As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
Pre-season appears to going very well. Koscielny isn't being missed at all. The team have played some good football and been quick in the attack. Willock, Sako and Nketieh have performed well. Jenkinson has shown that he will always put a shift in and work hard for the team. In the performances I've seen from him, he hasn't let the team down in the way Ozil, Xhaka, Monreal, Kolasinac and Mustafi have done over the last season
Pre season friendlies mean absolutely nothing, I remember us having a good pre season a few years back, only to lose 1-3 at home to wham on the opening day of the season and if I remember correctly the Invincibles had a shit pre season!
Friendlies have no comparison to competitive games, they arr basically non-contact games!
As for Torreira becoming acclimatised to the plge? he got steadily worse as the season progressed, to the point where only mustafi and ozil were worse!
As for Guendozi? I’ve seen nothing to indicate that he might have a big season ahead, as brain dead a footballer as I’ve ever seen!
Pre-season appears to going very well. Koscielny isn't being missed at all. The team have played some good football and been quick in the attack. Willock, Sako and Nketieh have performed well. Jenkinson has shown that he will always put a shift in and work hard for the team. In the performances I've seen from him, he hasn't let the team down in the way Ozil, Xhaka, Monreal, Kolasinac and Mustafi have done over the last season
Pre season friendlies mean absolutely nothing, I remember us having a good pre season a few years back, only to lose 1-3 at home to wham on the opening day of the season and if I remember correctly the Invincibles had a shit pre season!
Friendlies have no comparison to competitive games, they arr basically non-contact games!
As for Torreira becoming acclimatised to the plge? he got steadily worse as the season progressed, to the point where only mustafi and ozil were worse!
As for Guendozi? I’ve seen nothing to indicate that he might have a big season ahead, as brain dead a footballer as I’ve ever seen!
100% agree you got that right about friendlies
As for Guendouzi agree again, too much running with the ball then passing back to where he started, needs to show more
Torreira showed early part of season what he could do, too early to right him off IMO
Jenkinson never lacks for effort gets in great positions down the wing but poor crossing lets him down
As for Monreal and Mustafi in the defence FFS
Positive side we have Bellerin and Holding back and maybe Tierney
Pre-season appears to going very well. Koscielny isn't being missed at all. The team have played some good football and been quick in the attack. Willock, Sako and Nketieh have performed well. Jenkinson has shown that he will always put a shift in and work hard for the team. In the performances I've seen from him, he hasn't let the team down in the way Ozil, Xhaka, Monreal, Kolasinac and Mustafi have done over the last season
Pre season friendlies mean absolutely nothing, I remember us having a good pre season a few years back, only to lose 1-3 at home to wham on the opening day of the season and if I remember correctly the Invincibles had a shit pre season!
Friendlies have no comparison to competitive games, they arr basically non-contact games!
As for Torreira becoming acclimatised to the plge? he got steadily worse as the season progressed, to the point where only mustafi and ozil were worse!
As for Guendozi? I’ve seen nothing to indicate that he might have a big season ahead, as brain dead a footballer as I’ve ever seen!
That's the way pre-season friendlies used to be. Over the last couple of years there has been a definite change in the intensity of the friendlies, especially the ICC competition. The Real Madrid game is a case in point. You can't tell me Zidane didn't want to win that game in the second half??
To me, a good pre-season is seeing the team harmonious and playing competitively against good teams. No one benefits from beating Barnet 10-0 in pre-season.
Maybe it is because we are not in the CL but the quality of our pre-season opponents has improved substantially.
It seems from the incoming signings that Emery is going to switch to a 4-4-2 formation to accomodate the potency of the from two pairing of Auba and Lacazette. Cellabos predominantly plays on the left side of midfield and if confirmed Pepe is a right sided player. Defensively Bellerin, Holding, Sokatis and Kolasinac (Tierney) will be first choice back four. It may well be a case of making teams adjust the way they play to contain our attacking potency, which protects the defence. Attack has always been the best form of defence in football. Both Liverpool and City got their forward lines sorted before strengthening their defence. It's not traditionally the Arsenal way, as we have usually built from the back.
Emery will have no excuses this season. He's got the players he wants, (just waiting for Tierney). He has the squad. He's got Freddie in as 1st team coach, got Edu as director of football. Got rid of the performance coach that exhausted the players. Basically, he's got his people in place. He has to deliver from the off. It took GG 3 seasons to get us the title. The 22 unbeaten run from last season shows the impact he made with an underperforming squad of players. I'm not too bothered about the quality of his English to the media, it's hardly the first language of many of the squad players. I'd like to know what his French and german is like.
