It’s quite sad isn’t it. Other than Newcastle who are on the brink of a takeover I can’t think of a team who lack any ambition right from the top.
Whether the ambition is to win the league, get in to Europe, stay steady in the prem and then push on every other team has a plan, a goal and an ambition. Our owner probably doesn’t even know we played today

I’d rather Saka signed a new contract than Aubameyang. It may sound odd but we need to be realistic and have a full reset

Some of Arteta’s decisions haven’t been what we’d expect and some may have backfired but given the absolute horror show he walked in to, weak squad, terrible morale, no leaders, worst season for 30 odd years he has a hell of a job on his hands. This season was a write off a long time ago, when Arteta came in he had 15 odd games to learn what he needs to about the players, weed out those who won’t fit in, and put time in to those that got the plan.
I wouldn’t mind finishing much lower down the league if you can see there is a clear plan and direction.
Everything we do has to be in spite of Kroenke because we won’t get anything from him. Also we must stop this nonsense of buying players based on who their agent is.

Hi Zed. Must admit I don’t think Henry is the sole owner of Liverpool. I believe Liverpool are owned by the Fenway Sports Group, and Henry is the biggest but not the sole owner of FSG. Apparently Henry owns 40% of the shares in FSG. I’ve thus seen Henry called Liverpool’s principal owner.

That’s why it’s different to Arsenal’s position. Arsenal’s sole owner is Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, and KSE is solely owned by Stan Kroenke. That’s why it’s surely reasonable to say Arsenal is solely owned by Stan Kroenke, even though I presume the legal documentation regarding the club’s ownership states that the owner of Arsenal is KSE.

The Maupay challenge on Leno needs to be discussed properly, not by the idiot Rio Ferdinand saying he wants his striker to do that, to be aggressive and let the gk know he’s there. I even saw one Journalist say Leno should have raised his knee to make sure the striker took the hit, so once again blaming the injured player!
Maupay has said he didn’t intend to injure him, there was no intent. This line is always rolled out, of course no player deliberately tries to injure another, but that isn’t the point. If Maupay wasn’t trying to injure Leno what was he trying to do, because Leno had the ball in both hands long before Maupay got to him and could have, should have pulled out of any challenge he had decided to make. In my view it was a push to try to make Leno go outside his area and handball it. His push put Leno off balance and he seriously injured his knee, of course the chances of the knee injury are slim but these cheap late shots are taken very seriously in so many other sports but not football. We’ve seen this before with Debuchy who suffered a serious shoulder injury for a reckless and needless push and I’ve also seen Sanchez escape injury after being pushed off the pitch in to those concrete camera pits.

Nothing will change

Manchester United

8 times we’ve taken the lead in games and failed to win them this season. Twice we’ve had a 2 goal lead and not won, and twice we’ve had the lead and lost.
The first goal is so often important in prem games but not that much for us. We’ve often had to work so hard to get that lead and end up throwing it away far too easily.
That’s 18 dropped points

They break records for transfer fees almost every year. The owners may not be interested but they are allowing every manager to invest heavily in the team as they want

We spent a fortune last summer. United are aiming for 4th. The self-titled biggest club in the world is targeting 4th place.

Guendouzi will probably face retrospective action for grabbing Maupay by the throat at the end fog this game, even if Maupay did throw himself to the floor.

We spent a lot for us but it’s not really comparable to Man U. They’re paying Sanchez £500k a week to play for another team and have spent £1 billion on transfers over the last 7 seasons.

We have spent an awful lot in recent seasons and we have a very high wage bill. United have spent more in both respects, which is understandable. When Ferguson was manager, they were pissed off if they didn't win the leagie. These days they have set their target at 4th.

I agree. I was embarrassed that we carried on about it. If a keeper can’t put up with a few minor fouls he is not up to it. All the afters relating to it displayed the total lack of mental toughness in our side. The players were looking at a way of deflecting away from their terrible performance. The thought process is pathetic; let us pretend that it was the Leno injury that cost us the game. It didn’t: indeed look at all the saves Martinez had to make. Look at our failure to make clear chances. As for the Martinelli situation I think Arteta is starting to look out of his depth.

Arteta has a difficult task to do with creating leaders and then those leaders developing game management. You’d hope most players have a sense of in game management but ours don’t so there needs to be strong leaders to cajole those around them. We don’t have leaders. Players can develop in to leaders but there has to be something in there to start with. I can’t see it anywhere

I agree with Gaz a bit.

Martinelli, Aubameyang, Pépé

That’s your front 3 Mikel, it’s as clear as day so stop *%^@*** about. If we need a goal from nothing it’s only coming from one of those 3 players and any other combination is lop sided. Use Saka sparingly by all means but you need PEA central and the 2 young players wide.

Also by playing Nketiah and willock it’s cutting off your nose to spite your face. It’s frustrating we have players in our squad with attitude problems or an eye elsewhere but those 2 guys simply aren’t ready for this level. By all means play them but they aren’t ready to win games in the premier league week in week out so you are sacrificing points.

