Tag Archives: She Wore

Who should Arsenal root for in the Championship play-off race?

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Wolverhampton Wanderers apart, there is plenty to play for at the top end of the Championship tomorrow.

Whilst Wolves are likely to break through the 100 point barrier, The second automatic place is still up for grabs, with Cardiff just a single point ahead of Fulham. The London club have the better goal difference.

To secure promotion, Cardiff just need to equal or better Fulham’s result. Cardiff are at home to Reading, Fulham travel to Birmingham.

Personally, I would prefer Fulham to return to the Premier League. It is always a great away day as Arsenal usually get the entire Putney End, which is usually a mixture of away and “neutral” fans. With it being in London, there is always a great turn-out, and someone is always doing to booze boat from Westminster. At 7/2 it is probably worthwhile sticking in any free bets uk you have on Fulham to go up in the top 2.

The likelihood is, however, that Cardiff will secure promotion – which could lead to two trips to Wales next season.

Cardiff is just not the same since Ninian Park shut down. I went to the old grand back when Arsenal played them in the FA Cup. There was tension in the air. Nowadays it is like Reading, Wigan and other grounds. No atmosphere, surrounded by retail outlets, it is just s bit rubbish. Add in the train line from Paddington to Cardiff being one of the most unreliable, it is not a trip I will be getting too excited about.

Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are already secure in the play off positions.

There is a 3 way shoot out for the last play-off place as 3 points separate Derby in 6th and Millwall in 8th. Sandwiched between are Preston.

Millwall are outsiders. 3 points behind and with a goal difference of 9 worse than Derby, they would need both the Rams and Preston to lose, and turn over that huge goal difference. It is unlikely.

That leaves Derby and Preston.

Both have home games. Derby to 4th bottom Barnsley and Preston to 3rd bottom Burton – both of whom are fighting to stay up. With a 2 point gap and superior goal difference, Derby just need a draw to make the play offs.

Odds are we will see Cardiff joins Wolves in the Premier League next season, and Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Derby in the play-offs.

Fulham will be my preference to go up, as detailed above.

Derby would be the next choice, it is an easy train journey from London, a ground I have not been before, and walk-able from the station. It is not like many of these new grounds which have been built on a industrial estate on the edge of the town.

Aston Villa would be next. Birmingham is always a good trip. And whilst we are getting Wolves, we losing WBA.

Only one I would be annoyed with is Middlesbrough. It is a horrid train journey and you just know that it is going to be move to a Sunday at late notice pushing up train ticket prices (the other games will be relatively cheap to get too).

Ideally,  I would want Fulham to go through automatic, and Derby in the play-offs. Realistically as Cardiff will go up, I shall be rooting for Fulham in the play offs.

Keenos

Granit Xhaka does not deserve Arsenal fans abuse

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There is a video doing the round of Arsenal fans abusing Granit Xhaka. I am not a fan.

I understand fans are frustrated, and that Granit Xhaka has put in some very mixed performances in an Arsenal shirt since joining, but I am a little confused as to why fans would spend £500 on flights, accommodation and tickets to Spain, to then stand in a square abusing one of Arsenal’s players before the clubs most important European game in years.

The video has been picked up by many of the “lads banter” social media sites. It is videos like these that lead to some saying Arsenal are the most embarrassing set of fans about. The “chant” is up with the majority of Arsenal Fan TV videos for causing embarrassment to the majority of the fan base.

Those fans argument will be that they “paid their money, they can do what they want”, and I do understand that. But why spend £500 to not support the club?

The thing is, Granit Xhaka can play.

Like plenty of other players under Arsene Wenger, Xhaka has been hamstrung from being a square peg in a round hole. Like others around him, the tactics and positioning employed by Wenger simply do not suit him.

Xhaka is expected to play defensive midfield, but throughout his career, he has never been THE defensive midfielder.

Like Mikel Arteta before him, Xhaka has never been the deepest midfielder in the team. For Borussia Monchengladbach, he always has someone behind him, for Switzerland the same.

We often point to Patrick Vieira as the best defensive, but at his best he always had someone behind him – Emmanuel Petit, Gilberto, Edu. That gave him the chance to drive forward at will.

The issue surrounding a lot of Arsenal is balance It is the same with Shkodran Mustafi. You can not change the centre back partnership ever single week and expect everyone to look great. We need to perhaps write of Laurent Koscielny as a first choice and put someone reliable next to him, then judge the guy.

Football is about partnerships and we do not have many partnerships throughout the squad.

Xhaka can play.

Look at N’Golo Kante. He does not sit and cover the back four like Gilberto or Claude Makelele did. He presses and covers ground.

Xhaka can play from deep, but next to him you need someone who can press for him and cover that ground. Asking Xhaka, who I actually do not think is as bad defensively as some of the others we have had in there, to provide a one man protection for a team who totally vacate the midfield is never going to work.

The issue is we have with the way Wenger sets the team up is that they are not set up as a team.

We have centre backs who play 50 yards up the pitch without pace. That would be fine if we had an Ederson or a Manuel Neuer standing 25 yards off his touchline, sweeping. Yet we have Petr Cech.

We have full backs who bomb forward causing the centre backs to split. We then expect Xhaka to press the opponents number 10, whilst also  sitting between the centre backs when the split.

It is as if there is no thought in the way we are playing.

