish this piece with a cheery “see you in Islington for the trophy parade” but they are difficult questions to answer and the fact that the transfer window closes nearly a month after the season starts doesn’t help – that is not a criticism as it was I think unavoidable – for the simple reason that key areas of the team will most likely see changes in personnel between now and mid October. A look at our results since the restart doesn’t really help much as a form guide either other than to show Mikel was absolutely right to point to a lack of consistency as our biggest challenge internally. The external challenges I will deal with summarily later. On then to the first of those questions……..
Are we good enough?
The past two or three weeks on Goonerholics Forever saw some excellent analyses of the strengths and weaknesses in various areas of the pitch. I will not go over old ground other than to say you’d have to travel a long way to find a gooner who is satisfied with our defence in the central areas or our creativity going forward. However, contrarily I will answer my own question with a tentative yes. Why tentative? Saliba and Gabriel must prove capable of hitting the ground running, in all honesty that is a big ask as we have already seen from the large number of centre backs we have signed and discarded over the last few seasons but it must be done and it can be helped by the second caveat – we must sign at least one player in central midfield with the speed of thought and movement to both win the ball and then use it to drive us forward. Finally, Auba must stay fit. I am sure that between them Pepe, Laca, Eddie, Martinelli, Saka, Nelson and now Willian (quite the supporting cast now that I put all the names on paper) can provide goal-scoring support but Auba is our only top class 20 goal a season striker. So much for the why tentative, now to the why yes. It is possible with the caveats above that for the first time in a few seasons we can field a strong side in all areas of the pitch next season, certainly good enough for the Top 4. A cheery thought.
Do we have the will?
Watch us against Wolves or Southampton away after the restart, never mind Chelsea and Man City in the cup and I would say the answer is yes. Watch us against Brighton and Villa or indeed any of the bottom six last season, with the exception of West Ham bless ‘em, and the answer is to me no. We dropped 15 points against the bottom 6 sides last season and we cannot do that again and expect any improvement in our position this season. The odd bad result yes, after all Liverpool lost at Watford and Man City at Norwich just from memory last season but 15 points is not acceptable. This is not a matter of ability and it is a problem we have had for several seasons. Personally, I think it is Mikel’s biggest challenge, one that he certainly hasn’t solved yet and one that I must regretfully accept may not be solved this coming season. I am not blaming individuals, it is a team problem – the players can see it happening and they are the ones who must be driven enough to do something about it. I would love to see progress in this area, flat-track bully is not an insult to me in football terms. Confidence gained from winning the FA Cup will help but it is not a matter of confidence either, it is a matter of determination to win every time you walk on the pitch. The players talk the talk well but then do not walk the walk. That is possibly harsh but some of our performances both before and after the restart were infuriating. This is where Mikel must earn his money – he’s explained the plan, the players get it and now they must produce – and I hope he will be ruthless with slackers. I was as angry as Guen after the Brighton game but it was our own fault not Maupay’s regardless of his sneaky assault. Seeing is believing on this question at this stage but I am as always hopeful. Fulham away is a good place to start. One thing that could help is the better- balanced squad that Mikel & Edu have talked about. We are going to need it and it also takes us to the next essential for success in what will be a brutally congested season.
Do we have the depth?
As has already been widely predicted this season will be tougher than an ageing warthog, and there will be more injuries than usual, particularly muscle injuries and that’s without the damned virus. In all honesty I’d have preferred some competitions to be suspended for a year but the time for that discussion is past as greed has once more prevailed in a 1st Rd KO. In the circumstances, having every position effectively covered is even more critical than usual. In seasons past both Leicester and Liverpool have won the league with weaker squads than Man City but I’m doubtful that will be the case this season. The balance must be right of course. It is pointless having three great left backs if we have no one to cover at right back. However, at this moment I would answer yes on the depth with the same caveat applying in central midfield. Again, the transfer window makes a definitive answer impossible but personally I would not like to see either Hector or Laca sold – much as I like them both I am not yet convinced that Eddie or AMN are the answers at CF or RB / RWB through several months of games. Squad depth is the reason I would sell AMN before Hector, Laca or either of our goalkeepers this season if we must sell to strengthen. I understand people will disagree and point to the excellent job AMN has done in recent big games on the left and they would be right to, but we have new center backs, which should free KT for that role and Saka is a good choice when we want to be more attacking. The right concerns me more. We can’t sell Cedric and I’d honestly rather keep Hector than AMN at this moment to play either RB or RWB though there’s less in that there was and time may prove me wrong.
I suppose when we look at what we need to get back to the top of the table as Mikel wants (all of us too no doubt) – and by the top I mean challenging for the title and not scraping into the Top 4 though I’d take that for this season – then two out of three ain’t bad with some judicious buys / holds between now and the end of the transfer window. Of course there are more factors involved but our fixture list is reasonable, our team doctor is staying and our executive team looks less cluttered. I should also say something about the board I suppose as it is, after all, running the club and therefore I will duly note that they exist.
