OVERTAKING or OVERTAKEN?
Positives, Needs and Hopes
I watched Watford today. I’ve been watching Everton recently. Wolves and Leicester I’ve seen even more often.
Not just in action but on paper all these teams have at least half their first eleven that would get in ours.
They just need more belief to play like a Top 6 side and surely one of them will break through.
Arsenal are at a pivotal moment.
Arsenal could end this season in glory. They could go into the summer on a high. They could get CL football, a bigger budget, better players or more importantly players that are needed to balance an imbalanced squad.
Alternatively, Arsenal could not do any of this.
It could quite conceivably end in calls for Emery to leave, dissatisfaction of what seems like mediocre players coming in and big players wanting to spend the twilight of their career playing for an ambitious club.
I’m trying to remain calm as the former is possible.
I said this season was a free one for Emery because I think the club was in a horrific mess when he arrived.
He’s had to fix way, way too much and the scars are still evident.
As disappointed as we all feel it is actually possible for this season to be a year of progress if it ends in glory and then a big summer. That just seems so far away today.
Will Arsenal be on the path to overtake next season or will we be overtaken by more ambitious mid table clubs?
Both are possible.
POSITIVES:
* Mustafi’s best game this season.
His long range passing and decision making were much improved.
* Auba was significantly more active today and played like he cared. Hasn’t been the case for much of the season.
* Mkhi had his moments today. Was trying to make the difference and he looked likely to. He was then subbed.
* Leno once again saved us from embarrassment. As others around him have had a dip in form, he has risen.
* Lacazette was very good today. I’ve come to the conclusion that he is ‘very good’ at everything and the fact that he isn’t regarded as ‘world class’ is because he is arguably not excellent at any one part of the game.
It’s probably not fair on him that he isn’t because players who are considered ‘world class’ don’t have the rounded game that he has.
NEEDS:
* Is Mesut Ozil lacking in confidence?
He rarely tries the incisive pass anymore.
He tends to poke and prod away but doesn’t seem to want to make the difference like he used to.
Perhaps it’s the impatient fan base that groan whenever we lose possession that discourages him?
* There are two many one footed players at Arsenal. They miss golden opportunities too often as they insist on shifting it to their favored side.
Makes me love Santi Cazorla even more.
* Guendouzi was becoming a very popular player. He keeps being brought on when not needed and often for someone that deserves to stay on.
Not helping him.
HOPES:
* Simple.
Arsenal need to keep their cool in Spain. When you are super frustrated going into a game it can greatly affect your temperament.
* Arsenal might want to consider lifting the mood by making an important and big signing early.
If Emery is under pressure but a Zaha or an Umtiti is signed early June then maybe hope follows.
* Just an interesting observation that lower and mid-table PL teams don’t seem to be focused on the beach this season. Wonder why?
FINAL THOUGHT:
I need to reset.
I did say Emery gets a free season but I’m starting to feel the weight of those words. I just want the man to receive proper support from the club as I hope the owners pay enough attention to what is brewing below 6th place.
Either way, this season could be glorious at the end of May.
Sometimes football gives you a blessing that you feel like you hardly deserved!
@mike_mmcdonald
@GunnersTown
Sent from my iPhone
Former Highbury regular. Moved to TN, USA in ’99. Married with 3 kids. Coached in UK and US for 27 years.
Mike McDonald Soccer Academy in Morristown TN, Olympic Development coach, Regional Premier League Champion.
I shared the feelings of Optimism tempered by pessimistic thoughts described in Mike McDonald`s excellent article and unfortunately, the pessimism has come to the fore. We need to beat Chelsea now (provided we beat Valencia ) to get into the Championship League and in present form Chelsea must be favourites because while Arsenal have stagnated, Chelsea are accustomed to winning trophies.
I don`t go as far as to say that 6 players from either of Everton, Leicester or Watford would get into our squad, because they are relying on sheer endeavour to obtain results. Guardiola says there are no easy games in the Premiership even players who are in the bottom of the league can run, they can fight and they can defend so I would argue that those sort of teams above are slightly better than the rest of the mid-fielders at doing those things, but they need more than that to be in the top 4. We have slightly more skills than them but we are out – fought and we are bettered for effort and for method because they all have an easily identified plan of battle which they stick to. That has proved to be our undoing time after time and I think that the constant changes in tactics and players is counter-productive.
Ozil is a luxury player who fitted well into a team with Sanchez, Cazorla, Ramsey, Wilshire, and Giroud, because they were runners, dribblers, passers or scorers and he knew where they would be to receive his passes. They have not been replaced by better or equal players and we don`t have anyone other than Lacazette who has the same impact. Aubameyang is a luxury player who is a scorer rather than a provider like Ozil but they both rely on hard workers with skill to bring the best out of them. That is why Aubameyang looks as if he cant be bothered at times and Ozil can`t get into the game because he has no one in the team who plays at his level and understands his game. He has no one to form a pair with. Ramsey is the last of that caliber of player.
Like you, I believe that Emery has to have this season to get used to the club and the players at his disposal. I have no doubt that he has his own short list of new acquisitions, but we are not Man Utd, Chelsea or Man City. We don`t have an owner who will invest big money to produce results. We no longer shop in Harrods. At best we stretch to Waitrose, so we are not regarded as a top line club. With Kroenke at the helm, AFC will soon be a Tesco Shopper while Leicester will pass us and possibly Everton. If we are not careful ,we are destened for Lidl.
Emery would have to be a magician to produce players like our past heroes Henry, Adams, Berkamp, Pires, Viera etc. on the budget Kronke allows him. I ask you, what would £40m by you now?
I would urge those fans who are already wishing Emery out, to think for a minute; With the squad we have now which is grossly unbalanced, and with our monetary restrictions, what top class manager would want to come here? The fact is that unless a new Billionaire buyer emerges AFC is descending into the group of mid – table clubs which those mentioned above belong to.
I hope the fans don`t desert the club, but I`m afraid that we shall all have to re-align our expectations of what we expect to achieve and where we fit in the top Level of Clubs. Mr. Kroenke needs to consider that if the `Super League` ever emerges, Arsenal will not be considered to be good enough or big enough to fature in it. That would be a disaster for his investment.