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You have to look at Unai, Sven and Raul's track record when it comes to signing players and development. They have a track record of taking risks. I don't expect us to do what Liverpool did and sign a defender for £75m.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
I am not entirely happy either but I do understand the logic behind it. We are trying to stabilise the team with experience and make a push for top 4 / Europa league win before going down the route of spending larger amounts on top quality young talent.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
Right now we don't have the pull of a Liverpool or any of the other CL clubs in PL, we have been out of CL for 2 seasons now and are going through quite a big transition. Going to a CL club such as Liverpool or dare I say even Spurs is a far safer bet for a player right now, especially a younger one with bundles of potential.
It will take a few seasons and a marked improvement before we are going to be in the mix for the likes of your "Keita" and "Fabinho". We don't have that pull right now.
For years people wanted solid experienced players and now we're signing them they're moaning and want young unproven players :lol:
Seems to me Wenger left us in a lot more trouble than we thought. The away form became a bit of a joke because we'd long given up the season, but for a supposedly competitive sports team it should be a deafening alarm.
Wenger kept trying to write it off as bad luck - "We dominated, we had possession, we don't know how we lost that game, lacked little bit sharpness in final third..." But what it really was is a lack of spine, a failure of courage under fire, fear and collapse at the slightest pressure. Wenger transformed us slowly but surely and with the determination of a deranged zealot into the gun shy gunners.
This squad is weak. The individuals are weak. Coddled. Cosseted. Lied to about the failings and deficiencies. Our star player can't be bothered to turn up - where else would that be tolerated? Our wingers can't cross. Our defenders can't clear a ball. Our midfielders have no discipline. All of them are afraid to shoot at goal. None of them learn from their mistakes because Wenger never accepted the ongoing calamity as a mistake.
So what do you do when your foot soldiers are soft as hell and can be overrun and flee the battle when the enemy says BOO? You get real fighters in to kick their arses. Drill sergeants who are more frightening than the enemy. This is surely what we are doing. Taking the first steps in halting the terrible decline in the competitive spirit of the club.
Wenger used to go on all the time about spirit. Such bullshit. He didn't mean fighting spirit, he meant happy and cuddly (we all get along famously) spirit. Big words and promises of big deeds before and after the battles, and an arse kicking on the battlefield. We saw it time and time again, Wenger prattling on about the best spirit ever and spokesmen emerging after each embarrassment to assure us how different it would be in the future. I called Wenger the worst manager in football, because he was. Look at our squad of millionaires if you want the proof.
It was often said, at the height of Wenger's nonsense, it wouldn't make any difference if we signed Messi. And in the early days of this new regime the same remains true. It was often said the squad lacked even the basic requirements to be competitive. True. Emery has to start at the very beginning. From scratch. He has to rebuild every player that Wenger ruined. He has to reverse the happy families mentality and instil the competitive bastard in every player and then into the squad as a whole. And then his biggest challenge is to build a team from a collection of wet lettuce individuals.
So we see old heads arriving rather than Messi. It was inevitable. The squad can't be refined or improved at this stage, it needs to be created.
I'd say Emery and the team have one of the toughest challenges in football. I'm going to give them plenty of leeway and a fair amount of time to make a go of it. And I think they will. I'm not worried by any of this because I know with absolute certainty nothing could be worse than one more season under Wenger. He would have absolutely destroyed us had he managed to cling on. Now there are people who know what they are doing in charge. That can only make a huge difference for the better.
:gp:Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
To be fair it was only last season that Sokratis's performance dipped a bit, Dortmund as a whole struggled defensively. Prior to that, Sokratis had a rep as one of the best CB's in Bundesliga.Quote:
Originally Posted by hobson's choice
I personally would have preferred someone younger but I am more than satisfied with this signing.
He is a no nonsense experienced defender, he has played at the highest level and won stuff, he is no slouch either and will come and organise our defence.
He is absolutely an upgrade on what we have with exception of Kos, assuming Kos isn't clapped out after all his injuries and his poor form last season.
That experienced Swiss full back from Juve who we are signing on a free will also bring much needed experience and a will to win.
I have faith that these guys will come in and help with organising the defensive side of our team, right now it is a complete mess.
