Tag Archives: Arsenal

Southgate goes from Arteta-ball to cautious Conte

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Morning.

Let’s blog today as it took me a few beers to get over that England performance last night.

I had the first draft of a great blog written about how Gareth Southgate’s England were inspired by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The transition to 4 at the back, a single pivot defensive midfielder in front of them, two 8’s and inverted wingers.

It worked against Iran as we pressed high, we’re aggressive, and scored 6 goals.

Last night Southgate went from channelling his inner Arteta to becoming Antonio Conte.

The defence dropped deep, Bellingham was pushed deeper to make a 2-man central midfield, and the front line did not press.

Like Conte’s Tottenham, England were set up to not lose rather than win the game.

It is already a bad sign that 2 games in , Harry Kane looks shot. and that Southgate is incapable of substituting him.

He was a passenger for most of the second half and clearly not fit. Yet played the full 90.

I still think we would have beaten Italy in the Euro’s had Southgate had the balls to take Kane off in extra time.

Kane contributed nothing in those 30 minutes and he was basically kept on to take a penalty.

During extra time, whenever Bukayo Saka got the ball he looked a threat. Italy’s tiring, ageing defence were reduced to fouling him on the halfway line.

Imagine had Southgate bought on Marcus Rashford for Kane to play down the middle. Lightening and fresh, he would’ve carved out a couple of chances for himself.

And if it is going to be the same this tournament, England might as well go home.

After 60 minutes, Kane is finished. He begins to rely on just being a 6-yard box striker. Needs others around him to do his running. It is basically like playing with 10-men.

What is the point of having Calum Wilson on the bench if you are not going to bring him on?

England will get through the group, then be knocked out by the first decent team we play (again). Southgate will be heroic in failure, when the truth is he is an awful coach who is wasting a talented group of young, exciting, attacking talent.

Time for a coffee. Tomorrow we go back to focusing on The Arsenal.

Keenos

Tottenham trio put country over club (whilst Arsenal gave 100% to the end)

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Earlier this week we discussed how Arsenal players “did themselves proud” in the lead up to the World Cup.

Players continued to give 100% right up to the break, with none crying off with injury. The result is Arsenal are top of the league.

The same can not be said about Spurs, however.

Three of their key players have shown country is more important than club.

Firstly we have last nights double scorer against Brazil, Richarlison.

The forward went down with a “calf” injury agains Everton in the middle of October. He then missed 7 games in a row before returning for less than an hour against Nottingham Forest inthe League Cup. He also played in their final league game against Leeds United.

During those games, he was clearly not giving 100%, and it was almost as if he was giving himself a small “pre-season” prior to the World Cup.

Tottenham won just 1 of the 4 league games he missed “injured”.

Cristian Romero is another Spurs player who gave himself a nice rest before the World Cup.

The Argentine centre back missed the last 5 games prior to the break with a “hamstring injury” that no-one really knows when he picked up.

Considered a bit of a hardman, he seemed to go soft for Spurs as he decided to focus on being 100% for country rather than performing for club.

His absence saw Spurs knocked out of the League Cup – their best chance to to win a trophy this season – and concede 9 goals in 5 games.

Romero was fit to start for Argentina.

Finally we have Heung-Min Son.

He who can do no wrong, despite a career blighted with diving and leg breaking tackles, Son seems to escape any sort of criticism for his behaviour.

Granted, the South Korean suffered a fracture around his left eye during the Champions League clash against Marseille.

That ruled him out of Tottenham’s last 3 games of the season – 2 of which they lost.

He returned yesterday for South Korea wearing a mask – so questions need to be asked as to why he could not don the mask for Spurs?

Maybe he decided to hide behind the injury to give himself a nice rest ahead of the World Cup?

Whilst Arsenal players continued to give it 100%, Spurs players hide behind injuries to ensure they were ready for their countries. And that probably shows the difference between Arsenal and Tottenham right now.

Arsenal are together as one, fighting as a team. Performing well and in the title race.

Meanwhile Tottenham are clearly a group of individuals. Players their have other priorities, such as the World Cup.

