A loss there is to be expected although Liverpool seem shaky in the back. theres a slim chance to get a result there right now id say, so at least we arent running into them while they’re running on all cylinders imo.
Someone pls post ty https://theathletic.com/1144949/201...ple-are-going-to-see-if-they-look-in-my-eyes/
Spoiler Among David Luiz’s post match requests, a Brazilian living in London shyly asked if it would be possible to record a video message for an eight-year-old football-crazy nephew back in Brazil called Lucas. The defender grabbed the phone, pressed record and spoke with the enthusiasm he might have shown to a relative of his own. “Hey Luquinha!” he exclaimed, eyes beaming with positive energy. “Keep working on your football but also keep working at school. The best footballers are clever.” He grinned into the phone. Everyone in the vicinity of this scene agreed that Luiz, familiarising himself with all the match-day staff at Arsenal on the day of his debut, carried this aura of a man who likes to spread a little happiness. People make impressions not only with what they do but the vibes with which they do them, and Luiz has brought something to Arsenal’s dressing room that is making a difference. Charisma. There might have been some raised eyebrows that the club’s attempt to fortify the centre of their defence led them to a veteran with flamboyant style but, within the camp, Luiz is making an important impression. Talking, listening, helping, enthusing. In whatever he does he is presenting the sense of motivation that is an essential part of what makes him tick. “When I left my family to play football, when I was 14 years old, my parents just told me to continue to be me and have character,” he says, reflecting on the journey from his home in Sao Paulo to Salvador in the north of Brazil, some 900 miles away. That was the motto he took to heart back then. Don’t be scared to be yourself and express yourself. “Now I am 32 years old. I left a long time ago and lived many moments of my career in football. I won many titles and lost many titles. What I always tried was to be honest with my heart and honest in my actions. Charisma is something natural. I don’t want to judge who has it and who doesn’t, I just try to do my best to improve the club, inside and outside the pitch and I want to see this club shining again. That is my motivation. I do it with pleasure. That is what people are going to see if they look in my eyes.” It was quite an emotive speech to come out with shortly after a home debut but it gives an insight into why Luiz might turn out to be a really valuable addition to Arsenal. Leadership and personality at the back is a critical component of any ambitious team and when Luiz teamed up with Papa Sokratis it automatically increased the amount of authentic leadership from the base of the team. With Luiz in the team there was an extra layer of authority straight away. In fairness, it’s not immediately perfect. Arsenal still had their wobbles with aerial balls against the bulk of Burnley. The old habits of not closing down, the hiccups of lost concentration, the dicing with risks playing the ball out the back, have not exactly vanished. There is no magic wand capable of fixing problems with Arsenal’s basics at the back that became endemic over several years. But with two vocal, demanding and encouraging presences, they do have a real hunger to get things better in that department that those around them can’t ignore. Both of them do a lot of talking, on and off the pitch, to try to make things better. Sokratis has hit if off quickly with his new defensive partner: “When he came we spoke a lot, about these moments when you have to struggle together. He is a player with experience of playing in big teams and we need that character that you get from players like him.” Nobody is under any illusions about how much room for improvement there is for Arsenal defensively. That statistic of 51 goals conceded last season was noticeably worse than everyone who finished in the top four. It was important for Luiz to get some game time, to feel part of the team, ahead of next weekend when the challenges suddenly ramp up a gear against last season’s Champions League finalists. Liverpool away. Following that, it’s the nearest and not so dearest Tottenham at home. After maximum points gathered against Newcastle and Burnley the tests are about to become a whole lot sterner. When Arsenal switched from a back four to a three with two wing backs it looked like a necessary rehearsal for Anfield, where Unai Emery might be tempted to bolster his rearguard by including Luiz, Sokratis and Calum Chambers. Arsenal conceded five goals there last season. The season before it was four and previous to that, three. It’s an unenviable pattern. They don’t yet look equipped to handle Anfield with a massive amount of defensive confidence. “We understand there are some things we have to do differently,” Sokratis says. “This comes from communication and the quality of work you do in training. The defence starts with Lacazette and Aubameyang. This is what I mean by saying we have to struggle all together, fight all together. That way we can be much