There is no ambition, Emery is our manager. That should be all you need to know bout our ambition.Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
Dortmund fans opinion of Socrates
https://www.reddit.com/r/borussiador...ulos/?sort=top
I had my doubts about signing older players, but what you're saying does make some sense as long as we can be reasonably certain that whoever we do sign is in as good shape as possibleQuote:
Originally Posted by Globalgunner
i agree Holding and Chambers are worth trying to develop
I actually do think Kos could have been world class, because despite playing under Wenger, he showed great awareness, and timing, though the old goat broke him down in the end
I think this is a problem that goes right back to the fabric of the club, and its need for everyone involved to feel like they're part of the Arsenal 'family'. I mean, I get what they're going for - they want a culture where everyone is more than just work colleagues, and will go that extra mile for each other - but unfortunately the family vibe is all wrong for a competitive environment. All it really does is create and comfortable, cozy atmosphere, where everyone knows that they can fuck up as many times as they like and the 'family' will always forgive them, welcome them back with open arm and shield them from criticism. The family is their safe place.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
The vibe we should be aiming for is more like that of a group of soldiers - you still get that sense of brotherhood and comradery, and you know the guy next to you will always have your back if you get in trouble. But the key difference is, if you keep getting in trouble - if you become a constant liability - then the rest of the group will drum you out of the unit (for your own good as much as everyone else's).
As you say, hopefully the moves for guys like Sokratis and Lichtsteiner mark the first steps in that kind of switch in thinking - get a couple of drill sergeants in to help change the culture at the club (as well as do a job on the pitch).
I did say we should be singing younger proven players, you can knock 8 years off that one bloke and get a guy who is 26 and is a bit more established than a 'kid'. I don't think Chambers and Holding will make it, that's my view.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
Just shows you the decline in our status from not having CL football for two years in a row if the stories about Fabinho rejecting a last minute intervention by us for Liverpool. I remember four years ago, we managed to get Alexis ahead of Liverpool because we were still regarded as the more desirable team - not the case anymore. We've fallen behind Liverpool and possibly even Spurs for young players (Pochettino is a huge draw).
That being said none of the journos had a clue about Fabinho until Liverpool announced it and likewise none of them knew shit about Emery so it's probably all bollocks. Either way, the most important thing to do next year is to get CL football at all costs and display progress, so we start improving our standing and are able to attract the calibre of players to make a league push.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Emirates Gallactico
Yeah Emery's task next season must be top four, forget cups etc, total focus on the PL is what's needed
Chambers and Holding won't make it, we shouldn't waste our time on them, signed by Wenger a guy who doesn't have a clue about defending and you can see how good they are, we should get rid and bring in proper young players with potential.
Personally I ditch almost the entire defence, it was selected by Wenger and has shown it's below par time and time again.
You don't aim for top 4 you aim to win, if we aim for top 4 we'll be in the same boat we were with Wenger where it becomes the holy grail and one of the major trophies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac76
My thoughts exactly. I haven't been following Dortmund recently but he used to be a rock at the back for them. At his peak he was leagues away from all of the defenders we have at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by selassie
Nothing wrong with getting an experienced head at the back. If anything he might be exactly the type of defender we've been missing. Strong, good in the air, and has his positioning down. If he can also become a leader and whip all our other defenders into shape it would be a great signing.
Remember he doesn't have to be the only defender we sign, but he would be a good start.
The goal is to win every match we play. Anything less should be totally unacceptable. Doesn't mean we'll win every match. Wenger's speciality was mediocrity. That's one of the key things we need to see change under Emery. The desire to be competitive at the highest level.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac76
@ ozim and NQ
Yes of course but top four should be the minimum and what i'm really saying is we should focus on getting at least top 4 for the reasons the other guy made
Of course we try and win every game, that's how it works, but in particular it's the PL that coumts and if necessary forget the cups
:d:d:d:dQuote:
Originally Posted by Goonermerree
Aye, from what I’ve been reading from Dortmund fans it seems he is still there best CB by some distance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Penguin
They have a couple of younger defenders who were highly rated when they bought them but haven’t quite worked out yet.
I’m confident Sokratis will be a decent addition, like you said he is basically a rock, I think he will be very well suited to PL and will do well under Emery assuming he sorts out the Defence.
