Quincy Abeyie wrote:
jones wrote:
I might be misrepresenting Ricky's position but for me as an Arsenal fan the last thing I'll do is overestimate our disgusting neighbours. Part and parcel of supporting a club is not just saying you dislike a rival more than other clubs in the league, it's also calling them dogshit, plumbers etc even at the risk of it blowing up in your face
So yeah, as an Arsenal fan you most definitely should be the last one to expect Spurs to finish above us when even neutrals could make a solid case for us finishing above them.
I'll call them all sorts of things, (and I think we can finish ahead of them in this case, I'm talking generally) but what I actually think will happen is not affected by what team I support.
I agree with Jones, in that you'll have an easier job extracting a tooth from me against my will than you would getting a compliment for them out of me.
But what I mean is we're Arsenal, the joke, Banter FC blah, blah, blah and so I don't expect moronic pundits/journalists/neutrals to assess our squad objectively. But surely Arsenal fans should know better?
I can accept someone saying that they think Tottenham will finish above us because they have the superior squad, I disagree, but it's a fair opinion. Stating that they're nailed on for third, and so superior to us that it isn't even a debate is another matter though. There is absolutely no justification for that, that is not objective analysis.
Of the teams that started for the other 'big 6' clubs this weekend, Arsenal had by the most players missing from their starting XI. Bellerin, Tierney, Kolasinac, Holding, Luiz, Torreira, Ceballos, Özil, Pépé, Lacazette - and we still fielded a quality team.
It's going to take results before people catch up, but we have a very good team and a very good squad again. Claud lists Tottenham's options as a way of justifying their superiority:
Forwards - Son, Kamela, Lucas, Ali, Kane,
Mids - Lo Celso, Eriksen, Winks, Ndombele, Sissoko
Defenders - Rose, Aurier, Walker-Peters, Vertonghen, Alderwereild, Sanchez.
I see a strikeforce that has one top class player in Kane, Dele Alli off the back of a really poor season and an average one before that. A player in Son that is a lot less effective wide than he is up front; which is where he will have to play when Kane's in the team. An inconsistent Lucas Moura and a frankly bin-worthy Lamela.
A midfield that has quality players in it, for sure, but no balance. You can't play Lo Celso, Eriksen, Ndombele and Sissoko at the same time, not if you want to win. It is very likely Eriksen leaves in the next 2 weeks, otherwise £70m Lo Celso will be an expensive substitute. The overwhelming likelihood is one of Winks (lol), Wanyama (lol+) or Dier (lol++) are going to have to play to balance out the non-defenders like Ndombele and Sissoko/Lo Celso.
In defence they look a mess. Rose was hawked out all summer, is old, past his best and doesn't want to be there. It's the same with Alderweireld. Vertonghen is 32 now, as slow as molasses, and was never that good to begin with. Sanchez is a good young player but is as rash and error-prone as they come amongst top 6 defenders. Their right back situation is laughable.
I can only see an upgrade from last season of precisely one player; Ndombele. Unless someone wants to make the argument they'll play Lo Celso alongside him and Eriksen in front? Good luck making that work. Even then Sissoko would be out and he was actually one of their better players last season. The defence is the same ragged defence that conceded 39 goals last season, only, a year older; Lloris too.
Overall, it seems to me a squad with many good players, but put together without a strategy in mind. It is really weak in some areas and unbalanced in the most important area; midfield. The signings smack of opportunism, rather than pieces that improve where they're weak and provide characteristics the team is missing. In my view, nit buying a starting right back and holding midfielder is donwright negligent. Bordering on self-sabotage.
