You'll fit right in then.

I think you might be setting the bar a bit too high for this place.....

Great to hear a new voice. Welcome aboard

More from today’s Times. What a stunning year this young man has had.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/engl ... 19f4219cc8

Welcome, decent first question

I think his preference is a 4-3-3 formation with inverted full backs mostly and on occasion switching it up for 3 Centre halves. The formation he seems to want requires certain types of personnel in the goalkeeping, and defensive departments able to move the ball very quickly (just defending isn’t enough anymore) and I get the impression some of our team aren’t really suited to how the aspirational set up hopes to be (messrs Bellerin, Holding,Xhaka possibly Leno)

To get an idea of our tactical direction I think you need to look at Guardiolas set up at city. If you look how both Pépé and Arteta in my opinion wrecked their respective European campaigns by false 9 experiments then you can see their thinking is alike for better or worse (usually better)

Interesting TG

So maybe at a minimum he'll want one of the two full backs to be able to convert to a centre back in a back 3 to modify approach during a game, and vice versa

I quite like Holding, I hope he can be accommodated somehow.......

I kinda get that impression, which means Tierney certainly fits the bill considering his role for Scotland but Bellerin not so sure.

I like Holding too but his distribution can be very hit and miss and the approach seems to require defenders who look very comfortable with the ball at their feet. I’m not sure this is really Holding.

My question in relation to this post is how different is Arteta's system/preferred set up than what we see at City and/or from Pep?

Are we ultimately trying to look like them? Or something different and to what degree different? Of course, the fact we can't get the same quality players as City can so perhaps we will never fully achieve it?

Offs

https://deadline.com/2021/07/arsenal-am ... 234789310/

Seem like people are seeing Arteta trying to build a different (but related) system as City. Which suggests that Arteta helped tweak and perfect Pep's system. Which Pep seems very appreciative of. That said, I am curious about what Arteta's final product looks like?

Hmm...interesting. Both sides will be cagey. I read that Italy is unbeaten in 33 Euro games. Amazing. They have stayed under the radar. No one has been talking about Italy for a while now. Belgium, Germany, France, Spain have garnered most of the attention.

I will say this. I don't think there will be many chances. I am guessing there will be more opportunities to score from corners and set ball pieces than from open play. And if there is a goal from open play it will be from the striker / winger who is more clinical of either side at the start.

England to win in 90 minutes – 13-8.
Italy to win in 90 minutes – 19-10.
Harry Kane to score first – 9-10.
Luke Shaw to register an assist – 11-2.
England to win on penalties – 15-2.
Either team to win in extra time – 5-1.

Bound to be some embarrassing moments, and plenty of pi$$ taking from opposition fans, and it isn’t a narrative you can completely control. The upside is the money and the exposure

Okonkwo has signed a new deal, been given squad number 33 and is almost certainly our 3rd choice gk next year.

Arsenal expect Kido Taylor-Hart to sign a new deal as well. Huge talent

I am sure B, and others with his mindset, thinks it is perfectly ok for England fans to celebrate their team's wins, providing we don't overdo it. Problem with that is who are they to want to confine our celebrations? B is like the starchy schoolteacher advising us not to scream at Elvis, Beatles or Rolling Stones - on a loser. Let us enjoy our moment because we know England's success is in the rocking horse *%^@ category, and we have had more bad than good memories. I still get distraught thinking of how we threw away a two goal lead against Germany in 1970!

Yes, definitely more Mertersacker than Marinello. Welcome!

Oi, that's my job.

KSE definitely on board with this to boost the coffers. Anyone really think there'll be a "candid" exposure? Expect more of premise of a club tour promo format.

I’m not asking anyone to confine their triumphalist celebrations. But who are you to tell me I can’t find them distasteful? The last thing I am is a starchy schoolteacher type, but I’m not comfortable with triumphalism.

That game in 1970 is the reason I decided to support the Germans. As I’ve explained here before, we had a load of relatives come round to watch the game, although back then it was far rarer for women to like football so the females were chatting in another room while the males watched the game. I started the match wanting England to win, but ended it being thrilled West Germany won.

