From Martin: this season
Hope all is well and the season’s greetings to you and family.
Onto the football season and Arsenal chances of winning the Premier League.
Messaged you in first weeks of season stating that Premier League has gone some way to the Parity that the NFL tries so hard to cultivate.
The additional money has enabled even the lesser teams to assemble decent talent and in these days of good organisation and fitness there really is no easy games in the Premier League.
The Premier League is not at the top level quality of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich but quality runs so much deeper beyond that and no game is an irrelevance that many are in La Liga or the Bundesliga.
Do not agree that Arsenal have not improved, they have, there is greater calmness and organisation and that has come from most of the deadwood being shifted in recent seasons and these players developing together. So there has been no huge shift but there has been improvement.
The key to winning the title this season is quite simple and that’s to stay in top two into January and then have multiple players return and maybe one decent signing to add impetus.
Surprised to see Monreal and Bellerin in SKY Team of Season (so far) and there was debate of Koscielny too.
It did make me think, as I have overlooked it a little that defence is improved and that there is greater depth too as really rate Gabriel and though all not really starter quality. Debuchy, Ospina, Chambers and Gibbs are decent spot reserves.
Not many teams too could lose their starting midfield and hardly miss a beat and again that is testament to the deadwood being shifted and the greater depth.
The team also has three world class performers in Ozil, Sanchez and Cech (The new Pat Jennings)
Do have one comment on Ozil. Everyone suddenly thinks he has adapted to the Premier League and we now seeing the best of him, where its more he now looks up and sees movement, runners! Pace.
Ozil is not a Ronaldo or Messi, he will not create and finish his own work, he is the ultimate provider and completely dependent on the cast around him.
To go back to the NFL analogy, you can be best QB in world but if your receivers are never open they will make you look poor.
The team around Ozil was making him look poor as he had to hold and pause before every pass, now he glides and moves ball quickly as options open up in front of him.
He does not have a world class supporting cast but it’s all decent Premier League level and in some cases still developing and they have all played together a while so there is an understanding that’s growing and think Giroud run across the defender for second goal supports that in full as he knew Ozil already had that picture and the ball will be delivered in stride. That goal comes from understanding and quality.
Man City still look like a team that does not really care, of course they have quality but do not see the fire and ambition in that group.
Man United are robotic and similar, of course there is quality but results prove there is a lacking element. Liverpool will you think blow very hot or ice cold depending on how much they allowed to play.
Spurs, dare I say it, are the best balanced team of chasers, well organised with decent talent though you think if they have injuries Arsenal have had is there the depth to go distance particularly with Thursday football?
Think Leicester are the real deal and you’be got to love the story, there was a guy crying on 606 Saturday and you had to love his passion. But you do feel that depth is the worry, couple of injuries particularly to key players and maybe fatigue too given the swashbuckling style may catch up with them.
So there is still a lot to align for Arsenal to win league as it’s a difficult league to these days and that’s not because of the top level quality but that any given Sunday parity that has developed which am really enjoying makes it so.
Have a good one Myles,
From Paul : some thoughts from the Emirates
Hi Myles,
Interesting game last night.
A few thoughts that struck me.
– you’ve said for a number of years that a stadium like the Emirates doesn’t become a proper home ground until it’s had a few big nights. his felt like one of them.
– i was scared that without Sanchez, Cazorla and Coquelin we had lost 30% of our tenacity more than I was scared about the flair, but we got through it.
– back in the Utd vs Arsenal days I used to look at the 2 teams and think : Who would we take from the Utd team and have in the Arsenal 11?
It was a tough fight for every position then. Last night i looked and thought we’d probably take at least 5 of their guys, but our team came through and won it.
it felt like a night that arsenal woke up. we still have a massive way to go, but it feels like for the first time in 10 years we are genuinely back in the mix again….interesting times!
From Subrhrajit Ghadei : cracked the 10 codes
From Stuart : classic Wengerism
Myles,
Not sure if you caught this quote from Wenger, in relation to Cech:
“There is no history of teams winning things without having a great goalkeeper. I’m now 30 years in the job and you learn over the years that the goalkeeper is the most underrated position in football – and maybe the most vital one for winning things.”
Shame he hadn’t learnt that when we had to put up with Almunia for 7 years…..
Myles says:
Klopp points out that Leicester are not in Europe.
If they are in Europe next season, he says, they’ll notice the difference.
Too right! Any team would.
I missed that quote, Stuart.
His most absurd remark since 1996 was when he boasted that “Almunia had no CV when he came to Arsenal.”
Wenger is a club-builder who did exceptionally well in building Monaco and Arsenal into much stronger clubs.
I like Guardiola. But he’s not perfect.
He had less power at Barcelona than Wenger still has at Arsenal.
Wenger should have signed Pep to manage Arsenal.
But he can’t let go. He’ll never let go, never step down.
He loves the money/power/status far too much.