Category Archives: Arsenal

No excuses for Arteta to not play strongest XI

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FA Cup 3rd round day is finally here for The Arsenal.

It is our competition. We have won 4 of the last 10. And I am certainly not one of those who says “it’s only the FA Cup”. I love the tournament.

But in between those wins, we do not have great memories.

After a brilliant run under Arsene Wenger, where we had never been knocked out of 3rd round in his first 22 years, our form outside of winning has been shakey.

In his first 22-years at the club, Wenger’s Arsenal only got knocked out in the 4th round or earlier (and it was never earlier), 4 times. An incredible record. Since or 2017 win, we have made it past the 4th round just one (and went on to win it).

Wenger would almost always put out a weakened team in the early stages. His justification was that he was putting out an XI that he thought would win the game. It his view was almost proved correct. then we face Nottingham Forest away.

Not only was Forest in 2018 the first team we had been knocked out of the 3rd round, it was also the first time in decades a team from a lower division had beaten us. It was a game where we were not at the races and confirmed that Wenger’s time at Arsenal was up.

The next season, we were thrashed 3-1 at home to Manchester United, and in 2020 and much changed Arsenal team lost away tou Southampton. Both defeats coming in the 4th round.

In 2021, Mikel Arteta made a numbder of changes as we went once more to Nottingham Forest in the 3rd round. A midfield of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Charlien Patino were overwhelmed and we crashed out again. Then last season we were beaten in the 4th round by Manchester City 1-0 in a close game that we might had won had Arteta not made so many changes.

So today we face Liverpool. And if we live by Wenger’s view that we “put out a team that should win”, we need to play our strongest XI. And with a “winter break” coming up, there is not reason for Arteta to shuffle the pack.

Yes, I get Aaron Ramsdale coming in for David Raya as is the norm for almost every team in the cup. But after that it should be our strongest XI.

White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwor (if Zinchenko is out), Rice, Odegaard, Havertz, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.

I will understand if, for example, Arteta goes for Jorginho instead of Havertz and pushes Rice wider to help make the left hand side a bit stronger defensively. But beyond that, we need to win this game.

We will not win the league this season. One point in three has left us a little too far back. The fA Cup is our best chance to lift silverware.

Hopefully Arteta respects the competition, respects Liverpool and respects the fans and puts out his first team. We need to make winning trophies the norm at Arsenal, and the cups are a good way to help build that winning habit.

Sometimes, some foreign managers just do not get what the FA Cup means to English fans.

I have seen a video of Brentford manager Thomas Frank bemoaning the fact that his team have an FA Cup replay following a home draw against Wolves.

For a start, it does annoy me when foreign managers are happy to come to England and earn the huge money they do (in comparison to what Frank would earn managing a mid-table German, Italian or French team), but then moan about the structure of our football the provides that income.

FA Cup replays are an integral part of our great game and, in the past, Brentford have benefited hugely.

Back in 2005 Brentford were £7m in debt. They drew Southampton at home in the FA Cup 4th round and earned a replay. That replay earned them £500k – a huge sum for a then League One team. Without that replay, Brentford might and went a big way to helping the Bees improve their financial situation.

Secondly, Brentford only have themselves to blame for not being able to beat Wolves at home.

Frank made 4 changes to his first team, and Wolves have a man sent off after 9 minutes. Calling for the FA Cup to scrap replays is just Frank deflecting for his and his teams failure to win a game having played 90% of it with an extra man.

If you want to manage less games, go to France or Gremany. And then take the pay cut that comes with it.

Finally, please remember there are train trikes after the game today. If you are not able to go and have not yet sold your ticket in the Ticket Exchange, please do so now! We need to make sure every seat is filled!

Keenos

Arteta on transfers, injuries and form ahead of FA Cup clash

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Morning! Bit of a late blog today and for once it is not because I had a session yesterday!

New Year, New Me, and all of that bollocks. I was up early, smashed a gym session, put a load of washing on and the goat curry in the slow cooker. This is now a coffee and writing break before I am back on it with cleaning!

There was plenty to be taken from yesterday’s pre-FA Cup press conference.

The comments regurgitated the most were about our January transfers was Mikel Arteta said “that is a possibility” that we might not bdo any business at all.

I am not sure why some felt this was such big news. Of course it is a possiblity that we might not do any business. If the right players are not available at the right place, we should not do any business. Buying for the sake of buying leaves you withj Lucas Perez and takes money out of next summers transfer kitty.

