Manchester United preview: make it double

Hi everyone.

It's United away on Sunday and it's hard not to look at this game as crucial to our hopes of finishing second. As we know, our defeat to Swansea left our fate out of our hands. We now trail second-placed City by 3 points with a game in hand, but it's important to note our goal difference is vastly inferior. So in case we finish level on points, City will be runners-up, we will be third.

As such we should concentrate on securing third right now and hope for slip-ups from last season's champions. Them dropping points is not completely out of question: Swansea away and Southampton at home are their remaining games and both look tough. Monk's side, as well as Koeman's team are looking to secure that last Europa League spot, so both teams will fight for the points right till the end.

However, we shouldn't hold out in hope City will make a mistake. We must admit Monday's loss (as much of a freak accident as it was) is a mess of our own making. Even a point would have left us with a good chance, instead we blew it. We should accept there's nothing we can do to rectify the damage that was done and move  on to our new objective: securing direct qualification by finishing 3rd.

Here our chances are still decent: even a loss on Sunday won't mean we can't finish 3rd. Six points in 3 games will do the trick. Nonetheless, a second defeat in a row can have lasting repercussions. We should try and bounce back by getting at least a point. It will restore some pride and, although not mathematically, will realistically ensure direct qualification to the group stages. A win can do wonders to our confidence and will also keep City on their toes, especially if we then get a midweek win.

Team news and approach

Regarding our possible lineup, no one will return from their respective injuries. Arteta, Debuchy, Oxlade and Welbeck are all short for the trip. The first two isn't a problem, Coquelin and Bellerin proved their worth, but we really could have used either Oxlade or Welbeck on the flank. As it stands, it's either Ramsey on the right (who himself is a doubt) or Wilshere.

Personally, I'd prefer Jack for two reasons: I don't want to risk Aaron, who is struggling with a knee injury for a second game running; also, I think Wilshere, who has some experience on the flank is a better fit. But I'd rather Jack played on the left, seeing as he's left-footed and shift Alexis to the right. Such a change will a) have an element of surprise b) look more balanced than our current set-up. However, I'm pretty sure Ramsey will start if he's passed fit. We were in exactly the same position pre-Swansea and Aaron started. Don't see Wenger changing it now.

As for our approach, the "defense first" one will suit me down to the ground. United need to win this game much more than we do. Even a draw is unacceptable for them: it will see the Red Devils trail Arsenal by two points with just a game to play, while we'll still have two, both at home.

United want/need to attack? Let them. It won't be the first time we'll defend deep and hit on the counter. Such an approach has been our trademark way of doing business away from ome against big teams this season. That was exactly how we got a result against both Manchester clubs away.

I would be more at ease with Welbeck and Oxlade at our disposal, as both are hard workers in defense, while they are also capable of quickly performing the transition to attack. Alas, we have neither and so will have to make do with other players.

This is the part where I suggest Wenger gives Walcott a shot at CF. Theo for Giroud can turn out to be hugely beneficial in more ways than one:

1. Just like Wilshere on the left with Sanchez on the right, United won't be expecting that. If they didn't expect Welbeck, surely they won't expect Walcott
2. If we are planning on sitting deep (something we should be planning to do), Theo is the perfect counter-attacking weapon. When we take into account McNair and Jones is the most likely pair of central defenders to face Walcott, well...Both are error-prone and slow-ish. Theo should have a field day
3. Such a move from Arsene Wenger will show Theo he is likely to have a future at the Club, maybe even as a centre-forward. On top of that, if Theo does well, he may genuinely become an option as a striker in Wenger's eyes
4. Final (and most obvious bit) is that Giroud isn't much help when we decide to play on the counter. Moreover, it'd be fair to say the Frenchman has lost some of his flair. Whether this is down to being tightly marked, having a painful reaction to Thierry's untimely comments or simple exhaustion, remains to be seen. Either way I think Ollie will benefit from a short respite

You are probably asking why not play Giroud and Walcott simultaneously. My answer is such: firstly, that'll mean we'll have no striker/winger on the bench. Secondly, shifting Theo wide is risky, simply because he'll have to help out defensively a great deal and we all know how Theo isn't really good at it.

The verdict

It is our chance to prove Swansea game was just an accident. It is our chance to beat United away for the second time in God knows how long. It is our chance to secure third and direct Champions League qualification.