My anger with the Leno injury is not because of any intent to injure but the fact the ball was not there to be won. It isn’t like a late tackle between two outfield players. Maupay tried to push Leno out of the box to claim a handball, of course 99 time out of 100 its innocuous and play restarts with a free kick, but taking a player out when they’re in the air leaves it open to the freak injury. I see it when strikers chasing defenders back towards their gk frustratingly push the defender in to the o rushing gk, I’m sure we lost a player to injury to this as well.
Rugby has seen the danger in taking a player out in the air and it is an instant penalty, yellow or red card no matter the maliciousness or intent or lack of injury. Gk’s are rightly protected by refs when they go up for a ball in the air because their arms aren’t their to protect themselves or brace a fall.
Of course it isn’t the reason we lost the game but it also can’t be excused because there was no intent to injure. You take responsibility for your actions and the safety of other players. Leno was rightly annoyed as he knows he’ll be out of the game for 6 months or longer solely because of Maupay’s unnecessary foul for a ball that simply couldn’t be won

Agreed. And it’s the basis for the front 3 moving forward, without lacazette and likely without Aubameyang- so stick with Pépé and Martinelli and buy a striker or left winger to compliment the other two

What is the current thinking on Guendouzi? Sometimes it feels like he thinks his petulance and winding up the opposition is part of his role and enhances the way he plays.
I think he’s had a tough season, which is not surprising for someone so young in such a dysfunctional team.
I don’t think he’s at the level to play for us at the moment, I can picture him in a strong powerful team full of leaders who position and talk to him and he can be the youthful ball of energy. But at the momentous a long way from that sort of team and his immaturity is being exposed.

Last summer I suggested every player had his price and I’d accept £40-50m from psg if they were bidding. He had a couple of games earlier this season where he really drove us forward and looked excellent, the saviour, but looking back it was the disorganised chaos of the team desperately chasing the game that played right in to his strength.

I’d certainly view Guendouzi differently if our first choice midfield was peak Vieira and petit. So he’s worth persevering with, my biggest worry is his lack of pace and mobility coupled with a bit of a lack of awareness and positional sense. If you don’t have the first two you must have the second two.

Reagan calling Thatcher to apologize for invading Grenada without us telling her. Surprisingly the 80s was the most peaceful decade in US history since WW2.

The human equivalent of a red setter.

He has a fighting attitude but I haven’t seen much evidence to suggest he’s technically good enough to play in the centre of a side good enough to compete. His distribution is pretty basic, he has little range or speed in his distribution and it’s a feature affecting our ability to create chances. I think he needs a loan to get experience with willock and Nketiah

That said I think this is the worst midfield we have had for years. They can’t control or dominate any midfield battle with any team in the league. We would give our right arms for even a player like Diaby or Rosicky never mind Vieira or Petit

Hi Rich,

When Guendouzi first burst onto the scene I thought he was destined for great things. His confidence and energy combined with decent technical ability was a breath of fresh air for someone so young and it seemed he was headed for the top. Yes, he was raw and needed to gain some strength and sort out the positional side of his game, tracking runners being a good example, but generally the tools looked to be there for him to evolve into a top player.

The last season has been a disappointment and if anything he has gone backwards. That youthful exhuberance has been replaced with a cynical and snidey side which sees him more concerned with winding up the opposition and their fans than concentrating on his own game. One or two off-field issues has added to the sense that his lack of maturity is a problem.

I feel like his lack of pace and power, like so many of our central midfielders, is an issue and I do wonder what his best position is.

He does have talent, though, and I do think that to sell him now, except for an offer too good to refuse, would be a little premature.

I rate Guendouzi very, very highly. His long and short passing are both good. His energy is remarkable and is thus able to make himself available for passes, and he competes. I wouldn’t dream of accepting a £40-50m offer for him as I think he could well end up worth twice that.

Many of us devote so much energy to players we’d get rid of or buy. Who we’d like as head coach. A smaller number, with you being the clearest example since Lomekian no longer posts, target refereeing decisions. I do it myself. As I’ve said it’s what fans of all clubs of all sizes do, so I’m not suggesting we should stop. But such issues are not the main problems facing Arsenal. You touched on what is yesterday. It is Kroenke’s ownership and until he goes, I can’t see much changing however much we talk about players, the coach, team selection, referees, and so on.

Does anyone seriously think Stan will fund the sort of turnover in the squad that’s arguably needed? In my view, there’s a two word answer however much money we get for players sold. No chance. With a personal fortune of ten bleed’n billion I bet there are loads of clubs counted as financially doped with less wealthy owners than Arsenal. He is not ambitious for success on the pitch. Didn’t Zed said say something like we’re an investment for him? If not, apologies. But KSE owns an English Premier League team. He likes that, it’s good for the appearance of his investment portfolio. Whether it wins anything is immaterial.

As I suggested the other day, he could buy Bayern bloody Munich or Glasgow sodding Celtic and the main beneficiaries would be, respectively, Dortmund and Rangers. I realise we can’t spend all day only taking about Kroenke. It would make the forum boring. But regarding the fortunes of the club, I honestly believe Stan is way more important than what players we buy and sell, team selection, the head coach, refereeing decisions and so on. We might as well talk about whether cheese on toast is better with mature or mild cheddar.

