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Ryan Babel, the Dutch international who was allowed a second chance to establish an international career by Ronald Koeman, said something recently that made me think: this group of Dutch players do not have many egos amongst them and so there is a better chance for success – or something down that line. I am with him all the way re this: the era of big, self-celebration egos of Sneijder, Van Persie and Arjen Robben is luckily behind us, and the current Oranje are much more of a team with players working hard for each other rather than for their own glory.

Why am I writing this on an Arsenal blog? Well, one of the highlights of the season so far have been the selfless and yet very effective performances of the likes of Saka and Nelson on the left wing. Ryan Babel tends to play there too and, now in his early thirties, he really plays for the team and has become an automatic starter in Koeman’s Euro 2020 hopefuls. For six years he was not selected by Koeman’s predecessors so that is quite an achievement by the purple-haired former Liverpool player.

I like a player who is humble, works hard and likes to be part of a team. Players like Giroud and Mertesacker, Flamini and Ozil, Coquelin and Xhaka, Auba and Laca are the ones that make me really proud of our club.

On the left wing we have had some very talented players since the departure of one of our Invincibles, the one and only Robert Pires, in 2006. Reyes was phenomenal but did not stay long enough due to this homesickness for us to properly judge him. Arshavin could be unplayable on the day and Sanchez was close to world class in terms of raw talent and ability, but both players were never really part of the team and were mostly interested in their own glory, key stats and weekly wages. And when they left us they were quickly forgotten, and not really missed, despite their considerable contributions in terms of goals and assists. Football is of course a team game and really successful teams are much more than the sum of their individual talents and skills.

I don’t think Auba is used at his best on the left wing, and although I liked Iwobi a lot I don’t think he was best used there either. So the really, really good news is that we have two very talented youngsters on the team now who thrive on the left wing and work their socks off to get into the first team: Saka and Nelson.

It is early days to judge both their talents and personalities but they both look to me the real deal. Both have impressed me a lot with their team play and individual talents and they have given us a real edge, especially in the Cup games. It will be good to see who of these two will establish themselves on the left wing or whether they can both push themselves into the first team this season. I have no doubt that Pepe does not only feel pressure on his shoulders from his summer-sale price-tag but also from the fast emergence of two very talented and hungry young wingers.

To have at least three quality wingers on the team after years of make-do is music to our ears. Let’s see how they develop but hopefully the wait for quality and effective team-wingers is finally over.

By TotalArsenal.

Subject? The Usual … Mr Emery.

1. Freezing out the under-achieving mega-stars at the club (Woodcock and Caton in year 1, Nicholas and Marriner later))
2. He brought through a number of youth players who were inculcated into the Arsenal Way (Adams, Rocastle, Keown, Merson Thomas, Hayes)
3. He signed players from the UK who were versed in British football culture. (Dixon, Winterburn, Marwood, Richardson, Smith)

1. He has frozen out Ozil (perhaps), And before we get into an argument, is there anyone who believes Ozil has performed to his best over the past 18 months? Cech and Mhiki are gone.
2. Emery is bringing through some exciting youngsters (Saka, Douzi, Nelson,Martinell etc)
3. Signed players with experience of British football (Holding,Chambers, Luiz, Tierney – yes, I know AW signed Holding & Chambers but UE played them)

And what about a new Romford Pele? 😀

We all know we tend to see our former heroes in our up and coming players. A certain way of running, a few typical gestures combined with certain skills and before you know it we believe a former great has been reincarnated in the latest hot talent. We just cannot help ourselves; it just has got to be done! 

We all loved Patrick Vieira’s persona and incredibly diverse midfield football skills, and it can be argued that we never had somebody like him since he left us for Juventus in 2005 (an incredible 14 years ago). Abou Diaby had it all but his football fate was so cruel; Flamini did come quite close but wasn’t as majestic as the his fellow Frenchman; Ramsey had the potential to be the new PV04 but wasn’t strong enough defensively and also got injured too often, and; much-loved Coquelin also tried hard but just never quite got there for us.

I have heard a few fellow Gooners say that we may have a new Vieira, but to my surprise they were suggesting it would be Guendouzi of all our youngsters. I can see that Matteo has some of Vieira’s skills and characteristics: he likes to run forward with the ball from midfield, is a more than decent passer – including through-balls – he puts his whole body into the battle and likes to get involved when there is a players’ bust-up. But what MG is missing is PV04’s incredible physique and, most importantly, his reading of the game when we need to defend and his subsequent positioning and recovery skills are still well below par. I have my doubts whether the latter can be learned but, who knows, maybe Matteo will get this part right too in the next few years. The new Vieira, though?! No, not for me.

For now I see more of a new Ray Parlour, the Romford Pele, in Matteo, as the skills are similar and both are more attack-focussed than defence-focussed. The only thing missing are those screamers from well outside the box (or goals in general, which I am sure will come in the next few seasons). But in all seriousness, Guendouzi will of course become his own player and who knows how good he will become?! Time will tell.

I believe there are two players who really have the potential to become close to our ‘next Patrick Vieira’, in terms of type of player: Ainsley and Joe.

