Arsene Wenger vindicated with team selection – despite defeat

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I am writing the first half of this blog before a ball has been kicked. Despite what the result might be, Arsene Wenger is right in his team selection today.

The Premier League is pointless. We are unlikely to finish higher than 6th and need just 3 points from 4 games to ensure we finish no lower than that position.

With a key Europa League game ahead on Thursday, I would actually argue that playing the likes of Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin is a mistake, not failing to play other top players.

I’ve seen countless people “defend” George Graham finishing 10th in 1993 because we “rested people for the cups”. Now those same people are complaining that Arsene Wenger is resting players for league games so that they are ready for Cup.

It is a good example of people changing their narrative to suit the agenda. Which is odd as the only agenda we as fan and a club should have is ensuring that we have the bear chance of beating Atlético Madrid in Thursday.

I’d rather Arsenal play the entire U23 team (plus Aubameyang) for the last 4 games of the season. A group of players who are top of the Premier League 2 (U23 league). Stick some of our FA Youth Cup finalists on the bench.

Let’s give Holding, Chambers, Movraponas, AMN, Nelson, Willock and Nketiah some PL starts. See if any are going to be good enough.

I would pretty much play this for the rest of the season:

Macey
Chambers Movraponas Holding Kolasinac
AMN Willock
Nelson Iwobi Mkhi/Welbeck
Aubameyang

We have all moaned that Wenger has never really given young English kids a chance. Now we moan that he is playing them in a “meaningless” match.

I saw one say “I’m all for giving youth a chance I’m not sure united away is the best fixture for it”. The same bloke would probably complain if we played our strongest XI today and Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil or Alexandre Lacazette went off injured.

We might lose 4-0, but the team selection is right.

The game certainly felt like a pre-season friendly rather than a match between two rivals at the business end of the season.

If it was a pre-season game, you would be delighted by the performance of some of the Arsenal players, despite the result.

Man of the match for me was Ainsley Maitland-Niles. At just 20 years old, he showed class and ability. Of all the youngsters in the field, he shone the most. You could see that he has played more than any of the others last season.

When we sold Francis Coquelin in January, some questioned the decision. But in Maitland-Niles we have a defensive midfielder who is better technically and can also replicate the Frenchman covering full back.

The conversation he had with Paul Pogba at the final whistle was interesting. They were chatting for some time, and Pogba clearly had gained some respect for the Arsenal youngster.

I expect him to play every Premier League game before the end of the season, and be pushing for the first team next season.

Konstantinos Mavropanos looked solid at the back and will cause the new manager a selection headache next season.

You can not give all of Mavroponas, Chambers and Holding the game time to develop. Next season we will have to pick one. The Greek lad did his chances no harm.

It is easy, however to go OTT with the performance of Mavroponas. We saw similar with Holding and Chambers. Maybe a loan deal to another Premier League club would be ideal?

Let Mavroponas play 38 games elsewhere, have Rob holding as 4th choice centre back, and Chambers as back up for Hector Bellerin.

Reiss Nelson looked a little lightweight, but it is important to remember that he only turned 18 in January. He is already staring for the club at U23 level. The fact he has already outgrown the U18s – who are in the FA Youth Cup final highlights his talent.

Another who could do with playing the last 3 Premier League games of the season.

It was a frustratingly predictable result. Manchester United getting a late winner despite Arsenal playing very well.

Thierry Henry called it right, Arsenal are brilliant between the boxes, but not good enough in both boxes.

What is for sure is that there is some talent at the club, and we need to keep giving some of this talent a run out between now and the end of the season.

In the new season, let’s change our default setting of moaning about everything to being a little bit more positive and backing the lads.

Keenos

Diego Simeone fails Arsenal interview

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With 12 minutes on the clock, the interview was over. Diego Simeone got up, left the away dig out and left Ivan Gazidis without a decision to make.

Simeone would not even make the short list to replace Arsene Wenger, let alone be given the job.

As he left the pitch, snarling and swearing at all those around him, he showed why most top clubs would not consider employing him.

There is a huge difference between passion and abuse. Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola show passion on the touch line. Simeone just abusing anyone and everyone.

