Going forward its hard to see how this Raya Ramsdale thing will work for any sustained period. Both are topclass keepers with international ambitions and will want to be playing ahead of the euros. I suspect one of them may go on loan somewhere in January if not getting games.

It feels like its coming ... and when it does he'll be a great asset,

I think the last issue was at least partly because they kept throwing numbers forward. Dest and Lang was good going forward but they were so open at the back.

Can a club loan out a loanee, given that Raya is on loan from Brentford? Has the makings of a problem needlessly created by Arteta. Why fix what ain't broken etc... Ramsdale is a top keeper. He'll surely want out before long if this continues.

This is brave, trail-blazing stuff Arteta is doing. You have cover for every outfield position, but your only decent keeper gets injured and you are left with a second string bit-part player and you pay the price! It's a new world and keepers have to be looked at like outfield players - interchangeable! Pundits are whining that it is unfair to Ramsdale, no question, but in the ruthless/cut throat multi-million (billion?) pound world of top level football - it totally makes sense!

Top 4 teams are on 13 points or better. Chelsea and Man Utd are on 5 and 6 points respectively. It's very easy to write them off from the top 4 but its only 5 games in. Newcastle have 6 points as well. Of those 3, I have more faith in Newcastle getting closer to the top for than the other 3. I can never count Man Utd out, but Newcastle seems better managed to me.

back to back bad games by anyone in the top 4 and back to back wins for either of the former and they are back in business.

We haven't seen how bad we'll be without Saka nor do I want to but at some point it will happen. I am not as worried. I think Trossard could play his position and we not lose much in attack.

https://x.com/gunnersc0m/status/1704612 ... -j6VVZXEoA

Saliba is arguably the best CB in the league. He’s certainly the most valuable due to age.

A nice start to the ECL, let's keep the momentum going with a win on Sunday!

Everyone knows I have always rated Eddie, but I have to concede that our best performance of the season coincided with the return from the start of a fit-again Jesus. Sorry, Eddie but he's what we've been missing.

Bodes well for the next few games.

Yes indeed DHD.

Eddie is good at what he does, but for me Jesus does a lot more, and better.

Fine in theory but the only trails you will see blazed will likely be those to the exit door by the likes of Ramsdale. He has his eye on Pickford's international jersey and will want to be playing week in, week out. What then if he goes? Find another keeper for next season close to Raya's level to maintain the 'interchangeable' revolution? It'll be a revolving door of keepers, not practical.

over in tenerife for a bit of R and R so didn’t go. (it’s a bit of a khazi if i’m honest, imagine everything wrong with britain plonked on a volcanic island and you get the picture )

Anyway however imagine popping into the dubliner for a few pints and catch the game to watch such a comprehensive victory. Front 3 were superb especially jesus and Trossard.

gabby adds a different dynamic to our team when he plays. we become more decisive and pacy with our transitions and just look a different side entirely with players bursting forward.

How great was it hearing the champions league anthem again!?
Gave me goosebumps.
Felt we allowed them a bit too much freedom attacking us in the first 20 or so but we were brilliant , clinical and efficient playing some lovely stuff as well.
Ødegaard's left foot is like a wand. He is so precise with his shooting. Last night was another drilled precise finish. What a player. Absolute bargain 34 million was it??
Rice what a player. So efficient with the ball and hardly ever loses possession. Absolute class and really coming into his own now. So happy he chose us and not city and that we persisted. Soon that 105 million if he keeps going like this will look a bargain.
So happy seeing Emile Smith Rowe get some minutes and he and Nelson linked up well.
Viera looks a different player this season , more aggressive , more confident. Long may it continue.
Feel sorry for Ramsdale but Raya just exudes calmness and doesn't look like he is going to make too many mistakes. Big call from Arteta but looks the right one.
Trossard. Brilliant signing and for 27 million!!! 72 less than we were willing to pay for Mudryk. Blessing in disguise Chelsea trumped us because we would have missed out on the superb player in Trossard. So adaptable and skillful. Another great goal.
All in all a great night and great return.
oh and what about that piece of skill by Saliba when we took about 2 or 3 players out with a stunning piece of skill.
Trying to find it again on you tube.....

on the Raya thing it’s quite simple, he’s here for Rambos place. artetas comments in a press conference this week when he indicated he had few regrets apart from on 2 occasions when he wished he subbed his keeper. People are speculating it was the PSV game last year. no manager wants to sub his keeper and it’s telling a new keeper has come in.