Ainsley Maitland Niles has the calm and physique, the engine and aura of Patrick. He is ideal for the defensive duties in midfield and is a good passer of the ball; he also will do those box to box runs all day long. Ainsley is more of an introvert but there is so much power in him; just watch him run with the ball and you can see the real potential of this young man. This season will be interesting for the 22 year old Gunner who produced two PL assists already. He will not be required to play in the RB position much anymore, with both Bellerin and Chambers being the better options. So now he will need to fight to get himself into midfield, starting with the cup games in which he really needs to shine. I have high hopes for Ainsley but this will be a big challenge for him, given the available quality in midfield and Emery’s love for Granit and Matteo…

Joe Willock is a player who really has it all and that at the age of just 20. He is a bit more extrovert than Ainsley and he has that same engine to run b2b all day long. For such a young lad he is surprisingly strong both mentally and physically and his reading of the game, both in defence and attack, is very impressive. Especially his runs into the box are superb and although he (as yet) misses too many chances, he did manage to score a couple already this season. His passing needs to improve further, but if there is one young player I would be happy to put in our best 11 players against a top team, next to Granit and Lucas, it is Joe Willock. That is how high I rate him.

We can analyse stats, youtube videos etc all day long, but my gut-instinct says that out of Matteo, Ainsley and Joe, the latter is our biggest prospect in midfield and he may even turn out to be our real new Vieira. Early days of course, but we can count ourselves lucky to have three such young midfield beasts donning the mighty red and white shirt. Ooh to Be!

So what do you think: will one of these three midfielders become (close to) the next PV04?

By TotalArsenal.

The History of Arsenal Managers

The following is the complete history of Arsenal managers, my research includes information from my own data base, Arsenal.com, “Arsenal, The Complete Record” by Josh James, Mark Andrews and Andy Kelly and multiple other sources.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

 Management Committee 1893 – 1897

In the early years Arsenal were managed by a players committee. 

Trophy’s won: – Zero

 Thomas Brown Mitchell 1897 – 1898

Thomas Brown Mitchell was Arsenal’s first professional manager, joining the club in 1897. A Scotsman from the Dumfries area, Mitchell moved south of the border around 1867 and held the title of secretary at Blackburn Rovers for approximately 12 years. He spent less than a season at Arsenal but in that time, managed to guide the club through three FA Cup qualifying rounds before succumbing to Burnley in the first round proper. He also took the club from tenth to fifth place in the League before resigning in March 1898. Mitchell later rejoined Blackburn, where he passed away in August 1921, aged 78.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

 George Elcoat 1898 – 1899

George Elcoat, like his predecessor Thomas Brown Mitchell, only remained at Arsenal for one season. Elcoat, who hailed from Stockton-on-Tees, showed a strong preference for players north of the border as illustrated by him having eight Scotsman in his first-team at one stage. Arsenal finished seventh under his leadership but as the League has been increased to 18 teams, it was on par with the previous season. Arsenal were heavily beaten by Derby in the first round proper of the FA Cup having been given a bye to that stage. He passed away in Stockton-on-Tees in 1929, aged 65.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

 Harry Bradshaw 1899 – 1904

Harry Bradshaw took over the reigns from George Elcoat and in the space of five years, had transformed the fortunes of the club. Regarded as Arsenal’s first successful manager, Bradshaw built his reputation at Burnley from 1891 to 1899 and was a clever tactician, guiding Arsenal to a top-three finish in the League in 1902/03. Bradshaw moved on to Fulham and later became secretary of the Southern League before his death in 1924.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

 Phil Kelso 1904 – 1908

Phil Kelso was a hard, rugged Scot who was a coach at Hibernian, before taking over as manager of newly-promoted Woolwich Arsenal from 1904 until 1908. Kelso guided the club to two consecutive last-four finishes in the FA Cup but did not make much progress in the League. After leaving Arsenal, he returned briefly to Scotland to run a hotel in Largs, before becoming manager of Fulham in 1909. He stayed with the West-London outfit for 15 years before his death in 1935, aged 64.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

George Morrell 1908 – 1915

George Morrell was manager of Woolwich Arsenal from 1908 to 1915, and oversaw the club’s move from Plumstead in south east London, to it’s former home at Highbury in North London. Morrell was forced to sell many of his best players but still guided the team to sixth in the League in his first season. Unfortunately, he holds the distinction of being the only Arsenal manager to have experienced relegation; Woolwich Arsenal dropped from the First Division to the Second after finishing bottom in 1913. But Morrell’s Arsenal finished 5th in the Second Division in 1915 – high enough to get them elected back into the First Division.

Trophy’s won: – Zero 

Leslie Knighton 1919 – 1925

Leslie Knighton was appointed manager of Arsenal in 1919, following stints as an assistant manager at Huddersfield Town and Manchester City. He was manager for six years, but Arsenal never finished higher than 10th, coming 20th in 1924-25. Knighton was sacked at the end of that season, and was replaced by the now legendary, Herbert Chapman. After leaving the Gunners, Knighton went on to manage Bournemouth, Birmingham City and Chelsea.

