Against Portsmouth, we started with 5 academy products, with another one on the bench. 6 of the starting XI we under 21, with 2 teenagers

It has been the story of our season. Youth, and in the main locally produced youth, have got their chance.

But who is actually good enough to make it at Arsenal? Who is in line to be a first team regular, and who will be looking to play at a lower level to get regular football?

It is dangerous to write off players so young, but there is also a tendency to overhype youngsters. So who will make it at Arsenal?

Bukayo Saka – 18-years-old

No player has grabbed their chance this year more than left-winger Bukayo Saka, although his impressive performances have mainly come from left back.

No Arsenal player has more assists in all competitions, and he seems to have a good mix of physical and technical ability.

A good crosser of the ball, he can beat a man in tight spaces and has pace to burn. Although his simple passing does not improvement.

He is a winger, not a left back. Once Kieran Tierney is back fit, Saka should play the rest of the season on the left wing. He could save us millions in the summer.

It would not be too hard to make a case that for the 2020/21 season, Saka should be 1^st choice left winger.

Verdict: Will be a star

Gabriel Martinelli – 18-years-old

Like Saka, Gabriel Martinelli is also just 18.

He signed from Brazilian side Ituano last summer and was expected to go into the U23 side, but his performances led him to quickly become a regular member of the match day squad.

10 goals this season is an impressive haul; although just 3 have come in the Premier League.

For his 1^st year in England, at such a tender age, Martinelli has been superb.

Martinelli reminds you of Luis Suarez.

He works hard for the team, and can play anywhere across the front 3. The variety of his goals has been impressive.

We have seen him act as a goal poacher – appearing in the 6 yard box for a tap in. We have seen him bend one into the top corner from outside of the box. We have seen him beat a couple of man and slot one in. We have seen him score with his head and both feet.

He does need to work on his build up play, and he is probably better down the middle than on the wing.

His impressive performances this season could lead Arsenal to cash in on Alexandre Lacazette.

Verdict: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s understudy. Could become his long term replacement.

Eddie Nketiah – 20-years-old

Often in football one players fortune is another’s misfortune. You can only play XI players at one time. You can not progress every youngster. And that is the case with Eddie Nketiah.

He was sent on loan to Leeds for the 1^st half of the season, only to be recalled following lack of playing time under Marcelo Bielsa.

It is his time away that gave Martinelli the time to shine in the Europa League and League Cup.

Nketiah has started a few games recently, and showed his poaching ability against Portsmouth. But there are question marks around his all round game.

The fear with Nketiah is he is an old school footballer. A goal poacher who needs to play up top in a 2. Beyond scoring goals, he contributes very little.

He is not great at holding the ball up, he is reluctant to get involved in the build up play, and he struggles as a teams sole striker. These are the reasons why Bielsa opted for Patrick Bamford upfront.

The other problem Nketiah is facing is Arsenal have a whole host of youngsters on his tail.

Martinelli is already ahead of him, despite being 2 years younger. The club also has Tyreece John-Jules and Folarin Balogun performing well in the academy.

Nketiah will be 21 in May. The feeling is he has one more season to prove his worth.

2020/21 John-Jules and Balogun will be sent out on loan. If they perform well, it might be time for Nketiah to step aside and Arsenal focus on those 2 years his junior.

If he does leave Arsenal, a mid-lower table team would snap him up, and Arsenal would get a good price for him.

Verdict: On borrowed time

Matteo Guendouzi – 20-years-old

It is incredible to think that Matteo Guendouzi is still just 20-years-old.

He has been criticised by some this season, and even written off by others, but that is unfair.

On his debut season he was fantastic. A real talent. A gem. But he has perhaps flatlined this season. But the potential in him is great.

There are not many other central midfielders across Europe doing what he is doing. But he needs to get his head down and work hard.

Under Unai Emery he was over played and under coached. In Mikel Arteta he should have the perfect manager who knows his position.

One problem for Guendouzi is no one is really sure what sort of midfielder he will become. Is he defensive? Or does he excel when he has a defensive midfielder behind him? Allowing him to roam the pitch pressing?

There are concerns around his petulance, and he seems to have this annoying habit where he is looking for the foul in the middle of the park rather than pass the ball on quickly.

He needs to listen to Arteta, take on advice and work hard on the training ground. He has the world at his feet, but it is up to him to take it.

Verdict: Work hard and he could achieve anything

Reiss Nelson – 20-years-old

Reiss [Nelson] is a special player and can eliminate players one on one. He’s been out for a while but he’s back now and he showed what he’s capable of doing.

That is what Mikel Arteta said about Reiss Nelson following his solid performance against Portsmouth.

2019/20 has been a frustrating one for Nelson.

After a successful season on loan at 1899 Hoffenheim in Germany, he has found his chances limited this season.

