Tag Archives: Arsenal

Can the FA Cup save our season?

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It has been a horrible season. On and off the pitch.

From finishing below Spurs to plane wars in the skies of Birmingham. Massive defeats to Bayern Munich, to that period from January to April where we won 2 games from 8, including embarrassing defeats at home to Watford, and then on our travels to WBA and Crystal Palace.

It has not been a great season for Arsenal, as we slipped out of the top 4 for the first time this century.

After Manchester United’s victory in the Europa League, we are the only side in the top 6 of the Premier League to not be in the Champions League next year.

The infighting over Arsene Wenger has grown, embarrassing actions by people in the ground, and online, from both sides of the narrative. There was a point this season where going to football was simply not enjoyable anymore.

But then we come to the last weekend of the Bank Holiday Weekend. A Sunny Afternoon.

Tomorrow we will all be getting up ,getting ready, cafe, breakfast, pub, boots for some sun tan lotion for the bald heads, more beer, then Wembley. Wembley. We are the famous Arsenal and we are going to Wembley.

No matter what has happened this season, what we as fans and a football club have been through, we have a trip to Wembley to get up for tomorrow. One last game of the season. A chance for a real trophy. A chance for some success. And a chance to save our season.

Ultimately, when it comes down to it, top 4 does not matter, finishing above your rivals does not matter, having players winning individual awards does not matter. What matters is the team winning trophies.

In 1993, who finished top 4? Who was top scorer? What team scored the most goals? Which side conceded the least? Who was PFA Young Player of the Year? You can not answer any of these. But you know who won the FA Cup.

In fact, I could probably name the side that won the FA Cup every year since 1990. Even with my drinking now giving me short term memory loss, I still remember the FA Cup winners. I could also name the league winners in those years, and could probably name 90% of League Cup winners.

You see, winning trophies at what people remember. That is a true barometer of success. Not finishing top 4. Not finishing above your rivals.

Take Liverpool and Manchester United this season. The media (and Liverpool fans) have pretended that Liverpool have had a great season this year. One outlet described Liverpool has getting tremendous points haul this season – it was just one more point that Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp has been celebrated as a genius. Taking Liverpool back into the Champions League for the 2nd time in 8 years. But ultimately, Liverpool won nothing. There 5th consecutive year without a trophy. A single League Cup in 11 years of football.

Meanwhile over in Manchester, they have had a crisis season. An awful season. Jose Mourinho has been exposed as a fraud. As inferior to Jurgen Klopp. Yet Manchester United have won 2 trophies this season – the Europa League and League Cup.

2016/17 will not be remember by Liverpool fans, it is just another season of failure. Meanwhile Manchester United, despite finishing 6th and below their Scouse cousins, will remember another successful trip to Wembley, and another European trophy and great trip to Sweden.

Add in the FA Cup, Manchester United, a club on the slide, have won 3 trophies in a 12 month period (I do not include the Community Shield with that). Liverpool, a club on the up, have won nothing.

Arsenal have a similar scenario with their little sisters up the road, Tottenham Hotspur.

Over the last 4 years, Spurs have made gigantic strides forward. Over that time, Arsenal have lunged from crisis to crisis, slipped down the table. Whilst Spurs have put the pressure on in the last two title races, Arsenal have been nowhere to be seen,

Yet despite the two clubs relative differences in performances over the last 4 years, Arsenal have won 2 FA Cups in that time. Spurs are now 9 years into a trophy drought. 2 league cups in 26 years. Not much is written about their lack of real success. Finishing above Arsenal, putting the pressure on and a new stadium has papered over the massive cracks at the under achieving club.

So back to Arsenal. We have a chance to win the FA Cup on Saturday. A chance for a major honour. A chance to lift silverware. A chance to make it 3 FA Cups in 4 years – and a record 13th. And Arsene Wenger, for all the criticism he has rightly deserved, not just this year but over the last 10 years, has a chance to become the most successful FA Cup winning manager of all time. Not bad for a man who some claim “doesn’t take the completion seriously.”

Would winning the FA Cup make 2016/17 a successful season. YES. But Arsene Wenger should still leave.

Keenos

Arsenal facing FA Cup Final defensive crisis

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Laurent Koscileny – OUT – Suspended after his red card against Everton on the last day of the season. A pointless challenge in a pointless game that could have cost us the cup. Idiot.

Gabriel – OUT – Was carried off against Everton on a stretcher. Has done his knee ligaments. Will be out for at least 8 weeks.

Calum Chambers – OUT – Cup tied having played for Middlesbrough in 2 FA Cup ties. Had he not played in those games, he would have been free to play, with his loan being over.

Shkodran Mustafi – HIGHLY DOUBTFUL – Missed the Everton game with concussion, we are at the liberty of the doctors and he will not play until he has fully recovered. Unbelievable there are idiots out there who think Mustafi should play through his illness. Player safety is more important than a trophy.

Kieran Gibbs – DOUBTFUL – Has a slight thigh strain. Yet to train this week, but Arsenal might need to risk his fitness.

Mathieu Debuchy – OUT – Been AWOL since he picked up a hamstring injury way back in November against Bournemouth.

Carl Jenkinson – OUT – Most recently spotted playing polo on Shergar with Lord Lucan and Elvis Presley.

So what does that leave Arsenal with? Not very much.

