Good post john, agree with a lot of this.

Felt like watershed moment for Lacazette and Pépé late night. Pepes transfer looks a complete disaster now and people will be watching him very closely in the next game.

I don't think we were great defensively last night, even though I thought David Luiz was excellent bar that clearing header for the 3rd goal. He was the only defender calm enough in possession to beat the Liverpool press.

If you add Aouar and Partey to our central midfield then suddenly (on paper at least) we look a yard quicker, stronger and more progressive. Sadly, I think we we will be lucky to get one of them if any.

Hi Bernard,

Nketiah is an old fashioned fox-in-the-box. His work rate is commendable, he's quite quick and he has that uncanny knack of getting into positions to score goals, quite often tap-ins. The downside is that he isn't especially strong with his back to goal thus is hold-up play is not great. As you point out in playing him you gain some things but lose some things as well.

Listening to the Tuesday club, it’s good but I disagree with the sentiment on Leno. Surely Uber critical to criticise his role in the first goal, also I can’t agree with the passing out from the back stuff. In certain moments maybe too hesitant sure fair enough but it didn’t cost us a goal and had nothing to do with our midfield not being good enough to hold on to the ball or Lacazette not being able to hit the net.

I think they made decent points about moving Aubameyang up top, bringing Saka on and the quality of Ceballos when he came on.

My overriding thoughts on this game this morning are we simply need 2 new midfielders and unfortunately a new striker now and not to replace our goalkeeper.

Agree with that. The trouble for us is Nketiah is a finisher of moves, so is Aubameyang and so to some extent is Pépé. All of them like to be on the end of moves, rarely the fulcrum of the move itself. I think that is where Lacazette has the edge on Nketiah and it is more to do with team balance

If you play 3 up top at least one of them needs to have a different skillset and to be a creator as well as chipping in with goals. That should really be Pépé but it hasn't worked for him so far.

I think both foul throws were because Bellerin didn't release the ball from behind his head, it is easy to do when you're trying to do a 'slow' throw in to someone quite close to you.

No way of telling if Jota's was handball because we weren't given the chance to look at the frame by frame VAR review. That is the annoying part, give it the full treatment as every other goal incident has this season and if the ref still can't make a firm decision then let the goal stand, no problem with that, but at least review it.

Yep, get two high quality central midfielders in and the team definitely moves from top 6-8 to potential top 4. It would be great if we could address other issues as well but we'll have to do things in priority order over a period of time on a limited budget, just like Klopp has had to do at Liverpool.

Next season look at a new striker and make a decision on the futures of Nketiah, Holding and Nelson. We will probably also be looking for another CB to replace Luiz (assuming Soktrais, Chambers, Mustafi are all gone by then as well). I also think we could revisit the right back position if teams like PSG are still interested in Bellerin, £20m next year. That Castagne at Leciester looks a great purchase for £25m, he won't be moving to use next year but using it as an example of value in the market for players who just seem suited to the league

I think we will get Aouar. The Lyon president has made enough noise to suggest they will sell but wants a good price. My gut feeling is something around 40 million with add ons will do it but Lyon will drag it out to at least make it look to their fans that they didn't sell too easily.

Partey or another is going to depend on sales. Such a shame we can't find the buyers or permanent deals for Torreira and Guendouzi. That could be enough to buy Partey if we could sell at market rate. You'd hope if Atletico want Torreira that some deal can be struck there.
Also so annoying that Özil is happy to just waste his time and not go and play football somewhere, even if we covered 50% of his wage it would be £9m to add to the transfer pot.

There are sales to be made that could still generate good money

Agree with that. I really want us to get Partey and Aouar, to get us to that next level where we can challenge for the title in the near future, but we can get top 4 even without them. Liverpool and Manchester City will be firmly out of reach for anyone else, but Manchester United aren't all that looking beyond their front three, and Chelsea for all their money spent look dreadful so far. Rode their luck against a Brighton side that outplayed them for big parts of the game, and were crap against Liverpool and WBA. Leicester looking like the biggest threat so far, with Everton as an outsider, but we should definitely be in the fight.

