Tag Archives: Arsenal

(Not quite) Burnley Away

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Turf Moor is one of only 3 current Premier League grounds I have yet visited – the other two being Molineux Stadium and the new White Hart Lane stadium.

Burnley away has been one of those fixtures I seem destined to never go to.

Since their returned to the Premier League for the 2014/15, every trip up to the North West has been a Sunday kick off bar one.

From late kick offs with no trains home, to lunch time kick offs with no trains at all due to engineering works, it is a game I have always struggled with.

Today is no different with it being a 4 hour train journey changing at Preston.

I did attempt to once back in 2015 – the only time we have played them away on a Saturday.

For whatever reason we decided to shun the train and hire a mini bus to the game. I can not remember why; I do not think it was due to trains. It would be the first and last time we got a mini bus to a game.

There were 8 of us, plus the driver. We met in Walthamstow at whatever time, with bags of beer, brandy and tunes ready for the 5 hour trip.

On the way to the game, the driver was telling us how he had just had the mini bus services. In tip-top condition it was. Clean, tidy. 14 seater for 9 of us. Plenty of room to spread out. And then it happened.

Just outside of Coventry, the driver pulled over.

“Sorry lads, don’t know what happened” he said “don’t worry though, I am with the AA”.

As you all should when you have broken down on the motorway, we all got of the mini bus and onto the verge. The field next to us was filled with cows and it stank.

Time went by and the driver was still on the phone to the AA. He eventually came over “sorry lads, I only have cover for 8 people, they will not come out and pick us up”. Great.

Eventually (I imagine the driver paid to upgrade his membership) the AA appeared and towed us into Coventry. It was nearly kick off time, we had been standing by the motorway for about 3 hours and we were 130+ miles from Burnley. Hope of getting to the game was long gone.

At this point we started looking for train times back to London. We had no clue how long it would take the mini bus to be repaired.

Instead of heading straight back to London, we decided to find a boozer to at least watch the game in. We wandered into the Tudor Rose.

“Alright lads, you lost” said one local as 8 annoyed Londoners walked in. We explained the situation.

Watching the game, one of my pals pointed out the name of Burnley’s stand…

Mini bus sales? Were they taking the piss?

90 minutes later, Arsenal had won 1-0, Aaron Ramsey scoring in the 12th minute. We were well on our way to getting smashed and the mini bus driver called.

“Lads, the bus is fixed, let me know when you want to go back to London”.

Quick stop for some food on the way to the bus and it was time to start the 100 mile trip back home.

Driver dropped us off at O’Neills in Kings Cross where we continued drinking until we could drink no more.

In our attempt to get to Burnley we had not even made it half way. But it was still a top away day.

Arsenal have never lost at Burnley in the Premier League – 5 games and counting. I am not making the trip today. Hopefully my run of not going Burnley and Arsenal continues.

Keenos

Signing Pablo Mari keeps door open for Dayot Upamecano bid

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The key for Arsenal in January was always to get in reinforcements that did not take funds away from the club signing key targets next summer.

Whilst Pablo Mari would not have been at the top of anyone’s list on New Years Day, there is plenty of logic behind the deal.

I am sure the club would have wanted to go for a long term starter. Dayot Upamecano for example. But are these players available in a January? Probably not.

Arsenal could have gone and spent £20-30m on someone – Jamaal Lascelles or James Tarkowski for example. But these guys are not really good enough in the long term for Arsenal. And £20-30m is a huge lump sum that would restrict what business we could do in the summer. It takes a lot of money out of the pot. Money that we need to buy Upamecano (or whoever).

So we bought in Marí on loan with an option to buy. 5 months wages and a reported £4.5million loan fee, we are not tying too much money in him. The deal leaves us with plenty left in the pot to launch a bid for a top class central defender in the summer.

The Cedric Soares deal from Southampton is similar.

