Tag Archives: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

Arsenal v Brentford – Likely Starting XI

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The first round (or 3rd round as it is) of the League Cup always makes interesting pre-game discussion over what sort of squad we will put it.

We know that it will not be a starting XI, as Unai Emery will shuffle his squad. But what sort of team will he put out?

In the past, Arsene Wenger used the early rounds of the competition to blood some youngsters. The likes of Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere cut their teeth in the competition. But this was in the days when first team squad did not carry as much depth – and the youngsters were pretty much the second string.

We are 6 games into the season and Unai Emery has kept his starting XI fairly steady with a core group of players – 10 have started at least 5 Premier League games.

As a result, the likes of Mohamed Elneny & Bernd Leno have yet to play a single Premier League minute, Danny Welbeck, Rob Holding & Stephan Lichtsteiner have yet to start a game, and Lucas Torreira and Alex Iwobi have started just 1 and 2 games respectively.

Whilst there will be calls for younger players to start; the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Emiliano Martinez, it is perhaps more important that we give the senior 2nd string players a start to ensure they remain match sharp.

It is those senior players who will step up for the core group of players Emery has used thus far, therefore we will surely see the League Cup (and the Europa League) as competitions used to keep the 2nd string fresh and sharp, rather than blood youth players. Of course, some youth team players will get minutes.

In goal I expect Bernd Leno  to start. With just 1 appearance to his name so far this season, he needs game time, he needs the opportunities to push Petr Cech.

Stephan Lichtsteiner will be at right back. A perfect example of keeping a senior player sharp rather than blooding a youngster.

Centre back is interesting.

Arsenal are currently without Laurent Koscielny and Kostadinos Mavropanos. You would certainly have expected the later to start alongside Rob Holding. Sokratis also picked up an injury at the weekend against Everton – it is only a dead leg so he should be back for Everton.

This leaves Arsenal with just two senior fit centre backs. Shkdoran Mustafi and the aforementioned Holding.

Does Emery take the risk and play one of them alongside Julio Pleguezuelo, knowing if one picks up a knock and Sokratis does not recover, it will results in the young Spaniard also starting against Watford?

I think Emery will take the risk, he will partner Rob Holding with Pleguezuelo, leaving Mustafi at home ready for the visit of Watford.

Back in full training, Saed Kolasinac will get his first taste of game time this season.

Moving into midfield, Mohamed Elneny will start. The other two central midfield places up for grabs.

Lucas Torreira has started just 1 Premier League game this season, whilst Matteo Guendouzi has started 5. However against Watford it was the Uruguayan who got in ahead of the Frenchman. I expect the same to happen against Watford on Saturday so it makes sense for Matteo Guendouzi to start alongside Elneny against Brentford.

Further forward in the midfield, I would not be surprised if Alex Iwobi plays more centrally than he has previously.

A lot will be calling for Joe Willock to get game time, but as explained it is more important that we keep Iwobi match sharp. He will be given the roving role that Aaron Ramsey plays so well.

By playing Iwobi centrally, it will give us the space to have Emile Smith Rowe one side and Danny Welbeck  the other.

Originally I had Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Smith Rowe playing behind Welbeck, but the Armenian is out injured. This leaves Emery with a choice.

Play Willock in the midfield, pushing Iwobi up higher and having Welbeck up top; or play Iwobi deeper, Welbeck out wide and Eddie Nketiah as the spearhead.

I think Emery will opt to play Eddie Nketiah as it feels like he is ahead of Willock in terms of development. Arsenal would also already be giving game time to Smith Rowe, who plays in a similar position to Willock, is younger and better (it would not surprise me if this is Willock’s last year at the club as Smith Rowe moves ahead of him).

So all in all, I expect a fairly senior team with Pleguezuelo, Smith Rowe and Nketiah given a run out.

As Manchester United showed last night – with a very strong side – these Championship teams are no pushovers, and Brentford are a decent outfit.

It will be interesting to see if Josh Dasilva gets any game time for the Bees.

He played 3 times for Arsenal last season in the League Cup, but opted to continue his career at a lower level this season in the hope of more game time.

