The road to the Champions League is full of potholes When you are 3-0 down at West Ham on a Sunday afternoon, the Champions League feels a long way away. However, the Gunners fought back superbly to come away with a draw. That fighting spirit is needed if Arsenal are to play in the 2021/22 […]
There was a mixture of emotions for Arsenal fans when news broke last summer of a potential move for Hector Bellerin to PSG, some rejected the prospect out of hand, not entertaining the thought of the Spaniard leaving, but it seemed the majority felt it was a necessary move in order to bring in cash, […]
Start at the End POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES How are we going to approach the game? How do we deny them? Defensive structure. Combinations. Passing patterns. Etc… The above is a list of 5 of the most regularly practiced topics at a professional club. All are important. The first three might just be vital. Here’s […]
This time last week I was a nervous wreck, fearing the worst and hoping for the best, fearing that inside a week our season would feel like it was over and hoping that we could navigate ourselves to a couple victories, preferably victories that wouldn’t cause the sort of heart palpitations that the Benfica game […]
Arsenal build-up shape The two most commonly deployed build-up structures Arteta favours is the 3-2-5 or the 2-3-5. And in yesterday’s derby, the Spaniard opted for the latter. Xhaka and Partey operated in a double pivot, with Cedric staying deep and at times inverting. Lacazette and Odegaard would both offer themselves between the lines, Tierney […]
Since Martin Ødegaard’s move to Emirates Stadium from Los Blancos on January 27 his performances have been repeatedly praised by many. Arsenal manager is among them. Martin’s only 22 years old, playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the world, yet he has adapted so fast that he was trusted to start in […]
We currently sit in 10th place, 7 points off of the European places and in indifferent form. Depending on who wins the FA Cup, finishing 7th could get us back into the Europa League, but the chances of doing so are looking increasingly unlikely. Winning the Europa League brings with it the coveted entry into […]
THE RETURN TO GUNNERSTOWN OF DB’S SEASON DIARY….. So here we are, on the eve of a crucial European second leg tie against Benfica, hanging in the balance after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. (If you are of a certain age, those very words will send a shiver down your spine!) […]
A coaches coach POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES I wasn’t really ‘Wenger Out.’ I wasn’t ‘Wenger In’, either. I was more ‘Wenger frustrated.’ I spent the post 2010 period largely frustrated. Whether it was the fact that we always seemed 2-3 players short of competing or the more pertinent point, that it became clear that he […]
The Journey and the Scoreboard POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES In a strange kind of way I was interested to see Benfica yesterday. I’ve researched many of their players for my transfer blogs but we don’t much get to see the Portuguese league and we all know that there are frequent gems sold from this league. […]
