Author Archives: keenosafc

Are Liverpool Arsenal’s main title rivals?

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Morning! The lead up to Christmas is now in full swing. Today is a rest day before the big game tomorrow. A chance for a 24 hour detox before the last home game of the season.

We have seen this season how quickly things can change.

It was not too long ago that Spurs were 5 points clear, which was the biggest lead they have ever had in the Premier League. One defeat turned into 3 in a row, and ended with them getting just a single point in 5 and tumbling down the league and out of the title race.

Manchester City have also suffered a bad spell – 3 draws in a row and a defeat to Aston Villa saw them take just 3 points out of 12. Newcastle are another team on a bad run with back to back defeats.

After the defeat to Aston Villa, it is important we get back to winning ways tomorrow to avoid ending up on a long winless run.

Brighton is followed by a trip to Liverpool before we then face West Ham and home and then Fulham on New Years Eve. The upcoming trio of games will take us to exactly half way through the season. We need to stay on Liverpool’s coat tails. They are our biggest threat.

We all know Manchester City can go on a 15 game winning run and canter away from everyone else. For Arsenal and Liverpool, they are battling to be “best of the rest” and be that team who grabs a league title when City have an off year.

The year Liverpool won the title during Covid, Man City got just 81 points. I have a feeling this could be a similar season for them, which leaves Liverpool as our main title rivals.

We beat Brighton on Sunday, we go back top of the league. We can then watch Liverpool v Manchester United in the late-afternoon kick off in the knowledge that we have not lost any ground.

Mikel Arteta has spoken about how Brighton are a very good, well organised team, and that to beat them we need to be very efficient. They might be 8th in the table, but that upper-mid table is so compact with 3 points covering 6th to 8th.

For once, we play after a European mid-week against a team that have had it tougher.

Whilst we rested and rotated for the short trip to PSV on Tuesday, Brighton had their first XI out for a tough game against Marseille which they won in the 88th minute. We have had 5 days rest against their 3.

Hopefully we see the fatigue of playing Thursdsy and Sunday creep in, whilst the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are fresh as a daisy.

Arteta also provided an update on Thomas Partey saying “He’s getting a very good evolution in the injury, but it’s a bit early for the time frame” when asked if he could be available to face Liverpool two days before Christmas.

When we signed Declan Rice, I was excited about seeing him and Partey in tandem for tough away games. I do wonder whether those results against Newcastle and Aston Villa would have been different had Partey have been fit. Getting him back (or replaced) will be important in January.

In other Arteta news, he spoke breifly on his hearing following the comments made after Newcastle. Whilst he did not go into everything that was said, he did hint about the approach Arsenal took:

“It’s not about them, it’s about ‘we’. Arteta said “We want to [make] the game better. How can we improve on the touchline to make life easier from the player side, from their side, technology-wise?

“It’s all about us – we’re all in this together. It’s not about separate people trying to do their bits – [that’s] not going to work. We have to do it together.”

I was surprised by the criticism Arsenal and Arteta got for saying that refereeing in this country was not good enough, and they we had to work together to improve. I really did not see how anyone could disagree with that standpoint. And it would seem that the FA did eventually agree.

The PGMOL and clubs need to come together to improve the standards of refereeing, with the result being a much better, fairer game. Clearly the FA agreed with Arteta and Arsenal on this point and that is why he was not punished.

Finally, our friends over at Kick Off Merchants are still able to get you a set of their popular Arsenal beer mats for Christmas! Order this weekend to make Monday’s post!

Keenos

A travellers guide to Arsenal’s potential Champions League opponents

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PSG
Parc dec Princes
Expected allocation: 2,000

The French are cowards.

Do nothing all day, but after the game they like to pick off fans walking home in smaller groups. And Paris is one of my least favourite cities.

The area around the Gare du Nord is alongside Brussels-Midi/Zuid for undesirables. But at least with Brussels there are some half decent pubs in the very near vicinity of the station.

Paris’s only saving grace is that it is very accesible with multiple flights and the Eurostar.

There are better trips available.

Inter Milan
San Siro
Expected allocation: 4,500

The San Siro is one of the worst stadiums I have been too – and I will not be disappointed if it is demolished.

I was there back in 2011 when we lost 4-0 (I think?) to AC Milan. It was a half decent city to drink in – just avoid the main square as that is where all the divvy Arsenal fans will go to chuck beer.

