Good morning. I feel like I have a lot of topics to write about this week. Of course, we have the North London Derby tomorrow but apart from that (and the inevitable fallout – good, bad, or meh) I’ve also finished the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” and will finish Wenger’s book in the next day or so. I might linger over those two for a bit because they cover two of my favorite subjects. But today, the North London Derby takes precedence.
Outside of a cup final this is the biggest game of the year for both teams. And this one in particular seems bigger than ever because of all of the various narratives around both clubs.
Arsenal facing Jose Mourinho would generate a dozen headlines by itself but Arsenal facing Jose Mourinho, who is now in charge of Tottenham, a year after both teams hired new managers, with Spurs in a title challenge, and Arsenal in 14th place, in the midst of a pandemic, has almost as many story lines as The Garden of Earthly Delights*.
But I’m ditching those narratives. Arsenal are supposed to lose this match: the stats say we should lose, the pundits have us losing, the betting markets have us losing, history has us losing, and if you search your heart (Luke) you probably have us losing. But this is such a weird season that I’m not sure I agree.
It’s just a gut feeling. One based on I guess some evidence but I’m not going to pretend I have some great insight. Basically I see the way Jose plays in big games, I see the way that Arsenal play in big games and the two cancel each other out. It feels like the age old football question “what happens when neither team wants the ball.”
If both teams go their usual route, we could be in for a really dour 1-0 affair. And as I say about 100 times a minute right now, those fine margin games can go either way.
Of course it’s football and the reason why we watch it is that “anything can happen.” If it was just net spend, spreadsheets, VAR, and odds it wouldn’t be much fun.
Spurs are going to blitz Arsenal from the first whistle. They are going to cheat, foul, kick, and dive to try to get that goal in the first 10 minutes. We press and harass early as well (though with objectively less cheating) so I expect that first 10 to be quite wild. If either team scores the rest of the game will be pretty predictable – one team sits deep and tries to counter.
They are better at countering than us, however, so my biggest fear is that they score first.
The hope for a good game (read – crazy open) is if one team scores early and the other hits them back right away. Though we have also seen one team take a big lead and the other team claw back in. These are usually pretty tight games though and we will surely see both teams fully committed.
Bonus content
I noticed a lot of folks calling for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to start tomorrow’s match as the main partner for Thomas Partey. I get this impulse. It makes perfect sense to me and not just because he’s a fan favorite coming off a good game. That said, I have been critical of him in the past and want to explain myself a little bit when I say something like “I just think he’s nowhere near the technical level that is needed at Arsenal.”
He’s definitely fast and I like his passion for the club and his youthful exuberance and audacity. But he has a tendency to have a mixture of both crazy bad touch and really good touch. And he is often out of ideas in the final third and just stands around doing nothing. In short, he’s a frustrating mixture of great stuff and poor stuff.
Look at the almost no pressure game against Rapid this week: when they applied pressure early in the game he made a lot of notable errors and got caught on the ball. He also didn’t seem to do much for huge portions of the game. He ran around a lot (he’s got legs) but for most of the game he went missing. And he was literally our worst defender on the pitch: he made no tackles, interceptions, or blocks and virtually no pressures. And worst of all, his weird positioning exposed Elneny multiple times. Against a team that pressures? They would target him and he would be badly exposed I think.
That said, he also made an incredible slaloming run through the middle of the bad guys which he capped off with an audacious chipped shot. I know he assisted ESR’s goal but that solo move was my favorite moment of the game.
But ultimately with him there are just a lot of questions. We are talking about making him a central midfielder, the one position which needs the most consistency and reliability but also the one place where you need your best talent.
Can he take control of a game? Demand the ball? Shield possession? Wiggle out of pressure? Read the game and defend without having to sprint back? Play long raking passes? Splitting balls? I don’t see any of that from him consistently.
What he does give is some speed, a lot of versatility, and the occasional moment of brilliance. That is the perfect recipe for a backup on a big team like Arsenal. Calling him a backup is NOT an insult. That would make him still in the top 5% of all players in the League! Just not the top 1-2%.
The big issue is that despite the inconsistencies he may actually be better than Xhaka in a lot of ways. Certainly not in the long-raking-pass way but Xhaka has had the ball taken away from him by Arteta because Arteta realized that he was a liability with the ball. And Xhaka can’t shield the ball, dribble, get out pressure, nor defend anything that isn’t just controlling space within a few yards of a very small area.
