Except that in the only thing resembling a race between any of those three, the club speed test, Guendouzi finished behind Xhaka, so that’s just wishful thinking on your part isn’t it.

You are spot on saying that. His record with us is great, and we should be doing all we can to keep him. He is one of our very few world-class players. He would be snapped up quickly by any number of big clubs.

I think I recall reading Aubameyang is the quickest to 50 goals. Amazing given the great scorers we have had.

Also, if I have read it right, a transfer at that fee means Liverpool will have made about £8m out of his time with them. That doesn't seem a lot. If Arsenal did that we'd never hear the end of it!

Center midfield and central defense both need overhauling. You can find a scientist to clone Vieira and Petit and if the central defense is not good, a team could nullify that playing long ball to a weak defense.

Completely agree on the central midfield though. Partey would be a great step in that direction. We are strongly linked but who knows.

Xhaka was making runs into the box which we haven't seen much of at all and one of those booming shots from distance got blocked. I have to think that's Arteta behind his recent forays into scoring positions.
His shot is one way he can make up for his other deficiencies but he's not taken full advantage of that, until recently.

Sheffield United 1-0 at 30 minutes but who pops up and equalises seconds later.Harry Kane the man himself.

My favourite ref on VAR disallows the goal foir an accidental handball during the build up. I'm sure Dean and Atkinson woiuld have given it.

Sheff Utd lead 1-0

Totts losing at Sheff Utd.

Comical episode when straight the re-start, Moura was bearing down on goal but was fouled. Ref played on as the ball fell to Kane who duly ‘scored’. On checking, VAR spotted that in the act of being fouled, the ball touched Moura’s arm as he fell. Chalked off.

How sad.

Is the club speed test the graphic you said showed Aubameyang was slower than Xhaka? You didn’t mention Guendouzi as part of the graphic.

But are you seriously telling me you think Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang? If so, do you trust the graphic that much? Because, I’m sorry, I can’t trust any speed test that makes Xhaka quicker than Aubameyang, unless the latter had his ankles tied together or something similar.

So I’m perfectly comfortable in saying Guendouzi is quicker than Xhaka. Because I simply don’t think Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang, assuming that is the speed test you talk of.

Liverpool? Do you mean city? Or are you thinking of Mané at Pool? I was racking my brain to think had I missed some complicated clause or a secret youth by Sane spent with Liverpool?? I have concluded it’s not me it’s you

Bernard excuse my vernacular but what the actual *%^@.

Do the things other people say really register with you beyond jumping off points to make your rationally irrational arguments?

Go back and have a look if you want, it’s an Arsenal training list, posted BY Aubameyang showing speeds of players. Guendouzi is, yep you guessed it, just below Xhaka. I’m not claiming this as a slam dunk or gospel proof he’s slower than Xhaka, as it was one test a year ago, but to show claims that Guendouzi isn’t slow as demonstrably not true.

If you ACTUALLY thought i was batshit enough to say Aubameyang is slower than Xhaka why only say it now??

Can we put a cap in talking about Guendouzi, I don’t know what will come of him, neither do you. You have higher hopes than me, I wish the best for him particularly as it affects the club.

I may be jinxing them but hold on Blades. Hold on.

Ash, to show I wasn’t bringing this issue out of thin air, here is the post you did and my reply to it. The were on page 12829. Your one was post number 513138 and mine was 513139.

Just seeing them play, I simply cannot believe Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang and nor can I believe Guendouzi is slower than Xhaka.

Is there a chance Martinez might actually be a better keeper than Leno?

Great with his feet, makes top saves, safe handling and seems better aerially than Leno. Perhaps not blessed with the razor sharp reflexes of Leno but in some ways a better all round keeper?

If we are going to continue to play out from the back there is a an argument that his ability with the ball at his feet may be a deciding factor. In the way that Ederson at City is almost an extra outfield player.

AG
Sane never played for Liverpool, even in his youth career. He's a German national. The fee is £54M with £10M in add ons to the £44M, with a 10% sell on clause. He's gone to BM for a physical already. And Mané does play for Liverpool.

Woop wooop 2-0 now....................................

Whoa is Moaninhon now 3-0

Maybe I'm becoming a big softy but I never thought I'd see the day when I felt actual pity for Mourinho. I'm happy as hell Sheffield Utd is putting it to them but I feel sorry for Jose.

Oh how far the mighty have fallen.

3-1 to the Blades.

Those poor fans.

Right so Guendouzi being the subject of the post clearly the “he” in “he finished behind Xhaka” relates to Guendouzi. It wasn’t grammatically the clearest but it does show me you didn’t understand the graphic, engage with it or even look at it.

Yes, I’m sure you have a hard time believing Aubameyang is slower than Xhaka, no one thinks that or has even ever suggested it!

Believe what you will, I showed you actual evidence that at the time of the test he - that’s Guendouzi for clarity’s sake - was slower than Xhaka. It might not be the case now But it does go towards the case that Guendouzi is, in fact, slow.

Hadn’t you started off the post mentioning Aubameyang’s graphic? I simply presumed you were trying to say Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang so he must be quicker than Guendouzi. I also said I didn’t see the graphic.

Wonder what the fitness of players might be when any speed test was done? I imagine such tests are done when players are carrying knocks or when recovering from injury, to try and ascertain fitness. But I still think you are wrong in claiming Guendouzi is slow. I would describe his pace as average, as I’ve said.

