Arsenal 2020/21 - General Discussion

[trims]

Continue to employ him until matches start, it's not his fault matches aren't happening, and you can obviously afford to. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's what the other 19 clubs in the league have managed to do? Or, at the very least, have been smart enough to realise how bad it looks to do that on the same day they spend tens of millions of pounds on a player.

But, as I have repeatedly said, if you want to defend it with that line of reasoning fine, but you have absolutely no right whatsoever to demand anything of Ozil. You've decided what you're happy with your club being, and you should therefore accept how that means players should treat you.

The whole thing has been blown out of proportion and no one seems interested in looking at the fine details surrounding this situation. Jerry Quy works as one of several people at Arsenal who puts on the Gunnersaurus suit, and he was let go from his role as supporter liaison for away games since there are no fans. The club have already been quoted as saying he will be welcome back once fans are back. His role was part-time and he's a director of a private company so I doubt that he was banking on dressing up as Gunnersaurus to pay off his mortgage. Obviously spreading the news that Gunnersaurus has been sacked generates more clickbait than providing an actual representation of the situation.

Arsenal's are hit the hardest by fans not being allowed back into the stadiums. 25% of Arsenal's revenue comes from matchdays which is the highest in the premier league with Tottenham coming second at 18%. If fans aren't allowed back into stadiums anytime soon then you should expect redundancies at other clubs as well.

The Arsenal executive team agreed to wage cuts of more than 33% whilst the playing and coaching staff are on 7.5% cuts. Ozil was one of three players not to agree to the cuts and obviously, he received the most attention since he's on insane wages. I'm not going to deride him for that as I don't know about his financial commitments and he's within his right to do what he did. But I'm not going to give him praise for deciding to pay wages of a part-time worker in what clearly is just PR move.

 

[awop]

So apparently, there is no option to buy Torreira for Atletico. Hopefully he has a great season and we can milk a bit more from them, sell him to Italy or maybe give him a second chance alongside Partey although that would be a bit too defensive a pairing.

 

[alexthelion]

Are football clubs not allowed to make redundancies? What is this issue you people seem to have with football clubs firing people I really don’t get it. If your services are no longer required you are redundant it applies to the rest of us why not to football club employees?

Do you know what those who were made redundant were doing or how much they were being paid even before commenting? I don’t know what workers did but I’m guessing their work was not needed anymore so what else is the club supposed to do? Treat them like the royal family and pay them forever?

If they are in such a desperate situation that they need to make redundancies, then they shouldn't be splurging millions upon millions on new players, it's unethical.

 

[Bebestation]

I'm not necessarily jealous of the individual players they got but I am jealous of their ability to see what was needed and improve it a way we couldn't.

A left footed CB is great.
A right winger on a free.
A CDM/CM player.
Tried for a new AM but unsuccessfully.

 

[ThierryHenry14]

I'm not necessarily jealous of the individual players they got but I am jealous of their ability to see what was needed and improve it a way we couldn't.

A left footed CB is great.
A right winger on a free.
A CDM/CM player.
Tried for a new AM but unsuccessfully.

Spurs, Everton and even Aston Villa did better than us

 

[pratyush_utd]

If they are in such a desperate situation that they need to make redundancies, then they shouldn't be splurging millions upon millions on new players, it's unethical.

But isn't football players the most important part of their organisation and success on the pitch will help them to get out of this mess quickly?

 

[espnluk]

But isn't football players the most important part of their organisation and success on the pitch will help them to get out of this mess quickly?

Exactly. And although I'd keep the scouts personally, the connection drawn between letting them go and signing Partey is weird. We didn't have money to sign Partey. They had to go ask Kroenke for more to afford him, and he allowed it. He wouldn't have allowed keeping staff that is deemed unnecessary. I find it interesting that people in this thread talk about how unethical a club Arsenal is, but when the Glazers do something the supporters don't like they're seperating the club from the owners. Why is Kroenke then synonymous with Arsenal?

