Tag Archives: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

Top 4 “wide open” for Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United & Chelsea

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Every weekend of football between now and the end of the season is going to be a “big weekend” such is the current tightness at the top of the Premier League.

Liverpool and Manchester City chasing for the title aside, there is a battle for top 4 which is red hot.

A few weeks ago it was 3 teams fighting for 2 places. At one point Arsenal moved from 5th to 4th, back to 5th, and then into 6th, without even playing a game.

The wheels falling off Tottenham has since dragged them into a 4 horse race for the 2 remaining places in the top 4 alongside Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

4 points separate Tottenham in 3rd and Chelsea in 6th.

One win would be enough for a side to make a team consider themselves favourites for the top 4, one defeat and they would feel out of it.

We saw this last week when Chelsea went to Everton, playing what was effectively their game in hand on the 3 teams above them.

A win would have put them into 5th place, level on points with Arsenal and just a single point behind Tottenham. They lost 2-0 and now sit 3 points and a goal difference of 7 worse off behind Arsenal in 4th.

it is so close that goal difference could be the deciding factor.

As it stands Tottenham have the greatest goal difference with 25. Arsenal are 1 behind on 24 (ironic considering they are also 1 point behind). Manchester United with 18 and Chelsea 17. This effectively gives Arsenal and Tottenham one more point than their rivals – although with 8 games still to go things can change very quickly.

So this weekend is a huge one for all involved, and especially for Arsenal.

Arsenal play Monday night, by which time Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham would have played.

Whilst Chelsea (Cardiff Away) and Manchester United (Watford Home) have relatively easy fixtures that they should win, Tottenham travel to Liverpool where they will look to halt a 4 game winless run. chances are they will lose.

This will leave Arsenal facing Newcastle at home on Monday night and a chance to go 3rd.

Home games are going to be important, and Arsenal have just 3 left starting with Newcastle on Monday. To stand a chance finishing top 4, Arsenal need to win 3 from 3.

After Newcastle, 5 of the remaining 7 games are away, Arsenal visiting Leicester City, Wolves, Everton, Watford and Burnley. These are not easy fixtures and Arsenal will do well to get 2 wins from the 5 games.

75 points should be enough to secure Arsenal a top 4 place.

If Arsenal win all 3 home games and twice on the road, they will reach that 75 point tally.

If results go as expected this weekend, there will be 3 points between 3rd and 6th.

After Newcastle, Arsenal will have to sit and watch as Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham play mid week.

They could quite realistically find themselves in 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th over the course of the mid-week games.

This weekend is just another big weekend in a long wrong of big weekend.

Just 8 to go, sit tight and try and enjoy the ride…

Keenos

Has Denis Suarez fallen out of favour at Arsenal?

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What is happening with Denis Suarez?

When Arsenal were first linked with Denis Suarez in January, it was clear that Unai emery was pushing for a move for him because he no longer wished to utilise Aaron Ramsey or Mesut Ozil.

There was talk at the time that had Arsenal completed the move early enough in the month, that they might release Ramsey to Juventus earlier – making a couple of million from the deal whilst boasting the Italian’s Champions League chances.

It was a long drawn out transfer process.

Arsenal wanted the Spaniard with an option to buy at the end of the season, Barcelona wanted to either insert a compulsory purchase order in the deal, or have Suarez sign a new deal to protect them from losing him on a free in 18 months.

In the end Suarez agreed a new contract with Barcelona, and Arsenal secured their man on a loan with an option to buy.

It is now two months to the day since Suarez completed his move to Arsenal and he is still awaiting his first start.

To date Suarez only has a handful of substitute appearances to his name. Meanwhile Ramsey and Ozil have returned to Emery’s first team plans – starting 9 of the last 10 games between them.

It is odd watching Ramsey or Ozil starting pretty much every game whilst the man signed to “replace” them is on the bench, getting 10 minutes here, 12 minutes there.

So what is happening with Suarez?

The first theory is that he is still very much part of Emery’s future plans. That we moved for an early loan deal for him so that he could spend 6 months acclimatising to the Premier League whilst Arsenal have both Ramsey and Ozil still at the club.

He would not be under pressure to play, and could spend his time getting both physically and mentality prepared for the Premier League. Bulking up in the gym and physical training sessions meaning that come August, he is ready to go.

This argument is logical, and we have previously seen Arsenal do this before with Emmanuel Adebayor and Jose Reyes. Both signed in January with the view of getting prepared for the next season.

With Ramsey joining Juventus at the end of the season, Arsenal will need a replacement. Suarez will be that replacement and by the time August comes, he would be fully acclimatised to the Premier League.