Best case scenario, Mustafi and Gibbs return, we stick with 3 at the back:

Holding Mustafi Monreal

Bellerin                                                 Gibbs

Worst case scenario, Mustafi and Gibbs are out, we return to 4 at the back:

Bellerin Holding Mertesacker Gibbs

Likely scenario, Mustafi OUT, Gibbs Plays, we stick with 3 at the back:

Holding Mertesacker Monreal

Bellerin                                                 Gibbs

Less likely scenario, Mustafy plays, Gibbs OUT, we stick to 3 at the back

Mustafi Mertesacker Holding

Bellerin                                                 Monreal

No matter the scenario, Laurent Koscileny, as a senior player, has let the club down badly.

Keenos

 

 

Kasper Dolberg, Alexis Sanchez Agent & Henry Onyekuru

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Kasper Dolberg

Danish teenager is a talented youngster. One to watch in tonight’s game.

There is talk that he could be the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That he was taken to Ajax but the same man that engineered the moved of Christian Eriksen from Denmark to Ajax. But he could also be the next Nicklas Bendtner.

His presence, and a few other Ajax youngsters who look promising, will at least make tonight’s game against Manchester United interesting.

Where is Alexis Sanchez’s agent?

The answer is in Munich. And depending on how you want to tell the story depends on what story you tell.

The British media have, as expected, gone with the Alexis Sanchez agent in Munich with the story going on with how he is in discussions with Bayern Munich over a move for Alexis Sanchez.

The reality is Sanchez’s agent is Fernando Felicevich. Felicevich is also the agent of Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal, who is a Bayern Munich player.

Now I might not be the smartest guy in the world, but I would suggest that Felicevich is in Munich to discuss with Bayern about his client who currently plays for them. Especially taking into consideration Vidal’s contract expires in 2019, and Bayern have just lost Xabi Alonso. He will be knocking on the door at Bayern asking for more money for his client.

Overpriced Youngsters

I have spoken briefly before about how crazy prices are for potential and this has been highlighted once more by Real Madrid paying £38million on a 16 year old. It is stupid money.

Last week I had a debate in a Whatsapp group over our South American scouting. A friend demanded to know why we never uncover young talents from South America. I pointed out that every top player who has come to Europe, Arsenal have known about, but for whatever reason have not signed.

South Americans coming to Europe fall into handful of categories for me;

Need a work permits: It is not easy to get a work permit for the UK, in comparison to other EU countries. When you look at the migration patterns of those from the two strongest South American counties – Argentina and Brazil – their youngsters tend to end up in two countries.

Argentinean’s end up in Italy – as many have Italian heritage – whilst Brazilians end up in Portugal, and then move to Spain.

Very few teenager unknowns with no caps at international level end up in the UK.

Now Arsenal could do what they did with Carlos Vela and Joel Campbell, buy in the player than loan them out to a country until they get a work permit, but in memory, this has never worked for any club in the Premier League, not just Arsenal.

So the uncapped unknowns do not join Arsenal simply because they do not get the work permit

Expensive imports: Players like Gabriel Jesus and Neymar are talented players. These are players who would not have needed a work permit. Already capped by Brazil, they would get a UK visa based on their special talent. But then they both cost a lot of money.

Gabriel Jesus cost Manchester City £27m. The transfer of Neymar from Santos to Barcelona was revealed to have cost the Spaniards £71.5 million.

Whilst Neymar has ended up the top player and justified his fee, so many other South American’s end up failing. Gabriel Jesus has shown some ability for Manchester City, but after 10 games, it is impossible to already call him a success. He could end up the next Neymar, or could easily end up the next Pato.

From South America, and mainly Brazil, you are paying a lot of money for potential, and so often those players do no live up to their big price tags. Vinícius Júnior certainly falls into the expensive imports category. £38m for a player who can not legally join for another 2 years…

Third party ownership: Another reason why South Americans do not tend to end up in England in the early stages of their career is due to the 3rd party ownership of many youngsters in Brazil.

So many players are owner partly by the club, and partly by other parties. Whether this be hedge funds, agents, or the players own parents. This leaves a lot of people to negotiate with, and pushes the prices up.

In places like Portugal, where 3rd party ownership is ignored, clubs need only buy out the selling clubs portion, transfers are a lot easier to do.

When Neymar joined Barcelona, his parents received a €40 million from the deal. It has ended up in a long running tax fraud case both in Spain and Brazil. Very messy. You can see why clubs often avoid these deals.

Arsenal do have a scouting network in Brazil and South America, but it is such a hard market to find potential that is not overpriced and can get a work permit. £38m for a 16 year old…

A reported target for Arsenal is 19 year old Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru. He is this years Belgium top scorer. The price reported to be £6.8m.

Whilst clubs around Europe look at 18 year old Kylian Mbappe for £80+m and Brazilian wonder kids with high prices and dodgy agents, there are plenty of other, equally talented youngsters around the world who have just yet to break through, yet to become a name, and it is those we need to target.

If you are moaning about the link with Onyekuru, you probably would have moaned if last season Arsenal spent ~£10m on a 17 year old Mbappe who had scored just 1 goal for Monaco. Roll on a year and the Frenchman is the hottest property in Europe.

You can not moan that we do not uncover youngsters, then when we move for one, moan that we are buying unknown youngsters.

Personally I would rather we stayed away from the unproven South Americans, the over-priced over hyped Europeans, and use our scouting network to find the gems.

Have a good day guys, stay safe

Keenos