I had my tongue firmly, very firmly, in my cheek when I wrote that post. Although Cucurella’s hair (I’ve looked up the spelling since calling him ‘that Chelsea player’) is arguably more extreme (or unkept) than that of Guendouzi (and indeed David Luiz), OMOH pointed out the similarities.

That isn’t to deny Cucurella is still a long haired git though.

How england set up and how Man U set up are like chalk and cheese. I’d almost go as far as to say the england team is somewhat built to enhance all the things Maguire is good at and hide all the things he’s not. He also plays with better players for England. England play a back 5 with two holding midfielders and if they’re playing anyone decent they don’t play a high line. I bet there’s plenty of retired CB who lacked pace thinking they could have played for England in that set up.

I posted the other day about Arsenal’s 2-3-5 formation in build up, with inverted full backs. Here it is in a perfect picture.

The inverted full backs is really interesting. In a traditional attacking formation those full backs would be out on the touchline either on the overlap or as a minimum providing width and support for the winger. But then they are completely out of the game if you lose the ball. So your wingers give the width your 8’s and full back provide support on the inside and you string 5 across the attack so you don’t lack numbers, the full backs then form a midfield 3 block to prevent or slow down any counter attacking threat.

The problem with VAR showed itself again with the Romero/Cucurella incident. What the PGMOL have done is tie their own hands behind their back with how the implement this side of VAR. they say VAR is there to check the red card, that’s the only thing it can correct. So when they decide that it doesn’t quite meet the threshold for a red card they then let play continue even though there has been a clear foul. I totally agree that not every decision should be checked by VAR, there isn’t the time and you’d never get a flowing game…..but how often does VAR need to check a red card incident in a game? The games already stopped so restart with the correct decision. In this case the referee would have yellow carded Romero and given a free kick to Chelsea.

Rugby does it this way, they can check for serious foul play, decide it isn’t, give a yellow card and come back to that point and reverse any decision given after this.

Hi Rich,

Once VAR is brought into play on any incident it must have the power to award the appropriate punishment if it has not already been awarded.....be that a red, yellow, free kick or nothing at all.

The Cucurella incident was clearly at the very least a foul and a free kick and not giving a free kick effectively cost Chelsea a goal.

It's a system that would seem to suit the better teams who dominate possession because it can leave you wide open to swift counter attacks down the flanks. Even City get caught out occasionally by swift counters and they are arguably the best in the world at keeping the ball.

Without stating the obvious I think the better players we have in our team and the more possesion we enjoy the better it will come to suit us.

Good job it did cost Chelsea a goal.

Its going to be fun watching Martinelli develop this season.

When he first joined and was so full of raw talent and youthful exhuberance I thought we might have unearthed our own Cristiano Ronaldo, then he had the injury and took a long time to recover and his form dipped and I thought perhaps my initial hopes were just wishful thinking.

Last decent he was decent without being spectacular and I had kind of resigned myself to thinking he would become a very, very good Arsenal player if perhaps not a worldbeater.

This season he looks like a man rather than the boy of recent seasons. He looks stronger physically and is making better decisions more quickly. I am sure Gabby Jesus joining has helped as they seem to have a great understanding and Zinny too and it is certainly making our left side much more of an attacking threat. This is great because for the last couple of seasons our attacking play has been a bit lopsided, with the threat mainly down the right. We can now attack with equal threat down both flanks which makes us hard to deal with.

I hope that Martinelli can keep up this kind of form and become one of the best players in the PL. Fingers crossed eh.

In my defense, I have said ever since Man Utd signed him that not only did they pay an astronomic overprize for him, he’s just not good enough for the level they want period. So at least I’ve been consistent and I’m not just jumping on the bandwagon! He’s mid table at best in my view, a poor man’s John Terry in a footballing world that has largely moved away from John Terry-esque defenders.

Morning Soc.

It really is. Martinelli is one of those players who would terrify me if he played for another team. He is a beautiful player to watch and has the potential to go to the very top. The interplay between him and Gabriel Jesus is going to be so important to us.

I also think Arteta needs a big nod. The turnover of players on his watch has been immense and he's really getting his side together now. It really does feel such an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan again.

Maybe because I played what was called centre-half in my day, I have some empathy for guys who play there. Along with the keeper it seems to be the position that generates most fervent hyperbole from pundits and fans. Remember how Tony was considered a donkey at one time! OK Maguire is no Adams, but I think he is nowhere near as bad a player as some consider him. He was a pivotal figure in United's last successful Premier League season and England's World Cup and Euro campaigns. He gives everything to whichever team he represents and is a durable character. Right now he is probably the least of United's problems. If they are to recover their grandeur there is every chance he will be part of the solution.

Maguire is more of what is called an old fashioned CB. Rugged strong good in the air. If you need a CB that defends deep as part of 2 banks of 4 as he did at Leicester he's your man. At Manure he's has recently been asked to play a highline in the new shiny geggenpresse football and he simply isn't suited to this.

Yes, and I would add he's not even an exceptional one, merely 'good'. Add in the fact that he's completely unsuited for the type of football pretty much all top clubs wants to play and he quickly becomes an anchor because of his hig wages. They need a big clearout at Man Utd and he should be one of the first to go in my opinion.

Very quiet on the transfer front.

Seen it suggested AMN is off to Germany but apart from that it’s very quiet on incomings. Still harbour hopes for a dynamic midfield player coming in but I’m not sure the club will see it as pressing especially if we beat Bournemouth at the weekend and continue our great start.