 

[Che Guevara]

This more expensive reincarnation of Winston Bogarde is not someone to praise. He’s being paid 350k a week to do nothing, he’s not taking a pay cut like the rest of the squad and he’s a bum.

I agree with this. I just find Ozil's gesture (which has been rejected by Arsenal) very cheap and self-serving. The relationship between player and club has irretrievably broken down. Instead of moving on and pursuing his career elsewhere, he is determined to stay at Arsenal and spend the entire season picking his nose and dozing in the stands, just to spite the club. Not only is he a huge expense at the club, but he is also ruining his own career. He started this mess with his campaign for China's Muslims which led to the pulling of the Arsenal-City match in December from Chinese live tv, costing the club the much-needed revenue which pays his massive wages. He could actually move on and double his wages in MLS or Russia; he can't go to China now because he has messed up that option. But instead he is adamant that he would rather sit at home in London an entire season than play football elsewhere. What a moron.

 

[ThierryHenry14]

I agree with this. I just find Ozil's gesture (which has been rejected by Arsenal) very cheap and self-serving. The relationship between player and club has irretrievably broken down. Instead of moving on and pursuing his career elsewhere, he is determined to stay at Arsenal and spend the entire season picking his nose and dozing in the stands, just to spite the club. Not only is he a huge expense at the club, but he is also ruining his own career. He started this mess with his campaign for China's Muslims which led to the pulling of the Arsenal-City match in December from Chinese live tv, costing the club the much-needed revenue which pays his massive wages. He could actually move on and double his wages in MLS or Russia; he can't go to China now because he has messed up that option. But instead he is adamant that he would rather sit at home in London an entire season than play football elsewhere. What a moron.

I fully support Ozil freedom of speech and his criticism over Uighur Muslim persecution in China, and he doesn't bow to the pressure and bullying from China. There are lots of people including Wall Streets, NBA, and this very forum will sell their soul to china for money and turn a blind eye to the concentration camp in Xi Jeng. I am speaking as a Canadian Chinese.

 

[Ooh2B]

If they are in such a desperate situation that they need to make redundancies, then they shouldn't be splurging millions upon millions on new players, it's unethical.

I’ve thought about this side of it, and yes, it looks terrible from this perspective. The press are doing their thing and it’s a bad bit of business because we’re apparently capable of splurging millions on playing staff while making support staff redundant.

If we don’t invest in the playing staff side of the operation, the several hundred support staff won’t have much of anything to support.

I’m really impressed at how the club are doing their business on the football recruitment side of it and don’t begrudge the expenditure there with the exception of one or two. We haven’t had any real sort of plan for years, so hopefully what they’re doing there pays off.

If it doesn’t pay off, and crowds are out for a long time, there’ll be less and less need for the several hundred or so people making a living from the clubs match day revenues.

 

[Ooh2B]

I fully support Ozil freedom of speech and his criticism over Uighur Muslim persecution in China, and he doesn't bow to the pressure and bullying from China. There are lots of people including Wall Streets, NBA, and this very forum will sell their soul to china for money and turn a blind eye to the concentration camp in Xi Jeng. I am speaking as a Canadian Chinese.

Good point regarding Wall St. and big business in general in that area south of Canada. It might limit his ability to attract a decent MLS contract.

I support anyone in the right to free speech and opinion, but in this instance I’ll be really impressed with Ozil as a human if he’s properly fecked his chances of some lucrative markets post Arsenal, and taken a stance against big business.

He might just be sticking it to Stan big time for several reasons not related to football. His book should be good..

 

[Che Guevara]

I fully support Ozil freedom of speech and his criticism over Uighur Muslim persecution in China, and he doesn't bow to the pressure and bullying from China. There are lots of people including Wall Streets, NBA, and this very forum will sell their soul to china for money and turn a blind eye to the concentration camp in Xi Jeng. I am speaking as a Canadian Chinese.