better.” The presence of Luiz is just a part of the renovations added to Arsenal this season. One of the moments of the the campaign so far was the outpouring of affection for Dani Ceballos as he was subbed at the end of an exhibition of bewitching invention mixed with insatiable appetite. He slowed his walk through the sunny spotlight and raised a hand to acknowledge an Emirates crowd that appeared to be in the throes of love at first sight. As part of a youthful midfield supported by Joe Willock and Matteo Guendouzi, the combination of energy, commitment and – importantly – the control and composure of Ceballos on the ball gave a glimpse into another means of helping to bolster Arsenal defensively. Getting the midfield balance right, showing a more enhanced capacity to compete with their opponent in that department, will be immensely helpful. “Balance” was one of Emery’s buzzwords last season and we will no doubt be hearing more about it this as the team evolves. New things always bring fresh excitement. The atmosphere around the Emirates for the opening salvo of 2019-20 had that buoyancy of a new season heightened by the anticipation to see new players. The same old aroma of frying burgers, the sight of different names etched on the back of the latest kits, people suddenly scrambling for tickets because they felt they had to be there, the buzz was unmistakable. In the North Bank, someone shared a story of their friend who had traded in annual private medical insurance for a season ticket. That’s the crazy power of hope and possibility. Arsenal know, of course, that the only way to sustain those feelings is through results. Back in the dressing room, Luiz is fully engaged in his new environment and wants to share experiences with his new team-mates. “All the players have a different life history and everybody has things to give and take,” he says. “We have different countries and different culture, different moments with our families. My heart is always open to learn. Just because I am 32 years old and I won titles it doesn’t mean I know more than anybody – no. I am going to try to motivate them like they motivate me. When I see the youngsters playing with personality and character that can teach me something and give me confidence. It’s amazing to be in football and have the opportunity to do something special.” Amy Lawrence
Also a great article shared by Tim Stillman on the tactics of Saturday’s game. Might even help our attack this weekend. TLDR: Burnley pressed really high up the pitch which restricted us until we moved to the front 3. The Auba, Laca, Pépé threat forced Burnley back and our width created space which Auba eventually took advantage of.
I got an email from Arsenal looking for feedback on why I was a red member last season but not this season. Click on it, see the bottom says 0/46 Questions Answered. Closed that out
Just another sign that the Arsenal front office is putting in their due diligence this summer. You hate to see it, really.
I ended up taking it When they asked how long I’ve supported Arsenal I answered the 6-10 years option
More Athletic Spoiler Luiz and Ceballos give Arsenal a glimpse of a future without Xhaka James McNicholas Eight minutes into Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Burnley, debutant David Luiz picked up the ball deep inside his own half. He glanced up for a split-second, then casually launched a 50-yard pass perfectly into the path of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The technical quality prompted a collective intake of breath from the crowd – it was a stunning demonstration of what Luiz can do, at once flashy and effective. Luiz may be 32, but this moment felt like a glimpse into Arsenal’s future – and it may well be a future without Granit Xhaka. Since joining the club in 2016, Xhaka has consistently been a first-choice pick for both Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery. He has many positive attributes: he is a good character, a fantastic passer, and rarely succumbs to injury. Yet there remain frustrating flaws to his game. Xhaka is no sprinter, and he turns even more slowly than he runs. He’s very one-footed, and prone to costly lapses of concentration. At 26, those errors ought to have been ironed out by now. The fact they haven’t suggests they are fundamental components of Xhaka’s game. There had long been an assumption he’d grow out of his high-profile mistakes. Instead, Arsenal fans are now coming to terms with the fact that this may simply be who he is. Nevertheless, Arsenal have found themselves becoming reliant on Xhaka’s build-up play. Whether Emery lines up with three or four at the back, Xhaka tends to be integral to their approach play, dropping deep and progressing the ball up the field with arcing passes between the lines. He’s excellent at it, and he’s arguably been the only Arsenal player with the vision and the technique to execute those penetrating passes from inside his own half – until now. Luiz wasn’t the only full debutant at the Emirates Stadium. Bruises to Xhaka’s back and leg opened the door for Dani Ceballos to make his first competitive start for Arsenal. Between them, that pair could spell the end of the