‘Stick it, li’l bro!’
An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective
Well, here is the first blog of the new season and I give full credit to Max McDonald for the title.
I spent way too long thinking of something intelligent to write about in this opening piece, but Max told me that this was much better. I cede to my son.
It really tells a story though. That game really felt like ‘big brother, little brother.’
City fans getting way too overexcited about their rebuild and potentially spending a country’s annual budget on three players. Arsenal forcing them to go to their bedroom after a good beating. Much like some of us used to do to our little brothers as soon as Mum and Dad weren’t looking.
This was also encapsulated by the lineup and the substitutions. Apparently that was City’s best 11. Much like offering your little brother the one pair of boxing gloves that your dad purchased for you when your Mum was at Tesco.
You’re only allowed to slap and he can punch.
My favourite part of the game was watching Saka and Rice come on the field. Not only were we winning and controlling the game but here come arguably our two best players.
So your little brother got the boxing gloves and two free swings and still he is dominated. He then gives up when you bring out your two best slap moves that you have perfected mostly in your dreams after years of being second best.
Forget my silly analogy, that might have been the Community Shield, but it felt like the official passing of the baton. I write exactly as I watch Odegaard’s goal which absolutely took the mickey and flexed our status as the superior force.
To add to this statement of superiority, what is even more hilarious is that if Ciity signed Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez for £220M, it will give them a deeper squad but I don’t see their first team being better than the one they put out today.
That’s a lot of money to still end up being the li’l bro!
POSITIVES:
Odegaard:
I’m not sure if I fully analyzed what we did last season. I was just so happy to have finally won the league that I don’t think I cared how we did it. We were talking in the the Arsenal pub in Knoxville today about how we won the Premier League without a group of our starting players ever getting close to their best form.
Martin Odegaard was most certainly one of them.
After his wife had their child, he seemed to lose weight and perhaps a little of his football focus. He certainly lost his daring and he got to the point where a player that we love and who has just lifted the trophy is one that a decent percentage of the fanbase were suggesting needs to leave. That really isn’t normal.
During the World Cup, preseason and certainly today, he looked like the player from two years ago. A player that we saw as arguably the best one in our team and who had clearly elevated himself to being one of the best attacking midfielders in world football. He is now entering his prime and whatever the problem actually was seems to have gone away or been put behind a locked door. This was summed up not only by his goal, but by the fact that a player who had been snatching at shots for two seasons, sat the Italian down as if he was playing six aside with his family members.
Looking back, I wonder if the weight of expectation and the frustration of not winning was what changed his game and his physique? He doesn’t seem to be your average captain. He seems to feel it in a way that Arteta does and so maybe his shoulders were just too heavy.
Tzolis:
We have a really interesting situation here with Tzolis. After seeing the pursuit of Vini Junior, it seems obvious that he was bought in as a secondary left-winger. That may still be the case, based on the size of the transfer fee that we might end up paying for somebody like Yildiz or Barcola. He doesn’t look like a second choice player, though.
Hope comes in various packages. Hope can come in energy and excitement, and it can also come in security and knowing.
An electric winger, like the two I suggested, would bring the former and are ordinarily the choice of a football fan because we tend to put excitement as the most needed adjective to describe what we want and don’t have.
Tzolis is similar in style to Trossard but sticking my neck out it looks like he might be more inevitable in creating goalscoring opportunities than Leo. It wasn’t just his two assists today, though. I found this quite amazing statistic……
I WhatsApp messaged Elliott Smith from Arsenal Vision during his Instant Reaction and he opened his ‘stock rising section’ by using it.
A statistic that is hard to ignore. Many of these teams might be weaker opponents, but 19 games in a row must be close to some kind of record.
Ultimately, when Arsenal really need a goal, I think most football fans would go with the security of knowing that there is a player on the field who is an assist specialist. A player who gives them that feeling of knowing. That his inevitability will produce one or two clear chances.
Let’s remember that you could break a top football team down in to four different needs. You need a goalkeeper who is brilliant at keeping the ball out of the net. A defender or two who are experts in denying. A midfielder with brilliant decision-making. A lucid and deadly striker and a creative genius that uses whatever tools he has to consistently create.
If this level of creation continues, then whoever Arsenal sign and no matter if he cost £100M or more, they are going to have a hard time elbowing Tzolis out of the team.
MLS:
I don’t want to scare you, but I’m anticipating Arsenal getting a bid in the 60 million range for Lewis–Skelly before the end of the window.
Everybody will have watched that game and much like Tzolis, he is making it mighty difficult to sit him down in the most competitive midfield in world football. Arsenal better bat any bid away because if Lewis-Skelly can look as accomplished in a period where we needed what would normally be an experienced player to help you win the league then start the Champions League final, and now produce such a dominant performance against City and all at the age of 19. In five years time he won’t even be close to his prime and how good will he be then if he’s already good enough now to play for one of the best three teams in the world.
Our opponents will most certainly see this and so silly bids of 40M will now change to at least 60M and possibly more, so there will be certain folks at Arsenal that will feel very tempted by that pure profit.
I might go and have a nap until September and someone can wake me up with happy news that this almost fully polished 19 year-old gem is staying and has signed an improved contract.
