Tag Archives: Premier League

“Arteta Out” for being 2nd to the best team in Europe…

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It did not take long for the Grandpa’s to begin shouting “Arteta Out” to the clouds.

This season has not been a smooth one. But we sit second in the league and are guaranteed qualification to the play-off round of the Champions League. Yet some fans have come from under their rocks and are screaming “Arteta Out”.

Are we now in a situation where it is “top the league or sack the manager”, because if you are saying Arteta is underperforming with this squad, then you are basically saying it is “first or nothing”.

The way some fans (and many in the media) are going on, you would think we were sitting in 13th or 15th.

Admittedly, this season has felt a little deflating. And one cause of the frustration is that it is Liverpool ahead of us in the league rather than Manchester City. I am sure if it was City who were 6 points clear of us then not as much fuss would be made.

Arne Slott leading the way in his first season as led to a lot of mocking from fans of Arteta’s “phases”. But it does not respect the position both managers came into their clubs.

Arteta had a group of overpaid, ageing, underperforming players. His first phase was to get rid of them. His second phase was to get us back in the top 4. His 3rd phase was to make us title challengers. It is a fairly clear action plan that is obvious to all.

Meanwhile, Slott took over a team with world class players like Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Allison. The best Premier League players in their positions over the last 5 or 6 years, and amongst the best in Premier League history.

Liverpool had only finished outside the top 3 once in the previous 6 seasons. And last season they were topping the league with just 7 games to go before falling away to 3rd.

A revolution was not required at Liverpool like it was at Arsenal. Slott has merely continued the work with the foundations laid by Jurgen Klopp, and got Salah back to his unplayable best.

Whilst the Grandpa’s are shouting at the crowd criticising Arteta, very few are giving Liverpool the credit they deserve.

51 points from the opening 21 games has them on-course for a 90-point season. Arsenal have never gained more than 90 points in history, with our highest being the invincible 90 point haul back in 2024. I always think if you get 90+ points and do not win the league you can consider yourselves unlucky.

And in the Champions League, Liverpool are top and the only side with a 100% record.

7 wins out of 7 has them secure their place in the round of 16 with a game to go. Right now they are the best team in both England and Europe. Being 2nd to them is no disgrace.

Next season will be the real test for Slott. If van Dijk, Salah and Trent depart. , he will then need to rebuild the Liverpool squad. That will then show if he is a top manager himself, or if he just inherited top players and a system from Jurgen Klopp.

Meanwhile, we need to keep the faith with Arteta.

Some will point to how much he has spent, yet that is blown out of the water by the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. Our wage bill is also well below the 3 and Liverpool.

We need to keep growing the squad, and maybe take inspiration from Liverpool’s forward line

Rather than go for one single “world class” attacker – of which their are very few in world football – we need to perhaps mimic them and have a group of forwards that are that level below (Nunez, Jota, Diaz, Gakpo), who might not be able to do it for 38 games, but between them will all have their moments over the 38 games.

Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha are those sort of players. Neither is world class, and both have put up similar outputs this season as Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz. The pair, however, would provide us further strength in depth and options.

We will likely finish 2nd again this season. We can not get into a situation where we are sacking managers for finishing second.

Keenos

MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 3 – 0 Nottingham Forest

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Arsenal starting XI: Raya (GK); Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Jorginho, Merino; Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Trossard.

Nottingham Forest starting XI: Sels (GK); Moreno, Murillo, Milenkovic, Aina; Dominguez, Ward-Prowse, Yates; Hudson-Odoi, Awoniyi, Elanga.

Match officials:
Referee: Simon Hooper. 
Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long. 
Fourth official: Dean Whitestone. 
VAR: Darren England. 
Assistant VAR: Marc Perry

Premier League
Emirates Stadium
23rd November 2024
KO: 15:00 (UK)

As we look to return to Premier League action after a long international break, we face an inform Nottingham Forest side. However, they are missing Chris Wood in their starting XI for today’s game.

For us, we have the return of Odegaard in the starting XI, with Arteta also picking a rotated squad with Jesus and Jorginho coming in the team.

With Forest picking up points against the big sides, today’s game will be tough and our boys will have to graft and also control the game to grab the three points.

