Tag Archives: Liverpool

Defining 7 days for The Arsenal

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The next week is set to be the most crucial of the season in the Premier League.
By this time next week, Arsenal could be 14 points behind Chelsea. Out of the title race. Goodnight, Vienna. But if results go Arsenal’s way, it could be a 2 point title race. Bring it on!
Tomorrow Chelsea travel to Anfield to play Liverpool. The Scousers are in terrible form. Just a single win this calendar year, against Plymouth. They have just been knocked out of the League Cup and FA Cup. Currently 10 points behind in the Premier League, defeat tomorrow for them is simply not an option. It will mean their season is over in January.

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Liverpool will need to go all out for a win, but in their form, they will struggle. Although Jurgen Klopp, and Liverpool, do have a habit of raising their game against a bigger side, only to then lose the next week against someone like Crystal Palace.

The  same day, Arsenal host Watford.

The Premier League is the toughest in the world. We have seen Klopp & Pep Guardiola struggle this season with a competitiveness that they have simply not been used to in their managerial careers. A tough game every weekend, rather than a tough game once a month. And that is why we can not take a game for granted, even a home tie against Watford.

On paper, Arsenal should beat Watford easily. We have not lost in the league to them since 1988 in the Old First Division. Although Wednesday will be just the 8th time the sides have met since then.

Since their return to the Premier League last season, Arsenal have scored 10 goals in 3 games, conceding just once. However this time last year Watford knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup, winning 2-1 at the Emirates. It was the quarter final stage and denied Arsenal 7th visit to Wembley in just over 2 years. That was Watford’s only victory over Arsenal in 9 games.

Then on Saturday Arsenal travel to Stamford Bridge for the game which will define our season.
Even if Arsenal beat Watford and Chelsea lose to Liverpool, the game against Chelsea will still be win or bust.

Arsenal have not won away from home against Chelsea since 2011, and have beaten Chelsea just once, home or away, since that game (I do not count the Community Shield as a competitive game). Arsenal’s record against Chelsea in the last 13 years is nothing short of atrocious.

Pre-Abramovich, Chelsea could not beat Arsenal. During the Abramovich era, the form between the sides has done a 180, and Arsenal have struggled to get the 3 points.

3-0 was the scoreline earlier in the season. A result which had many writing Chelsea off as a threat in the title race. But an incredible run of form of 15 wins in 16 games has seen Chelsea go from 8th to 1st, clear in the league by 8 points. Chelsea are a different side to that which we faced earlier this season.

Arsenal win, the title race is on. Chelsea win, you might as well do the trophy presentation after the game.

14 points or 2 points. The next 7 days will define this years Premier League season.

Keenos

Arsenal’s Spring Break, Klopp’s Liverpool Form & Transfer’s

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Arsenal’s Spring Break

Last nights victory for Southampton against Liverpool results in the Premier League tie away to Southampton at St Mary’s on 25th February will be rearranged. This is great news for Arsenal.

As winter turns to spring, Arsenal will have around 14 days between the FA Cup 5th Round (if Arsenal beat Southampton this weekend) and an away trip to Liverpool. With 12 games to go in the Premier League season from that point, it will give the side a welcomed break before the title run in.

The break could be further extended to 17 days if Arsenal lose to Southampton this weekend. I am fine with just the 14 days off thanks!

Anyone who has taken a week holiday from work will know how much fresher you come back. Arsenal players will be able to down tools after the FA Cup match for at least 5 or 6 days, before having to return to full training. It also gives the side further time to prepare for Liverpool away.

The downside is the Southampton fixture now needs to be fitted in somewhere.

If Arsenal go on an FA Cup run to the Semi Final, a further 2 Premier League ties will have to be rearranged to mid week. Matters could be further muddied if we have to face any FA Cup replays.

The Premier League should apply to UEFA to host Southampton v Arsenal on the 14/15 March. With UEFA rules stating that no domestic top level game is played at the same time as their beloved Champions League, this date will be in doubt.

