₦airaland Forum

Roland17:
Absolutely!

He may become the best goalkeeper in the history of Arsenal football club if he stays two more seasons. He is already a legend in my view. Happy birthday to the Spanish giant.

Fkforyou:
Omo!

I doubt. I am not even sure if Seun can help.

It is quite sad and unfortunate that we have not heard from him.

adebayo201:
Hmm

This season go long o.

I hope man u will not be different tomorrow because all the English teams won their games even Aston villa that has not registered a point this season won away from home.

iamoyindamola:
This mumuduke useless omo

We really need a serious upgrade. I'm not sure he can change. How on earth will he missed that golden opportunity to wrap up the game! Very unserious individual that should be playing with championship team or league one.

iamoyindamola:
Safe to say gyokores is done here
Just 9 touches, what kind of cf is this

Imagine. In a match that Arsenal dominated. Abeg he should pack his bag in January and leave the club jare.

forgiveness:
I agree that was a straight red but referee ignored it. That's EPL for you.

Notice how Rice tripped Morgan when he tried to connect to Palmer. That is what I am talking about.

Even that last freekick, did you see what that Arsenal player did that got him yellow card? He distorted Chelsea's flow.

That can never be a red card.

iamoyindamola:
Arteta will soon buy this sukuzi from Aston Villa
His ball distribution better pass Raya

All what we want is the best for the team. If he will make the team better why not?

IZUKWU:
✉️ Gabriel Martinelli’s farewell message to the Arsenal fans ♥️

“The day has come, and honestly, I still don’t feel ready to write a goodbye, but I’ll try.

When I arrived here, seven years ago, I was just a boy who had only recently turned 18. In my heart, I thought I would stay forever. But life is constantly changing, and sometimes our paths take us in directions different from the ones we had planned.

Will we ever become champions? Will I adapt to a new club, a new country, a new culture? Will I ever score in the Champions League? Will I score important goals? Will I have the opportunity to play in the Olympics? World Cup? And imagine, scoring at a World Cup?

Those were all the thoughts going through 18 year old Gabriel’s mind.

And yes, we did it.

We became FA Cup champions, Community Shield and finally achieved the one we had waited so long for, becoming Premier League champions. With Brasil, I won an Olympic gold medal, played in two World Cups, and scored a very special goal. And here, with Arsenal, I reached 98 goal contributions.

I’ve spent seven years at this club. I feel like an adopted Hale End boy, you could say. I found a family that took care of me and watched me grow throughout all these years.

I can only thank the staff and my teammates. Thank you to the chefs, kit staff, doctors, doormen, security staff, media team, cleaning staff, physios, and every single teammate who has been part of my story from 2019 until today. Thank you to everyone who helped me grow during this journey.

And to the fans, thank you for everything. Since my first day, you made me feel at home. Every time I stepped on the pitch, despite everything, I tried to give everything I had for this shirt.

To Arsenal, thank you for believing in me and giving me the chance to show myself to the world.

Most of all, I want to thank my family and my wife, who have been by my side throughout this entire journey, giving me all the emotional support I needed to overcome the challenges that only we truly know.

It has been a long journey, too much history and now it has come to an end. I’m writing this with tears in my eyes, so hard to put 7 years into words.

From 35 to 11. Once a Gunner, Always a Gunner.

Goodbye, and thank you again 🤍❤️”

This guy displays absolute maturity. You are a great guy Martinelli. I wish you the very best in your new club and beyond.

Roland17:
Our chemistry, particularly passing is off today; abi una no train?

I don't understand what they are playing tonight.

iamoyindamola:
Chelsea Fofana doesn't play attack Na, this one is from lyon

Thank you.

iamoyindamola:
I always like deadline deal
Crazy stuff, city have hijacked ndiaye from spuds and left them with mikano
We are closing in on fofana, ethan might move again
Leeds might get him on loan

I hope this is not Chelsea Fofana

iamoyindamola:
No Martinelli was rightly sold, we just didn't do well in this transfer
We went from kvara to Vini to nobody

Never say no. Bertha can still surprise us.

Roland17:
Spuds are 20th on the table.. Hak! Hak!! Hak!!!

After spending nearly 400 millions pounds. They will be alright.

Ogabode:
I am beginning to like Atiku

He will do better than the current one.

Very cheap. The answer is D.

yinkeys:
They sold Konsa, Rogers etcbut they’ve got home crowd & a good coach
It’s the EPL
Anyone can be smashed
Iyalaiya anybody
Ask Man United what Hull City @ home did to them

Don't ever mention Man U in this conversation. We are not mate currently.

yinkeys:
Villa VS Arsenal
On Monday
Oh boy
Tough match because they’d be looking to get some points on the board

The match will be one of the easiest matches of the year. Villa doesn't have anything to compete with Arsenal.

femi4:
We want our city back

Except you bring Guardiola back.