His freedom of speech cost the club revenue, from which his massive wages are paid, when the City match was pulled. I have no problem with a general, league-wide or country-wide campaign for the rights of Chinese Muslims, but it's ridiculous to expect only Arsenal out of 92 clubs to support this cause on their own or allow their players to publicly engage in the campaign. Many English club have several Muslim players. Why are these players or their clubs not speaking up or joining the campaign, or encouraging their players to speak out? Why are other Muslim footballers in the UK or anywhere in Europe quiet about their fellow Muslims in China? At Celtic our fans have over many decades vociferously and consistently supported the Palestinian struggle and waved thousands of Palestinian flags in the stands, just as we supported the anti-apartheid movement. Has any club official, club or football association in Britain or anywhere in Europe ever publicly supported us or joined our campaign? No, and we accept that. It's because of the intricate relationships in football sponsorship, and sponsorship is the lifeline of every club and football association. If all other clubs took a stance in support of the Uighur Muslims just like they supported the BLM campaign then Arsenal would have endorsed his campaign and this problem would not have arisen. Ozil should have thought thru all that before launching his public and controversial campaign. Aubameyang, Mane, Salah, Pogba and many other PL players are practising Muslims but they have never said a word about the Uighurs. I'm sure they support the cause, but they are also very mindful and tactical how to do it.

 

[Xyx]

Spurs, Everton and even Aston Villa did better than us

I disagree. Their only impressive signing in my opinion is Reguilon. Bale's injury record is a real concern and he has been playing roughly the equivalent of half a season since 2015.

 

[Che Guevara]

I disagree. Their only impressive signing in my opinion is Reguilon. Bale's injury record is a real concern and he has been playing roughly the equivalent of half a season since 2015.

Bale not playing at Madrid was not entirely due to injury. His relationship with Zidane and the club had deteriorated badly and wasn't played even when fit. He just needs game time to regain his fitness and form. How much of his form he will regain is impossible to tell at the moment.

 

[horsechoker]

Has anyone suggested giving Özil the Gunnersaurus job?

 

[Glorio]

His freedom of speech cost the club revenue, from which his massive wages are paid, when the City match was pulled. I have no problem with a general, league-wide or country-wide campaign for the rights of Chinese Muslims, but it's ridiculous to expect only Arsenal out of 92 clubs to support this cause on their own or allow their players to publicly engage in the campaign. Many English club have several Muslim players. Why are these players or their clubs not speaking up or joining the campaign, or encouraging their players to speak out? Why are other Muslim footballers in the UK or anywhere in Europe quiet about their fellow Muslims in China? At Celtic our fans have over many decades vociferously and consistently supported the Palestinian struggle and waved thousands of Palestinian flags in the stands, just as we supported the anti-apartheid movement. Has any club official, club or football association in Britain or anywhere in Europe ever publicly supported us or joined our campaign? No, and we accept that. It's because of the intricate relationships in football sponsorship, and sponsorship is the lifeline of every club and football association. If all other clubs took a stance in support of the Uighur Muslims just like they supported the BLM campaign then Arsenal would have endorsed his campaign and this problem would not have arisen. Ozil should have thought thru all that before launching his public and controversial campaign. Aubameyang, Mane, Salah, Pogba and many other PL players are practising Muslims but they have never said a word about the Uighurs. I'm sure they support the cause, but they are also very mindful and tactical how to do it.

So because others didn't have the guts to come forward and he did, he's done wrong?

 

[Che Guevara]

So because others didn't have the guts to come forward and he did, he's done wrong?

I never said that, read my comment again. The cause is just and worthy, but Ozil is going about it the wrong way. There is a reason why other Muslim players or any players for that matter, are not prepared to join his campaign even if they or some of them share his support for the Uighur Muslim cause.

 

[Ooh2B]

I never said that, read my comment again. The cause is just and worthy, but Ozil is going about it the wrong way. There is a reason why other Muslim players or any players for that matter, are not prepared to join his campaign even if they or some of them share his support for the Uighur Muslim cause.

