Come on. That's as soft a penalty as you're going to see. It was a blatant exaggeration of almost no contact
Arsenal 2017-18: Au Revoir, Arsene
- Thread starter mikeford
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Has Ospina ever played a complete game without some sort of injury? Every time I see him on the pitch he has to stop proceedings at some point and show everybody he has a booboo.
Three months later, this is still the proper way to be an Arsenal fan until Wenger leaves the club.
I’m hoping that with the new talent evaluators that things will improve at least in scouting.. but everything else about the club seems cynical at the moment.. tactics, lineups, contract negotiating, etc. trying to find bargain basement finds, expecting players that are constantly injured to play a full season (does anyone doubt Wilshere will get a new contract and immediately get hurt?), negotiating with your stars in the press, and in general taking no responsibility when the club is failing.
Coq to Valencia for 12m. Also, Alexis was supposed to start in the Carabao Cup today, now he is on the bench. A hint of an incoming deal?
Ozil, Kos, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Giroud, Monreal all injured, Sanchez on the bench bc his ticket to City or PSG is already booked, that Greek guy we just bought who was supposed to go on loan to Werder is now on the bench and could end up playing.
Arsenal gonna Arsenal. My expectations for this match are pretty much non-existent.
Arsenal gonna Arsenal. My expectations for this match are pretty much non-existent.
The glimmer of goodness in this garbage heap of a match (entertainment-wise) has been two successful - and quick - penalty reviews for VAR.
VAR needs to be in the PL next year and beyond.
VAR needs to be in the PL next year and beyond.
Agreed. This was a good test case showing how technology can make sure you get it right, all without disrupting the match that much.
Weirdly enough, the geniuses on ESPN are saying VAR failed and there should've been a penalty. I wasn't watching when that happened, but the replay looks extremely soft and it also looked like he could've stayed on his feet and fell down to get a penalty. I'm good with the no call.
So, i take it the match was just as much like two blind donkeys fucking to watch as it looks in the scoreline?
As happy as one should be pursuing a player that is aging but relies on speed to beat defenders in order to find multiple ways to kick the ball anywhere else but in the net...while being well overpaid in the process.
If you like watching linesmen brushing up on their semaphore, he's your man- the lad was born offside.
He is not good enough for a truly top flight club (which Arsenal may not be at this point but that's another matter). But I think he will help Everton for sure. Walcott doesn't have the skills to play in a side that seeks to dominate possession. But his runs off the ball are very intelligent, he is blazing fast and can help stretch defenses that play high, and his finishing isn't all that bad when you look at statistics over large samples. Given that the attack is currently built around Rooney, who is basically the opposite of Walcott - slow and best with the ball at his feet - he could be a good complement. And he obviously knows the league very well and won't need a big adjustment period.
You could get the last Europa league slot with a strong second half and you need more offense to do it. I think he is a pretty good gamble all things considered.
Walcott will help in the short-term, because he fills a crucial need for Everton in that he has pace, which Everton are desperately short of. But he's 28 and will be expensive, if not in terms of fee than at least in wages (he's currently on 110,000/week), and his game is not the sort that ages well. What's the point of hiring Steve Walsh to be your Director of Football if you're just going to overpay established older British players?
I think a club like Everton needs a mix. You obviously want to focus on buying up cheaper young talent and developing that talent. That goes without saying. But they also have generated high expectations among supporters and making Europe is an important target for them, so there are legitimate reasons to seek more short term help. Buying another Sandro isn't going to get them into Europe.
Its hard to really know what high wages even constitute at this point in the Premier League, especially for a player who scores goal. 110K is a lot by Everton's historical standards, but they are paying Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson, and Rooney more and even players like Klaassen, Sandro, and Ashley Williams in the 70K range.
This is where age matters. Walcott will turn 29 in March, if you give him a four-year contract you'll still be paying him those wages when he's 33. It'd be one thing to sign a player like that at 25 and know you're getting his prime years. But he's likely to be no more than a squad player for a good side by the end of that deal.