Constantly arguing with the 4th official, abusing the referee, attempting to intimidate the opposition. He is not passionate, he is just abusive. And his back from staff and players take lead from him. Jumping up in unison at every tackle, demanding a yellow card.

Last nights performance by Simeone should not be a surprise. As a player he was cynical, a cheat. He was the type of player I truly despise. A fake hard man. Happy to rake his studs down an opponents Achilles, always leaving his foot in on a challenge, but you go near him, he would throw himself to the ground and cry, no matter how little contact there was.

We all remember David Beckham in 1998, sent off for a petulant kick against Argentina. Guess who the Argentinian was who went down like he was shot? Yes, your correct, Diego Simeone.

He was an expert in the dark arts, and his Atlético Madrid team have been built in the vision of himself as a player.

Now I know they were down to 10 men early doors yesterday, but the behaviour of their players is no different to if they had 11 men.

Simeone has set them up to be anti-football.

10 men behind the ball at all times, wasting time at every opportunity, and throwing themselves to the ground at the slightest of touches.

Some will say “but he wins things” but this is untrue. Atlético have not won a trophy since 2014. And even if they were more successful, there are ways to win things, and it is certainly not the Simeone way.

Look at Manchester City. The free flowing attacking football wining trophies. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger in the early years. Barcelona or Real Madrid now. These are winners, who do it the right way. That is what Arsenal need to aspire too. We should not be looking to dive and time waste our way to a Premier League trophy.

“But George Graham played defensive football” you cry.

That might be true, and Arsenal were often labelled “boring boring Arsenal” under Graham, but one thing he did do was uphold the class and tradition of the club. Simeone is happy to sacrifice who we are and what we represent to impose his own brand of “success” on the club.

Look around world football, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Max Allegri are often considered defensive coaches. But in comparison to Simeone, they play attacking football, football in the right way.

There are ways of playing the game.

I have been highly critical of Klopp in the past. His lack of success in the last 4 or 5 years is similar to Simeone’s, but what he does is he upholds the dignity of the game.

Klopp plays an attacking brand of football, shows passion on the touch line, intelligence off the pitch, and is a gentleman to the press, media and opponents. He understands the history of Liverpool, the passion of the fans, and he has connected and revitalised them. Simeone is the polar opposite of Jurgen Klopp.

The likes of Allegri, Leonardo Jardim, Luis Enrique and Joachim Lowe are the types of men we should be going for. Men who are intelligent, respectful, and will uphold the traditions of the club. And men who are able to do all that whilst being successful.

I have never been a “success by any means possible” type of guy. I want us to win, but believe we are The Arsenal. That there is a right way to win and a wrong way. Simeone only cares about winning. He would happily drag the Arsenal name through the mud to win a game.

He is a man who lacks the class, lacks the integrity to be an Arsenal manager, and he showed it last night.

We are The Arsenal, we do not need to resort to employing someone like Simeone to make us challengers again.

Keenos

10 reasons why Arsenal will beat Atletico Madrid + Starting XI

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  1. Atletico Madrid come into the game in poor form – just 1 win in 5
  2. Meanwhile Arsenal have won there last 7 home games
  3. The only time Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have played each other was in the Emirates Cup back in 2009. Arsenal won 2-1
  4. Against West Ham at the weekend, Arsenal faced a well organised rigid defence. Perfect preparation for Atletico. Arsenal scored 4
  5. And that was done without the creative output of Mesut Ozil, who will return to the starting XI
  6. Arsenal have scored in each of their last ten in all competitions
  7. The Gunners are the Europa League’s top scorers with 29 goals this term
  8. Alexandre Lacazette has scored 6 goals in his last 6 games
  9. Atletico Madrid have dropped down from the Champions League, where they won just 1 game in the group stages
  10. The last time Diego Costa faced Arsenal, he was comfortably kept quiet by a back 3 of Holding, Mertesacker and Monreal

Predicted starting XI

Cech

Bellerin Mustafi Koscielny Monreal

Xhaka Ramsey

Ozil

Iwobi Lacazette Welbeck