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Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

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Comment: Arteta can rage all he like about VAR but his signings have taken Arsenal backwards this season

Mark Brus — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 11:34:46 +0000

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had plenty to say about the VAR decision that he felt cost his side the game against Newcastle on Saturday, but the truth is that it looks like his post-match rant is little more than a convenient distraction from the fact that the changes he’s made this season have taken his team backwards.

Many will have had Arsenal as one of the title favourites this season, with the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham during the summer showing huge ambition to pull off against their bitter rivals Manchester City. Rice aside, however, the Gunners have not spent their money particularly well, and it’s allowed both Liverpool and Tottenham to overtake them as more likely rivals to Pep Guardiola’s treble winners this term.

Arsenal were truly excellent last season and may well have won the title if not for William Saliba’s injury meaning Rob Holding had to fill in for so many important games – an enforced change that looks even worse now with the benefit of hindsight as Saliba has returned to fitness and form while Holding has barely kicked a ball since his summer move to Crystal Palace.

So while last year was no fluke, there was a huge opportunity here for Arsenal, and it’s starting to look like they haven’t taken it: losing Granit Xhaka, one of their players of the season, seems all the more baffling after his tremendous start at Bayer Leverkusen, while Kai Havertz’s signing never really looked like it made sense and still doesn’t, while big questions have to be asked of Arteta for bringing in David Raya as his new number one when Aaron Ramsdale had a perfectly good season in 2022/23.

David Raya hasn’t looked convincing for Arsenal so far

Of course, Arsenal have had some awful luck with injuries which shouldn’t be forgotten – Jurrien Timber, most cruelly, didn’t even last his full Premier League debut and will be fortunate to play any meaningful role this season. Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus has only played a handful of games, following on from some fitness issues last term as well. Thomas Partey also can’t seem to stay fit, begging the question once again as to why it was Xhaka rather than him who was shown the door over the summer.

The continued absence of Jesus has meant more playing time for Eddie Nketiah – a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium after rising up through the club’s academy, but not a striker who is ever likely to be good enough for a title-challenging team. Hat-tricks against teams like Sheffield United will of course bring a cheer to the Emirates crowd, but it’s pretty worthless when he can’t seem to score away from home or make much of an impact against teams in the top half. There’s no guarantee Folarin Balogun would have been a better option, but you could again forgive Arsenal fans for asking if they sold the right striker this summer.

Mikel Arteta was furious after the defeat to Newcastle

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All in all, it’s not looking good for Arteta and he knows it. “There’s so much at stake here … it’s so difficult to compete at this level,” the Spanish tactician said after the game, almost hinting that Newcastle’s controversial goal may already have cost his side the title this year – but the truth is arguably more frustrating than that: Arsenal were in a position to take a positive step forward, but, for whatever reason, ended up over-thinking it and reinventing the wheel when the old one was rolling along quite nicely in the right direction.

We all know it took Manchester City a bit of time to get going last season as they continued to trail Arsenal in the title race, and some Gooners may comfort themselves that a similar phenomenon is occurring here and that the tide could change in particular once Partey and Jesus are available again, and if Timber can return earlier can expected, but the truth is that for all the faith placed in Raya and Havertz, Arsenal are not yet seeing any kind of return on their summer investment – unless those two can really step up soon, that will be where Arteta and co. have to look back and take some responsibility for their own poor decision-making.

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International break has left Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with monumental task ahead of Chelsea test

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 21:56:03 +0000

Though Chelsea haven’t been at their best so far this season, Arsenal are still likely to face the toughest of tests this weekend in what is sure to be an epic London derby.

The Gunners need the points in order to remain joint top of the Premier League, or perhaps they’ll end the weekend as outright leaders.

From the Blues point of view, they could jump from 11th to seventh if results elsewhere go their way, so there’s everything to play for, for Mauricio Pochettino and his staff.

With the international break having taken precedence over the past fortnight, it’s presented Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, with a huge headache ahead of the Saturday evening contest.

The Spaniard and his backroom team are now going to have to assess the suitability of 14 players for the fixture according to football.london.

All of Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Thomas Partey, Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Eddie Nketiah, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior, Karl Hein and Mohamed Elneny will all have to be given the once over before they can be signed off.

David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale will need to be looked at too, though neither custodian played a minute for Spain and England.

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Clearly, Arteta will hope that all or most of his first-teamers will report back to training without a scratch and it will be a simple box ticking exercise before moving onto the next player.

There may be one or two niggles that need to be ironed out at the 11th hour too, so that Arteta can at least turn up at Stamford Bridge with all of his players in the best of health.

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Arsenal star issues crazy threat to Chelsea ace ahead of their game this weekend

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:29:06 +0000

When Arsenal and Chelsea collide in the Premier League there’s generally fireworks of one description or another, and this Saturday’s edition is likely to be no different.

