NKETIAH'S CELEBRATION AGAINST FULHAM SHOWS ARSENAL HAVE RETROGRESSED

NKETIAH'S CELEBRATION AGAINST FULHAM SHOWS ARSENAL HAVE RETROGRESSED

Despite being 9th, 28 points behind top, 9 points off 4th, losing more home fixtures in the League then we have in decades, there are some gooners who refuse to admit we have gone backwards since Arsene Wenger left. I even saw one reader claim that Mikel Arteta has better tactics then the most successful manager in our history.

At this point I don’t know what else Arsenal can do to show the grass wasn’t greener.

Just when I thought though that we had already hit rock bottom I watched the celebrations after our equaliser against Fulham.

Despite a draw being as helpful as a loss in our already outside bid to qualify for Europe through the League, there was Eddie Nketiah with the audacity to put his ear to the crowd in irony, while Martinelli jumped on his shoulders and Matt Ryan (up for the corner) joined in with the congratulations.

Now I’ll give Ryan the benefit of the doubt, the keeper is on loan at Brighton where expectations should be different.

Martinelli is a teenager who grew up in South America who is too young to remember the days where Arsenal were so good, a point at home against a side 18th in the table is a negative.

As for Eddie? In that one moment he showed he doesn’t have the mentality to help this club get back to their previous levels.

He recently did an interview bemoaning his lack of playing time, so when he scored a tap in, he made it all about himself.

He has his goal to show his friends and family, to watch on Match of The Day. The teams plight. Secondary.

It again shows the lack of leaders in the dressing room.

Our boss talks about standards and not accepting anyone who doesn’t follow them.

Well a Tony Adams, Vieira, Henry, etc, would be embarrassed by our position with 6 games to go. They wouldn’t be happy about a late goal which will put us in 11th if Leeds and Villa win their games in hand.

Forget about the legends.

How much grief did the likes of Walcott, Giroud, BFG, etc have to handle for ‘only finishing 4th‘?

We have gone from ‘only finishing 4th’ to our striker celebrating a draw against a side who will get relegated.

Like the FA Cup, the Europa League is in danger of papering over the cracks. I will breathe a sigh of relief if we lift that trophy because the ends justify the means.

Yet this idea that they will be legends? They are on course to be one of our worst squads in Prem history. You can’t judge a team on the short term of a knock out tournament, you need to look at the long term of the League and say it’s not okay.

The scary part of this weekend, youngsters are thinking it is. Young men who are told how great they are, despite struggling to be in the top half of the table (Smith Rowe and Saka were poor). That tells me the youth are not being shown the standards.

Which means that maybe the manager isn’t being shown the standards because maybe our owner simply doesn’t care where we finish, as he still gets a portion of TV rights worth billions.

Even as recently as Emery’s final home match, we equalised in stoppage time and Laca didn’t smile, didn’t have his peers jumping all over him. He trudged back with his head down. At full time the Emirates booed having barely cheered the equaliser.

Again how have we not gone backwards?

Before you say; ‘Dan’s negative’, ask yourself this.

If that was Man United or Chelsea, in 9th in April and their striker equalised against a team in the bottom three, would you mock him if he essentially ‘ssh’ed the crowd?

The fact is the expectation of those clubs would mean they would have ran back to the half way line.

We are meant to be competing with those clubs or at least that’s what we are told.

By Dan Smith

The New Overmars, Arteta’s Masterstroke, King Thomas, Only one MOTM: Key Observations

The New Overmars, Arteta’s Masterstroke, King Thomas, Only one MOTM: 

Key Observations from Slavia Prague -Arsenal Europa league Showdown.

Xhaka to the left in defence/midfield is a masterstroke. 
Was he a left back or left DM in the last two games?
I think we got a bit of both and it worked a treat.
Partey was clearly the MD king in midfield and Ceballos was given a role with much more freedom – more about him later.
If need be either Xhaka or sometimes Chambers would move up in midfield and help out defensively.
Both can play in midfield and are confident passers, and so there was a real balance both in defence and midfield.
Xhaka is not very fast for a left back but it never showed.
He clearly does not bomb forward like Tierney does, but with Pepe/Saka, ESR and Ceballos in the team there is no real need for this.
Our defence and midfield looked solid, and despite Slavia having more possession of the ball they seldom or never got anywhere close to where they could hurt us.
It was very impressive how Arteta had set up the team and how much space we had when we attacked.

Ceballos might finally have found his best position in the team.
I think he is an okay footballer but always appreciate his workrate.
In front of our defence he can be a bit of a liability but running between the lines and collecting and redistributing the ball really suits him.
It is like having an extra man in the team to go and help others wherever he is needed.
A very handy handyman who helps gluing the team together.
There are more players in the team who can do this but it is really nice that Mikel is giving Ceballos a continued chance to proof himself.

Calum had another fine game: very disciplined and keen to move forward where and when he could.
He played in Saka well for his superb goal and helped out in defence very well too.
During set-pieces or when we were hemmed back, the back-line of Chambers-Holding-Mari-Xhaka with Partey and the more attacking midfielders in front of them was very solid, resulting in two clean sheets.
Okay it is early days but I am sure you will agree it was fun to watch us during those games.
There is something about Calum that makes me, hmmmm cal(u)m.

