Our set pieces are so much better under Arteta but we still can't figure out how to score from open play. Have to get better there soon

That's better!!

Goal! Trossard! Nice finish!! 3 ni!

Credit to Raya for a great throw to launch the counter. That was kind of open play, I guess.

OMG ESR is going to play more than 3 minutes

Sweet! Martinelli! Well done! 4 nil!

Martinelli gets a brace! 3 points! Clean sheet!

Y'all out here abusing sweet, old Roy.

He has my respect or taking it on the chin all these years

jeffk said:

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Y'all out here abusing sweet, old Roy.

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Such a sad shot of him at the end reading the CP fans banners.

No signings, so here's a leak of our 24-25 training shirt supposedly

Seeing some claims that we are looking at Kyle Walker-Peters as a defensive addition before the window closes

Seeing some rumors from Spain that Arsenal are close to agreeing a pre-contract with Sociedad DM Martin Zubimendi with the intent that Arsenal will trigger his release clause in the summer.

The Premier League have confirmed that after an appeal by Arsenal that Gabriel will be credited with the goal scored in the 37th minute v Crystal Palace rather than an own goal by Dean Henderson.
 #AFC

— Ian Dennis (@Iandennisbbc) January 26, 2024

This may be a long shot but I have an extra ticket to the Liverpool game on Feb 4. I'd just ask to cover the price I paid ($125), let me know if anybody is interested.

Partey has been back in training but supposedly not traveling to Nottingham?

Listening to The Arsenal Transfer Show.
Arteta stated Partey will not be available vs NF.
Rice's status also questionable at the moment.

I don't see how any transfer window deal gets done within the next day or so.
Believe the club is stuck because of FFP and no opportunity to generate offsetting revenue.

Question - will fans see this season as a failure if Arsenal don't win the title but maintain top 4 / CL status? Think about the surprise success of last season when answering. Yes, I will be a bit disappointed but I believe the club is going to right direction. It's unfortunate Arteta is dealing with such a thin group due to injuries, but I can also see a longer-term path to top of the EPL.

Disappointed yes, but not a failure. Winning a title is insanely hard, especially when Man City are still around. Maybe a bit of a failure if we're not close to competing for a title in April/May.

I get that last year was a fluke in that we weren't expecting to compete for the title just yet. Finishing 3rd or 4th this season will still feel disappointing. More so because if we do it will be because of poor roster management and/or transfer decisions.....

GK - we brought in Raya on a loan, which is fine financially but we haven't given Rams a real shot to keep his spot. That looks bad but more importantly hurts his value.
FB - We couldn't foresee Timber going down, but you could argue that we really weren't properly prepared given we have 2 left-footed players that can play FB but neither is a natural FB.
CB - We effectively have 3. We don't rotate unless we are forced to. Is that Arteta's preference or does he not trust Kiwior? Now there are rumors that Kiwior wants out over playing time.
DM - Honestly have no issues with the quality or depth. The only issue is keeping people healthy (Partey) and age (Jorge & Partey)
CM - Havertz was a bad purchase, both the overall price and the fit. ESR may not be a good fit but we don't know because he doesn't get any minutes. I've made the argument that OZ should be playing here some but (a) LB depth prevents it and (b) not sure Arteta agrees.
AM - MO is a machine. His stats are down because we have asked him to play deeper to cover for Havertz. Really don't have an adequate backup for him. Vieira shows promise but there is a big vision dropoff and he physically can't keep up with the EPL defenders.
LW - Martinelli has been slumping because of Havertz and scheme. No one on the left gives him overlaps. We have been inverting the LB and Havertz ALWAYS gravitates to the half space. This forces Little Gabi to stay wide. That works with his dribbling but it is hard to score goals as a W if you can't find yourself in the 1/2 spaces. Saka has both MO & White providing him overlaps which opens natural spaces for him to cut inside.
RW - Saka has no backup. We've needed a left-footed RW for several seasons. Been linked to guys but we still have nothing. Saka can't hold up forever. At some point he is gonna break down from all these minutes and being hacked. Hopefully it will just mean an extended rest for him and not an end to his career.
ST - Jesus does all the little things but he isn't a good finisher. Eddie is not the right fit for this offense.