Better to buy no one, then buy someone who in 6-month is deadwood.

Arteta also spoke on Oleksandr Zinchenko’s injury saying “he is progressing well. We have another training session tomorrow and we will evaluate whether he is available or not to play and start the game.”

This is why I do not think a new left back will not be on our radar in January,.

At worst, Zinchenko will be back for Crystal Palace, afterwhich we have 3 more games league games until Takehiro Tomiyasu is back from the Asian Cup. Any left back that comes in will have to be a better option than the Japanese full back, and I am not sure that sort of quality player will be available in January.

Arteta backed up my view by saying “first of all focus on the players that we have.”

“As for the rest, there is no actual news” was Arteta’s response to the rest of the walking wounded, although he did then go on to talk about Thomas Partey’s omission from the Ghana national team calling it “common sense” that he had not been selected. He would go on to explain that Partey was not yet back in first team training so “it didn’t make a lot of sense for him to be involved.”

Finally, for those getting their knickers in a twist over our current form, the Boss outlined the situation brilliantly saying:

“Until Christmas Day we were top of the league. Six days later, we are fourth, so you can be very tempted to look at things with a microscope or with a telescope and look a little bit further and with a little bit more perspective.

“My job big time is to look through the telescope and have perspective and analyse things in the proper way, and not get affected by one performance. Not the result, one performance.”

We live in such a reactionary “fast food” world fuelled by social media where after 2 or 3 bad games, fans and pundits begin to ask questions and demand changes.

You do not build a successful team for the long term by continually changing tactics, playing personnel and manager everytime you have half a dozen poor games. As our match reporter Steve says, you stick with the winners and Arteta and this squad of players have shown plenty in the last 18 months as to why we need to stick with them.

Liverpool have gone through the same with Jurgen Klopp over the years. Last year there were calls for him to be sacked and Mohamed Salah to be cashed in on. They are now top of the table and Salah sits top of the combined goals and assists charts.

The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus might be going through a tough spell, but you do not just dump them due to this. That is not how you build a great team.

Bit game tomorrow as the FA Cup is probably our most realistic chance for a trophy this season.

Stick with the winners.

Keenos

Underground strikes to cause havoc for Arsenal fans.

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Morning! What a shocker that game was last night.

To start with, an FA Cup 3rd round game on a Thursday night should not be happening. Then ITV go and pick an all-Premier League mid table clash between Crystal Palace v Everton. That saw Everton fans having to travel to London on the 3rd working day of the year with no trains home. Complete disregard for match going fans.

And then it is stuck on ITV4!

The FA Cup should be a way to get some money into the pockets of lower league and non-league teams. A single televised game could double their revenue for the year.

Now I do get ITV / BBC wanting to put on all-Premier League clashes (with the theory that they will get more viewers), but Crystal Palace v Everton? Most of us would not watch it was in the Premier League. I bet last nights viewing figures got no-where near the darts the night before.

Fair enough, our game on Sunday is televised. It is two of the countries biggest clubs going head to head. But is there really a need to show Tottenham v Burnley tonight or Everton’s trip to Palace? Neither game will garner much interest beyond the fans that support them.

On to Sunday, please be aware there are train strikes occurring on the London Underground:

These strikes do only directly affect the London Underground, so the Overground from Highbury & Islington will still be running for those going East to West. Likewise, the Great Northern line from Finsbury Park into Kings Cross and North is running.

Whilst these give you options to get “out of Islington” towards Stratford or Kings Cross, the headache for many (including me) is how to get beyond these stations with no Underground. By the time I get to Stratford, the Central Line will not be running. And this all because the RMT have ONLY been offered a 5% payrise (something us common folk would all have taken at the beginning of this year!).

If you are unable to make the game, stick the ticket on the Ticket Exchange. Get your seat filled. Plenty of local fans will be able to walk to the game, so just because you can not go, does not mean others face the same challenges.

There is not much else happening in the world of Arsenal.

Fans of all clubs are demanding their team spend £100s of millions this January. Always remember the best players will rarely be available this month. You either end up taking a punt on someone who is looking to make a step up (Mudryk, Suarez) or loan in a player who you do not really want.

I would still be surprised if we make any big deals.

Enjoy your Friday.

Keenos