It was an unfortunate 1-1 draw today for the Arsenal which was rescued by a last minute equalizer from Eddie Nketiah. It was unfortunate because despite an ARS-FUL for chances by the Gunners, where the club were able to overcome a poor midfield performance by Elneny and created five big chances, plus put in a really good defensive performance which limited Fulham to just two chances in the game, the Arsenal were unable to capitalize until the 96th minute.
I’d watched the Atalanta match before Arsenal. La Dea hosted Juventus at just about the same kickoff time in a match which was a top four 6-pointer. And with Arsenal’s position in mid-table all but mathematically assured before kickoff, and our only route into the Champions League via a Europa League win, I chose to record the Arsenal match and watch the match with more consequence instead.
Atalanta-Juve did disappoint somewhat. Both teams seemed to be more interested in nicking a point rather than going all-out in attack so after a flurry of chances early in the game, both sides settled into a more classic Italian-style game, conceding few openings.
Atalanta felt harshly treated by the referee midway through the first half when Luis Muriel was shoulder-barged into the ground in the penalty area. Ref gave no pen and VAR chose not to intervene. It was one of those calls however, which are at the ref’s discretion and he seemed to be happy with that kind of play all game. So, he was pretty consistent.
Juve resorted to diving at the end of the match to win free kicks with Juan Cuadrado doing quite an impression of Neymar but without any of the silky skill and incisive dribbling. In fact, at one point he literally stopped and drew contact by shoving his own ass out at the defender, then collapsing. There are only a few laws in the game which I feel need adjusting and one of them I would consider is that it isn’t a defensive foul if the attacking player clearly initiates contact in order to draw a foul. Before you say anything, that’s clearly different to a player swinging at the ball in the middle of a shot and hitting the knee of a defender. But while the ref did fall for Cuadrado’s antics time and again, Juve were unable to capitalize.
Atalanta, however, kept plugging away at it and in the 86th minute Malinovskiy scored off a Josip Ilicic cross. La Dea held on in somewhat unusual fashion and secured all three points. The win takes them to 3rd in Serie A and puts them in great position for Champions League football next season.
A couple things I love about watching Atalanta: their movement and their coach’s no-nonsense man management. To the second, Gasperini (Atalanta coach) has been at loggerheads with several players this season. Most notably, he basically told the club “it’s me or Papu” this winter and La Dea responded by selling Gomes. There had been reports of an actual fist fight between the two, and rumors about Gasperini’s coaching style are that he’s very much a dictator. If you don’t do what he wants, you get dropped. There are no stories about why Ilicic was dropped to the bench for this game but having followed the club for a few seasons now, it’s pretty clear that Gasperini likes Ilicic but also has publicly called him out on several occasions for being lazy (both in training and on the pitch). So while I’m speculating that it was punishment, it could just have easily been a tactical decision: Gasperini needed a team with 11 men who would work exceptionally hard and having a playmaker like Josip on the bench is a huge benefit, especially if the game is close at the end.
My first point is related to the second: hard work. Atalanta aren’t just the brain-child of a coaching genius (he is a brilliant coach, however), they work exceptionally hard in and out of possession. Their movement off the ball in attack is incredible. Well, it’s incredible to me, an Arsenal fan, used to watching a somewhat stodgy Arsenal attack, especially early this season, before Saka and Smith Rowe were unleashed. That movement maximizes his player’s potential by weaving in and out, dragging defenders out of position and sending in unusual runners to create havoc. His attack can leave them vulnerable at the back but when they do it right, it’s special to watch.
And Atalanta are not a team full of world beaters, they are a team who have been cobbled together from seeming spare parts at times. Gasperini is proof that some managers have a tremendous impact on players and the fortunes of the team. Gasp took a 26 year old Duvan Zapata for 12m and converted him from a 10-goal a season player to a 20-goal a season player. He took Luis Muriel from a 5-goal a season forward to an 18-goal a season wonder-sub. He took Ilicic from Fiorentina for 6m and revitalized his career. Now a 33 year old and probably in his last few seasons, he’s been a 10+ goals, 8+ assists man for Atalanta, where at Fior he’d looked like a shadow of his once great self.
In short, Atalanta are everything that Arsenal need to be: a club who buy cheap but with a manager who improves players and gets results which punch above their weight. And as a neutral, ok, I’m about 60% neutral, they are a lot of fun to watch.
And then I switched over to Arsenal.
