This Weekend's Fixtures (10/11 May).

[Mac76]

I explain why I don’t rate these players and you in the unsophisticated way you do, think because they score a goal or have a good game that this negates my opinion about these players


Gakpo and Eze are examples of the types of players where athleticism and strength are favoured more than technique, now that’s fine but I imagine them playing for a team such as ours which is already bereft of creativity and think hmm really (and I make that point because for reasons I still don’t really get you wished we’d signed Gakpo, and I compared a player we were linked with, with Eze)


It’s definitely not that I have lamented constantly the lack of creative and technically talented players in the game. For you it’s an indefensible position which needs to be corrected like it’s a spelling mistake.

And only today the way you jumped on a post I made to argue against something id not even said, does rather highlight that this is a bit of a problem for you

Literally everyone except you sees Eze as a creative player, as for Gakpo I didn't at any time say we should have signed him tbh, I just said he was a good player while you dug a deeper and deeper hole saying he wasn't, just like you were so sure Liverpool wouldn't keep going and win the title (whereas I said all along that they could)

You simply said Gakpo was 'overrated' you didn't talk about whether he could do this, that or the other, as for Rice you consistenly said he couldn't help us in attack when he's so good there, including in his distribution and ball carrying which you specifically criticised, that most people now want him to stay at 8 rather then be a 6

[HCZ_Reborn]

Literally everyone except you sees Eze as a creative player, as for Gakpo I didn't at any time say we should have signed him tbh, I just said he was a good player while you dug a deeper and deeper hole saying he wasn't, just like you were so sure Liverpool wouldn't keep going and win the title (whereas I said all along that they could)

You simply said Gakpo was 'overrated' you didn't talk about whether he could do this, that or the other, as for Rice you consistenly said he couldn't help us in attack when he's so good there, including in his distribution and ball carrying which you specifically criticised, that most people now want him to stay at 8 rather then be a 6

You’ve really got to stop trying to pad out your arguments by claiming to speak for anyone but yourself

And you did in fact say you had wanted us to sign Gakpo when he was still at PSV. As for being overrated, I went on to say perhaps it’s unfair to call him overrated because you appear to be the only one who rates him


This started with a like for like comparison with our attacking players and theirs where I said, whilst I think overall they are better in attack I didn’t think a player like Gakpo was any better than Martinelli or Trossard. Actually I would say I said I preferred both of them to Gakpo. And then when you factor in Saka, Salah is the only player in that team far better than what we have in attack on an individual comparison basis.


Eze looks to me like a player that relies on speed and strength and those of course are good features for a winger, but also plays too much with his head down, and especially when he’s played for England doesn’t seem to demonstrate that he can read the game, make himself available for a pass….the things one might equate with having a football brain rather than just being a good athlete.
You can score goals and that be the case.


As for people wanting Rice to play at 8 and not 6, people are fickle….ten years ago people thought that Francis Coquelin would become a top class defensive midfielder.

People simply can’t have it both ways, you can’t lament the lack of attacking opportunities we create and then in the same breath say that Arteta has got it right by playing a DM at 8. Odegaard has been shit this season but the fact that we rely so much on him to be the creative spark is half the problem

We know full well that teams that get back quickly into defensive formation and sit deep we’ve struggled against and that’s partly because we are playing Rice there, it’s not his fault it’s just not his forte (though to be fair on him he’s no worse than Merino at it). The player we need in those situations is not one that we have at the club, a player that is quick enough to see a pass half a second earlier than Rice does, has the acceleration to get up the pitch half a second quicker than Rice can.

Rice is an intelligent footballer in that he can spot danger, he’s also an incredible grafter and leads by example. But technically gifted he is not.

But by all means find me a counter example of where he’s bossed the game at 8 in the way he did against Real Madrid, against an opponent which cedes possession to us and the only way we can get at them is by passing and moving far quicker to open them up

[Mac76]

In no particular order:

The deep block has little to do with Rice and in fact, especially recently, he's sometimes played long balls quickly or carried the ball himself to get things going

Odegaard's been a much bigger culprit on that front as has Partey at times

I didn't even know who Gakpo was when he was at PSV, I only knew about him at the Euros so clearly that's not true... and he's outscored any of our players by quite a margin this season and I'd argue he's a more assured finisher than Martinelli and probably even Leo, albeit i admit he's helped by their far quicker transition football, I think Martinelli in particular would do better if we could get up the pitch quicker

I can only say again that most people, including me, see Eze as a fairly creative player although yes he needs to develop his overall game more - but seriously if you're saying you woudln't take him if we could get him, I'd bet you are pretty much in a minority of one

[HCZ_Reborn]

In no particular order:

The deep block has little to do with Rice and in fact, especially recently, he's sometimes played long balls quickly or carried the ball himself to get things going

Odegaard's been a much bigger culprit on that front as has Partey at times

I didn't even know who Gakpo was when he was at PSV, I only knew about him at the Euros so clearly that's not true... and he's outscored any of our players by quite a margin this season and I'd argue he's a more assured finisher than Martinelli and probably even Leo, albeit i admit he's helped by their far quicker transition football, I think Martinelli in particular would do better if we could get up the pitch quicker

I can only say again that most people, including me, see Eze as a fairly creative player although yes he needs to develop his overall game more - but seriously if you're saying you woudln't take him if we could get him, I'd bet you are pretty much in a minority of one

Again I’m only going by what you said last summer about him, you also did mention the Euros as well and insisted that he made the team of the competition (which apart from not meaning a whole lot, also he didn’t make Uefa’s official team of the tournament).

Gakpo wasn’t exactly an unknown when he went to Liverpool, he’d played for Netherlands in the World Cup and he had played against us because PSV were in our group for 2022/2023.

Is there really this great clamour amongst fans for us to sign Eze? I’m not going to say most would think we could do better because unlike certain people I don’t try to claim support for an opinion I hold from this nebulous “majority”

It’s not about blaming Rice, it’s saying that when we don’t have a more naturally technical player with greater acceleration at 8 it’s going to be more noticeable when someone like Odegaard is also stinking up the place, plus I’d argue with Odegaard that his form over went off a cliff at the beginning of the year….we’ve been struggling to unlock teams all season.

My preference would be to sign a more creative midfielder and then play Rice or Zubimendi/Partey only when we are playing sides where midfield supremacy is more important than getting the ball forward more quickly. Ok if Rice is more adept at playing long balls…that might prove effective when Havertz is back….but our team isn’t the best at trapping long balls

[Mac76]

Ii didn't say there was a clamour but that's because we're focussed on other things, plus he'd be very expensive, but if he was in offer for something reasonable I don't think anyone would think it was a bad buy

[HCZ_Reborn]

Ii didn't say there was a clamour but that's because we're focussed on other things, plus he'd be very expensive, but if he was in offer for something reasonable I don't think anyone would think it was a bad buy

I think at most he could be an ok backup option, but given the money Palace would be asking for him I’d rather not take the option.

[Mac76]

So you want as a 'backup option' someone who's scored more goals than any Arsenal player this season?

I'm glad you're not Arsenal manager, I'd sooner take my chances with Arteta