21/22 March is also free, although this is slated in for FA Cup 6th round replays.

The last possible date is the 28th February / 1st March. Just 3 days after the original fixture. Whilst this date would be advantageous for Arsenal, as we would have the weekend off and Southampton will be suffering from the fall out of whatever the League Cup result is, it would reduce that Spring Break and give us less time to prepare for the Liverpool away fixture. Suddenly Southampton’s victory is not such great news.

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Klopp’s Liverpool Form

In 2017, Liverpool have won just a single game, an FA Cup 3rd round replay victory over Plymouth Argyle of League two. Their form reads:

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1 win in 7 since the New Year.

Even more interesting is Jurgen Klopp’s near identical record to that of Louis van Gaal. One has been considered as a great success since coming to the Premier League, the other was labelled as a massive flop. It just shows how media reporting can change your perception.

Now this is not an anti-Klopp, pro-Wenger rant. You are an idiot if you do not think Klopp is not a very good manager, and would have been an ideal candidate to replace Arsene at Arsenal. But what Klopp’s struggles show, like with Pep Guardiola’s highlighted last week, is just how hard the Premier League is.

If Liverpool end up 5th, or even 6th below Jose Mourinho’s much derided Manchester United team, will Klopp continue to get such an easy ride from the British press?

Media Perception

On the thought on media perception – and this is something I might write an expanded blog on this subject another time – something has caught my eye / brain / 6th sense recently.

The media made a big fuss over Arsenal going 9 years without a trophy. I knid of remember the press picking up on trophy-less run after the 5th year. Certainly before the Birmingham League Cup Final defeat the press were making a lot of noise about it. Arsenal had not yet gone 6 years without a trophy by that point.

Liverpool are now up to 5 years without a trophy. Their last being the League Cup in 2012. But there is no noise from the press. Maybe they are worried to upset the mentally fragile, reactionary Scousers? They have not won a major honour (FA Cup, League, European Trophy) since they beat West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final. That was near on 11 years ago. 1 trophy in 11 years. 0 trophies in 5 years. Interesting how the press pick and choose who to create a narrative about.

Then you have Tottenham. I always laugh when the media talk about a ‘big 6’. There is no big 6. How can a club which has not won a league title since 1961, not finished 2nd since 1963 and made the top 3 just once in 30 years be considered in any sort of elite class is a joke.

Since they last won the FA Cup in 1991, Spurs have been knocked out of the FA Cup as many times in the 3rd round as they have in the semi finals. Six times each.

Spurs last trophy was in 2008. Like Liverpool, it was the League Cup. 8 years without a trophy. But like Liverpool, there is not the media interest that there was when Arsenal were at 8 years. Maybe it shows that Spurs are just a small club of little to no interest?

We all know by now, it is 25 years since Spurs last won the FA Cup. 55 years since they last won the league. The media pretends their is a big 6, and people believe them. But the reality is they are not in any sort of elite.

Transfer’s

Has there ever been a transfer window where Arsenal have been so quiet. And not just the club’s own activity, but the fans.

Usually at this point of a January transfer window we are all going mental. 5 days until it closes, we still have not signed anyone of note, and yet social media is not awash with people demanding Arsene Wenger “Spend some f**king money”.

Why is this?

Are we content with the squad, realising there really isn’t much else better out there? That we will have to make do with what we have? It is interesting that no one in the Top 6 of the Premier League has made a move for anyone. The biggest signing this summer as been 19-year-old Ademola Lookman to Everton.

Maybe we are now seeing the death of the January transfer window. It is a market for the desperate, those so concerned about being relegated that they end up spending £15million on some bloke called Wilfred Ndidi.

Or are Arsenal fans just bored of it all. Have we accepted that the club will simply not do much business in January. Are we all suffering from Stockholm Syndrome? Just counting down the days until Arsene Wenger leaves. Why get angry about something not in your control. It will not change anything, just increase your blood pressure, leaving you purple face in anger as you scream and shout at your friends.