Rubyjade:
City have lost several established first-team players, including Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Aké, Tijjani Reijnders, Manuel Akanji and James Trafford, while more departures have been expected.

At the same time, Maresca has inherited the enormous expectation of replacing Guardiola, who delivered six Premier League titles and a Champions League during his reign. Which I described the task as “daunting.”

You Sold Half the Team and Want Maresca to Perform Magic?

Football has a funny way of forgetting context.

Manchester City have spent the last decade operating at an almost ridiculous level. Under Pep Guardiola, winning became normal. Challenging for the Premier League became normal. Reaching the latter stages of the Champions League became normal.

So normal, in fact, that anything short of perfection is now treated as failure.

But Manchester City are no longer the same Manchester City.

And that is something people need to understand before judging Enzo Maresca.

Maresca has not inherited the Manchester City that Guardiola spent a decade building.

He has inherited a team undergoing a major transition.

And yet, after one bad result, people are already asking whether he is good enough.

Really?

Look at the players City have lost

This isn't about losing two squad players.

Manchester City have seen the departures of some of the most important players of the Guardiola era.

Rodri has left for Barcelona. Bernardo Silva has departed. John Stones is gone. Nathan Aké has left. Manuel Akanji has moved on. Tijjani Reijnders has also departed, while James Trafford has been sold.

That is an extraordinary amount of experience and quality leaving one squad in a relatively short period.

Manchester City's own farewell coverage confirmed the departures of Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones at the end of the 2025/26 season, describing the trio as central figures in the club's most successful era.

And now people want Maresca to walk in and immediately reproduce Guardiola's Manchester City?

Come on.

You cannot remove the pillars and expect the building to look the same

Rodri isn't just another midfielder.

He was the structural foundation of Guardiola's football.

He controlled games, protected the defence, dictated tempo and gave City's attacking players freedom to operate.

Bernardo Silva wasn't just another winger or midfielder either.

John Stones wasn't simply another centre-back.

These players understood Guardiola's football at an elite level because they had lived inside that system for years.

Now imagine taking several of those players out and giving the job to a new manager.

That is not simply changing the coach.

That is changing the identity of the team.

Reuters has already highlighted the scale of Maresca's challenge, noting that he is taking over after Guardiola's extraordinary reign while also dealing with major departures and the pressure to maintain City's standards.

And then there is Rodri

This is probably the biggest problem of all.

Manchester City have lost the player who won the 2024 Ballon d'Or and was arguably the most important midfielder in Guardiola's entire system.

Maresca himself has acknowledged that replacing Rodri will not be straightforward.

Interestingly, he pointed to City's history of replacing legends — David Silva with Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho with Rodri — as evidence that the club can eventually find solutions.

But eventually is the key word.

Eventually.

Football doesn't work like FIFA Career Mode.

You don't lose Rodri on Monday, sign someone on Tuesday and have another Rodri by Saturday.

City are rebuilding while still being expected to win

This is the contradiction.

Manchester City are rebuilding, but they don't have the luxury of behaving like a rebuilding club.

If Bournemouth beat them, people will say:

“Manchester City are finished.”

If Arsenal beat them:

“Maresca can't handle the big games.”

If they draw three matches:

“Maresca doesn't understand City.”

If they finish second:

“Failure.”

That's the environment.

But look at the actual squad situation.

City have already spent heavily to reshape the midfield, including the £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson, while they are also pursuing another midfielder to address the enormous hole created by the departures.

That tells you everything.

Even the club knows this isn't a finished squad.

They are still building it.

And Maresca is not Guardiola

This needs to be said too.

Maresca should not be expected to become Pep Guardiola.

He is Maresca.

Yes, he has worked within Guardiola's coaching environment. Yes, his football has similarities. Yes, he understands positional football.

But his job should be to create his own Manchester City, not spend his entire tenure trying to imitate Guardiola.

The greatest mistake City could make is attempting to recreate 2019 or 2023.

That era is finished.

Guardiola is gone.

Bernardo is gone.

Stones is gone.

Rodri is gone.

Even the structure around the football department has changed.

The club is entering a new cycle.

That doesn't mean Maresca gets a free pass

Let's be clear.

This is not an argument that Maresca should be immune from criticism.

He has inherited one of the most expensive and talented squads in world football.

There is still Erling Haaland.

There is Phil Foden.

There is Rayan Cherki.

There is Jeremy Doku.

There is Ruben Dias.

There is Josko Gvardiol.

And City have spent heavily on new talent.

