Premier League 2020/21 Thread

[Gubbins]

1 hour ago, peach0000 said:

In my opinion I think their main problem is that the have a manager who is unqualified and completely out of his depth. I would say the same about Man Utd but Ole as average as he is at least had experience before his job where Arteta had nothing as is being found out more so.

Yes both clubs have crap managers and Arteta may even be worse than solskjaer but there are two key differences. The manager is almost exclusively at this point what holds man utd back from challenging (distantly) for the title. There attack and midfield is actually pretty good. You get a good manager in and they will improve dramatically. I dont think that's the case with arsenal cos they are poor all over the pitch and because of all the other points I raised before. Secondly probably the main reason why solskjaer hasnt done as badly as arteta is that Man utd have near unlimited spending power and arsenal dont. This would remain the same if they got new managers and the new arsenal boss unlike his man u counterpart needs multiple windows to do a much bigger rebuild job with a much smaller budget. Arteta is a problem at arsenal and way out his depth but the problems run so deep even a competent new boss would do well to get them challenging for top 6 over the next few seasons.

[FoyleFox]

2 hours ago, shailen said:

Honestly the Arsenal job is probably one of the worst jobs you can take right now. Average squad, huge club, huge expectation. They'll need another full rebuild before they're ready for the champions league. 

You appear to have mis spelt Championship 

[Sly]

I think Arsenal just need an experienced Manager. If you look at them man for man, they’ve got some talented individuals, the squad is lacking though.

 

What they actually need right now, is a Manager like Pearson who rebuilt us when we hit rock bottom in League 1. It won’t happen as they’re too arrogant as a fan base to accept someone who won’t want to be that poster boy. I think they’re now truly learning what Arsene Wenger did for them.

 

They’ve made some odd choices as well recently.
 

Ozil / Socrates being omitted from the squad.

 

Saliba sitting on the bench, who was rated better than Forfana. Now to be sniffing around Upamecano, who has a £38,000,000 release clause. He’ll end up at Bayern Munich by the way.

 

Signing David Luiz, to sure up the defence.

 

Extending Luiz contract. 

 

Signing Pepe for £72,000,000. He’d had a great season, however he’s never worth that amount of money. It’s a poorer league overall and he wasn’t / isn’t Mbappe.

 

Criticising Pepe for getting sent off, then defending Xhaka.

 

The restructure that’s happened behind the scenes with a lot of the back room staff, scout network, training ground personnel etc going will have impacted morale.

 

They lack leaders, throughout the team.
 

Playing the best goalscorer on the left, rather than through the centre. 
 

Some of the above is fixable now and come January. Either Arteta is too set in his philosophy, or the people behind him are forcing his hand to do so (ala excluding Ozil) to bend and do it. 

[Aus Fox]

The other manager I can see Arsenal looking at is Rafa Benitez, I think he’d love another shot at the Prem and after what he dealt with at Newcastle will be in a good place to come in and not worry about  how low it goes.

He has lots of experience of big names and could get Ozil back into the team.

If I were in charge at Arsenal, I think I’d get him on an 18 month deal to steady the ship, start the rebuild and then go again in a couple of seasons.

 

[Sly]

Yesterday odds were 

 

Massimiliano Allegri 2/1

Thomas Tuchel 4/1

Brendan Rodgers 15/2

Patrick Vieira 10/1

Diego Simeone 10/1

Thierry Henry 12/1

Freddie Ljungberg 16/1

Rafa Benitez 18/1

[FoxFossil]

Arsenal Fan tv always good for a laugh, talking up Brendan for Arse job.

[RowlattsFox]

I don't think Arsenal will sack him yet, he'll get to Christmas to turn it around. I couldn't see them wanting to pay to get Rodgers. Allegri has been waiting a while job, he'll probably wait a bit more to see who becomes available. Benitez is a decent shout. 

[weller54]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

Yesterday odds were 

 

Massimiliano Allegri 2/1

Thomas Tuchel 4/1

Brendan Rodgers 15/2

Patrick Vieira 10/1

Diego Simeone 10/1

Thierry Henry 12/1

Freddie Ljungberg 16/1

Rafa Benitez 18/1

With the squad they've got they need to add David Copperfield to that list.

[RumbleFox]

I’d love to see Simeone in the Prem but can’t see that he’s suited to Arsenal. X 

[Sunbury Fox]

The irony is that even now I'm sure 95% of Arsenal fans still think that every one of their first XI is better than ours. They really need to reset their expectations as the players they have are simply average on the whole. It's why I was a little annoyed by the way we set up away against them, like they were the superior team and we could only win by parking the bus. Of course, I know we were heavily depleted on the day and they were at full strength, and it got us the result, but I am certain we could play them off the pitch if we went for it, just as Villa did.

 

Over recent seasons I think a lot of teams have tended to play the name rather than the team when it comes to Arsenal and finally this season teams have realised they're not much good and are being less cautious against them on the whole.

Edited 15 December 2020 by Sunbury Fox

[whoareyaaa]

10 hours ago, kingfox said:

Just popped up on my timeline...

 

 

 did they remove some of his brain when he had that hair transplant it's not worked out well for him has it. 

[AKCJ]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

Yesterday odds were 

 

Massimiliano Allegri 2/1

Thomas Tuchel 4/1

Brendan Rodgers 15/2

Patrick Vieira 10/1

Diego Simeone 10/1

Thierry Henry 12/1

Freddie Ljungberg 16/1

Rafa Benitez 18/1

Please God, if you're there.

