I think the silver lining for us right now is that all the other big teams have to recover from really bad seasons. The only team I feel 100% certain will be far better is City. I also suspect Utd will be far better -they are doing the business and Mou always does well his first year. Beyond that, we have to assume Chelsea will ascend meaningfully, a young Spurs team will progress, and a Klopp team will improve.
I’d still put us at 4th, but it is tenuous, and I could easily see anywhere from 3rd to 6th honestly, and I have NEVER EVER predicted us falling out of the top 4.
That all sounds reasonable. Even more maddening that Arsenal didn’t look at this as an opportunity to seize the day, add some key players and start the season off with a bang while the clubs you mentioned get acclimated to a new manager.
No guarantee, but I’m ready for new football and tactics honestly… and while I think we will still buy within our means, a new manager will desperately want to convince everyone that he can take the mantle post-AW and the board and Ivan will want to show that they can do this post-AW as well… I don’t fear AW leaving any more at all.
I think it definitely would was it not Wenger that said he tries to curb the enthusiasm of Gazidis in signing and bidding for players just last week?
The money is there to be spent,however, it seems primarily the valuations of Wenger that stops things from getting done couple that with his indecisiveness and reluctant to be proactive and you have a recipe for disaster.
I will say, after thinking a bit about @Powderfinger 's arguments, and watching City today, I’m not totally confident City will win it. I’ve been saying since Pep signed for them I was 100% sure they’d win it this season–such that I’ve actually even considered going to a betting house to make my first football bet ever – but aside from De Bruyne, Iheanacho, Agüero, Silva, and Sané upfront, that team is a real disaster (at least until Gündogan comes back). Pep will get more out of them than another manager but I can definitely see them dropping points in the first half of the season while his methods sink in, and while there are some pretty crap players being run out there who are bound to make some pretty serious mistakes that cost a good amount of goals.
It’s funny, if we had hired Unai Emery this summer and then made the requisite additions to the team, this season actually would’ve been a brilliant chance for us to win it, while Liverpool, City, Chelsea, and United are still under construction under new managers.
Wenger’s management of defence has been abysmal. I can tolerate all other areas, or at least sympathise, but here we have just needed someone competent for years. Not great, just competent, and we haven’t. Should never be so reliant on an over the hill man with no pace, and a bang average Gabriel.
I can be agree with you about the inactivity on attack because it’s a old problem not solved since May when the news of the bad injury occured to Danny Welbeck is arrived at London Colney after the scan, but about the CB you are out of World. Per Mertesacker has been injured ten days ago. In ten days you can’t build a deal from the zero, reaching an agreement with the squad and the agents/player.
Probably during the past days Arsène was talking with a number of squads/agents to search the right profile to improve the quality on defense. Since tonight, the plan needs to be boosted. I’m confident.
Right, but Mertesacker has needed replacing for about 2 years, Gabriel clearly proved himself not good enough last season, and Chambers the same. So this problem is not a new one.
Yep… 100x this… only reason we weren’t banging on more about it was we thought we had more pressing issues with striker and attacking in general - and of course our long-standing issues with CM, which atm at least look like we have plenty of numbers and at least acceptable quality (although IMHO none of them excite me all that much except an aging and oft-injured Cazorla).
a new manager doesn’t guarantee anything but it gives the club an opening to restore order. Our CEO reports to the manager, once Arsene leaves that should change. The new manager, whoever they are, shouldn’t have anything to do with how much money is spent on a player. We may wind up with a more Continental or American model with a Director of Football or General Manager to supervise player acquisition.
I think signing a CB doesn’t necessarily address our defensive issues as they’re clearly rooted in the quality of coaching and tactics. I remember reading not too long ago that Wenger doesn’t tend to put too much emphasis on coaching the defensive side of the game and that’s evident in the way we play.
