Bergkampesque

Divorce…

Arsenal, at least here in the US, is disappearing behind a(nother) pay-wall, leaving my television and heading onto the internet.   If I want to watch this weekend’s 3 O’clock game at Newcastle I need to pay $49 to my TV/internet provider.  (It’s been this way for several seasons, you know, for the mid-table clubs, who don’t get the, other, made-for-TV time slots.)  As such, the experience of following my football club is becoming more like it is for my fellow Gooners in England–except, that I’m some 6000 miles away from the stadium and the lack of television coverage gives little (extra) incentive to get myself inside the Emirates.

Of course, I already pay a hefty monthly amount for my DirectTV package (including the cheeky extra $5 for some Spanish language sports channels that get me A LOT more footy.)  What’s $50 more?  Well, at today’s exchange rate it’s about 38 pound 50.  The pound hasn’t quite gotten back to its pre-Brexit levels it seems.

Still, as they as for more and more I think it’s time to jettison my television plan completely–which is something I’ve stuck with, mostly because the company is now merged with AT&T, our cell phone carrier.  In fact, up here in these mountains the former telephone monopoly (it used to be call “Ma Bell,”) is currently a distant 2nd best in terms of coverage.  For backcountry adventure, which can turn dangerous (injury, equipment failure, avalanche…) getting onto the Verizon network could be seen as a safety protocol–and worth whatever extra expense and hassle it takes to make the switch.

I’m also hoping to travel more and more and getting used to watching my football on the small screen (or plugging it in by way of HDMI cable to a bigger one) is probably the way forward.  Help me out here.  Surely, there are a few Gooners (most all of them, maybe) who have this figured out better than I.  So, I beg of you…

Help me cut the cord…

For these past dozen years–that’s how long it’s been since my family and I stayed at 17 Highbury Terrace and I fell for the Arsenal–I’ve felt that I’ve had a slight (very slight) edge over some Gooners in all the extra matches I could watch (live) on television.  And, you’ve got to watch them as they happen, in my opinion.  Trying to dissect the latest bad result/poor performance after the fact is No. Fun. At. All.

In reality, any real “fun” (or maybe a deeper pleasure) comes in being part of something bigger than myself, building “community” with the club, and, most notably, other supporters.  That last word might also use some quotation marks, I fear.  Instant reaction–typically comprising over-the-top and virulent, if not downright hateful BLAME–seems the way.  Blame the player (who gave the ball away, missed the shot or tackle), or better yet, blame the manager.   When that manager (seemingly) had his job for life, it got even deeper, the blame went even deeper.  What an irony that the art form of Wenger-blame perhaps reached its peak on a website called Arsenal Fan TV.

It’s not all bad, of course, there are many Arsenal sites approaching things more rationally and doing yoeman’s work in slogging through all the elements affecting our club’s consistently more and more dispiriting results.  Indeed, the results HAVE slipped, but even if they hadn’t, I wonder about the spirit of the reaction to them.  In many respects, I believe, the medium is the message.

Has the internet killed Arsenal?  Or at least taken A LOT of the joy out of it?

I think, perhaps, it has… For me at least.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’ll always have affection for the club and for the time and energy I’ve given to it.  And, I must say, the internet and early Arsenal sites REALLY helped me understand the game and the issues around the club.  And Highbury (the neighborhood)?…  Wow.  My time there was incredible and I hope to get back, even if I know that dropping in for a few days or a week (and a game or two at the stadium) will never compare to the longer and far more innocent time I spent there in 2006.

But, now what?…

It’s an interlull (a word, I think, that was invented on the biggest and maybe the best or at least most consistent of all the Arsenal blogs, Arseblog).  What is to discuss?  TA wrote a post about the line-up for our first Europa League match, against a club surely only the tiniest fraction of Gooners had ever heard of?  In the comments there’s been a small discussion of the broader squad and maybe more about a former player and his problems with cabbies.  The most recent comment is a cut and paste about UEFA looking into broadening their competitions to include more clubs, and, of course, to make more money.  There’s hardly been a mention of our players playing for their national teams.

To me, that makes sense.  Club football is sooooo much better than the International game even if the recent world cup in Russia didn’t seem as corrupt (rigged) as I worried it might have been.  Eliminate most of the favorites (and some of the dive-iest teams, helped, perhaps, by the first major use of video review by the referees) and the low level of quality in the football gives way to almost pleasant stories of Davids vs Goliaths (Modrics vs Girouds?)… Hell, football almost came home–by way of a repeated length-of-the-pitch kicks from the keeper or a penalty given for a pull down at a set-piece.  El Corte Ingles is not just a store in Spain.  Tell me why, please my dear English friends, throwing beer over oneself is seen as a good time?…

So, if international football is poor (or weird or certainly corrupt, in my view) then what do I do if the club football is (perhaps) even MORE rigged?  Oil and Gas billionaires are spending to compete with the “national” clubs (Catalunyans vs Castellanos in Spain, Bavarians in Germany).  And, there are even some American owners getting in the game (by buying the biggest English clubs).  The handful of clubs able to win the biggest competitions, maybe, has grown.  Are we part of that club?  Better ask Stan…

He’s off with his cows, I fear, but that’s how it goes.  I need to get with my puppy (and my people) and try and enjoy my surroundings before they’re drowned by rising sea levels or smoke from forest fires.  Going local seems the antidote if they only want more money for me to get with my (global) community…and that community seems increasingly mean-spirited and blameful.  Who needs it?