Pure, unadulterated xenophobia shown by my relatives (my dad less so than uncles and cousins). The nicest term I recall being used against the Germans were ‘bloody Krauts’. It appalled me, even though I was a young kid at the time. I changed my allegiance during the course of the game, as it turns out forever.

In later times, when I was less young, I realised the older relatives had lived through the war which arguably made it understandable. But regardless of that, at the time I found the xenophobia (I may not have known what the word meant at that age) unnecessary, tasteless, if not vulgar and nasty. I’ve supported Germany (formerly West Germany) ever since, and disliked the England national team. That game changed me, and I’m glad it did.

Surely that horrendous (probably not) incident should have meant you needed to alter your opinion about your relations rather than our national football team ? I know you can’t divorce your relatives but still come on.

I mean seriously that’s one brittle spirit

Let’s be honest here, there isn’t a family around that doesn't have a couple of dickheads in it. If I listened to the advice one of my uncles gave me I’d have probably be been banged up at some point.

If your uncle had vociferously abused Tottenham during a televised game would you have gone and supported spurs. This makes no sense

Question for Bernard. Does your dislike of the England national team apply only to the football team or other English teams ie. rugby, tennis, Tour de France. Etc. Also would you consider yourself a patriot? By the way I’m not judging just trying to understand your position.

Just ran into my uncle who was slagging off Indian food and used shocking language, I now intend on eating nothing but Indian food for the rest of my life.

Whaddya mean you think it’s over the top

No I looked on it in a different way. They (my relatives) were nice people, but their anti-Germany xenophobia made me support Germany (previously West Germany) as a reaction to it. It makes no sense to you, but it made sense to me and probably because I was so young at the time, changed me forever regarding my allegiances in international football.

I wouldn’t have put abuse of Tottenham down to vulgar nationalism.

Yes it definitely applies to all sports, although the only other team sport I follow is cricket. It is way more intense with football than anything else. I do consider myself a patriot in terms of wanting the economy to do well and wanting what’s best in political terms (which of course is completely subjective). But in terms of football I’m as unpatriotic as you can get.

EDIT: With the Tour de France, I couldn’t name one cyclist in it, English or not. To express my interest in it numerically, it’s zero multiplied by nil.

Not even Mark Cavendish?

Who? I’ve heard of Eddie Mercx. But he must’ve been from the seventies. Wasn’t there a famous English cyclist from more recent times. Maybe two. But I’ve forgotten his or their name(s).
EDIT: Apparently his name is spelt Merckx.

Quite right.

Well it is probably better than English food, with a few notable exceptions (steak and kidney pudding, etc.).

Rather like Germany is generally better than England at football.

So good choices all round.

Didn't know that and had me looking at it.

My most painful Arsenal moment was losing the CL 2nd leg to Chelsea. Don't know why that was the most painful, given other heartbreaking losses. Letting Tottenham come back is probably 2nd.

...are we talking about Twitter or certain parts of the forum over the years?

Alright dried meat pipe down.

Hello 1979gooner

I just hope the team is set-up with higher mobility, and be able to attack with pace

Today’s sports pages. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mark ... 6e6cca43e2

It’s the front page article.

Steak and kidney pudding. Quintessentially English but almost completely absent from restaurant menus (sadly).

Next time you happen to be in L.A. And although I don't see it on the menu currently https://www.robinhoodbritishpub.com/ , one of the reviews says "The ONLY place in town to get good steak and kidney pie."

English restaurants often have steak and kidney pie.

Pie is not the same as pudding though.

Amazon documentary supposedly earns Arsenal £11-12m. If that’s the price we get for airing a bit of dirty laundry then I’m all for it. That pays for our new left back and his 5 year contract!

Until you mentioned him yesterday I’d never heard of him.

Is that why you support the Germans Bernard, because you've never heard of certain people?

No, Mark Cavendish never had that effect.

Let me explain, one does mass sprints and the other did mass rallies