So if you want someone in there to play more as a pure DM and NOT get forward as often as he did against Rapid: or maybe make those forays slightly more often, and with I would say WAY better effect than Xhaka, then I think Maitland-Niles makes a good case.
So, should he start? Maybe.
The next question then is is he better than Ceballos? Definitely not. Not consistently. Not in my eyes.
Did you see Ceballos’ 28 minutes against the limp Wieners? 41/41 passes, led the midfield in progressive distance passed (which is just nuts), 118 yards progressive carries, 5 shot creating actions, 4 passes into the penalty area (tied with the best on the team), and was 3rd in total distance carried among all players! This is the kind of technical, progressive, ability that you don’t get from Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Maybe the two of them should play together? I don’t know. That would be a bit lightweight for me. It’s a real problem for Arteta. I might try him with Partey and maybe (not in the same game, or perhaps in a 3, again, I don’t really know) with Ceballos. There’s really no reason not to at this point. He could turn out to be the exact magic dust that we need, like Coquelin was.
Coquelin is also a good example of one which I could tell very early on had incredibly good touch but lacked a bit in technique. I was really happy to see him get a first team place. I’m a bit of an outlier here but I’ve never seen that same level from Maitland-Niles. And I’m not alone: none of the previous Arsenal managers have seen it either. If he’d been so great in the game against Pogba (which is usually touted as his exemplar match) Wenger would have picked him. No question about that in my mind. And with all of the turmoil in this squad, with all of the problems in midfield, it’s odd he hasn’t been picked.
That’s it for today. Have fun watching the game tomorrow (if you can) and don’t get too worked up about whatever happens.
*My best imitation of Dennis Miller 1987
Mainland Niles seems to work on the left of the midfield in a 3-4-3 but probably too sloppy to play in a midfield 2 against the spuds.
Plenty of articles this week.
Thanks for the effort and insights Tim.
If we get lucky and nick a cagey 0-1, that would be awesome.
Love a lot of things about AMN but his ball control is not one of them, and I don’t think NLD is a game in which he would thrive in center mid.
I can’t see us getting anything out of this game ,although having watched Spurs midweek, if Joe Hart starts in goal tomorrow that might be the difference.
He was simply awful.
Then again we don’t take many shots on goal so maybe it doesn’t matter who’s in goal for Tottenham.
I totally get that this is almost like a cup game for both clubs but inferior sides usually get results in derby’s by playing with higher intensity or by a slice of luck.
In the absence of the latter I just can’t see Arsenal pulling off the former over 90 minutes away from home.
AMN could be a good call to start on the left in midfield as J mentions. He combines well with Tierney down that side. A big issue for me though is how we keep Kane under wraps if he starts. David Luiz as part of a back 5 pushing up tight to him when Kane drops? This effectively means you have David playing a sort of defensive midfield role. Oh and I’m already having nightmares about Son played in behind or one-on-one with Rob Holding!!
I loved Netflix’s “Queen’s Gambit”. It really does genuinely capture a lot of the atmosphere of top flight competitive chess. Brilliant stuff, highly recommended.
My Dad the Radiologist, knowing that I wouldn’t follow him in a medical career and worried about my burgeoning music hobby urged me to find a more intellectual pursuit. As if figuring out Keith Richard’s 5 string open G tuning wasn’t intellectual enough!
So I was forced to take up chess. And I loved it. I became a competitive player and memorized all the “big” openings and their variations: QG Accepted, QG Declined, Sicilian Defense, etc. This was my passion in young life until I decided to follow my muse.
Dad was not happy to learn his son gave up chess to play in the Orchestra Pit for Theatre New Brunswick’s musicals.
“Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ
Who are what you have sacrificed.
Jesus Christ, Superstar
Do you think they know what you are?”
For those who haven’t seen it, Queen’s Gambit is well worth the time, though I have to say anyone that drug and/or alcohol addicted wouldn’t have succeeded in that time and place. Brilliantly acted, especially the heroine, the actors play real, actual historic games move for move, as guided and suggested by former world camp and now political activist, Gary Kasparov. The place of chess in Russian culture is huge, like football in Brazil.
Please do check it out, you won’t be sorry.
I got the lyrics all wrong to JCSS. Sorry Tim Rice!
I know nothing about chess, but also enjoyed the Queen’s Gambit. The actor in it reminded me of Jodie Comer in Killing Eve, which was also excellent.