Me, probably, so it’s, as always, likely just a “separation,” not a divorce.  I should say this before I go.  This site has been great (for me).  I wonder, however, if my bad attitude doesn’t drive folks away.  If so, I apologize.  If TA keeps it going I’m sure I’ll be like this guy…

So, that’s my plan, but I’m open to advice about how to be a better and happier Arsenal supporter.  Help me with my “plan.”  Get me a link (for some free streaming, maybe) or otherwise help me around the pay-wall.  Otherwise, please enjoy the upcoming match at Newcastle.  Who will watch it live?  Is Match of the Day (or highlights from the dot.com) good enough?  Teach me, share your wisdom, give me the perspective that gets YOU through as an Arsenal supporter…

Go on then…

by 17highburyterrace

 

In 11 days from now FC Vorskla, the Ukrainian football team from Poltava, a city about 1700 miles from London and 500 miles south of Moscow and with a population of about 300k, will visit the Home of Football. I know that before then we will visit the Barcodes, but it is interesting to start thinking of who will play in our first UEFA League game this season.

With further games coming in the League Cup, the squad will start to get used properly now, and everyone will get a chance to shine under Emery. For the likes of Holding, Leno, Elneny, etc this is much needed. There are also young players who will want to take this chance to play some proper football and maybe get closer to the first team.

At the back it is a no brainer that Leno, Holding and Lichtsteiner will get starts. What could also happen is that Emery will now be making the swap in goalkeepers many of us have been anticipating. So instead of Leno in goal against Vorskla, it could be Cech (and then Leno to start v Newcastle United), but I reckon Emery will try the German out in the cup competitions first. On the left we have a bit of a problem due to injuries to Kola and AMN… so bring on Osei-Tutu who impressed me. More a right back than a left back, apparently, but I have a feeling that he will be okay whichever side he is played on (possibly Tolaji Bola will get a chance instead, though). Next to Holding it should be Mavropanos: the CB pairing of the future?!

In midfield there is still a lot of competition with the likes of Willock, Smith-Rowe and Sheaf knocking hard on the manager’s door. Elneny clearly has to start and Torreira also could do with a full game. Having said that, I reckon LT11 will from now on be partnered with GX34 in most of our PL games, and Guendouzi will make the shift to the cup competitions (well that would make sense to me). I would love to see how Elneny and Guendouzi would work together in the DM pivot, even though my preference for the latter is to play higher up in the hole (as his defending is at best a work in progress).

In the hole I expect Iwobi to play or the very talented Smith-Rowe. As the Nigerian can play also on the left and Smith-Rowe also has that great drive through the middle with the ball, I am hoping Smith-Rowe  will start in the ‘NR10’ position (interchanging positions with Alex regularly of course).

Iwobi on the right seems inevitable and the right man to pick, and Welbeck should have a first start too on the left, with Nketiah to lead the line.

Ah, we have lots of options and I for one am really looking forward to this game. Who would you pick v Vorskla?

By TotalArsenal.

The weird and wonderful world of the new Arsenal continues to entertain us. We invite the opposition to have a go but our philosophy is to  simply outscore them by the end of the game. You score four but we score five and we get the three points is Emery’s philosophy, it seems. Do I like it?! Pfffff, a win is a win but surely we cannot continue like this for the rest of the season?

Who needs a midfield, hey?! It remains a mystery why Emery is not starting with the multi-disciplined Torreira but choses to put him on late to steady the ship. I really don’t get the inclusion of Guendouzi in the DM pivot. By all means play him in the hole instead of Rambo, but next to Xhaka does not work for either of them. It does not look that Emery will change the deeper midfield players anytime soon, and as long as that is the case we will be playing with a weak midriff imo. It will weaken the defence but strengthen our attack, and we may well win a lot more games with a small margin and lots of goals conceded by either team. Torreira’s late substitutions into the team might well be Emery’s special joker… but I would start him next to Xhaka in each and every game.

