Tag Archives: hector bellerin

What happened to Arsenal’s 2015 FA Cup winners?

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Three years ago today, Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0.

It was certainly not as stressful as what happened at Wembley 12 months previous – when Arsenal found themselves 2-0 down with Kieran Gibbs heading off the line – but it was equally as satisfying.

Arsenal were in complete control from the first minute against relegated Aston Villa – who did not have a shot on target.

https://twitter.com/goonerbeau/status/1001704778920022018

What struck me was the goal scorers that day. Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud. Who would have thought all four would have departed just 3 years later.

That day Santi Cazorla was named Man of the Match. He joins the goal scorers by leaving Arsenal this summer.

These little snippets then made me look at the entire match day squad from 2015, and investigate “where are they now?”

 

For Wojciech Szczęsny, the FA Cup Final would be the last time he would be seen in an Arsenal shirt. what followed was a 2 year loan to Roma before he joined Juventus as the eventual replacement for Gianluigi Buffon.

Captaining Arsenal that day was Per Mertesacker. He retires this summer. Also leaving the club this summer on a free is Santi Cazorla.

In January, we saw a quadruple of exits. Francis Coquelin went to Valencia, where he joined Gabriel Paulista  who returned to Spain in the summer of 2017.

Three of the goal scorers that day also left in January. Olivier Giroud joined Chelsea in a massive merry-go-round of players and Theo Walcott went to Everton. Alexis Sanchez joined Manchester United,

Kieran Gibbs, who saved the day with a goal line clearance the season before which would have seen Arsenal go 3-0 down, went to WBA where he got relegated.

Thinking the grass was greener, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain went to Liverpool in a big money move in the summer of 2017. Inconsistent performances and injury showed that sometimes it is the player, not the manager.

Finally, Mathieu Flamini Went to Crystal Palace and became a billionaire.

With the futures of Hector Bellerin, Jack Wilshere, David Ospina and Aaron Ramsey in the balance this summer, Arsenal could be in a situation where just 3 players remain from that victorious team 3 years ago.

Keenos

Arsenal on the verge of greatness?

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We have had a tough season. We are battered, bruised and beaten. But last nice comfortable victory shows we have the makings of a top, top team.

It might not quite be good enough to match Manchester City, but they are a team which cost a billion quid, containing the majority of the “most expensive footballers” in their position to ever play in England. They have failed to win just 4 games this season. About to set records that they might even struggle to match in the future. But back to Arsenal.

As said, we have the makings of a good team.

In Hector Bellerin, we have one of the best right backs in European football.

Our friends over at Gunners Town asked this week “if Bellerin left, who would replace him?” and many struggled to answer.

In the Premier League, only Kyle Walker is on the same level. And I struggle to name a better full back in their early 20s throughout Europe. And he is still just 23, people seem to forget that.

Backing him up next season will be Ainsley Maitland-Niles. He has shown this season that he is a player, more than capable deputising for Bellerin if needed.

The left back is also tied up. Nacho Monreal is Mr Consistent and Sead Kolasinac will look to build on a rollercoaster first season.

Between the full backs, I still believe there is a good centre back in Shkdoran Mustafi. I think if you get a strong character next to him, a reliable leader of the defence, he will flourish. Sadly Laurent Koscielny’s game these days is filled with injury and mistakes. Get in that top CB and we have a very good back 4.

Alongside Koscielny are Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and the Greek lad.

It could be a male or break summer for the two English lads. Neither have really kicked on due to lack of game time, but both would make an adequate 4th choice CB.

One problem area is in goal.

David de Gea has shown this year how important a match winning goal keeper can be. He does not make mistakes that lose games, and makes plenty of match saving stops.

Both David Ospina and Petr Czech have the same problems. Neither is a match winner, and both have mistakes in them. One of them will be an able deputy to a new top stopper, but it is an area of the pitch that we have fallen behind on.

I am excited about our midfield.

In recent weeks we have gone to a solid midfield 3. I felt it would be our best formation once Alexis Sanchez left.

Jack Wilshere fell deep provides protection and can dictate play, meaning that Mesut Ozil does not need to drop. On the other side is Aaron Ramsey. A midfield 3 means that he has the freedom to roam, to get forward, to score goals. He truly is a brilliant player when he is able to drive forward.

Recently Granit Xhaka has been playing in between them. Like many, I am not sold on him. He is a bit of a liability – as shown with his yellow yesterday. Get in a proper defensive midfielder and it frees up Wilshere and Ramsey to do what they do best.

I wouldn’t get rid of Xhaka, however. We need a deep squad, and Xhaka will be able to cover the new defensive midfielder, as well as Jack Wilshere. Add Mo Elneny and you would have 5 (depending on buying thee DM) versatile midfielders who could be rotated and replaced depending on the opponents.