Being the main man in deep midfield really seems to suit Thomas Partey.
He offers a lot of everything you would hope to see in a midfielder and we may well see the end of us playing two DMs from now on. Partey has real presence and a fine eye for where the action will be next.
He controls proceedings with his good ability to hold on to the ball and excellent passing skills (and he is not yet 100% as far as I can tell).
His interceptions and blocks are so effective and he really likes to drive forward too, without holding on to the ball anymore time than necessary.
A joy to watch.
But then there is Xhaka who with a fine left foot can help out with the distribution of the ball, both from out of the back and the middle of the pitch.
This really has looked good over the last few games.

Saka is just awesome.
19 years old and he has such a cool head.
He always works hard but he does not overdo it.
Bukayo is efficient with his energy and is making sure he does not get unnecessary injured.
But when he senses an opportunity Saka is focussed 200% and what he does next is almost always so effective.
He reminds me a bit of Marc Overmars who also had such a great efficiency/effectiveness balance in his game.
His goal was just so clever and well taken and he almost scored a peach of a goal earlier but for the woodwork (and then ESR’s harshly given offsite).

In general, it was that combo of a very solid defence and midfield and the fluidity of our attack that made us play such great football at times.
The movement up-front was fabulous and it made us utterly unpredictable.
Pepe, who scored a very good goal early on, ESR, Saka and Ceballos combined so well and used the available space on the pitch to perfection.
ESR had a great game with his effective work between the line and fine passing and what a ball for Pepe’s goal.
It simply was far too much for Slavia.

The MOTM has to go to Laca.
Alex took the penalty that put the game to bed (that goal was effectively worth two) and then he scored a masterfully controlled second late on.
But it was his pivotal attacking play that was so good.
Laca occupies defenders AND can then pass the ball into the space he has freed up so well.
The other attackers love working with him and he loves working with them.
Long may it continue.

It is in the nature of some people to find something to pick on, as if all that sweetness is just too much for them (let’s be wary of them).
Some, not on this site, have been picking on Leno for some reason.
Bernd is a human being who, like all of us, will have many good periods and also the occasional bad one.
We as fans should not want to make this worse by picking on him, even if there really is nothing to pick on. 
Leno may well not become Arteta’s long term choice – who knows? – but he is our nr1 goalkeeper this season and always wears the shirt with pride.
Let’s stand right behind him.

By TotalArsenal.com

Ghana star Mubarak Wakaso joins Chinese side Shenzhen FC on a four-year deal

Ghana star Mubarak Wakaso joins Chinese side Shenzhen FC on a four-year deal

Ghana midfielder Mubarak Wakaso has a fourth-year bumper contract with Chinese Super League side Shenzhen.

The Ghana star has joined the on a permanent contract on a free transfer.

Wakaso, 30, will remain in the Chinese Super League after leaving collapsed Jiangsu Suning.

The Ghana international made just 18 appearances for the side before going into administration amid financial difficulties over Covid-19.

The Suning Group, owners of Jiangsu FC and European giants Inter Milan announced it intended to focus on core businesses, leaving non-retail assets at risk.

The announcement said all football clubs owned by the Suning Group, including the hugely successful Jiangsu Suning Women, would "cease operations from today." a club statement said at the time.

The Chinese Super League side run into financial problems last year and started looking for prospective buyers but failed to land a buyer due to its debt portfolio.

The Nanjing based side won the Chinese Super League just three months ago but have failed to settle player wages for November and December 2020, as well as title-winning bonuses due to financial crisis.

This is going to be Wakaso's biggest pay cheque as he will earn 2 million dollars a year.

The Ghana international had not played actively for close to six months after football was shut in China due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But he grabs a juicy offer - far more better than the 1.5 million dollars a year he was supposed to have earned at Jiangsu Suning.

Given his age, this a massive retirement package for the combative midfielder.

He is expected to team up with compatriot Frank Acheampong, who has also joined the side on a similar duration.

The former Elche, Celtic and Panathinaikos enforcer has been capped 58 times and scored 12 goals.

Shenzhen is very ambitious - a big spending club who signed Alan Kardec as well - a Brazilian who played for Chongqing last season and who was one of the most prolific strikers in the Chinese Super League in recent years.

Source of Story: Patrick Amazing Doamekpor

I'M SO HAPPY BUT TIRED - MARTINELLI

 I'M SO HAPPY BUT TIRED - MARTINELLI

Gabriel Martinelli made his first start since January in our 3-0 win over Sheffield United, and was soon celebrating his first goal for 15 months.

The teenager had not found the net since his incredible solo goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January 2020, and although his goal on Sunday was altogether less spectacular, it nonetheless meant a lot to the forward.

"I am feeling a bit tired but I'm so happy with the goal and even happier with the victory and the three points," he told Arsenal.com after the game.

"I work every single day in training, you need to prepare yourself because when Mikel needs you, you need to be there to play and show something."

He left the pitch after 83 minutes, to be replaced by Mohamed Elneny, but he allayed fears that he had picked up an injury, despite appearing to suffer a knock to his ankle.

"No, I am alright to play on Thursday," he confirmed.

Source of Story: Arsenal.com