We have Saliba, whom they seem to hate and no one knows why. we have no midfield I don’t care if Partey cost 300 trillion, he can’t run the show by himself. club has to sell at least 5 more players, probably closer to 10 at a competent club. We’re fucking around on a Ben white deal. Just a massive waste of time and resources.
not saying it’s wrong but it never said Arsenal was about to pay the asking price. Arsenal get linked to players all the time and it doesn’t progress further. I don’t get the Saliba thing either but I think Arsenal were always going to sign a RCB.
i think there's going to be an inefficiency in the middle market. a lot of teams are flat broke and might need to sell players for 10-15m to fund shit. but a 23 year old england capped cb is going to be $$$$$$
There's no chance I see us doing that. We're stupid but cheap but did pay 35 mil for Mustafi. That stat company was the dumbest shit ever
It's like our deepest position, Arteta is an incredibly smart, dumb person or vice versa. I don't know.
As someone who watches Scotland never, does Tierney play with Robertson? My personal view, tactically speaking of course, is that he shouldn’t and you have to keep the captain on the pitch.
Spoiler: Article The tactics that could help Scotland punch above their weight at Euro 2020 By Kieran Devlin Jun 13, 2021 13 Scotland are back at an international tournament for the first time since 1998 — have you heard? Here, we break down three tactical talking points that could help Scotland find an edge in their mission to reach the knockout phase, something they have never done at either a European Championship or a World Cup. Ryan Fraser at wing-back Right-back, or right wing back, has been a problem position for Scotland for years. Current manager Steve Clarke has generally opted for Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell, who played under him at Kilmarnock between 2017 and 2019 and is well-versed in what he wants from his full-backs. Although O’Donnell has never embarrassed himself for the national team, there has never been any real attacking threat from the right flank, which in turn allows the opposition to double-mark Andy Robertson as the left wing-back, effectively nullifying Scotland’s width altogether. However, Scotland’s last competitive match, a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in March, suggested an exciting alternative — Ryan Fraser: wing back. Fraser’s pace and directness offer the team something that O’Donnell, for all his tenacity and understanding with Clarke, does not. The Newcastle United winger’s natural attacking instincts will mean he is always looking to be involved, whether that is making an advanced run off the shoulders of the back line, or coming inside to collect a pass from a midfielder. This perpetual movement helps drag opposition defenders out of position, which in turn creates space for team-mates. In the example below, Fraser comes inside, advancing up the pitch to collect the ball from his midfield colleagues. This drags his full-back with him, allowing John McGinn (highlighted in the white circle) ample space to drive into. Robertson (the other yellow-circled player) is also in more room as Fraser’s movement, from outside to in, shrinks the pitch. There are, inevitably, doubts over Fraser’s starting at wing-back against teams better than the Faroes, and it is an unknown how he might succeed in his defensive duties in the Euros group games against the Czech Republic, England and Croatia — especially if Scotland’s back three would presumably sink more frequently into a back five. However, there is a positive knock-on effect at play that might outweigh those concerns. Fraser’s presence adds greater width to Scotland’s attack, either through his runs inside that open up space behind him, or by stretching the opposition back line with runs in-behind. Because Fraser keeps the opposition busy, there is less pressure on Robertson as a creative presence, meaning he can tuck inside as an auxiliary centre-back, while nominal left centre-back Kieran Tierney can overlap and push on to fill the space left by the Liverpool man. Clarke is unlikely to start with Fraser at right wing-back, given he chose James Forrest and O’Donnell respectively in the warm-up games against Holland and Luxembourg last week. It could, though, represent an in-game option if Scotland need to switch to a more attacking set-up. The Tierney overlap The Tierney vs Robertson debate is so tired at this point it’s in six-month hibernation, but this tactic — only really apparent for the first time in those March internationals — cleverly sees the pair alternate roles in-game. It takes advantage of Tierney’s best asset, those difficult-to-defend bursts of acceleration, and also serves Robertson’s talent at crossing from deep, given he will have more time and space with the opposition tracking Tierney’s runs. A straightforward example of this success came against Austria on March 25. Robertson (highlighted in yellow) has dropped into the left-centre-back position and threads a pass to Tierney (white) down the line, as he has pushed up. Tierney then knocks the ball past his man and sprints ahead with his characteristic pace and power. He manages to get into a good crossing position and finds McGinn, making a run to the edge of the box, with a low cutback. Only a desperate intervention from an Austrian centre-back prevents an excellent chance from being