(The not-so-temporary quite-official) Gooner Thread (Part 3)

I just don't think we have the players for it.

Xhaka, Guendouzi, Torreira, Ceballos and even Willock are better suited deeper. None are good at making runs into the box - the closest to that player right now is probably Willock.

I know it was just against a League 1 side, but I was impressed with Nelson too, especially considering he had Sokratis behind him.

Agreed. And I don't think Arteta is a fan of Willock in the deeper roles anyway. I'm not really either.

He's a different style player to Ozil but I like him in the 10 role. Just needs to add goals to his game. He's got a good hit on him, needs to have a pop more.

Yea I liked the look of Nelson in that game. He's very quick, and he has a wicked delivery on him.

To compare, in 2003-04, we reached the semi finals of both domestic cup competitions and the quarter finals of the CL.

The criticisms I've seen from both fanbases towards the respective sides seem a bit silly.

Our 2003/04 side was a great one, no question, and achieved something no one else has been able to since. It's worth celebrating, and trying to denigrate it is just sour grapes.

Same goes the other way. If this Liverpool team win the title earlier than anyone, and get more points than anyone ever has, that is phenomenal, and worth celebrating. Efforts by anyone to attempt to denigrate their performance is silly as well.

Most of the criticisms I've seen of both teams are not justified in my opinion.

The 03/04 team won plenty of big games, and their mental fortitude cannot be doubted. The most impressive was probably the home victory over Liverpool, ironically. We got knocked out of the FA Cup and the Champions League in the previous two games. We were wobbling. We went behind twice, but dug deep, and Henry was amazing, took that game by the scruff of the neck as they say.

There were many games in that run which could/should have been lost, but were not. Their mental strength was top level.

Football fans, behaving rationally? Thinking logically.  LOLs, you must be new.

Couldn't agree more with what you're saying. Let's just celebrate great achievements.

It was one of the rare times a Spurs player attacked under Mourinho.

Pretty bloody abject this morning. 2 sides playing some bad football.  But at least we came away with the points. 

2 most concerning aspects of the game for me were - that our defence was cut open easily. Either bypassing our shielding players or easily finding space on our edges.

2nd - Not sure about Pepe ay. Sure he has talent, but he struggles to do the simple things right more often than not, and cant influence or impose himself on a game. Also, our moves don't follow when he's involved, they stutter and allow defenders to regroup. Hope he comes right, but at this rate I wouldn't be fussed if he left in the summer (though I doubt he will). He just hasn't lived up to his billing.  

We don't play to Pepe's strength's strengths. Yesterday Sokratis never went past him. He needs Bellerin playing and overlapping badly. He also doesn't pair well with Ozil. A lot of the time they were both just fudgeing around with it on the edge of the area trying to get into space on their left foot. If Bellerin was getting to the by line that would have opened up a pass to him for a cross or opened the space up.

Ozil really fudgeed me off yesterday. He's the most experienced player in our side yet he ducked responsibility in the final third. About 10 minutes before the goal he was found just inside the box, cut onto his left after beating his player, and then squared the ball to no one instead of putting it in the top corner like we know he can.

I'd like to see us change the dynamic of the attack and give Pepe the Ozil role. He'll press to the same capacity as Ozil, but he'll have the freedom to drive at players from more than the touch line, and he'll be willing to take a pop. Given he's got a decent cross on him and good passing I'd expect him to be able to give us more output than Ozil too. Opens up the right flank for Nelson to start banging in cross from too.

Results around us went our way this weekend. Just a point of Sp*rs now, and 8 off Chelsea with a game in hand. I know that game is against City but given their decline and our ability to either bottle it to Olympiakos or step up with 10 men against Chelsea I wouldn't be surprised if we managed to get something out of that game.

10 games left and i reckon we need to win 8-9 to have any chance of 4th spot......Annoying results this morning. Chelsea and Spurs have a pretty tough run in....man u seems to have the easiest. 

the whole pepe thing is interesting because everyone want us to spend money on a player and we did and now reliase it doesnt allways mean instant result

Bobby Pires was rubbish in his first season. Lets hope Pepe turns it around.

Man Utd beating City is the final nail in the coffin for any CL aspirations

Man City game postponed with several of our players self isolating due to being in close proximity to the owner of Olympiakos who has a confirmed case of Coronavirus! Hopefully none of our players are proper ill - that would be so frustrating for them given how long they'll be out of action to recover and stop being contagious - given it can take 2 weeks for symptons to show plus a couple of weeks recovering...not ideal.

Apparently Brighton game will go ahead - but if you're Arsenal and some of those players are regular first teamers you'd be making a case to delay that too.

How is Olympiacos Vs Wolves still going ahead tomorrow?

I think they've claimed to have tested all the Olympiacos players

It's all starting to feel a little wrong.

I think that sticks now well and truly broken.

Arteta tests positive! Whole club now in isolation. No chance of forthcoming matches going ahead.