I read Arsene Wenger’s book and was seriously disappointed with it. A very plodding style and didn’t reveal very much, I didn’t already know. He must have lots of really insightful stories, particularly about Arsenal, but it was as if he was far too polite to bring them up. Perhaps because he remains in the game, he feels it politic not to. I thought the book was as dry as dust. A missed opportunity.
I can quite see why his wife left him. Living with a football obsessive at that level, must be intolerable for someone who doesn’t share it. I didn’t fully realise his level of monomania.
Funnily enough, I found Nicklas Bendtner’s book more readable, for the simple reason that it felt “honest”. Not a literary masterpiece obviously, but it held my interest. Whether you approve of him or not, he doesn’t beat around the bush.
This might get you in the mood.
Found a clip of Liam Brady’s goal at White Hart Lane, back in the 70s. One of my all time favourite goals. We won 5-0. I can’t see that happening today, somehow.
Surprised at Dani’s stats, but will take your word for it. Watching him play generally, all I see is someone who wants to take far too many touches on the ball and likes to run around in circles. He wouldn’t be in my starting line up if everyones was fit. When he and Xhaka are together in midfield, I never expect much attacking movement from the team. I’d be surprised if Real Madrid are in any hurry to take him back.
I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong with AMN’s technique. He has good balance and touch and moves well. He falls down on positioning and concentration. In fairness, he’s a young kid who is continually in and out of the side. He also never seems to play in the same position more than once. Hardly surprising that he tends to look a bit lost. Difficult to blood young players, as inevitably they make mistakes, which costs points, but I think he is worth persevering with.
I didn’t realise cebollas was Spanish for onions. “Danny Onions” is his new nickname in this part of the world.
AMN is no kid any more, he’s 23. He’s intelligent, athletic and good enough to play every week on either flank for most teams, he should be one of those ever-presents like a better James Milner – a utility, all-purpose player whose performance never drops below a 7. But I agree with the general consensus that he’s not quite there to hold down the middle.
He is also a case study for some of my frustrations with Arteta. 12 months in, with this new, young manager renowned for his coaching ability under Guardiola, I thought that players like Ashley would be improved, tactically switched on, playing regularly and banking experience. Instead we have this conservatism.
There were recent comments in the Spanish press from Arteta about Arsenal wanting to move to a 433, and how this requires specific skillsets from the players, and how at least half the team are lacking those skillsets. It might well be an accurate assessment, but it demonstrates his dissatisfaction with the current squad. On top of that, his recent comments about the young players have been that “they have never done it before in their careers, so why should they be able to do it now?”
Never mind all the other positive comments, how is he supposed to turn around poor form and low confidence when more than half the team knows that the bottom line is their manager either doesn’t rate them or doesn’t have faith in them?
Arsenal look like they no longer believe in themselves to take risks, and that has to come from somewhere. Arteta has drilled in a level of caution, and with it a lack of self-belief. But the younger players, with the bulletproof sense of immortality that you have when you’re young, are much more immune to this. A show of confidence and boldness from the manager by picking players like AMN and backing them to improve and succeed could go a long way.
Couldn’t agree more Greg. Arsene used to use the phrase ‘playing with the handbrake on’. This isn’t that – it’s playing with fear. Rodgers and many others have given youngsters (sometimes teenagers) first team opportunities in the EPL. Arteta’s interview this week was a PR disaster-class. A concern I’ve had about him from the outset is that he’s more bothered about brand Arteta. Hopefully Edu has taken him to one side and preached a little discretion goes along way.
As for today I’d like to see us play with a little more ambition than just eleven men behind the ball. I’d like to see us dominate the midfield in a 3-4-3. I think man-marking Kane and Son is a much more effective strategy than simply marking space. This is a fantastic opportunity to show Arteta can motivate his troops and give them a winning gameplan. Let’s see what today brings.
Regarding progressive caries by Cebalos , does the distances covered by a spinning top count ?
Great post Tim.
I too have a gut feeling that we can get a result. Hopefully the defense will keep a clean sheet and Auba will find his lost shooting boots and convert a counter attack into a goal or may be 2.
I agree with you completely about Maitland-Niles. He is not good enough to be a regular central midfielder but he is the type of utility player who is good to have somewhere in the squad
Greg.