Trophy’s won: – Zero 

Herbert Chapman 1925 – 1934

Sheffield-born Herbert Chapman not only established Arsenal as English football’s dominant force, but his football concepts and ideas served as a template for teams and managers the globe over. He managed Leeds City and Huddersfield Town before taking over at Highbury where he introduced the 3-3-4 or ‘WM’ formation, winning the FA Cup in 1930 and the First Division title, scoring a club record 127 goals, in 1930/31. He won a second League title two years later before his tragic, sudden death in 1934, aged 55. A bronze bust of Chapman stands inside Highbury as a tribute to his achievements at the club.

Trophy’s won: – 

3 – League Championships

1 – FA Cup

4- Charity Shields

George Allison 1934 – 1947

George Allison was born in Darlington and was a journalist before moving to London in 1905. He became Woolwich Arsenal’s programme editor, and later commentated on the very first FA Cup final to be broadcast on the radio, between Arsenal and Cardiff City in 1927. He later became the club’s secretary and then managing director, before taking over as first-team manager in June 1934. Allison added to the Club’s two successive League titles, by winning a third in 1935. He also won the FA Cup in 1936 and the League again in 1938. Allison decided to step down and retire from the game in 1946-47.

Trophy’s won: 

2 – League Championships

1 – FA Cup

1 – Charity Shields

Tom Whittaker 1947 – 1956

Thomas James Whittaker was born in Aldershot, Hampshire and joined Arsenal in 1919 before becoming the club’s first-team trainer under Herbert Chapman in 1927. Whittaker had an important role under Chapman in reforming the training and physiotherapy regimes at the club before taking over the reigns from Chapman’s successor, George Allison, in 1947. He won the League in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950 before his tragic death from a heart attack in 1956, aged 58.

Trophy’s won: – 

2 – League Championships

1 – FA Cup

2 – Charity Shields 

Jack Crayston 1956 – 1958

Jack Crayston was born in Lancashire in 1910 and was appointed manager of Arsenal in November 1956. A former player with 187 appearances for the Club, Crayston elevated Arsenal from eleventh to third place in the Leauge, before eventually finishing fifth in his first season. He resigned after 24 years’ service at the club in May 1958 and went on to manage Doncaster Rovers. Crayston passed away in 1992.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

George Swindin 1958 – 1962

George Swindin, a former Arsenal goalkeeper with 297 first-team appearances to his name, was invited to take over the manager’s reigns at Highbury in 1958, following a successful stint as manager at Peterborough United. He oversaw a drastic overhaul in the playing staff at the club during his first season in charge and guided the team to a third-placed finish. After leaving the Gunners, Swindin went on to manage Norwich City, Cardiff City, Kettering and Corby before retiring to Spain. Sadly, Swindin paased away in October 2005, aged 90.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

Billy Wright 1962 – 1966

Billy Wright was born William Ambrose Wright in Shropshire in 1924 and was the first player to win more than 100 caps for England, captaining the national side no less than 90 times including their campaigns at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cup finals. He became manager of Arsenal in 1962 but Arsenal never finished higher than seventh under Wright and he left the club after the 1965-66 season, where Arsenal finished 14th and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers. Wright left management and later became a television pundit for ATV. He was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of influence on the English game.

Trophy’s won: – Zero 

Bertie Mee 1966 – 1976

Bertie Mee was born in Bullwell, Notinghamshire and managed Arsenal to their first League and FA Cup ‘Double’ win in 1971. He became manager in 1966, and recruited Dave Sexton and Don Howe as his assistants. Under his tutorship, Arsenal reached two successive League Cup finals in 1968 and 1969, but lost to Leeds United and Swindon Town respectively. However, the following season, the club won it’s first trophy of any kind for 17 years, beating Anderlecht 4-3 on aggregate, in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Having lost the away leg 3-1, Arsenal beat the Belgian side 3-0 at Highbury. The first part of the Double – The League title – was won at White Hart Lane, home of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, on the last day of the season. Five days later, Charlie George scored the winning goal as Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley after extra-time to claim the FA Cup. Mee resigned as Arsenal manager in 1976, later joining Watford as assistant to Graham Taylor in 1978. Sadly, he passed away in 2001, at the age of 82.

Trophy’s won: –

1 – League Championships

1 – FA Cup

1 – Inter Cities Fairs Cup

Terry Neill 1976 – 1983

William John Terence “Terry” Neill was born in May 1942 in Belfast and moved to Arsenal in 1959 as a player. He retired from playing in 1973, and succeeded Bill Nicholson as manager of Arsenal’s local rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. He managed Spurs for two seasons, nearly getting the club relegated in the process, before being recruited by the Arsenal board as manager in 1976 – becoming the youngest manager in the club’s history. The club enjoyed a minor revival under his management, reaching three FA Cup finals between 1978 and 1980, though only winning in 1979. He also reached the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980, losing on penalties to Valencia. He was dismissed as manager in December 1983 and retired from football.