Lacameyang, Aubacazette, or just Auba-Laca: what a combination of attacking skills! They are dancing their way to the goal and the more they play together the better they can get. Against Cardiff City they each scored a fabulous goal. Auba’s effort was Henryesque, something only athletic footballers can do. Laca’s effort was, dare I say it, Van Persie-like: such venom and precision in that postage-stamp howitzer. They both were works of art and those are the sort of goals fans come to stadiums for. Let’s hope they play together in most of our games this season.

Ozil, Mkhi, Rambo: three is a crowd. We cannot play with them all on the pitch, or can we? As Rambo has not signed the thing, I would opt for benching him. Ozil signed a new deal and is clearly a cut above, Mkhi joined us to finish his career at the home of football…. and Rambo just keeps us hanging on. And I whisper it, but he is actually not that good (anymore). So pick your two but I would start with Mkhi and Ozil in most games, and I would use Guendouzi to replace either of them after sixty minutes or so.

Emery keeps picking the triangle of Cech-Sokratis-Mustafi but is that really the strongest combination he can go for? Early days, I know, but IF he wants to play out from the back, which he clearly does, he has to pick the players who fit that system best, no? For me it is Leno-Sokratis-Holding. An easy with theball keeper, a calm (and tall) head of Holding and the wisdom of the philosopher. But who are your best picks at the centre-back for you?

Anyway, enough from me. What are your international break Arsenal – or any other – musings?

By TotalArsenal.

 

Results so far this season tell us that no team can be taken for granted. We were lucky against West Ham. Wolves stood toe to toe with City costing the champions 2 pts. Man U left Brighton empty handed. No big six team has not been subjected to a nail biting finish by a supposed minnow and this after only three games into the season. Against Cardiff at away we need to gird our loins.

From our match against West Ham, the widely held opinion is that Bellerin was the best and the worst in the team. Best offensively, the other of course you can guess. That should make him a recurring feature (in, out, in …) as Emery tussles with the task of formulating a plan for the match against Cardiff City.

How does he get Bellerin’s best without his worst. Clearly not by dropping him for Lichsteiner. Pushing him up as our right winger with Lichsteiner behind him would have been a solution except that his effectiveness going forward has been due in no small measure to the understanding between him and Mkhi. That understanding is about the only exciting offensive phase combination that Emery has identified. He would like to keep that relationship intact and look for ways of getting round it’s defensive weakness.

A 3-man central defense, to compensate for the pair’s defensive weakness, makes a lot of sense but it’s ripples have never been to Emery’s liking. He’d rather put more bodies in the central midfield. Come to think of it, West Ham were slicing through our midfield like knife through butter and more bodies there would help check that also. A 4:3:3. family appears to be shaping up.

Who leads the line, Auba or Laca? It could as well be a toss of the coin. Emery knows that the goals would begin to come for Auba sooner than later and that replacing him now would be interpreted as a vote of no confidence in him. He would choose not to cause that harm. Meanwhile Laca’s restiveness grows, understandably so, for a man with his pedigree. The super sub role, irrespective of whether it is Emery’s joker or not, can’t sit well with the him much longer. Consequently, Emery would give some thought to starting the two of them with Auba shifted to the wide left position. Like us all, he must have recognized that there is an extra verve their combo brings to the team offensively. But balance is always the key. Kept in view he would turn to consider the other options available at wide left.

Ozil and Ramsey are better suited to the more central attacking areas. That takes them out of the mix wide left. Iwobi’s excellent performance at Chelsea slumped to an underwhelming display against West Ham making it unlikely that Emery would gamble on him so soon after. Welbeck should excite him. His pace and power and natural ability to press fits his needs. That would make it a straight choice between Welbeck at wide left with Laca on the bench and Laca as striker with Welbeck on the bench. Good selection headache if you ask me. Good bench too.

We move down to the midfield three. The chiding Carcedo gave to Torreira after the Chelsea match quickly rid him of his home sickness and brought his charrua coursing through his Uruyuayan veins. With our full backs flying forward, Torreira would be asked to sit in front of our central defenders who have so far been horribly exposed. Guendouzi, I expect, would be given a tad more time to to digest the fact that doing less sometimes is doing more. He sits on the bench but bet on that lad to be back quickly. Xhaka starts as the deep lying playmaker. The leftover in that middle-3, that middle vertical strip of the pitch, the highway to the opposition box becomes Ramsey’s to ply otherwise it is adapted as a 8-10 for the creative Ozil. That means one or the other misses out from the starting line up for this match and maybe for many more, ……. not titans at war, just good depth in the squad.

The remaining four positions in the team are filled by Cech, Mustafi, Sokratis and the most consistent of them all that wasn’t named a captain, Nacho Monreal.

After all said and done my prediction remains a long long shot:-

BENCH:- Leno, Lichsteiner, Holding, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Ozil, Welbeck.

It would be nice grabbing another three points. It would be nicer if it is done with a reassuring performance.

COYRG!!!