But what of the external factors then?
The Opposition
Man City and Liverpool must be our two main targets this season. In Man City’s case Silva is gone and Aguero aging plus Pep seems recently to have lost his pip and pop, the poor pup is down to the pap. Still, they will be a challenge even with their Shitty defence. As for Liverpool and Klippity Klopp, well we won’t talk about Klep and Klap in this case as one is a sensitive issue for the bindippers and the other shouldn’t be discussed in a family blog. However, few teams retain the title and they haven’t looked the same force for several months now. A quality side but we’ll see whether they can raise their game again. Man Utd and Chelsea have both spent money but I don’t see that it’s money spent wisely and their mangers are both overrated. Though of course Mikel will treat all our opponents with respect, as will the players I have no such constraints. The rest are little teams and should be dispatched accordingly. Well, I did say I would deal with the externals summarily so you were warned. In all seriousness I’m a firm believer in putting our own house in order rather than worrying about the opposition and if we can improve our attitude under Mikel’s guidance then I believe we have the quality and depth to challenge.
In summary, buy a decent CM, turn up for every game this season and the results will look after themselves because you have quality. Easy for me to say of course but it is not actually impossible for Mikel and the players to do, so just do it lads.
I cannot finish without mentioning my biggest hope for the season – our fans return, everyone stays safe, and we get through the coming winter in the best of health. A happy and prosperous 20/21 season to all the gooners everywhere.
I almost forgot………..
The HolicsRopeyLeague is running again in the Fantasy League this season and the more the merrier so please just let us know with a quick post in the comments section if you’d like to sign up and we will send you the code. I look forward to crushing you there.
First. Really?
First things first – congratulations on an excellent piece Matt.
I agree with the general tone of your article, and in particular with the optimism. My brief answers to your three questions:
Are we good enough? Not quite.
Do we have the will? Yes
Do we have the depth? Not quite.
To my mind the huge issue we have to solve is consistency. I believe that as with a young player, so with a young team – which the Arsenal 2020-21 is, not solely in terms of the age of the players, but also in terms of the time they have spent together – this is an almost inevitable deficiency. We’ve seen since lockdown eased that the team are more than capable of looking like world beaters one week (well, almost) and mid-table Championship fodder (well, almost) the next. It’s an issue that will improve almost automatically as they get used to training and playing together over the weeks – particularly if they are expected to play pretty much the same way each week (something that is more probable this year than last). For me, possession of the will isn’t in question, the ability to deliver the goods week after week is more problematic.
That said, since July, we have delivered twice in consecutive matches on two separate occasions – against Liverpool in the league and Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal, and against Chelsea in the final and Liverpool in the Community Shield. This is progress, and it indicates to me the possibility of a dawning realisation among the players that they need to produce regularly, and also that they are able to. Maybe the days of thinking “Wow that was some performance against Burnley / West Ham / whoever. What a shame they didn’t keep it for Chelsea / Manchester United / whoever in the game” are over?
I think Matt is being overambitious saying the Manchester City and Liverpool must be our two main targets this season. “Targets” in the sense of that’s where we are aiming to be – yes. “Targets” in the sense that they are the teams we focus on beating – sadly, No. I believe that the teams we need to focus on beating this season are Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester City. We cannot even, in my opinion, be confident that we will beat Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
I will judge this season a success if we achieve three of:
Champions League qualification;
A deep run in the Carabao Cup;
A deep run in the FA Cup; and
A deep run in the Europa League.
A trophy would be nice, but I think consistency is the key, so I’d accept quarter-final or beyond in two of three cup competitions rather than one win and two early departures.
Finally, a return to normality in terms of the balance of power along the Seven Sisters Road is almost non-negotiable. The days when that was such a formality it wasn’t worth thinking about, let alone speaking of, cannot return soon enough.
COYG
The cool early September weather here, combined with Matt’s lengthy preview gave me the idea to take a halftime cuppa in the middle of the thorny ‘Do we have the will?’ section. Now returned to my chair with cup in hand, I see that as I feared we may not yet be quite up to par Will-wise but have passed the Osaka test on the other two fronts which calms my nerves somewhat. But I trust Mikel will have spent the summer fashioning steel Will suits and fitting them on the players this week and last. Pity those who fail the fitting, but may they quickly be on their way and trouble us no further.
Having now finished my cuppa and read da whole ting, I must say that was a cracking preview, right on the money in all key respects, and it has raised my anticipation quotient by several levels. Top job Matt, and come on the season, and come on the Arse!!
I hope it will be a great season for you and all the ‘holics.
Cheers, Matt – great work and some nice references to the Blockheads and their choons.
What we don’t need in the new season are too many iandjuries.