Trophy’s won: – 

1 – FA Cup 

Don Howe 1984 – 1986

Donald ‘Don’ Howe was born in October 12, 1935 and was a player with West Bromwich Albion before Billy Wright signed him for Arsenal in 1964 and made him club captain. Howe retired from playing and became Arsenal’s reserve team coach under Bertie Mee, before stepping up to the role of first team coach after the departure of Dave Sexton in 1968. He later returned to his old club, West Bromwich Albion, as manager before stints as coach of Galatasaray, Turkey and Leeds United, before rejoining Arsenal in 1977 as head coach. Howe succeeded Terry Neill as Arsenal manager in 1983 and brought through the likes of Tony Adams, David Rocastle and Niall Quinn before resigning in March 1986.Howe was later assistant to Bobby Gould at Wimbledon and then had spells managing Queen Park Rangers and Coventry City before moving into journalism and broadcasting.

Trophy’s won: – Zero

George Graham 1986 – 1995

A former Arsenal player, George Graham rejoined the Club as manager in 1986 after three years in charge of Millwall. He won two League Championships, two League Cups, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup in eight years, making Arsenal one of the dominant teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was renowned for building his team on the meanest of rearguards, perfecting the offside trap along the way. He also bought Ian Wright, until recently Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer, from Crystal Palace. After leaving the Club in 1995, Graham went on to manage Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur. He is currently a football pundit.

Trophy’s won: – 

2 – League Championships

1 – FA Cup

1 – Charity Shields

2 – League Cups

1 – Cup Winners Cup 

Bruce Rioch 1995 – 1996

Bruce Rioch left his post as manager of Bolton Wanderers to succeed George Graham as Arsenal manager in 1995 and stayed for just a year. He guided Arsenal to a UEFA Cup place in 1995-96, securing qualification on the last day of the season at the expense of Everton, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur. He also reached the League Cup semi-finals but lost on away goals to Aston Villa. After leaving the Club he became assistant to Stewart Houston at Queens Park Rangers. He later managed Norwich City and Wigan Athletic and is currently in charge of Danish club Odense.

Trophy’s won: – Zero 

Arsène Wenger 1996 – 2018

Arsène Wenger joined Arsenal in September 1996 following spells as manager with Nancy and Monaco in his native France and Grampus Eight in Japan. He guided the Club to their second League and FA Cup double, in his first full season at Highbury in 1998 and won further League titles in 2002 and 2004. He won seven FA Cups, which is the most won by any manager to date. He also guided Arsenal to the UEFA Cup final in 2000, losing to Galatasaray on penalties and through an entire unbeaten league campaign on the way to the title in 2004. In 2006 he took Arsenal to the UEFA Champions League Final, where the team were narrowly defeated by Barcelona.

Trophy’s won: – 

3 – League Championships

7 – FA Cups

7 – Charity Shields

Unai Emery 2018 – Present

 Trophy’s won: – Zero

A couple of questions to you:

1. Giving Emery’s second place in % League Games Won & % Points Won, should we be more patient with him?
2. And how important is style/quality of football played to you?

By GunnerN5

Bernd Leno – 6,5

After the last couple of seasons it must sound ridiculous, but our defence is so solid that our goalkeepers have limited opportunities to shine. Leno managed to deal with those 2 shots that came on target, and forced Wilson out wide when he was through on goal. He couldn’t have done much more. He kept his 2^nd clean sheet, and his passing/distribution has improved a bit.

Calum chambers – 8,0 (MotM)

I’m starting to worry that TA will stop posting my ratings after I nominate a full back as Man of the Match 3^rd time in a row. But Chambers was great again defensively (4 tackles, 4 clearances) as well as offensively (key pass, dribble, 3 shots). He made 2 last second interventions, that should count as assists. He is the prime example that if you have the proper footballing intelligence, then a couple of loan spells even for a weaker team can unlock the experience to become the real deal.

Sokratis – 6,5

Had some uncertain moments early on in the game, but Chambers helped him out. He was lucky that his mistakes didn’t cost Arsenal, but Sok grew into the match as it went on. His passing is not his strong suit (but we knew that), and his sometimes slow decisions make him our most vulnerable defender when it comes to pressing by the opponent. Still, he is far from being a liability, but I’m looking forward to seeing a Luiz-Holding CB partnership.

David Luiz – 7,5

The Brazilian finally delivered the performance Emery and the fans were expecting. His composure and passing skills are critical for a team that prefers to play out from the back. Luiz scored with a fine header that should contribute to his (and Pepe’s) confidence in the upcoming weeks/months. He was assured as our main centre back, and he looked impressive as well.

Sead Kolasinac – 6,5

He suffers from the Arsenal-syndrome, as – defying all odds – he was solid defensively, but couldn’t contribute to the attacks as much as expected. Tierney’s crosses set the bar high, and even though we all know that Sead can deliver, this time he was more eager to attack than efficient: his positioning was excellent, but his final balls let him down. Nevertheless, he remained composed in difficult situations, and stepped up as and when it was required.

Granit Xhaka – 6,5

Emery’s tactical adjustment reinvented Xhaka, and forces incompetent pundits to reinvent themselves, as he made team-high 5 clearances and his 2 tackles are the (joint) highest for all 6+2 midfielders on the pitch. However, I’m not particularly satisfied with this change, as Granit was most of the game far too deep to utilize his creativity and passing accuracy, but he often orchestrated the counter-attacks after receiving the ball from Leno. No yellow card for Xhaka, and he wasn’t a liability against Bournemouth either.

