How spotless Arsenal showed they may end season potless vs Kairat
Arsenal showed in their 3-2 win over Kairat precisely why they may end the season potless again, though there’s a defence (of sorts) offered by a Liverpool fan.
There are also a couple more ‘favourite XIs’ in the Mailbox, which are a lot of fun.
Send your thoughts to theeditor@footbal365.com.
A Liverpool defence of Arsenal
Dear Ed,
As a rival fan (Liverpool for my sins), it is time someone spoke up for Arsenal and their supporters, the most unfairly maligned community in the Premier League, besides whichever club has just played Manchester City away.
People say Arsenal fans are delusional. That is lazy. Delusion implies a detachment from reality. Arsenal fans are deeply attached to reality, specifically the reality in which they are always one refereeing decision, one fine margin, and one misunderstood Arteta proverb away from an inevitable dynasty.
And can we stop mocking Mikel Arteta? The man is clearly a serious football thinker. Yes, he talks like a corporate mindfulness app trapped inside a Hugo Boss coat, and yes, he sometimes looks like he is about to present a quarterly earnings call on non negotiables, but that is modern elite management. If anything, his intensity should be admired. Not every coach can make a throw in feel like a moral test with existential consequences.
There is also the tiresome criticism that Arsenal don’t play good football. This misses the point. Not every team needs to express itself through the spontaneous combinations and joyous chaos fans pay money to see. Some teams express themselves through controlled spacing, suffocation and the quiet confidence that the fourth corner of the afternoon will eventually be the one that counts. If it is true that a suspicious portion of their threat arrives via dead balls, well, that is not reliance, that is innovation. You cannot blame a club for leaning heavily on the dark arts while still insisting it is all about principles.
Arsenal fans also get accused of being overly emotional. Again, unfair. They are simply committed to rigorous analysis. That is why, after any dropped points, you will see calm, evidence led posts explaining how the opponent’s low block was anti-football, the wind was suspicious, the grass was long, the two goals scored by the opposition don’t go in most of the time, VAR is a discrete political project, and the league has an agenda. This is not coping. This is investigative journalism with a club crest.
So yes, be kind. They carry a heavy burden, permanently nearly there, eternally the best team by the metrics if not trophies (in England and Europe), and bravely waging war against the vast conspiracy of time, physics, and dropping points in March/April.
Yours,
JB (YNWA)
Misfiring Arsenal
This is the first time this season I have thought Arsenal MIGHT not win anything this season. At the risk of using Hyperbole….Arsenal could reasonably have expected to score at least 10 goals tonight, from all those shots. The entire front line is simply not up to the standard they need to be. And there was no Arteta handbrake tonight. And I can’t remember their keeper making any save of note. Concerning times !
Colin , Dublin AF
Alvarez the answer
It’s been mentioned a few times but Julian Alvarez would be the perfect signing for arsenal. Send Gyokeres the other way and pay the rest. Gyokeres feels much better suited to Atletico and there is clearly a player in there. Alvares would improve us and give a boost to our momentum. What a signing it would be.
Dave (Fully aware this is not going to happen, but let a man dream) Bracknell
A fear of the Arsenal Mailbox
Dear MC,
Not written in for a while, but had to say two things. Totally agree about Alex Song. Loved him. No idea why but he looked like the big lump in midfield to give us strength in that department that had been missing. I was sad to see him go and then felt awful for him with that viral clip when he misread the room at Barca.
Secondly, Stewie, I won’t bite because almost everything you say is tosh (apart from sometimes I do agree with you, to be fair). I just don’t think you’re actually an Arsenal fan. But what I did want to say was that when I watched the game on Sunday and had that feeling, almost from the start, that we were going to lose. My biggest fear wasn’t for the impending loss itself (best years as a Gooner for god knows how long), it was the crushing realisation that anything other than a crushing victory with all goals from open play would result in his guff boring up the mailbox yet again.
It’s actually made me more determined to wish and will us to win the league. Just to shut that see you next Tuesday up.
JazGooner
READ MORE: Champions League prize money table calculated with four clubs cracking £80m after first phase
Kool-Aid?
Having never encountered it in the real world, I’ve been thinking lately, “What is Kool-Aid and why is Stewie so obsessed with it?!”
Seems its a sugary, E number-laden drink that will make children overly-hyper. Which explains a lot…
Dan, London
A message to Tickers
Hi F365 Team – this isn’t really a “letter” I suppose, it’s more a private message for you guys, but I did want to say a couple of things.
You were absolutely correct to subtly (thank you for not annihilating me) call me out on my letter a few days ago. My hugely desperate struggling team, who I still sadly live and die with to an extent, is showing small signs of life and yet I still couldn’t/can’t bring myself to offer, hopefully interesting, comments (on a team other than your usual largely boring Man U, Pool, Arse drone) without also going on a small anti-Spurs rant. Shame on me.
