Tag Archives: Manchester City

Most honest view of the Arsenal situation

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City are really good

After 11 games, Manchester City are already 8 points clear. 11 wins and 1 draw. With a goal difference already of +31 (Liverpool finished 4th last year with a GD of +36), they are an awesome outfit with threats all over the pitch, and off the bench.

You would expect a team who have spent £500m on incoming players to not have a weakness, and it is probably a failure of previous managers that they have not been in the hunt for the last 3 league titles.

In recent years, Manchester City have not only spent big, they have spent well. The likes of Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus will be amongst the best in the world sooner rather than later.

In Kevin de Bruyne, they have the best player in the league, perhaps one of the best in the world.

They remind me of Arsenal in 2004. Match winners all over the pitch. For Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Ljungberg and Vieria, read Aguero, Silva, Sane, Sterling and de Bruyne.

What sets them apart from the rest this season is what they have off the bench.

Against Arsenal they were able to bring on Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernado Silva. There entire bench cost over £200m. They spent nearly £200m this summer alone, yet only two of the 5 incoming players started.

Incredible strength in depth. You could make an 11 out of their B team that be a challenge for every other Premier League side (Bravo, Danilo, Kompany, Mangala, Delph, Gundogan, Yaya, Foden, Zinchenko, Jesus, Bernardo).

They have already beaten Liverpool (5-0), Chelsea (away, 1-0) and now Arsenal (3-1) this season.

17 games played in all competitions, they have yet to lose.

City are really good

Arsenal are not as bad as expected

Some fans were expecting (almost hoping) Arsenal to get destroyed.

Whilst it is no doubt that the better team one, City attacked and defending as a team, Arsenal competed for much of the match.

We were not humiliated like Liverpool, and the 3-1 scoreline was boasted by a debatable penalty and an offside 2nd goal.

Arsenal have been heavily criticised and written off by many in the press but, Manchester City aside, there is no much between Manchester United in 2nd and Arsenal in 6th – just 4 points in fact.

Through in Europe, into the League Cup Quarter Finals, and in the race to be best of the rest in the Premier League, the hundreds of words written about our demise are clearly agenda driven and for hits.

Let’s remember we have actually won trophies in recent years. Liverpool and Spurs, who are often written about in positive terms, have been pot less for a while.

With Spurs at home up next, Arsenal must win. And we should win. As we are not as bad as many make out.

Alexis can leave

And you can throw Mesut Ozil into that as well.

If you do not want to be at Arsenal, you know where the door is.

We have had bigger and better players than Alexis Sanchez in the past, and we will have bigger and better in the future. If you think Alexis is too good for Arsenal, that he is bigger than Arsenal, please join him going through the exit door.

Alexis is a terrific player, but he is an individual. Someone who wants the glory. A player who seems to only pass to others who he knows will pass back to him. Someone who throws a strop if he is not passed the ball – even if others are in a better position.

When he is scoring 30 goals a season, and winning us games on his own, you can understand the shrugs of the shoulder and mood swings. But when he is not performing to the high levels, it is detrimental to the team.

Sanchez now reminds me of Thierry Henry in his last year at the club. He does not want to be here, is underperforming, and is blaming everyone else.

Just 1 goal this season, he has given the ball away more than any other player, and only Olivier Giroud has a lower pass completion percentage.

His attitude stinks.

Coquelin must leave

Francis Coquelin’s desire is never in question. But maybe instead of trying to gee-up the away fans with aggressive hand movements, he should concentrate on his own game.

He is average and has been horribly exposed at the highest level time and again.

Against Manchester City, he was playing centre back. Not his natural position, but over the years I have seen the likes of Michael Carrick slot into defence and do a job. Coquelin just does not have a brain.

It is incredible to think that it was 3 years ago, Arsenal were telling him his time at Arsenal was over, and yet he is still our only specialist defensive midfielder.

The fact that we have not signed an improvement on Coquelin in 3 years is misconduct of the highest order. It is disgraceful.

For the B team in the cups, he thinks is a cross between Xavi and Iniesta. He is hopeless.

He will be 27 in May. He should have been shopped out years ago.

Why is he still there?

