Month: August 2023

That was tough and painful to live through even if the outcome was excellent. Three points. Clean-sheet. Surviving with 10-men. That’s what you need to be successful. Grind out a victory after dominating the game.

Of course, this game was under control until Tomi was penalized with two dubious yellow cards. The first one was a team yellow – Tommi barely had the ball after receiving it from Have-that for the throw-in. But the second one was just none existent. Tomi is an intelligent player and knew his situation. He barely brushed against Ayew. That was not even a foul let alone a yellow card. This was no different than when Eddie fell over in the box in the first half. But this changed the game. And, just to show how inconsistent Coote the referee was, Ayew who had been booked early on, also pulled back (albeit very lightly) a player later on but Coote did not call that.

It was a test we passed though and one that will help us further down the line. The will appreciate how important it is to find a way to win; to defend. In truth they barely forced a save from Ramsdale. In front of him Saliba was always in control (apart from his one slip in the second half).  The vulnerability was without a left-back and with Partey at right back that they would get round the wings. But eventually with the third substitution we moved Partey back into midfield.

Fulham will be interesting. Assuming we can’t appeal the moronic second yellow we’ll be down yet another left-back. This seems to be our cursed position. First Timber then Tomi. Soon no one – apart from Cedric – will want to play left-back. Partey is clearly not a natural right-back though. He really is not comfortable defending. He was pulled out of position and seems to be one tackle away from giving a penalty in the box. Today he just about escaped. But then when he’s pushed into midfield he looks so much more relaxed and confident. Whereas at right back he tends to give the ball away.

Rice on the otherhand continues to shine and excel. Today he was dominant. He reads the game so well and quickly challenges to win the ball back. It’s early days but this looks like money very well spent. He solidifies the team, provides a backbone. And with Saliba behind him helps define the spine of this team.

Have-that still is finding his way. It says a lot about the trust Arteta has in him that he stayed on the pitch for the entire 97 minutes. He was moved into different position as the game and circumstances evolved. I’m still adjusting to his style. He is not a dominant player. He quietly goes about his business. Sometimes you have to watch carefully to see how hard he works and tracks back. He is a little too conservative with his sideways and backwards passing. But he suits our possession game and he seems to work hard to win the ball back. Of course, if I was Trossard, I’d be wondering what it will take to start a game; but the season is long.

Most of our play, of course, was down our left with Saka being the main attacking instrument. Mitchell – who might be a nice addition for us (except he can’t invert) – marked him quite well. Nonetheless, he is still our key threat. On the other side Martinelli actually had a chance in the first few minutes but took too many touches. Thereafter he worked hard and found ways to create as well.

Which leads us to Eddie. What a conundrum he can be.  He hits the post and then misses a relatively more straight-forward chance. He is a natural poacher – each of these instances demonstrated that. He was unlucky with the first but will be having nightmares over the second. But he continued to work hard, make himself available against a packed-defense. And then earned us the penalty with his quick movement and thinking. A clear penalty. Sure Partey stood in the way of their defender but Eddie already well and truly lost his marker. So, thankfully, VAR did not intercede. In fact, more generally, when you think back to when VAR first appeared there is a clear change now. We are moving away from re-referring to the expected “clear and obvious standard”. Sure, it will surely fuck us at some point this year but the direction of travel is right.

At that stage it felt we’d then benefit from Palace attacking more and thus allow us to create more chances. But Coote robbed us of that. Overall though it’s clear Arteta is trying a different approach this year. It’s not clear this will work but we have to give it time. I remain unconvinced by Partey at right-back but without Zinny, he wants the ability of Partey to invert. And he wants to fit Have-that into the team. The balance though is not quite there. Odergaard did not get to create too much today. Often we played at pedestrian pace.

Of course, we’ve played two teams the live and die by the low-block. I’m not sure we’ll see that from Fulham on Saturday. And, that approach constrains the space. But it just feels like we’re a little light on the creative spark. It feels like there is too much of an imbalance in this team. We don’t have proper full-backs and we have Have-that still trying to adapt to our style of play.

Maybe against the more expansive teams we will see that creative side sparkle – as we did for long periods last year. At this point, of course, the most important thing is to gather the three points as we take the time to get comfortable with Artetas’ new approach.

I’ve already mentioned it, but how refreshing is it to see such strong players coming off the bench. Jorghino, Zinny and Kiwior. In part years that would be Numo, Sambi and Pepe (and even Cedric). So this squad depth thing is real.