Good post.

We competed far better last night, and gave Liverpool a fright. As both you and Niall mention, we've given them a couple of black eyes recently so they were extremely motivated for this one. They played far far better than they did against Leeds, so the claims that Leeds gave them more of a game are unfair imo. At least it feels like we give enough of a toss now.

We need a bit of patience and give Mikel time, just like Liverpool gave Klopp.

The passing out from the back should be a tactic not a fetish. If you have Aubameyang a few balls over the top would not go astray to keep the Pool defence honest.

Yes, let's not forget Liverpool finished 8th the season Klopp took over as manager, and in the following two seasons they finished 4th. It's going to be a gradual process where we need to strengthen our team and build our way of playing up bit by bit. I think we've seen enough from Arteta to be quite positive that he's the guy to lead us at least, can't say the same for Chelsea, United and Tottenham.

I agree with this. Playing out from the back gets increasingly dodgy the better the opposition is at closing players in possession down. Although there were no errors from that to give a goal away, Liverpool are close to the finished article in closing players down. Hence it was always going to be quite risky last night.

This upcoming international break could be quite well timed for us. Sheffield United at home is definitely a game we should win with our current squad, but then it's two weeks until we're up against City. If we get a signing or two done before the window closes chances are they will be ready to play by then. Leicester looking like an early key fixture.

If this is true Aoua, can go where ever but not to us. I only want people committed to the fight. He'll have a good year and use that as a bargaining chip to eff off to City.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/footbal ... ews-gossip

I am far more positive about Arteta than any of Lampard, Ole or Jose. Jose will get good results but he's too confrontational and us against the world, his routine doesn't work now so it'll end in tears. Ole and Lampard just strike me as managers who can pick a team of his best players and that's about it, I just don't see anything from either of them that tells me they can influence their teams beyond the individual skills of the players they pick.

Also the comparisons with Klopp, 8th and patience are fair but we started in a worse position than Klopp for 2 reasons. 1) We have way more millstones around our neck, just bad players on big contracts we can't shift. 2) we don't have a golden goose we can shift for £140m to Barca, That was really the catalyst for Klopp to get his GK and CB that turned them from pretty good to world class team.

Lyon have agreed a deal to sign Lucas Paquetá from Milan - he's an attacking central midfielder. Aouar replacement.....?

I would say we had a better squad when Arteta took over than Liverpool had in October 2015. Mignolet as first choice keeper, Lovren, Sakho and Skrtel as their three main central defenders, and Coutinho their only player with a little attacking flair, Klopp really had to build them from the ground up. You could argue players like Henderson, Firmino and Milner were already there, but nobody really rated them until Klopp made them work in his team.

thought Maitland Niles did enough yesterday to get a chance at starting in the right wing. then Saka can start on the left. Think that both of them offer more than what Willian or Pépé did this morning and also both are more committed to tracking back.

1st half was hard to watch but it was against the best team in the league.

Commentators (maybe Jim Beglin or Peter Drury) were constantly talking about playing it over the top as there was a lot of space so think we were a bit too conservative in the 1st half and could have caused a few more problems. It might also have pegged their midfield back a little bit.

Glad to see the 2nd half a lot different and Arteta will improve this team more in the coming months.

Yeah I can see that argument. But the best comparison would be if we sold Özil for £140m. A player who is talented but doesn't fit in the managers formation or style of play so was expendable. If we sold Özil for £140m I think we'd be much better set to emulate Klopp's team than we are currently, even if we started with a superior squad.

Boubakary Soumaré will leave Lille this summer, their president has said he'll leave. Lots of clubs have been after this guy. 6 years younger than Partey with a similar price tag I think

Lyon set us a Friday deadline to agree the Aouar deal and rumours are we've nearly given up on Partey as Atletico don't want to budge on any negotiation. Don't sell or loan them Torreira then, he's got offers to go back to Italy.