Maybe its just me and my dislike of the Manager, but i really dont feel like we've learned much from last seasons woeful defensive problems.
Putting aside the fact that we've so far not managed to strengthen it with new players, watching the pre-season matches our defence is still at sixes and sevens when put under pressure, and half that pressure is created by this idiotic idea of playing out from the back with a bunch of players who are quite often incapable of doing it.
Someone help me out here and point out something that shows the lessons from last season have been learned because i'm truly struggling to see it
If we don't sign any defenders and are stuck with Mustafi again I would have to say Dick Out. It's obvious to everyone where our weaknesses lie and to fail to strengthen again would be Wenger levels of self harm.
Just a reminder,Wenger has gone and his totalitarian system with him. We now have a coach and a group whose responsibilities encompass the buying and selling of players.They do the deals Emery coaches what he has available.
Just a reminder,Wenger has gone and his totalitarian system with him. We now have a coach and a group whose responsibilities encompass the buying and selling of players.They do the deals Emery coaches what he has available.
Thank you for saving me making that very point - it is an accepted fact that the buying is largely out of dick's hands, so don't bash him for no defensive recruits
Maybe its just me and my dislike of the Manager, but i really dont feel like we've learned much from last seasons woeful defensive problems.
Putting aside the fact that we've so far not managed to strengthen it with new players, watching the pre-season matches our defence is still at sixes and sevens when put under pressure, and half that pressure is created by this idiotic idea of playing out from the back with a bunch of players who are quite often incapable of doing it.
Someone help me out here and point out something that shows the lessons from last season have been learned because i'm truly struggling to see it
Is funny cos, with the exception of 2 or 3 occasions I felt we did it very well tonight - at the top level those 2 or 3 times will more often than not see us punished and I get that, but at the same time I felt we didn't panic in possession and played out from the back really well on most occasions
Maybe its just me and my dislike of the Manager, but i really dont feel like we've learned much from last seasons woeful defensive problems.
Putting aside the fact that we've so far not managed to strengthen it with new players, watching the pre-season matches our defence is still at sixes and sevens when put under pressure, and half that pressure is created by this idiotic idea of playing out from the back with a bunch of players who are quite often incapable of doing it.
Someone help me out here and point out something that shows the lessons from last season have been learned because i'm truly struggling to see it
Is funny cos, with the exception of 2 or 3 occasions I felt we did it very well tonight - at the top level those 2 or 3 times will more often than not see us punished and I get that, but at the same time I felt we didn't panic in possession and played out from the back really well on most occasions
Playing out from the back works even better if the holding midfield are disciplined enough to stay in position. That's why it works so well for Barca with Busquets, Man City with Fernandinho and Liverpool with Henderson/ milner. We've got Xhaka who wanders and get caught out too often. Hoping more discipline from Guendouzi and Torreira, feeding the ball to the ball players Although, Chambers did excel at fulham playing as a DM so he is also an option.
Chambers as defensive midfield is probably his best position but unfortunately Emery has not been provided with the answer to the Koscielny / Mustafi problem. The fact that Emery has been trying to change Kos' mind shows that buying a centre back is not on Sanhelli's bucket list this window.
For the main part we looked more efficient at the back but Maitland Niles and Leno had their Seaman / Dixon moment and Sokratis went off and stopped talking to Chambers and a great yawning gap appeared at the back and once again we are left to lick wounds of our own making.
So next up a weeks reflection and a trip to Newcastle , I can't see a magic solution arriving , we will go with what we have and make the best of it.
Chambers as defensive midfield is probably his best position but unfortunately Emery has not been provided with the answer to the Koscielny / Mustafi problem. The fact that Emery has been trying to change Kos' mind shows that buying a centre back is not on Sanhelli's bucket list this window.
For the main part we looked more efficient at the back but Maitland Niles and Leno had their Seaman / Dixon moment and Sokratis went off and stopped talking to Chambers and a great yawning gap appeared at the back and once again we are left to lick wounds of our own making.
So next up a weeks reflection and a trip to Newcastle , I can't see a magic solution arriving , we will go with what we have and make the best of it.
That was one of my best ever Arsenal moments as I was sat in the Directors box at Highbury for that Coventry match in 91 - right in front of George (when he used to have the bat phone to the dug out). Take it from me the language that came from GG's mouth after that og went in was fuck.ing impressive. They always said that they couldn't let him sit too close to the visiting big wigs and they weren't kidding. Yup, the director's box folks you are in the presence of gooner royalty