(The not-so-temporary quite-official) Gooner Thread (Part 3)

All games are live and on demand on Spark Sport currently for $20 per month (assuming you are in NZ). Can access that on any smartphone or computer, and getting it on your TV depends on what devices you have.

Agree valeo, it's been very refreshing without Arsenal in my life for a wee while there. I really just forgot about them good and proper for 2+ months.

I've only reconnected in the last week or so, caught up with some of the training reports/pictures etc, and man, I felt some old school excitement flooding back.

I think this break has been a good one for me.

And I am LOVING arteta still. I am so happy he is our Manager. I really hope he does well.

COYG!

We can almost start to think about line ups and actually seeing the boys play, what a trip.

Hope you've all done OK with lockdown, it's been fudgeing rough in London!

My favourite questions at the moment;

1) Do you start Tierney at LB, and if so do you push Saka ahead of him?

2) Who starts up front out of Laca, Auba, Nketiah?

3) What's our best midfield trio?

4) Is Pepe gauranteed at RM? Or is Nelson doing enough?

saw an article that suggested Auba is being targeted by Chelski for a $30m transfer in the summer, I hope its not true and we lock him down for a few more years.

Tierney has been strongly linked to Leiscter for a return to his old manager. I think Saka looks good in both roles to be fair. Was watching some highlights of Arsenal under Arteta and Ozil has been heavily involved, the English press is far too harsh on him. 

After Pulisic in January, then Werner & Ziyech + lost revenue from Covid how on earth does that work within FFP?!

I also read that Chelsea were looking to try and get Ben Chilwell from Leicester for 70m. Covid obviously had no affect on Romans millions.

We seem to be in on Thomas Partey, would be a great signing

That mofo just bought the scream painting! Must be reaping it during the virus somehow

But isn't that the point of FFP? The millions of owners are capped to an extent as clubs are meant to be sustainable. This is the basic premise behind the City case, that they've funnelled owners funding via a different entity far beyond what is reasonable for that type of commercial agreement.

In Chelsea's case I'm guessing the transfer ban on purchases & some sales (Hazard being the key) may have boosted the coffers but not this much!

....anyone see us playing any of these friendlies? I've heard we lost to brentford this morning. 

Brentford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y4QXMPH7wY

Charlton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1g_e77bPAI

My main take aways aren't the results, but rather that we haven't seen Soares play, Tierney has started with Saka ahead of him in LM, and AMN has a shot at some CM game time. James had a good piece in the Athletic today about AMN and his shot at redemption...

Oh, and Willock scored in both games from around the top of the box with tidy bottom corner finishes. Kid could be a useful Ozil alternative if he can introduce some goals to that position.

Sounds like Auba could be on his way. No new contract signed, and the talk is we want to sell now rather than let him go free in a year.

Makes business sense if we can't get him to re-sign but still sucks.

Negotiating with Roma for the permanent sale of Mkhi, rumours we want Justin Kluivert in a swap deal.

Sounds like we really want Partey, but read last night that Barca could be keen so that would be us done in that chase if that's the case.

Yeah all sound look good deals really, AML has been listed after we are reportedly closing in on Upemecano as well. Another CB/Luiz resigning, a prolific striker if Auba leaves and some of these targets could put give us a good squad to work with next year...Champions league might help though.

The Auba situation is interesting. He is the wrong side of 30, and if we did cash in and get what we can I don't know if we'd need to get a direct replacement given Saka & Martinelli would be able to get more time out wide, with Laca/Nketiah through the middle. While he does score a lot of goals for us I do wonder how many actually need replacing - i.e. how many of them are unique to Auba because he's amazing vs being a good enough finisher in the right place/right time and penalties.

I don't think we'll be investing in another CB, we have Sokratis, Mustafi, Chambers, Holding, Mavropanos, Saliba + possibly Luiz if he extends. That's 7. 

The Mhiki for Kluivert sounds ideal, if in a round about way Sanchez left to eventually get us a promising young striker we'd have eventually have done well.

While you'd hope Ozil is moved on given how much he's on + Covid finances next season I can't imagine him leaving sadly.

Ozil seems like he clearly loves it at Arsenal and doesn't want to go anywhere. He is contracted, that is absolutely fair enough. I have zero animosity towards the guy.

This is a huge failure on our senior management, when they renewed his contract. We clearly had some leverage in his desire to stay, but seemed to have been unaware of that, and paid him huge bucks anyway. Very well played by Ozil's management but I hope our management has learned some lessons...

Auba, yea, I agree there brumbys. Unless we are giving up on Laca as well then we don't need to replace him. We have Laca, Eddie and Martinelli to fill the role. And that would give Saka and Pepe more game time out wide. They are our wingers for the long term it seems. Obviously we wouldn't look as strong without Auba, but we can't afford a replacement that gives that many goals. At some point we've got to rely on these guys, and see them step up. Getting Kluivert would give us another option.