You’re welcome, Clever Trevor 😏
Matt, all the way from the beguiling city of Osaka that I visited on business so many times , what a great season’s preview, the first since our inspiration, Dave Faber, sadly passed away. I am confident that he sits there with a celestial, never faltering, internet connection, looking down at this blog and chuckling. I am so excited at the prospect of this season. Our young Basque manager is the mutts. It may take one, two, three seasons, but we are coming back to the top table under Arteta.
Here we go. Craven cottage. The best away game in the Pemier league. My second team due to family connections. So sad we can’t be there in person.
Come on you Gunners. Great job Matt.
Matt,
Congratulations on a fine and comprehensive preview and one that while optimistic is also realistic. A few seasons ago I remember exchanging emails with Kevin Whitcher on the eve of the season and both of us confessing we had no enthusiasm for the new campaign.Shortly after we lost 8-2 to ManUre and the upshot was the infamous trolley dash that brought Andre Santos to the Grove . It also brought Mikel Arteta and that relationship blossomed . He has transformed the club, his vision is coherent and I think Pangloss has set sensible parameters for measuring success except that in a shortened season like this I don’t give a toss about the Carabao Cup.
Matt, I think you have identified the key priorities very clearly and I share much of your optimism. The club has huge disadvantages financially in comparison with its main rivals but we have shown that we can match them all in one-off games . If our recruitment is right we can match them in a proper tilt at Champions League qualification…and possibly more
@4
Clever Trevor indeed
😂
Excellent preview, OM. The right three questions to ask and probably correctly answered.
Consistency is key in the league. Win all your home games, beat the bottom ten away and draw with the top nine, and the title should be yours. Easy-peasy, this managing lark.
Chelsea will be the wild card this season. They have has a strong transfer window but equally need to integrate a lot of new players and something seems to be misfiring with their most promising youngsters. They will be able to beat anyone on their day, but will be inconsistent. The Bindippers and Citeh will be the teams to knock off their perch, Klopp will get another good season out of his team, but then he will need to start rebuilding, as Pep is already doing. I fancy Peop will end up a place ahead of Klopp come next May. I would love to think also that he will be a place below Mikel, but that will take a lot of stars to align, starting in the rest of the transfer window. If we could take third, that would be a tremendous achievement. Not sure that United have it in them to sustain a challenge, and will be less than the sum of their parts, some of which are very good. Rodgers will keep Leicester there or thereabouts, but they may struggle for goals as Vardy is ageing. Everton could be the new Wolves/Sheffield United as they, too, have had a decent window so far.
Pangloss: I’d like one bit of silverware somewhere along the way. Just to keep the winning habit going.
Trev@4: Knock me down with a feather.
The Women’s FA Cup quarter-final between north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will be broadcast live on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer.
The match will be played on Saturday, 26 September, kick-off at 17:15 BST.
The 20/21 competition kicked off this weekend and they haven’t finished last season’s yet.
Daniel Ballard given the runaround by Erling Haaland as Northern Ireland were hammered by Norway. He got pulled at half-time.
An excellent and thoughtful preview, Matt with just the right blend of cautious optimism and ambition. I would answer your 3 questions as Pangloss did: not quite, yes and not quite.
Like TTG, I tend to dismiss the Caribou Cup as an objective and see it as a testing ground for our youngsters and new signings for as far as we go. On the other hand, as he observes, a piece of silverware would maintain that winning habit and reinforce our players’ hunger for more winners’ medals and belief in their ability to do so. There aren’t many pots available, so if the kids and tyros get past the Lestah hurdle, then perhaps we could take it seriously.
The mood is SO different from the beginning of last season and that is entirely down to a certain MA8.
C100, good call on the Guvna. Drinks on the bar for a toast to his memory.
Hector invests in Forest Green Rovers
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/08/arsenal-hector-bellerin-invests-in-forest-green-in-eco-friendly-push?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
On the Carabao Cup, it’s a competition I don’t think we’ve won enough. We’ve been to two finals in the last ten years but lost both. However I’m not arguing for playing the full first XI in the early stages, though I would from the semi final on (if it’s good enough for City why isn’t it good enough for us?). Same for the Europa. I read people saying “just bin off the Europa”. I think that’s nonsense. We should aim to win every competition we are in.
Come on Hector and come on Forest Green Rovers.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/08/arsenal-hector-bellerin-invests-in-forest-green-in-eco-friendly-push?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
And thanks for providing a good reason to follow League Two. I do worry about FGR’s all wood stadium though in the event of fire, but if the insurance companies have approved it I say play on!
Excellent preview Matt, and as others mentioned, exhibiting a very judicious blend of optimism and pragmatism.
What I myself want to see is consistent competitiveness where we are maximizing every single strength of the squad and working collectively to cover every weakness. Half a season of Mikel’s transformative leadership promises to deliver at least that. Which is a definite progress.
What will be a successful season? At minimum top 4 and hence a return back to the CL. One of Europa or FA Cup win on top of that will be considered a very good season from my perspective.