We kicked off the game, and started on the front foot with Saka’s effort blocked, the ball then rebounded to Trossard who forced a smart save from Sels. Forest then burst into our half as Aina almost found Hudson-Odoi in the box, however, the ball couldn’t quite reach him. We then won a freekick, which was swung in by Odegaard, headed down by Merino and cleared off the line by Dominguez to Timber who was there to tap in however, the offside flag was put up. After a long wait, VAR finally agreed with the assistant’s decision and the goal was ruled offside. 

As we retained the ball, Jorginho went down in the box, but the referee waved away any penalty shouts. We then broke the deadlock as Odegaard flicked to Saka on the right side of the box , as Saka drove past the Forest players across the box before firing a shot past Sels into the roof of the net.

 Again some nice link up play from Odegaard and Saka before the Norwegian’s shot was blocked. Elanga then sprinted down the pitch before being taken down by Jorginho for a free kick, as the Italian was shown a yellow card. Ward-Prowse stepped up to take and whipped the ball in as Yates headed over. Jesus then was the second player in Simon Hooper’s book as he received a yellow for his late challenge on Dominguez. 

Forest then began to get a foothold in the game as they battled well in the middle of the park stopping us from linking the play. Jorginho then gave away another free kick and simultaneously Elanga went down needing to receive treatment following his earlier clash with Jorginho. Ward-Prowse swung in again, however, Dominguez headed over. 

Saka then had his effort blocked as the ball came to Trossard who fired a shot towards the top corner however, Sels was there to tip the ball away. Saka then unleashed another shot down low which was saved by Sels.

 Moments later, Saka became the third Arsenal player to be booked as he received a yellow for a high boot on Yates. 5 minutes were added as Timber fired into the stands. Forest then had their first booking on the brink of half time as Aina was booked for a late challenge on Trossard. The referee then blew the half-time whistle.

Half time views:

A very strong display, with Saka and Odegaard at the heart of all our attacks.

Arteta will be looking for the players to stay disciplined as Forest have looked dangerous when they have attacked in the wide areas.

Maybe Arteta could make the change of Partey with Jorginho as he is on a yellow card and has made a few challenges after the card.

Before the start of the second half, both sides made changes with Elanga being replaced by Jota Silva due to a collar bone issue and for us, Partey replaced Jorginho. Jota Silva avoided an early booking for throwing the ball away as a few moments later, Raya stood tall and claimed the ball despite the wind. We then grabbed our second a few minutes later, through Partey who struck from range into the inside left netting and past Sels after Saka set him up nicely. 

Raya then again claimed from Moreno’s cross. As we looked for a third, we kept the ball trying to exploit areas in between the Forest attackers. Forest then made changes with Wood and Sosa replacing, Awoniyi and Dominguez. Sosa made an immediate impact with his cross being headed wide by Milenkovic. We then made our own change with Zinchenko replacing Calafiori who had just come back from injury. 

Again, a penalty shout on Saka was waved away by the referee as Moreno ushered Saka away at the back post. Yates then was booked for a late challenge on Merino. As the game lost its intensity, Raya was then called into action as he swept up a loose ball ,with Jota Silva’s strike then hitting the back of Wood. 

Forest then made a single change with Neco Williams replacing Moreno. Forest then began to get back into the game with Yates heading just over with Raya troubled. Odegaard and Saka then surged forward as the ball was cut back to Partey who fired over. Odegaard and Saka were then both replaced by Nwaneri and Sterling, as they received a standing ovation from the crowd.

 Nwaneri then grabbed his first Premier League goal to make it 3-0 to the Gunners as Sterling cut back and Nwaneri slid in to slot home into the bottom right. Forest then had the ball in the net through Jota Silva however, he was ruled offside. 5 minutes were then added and Forest had their last chance with Murillo blazing over from 45 yards as the referee blew the final whistle.

Full time views: 

A very dominant performance with Nwaneri getting his first Premier League goal for the club.

For periods in the second half, we allowed Forest to get into the game however, their attacking threat on goal was minimal.

Anyhow, onwards and upwards, as we look to face Sporting away in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

COYG

Hudson

What is the impact of Edu’s Arsenal departure

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Impact of Edu departure

The most important factor in a club these days is the togetherness of the holy trinity.

Not, I am not talking about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I am talking about a football clubs Manager, Director of Football and Owner.