Absolutely not. Jose deserves everything he gets and I'll quite happily sit back and watch him and his teams get worse and worse, celebrate his every downfall and not shed once ounce of sympathy.

So Joe Gomez has just fouled Sterling in the box by holding him, without the hold Sterling is 6 yards out, on the angle with a clear shot at the GK, didn't Luiz get a red card for that? Isn't that what the rules are? If you deny a clear goal scoring chance in the box without making a genuine attempt for the ball it should be a red

I wonder what next season will be for Emile Smith-Rowe, by all accounts he's having a great loan at Huddersfield. Their fans love him.
Right now he'd give us a lot more than Özil

Good spot Rich.

Strange night huh. Liverpool now losing 3-0

God help us in the FA Cup semi.

So in our next 5 games only Man City won, if it stays the same, their last game and Wolves who appear to have a week off last lost in January?

If we can beat them on Saturday we should win 4 out of 5 but will our luck hold out? It only needs Dean or Atkinson to ref a game and all hope goes out the window.

To think we were so depressed after the Brighton game, what a turnaround...................

Yes the graphic was early in Guendouzi’s arrival, and all may have changed, although I doubt by very much.

You think he’s average pace, I think he’s below average. I think we’ve pinpointed where we differ on that. I wasn’t super clear with the graphic, my apologies, and in reality it just points to the stats at that point of time, it isn’t irrelevant to the discussion but it isn’t a smoking gun either. I’m not sure Guendouzi is a player for the future of our midfield although I hope for the best. You do think he’s that player? and you also hope for the best. Is that a fair summation?

Indeed. I am getting my Sane mixed up with my Mané!

I would say it’s a fair summation. Although ‘below average’ implies, to me anyway, something not quite as harsh as using the term ‘slow’, which you have used before. Simply because ‘below average’ implies something nearer the average than ‘slow’ does, although I also accept slow is below average. For me it’s just the suggestion of the terms, as I see them anyway.

Talking of goalkeepers watch the footage of this incredible match and ask yourself what was going on in the Italy keeper's head at certain times! Marvel at the great Rivera's winner. Cool as Pires.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIxr3kQnYvk

Phil Foden looks excellent every time I see him.
England have a potentially very exciting crop of young players it is a shame most of them are for the front 6 positions rather than defenders.
Foden, Sancho, Greenwood, Saka, Alexander-Arnold, Rashford, Mount, Rice - I think that crop are all 21 or under

I was thinking the exact same thing Rich, really good crop, hadn’t noticed the defensive dearth. Rice made some noise at DM and can play at CB, And Alexander-Arnold as you mentioned, but yeah all up front apart from that
Is it only Saka from that list who hasn’t had a full call up? Theoretically he has the choice to represent Nigeria I think, he’s had an u-19 cap and that’s all so far. I don’t care loads about that, he’s signed for us and that’s the main thing.

Declan Rice and Jack Grealish both played all of their under-age football for Ireland. Those two would make an enormous difference to us now.

Yeah, grealish and Maddison represent strength in depth for England right now, they could be lynchpins for Ireland. What do you feel about their decisions and the system? Seems to end up by nature favouring the bigger teams. Like Pacific Islanders and New Zealand, the kiwis get all the best players as a matter of course and they don’t really need the help.

Edit: don’t know why I said Maddison meant Rice. Although Maddison does represent strength in depth an no.10 position which is rare for England.

The system is flawed. I don't blame either of the two lads for their decisions because the financial benefits of playing for England are far greater. There is something wrong with a system that allows a kid who has represented a country for 4 or 5 years at under-age level simply switch when it comes to senior level.

As an aside, I think Grealish should be a regular starter for the England team these days as opposed to a squaddie. He's a cracking player.

So much for the Liverpool title being something special. Two Arsenal teams had better seasons winning the title than them.

Interesting article. Gets my vote:

Rio Ferdinand has praised Bukayo Saka’s passion for Arsenal and believes Mikel Arteta needs to build his team around the teenager and two other young, hungry Gunners players. The 18-year-old put any doubts over his future to bed by signing a new long-term contract on Wednesday, having cemented his status as an integral part of the first-team squad after an excellent breakout campaign. Saka spoke of his love for the club upon penning his extension and Ferdinand believes that attitude needs to be the basis around which Arsenal mould the rest of their squad.

Asked how important that attitude is, Manchester United legend Ferdinand said on BT Sport: ‘Yeah I think attitude but the right characters and people that want to be at the club.

‘And I think the great thing about Saka, and seeing his tweet there and his statement when he was talking there, is that he loves the club and he believes in the philosophy and he wants to move forward with the club and improve here. ‘They’ve got to get more players to build around that. And I’d build this club around him, around [Gabriel] Martinelli, and around [Joe] Willock.

‘These young players that have come through and the badge means something to these young boys. ‘And they need players around that to build within that as well, to understand that, to come in and accept that this is the place they want to be and they believe in the management and they want to go forward together.’

Fellow pundit and Arsenal legend Martin Keown agreed, adding: ‘When I was coming through the ranks and was part of an outstanding youth team, you look back at [David] Rocastle, [Michael] Thomas and Tony Adams, it was very important when you look back that we really loved the club. ‘Saka mentions that, he loves the club, and you need that type of player, the fans need to identify with that. He is the fan on the pitch. So build it around those players.

And then there's this

If we get Partey along with Saliba, it will have immediate effect on team defense.

Martinelli has signed a new long term contract.