By PE.

Please weigh in and give us your thoughts?  Here are a few of mine, or at least a few questions I’ve been pondering.

What’s the deal with Unai and these two players? 

It’s only been a few matches, but they’ve only played together for some 54 minutes (the opening ones vs ManCity).  The take-me-out-of-the-starting-11-makes-me-sick rumors are a worry, as is the continuing silence on Ramsey and a new contract.  Frankly, I doubt that the management junta will offer Rambo that Ozil-money he (supposedly) seeks.  Let’s see what happens on Sunday as Ramsey returns to his boyhood club (Cardiff City).  It was a while back, but he got a hat-trick on (his) one (and only?) trip there in Arsenal colors, as I recall.  Is Mesut only “well enough” for a bench seat or could we see them paired again?  It sure looked weird, IMO, Rambo pressing from a #9 position in the Opener.

Playing Style?  Who’s In and Who’s Out?  And Who’s Got Better Hair?

My take is that Emery seems very keen to change what we know from all those years watching Arsenal under Wenger.  Press from the front, play out of the back and send long (and wide) balls to open guys–from the deep lying mids–rather than into a pack of players (and from the keeper).  Sorry Sam, we shan’t indulge in El Futbol Ingles (route one, punt and pray, keep it down their end, call it what you will), the pragmatics of the situation notwithstanding.  Thus far it seems VERY MUCH a work in progress.

We looked hardly on the same page vs City (Cech’s near own-goal the emblematic moment), quite fortunate to get back level at half-time at Stamford Bridge before subbing to hold that result and then blowing it, and (maybe) even more fortunate to come away with full points vs West Ham last Saturday.  An injury to Arnautovic, a wildly caromed own-goal, and a couple of thread-the-nutmeg Bellerin crosses made the difference and we vaulted from 17th to 9th in the table.  At least the trajectory there is good…

Instead of Wenger’s (pointless?) possession and passing and pressing the opponent back, (back, back) with the ball (and walking it into the net).  Emery–like Pep at City and Klopp at the Kop–hardly needs the ball–or wants to play “protagonist” with or without it–to force mistakes and pounce.  If we can get the ball back high up the pitch, direct would be the way and Aubamayang would be the guy to get those Theo, er, through-balls, into the net.  He’s still on the bagel; and his would-be replacement, Lacazette, has yet to score either; that blast off the WHU defender’s chest only counts as an assist, I’m pretty sure.  Instead, it’s guys like Iwobi, Mkhitaryan and Danny Welbeck getting the early season goals, players that many a Gooner thought might be gone or at least playing bit parts this season, with he who-cannot-defend-and-should-be-sold (along with his man-bun) Bellerin perhaps looking our MVP(!!)  (On the question of Ramsey and/or Ozil, does Emery’s style even allow for both on the pitch at the same time?  If Wenger wanted #10s all over the pitch, does Emery want even one?…)

Indeed, what’s up is down and what’s down is up (thus far) at the Emery-ates.  What do you guys think of the new coaches playing style (philosophy) and it’s execution.

What About the Choices Made by the New Coach, Starting 11s and Subs?

The back line is bare-bones.  Kos is back running but Chambers was run off to Fulham.  AMN and Kolasinac are out hurt so–with the Greek philosopher’s help (Question: if a tree falls in the forest, is it always Mustafi’s fault?…)–it’s a rearguard that picks itself, with only one CB Holding down a bench seat.  With the fullbacks encouraged to run wide (and wild) and forward, it’s been Nacho and Bells even if many enjoyed the extreme non-neutrality of the Swiss guy, Lichtsteiner, when he came on in the City match.  And then there’s Cech (who gives what we expect) vs Leno and what might be a trial by fire in the rough and tumble (and much faster paced) PL.

My bet is that–early on at least–the PL will not be for BL (Leno) and that we’ll have to see him do his sweeper-keeper thing in the Europa League and League Cup matches, games which will surely also see changes in the deeper part of midfield, the true crux of Emery’s team.  Thus far he’s gone with (Matteo) Guendouzi and Granit (Xhaka) and it’s been far from poetry, IMO. Thus far, the smaller man (but bigger signing…) Torreira has only been used as a sub.  At Stamford Bridge (when he replaced Xhaka) our offense stuttered and the Uruguayan wasn’t able to track the guy (Alonso) who broke the deadlock and gave Chelsea the points.  Versus West Ham (and this time paired with Xhaka), The little guy looked much better in creating pressure on the opponents by keeping possession and passing through the lines.  Still, mistakes were made and our DMs were still witnessed chasing the Hammers on the break.  Luckily, our net never bulged, and we were able to grab the points.  Who starts in Wales and how will this most interesting part of the team evolve as the season moves on?