That Villarreal kid could come in as he would count as a homegrown player but I’m not sure that’s a logical signing really. Have a feeling our business might be done. Also I can’t see us slamming in a big offer for Tielemans either if we continue to win matches but I hope Arteta hasn’t forgotten he’s only ever 1 injury away from elneny in our starting line up.

Yes, United have recently been caught betwixt and between tactically, and the central defenders are often left vulnerable by the lack of cover from their midfielders. While Maguire may not possess the speed or nous of a Kolo or Ricardo Carvalho, he is no mug. Also their very good keeper is not at ease with playing out from the back, so why make him do it? If you have the core of the defensive side of the team feeling uncomfortable then the question arises should the players be changed or the tactics? The great United sides of the past were based on a combination of sound defence, untiring midfield and quickly getting the ball to deadly attackers. They were never a passing team for the sake of it and tactically they were straightforward.

I watched a series of clips of Anderson doing a complete number on Nunez all game last night, constant niggles, pushing, shoves off the ball. Nunez eventually got so frustrated he lashed out. No doubt to me Anderson knew exactly what he wanted to do and Nunez was stupid enough to fall for it.
I don’t recall Anderson doing anything like this against us so he must have targetted Nunez to test him out.

We really are a class club.
Loving the unity.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/welcome-home-heroes

So checking the table, we are in solid second place with Brentford nipping at our heels and United in relegation territory.

Yes, this is exactly what I predicted would happen.

https://twitter.com/hltco/status/155954 ... nUE0ZHaMhA

Laura Woods talking about the criticism Souness recently gave Tyrone Mings. She speaks so well on this and so many aspects of football.

As I’ve said before I don’t mind Souness as a pundit, I think he does add value and certainly has a personality that you do need as a pundit. There’s no need having so much good stuff to say if no one can be bothered to listen to you. But I do think Souness falls in to the ‘in my day’ role too often. This episode with Mings was his reaction to Gerrard taking the captaincy off Mings, Souness is obviously a very biased Gerrard fan and immediately took that to mean there is something wrong with Mings character and slaughtered him for almost daring to speak away from on mundane cliches. Sadly it is attitudes like this towards footballers who do express an opinion that leads most of them to not open up more and just stick to tried and tested answers

Surprisingly only two clubs with 100% records after two games.

And Man U's record too !

Manchester United Set Unimaginable Record on Premier League’s 30th Anniversary

https://notjustok.com/sports/manchester ... niversary/

One really positive thing that is different about this season. We have done the critical transfer business in advance and have not started with the usual recent handicap.

Tongue and cheek ah well yes, but it's been quite awhile no comment on one in particular's lovely hairstyle.

No to mention biting a la Luis Suarez.

How about scratching?

Chinese burns?

Read a few rumours today. AMN to a club in Germany. Nice interested in taking Pépé (will surely be a loan), and Arsenal interested in Caicedo from Brighton

https://twitter.com/just_prshanth/statu ... jY3Wum14sQ

A reminder of what Man U fans were saying about us 1 year ago almost to the day. I had recently started to feel an ounce of empathy with Man U fans who were decrying the poor state of their club because we’d been there - but this is a nice reminder of what an arrogant bunch they can be so let’s enjoy their mess

Looks a dinger of a player but I can't see why they'd sell him .

Any tips for the Melbourne Cup, weather next summer in NSW, NQ....

The league table is a Manchester sandwich, top end is City, bottom end is Utd

Suppose that made it a North London sandwich early last season when Tottenham were first and Arsenal were last.

Couple more rumours.

Villa want Holding as their big summer signing Carlos has ruptured his achilles- which is 6 months out.
I wouldn’t be against selling Rob if a too good to refuse offer comes in AND we have a left sided CB lined up to buy. If Villa want him because of injuries then they are desperate, we hold the cards so ask for at least £25m

We’re supposedly interested in Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea. Interesting player as a more traditional winger than our other wide players. Would Chelsea sell to us? His wages are apparently £150k a week which would be problematic considering what Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Martinelli earn and he could be behind all 3 of them. He does seem like a player whose true potential hasn’t been unlocked yet

Monreal has announced his retirement at the age of 36. Didn’t play a single game last season so I suppose could or perhaps should have retired last summer when he was 35. A very fine player in my view. Not at the level of Sansom and Cole but surely in the next level down with the likes of Tierney and Clichy.

Would be a good move for Holdiing as with Saliba, Gabriel and White ahead of him in the pecking order, he’s not going to play very often at Arsenal. But as you imply we’ll need another central defender in addition to those three.

I’m not sure about Hudson-Odoi. He’s extremely talented but rarely produces what he’s capable of. Considering what he’d cost I’d be very surprised if Arsenal bought him.

Yes a good player and a man of character who fitted the Arsenal shirt well.

Excellent player, very consistent and I felt he was always underrated during his time here. Great pro as well, and clearly loved playing for Arsenal as evidenced by his goodbye message for the fans when he left.

And now Elon Musk says he's gonna buy Man United.

Haven't they suffered enough !

https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-li ... ff8327f681

**And yes I know he has already walked back the statement.

I wouldn’t do it, model pro who always does his best. He was never really the same after a bad injury affected his mobility but he is useful to have in the squad.

Certainly no less than 25 million. It wouldn’t make sense and even then it only really is logical if we can find a homegrown LCB close to the price who could grow into the role and those don’t grow on trees. No for me

Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a comment about buying Manchester United. He later said he was joking.

Completely disagree on DeBruyne, Gerrard over Keane? Hmm....
I'll concede Shearer over Bergkamp, but if Bergkamp had spent his years in Italy in the EPL, no contest. Hate to see big Tony and Safe Hands not on there but can't disagree with the choices.