Like anywhere in Italy, the police are aggressive and will very quickly be battering you no matter if you are doing nothing wrong. Just one of the downsides of being an English fan abroad.

The San Siro is a bit like Newcastle’s ground. A long old walk up to be miles away from the pitch. The only difference is you get to sit behing a perspex screen covered in bird shit.

Inter are currently top of Serie A, so based on the chances of us going through, that we have recently played there, and my dislike for the stadium, Inter Milan is one to avoid.

Napoli
Stadio Diege Armando Maradona
Expected allocation: 2,736

There are two sides of Naples.

On a “normal day” it is a great city to visit. Lot’s to see and do and the locals are welcoming. Very little tourist crime as they need the income.

But on a football day it becomes a completely different city, and the dark side of the locals quickly appears. The result is a small away allocation in comparison to the 80,000 seater stadium.

I would advise anyone to visit Naples, but as a city break, not for football.

Lazio
Stadio Olimpico
Expected allocation: 9,000

“Naples light” is the best way I can describe Rome. I was there when we played Roma and, like Naples, the city has two sides.

During the day, it was completely harmless. Locals and Arsenal fans mingling happily together. Then as darkness fell across the city, the trouble began.

We were advised to get a huge park about 2 or 3 hours before kick off. That park was then surrounded by police to stop Roman’s getting in. Eventually we were bussed to the stadium – do not take any loose change as the stewards will rob you confiscate it. Although oddly the bars give you change! They even tried to take my dad’s walking sticks off him.

Beware of oranges thrown into the away end. They usually have razor blades in them.

I was there for Roma, and apparantly Lazio fans are more vile. When we went through (on penalties), the Roma fans then tried to set alight their own stadium. Many of the locals than rush back to the main station (where you get dropped off in the coaches), so that they can take you back to your hotel in an overpriced cab.

No thanks.

FC Porto
Estadio do Dragao
Expected allocation: 3,200

It felt like we played Porto every year during the late 00s with 3 trips in around 4-years.

Cracking city, and Super Bock is probably my favourite beer (still do not understand why it is not easily available in the UK). It will still be chilly in late February, but warmer than the UK.

13-years since we have been there so would not be upset if we had to go back! Decent allocation.

RB Leipzig
Red Bull Arena
Expected allocation: 2,261

The only city on this list that I have not visited, and for that reason it is a “yes” straight off the bat.

A small allocation is not great, and as it is a new city tickets will quickly sell. Another tick in the “I am going” box is that the ground is in the city centre (unlike many German grounds which, like many new English ones are built on the fringes of the city). The ground is around a half hour walk from the main station.

Germany is always a decent trip. The German’s have pretty much the same mentality as the English – drink beer, watch football, drink more beer.

A downside alongside the small allocation is that from the looks of things there are no direct mid-flights from a London airpoty on Sky Scanner and Google Flights right now for February / March.

It is on the list, but those lack of flights are concerning.

FC Copenhagen
Parken Stadium
Expected allocation: 3,856

Spent a bit of time in Copenhagen this year and it is easily one of the best cities I have been to, and less than a 2 hour flight from London.

Hotels are a bit pricey, but beer is cheap if you head to one of the pubs in Vesterbro. I can highly recommend McKluud and Freddys Bar. Bottles of Carlsberg (it is 4.5% over there!) and Tuborg will set you back €2.50.

Arsenal will have good memories (1994) and bad memories (2000) of the city.

Considering the flight time, decent city, allocation and odds of us going through, Copenhagen is the trip I would want most.

Keenos

Arteta criticised for trying to win a game and blamed for horrendous scenes in Turkey

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Is Mikel Arteta the only manager in world football who can lead his team to qualifying top in the Champions League, and yet still get criticised for trying to win a game?

We explained on Tuesday that Arteta would not be playing the kids. It was more important to give those fringe squad players a run out then put some academy players. The fringe squad players can influence how we do this season in the 3 remaining competitions. The kids can not.

PSV had a 100% record in their league. It would have been detrimental to our youngsters development had they started in Eindhoven. It could have been a deer in headlights moment and we could have lost by a few. The same people criticising Arteta about not playing the kids would then have blamed him for playing them…

And gone are the days where you would take some kids in your match day squad so that they could “experience” travelling abroad for a game. Whilst the main Champions League game is occuring, the two teams academies also play eachother a few hours before.

So our U19 team would have travelled to Eindhoven with the senior team. Stayed in the same hotel. Gone through the same match preperation process. And then played against players of their same age group.