A word here for my avatar guy, who has yet to play a single minute of football, Mohamed Elneny.  Consider me concerned.  (Doubly so, given that I prefer Mo’s dreadlocks to Kenny, er, Matteo, G’s curls…)  Is he off in order to free up money for a mega-offer to Ramsey?  I hope not.  (And I think the accounting here is a farce).

Elneny, IMO, will run all day and show for the ball, something I believe Wenger valued a lot more in his deeper lying midfielders.  I’m picturing Mikel Arteta here, and, later, Santi Cazorla, even if those guys also had the big passes that Granit with his left and Guendo with his right foot, seem to possess.  Elneny can hit an accurate and quick pass, but doesn’t have that sort of range.  His skill-set however, just might not fit Emery’s system.

What’s different, to my eye, is the spacing.  If the keeper and CBs are expected to push and play the ball forward and wide–the FBs moving well upfield into the opponents half–so too are the DMs.  Do G & G have the strength to hold off defenders?  The skills to turn them inside out before launching their big passes?  Torreira, tiny as he is, gets to balls (and spaces) quickly but also relies on going to ground when he feels contact.  That works in South America and Italy.  I wonder about in front of (keep-play-going) English refs.  I think Elneny could play a role in this regard.  If’s he’s not gone by tomorrow (the Euro transfer deadline) maybe we’ll see what he can do in the Europa League as we ease into that competition.  He could always be sold in January (just as Ramsey could sign on for the longer haul). Your thoughts?

And, finally, coming full circle, onto the (big) point(s).

What do you think of the Emery-Era so far?  In truth we could call it the Gazidis and his guys (GAG?) era–as opposed to the decades under Wenger.  Sven’s been recruiting (is Dortmund to Arsenal, the quickest ticket/shortest route to London?), Unai then takes the (round?) pegs and plugs them in the (square?) holes, while others (Raul, Huss) work to sort out the money issues.  Let’s not forget that Wenger watches (from afar) while still on the Arsenal dole.  Hmmm, maybe we can afford to pay Rambo his (Ozil–or should we say Arsene?) money–next summer when Wenger’s wages drop from the books.  (Whoa, that might not have been Gazidis’ best work, at least from a pound and penny perspective…) What do my fine fellow Gooners think of the club under the new man (or men)?

As those who know me will guess, I believe we’re sacrificing more than (Wenger) money and that results (and entertainment value) will suffer too, but maybe that’s all OK if it’s in the name of change.  After our first three games does anybody (seriously) believe we can challenge for the title?  (And wasn’t that always the standard to which AW was held?)  Who knows, stranger (or more Leicester-er) things have happened, I guess.  Maybe next year there won’t be any forest fires out here in California and the skiing will be nothing but dry powder from October through May in my mountains above Lake Tahoe… Next thing you know, we’ll all get along and support the president, just like you guys in Britain do with your Euro (and non-native) friends.  I could go on and on, but this isn’t the venue (or so I’ve been told).

Before I run away, I ask for your predictions.

Frankly, when it comes to the BIG GOAL of the season, getting up for the much-derided 4th place trophy, I think Emery’s ideas need to create better performances sooner than later, i.e., we can’t keep riding our luck.  There’s always the back door (winning the Europa League) but let’s not forget that a few strong CL teams will be parachuting into that competition when they can’t make it out of their groups.  (See Atletico Madrid, a year ago.)  Gooners are loving the early season troubles at MouroonedChester United, but that’s juxtaposed against strong starts for Chelsea and Spurs.  We’ve got a nice run of games all the way through until November, but–after our stuttering start–we NEED to keep making three points per match AND showing improvement in settling the squad and playing better football.  I wonder.  Some are saying 21 points from these next seven matches will come our way.  I’d be more than satisfied with 15 and think a dozen is (far) more likely.  That’s my prediction, though I’ll hope it’s a baker’s dozen (13)…

What say you?

If a point total is all you can give, go on and give it.  If you’d care to weigh in on the more touchy-feely elements I’m trying to describe, even better.  On the internet, all truths are relative and all opinions equal.  Or maybe, since we can’t look one another in the eye, the beholder can scream as loudly as he (or she) likes, enhancing their truths–or at least the truth-iness–of those shouts.  Or something.  Regardless, please weigh in and share your thoughts.

Go on then…

by 17highburyterrace

So there you are, we have our first win and much needed three points. Watching our beloved team play at the home of football, or indeed away from it, remains something akin to an outer-body experience, or like a weird dream. Who are those players and why are we playing like that? Have I just woken from a three-year long coma and now have to familiarise myself with the team again?

The brave thing about Emery is that he is prepared to put his stamp on the team, and not just tweak and build on what Wenger has left him behind. In my first year as post-Wenger Arsenal coach – yes now I am dreaming – I would have done the latter rather than the former. But I respect Emery for making the players play football the Unai-ted way, even though it is a strange and often painful thing to watch. Patience is what is needed, and I am more and more sitting back and allowing Emery the time and support to gradually get it right.

