₦airaland Forum

mostob:
You just spoke my mind, Let's look within the EPL. But bro , how do you see coutinho?

Depends on his current state. But I don't want anybody that will come online and be eating big salary. Since we are midtable so to say, let's go for players that are justvat the brink not players who feel they have already made it. Again, I would sincerely look at the Ozil issue. He is a big player, our most creative despite not playing much. Let's see how we can sort things out with him after all he is our player.

Igboid:
Of all the targets we are currently linked to.
Who do you think we should buy?

Szobolai
Joelson
The espanyol guy
Marlang Sarr

cc:Spy360

Sarr since I know more about him than the others. But we primarily need a DM most, and an AM.

If Ozil is staying we need him. If he isn't we need a good replacement. Grealish is very good, Zaha too. If we can tempt Ndidi to play EL (if we qualify) with us instead of Leicester that will be great.

Igboid:
6/10 if he wins the FA cup.

Fair enough.

Just checked some stats, Arteta won 33pts since he took over at mid season, that's 10pts more than what he was given to start with. 33pts on both halves of the season would make us finish 3rd.

Cc Fkhalifa

Igboid:
Look at next season. Chelsea is already done with their buys.
Arsenal is waiting for serious teams to finish buying the hot expensive ones, so that we could get the scraps that no one else wanted, and at either cheap or ridiculously inflated prices.
Yet we want to compete.

I blame the Kroenkes

Igboid:
Well, yes! I admit I'm being harsh.
But I'm done pampering players and managers in this club. I am angry, sad and frustrated.
All those pampering and tolerance of failure, is what brought us to where we currently are.

If Arteta fail to win FA cup. It will be a 4/10 to him from me.

4 is if he started the season and had his own transfers. You can't judge someone who came in just to stop a rut. Arsenal's last match before his appointment was a 3-0 thrashing by City. Same City he beat to reach the finals. Now what will you score him if he wins the FA cup?

Fkhalifa:
Arsenal has lost 15 points from winning position since Arteta took over..
If you add 12 points to our tally, we would have been on 3rd.
Arterta needs to do his home work very well before next season, I'm afraid honey moon is over and pressure from fans can break him and his fragile team further.

What about the points he won from losing positions? Your stats are misleading brother. Or are you trying to defend Emery by bring Arteta down?

Igboid:
That's really shambolic. The loss to Chelsea in a match we were winning 1-0 up to 75mins pained me the most, same with the Tottenham game that we conceded immediately we scored and then went on to lose the match.
We gave away too many cheap points from winning positions.
Our midfield cannot retain ball and manage game. They also have no goal in them. The defense is nonexistent. The likes of Holding, Chambers, Luiz, Sokratis are all Championship standard.
We don't create enough chances. I heard we are 13th on EPL this season, based on goal scoring chances created.
Our problem is too complex and we don't have the money to go out once in transfer market and fix them.

Your concerns are genuine but I think you are being totally hard on the manager.

Honestly in my view, if we take away the effort from Arteta in bringing some stability and direction into the team, we were deteriorating towards relegation. His main achievement for me was to stop that deterioration and give fans something to hope about.

Inheriting such a disjointed team with very poor mentality is not an easy job, then when you consider he himself was on a learning curve you understand the magnitude of the challenge. I will give him 8/10. It will be a 9 if he wins the FA cup. This is something any manager including Mourinho will make noise about.


I sincerely hope he gets the funds and right deals during this TW. Because I believe he has the potentials of becoming a great manager.

Las Las we finish 8th

Aston Villa and West Ham dey do cooperation

kokaneprodigy:
I have been suspicious since the Aston Villa match, we are bent on relegating Watford

The cojones ish

Fkhalifa:
No, Guen will.

Even Jack Bauer knows

A poor defense will always cost you the league.

Roland17:
I wonder why Liverpool and City attackers failed to bury chances. I wonder why a defender/ goalie won MOTM in both games.

Against Man City, Auba scored twice yet Luiz won MOTM.

afrodoc2:
I have just illustrated to you that your defenders are more rubbish than your attackers. It is not about whether Aubameyang can win Ballon d'Or or not, but that other big clubs would appreciate having 3 or 4 of your attackers in their squad while your central defenders are incredibly wretched.