Around us we see some interesting competition. Those wankers down the road have finally figured out how to play football. Just at the point they have sold their generational goal-scorer and now, instead, have to rely on Richarlison to score them goals. What perfect karma is that. And United looked, as ever, bereft of ideas. Truly a team of individuals. Brighton looks very impressive. Both on the field and in the bank.

Their bank balance blooms (no pun intended) just as LAChelsea hoover up yet more youthful players just as we realize that a little bit of experience can help guide you through. They will surely regret selling Kovacic. And while we’re talking about LAChelsea, it should be noted that while the entire summer has been spent bleating (not by me I hope) about the wanton amount of  money that the Saudis have been throwing at headline grabbing players, we should not exclude LAC from this. They have spent an outrageous amount of money. It’s beyond careless. There has to be some accountability for this. As potentially damaging to football as the Saudis spending is, the more clear and present danger is from LAC behaviour. And, as ever where is the FA on this? To their credit Newcastle, with all that government money have been far more judicious. They have been targeted and careful – not wildly overpaying. LAC somehow can sweep up two £100m+ midfielders and then casually add Lavia.

If a team ever deserved to self-destruct it would be LAC (well, in addition to those wankers down the road). City look imperious but clearly will miss KDB and Liverpool seemed to have picked up a couple of good additions even if they don’t seem to be quite at the level they used to be.

That leaves us with six points and a long road ahead. We need to figure out the right balance for this team. I’d like to see Gabriel back. But, again, I think this is all part of Arteta taking the Pep approach of rotating particular players and changing formations to suit the opponents.

Today was yet another test we passed. Only 36 more to do. I have to learn to pace myself. We just have to be close by in February/March. Until then, we should enjoy this team, the results and watch in admiration as Rice, Saliba, Odergaard and Saka drive this team forward.

-LB7

And so it begins. Another season commences but this time with expectations. The first time in over ten years. And with three points that’s a fine start to the season. Aside from the blip a few years back at Brentford we’re a pretty good bet for the first game of the season.

With a (nearly) full squad Arteta made a few interesting selections. Leaving Gabriel on the bench and going to a back three was more than justified. Forest elected to play attack versus defense. Barely crossing the half-way line. The preverbal park-the-bus strategy. It certainly does not make for interesting football or great entertainment. But that that’s what we can expect this season. Especially after we crushed them last year (at home). And, given the scoreline, they might well argue it was justified.

In fact, they could have taken a shock early lead if Johnson could shoot straight. A great chance through some careless defending. You can put that down to the unfamiliar defensive shape. Now that the wankers down the road have sold off their once in a generation asset, maybe they can – in the spirit of how they used the Bale money – acquire Johnson for $50m to play alongside that Conniving Ugly Nasty Tosser Richarlison.  

Thereafter, our wingers changed the game. Though most of our controlled play originated on the left through the brilliant Saka, that first goal came from Martinelli. As much as I love Trossard, it’s hard not to start our little Brazilian. Sure, there was a little luck involved but, as ever, his first move is forward, to take on and challenge the defenders(s). Then it rolled to Eddie who with the help of the defection from the man-mountain that had been tracking him evaded Turner. Thoroughly deserved and that helped us to relax a little.

And then the masterclass from Saka landed our second. It started with the Rolls Royce that is Saliba winning the ball back from the corner, a few interchanges with Odegaard and White before Saka unleashes a glorious shot. Unstoppable. This boy is priceless for this team.

Thereafter we went into cruise control. Given how deep Forest sat and how little room there was to work in it made our passing seem just too slow. But by then we were comfortably in charge. So it was a canter for the first 82 minutes at which point it became slightly edgy. Aside from their goal I’m not sure Ramsdale actually had a shot to save.

This goal reminded me of the kind of breakaway goal Wengers team would concede. I have painful memories of a goal just like this away at Swansea over a decade ago. As it did not cost us any points let’s just help it’s a learning moment for a young team. But it was noticeable that it was Rice, Trossard and White tracking back here. Why we would leave our defense so overexposed like this is naive.

At that point it made sense to bring on Gabriel to revert to a back four and see our the game even if it was more tense than needed. But, again, this was a good experience for this team. Even if you completely dominate the game, and you don’t press home your advantage, there is always the chance to concede a goal and change the momentum.