It wasn’t actually a bad game. Arsenal created great chances from the start, a refreshing change from the previous 45 games or so. Arsenal then outplayed Fulham in every department. Fulham’s only chances from open play were in the 20th minute, when a speculative shot from distance was blocked and the rebound wasn’t dealt with so they had another crack, which was also blocked. Those were literally Fulham’s only two shots from open play, in the whole game.
Arsenal did concede a penalty, however. Yes, it was soft but replays show Gabriel stepping on the guy’s foot. And the goal was wonderfully taken. I’ve seen fans upset about the close nature of two other offside calls and, not to be left out of the complain train, Scott Parker also complained about the referees insisting that someone was offside for the Arsenal equalizer. But for me, these were all the correct calls.
This league and our fans who are constantly moaning about the laws of the game and their implementation has gotten quite out of hand. It’s ruining the enjoyment of the game, which for me at least partly comes from discussing the game. I’ve watched a lot of football, from leagues all over the world, and in person all over the world, and no one hates VAR and the refs nearly as ubiquitously as Premier League fans. As I said above, there was a controversial moment in the Atalanta match, one which I thought could have been a penalty, but Atalanta did the thing that all teams should do: accept the call and just keep trying to win the game.
To Arsenal’s credit, I think we did the same. Like I said, I don’t think we played poorly and statistically we did more than enough to win the game. I didn’t like Elneny starting but Arteta needed to rotate and even with Elneny’s tremendous drag factor, Arsenal’s forwards had plenty of chances.
Besides which, this was a nothingburger of a game. Why are we getting exercised over a result which didn’t matter?
The thing we should be upset about is that Lacazette’s hamstring popped. I get that we need to have some senior players on the pitch and that we don’t really have a good replacement false 9 but I wonder if he should have started? Would it have really been worse to try Martinelli there? Or Pepe? Or Balogun?
With Auba suffering Malaria and Lacazette out for the rest of the season, we now have no recognized forward heading into a season defining clash with Unai Emery.
Funny moment of the Match:
Elneny playing a backpass in the 11th minute when Smith Rowe was wide open for a goal chance. Any forward pass there is a huge opening.
Both Arsenal and Juve performances/results make a slight mockery of the idea of a ‘super club’ breakaway.
Not a Gary Neville fan but his passionate and heartfelt diatribe on Sky is well worth a listen.
Glad you had pretty much the same take as I did on the Arsenal match. While we should be beating Fulham, we weren’t really that bad, but the moaning on other sites has been terrible. Unlike at Prague, we weren’t ruthless in taking our chances. But we dominated that match by most measures. Shots, shots on target, corners, etc. And they had no shots on target from open play. We’ve had far worse matches than that this year, particularly considering we rotated players some.
The only downside was that we didn’t get to rest Saka and ESR, and Laca twanged a hamstring. If he doesn’t recover from that, Auba takes a while to recover, and Odegaard takes a while longer, we could have a significant offensive problem.
The MUCH bigger news as far as I’m concerned is this stupid Super League. Terrible idea as far as I’m concerned, made worse by the rumors that Kroenke was somewhat central.
A. We haven’t been playing well enough to deserve automatic entry to such a thing.
B. I don’t want to see the same teams playing each other over and over again.
If this comes to pass, my 30+ years as an Arsenal fam will be in doubt.
Appreciate the level perspective. I’d adopted one similar around close of the transfer window. Seemed the club weren’t prioritizing a PL place/position. Arteta would have to make do with a still-odd combo of players– whose skills didn’t fit together so well. Mikel has advanced the younger players admirably– an obvious bright spot. The Kids Are Alright; but we can’t expect a Slavia Praha performance on-demand– yet.
—
The Super League? The clubs rumored as charter members aren’t in positions of strength at present (City and Pool excepted). Among the ‘biggest names’, but many have their problems– either financial or on the pitch– relative to their historical standing. This seems a situational stratagem. Sensing that UEFA is in a weakened position. This Super League concept is being used as a ‘threat’ to force UEFA into some form of compromise.
What this compromise might look like? My crystal ball just went into sleep-mode.
What needs to be realized? That the billions-of-pounds/dollars Sky Sports (and BEIN) has paid to televise the PL for the last many years aren’t generated solely in the UK. The global TV advert audience is growing exponentially. The financial tipping point is approaching.
While reported in some corners as close to reality– such as on PL Mornings today? Extricating all of the principals mentioned– from existing contractual obligations– for a Super League to begin play? Within a year or even two? Sounds too fantastic to be real.
I am sad. This is not the way to be Arsenal. Don’t be woke. Just wake up and smell the coffee. I have Iron Horse brewing. Iron Horse is what Arsenal need to be.