My hope? Top 3 (after the two best teams in the league in City and ‘Pool) finish and Europa trophy. For a club of our history and stature our European record requires improvement and an Europa win should create an environment of self-belief in the club for more future success. Just like our excellent record in FA cup history now inspires towards more success.
I won’t pay much attention to the results in League Cup. A long-ish run will be good to get the squad involved, motivated and kept in match ready shape. But we should start with the second eleven, as we generally do.
An Icelandic police fine suggests there is more to the Foden/Greenwood affair than has been made known so far.
Bellerin also says going vegan fixed his ankle problems.
https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/arsenal-bellerin-second-largest-shareholder-league-two-forest-green-rovers/1lrjqt5lsue6n1483bu09qontp
Thanks everyone for the kind
comments.
Not enough raw meat must be why Hector
has lost that half yard of pace
OM. Right out there on the internet, on this admittedly non medical site, it says “As far as diet, except for fish, there really aren’t any animal products that have been shown to assist with decreased inflammation, joint healing, or pain relief.”
Hector must have gotten another opinion.
If I were Hector, with the disposable income he has at his disposal, I might try an all-sushi diet.
Funnily enough after a recent
bout with gout I’ve had scallops
kicked off my diet 😢
Not good for inflamed big toes
apparently.
Matt. Get your Dr to prescribe allopurinol. You’ll never have trouble with gout again.
Pangloss, Bath
No big argument from me on the
answers.
I rated based on gut feeling for
the will to win question and while
we’ve undoubtedly shown it in the
cups there’s been too many poor
results in the league for me to be
confident the corner is turned yet.
To be honest I’d give up all the
cups for a decent run at the title.
It’s been too long since we’ve
shown that kind of week in,
week out consistency.
In getting to yes with midfield
reinforcements on quality I
thought who I’d really take from
the other PL sides that would
make us better.
It came down to Alexander-Arnold,
VVD and Salah from Liverpool,
De Bruyne from Shitty and a head
scratch over the midfield players.
There really isn’t that much quality
at CM in the league at the moment.
I’m quite probably guilty of over-
rating our players but that was how
I saw it. Kante maybe and Fernandinho
certainly a year or two ago but the
rest are much of a muchness except
for Pogba – but I wouldn’t want him
at our club.
bt8@19: As far as I know the highly available Omega-3 in a fish diet helps with the inflammation etc., and a non-vegetarian diet heavy in meat and dairy (both with known inflammatory impacts) and low in fish is hence better avoided.
There are plant sources of Omega-3 as well — algae for instance, or seaweeds, have high amount of those, as are certain seeds and nuts like flaxseed, walnut — so a purely vegan diet has options. Which is what I think a top level athlete like Hector will have been recommended by his nutritionist.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/06/premier-league-2020-21-fans-previews-part-1-arsenal-to-leicester
Fun club-by-club season preview in the Guardian written by fans, especially the Arsenal writer’s prediction of Mourinho to be the first manager sacked, closely followed by the Everton writer’s prediction of Klopp for the same distinction. At least with Mourinho, we know there is a good chance of it.
Other interesting parts: Brighton writer picks Arsenal to win the league, and I would love to agree but wonder if we can even do the double against Brighton, unless Mikel’s magic is even more potent than heretofore proven.
And, last but not least, the Fulham writer’s amusing introduction: “So, are we feeling optimistic? Of the season starting: yes. Of the season finishing on time: less so. Of Fulham topping the division: much less so. But of “merely” staying up? A definite maybe …“
The football fest continues, with every Premier League match in September (the first three rounds of matches) to be broadcast live. Amazon and the BBC get one, bottom of the chip bag, game each.
best of luck to Tyreece John-Jules
who is off to Doncaster for the
season.
Thanks for that one, Dr. F., other than taste predilection it must help explain Japanese wisdom as well as my tendency to order seaweed salad along with my sushi. A definite win-win flavor and health sensation.
Dr F@24: bt8’s @20 seems spot on, then. Sushi gives you fish and seaweed, providing you avoid the tamagoyaki.
There are several ultra-endurance athletes who are vegan and put their success down to switching to a plant-based diet.
Hector is not your average Premier League footballer . Having seen some of his girlfriends I am sure he would have been minded to invite Icelandic beauties to his room but I think he is too sensible and community-spirited to do it unlike the Manchester oiks.
One of my friends, a very big Gooner himself represents Hector in some financial matters. While he was necessarily guarded about what he could say he thought he was immensely intelligent and very different to most footballers he represents ( most of whom would have infringed the bio-secure bubble for a shag ). Not your average footballer
OM@23: Perhaps we could give this fellow a run out in midfield. He looks the part.
https://www.arsenal.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images/DSC_7592_2020090812820278.JPG?itok=BQKcUFkN
A very thought provoking season preview, Matt. I like the questions you posed and I think the answer to all three is Partey.
Add Partey and the balance of the squad changes very significantly and nudges us into “Yes!” territory on all of the questions.