Whilst Edu has his criticis, mainly from fans who could not run a bath and have never negotiated for a house, he has been key in Arsenal’s revival. And perhaps even more important then his individual influence has been the way he has worked with Mikel Arteta and Josh Kroenke.

The 3 have pulled us out of the doldrums. Reinvigorated a club that felt it was on life support. And the most important factor in this has been the togetherness of the Senior Leadership Team.

Since the departure of Raul Sanllehi, Edu, Arteta and Kroenke Jr have worked together on all football matters, with finally Vinai Venkatesham and now Richard Garlick dealing with the commercial arm of the team.

Everyone knew their roles. there was no ego. No back stabbing. No self promoting. And the clarity of direction in the board room led to a clarity of direction on the football pitch.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa are probably the 4 best run clubs in England right now. They are the ones whose leadership teams are pulling as one. Zero infighting.

Meanwhile Tottenham’s boardroom is in crisis. Manchester United’s in clueless. Chelsea’s is at civil war. And Newcastle and West Ham have individuals self-promoting themselves. Like those well run clubs rise to the top, those with issues often falter.

Whilst Edu’s skills as a sporting director might be replaceable, the relationship he has with both Kroenke and Arteta is unique and not easily replicable.

Off to Forest?

In the summer, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis spoke about how he wanted to poach Edu.

The Greek owner reportedly had high hopes for Edu, with rumours circulating that he would install the Brazilian as a sort-of CEO specialising in international football across all his endeavours.

Ultimately, Edu is an employee. And everyone who has worked for a company would have seen a senior colleague leave for a role on the next step of the ladder. Even if that ladder is at a smaller organization.

Whilst joining Nottingham Forest will be a step down in organization size, the job role Marinakis has him penciled in for is a more senior run. He would be running the entire football operation across multiple countries on behalf of Marinakis rather than just as a sporting director at Arsenal.

With the multi-club model becoming more and more popular, this is a step that could eventually see Edu return back up the table to the likes of a Manchester City or Chelsea overseeing their owners multi-club structure.

And I would imagine the new job comes with a huge payrise…

Shunned by Arsenal?

Arsenal appointed Richard Garlick as new Director of Football Operations back in January. It is a role that I am sure Edu had put his hat in for…

Being shunned for a job is not a good feeling, and can lead you looking for jobs elsewhere. Is this potentially what has happened to Edu?

He felt he was ready to take the next step up in his career. We told him there was a better candidate. Edu began looking for a new job. Again, if you think of this as normal work life, it is something that everyone will probably go through at some point.

Having had discussions with Marinakis over the summer (not illegal to have conversations with a potential new employer), he might have hit Arsenal with an ultimatum – pay me more and promote me or I am off. And if this is true, then Arsenal have shown him the door.

Garlick influence

When Edu came in, Arsenal were lacking “football men” in the boardroom. The majority of those running the club were more focused on finances and commercial deals than the pitch. Edu changed that.

Richard Garlick is a football man.

He spent over 8 years at West Brom before becoming the Premier League’s Director of Football. Garlick’s LinkedIn profile outlines his history in the game:

I held a variety of positions, including Legal Director, Club Secretary, Sporting and Technical Director and Director of Football Administration. I was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2010.

Responsible for all football administration matters at WBA and led on negotiations with players, intermediaries, clubs, head coaches and senior football staff.

The feeling at the club could now be that with a football man at the helm, we no longer need Edu.

Previously the man at the top of the tree (Vinai, Ivan), were business first. Meanwhile Garlick has all the skills of Edu and more!

We may well see Garlick absorb Edu’s roles into his own job, and then offset some of the commercial minded roles to Juliet Slott., the clubs Chief Commercial Officer.

That would see us focused on the football from the very top, rather than commercial first then football.

This does not mean garlic has pushed Edu out. More than the leadership structure has been potentially reviewed and a decision made that you do not need two people (Edu and Garlick) with a similar skill set capable of fulfilling a similar role.

Other runners and riders…

I have seen some mention Marc Overmars, but he is currently on a year long ban from all football activities. I am not sure if we would want to touch him.

If we are looking for a more junior person to take over some of Edu’s lesser responsibilities, then we might see Per Mertesacker promoted from Academy Manager. That way we would keep that strong link between Arteta and the board through the Big German!

Keenos