I must admit when I saw the line up in midfield, I had a sigh. The Spinning Top and the Headless Chicken? It comes to something when Elneny gets to start a game. He’s got no forward gear. The ball’s played into him in acres of space and I’m literally screaming “turn” at the TV. No chance. He just pings the ball backwards! There must be better alternatives, surely.
I still don’t see Martinelli as someone playing wide on the left. He’s obviously quick, but don’t remember him going past the full back much, if at all. He hasn’t got the necessary “tricks”. He looks to me like an out and out striker, playing down the middle, which was where he played when he first caught our eye. Ian Rush? Jamie Vardy? That sort of player.
Gabriel gave away a penalty and not for the first time. He’s inclined to dive in when he shouldn’t. I’m wondering if Mari isn’t actually a much safer bet.
Good to see Matt Ryan charge up the field and get his head on the ball. Does that count as an assist? He looks to have a bit of “attitude”, which is nice to see, as does Xhaka who put in some pretty hefty challenges at full back.
Another game we should have won, but didn’t. There’s been quite a few of those this season.
Likely a better alternative to Backpass Elmeny, against Fulham and so pretty safe would be Azeez. But not old enough ( thirtyish ) for Arteta
Embarrassed to be an Arsenal fan today. I won’t be one any longer come August if they don’t back down.
I am also pro-Neville – irrespective we should be stripped of points & prize money this year and barred from Europe next. Hit the greedy prick who owns our club where it hurts most
Couldn’t agree more. An awful idea, which embarrasses the club. Big 6? We can’t even beat Fulham! Pure greed. This is what happens when “money men” run football clubs. No feel for the game, the club and its history. At what point does playing the same “top clubs” over and over again become a bore? It takes away every bit of interest. How must Leicester and West Ham be feeling right now?
Fortunately, I can’t see this idea getting off the ground. Too many people in every facet of the game are going to object.
What were they thinking?
My feeling as well… embarrassment. We’re basically “cheating” our way into the top league, without actually earning it. Arsenal and Spurs are disgraceful in their arrogance to imagine their current incarnations are more worthy of a top league than West Ham, Leicester, Everton or even Aston Villa and Leeds.
And most depressing is the rock solid certainty that I have that Arsenal will NOT spend any more than the bare minimum to build a competitive team in this new league. The Kroenkes have never won a title with any of their other teams, they care only about maximizing profit. I’m a capitalist, a believer in the free-market, but I have to say these owners are giving capitalists a bad name by thumbing their noses at tradition and history, and amputating the concepts of competency and competition from their business models.
I’m upset with the European Super League, but probably not as upset as most people, if that makes sense? I have 2 main problems with it.
Anyway, my 2 problems are: Lack of relegation, and the number of games. The latter is easy to solve by the participating teams quitting other competitions such as League Cup and European football, but that brings a slew of different problems and issues in and of itself. On the other hand, if those stay, then I’m worried about a player’s fitness. The new league will easily add a minimum of 18 extra games to an already packed schedule, and this will be incredibly bad for players since the risks of injuries will become significantly higher. Going from around 50 games to almost 70 is a massive 40% increase in number of games, and I genuinely don’t think most teams will be able to cope.
My second reason is the lack of relegation. What’s the point of teams actually trying to play properly if there is no threat of relegation? Sure, you can always install a system where losers make less money, but still, I don’t think that’s a good enough solution. I guess if teams are just not interested in winning, fans will eventually be less motivated to watch and the ESL will eventually die? In that case, why have it in the first place?
There are other reasons, of course, why I’m not a fan of the ESL, such as rich teams getting richer while other teams from the league getting nothing, upsetting the balance of the national leagues. However, to be honest, that’s secondary to the above two. Also, who’s to decide who should be in this Super League? Much as I hate to admit, Arsenal haven’t even been in the Champions League in what seems like forever (around 4 seasons), while teams like Manchester United and Tottenham aren’t exactly European football juggernauts either. Right now, the only reason why Arsenal was invited is because they’re more globally famous than the likes of Leicester City, West Ham, and others, and it’s not fair to them who’s played a significantly better season than Arsenal. Football should be a meritocracy, not dependent on past fame.
Anyway, I think that’s enough rants from me for the day about the ESL. Hopefully it goes away. Based on what I’m reading, the inauguration season is supposed to feature 15 teams, with 12 teams having already signed up. Hopefully they won’t find 3 other teams after Bayern and PSG supposedly rejected it, and that the ESL won’t happen. Here’s to hoping.
