GWT: PL Matchweek 10

[Havre]

Well the free (at least temporarily) sub is to give players more freedom to be honest instead of trying to hide symptoms out of a desire to not put their team at a disadvantage while they’re being checked out.

Basically you could make the system so that if the independent spotter/team recommends a player being pulled, his team gets to make a sub (that doesn’t count against the limit) while he’s being checked out. If, after the player is evaluated, the doc says he’s good, the sub has to be undone or else use one of your slots to keep it. If the doc says he’s not good the sub is permanent but still doesn’t count against the limit.

It happens so rarely there isn't much need to complicate things in my opinion. Concussion aren't a yes or no kind of thing. A bit like Covid-testing.

Obviously all for anything that makes it better, but I just think you got to accept being unlucky if someone are subbed needlessly.

 

[Cucumber]

Is Ole the most underrated manager atm? I really like what he has done. Top 4 here we come

 

[Havre]

Let me guess. England will now go full out virtue signalling on Cavani?

Hopefully rationality will prevail, but can't really be sure in 2020.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Is Ole the most underrated manager atm? I really like what he has done. Top 4 here we come

I don’t think he’s the answer, but I also don’t think he’s as bad as some make him out to be.

 

[AB13]

Özil, Mkhi, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Giroud, Walcott, Iwobi, Alexis and Chamberlain all left in the span of around 2 years. Replaced by kids and players that aren't ready yet. Besides Arteta, that is the main issue.

 

[AB13]

I don’t think he’s the answer, but I also don’t think he’s as bad as some make him out to be.

He has done better than your other post-Ferguson managers quite clearly. I think he could be” the answer”

 

[The Abusement Park]

He has done better than your other post-Ferguson managers quite clearly. I think he could be” the answer”

Pretty low bar tbf.

At least outside Mou’s first season.

 

[East Coast Bias]

You are indeed reading it correctly.

United and Chelsea have Wednesday/Saturday but the Saturday games are at least the last two slots of the day.

shit I forgot about European matches this week. That limits the schedule dates I guess.

 

[MS]

Özil, Mkhi, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Giroud, Walcott, Iwobi, Alexis and Chamberlain all left in the span of around 2 years. Replaced by kids and players that aren't ready yet. Besides Arteta, that is the main issue.

Arsenal spent £200 million on Xhaka/Torreira/Guendouzi/Pepe/Mustafi/Sokratis from 2016-2019 and not a single one of them is good enough to be a regular starter. Should be half the starting 11, instead is a total pile of rubbish. Meanwhile the academy dried up completely for years prior to Saka's breakout.

Result is that there is basically nobody in the team aged 22-28 who is actually a core contributing player.

There is 5 years of rot at that club that needs to be cleaned out and rebuilt, and it isn't going to happen quickly. Hopefully Arteta is given a couple years to do the job and they don't keep making reactionary management changes thinking they're somehow miraculously going to get back to the Champions League before 2023. When you actually take a long hard look at the squad, it really isn't any better than the West Hams of the world.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Özil, Mkhi, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Giroud, Walcott, Iwobi, Alexis and Chamberlain all left in the span of around 2 years. Replaced by kids and players that aren't ready yet. Besides Arteta, that is the main issue.

Özil is still at the club and is clearly not favored.

I recall vividly that Mkhi wasn't popular among Arsenal supporters.

Jack Wilshere??? Theo Wallcott??? What difference could they make?

Arsenal were smart to cash in on Iwobi and Alexis.

Pretty much all of these players are mediocre or poor.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Santi was amazing last year

 

[AB13]

Özil is still at the club and is clearly not favored.

I recall vividly that Mkhi wasn't popular among Arsenal supporters.

Jack Wilshere??? Theo Wallcott??? What difference could they make?

Arsenal were smart to cash in on Iwobi and Alexis.

Pretty much all of these players are mediocre or poor.

Wilshere was a key player in 17-18 and would be one of the best midfielders in the league when fit. Cazorla and Ramsey are both still great players and would also be our best midfielder. Ramsey is a borderline world class player. But that is besides the point, I agree with you. These players were not all good, not at all, and I am not saying that they would have helped. Failing to replace them, not even targeting replacements, is the issue. We now have little senior players.

But anyway, we have Gabriel, Partey, Saka, Tierney, Aubameyang, Pepe, Leno, Saliba, Lacazette, Martinelli, Bellerin. A top 6 quality squad. Artetas system is the largest of our issues and I have described why in the past.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Cazorla, Ramsey, Chamberlain and Giroud, fair enough. Hardly worldbeaters though.

Wilshere was a key player in 17-18 and would be one of the best midfielders in the league when fit.

West Ham literally terminated his contract.

 

[Live in the Now]

Ox was fantastic the season he left. Then he got hurt. But if he didn't, the banter around that signing would have lasted for years.

 

[AB13]

Cazorla, Ramsey, Chamberlain and Giroud, fair enough. Hardly worldbeaters though.



West Ham literally terminated his contract.

Because he never played due to injuries. Everyone knows how great he is when fit.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Because he never played due to injuries. Everyone knows how great he is when fit.

He barely featured for them even when fit. Just isn't the same player anymore.

