The world has a left wing epidemic

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The biggest talking point in the summer was Arsenal’s failure to land a top left winger.

Eventually, we opted to stick with just the one new signing in Christos Tzolis, who would be supported by a combination of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.

Now I have always maintained that the left wing is the toughest position in the world to find talent right now. There is simply not an abundance of top draw players out there, which in turn inflates the prices of those that are simply average.

Liverpool broke the bank in the summer to sign Bradley Barcola.

At the time, I labelled him as a French Gabriel Martinelli – someone who has blistering pace, poor one on one from a standing start, and not great end product. He has looked distinctly average for Liverpool this season and has certainly not shown anywhere near enough to justify the huge price tag.

Long term target Vinicius Jr looks a shadow of his former self.

We were willing to brank the bank to sign the Brazilian in the summer, and maybe the sage has taken its toll mentally. Or maybe, at 26, with over 500 senior games under his belt, the spark has gone and the demise is beginning.

One of my favourite things right now is reading the conspiracy theories about Vinicius Jr and about how he is on a yacht somewhere in the Caribbean sea enjoying life and what we see playing week in week out for Real Madrid is a body double.

Then we have Iliman Ndiaye. He was some fans favourite for us to go for – a lower level player who many thought had the game to step up if he joined a top club. A bit like Antoine Semenyo. He is yet to get off the mark for Man City and it is beginning to feel he was overhyped – remember, Ndiaye scored just 6 league goals last season.

Ndiaye’s Man City team mate Jeremy Doku is probably the most overhyped player in world football.

Doku does some brilliant things with the ball at his feet, and is a scorer of great goals. But he will always lack the consistency to ever be considered a top player.

The Belgium left wingers goal against Liverpool was his 1st of the season. That takes his tally to 12 Premier League goals in over 3 seasons. One of the best in the world apparently.

Meanwhile, another fan favourite Rafael Leao ended up in the Turkey retirement home. Get your teeth and hair done whilst earning millions playing football at a lower level. He has yet to score this season.

Anthony Gordon scored his first Champions League goal for Barcelona earlier this week. He celebrated like he had done it all himself, completely ignoring Yamine Lamal’s world class build up play to put it on a plate.

Two goals this season, Gordon is what he is. Hard working, direct, quick. An English Martinelli.

Kenan Yildiz, another long term arsenal target, fractured his metatarsal back in September and will do well to be back before Christmas. Likewise, Junior Kroupi is recovering from an injury picked up in July. Both have required surgery, with the Frenchman potentially back in 4-6 weeks.

Finally, we come onto Luis Diaz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Dias is decent, but not really World Class. He is now just getting huge numbers in a very poor league. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, meanwhile, has looked off the pace for PSG.

Ultimate, it feels like Arsenal did well to spend big in a market where talent is thing. Only really Morgan Rodgers has shown any sort of form to have justified us spending big – and he is playing in a much narrower position than we would have played him.

Come January, the calls will come again for us to sign a left winger. Yildiz and Kroupi will come into the equation. Although I see Yildiz as more of a Martin Odegaard replacement.

Kroupi would be a very good option – I think his future would be down the middle, but he has shown he can play as an inside left forward in the Premier League. He could be a sensible recruit for the 2nd half of the season before transitioning next season into a centre forward option (replacing Viktor Gyokeres).

The only other one I would bother keeping an eye on is Desire Doue. I think this kid has it.

At the moment he is playing right wing for PSG with Kvaratskhelia one of the first names on the teamsheet on the left – but his best position is on that left wing.

Maybe a PR campaign, highlighting that he can become a superstar at Arsenal rather than a player playing out of position for PSG could see a summer move. Who knows?

What we do know is the market is still very thin, and, Rogers aside, none of those who moved have exactly shown Arsenal wrong for opting not to sign them

Keenos

Arsenal 3-0 Lille: Seven minutes that lit up the Emirates

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For an hour at least, we were left waiting for the spark. When it finally arrived, however, it came in a glorious rush, as three goals in seven minutes turned a frustrating European night into another thoroughly satisfying victory.

Mikel Arteta made five changes following Saturday’s win over Leeds, with Jurriën Timber, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze, Bruno Guimarães and Viktor Gyökeres coming into the starting XI. It was a chance to share the workload during a demanding run of fixtures, but also an opportunity for those coming in to make their case.

The first half was not exactly a classic.

Arsenal had plenty of the ball, but Lille were organised, disciplined and determined to make life uncomfortable. The visitors packed the spaces, closed passing lanes and challenged us to find a way through. We circulated possession patiently, yet too often the final ball lacked the precision needed to turn territorial dominance into something more threatening.

There was an early opportunity to take control when Timber broke forward and cut the ball back for Guimarães, only for the Brazilian to fire wide from close range. It was the sort of chance that had us wondering how different the evening might have felt had it found the net.

Timber also delivered a dangerous cross that Merino headed straight at goalkeeper Berke Özer. These were promising moments, but Arsenal were not quite clicking. Gyökeres found opportunities difficult to come by, and Lille were happy to frustrate us, knowing that patience could gradually turn into anxiety around the Emirates.

Still, there was little genuine danger at the other end. David Raya and the defence were largely untroubled, allowing us to remain confident that the breakthrough would come if we could find another gear.

The challenge was making it happen.

After the interval, Arsenal gradually increased the tempo. The passing became sharper, the movement more purposeful and Lille began to look less comfortable. Yet it took a moment of quality from Timber to finally break their resistance.