We won 3-1, with the likes of Amario Cozier-Duberry, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Charles Sagoe Jr and Ismail Oulad M’hand all playing. For me, it makes more sense for these guys to get game time against a European U19 team, then sit on the bench and maybe get 10 or 15 minutes of a senior game.

And as the old saying goes, if they were good enough, they are old enough. Had Arteta (who sees these guys train at London Colney every day), thought any of them were better than the XI he started with, they would have been playing instead.

Sometimes we put too much pressure on your players, demanding them to start when they are perhaps not ready.

Ethan Nwaneri is 16. Lewis-Skelly is just 17, Cozier-Duberry 18. They are all already playing “up an age group” performing week in week out for our U21 team in the PL2, and faced senior opposition this season in the EFL Trophy. We need to let them develop at their own time.

“But they could have been bought on as subs”.

In this sort of dead rubber, Arteta would have pre-planned his substitutions.

Considering Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares have not played for so long, I doubt either were scheduled to play more than 60 minutes. Likewise, William Saliba went off without any clear injury so you have to think that was premeditated.

The plan would always have been to take Saliba off after 60 minutes and give Declan Rice a run out at centre back. This is something that could happen in games considering our current defensive injury issues. It is also a tactic we could use when chasing a game – play a more attacking midfield, move Rice into centre back who then pushes into midfield when we are on the ball.

I am sure had we been comfortably winning, Arteta would have bought Nwaneri on for Elneny and Reuell Walters on for Ben White. But on the 60th minute, the score was 1-1 and PSV were on top the game.

They were controlling the midfield and finding space on our right hand side. Putting Walters and Nwaneri on would have been throwing them into the deep end, weakening the XI where PSV were strong and handing even more of the initative to them.

As soon as Ben White and Martin Odegaard came on, the attacks down our left stopped and we regained control of the midfield.

Towards the end of the match, Arteta put on Emile Smith Rowe.

Like those that started, the Englishmen could have an impact in the second half of the season. It is important that he gets minutes and slowly builds his match fitness up. For this reason, it is surely completely understandable why Smith Rowe came on instead of Nwaneri.

The final sub was Gabriel Jesus – sent on to try and win us the game. Do people really have a problem with Arteta trying to win a game of football? And considering we had no teenage attackers on the bench, the only other forward option would have been Bukayo Saka.

In the end, we drew 1-1. The likes of Jorginho and Kiwior got 90 minutes under their belt. As did Nketiah. Reiss Nelson got 88.

Against Brighton, I imagine we will line up: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Odegaard, Havertz, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.

Four of those players did not play Tuesday, 1 played less than 10 minutes and 3 played half an hour. Considering we play Brighton sunday (and they are due to play today), Arteta has shuffled the pack well.

We have seen with both Manchester City and Tottenham how quickly momentum can change in football. From flying high at the top of the table to unable to put a run of wins together. We lost last Saturday so it was important that we tried to win Tuesday. And at least we did not suffer back to back defeats.

It is Brighton up next and, a bit like after the Newcastle defeat, we need to quickly get back to winning way.

Post-Newcastle, we won the next 3 Premier League games. Do that again we go into the New Years Eve game against Fulham top of the league!

In other news, it is unbelievable that the media in England are trying to associate (and subtly blame) Mikel Arteta for what happened over in Turkey.

For those that do not know, the president of Turkish top flight team MKE Ankaragucu ran onto the pitch after his team his team conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Caykur Rizespor and punched the referee.

This has led many in the UK to point fingers at the behaviour of Mikel Arteta.

Arteta’s crime is have the gall to say that the Premier League, being the best league in the world, does not get the officiating its status deserves. Considering every weekend Match of the Day are debating a poor decision, surely everyone agrees with Arteta (and the statement Arsenal put out). But they did not.

It was not that they disagreed with what Arteta or Arsenal said, it is that they hate Arteta and Arsenal. So instead of saying “yes, officials in this country do need to improve, and clubs need to work with them to get better”, they spent weeks defending poor decisions.

The issue in this country is that our referees are poor, and they refuse to accept criticism. Their arrogance means that anyone that dares criticise them gets a ban, and they now influence the media by giving Sky Sports access to decision making.

Turky has a problem with violence against referees. England has a problem with our refs being poor. I am not sure how the British media have managed to blame Arteta for a grown man in Turkey being unable to control his emotions.

On to Brighton…

Keenos