Getting Suarez in now takes the pressure off the summer, meaning we can concentrate on signing a centre back, left back and winger, without having to be considered about replacing Ramsey.

A second argument is that he is not fully fit.

Prior to joining Arsenal, he had played just 10 games this season for Barcelona, with his only 2 starts coming in the Copa del Rey against Spanish 3rd tier side Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa.

To have barely played in 2018/19 is a problem.

With the added physicality of the Premier League, Suarez would have arrived nowhere near match sharp, and it is taking him a while to get up to speed.

The final theory is that having pursued Suarez, Emery no longer fancies him.

Emery has seen the man he managed at Sevilla up close at London Colney. Alongside Ramsey and Ozil and he is clearly inferior. Not up to it. Not a player for a top tier challenging team.

Having seen him train amongst his peers, Emery does not see a future for the 25-year-old at Arsenal and has already made the decision not to make the move permanent in the summer. He will pursue other options to replace Ramsey; like Christopher Nkunku, whom Arsenal were also heavily linked with in January.

Suarez has become a short term option to a problem that never really existed, and in the summer Arsenal will decide to pursue Nkunku to replace Ramsey, and return Suarez to Barcelona.

The situation of Denis Suarez at Arsenal is interesting, and he is seemingly no closer to starting a game for Arsenal then he was whilst a Barcelona player.

With the club chasing 3rd place, and Ozil and Ramsey returning to Emery’s 1st team plans, I doubt we will see Suarez start a game this season.

Keenos

Brazilian “wonderkid” signing sends negative message to Arsenal Academy

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Arsenal ‘launch ÂŁ5m offer’ for wonderkid Gabriel Martinelli after Man Utd trial is the headline news this morning in many of the click bait media outlets.

I for one do not agree with us targeting the Brazilian teenager.

Gabriel Martinelli is a 17-year-old Brazilian forward who reportedly had a trial with Manchester United 2 years ago. In June he will gain his Italian citizenship meaning that a work permit will not be a problem.

He has reportedly been courted by a whole host of clubs in South America and Europe. The likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Crystal Palace have been monitoring him, with Arsenal leading the pack.

I do not want to see Arsenal sign the Brazilian teenager.

At the moment we have a lot of exciting young talent in the academy. It is in good health.

Eddie Nketiah deserves his chance next season to replace Danny Welbeck, backing up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Another who also deserves his chance next season is Reiss Nelson who has developed well in Germany. I expect both Nketiah and Nelson to be part of Arsenal’s first team squad next season, and regularly take a place on the bench.

Xavier Amaechi is barely 18-years-old. Some have claimed that he is the quickest player at the club and he potentially has a big future. A year younger is Bukayo Saka.

Would it be right to sign Martinelli instead of continuing these two’s development?

Martinelli can also play up top.

In Dubai, Tyreece John-Jules announced himself. Another 18-year-old, it seems a poitnless task to sign someone ahead of him before he has even had his chance.

Finally we have Folarin Balogun, who recently signed his first professional contract with he club.

Another who is just 17-years-old, there is a lot of excitement surrounding him.

With Amaechi, Saka, John-Jules & Balogun all at the club, all 18-years-old or younger, all local lads who have been at the club since children, it is illogical to sign a Brazilian who will then come in and compete with them.

And i have not even mentioned Joe Willock or Emile Smith Rowe yet…

I would rather give the young, local lads a chance.

If the club considered Martinelli as already better than Nketiah and Nelson, I would understand it more. He would be coming in to the 1st squad, able to contribute straight away.

A bit like Matteo Guendouzi last season, it did not matter that he came in ahead of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Ben Sheaf or Joe Willock, he was ready for first team action and they were not.

I very much doubt that Martinelli is ready for the 1st team. As it stands, he is a YouTube player – with most fans having never seen him play and just getting excited by the “Welcome to Arsenal” videos of him doing a few step overs.

If the local lads were not good enough, I would understand us buying someone ahead of him – like what happened a lot during the 00s. Likewise if he was a special talent – like Cesc Fabregas or Guendouzi – he would be joining up with the first team squad rather than the academy.

If Arsenal do sign him and he joins the academy, it will send out a poor message to youngsters and their families. “Do not join Arsenal as when you reach 17 they will sign someone from abroad to replace you.”

Let’s give the local lads a chance. Give Saka, Amaechi, John-Jules, Balogun tne opportunity to continue getting time in the U23’s and League Cup games next signing.

Signing Martinelli is a poor move.

Keenos