Gabriel isn’t a horrible defender, he’s just poor with the ball at his feet and Wenger’s system entails that all players must be strong with the ball at their feet. So why has Wenger identified Gabriel as a CB capable of playing in his system? Gabriel would work well in a different system at a different club. Because he’s obviously athletic and his raw abilities are there.
If Wenger had any sense he’d realise the importance on placing more emphasis on players movement off the ball, defensive play and transition from defence to attack instead of what we’ve had to endure for the last few seasons.
Our players are strong on the ball but often look lost and confused without it. They’re not used to winning balls back in the same manner teams managed by Simeone, Conte, Pep, Mourinho, Klopp and so on are…
Archaic tactics. Archaic transfer market approach.
Gabriel is not an intelligent footballer. His move away from Inheanacho for the goal today, unnecessarily rushing out towards the wing was classic example of absolutely having not a clue how to defend properly… that is instinct and intelligence at this stage, nothing to do with chemistry or knowing how to play together. Not at all convinced by Gabby at any level.
I’ve read that recently. And I also read it about ten years ago. It was his biggest failing for a long long time with his transfer dealings taking that mantle a bit more recently.
Skimming through my post I’m having a hard time finding out where I might have used the words intelligent footballer to describe Gabriel.
He’s a raw defender who’s athletic and would probably be better suited to a system that fits his limitations. Arsenal require different qualities from our CBs.
And believe me, the quality of coaching and tactics goes a long way to helping players who are limited. Just look at Koulibaly at Napoli - who had a horrible time before Sarri came and found ways to work with his limitations. That’s what good managers do though.
You said he was “just poor on the ball” - imho that is the least of his concerns, but it is ALSO one of his weaknesses. I definitely didn’t mean to put words in your post/mouth, but I think he is pretty awful tbf, at least for a team competing for honors.
By the way, I agree with your point about coaching although I have zero faith we will improve there while AW is in charge… we need better, smarter footballers at CB period. Intelligence and composure/decision-making is key for CB… have to read the game, feel where the attackers are, and have some sense of anticipation or you are going to get killed against the top attackers.
This is the best post ive read on Wenger defensive failings in two years of being a member on here.
Its this policy which is exposed to its fullest in europe on a regular basis.
So much emphasis is put on our need for a forward that fans fail to acknowledge our short commings here.
Weve had wc players like RVP, Fabregas, Ozil, Sanchez and not won this league. A big part of that is poor defensive set up each season.
Stats on some season will look good but its the games and cheap goals which consistently leave us falling short of winning things.
It wont change till hes gone. Simple as imo.
It’s not really our defensive set up though. It’s the all-out…sell everything, get as many midfielders forward as possible mentality on attack. It’s the gap that develops between our midfield and defense that teams exploit and put our defense under pressure that even the shittest of shit teams don’t have to deal with.
This exclusive to the set piece issues that we’ve always had as well but Giroud really does help with that.
I think it is more complex than that. Teams can press forward and withstand losing possession because they either react perfectly and get into proper position quickly OR they put pressure at the right places and recover the ball or delay the other team, giving their team the time to get back in proper position. Our team is just dumb and disjointed sometimes when we lose possession.
We also have too many players who aren’t great under pressure and lose possession too easily when pressured. If I was playing against Arsenal, I would instruct my team to press most of our players like crazy and proactively.
Liverpool will press the team to death come next Sunday, a team managed by Klopp is one of the worst case scenarios for us in the first few weeks of the season.
Wenger is tactically inept this has been proven season to season I would really like to know what Cech honestly thinks of the coaching methods used here compared to Chelsea probably like comparing life BC to the 21st century.
– but aside from De Bruyne, Iheanacho, Agüero, Silva, and Sané upfront, that team is a real disaster (at least until Gündogan comes back). Pep will get more out of them than another manager but I can definitely see them dropping points in the first half of the season while his methods sink in, and while there are some pretty crap players being run out there who are bound to make some pretty serious mistakes that cost a good amount of goals.