If there was anything positive about that Swansea loss it's that the players will have a burning desire to respond. They'll be angry. And they'll know they are capable of beating United because they have already beaten United.

Moreover, let's face it: United have been utter crap all season long, relying on occasional goals from Rooney (who'll be unavailable) and Fellaini, coupled with some outstanding saves from De Gea to keep them afloat. The only reason United are in the top four right now is because Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are nowhere near as good as they were last season.

Yes, on paper United looks a force to be reckoned with: Van Persie, Di Maria, Herrera, Mata & Falcao on the bench. Truth is such that none of these players are showing anything special. Falcao and Van Persie have been fighting for a starting place for U21s, Mata has discovered some semblance of form only recently and Di Maria has been as big a flop as I've seen. The only player I was truly worried about was Rooney, we know how Shrek loves a goal against us, but Wayne is out of the equation for Sunday. Which means we are in a perfect spot to get a win.

So come on you Gunners

P.S. If you've missed my yesterday's piece on who should be brought in this summer, check it out here.

Summer business

It's that time of the year again. Though the transfer window will only open in 6 weeks, the transfer mill is already churning out rumours and boasting actual signings. Depay will start next season in United colours after the Red Devils bought him for a ridiculous £31 million and Dybala (our long-rumoured target) should do likewise at Juventus. Oh, and lest I forget: Forza Juventus. Brilliant work on knocking out Real Madrid and reaching the Champions League final. Watching a €200 million front three of Ronaldo, Bale and Rodriguez get knocked out by their academy graduate was priceless. Funnier even than, dare I say, Welbeck's winning goal at OT.

Back to the summer transfer window, however, and it's obvious Arsenal needs to get some work done come July. And we will really be better off doing it in July, since August 1st is earmarked for the Community Shield game. The first league game will take place a week later.

For my ramblings about who needs to be brought in so that we could challenge Chelsea next season I'll adopt the expectation/reality format. The more accurate headings would probably be "what I think needs to be done" and "what Arsene Wenger is likely to do", but where would the fun be in that?

Anyway, I'll start with

Goalkeeping position

Expectation: ideally, I'd want Szczesny to come good, wrestle his place back from Ospina (with his performances, not literally) and make a further 400 appearances for us before retiring a Club legend having won every possible trophy.

However, what I just did is take my imagination to new dizzying heights. This scenario has "unreality" written all over it. Let's move over to more realistic options.

Can Szczesny come good?

Reality: from where I'm standing, Szczesny is half gone from the Club. He might (or might not, depending on the manager's decision) have just one game to prove he has a future at the Club: the Cup final. You know what I think: the Pole shouldn't play there. In order to stand the best chance of winning, we need to do what Villa will undoubtedly do: field our strongest XI. It doesn't include Szczesny.

It's really hard to tell what Arsene will do. I won't put it beyond him to play Szczesny in the final and, regardless of his performance and/or outcome of the  game, keep him for next season. I don't think Szczesny's contract runs out in a year, so we are not pressed to sell him and cash in this summer.

I also cannot say a new ruthless Wenger hasn't already made up his mind in that he needs a better number 1. This particular quote may shed some light on what is going on in Arsene's head:

“I hope yes (Szczesny has a future at the Club). But, at the moment, it is very difficult to answer that question.”

"It was then put to him that David Ospina had been the reason for the club’s upturn in form. Wenger, quite rightly, quickly pointed out that the difference in 2015 had been the availability of key outfield players, notably Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny, as well as the emergence of Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin." - Jeremy Wilson. You can read the rest of the article here.

Assuming Wenger wants a new goalie, one that would play and Ospina will sit on the bench, who might he bring in? Cech, Begovic, Lloris, Casillas and Handanovic are all possible replacements for Szczesny.

With Cech, the decision will be made by Petr and Roman Abramovich, Mourinho himself confirmed he has no say in the matter. Cech is my personal pick. He's 32, may have 5-7 years left in him. He's a winner, with 9 trophies under his belt, so he has that mentality. Finally, he's a class act who is unlikely to play second fiddle to anyone and he has good reason not to.

Lloris and Begovic are 2nd and 3rd best on my list. Both are great keepers with loads of experience in the Premier League. Both are younger than Cech (28 and 27 respectively). Both aren't playing for big clubs. Lloris even has a £20 buy-out clause in case Spurs don't qualify for the CL (which they haven't already). His ambitions may well match his ability and this ability is far greater than Europa League. Begovic, meanwhile, didn't play for Stoke in their last game, something that may hint he's on his way out.