I don't understand what the plan is here. They've constructed their squad so that they have of a lot of older players (Jagielka, Baines, Williams, Rooney are all 32+, Coleman, Schneiderlin, Gueye, Bolasie, Sigurdssson are 28+) and a bunch of interesting kids (Sandro is 22, Holgate 21, Vlasic 20, Calvert-Lewin 20, Davies 19), and almost nothing in between. The only players aged 23, 24, 25, 26, or 27 to start a game this year are Klassen (24, 3 starts), Keane (25, 15 starts), Niasse (27, 5 starts), and McCarthy (27, 1 start). By the time the kids get good (assuming they all do, which is obv a big risk), the older players will all be declining. There doesn't appear to be any coherent long-term strategy.
I agree with everything you wrote. But given all they've done, signing Walcott this winter on the cheap (fee wise at least) isn't a bad move IMO.
He's not a great finisher, but not a bad one either. His passing isn't great, and he's not great with possession in traffic. There were a lot of times where his defense was questionable. And he is offsides a lot. But he is damn fast and does have a knack for finding the seams in a defense to make his runs. I don't think he makes other players better directly, maybe more by a team honoring his speed and that creating openings. I was more frustrated by the flashes he showed than anything else, but he would be fun to watch and root for if you have certain expectations. His were raised pretty high by early success.
I'm done watching this bullshit until Arsene Wenger is gone. Fuck this and fuck him and triple fuck anyone who still supports this senile megalomaniac.
Yeah, I like Arsene for sentimental reasons only, the league has clearly passed him by. I’m having trouble ginning up a ton of anger after last night’s Pats and B’s, but this team is a complete mid-table meh right now and it seems like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
They're tied for 5th for goals scored, 26 goals behind the leader. They're tied for 8th in goals allowed, 14 behind the leader. So they could probably use both, but I'd think shoring up the D would be the first priority. I just feel like a lot of these players, especially in midfield, are just not put in a position that suits their skills. It's confusing that Wenger brought all of these guys in, but so many of them don't seem to fit what he wants them to do.
They also have the corpse of Petr Cech in goal, which doesn’t help. Letting the Szczesny situation turn to disaster a few years back was another huge error with long-term implications.
Wenger should have gone two years ago at the absolute latest. I can only hope the rumors that Stan seems to be inspired to replicate the Rams success this year are true.
Wenger should have gone two years ago at the absolute latest. I can only hope the rumors that Stan seems to be inspired to replicate the Rams success this year are true.
To twist the knife...Szczesny has been fantastic for Juventus this year and probably pulled back 4-6 points. Buffon has been hurt and the Old Lady hasn’t missed a beat.
Agreed. Arsenal gonna Arsenal and give up bad goals at bad times. That's what we *do*, and it's the last thing anyone should expect to change during Arsne's sunset. The only hope is scoring enough to offset that, and right now that doesn't happen unless all of Ozil, Sanchez, and Lacazette are on the pitch and engaged. I'm OK with signing a rich man's Walcott and hoping enough balls trickle in until Xhaka and Mustafi (and Chambers and Holding) wake the fuck up.
In short, this team is fucked. Not barely fucked; proper fucked. Not for a short time; for a long time.
In short, this team is fucked. Not barely fucked; proper fucked. Not for a short time; for a long time.
The Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang rumors make sense with Mislintat now at Arsenal...but I don't see how they fit Wenger's preferred style of play. For what it's worth (maybe not much, I don't know the Arsenal writers well), there's a story that Wenger would prefer to take back Martial in a Sanchez deal. Can't see that happening, but it's starting to smell a bit like a power struggle between the new head of recruitment and the legendary old manager. Hmmmm.....
The Sanchez to United deal being a straight swap for Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be pretty smart work by Wenger. Gets a replacement in straight-away who, only 12 months ago, was valued above the fee Sanchez would command on a 12 month contract.
Theo Walcott to Everton for a 20m fee. Can't complain much about that, but he must be a perfect example of wasted talent under late-period Wenger (see also Ramsey, Wilshere, and Ox). Constantly injured, never fully coached/developed. A shame.