Centre back, I would ordinarily agree with you on the numbers there (add Pablo Mari to your list as well!), but it seems like Arteta wants something else. We're clearly active in the market for this position, the Upamecano talk is too loud to be completely made up, we must be chasing him. Whether we get him or not is another thing...

The writing must be on the wall for some of our current centre backs, but your guess is as good as mine as to which ones... there could be cases made to sell/release anyone out of Holding, Luiz, Sokratis, Mustafi, Chambers and Mavropanos. The only two who are probably safe are Saliba and Mari.

If it were me, and we got Upamecano, then I'd be extending Luiz, ditching Sokratis and Mustafi, and sending Holding and Mavropanos out on loan (Mavropanos is already on loan and doing ok at Nurnberg). That would leave us with Luiz, Mari, Chambers, Saliba and Upamecano in the squad. If we don't get another CB, then we need to get rid of some anyway, we have so many. I hope these guys are flying around in training, they must know they're playing for their arsenal futures. Didn't look that way against Brentford mind you!

Line-up for tomorrow? Anyone's guess really...

                    Leno

Bellerin-Chambers-Luiz-Tierney

          Xhaka-Ceballos

           Pepe-Ozil-Saka

                    Auba

No idea really but my preferred is probably:

                         Leno

      Bellerin   Luiz   Mari      Saka

                 Xhaka Ceballos

          Pepe        Ozil        Martinelli

                     Laccazete       

Could even be keen to give Nketiah or Willock a go as they might just need to step up next season with not much in the way of transfer funds. 

Getting kind of nervous for tomorrow...

I like it but no auba???

Heres a little positivity ahead of the game, opinion piece written after our last match, discussing how we were progressing under arteta;

https://www.football365.com/news/arsenal-mikel-arteta-1-0-opinion

I don't hold animosity towards Ozil either, but losing those wages would be so good for the club and free up more game time for the yoof.

I'd be amazed if Chambers started, I think he really prefers Luiz + Mustafi. Mari is the other contender but you never know.

Watching Bayern last night Boateng was like a QB with his passes over the back to Lewandowski, Gnabry, Muller, Coman et al. Would be interesting to see if Xhaka dropping into CB or Luiz could hit those for teams who sit deep and compressed for Pepe/Auba.

Ozil & Laca are the two least likely to start for me, their form away from home is awful.

I like the idea of starting Auba up top with Saka and Pepe wide. A midfield three of Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ceballos would be handy too.

Precisely 6 hours from kick off, can't focus on work. COYG!

Well no one wouldve picked that lineup! Ozil left right out. Were back there again then...
Guendouzi starts... when we went into lockdown he was on the outer, apparemtly some behavioural issues, can only contend that hes put his head down and got to work, excellent news.
I am guessing that lineup means auba is playing on the right?
Leno
Bellerin Mustafi Mari Tierney
Guendouzi Xhaka
Aubameyang Willock Saka
Nketiah

I'm torn about Auba right. I like the idea of the Saka/Tierney combo but Auba from the left has been lethal!

Regardless FOOTBALL IS BACK!

The Ozil thing is interesting, especially with 9 subs he still didn't make the bench. Pepe, Laca, Martinelli, Nelson, Ceballos all off the bench?!

Could there be anything more Arsenal than 2 injuries 20 minutes in after 3 months off?

Are those screens at the ends showing fans who sent photos in?

2 injuries in the first 20. bloody hell. 

lucky with have 5 subs

I think Auba and Saka are switching as I see Saka on the right now and Auba on the left.

Hey, just a thought. Let's not re-sign Luiz...

Luiz always gonna Luiz. Floodgates will open now.

Please let that be the last time Luiz plays. We've had some shark CBs in the last 15 years but would have Cygan or Squillachi right now happily. Said at the time that Luiz put a major downer on the summer window and Will never forgive the club for signing him. Words cannot describe how much I hate him.

Yep, luiz' display right afterwards hahahaha
Were making up for lost time, packing this much arsenal comedy into the first game
If you dont laugh you cry. Im crying and laughing.

I wrote somewhere recently that I didn't think Luiz would have got himself sent off at Stamford Bridge if there were no fans. He just had to go and prove me wrong.

Stats are absolutely dismal reading:

welcome back to being an arsenal fan

Luiz needs to go that red card was just silly and we cant afford that to happen again especially with how much he is costing us. I would like to see Ceballos' loan extended he is quality, another top class midfielder and we should be strong enough there. Defitnitely another CB needed we have too many unreliable ones we need to get rid of. Get that sorted out and we have the talent up front to put them away. 

Wasn't life just so much happier when there was no sign of football coming back?

FrFckSks.

how much do you think it would take for champions league, think our chances/squad next year would diminish greatly if we don't make it.

It wasn't just the fans who didn't turn up today..

Life in the UK was pretty fudgeing grim without it TBF, given the impact of covid and continuing lockdown...

Looking forward to seeing the guys bounce back this weekend against Brighton.

The award for best supporting actor goes to David Luiz, for his role as 'look I'm even worse than him' in Mustafi: a redemption story.