I'd expect the league cup team to be similar to Leicester.
Runarsson should get a run in goal
I'd like to see Saliba, Gabriel, Kolasinac (only to protect others)
Saka and AMN as wing backs
Willock and Ceballos in midfield
Pépé Nketiah Nelson up front

Worth noting in the Leno/Martinez debate which I'm sure will rumble on every time Leno is perceived to make a mistake. Martinez dropped a total clanger in the Fulham game last night, Villa were 3-0 up but he fumbled a pretty routine shot and Fulham tapped in the rebound, it was wiped out because Mitrovic fouled someone in the box - but the mistake was still there from Martinez.

I still think the club made the right decision. Who knows if anyone was even in for Leno anyway? Martinez had a 15 game sample and there was £20m on the table for a player who's value was unlikely to be higher.

He's playing for a team where he will likely face lots of shots and make lots of saves so I'm sure the media will throw it back at Arsenal every time he makes some saves, he's a good GK, sometimes transfers can mean both teams are winners.

That is not a bad lineup, and it will be interesting to see Liverpool's side. Thiago will probably start if he's fit, but as scary as Anfield is they're bound to rest at least a couple of their key players. They have good replacements, but it's not just about the individual quality with them, their starting eleven is very well-drilled and knows exactly how to play together. Shift 4-5 players around and it's a slightly different beast.

Martinez performance review based on Bernd Leno expectation standards

https://youtu.be/8LSUuxAkoo8

1) gets done on his near post for the 1st

2) weak hand for 4th goal

3) weak hand for 5th goal

4) dives the completely wrong way for 4 out of the 5 penalties and gets nowhere near any of them.

Not to mention his woeful performance in the 7-5 against Reading. The only keeper in club history to concede five goals in more than one League Cup game? Useless. And who was that dopily-tracking-back German lad in the number 47 shirt? Pulis was dead right - he'll never amount to anything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPasPLfdy3M

Done on his near post again for goal 2 and again weak hands

For goal 3 ... the weakest hands of all time !! (Imagine if Leno did that)

For goal 4, weak hands should have parried!

Goal 5 I thought he was supposed to be good at crosses, ridiculous

See how easy this is.

A few German outlets reporting Leverkusen are close to signing Kolasinac for €10m.

Liverpool's Thiago positive for Covid 19....................

Will the teams have to isolate?

This from JustArsenal website....

Arsenal has been looking to sign either one of Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar for much of this summer, and Diawara will represent a much cheaper alternative to both players.

Oh God, Kaba’s back.

I actually saw a couple of his appearances back then.

All I remember is him hitting the post several hundred times. That can’t be right can it?

I know youtube compilations can make anyone look like a world beater, but I think the good ones does a pretty good job of showing the style of a player. This is a good one on Aouar. Shows a lot of his dribbling ability, but also more incisive passing than I've seen from him before. The more I see about Aouar the more he seems like the perfect signing for us this summer, really hope we get this one over the line.

Please let that be true. The defensive left side of the squad is so well covered. Gabriel, Mari, Tierney, Holding can all play left CB in a 3 and Tierney, AMN and Saka can all play left back or left wing back.

Lots of reports that Napoli have everything sealed and ready to go for Sokratis at £5m but they need to sell Koulibaly - who was meant to be interesting City but they've just signed Dias for £65m. Maybe they want another £60m CB!?

If we got £15m from Kolasinac and Sokratis it would be a pair of really good sales. Not in the outrageous price category but just that we moved both on for any fee at all!

Even if it is 9.99m, make it happen!

As usual Arsenal are leaving it late when it comes to transfers. Sokratis, Torreira, Holding, Mustafi (cough..spit... ), Chambers, Kolasinac, Özil, Guendouzi, Lacazette, (Elneny and Xhaka?) still on the books. All have been mentioned as players we will or want to sell for the right deal. Özil omitted, because we can't get rid of him.

During the debate Trump openly supported a group called the Proud Boys who his own FBI has identified as a far right extreme group with white supremacist ideals. He was playing to his base. It's been a hundred years since we had a president who was openly supremacist (Wilson) and we have had a Supreme Court justice in the 1920s who was a member of the KKK (Hugo Black). Truman was mentored by a KKK member politician but rejected it later. Surreal.