Finally, Casillas and Handanovic are 4th and 5th respectively (on my list). Casillas is 33, and can be likened to Cech in many regards: experienced, winner and doesn't want to play back-up to Navas. It may not necessarily be the case, but rumours persist De Gea will be bought and Casillas wants to leave the Galacticos anyway.

However, where both Handanovic and Casillas lose to their counterparts is that they have no PL experience. Something that can be crucial to Wenger when/if the Frenchman makes his decision to buy.

An able replacement

The defense

Expectation: at another great push of my imagination, I can come up with a scenario in which three defenders leave us: Debuchy, Mertesacker and Monreal/Gibbs.

Debuchy as a result of falling behind Bellerin and Jenkinson in the pecking order, Mertesacker because of an inconsistent season, Monreal because he's 30 and has only one year left on his contact and Gibbs as a consequence of losing his place to the Spaniard.

In case Debuchy leaves I don't expect anyone to come in, with Mertesacker I'd demand another CB, though probably back-up to Gabriel and Chambers and with Gibbs/Monreal, I'd demand a quality LB. Like Gaya.

Reality: in reality, I don't think anyone will, or indeed should, leave. We finally sorted out our defense, have depth and competition in every position and we should keep it this way.

No one said AW doesn't view Debuchy as a starter when Mathieu is fit; Mertesacker, despite some weak showings, is our vice-captain (and de-facto captain), someone who is in top three at Arsenal in terms of minutes played this season, which indicates he has the complete trust of the manager; Monreal has been exceptional and should be kept at all costs and there's a case to be made for Gibbs. He's still young for a defender, learning his trade and a couple of indifferent performances do not mean he needs to be sold immediately and not be given another chance. I'll round up my musings on defenders with what Wenger recently said and what should put to bed all rumours linking us to defenders:

“At the moment I have players who have more experience than he (Chambers) has but in pre-season I will play him there (at CB)".

“That means we have enough there. Debuchy can play there, Monreal can play there so you can say we are not out to buy a central defender.

“And Gabriel will be a great central defender, believe me. So we have now sorted out the centre backs.”

By saying Debuchy and Monreal can act as emergency CBs, one can assume both will stay next season.

As our full-backs are in complete order and AW doesn't seem willing to reinforce the central area any further, I'll move on.

Monreal has been exceptional

Midfield

Everything will depend on who and/or how many players will leave. If anyone leaves. If the midfield stays intact, I'd say we might need only another CDM in Coquelin's mould. One player, no more. I don't think we should also be worried if Flamini, Diaby and Rosicky are the only ones to leave (and let's face it, all of them are unlikely to be here come September). We'll still have Coq, Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta, Cazorla and Ozil. Difficulties (and the need to act) will arise if this trio is followed out of the door by Arteta and/or Cazorla. Should one (or both) leave, AW will need to get his chequebook out.

Expectation: in which case I'd expect someone like Isco to replace Cazorla. Only he comes to mind as a two-footed capable playmaker from the deep. Also, he's the only one mooted by the press to join us so far.

As for Arteta, I've seen three possible candidates linked: Schneiderlin, Kondogbia and Gündogan.

Morgan has an advantage over Kondogbia in that he's used to the Premier League, while his ability to stay fit will serve as an edge over Gündogan. His other strength is his passing. Coquelin is the best there is at breaking up play, but he's often bypassed by his fellow teammates when Arsenal's quick passing game clicks. Coq is viewed as an obstacle, impediment to our free flowing tika-taka. Arsenal's Column focuses on that particular drawback in greater detail here. Thus, it wouldn't hurt to buy Morgan whatever.

Reality: I don't think Arsene will buy ANYONE unless an important cog in his well-oiled machine leaves. That is, if Arteta and/or Cazorla decide to seek pastures new. With Cazorla I'm not convinced Wenger will buy a replacement, he may be inclined to give WIlshere a real shot, though it'd be risky having one less midfielder capable of making the difference and placing all the trust in an injury-prone Jack. Don't get me wrong, I love Wilsh, I'm a big believer in his ability and I really, really want him to pin down a regular role next season, but banking on any player staying fit is risky, doing so when a player in question has a long injury record is doubly so.

