Arsenal vs Tottenham 15.01.2025 KO 20:00

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

10/10 performance needed for Havertz here. Only way to make up for that atrocity the other day.

A hat trick at WHL still wouldn't be enough to wipe out the pain of watching him (and Jesus) masquerading as strikers for the past 2 years.

However I really pray he finds form and scores today, and if wishes were horses, there is someone else in this world that's as foolhardy as Arteta and makes us a semblance of an offer.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I think Zubimendi is a 6, rather than Merino, who is supposed to be an 8. I also think that Zubimendi is primarily intended as a replacement for Partey - particularly with the former's passing range.

I agree with you however that Merino has been underwhelming, and from the owner's perspective money wise, he was an addition to Partey, Rice; Jorghino and a very large MF wage deficit - not to mention was probably sold to the club by Arteta to be a box crasher/goal provider. Wouldn't surprise me if the owners feel that if Arteta spends the money available further back, then that depletes the fund available for our forward line. I think also that Arteta's strategy has undoubtedly been to build from the back forwards, so a summer striker signing was probably supposed to be the final jigsaw piece (with further signings dependent upon sales). We will wait to see whether the longer term approach will be tweaked now Jesus is gone.

If we're so crazy about the Real Sociedad team of yesteryears that we're recreating their midfield, why don't we just go a step further and get the coach that put them together.... honestly Arteta lacks imagination.

As for Partey, I'd take him over Jorginho as cover and want him to stay, but again, unlikely to happen with the kind of wages he can command in Saudi (Africans are known for many things, but accepting pay cuts definitely isn't one of them )

[HCZ_Reborn]

To a degree, all managers go with what they know. Wenger bought a lot of French players because that was the market he knew and more specifically he knew Manu Petit from his days managing Monaco. Mourinho brought a load of his Porto players with him to Chelsea. I care less about how imaginative it is than if it works.

Now Sociedad weren’t setting the world alight when these three were playing together but an excuse can be made that they were quite young, from what I could see from heavily edited video clips a lot of passing triangles. But the other question to ask is where does Rice fit into things with this trifecta.

The other factor with Partey is whilst no one knows for sure, there’s a distinct possibility that he’s the player being investigated for sexual assault claims. Whilst I don’t want to sound cynical about a serious crime (or more precisely serious allegations) if he is the guy and we’d frozen him out whilst he was still anonymous he would have cause to sue the club under employment law for unfair treatment. It kind of would help to have him be some other club’s problem (assuming it is him, and there’s no confirmation that it is)

[IBK]

To a degree, all managers go with what they know. Wenger bought a lot of French players because that was the market he knew and more specifically he knew Manu Petit from his days managing Monaco. Mourinho brought a load of his Porto players with him to Chelsea. I care less about how imaginative it is than if it works.

Now Sociedad weren’t setting the world alight when these three were playing together but an excuse can be made that they were quite young, from what I could see from heavily edited video clips a lot of passing triangles. But the other question to ask is where does Rice fit into things with this trifecta.

The other factor with Partey is whilst no one knows for sure, there’s a distinct possibility that he’s the player being investigated for sexual assault claims. Whilst I don’t want to sound cynical about a serious crime (or more precisely serious allegations) if he is the guy and we’d frozen him out whilst he was still anonymous he would have cause to sue the club under employment law for unfair treatment. It kind of would help to have him be some other club’s problem (assuming it is him, and there’s no confirmation that it is)

Good point about Rice. if we are buying Zubimendi then this suggests that Arteta is not plannning to play Rice in what in my view is his most effective position (6).

[HCZ_Reborn]

Good point about Rice. if we are buying Zubimendi then this suggests that Arteta is not plannning to play Rice in what in my view is his most effective position (6).

Yes. And whilst Zubimendi is a better passer of the ball than Rice, even if Rice at 8 receives the ball in a more timely fashion his ability to do something with it is limited.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Sterling, Havertz, Trossard.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Martinelli, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Merino, Butler-Oyedeji, Kabia.

Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky, Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence, Bissouma, Sarr, Bergvall, Kulusevski, Solanke, Son.
Subs: Austin, Reguilon, Richarlison, Maddison, Johnson, Lankshear, Moore, Olusesi, Hardy.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I haven’t even got the energy to complain about the side being put out. I think Sterling is useless but ultimately neither Trossard nor Martinelli can play on the right

And there’s only so creative you can be with system/formation changes with just over 72 hours between games

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

An energy sapping, morale sapping, form sapping loss would be quite handy here.

1-0 Havertz.

[HCZ_Reborn]

An energy sapping, morale sapping, form sapping loss would be quite handy here.

1-0 Havertz.

Energy, morale, form ?

You can’t sap what isn’t there

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Sterling, just stick it in mate.