That is the point. YOUR CENTRAL DEFENDERS ARE SO WRETCHED THAT NO GOD-FEARING CLUB WOULD WANT THEM.

The department where your club is overloaded with below average players is central defence.

Your club has employed clowns and Papa Ajascos as central defenders.

Oga Roland17 please is there any other way i can say it so my bros here can understand?

Rest your case doc.

You may have to have the Pentecost experience and speak in tongues to drive your point.

Akinbahm:
No need to argue anymore he had succumb to the fact unconsciously at the bolded which means if our attack is good enough we should be in top4/5




We won them because our attackers buried our slight chances nd their attackers failed to...

Lol
You must be a charge and bail lawyer...

When two average defense meet, it's up to the attackers to make the difference. But if Chelsea had a strong defense, they would have easily won the game despite the strength of the Liverpool attack.

My point was that, Chelsea had a strong attack for the game (they scored thrice at Anfield) but their defensive frailty ensured they left without a point.

Meanwhile, Lampard to Klopp
F.... You.

Spy360:
Where can I get this csat 8 pro plus decoder.

I am in Owerri right now.

Please o help. Anyone who can get me this decoder?

Fkhalifa:

Bro you're Wengerized already.
Even top can't give me any special joy again.
The Arsenal family need the Sanchez mentality.Reason why'll always wish Guen well.

I can't just say we would/should win the PL when I know the basis has not been put in place. The likes of Liverpool and City still have the squad, while Chelsea and United are open to strengthening their squad with any potential they can lay their hands on.

We don't have a sugar daddy like those clubs do, and so we have to wait till Arteta does some magic and bring the players we already have up to speed.

Where can I get this csat 8 pro plus decoder.

I am in Owerri right now.

Jodera:
Lol.
So what about arsenal and Chelsea?. At least arsenal conceded way less goals than Chelsea.
Also, in 2016/2017 season when Chelsea carried the league, Chelsea conceded more goals than Tottenham (33 to 26.) Yet Chelsea was the winner why Tottenham was 2nd.
You know what, we can keep on churning this debate up and down till we clear all the whole bush wey we don beat finish ...lol, but by next season, if we don't improve our midfield and attack, you personally will still keep on blaming the defence without knowing the root cause.

You might say our defence cost us points 1against Leicester(1-1), Aston (1-0), but I'll solemnly tell you it's attack.

Seems I wasn't digressing afterall...

But you see the emboldened, the logic is simple...

~If you don't concede you won't lose~

I understand our attack have their problems especially when they are set up wrongly, but ultimately it's the defense that ensures you don't lose a game.

You need attack to score the goals to make you win, but it's the defense that makes you stay relevant in a competition.

I have played amateur soccer and even coached my university team and can assure you that for any manager, the top priority is your defense after that your midfield and attack.

Jodera:
Hian, we both agree on the bolded since na. Our bone of contention here is "what is arsenal main priority to ensure top 4 next season"? You said defence, I said midfield and attack. We're not talking about title. We won't meet man city and Liverpool every weekend, but you see those small teams. Na almost every weekend. So, wen we're not expected to park the bus, is it defence that will put us in the driving seat or midfield/attack?

OK. Sorry for the digression.

I think our business in defense has been concluded. The signing of Saliba, Mari and Luiz's extension concluded that. Unless one of our older clowns gets sold, I don't think any new defender will join us.

Based on the above, I will not contest your statement. Rather I would say it's the midfield first then the attack. We sincerely need a DM, AM and a winger. But they must be top quality, if not no need to waste money.

The bolded is the reason I am calling on the Kroenkes to man up for the club.

Jodera:
Good defence, good midfield and average attack will yield you top 3-5

Average defence, good midfield and good attack will surely land you top 2-4. If the contending teams aren't strong enough, you fit carry league sef.

Let's use real teams.

Liverpool scored less than City but are champions. In fact City has 15 more goals than Liverpool and a better goal difference but are 8pts worse. Both have good attacks but Liverpool has the better defense.