It sounds like Arteta believes he does not have the proper squad composition to effectively play the type of technical football we want to see. Emery came to the same conclusion after a few months. I think its going to take some time and a squad rebuild before we can accurately pronounce judgement on Arteta
Ah, Spurs score the dreaded first goal. I think I read somewhere that under Arteta we’ve lost every game in which the opposition scored first?
Should I watch the rest of this? DILEMMA!
Holding and Bellerin at sixes and sevens, backing off, pointing, trying to remember which space they are meant to be occupying. Instead of interrupting Son’s run.
Tell me again about Arteta’s great defensive coaching in lieu of effective offensive coaching?
Son scores a worldie, it is true. But neither defender looked to be trying to do what comes naturally, but scrambling to remember, in real time, where the coach told them they should be. Both looked to be playing by the chalkboard. The nearest man to Son — Holding — should have closed him down or tackled him.
It was prime Mustafi.
Oof. Goal Kane. Might as well call the game at half-time. It’s over.
The Great Comeback, Bun 🙂
Haha! Good one.
why not channel son to his left on the first goal? never let a player carry the ball to the middle your half of the field; always make him dribble wide, even if it’s his stronger foot but especially if it puts him on his weaker foot. that was mickey-mouse football. hector, as second defender, should take charge and talk (not point, as holding can’t see him). my rule, if the second defender doesn’t talk to you, do what you think is best at the point of attack and the second defender’s is RESPONSIBLE to read the situation and make the correct corresponding decision. if the second defender doesn’t talk AND he doesn’t read the situation, he’s fully at fault…not to mention, hector was chasing the ball instead of tracking son for the goal.
my second gripe, our players are dropping back but they aren’t doing anything. shape is important but not everything in football. there has to be purpose to your shape…the situation must dictate your shape, not the chalkboard. the players need the freedom to think and make decisions based on what they see, not what the coach says; he’s not on the field. shape should be a guideline, not a law. this is where tactics supersedes strategy. this is why true strategist tell their tacticians what to do but not how to do it. if your players don’t know how to recognize situations, it matters little how talented they are.
an analogous predicament: it doesn’t matter how good you are at arithmetic if you don’t know how to problem-solve. when talking football, there’s often a focus on a players arithmetic (or technical) qualities; can you add-subtract-multiply-divide. football isn’t basic arithmetic, it’s a word problem…am i supposed to divide 7/9 or 9/7. i talk about it all the time but this is the difference between simply talented players and good players. good players are good at word problems. we all know that the only way to improve in math is to do it. however, with a manager that yells the solution all game long…
…and someone (anyone) explain to me why aubameyang playing center forward?
It’s shocking how clueless Arsenal looks. A slow, steady tempo of low-risk passes into wide areas which converts with a cross which usually do not go behind the first opposite player or pass back to the middle of the pitch. Eventually, someone loses a ball easily.
I remember how bad I felt during some Wenger-era games (Bradford ’12?) or when I traveled to London to see my beloved team play a dull game against Swansea (0-1 in May 2015) but well, these weak Wenger periods were a. short b. levels ahead in terms of football quality.
It’s is just so depressing to watch these guys. I am not sure if a good coach can fix this group of players. Arteta certainly has gone way past his honeymoon period. Next 5-6 games and he can be out.
Well, you probably could have written the script for that one ahead of time. Two well-taken goals for them. I don’t think the defense was that bad on those. But Kane and Son are good, and took their chances. Our players had a few that were not that much worse, and didn’t take them.
We didn’t play poorly. But until we show an ability to something other than throw crosses in, that’s exactly what teams are going to do against us. Pack the middle. And Auba and Laca aren’t good enough in the air.
I do think he needs to start Pepe when back or Nelson instead of Willian, who was basically useless. His deadball delivery was poor, he can’t beat people of the dribble any more, and he’s not very fast. Struggling to see what he’s added.
classic mourinho’s one two knock out.
never would i have thought the day would come when i lust for a spurs player, or two for that matter.
Son and Kane slaughtered us.
And Hojbjerg literally stifled us. what a signing is he.
Two things….
1. Playing a not fully recovered Partey (noticeable on the first Son goal that he was struggling to keep up with the pace)
2. Partey WALKING OFF the field in the middle of a Spurs attack (instead of somehow contriving to stop play… trip someone, ffs, then signal to the bench that you cant continue)
3. Arteta shoving the injured player back onto the field
Awful. Planning, preparation and execution.
I cannot unsee 2 and 3. Both sum up AFC at the moment.