At the start of the season, he was never going to get a shot with £72million Nicolas Pepe ahead, and has picked up a few niggling injuries. He has not had the opportunity that Saka or Martinelli has had. But his talent is equally as big.

As a right-footed right winger who loves getting chalk on his boots, he offers us something completely different to Pepe.

The Ivorian is always looking to cut inside, to get the ball on his left and drive into the box. Nelson meanwhile looks to beat the man on the outside, and put a cross into the box.

In the short term, Nelson will find himself as understudy to Pepe. A different option to bring in when chasing the game. Someone who would stretch teams out wide.

Verdict: Has a future at Arsenal

Joe Willock – 20-years-old

What is Joe Willock?

Is he an attacking midfielder? Is he a wide midfielder? Is he box to box?

He is clearly a good athlete, and a good player, but it is a struggle to see where exactly he fits in at Arsenal.

As a 10, he does not have the eye for a pass of Mesut Ozil, the technical ability to play in tight areas. But then he does find space in the box to score goals.

Out wide, Arsenal simply have better young options in Saka and Nelson.

If Willock has a future at Arsenal, he probably needs to reinvent himself as someone that plays deeper, in the  number 8 role. That way his athleticism and driving forward with the ball can be better utilised.

He could probably do with a season out on loan, playing central midfield in the Premier League.

Verdict: Needs a loan deal

Emile Smith Rowe – 19-years-old

The one on the list who is not currently at the club, Emile Smith Rowe is currently performing well at Huddersfield.

Smith Rowe is one reason why Willock needs to reinvent himself as someone playing deeper.

Whilst he does not have Willock’s athletic attributes, he is a more technically gifted player, and you can certainly see him as an understudy to a senior number 10 (whether Mesut Ozil or someone else) next season.

He certainly deserves a chance back at Arsenal, and at 19-years-old still has plenty of time on his side.

Verdict: 1st team squad next season

Keenos

Follow @KeenosAFC

Arsenal have released their latest financial results for the 2018/19 tax year. As always the best analysis can be found from Swiss Ramble on Twitter.

The results are what was expected. A loss.

A lack of Champions League football and poor player sales were the two main driving forces behind the loss.

Arsenal made £34million in broadcasting money from its run to the Europa League Final. Manchester United made £82million on their way to the Champions League Quarter Final. It is safe to say that not being in the Champions League is costing the club around £50million a year – and it could get worse if we fail to make the Europa League this season.

For years our commercial deals have been average. In 2019 we signed new deals with Emirates and Adidas that will generate around £40-50million a year in extra income. It is much needed and would turn the loss of the previous year into a profit. The problem is that extra commercial income just makes up for the lack of Champions League football.

Our dealings in the transfer market has been poor for years, and this is shown by the £107m swing in “profit on player sales”.

In recent years we have paid a premium for average players (Lucas Perez) who have then been sold on for big losses. We have also been unable to command big transfer fees for out going players due to the high wages they are on.

To be a successful club with a self-sustaining model, you need all 4 major revenue generators to be performing.

Maximise commercial income
Broadcasting revenue driven from Champions League participation
Selling well
Gate receipts

In the last few seasons, we have underperformed in all but the gate receipts.

As Liverpool have shown, when you get all 4 working together, alongside good coaching, you can build a championship winning team without the need for owner investment.

It was a good weekend for Arsenal despite not kicking a ball.

Draws for Chelsea and Manchester United and a defeat for Tottenham meant Arsenal did not lose much ground on the top 4 despite not playing.

Our game in hand is away to Manchester City, so this weekend was a big one for those teams with the opportunity to put some more space between them and Arsenal.

As it stands we sit just 8 points off Chelsea in 4^th and 5 points off Manchester United and Wolves in 5^th or 6^th. Depending on what happens with Manchester City’s CAF appeal, 5^th could be the magic number for the Champions League and 7^th for the Europa League. We are 3 points off 7^th.

It was also good to see Liverpool lose. Going unbeaten is not for everyone.

Tonight it is the fifth round of the FA Cup away to Portsmouth. Will be interesting to see what side Mikel Arteta puts out following “fatigue” comments following the Olympiakos game.

Had we beaten the Greeks, I imagine Arteta would have played a rotated XI tonight. But with the FA Cup now being the only chance of a trophy, it has to be full strength XI.

Our next league game is on Saturday so players will have nearly a week to rest up following todays tie.

Take the FA Cup seriously and we could still have a successful season despite the problems we have faced.