Mesut Ozil, Henrik Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emrick Aubemayang. The golden triangle.

Add in Alexandre Lacazette, who I mentioned might not fit in next season, and Arsenal have an enviable array of attacking talent.

If we can improve on Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi as our wide options, then the squad will be filled with quality.

People ask “why would a top manager want to come to Arsenal”. Well to work with the likes of Bellerin, Monreal, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubemayang. A core of 7 top players that the rest of the team needs to be built around.

Now we just need the manager who will get the best out of them.

Keenos

Hector Bellerin, League Cup Final, Sergio Aguero & Emirates Deal

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Hector Bellerin

Are Arsenal fans really that sad that they have spent their last few days perfecting a Cockney-Spanish accent before recording themselves in a car pretending to be Hector Bellerin on the phone?

Has it come to it that some fans are so willing to destroy the club they apparently love, that they have gone into method acting and have self-produced a short film in the hope of winning an Oscar?

I might end up with mud on my face if the recordings to the round of Hector Bellerin in a car on his phone are real, but a bit like the Kieran Gibbs one that did the rounds this time last year, it is probably the work of some sad little weirdo.

The fall out to Bellerin’s comments at the Oxford University Q&A have been hilarious.

Some self-entitled saddos on Twitter have proper lost their mind over it. It has been mental break downs left, right and centre. I have half expected some to threaten to jump onto a motorway before disappearing  for a week.

There has been one idiot recording himself for 2 minutes in his car. Saying how he him are Bellerin are “done”. “Hector, that’s me and you done mate” was pretty much what he said. I am sure Bellerin is unbothered. In fact, he said in the Q&A that fans getting on his back is something that he has learnt to ignore over the years.

A very mature outlook for a 22 year old living in a different country. He is more mature and mentally stable than the 30-somethings who have spent the week abusing him.

It has even gotten to the point where some fans have declared “we need a new right back”. How odd. A player that would walk into the majority of first XI’s throughout Europe is suddenly deemed not good enough? Odd little fans proper throwing their toys out the pram.

Then you have this voice recording doing the round.

It is all getting a bit sad really isn’t it?

The fact is, on Thursday and again on Sunday, Bellerin’s name will be sang loud and proud by the majority of fans. You see, most normal, level headed fans, like myself and others, back the players, back the team, and want them to do well.

League Cup

On that note, I read something wierd recently.

You are not a real WOB if you want Arsenal to win on Sunday.

How odd. People that cry out “it’s Arsenal FD  not Arsene FC” then saying calling themselves something as sad as WOB and wanting Arsenal to be destroyed on Sunday because it suits an anti-Wenger, and ultimately anti-Arsenal agenda.

The rise of social media has been brilliantly. It has opened the world, made it a smaller place.

But it has also given idiots a voice. The type of plonker who would usually be found in a pub corner, on his own drinking his Holston Pills. A wet patch on his groin. Trying to speak to anyone they know about football and UFO’s. Proper sad folk.

Social media has given these idiots a louder voice. They are no longer standing in their pissy-pants talking to themselves.

Imagine wanting Arsenal to NOT win trophies, then saying if you want Arsenal to win trophies, you are not an Arsenal fan.

Odd.

Sergio Aguero

So Sergio Aguero hit a fan last night.

Let’s be honest, if it was an Arsenal player who had hit a Wigan fan after they tried to mug him off, we would be celebrating it.

Aguero will get a ban. I only want him to be banned because it means he is out of the League Cup Final, but I have no issue with what we did.

In fact, I wish what Aguero did, and what Bellerin has said last week, would happen more often.

Fans think they are untouchable. That they can say and do what they want. They need to realise they can not.

Emirates Deal

A small note on the Emirates Deal. I was going to write more on it but time today has caught up on me.

Emirates sponsor 6 European clubs. Arsenal are second when it comes to how much they pay to sponsor:

Real Madrid – £60m (Deal started in 2017) – This is also the worlds biggest deal
Arsenal – £40m (2018)
PSG – £22.25m (2014)
AC Milan – £15m (2014)
Benfica – £1.6m (2015)
Olympiakos – ???

The Arsenal deal is the second largest in the Premier League, level with Chelsea and below Manchester United.

You could question why we have signed a deal level to Chelsea, but Chelsea’s £40m a year includes sleeve sponsorship. Arsenal’s does not.

We are expected to do a deal for sleeve sponsors starting in 2018 for around £12m a year. This will take us to £52m a year from shirt sponsors. £22m  more than what we have at the minute. That works out at around £425k a week more.

 Keenos