Here's a good piece on the lost generation of talent at Arsenal - https://www.unibet.co.uk/blog/football/premier-league/arsene-wengers-laissez-faire-training-methods-have-left-arsenal-with-a-lost-generation-of-footballers-1.987248
Here's a good piece on the lost generation of talent at Arsenal - https://www.unibet.co.uk/blog/football/premier-league/arsene-wengers-laissez-faire-training-methods-have-left-arsenal-with-a-lost-generation-of-footballers-1.987248
I look forward to seeing Walcott getting called offsides for someone else.
I think a major problem has been regression of young players under Wenger..but I also think that a number of the players you mentioned were players that had above average seasons for them and possibly returned back to who they were. Ramsey and Wilshere have definitely struggled with injury. Walcott, Ramsey and Ox definitely seem to suffer from lack of coaching, constantly making the same mistakes and seeming to play out of position.
I think a major problem has been regression of young players under Wenger..but I also think that a number of the players you mentioned were players that had above average seasons for them and possibly returned back to who they were. Ramsey and Wilshere have definitely struggled with injury. Walcott, Ramsey and Ox definitely seem to suffer from lack of coaching, constantly making the same mistakes and seeming to play out of position.
I know its not a straight swap deal but...
How do people feel about Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang for Sanchez?
I have been high on Auba for awhile and I am assuming that the disciplinary issues have been a tactic to expedite his transfer (and therefore less of a concern).
How do people feel about Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang for Sanchez?
I have been high on Auba for awhile and I am assuming that the disciplinary issues have been a tactic to expedite his transfer (and therefore less of a concern).
I like Aubameyang a lot as a player. He is older than ideal, given where Arsenal is in the success cycle. But he is a really good player and Arsenal needs more of those.
Mkhitaryan doesn't do much for me. He has had two good seasons out of five since leaving Ukraine, is wildly inconsistent, and is about to turn 29. Taking him in exchange for Alexis (and giving him a big contract renewal as well) is an awful idea.
Wenger's personal incentives are totally out of sync with the club's long-term interests. Arsenal should be buying young players, giving them time to develop, and aiming to build a new team that could compete with the richer clubs from 2020 onward. But Wenger clearly just wants to win the top four trophy again before retiring. His tenure continues to drive the club into the gutter.
Mkhitaryan doesn't do much for me. He has had two good seasons out of five since leaving Ukraine, is wildly inconsistent, and is about to turn 29. Taking him in exchange for Alexis (and giving him a big contract renewal as well) is an awful idea.
Wenger's personal incentives are totally out of sync with the club's long-term interests. Arsenal should be buying young players, giving them time to develop, and aiming to build a new team that could compete with the richer clubs from 2020 onward. But Wenger clearly just wants to win the top four trophy again before retiring. His tenure continues to drive the club into the gutter.
If you're inclined to optimism, the switch of Elneny to the 6 behind a more-advanced Xhaka & behind a back four, really looked like it made a difference to Arsenal's solidity in the back two-thirds. Also, while I love Sanchez with the fire of a thousand suns, it's not beyond possibility that there's a little Ewing Theory in effect, with Ozil now better-enabled to mix in the rest of the attack when going forward.
I'm trying to stay positive. I've thought for a while that Ramsey is the problem in midfield. I like Elneny and Xhaka...in that they concentrate on D first. They've both been a disappointment in a way..but Elneny has not been given half the chances that Ramsey's been allowed.
I also love Sanchez..and am sad to see him go, but at times his dribbling around stopped the flow of the offense (of course at times he was the offense). Yesterday's team seemed far less selfish and moved the ball.. of course it was against far inferior competition.
Will be interesting to see how the two new players fit in when the deals are done. I did think that Wenger has failed almost all season to put the best lineup out there.. how much of that has been to injury I'm not sure... hopefully Wenger finds a lineup and stays with it for a little bit since they basically have only the league to concentrate on this year.
Also interested to see what Özil does without Sanchez moving forward... perhaps at times they were too focused on one another..but I guess we'll see.