I would be very surprised if Arsenal signed anyone in January.

Keenos

Steven Gerrard shows Thierry Henry how its done

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Yesterday Liverpool announced that Steven Gerrard would be returning to the club taking a full time coaching position in their academy.

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The former Liverpool captain only retired from football at the end of November last year, and within a couple of months has already agreed to rejoin his boyhood club as a full time academy coach. As predicted, this has led to a lot of Arsenal fans moaning that so many of our ex-players, so many legends of the club, are not on the coaching field of London Colney or Hale End.

This ignores the fact that the likes of Steve Bould, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires are involved with the club. Lesser known ex-players like Giles Grimandi, Ryan Garry, Danny Karbassiyoon, Steve Gatting, Greg Lincoln, Steve Morrow and Kwame Ampadu also have possessions at the club.

Some people act like we can have hundreds of ex-players of coaches, and they should be coaching at the club, no matter how good a coach they are.

Of course, like anyone, I do wish the likes of Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp were at Arsenal. But they have all chosen to take their post-playing career elsewhere.

Martin Keown, Lee Dixon, Ian Wright & Ray Parlour have all decided to take up a career in the media. It is a lot easier earning your money speaking once a week on Match of the Day, a few times a week on Sky Sports, or for a few hours every morning on TalkSport, than working 7 days a week, getting to Arsenal’s training ground at 7am to coach, not leaving till 5pm, and having night games.

Coaching is not easy, it is not well paid. You can get as much money appearing once a week on Match of the Day as you can being a coach at a top club. Less work. Same (or in many cases, more) money.

We do have many players who decided to stay in the game. Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Gilberto & Edu decided to return to their home countries, Holland and Brazil respectively, to ply their trade. And some of the cases, it was also a return to their boyhood clubs that they supported.

Patrick Vieira was offered a big money contract when he retired for Manchester City, moving into an ambassadorial role with the oil-rich club. He is now managing Man City’s sister club in American – New York City, where he has a 40% win percentage.

Then we have Tony Adams. My first Arsenal hero. A 14 year old me in 2000 would have had him down as Arsene Wenger’s replacement at Arsenal. At that age, it did not matter that he might not be a good manager, he was Mr Arsenal. As it turned out, he was an awful manager who took both Wycombe Wanders and Portsmouth backwards. He was last seen in Azebaijan. Being an Arsenal legend does not mean that you should automatically become Arsenal manager.

Finally we come to Thierry Henry, and this is where we compare him to Steven Gerrard.

Henry was offered a job at Arsenal, similar to that which Gerrard has taken up at Liverpool. Involved in the academy, Henry was offered a full time job coaching Arsenal’s Under-18s. He turned it down as he wanted the role to be part time.

The reason behind him only wanting a part time role was purely a monetary one. In 2014, he signed a six-year deal with Sky Sports worth a staggering £4 million a year. £24million. It was impossible for him to work full time for Arsenal and full time for Sky. He was never going to break his Sky contract to take a full time job at Arsenal for a lot less money.

Instead Henry joined Roberto Martinez’s Belgium set up, on a part time deal, which did not affect any of his work with Sky.

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have also decided to take the big money on offer from Sky than return to coaching – Neville did it for a bit with Valencia but soon returned to the comfy Sky Studio.

Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard has shunned a media career. He could have easily have got a job with Sky Sport. A recently retired legends, an England captain, he could have negotiated himself a deal close to that of Henry’s. But he did not. He loved Liverpool, and clearly wants to coach Liverpool, even if it means harder work and less money then he would get sitting on a TV sofa.

And that is the difference between the two. Gerrard has become part of Liverpool’s academy set up because he loves the club. Henry turned down becoming part of Arsenal’s academy set up because he loves the Sky money.

Keenos