A few at Arsenal were disappointed to see him go, but he has so far struggled to break through at Brentford. Guendouzi is 6 months younger than Dasilva and ha started 5 Premier League games this season. That does not mean that Dasilva will not become a good players, but he is clearly not ready to be playing in the Premier League. It also highlights just how good a prospect Guendouzi is.

Last night during the Manchester United v Derby game, the commentators were talking up Mason Mount.

The 19-year old on loan Chelsea player is considered to be their best prospect since Josh McEachran (what happened to him?) and the commentators were labelling him as the best young English central midfielder, even calling for him to be called up to the next England squad.

He had a good game, and is clearly a prospect, but again he is older than Guendouzi.

The fact that people no longer look at Guendouzi as a 19-year old in his first season in top flight football (whilst Mount is playing 2nd division) is testament to his ability.

We now look at Guendouzi as an established senior player. If any of Granit Xhaka, Torreira or Aaron Ramsey are out injured, it will be Guendouzi who steps up. And as he has shown this season, he is ready.

Guendouzi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles will make it tough for any young Arsenal central midfielder to make a break through. The likes of Charlie Gilmour and Ben Sheaf will struggle to get any game time in senior competitions this year. Add in Willock and Kelechi Nwakali and for any of these to break into the Arsenal first team, they are going to have to be borderline Cesc Fabregas / Jack Wilshere talent.

All that bodes well for the future, especially with Torreira being just 22.

I actually look forward to the Europa League to see Guendouzi and Maitland-Niles (once fit) forge a partnership.

Enjoy the game tonight, and remember there is no Piccadilly Line tonight.

Up The Arsenal.

Keenos

Lazy, Lazy Journalists

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Lazy Journalism I

So there was a now deleted tweet from Charlie Wyett, Football editor of The Sun. The tweet linked to his article after it was announced that Ivan Gazidis was to leave Arsenal for AC Milan.

Now I always think of myself as a fairly level headed fan. I will criticise where there is criticism to be made, and defend and support where things are not as bad as people make out.

There is a lot that Ivan Gazidis can be criticised for. Namely Arsenal’s poor commercial performance since he took over as CEO.

A high tide raises all ships. This is the best quote I have seen with regards to Gazidis’ performance at Arsenal, courtesy of Swiss Ramble. The meaning behind it being that yes, Arsenal have increased commercial revenue to record amounts, but so has every other club. And Arsenal have increased their commercial revenue by a lower percentage than every other top 6 club bar Spurs in the last decade.

But to claim that Arsene Wenger, under Ivan Gazidis, turned the club “into Europa League regulars at rip off prices” is just lazy journalism.

In the 11 years Ivan Gazidis was Arsenal CEO, the club played in the Europa League just twice. Arsenal have been in the competition less than any other “big 6” side in the last 11 years:

Liverpool: 8 times
Spurs: 8
Man U: 4
Chelsea: 3
Man C: 3
Arsenal: 2

The above also includes years when sides failed to qualify for any European competition.

Wyett considers Arsenal to be “Europa League regulars” when we have played in the competition just 3 times this millennium. It really is just lazy journalism.

I imagine the journalists wife complaining that to her friends that her husband thinks they have a regular sex life, despite him being in her just 3 times since the turn of the century.

It’s also shows Wyett has no idea about the pricing structure at Arsenal.

As always when the price of football is discussed, journalists conveniently ignore the fact that Arsenal fans get 26 games for the cost of their ticket price. This means that Arsenal, for the majority of the last decade, have actually had a lower “per game” ticket price than Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Where were the articles about those clubs being Europa League regulars at rip-off prices? They have played in the competition more often, and pay higher for the privilege.

Arsenal charge as low as £15.50 for Europa League football. That is more than a fair price.

Wyett blamed his headline writer, but then deleted the tweet after many fans called him out for it. He knew he was wrong.

Lazy Journalism II

Just as lazy as the print journalists are much of the Sky punditry team.

Firstly we have Geoff Shreeves, who decided to reprimand Alexandre Lacazette for saying the word “balls”. Then you have Graeme Souness, such a bitter man who gives absolutely no insight, whilst just being negative about every situation.