Gunners’ dependence on Xhaka. Luiz’s ability to pass out from the back is a game-changer. Since Rob Holding succumbed to a knee ligament injury last December, Arsenal have lacked a central defender who is confident in possession. Luiz isn’t just confident: with the ball at his feet, he’s positively joyful. There is still the odd heart-in-mouth moment. Early in the Burnley game, he played a pass directly across his own goal. It was initially alarming, but ultimately this is a sign of a player with enormous self-belief and technical security. Arsenal supporters spent so much time fretting about whether Luiz would be good enough out of possession that they forgot just how much fun he is to watch in it. With him installed at the centre of the defence, he can supplant Xhaka as the deep-lying playmaker. On the early evidence, Ceballos looks to be someone who can be effective all over the pitch. In fact, despite his deep starting position, no player on the field completed more passes in the final third. The Spaniard wore Aaron Ramsey’s old number, eight, and it appears he echoes some of the Welshman’s box-to-box style. However, some fans compared Ceballos to another former Arsenal midfielder: his compatriot Santi Cazorla. The 23-year-old seemed to share Cazorla’s immaculate control of the football, using feints and shimmies to pick his way through the Burnley midfield. Ceballos seemed determined to send a message not just to Arsenal’s supporters but also to any onlookers from his parent club Real Madrid: he is absolutely a star in the making. His agility and drive was a welcome departure from Xhaka’s customary game. Arsenal’s midfield suddenly seemed fluid, mobile and modern. For the first time in a long time, it felt like Emery might be getting the team to bring his vision to life. Earlier in the summer, Xhaka – contracted until 2023 – was linked with a move to Inter Milan, and on paper Serie A would suit his sedate style. Those stories have quietened down now, and it seems unlikely that Arsenal would sanction Xhaka’s sale between now and the other major European leagues’ transfer deadline of September 2. However, it does feel as if Arsenal may be preparing to build a new team without Xhaka at its core. As yet, the club are still to appoint a new club captain. Since Laurent Koscielny left for Bordeaux, Xhaka has largely stood in as skipper, even writing an address to the fans in the first home programme of the season. Yet these were not the traditional ‘captain’s notes’. Arsenal avoided using such a title, because Emery is still yet to declare his captain. It is expected that he will name a leadership group of five players, with one set apart as the ‘club captain’. Xhaka would appear the front-runner, yet confirmation has not been forthcoming. Could it be that Emery is wary of wedding himself to a player his team may be evolving away from? In Ceballos, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock, Arsenal have a very exciting collection of promising central midfielders. Speed has never been Xhaka’s greatest asset – and at this stage, he might well struggle to keep up. By the end of the season, he could well have fallen sufficiently behind to be considered surplus to requirements. It would be no great surprise if, over the next few months, Xhaka went from possible captain to probable cash-in. (Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
It's 2 games in, there's no conclusions to be made in the least but guess gunnerblog has a job to do. Ceballos looks amazing and we don't own him and have barely gotten a glimpse of Pepe or what we'll look like with first team fullbacks.
Fuck the Kroenkes but the thing I've taken from the last few months is Josh at least cares about how he's viewed. Not gonna put money in but don't think he's a complete vacant type like his dad and wants success. Don't think Stan cares at all about anything but money, maybe the super bowl but that fuck couldn't care less about us.
Thing that really makes me wonder is just how profitable is Arsenal really? I’d love to know how they compare to the Rams. According to all the numbers at our disposal the one guy who seemingly knows the most doesn’t have a clue as it pertains to this year. And they don’t care about shit but the money. Really makes me think Arsenal pull in significantly more than anything else they own. Even at the end of the day despite transfers and wages.
Arsenal is already valued like triple what they paid, more if they would actually sell as so many want in. Stan got in before the TV deals blew up, he won't put in a dime but an incredible investment. Rams are a goldmine too.
Right I would love to know the numbers. Shit fascinates me. Even before the TV deal for Prem and the Rams moving to LA.
If he sold, imagine it would be the highest price ever paid for a team. That's not a testament to Arsenal, it's that these owners know they have a goldmine even if TV deals may be hitting a bubble.
I don’t even know if they are approaching a bubble. Can’t see the product depreciating in the current deal. There’s as much parody, as it relates to interest, than before the deal. They’ll influence other leagues and competitions before that happens imo.