Here are my eight observations:

1. The team want to do well for Emery. There is a hell of a lot to improve right now, but the most important thing is that the players give their all with pride for the shirt and don’t give up.
2. Five goals in three games is not a bad return. We are creating chances: we had 15 shots v the Chavs (six on target) and nine against MC (three on target) and yesterday we had 17 shots of which a whopping 10 were on target. So 19 shots on target in three games led to five goals; we need to improve in this. What is remarkable, though, is that Auba and super-sub Laca are both still not on the scoresheet. That is £100m of strikeforce currently failing to find the net. The goals came from Mkhi, Nacho, OG, Welbz and Iwobi. I am pleased that others have stepped up to score the goals, and two away goals at the Chavs should normally be enough for at least a point, but we need to get Auba and Laca to start scoring again. It will come.
3. Now regular BKers will know my view on the enthusiastic and very promising talent of Guendouzi. What a prospect! To combine him with Xhaka in the DM pivot is a recipe for midfield – and therefore defence – disaster, though. Xhaka does not deserve the undisciplined and inexperienced Guendouzi next to him. Guendouzi needs a classical DM next to him which Xhaka is not.  Torreira would make both players much more effective, and, as I like our midfield to be controlling and calm, I prefer the combo of Xhaka and Torreira, especially with Emery’s preference to have both full backs to be as free as the wind for us. As soon as Guendouzi came off and Xhaka and Torreira were allowed to play together for the first time, things started to look a lot more balanced all over the pitch. We did not concede many  chances anymore and scored two ourselves to win the game. I have no idea why Emery is not starting with Torreira and Xhaka (or if you must, Guendouzi), but I really hope he will start doing this from now on. Balance is king. I would play Guendouzi more regularly in the hole, in front of two of Torreira, Xhaka and Elneny.
4. The ex-Gunners, Wilshere, Perez and Fabianski had mixed games yesterday: Fabianski was superb, Jack tried hard but had little impact and Perez missed a more than decent opportunity to equalize the game at the crucial moment. I hope they do well this season and help the Hammers to stay up at least.
5. Bellerin is our best attacker. Two assists v WH and more good balls into the box, Hector is firing on all cylinders. He is our outlet in the team and in every game until now he has been very effective going forward. It does leave us defensively frail though, especially with Nacho also being allowed to go forward whenever he feels like it (and Guendouzi also bombing forward in a free-as-the-wind role). We need Bellerin’s attacking prowess but we also need better defensive cover, hence my second observation above.
6. Mkhi was enjoying himself in the creative department and stood in well for Mesut. He has an average of 2.3 key passes per game this season, which is promising. Would he thrive more if it is either him or Ozil on the pitch in games? I reckon we need to find a way to get both to be effective and leading the team to victory time and again.
7. Lacazette brings energy and so does Welbeck. With Auba still not in the groove, it is important that we have an attacking plan-B, and the Frenchman and Englishman do just that. Laca produced a lucky OG and Welbz finished in a controlled way to finish the game off in extra time, but it was there energy and hunger that made the real difference in attack.
8. Cech saved us again and I reckon it are his reputation, frame and professionalism which are giving him the edge over Leno right now. He probably should have done better on the WH goal, but he also saved us on a number of occasions from conceding a second, whilst being protected poorly by our defence. Cech is STILL a winner.

By TotalArsenal.

This is a match Pellegrini of West Ham United would set his team out not to lose. They have lost their first two matches of the season and are playing at away where they made 15pts last season.

Emery would set his team out to win. They have also lost their first two matches of the season and are playing at home where they made 47pts last season.

Emery would want an expansive game but he knows Pellegrini would want to keep it tight. The first goal could be crucial so expect Emery to instruct his team to start with a controlled aggression.

Understandably Emery should still be in the mood to chop and change as he continues his search for the best combinations to fit his ideas. But as a must-win-game for him, that urge would be tempered by a measure of conservatism. This is not the match to stray too far into uncharted territory.

I expect him to start with the same back five that he used against Chelsea. Many thanks to Aubamayang’s leaked list, we now know that Papastathopoulus isn’t that slow.

For the double pivot, Guendouzi for sure retains his place. Xhaka was substituted at half time in the Chelsea match probably because he was on a yellow coupled with the fact that the pace of that match was too frenetic for his more measured style. West Ham are not coming with that kind of intensity so expect Xhaka to start again. Or would Emery start Ramsey instead as he might see his box runs as suited against a West Ham team that would be reluctant to throw men forward. As for Torreira, Emery seems to be giving him time to adjust to his new environment but there again he would desire to have his full backs push up high for width and the terrier sitting in front of the central defenders.