One of the greatest needs Arsenal had from last season was capitalizing on Califiori and his wanderings. He was hard to pick up and so it seems somewhat of a waste to have the extra player not be the one with the goal scoring opportunity. He has a natural instinct in front of goal, and I saw that before he even came to Arsenal. I believe he played striker as a youth player. MLS’s pass wasn’t just perfection but was the exact kind of pass that we lack. A perfectly weighted ball behind the defense for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. May that sunny day happen regularly.
Havertz:
Kai is the player that I forget about his qualities more than any other. A player who can do a little of everything and rather well. I could’ve told you that before today, though. I was looking for improvement. I saw it in his movement. I’ve seen it all preseason. Far more deceptive and elusive both in and outside the box. Far more use of the slow, fast method of getting away from your defender and zigzagging his runs. Watch him off the ball and you’ll start to see Van Persie like levels of movement. Sorry if you don’t like Robin Van Persie. I loved him and especially how bloody intelligent he was inside the box.
Raya:
Just more of the same really. That’s all I want to ever say about him moving forward. Your goalkeeper has to be consistent. All of them can make impressive saves. That’s why they made it to the professional level. Can they do it consistently though or just sometimes?
He is consistently saving shots by hitting the ground at the speed of lightning. I’ve never done a study or focused too heavily on it, but I can’t ever remember seeing a goalkeeper in my entire lifetime that gets down so fast to the ground. I’d also say that I’ve seen goalkeepers dominate their box in the air and whoever is in that group is in it with David Raya.
NEEDS:
Saka:
There is a bad habit creeping into his game. A selfishness in shooting from acute angles when somebody has a tap in. When you play for an elite team, regardless of whether you are the elite of the elite players on the team, the guy behind you will never be that far behind. As long as he keeps his lovely humility and equal joy in assisting as well as scoring, then this won’t ever become a problem.
HOPES
Defender:
The need for a right sided defender is greater than a left winger.
White and Timber honestly feel like half a player each because of their physical issues. With Saliba likely out until 2027, there is a lot of weight on Mosquera right now. If being patient with Marli Salmon is a serious concern then there is no doubt that we will see a right centre back or right back come in and probably this week before the first game.
We all complain about what we don’t have as football fans, and even though Arsenal‘s lack is so much smaller than everybody else’s, it would seem incredibly unnecessary to take the risk and start the season with only two fit right sided players in White and Mosquera.
A list of rumors is developing.
Wilfred Singo is a physical, athletic and versatile beast at Galatasary and might be available on loan. Very tempting option.
Jules Kounde at Barcelona would be the best talent that we could sign but why would he leave being first choice at Barcelona to be a squad option at Arsenal?
Jarrell Quansah is a fantastic option as he offers the versatility that we saw in the summer, but does him being 23 years of age stop the development of Salmon, who is clearly going to be a gem? Ezri Konsa is the safest option and therefore probably the best. Being five years older than Quansa we would get him at the beginning of the prime of a centre back who normally peak in their early 30s. It would also give hope to Salmon and not stifle his progress.
Alternatively, we could try to get another new Saliba. Almost like a Marli Salmon in a few years time.
The one that stands out is Ismael Ganiou at Lens. Who was just part of beating PSG today in the Super Cup.
A 21-year-old natural defender, who can also play on the right side.
Ultimately, I think it will be Ezri Konsa as he seems to be the first choice option and if Ethan goes to Villa, then they might soften their stance that we are as unlikable as they think.
In attack I think there will be one or two things happen.
Arsenal will either keep VG and purchase Kaua Elias at Shaktar to replace Jesus.
If Julian Alvarez becomes available to Arsenal, then I think we will get him and send VG to Barcelona. This is not what I want. It might be driven by the club wanting two different types of striker rather than two big guys.
What is stinging is we could lose a player who is hugely motivated to play for Arsenal and does not want to leave and gain a player who wanted to go to Barcelona and we were second choice.
On the wing, I think the club will sign Yildiz from Juventus.
A player that Arsenal had hoped that Martinelli would end up consistently becoming.
On the other hand, I can see that Arsenal might be playing the long game with Bradley Barcola. Allowing PSG to sign Ferran Torres and Mika Godts, leaving PSG with too many wingers and driving the price down.
I still think that Arteta would do wonders with Raphael Leao and I think Raphinha would almost guarantee you the league. N’diaye at Everton will now probably be expensive but is the profile that we need.
In midfield, I can absolutely see how Zubimendi would be attracted to go to Real Madrid after they missed out on Rodri. It just makes too much sense for the backup to Rodri for Spain, becoming the second choice target for Real.
I’d love for that to not happen, but if it does, then I think the rumors of Hinshelwood at Brighton have legs because he is so versatile and improving.
I’m gonna stick my neck out and say that there could be a transfer merry-go-round in this situation.
Barcelona get Rodri, which puts Frenkie DeJong on the bench. Zubimendi goes to Real Madrid leaving an opening at Arsenal and De Jong goes to Arsenal.
I also think that there’s a possibility that we sign a young and upcoming attacking midfielder. Keep an eye on this one. Abdella Ouazane at Ajax. The 17 year-old with a wonderful natural gift.
TWEETS and THOUGHTS:
What a perfect picture of Martin Odegaard
And this one of Ben White is equally as good (Photo Credit: Glyn Kirk/Getty).
And this might be the best of all. Cocky Cherki 😂
FINAL THOUGHT:
Arsenal were a little scary today. Scary with swagger no less.
Bring it on!
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