Dani Ceballos – 6,0

This game was created for the Spaniard: playing in front of 60.000 supporters against a weak opponent, having all of Özil licenses (to shoot, pass, dribble) without the pressure to defend. Yet he couldn’t produce the goods in a consistent basis. He couldn’t really link the midfield and the attack, and generally struggled to make an impact. He wasn’t bad either, maybe I’m just unfair to hold him responsible for such a boring game. But who else should I have? Nutmegs are cool indeed, but Ozil would have created more chances.

Matteo Guendouzi – 6,5

Matteo was at his busy self, full of energy, full of enthusiasm, a lot of running, some defensive and offensive contributions, but at the end of the day he didn’t do anything productive besides a vital clearance in the 89^th minute. He is not a big guy, but still he goes to ground during challenges too easily for my taste. When it came to passing Guendouzi often played safe than trying to split the defence or supporting our wingers running behind the defenders.

Bukayo Saka – 6,5

He had a decent game. He pressed the defenders relentlessly, and always wanted to do something active with the ball. The 18-year-old didn’t manage much, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. Saka’s energy shone trough his inexperience, and he prevented many counterattacks by blocking and tackling. It was a nice performance from a teenager, but if/when Pepe delivers the same, he gets heavily criticized.

Nicolas Pepe – 6,5

His assist (and David Luiz’s) header made the difference in the game, but I don’t know how much credit is due to his vision and how much can be attributed to luck. He was the dribble king alright, but only 1 key pass is not enough from him. Arsenal looked the better side in the first half, primary thanks to Pepe. As he decided (or was instructed) to be more reactive in the second half the team similarly lost its edge. His dribble in the box could have been awarded with a penalty, but it wasn’t that clear fault either.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 6,0

Quiet performance from the Gabonese hitman. He wasn’t flooded with through balls, so he had to create the chances himself. Auba was sharp, but isolated without much service. He worked hard and made defence-confusing runs, but he clearly missed his partnership with Lacazette. Maybe there was too much pressure around him, yet apparently the rest of the team is not particularly strong in scoring and creating chances. Nobody should be disappointed that his shot came out from the post, as VAR would have ruled it out for offside anyway.

Subs

Gabriel Martinelli – 7,0

The only positive performance beside the maturity of the back 4. The young Brazilian was tied to team-high 4 tackles in his 33 minutes (with Chambers, but he got 97), and his lob to Aubameyang was an admirable attempt showing his genuine joy of playing football. His half hour on the pitch was not Arsenal’s finest as we lost control (and desire to play) already. Yet he tried to make things happen with lively runs. His excess energy could make the difference in a situation when the team actually wants to score.

Joe Willock, Lucas Torreira – N/A

He had too little time on the pitch to record a proper rating.

Unai Emery – 3

While the key statistics show balanced possession (52% vs 48%) with similar off-target (5 vs 6) and on-target shots (1 vs 2) Arsenal never looked like this game can be lost. Yet the player quality and the home turf materialized only in confidence, but never in performance. I don’t remember when I waited the final whistle so badly, and not because I was afraid that Bournemouth could equalize, but rather because it was painful to watch this mid-table Championship level football delivered by my favourite team. The 1 shot on goal stat is a disgrace, and I might even say that our goal was a bit lucky, as it wasn’t the case that our superior attack convincingly overpowered their inferior defence. If you see the ratings above, no one was playing poor, but I expect a lot more from a team than this miserable statement.

Regarding the season so far: collecting 15 points from 8 games is not particularly good, but it’s seems alright because the PL is so balanced that now it is enough for the 3^rd place. But taking our draw and our performance into consideration it is a different picture. Yes: we played against 3 out of the Top 5 teams (and grabbed pitiable 2 points), but we played against bottom-table opponents like AVL, Newcastle and Watford. Until we play against Leicester, West Ham or Crystal Palace it will be hard to assess our true capabilities. But the most worrying aspect – that was demonstrated against Bournemouth and drives the low score of the manager’s rating – is that despite 4 wins (3 draws) and 1 loss we have a pathetic +2 goal difference. While Manchester City, who has only 1 point more has a +18 GD; and Leicester City who has 1 point less (with 4 wins and 2 losses) also have +7. This is not a football that is fun to watch, and not very effective either.

By Pbarany.

Yippee we won! And I never take three points for granted, so also not these from the Cherries!

The boys really worked hard for the shirt and maybe even for Emery, and that fighting spirit goes a long way. But Emery-‘ball’ is hard on the eye-ball and becoming a formidable cure for insomnia. Some say the boredom will go away soon: ‘wait till Emery has Holding, Tierney and Bellerin fully fit and available and the show will truly begin’. Yeah right. We have some fabulous wingbacks and they will make a difference, but it is not going to be a football show! Not without proper midfield – no way!