EPL season sure to be binned. Just a question of what will happen table wise.

If they scrap and start again as you were, then we're in the Europa League again.

If they decide to call the season in its current state, no european football at all?

I imagine the Premier League will make decisions based on the least likelihood of excessive court cases being bought against them.

Sports leagues are in a seriously tough spot. Trying to decide on which is the best of a bunch of pretty bad options. I've seen people say that they should give the title to Liverpool because they're so far ahead, that's a valid opinion but if they did that I think they'd have to make all decisions based on the current standings i.e. relegation. They can't award the title and then not relegate. The season is either completely voided or deemed to have finished now with champions/promotion/relegation/Europe being based on current points totals.

My preference would be they try and isolate the impacts to this season. I see there is some talk that the Euros will move to December to allow the domestic seasons to be finished over the summer. Not a fan of that as it spreads the impact over two seasons instead of trying to isolate it to just one.

Call this season as it is now or void it, make a seperate decision about the Euros and start next season as if it were a normal season.

During WW2 they abandoned the league in 1939 - catch here is that it was September so much easier to abandon then: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_during_World_War_II#England

Doesn't matter which way round they handle it they're all a bit fudgeed. Would like to see the players be the ones who put their hands in their pockets and take a cut instead of fans being shafted and expected to pay increased ticket costs etc. I'm still yet to work out what I do with my season ticket and the guy I'm hiring it off.

Been reflecting on the squad over the past month and wondering who we'll end up selling.

I can't imagine we get to keep Aubamayang or Lacazette. I'd prefer we lost Laca, but I imagine Auba will be the one we get the funds for.

Ozil's another play we need to shift given his wages, but Arteta seems to really rate him.

I don't see Luiz leaving given how much the club respects him. Unsure who from Sokratis, Mustafi, Holding, Chambers would make way for a proper investment in this position but suspect we lose at least two assuming Mari becomes a perm signing.

Maitland-Nile's time seems up at the club and could probably bring in some cash.

Ceballos hasn't really done enough to justify spending the money on him from Madrid unless he's cheap.

Then of our crop of talented youngsters (Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah, Nelson, Guendouzi, Willock) I wonder who we'd be open to offers for...

Experience through the spine seems to be the order of the re-investment. Solid CB, CM, and a forward. 

I'd still take Zaha, I think he'd give us more versatility up front and might better fit our system. Traore from Wolves would be a good purchase too.

Partey from Atheltico could be good - a swap deal for Lacazette has been mooted.

At CB I'm really unsure who you go for. Seems to be the sexy position at the moment with more attention being paid to rising stars like de Ligt & Upamencano.

I do wonder if we're better to go for a 27/28 year old EPL centre back performing well. 

On reflection I feel like I write the above at the end of each season for the last few years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtDI1Pwb4Ks

I thought this video was quite interesting and this seems like the best place to leave it.

That's a great watch mate, thanks for sharing!

Former '80's Arsenal legend Kenny Sansom is currently in hospital with a head injury possibly related to a drunken altercation. He has struggled with alcoholism and depression since retiring and a few years ago was homeless after his marriage fell apart. He was England's most capped fullback before Ashley Cole broke his record. I have his autobiography and its so sad to see how his life has unfolded. Get well soon Kenny

Happy Invincibles Day all. ?

Any substance to the Coutinho and Dembele rumours, not sure about Rabiot but the other two would be great....

Want some Carzola vibes again

Given Bayern didn't want to pay for Coutinho at £105m I can't imagine us spending close to the value needed to get him.

Dembele we are forever linked with.

Rabiot, seems more trouble than he's worth.

I think any rumours at the moment when we still don't have clarity of new seasons start date, the possible financial impacts etc are pretty bogus.

I find Arseblog's reviews quite handy: https://arseblog.news/2020/05/arsenal-transfer-tittle-tattel-round-up-thingy-coutinho-rabiot-mkhitaryan/

31 years ago today, the greatest title decider ever was played. I still remember getting up on a Saturday morning to watch it live on TV1.

Aldridge is down, Barnes is down, Dalglish just stands there.

I've been very happy without Arsenal in my life, gotta be honest.

"Barnes will not be denied. Yes he will, by Richardson. Arsenal come streaming forward now in what surely will be their last attack." Imagine if Barnes had taken it to the corner instead....

I guess you could say it was naivety by not going to the corner or shows the positive type of player he was in that he wanted to try and attack to score. To answer your question though, if he had gone to the corner, we would never have witnessed one of the most amazing finishes to a title race, a weird goal celebration from Michael Thomas, Aldridge refusing to be consoled by David O'Leary, the 89 replica away shirt selling for crazy money and a different end to the book/movie - Fever Pitch

bring on City....I was a relegious Arsenal supporter for many years but the last couple haven't watched many of their games. What is the best way to view them now days?

Probably with your eyes closed.......

haha what about in terms of tv!