On Raya i think he looks decent and has done well in his 2 games for us but i can’t yet see much difference between his game and Ramsdale so far. Very difficult one but i like others can see Aaron being sold next summer

I thought Martin Ødegaard was fantastic against PSV.

i expect us to start the NLD with the energy the occasion demands. Coming off a huge opening CL season win has got to be added bonus going into the game. I am happy to know Kane won't be playing, even though Son is just as dangerous.

First team to come at us and play an attacking open game….they got tonked 4-0 and it could have been more.
Spurs have been allowed to play so far this season by their opponents because their opponents don’t treat them with the same fear and respect as they do us.
Will spurs have the balls to play their attacking style against us? Will they try to invert both their full backs? I’m hoping for an open attacking game because I think we’ll run out easy winners of it is even if they might give us a couple of scares

I'm inclined agree with you in principle, but it will be a tough one to pull off if they both stay fit. Arteta does seem to be good at keeping players who aren't started happy, however.

I was impressed by Zinchenko's defending last night, a couple of screwball moments aside.

The ref in the Brighton game last night is a good advert for why var is absolutely required. The 2 penalties he didn’t give to Brighton that he then gave on review were pretty bad.
If nothing else var has taken away those real shocking decisions and made sure they are right.

My take on the Raya v Ramsdale thing is I think Raya is the better all round gk. But for all the talk of his distribution being better there were at least 3-4 occasions where he kicked it out of play midweek. For me the point about him being better with his feet is more that he can step out of his area and almost play like a 3rd CB in the build up. Ramsdale can be part of the build up but he tends to do it more from inside his area.
I think the extra 10-15 yards from goal that Raya is comfortable playing like an outfielder might just be the crucial factor for Arteta.

Where I do feel a bit for Ramsdale is in big games he’s come up with some huge saves for us and has been a big part of the journey to get where we are. Arteta is being ruthless.

If it’s untenable to keep them both and Raya turns out to be the No.1 then we should probably look to move Ramsdale on quickly to maximise his price. Players lose value when they’re not playing

Hi Rich,

I feel a little sorry for Ramsdale. As you say, he's been a major part of the journey towards CL football and I think he deserved to start the first game.

I feel Arteta could have handled this one a little better.

I understand that Arteta wants to give Raya a run of games to get used to things as quickly as possible but Ramsdale deserved a bit more respect.

I guess we'll have to trust Arteta's judgment but I also thought Ramsdale was very good last season for us. When we had Leno and then bought Ramsdale, I thought Leno was good, not great but a good, decent keeper. He made a few blunders along the way. Ramsdale wasn't the finished product either. I could see where it made sense to buy Ramsdale but not Raya.

Not sure how long we can keep both happy. Maybe that's not the idea. I have to think Raya may not have gotten guarantees while we were wooing him but he heard something that suggested he had a very good chance at being the primary keeper.

Ødegaard has signed a contract extension until 2028. Fantastic work from the club to get these key players tied down.

The process is so clear and linear.
Get rid of deadwood and high earners and older players
massively reduce the wage bill
Bring in young players with high potential and prem experience and the right attitude
Improve players together with a clear tactic and attacking plan
Progress up the league and get back in the champions league
Tie down these improved players to long term contracts which increases the wage bill
WIN THINGS

https://x.com/Arsenal/status/1705129843266871698?s=20

Ødegaard's new contract

Arsenal contract expiry
2024:
Elneny
Cédric
Jorginho (1 year option)

2025:
Partey
Tomiyasu (1 year option)
Hein

2026:
White
Zinchenko
Ramsdale (1 year option)
Trossard
Emile Smith Rowe

2027:
Saka
Martinelli (1 year option)
Jesus
Saliba
gabriel
Nketiah
Vieira
Nelson (1 year option)

2028:
Ødegaard
Rice
Havertz
Kiwior
Timber

Chelsea have 17 first team players on longer contracts than any player in our first team squad. This is definitely going to come back to bite them

Thoroughly agree, Rich.