Emery has not got a clue how to set up our midfield; I even reckon he does not really believe in midfield football: they are either there to support the defence or the attack. Now, have we ever started a game well without Torriera in midfield? I cannot remember a single one. Is Ceballos much more than a frantic hard worker, hovering all over the pitch in search of the ball? Yes he IS more than that but he is no Mesut Ozil. Never in a million years.

Everybody on BK knows I am a fan of Xhaka but he will only show his best with a proper, defence-minded midfielder next to him. Xhaka needs Torreira, and vice versa. I will not bore anybody about this anymore. Torreira needs to play in all our key games. Why isn’t he? You tell me, but I reckon that Emery doesn’t see eye to eye with him, and the Uruguayan is only still placed on the bench because the Spaniard knows he simply cannot afford to give him the Ozil/Mustafi treatment. Playing Guendouzi instead of Torreira is a crime against organised midfield football. For that reason alone I want to see the back of Emery. Nothing against Guendouzi, but he doesn’t belong in the DM pivot.

We said it all about Mesut Ozil here on BK. Emery has been out to name and shame him, indicating that he does not work hard enough to deserve a place in the team – even the ‘practice’ Cup-games for our second string team are not deemed good enough for MO10. If the game can no longer accommodate one of the best midfielders these shores have ever witnessed, it is pretty much dead. Without Mesut, Arsenal look pretty much done and dusted.

I get that it is about hard work on and off the pitch and respect that this is Emery’s main ethos for the team. Guendouzi and Ceballos run their socks off and their enthusiasm is infectious, but there is more to football than that.

Emery, be a man.  Your football is starting to stink and your man-management skills are from the previous millennium- Mourinho-esque even! Embrace Lucas and Mesut and make them a core part of the team. Some run hard, others think hard, but unless you want us to be like Pulis’ Stoke or Fat Sam’s Bolton – but with a world class attack – you need to act before it is too late. We want our good football back and you have the squad to deliver it.

By TotalArsenal.

Arsenal v Bournemouth – October 6^th, 2019

The 2019–20 AFC Bournemouth season is the club’s fifth consecutive season in the top flight of English football and their 130th year in existence. The club is currently owned by Maxim Demin, a Russian multi-millionaire involved in the petrochemicals trading industry.

Bournemouth play their home matches at Dean Court, which has a capacity of 11,329 and is the smallest stadium in the Premier League. The club’s badge has Bournemouth’s red and black stripes and also a footballer heading a ball.

Bournemouth are managed by Eddie Howe who was a defender before retirement and spent much of his career at Bournemouth, he was the youngest manager in the Football League when appointed Bournemouth manager in January 2009. He rescued Bournemouth from relegation out of the Football League in his first season in charge, after the club started the season on minus 17 points, and then led them to promotion the next. After a brief spell as manager at Burnley, Howe returned to Bournemouth and led them to two further promotions in three seasons resulting in the club playing in the top flight of English football for the first time in their history. Howe’s successes with Bournemouth resulted in him being given the inaugural Football League Manager of the Decade Award in 2015.

Re-appointed on Oct 12^th, 2012 Eddie Howe has the distinction of having managed his current club longer than any other Premier League manager.

Bournemouth is currently 8th in the Premier League with a record of W3, D2, L2, GF13, GA12. 

We own a 100% winning home record against Bournemouth and I see no reason for that to change.

GunnerN5

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TA’s preferred (rather than predicted) starting 11:

I am hoping that Emery will continue with playing a ‘horizontally focussed’ midfield that forms a wall in front of the defence and from which we can spring attacks. I love the potential and mix of skillsets of Xhaka-Tor-Willock but Guendouzi deserves to be played for his passionate contributions on Monday. Up-front, I would of course play Ozil and in-form Martinelli and Auba, but Saka also deserves a start, and I would imagine that Emery will continue with Pepe and probably give Saka another start too.

COYRRGs!!!!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Youth players are maintaining momentum

Emi Martinez – 6,5

He made a single misjudgement in the form of an air-punch after a corner but was not punished as Bellerin bailed him out. Otherwise he saved everything he was expected to. And with the ball at his feet he was calmness personified. While the Standard Liege pressing was below standard, he always picked the right choice to pass the pall. He hasn’t conceded a single goal this season so far.

Hector Bellerin – 6,5

Captain on his first start, he was solid in defence and provided attacking threat as well. It was a joy seeing his pace returned. And he had a great opportunity to crown his performance with a nice goal. The moderate rating is due to his unnecessarily booking. I honestly think that he is a way too nice guy to be an effective team captain (PEA as well), and maybe he was overcompensating it in the hustle following the fault on Martinelli.

Shkodran Mustafi – 7,5

Another competent performance from the German. He not only neutralized every attempt coming his way (6 clearances out of the 11 from Arsenal outfield players), but he managed to support the attacks as well, including a beautiful long pass in the build-up to the first goal. Arsenal hasn’t conceded a single goal this season so far, when Mustafi was playing in defence. What would have been the odds for that?

