04 Sep 2020 22:56:51
A good addition in Defence (Gabriel and Saliba ) , Good addition in Midfield (Ceballos) and a good addition in Attack (Willian) .
Along with an excellent backup Goal keeper and 1-3 not so bad options for every position on the pitch.
(Want to comment about three new assistant coaches, but don’t know anything about them. )
Overall, Ed’s, Do you think it’s good window for us?
Do you think we are well equipped for top 4 fight, regardless of other team’s additions.
Out of 8-9 teams competing seriously for top 4, Chelsea looks stronger already (it will take some time for them to gel) apart from ManU other teams are quite in terms for transfer activity Especially Tottenham, I had expected them to rebuild the squad.
{Ed047's Note - I certainly think we’re part way there desi, my concern remains not using Torriera and the non arrival of Partey.
I think that one addition would see us finish top 4 or very close. Partey and Aouar then I would add a definite to that.
Trouble is, we’ve been two players away from being world beaters for the last 16years so probably won’t get either. 🤷â€â™‚ï¸ðŸ¤£
05 Sep 2020 07:45:00
I'm making no predictions this season simply because this time last season with the additions of Pepe and Tierney we were all debating whether 3rd or 4th place would represent a good season for us and lots of people were saying only City and Liverpool were better than us, and we finish 8th :-) .
I'm going to try and take it as it comes this season and try not to have any expectations high or low but just let the Arteta effect unfold as it will with or without my expertise and wisdom :-) , well that's the plan anyway :-)
05 Sep 2020 07:41:12
I think we might get one of them Ed a few players will leave now and then we will sign one of them hopefully both though.
{Ed047's Note - I’ve really no idea if we will Stephen as so many rumours are absolute garbage.
But like 62 says, take it as it comes and see where we end up.
05 Sep 2020 08:23:19
It’s funny Ed, but a lack of addressing our major deficiency in midfield with a Partley type player, despite the world and his dog pointing it out, IMO, was a major contributing factor to costing Wenger, who continued to spend money but on luxury players, his job.
Emery comes along, does nothing to address this same issue, despite the world and his dog still pointing it out, while the club still spends on luxury players, and it costs him his job.
Now Arteta comes along, and we sign Willian, a luxury player, albeit for free, before we address midfield, and if we now don’t sign a decent CM, finish 8th again, may well cost him his job! For a man of his apparent intelligence, he couldn’t exactly complain that there was no warning signs, and it was not his fault.
{Ed047's Note - it’s become painful to watch and worse still that we brought in Torreira but never used him in the DM position he made his reputation in!
Frustrates the life out of me. It’s mental to think that if anyone of us owned or managed Arsenal that we’d know 100% that was the area that needed addressing and yet here we are! 🤦â€â™‚ï¸
05 Sep 2020 09:53:16
My big concern is CM. I really not bothered about Ceballos as he’s another non beast, not super creative type in midfield so just a slight variation to our already slight midfield. We can’t sort out the spine or defence or free up attack without winning midfield. We won the midfield with Paddy and Petit - we need Doucoure and or Partey. I’m fed up seeing 3 ft Torreira being pushed around or Matteo running around burning energy doing two things moaning or holding the bull too long, Ceballos is better but we don’t really need him. We have him because he’s free. Willian or ESR could play central or Özil if we proper sorted the CDM roles.
Shame as we are 2 CDM Plus a creative player away from a great side - depends how the other top 10 perform but we should improve by 15 points. That’s around 5th depending on how others do.
05 Sep 2020 09:53:57
Personally before I even begin to take any rumour seriously it needs time make sense to me and although I get why we'd want Partey and I can even get how by swapping Laca and possibly Guendozi too we could tempt Athletico but the bit I'm struggling with is Why is Partey going to swap Athletico and champions league football for Arsenal and Europa league football?
I'm not saying it's not going to happen just that from Partey's point of view I don't understand why he would want to swap Athletico for Arsenal, where's the gain for him from the move?
{Ed047's Note - the flip side to that is Magalhaes had the option to join united and chose us so maybe some belief in what Arteta is trying to achieve
05 Sep 2020 17:10:51
Absolutely Ed047 mate, no way is Partey to Arsenal unthinkable because far stranger have already happend, like Ozil to Arsenal back in 2013. It's easy to forget now just how huge a name Mesut was in the game at the time we signed him and when he agreed to join Arsenal it really did shock just about everyone everywhere.
As much as there will always be surprises for me I tend to go with the philosophy of " Extraordinary claims demand Extraordinary evidence" especially when it comes to the notoriously fictitious world of football gossip and rumours :-)
{Ed047's Note - as gooners I think we’re forever in hope of the unbelievable and extraordinary happening all over again mate.
05 Sep 2020 18:21:42
Your not wrong Ed047 mate, but the good news is if Mikel keeps improving us and we get back into the champions league the more believable top player rumours will become.
{Ed047's Note - well I’m happy with Arteta right now mate and think he looks to have a plan for us, I’m just fingers crossed it includes a large chunk of steel in midfield.
05 Sep 2020 19:38:46
The nice thing about Mikel is its not difficult to see what he's trying to achieve or why he does what he does.
I'm pretty sure even the most ardent supporters of Arsene and Emery would admit much of what they did and also much of what they failed to do anything about left most people bemused a lot of the time.
{Ed047's Note - can’t argue with that mate and long may his changes continue.
Just one thing I’m not sure of, where there ever any ardent Emery fans? 🤷â€â™‚ï¸ðŸ¤£
05 Sep 2020 20:08:04
Last I heard Steve was still backing him mate but in the end even RG threw in the towel, I think it was RG giving into reality and admitting he was wrong that stunned the board and forced them into action.
{Ed047's Note - well there’s always one and in this case two! 🤷â€â™‚ï¸
06 Sep 2020 23:42:31
I can take or leave Ceballos - think we signed him because he’s free and gives us a known option. He’s just like the rest of our midfield - not specialised in key areas and a compromise but we get excited because of glimpses of gold.
Granit is weak in terms of epl speed of thinking requirements and can't really tackle
Torriera is a bit of a headless chicken who gets pushed around and a liability a set pieces due to his stature
Matteo is too much of a liability with his attitude
Ceballos bit lightweight in terms of CDM requirements and not exactly Özil creativity plus not great at set pieces
So frustrating that we haven’t addressed midfield since Paddy or Gilberto left. Glad sorting defence but somewhat pointless if we don’t sort midfield out.
Get some bad ass big CDM like Doucouré or Partey Or both. They defend and protect the defence. They free up midfield so a full back can push on or we can have a proper creative player at the front of the triangle. We end up with Ceballos who I don’t think is creative enough but puts a shift in which covers the two CDM who aren’t proper CDM. Compromise compromise.
Sure it’s the price tag that’s the attraction and the fact we can’t or won’t get proper defensive midfielders. That makes our overall midfield weaker - still!
Clear out Granit, Torriera, Matteo etc and get a proper spine please boss. NOT Luiz in CDM but a specialist CDM.
Just my frustrated opinion - clean sheet can’t be beat and you get hold of the game in midfield. Sort it out please
Top 5 this year if we add Partey as we should improve by 15 points next season with it being Mikel’s second season plus we now could have a proper keeper and back 4 or 3 that’s so much better than prior years.