Over the summer, there was a lot of fuss made about female commentators and pundits. I want to be listening to the best people share their view, regardless of sex, race or anything else.

Ali Mitchell and Isa Guha are very good cricket commentators, and have their jobs with Channel 5 and Sky Sports on merit, rather than because they are female.

What football needs to do is promote women because they are good enough, not just because they are female. Alex Scott, for example, gives a very good insight into the game, and her place is justified on the punditry scene.

What we need to see at Sky is fresh pundits given a chance, whether they be male or female – the likes of Alex Scott, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.

Sky need to stop giving a pay cheque to the likes or Souness and Shreeves.

Souness is lazy, he says the same things every game and gives no real insight. Put him next to the likes of Carragher, Neville and Scott and he is clearly inferior. He has no clue.

Soccer Saturday is similar. I watched it for the first time for a year or so at the weekend and it was dull. Irrelevant man just shouting as loud as they can.

If these media outlets want people to watch, read or listen, they need to have pundits who actually have something to say. By trotting out the same old faces like some sort of old boys club will be detrimental as time go’s own.

Keenos

Victoria Concordia Crescit – Arsenal awash with positivity

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An Arsenal win ✓
A first clean sheet ✓
3 points in the bag ✓
FIVE wins in the row ✓

After that tough start to the season which saw us lose the opening two games to Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal are now on a run of 5 wins in a row.

In the league it is 4 wins in a row. Whilst the opposition of West Ham & Everton at home, Newcastle and Cardiff away, might not fill sides with fear, you can only beat what you have in front of you.

To bring things into perspective, Arsenal have not won 4 league games in a row since the back end of 2016/17 when we won the last 5 games of the season.

With Watford (H) and Fulham (A) up next, it is realistic that Arsenal could increase that winning run to 6 Premier League games – the last time we won more than 6 games on the trot was 2014/15.

If you are unable to see the positives in Unai Emery’s Arsenal, I feel sorry for you.

I see people moaning about the poor performance against Everton (we won 2-0!) and about our leaky defence. I see people moaning that Aaron Ramsey had a poor game (he set up both goals) and that Mesut Ozil has been awful (2 goals in his last 3 games).

People are moaning about Petr Cech in goal. Calling him past it. Even though he has actually performed very well this season; and improved on last season under the new coaching regime.

https://twitter.com/KeenosAFC/status/1043908840796934144

People have moaned about Hector Bellerin playing and Lucas Torreira not playing. They have complained about Unai Emery trying to put Ramsey, Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette into the same team.

I am just fed up with the moaning.

Wenger has gone, Gazidis has gone. We have won 5 games in a row in all competitions. There is plenty to be positive about. Plenty to get excited about.

I am all for constructive criticism – it does baffle me that Everton was the first time Torriera started in the Premier League – but we all demanded change, and we got that change. We should be backing the new mans decisions, even if we might not always agree with them.

I think the issue is some fans have the negativity from the Wenger-era ingrained into them.

They are so used to moaning week in week out that they are no longer able to look at the positives. Their response to beating Everton was not to enjoy the 5th win in a row and the clean sheet, but to highlight the poor performance.

Their glass will always be half empty. Nothing will ever be good enough for them.

They demanded the change, they got the change. Now they have nothing to contribute, bar constant moaning. It is almost like they need the club to be in turmoil to make their opinion relevant. That they are just waiting to stand outside the directors entrance with a bed sheet.

The reality is, if you are not able to get behind the team, the new management, The Arsenal. If you are still pretending to boycott the club, then your “support” is no longer really required. Your negativity not needed.

I am glad you do not go. That you keep your bitterness to Twitter rather than scream obscenities from the terraces.

Victoria Concordia Crescit

Sometimes I feel our fans forget this. That they go out of their way to create disharmony within the club. That they thrive off the negative. That it justifies their existence.

There is plenty to be positive at the moment. Bring on Brentford. Let’s make it 6 wins in a row before the visit of Watford.

Up the Arsenal

Keenos