Rob Holding – 7,0

He was so good and so calm, that I don’t remember hearing his name more than a handful of occasions. While this is a critique for midfielders and attackers, quite a praise for defenders. It was not his fault that he couldn’t demonstrate his argument (alright, my claim) that he is the best defender for Arsenal. Maybe against a tougher opponent…

Kieran Tierney – 9,0 (MotM)

I have to keep reminding myself that it happened against a weak Belgian side, but I don’t remember if I have ever seen a better (debut) full back performance. He tackled like Koscielny, intercepted like Mertesacker and scattered key passes as they were cookies. He should have had five assists, but Willock, Ceballos and Martinelli – while they had a great game – couldn’t apply the final touch at times. And the best thing that Tierney made his crosses look so easy, that reminds me of Bergkamp’s hattrick against Leicester and assist-hattrick against Everton.

Lucas Torreira – 7,0

He resumed his box-to-box role from the game against Nottingham. He ran a lot and blocked a few shots. While his contribution didn’t look too crucial or tangible, he provided the midfield pressing almost on his own. Thanks to Torreira our 3-man midfield looked superior to Standard Liege’s 5-man midfield, and that has to be something. Didn’t seem tired after 90 minutes, even though he was the only player kept from the starting XI against Manchester United.

Dani Ceballos – 8,0

He was sharp from the beginning. He provided more in attack than in defence, but he played against a surprisingly poor opponent. He played a deeper (#8, not in Ozil’s #10) role, but similarly had his eye and skills for the occasional killer pass. He well deserved to play 90 minutes and to score his first Arsenal goal. I’m looking forward to seeing him playing along with Xhaka and Torreira in the PL.

Joe Willock – 7,0

His stats don’t give him justice, as he is not a natural blocker/clearer, nor will he become the next assist king (0 key passes), but he has great positioning skills, both defensively and offensively. Joe has the instinct to pop up at the right place and time, especially in and around the box. He missed a few sitters as well as a great chance to pre-assist Bellerin, but he was athletic, dynamic, determined and took his  goal very well.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6,0

He didn’t have a bad game either, but the only loser of the night (besides Kolasinac), as he couldn’t support his claim that his future lies at right wing. He didn’t impact the game, and his partnership with Bellerin (his RB competitor) was discoloured by the amazing Tierney-Nelson tandem on the left flank. He is a great and versatile squad player though, but not (yet) first team material.

Reiss Nelson – 7,5

He had a lot to prove, as – especially in the absence of Lacazette – he should make his claim to start alongside Pepe and Auba. And while he had some weak appearances in September, he delivered his message with aplomb. The 4 shots, 3 key passes, 2 successful dribbles were his answers to the Saka-threat. He bullied Vojvoda all night long, that I almost felt sorry for the bloke. Nelson finally found the golden mean between his signature fast runs/dribbles and creating chances.

Gabriel Martinelly – 9

It’s good to be a Gooner when we have a 5^th choice midfielder like Willock and a stand-in striker like Martinelli. His 4 goals (and an assist) in 180 minutes is nothing short of stunning. And he is not the clinical poacher type as Nketiah. His 2 headers would make even Giroud proud. He was both a confident finisher and an intelligent creator. The only reason he didn’t end up as my MotM, because he could have scored a couple more easily.

Subs

Nicolas Pepe – 6,0

Just like AMN, Nicolas wasn’t objectively bad either, but not yet on the same level as the expectations. I feel his constant dilemma is: should he try to show how good his really is, or should he be cooperative and let others shine. Still he tries to dribble and shoot too often to my taste, but his skills are undeniable. Maybe if he started ahead of Ainsley, he would have made a bigger impact…

Matteo Guendouzi – 6,0

I don’t fully understand his inclusion, as transition was not a key issue against this hopeless Belgian midfield. In his 20 minutes he didn’t have any attacking contribution, thus received the lowest WhoScored rating of the team.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – N/A

He had too little time on the pitch to record a proper rating. But it’s nevertheless an important gesture from Emery, that Martinelli could test himself in his natural left winger role. for a quarter of an hour.

Unai Emery – 8

Let’s put the Ozil decision aside, as the Europa League group stage games are indeed for the youngsters. He fielded a potent XI on the pitch, gave Bellerin and Tierney 90-90 minutes, gave a chance to Mustafi to prove himself.

I don’t agree with Torreira’s role and inclusion, but it worked like magic. Again, let’s not get carried away and demand the youngsters to start against Manchester City, but they are not far behind the first team – at least not as far as the EL opponents are behind the average Premier League teams.

By PBarany

Arsenal v Standard Liege – October 3rd, 2019

In September 1898, the pupils of Collège Saint-Servais in Liège started a football club, which they called Standard of Liège in reference to Standard Athletic Club of Paris. Standard, whose official name is Royal Standard Club of Liège, was based in Cointe and Grivegnée before settling permanently in 1909 in Sclessin, an industrial neighbourhood in Liège. Standard initially joined the Belgian First League in 1909 before returning to the lower leagues a few years later. The club then gained promotion back to the top division in 1921 and has never been relegated since.

Shortly after World War II, Roger Petit, a former player and team captain, became general secretary of the club. Petit worked alongside President Henrard Paul to establish Standard among the elite of Belgian football. In 1954, Standard won their first club trophy, the Belgian Cup, which was soon followed by a first national title in 1957–58.