If you decide to squeeze, to press high up the field, you buy centre backs like what Laurent Koscielny was 5 years ago, or even Gabriel. You buy athletes. You buy players to fit your style.

Jordan Henderson suits Jurgen Klopp, Ederson suits Manchester City.

A few years ago, we had Olivier Giroud. Due to his lack of pace, we had to press high, he was never going to run in behind a defence. But at the other end of the pitch we had Per Mertesacker. He could not defend high because of his lack of pace.

This resulted in either Giroud being too deep, Mertesacker too high, or a massive gap between the two for the midfield to cover.

We are a little lost in style. It is as if we do not know what sort of side we are, what sort of players we need.

A lot of this comes down to transfer policy. We seem to constantly end up with “who is available” rather than “what we need” and end up trying to put players into Wenger’s formation and tactics that do not fit it. And Wenger has to take the blame for it.

With a new manager coming in, a new transfer policy headed by Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat, hopefully we see a change in our recruitment policy. Hopefully we buy the right players in the right position.

Xhaka is a good player. We get someone alongside him and play a midfield 3 of Xhaka sitting deep, a Kante (Seri? Gueye?) type player pressing, then Aaron Ramsey doing his Superman impression, we then have balance.

We have players who defend, can press, can pass and score.

Do not blame Xhaka for Wenger’s failure to use him properly.

Keenos

Arsenal crash out of Europe with predictable performance

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To lose 2-1 on aggregate against Atletico Madrid is not a disgrace.

Whilst they struggled in the Champions League this season, finishing 3rd in their group, they currently sit 2nd La Liga, above Real Madrid. They are one of the top 10 sides in Europe.

The tie was not lost yesterday.

Atletico Madrid are unbeaten at home in the league this year, conceding just 4 goals. They have not conceded a home goal since 21st January against Girona. Coming away from the Wanda Metropolitano was always going to be tough.

Diego Simeone has got his side well disciplined and organised. Whilst I would still not take him at Arsenal, in the last 7 years has to be praised. You do wonder, however, if he could repeat the act elsewhere.

To play his way, you need players with a certain skill set. Disciplined, tough, and buying into his methodology. There are not too many of those players in world football. Over 7 years at Atletico, the likes of Diego Godín, Juanfran, Filipe Luís, Gabi, Koke and Saúl Ñíguez have pretty much been ever presents. They have built their careers around the Simeone way of playing.

You have to question as to whether Simeone could come into an Arsenal, PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester City or Juventus and get the buy in from the crop of players those clubs have. Or if he is flexible enough to change his style to suit those clubs? I digress.

When the draw took place, Arsenal knew that they would have to head out to Spain with something to defend. Beating Atletico in Madrid would be near impossible to beat if the Spanish side had something to defend.

Arsenal needed to go out their with something, to then draw Atletico out and hit them on the break. Instead, Arsenal went out there behind on away goals.

The tie was lost in Islington.

Down to 10 men after 9 minutes, Arsenal really should have left with a comfortable victory and a clean sheet. 76% possession and 28 shots on target produced just the single goal.

Some might point to Jan Oblak’s performance, but he only really had one hard save to make. The rest were fairly routine. The types of shots you would criticise the keeper if he let them in.

Arsenal were unable to break down the 10 men further, and eventually conceded the equaliser following a Laurent Koscielny error.

It was the story of Koscielny’s career. Kicking the ball into his own face trying to do “too much”. He could have passed the ball back to David Ospina, or smashed the ball out of play. Instead, under pressure, he made an error – the type of one which has plagued his career.

1-1 in the 82nd minute, and the entire complexion of the tie had changed.

You have to wonder if Koscielny will be seen again in an Arsenal shirt.

His long term Achilles problem reared its head last night, as he was forced off after just 12 minutes. It is likely that he is now set to miss the World Cup.

Koscielny  turns 33 in September, and with his injury record and mistakes, Arsenal might be tempted to cash in sooner rather than later.

The Frenchman has 2 years left on his contract. That will take him to 35. I would be surprised if he sees out both years. The likelihood is he will have 1 more year providing a cross over between the old guard and the new guard, but I would not bet against a new centre back coming in this summer and the new manager deciding to let him leave.

After so much pressure in the first leg, Arsenal managed just a single shot on target in the second. It was always going to be tough in Madrid, and the side will be left rueing the missed opportunity in London.

The fact just one substitute was used over 2 legs perhaps highlights how fragile the squad is.

Despite so many players having poor games, there were little options on the bench to change things.

Mesut Ozil has taken the brunt of the criticism, but the reality is no one can really hold their heads up high. From Ospina to the centre backs, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin, through the midfield and up top, no one has performed over the two legs. And you do not beat a side like Atletico Madrid with everyone underperforming so much.

There is not point complaining too much. Arsene Wenger is leaving in 3 games. In 10 days time the new era will begin. Spending energy promoting negativity will only affect yourself. It will not change the club – as changes are already being made. We are out the Europa League and it is another opportunity missed for a trophy.

There are still plenty of positives to be taken from the season. Wenger is going, a new man is coming in, our U23s won the Premier League 2 and our U18s made the FA Youth Cup Final.

Rather than dwell on the past, or become angry with the present, let’s focus on the future.

There is plenty to be excited about.

Keenos