There is never anyone more distraught than me after a defeat by the lower lights. I prefer ‘lack of creativity’ to your diagnosis of ‘lack of will’ to win these games. The red light starts flashing danger as soon as we start a never ending seres of cross field passes on the half way line while a bottom dweller sits back, yawns, smiles and watches us do it. We need to crack that nut.
Sokratis has joined Napoli on a free. Not our best deal of all time . Mislintat’s ‘ Golden Eye’ must have had blurred vision when he was with us. Auba is the only standout success
With John- Jules leaving on loan it suggests unless there is a striker incoming both Nketiah and Lacazette will stay
Ainsley makes his England debut. Well done that man.
Eddie scored again for England U21. Just the one though. Still, seven goals in three matches 🔥
C100. If he keeps doing that he’d better watch out because somebody might start calling him Eddie Ngolia. 😉
Sokratis may have followed Mkhitaryan out of the door on a free, but it is £15 million a year off the wage bill for the two of them.
Still not quite enough to cover Ozil sitting under the umbrella for the year, though
Heartily these highlights of Arsenal 3 Liverpool 1, of 36 years ago, especially of Viv Anderson racing down the right wing to cross for Talbot’s second.
Looks like Anderson set up Woodcock too as well as standing up strong in the Arsenal defense. Commanding presence, and a joy to watch.
Ned @8
A much fairer assessment of the
opposition than my own. And I’d
be completely unsurprised if the
predictions turn out correct.
@31 yes, we could do with him!
Class player and very important
for us – plus he knew when to
stop.
bt8,
sashimi, seaweed and sake –
a great pleasure. Especially with
oily fish 🍶
An excellent pre season review by our man in Japan.
The good news is my Carer’s duties end on Friday,just in time for the trip to Craven Cottage to open the new campaign.
Hopefully post match we will be atop the table for a few hours at least.
Cheers
Nurse GS54.
Lovely to have you back Clive . Hope all is as well as possible with you
Let’s hope we start with a purpose on Saturday.
Bt8
I remember that game . Going forward Viv Anderson was possibly the best right back I’ve ever seen playing for Arsenal. With Anderson and Sansom, O’Leary and Adams we had a great defence . Sadly he chose to move on to Old Trafford
@38
Thanks bt8, I was in the Clock
End that day and remember it
although somewhat hazily.
I’d been to a one day cricket
final in the morning to watch
Surrey and then headed over
to Highbury, quickly as it was
an earlier than usual kick off for
some reason, to watch us go
top of the league. Great day,
but actually the high point of
that season!
New season, new injuries. The Telegraph says that Luiz has a neck injury and is out for a month. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/09/09/exclusive-arsenal-facing-blow-david-luiz-injury-doubt-ahead/
Thanks Clive and BtM!
BtM,
Did the code work ok for the
Fantasy League?
Hello all,
Nice preview, Osakamatt. I didn’t manage to nail down the 3 questions myself, whilst pondering about the upcoming new season. I seem to keep flitting between “we cannot expect 2 exciting but very very new-to-the-league centrebacks to be our immediate saviours, can we?” and “it will be a collective effort, if we can manage to improve on last season’s team improvements”.
Very loathe to share @32 (hello BtM old chap, by the way)’s idea that the one supreme answer would be a tremendous CM that can be the main cog in our midfield engine. But doesn’t it seem like that’s what we’ve been trying to do, since forever? Might even be the case where we might need to imagine a share of that magic entity between 2 players, perhaps similar to Coqzorla. But who? Over to Mikel.
The big “However” is, the hopes and dreams for this season are much more positively influenced at this juncture;
a) Mikel is still Arteta-ing
b) We do not need to depend solely on Luiz at the back anymore
c) Our home kit is still Red with White sleeves
d) Goonerholics have a place to continue to lift each other, if we are that inclined!
I do miss Dave’s calming perspective and am not looking forward to Christmas time this year. But I believe I will find comfort in our collective solidity.
As we should hopefully find comfort in our burgeoning collective solidity on the pitch.
Up the Arse.
P.S – I expect the bar to be fully stocked on Saturday.
Good to see you Steve-o. A glass of your favourite tipple is on the bar.
I share your expectations for the bar on Saturday. Hopefully the place will be rocking.
Just noticed the “supporters – not ‘fans’ – ” thing on The Gooner Twitter feed. Bit silly that, but hey ho.
Excellent post Matt.
I’m excited about this season. I will have to wait and see who comes and goes before being any more definitive than that. Man City and Liverpool will be the frontrunners. Chelsea have ignored the pandemic as they try to spend their way to success (same old same old) but I reckon they’ll be strong. Screw Manure, Leicester and Spuds.
I reckon we could get third and that Mikel is very likely to guide us to the top four at a minimum. If we win a Cup as well that would be great. We might fancy the Europa. We always fancy the FA Cup. The league cup depends on Leicester and the youngsters, but is our lowest priority as usual.
