The New and the Familiar POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Arsenal are sneaking up on us. As we have seen ourselves as a dominant possession team for the largest part of the last 20 years, I don’t think we give this current group the credit they deserve for their current improvement. For at least the last […]
The worst Arsenal transfers of the 21st century In the winter transfer window, Arsenal finally managed to get rid of Ozil’s huge contract by letting him go to Fenerbahce for free. Undoubtedly, zero pounds is a significant financial loss when you remember that the Turkish German came from Real Madrid for 42 million. Nevertheless, […]
After a fascinating selection of midweek fixtures, which saw a selection of the side directly above Arsenal drop points, and after last week’s impressive away win against Leicester, the Gunners will be starting to dream again about chasing a European place in the League, ahead of their visit to Burnley tomorrow lunchtime. Whilst Sean Dyche’s […]
Last weekend’s impressive performance against high-flying, although admittedly injury plagued Leicester, on the back of the comeback against Benfica, has understandably raised anticipation levels. For me, at least, this is not just about the performances of the team but the performance of the squad. Arteta raised the collective eyebrow of the fanbase with his multiple […]
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!) […]
The Arsenal set up 1) In possession Utilising the familiar 4-2-3-1, Arsenal were building through the thirds in a 2-3-5 shape. Cedric would initially remain deep, with Tierney deployed as an outlet through the left channel, allowing Willian to occupy the half-spaces. The 2-3-5 became a 3-2-5 occasionally with Elneny dropping in between the two […]
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 […]
…… and the door slides open POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES In the 14 months that Mikel Arteta has been at Arsenal he has experienced every curve of the rollercoaster that most managers would enjoy and endure in a decade. I sit here a few hours post game and I wonder if he knows 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. […]
I, too, cannot wrap my mind around Mikel Arteta’s substitutions. I can’t explain why he keeps playing Willian on the left, I can’t understand why he seems to overlook Martinelli, and so on. I believe he should have responded better when David Luiz got sent off at Molineux and I think he killed the team […]