A fourth thing… I can’t count.
Unless they’ve changed the rules, you can’t just “walk off”.
“Leaving or entering the field of play without permission” was always an offence.
My gut feeling that we would keep a clean sheet was certainly wrong. Tim has been predicting our defense would start to concede more goals and if he is right and we stop keeping consistent clean sheets we are destined to finish in the bottom half of the table.
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We are never going to score a lot of goals with this squad. For the last 2 seasons Auba was finding ways to score but this year he is not and we don’t have anyone else who is capable of compensating for the loss of his goals.. Spurs and Mourinho’s team in general don’t really have creativity or play attacking football in the way that we or Arsene would define those terms. However they have 2 players who are good at scoring goals and each of them scored a well taken goal. With Auba misfiring I doubt we have anyone on our squad who would have scored on either of those chances.
Let’s be honest the result wasn’t a surprise and I hate to say but they’re on a title charge. Thankfully they gave us an early Christmas gift by not attacking in the second half.
I thought Arteta was trolling last week on the strategy of crossing but no, David Moyes’ prodigal son really is amongst us.
Onto Burnley next. That should be a fairer fight.
As Tim pointed out on the twitter, Arsenal were only 37 crosses short of a goal today. It’s just maths!
Actually, if all LEGAL crosses are counted, Arsenal win EASILY. We created more chances than Spurs. By HISTORIC margins. But the Premier League found two goals for Spurs out of nowhere at 4am. Foul throws funded with Venezuelan money. They were awarding goals to dead players from the old First Division.
Well said. Your Q Anon shirt is on its way!
Exactly. How can Arteta be expected to win against the EPL Deep State? Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams.
Nice one, Golden!
I do enjoy a bit of irony with my cornflakes in the morning.
Thanks
who’s the player that takes charge of the team when they’re on the field? what player knows how to win tough games? who can show the rest of the team the way to victory when things are dire? who provides tactical direction during tough moments in games? arsenal needs a guy like this to be the leader on the field. i could care less who wears the arm band. i’m talking about that guy who the rest of the team looks to when things are rough and they don’t have a clue which way to go.
once upon a time, that guy used to be mikel arteta. who is it now? the scary thing is it appears that mikel is still trying to be the captain. the problem is he’s not on the field anymore. he’s gotten a “promotion” to general but is still behaving like a captain. he’s got to relinquish some of that control to the dressing room and empower a captain and a few other players he trusts to provide that leadership on the field. a manager can’t do everything. he needs subordinate leaders on the pitch and in the dressing room that can echo his strategy and enforce his standards. with that, said captain must also recognize when the on-field situation requires a slight variation or even a deviation in the strategy. lastly, you need everyone moving the same direction as the variation issued by the captain and not operating as individuals with their own good ideas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv4xLyBDgqM
…just came across this quick video on youtube. it hits the nail on the head.
Yeah, but that excessive manspreading. Wouldnt want to sit next to him on the subway 🙂
Excellent point, Josh. The guy who has taken on the role of leader at Arsenal is David Luiz. And Xhaka, for all is faults and footballing shortcomings, has some of that in him. He’s skippered nearly everywhere he has played.
Auba is not a captain. And of Emery’s Five, none of Ramsey, Ozil, or Bellerin have the character for the job. Interestingly, Thierry didnt either, and he is one of the best ever players to have worn the shirt.
You want your captain to be someone who sees the field, and ideally that is a central defender. Secondarily, a central midfielder. Tony Adams was my favourite of all of our captains of the modern era, even above Vieira, who is my favourite player. Arteta was a superb captain, as was Mertesacker, his successor. Nobody outside of Madrid likes Sergio Ramos, but he’s a captain from central casting. As was John Terry for Mourinho. Who was his captain at United? Ashley Young?
So for Arteta, the guy who it looks to me to tries the most to bring order and organisation is David Luiz. I’m in a minority of gooners who likes Luiz’s football.
I don’t like his football but I like his personality and leadership on the pitch. Faults aside, he never hides, he always shows up.
That’s why I thought not was scandalous that Arteta let him play on after his head injury. Arteta said Luiz wanted to continue as if that’s any kind of justification. Of course he wanted not continue. He is class, he would never shirk from putting on a shift regardless.