All well and good for the Accounting Dept to be circumventing FFP rules by signing players on 8-year contracts, but the playing side is predicated on motivating those players. How do you get young players to perform to their max and beyond when they're already financially secure, set for life and can't be sacked.

Some of these guys will have binding contracts that will guarantee them £100m over the next 8 years - regardless of how they perform. They just need to keep turning up and keep out of trouble.

No jeopardy whatever there. Easy life.....

Things are very different with Arteta, and they all know it. Ask Aubameyang. Ask Özil. Ask Ramsdale.

Zinny brings a new dimension to our play

One thing I've noticed with Trossard is that when he finds himself in more of a traditional left winger position having beaten his man or made a run to the byline he takes his time and gets his head up to pick out a man on the cross/pass. Lots of wingers are taught to put the ball in an area, the corridor of uncertainty and then its up to the strikers to make sure they are there. I'm not sure that is our strength - Nketiah aside. So Trossard's more calm and measured approach is most welcome. Jesus often drifts to the back post and Ødegaard has an uncanny ability to just hold free space at the end and centre of the box ready for the first time left foot shot.

From an interview with Peter Bosz, the PSV coach:

“We played against a team that is better than we are. A team that can play even faster than we can play. We haven’t encountered that yet this season,”

“(Arsenal) came second last year. Then you are talking about one of the best teams in the world, and we have now played against them.

“Normally I am a grumpy and deeply sad man after a defeat, because I often think that it was unnecessary. So, I don’t have that now. We played against an incredibly good team.”

“Of course, 4-0 is a big result,” Bosz adds. “We played against a better opponent and then it went too fast. It’s a bad feeling when you notice that you’re one step late everywhere. I don’t blame the players.

“They worked hard and tried to play football. We weren’t good enough. That can happen, but we must learn from the mistakes we have made.”

I'd like a similar interview from Postacoglu after this weekend

Interesting to see a number of Man U stories which are clearly dressing room leaks. Arteta did so well to be ruthless in getting rid of anyone unwilling to be part of the group and commit 100%. It is also a highly undervalued part of buying players is to ensure the player's personality fits. I've read that Arsenal look very closely at the players they want once they are linked with us and see how they act possibly with other clubs etc. We only want players are want us 100%.

Arsenal 23/24

When you actually look back at what Arteta has done to turn Arsenal around and have us playing the football we do I actually think he's massively underated.

Lets imagine for a second that Michael Carrick had gone in to Man U as a complete rookie, never managed a game in his life, won the FA Cup within 6 months then improve the Man U team year on year, stopped the rot, got rid of deadwood and bought a vibrant young team through. The press would be absolutely non stop in their praise of what he'd done.

People forget this is Arteta's first step in to management - and forget what he's had to deal with. Totally different from Pep stepping in to the Barca team as his first job (although he also did incredibly well, but they weren't in the state we were - and had 5-6 generational talents already there for him to work with)

Arteta has only managed 187 games of football
ten Hag 504 games
Pochettino 604 games
Howe 625 games
Postecoglu 686 games
Pep 871 games
klopp 1028 games

Head coach Ange Postecoglou reckons Tottenham’s performance at Arsenal and not the result will be the “biggest measure” of their early-season progress.

He’s changed every aspect of the club and most importantly the relationship with the fans who had pretty much given up. The club had lost its soul and way.

Every once in a while I have to sell a ticket on exchange. They go in literally minutes now a total contrast to wengers last days when apathy had set in and many fans had either stop bothering or no longer enjoyed it. We just couldn’t get any of our best players to renew contracts because they didn’t believe in the project and now it seems every player wants to renew. He’s created a squad loyal to their manager and committed to the cause.

The Spurs supporters would surely never forgive such an admission of inferiority.

Anyway, lets not tempt fate.

He's been remarkable.