VAR is needed

The only part I disagree with.

Arsenal have been on the wrong end of some decisions this season – Watford, Stoke and Manchester City – but VAR will ruin the game.

In its current form, it will slow the game down too much. Recently I saw a referee take 3 minutes to come to a decision.

Goal line technology has been brilliant. One reason why is because FIFA demanded it will only be bought in if it was instantaneous. VAR is anything but.

I am not a fan.

Keenos

Man City v Arsenal inforgaphics

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Which Premier League sides lack the cojones?

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Last weekend, a big fuss was made over Arsenal losing to Watford. Convicted thug, Troy Deeney, went straight to the nearest television studio, in his best court suit, to declare that Arsenal simply did not have the cojones.

7 days on, and Watford let go a 1 goal lead to lose 4-2 to Watford. Deeney, who does not have the fitness to play 90 minutes, was taken off with 10 minutes to go and the scores at 2-2.

Did Deeney stand there in the changing room, lamenting his team mates, telling them how they had let themselves down, their family down, the bumblebee mascot down, and how they did not have the cojones? Probably not. He probably drove straight to Birmingham for a few beers with his mates before stamping on the head of a defenceless student.

Troy found out how quickly the earth spins round. It is easy boasting about how you smash an opponent as soon as you come on the field when you win, but how about all them times you lose Troy?

The weekend showed just how tough the Premier League is. Manchester City apart, every other top team as showed a lack of cojones at some point.

On Saturday, Manchester United lost against the then favourites-to-be-relegated Huddersfield. The Huddersfield players showed a lot more class than Troy Deeney, as none went on TV abusing their opponents. It was Manchester United’s first defeat of the season. But an unexpected one.

There was also tears in Liverpool as the Scourers lost away to Spurs.

It was not just losing, but it was the manor of the defeat. 4-1.

Liverpool remind me of Arsenal, when they lose against a top side, they lose heavily, 4 against Spurs, 5 against Manchester City.

They have also dropped points against Watford, Newcastle and Burnley, and sit 9th in the league. Jurgen Klopp’s crown has slipped with a drifting win percentage. Now under 50% with a worse record than the likes of Brendan Rodgers.

No mention of their players lacking the cojones though.

Then we have Chelsea. The current Champions.

They showed some cojones on Saturday to come back from 2-1 down to beat Watford. But then the weekend before they played Crystal Palace, with 0 goals and 0 points this season. They lost 2-1. Having already lost at home to Manchester City, and that opening day defeat to Burnley, they sit with an identical record to Arsenal.

Do their players lack the cojones? Or does it just show that bar Manchester City, every other side is a little bit average.

We then come to Arsenal, We know about Watford and Stoke, and that defeat to Liverpool. Lots made about the club in crisis, but we are level with Chelsea and ahead of Liverpool. A long way behind Manchester City though – and that is what is important.

Spurs got a good win against Liverpool to go level on points against Manchester United. But it was not too long ago that they were struggling to win at home – draws against Swansea and Burnley. They are in fine form at the minute, yet still they are closer to Arsenal 94 points ahead) then they are to Manchester City (5 points behind).

Very little talk about cojones when they failed to beat Burnley or Swansea.

Manchester City look awesome. But then Leyton Orient would look awesome if they spent over £500m in 3 summers, on top of the billion pounds they spent in the 6 or 7 years previous.

With what they have spent recently, Manchester City should be winning titles every year. There last success in the league was 4 years ago. And they have just a single League Cup since.

None of this justifies Arsenal’s predicament. No title in 12 years is not good enough. Not using your finances to their full capability is not good enough.

We are not giving ourselves the best chance of success. At least if you try, then fail, at least you have tried. In recent transfer windows, we have not tried.

This season, every side will drop points against teams they really should beat. It happens every season. It is why the bookies are rich and the punters poor.

The only side that looks infallible so far is Manchester City. But then we are only 9 games in.

An early prediction, Manchester City will further ahead of second, than second is ahead of 6th. The other 5 sides are all a similar level of averageness – even if the press like to paint one club in crisis and the other as brilliant.

It will be a rollercoaster of a season.

Keenos