It should be a season where we can achieve a return to the Champs League and build something that we can push on from strongly next season. Mikel wants to be challenging for the top honours and he won’t be messing around in his first full season.
It’s good to see Clive and Steve-o in the bar.
People are starting to file in, get a drink in and draw up their preferred seats for the season ahead. I like it.
COYG!
Clive@45: good to see you back in. Hope all is well. You, too, Steve-o.
I didn’t spot Clive nipping in for a swift half. Good to see you, sir. Hope to read more of your wisdom once your carer duties are over. Hope all is going well for you and yours.
@52: Hello GSD, seems like forever and a day, honestly.
My preferred seat would be under the Tollie Brollie, whilst the sun is still shining!
Failing which, I’d like to be as close as I can to the whisky section of the bar.
And hello bath, NB Ned.
Anyone here able to get hold of Esso? I haven’t been able to get in touch with him since moving to this side of the world!
Esso is a regular contributor here Steve-o and was part of the group that got this new blog up and running. I’m sure he’ll be along shortly to say hi!
@56 Thanks Clive! (I’m assuming from previous ‘drinks’)
Hah! A case of mistaken identity! Clive is Gooner Since 54.
You must forgive me, taking a while to figure out / remember the names again.
Thank you, kind 100th Man of the Country.
No worries Steve-o. I’m Paul.
Steve-o
A very nice and constructive post. You are very welcome here.
It is amazing that while we have umpteen CBs we are struggling to put a defence together for Saturday. While the two new CBs are very exciting it isn’t ideal if they are thrown into a new season immediately . It may be the making of them but it is a risk . I was hoping that Luiz would be able to shepherd them though the first few games but that is not to be and we go to Anfield in our third game .
For this reason I’d like to retain Emi in goal while the defence is bedding in and keep as much stability as possible based on the progress we made last season. On top of all the issues we face , it may be mid- October ( eight or so games in ) before we have the framework of our 20/21 team in place .We are not alone as lots of transfer activity will be going on into early October when it will intensify but it would be helpful to have our midfield in shape as soon as possible if we are not to be trying out formations for weeks after we have acquired the new team . In this respect while we cannot expect KSE to pump money into the club they could lend us the cash to accelerate the team building rather than us have to wait until we’ve sold all of the players we will have to before we can set up deals
There is a little complication of Pepe’s first season posted on Arsenal Facebook. Goals and assists and skills. It was noticeable — and that’s how I remember— that many a times Pepe received the ball deep in our half and used his skills to get us out of pressure. There is nothing against an attacker helping out in the defense but last season for that reason obvious reasons we attacked more down the left and used Pepe’s skills a lot as a defensive security.
The goals and assists show that whenever he has the ball near the opposition penalty box he is very effective. What he hadn’t often had last season is a support on his right. Often he will have the balm and there will be 2-3 defenders on him and no one dragging them wide. As the goals against West Ham or Brighton showed if we can get him one-on-one against defenders even against a deep lying defense he will make high quality attempts at goal as he can produce accuracy, curve and power quickly with very little backlift. Our shots on target numbers have been really low and we have relied so much on Auba’s freakish efficiency. Against teams defending deeper we need to create more attempts as well as have runners arriving late in the box from midfield. Getting Pepe more on the ball near the opposition box with the right back/wing back running outside him will help a lot with the first one. For the second one we either need a new midfielder or convert one of our more technically gifted player — Saka coming inside? — to play that role.
Little compilation even … 🙂
I agree with you @ 62 Doc. And I fully expect us to see a lot more from Pepe this year.
When 2 or 3 defenders are on him like a rash… Pepe has the balm 😉
GSD @ 64: ha ha ha! Just noticed what I posted. This is TTG-level (sorry TTG) auto-correct extravaganza. 🙂 🙂
The more context awareness they are trying to build in these auto-correct algos and as a result correcting perfectly valid words I think we will have more such amusement. 🙂
Some very learned people are saying William Saliba is too young at 19 years of age for fans’ immediate expectations to be overly high, but may I point out that he will be 19 1/2 on 24 September, which raises the bar considerably.
What age was Tony Adams when he was a nailed on first team choice?
If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. He needs precocious wisdom to play CB at the top level without serious errors at the age of 19.
Speaking of raising the bar, that is a high one c100 but if he is to be in contention Saliba must have a bit of time even as he has some growing to do. But there is nothing like having a trailblazer to show you the way.
C100
I think Tony made his debut at 17. He was a regular by 19
Martin Keown was playing at a similar age
We have little option but to play Saliba on Saturday. Mitrovic is a tricky customer
TTG/GSD/Bath/NBN etc
Thnks for the welcome words, i have missed the bar these past few months.
But when your best mate of nearly 40yrs standing gets diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the prostate,PSA reading of 22,then everything else takes a back seat.