I’m a 52 year old lawyer who had a WH season ticket for 20+ years and went home and away for many years when I was young. I’ve lived abroad for 20 years and now go to games a few times a year when I can. My 2 (now young adult) sons are die hard Hammers living in blighty and I’m proud that they went to the last game at Upton Park when they were very very young and the Europa Conference League final (both against their mum’s wishes!).
When I was young, the gobbiest, full of sh!t, fans were almost all Spurs fans. Delusions of grandeur, first to shout at other fans for the smallest reason, zero self awareness when it came to football or football fandom. I don’t like Arsenal or Chelsea even slightly, but for some reason all my real football fan friends knew that if you were actually at the games, when we met in the days after it was more about discussing the games and usual gameday fan experiences wherever we’d respectively been round the country (fking hell it used to be so much fun back in the day!). Of course there were plenty of digs etc, and we didn’t like each other’s teams at all, but amongst each other we at least respected the time and effort we all each put in. The exception was Spuds.
You’d think that must be just fluke, but in the last 15 years all my Spurs friends now are exactly the same! Ideas far far far above their station, zero self deprecation, unless (and this is 100% a thing, and a Tickner special) it’s purposefully self deprecating to the extent that it becomes the opposite of self deprecating again! Gah!
Anyhow, per your subtle comment, you turned the mirror back on me and I felt like a massive d!ck. I will (try to) restrict my comments to my own team. Part of the reason for this small self realization is noting that Mr Tickner has recently rowed back his usual MO (cannot write even one article without it in some way referring back to, or ending up mainly about, Spurs; at least 3 Spurs entries in W&L, regardless of the result, articles crafted solely to bend around some Spurs point). Sorry, it drives me fking crazy. There are other fans out here dude, and most don’t want to hear about your team, or my team, every 2 fking seconds.
So…. I thought Dave Tickner’s article today re Palace was spot on and very insightful. Hopefully it wasn’t by accident, but he demonstrated plenty of empathy and exactly captured the sh!tty Palace situation, from the perspective of their fans, which is maybe what this is all about? It’s that primal feeling of dread that a fan feels when their team has the palpable stench of fear, lack of confidence and crippling terror in everything they do. It’s hard to describe but a fan knows for sure when it happens. Fantastic stuff from Mr T. Maybe it’s only because his own team is evidentially in the mire? I hope not. I think Dave’s writing is v good when it’s not ridiculously and unnecessarily partisan. Mate, we can all get that message from the tw@ts we all encounter every day. We don’t need that on these hallowed pages…
I’ve been following this site for literally decades now (gosh that’s slightly depressing!). I’ve bought and read every Johnny Nic book, even though I disagree with a lot (almost all) of his politics. He mostly captures the undefinable “feeling” of being a football fan. Which has almost nothing to do with what team you support or how well or otherwise they are doing. Mutual respect and understanding between (irrationally passionate) fellow fans of this silly game. I’ve got the Portraits of an Icon book (and bought it for almost every fan I know as a present over the years!) and have occasionally experienced being in a very dusty room at some of the stories/articles I’ve read on this site.
This is a crazy long and boring message, maybe even self indulgent. Sorry. Wine (and a stubborn inability to see this game as just a game) is my excuse. I doubt he cares even a jot, but for what it’s worth I apologize to Mr Tickner for my childish behaviour. I hope and trust that he actually loves this game as much as I do and that I shouldn’t tar him with any brushes. Best wishes Sir.
Finally (yeah yeah I know), it was awesome to hear from Billy from York in the box today. Imagine how epic this site would be if you could get the likes of Billy (and hundreds of thousands of other fans) to write in about their own teams, regularly, letting us know how they are getting on and how they are feeling. Omg….. Billy mate, please write in again dude, but this time instead of (correctly) pointing out the bollocks that most (not all of course) of the letters on these hallowed pages talk about the same 3 or 4 teams, amounting to a cycle of either gloating or moaning about the same boring crap, tell us what’s going on with your team, and your ground, and your division, and your pubs and your rivalries etc etc. I promise it will be miles more
interesting than almost every single other thing written here. Certainly including this!
As I said, not really a letter, just a message to the F365 team I suppose. Keep up the (mostly!) good work.
All the best
Mike (WHU, desperately trying to get rid of “the stench”)
Favourite XIs
Okay, so we’re doing favourite 11’s and I frankly, love a favourite 11 with only the most basic rational thought behind it other than “ shut up – that’s why “. As a Goooner, I’ll try to stay away from naming too many Arsenal players, but hopefully you’ll indulge 1 or 2.