The Gunners are flying high and are currently joint top alongside north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, and they’ll fancy their chances at Stamford Bridge against a Chelsea side that are beginning to get their act together under Mauricio Pochettino but are still light years away from where they need to be.

If results go against the Blues, they could be as low as 13th by the end of the weekend, which would be a sobering thought for the Argentinian and for owner, Todd Boehly.

However, Arsenal shouldn’t be complacent. Being roared on by a partisan home crowd could see Chelsea produce their season’s best performance and dent the Gunners aspirations in the process.

One Arsenal ace is already fired up for the encounter, with three days still to go before the match is played.

“I told him… ‘if you do or attempt to do that on Saturday, I’ll rip your balls off,’” Oleksandr Zinchenko was quoted by Metro as saying after Mykhailo Mudryk’s brilliant effort for Ukraine on Tuesday night.

? Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first international goal#CFC pic.twitter.com/tHSzzhxULg

— Chelsea Express (@Chels_Express1) October 17, 2023

“But the most important thing for us was to take three points. I am very happy for him and for the national team, Mykhailo’s goal was important because he calmed down the game a little

“[…] But now we all have to switch to clubs and on Saturday I already have a very important game in London waiting for me, so Mykhailo, I’m telling you once again…”

Clearly it was all tongue in cheek, but when that whistle blows, there’ll be no quarter asked or give by either side.

It’s sure to be a fascinating watch for the neutrals as well as fans of either club.

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Arsenal player ratings: Defensive quality shines in rather flat game

Connor Holden — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 09:40:08 +0000

In a very flat game that looked to be petering out to a 0-0 stalemate, Arsenal managed to grab the winner with a late goal from Gabriel Martinelli to beat City 1-0 at the Emirates in what could be a big title deciding game come the end of the year.

Both teams played an extremely cagey game, looking like they were both happy to take a point on the day. Defensive character and tactical chess was the theme of this game between Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, and it was Arsenal who came out on top with their first win against Manchester City in the league since December 2015.

Read on for our Arsenal player ratings, as we look at who were the stand out performers in this massive victory…

David Raya – 6 – Started the first half very shaky with a few mistakes playing out from the back, but grew into the second half and made a few good claims/punches from crosses.

Ben White – 7 – Defended very well on his right side, following Phil Foden inside when he came narrow, and also defending the overlapping run of Josko Gvardiol which City made continuously throughout the game.

William Saliba – 8 – Strong presence that made everyone better and calmer around him. Won several duels with Erling Haaland and did not allow him to face up towards goal at all, real leaders performance.

Gabriel – 8 – Gabriel along with his partner Saliba was excellent, defended strong and aggressive and did not allow any of the City forwards time in central areas to make things happen. Gabriel made three interceptions, one tackle and one block.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7 – Zinchenko did not invert into midfield this game, and instead had to play more of a classic fullback role. He defended well making two tackles and 1 interception, he also did well covering Alvarez when he came inside to play narrowly off of Haaland.

Jorginho – 6 – Picked up an early yellow card so had to be cautious, but was calm on the ball for the Gunners and helped them to keep possession at times and calm the game down. Jorginho had a 91% pass completion with 63 successful passes out of 69 in his 75 minutes played.

Declan Rice – 7.5 – Rice played a big part in this game, covering a lot of ground in central areas and winning his duels to stop City making any progression through the middle of the pitch. Rice made two clearances (one being off of the line early in the game), one block, three interceptions and three tackles.

Martin Odegaard – 7 – In the first half Odegaard didn’t look as comfortable as usual on the ball and looked a bit rushed, however in the second half he really stepped up and played a big part in leading Arsenal to victory. Very assured on the ball, kept possession well and once Arsenal had the lead he really took responsibility of keeping the ball and retaining possession for the Gunners.

Leandro Trossard – 5 – Came off at halftime for Martinelli, had a relatively quiet first half only having 13 touches and not managing a shot. Played one key pass in his 45 minutes, but struggled to get involved.

Eddie Nketiah – 5 – Nketiah also struggled to get into this game, with all three of his shots being off target, and only managed 19 touches in 75 minutes. He did work hard and pressed well from the front for Arsenal but struggled to make an impact.

Gabriel Jesus – 7.5 – Jesus may not get the plaudits for this game, but he was brilliant for Arsenal. He was an outlet at every opportunity, drifting around the pitch to pick up the ball and alleviate pressure for the Gunners.

Gabriel Martinelli – 7 – Martinelli made a huge impact for Arsenal coming on at halftime. He instantly added some directness to the game, looking to get at the City defenders 1v1, and of course scored the important goal in the 86th minute to win the game.

Subs: Takehiro Tomiyasu 6, Thomas Partey 5, Kai Havertz 6.

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Arsenal player ratings: Bukayo Saka the bright spark in otherwise flat display

Connor Holden — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 09:55:25 +0000

Arsenal drew 2-2 with Tottenham at the Emirates in the North London derby, and the Gunners may feel that missing early chances cost them the game.