Exactly! He could have been more tactful and used some more guile.

Free speech is free speech, but having a platform to use it like he has needs to be used in a more discreet way. Especially given the career he’s in.

I’m at loggerheads all the time about stuff like this, because I agree that someone who has a platform like he has should be using it to raise awareness.

Ultimately this comes down to not biting the hand that feeds you, but if you don’t say anything, you know people are going to be hurt.

A perfect example of why footballers should stay out of politics.

Stick to the footy for 20 odd years, take yer winnings and go make all the noise you want.

 

[Ooh2B]

Has anyone suggested giving Özil the Gunnersaurus job?

He’s priced himself out of it, and references from his last two managers show a lack of motivation and willingness to do the job as expected.

 

[Topgun1]

Exactly! He could have been more tactful and used some more guile.

Free speech is free speech, but having a platform to use it like he has needs to be used in a more discreet way. Especially given the career he’s in.

I’m at loggerheads all the time about stuff like this, because I agree that someone who has a platform like he has should be using it to raise awareness.

Ultimately this comes down to not biting the hand that feeds you, but if you don’t say anything, you know people are going to be hurt.

A perfect example of why footballers should stay out of politics.

Stick to the footy for 20 odd years, take yer winnings and go make all the noise you want.

Was Raheem Sterling "discreet" about his campaign against racism?

Did Rashford stay out of politics when he campaigned against Tory cuts to free school meals? (for which he received an MBE no less!)

Was Arsenal discreet in their campaign for black lives matter?

Arsenal's complete disregard for people whose rights as human beings have been removed completely and put into camps isn't just a reflection of the owner's values of profit over people's lives but also a signal that they'll only pay attention to causes which provide them commercial value. The owners would knit SS uniforms if if it made them a few quid. That's just a fact.

Do you know how low a club has to be to be outdone by Trump's government on human rights? The Secretary of State backs Ozil but Arsenal throw him under the bus. Embarrassing!

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/dec/17/mike-pompeo-mesut-china-uighur-persecution

Our club has completely lost its identity as far as I'm concerned. Also the absolute worst club in terms of handling COVID-19. Sacking people left and right, while demanding all the players take huge hits to their wages just so the owners can pay off the debt he owes on his other sports team in the USA. Arsenal are nothing but a cash cow to the owner. I literally laugh at the bootlickers and the owner laughs to the bank.

 

[Highfather_24]

Arsenal's complete disregard for people whose rights as human beings have been removed completely and put into camps isn't just a reflection of the Owner's values of profit over people's lives but also a signal that they'll only pay attention to causes which provide them commercial value. The owners would knit SS uniforms if if it made them a few quid. That's just a fact.

Sad to say, I think this is the truth. Everything these multi million dollar entities do, their first priority is the commercial aspect of it.

You reward players for a political message that doesnt hurt your profits(Rashford), but punish players when they do. Disgusting.

 

[Che Guevara]

Was Raheem Sterling "discreet" about his campaign against racism?

Did Rashford stay out of politics when he campaigned against Tory cuts to free school meals? (for which he received an MBE no less!)

Was Arsenal discreet in their campaign for black lives matter?

Arsenal's complete disregard for people whose rights as human beings have been removed completely and put into camps isn't just a reflection of the owner's values of profit over people's lives but also a signal that they'll only pay attention to causes which provide them commercial value. The owners would knit SS uniforms if if it made them a few quid. That's just a fact.

Do you know how low a club has to be to be outdone by Trump's government on human rights? The Secretary of State backs Ozil but Arsenal throw him under the bus. Embarrassing!

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/dec/17/mike-pompeo-mesut-china-uighur-persecution

Our club has completely lost its identity as far as I'm concerned. Also the absolute worst club in terms of handling COVID-19. Sacking people left and right, while demanding all the players take huge hits to their wages just so the owners can pay off the debt he owes on his other sports team in the USA. Arsenal are nothing but a cash cow to the owner. I literally laugh at the bootlickers and the owner laughs to the bank.