created. Meanwhile, out of frame, Robertson is covering for Tierney in the event of a counter-attack. Smartly, both the Tierney-Robertson overlap and Fraser’s inclusion would mean Scotland can either overload their left flank and create a chance from that side, or open up space over on the right so that a quick switch of the ball could mean a more effective attack down that wing. Here is one example of both principles being enacted at the same time from that match against the Faroes. Fraser is in possession on the right, highlighted in white, with Tierney (yellow) further advanced than Robertson over on the left. After the ball is switched across to the left, Tierney takes on his man, cuts inside and shoots — a reasonably viable option given the success he’s had with this move throughout his career. However, Fraser (white) is agonisingly open too, if Tierney is able to find him through an admittedly crowded penalty area. The new strike partnership Those World Cup qualifiers in March triggered an interesting debate. For the 2-2 home draw with fellow Euros finalists Austria, Clarke lined Scotland up in a new formation: 3-4-2-1, with two wide No 10s. It was a constructive approach to accommodating their surplus of players who fit the role: McGinn, Fraser, Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie. Even Forrest can play there. However, for all that it fulfils the “get as many good players on the pitch as possible” criterion, it didn’t really work. There was a clear disconnect between the two overrun central midfielders and the No 10s. Both wing-backs also hung back as to not crowd around the No 10s, which meant Scotland had almost no width throughout the match. There is potential in the formation: If the No 10s were given instruction to come inside more and aid the two holding midfielders, that would help better control the middle of the park and with ball progression up the pitch. It would also encourage the wing-backs to overlap more often. In practice though, the set-up has not been successful. Yet the return to 3-5-2, which has typified much of the Clarke era, has reaped greater rewards than previously. While reiterating the caveat that it was only the Faroes, the partnering of Lyndon Dykes and Scotland’s newly-capped English-born striker Che Adams proved fruitful and suggested a long-term solution to Scotland’s problems up front. Our first example was Adams’ first international goal. Tierney threads a lovely pass through to Adams’ feet, with the Southampton player then turning brilliantly and finishing into the corner from 25 yards. It is an excellent pass from Tierney (highlighted below), and even better close control and finishing from Adams, but it is worth highlighting Dykes’ involvement in the goal, too. In the image below, Dykes is highlighted in yellow. He is making a run off the shoulder of the Faroes’ left centre-back behind Adams, dragging his attention away from his team-mate in possession, who then turns and finds himself with space to shoot because of Dykes’ disguised run. It’s hardly a moment for the YouTube compilation, but it is a clever and crucial element to striker play — particularly in a front two. It is not just movement and positioning that are important to a strike partnership. A fluency in link-up play is also pivotal, and Adams and Dykes implied the beginnings of a positive dynamic against the Faroes. Here, before Adams gets his goal on the hour, he is once again the recipient of a great threaded Tierney pass, which he deftly flicks, first time, to Dykes. He then continues a run behind the defensive line, but Dykes cannot quite complete the one-two. Nevertheless, it was a small case study of how a target man in Dykes and an off-the-shoulder striker in Adams can build a potentially successful relationship at the Euros. It was a dynamic that was pleasingly refreshed in the final warm-up friendly last week, the 1-0 win over Luxembourg. Dykes turned provider for Adams’ second international goal, playing a nicely-weighted pass along the box for him to tuck in at the near post. There is great promise to this partnership.
I’m trying too see what fixtures line up with AFCON but can’t find a full list. that will be a tough stretch.
How will arsenal fans feel watching Martinez and smith Rowe playing in the champions league with villa in 2023
I’d really love to know why they hate Saliba. The jerk off video was pretty disturbing but far far far from the strangest football related shit we’ve seen. He doesn’t seem like a cunt, maybe he was unknowingly recruited by the malcontents? Even so you’d think he’d be given the benefit of the doubt being so young.
ESR’s agent doing a good job keeping the heat on Arsenal to get him signed to a high-priced contract. Can’t knock it.
more pressing needs i’d rather that £40mm goes to imo unless we’re dropping £400mm on new players this summer, in which case cool with me
Our defensive numbers were good last year, but deceptive. We played to hide deficiencies & that cost us in the goals department. We couldn't commit players forward & our transitions were snail-like. This should be a net positive felt further down the pitch. Also, I've heard/read across multiple platforms that this isn't close to the "big moves" we are working towards
I hope KSE sees the current depressed post-COVID market as a huge opportunity to buy heavily & invest in younger talent. If we double down & invest now, we can set the squad up for the next 5-10 years