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SalvadorsDeli

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5 hours ago, Canadian Saint said:

Man I'm not sure it's that easy. Don't get me wrong, he hasn't impressed to 100% stick with it. However, Arsenal finally have a base and a direction that looks promising for the first time in years. They are still stuck with dead weight from their previous ventures (Auba for example), but I think I'd give Arteta until atleast Xmas next year. Arsenal certainly have a ton of young talent in their team (youngest starting 11 in the PL if I'm not mistaken), so I'd see if he can steady the ship over the summer. They desperately need a clinical striker and some more talent in the midfield but I think the foundation and direction are there.

I'd agree with most of this, but Arteta bought Partey who, along with Auba, is massively holding Arsenal back at the moment both in terms of onfield production and how much of the wage bill he accounts for.

To stick around he's going to have to (somehow) find a Striker which is the hardest thing to find in world football, and nearly impossible when on a budget. 

I actually thought their defense was taking a turn for the better with how the two new full backs were playing and Ben White / Gabriel partnership looking solid. But the last two games have been huge steps backwards from a defensive standpoint; back to conceding those soft, sloppy goals we've seen for years and years now.

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On 12/10/2021 at 8:58 AM, Hunter2_1 said:

Thought Arsenal had turned a corner. Into the top 4 etc. Maybe just a blip run or something, not been watching.

I've heard that Man U are back though. Again....for the....ah nevermind. 

 

Watched them today. A whole lot of poor field communication for Ars. Few times they had possession crossing midfield stretching the field wide. And for some reason they cross that line and would funnel strait into a herd by the time they hit the PK box. 5 guys within 20 feet of each other in front the box.

Im slapping it on youth. 10 of 23 goals this year by guys under 21. Looked to me like growing pains and that Arsenal fans should be ecstatic about the future.

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Neat article about takehome per fan.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10234693/Chelsea-Liverpool-City-Man-Uniteds-matchday-income-revealed-does-club-make.html
 

Quote

 

Chelsea are the biggest earners from match-going fans in the Premier League making more than £1,600 in tickets, merchandise and food and drink from every supporter at Stamford Bridge each season

The study by the University of Liverpool reveals a huge disparity in what top flight teams take on match days, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs all making more than £1,500 per fan each season.

Burnley, Everton and Wolves earn less than £400 per fan, on average.

 

 

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20 minutes ago, Canadian Saint said:

I jut can't imagine having the same issues plague the team year after year.

Who do you want to replace him? (If he gets the sack that is)

I don’t know how realistic they are but: Gasparini, Galtier, Lopategui, Emery or Potter would be great. Maybe RB Salzburg’s young coach, too.

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/23/2021 at 3:08 AM, Oregon Ducks said:

Done with him. He’s lost the team.

Said that closing in on 2 months ago and he still hasnt found them.

From last year to this. Its like taking a videogame setting from Expert to Normal. 5 shots, 1 on target against Liverpool.  Expected double that amount of shots easy.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/15/2021 at 8:08 PM, PARROTHEAD said:

Watched them today. A whole lot of poor field communication for Ars. Few times they had possession crossing midfield stretching the field wide. And for some reason they cross that line and would funnel strait into a herd by the time they hit the PK box. 5 guys within 20 feet of each other in front the box.

Im slapping it on youth. 10 of 23 goals this year by guys under 21. Looked to me like growing pains and that Arsenal fans should be ecstatic about the future.

It's basically where I'm at.  Our current forwards are playing exactly like you'd expect forwards that have <6mos left on their deals and will be up to move for frees in the summer.  And I can't necessarily say as I blame them; not to mention, Lacazette's gas tank is toast, so as long as we're working to execute a high-pressing system, I'll happily take getting that press out of him for 60-65 minutes/match so that there's no reason for the rest of the front 5 to not press (since when you press, it's everyone or no one in order for it to work).

The CM situation is still a work in progress.  But it is what it is for the moment, and as much of a liability to make boneheaded plays as Xhaka is, he's also our best passing CM (I count Odegaard as an AMF, even though my figuring is we're angling towards a finished product of a 4-3-3 that slots him into a triangle that has him in the median between a #10 and a #8.  I think people are finally figuring out too that Partey's best position in the PL may well be as a #6 even if he's not, at the end of the day, in the Kante/Gilberto mold; he can operate similarly to how Fabinho does, he just needs a B2B CM in a more advance part of the pivot staggered from him that's more mobile and recovers better than Xhaka does.  We've been linked to Tielemans who would fit fantastically, but if United go for him, it's likely going to take us qualifying for CL and them not doing better than the UEFA Conference League to tip the scales in our favor, barring some serious continued tumult on their end.

Forward-wise, we really just need someone that can actually convert chances from guys playing the half-spaces, and then a complementary forward that can do work on aerial crosses (we literally have no one, it's kind of absurd; I'm over here longing for Giroud again).