It would be head scratching deciding who to select for the front four.  Big reputation would be vying with current form in a new system (albeit only two games yet). With West Ham likely to defend deep, would Lacazette be more effective than Aubamayang in the tiny spaces the opponent’s compactness would leave?  Or does Emery start the two of them at the expense of one attacking midfielder?

Attacking midfield would be his biggest headache. He has in Ramsey and Welbeck excellent pressers of the ball, Ozil and Mkhitaryan the creative pair but never quite up to speed when without the ball and Iwobi who played so well against Chelsea and who is his best ball carrier.

Who starts, who drops? We can imagine how he would keep turning these questions over and over in his mind, viewing them from different angles, seeking the best balance, consulting and discussing with assistant Carcedo, and finding himself revisiting decisions as the perfectionist in him keeps conjuring up myriad scenarios. Time constraint finally would bail him out of this torment as he literally is compelled to submit that last moment’s list of starters and subs. I suppose many of us go through such rituals buying something as simple as a tie or a scarf.

It is fascinating trying to figure out the possible lines of Emery’s thinking and here is my prediction (long shot) of what his line up would be:-

——————-Cech—————–

Bellerin.  Mustafi.  Sokratis.    Monreal.

——–Guendouzi.      Ramsey———-

    Mkhitaryan      Ozil.      Iwobi

—————-Aubamayang————-

BENCH:- Leno, Lichsteiner, Holding, Xhaka, Torreirai, Welbeck, Lacaztette.

The project is to get 3 pts and we will get it. It has rained, it’s now time for sunshine. There would be one strange sight, Jack not in our colours. I would cringe were Shkodran Mustafi to leave him in a crumpled heap on the ground in a fair but crunching tackle. Him and us are for ever, this Arsenal legend that never was.

COYRRG!!!

By PE.

Emery has left no one in doubt that he wants his team to be the protagonist, to play with energy and intensity. He is a disciple of gegen-pressing, of winning back the ball early and of playing out of the back. It is a worthwhile vision for the Arsenal football team. However, we cannot escape from the fact that such a transformation would require a near complete overhaul of the squad that Wenger left behind. Realistically that would require a minimum of three years of rebuilding work that would demand plenty of money.

We have played two tough matches this season. The big issue is not that we lost the two matches. The probability of any other team losing to City and Chelsea are quite sizable. The big issue is that players like Ozil, Aubamayang, Mhitaryan and Xhaka where shadows of themselves. Yes, Mkhitaryan in the Chelsea match too because apart from his excellent goal and his well executed cut back-assist, he was not in the game.

It is a big issue as these four players represent the heart of the offensive side of our play which was an area where we have never been poor statistically. Their very poor outing in these two matches ought to set the alarm bells ringing. Accepting that there might be a football philosophy that is theoretically the best, in practical terms the best philosophy is the one that gets the best out of a group of players.

As a matter of fact Emery faced such a challenge when at PSG where he had to abandon his high intensity demand for a quieter tempo that was constructed on possession so as to suit the players he had. There was need for him to adjust to the personnel at his disposal as much as they had to adjust to him.

Here he has found himself in exactly the same situation and he might have to also adjust for the sake of keeping pace with our rivals in all competitions. As opportunity presents itself (transfer windows), he can begin to reconstitute his squad in the direction of his ideal philosophy.

Ozil for example is the creative genius that he is because by his psychological make up, relatively speaking, he detaches from the events around him and in that state is able to see what others can’t see. That detachment is what makes him. Wenger tried to get him to add goals to his game and his creative output dropped drastically. Emery now wants him to join the team in winning back the ball quickly and he’s become a complete shadow of himself. Another example is Xhaka, who processes things tidily but very slowly. That’s his DNA. Asking him to increase his intensity is asking him for the impossible.

This does not mean that Emery cannot bring changes to this group of players. He is a coach who is good at details so he can help players grow in their respective little domains. He can make the team better in what they used to do for example in playing out from the back. He can create structural changes that can for example make us concede less. He might also be able to change the team’s mentality and their vision of the game. These might actually be his immediate goals, and his overload method is merely his means of achieving them.

There are no two ways about it, Emery has to work with the materials at his disposal and those include the above cited players. Our last summer recruitments look more like stop gap signings made to await the arrival of the new man. I believe that real rebuilding would start this January window with Emery at the heart of it.

Meanwhile Emery has displayed guts and doggedness even in his use of English. He is getting everybody to sit up. Add the tweaks to the team and I am convinced we will stay competitive.

By PE

After a very tough game v the Northern Oilers, Arsenal now face the original Oilers at the Bridge. It is of course another tough game and it will go either horribly wrong or we will get our first victory, and all will be fine with the Arsenal football world again. Our disappointing start to the season against the champions will have given Emery some valuable insights to his team but I don’t expect him to make too many changes.