The Portuguese right back is a very good player. A couple of years ago he was regarded as one of the best right backs in the league. A falling out at Southampton led him to join Inter Milan on loan for 6 months, but is back as 1st choice right back with the south-coast side this season.

28-years-old and with over 100 Premier League games under his belt, Cedric will provide good cover for Hector Bellerin.

Available on a free at the end of the season, Arsenal are reportedly set to take Cedric on loan, with the club having agreed with his people they get 1st option to sign him at the end of the season if they wish.

Cedric coming in would also reinforce the middle of the park as it means Ainsley Maitland-Niles can return to his favoured position, rather than being emergency right back cover; meaning that Arsenal do not need to go out and buy a midfield reinforcement in January.

Like at centre back, not spending £20-30m on a central midfielder that the club do not really see as a long term option in January ensures our funds remain strong for a summer assault on someone who we actually want.

We could have easily gone out and spent £40-60m on a new central defender and new central midfielder. This would have kept some fans happy. But if they were not players Edu, Mikel Arteta, etc saw as being long term solutions, it would just be flushing money down the drain. It would restrict what business we could do in the summer.

By bringing in Mari and potentially Cedric, the impact on Arsenal’s summer transfer budget is negligible. They are cheap, smart moves.

The success of this window will be judged by who we sign in the summer.

If we go out and sign (for example) Upamecano, Wilfred Ndidi and Leroy Sane, it will be down to us not over spending in January.

In football, you always need to keep an eye on the long term. Plan for the future, not just tomorrow.

Why has Dani Ceballos fallen out of favour at Arsenal?

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It usually takes a foreign player a few weeks, even a few months to acclimatise to Premier League football.

Players coming from Spain have often struggled with the higher paced, more physical side of English football.

Dani Ceballos has not needed time to settle. He has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. His man of the match performance against the Burnley Bully Boys was one of the best home debuts I have seen from an Arsenal player.

Ceballos was everywhere. His performance was all action. He attacked with intent, and also defended soundly. He covered every blade of grass.

That is what I blogged following Dani Ceballos full debut performance against Burnley back in August. It seems like that performance will be the highlight of the Spaniards Arsenal career.

Having got 2 assists against Burnley, his Arsenal record has been underwhelming.

8 starts in all competitions, 1 goal, and no more assists beyond those 2 against Burnley.

Ceballos came off the bench against Bournemouth in the cup. It was his first game since Mikel Arteta had joined.

At the beginning of November he picked up a torn muscle that ruled him out until the end of December. Despite being fit and ready to start, Arteta went with other options – including last night picking Joe Willock ahead of Ceballos.

So just why has Ceballos fallen out of favour?

He was signed under Unai Emery, who clearly rated the player. But even under the former manager he was not getting a lot of game time.

It always takes a while for foreign players to settle, and we as fans got a bit excited over his debut. He certainly went backwards after that Burnley performance, and the injury had hampered him.

By the time he returned from injury, Emery was gone and Arteta was in.

Arteta is building something at Arsenal. Not just for the short term but into next season and beyond.

It is unlikely that Ceballos’s deal with turn into a permanent one, so it is logical that Arteta is thinking “why spend time and effort integrating Ceballos into Arsenal’s first team only for him to leave in 4 months”.

The better option would be to give game time to Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka, allowing them to continue their development – play the players who will be here next season.

Playing or not playing Ceballos will not be the difference between us making the top 4 or not.

Against Bournemouth, Saka scored 1, assisted 1, whilst Willock was heavily involved in both guys. The pairs performance justified their inclusion ahead of Ceballos. Martinelli – also picked ahead of Ceballos – got the other assist.

If both young Englishman continue to get game time towards the end of this season, they will continue to develop. That will mean next season they are able to make an even bigger contribution than they are this.

In Martinelli, Saka, Nelson and Willock; Arteta has his “back up front 4” in place for next season. It is better to continue developing those 4 players, then give game time to someone who will not be here in 4 months.

Ceballos, it just has not worked out.

Keenos