Arteta, meanwhile, is Arsene's most trusted lieutenant. If he stays, no one will come in. I'm not even sure Coquelin will still be №1 if Arteta is fit and healthy. However, should the Spaniard leave, I'm more than sure Arsene will buy someone to cover for Coq when necessary. It's not secret he was interested in signing the aforementioned Morgan Schneiderlin in the summer, I have a feeling this interest will be renewed even if Arteta stays.

Will he, won't he join Arsenal?

The front three

I was watching the return leg of Bayern vs Barcelona the other day and it struck me that both teams had at least three attackers that could create a moment out of nothing. Bayern had Lewandowski, Mueller and Goetze; Barcelona had the deadly trio of Neymar, Suarez and Messi. Moreover, Bayern also had Ribery and Robben injured, while Barca had Pedro tucked away on the bench.

Mind you, both sides have an abundance of midfielders at their disposal, all of whom are more than capable of conjuring up moments for their attackers. Barca boast a midfield of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Rakitic; Bayern have Schweinsteiger and Xavi Martinez. Nonetheless, the creative burden is shared between attack and midfield.

Yes, we are talking about probably two strongest teams in Europe at the moment. Both would likely have made it to the final, had blind fate not pinned them against one another in the semis. And now look at Arsenal.

We have: Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Ozil and Rosicky. Five midfielders, all have different qualities, all are capable of producing moments of magic for themselves and for their partners. But do we have attackers capable of doing that? Short answer would be “no”.

Of course, if I elaborate, I can say we have Sanchez and (probably) Oxlade-Chamberlain who can create something out of nothing. The others, though? Giroud, Welbeck, Walcott? They cannot. All of them rely on service. No service, no goals, or very few goals.

The issue is not Giroud’s quality as some would have you believe. It’s the fact he’s almost on a one-man mission. Would Benzema manage to be that good without ample support from the flanks or, indeed, a plan “B”? Because Real have options in attack if things don’t go well. We, realistically speaking, do not have these options. Do not have the personnel up front to create on their own (bar Sanchez and the Ox). So here goes.

Expectation: I really want to see either a creative forward or another creative winger come in this summer. You cannot bank on Sanchez and Oxlade staying fit or in-form all season. For starters, Alexis’s season is more than likely to begin later than ours due to his involvement in Copa America. Oxlade, meanwhile, had another injury-ridden season. If one injury means you have to play a central midfielder wide, well, that’s simply not good enough.

Again, the problem is that I’ve seen very few wingers or strikers linked with us. Which hints that we may not be in the market for one. Reus has renewed his contract and will be hard to get for reasonable money, Goetze has seemingly fallen out of favour with Guardiola, but again it’s unlikely he’ll be allowed to leave for peanuts. Dybala is almost a Juve player, odds are Icardi is not for sale. Bale is not realistic at all, so I don’t even want to mention any possibility of him joining us.

In my opinion, if we can get our hands on another world-class striker/winger it’d be grand. My personal pick would be Reus, closely followed by Goetze. Lacazette is the only realistic option I can envisage us getting to play at CF.

A dream of a winger

Reality: what Arsene chooses to do can vary greatly from what I’d do. And, unlike many others, I’m willing to back the manager, conceding he’s much more qualified in this matter than I am.

What I can say for sure is that Arsene is a fan of Fekir, Lyon’s winger, so his acquisition is not outside the realms of possibility. At a stretch, one can make a case for Lacazette, though I haven’t seen anything to suggest we might be in for him.

Unless it’s a clever ruse, Wenger also seems to be willing to give Theo Walcott a shot at CF:

"Being 26 to 32 is the best age as a striker and I wouldn't like to miss that golden age,"

"He can be transformed. He is naturally gifted to play in this position."

"I work with him in both situations, as a striker and as a wide player but the quality of the runs is so fantastic with the pace he has,

"When he was younger he was rushing his finishing but he is a good finisher now."

On top of all that we know Wenger is an admirer of Olivier Giroud, while Welbeck and Akpom are waiting in the wings. So I’d be really surprised if we DO buy a CF. Of any kind.

However, the situation on the wings is a bit different. I’d even say it’s VERY different. If we view Welbeck and Walcott as strikers, that’s two less wingers. If Wenger comes good on his promise, Oxlade and Gnabry will play in central midfield. That leaves Alexis as our only winger and I vaguely recall Arsene stating he bought the Chilean as a striker.