Torreira is likely to start next to the sure-starter Xhaka and Laca and Auba could start together, leaving Rambo and Ozil to do the creative midfield stuff. I expect Unai to start again with Bellerin, Cech and the same central defenders. On the right it is either Nacho or Licht. If it was me, I would start with the following eleven:

Preferred Line-up

Torreira offers cover for Xhaka so the Swiss genius can find the space to receive the ball and dominate our passing football. Torreira himself knows how to pass the ball and, even though it will be a work in progress, the Xhaka-Torreira axis will be the one around which Unai is building his team. Believing or wanting another combination is futile imo.

Predicted Score:

Very hard to predict this one but I am going for 1-1. Hoping for a Chavs-spanking win of course but that is unlikely to happen today. An away draw against a fellow top-four competitor would be good at this stage of the season.

Three key points:

1. The midfield balance. How will Xhaka and Torreira work together and how much protection will they offer to the defence? How quick can they find  their attacking comrades? Who will play in the hole and connect the attackers with the midfield: Rambo or Ozil? The former with his running or the latter with his sharper and visionary passing?
2. Playing out from the back. If Unai, as to be expected, starts with Cech again, how will we cope with playing out from the back? I reckon it is important that Torreira sits deeper than Xhaka so both are available to find space to receive the ball (and then find each other). I also feel that Ozil is the better player to come deep and play a role in our build-up play. That’s why he is in the hole today.
3. Efficiency in front of goal. We lost to City and rightly so, but boy it could have been different if our attackers had put their (half-)chances away at the home of football. That is why I would like to start with both Laca and Auba so we can get a goal and build our confidence in front of goal. We are likely to concede as our defence is also a work in progress; so let’s try and outscore them!

Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!

By TotalArsenal

This ied another tough match for Unai Emery. But this time he is facing Maurizio Sarri who is a couple of weeks younger than him in the Premier League and who is also implementing a new philosophy. It’s more of a level playing field.

Maurizio, in his opener, had it easy against Huddersfield with a 3-0 win. That is very good for the morale of his team but he wouldn’t have learned much. Unai’s match against the City machine was the opposite. It was a baptism of fire that must have given him a whole lot of new materials to work with, materials that are as much for him to use in adjusting to his players as they are for the team in adapting to his philosophy. Emery would have learnt, if nothing else, where and how not to play some of his men.

He values Ramsey energetic pressing. But Ramsey at #10 starts a chain reaction that displaces Ozil to the wide right which in turn displaces Mkhi to the wide left displacing Auba to the striker position and Lacazette to the bench. Against City it prove a chain reaction that left the attack ineffective.

Emery would be mulling over new options. A 4:2:3:1/4:3:3 with Ozil back to the hole behind the striker and Ramsey out of the equation as was the case when he was substituted in the 54th minute in the City match, or a 4:1:4:1 which Emery regards as good for pressing and which has a fitted spot for Ramsey.

Sarri is known for favoring intensity and high pressing. Cech looks in the best of shape but one would have thought that matches against high pressing teams would at least have been reserved for Leno.

The public controversy which now surrounds the choice between the two keepers might have turned it into more of a dressing room than a field decision. The choice of Cech against high pressing teams worry me not only because of poor ball ability with his feet, but also because the nervousness it generates does degrades the quality of the other players decisions.

If Ceck starts as is looking very likely but not definitely, Emery should give him and his mates a little extra room for going long with the ball. Agree the team is learning but we need bits and pieces of compromises here and there to help keep pace in the race.

The line up I would like to see (4:2:3:1/4:3:3):-

LENO

BELLERIN. MUSTAFI.  SOKRATIS. LICHSTEINER.

                TORREIRA.            GUENDOUZI

        MKHITARYAN.   OZIL.   AUBAMAYANG.

                                 LACAZETTE

BENCH:- Cech, Holding, Monreal, Xhaka, Ramsey, Iwobi, Welbeck.
__________________________________________________________________________
Alternatively, a 4:14:1 formation:-

LENO.

BELLERIN.   MUSTAFI.   SOKRATIS.    LICHSTEINER

                                 TORREIRA

MKHITARYAN.    OZIL.   RAMSEY.    AUBAMAYANG

                                  LACAZETTE.

BENCH:- Cech, Holding, Monreal, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Welbeck.
____________________________________________________________________________

Of the two formations I expect Emery to settle for the former (4:2:3:1/4:3:3). It’s more of what the team is used to. A bit of evolution in the revolution.

We should take the City encounter as the conclusion of Emery’s pre-season. He must have learned a lot about his team in that one match. Against Chelsea our season starts. What we need in this match is a good performance that would assure us that Emery and his team have hit the tarmac of the new era. We can’t wait to tighten our seat belts.

COYRG!!!

By PE.