So from diagnosis, to meetings with Specialists,endless tests,MRI scans,Biopsies,Petscans etc,i was there with him every step of the way.
I delivered him to the Hospital for the Op,and was there to pick him up when he was discharged.
He has stayed with me for his recovery period of 21 days,and for the first 10 days or so he was like death warmed up,with a catheter attached that seemed like a lead weight on him.
But i knew he was on the mend when he starting complaining that i wasn’t wearing a Nurse’s uniform and that i wasn’t reading him a bedtime story. !!
But the cheeky bugger kept the best for last.
When as a longtime Hammers man,he started “thinking out loud” trying supposedly,to remember the game in which Trevor Brooking scored his solitary career goal with his head. !!
I drive him home on Friday,and have told him his comeuppance will arrive very swiftly next Saturday at the Ems,and if he suffers a relapse as a consequence,the Old folks home near him has vacancies.
Life is good again,
cheers
Easy to say we’ll help someone
of course but much harder to do.
Respect for that Clive and it’s
good to hear your mate is
getting better.
What OM said@72. You are a diamond, Clive.
Reports that PSG’s Areola might join on loan as a back-up keeper, allowing Emi to be sold to Villa, turn out to be total Horlicks as the Frenchman has signed for Fulham.
Great to have you back, Clive, good on you for your attentive nursing of your friend, and I’m glad for you that your nursing had such positive effect.
I wonder about the Guendouzi/
Draxler stories – we really don’t
need Draxler I think.
I read he’s in the final year of
his contract so perhaps have
a mutual problem-solving in
mind. No.
Clive
I tend to judge people by their commitment and loyalty to friends in distress, Your selflessness is a wonderful example of true friendship and let us hope your friend recovers welll and keeps the cancer at bay .
My only concern is that you are closely associating with a Hammer. Is this a wise move? 😃
Good to have you back mate and lots is happening with the young players at the club. Keep safe
Ornstein says Aubameyang deal is done and will be announced imminently
https://theathletic.com/2000017/2020/09/10/aubameyang-new-deal-contract-arsenal-arteta/?source=user_shared_article
That’s being a real mate, Clive. Well done, sir.
Fingers crossed C100, fingers crossed.
C100: Ornstein suggests Auba will become our highest-paid player. The new Ozil?
I think the key thing there is the tense “will become”. When Ozil leaves in 12 months.
I think when we win the Champions League, the World Club Trophy and the quadruple with Auba winning the Golden Boot he will earn more n Ozil.
His current deal contains a chunky loyalty bonus which he would have forfeited if he’d naffed off so strike one for Huss Fahmy who put the contract together.
When Auba joined us I was delighted but thought he was probably a flash git who would use us as a stepping stone and his ego might cause dressing room problems . I’ve heard today from someone who speaks to him regularly at the training ground ( most recently via Zoom) that he is a delightful bloke, polite, charming and very good-natured and someone who knits the dressing-room together and is very good with younger players . Ornstein underlines that Arteta was the deciding factor in getting him to sign on . He is a very persuasive fellow our coach !
I can see how Auba would be loved by the younger players. That laugh of his is infectious while the clinical finishing will earn total respect.
No laughing. Having watched every one of his home games last season when he played for Minnesota United on loan, I am sure Monaco are making a good signing.
Not only that, but the home club here are looking much less assured defensively with Vito no longer in the team.
It would appear that Mikel has been promoted from Head Coach role,to First team Manager,which now includes he and Edu being solely responsible for all things relating to the First team,from recruitment/selling/loaning players,technical analysis,fitness etc.
Whole process now streamlined with clearout of all the talent spotters Globally.
Much leaner and cleaner operations now set in stone.
It’s taken a while,but i think all Gooners can look forward to a brighter future at the sunny,culturally superior end of North London.
It appears Emi is leaving for Villa and we are genuinely interested in Raya at Brentford .
Presumably the goalkeeping coach has given his blessing to this activity and would know the three keepers well.
I wish Emi good luck , he did a superb job last season
Good insight into the impacts Per and Mikel had on the squad when they joined in that 2011 summer and how currently they complement each other.
https://theathletic.com/2054149/2020/09/10/per-mertesacker-mikel-arteta-arsenal-revival/?source=shared-article
Between our new CEO, new manager, the technical director and the head of academy the average age of the core leadership is 38. That’s brave and progressive, more like Arsenal.
In another interview Edu mentioned how the scouting will become primarily data driven using StatDNA that we already have in-house.
Hello, all.
Always a pleasure to read your musings, Clive. Your 71 particularly put a smile on my face. Hopefully, your mate recovers very fast and we do beat his team just enough to make him feel sad but not enough to complicate his recovery.
Emi to Villa, Hector off, Papa to
Napoli, Rob to Newcastle, LT to
Italy, Guen to PSG, Laca to
Athletico, AMN to Wolves. We are
giving the press full value this
close season.
Looking forward to football tomorrow!