As you can see, the need for a buy in this area is pretty pressing and I think Arsene also sees it. Unlike the situation with CFs, I’d be hugely surprised should no winger come in.

Arsene's pick - Fekir

Rounding-up

Some business we need to do, don’t we? The summer should be long and interesting. Bloggers, beware of rumours.

Righto, enough said. Hats off if you stuck with me till the end.

Until later

Arsenal 0-1 Swansea: good old Arsenal

"As Valencia's deflected shot found the bottom corner I stared at the screen in disbelief. The sense of unreality swept over me. For a good while longer than a few seconds I've been (fruitlessly) trying to persuade myself that this wasn't happening. This could not be happening. Simply because everything about this goal was so unjust. So undeserved. So much against the run of play. Even in my worst nightmares I couldn't have envisaged that scenario.

Except that I could. It was oh so predictable. Some of you (the not so seasoned supporters of Arsenal FC) would ask how such a farce could be predictable. Who could have thought that Fellaini would not be flagged offside when he clearly was offside, that it can lead to a collision between Gibbs and Szczesny, which would leave both out of the picture? The veterans would have the answer to that question. They had it long before the game. They probably had it for ten years. Cause it's Arsenal."

I wrote this article almost six months ago. That was when we last lost a game at home. And the similarities between us going down to United in November and losing to Swansea yesterday are striking.

As are the similarities between Gomis's goal in November and Gomis's goal yesterday. Chambers (sorry, Bellerin) got roasted on the right by Montero, cross came in, Mertesacker (damn, Koscielny) got caught napping and Monreal lost his aerial battle against Gomis.

The most disappointing thing about yesterday's loss was that it was completely and utterly avoidable. True, our first shot on target only came in the 58th minute, but after that we created a flurry of chances. However, despite our game finally starting to click around the hour's mark, I can recall only two clear-cut chances: Ramsey hitting the side netting and then producing a moment of magic to split up Swansea's defense Ozil-style and fashion a chance for Sanchez. Alexis scuppered it, which is pretty unusual for the Chilean, though Walcott definitely should have scored from the rebound.

But look, I'm not here to apportion blame. Is Giroud to blame for not scoring for 4th consecutive game when he's being marked so tightly? He's no Aguero to create something out of nothing. We all know Giroud's limitations: he cannot really dribble, he's not a speedster, he rarely pulls off a skill move. Despite that, the Frenchman did his best. He headed over in the opening stages, curled a shot just wide before the half-time whistle and was actually that man who recorded our first shot on target.

Can we blame Walcott for not scoring? Certainly, but again we have to take into consideration Theo is frozen out, doesn't feature a lot and IS NOT a centre-forward. Not like Giroud anyway.

Wenger then? For what, really? Starting Rambo and not Walcott, which narrowed our play? Should he really have started Walcott knowing space would be at a premium and Walcott is no dribbler like Cazorla? Maybe the substitutions? Too little, too late? Again I'd protest. Wilshere for Coquelin and Walcott for Giroud with 25 minutes remaining is as ambitious as it gets. Why has Arsene opted not to throw Rosicky on? Another dribbler like Jack, he certainly would have come in handy. Who should have left the field then? Sanchez, a natural goalscorer? Cazorla, who marshalled us from the back? Or maybe Ozil, who created 5 chances in a game so tight and was easily our best player on the pitch?

This is the umpteenth time I lament Oxlade's unavailability. A three-week injury has gone on for 2 months now, but really, you shouldn't pin all your hopes on one player staying fit and being able to play every game. We need a winger in the summer. We probably shouldn't have let Campbell go, though it's another story entirely.

Our play for the goal conceded was atrocious, however. Barrow whipped in a cross past Monreal, Montero roasted Bellerin and then both Mert and Kos lost Gomis and allowed him to plant a free header. Even after all that Ospina probably should have saved the shot. For me, though, he's not the biggest culprit in this passage of play.

I also have to give credit to Swansea. Yes, they came here to defend and try and get the point, they got all three. The Swans didn't really deserve the win, but we should know better than waste our chances. The second Sanchez and Walcott failed to score with the goal at their mercy I had a nagging feeling we were staring a loss in the face. I'm really, really sad this feeling wasn't just that: a feeling.