The likes of Romero and Richarlison clearly see the club as a stepping stone to something else – a move to one of Europe’s elite.

It is the same for the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. The pair, signed from Juventus, trying to rebuild their careers and reputation at a lower level before a move back to a top team.

I am proud of every Arsenal player at the World Cup. Many were not guaranteed their seat on the plane.

The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale and William Saliba forced their way into their international squads due to their performances for Arsenal this season.

We clearly have a group of young, hungry professionals that want to do their best for club AND country.

I am not sure the same can be said about the Spurs lot.

Keenos

Arsenal need to learn lessons from 2008

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In 2007/08, we should have won the league.

We led for much of the season, only to capitulate in the closing stages of the season – winning just 5 of the last 12.

The season derailed following that game against Birmingham City. Eduardo’s injury and then a heads gone moment in the 95th minute that saw Birmingham equalise from the penalty spot.

Club captain William Gallas threw a strop on the pitch and the team never recovered.

We ended up 3rd, 4 points behind league winners Manchester United.

The lessons to be learned are not what happened during that season, but what happened after.

Arsene Wenger had built a team of the most exciting young talent in Europe.

2007/08 should have been the beginning of something special, not the best it would get for nearly a decade.

That young team contained the likes of Cesc Fabregas (21 years old), Robin van Persie (24), Theo Walcott (18), Gael Clichy (22), Alex Song (20), Abou Diaby (22), Denilson (20), Mathieu Flamini (24), Emmanuel Adebayor (24) and Nicklas Bendtner (20).

We were set up nicely to dominate English football – and potentially European – for some time.

Having nearly one the title, we needed a few tweaks. A bit of investment in some senior pro’s to guide the young squad.

Summer 2008 we bought French starlet Samir Nasri, Welsh teenage sensation Aaron Ramsey and Manchester United veteran Mikel Silvestre.

It built on the young squad with more undoubtedly young talent, but it was not enough and we ended up 4th, 18 points behind Manchester United.

Reportedly hamstrung by stadium debt as the UK entered recession, we were either unable or unwilling to spend. And the next summer everything began to unravel.

In 2009 we spent just £10m on you g Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen. And then the exodus begun.

Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure were pochard by nouveau riche Manchester City. Both signed big contracts with their new club and it showed to the Arsenal players what they could earn elsewhere.

As the lack of investment continued, more and more players became frustrated about our transfer policy. We were simply unable to match our talented young players ambitions.

This was not just about what they could earn, but also what they could win.

We were falling well behind Manchester City, Man U and Chelsea, and we could no longer be considered one of Europe’s elite.

Every summer we failed to invest, more players departed – peaking in 2011 when Clichy, Fabregas and Nasri all departed.

Almost every one of those young players we that nearly took us to the Premier League title in 2008 won the league at their new clubs.

Cesc and Song at Barcelona, Toure, Clichy and Nasri at City. van Persie at Manchester United.

Had we matched their ambition when at Arsenal, they might have taken us to the title.

And that is where the lessons need to be learned.

Regardless of where we finish this season, we need to build on this young team. We can not rest on our laurels.

Manchester City will spend again. Newcastle are now financed by a country. Manchester United will come again.

If we do not build on this season, it will be deja vu.

How long will the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba hang about if we do not match their ambition?

The likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona are already reportedly sniffing around our young talent.

We need to match their ambition on the pitch and in their back pocket.

Over the next two windows, I would expect us to spend £120m+.

A new defensive midfielder and more attacking talent – both centrally and wide – is what we need.

We also need to tie the younger lads down to long term deals, securing their future with us.

I am more confident now that we will do that.

The stadium debt is now more manageable, and in Edu and Arteta, we have an equally ambitious management team that won’t try and treat us like some sort of socialist footballing experiment.

Hopefully KSE have learned that to move forward, you need investment. You can not just rely on young players improving.

2008 will live long in my memory as a missing opportunity. What happened in the half-decade after that was simply disgraceful.

UTA.

Keenos