The last EPL TV deal I believe went down a bit after increasing by just crazy %s the last couple. The product is sustainable but the revenue growth never was. Also the potential European super league that some think is a very real possibility.
Spoiler Frimpong: ‘I’ve never liked Nasri. Even if he gives me five billion dollars, I will still not like him’ By James McNicholas 4h ago 45 Emmanuel Frimpong is not a man who minces his words — especially when it comes to Samir Nasri. “I have always had so much respect for senior players,” the former Arsenal midfielder tells The Athletic. “You can ask Aaron Ramsey, you can ask Jack Wilshere. I never disrespected anybody. But for me, the truth is I’ve never liked Nasri and I will never, ever like this guy. Even if he gives me five billion dollars, I will still not like him.” Given Frimpong’s insistence that for him football was never about money, you can’t help but believe the man. It was Frimpong’s on-field altercation with Nasri that helped firmly secure his place in Arsenal folklore. In November 2011, the pair clashed repeatedly in an ill-tempered League Cup tie against Manchester City. By then, Nasri had defected to the Blues, and Frimpong’s fury echoed that of the Arsenal fans. However, there are also more personal reasons behind the enmity. At the start of that season, Frimpong and Nasri faced Liverpool as team-mates. It was only Frimpong’s second league appearance for the club. After putting in an impressive 70 minutes, the 19-year-old was sent off for a second bookable offence with the match still goalless and Arsenal ended up losing 2-0. “Nobody needs to tell me that what I did was stupid,” says Frimpong. “Nobody needs to tell me. I mean, I was a professional footballer, you know? “After the game, everybody came into the changing room and Arsene was quiet, you know. Obviously, he was disappointed about the result but he was quiet. He didn’t talk, and then Nasri basically stood up in front of everybody and said we lost the game because of me. “OK, I can understand that, but I was thinking, ‘Why would somebody — especially me playing, I think that was like my second game — why would any professional do that to a young player in that kind of moment?’” The friction didn’t end there. When Nasri for Manchester soon after that Liverpool game, team-mate Wilshere tweeted to wish him good luck. Frimpong, a prolific user of Twitter, responded: “Pffffff come on Jack.” Frimpong thought little of it, until he says team-mate Alex Song passed him a mobile phone at Arsenal’s London Colney training centre, saying that there was someone who wanted to talk to him. “I took the phone and then it was Nasri on the phone threatening me, telling me that when he sees me, this that. I told him, ‘I’m not one of the players that’s afraid of you. If you want us to sort it out as men, we can sort it out as men.’ “To be honest, at that time when he left Arsenal, I could tell him what I actually thought about him because he was there so I could basically let him know my feelings. So I just told him that I don’t like him, I don’t respect him and I will never respect him as a professional player.” When the City game rolled around three months later, Nasri confronted Frimpong in the tunnel. Frimpong simply told him, “I’ll see you on the pitch.” He adds: “During the game, he told me he could buy me. That’s how stupid this guy is. He probably could then because he had millions, but that’s no respect. “That’s what happened. I feel like he was a bully, I feel like he didn’t know his responsibilities as a senior player to be able to help younger players. I just found out that he’s still playing. He’s at Anderlecht so I’m hoping as a person he’s changed (and) now that he’s at Anderlecht he treats people different. Because from what I know of him back in the past, he wasn’t such a nice person.” Memories of that Nasri spat almost eight years ago are still vivid for Arsenal fans. However, Frimpong’s life has changed dramatically since then. Earlier this year, aged just 27, he retired from football. After leaving Arsenal in 2014, Frimpong embarked on a nomadic career. He suffered cruciate ligament ruptures in both knees, first in 2010 and then 2012 — just as his career appeared to be exploding. There were spells in Russia, Sweden and Cyprus before he decided to hang up his boots in March. He is content with his decision. “In the last two years of my career I was really not enjoying football, to be honest with you,” he says. “I was having a lot of problems with my knee. My daughter and my wife were all the way in Ghana and I was thinking…” Frimpong’s voice trails off. “I’m too young to be feeling like I’m not enjoying what I do, you know? I started thinking that it’d be better just to stop doing it. Just go and do something I really like to do and that’s spending time with my family and my friends.” And that is precisely what he has done. Frimpong now lives back in