We are significantly better than we were before Arteta but it is a bit disheartening that we still have so many issues with the roster.

This is a great breakdown and thanks!

After listening to several of the podcasts recommended (on this board), seems roster management is a key area for improvement. I feel same about the Raya / Ramsdale situation.

Looking forward to watching today's match. I don't see this being a 5-0 outcome and would be thrilled with 3-1 or something along those lines.

The way I see it, we aren't gonna fix all our issues in 1 window. Priority may be dictated by certain plays leaving but based on players we know/assume are staying I would focus our transfer priority on ST & LB. After that it depends on outgoings and the cost of deals in the summer.....

ST - We 100% need to find a legit ST that fits the scheme and has better finishing. Ideally they would be starting caliber but we could get away with someone that is a bit raw that can rotate with Jesus. I don't think Osimhen is the answer. He may fit but he has never been asked to do the things that Jesus does and it will cost us 130m euros to find out. I would look at Alexander Isak, Victor Boniface or Joshua Zirkzee. All 3 should be under 100m, fit our age profile, have always played a style similar to Jesus and have typically outperformed their xG throughout their careers.

LB - We need an actual left-footed LB that can play a more versatile game. OZ is a CM playing LB. Kiwior is a CB playing LB. KT is a pure hug the sidelines LB. We need someone that can play both inverted & overlap with the wing without being a defensive liability. Timber may end up being our starter there assuming he recovers well so we may be able to focus on a young (cheap) backup.

GK - Rams is likely out. Who do we get as backup?

CB - If Kiwior demands to leave we need a backup CB. Do we go with a starting quality option and actually rotate (could be expensive) or go with another bargain option and hope he (a) sticks around longer and (b) has more trust from Arteta. I've seen 2 links in the past few months... Goncalo Inacio (left-footed) and Ousmane Diomande (right-footed). Both are younger and theoretically better than Kiwior. Inacio may be able to play as a defensive LB but generally both strike me as more pure CBs.

DM - Do we lose/sell both Partey & Jorge this summer? If so, who do we bring in? We are heavily linked to Martin Zubimendi but he seems very reluctant to leave Sociedad and if he does it is gonna cost 60m euro (release clause). Who is the backup plan if he refuses to leave?

CM - I assume we aren't gonna move Havertz. If that is the the case, I think he needs to spend more time rotating with MO so (a) he can play more advanced and (b) MO can get some rest occasionally. If we get Zubimendi (or someone equivalent) and a LB that could open up Rice & OZ opportunity on the left. Think OZ playing at L8 helps open up Little Gabi because OZ is far more inclined to overlap and is more prone to look for the assist rather than the goal.

W - If we find a legit ST, Jesus would be available to rotate at W. While that doesn't give us a left-footed option, Jesus is very experienced playing on the right.


***** Summary *****
Absolute need to improve quality of depth at ST & LB
May need to add GK, CB, DM, CM and/or W depending on outgoing players
Don't necessarily need to sign starters at any position but need better fit/quality than what we have there now

So....Havertz is apparently on 275k a week. Shrewd bit of business that.

That entire transfer continues to make very little sense to me and I like Havertz.

Sounds like Smith Rowe is starting

And he is

ESR shot from top of box was good to see. Up to that point nothing of of substance that might test Turner.

Cannot ****ing breakdown low blocks. Just start ripping shots and hope for a richochet at this point

This is one of those games where a OG type ST would be useful. Crosses to the top of the 6yd box are useless when your ST is 5'9"

Seems like we are really probing the left side.

Jesus off the post! Got to finish there!

When he got that ball, I started to celebrate

Amazing

FINALLY! Jesus finds the back of the net! 1 nil! Nutmeg on Turner.

Wow!!!! Jesus!!!!

HowTF he miss that last shot but sinks that?