Official Gooners Thread - A New Hope

[SaffronSports]

Partey, Trossard and Jorginho are leaving so need replaced as well as buying a ST.. Something I don't think the board will fund

Is it guaranteed Partey and Trossard are leaving? Where are they going? They are decent squad players to have.

Jail hopefully.

The massive thing Arsenal face right now is winning that first one is the hardest. The longer you go without it, doubts creep in and self belief is eroded. 

Imo,  this was the year for Arsenal. City dropped off a cliff and Arsenal still didn't have the balls to win one. There's something missing in either attitude or in management.

[tiempo]

What do Arsenal fans make of Rice. Seems a decent lad but was he worth the money and wages he's on?

Hard to be too critical of Arteta, transformed the team and has them competing both at PL and CL but since they've loosened the purse strings the wage bill has crept up significantly without much extra to show for it. Couple of the latest signings very questionable and even lads that were ripping it up before have slowed down a bit once the bumper contracts were secured. 

On a Paul Ince trajectory, that's a compliment by the way

Still room for improvement, interesting to see if he kicks on

[tiempo]

Partey, Trossard and Jorginho are leaving so need replaced as well as buying a ST.. Something I don't think the board will fund

Is it guaranteed Partey and Trossard are leaving? Where are they going? They are decent squad players to have.

Jail hopefully.

The massive thing Arsenal face right now is winning that first one is the hardest. The longer you go without it, doubts creep in and self belief is eroded. 

Imo,  this was the year for Arsenal. City dropped off a cliff and Arsenal still didn't have the balls to win one. There's something missing in either attitude or in management.

Liverpool deserving winners, arguably should have won it last year too, Arsenal have done so much right the last 5 years it can only bode well for the future, solid at the back, stout in MF but need a spearhead up front and let the shackles off Martenilli, 1 or 2 good signings and a tweak here and there and they'll win big, the margains are very fine at that top end as Klopp found out, they really need to

a) stop flogging lads, give Saka and few others a rest at times

b) bin off the domestic cups, especially the league cup, it's a 38 game season plus a run at the CL, other 2 competitions are a waste of time

[ONeill]

That was slightly better. At times early in the second half they had Forest on the ropes. Just didn't have anyone to put it in the net.

Holding on to a top 4 could be an issue if he doesn't solve the putting it in the net problem.

[ONeill]

What do Arsenal fans make of Rice. Seems a decent lad but was he worth the money and wages he's on?

Hard to be too critical of Arteta, transformed the team and has them competing both at PL and CL but since they've loosened the purse strings the wage bill has crept up significantly without much extra to show for it. Couple of the latest signings very questionable and even lads that were ripping it up before have slowed down a bit once the bumper contracts were secured. 

Watched Rice in person twice over the last 12 months. Last season he was the standout player. Box to box and strong in the tackle. Saw him a couple of months ago and he was a shadow. Looked like a fellow hiding an injury.

[Easttyrone23]

What do Arsenal fans make of Rice. Seems a decent lad but was he worth the money and wages he's on?

Hard to be too critical of Arteta, transformed the team and has them competing both at PL and CL but since they've loosened the purse strings the wage bill has crept up significantly without much extra to show for it. Couple of the latest signings very questionable and even lads that were ripping it up before have slowed down a bit once the bumper contracts were secured. 

Rice is a top class footballer but without a doubt if he didn't switch from Ireland to England he wouldn't have cost anywhere close to £100m. united wouldn't have paid £70m each for maguire and Mount if they weren't english as well as other examples. Despite possibly overpaying for him I still believe he is a good signing as hes a great player who will be there for the long term. Although he doesn't strike me as someone capable of grabbing a game by the horns to get his team over the line like many great English midfielders have done in the past.

[ONeill]

This is the quietest build-up to a Utd-Arsenal game in a long time. There is nothing resting on the result. Possibly, Utd have one eye on midweek.

[ONeill]

Could see Zinchencko, White, Kiwior, Tierney, Jorginho, Martinelli, Sterling start. Or most of them.

[mrdeeds]

Could see Zinchencko, White, Kiwior, Tierney, Jorginho, Martinelli, Sterling start. Or most of them.

PSV playing reserves too it seems

[Milltown Row2]

Could see Zinchencko, White, Kiwior, Tierney, Jorginho, Martinelli, Sterling start. Or most of them.

PSV playing reserves too it seems

Must have played them last week also

[ONeill]

Happy St Totteringham's Day.

There's always that trophy.

[ONeill]

How does this Arsenal team beat Real over 2 legs?

[mrdeeds]

How does this Arsenal team beat Real over 2 legs?

Depends on Saka's fitness and how Martinelli performs. Setpieces would have been huge but Gabriel a big loss.

[statto]

How does this Arsenal team beat Real over 2 legs?

Depends on Saka's fitness and how Martinelli performs. Setpieces would have been huge but Gabriel a big loss.

Martinelli was excellent a couple of seasons ago but hasn't been at that level in the past 18 months. Odegaard will need to play well for me for Arsenal to have a chance a fine player to watch when at his best, has struggled to get to those levels since his injury though.  He shouldn't need much motivation against his former team.

Gabriel will be a huge loss, Arsenal are up there with the best defences in Europe but Kiwior is a big downgrade on Gabriel. I would go with a back 4 of Timber-White-Saliba and Lewis-Skelly which is still quality. 

[tiempo]

At 23yo Martinelli has plenty of time to raise another level or 2, a drop off was to be expected to some extent, but at a base level its mired in Artera's stifling style of play that gives him no creative freedom, a workhorse winger in the mould of Grealish throughout the treble run

I enjoy the episodes when so called big teams (Arsenal, Utd, whoever) park the bus, after crying about it when lesser teams do it to them, expect nothing less tonight

Arsenal would snap your hand off for 2 0-0s and a penalty shoot-out right now

In fact I think Arteta would accept some sort of stoic moral victory and any non-hammering across the 2 legs