Arsenal are a football club and a business first and foremost, not a human rights organisation. And that applies to every other football club. Why is the entire league or other players not taking a public stance on the Uighur problem? Why is Ozil failing to convince and bring anybody else on board to support the cause? Did he ever offer Arsenal any compensation for the revenue the club lost when their match was pulled in China, and does he even take responsibility for that? The campaigns against racism or to feed hungry children enjoy overwhelming support worldwide and are far less controversial than the country-specific Uighur problem, and the league is already on board with the anti-racism campaign. I can see why Arsenal can't wait to get rid of Ozil, he has handled this issue very badly and that's why nobody else has joined his campaign, and from his track record I have the distinct impression that he is a very difficult character to deal with anyway. China is now a huge market for top leagues and no club will allow itself to be the launch pad for attacks on China's human rights violations, because it will badly affect the clubs and the league financially even though in principle the attacks are justified. Unfortunately, Ozil is the only player who doesn't understand that.

 

[Oxeki]

Sad to say, I think this is the truth. Everything these multi million dollar entities do, their first priority is the commercial aspect of it.

You reward players for a political message that doesnt hurt your profits(Rashford), but punish players when they do. Disgusting.

How did Arsenal punish ozil for a political cause?
He was dropped for poor performances. He's given 4 PL assist in the past two years. The last time he gave an away PL assist was a few days before he signed his bumper contract.
There's no one in our starting XI that deserves to be dropped for Ozil.

I think he's used to the fact that wenger used to indulge him.
This is the third consecutive manager that has dropped him for varying reasons. Maybe he needs to look at himself.

Maybe when he finally fecks off, his worshippers will feck off with him too

 

[Dancfc]

 

[awop]

Rubbish. We got 2 great chances that we should have scored. City even without KdB is an insanely strong team. Same people crying all over Twitter about style of play or being too defensive were having meltdowns when we conceded 4 or 5 goals in every big game. You need time and money and we only have time.

 

[adexkola]

Rubbish. We got 2 great chances that we should have scored. City even without KdB is an insanely strong team. Same people crying all over Twitter about style of play or being too defensive were having meltdowns when we conceded 4 or 5 goals in every big game. You need time and money and we only have time.

This is true.

 

[ValenciasDrilledCrosses]

I think Arsenal look like a pretty decent team right now. The Arteta wanksesh in the media is over the top, mostly because for some reason they've decided he's Spanish and young so he must play progressive football. He doesn't and that's ok, in fact it's exactly what Arsenal needed. They have too many error-prone players in midfield and defense, so building a solid tactical foundation that minimizes their faults, and giving their pacy attack more space is probably the best utilization of their squad right now. Arsenal for too long (since the late 2000s) have tried to play expansive, beautiful football with frankly average players. If they had gotten Aouar AND Partey, it would've been huge for their midfield because it's been full of nothing players who can neither defend nor progress the ball efficiently over the past few years. But getting one of them is still quite good and I think Partey's the right choice.

The way Arteta sets up reminds me a lot of Ole, especially with the 352/343 in big games, although I have been much more impressed with Arsenal's pressing schemes which are close to non-existent for us. I've also noticed they're breaking lines a lot quicker as Arteta has started to instill his style, instead of just looking for the easy ball out wide to a winger. Don't know if the stats back that up but just something I've noticed. They still need to be better against the big teams though, you do need to win some of those games or at least grind out points away. The FA Cup wins are impressive but it's time to do it in the league. Think battling for top 4 is their ceiling this season, they're still a few transfer windows off.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

The Pepe signing seems very strange considering the quality of Saka. They have a lot of players that are in that decent category such as Bellerin, Leno, Xhaka and Lacazette but they could probably improve on, however they won't do it. I think an immediate concern for them is the age-profile of a lot of their key players, the core of their squad are in their early 30's or late 20's.