At European level, in the 1960s, the club reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1961–62, falling to beaten finalists Real Madrid 0–6 on aggregate; and at the same stage of the Cup Winners’ Cup in the year 1966–67, losing to eventual champions Bayern Munich. The 1960s and early 1970s brought much success to the club, as Standard won six Belgian First Division titles, two Belgian Cups and a League Cup.

Standard Liege Domestic Honours

• Belgian League
• Champions (10): 1957–58, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1981–82, 1982–83, 2007–08, 2008–09

• Belgian Cup
• Champions (8): 1953–54, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1980–81, 1992–93, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18

• Belgian League Cup
• Champions (1): 1975

• Belgian Supercup
• Champions (4): 1981, 1983, 2008, 2009

Our home record is perfect wins 2 wins and no goals against.

Lets hope that Tierney plays – Emery seems to indicate that he can play tomorrow in his press conference today.

This is a very winnable game and one where our youngsters should be allowed to show off their skills and make a statement for inclusion in the first team. Emery needs to get a lot more out of Pepe and this could be a good opportunity for him to score a few goals and boost his confidence.

GunnerN5

TA’s preferred line-up

The Belgian teams are doing really well in Europe at the moment and we should expect Standard to give us a proper game tomorrow. They have nothing to lose and will come to play their heart out. But we should rotate and use the squad well, and Emery can put out a very decent team as per above.

Torreira to organise the midfield and Willock and AMN to bomb forward as well as help Lucas to keep it tidy in midfield (and protect the defence). I just want to see Ozil play again, and he should of course have started at Old Toilet on Monday, so let’s hope we will see him tomorrow AND then at the weekend too. Up-front we can give Pepe another chance to gain confidence and I am really excited to see Martinelli again. Nelson and Saka should also get half an hour or so, but I would start them on the bench (for different reasons).

At the back we should hopefully see starts for our young and eager wing-backs, Bells and Tierney, and CB-pair Holding and Mustafi.

COYGs!

Man United 1 – 1 Arsenal: A great away point or two precious ones dropped?!

We may get player ratings from Pb later this week, so let me do the usual eight observations. A draw is of course not a bad result away at Old Toilet but we cannot help but feel we could have had our first PL win in 13 years and 13 days there today.

Eight initial observations:

1. Saka and Pepe: one plays with no weight on his shoulders and the other carries bags with £72m pound coins on them, and it shows. Saka was a joy to watch and crowned his fine performance with that bit of quality that was missing in much of the game: a quick and well placed ball for Auba to finish. I love his physical strength and his cool head with and without the ball: a star is born!! Pepe on the other hand is living in a nightmare; poor passes, poor shooting, poor set-pieces. Still we lost something when he was substituted.
2. Auba is just quality and has to be our MOTM for taking his one big chance so well. His in-game football is not the best in the world, and that is why he is not at one of the top-top European clubs, but his effort was great and when that chance comes he will take it more often than not. Auba is a Gunner! Love him.
3. Guendouzi, Torreira and Xhaka had the midfield covered. The only thing that was missing is the link up with the attackers; even though Torreira and Guendouzi worked their socks off to make that connection, it was clear we missed Mesut who could have easily played instead of Pepe tonight.
4. And then Emery did something that was just so infuriating: he broke up the nicely purring midfield by taking Torreira (out of favour?) off and putting Ceballos (part of Emery’s ‘signature’?) on. Yes we needed an Ozil/Ceballos, but not instead of Torreira. Soon afterwards he took off both the wingers, so why not do that a bit earlier and keep Torreira on? I reckon it was Unai punishing Torreira for missing a big chance just before the substitution, because that is the sort of guy he is… But Torreira is a not an attacking midfielder and at least he was in the box to take on the opportunity! See also observation 7…
5. Leno was absolute class and what a safe at the end from that late free-kick!! I also thought that Luiz and Big Sok had a great game, combining both a never-say-die attitude with full concentration for 90 minutes. The Central Defence did us proud today – much, much better than in previous games.
6. I thought the full backs had a good game, also working their socks off and really adding attitude to their performances. Having said that, I reckon with a bit more quality in the final ball into the box we could have won it; and if there is one reason why Tierney and Bellerin will soon become our nr1s there, it’s for that reason (especially without a natural nr.10 in our formation).
7. Emery’s subs… what can I say other than what I already said above? Even though we scored soon after the first substitution, this really had nothing to do with it. What exactly did Ceballos and Nelson add to our game? Virtually nothing. Ceballos or Martinelli for Pepe was on the cards, but imho Emery gave the win away with his subs in the second half.
8. But even though we did not win, and we may not get a better chance to win there for a while, this is still an important draw for Arsenal. We are fourth and have played Pool (away), Mancs (away) and Spuds (home of football) already in just seven PL games. This hard-fought draw condemns the Mancs to their worst League start in 30 years and provides Arsenal with a platform to push on now. Whether Emery has the ability to get the best out of this team continues to be THE question but at least they gave their all for the shirt and that is something to be proud of.

By TotalArsenal.