Most of the game felt like a stroll though. In hindsight, Forest should have pressed more in the second half as we seemed to be playing in second gear. I’m sure part of this is based on the new players, formations and tactics that Arteta is trying out. I liked the back three but we certainly lost something when Timber was felled (sorry). Let’s hope this is a minor injury because he has been a valuable addition to our team. It was good to see Tomi slot in but, again, Tierney must be wondering about opportunities in northern Spain. For me, this just amplifies again why you need such a deep and well stocked squad. One game and one injury. So please keep Tierney hanging around. For a game like this, against a defensive Forest, we did not need the defensive capability of Tierney.

Rice seems to have slotted in seamlessly. Often drifting out to the left and then dropping back to pick up the ball from the defense, Rice looks so commanding. Have-that was interesting. He seems to float around, mainly passing backwards. It feels like he is still finding his way. A little cautious and hesitant. He is such a different player to Xhaka. In the second half he drifted into the middle and, sometimes, out to the right where Saka and Odegaard hang out. And then Arteta moved him into Eddies spot. Arteta clearly has great faith in him and is giving him ample time to adjust to our style. Today he glided around with some nice touches but did not, in any sense, dominate. But overall he was pretty good. Of course, I remain a little skeptical but I’ll give him time.    

Odergaard is so pivotal to our creativity. When he is on the ball he seems to instinctively know how to open up the defense. It took him a while to get into the game but he is the one part of this team for which we don’t seem to have a replacement. And I say that knowing that Saka would also seem to be irreplaceable. Odegaard needs to be wrapped in cotton wool. Surrounding him though we had Partey who quietly controlled the midfield without any of his customary sloppiness.

As much as Arteta got the formation right it just felt that, especially from the point we were 2-0 up, that there lacked some urgency and pace to our game. We seemed to operating in pre-season mode at times. Again, I’m sure some of this is down to figuring out how to accommodate Rice and Have-that and the brickwall of Forest. But aside from the two goals we did not force Turner to make too many saves. Of course, at the other end I can’t remember Ramsdale having to make any saves.

With the vast array of coaches, sports scientists, and statisticians at Arteta’s disposal, the one coach that we’re screaming out for is a throw-in coach. We seem to take forever and an age to get the ball back in play. We saw last season the number of times our throw-ins would often lead directly to attempts on our own goal (and actual goals). Today it would often take 30 seconds and then we’d lose possession. I’m not an expert at throw-ins – my expertise is particularly limited to food consumption – but there seems to be a lack of player movement and speed of thought.

As much as it was expected, it’s important to collect the first 3 points of the season. Most teams won’t be as dull as Forest and that will enable us to play more freely. Also, our team needs time to continue to develop and evolve. Arteta is clearly moving to a different model for this year. Last year we had the most consistent and stable team selection; you could predict – aside from injuries – who would be our starting eleven. This year, Arteta looks like he has fully embraced the Pepe City model. Constant rotation. Last year we suffered when Saliba was injured. We have more depth now. And Arteta, I suspect, will make everyone work for their place. Only core players – Odegaard, Rice, Saka and Saliba – will be close to ever present. Not even Ramsdale will make that list now. Though I pray he does.

Success this year will be the top 4 again. That is the goal that, previously, our own fans used to deride Wenger for achieving. But in Wengers era, we were short of money and barely invested in the squad. Now though we have made hefty investments. But to expect to dislodge City is overly optimistic. As long as KDB is playing along with their ugly Norwegian, it’s going to take some mighty slip up from them. They have the experience, age and squad depth that we’re only just attaining. We are closing that gap but it still exists.

Around us though there is more competition than has ever existed in the EPL. It’s way beyond the top 6 now. We have, maybe, 9 teams potentially competing for the top 4 slots – or top 3 if you assume where City will land. Liverpool can’t be as poor as last year even if they have lost their midfield to the desert of Saudi and can’t seem to convince players to join them. Then there is LA Chelsea, still willing to pay vast sums to sign anyone with the advantage of no European football. Of course Newcastle will improve but will be stretched by Champions League. Brighton, will tons of cash, and a seemingly unique recruiting system, will also continue to improve. And there’s that other Manchester team with their dreary coach. Which naturally leads to our old accountant who has resurrected Villa and brought in some good signings. And there, of course, is the wankers down the road.

So, this season, there will be no margin for error. Let’s hope it’s not VAR that is the deciding factor. We were, thankfully, spared any intervention today. So, even though we did not shine so brightly today, we came away with the required three points and Arteta would have learned more about his team today. We will only get better, continue to develop even if we’ll wander off in the wrong direction sometimes. This is a team to watch. The investment is in and this is the year to glue everything together. We are, maybe, one transfer window, away from winning this league. In the meantime, we should enjoy this team, cherish Saka, Odegaard and Rice (and Saliba and White….) and know that we are the club and the team that everyone would like to be.