The lesson we should learn? It was summed up by Arsene:

"We were unlucky I think against a team who refused to play completely and just defended. It was a question of being patient enough and if we couldn’t win it not to lose it. Overall I was encouraged by the quality that we showed in the second half, but it’s frustrating. When you cannot win a game, don’t lose it. We knew exactly what could happen. It was not even a break. We were warned of the kind of goal they could score with Montero kicking the ball in the air and we were short in jumping for the ball. For the rest we rushed our finishing because we had plenty of chances in the second half. It was just a question of scoring a goal."

It reminded me of how we lost to Borussia at home last year. If you can't win it, try not to lose it. A point yesterday would have still left our fate in our own hands. Three wins in three games is a hard feat to accomplish (esp a win against United away), but it's possible. It's manageable. It's within our capabilities, within our reach. I still remember Andrew Mangan's headline after that Borussia loss: "Avoidable point dropped". Sums up our yesterday's performance.

Now we badly need a win at OT and even that doesn't guarantee us 2nd. We need Swansea and/or Southampton to do us a favour and rob City of points. And look, it's not completely out of the question. Swansea's yesterday's win ensures they now trail 7th Southampton by a point and Tottenham by two. Which means the Swans are now fighting for Europa League places and I'm sure they WILL fight. If Monk's side beats City it'll be poetic justice: Swansea taketh away and Swansea giveth. The other team City will face? Southampton. The Saints now need points almost as badly as Swansea and will give City a run for their money.

So second is not out of the equation, as you can see, though now we need at least a draw against United. We'll guarantee 3rd with six points in three games, so two home wins against Sunderland and West Brom should do the trick.

There are nonetheless two positives about yesterday's game. First is that it was our first loss since early February and only 3rd in 2015. It is also only a second defeat we suffered at home this season and as it stands, our 3rd loss at the Emirates in two seasons.

Another positive about our yesterday's result, is that it'll keep us on our toes. Remind us that we aren't invincible. That we should fight, should take our chances. Hope we'll learn the lesson, bounce back against United and move on.

Until later

Why I think Arsene's still the man

Okay, I know this is supposed to be a preview for the Swansea game but, frankly, not much has happened in the last couple of days that could affect the task at hand.

Swansea’s striker Gomis should make it in time to face us at the Emirates (although, as the Frenchman has missed a couple of games, he’s not a guaranteed starter), Montero and Shelvey will be included as will our old pal Lukasz Fabianski. I’m not too worried about either Shelvey or Montero as long as Coquelin and Bellerin start, while Sanchez should have a trick or two up his sleeve to surprise Fabianski. The Swans have little to play for. They trail 7th Southampton by 4 points with 3 games to go, so I don’t think they’ll put up a real fight.

From our side, the news isn’t very bright, though not gloomy either. Diaby, Arteta and Oxlade are still regaining match fitness and won’t feature, Debuchy and Welbeck are nursing slight knocks, but both should be eligible against United and Ramsey is a 50/50 having been on the receiving end of a nasty tackle from Huddlestone.

I wouldn’t risk the Welshman even if he’s deemed fit, he’ll be too valuable an asset when we visit Old Trafford, so Jack for Rambo is my pick. Whether Wilshere plays wide or centrally is not so important as long as we click as a team. You can read a bit more on the upcoming game from David (link) and Tim (link).

While I want to concentrate on something different, namely: why it will be so hard to replace Arsene Wenger when he inevitably leaves. Who fits the mould, who should we bring in, who can do the job as well as the Frenchman?

Roberto Martinez

Don’t laugh, let me explain. In an ideal world (where all the managers possess the same level of ability), I’d pick Roberto Martinez because of the image he projects. The Spaniard is always calm, elegantly-dressed and is loved by the players. He’s also well-mannered when it comes to encounters with journalists. In short, he is classy (if not quite to Arsene’s level). Arsenal is all about history, tradition and class and Martinez would certainly be a blast in this regard.

However, we do not live in an ideal world. This season, while not quite exposing Martinez’s tactical weaknesses, highlighted he’s unable (as of yet) to cope with two major tournaments at once. While he very obviously cannot challenge for major honours in both, he probably could have done a better job at least domestically. No one expects Everton (realistically) to finish in the top 4, but bottom line is, they should get into the Europa League zone. Right now the Toffees are 11th, best they can do in the remaining games is 9th. Not good enough even for them.