Also, having Monreal and Koscielny was also of importance.
In Xhaka's case, I think you're conflating "willing to awkwardly run into people" with a defense-first focus. The boss was actually right about Xhaka being more suited to a box-to-box role. I do agree on that with Elneny, though. He's nobody's idea of an ideal top-flight DM, but he rarely lapses or has bad turnovers starting the breakout, and that'll do for now.
The one thing I hate about the Premier League is how damn long any move takes. Sanchez has been 90% traded for most of the week, and it's felt like 3 months.
Aubameyang looks very likely, reportedly around £53M, with some possibility that Giroud will go to Chelsea for around £35M. I still hate the Mkhi part of the Alexis transfer but IF Ozil signs a new contract - not a guarantee but seems pretty likely at this point, and bringing in Auba and/or Mkhi may have been necessary to get that to happen - then the club has salvaged the Alexis/Ozil situation (a completely self-inflicted wound) fairly well.
In
Auba (£53M)
Mkhi
Mavropanos (£2M)
Out
Walcott (£20M)
Giroud (£35M)
Alexis
Coquelin (£12M)
The club will be competitive for top four and domestic cups over the next couple years with these kinds of lineups, which I guess is Wenger's goal. And there is some young talent in midfield and defense, just not in attack.
---------Auba - Lacazette---------
---------------Ozil--------------------
Kola---Wilshere--Xhaka---Bellerin
----Monreal----Mustafi----Kos----
----------------Cech-------------------
-------------Lacazette--------------
Auba---------Ozil------------Mkhi
-------Wilshere--Xhaka-------------
Monreal--Mustafi----Kos----Bellerin
----------------Cech-------------------
Auba-----Lacazette---------Ozil
--------Wilshere--Xhaka--------
----------------Elneny---------------
Monreal--Mustafi--Kos----Bellerin
----------------Cech-------------------
In
Auba (£53M)
Mkhi
Mavropanos (£2M)
Out
Walcott (£20M)
Giroud (£35M)
Alexis
Coquelin (£12M)
The club will be competitive for top four and domestic cups over the next couple years with these kinds of lineups, which I guess is Wenger's goal. And there is some young talent in midfield and defense, just not in attack.
---------Auba - Lacazette---------
---------------Ozil--------------------
Kola---Wilshere--Xhaka---Bellerin
----Monreal----Mustafi----Kos----
----------------Cech-------------------
-------------Lacazette--------------
Auba---------Ozil------------Mkhi
-------Wilshere--Xhaka-------------
Monreal--Mustafi----Kos----Bellerin
----------------Cech-------------------
Auba-----Lacazette---------Ozil
--------Wilshere--Xhaka--------
----------------Elneny---------------
Monreal--Mustafi--Kos----Bellerin
----------------Cech-------------------
I don't get the Auba move at all. They just signed Lacazette for a huge fee six months ago. Both Auba and Lacazette are #9s. Is there any reason to think they can play together in a balanced side, or that one of them will take well to being forced to play out on the wing? One of Sanchez's strengths was his positional versatility, he could play a wide role and still score goals cutting inside. Neither Auba or Lacazette have shown they can do that.
I also don't see how they can put out a team with Auba, Lacazette, Ozil, and Mkhitaryan all playing together against decent opposition. There's not enough width, you can't play wingbacks to add width with that front four, and it's a recipe for the two-man Wilshere/Xhaka midfield to get badly overrun. The only way to maybe pull it off would be to press very strongly from the front, like Klopp's teams do, but Ozil and Mkhi are hardly renowned for their defensive pressing efforts.
I also don't see how they can put out a team with Auba, Lacazette, Ozil, and Mkhitaryan all playing together against decent opposition. There's not enough width, you can't play wingbacks to add width with that front four, and it's a recipe for the two-man Wilshere/Xhaka midfield to get badly overrun. The only way to maybe pull it off would be to press very strongly from the front, like Klopp's teams do, but Ozil and Mkhi are hardly renowned for their defensive pressing efforts.