I actually think we probably will finish in the top 4. My annoyance is that there was/is an opportunity to go third cement CL and finish above Spurs. Lacazette was said to be aiming for that recently. We are certainly not going the best way about getting third!
Maitland-Niles hasn't even started every game recently.....so why did he absolutely need to be rested/ similarly, Torreira has had plenty rest and same with Iwobi. This was a day in the sun at home against mediocre opposition at best. So why not go all out to win the easiest game and then see what you can do against Wolves away from home where we've been shocking.
Wan-bissaka is practically the best one on one tackler in the league so wwatching us repeatedly trying to get joy out of that side of the pitch was immensely tedious.....particularly without Iwobi and with Jenkinson on the other side who was no threat at all.
I actually didn't even think Elneny was especially bad, but I never wanted to see his partnership with Guendouzi again after Everton and nothing happened today to convince me otherwise.
I never wanted to see Mustafi play for us again last season, never mind this one and nothing has happened to make me change my mind.
Emery deserves the stick today, I'm afraid to say. If we now lose to Wolves, the decisions today will look twice as stupid.
Sadly these results are typical of Arsenal teams in recent history, when the opportunity presents itself to take advantage of other teams slipping up thy blow it.
Disappointing today, we seem to get some very good results and some very bad ones.
Mustafi should never play for this club again as others have said, time and time again the guy costs us goals.
What this has shown is that the supporting cast are just not good enough and worthy of this team. Every time they play the results are dismal. El Neny, Jenks, Mustafi, Even Cech. These are abysmal players who would nt even get a game at Sunderland or Bolton. I can give youngsters like Guen, Mavro and AMN a pass, however if we are to compete especially with the wage bill we have, a serious cull of the deadwood is needed. Kos also needs to be let go. He can barely play 20 games a season, so whats the point, same with Monreal. What would this season look like if we hadn't signed Sokratis this season?
Make 2mrw better than 2day
Harsh on Monreal, Kos and Cech. They have been pretty solid this season, so I am not sure where the criticism comes from. I'd rather criticize players who have got ample game time and still sucks i.e. Guen-sidewayspassing-dozi, Mkhi and the biggest liability of all- Mustafi.
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
Not a critique on them but where is the payday on keeping these players going forward. Monreal and Kos are both on the steep downward trend and are on high wages. We can get better younger players on 30-40kpw. Sentiments we really cant afford. Wan Bissaka and the Leicester LB are 2 that I would go for. add to that any pair of up and coming players in the reserves . Now Wenger is gone we need to think with rationale not hubris. Cech at least has done the decent thing by retiring.
Make 2mrw better than 2day
Payday for players like these are not always necessary on what they bring on the field, but its what they bring off the field that is very important. We did something similar in 2006 when we started offloading the senior players without replacing them, and that resulted in having talented players who folded like a deck of cards when push came to shove. Having said that, I still think Kos and Monreal have a good 1-2 years left at least.
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
How do we reduce our massive wage burden if we keep keeping senior players. Our teams folded like cardboard because we never made character part of our make up. Wenger actively eschewed this. Character is not the same as aggression. It is bringing the right personality to bear on each occasion as it demands it . Neither Kos or Monreal are known as leaders as far as I know. Kos is more renown for ducking out of the way of shots fired at goal. We need to reduce the wage bill as our owner will not invest and is even not allowed to by regulations. Since we cant get rid of Ozil and Mikhi, we should sell other senior players. Tony Adams was captain at 20. He had character, you dont need to be old and wizened to have character. Thats my opinion anyway
Last edited by Globalgunner; 23-04-2019 at 02:54 PM.
Make 2mrw better than 2day
Not going to earn much in resale on Kos or Monreal, so imo we should be looking to keep at least one to stay on.
Wan-bisaka is top class but will probably cost what Laca did and too much of our budget. What's the point if we have Hector and AMN? Chilwell I like but again....English premium.
Sell Chambers and Mustafi for 30+ mill and reinvest in a CB. Sign a truly top class wide player and possibly another central midfielder and we're good to go.