Martinez to Arsenal would be akin to Moyes to United. Moyes should have been given more time, no doubt about it, however, it’s risky coming into the team of reigning champions with a track record of 0 trophies. Not David’s fault, obviously, not like he could have refused to go and have a shot with the big boys, but this mess just showed that you don’t simply walk in and start collecting trophies if you don’t have such a record. Martinez, like Moyes, does not. So he’s not the one for me.

Pep Guardiola

Can’t stand his guts. Not because he’s unsuccessful, far from it: he’s won everything there is to win with Barca and performed much the same way with Bayern.

It’s not about old grudges either. I’m open-minded enough to not scream: “This guy has beaten us in the CL several times, I don’t want him anywhere near our Club!” He was just doing his job (this line makes him sound almost like a Bond-esque villain), I can respect that.

No, the reason I don’t want Pep at Arsenal is his tantrums. The way he behaves when not everything goes according to plan. Like a spoilt child, throwing his toys out of the pram, shouting at journos, sarcastically applauding his own medical team. The way he chastises his own players in front of the cameras (remember how he screamed at Alexis?). Mourinho-like and this is far from being a compliment.

Guardiola only seems to care about his own enormous ego and untarnished reputation. He’ll blame everyone and everything just so that his hands (figuratively speaking) can remain clean. Even Borinho doesn’t go to such lengths. The Portuguese always defends his players, that’s why they love him so much.

Guardiola has never cut such a fatherly figure like Arsene Wenger. Never produced such a class image. Not even close, not even once. Moreover, I have a suspicion lurking at the back of my mind, that the Spaniard can only do a job with world-class players like he had at Barca or Bayern. If he gets anything less, he might not be so successful.

For all the reasons above, screw him.

Jurgen Klopp

Having established we need BOTH a manager with a track record of challenging for and/or winning major trophies AND someone with class, our scope narrows significantly. If we throw in a simple fact that this manager is unlikely to come into the richest Club in the league, we’ll be really hard-pressed to find one. I’m starting to understand the “One Arsene Wenger” chant.

What we also want is an entertaining brand of football Arsenal is famous for worldwide. Fast attacking football with flicks and backheels and triangles and whatnot. Klopp seems the closest we can get.

He proved he can be successful with not the richest of clubs, first with Mainz, then with Borussia Dortmund. His “Stone cold crazy” (thank you, @7amkickoff!) style of football is aesthetically pleasing. His former players have nothing but love and respect for the man. He nurtured young guys like Reus or Gotze, bought Lewandowski for peanuts. Jurgen is a father to Borussia, their players, fans, board of directors, backroom staff.

Yes, he is unshaven most of the time. He likes to wear a sporting suit. His articulation on the sidelines and his overall behavior makes you think he’s not quite right in the head. But he’s passionate. Ha cares about his players, fans, the team performances, any injustices that might occur. Jurgen seems ready to jump onto the field and start kicking the ball himself. He likes to suffocate teams at Wesfalenstadion by adopting a constant pressing tac and a high defensive line.

Despite appearing cross and brash and maybe even rude, Klopp is none of these things. I do not recall a single time he sent the journos to hell the way Mourinho or Guardiola like to do. If you are not convinced by him, read this (link). The article deals with Tuchel as much as with Klopp himself, but makes for an entertaining and insightful read nonetheless.

The verdict

Ideally, I want to clone Arsene Wenger and have him manage our Club for decades to come. If you read through the lines as well as the lines themselves, you understand that Arsene is a perfect blend of qualities for us.

If you exclude all the false prophets like Rodgers, all the good managers at lesser clubs (like Monk, for example) and all the ageing guys like Ancelotti, we have a very small pool to choose from. Thus we should do so wisely. When the time comes.

Over and out from me. Voice your opinion in the comments section below.

Cheers

Hull City 1-3 Arsenal: a triumph of the Arsenal style

Morning everyone.

What a lovely morning it is. Yesterday we've: a) secured a 20th consecutive St. Totteringham's Day b) secured Champions League football c) overcame one of the hardest hurdles during our run-in (beat away a team fighting to stay up) d) played some magnificent football e) finally, increased the gap on United to 5 points, while still having a game in hand

As usual, I'll go over points of interest

David Ospina

It's daunting how comfortable he looks right now. The Colombian doesn't do anything special, he just doesn't make mistakes or things that lead to mistakes. He can improve his kicking, sure, but everything else is at the level required. Really want him to start on the 30th of May.