Sheffield has scored just 38goals. That's relegation figure, as West Ham has scored 48. But Sheffield United are contesting for Europe while West Ham were facing relegation struggles.

Selah

Fkhalifa:
Let's shut him up by winning the Premiership next season

Na by force to win PL?

Jodera:
You see that thing bolded there... That's one thing I feel you fail to grasp about our win. Granted we won man city with good defensive solidity, but is that how you want our solidity to be every match? Like always parking the bus against Liverpools and man citys and maybe Southampton and Aston Villas of the world? We know there's disparity between our team and those two, but that's why we packed the bus cos we're the underdogs. What I'm trying to say is, we can't use those 2(Liverpool and man city wins) as example when bringing up case of defending cos what we did in those two games was community/packing the bus defending which cannot be sustainable in a league if you're aiming for top4.

Talk your truth, if arsenal play that way(the way we played Liverpool and man city), against everybody in the league, will you still love the club, and would we go far? I'll leave you to answer that silently yourself.

Also I remember us beating a man city side 2-0 3-4yrs ago(cazorla and giroud were the scorers). If I were to choose between that 2-0 and this, I will 100x choose that one cos that have everything. We controlled midfield, we attacked and we defended well. And who were the important and highly rated players that match .....Cazorla and coquelin. Our midfield dominated theirs sotey Silva loss for pitch. We had shots and shots on target and our defence wasn't under intense pressure. That's the kinda arsenal I'm hoping and praying for not this fa cup type of arsenal that won man city.

Brother I will not expect us to play that way in every game. There are games against smaller teams that the attack needs to provide the win like against Villa. But against tougher teams it's the defense that matters more to provide the win. That's why I said both attack and defense are needed. But that between the two, it's defense that actually ensures that you remain competitive.

I have explained before that with a guaranteed defense you CANNOT lose. That's the secret of the Italian WC winning team. And many others also.

Let me reiterate that both defense and attack must be good to win a title but defense is that department that ensures it's possible.

iamoyindamola:
Are they not?
You lots will blame mustafi or luiz not xhaka or any other players

All of them are to blame. They are all in it together. But they were good when they all defended together against City. Nor be so?

Nikeballer:
Frustrated arsenal fan,e go better.....

2-1

Selah

E be like say one rat don miss road o...

Fkhalifa cone and carry your pet rat out of here before thunder fire am

iamoyindamola:
We didn't say good defence is bad, we only corrected the point you made about arsenal midfielders helping out in defending thereby leaving leaving to feed on scrap

Are you saying that our defenders have been defending alone? That's hilarious...

Jodera:
The bolded have been my thoughts right from beginning. That's what I've been telling Spy and Roland.
Good midfield + Good attack + average defence will get you top 4.

Good midfield + Good attack + Good defence will get you league or a title contender

Average midfield + Average attack + Good defence will get you top 6-10

I will agree with what you stated here to a large extent.

But what of...

Good defense, good midfield, average attack. (give example)

Vs

Average defence, good midfield, good attack. (give example)

iamoyindamola:
Bring out a team making reference to your post

Every team that has won a PL title since I started watching. All the Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea teams. Juventus is another great example. Also Barcelona and Madrid have always have good defense. Athletico Madrid, etc. Plenty.

iamoyindamola:
I quoted you for saying arsenal midfielders were helping the defence that's why they don't help in attack whereas they are the one exposing the defence in the first place.
Opponents don't have business with arsenal defence if the midfield was good like wengay trophy less days

That's not what I meant o. I said Ceballos is one creative player we have which would have made him useful if he pushed forward more. But he can't because he has to be defensive as there is no reliable cover.

Bros our midfield is pitiable if I am to be kind. Even the Ceballos self na manage.

iamoyindamola:
Don't mind him, Barcelona dominated with umyseless backline. They even had pinto(hairdresser) in goal, Chelsea defence is worse than arsenal this season with a stupid keeper yet they are scoring for fun

Refer to the post above.

Don't even mention Barcelona.

They've had Pique, Abidal, Puyol, Alves, some of the best defenders in Spain.