Hi Goon, Clrnc, Burnsy. Good to see all of you. Hope you've been well and that things have been sane around here

Claudius wrote:

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

Wonder if we’ll see that mad preseason press deployed at any stage this campaign?

We already have the best pressing stats - so probably do not need to go over the top consistently. Interesting that City and Liverpool are around bottom 6 in this regard through the first 3 games. 

Liverpool look every bit of it too.

Qwiss! wrote:

Claudius wrote:

We already have the best pressing stats - so probably do not need to go over the top consistently. Interesting that City and Liverpool are around bottom 6 in this regard through the first 3 games. 

Liverpool look every bit of it too.

Liverpool should concern fans. Clearly they missed their preferred midfielders on Monday, but their championship window has probably closed now unless they bring in a couple of other mid career players. 

Claudius wrote:

Ricky1985 wrote:

Agree, this is where Arteta needs to go to the next level in his management and show he has the chops to correctly rotate the players now that he actually has a squad to work with.

Hi Ricky
I am not actually worried about Arteta learning to rotate his team. I thought the concerns around this were overblown in previous years. Arteta has a very clear vision and perspective on which players can bring that vision to life. Two things. First, he has added more starters without losing anyone of importance - Saliba, Jesus and Zinchenko. Plus Vieira. So rotation options increase. 
Second, our ability to close out games earlier will open more opportunities for relief subs. We currently have the best xG/xGA stats along with City in the league, so this should also support more relief subs. 

Claudius! It's very good to have you back!

On Arteta's ability to rotate the squad, I take a neutral view on him right now. It's impossible to rotate if you don't have a squad that you trust, and I agree that Arteta knows exactly what he wants and the optionsbhebhad before were not good fits. So, I don't think he has done it badly until now, but I do think knowing whom and when to bring a player out and put another in is a bit of an art form that even very good and experienced coaches get wrong. I'll be extremely impressed if Arteta can nail it straight away. He did get some experience in the first season and a bit with rotating with Europa, but that was a strange time with Covid and there was a very clear division between Premier League XIs and European.

What I want to see from him, in those positons he has options, is having a good feel for giving a player a break without impacting their form or the overall level of the team. We have 3 games in 8 days now, we've got to change it up and make sure we can achieve the maximum team performance in each of those games. So, the skill is in resting a Ben White without pissing him off or knocking his confidence whilst at the same time giving Tomiyasu some badly needed game time - with the goal being that either player could start against Man United on Sunday week and be bang at it. It's a similar story with Tierney, Smith Rowe, Vieira and Nketiah (though maybe wide left for Eddie because Jesus is unrestable atm). They will be needed, they're good players and Arteta has to find the right balance to keep their levels and mood up, whilst minimising the impact making changes has on the team's performance. The fact that Arteta was a Premier League and Champions League veteran himself will stand him in good stead when judging these things.

Good to see you back Claude.

Should definitely rotate two or three players over the course of this and Villa. Maybe give Jesus 60 minutes here and the last 30 on Wednesday, ESR for Martinelli, Tomiyasu for White, Tierney for Zinchenko etc, not just because players might need a rest but to get the squad players up and running

Even if players don't need a rest we should rotate when there isn't a clear quality gap. City do it all the time, it's how the players stay happy.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Claudius wrote:

Hi Ricky
I am not actually worried about Arteta learning to rotate his team. I thought the concerns around this were overblown in previous years. Arteta has a very clear vision and perspective on which players can bring that vision to life. Two things. First, he has added more starters without losing anyone of importance - Saliba, Jesus and Zinchenko. Plus Vieira. So rotation options increase. 
Second, our ability to close out games earlier will open more opportunities for relief subs. We currently have the best xG/xGA stats along with City in the league, so this should also support more relief subs. 

Claudius! It's very good to have you back!

On Arteta's ability to rotate the squad, I take a neutral view on him right now. It's impossible to rotate if you don't have a squad that you trust, and I agree that Arteta knows exactly what he wants and the optionsbhebhad before were not good fits. So, I don't think he has done it badly until now, but I do think knowing whom and when to bring a player out and put another in is a bit of an art form that even very good and experienced coaches get wrong. I'll be extremely impressed if Arteta can nail it straight away. He did get some experience in the first season and a bit with rotating with Europa, but that was a strange time with Covid and there was a very clear division between Premier League XIs and European.