GK: Pat Jennings: Hands like shovels, immovable hair and saved more shots with his knees than his hands. To play for both North London clubs and be beloved by both sides, not to mention the affection both sides of the community in Northern Ireland / the North of Ireland have for him, speaks volumes.
LB: Paolo Maldini: A colossus of the game. Just the best to do it at LB, playing at peak football nostalgia years for me, with that iconic kit. No-one else had a chance.
CB: Paul McGrath: God. My favourite player of all time. Read his book.
CB: Marcel Desailly: Just an absolute class act and in my opinion is ground zero for the change from old fashioned “ stopper “ to footballing CB. ( I know he wasn’t the first, but he was prominent when the cultural shift leaned towards making it mainstream ).
RB: Cafu: Still think he should have retired after lifting the World Cup though. Iconic image.
LW: David Ginola: He came to England as “ David Jin-ola “ and was so good that within 6 months was “ Daveed Zhiinola “. What a player.
CM: Jay Jay Okocha: Could do literally anything with a football. People will lean Ronaldinho ( and I won’t fight them on it ) but Jay Jay was always my go to for moments of “ I’ll do what I like and you’ll look silly “ football.
CM: Lothar Mattheus: Imperious, arrogant, consistent, and ridiculously talented. A world class CM and then a world class CB ( when that sort of thing still happened ). To this day I believe if he’d stayed on the pitch Utd’s treble doesn’t happen. But obviously he had to come off due to the threat posed by Teddy Sheringham’s pace. Tactically, I’d say this was the worst sub ever.
RW: Maradonna: Because shut up – that’s why. Of course he could play there.
ST: Thierry Henry. Scored the goal that won that 3 v 3 tournament on the boat as well as that goal on his comeback v Leeds, so…..
ST: Eric Cantona: Oversaw that 3 v 3 tournament on the boat and once kicked a ball so hard it went right through a demon’s chest, so……
Massive apologies to Brad Friedel, Kevin Nolan, Tim Cahill and Yakubu who all won me a substantial amount of Fantasy Football money back in the day. I reckon if Nolan had declared for the Irish National Team he’d be in there, to be fair.
So, it’s agreed, I’m old.
Doug, AFC, Belfast
I’ll take up the Favourite Player XI challenge from Neill.
GK – Buffon – absolutely peerless. Made me realise Schmeichel might actually not be the best keeper in the world.
LB – Robbie Carlos or Siniša Mihajlović at left back, because crazy runs and amazing free kicks.
CB – Maldini – the real king of Italian defences
CB – Puyol – horrible and brilliant, and very entertaining if your team wasn’t playing him
RB – Lilly Thuram – the absolute best right back ever, an absolute Rolls Royce.
DM – Pirlo – majestic, brilliant, changed my views of what a deep midfielder could be
CM – Mainoo – he’s made me believe in love again. Calm, composed, quietly brilliant and… English? I never thought we’d see his like again.
AM – Juninho – what the hell was he doing in Middlesborough
LW – Ginola. Just amazing and joyful to watch at his peak
RW – McManaman – not just a lovely volley, he absolutely rocked that white suit
CF – Batistuta – if you didn’t grow up watching Football Italia so you could see his long hair thrown back as he hit another thunderbastard you’re too young.
Honourable mentions:
Del Piero and Baggio – just sensational, rock gods of Italian football
Denilson – laughably skillful, cheeky, occasionally brilliant and bizarrely at Betis (why I have a soft spot for them)
Asprilla – another absolute legend
Zamora – not because of his footballing, or his hilarious ratings in FM (CM), but his song
Titus Bramble/Titf*ck Bumble – pure entertainment for all the wrong reasons
Djimi Traore – see above + song
Badwolf
Stevie slip
Actually Minty, when I see Stevie G’s slip my first question is always “why do people not mention that he lost the ball first, then slipped?”
Matt Carr, Spurs, Wilmington, NC
In off the bar? No, ta
Reading the mailbox entries on worldies reminded me, that I (might be) the only one who doesn’t like it when the ball hits the bar/post on its way in for a goal.
To me it takes the absolute certainty of the goal away slightly, like it would have bounced back in field or outside completely…
I am sure there are others like me too, but for some unspoken, unwritten reason everyone unanimously prefers the kiss off the metal as the ball goes in. It’s like erectile dysfunction, it exists but no one has it. And if you have it you should do so quietly!
PS: I also prefer the Real Zaragoza’s extra long nets. If it’s a goal I don’t want to see the ball bouncing back out!
Paddy G, Mombasa, MUFC (are you nuts? of course I like the goals where the ball hits both posts before going in…that’s totally different! no, you shut up)