Arsenal accused of ‘fake Pulis tribute’ as Mikel Arteta is branded ‘George Graham 2.0’
Despite a 1-0 win over Fulham, Arsenal are still unable to convince everyone of their Premier League title credentials after scoring yet another set-piece goal.
There are also mails on Manchester City, Asterisk Postecoglou, Liverpool’s problems ahead of their match versus Manchester United, audio issues and there’s an entry from Stewie.
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Arteta is George Graham 2.0
Sitting through close to 100 minutes of the Fulham vs Arsenal last night was not a football feast for the eyes. In general I have to agree with Matt Stead’s article. There were moments of quality but in the end the ”big men” made the difference. Takes me back to the days Adams and Bould for those old enough to remember. More often than not we would win matches through sheer belligerence and knowing the defence could shut out even the best attackers.
As for the game….
What a wonderful throwback footballer Calafiori is
Fulham backed off our defenders and just stayed in shape, we couldn’t pass from one third to another until the latter stages when the game opened up. Whereas they frequently passed straight through our high press.
Eze needs to up his game or at least his workrate. Even when odegaard has been ineffective, he works his socks off. I am happy to have him but he can no longer just coast through games.
The goals will not flow again until the return of Havertz. He will never be prolific but he knits the team together, plus the added advantage of an arial threat in the box.
In the meantime I am happy enough with our Spanish George Graham.
Matthew Coplestone (Season ticket holder since 1991 if that counts for anything)
Penalty decision
Not much will be made of it because we won but hoo-wee was that a clunker of a ‘process’.
Its far, far more of a penalty once you go to VAR. On field im expecting them to miss those every now and then because if you are the ref you follow the ball not the players knees. But once you review that footage its clear that the defender goes through Saka to get the slightest touch on the ball. Its a foul and a penalty, but without VAR its a much tighter call.
So that begs the question – why (again) did VAR stop the game for 6 minutes? Why did we have to watch every single angle at super slow speed for longer than the song Fix You by Coldplay? The only sane answer is to find enough evidence to overturn the decision. No other reason. And the absolute arse of it is that the footage made it clearer. Every time you watched you saw the guy knock Saka’s beautiful knee.
Just absolute corruption. No other word for it at this point. Dont care if they even out over the season. Thats nonsense peddled by weirdos and now I have to listen to Mike Dean tell us about processes and speed of the game.
Anyway we won and look nonsensically good in defence.
Stu AFC Illinois
Takes Two to Tango
Another suffocating win for Arsenal, keep them coming, but with the inevitable boring boring Arsenal accusations coming in, I wonder if this isn’t becoming a self-fulfilling (and increasingly counterproductive) prophecy driven by the opposition.
See, every Arsenal game right now feels as much dictated by the opposition sitting in/deep as anything we’re doing. It’s like everyone took the notes from last season about how toothless we were in those games and made that the one tactic to practice.
Set piece FC? Only because we are throwing everything at the kitchen sink, game after game, drawing great saves from keepers and desperation blocks by defenders. We’re not playing for corners, the opposition are, and we’re just making the most of them.
The few times Arsenal looked most vulnerable this season, first half Fulham, United, 20 mins against Liverpool and first half City, there has been some attempt to play at us and take possession of the game. But in nearly every instance, the team has reverted to sitting deeper again as Arsenal try to reestablish rhythm.
City were the most egregious but, to a lesser extent, every team has retreated at some point in the game and render all Arsenal’s practice to become more transitional and bring in a striker who can play that way is pointless. Opposition just aren’t committing the bodies or effort to shape the field.
And it’s also odd because as unshakeable as Arsenal’s defence is when occasionally probed, I do think sustained pressure can/does cause problems for them. Raya, Calafiori, Gabriel, even Saliba (not Timber, he’s a mini Terminator) can get unsettled and start making mistakes quite quickly. But no team tries and take the risk.
On Gyokeres, as I anticipate that’ll quickly become the biggest stick to beat Arsenal with, Havertz returning can’t come soon enough to give him a bit of a rest and rotation. Man is doing an immense amount of hard running and looking clunky while doing it, but once he gets to attack his preferred game state fresh once in a while he’ll start scoring for fun.
Tom, (the greatest Arsenal teams always heavily rotated, that dream Invincible line-up on paper only started 13 games that season) Leyton
City, Arsenal and the Villa thing
City fan here. Haven’t written in for a while, so hope this finds everybody safe and well.