 

[MS]

Wilshere was a key player in 17-18 and would be one of the best midfielders in the league when fit. Cazorla and Ramsey are both still great players and would also be our best midfielder. Ramsey is a borderline world class player. But that is besides the point, I agree with you. These players were not all good, not at all, and I am not saying that they would have helped. Failing to replace them, not even targeting replacements, is the issue. We now have little senior players.

Agreed here.

Arsenal finished 2nd in 2016 with a mature team and have totally failed at turning that team over to stay competitive at the top end of the table. Terrible scouting on high-profile transfers, poor development of younger players.

But anyway, we have Gabriel, Partey, Saka, Tierney, Aubameyang, Pepe, Leno, Saliba, Lacazette, Martinelli, Bellerin. A top 6 quality squad. Artetas system is the largest of our issues and I have described why in the past.

But disagreed here. That isn't a top-6 quality squad.

Bellerin has been trash since his knee injury and is living off reputation. Pace is gone and without his biggest asset the rest of the weaknesses in his game are glaring.
Saliba is 19 and not even in the squad.
Martinelli shows promise but has been injured all season - not sure how he figures into a talented squad that Arteta is squandering.
Tierney is a hard-working journeyman who wouldn't be out of place on Newcastle or West Brom. Same as Holding. Decent squad players but not real quality.
Pepe is a bust and wasn't good under the previous manager either.
Leno is a solid keeper but not top-5 in the EPL or anything like that.

Gabriel, Saka, and Partey are the only 3 players with real quality (and Aubameyang assuming age isn't the problem there) who could step into the top teams in the EPL ... and one of those is a teenager and the other has only played 4 games. The rest of the squad is a mess that is little different from the teams who will finish 10-15. Especially the center of midfield, which is absolutely horrific.

 

[maclean]

Emery is currently a point off 1st in La liga. Yeah he wasnt good enough for big teams but maybe just maybe Arsenal are crap?

There's enough crappiness to go around. With how the team was performing under him, there's no world where he doesn't get fired.

Arteta has not been entirely convincing and patience is wearing thin, but I do think the team has at least looked somewhat better under him than with Emery.

How his current team is doing now cannot change either of those things. Maybe he's just better in Spanish

 

[Blender]

There's enough crappiness to go around. With how the team was performing under him, there's no world where he doesn't get fired.

Arteta has not been entirely convincing and patience is wearing thin, but I do think the team has at least looked somewhat better under him than with Emery.

How his current team is doing now cannot change either of those things. Maybe he's just better in Spanish

The team might "look better" under Arteta, but they aren't really performing better as far as results go.

Emery managed 78 games, had 43 wins, 16 draws, 19 losses (55.1% win%). Arteta has managed 45 games, 25 wins, 9 draws, 11 losses (55.56% win%). When Emery was fired in late November of 2019, Arsenal were in 8th with 13 games played, 4 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses with 18 goals scored and 19 against. Arteta this season after 10 games is in 14th with 4 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses with 10 goals for and 12 against.

 

[Jussi]

Cavani became only the second substitute in Premier League history to be involved in three goals since coming on. I won't tell who the first one was.

 

[Live in the Now]

Emery never had Arsenal under 8th place last season, and the only time he was ever below 8th place before that was in the first four weeks of his first season. The only things that are better at Arsenal are a porous defense that is no longer porous (at the expense of not even trying to score), and the supporters expectations are also now better in that they're more aligned with reality.

That being said, Arsenal are basically Arteta's guinea pig team where he'll learn lessons from, eventually get fired, and figure out how to not mess up with the next team he gets much lower down the football world. That's what happens when a team hires a novice manager. Glad Liverpool didn't do this with Gerrard because it would have gone horribly wrong. It's not entirely Arteta's fault because his squad isn't very good, but he's eventually going to be punished for the lack of goals.


As for our game before I forget, with all the injuries we've had this season, it would legitimately be a miracle to either win a trophy or make a cup final. We're about to have games every mid-week and nobody to play them because everyone got hurt.

 

[Blender]

 

[phisherman]

Emery never had Arsenal under 8th place last season, and the only time he was ever below 8th place before that was in the first four weeks of his first season. The only things that are better at Arsenal are a porous defense that is no longer porous (at the expense of not even trying to score), and the supporters expectations are also now better in that they're more aligned with reality.

That being said, Arsenal are basically Arteta's guinea pig team where he'll learn lessons from, eventually get fired, and figure out how to not mess up with the next team he gets much lower down the football world. That's what happens when a team hires a novice manager. Glad Liverpool didn't do this with Gerrard because it would have gone horribly wrong. It's not entirely Arteta's fault because his squad isn't very good, but he's eventually going to be punished for the lack of goals.


As for our game before I forget, with all the injuries we've had this season, it would legitimately be a miracle to either win a trophy or make a cup final. We're about to have games every mid-week and nobody to play them because everyone got hurt.

Arteta won't be fired. He's got the entire dressing room under his control and he's highly rated by actual football people.

 

[robertmac43]

Arsenal plays Derby County next week?

I wish, we could use the confidence!

 

[HoseEmDown]

Özil, Mkhi, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Giroud, Walcott, Iwobi, Alexis and Chamberlain all left in the span of around 2 years. Replaced by kids and players that aren't ready yet. Besides Arteta, that is the main issue.

The only player Arsenal has lost in the last few seasons that's worth a damn is Gnabry. That list is players who's best was behind them or they aren’t healthy enough to be relied on.