Despite fans making a stink about how we absolutely had to get this and that in the January window, I'm still realistic that... it's the January window, and what the braintrust has seemed to show me is that if they identify a player as THE guy, they're going to cut the nuts necessary to go get him, or at least make reasonable attempts, but they're not going to panic-buy just to buy.

Majority of the deadwood is offloaded (or will finally be when their contracts run out in the summer).  I'd ideally still like to unload Cedric and replace him with a similar player (in that being a more "wing-backy" option to Tomiyasu if need/match-up calls for it), and I, even though he's performed the way you'd like to see a squad player do when called upon off the bench, I won't be shocked if we move Holding in the summer to accommodate bringing Saliba back in a finding minutes for him; Omar Rekik is probably ready by next season for 4th CB detail and if not him Daniel Ballard is having a really good loan spell at Millwall right now for us.

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22 hours ago, Dr LBC said:

It's basically where I'm at.  Our current forwards are playing exactly like you'd expect forwards that have <6mos left on their deals and will be up to move for frees in the summer.  And I can't necessarily say as I blame them; not to mention, Lacazette's gas tank is toast, so as long as we're working to execute a high-pressing system, I'll happily take getting that press out of him for 60-65 minutes/match so that there's no reason for the rest of the front 5 to not press (since when you press, it's everyone or no one in order for it to work).

The CM situation is still a work in progress.  But it is what it is for the moment, and as much of a liability to make boneheaded plays as Xhaka is, he's also our best passing CM (I count Odegaard as an AMF, even though my figuring is we're angling towards a finished product of a 4-3-3 that slots him into a triangle that has him in the median between a #10 and a #8.  I think people are finally figuring out too that Partey's best position in the PL may well be as a #6 even if he's not, at the end of the day, in the Kante/Gilberto mold; he can operate similarly to how Fabinho does, he just needs a B2B CM in a more advance part of the pivot staggered from him that's more mobile and recovers better than Xhaka does.  We've been linked to Tielemans who would fit fantastically, but if United go for him, it's likely going to take us qualifying for CL and them not doing better than the UEFA Conference League to tip the scales in our favor, barring some serious continued tumult on their end.

Forward-wise, we really just need someone that can actually convert chances from guys playing the half-spaces, and then a complementary forward that can do work on aerial crosses (we literally have no one, it's kind of absurd; I'm over here longing for Giroud again).

Despite fans making a stink about how we absolutely had to get this and that in the January window, I'm still realistic that... it's the January window, and what the braintrust has seemed to show me is that if they identify a player as THE guy, they're going to cut the nuts necessary to go get him, or at least make reasonable attempts, but they're not going to panic-buy just to buy.

Majority of the deadwood is offloaded (or will finally be when their contracts run out in the summer).  I'd ideally still like to unload Cedric and replace him with a similar player (in that being a more "wing-backy" option to Tomiyasu if need/match-up calls for it), and I, even though he's performed the way you'd like to see a squad player do when called upon off the bench, I won't be shocked if we move Holding in the summer to accommodate bringing Saliba back in a finding minutes for him; Omar Rekik is probably ready by next season for 4th CB detail and if not him Daniel Ballard is having a really good loan spell at Millwall right now for us.

Tielemens for 30 million and Saliba?

Who do you want as a striker? Issak? David?

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1 hour ago, Oregon Ducks said:

Tielemens for 30 million and Saliba?

Who do you want as a striker? Issak? David?

Tielemens has 18 months left on his contract, you're not getting 200% what you paid for him, especially with Leicester looking on track to have no European qualification next season at all, and Youri not looking in any hurry to sign an extension.

And why the hell would we use Saliba as a make-weight in a deal when a) we're in no hurry to sell him and b) if we do, he's garnering interest from clubs like PSG who would be valuing him at greater value than a make-weight and, at minimum closer to the E25M we paid for him (and he's still got 2 years left on his current deal)?

As for what strikers I'm hopeful for, David tops my list because of his fit, but I'm perfectly fine with Calvert-Lewin as well.  Isak, I wouldn't turn my nose up at, but no way in hell is he worth his release clause, so if Sociedad hold to that demand, I have no problem walking away from that.  I also want Patrick Schick.  Not as our primary #9, but as a Plan B, I'd be perfectly fine with Raul de Thomas, just not at his release clause  again.  If Napoli are seriously looking like they may let the suspicion around the sketchy nature in which they acquired Osimhen, I'm definitely interested.  Youssef En-Nesyri is an option.  And with Ben Brereton Diaz out of contract this summer, I wouldn't mind given him a look as a squad player at least.

I mean, the obvious "I want, I would kill for" option is Lautaro Martinez, but I'm realistic enough to admit that probably the only loftier aim would be Haaland - who I would still say to pay the release clause on and throw the hat in the ring to at least try for even if we have a snowman's chance in Hell at him.

But then, I didn't dislike the idea of Abraham when we were linked with him (only the idea of giving Chelsea money for him) because I saw the fit.

Edited by Dr LBC
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