What I want to see from him, in those positons he has options, is having a good feel for giving a player a break without impacting their form or the overall level of the team. We have 3 games in 8 days now, we've got to change it up and make sure we can achieve the maximum team performance in each of those games. So, the skill is in resting a Ben White without pissing him off or knocking his confidence whilst at the same time giving Tomiyasu some badly needed game time - with the goal being that either player could start against Man United on Sunday week and be bang at it. It's a similar story with Tierney, Smith Rowe, Vieira and Nketiah (though maybe wide left for Eddie because Jesus is unrestable atm). They will be needed, they're good players and Arteta has to find the right balance to keep their levels and mood up, whilst minimising the impact making changes has on the team's performance. The fact that Arteta was a Premier League and Champions League veteran himself will stand him in good stead when judging these things.

Good to be back, my guy. 
I'm convinced it will be fine. The xG difference charts will make all the difference this season. Last season was as tough to watch as it was for the players. We were operating on the margins: where we had to push to the very end to assure a victory but also had very few players who could come off the bench and retain the system. The best way to see this is our end of season collapse. The minute we lost Tierney, Partey, White etc., the team disintegrated because we were bereft of quality, system-appropriate players. We absolutely cannot play the same offense with Cedric, Holding, Tavares etc. We've addressed a lot of this with incomings now. 

Claudius wrote:

Qwiss! wrote:

Liverpool look every bit of it too.

Liverpool should concern fans. Clearly they missed their preferred midfielders on Monday, but their championship window has probably closed now unless they bring in a couple of other mid career players. 

welcome back Claudius!

4 wins from 4 would be exciting, even if the opening fixtures have been forgiving

Welcome back Claude

You were missed Claude, good to see you posting, hope it was just a break you needed from Arsenal chatter and all else is ok

We will win this comfortably too. We will be great until Europa starts. Then it will be a test with matches on Thursday and Sunday.

Welcome back Famous, Claudius.

Glad to have the old crew rolling into town again.

Welcome back our old mukkas

Hopefully Timleaf turns up next.

Kind of feels like the last episode of Neighbours all of a sudden

Who else might come out the cracks?

Y Va? Ron Burgundy? Who else?

I might miss this as we’ve got folk in when it’s on. It’ll be on in the background just don’t know how much I’ll get to pay attention to it. I’m hoping for a big win and another Saliba goal from the corner.

I’m happy with a winning team but I do hope we see more of the fringe players. Get a good lead and follow it with a good 30 minute run out for the likes of Tierney, Nketiah and Smith-Rowe.

Rohit wrote:

You were missed Claude, good to see you posting, hope it was just a break you needed from Arsenal chatter and all else is ok

We will win this comfortably too. We will be great until Europa starts. Then it will be a test with matches on Thursday and Sunday.

LOL. I didn’t take a break from Arsenal. Just this place. To be honest, a year or so ago when I stopped posting, I felt quite bullish about the club’s prospects, and was surprised at how pessimistic this place was in general. So took a break. 

I expect things should be more cheerful around here now in line with our trajectory over that time 

I so look forward to Arsenal games nowadays. A very welcome change. I have missed this feeling of anticipation.

Tam wrote:

Who else might come out the cracks?

Y Va? Ron Burgundy? Who else?

Canuck? Exiled? 

Welcome back old faces. 

I reckon there's a good chance it will be the same team starting this and Villa and Man Utd, and keeping things fresh through subs. I can imagine Arteta thinking of 5 wins to start the season and to do that he will want to start his strongest line up for each game. 

Claudius wrote:

Rohit wrote:

You were missed Claude, good to see you posting, hope it was just a break you needed from Arsenal chatter and all else is ok

We will win this comfortably too. We will be great until Europa starts. Then it will be a test with matches on Thursday and Sunday.

LOL. I didn’t take a break from Arsenal. Just this place. To be honest, a year or so ago when I stopped posting, I felt quite bullish about the club’s prospects, and was surprised at how pessimistic this place was in general. So took a break. 

I expect things should be more cheerful around here now in line with our trajectory over that time 

Hahaha.

I was INCREDIBLY surprised by some of the attitudes on here when I returned in the spring, but it does feel now as though the sun is peeping round the corner. Not sure it's my place to say welcome back, given how long I've been away, but it's good to see you, and some familiar names, returning. 

Paul you were a big factor behind the mist lifting!

This place got filled by negative Arteta bots which seemed to fuel each other.

I want the first team to play this match and then we rotate for Villa. I think Fulham are stronger and Villa are a shambles.