So eventually, Maresca must deliver.

But eventually doesn't mean after three matches.

It doesn't mean after one defeat.

It doesn't mean after one poor half.

It means giving the manager enough time to establish his system, develop partnerships, integrate new players and discover how the team functions without Guardiola's greatest midfield conductor.

Even the football writers understand the scale of the rebuild

The Guardian's season preview described City as facing significant challenges because of the departures of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and others, while highlighting the pressure on the club to rebuild the midfield and maintain its position among England's elite.

And that's the point.

This isn't just:

“Maresca has a great squad, so he should win.”

It's:

“Maresca has a great squad that is currently being reconstructed.”

There is a difference.

The double standard is ridiculous

When Liverpool or Arsenal rebuild, people talk about transition.

When Manchester United rebuild, people talk about patience.

When young managers develop teams elsewhere, analysts talk about processes.

But Manchester City?

Lose two matches and suddenly:

“Pep would never do this.”

Of course Pep wouldn't.

Pep isn't the manager anymore.

That's precisely why this season is interesting.

Maresca isn't inheriting a machine.

He's inheriting the responsibility of building the next one.

Give the man a chance

Manchester City have earned enormous expectations because of what Guardiola achieved.

But those achievements should not become a weapon used against every manager who comes after him.

Maresca is taking over after one of the greatest managerial eras football has ever seen.

He has lost several experienced first-team players.

He has lost Rodri.

He has lost Bernardo Silva.

He has lost John Stones.

He is integrating expensive new signings.

He is trying to establish his own identity.

And he's doing all of this while being told that anything less than Manchester City's historical standards is unacceptable.

That's not management.

That's asking someone to perform magic.

Maresca should be judged.

He should be questioned.

He should be held accountable.

But at least give him the opportunity to build the team before declaring the building has collapsed.

Because Manchester City aren't simply changing managers.

They're closing one era and opening another.

And expecting the new era to look exactly like the old one after half the foundations have been removed is not analysis.

It's nostalgia.

Story!!! Who forced him to take the job if he is not ready for challenge ahead.

AirBere:
Maresca about to chop some cane from BOU.

Be there 😉

E dey chop now

nani667:
#TrashfordOUT
#CarrickOUT

Too early now

Villa currently down to 4. We need to replicate same scoreline in our next match day.

yinkeys:
When is our next game ?
Who are we facing next ?
Home or away match ?

We want Man U

Sharp sharp goal. We no dey dull ourselves jo.

Are we ready?

Roland17:
Delap ke? God abeg oh!

On Osimhen, my question is, can Arteta handle his personality, temperament and profile? Arteta hasn't done well with players who are vastly experienced, outspoken and have imposing personalities. We saw what happened with Auba and Ozil. Osimhen may push the players and increase accountability on the pitch but I don't think Arteta can handle or help him with his outbursts which to your point can be disruptive and ultimately derail the season.

Personally I don't want the guy in an Arsenal shirt. No doubt he is a good player but his temperament is nothing to write about and such player is not needed where we already have Big Gab and this guy we bought from Newcastle.

iamoyindamola:
As i wake up this morning na the news greet me
Berta is misbehaving lately instead of him to look for buyers for our fringe players
Imagine nelson for 3m, is he that bad

I am not sure Nelson will be more than that considering his injury records but a capital NO to Osimhen.

iamoyindamola:
I will rather we sign delap than this guy

See who you want at Arsenal. I will rather go without the league title for another 22 years!!!

Nonsense 🚮 pic.twitter.com/4eF2H0aTPY

— Arsenal Babe (@arsenalbabe_) August 14, 2026

Too Arrogant, he will surely destroy our dressing room

Osimhen bi bawo ni. God forbid bad thing. Gyokeres is okay for me abeg.

BlueRayDick:
Spurs are not even our competitor. We have a good team that just won the league, we just need to fix key areas in the team like RB, LW, ST and maybe AM ; we will be home and dry.

Trossard will most likely leave because age is not on his side. I'm not a big fan of Martinelli, but anytime we want to sell him we will always get market for him because of his age. On the hand, Trossard is on a decline beacuse of his age so I won't mind him leaving now.

Of course if we sell Odegaard we should get a direct and sharp AM to replace him. It's just a shame Eze has still not embraced the responsibility that comes with playing in a top side like Arsenal.

And you think Arteta will sanction the sale of Martinelli and Odegaard. I doubt it.

I understand what they did was wrong but we are overflogging the issue. I hope these children will not go and do the unthinkable. Please allow this issue to rest. I beg you in thy name of God.

Noblex2011:
Are you saying this has an Arsenal fan 😆?

Both the fan and on the aspect of reality.