Heard there was a strange incident yesterday to do with subs. Teams are allowed 5 subs but are only allowed to make them on 3 occasions.
Martinez coming on was number 1. Then I think arsenal wanted to make a double change, someone and Tierney, but the 4th official wouldn’t let Tierney on at the same time so arsenal couldn’t do Tierney on as they’d be restricted to those 3 individual subs. They had to make a triple change much later on.

Definitely mature cheddar and with lashings of Worcestershire sauce!

If we assume after 3 years of Pep as a tutor that Arteta wants to follow the Pep style and philosophy and by effect mimic the way city play you would need to look at our current squad and ask how many of the players are capable of playing that way? Obviously not many are, they are top class players but I’m thinking about our players who just fit the mould even if they are a tier lower.
Ball playing gk? Leno is decent and I’m happy with him but his distribution is not on Neuer and Ederson level

Defenders playing with a high line, ball playing ability and recovery pace? No-one in the squad fits that

Full backs, pace, very comfortable on the ball to tuck inside and play in midfield? Bellerin and Tierney could potentially do this. Pep would be moulding Saka as a left back in his system I reckon

Holding mid with ultimate positional and discipline, a capable CB, brilliant one touch? No

Central mids with creativity, drive, control? No

Wide men who spread the play but get in the box and score lots? Pépé, Martinelli there is potential

Striker, pressing, hold up and link play, stretch defences? Not certain Aubameyang or Lacazette are suited to this role. Pep would have Aubameyang playing wide left in his team I’m sure, he did it with Henry at Barca.

Mature cheddar all day long.....

When we restarted there was an outside chance we could snatch 5th and potential champions league. I had and still have no doubt that the team above us would drop enough points to let us in - I also have no doubt that we won't be good enough to capitalise.
Exactly as last year when Spurs and Chelsea were almost falling over themselves to not finish in the top 4 only for us to only get 4 points from our last 5 games

The more I think about it the more obvious it is that we are simply a mid table side. This is our level right now. Massive rebuild job for Arteta on limited funds.

Also, read our midfield combined has scored only one goal this season in the league. The most dysfunctional midfield we’ve had since the last days of George Graham’s reign. Allowing Ramsey to leave on a free was rank stupidity.

Going to be years before we’re able to mount a genuine challenge without strong support from above.

I always liked Giroud. Other fans seemed to rate him more than gooners did. I've always felt he was blamed for not being RvP .He was obviously a different type of player. He was criticized for things that were never in his locker like his pace. Chelsea fans are still laughing at the deal they got.

Apparently FFP is being relaxed due to Covid-19, if ever there was an opportune moment to invest in to this squad it’s now. I won’t hold my breath

The eye opening moment when I reached this conclusion was when we played Leicester away last season I think. I counted 6 Leicester players who easily walk straight into our side. Knew we were in trouble.

Your absolutely right we are an average mid table side. This is the worst side we have had since 94/95 and I think our current midfield is worse than the one that side had.

Hi Bern,
Henry through Fenway Sports, which is a sports conglomerate for Henry's principal ownership of Liverpool, etc. Even so, Fenway Sports seems to better manage financially all aspects of their sports enterprises. Kroenke as sole Arsenal owner appears to allow the club to be mismanaged.

If we hadn’t sold them Ox would be running our central midfield and Iwobi would be our creative 10. Both by some distance!

Enjoyed watching Saint-Maximin for Newcastle this afternoon. He’s a threat every time he’s on the ball, strong, tenacious, direct, pact, skillful and a terrific work ethic.

Hi Zed. I’m certainly not arguing with your view that Fenway seem to manage their sports concerns than Kroenke. Look, I don’t follow American sports. I’ve heard of the bigger clubs like New York 49ers, the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Flyers and now the LA Rams who I know are owned by KSE. But I must admit I couldn’t even tell you with any certainty what sports they play. From watching the old US sitcom Cheers many years ago, set in Boston, I think the Boston Celtics were ice hockey. But I’m not absolutely certain.

However, what is perfectly obvious to me is that Fenway run Liverpool way better and with far more ambition than Kroenke runs Arsenal.

EDIT: I just looked them up. The Boston Celtics are basketball not ice hockey. Didn’t the character Sam Malone, the bar owner in Cheers, used to play for them?

ANOTHER EDIT: I just up looked Cheers on Wikipedia. It says the bar owner Sam Malone (played by the actor Ted Danson) used to play for Boston Red Sox. Sorry, I thought it was the Boston Celtics.

I was curious how the time off would affect Liverpool. Had the season not been interrupted they would have likely rolled over Everton. They were that unstoppable. They will win the title assuredly. No doubt whatsoever on that but they may drop more points than now than otherwise pre Covid 19 stoppage.

I bet they wouldn’t. Whether or not they’ve improved since leaving, had Oxlade-Chamberlain and Iwobi stayed I strongly suspect they would have remained the fairly ordinary players they were or had become at Arsenal.