I've been pleasantly surprised by what I've seen of / read a out Sokratis over the last couple of days. A lot of the compilation videos make him look like a bit of a nutter who loves diving in with a hard challenge, and who appears to play the more advanced, aggressive CB role (like Kos and Mustafi) - however, when you watch one of those videos that follow his contributions across a single game he comes across as the exact opposite: a very calm, composed presence who comes across as more of a Mertersacker type. (I think his stats show that his interception rate is quite low, so that's a good indicator that he probably plays as the more withdrawn CB in a pairing.)
Don't know if it's true or not, but I heard someone say that he's only made 1 defensive error in the last 4 seasons! I can't even imagine what that must be like after watching our lot for the last couple of years?
Arsenal have offered Aaron Ramsey a five-year contract - here's @MattHughesTimes with the exclusive news that Unai Emery wants to build a team around the Wales midfielder
https://t.co/0ZTYozTiYD
Em dog :bow:
I have a sneaky feeling that Emery wants to play Ramsey behind Aubameyang in his favoured 4231 - a kind of second striker who can also drop back to form a 3-man midfield when needed?
meh about Sokratis. I hope Sven knows what he's doing.
Also really like Lucas Torreira and ecatastic that we're being linked to him. Just what we need! Right age & profile of player.
R.I.P. Ozil :rose:Quote:
Originally Posted by I am invisible
I hope not, Lacazette needs to be int he 1st 11 and will score loads more goals than Ramsey, don't want a Wenger like midfielder in the place of a striker, Wenger did this for years with players who could never score enough goals.Quote:
Originally Posted by I am invisible
Agreed, Dont want the team built around Ramsey a just above average player with the constitution of a stalk of Rhubarb. Ramsey would not be on the radar of any of the teams who finished above us. Nobody wants him. If he signs a new contract its because none of the top 4 are interested.Quote:
Originally Posted by Özim
I hope all this Ramsey talk by the new manager was just a pitch to the management. I fail to see Ramsey's ceiling being much higher than what it already is. Play Laca with Auba and Ozil or Ramsey behind them. Get a new DM and a clearout at the back. New keeper needed, or get Martinez back and dump Ospina.
Ramsey showed what he was capable of in the 13/14 season and I think under a good manager that guides him and provides him with tactical assistance he'd improve. I'd be happy to keep him.
It's a long old season, mate - plenty of games for everyone. I'm expecting to see a lot more rotation under Emery, and a lot more tactical flexibility, so I'm sure we'll see plenty of Lacazette with Auba (or on his own, or with Auba on the left, etc, etc).Quote:
Originally Posted by Özim
For the big games though, I just have a feeling that Emery will like having that immediate option to switch between 3 in midfield and a second attacker.
Who is Torreira? Is he any good?
Just get Ozil to fit his holidays around Ramsey's injuries and they can share the job - problem solved!Quote:
Originally Posted by The Emirates Gallactico
Besides, the wide attackers come pretty narrow in a 4231, so there's plenty of space there for Ozil, even if he has to go slightly off centre.
https://www.esdfanalysis.com/player-...ucas-torreira/Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
Physical tough tackling player? Sounds good to me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSZzVF95sHkQuote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
Great tackler and passer.
Only thing is that he's only 5ft 6' so height may be a problem when dealing with long balls. Then again look at Kante.
Has a 22 million clause allegedly but we have to move before the WC because there's a good chance he's going to boss it for Uruguay in the central midfield.
-----------------------Cech----------------------------
Bellerin ------ Sokartis ----- Mavarponos/Chambers ------ Kolosanic
------------------ Torreira ----------- Xhaka -------------------------
--------------------------Ramsey ------------------------------------
Lacazette ---------------Aubaymang -----------------------Ozil
Would be satisfied with that being our line up for the first game of next season tbh.
I would be very nervous about that team indeed....
Ozil will be on annual leave half the time and Ramsey will be injured the other half....Quote:
Originally Posted by I am invisible
Haha, just seen you made that point/joke/quip/con yourself!
Would prefer someone younger and with a higher ceiling but if this Greek guy is capable of making an immediate impact then I’m fine with it. The main thing is that hopefully we can implement a system where the defenders aren’t constantly exposed and run ragged.
As long as their wages reflect that!Quote:
Originally Posted by I am invisible
If only it was a joke!Quote:
Originally Posted by Blink 1nce Quince 2wice