 

Please, please, please let them appoint Henry.

[Dahnsouff]

They have to tarnish all their legends before they make a sensible different decision

[Fox92]

10 hours ago, kingfox said:

Just popped up on my timeline...

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

 did they remove some of his brain when he had that hair transplant it's not worked out well for him has it. 

Probably OTT reaction but I'm not surprised, it's a terrible tackle on Drinkwater.

[Spudulike]

Poch not on the bookies list? 

[whoareyaaa]

Just now, Fox92 said:

 

Probably OTT reaction but I'm not surprised, it's a terrible tackle on Drinkwater.

You can't react like that  

[Chocolate Teapot]

15 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

I’d love to see Simeone in the Prem but can’t see that he’s suited to Arsenal. X 

Simeone is on 20m a year....there is no way he's going anywhere.

[goose2010]

11 hours ago, teblin said:

Vardy loves an opponents set of fans to wind up. Might have been good for him.

He has done alright without them so far this season. 

 

It 100% gives the home team an advantage so it levels the playing field by having no home fans 

[The People's Hero]

24 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

I’d love to see Simeone in the Prem but can’t see that he’s suited to Arsenal. X 

Maybe the problem is that they keep appointing managers who aren't suited to them; or perhaps are suited to their current set up and players, but aren't really suited to what they need.

 

I'd think three things they in a manager are a bit of discpline, motivation/nurturing and also tactician. You don't get the impression that constantly player acquisition can arrest the decline, although of course the squad is bloated so its definite that those that don't want to be there or buy in to whatever the vision is going forward are moved on.

 

It seems obvious to say, but having had a closer look at the last few years, its shocking how bad Arsenal have been at moving on players who are out of favour.

[brucey]

26 minutes ago, Sunbury Fox said:

The irony is that even now I'm sure 95% of Arsenal fans still think that every one of their first XI is better than ours. They really need to reset their expectations as the players they have are simply average on the whole. It's why I was a little annoyed by the way we set up away against them, like they were the superior team and we could only win by parking the bus. Of course, I know we were heavily depleted on the day and they were at full strength, and it got us the result, but I am certain we could play them off the pitch if we went for it, just as Villa did.

 

Over recent seasons I think a lot of teams have tended to play the name rather than the team when it comes to Arsenal and finally this season teams have realised they're not much good and are being less cautious against them on the whole.

I've been reading plenty of the Arsenal fans' forum thread and tweets on Saliba/Fofana. The Saliba thread in particular is great fun to read. Many of them have acknowledged we've been better than them for the past few years. I think their results have properly knocked them down to earth. 

[Fox92]

17 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

You can't react like that  

I know, hence he got sent off, but I just said I'm not surprised given the tackle on him is awful. He isn't the first and won't be the last to react to a bad tackle.

 

Plus we like a good brawl don't we. Better than players just diving and staying down.

[UniFox21]

13 minutes ago, The People's Hero said:

Maybe the problem is that they keep appointing managers who aren't suited to them; or perhaps are suited to their current set up and players, but aren't really suited to what they need.

 

I'd think three things they in a manager are a bit of discpline, motivation/nurturing and also tactician. You don't get the impression that constantly player acquisition can arrest the decline, although of course the squad is bloated so its definite that those that don't want to be there or buy in to whatever the vision is going forward are moved on.

 

It seems obvious to say, but having had a closer look at the last few years, its shocking how bad Arsenal have been at moving on players who are out of favour.

I'd go one further and say it's shocking how poorly Arsenal as a club have been run the past years. Winning the FA cup just patches over this. 

 

As you've said, they've appointed managers who don't fit them or aren't experienced enough to completely rebuild a club. They've bought poorly and not moved on players, so have Ozil sitting at home on around £350K a week, whilst Xhaka and Elneny manage to start for them. 

[StriderHiryu]

https://streamable.com/gyveu0

 

Danny Drinkwater getting a red card in an U23 match after lashing out after a nasty challenge was put in on him by a Spurs player. I have to say if this was me, I think I would have done the same as Drinkwater, that two footed challenge was so dangerous. Doesn't excuse the behaviour of course, but it's hard to prevent yourself reacting in the moment.

 

Anyway kind of sad to see these things continue to happen to a member of our legendary team of 15/16.

[talking_goldfish]

19 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

https://streamable.com/gyveu0

 

Danny Drinkwater getting a red card in an U23 match after lashing out after a nasty challenge was put in on him by a Spurs player. I have to say if this was me, I think I would have done the same as Drinkwater, that two footed challenge was so dangerous. Doesn't excuse the behaviour of course, but it's hard to prevent yourself reacting in the moment.

 

Anyway kind of sad to see these things continue to happen to a member of our legendary team of 15/16.

I still don't think there's any excuse, especially when you consider this is a PL2 game, and the tackle (/ 2-footed-assault) came from a petulant 16-year-old (incidentally, Alfie Devine is a highly-rated player who Spurs paid Wigan £300k for in the summer).

 

Had (30-year-old) DD not reacted in that manner, and used his 'experience' to get back up and walk away then Spurs would have been down to 10 men and Chelsea would still have had 11 on the pitch. Luckily for him Chelsea managed to get the win somehow.

[StanSP]

1 hour ago, AKCJ said:

Please God, if you're there.

 

Please, please, please let them appoint Henry.

Or Vieira. Not done well at NYCFC or Nice...