 

[SinNombre]

Arsenal are in deep trouble if they don't make the top 4 this season.

Lots of teams above them will have a rough season (mostly covid enforced) and they have spent a lot of money by their standards in a season with reduced revenues.

I think there will be a lot of pressure on Arteta if they are outside the top 4 come January.

 

[trims]

"Since Mikel Arteta took over at the club, @Arsenal have scored more goals following a sequence of 10 or more passes than any other side" From the premier leagues official twitter

It's clear that Arteta wants his team to work the ball and get into a good position before taking a chance. Despite being 15th in terms of total shots, Arsenal are actually 8th for shots on target which backs that idea.

We're above Chelsea, Utd and Tottenham despite playing Liverpool and Man City away. Its not a bad position.

 

[awop]

I think there will be a lot of pressure on Arteta if they are outside the top 4 come January.

Not a chance, he's 100% safe for the next 2 seasons unless we finish 16th.

City fielding 50M+ players in every single position + Aguero (the little guy that is supposedly a better PL striker than Thierry fecking Henry and Rooney) up front : "oMg yOu lOst aGaiN"
I was hoping to get a draw and nothing more from this game. Saka made Ederson produce a great save and Auba shot it point blank at him.
I'm not worried and even hopeful for the season that we can get 4/5th.

 

[Pep's Suit]

Partey, Ceballos, Elneny, Xhaka screams zero goals to me. Seems like defend well and hope for counters is their game plan now, mainly against decent sides. Think they should move Lacazette and Pepe and try to improve in that area rather than spend big on Aouar.

 

[Feed Me]

Arteta has got them well organised but they’ve dropped out of the top tier now. I never thought City were in danger once they went ahead yesterday. Arsenal are seemingly happy just to avoid pastings in these big games.

 

[Grande]

Arteta has got them well organised but they’ve dropped out of the top tier now. I never thought City were in danger once they went ahead yesterday. Arsenal are seemingly happy just to avoid pastings in these big games.

Seeing that they beat Chelsea and Man City quire recently to win the FA Cup, I think that’s a bit of a hasty conclusion.

 

[Feed Me]

Seeing that they beat Chelsea and Man City quire recently to win the FA Cup, I think that’s a bit of a hasty conclusion.

They’re very one dimensional in the way they’re approaching these fixtures, and will invariably end up taking losses if they don’t offer more. They were completely placid for the final 20 mins yesterday.

 

[xonyo]

I'd rather Arsenal were 1-0 down and not making many chances than 3 or 4 and making plenty. For years and years Arsenal have been criticised for conceding too many in big games and basically being out of contention from the first half. At Anfield Arsenal could have feasibly snatched a draw, same for City away. These are probably the two toughest fixtures in the whole league and many people's picks for top 2 this year.

Arteta, less than 12 months in charge, has already beaten Chelsea, City, Liverpool and Utd so I'm not too concerned about our approach in big games. The Etihad and Anfield aren't going to be where we challenge for top 4, Leicester at home and Old Trafford should be where we show if we're ready for top 4.

 

[georgipep]

They’re very one dimensional in the way they’re approaching these fixtures, and will invariably end up taking losses if they don’t offer more. They were completely placid for the final 20 mins yesterday.

Like most teams against City in their pomp

 

[ThatsGreat]

Arteta has made Xhaka and Mustafi look like footballers, I won't hear a word against him.

 

[Feed Me]

Like most teams against City in their pomp

City aren’t in their pomp though.

 

[CannonBalls]

Partey, Ceballos, Elneny, Xhaka screams zero goals to me. Seems like defend well and hope for counters is their game plan now, mainly against decent sides. Think they should move Lacazette and Pepe and try to improve in that area rather than spend big on Aouar.

I think Saka also qualifies as midfield as he plays more like LCM than LWB, atleast in possession.