Up The Arsenal

Keenos

Follow @KeenosAFC

Arsenal (0) 1 Olympiakos FC (0) 2 (after extra time)
UEFA Europa League, Round of 32, Second Leg
Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park, London N5 1BU
Thursday, 27th February 2020. Kick-off time: 8.00pm

(4-2-3-1) Bernd Leno; Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz, Bukayo Saka; Dani Ceballos, Granit Xhaka, Nicolas Pépé; Mesut Özil; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette.
Substitutes: Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Emiliano Martínez, Joe Willock, Mattéo Guendouzi, Gabriel Martinelli.
Scorers: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (113 mins)
Arsenal Possession Percentage: 50%
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
Attendance: circa 40,000

Exactly one week after our victory in Piraeus, courtesy of a solitary Alexandre Lacazette goal, we meet Olympiakos FC in the return leg here in North London. Although left-back Sead Kolašinac is not available tonight due to a very nasty injury against Everton last Sunday, the highly impressive Bukayo Saka takes his place in the starting eleven. We must not take anything for granted with regards to our win in the first leg, so tonight we must be completely single-minded and focussed in our desire to advance in this competition.

Almost from the start, the gulf between the two sides were plainly evident. Slowly and surely, we imposed our will on both Olympiakos and the match with little victories by our players appearing all over the pitch. After twenty minutes, a clumsy foul on Alexandre Lacazette by Ousseynou Ba just outside the visitors’ penalty area led to our first serious attempt on goal; although the subsequent free-kick was blasted over the bar by Nicolas Pépé, you had the feeling that there was going to be goals in this match tonight. Although the Olympiakos’ forwards launched attacks on our goal that were many and often, they all came to nothing and were easily neutralised by our defenders; having said that, complacency led to a strike on our goal by Mohamed Camara after thirty-five minutes. Thankfully, David Luiz spotted the danger and the shot hit the side netting, which became a warning to us all. Alexandre Lacazette put the ball into the net after thirty-nine minutes, only to see it chalked off by the all-seeing eye of VAR for offside, and as the clock ran down to half-time, it was a massive disappointment to everyone in the stadium that we were not ahead in this fairly one-sided and dull match.

The second half started, spiritually, where the first one left off, only this time the visitors seemed to be a trifle more organised than they were in the first. And so we paid for our intransigence with the conceding of a messy goal; in the fifty-third minute, an Olympiakos corner from the right foot of Mathieu Valbuena eventually found the protruding head of the unmarked Pape Abou Cissé, who wasted little time in putting the visitors ahead in this tie on the night. As the scores on aggregate were now equal, the visitors felt the wind in their sails and applied pressure on Bernd Leno’s goal. At the other end, Granit Xhaka’s shot went narrowly past the visitors’ post, and frustration became the order of the day, as it became clear that the harder we tried to score, the further away it seemed. Lucas Torreira replaced a lacklustre Dani Ceballos after seventy-two minutes, and despite the introduction of fresh legs, nothing much changed out there. Nicolas Pépé was unlucky not to score with a clever strike fourteen minutes from time, and with Hector Bellerin being substituted for Joe Willock on the eighty-fourth minute, the crowd sensed that this could be the last throw of the dice for us in normal time.

And so it was as well. With the scores equal on aggregate, thirty minutes of extra time beckoned. Arsenal started off the first period of extra time pressing the Olympiakos goal, and as legs got tired, mistakes were bring made by both sides. Shkodran Mustafi pulled up with a muscle issue in his right leg, and was immediately replaced by our third substitute of the night, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, with three minutes left of the first period of extra time. Entering the second period, this has now become a crucial fifteen minutes of football for Arsenal Football Club; win and we go into the next round, and lose, God forbid, and we forego the chance to win yet another trophy this season. With one eye on a penalty shootout, our fourth and final substitution was made by Mikel Arteta when Alexandre Lacazette was replaced by the quick legs of Gabriel Martinelli. A few minutes later, Giorgos Masouras hit the crossbar with a right footed shot from outside the box that left Bernd Leno grasping for air, and with both sides sensing the little time remaining, threw caution to the wind with attempt after attempt failing miserably. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a truly beautiful cross from Mesut Özil found the head of Gabriel Martinelli, who nodded the ball over to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored with a right-footed strike into the bottom left-hand corner of the visitors’ net. And still the drama continued; with a minute left on the clock, a corner given cheaply away by Bernd Leno, found Youssef El-Arabi, who simply ghosted past David Luiz to put Olympiakos two-one ahead on the night. Tragically, with seconds left on the clock, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the ball wide of the open goal, which of course simply sealed our fate after over two hours of football. The final whistle blew, and with it, our chances of glory in the Europa League disappeared into the cold North London night.

In comparison with last week’s victory in Piraeus, tonight’s performance was truly, truly turgid. There were whole periods of the match where we lacked cohesion, inspiration and ideas. It is now patently clear to all and sundry that rebuilding this squad of players by Mikel Arteta is absolutely paramount, as we cannot go through yet another season with these footballers as things stand at present. This showed our limitations at the highest level of football, and the consequences of tonight’s result could be a far-reaching one, as it will take a domestic run in the remaining months of Premiership football of almost Herculean performances for us to return to European football next season. What a nightmare scenario for us all. Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Monday, 2nd March at 7.45pm (FA Cup). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Steve

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.