And congrats to Mikel on his
promotion – the difference a trophy
makes 😁
Thanks Dr F for the link @87
No 8-2, No trolley dash, no
Mikel and Per? A fateful game.
Stepanovs is an influential man
Nite nite, Matt.
Day day probably more appropriate.
TTG @77
Thnks mate
I tend to work on the principle of whether they would do the same for me if the situation was reversed.
In this case a resounding yes.!!
The fact he is a Hammer is intertwined all the way back to my youth and the disparate collective of my family.
Which i will enlarge on next week before we meet them at the Ems.
I do hope all well your end.
Thnks to Cent and others who kindly responded to my post.
Top man Clive. Dave would be proud (and I have no higher praise than that).
Football tomorrow. Excellent!
Fantasy League would be easier if I had a bloody clue who Arsenal might be fielding in defence.
The Athletic article posted by Dr Faustus at 87 above is truly excellent (well it is written by Amy Lawrence). But for those who can’t get behind the Athletic paywall here is the free to sit Guardian version. It’s not as good, but gives you the gist.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/10/arsenal-mikel-arteta-promotion-to-first-team-manager?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Free to sit? Free to air I meant to say.
Morning all.
Anyone else excited about tomorrow? I get the feeling we won’t be out the blocks in terms of fitness and “carrying on where we left off last season” just yet (that said, last two official matches resulted in a record winning trophy and a funny for-the-people shield, does that mean we are a cup team now?).
However, I am fully immersed in the “early season promise” bowl of hopeful soup.
Thanks for that link @94, the last bit just reminded me of how bored I am with the Ozil story. Yes, we need creativity in the midfield department. No, we don’t need someone who doesn’t fit and buy into our Manager’s non-negotiables. Ozil hasn’t been a fit in our team shape for almost two full seasons now(and I am still quite bitter that we kept Ozil instead of Ramsey). If Edu can drop him off at his aunt’s farm in the countryside, that would be the defining ‘let’s go in full hog’ moment for me.
Arseblog appears to be down this morning. Anyone else finding it unreachable?
Slips a pre-, pre-assist forward to the edge of the opposition box for…
Thnks GSD
Much appreciated.
Morning Bath,
Arseblog has been on the blink for quite a while.
Morning Clive. Good to see you.
Curls ball towards penalty spot for…
In there like swimwear!
And the virtual fans on the virtual screens on the real-life tv screens cheer wildly with the canned chants!
Sokratis and Luiz both out for
tomorrow. We should see one
of our new CBs if not both
Well in for the ton there GSD
Congratulations GSD ( bloody goalhanger 😃)
I think we will play a three at the back tomorrow- Saliba/ Holding and Tierney . Gabriel on the bench .
Only Arsenal can have 9 CBs and struggle to find three able to play . Mari looks like he will be ready in about a month
Well, at least Tierney is used to playing in a back three with numpties and tyros.
The Arseblog site has progressed to a message:
“403 Forbidden”
Well in the for ton, GSD. You made quite a splash.
If Martinez is off to Villa, then the best of luck to him. He bided his time dutifully and took his chance superbly when it arose. He deserves a shot at being a No 1.
@106 – me too, Bath. Glad that you’re sharing the problem and this isn’t a function of my visits to some of the exotic sites that TTG recommended I visit 🙂 Or maybe he recommended the same to you?
ESR crocked, too. Injured right shoulder. Out for at least a week.
Arseblog appears to be back.
That is Martinelli and ESR injured in training and David Luiz aggravating an injury in training. Players are clearly putting their all into it, as Arteta demands.
Btm
Do you mean the ones that say ‘ Welcome back TTG ‘ when I log on ?
Strong cultural benefits will ensue
Arteta keeping feet firmly on the ground at his presser:
Things look brighter, in my opinion, but there is still a long way to go. The gap I was talking about is still there and we have to make sure we fill that as much as possible.
Arteta communicates very well and has virtually confirmed Auba and given a positive update in transfers despite how complicated deals are to do. Apparently Barca want Hector but can’t raise the fee and want to offer us players in lieu.
It’s a bit like someone asking to buy your car and offering the discarded contents of their shed and the sweets at the back of the dressing table that are covered in fluff. We don’t need Draxler or any other makeweights from PSG or Barca ( unless it’s Messi ) I would be interested in a Lacazette- Partey deal though
Twiddling my thumbs waiting for an email that is looking increasingly like not arriving. Which is a bit of a fucking liberty, frankly.
In rather surprising news, I find myself not caring about the new season. The fact that my local grass roots club’s game is off because the opposition have Covid cases is occupying my thoughts more than tomorrow’s game. :/
Ned @ 114.
“The gap I was talking about is still there and we have to make sure we fill that as much as possible.”
After the conversation above it took me a second to work out whether you were quoting Arteta or TTG. 😳
Sounds more like Wolfie than TTG, GSD…
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>