-LB7

So, we finally defeated Manchester City. Albeit it on penalties. Albeit an irrelevant contest that no-one will reminder next Saturday. But a victory none-the less.

It turns out Rodri is the new Trump. If he were to walk down 5^th avenue and shoot someone, Stuart Attwell would still not brandish a yellow card. In the meantime, Partey was given a yellow card for breathing and Have-that got one because, well, Xhaka was not there to receive one. It really was beyond comprehension given the number of fouls Rodri made. Specifically in the first half when he clearly tugged at Have-that and pulled him back. As clear as daylight. Unless you’re Stuart AttPoor. But let’s not have that that detract from a wonderful day. To snatch victory (meaningless though it was) from defeat against our nemesis was refreshing. If nothing else it should provide the squad with some confidence.

As for the game itself both Eddie and Tierney must be thinking they should have left in the summer. No starts for them today. But it’s hard to see how Tierney gets any playing time. As good as Tommy was when he first appeared from us, Timber reset that bar. He was outstanding today. Note it was only when he went off that the scored down his side. As Zinny has said, this guy could be better than him. He clearly defends better, throwing his body on the line to deflect shots. He was a revelation.

On the other side, with the onlooking England manager watching, White was imperious today. He completely controlled Grealish. White provided great defensive cover with timely headers and up the other end created chances for Have-that. He looked as assured as he did all last season. Great to see him back. It’s a shame that Southgate was only there because he thought McGuire might be playing for one of the teams.

Inside we have Saliba as masterful as ever. He truly is a Rolls Royce. Having him signed to a new contract was one of the best moves we had over the summer. But maybe the best was Rice. He slotted in, worked so hard and added a backbone to our midfield. He’s starting to evolve into that box-to-box player we’ve not had since Ramsey (pre Shawcross broken-leg). Arteta is going to guide this boy to greatness. Alongside him we had Partey who, apart from collection a yellow card for existing, managed to give the ball away in important positions but, at other times, look assured and in control.

Odegaard worked hard, and in periods where we controlled the ball was linking play and dictating the game. Some of his touches and control was sublime.

The front was a little quiet. Saka linked well with White and Odegaard, as they did last season but Have-that and Martinelli were a little quiet. Have-that demonstrated some nice hold up play. Of course, he’ll remembered for those two misses. The first one was tough but he should have scored with that second one. I’m not sure that Jesus would have either. But let’s not forget that Martinelli should have also scored there. But he won’t attract any scrutiny.

City dominated the first 20 minutes. It took time for us to grow into the game. Of course, having AttPoor given them all the decisions did not help. But overtime we found our way back into the game. We looked more assured than last year. You could see the improvement. But City are still pretty impressive. The gap between us though is closing. And we have age on our side. KDB is one hamstring injury away from ruining their season. Though when Foden came on he skinned Partey to initiate their goal. They got a lucky deflection off of Rice and then the newly arrived Tierney gave the ball back back to them.

This was their one time to beat the impressive Ramsdale. He saved us – literally – in this game. That save from Foden was the decider. And he even saved a penalty. As I said the other day, we don’t need Raya to replace him. At a decently low price I’d take him as a backup. But Aaron is our man.

Trossard must be wondering what he needs to do to win a starting place. Because when he came on he provided more options, more incisiveness and ultimately our goal. His instincts, control and poise are unmatched. He has been a true bargain.

So, despite the appalling AttPoor, the reserves beat the first team today. City might, rightfully, be the favourites for the title, but today showed that we, the reserve team, continue to make progress. We continue to close the gap. But we still have to mind the gap. It’s another long season, with Champions League football, but our squad is stronger than ever. So we continue to move in the right direction.

And we already have more trophies this year than that lot down the road have had in the last 15 years. So much to be positive about. Just when we thought it was going to be safe in the post-Dean era, the PGMOL have trained up another Frankenstein. However, we have the comfort of knowing that AttPoor won’t be refereeing all our games this year.

So cometh the end of pre-season. The grown up stuff starts next week. Time for me to put down my pre-season training wheels and gear up for the real thing. I remain excited and nervous. Fearful of the refereeing and intrigued to see Rice and Timber elevate this team. And to see whether Have-that can prosper. We have much to look forward toward. And, as ever, we start the season TOTL.