It would be lovely if the backlash from this money grabbing scheme drove the current bunch of owners out of their respective clubs, but of course they would simply be replaced by a different group of greedy b*****ds, the German model of 51% fan ownership looks even more utopian now.
The German model looks a lot better. I was reading somewhere that Dortmund have about 1000 English fans who regularly go to their home games. Even allowing for the flights, it actually works out cheaper apparently.
If English football was made of chocolate it would have eaten itself by now.
My local team is actually Charlton Athletic. A shame they are so crap. A fraction of the cost of a ticket and I could almost walk to the ground.
And there’s the problem. Fan loyalty. The owners have got us by the short and curlies.
Elite football clubs don’t make much sense as capitalist enterprises from a Marxist perspective there are two types of capital fixed (the cost of raw materials and machines) and variable (labour) the profits therefore can only come by under paying the workers for their productivity. However football is different, because in the absence of drafts or maximum wages you have to pay the highest wages/fees in order to win. So even with a breakaway league brining in more money, the profitability might briefly increase short term but eventually will get eaten up by competition for the best players, the margins will get thinner.
I would assume this is known (though it’s unlikely they’d use Marxist terminology to describe it), so I would guess the group would also have informal arrangements between them to limit players wages, transfer fees etc. Keep the competition on the pitch and out of the market. In a sense the breakaway is as much about controlling player costs as it is about increased revenue.
The model is the clearly the NFL but what that leaves out is the fact that America is at least on paper one country, whereas Britain relatively recently voted to leave the EU. People tend to care more about beating the lot up the road than the lot from Milan. 400 millions Europeans don’t work like 300 million Americans, there is no United States of Europe and it’s very unlikely there will ever be one, just look as the ham fisted vaccine rollout in the EU countries or how money from the wealthier states in the US gets recycled through building weapons factories and military in poorer states, the same does happen in the EU when the likes of Greece gets in trouble (Italy currently has an unelected ex-Goldman Sachs/central banker as PM) It’s a different kind of beast, fans will resent this far more in Europe. Plus I feel the general mood in 2021 is different to the early nineties, thirty years of neoliberalism, the 2008 crash, more inequality than ever, covid19, people feel it more and will happily dump a lot of these feelings into something like this. The push back could be bigger than anything they gambled on.
So I think the big clubs are potentially misreading the room big time. It’s chasing after TV viewers you’re chasing after the most fickle fanbase who could easily switch their alliance to non-Super league teams. TV revenue may be reliable, but TV fans aren’t.
So there.
“Misreading the room” ? You could say that.
I’m actually wishing this scam will go completely and horribly wrong, even though Arsenal would obviously benefit from it.
It seems to me this was the plan all along. Buy up the prestigious clubs, which have a world wide fan base. Jettison the Villas and West Broms, who nobody gives a toss about apart from a few Brummies. Then arrange a whole load of meaningless games and coin it on global streaming rights.
All of a sudden splashing out all that money buying English clubs doesn’t seem like a vanity project, more a license to print money. What’s up with these people? Aren’t they wealthy enough as it is?
Greed is good. No it ****ing isn’t. It’s bad. Very bad.
Football sold its soul a good number of years ago. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.
Not often I find myself agreeing with Boris Johnson.
The prime minister said he would work with football’s governing bodies “to make sure that this doesn’t go ahead in the way that it’s currently being proposed”.
On a campaign visit to Gloucestershire he said: “I don’t like the look of these proposals . . . I don’t think that it’s good news for fans, I don’t think it’s good news for football in this country.”
He said that while big teams were “great global brands” they were “also clubs that have originated historically from their towns, from their cities, from their local communities. They should have a link with those fans, and with the fanbase in their community. So it is very, very important that that continues to be the case.”
He said the government would be “consulting about what we can do”.
Don’t expect Johnson to do much other than make noise. It’s another populist bandwagon for him.
This seems like the logical conclusion of the Premier League and the Champions League. These are both primarily competitions invented to generate broadcast revenues shovel from viewers to broadcasters to players and owners. The main difference is that they are still nominally competitions. By nominally I am referring to the fact that generally the clubs that spend most tend to be the winners. Everybody grumbles but everybody still watches.
Given that Arsenal and MUFC reps have quit the European Clubs Association this looks like more than a bargaining chip. I’m guessing that these are the European clubs with the biggest worldwide followings. This is nothing to do with local clubs with paying fans in the stands. This is Big Brand Global Entertainment.
Shame about the sacking of Jose, I was quite enjoying his work at the toilet bowl.