Four points. Three of ‘em football related and one most definitely not. But hey, if we can have lots of mails about flags, then why not? (It’s not about flags or politics!)
Very sloppy first half from City and I thought that Ndiaye was awesome for the Toffees. Who used to be a bona fide ‘bogey’ team for us, and so very nearly was again yesterday. Not convincing, by Pep’s standards, but job done, nonetheless.
Not sure Arsenal is any more convincing for that matter and, in that vein, it fries my brain to think that a United win would see them just two points behind Liverpool. No, me neither, but this is already, it seems to me, shaping up to be a very, very close competition for the title.
The Villa thing.
I write this as somebody who was, until recently, directly involved in the planning and assessment of football games from both league levels and internationals for over fifteen years. Is the ban because MTA are Jewish? Yes. Is it antisemitism on the part of local West Mids politicians? Yep. Some for sure.
Is it antisemitism on the part of WM Police? Not for one second. Ah, but it’s the job of the police to protect supporters so they can attend football matches is it not? Here’s the thing. Given the current Israeli-Hamas war, you’re going to need Notting Hill levels of Police numbers to achieve that for this particular fixture.
No problem you say? But if WMP ask for what is called ‘mutual aid’ from other forces, guess who foots the bill? Spoiler alert. It isn’t the Home Office or the ‘Government’ in general. It’ll be the West Mids Old Bill. Also, now that you can guarantee that the area will be flooded by pro-Palestinian/Gaza activists, how do you think the day/night will play out?
(I don’t even want to think about how they’re going to get the team bus in and out unscathed).
In addition, the West Mids Ambulance Service and all the local hospitals will, by necessity, have to boost their staff for the relevant shifts before, during and after the game. Oh, and any damage caused will have to be cleaned up by the local council in the aftermath. Guess who pays for all that as well?
If the Government announces it will foot the bill for all of this, then fair enough. But this is why Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs) were created. Their sole purpose is to judge whether the Club, local council and emergency services can confidently deal with a football game. Not because politicians, fighting for headlines, say it should.
As an aside, whenever the Scottish Parliament would like to dictate to either Rangers or Celtic whether each can, or can’t, have away supporters, then let them crack on.
And finally, my non-football point. Are there any ad-execs out there who can explain, in the name of all that is holy, why Christmas perfume adverts must, seemingly by law, be universally so batshit-crazy? I can’t remember watching a single one without thinking ‘WTAF?’
Mark (Apropos of nothing, I quite enjoy Stewie’s mails.) MCFC.
Ange sacked
Surely Liz Truss will have to be in this week’s Winners as Ange has officially taken on the Crown of Shortest Reign For A British Public Role?
Oliver D
Asterisk Postecoglou
If Arsenal or Chelsea win the league will they get an asterisk as they got a free 3 points for playing an Ange Postecoglou side?
Alex, South London
READ: Postecoglou sack swift but not quick enough as Chelsea highlight Forest f*** up
Liverpool’s problems…
Am I the alone one who thinks the solution to Liverpool’s problems is blindingly obvious?
I’ve read about all of the problems the past few weeks from the esteemed pundits but the answer seems self evident in the problem. Let’s look:
The key is Wirtz.
At the moment Liverpool have 4 key problems:
1. Wirtz: playing him as a 10 means breaking up a title winning midfield and leaving us porous through the middle. Playing him as a 7 makes him peripheral and ineffective.
2. Full backs not playing to their potential, because we’re not playing them to their potential. If you two of the best attacking fullbacks in the game then play them as a attacking fullbacks. But then you need a proper 3 man midfield for protection.
3. No pace on the wings, we sold Dias, Mo has slowed down, Gakpo isn’t a tricky pacer winger. Only Rio currently fits the mould of touchline hugging in and out winger. Ok that’s fine, see point 2, we have fullbacks crying out to operate on the wings, let them.
4. How do you play our forwards in the same team together cohesively? Is it Isak or Ekitike, where do Wirtz and Salah fit in then.
So the solutions seems fairly obvious. Start with the key, Wirtz.
He’s not a 10 in this team. He’s not a 7 so by process of elimination he’s a false 9. Wirtz is out Bobby Firmino in this team. He plays 9 nominally but drops deep to collect and orchestrate the play and feed his fullbacks and forwards. In midfield 6s are just destroying him, upfront he would be lost but as a false 9 dropping deep, the ghost of Firmino is reborn.
