Tag Archives: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

The Return of Arsenal: Act III

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Tonight Arsenal go looking for their 1st post-Covid19 win at the 3rd attempt.

Manchester City away was always a tough place to start and Arsenal lost 3-0 in predictable fashion.

The match against Brighton was equally a predictable performance, as Arsenal switched off and lost 2-1 despite dominating.

Brighton have quietly become Arsenal’s bogey team. The defeat on Saturday was the 5th game without a win, and also meant the South-Coast side have done the double this season.

For the Act III: The Return of Arsenal, it is a 3rd away game in a row and a trip back down to the South-Coast.

We should be hopeful of taking all 3 points.

It feels like we have had a poor record against Southampton in recent years, but the last 10 games reads:

P 10 W 5 D 3 L 2.

The team have had a good break since the defeat to Brighton, playing Saturday then Thursday. However with European football looking a struggle you have to wonder if Mikel Arteta might have one eye on Sunday’s FA Cup game against Sheffield United.

Arsenal are facing an injury crisis going into the game, with Berd Leno, Pablo Mari, Gabriel Martinelli and Calum Chamber all rules out for the season.

Sokratis and Granit Xhaka both returned to full training this week, although it remains to be seen if they are ready to go tonight.

Lucas Torreira and Cedric Soares are both a week away from full fitness.

2 defeats on the spin has seen Arsenal drop into the bottom half of the table.

A win tonight would take us back up to 9th, and just 2 points off Tottenham in 7th.

Depending on what happens in the FA Cup and with Manchester City’s impending European ban, 8th might be enough for the Europa League this season, so let’s not be writing it off yet.

A win tonight will change the mood.

Keenos

Doesn’t score, doesn’t create, can’t defend: What does the Arsenal midfield actually do?

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What exactly does the Arsenal midfield do?

https://twitter.com/Clockend88/status/1275148703058313220

One thing they do not do is score goals.

Mesut Ozil (1) and Lucas Torreira (1) are the only midfielders who have contributed a league goal this season.

Dani Ceballos, Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock have all yet to score a league this season.

The problem with Arsenal’s midfield is what else are they actually doing?

Liverpool are running away with the league this season and their midfield contribute little in terms of goals.

Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson have 3 each, as does Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whilst Fabinho has just one league goal. They are certainly not putting in Frank Lampard of Steven Gerrard type figures.

But there job in the team is not to get forward and score goals.

Jurgen Klopp as a hard working midfield that covers a lot of ground, limiting the opponents chances. They have conceded just 21 goals this season.

A big threat for Liverpool is their full backs.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has 12 in the league this season (2nd most), whilst Andrew Roberston has 7 (9th).

Liverpool use their midfielders to cover the full backs as the bomb forward.

Henderson and Fabinho are often found at right or left back during an attack, whilst Alexander-Arnold is putting in a cross which leads to a goal.

But Arsenal’s midfield does not provide much defensive cover.

Too often this season (and previous seasons) it has been too easy to cut through Arsenal’s midfield, to get at the defence. And when was the last time a midfielder covered his full back when bombing forward? It just does not happen.

So at Arsenal, the midfield does not protect the defence, it also does not score goals.

Barcelona’s peak team that had Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta in it did not provide much cover for the defence, and did not score too many goals.

Between them they average a goal every 13 games for Barcelona.

But what they did is create a lot.

There role in the time was to pass the ball in tight spaces until a gap appeared, which lead to goals for Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, David Villa or Neymar. It did not matter that they did not score many when they created so much.

Take Ozil, Xhaka, Torreira, Ceballos, Guendouzi & Willock as a collective.

In 8217 minutes of football, they have scored 2 goals and assisted 7.

That is a goal or assist every 913 minutes.

With 41 goals conceded in 30 games (8th highest), they are clearly also not providing much defensive cover.

So what exactly does Arsenal’s midfield do?

Keenos

Talk about medals; not money

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According to this mornings media, Matteo Guendouzi spent the game boasting that  earns more than any Brighton player ‘ever will’.

‘He was saying the Brighton players were s*** and that he and his team-mates earn so much more than they ever will,’ a source said. ‘He’s done it in other games as well. Arsenal are a decent club and hate that sort of behaviour.’

It is a crass attitude and one which Guendouzi either needs to sort out, or get out.

Boasting about how much money you earn is poor form. We see it on social media a lot. People claiming others are jealous of them because of how much they earn. This ignores the fact that their are much more important things in life than having a big bank account.

There is no point earning big money if you have no loved one, no friends, no family. It is a lonely existence.

In football, earning big money should not take the place of winning trophies.

Too many players these days are motivated by how much money they earn. It has seen players go to China and the Middle East in the hunt for big bucks.

In 2015/16, Leicester players would have earned less than those at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham. They won the league.

Whilst Dele Alli can look at a big bank balance, Marc Albrighton can look at his Premier League winners medal.

Someone needs to get hold of Guendouzi and explain that he should be focusing on winning games, winning trophies, and not his bank balance.

That if the Frenchmen knuckles down and puts in the consistent performances he is capable of, even bigger money than the £40,000 a week he earns will come his way.

The worry is Guendouzi’s comments are echoed amongst others in the squad.

From Mesut Ozil to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang; Matteo Guendouzi to Bukayo Saka, have we amassed a group of players more interested in what they earn rather than what they win?

The Saka contract situation is becoming a worry.

The talk is he (or his representatives) are holding out for more money.

At 18-years-old, he is getting regular football at a top Premier League club. His career is now potentially at a crossroads.

Go and join Manchester City or Liverpool for more money, sit on the bench and become the next Scott Sinclair; or remain at Arsenal on less money, play week in week out and potentially become a superstar.

If he is as good as he thinks he is, the big money and success will come with time – whether that be at Arsenal or elsewhere. But a move now would be entirely motivated by money.

Maybe as punishment for his attitude, Guendouzi should be cleaning the changing rooms for a week. Get him scrubbing those toilets. Teach him to appreciate and respect the privileged position he is in.

If he only cares about what he earns, maybe the time has come to sell him to PSG.

Keenos