his native Ghana, surrounded by family and friends. It’s a slower pace of life, and one he has gladly re-embraced. It’s an opportunity to invest in the relationships that inevitably suffer in the life of a professional athlete. “Most of the time, I’m with my daughter,” he says. “In the UK, everybody is always busy. In Africa, you have more time getting to know your friends, having a drink, talking to them.” Frimpong is at home here — and boy can he talk. It’s his outspoken nature and easy rapport with fans that made him an instant cult hero at Arsenal. It helped that he was also a product of the club’s Hale End academy. In Arsenal’s youth sides, Frimpong regularly partnered Wilshere in the heart of the midfield. Ultimately, injuries meant that neither player truly fulfilled their potential at Arsenal — and Frimpong is desperate for his former team-mate to defeat the odds and return to his best. “Jack deserves a good career in football — and so do his family,” says Frimpong. “I don’t know if you know about Wilshere’s mum and dad but honestly, since we were young, from the age of nine, they’ve really put so much energy and effort in bringing him to training and looking after him. They deserve to see their son playing football because they’ve really invested in him, you know. “When I was young, I didn’t have the luxury of my mum and my dad taking me to football. I used to go to football by myself, but with Jack, the mum and the dad, even the granddad, used to do it. “Even if it’s not quite at the highest level, even playing for West Ham, they deserve to see him play and enjoying his football again. There’s no doubt that when I was growing up, Jack Wilshere was the most talented youngster I ever came across. There’s no doubt, man.” Frimpong left Arsenal on a point of pride. He had impressed during a brief loan spell with Wolves, before knee problems again reared their ugly head. The club wanted to reward him with a three-year contract, but Frimpong felt their offer didn’t demonstrate a real commitment to him. “I was playing for Wolves on a very minimal wage,” he says. “I think I was on, like, £3,500 a month. I didn’t really care about the money at that time. I just wanted to make my name in football — money comes after that. “So I came back from the loan and, credit to Arsenal, they offered me the deal and I said to them, ‘Look, I want £2,000 a week more.’ They said they weren’t going to do it, so I said if they’re not going to do it, it just means that they don’t really want to keep me. For a team like Arsenal, asking for £2,000 a week more is nothing. So anyway, they said no, me and my agent said OK and that was it, whatever. “I wanted to stay at Arsenal, you understand? I just feel like, if they really wanted to keep me, they could have done it. It’s not like I was asking for £50,000 or £70,000 a week. It was a very minimal wage. “It didn’t hurt me, because Arsenal is a business. I’m sure they have their structures on how they pay players and I guess I wasn’t in that structure of payment that I wanted.” Frimpong joined Barnsley on a permanent deal, before embarking on a football odyssey which started in Russia with FC Ufa. His time there was most infamous for an incident in July 2015, when he was subjected to racist abuse by a group of Spartak Moscow fans. However, Frimpong insists this was an anomaly, and that his days in Russia — a move inspired by his friendship with former Arsenal team-mate Andrey Arshavin — were the best of his career. “The racial thing happened but you know, it was just a one-off,” he says. “I spent three years in Russia and I think that was the only time I got anything to do with racism. It could happen anywhere. Honestly, Russia was amazing. If I could go back into football, that’s where I would love to play again.” In Russia, Frimpong managed to find a sense of balance. He was getting regular football, and people around the world were embracing his colourful public persona. “I feel like in England, I couldn’t be myself, you understand?” he reflects. “Anything that I say, anything I do, people take it the wrong way. “If I was on social media, people would ask me why I wasn’t training. In Russia, it was nothing like that. You could go on social media. You can go out. If you have a day off on the Saturday or on the Sunday, you could even go to the club and enjoy yourself like a normal person would. I just wanted to enjoy myself. It’s never been about the money, really.” After Russia, a tricky spell in Sweden was followed by a move to Cyprus, where playing regularly on an artificial pitch became unsustainable for his troublesome knees. Today, he has left football behind, but not Arsenal. Frimpong is an Arsenal supporter, as passionate in his opinions as he was on the pitch. “I don’t blame the board and the manager,” he says. “I look at the players. You can’t blame young players like Joe Willock, but if a player has been bought for £35 million, £40 