When Arsene picked Gallas, gooners, including me, hated the choice. We wanted (and eventually got) Fabregas. But in retrospect, and although Gallas did not turn out to be that good a leader (Birmingham sit down, anyone?), the decision had a sound basis in logic for Wenger. What we outside dont know is Gallas’ presence in a dressing room, in speaking candidly and fearlessly to his colleagues and even his manager, on the training field, in setting standards and examples. In retrospect too, Cesc did not have the maturity for the role. Not age… maturity. Arteta, by several accounts impressed Wenger from Day One. One of the things Arsene liked about him was that he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and even disagree with him. He was also ferociously clever, tactically, and was the guy Jose and Josh described who made things work on the field. There may be something in Josh’s observation about Mikel. Arteta’s own experience of joining Arsenal may explain why he went for someone like Willian. Arteta did a Willian for us (over 30, experience, tactically flexible), and it worked out very, very well.
My return to commenting went horrendously. I blame Bellerin solely and entirely for the first goal. When the ball reaches kane he goes to press kane needlessly exposing our right wing to son. This leaves Holding (who is blameless) in a predicament, the whole time recovering towards goal he points to Bellerin, (who has made the original mistake) to cover inside i.e do the centre back job he (Holding) would have done if Bellerin hadn’t exposed him/the entire defense. kane was already covered. Then, at the final moment, when it would have required a centre back(Holding) to press the ball, (who, I repeat, points this out while also trying to mark son) Bellerin is trying to cover outside Holding, in the right back position (where he should have been in relation to the defence when kane first got the ball). He’s so shocked that son decides to cut inside…onto his stronger foot….and shoot…he falls over 🤣🤣. Unbeleivable.
The worse thing about the second goal is Xhaka was on the pitch, and, once again, that fact was an irrelavance.
Wasn’t there a special ‘packing’ stat that justified the Xhaka purchase specifically on his ability to get the ball to ozil??? Who is now not a registered player! I remember lamenting that Arteta didn’t stay under Wenger to help mould a player like xhaka in his image, now his decision to not register Ozil has defeated the original (and only real, and true) purpose for xhaka. Aubameyang through the middle (which i agree with) only compounds this. As does harry kane becoming all time top scorer in the fixture. At the same time Partey has a recurrence of an injury. Seconds before half-time.
Inescapable Clouds of Compounded Irony over Asburton Grove.
Is there a poem for solace?? Or a Mathematical Formula to solve?? Or…..Some form of Football Euthanasia😭. A form of Football Euthanasia preferably including non of the above described events.
Im going to have subconsiously describe Arsenal games as Soccer matches and use the term ‘zero’ instead of ‘nil’ and see if it helps.
If you play 4 at the back, then your full backs have to behave like full backs and not emergency wingers. Bellerin, and to a lesser extent Tierney, are always susceptible to a fast break. For the 2nd goal, we had exactly 2 defenders present! Teams know this. I’ve lost count of the amount of times we get done this way. They must laugh themselves silly in the dressing room afterwards.
Do the midfield cover for them? The Swiss Tractor and The Spinning Top? Ha! They can’t run, literally. Watch them. Dreadful technique. An athletics coach wouldn’t know where to start. Dani’s knees go up and down, but there is no forward propulsion. He’s got flat feet. No spring. Xhaka drags his feet and has no balance, so he either fouls or falls over. That is on the occasions when he is not “away with the fairies”.
You have to have “athletes” in the middle of the park! It’s a must. There are undiscovered tribes in Papua New Guinea who know this.
We are in bad shape, folks. I think a relagation battle is not impossible. We are getting closer to the drop zone with each PL match. The sad thing is, if we were to actually go down, how would we fare against Championship quality? Not much better, I fear.
Joshuad said it all
To me it looks most of the players have lost their self believe
Just passing ball without changing positions to get it back
No Tactical fouls when necessary
No Rough plays when required
Positions on the table matters more than the number of cards
Better to win games with 10 men than losing with 11
Football is not gentlemen game by 100 percent
We are not going to be relegated
Not at all
I don’t expect you were around in 1974, but Man Utd fans said exactly the same thing at the time. “Much too big a club to go down”.
Arsenal are the only team never to have been relegated from the top division. That’s going back over 100 years. It would be nice to keep that record.
Its might be a real struggle to climb back into the top 1/2 of the table and Europa league looks like a long shot unless we can somehow win the FA cup or the league cup. No way we end up with a relegation battle. We have 13 points in 11 games and there are at least 3 teams and possibly 4 teams who will probably struggle to collect 20 points this season