There is literally no line that Trump can cross for his base. It is not said as hyperbole. Literally. It's not about decency or character but the aforementioned. Southern and midwest evangelical Christians especially, but also all others, the same. They have more access to Trump than any other President and in return they will excuse literally anything. Pastors have been on Fox News commenting on his sexual and verbal abuse and said "We knew we were not getting a boy scout". These same evangelicals have been on the wrong side of every major substantive social issue in American history: pro slavery, pro segregation, anti Women's suffrage in 1919, anti Civil Rights movement, pro Vietnam war, anti 1970s women's movement, anti gay marriage legality. Modern day pharisees are what most regard them.

Post debate they interview "undecided voters". There is no such thing. At least no such thing as a choice between Biden and Trump. Anyone who says they are undecided fall into the following categories:

1. Trump voters who don't want to be ostracized socially by saying so. These people are in areas that are progressive or evenly distributed. Good luck on getting that job with Trump supporting posts on social media. The biggest reasons by far people are being unfriended on Facebook is support for Trump. It's routine for women on dating apps to put "No Republicans or Trump supporters". Family members have stopped speaking to each other. I've seen it in friends. Trump is far, far too polarizing to not have a firm opinion either way. They are voting for Trump but won't say they will to friends, pollsters, etc.

2. Republicans who hate Trump. They are heartbroken their party looks like a 1930s brown shirt Berlin beer hall gathering. They are deciding whether which is worse. A Democrat controlled America or Trump and its truly a conflicted decision for them.

3. Bernie Sanders (or Elizabeth Warren or Andrew Yang) supporters. They dislike Biden. They either didn't vote for Hillary Clinton and instead went 3rd party such as the Green Party or they stayed home. They are conflicted with do they hold their nose and vote for Biden or do they stay home and Trump possibly getting a second term.

Win or lose, look for Trump 2.0, Tucker Carlson, Fox News show host to probably run in the 2024 election. Far, far, far more dangerous than Trump. Smarter, well spoken, gaslights better than almost anyone. Extreme right nationalist who can sound reasonable. He can get the middle because he is for or against issues they agree on such as American foreign militarism. He wants to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq totally. He supports some things the middle or even the left supports. He had to sack his producer this year. A close friend of his, when it was found he was linked to extreme supremacist groups and rhetoric supporting them. He is no buffoon. He is Goebbels incarnate.

Just looked thru the Partey and Aouta highlights and particularly the ones that say something like this is why Arsenal want..... (fill in the name) and I see nothing that would suggest they will remarkably improve our team. I have seen nothing to suggest a fast paced brilliantly creative player who will score goals and provide a lot of assists. I see people say they may need a year to settle in. Partey looks a bit like Pepe- can dribble but easily shut down. No devastating passes from either, and nothing to suggest an immense physical presence.

I see a player such as Saka who has many skills and can play in many positions. I would rather move him into the midfield and let him adapt for a year. Afterall are the targets better than Özil or Guendouzi. Management includes making the most of your resources. He has not done that. Arteta seems to be getting players he wants- Soares, Mari, Luiz, Leno over Martinez, Willian. But really none have significantly improved us. We continue to fail to create chances. He seems to prefer older players and is not really developing the younger plsyers. A cynic would suggest he is getting players to try and protect his job.

I see neither of these players we are chasing as good enough. Am I doubting Arteta - I suppose I would say I would need to see significant changes in our playing style and players to believe he is the messiah others are suggesting. We have tightened our defending at the expense of our attack.

Forget the Liverpool game. I think we had about 5 shots in our home game against Westham and they had at least double that and against Fulham about 13 shots against a team that will likely finish bottom. The upcoming games are really significant to see if we really are developing a playing style. The players now are committed and try but that is not enough.

Have to ask, have you ever seen a player you've rated? Henry maybe? Zidane, or at least Maradona?

Tucker Carlson? The Democrats could threaten to run Jon Stewart against him.