-LB7

There are many things in the world I don’t understand and don’t expect to ever comprehend.

Let’s start with the highlight of the past few weeks. The one that made me laugh the loudest. I mean, if this did not make you laugh then I fear you’ve already been pronounced dead and you just don’t know it.

How is it that the owner of the wankers down the road is even more stupid that we knew? It’s not enough to oversee the appointment of Harry Redknapp, AVB, Morinho and Conte (to name just a few). But he’s stupid enough to share (allegedly; thank you Mr and Mrs Lawyer) inside trading information with his pilots, chefs and others in his employment. I mean, when you have billions of dollars, rather than put them in jeopardy would it not be easier to just pay them a little more from your bags of gold? It’s mind-blowing funny though. When you thought that club could not be more incompetent, they find ways to plum new depths. It tells you all you need to know about their leadership and management expertise.

My hope here is that their glorious leader is now tied up in his legal related activity such that collectively they are unable to extract themselves for long enough to figure out how to sell the club to someone in the Middle East nor how to self-off their primary asset to Bayern Munich. In addition to be the dumping ground for all of LA Chelseas managers maybe they’ve taken a leaf our of Abramovich’s book on how to further tarnish a club and any resemblance of respectability. It’s all quite heartening and highly amusing.

So, while this is borderline incomprehensible, it brings me to my point. Why are we looking to replace, upgrade or challenge Aaron? It does not make sense. Not that all prior moves of Arteta have made sense at the time. And I acknowledge that he has a slightly superior track record in making football decisions than I have (currently). And I remain a fervent believer in Arteta. But this one escapes me. Of course, I felt the same way about Jorginho and have been proven wrong on that one. Though I still expect to be right on the current Vieira.

So why would we pay £40m for Raya? When we had Leno and spent £30m on Aaron no-one thought that made sense. Having watched Ramsdale, I thought this was a smart move that would help the team. Ramsdale has helped lift this team up. So, why do we need Raya?

The argument that we need competition in every position does not hold for goalkeepers. You can have White and Tommy compete for the right back position because both are versatile enough to move to other positions. In fact, the primary characteristics of new signings seems to be their versatility. But that does not hold for goalkeepers. Only one can play while the other has to occupy the bench. There are no other opportunities. I’ve yet to see a goalie play left back (though they would have been an upgrade on Santos).

So, the idea of believing this will provide competition is bogus. Even City with all their money have not gone done the path of having to world-class, high quality goalies. Imagine that. Not even City.

Next, Raya is older than Ramsdale by a few years. So, who will be patient enough to wait out their time? It took Ramsdale 3 games to take over from Leno. How long will Raya wait?

And, if we have a spare £40m to splash around couldn’t we spend it on something that actually plugs an obvious gap in our squad? For instance, a back up to Saka? Or to Jesus? You can’t spend £40m on a backup goalie. Or £30m. Maybe if he cost £15m or £20m and we sold Turner for £15m, then that might make some sense and clearly place Raya as a backup. But you can’t pay £30m+ for a backup goalie. What would that say to Ramsdale? That basically we have no faith in him and that he will be replaced. And if that’s not the case, then you’ll have Raya sitting around expecting to play and becoming upset and disruptive.

Ramsdale has added personality and character to this team. Aside from supporting the team I want to support players that clearly demonstrates a connection to the club, players and fans. A personality; someone with character. And that is Ramsdale. This is the type of player that should be the backbone of the club for 10 years or more. He is as close to Seaman and Lehman as anyone we’ve had in 10 years. If, after watching him for two years you are still unconvinced you should read the brilliant interview he gave for Players Tribune.

You can’t rotate goalies. They need to play consistently to develop an understanding with the defenders. In the same way we don’t rotate center-halfs. You need consistency in defense.

The amount we pay for Raya will tell us whether he’s a backup or his here to genuinely replace Ramsdale. Because Ramsdale won’t hang around if he is no longer our number 1 keeper. And then we’re back looking for another backup keeper.

The only play that makes sense here is that we want sign Raya to prevent Bayern Munich from spending money on him. And thus, saving all they money up to acquire the number 10 from down the road. That I could buy-into. That would make me laugh.

Ok, that’s it for now. This pre-season is proving quite interesting. And I’ve yet to react to the new, most wonderful, statute of Wenger the King of Kings, Emperor of Highbury.

-LB7