Arsenal took a 1-0 lead in this game through a deflected Bukayo Saka shot, and then had the chance to make it two when Gabriel Jesus dispossessed James Maddison inside the 18 yard box. If Jesus had scored this chance, it would have been 2-0 and this could have changed the direction of the game.

Read on for our Arsenal player ratings, as we look at who did well and who cost Arsenal…

David Raya – 7 – Raya made some great saves in the game, and helped Arsenal in build up with his passing ability from the back. Justified his managers decision to play him over Aaron Ramsdale.

Benjamin White – 6 – White was slightly pegged back in this game by Son Heung-min, and lost his man in the box for Tottenham’s first goal.

William Saliba – 7.5 – Saliba was solid for the Gunners in this game, very calm on the ball during build up and dealt with the pace of Spurs on the break really well, especially Brennan Johnson.

Gabriel – 6 – Gabriel was the least involved defensively for Arsenal, and looked shaky on the ball at times when pressed by Spurs. Didn’t make any huge mistakes, but wasn’t as composed on the ball as Arteta would have liked.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6.5 – Spurs looked to attack down the Arsenal left hand side, forcing Zinchenko to cover that area defensively, and not allow him to make his usual inverted movements as often. When he did invert and get on the ball though, he was causing Tottenham’s press some problems and this was when Arsenal played out best.

Declan Rice – 6 – Rice was taken off at halftime with an injury, but in the first half he was protecting the back four well, and winning his duels.

Fabio Vieira – 6 – Drifted into the attacking left half spaces really well, but struggled to do anything of note. Made a few fouls in the first half, and was taken off at halftime for Kai Havertz.

Martin Odegaard – 7 – Odegaard was the main creative force in central areas for the Gunners, making 3 key passes and having 1 shot on target. He also led Arsenal’s press and made 3 tackles.

Bukayo Saka – 8 – The game changer, scoring his penalty, and taking the shot which was deflected for Arsenal’s first goal. Didn’t manage to get on the ball as much, but when he did, he looked to beat his man and provide the end product.

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Eddie Nketiah – 5 – Nketiah struggled to get involved in the game, only having the 1 shot in the game and 2 dribbles attempted (both of which unsuccessful). Nketiah managed to play the entire 90 minutes though, probably due to his pressing intensity in forward areas for the Gunners.

Gabriel Jesus – 7.5 – Apart from missing the big chances in the first half, where he dispossessed Maddison inside the 18 yard box, Jesus put in a very complete performance. Knitting things together nicely, holding the ball up well and creating chances.

Subs: Kai Havertz 5, Jorginho 5, Reiss Nelson, 4, Emile Smith Rowe N/A.

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Man United head queue of clubs interested in highly-rated Brentford youngster

Jason Pettigrove — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 06:38:24 +0000

When the best young players are potentially available for transfer, Man United always need to be in the conversation.

Though the Red Devils aren’t quite the attractive proposition that they were under Sir Alex Ferguson, Erik ten Hag is doing his level best to bring the glory days back to the Old Trafford outfit.

One of English football’s most storied clubs, there is a natural pull for any players looking to further their careers.

According to the Daily Mirror, United, along with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, are running the rule over Brentford’s 21-year-old Scottish international full-back, Aaron Hickey.

Bees manager, Thomas Frank, would be loathe to lose a player who is so versatile that he can play on either flank with equal aplomb, however, the Dane will know that Brentford will remain a selling club for the foreseeable future as long as player valuations are met.

United’s need for a highly-regarded full-back is obvious, though one would have to question whether Hickey would usurp Luke Shaw when the England star is fully fit.

It’s also difficult to see him displacing his countryman, Andy Robertson, at Liverpool.

At this stage, of the reported interested clubs, Arsenal would appear to be the most sensible choice with Oleksandr Zinchenko given a real run for his money if Mikel Arteta firms up any reported interest.

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Arsenal player ratings: Martinelli replacement makes the difference, and £105m man performs again

Connor Holden — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 10:09:19 +0000

Arsenal managed to snatch all three points at Goodison Park, after a 69th minute goal from Leandro Trossard won them the game 1-0.

In a tight game, where Everton looked to be compact and make Arsenal work for their goal, the persistence of the Gunners payed off in the second half, scoring their goal and going on to secure the victory and the important three points.

Read on for our Arsenal player ratings as we take a look at who made the difference for Arsenal, and who didn’t perform up to standards…

David Raya – 6.5 – Raya didn’t have much to do in this game, as he only had to make one save, however he was important in build up for Arsenal who used him more often, making 30/32 accurate passes and completing 7 out of 9 long balls.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7 – Zinchenko played in his familiar role, inverting into midfield to get on the ball for Arsenal in build up and create a 3-2 shape with the other 3 defenders and Declan Rice. He had 100 touches on the ball, 72/81 accurate passes and played 1 key pass.

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