On 64 minutes, Noni Madueke found the Dutchman in space, and Timber supplied the finish Arsenal had been craving, lifting the ball over Özer with lovely composure. It was a superb way to open the scoring, and the relief around the stadium must have been enormous.

At last, we had something to celebrate.

And suddenly, everything changed.

Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz were introduced, injecting fresh energy and a greater sense of urgency into our attack. The substitutions proved inspired. Within minutes, Arsenal had transformed a potentially nervy evening into a comfortable lead.

On 67 minutes, Saka supplied the pass for Eze, whose effort took a slight deflection before finding the net. Eze’s first goal of the season was richly deserved, and there was something particularly satisfying about seeing him get his moment in front of the home supporters.

Three minutes later, Saka was celebrating himself.

Combining beautifully with Ødegaard and Havertz, our number seven finished off a flowing attacking move in the 71st minute. It was Arsenal at their most irresistible: quick combinations, intelligent movement and a clinical finish. After an hour of struggling to prise Lille open, we had scored three times in seven minutes.

Football can be a wonderfully ridiculous game.

The noise around the Emirates felt different now. The frustration had disappeared, replaced by the familiar pleasure of watching this side turn control into goals. Saka’s immediate influence was a reminder of the extraordinary value he brings, while Ødegaard and Havertz helped give the attack the cohesion it had been missing.

Eze also deserves particular credit. His movement and willingness to take responsibility offered a useful reminder of the attacking options available to Arteta, even when the starting combination is not quite firing.

There were positives beyond the goals, too. Arsenal limited Lille to four shots, none of which tested Raya, while maintaining control for long periods. This was not simply a case of finding three finishes; it was a disciplined defensive performance that ensured our opponents never seriously threatened to spoil the evening.

Olivier Giroud’s late introduction for Lille also brought a welcome moment of nostalgia, with the former Arsenal striker receiving a warm reception on his return to the Emirates.

The final whistle confirmed a second Champions League victory from two matches, following September’s win over Napoli. More importantly, Arsenal had navigated an awkward contest without allowing frustration to dictate the outcome.

There will be tougher tests ahead, and the first-half performance showed that we cannot always rely on substitutes to rescue our attacking rhythm. Against stronger opposition, those missed opportunities and spells of predictable possession could prove costly.

But European campaigns are built on winning nights like this: staying patient, keeping a clean sheet and punishing opponents when the opportunity finally arrives.

Three goals, three points and another evening of Arsenal joy. Sometimes it takes an hour to get going. Sometimes seven minutes are all you need to remember what this team can do.

Up the Arsenal.

DJ

Arteta set for major changes as Man City hire ANOTHER lawyer

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Tonight we continue our Champions League campaign against Lille.

Recently we blogged about how Mikel Arteta needs to approach the Champions League differently this year – rather than chasing perfection, he needs to rest and rotate his squad with the aim of just getting through, not winning the group stage.

To that extent, I expect to see a few changes against a Lille side currently sitting 2nd in Ligue 1.

The main two changes will be Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres coming in.

With Kai Havert’s international injury scare, and his recent poor injury records, we need to continue managing his work load. That should see the German rested today, with Gyokeres getting a chance to perform up top.

Moving into midfield, Arteta has an abundance of choices. It is therefore essential that this season he rotates his midfielders, keeping them fresh. For that reason, Mikel Merino will surely get a start alongside either Declan Rice or Bruno Guimaraes.

I think Arteta would have gone with Martin Zubimendi alongside Bruno, but with the Spaniard having picked up a post-game training session injury, Merino will come in with Bruno or Rice in behind. Much of that later decision will depend on how Bruno is recovering from his slight knocks.

As a result of the midfield make-up, Myles Lewis Skelly will be pushed to left back.

With Piero Hincapie’s injury, we need to ensure that we wrap Riccardo Calafiori in cotton wool. Lewis Skelly can more than do a job at left back without us losing anything from the midfield.

Jurrien Timber will be given the first 60 minutes as he continues his rehabilitation, with Ezri Konsa and Gabriel inside him – although Arteta may also fancy giving Cristhian Mosquera a run out instead of one of the pair.

I would keep Noni Madueke on the left hand side – he did not have a bad game against Leeds and needs to grow in confidence as he will get a lot of game time in the coming weeks. On the right it will be Bukayo Saka, with Eberechi Eze potentially coming in for Martin Odegaard.

Maybe a little disjointed, but it should be enough to overcome Lille. And then it is on to the next one…

In other news, Manchester City have splashed the cash on yet another new lawyer.

According to The Lawyer, Mark Howard KC is now working alongside City’s other barristers, including Lord Pannick and Paul Harris KC.

We all know the delusion of Man City fans over this case, claiming the plan was to always lose the hearing so that they could take their evidence to a higher court. This new appointment shows it was all just a load of waffle and that they are now panicking.

You do not spend millions on another high-flying lawyer if you are confident about the defence your existing high-flying have already presented.

As the case continues to unravel, more and more interested parties will come out of the woodwork.

The SRA are already looking into the role of solicitors in the cover up, whilst both HMRC and the US Government could reopen old cases depending on the final verdict. Then you have the FCA who could look into Man City auditors, BDO. This on the back of Deloitte being exposed for helping Roman Abramovich’s dodgy dealings.

The initial Premier League case against Man City might be concluded within 12 months, but with an ongoing investigation for 2018-present day as well as the above potential investigations, aspects of the case could rattle on for years more. And none of it is good for City or the reputation of their owners.