Up front then you pick two from 4 as inside forwards, one left one right. These operate in the space between the oppositions centre backs and fullbacks opt on the shoulder of the outside man in a back 3. They stay out and move in to strike while pacy fullbacks work the flanks with freedom and create space/crosses.
On the left we choose between Gakpo/Ekitike/Rio, on the right between Isak/Salah. Moving Salah towards the goal compensates for his drop off in pace and gets him more involved in play. Alternating gives him rest. Ekitike can also easily play the Wirtz role when he needs a rest/for variation.
Call it what you like: 4/3/3 with a false 9, midfield diamond with Wirtz at the tip, it doesn’t really matter but for me it does maximise this squads potential and gets everyone playing to their strengths.
Dave LFC
READ: Liverpool vs Man Utd: Five pre-match predictions from Rooney, Keane, Redknapp et al.
Audio issues
During the US broadcast of the Fulham-Arsenal fixture just ended, a message from NBC appeared on screen apologizing for audio issues and pledging to quickly fix the situation. With much dismay, a fix never arrived; Peter Drury was allowed to ramble on.
I know I’m not the only one who finds his commentary utterly excruciating as many mailboxers have commented similar over the years. But this man hits the holy trifecta of commentator lows with the tenor of his voice, what he chooses to shout, and the manner in which he chooses to shout it. Perhaps the first can be forgiven as it’s down to gene pool and not a conscious choice, but ping ponging between jarring shouts and cringeworthy canned rhetoric truly drags down a telecast, any telecast.
Look, it’s very possible (likely even) that Peter Drury is a lovely man in his life, but in his profession he is absolutely dismal.
Eric, Los Angeles CA
READ: Amorim replacements oversee chaotic classic as Farke inherits sack race lead – F365’s 3pm Blackout
New Euro 2028 host?
Given that Birmingham has admitted that it can’t guarantee the safety of travelling fans, I think we need to start thinking about moving Euro 2028 to another host nation. 😉
Matthew
“Unsustainable”
Oh the irony, as we read Make Arteta Great Again Arsenal fan upon delusional observer, musing that Liverpool (actual league champions) consistently scoring last-minute goals was “unsustainable”….Yet with a straight face, these same comedians will tell everyone that a team that creates absolutely nothing from open play (Arsenal) and can only win matches via marginal cornerball goals, is to be exalted! 15 goals scored in the league, 7 from corners, 2 are penalties!!! How “sustainable” is that? 🤔 Imagine spending over £1bn to recreate a FAKE PULIS Tribute! El Pulizon really giving the PL Haram-ball 😂😂
It needs to be reiterated at this juncture that Arsenal fans, unable to justify over a decade of serial failure, used to Fake-Philosophise and regale us with the wonder of their “aesthetic beautiful football”. Remember the term “Wengerball”? 🙄 The likes of Simeone, Mourinho and co were apparently “anti-football” and you “do not go to the stadium and enjoy watching that”. The pivot from Arsenal fans – now that Arteta’s football stinks worse than a 24 month-old sardine – is to that of “it’s all about winning”! LOL.
The moving of the goalposts is so Trumpian it’s beautiful to witness. I sincerely hope that this soporific eyesore that makes one have to skip the Arsenal games on Match of the Day…ends up with Arsenal winning the title. Because imagine spending that much money, to play FAKE ALLARDYCE football that horrendous, only to end up winning Nada! 😳
Viking Clogger update: huge improvements detected as he finally managed a shot on target in a first half! Naturally didn’t score but goals “isn’t his game”. Notwithstanding having the first touch of a dromedary, the technique of an LDV Vans Trophy MVP and all the incision of a marshmallow scalpel. £60m, £200k a week: he’s making Darwin Nunez look like a bargain buy! Glenn Murray is still free and retired, I repeat, he would be a supreme improvement. Gyokeres is up there with the Ashtray in the Hall of Shame – a quick January Saudi sale is the only way Arsenal could recoup even 50% of what Arteta and co paid for Gyokeres: another example of Arteta’s complete inability to inspire the attacking side of the game. Which is evidence by the abysmal football.
PS: please observe that three of Arsenal’s wins have come at home, to Ange Forest (enough said), Potter’s West Ham (oh dear) and Leeds (made Burnley look like Barca).
Stewie Griffin (I don’t just write in when they lose, the messaging discipline has been the same, 20 years and counting)