million and they’re on like £100,000 a year, the fans are entitled to ask for more. I watch Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka. When a club has spent so much money, they deserve to have performances. “When I talk about it, I’m asked why I’m criticising. You’re allowed to criticise! You waste time to go and watch the game, you love the club and you want the club to do more, so you want these players to step up.” Frimpong almost loses himself in his impassioned plea for improved performances. He is every inch the Arsenal fan. Like other supporters, he is encouraged by the new crop of academy talent. “I watched Willock against Newcastle,” he says. “The guy’s, like, 19 and you can see he wants to take his chance. He wants to fight for his place and that’s all you want. Fans love players not because they play well or are fantastic players. Fans love players because they can see, ‘Right, this guy is giving everything for this club.’ “I don’t blame the board and the manager,” he says. “I look at the players. You can’t blame young players like Joe Willock, but if a player has been bought for £35 million, £40 million and they’re on like £100,000 a year, the fans are entitled to ask for more. I watch Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka. When a club has spent so much money, they deserve to have performances. “When I talk about it, I’m asked why I’m criticising. You’re allowed to criticise! You waste time to go and watch the game, you love the club and you want the club to do more, so you want these players to step up.” Frimpong almost loses himself in his impassioned plea for improved performances. He is every inch the Arsenal fan. Like other supporters, he is encouraged by the new crop of academy talent. “I watched Willock against Newcastle,” he says. “The guy’s, like, 19 and you can see he wants to take his chance. He wants to fight for his place and that’s all you want. Fans love players not because they play well or are fantastic players. Fans love players because they can see, ‘Right, this guy is giving everything for this club.’ “It’s like, imagine you’re an Arsenal fan and you get the chance to play for Arsenal, even for five games, and you get injured and you can’t play again for the rest of your life. Are you going to look back at it with regret, or just delight that you got to play for Arsenal? “Of course you would look back at it with delight, because you got to play for the club you love, the club you’ve grown up loving. Even if you could play for Arsenal, even for one second, you’re going to look back at it with so much happiness — and that’s what it is for me. “If you come to my house now, I have so many pictures of myself with Mesut Ozil, with Arsene Wenger. I put them in my house and I look at them with pride.” It’s a convincing case, and partially explains why Frimpong is so comfortable calling a premature end to his career. “That’s why it was easy for me to stop playing because, for me, I feel like the dream was to play for Arsenal and I did it. I put on the Arsenal shirt, I played in the Champions League, I played in the Premier League. “How can I have regrets? I’ve lived the dream.”
Heard before about Nasri acting like a tough guy but only because of who he surrounds himself with. Hilarious to imagine him actually trying to square up with Frimpong on his own. Such a cunt, seems like a shittier, tiny version of Benzema with how he treats teammates and who he surrounds himself with.
Nasri’s a little shit, my favorite Nasri story came from Gallas. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...al-news-chelsea-manchester-city-a7430016.html
Nasri performed on the pitch unlike Frimpong. I’m not sure why Arsenal fans glorify him, he wasted his talent on stupid off the pitch bullshit. He should be shunned.
Arsenal made money on Nasri, Samir won a title with Citeh. Nobody around here slags Clichy. You know who Arsenal did not make money on? Frimpong.
My lasting memory of Clichy was his fuck up against Birmingham in the 07/08 season that really kicked off our collapse (aside from the injuries).
RVP will always be at the bottom Fuck him forever Cesc probably with Adebayor and Nasri based on his conduct despite going to another league
1 guy seems to be living a peaceful and happy life while the other is a miserable cunt that only cares about himself. Really don't care who made Arsenal money.
I want to talk about this. You can see the glisten in Josh’s eyes. Stan gives zero fucks and only cares about money, he married money and has made great business decisions. Buying Arsenal made him billions. Same with the Rams, Nugs etc etc. Josh didn’t earn this money, but he sure the fuck is going to spend it once Stan dies. NFL, NHL and NBA are capped sports, Josh got off on what big dick Raul accomplished this summer and will want another dopamine hit. I honestly think Josh would buy Upamecano right now if he didn’t have to tell dad.