It was all the more disappointing to see Ospina not get the clean sheet he deserved. David had little to do, the goal conceded is entirely down to a lapse of concentration among our defenders, so being robbed of the clean sheet that way...well, at least we won.

Defense

We seem to have found the right balance, one Arsene Wenger seems reluctant to tamper with and here he has my backing completely. That this balance doesn't include Debuchy (for now, because he's injured), Gabriel (who we've bought for depth), Chambers (who has around 40 appearances this season) and Gibbs (our left-back of choice last season) tells you all you need to know about how well the current guys are playing.

Bellerin provides width to our attacks, while also possessing the pace to catch up when caught out of position. Mertesacker rediscovered his                                                                                           understanding with Kos (who made his 200th appearance yesterday) and Monreal is solid throughout the season. Wins headers, helps out Sanchez, blocks everyone. Almost like Coquelin.

The only real complaint I have from yesterday's defensive performance is the goal conceded. When Kos went down in pain, everyone stopped playing and gave Quinn a free header. Lee Mason is a twat, a twat that should have stopped the game after that horrendous challenge on Kos, but we need to learn to play to the whistle. It's not the first time we've done that, need to make sure it's the last, however.

Midfield

Splendid. Magnificent. Brilliant. Thrilling. Scintillating. Probably the best I've seen us play this season.

Coquelin was his usual snappy self: 6/6 tackles, 8 ball recoveries, 3 interceptions. Since Christmas he leads the league with 68 tackles and 70 interceptions. Monster.

Cazorla was excellent in his deeper position. 100 out of 106 passes completed and that assist for Ramsey...brilliant piece of skill. We are going to have out work cut out if we are planning on replacing Santi. It's not about a two-footed technically gifted slick passer anymore. Santi, like Arteta before him, learnt his trade at CDM. On several occasions he was faster to track back than Coquelin.

Ozil excelled. His pass completion was over 90%, but, more importantly, he roamed all over the pitch, creating overloads, offering himself as an outlet, knitting out attacks together (remember that heel flick to Sanchez?). He robbed Huddlestone for the first and was a positive influence all around.

Rambo had his best game in a while. A nice touch-and-turn for the first, a sublime through ball for Sanchez for the third, the usual workrate. Very good game from the Welshman.

When he was replaced with Wilshere, however, our style of play changed slightly and I cannot say it changed for the worse. It just became...different. Ramsey likes to play without the ball, Wilshere with it. Jack's first action was running half the field to earn a dangerous free-kick. His second was being pushed over in the box after he fooled two defenders on the right.

I think Jack's due a start. He was brimming with confidence yesterday, he contributed a lot in these 25 minutes and I genuinely think he'll grab his chance to impress if given one. Who Wilsh should come in for is another story.

Attack

I'm starting to worry a little bit about Giroud. That was the third game he went without a goal. It's not a problem in itself, the problem is that I don't remember the Frenchman recording a shot on target yesterday. After his goal spree opponents began to double-mark the Frenchman, and as of yet he hasn't found a way to deal with it. Ollie really needs to, cause we need him to be more involved than he has been lately.

While with Sanchez, well, what can you say? I consider the fact the Chilean didn't get POTY either a robbery in broad daylight or politics. Which, when you come to think of it, is pretty close.

24 goals and 11 assists in his debut season. In 46 appearances. If he manages to score 3 more in the remaining 5 games, he'll set a new record, surpassing Ian Wright and Thierry Henry. All the while playing on the flanks, not centrally. A phenomenal achievement. It's a real shame he'll probably miss the start of the season because of his involvement in Copa America or however it's called, but it is what it is.

The verdict

"We set ourselves the target to continue our run but also to continue to make progress as a team, because we feel we have made progress during the season. Tonight was a demonstration that we can improve and that we can keep the quality very high. We played the kind of football we love to play and we played it for long periods of the game with the quality we desire."

Boy did we make some progress during the second half of the campaign. We average 2.42 points per game for the said period, which is even slightly better than what the Invincibles achieved. However, the Invincibles maintained their 2.36 per game for the ENTIRE season.

Our progress certainly can be called just that. And it kind of helps having your best players around, doesn't it?

Alright, enough said. Go and celebrate St. Totteringham's Day with gusto.

Until later